Author: Lila

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Daily 3

Daily Three: January

My friends and I have resurrected an old gratitude practice called the “Daily Three,” everyday we reflect on our day and think of three things that were positive or that we are grateful for. Nothing is too insignificant; it has helped us become less negative. Here is what made my January…

  1. Husband  came home from work after 5 days
  2. Eucalyptus & mint shower steamer
  3. Friends that I can ask all the questions to, so that I can stay somewhat sane while trying learn to be a mom 
  4. Visits with family & friends
  5. Won $28 on lotto scratchers
  6. Delicious snacks 
  7. The puppy is gone for training for months
  8. Christmas tree is down & all the ornaments are boxed up so my living room is back to normal
  9. So far the formula switch is going okay 
  10. My husband & son had a daddy/son day out (they looked at sleds & went for coffee with another buddy)
  11. Got out of the house and got all my errands done 
  12. New book finally arrived 
  13. Listening to my baby murmuring in his sleep and his father snoring
  14. Starting real food” with the baby
  15. Shrimp tacos with extra jalapeños 
  16. Migraine is gone
  17. Vanilla biscotti coffee
  18. Reading Dr. Seuss books with my son
  19. Got my tires checked; no more low pressure light
  20. Really enjoying my book
  21. Baby slept for a 7.5 hour stretch last night
  22. The high chair showed up (and I didn’t think it would because of the “delay” email) 
  23. Baby finally had a decent nap this afternoon after only a short power down this morning
  24. Was very productive today 
  25. Sorted out where my missing books were from Indigo (& more from my order have arrived)
  26. The high chair is awesome
  27. Nerding out with a historical fiction novel
  28. Found a journal I’d forgotten about so I started that up again 
  29. Found out that my friend‘s husband is taking her out for a very nice dinner to chairman steakhouse in Calgary for her 40th birthday on Monday and that made me really happy that he’s doing something so special for her.
  30. Peppermint tea.
  31. Scrambled eggs for supper
  32. Milk frother so Keurig coffee feels a little more like Starbucks
  33. Taking my multivitamin (as an actual routine now haha) 
  34. My friend’s 40th birthday; can’t wait for her to kickass in this new decade
  35. When my husband says “we are a team”
  36. Surprised with tickets to The Citadel
  37. Starting a new book
  38. Magic bags!!
  39. EOS Lip balm 
  40. Husband is home from work after 7 days 
  41. Baby is growing although he is “petit”
  42. Found brownies in the freezer (unexpected treasure) 
  43. Baby got clean bill of health at the pediatrician
  44. Got my haircut (felt amazing to have it shampooed and styled)
  45. .Decent road conditions despite there being a snow squall coming 
  46. Shower
  47. New Abbott Elementary episode 
  48. Having power after the 6 hour outage last night 
  49. Baby slept 8 hours last night 
  50. Gingerbread biscotti 
  51. Stew on a cold winter day 
  52. Baby slept 12 hours
  53. Finished another book
  54. Watching people freak out over the TikTok ban in the USA was hilarious 
  55. Baby was enjoying his Nemo bouncy chair finally
  56. Starting a new book
  57. Watching @mamaj.rae on Instagram and she makes me laugh
  58. Ricotta and spinach ravioli for breakfast; because why not !?
  59. Husband gave baby a bath for the first time ever
  60. Coworker became a grandma to the cutest little boy (also everyone is happy and healthy) 
  61. Baby pics from my coworker 
  62. Leftover sausage rolls in the freezer from Christmas YUM
  63. New books showed up; most were for the baby but one was for me
  64. Donuts from the best local bakery
  65. Visited with my mother in law
  66. Fresh sheets on the bed 
  67. Watched Hell’s Kitchen 
  68. Tea for a sore throat
  69. The baby’s laugh 
  70. Mother in law came and visited again
  71. My Costco date with husband is a “GO” because we have a babysitter
  72. Indigo was having a sale on some books I wanted to preorder so I got $60 in books for $40
  73. “Hair wash night”
  74. Baby legs (so cute)
  75. Got out of the house; even though it was only to the grocery store 
  76. Lime Bubly
  77. Catching up on National Geographic 
  78. Fuzzy Jammies
  79. Baby finally had a decent day nap 
  80. Visit from MIL & oldest nephew and baby was obsessed with his cousin 
  81. Scrambled egg & ketchup; craving satisfied (and I managed not to over cook the eggs for the first time in forever)
  82. Chicken nuggets for breakfast 
  83. Shaved 2 years off the mortgage
  84. Iced coffee 
  85. Lunch at the Olive Garden
  86. Seeing my son sitting on his Grandpa’s knee
  87. Flowers
  88. Hockey game
  89. Catching up with a coworker
  90. My niece made me chocolate chip cookies
Categories
Entertainment

January 2025 Book Round-Up

I was on a bit of a Kate Quinn binge this month…

The Rose Code

The novel flashes between the looming wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip and WW2 where three women work tirelessly at Bletchley Park. The women turn against each other due to an unfortunate tragedy but are suddenly thrown together due to a mysterious encrypted letter. They must put aside their trauma to save a friend and expose a traitor.

The Alice Network

Eve, a former spy from real-life Alice Network in France during World War I must help a young, unwed and pregnant American who journeys to Europe to find out what happened to her cousin at the end of the WW2. It turns out that the women have more in common than they think.

The Huntress

Nina Markova was a brave Soviet pilot who is forced to leave her unit behind after being denounced; after surviving a brutal attack by The Huntress; Nina, her husband and his assistant find themselves in Boston in the 1950s hunting down the vicious killer who has embedded herself as a suburban housewife.

Murder on the Brighton Express by CJ Archer

After receiving a blackmail note while on holiday with her family in Brighton, Cleopatra Fox is on high alert. She becomes preoccupied with the disappearance of a train passenger –realizing that the women could not have disembarked of her own volition, Cleo must figure what happened, who wanted the journalist dead and why. To assist her with the investigation is Harry Armitage.

A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett

It is 1957; Queen Elizabeth is undertaking a lot of tours but she is not too preoccupied to notice that things are not as they seem within the Institution; subtle sabotages make her question those closest to her. While Her Majesty tries to get to the bottom of that mystery, a young woman wearing only silk underwear and a tiara and her gentleman caller are found dead in a house not far from Buckingham Palace.

Categories
Baby Life Reflections & Lifestyle

Product Review: Finding Nemo Sea of Activities Jumper

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Our little guy loves it; well he will –right now he’s still taking it all in and his little arms are too short to reach most of the items but it won’t be long before he’s manhandling all the items.

Features…

-Seat swivels around 360 degrees
-High back seat
-Easy to put together
-Widest part is just over 38 inches
-Lightweight (without being flimsy)
-Multiple height positions
-Easy to clean
-Plenty of items, sounds and lights to occupy baby
-Affordable (approx. $200)

Categories
Fashion

Cozy Footwear

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)

Categories
Food & Drink

Master Carve Ham

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.

  1. Ham with potatoes cooked in the air fryer and peas (4 servings)

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

Categories
Writing Prompt Wednesdays

Writing Prompt Wednesday…

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

Categories
Entertainment

December Book Club

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.

Categories
Writing Prompt Wednesdays

December Journal #4

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

Categories
Food & Drink

Pork Loin Recipe

Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast

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.

Categories
Writing Prompt Wednesdays

December Journal #3

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