Recycle FAIL

I am all for recycling, and reusing but this is wrong. But if you want to see how it was done go to Crooked Brains website. The have a tutorial.

Pictures....Overkill....Repurposing?

Why do we take pictures? I found myself thinking that the other night.

I have been wanting to gain some control of my clutter, one thing I have been putting off is organizing my photos.
Some are already in boxes with index cards, somewhat organized, but the boxes are old and falling apart.

I really wanted to do scrapbooking but cannot get myself in the MODE....UGH very detailed and would definetly put me in the zen mode if I would just allow myself to go there....Life was so much easier before I got a PC. It seems the PC has sped up my brain processors somewhat, not to mention years of anti-depressants ( which left me with a form of Adult add! Damnit)...Anyhoo I am digressing....

Back to the pictures.

I figure we are trying to capture a moment in time, that is so fleeting and slipping away so quickly. Preserve a memory forever, as it were.

As for me I learned early on to take 2 or 3 shots to ensure a good photo..That was before digital, where we can just hit Delete. (SHHHHH don't tell anyone but I got TONS of digital pics too, They are on 2 different PCS)

NOW I am being overrun with photos.






I decided that I needed to pair down. I have tons of pictures where the subject in question is..well... Questionable....

"HMMMMM... What exactly was I trying to capture here?"

Not to mention blurred photos and tons of duplicates. When my daughter was young I took tons of photos. The labs used to run specials on duplicates and since we always share our pics, especially with gramma well.... We always ticked the box for dupes for a penny or half price, or whatever....

Now that my mom has passed I inherited her photos, which means i have dupes, and trips of everything. UGH!

DOES anyone know how to repurpose photos?

Not only that but I also Inherited the pics from my grandparents when they passed...I have a tote of black and whites of PPL I CANNOT IDENTIFY! HELPPPPPP!

So I am surfing the net and the green sites and there is very Little in way of crafting or repurposing old photos. (NO I dont want to digitize my 2,000 pictures! I still LIKE Tangible things.)

I am open to suggestions People....Anyone???? ( Cue Crickets)

Ok so I got this idea when looking at some of the pics to make coasters or postcards. Does anyone even use Postcards? Not to mention snail mail.

Placemats with the old black and whites would be super I think. Most of the ppl I am sure are all passed away since the pics were from the 40's - 60's mostly. ( we are talking adults in the middle age range) Alot are my family and their friends and some are just people who got in the shot of a lake or beach or pool. So I don't think there would be an issue with image usage and royalties and such, and alot of ppl like nostalgic things.

I tried the coasters already. Here are some Prototypes. I made 6. 2 with a deckled edge, 2 with a pinked edge and 2 with a straight edge.




Ok. I guess the real test comes when I use them. I used clear contact paper. I glued the picture to a piece of cardboard from a cerealbox.



I'm just wondering if I should have used laminating plastic instead since it is thicker and offers a better seal. I will see how these hold up.

Meanwhile If anyone has any ideas on repurposing pics pleaseeee Let me know....I have tons.

Quinoa Salad - My own Recipe.

So I am craving beans, especially bean salad which i never eat. I think my body is screaming out for protein, not just craving beans but peanut butter as well.
Anyway this recipe was a quick something But was in the works for over a week, that is rolling around my brain.

2 cups of raw black beans ( dont use canned they are too soggy)
2 cups of raw lentils
1 Large red onion cut in half and minced
4 cloves of garlic ( or to taste. I love garlic)
1 each -- green ,red, yellow, orange, bell peppper
Sliced mushrooms ( couple of handfuls or to taste) ( I used baby bellas)
1 can garbanzo beans drained ( chick peas)
1 packet of good seasons Garlic and herb salad mix ( and cruet to make it)
2 cups of Quinoa
1 Box of chicken broth
1 ham hock.
About 3 tablespoons of Olive oil. ( I eyeballed it)
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt and Pepper to taste. ( I prefer the taste of fresh ground Black pepper)

I started with 2 cups or so of black beans. I put them in a bottle in the refrigerator and covered with water for 2 days. ( one day woulda worked but I need to get the ham hock so it was an extra day). Drain off that water it was soaking in and add fresh water to pot.

I cooked them in a Large pot of boiling water ( I used my dutch oven pot that we use for pasta), with the ham hock. NO SALT

After an hour drain the water out and put in bowl to cool, Now add salt and pepper.

In a smaller pot I put about 2 cups of lentils covered with water and let them boil for about an hr. NO SALT.

After an hour or however long it takes for water to cook down ( I think it was about 50 minutes) drain the water out and put in bowl to cool, Now add salt and pepper.

In a large fry pan ( I used my deep fryer Pan) put about 3 tablespoons of olive oil ( I just eyed it) I cut up the red onion, and about 4 cloves of garlic. cook on high for a few minutes, to that I added the peppers, & mushrooms add the butter and Stir fry these for a few minutes, and add the box of broth ( measures out to 4 cups) and add 2 cups of quinoa Cover and let simmer down for about 20 - 30 minutes or so. I walked away and got on the phone..I almost forgot..OOPS. :-)

By now the beans should be cool (esp. if you put them in frig right away to cool) Let the quinoa cool ( about 30 minutes or so).

In a large bowl scoop out some quinoa mix and add several handfuls of each bean, and add one can of garbanzo beans (drained.)

In a cruet I made good seasons italian garlic and herb dressing. I mixed this to the salad
( Yes all of it)

Keep adding quinoa and beans to this until well balanced. YUM. Refrigerate over night and it is sooo good after it sets up.

Dont ask me calories or net carbs, I dont know . I do know that there is nothing bad in this. NO Flour, No Sugar, and it is mostly all Protein, as Quinoa is a perfect grain, It is a vegetarians essential for 100% protein. It contains all the amino acids.

Bon Appetite.


The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It is exceptionally high in lysine, cystine and methionine-amino acids typically low in other grains. It is a good complement for legumes, which are often low in methionine and cystine. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids.

Zucchini Anyone? Part 2

My neighbor brought some zucchini over and left it at the door....Holy CRAP! This puppy is 20 inches stem to stern.



Well have cakes , breads, fritters, and all kinds of good eating in the months to come. Praise God.

Menopause, Diabetes and Stress

Update: -8-04-09 there is NOOOO (underline NO) Cylapril anywhere!
I even went to the health food store.
Seems now that there ad is on tv and they are touting weight loss as well as other benefits( don't know about the weight loss) Seems they have run short at the manufacturer.
Needless to say I found this homeopathic remedy for stress and the menopause remedy
( black cohosh, licorice and dong quai- primarily) and I am gonna give it a try. I took it as soon as I left the store, so far so good.
As I was getting ready to leave the proprietor came in and found me a anti stress, adrenal fatique formula that has basically the same stuff as the Cylapril. Since I had already paid for this stuff, I said I would come back next week if this doesnt work. X mah Fingers.
Last Night it was so bad I thought I was gonna have to go to the hospital. My heart was beating so fast and outta control it was down right scary, as well as the pits in my stomach - ( that fight or flight anxiety). It was real BAD. I never want to get that way again.



Mental pause is what i call it. I started to get hot flashes in my 30's. 37 to be Exact. When i approached the dr about it in a matter of factly way on the way out of his office he laughed at me. I felt so dejected and humiliated and then ANGRY. How dare he tell me I am too young or that I don't know my body.
I took to the internet and found a really nice group of women who assured me it was not in my mind, my dr. had no right but was so typical , and that yes what I was experiencing at that young age was symptoms of perimenopause. That period before actual menopause starts. For women like me who actually pay attention to their bodies, this is a signal that my hormones are achanging.

Well fast foward 10 yrs or so and I am full swing, loose my mind, mentalpausal. HA!
It isnt as bad as some and not as ez going as others. The thing I am discovering is my diabetes may actually be tied to this part of my life.
I diagnosed diabetes recently ( with in last4 yrs) but was building up to it since my late 30's. ( I didnt know it and it went undetected).

Also something is happening with my adrenals. I feel stress very easy like as in , as soon as my youngun enters the room with her silly-assed -nonsense-- Wham...STRESSSSSS!
Gnashing of the teeth time.

I started having serious issues over the passed few yrs that my hormones were changing, such as really bad heart palpations. Then as I sat and watched tv at night I felt this feeling of fight or flight in my stomach, ya know that adrenaline rush. I would get a pit in my stomache and feel adrenaline rushing. this repeated itself all night.
I hesitate to call them panic attacks although thats what they feel like but without the emotions. Anxiety attacks and panic attacks have a strong sense of emotion behind them, like FEAR and DREAD!

I started to seriously compare this to others with adrenal fatigue. The symptoms along with the constant stress, or the inability to "DE- STRESS", and stressing over the simplest things concerned me.
Sleepiness as in total system crash, what was this? Hmmmm as if I have no metabolism, It comes to a complete standstill. ( usually happens after eating no matter how small )
Also no matter how hard I tried I could not bring my blood sugar down.

STRESS is one of the major contributors to diabetes.

I recently started taking this stuff called cylapril that I found in my supermarket a few months ago. It promised to deliver me from adrenal fatigue ( this is before they started advertising)
I didnt notice anything really. My mood had been getting better but I atributed that to removing certain stressors from my life, mainly my family's BS and watching my gr kids every single day ( at least 5 days). ALL DAY.

However..I recently stopped taking the cylapril as I had run out and didnt have $30.00 to buy more. Guess what? After 10 days of not taking it I am noticing the passed few days my stress level has gone back thru the roof, for NO REASON, I mean snapping for no good reason AND My Blood sugar is up again. My sleeping is back to middle of the night too. ( as in go to bed after 2-3 am and get up around 9). Also those adreanline rushes are back again and so are my heart palpitations. DAMN!

So I am wondering if there are any good Naturopathic Drs. out there who feel the correlation between Menopause, and adrenal distress and diabetes is correct. After all medicine is all about common sense and following the signs.

I know my body. Regular Drs. Laugh at me when I bring things up and want to just throw drugs at me. I'm sorry but I dont think that my disorders are a result of a lack of chemicals, more like a lack of nutrition, and natural order.

There is a reason we go through menopause. GOD created us to build up to puberty and reproductive stage of life , then after 20-30 yrs we reverse this action. Just as children are tyrants ( girls especially) before puberty, so to do we react after reproduction and into the lessening stage of our hormones. Drs. however would rather we take MORE hormones to keep our selves going....UMMMM NO Thanx. That just goes agains t the NATURAL ORDER of things.

Gonna go buy some more cylapril this week.

Evil Bunny is Back.........

.........And he is after the corn!



I figure this lil bunny is climbing the fence and stalks to nibble....I found one stalk on its side and the others were nibbled.....





Now I am trying a new plan of attack.....

I have these can tops and bottoms left from my soda cans ( after cutting) and was trying to reuse them. I made some redneck windchimes (lol) and was working on making morraccas for kids when i ran into a problem. I abandoned that idea until I could find another solution, in the meantime I have all these tops and bottoms.....

A voice whispered what to do. You know that small still voice? Sometimes we call it GOD or intuition, or good sense , sanity, and even Insanity....LMAO....Well I seen the solution as it was whispered to me....



I posted my mini shepards hooks that I use around the front garden with chimes and put them near the plants with the can chimes. I hope the shiny deflectors scare the critter away.

I hope this works. I didnt know bunnies could climb!

Meanwhile......





CUCKES ANYONE? They are taking over the garden ... Holy Crap and I don't even eat them.( I grew them for the other family members)

How about?

ZUCCHINI?

My neighbor shared zucchini with me after i shared lettuce with him and now spinach and green beans for more zucchini...YUM! I never liked it before, but even my youngun ate it.

I found a great fritter ( pancake) recipe, changed it slightly and now...MMMMMM I got a new summer favorite.

3cups zucchini ( shredded)
2-3 eggs *( if using jumbos use 2 eggs, medium use 3)
1 cup all purpose flour ( can add a lil more if it seems too wet)
1 tsp. dill
1tsp. baking soda
salt and pepper ( I used sea salt)
1 cup grated romano ( can use parmesan)
2 medium onions ( Shredded)
oil for frying ( I use olive oil EVOO a lil at a time)
Sour cream

***After shredding zucchini salt it ( I eyeballed it) and leave in bowl for 15 minutes or longer to remove bitterness.

Use cheese cloth or strainer to remove the liquid from the zucchini and add to onions ( DO NOT strain onions...Leave onion juice in)

Mix in eggs and flour, dill, salt and pepper, and cheese.

Drop spoonfuls ( I used a large serving spoon, the ones slightly larger then a tablespoon with slots to drain liquid) into pan. Not to big or they will be hard to turn and will fall apart. ( about 2-3 inches big should be fine)

add oil as needed.

Fry, Flip and drain on paper towel.

serve with sour cream.

MMMMMMM.....To die for.