Thursday, October 27, 2011

Clothes on the Clothes line . . .

A lot of tiny pieces to draw and cut out and glue on this one but I'm really happy with the results.  I will have all my paper piecings with me at the Central United Church crop on Saturday if you want to have a closer look.


Assini De Peppi

I asked my buddy Cailyn for this recipe because it is just so awesome.

Assini De Peppi

1 tin tomato soup
1 tin consome
1/4 c assini de peppi
12 oz of water

Heat together.  Add chopped up cooked bacon if you wish.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Product Review: The Sterling Counter Top Filtration System

For the past couple of decades we have been drinking filtered water.  Hal can tell you all the reasons why.  I asked him to stop telling me because #1 it gets boring after 20 years and #2 there can be a lot of gross things in tap water.  The apartment we are in now has fairly good hot water but our cold water is muddy, probably a result of travelling through old galvanized water pipes.  So the use of filtered water is even more necessary now.  Besides filtered water makes tastier tea.

Anyway, in our little apartment we didn't have room for our water cooler so we passed it on and purchased a counter top dispenser and we've been very happy about that except for the fact that I lose counter space in my very tiny kitchen.

When Hal began his new career it left me vehicle-less most of the time.  That makes it rather hard to pick up water when needed.  Definitely a downside on the whole jugs of water in the dispenser scenario.

Well that problem has been resolved.  Just before Hal left for his current road trip he installed The Sterling Counter Top Filtration System.  It takes up a tiny bit of counter right beside the water taps and it works so well. It actually seems weird drinking water and make ice from water that comes from the tap.  I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and I'm very impressed.  Apparently you only have to change the filters every 6 months to keep it working properly.

That's all I have to say about that.


Monday, October 17, 2011

A Big Exciting Announcement . . .

I've been talking about it.  I have posted a couple of links about it.  But it is finally here!!!!!!

But let me start at the beginning of the story.  A few years ago I wrote a book on getting started in a small or home business.  I didn't make a lot of money at it but I learned a lot about publishing and writing from this effort.  It is still available for purchase as an ebook PDF, as an ebook EPUB for Adobe Digital Editions Format or as a paperback.  The title of the book is A Fresh Start and the information in it is just as relevant today as it was when first published.  This book is also available for download on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and on your computer with iTunes.


While I was attending university as a mature student I enrolled in a speech class to get over my fear of public speaking.  One of the speeches I wrote was about the things my mother used to say to my siblings and me when we were growing up.  I got a really great mark on the speech.  I am still terrified of public speaking though.  I had the speech published in book format.  I think it is just plain old-fashioned funny and a great gift for a special mom in your life.  Yes, it is still available for sale in an ebook PDF and as a paperback.


And now for the BIG EXCITING NEWS . . . 


It's finally ready and available for sale.



I started from the research I'd done for A Fresh Start, 95 pages of good solid ideas, and expanded it to almost 400 pages of small business ideas . . . some quite unique, many added to represent our modern multi-media environment, and some are good old time-tested ideas.  I'm pretty sure that the perfect home or small business idea for you will be in here.  The First Step:  An Encyclopedia of Small Business Ideas is available in paperback and as an ebook PDF.

Please support a local writer by ordering one or several of my books.  Thank you.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Help me to support my scrapbooking obsession . . .


Handmade
Paper Piecings
For Sale

I'll be at 
Croptoberfest on Saturday
9-9
@ 109 Chestnut Street, St. Thomas

Friday, October 7, 2011

I've finished a few more mystery dishcloths

I belong to a Yahoo! group called Mystery Dishcloths.  They post a new mystery knit-along pattern twice a month.  I am always behind schedule.  But I have finished a few recently.




Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Tale of the Dreaded To Do List and why it is only July 1st

I keep lists for everything.  I learned long ago that without a list I will forget the milk or something equally important when I unpack my groceries.  Appointments get missed.  Life just gets so disorganized.  Instead of getting everything I want and need done each day, I can spend entire days working on a single project that appeals to me, leaving everything else undone, if I don't stick to my list.

So I have come to rely upon the Dreaded To Do List to keep me on track.  I use it to keep track of all my goals and chores.  I made the goal to blog each day in 2011.  I like to sweep and dust once a week, wash floors every other week (one of the joys of no kids left at home and an absent hubby) and I change the bed linens every week (unlike the commercial . . . yuck).  I have accepted the challenge to scrapbook a layout each day and to spend at least 1/2 hour each day writing.  And on and on and on . . .

I don't carry forward chores if the don't get done on the prescribed day; they stay put until I finally am able to scratch them off.  So according to my Dreaded To Do List today is July 1st.    Most of my chores and goals are up to date but some get left behind when I run short of time.  There are only 3 little chores left on July 1st and they will soon be done.  But until they are done, In My World it is still July 1st.

I didn't get anything done on my list today . . . at least not yet . . . but there is still time.  Instead I hopped on a city bus and spent some time all alone wandering through Elgin Mall and Walmart.  It took two trips around on the Elgin Mall bus to get to the mall because in the old days the bus used to go right up to the mall entrance.  We were past the mall before I realized we weren't turning in to the mall.  So around the route we went.  I got off at Stokes Road the second time round.  I had a lovely time at the mall wandering through stores, going to the library and picking up a few items . . . nothing exciting . . . tea was on sale and we needed coffee, a new bath mat . . . and at the luggage store I picked up a lovely new purse 60% off and a matching wallet 60% + 30% off.  That made me happy.  I even treated myself to lunch at the Zellers restaurant.  I caught the bus back to Walmart and wandered around in there for a bit, picking up some bread and milk and a few other bits.  I ran into a few people and stopped and chatted and then I headed home on the Northside bus.   

The day is shot and that's okay.  I'll see what I can accomplish tonight and get back on the To Do List bandwagon tomorrow.  I accidentally picked up a new craft project to so I better add that to my To Do List.