AMANDA'S BASKETS: STUFF STILL ALL AROUND...

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

STUFF STILL ALL AROUND...

Yes, the apartment is still a mess. Like I said, it will be next week before I actually begin to get things organized. I did have a great day today, though. For some reason, the writer's block seems to have lifted. So, I got a lot done on the book of meditations that I am writing.

One thing that probably helped was that while I was driving back and forth to/from Maine, I thought about both the contents and how I wanted to introduce the book. Most of the trip I had no electronic devices on...no radio, iPod, iPhone, etc. Quiet except for my thoughts and the wheels on the road. It was a very positive experience.

The best thing was that I remembered all of it so I was able to sit down and write this afternoon after running a few errands and getting some exercise in.

I haven't begun removing the wall mounted organization area in my studio but I did pick up some spackle so I can fill in any holes. The apartment complex managers left the left-over cans of paint in the apartment so I can even touch up the wall. Nice.

The weather has been cool and breezy. Sweatshirt and fleece vest was very much appreciated on my walk. I ran across another sweet smelling rose, this one a pale yellow, but I forgot my phone so couldn't take a picture. I did stop and smell the rose, though.

Lots more halloween decorations out in the neighborhood. I expect that with Halloween on Saturday, there will be lots of trick or treaters out. They even allow residents to trick or treat. Several apartment doors even have Halloween decorations. Me? I only have the fall wreath.

Thing is, we will probably be back for Halloween but may be emptying out the truck and taking it back to the UHaul place. Getting to know the route fairly well.

Do you realize that the countdown to Christmas has already begun? I guess it's a good idea to help folks focus on what they need to do. After all, the end of October is this Saturday which boggles my mind. Where, oh where, did my little days go? Oh where, oh where did they go???

I have been working on my Eye Candy Mini Quilts for the Holidays. About half of them are completely quilted and several already have some embellishments. I want to add more than beads but quite frankly, I can't find the rest of my stash of embellishments. I will have to wait until I get the studio back in shape. But I figure that I have until the middle of December before I mail them.

I hope you had a great day...

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?