Crafting in the Sixties

 

I recently came across some pictures of the things my Grandma made when I was a little girl. We've come so far since then! I have beautiful memories of crafting with her. She worked at a place called the Palette Party Shop. It was the craft store of that time. It was in an old late 1800's building on 38th in Broadway in Gary. I can still smell it as I write this. My sister and I would walk there after school and watch her and the other employees make party and shower decorations. I loved to play with the ribbon making machine. The shop was full of beads, felt, wiggle eyes, sequins, syrofoam, ribbon, lace, decorative pins, and crepe paper of every color imaginable. Things were so simple back then. I still have some of her actual projects. They are kept in a box because they are too fragile to handle.

Do you ever wish you could go back in time just for a day or so? Funny how special things can be when you look back at your past. We took those walks and visits for granted as kids but I do love the memories.

Some of My Favorite Apps

Since I've been blogging (lots of years), every now and then I make a post about my favorite apps. Of course these tend to change as more apps become available and more apps are updated. As of this writing, the following are my favorite apps:

1. Google Calendar - I suppose this will always remain on my list of favorites because it keeps my time so organized. I love the fact that along with the "events," it allows you to create tasks. I use the task feature as my daily to do list. The way I like to look at it is to go into the schedule and you have a nice list. I love that you can even add details to your tasks. You can even make recurring appointments for your events such as birthdays, bill payments, etc...

2. Readly - For around $12 a month, I can read unlimited magazines and even back issues. Every magazine I like, they have it. Each family member can have their own sign-in as well. I sure do get my moneys worth out of that one. And they have all the popular magazines and more!

3. Samsung Notes - This is my second brain! I used to pay for another note-taking app but since I discovered Samsung Notes, I like it even better. This app can only be used on Samsung devices and computers with Windows operating system. It syncs seamlessly among my devices. I love that I can annotate and create PDF documents on it. Between this and my calendar app, my life is so orgainzed! I might be obsessed over this one. And it's free!

4. Canva - I just discovered this one. I love it for creating ads. It's so quick to make them and I can do them from my computer or my tablet. I still use my drawing program but this is so handy.

5. Sketchbook - This is a nice drawing app. I no longer sell my artwork or clipart but I love to relax by doing some drawings.

That's my list for today. If you'd like to check any of these out, you can get them from the place where you get your apps.

Photo above: A picture of my sweet cat, Punkie. She lived to be almost nineteen and I still miss her every day.

NEW Coasters Video is up on YouTube!

 

YouTube video for these super easy coasters!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3ZT2XoTiPs

Are You Ready for the Three Dune Challenge?

The photo on this blog post is one I took while hiking the dunes. Long before the park became a National park (was just a state park) they didn't have the "3 Dune Challenge." They had the three big and steep dunes, but they didn't call it a challenge. We locals just thought of it as "Trail 8." And it's a tough one! When I first started hiking that trail, I thought I was going to die. I had this vision of DNR arriving to my aid on their 4-wheel vehicles. By the end of that sumer after going about two or three days a week, I had them mastered. I can even say that I never had to stop and rest, just breezed on through! 

The hubster and I were talking about getting our season pass and making it a regular activity once again. It has been about 15 years since I've climbed those dunes and I just know that I'll be back to near death again the first time. Between age and added weight, it will be rough but I'm bound and determined to make it happen. That is my goal for 2023.

If you want to see what I'm talking about, I've dropped a few links below so you can check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XZK2mWxljI

https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7013463/trail-8-3-dunes-challenge

https://www.indianadunes.com/explore-the-dunes/indiana-dunes-state-park/3-dune-challenge/

What will you challenge yourself to do?

The Benefits of Doodling

Did you know that doodling has beneftis? Did you know that it actually helps you concentrate on something else? Well, it does!

I was listening to a podcast which I like to do while I'm working, and the subject came up on a podcase called Something You Should Know which is a great one to listen to if podcasts are your thing. Instead of distracting you, it helps you concentrate on what's going on. When you doodle, you can better concentrate because your mind doesn't wander onto other subjects. So basically, it distracts you in a good way.

I was curious so I did a little research myself and I found the following two reliable links with great informaion:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-thinking-benefits-of-doodling-2016121510844

http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-power-of-the-doodle-improve-your-focus-and-memory-1406675744

Who knew?