I'm woefully behind on responding to messages and posts, but am catching back up...slowly.
Meanwhile, what better reason to celebrate eating cake than Halloween!
All the way back in 1811, Jane Austen's very first novel, Sense and Sensibility was sold in bookstores, and in no time it sold out. When we look at all those reprints, we know she's the author , but all six of the books she wrote had one thing in common. Do you know what that was?
If you guessed that none of those classic novels included her actual name, go to the head of the class. Sense and Sensibility was written by The Lady, and the credit for Pride & Prejudice just said, "By the Author of Sense and Sensibility".
By the way, if you're interested in getting a rare first edition of Mansfield Park, where 18 people are currently watching this auction, head over to eBay here.
If you celebrate Halloween, and plan to get your groove on at lots of parties to show off your costumes, please Be Safe. If not, what a great opportunity to bake a cake, grab some candy, or eat a cheeseburger and relax at home with a book or a movie.
Frankenstein was created in 1818 by Mary Shelley when she was just 21 years old, and his day has been celebrated as a holiday since 1997 on the last Friday of October. This is a great time to re-read the book or watch one of the many versions of the classic movie.
Nope, we're not talking about the green ghosts from the movie Ghostbusters. This is actually a cool cocktail. You'll be surprised how good this drink is, and it's super simple to make.
GREEN GHOSTS
In an ice-filled shaker, shake 2 oz. gin, 1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse liqueur, and a generous squeeze of lime. If you like, the glass can be decorated with a lime or kiwi wedge. Strain it into a scary glass or even a lab beaker to make it more fun.
The 1st Apple iPod was released in 2001 for about $399. Then in 2009, they came out with one that was 22k gold and set with over 200 diamonds. The cost? $233,000!
By the way today, you can preorder the Apple iPhone which is almost $1000, in space gray or silver!
If you watch Price is Right a lot, all the models all do the same thing when presenting a prize. The next time it comes on, notice that they never show their backs to the audience. This is really noticeable when they walk around a vehicle.
SCARY READ
Jennifer McMahon is known for writing fantasy and horror stories, so if you want to read a ghost story this weekend, check out The Winter People. Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that her mother, who's a recluse, has mysteriously vanished.
FREE STUFF
Still stumped with what to do for Halloween?
If you like to dress up, be sure to visit www.Hip2Save.com to see which places offer up free treats for you or the kiddies. But if you just want to relax at home with popcorn and cheeseburgers, visit www.popcornflix.com for free scary movies.
But if you're like me, it's Hallmark Christmas movie time! Yes, I'll be watching the same old repeats, along with 12 new movies leading up to Christmas Day. Yay!
COUPON DEALS
If you live in an area with a Harris Teeter grocery store, October 29 - October 31 they will offer Super Doubles, where you can double coupons up to $2.00.
PLANNER
I tend to forget a ton of stuff, so I entertain myself and remember things by keeping a Planner.
Most people have these really awesome planners because they're artists and creative, but because I suck at drawing(lol), I'm always looking for deals on stickers.
These say they were on sale for $.50, but they were actually just ten cents at Walmart, and I was doing the happy dance. The manager in that department said she just hadn't had the time to change the sticker price.
Even though the weather is getting a little cooler thank goodness, I still need to find a way to get in my ice cream fix. This particular recipe suggests using vanilla, but I say the sky's the limit on what flavor ice cream you choose. Cookie Dough, Chocolate, Strawberry, Cookies and Cream. It's all up to you.
UNFRIED ICE CREAM
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small pot, heat 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and 1/8 tsp salt over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour over 2 Cups old-fashioned rolled oats in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to coat well. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet and spread in a single layer. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until browned and dry. Let it cool completely, then transfer to a medium bowl, breaking up any clumps.
Roll scoops of ice cream in the oats until completely covered. Serve drizzled with chocolate syrup and top with whipped topping and sprinkles.
TOY CRAZE THIS SEASON
If you've been reading this blog, you already know that I used to collect toys quite a bit, and include
Hot Wheels, Happy Meal kits, Barbies, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Batman and more.
But kids are excited about different things these days, and some are super expensive. Here are just a few that are popular this season.
American Girl Truly Me - $200 from americangirl.com (customize a doll to look just like your child!)
Fisher-Price Imaginext DC Super Friends Batbot Extreme - $100 from Walmart (30 inches tall)!
Spin Master's Luva Bella - $100 from ToysRUs
Leapfrog's Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart -40 from Target
Lego Duplo Batcave Challenge - $50 from shop.lego.com
Tickle Me Elmo!!!! - $30 from hasbrotoyshop.com
Mattel DC Superhero Girls Wonder Woman Action Figure w/Lasso of Truth $24.99 - Toysrus, but this is popular, so different figures are priced up to $159.99.
WOMAN POWER
Speaking of Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot has quite an impressive resume. In 2004 she represented her country as Ms. Israel in the Miss Universe Pageant. She's the 3rd actress and 1st non-American to play the role, and was a combat instructor for 2 years in the Israel Defense Forces.
CANDY, CANDY AND MORE CANDY
Are you getting geared up for lots of chocolate to kick off the season? Well put on your walking shoes to attend chocolate tours in Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Beverly Hills and more. These aren't just any tours because they last for 2 hours, and give tons of history on chocolate as well as the neighborhood, AND they cost $50 per person. But if you're a serious chocoholic, you'll get your fill of lots and lots of decadent desserts. Even better, if you're visiting for the first time, it's possible to get a 20-30% discount online. Leave those tight jeans at home, though. (lol)
IT'S BACK!
If you don't mind the pressure and have the cooking chops, get your entry into the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest between now and November 10. Not only will you score bragging rights, but you can win $50,000, a kitchen makeover worth $25,000, a paid trip to New York for the winner and 1 guest, hotel with meals, and a guest appearance on The Kitchen. The total prize package is worth $92,000!
https://www.pillsbury.com/bake-off-contest
Accepting unwanted advances back in the day happened quite frequently, particularly in the military. But as time went on and laws became stronger regarding sexual harassment and assault, most of us thought there had been some significant progress.
It took tremendous courage for actors/actresses and models to come forth with their stories, and I commend them. Yet, once again, it takes something happening to a celebrity to bring these actions to light of what is still going on. What saddens me more than anything is that the people who are being subjected to this heinous behavior desperately need an income to buy food, take care of children or to pay rent/mortgage.
They suffer silently in fear of losing their incomes or reputations, hoping to find another source of income so they can leave the nonsense behind. These are the people who work in grocery stores, telephone companies, hospitals, fast food restaurants, publishing houses, and even the government. They're not famous or well known, and no one will notice if they tweet on Twitter or post on Facebook about how they're being mistreated.
