Musings from the Sugar Bush: Christmas stockings

Showing posts with label Christmas stockings. Show all posts

Thursday, January 7, 2016

I just heard that the government is cracking down on the amount of sugar we should be consuming and easing up on coffee and salt. Actually, the government is the last place I'd go for diet advice, but glad to hear they are catching up. After all, I am pretty sure that coffee is a food group.

Yesterday I went to lunch with two friends. It was a pleasant time! Afterwards I stopped in at the office at St. Mary and chatted with a couple of former co-workers. The ache is starting to heal a bit. I stopped in because I am working on a scent blend that smells like Chrism and I wanted an opinion on how close I am. Todd will be ordained to the permanent deaconate in 2017 and a former Shepherd student will be ordained to the priesthood. Diane and Todd both liked the scent, but I want to tweak it a bit more. I decided to go to the staff party on Sunday. I am ready to heal. I have also decided to remain in the Diocesan choir.

Wednesday nights are Word and Communion services at St. Patrick. I have decided to attend those. I like the people and the fellowship. Clay and Claire went with Harold and I.

Last night I bottled the rest of the Peppermint foaming soap and today I made a batch of Country Apple.

I have been having a ball designing labels. I have started purchasing from a company online that has templates for the labels. It is much easier to keep organized and to experiment with new designs. They may be a bit more expensive, but the time I save trying to use PSE is worth something.

I just finished the stocking order that came in a few days ago. They need to be sewn and made ready to ship. I also forced myself to go up into the attic and organize and sort my inventory.

I ordered a graphic for a grungy jar candle that I want to make available at the Shepherd Maple Syrup festival - but before I do that I gave myself one major project for the day. I have to sort and put away the laundry. Tomorrow the Christmas stuff gets put away. I leave the winter decor out until Lent so basically the tree and the Santa stuff has to go. The porch lights stay.

Today I am getting my diet under control. With the stress at the church over the last few months, I did a lot of stress eating and gained about 20 pounds. Need to get on the stick with that.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Exciting news. Our webhost, DIY Estores, is hosting an online craft show. You can avoid the hustle and bustle, enjoy a cup of cocoa and go shopping in your jammies!

Join in the fun and join us in November for the EZ Craft Show

Word of the day:
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B
Saint(s) of the day : St. Mark, pope († 336)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 10:2-16.

The Pharisees approached and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted him to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother (and be joined to his wife), and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." In the house the disciples again questioned him about this. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Started the day with a staff meeting. That's always fun. The day gets better from there. LOL! I copied some music for the Christmas choir folders, assembled music packets for the student instrumentalists who will be joining us this Christmas, came home and looked at the messy house and proceeded to ignore it.

December 1 finds me still playing catch up, but I am slowly getting there. I actually made a batch of peppermint patty soap today.

I made a batch last night - tried to oven process it - it wasn't pretty. It will eventually end up in the old crock pot and be re-batched. I had a customer who wanted it and I thought I could oven process it and she would have it for Christmas. I haven't ruined a batch of soap in a couple of years. Oh well, keeps me humble.

I also made 6 lamps, 2 batches of room spray, a batch of honey blossom candles, delivered an order, packaged up another order for shipping, assembled a large order for another customer, answered a third email asking us if we're still making stockings for this year (we aren't), made a dent in the dungeon cleanup, assembled folders for the Mass tomorrow with the school kids, and I need to make a couple of stockings. All-in-all, a good day's work.

Word of the Day:
Thursday of the First week of Advent
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 7:21.24-27.

Jesus said to his disciples: «Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

Monday, November 28, 2011 - It's Cyber Monday and my anniversary

Today is my anniversary! At 7:00 pm tonight it will be 11 years since I put out my last cigarette!
The tree is up and decorated. Here are a few pics from the fun. They look slightly bored, don't they. Claire is wearing her "tree decorating crown."

Of course, we had to stop for a snack. They raided Grandpa's birthday present.

.
Clay stole Claire's crown. A minor skirmish ensued.

Meghan and Madison found a surprise when they got here this morning.

I have finally finished the last of the website stocking orders that have to go out by the 30th. We still have a few odds and ends orders, but for the most part, the stress is off. This afternoon I will finish putting together the choir folders, make a couple batches of fudge, a couple batches of white chocolate chex mix and December should find me ready to enjoy the season. Now if Madison would just quit singing "Trick or Treat, smell my feet."

Just a reminder that the Cyber Monday sale is going strong on Etsy
In order to take advantage of this promotion, you will need to add this code to your shopping cart when you check out, "OFGthanksyou2011".
Under the payment area in your shopping cart, it will say "apply shop coupon code", click on that and enter the code.

The percentage discount the shop is offering will automatically be deducted during checkout for all the items in your cart (except for shipping).

Make sure you do not place the code in the comments section - it will not work.
Here is the list of participating shops offering 10% or more discount on your order.
(Thank you, Barb at Barb's Heartstrokes for providing the above instructions)

Shop handmade this year - you'll be glad you did!

Word of the day
Monday of the First week of Advent
Saint(s) of the day : St. James of the Marches, Franciscan Priest (1394-1476)

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him,
saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven,

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Oh happy day! Stopped at Walmart on the way home from church and found Sugar Free Peppermint Mocha coffee creamer. Whoo hoo. Doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

Well, tomorrow is cyber Monday and our OFG team is gearing up for a sale in our shops.
Some of the team members of the Etsy Old Farmhouse Gathering team are offering discounts of 10% or more in their shops as a token of thanks to their valued customers. The offer is valid from Thursday, November 24 through Tuesday, November 29.

In order to take advantage of this promotion, you will need to add this code to your shopping cart when you check out, "OFGthanksyou2011".
Under the payment area in your shopping cart, it will say "apply shop coupon code", click on that and enter the code.

The percentage discount the shop is offering will automatically be deducted during checkout for all the items in your cart (except for shipping).

Make sure you do not place the code in the comments section - it will not work.
Here is the list of participating shops offering 10% or more discount on your order.
(Thank you, Barb at Barb's Heartstrokes for providing the above instructions)

Shop handmade this year - you'll be glad you did!

Word of the day:
First Sunday of Advent – Year B
Saint(s) of the day : St. Maximus, Bishop († 460), St. Virgil, Bishop († 784)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 13:33-37.

Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Well, our first craft show of the season is behind us. I'm always a little nervous about the first one - mainly because it is the furthest one away, and a bit hard to read. The rest of our shows are in this area where people know us. We did see some familiar faces yesterday and we are getting to know the Carson City regulars so that makes it fun. We didn't take as much to this one, but we still did better than the two previous years. It's funny because my soap just doesn't sell in Carson City, but the primitives do very well. The pantry side of the business isn't quite as high there either. But our last two shows of the season pretty much leave all of our inventory depleted. We have some very faithful supporters and they help us keep going. Each venue has its own personality and it is a challenge to decide what we will take to each show.

We got quite a few stocking orders the last few days. I did these this week, but still have about 10 to go in the batch. We are at over a hundred already which is good. I was a little worried about how these would sell since so many people are tightening their belts these days. Here is part of this week's batch of stockings.

It's fun to be a part of so many families' Christmas!

Word of the day:
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. John of Capistrano, Priest (1386-1456)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 22:34-40.

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested him by asking,
Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?
He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Monday, October 10, 2011

I am so far behind on this blog it isn't funny. Between changes at church (which is where I work when I'm not here doing Sugar Bush or Grandma stuff) and trying to get ready for craft shows, I don't know if I'm coming or going. The guys are in the fields which means I virtually have no life. One of the other farm wives said we are "Call girls." We don't dare start any kind of project because we are sure to get "called" from it to run someone somewhere or feed someone. This year the guys are using "organic" fertilizer. And by organic, I mean that it stinks royally around here. Hopefully, once it is chisel plowed it won't be a problem.

I had Meghan and Madison this morning and after they went home I had to run to Mt. P. because King H is out of coffee creamer. I didn't mind because I know how attached I am to MY morning coffee with creamer. I just received an order of coffee from another family business. Of course, it is my job to test our new products. OMG. Right now I am drinking decaf pumpkin spice. It smells like a coffee shop in here. If this doesn't sell, it won't break my heart because I am pretty sure I can handle using it myself. The other flavors are Maple Syrup, Apple Cobbler, Autumn Harvest, Caramel Apple and another that I can't think of at the moment.

When I got home from Mount Pleasant I had just enough time to finish a new grungy tealight that we will have available for the October shows. When I get a creative strike, nothing else gets done. Today was laundry day. It didn't get done. :) Last night I made a snowman tealight. I loved it so much,

that I had to do an autumn one. I love grungy primitives and these are very grungy. LOL!

Clayton had a soccer game today in Shepherd so I headed up there to watch it. Saw some family and friends, and a former student with her adorable baby. I love living in a small town.

We've been trying not to spend any more money than necessary, but I'm afraid we are keeping with our tradition of going into the fall craft shows in the hole. And I had a big shock last week when one of the organizers of one of our biggest shows said that she had not heard from us and did we still plan to be at the show. I found a copy of the information along with the check, but could find no record of the check being cashed. She said she didn't think we would be able to have the second space that we have had in the past. (We usually have a 10x10 and a 10x12) I was just sick. This is the Keepsake Collection show in Mt. Pleasant and we have begun to have a good following there. But she called back and said that she was able to get another 10x10 space. I am grateful it was available - and in the same place we've always been. I am so glad she thought to call us - that was above and beyond and I really appreciate it!!

At the moment we are caught up on Christmas stockings, but generally things start to jump around October 15. We shall see.

Monday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Church : In Canada : Thanksgiving Day
Saint(s) of the day : St. Francis Borgia, Priest (1510-1572)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11:29-32.

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, «This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Viet Nam war was the war of my childhood. It was a highly unpopular war and the servicemen who survived it arrived home to find more battles to fight. It was a sad, sad time in American history no matter what side of the aisle you happened to be on. Harold's brother, Lenard Moeggenborg was one who did not make it back. Today is the anniversary of his journey back to God.

It is also the anniversary of the death of another brother-in-law, Richard Packer, and of our last baby - Joseph Lewis.

Today I packed up a rather large order which included two of our small pip grubbies. I love to make these!

These were scented with Peppermint and they smell wonderful!! I delivered the order to the school and ran into several former co-workers. I love Shepherd. It is a beautiful little town. As someone who comes from the big city, I find it wonderful to have such a beautiful place in my life. After dropping Carol's order off at the school, I stopped that the bank and the post office. It is rare that I go to Shepherd and don't run into at least 2 or 3 relatives.

We received another stocking order off of Etsy today. That makes 4 this week. I can only wonder what September, October, and November will bring.

We are considering doing another show in October next year. This is one we've done before, but we have learned a lot about craft shows and feel that we could really do well if we were to go there again.

Word of the day:
Saint Bartholomew, apostle - Feast
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1:45-51.

Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth."
But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this."
And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Friday, June 17, 2011

I made a batch of Chai Tea candles yesterday and a batch of Chai Tea soap today. My cupcakes turned out a little lopsided, except for one of them. I hope the swirl turns out. I used cocoa as the darker color and some unscented batter with titanium dioxide in it. I WILL not cut it until Sunday. I WILL not cut it until Sunday.

I listed some new items on Artfire. This soap is called Wash Day. It smells to me like Mondays when I was a kid and the clothes dried on the line in the warm sunshine. It has a a "clean cotton" kind of scent to it.

I just paid for our ad in the upcoming issue of Country Sampler so the girls and I need to get on the stick and start working on the Christmas stockings!!

These are some face cloths I have been making. I hate to just sit and do nothing so when I'm riding in the car on a long trip or chatting at the table over coffee, I stitch these up.

Word of the day:
Friday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Herve, Abbot, (6th century)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 6:19-23.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Today I am going to do stockings all day long until I get caught up. Then I'll think about other stuff. But I will do the holiday mission!

Flylady's Holiday Mission #8

*************************************

Word of the day:
Saint Simon and Saint Jude, apostles - Feast
Today the Church celebrates : Sts. Simon and Jude, apostles (Feast)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:12-19.

In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

**************************************

We took the last stocking order from Ebay last night. This morning I found a query from someone who wanted stockings. If this order comes through, we will have made 144 stockings this season. That's over twice as many as last year. We have indeed been blessed. I want to get everything shipped by December 1.

I like to relax and enjoy the season in December, but there are still last minute business things to take care of; gift basket orders, website orders etc. In the first week of December I take stock of those things I need to do. What I will get the family, packaging up gift boxes for mailing, Christmas cards, not to mention all that is going on at church - children's choir, adult choir, additional Masses for Our Lady of Guadalupe, plus our advent reconcilliation services.

The snow covers the ground outside. It looks Christmasy. I have held off from playing any Christmas music yet, except for what is on this blog, but even that is not overtly Christmas. But on Friday, all the stops come out! Mannheim Steamroller will play from dawn to dusk. LOL!

Next week I need to get back on track with my workouts. When things get hectic, that is the only wiggle room I have time-wise, except for my blog time. I need that, though. I need to touch base with the word of the day in order to stay grounded.

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 21:12-19

Jesus said to the crowd:
“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,v brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
It's all about faith and trust. When fears set in we would do well to pray for an increase both.
Here is a little message about faith and trust, courtesy of 2 of our nieces (Laura and Kathlene) and their husbands (Ryan and Drew) who comprise the Christian drama group One Time Blind.

God bless our troops!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - Happy Birthday Jamie!

Today one of my favorite people celebrates his birthday. Jamie joined our family on April 15, 2005 in the form of Nicola's husband. LOL! Have a great day, Jamie. And save me some lasagna!

Well, I got the word from Clayton and Claire this morning. Given the choice between making cookie ornaments or cookies to eat, the unanimous decision was to make cookies of the eating kind. To quote Claire, "EAT EAT!" So Grandma needs to prepare her shopping list. Cookies of the eating kind require different ingredients than cookies of the ornament kind. My plan is to have the dough mixed and ready for Friday. The plan and the actuality will probably be vastly different, but no matter what, it is sure to be fun. Can you guess which one of these two cuties loves to have her picture taken? All you have to do is show her the camera and Claire says "Peas" and strikes a pose. Clayton - not so much.

I made 2 batches of cinnamon stick candles last night - one batch of jar candles, and one batch of pillars and tarts. The house smells - well - it smells cinnamony. The jar candles turned out beautifully. The tarts were great, the pillars look rustic. I am living my dream - making candles and soap. I love it! Speaking of soap, I haven't made any in weeks. Come December I need to re-stock.

Retirement from the school looms ever closer. I have mixed feelings, but all-in-all I am looking forward to it. On a day I can't remember, I suddenly became old. Well, older - less resistant to change. I am looking forward to having more time to do the things I love - quilting, soapmaking, candle making, and best of all, being Grandma. I will still be at the church so I won't be completely unemployed. I will have the best of both worlds. And, there is a possibility that they will need me from time to time at the school.

Word of the day: Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel Lk 21:5-11

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
The readings at this time of the year are in direct contrast to what we see going on in the world. Lights are hung to stave away the darkness that falls ever earlier as the days grow shorter. Furnaces are lit and fires burn in fireplaces to warm the air that grows ever colder. Christmas speaks of love, peace, and joy and yet we sometimes see very little of it as people scramble to prepare for the "perfect" Martha Stewart Norman Rockwell Better Homes and Gardens Christmas. In and of itself, there is absolutely nothing wrong with decorating and baking and shopping. These are all beautiful ways to celebrate the season and serve others. But underneath it all, if we're not careful, we can lose sight of the bigger picture. As we heard in Sunday's gospel, we are also expected to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the imprisoned. This can - and should - all be done in a spirit of love, peace, and joy. This year, let's not get so caught up in the wrappings and trappings that we forget the gift inside.

God bless our troops!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - Week 1 - Day 6 and Kimkins Rant

I'd like to start this morning by commenting on the latest events in the Heidi Diaz - Kimkins debacle. I don't spend a lot of time on Kimkins here on the blog because so many other bloggers have put it so much more eloquently and thoroughly than I ever could. However, as a veteran of the Lowcarb Friends board, having been there when the Almighty Heidi was holding court and snarking at anyone who dared to disagree with her highness, I am amazed that anything she does can still surprise me. Here is a woman who lured thousands of people to her website with the hope that they, too, could achieve fantastic losses on her diet. (Which, by the way, was an anorexic bastardization of the work of 2 prominent lowcarb phyisicians - Dr. Atkins and Dr. Stillman. )

Kimkins was featured in June of 2007 in a national magazine - Woman's World, which apparently has no more scruples than Ms. Diaz - and which attracted people who were willing to fork over $70 to learn how to starve themselves into looking like the woman in the magazine. The problem was, the woman in the magazine was not Heidi Diaz. The picture was stolen from a Russian Bride site. The hilarious thing is that the Russian bride who appeared in Woman's World was a totally different Russian Bride than the one Heidi had posted on her site. Heidi never lost weight. Never. The huge loss that she said she maintained for over 5 years was a lie. That's the gist of the story.

For those of us who have followed this whole thing from years ago when Heidi was a presence on the Lowcarb Friends board, the entire story takes more twists and turns than any fiction writer could dream up. Heidi has been in litigation for the last year defending her anorexic plan. Now she is trying to turn the tables and sue the women who exposed her for what she was, and most of whom suffered serious consequences for their belief in this "lying liar who lies. " It would be laughable if it weren't so sad. She is also suing the Lowcarb Friends board - an entity which allowed her a forum on which to spout her garbage. One has to wonder about a lawyer who would take on a case such as this. Defense is one thing, but this counter-suit is nothing short of obscene.

Enough of that. What goes around comes around.

Check out some of the blogs I have listed over to the right hand side of this page or, if you have a few spare hours, you can read the entire saga here starting here: http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/kimkins/502606-
why-fascination-kimmer.html
*****************************************************************

Oh wow! I woke up this morning to a huge whoosh on the scale. I should have seen it coming because I was dumping a lot of water yesterday. I feel really good. None of the sugar drop symptoms have appeared yet. Tomorrow is my last day on cycle 1. Wendy promises that once I get through this first week, the "diet" is over and a new lifestyle begins. I will be interested to see how the next seven weeks plays out. However, as I said at the beginning of this, my commitment if today and today only. Each day in its time.

My internet is running like a turtle today. I worked on some more stocking orders last night. I'm a little dismayed that we haven't had more traffic from Country Sampler. The hits we've had bounced right away. I saw the magazine in Walmart on Sunday, so it is out. I sure hope we at least recoup the cost of the ad. But it may be early yet. On the other hand, other traffic sources are doing well - especially Ebay. I've never had this many orders this early in the season before.

Type: Walk/jog
Route: Deadend and back
Time: 23 minutes
Average heart rate: 124
Maximum heart rate: 143
Down 4.8 from last Tuesday (whoo hoo!)

Great walk this morning! As I got to the corner I was greeted by shouts from my little cuties - the joys of living next door to your grandkids. Clay yelled out, "are you coming to visit us?" That was hard to pass up. Come retirement, I won't have to.

I think a pre-workout protein shake is going to be the norm from now on. I didn't really notice a difference yesterday, but yesterday was the first time I ever took weights on the road. But today? Wow! It made a huge difference as you can see from my stats.

I have to go in early to work today, but it's just an hour early.

Word of the day:
Memorial of Saint Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church
Gospel
Lk 9:51-56
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

Thoughts from the cornfield:
It was odd the Jesus and his disciples should be passing through Samaria on the way to the temple. This was a town that Jews avoided like the plague. There is an invitation occurring here. In entering the Samaritan village when all others would avoid it is an example of Jesus "reaching across the aisle" as it were. The disciples, who still haven't figured out the kind of Messiah with whom they were travelling, wanted to wreak destruction on these people. This is clearly above and beyond the "eye for an eye" teachings of the Scriptures at the time, because though the Samaritans did not welcome them, neither did they do them harm. No friendship was fostered in Samaria that day, but a seed may have been planted. We never know what kind of fruit our actions will bear, therefore it is good to think of this passage before acting. The world pays much more attention to what Christians do than to what Christians say. Jesus did much more than preach the Word - he was the Word.

God bless our troops!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Sheesh, the last two days I felt like I was run over by a bus. I suspect that I caught this cold at a wedding reception we went to last week because all of us who were there have come down with it.
Thursday I brought the kids here so Melisa could get some rest because she has it too. Little Claire was sniffling and sneezing. Clay sounds like he's stuffed up. Friday I played Mass in Shepherd - I don't know how I was able to sing, but I managed it by God's grace. Afterwards I watched the kids so Melisa could run errands. I came home and slept the rest of the day. Got up for a bit and then slept the night until 10 this morning. I still feel tired.

On the weightloss front:
I am trying something new and I am going to be mysterious about it for a week. I have a tendency to go great guns on stuff and then drop it by the wayside. So I am giving this a week before I say anything about it.

On the business front:
I ordered some more oils, silicone bulbs, and other stuff. I made some more jar candles and I am just loving the new wicks that I bought. No more soot in the air or on the jars when I extinguish the candles. I also made a really cute tealight pillar that I can't wait for the girls to see. I would post a pic, but my camera is still mia and Harold has the other one in Canada. Despite feeling crappy this week, I did manage to get 20 stockings made. Only 2 more weeks until the ad comes out. I am really excited!
(Hi Nina!)

Update:
I have changed my blog template - this setup is a little more user-friendly for me. I loved the old template, but I had to keep changing the font color because the default font was hard for me to read. What do you think of the new setup?

God bless the troops!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
Ummmm, I'm a little late with the blog today (sorry Kelli) but I got way off schedule.
I'm still struggling. Today I didn't feel well - a cold is coming on. I have absolutely no energy. At least now I know why. The last 2 days I have done wonderfully during the day and then caved at night.

On the home/business front:

It's been a totally busy day. Puttered here, puttered there. Finished up the 4 heart grubbies that a lady ordered last week. I can't believe I poured all four of them yesterday. (I have only one mold.) I love making these so I am always thrilled to get an order for them. All four of them were vanilla and my workroom smells wonderful. I tested them and then packaged them up so they are ready and waiting for when the customer comes to get them. While I was waiting for wax to melt, or cool, or whatever, I poured a batch of caramel apple jar candles for October's Applefest show.

I'm testing some new wicks and so far I really like them. They smoke a lot less when the flame is put out.

Last night I made a batch of Country Apple Soap so the upstairs smells like Country Apple. I may be sick of all things apple by the time our fall shows are done.

I was going to do a few more stockings tonight, but I am feeling nauseous so I think I'll just put my feet up and watch House. Have a great night all!

God bless the troops!

On the lowcarb front:
I have fallen behind in my blogging. We are getting ready to leave for vacation, and I have been frantically trying to get some stockings made ahead so my elves have something to work on while I'm gone. As far as lowcarbing goes, my Glycemic Load plan is looking more like Atkins Ongoing Weight Loss, but that's okay - it gives me a bit of a safety net - especially since meal planning will be a bit out of my control for the next week or so. My plan is to do the best I can since this has to be a way of life and not a temporary fix.

Once we are back from vacation, I intend to kick this lowcarb thing into full throttle. The new Biggest Loser season starts in September and I am hoping to have company on the journey during that season.

On the home/business front:
As I mentioned above, I am trying to get some stockings done for the upcoming ad that we have coming out. I changed the home page on our website and I'm sure people will think we have absolutely lost it, but it would be nice if our stocking season were spread out a bit more. I felt bad at having to turn people away last year. I am so used to thinking a season ahead what with music planning for the church and craft shows, that I forget that most people are living in the current season - and 90 degree weather just doesn't scream "order your Christmas Stockings."

Once vacation is behind us, the summer will rush full speed ahead into fall. I can't wait to try out our new tent for our first craft show of the fall season. With retirement from the school ahead of me, I will have more time to concentrate on the craft show stock etc.

Word of the day:
Feast day of St. Declan
St. Declan First bishop of Ardmore in Ireland July 24 Was baptized by St. Colman, and preached the faith in that country a little before the arrival of St. Patrick, who confirmed the episcopal see of Ardmore, in a synod at Cashel in 448. Many miracles are ascribed to St. Declan, and he has ever been much honored in the viscounty of Dessee, anciently Nandesi.
Matthew 13:10-12
Jesus said to his disciples: To those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Let those who have ears, hear.

God bless the troops!