Callouses

by Diane Estrella on September 3, 2010

I did a lot of weeding recently.  I am so green thumb challenged. Read here to see my previous Garden Dis-Abilities…..

Momma always told me to wear gloves when doing outdoor work. Call it laziness for not wanting to walk to the barn and find some, or laziness because I’m not even sure if I bought any in the first place….. either way, laziness people!

Well, guess what, Momma was right.  Whenever gardening, and especially raking, WEAR GLOVES!  Ugly blisters and then callouses formed on my hands.  OUCHIE!!!

The hard outer shell is covering up the soft, sore center. A self-protection of sorts to guard that which was hurt on the inside.

Are there callouses on your hands? On your heart?

A lot of times we put up a hard outer shell to protect our soft, tender insides. Sometimes they are necessary…… and sometimes we need to let them heal over. Eventually, healing will begin and a soft place can form again.

Where are your callouses? Do they have an opportunity to heal???

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Fresh & Sassy Salsa Recipe

by Diane Estrella on September 1, 2010

What to do….. what to do? Still have bunches of fresh tomatoes that need to be used up?  Here is a great way to tingle those taste buds and enjoy one of the last hoorahs of Summer.

Fresh and Sassy Salsa

1 1/2 lbs. plum tomatos chopped
2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 med size red or white onion chopped
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chile peppers, drained
3/4 cup of taco sauce or tomato sauce
1 TBSP lime juice
1 tsp. salt

Combine in a bowl and let sit 30 min. at room temp and serve.

Makes 3 cups

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My friend Marissa gave me this prized recipe. Let us know how it turns out please! :)

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Raw(e) Yellow!

August 30, 2010
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Found a lovely blog, Sailor and Company, with a lovely family and LOVELY photography to behold.  She holds a weekly “Raw(e) photo” contest for braggin’ rights.  Wanna join in on the fun? This week the theme is “Yellow.”  We recently went to a local museum and I saw this gorgeous fish.  Trying to capture the [...]

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Back to School Giveaway Winners!

August 30, 2010
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I am always amazed and humbled by the talented participants who join in for these giveaway weeks.  I want to personally thank each giver and congratulate each winner.  Please continue to think about these artists and use them for your future purchases and gift-giving needs.  I used Random.org to select the winners.  Hip, hip, hooray [...]

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MicroFiction Monday!

August 29, 2010
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Welcome to Microfiction Monday, where a picture paints 140 characters, or even fewer. I decided to join in on Microfiction Monday over at Stony River. “Microfiction” means the shortest of short stories. Think Aesop’s fables, comic strips, or even jokes: complete stories that can be told in under a minute. We are invited to write [...]

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Cerra on etsy Giveaway-CONTEST CLOSED

August 27, 2010
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Cerra is a full-time wife and mama to an almost 2 year old toddler. She is also an entrepreneur who started crafting as a young girl and hasn’t stopped since. She joined, and starting selling on Etsy in 2007, originally selling only her postcards, then expanding to coasters, magnets, supplies and other miscellaneous goods before [...]

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The Outnumbered Mom Giveaway-CONTEST CLOSED

August 26, 2010
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“ARE YOU OUTNUMBERED? Overwhelmed? Surrounded? I’ve spent most of my “mom life” outnumbered … by four sons! It’s easy for a mom to feel outnumbered today, to feel isolated and alone. But we really can’t do it all alone. Moms need each other, not to mention a touch of something greater than us. Along the [...]

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Introducing DC Woodcrafts & Giveaway=CONTEST CLOSED

August 25, 2010
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I met David through the enormous world of Etsy (the homemade version of ebay).  I love to browse and found my way to his shop, full of the most exquisitely handcrafted items. “When and Why I Started My Passion For Woodturning By David R. Campbell Back around 2003 I was looking for something that might [...]

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Meet Kendra Springer and Giveaway-CONTEST CLOSED

August 24, 2010
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Meet Kendra! Lyrical piano music to lift your spirits…. “My earliest memory of music was listening to classical music with my sister and acting out what the music was saying to us. Growing up, I listened to my dad’s favorite music: classical, (a lot of the Romantics) Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Big Band (Glen Miller) and easy [...]

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Splashes of Serenity & Giveaway-CONTEST CLOSED

August 23, 2010
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I met Elaine at my first ever writer’s conference.  Remember her? With heartfelt warmth, sincere enthusiasm, and great humor, Elaine W. Miller connects with her audience to bring a splash of serenity in a draining world. Here is just one of the reasons I love this lady: Click here to read a previous interview with [...]

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