FROM MUFFIN TOP TO SKINNY JEANS

Short Mama at Family Of Shorts started this meme and I want in. I want the results.

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This week’s meme prompt is written by Cara from The Gone Again Smiths

Share your best or worse diet advice and tell about your experience.

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The worst diet advice I have followed is low fat. My body needs good fats. I take large doses of omega 3 and 6 to keep my clotting factors regulated. Taking statins and lowering cholesterol too much left me with shingles twice.

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I have some olive oil every day and when I am wanting something more to eat at night, I often have some olives.

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The best diet advice is to stay happy and loving. When I am on vacation, I usually end up losing a little weight. I don’t count calories, I end up eating things I wouldn’t normally, yet I lose.
I do exercise more than usual. That is part of it. The important part I think, is that I am so happy and loving at these times. I need to stay in that place inside me every day.

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© 2010 J.B. Vadeboncoeur

 

Travel Tips – Water Bottle

When traveling it’s helpful to stay hydrated. Now that you can’t bring bottled anything through airport security, I find this little bottle very helpful.

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It’s made by New Wave Enviro. The blue cap contains a filter.

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You can bring this empty bottle through airport security and then fill it from a water fountain or tap.

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I get this from my acupuncturist. Here is a web site that you can use to find where you can get one. They are sold at health food stores and by health professionals.

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This is what they say about it at the web site.

The Better Water Filter is carbon based and removes chlorine and organic contaminants from regular municipal tap water.

Refill this bottle up to 90 times for fresh water on the go.

BPA Free!!!

The bottle is made from 100% United States corn and will degrade in just 80 days in a commercial compost.

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I love that it is light weight and an easy size for carrying. I like to fill it before I get on the plane so I have access to water for takeoff and landing.

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I love that after you’ve used it for 90 refills, it will degrade in the landfill.

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If there are other companies that make a product like this, I don’t know of them. I was not paid or reimbursed in any way for this. I wanted to share what I think is a great idea.

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It does make the water taste much better. I use the bottle in my hotel room to filter water through, if I make coffee in my room.

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There is one airport I am thinking of that has water that tastes so ‘bad’ that even this filter doesn’t improve it. At that airport, I buy bottled water.

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© 2010 J.B. Vadeboncoeur

<p> © 2010 J.B. Vadeboncoeur </p>

 

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY

The Girl Next Door Grows Up Blog started this Feel Good Friday thing. Pick one of her prompts and write about it on your blog!

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List 5 things that made you really happy this week.

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1.  A person who was ill called me and they are so much better. It made me so happy to let go of my worries about them.

2.  I caulked and washed the windows on the lower level of our house. Can you imagine? I did windows.

3.  Hubby and I went out to dinner last night. We decided when we go again, it will be to my favorite place, because we like that better. Yay.

4.  I put chicken wire down in our vegetable garden to keep the feral cats out. They don’t like to step on it.

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5.  I realized that even if the cartoon I am working on looks amateurish, I am still an okay person, and by golly people like me .*

This is one panel of about 50 that make up a ten page comic. The story is called Learning Module 4090 — Earth.

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Have your best Friday ever.

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© 2010 J.B. Vadeboncoeur

 

FROM MUFFIN TOP TO SKINNY JEANS

Short Mama at Family Of Shorts started this meme and I want in. I want the results.
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From Shortmama:

Ok so this week I want to know how you plan to avoid overeating or junk eating now that the kids are on summer break?

Lets see, do I have a plan? No. Okay my plan? if I knew what it was? I would say? – Oh I got it.

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In Oprah’s e-mail newsletter, she had a test to see what kind of weight management program would suit a person the best.

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I took the test, and….

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It suggested I would be best suited to a spirit based program.

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If you’re wondering what that is, I was too.

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There was a link for one and as I read about it, I relaxed. There was another also, which I didn’t read.

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It seemed to me to be saying that our bodies are magnificently able to let us know when they need nutrients, e.g. craving and when we are full. The premise seemed to be if we focus on listening to what our body is telling us, we will be ahead.

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This reminded me of a study I read many years ago. In it children were fed from a cafeteria line and were free to choose whatever food they wanted. The researchers discovered; IF an appetite was not seduced by sweets and junk food, the child ended up selecting a balanced diet.

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My plan is to avoid the junk and pay more attention to my body’s signals.

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TRAVEL TO JAPAN – Taxis

Conbon33

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In Japan the taxis are spotless. You could eat off the floor, but don’t. Don’t eat inside them.

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When the taxi pulls up, the door will open and close ‘automatically’ for you. In reality, it is the driver opening it with a lever. He will be checking to be sure it is safe for you to enter or exit.

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They often have white lace seat covers and the driver wears white gloves.

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In Japan, they don’t tip, so you just pay the metered amount.

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The seat behind the driver is considered for the person of highest honor.

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The seat in front next to the driver is for the person of lowest honor.

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To tell the driver where you want to go you can say your destination name  + onegai-shimasu.

(Oh nay guy a – she mas ou)

Phonetics are created by me. XD

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Have you had any interesting experiences with taxis?

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© 2010 J.B. Vadeboncoeur

 

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY

The Girl Next Door Grows Up Blog started this Feel Good Friday thing. Pick one of her prompts and write about it on your blog!

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I haven’t been feeling so good this week. I’m on my 5th day of a headache. It makes it painful to be on the computer or to read. The good news is I do lots of yoga and even some house work because physical activity doesn’t require me to use my eyes so much.

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As a result I’m a little behind on answering my comments. I’ll catch up one of these days.

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For many years I have read my horoscope in the newspaper. Once, it said I was going to come into some money. I won a $50. gift certificate that day.

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So I kept reading, and many years later it said a similar thing and I got $50. in the mail that was unexpected.

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Now how can this be? I don’t know. There are plenty of days when the horoscope says something that doesn’t seem to fit. I told a co-worker and she said next time it says that buy a lottery ticket.

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A few days ago it said something about me getting money. I live in a state that doesn’t have a lottery. I searched on line a little for giveaways and didn’t find anything.

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The next day it said money is on the way. Seems I didn’t have to do anything.

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Next day in the mail, I got a certified letter that said I was entitled to a pension from my last job. Up until then, they had been saying I didn’t qualify. Woo hoo.

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I will keep on reading the horoscope. XD

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© 2010 J.B. Vadeboncoeur

 

Guest Post

Aloha dear readers. Today I am lucky to be guest posting on Kendra’s blog – Like A Bird To The Sky.

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It’s the same post I published on Monday here on this blog. Even if you already read it, check out Kendra’s blog. It is one of my favorites. The theme of her blog is

Creativity, inspiration, art, personal growth and how creativity helps that.

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I hope you enjoy it. Some of my favorite posts of hers are photos of embrodiery art. The latest one is here.

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Her blog always  reflects her elegant good taste – totally tasteful.

 

FROM MUFFIN TOP TO SKINNY JEANS

Short Mama at Family Of Shorts started this meme and I want in. I want the results.

This week, we tell how we are doing. My weight and waist are the same as two weeks ago.

One downfall has been having a cold ‘light’ beer in the afternoon. Today I made sure I have some cold iced tea, 0 calories in the fridge.

Another thing has been getting back my exercise levels. Today I got back to a full hour of treading water at aerobics. Yesterday I managed to jog for 25 minutes. Soon I’ll be back to 40 minutes and more.

At Costco I bought a tank  top that compresses in your midriff. I love how I look in it. I’d like to be that way without it.

Best luck to all of you on this journey.
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© 2010 J.B. Vadeboncoeur

 

How To Make A Rattail Pikake Lei

Pikake Flowers

To make a pikake flower lei out of rattail, start with a roll of 2 mm rattail. A 200 yard spool will make about 5 lei.

Real pikake flowers  are off white. You can make lei in any color you want. Mother nature doesn’t mind.

For other lei, see eyelash, braided, spiral, or candy lei. This photo shows what we will be making in this post.

You will need:

Rattail, "H" crochet hook, eyelash yarn.

I’m using white rattail here.

Make a loop leaving 4-6 inches for tying off later.

The Knit Witch has instructional videos for how to make a chain stitch and how to single crochet, at her site.

Use a H crochet hook to go through the loop and pull the cord through to start a chain

Pull tight to make a knot. Loop over the hook to make the first chain stitch.

Pull it through and now you have a knot AND your first chain stitch.

Make a chain of four.

Go into the third chain from the hook.

Loop the cord around the hook.

Pull the cord through.

Make a loop on the hook.

Pull the cord through all and you have a single crochet.

Go into the fourth chain from the hook and do another single crochet.

It will look like this.

Pull tight while curling it over on itself.

Your first pikake flower.

Chain four more for your next flower.

Continue until you have 36 inches of flowers.

The average lei is 36 inches, finished. You can make them a little bigger or smaller depending on the size of the wearer.

Or 92 cm.

Make another flower and turn. Hook into the back of the last flower before you turned.

Single crochet these two together side by side.

Chain four and make another flower.

Attach it and continue up the line of flowers making a double row.

At the end, knot it and leave 4-6 inches.

Make a knot on the hook using the eyelash yarn. Leave 4-6 inches for tying.

Turn the flowers over and start at the end with the ties. Insert the crochet hook into a loop in the back of the first flower. Single crochet the yarn to it. Hook into another loop on the back of the same flower and repeat.

We are putting the eyelash yarn along one row of flowers and then we will come back along the row of flowers on the other side.

Continue along hooking the yarn into the back of each flower twice. Return along the second row of flowers and arrive back at the ties.

Anastomos the ends of the lei. Pull the ties through the end of the lei without ties. Tie securely. Use the hook to thread the ends through so they dont show.

Voila.

You can make a single row of flowers. If you make it smaller its good for dolls.

You can make wrist size which also fit on stuffed animals.

You can make a shorter lei to decorate a hat.

You can make a few flowers with tie ends...

To use on a gift.

You can think of many ways to use these flowers. Have fun.
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<p> © 2010 Jeanne Litt, All rights reserved. </p>

© 2010 Jeanne Litt, All rights reserved.

 

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY

The Girl Next Door Grows Up Blog started this Feel Good Friday thing. Pick one of her prompts and write about it on your blog!

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This may not look like much – an old watch with a broken band.

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I’m not much of a saver, but so far I haven’t been able to part with this.

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When my oldest was a teenager, I suddenly became a single parent of three and increased my part time work to full time. It was challenging in all ways and I wasn’t coming up with the money to get myself a watch.

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I worked as a nurse and it was necessary to have a watch. It was getting very ‘old’ to find ways to manage without one.

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Some patient rooms had clocks and some patients wore watches and I could borrow one from a different do-worker each time I needed one.

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I didn’t have any long term goals to get myself one. I was just keeping up with the bills. (sound of violins here.)

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For Mother’s Day, my eldest who worked at a department store, bought me this watch.

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It brings tears to my eyes that he even knew I needed one. He was like that. His gifts were very thoughtful.

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When he used my car, he always left the audio tape on my favorite song.

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I am very blessed. I’m thinking about decorating a picture frame with lovable treasures like this. Then I can see them all the time.

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© 2010 J.B. Vadeboncoeur