lovingeveryminute

I made one of those for a bag of chocolate chunks (to eat with my almonds) out of the top of a milk carton, but I cut out the handle, too! and taped the handle to the side of the bag. It became a little jar. So cool!

This Plastic Free thing isn’t one of my goals, per se, although I do Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Upcycle, Freecycle, etc. It’s very important, but I can’t help thinking it’s hilarious that this Plastic Free entry involves a plastic bag and a plastic bottle with a plastic top. lol! 16 months ago

—there’s another whole story blossoming inside my brain right now, and it’s a doozy! I haven’t written any of it yet, so I will probably end up working on both at the same time.

There’s another one, too, but I need to figure out HOW I want to present that one before I can really start writing it.

And then there’s the NON-fiction. That’ll be a great one. Very marketable. 26-28 small chapters. Maybe I should stop all the rest and just get that one written. I think it would publish fast and then I could make some money at this. Bonus! 16 months ago

I figured out how to tell a craving or the urge to eat from real, actual hunger.

What’s your favorite vegetable?
Mine is green beans.

I never crave green beans, but ANY time I feel like eating, I can ask myself if I would eat green beans right then. If the answer is yes, then I’m hungry and should eat SOMEthing, green beans or not. However, if my answer is more like, “Meh, green beans. I want pizza rolls.” Then I know that’s a craving and I should go CLEAN something instead! 16 months ago

After having looked over the remaining portions of Southern Avenue via Google maps, I have decided to call this goal complete. There’s a lot of farmland out on the west side of Phoenix. Not restaurants. Even between 35th Ave and the edge of town, all the eateries are fast food joints. I don’t need to drive 30 miles to find a Jack in the Box. There’s one right by my house and I eat there often enough. As far as my goal is concerned, to Patronize RESTAURANTS along Southern, it’s done.

My focus in writing this down as a goal was to get to know my community better: what is located near my house, or on the way to it from points distant. What I found was mostly national chains. That’s okay with me—chain food is usually dependable. I don’t get any feeling that I should be loyal to large corporate establishments, although I did find one or two “ma & pa” places and wish them well.

What I do like is that Mesa led the way in this state toward the banning of smoking in restaurants. Now it’s a law. A good law that allows people to enjoy a meal in public. I also like that it’s a law that got passed by the fed up majority when a loud, obnoxious minority was hollering about their perceived rights to make the air filthy for everyone.

When all is said and done, I’ll eat wherever I please and not worry about what part of town I am in. 17 months ago

My darling daughter found the giant bag of fuzzy yarn and now I can continue with this project. Hooray! 17 months ago

Hey! I took this picture the same day you posted that one. :) 17 months ago

My daughters came home for Christmas and helped me go through my entire closet. We don’t have cable, so I’ve only seen the show “What Not to Wear” once, but I felt a little like I was ON it, trying on and then tossing so many of my clothes.

Actually, I had been considering overhauling (or is it UNDERhauling?) my wardrobe for quite some time, but they gave me the courage to part with things I thought looked good, that maybe didn’t, or were maybe outdated.

Their Christmas gift to me was to take me out and help me choose a couple of cute outfits to wear when I go somewhere besides WalMart or the Indian Reservation. (not that I wouldn’t wear my nice clothes to walmart ;] I have, in fact, but I get looks.)

The new clothes they got me are wonderful and I am enjoying the feeling that I look better than I did before, but the really great thing about the whole gift was the bravery they gave me to get rid of two large black bags full of my old clothes!!!

Now that’s a lot of good stuff going out to Goodwill! 17 months ago

I’m getting serious about this goal! I even checked out a couple books on culinary photography. I decided to go through my list in alpha-order, starting TONIGHT! :D

So this is my first “artistic” photo of what I made for dinner. My niece came over and ate all my leftovers, so I guess if I want some more, I’ll have to make it again. That’s fine. There’s plenty of lettuce, spinach and brocolli in the garden and carrots and celery in the fridge.

This salad is a good replica of a certain “neighborhood grill’s” Oriental Chicken Salad, and my dressing is just as good as theirs! So succulent, you don’t need much to accent the wonderful mixture of tastes already on the plate. 17 months ago

I thought I had already written about stroganoff because I made this dish a few months ago, but whatever.

The Dearest SAYS he doesn’t like stroganoff because it’s “too noodle-y”. Oh…kay. Suckitup, mister, I’m hungry for stroganoff! :) So I scrambled the hamburger with a chopped onion and some garlic, added a handful of flour and browned it all with some spices and a little beef bouillon. Then I added a water/milk mixture with a healthy shake of Worcestershire sauce. After I took it off the heat, I added the cooked noodles and a scoop of sour cream.

It was delicious! He even ate two bowls of it the first night and had another serving of the leftovers for lunch the next day. 17 months ago

Ever heard of anyone losing weight on a cruise? I did it. And yeah, the food was only ok. I could have made any of it better myself.

There were 120 or so people who booked their travel through the same company whose reps came with us. They arranged sea day activities and lectures and cheaper shore excursions for their “group”, although we BECAME a group onboard. It was awesome. We got to meet new friends at dinner and had common things to talk about because we were all assigned to the same seating time. Unfortunately, some of what we were talking about was the disappointing quality of the food.

Anyway, at the end of the cruise, our chaperones were giving out prizes for various this or that. One of the things was “Who LOST the most things while on the cruise?” A couple old ladies mentioned sweaters, one person lost their phone. sad day. And then I said I lost 6 pounds and the entire room erupted in waves of “Whaaaat? How?”

Heh heh. I now own a highly coveted “ship on a stick.”

AND… I’ve lost two more pounds since I’ve been home. :) 17 months ago

When the hoodies come out. :) 18 months ago

I went on a cruise with my Dearest for two and a half weeks and our daughter went through all the boxes FOR ME!

All of them. Gone. I am not even going to ask where all my stuff is. She said she hardly threw anything away, so I’m sure I’ll find it all eventually.

Done and DONE! hah! :) 18 months ago

I can hardly believe I have finished it! I’ve been not just reading the words, but really studying the Old Testament for almost two and a half years and now it’s done.

I’ve learned so much! I especially loved Isaiah. I loved understanding it after being all psyched out about how hard it might be.

We’re off for a cruise around Central America tomorrow, so my Dearest commemorated my accomplishment by getting me a couple of fancy dresses for the formal nights. What a great way to celebrate! :) 18 months ago

For dinner on Black Friday, we hosted our daughter’s boyfriend’s entire family for a cookout and minigolf (on the 9-hole course we built for her 16th bday a few years back).

It went great! Beautiful, wonderful family, but that’s not what this entry is about.

The four of us (me, my Dearest, the daughter, AND the boyfriend!) cleaned like crazed whirlwinds for a few days before the big First Meeting Event. We ate outside under the gazebo, because it was in the 70’s here that day. Then we roasted marshmallows and starburst in the firepit, and then they all played golf while eating cotton candy. After about 4 hours, when everyone had had enough fun, they trooped back through the house and left.

No one even used the bathroom.

Oh well! The house has been nice and clean all week and if we can keep it that way, I will be able to move on to fulfilling other goals. 18 months ago

I went over to my mom’s on Tuesday, like I have every Tuesday (barring vacations or illness)since September 1st, 2009.

She wasn’t home. . . what?!

She left no note, but she did leave her phone sitting on her dresser, so I couldn’t find out where she went or whether I should wait.

I decided to wait a while. I had my first three chapters with me, as well as some blank paper and plenty of pens, and I knew her little bat-eared pughuahua dog wouldn’t bother me too much, so I took advantage of the peace and quiet and got to work.

TWO HOURS LATER my mom pulls up. She had been at the grocery store getting all the stuff for Thanksgiving dinner. ALL the stuff—so that there was nothing else to let me or my brothers bring. Whatever. Anyway, by the time she got back, I had written four pages! That’s like a thousand words!

On top of that, I outlined most of the chapter so as soon as I have time to write again, I won’t have to think it all up again.

I’ve been averaging about 5,000 words per chapter, so just another 3800 to go and Chapter 4 will be a done deal! :) 18 months ago

• family gatherings all weekend
• KEEPING the house clean so I CAN get to the boxes
• Short trip out of town and back on Monday
• Long trip out of town on cruise around Central America and through Panama Canal
• Then a week before Christmas!!!!!

So probably after Christmas, I can start; hence, this will have to stay on the resolution list for 2012. 19 months ago

My middle daughter is a full-fledged artist in her own right. She is finishing up her BFA at BYU and has her Final Show up in The Fine Arts Center’s largest gallery. In fact, she is the Department of Visual Arts’ Featured Artist!

The opening reception was Thursday night. The huge gallery was filled to capacity at times with faculty, students, family, and friends. It was awesome. 19 months ago

It turned out pretty good. It was an old t-shirt that I didn’t want to photograph. Plus, I didn’t have a pattern or directions or anything—I was just trying out stuff I thought would work and finding out which ideas were good and which will need to be changed for the next one.

First, I cut out the collar in one piece, then trimmed the seam off of it and stretched it so I could use it to rebind the new neckline. So far so good. That worked fine, except I ended up cutting the seam off the collar to make it more smooth and I think it would have been better to just leave it in one piece.

Then, I measured the shoulders and cut them to fit MY shoulders. I think this is the most important part of the process because having shoulder seams halfway down my arm is what makes my t-shirts look boxy to begin with.

Next, was cutting the sleeves down. that worked fine. I’m wearing the shirt right now and the sleeves, arms, and armpit areas all feel great.

Then came sizing the new armpit hole. It had to leave enough room for my body to move around, but fit within the existing fabric. That part was not hard, really; I just used a well-fitting knit blouse for the sizing.

The tricky part was trying to get the new side/sleeve corner to fit into the rest of the shirt. I chose to gradually narrow the sides of the shirt. It worked only OK. I should have cut all the way down the sides, making side seams, which t-shirts do not normally have. I can still fix it, but cutting only part-way ended up making more of a dart than a seam, so I will definitely have to change that step for future shirts.

Overall, I think this will be a good, fun, and worthwhile project. I have a lot of t-shirts. They are super comfy, of course, but what’s wrong with looking feminine while being comfortable? Not a thing! :) I’m anxious to make more. 19 months ago

This photo of Meat Muffins was taken of the leftovers the next day. I even said out loud that I needed to take a picture before we ate, but then I was busy serving up and I forgot until the food was devoured. So oh well. Such is life. I can change the picture the next time I make them. For now you can picture these unassuming little objects next to some buttery whipped potatoes, green beans, corn, and applesauce. It’s a nice dinner. Everyone loves it.

So my daughter’s boyfriend told her he didn’t like meatloaf, which she took as a personal challenge and came home to ask me to make meat muffins for Sunday dinner, which I gladly did. He ate 5. FIVE! And now he loves meatloaf. The way I make it, anyway.

He’s not my first convert, however. My Dearest’s brother came over for dinner one day and I didn’t ask him what he liked or didn’t like. I just made the meat muffins. They don’t taste like “yo mama’s” meatloaf, so he didn’t recognize them as being in the same category . . . until I asked him if he wanted more meatloaf.
~ What?! That was meatloaf? Uhhh. Yeah! I want some more!

That’s what they all say. :) Bwah ha ha! 19 months ago

Today is November 20th. In a week or so, I will leave the country until a week before Christmas. That means I will only be home for about 21 days before 2011 is over.

I’ve actually done pretty well on this goal, but I doubt at this point that it will be completed by December 31st. I’ve probably gone through 30 or 40 boxes, but in my sorting, I have RE-stored some things in other boxes, which I still have to organize.

I have been thinking about how, once my boxes are open, I have trouble getting rid of things I thought to save, sometimes as long ago as 2004. Kind of discouraging, but that’s what goals are for . . . to strengthen our weaknesses. 19 months ago

I’ve been completely off sugar for a while now.

Today in church, I was having a coughing fit and put a wintergreen lifesaver in my mouth to sooth my throat. It worked, but I sure did notice the sugar film.

I’m so happy that I can notice it again! I’ve done this before and lost 30 pounds, which I kept off for a year before a bunch of sister crap blew up, and ingredients lost their place at the forefront of my mind.

That was back in 2004. Since then, I have gotten better at letting people be in charge of their own mess. I have learned to REALLY not take things personally, although I was fairly good at it before if I reasoned it out to myself.

It’s not ever the food that makes me gain weight. It’s the stress. So I’m learning to detach from other people’s crap when they try to suck me in. That definitely does NOT mean I won’t help them—I just do not take responsibility for solving their problems anymore.

As I learn to mind my own business better, it’s nice to know the sugar film is there to help me remember what NOT to eat.

:) 19 months ago

I would like to go back to England and live for a while. Not gonna happen… unless…hmmm. THAT actually could happen, so it’s going on my Vision board.

My Dearest thinks South America would be great. He lived in Bolivia for a couple years, so that’s his frame of reference. We are going to Colombia in a couple weeks, but only for a day. I guess a cruise port counts from a travel standpoint, but not for what we were talking about.

I have not shared with him that although I do desire to learn Spanish, I really don’t want to spend an extended amount of time in South America.

This morning, I woke up with the wonderful thought that that same time could be spent somewhere in Great Britain. As I woke up, a wonderful cloud of joy floated me out of bed and put me in an immediate good mood, even though I slept on something wrong and woke up sore.

Vision is a beautiful thing. :) 19 months ago

I’ve been dinkin’ around with outlining chapters and deciding on a good title for Chapter 6, and haven’t been working on moving the book along in about a month!

So today, I told myself to just write the first 25 words of Chapter 4. That’s all. How does Chapter 4 start? Can I see it? Yes. So go write it down already! Okay.

And that’s how it goes-the argument in my head.

As always happens when I start with the 25-word trick, I kept going. I’ve never been able to stop at 25 words. Tonight, I wrote about 400 words. Chapter 4 is going to be fun and exciting! 20 months ago

Are these not like the cutest things EVER?!

First of all my deviled egg recipe is so good, people actually close their eyes and let out soft little moans of pleasure when they eat them. So the recipe itself will have to go in the book (but, sorry, not on the Internet).

THEN, as if feeding people morsels of goodness isn’t enough, I make them cute, too:
OK, so the whites are ready for any color dye, but the yolks are already yellow, so I only dye them green and orange. Yes, I do put a touch of yellow food coloring in the yellow ones, too, just enough to brighten them up a bit. That leaves pink, blue and purple for the whites.

Six separate bowls does the trick, and then it’s just a matter of assembly. I take them to my mom’s family gathering. Everyone expects them now. :) 20 months ago

It would have been enough . . . to simply have a love of music to fill my life and my heart with happiness. I would have been overjoyed to have a radio to sing along with and a church choir to join, and I do, but He didn’t stop there. Even though I yearned for piano lessons as a child, my mother could only afford them for my brother. That’s OK, because now I have the wonderful opportunity to take lessons for myself and have been blessed not only with a radio, but a piano. Learning to play the piano is HARD for me as an adult, but I keep at it because I know it will be a blessing to myself and to those around me when I finally master it. And, dayenu, THAT would have been enough, but I also have been blessed with a good ear for notes and a 2½-octave vocal range, so the church choir can actually be happy to have me!

Music lives in me and I am grateful to have it here. Dayenu, Dayenu! 20 months ago

I was so little!!! I didn’t understand the words to this song, being in first grade at the time it was recorded! Nevertheless, in 1966, my next-door neighbor and I both got white go-go boots for Christmas.

I lived 3 houses down from the corner of our block. The two of us would zip our tiny little white boots on and go down to the stop sign and belt out “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’” for all the passing cars.

Oh brother. How were we ever allowed to do that?! Well, it was 1966 and times were different, that’s how.

But apparently not much different, considering the lyrics. Ironically, my mom was living this song WHILE it was playing on the radio. She walked, too.

We knew all the words to this song because it was on the radio a lot. We sang it with gusto. I didn’t understand what Nancy Sinatra was singing about, but when we had to move away from that neighborhood, that house, I associated the song with the move, so it never did take on an adult (or adultrous) meaning to me.

In 1973 or so, we had to move because our house…well, that whole neighborhood…was to be torn down to put a freeway through Phoenix. Later, the hospital took over the land and the AZ-202/I-10 interchange was rerouted a couple blocks farther south. That is an important memory for me which is forever linked to this song. The house still shows up in my dreams on a regular basis.

As a first grader, I remember especially enjoying truthin’ and samin’ being used as verbs, and the phrase “oughta not” which somehow has remained in my highly educated vocabulary.

These Boots Were Made For Walkin’:
You keep saying you’ve got something for me.
Something you call love, but confess.
You’ve been messin’ where you shouldn’ta been a messin’
And now someone else is gettin’ all your best.

These boots are made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do.
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

You keep lyin’ when you oughta be truthin’
And you keep losin’ when you oughta not bet.
You keep samin’ when you oughta be changin’.
Now what’s right is right, but you ain’t been right yet.

These boots are made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

You keep playin’ where you shouldn’t be playin’.
And you keep thinkin’ that you´ll never get burnt. Ha!
I just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah-
and what he knows you ain’t had time to learn!

These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

Are you ready boots? Start walkin’! 20 months ago