Kitchen tip: fast bacon crumbles

I cook an entire pack of bacon at one time. I put it in the pan, chop it with the spatula, and stir it around until it is crispy, and drain it on a paper towel .  Takes about 10 minutes.
(Caveat: I use Oscar Meyer lower sodium turkey bacon, which is delicious by the way. This process may work differently, or not at all, with pork bacon.)

...and presto, 

crispy bacon bits!

LIttle school of new fishies

A potential customer has first dibs on these big fishies but whatever she doesn't want will be for sale on etsy after I hear from her.

...and Pinky has a bonus ball...

...and laces!

I had someone ask what people do with the fish so here are a few serving suggestions!
Of course, the other day I showed you this lovely necklace. They could be light chain pulls, a knick-knack on a shelf, or hanging on a chain like fish on a stringer:

No new resolutions for 2012 but one goal, set last year, for the looming 50th birthday was to not look like a "dumpy old lady" when the day arrived. Thanks to Dr. Dukan, I succeeded! I indulged in a few cookies at work, my stepfather's tasty pecan, apple, and cherry pies over Christmas, and a few other non-approved snacks. I was up 6 lbs when I got back home a week ago. But I did two protein days and am back to the target weight today. I cannot even believe it myself, but I now weigh only 11 lbs more than I did in high school 33 years ago!

Diet: Not a diet, a new way of life

Along with removing some too-big items from my closet, I cleaned out the pantry yesterday. All these items that I don't want to eat anymore went to a friend with two growing boys and a 6'4" husband!

I kept one or two cans of beans but will use them sparingly after the last of the unwanted pounds are gone. I  have kept a favorite old pair of jeans in the back of the closet that I wore on a milestone birthday in 1992. I tried them on last night...and was shocked to discover they almost fit! Yay!

BSBP: What I got

I was on a roll yesterday with the necklace makin'. After I put the Enamel Shadow Box necklace to bed, I had all the tools out and realized I might as well do the other. I'm done early...there must be something wrong!

Here are close-ups of the elements sent to me by lampworker Raida Disbrow (Havana Beads). You'll just have to wait for reveal day on September 17 to see the whole necklace.

The focal

Sterling silver clasp

Black silk ribbon edged in gray, blue and green Czech cut glass, and raised-dots on clear glass.

I also created a page for my Dukan diet progress if you're interested. Ten weeks, 27 lbs gone!

Faux Wood: Bangle experiment

I extruded a long triangle and coiled it around but didn't manage to make it big enough for my big hands. I'll take it to work and see if I can find a tiny-boned person to give it a field test. I worry about how well it would hold up in real life. I use Kato Clay which I like because it's relatively hard and holds its shape while you're working. And of course, it polishes up easily. However, for some thin items, it's too brittle -- or rather, there's no "give" or flex to it, and I've snapped some pieces because of that.

And these are pretty. I'm going to try a few in colors with colored centers.

Update on the Dukan Diet...I say Dukan Can Do! I hit the 20 lb-down mark on Friday. Six weeks! Seriously, if you're tyring to lose weight, you are nuts if you don't give this a try. I am stunned at how well it's working for me. The menopause midriff that prevented me from breathing during forward fold and child's pose at yoga is gone!

If you think you'll feel deprived without the sugar and carbs, don't worry. That's what I thought. But it's amazing that once you get it out of your system, you don't miss it. I think the sugar is a drug...the more you have, the more you want. Everything I ate was full of sugar, even things that I didn't realize were full of it...like my beloved Cheerios or Special K and skim milk. My treat of choice these days is iced coffee with sugar-free vanilla or hazelnut with a splash of milk.

I feel great and best of all, in control! My head is not filled with thoughts of food anymore. I eat only when I'm hungry -- but I'm hardly ever hungry unless it's been a very long time since my last meal -- and I always stop eating before I'm stuffed. Tonight I turned away a plate of french fries that the waiter accidentally brought with my bunless burger -- and I was by myself so it wasn't even peer pressure that kept me from nibbling! That would not have happened before!

A few more pounds and the pants in my closet will be unwearable! Oh darn! (Time to get that sewing machine out of mothballs and do some takin' in!)

If you're interested in my previous post about this topic, you can read it here.

New Fish and a Miracle

New threadfishies in the etsy shop.

And now for the miracle! 12 lbs gone in one month -- no willpower required! My two friends, Rollanda, the menopause midriff above the belly button, and Bellinda, the pooch below the belly button, are almost gone! my co-worker and I are doing the Dukan Diet -- it's high-protein, and very, very low sugar and carbs.

Unlike Atkins and South Beach, no high-fat meats and cheeses or nuts are allowed. Go to the site and answer the questionnaire to find out what schedule you should follow. I had to do three days of the protein- only "attack" phase. If I got hungry I ate, as often as every two hours, as long as it was on the allowed list. By the end of the three days I was stunned to discover my sugar cravings were gone and I was not hungry.
and I had rid myself of 5lbs of water that Rollanda and Bellinda had been holding.

At work we always have snacks and I ate whatever was around, and if I wasn't eating any, I was thinking about tyring to resist it. In the last three weeks at work we've had bagels, cupcakes, cookies, chocolate, and birthday cake, and I didn't have one bite, and was not even tempted! It's not that I've "decided" I'm not going to have them, it's that the urge for them has disappeared.

I do miss bread, but haven't had trouble going without. Eggs, Eggbeaters, chicken, lean beef, fish, tofu, and turkey bacon are my new best friends. Your fiber comes from 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day. I mix mine in my omelette. It has no weird taste and it gives the eggs a little more heft that does fill you up.

If I need "dessert" I have the sugar free jello snacks (tasty and only 10 calories...I splurge and have 2!) or a chocolate flavored protein drink on ice that actually tastes pretty good (EAS dark chocolate), or a latte with sugar-free syrup. The protein drink is not technically allowed on the Dukan diet but it's the only chocolate option I have so I have one every few days. After the attack phase you can have as many non-starchy vegetables as you want on alternating days so a big salad with fat-free dressing or side dishes of broccoli, green beans, squash, etc add variety.

I also joined the gym and have been going every day. Planet Fitness...it was only $40 to join, and $10 per month. I don't know how they can stay in business! But they have a zillion machines so no waiting. Better yet, they're open 24 hours a day during the week, so even if I work late, I can still go and do 30 minutes. I mix it up and do something different everyday. But what seems to work best for me is the elliptical set on a high "step" and high resistance. There is a row of TVs set on every channel to take your mind off the boring exercise.

I know that it's easier for me to work the new menu and exercise into my schedule because I don't have a family to work around so it may be more of a challenge for those of you who do. The pounds may come off slower but they will come off!

Twelve more pounds and I'll be at my goal weight but I actually think I might be able to go 5 lbs lower! That would put me at a weight not seen since the early-1990s! Anyhow, if you had told me a month ago that I would not be hungry, and not have sugar cravings, I would have said you were carzy. But it's true!