Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa

Merry Christmas everyone.

I hope you are enjoying your day whether your visiting family, friends, or just staying in alone and getting some rest. That actually sounds great right now. Christmas always seem so busy and hectic. We say every year that we are not going to do so much the next Christmas, but then we do. It’s all fun though. 

My daughter will still come over and spend a few day at home during Christmas. We laugh, cook and shop and get on each others nerves at times but I love it. 

Christmas eve day we walked around and gave out some home made Cranberry Salsa to my sweet neighbors. 

We are so blessed to have nice, friendly and helpful neighbors on our street. Every time we are out at the same time, we end up talking forever about things going on in life. I just like to share some Christmas cheer.

Christmas eve we headed out over to mom and dads for a nice family gathering. We had all kinds of foods and sweets. My daddy read some scripture and sang us a little song. My mom stayed busy working in the kitchen despite she was not feeling well. Sometimes I don’t know how she pulls it all together, but she does. 

Now its Christmas day. I got up early and enjoyed a nice quiet breakfast. As I was sipping my coffee, I gazed at the Christmas tree with presents underneath. I smiled and said to my husband, “we did it”. We never think we can pull it off with our small income but we do. My daughter was happy to wake up for the 32nd year with presents under the tree. 

Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa:

• 12 oz fresh cranberries,
• 1 Jalapeño
• 1/2 Cup Cilantro
• Lime juice
• 4 Green onions
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar ( see instructions)

Chop all the above ingredients together, then mix in 1/2 cup sugar.

Let it set in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy.

It’s great poured over a block of cream cheese with your favorite crackers.

Or use for a sweet n spicy salsa for your tortilla chips.

It’s getting later now and Nick is making lasagna to take over to his brothers tonight for our Christmas dinner. Everyone will bring a dish. There are some small kids that we get to watch play and open gifts. 

Tomorrow I will rest. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. 

Old Fashion Nougat Candy

 Who remembers the Braches Jelly Nougat candy? 

I remember seeing them in the candy baskets at the candy stores or in restaurant lobbies. They were never one of my favorites. I would always lean more toward the powdered candy or those little waxy drink filled molds. 

Well, for those that enjoyed this kind of candy, I am going to share the recipe that’s quick and easy. I made a batch for the first time. I think I actually like it now. Ready? Ok. Get out a mixing bowl.

Old Fashion Nougat Candy

• 1 bag of mini marshmallows.
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips.
• 2 tablespoons of butter.
• 1 box of Dots candy -Cut each piece in half. 

1. Place butter and white chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl and microwave 30 seconds at a time until melted. Put in the marshmallows and microwave 30 seconds at a time until you can mix it all smooth together. 
2. Fold in the Dots candy and pour into a square dish lined with parchment paper (this will help get it out).
3. Place in fridge for 2 hours or best overnight. 
4. Once cooled, take it out of the pan and cut into pieces. 

Can be left out but best stored in the fridge.

Just look at how pretty they are.

These little candies have the consistency of taffy. People will be surprised at how good they actually are. I took some into the office to share and they disappeared in no time. 

How I’m Doing

Hey, remember me? I been MIA from the blogging world lately. I think about blogging every day. I need to find time for myself and start back blogging on a regular basis. It is a great way to relieve stress. 

As I’m typing this post, I am leaned back on my new acupuncture mat. Yes, I have resorted to pain to see if it can relieve me of the Meniere’s symptoms. It’s been over a month now since my last big vertigo attack and I still feel “off” I have had several emotional breakdowns not knowing how I will get through the day. But hey, here I am. By prayers, I am making it.  

I know this will soon pass and I will go into remission for a few months, maybe even a year or so. Right now it is hard for me to go to public places for long period of time. I start getting anxiety of fear that an attack will happen at any minute and it will be embarrassing. It’s not a pretty thing.

People are always asking me if I’m ok. I say yes as I hide the truth. Everyday is a struggle. I can feel balanced and on the healing side of things one minute, and in one breath, things can change and I’m spinning out of control, in pain, confusion, and vomiting. I have absolutely went to bed at night thinking I will not wake up the next morning. And the bad thing about that is…. I’m ok with that.  

I think now, my left ear is completely deaf. This usually fluctuates and the hearing can return once the fluid releases and the Tinnitus goes away but I’m not sure this time. 

I went back to my ENT two weeks ago on one of my worst days. He said the next step is to try steroid ear injections. They will insert a thin needle trough my ear and into my inner ear and inject. He gave me a name of a doctor in Charlotte that specializes in this sort of thing.  I have yet to call and set that up. I am on the fence about it as there is no promises it will work and it would take a series of visits to see improvement. I do not have the time, energy nor money to travel an hour away for this. I mean, I can barely make it to my office three miles away. 

I may still at least call him for a consultation visit. He knows more about Meniere's disease than my regular ENT. I will wait and see how I do next week. 

I do not plan to blog much more about my condition. I need to learn to deal with it and find myself again. I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and be the warrior that I am. I need to get out there and fight instead of getting anxious and scared of what might happen in public places. I have a lot of friends, family and church praying for me and that’s more than an doctor can do. God will heal me on his timing. If not, then there is a reason for this. I just need to keep the faith and enjoy life as I have it. 

 

I Have No Idea

I have been sitting here with my iPad on my lap for a while now, wanting to write a blog entry but I have no idea what to blog about. I have been tired and busy.

I went to the beach two weeks ago but nothing to blog about this time. Just had a relaxing little quick trip to get the camper Winterized. Temperatures were in the 80’s so we stayed on the beach most of the time.  It was Halloween so we watched the cute trick or treaters and contests. We also went to a halloween party someone was having. We felt out of place but stayed a little while not to be rude. It was fun watching people and seeing all the different costumes. We also made a couple new friends.

Work has been busy and I come home tired every day. The nature of my job can be rewarding but also stressful and heartbreaking. At least one (sometimes two) nights a week I will fall asleep and sleep for 12 hours. 

I have a request to make some crocheted things by May for church. According to my figurations, I have to work on them 10 hours a month to get them completed. 

I also plan to do another 5K on Thanksgiving morning and I’m trying to find the time and energy to practice and get my strength and balance ready. My daughter will be doing this with me. It will be my 5th time running a 5K. I was a few pounds smaller all the other times and not in nearly as much pain, But I can do this. 

Other things I need to do this month are come up with a dish to make for our work Thanksgiving party, Make a dish or two for family Thanksgiving, get some Christmas shopping done, decorate for Christmas, and find the bottom of my laundry basket. 

Hmmm, well looky there, I just made a blog post with no idea. 

. 

Feel free to comment with any idea you would like for me to blog about. This could be fun. If your reading my blog from email, just click on my blog title and it will take you to my actual blog page and you can comment from there. 

Propane Tank Monsters

 My daughter and I were headed out for a coffee and a day of shopping. When I turned down the next street from my house heading out to the highway, I noticed two tanks someone had thrown to the side of the road. One was an old propane tank and the other was a helium tank. My mind instantly went into craft mode and knew I had to have them. I told my daughter that if they were still there when we get home, I was going to get them. 

We visited a little coffee shop in the small town of Belmont and walk around town as we sipped our caffeine filled cups of goodness. I ordered the Maple bacon Latte. It was good. 

Before heading home we visited a thrift shop and scored a few good deals.

I hadn’t forgot about the tanks. As were turning into the neighborhood, the tanks were still on the side of the road so I pulled over. We jumped out, grabbed them, threw them in the hatch and headed one home. We giggled because It looked like we were stealing something as we grabbed them so fast not wanting anyone to see us. 

I gave them a little wipe down, grabbed some paint and brushes and we headed out to the porch to turn this trash into another Halloween project. I painted the white one and my daughter painted the green one. 

This was just as fun as painting or carving pumpkins but less mess and a lot cheaper!

They now sit on my front porch steps and I will dispose of them somehow after Halloween. 

Bead Ghost Garland

I’m sorta getting exited about Halloween. Not because of the goules but because of the fun things going on. It’s fun to see the little kids dress up and pretend to be super hero, presidents, princesses and little monsters. They go trick or treating door to door. If it teaches them anything, it’s that there are still nice people in the world that no matter how you look or portray yourself, they will always open the door with a smile and hand you a piece of sweetness. 

On Halloween, they want us to come into work dressed up. We will be doing a trick or treat time for our foster children. It’s always fun to see the smiles on their faces when they walk by our office cubes and collect candy. My unit has plans to all dress up like skeletons. We will call ourselves the “skeleton crew”.

I have been creating some little Halloween decorations during the month. The other day I made these cute little ghost garlands. 

I used some clay and rolled out and molded the little ghost. Once they dried, I strung them on some string along with some wooden beads. I added a little tassel on the ends and wha la, I had a cute little garland to drape around something. 

I have one draped on my mantle at home and the other one is draped on a piece of Fall decor I have in my office. 

I get a lot of complements on it. 

I got the clay from amazon and will post a link below.

The beads were purchased from the dollar store. Well, it’s technically called the “$1.25 store” now. 

Have you made dollar store crafts lately?

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Jute Ghost

I have decided not to bring out my Fall decorations this year. Orange is not my favorite color and the Fall is just Summer dying. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the cool air, the smell of falling leaves and bon fires. However, I am not a pumpkin spice person. I am more of a caramel apple person. 

Instead of bringing out my old decorations, I’m keeping it simple in the house this year. I have bought some cute dishtowels for the kitchen, a few little decorations from the dollar store and having fun creating some of my own things. Thats just the minimalist in me. 

I recently created this cute little jute ghost.

I didn’t really plan on it being this color or material but here we are.

I went to the dollar (and a quarter) store in search of some white nautical rope for this project but all I could find was this jute rope. It took three bundles for this project. 

Using a cardboard box, I cut out a half circle, then used a hot glue gun to glue the rope together. I left the ends long enough so I could trim them and unravel the each strand. Then I cut out some eyes and a mouth from the same cardboard and the ghost came alive. 

I love how he looks but now realizing I could have just used the rope from a new mop head. 

Do you decorate for halloween? I throw in a few little ghost or jack o lanterns but that’s about all. It just brings back those childhood memories to have a little fun. 

AI

 AI- Artificial Intelligence.

It’s blows my mind how fast things in the world have developed in just the past thirty years. How did we ever get by without a cellular phone? Now we have “Smart Phones”. We can now control everything with our finger tips. Secure our homes, watch and talk to our pets while we are away, and even turn on appliances, just to name a few. 

It is also sad how smart technology is taking over the world. Yes, It is very smart and Genius but it’s also causing problems that people do not pay attention to. 

Artificial Intelligence is takeing over jobs. Kids minds are turning into robots and imaginations are gone. Before long, they will not need to learn to drive because cars are already driving themselves. I mean, I thought cars were suppose to be flying by now. 

In just one day, I paid attention to what’s going on. We went to the grocery store, but there were no cashiers. Everyone had to check out their own groceries. Some grocery stores, you can us an app on your phone and scan your own groceries as you load them in the cart, and when your done, you just click pay and go. 

Then we went to Taco bell. Guess what, No cashiers. We had to order from a little kiosk.

 It was pretty neat but I could not help but wonder how many cashier jobs this robot took away. It took them forever to fix our order as they were too busy filling “online orders”. Was this still a fast food restaurant?

Later we went by Sams to pick up some cookies I needed for work. I look up and there is a floor cleaning machine with an empty seat and moving steering wheel. It was driving around without a driver, cleaning floors. 

It even had manners and would stop when someone walked near it and would go around those that were in it’s path. I stared a minute then looked over at Nick and said, “Did you see the invisible man?”

If we keep going at this rate, we will have artificial cooks, hair dressers, dog walkers and mechanics. I would not doubt if they already have these things. 

What are some other artificial intelligence you noticed while you were out?

Jesus Take the Wheel

 Every night I pray to God to keep my daughter safe. I pray she will stay on the right path of life, find good friends, stay healthy and more. But I pray pray pray for her safety while she is out driving around. 

I am a worrying mom of an adult daughter. Does the worry ever end? 

Then we get a call from her on a quiet Saturday afternoon. She was in an accident. She rear ended the car in front of her and totaled her car. She let us know AFTER it was over and she was back at her apartment. I lost sleep that night. So many “what ifs” flying through my mind. “But I pray for her safety!” Why did God not listen? But then I had to stop and think…”she “IS” safe. She did not get hurt. She is just being grounded right now. She is walking distance from restaurants and grocery stores and she works from home so she will be fine for a while. I have faith there is a blessing in the mess. 

She just added to the fiasco. My nephew was in an accident 5 days ago where he was rear ended and hit another car causing a chain reaction. He was taken to the hospital for observation and released. My brother went to pick him up and take him home to his wife and kids. Out of no where, a deer jumps in front of his truck and damages the front end. Everyone is ok. 

Wait, theres more.

Today my younger nephew backed into his brothers car.

Between worrying about my daughter, so much going on, my naggy supervisor and the nature of my job. I finally broke down in tears on the way home. 

It’s been a day. But tomorrow will be better. I hope.

Cottage Cheese Cilantro Dip

I am always looking for easy recipes. While I try to eat healthy, it’s hard to give up a good dip. Most of the food I eat are sorta bland since having to eat low sodium meals. Thats when a good dip comes in handy. I have never been one to add a lot of salt to my foods but most foods are loaded with salt. I had to give up soup and Chinese food above all. I have done good but I miss it. I love Chinese food and opt to making my own egg rolls now.

Speaking of healthy, If you like cilantro, I made a delicious creamy dip that can be used on almost anything. I have been seeing a lot of videos and hype about “whipped cottage cheese”. I am not a cottage cheese fan but something magical happens when you whip it up until it’s smooth and creamy. 

“Easy Peasy”

Cottage Cheese Cilantro Dip

16 oz cottage cheese.

1 bundle of Cilantro (make sure to wash it)

Juice from 1/2 Lime.

Drizzle of Olive oil.

1 teaspoon Garlic (I used garlic powder).

Salt and Pepper.

Place all in food processor on high. Mix until creamy.

Enjoy.

You can use this dip on anything. It is great with chicken, tacos, wraps, sandwiches, salads and more. I had it on my pizza tonight. Ok, so maybe the pizza was not a healthy option but the dip itself is healthy as it is not full of fatty ingredients. It’s fresh tasting and will have your taste buds dancing. 

Give it a try.

Seed Bead Bracelets

I am not one to wear expensive jewelry. I would rather have lots of costume jewelry. And I do. My favorite pieces to wear are earrings and bracelets. I always have my left wrist stacked with bracelets usually from PuraVida bracelets. 

I like beaded jewelry too. Native American style is my favorite beaded jewelry. I find it so interesting how they can create beautiful jewelry using tiny seed beads. 

After studying some photos of seed bead bracelets, I went to Amazon and ordered what I needed to create my own beaded bracelet.

I bought a loom, beads, bead thread and a beading needle. Then I began to create. 

This is not the first time I have played with beads. 

I remember during my school days back in the 80’s we would make little friendship pens. They were fun to create and the girls would make and trade them around the school. 

Now I’ve been making bracelets. Here are a few I have made so far.

The blue one was made for my sister by request. They are not professional quality but no to bad for a first timer.  The problem I have is finding beads that are uniform in size. Some are thick, some are thin and some are lopsided.

My favorite one is the green one. This is the second one I made and It goes with a lot of different outfits. 

Loom beading is a little tedious but easy. I found some “how to” videos on the internet and began creating. Threading the loom is the hardest part. I find it rewarding to see a pattern appear and how the colors come together. 

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which means I make a small percentage on the sales

 but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay

Powder Pouch

I just got back from another beach vacation and I am so glad I received this awesome Powder Pouch kit before I left. 

 

What is Powder Pouch? 

They are the perfect sand removers. 
Sure you can always use your hand or towel but then you have a mess. You will have to find something to get the sand off your hands and you have to shake out your towel and hope for the best. 

 

If you have little ones, sand brushed on the skin can be miserable for them. If you have a sun burn, brushing sand off can be agonizing. Powder Pouch is the perfect solution. They are made with a silky soft material and filled with corn starch. 

 

Simply brush it over the sand and the sand will fall right off leaving you feeling fresh and clean. You can also purchase the refills that have a wonderful sent. 

~Beach Bliss- A mix of banana and Coconut scent.

~Sea Breeze- A clean fresh scent.

~And they also have Unscented.

 

Each power pouch comes with a little drawstring bag. I love that I can just toss it in my beach bag or hang it off of my beach chair.. I also love that they are reusable and washable. I can use it over and over and when the powder is gone, Just refill it with my favorite powder from home or use one of the Powder Pouch refills and seal closed with velcro and a flap with not gaps for the powder to escape. 

 

Powder Pouch also cares about the environment. Their refill tubes are made from paper and is biodegradable and recyclable. 

 

But wait.

You don’t have to wait to go the beach to use these sand removers. They are great for sand boxes too or anytime you want to feel fresh!

 

Shop: Powder Pouch.

 

 

Powder Pouch was provided to me 

in exchange for my honest review. 

All opinions are 100% my own.

Beach Rundown

 This is my blog view today

Yep. We are now heading home from a week at the beach. The camper is cleaned and closed and the car is packed and safety prayers have been said. We take mostly backroads and see lots of pretty farm lands. 

It was a beautiful week with all sunshine and temperatures in the upper 90’s. Leaving is sorta sad, but once we get on the road, the comforts of home kicks in and it’s nice to open the door to the house. This means we made it safe and put another memory in the books.

Nick took this photo the morning before we left

I learned the first day on the beach that I can’t fight the ocean the way I used to when I was a younger. I walked myself out about knee deep and along came a wave and swept my feet right out from under me. “Hey! That was mean!’ Needless to say I walked out with a bloody knee and a shell rash that lasted all week. It’s healed up now but left a white spot that didn’t tan.

A bird pooped on Nick and I laughed. The next day I got pooped on. Wasn’t so funny then. Ok, Yes it was. We both laughed. I heard it was good luck anyway. I wanted to go kayaking for the the first time at the campground lake and don’t know why I didn’t. Eh, maybe on the next trip in a couple months. 

It makes Nick really nervous when I do things on a whelm like this so I mentioned it a few times but didn’t pout about it. Neither one of us can swim. But I did find this little prince by the lake while we were washing some clothes at the laundry mat (or is it laundro mat?)

We enjoyed dinner by the water way with friends and family. We shopped at some outlets and walked around a brewery, but no, I didn’t get a beer, ha. The last night there, we tried a new place called Barefoot Bistro. It was a little swanky little place with a one man band and familiar foods. The people all seemed to know each other as if this was a regular hang out for locals.

I ordered the chicken pot pie and Nick got the smothered chicken with beans and potatoes. My pot pie was huge. It was all so good! I have leftovers back there in the cooler.

Well, we are now half way home and fixing to stop for a little road side picnic before we drive another 100 miles. 

Work will come early in the morning and shoes will be hard to wear.   

Tugboat

 This is my blogging view today.

It’s day three here on the beach and we have been sitting out here watching the waves and people. It’s not too crowded this week so far but more crowded than usual in the middle of August.

We sat with some beach friends earlier in the week and enjoyed some good laughs and cutting up. 

As we sit here, we can see way off in the distance about 2.5 miles at some small boats and a large barge. I think that’s what it’s called. It was a large flat vessel with a crane on it. Jack with the Shiplog blog can correct me on that. He’s a sailor man.

On August 8th a tugboat sank 30 ft deep off the coast of Myrtle Beach. They rescued three people and spent several days retrieving the 59 foot push tug from the ocean. As we sat here in the comfort of our beach chairs and umbrella, I couldn’t help but think about the hot struggles they were having out there as the pulled in the tugboat. I just hope the money was good. 

(Picture source )

The tugboat was finally brought to shore yesterday and moved to a South Carolina shipyard. I wonder why they didn’t just leave it on the bottom of the ocean? Maybe it was the loads of fuel and oil? Maybe it was too shallow to be safe for other boats? But I’m glad no one was hurt and families were reunited. 

Later that afternoon, we cleaned up and went to one of our favorite places to eat. A place called Taco Mundo. We love sitting out on the patio over looking the inlet where there are boat docks full of fancy yachts. But this time, there was a little entertainment. We got to actually watch a reverse activity of a tugboat pushing a barge between some buoys and under a drawbridge. 

That was all the excitement for today. I don’t remember ever seeing a tugboat before.  Have you?

                                                                    

Red Okra

Has anyone missed me? I haven’t written a blog post in a while. I think about blogging and I want to blog but time gets away from me. The blogger platform has not been my friend lately either. I have thought about moving my blog to another platform but not sure which one to use. I would like one that will allow me to blog and also have a store. Comment below if you have any suggestion for me.

But for today. I want to share something delicious that I got my hands on.

I visited my daughter in Charlotte the other day for some mother daughter time. We grabbed an ice coffee, did a little shopping, snacked on a charcuterie board while we sat by the pool. Between shopping and sitting by the pool, we walked to a street market where a vendor was selling red okra. She said she grows this okra from seeds that started with her great great grandmother. She called them Heirloom Okra. I bought a pound.

As the vendor explained: This kind of okra is better than the green ones. They are more tender and sweet. Even the larger ones are tender and sweet when cooked. They are also less slimy when boiled. 

I brought them home and gave them a good wash and ate some for dinner the next night. I left the stalks whole then sprayed some olive oil on them, salt and pepper and threw them into the air fryer. In 15 minutes I had some nice crunchy but still tender okra that tasted like fried okra without all the bread. 

The vendor did not lie. They were really tender and sweet. I have already planned to go back for more the next time she is out there. I will check my local farmers market first just incase someone there may have the same type.

Okra is one of my favorite vegetables. What is one of your favorite?

DIY Clay Oil Diffuser

Here is something I have never done. Playing with clay. I have always wanted to take a pottery class but there are not any near me and from what I hear, they can be a bit pricy. 

But I still wanted to mess around and make something with clay so I purchased some “air drying clay”. I got the idea of the clay oil defusers on line. I thought they were cute and simple. The clay was inexpensive  and I used natural leaves for stamping a design. 

I squeezed and pressed over and over until I had the size and shape I wanted. Using a cookie cutter, I cut out a round shape. I used a straw to make two holes and set them out to dry for 24 hours. 

I like the way they turned out. I debated on painting the print or not but I ended up using some green acrylic paint to enhance the natural print.  I painted one with coffee. It turned out to be my favorite. I plan to hang it in my car. 

I also made a little ring plate using the same technique.

To use the clay defusers, just add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil and hang it from your rearview mirror, office or closet. The clay absorbs the oil and creates a nice aroma. Reapply the oil every few weeks . 

Shop HERE 

As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay

A Walk In The Park

Sunday did not go as planned for me. After two weeks of rain and Saturday being stuck inside all day cleaning while my husband worked. I was ready to get out. I wanted to get away.

I skipped church Sunday because I thought we were going to go somewhere. My husband had the day off and it was beautiful outside. I told him how I would love to go to a big camper show in Hickory. 

Well it did not happen. We sat around here til noon and I was getting upset. He did not feel like going to the camper show after he learned it was an inside event and would be a crowd of people. He suggested we go a few miles down the road to a little town called Cramerton and go for a walk at Goat Island Park. This was not on my agenda but the day was wasting away. 

Goat Island Park has a mile long greenway down the Carolina Thread Trail along with a park, Frisbee Golf, Kayaking, fishing and more. 

Before our walk we stopped by an Ice Cream coffee shop called Floyd and Blackies and got some ice cream. 

I got an Affogato. This is where they pour a shot of espresso over a scoop of ice cream. I chose some sugar free butter pecan. Nick grabbed an ice coffee. Both were delicious. 

During our walk we saw lots of turtles sun bathing on logs. 

While crossing over the “muddy” South Fork river, we could see kayakers relaxing in the sun.

As we continued off the trail a bit, we come to a dead end where there was nice pier. We stood and watched some kids having fun on a rope swing. 

The boys would swing out and drop in the water while the girls giggled from the sidelines. 

It turned out to be a nice day. When we got home we cooked some salmon steaks for dinner and spent the rest of the evening resting before having to start the week over on Monday. 

Sugar Free Blueberry Sauce

 If you are trying to watch your figure and your diet includes sugar free foods, then you will like this little sweet toast topper.

I was playing around in the kitchen the other day and decided to make this blueberry spread that can be used on waffles, fruit, bagel, toast or anything else you would like some natural sweetness on the top.

I wanted something to put on top of my fruit dessert and this spread hit the spot.

Sugar Free Blueberry Sauce 

• 1 cup fresh blueberries.
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1tablespoon water.
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Bring everything together to a boil, stirring occasionally and let simmer for about 5 minutes. 

It turned out delicious and I topped my fruit, but I can imagine it on a slice of homemade pound cake. 

Oh yum.

Dizzy By Sheets

Ok this post is just a funny little story I wanted to share.

Our Bed Bath and Beyond store went bankrupt and had a big closing clearance sale. Three fourths of the store was empty but we went ahead and looked around at what was left. Everything was marked down 90% off. We ended up getting a fitted sheet to match some linens we had. 

As we were looking around, my husb…….Ok wait, first let me just tell you that as a minimalist, I like simple things. That goes for simple colors. My bedding is always white or at most, a light print or color. Loud prints and colors just sorta drive me crazy. But anyway, as we were looking around, my husband found a set of sheets to fit our double bed. Yes, we have a double bed. Not a queen, not a King. Just a double and it works fine for us. 

This sheet set was on sale for $7.00. They were blue and white checked. He liked them so I said “Ok, if you like them, I’ll try them”. 

After a couple of days I decided to wash the new sheets and put them on the bed. I tried. I really did. I put on the bottom sheet and that’s as far as I could get. My head started spinning but this time I can’t blame it one my Meniere's disease. 

I got myself balanced back out and walked into the kitchen where my husband was. 

I propped my arms on the counter and looked up at him. He looked a little concerned and asked me what was wrong.

“I can’t do it”. 

“Do what?” He asked.

“I can’t put the sheets on the bed. I just can’t”. He said, “Do you want me to help you?”. 

“I guess. I don’t know. They give me vertigo”. He laughed and said “Come on, I’ll help you, I don’t want you to over do it”. 

He walked into the bedroom and was like “Woooah!” 

We stood there and laughed then we both laid down on our tummies facing each other. After a good laugh, he said, “take them off. There is no way we can wake up in the morning on these sheets”.

The sheets……

NEVERMIND- GOOGLE HAS LOST MY PHOTO. This has happened on several of my post lately. I Cant”t seem to find a reason or a backup.

Do you agree? Who in their right mind could sleep on these sheets? 

Needless to say, my bedding is white again. Let’s just keep it that way. 

Crochet Flower Banner

I haven’t crocheted in a while. I just kinda got burnt out on it and the price of yarn has gone up but I still have some scrap yarn and decided to make a wall hanging. At work, I do not have an office but I have a cube and I love it. I have it lightly decorated. Being a minimalist, It is pretty plain compared to everyone else's cubes. The way each person decorates tells a lot about that person. I do not like a lot of colors so mine is mostly grays and whites and a few plants in my window. 

The tassel banner you see in the center is something I made to add some boho style that I love. 

The outside of our cube has our name and an empty cloth wall. This is like a front door. People will often hang a little banner, flag or wreath to represent the seasons or holidays. I usually pick up something from the dollar store to hang on the outside.

The holidays are over and I wanted to find something I could hang on the outside of my cube that would go through the summer, so I started digging into my yarn scraps and come up with the idea to make a wall hanging. I found a pattern for a flower and thought it would be perfect while also blending in with my boho style. 

NEVERMIND- GOOGLE HAS LOST MY PHOTO. This has happened on several of my post lately. I Cant”t seem to find a reason or a backup.

Green and white was the only colors I could find enough of to do this creation. I really like the way it turned out. I would show how it looks hanging on the outside of my cube but for work privacy reasons, I am not allowed. I think it looks good hanging there and I get a lot of compliments on it. 

This wall hanging was fun to make using the single stitch and only took a little about an hour and half to complete. 

Diagnosis Finally

I am still here in blogger land, I have just been slack at posting. By the time I get home from work, eat dinner and get in my walk and shower, I’m exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open and rarely finish watching anything on tv before dozing off. 

Work makes me tired but what makes me most tired is fighting my condition. It’s an everyday battle to pretend I am fine all day at work. Inside, I am always fighting light headiness, brain fog and focus. Let’s add in the fact my ear feels full of inflammation pressure and lack of hearing.

If you follow my blog, I have complained about this for years. Seven to be exact. 

I went to my regular doctor again about my ear problem. Years ago, he said it must be allergies. I knew it was more than that. This time he thinks it’s my neck and wanted to do xrays. It showed spinal damages that cause pain, but still, this was different. So I went with my gut feeling and made myself an appointment with the ENT. 

The Audiologist did some testing and said I have over 50% hearing loss in my left ear. I can hear some sounds but can not make out what people are saying on that side. Next, I walked into another office where the doctor discussed a possible problem I have and set me up another appointment to have some more testing to know for sure. 

The tests they did was an ECoG, VNG, and ABR. 

I returned to the ENT the next week to get some answers.

I have been officially diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. 

He said I have no balance left in my left ear, and over 50% hearing loss. He said there is no cure and my ear has taken a hard hit. He said it will not get better and since I have Meniere’s I may lose all hearing in that ear eventually, but I can change things to help cope with it. Hopefully I can reduce the vertigo and light headiness with a low salt diet and a prescription of diuretics. Sounds can effect it, diet and weather. I have been using some earplugs for
barometric pressure but I got some new ear plugs to deal with sensitivity. They are called “Loops” and I absolutely love them. It blocks out background noise and sounds that are sensitive to me. If I am in a room with loud noises or loud singing and music, It sounds like one big loud blurr and it can trigger a vertigo attack. These earplugs are suppose to help with this. It’s weird that even though I have loss of hearing, some sounds are brutal. It’s like a busted speaker.

It’s just a lot so I’ll stop rambling. I will survive. I will get through this. Now that I have a diagnosis, I can take control. The doctors say “there is no cure”,  but I say, “do you know my Jesus?

Shop Loop.com earplugs HERE . There are three different strenghts.

Got mine from Amazon HERE.

As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay.

Happy Resurrection Day.

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is having a great day. It is a day to be happy about. I hope all who read this know the true meaning of Easter. 

A lot of people have spent this weekend shopping for new Spring outfits and Easter basket fillers. I was out there, I know. I bet many were so busy and wrapped up in getting things ready for Easter that they did not even notice how the weekend unfolded in light of the resurrection.

Good Friday it was dark and rainy- I couldn’t help but imagine this must of been what is was like on the day they hung Jesus on the cross to die for our sins.

Saturday- It continued to rain. It was cold and gloomy. I think this is how it must of been the day after. 

Then came Sunday- The rain was gone, the birds were singing and the sun came out. It was new day. HE IS RISEN. 

My daughter spent the weekend at home and we did some shopping, and went out to lunch. We also dyed eggs.

NEVERMIND- GOOGLE HAS LOST MY PHOTO. This has happened on several of my post lately. I Cant”t seem to find a reason or a backup

Sunday, we got up early for Sunrise service at church. Afterwards, we enjoyed a big southern breakfast that my mom and dad prepared for the church. 

Afterwards we came home and my daughter had an Easter basket waiting on her. My husband says shes to old for an Easter basket but this mom won’t give it up. Shes 31. It was filled with everything to top ice cream, along with ice creams spoons, cones, candy,  a scoop and a bowl. It was a cute theme and she enjoyed it. 

After a few hours, we headed back out to church for service. 

Later this afternoon, we will go to my mom and dads for Easter dinner that my Sister in law has prepared. She does this every year and we look forward to it. 

What are some of your Easter traditions?

Do you have a favor dish you make at Easter?

Do you do any special activities?

One Mans Junk

It was that time of year again. Twice a year, people here in the city can take their big trash to the side of the road for free pick up. It’s called road side pick up. Call me frugal or call me trashy, I don’t care, but I look forward to this. 

Nick asked me if I would like to go for a walk. “Road side pick up is in the morning so people will be setting there junk out today” he said. I threw on my tshirt, shorts and walking shoes and we headed out. The temperatures were in the 70’s and it was nice. 

As we walked around the neighborhood, we didn’t see a lot of junk. I usually look for small tables, stools and planters. Last year I found a vintage step stool that I refurbished. You can see it HERE.

As our walked continued, we were two blocks away when I got excited. “Oh this girl is fixin to have a patio swing!”. That’s right. Someone threw out an almost perfectly new swing. The only thing we saw wrong was that the awning was missing. We looked it over. “Oh I want it”, I said. Nick replied, “You do not need that”. We continued our walk. While I pouted, he tried to talk me out of wanting it. “Where would you put it?” He did not want to have to always cut around it when he did yard work. I had already planned to put it on the small patio out back. “What if it don’t fit the patio?”, he said.  I replied, “We can try it on the patio and if it don’t fit, I can either put back out on the side of the road or asked the next door neighbor if she wants it”. 

Nothing else was said and we finished our walk. Once we got back to the house, he told me to grab his truck keys. My pout turned into a big grin. We drove back down to where the swing was. I was afraid it would be gone because thirty minutes had passed and the metal salvage truck was stalking the neighborhood. The swing was still there. We looked it over again one more time and I helped him put it in the back of the truck. I jolly rode all the way back. 

Guess what. 

It fit the patio. I took off the cushions and gave them a good wash and scrub in the bath tub. They were in great shape and cleaned up well. 

I am so happy to have a swing. And a free one at that!. 

Now all I need to do is pressure was the patio, add some plants and I will be all set. 

“One mans junk is this girls treasure”