so how is it going for you?

I filed sales taxes for the quarter.  I had online sales of $158, and owed no sales tax in the state of Iowa.  Let me tell you, for a business that runs primarily May to Oct, with June usually one of my best months.... this is not normal.

Honestly I haven't been pushing online so much anyway.  Jerry and I have talked the last few years about basically taking a year off, and Covid sort of made this year a natural. 

Not to say if you want some custom work I would say no.  I would take your commission in a heart beat!  I haven't been making much this year, and I do miss it.  I'm starting to get back to the studio more, but other parts of my life are a priority this year.

recent project... it's parts from vintage jewelry from the 1950's and 1980's and a clock gear.  what do you think? 

Big one is health.  More and More this is a concern, and again Covid really makes it stand out in stark relief.  I am on the "high risk" list about 4 times.  A family member has developed new and alarming health problems that are HEREDITARY.   The chances of me getting this in 10-15 years are high, and I kind-of feel i have enough chronic diseases for one person now.

Best way to avoid is to finally change our life style.  Jerry is on board all the way ( he's got health issues as well)

We have tried this before, it lasts 6 mos to a year, and then slowly goes away.

But I have a secret weapon this time.  I have a fully functional kitchen.

Me! stylin' in a homemade mask made by my sister.  She makes several different designs!  check it out!

the changes we are making are gradual and mostly involve me cooking more and more meals.  Substituting better foods than we eat now. 

I'm also working on portion control.   Best thing I've done for this? I bought smaller plates.  They are out of print Nightmare 8 inch plates and I adore them.  They are colorful and cheerful and fun to eat off.  And since they are smaller you can't fit as much food on them.

I'm going to buy another set so we have 8 settings -- you know so in 2025 when we can all be face to face again I can through a diner party!

This weekend I'm planning on making a large roast, a turkey breast, something with chicken, spaghetti casserole with hamburger and butternut squash, and some vaguely pastry like sausage things that I'm just sort of making up.

Some of this is because we just changed fridges and some stuff got defrosted , so they need to be used now.

But any left overs are getting frozen as individual servings.  That way when Jerry or I need a quick lunch or don't feel like cooking supper, we can just defrost something. 

That is the biggest barrier to healthy eating.  It takes more effort... and time.  After a 10 hour work day, even at home, I just don't feel up to any effort but nuking on some days.

Eventually we will have a decent pile of these "tv diners" all the time in the freezer. 

I'm also working on a carb friendly pizza crust.  There are several recipes out there, but i'm trying to find one that has a level of effort that won't kill me and yet all 3 of us like the taste of.  Once I hit that gold standard, I'll make them in bulk and freeze them at will.  Then we can make pizzas anytime we want to, and as long as you are using healthy toppings, pizza can be good for you.

so far the recipes are either time consuming and annoying to make, or quick and easy but the taste and texture isn't quite there.

I have a recipe that I think will be the eventual winner, but I'm tweaking it.  It's eggie in taste, and I want a crispier crust.  Instead of a dough, it's a batter, and you cook them like pancakes. 

"pancake" version.  about 6 inches, the perfect serving size for a personal pizza.  now if I can get it to taste more crust like than an omelet. ...

It's a work in progress, like just about everything I've described above.


That's sort of our family motto right now.  It's a work in progress.