Grocery Pick-up Convience

 A month ago I would have said NO WAY to grocery pick-up. I can't believe I am hooked on it now. 

We live 45 minutes from a box store or any store with organic or specific ingredients, like rosemary spice for example, which isn't in our small country local store. They have all the basics and that's fine in a pinch.

Neither hubby nor I like to shop in a grocery store or any other store. I mainly buy supplies online to MAKE most of what I need like Christmas cards, crafts, and sewing. It's my happy place. We live a straightforward life and don't require a bunch of ingredients. Our garden, more or less, supplies us with needed veggies. Hopefully, next year we can plant strawberries.

Recently I bought the last item needed for any canning projects. I am now set and have made salsa and pepper jam with garden veggies. If hubby needs whole wheat tortillas I will make them. Our diet consists mainly of protein, veggies, and fruit.

We go to town every so often. Our pick-up places are Aldis, Walmart, and HEB. Amazon Prime takes care of everything else including NFL football, believe it or not. Books for our Kindle are also from Amazon. Some concerts are now live-streaming. Veeps is okay but not great. We just watched Epica live from Amsterdam. I hope other bands do this. I mean why not? you have a full house of live folks, so why not livestream to those far away and make an extra $20+? Just a thought. Don't tell me to look at Amazon for a live-streaming concert. I don't see ANY band I am interested in. Sorry, I like the oldies and some new ones.

Slow Frugal Lifestyle in Retirement

 As I settle into my second year of retirement, I discover slowing down is a better option.

I gave up Facebook and started on my long project to-do list.. 

To accomplish my project list I made a to-do daily list and put it on my frig separated by days. Once those chores are complete each day I can spend the rest in my time in my craft/sewing room. 

I have been following Marion's World for some time. She is a soul sister in my view. Her videos have slow relaxing projects. She is mostly known for her slow-stitching quilts. This gal sews clothes by hand, making French and flat seams, and adds embroidery. She saves EVERYTHING for her projects; yarn, fabric, bits and pieces of lace, and rick rack. Recently I made three pot holders and sewed them by hand including quilting. 
Check her out.

Hand-quilted and sewn pot holders

The next gal I follow is K3n Clothtales. She too is a soul sister. Just as frugal as Marion. She is also known for her slow-stitching projects. One day I will try her knitted sock tutorial where she winds her yard a certain way so you can draw out two threads simultaneously when knitting two socks simultaneously. Amazing. I learned how to make t-shirt yarn. Yes, you heard me right T-SHIRT YARN, and cloth twine. Her theme should be "waste not want not". 

My kitchen table needs flowers in the middle and handmade flowers will be amazing. I have been following The Hardwood Forest for ideas and patterns. Wool felt is a bit more expensive so I have been practicing with just regular felt. I tried a couple. Don't judge me I am still practicing.

Today I had leftover chicken so I made chicken salad with homemade mayo, sweet pickles, and celery tops.

Chicken salad with homemade mayo

We have been overwhelmed with bell peppers, hot peppers, and cherry tomatoes. I am going to try Strawberry/Jalapeno Jam and Hot Pepper Relish. My freezer is full of these veggies, along with zucchini boats and shredded zucchini. I combine shredded potatoes (frozen from the store) and zucchini with a bit of egg and spices and make patties for hubby's breakfast. I was frying them in tallow but have changed to baking them. I then layer in wax paper and freeze. We are set for the winter. Hubby loves a meat mixture in hollowed-out zucchinis topped with cheese. 

My project list is large. Here are some of the projects I have completed recently. 

Satin Linen Roaring 20's dress and store-bought shawl.

Wool rose and Felt pin. I plan on putting a backing on the rose
so it can be used as a pin also

Currently working on two aprons for Christmas presents

So goodbye FB and cruising the internet I don't have time. 

Oxalate and Histamine Toxicity and your Health

 As you might know, I am on an elimination diet to discover why I was still feeling bad on a Keto diet. I was not doing Intermittent Fasting at the time and then decided to try that. Still, on a Keto diet, I was not feeling any better. Weight loss was alright but stalled after a year.

There are two things that I found that were not good for my body and health. Oxalates and Histamine.

Foods With Histamine

It’s difficult to quantify the level of histamine in foods, as it can vary greatly even in the same types of food. However, a good rule of thumb is that foods that are fermented, aged, or overly processed likely contain more histamine than fresh foods.

Histamine tolerance can vary greatly from person to person. If your doctor thinks that certain foods may be causing allergy symptoms, an elimination diet may be recommended. Eliminating high-histamine foods from your diet and then adding them back one at a time will give you an idea of what foods your body can tolerate and which foods result in symptoms.

Could Oxalate Toxicity Be the Cause of Your Health Issues?

Oxalic acid toxicity was uncovered in England in 1840 after doctors began to notice that in the spring when wealthy people ate a lot of rhubarb tarts (which are very high in oxalate), odd symptoms began to occur such as digestive and neurological problems. Adding this mega source of oxalate on top of a daily diet consisting of black tea and white potatoes (both high in oxalate) was the beginning of understanding how this plant compound impacts human physiology.

Spring In Central Texas

A couple of days ago I went to a larger town close to me for some supplies and these Bluebonnets were all over. This particular town is usually warmer than us making it a breeding ground for these amazing flowers.

Each year we go on a drive to see the Texas spring flowers. There is a stretch of road that is so nice and usually has flowers. However this time it was limited. We were looking for the Bluebonnets, Texas State Flower

Bluebonnet

This time we saw a lot of other flowers like Indian Paintbrush, Indian Blanket, and Coreopsis.

Indian Paintbrush

Indian Blanket

I was allergic to Sagebrush, Nevada State Flower, as a child. Here in Texas it's mostly tree pollen.

My Journey

 I have been Keto for a long time, then IF Keto, and still had health issues. Not big ones just some I wanted to get rid of. Some of the weight came off. Last month, I joined the Carnivore group. I have been immersing myself in videos from Dr. Berry and his group along with other doctors he interviews and have seen the light.

The Proper Human Diet (PHD) is pretty darn interesting. It seems to be growing more and more each day. Various doctors, dietitians, physiologists, and other folks are joining the bandwagon. 

Essentially, you only eat meat from animals. Some only eat remnant meat (beef, lamb, goat, elk, deer, and so on) Others add pork, eggs, and dairy. I eliminated dairy as it seems to stall my healing. 

To date, I do not need my multivitamin or my turmeric for my body. I used to need my multivitamin for energy and turmeric for joint pain. No more pain and a lot more energy after one month of this elimination diet. 

This journey will be at a minimum of 90 days. Your body uses the nutrients for healing in the beginning and then weight loss. I take three supplements: AREDS 2 for my glaucoma, D3, and organ meat supplement.  I am still healing. 

Settling In For The Winter

 Hubby has been putting covers on our water faucets outside. Now he has a heavy insulated blanket he bought to cover our outside water meter. We had an outside leak a few days ago... Actually, the water company had the leak and fixed it. Now the meter sits above the ground instead of in the ground as before. We don't want any leaks so this is our $40 investment.

The remaining root vegetables will be collected today or maybe tomorrow. Everything will be pulled up. Hubby wanted to make a few more above-ground garden containers, but the sun hasn't come out yet so that is on hold. 

We were headed north to Illinois for some business matters but have since changed our minds. We are not in a hurry and do NOT want to deal with ice and snow. If you think you have it bad check out their weather. This would be the area we would go to in Illinois.

It will be in the teens at night here in central Texas and a couple days won't reach above freezing. I am sure the fireplaces will be a smokin'. Our outside dog will be inside at night with us for a few days. 

Be safe and stay warm.

 

Post Christmas To-Do List #1

Now that all the decorations are down, and we have a lot, the cleaning commences. 

Most of my furniture is a darker color. I am sure there is a lot of dust on all those shelves and cabinets. I might have to look inside the glass doors also.

I have decided to tackle room by room. The living room is the first because it has so many dusting areas. This will also include dusting the walls and trim. I have trim at the top of my walls and on the floor. We will save the MANY windows for some sunny day in the future. I might clean the blinds at this time.

Dining Room Table with small houses and a nice 
the centerpiece I won years ago.
The window has houses and 
the back table has the nativity scene.

Our big entertainment center has lots of nooks
and crannies with houses on the top

                                            .

.

My parents Christmas Tree lit up. I made the skirt out
of fleece and trimmed it with beads.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We miss our family on the west coast but will be visiting them soon.