I ran across this blog the other day. And I realized it was mine. “Wow,” I say to myself, “I remember this blog.” When did I quit putting anything on it that wasn’t related to books? When did I become so one-dimensional? People are going to think the only thing I care about are books – mine, yours, the library’s, Rob Kroese’s. I decided I needed to write a post post-haste. “Hmmmm,” I thought, “what else is really important to me that I’d want to share with the multi-verse?” Family.…
A lot of people consider making New Year’s resolutions. I’m not one of them. It’s a nice idea, but I really think I’d just be setting myself up for failure and ultimately guilt. So the only resolution I have ever kept is the one to quit making them just because I had to remember to use a new date when I wrote checks. But that doesn’t mean I don’t seek change, especially for the better. So in reflection of the past year, I’d like to share a few things I…
I love plants. I add to my flowerbeds every spring and fall. My hostas are the envy of the neighborhood. So I never mind a little rain. I even appreciate it as I can leave the bulky water hose in the garage. But, this is verging on Forks rain – Forks, WA that is. Or is it? The average rainfall for New Albany, IN is less than 4 inches for June, but there’s more than that in my basement. And overall, New Albany, IN gets plenty of rain. The least…
Recently I was researching cheeses to see if we, as vegetarians, could still indulge in Pizza King. We can, by the way, as explained in an earlier post. But, in my search I ran across something disturbing. Gelatin is in many foods unbeknownst to consumers. I guess it would be knownst if you could interpret the ingredient lists on packages and if you could actually read it without artificial magnification. However, in this particular case, I am at fault. I believed I knew what was in marshmallows. It’s just sugar…
One of the things I’ve noticed since joining my daughter in being vegetarian is the complete lack of good, consistent information on ingredients in cheese. Some cheeses are vegetarian, but since it only lists “enzymes” in the ingredients, you can’t trust it. Better safe than kill a baby cow. Enzymes, for those who don’t know, can come from the lining of calves and pigs stomachs or from non-animal sources. Non-animal sources have become popular of late, not because of vegetarians, but because they are cheaper to use. Enzymes are the…
About a week ago, my husband went with me to purchase my Keurig B70 Platinum Single-Serve Coffee Brewer. It’s my Christmas present, but I wanted it before my family came over for a Christmas party at our house. You know – so I could show off. We purchased it at Bed, Bath & Beyond since we had a 20% off coupon that saved us $40. Once home with my prize, my husband unpacked it for me. I had him do this in case I hated it and wanted to return it.…
Now this is some expensive caffeine. Next time you’re thinking $5 is way too much to spend at Starbucks, check out this dazzling duo offered by Nespresso in their Crystal Collection. Those are Swarovski crystals encrusting the sides of these cool little single-serve coffee brewers. These are a limited edition of only 30 and they aren’t currently available in the US or on ebay. Yeah, I checked. If you really want one (and who doesn’t?), you’ll have to find a Swiss boutique near you. Someone, please tell me, how is this…
I’ve been researching several new coffee makers in anticipation of switching from the common drip brew thermal carafe I currently own to one of the increasingly popular single-serve brewers. I was shocked at how many are out there. This is a burgeoning market. Naturally, when considering a purchase like this, you want to do your research but finding consistently reliable feedback and reviews can be daunting. So check out this great website – Single Serve Coffee. They have reviews on a wide variety of topics – single-serve brewers, K-cups,…
I’ve been seeing this a lot. If something offends someone, the person offended wants the other person to cease. So whose rights are being violated here? The person offended by another’s actions? Or the person minding their own business, living their life, but a life that doesn’t “fit” someone else’s view of correct? Why does my life offend anyone? If I choose to eat organic, and it offends you, I shouldn’t have to hide by Horizon single-serve strawberry milk. Why does my milk have anything to do with you?! Why…
This past weekend, a very sad thing occurred. My husband’s grandmother died. Now, she’d had a great life and certainly great family. She was not young, although no one really knew her exact age, so it wasn’t a surprise. But, what was surprising and also sad was the things that happened that day on the way from the funeral home to the church. My husband and I got in our car with our 2 daughters. We were told to keep our headlights on, run our emergency lights and proceed through…
You ever notice those commercials trying to sell you a product that is supposed to be easier to use than what you currently use? I saw this new Oxiclean Ball commercial where seemingly normal people try in vain to measure their liquid detergent. Since this is such a difficult task, they end up pouring detergent all over their hand and onto the machine. Or you see some other poor soul trying to measure their powdered detergent only to have a seizure and fling detergent everywhere. Who are these people? Does…
These things are going for $40. Do we really need slippers with headlights? Can you imagine walking in these things? It would be like having the robot from Lost in Space leading the way with two flashlights while screaming, “Danger Will Robinson, Danger!” And why is this thing necessary? This is an automatic watch winder. Do we really need a machine to do this for us? If you do find watch-winding a chore, why aren’t you buying watches that take batteries? The cheapest one I saw was a hefty $65.…
I don’t care for this particular trend and hope it goes away. When I go out to eat, I want to enjoy the food, the company, the clinking of dishes. I do not want to explain to my first grade daughter why Madonna is kissing Brittany on CNN. But, the most curious case of this ever present television phenomenon is the one at McDonald’s. We don’t eat in a McDonald’s that often, but when we do, it’s family time. Our local Micky D’s has a TV in each corner of…
