Slow Fe and Atkins Diet

I was going bald. For the last few years my hair kept getting thinner and thinner until one day a month or so ago I could fix my hair and still see my scalp! So I went to the dermatologist to see if any of those "hair loss fixes" that are advertised on TV were actually worth anything...he said "Let's do some tests and save your money..." A week or so later the report came back that my iron level was 36... The norms for iron should be around 10 to 242... He said when the iron level reaches down into the lower numbers is when hair loss is reported.

I have been taking Slow Fe for about 8 weeks.. my level was up to 47 a couple of weeks ago when it was tested again. And guess what.... tiny new hair growth! It may take a year or so, but just maybe most of my hair will return!

Well, I have been feeling a little guilty because I ..hmmm..REALLY...hmm...need to lose...hmmm...some weight...hm mm But you see.. I HAVE QUIT SMOKING and REALLY...the weight gain IS expected...hm mm Well, let me tell you.. the 200 lb. marker that was hit the other day completely did away with all the hmmms. And that old quit smoking thing will only hold up so far ..and 200 lbs is about as far as that goes. Out comes the old Atkins diet and this girl got on the bandwagon. We started last Friday and when we went to Dr. this morning for an all over checkup, I weighed 194. I know this rate of loss not last indefinitely, but it sure was a big emotional boost...grin

Spinning Cotton the Walking Wheel Way

Grandma's Plain Cake

I suppose I overdid it again last year during the holidays. I had all kinds of brownie and cookie mixes left over... cans of cake icing...etc. So yesterday I decided to see if I could remember how Grandma showed me to make a quick cake. I'm not sure this is it exactly, but it's good anyway..grin And it also helped get rid of that can of lemon icing I've had in the cupboard...

This is what I did:

"Grandma's" Cake

2 eggs

1 stick softened butter

1 cup sugar

Beat these together in large mixing bowl. Then add

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Add in alternating small batches

2 cups self rising flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Beat briskly for about 2 minutes. I did this all by hand.. You can also use a mixer, which would probably give a fluffier cake. Pour into greased and floured cake pans and bake at 350 degree for about 30 minutes or so.. or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 min., loosen sides and place on rack to cool. Ice with whatever icing you would like..

Mom's Icing

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/2 stick of butter or margarine

cold coffee

Put powdered sugar in medium size bowl with softened butter. Mix well. Use the cold coffee to soften the mix to spreading consistency. Especially good on spice cake.

The Signs of Spring

It's lovely here today...as it was yesterday if you discount the cold north wind that was breezing about. DH laughed when I wore only a long sleeved over shirt but had to have my neck scarf (Corriedale that I spun and naalbound) because of the cold breeze on my neck. Today the high should be 63 degrees F... It was close to that yesterday.

This is one of my favorite times of the year.. The daffodils begin to bud and the weigela beside the driveway blossoms.. a colorful respite from all the drab browns of the dormant trees. Spring is near!

Christening Gown

The christening gown pattern for the new grandbaby due this spring has finally been chosen. I started it a couple of days ago and have worked on it a bit sporadically, but it is coming along. I thought perhaps I would knit it, but am just not good enough and confident enough about it to make something that I hope will be an heirloom.

I found this pattern at Angel Crafts where Lyn has links and patterns for personal and charity use. It's a lovely site. Pop over and have a look. This is her pattern for a Christening Gown and has a pattern for a matching cap.

Post-It Project

I found this today wandering through cyberspace... I thought it was a cute idea.. The Post-It Project is a blog that is full of Post-It note doodles and art. It was started as a way for the blogger to keep track of his doodles that he would do at work. It has become quite an active place with anyone able to have their post-it doodles and art uploaded on the site.

This particular picture was found in the Flickr group of alana jonez.

April Fool???

I spent yesterday afternoon, evening and this morning wondering whatever was going on with Blogger? Every blogger/blogspot site I went to would send my Kasperski anti-phishing into a tizzie.. After spending all morning trying to find a way to reach Blogger support, I found a Bogger help group and left messages there. It seems this has been happening for a couple of days and started when Kasperski sent out an update...seems something in the update got crossed and is putting up a false positive re: phishing sites in Blogger...

Anyway... all is well I suppose, but sure had me going...

And this is not even April!!!

Terry Fator

If you haven't seen the different You.tube performances of Terry Fator on America's Got Talent , try it... you'll like it.. They are all my favorites, but the little green turtle is special... reminds of when all my kids and I would sit in front of the tv watching Sesame Street...way back before any of them were in school...

Can You See This Happening Today?

"All the social functions were discontinued at the White House [during World War I], and Mrs. Wilson inaugurated meatless days, heatless days, Sunday gasless days meaning no Sunday pleasure drives and she spent many hours before her sewing machine making pajamas for the soldiers in the hospital wards, to be distributed by the Red Cross.

Conservation was the by word around the White House; eight sheep were soon gracing the lawns . . . many thousands of dollars were raised for the Red Cross through the auctioning of wool. Two pounds of wool were sold for each state when the sheep were fleeced of almost a hundred pounds of raw wool. "

White House Maid and Seamstress Lillian Rogers Parks
My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House, Fleet, 1961

I was pointed to this through a post on one of my Yahoo Groups..and I thought...

It seems that Al Gore's Global Warming and the War in Iraq have not caused many changes at the White House.. Al has not given up his jet flights to get from place to place... California wants control of all the people's home thermostats but no one has seen the leadership of the states or the federal government make changes. The many people knitting and sewing for our soldiers are led by individuals like you and me... If there are any of the "leadership" of this country doing so, I would love to hear about it...

Hmmm... times have changed....

Garnish Wages?

Politics is not something I discuss very often, even within my family. It can become a very divisive factor if pursued hard enough... So it is seldom brought up... But I have to blog this...
It is an Associated Press article carried in Yahoo news and the complete article can be found here. This is an excerpt of the article...


By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer 58 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday she might be willing to garnish the wages of workers who refuse to buy health insurance to achieve coverage for all Americans...
The New York senator has criticized presidential rival Barack Obama for pushing a health plan that would not require universal coverage. Clinton has not always specified the enforcement measures she would embrace, but when pressed on ABC's "This Week," she said: "I think there are a number of mechanisms" that are possible, including "going after people's wages, automatic enrollment."...

Since when has it become the government's right to do anything at all with the paycheck we have worked to receive for our family... When did they suddenly have the right to decide whether we must do anything... much less garnish our wages for something that will give big insurance a guaranteed windfall of money...

Yes, the very idea of the blatant socialism this entails makes me nauseous... Sorry about the rant....

Dunbar's Theme...John Barry

Loved it then... Love it now... John Barry has become my hero. He wrote sound tracks for Dances with Wolves, Somewhere In Time, Out of Africa...and others...