Weighing Wednesday - When do I panic

A few days ago my daughter and I were texting about weight gain.  Although we are not over weight, we still are very conscious and mindful how important it is to watch our weight.  For me it all about being healthy and having a normal weight comes as part of the Diabetes regiment.  So when do I panic?  When I step on the scale and I see a particular number that is my cut off.  This is when I start doing a bit more exercise, watching what my meal portions are and start drinking more water.  It is amazing that I can some results only after a couple of days.  It would be nice to get to my goal and lower the BMI.  And I know that just because I am old, it does not mean that I should just let go and not worry about the looks.  Yes, I start getting a little worried when I can't lose the weight that I gain just because I ate a bit more and did not do any exercise.  What is truly difficult for me to get into the habit is going for a walk.  My diabetes nurse suggested to take up some winter sports and or walk around the block.  When we lived in San Jose where the weather is nice almost everyday, I still did not get the motivation to walk around the block.  But what I did was golf (walking of course) at least 2 to 3 times a week.  But now that we live in a city where there is at least 5 months of winter, it's very difficult to do things outdoors.  Anyway, enough complaining, here's an example how easily I can gain the couple of pounds I just lost. LOL

Jeff's dinner.

My dinner but only ate half. 

Trying Tuesday - Just like to be busy

This is going to sound weird but I started giving more time to my volunteer agency of choice.  It seems like once a month for 3 or 5 hours is not enough.  I asked my coordinator if he might need some help at the office.  It was last month when I mentioned it to him and now he has taken my offer.  So I go into the office twice a week for 4 hours to help out with whatever needs to get done.  I love what I am doing because I can help him get organized and I keep my mind working.  It is not going to be a permanent one, just temporarily until things get back to normal.  This way I can still do some of my sewing, crafts and or whatever it is I would like to do.  Last week since the three days of the week I was home, I decided to do more sewing.  I bought this fabric that was so attractive for $1.99 and I knew it would become something useful.  The fabric was not very big and I had to make sure I plan my project so I can get the most out of this.  If someone buys them for a very cheap price, it would still be a profit.  Although my labor is not included in the price because it will make the item a little too expensive.  To me, it is just for fun and I can always use it as gifts for any occasion.

I was able to make two of these tote bag aka shopping bag.

Then I made three of these flat iron/curling iron (small type) travel case.  

Sweetest Sunday - Not for diabetics

As much as I love trying new sweet treats, I know that I can only try it just as a taste test.  In fact all the baking I did around the holidays are still in the freezer.  Sometimes it's nice to have handy when neighbors come over or maybe I'll take some assorted treats when I do my volunteer.  But one good benefit of having them around is when I need something very sweet when I am experiencing low blood sugar specially during the middle of the night.  It's a life saving treat.  Although Jeff has not problem snacking on some of these treats, he prefers his favorite chocolate chip cookies that he makes.  While I prefer the different assortment of treats specially when you are arranging them on a small plate.  They look amazing and so mouth watering.  Last week I tried a new recipe by Ina Gartner and it turned out so yummy.

#5 artisan bread that comes out perfect each time - thank you Pinterest

Ina Garten's granola bar

Assorted plate with brownies, almond bark, macarons, 7 layer bar, pecan cookies.

Freehand Friday - Quick paintings

Now you are probably going to say, it must be another snowy day.  Correct.  I need to make use of the days that I stay indoors and be productive.  Since I have not done any painting since before Christmas, I took out the paint brushes, acrylic paints and four very small frames.  You might ask, how small are there?  They are 4 in. x 4 in ready to paint canvas from the Dollar store.  I had done a couple for my sister while she was visiting and she really liked it.  Now I am doing 4 for my room or for someone who might like it and it will become a gift (souvenir from my collections).  The next project I completed was a sign for our front door.  Since we have taken the Christmas decor from the front door, it looks empty.  I needed to make something that will be great for all year round.  Of course I would make up some other theme ones like (Valentines or Easter, etc),  I actually got this idea from a floor mat that I saw at one of the stores.  I wanted to get it but by the time we return to that particular store, they mats were gone.  That is why I am making one as a door sign. 

 

Summer

Autumn

Spring

Winter

Seasons Collection

Threading Tuesday - Back to sewing and more

Every morning when I look at the window and there is still snow, I end up back in my sewing room creating new projects and or finishing something I had started.  After the middle of the month, my contents ended and there was only 3 entries therefore everyone was a winner.  All of them received their prizes and everyone is happy with what they received.  So you are probably wondering what I have done in the last few days.  Here's some of the photos and although not everything was sewn, it was still something that I made. I feel bad that during the snow days, Jeff does the shoveling and I usually stay indoors and do crafts or chores, etc. By the way after all these years of making those easy NO SEW fleece blanket for others, I finally made one for myself.  

Scarf for my BFF who is a Montreal Canadiens loyal fan.

This was part of his prize for entering my contest.

My new patriotic reversible blanket - just plain red on the other side.

In case you are wondering what these are, my daughter showed us great floor exercises using these.

Sacked Sunday - Not for Brady

If the Patriots win today then it means I will have a Superbowl party in our new home and invite some of the neighbors.  But if Tom gets sacked more than once, I am not sure if I can take it.  What is funny is that I didn't know any of these football terminology except for TOUCHDOWN.  But since I moved to San Jose where football is everywhere and almost everyone you talk too is cheering either the 49ers or Raiders, I began to really pay attention to the game and with Jeff's help and even my bff from Houston.  Susan even came to visit up since the Superbowl last year was in San Jose at the Levi's Stadium.  Every time I watch now I pay attention to some of the rules and some of the challenges and reviews.  What is good about the DVR is that we can record as many games being covered by different stations.  As well as I can rewind to check out what really happened, ask Jeff if it was not clear to me what the flag was about.  But when the Patriots are playing, I get very edgy on our couch.  This Sunday I won't be wearing all my gear but maybe just my favorite t-shirt.  I started checking Pinterest as far as ideas for my maybe Superbowl party.  In fact I already have the Patriots napkins which was the leftover from last year.  I told my good friend Gord from Ontario that I might need his help to make the squares for the game if I did have a party.  The winner will get a chance to pick whatever charity they wish to donate the winnings.  Now here's some of the treats I want to make for our party.  GO PATRIOTS GO.

Spanish Saturday - Together is better

When you live in a place where winter months are long and cold, you will need something to do indoors that does not require a lot of energy.  This is when we decided to take a new hobby, that's right.  We are learning the language of Spanish and we are doing it together.  Now one might ask, why Spanish and not French.  Our response is simple.  We think it is easier than French.  In addition to that, my other first language is Tagalog and we have a lot of similar words to Spanish.  I believe it was because the country was under Spaniards for some years.  Another reason is that Jeff actually took Spanish with his buddy Carlos many moons ago.  In fact he still kept his textbooks and notebook for that class.  At first I started it and then Jeff realized I was having fun with it.  After a few days, he began his lessons.  Sometimes he would ask for my help when he is getting stuck with a particular word.  That is when I thought that I would wait for him to catch up with me, so we can be in the same lesson together.  We found out later that together is better.  When we get stumped with a word or two, we seek each other's help but not trying to outdo each other as to how many correct answers we can do in a row.  Although Jeff knows that I am just a tad ahead of him.  I almost forgot to say that when I first moved to San Jose, my MIL and I took some lessons at the senior center to kill some time.  It cost us $1 per class so we kept going until we got bored.  The teacher was not that great and although I had fun helping him create new flash cards for our class, after a while he was just annoying since we just learned words but never really put them together.  DUOLINGO is the way to go.  I have it on my phone and my Kindle.  Luckily for me, my BFF from Mississauga, Ontario is fluent in this language.  Once in a while we do our text in Spanish just to practice and we also do a video chat when we need some questions regarding conjugation.  Now we all need to practice it somewhere.  Maybe I can convince Jeff that we need to get away for a week at an all inclusive resort where they speak Spanish.  Probably Dominican Republic would be our first choice.  If this cold weather stays longer than expected, we might want to reconsider and actually go somewhere warm. LOL

Tricky Thursday - Cosmetics life span

The beginning of the year seems to be a good time to do some tidying up and cleaning whatever it is you have been putting it off since last year.  So I started cleaning my cosmetic drawer beginning with washing all the brushes.  But what really got me to really do some purging of old make up is when my eyes got all red and part of the white of the eye got a little swollen.  As I recall what I did that day, I thought it would have been the change of mascara. I opened a new purple one that my daughter gave me some time last year.  It was timely that my annual eye check up was the next day.  During the examination, I told the optometrist what happened. She told me that it probably was not the mascara since I had it on for almost the whole day and it didn't irritate my right eye until around 4 pm.  She then asked if I was doing something with glue.  Well, that was the answer, I was in fact doing some crafts and using hot glue and sometimes, little bit of it gets under my nail.  I must have touch my eyes and this little particle got in.  When glue gets wet in your eyes, they react to it, TA DA.  Mystery solved.  After this experience, I truly cleaned out the drawer of everything that is older than 3 months.  Then I went out and bought the basic make up I needed.  Loose powder, trio eye shadow and plain black mascara.  By the way, I used the following chart that my daughter sent me a few months ago.  Now I will be using this guide and I actually have written on the make up the date I started using it.  It is funny that it had been a while since I bought my own stuff since I have been spoiled through the years of receiving free make up from my daughter and her sister in law.  So when I was shopping for the items, I didn't realize how expensive things are now a days.  I am retired so technically I don't wear make up unless I am going out plus I am on a budget for this type of things.  LOL

Here's what I ended up getting at the Superstore and so far I am happy with them.  And since I now have to be careful regarding life span of each item, I would not have any problem throwing it away if I get bored with it or if I start having some type of reactions.

Tips Tuesday - Back to French

Oh don't get too excited.  I did not go anywhere.  The post today is about nail polish, nail art and nail design.  So I did not go to Paris, instead I just did a French manicure for the month of January.  By the time I finished the polishing, I realized that it would have been a great

new year's eve party nail design.  Because we are still in the winter months, probably I don't need to get my toes polished.  For me, if I am doing my nails then the toes has to be done as well.  In other words I do the whole works aka mani pedi.  Honestly I don't even remember when was the last time I had been to a nail salon.  As you know, being a diabetic, I have to be careful with my hands and feet, more so the feet.  Well, the last time I was at a salon getting a pedicure, the nail technician aka nail person, nipped the side of my middle toe.  She was trimming the cuticle and she went a bit too far.  The bleeding did not stop for a while and she was getting worried.  Finally it did and I told her to just stop and just to the polish with no design and I left.  Sorry NO TIP.  It took at least a couple of months for the wound to heal.  Since then I have been doing my own spa for fingers and toes.  And I have to say that I do a pretty good job.  Not only does it saves money, it also protects me from infection, cuts, etc.  Here's some of the nail designs I have done lately and some are my favorites. I thought it would be nice to have some sort of names for each. 

New Year's Eve

Actually American

Daisy by Marc Jacobs - favorite summer holiday nail art

Christmassy

Christmas wreath - favorite holiday nail art.

Slippers Saturday - Still searching

Living in Canada is definitely a bit different that our previous home in San Jose, CA.  First of all, I could get away wearing flip flops or sandals all year long.  Maybe with the exception of some nights that we go out and I need to wear shoes for a little warmth.  So when winter arrived, I knew I can't wear my flip flops are home because my feet gets cold very quickly.  I saw a pair from Walmart that I thought would be good only to find out that I pick the wrong color as it gets dirty easily and after I washed it, the shape all went wonky.  Thereafter, I have been searching for the perfect slippers.  I saw something cute, almost like a ballet slippers in navy blue with a pink bow.  It was OK for the first month or two then it got a little loose and after a couple of wash, it lost its shape and support.  Jeff suggested maybe I should just make one for myself using left over fabric at first for the prototype.  I followed his advise and I started searching for fabrics in my baskets.  Then I bought some insole from the dollar store and I made my own pattern using my used navy blue slipper.  I think I am comfortable with the process of making one but definitely need a lot of tweaking with the size and shape.  It is not perfect but I could use it around the house because it's comfy and keeps my feet warm.  Since it's a little wide, I added a couple of black ribbon so I can tie it tighter so the slippers won't slip off my feet.  There are definitely a lot of slippers at different store, the only problem is that some are so stiff. 

Triangle Thursday - A new goal to achieve

After my visit with the Diabetes nurse, I now have to work hard to get my A1C lowered.  You might wonder how high is my result and what is the normal numbers.  So here's the scoop.  My A1C is currently at 7.2% and both my family doctor and nurse wants me to be at 7.0%.  When you look at this numbers you might say, that's not so bad, right.  My doctor says to me, " I know you can do it".  Anyway what can I do?  I know what I can do but the real issue is doing it.  LOL.  Now why the Triangle. It's my own reminder of what do I need to do to accomplish and get the right number.  It's really all about exercise (30 minutes a day), balanced diet and pay attention to portion and last is TP (Treatment Plan which includes checking blood sugar, sticking to schedule and taking medications).

It's not hard if you have been doing this for many years but as we all know, every now and then, you fall short on certain part of the regiment. This is a new year and it's a perfect time to re-evaluate and return back to taking care of me.  I am not making an excuse but last year we had so much happening in our lives that sometimes, health issues gets put aside just a little.  Did I mention that I got an Elliptical machine for Christmas?  Also just in case you don't have Alexa, she has certain exercise program that is good when you only have a few minutes to spare.  I really don't want to call it my new year's resolution, but another part of the TP is to keep weight down. It's really too bad because I had lost 6 pounds prior to moving here.  When the golf season ended and the cold weather keeps us indoors, between baking bread, sweets and yummy dinners, guess what happen to the weight loss.  OMG, you are so so right, it's BACK.  There's a certain threshold when I start to panic and start doing all of the stuff that I have been talking about.  I call it my scary numbers when I step on the scale. OK time to finish this post and get moving.  Wish me luck because I need all of what I can get.

Mastering Monday - Bread or macarons

Just a reminder, there are still seven more days to enter my contest.  Check out the rules posted on my January 1 - anniversary celebration.  So far only two people have won therefore there are five more spots available to you.  Back to the topic of today - baking.  That is right, I am trying to master the making of the artisan bread.  One great thing about the recipe that I have found is that everything about it is easy.  I have made it four times and each time it came out perfect.  Now I don't want to make other type of bread, just this one but maybe next time make it either savory, like with garlic and rosemary or sweet like with cranberry and honey, or raisins and nuts.  But when it comes to macarons, I still have to do a lot to say I am comfortable with the process and results.  Although some of the ones I have done so far are not bad, I want to make the filling less sweet and the color brighter and the size perfectly shaped.  This can only be achieve once I get my Silpat mat.  Happy baking!

Stitching Saturday - Back to sewing projects

Today is the first day I came back to the Yellowknife Yardage aka my sewing room.  It was a bit messy due to the holidays.  Although it did not take me a long time to tidy up, it gave me the motivation to do something small.  I did not know what to do with the empty candle holder. Shortly after the idea of making my own personal pin cushion was the final decision. If I have a few ideas/projects, I use a basket to place all the items I need to make that item.  This might include, fabrics, trims, notions, thread, etc.  It makes it easier for when I am ready to start making it.  Currently I have only a couple of basket with items in them.  One has the house slippers project while the other has a bit more complicated project - a jacket.  I found a second hand pattern at the Thrift Store and since I already have the fabric at home, it would make sense to practice with it.  Actually the fabric was given by my sister to me, to make her a dress a long time ago. I never made the dress, so now I am going to attempt to sew the jacket for her. LOL.  If she happens to read this post, I am sure she will say, "wait a minute, I recognize that fabric".  

#1 Basket for making house slippers.

My new pin cushion.

#2 Basket - short jacket for my sister.

Wispy Wednesday - New Year New Hairstyle

Those racing stripes is really starting to bother me.  It was good that we don't have to go anywhere formal or a party or any event.  We have been just staying home as it's a little too cold for me to go out to even take a walk (what is that).  I called my new hairstylist to see if she could fit me in. Luckily she had a cancellation and I was able to fit it in my busy schedule. LOL.  The last time she did a little bit of burgundy tinge.  Actually I was surprised how it turned out and I think I will ask her to do the same next time.  For this appointment I just need to get the roots done and maybe a bit of a

wispy trim for my bangs as well as the ends.  Maybe I need to ask her to do a wispy cut all around. As the title of the post is new hairstyle, I could ask her to do something like some of the style I found.

I remember a couple of years ago, I told Jeff that maybe I would just let the grey grow out.  And this is his response, "Oh, I am not ready for you to go grey!" LOL  

Mellifluous Monday - Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  Just from the title, you can tell that I am starting this new year with a bang.  A big bang of new word, that is right.  I am planning to use a big word to go with the day of the week for my post.  Hopefully I can find the perfect word that will fit the topic I have chosen for my post.  When I started my blog, I was telling my daughter of my idea of using a different adjective that would go with the topic for my post.  After a few months I thought, I would probably ran out of ideas and words to use.  Now I cannot believe that it has been seven years since I started blogging.  Although I don't have many followers, I still enjoy sharing what I have done with my retired life.  Whether it is my sewing projects, crafts, baking, and many others, I am still finding new things to post and always trying to remember to take photos along the way so I can share it on my blog. Since this is my 7th year anniversary, I was thinking of giving away 7 prizes to the first 7 readers/followers who will send a short email message. It is very simple, just one sentence describing what you enjoy reading on my blog. Send it to Cranberryportagebb@gmail.com