I very rarely order clothes from Amazon; although returns are a breeze –I just never do it, I guess I am “Old school,” I like to see, touch and try on. My husband ordered me new boots and slippers and OH MY GOD they are amazing and fit perfectly. The best part is I get the “look” without the price. These two items I highly recommend.
Dream Pairs Mid Calf Winter Boots (Grey)
Litfun Fuzzy Memory Foam Slippers (Chestnut)
I picked up a Master Carve Ham from Costco last week and it was amazingly tasty. It also afforded me the ability to make several meals.
2. Potato Ham Chowder (for hubby to take to work; 8 servings)
Ingredients
1 cup Master Carve Ham (cubed)
1 cup onion (diced)
1/2 cup celery (thinly sliced)
2 cups water
2 cups potatoes (diced)
1 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bayleaf
2 cups milk
1 cup canned corn
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp AP flour
Directions
1. Saute ham, onion & celery until softened; set aside.
2. Combine water, potato, salt, pepper & bayleaf into a pot; cook for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender; remove bayleaf.
3. Add the 2 cups of milk, corn & ham mixture to the pot; simmer for 3 minutes.4. Combine ½ cup milk and flour in a small bowl; mix until smooth then slowly mix it into the pot.
5. Boil until thickened
6. Enjoy!
3. Ham Soup (for freezer meals)
*This recipe is also Weight Watchers friendly; it was only 3 points per 1 cup serving
What grinds your gears and really annoys you?
Ignorance, plain and simple ignorance!
I cannot stand when people bury their heads in the sand and ignore what’s happening in the world. I constantly end up listening to people make statements from a place of being ill-informed because they have seen a TikTok or a post on Instagram that is clearly misleading. It is very annoying when people don’t consistently evaluate their beliefs and values to see if they fit or are correct or even applicable. I truly feel that as people and society change we need to examine our beliefs. I also hate it when people are blind to their words and mindset flaws or they try to impose certain beliefs on others but the second they are questioned, not even imposed upon they scream and shout their mindset and freedoms are being infringe on. I hate that people don’t think critically about history and their own privilege.
What about you? Comment below!
Prompt from: Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts
I always seem to devour a ton of books in December; there is something about the season that makes you want to curl up with a fuzzy blanket, a warm drink and a book.
Whose Body by Dorothy L Sayers
When a body is discovered in Mr. Phipps’ bathtub; Lord Peter Wimsey investigates; the case overlaps that of Chief Inspector Parker’s who is investigating the disappearance of a businessman.
A Spinsters Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins
Set in England in 1867, Flora Deaver aka Miss Poppy Delamare must solve the case of who murdered her brother-in-law to prevent her sister from swinging from the gallows. She is aided by the Duke of Langham in exchange for posing as his fiancee at a house party.
The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita prose
This novella; continues the story of Molly featured in her Maid series. Molly’s boyfriend is acting strangely suspicious; Molly uses her sleuthing abilities to try and work it out –much to her chagrin she can’t crack the case, however, she is rewarded in the end with a sweet Christmas surprise.
Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen, Cambridge
Phyllida Bright is back in this novel that borrows inspiration from Agatha Christie’s ABC Murders. Someone is killing actors in the West End; Mrs. Bright must uncover the killer before he or she works their way through the alphabet, while watching her own back so that secrets from her past don’t upend her new life.
Cloud of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers
When Lord Peter Wimsey’s brother, the Duke of Denver is arrested and put on trial for the murder of Denis Cathcart; he must leave no stone un-turned to clear his name. Along for the investigative ride is CI Parker again.
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson
Ernest Cunningham is back again in this novella to try and clear his ex-wife’s name, when her boyfriend is found stabbed to death in the kitchen and she is covered in blood –inexplicably. All his rules of murder and amateur sleuthing are employed –been use after all, Christmas is no excuse to be sloppy; fictionally, of course.
What catches your eye about the architecture of a building?
I’m a sucker for a grand and intricately and opulently finished building. I’m a sucker for stained glass windows. I’m a sucker for a building that is considered an engineering or architectural wonder. Buildings like the Duomo in Florence, Versailles in Paris, provincial legislatures, or the Parliament Buildings in Canada , hotels like the Empress or Hotel MacDonald. I love a great Victorian mansion or an Art Deco building. I like a building that can transport me back in time one that’s unlike everything else around it. Especially now that everything is so modern and minimalist and devoid of true personality I like spaces with character.
Prompt from: Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts
What about you? Comment below
I loved the brisket recipe from this website and the pork loin recipe in the slow cooker with that honey butter sauce was super delicious. It was easy to make, however, in my crockpot it cooked it a lot faster even on low so I would definitely shave off about 30 minutes if you are in the same boat as me.
What would life be like if unicorns and dragons existed?
I think that would be truly lovely and remarkable. A lot of young children would lose their minds as their imaginations came to life. Fairy tale perfection! However, they’d be hunted and taxidermied by some. I’d like to think that this variation of life would be a time where we would have reached utopia and all of our social ills and failings and issues would’ve been solved and we lived happily ever after. So, basically it would be a pipe dream if unicorns and dragons existed. I think we need a lot more magic in our lives right now. I think sometimes we’d like to go back to simpler times in our lives when we were young and had a little to worry about in theory, I know not everyone had a carefree childhood. But little escapism now and then isn’t a bad thing.
Prompt from: Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts
What about you? Comment below
This is my son‘s first Christmas; we have waited so long for this moment so perhaps I should acknowledge the elephant in the room that I may have gone overboard). He’s obviously way too little to understand the meaning of it and to really enjoy it so to speak. We of course got him a gift (from mom and dad) and Santa got him a gift and he has a stocking. I figured I do a recap of what we got for him, starting with the stocking of course he has a “baby’s first Christmas” stocking and inside includes…
-a toothbrush
-small container of diaper cream
-a few small handheld toys,
-wrist rattles
-a rubber ducky for the bath that also is a thermometer
* his other family members will be adding to his stocking as well.
His Santa present includes…
-ABC flashcards
-123 flashcards
-Cradle cap kit
-The small toys that didn’t fit in his stocking (oops!)-A copy of How the Grinch Stole Christmas
-An outfit
My husband and I got him a “major” gift: a walker and also a gift to use for his next developmental milestone: eating solids so we got him a coverall bib and cutlery.
Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) from our family to yours!
Have you ever been attacked by an animal?
I was chased by a Canada goose while I was at a park with my dad one time. And there’s a photo of me in one of my albums with me screaming my head off and he’s carrying me and I’m kicking and he’s got me lifted up almost above his head, heading back to the car. One time I was at a zoo with my parents and some of their friends, and we were allowed to feed the birds and an emu bit my hand. And then there was that one time I was playing in the back lane when I was growing up and the neighbor’s dog ran out. Her name was Muffy. It was a horrible little dog, anyways, Muffy ran out and bit my leg, and I was scared of dogs for years.
Prompt from: Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts
What about you? Comment below
New bottle sterilizer
After being thoroughly frustrated with my original bottle sterilizer from Dr. Brown’s, I upgraded to this one and I got to say two thumbs up! Highly recommend it! I love the fact that it can sterilize or it can dry. It takes up to 55 minutes to do both; or 10 minutes to sterilize. The time and money are super worth it. You can store bottles in it. They stay sterile for up to 24 hours. I was able to condense some space on my counter by just switching to this machine rather than having a bottle sterilizer, and a drying rack. The reservoir design is sooooo much better than the previous one that I had it doesn’t leak. There is lots of space for different types of bottles and all of the bottle parts. I cannot tell you how much time this has saved me –before I had to wash and then sterilize bottles one or two at a time (depending on their size) and then they would have to sit out on the counter for so long. For an extra $50; don’t skip the upgrade. Amazon sometimes has this $119 machine on sale for $79; so even better!