Catching Up

Crows Nest Jewels has reopened and we are currently running a sale through the month of January . . . 25% off over $25.00 orders, no coupon necessary!

We still haven't moved back home.  The tree is finally off the house, however, there is a gaping hole that needs replacing and some supports that cracked.   So much needs to be done before the house is ready to move in.  I'm beyond frustrated and my patience is running thin.  We have been staying with my mom since September, when Hurricane Irma decided to drop a tree on our house.

I'm keeping busy with the store, making new jewelry and learning new jewelry making techniques.  Keeping busy keeps me sane!

The blogs and my website haven't had a real update in quite some time and I plan on getting some updates done soon.

Hope everyone is staying warm!

Disasterous month!

It has been a month since I was home.  Looking back, the whole experience just seems so surreal, like a nightmarish dream.

Something told me to make reservations to evacuate from Hurricane Irma.  I had never done that in the 34 years I've lived there.  My intuition was speaking loudly and I paid attention and decided not to wait since the rooms were going fast.

After two stays at motels, we have settled at my mom's house.  Just when everything seems to be falling into place, the van decides it wants to give us a hard time, making it difficult for The Captain to go back home to deal with contractors placing bids so we can hurry up and submit our appeal to FEMA, who turned down our initial request for assistance.  They said our house is habitable.

There is a tree on the house, leaving gaping holes in the roof, smashing the life out of it more and more as the days pass with storms coming and going.

Anyway, I have written all about this in my blog My Florida Paradise.

I try not to let it get to me, but I have no idea when I can go back home.  Everything was "normal" one day and the next day we were homeless.  It sure is a creepy feeling being so out of control and having to gather as much faith as you can to make getting through it tolerable.

Writing my blog posts have been the last thing on my mind, although I have managed to write a few.  

I'm having to rebuild my Etsy store since I don't have all of my inventory and just want to offer what I can get my hands on immediately.  The Crows Nest is currently in vacation mode until I can get the inventory under control.

All in all I'm still very grateful we did not stay at home to ride out the storm.  That huge tree on the house had to make it feel as if the house was crashing down.  I would have had a heart attack!  The Captain has spared me from seeing the damage and also fears the house is not structurally sound enough to be going in and out regularly.  He also wants me to be safe . . . how sweet!

Actually, the stay at the first motel was very pleasant since early on we knew the hurricane would not hit us at Category 5.  I'll be writing about that experience and the people we ran into along the journey.  The motel was also home to large tree trimming crews, cable people and some from various electric companies . . . along with other evacuees like us from all over Florida.

Count your blessings . . . I always think of the people in Puerto Rico who have truly been devastated and many are still without electricity, food and money with no end in sight.  There is always a situation bleaker than the one you are currently experiencing . . . that is what I think about a lot which helps me keep my head on straight and not totally freak out.

Bad scares and time flying

It wasn't a good week!  My sweet Kiki fell back while trying to jump on the bed and hurt herself pretty bad.  We are guessing that she hit her head.  She trembled and could hardly walk, wouldn't eat or drink water.  It was nighttime and the vet wasn't open, so we decided to baby her and did a lot of praying.  Thank God, by morning she was better, but OMG she gave me such a scare!  I'm not ready to let this baby go . . .

Where has my life gone?  OK, so I'm giving up my age now.  I have to go to the air force base this week to get a new ID card since I will be eligible for Medicare.  What really upsets me is that Social Security will be taking out $130 out of my check that is already way too small for insurance that we were just paying $15 a month for.    Major bummer!

I've been left with that hopeless feeling that depression comes along with . . . I'm not ready to be this old and I came to the realization that my Kiki is getting old and I don't know what I would do without her, she's my baby.

My blogs have been neglected, although I have managed to write some new posts.  I'll update another time.  Peace Love and Happiness has been turned into a private blog . . . I'm not really anonymous anymore and I honesty wrote from my heart . . . too much information!

Hope you are having a fabulous summer!

June already?

It has been a whirlwind of months!  Learning new jewelry design techniques, purchasing supplies, setting up new work areas, planning/designing new jewelry collections and getting ready to begin the next phase of our online store in general is taking up all of my time.  All of that and trying to keep up with the normal routine!

The Captain has continued to add to the garden and we are now enjoying the harvest of tomato and all types of peppers.  He will hopefully add some new articles to My Florida Paradise and Subtropical Gardening.  

Today I have started to get back to adding blog articles for a nice "normal routine" change.  No, we have not forgotten about Babyboomer Flashback!

Here are some new additions to the blogs . . .

Gina's Italian Kitchen

Coconut Cream Cheese Poundcake 

Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

Coconut Cream Cheese Pie

LaBelladiva

DIY Milk and Honey Soap

Subtropical Gardening

Trellised Containers for Inspiration

DIY Greenhouses

Redesigning Your Garden

The year is flying by and I can't believe we are already in June . . . I swear we just saw the ball drop on New Years Eve like it was yesterday and now the year is half gone.  We have been enjoying wonderful Florida weather, although with the arrival of June came the thunderstorms like clockwork.  

Hope you are enjoying the weather in your part of the world! 

Time Slips By Way Too Fast!

Time flies by when you are having fun! 

I'm working on a new phase of my jewelry business which has also become a much loved hobby. Working with clay is now competing with making soap.  At the same time, we are revamping and organizing our work spaces and improving upon our photography setup.  

All of this takes many hours of research too, something I also love.  My blogs and website have taken a back seat and I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted!  My Facebook friends probably think I have fallen off the face of the earth . . .

My first experimental clay projects have just come out of the oven and I can't wait to see how they turned out.  It is always very exciting to embark on a new venture, especially those that challenge my creativity.  My new store will feature my clay projects and repurposed jewelry.  In some cases I will mix old jewelry with clay and paint to come up with new jewelry creations.  Many hours have gone into learning the basics of working with clay and some very cool design concepts.

The Captain has been spending lots of time outdoors in the garden and fishing.  All of his pepper and tomato plants have babies forming and he is so proud of their progress.  He is also experimenting on a new web design program and I will be learning next.  You can check out his progress here.  It is a very awesome concept.

I don't believe I have any new blog posts since I last posted on this blog . . . if I do, I will include them in my next post.  Right now, the cooling clay is calling me . . .

Spring is here!

The arrival of spring has got me all excited about garden projects.  I've written about some of those DIY projects in my gardening blog, Subtropical Gardening.

DIY Hypertufa Plant Containers

DIY Concrete Garden Hands

Awesome Container Gardening Idea


Check out the bird cage that was turned into a plant container from the Empress of Dirt!  Click here to go to an excellent article on other ideas for unusual plantings.

The front fence is in the process of going up and will be embellished with a row of beautiful and colorful bougainvillea.  Finally . . . privacy and no trespassers!


Some other blog posts . . .

Peace, Lovc, Happiness
Dealing with a toxic relationship
Keep Your Goals on Track

Gina's Italian Kitchen
Triple Layered Strawberry Cake



We are celebrating the new season with a Spring Sale at Crows Nest Jewels.  Use coupon code SPRING17 . . .

Political happenings are keeping me glued to cable news! Hopefully the beautiful spring Florida weather will lure me away :)

Hope you are experiencing beautiful spring weather in your part of the world!

Welcome March!

The arrival of March inspires thoughts of Spring in Florida.  The landscape is still green since we have had no freezing temps this year and daytime temps have been in the 70's and 80's, so it has been feeling like Spring just about all winter.  This is what I love most about living in Florida!

After all these years of being hassled by people trying to sell something knocking on our door, we are finally getting a front fence with a gate to keep solicitors out.  The Captain and I live a serious bohemian lifestyle of sleeping when we feel like it and many times it is during the day.  It is so irritating to awaken by a loud knock on the door or the door bell that is way too loud.

I'm currently working on the website and planning many new pages and sections.  The Home and Garden page is what I'm working on now.





What's New on the Blogs . . .

Fabulous Frugalista

DIY All Natural Soft Scrub Cleanser


Have a wonderful weekend!

Wacky Politics and Other Happenings

Wacky politics has really entertained me this week . . . the leaks, accusations of fake news and a press conference that toyed with the press.  The next four years will probably follow suit and make news junkies like me deliriously happy.

I'm getting into creating new blog posts once again.  Here are some new ones:



Gina's Italian Kitchen

Almond Danish Puff

Mario Batali's Chiles Rellenos Casserole


LaBelladiva

DIY Maternity Jeans


Subtropical Gardening

Make and Use Leaf Mold in Your Garden

Crotons - What You Need to Know


Peace Love Happiness

Destiny and Options

Have a great weekend everybody!

Real Hope and Change

We are well into winter and have only had one or two nights of needing the heat on.  It has been like springtime this week!  Gotta love living in Florida . . .

I'm feeling much better since the Presidential Inauguration has passed and President Trump is settling into the White House.  The political campaign and everything that followed exhausted me and gave me a ton of anxiety.  Like I needed more anxiety . . .


My new hobby of making soap has peaked my curiousity to make other beauty items.  My blog LaBelladiva is full of DIY recipes that I would like to try and I have added the following:

DIY Lip Balms

Oatmeal Masks For All Skin Types


How about some new recipes?  I have added the following recipes to my food blog, Gina's Italian Kitchen:

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Rice

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tots Casserole

New beginnings

Happy New Year!

Since I settled into taking the holidays off from blogging and slowed down my internet activities, I'm finding it difficult to get back into the swing of things.

LaBelladiva.com will be shutting down today and this blog is the new homepage for my blogs.  Why pay for something that you can get for free?  I had lots of ideas for the website, but it was difficult to make it happen at the same time the Etsy jewelry shop was in the planning stages.  

Last year was an overwhelming year in many ways and having way too much on my plate has resulted in dampening my enthusiasm for working on my internet projects.  

The political season was so brutal and I had already had enough of the Clintons before it started.  I feel like our country has ended up knee deep in BS, although I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  As a serious Trumpster, I am thrilled with the results.  Yes, I am deplorable and proud of it.

Our holidays sucked since The Captain spent a big chunk of it in the hospital.  He's on the road to recovery and we are praying for a healthy new year that does not include hospital stays.

All of my web spaces have been neglected and hopefully will be getting lots of attention soon.  I'm slowly getting back into it at the moment!

In all honesty, I am battling another bout of depression and trying to pull myself out of it.  This time I have not really written about it, but trying to pull myself out of it.

I'm so grateful for a new year and new beginnings!

Domestic Goddess?

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 2014

IN LABELLADIVA.COM

Ranting alert about cable television food, home and gardening programming!

I long for the days when Martha Stewart was the domestic goddess and the emphasis was on making our house a home.  With the exception of the food channels, it seems like the tide has turned to real estate, demolishing homes and rebuilding them.  While I enjoy seeing how they turn a disaster into beauty, I really miss the gardening shows, the crafty kind of shows and the interior decorating shows. Remember Christopher Lowell or Debbie Travis?  Loved those shows that taught us how to make such awesome stuff for our homes.

The food channels have even ventured away from “normal” programming of good old fashioned cooking shows that I love so much.  Now it is mostly about game shows and a combination of travel and food . . . finding a great place to eat (if you are into travelling).

At least I have the internet for all those homey kind of things that I love.  There are many websites and blogs online dedicated to the home.  In fact, I have a website page dedicated to those websites.  That page will be undergoing a major renovation to include all the new discoveries I have made, but you can find my old favorites like Christopher Lowell and Debbie Travis on that page.  Click on the graphic to go there . . .

Cinco de Mayo 2014

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 2014

IN LABELLADIVA.COM

Got plans for the big party day?  The Captain and I will prepare a special meal and spend a quiet day at home.

We have continued planning and working toward our economical grocery plan which will include freezer meals.  It will be fun getting this all together with marathon cooking sessions to make other days easy and convenient.

Some of the recipes I have posted in the past couple of days . . . Roasted Red Pepper Pasta which is a basic recipe with lots of variation possibilities, Refried Beans that we will use for making lots of taquitos and burritos for the freezer, Linguine With Shrimp and Artichokes which is a total departure from the usual shrimp pasta dishes I make since The Captain keeps telling me how much he knows I will love artichokes that I’ve never eaten before.  Pasta dishes have been and will continue to be great grocery budget stretchers in our kitchen!

Blue Cheese and Chive Dip from Tyler Florence sounds like a dip that I will really enjoy since I love blue cheese dressing so much!  And a totally decadent pie I found that we will be enjoying very soon,Kentucky Chocolate and Walnut Pie . . . that is my treat!!

As more and more time goes by, we are all looking for ways to stretch our precious dollars.  One way is by doing our own home maintenance and repairs. Click here for an awesome website with tutorials for every type of DIY project you can think of!

My crafting friends will love the cute DIY Jeweled Clear Clutch I found online with a great tutorial!

As much as I hate to admit it, I wrote another “blah” post since I still haven’t completely shaken that ugly monster.  This too shall pass as all the other blah times have, but this one has lasted way too long!

Hoping you all had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to a productive and fun week!  Whatever you do . . . be safe.

Some Thoughts From May 2014

ORIGINALLY POSTED MAY 2014

IN LABELLADIVA.COM

Seems like since I was hit by that nasty flu or virus, whatever you want to call it, I have not been able to pick myself back up.  I've heard from others who were hit by the virus that it was a nasty one, but to last this long?  All I want to do is sleep!

My intentions are always positive that "today will be the day I can get up and go" . . . but it is not happening!  Human nature makes us so impatient!

As usual, my food blog remains active since I'm always looking for great recipes . . . since I've been spending a lot of time resting in bed, the Food Network and the Cooking Channel have been what interests me and I am finding more great recipes than I haven't had time to post!

This week at Gina's Italian Kitchen, I have featured Oven Baked Breakfast Tacos that look delicious, easy and the variation possibilities are endless . . . also freezable! Kelsey Nixon's Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Creamy Mac and Cheese is one of the first new meals I'm going to try since Mac and Cheese is a popular item in our kitchen! Can't wait to try out Guy Fieri's Spicy Polenta Cakes to put my stomach on fire with the jalapeno peppers :)

The Captain and I missed the Cinco de Mayo festivities, but we are gearing up for some spicy happenings in the kitchen when we are feeling better!  Lots more Tex-Mex type of recipes coming!

Something I found for the crafters who love to design their own jewelry will love the DIY Rhinestone Statement Necklace . . . I can't wait to get back into creating! 

While Peace, Love and Happiness has been sapped by not feeling well, this time has been one of self-reflection and being so grateful and blessed for where I am compared to one of the lowest points of my life when my first husband JR passed away.  It is so easy to get caught up in our day to day irritations that momentarily rob us of our joy and happiness, but it takes looking back at desperate times to appreciate these little things that usually pass quickly, making way for the next catastrophe, right?  The post "Picking Up the Pieces . . . Putting Them Away" ponders those thoughts.

April Fools Day in 2014

Originally published April 2014 

in LaBelladiva.com

It was surprising with a trickster husband skulking around the house I didn’t get zonked with an April Fool’s prank.

This week in the kitchen . . . we enjoyed a very delicious cuban style roast pork accompanied by tasty black beans and white rice. The meal is a staple in the latin community, kind of like a burger and fries. It is a meal that lasts at least a couple of days and when you’ve have enough, the pork is resurrected into another meal.

This time around it turned out to be what we call The Captain’s Pork Stew, a very delicious thick soup that is loaded with pork and various vegetables in a light tomato sauce. Learning how to use leftovers to make different meals is a trick we are perfecting in an attempt to stretch our food dollars.

Check out Gina’s Italian Kitchen for some awesome recipe discoveries I’ve made this week!

My curiosity has been peaked by felt crafts that I have been running into around the internet. Seems to be a rather inexpensive and easy craft to get involved with. Cute stuff worth looking into.

It has been one of those weeks when certain music has been ringing in my ears and I couldn’t ignore it. The result is a music post on my blog Gina’s Music Memories . . . Linda Ronstadt, The Mad Love Album. It took me back to the days of the early 80’s and new wave music. Good times and great memories! Great music too . . . check it out if you haven’t heard it or it has been a long time.

Then there is my blog about life . . . Peace, Love, Happiness. Sometimes the most bizarre thoughts cross my mind and I just have to explore them in detail. Just stuff of life that happens or feelings or emotions we go through. Sometimes happy, sometimes not too happy. I’ve been trying to cut down my smoking in an attempt to quit smoking and my thoughts go to strange places. But don’t we all do that?

By the way . . . having a really tough time kicking the habit. April 2 was my quit date and I almost made it the whole day. The Captain quit cold turkey a while back, he’s on day 50 something of being nicotine free . . . extremely proud of him!

A couple of months ago, a very large tree limb crumbled part of our large storage shed that holds all my treasures. The Captain is finally feeling better after his surgery to tackle that problem. We are going to have all types of log furniture, I kid you not! Get ready for some of those DIY projects . . .

All is well for another week in Gina’s internet world . . . hope you all have an awesome weekend!

Peace, Love, Happiness and the Blahs

Originally posted April 2014 

in LaBelladiva.com

The big ugly monster . . . I hate him (yes, to me he is a male). His name is THE BLAHS!!

Seriously, I truly believe we all get them. For sure I wish I didn’t know this guy!

Anyway, depression, anxiety and restlessness have been an ongoing battle for me. When I write about my mental health problems, I do so not just to help me, but to help others who perhaps feel they are alone in their battle.

One of the tools a former psychotherapist introduced me to is journaling. I choose to do most of my journaling in the form of blog posts for my blog Peace, Love, Happiness.

The blog was born out of a need to write about the grief I was experiencing following the death of my spouse in addition to my depression related illnesses. It has evolved through the years, however, the theme remains the same and is universal . . . we all want Peace, Love and Happiness in our lives. The blog explores those three little words.

My mental health reference page goes along with the blog. Sometimes it is important to do research, find an organization, forum, find out more about prescription medications we have been prescribed or just understand what we are experiencing in greater detail. The internet has presented us with a wealth of information!

The blahs doesn’t mean you have a chronic mental illness. Sometimes coping with life will present us with a bad case of the blahs. Actually, in my opinion, you are not normal if you have never experienced the blahs.

Want to read some of my posts specifically about “the blahs?” . . . click here.

And yes, you guessed it, “the blahs” come to mind since I am being visited by the monster. The Captain and I have both been fighting the battle of a stomach virus that does not want to go away . . . at the same time, a toothache has decided to show it’s ugly head too. Blah, blah, blah!!!

Organized Kitchens

ORIGINALLY POSTED APRIL 2014

IN LABELLADIVA.COM

To some people, this kitchen looks terribly cluttered. To me, it is colorfully festive and beautiful.

Actually, this is what I was striving for when I first changed up my kitchen and pulled off the cabinet doors a while back. Colorful, festive kitchen glassware, especially vintage, is one of my big loves. I want to look at it every time I walk into the room. It brings me joy. Crazy . . . I know, to many of you, it sounds like I’m as crazy as a loon.

Well, as years have gone by and my new husband has added his touches to the kitchen, gone is the festivity and semi-functionality is what is left. He’s super tall and I’m super short, so something at his fingertips requires a step ladder for me. And not so appealing to my eyes.

As it stands, we have not solved our kitchen dilemma!

The photo comes from an article I found, 20 Organized Kitchens from Real Cooks. It looks like a promising article to assist us and I have decided to do more research looking for more articles like this one, which I will add to this post as I find them.

For those of us who love to cook and love our kitchen stuff, the way it is stored and organized is very important. When there are two passionate cooks in that kitchen, both opinions have got to count . . . not an easy task!

Dreams of Back in the Day

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 2014 IN LABELLADIVA.COM

Dreams can take you back to a time and place in vivid detail, at least they do for me. Since I’ve had this virus or flu that has hung on for way too long, sleep has been something craved and enjoyed.

This afternoon’s nap took me to a dream back to my childhood days of the 60’s. When I woke up, it felt as if I had actually been there again, reliving the moment, visiting with those loved ones that are no longer with us. It is truly a gift.

Anyway, the dream was part real and part parody . . . dreams can be like that. It was set back in the day, but I was a child in present day. The time and place was a party, probably around the holidays, at my godmother and godfather’s house. They had grand parties and as a child I loved them!

The food and drinks were overflowing, the music was playing loud and there were the regulars who were on the “dance floor.” You know how people get when they have alcoholic beverages, a bit less inhibited. Well, I can remember sitting on the couch with my Nana having a good time laughing with raised eyebrows at those who were really getting into the watusi or whatever dance they were shaking their booty to. In real life, we did that all the time!

It is very annoying that I can’t remember all the stuff that I remember right after I woke up. Don’t you hate that about dreams?

The good thing is I remember the people in the dream. Especially my Nana. I miss her so much and dream of her often. Sometimes I think I “wish” myself into a dream with her in it. It must sound crazy to someone who does not dream like I do. My Nana does not visit my mom in her dreams no matter how much she craves a visit with her mom. I tell her about mine like it was a real visit, we have a good cry at the days she was with us and how much we miss her. Dreams can be bittersweet!

On the other hand, The Captain has dreams of the military that are disturbing and often keep him from having a good night’s sleep. On occasion, I’ll have those disturbing dreams where someone is chasing me and I wake up exhausted and will fight my sleep so I won’t go back there. Bad dreams are like that . . . I often go back to them and feel like I can’t get out of it!

Dreams also have a strong power of suggestion . . . after seeing all that food spread out on those tables, I woke up so hungry for all that good holiday food. Of course, there is none of that type of food in the kitchen and it is later at night and too late for a trip to the store. I should go back to sleep and try to go back to that dream so I can have some of that awesome food.

Let's Talk Chicken

Can you ever have enough chicken recipes?

We can’t!

The Captain and I love stocking up on chicken when it is on sale at the local meat market or grocery store.  Sometimes we will cook whole chickens, shred the meat and freeze enough for one casserole in separate bags.  What a time saver, not to mention you can save so much money doing this.

Do you get bored with the same ole recipes week after week?  

Expand your choices!

Click here for chicken recipes from my food blog, Gina’s Italian Kitchen.

Moving website

I have decided to move LaBelladiva.com to this blog.  In the coming days, selected blog posts from LaBelladiva.com will be moving to this blog.

Having a paid website is highly overrated!

Happy Holidays :)

New website to replace this blog

More changes . . .

I will no longer be posting to this blog . . . it is being replaced by LaBelladiva.com.  

It is set up with RSS if you would like to subscribe!