Fluff, Not Fat.....

I see my girls as fluffy.....my older son moos at Sassy when he sees her. I'm not amused. I think they are not at all fat, especially Sassy, who is long haired. 

Both kitties are well fed, but not "fat", so I was more than surprised when I read the vet's report on Cammy. It said, "Overweight Female, with healthy coat and tarter free teeth.....

 I am hearing that little girl's voice on Full House...."How Rude!!!"  Cammy agrees!

I have been quilting up a storm on the baby 9 patch. 

I set a goal of a minimum of 2 blocks a day, but am trying to do more like 4.....

Once I reach my goal, I can work on some of my own projects.

I actually finished the quilting on this little, Simply Charming, 9 patch, but still need to bind it. I'll do that tomorrow. I am starting the blocks for my Secret Sister quilt tomorrow too, so more machine work. 

And since, I don't want my own medical record to match Chamomile's, I have been eating a lot of salads, and I found these toppings that really make them wonderful!!!

I cut up some Gala apple too, and it tasted so good! I think I will try the Honey Almonds next time! 

Have a blessed Lord's Day!!!

A Full Post

This post will be all over the place! I have a little bit of everything to share. You can tell by the above picture who is here for the weekend!!! Sassy always claims TJ's carseat for her nap time! The grandkids arrived this afternoon, and though they will spend some time during the day with their daddy, they will be here til Sunday. Daddy has to work Saturday to make up for the "snow day" his warehouse had because of the blizzard. Sad for him to miss the time with his children (he will have all day Sunday til bedtime with them) but I am blessed to have them for an extra day ;)

Only at Grandma's house do you eat banana's with a fork!! No choking on my watch!!!
Emerson has not decided if she is right, or left handed yet. She is sure getting BIG....she looks like a little girl instead of a baby now. Those who knew my son at that age will see him in her face very strongly.
While I was making dinner, she asked me "Whatcha making, Grandma?" clear as a bell...I told her "Spaghetti." She said, "Spaghetti? Oh, cool." LOL Love that girl!Her brother was off playing cars and "guys" with Zach! Speaking of Zach, he did a cool Science experiment on condensation last week.Homeschool is progressing, though we did have a couple of days off this week. We took "Snow Days" I know....but all the neighborhood kids were home, so we played hooky too. This is what we had to look at.....and it's still there.
That is a 5 foot fence back there and the swingset (squint) is pretty much buried! We were trapped for more than a day before the plows dug us out. What a snow fall that was....and the wind.....goodness, it was awful.
Sassy was a bit freaked out by all the snow piled up the sliding glass door. She is use to looking out, but had to stand on her hind legs to get a view.
Otherwise, she was not phased. She is carrying an extra layer of "something" for winter, so she is happy. Every morning she gets a can of Fancy Feast. She is waiting for me to get up and we have our routine.....when it is all said and done, this is what that fat girl leaves behind.....

Look at that mess! Everyday, I have to clean that up! Oh well...she is happy and satisfied. Once she eats, she bathes. I have never seen a cat who likes to bathe more than Sassy!! Here is what you get if you try to pet her during her bath time.... She means business!We are all eating pretty good around here. I am making healthier choices though....and hey, I learned something recently. See this tri-colored pepper???
You know how all fresh produce has a sticker on it? Well if the numbers are 5 digits and start with a 9, it means it is organic....if it starts with an 8, that means it is genetically altered (don't buy it)....a number that is 4 digits and starts with any other number is not organic, but not altered and needs to be washed in a veggie/fruit rinse. Cool info, eh?

I made a batch of homemade Ranch dressing to go with our salad. It is SO good. Much better than bottled dressing with all the MSG!Today I baked a couple of breads. Whole Wheat Challa bread........and a pan of pull apart bread for our Spaghetti dinner....We know man does not live by bread alone, so I have been spending some good time in study, feasting on His Word. 2 Peter has been a place of needed instruction for me, and Psalm 119 is my memory goal, so I am spending good time there also. God is so faithful to give us exactly what we need, just when we need it. We all suffer loss, but knowing God will pay back that which is lost when we step out and obey His instructions....well, it is His love in action. I am no longer a mother in law. The divorce is final now, and I am settling into that idea. God is full of mercy and grace and I am confident that what is meant for bad will be used for good to bring glory to Him who, still, to this day, sits on the throne. That is a fact that is easily forgotten.....

Now I am resting in the knowledge that His will is not deterred by human error, nor is His love so short handed.

Changes....

Lots of changes going on here. Once again, my grandkids are no longer just down the road. They, and their mommy moved about an hour away. I see them every Friday, and every other Friday I have them overnight. Divorce is so hard, but I am happy that everyone concerned is working hard to do what is best for those babies....they feel loved and safe. Emerson strapped herself in her car seat, right next to Sassy, who LOVES TJ's car seat. She makes it her bed every Friday evening.

More changes....our diet. We are adding more raw foods, and getting rid of more preservative. The kids are going off their ADHD meds (PRAY for us) and processed sugar is history.
We still have some favorites....homemade pizzas made with whole wheat tortillas.
Homemade whole wheat bread....the kids love this. The bread slicer my mom bought me in Amish country is a blessing.The kids have been on a puzzle binge...Kyle took pictures and asked me to share these on my blog, so here they are....The Lemongrass soap picture is up on the Spiced Cakes website. It smells so good!!! All the soaps will be ready to ship on Tuesday, so place your orders now. The kids and I are not the only ones needing diet changes...
While shopping for her food, my oldest son remarked that Sassafras needed the weight control formula. She doesn't think so, yet, what she doesn't know won't hurt her! Poor girl jumped up to a stool the other day and didn't quite make it...the entire stool came crashing down. She escaped without injury, but her lean jumping days are over!
Praying you have a blessed weekend....thanks for popping in!

Family Harmony

Not a whole lot going on here worth blogging about. I have 2....TWO...blocks left to quilt on the Hidden Star. It will be finished by this time tomorrow. SO glad to be done with this one. It will be bound and washed and put up for Christmas.

Meet my new best friends..... My son's friend has chickens (the exact ones in the picture) which produce the most wonderful organic eggs. His prices are much cheaper than the stores, and they are the nicest eggs! Clean, and fresh and so good! Some of you have asked me what is "eating clean". I will be honest. I have not quite figured it all out yet, and I am by no means eating completely clean....I still love my Road Ranger Diet Coke, and my Splenda and powdered creamer laden decaf coffee.....I know those are ALL LOADED with plastics and chemicals, but I am taking small steps to cleaning up my diet. Organic eggs, lots of fresh veggies and berries (I am not eating any other fruits just yet) and some grass fed beef straight off the farm are helping me. I am not eating breads, pastas, potatoes, or any sugar at all. I did have a cream-filled, chocolate covered Long John from Swiss Maid Bakery....they are to die for...literally, I think you can die from them they are SO bad for you, but they taste SO good. Anyway, I felt the effects of that Long John for 3 days!! No more. UGH...it was not worth it.

Well, like I said...nothing worth blogging about. Without going into detail, prayers for family harmony are appreciated this time of year. It has been a rough season already. I find that I am less and less compassionate and patient with each year...I tend to actually get a bit ticked off about the whole ordeal. Not a flattering commentary on myself....Pray for me in this.

No pics of Sass this time, but let me tell you, she is a joy to have around. I can pick her up and have her purring "I love you" 's in a matter of seconds. For not being a real cat person, she sure has stole my heart....silly cat!

I want to leave you with some wonderful sounds....I have this CD on my list....WONDERFULLY uplifting music!!

Let The Sunshine In

It has been freeeeezing in my house. Footies and sweaters and extra quilts at night have been the norm. We are not ready to turn the heat on just yet. This afternoon the sun came in and raised the thermostat high enough to open the windows!

My childhood neighbor just turned 99 last month. Lou was such a huge part of my childhood. She is a quilter and has dozens of quilt tops waiting for her to tie...she prefers to tie them. She offered one to me. I will be hand quilting it.
It is a "Trip Around the World" pattern and though it does not lay flat in most places, her points are perfect. If I am doing this well at 99 I will be content! I know the "puffs and puckers" will quilt down just fine. What a treasured gift!
My 15 pound block for The Fat Quilt will probably be another week or two. I have slipped....the last couple of days I have fallen off the eating clean wagon. It was not worth it. I sure can feel the difference. No more...I am back on.

I even have fresh veggies all cut up and ready to grab for an omelet or salad...makes it hard to just not do it right.My son's friend has organic eggs at $2.50 a dozen. WOOHOO! I eat 2-3 eggs a day, so that is good. My kids LOVE eggs too.

Tonight my crockpot has sauce simmering for spaghetti and the bread machine has dough rising for pull apart bread. It is one of my family's favorite dinners. I will be having lean ground beef, low fat cottage cheese and a nice salad.

Have you all entered my giveaway? If not, it is in the post just below this one. Even if you are not a quilter, you could make pillows, or use the panel and fabric I am giving away to make an apron...the possibilities are endless. You can also click on the scarecrow in that post and find 150 other giveaways. I have found some inspiring blogs while visiting....I am only 1/2 way through the list so far!

Hope you all are having a productive and enjoyable week. My bread machine is beeping at me....time to go make bread!

A Quiet Sunday

Fall has certainly arrived. Our trees are beginning to turn and the air is crisp. Soup and chili are finding their way onto the menu. Sweetheart took Zach out to the farm where he grew up. Much work to do out there and he needed the extra hands. I am spending my day quietly doing hand work. I had quilt group yesterday and I walked in ready to enjoy my time of sewing and fellowship. As I headed back to the back room, Kay said, "Hi Brenda. How are you?" I replied, "Just fine", and headed back to the classroom where we meet. A beautiful woman approached me and asked if I was Bren...I think she said Bren, maybe it was Brenda. Either way, I told her I was and she introduced herself to me. Joanne!!! Over 3 years ago, I had "met" Joanne on an online Flylady Quilters group. She shared her blog, Rockin' on the Porch, with me and I read it, along with others from her comments and blog list. I was HOOKED. I started Pieces From Me soon after. So I finally got to meet my blogging mentor! We hugged and spent the next 2 hours talking and sharing with the other ladies in the group. Joanne just had carpal tunnel surgery so she did not sew, but I can not wait to see her creations in person....she is coming back (I hope!) Joanne started a new blog last summer (just like me) when her sweet Bill passed away. New beginnings....you can find her at Attitudes and Gratitudes. What a great spirit she has. I so wished I had my camera with me!

Instead of taking the Hidden Star to quilt group I had planned to take the wool. Well, I did not have the right background. So instead I took my hexagons. I had attached 2 of the 70 I have basted, but was not happy with the outcome. I could see my stitches. One of the girls at quilt group is doing hexagons and promised to help me. It was a matter of thread color...that was it.

I decided I would work on these at group only, but liked them so much, I decided to take a hand quilting break (for only a couple of days) and work on these at home too. (See the fabric they are laying on? That is the background I picked up for the wool.) I have 2 full rows put together.
Another project I was whipping up has not gone as smoothly as desired. Look at this!!!!!
UGH!!! I will be froggin for sure! Rip it! Rip it! For today, this quiet, stress-free Sunday, I will whip stitch hexagons!
Kyle is having a PJ, movie day, and Charlotte is spending her day stitching a new towel I prepared for her. Christmas gifts are well under way!Food. Let's talk about the food thing for a minute. I got the new book, "This Is Why You Are Fat" by Jackie Warner. I won't put a picture on because the cover is very immodest, but let me say the content (minus the phrases "hot" and "se*y" every once in a while) is packed full of wonderful information. I am a fitness/diet/health book fanatic, and I must say this is by FAR the best one I have read yet. So of course it says eat clean....and organic....and that is impossible here. Organic is not financially feasible at this time. Clean...I can, maybe, do that. Still I can afford a few items that are organic. Some produce and eggs for starters.
Some of you asked exactly what I am doing. I am doing what works for my body. Low Carb (not high fat or high protein). It does good things for me. For me, it corrects high blood pressure, low/high blood sugars, and cholesterol levels (good and bad) come into normal range, plus I lose at a nice pace....1-3 pounds a week. I am also exercising.....UGH! So far I am doing a 2 mile power walk 6 days a week, but may change that to do Jackie Warner's workout in the book. It looks TOUGH, so we'll see.

I am also a Splenda freak. I guess eating clean means getting rid of Splenda. Not sure I can do that completely, but I did get some Truvia. It is ok....I like the chemical fizz I get from Spenda, but then what are ya gonna do??!! I treated myself to some flavored coffee this afternoon....I added Truvia to my Splenda French Vanilla, so that was better than the extra spoonful of Splenda I would have added. Only 1 more pound til I can make my 15 pound block for the fat quilt!
Sassy has fallen in love with a box.She rubs her face on it and purrs loudly. Finally, she climbs in and takes a snooze.CrAzY cat!
Hope you are all having a quiet Sunday too!

"The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet"
Isaiah 14:7a