Favorite Blogs & Websites

I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite blogs and websites. These are in no particular order.

Empress of Dirt
CiNdEeS' GaRdEn
Crafty Gardener
Evergreen Gardens
Garden Designz
The Artistic Garden
Weird Gardens
Wylee's World
Bits & Pieces
Garden Chick

Another Weekend Shot....

It's Monday again, and not much was accomplished this weekend. I don't know where the time goes.

Saturday morning was spent running errands. Somehow I managed to get the toilets cleaned and the house vacuumed, but not much else was accomplished. We did manage to get to my sister's house to get haircuts and to snowshoe in her back yard for a half an hour. Before we knew it, it was nearly 7pm, so we left to grab some grub at Cracker Barrel. I love that place. I'm glad my favorite dish, chicken and dumplings, is not too high in points so that I can have it on my diet.

Sunday was spent cooking and cleaning the kitchen mostly. I decided to make spaghetti sauce from scratch and I think it came out pretty good. I'll let you know after we have it tonight. I also roasted a whole turkey breast in the NuWave oven. It came out so good. Very tasty. I used a garlic paprika rub on it. I'll post both recipes later this week. I don't have them with me, and I want to make sure I post them correctly.

As you can see, I did not get any crafting done....why, you might ask? I have no idea. It was just one of those weekends.

Happy Friday!

Well, another week has come and gone. Actually it's gone by pretty fast. It takes a lot of time and patience learning how to market your blog, website and Etsy shop. I hope it pays off in the end. I really don't want to be dependent on someone else for income. With today's rocky economy, I just want to make sure I can take care of myself. I've discovered that you should join a lot of community network type sites so that your name is visible in more places. Who knew? I've signed up for MySpace this week and will probably concur FaceBook next week.

I really enjoy making my crafts, but at some point, it can become a chore...especially now, when I am trying to learn all this marketing stuff. But what's the point of me working so hard if I don't maximize my potential, right? Maybe, in the end, I can write an eBook about the whole experience and help others. It's been hard finding all this information in one place. Maybe I am not looking in the right place? LOL

My goals this weekend are to finish a mosaic project I started a couple of weeks ago and to start on some wooden necklaces that I got an idea for a while back. I found this neat product called Diamond Glaze and I have been anxious to try it out. I'll let you know how it turns out. Undoubtedly, that will lead to a trip to the craft store....luckily I received a gift card from my mom at Christmas for AC Moore. They should have the jewelry fittings I will need. I picked up some junky beads at the dollar store today, that I think I can incorporate into these projects as well.

Sorry that this is so short, but I think I'd better just end this than ramble on about a bunch of stuff no one cares about...LOL. Have a great weekend everyone!

One World~One Heart 2009 Give-Away

I just found out about a wonderful event geared towards bringing bloggers together. To find out more about it, go here. Thank you to Karen, The Garden Chick for letting me know about this event.

Here is what Lisa, the host of OWOH, has to say about the event.

"I planted a seed and hoped for a bloom....the first year there was a flower, the second year it became a garden and now this year.....well this year...it's as if I planted magic seeds. There are beautiful wild flowers everywhere and the magic from those seeds is still spreading like the down on a dandelion. I am filled with joy people, pure joy!!!"

For my first year as a participant, I will be giving away one birdhouse that is currently in my Etsy store. The choice of birdhouse is up to you. I will try and add a few more before the deadline of February 11th, but currently their are 12 to choose from. In order for you to sign up for a chance to win the birdhouse, you must leave a comment on THIS post and this post only and make sure their is a link to your e-mail or blog in that post so that I can contact you. Any other comments on any other posts will NOT be entered into the drawing.

Sign-ups are only open to anyone that currently has an active blog. Sign-ups will close at 9 pm EST on February 11, 2009 with the winner randomly picked and announced on February 12, 2009. I will e-mail the winner and also post it on the blog along with a link to your blog. You will have three days to respond to my e-mail, or a new winner will be drawn.

I look forward to getting to know many new people and their arts and crafts. If you have the time, I'd love it if you could check out my website at www.gardensandcrafts.com or my Etsy Shop. Also, don't forget, if you have an active blog, think about participating yourself. Just click on the logo above for more info.

Birds and Blooms Magazine

I just got the official word that I will have a project featured in the April/May issue of Birds and Blooms magazine. It's a fantastic magazine with beautiful photographs and stories. They feature information on birds, butterflies and gardening with a few crafts thrown in. It is the perfect magazine in my opinion. Birds and Blooms Extra comes out in the alternate months and it is just as fabulous! Make sure you check it out the next time you head to the book store.

I will also have some projects featured in an upcoming Woman's Day publication called Garden and Deck Designs that is slated to come out in April. I'll keep you posted when it hits the news stand.

Also, I've added some more items to our Etsy store. Please take a look and let me know if you have any suggestions or comments.

Mosaic Butterfly

I just realized that there isn't one craft project on this blog....what kind of blogger am I anyway...LOL.

Here is my latest completed project. I made it for a dear friend for her birthday earlier this month. Us Capricorns gotta stick together you know. I made it using a heart shaped wooden platter I purchased from the Thrifty Shopper. I think it came out pretty great.

I added a few more birdhouses to our Etsy Store, so be sure to check them out.

Keep it Simple!

It's another cold and blustery day here and frankly, I'm getting a little tired of it...LOL. It didn't get quite as cold as it did last night, but the wind today is pretty strong making it unbearable to be outside. I can't even imagine what Gary has to go through at work on days like this.

I took a few pictures last weekend of what the gardens look like all snow covered, so thought I'd share a couple here. I really despise winter after about 2 months, and this winter has been a harsh one, just as the Farmer's Almanac predicted. I love the change in seasons, but the severe driving conditions and cold spells really wear on you after a while. We usually have a thaw in January, but I don't see one coming anytime soon.

Someone asked me what I learned from my gardening last year and I replied that it's better when I "Keep it Simple". This applies to my daily life as well as to my gardening life, so this year I will focus on that theme for this blog and for all aspects of my life. I think we tend to over analyze things in this world of computer gadgets and the next best thing. We tend to make things much harder than they need to be because, my gosh, it couldn't be that simple, right? How could I make money off it, if it's that simple? I need to make it seem more complicated so that people will buy what I'm saying. It's a mentality like this, that I think has contributed to a lot of the problems in this world today and a lot of my problems in the past, frankly. I don't want to be rich, I just want enough to pay my bills, buy a little something for myself when I want to, help others when needed and try to save the earth in the process.

That being said, I'd like to use this theme today to focus on weight loss and being healthier.

I just read an interesting article that stated their is no quick fix when it comes to weight loss and muscle building. Really? You don't say? We always want a quick fix to everything and don't want to hear the truth, so it's refreshing to read an article from someone who is not being paid off by the industry or promoting some "miracle" product that could kill you.

Basically, if you eat smaller portions of real wholesome foods, not store bought, frozen, canned, over processed or restaurant food, you will lose weight and be healthier. Simple, right? In addition to eating smaller portions, you want to eat more often, so that your body doesn't think that it's starving and just store all those calories. Even before I had an expert tell me this, I always lost weight when I felt like I was eating constantly. I don't mean shoveling down pounds of unhealthy foods all day long, but nibbling foods that are good for you. For example, some days I would get up in the morning and have a small bowl of oatmeal. I'd be satisfied with that and then an hour later, I might nibble on some carrots. Then an hour or so after that, I might have a fat free yogurt. By then, it's time for lunch, so I'd have a salad. Then an hour later, I might eat the sandwich I brought to go with the salad and then an hour after that I'd eat the crackers and cheese that I brought to go with it. Once dinner rolled around, I'd usually sit down to a real meal, but because I had nibbled all day, I wouldn't over-eat at dinnertime.

This is probably an extreme example. I don't normally eat something every hour, but I just wanted to show how you don't have to sit and eat an entire meal all at once. As long as you eat the recommended number of meats, veggies, carbs, etc. in a day, you'll be OK. Everyone has a different lifestyle, so it may not be convenient to nibble all day, but if you can incorporate a healthy snack mid morning and mid afternoon, along with normal sized portions at meal time, you'll be doing your body good.

Make sure you have a lean protein such as chicken, fish or a lean red meat such as sirloin. Add a side such as brown rice, or whole wheat pasta and then, of course, a vegetable like broccoli or a mixed green salad. Make sure you have 2 tablespoons of a good healthy fat each day such as olive oil, flax seed or almonds and you'll have a pretty balanced eating plan started.

Eating this way, also dramatically lowers your sodium intake. Processed foods are full of it. People think it takes so much longer to cook a meal from scratch then to throw a frozen meal in the oven. Not true. You don't have to be a master chief. If you have a small selection of fresh or dried herbs, that's all you need to make a flavorful dish. A little organizing and planning ahead and it becomes second nature and it will not consume all your time. Honestly.

In addition to eating better, we need to exercise to burn more calories and strengthen our bodies. When you burn more calories you can either eat more, if you are maintaining your weight, or eat less to lose weight. It's that simple. Obviously, athletes or people with special dietary needs, may need to pay closer attention to details, but for the majority of us, simple is better.

The type of exercise, really doesn't matter much, but you do need to incorporate a cardio workout along with strength training, 3-4 times a week for about 45 minutes each of those days. An example of a cardio workout would be running, walking fast, or cycling. Strength training could be as simple as using hand weights or lifting your own body weight, such as with stomach crunches or push-ups. Resistance bands are great for using at home. They don't take up much space and anyone can get started using them. I suppose you could get specific about working problem areas, but you really don't need to go crazy doing it.

Since starting Weight Watchers, I have been pretty sporadic about my exercise. Mainly because I just can't seem to find the time to do it. Lame excuse, I know. We've walked around the neighborhood when the weather has been cooperative and even bought snowshoes to help us enjoy the winter months more, but with the weather being so cold, that is just not a feasible option for use most of the time. So I am going to make an honest effort to incorporate more exercise into my life, somehow. My plan is to do some sort of high energy cardio for at least 20 minutes, then to work on my strength training for the remainder of the time, concentrating on my abs and arms for the most part. You may have your own problem areas :)

I know this is supposed to be a gardening and craft blog, but I am a multi dimensional person and there is more to my life then that. Since it's the slow time of year for gardening, I have to talk about something between craft projects, so I will share tips I've learned and little tidbits that just might make your struggle with weight loss a little easier. I'll share little snacks we find tasty and share just why being on Weight Watchers doesn't feel like a diet at all.

Just remember, to Keep it Simple!

Reviving an Old Blog

I've decided to revive this old blog. I plan on using it almost daily to update you on what's going on in our life.

I don't know where the past two years have gone since I wrote last. Gary's dad passed away last month, so it's been a little rough for him, but he is handling it well. Stuart was a good and generous man and he will be missed. He and Laura raised a fine son, and for that I am very grateful.

I've revamped our website since I last posted. So be sure to check it out here. We opened an Etsy Store in November after we had a successful fall craft show. I plan on having a craft show at our home this spring along with a plant sale. It should be a lot of fun. Depending on how things go with the Etsy Store, I may decide to do some more craft shows this fall. Hopefully the economy will get better soon.

I guess the most notable news I can post today is that I have lost 30 lbs. in the past 10 weeks. Gary and I started Weight Watchers and it has been going great so far. He has lost 38 lbs. I had never thought that he would do this with me, but he has been extremely supportive which has made this much easier than I ever thought possible. When I reach the 50 lb. mark, we are going to treat ourselves to a little vacation in the Poconos. That is where we had our honeymoon and we've been back once more since then. We are due for another visit. My initial goal is to lose 100 lbs. Wish me luck!

I'll sign off for now, but I am hoping to report some pretty exciting news in the next few days. Just waiting to get final word that it's Ok to post it.

Stay warm!