Friday Night Sew In!

I am trying something new this week.  I am joining "Handmade by Heidi" and a group of other ladies in a virtual sew-in Friday night.  It is an opportunity for me to work on some unfinished objects that are taking prime real estate in the sewing room.  Binding for a Christmas wall hanging I made last year and a quilt top for my grandson.  I will be posting my projects afterward so stay tuned.  This is a great idea.  She is also having a giveaway on top of all the fun!

If you want to link up, just click on the Friday Night Sew In button on the left.

Cookbooks!

I have a collection of cookbooks that is way too large for my bookshelf.  Last fall when my daughter helped me "organize" I found that I still had more cookbooks, that were kept in a box in the basement.  Or should I say two boxes!  We culled out some to donate and me being me, I kept some that I wasn't ready to toss yet.  They are still in a box waiting for me to look at. 

When I married, the cookbooks were fond of telling me to open a can of this or that.  I drew the line at canned potatoes and carrots for beef stew.  I longed to learn the basics so I joined a cookbook club.  So began my penchant for cookbooks.  Eventually my repertoire included microwave cooking to join my crockpot cookbooks and bread baking books. 

I began to work for Weight Watchers and my collection grew even larger with all the latest cookbooks with selections, points, core and freedom cookbooks that would help me maintain my weight loss.

Cooking has changed and still, some of those cookbooks are like acquaintances; you know the type, so nice to smile and share niceties but never quite actively hang out together.  I love the pictures; I buy ingredients to make a recpe only to forget which when it is time to clean out the cupboard!

So this year, I am striving to check each book in the box to see if there is one recipe I might want to photocopy and then donate or toss the rest.  The Flylady says you cannot organize clutter and this is true...I can't even decide where to stash clutter!  I am stuck and the only way to get ahead of it is to purge, then purge with supervision and purge more.

Next:
 I will commit to making a new recipe a week
I will not slow down on the cookbook aisle in any store

And....I will save money by not buying ingredients for mystery recipes
I will have more room in my house and that will free my creative mind for more fun endeavors like creating great sewing projects or crocheting neat sweaters.

Promise to self....keep your promise.

Winter! Memories of a long winter smile

Winter 2008-2009 was a record year for snow on the ground in our city.  A heavy snow was on the ground until March.  In this picture, our then 5-year old grandson Luke took pleasure in helping Grandpa shovel the driveway.  I worried that he would tire easily or get cold.  No, he stuck with it until the job was done.  He was proud that he could do a big boy's job.  We love to look at these pictures and remember the times we spend together with such pleasure.  Now that he is a years old, he is still the sweet natured boy in this picture, made more lovable by his ever growing wonder at the world and enthusiasm for learning and helping others.  He is truly one of our greatest blessings.  This winter as we move from blizzards to rain to lots of snow to lots of rain, it is with such a lively heart when I can look at this cold season through the eyes of this child.

Which Diet?!?!

Ah… you have to love this time of year brings because it brings out the latest in diet trends. Why I even saw I saw a Yoplait® 2-week tune up on their website and did it for one day...life got in the way though. Once last year I did a Special K 2®-week drop a jean size plan too and stuck to it very well, but my jeans still fit exactly the same. I can get discouraged choosing the best and easiest program; after all, what most of us really look for is a quick fix!


The reality is that what will really work for me is regular food in reasonable portions from all food groups. Do you want to know the best diet there is in the entire world? The one you can stick to. The one that is not temporary and has lifelong habits you can incorporate now. I know it isn't going to come off as it did even 10 years ago, and it was hard to come to that realization. So I challenge us to persevere and make lasting changes. For some of us this weight crept up gradually and it will go away in the same way for most of us. Keep the faith my friends...and by the way…..Happy Birthday Elvis!