Estate Sale Finds Jan 25, 2017

It has been unseasonably mild this year.  No snow for over 5 weeks now - are they kidding me????

So we have been pouring over the local ads looking for estate sales to go to and they have been few and far between for good ones. You know, the kind of sales that have great stuff and aren't priced like they are selling at an antique mall.

We managed to find 2 sales this past weekend and we came home with just a few items....

It had better start snowing soon........

Do You Walk 10,000 Steps a Day?

How many steps a day do you think you walk?   Go ahead - take a guess.   Remember what you guessed and we'll see how close you are to the daily recommended amount.

I like to think that I'm pretty active - after all, I am constantly running around doing stuff.  Plus we spend a lot of time outside, geocaching.  In the summer, when we're at the lake,  I am always running up and down the hill to the boat dock, walking to the resort down the street, hiking in the woods.  You get the idea.

But winter, well, that's another story.  I work from home, so some days I don't even leave the house.  My activity level pretty much consists of walking to my office, sitting down and working, walking to the kitchen for something to drink, toss in some laundry, walk back to my office, go fix some lunch, fold the laundry, fix dinner, do the dishes, watch tv and write blog posts.  Sound familiar?  Definitely not a lot of walking activity, altho honestly, I never gave it much thought.

Then my son told me that I should be aiming for 10,000 steps a day - yes, you heard that right - 10 THOUSAND steps a day.  Tony downloaded a free app to my phone called Pacer.  It tracks your steps, sort of like a Fitbit, but a lot cheaper since it's free.  I'd love a Fitbit but I can't justify the cost, so Pacer it is.  I wore my phone on my belt around the house for a few days and I was appalled at what I found out.....  Most days, when I stay home, I walk less than 800 steps per day.  OMG!!!  That is horrible!

According to the Fitbit blog site, you should strive for an average of 10,000 steps per day.  That's approximately 5 miles.  And if you're aiming to lose some weight you probably need to do more steps than that.

Now before you faint from that number, let me tell you - it's easier to reach that goal than you think.  For example, yesterday we went geocaching for a few hours and I easily added 2500 steps to my daily total.  Then last night I hopped on the treadmill and added just over 2000 steps by walking just a  mile.  I did that mile in 15 minutes, which isn't a lot of time out of my day, right?

Here's what I do when I'm on the treadmill.   I walk for 2 minutes at a quick walking pace of 3.5 to warm up.  Then I up the pace to 4.5 and run for a minute.  I keep alternating walking with running like this....
Walk at 3.5 for 2 minutes
Run at 5.5 for 1 minute
Walk at 3.5 for 2 minutes
Run at 6.0 for 1 minute
Finish up with a 3.5 walk until I hit the one mile mark.  Done!  Starting this week I'm going to add 1 block more per week in order to increase my steps.  I can afford 15 - 30 minutes per day on the treadmill in order to increase my steps.  Plus I cheat and watch tv while I'm doing it, so it's kind of a no brainer.

If you don't have a treadmill, then get your butt outside.  Walk around your neighborhood, go to the park, hike a trail, or, if it's raining - go walk the mall - just steer clear of the food court.  Start slow and aim for a couple thousand steps per day, increasing it by 1000 steps per week if you're able to do so.  Go check out the Fitbit website for a complete explanation of what you should do.

At any rate - do something.   Get up and start aiming for your 10,000 steps per day.  So, how many steps do you think you walk per day??  Download Pacer or strap on your Fitbit and see how close you are.

Breakfast in the Blustery Burbs Jan 7, 2017

Last year was so hectic, too hectic, and we logged in our worst year of geocaching yet with only 251 finds for the entire year.  We are going to have to do something about that and step up our caching this year.

Today we attended an annual event - The Breakfast in the Blusterey Burbs.   This is a highly anticipated event run by Greenback, and it's always well attended.

Mom, are you confused about your caching name???  Why are you wearing Wheels name tag?

They had a raffle and mom won a lovely bag of hand made soaps from Linda Shannon.  Linda also makes beautiful macrame items, so check out her shop.   I won a geocoin from Greenback.  Thanks Mike!  If  you're a geocacher, please visit my TB page and discover my TB.  The number is PCQJAR.   That's Mike, our host, in the background with the black sweatshirt....

After a delicious breakfast at Golden Coral we headed out and found 12 geocaches....

 

We're either a pretty hardy bunch or else just desperate to get out of the house - the temperature today was  4 degrees with a wind chill of below zero.   Brrrr....

It took us longer than it should have to find this cache....

And this cache was in a cemetery and had a cute container....

It felt good to get out and visit with our geocaching friends.  Here's to hoping we spend more time geocaching this year.

Merry Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.  See you in the new Year!

I'm Taking a Blogging Break

Thanks so much to everyone who has been emailing me and asking where I've been.

Sometimes life just gets busy, doesn't it?  This past summer has been one of the busiest I've had in a long time.  My daughter bought a  house and moved out so we spent about 8 weeks helping her to remodel it.  It was a huge job but she's all moved in and happy as can be.  She bought a German shepherd puppy and has been busy training him.  I'm so happy for her as she starts this new direction in her life, but I'm not going to lie - I miss her terribly.  We still see her a lot, but it's just not the same as having her at home.  I'm sure a lot of you can relate.  Anyway, I am enjoying not having to worry about whether or not she's going to be happy with whatever I cooked for dinner.  LOL!

Last week my beloved dog passed away.  Honestly, he was the best dog I've ever owned and I am heartbroken.  My husband bought him for my birthday 15 years ago.  When he brought him home he told me my birthday present was out in the car.  When I went out and opened the door, all I saw was a little tail sticking out from under the front seat, and it was slowly wagging back and forth.  When I pulled him out I was delighted to find the smallest, scrawniest little dachshund you ever saw.  Well, my heart just melted and from the second day we had him, Petey has slept at the bottom of the bed, snuggled against my feet.  He was my constant companion and he always went to Kentucky with us.  Every night when I worked on blog posts he would lay next to me on my front room sofa.   I miss his soft, warm body pressed up against my thigh.  His passing left a huge hole in my heart.

Louie and I are still geocaching, mostly with my parents.  We try to get out on weekends and explore new places.  I don't see that stopping any time soon.

Additionally, I've been busy with going to estate sales looking for vintage items to sell.  I'm also kept busy making bracelets that I've been selling through my Etsy shop as well.  So if you're looking for unique gift ideas, pop on over and take a look.

I've just been too busy to blog lately so I think I'm ready to take a break from it for awhile.  I'll still be visiting everyone else's blogs and leaving comments.   If anyone tries to leave a comment here, you won't be able to.  I've been getting hit with a ton of spam comments lately for some reason, so I turned off the comment section.

I may be back blogging later when things quiet down, so in the meantime, everyone have a great autumn!  Thanks for stopping by.

Gear Review - Lewis N Clark Large Dial Combination Lock

Gear Review - Lewis N. Clark Large Dial Combination Lock

I recently received and used the Lewis N Clark Large Dial Combination Lock when I went on our trip to Key West.   It's TSA approved and I also really liked the fact that the numbers are a little larger than the norm.  That made it so much easier for me to actually see the numbers in addition to moving the tumblers around.

The only problem I had with it initially was changing the factory set combination number to my own number.  The directions on the package were hard for me to follow for some reason.  But have no fear - they now have a one minute video on the web page that easily explains how to do it, so that's no longer an issue.

From the Lewis N. Clark webpage:

Available in black, pink, red, blue, and green, this large dial combination lock is a must-have on many travelers' lists. It can either blend in or stand out depending on your preferences, and will always securely lock your luggage. 

• Zinc alloy and steel construction
• Three large dials are easy to see and use
• Resettable 3-dial combination
• 2.5in x 1in x 1in

It's a great little lock that I also use on my gym bag.  I'm sure you could find plenty of other uses for it as well.  

I'm a big fan of their products!  Whether it's electronics, outdoor gear, travel security, or packing solutions, they have you covered.  I own several of their products already and I like and frequently use all of them.  They are well made and perfect for travel.  Check out the Lewis N. Clark company .

(I was given this product in exchange for an honest review.  Lock photos property of Lewis N. Clark and cannot be reproduced without permission)

Book Review - Fishing for God - and vice versa

Fishing for God - and vice versa by Bill Rooney

If you spend a lot of time outdoors, as I do, then I'm sure you have come to appreciate the beauty of nature.  I like the quiet of a sunrise, the coolness of dappled shade in the forest, the exploding colors of a sunset and throughout it all, I sense and feel the closeness of God.  Fishing has afforded me the opportunity to experience the hand of God in more ways than one.  I was just given the opportunity to review a book that so nicely sums up what I have felt and experienced, but was never able to quite put into words.

(photo courtesy of Kim Scornavacco)

Fishing for God - and vice versa was written by Bill Rooney, who has spent a lifetime fishing around the globe.  He served as editor for several outdoor publications, with fifteen years on staff of Outdoor Life Magazine, including six as managing editor.  He brings first hand knowledge, insight and experience to his book and he delivered it in a charming and humorous way.

Fishing for God is more than short stories about fishing - it's also a fun how-to with tips on "can't miss lures" like Crickhoppers, Rebels and Rapalas.  Interspersed between his recollections is a guidebook on fantastic fishing locations like Clinch River in Virginia, the Big Island of Hawaii, Lake Tohopekaliga in Florida, and many more locations where Bill can point out the best spots to land a good one or haul in more fish than you ever dreamed possible in a day.

Everyone has a favorite fish that they like to pursue - what's your pleasure?  Salmon, bass, bonefish, muskellunge and trout all make appearances in the book along with tips on bait and tackle and some fun anecdotes thrown in for good measure.

Bill enjoys the company of a select circle of friends on annual camping and fishing trips, and he regales the reader with stories that produce gut busting laughter that only the antics of close friends can induce.  The chapter Hunting for God is full of interesting tales with titles like "The Day from Hell,"  "Footsie with a Griz," "You Know it's Gonna be a Bad Day When," and "Death by Cow."   Bill tapped his wide circle of friends and business colleagues who contributed to this chapter and you will find yourself quickly turning the pages to find out what happened next.

George W. Bush shares the "Lure of a Lifetime" and why he was the big one that didn't get away.  Curtis Strange had a really strange fishing experience that I could relate to because it has also happened to my husband.  It's one of those "once in a lifetime" experiences that you almost have to see to believe.  And comic strip artist Jack Elrod tells the unusual story about the day he caught 2 bass on one lure at the same time.  Fun stuff!

The reprinting of Bill's 1981 Editorial "Letter to a New Daughter" in American Forests Magazine will bring a tear to your eye.  The story of a "Naked Editor" caused me to laugh out loud, and the time Bill sunk a treble hook deep into his thumb will cause more than one reader to nod their head in agreement, including myself.  Been there, done that!  Bill ends the book with a reprinting of "The Road to Tinkhamtown" by Corey Ford. This is an article that will make you sit and think and remember.

Bill lives his life as a Christian and shares with us the deeply personal story that led to a four year journey as a Marriage Encounter Counselor.  This experience opened up new avenues in his life and shows how God works through us to make us "Fishers of Men."  Bill's fishing theme runs through this book in more ways than one and it wove across the pages like a lure at the end of a line and tugged at my heart.

I have found a kindred spirit in the form of Bill Rooney.  We share a love of the outdoors, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, campfires and God.  This is not a book that preaches to you, or tries to save your soul, nor does it make an attempt to convert you.  It is merely one man's journey and how he experiences the hand of God while out in nature, enjoying past times like fishing and hunting.  The next time you're out in the woods, on a lake, standing atop a mountain, or knee deep in a stream, close your eyes, breathe deep, open your ears and listen for the voice of God.  Bill summed it up nicely in this book and it helped me to take the time to better appreciate the world around me.  I think it will have that effect on you too.

Fishing for God - and vice versa is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Xulon Press.  If anyone would like an autographed copy, please contact me for the author's email.  He would be pleased to ship out an autographed copy for $ 20.00.

Only God can bless you with a morning like this....

(photo courtesy of Kim Scornavacco)

(I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.  Book Cover image is the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without consent.)