Cook, Make, Think

I've included the probable blog posts as well so you can pick and choose what to read. Below is my todo list.

I know the calendar says "Big Wigs" but honestly I don't wear them and know next to nothing about them so why bother? I know most of the time I would be curious and go looking, I just don't want to today.


Art is a fundamental part of the creative. Without art we would have few inspirations for things we want to try. All creatives know if you don't feed your mind the heart goes out of your work. That is true, I have experienced long periods where I made nothing because I could conceive of nothing. Always something in my life usually a wave of anger or sadness would lead me back into the creative side of my being demanding to be expressed somehow. Sometime I would get a commission like the bat houses that demanded me to create and sometimes that helps too.

I don't go looking for commissions but sometimes I need a deadline to get the creative neurons moving again. I used to collect images, a library if you like of styles, colours etc that would catch my eye. I d…

Have you ever heard a good yodeler? I did once and it was spectacular. Today as yesterday I am not going to write it in my own voice but share with you what is written on Checkiday because I do not know as much about it as I would like. They actually shared some of its history and included a list of songs to listen to. Give it a listen and give it a try. Also, check out the other links on the page

Sounds of yodeling will fill the air today, as it is Yodel For Your Neighbors Day. Yodeling is created by quickly alternating the voice back and forth between the low pitch chest register, and the high pitches of the head register—a register also known as falsetto. The word "yodel" is derived from the German word "jodeln," which means "to utter the syllable jo"—said as "yo" in English. Shepherds in the Alps yodeled to communicate with others long distances away, and to round up cattle. The first written record of yodeling dates to 1545. African tribes …

The following post courtesy of Checkiday cause I get lazy like that sometimes.

Created in 2002 by Jodi Jill, a syndicated newspaper puzzle maker, National Puzzle Day is a day when people come together to play and enjoy puzzles and "reflect on those puzzles, games and even challenges in life that we embrace every day but sometimes take for granted." Teachers are also known to use puzzles in their classrooms on the day, and Jodi Jill has even created lesson plans and puzzles for it. Puzzles may be done for the pure enjoyment of figuring them out or taking on a challenge, to learn new words, or just to pass the time or stave off boredom. They may also be done to sharpen the mind, as they may improve cognitive and problem-solving skills. They have many benefits to the mind and may help improve memory and help with the avoidance of Alzheimer's and dementia. Anyone can use puzzles, from young children to the elderly, from the low-skilled to experts. And there are many types of…

I do not play with the Lego much but I still have this picture in my head of a lego village combined with the mountain model I made and a train track. Though I think I would have to change my mountain a little to have room for a train. Today I am going to experiment a bit and see if the model will work or if I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board.

As you can see the levels are not consistent, stuffing it with newspaper created hills and valleys I didn't want. Anyway ...

I will be building a couple of small lego buildings today and trying them out on it. If it doesn't work out then I'll try again to get the scene the way I want it either by altering this display (if it is possible) or putting it away/giving it away and starting again.

Though the more I think about it the more I think I should just use the lego table like I planned to in the first place.

Also, Professor if you could pick up a couple more lack tables for me I'd really appreciate it. I have …

Healthy chocolate cake! No such thing you say? Well, I like chocolate cake but as a diabetic with cholesterol and lactose problems, I decided to do some research.

As usual when I have something I want to research I start with google and got 183B hits so I knew I had my work cut out for me.
This one seems close to what I was looking for but after reading the nutrition stuff I wasn't sure so I kept looking. plus a slice is over 300 calories and the point is to find a healthy option.
This one looks good, is low in calories and has a sugar free option which is good and the nutritional info looks good too. A slice the size of the one pictured has only 95 calories and that should go down a little if I use the sugar substitute.
Whichever I choose when it is done I'll share a photo on Instagram for you along with a critique.

Ever so often I need to sit down and think about the things that matter to me usually this happens when I am having a bad day.



Today is OK but I am feeling a bit sad and I wanted to cheer myself up. I Love:

1) my family. I have a partner I adore, two adult children I love even though they both make me crazy and eight super special grandchildren. I am grateful every day for them because they all in their own way make my life livable on the really bad days.

2) watching the power of mother nature rather it is a lightning storm or a blizzard. it reminds me that we are on this planet by her will and if she really wanted to destroy us she could, it is nice knowing something that strong cares about you.

3) music the kind that gets you up moving your feet with a beat and a message. When I have a hard time saying what I am feeling I look for music to help me express it. I've even carried on a conversation using only a jukebox. Music speaks but you need to learn to listen.

4) creating somet…

The first day of Chinese New Year/ Lunar New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February.In 2020, the first day of the Chinese New Year is today, initiating the Year of the White Metal Rat.

Why is that important to me? Because I was born in the Year of the Rat which makes this an anniversary for me. I've seen 60 winters since then. This year is a double anniversary in that I was born in the year of the Metal Rat and this is again a year of the Metal Rat.

It seems like an odd thing to celebrate but as I was reading about it today I found many things that seemed important to know about the coming year.



It is going to be an uncertain year. Patience and caution should be your motto. Think twice before taking action.

Seems like I should make one of those my word of the year. What do you think patience, caution or think twice?

Beware of false friends they could betray you and take what is yours. Keep silent or think deeply before speaking as you are apt to ge…

On January 24 at 1:24 p.m. (local time) smile, throw your arms in the air and laugh out loud.
Join The Belly Laugh Bounce Around the World.
For more ways to enjoy this day check out their website

Today I am reading about body acceptance and self love.  The search term I used on google "celebrate your body" which lead me to a book on puberty but at the bottom of that page was a link to this place. After reading the introduction I decided I wanted to know more about this subject so I clicked the link to their main web site.

While I love their logo and introduction once I got to the web site I was less impressed. There are a great many useful articles but to get access to anything else requires you pay a fee so I went back to my original search and began again.

Sadly I actually had to go to page 2 of the search before I could find anything of interest. For some reason that book on puberty had the whole first page to itself. Anyway ...

I found Gala Darling and decided to take a look at what she had. I found an article called "How to Practice Major Mega Supreme Body Love ... Daily" that actually made some important points to help foster a positive body image.

H…

Today is Library Shelfie Day. I know some of you have gone to all e-books but I have not. Some of these books are quite old and others don't have e-book equivalents available or the e-books cost almost as much as the paper book. I like my e-books but paying $20 for one bugs me so I don't usually unless it is a book I need for something I'm learning.

I keep thinking I should use the bookshelf for what it was intended while another part of me just want's to throw it out because it takes space and doesn't supply workspace as it is too shallow. I like having everything handy and the Kallax 5 x 5 works great for that.

Which do you prefer e-books or paper books or a combination? What does your bookshelf look like? Please comment below.

Thing number 1 Sweatpants came along in the 1920s
Thing number 2 The first sweatpants were knitted grey jersey
Thing number 3 They were invented by a man (Emile Camuset) to make exercising more comfortable

And that basically covers the history of sweatpants.

Today is a day to wear your sweatpants out in public not just to exercise but for the whole day. Since there are many different types of sweatpants now-a-days you can still dress them up a bit for work like wearing leggings under a dress instead of nylons. Still looks nice but is far more comfortable.

Fashion Forward ways to wear sweatpants


















I used to love wearing my jeans back when it was easy to find the right size, alas those days are gone but I've noticed in the last year jeans I can wear!

No they are not Levi's they are called Jeggings and come in a lot of the same styles as blue jeans do except that they are leggings. Which means they look like jeans but are much more comfortable!

Annie Hopkins I salute you!

http://www.3elove.com Embrace diversity. Educate your community. Empower each other. Love life. Annie Hopkins (1984-2009)

By definition, a true artist is one who breaks the rules, shifts an art form in another direction and makes people think in new ways, all while being true to their artistic vision.

A true artist then is an outlaw because they don't follow the convention of the day.

I think I am a dilettante more than a true artist. At least that is what I've been called because I spend only as much time as I need to get a basic understanding of a craft. I usually will only make 3 or 4 pieces then move on to something else.

I may incorporate some of what I learned in the next craft to catch my interest but sometimes it is years before l use those skills again. The lighted village display I made for my daughter is an example of that. I took what I knew about miniatures, creating scenery then bumped it up a size or two.





















I have a third piece as well but it needs a bit more work as it doesn't match the image I have in my head and I'm trying to think how I can get the effect I want. If I put…

Most of the coffees sold in supermarkets are made cheaply and taste bitter.  There are two types of coffee beans. Arabica beans are considered the premium, best-tasting type of beans. Robusta is less expensive to grow, but tastes far inferior. Some blends mix both types of beans, but the best coffees are made from 100% Arabica beans. The first step to improving the taste of the coffee you’re drinking is to ensure you are drinking a blend made from only Arabica beans.

After an Arabica is grown, it must be handled correctly in order to produce gourmet coffee. The first important step is to harvest the beans by hand so only the truly ripe coffee cherries are picked. The cherries are then water processed and sun dried before being roasted. The beans must then be perfectly roasted to avoid burning or removing too much of the bean’s natural flavor. Proper packaging, using containers that allow the coffee to “breath” are also essential to keep it fresh until it’s ready to brew.

Take yourself o…

I know my Calendar says Hot Head Chili today but I think we covered that a bit yesterday so I thought Instead I would talk about Ben Franklin since this is his birthday

Ben Franklin was a very accomplished man. In his 20's he created a plan he called "A project of moral perfection" and he spent his whole life working on it. Today in celebration I thought I would take a look at it because let's face it, he was amazing!  A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat. Polymath is another way of saying Renaissance man which you can see from the above quote he was.
At an early age, he realized that his argumentative ways were rubbing people the wrong way so he decided to reform himself. In his late 20's he sat down and wrote a list of virtues he thought were needed to arrive at "moral perfection"
temperancesilenceorderresolutionfrugalityindustry…

How do you appreciate a dragon?

I'm reading a book It's book four in a series I've been reading for the last 30 days or so about an accidental heroine named Aisling Grey and her green dragon mate. It is one of the better series out there in my opinion. For certain sure each time I begin one I have a hard time putting it away until I finish it and that is always a good sign of a good book.

I prefer my romances with a twist of fairie and very little porn and this series is perfect. But that is not the only way you can appreciate a dragon today. Yeah, I know another one of those but you see Checkiday is where I get my best ideas. Those special days just send me into freefall creativity and always give me ideas for things to do during the day. Like today has several subjects I will look up for the learning portion of my day including Prohibition and Religious Freedom. Usually, there is a food holiday as well which may interest me in experimenting in the kitchen.

OK got a littl…

Where would I be without this resource? Lost and uninformed! Which is why I always send a little money to them when they ask for support. Not a lot but then sometimes 3 bucks can make a big difference.



Today I thought I'd have a little fun. I played what I've heard called Wikipedia roulette. Normally I would click the "Random Article" button on the left to get started but today I started on their birthday page.

The Rules

Always click on the first link in the body of the article unless you've already been where it leads then choose the next one.The link must be the first one in the body of the article not the first on the page (though often they are the same but not always)If you are in a competition the winner is the first one to 10 links. If not then challenge yourself to keep clicking until you get to a page without a link or 25 whichever comes first. Reading the articles is optional but highly suggested you might learn something you didn't know before so is…

My home really isn't well organized, normally that doesn't bother me because I have lots of room to spread out. Normally. Right now GD#1 is staying with me until she finishes College and since she is creative like me there is a lot more stuff around than normal.

We've added a Kallax in the bedroom for her clothes but the living area is quite crowded, partially because of my Kallax and partially because there are now two desks in it and various other shelving units.

My Kallax is like the one above except that it is full of milk crates which are full of my crafting stuff and books. Replacing it with something smaller is not an option but maybe I can reorganize it a little. If I can do that I can remove two of my biggest headaches. I have a 3 shelf bookcase and a small portable filing cabinet I would love to get rid of and I will if I can relocate their contents elsewhere.

Thus the reason I need to go through the contents of the Kallax and get rid of things I am not going to …

The day should be celebrated by cleaning your desk. You will need a plan of attack to make the process run smoothly and to ensure that your desk will stay clean. Here are some ideas on how to effectively clean off your desk. First, you should literally clean off your desk. Take everything off of it and out of the drawers. Dust, wipe down and disinfect your desk, both inside and out. Sort everything from your desk into four piles, giving everything a spot right away. Make a pile for things you will keep with your desk, things you will throw away, things that belong somewhere else, and things you aren't sure if you need or not. Put the pile of things you aren't sure about into a bin and pack it away. Plan on going back to it in a few months. If you still haven't found a need for things at that time, get rid of them.
When putting your desk back together, make sure all your supplies are put back in spots where organization and accessibility are kept in mind. Put things like pens…

Growing up if we didn't drink water we went thirsty but sometime after my 10th birthday mom let me drink tea. Red Rose Orange Pekoe, it was the only kind she bought and I think she mainly bought it for the little porcelain miniatures that came in each box.

I was well into my twenties before I had my first cup of coffee and well into my 30's before I began to drink Coke. I'd tried other soft drinks before but you can't find them much now. At least not here.

I've been trying to get back into the habit of drinking tea but coffee and coke are not easy things to stop drinking. The withdrawal from them comes with a colossal headache that lasts a week or so. You would think with the fibro I would have a high tolerance for headaches but it ain't so.

Today is hot tea day and I have a whole box of David's Teas sitting in my cupboard so I decided that the only thing I'm going to drink today is tea. Wish me luck!



Did you know that tea was discovered 4700+ years ago …