I may be the only person who has not read Winnie-the-Pooh, but I’m quickly fixing my deficiency of Pooh literature. I never knew the story was so funny and packed with adult humor. Just how he came to be named “Pooh” made me laugh loudly when I first read it. I’m kinda glad I wasn’t previously introduced to the honey-loving bear, as my fresh eyes are thoroughly enjoying this new reading adventure. Whether you’ve read the story before or over a lifetime, I hope you’ll give my version a listen.
Hi! I’m returning back to the land of audio with my latest podcast that is a tiny taste of TV shows I’m currently watching. My time away has certainly been lengthy, and I’m coming back with a variety of subjects to talk about and share with you.
I’m digging that the show is similar to Monk, but definitely suited for a more adult audience. The sweet little chihuahua Will rescues is darling and is honestly one of the draws of the show for me. The series is based off of Karin Slaughter’s New York Times best selling “Will Trent” book series that I will be checking out. Have you read the books? What are you thoughts on the show?
Stop what you are doing and RUN to watch Inside Man. The BBC has done it again with a magical mix of drama and mystery that will keep you riveted for four episodes. The end comes too soon, as watching David Tennant and Stanley Tucci is a treat in and of itself. These two talented actors make for a combination that keeps one on the edge of the seat. RUN…watch… report back on what you think.
Finally, a little fluff and fun to wash down the serious watching, as we return to Season 3 of Emily in Paris. I adore Emily and her French friends. How could you not? When I’m not watching the show, I’m listening to the music on the Emily in Paris Soundtrack.
Emily in Paris, A Netflix series
The last episode of Season 3 was certainly a bombshell. Do you believe Cami? I think our favorite secret keeper has grown her nose a bit with this story. I can’t wait for the next season. Will it be the last?
What are you watching this Winter? I’d love to hear your recommendations and view your list of favorites!
Thanks for listening and reading, and I look forward to hearing from you!
National Popcorn Day is a great excuse to enjoy your own popcorn at home with little expense and great fun. I do love popcorn. As a child, it always felt like such a treat, especially when we would buy a “self-contained stove-top popping pan” from Jiffy Pop. We would watch it pop, the foil balloon of popcorn expanding and sizzling. Of course, as a vegan, I haven’t had that product in years, as they have milk derivatives in their products. That’s okay, the sweet memory is there.
I have a vintage air popper that I use, but I find myself avoiding it because the blower is quite loud, and I don’t enjoy the sound. I started purchasing small, individual bags of popped corn from Costco, but the new price increases have made me avoid putting it in my cart.
Popcorn is too delicious of a snack to abandon! The low-calorie snack is a great treat throughout the day. Determined to find a solution, I started searching for an answer to my popcorn dilemma.
I took a leap and ordered the Mueller Premium Microwave Popcorn Popper, 3 Quart Capacity Popcorn Maker, Borosilicate Glass, with a 3-in-1 Silicone Lid.
I was drawn to the popper because it is glass, has a silicone lid for measuring kernels and melting a variety of additional items to help flavor the popcorn, but this microwave cooker doesn’t need any additional oils or flavors to make the popcorn. It is a simple design with promising results based on the reviews. It is in a charming red color (they seem to have a happy yellow now) and is dishwasher safe, too.
I needed some popcorn, so I ordered a 3 lb. bag of Anthony’s Organic Yellow Popcorn Kernels, 3 lb, (Gluten Free and Non GMO).
I was apprehensive, but foraged ahead with my goal of having yummy popcorn without additional packaging waste and extra expense. The first batch was not ideal. I followed the instructions and most of my popcorn didn’t pop. The second time, I extended the cooking time and it got better, but not great. The third time, I set the microwave to five minutes and watched as the entire bowl cooked up. It didn’t need the full five minutes, but it was close. Since that successful time, I’ve tried other brands of popcorn and can attest that the cooking times have been all over the board. Some have needed a swift three minutes, and others need a bit longer. My advice is simply to experiment and standby as the popcorn is in the microwave. Nobody likes burnt popcorn.
The popcorn has been delicious. While you don’t need any additional oil to make the popcorn pop, I plop a little organic coconut oil in the bowl before I measure out and dump my kernels. I put a pat of vegan butter in the top of the lid to melt as it pops, and I frequently experiment with a variety of spices and salts when the popcorn is completed. I have yet to try chocolates or other sweet mixtures. I do like a healthy dusting of nutritional yeast.
Clean-up is a snap, and whether you keep it on the counter or tuck it away, it looks attractive.
Here is the refined coconut oil, butter, and nutritional yeast that I use:
Do you feed the birds in your yard? I love supplying them with additional nutrients to help them through the days that seem colder and hotter than ever. I’m blessed to have a wide range of birds that visit and happily partake in the food.
While I was healing from surgeries last year, I found it peaceful to watch the birds visit. I installed two feeder poles and a feeder with a solar light.
I was very excited for this first pole, but I find the attached bowls are not ideal for me. They would be better if they twisted where they attached to the pole to make it easy to dump out debris or dirty water. They don’t do this, and it therefore makes for a very messy clean-up. All is not lost, I still use the pole for my hummingbird feeders. I love the bird design, and it is made well.
The squirrels love it.
This bird feeder is busier than my hometown mall when I was a teenager. Every bird loves visiting it, especially cardinals, blue jays, morning doves, and the nuthatch. The nuthatch population in my yard is large, and they will come perch on it as I fill it. Unafraid of their human, the little birds hop around the feeder eating, hanging upside with ease. The solar powered light was beautiful while it lasted, and while they did supply an extra lid, “in case the other quit” as they stated, both lids did quit early on. It is a beautiful light when it works. But again, the light was simply an added benefit of the item, and it by no means makes the feeder obsolete without the light.
Two solar lights came with the feeder, but neither of them lasted very long.
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It is so pretty when the light works.
Looking so innocent, no…I couldn’t possibly be ready to pounce on these feeders to get some grub.
Finally, this is my favorite feeder pole. The feeder above is hanging from this pole on my back deck. The arms swivel so I can bring the feeder in and out as I like, and the bird and leaves are sweet decorative touches.
The clamp is strong and the plastic twisting piece is sturdy.
This is how the poles comes packaged. Easy directions and install.
The birds who visit my yard are sweet visitors, and I hope to make a place for them that is safe and stocked with their needs. I’d hate to imagine life without birds! Here are a few birds I’ve painted with watercolors.
My father loved cardinals, and every time I see one, I think of him. I love my new mug.
Cuddled in my cardinal blanket and drinking a cuppa as I look over the new seed catalog. A good start to the new year.
I wasn’t able to locate my mug online, but this cute one is certain to please the cardinal lover. 🙂
Happy National Spaghetti Day! Lovers of pasta unite for a day of celebration for the skinny noodles that have been, for many of us, a favorite meal since childhood. Spaghetti is one of the rare foods that I can eat cold or hot, and it always seems better the second day.
To celebrate the day, I wanted to make a recipe I haven’t tried before, and a quick search returned Vegan Bolognese with Impossible Meat by The Carrot Underground. The recipe is hearty and delicious. Don’t miss a step or overthink the ingredients! Two cups per veggie may seem like a lot, but it is well worth it. The addition of the veggie stock adds a layer of depth to the flavor, and I substituted red wine vinegar for the red wine. If you don’t like Impossible Meat, substitute it with TVP or another tasty option. This is a fulfilling recipe for your weekly table, and it will certainly score at any potluck event. Everyone will walk away with a content belly.
Additionally, this makes a great meal for those Meatless Mondays you may be testing out or the addition you need for your #Veganuary journey!
I made a video while I cooked, and I hope you’ll check out The Carrot Underground, as it is a fantastic spot for vegan recipes. Thanks for the wonderful recipe, Connie!
I am not affiliated with The Carrot Underground. I simply think they deserve a shout out for their great information!
Some links on my site are part of affiliate programs, and if you click on them or make a purchase from the link, I may make a few pennies, but that will never come at an additional cost to you!
That stack of VHS tapes that I’ve moved thousands of miles in my lifetime are decaying and in need of digital conversion, and I desperately want to see what memories are trapped inside them. Every year I swear I’m going to get the movies off the VHS tapes, but something always happens that prevents that from happening. I did a little research and discovered that there are a number of companies providing this service, but I liked the packages offered from iMemories and chose them.
Thanks for the photo, Jeremy Bezanger
Choosing a company to send your precious and private memories is no small task. It can make you feel like a tangled pile of emotions and fears. Even after I carefully researched and selected iMemories, I feared that sending my VHS tapes would mean that I’d never see them again. I also have some private moments on these tapes that I really wasn’t comfortable sending to a company, but if I wanted them digitized, I had to just shut down the voice in my head and move forward with the process. It is really hard to take that step, and if it takes you a little longer to feel comfortable, remember that you can take time to get comfortable, or at least accept that it is a necessary step, as I don’t know that one can be truly comfortable with the process of sending such precious and private items to complete strangers with no face.
In your online account, you’ll find iMemories updates on your order status as your payment and items move along the queue. I was happy to be able to check on the order without needing to call anyone and follow-up. I never felt that I was in the dark about their process or wondering when everything would be done.
When They Receive Your Items – Notification and Payment Due
Once they receive your box of memories, they will send you an email asking you to log into your account and review the items and pay for your order. As you can see, they list the item they received from you, what conversion method is being used, and what label you have on the item. When I sent my VHS tapes to them, they were running a sale, but I had a better coupon for 30% off! As you can see in the order summary, I sent in 29 VHS tapes! The shipping charge is the return of the VHS tapes to me.
Updates Throughout the Process Push the Darkness Away
Here is a video I made before sending off my tapes:
Packing up my iMemories box!
How’d it go?
The tapes were returned to me just as they were sent out, with no issues or problems along the way. I was ecstatic to see my videos loaded on my online account, and I quickly started watching them. Most I hadn’t seen in a very long time! The videos are wonderful. There are some places I think a tweak of the tracking would have helped, but I can’t complain. I have my memories preserved, and it is well worth it. The ability to share with others and make a screenshot photo is a huge plus for me.
Check out my update about how the process went, and I walk you through the phone app and the desktop experience. Let me know if you have used the service and what your experience was like. Get those memories preserved!
I made my first trip out to a cemetery as a volunteer photographer. The day couldn’t have been more made-to-order for me. It is a lovely 60F with cloudy skies, rain coming off and on, and Autumn leaves falling all around.
Before the rain hit, I wanted to scoot over to the cemetery and see if I could locate a specific grave for someone who has requested a photo. I wasn’t able to find the grave, so I’ve reached out to the cemetery for some assistance in locating it. I hope they’ll be able to help me fulfill the request.
While I wandered around, I captured some updated photos for graves that were near me. I really enjoyed the process and loved the quiet and peace around me. I’ve recently been bitten by the ancestry bug, and I can’t get enough of researching my own ancestors, so I hope that my photos will help those are searching for their own family. It is such a sweet gift for people to donate time, photos, and knowledge for others to enjoy. I’ve certainly appreciated it in my own searches.
If you are wondering how you can help, you can also sign up at Find A Grave. You’ll be fulfilling a needed service, and you will be filled with gratitude with the blessing of enjoying the beautiful day. No matter our worries, it is always a good day to be above ground.
Where would you go if you could travel in time? Would you choose the future or the past? Would you want to be able to just have a snippet of time in your destination or stay there and live out the rest of your days?
For myself, I’d rather travel back in time. I’d return to age seventeen, March 1993. The next three months were the happiest, yet they were filled with grief, struggles, and hardships. Despite those pains, the worst would be yet to come, and I’d love to remember the joy I felt from March to September. It is a very specific window for me, and unless you’ve had a traumatic event such as I’ve experienced, you may not understand that attention to detail of time. I’d love to return to that time knowing what I know now. But, even if that were not the case, I’d go back without hesitation, whether for a moment or to begin again from that point. What about you? Does the idea of time travel excite you?
*Remember, the price of the books listed may change and some may no longer be free by the time you go to grab them. I do not control the price of the books and/or the ability to offer them for free.*
The season of Christmas songs and overspending is in full swing, and for some, it is undoubtedly a time to withdraw and find solace in a good book. Cozy Christmas Mysteries may just be what you need to escape the times ahead that can quickly snowball into stress and sadness. Hold steady, friend, for a new season is always just around the bend. Happy reading!
Don’t forget the free downloadable book links at the bottom! You can lend them to anyone you wish!
*Remember, the price of the books listed may change and some may no longer be free by the time you go to grab them. I do not control the price of the books and/or the ability to offer them for free.*
Books for Purchase
Free Books (at time of posting)
Some links on my site are part of affiliate programs, and if you click on them or make a purchase from the link, I may make a few pennies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Have you checked out my online shop at Etsy lately? There are many new items available for order that may be perfect for your loved ones this holiday season. Soon, all items that are available at Etsy will be available here, in my own site store, and while you can purchase some items, the catalog is still growing.
Scarves
Sublimated scarves are new for December 2021! I’ve been making fleece scarves since 2006 and still wear my original scarf that I used as my test item. My sublimated scarves are a generous 60″ long with 3″ fringe on both ends of the scarf. The sublimated image is on one side of the scarf, and if you desire, you can switch it to either shoulder or flip over the scarf if you don’t wish to show the image. The sublimated designs are permanent and soft. Keep an eye out for more designs and colors.
Book Nerd Floral Scarf
You Can’t Buy Love But You Can Rescue It! ScarfJust a Girl Who Loves Christmas Gnome Scarf
I Don’t Like Morning People or Mornings or People Gnome Scarf
Pendants
My new pendants can be used as the focal point for a necklace, keychain, or dangle for your journal. I am offering them on ball chains in a variety of sizes. All come boxed and ready for gift giving. The pendants are in a silver finish and the embedded items have been sealed with UV Resin.
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