2015 in Retrospect...

What a year!  It began in January preparing for my first new knee in April followed by the second new knee in July.  It is amazing how all-consuming that has been.  It ended by moving from our two-year temporary school into our brand new, shining, much awaited and needed new school right before Thanksgiving!  It exhausts me to even think about "fleshing out" all that has gone into those 3 events.  So I won't.  HA!  Tension gone!

I did one of those Facebook test thingees that shows your life in review for the year.  It only showed posts about the knees!  The first picture are my knees right before replacement and the second are my "new" knees two weeks ago at my 9-month/6-month check.  Pretty amazing.  I am so thankful for my new knees.   Someone said it best, "They look so healthy now!"  That, they do!  Thank you, Doctors Smith and Gupta!  Now it's time to start using them!

The third picture is of my brand new room in the brand new school.  It is so wonderful.  It feels as comfy as being at home...almost.  Cozy, clean, fresh, perfect!

Happy 2016 New Year everyone!

Before

After

My new Music Room at Fernbank ES!

Remember...

"Once the 'what' is decided, the 'how' always follows. We must not make the 'how' an excuse for not facing and accepting the 'what.'"

“You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings.”

“I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.”  

“Every mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied.”  

“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up. ”  

“Order is the shape upon which beauty depends.”

“Of course imagination is the beginning of creation. Without imagination there can be no creation.”  
 

 Pearl S. Buck quotes

Cornbread Success!

I've really had a hankering for some cornbread lately.  So I bought some organic popcorn and milled it into cornmeal with my Nutrimill grinder.  It made the most beautiful golden goodness I have ever seen!  I then went in search of a healthy cornbread recipe… I know, I know… healthy cornbread?  Most recipes are full of fat or oil and a proper serving size is only as big as your thumbnail!  But by the wonders of Google...ta dah!  I found the perfect recipe for my golden goodness.  The link for the recipe is here:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/18/totally-addictive-cornbread/

The only change I made was that I used Featherweight no sodium baking powder which reduced 

the sodium to only 300 per serving.  It makes nine good-sized portions with each serving having

166 calories and 30 g of carbohydrates which is equal to two grain servings.

To all those who see need and pray...

I say a heartfelt thanks..   We each must live the life for which God in His wisdom designs us.  I had the worst fibromyalgia  flare in the entire twenty years I have had to deal with this horrible disease.  From the time I left rehearsal at 6:00 until I got home at 7:00, I thought an invisible Mack truck had hit me.  I could hardly walk.  Every muscle, every bone, every joint in my body hurt and throbbed with pain.  Upon awakening the next morning, both my ankles, my knees, and my right hand were visibly swollen.  I have no idea other then God's mercy how I made it to school and through rehearsal the next day.  A dear, sweet Christian sister who brought her class to Music saw me and exclaimed, "Oh, Robin!"  I asked her to just pray and she did.  Several others who saw me in turn offered up prayer and good will.  I made it through.  I had no parent chaperone for the rehearsal that day.  Fifty nine 11 year olds on my own.  After just being honest with them about where I was, they were as good as gold, helpful carrying this and that, and quiet during stage direction.  I made it through.  The next morning I was so much better...and I made it through that day.  By this morning, you would never know I battle this horrible disease.  A flare can hit at anytime anywhere for any reason.  This one may have been triggered by finishing a round of antibiotics for a respiratory illness or just by the general stress of work.  Only the good Lord knows.  But by God's mercy, I have and will make it through...because we are promised  in James 1:12-14, " God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation...God never tempts anyone...temptation comes from our own desires which entice us and drag us away..."  [like a dangling bait on a fish hook].  So, the Lord decided I needed a testing.  He made this life.  He is responsible for this life.  It is His to do with as He chooses.  My desire is to be where He wants me to be, when He wants me to be there, doing His good will and not allow myself to be enticed away from Him.   And by His mercy, I will make it through.

One of the best feelings in the world...

Is the complete and utter satisfaction engendered by a successful DIY! 
I have been on a seek and destroy mission this summer to get rid of the clutter.  Now most people who have visited my home would probably  think of it as comfortably cozy rather than cluttered ..........I hope.  But the closets. 
Aye, the closets. 
There is a shutting down - a weight - that happens in my brain when things in the closets are out of control.  So, after six and a half weeks of summer break, I am happy to report that all four closets as well as my desk drawer and sewing machine drawer are neat and tidy .  Ah, what JOY!  What a euphoric contentment of balance, knowing that all is right with the world now that the hidden spaces are organized!  It makes my brain very happy.  (big, cleansing sigh)  So.  Time to conquer the next problem.

Over the years, I have been very satisfied with how my jewelry has been stored and displayed on tie racks in my closet.  But there is a problem.  Since moving to my current home, my necklaces tarnish horribly!  Hmpf.  As I have long stored my pins in nifty hanging canvas bags, I got to thinking and wondering if they made something for necklaces and bracelets.  GOOGLE!  And do you know what I found out?  They DO!  Then I had to exercise a little (ugh) self control.  I could go to the Container Store and buy a couple OR order them off Amazon for a whole lot cheaper (using the trade-in credit I received for the DVD's, etc. I had cleared out of the sunroom closet) and wait patiently for a few days.  I am happy to say, patience triumphed. 

I received them yesterday and got busy today implementing the plan.  One thing the ones at the Container Store had were pockets at the bottom.  The less expensive ones on Amazon didn't. 

So I added some lovely fabric ones with my trusty sewing machine and  I'm quite please with the result.  These pockets can hold items like my shawl stick that can't hang .  I discovered by rearranging my pins in the two older pin hangers that I had room to put coiled necklaces!  Also, the two older hangers are longer than the newer ones and so by sandwiching them,  the necklaces hanging below the bottom of the shorter ones are protected!  I chose to only add pockets to one side so I could have the pockets facing each other creating a flat outer side. 

I am one  happy camper.      

(contented sigh).  :>D

I've had it! I will not be held hostage...

That's right...uh huh...you heard me!  I am sick and tired of being held hostage by the EXORBITANT and continually rising costs of laundry soap!  WHY does it keep going up?!?  So...what am I gonna do about it, you may ask?  Well, today, I DID it!  Inspired by my little neicey-in-law, I made my own.  Now hold on, before you start thinking I have gone off the deep end...I did my research thoroughly online before beginning.  Do you actually know what is in laundry soap (or what is supposed to be in laundry soap)?  Well, as it turns out, only FIVE ingredients for the purest, most economical, sweetest smelling laundry soap in the world!  And it only cost 2.5 CENTS PER LOAD!!!  My recipe made enough to last over a year for $16.08 with tax.  And the ingredients are available at your local grocery store (I went to Walmart for added savings).  It only took me about 1 hour to make it up and the hardest part was grating the Zote Soap.  Everything else was just mixing the ingredients together.  I was a little reticent that this could clean up to my standards (which are pretty high) even though all the blogs I read online said it would.  So...I did 3 loads and, OH MY WORD!  Did they ever get nice and clean and smelling fresh...with using only 1 tablespoon of the soap...you heard me...ONE TABLESPOON per extra large load!  I am in frugal heaven!  One thing I really liked was that during the wash cycle, I felt the water and it was nice and slippery, soapy although with very little suds.  Then the biggest surprise was during the rinse cycle - the water was clear!  I've always been one to use the "2nd rinse" cycle as I want to make sure the clothes are nice and free of soap residue.  No more 2nd rinses for me!  I know you're dying to know what the recipe is, aren't you?!  Here it is:

Homemade Laundry Soap

 

1, 4 lb 12 oz box Borax, (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the laundry aisle at Walmart

 

1, 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, (1.81 kg) found in the cooking aisle at Walmart

 

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the laundry aisle at Walmart

 

1 -  Multi-purpose Oxygen Cleaner, 56 oz (3.5 lb) (Home Sense Kroger brand) found in the detergent isle at Kroger OR 2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean

Makes approximately 2.5 gallons (640 Tablespoons).  So mix in a container big enough to stir well.

**Use 1 Teaspoon-1 Tablespoons per load. I know that does not seem like enough but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you only need that small amount.  I have found the following does well:

 
1 Teaspoon for small, 2 Teaspoons for medium and 1 Tablespoon for large loads

This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. If you love a strong scent you may have to add  laundry crystals to each load. You can find laundry crystals in the detergent isle.  

 

$2.48 = Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

$3.24 = Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

$3.99 = Kroger Multi-purpose Oxygen Cleaner

$3.38 = Borax
$13.09
    1.05 tax
$14.14 = 640 Tablespoons = 2.5 cents per load!

 

I'M FREE! FREE AT LAST! 

Coronation of a Queen...

Last night we had a wonderful awards ceremony and officers installation at my TOPS group. We also crowned our first "queen" in a long time! (definition...TOPS Chapter Queen = the one who has lost the most weight while reaching her goal in the past year). Our theme for the evening was "A Mad Hatters Tea Party with Our Queen" and everyone made tea party hats. At the end the people voted with favorite hats won prizes. It was such a fun evening and I am so thankful for everyone in this group. A special thank you for all the officers and others who showed up early to help set up and all those who stayed after cleaning up. We were once again graced by the hilarious Bill Jackson as our MC. He can make any script so much fun! Thank you, Bill! Valeria went over the top making floral table decorations which were given as door prizes at the end. They added that special touch to the tables that just "made" the whole thing look so authentic. Pastel tablecloths, real china tea cups from my collection, a giant tea pot with which we served everyone in the chapter as a commitment toast to a good 2013...and a wonderfully regal Queen...here's to you Queen Nancy Chesna! You inspire us all! Thank you all for your support and major generosity. You mean the world to me!



 

Queen Nancy Chesna



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