Friday, January 25, 2019

TRIVIA & TREATS

Do you remember getting that one gift as a kid that either defined who you were later in life, or played with until every piece of it was hanging on by a thread or all taped up to prolong its life?(lol)  

Mine was a microscope.  Nothing was safe from being analyzed. Leaves, blood, pencils, hair, pebbles, an eyelash and, a piece of cotton, fingernails are just a few of the things I checked out every single day, and it drove my parents bonkers!(lol)


What about you?  Was there a toy or item that you were obsessed with as a child?

VEGGIE LOVE
More and more people are eating vegetarian or vegan meals, and there are lots of cool recipes to try.  Even better, going out is a lot easier for those who don't eat meat, and restaurants around the country are jumping on the bandwagon with mouth watering plant based main courses, and decadent desserts.

Plant - Hazelnut Cream Cake
Radish-Miso Butter Noodles (Laura Hayes)
Fancy Radish - Washington DC
Gracias Madre - San Francisco CA
Ground Control - Chicago IL
Leaf - Boulder Colorado
Plant - Asheville NC
Seva - Ann Arbor Michigan


SAVING MONEY
Thinking about making some changes with your Internet service?  Check out what works best for you and your family by visiting www.broadbandnow.com.  

Find out about every provider in your area as well as their rates and various plans.


ICE SKATING
Who remembers Peggy Fleming?  In 1968, she took home the only gold medal for the United States in the Winter Olympics.  Se was also 1st in the World Championships and the US Championships the same year.  It's so romantic  that she married her high school sweetheart, and have been together since 1970!

YIKES!
Speaking of relationships, in 1960 the divorce rate among men was 1.1%, and with women it was 1.7%.  Fast forward to 2017 where the rate with men was 10.9%, and among women it was 14.6%.    The state with the highest divorce rate as of 2016 was Oklahoma at 4.4%!  Apparently, the high divorce in this date are due to financial reasons.Almanac 2019

DOG FUN
Are you a puppy person?  The Westminster Dog Show will be the place to find plenty of purebreds in New York City from February 11 - 12, 2019.

CENSORSHIP
It's 2019, and there are still requests for books in a school or library to be removed based on content, and include To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hate U Give, Thirteen Reasons Why, I am Jazz, and Drama.

BLOOD NEWS
Did you know there is an age limit to give blood? James Harrison of Australia has donated blood 
1,173 times, and at 81, gave for the last time due to his age on in May 2018.

Anyone over 70 and healthy can only continue to donate blood if they have done so within a 2 year period, but for those donating blood for the first time, the age limit is 66.  Don't forget, the American Red Cross is always looking for donors to help those in need.


VIRUS
If you're trying to avoid the flu, University of Arizona researchers suggest wiping off that grocery cart handle with a sanitizing wipe to kill off any lurking bacteria.  Also, mine is always a disaster on the inside, but did you know that 80% of the bottoms of our purses are friends with the flu virus?  Be sure to clean purses regularly, and avoid laying them down on dining room tables or kitchen counters at home or in restaurants to avoid germs.

BLACK FOREST TRUFFLE - MINI (David Venable)

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
  • 1 pkg brownie mix
  • 2 oz cherry brandy
  • 1 container whipped cream topping
  • 1 jar dark cherries
  • 1 (8 oz) dark chocolate bar
  • 4 Amaretto cookies
  • 8 small straight-sided glasses

Preparation:

  • Prepare the pudding & brownies according to the directions on the package. Let brownies cool.


  • Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid and 8 cherries for garnishing. Rough chop the remaining cherries. Crumble about half of the brownies into a bowl, sprinkle on the cherry brandy, and mix gently.


  • With a knife, shave the chocolate bar into thin shavings. Set aside.


  • Lightly crumble the Amaretto cookies. Set aside.


  • With all of the ingredients organized, begin layering them in the glasses. Start with the brownie mixture, followed by the whipped topping and chopped cherries. Drizzle on some cherry syrup. Repeat the same 4 layers again. Finish with chocolate pudding on top. Garnish with crumbled cookies, chocolate shavings, and a cherry.

Speaking of chocolate - January 27 is National Chocolate Cake Day.




Did you know that it's considered offensive to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose in Fairbanks, Alaska?


Also, if you own a flamingo and live in Juneau Alaska, please don't take them to a barbershop.
www.dumblaws.com










Sunday, January 6, 2019

DO FRIENDSHIPS HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE?

According to a recent survey from the University of Scranton, 80% of people fail to keep their New Year's resolutions, so for the past 4 years mine have successfully been either book, or social media driven. 
I stay away from actually making formal resolutions about losing weight, but it's still in my head, and maybe in one of my planners, because I know I'm just going to screw it up.(lol)

Webster defines a friend as "a person you have a strong liking for and trust, a person who is not an enemy".  Another definition indicates there is a bond of mutual affection and is exclusive of sexual or family relations.


Wouldn't it be great if friendships lasted forever and ever?  I've been fortunate to have quite a few friends for 20+ years, and it's still going strong. Friends who are constructively honest and  supportive are great, and make us the best persons we can be.  It's also neat when friends have different views and interests because that's a great way to learn new things. Even though these things haven't happened to me, the instances mentioned below have happened to other people I know, and it's so sad.

Friends shouldn't get a pass to say/do mean-spirited or underhanded things, or to cheat and secretly text with your husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend. They're not going to do or say things behind your back to intentionally hurt you. It's also very uncool for a friend to give you something, only to come to your house every Christmas to take your gifts back, and then re-gift them to others because you haven't used some of the items fast enough. Is your relationship one-sided? When confronting your friends, at the very least there should be some sign of remorse or an apology to address the hurt feelings. If you've got friends like this, or worse, 2019 is your year to quickly run in the other direction.  No one deserves these types of headaches.


SOAPS
Have you ever watched a soap opera?  Do you remember All My Children which started in 1970?  Susan Lucci, as Erica Kane was super popular and nominated 19 times for an Emmy before finally winning in 1999.  On the soap, she was married to 6 different guys, but in real life, she's been happily married to Helmut Huber since 1969!  The series ended on television in 2011, but the online version ended in 2013.


COLORS
Have you ever heard of Blue Zones?  These areas are home to some of the healthiest and oldest people in the world, with many living to be 90-100+ years of age.  I would definitely have to give up my cheeseburgers, because almost all of these places emphasize plant based food, beans, fruits and veggies as part of their diets.(lol)  Also, walking, resting and family bonding are part of their lifestyles.

I'd just like to point out that there are NO cold places on this list, and you know I love cold weather.(lol)

1.  Sardinia Italy
2.  Okinawa Japan
3.  Ikaria Greece 
4.  Loma Linda California
5.  Nicoya Costa Rica


FREEBIES
In addition to coupon shopping, which I've been doing for years, I love finding freebies on the Internet along with my good buddy Mary over at scarymarythehamsterlady.blogspot.com/ who shares her freebie haul every Friday.  In the UK, there are  these great freebie sites:

https://www.latestfreestuff.co.uk,  

https://www.magicfreebiesuk.co.uk

In the US, try www.sampables.com, freebieshark.com, or reddit.com. Here are a few things I've picked up over the past couple months.
Sephora


2019 Calendar

2019 Calendar

This stands your phone up and is super cool.

Hummus


Can't say this seaweed was my fave-lol
These wipes worked perfectly




This coffee was pretty good and did suppress the appetite.



Carlie C's Friday Freebie - What is Sipping Soup?(lol)

Cat Food I'll be giving away
Yay!  Tea


Nice perfume














These are my 2019 Planners that I love, and I thank my good friend Elizabeth from alteredbooklover.blogspot.com
for sending me lots of amazing stickers to use this year.  

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Not guaranteeing anything(lol)













Sara Bareilles said it well in 2013, and it works this year too. "You can be amazing , and I want to see you be BRAVE"