Coping With Shopping Withdrawal at Christmas and The Happiness Project

My two favorite snowmen.

It can be kind of depressing at this time of year when it seems everyone is out shopping and you have little to no money to spend. I pared my shopping list down this year so that I am already done buying my few gifts. I didn't let myself look at the mall or my favorite stores. I just went where I knew I could get what I needed to get. I did treat myself and my granddaughter to a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha, yum.

I keep telling myself it's not about gifts, but it's hard to break those habits and so I'm glad I have some other things to think about like my decluttering. I took another load to Goodwill and that will probably be the last until after Christmas.

The other thing that I'm into right now is this book The Happiness Project. She has a blog here. I finished reading it and am rereading it. I skipped some of her chapters where she wanders into Buddhism and also some of the chapters that just didn't apply to me like marriage. She has some interesting ideas in the book and an interesting way of looking at happiness. I made a list last night of what made me happy yesterday and found that a lot of things did, so that was nice.

 She is a bookish person and so I identify with her is many ways and it makes me feel better about the fact that I'd rather read a book than go to a party. She talks about being herself and that is something it has taken me many years to be able to do. So it is an interesting read and I think I will try some of her ideas in the new year.

Linda

Happy New Year

Well I wasn't going to do a post because I figured everyone is out returning gifts and buying, on sale, Christmas paper but I decided to go ahead anyway. It's not that I have anything to say, maybe a few questions and I wanted to put up the photos of the finished gifts I made this year. Here they are

I made this little pillow for my gd. I loved the little green buttons that were in a bottle of buttons I bought once. She is 15 so I was trying to make it not too babyish and she likes lime green and bright pink.

This is how I finished the other one for my dd. I put it in a memory box I had so that I could add things to it. I thought the flowers on the bottom made it look like she was walking through a field of flowers.

This is the scarf I made for my other dd. It could use a little blocking but it turned out beautifully.

My other gd wanted my to make this for her. I learned a lot from making this. It was difficult but I got it done and she is happy. I hurt my finger in the middle of making this so I just wanted to get it done. It is the earth bender symbol from a series that she loves. We watch it together when she comes over to visit me.

So for my questions- Have you thought about 2012 yet? Any goals or plans for the new year? I think I'm going to not make goals this year, but I hope to be more of myself this year and stop listening to all those inner should do's and those that we think other people want to put on us. Do you know what I mean?

Is anyone thinking about next Christmas yet? lol. I know it's too soon, but I hope that I will get some ideas to make Christmas gifts again. I tried to use as much as I could materials that I already had but the yarn I had to buy and it can be expensive. I want to start doing something with my stash of fabrics and plan to try and make some bags, totes and purses. I also want to try my hand at some place mats I saw that were patchwork. I also like these little tea mats that I've been seeing. They are small than a place mat and larger than a coaster. I think they could be fun to make. They are suppose to be large enough for a mug of tea and a snack. I look forward to getting new ideas from Pinterest this year.

Happy New Year

Linda

Peter Rabbit Project and Adding Color to a Meal

Another of the Peter Rabbit series done. This one is going to be framed.

I'm dealing with some sort of virus. Haven't been able to eat much since Thursday. I'm tired and achy so I had to suspend my food presentation project. I did find that color is a great way to make your plates look appetising and started paying attention to the colors when I plan my menu, but also adding those colorful garnishes like herbs, chopped fresh tomato and lemon zest. I want to experiment with sauces. I noticed that chefs always add a sauce and green herb sauce with capers, green olives, Italian parsley and tarragon is one I want to try. Relishes and salsas would also be colorful additions.

After sauces I want to start thinking about first courses. I think that is one way to slow down the meal and savor it a bit. My gd's were over the other night and I tried to just enjoy the conversation as we ate and not be in a hurry to leave the table. We talked about what I'm trying to do. I'm looking at pictures in cookbooks and watching what chefs do on cooking shows for ideas. Also I'm not eating dairy right now and so I'm looking for sauces and things that are not dairy, it is a way of kind of forcing me to try new things.                                                                                                                                                    

This is going to be short today because of not feeling too peppy.

Enjoy your meals and experiment.

Linda

More About Decorating, Eating Well and Crochet Lessons

I've been enjoying following these Learning to Crochet lessons. Even though I crochet I've been learning things I didn't know. I'm hoping she will do a knitting one after this is done. I would also like an advanced crochet course, so after I finish this I'll go looking for that. I'm sure Ravelry has something. I've found so many fun projects on Pininterest like this tutorial on a new stitch, the star stitch. I'm still working on Christmas gifts. I feel so smug when I see people say OMG Christmas is only 12 weeks away. I've got 2 projects done and am working on 2 more.

I got some of the little pumpkins to add to my decor. I like having something real. I can't afford to buy too much this year but I got one big one to make into a jack-o-lantern for the porch. I like to layer my decorating. I start out with the basics and then start to add the details. I was thinking about how decorators say you should use bold statements, but at this time of year I think small vignettes are more intimate and cozy.

I got this photo off of Pininterest, isn't it gorgeous. It originated at sunsurler.tumble.com, but when I went to the site it was blank.

I've been reading these French women books, "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano, her cookbook "The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook" and "French Women For All Seasons" also by her. She gives good advise on moderation and how to do that, not totally giving up things but keeping them for special treats. She claims that the French woman eats 3 meals a day and no snacking also they eat 3 or more courses but small portions. The idea is to enjoy your treats like dessert in the context of a meal. They take a long time to eat a meal and linger over the table talking and slowly making their way through these different courses.

 In her second book she does admit that these ways are changing and you are seeing more overweight people in France. People don't want to make the time for a real meal in the middle of the day like they use to and fast food is becoming more popular with the young. The culture use to really dictate what people did but I guess things are changing.

What I got out of the books is what I'm trying to do in my life right now, to slow down, pay attention to detail and try as much as I can afford to not compromise on quality. I think we eat way too much and also waste a lot and what I would like to do is to make my meals little jewels that are beautiful and delicious like the tapas idea. However that is a tall order and I'm not sure I can do it but that is my goal, baby steps.

 I have a lot of bad habits to change and I don't know if I have the energy to do that. The whole low carb/diabetic diet just gets my down sometimes and I see the French way of eating as a way to put the pleasure back into meal planning and eating.

 I've been struggling with my food budget and making it work. One of the things the French do is buy for only a day or two and I've been trying to shop only twice a month. I'm finding that it's not really working that well for me. It really helped me to stay on budget when I stuck to it, but I would find myself at the end of 2 weeks eating what I could scrounge together and it wasn't all that appetising. That is a problem for me because I will tend to snack instead of eat a meal. So now I'm going to see if I can shop more often at least for things like fresh produce and still stay on my budget.

We can learn from other cultures, but put our own twist on it. I have another book about eating like the Italians and may take a look at that one again. I think it would benefit me if I could learn to widen the types of food I eat and try some new flavors and ethnic cuisines. My gd's love sushi but I have felt I didn't like the flavors of this cuisine, maybe I need to experiment a little more. I have to keep everything low carb, but I can still learn from others. I'm learning to use my low carb techniques on all recipes. It just a matter of substitution when it's possible.

So Bon Appitite.
Linda

Peter Rabbit Pillow

One of the Christmas gifts I'm making is a pillow with this cross stitch in the front. I'm doing the whole series, but not sure what I'm doing with the rest of them. I'm also working on a crochet project, so I crochet and watch dvd's in the afternoons. I've watched all the extended versions of LOTR and the special features. I was thinking yesterday how inspiring the craft work is. It's makes me want to go the extra mile. The way they detailed everything was extraordinary. I leaned so much from the commentary as well as the extra features, it was just fascinating.

It seems a little cooler this morning. I've been starting to get the fall vibe a little. This week I've been doing some deep cleaning and decluttering. Yesterday I cleaned off the front of my frig. It's like a bulletin board for me. It gets pretty cluttered because I just keep adding stuff to it. I think it's about time to degrease the kitchen, that means getting out the ladder and taking the stuff off the tops of the cabinets so I want to wait until I feel up to it. Last time I did it I replaced all the stuff with things that are easy to wash.

I'm still reading Silmarillion and it's hard going. I read a bio. of Tolkien it was quite interesting. This next week my gd and I are going to start watching Star Wars, I've never seen it. So I'm thinking I may start reading the series by C.S.Lewis for adults that was sort of an outer space trilogy. I tried to read it many years ago.

I cleaned up my pot garden yesterday, it never really did much this year. Everything seemed stunted and just didn't want to grow. I kind of started to ignore it and basically gave up on it. Well there is always next year. I think I said that last year!

Have a good weekend.
Linda

Back From the Beach

We just got back from a few lovely days at the beach. It's hard to get back into everyday life. I just want to keep pretending I'm on vacation. I've not been sure if I was going to continue this blog or not. I still have my nose in a book most of the time. I've almost finished The Lord of the Rings series. I'm feeling that maybe come fall I'll be ready to get back to normal.

This is the beginning of a Christmas present. My inspiration was from Heidi. I have seen these Japenses Flower scarfs, but didn't really like them until I saw her version in grey. It is a present for my dd so can't show the finished product until after I give it to her. She picked out the yarn. Mine is a little different, but I love both of them and thank Heidi for sharing.                                                                                  

I hope you are all having a great summer. See you this fall if not before. Linda                                      

Memories

I was shopping with my gd today in an antique shop and I saw this cup. I immediately recognized it as the same as a set my mom had. It's English bone china, but she got the set in Canada. It was one of her favorites. When she died and we divided up her things someone else got this, so I was thrilled at the chance to get the cup. Every time I look at I'll remember my mom. Do you have things that remind you of a loved one that is gone?

I've officially started my Christmas shopping. I found a few things while my gd and I were looking around. I'm determined I won't end up buying more for myself than for others. In fact I want to make most of my gifts, but I will buy a few things.

Fall really feels like its her now. I'm seeing the trees start to change color and there are leaves starting to fall. The pumpkins have come to the grocery store. When I was there yesterday they were unloading huge boxes of them. Have you seen the knotty head pumpkins. I'm adding pumpkins and gourds to my decorations. I'll put some pictures on my Around the House blog. I got a beautiful light blue one.

Linda

Flavored Honey for Christmas

My dd and I are going to Squim today. That is where all the lavender field are. We aren't going to look at lavender, but to buy veggies. I'm mainly going just to have a break from the house. I've been kind of blah this week. I am doing a lot of reading and trying to focus on lose 10 lbs. My next project that I want to try is flavored honey. I think this would be a good Christmas gife. Here are some links.

A Merry Heart Journal

The Herb Companion

Spiced Honey

The Spiced Honey and the Sage Honey are two I want to try. I'm going to use agava to make mine instead of honey.

The photo is a sunflower boquet in my guest room.

Linda

Robins Egg Blue Scarf

I saw this pattern at Little Jenny Wren. I've been wanting to try this yarn that has some cashmere in it, so soft. So I tried my best to figure out her pattern, but mine turned out a little different. It was real easy to do. I'm working on some fingerless gloves to go with it. It's going to be a Christmas present. I'm starting to think Christmas already.

Linda