“Spring Bling” and Sunshine Bliss GIVEAWAY!

Do you need a little Spring bling to get you in the mood for Spring fashions and FUN?

Are you ready to wear capris and tank tops....sandals and sunglasses?

How about wearing some new Spring colors?

Shanti from Sunshine Bliss blog and Sunshine Bliss Etsy store is giving THREE prizes to my readers....just for the FUN of it!

I wear her jewelry all the time and love it!

Wearing it makes you feel young and hip!

(she’ll get a kick out of me saying that!)

Here’s a description of these bracelets.....

“Recycled glass beads in sea glass colors with beautiful lead free metal sea horse and sea turtle dangles. Beautifully dyed leather and beads are reinforced for sturdiness. Antique sun button or funky bubbles and waves button tops of this signature Sunshine Bliss beauty. Looks beautiful on the wrist and comfy to wear! Reminds you of your best ever summer vacation, day @ the beach!”

THREE bracelets....THREE winners!

Please leave separate comments...

1. Visit Sunshine Bliss Etsy store HERE and tell me what you like best.

2. Visit Shanti HERE and become a follower or let me know you follow.

3. And if you follow ME...I’ll put another entry in!

We could ALL use some Spring Bling!

Thanks sweet Shanti for always being so generous!

Winner will be announced on May 7th!

GOOD LUCK !!!

“Spring is....” Mosaic Monday

We are having such beautiful weather here in the mountains of NC.

Cool nights...warm pleasant days!

I’m joining Mary at the dear little red house

for Mosaic Monday. I hope you’ll join us, too!

I’ll have a surprise tomorrow so

please come back to visit me Monday morning!

(a hint...a BIG GIVEAWAY with THREE winners!)

Happy Mail and Roses

I always get excited when I get mail from my blog bud, Shanti ! HEY...I just found out! It’s Shanti’s BIRTHDAY! Please stop by her blog and give her some birthday wishes!

She sent me some new jewelry awhile back and I wanted to ‘show it off’ here!

I hope she puts some of these wrap bracelets in her shop HERE because they really are fun to wear.

 

And the necklace gives me some Florida sunshine to wear here in the mountains. I really need that!

I also won a fantastic Giveaway at My Wonderfully Made for a Gift Certificate to

Bella Rosa Antiques !

Her shop is HERE and it is filled with beautiful vintage items! Her blog is HERE !

I just knew I would choose jewelry...until I saw this Oriental mirror.

Isn’t it perfect for my dresser?

She also sent a rosary and I am honored to have it.

It sure is fun to get goodies in the mail!

And my hubby is always sweet to bring me roses!

I hope everyone is getting ready for a wonderful weekend!

We’ve had crazy storms all week but today it is gorgeous! (we’re still in NC)

Some Library Love

It’s so nice to be close to the library.

Here are some of the books and movies I’ve checked out lately

and I have some more to pick up today!

The movies were all good. ‘I Capture the Castle’ was excellent...not as good as the book but I find that to be true most of the time. My hubby chose this ‘Planet of the Apes’ and it was better than some of the others. And my friend, Donna from Cottage Days and Journeys mentioned ‘The King’s Speech’ and it was very good!

I took part in the Month of Letters and still have a few more letters and cards to send out (please don’t give up on me, my friends!) and met Mary Robinette Kowal. She came up with this wonderful idea. You can visit her HERE!

Her book Shades of Milk and Honey was very good!

I am reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson now. It’s a book to savor and take your time reading....an amazing book...

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize a few years ago.

We’ve had some COLD windy weather but it is improving today! (this photo was taken last night)

Have you read a good book lately or watched a movie you would recommend?

Signs…Signs…Mosaic Monday is HERE again!

One of the wonderful advantages of traveling is the sights along the way. I would love to make a trip just to take photos of signs….

but it would take a lot longer to get to where we’re going.

I dug in the archives for some photos of signs. I think I’ve probably taken hundreds though!

And if you have an opinion on Aromatherapy Essential Oils please visit the post HERE to give me some advice!

I’m joining Mary at the dear little red house

for Mosaic Monday. Come party with us!

I need some Aromatherapy!

And I need help finding some!

I want to buy a set of Essential oils...just a small set to get started.

It would be to use in a tub of hot water, or to add to a candle or some potpourri.

Mostly I want to experiment with scents in my bath or even add to a tiny bit to unscented lotion or cream.

Do any of you buy Essential oils? Do you find them on Etsy or Amazon?

I’m feeling some stress lately and thought this might give me a boost....an aromatherapy treatment!

 

(the flower in my post is Columbine, it’s in my flower bed here in NC)

Note Card Party for April

Well, I almost missed out on joining this wonderful party. But Vee told me I had a little time!

The highest peak in the photos below is Mt. Pisgah in the Appalachian Mountain range and part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We hiked this mountain last summer and I posted about it HERE ! (entitled ‘Not for wimps !’)

I took all of these photos from our balcony here in Asheville, NC.

What a beautiful view….

one that changes for every season and all through the day!

I’m joining Vee at A Haven for Vee .

Thank you! ♥

Healthy living ‘Snack time’

I think that snack time is what gets us in more trouble than anything else when we are striving to eat right. We can eat healthy foods for our meals but when it comes time for a snack, it gets a little tricky!

My regular readers know that I lost 26 pounds 2 years ago and have maintained my weight now for the whole time. I haven’t gained even one pound back. And I think making better choices at snack time has helped me the most.

I lost my weight by cutting carbs and taking sugar out of my diet altogether. I did it to be healthy and as a bonus, I lost weight. My body does not tolerate sugar. I’m not a diabetic but sugar makes me feel nervous and sick. So I don’t like to eat sugar….I don’t really have a choice….sugar doesn’t like me!

But then I get hungry for salty and sweet snacks!

If you take processed sugar out of your diet, your taste buds will change. Fruit will taste so much better and you will even tasted the sweetness in some veggies, like cabbage and carrots. ( I eat a lot of cole slaw and love it!  I make a sauce with Kraft real mayo, a splash of lemon juice and a packet of Stevia to mix in freshly grated cabbage and carrots. It fills you up and qualifies as a salad!) Gala apples…YUM! Looks like I ate too many of the grapes for a good photo shoot! heehee!

So what are some of my favorite snacks?

I can eat 2 of these cookies….only 2, if I put a little cream cheese on top of them or peanut butter. This can be a snack or a dessert with coffee.

And Dannon has a wonderful yogurt that I like. If I want a bigger snack, I spoon out a carton of the yogurt into a bowl, slice a strawberry on top and crumble one of the Fruit thin cookies on top.

I like to grind my own peanut butter at the grocery store….peanuts….the only ingredient!

And this is the jelly I like best. All fruit…no sugar OR artificial sweeteners. Spreadable fruit..ahhh!

There are more choices for bread, too. This oatmeal bread is light and yummy. Sometimes I make a piece of cinnamon toast in the afternoon with cinnamon and Stevia on top…oh and some butter!

 

Since I cannot eat sugar, I have to rely on artificial sweeteners to get my chocolate fix. Russell Stovers is the best and my favorite are the Peanut Butter cups. Just one though.

I drink lots of water, one cup of coffee in the morning and another one in the afternoon. I like tea sweetened with Stevia and I rarely have a diet soda.

For something special or for traveling, I make a coffee drink. 2/3 cold coffee, 1/3 milk and 1 TBS chocolate syrup, sugar free.

And yes, I eat cottage cheese, celery sticks with cream cheese and even carrot sticks. Cheese sticks are yummy, too. But sometimes you need something that looks more ….or ‘less’ healthy! heehee!

I keep sugar free ice cream in the freezer. The Breyers ice cream bars with almonds in the chocolate coating are my favorite. And I like a few Sunchips with lunch sometimes.

If you are careful with your snacks and eat them in moderation, you won’t gain weight….you won’t lose weight either. To lose weight, you have to be a lot more careful about what you eat and exercise regularly. Once you’ve lost the weight, you still have to exercise regularly but you can add a few of your favorite foods back into your diet…in moderation!

I love nuts and they make me feel good! It’s the protein that gives me a boost. But when I get the bag of nuts out….any raw nut is good for you….I put a few in a bowl and put the bag of nuts away BEFORE I snack. No seconds! No going back for more! If you want more, drink a big glass of water and wait a little bit and see if you still want them. Usually you’ll get busy and forget all about them.

Does it look like I think about food a lot? I DO! I love to eat but I also want to be healthy and happy! And it’s such a blessing to have so many good choices. We need to TAKE CONTROL and make the right ones!

Do you have a special food that is low in calories or sugar that you like to eat for a snack?

Park Mosaic

I always walk with a camera in my hand when I go to Fletcher Park! ( more park pics HERE ! )

(I did some of this mosaic in Picassa and some in PicMonkey)

You never know what you will see!

I’m joining Mary at the dear little red house

for Mosaic Monday!

Enjoy your day....

wherever you are today!

A Walk in the Park is good for you....

.....a ride? Priceless!!!

We spent some time at our favorite park, Fletcher Park

and had the joy of watching our grandsons ride their bikes.

Josh is a pro....

but Ben just had his training wheels taken off.

It was frustrating for him at first,

(Mom and Papa both trying to help!)

but by the time we left, he said riding bikes was his favorite thing!

It never fails....time for some repairs!

(Papa to the rescue!)

What fun we’ve had on our visit here!

I love to ride bikes, do you?

Some ‘Mountain’ thrifting!

You all KNOW I’m going to do a little thrifting while I’m here! (I didn’t BUY this clock of course, it’s where we bought gas and I thought it looked neat!)

 

I went to Goodwill...NADA! Across the street...nothing! (I know this photo has lines in it but I thought the church steeple would look familiar)

And then to my favorite consignment shop, Lulu’s! They have a lot of name brand items and it is always named the Best Consignment shop in Asheville every year! I found this really cute Vera Bradley handbag....I know I MAKE handbags....but oh, how I love to BUY them, too! Would you believe it was only $7? Well...not exactly...but that’s what I paid! I had left a few items on consignment last Fall so I had her check and see if I had any credit and I DID! I only owed $7.

OK....with that in mind, what else could I find for $7?

Hubby had an errand to run and I tagged along to go to another consignment shop.

Don’t you love it when they wrap things and put them in a beautiful bag with pretty tissue paper and ribbon? I found 2 things on the clearance rack...super marked down!

This IZOD shirt that is a pale green (it was hard to get it to look pale green in the photo)

and this Talbots sweater ‘twin set’ in my favorite color, blue!

$7 for BOTH...everything in the BAG!

You can see the consignment prices had originally totaled $61.93 (and I NEEDED the sweater)! lol

I’m joining Diann at The Thrifty Groove !

Do you ever notice that you spend the same amount sometimes when you shop? I was obviously having a $7 day! I should have kept going! lol