Spring Project

I have started a new project for this Spring. The big declutter! So far I have done my sewing/craft room.
The next room on the list is the room with the exercise equipment and my desktop computer.
That room will be easier, I will just take a large garbage bag in there and start pitching stuff out.
I did spend a day filing all the papers that need to be kept, now it is just a matter of getting rid of the excess that I do not need, and putting stuff away that does not belong in the room to begin with.

I have tried cleaning before, but this year is different, now I am saying to myself, If I were moving would I take the item with me. There are a lot of things that I am just used to seeing sitting around, I don't need them, don't used them, probably am not even all that fond of them. Now they are going!

I have told everyone the next person that gifts me a knick knack, will regret it!
 I am hanging on to everything that I have gotten from family members, those are keepsakes. But nothing else is really safe from the clear out.

I am also using up those things that I have been saving, no clue why I am saving them. I am burning the candles that I love, using up other things that I bought because I just loved them at the time.
Giving away plants that I have grown tired of.

Also all the "models" of things I used to make and no longer make are going to find a new home as well. It is going to be a fun spring.

Winter???

Last week it was so cold I did not want to get out of bed! The last couple days it is in the 40's with tomorrow getting  almost 50, and lots of rain. The rain and warmth is not bad, but what happens when the temperature drops again, will it just turn into one big skating rink?

 If this was supposed to be the January thaw, it is a bit late. Seems weird to look outside and see the rain coming down, the fog rolling in, and all that snow piled up. Seems like it is later too, as it is so dark and gloomy in the house. Needed to have the lights on since I got up.

I am thinking before we drop into the deep freeze again and everything turns to ice, I should really put down a coating of salt.

I have stacks of fabric to cut into potholders, I am trying to eliminate some of my fabric stash, that was the plan, till a friend eliminated her fabric stash into my living room. So I am starting with her fabric and then will get to mine.

I just sit in front of the window and cut fabric and look out at the gloom.

Beginning of a New Year

Time for the big clean. Christmas stuff is mostly put away, though I still find things here and there that I forgot to take down.  Some of them I forgot to take down last year, which meant that I did not have to put them up this year.

Decided this year to separate Christmas decorations from the Snowman decorations. I will leave the snowmen up till the end of March, They are cute to look at, and lets face it I just did not have the room to put them up for Christmas. I have finally reached that point where I have made so many Christmas decorations that I do not have room to put everything up. So the snowmen will no longer be Christmas decorations, and will have their own box called Winter decorations.

My girlfriend decided that she really needed to do a fabric clear out, so she just brought it all over here. I went through it and took out what I wanted, added some of my stuff that I no longer want, and called another crafter friend, to see if she would like to have the BIG black garbage bag full of fabric to go through. We never really throw anything out, we just cycle it among other crafters.

I have most of the fabric cut into projects, and some of the projects are already done. Some are stacked in tote boxes and labeled ready to be sewn when I get to them.
In between cutting out projects, I am cleaning the house. I can not tell you the stuff that can pile up when I do not have time to clean for a while.

Snow/Sleet Day

It was supposed to start snowing at 6am. Now 3 hours later it is lightly snowing, with a combination of sleet. Stood outside my back door to see what was actually happening, the snow is softly coming down, but with it is this frozen stuff that makes crunchy sounds as it hits different objects outside. It also makes indentions in the thin snow cover where it falls.

I think I will stay home today, at least till it stops, and then think about going out after the plows have gone through and done a bit of salting. The temp, which was 35 when I got up is slowing falling.

I have all the decorating done, except for my big, almost 3 feet across pine cone wreath. It is starting to fall apart. Need to find a few more pine cones and some Elmer's  glue and fix it and then I can decorate that too.

As of yesterday all the shopping is done, am thinking of wrapping everything today, or maybe I will just sit and watch old movies. It is that kind of day.

The house could stand a bit of straightening up, and there are things that need to be put away, but do I really feel like doing that today? Not really feeling all that ambitious, and since I am done with the decorating and shopping I think I can have a day to just chill and do nothing at all.

Well I do have some hand work I need to finish, and I could do that while watching the movies.
I am also thinking a nice cup of cocoa would go well with the movie watching.

Thanksgiving Done, and on we go...

Have been busy trying to get everything done, so I can get this house somewhat cleaned. Needed to finish some projects first to put in the stores I sell out of. those are listed on my doggie plus creations blog.
Now I have to deliver them today, hopefully will not have tons of traffic to put up with on the roads. I really am not doing any black Friday shopping in the stores. I may do a tad of Christmas shopping this weekend, like tomorrow. Looked though the Black Friday adds and really did not see anything I could not live without.
 That will also give me most of the afternoon to get started on the big put stuff away and clean.
Still need to put up the storm windows, and window blankets. Have to measure the doors for new blankets for them.
I am thinking with the addition of blankets for the doors I will cut down on the drafts and the heating bills. More money for craft supplies.

Summer and Fall All Gone

Guess winter is here, woke up to heavy wet snow this morning. Not a lot of it, but just a hint of things to come. The snow would not be all that bad, but what I really do not like all that well is the fact that it gets dark so early now. I know it will get dark a lot earlier before the days start to grow long again.
Need to start thinking about moving stuff around in the house to make room for the Christmas decorations. I see I still have a lot of fall decorations still up, even a few summer ones that I forgot to put away.

Not ready to say Goodbye to Summer

Seems like I was just getting out the spring/summer decorations, and now I am putting them away. I do like fall, I like all the seasons really, just wish they were all longer, well maybe not winter.
This year I have made a conscious effort to spend more time outside, and less bent over my machines crafting. I must say I have gotten pretty much done. I am starting to empty supply boxes, and have a bit more room. Plus the stuff at the markets is selling as well, and soon there will be less of that as well. I always like to downsize the stuff I am selling, to make room for more things I want to make.

When I walked into the back yard this morning I noticed that one of the bird feeders is gone. The birds must have loved it so much they took it with them. No sign of it anywhere. Oh well, I still have one.

Have to move the squirrel feeder, it is not accessible for them. I do like to feed the squirrels, when their feeder is empty, they climb up on the window and tell me about it. So considerate.
This year I decided they needed a water bowl, so I went to the dollar store and bought a nice plastic cereal bowl, and nailed it to the tree, and filled it with water. Did not take them long to find it, and I see they are sharing with the birds.

While taking down summer, I noticed that I forgot a bit of Christmas, so now the dilemma, do I take it down and put it up at Christmas, or do I just leave it there, and say I was thinking of getting an early start on the Christmas decorating. I think I will just leave it there, if no one has noticed it yet, they probably won't now either.

Time To Kick a Long Time Addiction

      I have long wanted to do this.  But just never seemed to get to it. This year after some reading up on the subject I decided that it was time.

      So on Friday July 13, 2018 I stopped eating or drinking anything with sugar in it.

I was starting to lose myself, the excessive sugar I was consuming, was making my brain foggy, and I was way more sleepy than I should have been.  Just had no desire to do much of anything, and had lapsed into watching daytime TV.

   The first 2 weeks, I really did not feel all that different, but little by little the fog started to lift, I had more energy, more things got done.

I really can not say I miss the sugar now. The cravings for it left about 2 weeks ago, I can now walk right past all the gooey deserts, the chocolate, the soda., etc.

I do not use artificial sweeteners, so I am not doing the sugar free stuff either.

   Long ago I had stopped eating fat, and I do not eat processed foods either.  I eat mostly fresh fruits and veggies, and if I feel like something sweet I ear some dates. I do eat meat, and nuts, eggs and milk.

I have also gotten rid of a yeast infection that I have been battling for over a year.

 

   While reading I found this list of ways that sugar can cause serious health risks, and decided I did not want to take those risks anymore.

 

Too much sugar can lead to detrimental effects to your health. I counted at least 76 ways (yes, you read that right!) in which sugar can cause serious health risks for you. These hazards are divided into four categories: Increased Risk of Diseases and Sicknesses, Nutrient Imbalance or Deficiency, Bodily Impairments, and Behavioral Changes.

Nutrient Imbalance or Deficiency

1. Upsets the mineral relationships in your body
2. Chromium deficiency
3. Interferes with the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and protein
4. Increases total cholesterol, triglycerides, and bad cholesterol levels
5. Decreases good cholesterol levels
6. Lowers vitamin E levels
7. Body changes sugar into two to five times more fat in the bloodstream compared to starch

Behavioral Changes

8. Addictive and intoxicating, similar to alcohol
9. Rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, and anxiety
10. Leads to difficulty in concentration, drowsiness, and crankiness in children
11. Results in decreased activity in children
12. Reduces learning capacity and can cause learning disorders that could affect schoolchildren's grades
13. Increases risk of antisocial behavior
14. Decrease in emotional stability
15. Depression
16. Alcoholism

Increased Risk of Diseases and Sicknesses

17. Feeds cancer cells
18. Can induce cell death
19. Increases fasting levels of glucose
20. Increases systolic blood pressure
21. Significant increase in platelet adhesion
22. Leads to formation of kidney stones and gallstones
23. Rapid sugar absorption promotes excessive food intake
24. Obesity
25. Decreases insulin sensitivity, leading to high insulin levels and eventually diabetes
26. Reactive hypoglycemia
27. Headaches, including migraines
28. Dizziness
29. Gastrointestinal tract problems
30. Food allergies
31. Promotes chronic degenerative diseases
32. Causes atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases
33. Causes cataracts and nearsightedness
34. May lead to autoimmune diseases like arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis
35. Causes emphysema
36. Contributes to osteoporosis
37. Contraction of appendicitis, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins
38. Parkinson's disease (people with said disease have high sugar intake)
39. Increases risk of gout and Alzheimer's disease
40. Acidity in saliva, tooth decay, and periodontal diseases
41. Gum disease
42. Greatly promotes uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)
43. Toxemia in pregnancy
44. Contributes to eczema in children
45. Worsens symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
46. Increases risk of polio
47. May lead to epileptic seizures
48. Could lead to high blood pressure in obese people
49. Increased consumption in intensive care units can induce death

Bodily Impairments

50. Has potential to induce abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual
51. Suppression of immune system, increasing risk of contracting infectious diseases
52. Loss of tissue elasticity and function
53. Weaker eyesight
54. Premature aging
55. Increases advanced glycation end products wherein sugar molecules attach to proteins and end up damaging them
56. DNA structure impairment
57. Can cut off oxygen to brain via intravenous feedings
58. Change in protein structure and causes a permanent alteration of protein acts in your body
59. Changing of collagen structure
60. Skin aging
61. Impairs physiological homeostasis of bodily systems
62. Lowers ability of enzymes to function
63. Increases liver size by making liver cells divide, increasing the amount of liver fat
64. Increase kidney size and producing pathological changes
65. Pancreatic damage
66. Increase in body's fluid retention
67. Affects urinary electrolyte composition
68. Slows down ability of adrenal glands to function
69. Compromises lining of capillaries
70. Brittle tendons
71. Can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly
72. Causes hormonal imbalances
73. Increases free radicals and oxidative stress
74. Leads to substantial decrease in gestation, with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age infant
75. Dehydration among newborns
76. Affects carbon dioxide production when given to premature babies

 

So This is Spring?

Here it is after Easter and there is more still snow on the ground. Plus it is still cold out. I am wondering when is it ever going to get warm, enough of this winter like weather. Flowers are starting to peek though the ground, and now some of them are covered with snow.
The cat goes from room to room, looking for patches of sunlight to lay in. I guess he too is tired of the winter, and wants it to be warm everywhere, not just in the patches of sunlight on the carpet.

Waiting for Warm Sunshine

I thought it might have been warming up a bit, but no such luck. One day it is somewhat warm, but then it is also damp. So that just makes it feel colder than it is.
Have been sewing with a heater on.
This morning when I got up, it was like a blizzard out there, now it is almost bright out. But still cold!
I would love days when I do not have to scrape my windows to go somewhere, or wait for it to quit raining, just to have that rain freeze overnight and turn everything to a sheet of ice.
I know Spring is not far off, but then it will be "mud" season.
Not sure which is worse tracked in the house, mud or snow.
At least I am getting stuff crossed off my to do sewing list. Since I really do not want to go outside.