How is Nylon made

The idea for Nylon was first put forward by Charles Stine the director of Du Pont's Chemical [ie.,central research] Department it was through Wallace Carothers who also worked at DuPont that created the first nylon material on 28 February 1935

Nylon is made by condensation copolymers formed by reacting equal parts of a Diamine and a Dicarboxylic acid as this video below shows here.

The semi-liquid material is then forced into a spinneret, which is used to separate the nylon into thin strands.

As the Nylon is exposed to the air it causes the strands to harden immediately and once they are hard, they can be wound onto bobbins. The fibres are stretched to create strength and elasticity. The filaments are unwound and then rewound onto another, smaller spool. This process is called drawing and is used to align the molecules into a parallel structure.
After the nylon has been wound onto the smaller spool, it is ready for use. Nylon products are created by weaving the filaments together. The tighter the weave, the more strength the fabric will have.

Dragonflies close up

A photographer David Chambon, working in Doubs in eastern France, took some close up images of dragonflies and flies frozen in time as they appear to by crystallised by the morning dew making the colours on their bodies show for clearly.

A dragonfly peering back at the camera with large beady eyes

The bug peeking out from over the fronds, keeping an eye on our beady photographer

Bubbles of water magnifing the beauty and reveal the details and bright red, orange, green and blue colours of the flying insects

Thousands of tiny drops of dew covering the insects

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A man's secret tribute to his wife

A man called Winston Howes who lives in the Gloucestershire countryside created a lasting memorial to his wife who passed away 17 years ago at the age of 50. 
What he did was got 6000 oak saplings and planted the saplings on his property. The trees form a heart shape, which is kept bare by a large hedge, and the bottom tip of the heart points to Janet's childhood home. 
Winston Howes who is now 70 years old, said he got the idea for the meadow in a flash of inspiration, and has since put a seat in the field. He sometimes goes down there, just to sit and think about things.

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Spider Webs

Almost since i got my car ive had spider webs being made near the front door, last week finally found a spider which was removed, it got me thinking what a spider web is made from.

Spider webs or cobwebs (from the obsolete word coppe, meaning spider) are made from built by a spider out of proteinaceous (protein) spider silk extruded from its spinnerets .What spinnerets are, are glands located at the tip of a spiders abdomen

Each gland produces a thread for a special purpose – for example a trailed safety line, sticky silk for trapping prey or fine silk for wrapping it. Spiders use different gland types to produce different silks, and some spiders are capable of producing up to 8 different silks during their lifetime.

How most spider webs are made is first the spider lets out a fine adhesive thread hoping a faint breeze will move it across the gap the spider then will carefully walk along it and strengthen it with a second thread. This process is repeated until the thread is strong enough to support the rest of the web.

Spider webs are used to 2 main reasons one is to use to catch prey the other used to run along to catch their prey keeping their back legs firmly attached to the web as well as being protection from birds.

The stickiness you feel on the webs is droplets of glue as the webs are made. Spiders do not usually get stuck to their own webs cause they are able to spin both sticky and non-sticky types of silk, and are careful to travel across only non-sticky portions of the web.

After the web has been there for awhile the silk will lose its stickiness and become less inefficient at capturing prey. It is common then for spiders to eat their own web daily to recoup some of the energy used in spinning. with the silk proteins are recycled.

Ive tried to shorten alot of the information but you can read more here
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Inspiring pictures from the Paralympics

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Sometimes life can appear hard, but with determination you 
can achieve anything

Alphanso Cunningham of Jamaica competes in the Men’s Discus Throw – F51/52/53 Final.

The South African Men’s 4x100m relay team celebrates winning gold and setting a new world
record in the T42/T46 Final.

Matt Stutzman of the United States competes in the Men’s Individual Compound Archery

Katherine Downie, Ellie Cole and Maddison Elliot of Australia celebrate as teamate Jacqueline Freney
wins them the gold medal in the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle.

Guide Guilherme Soares de Santana reacts to Terezinha Guilhermina of Brazil winning gold before
she knows she’s won the Women’s 100m T11 Final.

James O’Shea of Great Britain dives from the blocks in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke – SB5 Final.

China’s He Junquan bites on a towel to aid his start in the men’s 50m Backstroke S5.

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About your Teeth

As an embryo at certain times your teeth are starting to develop as the future line of the jaw bone thickens  bud like thickening's form along each jaw with 10 of these being made for the baby teeth, at around three months more tooth buds are made on the inside of the baby teeth which will be used for the permanent teeth which seem to appear at around 7 years old

Even though teeth are composed of a hard bone-like tissue, they are in fact derived from various skin tissues in much the same way as the placoid scales like on sharks and rays.

Each person has 4 different types of teeth in their mouth Incisor, Canine, Premolar and Molar

Each tooth is made of 4 structures

• Enamel is the hard, white covering. Enamel protects the tooth from the wear and tear of chewing. The enamel on your teeth is the hardest substance in your body. 
• Dentine  is below the enamel on your teeth. It's a yellow bone-like material that's softer than enamel and carries some of the nerves that tell you when something is going wrong inside your tooth.
• Pulp   is the centre of the tooth. It's a soft tissue that contains blood vessels and nerves. The pulp is how the tooth receives nourishment and sends signals to your brain.
• Cementum   is what covers most of the root of the tooth. It helps to attach the tooth to the bones in your jaw. A cushioning layer called the Periodontal Ligament sits between the cementum and the jawbone. It helps to connect the two.

For a more in-depth explanation of how your teeth are made link to this great page 

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London Olympics medals by population

There are a few ways to see how each country scored in the medal tally the amount of Gold, Silver, Bronze

or by each country and their population.

This is the top 50 countries showing per population the medal tally

Total medals per million population

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total Medals	Total Medals /Million
1	Grenada	1	0	0	1	9.1734
2	Jamaica	4	4	4	12	4.1534
3	Trinidad and Tobago	1	0	3	4	3.2616
4	Bahamas	1	0	0	1	3.1627
5	New Zealand	6	2	5	13	3.0037
6	Slovenia	1	1	2	4	2.0034
7	Hungary	8	4	5	17	1.7071
8	Denmark	2	4	3	9	1.6235
9	Australia	7	16	12	35	1.5898
10	Mongolia	0	2	3	5	1.5723
11	Estonia	0	1	1	2	1.5690
12	Georgia	1	3	3	7	1.5314
13	Montenegro	0	1	0	1	1.5212
14	Lithuania	2	1	2	5	1.4181
15	Croatia	3	1	2	6	1.3393
16	Cuba	5	3	6	14	1.2641
17	Belarus	2	5	5	12	1.2575
18	Netherlands	6	6	8	20	1.1954
19	Ireland	1	1	3	5	1.0589
20	Azerbaijan	2	2	6	10	1.0533
21	Great Britain	29	17	19	65	1.0310
22	Qatar	0	0	2	2	1.0248
23	Armenia	0	1	2	3	1.0099
24	Czech Republic	4	3	3	10	0.9826
25	Latvia	1	0	1	2	0.9126
26	Sweden	1	4	3	8	0.8788
27	Cyprus	0	1	0	1	0.8787
28	Norway	2	1	1	4	0.8497
29	Bahrain	0	0	1	1	0.8011
30	Kazakhstan	7	1	5	13	0.7419
31	Slovakia	0	1	3	4	0.7295
32	Gabon	0	1	0	1	0.6218
33	Russian Federation	24	26	32	82	0.5938
34	Republic of Korea	13	8	7	28	0.5731
35	Finland	0	1	2	3	0.5700
36	Serbia	1	1	2	4	0.5497
37	Republic of Moldova	0	0	2	2	0.5469
38	Germany	11	19	14	44	0.5412
39	Canada	1	5	12	18	0.5248
40	Switzerland	2	2	0	4	0.5225
41	France	11	11	12	34	0.5181
42	Puerto Rico	0	1	1	2	0.5001
43	Botswana	0	1	0	1	0.4766
44	Italy	8	9	11	28	0.4571
45	Ukraine	6	5	9	20	0.4459
46	Romania	2	5	2	9	0.4119
47	Kuwait	0	0	1	1	0.3779
48	Singapore	0	0	2	2	0.3736
49	Spain	3	10	4	17	0.3614
50	United States of America	46	29	29	104	0.3314

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Cute olympic pics

Hydrogen Peroxide for a cold

When i got a cold a few weeks ago a friend of mine was telling me to use hydrogen peroxide in my ears, i thought it was dangerous so of course didnt use it, my friend got a cold and his was gone much quicker than mine was.

I thought i would search on the net to check if this is a real treatment and can be it dangerous to use. I was reading Snopes.com and found it can be dangerous to use.

What i found was all very interesting people saying use it as a mouth wash, to get rid of skin infections or to use as a douche to prevent yeast infections, to me that sounds quite silly

Reading further on i did find information to say yes you can use it in your ears but you need to use the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide anything stronger than that will harm you. If you have had problems with your ears before hand like a ruptured ear drums you should not use it.

The way to use it is  

• Get a bottle of hydrogen peroxide (3%) from your local pharmacy or supermarket
• Tilt your head to one side and fill one ear canal with hydrogen peroxide using an eye dropper. Fill the ear canal completely. 
• Within one to two minutes you will notice bubbling in the ear. This indicates that the peroxide has found something that should not be there. Let the peroxide stay in the ear until it stops bubbling. If the bubbling has not stopped after five minutes, drain out the peroxide and refill the ear with fresh peroxide. When the bubbling has stopped, drain out the ear.

It does say that its important to perform this procedure at the earliest signal of cold onset. 
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I should say as im not a doctor you should consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before using this remedy.

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Having a whinge

I dont talk to much about myself of this blog just what usually interests me, but something has really annoyed me and i thought i would write on here instead of keeping it inside, sure i can talk to my friends about it but still the anger stays there.

I have an illness that makes it hard for me to hold down a job which means i get money from the government, i had to have an assessment and it seems they want to try stopping me from getting this money as not all information was given. 

Im a quiet sort of person and dont go around whinging and bitching about how life sucks i get on with life and live it the best i can, but it seems by staying quiet and not whinging is the wrong thing to do, i now have to go and speak to other people and basically start crying to make them to feel sorry for me so i can continue to get help from the government and which also will not help what is wrong with me.

What pisses me off is that i see other people who get money from the government who could if they wanted to go and get a job but have been told that they dont need to cause of their illness's, the illness i have i didnt bring on myself it seems i got it at the wrong time as they didnt know how to fix it, if i had got it within the last 5 years i probably wouldnt have the problem i have and if i could change it i would love to get rid of it.

I should say when i first got it i went to many doctors and had that many tests that it took 2 years i felt like a guinea pig having tests done every 2-4 weeks and it was only by accident that they worked out what it was, which of course it had done damage, from there i didnt give up i still tried to find ways to get help and fix my problem but every specialist/doctor i spoke to didnt know how to help me this went on for another 5-6 years, now it is a slight problem which i fight each day, im not sure what else im supposed to do but fight it and stay strong which brings me back to my first point it seems i supposed to not be strong and live life forever crying, complaining and give in by killing myself which you dont need worry about i will never do it cause thats the easy way out.

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Walnut Pastry Crust

As a diabetic eating pastry is a pretty big no no, sure you can have it occasionally but not something you can eat each day, i found this recipe for a Walnut Pastry Crust which i found on the net.

For a person with type 2 diabetes Walnuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids which include reducing inflammation and providing a level of protection from chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis. Often people with diabetes have high triglycerides and low HDL levels. 

Omega-3 fatty acids can help lower triglycerides and raise HDL, so eating walnuts or foods high in omega-3s may help people with diabetes.

A quarter cup of walnuts provides about 165 calories, 3.8 grams of protein, 3.4 grams of carbohydrate, 16 grams of fat, and 1.7 grams of fiber. Walnuts are also good sources of copper, manganese, vitamin B1 and vitamin B6. 

The recipe is pretty easy as you can see

Walnut Pastry 

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts, 

1/4 to 1/2 c parmesan cheese -- shredded or the canned powder. 

Instructions

Add walnuts and parmesan cheese into a food processor

Process till smooth 

Press together in the bottom of pan and pour filling over.

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Why we Shiver when we cold

For the second time this year i have a cold, this one dosent leave you with a dripping nose or what you normally consider as a cold, it leaves you with a dry cough almost like you have the flu, i have to check how i am typing this as my brain is not functioning to well for now, its very sluggish and uncoordinated

One thing i wondered though was why we shiver when we are cold and this is why...

Simple explanation

The hypothalamus, a part of the brain senses the the temperature of the blood and compares it with a setpoint of what it should be, by shivering the movement of the muscles is converted to heat

More in-depth explanation

The hypothalamus, a part of the brain just above the pituitary gland, contains the body's thermostat.It senses the temperature of the blood and compares it with a setpoint — the desired temperature. 

If the actual temperature differs from the setpoint, it tries to adjust the temperature. This is similar to what a thermostat in your house or car does. However, it can't just turn on the furnace or the air conditioner.

Instead, it sends out signals that cause us to sweat if we are too hot or to shiver if we are too cold. (Sweating cools the body as the sweat evaporates; shivering warms the body, because much of the energy used by shivering muscles is converted to heat.).  In addition, it causes us to feel uncomfortable, which prompts us to seek out a source of heat or cold. For example, if your body temperature is too low, you'll look for a warmer place or some blankets, sweating you'll look for a cooler spot or reduce your exercise level (since exercise generates heat). 

If you want to know more i got the information from this page

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House inspection time

Its house inspection time again, the time of the year i hate, i think all house inspections should be banned lol.

I got a letter last Tuesday saying they would be here this Thursday anywhere between 9.30am -12.30pm which to me i think sucks, give me a time frame that is less like an hour, but 3 hours yuck.

Im a night person and work at night and often dont go to sleep till its around 5.00-6.00am to have to be awake at 9.30am when they may come over annoys the crap out of me.

I know that i will pass the house inspection as the place i live will be nice and tidy and the person who owns the place is happy as long as you pay the rent each week.

This time there is nothing at all wrong at my place not like last time were a pipe kept falling off under the sink that was all fixed.

Ive been cleaning a room or two each day since last week doing bits and pieces so that the place is almost done with not that much left to do.

Cross  fingers i pass and that they come before 10.00am and i can have a short sleep before i have to go back out at 1.30pm

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Diabetic Chocolate Chip Biscuits

Being diabetic you shouldnt eat to much sweet stuff which means chocolate and biscuits, the other day i had a craving for both and found this recipe, i made them the next day and they tasted pretty good, they end up being soft, chewy and moorish

• 110g butter, softened
• 12 tablespoons granulated artificial sweetener, such as Splenda
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, beaten
• 140g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 85g plain chocolate chips (Use chopped dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao for even less sugar, i used 60g of dark chocolate and found it loads)
• 60g chopped pecans (can use walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas 5.
2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter till changes colour and goes soft and creamy looking add sugar substitute a tablespoon or two at a time after all sugar substitute is in. Mix in water, vanilla and egg. Sift together the flour, bicarb and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips and pecans. 
3. Drop biscuit batter on tray
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from trays to cool on wire racks. 
5. Makes around 40 - 45 biscuits

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Knitted hat pattern

As its winter were i am and i like making things i started to knit hats or beanies again, usually i do them on 4 needles or on a round needle but this time i wanted to be lazy and found a great pattern for a 2 needle hat which takes hardly any time at all to knit.

Ive knitted 3 hats so far  and am in the process of doing one now for a friend, i have told my friends if they want a hat done to buy me the wool and i will knit a hat for two for them which some are quite happy to do.  As you can see it has a basic band and normal pearl/plain to finish the hat to the length you want decreasing as you get closer to the top

1 of the hats ive knitted

This is the link to the page of the hat im making which is sooooo easy to do...
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Diabetic Beef Fried Rice

Another diabetic recipe i have made which tastes great, the ones i didnt like i wont be adding here. This recipe reminded me of a fried rice my mum used to make years ago and i had never been able to make it even though of course it seems pretty simple. For some reason give me something fancier to cook and i can cook it with no problems.

With the adding of the Sesame sauce it just adds a hint of something that seems to finish the recipe off. This recipe should feed 6 people, Is a great recipe if you have any left over rice (kept no longer than 3 days)

Diabetic Beef Fried Rice

1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

2 cups water

Spray on olive oil

1 egg, beaten

250g extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh snow pea pods, cut diagonally in half

8 medium green onions, chopped (1/2 cup)

1. Cook rice in water as directed on package.

2.  Meanwhile, spray a 30cm nonstick fypan with olive oil ( Heat over medium heat. Add beaten egg to frypan; cook 1 minute or until firm but still moist. Remove from frypan; cut into thin strips. Cover to keep warm.

3.  In same frypan, cook beef, mushrooms and celery over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked.

4.  In small bowl, mix soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper sauce; stir into beef mixture. Add pea pods, onions, cooked egg and cooked rice; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, stirring constantly, until hot.

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Diabetic Meat Loaf

Diabetic Meat Loaf 

Another recipe ive made for friends who dont have diabetes and who have loved it, im a lover of spinach so this is perfect for me

• 250grams. lean ground beef
• 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 3 cups chopped spinach, ( i used 1 packet of frozen spinach)
• 2 tbsps. low-fat plain yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tbsps. skim milk
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsps. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsps. whole-grain oats
• salt and pepper

• Preheat an oven to 175-degree C.
• Heat olive oil in a frypan over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and onion,  cook until soft. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool down a little bit.
• Put chopped spinach into a medium bowl. Add yogurt as well as a dash of salt and pepper. Mix together well.
• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, egg, chopped tarragon, dried oregano and basil, milk, mustard, oats and the onion mixture. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly with your hands.
• Cover the bottom of a non-stick loaf pan with half of the meatloaf mixture.
• Evenly spread the spinach mixture over it.
• Top with the rest of the meatloaf mixture.
• Bake the meatloaf in the preheated oven for around 45 - 50 minutes.

You can insert a meat thermometer into the centre of the meatloaf to ensure it is done. If it reads at least degree 68 C.

You could serve with a salad or steam mixed vegetables

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Diabetic Nacho's

I love eating Nachos so one day i searched around to try to find a recipe for one that i could eat, i know as a diabetic i shouldn't be eating the corn chips and using Wraps (Tortillas) is a better way around it.

With the refried beans its good to check if they are made with Lard or Vegetable oil, as a Diabetic it is safer to use the one with Vegetable oil 

The recipe below is for one person 

Ingredients

1 olive oil cooking spray
85 grams (3 oz)ground turkey, 99% fat free raw or very low fat mince if you cant find raw turkey
30g (1 oz) refried beans (equal to 2 tablespoons)
2 tbsp Salsa 

Low fat cheese

1 wrap (tortilla) bread as low in carbs as you can get

Preheat oven at 200c

Slice wrap into corn chips shapes or however you would like them, placing on tray spray with a little oil cook for around 20- 25 minutes

In frypan spray small amount of oil

Place in ground turkey or mince, cook till brown

Add refried beans and salsa, cook for around 5 minutes

After taking chips out of oven place on plate in circle, leaving a space in the middle

Add mince mix into middle of tortilla

Place a little cheese on top and enjoy

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Diabetic Potato Pie

 With winter being here, potato pie usually goes down well, and here is a diabetic way of making it.

Diabetic Potato Pie

 225 grams (8 oz) lean ground beef (10% fat) (or ground turkey)
1/2 cup fresh chopped onion
1/2 cup canned mushroom slices, drained
2 cup green beans, canned and drained , rinsed
1 400ml can (10 3/4 oz) Soup, cream of mushroom, low sodium, ready to serve, canned
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
2 1/3 cup cold water , boiling
2 cup instant mashed potato flakes ( i used 4 small potato's)
1 tsp dried parsley
3/4 cup low fat cheddar cheese, shredded 
2 Cooking Spray, canola, with butter flavor, 1/3 sec spray

Note: Instead of Potato Flakes i used 4 small potato's mixing in 1/4 cup sour cream and parsley

1 Preheat oven to 180c (375f).
2 Brown meat and onion in a large frypan sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray.
3 Spread meat mixture into an 8-by-12-inch baking dish sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray. Layer the mushrooms and green beans over the top.
4 Mix together the mushroom soup and 1/4 cup sour cream in a small mixing bowl, and spoon this mixture over the green beans.
5 In a saucepan combine boiling water and potato flakes. Fold in remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and parsley flakes. Spread this potato mixture over the soup mixture.
6 Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
7 Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes before cutting into 6 servings.

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Why do cats and dogs have whiskers

Most cats and dogs have hair but their whiskers are longer, thicker and more rigid, as well as more deeply embedded in the skin. Each whisker is rooted in a hair follicle that's filled with blood vessels and nerves. And like other hairs, whiskers will occasionally fall out and grow back. 

Most cats have 12 whiskers that are arranged in four rows on either cheek, but the whisker pattern in dogs is more varied. Whiskers can also sprout above the eyes, as well as under the chin. Cats can also grow whiskers behind their wrists. 

The primary function of whiskers is to aid with vision, especially in the dark, by providing additional sensory information - much like antennae on other creatures. 

Although it's often called "tactile hair," the whisker itself cannot feel anything. Instead, objects that brush up against a whisker cause it to vibrate, which then stimulates the nerves in the hair follicle. This explains why the scientific name for whiskers is vibrissae, which derives from the Latin word, vibrio, meaning "to vibrate."

Cats use their facial whiskers to determine if they can fit into narrow spaces, and the whiskers on their legs may aid them in sensing prey or climbing trees. 

Whiskers serve a similar purpose in dogs: Nearly 40 percent of the canine brain can detect when something touches a dog's face, especially the region where the whiskers are located. 

Dogs and cats can also sense something even if it doesn't actually touch a whisker. For example, a pet in a dark room can pick up on the fact that there's a wall nearby because of a change in air currents. 

Some whiskers, especially those above the eyes, can also protect a pet from getting poked by long grasses and other objects. 

The position of the whiskers can also clue you in to the mood of an animal. For example, felines may fold their whiskers back to say, "Stay away." 

Although it's an old wives' tale that cutting a pet's whiskers off will affect his balance, it can compromise his ability to "feel" around his face. In other words, if you're tempted to trim those unruly whiskers, it's best to leave them alone.

No hot water

After a week with cold water i got my hot water back today, can you imagine in the middle of winter standing under freezing cold water trying to shower, its not the best feeling believe.

Today i think i stood in the shower for 30 minutes just feeling the hot water going over my body and it felt sooooo great

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Diabetic Creamy Chicken Pasta

Since becoming diabetic ive been finding recipes i could make that are close to what i like, i have made this now a few times and given it to friends to eat who say they love it

8 ounces dried Penne Rigate (2 cups)
4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 450 grams total)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large zucchini (340 gram), halved lengthwise and sliced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 of an 340gram tub light cream cheese
1/4 cup dried tomatoes, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Grill chicken on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170°F), turning once halfway through grilling.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return to pan; cover and keep warm. In a large skillet cook zucchini, mushrooms and garlic in warm oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables to pasta. In a small bowl whisk together broth and flour. Add to warm skillet with cream cheese. Whisk until smooth and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in tomatoes. Add to pasta and vegetables in pan; toss to coat.
3. To serve, divide pasta mixture among four plates. Cut chicken into thin slices. Arrange chicken over pasta and vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Stuffed Owl Toy

Last week i had a cold and had some spare time on my hand instead of wasting it i decided to make this cute little stuffed owl which is made out of different types of material i partially hand sewed it then did the rest on a sewing machine

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Diabetic Ginger Beef Stir Fry

I've had diabetes for about 10 years and it got a bit out of hand with what ive been cooking it seems as my sugar had got pretty high, ive been trying to find food that tastes close to what i would normally eat and am going to add the ones that i think taste great and that people who arent diabetic would eat

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

· 226 gram (8 ounces) beef top round steak

· 1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth

· 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

· 2 1/2teaspoons cornstarch

· 2 - 3teaspoons grated fresh ginger

· Nonstick cooking spray

· 1 1/2cups sliced fresh mushrooms

· 1 medium carrot, thinly bias sliced

· 3 cups small broccoli florets or 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-long pieces

· 1 small capsicum (red sweet pepper), seeded and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (1 cup)

· 1tablespoon cooking oil

· 2 green onions, bias-sliced into 2-inch lengths (1/4 cup)

· 2 cups hot cooked brown rice

If desired, partially freeze beef for easier slicing. Trim fat from beef. Thinly slice beef across the grain into bite-size strips. Set aside. For sauce: In a small bowl, stir together beef broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and ginger; set aside.

2. Lightly coat an unheated wok or large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and carrot; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add broccoli and sweet pepper; stir-fry about 2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from wok.

3. Carefully add oil to wok. Add beef; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until desired doneness. Push beef from center of wok. Stir sauce. Add sauce to center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

4. Return vegetables to wok. Add green onions. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce; heat through. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings (1 cup beef mixture with 1/2 cup rice per serving).

Nutrition Facts (Ginger Beef Stir-Fry)

Servings Per Recipe 4, Calories 274, Protein (gm) 20, Carbohydrate (gm) 34,Fat, total (gm) 7, Cholesterol (mg) 32, Saturated fat (gm) 1, Dietary Fiber, total (gm) 5,Sodium (mg) 552, Vegetables () 2, Starch () 2, Very Lean Meat () 2, Fat () 1,Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Different types of people

Seeing what was written on someone Facebook page it started to really annoy me.

People seemed to be putting down other people who had different interests to them. As usual it was the so called "Intellectuals"

I wrote that all people like different things and people should accept that and if people like to watch and talk about soap operas it was ok to do.

The comment i got back was that i could go and watch soap operas if i wanted but there is also documentaries that you could watch and how they are much better to watch as soap operas are crap and each person who watches them is an idiot, how they hate being at family events as their family talks about certain shows, whos to say that what she enjoys talking about interests people and others think she talks pretentious crap

Myself i rarely watch soap operas as they dont interest me, but if people like them whats wrong with that, i often do watch documentaries and dont watch much TV.

Its how the world works that each person likes different things.

It annoys me that there are still people around who think they are better than others as they enjoy different things.
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Dog Sitting Part 2

Ive had the dog now for a bit over a week, am so surprised with how he now acts me with.

Took about 4 days and he was allowing me to pat him and give him treats by hand, not long after that he was wanting me to pick him up and cuddle him like he is a baby.

My friend is childless and has said she treats this dog as if he was a baby, when i held him he snuggles under my chin and flattens himself against me.

She is very surprised that im able to do this as usually the dog stays at her sisters and he wont allow her to pat him, where here i am he wants to be with me 24/7 even wanting to sleep on my bed which she allows him to do, i can do almost anything i want with him which is very strange but makes it so much better for my friend as she knows that he isint upset and wondering where she has gone.
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Dog Sitting

A friend of mine has a pet Chihuahua and she has had to go away for a few days, she has asked me to look after her dog, the thing is the dog is very timid. He is used to being around her and her pet cats only so you can imagine he is looking for her and she is also worried about him.

I read that pet Chihuahua's both demand and give affection to anyone who they trust. They are bold in the way that they will move quickly to see what is going on, but will swiftly move to avoid any actual action. They can also be very strong willed, intensely loyal and will become very attached to their owner if treated correctly. In fact, it may turn to jealousy in certain instances.

But all is going well with him, i am basically ignoring him and he is getting closer and closer to me even to the point of coming to lick me, which i read is that he is starting to trust me a little. Now and then he climbs onto a chair i have behind me and goes to sleep, i took a pic of him while he was asleep and sent it to his owner so she can feel better about him being with me.
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Another Pincushion

With buying material to do craft over Christmas break im trying to find small things to make, previously i had shown 2 Pincushions ive made which i wasent very happy about.

This time i used a different pattern i found on Polka Dot Pineapples page


This is the one i made, its a flower
with the pincushion the part in the
middle.
It has a stick underneath which
you cant see is this photo, with the
stick being there the pincushion can
be placed inside the hole on a reel of
cotton so you can get to your pins
easily while sewing

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