Mosaic stepping stone

I love the two table tops my friend Priscilla made for me. I think I'd like some stepping stones too and since my meetup gals are wanting to set up a craft class, I'm thinking this might be the one to do. I'm going to check out her tip about buying the individual stepping stone and using glue with the motor as being cheaper than buying the kits. My only question is... Is it to much to do in a couple of hours?

What Happen to the Happy Jar?

I still have not gotten into the habit of blogging daily, no matter how hard I try. However, as far as the Happy Jar goes, I am happy to say that I have kept up with it. Instead of blogging it here, I purchased a calendar book that has the monthly view in the front and is followed by a weekly view. I have written each day my positive thoughts that brought a smile to my face.(With the exception of when I was sick in February and a couple days intermixed.)

One of those happy days was when my daughter and her husband were able to get a place of their own. Wow! That has certainly opened up this house. No more being cramped in a small area. The grandkids are getting a little older and slowly it seems as though I'm getting a little more free time.

I'm in the final editing stage of my novel, House of Redemption. Very excited about that. That's actually what I'm supposed to be working on right now, but I wanted to get this update in first.

So I have. Off to work I go.

Happy Jar 01/20/2013

Fantastic weather for hiking at Hulda Crook with friends.
Evening dinner and an old movie with friends. Lots of laughs and the best company.

Happy Jar 1/19/2013

Fun afternoon playing Bunco with the gals. Brought home all the left over food. Garlic bread was yum. Got my hair cut by professional. Feels great, looks okay. Not as jagged as it was. Looks better than it did. Did I mention it feels great? Yeah, I did and it does... a lot.
Checking out websites for dog rescues. I know it's to soon to look for a dog, but I'm kind of wanting a real dog to hang with. Big Dog is fine, but she's to old to take walking and she hates riding in the car. The other two are rat dogs. They may be bigger than rats, but ... I still miss that big coon dog from years ago that I never brought home.

Happy Jar 01/19/2013

Spent a lovely evening with oldest daughter as I cut her hair and had a nice conversation just the two of us. :-)

Happy Jar 01/17/2013

Long day of cleaning house. It feels wonderful.
Lots of people attended my book club and after everyone left, I washed up the dishes and went to bed with the house still be clean.

Best part after long day is that I don't have to take off my bra cause I didn't wear one! Love being comfortable!

Happy jar 01/16/2013

Maybe I should change the title to what made me smile. (G)

Today's cutie was Elisabeth, butt naked, in the crib trying to hide under the blankets to avoid diaper change. Smiles were too cute.

Her gestures are just like her daddy's.

Happy Jar 01/15/2013

Today was the first day that Evelyn picked out the curly haired doll and brushed out all those curls, Not a bad job.

Happy that Elisabeth took a long nap giving me time to knit.
Happy that I spent time with Evelyn making cookies for Thursday's gathering.

Happy Jar 01/14/2013

Glad that I discovered that the author of the Diva series did NOT write a list of questions for book review discussions before I went to print it out at the last minute. I had plenty of time to come up with a list of my own without that deadline, they're going to be here in five minutes, rush.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

I was prepped to sit down and start the editing for my novel House of Redemption. Although I know it's wrong for me to do, I started watching the old film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. The problem started immediately. I started thinking of the television series with Hope Lang and Edward Mulhare. That led me directly to Amazon. Was the series on DVD yet?? The answer was no. : - (

Like that would stop me. I did find it. I found it on You Tube! Each show of the season. Writing is now out the window. I had to watch at least one show. That one show ended up being three and then I had to go online to see if Edward Mulhare had passed away. I already knew that he had, but I was hoping I was wrong. Sometimes if you ask the same question over and over, you do end up with the answer you want. In this case, he passed away in 1997 which means that's not going to change, but then you knew that. 

I did like this episode where we get to see Mister Mulhare play both ghost and human. 

One site led to another and another. Did you know there is an actual book? I'm not sure if the book was based on the movie or the movie was based on the book. I'm going to stick with the movie for now. But in looking for the book, I found a new mystery cozy series that I want to start. It's called, The Ghost and Mrs. Mclure.

It seems that a PI was killed in a bookstore 50 years ago and is the first to be on the scene at another murder that takes place in the same book store. Looks like fun.

Enough dillydally from me. Four hours after I began, I will actually begin the editing.

Happy Jar 01/13/2013

Thankful for wall blocking the sun as I entered the construction zone on freeway allowing my eyes to adjust to the brightness.

Finally started the codeacademy.com classess and began to learn CSS code.

Happy Jar 01/12/2013

Beautiful morning spent having breakfast with friends from the meetup group. Good conversation and such an interesting bunch of gals. My first time at a place called Briskets in Redlands. A little bummed that I didn't get a chance to talk to Carol who I hadn't met before. But not bummed for long. I stopped in to browse at Mozart and found Carol mingling about by herself. Yay! We had a lovely conversation and I found out that her granddaughter is four years old too. Maybe we'll be able to hook up some play-dates.

Happy Jar 01/11/2013

Steve upholstered the dining-room chairs. I had bought plenty of fabric & they look great.
Dinner with a friend & watched the latest Bourne movie with lots of chatting in between.

Happy Jar 01/10/2013

Happy that I didn't slip and fall on my butt when I was at the grocery store after stepping on a piece of very slippery tissue paper. Didn't pull any muscles either.

Great night spent with my knitting group. Good food, yummy apple pie, and good company. Always a good time. Love those women.

Happy Jar 01/09/2013

Spending one on one time with each of my daughters and each of my granddaughters. I adore all of them, each special and unique in their own way.

What we learn from a dog's perspective

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently. 

There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So, love the people who treat you right. Think good thoughts for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is part of LIFE...Getting back up is LIVING...

Have a great life.

-author unknown

Happy Jar 01/08/2013

Beautiful day with light winds that were perfect for hanging clothes. Evelyn was happy to help with the clothespins.

The perfume smell has finally left the house. Replaced it with yummy pot roast in the crockpot. Major happy points for that.

Celebrate! My friend Beth announced that she signed a contract with a publisher for her novel Sunshine in Darkness! So excited for her!

Happy Jar 01/07/2013

The luxury of laying about as the girls arrived at 9:30. Plenty of time to get chores done before they arrived.
Additional deposit allowed me to shop at Amazon. New wine glasses & homeschooling supplies/decor.
The girls were picked up on time leaving me time to continue reading the Hobbit.

Happy Jar 01/06/2013

Beautiful skies, open freeway, Jack FM playing awesome rockin music. I can fly!
Breakfast with the girls at Tess's Place. Apple strudel delicious.
Thankful for not getting hit by car as I was thinking of other things  as I followed the truck in front of me and never even considered looking before crossing the street.
The afternoon spent with friends, kicking back and talking current events while putting away decorations. Plus got to see Abner who is doing quite well after his attack.

Happy jar 01/05/2013

Started my morning by meeting at Star Bucks with my writing partner, Mona. Not that we got any writing done, but I didn't expect to since we haven't seen each other since before Christmas. I did get to share a lot of info with her on blogging so it was still a productive gathering.

Accepting what I will and will not do. I enjoy knitting with 100% wool yarn. I do not like knitting with acrylic. It makes no sense to keep all this yarn when I dislike knitting with it. It is silly to keep something when I know the reality is that I will never do anything with it.

I like knitting with my aluminum circular needles. Knitting with regular long needles is less comfortable and somehow takes me longer. No need for me to keep all of these needles that I had either bought or inherited. So I did the next best thing.  I packed the trunk yesterday. This morning I added more yarn to it and delivered it.

I donated all of this yarn and needles to a charity group, A Time To Mend.

Located in Riverside, California, they serve many low income districts throughout the Inland Empire.  Their primary focus is upon underprivileged, abused and neglected children.  They also make every effort to assist the elderly, and new mothers in need, who may benefit from our small gifts of hope.  Donations to The Mending Hearts Project are distributed to to local hospitals, churches, homeless shelters, and other patient care facilities throughout Riverside and beyond. Their gifts are provided at no charge, to any family or child in need, and are distributed at the discretion of nurses, care givers, and facility administrators.    

happy jar 01/04/2013

Today was the first time that Evelyn allowed me to braid her hair. We also did her makeup. She looked great, but she has that fake smile working for her. The only time I could get a genuine smile was when she was jumping around. Her hair is still baby fine and, at the moment, was very fly away. 

My friend's dog was attacked by another dog - not a good thing. The good thing is that he was not killed and even though they had to put in a drain, he got to come home in a couple of hours. I'm glad that I was able to be with her during this difficult time.

Happy Jar 01/03/2013

Started the morning off right with a walk around the neighborhood with my best friend, Priscilla. The weather was perfect. Not cold at all which made the walk a comfortable one. We then had a light breakfast before the rug-rats appeared.

Happy jar 01/02/2013

Sitting outside wrapped in a blanket freezing my butt off, I suggested to the kids that we go outside as the wind had started to blow fairly hard. Evelyn responded that she did not want to go inside. She raised her arms and began to run crying out, "I love the wind! I can FLY!"

It was a perfect moment. Somehow, I wasn't cold any longer. I remember feeling that way as a child. It's wonderful!

happy jar 01/01/2013

After much contemplation and a change in our finances (a good change) I decided to give up my prepaid phone and purchase a new Iphone5.  I've been using my old iPhone 3 and since I can't upgrade the software, my app usage was limited and not to mention, beyond slow.  I am thrilled with the new phone and it exceeded my expectation.

2013 Jar Of Happy Memories

At the end of the year, a few people shared the pictures and idea of creating a memory jar. The idea is that at the beginning of the year, each day, you add a slip of paper with a happy memory or something positive for that day. At the end of the year, you go back and read the notes again.

What a great idea. Comments were that "I should start that".  Me too. I wonder how many people will do that. I've decided that I will be one.  Not that I would actually do slips in a jar. Heck! I want pics and maybe a little more detail when I review my year.

I got a perfect small calendar that has the calendar month view in the front to mark appointments and such, followed by a weekly calendar that provides  room to write a few lines. I will log my happy thought in this book and also  along with posting on the blog.

It's important to remember that there are good people in the world and good things that happen in our lives.

I hope you, too, start a jar of happy thoughts whether it's a real jar, a blog, or a journal book.  If you have it online, please feel free to comment below and leave a link. I'd love to visit your site.

Embrace the Three Graces in 2013 - Our Salon

Source: artrenewal.org via Michelle on Pinterest

I just finished reading an uplifting article, Embrace the Three Graces in 2013 - Our Salon
A brief history of who the Three Graces were and how they apply to our lives today.  Brightness and splendor;  good cheer, rejoicing, and festivity; and joyfulness and mirth.  We should all strive to contain these things in our hearts next year. 

Breakfast with friends

A great way to start the day is a nice walk with a friend who has an uplifting fabulous smile. Be sure to follow it with a stop at a local place that serves great food. This was taken at Tess's Place in Loma Linda. Egg and cheese burrito with a spinach shell.  You get a lot of tasty food for the money.

slouch hat in black and blue

Slouch hat in black and blue (blue has a touch of green tint)

Patience

Nothing teaches patience like baking with a four year old. Spoon by spoon of flour is slipped into the bowl. Today we are making sugar cookies. She's not interested in eating the dough. There aren't any chocolate chips in these sugar cookies. 

We are now waiting for the dough to chill. Then it's time for the cutters and making snowmen cookies.

Love that the weather is cooler and we can spend more time in the kitchen. I'm sure I'll gain those ten pounds that I lost in no time at all.

Bye Bye Perilous Plunge

I will never understand the insanity that we go through. Who in their right mind puts themselves into such peril? Granted, we know we aren't going to die on this ride. I guess that helps, but dang! What a drop!

It really was an awesome ride and I'm sorry that they dismantled it this year. At least we have the memories. As Alicia says, "Good times!"

For Sean McHendry- Scott Pilgrim Hat

This is for Sean. If you would also like a hat like this, please feel free to email me. It will be my pleasure to knit you one. I love these hats!
So here is the picture of the guy Michael Cera from the film Scott Pilgrim versus the World and the next picture is the hat I knitted.

The hat is 100% wool, blue and brown. Hand wash, cold water. Air dry. 
Price is $50.00 plus $5 shipping  priority mail in the US  $13.00 shipping everywhere else.

This is the hat that I knitted.

Melting The Pounds Away

I didn't think it was possible, but evidently it is. The weight is melting off and it didn't cost me a dime.  Since I turned thirty-five, I have been progressively gaining weight. One or two pounds a year. Not much, until you add up all the years.  My scale lied to me. I had been thinking that I had only gained thirty pounds when in fact, it was closer to forty.

Don't think I would have minded if the weight was distributed evenly, but no. All in my backside and the front. Looked like I was pregnant coming and going.

A few years ago, a challenge was thrown out at work. Who could lose the most body percentage fat in three months? Winner would get $500-$600. Nice incentive. Losers would lose $100. So I watched them. Didn't see much happening except with one woman, Tina. Tina was eating ALL THE TIME. Every time I walked in the break room, she was there eating away. The kicker is she walked away several pounds slimmer and with a nice padded wallet! She swept the other contestants away.  Not bad. Not bad, at all.

Lucky for me, I ran into Tina recently and had the opportunity to get the details as to how she had lost this weight. And since some of you have asked, I will save you money and share with you.

She used the Michael Thurmond diet. I guess he had an infomercial deal for $200, you got a whole lot of I have no idea. Cause the bottom line is you don't need anything. I bought the book  used from Amazon.

12-Day Body Shaping Miracle: Change Your Shape, Transform Problem Areas, and Beat Fat for Good
That's all I needed. A good portion of the book is exercise. Yeah, I don't exercise. I have no interest and no desire. Another good portion of the book is all about the why's and what not's. Again, I don't need the detail, just tell me what to do. Of course, since I had the book, it wasn't a bad read. I'm not going to go into all that detail though. You can buy the book.

What it comes down to is feeding your body so that it isn't hungry and it keeps the metabolism up. You're body doesn't go into that Oh My God! I'm Starving! mode.

This is the diet in a nutshell:

no salt, no processed food, no processed sugar
Everything must be fresh and from scratch

breakfast: 2 oz protein, 1/2 cup carbs, 1 serving (1/2 cup) fruit  ex: 2 egg whites, 1/2 c oatmeal, 1 apple
snack: 1 cup greens, 2 oz protein
lunch: 1 cup greens, 2 oz protein, 1/2 cup carbs
snack:1 cup greens, 2 oz protein
dinner: 1 cup greens, 2 oz protein, 1/2 cup carbs
snack (optional) 1 serving of fruit

You can use all the spices you want, but no salt

Do not skip meals or any of the components. It all works together.

I've lost at least 10 pounds. The times that I have skipped are the days that I don't lose weight.
I am not exercising, although, he does recommend it. I'm sure if I did, the weight would come off faster.

I am not into a lose twenty pounds in thirty days gal. Ten pounds in six weeks is not huge, but then again, I'm not doing anything but eating and this is the first time I've ever lost ANY weight EVER.

A saying goes, it's not a diet - it's a life style. Will I live with this diet forever? In a way, yes and no.
No, I will not be eating six times a day. Once I get down to the weight I want, I won't have to but at the same time, I won't go back to eating as I did.

We still go out to eat while on this diet. It's our cheat day. I look at the food that is delivered on my plate and think Oh Hell, No!  There is enough food for three meals on my plate. I'm not ready to sabotage my weight loss, so I'll bring half of it home and I leave a fair portion on my plate there.  I really can't see myself eating half a pound of meat at one meal again.

What I really think of the diet:

I hated the first week. Not a little, but a lot! I lived in the kitchen. My husband and I have never in our thirty years of marriage spent so much time together.

I tolerated it the second week.

Then we went on vacation for a week. I missed it. I could not wait to get back on it when we got home.

Have loved it ever since, especially since I weigh myself everyday and watch the scale go down, down, down.

The hard part is getting the routine down. What works and what doesn't work. Once you establish that, it's a breeze.

I highly recommend the diet and the book to get you started. It is doable. If you want it bad enough and don't skip on the meals, you can do it. If you skip a meal, you'll be hungry/starving and you'll cheat. You'll get sick of eating, but you'll get use to it. Just get through the beginning and all else will fall into place.

Hope you find this useful. Leave your comments and questions below.
Hugs to everyone.

Knitting with Food

Thanks Chris, for sharing.

Granted, when the knitting bug hits, I'll find my self knitting anything I can reach. Good thing my knitting needles aren't nearby when pasta is.

I'm not meaning to be snarky. I totally get the girl cutting her hair all off. I know from experience how good it feels to get that long mane off your shoulders. Men love long hair but they don't realize just how heavy that shit hair can be.   Granted, it's not her best look and seriously, I can't believe she paid that dude the hundreds of dollars to do that to her. Girl could have done that easily in her own bathroom. I kinda know that from personal experience too.

Still I grabbed this photo with her and Draco from Snape's twitter. I knew there was something about that look and hadn't placed it.   At least they didn't show up on the red carpet at the same time.

Meanwhile, I say go Miley. She'll rock that hair do and it will grow out and then everyone will let loose a sigh of relief because we all know that what a woman wears or does with her hair is the most important thing in the whole wide world.

Magic Bracelet

My friend, Valerie, gave a fun workshop yesterday at my house on how to make bracelets. It's a very simple thing to do, but nothing I had never tried before. I may have a new obsession.

I was quite excited to see that my friend, Priscilla, had some chinese coins that she had removed from a necklace she had. I used those to make one of the bracelets. I love it! 

I told her that my bracelet was magic and now I would always win when we play Mah Jong.

I can't take all the credit for this bracelet. I still had a bit of wire showing when I was finished, but Valerie took it and restrung it for me. Now it looks perfect. 

I'm going to check out the store, A Rolling Stone, in Redlands before the next workshop.  We will probably schedule it late in July. Let me know if you are interested in coming.

In the meantime, I have a few days off from watching the kids. That means I will get busy and get all the photos uploaded in Steve's store. He has been a busy man and has made beautiful bowls.  I need to get that done before he finishes building my new spinning wheel that I know I will love. It's much smaller than the first one and I will be able to move it around with me in whatever room I'm in.

Can't wait for it.

Mah Jongg Love

I'm getting ready  Mah Jongg and I'm so excited to have a group of close friends who like to play too. (I hope.) In the meantime, I've got my new book on learning how to play and I'm trying really hard not to buy a new set of tiles. There are  some absolute beautiful tiles that I could stare at all night.

I heard about an automatic table for Mah Jongg wall building from Nora. She sent me the link to see that. More on that later.

YouTube videos are like potato chips. You can't eat just one chip and you can't watch just one clip. I found this clip below. It's a vignette of comedians. The one that describes when she was a new mother was not so much funny as it was, in my opinion, beautiful.  Years back, when this woman was twenty-two years old, most people did chain smoke whether there was a child near by or not. No one thought twice about it. Perhaps we laugh because we survived it. However, it is the love and acceptance this woman received from her mother-in-law and the MIL's friends that touched me and brought tears to my eyes. I hope you enjoy the video.




I would also love to see the full clip of the Lady Ga Ga impersonator at the start. (g)

As for the automatic table, see the clip below. All I can say is, "Wow! It's magic!




I was right. It is magic. This is how it works.



Now between you and me, as awesome as that might be, I really do think I would prefer to stack them manually. It's something as simple mental preparation for the next game, a time to reflect on just how badly my hand will be, a time to hope and wish on getting an awesome hand. This immediate wall is like pushing someone off the high dive. Where is the time to embrace the moment?

Letter from a Mother to a Daughter

Letter from a Mother to a Daughter: "My dear girl, the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago”... Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep. When I don’t want to take a bath, don’t be mad and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl? When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way... remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life’s issues every day... the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If I occasionaly lose track of what we’re talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you. And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked. When those days come, don’t feel sad... just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love. I’ll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say, I love you... my darling daughter. "

Happy Mother's Day!


(I took this from FB. If anyone knows who the original author or photographer is, please contact me so that I can give them credit.)

Wordless Wednesday

Can you see him?

I stole this from Nora. It made me laugh so much because I missed the whole point as I was focused on the painting.

An Irishman Philosophy

An Irishman's Philosophy

In life, there are only two things to worry about— Either you are well or you are sick. If you are well, there is nothing to worry about,But if you are sick, there are only two things to worry about— Either you will get well or you will die. If you get well, there is nothing to worry about, But if you die, there are only two things to worry about— Either you will go to heaven or hell. If you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about. And if you go to hell, you’ll be so busy shaking hands with all your friends You won’t have time to worry!

Happy Birthday Husband

Happy Birthday Husband, 

the love of my life, the air that I breathe. 

Simple things in life make life worth living.

Three layer devil food chocolate cake with 2 1/2 tons of chocolate fudge  frosting. 

Wordless Wednesday

Evenlyn and Elisabeth. I love how the baby keeps checking to see if her sister is going to wake up before she gets a good grip on the Ipad.

Something for my sister?

Subtle suggestion for my sister. 3672 N D St, $111,500.00 a block away.  Ok, maybe not such a subtle hint at all. 

2 bedroom, 2 bath, detached garage, 1,170 square feet. Includes loving and accepting  family who reside on separate property. Close to beaches,  mountains, lake, and laughing children.

I'm pretty sure the backyard is fenced. Plenty of room for a garden and rose bushes bloom quite nicely in the area.

That's temptation # 1.  I love you sis!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Perhaps a little overkill on the rock salt painting?

As for  the popcorn she used for painting and then tried to eat. I told no. 

Not a problem, she just threw it back in the popcorn bowl.

I love 3 years olds

:-)

The Friday Knitted Cap

Source: rockymountainpathwaysranch.blogspot.com via Kathy on Pinterest

I can't help but wonder if she has a hat for each day of the week. So silly of me, but I kind of want that now. I doubt that I would actually knit a hat with each day of the week on it. I have enough trouble finding my hat as it is and my fingerless gloves are but a dream. Whereas the washer/dryer eats the socks, it is my house that eats the gloves.

Top 7 myths about homeschooling

I totally loved this. It is so true. I will admit that the number 1 on this list was one of the perks I seriously considered when choosing to homeschool. It is one of the best perks to homeschool!

I'm blogging this

Source: flickr.com via Angela on Pinterest

I saw this and just loved everything about it. I love the dress, the hair, the typewriter and mostly the motto.

3,2,1 Cake

I just whipped up this 3,2,1 cake and oh my gosh!  I loved it. Thanks so much Pat for sharing it. 

This is perfect for those who like their cake without frosting. I used angel food cake mix with a dark chocolate cake mix. So fast, so scrumptious, and so filling. Yum. 

I would have taken a picture, but I ate it. 

For future reference, here is the recipe for the 3,2,1 cake.

Sharing a Recipe a friend sent me, too easy and good!! Enjoy!!
3, 2, 1 CAKE

These individual little cakes are amazing and ready to eat in one minute! They are perfect
for whenever you feel like a treat without all the fat and calories that cake can have. Genius idea!

INGREDIENTS:
1 box Angel Food Cake Mix
1 box Cake Mix - Any Flavour
2 Tbsp Water
Makes 1 serving.

DIRECTIONS: In a Ziploc bag, combine the two cake mixes together and mix well. For each individual cake serving, take out 3 Tablespoons of the cake mix combination and mix it with 2 Tablespoons of water in a small microwave-safe container.

Microwave on high for 1 minute, and you have your own instant individual little cake! KEEP remaining cake mixture stored in the Ziploc bag and use whenever you feel like a treat! You can top each cake with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping and/or some fresh fruit.

Helpful Tips:
This recipe is called 3, 2, 1 Cake because all you need to remember is:
3 tablespoons mix
2 tablespoons water
1 minute in the microwave

TRY various flavours of cake mix like carrot, red velvet, pineapple, lemon, orange, etc. Just remember that one of the mixes has to be the angel food mix; the other is your choice.
The flavour possibilities are endless!

NOTES:
The best thing is, you open both cake mixes into a gallon storage bag, one that 'zip locks' or 'self-seals', or a container that seals tightly, shake the two cake mixes to blend and then make the recipe.

Storage of mix is simple, put it on a shelf. No need to refrigerate, since the mix is dry. Always remember, that one of the cake mixes MUST be Angel Food. The other can be any flavour.

Extra rich brownies

Source: Uploaded by user via Bridgett on Pinterest

I found this yummy easy way to enrich brownies. So simple. Click on the image for the instructions.

I learned a few new things today, one of them being pininterest. Plus I pushed a few buttons yesterday and now everything is different as far as my blog set up and I think I've updated to the new Facebook timeline. Changes, changes, all the time. I've got more exploring to do to catch up.

Meanwhile, I've got easy access to some chocolate which always makes the world better.

Wordless Wednesday

The Story of Two Pots

Two Pots...
An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full...
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do...
After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream...
"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path,and every day while we walk back, you water them...
"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table."
"Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw...
But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding...
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them...
☮❤.✿´⁀°ℒℴve♥☼*¨*•˚°❀ღ˚°❀ღ˚°❀ღ


I am not the author of this and if someone tells me who is, I will gladly give credit to them. It's an old old tale but one that is as relevant today as it was then.

Wordless Wednesday

February Block of the Month

Balkan Puzzle

Chunky Chevron

The first one is far from perfect, but since I'm not a perfectionist, I can live with it. 

They were both very puzzle like in putting them together, but once that was done, they were quite simple to do. I am very much enjoying learning the new techniques. I'm tempted, very tempted, to take a different class they offer called scrap quilting.  

 update: I  should have enrolled in the class when it was on sale for $25. I'm not paying $60. Ouch!

One of the reasons why I'm not real concerned about perfection on this quilt is that I'm mainly just learning the technique. I have no idea what this will look like when it's completed. None of my fabric goes together as I'm simply pulling out whatever I have on hand.  And yet, when I put these two blocks next to each other, it actually looks really nice. 

I think this is the first time I've enjoyed taking a class that has suspense and mystery. Plus there's no final exam. Woo Hoo! I love that part!

The Kaleidoscope Ballet: {Wordless Wednesdays}

The Kaleidoscope Ballet: {Wordless Wednesdays}: Read about The Rescuing Hug and the importance of Kangaroo Care here ! Kyrie and Brielle Jackson My daughter and I doing Kangaroo Care ...

That was so sweet. Brought tears to my eyes.

Wordless Wednesday

My table is completed!

So excited that the table is finished. It came in way ahead of Steve's projected due date. I love it. It's made of oak and matches the china hutch perfectly. I can't wait for the next knitting group meet up. The table will sit up to ten people.  Eight fit comfortably. No more card tables. Yay!



 I hadn't realized that it also matches our floor until I watched the video.  Check out Steve's blog to see the rest of the pictures.

Wordless Wednesday

And this is why sock monkey for toddlers was a disaster. You just can't knit around a one year old. (No, she does not have the pointy end poking in her eye and yes, I did take them away from her... eventually when she let me.)