October Ocean

October is beginning to be one of my favorite times to go to the beach. The stores and gift shops are bursting with scents of Autumn. The air is cool but the sun is still warm. The ocean seem to be more calm and the sounds of playful children are tucked away in Summer gone. 

Now we sit here on the beach relaxing in the warm sun as we can see schools of dolphin swim in and out of the water. We also watch the surf fishermen as they cast their lines. If I ever get to move the beach, I wan to be a surf fisherman. I can see myself in pink wader pants, rubber boots, a bucket of bait, a cozy chair and coffee. Just me, God and the fish in the sea. 

October also seems to bring across the shrimp boats, AKA shrimp trawlers. They use trawl nets to catch shrimp. This was our view of a shrimp boat one morning. 

This is our last time at the beach this year. We were just taking a short weekend to winterize and close up the camper. We also celebrated my Nieces 24th birthday with dinner and dancing. Lord willing, we will be back again around March or April. 

What are do you love about October?

Clay & Crochet Ghost

Wow. Can you believe this years is almost over? We are in the last quarter. It ill be Christmas in just two months. 

But for now, we have Halloween coming up. I do not get big into Halloween. I decorate for Fall and just throw in some cute little ghost, bats or spiders. I do not do any horror. 

At work, everyone dresses up and decorates their work cubicles for Halloween and we do trick or treating for the foster children in our custody. They will have a chance to trick or treat with their foster parents or with their own families if they choose to come visit for the event. I do not plan to dress up this time though. 

I usually have a theme. Last year I did skeletons. This year I am doing ghost. I am a minimalist so I do not do a whole lot. I like to keep things simple. Here is my cube for this halloween.

See, it’s very subtle with decorations. I will put out my candy on Halloween for the trick or treaters.

So with ghost as my theme, I pulled out my air dry clay and decided to play around with it and create these cut little clay ghost. 

Can you spot the naughty one?

I gave a couple away and kept a couple for myself. I put a little battery light underneath them to make them glow. They were easy to make by rolling out the clay and draping them over a medicine bottle and a ball of aluminum foil util they dried. I used a straw to punch out the eyes before they dried completely.

I didn’t stop there. Of course I had to pull out my yarn and crochet some tiny ghost stuffies. I need to make some more by request. 

What is your favorite halloween item? Ghost, bats, spiders, witches, etc??

Crazy Day in the Neighborhood

I was scheduled to work from home today due to the call of bad weather. We got the effects of hurricane Helene. We are in North Carolina 210 miles from the East coast and I think 8 hours from Florida but still got the taste of the storm. I was unable to work as my internet went out. Later this morning the power went off and was off for 5 hours. The foods in the fridge and freezer remained cold so its all good. I knew not to open the fridge or freezer doors. 

But my problems were minor. Nick headed to work at 8 in the morning despite the recommendations of staying off the roads. The rain was light but the winds were vicious. Fifteen minutes after he left, a tree feel through a house across the street from me. A tree also destroyed a house at the other end of the road. 

All the neighbors rush over to make sure the old lady in the house was ok and she was. Her daughter lived two houses down so she has a safe place. 

A little later we heard another tree fall . It was loud but was only a big limb. This was at another house directly in front of mine. So, we all rush over to that one next and made sure they were all ok. They were. 

With the power off and no where to go, the neighbors mostly huddled outside and told stories. I enjoyed the time with friends. We all had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and thought that was funny and made a good laugh.

The storms seem to be over now and we have power and internet. Tomorrow will be spent helping neighbors clean up their yards. We didn’t have it near as bad as they did in the mountains as dams broke and flooded out the tourist towns and homes. Just keep those that lost their homes everywhere, in your prayers. 

Writing my Blog

When I spent a week at the beach, I left my iPad at home. I didn’t leave it by accident. I meant to leave it behind because I did not feel like messing with it. I have my iPhone and it has all my friend in it. 

But then I wanted to blog. I found a pen and small note book and sat out each morning on the beach and wrote. I love this. It felt therapeutic. It was relaxing and I didn't have to worry about charging, damaging or losing anything. 

I was told that writing is good for you and everyone should take time out of each day to reflect and write. Jot down your thoughts and feelings. It really does feel good. I think I will start doing this more often. Then I can choose what I want to add to my blog. 

Often we will get thoughts and ideas and the forget them. Keep a pad and pen handy and just write it down. This also helps me from venting to others. Writing it down and letting it go feels good. 

This is something I think I will continue as it’s good for my mind. 

Do you find blogging relaxing or a chore?

Would you consider blogging as “self care”?

Last Day on the beach

It was the last day on the beach. The sun was shining bright. The small clouds would cover the sun every so often to give us a little break from the heat.

The ocean looked mean. The waves seem rough but still in awe of its beauty. 

We didn’t really make any new friends this time but everyone was so friendly. There was one family camping in front of us that had some little kids. They were a Mexican/German mixed family and the kids were so cute. We chatted a while with them before they left. They were comical. They were from a town about two hours from us. 

We usually will make friends on the beach with people sitting around us but everyone seemed to be kept to themselves this time. I had a few comments on my anti gravity, reclining beach chair with a built on sunshade. The chair sits low especially for the sand. It was a one of a kind. 

Shop Here

Most of the people we talked to lived near us. I figured that most everyone down here are locals or empty nesters that just sent there kids off to college. 

Summer is now over for us and Fall is in the air. We go back one more time this year in October to close up the camper for Winter. I can hardly wait already. 

Stanley Cup Review

As I sat on the beach with the sun beaming down and the temperatures in the 90’s, I look down at my Stanley water bottle just sitting there in the sand all day. It is impressing me. 

I use a Yeti cup every day for my coffee. It will keep it hot/warm all day. I have tried taking it out on the beach with a cold beverage in it. It did not take it long to warm up. The sun made the cup hot and the clear lid allowed the rays to heat it even more. I was not impressed with my Yeti for cold drinks but it’s my favorite for hot drinks.

But let me tell you about my Stanley cup. It has sat out here in the sun all day. I poured a cold ice tea from a can (no ice) into the cup and headed out to the sand. The sun has not made it warm on the outside and four hours later, my drink is still cold. Not sure how much longer it would have stayed cold because I finally drank it all. I would guess it would have kept it cool for 8 hours. I’m guessing that it’s because it’s powder coated instead of shiny stainless steal like the Yeti. 

I’ll admit, I purchased this cup for the fad but now love it and carry my water in it to work every day. I like the handle and all the cool accessories you can add to it to make it unique and fun to carry. I have a straw cap, bottom protector cup, a handle charm (not pictured) and a little pouch (not pictured) that fits around it to carry my little essentials. I kept it simple for the beach. 

What is your favorite cup or water bottle ?

I believe if you get a water bottle you like, then it will encourage you to drink more water. This is something I have been trying to get better at. I am not a big fan of water but I have given up soft drinks for several years now. I will sometimes drink a fountain diet coke or a good sweet tea for a treat. My coffee is decaf and so is my homemade tea. Per doctors orders. 

Went to a Brewery

Yes, I went to a brewery. Can’t say it’s the first time though. 

We met up with my brother in law and niece for dinner. We usually eat at a Mexican restaurant we left it up to them to pick a place to eat this time. They wanted to go to the Crooked Hammock. It is a large brewery with a tap room, two bars and restaurant. 

The wait was 45 minutes so we put our name on the list and walked out to the bar that was out in the water. This was a gazebo shaped bar with seating around the edge and seating around the bar. We sat around the bar because the seats were swings. I thought it would be fun to sit here. 

When we sat down, we learned from the bar tender that we could order our meal from her. So we cancelled our name on the waiting list and ordered our meal from the bar. While we waited, we had fun chatting with strangers sitting among us. Now I see why people like bars. Everyone is so drunk nice and conversations get started up as if we have known each other for years. I found myself talking and laughing about nothing to a couple next to me. It was a delight. 

Nick ordered a burger and I ordered a smash burger. A smash burger was like a regular burger but they smash the meat thin. It had two patties so I ended up removing one. The fries looked and tasted to be fresh cut.

After we ate, we walked around a little bit then headed to the grocery store for the next nights dinner and beach snacks. We then took a walk around the campground before settling in for the night.

Blue Moon

Day three on the beach and we only had to fight the rain once. The rain comes fast here. One minute we are basking in the sun and the next minute, the rain dumps from the clouds and then the sun will come back out within a minute or so. We just push our beach chairs tighter under the big umbrella and wait it out. 

We got to see the blue moon rise over the ocean. We finished our dinner and rushed out to the beach to catch the show. There were a lot of people on the beach looking over the ocean with cameras waiting on the perfect time to snap a picture. 

We used our iPhone cameras but it never captures the actual beauty of the view. The moon was so big, bright and orange. The picture I snapped made it look small. 

Afterwards, we headed out for some ice cream at a local ice cream shop called “Salt Water Scoops”,  that promises to have the best home made ice cream around. I got raspberry chip and he got coffee bean. We were pleased but the prices were a little steep, but hey, we are on vacation. It’s ok to splurge. Right?

On The Way to the Beach

We started out around 9:00am, loaded the car and said a travel prayer. The car was packed tight for a week long trip. The first couple of miles we kept making sure we did not forget anything. Yea, you know that feeling. 

It was raining when we left but a few miles down the road we were cruising in the sunshine. I do not mind the 4 hour trip down to the coast. We see lots of fields and cattle on the way. The scenery never gets old. 

We always stop in South Carolina to get gas. When we pulled into the gas station, the first thing that caught my eye was a doughnut truck. Nick started pumping the gas and I made a straight line to the doughnuts. I mean, who can resist some good ole doughnuts? I could smell the sweet dough as I approached. “I’ll take a dozen doughnut holes”, I said. I skipped getting doughnuts and figured the holes would last longer and be less messy for the drive. Well, they didn’t last to long because they were fresh and delicious. 

We made our regular stop half way in McBee South Carolina at a place called McCloud Farms. This is were we make a pit stop and grab some tomatoes for sandwiches on the beach all week. They also have all kinds of other produce, fruits, jars of homemade salsas, pickles, jams and more. Let’s not forget the ice cream and bakery part. The Ice cream they serve is actually made about a 3 miles from where I live called Tony’s ice cream. Though it’s a local favorite, it’s not one of ours. 

Our last stop is McDonalds is about 20 miles from our destination. We enjoy a burger and fries. I love eating in the car.

A couple of the places we passed on the way down made us giggle. “Grumpy Wieners” hot dog stand. And “D’z Nuts” peanut stand. 

We made it safe and ready to unpack for a fun and relaxing week. 

Tipping

Let’s talk about tipping. Tipping has become ridiculous. Call me old fashioned but a waiter/ waitress should be tipped for the services he/she gives. 

Me and Nick have always been good tippers regardless of the food. We tip the server because we know that they are often paid a minimal wage and rely on the tips they make. They walk back and forth taking orders, bring out the food and make sure your glass doesn’t go dry. They work for those tips. 

What about these places were you order at the counter? I will usually throw my change in the tip jar and more if the cashier goes out of her way to make my visit a good one. 

But my complaint is that now when ever I walk up to the counter and pay using my card, I can not complete my order until I leave a tip. Why and who gets the tip? 

At the beach we visited a restaurant where a robot brought our food out. When we got our bill, the tip was already applied. It was just two of us, not a whole party. However, it was less tip than we would normally give but this is all we gave on this day. 

This past weekend, my daughter and I sat down for breakfast. There was bar code on the table. You scanned that, made your oder and paid. All by using our smart phones. Five minutes later, a server brought our food out. We had to get up to get our own water refills at the designated water cooler. We never saw our waiter again. I received a text a short while later letting me know that my payment would not complete until I paid a tip. So I did and my tab was closed. 

Every counter has a tip jar. 

Food trucks are way overpriced and even charge to use your debit card. The expect a tip? What exactly do they do to earn a tip? 

Do you agree? Or am I just being ugly? I do not mind tipping but when its forced, It takes all the generosity out of it.

Whats your thoughts?

Arrow Tattoo

 If you follow my blog you might remember me mentioning my New Year goals. 

One of them was to get a new tattoo. Well that is exactly what I did. I now have five tattoos. My newest one is the most visible one as it is on the side of my forearm. All of my others are only visible if I choose to show them to you. And no, they are not in private places. I do have a little modesty. 

I went to a local tattoo parlor with good reviews. Most of the artist are women and I felt comfortable and we had some good conversations about gardening, herbal medicines and recipes. The tattooing was almost painless for me. Plucking my eye brows causes more pain. 

The choice for this tattoo was an Arrow.

People will ask me why did I decide on an arrow and what does it mean?

The initial meaning for my arrow tattoo is “Warrior”

I fight everyday with an uncureable vestibular disease. It’s a daily battle but I’m learning to live with it and take all the good days as blessings. It will not kill me, it will just keep fighting me. But I am a warrior.

An arrow will only go forward. This is a reminder to keep moving forward and don’t look back. 

The feather on the arrow is a little gesture of my Cherokee heritage.

Will this be my last tattoo? Maybe, maybe not. I can always add to the arrow. I can add color, more feathers, script, etc.

Ok the arrow is actually my 4th tattoo. While I was there I had her add one more for giggles. You may need to put your glasses on for this one. 

Double Nickel

I was born May 16th, 1969. Today is my birthday.

My husband said I’m a “Double Nickel”. 

I’m considered “Generation X”.

My Horoscope is “Taurus” (though I do not believe it means anything).

My birth stone is Emerald.

And my Birth flower is “Lilly of the Valley”.

It’s been a fun day. When I went into work, my office cube wad decorated and there was doughnuts and a gift basket full of snacks, office supplies and things I like. One of the employees bought me lunch and my supervisor bought us all our favorite Dunkin Doughnut drink.  I ordered a frozen coffee with almond milk and blueberry flavoring with whip cream on top. 

I do not feel older but looking back, things have changed. Enjoy these little interesting facts from the day I was born.

May 1969

-President- Richard Nixon.

-Minimum wage- $1.60

-Number one song- “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine in” by The 5th Dimension.

-A bottle of Coke- .10 cent

-McDonalds Burger- .18 cent

-A loaf of bread- .23 cent

-Gas- .32 cent per gal. 

-New Mustang- $2,848.00

My husband plans to take me out to eat tomorrow night to my favorite Steak House and my daughter will stop in next week when she gets home from the beach. 

Snoring

Do you snore?

Most people do not know they snore until someone else witnesses it. 

When someone tells you that you snore, it’s hard to accept for some reason. 

I remember my daddy used to snore really bad. I’ll never forget one time he was sitting in the choir booth at church and his head fell back and he snored really loud. We as kids just giggled. I’m sure he was embarrassed at the time. 

Well, I must take after my dad because Nick told me I snore. I snore every night and I snore loud! It has been keeping him awake at night. He took a video of me asleep in my recliner one night while supposedly watching tv. I was snoring. Guilty as charged.

It seems to keep getting worst. I blame a lot of it on my excessive weight gain. 

I am not ready to see a doctor about my problem. I am afraid he will put me on one of those machines. There is no way I can sleep with something over my face with tubes and wires. No thank you.

So, Nick told me about a mouth peace called ZQuiet.  I put it off for a while but when I started waking my ownself up by snoring, I figured I’d give it a shot. And guess what? It works!

When we sleep, our bottom jaw will fall back causing the air flow in our throat to become smaller and it can cause the snoring. (Something like that). ZQuiet is a simple little soft plastic mouth piece that fits over your top and bottom teeth. It holds your bottom jaw slightly forward in it’s natural position. This causes a better air flow and the snoring stops. Now when you lay on your back and relax your jaw, you will think about this. Haha. 

If you snore, you should give this a try. I got mine off Amazon HERE.

Snoring is can be caused by more serious problems so it’s always best to check with your doctor before trying alternatives (Though I didn’t).

. 

Acupuncture

I have been trying to add more self care to my life. My job can be stressful, not necessarily in my daily tasks but with the things I have to endure. I hear and see a lot of things that come through the systems. My supervisor is also a micro manager and the two together just wear me out. 

I work all day doing my best to be on top of things while fighting my vestibular disorder and keeping the supervisor pleased. I spend so much time worrying about all the things that need to be done at work and at home that It’s easy to forget about myself.

One of my recent purchases from amazon is an acupuncture mat. I have always wondered if acupuncture really works, so when I seen these mats and the fact they did not actually have “needles”, I wanted to give it a try. 

Well? What did I think?

I actually love it! 

It haa some really sharp plastic tips that do not pierce the skin but will cause some prickly pain. It’s not unbearable. My 10 year old nephew even tried it out. He though it was fun but not really understanding the whole point of it (no pun intended). 

I lay my bare back on it while leaned back in my recliner. At first there is a slight uncomfortable prickly feeling. Then it turns hot and numb. After a few minutes, I’m in a complete relax mode. I have even fell asleep on it. 

After a about 20 minutes, I take the mat away leaving my back with a burning feeling something equivalent to slight sunburn. This sensation last about 4 minutes then I'm back to normal. 

It’s certainly one of my favor things right now and use it about twice a week to relieve stress and tention.

https://amzn.to/3QAqGYv

Have you ever did acupuncture of any type?

Solar Eclipse

Today you will be seeing a total eclipse unless you are near the East coast. We will only see about 90% I think. This is a big deal for some people. I know people that are traveling to Indiana to get the best view of this celestial event. I will step away from my office and walk outside for a few minutes to witness the event.

The next time we will have a solar eclipse will be year 2044, so it’s possible I will see another one. Many people will not. 

People ask “Why is this such a big deal?”. I think it’s because this is one natural event that we can actually see. If you want to see it, make sure you have special glasses so that you do not ruin your eyes. 

Me and Nick are ready with our glasses. We had to try them out yesterday. You can not see a thing out of them except the sun. It’s actually weird how small the sun is when you look through these things. But anything created by God is amazing and today he will give us a little show.

Yip Yip

 I took a break from the big crocheting project I have been working on for church and decided to crochet something funny. 

How many of you grew up watching Sesame Street?

I do not remember watching sesame street when I was young. I was more of a Captain Kangaroo and muppets kid. I’m not sure why mom never turned the channel to Sesame Street. Maybe it was because we couldn’t get that channel. I don’t know.

I was a little older when I watched Sesame Street though I always knew who Big Bird, Ernie and Cookie Monster was. Then there were these little martians called “Yip Yip’s” they were another Sesame Street favorite. They were usually in a pair and would get started saying “yip yip” and couldn’t stop. 

I thought they were funny so I decided to crochet one to see if I could. 

The result was good. It made me laugh. I had a little fun with it then I took some photos and gave the yip yip to my sister. It can be used to hold a small plant or little trinkets. 

What shows did you watch as a child? 

What was one your favorite characters?

Just Breathe

I’m here. I have just been too tired to blog. I want to get back to blogging regularly. I have a tiring job. It’s office work where I do a lot of researching for child and family services and by the end of the day, my eyes do not want to be on a computer. I’m home by 5:15 each day, have dinner and take a walk. Afterwards, I clean up the kitchen and take a shower. I sit down in my recliner to relax and end up falling asleep within 5 minutes. On the weekends I like to hang around the house in my loungewear all day and watch Netflex movies while working on a big crochet project that needs to be finished before Mothers day. I also do my house work on weekends.  Then Monday comes quick. 

Ok, I know all that is no excuse to not keeping up with blogging. I just need to breathe. 

Speaking of breathing.

For the past four or five weeks, I have struggled to breathe sometimes. It just started all of a sudden. It’s like an elephant sitting on my chest. This happens when I get my heart rate up and when I lay flat of my back. I struggle to breathe. I had asthma when I was a child and I’ve always heard it will probably return in my adult years. Well, I guess I’m in my adult years now. 

I went to the doctor for a check up and everything checked out perfect. My blood work was all good. He did an EKG and a chest xray to rule out and heart problems. Everything was perfect. So, the only other explanation was Asthma so he gave me an inhaler to try for a week. It seemed to work. I was using it almost every day. I rarely get out of breath but I was getting out of breath and wheezing just vacuuming a room. 

I had to go back today after recording my shortness of breath and using the inhaler. I kept a log.

He suggested I had either exercise induced asthma or allergy induced asthma and gave me another type of inhaler to use once a day. He wanted me to do a hit in the office for practice. Guess what? It worked! I went for a brisk walk tonight and never got out of breath. I was so excited. I can’t wait to see how well I do walking into work tomorrow. Now I can breathe. Asthma can be scary. 

Valentine and Dieting

 Happy Valentines Day!

I hope you all had a great day full of love. 

It was a good day for me. My vestibular disorder has been on a low the past few days. I think the Meneier’s is going into another remission again. I hope so. Thank you all who have prayed for me. 

Me and Nick did a Valentines breakfast last Saturday at a The Toastery in Belmont. 

Since I’m feeling better, I felt like doing a little craft project for the girls in my unit. I made them all a small jar of sugar scrub. They all seemed to love it. 

I also made a little sweet treat to share with the office. I used premade rice crispy treats and dipped them in chocolate. Everyone thought I worked really hard making them. 

There were a lot of sweet surprises at work. There were candy, doughnuts, and cupcakes everywhere I turned. But guess what? I ignored it all and did not eat a single sweet today. I am proud of myself. 

Sadly, I put on 30 lbs since thanksgiving. Everyone tells me I do not need to lose weight but I do. I need to lose about 40 lbs. I have tried so many different and expensive diets. They will work until I complete them, then the weight comes back on. That’s why I have decided to go back on Nutrisystem. It’s just so easy, the food is good and it works for me. You can read about my first journey with Nutrisystem At the top of the page. 

The doctor also had me on 3 weeks of Prednisone and took me off of the diuretics I was taking. Both will cause weight gain. I do not like it when people tell me I do not need to lose weight. They are not in my skin. I am generally a small person so I can feel weight. Here are just a few ways extra weight affects me. 

• Heart burn at night.
• Snoring
• Always tired
• No energy
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath doing simple task like getting dressed or folding clothes. 
• Chafing from my legs rubbing together.
• Sweating
• Achy knees
• Rapid heart beat
• Headaches
• Bloating
• Fluid retention   

So see, it’s not always about the appearance. It’s how it makes me feel and when I get to where I feel unhealthy and my clothes get too tight, I know it’s time to take hold before it gets out of hand. 

So yes today I had to make a choice. The doughnuts or feeling healthy.

Pregnant Onion

 Have you ever heard of a pregnant onion? Well, I have one. Just look.

See them babies in there? 

This is not really an onion but looks like an onion. It is scientifically called Albuca Bracteata also known as a Lucky Onion, Sea Onion or simply a Pregnant Onion. This plant is actually a type of succulent.

Years ago, my Mother in law had gotten me one but it did not last long. I didn’t take care of it like I should have. Now that I love plants, especially succulents, I went on a mission to find another one. 

I was unable to find one around here so I went online. Amazon to be exact. Gosh, you can find anything on Amazon now days. 

When It came in, It was in a 3 inch pot, about the size of a grape and looked weak and unhealthy. I was disappointed but it was not dead so I prepared it a better pot and gave it lots of water. The onion finally started growing and I have moved up a pot size twice now in two years. My little onion us now flourishing. It has had many babies and grown up to about six inches around.

I just put it in the sun and keep it watered a couple times a week. The tiny babies eventually break through the skin and fall off. I just noticed today that one of the seedlings is sprouting. 

Pregnant onions will also produce a stem of white flowers that will bloom in the spring. Mine has never bloomed but this week seen a flower pod standing tall above the other leaves. I was excited and can’t wait to see her bloom. .

Do you have any unique plants?

Praying Friends

 Do you have friends that pray for you?

I do. I have friends at church, work and friends I have never even met that pray for me. We all need these kind of people in our lives.

‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭KJV- ”Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.“

I believe in the power of prayer. God has answered many prayers for me and continues to do so. We have to be patient and he will answer on his time. He knows what we need and when we need it. 

I have cried mad at God because I sometimes think he is not listening to my prayers. When I just be still, I know he is working on me. I need friends to pray with and for me and I am so blessed to have friends like this in my life. 

Speaking of praying friends, I received the cutest little surprise in the mail. It was from one of my blogger friends at https://lifeisgood-smile.blogspot.com/.  Inside the card was a mini prayer square she made by hand. I can picture her thinking about me as she knitted the tiny square.

If you look closely, you can see the shape of a cross in the center. 

I carried it in my pocket today. Though these little prayer cloths have no healing power, they do bring comfort knowing a friend prayed for me and I will always cherish this little prayer square. 

Pray for your friends today. There doesn’t need to be anything wrong with them to pray for them. It may be your little prayer that gets them through the day. If you simply thank God for people in your life, it would be suffice.

Cook an Acorn Squash with Me.

I have blogged about acorn squash before, but lately I have been hooked on these little things. They are rather easy to prepare, healthy and delicious.

Though they are called squash, I believe they tastes more between a sweet potato and pumpkin. Acorn squash can be peeled and cut into cubes or mashed. I choose to eat them right out of the shell. There is just something fun about eating out of the natural bowl. 

Acorn squash are only 56 calories, 5% carbs, zero cholesterol and zero fat. They are full of potassium, magnesium and vitamin C.

Ok, so get your squash and wash it. 

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds like you do when you cut open a cantaloupe. (This is the hardest part) some of the squash seem to be easier to cut that others. 

In a small glass. Combine butter, cinnamon and brown sugar and melt it all together and brush the entire inside of the squash until coated. You can cook it without any of this but I love all the flavors together. 

Go ahead and sop on as much as you want. You can’t have to much.

Now place in air fryer for 20 minutes at 390 degrees. 

Just look at that goodness. You know its ready when it’s soft and a fork will pierce it easily. 

You can enjoy it as it i, but I love adding some yogurt, nuts and honey. All of these flavors blend good together to create the perfect snack, small meal or enjoyed as a side. 

I only eat half at a time, so I just put the other half in the refrigerator until I am ready to cook it. 

When I want to take it to work, I will cook it in the morning while I’m getting dressed and throw it in a bowl to reheat later. Cooked acorn squash heats up well without messing up the flavor. 

Have you ever had acorn squash? If so, how do you prepare yours?  

Don’t Take My Plate

It seems like the older I get, the more things get on my nerves. Things used to bother me but I could easily over look it or have a different response. I can still control myself but I am probably only about two years away from being vocal.

One of these things is when I am at a restaurant and the waitress comes along and ask if I’m done with my plate. I used to look up with a smile and simply say yes or no. Now I just look at them with a straight face and say no. 

Tonight my waitress was heading to the table. I had put my fork down for a moment and she wanted to know if I was finished. No. I still had half a plate full. 

Even if I am finished with my meal, if there is a little bit of gravy left on that plate, I’m keeping it close to me until I throw in the napkin. Sometimes me or Nick will be finished, but will sometimes dip into each others plate to taste. Sometimes there is that extra chip waiting to dip that last little bit of cheese left on the plate. You get what Im saying?

If I want my plate taken away (and sometimes I do), then I will let you know.  Taking my plate can make those left still eating feel like they are eating alone and cause them to rush while making me look like a food vacuum. 

So, please don’t take my plate. It’s rude. 

2024

 Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great time ringing in the new year. We usually stay awake to see the ball drop on TV and around the world but not this time. Nick has to work this New Years day so we hit the sack early.

We went to church yesterday morning.  Me and Nick go to two separate churches, but I decided to go with him to his this time. It was sorta nice sitting in a more quiet setting without the bands and loud music (which I do love by the way) that cause a sensory overload I have been getting in my bad ear. This can easily trigger a vertigo attack for me. 

We did go out for a nice steak dinner before heading back home for the night. We ran into a couple friends we knew while we were there and did some catching up on our lives. 

I hope this year will be a good one but I feel like it’s going to be wild ride with it being election year, leap year and year of the Olympics. I feel like a lot of things are going to happen. So buckle up.

I do not make resolutions but I do try to set goals. I accomplish most of them. 

This year I plan to get healthier. The past few months have been hard on me going through more than usual effects of Meniere's Disease. I am currently loaded up on Steroids to see if they help. So far they seem to be helping. I will start weening off of them in two days. I have been on Prednisone for 2 weeks now with one more week to go. Since they seem to be working, I will be getting steroid shots directly through my eardrum into my inner ear 3 times in a series of 3 weeks. This will not have any side effects and will only help my inner ear issues. He just did not want to go this rout unit we knew if it will work or not. I can and will continue to have issues but hopefully no more vertigo attacks out of nowhere! 

I am beginning to get “moon face” . This is weight swelling in my face but will go away once I’m off of steroids. I can’t wait. However, I am full of energy and I can’t stop eating! I have gained 10 lbs in two weeks! I need a detox!

Here are a few of my plans for the new year.

• Talk and walk with God more.
• Eat healthier and get this steroid weight gain off.
• Purchase a lap top with my Christmas money.
• Start walking on a regular basis again.
• Do some in home workouts to keep toned.
• Save money for the new Ford Bronco I want.
• Maybe a new tattoo. 
• Maybe start a new blog on a new platform (while keeping this one).
• Start a new skin care routine.
• Vote
• Spend more time relaxing and enjoying life.
• Stay away from anything or any person that brings negative vibes.

We only have a little while left on this earth. We need to enjoy and live life abundantly (John 10:10).

Do you set any new year goals?