Just a quick note.....

Its been a long day and I can barely keep my eyes open. I got a lot done today straightening up around here. The landlord was down today and checked out the wet spot on the hallway floor. We live on a concrete slab floor covered with carpet. A few days ago a wet spot appeared on the floor. She thinks it is coming from the bathtub maybe , something with the pipes that are under the cement are leaking and coming up through the carpet! It will be interesting to see how they fix this. We might have to move to another apt. if they have to tear up the floors according to the maintenance girl. time will tell!! We have an inspection tomorrow from HUD where we get housing assistance. They will make sure things get taken care of one way or another!

It was a nice day here today but they are forecasting storms again. My plants are all looking good still but we have so many spiders on the porch and coming into the apt. along with an invasion of ants. I found a spider about the size of a quarter in one of my tennis shoes. I knocked it out and killed it then threw my shoes in the trash. I am not putting my foot in there where that spider had been living!!!! I had a little spider spray left and used it up outside. I will have to get some more and for ants too! I have breathing problems and have to be very careful what I use or I can't get my breath. I have an appt. Wednesday to take paperwork into HUD and hopefully everything will pass their standards.

I'm going to call it a night and hopefully get some sleep tonight! I will talk to you all tomorrow. Have a good night!

Hugs and Blessings,

Brenda

2 Months, Too Long Between Posts

Hi Friends,

I can't believe it has been 2 months since I last posted. I've stopped by a few times, but just couldn't seem to think of anything to say. I've been dealing with a lot of back and leg pains lately and it has been taking over my concentration.

I did manage to slowly sort through things around here and had a garage sale last weekend. It was supposed to be 2 days but Saturday was rained out completely. The things that were left went to Goodwill. It's amazing how things accumulate...being a "pack rat" doesn't help either. I have been breaking that habit though. I have stopped going to yard sales and if I see something in a store, I ask myself if I really need it or just think I do. It seems to be working, but it isn't easy sometimes.

I have finally gotten caught up on all the things I have let slide, now I can turn my thoughts to gardening in containers , working on my Recipe blog and family cookbook and sewing & crafts to sell on the new blog I have been working at setting up. I will be selling some vintage items, etc . on it also. I will publish the blog when I have things completely set up. I hope It will be ready around July 1st. Keep checking back for updates!!!!!

I think I'm going to call it a night and go to bed. My back and legs don't seem to be hurting too bad right now, thanks to pain pills. I hate taking them and only do when it gets really bad.

You will be seeing me on a regular basis now. I plan on spending a lot of time between the 3 Blogs, sewing & crafting and my little container garden.


Have a good night my friends,

Hugs and Blessings,
Brenda

Kitchen Blog Updated!

I've finished updating the kitchen blog, now I just need to add more recipes. I still have a lot of them to add. They are sitting right beside me as a reminder too. I will try to work at adding them to the blog in between sewing projects!

I need to find a sunbonnet pattern for a special friend, I know I have one around here somewhere. I've looked, just haven't found it yet. I've moved so much around in this room it's a wonder I can find a place to sit!

I'll be back tonight to post more, I need to get off this computer and get busy on the sewing machine.

Have a great days friends,

Hugs and Blessings ,
Brenda

Making Changes

I'm going to be making some changes on here...new background, little things here and there to spruce things up a bit.. I just thought the blog needed a little spring cleaning and up-dating, so please bear with me until I get this done! I had intentions of starting earlier today on making the changes, but going to the grocery seemed to take up most of the morning. It was one thing after another then , so I'm here now. I've been checking out new backgrounds and found a few I like, now just to decide which one I will use.

I have some sewing to start on tomorrow, I have a lot of projects on my list. I will probably have some to sell and will post them on here or start a new blog just for selling things on. I'm downsizing around here so I will have a lot of things to sell! I'm going to be adding more recipes to the kitchen blog too....so keep checking back! Change is in the air!!!

The weather was just perfect today, sunny and warm. I hope it stays like this!

I'm going to go look at some backgrounds so I can confuse myself even more.

Have a good night!

Hugs and Blessings,
Brenda

Been a long Time....

since I was here last. I can't believe how fast time goes by. The older I get the faster it goes...and the slower I get LOL!!!!

I have been keeping busy though, re-arranged the apartment, doing spring cleaning, finding lots of things to get rid of, either to sell or donate depending what it is. I've decided if I haven't used it in the last 6 months it's going out of here, with the exception of a few things.

I've scanned well over 300-400 pictures from family albums into my computer so I can store them on a disc and give the originals to my cousin to pass on to her kids. I don't have anyone to pass anything onto so I'm getting rid of stuff I don't want or need. I'm not planning on leaving this world for a long time yet, but that's not up to me.

I've got my sewing area set back up again and I'm going to start back into making things to hopefully sell. I'm thinking about setting up at the local Farmers Market this summer. I need to make some new clothes too, I've lost 30#'s since November...only another hundred to lose and I will be happy. I'm stuck on a plateau now so I would be happy to lose 5#!!

I'm thinking about changing my background on here and updating some things. I've definitely got to get back to working on adding recipes to the cookbook, the pictures got in the way of that among other things. So many things to do and not enough hours in the day to do them all.

I need to stay off FaceBook and spend more time here. It is so easy to waste time on FaceBook....the devil's playground!

I'm going to say goodnight while my eye lids are still partially open, I don't get much sleep at night due to having to help Kevin. I have to go to the grocery in the morning and don't want to be sleep walking. I need to be awake enough to stretch my money are far as I can.

Have a good night,

Hugs and blessing,
Brenda

Sunshine and Feeling Better......

Sunshine, this morning, what a welcome sight to see, even if it only lasted a few hours!! I hope all of you got to enjoy some sunshine also! The sun really brightened my day!!

I saw the Dr. yesterday, she said all of my vital signs were good and gave a new prescription for the Extended Release Metformin to see if I could tolerate it any better. I told her I hadn't taken any Metformin for 5 days and felt better than I had in a long while. She told me I could try going without it for a couple of weeks as long as my sugar readings stayed good, if not, back on the meds.. I will try and hope for the best!!

I started back on my project of scanning all of the family photos onto my computer.I've done about 200 so far, had to take a break but now I'm back at it. I've got pictures of one of my great-grandmothers, 6 generations back, it was taken in the 1850's. I have quite a few from the 1800's. A lot of memories go with all of these pictures. I plan on putting them on DVD's then passing the pictures onto my cousin. I am the only one left of my immediate family, she can pass them onto to her kids.

I have a lot of ideas for sewing and craft projects, I just need to get busy and get them started. I hope to try and set up at the Farmers Market this year. I bought some batteries for my camera the other day. I'm not sure what is wrong with it but it will only let me take a few pictures and then quits until I replace the batteries. I can't afford another camera so I guess I will have to keep a supply of batteries on hand. I will take some pictures as I get things done. I do have one I can post now, it is a teddy bear I made for Kevin for Valentine's Day:



I better get back to scanning, I'd like to finish a few more tonight and I owe a dear friend an email.

Take care,

Hugs and Blessings, my friends

Panic/Anxiety Attacks, Snow & Stress......

has been keeping me occupied the last 2 months. I can't believe it has been that long since I last posted. I wish I could say "time flies when you're having fun" but it hasn't been fun at all. My panic & anxiety attacks started again. It has been a long time since I've had any really bad attacks, fortunately these weren't as bad as some that I had that ended in a trip to the ER. I'm still not sure what the trigger was this time or if it was a combination of things. I think being snowed in, fluctuations in my sugar and a few other things thrown into the mix was the cause. I eventually was able to get out of here and to the Dr. and she changed my meds. which has helped some. I'm still anxious about things but I'm forcing myself to deal with it.

I got off track with watching my sugar intake over the holidays and am still having a rough time getting back on the diet! I'm working on that too. I can't leave out all the pain from the arthritis and fibromyalgia that has had me on edge and been almost more than I can stand at times. I have a high tolerance for pain too, I can take a lot but even I have my limits.

OK enough of my complaining about everything that ails me!! LOL

I hope all of you have been okay and survived all of the snow and ice and cold! I've stopped by off and on to check out some of your blogs and have enjoyed reading about everything you have been doing.

We've been moving things around in the apartment , our computers used to be in the living room. We have a spare bedroom that has/had LOL 8'x12'of space. We split the space so we each have a 6'x12' area. Kevin's is all computer "stuff" mine is divided between my computer & printer plus my sewing machine table and cutting/work table,etc., which is doing double duty as my computer desk too. I call it all "organized clutter". I have the use of the whole closet too, it has all of my fabric, trims etc. in it so they are handy. I will post some pictures of the room after I straighten it up a little.....if I can get the camera to work. The camera keeps losing power even with new batteries.

I hope to start spending more time here. I always feel more at peace after I've posted.

Hugs and Blessings, my friends
Brenda

Yes, I've been MIA again......

Happy New Year to all of you!!!

Don't you just hate it when real life gets in the way of your computer time???? I sure do!!! LOL...but now.....All of the Christmas decorations are packed away, cleaning is done and things are back to normal!!

I'm trying to get back into a normal routine again too. The diabetic diet is getting easier to follow. My numbers are good and I've lost 16#'s in 2 months. I'll be happy now to just keep things going like this.

I just wanted to pop in for a few minutes to catch up. I will post more tomorrow.

Hugs and Blessings my friends,

Merry Christmas!!!

I just wanted to wish all of you a very

"Merry and Blessed Christmas"!

I hope you are all well, we are doing ok. We were both using my netbook until today and Kevin's new computer came, so now I have mine back and can get back to posting on a regular basis. The last month has been rough for a lot of reasons. I'll talk more about that later.

I hope the font on here gets straightened out, I don't know what is wrong. I may just change the complete background tomorrow.

Love and hugs and many Blessings to you all,

Brenda

Diabetic Roller Coaster

I know now why I've been so tired and thirsty for the last couple of months....my sugar is on the high side. I've had trouble since the 1970's when I had low blood sugar. I had to keep candy or O.J. close at hand. I had readings as low as 60, at 50 you can go into a diabetic coma. I got that straightened out after a few years.

I didn't give a thought to the chance it could be my sugar causing me trouble this time. I checked it every morning and it was pretty well normal for a long time. Lately it has been getting a little higher than it had been, but I just thought it was because I was only sleeping 2 hours at a time and up for about an hour in between. It was 250 one day last week when I checked it. I took the meds the Dr. gave me (6 months ago :<( ) for a couple of days, but it didn't help so I called the Dr., told them what was going on and had an appt. 2 hours later. I now take 2 pills a day and write down every bite that passes my lips. My sugar is down now, closer to where it should be. I go back to the Dr. the day before Thanksgiving, if it's not staying where it should be she is going to add Junuvia, to the Glucophage I'm taking now. I had a real wake up call with this. My dads sister and his uncle both lost both of their legs to diabetes. I don't want that to happen so I will be keeping an eye on things now. I have lost 7#'s over the last few days too..WooHoo!!

I wanted to share this with you just in case anyone of you is getting bad about keeping a check on their sugar like I did. I hope you are smarter than I was ;<).

I have been getting the last of the mending caught up so I can make some clothes and a Christmas present or two. I may have to hold off on the clothes though if I keep losing weight. I'm glad I kept some of the smaller sized clothes I used to wear!

I've got a lot of ideas for projects to make up after the first of the year. I'm thinking seriously about setting up at the local Farmers Market again. We tried it the first year they had one here and no one did very good. It sets up at a new location now and is managed a lot better than that first year. I'm planning on setting up depending on how things go here.

I better end this post before it becomes a book. I hope to be able to get back to posting more here and also more recipes on the cookbook blog too since I'm feeling better.

Hugs and Blessings my friends,