AMANDA'S BASKETS: Catching Up and Getting Ready

Monday, September 23, 2013

Catching Up and Getting Ready

What do you do when you're expecting a visit from friends? I learned from my mother that a clean house is a welcoming house. Now, she would do the white glove bit (If you don't know what that means, consider yourself lucky!). I don't, but I do like a house that is relatively clean and straight. There are times when that isn't completely possible, but I do my best.

Well, good friends are on their way so I have put the house in reasonable order...but there's so much going on that some things are going to go by the wayside. Consider these two...

The amount of fur they generate is mind boggling!!!   I think I have it cleaned up only to find more.    I have decided that it is a losing battle.   There will always be cat fur flying around as long as I have my kitties.

The thing I learned, though, is that when friends visit...they don't come to see the house, they come to see you.   So, I will welcome them with arms wide open even if there is cat fur creating a halo around my head!!!!

Well, I have accomplished more in the Christmas Presents category.   It's a bit scary considering that this is still September.   I usually don't get geared up until November...but then I don't always make presents either.

I'm a couple days behind on my LSNED, but here is one of the pages I did finish...

And, today I moved the trailer so it is more stable - basically, not leaning to one side - and I can begin arranging things. Still working on orange!!! Also, going to start putting things back in the trailer.

Of course, that also means that it is time to begin packing in earnest to store my stuff. I have but also am continuing to donate...took a big load to Goodwill today, as a matter of fact.

Monday Night football is on...yes, I know I am a bit crazy when it comes to football.

New prompt posted.

Thanks for dropping in...
See 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?