Eat what ya got?

Eat what ya got?

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This is the coolest website! My mother is always telling me to use all the stuff collecting dust in the pantry.

I'm on the verge of starting to blog again.....should I? or am I too busy? I have put my little blog off into a corner while I pursued other avenues such as working a full-time job. In the interim, I now have a full-fledged teenager, and all the angst that goes with that. I have a 2-year old beagle who is into everything, I have an ailing father whose precious heart is just struggling to pump blood to his vital organs every day, etc., etc.





I have become addicted to Facebook, and in the process have reconnected with some wonderful folks from high school. Three of them and I even had a weekend getaway that was so unbelievably fun and invigorating that we have decided to make it at least an annual, if not semi-annual event.

I am still battling diabetes....I guess once you have it, it never just "goes away". While I know losing weight would probably take away most of the problem, the medications I must take only make it that much harder to lose the weight. Just a vicious cycle. I am now on insulin, Levemir, once a day, and if it helps me feel better, then I'm all for it.

This is a discombobulated post, but I just had a yen to visit my old blog and dust it off and post something.

I really did not fall of the face of the earth......

Although it seems that way, due to my lack of tending to my little blog. In the meantime, I have had wonderful readers who have graciously posted to my blogs, and for that I am grateful.

I have officially joined the work force again after 12 years of being at home! I was offered a medical transcriptionist position at Capital Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinic (www.capitalorthosports.com) and I have to say that I absolutely love it! Well, I mean they don't call it WORK because it's all fun and games, but I think I have made a rather smooth transition from being a stay-at-home mom to one who gets up every morning to go into the office. I have a great boss, the doctor's are super easy to work with (no God-complexes, thank goodness), and best of all, a steady paycheck!!!!!

I get to wear scrubs, which means I DON'T have to wear dresses, dress shoes, and those wretched panty hose. The only thing more comfortable would be if I did not have to wear a bra, but hey, nothing's perfect.

The only downside to this whole thing is that I have not been able to sew or crochet for months now. I am simply too tired to go to the machine in the evenings, especially since I am busy with dinner and washing, etc. School will be out soon, so at least there won't be all that to deal with, so maybe I can ease back into it with a few pouches or something simple.

So, I guess from now on, in addition to a few creations here and there, I might be posting about who did what at work and why A is mad at B, and C won't work with D, etc., etc......

Wickedly Chic!!!

One of my flower pins has been featured in the awesome site http://www.wickedlychic.com/! Check it out. This neat online trend magazine was developed as a resource for shoppers seeking off-the-beaten path fashion, bath, and body products for the home. It's labeled as "independent shopping for the wickedly fashionable." If you sign up for their newsletter, you will be eligible to win prizes in their Sunday Giveaways. I'm tickled pink to be included in their Daily Ditties section!

Rewind to 1955 - A Blast from the Past

Okay, read this excerp from "Housekeeping Monthly", and I dare you not to have the theme to "Leave It To Beaver" playing in your head ALL DAY.... Just goes to show you how things have really, really changed. Of course, I think my mother-in-law still subscribes to this magazine, 'cause she's just like the person in this article. (thanks to dlkdesigns on Etsy for sharing this with fellow Etsians):

Housekeeping Monthly May 13, 1955 May 13, 1955 Un-Named

The Good Wife’s Guide
1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.
6. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
7. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
8. Be happy to see him.
9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
10. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first –– remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
11. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
13. Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.
14. Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
15. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
17. Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
18. A good wife always knows her place.

We on Etsy have been informed by a fellow Etsian that this article is most likely not authentic, according to Snopes. Maybe, maybe not, but it's still a hoot, and hopefully it will give you a chuckle today!

Have you heard of Qassia?

I have just learned of a new way to promote my Etsy shop and this blog. It's called Qassia. I'm in the learning phase of it now, but apparently it is a site to which you can add your websites. You can also add tidbits of information called "intel" (short of intelligence). The more intel you add, the better your sites will rank, the more backlinks you get, and the more money you make. Qassia is 100 percent free, and does not require reciprocal links. You can get unlimited quality backlinks to your websites from Qassia. Right now it is in the beta testing phase and you can only join through a referral. In other words, you can click on my link (http://www.azalealane.qassia.com) and sign up that way. Here is a little bit more info:

* Back links. You get one back link for every piece of intel you add. Every intel will carry a direct back link to one of your sites. So the more intel you add, the more back links you get.

* Credit. When you add intel, you also get credit, in the form of Qassia dollars (not real money). Your net worth in Qassia dollars determines how well your websites rank in our directory.

* Revenue. This is directly from their site: "When your intel is displayed, you get 100% of the advertising revenue generated by that page. That is not a typo, by the way: we give you ALL of the gross ad revenue" (this is done through Google AdSense attached to your intel, not your site or blog). The contributed intel will allow Qassia to become a vast repository of intelligence, with unrivaled original content. And a vast amount of original content draws traffic like honey draws ants. This site and other are starting become the next generation of social book marking networks. (Think Wikipedia, but BETTER!)

I encourage interested folks to click my link and read the information and sign up if interested. It looks very interesting and I have not read anything negative about it. They do say in the FAQs that you won't earn a lot of money just yet, mainly because they are in the beta phase. I'm all about the Etsy exposure really though.

I'm addicted to making these things!

Oh my word, these things are fun to make! I have a slew of zippered pouches in my Etsy shop. I'm experimenting with different sizes, but they are all pretty roomy. I'm using one to keep my testing supplies in and another for receipts and coupons, another for makeup....... you can find them here: http://azalealane.etsy.com

Oh, speaking of testing supplies, I received a call from my doctor today, and my A1C has DROPPED TO 7.0! YEAH!!!!!!! The Januvia is working splendidly! I had been hoping for this.