From Fat to Fit

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So I am going to try and start a fitness regime and try to lose some weight! I know it will be a long process and a lot of work, but I am putting my best into this! I want to be healthy and I really do think it will make me feel so much better and bring me more confidence. I signed up on a free website : Myfitnesspal.com
I will begin planning my meals and regime next week and hopefully by my birthday (August 4th) I will be on my way to a healthier me. My goal as of right now is to lose about 30 lbs. My current weight is about 188 so dropping 30 lbs would bring me down to about 158. I can handle that!!! lol.

The worst thing about it all is getting into a habit. I have to change what I eat and drink, incorporate excersize into my days, and convince myself not to give up! I hate to do it, but I will start counting calories, fat, protein, vitamins, and other healthy factors. I will hope that because I eat healthier does not mean that my grocery bill will be higher. I have to rid myself of Ch....Cha.....CHOCOLATE!!! wahhhhh! Brings me to tears! There is a lot of organizing and planning to be done. I shall go forth and become fit or fail! Wish me luck!

Really Cool Pop Tab Bracelet!

                                                          

Wow! I came across an instructable for pop tab bracelets while searching how to recycle pop tabs. This is a super easy project and very quick. It took me about 15-20 minutes to complete my bracelet. The instructions can be found here: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/pop_tab_bracelet

First, I measured my string, 36 inches. If you use elastic cord then you can decrease the amount to about 30 inches depending on your wrist size. I used scotch tape to wrap the ends of my string so it would not unravel. Shoe strings would be perfect to use for this project!!!

Then I followed instructions on how to thread it and began to make the bracelet. On one side it will have X's and on the other side it will have ='s. Like this...

 After measuring the bracelet to see if it would fit my wrist I finished it off (according to the instructions) and it looked like this!  X's on one side and ='s on the other.

I counted the pop tabs that I used and there were 22!

This would make an excellent craft for teens! I am going to take the supplies to work and make them on my breaks. My husband and I are planning a trip in August, so I may take a little ziploc baggie with me and make some of these in the car!!! They are so easy and you can experiment with them so much. You can try adding beads as you thread the tabs together. You can use different colors and types of strings and elastic. I am going to try hemp and embroidery thread. I have plenty of both from previous projects.  Here is a photo of "Bella" wearing her pop tab bracelet!!!

 How cool is that?

Until next time....Good luck and happy crafting! God Bless!

Deep Fried Dandys

My husband and I spent the better part of the afternoon at my mothers' house yesterday. We travel 15 miles south every weekend to visit with our parents. As my husband spoke with my father, my mother and I took a walk. We walked around her house picking up sticks and straightening things. As we were walking I noticed that she had quite a few Dandelions in her yard. I mentioned something about all of them and Mother said she had a recipe for deep fried dandelions! At first I thought she must be crazy, but I love to try new things, so I thought "Why not give it a go".

Her recipe books are nowhere near few and far between so I just googled the recipe that we used.

http://www.troutsfarm.com/In_the_Kitchen/Dandelions/Dandelions.htm

This is an excellent site, as it has pictures to go along with the directions. It states that you do not want to use the green stem or leafy parts as they are bitter. So, I just picked the top parts (blossoms) and left the stems to be mowed over. I put the tops in a collander and strained them very well after soaking them in some salt water for about 30 minutes. I laid them on clean white towels to dry. We used the following batter mix:

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 egg (beaten)

tsp salt and pepper

Beat egg, stir in milk.

Whisk in flour and seasonings.

(we experimented with several seasonings such as garlic, onion, italian, and  cinnamon, clove, and sugar.)

Dip tops in batter and deep fry in hot oil.

Brown and serve! Makes a great appetizer. Maybe try with a marinara sauce!

They taste almost like wild mushrooms!! Pretty Good!!!

Recycled Newspaper Project

There are so many items that I throw away everyday! I got to thinking, "What can I use this for?" before I would toss an item out. I had a stack of newspapers and I googled ways to recycle it. There was an article I found here (http://www.ehow.com/how_4443089_make-jewelry-paper.html) about how to make paper jewelry. I cut a few long strips of newspaper and laid them out on my craft space. I used rubber stamps and ink to apply color and designs onto the newspaper. Then, I brushed on some easycast epoxy. It is a liquid mix that dries to a clear hard coat. It is available at Walmart.com as well as most craft stores. I just brushed it on with an old paintbrush and let it dry. Then I glued velcro onto each end and this is what it looks like...Sorry about the quality..my phone sucks at picture taking...

I can't wait to make sum more. I cut some newspaper strips and made a paste from tacky glue, mod podge, flour, and water. I brushed the paste onto the newspaper and wrapped it around several different containers including a 2 liter bottle and a cooking spray coated candle jar. (to keep it from sticking, worked well as it slid right off after it dried). So now I have 3 bracelets that need to be decorated. I will post as soon as I finish them!!! Please feel free to email me any of your own projects and I can post them on here as well! Just email them to me at getittogetherbekah@gmail.com!!!! Happy Crafting!

So, this is my first blog and I am really excited about it! I can't wait to get some craft projects done and get the pics uploaded for everyone to check out! I would love to get a "Craft-a-Day" widget to put on here but I haven't found one yet! I finally got my office/craft room cleaned up today, even shampooed the carpet. So, hopefully I can get some projects done soon.

I will try and get some pics posted of my office as well! It is always neat to see one's creative space. lol.

Right now I house two veiled chameleons in my room. I bought Rupert (the male) at the Midwest Reptile Show in Indianapolis late last year, Late August maybe??. The guy, Rupert, from the show "Survivor" was there so I thought it would be cool to name my chameleon after him since he was at the show! Then came Genoveve (my female, I just liked that name for her). I bought her at the Shepherdsville, Ky reptile show in late November. They are just very neat to watch. They don't really do any tricks. Genoveve loves to be held, although Rupert prefers not to. They eat Crickets and I have to mist them daily. My wonderful Husband Jeremy helps me take care of them. He has been breeding geckos for abotu a year now and loves reptiles or anything reptile related.

Here is a photo of the screen cage that Genoveve is housed in.

The screen cage is made by Zoo-med I believe. It comes in pieces and I had to assemble it. Thank goodness it was easy! I placed a UVB bulb and a heat light in the fixture at the top. Then I laid newspaper in the bottom. I bought 2 dracaena plants at Wal-mart for about 5 bucks and a golden pothos and just set them on the newspaper. She has plenty of room to climb around and seems to be pretty content...

Well, enough about the reptiles! In my creative space or office, I have several tables, lots of organizers and totes, a sewing maching, a couple shelves (in the closet), and my computer desk. It is usually a mess in here but I thought that maybe if I have to start taking pics to put on this blog, that would give me the incentive I need to keep it cleaned up and organized. lol. I hope to start a few projects in the near future and as soon as I find my dang disappearing digital camera, then I will be glad to post some pictures! Thanks for checking out my blog..keep coming back!