I went to a few yard sales today. I could have came home after the first one and been very, very happy.

A hand-quilted Dutch Boy quilt. (I think that is what the pattern is called) I just love, love, love it.
It is full size and cost me $5

A Fenton Spanish Lace with silver crest footed cake plate. I’ve always wanted one of these. They say they were one of the most popular pieces that Fenton made. $1
I’m making a strawberry pie for tomorrow, I think I will display my pie on the cake plate.

A Fenton Birthday Bear and Fenton handpainted cat. $2 each

I am not a very high maintenance girl. Just take me to a yard sale and I am happy.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
© Janet F. Smart

I’ve been trying to eat healthier this year.

Of course, I haven’t ate a Big Mac or sausage biscuit from Burger King or Tudors in years, though I used to love those Big Macs. We now buy turkey sausage and make sausage gravy and biscuits at home on Saturdays to satisfy my husband’s craving for sausage.

However, lately I have been trying not to eat at night and I have cut back on my sweets. I have lost six pounds just by doing this. I hate counting calories!

Junk food for me is sweets. I don’t particularly care for potato chips and crunchy snacks, although that is the weakness of my husband. He has low sodium, though, and he gets cravings for salty items. Not me, just give me something with Hershey in its name, and I am happy.

Anyways I have cut back a lot on my sweets and I’ve started snacking on fresh broccoli and cauliflower when I’m starving in-between meals. Cookies never worked at filling a hungry stomach for me any way. I’d still be hungry after eating a piece of candy or cookie. Not so with the veggies.

There is a great dip at WalMart in the fresh vegetable section. It is made by Marketside and it is a low fat buttermilk ranch dip in a clear plastic container. It is delicious and great to dip the vegetables in.

I also make salmon cakes once a week for supper. Surprisingly, my kids like to eat them too. I just open up a can, take out the soft bones, add egg, finely diced onions, and a slice of our double fiber bread that has been chopped up fine in my Black and Decker mini chopper. I make cakes and fry them in olive oil.

Below are three things I’ve added to my diet.

I had never ate steel cut oats before, but had heard Dr. Oz and Oprah speak of them. While at a health food store in Flatwoods a few weeks back, I found them in bulk. I bought a big bag at only 79 cents a pound. This makes them cheaper than the regular oats. There were no instructions on the bag. I’ve been experimenting with the ratio of water to oats. I’ve found that two cups of water to 3/4 cup of oats makes two large size servings. I cook them for 15 minutes. Be sure the last few minutes of cooking time that you watch the pot, because it starts getting dry and I usually have to add a little water. I love the texture of them – a little crunchy and nutty. For those of you who don’t like soft mushy oatmeal, I bet you would like this type. They also keep well. If you make too much, put the leftovers in the fridge and add a little milk and warm up in the microwave the next morning.

I’ve eaten almonds for quite some time now.

I recently read where garlic was good for your blood pressure, so I started cutting off slivers, putting it in empty capsules you can buy at the health food store, and taking it at breakfast and supper.  BUT, I STOPPED doing that because my blood pressure was getting a little too low. It worked that good! My pressure was getting so it was in the 90s on top and high 50s on the bottom. Even though my doctor said he never heard of anyone dying of low blood pressure, I don’t like it that low. It makes me feel funny. I believe how it works is that it thins your blood.

I had been hearing on the news lately that they now think sugar contributes to high cholesterol. That may explain why my husband’s cholesterol was always better than mine, he doesn’t eat sweets like I do.

The last blood test I had about a month ago, my cholesterol had come down and my blood pressure wasn’t high in the office. (I’m one of those that has blue coat syndrome and my pressure is always high in the doctor’s office, even though I do take blood pressure medicine).

Have you been doing anything to eat healthier?

Posted by Janet F. Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
©Janet F. Smart

The weather has turned warm again. Please stay this way,  I do not want  the cold to return.

My flowers are blooming earlier than usual,  because of the extra warm spring we had. I am thankful most have survived the cold we’ve had lately.

 What’s blooming in your yard?

Posted by Janet F. Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
©Janet F. Smart

The weather has turned warm again. Please stay this way,  I do not want  the cold to return.

My flowers are blooming earlier than usual,  because of the extra warm spring we had. I am thankful most have survived the cold we’ve had lately.

 What’s blooming in your yard?

Posted by Janet F. Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
©Janet F. Smart

My daddy passed away on Saturday and today was the funeral. It was a very touching ceremony.
He was a WWII veteran and members of the American Legion did a military service at the cemetery with the 21gun salute and presentation of the flag.

I wrote a short essay a few months ago about my dad. Yesterday, I retrieved  it from my computer and made a few changes. I told the preacher I didn’t think I would be able to read it, so he read it for me.

One of the reasons I am compelled to write is to put my heart onto paper and keep my memories alive.

Posted by Janet Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
©Janet F. Smart

This is going to be a short post. I type it with tears in my eyes.

We saw Daddy for the last time Saturday. He passed away and we never got to him in time to say good bye,  although my sister and I tried our best.

We knew he was getting weaker, but we never expected this.

They said he was laughing and joking with “the girls” at the nursing home only five minutes before he passed away. When they returned to his room only five minutes later to ask him what he wanted to drink with his meal, he was slumped over and unresponsive.

He went quickly, which was good, he did not suffer. He is now in a better place. We didn’t make it there in time, but I am  glad he was surrounded by three of the staff when he passed. They said they comforted him and told him they loved him and that his girls loved him.

I’ve always heard animals could sense death in a person. I am a believer of this.

Daddy didn’t like cats. He never let the nursing home cats in his room.

The nursing home cat came in his room and was there the entire time we were with Daddy. The sleek black cat walked around his bed and promptly jumped up in his window and sat. She looked at me and purred quietly when I rubbed her back. She never left and was there when we left the  room a few hours later.

I read about it this morning on the internet at this site.

Thank you for letting me share my feelings with you this morning. It sometimes helps to let it out and I consider all my followers as my friends.

Remember me and my family in your prayers the next few days.

Posted by Janet F. Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

We took a trip to Flatwoods,  WV to the Everything Fiesta tent sale on Thursday.

We met quite a character in the long checkout line. A good character! She was in front of us and a recent transplant to West Virginia from Brooklyn NY. We talked and talked and yet never exchanged our names.
She said she missed certain foods since moving down here. She didn’t know what corn dogs were and, needless to say, her idea of a hot dog with everything on it was quite different than ours.

She also stated, “You know you wouldn’t believe how many people think you live in Virginia when you say you live in West Virginia.”

I replied, “I couldn’t agree with you more. You would think they never had geography class in school.” It was neat hearing that observation from someone else besides a home grown West Virginian.

One of the nicest things about going to events like this is that you get to meet some of the nicest people with the same interests as you have – a love for Fiesta.

Why do I love Fiesta? Well, a few reasons are that it is a product made in the USA, it is proudly made in West Virginia and it is so colorful!