Naughty or Nice?

Before my life was consumed with Inventories, I made a two page Christmas layout to teach at the Scrapbook Shoppe. It is on the calendar for January 8th. I have not be in to see how many spots are left (or even taken) The patterned paper is Three Bugs in a Rug. I used both sides though it is hard to tell in the picture. The gifts are cut out and popped up with foam squares. The font is a Sizzix called Cherished. I used red stickles, some bling, and some ribbon. Light blue and lime green card stock. Enjoy.

Weight Loss Update

Well I must admit, I was concerned about Thanksgiving. Yes, I cooked less, yes I had a plan but I also had pumpkin pie, Pecan Pie and skillet apples. I have to say I was proud of my self. I ate what I wanted. I did not over eat. I did not eat seconds. I did however get a great big dose of turkey coma. Lordy, Did I sleep. Right though a hockey game.

With the left over yummy veggies, I made a big pot of turkey veggie soup. That was tasty lunches for a week. Soup, Triscuts and fruit. YUM! YUM!

I gave my self a weigh in break over the holiday. Last week, didn't weigh in mostly because I was getting up every other day at 3 or 4 am for store inventories.

Then the next eating opportunity, the company Christmas Party. I filled up on water and made my choices count.

This morning I got up and weighed! Down one more pound. Not a lot you say...I say a pound is a pound is a victory.

I am pumped.

HP7 1 Review (spoilers)

Finally my friend Claire and I went to see HP7 Part 1. A big shout out Thank YOU to Ms. Liz for the treat of the movie and a snack. I really do appreciate it.

First I was disappointed that they glossed over the Dudley part at #4 Pivet Drive. I understand why they did it but, I always like the parts about the Dursely's. I like how they added in the bits of Ron and Hermione at the beginning. Showing Hermione erasing her parents memories.

The wedding part was good. I like who they cast for Bill but NO CHARLIE? wha??? why not? or did I miss it? I liked that Harry did not go undercover at the wedding and the part where Ron's Aunt goes on and on..that was very well done.

The part at the cafe was really good. It was short but I liked it. Also at the Black residence was well done. The parts with Kreacher I liked. I also liked how they added in Dobby there. That was a surprise.

Is there anyone who did not like how they compressed the "never ending camping trip" All the good parts were there pretty cool.

I do think however, the movie was compressed to such a point that if you have not read the book you might be a bit lost. I had to suppress a good many comments as Claire had not read the book. It does exactly what they need it to do, build up for the next movie which we all know....

Pre Thanksgiving Blog

Ta Da! I figured it out. You wont over eat on Thanksgiving if you do not over cook. I have this bad habit of thinkig I have to be able to feed a small army or 1/2 of Dragon Con. This year I am cutting back on the amount of everything but still have enough variety and get in my requirement that I cook something I have never tried to cook before.

So here is my menu

Ham
Turkey Breat (I refused to by a 20 pound turkey)
Dressing (down to one 13x9 pan from 3 pans)
Fresh Sweet Potatoes (plain, no marshmellows, etc)
Fresh Green Beans
Black Eye Peas and Butter Peas from my Mom & Dad's Garden
Corn From my Mom and Dad's Garden
Potato Salad
Deviled Eggs (I don't eat them but Dave love's them)
Cranberry Relish (this years new addition)
Tea

Pecan Pie
Apple Pie or Skillet Apples (I am not sure which I want to do yet)

and I have a real pumpkin to cook down. If I don't make a pie, I will make puree and freeze it.

I start tonight. Wish me luck. My kitchen will be a crock pot farm.

5 down and gone

I am happy to say that I have maintained my five pounds during this dreaded 3rd week of the lunar cycle. I have compiled a short list of my favorite habits that I have incorporated into my daily routine. I wanted to share them and where I found these lovely gems.

1. Cut Out SODA - Dr. McBarron, Dr. Oz and my Dr. (I see a pattern)
2. Walk 10 minutes a day; if it's raining you get wet! - Dr. McBarron
3. Do not eat snack larger than your fist - Dr. Oz
4. Weight your self every day for accountability - Dr. Oz
5. Eat 3 whole fruits a day - Dr. McBarron (I added 3 Veggies too!)
6. Do not eat after Dark (Dr. McBarron) or 3 hours before bed (Dr. Oz)
7. Drink Water, not soda, tea or coffee - Dr. McBarron. I cheat and have one cup of coffee in the morning but I off set it w/ an additional 20 oz of water.

If you would like to search for tips and tricks that will help you, I suggest you start here:
Dr. McBarron's 100+ Weight Loss Tips

Weight Loss is all in your Mind.

Sometimes Weight Loss is all in your mind. It is all about what you THINK you CAN do. You make decisions to eat better, drink water and exercise. It is all about the decisions you can make every day. Sometimes no matter how much positive self talk you give yourself every day, it just does nothing to motivate you.

I want to be healthy. I want to be under 200 pounds. I want to have a smaller waist line. Good health is my goal.

My last blog chronicled my hopeful restart of my weight loss, again. I just finished my 21 day post vacation cleanse. I am very pleased with my results. I have not made 100% great choices but I have lost 5 pounds. The last week was all maintaining those 5 pounds while I took a break from my Fat Burning Shots from Georgia Bariatrics to let my arms heal a bit.

On the day that I felt the worst, I happened to be able to speak to Dr. McBarron at a store event. Just having her listen to me helped. I can not tell you how close I was to crying that day. Dr. McBarron offered me some simple advice. Eat 3 pieces of fruit every day. Take a 10 minute walk every day. I said to myself I CAN DO THAT. So for two days I have done just that. 2 good choices lead to more good choices.

I promised myself a pedicure for 5 pounds lost. I will post pictures. Thank you Dr. McBarron

Teaching Spooky

I finally got to teach my Spooky Two Page. Click here for the original post.

I had four very wonderful ladies who were all very excited to take my class. I am not your typical designer for my shoppe so when I get a nice big class, I get excited. I sorted out the ladies and had them all use the Sparkle Mod Podge first. They had quite a few pieces to glitter up, so I wanted them to get started with all the glitter goodness. Only one lady (Debby Jones) had used the product before and everyone loved the product.




After their pieces dried I moved them over to another set of tables to assemble the pages. Once again, I always enjoy everyone making my designs their own. Making changes to the layout to make theirs unique.




A resounding success for the introduction to Sparkle Mod Podge. The request has already been made for more classes using the products.

Post Vacation Cleanse Plan

After my recent trip home, I felt so bloated and tired that I decided I would try a post vacation cleanse. Truthfully I had no idea what to expect or go purchase so I called the manager of the Airport Thru Way Peachtree Natural Foods. After speaking with Jamie,I stopped by the store and she helped me pull a plan together that would help stop the sluggish feeling, eliminate the bloat and help my overall tired feeling.

One of the questions Jamie asked me was - "how was your diet?" And here you really have to be honest. My vacation diet was full of pork, red meat, sweets, cola and beer. Not good for an already chunky waist line.

I want to say up front, this program will not work if you do not clean up your diet. You have to practice some kind of portion control and reduce your meat intake to 1 or 2 times a week. You need to eat vegetables and fruit and you MUST at least double your water intake. (for me that was 128 oz a day)

So Here are the supplements:

Natural Max Bloat-X - 2 capsules before each meal
IHL's Seven Strain Probiotic - 2 in the morning
IHL's Triple Action Acai Step 3 Maintenance Cleanse - 2 - 30 minutes before bed w/ at least 8 oz of water

on my own I added in the Fat Burning Injections from Dr. McBarron's Practice. Two a week, which is Dr. McBarron's Minimum Recommendation.

I am into my second week and am feeling better. My trips to the restroom have increase but that will happen with the increase in water intake. I did have to back the Maintenance Cleanse down to 1 a day because I my stool was too loose.

I have lost 4.5 pounds but the better result is the improvement in how I feel and how I sleep. This plan has given me a way to refocus on my 'change of lifestyle' and 'eating better'.

All of the supplements can be found at Peachtree Natural Foods,either on line or in any store.

Quick Thanksgiving Pages

While working Saturday at the Shoppe, I had a request for a set of Thanksgiving Pages. I had to turn them around quick to get them on the calendar. I chose Reminisce Autumn Harvest Paper and used the Pumpkin side because the turkey side creeped me out a little.

The inks are Jim Holtz Distress Ink is the following colors. Vintage Photo, Rusty Hinge and Wild Honey.

Not on the schedule yet. It might have to be a kit class depending on how my schedule shapes up.

2010 Christmas Round A Bout Cards

My offering for the upcoming Christmas Card Round About. The papers are Reminisce. On the Christmas Tree I used Sparkle Mod Podge! Sneaky! The cards are supposed to be simple and easy to make. The class attendee's will make two cards at each of 6 stations.

A Day at Disney/Sparkle Mod Podge

Today I finally taught the pages "A Day at Disney" I created these pages a while ago. I had originally used Stickles for the glitter goodness. How ever I wanted to teach the class using Sparkle Mod Podge to get a feel for how my regular customers like it. I find Sparkle Mod Podge easier to use than Stickles.

I did have one student who allowed me to take her picture while she used the Sparkle Mod Podge. A big thanks to Debby Jones for her cooperation.





Debby seemed to really enjoy the Sparkle Mod Podge. We used two coats on the letters and the Mickey Balloons. After the class was over, Debby's review of the product was stellar. She is also taking my Spooky Two page class and is looking forward to using the Sparkle Mod Podge again.

a link to the original post. Click here.

Skull Bracelet

I made these for a friend. Pony Beads, Skull Beads and Friendship bracelet cord. Key Chains next. Spooky.

Project: Reuse Reuse Reuse

Today was the day we decided to totally clean and rearrange the bedroom. We moved a side table and placed our 2nd spare tv on it. We have never had a tv in our bedroom so we will see how it goes. Dave swears he is going to leave it on the Spanish channel. However, I did re-use three Longaberger baskets I had stashed in a closet. I made them into a new smaller bedside table. Paired it with my Grandmothers rocking chair.

For the Love of Boomer

Here are the prototype Boomer Necklaces. I have three curing w/ the glossy accents. I am going to try and have the tiles be a letter in Boomer's Name. But all of that will depend on how many I have to make. I used Mod Podge Matte, Scrabble Tiles and pictures of Boomer.

Spooky Two Page

I wanted to do an EMO Halloween Page layout but sarcasm is hard to achieve with paper. Instead I decided on a not too cute Halloween layout with a Haunted Mansion Feel with a little bit of Adam's Family tucked it for good measure.



I used black, orange and green card stock, plus the printed paper I purchased at the Scrapbook Shoppe. I could not find any name or manufacture information on the printed paper. I cut the house out on the cricket cart - winter wonderland. I cut off the top and tipped it. I cut the spiders and the letters out on the Cricket Cart Happy Hauntings, the black cat is a sissix die. I used Sparkle Mod Podge on all black cut outs and orange distressed Stickels on the the letters. The house, spiders and cats are popped up. I found three clear ghosts at the Scrapbook Shoppe and added those to the house.

Poker Chip Craft Demo

Applying the same logic as the scrabble tile, I decided to try a poker chip. For children the larger size would be easier to handle. Here is my try. I used the Matt Mod Podge and the Sparkle Mod Podge from Plaid. Win.

Disney Graffiti - Update

With some sage advice from some fellow teachers at the Scrapbook Shoppe. I have updated these pages. I have not put this on the shoppe schedule as of yet.

Scrabble Tile Craft Demo

I am attempting to work up a craft to teach as an altered project for the Scrapbook Shoppe. This particular craft uses Scrabble Tiles, Mod Podge, Scrapbook Paper, Punches, Tackey glue, Glue on Bails, a paint brush, and Glossy Accents by Ranger Ink.

There is one Mickey Mouse made with micro punches, a Yoda, and three made w/ scrapbook paper and some small punches.

Update: the Mod Podge dried in about 15 minutes per layer. The Glossy Accents took a few hours to dry to the non tacky state but really should cure two days.

I still have to find the glue on bails and chains in a bulk form.

I made Gluten Free Cookies

Once again, I brought home a product to try from the store. This time it was King Arthur Gluten Free Cookie Mix. What this product provides you is a brown sugar cookie base and allows you to add in anything you like to make the cookies your own. Besides the mix you will need 1 stick of butter-soft, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons of water plus what ever you want to mix in your cookies. I used chopped raw walnuts and chocolate chips. You take half of the mix and blend it with the butter. Then add the egg and water and blend again. Add the rest of the mix and combine. Then stir in your add-ins. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the cookies on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. The instructions say to let the cookies sit on the sheet for 5 minutes. I did not do this. I removed them immediately or they would have stuck to the baking sheet. I cooled them on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Dave tasted them and liked them. Of the gluten free cookies mixes we have tried this is the best tasting one. The box made 3 dozen cookies. Over all Grade of A-. An extra surprise is that the next day, the cookies are still very soft and chewy.

Here is a picture of my cookies.

Disney Graffiti

Disney Graffiti pages. As yet unscheduled.

Dino Card

A friend of mine, whom I loving call MY KAT requested a thank you card w/ a dinosaur theme. It is for a co worker who saved her from bugs. From what I understand of the story, killer mutant dinosaur sized roaches or something.

So here is what I made for her:



I used Reminisce Din-o-rama Dino Stripe (the back side), Reminisce Din-o-rama Die Cut stickers, a brown piece of card stock, the CM small heart shape maker, the CM tearing tool,sand colored Glimmer Mist, and Reminisce Mister Television Rub On Letters.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Okay. Another Cost Saver right here. Make your own chicken stock. How easy is it? Here is what I do. When Dave and I eat Publix Rotisserie Chicken for dinner, I save the bones, skin and the carcass and freeze it. Then when I am ready, I take out my beloved crock pot and place the leftovers in the crock pot, add water and two bay leaves. Let them cook at least 8 hours on low. I only save the bones from the Publix Mojo or Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken. Any chicken carcass will do but the Publix's kind make great stock. After 8 hours you have to strain out all the bones and unwanted stuff and let the stock cool before you put it up. The leftover 'unwanted' stuff goes great in your compost pile.

Here is my stock. 4 carcass' equals 25 cups of stock.

Animal Kingdom Two Page

I did not realize this was not posted here. So here you go.
If you have a page kit, you will need some orange chalks to do the title letters.

DragonCon Do's and Don't Live From the Con

Okay. Last day of the convention so time for an updated version of the do's and don't.

1. No matter how much you wear, Patchouli does not replace bathing. What did I say about taking baths?

2. Don't stop at the exit of the escalator to take a picture. Really? Seriously?

3. Do understand that someone just might Tweet about your dumb self. K?

4. Do wait for people on the evelator to get off before you bum rush to get on.

5. Don't think arriving on Thursday beats the crowds. Not anymore.

6. Don't think opening the Pre-reg line at noon on Thursday really helped much

7. Do explore all options for eating. The food court had some excellent choices this year

8. Do expect YAL panels to fill up. That is right, no room for you!!!

9. Don't know who won, but the Zombies vs Unicorn panel was like whoa over the top.

10. Do post how you feel on Dragon Con's Facebook and Twitter. HA! Great.

11. For some reason you now DO have to expect children w/ no parents to be here, how totaly un-appropriate!

Saving Money 102

I tripped upon a great website for discounted vitamins. The prices here are great and the shipping is really reasonable. This site is A2Z Discount Vitamins. It is a no frills site to be sure, but they have a good variety, in my opinion.

I have ordered some items and I will update you when they come in as to quality, etc.

So check them out and save some dough.

Jill's Dragon Con Do's and Don't's

For those who do not know what Dragon Con is..go here Dragon Con Web Site. I am an eternal member and this will be my 15 year, I think. So pulling from that experience I would like to share some do's and don't's for newbies and veterans alike.

Do take a bath every day. Even if you have to wash in the sink in the restroom by the Centennial Ballroom in the Hyatt. For pity's sake take a bath.

Don't be mad at me for wanting to take your picture if you are in a costume, look ridiculous, are doing something stupid or if you have any kind of homemade robot. People watching and photo snapping are a blast at Dragon Con, especially after midnight.

Do leave the hotel cleaning staff (your room maid) a tip. Especially if you have more than 4 people in your room. You are eating, sleeping, drinking, and conducting random science experiments in your room. Be glad the staff goes in the room at all, much less cleans it.

Don't try and squeeze two more people in a packed elevator. I am fat, you might be fat and those things have weight limits. If one person on the elevator is wearing wings, forget it.

Do be considerate of people with wheel chairs and crutches. I did two Dragon Con's on crutches so feel their pain. However a baby stroller sans baby, rolling suitcases or Non-Doctor Who themed robots do not gain you any sympathy with me.

No I DON'T care about your cell phone conversation. Stop screaming into the bloody thing. GO outside if you can't hear or can't get a signal.

Do keep your adult themed activities confined to your hotel room. Walking in on your naked bodies laced together in a track room damages my calm. OH and I will take your picture and post it on the internet and send it to the local news station.

Don't make the media guests suffer needlessly with your fan girl/boy squeeing for more than 2 minutes. Be polite and thank them for attending the convention. Look behind you, those people standing on the tape in the line, they want an autograph too. Yeah...we do. Go away now.

Do remember to actually eat some food, sometime during the day, before you spend all night partying with the Klingon's or Browncoats or Capt. Jack Sparrow. Because the next day when you are hung over, I might just have to mock you.

Do get some kind of sleep. However sleeping in the hotel lobby, food court or hallway will get your picture posted on the internet.

The convention is so close now, we can already smell the con-body. I look forward seeing you there!

Homemade Pizza w/ GF Crust

Dave and I like making homemade pizza when Peachtree Natural Foods brought in a line of Gluten Free (GF) products that included pizza dough, I saw my chance to try a product and do a photo blog.

My ingredients are: One pizza crust dough from Gillian's Foods, Thin sliced pepperoni, tomato sauce, dried onions, basil, oregano, granulated garlic, Parmesan cheese and Italian cheese blend, One large round pizza stone.





Thaw the pizza dough and knead on a flour covered surface until the dough gets firm. The dough was very sticky but handled well. Roll out dough into a circle to fit your pan. I used a baking stone. Add your sauce and seasonings and some Parmesan Cheese.





Of course add the pepperoni. This brings up a discussion as to whether the pepperoni should be under the cheese or on top of the cheese. Well, My Momma made pizza with the pepperoni under the cheese. You tell her she is wrong.





Then add the cheese. I used two cups of reduced fat Italian cheese blend. I buy it when it is on sale and store it in my freezer.







Put your pizza is a 375 degree F oven. Since we baked ours on a stone, we baked it for 20 minutes. The directions on the dough said 15 minutes on a metal pan.





Enjoy Your Pizza!


Review: The pizza was yummy. The crust was actually a lot better than I had hoped. Many GF foods have what I call the "texture" issue. This however did not. I feel as if we had baked the pizza on a metal pan, the crust would have been more crispy. I am glad to report the crust was not soggy. Dave gave it a B- which is high praise for anything GF in our house. Over all very good, considering we usually make our own pizza dough.

Saving Money 101

Much like everyone these days, I enjoy saving money. However, I prefer to save money by making things myself. I have recently discovered how much cheaper it is to make your own seasoning mixes. For some dumb reason, I would buy a pre packaged seasoning mix but have all the individual ingredients to make that mix in my own cabinet. How weird.

It started by trying to make my own salt free Adobo seasoning. Basically a "house" seasoning mix or maybe with a Mexican flair.

I found a list on the internet and saved it off to my book marks. I turn here first when I want to recreate a seasoning mix. I highly recommend it.

Budget101.com

I wish I knew who to credit for the site! I use it a lot.

Harry Potter Card

With the late edition to the DC YAL track of James and Oliver Phelps, I made a Harry Potter themed card for the craft hour. Paper is by Moxie. Wizards from the Scrapbook Shoppe. Sand Glimmer Mist, Black stickles, Stamps from Close to my Heart

Dragon Con YAL 2010 Crafts

Please join the Young Adult Lit Track for our Craft Time. Here are your samples for the Con. I have planned a great Twi-Card Make and Take. There will be tons of supplies for you to make a card to show where you stand! Team Edward or Team Jacob.

Make your own Twi-Necklace! Simple like Bella or Fancy like Alice.

Dave's Temp Tattoo Shoppe will re-open this Convention.

Blueberry Muffins

I am proud of my blueberry muffins with fresh blueberries.

What to do with your CSA Basil

Make Pesto!!

2 tablespoons pine nuts
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunch basil, stems removed
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Fry the pine nuts in 1 tablespoon of oil until pale brown, then drain. Put the
basil in the food processor with the nuts and garlic. Process until well
chopped. Gradually add oil until smooth. Turn into bowl. Add Cheese and season.

Green Beans/Snap Beans

Snap and clean my beans. Rinse well. Place in a crock pot and cover with water. Add salt, vegetable flakes, slice of bacon, and some onions.

I cook them very slow for at least 8 hours. Yummy


I am not sure how you cook your fresh green beans, but here is how I cook mine.

Park Pirate and Park Princess

My latest Disney Offering......

Patty Pan Squash

Here is a picture of the stuff patty pan squash. The recipe I posted earlier.

My Pickles.

I used my CSA cucumbers and made refrigerator pickles.

YUMMMMY.

Bento Blog

I have always loved Bento. While I am not a purest, I love the idea of a healthy well portioned lunch in my favorite snack size. I call my bento, The Lazy Adult American Bento. It is fun to plan out your lunch. Sometimes, I just "bento" my snacks. I always eat healthier. Here some of my Lazy Adult American Bento.

Yummy New Product

I worked in the afternoon at the Phenix City store. I unpacked these and brought them home. My displaced Canadian Friends might like the Ketchup Fries by Snikiddy.

Here is a link: Snikiddy Ketchup Fries

You will also see a way to get a coupon and then bring that coupon to the Phenix City Store and get you some Snikiddy.

PJ's Favorite Snacks

My top three snacks are:



Disney Organic Red Apple Slices
Sargento Disney Mickey Shaped Cheese Snacks ( have only been able to find at Walmart)
Annie's Whole Wheat Cheddar Bunnies