.

.

Tried a Bunch, Found One That Worked Curel

I've tried a bunch of products for dry skin and not one has helped heal the dry skin on my hands until I found this:

Hand and Cuticle Therapy by Curel.
I don't have before and after photos of my hands, but I can tell you this, "I don't have  bleeding knuckles all winter long anymore."  Since the heat comes on in the house anytime between September-October and is on usually until late April or early May, I have used all types of products from different brands and none have worked for me until I found this product.

I was getting a little desperate for a solution since my hands are in water often- washing dishes being the biggest reason for my bleeding knuckles.  My right hand is under water more than my left and it was feeling the pain.  Using Band-Aids and Neosporin to try and heal my knuckles was not working for me.  It was a continuous cycle I wasn't winning.

This is what I did:  dotted the cream on my knuckles and rubbed it in both hands each and every time I washed my hands, showered, washed dishes, etc.  I also used it before bedtime.  After 4 days I noticed the redness was considerably lessened.  After 7 days I didn't use the product each time my hands were washed.  It got to be that I forgot to use the product on some days.

I appreciate that this is not greasy, or icky feeling.  The fragrance could
be a little lighter for my preference, but it doesn't have a very strong odor.  Plus, a tiny drop goes a long way.  If the product continues to be sold, the formula still is effective, and the fragrance doesn't get stronger - I will continue to buy it.  The package states that it is made in the USA.  Products come and go so fast these days.  Some of my favorites have disappeared, haven't yours?    

Just wanted to add, I found this Curel cream after reading lots of product labels and decided to try this one.  It cost about $5.00 or so, I forget the exact amount.  No one told me about the product and I am not reviewing it except for the fact that I wanted to share it with you.  Next, I'm using it on my left elbow, which I seem to lean on a lot at the desk and my poor elbow needs some attention, too. 

Do you have a dry skin product that works for you?

Chocolate and Irony Diet by Osmosis

One of these things is not like the others:


What's missing is most of the Peanut M and Ms, some of the Hershey Kisses, the new Snickers Peanut Butter Squares bar, a 3rd Snickers with Almonds, and a 2nd Toblerone.  I can't believe I bought most of this assortment at the same time as the new Weight Watchers magazine.  The scary thing is, I didn't see the irony at the time.  With blinders on, the conquest of chocolate over reason must be fulfilled.  I wonder if the cashier recognized the futility of this pairing.  HaHaHa, oh well.

Do I believe I will lose weight through osmosis, by reading the magazine and watching, "The Biggest Loser," "I Used to be Fat," and other weight loss programs?  As for the irony and the humor, I don't know which is truer.

Where Did This Come From?

I'm trying to get my stuff out of boxes and organized, to let go of a little procrastination at a time.  My husband assembled the table and I moved some carts out of the closet.  The new table is very much smaller than the second hand office desk, but I am glad that big, heavy desk is out of the house and is now in the garage.  If no one buys it, I'm calling the Habitat for Humanity store, "Restore," to pick it up.  I've donated a bunch of stuff to the store, but I'd like to get something for the desk, if not, goodbye and hope you find a new home somewhere else.

I bought another old spice rack at the charity shop.  This time I went a little wild with the paint, my other ones are solid blue and solid white:

Where did this wild streak come from?  I must be trying to escape the current round of ice and snow with brighter colors on my mind, especially after visiting lots of cheerful blogs during the OWOH event. 

Feathers, Flowers, and Fascination

I read Megan's blog, "Studio M.M.E.," and stop in to see what she is designing and read about her travels and interests, including about her boyfriend who is also an artist/photographer and a good catch and other things Megan shares on her blog. 
Megan presents interviews with Featured Artists and recently had an interview with Sarah, of "Deeds and Petunia," an artist who works with her hands and her heart to create special items for special moments in a woman's life.  Take a look at the items in Sarah's Etsy shop and you will see what I mean.           
      
Brides to be will especially want to see what Sarah does with feathers, fabric, flowers, and jewelery.  Sarah is a designer of custom and ready made hair accessories with a vintage appeal.   Not just for weddings, take a look at the collection, below, or click over to her Etsy shop to see a greater variety of styles, sizes, and colors of available items, custom items on request, everything in a range of prices.
Sarah generously gave away a, "Joli Fascinator" as part of her interview on Megan's blog.   She sent to me this attractive feather and vintage jewelery fascinator:

It's beautiful and calls out to be stroked; the "Joli Fascinator" is soft, comfortable, striking, and simply gorgeous.   It's a two tone look with a coordinating color vintage jewelery accent.  The headband is light as a feather- pun intended.  Padded underneath, soft, thin, and shaped to fit just right.  I am so impressed and pleased with Sarah's gift, she is a gracious and lovely lady.   "Thank you, Sarah!"

Scroll down the page for a collection of items in Sarah's, "Deeds and Petunia" shop.  Follow the links for Megan's complete interview with large, full color, stylized photos.   I don't want to repeat the interview information here, it's worth a click to go there and treat yourself to the beautiful photographs of these unique and luscious accessories and to read the interview to learn more about Sarah, her shop, and her interests.


Megan's interview post with Sarah is here:
http://studiomme.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-day-is-just-around-corner.html

Megan is an artist and she has an Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/studiomme

Sarah's Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DeedsandPetunia

Sarah's blog:
http://www.deedsandpetunia.blogspot.com/

Some of Sarah's beautiful items for sale in Deeds and Petunia on Etsy:

OWOH 2011 Winners Announcement

Throughout blogland, pets were drooling in anticipation...
















Fruit was nervously rearranging themselves, they couldn't calm down...

 


Blog buddies had heard about the gathering in Times Square and it made their hair stand up:
















                                                                      
The end was in sight for the OWOH 2011 celebration.  The congregation considered using  conflagration, soon confetti was about to rain down all over the world for the Grand Finale of all finales:


Thank you for participating in my portion of the event.  I now return you to regular blogging.  Good bye until next year.  Uh oh, knock knock, is anyone there?  Yoo hoo!
Oh, dear.  Well if anyone is still following this emergency broadcast of the NewEndStudio blog public service portion of the program, the following bloggers will wish to email NewEndStudio with their addresses:
Amy/The Heart of a Seed, you've won the 1st package with the fabric and other items.
Ziggy/Ziggy's Emporium, you've won the 2nd package of papergoods and other items.
Hope  you will enjoy these to help you make something fabulous and fun.
Thanks to everyone who commented to enter the giveaway and visited me and my blog so we felt we were a small part of something in the grand design.  I'm glad I happened upon someone's post, I don't remember where or when, but I decided to stop procrastinating and join. 
Thanks to Lisa/A Whimsical Bohemian for the yeoman's job of the whole OWOH experience for the 5 years of its reign.  Next year Lisa has a new event planned, go to her blog for more details and sign up to receive updates in your email inbox.
Over the past few weeks, I met talented, caring, joyful, struggling, energized, single, married, pet lovers, hobbyists, male, and female all that and more in the bloggers on the list.  Thanks for the great experience!  Exhausting and fun.
I've added a language translator to the blog, realizing that many people don't have English as their native tongue.  I've gained new followers(!) and I am happy to read and follow.   It will take a while to catch up with the list and find a rhythm to the reading.
The blog will lose its winter chill and take on a fresher look, something springish.  Nothing fancy, no flashing, no music, still with large print.  Maybe you don't know, but I have vision problems, had eye surgery, still continue to plod onward, but I make the blog easy for me to read, lots of blogs have print too small for me, or colors which whack my head, so I have to pass on those to find other blogs with calmer pages.  There are some great reads out there, but my eyes say, "No can do, move along, nothing to see here."  Can't fight Mother Nature.
Speaking of Mother Nature, we had a great day yesterday, temps in the high 50sF, not too sunny (for my eyes, that's good), most of the snow has melted-lots of puddles to jump, and it was very, very appreciated by me and other people, I'm sure.  However, this next Monday and Tuesday begins a winter blast again, icy mix and low 20sF.  I'll just remember these last few days and that'll be okay for me.   

I Spy With My Little Eye

The grass coming through looks like toes added to the trunk, Big Foot!
I spied the ground this morning, haven't seen it since about New Year's Day and that break between snowstorms lasted a few days.  This is another short lived pleasure as we are due for snow again. 

                                                                                
                                                                                  

These snow shadows reminded me of blue ocean waves.
The OWOH event took me to blogs of people who live in warmer climes with photos of       beaches, seas, and gardens...they gave me a dreamy outlook to think of days yet to come.  Fingers crossed.

I've added a Translator to the right sidebar for visitors who'd rather read the blog in a

Cheap & Cheerful Valentine Casserole

Something that can be put together a little quick, let's say you want an hour to do something while this is in the oven cooking.  Crafting, vacuuming, reading, cleaning, whatever...  I call it cheap and cheerful since the ingredients are not expensive and it has lots of red in it for Valentine's plus the dreaded meat, "hot dogs" which husband likes and I don't, so I sacrifice taste for love.



Red Skin Potatoes: cleaned, part peeled, and cut small
Hotdogs:  leave whole or slice
28 oz can of Crushed Tomatoes (or the style you like)  Plus some cold water to thin.
As much onion and garlic as you like
Cumin
Basil
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Vegetable:  your choice, Spinach as I had a box I wanted to use, otherwise Green Beans

Put all in large casserole dish with the lid on and cook at 350F for an hour give or take depending on how small the potatoes are cut and how many hotdogs and potatoes are in the dish.  I made this for 2 people for 2 meals and cooked it for 70 minutes.  It was bubbling nicely and had to cool for a few minutes before serving.  I think this will stretch to 3 meals with garlic bread or biscuits on the side.  Hope you like it.

OWOH ~ One World One Heart 2011 Blog Event


Comments are closed to entries for the giveaway,  thank you to all commenters, it's been a blast.  Winners will be emailed and named on a post to the blog.

Thanks for stopping here on the world tour of OWOH 2011!  I'm an East Coast girl at heart.  At the moment I have Lucy, an adopted Yellow Lab and a husband, he's not adopted, just a good guy with moments...

Here's a link to a  post with a little info about me:
Passing the Torch Blog Award List

My craft things are in boxes since I took out the big desk and ordered a table- bright, white, and easier to manage.  I'm looking forward to making it speckled with paints, chipped with cuts, and sticky with glue very soon!

I


collage aceo New End Studio
Collage
I am big on procrastinating and so I am getting in just under the wire to this fabulous event started by Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian.   It's a way for bloggers anywhere in the world to visit blogs, perhaps find like minded bloggers, to enjoy each others' blogs, to share, and to just have a good time.


Part of partcipating in this event is having a Giveaway.  Every person who makes a comment to this post gets one ticket to win my doorprize giveaway.  I'll mail the prize to the lucky person after the person contacts me.  I'll post the winner's name here, on the blog on February 18 at or around Noon Eastern Standard Time in the USA and I will email them, too.  Reply within 3 days and we are good to go!



I'm giving away one cut of fabric which is approximately 44 x 62 inches, 2 Plastic Canvas Cords, 1 Angel Filigree Kit, and 2 rescued and worn little wood Farmers to one winner.



Leave a comment on this post with a way to contact you if you are the winner, ie: an active blog is a requirement for entry.  I'd like to visit each of your blogs, too.
Click on this link, below, to visit Lisa's blog with the list of all of the participating blogs.  While I am writing this post, there are 844 blogs listed!







I've added another prize.  A second winner
will be sent a selection of paper goods including Bookplates and Stationery.  Plus a surprise item.


Take it away Ladies and Gentlemen, too, if you're interested.  Thanks for reading and making my day!  Be sure to leave your comment until 3pm EST USA TODAY, THURSDAY FEBRUARY 17TH, 2011 when the event comes to an end.  Good luck!

(Edited to add:  I reserve the right to add to the winner's prize!  Surprise...  Plus a Second Winner will be chosen I will notify the second winner the same way here on the blog and an email directly to the winners.)

Mmmmwuah! Two For You


This little guy visits from time to time.


XXXOOO


Being There

I'm originally an East Coast girl.  Since I came here, to the Midwest, I've never really settled in and I dearly miss my Atlantic Ocean, Delaware River, and all of the other bays, inlets, streams, creeks, ponds, waterfalls, channels, and sounds of the wet shores several states to the east of where I currently reside.

Last week I heard a familiar sound.  This week I heard it again. The sound seemed out of place, out of order somehow.  It was the sound of geese flying south for the winter, you know, that "honking" sounds they make to one another while flying in "V" formation.

Back home in the East, I would regularly see and hear the geese fly by.  I'd look up and see one or two birds try to hurry and get in formation or watch the lead bird be replaced by another- it was nature's miracle in view.

So, in the six years since I've been here, this was the first time I've heard the geese fly overhead.  Lying in bed and hearing that honking is  a gift.  It stirred up the memories of how I use to spend time outdoors, unlike here.  We used to go for walks, visit gardens and arboretums; sit by the river, walk on the beach, have mini-hikes on mountain trails, etc.

I remember standing alone outside in the dark and the cold waiting to see meteor showers. Sometimes the cloud cover would disappoint my effort to stay awake and warm to wait and wait for the meteors, and to give up eventually.

Or, one night just before coming into the house, my Mom was opening the door for me and said to look at the sky.  We were treated to the Northern Lights- Aurora Borealis, delicate pastels flickering and pulsating to a foreign rhythm, teasing and delighting in the same moment.

Another time, Haley's Comet returned and wouldn't be back again for what is it, 150 years or so, I'm not sure.  We went out into the street and looked up and it was tiny, but we were able to watch it, it was amazing. 

And again, there I was standing in the backyard in the pitch black night with birds and bats flying at me while I watched the biggest meteor shower I had ever seen.  I was dizzy from turning and looking at the stars fizzling out- some mere flickers and others sparklers millions of miles away, almost within my arm's reach, everywhere flying by except for under my feet and I had the privilege of being there.

(Photo by audreyjm529 on everystockphoto.com.)

The Dracula and Germs Stay Away Stew


I made this from scratch a few times and it seemed to do the trick of stopping me from getting much sicker.  I had a fever and a cold for a couple of weeks and homemade soups and stews with lots of garlic, onions, and veggies helped me from getting worse.

What I need is for someone else to do the cooking when I'm sick.  That's a nice dream.     

This is my version of Italian Wedding Soup.

This is what I used for 2 servings:
  • An 8oz can of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • About a half can of cold water
  • A few small fresh Potatoes: cleaned, peeled, and diced to a small size
  • A few fresh, not frozen Carrots:  cleaned, peeled, and thinly sliced
  • I only had frozen Chopped Spinach on hand so I used a few handfuls
  • As much fresh, sliced Onion as I wanted
  • Ditto on the Garlic:  fresh, peeled, and sliced
  • Some dry Cracked Red Pepper
  • Some Lemon and Pepper dry blend (like Mrs. Dash or other brand)
  • Some Thyme
  • Mini Meatballs I had in the freezer made especially for this stew, cooked and thawed
                                                   
I put everything in the pot, heated to boiling, simmered until potatoes were done and everything else was heated thoroughly.  We had this for a meal with the Crescent Roll Redo from a previous post.  It's very hearty.  We needed this with the temps in the Arctic range all that week and the germs going around catching up with me as usual.

Softly Softly on Cat's Paws

A neighbor's cat loves to walk across our yard and porch.  Most mornings we are asleep and don't know that the morning stroll has taken place.

During nicer weather when I am working among the plants and weeds in the early morning to avoid the sun, the cat will stop and look at me and then continue on its way.  It's a pretty white cat.

Finding the footprints this bitterly cold morning was a reminder that, yes, Spring will return and the cat moves on.



Round One Results from the "Colossal Storm"

February 1 came in strong with the storm that is getting a lot of attention.  My dog, Lucy, is slipping and sliding on the ice which is encrusted ontop of the snow.  She's a bit frustrated, trying to find a spot and trying not to fall down.  It's very crunchy outside and I peeked out the front door to take this photo:

Hope to have a new photo on the other side of the storm, which will be in a day or two. 

I spent yesterday baking and doing laundry to prepare for a blackout.  I hope the electricity lines don't come down due to the ice which is supposed to accumulate later tonight.  Fingers crossed. 

I can guess what the Groundhog will say tomorrow.