We prefer vitamins, healthy food, and exercise to using too many over-the-counter medications. People laugh at our pill cupboard as we do have an array of herbs and vitamins we have found helpful for our needs. I thought I'd share some of our favorite sources that offer good prices and quality items.
Our favorite source for vitamins, etc., is Puritan's Pride. You can search them out on-line just by using their name. They always have a sale going and if you have a question or concern, you can talk to a real person! I've compared prices and they beat the health stores and even Wal-Mart most every time.
We recently discovered Beeyoutiful.com which deals in homeopathic and more natural methods. In spite of the 'cute' name, we have now made Tummy Tune Up a staple in our home. It is a powerful acidolophilus that seems to work quickly for stomach upsets. The nice thing about this particular brand is that you don't need to keep it refrigerated like other types. Our other favorite is a Miracle Salve that is very pleasant to use and really helps with minor burns, scrapes, and itches.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Patience is not my favorite virtue . . .
Quilting has taught me patience in spite of my lazier inclinations. I do have to admit that I'm always looking for shortcuts. A great site for easier cutting and piecing can be found on the Quilt in a Day web page. Although there is a cost for some of the patterns, they also offer many free ones which include tips for faster cutting and sewing.
I tend to find a pattern I like in quilting and make several quilts with the basic plan before my husband suggests I (please!) try another one. Last month, it was the rail fence. I made four quilts with that pattern. Even I tired of it! My quilt du jour is an eight-point star. It is comprised mainly of triangles - my least favorite shape, however, About.Com's quilting site showed an easy way to get near-perfect ones every time. It met spouse approval as my husband declared that THIS quilt was staying with us!
I have never taken a quilting class so other people might be totally familiar with this method of piecing. That's okay, I'm still thrilled to have finally found it myself! You take two squares of fabric and line them together, right sides facing. Pin the fabric to stabilize. Using a ruler and a fabric marker, chalk, or pen, draw a line from one corner of the square diagonally to the other. Sew a quarter inch seam on each side of the line. Cut down the line (not either seam!), open up, press, and you have a square with two perfectly sewn together triangles.
I have fifteen squares pieced for my quilt. I probably need ten more to make a reasonably sized quilt for our bed. If it wasn't for the above-mentioned method and my rotary cutting board, my lack of patience might have slowed down the project! My husband once asked me what my favorite tasks were in quilting. I said they were finding a pattern, selecting the fabric, and the last stitch!
I tend to find a pattern I like in quilting and make several quilts with the basic plan before my husband suggests I (please!) try another one. Last month, it was the rail fence. I made four quilts with that pattern. Even I tired of it! My quilt du jour is an eight-point star. It is comprised mainly of triangles - my least favorite shape, however, About.Com's quilting site showed an easy way to get near-perfect ones every time. It met spouse approval as my husband declared that THIS quilt was staying with us!
I have never taken a quilting class so other people might be totally familiar with this method of piecing. That's okay, I'm still thrilled to have finally found it myself! You take two squares of fabric and line them together, right sides facing. Pin the fabric to stabilize. Using a ruler and a fabric marker, chalk, or pen, draw a line from one corner of the square diagonally to the other. Sew a quarter inch seam on each side of the line. Cut down the line (not either seam!), open up, press, and you have a square with two perfectly sewn together triangles.
I have fifteen squares pieced for my quilt. I probably need ten more to make a reasonably sized quilt for our bed. If it wasn't for the above-mentioned method and my rotary cutting board, my lack of patience might have slowed down the project! My husband once asked me what my favorite tasks were in quilting. I said they were finding a pattern, selecting the fabric, and the last stitch!
Ancient thought for the day . . .
"The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities."
-- Sophocles
-- Sophocles
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Quotes with meaning . . .
"The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet."
-- William Gibson
"The denunciation of the young is a necessary part of the hygiene of older people, and greatly assists in the circulation of their blood."
-- Logan Pearsall Smith
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."
-- Thomas Jefferson
-- William Gibson
"The denunciation of the young is a necessary part of the hygiene of older people, and greatly assists in the circulation of their blood."
-- Logan Pearsall Smith
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thoughts to Ponder . . .
Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them."
-- Robertson Davies
"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."
-- Alice Kahn
"There must be more to life than having everything."
-- Maurice Sendak
-- Robertson Davies
"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."
-- Alice Kahn
"There must be more to life than having everything."
-- Maurice Sendak
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Crazy Quilts and Kindly Husbands . . .
Although my fabric cupboards are no where near the 'bare' stage, my husband has proposed a trip to the fabric warehouse with a lunch date included! No worries about the teens wanting to tag along. Lunch out isn't worth their mother's browsing through bolts and bolts of fabric.
I'm finishing a quilt I'm making for a friend's birthday. I just have the border and some applique to finish. I'm still working on a new rail fence scrap project. I have three varieties of colors in this one. Twelve of the squares are in every shade of green I could find in my scrap box; six of them are in pinks and six are in blues.
My trip to the fabric warehouse will have some added interest tomorrow. A friend is going out of town but asked me (trusting my taste!) to get her a yard and a half of six different fabrics. A challenge of tastes AND friendship?!
My husband's one rule about bringing more fabric into the house is that I have room for it. In the middle of my sewing, I realized this might pose a problem. Before I knew it, I had everything out on the table and discovered I had been hanging on to a lot of fabric scraps and lengths that weren't 100% cotton or were really ugly colors that someone gave me. I 'let' go even if there was a slight memory involved and sorted out quite a lot for the charity bag. I feel 'light' and a bit smug when I will be able to put away my new finds within minutes of coming home tomorrow.
I'm finishing a quilt I'm making for a friend's birthday. I just have the border and some applique to finish. I'm still working on a new rail fence scrap project. I have three varieties of colors in this one. Twelve of the squares are in every shade of green I could find in my scrap box; six of them are in pinks and six are in blues.
My trip to the fabric warehouse will have some added interest tomorrow. A friend is going out of town but asked me (trusting my taste!) to get her a yard and a half of six different fabrics. A challenge of tastes AND friendship?!
My husband's one rule about bringing more fabric into the house is that I have room for it. In the middle of my sewing, I realized this might pose a problem. Before I knew it, I had everything out on the table and discovered I had been hanging on to a lot of fabric scraps and lengths that weren't 100% cotton or were really ugly colors that someone gave me. I 'let' go even if there was a slight memory involved and sorted out quite a lot for the charity bag. I feel 'light' and a bit smug when I will be able to put away my new finds within minutes of coming home tomorrow.
Enhancing the Usual . . .
Homemade chicken or beef soup is always a welcoming scent in the kitchen especially when a hungry husband is heading in the door. I've never had much of a fight in getting my children to eat it. While rice or pasta is a great addition to either soup, homemade noodles might get you a mother of the year award . . . at least in your own family! It takes minimal ingredients with a little effort.
Fat, Homemade Noodles
3 eggs, slightly beaten
Enough all-purpose flour stirred in to form a workable dough.
One teaspoon salt (optional)
Thoroughly mix in the dry ingredients until you have a dough you can roll out relatively easily. Divide you dough into three pieces. Take one piece and roll out as thin as you can on a well-floured board. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into fat strips and place on a baking sheet, one layer deep. Continue with the rest of the dough.
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a tablespoon of oil and gradually add in your noodles, stirring to keep them from sticking. It shouldn't take more than five minutes or so until they are cooked through depending on how thick you rolled them out. Drain and add to your soup.
It's cheaper than buying enough pasta for a large family and even the children can get involved in rolling out the dough. The noodles can also be thoroughly dried, bagged and kept for a day or two.
One of my college daughters loves these noodles and reduces the recipe to make herself just enough for a one-person meal.
You can also take the fresh noodles, deep fry them and dust them with cinnamon and sugar.
Fat, Homemade Noodles
3 eggs, slightly beaten
Enough all-purpose flour stirred in to form a workable dough.
One teaspoon salt (optional)
Thoroughly mix in the dry ingredients until you have a dough you can roll out relatively easily. Divide you dough into three pieces. Take one piece and roll out as thin as you can on a well-floured board. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into fat strips and place on a baking sheet, one layer deep. Continue with the rest of the dough.
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a tablespoon of oil and gradually add in your noodles, stirring to keep them from sticking. It shouldn't take more than five minutes or so until they are cooked through depending on how thick you rolled them out. Drain and add to your soup.
It's cheaper than buying enough pasta for a large family and even the children can get involved in rolling out the dough. The noodles can also be thoroughly dried, bagged and kept for a day or two.
One of my college daughters loves these noodles and reduces the recipe to make herself just enough for a one-person meal.
You can also take the fresh noodles, deep fry them and dust them with cinnamon and sugar.
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