It Is What It Is

Something I've been saying a lot lately, "It is what it is". Now stop and think about that a minute....

My husband and I have been trying to avoid the negativity in our lives lately. That could mean, avoiding certain people, keeping the TV news off and avoiding so much time on Social Media.

I'm personally sick if hearing about politics, gay rights and animal abuse! People are finding a way and reason to argue about everything. The world is getting worst every day. Insurance is getting more costly and doctor bills are on the rise. But, "It is what It is". Its not going to do any good to stress about it. We need to just focus on happiness and do the best we can.

I want to live in a happy world. That's going to be a hard thing to do with so much hate and crime that's lingering in our home towns. I can let it bother me and it will not help at all. I have the right to pick and choose the places I want to go and areas I want to avoid. I'll do just that. 

For now on, I'm going to try and get through my days without complaining so much, "it is what it is". Friends have turned from me and I have family members that make me upset by avoiding me. I have to let it go and stop worrying about it. If they don't need me, then they don't need me. However, Ill always be here for them when they do. I think they have way more problems than I have.

The work place is not fair. Favoritism is a problem, Language and actions are a pain to deal with every single day. It does no good to gripe about it. I try to ignore it. All I can do is the best I can. My reward is my paycheck.

Complaining and getting mad does not show my Christian roots. It feels so much better to walk by all people and smile at them. Yes, I smile at every person I walk by. Showing them whats really in my heart, not whats in my mind. You never know what they are going through or what they have been through. Instead of grinching at the car that just cut me off or the man that let the door slam in my face, I'll just let it go. Again, you never know whats going on there.

Not everyone is respectful, nice or generous. Its just the way it is. I will no longer let piddly little things get me in a tissy. People need love and kindness shown toward them. Not everyone is raised in a Christian home, have parents that show them love and support, or have anyone thats taught them respect or care. It's my responsibility to show them that there is still good people around. The world will let us down every day. Its not a fair world, but I have to live in it and even though I cant make a better world, I can make a better me.

Saturday Outing

Saturday was such a beautiful day. It was sunny and 75 with a mix of a few clouds that came over just in the times we needed a little shade. The perfect weather to go for a walk. We have had a few bad experiences the past couple days while walking around the neighborhood. We are either running from stray dogs that are coming out of nowhere or hiding from the Opossum that scavenges the properties.

We wanted to get out a little while, but still wanted to get some walking in. So, we decided to head down to the county Museum and walk the nature trail. I remember this trail from when I was a little kid. It just seemed a lot bigger then. Its only a 1/2 mile loop.

We forgot that it was Earth Day weekend. The trail was full of activities and kids so we couldn't really get the speed up for a power walk but we enjoyed it all the same. Along the trail there were booths set up with information about things such as "how plants grow", "kinds of rocks you see" and "how bees make honey". We stopped at a few displays and actually learned a few things.

On down the path we came to the old farm area of the museum trail where you can tour old country living. We saw how they shear sheep (the old way way). 

Then we saw how the wool was spun into thread. 

It was interesting to also see the people were dressed for the occasion.

We walked inside the museum lobby to say hello to T-Rex before leaving.

Before heading home we stopped by Sweet Frogs yogurt shop for a tad of yogurt . Yes just a tad..... oh and I had to have those wet nuts on mine and a gummy frog for fun.

We also visited an Antique shop and a thrift store where I found this tapestry runner. I wanted something to cover a vintage vanity in my daughters room. I needed something to cover a bad spot on the top surface. It was driving me crazy and I don't have the means to fix it.

I think it fit perfect and has just the right colors to match the coral and tan colored bedding.

Later we headed out to dinner and back to rest. I need to catch up on some crocheting and laundry....wait, that's not resting!!!

Low Fat Peanut Butter Cookies

I made peanut butter cookies and I'm not even a fan of peanut butter.

I like peanut butter flavor but I can't eat it right out of the spoon like my daddy and daughter often do. These cookies were so good that I'm going to share the recipe with you.

First I want to thank my friend Anne for sending me this recipe from "Taste of Home". She is just the best. She always remembers things I say even if it was months ago. She remembered I'm always looking for low fat healthy foods to make. She helps me out ever chance she can and I don't even have to ask. She is such a good friend.

I actually have a few old "Taste of Home" Cookbooks at home lingering somewhere in the back of a cabinet. My favorite cookbooks, however, are the old church cook books. They are just full of simple and easy recipes you can find at most church or family dinners. Cookbooks are becoming a thing of the past as you can find anything on the computer now days.

Now back to this delicious Peanut Butter Cookie recipe.

The recipe was so simple and I had all the ingredients on hand. That can be dangerous for me.
Part of the recipe says to chill the dough for a couple hours. That made me throw it down at first. I mean, I want cookies when I want cookies. I'm like the cookie monster on that phone commercial. ha.

After pondering about it, I thought my daughter was coming by the next day, so I whipped up the dough and put it in the fridge overnight so it would be ready to cut and bake once she came in. She ended up not coming but that didn't stop me from making them anyways. I just have to eat them all now.

So get out your bowl and peanut butter stuff and make some cookies!

Low Fat Peanut Butter Cookies By: Taste of Home.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons reduced fat peanut butter
• 1/2 Cup packed brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1 Large egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• *1 Cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 cup salt
• *(I used self rising flour and omitted the salt and baking soda).

Directions:

• Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
• Add egg white and beat until blended, beat in vanilla.

• Combine flour mixture and gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
• Shape intp an 8 inch roll; wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 2 hours or until firm.

• Unwrap dough and cut into slices approx. 1/4 inch think.
• Place 2 inches apart, on a greased baking sheet and flatten a little with a fork. 
• Bake 350 for 6-8 minutes for chewy cookies or 8-10 minutes for crispy cookies.
• Remove and place on wire rack to cool a couple minutes. 

Yield: about 2 dozen.

1 cookie equals 62 calories,

2g fat, 

4mg cholesterol, 

64mg sodium, 

11g carbohydrate, 

1 gram protein.

I thought they tasted a lot like the Nekot cookies you can purchase from the store or most vending machines. Except these were soft and chewy.

Thanks again Anne!

The Cook Book

If you think your having deja vu, you are. This is a rewrite of an old post. Enjoy.

A few years ago, my husband had bought me a new camera for my birthday and it came with an offer from Shutterfly that I could not turn down. Well, I did turn it down until two days before it expired. I kept getting emails reminding me of my free photo album. I didn't know what kind of photo album I wanted to make but I didn't want my free offer to expire.

So, I went to the site and looked through what all they had to offer and there it was, "make your album into a cook book". I could do that! I only had two days to put it together to get it published and it took me every bit of that time. I wish I had looked into it sooner so I could have taken more time with it and make it more creative. Two weeks later, it came in the mail. I was pretty excited.

Most of the recipes are from the ones I have posted before on my blog. I didn't have much time to think it out a whole lot.
But here it is a sneak peak at a few pages in my twenty page cook book.

Does the cover look familiar? Yep, Its from one of my paintings I posted about earlier.

You can check it out again HERE.

Thanks Shutterfly!

One day I would love to go through some of the recipes I have collected from my mom and mother in law and create a big cookbook including all the recipes we love. That would be a big project. It would literally be like writing a book. I have so many recipe boxes around the kitchen it would take forever to go through them all. Maybe this could be a winter project to tackle. 

Sunday Tour

The weekend was so nice. We were able to get a nice walk in, do some shopping, and visited a camper show at the mall.  

Later we washed the cars and headed out to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants uptown. 

After church on Sunday, I suggested we attend a historical open house event that was going on near by. 
Most everyone from North and South Carolina has heard of Loray or Firestone mill. Its was the largest mill in Gaston county sitting at 600,000 square foot, 7 floors and over 110 years old.

The mill was originally named Firestone Mill and employed over 3,500 employees. It was the site of of Gastonia's bloody labor strike in 1929. It was later called Loray Mill. 

After sitting empty for years and an eye sore for most, they have turned it into residential and commercial space. There are 5 floors of residential loft apartments and two floors of available retail space including a brewery and a fitness club.

It was so neat to see the inside of this mill as they have kept most of the old structure in place. I fell in love with the rustic yet modern style in each apartment. 

We had a good time seeing some historic slide shows, listening to mill village style music and running into a few old friends. We ended up walking two hours and about three miles during our self tour. We also found the stairway the led to the top of the peak tower which was also housed a water tower at one time. It was needed in case this giant caught fire. 

From the top, you could see the mountains on one side and as far as Charlotte on the other. I'd say that's at lease a 20 mile view.

The halls were long, the ceilings were high and the first two floors were like a mall as you could look down over the railing. 

The retail spaces are still in process but the apartments are ready for rent. The prices range from 800 a month to 1800 a month. As much as we would love to live here, that price is a little steep for our budget right now. We'd rather invest in beach property. 

You can check out more photos and history of the old mill HERE.

Leaving the mill, we saw something else old. 

Nice huh?

Later we did some grocery shopping and then home for some salmon on the grill. It was a nice day. 

Gnome or No Gnome

I have never been interested in wanting a Gnome before. I always thought they were creepy.
However, I mentioned the other day that I wanted a Gnome for my little natural garden area in the front yard. I didn't want to buy one, I just wanted to find one.

While we were shopping the thrift store last week, My husband showed me a Gnome for sale. I was thrilled and said "I want it". It was only 1.99. It just needed some cleaning up, and painted. It was a sport themed Gnome that I didn't care for but knew I could give him an up-do.

My husband worked hard to get the logo off of his hat and then I let my daughter paint him more gnomish.

She did great! I love his new look and now he is ready to sit out in my garden.

OR is he?

Before I wrote this post, I went online to get a little history on these cute little dolls. But I could not find anything good about them. As a Christian, my conscience was now telling me to stay clear of such statues as they have no Biblical meaning but only have mystical meaning in which I've always been taught to stay away from. Same with fairies and trolls. I have even given up on the fairy garden idea for now.

After reading some History of gnomes., It has given me uneasy thoughts about placing one in my yard. However, I just think they are so darn cute and Its not like I believe in all that stuff anyway.

I may place him in my garden for a couple days just to see how I feel about it. I never thought of it as a bad thing. I just thought they were pretend garden luck. Just for fun. That's how I looked at it anyways. But now that I know different, I don't know. Maybe I just need a frog.

Here are a few fun facts about garden gnomes.

• The first gnomes were produced in Germany in the 1870's.
• Gnomes are known as symbols of good luck.
• Gnomes are mostly popular in the gardens of working class people.
• Gnomes is Latin for earth dweller and were thought to live underground. 
• They were even forbidden in some places.
• They are also called "Enchanting helpers'.

OK , yep, still creepy but I sorta like him so I'm going to leave him there for now.

BUT if he moves, hes OUT!!!

What do you think? Gnome or no Gnome?

Mantis Mania

You are fixing to read and see something really cool.

Back in January as I was inspecting my butterfly bush in the front yard, I noticed a sticky glob of something on one of the branches. It was stuck on there like a wad of bubble gum. I wondered "what in the world is that"? 

I showed it to my sister and we began investigating. She concluded that it was definitely a Praying Mantis nest. We began to search around inline to find out about them a little more. 

Come to find out that you can save them in a jar until they hatch. Some sell them or give them to schools for learning. Once they hatch, you will have hundreds of Mantis to scatter throughout your yard and gardens. These little creatures eat almost any bug it comes across, so they are your friend.

I don't really care much about bugs but I  remember how my sister used to find butterfly cocoons and save them until they would hatch. So, I asked her if she wanted the mantis nest. Of course she did.

I carefully broke off the limb it was attached to and placed it in a jar covered with cheesecloth and gave it to her. She kept it inside and placed it in a window where the sun would keep it warm.

Yesterday, my phone started going off. She had babies. Little Praying Mantis babies. Hundreds of them. She sent me several pictures of the new critters.

I thought it was creepy looking but really amazing at the same time. 

She took them outside to release them from the jar.  

hopefully she will have a bug free and blessed yard this summer. That is if the mantis do not eat all of each other!  

Eggsamining

I'm sitting here pondering about these eggs a customer sent my way yesterday.

I have never had fresh eggs right out of a chicken before that I know of. What if there's a chick inside? As I eggsamine [examine] them carefully, I'm wondering why they are not white? Iv'e heard of brown eggs but not  pink, green, blue, orange or grey eggs as I'm seeing all those colors here. But aren't they pretty?

I'm guessing my grandmother and maybe even my mom has used fresh eggs before. I'm not sure. I know grandma rung chicken necks and plucked them before she cooked up the best fried chicken ever. That does not bother me, but something about an egg that's not stamped with approval makes me skeptical.

I just noticed the Bible verse on the inside of the carton. I bet you don't see that at many stores.           Maybe that's my stamp of approval.
I get a feeling of guilt when I read that verse after I've complained all day.

I guess I'll take a leap of faith and crack some open for a tasty dish.
Is that all I do?
How do they differ from the ones in the store?
Does anyone know why they are different colors and if that has anything to do with flavor?
What is the expiration date?
Do I have to clean them somehow? I mean, you never know where the chicken has been.

Countryfied but confused.

DIY Fairy House

So, I mentioned a couple post back that I was in mind to make a small fairy garden for my patio. For the record, I'm not into the whimsical fantasy or fairy tale stuff (even though I'm also looking for a gnome to put in my front flower bed too). I was just wanting to create a cute garden of succulents, and herbs that will have some fun character. I fairy garden is perfect for this.  I have no place for a garden and I have a blue thumb, not a green one, so I'm thinking this will be a fun project for me to piddle with.

I have no idea yet on how to design it, but I will eventually figure a plan out. For now, I have already created this "fairy house" to add.

I plan to use the house and a couple other little decorations surrounded by live moss and small plants. 

I started with a water bottle and cut it down in size so it would be small. I just hope it will be small enough. 

Even though setting it up crocked was my plan, I didn't worry about making it perfect because I wanted it to look like it fell straight from the tree. 

Later, I collected some pine cones from my afternoon walk and used petals. Would that be what they are called? "Pine Petals"? I thought they would just easily break off, but it was not that easy. I ended up having to cut them off with a pair of scissors. 

Using a hot glue gun, I carefully glued and layered each petal. The bottle was not a very good choice because the glue melted the plastic. Applying glue on each petal and waiting a few seconds before applying it to the bottle worked fine. 

I found a piece of tile and shaped it into a little door and painted it red.  While It looks cozy sitting in the mint plant for a photo shoot, It will soon adorn a small potted garden..

Suffering Allergies

It never fails. Every single morning and most of my days are filled with sneezing and stopped up sinuses. My nose is a like a clogged spigot with a drip. Constantly, I suffer. Its part of my life. I've learned to control a lot of it but I still suffer every single day.  When I was a child, I had hay fever and asama which I grew out of the asama problem. I was always told it will come back sometime in my adulthood but I hope not. When I take a morning walk, my eyes are filled with tears. I look as if I'm crying. I just don't know.

My medication of choice, going on about four years now, is Allegra. I take a pill each night before bed. If I do not take one, I will wake up double worst. It will be like a full blown cold. crazy huh? I do not call them seasonal allergies as I have them year round. The worst mornings are rainy ones. You would think the rain would wash away the allergens in the air and make it a fresher day for me. But no. With that being said, I sorta think maybe I'm allergic to molds instead of pollen or dust.

That reminds me of a funny embarrassing moment I had.
One day I was having a conversation with this man about our allergies and such. During the conversation I said, as serious as I could.... "Oh I can not live without my Viagra".......I meant to say "Allegra".  The room was silent until I quickly corrected myself and then we had a good laugh. 

My Daughter suffers allergies just like me but hers are somewhat worst and on a different level. She used to take allergy shots. She had to get two shots a week for four years. And those four years were her college years. It was an inconvenience but did her good. Now that shes over the shots, her allergies are gradually worsening. Most dogs, cats and dust are what triggers hers. Sadly when shes around someone that owns pets, that is enough to put her in an allergic state sometimes.

I'm thinking of trying a new allergy medicine just to see if it will work for me. The doctor told me that I would not get immune to the Allegra and it was safe to take every day. It does not make me drowsy or restless. But I just don't know sometimes. All I know is I cant skip it.

Craftiness

People call me crafty and sometimes im called an artist. When I see real artist I think im just crafty. An Artist, I wish.

When I sit and think about it, Ive been this way as long as I've known me. I can't remember a lot from my childhood but I remember my craftiness as far back as 4 or 6 years old.

22 things creative people do different

As a small child I loved to color, paint by number and make things with play dough. I mean, I really made things with play dough. I would make bowls, vases and sculptures, let them dry in the sun to harden and sell them to my friends for a dime. I even used clay I could dig up from the yard. When My paper dolls tore up, I would draw them up another set of clothes. I can just keep going with little things like this but let me start with first grade........

I never liked school.  I could care less about learning. First grade teacher, Mrs Martin had these needle point American flags that she let the class work on often. They were made using yarn and a fat plastic child proof needle. I would complete one in a day. That's all I wanted to do, and well, she let me. It kept me busy while everyone else read. I even finished up other students flags (mostly for the boys). She found it so amusing that she actually bought me a real needle point to do. With real thread and sharp needle. It was of a gray mouse holding a ball of red yarn. I remember it like it was just yesterday.

Later on Mom taught me to sew barbie doll clothes and later how to crochet. 

My favorite class in school was art and I loved working with clay. 

Daddy would give me pocket knives and I carved acorns and sticks into jewelry. I was always coming up with something to make or do with things I found. To think about it, that's just what kids did in the 70's. I remember the boys putting together go carts and tree houses with scraps of wood, metals and wagon wheels found around the neighborhood.

I gave up art in high school all because of a boy! Yep. I could kick myself in the butt for that. It was my chosen art class on the first day of my junior year. Unfortunately It wasn't to late to make schedule changes. I looked over at the girl beside of me, she was wearing my boyfriends high school ring! My hand went in the air and I announced to God and everybody that I wanted out if this class. Wish granted.

I never went back. See how silly teenagers are? When I reached my 30's I joined a six week pencil art class and loved it so much I took a water color class the next season. Now I sometimes attend acrylic paint parties with friends. However, Its just too expensive for me right now, so I don't go as often as I'd like.

Now days I do a lot of crocheting and will paint a picture when the notion hits me. I admire people that can draw and paint. I've always wanted to know how to draw people and attend a live model class.

Creative peoples minds are always wondering. Always overworking and thinking of the next thing to make or do. There are so many great ideas out there waiting to be created. You never know when a new idea will pop in our heads. Ideas are off the wall. all of a sudden, wham! I will loose sleep thinking about it.

I got my creativeness from my Mom and Grandmothers.
My mom is a great seamstress and can make anything from belts to wedding dresses and still owns her own alteration shop. Growing up, she was full of creative ideas.

My next project? I want to make a small fairy Garden.
See what I mean?
The idea hit me and I will think about it until its complete, some how, some way. Stay tuned for that one.

Saving The Spearmint

This excites me.

You see, we used to live in the house of my Husbands late Italian Grandparents. The back yard was filled with hydrangeas, roses, fig trees, wild flowers and some spearmint. 

I used to cut stems off the spearmint once it grew the lavender flowers on the top and put them in a vase in the kitchen as it would add the perfect green life with the aroma of mint. Oh how I miss that house and yard. 

It was told that you could place the leaf of the mint on your tongue after an Italian dinner and it would rid your breath of the garlic. I just liked the look of the twiggy bouquet.

When we were out walking in our neighborhood toward the end of last summer, I noticed an old man cleaning out his wild and weeded yard. He looks to be over 110 years old and his yard is full of different flowers as if he just threw the seeds out of his windows to see where they would grow. Out of all the flowers and weeds in his yard, I always noticed the mint he had growing near the curb. It was always tempting to pick some but that would be stealing.

As we walked by his yard, I noticed he had ripped the mint out of the ground and threw it in the pile if brush he had by the road. I asked him if I could have some, and without skipping a beat, he said "sure! Take all you want". I grabbed only a couple twigs, not to look so desperate, and continued my walk. We were only a block from home. 

I stuck them down in a pot of dirt and within a day or two, they had already perked up and leaned toward the sun. They died off in January and by March, there was new growth. New life. It was almost like it appeared over night. I mean I just looked out there a day or two ago and didn't notice.

I can already smell the mint when I walk onto my patio. It almost hides the smell of dog poop of my next door neighbors dogs. Almost. Not sure a whole yard full of mint and roses would fix that fiasco.

I will use sprigs of mint in my water along with some cut cucumber for a refreshing quench. I may attempt to make some mint tea or search for other uses for this herb. 

It will also attract butterflies as the summer progresses. I'm so excited. I got something to grow in my flavor favor. Now if I could just get a tomato plant to produce.

Im open for more ideas on usage for this mint. If you have one, I'd love to hear it.