Thought for the day

Today marks the eighth anniversary of my sobriety date.
I live by the words "one day at a time" every day, every minute, every second.

I am very proud of myself to have maintained sobriety for eight years especially when you take into account that I am surrounded by people that drink daily.

That said....I leave you with the thought of the day from the book Twenty Four Hours a Day

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Thought for the Day

"We had but two alternatives; one was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could, and the other was to accept spiritual help. We became willing to maintain a certain simple attitude toward life. What seemed at first a flimsy reed has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us, a design for living that really works. All of us establish in our own individual way our personal relationship with God." Have I established my own relationship with God?

Meditation for the Day

Make it a daily practice to review your character. Take your character in relation to your daily life, to your dear ones, your friends, your acquaintances, and your work. Each day try to see where God wants you to change. Plan how best each fault can be eradicated or each mistake be corrected. Never be satisfied with a comparison with those around you. Strive toward a better life as your ultimate goal. God is your helper through weakness to power, through danger to security, through fear and worry to peace and serenity.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may make real progress toward a better life. I pray that I may never be satisfied with my present state.

New babies

Been a while.....

I was looking around Craftsy today and came across these patterns.  I was looking for something to get my crochet mojo back and I think I may have found it.

Latest projects

Cat pillow I was asked to make for a girl that rides the bus with me  

Filet Baby boy butterfly blanket for an adjuster at work.

Close up of small butterfly (one in each corner)

Close up of main butterfly

My first star mandala

Personalized Baby Blanket done

So I was asked to make a baby blanket on Friday night for a shower that is at the beginning on May. Not just any blanket though....it has to be personalized with the baby's name.....lol

  ok.....so buy the yarn on Saturday afternoon and start the blanket as soon as I get home.

Finished it at 8 pm last night......and I work full time.....not too bad.

Forgot the ears and a new hat

Slouchy hat

With ears.

Pattern Purge

So I have spent the past few weekends organizing and purging my pattern stash.

Like really....how many patterns does one person need?

I think I have it manageable now.  5 binders....LOL

Next step is to get the paper versions onto the external hard drive so I don't have paper everywhere.

soooo freakin cute

Wow.....I posted this cute lil sock monkey hat on facebook and it was sold within 5 minutes.

New hat

Puppy dog hat - newborn size

Few more hats to show off

Ladybug hat - circumference 16.5" - 3 to 6 month size

This little cutie was an order by a friend who's second grandson was born on March 18/14.

Panda hat

Newest hat.  The whole time I was making this one I'm like......awwwwwww.

"Girl" Minion hat

And here is the "girl" version.  I think I love making these.

My very first minion hat

This turned out pretty well for my first attempt I think.
Gonna do a "girl" version now.

HOT OFF THE HOOK...

I knew I purchased this pattern for a reason.  I LOVE IT!!!
Now it took me FOREVER to make but that is instead of using varigated yarn I decided to change colours every round....ugh.  I won't do that again.

Lowering Cholesterol Levels....hmmmm

So when I went to the drs yesterday, she told me I need to lower my cholesterol level.
So me being me, go surfing the internet to figure out how to do this. I stumbled upon a Readers Digest article that breaks it down into ten steps.  Some of these actually made me laugh out loud.

1. Drink two glasses of orange juice every morning

But make it Minute Maid's Heart Wise or another brand spiked with the same kind of cholesterol-lowering plant sterols found in margarine spreads like Benecol. 

2. Eat six or more small meals a day

A large study of British adults found that people who ate six or more times a day had significantly lower cholesterol than those who ate twice a day, even though the "grazers" got more calories and fat! 

3. Sip a glass of wine every evening with dinner (um...I've been sober for 7 1/2 years....this isn't an option for me.)

Studies find a daily glass of wine or beer a day can boost levels of HDL cholesterol. Make the wine a red one–red wines are 3-10 times higher in plant compounds called saponins believed to be responsible for much of wine's beneficial effects on cholesterol.

4. Fix all your sandwiches on whole grain bread (not a big fan of whole grain bread....but I guess I can give it a try)

Simply cutting back on simple carbs like white bread and eating more complex carbs, like whole grain bread and brown rice, can increase HDL levels slightly and significantly lower triglycerides, another type of blood fat that contributes to heart disease.

5. Use paper filters when brewing your coffee and skip the espresso ( We do this anyways)

Two substances found in brewed coffee, kahweol and cafestol, increase cholesterol levels. But paper filters trap these compounds, so they're only a problem if you drink espresso or use coffeemakers without filters.

6. Use olive oil in your homemade salad dressing tonight (we tend to use olive oil for most of our cooking)

A Baylor College of Medicine study found that diets rich in the kind of monounsaturated fat found in olive oil reduced LDL cholesterol in people with diabetes or metabolic syndrome–a cluster of risk factors including low HDL, high insulin levels, and overweight–just as well as following a low-fat diet.

7. Add half a tablespoon of cinnamon to your coffee beans (ground or whole) before starting the pot (um...I wonder if I can get Tim Hortons to do this for me every morning...lol)

A Pakistani study found that 6 grams cinnamon a day (about 1/2 tablespoon) reduced LDL cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes nearly 30 percent and cut total cholesterol 26 percent.

8. Have oatmeal for breakfast every morning (um....yuk!!)

There's a reason oat manufacturers are allowed to boast about the grain's cholesterol-lowering benefits: Plenty of research has proved them. Rich in a soluble fiber called beta glucan, oatmeal can drop your LDL 12-24 percent if you eat 1-1/2 cups regularly. Choose quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats over instant.

9. Eat a grapefruit every other day (this one is doable)

Grapefruits are particularly high in pectin, a soluble fiber that can help reduce cholesterol levels. 

10. Use honey in your tea instead of sugar, and honey instead of jam on PB & J sandwiches (I don't put sugar in my tea and I never ever ever eat PB&J sandwiches)

A study from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates found total and LDL cholesterol levels dropped in healthy people after they drank a solution containing honey, but not after they drank solutions containing glucose or artificial honey. 

So as you can see....some of these I can do, some of these I can't.  Combine what I can with regular excercise and I guess we will see what happens.

Another Baby Girl Bearghan

I love making these bearghans.  Especially when I do the face.

REALLY!?!?!?

OMG!!!!    LOL.    Look at the expression on this cat's face.
I was browsing around Ravelry looking at the new patterns when I came across this.  It is actually a pattern for a baby bib.  When I saw the look on the cat's face I just had to share.

Baby Girl Bearghan

Baby Girl Bearghan made for a girl here at work.

I like this!!!

I really like this.  I may have to make one for myself (or four or five)   LOL

Rainbow blanket

Just finished this one over the weekend.

 Started this one....it's called Owl Obsessions. So cute.

 Our neighbours brought Bear and Marley treats the other day.  I think they miss seeing the boys every day.

Snowflakes and Ribbons - done!!!

Snowflakes and Ribbons - done.