Day Thirty: Fruit Cocktail Cake

I love this recipe.  It is easy and super moist and delicious.  When I did Box Lunch Deliveries at the beginning of my decor business to make from job to job, this was a recipe that I used and my clients loved.  Hope you will try it and enjoy it also.

Fruit Cocktail Cake

Quick, Easy, few ingredients

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Add juice from the fruit (#303 can)  16 - 17 oz.

Combine:

1 1/2 cups of sugar

2 cups flour

2 t. soda

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

Add fruit and 1 can coconut.  Pour into oblong pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups nuts.  (I did not use the nuts as many do not like nuts)

Bake 375 degrees about 35 minutes.

10 minutes before cake is done:

Boil for 10 minutes:

1 small can of evaporated milk

1 stick oleo

1 cup sugar

Pour over cake while still warm.  You may add coconut and nuts on top if desired.

Day Twenty-Nine: The One Thing We All Have In Common

I will be honest with you. I have felt empty, no words and could not imagine another subject that I have not already shared that could be of interest to anyone.

I texted my deep thinker, encourager sister, Judy and she has cheered me on.

What is the one thing that we all struggle with the most?  And, what is the main number one thing in EVERYONE'S LIFE that is imperative that we get it right or we are sunk???

Our thought process!

I have talked about it before but it is worth mentioning again.  Here is how I stay on track:

I think sometimes we are our own worse enemy.  Without even realizing it, we put ourselves down, speak negativity into our lives, allow negative people to pull us under and expose ourselves to too many things that drag us through the mud.

When I become depressed, not on the top of my game, wondering through my day without joy and a song, I have to stop and see what it is pulling me this direction.  Even when you have a bad feeling, sometimes you can track it down and see just how that incident in your day made you the target.  Many times when you find it, you realize it was really nothing.  Or, not near enough to make you feel the way you were feeling, so, you can let it go.

Sometimes it is deeper than that.  Do you REALLY want to get help??  I am going to tell you something but if you don't do it you WILL NOT BE HELPED.  Trust me, it really works.

Get something to write with and I want you to write down every negative thought that is constantly bombarding your mind.  It may be things like, no one at my job seems to like me, I am overweight, I can't seem to do anything right, it looks like I will never get ahead, etc. etc.

I did this once and I had about 25 things at least!!  Now....do this!

Take each one of those negative thoughts and turn them into a positive affirmation.

Example:

"My co workers think I am an interesting person.  They love to talk to me and I am amazed how they value my friendship".

Everyday I am finding new ways to eat healthy and enjoy expanding ways to get more exercise.  I know I will soon be loving this new lifestyle.

Each day I am making better decisions, I am gaining knowledge to make right choices and I am on the top of my world.

I know that everyday new doors of opportunity is opening for me to use my God given talents to bring me to my fullest potential.

Now, do you see the difference??!!

Know this:  "Everyone struggles with keeping the thought process in tact".  The difference is, successful people have learned to not accept those bad thoughts to nest in their head.

Now here are some things I have learned to help me stay in a positive mind set.  I am sure if you are reading this, you have discovered some of your own.

• Read your positive affirmations everyday out loud if necessary until you believe it.  The more you read it, the more it will sink into your thoughts as reality!

• Surround yourselves with positive people.  If there is someone that pulls you down when you are around them, I would avoid being around that person.  If it is a family member, I would talk to them and explain how their negativity is hurting you and you are trying to overcome.

• Read positive books.  There are many:  Hung by the Tongue, An Enemy Called Average, Think and Grow Rich, You Were Born an Original, Don't Die a Copy to name a few.

• Listen to good music.

• Find a good church and dive in  head first.

• Surround yourself with beauty.  It may just start with clearing your bathroom lavatory and putting a fresh flower in a vase.  You made a good step in the right direction!!

• Do something positive.  Even something as simple as cleaning out your purse, organizing ONE drawer could be all it takes to flip the starter and take you to greatness.  One small success breads another.

• Remember a lot of small things become big things.

Enough for now.  I hope as my title of this blog says "If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living will not be in vain" truly does help someone along their way.

Let me know if this has helped you in any way.  I would love to hear from you.

Have a great Sunday!

Day Twenty-Eight: Simple but Sweet, a Favorite Artist

Sometime ago I ran across this artist.  I love her work.  So simple but it warms my heart.  Tonight, I just want to share a simple gallery of some of the works of this artist, Sam Toft.

These are all just adorable!!  There are more on Art.com.  This first one is my first one I ordered.  I have it framed in a rustic frame and matted. Hope you enjoy the gallery!  Follow this link to view more.  Have a great week-end!!

Watch her paint in this video.

OMG:  This gallery!!  I want to go there!  Click to view.

Day Twenty-Seven: kat-er-foil

noun

1.

a leaf composed of four leaflets.

2.

Architecture. a panellike ornament composed of four lobes, divided bycusps, radiating from a common center.

I thought it may be a little interesting to some to learn a little history of a motif that we are seeing alot today in modern design.  It is the quatrefoil.

In History of Design class, getting introduced to something that was there all the time, then having my eyes opened to it was super interesting to me.

The quatrefoil is one of those that once brought to your attention, makes architecture a lot more interesting.  Pronounced:  kat=er-foil

You will see a lot of this design in old churches.

This gorgeous motif is still in tact and gives this modern

setting beautiful architecture.

Wallpaper gives a bold statement mimicking the ancient quatrefoil design.

Here you see it in wood carved flooring tiles.

Kitchen backsplash.

So in case you have never paid attention, I think you will now begin to see this motif in many modern designs and know it has a deep root in historical architect.

Day Twenty-six: Sarah's House

As Ladies Director at the Church Triumphant, I was contacted by the director of Sarah's House of Pasadena.  They were hosting an appreciation luncheon and I was invited.  We had recently hosted a Table in the Wilderness event for our Heartstrings Ladies Ministry and contacted Sarah's House to be recipients along with others.

At this luncheon, we were exposed to the needs and ministry for homeless women.  They were moving into a new facility and we were able to tour.  Once seeing a once elderly home, I was impressed to bring my interior design talents to help bring a little cheer.

Thanks to others who caught the vision, we were able to raise funds to help facilitate our desire to help this worthy cause.

I decided to break up the dollars into several vignettes.  Here is the first one.  It is a simple seating area but brings in a lot of life and cheer to a very plain setting.

Here you are seeing what was once a drab heavy plastic type canvas stretched over a great frame construction.  This print will make more sense when you see the rest of purchased items.  We bought a little over 2 yards which made a perfect fit for this frame.  We stapled it tight and it made a great back drop for this seating area.

Chairs are from Marshalls found for $89. each.  The fabric from Hobby Lobby in the Duck Cloth section.  The table a find at Ross for 19.99 and the plant from Marshalls for 29.99.

This is how the building looked the first time I saw it.  Very sad and in much need of some beauty.

Visiting their old facilities, we found this art, a plastic type canvas that we knew we could re-purpose.

We also brought home this secretary desk.  We knew it would help us a great deal to 

have a large piece of furniture for nothing!

This piece of art became our initial inspiration.  We found it at a great bargain!

Here the transformation began as we chose a paint color to tie into the art.

Sherwin Williams donated a quart of paint for us.

In my garage, I had a chest of drawers I got off the side of the road.  I used

two drawers from it, painted a blood orange, one of this year's popular

number one color and vwala!  We have shadow boxes.

♥♥♥

Thanks to Flowers and Company for their donation of some live baby's breath flowers that dried perfectily.

We were super happy with the outcome and the director was thrilled over the outcome!

♥♥♥

Day 25: Optimal Health Care

In September, I began to have a severe pain in my back.  I could not sleep all night.  The moment I woke, I did not go straight to the coffee pot as normal, but straight to my phone and call my insurance to see if I had coverage for chiropractic services.

They directed me to Optimal Health Care in Texas City.  My first visit that same day, I could hardly fill out the paperwork I was in so much discomfort.  They allowed me to get on the machines right away and I got a first slight adjustment just to help me survive to my next visit with complete xrays and plan.

Long story short, I was instantly helped with the combined therapy they offer.  Below I have photos of some of the machines I use.  They have also supplied me with a shocking type mini device to calm muscles tensed from pain.  We used that for awhile.  Also, we got a back brace.  This was good for the time, but I have had to only use it for a week or two on and off as needed.

Their therapy includes, machines, chiropractic adjustment, shots in trigger points and massage with hand vibrators.

I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know this team of people who have brought me quickly to a no pain existence.

This is where I start out each day here.

This swivels quickly side to side and a quick vibrating type motion.

This one feels really great.  You sit with feet tucked under some foot rest, then let your weight rest backwards stretching your lower back mainly.  Crossing your leg over the other also gives a great stretch to your leg/hip joint.

This is my favorite nurse.  She and her team gives you an injection in trigger points to help make everything else more effective.

This is the main chiropractor that gives all adjustments, Dr. Davis.

Once you get the injection, one of the nurses help with a massage using a hand vibrator to help get the injection throughout the muscle area.

Once a week, I use one of the tables that not only holds you with your feet elevated but also 

vibrates to help separate the spine areas that want to touch, causing pain.

Positive feeds on this, one of three, slideshow is available to view while on machines.

I snapped a pic of a patient getting an adjustment.

Here is a perfect spine.  Mine has some curve caused from years of living and a few car wrecks I have been in.  This is the goal.

Two of the nurses that work the floor area and does various other jobs.

This was my least favorite machine as it vibrates so much your nose tickles and ears and all drives you crazy.  For only 1.5 minutes, I found, one day in pain, it was the main one that did a great job instantly.

Super close to this practice on Palmer Highway, Texas City, is my little stopping place.  I log onto their internet and catch up before heading home or to another client home or to shop for clients.

#optimalhealthcare #texascitytexas #starbuckstexascity #chiropractic

Day Twenty-Four: Monday

I am not sure what it is but MONDAY is the longest day of the week.

Mine started with "get up, and look at Facebook".  FINALLY, my daughter and her hubby announced publicly the pregnancy of their first baby!

So, I had to dig through my over 1k pics in my phone and get that one pic of the RED LETTER DAY when they gathered both sets of parents to tell us the news!

Just yesterday I found the perfect baby bed in the perfect neighborhood at a super clean house just for little baby Kennard.  Sweet.

Some hours spent with Hannah, then lunch and off to first day of early voting.  It was a three hour wait but had to be done.  Thankfully, the weather has been near perfection.

Then, to watch Hannah's first multi-consultant Lularoe online sales and view the albums of some fun new prints and styles of the company through her team.

My favorite comment of the day.  I screen shot it, cropped and embellished.  Love.

 My well deserved sticker!!

Here is a snap shot from my phone of a live Facebook sales happening tonight and...will continue tomorrow night at 6:30.

Just stop in and watch the sale, ask questions, give your comments and if you see something you would like, you can purchase.  She sends you a Google Doc to complete and make your payment.

It's a fun way to shop.

Join this page and the link to go to the Multi-Consultant sale is there.

#votefortrump #votedfortrump #lularoe #earlyvoting #grandchild #redletterday