Thursday 10-3-2024

Sally Wakley-Pinterest

We’re having “fall” in the mornings and evenings and “summer” in the afternoons here. We open our front and back doors to catch terrific breezes in the mornings, close up and turn on the a/c in the afternoons, and then open up again in the evenings. Keeps us a bit busy, but I’m enjoying it.

This is my newest wood-burned and painted piece. I’ll list it on Etsy today. I’m really enjoying spending time in my art room almost every day or evening lately. All problems fade away for a while as I concentrate on what designs to try, what size wood to use, what tips to use on the wood burning tool to use, what colors to use, and more. I feel my happiness simply bubbling up.

LaSante Health Center

I’ll be late writing tomorrow. We are going for blood work at our new clinic first thing in the morning. After we have blood work, we enjoy a really nice breakfast at The Dari in Greenwood before coming home.

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I learned a new thing from trying a new recipe for a tuna casserole last night. The one I tried was good, but seemed like a lot of work and a lot of mess to clean up. I DID learn, though, a way to tackle making casseroles that makes the carb count good and results in something that tastes good. I can substitute mushrooms, celery and onions for the pasta, and cream cheese for the canned creamed soups I used to use. Now I feel that I can experiment, using that knowledge as a base, then adding whatever poultry, meat or fish to it, plus maybe broccoli as an added goodie. :0)

Poshmark

I found a really old MP3 player last night. I was looking for something ELSE and felt like I had discovered a treasure when I found it. Happily, it still played, even though I hadn’t charged it in forever. I sat in my recliner while my husband watched some wretched excuse for a movie, in my own little world enjoying songs and artists I hadn’t heard for a long, long time. This morning I’m trying to find a cord and charger for it so I can give it more life. :0)

I hope you have a happy day.

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Comforting Thought

Crafty Angel Designs

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Finders Keepers

Indian Hills Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy

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Alex Fleming Art 3

I simply can’t believe these are DRAWINGS and PAINTINGS.

Alex Fleming Art – Etsy

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Robin Davis Studio 2

Robin Davis Studio on Etsy

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Wednesday 10-2-2024

Bikatiart-Etsy

Getting older is sometimes the pits. Right now my husband is finding more and more things he has trouble doing, and he’s getting down about it.

Yesterday we went grocery shopping. When we got everything put away, he suddenly decided he wanted to change out our mailbox decoration. We went to the shop, chose something (I can’t remember which one now) and drove back down to the mailbox at the bottom of the driveway. The one we had on there was large and heavy. We put it in the truck, attached the new one to the mailbox pole and came back up to store the one we had taken down. My husband had trouble lifting it up to hang on the hanger for it. He finally got it, but then said, as we walked back to the house, that we were going to have to quit displaying the larger decorations.

I again suggested that we construct another ‘holder’ for the decorations, one on the shop floor with slots for the decorations that we could slide in and out, rather than try to hang them from hooks overhead. He isn’t ready to consider that.

Canadiancor.com

I’m trying to talk to him when he seems amenable, discussing ways I’M having to adapt how I do things because I’m not as strong as I used to be, or as agile, have as much stamina, etc., trying to help him accept that we have new limitations. Sometimes he seems to be listening and considering. Other times, he’s just as ornery as ever.

I hope it’s beautiful where you are and that you have a wonderful day.

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Problem Solved

Indian Hills Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy

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Robin Davis Studio

Robin Davis Studio on Etsy

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Morris Digital Designs 4

Morris Digital Designs – Etsy

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Tuesday 10-1-2024

Facebook

I hope that October will be a good month for all of us. I’m happy that the summer ‘intense heat warnings’ seem to finally be gone for the year. Since I’m “mature” (synonym for ‘older-than-dirt’) and carrying more than enough weight for my height (which is shrinking) I FEEL even what is considered normal for the summer. So the warnings we’ve had much of the summer kill most of the joy I have about trying to work in the yard. I did all I could about trying to work in the cooler parts of the day, but even that and a sweat band and keeping sessions short wasn’t much help. I’m glad to put that behind us for a while. :0)

I finished several things in my art room yesterday. I’m listing two custom Christmas cards I’m offering for 2024 plus 4 small signs I wood-burned and accented with pastel paint. I’ve started a new larger piece now and am having great fun with the challenge.

I’m going to try now to spend a bit of time each day cutting stuff down outside. Our lawn is staying under good control, both with the grass and the trimming around it. Our flower planters seem to be holding their own, not sprouting a bunch of weeds yet, so I can turn my attention to the fact that since we live in the woods, nature is always trying to ‘return to normal.’ That means the land trying to regrow, fill in, and grow over the top of us, returning the land to what it was before we ‘landed’ and built 37 years ago. I’ll take the big pruning shears out and just do what I can for a short time each day and see what good I can do.

I think I told you that the innards of one of our toilets gave up the ghost recently. We ordered a replacement kit, but my husband said he just wasn’t strong enough to install it in the Kohler toilet we have. (They have a really weird set of innards and require that one part be pressed into the side of the tank and then turned 45 degrees.) I called our plumber. His partner came yesterday. HE had trouble with it, too, and he’s young and strong and experienced. He got it installed, though, and so the toilet is good now. We agreed that the person who designed the innards should be shot. :0)

I wish you a fun day and a great October.

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Celebration!

Calvary Baptist Church of North Lenoir County

Yes, I’m definitely in celebration mode this morning, “tooting my own horn”, dancing around the room, grinning from ear to ear, dancing with the animals, dancing with my husband (who was very encouraging). I FINALLY REACHED THE 40-POUNDS OFF INTERIM GOAL!!!!!

Giphy.gif

WOO HOOOOOO! I’ve been trying to get to this goal for so long that I actually weighed myself several times before I really believed it. :0)

I hauled out my really old NutriSystem weight loss bears so that I could document the GREEN 40-pounds-off bear. (He has “40” embroidered on his chest.) I’ve lost track of how long ago it was that I earned him. The minute I quit eating the prepared NutriSystem meals, though, I began gaining it back. It just wasn’t sustainable for me.

Now I’m eating low carb, plus trying to cut down on salt, plus trying to drink more water, plus trying to exercise on a daily basis. This is something I can stick with and control, tweaking when necessary, reassessing goals as I go.

I’m a little past halfway now, I think to my ultimate goal- again assessing as I go. The overall plan now is to lose another 30 pounds or so and improving my blood work. I have now set my next 5-pound interim goal.

I will set my sights on the next NutriSystem Bear (50-pounds-off) when I reach the next goal.

Onward and Downward!

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Squish and Faris

Heartwarming – BoredPanda.com – Miguel Ordonez and Mindaugas Balciauskas

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Alex Fleming Art 2

Alex Fleming Art on Etsy

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Monthly Accountability – Sept. 2024

Tracy Grondahl-Pinterest

At this, the last day of September, I’m 2/10ths of a pound away from my interim weight loss goal of 40-pounds-off.

This is a report from MyFitnessPal.com showing the last year of my ‘lose-the-lard’ efforts. Although I’m only about halfway to my ultimate goal at this point, the trend is encouraging.

My husband and I had a talk this morning, since he has Type 2 Diabetes (though he won’t admit that and says he just has a ‘sugar problem.’) We BOTH are having to accept that our bodies don’t respond to our efforts as they used to. It takes being more serious with more consistent effort to actually realize improvement.

He says he’s being ‘good,’ but looked kind of appalled when I calmly reminded him of what I noticed he ate that was not on his diet recently. I told him I wasn’t the food police and that he was responsible – as am I – for what we put in our mouths. We BOTH need to keep tweaking to make the changes happen.

What seems to be working for me right now – with the occasional plateau – is monitored by my daily use of MyFitnessPal.com. I put in my information on KetoKarma.com (Suzanne Ryan’s website) and came up with this as my daily eating goal –

My experience after doing this about a year is that I need to stay under 1000 calories, where fitness pal says, “You might not be eating enough.” I eat as few carbs as possible, staying as close to 13 or 14 as I can, and try not to eat too much protein – that may throw off my progress. I’m trying to drink more water, alternating between that and coffee until my eyeballs are floating. I’m not snacking – at all. I’m taking Fruits & Veggies vitamin supplements daily to make sure I’m getting all the nutrients I need, as well as taking Calcium for my bones. I’m hoping that eventually, when I meet my ultimate goal, I might be able to stop taking most of the prescription drugs I’m taking now. We’re monitoring blood tests at the times my doc deems appropriate. I’m trying to exercise daily – videos with weights and my half hour yoga stretching.

SO – as of today, September 30th, there are 39.8 pounds less of me than when I was at my heaviest. There are 41.2 inches less of me now.

“Keepin’ on keepin’ on. “ I’ll report again at the end of October.

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Monday 9-30-2024

Oak Canyon Art – Etsy

Good morning! We’re into a ‘throw-the-doors-open-and-enjoy-the-breezes’ time each morning and closing up and turning on the a/c around lunch time. I’ll take it.

I had fun in the art room yesterday. I’m hoping to get up there again today, but house stuff is taking priority – exciting stuff like laundry, changing the sheets, gathering trash, cleaning, etc. Though, I vacuumed the first floor tiles yesterday and there were ALREADY three tufts of Amber hair wafting around this morning. Makes me wonder why I bother at ALL. That dog should be absolutely bald.

Update to the first paragraph – I was writing this blog post and my husband is across the office from me, working on a computer program. We both jumped about 3 feet straight up into the air when Amber started fierce barking at the front screen door. She obviously smelled something and her hair was standing straight up on her back. I made her go to her place on her bed in the living room, but it took both of us a while before our hearts beat normally again and we were able to concentrate.

All was good until BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK!!!! – giving our hearts another big jolt. I have now closed the front door after making Amber get back in her place. Hopefully, this will be the end of it… I’m wondering – do jolts like this count as cardio exercise?

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Morris Digital Designs 3

Chris Morris – MorrisDigitalDesigns on Etsy

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Awww

Smile – BoredPanda.com – Nikita Manot and Dominyka

I think there might be room for ONE MORE signing on his cast…

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More LoveMasterPieces

LoveMasterPieces on Etsy

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Unlimited

I have the old style Kindle Fire 7. If things go the way things have in the past year, it’s probably on its last legs and will die a cruel death soon. :0(

I have always liked REAL books. They are in shelves all over our house, plus in ‘discrete’ piles :0) elsewhere – I LOVE real books and fought the idea of getting a Kindle for a LONG time after my husband got one. He loves his and rarely reads a real book anymore. I do like the fact that I can throw my Kindle in my purse and take it places and read where I’m having to wait a long time.

I also fought the idea of Kindle Unlimited, where you pay a monthly fee in order to have access to lots of ‘free’ books at no extra charge. The main reason I like this now is that a LOT of books being written these days that are truly awful, in my humble opinion. I like characters with whom I can identify or I can admire. I like plots where I care what happens to those characters. I won’t read a book with lots of grammatical or spelling errors. I also don’t like ‘formula’ stuff that is predictable, being buried in questionable language, or kind of shocked by too much explicitness when I appreciate ‘romance.’

I can upload a book, get started with it, and send it back from whence it came in a matter of seconds without feeling guilty about having ‘bought’ yet another bad book not worth reading. There is no limit. I DO have to return one in order to download another from time to time, but that just takes a second.

I still prefer a real book, but paperbacks now, since the arthritis in my hands makes it uncomfortable to hold a hardback these days. The Kindle enables me to read as much as I like without guilt – a great thing for sure!

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Sunday 9-29-2024

These are the newest wood-burned and hand-painted ornaments.
All can be personalized with a first name and the year on the back.
Some are one layer, others are two layers. All are one-of-a-kind. Available on HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy.

I’m also working on two custom Christmas cards and two wood-burned signs. I just love being able to spend time in my art room lately. My husband’s efforts lately have been working on a computer program, rather than death-defying projects, so I’m very, very grateful.

He slept in this morning. When I tried to make coffee, the pot didn’t do anything. I checked it over a couple of times, but it just wasn’t doing anything. I finally searched and found an old Mr. Coffee in the pantry and ran it, so we didn’t have to do without today. When he got up, he checked the coffee system and declared it dead, so I don’t feel stupid, just disappointed in the newer pot.

It’s a gorgeous day here today. I feel guilty because so many people have been devastated by Helene, flooded and without power and more, while all I have to grouse about is a non-working coffee pot. Donation seems such a small thing to do, but I’m doing what I can to help.

My husband got antsy last night and decided that we should do our grocery shopping and miss the Sunday crowds. It was about dinner time, so it was kind of an odd time to be going out to do errands. The weather was lovely, though, and we enjoyed taking Amber with us in the truck and opening the windows to the wonderful breeze.

We watched the Alabama vs Georgia football game last night. We gave up when Alabama was ahead 24-0. It turns out we gave up too soon. Georgia came to life, tied the game, and Alabama scored once more at the last minute to pull out a win. Sorry we missed a really good game.

I hope you have a nice Sunday.

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Time Flies

Indian Hills Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy

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PhotoBomb

Heartwarming – BoredPanda.com – Miguel Ordonez and Mindaugas Balciauskas

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3-D Needle Felted Art 4

Fiona Finlayson – FFinlayson on Etsy

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More Dean Crouser Art

Dean Crouser Art – Etsy

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Saturday 9-28-2024

dog-piesio-Tenor

I gained weight-retained water – swallowed a bowling ball – or SOMETHING overnight, so my weight is up a pound this morning. I’m just gritting my teeth and will keep on keepin’ on, working toward my interim weight loss goal. My ‘maturity’ is making this a real character-building exercise, aided and abetted by my husband, who has been crunching on potato chips lately. If there were fairness in the world, just the fact that I resisted that temptation should allow me to finally reach this goal. It will really feel good when I reach this one and can officially set the next one.

TC Drumming for Seniors

I’m really enjoying this exercise. There is a whole list of short videos with these ladies and others drumming and exercising to music. Since I don’t have an exercise ball, the tub, or drumsticks, I’m just keeping up with them as best I can holding 3 pound weights. Yesterday I did the warm up plus 4 more videos, giving myself a pretty good workout. I also did my yoga stretching later in the day.

Teachstone

I played in my art room yesterday afternoon and some more in the evening, finishing several individual Christmas ornaments, working on a custom Christmas card for 2024 to offer in sets of 6, and started two more signs. It feels good to escape and play.

While back my husband and I changed out most of the transformers in our fluorescent light fixtures, being forced to change to the new LED lightbulbs. We finally got that done, leaving only a few much-less used fixtures and the leftover old-style bulbs. One group of those was over our entertainment center. My husband changed those out while I was having my massage Thursday morning. Since it involved balancing on a ladder, I was relieved he was still in one piece when I got home. The other one that needed new bulbs was in my closet. The light has been super dim for months now, but I just didn’t want him trying to change out the bulbs, since he kept getting so frustrated and tired, holding his arms up in the air and fighting to get the bulbs in and working. Yesterday the two of us tackled that and got the new old-style bulbs in without too much hassle. The last ones lasted over 30 years, so I think that problem is ‘fixed’ now. :0)

I’m relieved that my friends and relatives made it through Helene just fine. I feel so sorry for the loss of life, the devastation, and the aftermath of the storm.

I hope you enjoy your Saturday.

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International

Indian Hills Humor – Vince, The Sign Guy

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Dean Crouser Art 2

Dean Crouser Art

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3-D Needle Felted Art 3

Fiona Finlayson – FFinlayson on Etsy

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Deal – Bed for a Buck

Buck shows up, so homeowners give him a bed, too.

Smile – BoredPanda.com – Nikita Manot and Dominyka

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Nice Wall Decor

LoveMasterPieces on Etsy

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Friday 9-27-2024

Ontario-Andrii Frolov-@kznsq On X

I had a wonderful slothful day yesterday.

My talented, caring massage therapist, Lynn Moody 479-629-7501, found all my sore and stiff parts and healed me, at least for the rest of the day. Ahhhhhh! After Lynn made me feel loose as a goose and happy, I went to visit my dear friend, Linda, who lives at the retirement place where Lynn’s business is now.

(Kay on the left and Linda on the right at Linda’s retirement center.)

Linda has been a long-time friend here in Arkansas. I really believe she is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known. Her memory is mainly in the moment now. She recognized me, but didn’t remember that SHE was due for a massage at 1pm. Thankfully, Lynn comes and gets her so that she doesn’t miss out. She said she hasn’t seen or heard from Kay and Bud, our other Lunch Bunch core people, either. I saw our Lunch Bunch waitress at Walmart recently, and she said that she didn’t think Kay recognized her the last time they were in the restaurant. It’s sad when times change, but I’m thankful to have so many wonderful memories.

I dragged the trash can up to its spot and got the mail when I came home, then fixed lunch. When my belly was full and I was comfortable in my chair, I stretched out and enjoyed a long nap. I cooked dinner, but that was really the only other thing I did. I’m a GOOD sloth.

Today my husband and I will try to get the fluorescent bulbs in my closet changed out. The ones I have have been dim for quite awhile, so it will be good if we can do this.

Otherwise, I’ll do my exercises like a good girl today – the ‘fit sticks’ videos (warm up plus at least two more) today plus my yoga. My eating plan and exercise are finally yielding good results. I’m less than a pound away from an interim goal now. Maybe I’ll reach it tomorrow.

Fun At Home With Kids

I plan to spend time in my art room today. I have some things almost finished and a couple of things ready to start. :0)

We may get gusty winds and some rain this afternoon and evening. So far, my friend in Florida is safe, and my SIL outside of Charlotte in North Carolina, are safe from Hurricane Helene. I’ll be keeping up with news from this today.

Stay safe.

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