AMANDA'S BASKETS: I AM BACK...

Monday, September 7, 2015

I AM BACK...

Talk about a busy few weeks. I left Utah on Tuesday, August 25th, after the grandkids went to school, so it was a bit later in the morning than normal. I decided to stay at motels this time round rather than truck stops. I also treated myself to one fantastic meal somewhere in Nebraska. It was great...everything homemade. I got to NYC Friday evening, the 28th. Relaxed on Saturday, cleaned the apartment on Sunday and left for Maine on Monday, August 31st!!

Got back to NYC Thursday, September 3^rd, around 2am...lots of construction on I91 and I95. I have decided to stay close to home for a while. Especially this weekend. Saturday was PBS cooking and gardening shows, followed by college football games. (Remember, I am a football nut...have game, will watch!!!). My idea of a great relaxing day.

Sunday, the Brazilian Festival in Mid-town. I parked up around 81^st street on the west side of the park, walked down to the festival and back up, meandering through the park – especially the ramble area. I walked seven and a half miles!!!

This is the stature at the fountain in the park...

This was taken at 46th street looking down 6th Avenue to the park. The street was lined on both sides with venders all the way. I did blot the faces of people who were close...

Today, Labor Day, I stayed home and did a little cooking (pork ribs over potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onions slow cooked for 6 and ½ hours at 275), a little reading (magazines), a little tv watching (Midsomer Murders) and a little catching up on blogs.

And tomorrow, back on schedule...at least somewhat. It's supposed to be hot for a couple days, then stormy weather and a cool down. I sure could use a cool down, especially my pocketbook. AC has been running quite a bit.

So, have you geared up for fall? A fresh start of sorts? I have finalized my plans for the fall. Not sure if I will accomplish them all, but it's a great way to give myself some direction. So here's my list:

Plans for the fall:

Work on the book of meditations
Bring remainder of furniture down to NYC
Create a more permanent home/studio
Decorate for fall
Attend 'Quilter's Take Manhattan'
Back to regular exercise
Back to better eating
Lose five pounds each month (September, October and November)
Join Craft Group at local library
Learn GIMP
Learn to juggle (?) (Yes, there is a good reason for this!)
Gear up for long bike rides
Begin planning and creating gifts for the Holidays
Continue exploring NYC

There's a new monthly thought posted: “GO!!! It's time for a fresh start” Like I explained before, I always look at fall as a kind of new beginning. I think the fact that cooler weather arriving (hopefully), a more organized routine plus a gathering in of sorts – nesting – and harvesting. Of course, my harvest comes from the Farmer's Markets – still those fall vegetables are scrumptious.

There's also a new journal prompt for the week: "Big plans or little plans, changes are the spice of life." If you do nothing more than think about possible plans, you are ahead of the game. So, what's on your list of fall plans?

I was pleasantly surprised by an e-mail for a class that I purchased several years ago called 'Learn Something New Every Day' hosted by Shimelle Laine. Participants purchase the class once and continue to get each new year at no cost.

You can do whatever you want with the class questions and prompts from an elaborate journal to jotting down ideas to just reading and thinking about things. Some years I have made journals, mostly though, I create single pages in answer to the thoughtful questions and prompts. Check out the class here.

I have noticed that a lot of folks are giving online classes on lettering. If you want to experiment with lettering first, check out the Third Workshop Strathmore Class on lettering. It's free and every Strathmore Class I have taken has been well worth my time. Check it out here.

As the week progresses, I'll explain a bit more about my fall list. I know you are questioning a couple of the items. But believe me, there is a good reason.

I had a great summer...
But it's good to be home...
And to be able to blog regularly...
Thanks for visiting...
Talk to you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?