The Shambled Shack

Emeals & things

2022-01-17T15:56:00.001-06:00

Since I posted my PSA about the zucchini lasagna... I have learned a few things.

I shared my PSA on facebook and got several suggestions that were worth sharing with my readers. I have not yet tried these methods... but I fully plan to, someday.

First off, if this all seems like too much work - which it kinda does to me - skip making a lasagna and just make zoodles. With that said, I still want to give these ideas a shot - when I have the time to dedicate to playing in the kitchen.

My aunt J suggested that you salt the slices generously and let them sweat out all the liquid for 15 minutes. Then wrap the slices in a dish towel and squeeze or wring out the excess moisture.
Cousin E said, or use a salad spinner (which I do have and sounds so much easier than wringing them out). She said she also cooks them on a stove top grill to give it a roasted flavor and continues to deplete the moisture out that way as well. Gives the lasagna a roasted flavor.

I love both ideas... and both seem legit enough to try.

On to Emeals...

Today is the last day of my 2 week free trial. I must say there are things I really like about the whole experience.

Makes following a healthy food lifestyle plan much easier. I started out with the Keto for 2 and moved on to Low Carb. No idea if I have lost any weight, but that really wasn't my goal - it was more to see if the plans were doable. And they are... mostly.
For pickup shopping, its a breeze! I love that it coordinates with Walmart and that I can add to my order on the fly. I just wish Walmart here had better pickup windows - or more of them. If I order on the day the plans come out (Wednesday for me) - I can't really use the plans for that week - as often times it takes a day or two before there is an opening to pick up the groceries. Also, I like to prep on the weekend - so I start my meal plans on the Monday following - giving me prep time. So I plan a week later... kinda works out great.
Their support phone was helpful. The day before the end of my trial I received a sweet 70% off deal via email that I just could not pass up. It was a Sunday - so that meant I could not just switch as I HAD to call to get them to apply the deal - there was no option to use a code (or at least none that I could find) And the code expires today. The lady on the support call was happy to help, she signed me up for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it cost less than I originally planned to pay for just dinner!

That code is BIGGEST22.

If ya want to sign up. I don't get anything from this link, however you have to click it TODAY - 1/17/22

Well, thats all for now! Talk soon!

PSA about Zucchini

2022-01-11T23:26:00.001-06:00

Zucchini is great! However, its full of water… and does not make a lasagna well…

Perhaps if you dehydrate it in strips like dry lasagna noodles… maybe then… but otherwise its just like soup.

Still tasty but NOT like lasagna.

Let’s get Obvi!

2022-01-10T22:53:00.001-06:00

Hello Monday! Its week 2 into my 2022 blog. This week, i am pushing myself to get more serious about my weight.

I am 5’1” and i weight almost 280lbs. I have to lose weight, my life depends on it.

I’m scared. I have a thyroid issue, I take meds daily for it. My blood pressure sucks, but luckily I am not yet diabetic. I’d bet I'm extremely insulin resistant though.

I am depressed and too afraid to take meds for that because most antidepressants cause weight gain.

My biggest issues are a vicious cycle… I need to move more but it hurts. My knees, my back, my arms and legs. Its painful to move, not to mention i have zero energy. Between thyroid and depression i just cant find the will in me to move forward fast enough to make a dent in my issues. But here i am, trying again.

My last diet was a trial. I did keto with intermittent fasting for 30 days. I actually completed a full 30 day challenge. I did that. And i lost 23lbs. However, i found it all back and then some. At least i know it will work.

So this time, im sure your wondering what might make a difference. I dont really know yet but im giving Obvi and chance. Im doing the collagen burn and keto diet together.

I have linked to Obvi above, if your curious what it is. I am still learning all i can about it.

Collagenic Burn

This first 30 days i am focusing on the collagenic burn and my food choices. Between my keto for two meal plans and taking these fat burn pills i am hoping to get a jump start on my weight loss.

So im starting slow. Today i did 1 burn pill at breakfast and 1 at lumch. Same for tomorrow, then Wednesday i will up it to 2 for breakfast and 2 for lunch. I am not skipping meals, but am trying to stay with the keto food plan.

Additionally, once i get used to eating the keto foods i am adding in portion control. I also want to add in more movement but I’m adamant i need baby steps.

Well, thats enough for now. You know where my head is. I know where my head is… just need to get my heart in there with it.

Talk soon…thanks for listening!

eMeals - Join me and we both save $10

2022-01-08T08:34:00.001-06:00

I have been sharing lately about these yummy meals I have been making. The recipes come from an app called eMeals.

They send me 7-8 recipes each week and I pick from them or I can search for others I’d like instead. I add them to my weekly meal list and the ingredients pop up into a shopping list.

From there, I can check off the ingredients I already have at home, then select my favorite store, like Walmart, and shop right in the app. Build my shopping cart based on what i need for the recipes and do delivery or pickup. Its easy peasy and the recipes so far have been great!

I started with a two week free trial and now you can too. Just use my link below to give it a shot and both you and I can get $10 each to put toward the food we are getting!

https://www.talkable.com/x/efXQij

New Keto For 2 eMeals Options

2022-01-05T23:05:00.001-06:00

Wednesday 1/5/2022

Today was a pretty good day. I kept to my word and cooked my stuff pepper recipe. It was really good. The rest of the day went well. I was actually able to leave work on time and it wasn't as sucky as usual. I stayed pretty busy with a safety project and supporting my team. I enjoyed a spinach salad with peppers, onions, eggs and tomatoes topped with ranch dressing. I splurged a bit this morning and picked up a starbucks coffee... still not convinced those are really worth the extra expense... I rarely if ever do that - usually I stick with McD's, Sonic, or Wendy's coffee blends. Tomorrow though, I am thinking Breaktime coffee will be my go-to.

I had to stop and pick up some italian sausage so I stopped at Eat Well. I picked up some mini-pita pocket breads, a quinoa and sweet potato pre-made salad from their deli as well as a curry chicken salad. My lunch/snacks for Thursday will be half a stuffed pepper with a mini-pita bread with some of that curry chicken salad - with a spicy arugula salad to top both. There was maybe a tablespoon of the sweet potato quinoa salad left so thats on the side as well. I also grabbed some bananas to slice up into my overnight oats. Dinner Thursday will be the Marinated Lemon-Thyme Chicken ~~Thighs~~ Breasts (because they were out of thighs) served with roasted potatoes and broccoli.

Other things to note: I had a really cruddy nightmare last night... dreamed that I needed to change the color of my hair and the only way was by dropping a spider on my face... of which I was forced to do (no idea where that came from). Anyway, I am highly petrified of spiders... and I woke up with a panic attack. Having my CPAP mask on certainly wasn't helpful either. It was really hard to fall back to sleep after. Wondering if it didn't come from my Hum vitamin... Fan Club (siberian rhubarb + probiotics + grape seed extract) its supposed to relieve multi-symptom menopause including hot flashes and more.

I will say though, my depression was MUCH better today. I was more motivated when I woke up and I, overall, felt better. I am taking the Fan Club vitamin again tonight...if I have another nightmare, I may rethink it for tomorrow night.

New recipes were put out on the emeals app today. I get to choose from the following Keto for 2 meals for next week.

Bacon and Swiss Pork Chops with Rosemary Cauliflower Mash and Asparagus
Green Goddess Chicken Thighs with Winter Mixed Greens Salad
Peanut - Lime Chicken with Cilantro-Lime "Rice" and Roasted Green Beans
Garlic Shrimp with Sweet Chili Aioli with Quick Stir-fried Vegetables
Layered Sausage-Zucchini Bake
Greek Style Steak with Tomato Cucumber Salad
Stuffed Cheeseburgers with Sauteed Mushrooms with Spinach

I usually only pick 4-5 recipes... but they all sound so delish.... I am not sticking to a Keto diet totally, yet. I have so many foods in my pantry that I can't just dump them all. I would feel guilty throwing things away and I can't afford to just donate them all. So I am supplementing my meal plans with a little bit here and a little bit there. I don't eat much wheat - so breads are pretty rare here. I do have pasta though. My leftover meat sauce from stuffed peppers will be served this weekend over a spaghetti squash roasted in my air fryer with melted cheese over top along with a salad.

If you are interested in eMeals or checking them out, let me know via comments and I can email you an invitation to a two week free trial and we both can get $10 off a Walmart pickup/delivery order.

Mid Week Morning Reflection

2022-01-05T08:12:00.001-06:00

Good morning, welcome to my first ever mid-week morning reflection post. Im planning to make Wednesday mornings my reflection day. Hump day and all, its a great day to look at my successes as i try to stay positive for the remaining week.

Babysteps i keep telling myself! I saw a post in the Obvi community. I just had to steal it as it really was motivating. This will be my reflection inspiration today and many days to come I think.

So far this week has had a rocky but successful start. I finally got my new phone, but it would not take calls. I could make them but not get them. I called T-Mobile support and spoke with Lady J and she was amazing! I have never had a tech support person so committed to resolving an issue. Usually they just pass on the tough calls to the next person… not Lady J! She was THE BEST. I am happy to report my phone is working amazingly now! Lady J rocks! If you have to call T Mobile support she is the one you want!

On other fronts, my first emeals recipe was a huge success despite subbing chicken thighs with breasts instead. It was Cajun Bacon Chicken.

I also added raw spinach on the bottom as my 5 ounce container ended up being a 16 oz container when i picked up my groceries from Walmart. Gotta eat those greens anyway.

This morning, i am enjoying lemon water with my scrambled eggs with spinach. I also had three sausage links made in my new air fryer. Love my Ninja Foodi Dual.

Returning to work after a week off is always a bit hectic. Matters were not helped when i woke to my daughter calling at 5:45 am. She had fallen down her stairs and needed a ride to urgent care. Luckily nothing is fractured or broken except maybe her spirit a bit. My Monday work day started out 4 hours late, was a bit chaotic but overall not terrible. I did enjoy overnight oats with peanut butter for breakfast on Monday.

Tuesday i woke up dreading getting out of bed. I just felt terrible! Depression has a way of tricking your brain into making you think your sick. For some reason my brain kept saying you are sick you cant work. Eventually i talked myself into working and got up. Between cold mornings and depression brain it was a real struggle though. Procrastinating getting up does not help my healthy eating lifestyle however… I had McD’s hazelnut coffee and a sausage egg mcgriddle.

Tonight, im making my overnight oats for tomorrow and cooking my stuffed peppers recipe, I think. Prep and win!

Hope you have a happy Wednesday! Thanks for reading my thoughts!

Welcome 2022...

2022-01-02T20:49:00.000-06:00

2022 is here.... The photo on my home page is from several years ago. A happy memory...

Lately, I have been stuck in a rut...depressed, struggling with my weight, my job, my personal life in general. Am I going through an empty nest syndrom? I don't think so... My life took a huge change in direction back in 2013 when my husband left me...

While it feels like things went downhill from there - they really have not. I am not discounting my blessings since then... it does not play a part in my depression.

I have successfully recovered my credit since 2013... It took a while but I did it. On my own.

I have survived being left by someone I should have never been with to begin with.

I am surviving my career exploding thanks to the sale of the company I work for.... a change in direction I wasn't expecting nor am I really happy about.

I do have regrets...but you can only look back and learn from the past. Have I really learned though?

My blog thus far has been mostly about food, organizing, my journey while married and a few posts since the break up. I now want to switch gears. I desperately need to change my thinking...

I may sound rambly in my blog... but please bear with me - I am going to dump my brain here. Comment if you want... I need to sort it all out, I need a place to share and reflect. I need to figure out how to most help myself get out of the depression I find myself in.

This will begin my journey to finding myself, at 50. My journal of my shambled life. Names will be changed to protect the innocent... and not so innocent. I do not want to embarass or upset anyone, but I need a place to dump my brain, free my heart.

Keeping up with this blog is going to be a challenge. I have started 2022 with a few challenges along with the blog.

I have purchased Obvi Collagen Burn and Detox. I want to get a handle on my weight issues, my health. I have a sluggish thyroid, take NP Thyroid daily. My metabolism is stuck... and I know this contributes to my depression. I am 5 foot 1 inches tall, my ideal weight is 130 yet I am nearing 300... I have to fix this. My life depends on it. Is Obvi the right path? I do not know, however I am willing to try anything.

Additionally, I have joined up with emeals - 2 week free trial. I am trying out the keto meal plan with emeals. I plan to share my emeals journey as well. I have previously tried a Keto diet with intermitten fasting for 30 days. It was fairly successful but I stopped after my 30 day challenge. Not sure why I didn't continue... but I did not.

I need to move more.... I lead a very sedintary lifestyle. With the pandemic, its hard to get out and go places... I don't do gyms. I am not an exercise guru. Walking is challenging... household chores are challenging.... getting out of bed is challenging... I am considering a membership at the community gym that has a pool... They have group pool exercise classes.

My job is a daily struggle. I am so unhappy with it and need to find an alternative job, but I don't know if I can make it with less pay. I don't have confidence in my abilities asside from the job I am doing. I know I should, but I don't have a degree. Prior to the sale of the company I work for, I was a supervisor who also learned graphic design of ads for newspapers. I feel I was good at it... I even created award winning ads, yet I don't feel confident. Is that part of my depression, is it anxiety?

My relationship with D feels like its going no where. We don't move forward...its stagnated. I am really bored with it as I don't feel like moving forward in any direction until he is fully ready to commit. And he is not... so I feel like its a waste of time. And that makes me sad...he is my best friend and I do love him...but I want the full deal...not a part time thing.

I feel frozen in time...afraid to make decisions. Afraid of failing... afraid of not moving forward as well.

So what successes have I to hang on to....

My credit is finally better. I recently refinanced my car loan - interest went from 11.49% to 3.88% Yes, its been a struggle and I am proud of my success in this area.

My biggest success since 2013... my only success... my life is a mess.... What next.

Happy Birthday to me... blah blah blah

2018-07-06T00:54:00.001-05:00

July is sucking already... What a way to start my 47th year. Are you suffering from aging? Omg i am. Besides not having a regular monthly cycle, now im dealing with a prolapsed bladder. Life is just not what i was expecting it to be...

Milestones in this life so far...

Babies x2 best kids in the world
Marriage that thought was forever
Ended in divorce... not what I expected
Career that i love!
Cruise to mexico!
Broken thyroid
Broken bladder
Broken heart....

Trying hard to see things positive. Counting my blessings...1...2...3....

Jewelry from Wish.com

2017-01-13T23:23:00.001-06:00

As promised, I had a few more items coming from wish.com and I came home to find they had arrived on Thursday afternoon. Lucky me!

I have been seriously looking at some costume jewelry on Wish and finally took the plunge and invested a couple of bucks on a few jewelry sets. Here's what I picked up...

This first set came with a ring. I figured it had to be an adjustable ring since no where did the app ask what size ring I wear so I wasn't surprised to find that I was right. I love this set but sadly the necklace is not big enough for my fat neck... However the bracelet has an extra chain attached that ends up making it too long for my wrist. So with a little enginuity on my part I am removing that chain and attaching it to the necklace. Now its long enough and the bracelet will still fit! Go me!

The pearl set is one of my favorites! It fit perfectly and it's so shiny! Wish those glassy stones were real!! Now to figure out what to wear it with....

Check back soon for more Wish.com reviews. I have a cosmetic bag and another jewelry set awaiting arrival.

For a little bit of crafty fun be sure to visit me on my crafting site and see what I have been working on. www.shackscraps.blogspot.com

Don't forget to leave some love!

Please note that I am not paid for these reviews. I purchase the items by my own choice and create these reviews because I want to share my experience with others.

Wish.com Fondant Bow Mold review

2017-01-12T00:15:00.001-06:00

I ordered the item below in the Wish app on my phone on December 12: 3D Bow Fondant Chocolate Mould Candy Cake Soap Mold Cake Decorating Baking Tool (Size: 3.5cm by 3.8cm)

Today, its January 11 and i just pulled it out of the mailbox. The expected delivery date was January 16 so i guess 5 days early isnt too aweful bad...

The bow mold is smaller that i thought but larger than advertised on the page as you can see in my photo below.

My intentions for purchasing this item is to make a cool foodie craft with my grand daughter. I want to use this to make bows for our dipped oreo cookie Minnie Mouse pops. I am not so good with making fondant bows or even icing piped bows so I thought this would be perfect and we could use modeling chocolate to make the bows.

As far as the review goes, my only complaint is that i do not have a detailedpackage that shows that the mold is truly created with food safe silicone. I had hoped it would but since it did not i plan to use seran wrap to line the mold just to be safe. If you have a better idea, id love to hear it! For now, that is my plan.

Overall, i am happy with my purchase. The craftmanship of the mold looks consistent from one bow to the next once i get a chance to make the Minnie Mouse Pops with my grand daughter i will update this review with a photo and details on ease of use and quality of the bows. For now, here is another close up photo of the mold.

For a little bit of crafty fun be sure to visit me on my crafting site and see what I have been working on. www.shackscraps.blogspot.com

Don't forget to leave some love!

Happy Wish hunting!

Please note that I am not paid for these reviews. I purchase the items by my own choice and create these reviews because I want to share my experience with others.

Wish.com Makeup Review

2017-01-10T23:54:00.001-06:00

My Review of 9 Color Waterproof Makeup Eyeshadow Glitter Palette with Brush from Ladiesbeauty on Wish.com

I ordered this makeup palette on December 26th and they gave me an estimated delivery date of January 23rd. It was in my mailbox on January 10 - 13 days earlier than expected.

It came packed in a bubble envelope. The palette was slightly damaged as you can see from the photo. The powders are moist enough to press back together easily so it wasn't a major deal. A little huff and puff and i was able to blow the loose powder out of the other palettes. So it was good as new!

The palettes are in an aluminum case that is gold in color. I had a little difficulty opening the case the first time, but after that it opened quite easily.

The brush that was included is not really a brush but actually a two sided sponge wedge on a stick but I used it to swipe a bit of powder onto my arm to test out the coverage. Overall I am pretty happy with the intensity and ease of application. The spongey brush worked well to apply the powder. It's not nearly as glittery as I thought it should be.

I paid $3 for the palette and $2 for shipping. Overall i feel it was a good value. I have paid more for palettes at the drug store with less intensity and coverage.

If you order this palette or another in a different color then please let me know how you like yours. I am planning to order other palettes from them again soon.

Thanks for reading my review. Be sure to check back soon as i will be sharing another Wish.com review soon. I have also ordered a makeup bag and several sets of costume jewelry.

For a little bit of crafty fun be sure to visit me on my crafting site and see what I have been working on. www.shackscraps.blogspot.com

Don't forget to leave some love!

Please note that I am not paid for these reviews. I purchase the items by my own choice and create these reviews because I want to share my experience with others.

Restaurant Review - COMO Smoke & Fire Bar and Grill

2015-07-08T20:31:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I made a post on my Shambled Shack blog... but I am still here, lurking in the shadows... but mostly playing with my stamps, ink and papers over at Shack Scraps. Today though, I decided to pop in a give a restaurant review... cuz it seems, reviews are more popular than ever these days and my readers are just dying to hear what I think (haha).

Today my friend took me to eat at COMO Smoke & Fire Bar and Grill on Rt B just outside of Columbia, MO. The smell from outside is FABULOUS! I had high expectations....

But you know...high expectations usually means you are going to be disappointed. And I was...

Maybe it was the rain...maybe it was my already crappy feeling... I really didn't feel very good. But here's what happened, you judge for yourself.

-2 We came in and were seated at a table near the entrance. First thing I noticed was the hard chairs... no cushions...very uncomfortable (added to my already uncomfortable feeling inside). I was also cold... and the door opening and closing didn't help matters though it wasn't THAT cold out - I have a thyroid issue so its hard to regulate temperature.

+1 We ordered our Mountain Dew (oh yes...big plus we got our Dew fix!) Then we looked at menus. My friend ordered the pork steak meal and I had the loaded baked potato with brisket... sure to be delicious I told myself.

+1 Shortly later, my friend let the waiter know we were going to move to the rustic looking picnic tables in a back corner - no problem. We moved and the seating was better. It was warmer and we had a good view of the nasty rain outside. Plus we had more privacy...which we both prefer.

-2 Food delivered - it looked FABULOUS! Why the negative two points you ask? My first bite and my brisket was COLD! My baked potato wasn't even hot enough to melt the cheese.... add that to my already negative feelings about the place and my lack of healthy feeling and I was bummed. I was hoping food would make me feel better...not worse. My friend tried a bite and agreed wholeheartedly.

+1 My friend went to let the waiter know that we were in need of drink and that we had an issue with my food. The waiter immediately apologized and took the food back to the kitchen to replace it with new. He was a very decent and likable fellow. Brought our drinks back fairly quickly.

-4 New food brought out... the potato was slightly warmer than before but the brisket was still COLD... Cheese did not melt. I was bummed again. I resolved to take it home in a to-go box and microwave it to my liking later on at work.

+2 Waiter brought me a to-go box and apologized again... he said wouldn't charge us for my plate since I wasn't satisfied. My friends food was fairly decent... he enjoyed his pork steak though he said it could have been bigger (he LOVES to eat though and to me his portion was HUGE). His potato was not steaming but it was warm enough to his satisfaction. The baked beans though...too spicy and not very tasty... my friend said it tasted like pork and beans with a bit of bbq sauce and pepper.

Overall...I would not return. The atmosphere was good, but the food was sadly lacking for the price. For the same price you can go to Cheddars and get stellar service and HOT GOOD food. I'd like to tell that waiter to go to Cheddars...he would make better tips.

Sorry COMO Smoke and Fire...your not my fav. When it comes to smoked meats and BBQ I will go anywhere else but there.

Happy Birthday....

2015-04-03T12:43:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share that today I received a birthday message from Tumblr that said my blog is 5 years old... actually, the birthday was January 24, 2010... so I am a few months behind. But wow.... can't believe I have been blogging this long! So cool!

Organizing a Craft Room - Intro

2015-01-12T23:59:00.000-06:00

Hi there! I am so happy you are here reading my blog in 2015. 2015 is going to be a busy year for The Shambled Shack. Its been a few years since I made any posts...a LOT has happened. I am looking forward to getting back to posting in 2015. I can't promise I will post daily or even weekly, but I do promise to get a post or two in each month at the minimum. This post makes my 2nd post for January and for 2015.

January, for The Shambled Shack, is going to be about organizing a craft room. I do not fully expect to have my craft room completed by the end of January - though wouldn't that be lovely! My expectation though, is to have worked on the room at least a couple times a week. I will be organizing around my daughter while she is staying with me temporarily. Her area consists of a cot in my craft room and plenty of boxes/bags of her belongings here and there and well, quite frankly, every where.

Let me begin my Organizing a Craft Room series by giving you a mini photo tour.

As you can see, this room needs tons of work! I have my basic crafting table and hutch moved in and a rolling cart (center photo), but everything else has yet to be moved out, items sorted and organized and moved back in. Below is my general overall plan for the room:

Items with a dotted blue border are on wheels and will be mobile.

The Half Shelf with Table Top still needs a table top. The half shelf is fairly short, I have two Michael's Recollection cubes that will go on either end bringing the overall height to 41 inches tall. I will put a table top (which I still have yet to purchase) over the shelves and add a back board covered with pretty wall paper. I plan to use the back board for my ikea bygel rods and my wall mounted ink pad holders (making the entire thing movable and without damaging my apartment walls).

Eventually, each of the metal shelves will be replaced with matching wood shelves in oak finish. My Half Shelf and Wooden Tall Shelf are already oak finish.

The Rolling Paper Bin is just two milk crates stacked with wheels on the bottom and hanging file folders in the top crate.

I have another plastic drawer that hasn't been placed on my floor plan as of yet - still not sure where I will be putting it. It currently houses a ton of crap that needs culling.

I have an over the door shoe rack that will be hung from my closet door - and may pick up another one.

I have lots of plans with limited time to accomplish them all since I work full-time outside the home. My next steps are to pull items out of the room and get the rest of the furniture situated as well as sort through and organize my craft tools and supplies.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to see how you have organized your craft rooms so leave a link to your blog in the comments section! If you are currently doing some sort of an organization project, feel free to share your link here too - doesn't matter what room it is - great organizational ideas can be picked up from any room in the home.

Check back in a week or so for my next post in this series.

Feeling Stuck...

2015-01-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

Art by Carrie Wilson

Ever feel like your stuck...

...can't move forward, wouldn't want to move backward....

That's how I am feeling right now. I have too many things I want to do. Too many great ideas but not enough plans for executing those ideas. Feeling stuck...

HOME
Currently, the place I call home, my shambled shack, is in shambles again... will I ever get organized and stay organized? The last time I shared on my Shambled Shack blog, life was moving pretty good. Since then, everything has fallen apart, I have picked up pieces here and there and am still struggling to hang on tight as this crazy roller coaster called Life happens all around me.

To bring you all up to speed, the man I loved...once loved as I have learned...walked away. Despite his promise to be there...to never leave...he gave up on US. It's still difficult to talk about...I trusted this man with my life... I still hurt. I will never understand... But its OK. I am not meant to understand. All I know is that we were broken. It's been 1 year, 7 months, and 3 days since he walked out....

Since this happened, I have moved on...mostly. We still have a basement full of things collected...our household items that I just can not bring myself to sort out. A part of me wants nothing more to do with all the "things" in the basement - albeit they are likely covered in mold of which I am seriously allergic to. But mold be damned....that stuff is full of memories that I just CAN'T face. Every fiber of my being shutters when I go into that basement and look at "our" things. Have I really moved on? Feeling stuck....

I am currently living in a two room apartment...I have a bed, a kitchen table, a desk and chair, some shelves, lots of crafting goodies - that's my therapy. Do I need more? I had a couch but opted to dump it so that I could bring my craft table to my apartment. Space is over rated.... the smaller the space the easier it is to clean. Or so one would think...

Recently, I rearranged furniture...actually I am still rearranging the two rooms. My front room consists of my bed, computer desk and chair, kitchen table, television, and my entry way bench (which I recently pulled out of storage). I also have my long blue shelf under the window that needs to be moved to the back room... I am stuck. I need an additional cabinet for my computer tower - something with a double shelf at the top and a flat surface at the bottom, that is breathable so I can put my tower on the lower part, my UPS on the middle shelf and my router/modem combo on the top. Once I have that in place, I can move forward... I need a carpenter.

My back room will be home to my crafting furniture - table, shelves, etc. All my stampin' goodies will be placed in this room. This room, when finished, will probably be my favorite room. I can sort of picture how it will look... I am still realizing the concept of that room. Feeling stuck...

FAMILY
My family is a bit in shambles at the moment. Things haven't gone so well in 2014. My daughter got a wild hair and decided she needed to move away to Texas... she left baby Avah with me while she tried to make her way. Six months in, work got crazy and Avah had to move with her dad and other grandmother. They put her in preschool and I took her most weekends when I could. Thanksgiving rolled around and my daughter came back home. She is currently staying with me in my two room apartment....

I can't move my things around her things... I can't get my crafting therapy... She brought her two cats, of which I am allergic... Really feeling trapped in my own home. The apartment never felt like a box before...it does now. She is working... Here's hoping she moves on soon so I can get back to my life... 2014 was already interrupted enough, let me have my 2015 please!! Feeling stuck...

WORK
Thankfully, work is still really good. I love my job. I love being a prepress supervisor and graphic designer. Making ads and working with customers and co-workers can be very rewarding. Things have slowed down to a crawl though and I am running out of vacation... Here's hoping the crawl picks up its pace... I need my hours! Feeling stuck...

HOME BUSINESS
Yes, you read that right. I have a home business, or two. Since November 26, 2012 I have been a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Its been mostly a hobby thing... but lately its picked up a little bit. I have a regular customer....yes you read that right - ONE customer. She is amazing and I truly appreciate her. I need to find more ways of showing her my appreciation....

As of December 5, 2014, I also became a Jamberry Nail Consultant. If you haven't ever heard of Jamberry before - you MUST check them out. I HATE nail polish - the smell, the mess, its just a pain in the butt. I have never had much knowledge about caring for my nails - you would think my momma would have shown me how - but nope. This tomboy was NOT interested in pretty nails...until recently. I will say, I was always curious about how to make my nails look pretty (without polish) but never took the time to learn it.

One of the goals of my Stampin' Up! business is to eventually make Stampin' Up! video tutorials. I have watched a ton of videos...every one of those ladies takes care of their nails - they have presentable hands. I looked down at mine and was like - no chance in hell will my hands make nice videos. Then I tried Jamberry and LOOK! Pretty hands!

Jamberry sells vinyl nail wraps via independent consultants. They are applied using heat and stay put for a up to two weeks at a time. A professional manicure never lasts that long - instead, get a Jamicure! For a fraction of what it costs to get your nails done professionally, you can have two manicures and two pedicures! I have been using the wraps for a month now and my nails still look good even after the wraps have been removed. Best of all - they have Jamberry Jr's so you and your daughter/grand daughter can having matching nails!!! Love it!

Anyway, I do have blogs for both of my home businesses - if should you be interested in checking out my therapy/hobby the links are following this paragraph. I want to build both businesses - the nails pretty much sell themselves - you wouldn't believe all the people that ask me about my nails when I am out and about. Just gotta carry my business cards with a sample wrap attached - and boom - there's a potential sale! My stampin' business isn't going so easily though - there is a lot of work to be done with that. I need a newsletter - doing a weekly one with all the cool weekly deals in it. Keeping up with that is no small feat though. I want to include a card and tutorial in every issue of my newsletter - which means I need to get my craft room done.... so many things depend on each other... feeling stuck...

Visit Shack Scraps

for paper crafting, card making, scrapbooking fun or

Visit Jamdazzled

for chip-free pretty nails free of stinky smells and messy polishes.

HEALTH

I am pretty sure my health is not the best at the start of 2015. Besides being over weight and recovering from a bout of flu-like symptoms, I still have a vitamin D deficiency and a sluggish thyroid to deal with as well as various allergies. I am taking extra vitamin D and my levothyroxine - along with a hand full of other vitamins and allergy meds on a daily basis. I am beginning to wonder if my thyroid issue isn't causing an autoimmune issue - I have never had so many allergies and aches and pains in my life! Old age....I think not. I have struggled in the past with my diet - being extra careful with calories and exercise - most I lost was about 10 lbs - of which I gained back plus 10 more. Thyroid issues are a pain... feeling stuck...

I declare 2015 the year of lubrication!

Getting unstuck in 2015....

Giving Thanks Thursday - 11/15/2012

2012-11-15T01:00:00.000-06:00

Inspired by 30 days of Thanks on Facebook, I thought I would try to do a post on Thursdays to help me keep more positives in my life. Sometimes its tough when your the only one able to work, your the one paying all the bills, etc, etc... So in an attempt to keep a positive focus on life - I am Giving Thanks on Thursdays!

I am going to start this out by posting my daily thanks from Facebook during the month of November and hopefully continue it beyond November with something fresh and new each week after...

Day 8 - November 8, 2012 I am thankful for naps...that is all. (I wasn't feeling so great, got little sleep and a much needed nap before heading into work)

Day 9 - November 9, 2012 TGIF and I am thankful for a wonderful husband!

Day 10 - November 10, 2012 I am thankful for my wonderful customers who love to make cards and learn new tricks! I had some students sign up for my Very Merry Card Tricks Class today and I am excited to be teaching them!

Day 11 - November 11, 2012 Thanks to all the veterans...This video was a Sunday share from a fellow stamper - Dawn. When I heard it I thought about all the Vets who have ever taken the fall for our freedoms. Even though its a religious song, it really moves ya. Thank you Vets, for all you do and putting all of us unworthy people Above All.

Day 12 - November 12, 2012 I was most thankful for Bean...love that "Shot in the Dark" with steamed milk and caramel macchiatto

Day 13 - November 13, 2012 Day 13 is starting out much like Day 12 - Shot in the Dark but got my extra little boost with Avah Meister. We are cleaning my stamp area and then gonna make some birthday and Christmas cards. Grateful today for wonderful hobbies and the ability to share it with my grand daughter!

Day 14 - November 14, 2012 I am thankful for wonderful sites like peachycheap.com where i can get great crafting supplies really cheap! I picked up 24 rolls of glitter tape last week for 12.99 and this week I snagged 24 rolls of baker's twine for 9.99. I am also thankful for the edit/delete option that shows up on our FB posts where we can go fix our mistakes!

Hope all of you have a wonderful day!

Giving Thanks Thursday

2012-11-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

Inspired by 30 days of Thanks on Facebook, I thought I would try to do a post on Thursdays to help me keep more positives in my life. Sometimes its tough when your the only one able to work, your the one paying all the bills, etc, etc... So in an attempt to keep a positive focus on life - I am Giving Thanks on Thursdays!

I am going to start this out by posting my daily thanks from Facebook during the month of November and hopefully continue it beyond November with something fresh and new each week after...

Day 1 - November 1, 2012 I was thankful my flu was a bit better and I spent less time in the bathroom!

Day 2 - November 2, 2012 I was thankful for my son who shared his rolo's with me.

Day 3 - November 3, 2012 I am thankful for a day off from work without illness! Feeling much better today! TGIF

Day 4 - November 4, 2012 today I am thankful for the time roll back! I get to spend an extra hour with my hubby!

Day 5 - November 5, 2012 I am grateful for wonderful co-workers! Amy Swickard Hensley for getting almost 200 cards donated to our M's store and Susan at Trib for the vote of confidence in me! I work with wonderful people!

Day 6 - November 6, 2012 I am thankful for a wonderful son who downloads free digital scrapbook kits for me before I miss out due to working late! He is the best! Also, I am thankful for the opportunity to vote - even though the candidates could have been better..... There are countries out there that don't allow voting...I am thankful I don't live in one.

Day 7 - November 7, 2012 I am thankful for grandchildren and that I have only one so far! Avah is the light of my life and I enjoy hanging out with her. The photo at the top shows the ornaments we made yesterday (on the 6th), but I spent time reflecting on our moment today, while I put the hangers in our ornaments. Avah is 2 years old and she loves spending time with her "Omah" (german for Grandma). I can not believe how much she loves to stamp with me! Some are not perfect because she is still learning patience but oh how she loved using the rolling pin and picking colors. She loves to pick anything. Love my baby girl!!

Hope all of you have a wonderful day!

Scrapbook haul

2012-05-12T01:20:00.001-05:00

Here's what I picked up with part of my tax return. I'm looking forward to practicing up for the Tinker Time class featuring Tim Holtz Products as well as the smash class featuring all the smash line products. Hope you will join me in my June and July classes at Michaels. Till next time. Happy scrap'n!

Reflecting on 2011...

2012-01-24T23:13:00.001-06:00

We are a little over half way into our first month of 2012 and I was going through my blog posts from the past when I came upon my first post for 2011. It was filled with resolutions...some really good plans that never came to fruition and a few that bloomed full swing. I thought I'd take a moment to make my first post for 2012 one of reflection and new resolve.

Reflecting on 2011....

In my 2011 resolution posts I resolved to do more scrapbooking/cardmaking in 2011. I am happy to say, I did do that. I sent quite a few cards to relatives - not as many as I had actually wanted to send out - but still and all...a good fair many. I tried to hit as many birthdays as I could - not everyone made the list in 2011 (not because my heart wasn't in it...but my pocket book wasn't deep enough!) Card making supplies are not cheap.

As for scrapbooking - I feel like I failed a bit there. I created a whole 3 pages last year. I haven't yet shared them just yet but I plan to. I still have yet to journal on them. The biggest reason I didn't create more pages for my scrapbooks was my fear of screwing them up. You can't screw it up if you just don't do it. (I have a major perfectionism flaw, can ya tell?) I think I am passed that now though - so look out in 2012. If you follow my other blog - Shack Scraps, you will get a glimpse of my scrapbook pages and my cards.

I resolved to lose some weight and get more exercise in 2011... now that didn't happen at all. We got a Wii and I do love it - but the house we live in just wasn't built for jumping around. Actually it was built in 1911 and the basement is pretty worn as is the floor I would be jumping on. We found that the weight bearing posts in the basement are split. They look pretty scary. When you walk through the living room (where the Wii is) you can hear echo sounds from the duct work. Steve has banned me from doing my Wii Fit until we can find a safer home in which to do it in - so the exercise I planned sort of flew out the window for 2011. I am just not a gym girl...even though I have access to one at work.

As for losing weight - I am still taking my thyroid meds and I have examined our diet quite a bit. We are now a wheat bread only family and I have learned to eat smaller amounts more often. We are eating healthier foods - much more veggies and fewer fried/greasy foods. Steve is still hell bent on eating pasta though...which just isn't good for his diabetes. I went for a cholesterol test last Friday and my previously borderline high cholesterol is now in the GREAT category...GOOO ME! I think that came from cutting out the cake decorating hobby and adopting a lower calorie hobby - paper crafting, what do you think?

I totally failed at resolving to post more - I posted a whole 8 times in 2011. How much more FAIL can you get? In my defense though, I started a new blog and posted on it much more than on this one - not that I was trying to neglect my faithful followers - I love each and every one of you! Really I do! I just really have gotten into my new hobby...I totally love paper crafting! My "Menu Plan Monday" posts are done I think. I rarely cook at home - heck, I rarely eat at home anymore. If I plan a menu it gets screwed up because I am not there to stick to it. Don't look for more of those on The Shack in 2012. I am mulling over a new and different type of food related post... If your wondering what/where I eat - mostly I am eating at work - soups, sandwiches, salads... Its still healthy and good for me.

We have not yet moved, don't have plans to move (as much as I'd like for us to do so), do have a great need for an extra bedroom now....my budgeting plan has been blown to hell but it couldn't be helped. In July of 2011 Steve's daughter, Bridget, came to live with us - 4 semi-adults in a 2 bedroom house - so yes, I need to move - I just don't have the budget for it yet. I love having her live with us but I have to admit, its really stressful adding another body to the small house and budget. We are getting some assistance with having her live with us - she gets social security because of her mom's passing - so that does help to offset some of the costs. It took us until November to get our first payment though and we still haven't gotten the back pay for August and September so I am still behind on bills - they swear its coming though...just not holding my breath on when....if ya know what I mean. I did take a 2nd job to help out...but its really only helping to fund my hobby budget more than anything. I took a cashier job at Michael's - so between the discount and the extra money I have still been able to keep crafting. My one sanity saver!

Writing more...I really wanted to start a cook book in 2011 - it just didn't happen. Maybe someday...but not in the near future. My focus is truly on capturing memories of my grand daughter through my scrap booking and keeping in touch with family through my card making. I loved making my 2011 Christmas cards and I am hoping to create a birthday file where I can keep track of everyone's birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Writing more in 2012 will consist more of learning calligraphy and journal-ling on my scrap book pages.

My goals for 2012...I'd really like to stay more focused on organization and continue my scrapbooking/card making. I want to get my financial situation under better control and I'd really like to write/blog more. Calligraphy and journaling, blogging, scrapbooking, and card making...that's where I'm at in 2012 at the moment.

What are your goals for 2012...where are you at?

.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-09-19T18:16:00.000-05:00

Ok..its been forever since I posted a Menu Plan Monday post...sorry everyone..I sorta fell off the face of the earth for a while...really. Life has been hectic and I didn't realize how comforting it was to plan my meals until I stopped...

Anyway...getting down to business....here's the plan for this week.

Monday - Chicken Breast with Mushroom Gravy, Baked Potatoes, and a salad
Tuesday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Peas and Carrots
Wednesday - Spaghetti, Salad, and Garlic Bread
Thursday - Chicken Enchiladas, Seasoned Black Beans, and Mexican Corn
Friday - Liver & Onions, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli
Saturday - Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, Salad, Garlic Bread
Sunday - California Chicken Casserole, Dinner Rolls

Well, that's it for this week...I am almost done with next week's menu too..but I will save that for next week.

In case any of you are wondering what has kept me so busy and away from my blog, I will try to explain. For the first half of the year I got pretty much caught up in scrapbooking/card making...still doing it too...and loving it! I started a 2nd blog...Shack Scraps, where I post my cards and such. I want so much to become a demonstrator for Stampin' Up..but that will have to wait a while...With a grandbaby around, there are tons of photos to be taken and scrapped. :)

Baby Avah is another reason I haven't been around much...gotta enjoy my grandbaby every chance I get! Above is a photo of my baby girl and her baby girl....we spent Labor Day weekend at Lost Valley Lake Resort hanging out with family for a mini 3 day vacation...we will be spending another weekend together soon for the yearly Haunted Hayride at my sister's place coming October 1st. Can hardly wait for the camp out/huge pot of chili she always has...

Around April or so we got fed up with our family physician and went to see a specialist for hubbies diabetes. He is now taking 40 cc's injected nightly of a long acting insulin...his sugars are still not in the normal range either...its really scary. He is sick all the time, stomach pains and sleeping alot. He has been through an upper GI, gastric emptying study, and a liver ultrasound. They still don't know for sure what is causing his stomach pain. But they are being more proactive about getting his blood sugars below 150... the 250+ range all the time is NOT good.

At the end of June, my hubby's daughter came to live with us. She was having problems with her step-dad being extremely unreasonable. He kicked her out so she called Gma J (hubby's mom) to come get her. Then she was in a roll-over accident the next night while helping some friends deliver newspapers. A deer jumped out in front of them and the boy driving was not experienced enough - he lost it when the car went off the edge of the road. All three were thrown from the car with pretty bad injuries. They were taken by helicopter to the University. All three survived by the grace of God. My step-daughter, B, dislocated her hip, fractured her knee, and her spine in two places. She had to have neck surgery and we have been dealing with doctors and such since then. She is doing quite well and is very happy living with us. This girl has been through the ringer...her mom died 2 years ago, she continued to live with her step-dad who is disabled with a head injury and has seizures so she could take care of her little brother, and then her step dad flipped his lid, met a girl, moved her in and started getting mentally abusive... He would call her and curse at her while she was in the hospital...accused us of stealing her away when he was the one who kicked her out...he took all of her belongings, with the exception of her doll collection, to goodwill (or says he did anyway). She came to us with the clothes on her back which ended up getting cut off her due to the car accident.... Its been a nightmare for her, but it is getting better. She started school as a junior here in Moberly and she is moving on....one day at a time.

So it has been pretty crazy... We have been lucky though, with Steve's medical bills. We applied for assistance through the University and were granted help. Our medical/surgical bills will be paid in full and we only have to pay 30% of the physician's bills. That is a blessing in itself...though we have already met our deductible for insurance this year and they will be paying most of it anyway. Even still, money has been extremely tight for all of us...wish social security would hurry up and make their determination before we sink. With me the only one working, its hard to feed an extra mouth...we are making do but it would be nice to not feel like I am struggling all the time. Once the social security is in place, I think things will finally ease up a bit.

Hope everyone has had a good year so far and hope the up and coming holiday season finds everyone safe, happy, and healthy...

I'm Still Alive and Kick'n

2011-03-27T02:37:00.000-05:00

Hi all! I am still here. I have gotten out of the habit of doing a Menu Plan Monday post each week - mainly because I am not cooking as much as I used to. My husband and son do the majority of the cooking since I am at work during the evening. This past week my hubby made spaghetti Sunday night and then Thursday evening my son baked chicken thighs in the oven, served with green beans, corn, and a baked potato. The rest of the week they munched on leftovers and Ramen Noodles. Last night my hubby and I put together a roast in the crock pot and had beef stew today - it sure was delicious. I spent the night at my daughter's new place one night this week to save on the dreaded gas bill - driving 30 miles one way to work gets costly as prices rise. We had a delicious frozen pizza and hot wings.

Other than that, my weeks have been somewhat busy. My days are filled with my grand daughter or paper crafting, when I am not at work. I do have a cake to bake next week for my great nephew's birthday - I believe it will be a GI-Joe cake. If you haven't seen the cakes I have made in the past, you can view them on my facebook profile. I really love baking and decorating cakes but I can't do it very often because I end up eating too much sugar while making the icing and such! Not good, I know... but I JUST CAN'T RESIST. I love butercream icing - which is why I decided to switch gears and hobbies. Paper crafting is much less fattening!

I am also looking into joining a stamping company called Stampin' Up. As a Stampin' Up demonstrator I can earn money while having fun with my hobby - I love making cards and one day I hope to be good enough to sell them - until then, I hope I can find some like-minded individuals to enjoy learning stamping and card making with me. What I love most about Stampin' Up products is the fact that the paper and inks are color coordinated. So if you use Rich Razzleberry paper for a background you can accent it by stamping your sentiment in Rich Razzleberry ink or using a ribbon dyed with that same ink. Having everything color coordinated for me helps ensure that I don't screw that up!

So far I have learned a lot of stamping/card making techniques - including dry embossing, heat embossing, die cutting, and flower creation using paper and plastics. Its been tons of fun. I joined a site called Paper Craft Planet where I participate in monthly RAK's - aka Random Act of Kindness. A RAK is where two people are assigned to swap cards, scrapbook pages, embellishments and papers, etc. Its tons of fun and I send stuff all over the world - so far I have sent stuff to Africa. My March RAK will be shipping Monday - one package goes to New Zealand and another to Scotland with a final one going out to Maryland USA.

Here's a slide show of all the cards and stuff I have posted on PCP so far.

Find more photos like this on Paper Craft Planet

I hope you enjoy - and if paper crafting is something your into - please come by and visit my sister blog - Shack Scraps. Thanks for reading - hope you have a wonderful week coming up!

Sister Site - Shack Scraps

2011-03-07T03:53:00.000-06:00

Hi all! I have taken the plunge and created a 2nd blog! The Shambled Shack now has a sister site that is dedicated solely to my paper crafting - Shack Scraps! Since this blog is mainly dedicated to household organization and my cooking links and recipes, I thought it only appropriate to dedicate a blog to my newest and favorite hobby of paper crafting. Shack Scraps will host my latest card designs and scrap book pages as well as tips and tricks (as I learn them) and more of those blog candy links, etc. Oh, and if you haven't ever heard of it, I have plans to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator - I will be selling high quality card stock and papers, coordinating inks, rubber and clear stamps and other fine paper crafting tools and embellishments. I plan to share my Stampin' Up info at Shack Scraps so be sure to stop by and leave me some love!

More Pretty Pressings Candy!

2011-02-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

Claudia over at Pretty Pressings has some more wonderful blog candy for you to win! Make sure you stop by and get your chance at it! Lovely stuff! Just click on the photo above and it will take you to the candy!

Sizzix Bigkick - My Valentine's Day Gift

2011-02-16T19:21:00.000-06:00

My hubby and his mom went together to get me the perfect gift for Valentine's day.

Check it out! I am sooo excited!!!

In addition to the Bigkick I also got two dies of my choosing. Since I am still such a beginner and have very little by way of embellishments I decided to start making flowers. So I chose a circle die and a flower layers die.

Here are some of the flowers I was making before I got the Sizzix Bk, I used whatever I could find - lace, special papers, an old halloween costume (that's the golden looking one)...

Now that I have the Bigkick, I want to really get creative with my flowers...I have a ton of scrap card stock and an endless supply of newspaper...feel free to leave me a link to any flower tutorials you find...

Find more photos like this on Paper Craft Planet

And...if you are into scrapping/card making and you are ever interested in making an exchange for handmade flowers, I'd be happy to do one. I could sure use some embellishments - such as brads, lace, ribbon, etc...

Valentine's Day Candy from Pretty Pressings!

2011-02-15T12:34:00.000-06:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! I sure did! I got my Sizzix BigKick and a couple of dies as well as an awesome t-shirt, a clean house, and dinner made when I got home from work. How much better can one get! Oh, I know, maybe you or I could win the Valentine's Day candy over at Pretty Pressings! Sign up with me over at Pretty Pressings for your chance to win some awesome stamps and sutff! Check out the items you could win! Click on the image to visit Pretty Pressings!

Isn't it just yummy!