Oranjegekte (Orange Mania)

Today is the day to wear orange.

“Oranjegekte is the expression of the Dutch spirit. It is a phenomenon that occurs every year on queensday (30 April) and on every international football championship. Those are the very few occasions where our normally dormant patriotism comes back with a vengeance...Orange is our national colour. it comes from the Royal Family who's surname is Van Oranje-Nassau.” http://www.flickr.com/groups/oranjegekte/

An unpeeled orange floats, while a peeled orange sinks.

“Because the mutation left the fruit seedless and, therefore, sterile, the only method to cultivate navel oranges was to graft cuttings on to other varieties of citrus tree. … Today, navel oranges continue to be propagated through cutting and grafting. This does not allow for the usual selective breeding methodologies, and so all navel oranges can be considered fruits from that single nearly two-hundred-year-old tree: they have exactly the same genetic make-up as the original tree and are, therefore, clones.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_%28fruit%29

Fetch

Breathy panting,

Huh, Huh, Huh, Huh,

Tongue draped over his long droopy jowls,

Eyes fixed directly on me,

Poised, awaiting my next move.

I draw my hand back slowly.

He waits, every muscle ready to spring.

I fling the stick as hard and far as I can.

Immediately, he bounds to the stick,

Almost beating it to its destination.

Proudly he grasps it in his teeth

And prances back to me to sit,

Breathy panting,

Huh, Huh, Huh, Huh,

By:  Paula D. Nevison

100% cotton dishcloth, quick knit on size 7 needles, is on my project page on ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/pauladean If you like to knit or crochet, you should definitely join ravelry. It is free, there are a bunch of free patterns easily available, and many groups of people working on and discussing many different patterns.

Spring Break was Fun

No sun at the beach, only dark threatening clouds and wind, lots of wind. At least it wasn't hot. There were a couple of birds flying around, and a fisherman casting his line into the water not far from my swimming children. I'm glad he didn't catch a shark.

Spring break is coming to an end. I survived. We went to the beach and the library. We made chalk. My childrens' friends came over and my children went to their friends' homes. There was an orthodontist appointment, surgery, and a movie role audition. My son and his wife came over and visited one night. My brother, his wife, and son came over and visited a different night. We even ate pizza twice (awesome). Today I'm going to do laundry. It takes all day to get it finished, but I don't care. It's not like I have to use a washboard and ringer like my grandmother once did. Just separate it in the morning, carry it to the washer, switch it to the dryer, fold and put away X 8 loads = all day. Easy. Leaves lots of time between to cook, eat, and do dishes X 3; dust, sweep, knit or crochet, read, talk on the phone, and watch TV. I plan on doing all of that. I might even go grocery shopping with my daughter. If I don't go grocery shopping, I'll have to go tomorrow. Otherwise, tomorrow I'm not doing anything. My husband will be home. He loves to cook on the grill/smoker thing and he's good at it.

Sidewalk Chalk, We Made It

We went to the beach Wednesday. After about two hours, it rained. So, we came home and made chalk. It was a lot easier and less messy than I thought it would be. Both my daughter and her friend (that we brought with to the beach) are in advanced classes, National Junior Honor Society, Scholar's Bowl, art club, and are straight A students. Making chalk was like chemistry, baking, and art all in one project. The girls had a lot of fun. We followed the recipe and directions given on this website, http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/07/homemade-sidewalk-chalk.html

We used a silicone mold meant for making brownie pops, one toilet paper tube, and an aluminum foil tube (cut into thirds). The toilet paper tube of chalk is still not dry (obviously because it is the largest). The aluminum foil tube pieces made nice sized chalk, but were difficult to fill without wrinkling the wax paper linings. I'm not sure about the whole “no mess on the hands” that was mentioned on the homeschooler's website. We haven't had a chance to use our chalk yet, but my fingers feel chalky when I pick it up. They don't look the same messy as they do when I pick up the store bought sidewalk chalk. We'll put it to a real test with my granddaughter when it's completely dry.

The Big Old Oak Tree

Under the shade of the big old oak tree

While a quiet breeze blows away the heat,

Sitting on a blanket knit carefully,

Husband and wife gaze momentarily

           into each others eyes.

The cares of their lives left behind the tree

will still be there when they finally leave.

Her long graying blond hair blows in her face

As she moves closer to him for embrace

          in his strong muscled arms.

The leafy moss dripped branches of the tree

Can't stop the sunlight from shining between.

Birds chirping behind the branch barricade

Seem to be singing a sweet serenade

           to the couple below.

Time seems to stop on this side of the tree,

No cell phones, or computers, or TV’s.

There is just the wind, the birds, and the waves

Gently lapping against the pier. She saves

           this moment in her heart.

To all others, this is only a tree,

Not special, not exceptionally pretty.

To her, it's more. It's a moment in time

Connected to a feeling sublime

           with her husband she loves.

by: Paula D. Nevison

Maybe Chicken, Yes Pork, NO SOY

I don't actually like chicken much, and I am terrible at cooking chicken. I do think that most people eat WAY too much chicken, and anything in excess is not good for you. There are other good meats available. Pork is a good example.

“Federal law does NOT permit the use of added hormones in poultry or swine (pigs and hogs). Since hormones are not used in the production of poultry (chicken and turkey) or hogs, poultry and pork products sold in the United States do not contain any added hormones.” http://www.meatpoultrynutrition.org/ht/d/Faqs

I don't think eating meat is the major cause of obesity in Americans. (Eating too much of anything and everything = obesity) I do think that our consumption of soy is a no-good-very-bad-thing. There are many websites that discuss the negative effects of consuming soy-foods.

This website http://askville.amazon.com/soy-provide-essential-amino-acids/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=26771336 says, “In addition to being a common allergen, the problem with Soy is that it contains phytoestrogens, which 'mimic the physiological effects of the endogenous hormone, estrogen'. So by eating soy, you’re really pumping hormones into your body that you may not need...Because of their estrogenic effects, they act more like drugs in the body than foods. If your body needs estrogen, that may be fine. But for men, or pregnant (particularly vegetarian) mothers, there is evidence that even a very small amount of soy may contribute to problems such as low sperm counts or even testicular cancer and birth defects. And soy may have other negative effects, such as early menstruation in girls, limiting the body’s absorption of essential minerals (due to higher levels of phytic acid than found in nearly any other food), and a number of other potential ill effects.”

I personally will not give soy products to my children (especially my sons). However, it is very difficult to completely avoid soy. It seems to be put in almost everything that is ready made, including mayonnaise. Soy does not follow the same FDA regulations as the other foods that are for sale.

“All food additives not in common use prior to 1958 must have GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status from the FDA before being used in food. Soy protein does not have GRAS status, so it is questionable whether its use in food is even legal. The industry (merchants, manufacturers, scientists, publicists, bureaucrats) right now is extremely exposed to litigation. The story to be told in court will go something like this: 'The industry has known for years that soy contains many toxins. At first they told the public that the toxins were removed by processing. When it became apparent that processing could not get rid of them, they claimed that these substances were beneficial. Your government granted a health claim to a substance that is poisonous, and the industry lied to the public to sell more soy.'” http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/earlymenarchy.htm

“Put bluntly, soya protein powders, soya flour, soya oil and soya milk, and foods containing them, should carry a health warning as cigarettes do.”

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/no-joy.html#.UXWt6co--xU

This article goes on to explain how soya prevents weight loss, inhibits protein absorption, upsets hormones, harms children, increases cancer risk, ulcerates the gut, and increases the risk of deficiency diseases.

“-- nearly 75% of all processed foods have soy products in them.  What’s more, there is NO labeling laws for soy, even though it is one of the eight most common allergens!...Things that don’t sound like soy, like 'dextrose,' and 'lecithin' are often made from soy protein.  What’s worse, 'natural flavors' can be made of soy, or not.”

http://askville.amazon.com/soy-provide-essential-amino-acids/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=26771336

Lace in Iron

When I saw this iron work, it reminded me of the Italian needlelaces, Reticella, and Punto in Aria.

http://lace.lacefairy.com/Lace/ID/ReticellaID.html

Process Oriented or Project Oriented

A knitting friend of mine was talking about how she is process oriented and not project oriented. She has many knitting projects going at the same time, and many part-way finished projects that have been set aside to be worked on again later. She enjoys discovering the new pattern. Once she has figured it out and it begins to get repetitive, she gets bored with it and starts something new. Her description of a project oriented person was the same as a task oriented person, “focusing on the completion of particular tasks as a measure of success”.¹ “Process Orientation places a priority on 'how' things are done.”² Both the process oriented and the project oriented person had the same goal when they started their project (to knit the shawl/blanket/sweater/pattern that they chose). “Without a goal, there is no process.”³

Goal orientation has multiple dimensions, but “the two most common dimensions utilized are mastery-oriented or learning-oriented, and performance-oriented or achievement-oriented.”⁴ Which I interpret as process oriented or project oriented. This article refers to project oriented people as goal oriented. “For goal oriented people growth is sometimes incidental: they grow only because their goal requires them to. Process oriented people, on the other hand, attain goals because their process will take them in that direction anyway. For them, growth is not incidental, it is necessary, and goals are eventual. Because of this difference, the goal oriented person will not necessarily be able to look past the goal to the next goal until they get there. The process oriented person will instead already be thinking about future goals, since everything they do is focused to the process of improving: goals just give them a direction in which to move. To the goal oriented person, goals are end points. To the process oriented person, they’re simply mile markers.”⁵ My friend does eventually finish those old projects, but finishing the project wasn't the satisfying part of her goal. Finishing was just the bonus. She always seems to be happy and content. She reminds me of what I think Mrs. Santa Claus would be like, not her appearance, but her disposition. This may be in part because of her process orientation.

“...have you ever met people who at a young age achieved something big in their lives, only to live the rest of their lives in the shadows of that accomplishment? These people are always spinning their wheels trying to somehow recapture that former glory: they talk about their past successes and do everything they can to get back to that point in their lives. Yet, their quest is ultimately futile, because they are so focused on the goal that they forget (or ignore) how it was they attained the goal in the first place.”⁶

Are you trying to re-live your glory days? We can't go back to the past. Ultimately, everything is about making choices and learning from the choices we make. What are you learning? How to make better choices, or how to not get caught next time?

I tend to be more of a process oriented person, like my friend, than a project oriented person. But I do love lists. Sometimes a list is very beneficial for me. For example, a grocery list helps me make sure I don't forget anything important. I will make a list if I have a bunch of errands to run on a particular day. Then I will number it in the most expedient order so I don't have to back track. However, I have learned that sometimes I would be better off to not make a list. Making a properly ordered, comprehensive list can end up giving me enough satisfaction that I'm ready to move on to something else. I also sometimes use making the list as an avoidance of actually doing the things that need to be done. In both of these instances, very little on the list actually gets accomplished, and it's all my fault. I can't very well hold up a list and say, “Look what I did today. I made a list.” Whoop-Dee-do. I know this about myself. So, I endeavor to use my time on what is best for my family (because they are important to me) in a way that they, and I will enjoy it.

1http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/task-oriented

2http://www2.gov.bc.ca/myhr/article.page?ContentID=4f3b094d-ff23-5e8b-fc22-1bfb6d226e80

3http://gnorb.net/808/goal-oriented-or-process-oriented

4http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/goal-oriented

5http://gnorb.net/808/goal-oriented-or-process-oriented

6http://gnorb.net/808/goal-oriented-or-process-oriented

Sidewalk Chalk

I bought some sidewalk chalk the other day while I was at the grocery store. My teenage daughter saw me put it in the cart and said, “Aren't you too old for chalk?” I said, “It's for your niece.” So last night we are sitting on the porch and I remembered the chalk. I opened it and started scribbling a flower on the cement porch floor. Put the piece down, picked up a different color, and did the same thing. By the time I was working on the third flower with the third color, the baby picked up a piece of chalk and joined in. (She is almost 2 yrs old.) I figured showing her would be easier than explaining to her that this weird fat chalk was like the crayons she uses inside on the coloring book and that it is okay to color on the floor outside with chalk (but only on the coloring book when we are inside). She watched. She knew. Oma did it, so it's okay. My daughter was there too. She watched and decided that she could draw much better flowers than I drew (and she can). She got down on the floor with us and started drawing too. After a while, she said, “This is fun, mom.” Then the two girls moved out to the main sidewalk and drew some more.

Children watch what we do. They want to participate and cooperate. They need to interact with you. Once my daughter joined in the coloring, I stopped, and sat back and watched. If she had not decided to color, I would've continued drawing with my granddaughter. The point was not to occupy her so I could do something else, but to teach her. It may only be scribble scrabble, but she is developing her motor skills and learning the strokes that lead to printing by trying to copy our simple pictures. Plus by involving her in conversation she is learning her colors and shapes."Would you like the pink? I'm making a yellow flower. Let's put a white circle in the middle." None of that sounds important, but she is soaking all of it in. She is repeating my last word back to me each time. She is seeing & hearing & touching (using three of her senses). She is learning. We want to do things with her. She is a joy to be around, not an annoyance to tolerate.

It is important to spend time with your children and grandchildren. Being in the same house at the same time is not spending time with them. It does not have to cost money. It does not have to involve elaborate planning. You can do ordinary mundane things. Just do them together. Find a way that they can help, even if their help in unnecessary and tedious. Set them up to succeed with something easy and praise them for their help and effort.

Little children watch what you do. They decide what is important to you by what you spend time doing or who you spend time with. If you are busy with everything but them, then they feel like they don't matter to you. Teenagers watch you too, but they add into the equation how they see you spend your money. How are you spending your time? Every once in awhile we need to look at what is important to us and adjust how we spend our time to exhibit that.

I think it would be fun to make our own chalk. My daughter and I could do that together. I found this other blog with a recipe. They say it doesn't even leave a mess on your hands. http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/07/homemade-sidewalk-chalk.html

Paula Dean Designs

I have a website called Paula Dean Designs where you can find two free knit baby hat patterns, two free crochet baby hat patterns, and a free knit lacy cabled washcloth pattern that I wrote. http://www.pauladeandesigns.com/index.htm

My middle name really is Dean, a shortened version of my grandmother's name, Naidean. I don't cook like the famous Paula Deen on Food Network. I don't use all the butter that she uses and I rarely use salt (unless it is some kind of baked good and is important in the chemistry of its rising). However, I caught part of a show, just before commercial, where they showed a picture of what she is going to cook after the commercials. It looked like there was a burger, egg, and bacon between two glazed doughnuts. Surely I was mistaken. I had to watch. People don't put hamburgers on glazed doughnuts. As I watched, in horror and amazement, I found myself thinking....it needs a slice of cheese. That was it. I turned off the TV. Someday I do want to make this “Lady's Brunch Burger” that I watched her make, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paulas-home-cooking/the-ladys-brunch-burger-recipe/index.html and I am going to put cheese on it even though Alton Brown said (right after he signed my cookbook) that it wouldn't work, that everything would slide off.

Blackwork

This lacy shadow reminds me of blackwork. When you look at something, how you interpret what you see is a glimpse of who you are inside (what's in your brain and in your heart),  unless somebody else points out a different perspective. The Rorschach test is an example of this. My husband's friend, forensic psychologist, C. Van Rosen, said that the Rorschach test was the purest look into the inside of someones mind. He also said that people usually accuse others of the things they do or think themselves.

Blackwork embroidery 1530s and 1590s.png

 

  

Blackwork is a form of embroidery using black thread. Any black thread can be used, but firmly twisted threads give a better look than embroidery floss.

Operation Repo

Operation Repo starts again tonight. I really like this show. The characters are definitely characters. However, it's the theme of the show that attracts me to it. The idea that people don't get away with making commitments that they do not keep. Don't get me wrong. I've been through hard times too, and I understand that sometimes the money isn't there. But then arrangements should be made and those new commitments should be kept. Just ignoring the bill (that you created, that was optional) and not making the payments is the same as lying and stealing. If you know you can't afford it, don't buy it. If hard times happen and you know you can't keep up the payments, give it back. Follow through with your commitments. Understand that there are responsibilities that come with the choices you make.

I have learned over the years that people have money for the things they want. I know a man who does free computer work for people at his church that “can't afford it”. Those same people seem to be able to find a way to go on vacation, or to buy a new car, or go out to eat, and yet they are always crying poor to him to get their computer work done for free. He often calls my husband when he runs into a problem that he cannot solve. This is annoying to me because I feel like if he wasn't fixing their computers for free then they would find the money to get them fixed by some computer place in town (even if it is the cheapest place). His free help is ultimately stealing money from some company that could pay an employee. It's like competing with a business without having to do all the paper work, pay all the taxes, or get any licenses. My husband helps him anyway because they are friends and he is doing it with a spirit of love and giving and he will be blessed accordingly despite the ingenuous people crying poor.

I am looking forward to watching this spirited show tonight. I wonder how Sonia will wear her hair in tonight's episode. I wonder what crazy way she'll do her make-up. I wonder if Matt will be in those goofy overalls again. And Lyndah reminds me of my little sister. They have a similar look and she is young enough that she thinks she knows everything. I don't care if this show is real or if it is staged. I like seeing that not everybody who lies and cheats gets away with it.

Great White Shark

Great white sharks I drew. Mint chocolate chip cookies cooling in the background.   

Spring Break is Coming

Spring break is coming soon. Ugh. I don't mind having the kids home. They're great. It's the, “Let's go to the beach, mom.” that I'm dreading. I don't like swimming with sharks and jellyfish. I don't like burning in the sun on the beach. I don't like the sand getting in everything we bring. I don't like the wind blowing my hat off. I do, however, enjoy painting pictures at the beach and the kids do have a lot of fun. The vitamin D from the sun is a good thing (if we can keep from frying to a crisp). I have a cute little leather, long skinny purse that holds my paintbrushes, watercolor paints, paint pencils, etc. I can put watercolor paper, an empty cup (I don't need water for painting – we are at the beach), and a notebook in a bag to carry along. My phone has a camera. Maybe I'll get some good pictures. I could knit/crochet an art afghan beach scene. I need to find a loose long-sleeve blouse to wear (I melted in the one I wore last year). I can wear my jeans, a wide brimmed hat, and some sandals. I just need to chill a few water bottles a day ahead and buy new sunscreen (ours is a year old). We'll have fun, at least for a little while. Usually about half an hour after we get our towels and stuff all set out, I'm ready to go home. When it's windy, it doesn't seem as hot, but then I have to hold my hat with one hand and do everything else with only the other hand. I wonder which of my kids' friends we are going to bring with us this time.

Why do people tan themselves on purpose? Isn't tanning a process used to turn skins into leather? I don't want my skin to look or feel like leather.

Tatter's Guild Meeting

To go,

Today is the monthly Tatter's Guild meeting.

I like those ladies.

I like seeing what everybody else has tatted.

The meetings that I go to inspire me.

It's raining today.

Husband volunteered to drive me there.

or not to go? 

This is my husband's one day off this week.

I love my husband.

We'll probably do chores, fix something or run errands, or we might sit around & do nothing.

I don't like to drive, especially in the rain.

I ache all over from Friday's workout.
 

Yesterday, I tatted this heart. It is only 2-inches wide because I used size 80 thread. The circles in the middle reminded me of daisies. That is why I chose these colors. 

http://freespace.virgin.net/bo.hanson/Tatting/SuesHeart/SuesHeart.htm

 

Daisies

Lazy, hot, summer day daisies.

He-loves-me, he-loves-me-not daisies.

White petaled, yellow middled daisies.

In my grandma's backyard daises.

As a child I played there daisies.

Scarey bees buzzed around those daisies.

Cherished memories belong to daisies.

Still my favorite flowers are daisies.

I wrote this poem on April 20, 2000.

Sweet Dreams Baby

My sweet babe fell asleep

                in my arms.

The day was too long.

It outlasted his charms.

I wish I could hold him

                all night long,

But he’s getting heavy,

And I’m not that strong.

Gently I lay him down

                in his bed.

Goodnight my dear child.

May sweet dreams fill your head.

He lays there so peaceful,

                so quiet, so calm,

Beside his new bunny

That fell from his palm.

Not a care in the world,

                at least not tonight.

He’s such a joy,

My little delight.

I wrote this poem, November 9, 2000.

Children Keep You Young

Children wear you out and make you feel old, but they are constantly learning, experiencing, and discovering new things. They are excited and amazed by simple things that we've become accustomed to and take for granted.

Flowers are pretty, even the flowering weeds in the grass. Those flowering weeds are fun to pick, and carry around, and play with. It's a whole field of flowers. We don't even look at them. They're weeds. A little girl looks at the grass and sees, “Wow!” a field of flowers. Clouds are amazing when they are moving across the sky. An airplane is something that deserves stopping what you're doing to watch. Stars twinkle. The man in the moon can see you.

I have a granddaughter. If I had a grandson, my examples may be different, but the result is the same. Children get excited about the little things that we overlook. They love to do the mundane things we trudge through. Little children love to help us carry laundry to or from the machine. Throwing dirty clothes in the washer is fun. Matching socks and trying to help fold clothes is fun. Handing clean silverware to Oma from the dishwasher is fun. Dusting is fun. Sweeping with a broom taller than they are is fun. Actually, it's not the chore that is fun, the fun is doing it with you. Get them involved. Let them be helpful. Praise their efforts instead of ignoring them and yelling at them as they find inappropriate ways to entertain themselves. Little kids can't actually fold anything and the whole time they are helping to empty the dishwasher you’re freaking out inside, hoping you can get to the breakable things before they do. But they are totally worth all the anxiety and effort (even if you have to refold everything when they are not looking). They are involved, they feel special. They belong to the family. They are learning that you think they can help, that you think they can do things. 

 

Don't dismiss them because they are too little to do something alone and unsupervised as well or as quickly as you can do it without their help. They want to be involved. They want to belong. They want to do good and be helpful. But also, let them be babies (2 yr olds). Play with their toys with them. Read stories to them. Sing songs with them. Let them be part of the family, even the part that does the chores. Don't just sit them in front of the television. Put forth the extra effort to find a way to incorporate them into everything you need to do. Get off the phone, stop the continual texting, and communicate with your child. Otherwise, you are teaching them that your phone/computer/book/knitting (whatever you're doing without them that they have to keep interrupting) is more important to you than they are.

Stay young. Get off your butt, go for a walk with your little one and discuss everything you see along the way. Listen to the birds. Notice the airplane flying overhead. Point out the different colors of flowers (and weeds) that you see along the way. Get excited and amazed by the simple things with them. When you get back home, sit down and have a glass of water together. Draw a picture of a flower together. Let them scribble all over it. Then both of you can get back to those mundane chores. Smile. Laugh. Enjoy. Stay young.

“How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers.” -Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Heart-shaped puddle

 

I never would have noticed this small indentation in the asphalt if it hadn't rained.

“The drop of rain maketh a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling.” -Hugh Latimer

Wheat, enriched or enervated?

… If someone stole your wallet with $200 in it, your favorite snap shots, credit cards, and driver's license, and returned your emptied wallet, license, and 20 cents for car fare to you, would you consider yourself enriched? There are 33 nutrients in the wheat germ that have been removed from the flour and every one of them is essential to the assembly line that keeps your body running on all cylinders. In the so called “enrichment” process, only three of these nutrients are put back—and these in only one-third of the original amount, and in a synthetic form which is not well utilized.

… wheat germ is full of life-giving nutrients that, before flour was refined, made bread the staff of life.

… It's been removed from your bread, cakes, crackers, cookies, bagels, noodles, and dry cereals. You know why? Because wheat germ supports life. Therefore, it spoils more readily. Without the wheat germ, flour has longer staying qualities, longer shelf life, and can be shipped more readily all over the world. It is commercially expedient to remove the wheat germ from the flour.

Kinderlehrer, Jane. (1971/1972). Confessions of a Sneaky Organic Cook or, How to Make Your Family Healthy When They're Not Looking! (1^st ed.). New York: The New American Library, Inc.

I usually try to avoid store bought or commercially made bread. I make bread at home so my children can take sandwiches to school. I figure that even though my homemade bread isn't full of nutrition, it has no preservatives or additives either. When we eat out, I am the weird one who eats her sandwich inside out. I leave the bread or the bun for last, then don't eat it at all if I'm full. Sometimes I exchange calories. I leave the non-nutritious calories of the bread, and instead enjoy the fries (which are potatoes and might have a little bit of nutrition) or a small dessert or anything else yummy that I like better than bread.

High-fructose corn syrup makes you fat

I read a study done by a Princeton University research team that led me to the conclusion that high-fructose corn syrup makes you fat. My summary of the study is that if you drink soda (with high-fructose corn syrup) and I drink Kool-Aid (that I made using sugar) with similar calories to your soda, and we both eat the same (right amount of calories for our bodies) healthy diet; you will be fat and I won't be fat.

Soda, fruit juices, cereal, bread, yogurt, ketchup and mayonnaise also contain high-fructose corn syrup.

I recommend that you take two minutes to read this study and draw your own conclusion.

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

Peach Roses

I had peach roses at my wedding, so I crocheted some peach roses yesterday and made this cotton rose dishcloth this morning. http://chisako3.exblog.jp/9666904 I can use it tomorrow to wash all the dishes from baking bread and muffins. Tomorrow is Day 10 of my Amish Friendship bread starter.

 

Happy Anniversary

Today is my 23^rd anniversary. 

 

After I divorced my first husband and had to move back home, I prayed and told/asked God that if I'm supposed to get married again, He'd have to bring the right man to me because I was not going to look for a husband. But if I was supposed to get married, I would like him to be responsible, dependable, hard-working, diligent, faithful, honest, educated, have manners, love me and my son, and be a good father to my son. I added that it would be nice if he was good-looking enough that I wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with him in public and really cool if he was 6'3” tall. 

 

I got everything I asked for and even more good things than I ever could have imagined. He is actually handsome, and is also 6'3” tall. 

 

Our parents set us up. They met because of church and found out that they had similar aged children. His sister and my brother did not hit it off, but he and I were meant to be together.

I love this pattern

I love this pattern, Spanish Armada, by MMario.  It ends up being about 40-inches square when it's finished.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spanish-armada

I'm knitting one with leftover blue sock yarns for myself, and a very soft baby blue one for a gift.

Analytical

I am an analytical.

I love numbers and lists.

I love things in alphabetical order.

I often get caught up in details.

I am a perfectionist.

If I can’t do it right, I don’t do it at all.

I infer my high personal standards on others.

I am usually blunt, and unintentionally harsh.

I do not need the approval of many to thrive.

I give only a select few people my trust and confidence.

I am loyal to those select few.

I am an analytical.

I am some blend of analytical and amiable.  I do love lists.  I do love numbers.  I am always trying to keep the peace and make everybody happy.  I care about others and about their feelings, but I do not like to deal with my feelings.  I expect perfection from myself and others.  For example, I took some continuing education classes at my nearby university.  I studied and I made a 98 in one class and a 100 in another.  I do not understand why a person would pay for a class, buy the books, take time out of their schedule to attend class, and then not study.  I hold people accountable for their choices.  They deserve a bad grade.  Not studying is a choice and a bad grade is the result.  Also, all my spices are in alphabetical order.  They are easy to find and I like them that way.  Even though they are behind closed cupboard doors and nobody can see them, it gives me peace to know they are in perfect order.  That might be why I like knitting, crocheting, and tatting.  The patterns generally fit some kind of formula.  They are a blend of numbers and art.  I married an Analytical Expressive.  I think he has helped draw out the analytical part of me that has always been underneath lurking around.

Life is Good . . . and Expensive

house payment

second mortgage
water
electric
gas
cable tv/internet/phone
cell phones
home owner's insurance
property tax
car payment
car insurance
car tags
gasoline
groceries
clothes/shoes
uniforms
school supplies/fees
gifts – birthdays/anniversaries/Christmas
hobbies & entertainment
pets – food/vet
doctor/dentist/prescriptions
health insurance
health club membership
life insurance
car maintenance/repairs
home maintenance/repairs

Uffdah!
Did I forget anything?
Life is expensive.

Give up and Quit

When the going gets tough, quit. We always want to take the easy route. When things aren't going the way we want, hope, or expect them to go, we want to throw in the towel and quit. When we are subjugated with new unwanted rules, it is in our nature to rebell or quit.



An animal reacts out of instinct. Some animals learn to modify this instinct to please an owner. For example, a dog can learn to resist his urge to (pee on the furniture) mark his territory. However, if you bring in another animal, the dog's immediate reaction will be totally instinctual. His reaction depends on his temperament, his character, and his personality.


People have a version of instinctual behavior. This is most evident in little children. They smile when they are happy, they throw things that they don't want, they spit out yucky food, they fall on the floor and cry when they don't get their way. But as a human being, we learn, rationalize, reason, and adapt. We grow beyond acting on our first impulse. It's understandable (and almost cute) when an 18 month old throws a temper tantrum. Not so much, when a 4 year old does the same thing. It is in our nature, and is usually our first reaction, to want to scream, break something, or give up and quit.

Doing homework: “I don't get it! The answer is not in here! I'm not doing it!” 
Playing football with neighbor kids: Loosing child gets mad, takes his football and goes home 
Playing a board game: Person loosing badly gets mad, flips the game over, pieces fly everywhere.

This is childish behavior. Most of us grow up. We put away childish behavior. We learn to persist and prevail. “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” -Vince Lombardi


I am not a quitter. I won't engage you in an altercation. It doesn't mean I agree with you. It doesn't mean I give up.

April Flowers

April's birth flower is the daisy which conveys innocence, loyal love, and purity. It is also a flower given between friends to keep a secret; the daisy means "I'll never tell." The other April flower is the sweet pea. Sweet peas signify blissful pleasure, but are also used to say good-bye.

http://www.almanac.com/content/birth-month-flowers-and-their-meanings

I met my husband on April Fool’s Day, 24 years ago.

Yesterday, I baked 3 loaves of Amish Friendship Sourdough Bread

http://www.armchair.com/recipe/amish/amish025.html

and I crocheted this daisy hot pad from this free pattern.

http://www.free-crochet.com/detail.html?code=FC01121

 

The daisy is my favorite flower and April Fool’s Day was good day.