prepare – Brenda Nolen

The holidays are just around the corner and it can be SO frustrating when you do not control all of the food options but that doesn’t mean you have to either go hungry or completely derail the success you have already made.

Tip 1: Prepare Yourself

Know the people that will be at the holiday gathering. Unless they are all total strangers, you know who will be there and what kind of people they are (and what kinds of foods to expect). Ask your host what they would like you to bring AND/OR if they mind you bringing more than one dish. I have had a few people who planned everything out and do not want or like unexpected dishes being added to the menu.

Tip 2: Bring Foods You Can/Will Eat

Now, I am not suggesting you make your own meal and hide in the corner, crying and eating alone. Make dishes that are naturally low in carbohydrates that everyone can enjoy.

Meat, meat, and more meat.
Deviled eggs are always a hit.
Just about anything wrapped in bacon or prosciutto
Caprese salad
Your favorite low carb desserts
Vegetable or meat and cheese platter

This list isn’t even close to being complete but I think you get the idea.

Tip 3: Load Your Plate

Look at your plate. Fill at least half of it with meat, then the rest with vegetables. As long as your plate is full, you will be less likely to feel deprived (since there really isn’t any more room for the foods you will not eat).

Tip 4: If You REALLY Want It, Eat It

There is no all-seeing diet guru standing there, judging your every move. If there is something there that you really want to eat (and it’s not a trigger food), eat a little. While I was eating a strict keto diet (no more than 20 total carbohydrates), I would still eat a tablespoon or two of candied yams because I just love them (and couldn’t eat the whole pan if I tried). I just needed those few bites to satisfy that craving.
Now, what’s a trigger food? Any food that, once you have one bite, will cause you to eat nothing else until you eat the entire thing. For me, that is Rice Krispies treats. I can smell marshmallows from three aisles away in the grocery store. Rice Krispies treats call to me from wherever they are in the house and draw me to them like a moth to a flame. They are all I will think about until I have eaten every single one of them.
The key with this tip is: DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP AFTERWARD! This is a way of LIFE, not a diet. Whatever happens, whether you gain a few pounds due to water retention or you lose weight, you will learn a lesson. You will learn what to do (or not do) at the next holiday gathering.

Tip 5: Maybe Eat Before You Leave Home

If you find out the foods being offered at the holiday gathering will be completely contrary to your dietary needs, then eat before you get there. There is nothing wrong with that. I can’t tell you how many times I have done that. Most of the time, I did this to prepare myself for a much longer wait (dinner is supposed to be at 2 pm but we don’t sit down to eat until 6 pm). There were a few times, however, when I did this simply because of the foods that were being served. The perfect example was when my mother-in-law stopped eating meat for health reasons. She loves meat and I wouldn’t torture her by bringing any into her home. So, I ate before we arrived, then ate whatever I could at her house. It worked out beautifully and we got to spend time with our family.

Tip 6: Don’t Whine

While you have no control over the foods that other people make or bring to a holiday event (especially if you are not the host) you will not become a martyr or garner sympathy by whining about it. You will just be that annoying, ungrateful, attention-seeking person with a victim mentality. Now, I know there are people who relish in trying to derail people’s health choices because they do not like change but, you know who they are, how they think, and you should have been prepared.
You have two choices: go or don’t go to the event. You are an adult. You need to take responsibility for your choices. If you attend the holiday gathering and did not prepare for the situation, the fault lies with you.
No one should be required to cater to your specific dietary choices. If it’s a food allergy, then that’s different but that’s not what this is. Despite how it feels sometimes, you are not going to drop dead because someone walked through the door with a chocolate cake! This is your choice to change your way of eating so you will become healthier. It’s your choice! It is not only unfair but it is rude to attempt to force that choice on others. Don’t whine if you didn’t take the initiative to prepare yourself for this situation (it’s not like you haven’t had all year to prepare yourself).

Tip 7: Remember Why You Are There

You aren’t getting together with family and friends just for the food. It’s a time to sit back, visit, catch up, and enjoy yourself. We are all so busy with life that we don’t get the chance to spend enough quality, in-person time with those we love. Enjoy yourself!

Current Events, Goals, Journal

To Learn, You Must Do

April 1, 2018September 23, 2021 brendanolen

It’s rare when I am surprised by anything I read online. The last time I was truly shocked about anything in the public domain was when Trump won the Presidential election. Watching the election night coverage (yes, we watched all night) was true “shock and awe.” That was the best reality show we have ever watched and the reactions were priceless (and gloriously genuine). Virtually no one expected that outcome, especially me. I didn’t vote for Clinton or Trump. I can’t stand any of the Clintons but figured Hillary was going to win no matter who she was running against. See? “Shock and Awe.”

Most of the online election aftermath has caused my eyes to roll way too much. Both sides, with their diehard supporters who never really paid attention to what their candidates actually believed, just irritate me. As much as I love the MAGAs’ dread when they realize Trump isn’t the ultraconservative they assumed he was, I really loathe those Hillary supporters who assumed, because I did not support her (and definitely did not support Obama), that I was a Trump supporter. I knew some of these people for over 20 years, yet they lashed out at me like I had suggested someone needed to start drowning puppies. They chose to ignore the fact that I had never supported any of the chosen Republican candidates that ran against Obama in both elections. All logic and reason left their overly emotional brains and (from what I have seen) has never returned.

This has never been more evident than what has actually surprised me online: they are scared and talking about arming themselves and either advocating for (or anticipating) a civil war. I have even read some hoping for a military coup. It feels like a really bad episode of the Twilight Zone since this is the same talk I saw from ultra-conservatives when Obama was elected to office except then, the “fight” was to preserve the Constitution and now the “fight” is to dismantle it (despite the calls to arm themselves). They just aren’t thinking this through. Why would they want to give up control of their lives (and their right to protect their lives) to the very people they are protesting against?

This is new territory for me. I knew what to ignore when Obama was first elected as mostly grandstanding (or in my off-line words, idiots being keyboard commandos) but I don’t know this new crop of people. I am not sure how serious they are or are they just typing all of that to make others think they are serious.What I do know is there are too many people within society who do not understand that just because they think (or say) something doesn’t mean they will always win. These people also do not understand that with every loss, there is a lesson that can be learned if they are willing to remove emotion from the equation.

I do know that, outside of the anti-Trump groups, I have noticed an uptick in worry and a desire to begin preparing for … something. I am not sure exactly what the impetus to prepare is. I do not think it really matters. Whether people are preparing for some sort of civil war, civil unrest, disruption in the food chain, nuclear war, natural disasters, or any other imagined scenario, the path toward independence and security is the same:

You can have all the books in the world but if you have never grown a tomato plant, you will never be able to grow all the fruits and vegetables you need to sustain your family. This also applies to splitting your own firewood or baking bread (you know, actually cooking) or sewing a shirt or repairing your appliances or any number of skills you think you will need to survive any of the disastrous scenarios people can imagine.

This also goes for life in general (which was the original intention of this post). If all you do is read books without putting into practice what you read, you have learned nothing. Online marketing, SEO optimization, building your email list, writing (and publishing) a book, improving your health, losing weight, increasing your strength … none of the knowledge you acquire from any book, course, or video will do you any good if you don’t physically DO anything!

So, where do you begin? Go through everything you have learned over the course of the last year and figure out what one activity you can do today, right now. Choose just one. Then tomorrow, choose another. Slowly build up until you are practicing what you were taught (and learning what will work and what won’t). Not everything you have been taught will lead you to your ultimate goal (or end up working the way you intended). So, you set aside those things that are not working for you and move onto another activity.

The most important thing to know is you cannot control everything. You will not get everything you think you want (or things will not go the way you have planned). This is called life. You either embrace that fact or you will end up just spinning around in circles, blaming others for life not going the way you intended.

Even if you believe that the climate changing is caused by humans, what can you really do about that? Can you, personally, eliminate all excess carbon emissions from the planet, allowing your tomatoes to grow better this year? No, and even if you could, what would happen if the climate didn’t change back? What if all the scientists who support human caused climate change are proven wrong? What would you do with your life then?

We all need to focus on what we can personally change: our sphere of influence. Plant a tree, get your yard equipment serviced so it burns fuel more efficiently, stop using so many weed killers or bug sprays, pick up the garbage on your street (then the next street, then your entire neighborhood), dig up your lawn and plant food, vote for a city councilperson who embraces your way of thinking, etc. These are the types of acts that will ultimately change the world, not blocking traffic or hiding in your house waiting for the end of the world.

Household, personal, Repair

Live and Learn – New Hot Water Heater

August 14, 2014September 22, 2021 brendanolen

So, yesterday morning, I sent hubby off with a kiss. When I came back inside, I noticed a very small drop of something liquid on the floor. I thought that I might have dripped with emptying the coffee grounds, so I just wiped it up and went about my morning routine. Ten minutes later, there was more liquid, in the same spot. So, I moved the garbage can, opened the door to the hot water heater closet and there it was … water all over the floor. I threw down some towels, quickly checked the hoses, then went to You Tube. This was the first video I saw:

So, since I checked the hoses already (and the pressure relief pipe was sticking through a hole in the floor) I cut out a piece of cabinet wall and searched around to see if I could find where it was leaking from. I did … the water was coming through the control panel area. So, we needed a new water heater. O.k. What do I do now? First, I wanted to double check, so I called the former owner of the house. He couldn’t remember when he put it in but while we were chatting, he mentioned “we had one heck of a time getting it in there 20 years ago”. So, with that confirmed, back to You Tube. First, I found this one:

Then this one (figured I should immediately NOT make any mistakes so I better learn what they are):

And finally this one:

So, since we don’t have cell phones and I figured it would take a while to drain the hot water heater, I waited and priced some. I decided to go with a Rheem that was 10 gallons larger than the one we were replacing. I measured, and it was about the same height. So, I measured the pipes (for those who don’t know, the width of the pipe itself is NOT the width of the threads. My pipes are just over an inch in diameter but are technically 3/4 in pipe), made the list of things we’d need, wrote down the Model number, and went to let hubby know (I REALLY didn’t want him to show up from work, thinking he was going to relax, and be hit with this).

We went down to Home Depot, bought everything thanks to OPCC (Other People’s Credit Card … we had the cash but that is for property taxes), came home, and began. Well, I may have taken into account the height of the water heater but did not take into account the width (or weight). I ended up having to cut out more of the cabinet and ALMOST had to make a run to Ace Hardware for gas piping (it was in the way but we managed to make it work) all due to the increased width. Another thing about the width is: when I removed the old one, I just gave it a bear hug and walked it out the back door. The new one? My fingers wouldn’t even touch. AND it was heavier. So, once again, our old, free-from-a-neighbor dolly saved our bacon (and backs). I can’t tell you how many times that dolly has come in handy over the years. If anything happened to it, I would immediately go out and buy another one.

It took us 5 hours from purchase to hot water (plus a few hours today to tear out the rest of the cabinet). I still don’t know if I’m going to put a door up in front of the hot water heater (the framing would bring it out about 4 inches from the rest of the cabinets) or just spackle, paint, and call it good. So, what are the lessons I took away from this experience?

Always have at least $1,000 in cash or available on a credit card for emergencies such as this.
Measure everything (especially if this is a replacement) and even if you don’t think you will need a part, buy it.
Unless you always have a group of big strong men (or women) around you at all times, have a dolly.

Crafts, Fiber Arts, Weaving

Basic Weaving (101)

March 6, 2014September 22, 2021 brendanolen

I’m back on my weaving tangent, though I’m not even finished with my woman cave yet. This is how my Attention Deficit works. I was given a link quite a while ago (Wayback Link to original weaving page). That tab has been sitting there, open, this entire time. I finally decided to go through all the links, download what I wanted, then finally close it.

Well, imagine my surprise when I found these .pdfs! It’s Weaving 101, with instructions for building a full-sized loom, tablets, board looms, and table top looms! Not just that but exactly how to use them! I’m thrilled (and properly distracted from finishing my cave). Actually, I have hung my embroidery hoops on the wall and thought, “You know, I could do the same for the tablets I was given and even make some small frames and store them on the walls, too.” That one though gave me permission to embrace this tangent again. 🙂

These were all written by Luther Hooper and are a fantastic resource for anyone to have (who is interested in this or think they may be in the future). To save these to your computer, right-click on the links below, click “Save Link As” and choose where you would like it saved on your computer. I hope you enjoy these as much as I am!

Weaving For Beginners Download

Weaving With Small Appliances Book 1 Download

Weaving With Small Appliances Book 2 Download

Weaving With Small Appliances Book 3 Download

Hand-Loom Weaving Plain & Ornamental Part 1 Download

h Hand-Loom Weaving Plain & Ornamental Part 1 Download

Health And Wellness, Medicinal

Basic Liver Tonic

February 21, 2014September 22, 2021 brendanolen

Well, today is day 4 of my parsley tea and it’s working! I feel much better (and think it may be a small kidney stone … sure hurts and moves like one). So, I can’t do much moving around. I’ve decided to finally finish cleaning up my website and found this little tidbit hiding amongst the huge numbers of text files I have stored on my server. I do not know who originally shared it nor who wrote it (if you do, please let me know).

Liver Tonic

* 2 T Wild Yam root
* 2 T Milk Thistle Globes
* 2 T Oregon Grape root
* 2 T Dandelion root
* 2 T Chicory root
* 2 T Goldenseal Root (optional)

Simmer in water 20 min, Golden seal may lower blood sugar and may be deleted from this remedy.

Crafts, Crochet, Supplies

Chunky Cable Crocheted Slippers

February 13, 2014September 22, 2021 brendanolen

Remember when I whined because I couldn’t make this pattern of slippers?

http://www.mooglyblog.com/simple-chunky-cable-crochet-slippers/

Well, guess what? She has a tutorial video now! I think I may have to give them another shot!

Crafts, Metal, Wood

Welding and Wood Carving

February 13, 2014September 22, 2021 brendanolen

I have found two You Tube channels (actually, hubby found one) that are fantastic and I need to share them!

The first one is what has been occupying my time. I’ve always ‘dreamed’ of working with wood. I have chisels, a scroll saw, band saw, router, drill press, plans, two Dremels, etc. but never quite got around to it. That is, until I finally committed my brain to learning something. This guy is one of the few channels that teaches how to do wood carving with power tools. So, on the days when I’m supposed to be doing cardio (cough, cough) I’ve been in the garage playing.

And this guy hubby found last night. The way we both see it, no matter how long you’ve been doing something, it can’t hurt to continue to learn and perhaps learn techniques that will make your work better. Welding. I’ve done a good job splattering molten metal (and burning myself) but like the idea of learning to do this more (take a look at the plasma cutter … I want one!).

Garden, Supplies

PVC Pipe Soaker “Hose” Systems

February 9, 2014September 22, 2021 brendanolen

This will save us tons of water while watering deep enough to keep the plants in the raised beds we’re going to build happy throughout our hot summers.

And this video lays out how to do this for raised beds!

This guy did this setup but for his containers:

Cleaning, Supplies

How To Make High Grade Natural Beeswax Leather Polish and Conditioner

February 2, 2014September 22, 2021 brendanolen

This is GREAT! I’m always running out and what better way to save money (since I have tons of stuff for soap making and haven’t made soap in YEARS) than to be able to make my own! I hope it won’t make hubby’s work boots catch on fire easier (he’s a welder)! lol

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-High-Grade-Natural-Beeswax-Leather-Pol/?ALLSTEPS

Tools:
Measuring spoons
Tins for your polish (I’m not a fan of plastic bottles but you can use them)
Pyrex measuring cup
Small pot
Small aluminum pie plate
Wooden spoon
Bamboo skewers (optional)

Supplies;
Beeswax – solid; Protection for leather. Creates a barrier for environmental influences
Coconut butter – semi solid; Conditions the leather surface.
Sweet Almond oil – liquid; Softens the leather internally and replaces the natural oils lost through dying
Castor oil – liquid; Heavier oil that provides the ‘shine’. Can be replaced with mineral oil if necessary.

**Optional**
Pure Ammonia or Alcohol – liquid; Cleans and degreases the surface before polishing. As I mentioned before, the old recipes called for human urine.

Food Storage, Garden, Health And Wellness, Supplies

Have a Small Space? Grow Vertical!

February 1, 2014September 22, 2021 brendanolen

A friend mentioned that she has a tiny little area to grow any food, so I suggested she grow vertically. I don’t really do this now but may have to since I will be using raised beds this year. I’ve seen so many neat ideas over the past few months that I’m trying to find all the links to share with you (and her). Well, I was going to find a single picture to post here but when I did my Google search (“vertical gardening”) and clicked images I was in awe! There are so many creative ideas out there that I just can’t list them all (so check out the photos yourself here).

This is pretty much what I did when I was growing in containers (I posted pictures of my truck garden in 2011).