Day 6 walking

October 31, 2013

Today just wasn't feelin it. I walked on the treadmill. I walked for 1 hour and I only walked 1.3 miles. Oh well, tomorrow will be better. I was reading a Jodi Picoult novel and I just could not put it down. I finished the book. Jodi Picoult is an excellent author who never disappoints her readers.

 

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~

Day 5 walking

Today it was 52 degrees when I walked and that was at 6:30 in the morning. I have no idea what is going on with the weather. Last week its snowed. Now its 52. So here are the results from today's walk:

Finished 5.03 mile in a 06.23/mile

Ok so I really have no idea what this means. Especially when I know I didn't walk 5 miles. And when I checked the map that showed my GPS route, I didn't even walk that direction. Oh well. Also, The Easeinto5k app starts week 1 day 1, week 1 day 2, week 1 day 3, and then it skips to week 2 day 1. Well, I want to walk more than 3 days a week. So, I have just been using the app to tell me when to run and when to walk. It is giving me the incentive to start running. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so I will be walking on the treadmill.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~

Crock pot applesauce

This is MakeupbyTiffanyD's recipe. I copied her recipe and tweeked it. I used 3 big Jonathon Gold apples. I peeled and cored them. I cut them into big chunks and put them in my crock pot. I covered the apples with honey. I used approximately 2 tablespoons. I actually just eyeballed it. Then, I covered the apples with cinnamon. This is a picture of the apples:

I did not add any type of liquid. I cooked the apples on high heat for approximately 4 hours. After 3 hours of cooking, I opened the lid and "mushed" the apples with a wooden spatula. I returned the lid and allowed the apples to continue to cook.

The applesauce was done when it looked like this:

Oh my gosh, this is a delicious warm treat. It was just sweet enough with the honey. I cant wait to try this after it has chilled in the refrigerator for awhile. This was so simple to make. This is also a gluten free treat.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Day 4 treadmill

The morning temperature today was 40 degrees. I decided to walk on my treadmill. The treadmill kicks my butt. So, a couple of days a week, or when its raining, I walk the treadmill.

Here are the results:

Not too shabby. I also used the Ease into 5K app with my workout. Everyday it gets a little easier.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Day 3 walking

This morning was 27 degrees when I walked. Here are my results today:

finished a 3.36mile run with pace of 07:47 mile

I have no idea really if this is good. I just know that it is fun. Love when the voice tells you to "RUN." Then he softly says "Walk." So funny. And I do what he tells me to do. Oh, the voices in my head. LOL

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Natural glass cleaner

I have a rather large mirror in my bathroom. Everyday this mirror has water spots on it. And everyday I fight with the streaks that the glass cleaners leave. I have heard that people from years past used vinegar to clean their mirrors. I knew I could find vinegar at the dollar tree and I already had an empty spray bottle at home, so I made my own glass cleaner.

I used half a cup of vinegar and a half a cup of water. This cleaner cost me $1.00. I have plenty of vinegar left, so my next refill will be free. I'm all about the cheap. This cleaner worked wonders. There were absolutely no streaks after using the cleaner. Now you do smell the vinegar. However, after approximately 5 minutes, maybe less, the smell is gone and you are left with beautiful, streak free mirrors.

If you have tried this, let me know how it has worked for you.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Day 2 walking

I walked this morning. It was 25 degrees. I used the Ease into 5k app. Here are my results:

finished a 4.07 mile run with pace of 07:36/mi

Now not so sure the GPS is accurate. Yesterday at the same spot on my route the app said that I had completed 2 miles. Today it said that I had completed 4 miles at the exact same spot. Not really sure what is going on, but I really enjoy the app. I like the way the app says, "Run" and I do. 

Oh well, we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~

Morning walks

For the past three months, I have been walking in the mornings. My husband leaves for work at 6:15. At 6:30, I get out of bed and walk our neighborhood. When I started walking, I walked approximately 1.3 miles. I started slow. I didn't push myself too much. I have witnessed others go all out in the beginning of their workouts. They push too hard then quit. So I took my time. After about 6 weeks of walking everyday, except when I had blisters from a certain pair of shoes, I decided it was time to amp up my workouts. At that time I was using a pedometer app on my phone. Sometimes not the most reliable app, but oh well, I started walking 3.3 miles every morning. Lately, when we have had some rainy mornings I walk 3 miles on my treadmill.

So, today I decided to amp up my walking. I downloaded the Ease into 5k app on my phone. The app costs $2.99. Now this app has been on my phone for awhile now, but I have been too nervous to use it. I thought what if I can't do this. I'm such a scaredy cat. So today I thought today is the day don't be so nervous and let's go. I did it. I started the app and when I was finished I had thoroughly enjoyed myself. The app starts with week 1 day 1. You have a 5 minute warm up, a bell dings, a man's voice tells you to Run, after 30 seconds the bell dings again, and then you walk for approximately 1.30 minutes. The app tells you after 2 miles that you are done. This was so easy. The app didn't push you too hard. It was as though I had a personal trainer with me. But not one that was too harsh. You have a choice of listening to music, or you can turn the music off. I looked at all of the reviews on the app before I had downloaded it and all of the reviews were 5 out of 5 stars.

The app has a journal to keep track of your progress.  I will be posting daily shares of my progress as I go. My ultimate goal is to participate in a 5k run. I am so nervous.  I will post my daily workout times. My incentive to keep it up.

Today I finished a 2.00 mile run with pace of 15.32 miles.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~

DIY scarf holder

October 24, 2013

I was scanning through Pinterest last night and found this easy DIY scarf holder. I did not get the name of the person who had this on Pinterest. This is totally their idea. I just copied it.

I kept my scarves on a hanger. Or else, I hung them on hooks on the wall. This is a picture of how I hung the scarves before.

These are the supplies you will need

A hanger

scissors

shower curtain rings

ribbon or yarn

Here is a picture of the finished project. It is pretty self explanatory. I used a hanger and tied the shower curtain rings together. I cut the yarn approximately 7 inces long. I placed the rings on the hanger, tied them together, and voila, it's done. The Pinterest photo had white shower rings that were tied together with pretty ribbon. But I thought to myself how can I repeat this project with articles I already have at the house. What could I find at the Dollar Tree?  I did not have any ribbon, so I asked myself what else could I use? I do have plenty of yarn around the house. That solved that issue. However, I needed the rings. I thought Dollar Tree would be my best choice. They had shower rings, however, they only had this funky green color. Oh well, no one will see the rings. So home I went with my find. This project took me a total of 15 minutes to complete. And this project only cost me $1.00.

Here is a picture of the scarves in the holder.

I am going to make another holder just for my winter scarves and seperate winter from dress scarves. This would be a cute project for children to do. Mom's would love it. It is a great idea for a stocking stuffer. I might make my sister-in-law one. However, I will get some pretty ribbon and white or clear hooks for her. 

If you try this project let me know. I would love to see your ideas.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Hypnotic owl

Last spring we brought a solar powered owl into our home. We found him at Big Lots. He cost us $6.00. Usually he sits in the window and watches the world go by. But on other days, he is totally annoying. Here is a short clip of his hypnotic rants.

So, now that i have everyone in a hypnotic state under my spell, I will see you in my next post.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Book review of Dark Places

I finished the book Dark Places and thought you might like a review.

The book has 603 pages. I borrowed the book from the library. I was walking to the fiction section, and this book was on the end display. Well, of course, I grabbed it right up. I have tried to borrow this book on my Nook, our library loans out Nook books, but when I would try to borrow it, the website page said that it only available to "place on hold." Frustrating. So imagine my excitement when it was just sitting there waiting for me.

This is what is written on the back cover of the book.

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." She survived, famously testifying that her fifteen year-old brother, Ben , was the killer. Twenty five years later Ben is still in prison when the Kill Club, a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes, locates Libby. They pump her for details, and Libby hatches a plan to profit from her tragic history. For a fee, she'll reconnect with the players, report her findings...and maybe admit her testimony wasn't so solid.

The book is told in present day and then flashes back to the past. Libby, written in the present, is a down on her luck thirty-three year old. She really would rather not get a job, but would rather rely on the handouts of others to make ends meet.  This is how she discovers The Kill Club. A group of people who believe that her brother did not kill her family, it had to be someone else. The book has chapters that flash back to her mother and her brother. We get a better look at exactly what happened that fateful night. Gillian Flynn writes these chapters, giving you just enough information about the characters and then she will write the next chapter about present day Libby. Oh, sometimes this can be so frustrating because you are on the edge of your seat, thinking, ok, now I'm going to find out why this happened. Then she will write the next chapter on another persons character and what circumstances are happening that effects what other characters are thinking. Sometimes while reading the book, you want to skip ahead and read only the chapters concerning her mother or only the chapters regarding Libby's brother. But that would be wrong. That is why this book is a very good read. However, the book is also a very dark read about murder. The thoughts going through the characters minds are disturbing. Some of the characters in the book are people you would be afraid of if you met them in a dark alley. This book contains foul language and cursing. The characters are rough and the cursing reflects the difficulty of each of the characters lives. The characters in this book do not sit around and drink tea. Their lives are "down on your luck" type of people. I really can not go into much detail about the characters, I don't want to give too much information away. And it bothers me when people say you won't believe the ending, but.....

So on to the next library find. This book is a total opposite of the one I just read.

You can never go wrong with a Jane Evanovich book.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~

Morning tea

My favorite drink in the morning is hot tea. I have tried many different brands. Here is a picture of my breakfast tea from this morning.

I added some almond milk and a small teaspoon of natural sugar. Yum.Along with my morning tea I am reading the book
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

It is a very dark read about a family living in Kansas. A murder, false accusations and testimony that maybe wasn't so true.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



New Curtains

2 months ago, I made curtains for our small bathroom window. I went to Joann Fabrics and looked for curtain patterns. I wanted specific pattern instructions on how to sew curtains. The patterns I looked at and bought told me how to measure for what I needed. Well, this was not what I wanted, so I just copied the curtains that had been hanging in the window. The material for the curtains were found at the Salvation Army. I found a tablecloth material that I liked. The tablecloth cost me $5.00. There was plenty of material, so if I made a mistake, I had plenty of material to begin new. I used the existing edges from the tablecloth. I sewed the sides of the curtain. I folded over the top of the curtain where the curtain rod fit into and sewed that down.

I know these are very simple instructions but they were simple curtains to sew.

Here are the completed curtains.

The curtains needed ironed, but I was just too excited about hanging them in the window. This was a fun project to tackle. However, I think I will stick to making blankets and other projects. But after I made the curtains, we realized how badly the bathroom needed painted! I will post that project tomorrow.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Procrastinating Beauty Blogger tag

Procrastinating beauty blogger tag

by Beautyholics Anonymous

I watched Emilynoel83's video doing a tag. She said blog tags were fun to do. So I checked out her blog. Found this one and thought I'd give it a go.

1. Name the beauty regime that you rarely do?

I rarely, in fact never, pluck or shape my eyebrows. Honestly, I never pluck my eyebrows because it hurts! I did buy myself, one of those small battery operated trimmers to get rid of the uni-brow I had when I was younger. Loved that thing . No Pain. But since I am getting older, I find that my eyebrows are not filling in the way they used to, so I do not mess with them except to fill them in with a Wet-n-Wild pencil in the color taupe. I had heard on You Tube that having a full set of eyebrows gives you a youthful look. So I let these babies grow wild!

Wet-n-wild is a cruelty free brand of makeup.

2. Is washing your makeup brushes something you do regularly?

Yes. When use my tinted moisturizer applied with a makeup brush, then I wash that brush after 2 or 3 uses. I use Japonesque makeup brush cleaner right now.The salesclerk at Ulta was really pushing this cleaner, so I caved and bought it.  However, my eyeshadow brushes are in need of a good cleaning. I am procrastinating because I am searching for a cruelty free product to use to clean my brushes. I have tried the Dr. Bonner's liquid cleaner, but I couldn't get that product out of my brush and had to use a liquid soap to totally remove The Dr. Bonner's. If anyone knows of a good, cruelty free product to clean your brushes, please let me know.

3. How long will you last with chipped nail polish?

I leave my polish on my nails until the ends of the nails are chipped off. And the nail beds are beginning to show. When the chipped nail polish gets caught on my hair or articles of clothing, that is when I take off the old polish.

Refer to my last post with a step-by-step of what I use to remove the polish.

4. How long will you put off buying/replacing a beauty product, even if you need it?

I do not put off buying products that I need in my day to day makeup and beauty needs. If I am getting low, I will buy new before I run out. With my lifestyle change, I have been doing research on products that are cruelty free and also contain only natural ingredients. So because I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, I am limited on products that I will use. But I love the website, Vitacost, and I have been finding more and more natural products at the larger retail stores.

5. What is your worst beauty habit?

Oh my, this is embarrassing! I have been walking in the mornings. I am walking 3 miles a day and I have lost weight because of this. I have a goal I am working for I will tell you more later. Ok, so, when I get up, I put on my clothes and go. I never think about this process, until one morning when I returned home, I looked in the mirror and this is what looked back at me.

Well, really only one. But, it was pretty scary. And after seeing that in the mirror, you would think from then on, I would at least wash my face. But no, clothes on and away I go.

(photo by photobucket.com)

6. Name something none beauty related that you put off doing all the time?

I have been putting of getting the pictures that I have taken, uploaded to Walgreens and having an actual 4 by 6 picture developed. I just leave the pictures in my computer. Well, my computer is getting older. When the computer crashes, hopefully it wont, but if it does, I will lose all my pictures. I really need to do this and not put it off.

7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready to the last minute?

No, my husband and I will get ready at the same time. My makeup table is in my bedroom, so my husband can get ready while I am blow drying my hair and putting on makeup. The last minute finishing touches that I do is put on lipstick right  before I leave the house. We always leave plenty of time to get ready.

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

Yes, I can I am a very frugal buyer. I do not spend a lot of money on makeup. Because I only buy natural and cruelty free makeup, I just buy what I need. But as I stated earlier, I live in a small community with not a lot of options. So my answer might be different if I had more options at my disposal.

Now if we were to discuss chocolate spending bans, well.........

9. How organized is your makeup and nail polish collections?

My makeup is very organized. I have watched plenty of You Tube videos on how others organize their collections. So I had plenty of ideas and copied what they used. I do not have an extensive makeup or nail collection. I try and use up what I have before I go and buy more.

Everyone, this tag was a blast to do. I challenge you to do this then let me know when you have finished it. I cant wait to read your answers.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Nail Polish Remover review

I am always interested in trying new products. Recently, I needed some new nail polish remover. I have been using an acetone polish remover.This seemed to be harsh on my nails and cuticles. So while shopping at Kmart, I browsed through the polish removers. I have heard positive reviews on the Target Up and Up brand of remover in the little tubs. I was interested in trying something similar. After looking at a couple of options, I decided on the Pretty Nails regular conditioning formula instant polish remover in the 2 oz, tub. The price of the product was $1.49. 

With this type of remover, you insert your finger into the tub, twist your nail on the sponge, and the polish is removed from the nail.

Here is a picture of my nails before the process began.

Here is a picture after using the product on one finger

Kinda blurry, sorry about that, was having trouble with my camera focusing. But as you can see, the very dark nail polish is completely off my nails. So far this is an awesome remover.

Here are pictures of all the nail polished completely removed.

And the other hand.

You can kind of tell that my top knuckle on my ring finger has some brown staining.

Here is a picture of how the remover looks in the tub after removing the dark brown polish.

After trying this product, I was very pleased with the results. Dark colored nail polishes are difficult to remove. I usually use the cotton ball technique. Cotton balls leave polish stain on your cuticles. It also stains my bathroom sink when the cotton balls get dirty and drip. This product did none of that. The liquid stayed in the tub. The old polish stayed on the sponge. Screw the cap back on the tub and basically that was the entire process. I did notice stains around my top knuckles. I washed my hands and applied lotion to my hands and nails. After a couple of hours, I noticed that the stains were gone. I am intersted to see how this product works in the future. Will the remover stain my fingers? When I use the product again, I will post pictures of how and if the product works.

All in all, I was pleased with the outcome of this nail polish remover. The product worked well. Was not a messy product. Had a very low cost. Very simple instructions. I would repurchase.

I do not know if this item is cruelty free.

It was made in the U.S.A.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~



Bears Blanket

A couple of days ago, it was my sister-in-laws birthday. She is a huge Chicago Bears fan. While shopping at Joann fabrics, I picked a pattern that I thought she would like. Then, I chose a complementary color for the reverse side. The material was a no-pill fleece.I bought 2 yards of each material. Nice and warm for curling up and watching football. Then, I picked out thread. I chose Coats and Clark in the color navy.

Here is a picture of the supplies I used.

I spread the material out and matched the wrong sides to each other. I pinned the wrong sides together and sewed to 2 sides together. I chose a decorative stitch. I started sewing away.

When I finished sewing, I cut off the extra material on the edges. I reinforced the ends of the edges where the stitching stopped with a top stitch.

Here is the finished project.

My neighbor is the person who gave me the idea to tackle this project. I have made the "no-sew" blankets. The blankets that you tie the sides into knots. She said have you tried the blankets that you sew around the edges. Well let me say I enjoyed this project just as well, if not more, because I was able to use my sewing machine. My sister-in-law loved her present.

Everyone, thank you so much for reading

 Have a great day!

~Kathy~

Slowly recovering

OMG, let me tell you what happened. About a week and half a ago, I had arrived home from my 3 mile walk and was sitting on our front porch. I had myself a cup of herbal tea and was enjoying watching the birds in the feeders. The birds have nests in the neighbor's garage across the street. They fly from our feeders, to their nests, and then back again. This is very relaxing, watching the busy birds. Well, as I was sitting watching, one little bird most have realized he forgot something. He was headed across the street when all of a sudden, he turned around the front post on the porch and headed directly at my face. Well, naturally I ducked. I heard the little bird hit the window screen. I was too afraid to move. Then I thought I felt something in my hair. So finally, I touched my head. Whew no bird. I was hoping I wouldn't find a bird on the porch behind me. Luckily, no bird was to be seen.

A couple of nights later, we had the windows open in the house. I love having the windows open, however I tend to hear every little noise and subsequently, do not get the best nights rest. I woke up in the strangest positions during the night. The next morning my neck hurt so badly, I was having a difficult time moving. Throughout the days to come, I was taking aspirin and Advil. I was alternating between hot and cold compresses. The heating pad was my new best friend.

I am much better. I am still having some acheness in my shoulders and occasionally pain in my neck, but I can function as a, slow moving, normal person again. I think that when that scary bird flew at my face, I twisted my neck and shoulders. So when I was having trouble sleeping and woke up in weird positions, I strained my neck. Lol, leave it to me to hurt myself while enjoying a cup of tea and watching birds. I hope everyone out there has been well. It is an overcast, gloomy day here in the middle of nowhere. I have a project I need to post. Talk to you later.

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a great day!

~Kathy~