Healthier Cooking

Ever since listening to this podcast more than three years ago, I have wanted to throw our old non-stick pans to the curb¹ in exchange for a quality alternative which would not continually flake toxic shavings into our food. Since using at least two or three different kinds of non-stick cookware since college, I wanted my next investment to be the last cookware purchase I would make for a long time.

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1. or rather in the recycle bin [↩]

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Truth

If you haven’t yet seen the hilarious industry/manufacturer sponsored HFCS videos, following are two for you to watch and laugh at the all the ridiculous propaganda purported by the Corn Refiners Association. I also posted a hysterical spoof of these commercials so continue reading for some entertainment.

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Gorgeous River Day

Last week, my children and I headed out early for a drive down by the river to scout for great photo moments. I ended up pulling off the road at a river put-in when they got restless sitting in the car. They had fun playing in the river, collecting shells and throwing rocks while I set about snapping away. At the start of the day, I had grandiose visions of herons, butterflies and hummingbirds being captured perfectly on my digital “film” for submission to stock photo websites.

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He wasn’t kidding

When Brian said he was tempted to dig out his board and ride around the neighborhood, he wasn’t kidding. Now I have a few more additions in the skateboard gallery. However, I need alot more practice with action shots so I hope Brian is willing to do this all summer while I work on learning various motion control photography techniques.

Doll Craft

Here is a baby doll that was a project commissioned by my mother in 1978. A co-worker of hers at the time made these baby dolls (the exact name or kind of craft I am not sure of) and my mother had her make them to announce to relatives she would soon give birth to me. She had a blue one made for my Grandmother Lucy and this purple one was made for my Grandmother O’Neal. When I became pregnant with my first child, I became the lucky recipient of this lovely doll. She has arms and legs that are attached with large buttons. Her clothes for the most part are all sewn on. She has an embroidered face. I feel very lucky to have received such a great family heirloom and am very proud to be able to pass this down to my daughter when her time comes to start a family.

My Star Mouse

Here for you today is another craft done by my very talented and dearly missed Grandma Lucy. This is a door stop dressed up to look like a mouse. My grandmother found this craft on a trip she and my mother took one summer. My grandmother copied the craft but improved upon the original design with a few minor modifications.

The original craft she found was about 2 ft tall. The body form and main weight of the object was made with a 2 liter bottle. My grandmother filled it about a little more than half way full with sand and then stuffed the top with plastic bags. She then covered it with a sock. To the bottom she applied a piece of felt. The top head piece is one large styrofoam bottle with a small hole on the bottom where it fits onto the bottle cap. The cheeks are made with smaller size styrofoam balls. My grandmother would then sew the dresses for the mice. She and my mother came up with all different kinds of themes for the mice. Sports teams, birthdays, easter, christmas, halloween theme material lined her closets. My mother enjoyed helping by applying all the facial features and accessories of the different mice. I still remember our trips to the craft store to find the tiny eyeglasses and hunt for more special trinkets for them to each hold. They held such things as footballs, basketballs, baskets, presents, teddy bears, and flowers.

The project I have pictured here was a special theme designed just for me. This version is quite a bit smaller than the original. It measures to just short of 12 inches, was made with a 32 oz plastic bottle and is more suited to being a decoration. My grandmother also made a smaller version using an 8 oz plastic bottle.

Quilt Love

Now it is time to share some of the crafty goodness from my husband’s side of our family. Brian has many crafty people in his family one of which is his Grandmother Mae. She has been making quilts for a very long time and has supported her family at times by selling her crafts. She also makes them to give away as presents for her family members as she gave me my daughters at my baby shower. I find the two quilts she made for my son and my daughter to be the most treasured gifts I have ever received, however, she is very modest about her work. These quilts hang on the wall in each of my children’s bedrooms and I hope that they value these quilts as much as I do and pass them down to their children as a family keepsake. The amazing detail that she achieves with each quilt is just breathtaking.

I Miss My Superhero

My dad, Donald O’Neal, was a professional photographer for almost 38 years. He graduated from Florida State University  (Go Noles!) in 1969. He began teaching photography at Hoover Junior High School the same year and eventually moved to teaching the same subject at Merritt Island High School. During this time, he perfected his craft by shooting weddings professionally on the weekends. After he developed the film, he would assemble wonderful photo albums for the happy couples.

During my seventh grade school year he helped me with my science project which was exploring the workings of a camera. He helped me create a pinhole camera from cardboard and tape. We went outside to our front sidewalk and took pictures of a house across the street while he explained how the different aperture settings, shutter speeds and focal length when changed, affected the final result of each picture we took. I always wanted to learn more about this trade of his but they didn’t offer this elective at my high school. When I went to college I wasn’t sure then what I wanted to do and lost interest quickly. Now, I find it tragic that I have just now found a passion for photography; something I feel deep regret over not learning more about from my father.

He had a goal during his retirement years to sell prints of his wonderful photoart. My husband designed and created Wall To Wall Photos with detailed notes from my father of what he wanted it to contain and how he wanted it appear. In addition to photography, he had a passion for interior decorating. All of his homes were meticulously decorated and he was comforted in his last years by surrounding himself with his photos. He enjoyed traveling and used those opportunities to capture the beauty of places on our planet and those people, animals, and things which inhabit it.

Unfortunately, his life was cut short just before his sixtieth birthday by prostate cancer. He was my personal superhero. I love him and miss him very much.

The Craft of Colored Glass

Not only was my dad a photographer but he was a crafter as well. He enjoyed woodworking and stained glass. He made one large window piece in a bathroom and many transom pieces for two houses he owned in Florida. I remember being fascinated with the extraordinary colors and patterns which made up the glass he used. When I went with him on a trip to Europe we were both in awe of the amazing stained glass windows in the gothic cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims in Paris, France. My father also took classes to learn more about this art after he moved to North Carolina because he had planned on making many more during his retirement years. Also, a former co-worker of mine used to make small little sun-catcher stained glass pieces and she gave one to me as a christmas present.

An Apple a Day

My father was a photography teacher at both high school and college level and a professional photographer specializing in travel and wedding photography. Since the role of teacher was his main career for 35 years he always received wonderful apple figurines from many of his students. He enjoyed collecting all sorts of different apple figurines and had quite a collection, at least one for every day of the year, probably more, when he decided he was done collecting them. During the time when he enjoyed collecting apple figurines, I made him a latch hook craft of an apple from a kit as a present for his birthday. I have done many latch hook crafts in the past but this was by far my most favorite. Latch hook kits come with the materials you need to get started including latch hook canvas and precut yarn (most often acrylic). The latch hook tool needs to be obtained separately but some kits may include this as well. My mom introduced me to this type of craft when I was in middle school. It is very easy to learn and a lot of fun. You can also design your own patterns and print them on latch hook canvas to make something of your own creation.