Prescription Glasses by ABBE


I rely on prescription reading glasses. I absolutely can not read anything that is less than 2 feet from my face. I am a 1.50 in the over the counter readers. They say it comes with age but who’s counting? With that being said, I am excited when I received a pair of prescription glass from Abbeglassses.comI did not even have to get dressed or go out of my house to get them. 

  


Shown-Lucid, cat & pink, small.


I simply went online to Abbeglasses.com and searched from their wide selection of fun, creative and fashionable designs. The hardest part was making my mind up on the ones I liked best. I usually opt for the darker frames but I wanted something different this time. Once I settled on the frames I wanted, I followed the simple instructions and added the numbers from my prescription, then entered my shipping and payment information.

 

If you are ready for a new pair of glasses, you can visit Abbeglasses.com for safe and secure ordering. The online store provides professional lens and frames at affordable prices. If reading glasses are all you need, you can get them for the same price as a cup of coffee. 

 

I admit, I was skeptical of ordering glasses online, but when my glasses arrived, I was impressed with the quality of the eco friendly frames and accuracy of my prescription. They came with a protective case and dust towel. These glasses are light weight with flexible spring hinges and feel great. I love how sturdy the frames feel.


Did you know that most opticians order your glasses the same way? Yes, they enter the specks online and wait a couple weeks for them to be shipped. Why spend hundreds of dollars on glasses when there is a more affordable option? 



Abbeglasses.com also offers blue light blocking lens, night driving lens, goggles, and sunglasses. What are you waiting for? Visit them today. 



I received these glasses in return for my own honest review.


Shop Abbeglasses.com




Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

For the first time in my working life, I got the day before and the day after Christmas off. Since Christmas day fell on a Saturday, I got Monday off. It has been great having a long weekend. My husband had to work or we would had probably taken a beach trip.

Christmas was great. I got most my shopping done early and was able to enjoy a couple days baking with my daughter. She came home to stay with us all weekend. I love it when shes at home because the mommas gets a break from worrying about her out on her own in a big town. I sleep well when shes in her bedroom next to mine. We made my favorite pecan cookies and shared them with neighbors. We also made some Gingerbread cookies to share. For us, I made a batch of sausage balls to enjoy Christmas morning. 

We went to my mom and dads Christmas eve and enjoyed time with family. I ate a lot of sweets.
Christmas day, we did dinner at my brother in laws. I made a couple dishes to take. There are little ones at this family dinner. Ages range from 2 to 11. When it was time to open presents, they all sat by the tree with excitement. They could hardly wait to start ripping paper.


There is also a little dog in the family. She belongs to my brother in law and lives at the beach. We always get her a small toy to play with. She likes anything thats only 2 to 3 inches small for her little mouth. I forgot to get her a gift this years, so I sat down Christmas day and whipped up a little ball for her.



 She liked it and we were constantly throwing it out to fetch all afternoon. 



One of my favorite Christmas presents was desk a calendar from my daughter. I had been wanting one for my work desk. I love it .



I also got a cute sweater, ear pods and a microderm roller for my face. Nick got a few things he needed and Santa brought my daughter just about everything on her list. 

Christmas was wonderful as always but the decorations have already been taken down and put in the attic until next year. I am ready for the New Year and can’t hardly wait for Spring. 




 


Under The Weather

In case your your wondering, I’m still here. I just haven’t felt like blogging in a while. 
This is the first time in a week that I have been able to keep my eyes open after 8pm. I have had an awful crud.

It started as a runny nose and sore throat. I figured it was allergies since I suffer from those all year round. So I took my Allegra D to clear it up.
The next day it was not cleared up and in fact, I felt worst. I figured then that I have caught at cold. The first cold I have had in four years.

As the week went on, each day I kept feeling worst. I could have sworn I had the Covid virus, but I never had a fever or lost my senses. I continued going to work, wearing my mask and keeping my distance from others just in case. 

After four days of not getting any better, I finally called into work late and took a home covid test. It came back negative so I called the doctor and made an appointment to see him. I needed some relief. I was miserable. I had all the symptoms of the flu. 

The doctor diagnosed me with a sinus infection, gave me a steroid shot to make me feel instant relief and then wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic.



It’s been three days since my diagnosis and being on the meds. I feel better but still have a cough as it has all settled in my chest. I have not missed a days work but it’s been a rough road. I feel like I could have broke a rib coughing so much. Yep I’m sore but I am glad that I’m finally feeling better and can get back to normal. I have cookies to make next weekend and want to make sure I’m free of any sicknesses. 

For the record: My husband is fine and has not caught anything. 

Did you know?
You are not contagious unless your running a fever.
You can not catch a cold by going outside in the cold. 
A cold is a virus and you pick it up by germs or particles in the air. 
Clear mucus is a sign of allergies.
Yellow or green mucus is a sign of a cold or infection. 
Got a tickle in your throat that keeps you coughing? Just eat a spoon of peanut butter or honey.

On a good note: I have most of my Christmas shopping done. 
Are you ready for Christmas? 

Pecan Pie In A Mug

I am not a big “pie” person. I’d rather have cake but if I do eat pie, it’s gonna be pecan. That is my absolute favorite. I like the regular old fashion kind. Some people make chocolate pecan pie which is good but the original is still better. 

Cheese cake is my 2nd favorite kind of pie. And yes, I consider cheese cake a pie. It has a crust bottom and eaten like pie. SO, it’s pie. 

The other day I was craving something sweet and realized I had all the ingredients to make a pecan pie but did not want to make a whole pie. That’s when I went on a search for a single serve size. 



This recipe calls for honey instead of Karo Syrup but it did not disappoint. It was delicious and only a couple minutes to throw together and cooked in the microwave. It don’t get any easier than that. 
The recipe can be found HERE.



I used to love to eat those little Bama brand pecan pies from the convenient stores. I still do but I try not to give in. 
Momma made pecan pies for Thanksgiving and I’m sure there will be one on the table at Christmas. She makes the best.

What is you favorite kind of pie?

Handmade Christmas Ornaments

I have a little Christmas tree in my work cubicle and needed some ornaments for it. My cubicle theme is mostly boho so I wanted something that would fit in with that style. That’s when I seen this pattern for tiny boho macramé ornaments. I had to give it try. 



I love how they turned out and they fit my theme perfectly. They are now hanging on my little tree along with the little gnome ornaments I purchased from Walmart. 



I have not done any crochet lately. In fact, I even closed my Etsy store. Because I was tired of making things and they never sold or if they did sell it was mostly people asking for another color other than what I already had made. I was just getting tired of meeting demands. When it becomes work, It’s not fun anymore. I also have not sold enough this year to cover the fees. So I gave it up. 

The other night I decided to pick up the crochet hook and create a couple little gnome ornaments for my tree at home. I made two. 


They were very easy to make and you can find the pattern HERE

It’s fun to crochet small things. Theses ornaments were fun to make and only took about 30 minutes to complete each one. They do not really go with my colors but they still look oddly good on the tree.

Do you use a theme at Christmas?
My theme at home is buffalo plaids and touches of red throughout. 

Tree Lights [Fail]

We decided to put up our Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving this year. I usually wait until Thanksgiving night to put up the tree. I was ready for a new look. I got tired of the orange and brown colors of Fall. However, I refuse to light the tree for display until after Thanksgiving. 

Speaking of the tree, I had this bright idea (no pun intended) to put red lights on our white tree this year. I thought sparkles of red would be so pretty surrounded by silver balls. Boy was I wrong! If your thinking of red lights on your tree, Just DON’T!

It was so ugly that I could not help but laugh and make fun of my own idea. I really did try to find some beauty in it but I couldn’t. I sat down across the room to study the project. I could feel my nerves bubbling and my head spinning. I could not see the ornaments that were hung on the tree. The red lights were so bright that it over powered everything. 

I walked outside to see what it looked like in the window. It looked like Hells living room. It was terrible. 


Seriously.



I could not do it. I just couldn’t! So I stripped the tree of all the ornaments and then carefully reboxed the lights the way they came and returned them to Walmart. I swapped them out for the clear/white lights. It looked so much better and gives the room a relaxing ambient lighting. The ornaments are now hung in place and there are even a few presents under the tree already.

I feels good to have my Christmas decorations already put up and makes bringing in Thanksgiving more festive. I have a job now where I get to have a couple days off for Thanksgiving so instead of decorating on Friday, I can relax and enjoy the magic feeling in the air.

Do you decorate before Thanksgiving?



Air Fryer Salmon Patties

Growing up, Salmon patties were a regular in our house. Mom would make salmon patties with a side of black eye peas. I have never been able to make them like mom. Hers were always so good. I do not think she added much to the recipe but they were always smashed flat and fried with crispy edges. 

Me and Nick are always trying to decide what to make for dinners during the week. We both work so we like something thats quick and easy but we are just running out of ideas. It has been a while since we had salmon patties so I decided to prepare some the night before so all we had to do was cook them and add a side. 

We do not fry our foods in grease. We haven’t done this in a long time. About the only thing that gets fried around here is an egg. We usually use the oven, grill or airfyer. I used the air fryer for this recipe and they turned out puffy and delicious. And yes, I added a side of black eye peas. 

AIR FRYER SALMON PATTIES

12 oz canned salmon (Drain, skin and remove the larger bones.)
2 eggs
¼ cup mayo
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup breadcrumbs
Lemon zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon Dill weed
Add everything together and form into 4 patties.
Turn on air fryer to 390 degrees and preheat for about 3 minutes. 
Spray air fryer tray, place in patties and spray tops of patties. 
Cook for 8-10 minutes. 

I liked these better than the crab cakes I usually make. They are simple and quick. They can also be made ahead of time and placed in the fridge until ready to cook. 

Do you like Salmon patties? What are some meals you remember growing up on. 


Why?

Do you ever just wonder why or why not about certain things? I do. Every day I come across something that makes me stop and think, “why?’ I do not have anything else to write about today so just for fun, let me share with you some of the things I often question.


-Why do pajamas have pockets? Is it just incase you get up in the middle of the night and decide to take a trip to Walmart?


-Why do kids wear hoodies in the middle of the summer? Are they hiding something? Afraid of the sun?

 

-Why do they have the ability to operate on babies inside the womb but Dentists still use drills and pliers? I dread the dentist.

-Why have they never invented a camera for left handed people? The button is always on the right. 

-Why don’t they sell light up toilets? Just ask a man.

-Why do some people take their pets into the grocery store? I love pets but this is just nasty. Sorry. I have seen some stuff. Eeh. 

-Why do people wear socks with flip flops? Free the toes people!

-Why has no one invented resealable cereal bags or potato chip bags? Not everyone is like me and eats the whole bag in one sitting. 


These were just a few. I’m sure you have questioned many things, so now I would love to know your “whys”. 










Morganna’s 24K Glow Super Cream


Women are always fighting signs of aging. I know a lot of men do too. We look in the mirror and see the years creeping up wrinkle by wrinkle, spot by spot. I started seeing my skin changing in my 30’s. I never really did anything to prevent signs or aging. If anything, I made it more aggressive by spending hours in the sun without sunscreen. I’m now in my 50’s and always trying to find something safe and gentle to use on my face. 


Moisturizers and face creams often leave my face feeling sticky or sting after exfoliating my skin. That’s why I was excited to see this Morganna’s 24K Super cream at my door steps. I could hardly wait to give it a try. I have used it every day since I received it so I could let my readers know what I really think about it. 



I’m impressed. This is a light weight- fast absorbing cream that is gentle on skin and with Super Bakuchiol it is an excellent alternative to retinol. It evens skin tone, increases skin cells and reduces dark spots, scars and signs of sun damage. Astanathin is also included to improve elasticity and texture. 



To use, just apply to your clean face and neck at night or in the morning. You can also use it under your moisturizer or makeup. It comes in a 1.7 oz pump and it only takes a small amount to cover your entire face. It smells great too. 




I was a little hesitant when I saw that it had an orange tint, but once I started rubbing it into my skin, it absorbed quick without any tinting to my face but gave it a natural glow without feeling sticky. It did not stain my hands and I even got a spot on my white shirt that washed out fine. 

Morganna’s 24K Super Cream is hypoallergenic, no GMO, Eco-certified, parabson free, cruelty free and best of all, It’s made right here in the USA. 


I received this product for free as a gift to facilitate my honest review.

 All opinions and photos are my own


For more reviews or to purchase, visit

https://www.morgannasalchemy.com/product/24k-glow


Christian Door

Do you have a six paneled front door? We do. We also have six paneled doors on our three bedrooms. I’m pretty sure they are the original doors that were built with the house back in the 70’s. 

Did you know this style of door is called a Christian door? Why?

In colonial England, the six paneled door had stiles and rails that suggested a cross at the top half and an open Bible at the bottom. They were also called Cross and Bible doors. 

.. /


These kind of doors have been around since the 1700’s. They became popular again in the past 10 years.

Six panel doors were not created to represent a cross or a Bible. The cross panels were there to make the door stronger. People have added the Christian door story later on. Early American used to hang these doors with the cross symbol to ward off witches. That was just superstition. 

Either way you look at it. You will now always think of the cross when you see a six paneled door. Your welcome. 


Kale, Apple and Carrot Slaw

There is just something about Apples in Autumn. I know most people like Pumpkin Spice, but not me. It’s fun to look at all the pumpkin spice flavored foods that come out during the Fall season but I’m not temped to buy any of it. 

I’m going to share with you a recipe that is not only good but it’s healthy and a great way to eat your greens and carrots. It is a struggle for me to eat veggies but if there is a veggie dish already made in the fridge, I will dip out a bowl of it with my meals. This recipe is a good one to make ahead and will stay fresh and crispy for a few days. It also includes Apples that give it just enough sweetness and crunch. 



Kale, Apple and Carrot Slaw.
1 head- chopped Kale.
1 apple- cored and small diced.
Handful- shredded carrots
Handful- raisins
Handful- chopped pecans (optional)

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons- plain Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons- mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon- brown sugar
1 Tablespoon- apple cider vinegar
Salt/pepper

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the dressing ingredients.
Pour in the dressing and toss.
Cover and chill until meal time or over night.



Kale is healthy greens full of vitamins A,K,B6,E and C and antioxidants. It also contains calcium, copper and potassium. Together, these vitamins can help your skin look younger. It brightens your skin appearance and dark spots. Boy, I need a lot of this stuff but sadly it can also cause bloating and gas. Also, if your on blood thinners, don’t eat Kale without talking to your doctor because Vitamin K can interfere with that medicine. 

Now for the big question….
Are you more of an apple person or pumpkin spice person when it comes to those Fall favorites. 


Original recipe can be found HERE.

I Over Did It

I woke up Saturday morning with a pep in my step. I was feeling good and full of energy. I jumped out of bed and went straight to the laundry room and started a load of clothes. Then I went to the kitchen, took my vitamins and poured a cup of coffee. My husband was already up and finished his breakfast. He had to go to work. I would be spending another Saturday alone. 

My husband left for work and I ate my breakfast. After breakfast I put on walking shoes and clothes, threw on a hat, stuffed in my earphones and headed out for a walk. I have never walked in my neighborhood alone before. I usually wait til after supper and me and my husband will walk 2 or 3 miles each day. But I had a ball of energy and it was a beautiful cool morning. 

I did not venture out too far. I stayed within sight of my house. We do not live in the best area. Our neighborhood is great but the part of town we are in is not so good. There were several neighbors out working in their yards so I felt safe. 

I ended up running/ walking 3 miles in 48 minutes. I made it a personal 5k. My fastest 5k is just a little over 30 minutes but that was 2 years and 20 pounds ago. I could have done it quicker but I stopped twice to pet a neighbors dog and sometimes a neighbor would stop and ask me why I was out alone or where was other half.  It felt easy and was rather nice listening to my music and going at my own pace. I did not even break a sweat. 



But I paid for it. I have been laying around and taking it slow because I have been hurting in my upper back. I have a compressed c6 disk and I have to be careful not to let it get inflamed. Though I walk everyday, that burst of energy and a brisk 3 miles, made me hurt. Tylenol has been my candy. Let’s add that my allergies are at a high too. I have been tired and sore. I think I over did it. 

I would like to beat my 5k goal. Maybe I can if I just do a little at a time. Evidently our walks in the afternoon are leisure. I need to take it easy for now on. I forgot I’m not in my 20s anymore. 52 hurts. 

Air Fryer S’mores Oatmeal

For the past two weeks, I have been doing a smoothie for breakfast. I’m getting tired of it. I like to eat my food, not drink it but I am always looking for healthy meal options. I have also been taking my lunches to work instead of coming home for lunch and pigging out. I have to limit my meals. Portion control is what I have to do if I want to lose weight. It’s not as much about what you eat but how much you eat. 

This morning I wanted to make a solid breakfast for a change. I started making an egg but ended up burning it. I guess I was out of sync. I used to always make an egg. I consider myself an omelet pro and I love my eggs over easy too. We grew up calling it “an egg with a moon on it” Only momma knew what we meant. 

So, since my egg didn’t turn out well, I resorted to a recipe I found for S'mores Oatmeal. I’m not a big fan of s’mores but this was a winner. It was like eating a dessert instead of breakfast. This is still considered “healthy”, It’s easy and can be made in your air fryer within 7 minutes. 



AIR FRYER S’MORES OATMEAL
1/3 Cup Quick Oats
1/2 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/3 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Sheet crushed Graham Cracker
Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Mini Marshmallows

Mix together, oats, protein powder, baking powder and Almond milk.
Pour into a Ramekin.
Stir in a few of the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
Top with crushed graham crackers, and the rest of the chocolate chips and marshmallows. 
Cook in air fryer at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. 
SPECIAL NOTE: Mash your marshmallows down a little so they do not fly around in the air fryer. 


After I ate breakfast, I went outside and ran/walked 3 miles. So I guess I can say this breakfast wasn’t heavy. But the 20lbs I have put on this year sure was. 


Original recipe was found at jhydefit on Instagram.
Follow her for more easy, quick and healthy foods. 



Weight Struggles

Here I am again struggling with my weight. I have to confess, I have almost put on all of the weight I lost six years ago. 


If you know me, you know my weight loss journey and the success I had by losing 50 lbs on Nutrisystem. I was able to keep the weight off for five years. You can still read my journey HERE.


I gave up eating Nutrisystem because I had to go on a low sodium diet and honestly , even though they had a great selection, I was getting tired of the same foods all the time. They rarely came out with new menu choices. But while I was on it, I enjoyed it and it really did work. 


Within one year after losing 50lbs, I gained 10lbs back and felt better. I was happy at that weight. Then I put on 5 more pounds and it was not so bad. I was still getting into the same clothes, I still had energy, and felt good but I knew the weight would creep up one me if I didn’t get back to balancing my diet. I worked hard after that to keep the weight off by simple exercise, healthy eating and portion control. 


In the past year I have put on 20lbs. I still walk every day and hula hoop some. I eat healthy but my meals are larger and my snacks are less healthy than before. Did I mention I love those Little Debbie peanutbutter bars?




I have decided to get back on track. I’m not real sure how yet but I have decided not to use any fancy diet programs this time. I want to do it on my own and not owe it to any company, but to my own willpower. I plan to incorporate some plant based smoothie mixes and healthy food choices. I plan to do the intermediate fasting. I will also stop trying to compare myself to those weight loss and workout videos on social media. I am me, I am not them. I am 52, not 32. Every body is different with different lifestyles, time and money.  


Starting, next week I am going to tackle my weight and win with it again. Wish me luck and Stay tuned. 



Breakfast

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day. This was the first time in my working life that I had a job that gave me Labor day off as a holiday. Unfortunately, my husband had to work all weekend and on Labor day too. I caught up on some housework and did a little shopping. We went out to dinner in my old hometown of Belmont to celebrate the holiday instead of the usual cooking out. 

Being off work, I was able to play around with some new breakfast items. Breakfast is my favorite meal and lately I have to rush breakfast to get to work, so I settle for a bowl of cereal, or oatmeal. 

One of my new favorite oatmeals is Lucky Charms. This is my favorite cereal and now my favorite oatmeal. 



I tried another cereal flavored oat meal. 

Cocoa Puffs flavored.



Both of these oatmeals taste like the real thing. But my favorite of the two is still Lucky Charms. I was not a fan of chocolatey oatmeal. 

One morning I decided to experiment by making biscuits in my air fryer. It worked! I made a couple biscuits using the directions on the Bisquick box. No, these are not momas homemade style. This is just the quick method. Bisuick always comes to the rescue for mornings like this. 



I stuffed it with some homemade sausage and muscadine jelly. 

Another morning, I decided to give Chia pudding a try. There are a lot of health benefits in Chia Seeds. 



It turned out pretty good but I was not a fan of the texture so I am marking this one off. If you like over night oats, you might like chia pudding so don’t let my opinion change yours. You should make some and try it for yourself. It’s so easy to make, a child could do it. I will share the recipe with you . 


CHIA PUDDING

  • 3 Tablespoons Chia Seeds.
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 3/4 cup of milk of your choice
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup.  
Mix all together in a bowl, cover and place in fridge for a few hours or over night. 

Like magic, the chia seeds will absorb the milk and become a pudding texture. 

Before eating, add your favorite toppings. (I added microwave cooked blueberries).


Over all, my favorite breakfast is waffles….or is it Gravy biscuits? No wait, I like avocado toast too. So many to chose from, I like it all!

Do you eat breakfast? What is your favorite breakfast? 



Easy Muscadine Jelly

My parents recently moved into a new home. It came with a big Muscadine vine and mature peach trees. The peach trees did not produce many peaches but the Muscadine vine is full of fruit. 



I made a visit one day to pick some muscadines. Within a few minutes I had a small bucket full. I was not sure what to do with them so I washed and put them in the fridge. For a week, we would reach in and grab one or three for a snack but I still had a lot and wanted to do something with them before they went bad. 



I decided to make jelly. Mom told me I did not need to add extra pectin and all I need to do is boil them hull and all. Then strain them afterwards. She said they have enough natural pectin to do the trick.

I looked around online anyway and every recipe I found had added pectin. I took my moms advice and went with what she said.




Mom was right (as always). With 3 cups of muscadines, I was able to fill three small jelly jars of thick jiggly jelly. I gave a jar to my mom and dad and one to my daughter. We kept one for ourself and it is almost gone.


Here is how I made Muscadine jelly.

  • 3 cups of muscadines.
  • 2 1/4 cups of sugar (3/4 cup to every cup of muscadines).
  • 1/4 cup water.

Add muscadines, water and sugar in a pot and boil for about 20 minutes. 

With cheese cloth, strain the muscadine mix into a pot and boil for another 5 to 10 minutes. 


Note: You can seperate the hulls and boil them separately. Place the hulls in a food processor to chop fine and add them to the stained muscadine mixture. This would make it jam. 

🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇

To test if it is ready, place a plate in the freezer for a few minutes to get it cold. Add a drop of the Muscadine jelly to the cold plate. It should move when the plate is tilted but not runny and watery. It will have a slight skim texture on the top when you touch it. This is how you know it’s ready to put in a jar and place in the refrigerator. It will thicken as it cools. This is called refrigerator jelly. 




It turned out great and went good on my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and toast. I may be going back soon for some more grapes because I found a recipe for Muscadine cobbler I want to try soon. 



Muscadine vs Scuppernong: Muscadines are red (or purple) and Scuppernong is golden green. Scuppernongs are the state fruit of North Carolina. All Scuppernongs are Muscadines but not all Muscadines are Scuppernongs. Confused yet?


The Vaccine

I’m getting really tired of hearing about that dern vaccine. I enjoy social media but it seems everyone is attacking everyone over a vaccine. I have had friends ‘unfriend’ me over political views, mask mandates and now vaccine choice. I think all of this should be part of our freedom and no one should be shunned or made fun of for their choice.

 



I have made my choice not to get vaccinated. I do not have a political reason for not taking the vaccine. It’s a personal health choice for me. I am afraid that one day they will force people to have the vaccine to keep their jobs or get a job. When that time comes, I will have to make a choice, but until it’s forced on me, I will say no. 


People say I’m being selfish because of my choice. No. I am not selfish and I truly believed that if all this mask and vaccines worked I would comply. I have enough since to keep my distance from people and take extra precautions about touching things. If I would ever feel feverish or sick, I would stay home and away from others. I’m a germaphobe like this anyway. 


You say non vaccinated people are selfish, we say people that say these things are selfish. It can go on back and forth all day. No one is right and no one is wrong. I just simply do not want to take the vaccine for health reasons and trust concerns too. I know people that have passed away within weeks of taking the vaccine. There is no proof that the vaccine was the cause of death but those that have died with covid have no proof it was from covid either. I’ll take my chances. 


I work hard to stay healthy. I have not been to the doctor for a cold in 3 years. If I make to December, It will be 4 years since I have had a cold. I never get a flu a shot either. I only remember getting the flu once in my life. I do not take any medicines other than a Tylenol for a head ache or joint pain. I eat healthy and take my vitamins. Why would I want to put an unknown, newly created, half approved so called experimental vaccine into my body? I need proof it works. I want to see the effects it has both short term and long term. Why is that selfish? Why should I be punished for staying healthy?


People say “well you took other vaccines when you were a baby and your fine”. Well it took years to approve those vaccines and they worked! It wiped out the disease (or virus) with one shot. You didn't have to keep taking a booster every year because of a new variant and they were not created or approved within a few months in the middle of a political debate or crisis.


I believe if you think you need to take the vaccine, then you should take it. But if you don’t want to take the vaccine then it’s your choice. If you have taken the vaccine, you shouldn’t have to worry about catching the virus, right? 



My daily vitamins include: D3, Zinc, Calcium, Heliocare, Magnesium, Turmeric. 




Bucket Light

When you go camping, you see a lot of cool things people do to be resourceful. It’s fun to see camping hacks that cost little to nothing to make. You also see neat survival techniques and ways to save space. I get fascinated.

I have seen several different ways to light up your camping space but one that I just had to make was a bucket light. It was easy to make and this one only costed me a dollar for the light and a dollar for the batteries at the dollar tree.


You can get three to five gallon buckets from a hardware store for a few dollars but I knew where I could find a smaller bucket for free. When I used to work at Belks, they would have buckets of hand sanitizer wipes placed at the registers for employees. They would throw them away once they become empty. I got my hands on one before it hit the trash can. 

Optionally, you can add a picture or saying on the side. I asked my Sister to make me a vinyl decal to put on mine. She did a good job and I love it. We took it with us to the beach and hung it in the center of our picnic shelter. It was a great light. Since It has a battery operated light in it, I could use it inside if the power went out or carry it down to the ocean at night for some romantic lighting. A five gallon bucket light would make a nice lighted seat during a night of fishing.


 


To get the different colors I just placed colored solo cups over the little battery light on the inside. Most people purchase better lighting with larger lights that have a remote control for on and off and color changing. I didn’t want to get all that fancy. I just wanted a little light and it’s perfect. 




Rain

I have been at the beach all this week. It is absolutely my favorite place to be. However, I have never been here in the Winter but I think I would enjoy it just the same. I feel like I am away from the bad things in the world when I am down here. The internet is bad and half the time the cable goes out but that gives me a chance to reflect on the nature around me. 



The days have been hot and sunny but we fight the pop up showers that come around 2:00 each afternoon and last about 15 minutes. One afternoon, Nicks brother and his girlfriend came to spend time with us on the beach. It was sunny one minute and all of a sudden it came a down pour. Everyone huddled under their beach umbrellas until it passed, but not me. I mean, we had on our swim suits so why not just get wet? I stepped out from under the umbrellas and played in the rain. Needless to say, they stayed dry and I looked like a wet rat the rest of the day. Ha. 

We went walking down the beach one day and we could see the rain in the horizon. It looked like we were walking right into the storm but we could tell it was moving West and away. It was a beautiful sight. We would also sat on the sunny beach and watch the rain bans move across the ocean. It was amazing. 



There was one day, so far,  that was a wash out. There was no lighting or thunder but we could hear the rain pounding on the roof. It was raining so hard, you could not see out. We could hear the strong winds flip a few awnings from other campers. We never leave our awning out for this reason. The weather is so unpredictable at the beach. So we stayed in and watched lifetime movies until the rain tapered off that evening just in time for us to go out to dinner. That night it was clear and we took our chairs out to the beach and sat under the stars and talked about life. 



We have a few more days down here before it’s back to the real world. It looks like it will be sunny from here out. 




Earthing

I remember as a kid we always played outside barefooted. I would run through the woods and down a gravel road and thought nothing of it. The bottoms of my feet were tough as leather. You do not see kids doing that as much anymore. Heck, you don’t even see them playing outside hardly anymore.

We need to get back to that. We need to get back to “Earthing” or also called “Grounding”. It is healthy and our bodies need it.
The Earth offers natural healing when there is direct skin contact to the Earth surface. I get a lot of this at the beach. 

The Earth offers free electrons that neutralize and charge the body. Electrons run through the Earth and body that reduces free radicals and eliminates static charge. Earthing can reduce inflammation, arthritis, chronic pain, insomnia, depression and anxiety.  


The most simple way of Earthing is bare feet or hands directly on the Earth for 1/2 and hour a day. Contact to your living home floor or concrete does not work. It as to be directly to the Earth. Get dirty. Kick your shoes off and take a walk through the yard or on the beach. It will make you feel good. It is healthy to walk barefoot anyway as it stretches your tendons and muscles in your feet. 

For those that can not go barefoot there are some man made options such as grounding mats and bed pads that are made with natural conductors. You can get a grounding mat to rest your bare feet on while you work or watch tv. The bed pads fit on a bed for a nice peaceful rest, because who wants to sleep outside on the ground? I have also seen grounding bracelets you can wear for that little extra energy. 

God made the Earth so we need to take advantage of the gift that so many take for granted. 


Behide but Moving Forward

Boy I am behind on my blogging. I have just been so busy. If you see my house right now you would know it’s not that I have been busy cleaning. My home has been neglected too. 

I just got a few minutes here at 10:46 at night to type a few words and read a few blog post. I can barely keep my eyes open. I will eventually read through all the ones I follow. It may not be until the weekend but I will get there. 

I have a good excuse why I haven’t been actively blogging these past two weeks..

1. I have been reading my Bible. I am trying to read through the New Testament. I am in Acts now. I have been reading this instead of blogs. I read some in the mornings and some in the afternoons. That’s when my eyes start feeling heavy. They say that reading the Bible will do that to you.
I have to say, “It is hard to read the Bible”. I am a terrible reader and have trouble understanding what I read. Add those biblical words and names and my brain becomes mush. I just hope it’s all sinking in and will come to me later when I need guidance.

2. I started a new job. I have kept hush about this one for a while until I actually started. I started Monday.
I accepted the job offer the first of July and put my notice in at the accountant office on July 5th. My last day there was last Wednesday. It was a nice place to work but I just couldn’t turn this one down as it has benefits. I am now an Administrative Support Specialist with the County. I will be working in children and family services. I think I'm going to enjoy it and so far everyone seems really nice and helpful. 
I can’t wait to go in tomorrow to see what else I can learn. 


I plan to get back to blogging regularly. Life just throws me loops sometimes and the older I get, the harder it hits. 
I need more hours in the day. 

Have you ever read through the Bible?
Do you read the book or use an app?
I have several Bibles in the house but I choose to use the Bible App as I can just click on the app anywhere I am and start reading. 
I love the plans and other features. 

Handmade Earrings

I haven’t been doing a lot of crocheting lately. I just ran out of ideas on things to make. I sell what I make but no one seems to be buying so it was costing me more to make things than I was collecting. So I have given it a break until some things start to sell. 

However, I have been playing around with macrame. I remember my grandmother and aunt used to make macrame items back in the 70’s. They made key chains, plant hangers and pocketbooks. They would go around in the laundry mat and sell things. Grandmaw would at least make enough money to buy us ice cream because thats where she would take us after she sold a few of her crafts.

I guess it’s in my blood because I have been making these macrame earrings. I love the boho look and they are quick and fun to make. 


Have you ever macremed anything?
Do you own a piece of macrame? Like …..The owl. Hahaha. I think everyone had a plant hanger or owl in the 70’s.

Email me if your interested in a pair of these earrings or you can find them in my Etsy shop.




Purple Potatoes

Ok, here’s a new one. Purple potatoes. Of course when I seen these in the produce department at my local grocery store, I had to get a couple to try. I love trying new foods. Especially if they are healthy. 


Purple potatoes not only add color to your plate but they have lots nutritional value.
They offer vitamins B6 and C.
They are less than 100 calories each and less than 1 gram of fat. That would register as zero fat on the label. 
These potatoes have more potassium than a banana and better for blood sugar than a white potato. 
Purple potatoes are packed with antioxidants and also helps with inflammation.


I loved the color. The skin is purple or blackish and vibrant purple on the inside even after cooking it. 
I can imagine purple mashed potatoes, purple fries or better yet, purple potato salad. I think kids would love it.

What do purple potatoes taste like?
They are sweeter than the white or yellow potato but not quite as sweet at the orange sweet potato. They have a nuttier, earthier flavor than other potatoes. I thought they were good. 

We cooked them in the microwave until soft then put them on the grill to make the skin tasty. I added lots of butter just like any other potato. We also had steak and veggies. 


It was fun to eat and nice knowing I was putting something healthy in my body. 

Have you ever heard of a Purple Potato? 

Trash to Treasure

They always say “One mans junk is another mans treasure”. I can prove it and it’s not the first time. 

We set out to take our normal afternoon walk. The next street over was a house that had just sold and they were gradually throwing trash to the side of the road on Sunday evenings. The trash truck would pick up on Mondays. This day as we walked past, I saw an old vintage step stool waiting for the big truck to come along and scoop it up. I pointed it out to Nick and said “I like that old stool. I could fix that up”. He just sort of shrugged his shoulders and had a look on his face that suggested I didn’t need any junk at that house. We kept walking and I didn't think much more about it. 

Before we turned down our road to finish our 2 mile walk, he said “Do you really want that stool? If you do, we can walk back over there and get it.”
Of course I said yes and we headed that way. I was hoping it was still there and it was. 

 


As I was carrying it back home, I was telling Nick all the ideas I had for it. I figured if I look at it a while and decide I didn’t want it, I would just throw it back to the curb or see if my neighbor wanted it for her little antique booth. 

I decided to keep it and use it as a plant stand on my patio. It looked in pretty bad shape and I was losing any hope that it would look good enough to ever bring into the house. I took my chances anyway and we headed to the hardware store. I needed some sand paper, paint and new leg tips. I also went to the dollar store and picked up a cheap thin rug to use for a step cover. 


2 hours and 10 dollars later, It did not look like the same stool. My idea worked. 

 

The rust was only surface rust and I was amazed at how well it painted. It took less than a can of spray paint and only one coat. 
I still plan to use it as a plant stand on my patio but I have it inside for now while I admire how cool it is.