Christmas Prayer List

And your wish list becomes your prayer list.

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥

Bonus!

I went to get some eggs to bake 

my pecan pie for Thanksgiving,

and found a Scripture verse inside.

What a nice surprise!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream...

Ahhh…  deep, restorative sleep. 

This little guy makes it look easy, but it seems to evade us more and more as we get older.

Here are a few things that I have uncovered in my quest to sleep better:

Melatonin, of course.

Valerian Root.     (My mama used to call this The Poor Man's Muscle Relaxer.)

Skullcap.

Various essential oils.

No caffeine.

A small snack before bedtime.

White noise.

A chilly room.

A dark room.

Binaural beats.

Various natural sleep supplements.

We don't ever want to go the Rx route, if at all possible.  And we would just use OTC sleep aids with diphenhydramine in them (Benadryl), which work great, but that drug has been recently linked to developing dementia.  (Well, all anticholinergic drugs have been, unfortunately.)  So, until the science is clear about that, we avoid taking it as much as possible.  (Sometimes, though, ya just have to make an exception!)

Two things have really made a difference, and I wanted to share them with you.

I read a blog written by an orthopedic surgeon that suggested adding 2-inch memory foam to our beds.  She said we lose our body's natural cushioning as we age, and get bonier and pointier, which gets less and less comfortable in bed while we sleep.  Adding this foam to your current mattress can help with all that.

We bought this one:  Memory Foam Topper   (There are others, of course.)  We really love it, and even added a pillow top cushion on top of that!  (You may not want to.)  But that way we don't overheat from the memory foam, and it makes the bed even more luxurious and cushier.  We got this one:  Mattress pillow topper 

(BTW, I did have to buy a new fitted sheet, a deeper one, to accommodate all this new stuff.)

The other thing is:

Magnesium.  

But not just any magnesium.  It turns out that magnesium citrate is great for going to the bathroom, but it's magnesium glycinate that you want to help you relax. 

We take two pills 30 minutes or so before bedtime, and it has really and truly helped me, especially, so much!  I have had trouble falling asleep my whole life, and have dreamed over the years of finding an "Off Switch", as it were.  I may have finally found it.  (Here's a link to the one we buy:  Magnesium on Amazon )

Yes, the magnesium pills are not on the small side, and you all know how I feel about taking pills, much less horse tablets!  LOL!!  But these are truly worth it.  (Don't forget to use the Pill Glide spray to help with the huge pills!)

I am always looking for more things to try, because there's no substitute for a good night's sleep.

Sweet dreams!!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥

My Grandmother's Recipe for Green Beans and New Potatoes

Here is my grandmother's recipe for Kentucky Wonders and New Potatoes:

(I can't seem to find Kentucky Wonder beans in the store these days, but any green beans in the produce department will work.)

2 lbs. of raw green beans

6 or so new potatoes

2-3 strips of bacon

1 small onion, chopped

First, put on a full teapot of water to boil.  (Or however you can get a lot of water up to the boil.)

Meanwhile, string and snap green beans.  (Or trim ends with a knife and cut into pieces.)

Cut up the bacon and place in a 6 qt. pan.

After the bacon is mostly browned, put in the chopped onion and sauté until clear.

Add the green beans to the pot and enough boiling water to cover them.

Simmer for 45 minutes.

While the beans are simmering, peel and chop up the new potatoes into quarters or eighths.

After the 45 minutes is over, add the potatoes to the pot.

Cook 25 more minutes or until done.    (until the potatoes are fork-tender)

These are great for making the day before and re-heating them the next day to serve. 

You know, for a dinner party or for the holidays!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥

Knitter's Truth

"You could go out and socialize,

but you'll just be waiting until

you can go home and knit again."

LOL!!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥

Seen on Knit Picks FaceBook page:

19 Things You'll Get If You're Slightly Obsessed with Knitting