AMANDA'S BASKETS: STORM ONE, STORM TWO

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

STORM ONE, STORM TWO

Okay, I wanted some snow...and it looks like we may get an inch or two. But that's the first storm. The second storm could either dump a ton of snow, a ton of rain or a ton of ice. Yiks! Ice! And wind! You know what that adds up to, don't you? Down power lines.

And whether we get rain or ice, the bottom drops out of the temperatures on Monday so one can guarantee ice at some point. I saw lots of electrical workers out cutting down tree limbs that were too close to the lines today as I was out and about. Looks like everyone was getting ready for the worse.

So, today I went out to get some supplies. Another snow shovel...well, there are two male adults who can shovel the snow. A bag of icemelt for right around the back door so we can safely get out of the house. And a ton of batteries.

But then, after researching the possibility of indoor heat, I ran across an indoor propane heater that was within my price range. A big generator would be better but the ones that would help start at a thousand and that is way out of my comfort range.

I actually found one in the camper area of a large box store. It was even cheaper than the same one on Amazon. So I now have a small propane heater along with a couple small cans of propane. If it works well, I did purchase a hose to connect it to larger propane tanks. If nothing else, it could heat up my bedroom for an hour or so before bed.

And yes, it has features for shut off with low oxygen and I do have CO monitors. But I would only use it sparingly.

I wanted to try something a bit different creative-wise and decided to try felt jewelry after seeing an article in the holiday issue of Cloth, Paper & Scissors. Here are four felt cut outs...

And here is one that I am beginning...and believe me, I am at the very beginning of this process...

Well, tomorrow I am going to top off SnowWhite and then pick up any additional supplies needed just in case the storm is bad. Hope all is well where you live.

Thanks for sharing some of your time here...
Talk with 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?