Tuesday, April 26, 2016

What was once lost...

We all lose things. Sometimes we find them.
Sometimes we don't.
Sometimes what we find is too late.


Things that were once useful to someone are now useless to anyone.


Someone lost them, nature found them.



Why are things so important to people?
Do they make us feel Happy?
Important?
Special?

When we die, we don't take things with us.
What we do take with us is Love
Understanding
Peace

So, forget about things!
Instead focus on your Family
Find yourself
Faithfulness
Spirituality

There you will find Happiness,
Peace
Love


Saturday, April 23, 2016

5K!





One of my new years resolutions or goals for the year was to do a 5K race on my birthday. I have been working on it and I finally did my first 5K today since I was a teen! (Don't get me wrong, working on the farm and having kids, I walked way more than that everyday but just to do one on it's own, in my free time) AND I realized that today is exactly one month until my birthday! This was not a race, I am just training in my driveway. (see earlier post here - yes, I know I need to update it :P)
Now that I know I can do it time to find one and sign up :D

Friday, April 15, 2016

Ants in Macro

A few days ago I walked past a big mass of ants that seemed to have been disturbed by something.
It was odd to see because they were in the gravel so I wouldn't have noticed them if they weren't all out at once.

It thought this would be a great time to get the macro lens out and see the little creatures being so active together outside of their secret underground world.

 It was hard not to notice this many ants

 So I took a closer look
They seemed to know what they were doing, where they were going..
They all had a purpose

They were working together to save their community
Ants are amazing little creatures

What is your purpose?
Are you going where you are supposed to be going?
Stop. Pray. Meditate. Listen. 
Do. Be.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Blueberry Farm

Yesterday I went to the farm to see what the state of the blueberries were after the frosty nights we have had.  The bushes are loaded with blossoms but many have been kissed by the frost and won't turn into delicious blueberries :( 

All the little pink blossoms would have been blueberries
These bushes are about 25+ years old 
They stand over 6' tall and about the same wide
This variety is a southern Rabbit Eye
The berries are large and sweet

The poor little brown flowers are the ones that were frosted

These seem to be untouched :)

 These are a variety that are more tolerant of the cold weather
They are called Northern High Bush


These are my favorite kind
They have a strong tart blueberry flavor
We make many smoothies and freeze as many of these as we can

The bushes are much smaller and don't produce as much
as the southern Rabbit eyes
They are only about 5' tall and about 2-3' wide
They are the about the same age as the others

While the Borer bee is very annoying around the house and barn 
They are vital to the blueberries
They help open the blossoms so the honey bees can get to them
and are one of the first pollinators seen at the farm

If you haven't picked blueberries at a farm you should try it at least once
to see how they grow and have a real, fresh blueberry
be warned though:
 you might not be able to eat the store blueberries again ;)

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Today's Song

Song of the day

Simple Man
Lynard Skynyrd


Mama told me when I was young
"Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day"

"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
You'll find a woman and you'll find love
And don't forget, son, there is someone up above"

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"

"Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"

Oh yes, I will

"Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"

Baby, be a simple, really simple man
Oh, be something you love and understand

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Life is a journey



Life is a journey, not a destination.
You won't reach your destination until you die.
So choose your path wisely and change it when you need to.
Love, forgive and live with passion.
Pray with an open heart and listen.
Learn as you go and enjoy the ride.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

The time is now


Are you doing things to get you where you want to be?
Will you look back in a month, a year and be any closer?
Today is the day to start.

"The time is now."
-I have seen this message quite a few times in the last week or so.
Time to listen.

~FriggleFraggle~

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

April Fool's Day :P

April Fool's Day is not a day I celebrate. I have never really liked it.
Being named April made it worse growing up.
Kids can be mean and this day was an excuse to get away without getting into trouble.

I avoided the day when possible. Happy that it landed on a weekend sometimes. Other years I felt "sick" and couldn't go to school, but I had to anyway because my mom knew I was fine.
So I just kept my head low and pretended it was any other day. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn't.

I don't like tricks or pranks to be played on me and so I don't do them to others.
(Do unto others as you would have them do unto you)

One year I was staying at grandmas when a young cousin decided to play some tricks.
I was up first that morning and went to make coffee.
I turned on the water and got soaked by the sprayer.
Still very sleepy, I wasn't sure why the water was coming at me instead of going in the coffee pot.
She had put a rubber band on the spray nozzle so when the water was turned on it would spray the victim right away. I was the victim of that prank and a bit cautious for the rest of the day because I wasn't sure what else she did.

I know that is no big deal, I got a little wet right before my shower and it helped wake me up.
But I told that story to my son...
Now it is relived every year.
But, I usually catch it - if I remember what day it is before coffee.


Here is a link that I found that explains a little about the popular day and possibly how it all got started.

On this day in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other.
Although the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes. These included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.
Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.
April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.
In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations and Web sites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences. In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees; numerous viewers were fooled. In 1985, Sports Illustratedtricked many of its readers when it ran a made-up article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a fastball over 168 miles per hour. In 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. In 1998, after Burger King advertised a “Left-Handed Whopper,” scores of clueless customers requested the fake sandwich.

Some People really like this day and enjoy out-doing the pranks they did the year before. Good for them. I am happy it makes them happy!
Just don't involve me :P
~FriggleFraggle~

Monday, April 4, 2016

Million Mile Month Week 1-2 Updated

Week 1 April 1-7, 2016

Day 1    2.11 miles @ 40.52 min. 19.03/per mile  Total 2.11 @ 40.52 min  60* nice
Day 2    1.06 miles @ 17.29 min. 16.09/per mile  Total 3.1   @ 57.81 min  50* windy
Day 3    1.07 miles @ 19.50 min. 18.29/per mile  Total 4.24 @ 1.3 hours    60* windy
Day 4    1.07 miles @ 17.46 min. 16.19/per mile  Total 5.31 @ 1.6 hours    60* rainy
Day 5    1.32 miles @ 28.46 min.  20.49/per mile Total 6.63 @ 2.08 hours  40* windy
Day 6    1.04 miles @ 20.59 min.  19.49/per mile Total 7.67 @ 2.43 hours  50* very windy
Day 7    0

Week 2 April 8-14, 2016

Day 8    .38 miles   @ 8.43 min.  22.49/per mile Total 8.05  @ 2.51 hours   50* windy/rain
Day 9    0                                                                                                40* rain/snow
Day 10  0                                                                                                 40* rain
Day 11  1.35 miles @ 31.15 min.  22.58/per mile Total 9.41 @ 3.09 hours  50* cloudy/wet
Day 12  1.36 miles @ 29.52 min.  22.19/per mile Total 10.76 @ 3.59 hours 60* nice
Day 13  1.52 miles @ 30.18 min.  19.31/per mile Total 12.28 @ 4.1 hours 60* beautiful
Day 14

The goal I have set for myself is 30 miles in the Month of April. I figured if I do a mile a day (or more on the days I am up to it- so if I have to skip a day because of weather or schedule, I could be a little ahead) I can accomplish the goal.

I am going to keep a weekly log of my progress. I am mostly walking, jogging, or running on a gravel driveway that is on a hill. When I get to go to the track I will note it so I can keep track of the difference in the terrain.

Here are some pics of the driveway that I am using right now. It is convenient because it is just outside of my house and I can just go when I have the time. Going to the track or trail will be nice when I am able to schedule it, but it also means driving longer than I will be working out.

According to the GPS tracking on Map My Run I need to walk down the length of the driveway 9 times and up 8 times to make 1 mile.

Down the driveway

Down the driveway

Up the driveway

Gravel I am treading on :P

I use this time to either clear my mind, pray or listen to music depending on what I need at the time.
It is getting easier each day. The weather is also getting nicer. It has been quite windy the last few days though and it rained on me on day 4 but I kept on going.
The wind and cooler weather make it harder for me to stay out for very long. I can't handle the cold very well.


P.S. I don't like being in the rain because I will melt :P

~FriggleFraggle~

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Optimism


Be optimistic, it can change your life :)

Fight Hunger


I purchased an item from Walmart yesterday that had a small peel off sticker labeled Fight Hunger spark change. 1 item = 1 meal. So I went to the website where Walmart and the companies listed below are going to donate $ to Feeding America.

You can participate by choosing the items with the sicker on them at the store or going online to the link below and clicking the "click to secure 10 meals" button below the number of meals they are planning to donate. You do not have to sign in or register to click the button.

www.Walmart.com/fighthunger


Here is a link to Feeding America if you are interested in what they are about.

http://www.feedingamerica.org

**I am not promoting Walmart or any of the products listed below. I just happened to purchase an item with the sticker while doing my regular grocery shopping and thought I would share with anyone who might be interested :) **

*No one should be hungry. We have so much food to share with everyone. 
Remember where your food comes from.
Thank a farmer, it's not an easy job feeding the world!*

(Below is info from the walmart site about the program)

Meals

For every participating product purchased at Walmart between March 28th and April 25th, 2016, the manufacturer will donate $0.09 to Feeding America® - enough to secure 1 meal on behalf of local food banks - up to each manufacturer’s maximum donation. Each manufacturer’s maximum donation is provided on the participating packages. See package or Walmart.com/FightHunger for details.

Online Donation

From March 28 to April 25, 2016, Walmart will donate the monetary equivalent of 10 meals ($0.90) secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks for every online act of support, up to $1.5 million. Walmart has made an initial $1.5 million donation in support of the campaign. With your help, we can reach a goal of donating a total of $3 million to Feeding America.

Participating Suppliers

Campbell Soup Company
For each purchase of participating Campbell Soup Company (CSC) product at WALMART from March 28 to April 25, 2016, CSC will donate the monetary equivalent of 1 meal ($0.09) to Feeding America®.  CSC guarantees a minimum donation of $300,000. Maximum donation: $1,000,000.  $1 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. Visit Walmart.com/FightHunger for details.
General Mills
For every General Mills participating product purchased at Walmart between March 28 and April 25, 2016, General Mills will donate $0.09 to Feeding America® - enough to secure 1 meal on behalf of local food banks – up to a maximum donation of $2,600,000 in conjunction with this program. See Walmart.com/FightHunger for more information.
Kellogg
For each purchase of specially marked Kellogg’s items from March 28 to April 25, 2016, Kellogg’s will donate the monetary equivalent of 1 meal ($0.09) to Feeding America®. Kellogg’s guarantees a minimum donation of $150,000. Maximum donation: $1.5 million. $1 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. Visit Walmart.com/FightHunger for details.
Kraft Heinz
For each purchase of participating Kraft Heinz products from March 28 to April 25, 2016, Kraft Heinz will donate the monetary equivalent of 1 meal ($0.09) to Feeding America. Maximum donation: $2,500,000.00. $1 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks. Visit Walmart.com/FightHunger for details.
PepsiCo

For each purchase of a participating PEPSICO PRODUCT from March 28 to April 25, 2016, PEPSICO will donate $0.09 to Feeding America. Guaranteed minimum donation: $150,000. Maximum donation: $785,000. $1 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. Visit Walmart.com/FightHunger for details.


Friday, April 1, 2016

Million Mile Month

April 1. 2016 starts MMM
Million Mile Month
You can register here

I have signed up and linked it to Map My Run using the GPS app on my phone
You can sign up for free or donate 

Time to get active!

It Takes Time



We will all end up where we need to be. 
Sometimes the road is a bit rough but that makes us stronger and able to handle things better in the future.


When someone feels sad it is easy for others to just say "You just have to choose to be happy"
Sometimes those sad feelings need to be let out, shared with a friend.
That friend should listen, be there, and feed them Chocolate!!
and they will get better.
They will be happy again.
It just takes time.

Time to move forward and make the best of what is coming.
Smile.
Be Happy.

Tutorial: Pictures and Frames

 Hey there! I decided to add in a tutorial for the Salem Witch Academy frames just in case there is someone who needs a little help with tha...