Apple Crisps/Dried Apples

We all love snacks. And I like to graze throughout the day. Having quick and easy snacks are wonderful. Most of the time this is when I get my fruits in for the day. Small oranges or tangerines, a banana, apple, carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, or even half an avocado. But I like to have something ready for on the go.

They may not be the quickest snack but they are mighty delicious and cure the sweet tooth for me. Oh and I LOVE CINNAMON so that's an added bonus.

OK so to start you need to preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Grab your cookie tray and line with parchment paper. Wash your apples and grab your mandolin.

NOTE: If you don't have a mandolin, do yourself a favor and invest in one. I have spent hours meticulously slicing apples to the perfect thickness and still have un-even slices (which is fine, sometimes I enjoy the variation). But this is a life saver and so worth it. Mine came with a few other attachments for grading and slicing (if I wanted to make zucchini noodles with it, there's an attachment for that- don't worry, I'm trying it in the next few weeks). And it has the guard for your hand to protect your midget digits and a case that stores it all together and collects the food as you slice. I am in LOVE with this thing.

Once you have all your pieces, slice your apples. Sprinkle cinnamon on them, even some nutmeg! And put it in the oven. All ovens vary so keep an eye on them but I cook them for about 50 minutes to an hour and flip them about 25 mins in. If you want them to be crisps- add a few minutes, if you want them a little chewy like dried apples cut them a little thicker or don't cook as long.

Got them ready, throw them in. Go do whatever else you need to do. I did laundry and built a fire to crochet next to. Your house will smell AMAZING and you will have snacks for a few days!

Unrelated Side Notes:

I just want to let you know. Whole 30 is a struggle sometimes. (Read: being Kate is a struggle sometimes)

I wanted to attempt some ice cream last night (bananas, strawberries, almond butter and pecans with almond milk)....

Needless to say, I was impatient and just had cold fruit, so I had a smoothie instead.....

I have prepared some bananas that are patiently waiting in the freezer for tonight.

The Start of Christmas Crafts

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. Or, at least it was. Some how I lost all sorts of Christmas Cheer for quite a few years. But nothing will stop the amazing feeling of making something for someone and seeing their faces or knowing how much it means. That's why I make things for the people I love! So while Christmas is just an excuse to get artsy, I do it for the people I care about. So here's the start of the craziness this year!

This is the EASIEST wreath to make... ever. Take a bunch of ornaments. I think I got a tube of 55 of them for less than $10 and I caught a sale at Michael's for the ribbon. Take a wire hanger, unwrap the connection. I bent it to make it round. Simply thread through all the ornaments and re-wrap the wire at the end. I had enough to put every ornament on the wire hanger. I added a bow and POOF. Fastest and easiest thing I made all year.

The big time consuming project I did this year was for a friend back home in Maryland. She text me three photos and said.. CAN YOU DO THIS?! Her grandmother had made these for all the cousins and she wanted to do a whole set for the younger generation. I of course said absolutely. Family traditions are what it's all about.

So of course I had a few questions... dimensions and construction. She told me measurements and I was off to the races to figure it all out. I made a prototype and tested the stitching of the names. 

I ONLY made 17 in total.... They took about two weeks and I changed the pattern about two full mailboxes in. I made the ends a little differently and it helped with construction. I found it easier to go ahead and make all the separate pieces and laid them out in little piles once the names and flags were sewn on. I spent about 3 hours one night watching Netflix and making mailboxes. 

I wish I took more photos of them but this is what I found on my phone for documentation. 

The family LOVED them and that's what matters!

I had done some plastic canvas projects back in Girl Scouts. Like tissue box covers. I found this a little more challenging only due to figuring out construction. Overall, a pretty easy craft and ornament for Christmas. Just leave yourself some time to complete it all. AKA START NOW if you're doing a lot of them. (Take it from me!) 

Let's talk Food! Whole 30 Journey take two

Let's talk about some food! I spent a good amount of time between 2014 and 2016 attempting to figure out how to be healthy and get back on track. I started a low carb diet, doing a couch to 5k program, joining a gym and going 3 times a week. Nothing was really making progress. Well, it came down to eating a pound of pasta every night and drinking a bottle of wine. Having a sweet tooth with frozen yogurt and any other ice cream in sight.... I made it through struggling to be happy, sleeping, having energy... everything.

Then, on a whim, I decided to do Whole30. I was living with my Mom and Dad at the time and they thought I was nuts at dinner when I said I can't eat that, I'm doing Whole30 now! It took about two weeks for my Mom to figure out what I can and can't eat or what she should or shouldn't offer me. And she was super supportive through the whole time. Dad was just skeptical of things called spaghetti squash that wasn't actually spaghetti... ground turkey... forget it! HAHAHA

 I ended up continuing the lifestyle for about 2 months and stayed on a really healthy path for a long time after! I felt better, I slept, I had energy, my moods were really stable, my skin was glowing. 

I LOST 65 POUNDS. 

Mostly, I saw results and was super happy with where I was. Enough to make a big decision to move to KY later that year!

Between my recipe book (which is a pile of print outs and scrap paper and post its....) and Pinterest boards, I've thrown in some good stuff in my normal meal rotations. But with moving to a new state, making friends, being social, and living on my own again for the first time... in too long, I found myself back to old habits. (I did do about 2 weeks, maybe 3 in Sept to October.) Being LAZY is so EASY. I started to feel it too. Sleeping fewer hours and not sound, no energy, bad moods, weight, just being uncomfortable all the time.... 

It's time for a reboot. I started back on Whole 30 on Tuesday the 9th. 5 Days in and I'm feeling AWESOME. The only thing I miss is my evening glass of wine. I try to focus on what I can eat and it's wonderful. No sugar- not even in sauces. The first time was more difficult but now people are on the kick and more pre-made products are out there (ie. salad dressing, mayonnaise)

Lean Meat

Veggies

Fruit

Eggs

So here's two of my new favorite's I've been munching on this week. I switch up breakfast a bit and am trying some new things but a standard go to is a potato hash and hard boiled eggs or egg muffins. This time, we are Pinterest-ing it up.

 Sweet potatoes- cooked. With Almond butter and Milk (I'm drinking unsweetened Almond Coconut Milk). Topped with Blueberries, and a Nutmeg, Cinnamon with Chia seed seasoning! Breakfast has never been better. Add hard boiled eggs, a banana and coffee... GIRRLLLL 

it's like dessert ::insert heart eye emoji::

And below-- Purnell's Old Folk's Chorizo sausage sauted with some onions. Add sweet potatoes and veggie broth, bring to a simmer and add Kale... cook until it's fragrant in the house. OMG. I don't do spicy often and I can't get enough of this soup. 

Off to work some but I think this food obsession is amazing! 

I was thinking in the bathroom earlier and was like, "I need to add that to this post" and it has completely escaped me. I'm so frustrated. haha; Ever feel that way?

The Project List 2018

As I've been thinking about my goals this year, I have made a list of all the projects on my mind that I want to accomplish/try/explore.

This list has been in my head, rummaging around for years. Some how I never actually get around to doing most of them. OR I'll start them all while I'm in the ZONE but never FINISH anything. I'm sure many of you are thinking, "oh yeah man, I have a pile of things I've never finished". Well, welcome to my garage... I've got a little of everything and multiple in progress projects that never seem to come to fruition. Hopefully, this year, that will all change. 

(One goal is to downsize everything I own... this is HUGE. But I hope, this will help the challenge.)

I may not have 52 projects, but I have more than enough to get me through a year... and I want to do them all at once!!!

• Reverse Canvas
• Knitting- Socks, hats, cable scarfs, sweater
• Cross Stitch- Small Framed Pieces
• Coasters- Alcohol inks, photo covered, vinyl?
• Tea Towels
• Ornaments
• Tile 
• Salt Dough 
• Melted bead 
• Cinnamon dough
• k-cup hat garland
• can angels
• paper towel snow flakes
• Styrofoam and sequence 
• wine cork snowflakes
• tea light stars
• wood slices
• mirror trees
• light bulb
• Snowflake Rocks and Bling (maybe I meant painted rocks with glitter or gems)
• Shadow Box filled with paper flowers- vinyl quote on outside
• Machine Embroidery using Cricut and felt
• Tumblers- Glitter, Fabric, Vinyl, Epoxy
• Fluid Painting
• Silk Painting- Sugar skull commissioned piece.
• Mini Stocking Garland- Knit or crochet
• Valentines Garland
• Zentangle Baby Chicken and Giraffe
• Temperature Blanket
• T-shirt Quilt
• Refinish Step Stool/Bench Top
• Refinish Jewelry Armoire
• Scrap Blanket/Swatch Blanket
• Baby Announcement Signs
• Leather Earrings- cricut project
• Balsa Wood exploration on cricut
• Stamps/Journaling
• Mandalas
• Hand lettering
• Mug Painting and customization
• Cutting Board Etching/Glass dish Etching
• Home made stockings- crochet? sewn?
• Drift wood/Branch fabric wall hanging
• Sting Art (see Stephanie Strings)
• Ceramic Tiles- I'm pretty good with my notes but I'm not sure if I meant the tile ornaments, coasters or something different... so i'll list it until I figure out what exactly I was thinking.

Rekindling Old Love: 2018

When it's time to rekindle old love affairs, it takes a lot of time, effort and thought. I've spent a lot of time effort and thought putting together a project for myself and this year will be my blog. Photos, food, my pup, adventures and experiences are all going to be stuck together in this little web site.

I've always wanted to document it all. In 2015 I started art journaling. Something for a creative outlet and experiment with processes. I would work on multiple pages at a time and add tiny things here and there... Some of those photos are on Instagram and the Facebook Midget Digit page.

In 2016 I did a photo a day on Instagram. If you haven't checked that out... well it was fun! 365 photos in 365 days... sometimes there were multiple posts to catch up but who cares. I also spent a lot of time on a weight loss journey which shows some progress and before and after photos. Either way, My year is there!

Last year, 2017, I moved to Kentucky and started an almost bullet journal. Mainly I made a bunch of lists- to do's, grocery, projects, Christmas, some doodles- but I also tried to keep track of my life and the events from day to day. I did that for myself and have continued to work on it more detailed this coming year. I've always loved a planner- not to schedule my life but to record my activities.

This year I want to dive into blogging/vlogging. I've had an interest in time lapsing some of the processes in which I work. Everyone always is fascinated by what I'm working on. (It's never structured or meticulously planned- just a rough idea of what I want to do and where I want to go.) I want to document that too.

So my rekindling is of my many projects I've started, wanted to start and just never finished. In one of my many journals, I have created a list of (what I can get to be-sometimes stretched over more time) 52 projects! I do know of one silk painting I started over 4 years ago.... ooops! I want to finish that for sure but will take time, on and off progression. So I am digging out supplies from my garage and going to try to use only materials I have stock piled to create an art/craft/project filled 2018.



...here's my first blog list.. lol

1. My first order of business is to create a Goals and Projects post so I can keep track of what I want to accomplish.
2. Document a few recent projects I've completed since last summer- mostly pictures and materials used.
3. Start my second Whole30 journey (starts today!!!) and review some meals and recipes I am trying out.
4. Obtain the materials to start videoing some work- projects, crochet, cooking....
5. Organize everything to get started.

CHEERS 2018