AMANDA'S BASKETS: VERMONT PICTURES AND MORE ON NEW BEGINNINGS

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

VERMONT PICTURES AND MORE ON NEW BEGINNINGS

VERMONT PICTURES...
When I went up to Maine, I did so via Vermont. I plan on visiting New England a couple more times this fall (Opps! Should have put that on my list.) because I love that area of the country, especially when the leaves turn.

Anyway, I thought I would share a few photos. First off, the Dear Jane Quilt which I stop and see everytime I am in Bennington, VT at the museum. (Pictures without flash are permissible.)

The other reason I love this museum is because it has a great exhibit of Grandma Moses' pictures which is another of my loves. Unfortunately, no photos can be taken so I just stand and soak up the pictures, smiling all the while.

But, I do love this car...it's longer than Lady J...

There are a lot of covered bridges in Vermont. Here's one I visit frequently...

Finally, I went to see Sugarwoods Farm which is famous for cheddar cheese and maple syrup. Getting there reminded me of the days I grew up in Minnesota. Dirt roads, an old farmhouse with all the outbuildings and a real hay wagon. The ladies were wrapping cheese...

MORE ON NEW BEGINNINGS...

I was reading (once again) the September portion of 'Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy' by Sarah Ban Breathnach. It's interesting that she found in her research that September was the beginning of the new year in ancient times as well as now. I hadn't thought about it, but turning over a new leaf - a new beginning - makes sense when you think about fall leaves and how they change.

Anyway, many folks think that September is the time to find out what you really want to begin, not what you feel you have to...like those New Year's resolutions to lose weight or exercise more (Opps, again! I did add those.)

It was comforting to realize that all these years when I thought about new beginnings in September, I wasn't the only one.

So, I guess I need to add another item to my list of things...traveling to New England! So how about you, have you been thinking about those new beginnings that you really want to do? Things that are for you. Things that you really want to do. I hope so. Fall is a great time to celebrate 'YOU' and 'YOUR NEW BEGINNINGS'!

Thanks for dropping by...
By the way, I did exercise today...
And I worked on GIMP...
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?