tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36396723794990898802024-03-05T12:11:00.687-08:00Crazy Thrifty Craftsbecause I'm crazy, I'm cheap, and I'm craftyPeggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-44367693808320397532015-02-05T13:22:00.001-08:002015-02-05T13:22:57.416-08:00I'm Diabetic but I Still Want Dessert!I did good for the first year of the diabetes diagnosis, but then all hell broke loose and I was consumed with finding and creating desserts that I could safely eat without raising my blood sugar.<br />
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Enter my dear friend Kay, who has lived with type 2 for many years. She recommended I start exploring cheesecakes made with artificial sweeteners. Cheesecakes are full of protein and you can create them with very little sweetener and still have them turn out scrumptious. Plus because it's not actually a cake you're not dependent upon flour and sugar to create the texture you're looking for.</div>
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In addition, I have recently discovered the joys of erythritol, a powdered substitute for sugar which I found in the pharmaceutical department of my grocery store. I have been safely using erythritol to sweeten things without compromising my glucose levels. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you look into it for your baking needs. It is one of the sugar alcohols and it does not have the aftertaste of other artificial or natural sweeteners. </div>
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So here's my recipe for cranberry cheesecake. I know the holiday season is long gone, but cranberries are so good for you and I love their tartness. </div>
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This cheesecake is made in a 7 inch springform pan, smaller than the standard 9 inch. Prepare the crust according to my recipe <a href="http://crazythriftycrafts.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-berry-fraiche-fruit-tart.html">A Berry Fraiche Tart</a>, but use only 3/4 cup of almonds, 3 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of flour (use a high fiber flour like almond flour, oat flour, or even coconut flour).</div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Crazy Cranberry Cheesecake</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>A Low GI Dream</i></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHE0WP_xOTphgS5XV4oxcP3oTdRdGEX1ptH6OhUDPLQh9r0fwr425Ha2DtAEXAOrlQE_YOquos1rf5tI11Jsya4LgIDH5vQAUCh6lAV9ddPURDSpGbuazebSpKMadib3O4eoLrP4xxSbkE/s640/blogger-image-1843952251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHE0WP_xOTphgS5XV4oxcP3oTdRdGEX1ptH6OhUDPLQh9r0fwr425Ha2DtAEXAOrlQE_YOquos1rf5tI11Jsya4LgIDH5vQAUCh6lAV9ddPURDSpGbuazebSpKMadib3O4eoLrP4xxSbkE/s400/blogger-image-1843952251.jpg" width="400" /></a>2 pckgs cream cheese</div>
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¼ cup erythritol</div>
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¼ cup splenda</div>
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2 tbsp stevia blend</div>
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1 tbsp coconut flour</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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1 egg white (leftover from making crust)</div>
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1 ½ cup fresh cranberries</div>
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¼ cup triple sec</div>
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splash of water</div>
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¼ cup erythritol</div>
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Put cranberries in a small sauce pan with triple sec water and erythritol. Simmer until all the cranberries have bursted and it has thickened a little bit. Set aside to cool or put it in subzero freezer for 10 minutes.</div>
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Preheat oven to 350 or 325 if you have convection.</div>
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Combine room temperature cream cheese with sugars and flour in a stand mixer. Blend till creamy. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla on low-speed. Blend until very smooth.</div>
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Pour the mixture into a prepared springform pan over your parcooked crust. Scoop the cranberries over the top of the cheesecake and swirl with a knife.</div>
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Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the center is still moist looking and the outside is set. I bake it with a broiler pan full of water underneath to create steam and keep it from cracking. This also keeps me from having to do a water bath.</div>
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You can use this recipe for a 9 inch springform pan by adding another package of cream cheese, increasing the sweetener to your liking, adding one egg, and another tablespoon of butter.</div>
Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-38846124695934008692014-10-23T07:42:00.000-07:002014-10-23T07:42:42.619-07:00Taking StockThe best advice I can give you about making soup is to try making your own stock.<br />
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I know you don't have time; I know that there are "good" broths and stocks available at "Whole Paycheck", I know people like Ina and Rachel tell you that store-bought stock is okay.<br />
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But I'm telling you from my experience of making soups for many, many years: the soup always tastes better if I start with HOMEMADE STOCK!<br />
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And besides that, here are some other things I've discovered:<br />
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It's not difficult.<br />
It doesn't take that much time and effort.<br />
It's inexpensive, since all of my stocks are made from parts of meat, veggies, and fish otherwise thrown away.<br />
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<i>Really</i>!<br />
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Let's start with a simple veggie stock.<br />
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Any time I cut up veggies for a mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot) any discarded parts, including the bottoms, tops, and skin of the onions and bottoms and tops of celery and carrots, get stuffed into a ziploc bag and thrown in the freezer. Also, anytime I clean out the veggie drawer in my frig, old dried up baby carrots that I wouldn't serve and limp celery get thrown into the freezer. I also will save a stray potato gone soft but not rotten or other root vegetable (except maybe sweet potato since that has such a distinct flavor). Old tomatoes and tops and bottoms get thrown into a separate bag. They're good for starting a vegetable broth that will be made into a tomato based soup, but you don't usually want that taste in a straight up vegetable stock.<br />
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Then when I have 2 or 3 bags of remnants and I'm in the kitchen doing other things, whether making dinner or baking, I'll throw the contents of those bags into a pot of water and boil the shit out of 'em. Like I mean <i>really</i> boil the shit out of them. That doesn't mean a rolling boil, it just means simmering for a really long time. Until they are mush. It could take 2 hours, but that's not time you need to tend it. I've put pots of stock on a low simmer and gone shopping. I usually partially cover the pot, letting steam escape so I don't have a boil over situation. Sometimes foam will form. Don't worry about this. It will be fine. This ain't rocket science.<br />
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When the veggies are almost unrecognizable cuz they're so mushy, you'll pour the stock through a screened colander. You really need a screened colander for this because there will be small bits of veggies you want to strain out. What you will be left with is an amber-colored stock imbued with the flavors of whatever veggies you put in it.<br />
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OPTIONS: I'll throw some fresh herbs in with the stock, such as fresh thyme sprigs, oregano, or even sage, whatever I might have lying around. Whole leaves are good because they'll be big enough to get stuck in the colander when you strain it. I do not salt my stock. I leave that task for whenever I use the stock. So when you taste this stock without salt, you might not think much of it, but believe me, <b style="font-style: italic;">the flavor is there! </b>You have wrenched the flavor from those veggies by boiling them within an inch of their lives.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-CSWRsrTmSLYy-2cp0axHqY93MErxUhCrpxeuOmT3ILzlz_iN-fcMdALqlDtOiMbbyqADnXtCsdd-0pwaQRqnk25aLPKnNr_ItTghZZGWWG6ezbRIgEbYo80nh-iBuDji5J27C22oQxl/s1600/squash+soup+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-CSWRsrTmSLYy-2cp0axHqY93MErxUhCrpxeuOmT3ILzlz_iN-fcMdALqlDtOiMbbyqADnXtCsdd-0pwaQRqnk25aLPKnNr_ItTghZZGWWG6ezbRIgEbYo80nh-iBuDji5J27C22oQxl/s1600/squash+soup+05.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>From there it can go straight into the freezer in sealed containers or you can make this fabulous albeit very simple butternut squash soup.<br />
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For this soup, I had a container of veggie stock in the freezer I needed to use up.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Roasted Squash Soup</b></span><br />
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2 small - medium butternut squashes<br />
1 large onion, diced<br />
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, diced finely<br />
1 roasted red pepper, diced<br />
6 cups homemade veggie stock<br />
juice of 1 orange<br />
1/2 to 1 cup half-n-half<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin<br />
1/2 teaspoon hot curry powder<br />
a few leaves of fresh sage<br />
salt and pepper<br />
olive oil<br />
GARNISH: fresh jalapenos and cilantro<br />
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTu_m_L420rrONT1I9bhSCngZSQBJhx_EvSDIbkTRQBXsUuiqQPVUA_ux9Hi0CIRpectupxxRuU7terg_8kKcxEE4WAcOFoRSLm_4Qt7xXifo2hSU9E3N1yv858NmgzGb-QiLKYjDyFRE/s1600/squash+soup+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTu_m_L420rrONT1I9bhSCngZSQBJhx_EvSDIbkTRQBXsUuiqQPVUA_ux9Hi0CIRpectupxxRuU7terg_8kKcxEE4WAcOFoRSLm_4Qt7xXifo2hSU9E3N1yv858NmgzGb-QiLKYjDyFRE/s1600/squash+soup+03.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>Split squashes and de-seed. Baste generously with olive oil and salt and pepper liberally. Roast them <br />
cut side up for approximately 40-50 minutes. They do not have to be mushy done. If they are fork tender but the flesh is still a little resistant, that will be fine. You just want to roast them until they get that yummy roasty flavor and they are easy to scoop out of the skin. When they're done, let them cool a few minutes so they're easy to handle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5wfYrSCEBKeV846fQQy-Vdg5rNUPCvR7EXT-UlFBVxMCHVXPAM8yH93hs0_N4GGcuKeZsY_0Uy0fkFnQLCgaIrUGIerO_JiDxF4INCT8hnZv8sf_nTWsvCTWPow4X2qk6LGTD3kKPHe-/s1600/squash+soup+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5wfYrSCEBKeV846fQQy-Vdg5rNUPCvR7EXT-UlFBVxMCHVXPAM8yH93hs0_N4GGcuKeZsY_0Uy0fkFnQLCgaIrUGIerO_JiDxF4INCT8hnZv8sf_nTWsvCTWPow4X2qk6LGTD3kKPHe-/s1600/squash+soup+02.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Saute onion in olive oil in a large heavy-bottom soup pot for 3 minutes. Throw in chipotle pepper and seasonings and saute another 2 minutes.<br />
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Pour in stock and bring to a simmer. Scoop out each squash half and add to the pot. Add orange juice.<br />
Let simmer another 10 minutes, turn it down to lot heat and use a hand blender to smooth out the soup. Once the soup is smooth, slowly add the half-n-half stirring to blend.<br />
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Throw in the roasted red peppers at the end, so you can see the pretty red bits.<br />
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Cilantro makes a nice garnish. If your folks like heat, garnish with fresh jalapenos.<br />
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So simple, but so unbelievably delish. Just one little chipotle pepper gives this soup a smokey heat. And the juice of the orange compliments the sweetness of the squash so well. I served this with a couple of wings and some tortilla chips. The perfect Autumn meal!<br />
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More stock advice to come!<br />
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<br />Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-44442250327678581692014-08-10T09:18:00.000-07:002014-08-11T12:52:06.740-07:00Another Low GI Meal and a Diabetes Blog InterviewI got an email a few weeks back from a gal over at discussdiabetes.com, a blog with ideas from and info for people living with type 2 diabetes. They saw some of my recent posts about cooking and baking low GI foods and asked if they could interview me for their blog. So hop on over to <a href="http://www.discussdiabetes.com/2014/08/journey-of-diabetes-friendly-baking/">discussdiabetes.com</a> to check out my conversation with Laura Kolodjeski.<br />
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Not that it was a big stretch for me to talk about food, cooking, or diabetes, as you may know, but after being contacted by Laura I did some reading on their blog and some searching online for other type 2 info, meal ideas, recipes, blogs, etc. It seems like there just isn't that much out there in the foodie blogs for folks like us, so I'm going keep posting some of the meals I've developed over the last year and a half since the diagnosis.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyc7yTT9o_oYjOH617VqqJxbWG1fBpnw70w5GZDAhEtFLtIo7IZYbXetAbYcTaUOXpK436mOFbOuazS3LzMxj56jN04_pZ83bccgNr9Je_xCsJFm1E4T9l8glCHgsqk3lrT3J4RFx9Rub-/s1600/fritters+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyc7yTT9o_oYjOH617VqqJxbWG1fBpnw70w5GZDAhEtFLtIo7IZYbXetAbYcTaUOXpK436mOFbOuazS3LzMxj56jN04_pZ83bccgNr9Je_xCsJFm1E4T9l8glCHgsqk3lrT3J4RFx9Rub-/s1600/fritters+01.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">ZUCCHINI FRITTERS AND ASIAN SLAW</span></b><br />
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Anytime I suggest to my man that I might cook some zucchini fritters, whether it's as a side dish with some spicy wings that he's making, or like in this case, as a main dish with a hefty helping of Asian slaw, he always says, "Honey, you had me at 'fritters.'" This is the perfect recipe for using up that bumper crop of zucchini from your garden this summer. And along with the slaw, the zucchini fritters make a very filling vegetarian meal and a good respite from all the meat-heavy grilling we might do over the summer months.<br />
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Fritters</div>
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4 small zucchinis (I've used 3 medium, or in this case, 1 lg zucchini and one medium yellow summer squash)</div>
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1 egg</div>
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1/2 cup oat flour (again, oat flour will be far less taxing on your blood glucose level than white flour or even whole wheat flour)</div>
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2-4 Tablespoons of dried Thai curry seasoning mix (make it yourself or store bought)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 lg zucchini and 1 med. yellow squash made this plate full of fritters!</td></tr>
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Dipping Sauce</div>
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2 Tablespoons soy sauce</div>
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2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar</div>
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1 Tablespoon chopped green onions or shallots</div>
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Red pepper flake (to taste)</div>
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If you're using a large zucchini or summer squash, quarter it lengthwise and remove the seeds first. Shred all the squash using the largest size grater you have, whether by hand or in a food processor. Put it in a colander, salt it generously then let it sit for a few minutes in the sink. After 10 or 15 minutes, start pressing the squash with the palm of your hand to squeeze out as much excess water as you can (I realize some people like to wring out their squash in a hand towel, but that's just not my style).</div>
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Transfer the squash to a bowl and mix in the egg, the flour and the seasoning with a wooden spoon.</div>
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Put 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom of a large nonstick skillet and heat. Drop large spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and then press gently on the top of the dollop to flatten slightly. They will be irregularly shaped with little bits of squash sticking out the sides that will turn golden and crunchy as the fritter cooks. Make sure to maintain a good amount of heat on the pan without too much smoking. Turn them once when they are toasty brown and cook til the other side is also toasty brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.</div>
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Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and stir. If you want a sweeter dipping sauce, add one squeeze of liquid Stevia or a small teaspoon of Splenda brown sugar blend. </div>
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I'll post the Asian Slaw recipe in the next post. It complemented the fritters beautifully!</div>
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-61892055854943537782014-07-11T08:30:00.000-07:002014-07-11T08:30:25.240-07:00Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes--Turn and Face the Strain!My boyfriend is an excellent cook. The first meal he cooked for me was boeuf bourguignon a la Julia Child, a dish that he literally started the night before. When it came time to serve it, he ladled rich glistening helpings of it over thick slices of toasted italian bread cut into the shape of a heart (am I lucky or what!). It was unbelievably delicious and I was falling in love.<div>
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The next time he cooked for me, it was a traditional bolognese sauce over pasta. Again, it was a day's labor as he cooked the sauce from scratch and used it to smother a bowl of thick noodles.</div>
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Then a week later I found out I had an A1c of 12.2 and my doctor wanted to see me to talk about treatment for Type 2 Diabetes.</div>
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All this by way of saying that I am not the only person who has been affected by this sugar beast. When we met, my boyfriend's recipe repertoire featured those dishes that we are told to stay away from when managing blood glucose levels. Specifically, pizza, pasta, and meat and potatoes with gravy.</div>
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But over the past year and a half, he and I have learned how to amend our favorite dishes so that I can make more sensible choices to manage my blood sugar and still eat scrumptious food.</div>
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So rather than post some recipes, I though I'd just share some TIPS on how to enjoy a traditional meal in a more sensible, low GI kinda way.</div>
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Check it out . . . </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlD2Pkf7qiAyR9e-Kca7qMjEwjpPF165Vd4Q_9Xhawfxe0zAWIWRzvRq0kMFt6R9IAupQ9-fsEh5VbSVuCY6kyPoSMpkINhPrhdttzLui23QFFLdNuYHNT2S1TYgi4THuSHEjfUW1v6uF/s1600/steak+au+poivre+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlD2Pkf7qiAyR9e-Kca7qMjEwjpPF165Vd4Q_9Xhawfxe0zAWIWRzvRq0kMFt6R9IAupQ9-fsEh5VbSVuCY6kyPoSMpkINhPrhdttzLui23QFFLdNuYHNT2S1TYgi4THuSHEjfUW1v6uF/s1600/steak+au+poivre+02.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>Looks like <span style="font-size: large;"><b>meat and potatoes with a rich gravy</b></span>, right?</div>
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That's pretty much what it is, but with minor differences that make all the difference to my blood sugar. Here are the secrets:</div>
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<li><b>PORTION SIZE - </b>We split one porterhouse steak. He eats the strip, and I eat the smaller filet side. And I make sure I hold back a few bites as treats for the dog.</li>
<li><b>MASHED CAULIFLOWER INSTEAD OF POTATOES - </b>My boyfriend never even ate cauliflower before he met me. Now he loves mashed cauliflower with our steak. Unlike making mashed potatoes, you need very little butter and milk to mash the cauliflower. I like to boil my cauliflower in vegetable broth just to give the dish more flavor. If you don't have vegetable broth, make sure you salt the water you boil the cauliflower in.</li>
<li><b>GRAVY - </b>Use beef broth with your pan drippings and a little bit of butter. Thickening can happen in one of two ways, either REDUCE, REDUCE, REDUCE. That means just boiling away the liquid until it becomes its own thick sauce. Or, if you're impatient, use oat flour as a thickening agent. Unlike wheat flour, you can add oat flour directly to a hot liquid and it will dissolve completely. And, it thickens the gravy without compromising my blood sugar the way white flour will.</li>
<li><b>EXTRA VEGGIES - </b>I always make sure I serve lots of veggies with a meal like this. Besides adding to my overall fiber count, which is always good for diabetics, the more veggies I eat, the fuller I feel and that helps me control my portion sizes. </li>
<li><b>RED WINE </b>- A glass of red wine is the diabetic's alcohol of choice. Yes, sometimes I miss beer, but when it comes to a steak dinner, there's no substitute for a glass of Cabernet.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah83o9cEUwj2VaWNFMmiR5zvDiI85KgXZOPF-DDrKiBsA8nDPeXq4xgtEAgV8o920ctjfzhxLE1T3PVgR1bKelyS27AIm54fgD2pHUTdmVbu2S65QDH6gHKw4iqTUpiF4WsaVfnplG04i/s1600/steak+au+poivre+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah83o9cEUwj2VaWNFMmiR5zvDiI85KgXZOPF-DDrKiBsA8nDPeXq4xgtEAgV8o920ctjfzhxLE1T3PVgR1bKelyS27AIm54fgD2pHUTdmVbu2S65QDH6gHKw4iqTUpiF4WsaVfnplG04i/s1600/steak+au+poivre+01.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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One year after I had an A1c of 12.2, my A1c was down to 5.5!! </div>
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-86326771114294852332014-04-30T06:30:00.000-07:002014-04-30T06:50:14.645-07:00A Berry Fraiche Fruit TartIf I swear to you that I am NOT consumed with creating low GI desserts for my own consumption, will you believe me?<br />
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You'd be pretty naive if you did. Jus' sayin'.</div>
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But I have good sound reasons for my actions. Promise.</div>
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We were entertaining my family for dinner to celebrate the birthdays of my two nephews. They are young adults whose schedules prevent us from seeing them too often. But we managed to find a day in between their birthdays, which are a month apart, to have them over, cook a meal and shower them with . . . okay, gift cards. Yep, how creative is that. But in our defense, they are young men and trying to figure out what gift to buy them is damn near impossible.</div>
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Coming up with an idea for dessert, however, proved pretty easy. I knew that the younger of the two nephews also has been trying to steer away from sugar in his diet. I had baked a low GI lemon cheesecake a couple weeks before and thought about doing another cheesecake. The lemon cheesecake--I love anything lemony--was topped with homemade blueberry sauce. And it was a big hit at Easter dinner. But the crust, ohhhh the crust. The crust on that cheesecake was unbelievably yummy. Roasted, salted almonds ground up into a coarse meal, combined with oat flour and butter and just a touch of Stevia Blend to give it some sweetness. By the time the cheesecake was cooked through, that crust was a deep dark toasty color and was soooo much better than your run of the mill graham cracker crust. The crust was truly the star of the cheesecake.<br />
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So I started to think about what else I could do with the crust and came up with this fruit tart idea that was incredibly simple to make and absolutely delicious. Berries are high in fiber so they're a good fruit for diabetics. Also, the use of a little Stevia Blend gives the base of this tart the little bit of sweetness I'm looking for without jacking up my glucose level. And the fact that I use oat flour instead of wheat flour in the crust also ensures that my sugar doesn't get a big spike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdFQtkapYgeCW6yi-Q_fGbpEz-3N5Sbc1EMEmxU08nk-7iHSTjOXs0iMTIhjprqUkpGl5IegVLnlFHyrIvGvaUgAds3WYw_DSGuGou7bj-m5LTUzwbbwifqGDebKlPU5cmfQjfEMuhUiG/s1600/fruit+tart+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdFQtkapYgeCW6yi-Q_fGbpEz-3N5Sbc1EMEmxU08nk-7iHSTjOXs0iMTIhjprqUkpGl5IegVLnlFHyrIvGvaUgAds3WYw_DSGuGou7bj-m5LTUzwbbwifqGDebKlPU5cmfQjfEMuhUiG/s1600/fruit+tart+03.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a>First, <b><span style="font-size: large;">the crust</span></b> . . .<br />
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1 1/4 cups roasted, salted almonds<br />
1/2 cup oat flour<br />
4 tablespoons of cold butter cut into cubes<br />
1-2 tablespoons Stevia blend, depending on how sweet you want the crust<br />
1 egg yolk<br />
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Throw the almonds into a food processor and pulse until ground into a coarse meal. Add the flour and Stevia Blend and pulse again. Add the cold butter and pulse until it's a coarse meal. Then add the egg yolk and run the food processor until it starts to come together like a dough. You don't have to wait until it's one big ball. You can stop when it starts clumping all around. Then you know it's moist throughout and you can work with it.<br />
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Dump it onto a lightly greased tart dish (I use a quiche dish with fluted sides) and start pressing it down on the bottom and up the sides. This is enough crust to cover the bottom of an 8 inch quiche or tart dish and go up the sides of it. It can also easily cover the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.<br />
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Since the ingredients of the tart are not baked you need to bake the crust. If you were using this crust for a cheesecake, you wouldn't need to par-bake the crust at all. I set the oven at 350F and baked the crust for 45-50 minutes. When the top edges get brown, cover them with foil for the last few minutes of baking while the bottom gets brown. You can do this by ripping off a couple long strips of foil and folding them down around the top edges of the pan. Believe me, the browner this crust gets, the yummier it is and the more it will melt in your mouth. So be patient! It takes awhile for the brownness to happen.<br />
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And now for the simplest and most delectable dessert ever . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_5z5EVMM9I8HAei-Yh9p20qMExaAHerHrRPXXfqTcGPtFBonH_X09VKImx8LcY-81V3DdnKnIxalA8cXdH3fD3iE6DjX7SxSHWOYEyUT42CMblp8vTYL5y6SV7v1bROqkGb5yKhvkKxM/s1600/fruit+tart+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_5z5EVMM9I8HAei-Yh9p20qMExaAHerHrRPXXfqTcGPtFBonH_X09VKImx8LcY-81V3DdnKnIxalA8cXdH3fD3iE6DjX7SxSHWOYEyUT42CMblp8vTYL5y6SV7v1bROqkGb5yKhvkKxM/s1600/fruit+tart+01.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Berry Fraiche Fruit Tart - </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Low GI and Gluten-Free!!</span></b><br />
8 oz of creme fraiche<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
2 tablespoons Stevia blend<br />
assorted berries<br />
1/4 cup chocolate chips or other dark chocolate bits<br />
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First, make sure the crust is completely cooled!! Can't stress that enough. You don't want a warm crust to melt your creme fraiche.<br />
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Blend together with a spoon the creme fraiche, vanilla and Stevia blend until well blended. Pour the mix into the prepared crust and spread it around evenly. Put the tart with the creme fraiche back in the refrigerator for an hour. Or you can do what I did and put it in a subzero freezer for 10 minutes until it sets.<br />
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Take your cleaned berry assortment and arrange them decoratively and densely on the top of the creme fraiche. I sliced the strawberries but left the blueberries and raspberries whole. You could stop right here and this tart would be fabulous. It doesn't absolutely need the chocolate on top. And it would be slightly lower in sugar without it, depending on how dark your chocolate is. But I've been known to take things too far, and this tart is no exception. So, on with the chocolate topping!!<br />
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Put chocolate bits in a Pyrex measuring cup and zap them in the microwave for a minute. Stir to make sure they are melted. If not, zap them for 10 second intervals just until melted. Then transfer with a spatula into a plastic zip lock bag. Cut a small tip off of one corner and squeeze chocolate onto the top of the tart.<br />
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If you're not serving it right away, refrigerate it. Once the chocolate turns hard again, you can cover it with plastic wrap.<br />
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This tart was gone by the time the family left my house. That never happens! I'm always left with some dessert. Note to self: make 2 next time!<br />
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I'm springing into these parties:</div>
Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-43539012098346057222014-03-11T07:33:00.001-07:002014-03-11T07:39:59.111-07:00Feelin' Kinda CrabbyI was in the mood for fish.<br />
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Soooooo, here's my little diatribe about eating fish this far inland. Better to purchase the fish flash frozen in your grocer's freezer than to buy whatever has been THAWED and stuck in a window for who knows how long. Most fish sold in these parts has been frozen to be shipped here anyway. If you're buying it from the fish case at your grocery, you're only buying thawed frozen fish. I won't argue with those of you who live on the coast. I've been there, and it's true there's nothing like eating fresh fish caught that morning. But unless it's Walleye during Great Lakes Walleye season, we're not likely to see anything in Ohio that was caught same day.</div>
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Usually when I'm in the mood for fish I end up with some salmon or some shrimp or even some whiting fillets out of my freezer section. But while I was looking for my usual suspects, I noticed some small plastic jars of lump crab meat.</div>
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Light Bulb! CRAB CAKES--the delicate, rich, crabby morsels of scrumptiousness, topped with a little Cajun or Asian heat and served with some dressed greens or sweet slaw or something similar.</div>
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Everybody has their own crab cake recipe. Mine is adapted from my buddies on Block Island who have owned countless restaurants over the years and who served a delicious crab cake eggs bennie at their most recent venture.</div>
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Going low-carb doesn't meant giving up our favorite foods. It just means modifying recipes so they are carb-friendly. This recipe doesn't use any bread crumbs in the cake. But the crab cakes at the restaurant were rolled in Panko. Panko being white bread is not exactly what I would call a low-carb, high-fiber option. </div>
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So I had to make my own Panko using the high-fiber bread I buy at the grocery store. It was simple really. I just toasted one of the end pieces, let it cool for a bit, then pulsed it in the food processor until it was coarse like Panko bread crumbs. It doesn't matter that they aren't completely toasted and are still soft. They're only going on the outside of the crab cake and then getting fried in oil, so they will create a deliciously delicate crunchy coating nonetheless. Promise.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4KmANsOMV1hG-0yOaaE6KxAOnNJgEknsYHNzoNqSiELZcrnKQDjncDGqq47lfBIjWm-GhKv8xVxtiO0IvE6U0m6YjHS9hVbcIp7VdwlncJRSDnhI-5cm-giToniKAM3luaOiBKPQZpIz/s1600/crabcakes+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4KmANsOMV1hG-0yOaaE6KxAOnNJgEknsYHNzoNqSiELZcrnKQDjncDGqq47lfBIjWm-GhKv8xVxtiO0IvE6U0m6YjHS9hVbcIp7VdwlncJRSDnhI-5cm-giToniKAM3luaOiBKPQZpIz/s1600/crabcakes+02.JPG" height="464" width="640" /></a></div>
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CRAB CAKES</div>
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8 oz jar lump crab meat, drained</div>
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1 stalk celery, diced small</div>
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2 Tablespoons diced onion or shallots</div>
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1 egg</div>
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1 Tablespoon mayonnaise</div>
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High-fiber Panko breadcrumbs (as instructed above) tossed into a shallow dish</div>
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1/4 cup canola oil</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16ffS9l3iBYty7ODwhF6HpvSmaemtAPKChXOm6kMTA4m899ObrUEKLRdFKp8-0DbRXyqNGi0goYfQ5uxGcA9HtK7dhtE6cRPLWrZObafJd4dBgDROtnaeewOR_mgJHfxB20mDjyzBeXkH/s1600/crabcakes+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16ffS9l3iBYty7ODwhF6HpvSmaemtAPKChXOm6kMTA4m899ObrUEKLRdFKp8-0DbRXyqNGi0goYfQ5uxGcA9HtK7dhtE6cRPLWrZObafJd4dBgDROtnaeewOR_mgJHfxB20mDjyzBeXkH/s1600/crabcakes+01.JPG" height="390" width="400" /></a>Spice Blend:</div>
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1 Tablespoon paprika</div>
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1/8 teaspoon smoked chipotle pepper powder (or more if you like the heat)</div>
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1/2 teaspoon onion powder</div>
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1/4 teaspoon garlic powder</div>
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1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves ground up in your hand</div>
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1 teaspoon cumin </div>
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1/2 teaspoon salt</div>
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1/4 teaspoon ground pepper</div>
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MIX all the spices into a small bowl. Set aside one to two teaspoonfuls of the spice blend for your dressing.</div>
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MIX the crab meat with the celery and onion. Toss with the remaining spice blend. Then add the egg and mayonnaise. The egg and mayonnaise will hold this all together without adding additional breadcrumbs. </div>
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SCOOP out a small amount that can be squeezed between the palms of your hands. Because there are no breadcrumbs, these crab cakes are a bit delicate, so as you squeeze gently, form the ball into a hockey puck shape then roll the hockey puck in the Panko, gently pressing the breadcrumbs into all sides of the crab cake.</div>
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To make a simple dressing, MIX 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise with the remaining spice blend and add the hot sauce of your choosing.</div>
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Fry these in properly heated oil in a non-stick pan. It won't take long, roughly 2-3 minutes per side. You can transfer them to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil when they're golden brown on each side.</div>
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Since there are no fillers in these, the 8 oz jar made 5 small crab cakes. My boyfriend and I ate them all. It was a main course so that's 1/4 lb. serving per person. I served mine with a simple salad of greens dressed with a lemon vinaigrette. They were delish!!!<br />
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I'm sharing some low-carb love with following:<br />
<a href="http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2014/03/mix-it-up-monday_7396.html#more" target="_blank">Flour Me With Love Mix it Up Monday</a><br />
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-50411574989185150102014-01-18T06:46:00.000-08:002014-01-21T06:50:53.528-08:00Comforting My Blood Sugar<div>
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Food is not a replacement. It's not a replacement for love; it's not a replacement for exercise; it's not a replacement for self-esteem; it's not a replacement for anything. Food cannot fill the hole in my soul. </div>
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Nonetheless, </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Food is <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>sustenance.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Food gives us <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>life</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><b>Food should be ENJOYED!</b></span></div>
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For more than 50 years, I have eaten whatever the heck I wanted. I have had more than my share of cakes, candy, corn chips, popcorn, pretzels, Reese's cups, Heath Bars, mashed potatoes, crusty french baguettes, and a host of other things I can no longer eat now that I've been diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetic.</div>
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And the conclusion I have come to in the year since I was diagnosed is this:</div>
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If I can't have another Krispy Kreme donut ever in my life,<span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><b>it is not the end of the world.</b></span></div>
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While my friends and family tried every diet imaginable over the years, everything from 70s grapefruit diets and Mayo Clinic diet to Weight Watchers and South Beach, I paid little or no attention to them. I would always say I eat what I want, that our culture is much too weight conscious and I refused to buy into it. I used to tell people I don't know how much I weigh and I don't own a scale because I think it's unhealthy for women to have that number rattling around in their brains all the time. I have fluctuated between a size 14 and 18 most of my adult life. And to tell you the truth, I just didn't worry about it.<br />
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As you might imagine, being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes was like a big slap in the face. When my doctor's office called me, I literally was standing in the buffet line at a casino looking at all the desserts and thinking to myself, which of those delectable items will end up in my tummy today, while somewhere in the back of my mind I was planning to go home and bake something because, after all, I didn't have any baked goods in the house. </div>
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Well it's been almost a year since that fateful day. There was a steep learning curve for me and my boyfriend because we both love to cook and I, particularly, love to bake. <span style="color: #660000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But we cook and eat fabulous food with fresh ingredients that do not screw with my blood sugar. </span></div>
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For instance, with high fiber options at my local grocery store, I am still eating pasta and bread, I just don't eat them as often and I watch my portion size when I do.</div>
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So what do I cook on a cold winter's night when there's hardly anything in the pantry but some good cheese, bacon and eggs? The ultimate comfort food, of course, a low-glycemic mac-n-cheese you are going to absolutely love!</div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Bacon & Eggs Mac-n-Cheese!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">adapted from a recipe from<i> The Mac & Cheese Cookbook, </i>by Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade</span></div>
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUA4ZDcnmkNe24JJKFcgAuI0_4gyq4CL24M2X-ZB4iwAdzg7pMm0Gj6xEVjhQjf_nOoi1qHRA7rUNrEtvRVCiKcWqEOhEuIgRlk0jonwMWBKVvIjsRnmqfzqEiY0lhFTFq-kJ_-HV4WBZd/s1600/bacon+&+egg+mac+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUA4ZDcnmkNe24JJKFcgAuI0_4gyq4CL24M2X-ZB4iwAdzg7pMm0Gj6xEVjhQjf_nOoi1qHRA7rUNrEtvRVCiKcWqEOhEuIgRlk0jonwMWBKVvIjsRnmqfzqEiY0lhFTFq-kJ_-HV4WBZd/s1600/bacon+&+egg+mac+02.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>
<li>1/2 lb of uncooked high fiber pasta (I use Barilla whole grain rotini)</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk</li>
<li>1/2 cup water (you can use 2 cups of whole milk or half-n-half to replace both the milk and water)</li>
<li>1/4 cup oat flour (oat flour has little or no affect on blood glucose levels and I have found it's a fabulous thickening agent instead of flour or cornstarch)</li>
<li>1/4 cup butter (don't use margarine; you're making a rue so you need it to be real butter)</li>
<li>1 teaspoon kosher salt</li>
<li>2-3 cups of shredded cheeses, I used a really good Parmesan, white cheddar and some Monterrey jack</li>
<li>1/2 lb of bacon, cooked then crumbled</li>
<li>4 eggs</li>
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Cook up the pasta in salted water according to the directions, but take the pasta out of the water 1 or 2 minutes before the prescribed cooking time for al dente pasta because this goes in the oven and will cook the rest of the way there. Spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray and toss the pasta into it.</div>
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In a sauce pan, melt the butter, then add the oat flour, whisking and cooking over medium heat until it starts to thicken. The oat flour will bubble up the butter when it hits the pan, but it's fine, keep whisking while it thickens for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a Pyrex measuring cup in your microwave until it is warm.</div>
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Gradually add the milk to the butter flour mix, whisking all the time. Add the salt and whisk. As it begins to thicken, start adding the shredded cheese a little at a time, whisking to blend as it melts until all the cheese is blended in with the mixture and melted. Then add the crumbled bacon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShr5d0-fGSh8-uw8fYwDxxZK3srpLGBFCmNgQC5mfh79aj3FxT3oCyw42XLjgO0vs5p2r2Ykj-iV40AF1BgdP9suqqGcXAhhMNB5466ynov5Begwq6j9DbjyfRalX3bb8H1VbLFOKV2CW/s1600/bacon+%2526+egg+mac+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShr5d0-fGSh8-uw8fYwDxxZK3srpLGBFCmNgQC5mfh79aj3FxT3oCyw42XLjgO0vs5p2r2Ykj-iV40AF1BgdP9suqqGcXAhhMNB5466ynov5Begwq6j9DbjyfRalX3bb8H1VbLFOKV2CW/s1600/bacon+%2526+egg+mac+04.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pour the cheesy bacon mixture over the pasta and bake in the oven. You can bake it fast, like I do, for about 12-15 minutes on 400 degrees F, or you can go the low and slow route at 350 for 30 minutes. Whatever you prefer.</div>
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If you want to add bread crumbs to the top of this, like many people do, make sure you make your own high-fiber bread crumbs to make this dish retain its low glycemic load. I prefer my mac-n-cheese to be gooey and creamy throughout.</div>
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Dish out small portions and top each portion with a poached egg. </div>
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When the gooey egg yolk flows out over the cheesy pasta you will find it very hard to believe that this is a diabetic-friendly dish. The portion pictured here is the portion I ate. Yummy, yummy, yummy! And my blood sugar was back down to under 115 within 3 hours. </div>
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With dishes like this, I can truly say I have fully embraced my low-carb lifestyle and am keeping my promise to myself that I will endeavor to avoid taking medication for as long as I can by eating right. So far so good.</div>
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Oh yes, and that part where I said that food cannot fill the hole in my soul . . . uh . . . you didn't really believe that, did you?</div>
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I'm supping with these talented chefs:<br />
<a href="http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2014/01/mix-it-up-monday_19.html" target="_blank">Flour Me With Love Mix it Up Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://jembellish.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/a-round-tuit-189.html" target="_blank">Creating My Way to Success A Round Tuit</a><br />
<a href="http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/valentine-crafts/" target="_blank">C.R.A.F.T. Monday Funday</a><br />
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-35360215746893387422013-12-30T14:12:00.000-08:002013-12-30T17:43:40.506-08:00Celebrating Change with Chocolate Bread Pudding!Okay so it's been awhile. To my 142 followers, thank you so much for not "unfollowing" me despite the fact that I haven't posted since March.<br />
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All I can say is, it's been a heck of a year! So many changes I have barely had time to think, let alone write.<br />
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The biggest changes are as follows, and these are in no particular order . . .<br />
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I met and fell in love with the man of my dreams.<br />
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.<br />
I took a part time job as the principal cookie baker for a gluten-free bakery.<br />
My new love and I bought a house together and combined households after knowing each other about 10 months!<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>How <b>crazy </b>is that?! </i></span><br />
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I have so much to share about my journey over the last few months but since getting diagnosed with diabetes is one of the biggest changes I've been coping with, I thought my first post should be my latest recipe adaptation.<br />
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So, if you are type 2 diabetes, and you've been looking for a holiday--or any day really--dessert to serve, try my . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJOvAxSGtV-3HHF6jrd5rE4A2qe0J1tbdV2sijPTmZt8UoL7zaKLv8sNkItViINCSBE8HPY-50JvQFCVHk-0Pmejl6vSGMo5CcGLMyKIMxPbFFumTNPS5gSX-Zj_hlg2G3DWEKh0Orstr/s1600/choc+bread+pudding+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJOvAxSGtV-3HHF6jrd5rE4A2qe0J1tbdV2sijPTmZt8UoL7zaKLv8sNkItViINCSBE8HPY-50JvQFCVHk-0Pmejl6vSGMo5CcGLMyKIMxPbFFumTNPS5gSX-Zj_hlg2G3DWEKh0Orstr/s400/choc+bread+pudding+01.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Chocolate Bread Pudding</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>adapted from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-bread-pudding-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Alton Brown's Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe </a></i></b></span><br />
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2 large eggs<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
1/3 cup Splenda<br />
1/4 cup cocoa powder<br />
2 tablespoons Stevia Blend<br />
1 1/2 cups half-n-half<br />
1 to 1 1/2 cups whole milk<br />
1 ounce strong coffee or espresso<br />
1 tablespoon vanilla extract<br />
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted<br />
10 ounces stale high fiber bread, or about 8 or 9 slices<br />
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably 72-85% cacao, broken into 1/2 inch pieces<br />
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Alton Brown makes all this in a blender and I thought that worked really well. First the eggs, then the sweeteners and cocoa, then the milk, coffee and vanilla. Blend each ingredient for a short time as you go. It only takes a few seconds for each ingredient so it's really a low-fuss dish. I used leftover coffee and I thought it turned out really good. The darker the chocolate, the less sugar in it, so stick with a 72% to 85% cacao and you should be able to keep the overall sugar content low in this dish.<br />
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My recipe is for a medium size bread pudding in a deep glass 9 inch casserole. I buttered the dish, threw the bread in it, tossed the chocolate pieces on the top and then poured the egg mixture over the whole thing. Then I refrigerated it for 8 hours. The bread really was stale so refrigerating allows the bread to soak up the egg mixture.<br />
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Then it goes in the oven for about 45 minutes at 325 degrees F.<br />
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Alton Brown instructs that you spritz the thing with melted butter and then stick it under the broiler for a couple seconds. I found this step totally unnecessary and burdensome. I ain't got all day to stand around watching things in the broiler. I served this with a brunch and I had a frittata to worry about. So at the last minute, we whipped up some fresh whipped cream with a little bit of Stevia Blend to serve with the bread pudding.<br />
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And let me just say . . . OMG this was so stinkin' good! I've been experimenting with a variety of desserts that are low in glycemic load, but this one turned out FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC!!<br />
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So here are my DIABETES DISCLAIMERS:<br />
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1. I am not a doctor, nurse, or nutritionist. I manage my type 2 diabetes (which, btw, was really bad because I had an A1C test that put me at 12.2!!) completely by diet.<br />
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2. The high fiber bread in this bread pudding recipe is no sugar added 100% whole wheat high-fiber store-bought bread that anyone can find in the grocery store. These are breads I've been eating for awhile so I know they do not make my glucose spike significantly.</div>
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3. There is lots of info about artificial sweeteners, but from what I have read, Splenda and Stevia do not increase glucose levels. The Stevia Blend, however, has sugar in it, so I use it sparingly as a flavor enhancer, not as the primary sweetener. Since it has sugar in it, it could affect glucose levels if you used a lot of it.</div>
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4. I check my glucose level 2 and 3 hours after eating one of my recipe adaptations, just as I did with this one. Two hours after I ate the bread pudding, my glucose level was at 127, which means there wasn't a significant spike and I was back down within a reasonable amount of time after eating.</div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>I hope to write more about my journey over the last year, sharing low glycemic load recipes I've either found or created, maybe sharing some pics of our new home and getting back to some crafting and jewelry-making. </i></b></span></div>
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I'm celebrating change with the following leading ladies:<br />
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<a href="http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/2013/12/live-show-me-what-you-got-linky-party-99.html" target="_blank">Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got Linky</a><br />
<a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/12/30/made-by-you-monday-184/" target="_blank">Skip to My Lou Made by You Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/2013/12/happy-new-year-i-hope-you-have.html" target="_blank">Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday</a><br />
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<br />Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-50834388599398119872013-03-20T09:57:00.000-07:002013-03-21T07:22:11.528-07:00Happy Spring Equinox!The sun is struggling to peak through the clouds here in central Ohio, and it's only 31 degrees outside.<br />
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But I'm not letting that get me down! I'm celebrating Spring with some great finds at my local thrift store.<br />
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First off, you should know that part of my jovial mood is a direct result of a new man in my life. Yes, this crazy thrifty crafter is falling hard. This is how bad it is . . . I often picture this scene from Elf in my mind . . .<br />
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I love Will Ferrell.<br />
So anyway, with that in mind, what better way to celebrate Spring than with a new outfit, or two, or three!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDF4pKJTZjLimIbF_5g52jnw0aS5BGDTLb_bu2Nh13fo7Qiu0x6sa1ySVoof9PdKPoGbDV6r8-D_-4nRzVW6bxF93gB_FHF1TloscEPyjwul6mxsthBPsjJIB8fH-yiNXpkNuBntQyzAp/s1600/Spring+Dress+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDF4pKJTZjLimIbF_5g52jnw0aS5BGDTLb_bu2Nh13fo7Qiu0x6sa1ySVoof9PdKPoGbDV6r8-D_-4nRzVW6bxF93gB_FHF1TloscEPyjwul6mxsthBPsjJIB8fH-yiNXpkNuBntQyzAp/s400/Spring+Dress+02.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Republic wrap-around dress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsMgWwDm9VRlEYCavlMPg06qpvsTxtru8SvnQERBrquofNutP_7FbVZZcZ66DsY1QKveJIzCOj1Ja0Q4vPTHObQPtQrNFD_wRxSS6Ei1k369h3qkAKHktm1y8OeLzlyc6Tupw08N9ATdT/s1600/Spring+Thrift+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsMgWwDm9VRlEYCavlMPg06qpvsTxtru8SvnQERBrquofNutP_7FbVZZcZ66DsY1QKveJIzCOj1Ja0Q4vPTHObQPtQrNFD_wRxSS6Ei1k369h3qkAKHktm1y8OeLzlyc6Tupw08N9ATdT/s400/Spring+Thrift+01.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forever 21 lightweight cotton print skirt</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2J7zFIAdkQO0E_52hGTCEDTcoGvMh3FwT9RdgCxf4p16M1zvD07XsI4qG1XDSC-h6UfJCUzeh3q8GM6RVcbSF2e8lSfilyw9Z0Ef8uxYduJYVCSmByzulhx6DrUYUj8yihDSyXEIB4KC/s1600/Spring+Thrift+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2J7zFIAdkQO0E_52hGTCEDTcoGvMh3FwT9RdgCxf4p16M1zvD07XsI4qG1XDSC-h6UfJCUzeh3q8GM6RVcbSF2e8lSfilyw9Z0Ef8uxYduJYVCSmByzulhx6DrUYUj8yihDSyXEIB4KC/s320/Spring+Thrift+03.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These leather wedges go perfect with the dress!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLcpAfqgT0quQO7jr8tHetiTAm0cj7IVW6SpZwNG3ebdrSmzU30Ya1Gdt3_dkevNNXZUrLYP6-EoY1sC6a-h5RwPuoEc_emAzybXtm0R3sXvLPMXga0GM4MvYfptTBMLcnQlRFo_PA9IW/s1600/Spring+Thrift+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLcpAfqgT0quQO7jr8tHetiTAm0cj7IVW6SpZwNG3ebdrSmzU30Ya1Gdt3_dkevNNXZUrLYP6-EoY1sC6a-h5RwPuoEc_emAzybXtm0R3sXvLPMXga0GM4MvYfptTBMLcnQlRFo_PA9IW/s400/Spring+Thrift+04.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">black and tan leather wedges just for fun</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LDyXOwLWWVH2XoKt_5qPWgaxFyeZwVgZ6d1ICznTrccwh9HcXTxXuZP_6iJ9RWkxd7vblSt2XjCMEzY5zMGofP-mt0qddf2F_0VVM_c2HXxwzFzvgxUVkcAZEoHv2WQMqCMCcd3n5zZb/s1600/Spring+Thrift+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LDyXOwLWWVH2XoKt_5qPWgaxFyeZwVgZ6d1ICznTrccwh9HcXTxXuZP_6iJ9RWkxd7vblSt2XjCMEzY5zMGofP-mt0qddf2F_0VVM_c2HXxwzFzvgxUVkcAZEoHv2WQMqCMCcd3n5zZb/s400/Spring+Thrift+06.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cream-colored poncho will be perfect with almost everything.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7s-CTjFdJPx3cbt7tfBWV46KShx93Gow-j-hkKgL7kFwkn3QFWRorWO_36LCGqaPM-SJvmA7Wdhd7x8eyA6TwqCOX8X3jnID1S3GktpWDW2uyX7faYQslmnpvd2keHdsUThSW7rprovz/s1600/Spring+Thrift+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7s-CTjFdJPx3cbt7tfBWV46KShx93Gow-j-hkKgL7kFwkn3QFWRorWO_36LCGqaPM-SJvmA7Wdhd7x8eyA6TwqCOX8X3jnID1S3GktpWDW2uyX7faYQslmnpvd2keHdsUThSW7rprovz/s400/Spring+Thrift+02.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lime green and sporting some shorts underneath, this skirt looks fabulous with black tights and boots!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry2px_vO0-lhKBVrbsBq1LxNC-ZpqUnaDgURn16R7dqVVI6_Xd95RQv5JNGPWw778jLFn2ZiGqt6sEH0R-D4BDXWb0ufDWB2cTqqPJL1yNH-0OyhcUfZCWfkbkLgQY8Ru6Uqsr9HxMmeE/s1600/Spring+Thrift+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry2px_vO0-lhKBVrbsBq1LxNC-ZpqUnaDgURn16R7dqVVI6_Xd95RQv5JNGPWw778jLFn2ZiGqt6sEH0R-D4BDXWb0ufDWB2cTqqPJL1yNH-0OyhcUfZCWfkbkLgQY8Ru6Uqsr9HxMmeE/s640/Spring+Thrift+05.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BIG FIND OF THE DAY, BORN LEATHER SANDALS FOR FRIGGIN' $8!!!! The soles look like they've barely been worn. The most comfortable sandal I've ever owned by far. Woohoo!!! As my friend Kay says, I do like me some fugly shoes. I'll be wearing these babies all summer long!</td></tr>
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I'm hitchin' my wagon to these bright shining stars!</div>
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<a href="http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/" target="_blank">From My Front Porch to Yours Treasure Hunt Thursday</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.notjustahousewife.net/" target="_blank">Not Just a Housewife Show Me What You Got</a><br />
<a href="http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Beyond the Picket Fence Under $100 Linky Party</a><br />
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-16065037238547708142013-02-08T07:36:00.001-08:002013-02-11T06:17:42.476-08:00New Work and New and Old Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had a couple of bad days this week. Not that anything bad happened. It's just that I was down in the dumps, feelin' the weight of the world, all of that. I think my mother would characterize it as feeling sorry for myself.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9U17y5Uh1ihg-pG4HMVxHFzTRB2POz0gTlr7NYf-SBtFYEzx7CJT53mO7jBB_HEt7YG-gxPwPOGsh0a_-sI0QSn0_wiPmyyNe6m-sQTY7VYIhuw5Ji0CL0Xs2WAU35o8bbE1HHltvDTd/s1600/new+pieces+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9U17y5Uh1ihg-pG4HMVxHFzTRB2POz0gTlr7NYf-SBtFYEzx7CJT53mO7jBB_HEt7YG-gxPwPOGsh0a_-sI0QSn0_wiPmyyNe6m-sQTY7VYIhuw5Ji0CL0Xs2WAU35o8bbE1HHltvDTd/s400/new+pieces+06.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cheerful 70s brooch complemented with<br />
ceramic and glass beads and vintage faux pearls.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A day like that messes with my motivation. It derails all my plans to get things accomplished. Suddenly I feel like all I can do is the bare minimum, go through the motions.<br />
<br />
So I taught my students, I went to my metal fabrication class, and I practiced guitar once or twice. At night I read a little and watched Downton Abbey on Netflix (I've just started watching the first season). I didn't make any jewelry at all, so the pieces I'm posting today were made in the last few weeks because I just didn't have it in me this week.<br />
<br />
And Tuesday and Wednesday were kinda just dragging along. I just felt lonely and useless and stuck in this house, and . . . well . . . you know the feeling, right?<br />
<br />
But in the course of those two days, here's what else happened.<br />
<br />
Tuesday, my buddy from Rhode Island calls. He and I have been friends for 30 years and we spend way too much time on the phone talking about politics, relationships, music, you name it. He can converse on almost any subject fairly well and we, usually, enjoy one another's company immensely.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EhVRaGyE93CH-vO4fxVuU5m8nplbQIygoASjKg5D3vxWeIyKRFuBWzViuTOsqZGvzssUhdotad9MQFfdYrYTBy34N6HC-vi11THdKLZe6aiMNJ_5uy8lpZyokBN96ofcgztLFMcC_emd/s1600/new+pieces+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EhVRaGyE93CH-vO4fxVuU5m8nplbQIygoASjKg5D3vxWeIyKRFuBWzViuTOsqZGvzssUhdotad9MQFfdYrYTBy34N6HC-vi11THdKLZe6aiMNJ_5uy8lpZyokBN96ofcgztLFMcC_emd/s400/new+pieces+05.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rustic and romantic with rose quarts and glass beads on a leather cord.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Wednesday, one of my dearest and oldest friends calls from further north of here. She's another one I talk with regularly. I confess to her about how the last couple days is going for me. She doesn't berate me, she doesn't try to motivate me, she just listens to me and then tells me that some days are like that and she understands how I feel.<br />
<br />
Wednesday night rolls around and the phone rings again, and it's my new friend who lives in southern Ohio. Since he's kind of a new friend, I don't burden him with my troubles, but we're talking about this and that and he suddenly says the sweetest thing in the world and I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. After a couple seconds of silence, he sensed something and commented that I must be in deep thought. I managed to laugh and told him that I was just struck by how sweet he is.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Og9LA7MJepdS0DgCFkjhXvj_Ss4gWYxgLDi46CRL8KRq3hvrjZAI6aspsp0Ewks4_V3hDXVvzEOwIxBCk3w6CWveQZV9vh-1_O4vFLWxofukAb_p2ELdQSkjz1clGTrYmkZV2f34PmR_/s1600/new+pieces+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Og9LA7MJepdS0DgCFkjhXvj_Ss4gWYxgLDi46CRL8KRq3hvrjZAI6aspsp0Ewks4_V3hDXVvzEOwIxBCk3w6CWveQZV9vh-1_O4vFLWxofukAb_p2ELdQSkjz1clGTrYmkZV2f34PmR_/s400/new+pieces+16.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An amber earring anchors this charm necklace<br />
filled with vintage baubles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So Thursday rolls around and I wake up to the sun shining in central Ohio. If you live anywhere near here, you know how long it's been since the sun shone for any length of time. And I'm still kinda feelin' sorry for myself, but I manage to get up and get moving, get some work done and head out the door to buy new glazes for my ceramic pendants.<br />
<br />
And as I'm getting through the checkout line with six new pots of glaze--all cheery Spring colors, I promise--my phone rings again. This time, it's a new friend I met on Block Island last summer. And his voice is joyful and soothing, encouraging, affirming, and grateful. He makes me smile and I am forced to realize that I have such wonderful friends who care about me and want me to succeed and be well and be happy and I have no good friggin' reason to be feeling sorry for myself.<br />
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So enough of that! Let's make some more jewelry!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmNvS0BFCbATM94faXDMqsR6iANDpVvly94BOlno5DRCKjUVDzp6S7CRBxvSh45sWFIHwzHcDx07nDqsvytck3JxufAqpoF9b80o5JAUE-3QoSZ5RMqVqgZWdHZnzyVvdrnePftUTA83w/s1600/new+pieces+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmNvS0BFCbATM94faXDMqsR6iANDpVvly94BOlno5DRCKjUVDzp6S7CRBxvSh45sWFIHwzHcDx07nDqsvytck3JxufAqpoF9b80o5JAUE-3QoSZ5RMqVqgZWdHZnzyVvdrnePftUTA83w/s640/new+pieces+12.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old key, tigers' eye and czech glass hanging randomly on a ribbon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRJbkALerQDG_d38OUTbQ77ZRwJlWDLK76mec_RdVKZhmDBWiWYKtReEPZwLA8Y-wOnyIBIJtS3qLAoHEoQPB-io0IyofdVA6aAJcGRyk0AT-j6cbt7gigqWjBD2raks1dIh6El1XhOSX/s1600/buttony+button+bracelet+02a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRJbkALerQDG_d38OUTbQ77ZRwJlWDLK76mec_RdVKZhmDBWiWYKtReEPZwLA8Y-wOnyIBIJtS3qLAoHEoQPB-io0IyofdVA6aAJcGRyk0AT-j6cbt7gigqWjBD2raks1dIh6El1XhOSX/s640/buttony+button+bracelet+02a.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm calling these my buttony-button wrist wraps. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1br5hJ-xGfA2R9v8Om7Vjrvl9kMQxVaub8R56lsarkiSL1f2FOrs5pzeQxN1X7YP-HQhSwelPiJ3-vIOmA9TnMFJty7scY1R97NeRfgCYSEmrf7P3-Sr-MYpScN7tI-sypKF3fiFHigE/s1600/buttony+button+bracelet+01a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1br5hJ-xGfA2R9v8Om7Vjrvl9kMQxVaub8R56lsarkiSL1f2FOrs5pzeQxN1X7YP-HQhSwelPiJ3-vIOmA9TnMFJty7scY1R97NeRfgCYSEmrf7P3-Sr-MYpScN7tI-sypKF3fiFHigE/s640/buttony+button+bracelet+01a.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These will be my summer staple.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-size: x-large;">I'm off to glaze ceramic pendants with cheery Spring colors!</b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_XjkHSl0AWBv2vvZUzWd0ku9Dc5QLh4IHnbgZTiunbgKyHMTgq6I0wJnde9_nDY5EVRQJAzaRoFilmSu3DO7I-pDNvGilnnWSxHWER028UfHT98pgoKNJ81m09krYBGijz9oYIoj5e6T/s1600/new+pieces+09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_XjkHSl0AWBv2vvZUzWd0ku9Dc5QLh4IHnbgZTiunbgKyHMTgq6I0wJnde9_nDY5EVRQJAzaRoFilmSu3DO7I-pDNvGilnnWSxHWER028UfHT98pgoKNJ81m09krYBGijz9oYIoj5e6T/s640/new+pieces+09.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A vintage brooch combined with contemporary glass beads.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I'm springing over to these fine ladies' parties:<br />
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<a href="http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2013/02/make-it-pretty-monday-week-36.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20TheDedicatedHouse%20(The%20Dedicated%20House)" target="_blank">The Dedicated House Make It Pretty Monday</a><br />
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-38544181109115154752013-02-03T08:14:00.002-08:002013-02-03T08:14:56.171-08:00Winter Bounty<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDjtcS8pu_QOjgMe5EGPvvS9cKRKyJC_ig3F5V7W2SnigT-dM789Z3vUevDqpTaGZv1tSRBaMaXLnByRbWckMbdZV59sXSeC5-2-OiAmtRG6Eaz4etnHiIAQ6zArwXM67ZLhKOWk12mCe/s1600/Daisy+03-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDjtcS8pu_QOjgMe5EGPvvS9cKRKyJC_ig3F5V7W2SnigT-dM789Z3vUevDqpTaGZv1tSRBaMaXLnByRbWckMbdZV59sXSeC5-2-OiAmtRG6Eaz4etnHiIAQ6zArwXM67ZLhKOWk12mCe/s400/Daisy+03-crop.jpg" width="400" /></a>There are those who feel that being deprived of sunlight during the winter months makes them depressed and generally unable to get motivated.<br />
<br />
As you might have guessed, I am not one of those people. Instead . . .<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">I find the cold winter months to be exhilarating!</span></strong></div>
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I get to use my 4-wheel drive in the Jeep, I am forced to bundle up in order to walk the dog or shovel snow, and I get to relish indoor work like making soups and hearty one-pot dishes that warm the body and comfort the soul.<br />
<br />
Another reason I am energized by winter is the fact that I love snow. Yes you heard me right . . . <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">I LOVE SNOW!</span></strong> </div>
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There is something incredibly energizing about waking up to a blanket of snow on the ground. The light it reflects, even when the sun is not out, renews my spirit and motivates me in a different way than the sunny summer days do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqxx0IE5VAfXIn7PPKNPiy5dOLybODEZXq4rFSwXwxtXEUbqHehT347Q7l6bGMeFxv-ewxhOyppaOKDmKVtlgCeEUIBf9LVDmi8vStQgHM4b_DEwwcY9m_ITb8djzSRzskK5BzvewDqEj/s1600/Daisy+04-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqxx0IE5VAfXIn7PPKNPiy5dOLybODEZXq4rFSwXwxtXEUbqHehT347Q7l6bGMeFxv-ewxhOyppaOKDmKVtlgCeEUIBf9LVDmi8vStQgHM4b_DEwwcY9m_ITb8djzSRzskK5BzvewDqEj/s400/Daisy+04-crop.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
Today in central Ohio, I awoke to another new dusting of snow on top of a couple inches we got yesterday<strong>, </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">so I'm a happy girl!</span></strong></div>
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This past month I've kept myself busy indoors cooking, baking, and creating new jewelry pieces for my upcoming show. But I remind myself to take time to go outside and enjoy the snow. Having a dog that loves snow and doesn't mind cold is a gift and it helps me remember how much I have always loved this time of year.<br />
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Whether you are one of those people who enjoys winter or not, I highly recommend taking time to enjoy the quiet wonder of the winter season.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLCbkIkzZB3198H4lOd63OmxQ9tt2qZXOw1cAjnR0Zl0VK9R8lBBYtbvdAGOoLEtnQEFsY6r3ig9hVizO2R1y1lSRA07iDSenALzkmH3SMx9ezUzcUMro3jWFN6m90hUsKxeOLNStLD8N/s1600/Daisy+2013a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLCbkIkzZB3198H4lOd63OmxQ9tt2qZXOw1cAjnR0Zl0VK9R8lBBYtbvdAGOoLEtnQEFsY6r3ig9hVizO2R1y1lSRA07iDSenALzkmH3SMx9ezUzcUMro3jWFN6m90hUsKxeOLNStLD8N/s640/Daisy+2013a.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisy's little paws get packed with snow after a winter walk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8YJGh58Yd9E9hwq56FQGr0HPo6o_MQRZL0Sz9TMtapHeNpfT_lpGnaKs2J5dKWW9t8LUhoKNqy_oLUzPBcVNOjPYUiYY0bXSl0aqHOytx0mSILD9CBheKUU0slrqE2O-3rjMmaxp3M4j/s1600/Daisy+02a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8YJGh58Yd9E9hwq56FQGr0HPo6o_MQRZL0Sz9TMtapHeNpfT_lpGnaKs2J5dKWW9t8LUhoKNqy_oLUzPBcVNOjPYUiYY0bXSl0aqHOytx0mSILD9CBheKUU0slrqE2O-3rjMmaxp3M4j/s400/Daisy+02a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisy and I on a winter hike at our favorite Metro Park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-48990281241301088072013-01-25T07:40:00.000-08:002013-01-25T07:40:20.792-08:00Avant Garde Art and Craft Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I've hooked up with this fabulous new series of art and craft shows happening all over Ohio. This will be my first show with them but I attended their last one and this is a creative bunch of contemporary crafters. You'll get lots of inspiration and gift ideas at this show. This is where Pinterest, Etsy, and the crafting blogosphere all come together under one roof! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kvirCscYJ1-AKzR6U4PFWn9jgu2wc2JhnCUJ5RqZHVqysjqnJm3BkD76O2C-GvhpmA-8tZ3e8femMVfr4hSrDfvvG3cZcPjAoJkEyWUFx6c-oC65Q0c1Wa2R6Vjn-TqRRxUqjadPM0BI/s1600/avant+garde+pic+01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kvirCscYJ1-AKzR6U4PFWn9jgu2wc2JhnCUJ5RqZHVqysjqnJm3BkD76O2C-GvhpmA-8tZ3e8femMVfr4hSrDfvvG3cZcPjAoJkEyWUFx6c-oC65Q0c1Wa2R6Vjn-TqRRxUqjadPM0BI/s640/avant+garde+pic+01.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Saturday, February 16, 2013</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>11:00am-5:00pm</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>St. Agatha Church (Parish Hall)<br /> 1860 Northam Road </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Columbus, OH 43221</strong></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Come see all my latest buttony-button jewelry, ceramic pendants and upcycled vintage costume refinery!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can check out my info on their blog <a href="http://columbusavantgardeshows.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hope to see some friends there!</span></div>
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-46227968900626652302013-01-23T07:27:00.001-08:002013-01-24T06:41:02.793-08:00Comfort me with mac 'n cheeseI woke up with a sore throat in the middle of the night about a week ago. It was bad. I felt like crap the next day and ended up cancelling my lessons (I teach piano and voice in evenings) so as not to get any of my students sick. <br />
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DAY 2, still sick in bed, no fever, but throat is getting really bad and it's difficult to swallow.<br />
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DAY 3, very painful to swallow so it's off to the doc-in-a-box to get diagnosed.<br />
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Long story short, it's not until DAY 5 that I finally get the strep throat diagnosis and some penicillin, only to discover on DAY 6 that I'm allergic to penicillin! <br />
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Anyway, having eaten mostly applesauce and soda cracker for 4 days, I woke up on DAY 5 starving and decided to make myself some comfort food. Taste buds were still pretty dormant and the throat was still a little sore so I needed to make something that wouldn't have too much spice in it and would be easy to swallow.<br />
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So for my first post in many weeks, it's recipe time!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Peg's homemade mac 'n cheese and turkey meatloaf</span></strong></div>
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This is mac 'n cheese the old-fashioned way, making a bechamel and the whole nine yards. I know, I said "bechamel" but just cuz it's french doesn't mean it's difficult. This is the easiest thing in the world so don't cheat yourself and make a wanna-be mac 'n cheese. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVwmjPfwKFhUweKKa9JtE-Lc0ySYxRQPP5nZf728v3sQ7BHOW5bWUvqGOEO4KlKLBavdtQicJCjtU3YXNNszstu9qNlEwVzbuuylVTPFXjJ959liS4smPfs6Y2J5p6FwydgeeiW-rVp1o/s1600/mac+-n+cheese+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVwmjPfwKFhUweKKa9JtE-Lc0ySYxRQPP5nZf728v3sQ7BHOW5bWUvqGOEO4KlKLBavdtQicJCjtU3YXNNszstu9qNlEwVzbuuylVTPFXjJ959liS4smPfs6Y2J5p6FwydgeeiW-rVp1o/s400/mac+-n+cheese+04.jpg" width="400" /></a><strong>Peg's Homemade Mac 'n Cheese</strong></div>
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2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni</div>
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1/4 cup butter (it's gotta be the real deal, folks)</div>
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3 tablespoons flour</div>
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2 cups whole milk (you could use 2% but this dish is supposed to comfort you so why would you)</div>
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1 cup plain yogurt</div>
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2 cups shredded cheese, give or take (I probably used more like 2 1/2 cups, a combo of cheddar and monterey jack)</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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extra cheese for on top</div>
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Preheat oven to 400 F.</div>
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Cook the macaroni in salted water according to the directions on the box. When it's done, immediately strain it and rinse with cold water. You don't want your macaroni over-cooked on the stove because it's gonna cook some more in the oven.</div>
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Melt the butter in a large non-stick pan. Stir in the flour. Cook flour and butter, stirring, for 3 minutes or so on medium-low heat. Add milk slowly, stirring it pretty much constantly. When the milk gets plenty hot and is starting to thicken, add the cheese, stirring gently over medium-low heat the whole time until the cheese melts. </div>
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Now it should be getting a little bit thick. Add the yogurt. Stir it in til its blended well and then dump all the macaroni into the pan. </div>
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As soon as the macaroni is mixed in, dump the whole thing into a greased or buttered casserole dish. </div>
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It will look SOUPY. Don't worry. Don't add more macaroni.</div>
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Now, some people like a bread crumb topping on top of their mac 'n cheese. I do not. I think breadcrumbs encourage the top to get crusty and I want my entire mac 'n cheese experience to be moist and creamy and cheesy. So I put more cheese on the top. </div>
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Bake til it's bubbly on the sides and a little brown on top. It takes about 30-40 minutes depending on how deep your casserole dish.</div>
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<strong>Easy Turkey Meatloaf</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikn8RP9EeH_nJMJ6PelT-iCAixajk2fI239bs3bdWdOIOMq0jGenmfKi1j5Y_GPqRoZJ0VVy5zsW2el9UKI3Su9MtYhEerbAWSH7KUK9biH0XpuWLTV4c5rl76L_qbtY6DQkzSQobJ1DOD/s1600/mac+-n+cheese+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikn8RP9EeH_nJMJ6PelT-iCAixajk2fI239bs3bdWdOIOMq0jGenmfKi1j5Y_GPqRoZJ0VVy5zsW2el9UKI3Su9MtYhEerbAWSH7KUK9biH0XpuWLTV4c5rl76L_qbtY6DQkzSQobJ1DOD/s320/mac+-n+cheese+05.jpg" width="320" /></a>I've been making turkey meatloaf for years. It's a little healthier than the beef version and, once chilled, slices really good for sandwiches.</div>
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1 pound ground turkey</div>
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1/2 medium onion, diced</div>
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1 egg</div>
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1/4 cup breadcrumbs</div>
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1/4 cup wheat germ or bran flakes</div>
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a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce</div>
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a good size dollop of ketchup</div>
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a squeeze or two of mustard</div>
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a pinch of thyme</div>
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salt and pepper</div>
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Preheat oven to 350 F.</div>
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Not much instruction on this one. It all goes in one big bowl and, with your clean hands, you're gonna mix it all up real good. I like to use half breadcrumbs and half wheat germ just to give it a little whole grain goodness. Sometimes I use nothing but wheat germ and bran flakes, but the bran flakes are not cereal bran flakes, they are raw uncooked bran flakes you get in the health food section. </div>
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No precise measurements on the condiments because I never use measurements for this recipe. I just use whatever I have in the frig to flavor it. It might be yellow mustard, it might be Dijon. It might be Worcestershire, it might be teriyaki sauce. It's just that the turkey needs a little bump of flavor that perhaps a beef meatloaf wouldn't require. Usually I make a simple sauce out of ketchup and barbecue sauce for the top and put it on before I bake it. This time, I made it plain and it turned out just as tasty.</div>
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I bake mine in a loaf pan to encourage the turkey to retain its moisture, particularly since it's a pretty lean meat anyway. It bakes for a good 45 to 50 minutes til the juices run clear. I'm a meat thermometer kinda gal, so poultry needs to get pretty well cooked. Consult your meat thermometer if you're unsure.</div>
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Bon appetit!<br />
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I'm partying with these fine ladies:<br />
<a href="http://madeinaday.com/2013/01/24/made-u-look-linky-57/" target="_blank">Made In a Day Made U Look Linky</a><br />
<a href="http://fullcirclecreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Full Circle Creations All Star Block Party</a><br />
<a href="http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/" target="_blank">Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday</a><br />
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-22140173454420255772012-11-16T08:02:00.000-08:002012-11-20T06:40:09.561-08:00Button, button, who's got the button?!Thanks to Mod Podge Rocks, I was made aware this morning that it is . . . wait for it . . . <br />
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<strong><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-large;">National Button Day!!</span></strong></div>
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And this is how I'm celebrating . . . </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEGowOxRdCY_4s2sc_mXA5ZbtxrCkRtx3d5W1lCJTXlQYo4VqEOSnE5BFBpfz4pZC8Fy8GudsAaDJ290P22apbTShXKQAzVKIzQ4FcYUePyDpMTULqBiALp1Bh_9b8hlWd_7ggKsF7RRO/s1600/buttons+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEGowOxRdCY_4s2sc_mXA5ZbtxrCkRtx3d5W1lCJTXlQYo4VqEOSnE5BFBpfz4pZC8Fy8GudsAaDJ290P22apbTShXKQAzVKIzQ4FcYUePyDpMTULqBiALp1Bh_9b8hlWd_7ggKsF7RRO/s400/buttons+06.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This just arrived in the mail yesterday, a cookie tin full of old buttons I bought off e-Bay. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CMbnYYr2k3kI9w4Xxg8gXzMIa-tmmEdAC-RuNSJQsA-xtXHGD_z8u9WwrBVgEWoNR_ePxaN5W5CKf2oVhHOf6h7qF899mgqV7Zc_jO-ALorPF7VfZqjxhQni7O9u-4fNSxnxQ_tjhjeo/s1600/craft+fairs+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CMbnYYr2k3kI9w4Xxg8gXzMIa-tmmEdAC-RuNSJQsA-xtXHGD_z8u9WwrBVgEWoNR_ePxaN5W5CKf2oVhHOf6h7qF899mgqV7Zc_jO-ALorPF7VfZqjxhQni7O9u-4fNSxnxQ_tjhjeo/s400/craft+fairs+03.JPG" width="300" /></a>If you've been paying attention, you know that I've been making jewelry out of old buttons. Like this pendant necklace made from vintage mother-of-pearl buttons, vintage crystals and faux pearls, hanging from organza ribbon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUL421JvqZFxpKGuCx1PIuyGMhDOWLukZoTJKv0-tgowvRtaAAe3Zmn44K1BVYRiB76A0JcFePlQcStOhzXurxP8w3Kcg30j5-7V2hPmGzeiqvm2cg7LMUt9WTI0G130Sa1txcIyf-Ww6/s1600/buttons+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUL421JvqZFxpKGuCx1PIuyGMhDOWLukZoTJKv0-tgowvRtaAAe3Zmn44K1BVYRiB76A0JcFePlQcStOhzXurxP8w3Kcg30j5-7V2hPmGzeiqvm2cg7LMUt9WTI0G130Sa1txcIyf-Ww6/s400/buttons+01.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
Or this bracelet made with super cool vintage brass buttons. (Not sure I can give this one up!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht05T8VxtFl_gwgcHqJAdS0NUN2l9L3GMwUoWcHm7XyWdlv84ngEBwki5cL9FPwMjAdGO3qPO1IlFXSmTl5aoQeQup6ksOif0-Mky4G8KG7xUqH3zbrAcbozqJrSgRhFgjkToa6omEMm2E/s1600/buttons+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht05T8VxtFl_gwgcHqJAdS0NUN2l9L3GMwUoWcHm7XyWdlv84ngEBwki5cL9FPwMjAdGO3qPO1IlFXSmTl5aoQeQup6ksOif0-Mky4G8KG7xUqH3zbrAcbozqJrSgRhFgjkToa6omEMm2E/s400/buttons+02.JPG" width="300" /></a>And I'm probably getting a little carried away. I'm even making Christmas button necklaces and earrings.<br />
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As I started running out of buttons, I turned to my dear friend, Mr. e-Bay. Comfort me Mr. e-Bay. Let me know there is more junk out there for me. </div>
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And as usual, Mr. e-Bay was happy to satisfy my needs. Ahhh, if only the rest of my life were this simple. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLt2aaQqY0x4p3ADGNvlba2MwQ5sFJKyHpwuE3dAJ3cfN9ZfHV1-YZr7fZuI5XIp4olbYJ-yVa19fYnUnneH5EtMjav9MI4y3kz7uprXGl-kbsU1nkoo9nm8M_IkHjInVtZINZ-O5Cb-7/s1600/buttons+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLt2aaQqY0x4p3ADGNvlba2MwQ5sFJKyHpwuE3dAJ3cfN9ZfHV1-YZr7fZuI5XIp4olbYJ-yVa19fYnUnneH5EtMjav9MI4y3kz7uprXGl-kbsU1nkoo9nm8M_IkHjInVtZINZ-O5Cb-7/s640/buttons+07.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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First I have to sort my buttons by color.</div>
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Beautiful shades of blue. Something really beachy is gonna come out of this pile, huh!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4EfpMfKlxzxEMJLN4TR7MKFtOmtteK6baHzj4TXIv2k_uvbhSeTki41MbbjWEip3x6xSItnEoC4g83VbNoYqMw4kijFdk6DHaQ9npd9tCUtXjhiPOuQWdP72zkiwSQ4vICJx3myFU_K5/s1600/buttons+09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4EfpMfKlxzxEMJLN4TR7MKFtOmtteK6baHzj4TXIv2k_uvbhSeTki41MbbjWEip3x6xSItnEoC4g83VbNoYqMw4kijFdk6DHaQ9npd9tCUtXjhiPOuQWdP72zkiwSQ4vICJx3myFU_K5/s320/buttons+09.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Holy mother-of-pearl! These could adorn a bride's wrist as she walks down the aisle.</div>
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Pretty in pink!</div>
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Happy National Button Day, friends! Time to get my craft on!</div>
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I'm sharing my button obsession with these beautiful blogs!</div>
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<a href="http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/" target="_blank">C.R.A.F.T. Making Monday Marvelous</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/11/19/made-by-you-monday-128/" target="_blank">Skip to My Lou Made by You Monday </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.kathewithane.com/" target="_blank"> Kathe with an E You're Gonna Love It</a></div>
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<a href="http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/2012/11/live-show-me-what-you-got-tuesdays-at_19.html" target="_blank">Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got</a></div>
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Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-8660851285967984012012-10-31T19:52:00.001-07:002012-11-20T06:43:48.133-08:00Where ya been? Whatcha been doin?I'll probably never be one of those highly successful bloggers with thousands of followers. I should have known when I started this blog back in the beginning of this year that I would have a hard time sustaining a steady blogging or crafting schedule. I don't know how you people do it--posting every day, or even every other day, or even once or twice a week, which now seems completely daunting to me!<br />
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Much like my pool playing, I'm not always a consistent crafter. I tend to craft in spurts. I'll get a jag to do some sewing and then spend a few weeks sewing all kinds of crafty goodness.<br />
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Or I'll get a full head 'o steam about paint projects and start to paint anything that's not tied down.<br />
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Then, I'll suddenly drop painting and start decoupaging and then everybody gets decoupaged presents for Christmas that year.<br />
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But then, just as easily, I'll spend weeks not doing anything the least bit crafty or DIY in nature.<br />
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That's just how I roll. <br />
<br />
And so it goes with the blog too. I've been as consistent with blogging as I have been with my pool playing. Maybe I'm not the compulsive type.<br />
<br />
That being said, although I haven't been blogging a whole lot, I have been busy making jewelry in preparation for three craft shows the next three Saturdays. I'm hoping that you, my trusty followers, will appreciate that sometimes, rather than constantly writing about what we're doing, we have to spend time actually just <em>doing</em> so that we'll have something to write about later.<br />
<br />
So I've been working up new jewelry designs using vintage buttons, shell buttons, vintage brooches and other pieces of old costume jewelry. I've also been using various wire-wrapping techniques.<br />
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I'm having so much fun with the button jewelry pieces particularly. They have that vintage shabby chic somethin-somethin' goin on, dontcha think?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuwEwdXOpIBGeWhdv8CLnC-OMv4GHkg2i1mv-EuSqoG995tIEjCKGj_JuGbECCMvTBwgvh-IrBq9YkbKucIxNNn97ngKSaGnqEDkcO-tSxuZfkLpq-LHgRK0xdip42Eu67Rpogq1dY2rF/s1600/craft+fairs+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuwEwdXOpIBGeWhdv8CLnC-OMv4GHkg2i1mv-EuSqoG995tIEjCKGj_JuGbECCMvTBwgvh-IrBq9YkbKucIxNNn97ngKSaGnqEDkcO-tSxuZfkLpq-LHgRK0xdip42Eu67Rpogq1dY2rF/s400/craft+fairs+02.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vintage mother-of-pearl buttons wired together with glass crystal-studded wires and strung on black silk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDuVl8HGytA149mxh-v0bUWjLna59V1oMEedG2HOkDQn_aJ3KGcGkqrTFR8LVWzX1oijqIL0sLDIR7CsWXdq_aNc2weR-45Z_I1rbm7KXis7R2nk1XyuQ-Kdj6kIkE5a1DyhWtR1ovepY/s1600/craft+fairs+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDuVl8HGytA149mxh-v0bUWjLna59V1oMEedG2HOkDQn_aJ3KGcGkqrTFR8LVWzX1oijqIL0sLDIR7CsWXdq_aNc2weR-45Z_I1rbm7KXis7R2nk1XyuQ-Kdj6kIkE5a1DyhWtR1ovepY/s400/craft+fairs+03.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vintage mother-of-pearl buttons combined with vintage crystals and strung on organza ribbon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEiqFWs5l0qiY-sWVtbfmtq_UlnKqVWCiSb-DFo_NGwDyUrN-XH36RWuIH1P54blsMFaOcbvXt02jRIsBIP9nzH2hJHcCtcnaXfsWdLUqZqiiC7HRkqNyTcHD243xfrY_t8ybEn35KNcS/s1600/craft+fairs+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEiqFWs5l0qiY-sWVtbfmtq_UlnKqVWCiSb-DFo_NGwDyUrN-XH36RWuIH1P54blsMFaOcbvXt02jRIsBIP9nzH2hJHcCtcnaXfsWdLUqZqiiC7HRkqNyTcHD243xfrY_t8ybEn35KNcS/s400/craft+fairs+04.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green glass teardrops wrapped in gold-tone copper wire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPQF1bJV2gBEAU-D4B33eGNPY6tfWIwNXfF6bZviEYIA1QCQTZYWZi7bv0qxjN3q_V53bfrZKW8-9leWUtpAw5IwY5WsCfGOnqjFKs2gPBjxz7Mdyy6Gls9LQzSzB48c0IOJt6wqIV_0b/s1600/craft+fairs+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPQF1bJV2gBEAU-D4B33eGNPY6tfWIwNXfF6bZviEYIA1QCQTZYWZi7bv0qxjN3q_V53bfrZKW8-9leWUtpAw5IwY5WsCfGOnqjFKs2gPBjxz7Mdyy6Gls9LQzSzB48c0IOJt6wqIV_0b/s400/craft+fairs+07.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I call this "crystal chaos" -- little tiny crystals amidst a chaos of wire and a champagne glass pearl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwp8VpGLBRfPL4TyZ2HSAkjeD1WoEx9Sscud-waHWGeF-qyrkawRkSJQbOkXz7cDsXqb9iITz05T3Vm5w3Lk0gjGjDNWsxK3JA_PPCoxQgC8KmY1acx3vxl70bthiXKIo-aU75Ir_9F6WF/s1600/craft+fairs+08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwp8VpGLBRfPL4TyZ2HSAkjeD1WoEx9Sscud-waHWGeF-qyrkawRkSJQbOkXz7cDsXqb9iITz05T3Vm5w3Lk0gjGjDNWsxK3JA_PPCoxQgC8KmY1acx3vxl70bthiXKIo-aU75Ir_9F6WF/s640/craft+fairs+08.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A vintage costume brooch is the focal point of an asymmetrical necklace with smokey grey glass pearls and crackle ceramic beads.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogexHWSu6A5rOQV_ktHn1UilcIajQyBBzXgMFo-12QcMV4sXbymPphyphenhyphen3i4BSC8fN-qzhnzp9hznnwzCGLQf7kynv6M31fjFrLLCZAUMqYqenXdyLJ862FJcSzeVXKwQY-Sn5Pxh3_Q4Gv/s1600/craft+fairs+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogexHWSu6A5rOQV_ktHn1UilcIajQyBBzXgMFo-12QcMV4sXbymPphyphenhyphen3i4BSC8fN-qzhnzp9hznnwzCGLQf7kynv6M31fjFrLLCZAUMqYqenXdyLJ862FJcSzeVXKwQY-Sn5Pxh3_Q4Gv/s400/craft+fairs+13.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vintage chandelier crystal dangles from multi-colored glass pearls strung on organza ribbon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_k4FVDFwnbEquYZGo0r99uxVxQ1FcNd7BFxu6ZQpCcR0tTNPTlDE0Cs6VCq83km3VWR3DjQTjiEbIDs_n3guA5-oSQnQdkAwRIy4BlpTL9TpnErtaulcE5lCaC-DO1c4YJ1hMrMQ6CVKo/s1600/craft+fairs+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_k4FVDFwnbEquYZGo0r99uxVxQ1FcNd7BFxu6ZQpCcR0tTNPTlDE0Cs6VCq83km3VWR3DjQTjiEbIDs_n3guA5-oSQnQdkAwRIy4BlpTL9TpnErtaulcE5lCaC-DO1c4YJ1hMrMQ6CVKo/s400/craft+fairs+11.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My love of the spiral design continues with these simple wire earrings. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HBFCc6T5sWLAeqLBVr4vhcp0gPIl29PTBJHBadqQytuK27HM_Py7scpjdM0hWKT_MC8RTWJtM4z6-Vk2lekSAEImsHRSg9Qq9PSjfZYIMIfFa3HjW9RGiRAHfynEsSh_k6ZXRRCnejhQ/s1600/craft+fairs+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HBFCc6T5sWLAeqLBVr4vhcp0gPIl29PTBJHBadqQytuK27HM_Py7scpjdM0hWKT_MC8RTWJtM4z6-Vk2lekSAEImsHRSg9Qq9PSjfZYIMIfFa3HjW9RGiRAHfynEsSh_k6ZXRRCnejhQ/s400/craft+fairs+14.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More wire wrapped around Czech glass crystals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdI5lFnal0ZFz0Bx63cxMwPgej_Qd1tFYHB-F8ZhyphenhyphencdX8u67alu5I0T-YiDHckJ7dJqNh6Ayu1Qx_7dQtwdyZwx5YV8SpL7tQjy8IfssaGF-GKHYjfRPoNo8qNZcX1unQc3quSKCSjqYt/s1600/craft+fairs+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdI5lFnal0ZFz0Bx63cxMwPgej_Qd1tFYHB-F8ZhyphenhyphencdX8u67alu5I0T-YiDHckJ7dJqNh6Ayu1Qx_7dQtwdyZwx5YV8SpL7tQjy8IfssaGF-GKHYjfRPoNo8qNZcX1unQc3quSKCSjqYt/s640/craft+fairs+06.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink-coated copper wire wrapped around rose quarts stones. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thanks for taking a look. <br />
<br />
If you LIKE Crazy Thrifty Crafts on Facebook, then you can keep up to date on my Craft Fair schedule, in case you desperately need to purchase some of my jewelry.<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
<br />
I'm trick-or-treating at the following houses:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/" target="_blank">Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2012/10/transformation-thursday-no-176.html" target="_blank">Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.primpjunktion.com/" target="_blank">PRIMP Primp Your Stuff Wednesday</a><br />
<a href="http://madeinaday.com/" target="_blank">Made In a Day Made You Look Linky</a><br />
<a href="http://fullcirclecreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Full Circle Creations All Star Block Party</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/" target="_blank">My Repurposed Life Catch As Catch Can</a><br />
<a href="http://www.504main.com/" target="_blank">504 Main Tickled Pink</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kammyskorner.com/" target="_blank">Kammy's Korner Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-80589082404894284192012-10-07T17:26:00.002-07:002012-10-10T06:14:15.132-07:00Shut the front door!It's suddenly kinda cold around here.<br />
<br />
So I figured I'd boil up some sugar and dunk some fresh Ohio apples in it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykuCK4rl5Euxty-hlIM5i7mrapTYtmi3bg3Z7H_mpkXEKfycgXIizpPyVHcwUVr1Vg1uYYS8J02_2FZuKmz8S64x5AnJXPOx9X_ReMSKtlYt7_lj2DoqZ5ysbNZm5TP-1foA-9d3DbsQV/s1600/caramel+apples+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykuCK4rl5Euxty-hlIM5i7mrapTYtmi3bg3Z7H_mpkXEKfycgXIizpPyVHcwUVr1Vg1uYYS8J02_2FZuKmz8S64x5AnJXPOx9X_ReMSKtlYt7_lj2DoqZ5ysbNZm5TP-1foA-9d3DbsQV/s400/caramel+apples+02.JPG" width="400" /></a>Oh yeah, I'm talkin' about boilin' down that sugar til it's golden, stirring for what seems like hours, watchin' the red line in the candy thermometer slowly crawl up to the magic number. <br />
<br />
HOMEMADE CARAMEL APPLES, BABY! <br />
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This isn't my recipe. It comes from <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/caramel-apples-10000002012809/" target="_blank">Cooking Light Magazine</a>. I'm a big fan of Cooking Light. I particularly like to buy the books they publish at the end of the year with the whole year's worth of recipes and NO ADS. Each one has an index so you can search by type of food or ingredient. <br />
<br />
<span itemprop="published">A link to the recipe is <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/caramel-apples-10000002012809/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span itemprop="published"></span><br />
<span itemprop="published">Here's what you need to know about this recipe that is not mentioned in the instructions.</span><br />
<span itemprop="published"></span><br />
<span itemprop="published">Use a good heavy-bottom or anodized aluminum pan, something that conducts heat well and evenly. Sugar and cream can burn or over flow easily. The heavy pan will help you manage the process. But importantly, DON'T WALK AWAY FROM THIS while it's boiling.</span><br />
<span itemprop="published"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtBLSkp6lX8F6cMEP9QMcUlPxjXC74tDMiiyW_zGKB99f-0IdNGZcq40J0cEL-KYWfjsIHn-kKkhn6Uh3EnlLiGzgushuM7O5aaXfZh_EArnAPfAkV7m1xN2iPCVqqI3tZwtWbyzFvXTz/s1600/caramel+apples+04-crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtBLSkp6lX8F6cMEP9QMcUlPxjXC74tDMiiyW_zGKB99f-0IdNGZcq40J0cEL-KYWfjsIHn-kKkhn6Uh3EnlLiGzgushuM7O5aaXfZh_EArnAPfAkV7m1xN2iPCVqqI3tZwtWbyzFvXTz/s400/caramel+apples+04-crop.JPG" width="400" /></a><span itemprop="published">If you are not an experienced candy-maker--and I am not--you'll need every ounce of patience you can muster. Once the sugar and cream mixture gets to a certain temperature, the rise in temperature slows down considerably. What the recipe says takes about 45 minutes actually took more than an hour. And at some point you might be saying to yourself, "For cryin' out loud this is never going to get to 235 degrees!"</span><br />
<span itemprop="published"></span><br />
<span itemprop="published">But it will, it will. You just have to be patient. Don't turn up the heat to try to speed up the process. My electric burner was only on "3" at the end boiling stage, maintaining a good rolling boil, requiring moderate stirring, not boiling over, but eventually reaching that thick consistency we all know an love.</span><br />
<span itemprop="published"></span><br />
<span itemprop="published">Then as soon as it reached 235 degrees Fahrenheit, I transferred it to my old aluminum double boiler because it's narrow and deep and it worked great for dipping the apples.</span><br />
<span itemprop="published"></span><br />
<span itemprop="published">The recipe said it would do 16 small apples. It did 10 medium size apples. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9ygaww4qAmlKtiJmkayQApO1FCaeV_BKsDid5jCnKKIYIhovRvtX9SkqLXjf7KHfgiEq1vvW2bBOwS9Far7D9ufkLAKve4_4spcgULKv6NzQOOwrC8CBb3WiZ6_xGS5FUMhG6o_Lh3T6/s1600/caramel+apples+05-crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9ygaww4qAmlKtiJmkayQApO1FCaeV_BKsDid5jCnKKIYIhovRvtX9SkqLXjf7KHfgiEq1vvW2bBOwS9Far7D9ufkLAKve4_4spcgULKv6NzQOOwrC8CBb3WiZ6_xGS5FUMhG6o_Lh3T6/s640/caramel+apples+05-crop.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span itemprop="published"></span><br />
<span itemprop="published">I chopped up peanuts, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips to dip them in. I dipped some in one topping, and I dipped a few in all three toppings. Of course the fatty toppings make up for the fact that it's a low fat Cooking Light recipe. As I think I've mentioned, I live to eat!</span><br />
<br />
I'm falling down drunk at the following parties:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://debbie-debbiedoos.com/time-to-party-again-newbie-party.html" target="_blank">Debbiedoo's Newbie Party</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theironstonenest.com/" target="_blank">Ironstone Nest Transformation Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got</a><br />
<a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/10/08/made-by-you-monday-122/" target="_blank">Skip to My Lou Made by You Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://crazythriftycrafts.blogspot.com/2012/10/shut-front-door.html" target="_blank">The Dedicated House Make it Pretty Monday</a><br />
Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-74278680400465945882012-10-06T14:54:00.001-07:002012-10-06T16:26:01.452-07:00Success at the Rural Society Antique Show <div>
Now what will this crazy thrifty crafter do with this banged-up setee?<br />
I'm thinking RED. <br />
Any thoughts?<br />
Stay tuned. <br />
<br />
<img height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJv6iIxlGzaKlICDb4XFGHzSkDBNFXAY_rpdUIyKh7Fgue51WbAbJI06nkrLCezsXmpaFvz2-yRjPUbwscT6sMjngfREA8kU5SXtYkO_NwMrB42a1LRzBuP5t05UQLUwb7Z13TtecGMgis/" width="400" /></div>
Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-21831464086973646732012-09-28T09:36:00.000-07:002012-10-09T19:03:23.246-07:00An endless summer and homemade granola recipeSo, I really wasn't ready for summer to end. I'm still gazing longingly at pictures I took over the summer, still wearing my Keens, still have my summer dresses out, even though it's clearly too cold for them. <br />
<br />
These are the things I am missing most:<br />
<br />
The rush of adrenaline when the frigid waters of the north Atlantic hit my chest as I plunge into a wave on a sunny afternoon . . . <br />
<br />
Watching my dog, happily off-leash, leading the way down a sunny path alongside blackberry brambles and stone fences . . . <br />
<br />
The smells and tastes of a meal prepared in the company of loving friends. <br />
<br />
And last, but certainly not least, MABEL'S HOMEMADE GRANOLA!<br />
<br />
Diane made homemade granola at the restaurant and whenever the new bananas came in, I'd fix myself a bowl of yogurt with a big helping of homemade granola, topped with fresh slices of banana.<br />
<br />
<strong>Ahhhhh, HOMEMADE GRANOLA!! </strong><strong>Crunchy, fruity, with good grains and nuts, some sweetness, some cinnamon.</strong> <br />
<br />
Now even though I lost weight this summer, I can't credit the homemade granola for that, because, as Diane says, there's nothing really lowfat about Mabel's homemade granola. <br />
<br />
There are lots of ways to make granola, lots of different ingredients you can include, depending on your tastes. Mabel's granola has almonds, bran cereal and honey. I started experimenting with making my own, using what ingredients I have on hand at my house. Here's what I came up with.<br />
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3 to 4 cups of rolled oats<br />
2 cups chopped walnuts (good fat)<br />
1/4 cup flax seed (good fat)<br />
1/3 cup wheat germ<br />
1/4 cup packed brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup blue agave nectar (you can use honey if you prefer)<br />
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted (bad fat, but trust me, your granola will suck without it)<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp. salt (because anything sweet needs salt)<br />
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Combine all of these ingredients in a big bowl and toss them well.<br />
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Some of these measurements are approximate. You need to taste your granola before you put it in the oven. Is it sweet enough for you? Maybe start with less sugar if you don't like it sweet. As my friend Jim said when he watched me make this, "I see," he said, "you just want oatmeal cookies for breakfast." Duh. <br />
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Spread the mixture across several cookie sheets. You don't want it piled too high because you want it all to be exposed to the heat.<br />
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Put it in a 350 degree oven and set the timer for 5 minutes. After five minutes, stir it up. You'll be stirring it up every two minutes after that. VERY IMPORTANT: After the first five minutes, just KEEP AN EYE ON IT. Because there's butter on it, it's like a cookie, IT CAN OVERCOOK AND BURN VERY QUICKLY! So keep an eye out, and the minute it starts to get a little brown around the edges after a couple turns, it's done. <br />
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Take it out, let it cool a minute or two, then toss in some dried fruit. I used both golden raisins and dark raisins. You can use dried cranberries, banana chips, dates, whatever. <br />
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You can see that there is only a slight color difference between the uncooked granola and the cooked granola. I don't like to completely toast it because then it's too crunchy. You want it to have a little of that toasted flavor but still have some moisture in the grains.<br />
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This is the way I like it for breakfast or even a late night snack. A bowl of vanilla yogurt, homemade granola, topped with fresh banana, and a side of homemade zucchini bread slathered with--you guessed it--butter! <br />
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YUM!<br />
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<br />
I'm partying with some sassy bloggers at:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/" target="_blank">My Repurposed Life Catch As Catch Can</a><br />
<a href="http://www.504main.com/" target="_blank">504 Main Tickled Pink</a><br />
<a href="http://daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Days of Chalk and Chocolate Friday Linky Party</a><br />
Full Circle Creations All Star Block Party<br />
<a href="http://debbie-debbiedoos.com/time-to-party-again-newbie-party.html" target="_blank">Debbiedoo's Newbie Party</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theironstonenest.com/" target="_blank">Ironstone Nest Tuesday Transformation</a><br />
<a href="http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got</a><br />
<a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/10/08/made-by-you-monday-122/" target="_blank">Skip to My Lou Made By You Monday</a><br />
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<br />Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-37905959270049737572012-09-17T06:55:00.003-07:002012-09-20T05:41:49.212-07:00Eat to live, don't live to eat!I spent a good part of my summer with my dear friends Donn and Diane, who run a restaurant called Mabel's on Block Island. Diane said they could use a hand in the restaurant Wednesday and Saturday mornings doing food prep, but I would have to be there by 6 a.m. Believe it or not, my customarily up-at-7-or-8-am-ass said, "Okay!"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Old Harbor, Block Island from Mabel's patio. Tough gig, huh.</td></tr>
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BONUS: Driving in to town before most vacationers were even out of bed as the sun was rising over Old Harbor, sipping tea and puttsing (yes, I said "puttsing") around the kitchen before all the crazies want breakfast is a pretty sweet way to start any day in paradise.<br />
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My standard duties on Wednesdays and Saturdays were to make a frittata of my choice, prep fruit for fruit salad, then "sugar" the donuts, which meant to take the fresh donuts (READ: FRESH DONUTS!!!!), after they had come out of the fryer, and dip them in one of three sugars: cinnamon sugar, plain sugar, powdered sugar. Tough gig, huh.<br />
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One day, I told Diane I wanted to make lobster quiche for the restaurant. After studying countless recipes for lobster quiche, I decided this quiche would be a lobster and crab quiche with corn and fresh basil. <br />
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My recipe is based on several that I looked at, but most of them tried to take the fat out of the recipe. Yikes! A real French quiche has heavy cream, people! It is not made with SKIM FRIGGIN' MILK! Okay, well maybe half-n-half instead of heavy cream cuz that's what the restaurant has in abundance on hand. <br />
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The real lump crab meat definitely takes this recipe up a notch. Rich yet delicate, with a little sweetness from the corn, big flavor from the fresh basil, you will want to eat half the pie! I guarantee it!<br />
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We made six quiches for the restaurant so I tried to break down the recipe to show what you need for just one quiche.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lobster and Crab Quiche</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1-Hw7CY5zhQrAbCzkzYqfTebjd_q0QdtMCKQLK39lWSjNVO78k8LV_l0eSusXmCueRckf-2A3qcrQmKeeDgvUG4mCbClB3vqu5-a4_dJ7DLWN8BJGE5QBBI56gZ03eXesFg5fsYY5UPU/s1600/summer+vaca+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1-Hw7CY5zhQrAbCzkzYqfTebjd_q0QdtMCKQLK39lWSjNVO78k8LV_l0eSusXmCueRckf-2A3qcrQmKeeDgvUG4mCbClB3vqu5-a4_dJ7DLWN8BJGE5QBBI56gZ03eXesFg5fsYY5UPU/s400/summer+vaca+07.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<ul>
<li>1 cup cooked lobster meat, pulled apart and shredded</li>
<li>1/3 to 1/2 cup cooked real lump crab meat, pulled apart</li>
<li>fresh corn cut off one cob (when it's summer you have no excuse for not using fresh)</li>
<li>1/2 sweet onion, chopped and sauteed (you could use leeks or shallots if you haven't spent your wad on lobster and crab meat)</li>
<li>fresh basil leaves, roughly 7-10 large leaves, chiffonade</li>
<li>4 large eggs</li>
<li>1 cup of half-n-half</li>
<li>nutmeg (because anything with egg needs a hint of nutmeg)</li>
<li>salt</li>
<li>pepper</li>
<li>mild white cheddar cheese, shredded</li>
</ul>
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First, MAKE A PIE CRUST. Don't be lazy. Don't buy one. It's not that hard. Don't argue with me, JUST DO IT! <br />
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Pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes and then let it cool I can't tell you what a difference it makes to pre-bake and cool a crust for quiche. It will make the crust of your quiche light, flaky and delicate, even though it will be soaking in creamy eggs for a time before the quiche gets cooked through.<br />
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Toss together in a large bowl the lobster and crab meat, sauteed onion, fresh corn, and basil. Sprinkle with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Dump the mixture into the pie crust. <br />
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I am estimating 4 large eggs, but it will depend on how big your pie pan is and how tall you build up the sides of your crust. It might take 5 eggs. So if you dump your egg mixture in and it is not completely full, crack another egg, help it along with some half-n-half, and keep filling up that pie crust til it's brimming. <br />
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Sprinkle with shredded cheese all over the top. A little more nutmeg wouldn't hurt either.<br />
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Bake at 350 degrees F until it is golden brown on the top and it stops "jiggling." It will take some time. Probably 50 minutes. I don't walk away from things cooking in the oven. I prefer this method over using timers. But if you insist on using a timer, set it for 45 minutes and then start checking. It will probably take less time in a convection oven.<br />
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We served it with a couple slices of watermelon and one of Diane's famous muffins.<br />
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Chef's note: You can seduce a fisherman with this quiche. <br />
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I'm mixin' margaritas at the following fiestas:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Boogie Board Cotttage Masterpiece Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://debbie-debbiedoos.com/fall-tablescapes.html" target="_blank">Debbiedoo's Newbie Linky Party</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theironstonenest.com/" target="_blank">The Ironstone Nest Transformation Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://madeinaday.com/" target="_blank">Made in a Day Made U Look Linky</a><br />
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<br />
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<br />
<br />Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-21008541364180103192012-09-11T14:31:00.000-07:002012-09-11T14:31:46.533-07:00Alot to be grateful forYou know how at the beginning of the school year teachers often ask students to write about what they did over the summer?<br />
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Well, I could write a dissertation about my summer and how fabulous it has been. I could write extensively about reconnecting with old friends, about how I learned new ways of eating fish and how I explored parts of Block Island I hadn't known before, even though I lived there for several years. <br />
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I could write all that, but the fact is, I just got home, <span style="font-size: large;">my house is a total wreck inside and out</span> from being away for an extended period of time, and <span style="font-size: large;">I have guests coming to spend the night in less than two weeks!</span><br />
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So for now, here's a list and a few choice pics of the things I did on my summer vacation.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset beach party with the Gutierrez family.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Reconnect with old friends.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Eat fish that was caught the same day and cooked over an open fire.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Realize that my dog, Daisy, is probably the best dog ever in the history of dogs.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Camp in the Adirondacks and the Poconos.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Eat sashimi tuna caught that morning.</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbkaNP2x_523T6POSn-IgsWnEHk1e4WqZesFjTCZwQnbVSucP4bD9iFq8Rv34UA4ymvMJCmJ_ObHRB4VrEucBK5qURG2tqSspsugt5jYtAWuaXRIcrBDyppIpmvuQND7IWXjXGZCWMfdh/s1600/summer+vaca+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: blue;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbkaNP2x_523T6POSn-IgsWnEHk1e4WqZesFjTCZwQnbVSucP4bD9iFq8Rv34UA4ymvMJCmJ_ObHRB4VrEucBK5qURG2tqSspsugt5jYtAWuaXRIcrBDyppIpmvuQND7IWXjXGZCWMfdh/s400/summer+vaca+02.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Crescent Beach, Block Island, RI, where I spent a good amount of my time.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Dance . . . on the beach!</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Swim in the ocean.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4LkHVawjVJBrceNVlceRf4E6wuQLnQjyGBbjm7SP-O8Wflb3ys2bdTCsxWQMRheZr_MTlw8pkgs0xeIDlDpuI02VtqpMNP06CtL-LEqXvJeYN0MV4ERVPO0QYT_WSHsqr4WmBtFmlkHX/s320/summer+vaca+paddleboard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That would be me on a paddleboard.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4LkHVawjVJBrceNVlceRf4E6wuQLnQjyGBbjm7SP-O8Wflb3ys2bdTCsxWQMRheZr_MTlw8pkgs0xeIDlDpuI02VtqpMNP06CtL-LEqXvJeYN0MV4ERVPO0QYT_WSHsqr4WmBtFmlkHX/s1600/summer+vaca+paddleboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: blue;"></span></a><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em> Relax.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em> </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Walk the beach.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Hike nature trails.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em> </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Kayak.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em> </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Paddleboard.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Sing.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Play piano.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Meet new people.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Make new jewelry.</em></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJucxPJu81BvJYXYqAd_tl4FRDEIO_sc3xlDd6Yay7liH6Ht8mcEKfc9Mf9R_fVdUQhWpeCWMRIDrsR0B-cqKuGWRtSBv0IX3kxM-R076wMZ7Y0XCVkeLPsiXwDCy_hc8JyBdxY-84rscm/s1600/summer+vaca+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: blue;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJucxPJu81BvJYXYqAd_tl4FRDEIO_sc3xlDd6Yay7liH6Ht8mcEKfc9Mf9R_fVdUQhWpeCWMRIDrsR0B-cqKuGWRtSBv0IX3kxM-R076wMZ7Y0XCVkeLPsiXwDCy_hc8JyBdxY-84rscm/s640/summer+vaca+04.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Morning view of Lake Eaton from my campsite in the Adirondacks.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Swim in freshwater ponds and lakes.</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Cook and bake.</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3wXxkf4AriN8J3Pl8uM5pH7dALZuLnrKnv8ARwj6szKHRt2p3yoTQzbUiyBdYT6VFCvKLkqq8clViQab0t8I6Um-axzZDtYt_Cu_tM6Ehxc5MmqlKH4m3q1F1SKEJfs5zG10AxHYpA9V/s1600/summer+vaca+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: blue;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3wXxkf4AriN8J3Pl8uM5pH7dALZuLnrKnv8ARwj6szKHRt2p3yoTQzbUiyBdYT6VFCvKLkqq8clViQab0t8I6Um-axzZDtYt_Cu_tM6Ehxc5MmqlKH4m3q1F1SKEJfs5zG10AxHYpA9V/s400/summer+vaca+01.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Lobster, crab, corn and fresh basil quiche--recipe will be in separate post.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue;"></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Eat homegrown tomatoes.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Buy new dresses.</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Eat lots of ice cream.</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">I am a grateful girl!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br /></div>
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<br />Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-50409807465733557012012-08-09T06:20:00.002-07:002012-08-09T06:20:16.115-07:00Any Press Is Good PressI may be basking in the sun on the beach, but I'm also basking in the limelight.<br />
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By day I'm mild-mannered but crazy blogger, Peggy M. who is crafting and re-decorating her way through life. By night, I'm Maggie Mae, crazy jewelry-maker who is starting to let go of a few pieces by selling them to unwitting consumers who are crazy enough to like her designs.<br />
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Check out the <a href="http://block-island.villagesoup.com/business/story/market-vignettes-maggie-mae-designs-dons-empanadas/869861" target="_blank">link below</a> to the local rag on Block Island. It's a little article about <em>yours truly</em> selling a few baubles at the local farmers' market (wait . . . is that old-lady-under-arm-fat?! Makeup!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUjwpjC7XYO-CvF5j-h7OyEiAd2_3zd-jf8Pwh3MLvFQNWzJEqRgKgpbPNCFeyUT0cXyEEiskJggVyKza8ZcVF87oHNA6cV9Ye56WtT6uLSdEuBtEevi3enmC0HYwy1d6NYlhVuXdnozx/s1600/t300-maggiemecklingbyMB-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUjwpjC7XYO-CvF5j-h7OyEiAd2_3zd-jf8Pwh3MLvFQNWzJEqRgKgpbPNCFeyUT0cXyEEiskJggVyKza8ZcVF87oHNA6cV9Ye56WtT6uLSdEuBtEevi3enmC0HYwy1d6NYlhVuXdnozx/s1600/t300-maggiemecklingbyMB-crop.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://block-island.villagesoup.com/p/869861#.UCO0DXUnOlw.blogger">Market vignettes: Maggie Mae Designs, Don's empanadas</a></div>Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-41867148827262357092012-08-05T06:51:00.000-07:002012-08-09T05:51:17.415-07:00Reporting from the beachMy goal for the summer was to come out to Block Island, help my friends with their B&B, sell a little jewelry and get lots of pictures taken, blogs written and posted, web pages composed, etc.<br />
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My other goal was to surpass 100 blog members and see the last of my Newbie Linky Parties at Debbiedoo's by the end of July.<br />
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Well, I'm definitely a little late getting to 100 blog members, I haven't posted since early July, and my friends have complained that I haven't even posted pics of the island on Facebook.<br />
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I have only one defense.<br />
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I'M AT THE BEACH!!!! <br />
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If you are one of my landlocked friends, consider this your "rubbing-it-in-your-face" moment.<br />
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But I've been busy too. I have graciously accepted my friend Diane's challenge to incorporate pieces of her Aunt Helen's costume jewelry into my jewelry. This box of sparkly treasures has been a ton of fun to clean and sift through. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuIHwBvG2XBJf10044fV35oYco3dK8zNFimNd-UT7PkqPUW5JXURB8ElIm3o12Cy_Y1En2TUor9muiOaXFCaiUHOftYdODxZy11AwrnrmKAQcxqOPVB-yP9Q3u1ywslgUGT9JeQQ1blSJ/s1600/vintage+necklace+08-crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuIHwBvG2XBJf10044fV35oYco3dK8zNFimNd-UT7PkqPUW5JXURB8ElIm3o12Cy_Y1En2TUor9muiOaXFCaiUHOftYdODxZy11AwrnrmKAQcxqOPVB-yP9Q3u1ywslgUGT9JeQQ1blSJ/s400/vintage+necklace+08-crop.JPG" width="377" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR_zpO5dVsQT1npyKYGD1DEw-2eHgDYsn22LpCY77Eu3v2FbVJcA2f3gHCM4CtI8IHcFcRjIMWDKpjgoKyVLfMJ9TfZ9AzBth7C9Y6M53Uup0IbnXW51GddUE5iGMJ4DgyMUI865B2spx/s1600/vintage+necklace+09-crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR_zpO5dVsQT1npyKYGD1DEw-2eHgDYsn22LpCY77Eu3v2FbVJcA2f3gHCM4CtI8IHcFcRjIMWDKpjgoKyVLfMJ9TfZ9AzBth7C9Y6M53Uup0IbnXW51GddUE5iGMJ4DgyMUI865B2spx/s320/vintage+necklace+09-crop.JPG" width="252" /></a></div>
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A beautiful fish brooch loaded with marcasite adorns an asymmetrical piece with contemporary matte finish glass pearls and silver chains.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBl3H7DhEp_1yDA5MRvOPp7NCWVQZNwfpTXdjU6UDeKMELN19iF3-yYwQDZrzg42fpZqrIDN-3NiAP4noRxqCpm707FFhJxc0ya0kSajvQwLWyW_iOgMu5z2eGUEHZhy4xCPJXQUVAp-m/s1600/vintage+necklace+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBl3H7DhEp_1yDA5MRvOPp7NCWVQZNwfpTXdjU6UDeKMELN19iF3-yYwQDZrzg42fpZqrIDN-3NiAP4noRxqCpm707FFhJxc0ya0kSajvQwLWyW_iOgMu5z2eGUEHZhy4xCPJXQUVAp-m/s400/vintage+necklace+02.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEEhWRFrYHcbzbpM-rLs78-twLVAhnKciVucjrxuiCYd5MrSHo32qfU3bc1-lz7drg_SlyQ5AtDTILJB4uY2aoR1b_ztZ3RPPQJHY-aomZXKZoQasmmLoNBTZL9KXz7I8hM8ChzUE2QI0/s1600/vintage+necklace+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEEhWRFrYHcbzbpM-rLs78-twLVAhnKciVucjrxuiCYd5MrSHo32qfU3bc1-lz7drg_SlyQ5AtDTILJB4uY2aoR1b_ztZ3RPPQJHY-aomZXKZoQasmmLoNBTZL9KXz7I8hM8ChzUE2QI0/s400/vintage+necklace+04.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Sparkly little earrings that have lost their mates hang from vintage chains to become dainty necklaces.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKOVMSEKeggRyYa-JO8aKdvmLFi0_Tu_LdpMP5jkU8XA-nGfpVhyblDKj5yH-RByQ2Sy-VKacKMPC2ZVC9WvXrUu7BCYuPftoNDQZrejChmA4D5skTlrlMqCfwws-81PSe0qeHva67M437/s1600/vintage+necklace+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKOVMSEKeggRyYa-JO8aKdvmLFi0_Tu_LdpMP5jkU8XA-nGfpVhyblDKj5yH-RByQ2Sy-VKacKMPC2ZVC9WvXrUu7BCYuPftoNDQZrejChmA4D5skTlrlMqCfwws-81PSe0qeHva67M437/s400/vintage+necklace+07.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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A seemingly gaudy earring from the 50s or 60s becomes the centerpiece of an ornate necklace surrounded by contemporary glass beads.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntFgnYKdLfkZEWHceqpt850qEFe1DWTrwgxa_kDr6RQStyWdcMCOm1CfhxnBSBeSdyEXDQ3mSud6pGiVYZP-zVxBcxDjF6FP28vxANwYgj_yTqUlCh7EJcKG7kc9WtshIbEivsdkHjIvj/s1600/vintage+necklace+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntFgnYKdLfkZEWHceqpt850qEFe1DWTrwgxa_kDr6RQStyWdcMCOm1CfhxnBSBeSdyEXDQ3mSud6pGiVYZP-zVxBcxDjF6FP28vxANwYgj_yTqUlCh7EJcKG7kc9WtshIbEivsdkHjIvj/s400/vintage+necklace+01.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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A 70s copper choker collar (real copper, so not for the dainty or faint of heart) gets combined with glass crystals and simple chains.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9BHH02Atl6qpm7Y74sNHqRiX8m4na4rkyC7oXSS5epVc_3MAFyoKvuNAzy_x77l1ck0lOmrtVjM3vyf-PjwseVp-jF0ZITw8SDtm0DnKV1gICQgAzWwtnWIH5Ej7jYUTodmbl_4KVrSm/s1600/vintage+necklace+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9BHH02Atl6qpm7Y74sNHqRiX8m4na4rkyC7oXSS5epVc_3MAFyoKvuNAzy_x77l1ck0lOmrtVjM3vyf-PjwseVp-jF0ZITw8SDtm0DnKV1gICQgAzWwtnWIH5Ej7jYUTodmbl_4KVrSm/s640/vintage+necklace+05.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I'm also finally using those vintage crystal chandelier pieces that I picked up in a Newport, RI antique store. </div>
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So with this post, I say goodbye to the unofficial official designation of newbie blogger and become "just another one of the guys" in this vast world of crafty bloggers. I hope you'll still come visit me from time to time. And I promise I'll do better at keeping in touch once I'm not distracted by the beach that daily calls my name. <br />
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I'm partying on the beach and at these fabulous sites:<br />
<a href="http://sunnysimplelife.blogspot.com/2012/08/sunny-simple-sunday-9.html" target="_blank">Sunny Simple Life Simple Sundays</a><br />
<a href="http://singingthreelittlebirds.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Singing Three Little Birds Inspire Me Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got</a><br />
<a href="http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://debbie-debbiedoos.com/vintage-wedding-theme.html" target="_blank">Debbiedoo's Newbie Linky Party</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theironstonenest.com/2012/08/transformation-tuesday-link-party.html" target="_blank">The Ironstone Nest Transformation Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://beezrentaldesigns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Beez Rental Designs Frugal Treasures Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Saavy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday</a><br />
<a href="http://fullcirclecreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Full Circle Creations All Star Block Party</a><br />
<a href="http://www.primpjunktion.com/" target="_blank">Primp Your Stuff Wednesday Linky Party</a><br />
<a href="http://madeinaday.com/" target="_blank">Made In A Day Made You Look Linky</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2012/08/transformation-thursday-no-164.html" target="_blank">The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday</a><br />
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<br /></div>Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-46238262046478099812012-07-24T13:09:00.000-07:002012-07-24T13:09:36.197-07:00How We LoveAlthough I'm not there this summer, my <a href="http://www.harmonyproject.com/" target="_blank">Harmony Project</a> family has just finished putting on an amazing concert celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of our town, Columbus, Ohio. One of the highlights of that concert was the choir's performance of Beth Nielsen Chapman's amazing song called "How We Love" which she herself had debuted on the stage with the Harmony Project the year prior.<br />
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Beth Nielsen Chapman, singer and extraordinary songwriter responsible
for hits like "This Kiss" and many others, is a friend of the director
of the The Harmony Project.<br />
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In the wake of the tragedy in Aurora, The Harmony Project, along with the consent of Ms. Chapman, decided that the choir's mission to sing, serve, and share, could be demonstrated by making a recording of Beth's song and offering it for download on the internet for $1, with all proceeds going to the victims in Aurora.<br />
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Please help us show Aurora how we love them by clicking on the link below to view the YouTube video, then following the link to the <a href="http://www.harmonyproject.com/articles/how-we-love/menu-id-378.html" target="_blank">Harmony Project </a>website and downloading this beautiful song. For a mere $1, you can help us show Aurora that the world cares about them and wants to help them begin the healing process.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ncA9bh64wi8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Don't forget, view the YouTube video AND <a href="http://www.harmonyproject.com/articles/how-we-love/menu-id-378.html" target="_blank">download the song for $1</a> to help the victims in Aurora.<br />
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Thank you. And thank you, Harmony Project. I could not be prouder to be a part of such a wonderful organization.Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-83786426613377815292012-07-19T15:13:00.000-07:002012-07-19T15:13:18.946-07:00I was featured!<div align="center">
Thank you, Lovely Mrs. P, for featuring my bleach pen craft tutorial this week on your linky party.<br />
I am very humbled and grateful.<br />
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<a href="http://madeinaday.com/" title="made in a day"><img alt="made in a day" src="http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j403/madeinaday/jute123322.jpg" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></div>Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3639672379499089880.post-90651209920068887852012-07-09T06:12:00.000-07:002012-07-13T06:07:57.434-07:00Was that a bird?Additional musings about my particular crazy crafting style . . . while I show off my <strong><span style="font-size: large;">bleach pen project.</span></strong><br />
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I like to have many different projects going on because lots of different kinds of things interest me and I don't like to be bored. As such, it doesn't bother me to go from one thing to the next fairly quickly. Like, how I am in the middle of cleaning my house and I get a hair up my butt about trying these Clorox bleach pen t-shirt graphics.<br />
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However, because I have so many projects going on all the time, I often think I need more focus in order to follow through on any given task. Such thoughts lead to spurts of motivation in which I make lists (as you've seen from a previous post), prioritize my projects, and clean and organize work areas. <br />
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These efforts lead to very clear-headed and decisive thinking in which I plan, for instance, exactly how many necklaces I'm going to make and exactly what they will look like, which beads to use, what findings, what the color schemes will be, etc.<br />
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Then the day comes to make the necklaces and <i>something happens</i>. <br />
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No, on second thought, not just <i>something</i>, but <i>lots of things happen</i>. <br />
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For instance, I put the beads together that I had planned on using and decide suddenly that the whole idea sucks and I need to re-work it. So I go in a totally different direction after spending all that time planning.<br />
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Or, halfway through the necklace I get an idea about some earrings to make and I stop to make them instead of finishing the necklace.<br />
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Or, before I even start the necklace I had planned on making, another completely different idea pops into my head because I'm thinking of someone in particular and designing with that person in mind.<br />
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These shirts were made while I was supposed to be cleaning my house, packing, and preparing to leave for my 2-month stay on Block Island. I had seen this idea on Pinterest from <a href="http://www.thenextbird.com/" target="_blank">The Next Bird</a> and I'd been wanting to try it for some time. She revitalized stained clothing by creating a graphic to cover the stain using a Clorox bleach gel pen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2RmhdK7t1kG3-M3jxetrAVsgAM_IZOj19_-9Mc4sm3681yf-CWNUD5FZNPDCfRVPBI3xkgfIFdmtiFbyfUoKwp5-nJWWmqobuEqQcIdzsf6xDiFEr05kvmNlMYZel2KxB841NguXHT2S/s1600/bleach+pen+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2RmhdK7t1kG3-M3jxetrAVsgAM_IZOj19_-9Mc4sm3681yf-CWNUD5FZNPDCfRVPBI3xkgfIFdmtiFbyfUoKwp5-nJWWmqobuEqQcIdzsf6xDiFEr05kvmNlMYZel2KxB841NguXHT2S/s640/bleach+pen+11.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK3KvTKKKFV2F31PVw9bdI8bIQbMhqIzV0ehqWr9csn4zYUVCwLkl65ClmBGcx1otQZsttI1PGkKhF4ksytE2tHH0v6rmOSyv9Aqhuuln2yUvsRTJciFksDrOoJloDJ8HJ4PyTunXve_F/s1600/bleach+pen+09-crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK3KvTKKKFV2F31PVw9bdI8bIQbMhqIzV0ehqWr9csn4zYUVCwLkl65ClmBGcx1otQZsttI1PGkKhF4ksytE2tHH0v6rmOSyv9Aqhuuln2yUvsRTJciFksDrOoJloDJ8HJ4PyTunXve_F/s400/bleach+pen+09-crop.JPG" width="310" /></a>The shirts I used had stains on them also. One was a bleach stain, the other were various stains because I'm a sloppy eater with big boobs and food just tends to land there. But these were favored shirts and I didn't want to get rid of them. <br />
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So I created several designs that would cover or mask the existing stains.<br />
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These are cotton shirts, which will bleach out easily, unlike a 50/50 shirt. A couple of them have 5% spandex, but that doesn't seem to matter. The long sleeveless one has a cotton knit top and cotton linen bottom. The loose weave of the bottom part created a lot of bleed on the bleach design, but I still love the end result.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_I05Tcg9LqNhsnR1ZCejyjkCIheFuI_095IQu9HtKw29xiUOSup-_tS5xpfahrgIOknfnwiMwj4XIqe3vzzf0fV721ILFoTPH6tx5Wld0DoRAeRxVyJXo9Xx-sXAr80XbzZBRp0ngpBi/s1600/bleach+pen+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_I05Tcg9LqNhsnR1ZCejyjkCIheFuI_095IQu9HtKw29xiUOSup-_tS5xpfahrgIOknfnwiMwj4XIqe3vzzf0fV721ILFoTPH6tx5Wld0DoRAeRxVyJXo9Xx-sXAr80XbzZBRp0ngpBi/s640/bleach+pen+04.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was taken a couple minutes after applying the bleach.<br />
You can see my pen drawing of the design in the upper right-hand corner of this pic..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong><em>I highly recommend practicing your design on paper before taking bleach pen to cloth.</em></strong></div>
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I used a double layer of terrycloth between the front and back of the shirt to prevent the bleach from bleeding through to the back of the shirt. I let the bleach pen graphic sit for 30 minutes before throwing the whole thing, terrycloth and all, into the wash. By the time I washed them, the bleach had done its magic and was practically dried up, so there was no transfer of bleach pen gel to the back or to the other shirts while in the wash (I washed all the shirts together, believe it or not).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6s0ll5HvrxDTmVfmN-frvzB_OGcHCX3AgkaHXeum3IgKn7eWcdziEvXiYNRmRyPbzJm9oNgrBDM4lmVXFCFMeRgxXYzkQX3RFqv4R-7lFjNIEQDGx-ULQV5DOPFr8WBzYiFe5JEBIXHG/s1600/bleach+pen+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6s0ll5HvrxDTmVfmN-frvzB_OGcHCX3AgkaHXeum3IgKn7eWcdziEvXiYNRmRyPbzJm9oNgrBDM4lmVXFCFMeRgxXYzkQX3RFqv4R-7lFjNIEQDGx-ULQV5DOPFr8WBzYiFe5JEBIXHG/s400/bleach+pen+12.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Staying focused is good for some things, like making lists, planning, and organizing. And sticking to one's plan is good in some instances. But when it comes to creating, sometimes being easily distracted brings about wonderful twists and turns in the creative process. If I am too tied to the outcome I had planned on, I could miss an opportunity to let something spontaneous creep into the creative process, to look at a bold color choice, to create a piece that is a-symmetrical, to come up with a new earring design on the spur of the moment, or to create some fun new shirts when I should be cleaning and packing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGljFLXIHxBgYb9X5DrKFdWPBnZzH2K2qVtzyYMFtjrPVgdW18VUkQhMfPaeyS1-US62hIFnc7e6RAJPc1K_HHjtzXiUDBqd6guxyA_o426Hm_YIxLW0WoyY9EHER7txxPEdcbN772FPWc/s1600/bleach+pen+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGljFLXIHxBgYb9X5DrKFdWPBnZzH2K2qVtzyYMFtjrPVgdW18VUkQhMfPaeyS1-US62hIFnc7e6RAJPc1K_HHjtzXiUDBqd6guxyA_o426Hm_YIxLW0WoyY9EHER7txxPEdcbN772FPWc/s400/bleach+pen+10.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
In other words, when I am creating, I have to remember to . . . . look, there's a bird!<br />
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<em>I am on the coast and partying at:</em><br />
<a href="http://www.kathewithane.com/" target="_blank">Kathe with an E Anything Goes</a><br />
<a href="http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kammyskorner.com/" target="_blank">Kammy's Korner Trash to Treasure Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/07/09/made-by-you-monday-108/" target="_blank">Skip to My Lou Made By You Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/" target="_blank">C.R.A.F.T. Making Monday Marvelous</a><br />
<a href="http://singingthreelittlebirds.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Singing Three Little Birds Inspire Me Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theironstonenest.com/" target="_blank">The Ironstone Nest Transformation Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://debbie-debbiedoos.com/2012/07/pass-it-on-newbie-party-started.html" target="_blank">Debbiedoo's Newbie Party</a><br />
<a href="http://beezrentaldesigns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Beez Rental Designs Frugal Treasures Tuesday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.centsationalgirl.com/" target="_blank">Centsational Girl Pinterest Challenge</a><br />
<a href="http://fullcirclecreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Full Circle Creations All Star Block Party</a><br />
<a href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2012/07/wow-us-wednesdays-74.html" target="_blank">Saavy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday</a><br />
<a href="http://madeinaday.com/2012/07/12/made-u-look-linky-32/" target="_blank">Made in a Day Made You Look Linky</a><br />
<a href="http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.primpjunktion.com/" target="_blank">Primp Primp Your Stuff Wednesday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2012/07/transformation-thursday-no-160.html" target="_blank">The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday</a><br />
<a href="http://daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Days of Chalk and Chocolate Link Party</a><br />
<a href="http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2012/07/frugal-friday_12.html" target="_blank">The Shabby Next Frugal Friday</a><br />
<a href="http://www.504main.com/2012/07/tickled-pink-no-106.html" target="_blank">504 Main Tickled Pink</a><br />
<a href="http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/2012/07/catch-as-catch-can-81.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FPgMj+%28My+Repurposed+Life%29" target="_blank">My Repurposed Life Catch as Catch Can</a><br />
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<br />Peggy Meckling-Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727229734392586207noreply@blogger.com50