Munchie Mondays: Breyers Ice Cream Bars

 

Bryers smooth and dreamy ice cream bars have 130 calories, and they taste so good!

My favorite is the triple chocolat chip, shown to the left, but the vanilla carmel chip is also good.  In addition to these two flavors, they also make a strawberry ice cream with chocolate covering, but I'm not a big strawberry ice cream fan, so have never tried these.  But the other two flavors I HAVE tried and they are really yummy!

Caps for Good

Do you like to crochet or knit?  Your handmade cap can save a life! 

This fall there is a great program that is collecting handmade hats for babies born in developing countries.   Something as simple as a knit or crocheted cap can help the baby keep warm, which is key to helping newborns survive. 
Making a cap is easy - and fast!  It only takes 1 oz. of medium weight yarn...most knitters/crocheters have leftover yarns from other projects that would be of sufficient length to create a cap.

 Interested? Go to http://www.goodgoes.org/caps and click on make a cap to download a pdf packet with all the info.  Let's all get busy and make a difference if the lifes of newborns around the world.

Wedding Pennies

Soon, my daughter will be getting married.  She lives far from us, and I wanted to help her with her wedding preparations.  What could I do from miles away?

I decided to crochet these wedding pennies for her to use as wedding favors. 

Because their wedding will be in 2010, all the pennies I did were 2010.  That made them really shiny (not really shown in the picture...you have to trust me about this) and I used a crochet cotton that had a glistening thread throughout, making the crocheted casings "shiny".  That also didn't show up in this picture. 

I wrote a little poem to go with the pennies: "Keep this in your pocket, in your purse or in your shoe.  May this wedding penny bring love and luck to you.:"  For those who would rather not use a poem, a simple "A wedding penny to bring you love and luck" would do.

I finished all 100 pennies and sent them off to her in a small flat-rate USPS box (which only cost 4.95) and she is going to attach these to favor boxes she has purchased and will fill with treats.  She plans to attach these with ribbon, which is why there isn't a ribbon or other embellishment attached to the crocheted case, but one could certainly do that.

So this is one of the things that has kept me so busy of late.  Just sayin'

Munchie Mondays: Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle Bars

Being on a diet can be a drag, especially when you feel you have to give up things like chocolate and ice cream.  But Skinny Cow makes some delicious ice cream treats that will cost you only 100 calories per serving. 

I've tried the Chocolate Truffle Bars and my, oh my, they definately take the pain out of dieting.  Cool, refreshing, and oh, so chocolatey...these bars are delish.  You feell like your cheating but your not!  Yummy!  Give 'em a try.

Although Weight Watchers doesn't offer these, Skinny Cow claims these bars are 2 points, or if you count calories, 100 calories.  A wonderful way to treat yourself at the end of the day for a dieting job well done.

Munchie Monday: Pringles Stix

Although I have gone "off" my diet, strictly speaking, I am still trying to "be aware" of how much food, what type of food, and flavor of foods that I put into my mouth.  In other words, I am trying to eat smarter if not strictly dieting.  So far I have been able to maintain a 40 lb weight loss by "being aware".

One thing I have been careful about are snack foods I bring into the house.  It's nice to have a snack,  but snacking can totally undo what you have accomplished on your diet if you aren't careful.  Recently I discovered Pringles Stix.

Because these are made by Pringles, you may think they are some type of potato snack, but they aren't.  They are a wheat snack.  They are more like a cracker.  Apparently, there are 4 flavors available, but our store had Honey Butter and Pizza flavors.

For under 100 calories per bag, these turned out to be very tasty little snacks!  You will not get full eating a bag of these...and after all, a snack isn't supposed to fill you up like a meal would.  They are just the right amount to take away mid meal hungries.  I like both of these flavors, but my hubby prefered the honey butter. 

And just an afterthought, I am in no way affiliated with Pringles or their mother company.  I'm just a munchie maven, a person who enjoys foods, and a woman who is trying to do so with intelligent choices.

Altered Surfaces Book Giveaway

Doesn't this book look delicious?!  I want one!  And if you would like one too, click on the title of this post and sign up for a free give away of this book!  I know, I know...by sending you to this link and telling you about this wonderful give away, I am decreasing my chances to win...but on the other hand, I get an additional entry into the give away by blogging about this!  Yes, yes...I have alterior motives!  Good luck!  know I would love to win this!

What's for Dinner!?

Click on the title and find a terrific give away on Blue Cricket Desing blog spot for a way cool way to figure out what to make for dinner.  Good luck, even though I am hoping I win! hehehe

Thrift Store Fun

OR

How Many T-shirts Can You fit Into A Grocery Bag?

Recently my husband and I went out to the White Sands Missle Range thrift store to look around.  We do that every couple of months or so...As fate would have it, they were having a bag sale!  Oh yeah!  Score!

I've been wanting to crochet with "tarn" which is really strips of T-shirt fabric that you crochet with, but I simply didn't have enough old T-shirts to amount to many balls of tarn.  But for 3 bucks a bag, here is what I got from the WSMR thrift store that day:

This will probably not be enough tarn to make the rug I am wanting to make, but it sure is a great start!

Abrey's Blanket, Hat, and Booties

Finally, as promised, here is the blanket, hat and booties I made for Aubrey.  I used Bernat Baby Jacquards in "Boys and Girls", and a size F crochet hook.  The blanket is made in single/double/single then double/single/double stitch.  The hat is made in double crochet and the booties are made in half-double crochet.  This yarn is super soft.  Now all we need is for Aubrey to join us!  Two more weeks until due date, which means she could actually arrive any day now!  I'm so excited!

What's On Your Bucket List

My granddaughter recently asked me "What's on your bucket list".  You know, the list of things you'ld like to do before you kick the bucket!  To be honest, I couldn't think of one thing.  I told her, "In order to have a bucket list, a person has to plan.  I don't plan.  I just let life happen to me."

Now, I am up for almost any new experience that isn't:: 1.  dangerous  2.  illegal  3.  beyond my physical abilities.  It's just that I couldn't think of anything at the time.

Yesterday I got a swim suit top I purchased through http://www.hydrochic.com/  They sell modest swimsuits, and I really wanted a modest swimwuit.  Here is a picture of the top I purchased:

I really like this because it is very modest.  The fabric feels great, too.  And it came with a detatched swim bra, which I like because it is more versatile than one that would be attached.  For bottoms, I confess that I bought a pair of mens black swim trunks from Kmart becaue they were much cheaper than any women's swim shorts I could find online.  And I wanted swim shorts, not swim panties.

Anyhow, I told my granddaughter that my swimsuit top arrived and now all I needed was to find a place to use it.  She suggested I go to the pool, but sadly, I can't swim!  "Well, there you go!" she said.  "Something for you bucket list!  Learn how to swim!"  She assures me there are adult swim classes and that they can actually "teach an old dog new tricks".  I'm not sure I could learn how to swim, but I am sure I could try.

So now I have something on my bucket list...learn to swim!  Wish me luck!

Progress

Today I finished the matching booties to Aubrey's blanket, and even started the hat.  I will post pictures soon.

DeeDabbler: Bathroom Decoration on the Cheap

DeeDabbler: Bathroom Decoration on the Cheap

Baby blanket finished!

I have the baby blanket finished for little Aubrey, who will be joining us soon!  Now on to the booties and hat!  Will post pics when I'm finished.

So Many Crafts to do, Not Enough Time!

I am still, yes, STILL, working on our new soon-to-be-born granddaughters crocheted blanket, and yesterday I lucked onto a bag sale at a thrift store where I got 2 bags (brown grocery bags) full of T shirts to make tarn out of (want to make a rug, and maybe even a purse).  Yesterday I spoke with my daugher who asked if I could crochet some wedding pennies for her, which, of course I will happily do.  Then, there are the paper beads, the handmade greeting cards, the quilt top that needs to be sandwiched and quilted, the.......  There aren't enough crafting hours in a day!

ABC Gift Cards

Just had to share a WONDERFUL site I found recently.  This site is called ABC Gift Cards.  Why is this site so cool?

On ABC GC, you can buy, sell or trade gift cards at a discount.  Did you ever get a gift card to a place you would probably never use?  No problem...log into ABC GC and sell it, or trade it for a gift card to a place you would like to use.

Thinking of giving/sending a gift card to someone?  Before you pay full price, log in to ABC GC and see if there is a card for the same place available.  Why?  You will get it at a discount price.

Check out this cool site.  You can even subscribe to stores where you would most likely use/buy gift cards and get notified when said cards are available.  Now how can that be a bad thing?

The Emails I Look Forward Too

First let me start out by clarifying that my very all-time favorite emails come from my friends and family.  I always scan the "from" info in my emails for their names, and always open them first, devouring any and all their words.

But my favorite all-time non-family/friend emails are the daily newsletters I get from Craftgossip.com!  Oh my goodness, when I see the email is from them, I always smile and open.  Sometimes there really isn't anything of great interest to me, but most of the time there is at least one or two links that get clicked.  Often it takes me an hour or more to read and view the newletter.  Often a click to this blog will lead me to see what blogs they are following, then click on other blogs, and pretty soon time has flown!

I always get so much inspiration from Craft Gossip posts.  If you are a crafter, you have to subscribe to their newletter.  But be sure to get yourself something to drink, a snack, and snuggle into your favorite chair, as you will soon be engrossed in and learning from the things you get to see!

Just click on the link under "favorite sites" to the left of this post.

Happy Earth Day!!

Today is Earth Day!  How will you celebrate?

For a plethera of wonderful green crafts, go to this site:
http://www.favecrafts.com/Green-Crafting


This is a link to a video on DIY Dish that shows how to make a wool felted shoulder bag from an old wool sweater.
http://www.thediydish.com/2010/04/episode-6-were-goin-green/


Vodka in your laundry, beer in your hair, cornstarch deodorant, banana shoe shine… Shed the chemicals and go to the kitchen for home and personal remedies in honor of Earth Day this year.
http://webecoist.com/2010/03/22/14-offbeat-green-cleaning-personal-care-recipes/

I Won a Blog Award!

I won my very first blog award from Anita at "It's A Sweet Thing"!  Thanks so much Anita.

Now, what I am supposed to do is tell you all 10 things about myself.  This is harder than it may sound, as essentially, I've always felt I'm not all that interesting.  It will take a bit to come up with 10. Hmmm....

1.  I lived in Okinawa for 3 1/2 years...and loved it!
2.  I have lived all over the US, specifically, in these states:  Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida, and New Mexico.
3.  I believe in being prepared and emergency preparedness is very important to me.  I am currently working on a year supply of food/products.
4.  My hair is very, very grey.  Someone recently told me I should dye it and I was insulted they would even suggest that!  I like my grey hairs...I earned every one of them!
5.  I have so many interests that at times I feel overwhelmed wanting to do them all and often end up doing none.
6.  I have been on a diet and have lost 40 pounds so far...but have a ways to go to goal yet.
7.  I have two associates degrees: one in nursing, and one in technical communications.  I currently don't use either of these professionally, but I use the commnications one in my daily life.
8.  I feel passionately about the causes I become involved in; things like animal rights, children rights, ecological preservation and so forth.
9.  I have 3 adult children, 3 adult step-children, 9 grand kids (soon to be 10), 6 great-grand kids (soon to be 7), and love, love, love them grand and great-grand babies!!!
10. I am a happy person.  I have troubles like everyone else; I have times when I feel blue like eveyone else; but mostly I am happy.

PHEW!!!  That was really hard.

Thanks, again, Anita, for the award!

Earth Day 2010

Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year.  In the US, April 22 is Earth Day. 

Many crafters observe Earth Day all year long with their "green" crafts.  Upcycling, repurposing, and reusing are the trends of the day, and good trends they are, too!   My favorite kind of crafts are the kind where you take something destined for the trash and find a cool thing to make from them.

In honor of Earth Day, I will post one such item...although it will be an item I made for Christmas.  I'm sorry that I don't have time right not to whip something up to share, but I do look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with for Earth Day.  Please share any links for cool things you find on the net that are in observence of Earth Day 2010.

Almost Free: Baking Soda Hair Wash Method

Almost Free: Baking Soda Hair Wash Method

I have never heard of this before, but after reading this article, I am definately going to give this a try! Just thought I would share. Click on the title and read the article and responses for yourself!

Wanted to add to this post that I tried this today.  It felt really weird and I was sure my hair was going to hang in strings and look terrible.  First there are no suds.  How can your hair get clean with no suds?!  But after massaging in the water/baking soda combo and then rinsing it out, my hair actually and literally "squeaked".  No matter how long I rinse after using shampoo, I never hear that "squeak".  I think it is because here we have such terribly hard water!  But after rinsing the water/soda out really well, my hair squeaked.

Now that it is dry and I brushed it, I am again surprised to report that my hair feels really, REALLY clean.  It is soft, but not shiny.  Not sure how to get that shiny look, as my hair never seems to shine.  But I can report that my hair is really clean!

I don't think I would use this every time I shampooed, but I can see me using it once a week for a deep, deep cleaning of my hair.  Try it and see what you think.

DeeDabbler: Bathroom Decoration on the Cheap part II

DeeDabbler: Bathroom Decoration on the Cheap

A while back I posted my project of making my bathroom decorations out of fresh step advertizements. (Click the link above to see the post)  Well, the other day our 5 year old grandson was over and had to use the bathroom. He came out and said, "Grandma, I was going to the bathroom and looked to my right and saw the cats!" I said, "Well, why didn't you close the door?" thinking he meant our cats Buddy and Willow. He said, "The cats on the wall! I like the black and white cat the best...he looks like Buddy!" Then he asked me where I got the pictures. Apparently he was so impressed with the pictures that he took Grampa in the bathroom to point them out and again pointed out the black and white cat as his favorite. I guess he really enjoyed them!

Well, I have found another new ad with a new cat, so will be adding another picture to the collection as soon as I can get a frame from the dollar tree. They are kinda fun!

Dollar Store Stash Bust April

I'm afraid I had to delete my button proclaiming that I was participating in the April Stash Bust by Dollar Store, but I bought the yarn for Aubrey's blanket in Tennesse, so ....   Such a good idea, but I just couldn't go through with it!  Phooey!

Another Cute Shrug Crochet Pattern

Still in Tennessee, but wanted to share a great internet find.  I love shrugs and I love to crochet.  Here is a pattern with both.  Just click on the title of this post and the link will open to the pattern.

New Baby Project

Here we are in Clarksville, TN.  After arriving, the hubster developed some health problems, so we are mostly sitting in the motel room rather then checking out the area.  However, that doesn't mean I am wasting all this time.  I've started a new baby blanket for Aubrey, our new granddaughter who is due in July.  Here is a swatch of the yarn...keep in mind the swatch is knitted, and I crochet, so the blanket looks like a whole different animal than this swatch.  But at least you can see the colors of the blanket.  I will post a picture of the finished product, but for now...the swatch:

A Few More Tips for De-cluttering and Organizing

A couple of posts ago, I wrote about a link to some great de-cluttering tips and tricks. I received an email from Mini, who had a few more I could add to the list that were really good, so I thought I would share them with you here. Thanks Mini.

"I tape favorite recipes inside the door of my "baking" cupboard so I can stand right there and get the ingredient I want and look at the recipe at the same time

I put all suitcases inside each other and only have 1 to stash as well as stashing items I don't use often or only use on trips in the smaller inside one.

I use dressers or small items of furniture with drawers in so there is places to stash stuff

I have my cd's and other music inside a bench so they are put away yet handy .... near the player and the bench looks nice as a piece of furniture just inside my door"

Check out this great MSN Video: Incredible Hang Drum Duo

Check out this great MSN Video: Incredible Hang Drum Duo

Turn up your speakers, click on the title here, sit back and smile! This is the neatest sound! It really makes me smile!

15 Ways to De-Clutter Your Life

15 Ways to De-Clutter Your Life

Here are some great ideas for de-cluttering your life.  click on the title)  I am a self-confessed pack rat so clutter is a real problem at our house. I found some of these ideas really useful. Perhaps you have some hints you could share with me that would help with my clutter. If so, please let me know...just as long as your solution doesn't involve getting rid of all my "treasures" (which some would interpret as "junk").

Bathroom Decoration on the Cheap

 love magazine ads.  Some are beautiful, some are clever, and some make me laugh out loud!  "Fresh Step", a brand of kitty litter, had some of the funniest ads a year or so ago.  Naturally, being the pack rat that I am, I had to tear them out of the magazines after I read all the articles I was interested in.

I recently was going through all the neat pix I've collected from mag ads when I again ran across these funny pictures.  I thought, "These would be so perfect to hang in the bathroom."  So I went to my favorite store (The Dollar Tree) and purchased 3 cheapie frames.

I took the mat out of the frames and had to cut the middle bar off, as these frames were actually made to put two pictures in each frame (see the pic above).  Then I trimmed the ads and framed them and hung them in the bathroom.

Sorry about the glare from the glass of the pix, but here they are hanging on my bathroom wall.  Aren't they a hoot!?

Spring has Sprung

We have been having some really lovely weather lately.  Today, the west side of our pear tree had a few open blossoms and plenty of buds.  The birds have gone crazy here with a cacophonous song of spring.  Where there is grass, it has greened.  People are out in the parks, walking, jogging, playing and even picnicing.  Yep!  I think spring has sprung.

And here is a picture of the blossoms/buds on my pear tree...just wanted to share the spring thing!

Baby blanket and hat

As promised yesterday, here is a snap of the baby blanket and hat that I crocheted for our soon-to-arrive great-granddaughter.  I used Bernat's "Baby Jaquards" in the berries and cream color.  The stitch in the blanket is what I always called a mile-a-minute stitch, which may be a misnomer.  It is the stitch where you do a single/double/single and then the next row a double/single/double, which goes really fast and gives the item a wonderful texture.  The little hat is a single crochet with  double crochet ruffles.  And here is the snap I took of the items:

Hybernating mamma bear and cub (or cubs?)

What have I been doing lately?  Well, I finished a baby blanket and hat and have to get that sent off to my granddaughter for her baby due the end of next month.  I will post a pix as soon as I take one.

Today I discovered a cool site that has a hidden cam that is monitoring a mamma bear and her baby/babies.  Even though most of what you can see is a black bear breathing, and sometimes stirring in her sleep, occasionally you will see a little paw peek out...yep...a baby!  It's mesmerizing to watch.  go to the site and check it out for yourself by clicking on the title of this post!  A new life...how wonderful!

Crochet Your Own Snuggie

I was excited to find a crochet pattern for an afghan with sleeves (think snuggie?) and wanted to share the link to the pattern.  Whoo-hoo!  Wanna try this one!  If you wanna try it too, click the title of this post to go to the pattern.

Corned Beef 'n' Cabbage Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Corned Beef 'n' Cabbage Recipe Taste of Home Recipes

I've never made Corned Beef N Cabbage, but my dh wants me to make this for St. Pat's day this year, so I hit the web in search of a recipe. This recipe is the one I will try. It is made in the slow cooker...a big plus to me! I love my slow cooker!  I think I will add a couple of red spuds, though. 

Sock Kitty

 

Here is a cat I made from a pair of socks:

I used one sock as the head, body and legs.  The other sock provided the muzzle, the arms and tail.  The head of the cat is the toe of one sock.  Using my sewing machine, I formed the shape of the ears in the toe of the sock.  Then I stuffed the ears and head and with a gathering stitch, I made the neck.  The legs were formed by cutting the cuff (or leg) of the sock in half and sewing the legs.  The body and legs were stuffed through the opening in the legs.  Then the openings were stiched with a gathering stitch and pulled closed.  Then with needle sculpting, toes were formed on each footl.

The arms were cut from the cuff of the second sock and stuffed, stitched to the torso, and toes were sculpted on the arms.  The muzzle was formed from the heel of the second sock.  It was stuffed and sculpted and attached to the face of the cat.  The tail was also made from the second sock, stuffed, and attached to the "rump" of the cat.  Finally, I added a heart shaped bead for the nose, black beads for the eyes, thick black crochet thread for the whiskers, and a pink ribbon tied around the neck for the finishing touch.

This sock cat now lives with my daughter, Jeni, in Wisconsin.

Altered Charms

A whle back I participated in a charm swap in an altered arts group that I belong to.  It was really fun and the charms were really cool.  Here are the charms I made for the swap:

I used pop can tabs and gold wire to attach beads in the holes of the tabs.  I put jump rings on so people could use the charms on necklaces or bracelets or ???  I got a lot of variety in the charms I received and made a necklace from them.

Art journal

I belong to a Yahoo group of art journaling, where they give challenges and word prompts. I thought I might share a few images from my art journal.  I don't have a lot of pages in it yet, but here is a pic of the cover:

As you can see, I call my art journal "Me, Myself, and I"   One page I made was a one-word description of myself.  Here is that page:

Another page I used the word prompt "hand" and this is my page for that prompt:

When the word prompt "Body" was used in the group, I made this journal page:

These are all pages I did a while ago.  I need to get back into doing more with my art journal.  I really enjoyed making pages in it before.  And as I make new entries, I will try to remember to post them here to share with you.

National Craft Month

March is National Craft Month.  How are you going to celebrate?  Follow this link, and find all types of how-tos that will give you instructions so you can try a new craft!  AND...have fun!!

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/craftstechniques101/a/National_Craft_Month.htm

Feel free to post in the comments what you are doing to celebrate!

Pillow from old shirt

A friend of mine found an old bowling shirt she had saved for many years.  She tried it on and it didn't fit anymore, but she hated to throw it away as it held good memories for her from when she lived in Okinawa, Japan.  I suggested we could make a pillow of it, and she was happy to let me try.  Here are the results:

First, I made a "body" from fabric and stuffed it.

I added a little "jewelry" to give it pizazz!

Then I dressed the body with her bowling shirt.

And finally, here is how the back of the shirt looks.

I didn't want to stuff the actual shirt, which I would have had to sew and modify.  This way if she doesn't like it she can still take her shirt off.  Also, if the shirt should get spilled on or dirty, she could undress the "body pillow", wash the shirt, and re-dress the body.

How to read food labels | The Real Food Channel

How to read food labels The Real Food Channel  Click this title and see the video!

This is SO interesting!  Do we REALLY know what we are eating if we read the nutritional labels?  View this video and answer that question again. This really bugs me!  Why do food companies get away with this kind of thing!!!???  Okay...off my soap box now.

My Mistake

I thought spring was near.
My mistake...
Morning snow on ground!

Springtime Haiku

Have you ever written a Haiku?  Haiku is a form of poetry that must fit in these parimeters...three lines, with the first and third line having 5 syllables, and the second line having three.  Haikus are really easy and fun to write.  Here is one I did called "Springtime Haiku".  Try writing your own Haiku...it really is fun.  Feel free to post yours in the comments section.


Buds on the pear tree!
Could it be?

Spring will soon be here!

Helpful hint for removing grease pencil prices

We purchased a used, refurbed upright freezer.  It was delivered yesterday, and the price and other info about this freezer were written on the front with a grease pencil.  The young man who delivered it said I could remove this with W-D 40.  Since I didn't happen to have W-D 40 on hand, I thought, "I wonder if another lubricant might work.  The only thing I had on hand that was even close was cooking oil.  So I applied some to a paper towel, rubbed it over the grease pencil, and voila!  A clean freezer door!

Since I am a person who loves to thrift shop, and since so many items are priced with a grease pencil, I am really happy to have found this method for removing the prices on non-porous surfaces.  I hope you can use this hint in the future, too.

Lay-z dayz

I have a ton of things I could be doing today, but I feel so very, very lazy!  How do you motivate yourself to "get busy" when you're feeling lik a slug?

Skecher Shape Ups

By now I'm sure you've all heard of the new Skecher Shape Up shoes.  There are claims of how these shoes help  you to tone up without going to the gymn.  Here is what I think...

I purchased a pair on January 27th. 
This is a picture of the style I got.  Anyway, when I first tried these on in the store, I thought, "Oh my gosh!  These feel really weird!  I don't think I like this!"  I spent the next half-hour trying on other brands of athletic shoes, but came back to these.  I tried them on again and walked around in the store.  After walking for a minute or so I thought, "Okay, maybe I could get used to these.  Their not that bad."  I decided to purchase the pair, and wore them out of the store.

I wore them the entire afternoon.  By evening, I was beginning to feel it in my calves a little.  Not a bad pain, just a feeling that my calves got a good workout that day.

After wearing these for a few days, I absolutely love them!  They are really cushy!  They do take some getting used to.  Because of the shape of the sole, you feet tend to "rock" slightly, even when standing still, which makes your muscles (leg and buttox) tighten slightly or loosen slightly to keep you balanced.  In that regard, they do keep you continually "exercising", but it isn't like a rigorous workout.  Just a slight, constant movement.  They are really comfortable.  My only worry is that they are fad-ish, and when this pair wears out, I am afraid Shape-ups will have gone "out", and I won't be able to replace these.  That would be TERRIBLE~!

"Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived" by Ralph Helfer

As I posted in a previous post, I am an avid reader.  My latest read is "Modoc" by Ralph Helfer.  I am so enjoying this book.  The author has a wonderful "way with words", and you can "see" the book as you read it. 

Often, when you read a true story, it tends to be a little monotonous, but not this book!  I would highly recommend this story to all fellow bibliophiles.

To see my reviews of other books I have read, feel free to go to:  http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/245357

My Furry Children

After posting about strays yesterday, I thought it might be appropriate to introduce you all to my two furry children, both of whom we rescued from our Animal Control Center.  The gray is a girl named Willow.  We got her first, and then she started putting on a lot of weight.  We thought if we got her a little pal, perhaps they would play and she would lose some weight...enter the black and white boy whom we named Buddy.

When we first got Buddy, Willow, being the friendly gal that she is, was all about welcoming the newcomer.  Buddy, however, spent his time hissing and putting up a strip of hair along his backbone, making him look like he was sporting a mowhawk haircut!  The day after picking Buddy up from the vets (all animals must be neutered/spayed when you adopt from the animal control center) I headed for a week in California, leaving my dh alone to deal with all the growling and hissing.  He put up with that for a day or so, then had enough.  He says he chased them around with the squirt bottle whenever either of them looked like they wanted to pick a fight with the other.  By the time I came home at the end of the week, they were best friends!

Willow is the strong silent type.  She rarely speaks.  Buddy is a little talker.  When he was at the vet to be fixed, they intubated him for the surgery.  That intubation injured his vocal chords, leaving him with a funny little voice.  One time a visitor came to our house and Buddy started to talk in the other room.  She looked incredulously at my gray hair and my age and said, "Do you have a little baby?  I just heard them cry."  I laughed and explained that the little "baby cry" was from our cat, Buddy.

Our plan for weight loss for Willow didn't work.  Oh, they are buddies, but she would rather spend her time laying on the hassock, watching as Buddy streaks around the house.  The most exercise this gives her is the turning of her head has she tracks his latest path.

In the picture, the basket is really Willows.  She loves that basket.  Buddy rarely bothers to get into that basket as he is much to busy zooming around the house seeing what kind of mischief he can get into.  But for some reason this day, they both wanted to be in the basket, so they really squeezed themselves in there.  I just had to get a picture of that!  Aren't they great?

Animals are my favorite people

Today we went to lunch with our son and grandson.  After we ate and let Max play on the McDonald's playground for a while, we went to the animal control shelter in town.  There were several cats, and many dogs.  There was a little terrier mix that I thought was so cute, and then there were two black lab mixes who were wonderful.  Both of the lab mixes were females and smart as could be!  I would say sit, and they would immediately sit.  There was a big chocolate lab, too.  He was full-blooded lab, and is on the docket for distruction on Monday.  It is so heart breaking that so many animals that end up at our animal control center end up being put down!  I would take them all if I could, but that isn't possible.

There is something we can all do for stray animals, however.  If you go to this site you can click on the purple button and it will provide food for animals in shelters.  It doesn't cost a thing but a few seconds of time to do this.  In fact, you can set it up where this site will send a daily reminder (which is what I do because I am so forgetful.)  Here is the link to the site: 
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3&ThirdPartyClicks=ERA_012810_ARS_Html

You may have to copy and paste into your browser, but please consider helping the strays in shelters by clicking daily.

I'm Back!

I haven't posted anything to the blog for a long time. I finally got a couple of pictures of the turkey cookies we did in young women's in November and I will try to post those pix, although I am very new to this and don't really know what I am doing. Okay, so it looks like I at least got the pix to upload.

I've seen some pretty cool blogs and pictures added in a much better fashion than this, but I'm still learning.

Anyway, these cookies are really easy to make, and the girls really enjoyed that night. It was a project that we were able to accomplish in the hour we have for activities. It can be really hard to find a project that is interesting and fun for the girls that can be done that quickly. Please feel free to comment.