Shoebox Diorama: Cherokee of the Southwest Region

Fun and creative 4th Grade project using twigs, small rocks, plastic horse, construction paper and a shoe box. Cherokee diorama of the southwest region.

My ten year old said the blonde girl is trading a doll to the Native American girl for pottery, a basket of fruit and a necklace.

Supplies

• Shoe box
• Small pebbles and twigs
• Plastic horse
• Construction paper
• Hot glue gun and sticks
• The people and pottery were made with Sculpey III Polymer Clay and baked in an (toaster) oven.
• The forest images were printed and glued on the inside of shoe box and the outside of the shoe box (not shown).
• The twigs are hot glued together and all the pieces, even the horse, are hot glued to the base of the box. 

~Lisa~

Nutribullet Recipe with Blueberries: Highest Antioxidants!

Blueberries have one of the highest antioxidant capabilities among all fruits, vegetables, spices and seasonings! That is saying a lot considering what's out there.

I added a handful of blueberries to these ingredients this morning:

Handful of Organic Spring Mix Salad Greens

1/4 Avocado 

2 TBS. Sunflower Seeds

6 Chunks Frozen Pineapple

1 Banana

10 Almonds

1 TBS. Organic Flax/Chia Seeds

Handful of Organic Frozen Blueberries (always use organic blueberries )

This smoothie has a fruit taste rather than a green taste. The Blueberries also change the color from its normal bright green to a grey color. 

Looks horrible but it tastes great!

~Lisa~

NutriBullet Recipe with Zucchini: 8 Great Health Benefits

This morning I added zucchini to my smoothie. Vegetables have some amazing benefits when you begin to research and learn about them. I believe the body can heal itself, given the tools it needs but it's not an easy road, endurance and patience are required.

In my case food has changed from 'eat whatever I want, whenever I want', to using food as a medicine for healing my body. My morning smoothie is one of those tools.

Zucchini is one of those vegetables with amazing benefits. 

10% of the RDA for fiber

Lowers Cholesterol (Fiber, A, C)

Cancer prevention, Particularly Colon Cancer (Fiber)

Prostate Health (Phytonutrients)

Anti-Inflammatory Agents (Vitamins A,C and Copper)

Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention (Folate and 10% RDA of Magnesium)

Lowers Blood Pressure (Potassium and Magnesium)

High in Manganese (19% of the RDA)

The Zucchini has benefits I am definitely in need of, except 'prostate health'. 

Here are the ingredients in my Zucchini Smoothie:

6 Chunks Frozen Pineapple

1/4 Avocado

1/2 Zucchini (without peeling because it wasn't organic)

2 Handfuls Organic Spring Mix Salad Greens

2 TBS Raw Sunflower Seeds

1 TBS. Organic Flax/Chia Seeds

10 Almonds

This smoothie has a green taste, rather than a fruity taste. I also added 6 ice cubes because I like it very cold. 

~Lisa~

Nutribullet Liver Detox Recipe: RADISHES!

Radishes are amazing for all their benefits. They detox the liver and support the thyroid! Radishes will be a daily ingredient in my smoothies.

I added three small red radishes to my NutriBullet smoothie. I expected the taste of the radishes to be overwhelming but it wasn't. It could be because I throw everything but the kitchen sink in my smoothies.

Nutribullet Smoothie Ingredients

1/4 Avocado
1 Banana
3 small red radishes
10 almonds
6 chunks frozen pineapple
2 TBS. sunflower seeds
Handful of mixed organic salad greens
Organic Flaxseed/Chia seed mix

~ Lisa~

Nutribullet and My Hypothyroidism, PCOS, High Blood Pressure, Fatigue, Shingles

I was 203 pounds, hypothyroid, have PCOS, high blood pressure, turning 50 soon and recently broke out with shingles on my face. Add that in with the stress, anxiety and constant fatigue, I had to improve my health. Every day was exhausting.

If you haven't got your health, you don't have anything. That saying is so true.

I bought Nutri Bullet on March 25, 2014 and starting using it. I've used it every morning since. It wasn't about losing weight to look better. If I never lost a pound, as long as I felt better, I would be happy.

For me, when I got past 'dieting', losing weight so I would be prettier to myself and other people, that's when changes started taking place. It was about my health and that was all.

So fast forward to today, May 17, 2014.

• My blood pressure is consistently normal.
• I can better handle stress and anxiety.
• I've lost the desire to eat anything processed.
• My energy level has improved (but not as much as I would like).
• Occasional constipation is no longer a problem.
• And I have lost 13 pounds from eating healthier

For me, the Nutribullet hasn't been the ....instant miracle... it has for many people but my health is improving, though it's not entirely because of the Nutribullet. 

These are things I did to improve my health that the Nutribullet couldn't do for me:

• No processed foods of any kind
• No wheat, soy, sugar, dairy or breads
• Stopped eating after 5:00 PM
• Drink a smoothie for 7:00AM (breakfast), snack at 9:00AM, lunch at 12:00PM, snack at 3:00 PM

If it's not a real food, I don't want it. Chips, candy, soft drinks, ice cream....poison for your body. All it will do is make you fatter and sicker. I eat as clean (organic and non-GMO), simple and healthy as I possibly can with: 

• Fish 
• Hormone Free Chicken
• Occasional Venison
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Fruits
• Vegetables  

That might seem drastic and impossible to a lot of people but when you get sick enough it's very easy to give up anything to get your health back.

The Nutri Bullet is worth the cost and the effort. I have enjoyed buying the nutritious, fresh ingredients for my morning smoothie. On the couple of mornings I didn't have my smoothie, I really missed it because I love the taste (most of them anyway) and the morning energy boost it gives me.

~ Lisa

      

Three Favorite Minecraft Skins for Girls with Links: Hoodie Girl, Strong Girl, Domo Girl

To use Minecraft skins, go to https://minecraft.net/. Login with your username and password. Click on profile at the top of the page. 

Click on 'Choose file' to pick a skin from your computer.

Then click upload. That's it! 

Strong Domo Girl

Cute Hoodie Girl

Cute Blonde Girl with Blue Eyes

Minecraft 1.7.2: Sixteen Best Mods that Work, with Links - How to Install Forge and Mods

Mods Included in this post are: Penny Arcade, Candycraft, MrCrayfish's Furniture, Backpacks, Buildcraft, Decocraft, Iron Chests, Magic Wands, More Swords, Teeluk's Special Armor, Dogs Cats Plus, Little Blocks, Mo' Drinks, Lots of Food, Plants vs Zombies and ThaumCraft.

My daughter enjoys playing Minecraft. But when it comes to FINDING and INSTALLING mods that actually work and don't BREAK the game, that's my thing to do since it's too complicated for my ten year old.

She finds a mod she likes then I take over to find the correct download link that isn't unwanted software or a sneaky browser addons. I really have to look at the page closely to make sure I'm getting only the .jar file or .zip file (or whatever) of the mod she wants.

Sometimes I go through all the steps to get and install the mod only to find that I have to remove it because it breaks the game. Grrrrr......Very frustrating process.

Getting ready for Mods in 3 Steps 

(I use Windows 7)
 
Step 1:

Best Phone Case for Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy Proclaim

These cover/cases are very cheap. Some of the Amazon covers I didn't have to pay anything because I used my Amazon card points.

I bought several from Amazon. The one that feels great and that has protected my phone the best is the last one in the list. I found it on Ebay.

I've used the Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy Proclaim for over a year now and I still love it. The only thing is covers/cases are not readily available (in my area anyway), so I had to go online. I tried out SEVERAL before I found one that stuck.

(above) This was my first cover. The colors are great and it fit the proclaim very well but it was a little slippery because it's hard plastic. I wanted a cover with more 'tackiness' to the feel.

 

(above) This one was great too but it has the same slipperiness because of the hard plastic. These two colorful covers have a front and back that snap together.

(above) This one I gave to my mother in law for her Proclaim. She loves it. It's one piece, wraps around the phone and will not come off when the phone hits the floor. It provides good protection too. My husbands has this cover in green for his Proclaim. He has dropped it several times (butter fingers) and it has always survived.

These are just a few of the cases/covers I've used (or my family) for my Proclaim. This last one (below) from Ebay is the one I'm not changing any time soon! Unless it's for the black/pink version. 

This is the back of my Proclaim with the case on.

The cover is in two pieces. A (soft rubber) white cover that wraps around the edges of the face and a hard, outer (pink) cover that really grabs the phone and the white cover. This cover provides two layers of protection. Great cover! I have dropped it more than once and it's never been negatively affected. It also doesn't slide on a table or feel slippery in my hand.

This is the same cover/case (below), from the same Ebay seller I bought mine from but it's pink/black, rather than pink/white. Very nice! I'm buying one as soon as I finish this post!......really.

For Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy Proclaim s720c HYBRID Net Case Black Pink

How to Setup Verizon Pantech UML290 WiFi with TLMR3040 Wireless Router

DSL is not offered in this area, so we use the Pantech 4GLTE UML290 from Verizon Wireless.

The only drawback is that the UML290 supplies internet for one device, it's not Wi-Fi. Sometimes it would be nice to have Wi-Fi, such as my IPod or Xbox360. I could one of the Verizon jetpacks/hotspots but the USB modem works so well in this area and my desktop would need a wi-fi adapter, etc.

So I bought the TLMR3040 to use with my UML290 when we need WiFi.

The router comes with a quick installation guide and a resource CD. 

The online user guide is here. 

The router usage will become less reliable if the battery gets weak. It's a good idea to keep it on charge while in use.

This is what mine looks like (below) with the UML290, ethernet cable and power cord attached.

HOW TO SET UP THE TLMR3040 Wireless Router and UML290 to supply WiFi to an XBOX360.

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0 GHz - Upgraded: CPU Fan, Power Supply, Video Card

I purchased my ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Motherboard and AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 processor, new in 2007. Recently the computer started shutting off at random times and under varying load. It might have been on for a few minutes or two hours before it shut down. Then it would make three or four beeps without starting windows. The CPU fan seemed to hesitate although the two case fans, video card fan and power supply fan seemed to run smoothly. So I decided the CPU fan was worn out and because of that the processor was overheating. 

After a lot of researching, I replaced the ....

• Power supply because I added another case fan and upgraded the video card 
• CPU fan because it was hesitating and allowing the processor to possibly overheat
• Video card because my GeForce 7600GT was not getting the job done on new games
• Thermal paste between the heat sink and processor in to improve heat transfer from the processor to the heat sink. I didn't have to apply paste because the new heat sink came with pre-applied paste. 

I purchased the power supply and CPU fan from Newegg.com and the video card from Ebay.com.

Rosewill Stallion Series RD700 700W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev. 2, CPU Cooler - Intel & AMD, Multi-Directional Mount, 92mm PWM Fan

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7750 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E video card 

These new parts installed without any problems on my ancient motherboard. I'm still not sure what caused my computer to shut down, beep and eventually to stop powering on at all but I haven't had any problems, not even a hiccup since upgrading. I really think it was overheating from the slow CPU fan and the old thermal paste and/or it could have been the power supply malfunctioning too.

Looks like I'll be keeping my ancient but faithful motherboard for a while longer. 

Easy How to: Custom Blogger Domain with Godaddy

I recently purchased two domains from Godaddy for my Blogger blogs.
That was the easy part. I was clueless about how to actually start using my new domains with my blogs.
I Googled and read through a few tutorials but they did nothing but confuse me more because the tutorial images didn't match what I was seeing in my Godaddy account.
Then I ran across this simple tutorial....

http://www.safetricks.com/2014/01/Godaddy-domain-to-blogger-blogs.html

I followed the very few directions and it worked perfectly! Thank you very much
Pahul Singh!

My Favorite Kindle Paperwhite Apps

When I bought my Kindle Paperwhite, I didn't consider doing anything else with it other than reading but after browsing theAmazon Kindle Store, I found some fun and useful apps for my amazing gadget.

I found these in Games and Active Content.....

Library Elf: Keep Track of Library Book Due Dates

Turning your child loose in their section of the library to collect books, is a safe opportunity for them to be in control. Teaching your child to enjoy books sets them up for a lifetime of discovering amazing books.

 The only negative element of the regular library trip is when your books are overdue and/or you're not sure if you have them all.

If this happens often, you need to know about about Library Elf. This wonderul service can save you overdue fees and embarrassment galore.

Library Elf has been around for five years. I found out about it from a librarian after I had to pay several dollars in overdue fees. That was the first time and the last time, thanks to Library Elf.

Library Elf supports a large list of US, Canadian and International libraries.

This service can help you:

Organizing my Kindle Books: Numbered Collections

If you own a Kindle of any kind, at some point you'll need to organize your books, if you have more than two books anyway. I have over 300 books at the time of this post.

 I download what I like to read and I have two other family members who have their devices (Kindles and Kindle Apps) registered with my Amazon account simply because I keep them supplied with good books to read in their favorite genres too. 

A lot of the over 300 books are free, some are paid and two are library books. Here's what's in my 'Reading Now' collection.

The two Richard Castle Books, Heat Wave and Frozen Heatare both library books. Somewhere My Lass was free at Amazon when I purchased it. Crescendo (The Hush, Hush Saga)is a paid book from Amazon and A Man for the Summer is still free on Amazon.

That's what (above) my Kindle Reading Collection Category looks like inside. This (below) is what all of my (few) Kindle Collections look like. 

My first Fishtail or Herringbone braid

I think the fishtail braid is so pretty. I've been wanting to try it in my daughters hair but I had no idea how so I went to YouTube to find a tutorial.

Needless to say, there are TONS of videos on how to do a fishtail braid. I watched a few and found this one to be the best for me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxs_T_9omUY

For me it was easier to see what was happening on light colored hair rather than dark hair.

It was easier than I thought it would be. Here's how my first fishtail braid turned out yesterday....

Kindle Paperwhite: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Cover

Kindle Paperwhite Ink Blue Cover

I received my first Kindle (Paperwhite) on November 7th of 2012. I'd wanted a Kindle for a long while but I was holding out for one with its own light source, since most of my reading is at night.

The Paperwhite is an awesome for reading.

After receiving my kindle I thought the experience was going to be thumbs down due to sluggish responsiveness and freezing. When it froze there was nothing else to do but a hard reset. As soon as the Kindle came back on, I downloaded and installed the latest update for the Paperwhite. I haven't had any problems with it since. I learned it's important to check for updates, even if you just purchased your Kindle.

I decided on the Ink Blue, Amazon Kindle Paperwhite cover. The kindle fits very snuggly in the cover. The cover stays closed with the help of magnets. Also closing the Kindle immediately puts it to sleep. Amazon has a crazy huge selection of Kindle Paperwhite cases from several brands including:
Lightwedge
Belkin
Marware
and Vera Bradley, but for me, I'm hooked on this case......