The Quilts Zone Blog

Joanne's mother, Betty, had rheumatoid arthritis for years.  Suddenly and unexpectedly, Betty was disabled by the pain, fatigue and limited mobility that she had feared since her diagnosis. Joanne convinced her fiercely independent mother that living alone was no longer an option.  And Joanne, the eldest of four children, knew that caring for her sick mother fell on her shoulders.  Joanne was a legend in the circles of her family, friends and colleagues for her ability to act with grace under pressure. Joanne took two weeks of vacation from her job and cooked and froze meals for her husband and three children.  As she flew to her hometown, she wondered how she would coordinate her mother's care from a distance. Supporting her husband as he built his new business, nurturing her kids and directing a major project at work already made her feel that she was running on empty. You may relate to Joanne’s story.  One out of four Americans cares for a friend or relative who is sick, disabled or frail. That's 46 million Americans who offer unpaid help to a loved one.

If they were paid caregivers?compensation would exceed last year’s Medicare budget! And if you become a caregiver, you, like Joanne, may try to do it alone, shrouded in secrecy. Solo caregiving compromises your ability to nurture yourself and others. Let’s take caregiving out from behind closed doors.  For your sake and the sake of those who count on you, please get some help. Caregivers are competent people who feel that they should be able to do this job.Yet, many soon find themselves unprepared and ill-equipped to manage the sometimes daunting tasks, such as managing a complex medical regimen or remodeling a house so it's wheel-chair accessible or even finding someone to stay with their loved ones so they can go out to a movie without worrying their relatives will fall on the way to the fridge. If you are a caregiver, you know that this act of love has its costs.You stand to forfeit up to $650,000 in lost wages, pension and social security.  Add to that is the personal cost to your well being, as your new demands leave you less time for your family and friends.  You may give up vacations, hobbies and social activities. 

Finally, caregiving places a burden on your health.  Caregivers are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, depressed immune function and even hospitalization. Instead of reaching out, caregivers become isolated.  Many who assume the caregiving burden fit the profile of the giving family member, like Joanne, who does not want to trouble others with their problems.  Some fear the consequences of disclosing their new demands to coworkers or employers. Caregivers are further challenged by the cultural conspiracy of silence.  Our youth-centered society turns a blind eye to the unpleasant and inevitable reality that all of us age and die. 

The author is a dog trainer and good at dog training and he is fond of meeting people on http://onlinedatingnz.co.nz

 

What foods work great for rapid weight loss?

We all understand that we need to eat our fruits and veggies because they have he highest vitamin and mineral content of any other food.

What mother said rings true because she was also protecting your figure.

However, raw foods have a higher content than cooked foods.

Heat during the cooking process damages the vitamin and mineral content and kills natural enzymes.

Raw foods with high vitamin and mineral content gives your body the necessary ingredients to stay healthy and to lose 20 pounds.

If you’ve been watching the news recently, I’m sure you’ve heard the horror stories about “synthetic multi vitamins that are doing more harm than good. This is a great reason to get your vitamins from natural sources.

The following is a list of raw foods which contain a good supply of some of the key nutrients our bodies need on a daily basis.

When used in addition to a moderate amount of healthy organic grassfed meats,  and some raw dairy products, it is possible to get our nutrients from diet. You should also recognize that there will be alot of “super foods” such as green leafy vegetables or broccoli. That’s because they provide a significant amount of more than one nutrient per serving.

Here is your list broken down into vitamin/ mineral content:

Vitamin A
Any green leafy vegetables including Spinach
Peppers
Yellow vegetables like Squash
Dried Apricots
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Asparagus

Vitamin B group
Green leafy vegetables
Avocados
Mushrooms
Currants
Zucchini
Aparagus
Broccoli
Lentils
Blueberries
Seeds and nuts.

Vitamin C
Green leafy vegetables
Peppers
Broccoli
Parsley
Potatoes
Melon
Tomatoes
All berries

Vitamin E
Tahini
Nuts and seeds
Avocados

Vitamin K
Green leafy vegetables
Seaweeds

Iron
Avocados
Green Leary vegetables
Parsley
Dates
Dried apricots
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Almonds

Calcium
Tahini/sesame seeds
Green leafy vegetables
Parsley
Broccoli
Almonds

Zinc
Sesame seeds/tahini
Almonds
Ginger
Eggs

Potassium
Bananas
Watercress
Mushrooms

Start adding 6-9 servings of these fast fat burning foods to your diet today.

Not only will you look younger, but you might be able to sqeeze into those skinny jeans again.

You know what you haven’t heard of but is probably to be the next hot thing in hobbying? What’s about to break that has every model trainer tossing and turning with anticipation? What throw back kind of locomotives are about to make a come back the way bell bottoms and tye-dye did a the end of the Reagan Era?  Alright, here it is: s gauge model railroads.  Yeah, that’s right, s scale? If you’re not that acquainted with scales and gauges then you probably don’t recognize that this isn’t a standard gauge these days. Do you even know about different scales?  Alright, well let me set you straight on the nitty-gritty on these before you start reading about them in the news:

Here’s a blast from the past, these s gauge locomotives are “American Flyers”:  

This line of trains has been enshrined in the pantheon of model trains.  Nostalgia explains a lot.  American Flyer’s s gauge trains had their best days right after the Big One when the baby boomers were starting to sprout up.  This was in big part an attempt to compete with Lionel’s O scale who was the king of the roost through the 50’s. S gauge is an “inbetween” scale, way larger than HO but smaller than Lionel’s O.  S scale is one 64^th the size of a real train whereas Lionel’s O scale is one 48^th the size.   That is to say that S scale is a bit more user friendly in terms of the minimum space requirements for the track but still large enough for those of us that dig the arts and crafts part of model training. These locomotives are a lot of fun to paint and detail.

S scale is not common:  

Because American Flyer in effect invented s gauge and then went bankrupt just a few years after, you don’t come across it much.  A.C. Gilbert, who owned American Flyer at the time, created this gauge as an attempt to make a line of trains that would keep up with Lionel by introducing high quality locomotives that weren’t interchangeable with Lionel locomotives. American Flyer locomotives from the 50’s only fit s scale and wouldn’t operate on Lionel’s O.   It also means that those hobbyists of the s gauge trains in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s had to make most of their replacement tracks from scratch and to meticulously maintain their locomotives since replacement parts in the pre-internet era were hard to find.   This has made American Flyer the Holy Grail of toy trains for many hobbyists.

American Flyers are about to enter the model train market again:  

American Flyer’s arch-enemy Lionel bought them out in the 60’s and is now looking to reinvigorate both brands by marketing the vintage 1950’s toys that persist in being so cherished by trainers.  The s gauge toys they are due to re-release should take the model train world by storm.  It might not be long before we have to make space for s gauge as yet another common size in the toy training world.

Now’s the instant to put your chips down if you want to cash in early on this tip.  This is when the early adopters wade in and check things out.  Get one of these flap jacks while they’re still hot.  Remember when I told you about this little coffee house called Starbuck’s.  And you said no one would ever pay more just for some coffee. 

Here is more information on Model Train Scale. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

Finally uncovered a way you can combine your wife’s love of back yard sun bathing and your love of model trains, huh?  These g scale toy locomotives are definitely the trains for your family! You get to have fun in the sun while working on your own personal model train curiosity. Now it’s just a problem of how to do it? Your backyard will have a major say in the type of design you go with.  That said, there are some fundamental considerations when you are planning your garden train layout.

Let your hobby space have some say over your g scale track:  One of the best choices you can make is to use the topography of your yard as one of the significant factors in deciding the type of train and the design of your g gauge model railroad designs. If you live in a moist, cold climate and have flurries and precipitation as a fairly constant cover for your yard, consider having a covered track.  But if you live in the hills of Berkeley or San Francisco and your back yard is somewhat inclined  you will want to work with this as well. Climate and terrain are just as important as spatial considerations for g scale locomotives. Try to utilize climate and terrain to aid your track designs.

Play peek-a-boo with your train design:  One of the best ways of increasing interest to our g gauge model railroad setups is to use the bushes and trees of our back yards to enhance the visual enjoyment of our track layout.

Play peek-a-boo with the spectator by curling the train into the natural features of the yard. The lazy way is to run your track through a bush, but if you’re really ambitious you might construct a rocky pass or rugged  gorge right in your back yard. Nothing compares to making your g gauge train appear and disappear, appear and disappear—peek-a-boo…peek-a-boo….

Don’t fight with the big stuff:  If you have a completely empty yard then this is not a consideration, but since most of us have things other than trains and grass in your back yards, your best bet is to take these backyard landmarks and work with them. Got statues, let them take a role in your plan. Little ceramic dwarves around a pool featuring a transom with your train tracks can really make for a hypnotizing effect. Use it.

Add artificial features to your backyard layout:  Add scaled trees, little cities, train stations, hills and lakes and all the same sorts of details and features both reproducing nature and culture, just as you would to any other train gauge.  The planning, constructing and detailing and weathering of these structures and features can be one of the most joyous and rewarding aspects of a model railroad.  It is much more rewarding to spend in rainy Sunday afternoon detailing and coloring a model train whistle stop than watching reruns of I Love Lucy.

G gauge model trains are so popular right now, you shouldn’t be surprised if you acquaintances are willing to pay to come over and see your design.  But the best reason to take part in this rewarding activity is that it is just good old fashioned fun!

Here is more information on G Scale Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

Aromatic candles heighten the ambience of any room in the house. If you are a soft, romantic person, you will enjoy the aroma of scented candles. You and your guests will be intoxicated with a sense of well being. Also, the warm glow of just about any candle enhances the elegance of a room.

The subtle aroma of a scented candle will heighten your spirit, even before the candle is lit. When you arrive home tired and worn out from the day, the aroma & warm glow of a scented candle tends to loosen your tightness & lift your energy level.

Aromatic candles serve as wonderful gifts for all occasions and every season, and they are particularily meaningful when crafted by your own hands.

1. Choose Your Candle Making Fragrance

Fragrance oil is available in most craft shops. You may also shop for it on the web. I would suggest that you opt for fragrance oils rather than going for cheap water or alcohol based fragrances. Your wax mix will be oil based, so your fragrance should also be oil based. Why? Well, as oil and water do not blend, water based perfume tends not to mix with the melted wax.

2. Choose Your Wax

The basics of making scented candles are more or less the same as for ordinary wax candles. Begin by choosing your wax type. Available in the market is a versatile range of wax beginning with naturals from beeswax, palm or soy and moving along to paraffin or gel wax. Decide on the aromatic intensity of your candles before making a wax selection. For example, lower density wax holds less fragrance than wax of a higher density.

3. The Process of Making Scented Candles

Now that we’ve covered wax selection, let’s talk about the process of creating scented candles.

The first job is to melt the wax. Use a double boiler for this purpose. That means put the wax in a small pot. Now place that container into a slightly larger pot partially filled with water. You may now heat the water. Use a thermometer to ensure the wax is not burnt. Maintain the temperature at a constant 170-180 degrees F.

Once the wax has melted, put a wick in the mold and remove your wax from the source of heat. Next add the fragrance oil that you’ve selected. A mixture of 1 ounce fragrance oil to 1 pound wax will produce a fragrance that permeates your candle up to 6% of its density. Appreciate that larger portions of fragrance oil means the candle to burn out sooner.

Now pour the melted wax/fragrance mixture into your mold. The only job left is to let the whole thing cool before removing your candle from it’s mold.

Congratulations, well done!

4. Experiment as You Move Along

You will gain great expertise in all phases of candle making once you start experimenting. By using different fragrances and colors, you will perfect the art of candle making and thoroughly enjoy the process.

It’s a great feeling to gift your loved ones with a scented candle that is homemade knowing that they will find the fragrant essences both relaxing and invigorating.