Kites

As I was reading another blog post from a friend, It made me think about my childhood. Jack over on the ShipLog Blog wrote a post about homemade kites and how as a child he would fly kites made out of brown paper his dad would bring home from the dry cleaners. You can enjoy his post HERE.

This made me think about how I used to love it when momma would make us homemade kites. She would tell us to go find two straight sticks. This would get us out of her hair for a little while. We would run out into the woods and pick the perfect ones. Then we would bring the sticks into momma and she would make us a kite out of the daily news paper. If I can recall, she would use ribbon and bows for the tail. 

Sometimes they would fly and sometimes they wouldn’t but I would find an open area without any power lines or trees and take off running. The kite would often be bouncing on the ground behind me until a good wind would grab it and take it into the air. The open area I found was often just the dirt road in front of the house. Trees were all over but to an eight  year old, the space above my head was forever clear. 

The homemade kites never made it past a couple hours as either they would tear up from dragging the ground, fought over it with my sister and brothers or stuck in a tree. 

Now days I still like kites. I have a real store bought one at the beach that I keep in the camper just incase I want to fly it. It’s nothing fancy and its small but It’s fun to fly on the beach were It will reach sun. 

Handmade Hair Pins

I’m at it again. Playing with sticks. Whittling and carving. 

I have been intruiged with hair pins lately. Until a few months ago, I had no idea how women held their hair up with a hair pin. I mean, how is it possible that a single stick will hold a whole head of hair in a twisted updo? Well, obviously, easy. I was amazed when I gave it a try. I have been in favor of this type of hair pin ever since. 

Since Covid took half of my hair, I have had to be careful at how I put my hair up. I do not want to use anything that can be damaging. I stopped using stretchy bands and now only use hair pins or claw clips to keep from damaging the little bit of hair I have left. In case you missed it, you can read about my Covid hair loss HERE. 

After 3 months and losing 50% of my hair, It finally stopped falling out. Now it is in the regrowth phase. I use special shampoo and oil to help with the process. 

I got this fancy idea to make my own hair pins so I had my husband gather me a few sticks during his morning walk. He didn’t ask, He just knows when I gather little pieces of nature, I have a craft idea. 

I picked through them and found some that would be perfect. So the carving and sanding began.

Being a minimalist, I like to keep things simple. I do not like a lot color and I love things that come natural. Nature is full of things we can use in everyday life. I think I could seriously live in a tee pee, and eat berries for a living. Haha. 

After I carved the sticks to the size and shape I needed, I continued peeling away the bark to reveal the raw wood. Then I sanded them smooth and gave them a thin spray of clear coat. 

I gave one a burnt design with my wood burner. One has a silver painted tip and one I left alone because I thought it was just so darn cute with the “Y” shape at the top. Each one comes out different and has its own unique shape and color. 

  

I had to try them out and love how fun they are. (Girls, these can be used in self defense also) . They are approximately 6 inches long and made of Wonder wood (Wonder what kind it is). Haha. Seriously though, I think they are from an oak or maple tree. 

I plan to make some more and maybe even try to sell them. I’m just not sure this old fashion technique will ever be popular again. But who knows, there could be someone out there that would love to have a piece of nature to wear in their hair. 

What do you think?

Do you wear your hair up with hair pins?

Branch Weave

I have been having a little fun with weaving lately. A couple post ago, I shared some things I created by weaving on a homemade loom. In case you missed it, you can find it HERE.

Then I learned about a thing called “Branch Weaving”. I looked at a few pictures and thought, “Hmmm, I think I can make that”. On high interest, I kept looking around. What is branch weaving and what do you do with it? Here is what I found.

1. Branch weaving started back 12000 years ago in the Neolithic times. Branches and twigs were interlaced to create fences and shelter.

2. Fiber artist created many different styles of branch weaving and no two are alike.

3. Creators make branch weaving as art to hang on walls. You can find them for sale on Etsy and other sites.

4. Some list for over 800.00! Smaller ones like mine are selling for approximately 50.00 each.

I just wanted to see if I could do it. There is just something about bringing nature indoors and creating something unique. 

I went out into the yard and found a twig from the only tree in the yard. The dogwood tree. 

I brought it in and had my husband cut it to the length I wanted. After a little rough sanding to get some of the loose dirt and bark off, I began stringing it from left to right. 

Then I grabbed a few colors and started weaving, making it up and winging it as I go. I was not sure how it would look until it was completed. 

I just impressed myself with this one. I loved the natural colors. If there was anything I would change about it would be to make the fringe longer. But hey, it’s my first one. Probably will not be my last one. Who knows, I am likely to find more nature to play with with. Stay tuned because I have another idea. 

Secret Santa

While at work the other day, me and some of the girls in my unit were looking at a post on Facebook from our local animal shelter.

The post was asking people to choose a pet from the shelter and be their Secret Santa. We jumped on the idea and started choosing a pet.

The choice was hard as I scrolled through the sad faces of pets waiting to be adopted or fostered. One pet caught my eye. He was a black 2 year old Terrier named “Meatloaf”. He did not have a Secret Santa yet so I reached out. They accepted my request and just like that I had a pet to shop for.

Me and one of the other girls decided we wanted to drop off our gifts during our lunch hour the next day. After work I stopped by he dollar store for a couple doggy things for Meatloaf. I found him a blanket, ball and a teether bone. 

When we arrived the next day with our gifts, they took them to a drop off area and said they will give the pets the gifts after they are looked through and approved. 

While we were there, they took us back to see the dogs. I havent been in the animal shelter since I was a little girl and thats when we went to pick out a pet cat. 

The animals were so pitiful. They gave us a little tour of the building and we got to see all of the dogs. They would bark and cry as we walked by. But not Meatloaf. He just stood in is cage with his nose pressed against the cell bars. As I walked away from him, he litterally laid his nose in his elbow and had a depressing look on his face as if he was unwanted and I was just another person to turn him down. But, “sorry Meatloaf, I was not there to adopt. I can’t have a pet due to allergies and commitment but Santa will visit you soon”. We left the building and the looks on those animals faces will forever be stamped in my mind. 

The next day, this video popped up on FB. It was Meatloaf receiving his gift. He was so excited. This made me smile. 

Click below for the Facebook video.

https://fb.watch/hh2ZBeLjjO/

If you are looking for a pet, consider adopting or fostering from your local animal rescue shelter. They need a home and someone to love them. I can only imagine the feeling of taking one of these pets home and seeing the look on their face in the back seat of the car while heading to a loving home. 

Weaving

For years now, I have enjoyed working with yarns. I used to do a lot of crocheting and made a lot of things for my Etsy shop. I closed my shop last year. I did not want to price my items too high and it got to the point where the price of yarn went up and so did the selling fees. Rather than raising my prices, I just closed down. Now I just make things for friends on a whelm or when I have a baby shower to attend.

I like to always be doing something with my hands. I like to settle down after my evening shower and watch tv. I admit, If I am not doing something, I will go to sleep and miss the whole show. So I will usually pick up some fiber from my yarn basket and play around with crochet, macreme or weave.

Did you read that? I have been weaving now too. I was looking around on Pinterest and seen where you can weave with only a board or picture frame and a few feet of yarn or cord and thought I’d give it a try.

I found an old picture frame and began wrapping some cotton yarn in a figure eight motion. Then I threaded a needle and began to weave.

Below is my first try. Nothing came of this and I started over with a different yarn. 

On my second try, I created a couple mug rugs (aka coasters). 

They are a little wonky, but not bad for a beginner. I already use them. I always use a coaster. Not to protect my table but because I can not stand the sound of my cup hitting a hard surface. 

It was relaxing sitting in my recliner and weaving. When my eyes get heavy, I will put it down and work on it again the next day. 

I also made a couple weaved bracelets.

 

I have actually been wearing them to work and get lots of compliments. They are just my style. They are light weight, warm and comfy. 

Always stay tuned because you never now what else I will decide to create. 

That’s if I can keep my eyes open after a long days work. 

Southern Christmas Show

It’s that time of year again. Can you believe it’s already almost Thanksgiving? I mean, wasn’t I just at the beach soaking up the sun a month ago? 

It’s also the time of year where everyone is getting ready for Christmas. Through the years, people have started running Thanksgiving and Christmas all together. We used to never start decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving eve marked the beginning of Christmas. Daddy would always take us uptown to see the lights as it was the first night they would light up the town. 

Well, I will admit, I am almost finished with my Christmas shopping and haven't even gotten the Christmas stuff down from the attic. But in tradition, I will not light my tree until after Thanksgiving. 

Speaking of tradition, I think me and my daughter have started a new one. We both have always wanted to go to the Southern Christmas Show that goes on every year in Charlotte, NC. It is always a big deal and all the women are always raving about it. My daughter has asked me several years if I want to go but I never wanted to fight the crowd on weekends and the job I always had would not allow me anytime off unless it was family vacation or I was bleeding from my eye balls. I missed out on it.

Well, with the job I have now, I get to build up time off. It equals to about a day a month. I have several hours accumulated. I do not need permission to get off a day because it’s my time that was earned. I was sitting at my desk and thought about it. Then I called up my daughter and asked her to take a day off so we can go to the Christmas Show. She was all for it and by the end of the day, we had a plan. 

The Southern Christmas Show is an event at the convention center. There are hundreds of vendors, shops and crafts. Everywhere is decorated like Christmas and it just puts you in the Christmas mood. We had to wait an hour in traffic to get in and it took 4 hours to go through all the shops. We had a good time. We did not buy much because the prices were high on a lot of things, but I did buy a few little things that I did not need, but thought they were unique. 

I came home with a pair of earrings, bottle of wine, a cinnamon mouse, key chain and a cow bone. She came home with a key chain, earrings, a diamond art kit and a block of fudge. Yea, we are not big spenders. 

I want to show you the little cinnamon mouse. 

I thought it was so cute. It is made out of Cinnamon sticks and by placing it somewhere in your home, it will smell the room up like cinnamon. Ok we all need one of these, right? 

And the cow bone. I had ya there didn’t I?

It is a hair pin made from a cow bone. There was an African woman that made these for sale. Each one was different and imperfect.  I love it. I can also use it as a weapon if I need to. 

We have already talked about going back again next year. Now that we know what it’s all about, we can prepare our wallets and have some gifting ideas for friends. 

Do you have any traditions with family or friends? 

Moji Teahouse

Have you ever had Mochi ice cream? I have had Mochi ice cream before and love it. You can actually purchase Mochi Ice Cream at the groceries stores. It’s basically balls of ice cream wrapped in a chewy rice dough and frozen. You can eat it with your fingers. 

Well, there is a place I have been wanting to try called Moji TeaHouse. They make Mochi doughnuts. I had a Saturday free and figured this would be a good time to visit so I called up my daughter.  She had been wanting to try it too, so she looked up the directions. It just so happened to be right next to the outlets. So we made plans to meet at the Charlotte Premium Outlets first to do a little shopping and then headed to Moji Teahouse. It was a small little place with limited flavors of Mochi doughnuts.

Mochi Doughnuts are a cross between traditional doughnuts and Japanese mochi. Again, mochi a chewy rice dough. Mochi Doughnuts are deep fried then covered with an assortment of flavors. 

Moji Teahouse also serves bubble teas which is another thing I like. I purchased the pink one for breast cancer awareness. It was a sweet milk tea with raspberries and came in a cute can inspired signature cup. 

Bubble tea is a milk tea with boba. Boba is made from tapioca pears or cassava starch. It’s a perfect Tiawanese drink. 

What are my thoughts on the doughnuts? 

Not what I expected. I thought they would be filled with something but they were not. They were not sweet either. The texture was chewy and flavorless. I probably will never want them again but I just had give them a try.

As far as the bubble tea. It was really good. My daughter got a caramel flavored one and it was even better. 

Covid Hair Loss

I am blessed to have a lot of hair. It’s coarse and thick. My hair dresser swears it grows while she’s cutting it. It has always been healthy and recently, I have been letting it grow long. Next to my health, my hair is one of my favorite gifts from God.

I had a mild case of Covid back in July. I say “mild” because I was only sick and feverish one day.

It is now October and my hair is falling out!

When I mention it to other ladies around my age, they will say “oh yea, my hair sheds too”, or “It’s just hormones”. No. This is different. 

Now I’m gonna get a little personal here:

(not for the squeamish)

My hair actually comes out in handfuls in the shower. I can see and feel strands of hair running down my body as I rinse through my hair. It’s gross! It will just continue coming out util I finally just stop touching it and get out and wrap it in a towel for a few minutes. After I blow dry my hair, I will have to clean up another handful of hair off the bathroom floor. It’s devastating and leaves me in tears. This has gone on now for at least 4 weeks. I first thought it was from wearing hair ties so I started using hair sticks or claw clips to hold my hair back. 

If I were to measure wads of hair I lose each shower or brushing, I think it would be a cup full when normally I lose maybe a tablespoon amount. 

Just running my fingers through my hair in the shower, this is what I get each time. 

(Told ya it was gross) The bathhouse shower at the beach adds a special touch haha.

And this is more.. This is a photo after one shower. This has gone on for weeks.

Imagine losing this much every day. It freaks me out. 

 

This phenomenon is called “telogen effluvium”. 

I am afraid I will start seeing baldness if this continues. I think I have already lost 30% of my hair. I would almost say 50% but I will let my hairdresser determine the percentage when I go see her again at the end of the week. I may not have any other choice but to cut my hair to a shorter length just so it will look more evened out and fuller. 

I read that this can continue for a month or three months. I may need to go wig shopping. Seriously, This is scary! 

What am I doing about it? Well other than just letting it run its course, I have purchased some Pumpkin Seed Oil for hair growth. Crossing my fingers it works. I read on a hair loss group I follow, that this is a really good supplement to take and also has other health benefits. 

I also purchased a scalp massager to promote a healthy scalp and help with hair growth as well. 

I need all your prayers that this will end soon. My hair feels so thin now and do not know how much more I can take. Luckily, I have thick hair and still have a lot to lose. 

Have you or do you know someone who is suffering the same condition? 

(Note: I can’t blame it on the vaccine because I have never been vaccinated and never plan to). 

This condition is attacking those who have and haven’t been vaccinated all the same. 

Wonder Bread Chaffles

I’m still holding my weight down and enjoying the feeling of not carrying around the extra pounds. It’s amazing what a difference 10, 20 or 30 lbs loss makes. In the grocery store the other day, I picked up a 10 lbs bag of potatoes and thought to myself, “this is pretty heavy and I lost 3 of these bags in weight”. I have kept the weight off by staying away from breads and pasta and sugar. However, I will grab a handful of cheez-its every now and again and I have had some thin crust pizza. But I think staying away from starchy foods contributes to a healthy weight loss. 

People will ask, “If you don’t eat bread, then how to you have a sandwich?” There are alternatives out there for bread. I bought a loaf of “Keto” bread the other day. It was ok and did fine for a sandwich. Keto bread is often made with Almond flour or Sunflower flour. These breads are expensive and run about six dollars a loaf. With that being said (or rather spelled out), I chose to make my own bread if I want a sandwich or toast.

I made some bread using my little Dash waffle maker. I have blogged about making chaffles before but chaffles use cheese, egg and almond flour. They are really good too but I didn’t want all the cheese this time. I searched around and discovered “Wonder Bread Chaffles”. They turned out light and fluffy and made the perfect sandwich. 

No, they did not taste like waffles. They did not have any waffle ingredients in them. They taste just like regular bread. I plan to make them this way for now on when I want a sandwich. I have tried making the microwave bread with basically the same ingredienta but these chaffles are way better. 

I slapped some deli ham and provolone cheese between to pieces and had the perfect sandwich without real bread. Want to know how I made them? Easy!

I have the recipe below. “Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it”.

WONDER BREAD CHAFFLES

1 large egg (whisked). I used liquid egg whites.

2 Tbsp Almond Flour.

1 Tbsp Mayonnaise.

1/4 tsp baking powder.

1 tsp water.

-Preheat your mini waffle maker. (I use a Dash)

-Add all ingredients together and mix well.

-Spray waffle maker and pout half the batter in.

-Close the lid and let cook for 3 minutes.

-Repeat for second piece. 

Dash waffle maker

Make ahead and place in sealed container or plastic bag. Stays fresh for about 3 days in a sealed container.  

My other chaffle Ideas can be found HERE.  

Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian has been tearing it up down South. We are feeling the affects all the way here in North Carolina with lots of rain and wind. It has now moved through Florida and back out to the sea. Hurricane Ian is now heading up the South Carolina coast and getting closer to home. 

Bad weather and storms are expected around here for the next couple days. Schools are closed and since I work for the county Government, we are closed too. I guess they are expecting it to get worst. Heavy rain and wind has never shut things down in the past as I can remember.

So today I worked from home. The temperatures were in the lower 50’s. The first of September, the temps were in the 90’s. Thats how fast the weather shifts here in the Carolinas. It’s been raining all day and the winds are high. I have been keeping up with thing going on down on the coast. We are 400 miles from our camper at the beach. We suppose to go down in a couple of weeks. 

Once again, our campground is flooded and the dunes are washed away. The water will reside quickly once he rain and high tides stop. We have seen this before with Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. The campground rebuilds quickly. Below is what the campground looks like today. The dunes are gone and debris is everywhere. It looks like the campground is in the ocean.

. 

Below is the steps the lead over the dunes to the beach. And a photo of me sitting on those stairs on a pretty Summer day. The dunes came up as high as the rails in some places. 

Our camper is packed tight in storage so the worst damage it can have would be if a top vent blows off and gets the inside wet. So far we have never had such damage. 

The weather we have here at home does not bother me. We have no trees in the yard to worry about falling. I have a butterfly bush in the front yard that has broken in half but it will grow back next Summer. 

The wind and rain keeps me in. I am enjoying these cold rainy days with a coffee and blanket snuggled in my recliner watching Hallmark movies. I had a bad week last week and it just feels good to do nothing. 

 

What is the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Tuesday 4-Autumn This and That

Welcome to Tuesday 4- A fun question post continued in the memory of Toni Tadeo, It’s original author. This is a great way to share your blog post and learn about other bloggers. You can head over to Tuesdays Place and join in. 

“It’s Autumn and temperatures in many places will be going down, days will be shorter and leaves will be tumbling down”, Let’s discuss these things.

1. Do lower temperatures bother you or make you uncomfortable and are you more of a warm climate person?

As long as the temperatures do not go below my age, I will be fine. Cooler temps are nice sometimes but I am more of a warm climate person. I do not like to be cold. I also do not like wearing heavy clothes, coats or sweaters.

2. Do you like the colors associated with Autumn? Clothing wise, do they look good on you?

I think the different color leaves are pretty on trees but I do not like Fall colors to decorate in. Fall is when all things dry up and die so oranges and browns seem dreary to me. I like the way Fall clothes look on other people but not myself. 

3. Would you rather…

• ….Get lost in a corn maze or go on a hayride?
• ….Visit and apple orchard or a pumpkin patch?
• ….Eat a caramel apple or a candy apple?
• ….Cinnamon buns or Pumpkin muffins?

I have to admit, I have never been to a corn maze but they seem fun. I do love hayrides but I like the old fashioned kind where you were actually sitting in the hay instead of sitting on hay bales. 

I would rather be in an apple orchard than a pumpkin patch any day. 

I like caramel apples better than candy apples but I never eat either one. I once bit into a pretty caramel apple only to find the apple to be rotten underneath. So now I do not trust them. 

Cinnamon buns are the best. Pumpkin muffins, yuk. 

4. There are 75,00 varieties of apples. What is your favorite and do you like apple pie?

My favorite kind of apple is the “Honey crisp”. They are firm, juicy and have the perfect amount of sweet and tart. I am not a pie person and apple pie is my least favorite kind of pie but I will eat it hot with a scoop of ice cream on top. 

Now it’s your turn. Once your finished, Head over to http://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/ and drop your post in the link box so she can add it to her blog list for others to view. 

Raisin Bran Muffins

This will be a short post. I’m tired and can barely hold my eyes open. But I wanted to share a delicious recipe with you all. This recipe is so easy, your kids can make it. 

My husband has been looking for some healthy bran muffins. We have not had any luck finding any that are not full of preservatives or sugar. Nether could I find any bran mix to make my own. 

I started searching around on line and found an easy recipe that used Raisin Bran cereal. 

This recipe called for a half of cup of sugar but I used a little less of the calling because I figured there was enough sugar in the cereal. 

I have to say, this was one of the easiest muffin recipes I have found and the muffins were delicious.

RAISIN BRAN MUFFINS

3 Cups Raisin Bran Cereal

1 1/4 cup of Milk

1 1/ 2 cup of Self rising flour

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

- Pour the milk and cereal in to a mixing bowl and let it set for a minute or two so the cereal will get soft. 

- In another bowl, mix together the flour and sugar.

- Add egg and oil to the cereal mix and stir to combined.

- Add the flour and sugar in and mix until combined.

- Pour batter into lined or greased muffin tins. (Should make 12).

Bake for 10-15 mins or until done. 

Stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, they are done. 

You do not want to over cook them or they may become dry.

These muffins are good to freeze then thaw on counter top or microwave. 

I love these muffins heated a little in the microwave with a cup of coffee.

Original recipe can be found HERE.

New Found Food Downtown

It was lunch time so I left my desk and headed out to get a drink to have with the lunch I had packed. I will usually just drink water but some days I want a sweet tea or an iced coffee from a nearby restaurant. This also gets me out for a little while. 

This day, I was really craving a fresh juice from a local juice bar. It was only a couple blocks from where I work so I headed that way. Sadly it was closed with a “For Sale” sign out front. I had to settle for that ice tea and head back to the office. On my way back, I had plenty of time to spare so I thought I would ride down town to see if there were any new places opened up. 

As I was cruising slowly down main street, I saw a man carrying out a to go order from this little underground place called Bayahibe Cafe. It used to be a coffee shop.

I did not know it was now open to something else, so I parked the car and went inside. You barely know there is anything here because all you can see is a small door squeezed between two large buildings that leads down into a basement cafe. 

I opened the door and made my way down the deep stairway and into the cute little cafe where I was greeted by a smile and the smell of delicious food. 

“I just saw this place and thought I’d come see what you have to offer”. She began pointing at little printed menus on the glass wall. 

“Wait, what? You have real fruit juice too?” I began to tell her about the juice bar that I first went to and it was closed. She said that was her friends place. What are the odds that I landed in a place that had what I was looking for? 

The smell of the Pastilles En Hojas enticed my taste buds so I had to order one to try. They are like tamales but wrapped in Plantain leaf pockets instead of corn. While my food was cooking, I noticed she was preparing a sweet coffee. She was adding marshmallows, cinnimon and other stuff I did not need. I told her I did not order a coffee and she said “I know, I made this special for you to take with you and try. It is Dominican Coffee. No charge.”

       

I was very grateful, gave her a tip and took the coffee along with my food back to the office. I never even got a juice. I plan to go back next week and try one of the fruit juices. I bet they are good. 

Sometimes you just have to look around to find places. Explore and don’t be afraid to try new things. 

Tuesday 4- Let’s Talk About September

Welcome to Tuesday 4- A fun question post continued in the memory of Toni Tadeo, It’s original author. 

This is a great way to share your blog post and learn about other bloggers. 

You can head over to Tuesdays Place to learn more details on how this works. 

Now, Let’s have some fun.

1. When you were in school or university, did you look forward to returning? Why or Why not?

I would be excited for the first couple days. It was fun to meet the teachers and see friends you didn’t see over the summer. After a about a week, I was done. I hated school and did not excel very well. I really struggled through school. I also have a fear of humiliation hence why I do not do well getting up in front of people. I would have rather taken a zero than to get up in front of class and speak or do an oral book report. So, no, I did not look forward to it. 

2. September has Labor Day, which, for many is the signal of Summer’s end and Fall’s grand entrance. Do you celebrate Labor Day in any way or is it just a day off for you?

Until a year ago, I never had a job that allowed me to have Labor Day off. I enjoyed this Labor Day off. My husband had the day off too. We spent it looking around antique shops and thrift stores then we stopped for some Ice cream. It was a rainy day but we made the best of it. We ended the day by grilling out steaks and watching some football. 

3. September's birthstone is the Sapphire which is 2nd only to a diamond in hardness. (Ruby is a red sapphire by the way) It comes in many colors.  Do you know your birthstone and do you like it?

My daughter’s birthstone is Sapphire. I think it’s a beautiful gem. I was born in May. My birthstone is “Emerald”. I do not own anything with my birthstone attached. Green is not a color I like but I do like a shiny genuine Emerald. 

4. September's birth flower is the Astor. What is yours ?

My birth flower is “Lily of the Valley”. Being a minimalist, this type of flower would be something I would love displayed in a vase at home.

Now it’s your turn. Once your finished, Head over to http://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/ and drop your post in the link box so she can add it to her blog list for others to view. 

Propagation Station

Can you believe it’s already the September? Where does time go? I love Fall, but then comes Winter. I am not a fan of the cold but I guess it’s not that bad. It gives me a reason to bring out the cuddly blankets and cute boots. The days will seem shorter, meaning it will be almost dark when I go to work and when I come home from work. I guess I’ll be doing my exercises more indoors now. 

Now for my latest project…..

This Summer, I have enjoyed collecting a few plants. Now that I have a office cube, I have my own space with a whole window wall. I do not have a sunny window at home so I never really bought plants but now I do since I have a place to put them. I only have a few but they are thriving.  I want to start rooting some of them and start some new plants to repot in the spring. 

After searching around, I saw that there are such things as a propagation station. Decorative clusters of small jars of water to place a piece of plant in so you can get it to root. Once rooted, you plant them in soil. I always just used a baby food jar or small vase. Those were boring and did not look good sitting around. 

So, I came up with a cute idea of using macrame to create this hanging propagation station. I have seen these on line but could no find out how to make them so I used my own imagination and come up with this simple design. 

I am still new at macrame but I would love to learn more. This little propagation station was super simple and only used two types of knots to create a cute wall hanging piece. If you are interested in one of these, it will cost you 15.00 each plus free shipping as long as it’s in the USA. This basically just pays for the supplies, packaging and me a cup of coffee. Just let me know by sending me an email or leave your email in comments and I’ll contact you.

Now, If you would want to make your own, here is what I used:

4mm macrame yarn.

1.5 wooden ring.

2 small glass bottles.

1 wooden bead (optional).

With two strands of yarn, cast on two larks head knots. 

Now you will have four strands of yarn hanging down.

With the four strands, make 10 square knots.

Place a 3-4 inch piece of yarn and make a square knot around it. (This will tie your bottle on).

Make 14 square knots.

Place a 3-4 inch piece of yarn and make a square knot around it.

Make 12 square knots.

Add bead (optional).

Tie a knot at the end and trim off the yarn to make your tassel.

Last, tie on your little glass bottles. 

You can make it as long or short as you want by just subtracting or adding more knots and ties. 

Enjoy.

Tuesday 4- Summer Time and the Living is Easy?

 Welcome to Tuesday 4- A fun question post continued in the memory of Toni Tadeo, It’s original author. 

This is a great way to share your blog post and learn about other bloggers. 

You can head over to Tuesdays Place to learn more details on how this works. 

Now, Let’s have som fun.

Todays Subject: Summer time living.

1. What do you like to do in the summer?

I like to spend time outside in the Summer. I love the warm sunshine and the smell of fresh cut grass. I also like to plant things such as flowers or a small garden. We also like going to the beach which is 4 hours away. We go every chance we get. We have a camper stored in the campground we go too. When we arrive, they will have it setting on an ocean front lot ready to enjoy. 

2. What is your favorite summertime food or beverage?

 Being a southern girl, nothing beats a nice glass of sweet iced tea with a home grown tomato sandwich. 

3. How do you beat the heat?

Heat does not bother me. I love the warmth as I am always cold. However, If I do get too hot, I can just go inside to the air condition but a shady spot and gentle breeze is all I need to cool down. I would love to have swimming pool as an option. 

4. What do you really like about the summer season?

I like wearing summer clothes. I like to wear cute sundresses and light weight shirts. I also like to bird watch. During the summer you see more birds eating from the feeders and bathing in the bird baths. 

Now it’s your turn. Once your finished, Head over to http://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/ and drop your post in the link box so she can add it to the list. 

Happy Left Handers Day

Today is International Lefties Day! I'm excited we backwards people get a special day just for us. We deserve it.

Growing up, being left handed has always been a struggle. Normal activities become a challenge. Just imagine growing up doing every thing backwards. I have a brother, and a couple cousins that are left handed too.
Here are just a few things I have struggled with and had to learn backwards at one time or another.
All lefties will agree.

• Everyone that tried to teach me to tie my shoe was right handed. Took me forever to learn this task.
• School desk were always made for right hands therefor I never had that comfortable arm rest when I had to write all those repeated sentences.
• speaking of writing, my hand would drag across the writing making a nice charcoal stain down the side and up to my wrist.
• During art and craft time, the teachers would ignore me as in gave up on me because it was no use. 
• Spiral notebooks, the spiral thing was always an interference while trying to write.
• Cursive writing never looked right. This was invented by a right handed person for sure.
• No camera has the snap button on the left side. This has been awkward at some point.
• Cutting up food freaks everyone else out.
• Most crochet instructional videos are right handed so I learn every new stitch backwards.
• Have to wear a watch on the right hand just so it doesn't get scratched up.
• I have to put my computer mouse on the left side of the key board. 
• Everyone and I mean everyone will see you do something and say "are you left handed?"

Fortunately, my daughter is also left handed, so yep, I taught her everything just fine. I know that was Gods plan.

Next time you watch TV, count the actors that are left handed. You may be surprised at how many.

MorningWood Bracelets

I have always been a resourceful person who thinks it is important to come up with ideas that use things we already have. I feel like there is a lot of waste in the world and people take for granted the useful things we throw away every day. This is also why I believe in shopping small businesses. They have a dream and a focus to create useful things people want or need. This is what keeps the world going around and people grateful. 

I discovered a small business that uses donated scrap wood to make hand carved bracelets. Morning wood bracelets are family owned and operated right here in the USA since 2017. Their business began by accident when they hand carved a piece of jewelry for a friend and people fell in love with it. 

Each bracelet is carved by hand using recycled wooden materials. They do not use any paints or dyes in their art. The natural colors in the wood they use paint the story. Each design is unique and no two pieces are the same. I was excited to receive two Morningwood bracelets in the mail. Every bracelet comes with a handwritten note by the creator that lets you know what kind of wood was used to create your bracelet. This adds a special personal touch. 

I received a starfish made from reclaimed Maple.

I also received a little “ILY” hand sign made from a recycled skateboard. The wood on a skateboard is layered with different colors that bring out all the colors for the charm. 

Morningwood bracelets remind me of why I love shopping small businesses. They appreciate your business and find ways to give back. 

10% of their sales go to charities from helping families in need to disaster relief. How cool is that? Someone gives them scrap materials, they make it, you buy it, they give away portions to help others and you have a cool piece of handmade art to wear. 

You should go check them out at Morningwoodbracelets.com. You will be amazed at the delicate craftsmanship put into each piece. If you have Instagram, you can find them at @moringwoodbracelets where you might see videos of the bracelets in the making.

I love wearing my new bracelets and they are a fun conversation piece. I would love to know which design you like best. Check out their website and come back here and comment which one you like most. But let me warn you, the decision will be hard. 

Shop: Moringwoodbracelets.com

IG: @moringwoodbracelets

Facebook: Morningwoodbracelets

I Got It

Yep It finally hit my household. Covid.

I can no longer say I have never caught the virus. Non vaccinated and unmasked for over two years and me and my husband have both been lucky not got to get sick. I have been around people with the virus many times and still, no sickness. 

But now it’s my time. 

My husband brought it home from his job. 

He worked beside another employee who had a nasty cough and did not cover her mouth when she coughed. It went on all day.

Two days later he began to run a fever and had a deep chest cough. He took a home test and was positive. Two days after that, I woke up in the morning mad. I felt like a truck had hit me and I was running a fever. I stormed into the kitchen looking for another covid test. I knew I had it. I called the doctor to get it confirmed and get some meds started. He put us both on antibiotics and a Covid medicine called “Paxlovid”. 

That employee? She ended up testing positive for covid she has also had all her vaccines. 

Luckily, we did not get a bad case of it. But again, what is a good case? Either way, it’s nasty, and painful. Here is how my covid experience went for those that wonder what it was like for me. My husbands symptoms were mostly the same as mine. 

Day one: Woke up feeling like I had the flu. Running a fever off and on all day. Weak and foggy headed. 

Day two: Woke up feeling fine. Like nothing ever happened. No fever. But can feel a tickle in my chest like something was in there. 

Day three: Still feeling ok. But whatever is in my chest now wants out. I try to cough but its not working. My chest now hurts like I have chest cold.

My legs keep drawing up with cramps. My arms muscles feel like noodles. They are weak. 

Day four: Still ok with all the same symptoms as yesterday. Nothing worst. I think I am now on the downside. 

Day five: Getting stronger. Chest still hurts but phlegm is finally coughing up. I took my last dose of that nasty medicine tonight. Learned that all of my cramps and icky feeling the past couple days are side effects of the medicine.

I’m suppose to go back to work tomorrow but I asked for one more day out of the office. I want to make sure these side effects are gone before I return which also included some lightheadedness. I do have the privilege of working from home so I only lost a few hours work on the first day of sickness. 

Did this change my mind about the vaccine? Nope. Still will not do it. 

Did this change my mind about wearing a mask? Not really. I feel like if you have a cough, you should wear it around people so you don’t cough on them and spread germs. But I am not convinced it protects against getting Covid. 

I just give my healthy immune system and God all the thanks. 

Gourd Art

We have friends from the beach campground that we met years ago. We usually will see them one or two times each year when we go. I heard he had lots of gourds that were ready to harvest. I have always wanted a gourd bird house so I asked him for a couple. 

We did not see these friends the last time we were at the beach but he informed me that he had brought me three gourds and the were with some other friends of his. He told me which site they were at and I went and got the gourds. I did not know what to expect when I first saw them. They were rough and messy looking. They were just plain ole ugly.

When I got home from the beach, I immediately took them out to the patio. I kept looking at them for a few days and thought “this is going to be more work than I thought”. Then I finally tackled it and with a little sand paper and washing, they started looking more like something to work with. My sister took one to paint leaving me with two. 

A couple more weeks went by before I decided to work on a design for the bird house. I wanted something natural looking and did not want to use paint or stain. I ended up stenciling a boho floral pattern and burned it into the gourd with my little wood burner. It was not an easy task and my wood burner was not that great. It was ok though. I do not think any birds will complain about it. 

Next, I had Nick cut me a hole for the entrance. He could not find his hole driller bit so he had to make do with a drill. Again, I do not think the birds will care. I actually like the imperfect look. He also drilled some small holes in the bottom for drainage and a couple at the top to thread a piece of leather through for hanging. I finished it off by rubbing it down with some coconut oil. I can not wait to get it hung next Spring. I hope I have some renters. 

With the other gourd, I had Nick cut it so I could make a bowl. I left it natural as well. I think it will make a great out door planter or decorative bowl for a patio table. 

Cleaning the gourds out was easy. The inside was not as nasty as I thought it would be. There was a white webbed substance that felt like soft toilet paper. I didn't worry about getting it all out in the birdhouse gourd as the birds will actually use it for nesting. The seeds just fell out. 

If you would like some gourd seeds, just let me know by leaving your email in comments 

and I will get back to you.

You will get 25-30 for $5.00 while supply last. 

This just covers shipping and handling. 

The Other Addiction

Food Addiction - A behavioral addiction that is primarily characterized by the compulsive consumption of palatable (e.g., high fat and high sugar) food items which markedly activate the reward system in humans and other animals despite adverse consequences. [Wikipedia]

We are always hearing about drug addiction or alcohol addiction, etc. Food addiction is rarely talked about yet can be as damaging as a drug or other addiction. Food addiction is a real thing. Unlike drugs, food is something we have to have to survive so it makes it a struggle to stay clear from it. 

Just like drug addiction:

food addiction….

Can cause health issues.

Has strong cravings and urges.

You find yourself lying to others about foods you buy or eat.

You have a choice food that will always lead to binge eating.

You sneak around to eat.

You will often eat alone.

You get grumpy when food wears off.

You eat so you will not feel certain emotions. 

You pay high prices for the satisfaction.

You want out but you keep going back.

When someone says you eat to much, you get defensive. 

Taking it away can cause a fight. 

There comes a time we ask for help and have to attend clinics or therapist.

Once clean from the addiction of food, on bite of your favorite foods will trigger a relapse. 

I think I have a food addiction. For real. I am seeing a dietitian and that first couple weeks of detoxing was hard! I almost caved. My body was even getting weak and my energy level was 1 to zero. My body is now getting used to the restrictions I am on and I finally feel the energy slowly coming back and the cravings are getting less. I have even lost 15 lbs in four weeks. I have a few more weeks left of restrictions and I should be good. 

I have to stay away from bake shops because it would be equivilant to taking an alcoholic to a liquor store. 

Food addiction is a powerful thing. Food can be a drug. let’s remember those that may be suffering. Never pick on someone for being on a diet or for what they have on their plate. You never know there story or the struggles they might be going through. 

Note: Some people wonder what happened after I lost 50lbs on Nutrisystem 7 years ago.

That was a super easy diet that I eventually had to give up due to reactions to the salts and whey proteins. I kept the weight off for 5 years. The past two years I fell off the wagon and began eating unhealthy amounts of bad foods again which led me to gaining all 50 lbs back.