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Friday, September 18, 2015

Sep 18 - 7th Heaven Discovered

Last night, I was in 7th heaven. Found a new website, which led me to an inexpensive app that I love. Little background first. My sister and her partner were watching the sky the other night and saw something that was flashing a white light every 24 seconds. It was kind of circling half of our city. It wasn't a plane and it wasn't a lightening but, just a flashing light. My sister looked up satellites but couldn't find anything on one that would be flashing every 24 seconds. That got my interest up so exploring had to be done.

Found this website: http://www.heavens-above.com/ISS_3D.aspx?lat=44.9642&lng=-95.9071&loc=Unspecified&alt=314&tz=CST in which you can watch a 3D visualization of ISS (International Space Station). It is so cool! They have other satellites listed too but ISS was pretty fun to watch.

They also have a free app you can download if you go to that site. Of course, it was on my phone in minutes. The app gives you real-time viewing of stars at your location. I've always wanted to learn astronomy but never have taken the time. Now I can open up the app and see what stars are overhead.

Then I discovered something even better..."Safari Satellite." Their website is http://www.southernstars.com/~southfb9/products/satellite_safari/index.html. Their app was inexpensive but once you start exploring it, it is worth a lot more money. It is a beautiful app! What I like best is you can select a satellite and look at earth from the satellite. You can look at the heavens too! While watching earth from the satellite, a calmness completely overtook me. The kind of calmness you can get when you lay in water and float. I guess you'd only get that kind of calmness if you know how to swim.

The only thing I wish the app had was a sleep timer function. I was so busy watching but then fell asleep!

Worked on my earrings some tonight. Took some into work and gave them to coworkers. I enjoy giving my earrings to people. One of my coworkers reminded me that I have a craft sale that I'm going to be selling my earrings and that I should be hanging onto my supply. That was a good reminder.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Sept 17 - Thank you for the prayers!

Had my doctor appointment the other day and I didn't lose just the ten pounds, I lost 12 pounds. Pretty happy about that. Now on a special diet up until my surgery. Life will be different in two weeks!

Been making a lot of beads. Trying different products on the beads based on YouTube videos. One of the products recommended was called "Vibrance" but it's just like a watered-down water-based varnish. Plus you have to string the beads on fishing line, dip them into the solution five times, and hang them between drying. Personally, when I first started, I did it that way. Now that I have some experience under my belt, I prefer brushing them. It's quick and easy and no dripping and extra things for hanging beads are needed. Another product I tried was called "Triple Thick" because it had good reviews. However, you get somewhat of a pebbly surface. Hands down, the "Diamond Glaze" was the best. The drawback to it was is that it is $16 for 8 oz, whereas, "Triple Thick" is about $5.

The next time I make beads, I'm going to try putting the "Triple Thick" on first and finishing it with "Diamond Glaze" to see if the glaze can smooth out the imperfections created by TT.

Paper bead making has been quite the experience. Started working on them in May and it's already mid September. What I've learned is what "accessories" I need to accent my earrings with my paper beads. Another thing I learned is that I really like Amazon and I think Amazon probably likes me too. I still go to Michael's but the other hobby stores and slowly fading. There are things I can get at Michael's that Amazon has higher prices and/or a lessor quality.

Yesterday, we were all excited because I received a package from China. Just about everything comes from Asia when it comes to beads, other than my Czech glass. The package was the first time I've ever received anything directly from China. Wish it would have had stamps on the package and not computer-generated postage.

Will probably take some photos of my earrings this weekend and post them.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Sep 7 - Prayers Needed

I need your help. My bariatric surgery is 22 days away. In some stupid mentality that I've had in the last month, instead of keeping my weight off, I gained ten pounds. In order to have the surgery, I have to not have any weight gain. Thought I was doing pretty good but then something in my head triggered that I had to have foods that "I would never be able to eat again" and eat I did. So now I need to loose as much weight as I can in the next 8 days and the rest within the days after that.

As a strong believer in prayer, I know that God will send his angels to help me through this and that I will have the strength and willpower to lose this weight.

Excuses are excuses and I can't look back now; I have to look ahead. For the first time in my life, I had a dream of me not being fat. Yes, I am fat. Calling oneself overweight is not a truth. If you were to cut off my two rolls, it would not contain anything inside other than fat. It does not contain overweight.

When I was younger I had had a bicycle accident and had a concussion. After that, I started gaining weight. By the time I was 16, I wore a size 16. My the time I was 18, I wore a size 18. By the time I was 28, I wore a size 28. So you're wondering what size I am at 61? I was a 30-32 but have gotten it back down to a 28. It's not about sizes either. It's about health and my capacity to move.

I want my grandsons who haven't seen me in 8 years to see me happily instead of being embarrassed. I want to be looked at because I look good and not because of my weight. I want to walk a mile. I want to walk two miles. I want to run like the wind like my sister tells Sparky. Will never run like the wind but maybe a little ways would be nice.

My sister is going to help me a lot these next days through her support and prayers. I know my sister-in-law and brother will be doing the same for me even though I haven't said anything yet. Please help me through your prayers. And I thank you and I thank God. I am so grateful to be in His hands.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Sep 5 - Family Day and Wallpaper Samples

Had a nice lunch with my brother, his wife, their son and grandson. We have so much in common so the time flies when we are together. My sister-in-law made some beads out of wallpaper samples that she got. I had forgotten all about that because I've had my fingers in too many places while making my beads. however, after a quick phone call and a stop at a paint store, now I have a couple of books for me to use.

One of the books is all gold and silver wallpaper samples. The other has a lot of gold and silver too but with other colors added. Can't wait to try them out. Got these just in time too because this weekend I'll have to make more beads for future earrings.

Reorganized my living room again to have a craft corner. Looks a lot bigger and cleaner! Every time my cat goes out on the porch, something happens in the living room and she has to rediscover "her" living room when she comes back in. She's happily asleep on top of her six foot cat tree. When I'm working on my earrings, she'll be able to supervise me.

Also got a new tool today to make loops to hook the beads to the earring. Handy, dandy tool it is. Most of the reviews were good but the people who didn't like them had me kind of worried. They weren't able to make the loop and struggled so much; they said they went back to the manual way. My first loop was simple to do and my second loop was pretty close to being perfect. I'm sold! Can't wait to put some earrings together as the real test.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Sept 4 - Getting Harder to Remember to Blog

To blog or not to blog...that is the question. It seems like with fall coming it is getting harder to write the blog. Okay, that's just an excuse. I'd rather be playing with my earring making. Over the last two nights, I assembled 24 pairs of earrings. If I keep giving them away, I will have to double the number of making them verses the number I give away. It's fun to see people's expressions when they look at the earrings and the shocked look when they find out the main beads are paper.

Tonight I had to catch myself because I was looking at a jewelry catalog at earrings. What was I thinking? Well, I've always wanted a pair of chocolate gold earrings; the real ones would be nice but I would gladly take imitation chocolate gold earrings. There's such a richness about the color that makes me attracted to it. Lately I haven't been wearing any earrings - neither Donna's nor my own, but if I had a pair of chocolate gold earrings, I would wear them all of the time.

IS is going to blow up all of Syria pretty soon. I feel sad for the people they have captured and those who have died because of IS. Have a hard time understanding destroying ancient buildings. They believe that these buildings "promote idolatry" but I think they just want to blow things up. Think they got so far out of hand that they have lost their civilized thinking. Reminds me of what I read in my psychology class about people who abuse animals and  get off on it. Not healthy for anyone. http://news.yahoo.com/official-islamic-militants-destroy-ancient-tombs-syria-093935792.html#

Long night, good night.