Category Archives: recommend

Dec9

Shopping and decorating

Posted on Sunday, December 9, 2007 by Dianne

Finally! I did a bit of shopping last night at TJ Maxx. I love that store! They have just about anything you can think of, but I love giving body lotions, ornaments and useful kitchen or household items too. I saw a few things I liked, but Bri had pooped out and went to sit in the van. I like cloches (clear bell-shaped glass pieces) and they had one that was maybe a little larger than I wanted. Poor Bri now thinks he has to run around looking for cloches. I know a artist from eBay who uses them (the tiny ones), so I’ll have to ask her if she would mind telling me where she gets hers. I remember when I use to stencil slates with designs for ‘Welcome’ signs for a local lady and someone else who stenciled went off and started selling them herself. I was hinting around to where she got the slates and she wouldn’t say exactly where as she didn’t want competition in case I wanted to sell some. Anyway, I also saw a neat looking Victorian style glass biscuit jar in the store that was a bit on the large size.

Today, Bri fixed the switch in our bedroom-hooray! It was a pain pulling the cord in and out to use the main light. It didn’t take him long to do so. Then he got the Christmas tree out of the attic, stuck it in the stand (it unfolds like an upside down umbrella) and I ‘fluffed’ the branches, added red lights (some have the white lights with the red) and garland and antique gold beads. It looks completely different than last year’s tree so far. I wanted to perch cardinals on the branches, but need to get to a craft store to find some. I did add candy canes, so I am calling it my ‘candy cane’ tree. I have so much more to do. This is a ‘sneak peek’ as I like to see how the tree looks through the ‘camera’s eye’. I did have to rearrange the top. There are no ornaments on here yet, just some candy canes.

Last year it looked like this, quite different!

I did want to add that I was checking through one of the several catalogs that I get in the mail and found a few things I wanted to see if I could get on the web, one being a book for Bri’s dad. Sure enough, I found it on Amazon and ordered it and saved about 50% off the cost of what it would be in the catalog. I saw some cute angel wing earrings (one wing an ear) and a garden gnome that is holding a medallion that says ‘Gnomes for the holidays’. I may be ordering them from the company’s online service.

I need to take a break as my sore area is bothering me a bit. It’s rough to be a leftie and to have a boo boo on that side.

Oct16

Trying something else

Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 by Dianne

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You know I’ve been on a kick to lower my triglycerides even though I haven’t had them tested in like 15 months. I gave Flaxseed oil capsules another whirl-not good. I couldn’t even eat a Ricola this morning it burnt going down. I also read that Flaxseed oil should be kept in the frig. I have mine in the cabinet and the expiration date in 2009! I bought it off the shelf too. I cut one open and it is really strong, so maybe they are not fresh.

I happen to catch Martha Stewart yesterday and she was talking about the essential amino acids. She mentioned ‘lysine’ and said it is good your triglycerides! I did a search and lots of foods have it-soy, green beans, etc. I’ll have to write them down and eat a ton of them!

Mom went to my uncle’s yesterday. My aunt is improved but talking jibberish. Maybe she had a fever or it’s just her age. Bri’s dad has some weird rash on his tummy and is getting that checked out. He has lost weight over the last few years (teeth issues) and I think it was chafing that got infected. Of course he’s thinking lymph nodes and the ‘C’ word. No use scaring yourself and stop playing doctor!

I have several piles of lawn ornaments to deal with. It’s nice weather again. Mom and I will probably hit Longwood Gardens tomorrow, but I’ll push her around in a wheelchair, because she won’t be able to walk around there like she use to.

I was looking at some really old unfinished stitching projects and decided to finish a few. One is a little Amish girl and boy. I have had to tear some things out, but it will make an adorable box cover. Not sure when I started it, but the leaflet is from 1985! Remember I have finished a few things like the turkey wreath and the stitching girl. I also have ‘kissing babies’ that I remember doing in our apartment and we haven’t lived there for over 21 yrs! I think I did add to it a few years ago, but the border and background is all that it needs now.

I’m getting some goodies together for Sean’s 21st birthday which is on the 24th as we won’t see him that day. I need to get the gift cards and a few other things. We will have a little get together for him when he comes home in November to make it special for him.

Jul30

Yellow squash invasion

Posted on Monday, July 30, 2007 by Dianne

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I was just cruising recipe sites (this is bad as I own so many cookbooks but wasn’t in the mood to thumb through them today). About.com has several tempting recipes, but I was missing an ingredient or two, like sour cream for many of them or I didn’t feel like grating them. I settled on a Squash souffle-oui oui! It takes a little prep time, but I’m sure it will go fine with the shrimp I plan to have with it.

Chocolate squash bread is next!

Yum! It tasted like the creamed spinach (but with yellow squash) that Boston Market sells. Even the cat liked it!

My eyes are bothering me big time today when looking at a distance without my glasses. They felt grainy, so something is in the environment that is disturbing them or maybe I have eye strain. That may be why they look so puffy in the photo below.

I am thankful for the following foods (all frozen!): frozen biscuits, so good; Boston Market frozen entrees-we use to have one around here but it’s gone (I had the turkey medallions and mashed potatoes for lunch) and for Sean-Dippin’ Dots that are frozen treats. What are Dippin’ Dots (or similar name in the supermarket brand)?? They are pellets of ice cream in one little container. They can mix banana, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ‘dots’ and you get-Banana split flavor! Those Dippin’ Dots places are big at the beach resorts and malls around here.

Look who else likes them!!!

So back to the squash, I see about 6 more ready to pick tonight! I better start freezing them! And if you are interested, I will share recipes and if you lived near me, I’d give you some! We have about 50+ green tomatoes, so you know what that means-yep, they’ll all get ripe at once! My green beans got pushed over by the heavy rains, but I do see little beans forming. To think I was leaving the veggies up to Brian. Dang.

Update-Look what I picked tonight-it’s a big bowl! I’m not telling you how many, but it was almost twice as much as the first time. I’m going to start a game-‘Guess the number of yellow squash from Dianne’s garden’. Really. Until the last one is harvested. And if you are the closest, you win a little prize from me. Woo hoo! Watch for a banner in my side bar.

Also picked were some green peppers, one Early Girl and several Roma tomatoes.

Jul11

Getting together a plan

Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 by Dianne

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Most of you know that my son Sean is moving away from home for the first time next month to start his junior year at PSU. I accept it even though I know it will take a bit of adjustment on my part (darn wet eyes as I type this). So he’s all excited about being able to finally feel like an adult (AKA taking care of himself completely). What am I going to do-not that I didn’t have a choice before-but I want to add to the family income or at least make pocket money until something comes along in the outside world. I was sitting here thinking and looking at blogs and it dawned on me that I could work from home doing things I enjoy and work with the computer, another fun thing-why not? Plan is to craft and sell on etsy.com first. Some divine force ‘made’ me buy all these craft books for a reason-because ‘they’ knew. Get my drift? I can sew, crochet, cross stitch, photograph and edit photos, do paper crafts, draw, etc.. And then there is half.com-for the books I just don’t need anymore. I have sold on there in the past. Sometimes it’s a while between sales. Lastly, my old standby eBay. So maybe my right brain side will be so darn happy!

Trying to cut back on refined sugars and yeasty things. I really think they are the culprit to my crummy tummy problems. Today I was in the grocery store forever! I got some agave sugar substitute. I know there is sugar in almost everything. It’s a start. I had looked up a list of what’s good to eat and believe me it’s mostly meat and veggies-a lot of fruits aren’t good. I was taking that med for a few months and am almost finished with it. It is said to produce lots of yeast! You get med for one problem and it aggravates another one. Six of one, half dozen of another. I did take a acidolphilus tablet to promote healthy bacteria in the gut and it was better today. I may just have to take it everyday.

Lots of rain is expected tonight. I went to the store knowing a storm was on it’s way. I had my Mary Poppins umbrella and it saved me. : )

Apr23

Clothes sorters

Posted on Saturday, April 23, 2005 by Dianne

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Geez Louise! Even my son and I have too many clothes. I guess we take after a certain lady who isn’t talking to me. I needed to get some things together for our Florida trip in a few weeks. I had bought a few new things, but I wanted some ‘kick around’ shorts and tees that are all ready ‘broken in’. For Christmas I bought Space bags and managed to get a big plastic bin worth of clothes into about 4 of them. I gave Sean the bin and a jumbo space bag for his stuff. He is as bad as me! His bed was piled high with clothes, mostly from his favorite store Old Navy. We decided to donate about 2 huge bags of clothes to the Goodwill (there’s another bag in the van). I am pretty happy with what I have to take. I have to try on shorts (which I hate, I found knee length polyester skirts that look so much better on me). I guess I’ll have to look through Brian’s clothes next because knowing him he will wait until the last moment.
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So we watched Sideways last night and this morning. There was a shocker ‘copulating’ scene and full frontal nudity of a couple of bit actors (just to warn you). Sean saw that and I think he was quite surprised. If you over look those few scenes, it was a pretty decent movie. I think it won the Golden Globe this year as best movie comedy. Paul Giamatti was excellent. Hard to believe he played an orangutan in the remake of ‘The Planet of the Apes’.
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I am pleased with how the yard clean up is going. I am moving a few plants around that were looking sad in their present location. The plants are Japanese iris that were in front of the driveway and some lilies that were under the Japanese maple in the front yard. They were reaching so much for the sun they were legging and not doing anything. Brian dug them up the other evening and just being placed in a pot they look more perky. Some of my lawn decorations got broken or are faded. I had a fairy garden and some of my wee folk look a wee bit pale. I want to find some miniatures for the fairy garden. Last year the impatiens took over. Maybe there are mini-impatiens! I’ll have to look around and I am getting that itch to check out some garden centers.