http://www.starvingjewelryartists.com/index.php?app=blog Community Blog List Syndication Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:42:02 +0000 support@tsjaforums.com (Starving Artists) IP.Blog 60
I'm more aware of my stomach when it reaches that "full" or "satisfied" status automatically. It doesn't take a lot of food to be satisfied. It really doesn't, but sometimes it's so good I want more. In reality, though, it's my brain that 'wants' more, not my stomach. A lot of times I give in and fill my plate with more food. It doesn't take too long after that I notice I'm at the 'full' stage. Not stuffed, but just full. It's when I've gone just slightly beyond the 'satisfied' mark. Though, personally, I'm starting to perceive there are a couple of levels in the 'full' category. One would be being 'full' in a low level and the other being 'full' on a high level, if that makes any sense. For me, at least, being 'full' in that lower level isn't too, too bad. It's where I've passed the 'satisfied' level and just arrived at the 'full' level but I'm not really, really full. I shouldn't have gotten there, but I did and now I need to stop eating so I won't become really, really full. It's interesting and funny how I've learned to pay attention to my stomach while I eat. And I'm not even really aware I'm doing it.

So why am I talking about this? Well, this past Thursday I attended my WW meeting and got weighed in. Now, I purposely missed the weigh-in the week before because I just couldn't face the scale. See when Thanksgiving came around, I did not deprive myself of ANY foods. None. I felt guilty the whole time, too. Not good. And see, the week before Thanksgiving our WW Leader was talking about eating controlled portions of less fatty foods. Meanwhile, in my mind I was just laughing 'cause there was absolutely no fat chance I was not going to indulge in my favorite meals during Thanksgiving, ha! And because I made that decision in my mind, I did exactly that when Thanksgiving arrived. But, interestingly, when I finally went back to my meeting, I had only gained two tenths of a pound. Yes, I only gained .2! That's not even a half of pound. And I was shocked because I ate evARything and haven't stopped eating bad things since Thanksgiving. I thought for sure I'd gained like 2-3 pounds, but I didn't.

I really couldn't understand. I thought I was going to be faced with the challenge of taking off what I had already struggled to take off months before...but how did I only gain .2 pounds since Thanksgiving? I started reflecting back on those moments... Then I realized when I ate, I only ate a one plate serving and smaller portions of the foods. Normally I'd go back for seconds and the portions would be twice the size. Okay, so that kind of helped, but what about all the bad stuff people started bringing in at the office? Well, I remember cutting things in half and eating one half of it...then the munchie stuff...well, that I'd only grab 2-3 handfuls. I have very small hands, so that helped. I really believe portion controlling helped. But the irony is that while I laughed in my head as I listened to my WW Leader talk about portion control, I subconsciously did just exactly what she talked about. Not because I followed her advise, but because I had already been learning it a couple of months beforehand. So, I conclude and agree, yes, it does take 21 days to make or break a habit. The habit just has to be practiced c-o-n-t-i-n-u-o-u-s-l-y and with that practice comes forth THE habit, whether good or bad, it shows up. Before realization hits, it is practiced without any effort whatsoever. It becomes automatic. Automatic systematic...isn't there a song with those lyrics? ]]> Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:23:00 +0000
I used to boil eggs for 15 minutes, just to make sure they were fully cooked with no runny stuff because that is just too yucky to me. But really what I was doing was overcooking them. You see I boiled eggs for 15 minutes, poured cold running water in the pan and let them sit, then drained, and peeled 'em...well...reflecting back…the yolk would be an off-yellow color and I would see a thin green film around the surface of the yolk.

I read it’s not poisonous to eat it that way, though. It’s just an indicator of the natural chemical reaction that took place within the egg. I read online it was the reaction of hydrogen sulphide from amino acids in the white part of the egg reacting to the iron found in the yolk causing a thin film of sulphide to form on the surface of the yolk. But then again, who cares, right? Well, ya just never know when someone will pop a quiz on ya someday during an ice cream social or something...better yet, an egg social. Weeeeeee!

I never knew this, but I came across info stating that really, really fresh eggs, like 1-2 days old, are not recommended when cooking hard boiled eggs because they are difficult to peel afterward. And this is because the white of the egg is more acidic with a pH of 7.6-7.9 and a cloudy appearance due to carbon dioxide. When freshly laid eggs are washed, the shell becomes porous causing air absorption and loss of carbon dioxide. This process causes the egg to increase even more in its pH level to about 9.2 and when this occurs that delicate membrane, located between the egg white and the shell, no longer adheres to the white of the egg as much, allowing for easier peeling. No wonder! Geez Louise. I’ve had that happened to me, but I never even imagined it was because the egg was too fresh. In fact, I just thought the egg was nearing its life span or something. But, au contraire, an egg that’s been in the frig for several days is the best kind of egg to hard boil. Wow. The littlest things I learn.

I’ve read many ways of boiling eggs such as bringing the water to a rolling boil first, then add the eggs. I’ve also read NOT to do that 'cause then the shell will crack. Then somewhere I read to let the eggs sit to room temperature first, then place in a pot, then add water and boil for a certain amount of minutes. Honestly, though, how serious is it to cook a hard boiled egg to perfection? Unless it’s being served to the president or something, does it really matter how many minutes to boil an egg? To some people, yes, to others, well, maybe it’s not that serious of a kaboodle. And since I boil eggs for myself, then I just want them to be medium-hard boiled with a nice bright, pretty yellow yolk. So no greenies allowed. But there are so many suggestions out there as to how many minutes to boil, not all of them will be precise. Well, at least, precisely in the sense of how I LIKE to eat them.

I understand if I let the eggs sit at room temperature and then boil, I can deduct 1 minute of required cooking time. But the thing is, whose cooking time, which list of minutes do I follow? There are so many out there. So, the way I see it, I just won't do that. Nope. Rarely will I have time to allow eggs to reflect room temperature. Heck, no, too much goin’ on in my world. So I just take them out the frig and plop ‘em in a pot with water and place over heat. I’ve found that starting the cooking process directly from the frig will take a good 11 minutes at med-high heat. Then I take the pot and run under cold water, then let sit in the sink for a few dilio-minutes. I peel and when finished, I slice the egg in half and it is just exactly how I like it...the yolk is nice and yellow...little runny...a bit firm-runny though, like a volcano (the only way to describe it)...the egg white is soft but firm...mmmm, just the way I like it. Though, sometimes, I do feel like eating the egg slightly softer. Those days I will boil for 10.5 minutes. That's only half a minute less than what I normally cook...no more, no less. Exactly 10.5 minutes. It has to be exactly 10.5...and yum! It turns out just slightly softer than what I usually cook them at, not a lot of runny goin' on, just a bit more volcano-thick type runny. Trial and error is how I arrived to this conclusion.

Now...on second thought... Uh-oh...would this still be classified as a hard boiled egg? ]]> Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:16:00 +0000 Lol, yeah, profusely after a crazy workout! A salt workout that is. I just recently tried eggplants and am on an eggplant kick. I've had eggplant before during potlucks, but it was never anything to write home about. However, da hubz bought an eggplant several days ago and we sat there and looked at it, then we looked at each other. Finally the question emerged. "Do you know how to cook an eggplant?" "Nope, I don't, do you?" "No." So we looked at the eggplant wondering how the heck were we going to cook it.

Thank goodness for the internet where it listed a bazillion recipes for eggplant and throughout it all, it instructed one to "sweat" the eggplant. Hmmm, how the heck do we sweat an eggplant? Do we like give it a hard time or something? Well, it turns out eggplants are bitter in taste and the moisture must be drawn out to get rid of the bitterness. Apparently, the water it contains makes it bitter, so drawing out the water/moisture helps resolve the bitterness. I read as well that the more seeds an eggplant has the more bitter it is. I'm not sure since I've just recently discovered the eggplant.

So it was recommended to use kosher salt or sea salt because it's not as salty as regular table salt. And this will help draw out the moisture, the bitterness. I found conflicting info as to how long to 'sweat' the eggplant. Some say 30 minutes, while others mentioned to sweat it up to two hours. Two hours? Wow! After salting the eggplant and letting it sit for a while, little droplets of moisture developed on the surface, hence, the term "sweating" The moisture is being extracted by the salt from within and on the surface of the eggplant. After letting the eggplant sweat, it should be blotted dry, then rinsed to remove the excess salt. Afterward, the cooking begins...however you please, yay!!!!

We've just been slicing them, spicing them up with seasoning, then sauteing them on a pan with a spray of pam. They are so delicious just right out of the stove, yum! The texture is slightly spongy but a lot more "meaty" than spongy. So if you're a person with texture sensitivities, then eggplants may not be such a hot idea for ya. Although, I do suggest trying it first before saying "It's nasty, I don't like it." But I know people who can't stand to eat bananas because of the texture, though, I think life would be a bit boring without nanners for sure.

Anyways, in all this eggplant cooking experimentation, I started wondering, why the heck do we call eggplants, eggplant, if they don't even look like eggs at all. It's got the word "egg" in it, but it hardly resembles an egg. Well, the eggplant, aka aubergine or brinjal, is a plant of the family Solanaceae and is native to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. The eggplant is botanically classified as a berry, the reason it's also referred to as aubergine (french) the berry. It contains small seeds, which are edible but bitter. Yeah, but why the name eggplant? Okay, okay, I'm getting to that, hold them horses.

The name eggplant, used in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, refers to the eggplants of the 1700 or 1800 European cultivar, were white in color and slightly narrower, resembling a goose or hen's eggs. Hence, the word egg in the name eggplant, which has remained until this day. Interesting. (btw, there are eggplants that are white and from what I gathered, they aren't as bitter as their purple counterpart. And you don't have to sweat them before cooking either!) It is said that experimental botanist Thomas Jefferson brought the eggplant to the US and used it primarily as a tabletop decoration. Now, curious George wants to know...was that Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson? Thomas Jefferson as in the third president of the US Thomas Jefferson? Well, I'm too tired right now to search the answer to that question. So I'll leave it for now.

In the meantime, eggplants are yummy and meaty. Actually, they are quite bland but because their texture is somewhat spongy and bland, they easily take on whatever flavor they are cooked with, kinda like tofu. They can easily take the place of meat, too. The reason it's used so much by vegetarians. So now I know if I ever want to be a vegetarian for a day or two or even a week, there's always the good ol' eggplant that'll take me there...there over there....way over there yonder....away from the high fatty meats! Also, eggplants are a nice low-fat food...low in saturated fat, and cholesterol. When I googled the nutrients for eggplants, I found it's a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and definitely a great source of fiber, Folate, Potassium and Manganese. So something I'll have to remember, if I ever feel constipated, I can turn to eggplants to help me with that issue, right?

Ahhhh, eggplants, eggplants, wherefore were thou oh eggplants, eggplants, my newly-found food. ]]> Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:56:00 +0000
I LOVE candied yams and baked yams with Molasses syrup, but I never really cared for them without the extra sweeteners. However, being on a diet will cause one to reconsider options worth filling up the tum-tums. I found I actually enjoy baked yams. They are actually naturally sweet and they DO satisfy my tum-tums, a huge concern for me these days.

Recently when I was at the market, I saw sweet potatoes and wondered which of the two would be sweeter. I knew I‘d like baked sweet potatoes because I’ve had my share of sweet potato pies. Mmmm, delish! Love ‘em! I was going to ask the grocer and even other people, but I didn’t want a subjective response, so I decided to do some research. I found a lot of interesting things about yams, probably trivial things to some people, but I hope not trivial to others. Anyways, what I found was that yams are not really yams.

All my life I’ve known them to be and have called them yams. Now I find they’re really not yams. So what are they then? Believe it or not, they are sweetpotatoes! Yah, sweetpotatoes, written as one word! I couldn’t believe it. Growing up I learned to distinguish them by their color and shape, let alone learning to write it in two words. Now I find out they are one and the same. Good thing I adjust well to changes. Well, maybe not in the beginning, but afterward, I do adjust quite nicely. So for the sake of peace, I’ll write it as two words from here on out.

So, now, yams are sweet potatoes, I have to remember that. Being native to Central and South Americas, their scientific name is Ipomoea batatas and they produce a storage root. They share a blooming flower of the Morning Glory family. I love the flower Morning Glory, it’s so beautiful, not to mention the name. Sweet potatoes come in varieties of “firm” and “soft” ones, not to mention the colors and shapes available. In the US, the firm sweet potatoes already existed and called sweet potatoes, so when the “soft” ones were being cultivated another name was needed to avoid confusion. Yah, I can understand that!

African slaves had already been calling the “soft” ones nyami because they resembled theirs from back home. I also read “nyami” derives from the African word “to eat.” Thus, the name yam remained to make the distinction between the firm and soft sweet potatoes. Today the USDA requires labels with the term “yam” to be accompanied by the term “sweet potato.” But, honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever come across both terms alongside each other at the market. They are either labeled “sweet potato” or “yam” and usually they are labeled to those I’ve grown to know and love all my life. No wonder it’s confusing.





The true yam is not commercially grown widely in the United States, but it is found in international markets from what I’ve gathered. I understand they are usually hard to find, but is s-l-o-w-l-y making its way around markets. Native to Africa and Asia, their scientific name is Dioscorea Species. I read somewhere online they are in the same class as lilies. There are over 600 varieties of yams, which 95% of these crops are grown in Africa, but I’ve also read they’re grown in the Caribbean and Latin America because of tropical and temperate tropical climates.



Yams produce root tubers, which are generally toxic if consumed raw. True yams must be cooked in order to consume them. So don’t be gettin’ slap-happy ‘cause you found them and go juicing yams. They’ve got to be cooked! You know, true yams don’t even resemble sweet potatoes. They look quite distinct. From what I’ve read and pictures I’ve seen, their skin can be brown or dark-brown, sometimes almost black, like a bark of a tree and can have anywhere from white, red, purple flesh depending on the variety and they can grow as small as a regular potato and up to over seven feet.



I’ve found conflicting info concerning its consistency. Some say it’s starchier and drier that sweet potatoes, while others say it has a higher moisture content, but I’m not sure since I haven’t eaten the real deal just yet. Though, I did read they are generally sweeter than sweet potatoes.

So there you have it! More than likely we all have had sweet potatoes. Whether you distinguish them as either sweet potatoes or yams, in the end, they are probably sweet potatoes. Yams…sweet potatoes…yams…sweet potatoes, which is it? Both are one and the same, unless of course, you specifically go search for a true yam. ]]> Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:02:00 +0000
Well...yes, I am thankful but c'mON! I'm feeling the food stress comin' on strong, lol!

I am not throwing a hissy fit or anything. It's just I wanna eat just like everyone else. Of course, my biggest struggle is to get my lazy butt to the gym. Those two things are the biggest load I have to carry. But they are only the 'biggest load' during the holidays 'cause it's HARD for cryin' out loud. Good grief. Maybe I should just hide in the closet until after New Year's Day, lol! Just kidding. But seriously, this will be the greatest challenge ever 'cause I really don't wanna gain the 9 pounds I've already lost. Yes, I'm saying nine 'cause I've gained one pound already. But that's okay 'cause the gym will take care of that. I just have to spank my butt and tell it to 'giddy on up" to the gym!

Anyways, putting this aside...I've a friend who turned me on to one of the funnest website for gals like me who lerves me some big time eatin'. Yup. I finally signed up to receiving their emails. Daily emails. Daily tips for how to keep my weight down all the while eatin' me some good grub.

The website is called Hungry Girl. Now doesn't that suit me just fine and dandy? Yup, sure does. Sometimes I just have to have me some "bad" food every once in a while. Doesn't mean I'm bad, just means I needs me somethin' that taste like it's got calories galore. So this site will hopefully keep my cravings in check without all the nonsense 'cause believe you me there's gonna be lots of nonsense on the scale once Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone. Rats. I don't look forward to that. That means lots of work, lots of will power, and lots of gym time.

This site has lots of good advice on maintaining or losing weight and it's just so dang fun to read, not to mention the motivation you feel when you're there. It always motivates me when I'm there...to keep going and not give up regardless of all the holiday grub. I just have to hang out there more so than usual. So check it out if chance knocks on your door!]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:04:00 +0000
I've been super busy and havent had the time to create and THEN I went to Seattle for 5 days and got some AMAZING goodies. So....now I'm home......it's kind of a mess around here since my daughter was sick the whole time I was gone (that will be my next blog entry...what a story!) and my son and hubby were really busy (seriously, I'm totally making up excuses for them, they were being slobs!!!). So I have a lot of catching up to do there, and business stuff....and some big orders that have been waiting for me to fill......and of course Thanksgiving dinner, OH, and then on Saturday we are having a family birthday party...........there HAS to be time in there somewhere to create, right??????]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:20:00 +0000
Well, I finally 'got' the portion size. And lemme say that that is a hard thing to do. But now that I've got that under my belt, I'm finally getting the "feeling" aspect of eating. Now not only do I have to monitor my portion size, I also have to think about how I feel when I'm eating. When I was in school getting my degree, I often selected classes I thought were interesting but easy. Why not right? Hey, the simpler the better. And I found there's absolutely no class that is easy because professors will always make them hard. It's almost like it's their objective for their students to experience what they experienced when they were in college for their doctorate degree. And I hated that. How could they possibly become an obstacle for students? I never understood that. Well, eating has become that way for me now...it's almost like I'm taking a class on how to re-learn to eat. I guess I am but c'mon. We all know how to eat. Yes, I'm throwing tantrums right now. But can you blame me?

Okay, so after measuring my food and putting it on a plate, I now have to be keenly aware as to how my stomach feels. Are they kidding me? My stomach feels fine and, in fact, it wants more of that dang food. LOL! Well. So as I eat I think to myself, "Now did that bite satisfy me yet?" "Nope." "Okay, I'll eat more." Lots of grins here. Sheesh! Like...I'd prefer to just GOBBLE it all down, thank you very much. And so I get to the point where I've finished eating. Then I sit there and try to decide how I'm feeling. Hmmm. Let's see. "Tum-tum, are you full?" "No, definitely not." Okay, not full. That's good. "Tum-tum are you still hungry?" "No, but if you want, I could definitely grub on more." Ahhh, da tums is a comedian. Well, I'll ignore that and not join in the act. So if da tums isn't full and she's not hungry, then she must be satisfied. "Tum-tum are you satisfied?" "Yeah, I guess. I'm not full or hungry, just in the middle, but no pun intended." I guess that means I could go for another 2-3 hours before I'll need to 'filler up' again. Hmmm. So if she's not full and she's not hungry, then the term satisfaction is the way da tums is feeling now.

Satisfaction is now my goal when I eat. I cannot eat until I'm stuffed or full, nor can I eat and remain hungry. I have to find that middle ground. It's almost like leaving a little bit of space for ease. It's like sewing, leaving a bit of room for movement. This is where I have to ignore my mind because it loves to make comments when I'm done eating my portions. It reminds me how good and delish the food was and it would be great to have more and that a little bit more won't hurt. Uh-huh, right, just shut up, why don't you! Sometimes I have to be rude like that. I just have to shut down my mind and respond according to how da tums is feeling....that feeling of satisfaction is my boundary and my newly-developed technique for losing the excess I've been lugging around for years. Through it all though, IT'S ALL GOOD. ]]> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:49:00 +0000 So at the last minute I headed straight for the gym and got there at 9:30pm or so. I did one hour on the precore machine. And I exercised 4 miles and burned around 400 calories. I was so proud of myself.

I'm thinking that sometimes you can cheat as long as the rest of the meals are balanced. For instance, I had two banana muffins this morning, so for lunch I had a really, really, really, REALLY low point meal, the same for dinner. I did that too last week when I ate stuff I shouldn't have. By doing that, it balanced out in the end. And I believe that's what helped me to lose the one pound I thought I was going to gain today.

Oh and going back about the gym, one thing, though, just why...WHY the heck are all the TV monitors set to the same channel? It looks like no one cares because most of the time they are set to sports. And everyone watches them. I'm not a sports fanatic, so I guess that's why I wonder. One would think they'd set the TV's to different channels to accommodate the preferences of the members, right? *sigh* It's already hard to get myself to the gym, so having to watch sports doesn't make it any easier. Maybe watching sports will subliminally motivate members to rev it up a notch while they're working out?? Yeah, I think that may be the intention. I'll give them that benefit of the doubt.

Ok, so tomorrow I HOPE to work out again...I really don't like to 'cause I could be doing other things that are more interesting, like eating...LOL! But it is a new day. I always feel like the day after weigh-in, it's a brand new day, with brand new opportunities, and brand new goals to get back on track, even if I screwed up my diet two days ago. It's a brand new day of starting all over again. A brand new day to get back on that train heading towards a healthier and leaner life style. ]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:28:00 +0000
The other day I decided to have one as a dessert and as I was indulging in it, bit time, I started reading the ingredients. Then my jaw just dropped...it contains aspartame? Uh-oh, back up a bit and read that again...yup, aspartame. Hey, isn't that ingredient really bad? I think I remember hearing about it...hmmm, lemme just go google it. And boy was I shocked to read how BAD aspartame is...I mean it's really bad and is included in a LOT of foods we consume, like a big percentage of diet items...diet sodas, candies, gum, even jello now, wow! Big WoW on that one.

Apparently there has been research done on this, but it's not really been concluded to cause extreme harm. Yet I have been reading that a lot of people have gotten really sick over this stuff. And we consume it like it's going out of style, most of us not fully aware or really knowledgeable on this. The side effects are overwhelming to me and I just couldn't believe it. Here's a list of reactions and side effects of aspartame I found online:

Eye
blindness in one or both eyes
decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
pain in one or both eyes
decreased tears
trouble with contact lenses
bulging eyes

Ear
tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound
severe intolerance of noise
marked hearing impairment

Neurologic
epileptic seizures
headaches, migraines and (some severe)
dizziness, unsteadiness, both
confusion, memory loss, both
severe drowsiness and sleepiness
paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
severe slurring of speech
severe hyperactivity and restless legs
atypical facial pain
severe tremors

Psychological/Psychiatric
severe depression
irritability
aggression
anxiety
personality changes
insomnia
phobias

Chest
palpitations, tachycardia
shortness of breath
recent high blood pressure

Gastrointestinal
nausea
diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
abdominal pain
pain when swallowing

Skin and Allergies
itching without a rash
lip and mouth reactions
hives
aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma

Endocrine and Metabolic
loss of control of diabetes
menstrual changes
marked thinning or loss of hair
marked weight loss
gradual weight gain
aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
severe PMS

Other
frequency of voiding and burning during urination
excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
increased susceptibility to infection

Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all:
death
irreversible brain damage
birth defects, including mental retardation
peptic ulcers
aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
hyperactivity in children
severe depression
aggressive behavior
suicidal tendencies

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Epstein-Barr
Post-Polio Syndrome
Lyme Disease
Grave’s Disease
Meniere’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
ALS
Epilepsy
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
EMS
Hypothyroidism
Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
non-Hodgkins
Lymphoma
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)


What! Why don't we see this on TV or in the news? I'm not sure, but you can surely find it easily online. Apparently, there are few doctors, researchers who acknowledge this is happening. BUT there is a larger percentage of people experiencing the effects and have linked them to their consumption of aspartame as soon as they realize what their diets consist of or as soon as they make the connection. Once they cease consumption, the effects disappear. Wow. And to think I found a little tasty treasure in my newly-found fudge bar. I really thought I found a huge treasure. Something that would only be one point and satisfy my chocolate cravings. *sigh* Oh well. No more fudge bars for me.

The other disappointment was learning that aspartame exist in almost every chewing gum. Again...what! My favorite brand of chewing gum contains aspartame. Rats. From what I learned online, there is a small amount of chewing gum brands without the poison and they are mostly cinnamon flavored gums....like yuck. I'm not too fond of cinnamon flavored gum. It's okay, just not fond of it.

So now I cannot have my fudge bar that I liked so much and now I can't even chew my favorite gum anymore. Even Juicy Fruit contains aspartame. Double rats! What's a girl to do without her fudge bar and her gum? Now every time I find something low in calories that taste good...or better yet, zero calories, I HAVE to look at the ingredients. Just why can't they make stuff without aspartame? Gee wiz. Why can't they make chewing gum without aspartame? Sheesh. And yet I regularly see people offer a stick gum, thinking they are being nice or offering a drink, like a soda or something..."I have regular or diet soda, which would you like?" When really it should be more like, "I have regular soda and soda with poison, which would you like?" Ummmm...errr....lemme tink about eeet...

*big sigh*]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:44:00 +0000 So my first blog post here - I thought you'd like to see a picture!



This bracelet was made by one of my customers who bought one of my handmade sterling silver toggle clasps.

I love seeing what customers do with my components.

So this is my first day on this forum, and so far I'm enjoying having a mooch around. I think I'll definitely stick around and hang out!]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:45:00 +0000