AMANDA'S BASKETS: STOPPING TO SMELL THE ROSE...

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

STOPPING TO SMELL THE ROSE...

Well, I had a bit of a treat last night. I don't have regular cable, only over the air stations and the internet so I was planning on listening to the Monday Night Game - no ESPN. But, because a local team was playing it was broadcast over the air. Like I said an unexpected treat.

Today, I worked on the apartment. I managed to get the shelves all moved and in place. The kitchen shelves are basically done. The shelf in the studio area is also done...basically fabric. The three shelves in the hallway are in place but right now, I have only put on studio items.

Once the rest of the furniture gets here AND my youngest son moves out I will have plenty of space in the large closet to place studio items that I don't need within immediate reach. Things like extra art pads, special tools, paper, etc. So, it will be a few weeks before I can get things completely done but I have a good start. Hopefully, tomorrow the place will be organized a lot more. There's still stuff all over.

When I walked today, I stopped and smelled a beautiful rose. The owner told me that I could cut it and take it home. I thanked him but declined saying it was better to let others see it...

The smell was so sweet, it reminded me of the wild roses that grew by my grandma's home in a small town in Minnesota...Ogilvie.

Have you ever made parallel marks on paper. A way to loosen up and just feel comfortable making marks. I tried it yesterday and found it fun...

The results are interesting. I just began in one corner, in this case the top left, and worked to the diagonal corner, the bottom right, continuing to fill up space. I think I can work with this concept creating some unique designs. Give it a try even if you think you can't draw. There's no right or wrong way so no pressure. Basically just making marks. And notice that the parallel lines are not perfect, just close.

Dale is becoming a snuggly kitty lately...

...think it might be because of the disarray in the apartment.

I was in the mood to cook tonight so I made some meatballs and cheesy potatoes along with a green salad. I love meatballs like my grandma used to make with lots of big chunks of onions and bread. A bit different than most meatballs.

Well, that's it for now...
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?