Monday, February 25, 2013
Review: Twilight
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
OMG! This book was painful!!!
I will admit to going into it with a severe hatred for the movies! The book however made my Twilight dislike much, much worse!
Hundreds of pages...HUNDREDS...nothing! Nothing happened!!! It reads like a therapist's notes of a session with a bored, teenage girl!
Bella sets the women's movement back about 30 years with all of her "he has to save me", "I can't breathe w/o him", "I'm going to curl-up in a little ball & die" BS...Edward is just too tragic with all of his "I'm dangerous", "I should stay away from you", etc...etc...
I hate writing bad reviews...but this was awful! Cris says they get better...so I may brave ook 2...eventually!
View all my reviews
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Did You Know?
~M~
DID YOU KNOW???
1. Budweiser beer conditions the hair
2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish
3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes
4. Mayonnaise will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair
5. Elmer's Glue - paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads if any.
6. Shiny Hair - use brewed Lipton Tea
7. Sunburn - empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water
8. Minor burn - Colgate or Crest toothpaste
9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!
10. Arthritis? WD-40 Spray and rub in, kill insect stings too
11 Bee stings - meat tenderizer
12. Chigger bite - Preparation H
13. Puffy eyes - Preparation H
14. Paper cut - crazy glue or chap stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals)
15. Stinky feet - Jello !
16. Athletes feet - cornstarch
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails - Vicks vapor rub
18. Kool aid to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Kool Aid can be used as a dye in paint also Kool Aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper
21. Sticking bicycle chain - Pam no-stick cooking spray
22. Pam will also remove paint, and grease from your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on
25. Heavy dandruff - pour on the vinegar !
26. Body paint - Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27 Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping - large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia , soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years!
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD's!
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste
31. Wine stains, pour on the Morton salt and watch it absorb into the salt.
32. To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter!
34. Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets , soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall - Colgate toothpaste and brush it!
36.. Dirty grout - Listerine
37. Stains on clothes - Colgate toothpaste
38. Grass stains - Karo Syrup
39. Grease Stains - Coca Cola , it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet? 20 Mule Team Borax- sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add a little Clorox , or 2 Bayer aspirin , or just use 7-up instead of water.
42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you 'squeeze' for freshness or softness? Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie.
They are:
Monday = Blue,
Tuesday = Green,
Thursday = Red
Friday = White
Saturday = Yellow.
So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie; not white which is Fridays (almost a week old)! The colors go alphabetically by color Blue- Green - Red - White - Yellow, Monday through Saturday. Very easy to remember. I thought this was interesting. I looked in the grocery store and the bread wrappers DO have different twist ties, and even the ones with the plastic clips have different colors. You learn something new everyday! Enjoy fresh bread when you buy bread with the right color on the day you are shopping.
Don't forget Gatorade for Migraine Headaches. PowerAde won't work. Pass this information on to friends so they can be informed.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Power of Alcohol
I felt the need to share this. There are two of us here that has Multiple Sclerosis and I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis... My hands go very weak and very numb at times and being a mother of three teenagers there is lots to clean. Sometimes my hands won't allow me to scrub so I started to research things to make my job easier. I wasn't to much of a firm believer at first. I have memory problems so I take Expo markers and write all over my fridge with them. When I have went to an appointment I would try bleach to remove the appointment and I would scrub and scrub and you could still see the color of marker I used... soooo I tried what I read and that was using Rubbing Alcohol. Give it a try!!! Write on your fridge, try to remove with bleach then spray ONE SPRAY of rubbing Alcohol and wipe ONE TIME!!! ~Lady Ivy~
1. Remove hair spray from mirrors
When you are spritzing your head with hair spray, some of it inevitably winds up on the mirror. A quick wipe with rubbing alcohol will whisk away that sticky residue and leave your mirror sparkling clean.
2. Clean venetian blinds
Rubbing alcohol does a terrific job of cleaning the slats of venetian blinds. To make quick work of the job, wrap a flat tool — a spatula or maybe a 6-inch (15-centimeter) drywall knife — in cloth and secure with a rubber band. Dip in alcohol and go to work.
3. Keep windows sparkling and frost-free
Do your windows frost up in the wintertime? Wash them with a solution of 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol to 1 quart (1 liter) water to prevent the frost. Polish the windows with newspaper after you wash them to make them shine.
4. Dissolve windshield frost
Wouldn’t you rather be inside savoring your morning coffee a little longer instead of scrape, scrape, scraping frost off your car windows? Fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and spritz the car glass. You’ll be able to wipe the frost right off. Ah, good to the last drop!
5. Prevent ring around the collar
To prevent your neck from staining your shirt collar, wipe your neck with rubbing alcohol each morning before you dress. Feels good too.
6. Clean your phone
Is your phone getting a bit grubby? Wipe it down with rubbing alcohol. It’ll remove the grime and disinfect the phone at the same time.
7. Remove ink stains
Did you get ink on your favorite shirt or dress? Try soaking the spot in rubbing alcohol for a few minutes before putting the garment in the wash.
8. Erase permanent markers
Did your little angel just decide to decorate your countertop with a permanent marker? Don’t worry, most countertops are made of a nonpermeable material such as plastic laminate or marble. Rubbing alcohol will dissolve the marker back to a liquid state so you can wipe it right off.
9. Remove dog ticks
Ticks hate the taste of rubbing alcohol as much as they love the taste of your dog. Before you pull a tick off Fido, dab the critter with rubbing alcohol to make it loosen its grip. Then grab the tick as close to the dog’s skin as you can and pull it straight out. Dab again with alcohol to disinfect the wound. This works on people too.
10. Get rid of fruit flies
The next time you see fruit flies hovering in the kitchen, get out a fine-misting spray bottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol. Spraying the little flies knocks them out and makes them fall to the floor, where you can sweep them up. The alcohol is less effective than insecticide, but it’s a lot safer than spraying poison around your kitchen.
11. Make a shapeable ice pack
The problem with ice packs is they won’t conform to the shape of the injured body part. Make a slushy, conformable pack by mixing 1 part rubbing alcohol with 3 parts water in a self-closing plastic bag. The next time that sore knee acts up, wrap the bag of slush in a cloth and apply it to the area. Ahhh!
12. Clean bathroom fixtures
Just reach into the medicine cabinet the next time you need to clean chrome bathroom fixtures. Pour some rubbing alcohol straight from the bottle onto a soft, absorbent cloth and the fixtures. No need to rinse — the alcohol just evaporates. It does a great job of making chrome sparkle, plus it will kill any germs in its path.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library (1971)
The entire set, in pdf format, is available HERE for you to download & enjoy!
Cream of Mushroom Soup with Cheddar
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter
1 pound mixed mushrooms (portabella, oyster, shiitake, cremini, enoki, etc.), sliced thick
1/2 medium sweet onions, sliced 1/2-inch thick
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup cream, half-and-half, or milk
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup finely grated Cheddar cheese
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
In a heavy saucepan, gently saute mushrooms, sweet onions, garlic, and salt in the butter until mushrooms have released their liquid and onions are soft.
Sprinkle with the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add chicken broth while stirring. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream and nutmeg, and return to a simmer. Add Cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve.
Chocolate-Dipped Crescent Hearts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 32 cookies
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons red decorator sugar
1 (8-ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces melted semi-sweet chocolate (optional)
1 ounce paraffin wax
Preparation:
Sprinkle have of the red sugar on the cutting board. Unroll crescent roll dough, separate into 4 rectangles, and place on top of the sugared board. Press the perforations to seal, then gently press dough into the sugar. Brush rectangles with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle with all of the cinnamon and remaining red sugar.
From the long side, roll one rectangle jelly-roll fashion up to the center of the dough. Then roll the top side down to meet the bottom in the center. Repeat with remaining dough rectangles. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes to firm up.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
Remove dough, unwrap and place on cutting board. Slice each roll into 8 pieces and place cut-side down about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking tray. Press down to 1/2-inch thickness and pinch the bottom of each slice to a point to form a heart shape. Brush with remaining melted butter.
Bake 9 to 13 minutes until golden. Reshape cookies if necessary and let cool.
Melt chocolate and paraffin wax together, stirring until smooth. Dip crescent heart cookies halfway into melted chocolate. Place dipped cookies on waxed or freezer paper. Refrigerate to harden chocolate if necessary.
Be Mine Cherry Brownies
Ingredients:
18.3-oz. pkg. fudge brownie mix
3 1-oz. sqs. white baking chocolate
1/3 c. whipping cream
1 c. cream cheese frosting
1/4 c. maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1-1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. butter
Garnish: candy sprinkles
Method:
Prepare brownie mix according to package instructions. Line a 13"x9" baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving several inches on sides for handles. Spray bottom of foil with non-stick vegetable spray; spread batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 24 to 26 minutes; let cool. Lift brownies from pan; remove foil. Use a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut brownies. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white baking chocolate and whipping cream for one to 2 minutes, stirring until chocolate is melted; refrigerate 30 minutes. Stir frosting and cherries into chilled chocolate mixture; spread over brownies. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter for one to 2 minutes, stirring until smooth. Transfer to a plastic zipping bag, snip off a tip and drizzle over brownies. Garnish with sprinkles. Makes 14.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The Seven Deadly Sins of a Relationship
While I can’t claim to be the world’s foremost expert on relationships, I do know that my wife and I have a very strong marriage, and have never been more in love.
I've failed at marriage before, but that’s helped me become better at it. I've learned the deadly sins of relationships, and how to recognize them and avoid them.
A reader, newly married, asked me to share my tips on how to make a marriage work. I wish I had a magic formula, but here’s a simple list of tips:
- spend time alone together
- appreciate each other
- be intimate often
- talk and share and give
But just as important as what you should do is what you shouldn't do — and I’m sure many of you have stepped into these pitfalls yourselves. I know I have. I've learned from my mistakes, and have learned to recognize when I’m making a fatal error, and how to correct it.
If you can avoid these seven things, and focus instead on doing the four things above, you should have a strong relationship. I’m not going to guarantee anything, but I’d give you good odds. :)
- Resentment. This is a poison that starts as something small (“He didn’t get a new roll of toilet paper” or “She doesn’t wash her dishes after she eats”) and builds up into something big. Resentment is dangerous because it often flies under our radar, so that we don’t even notice we have the resentment, and our partner doesn’t realize that there’s anything wrong. If you ever notice yourself having resentment, you need to address this immediately, before it gets worse. Cut it off while it’s small. There are two good ways to deal with resentment: 1) breathe, and just let it go — accept your partner for who she/he is, faults and all; none of us is perfect; or 2) talk to your partner about it if you cannot accept it, and try to come up with a solution that works for both of you (not just for you); try to talk to them in a non-confrontational way, but in a way that expresses how you feel without being accusatory.
- Jealousy. It’s hard to control jealousy if you feel it, I know. It seems to happen by itself, out of our control, unbidden and unwanted. However, jealousy, like resentment, is relationship poison. A little jealousy is fine, but when it gets to a certain level it turns into a need to control your partner, and turns into unnecessary fights, and makes both parties unhappy. If you have problems with jealousy (like I once did), instead of trying to control them it’s important that you examine and deal with the root issue, which is usually insecurity. That insecurity might be tied to your childhood (abandonment by a parent, for example), in a past relationship where you got hurt, or in an incident or incidents in the past of your current relationship.
- Unrealistic expectations. Often we have an idea of what our partner should be like. We might expect them to clean up after themselves, to be considerate, to always think of us first, to surprise us, to support us, to always have a smile, to work hard and not be lazy. Not necessarily these expectations, but almost always we have expectations of our partner. Having some expectations is fine — we should expect our partner to be faithful, for example. But sometimes, without realizing it ourselves, we have expectations that are too high to meet. Our partner isn't perfect — no one is. We can’t expect them to be cheerful and loving every minute of the day — everyone has their moods. We can’t expect them to always think of us, as they will obviously think of themselves or others sometimes too. We can’t expect them to be exactly as we are, as everyone is different. High expectations lead to disappointment and frustration, especially if we do not communicate these expectations. How can we expect our partner to meet these expectations if they don’t know about them? The remedy is to lower your expectations — allow your partner to be himself/herself, and accept and love them for that. What basic expectations we do have, we must communicate clearly.
- Not making time. This is a problem with couples who have kids, but also with other couples who get caught up in work or hobbies or friends and family or other passions. Couples who don’t spend time alone together will drift apart. And while spending time together when you’re with the kids or other friends and family is a good thing, it’s important that you have time alone together. Can’t find time with all the things you have going on — work and kids and all the other stuff? Make time. Seriously — make the time. It can be done. I do it — I just make sure that this time with my wife is a priority, and I’ll drop just about anything else to make the time. Get a babysitter, drop a couple commitments, put off work for a day, and go on a date. It doesn’t have to be an expensive date — some time in nature, or exercising together, or watching a DVD and having a home-cooked dinner, are all good options. And when you’re together, make an effort to connect, not just be together.
- Lack of communication. This sin affects all the others on this list — it’s been said many times before, but it’s true: good communication is the cornerstone of a good relationship. If you have resentment, you must talk it out rather than let the resentment grow. If you are jealous, you must communicate in an open and honest manner to address your insecurities. If you have expectations of your partner, you must communicate them. If there are any problems whatsoever, you must communicate them and work them out. Communication doesn’t just mean talking or arguing — good communication is honest without being attacking or blaming. Communicate your feelings — being hurt, frustrated, sorry, scared, sad, happy — rather than criticizing. Communicate a desire to work out a solution that works for you both, a compromise, rather than a need for the other person to change. And communicate more than just problems — communicate the good things too (see below for more).
Not showing gratitude. Sometimes there are no real problems in a relationship, such as resentment or jealousy or unrealistic expectations — but there is also no expression of the good things about your partner either. This lack of gratitude and appreciation is just as bad as the problems, because without it your partner will feel like he or she is being taken for granted. Every person wants to be appreciated for all they do. And while you might have some problems with what your partner does (see above), you should also realize that your partner does good things too. Does she wash your dishes or cook you something you like? Does he clean up after you or support you in your job? Take the time to say thank you, and give a hug and kiss. This little expression can go a long way.
Lack of affection. Similarly, everything else can be going right, including the expression of gratitude, but if there is no affection among partners then there is serious trouble. In effect, the relationship is drifting towards a platonic status. That might be better than many relationships that have serious problems, but it’s not a good thing. Affection is important –everyone needs some of it, especially from someone we love. Take the time, every single day, to give affection to your partner. Greet her when she comes home from work with a tight hug. Wake him up with a passionate kiss (who cares about morning breath!). Sneak up behind her and kiss her on the neck. Make out in the movie theater like teen-agers. Caress his back and neck while watching TV. Smile at her often.
Bonus sin: Stubbornness. This wasn’t on my original list but I just thought about it before publishing this post, and had to add it in. Every relationship will have problems and arguments — but it’s important that you learn to work out these problems after cooling down a bit. Unfortunately, many of us are too stubborn to even talk about things. Perhaps we always want to be right. Perhaps we never want to admit that we made a mistake. Perhaps we don’t like to say we’re sorry. Perhaps we don’t like to compromise. I’ve done all of these things — but I’ve learned over the years that this is just childish. When I find myself being stubborn these days, I try to get over this childishness and suck it up and put away my ego and say I’m sorry. Talk about the problem and work it out. Don’t be afraid to be the first one to apologize. Then move past it to better things.
100 Simple Nutrition Tips
You’ll notice a big difference in your energy levels if you regularly eat foods that have a lot of vitamins and minerals in them, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low- or non-fat dairy.
There is no doubt that eating well can maximize our life experience.
So, let me share with you 100 simple nutrition tips to help you improve your health and vitality:
- Don’t substitute fruit juices for whole fruits.
- Eat whole, fresh, unprocessed foods.
- When buying packaged foods, read the nutrition labels carefully.
- Never cut any food group out of your diet including carbohydrates.
- Don’t eat too much or until you’re stuffed.
- Eat something every four hours.
- Don’t take more than one all-purpose multivitamin daily.
- Exercise is important to burn your food efficiently.
- Before following a nutrition plan, check the credentials of the creator.
- Keep track of your food intake to know which food group you need to eat more or less from.
- Eat a variety of foods.
- Take the skin off before eating chicken.
- Eat fish at least once a week.
- Cut back on margarine.
- When eating outside, watch out for large portion sizes.
- Desserts should be kept to minimum.
- Use extra virgin olive oil for salads or whenever suitable.
- Buy low fat versions of dairy products.
- Eat oily fish like salmon or sardine at least twice a week (rich in Omega-3)
- Never smoke after eating.
- Don’t eat fruits immediately after meal.
- Replace tea with green tea.
- Don’t sleep immediately after eating.
- Apples protect your heart.
- Bananas strengthen bones.
- Broccoli combats cancer.
- Carrots save eyesight.
- Fish boosts memory.
- Garlic kills bacteria.
- Honey increases energy.
- Lemons smoothen skin.
- Mushrooms control blood pressure.
- Oranges support immune systems.
- Rice conquers kidney stones.
- Strawberries calm stress.
- Tomatoes protect prostate.
- Walnuts lift mood.
- Yogurt protects against ulcers and helps us digest food better.
- Eat breakfast.
- Enjoy soups often.
- Make a fruit salad at least once a week.
- Keep a variety of raw vegetables ready in the fridge for quick snacks.
- Include one dark green and one orange vegetable on your plate every day.
- Make at least half of your carbohydrate foods whole grain each day (e.g. brown rice).
- Take a vitamin D supplement daily (the dose should be according to your age).
- Replace salt with lemon, herbs and spices to flavor foods.
- Eat a variety of fibre-rich foods everyday including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
- Minimize your caffeine intake.
- Purchase leaner meat cuts more often.
- Eggs, beans, peas and lentils provide a good source of protein and fibre (also are good meat alternatives for vegetarians).
- When eating out, choose healthier choices.
- Substitute whole wheat flour for white flour.
- Keep the skin and peels on fruits and vegetable if possible.
- Replace fried food with steamed, baked or broiled food.
- Slow down when you eat.
- Buy organic products whenever possible.
- Plan healthy menus as a family.
- Home-cooked meals always win over eating out.
- Enjoy preparing meals as a family. It’s a lot of fun.
- Mustard can be consumed guilt free.
- Use peanut butter and avocado as healthy fat sources.
- Eat cabbage to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
- Eat lettuce if you have a sleep problem.
- Dark chocolate is packed with healthy nutrients. Moreover, it improves mood and pleasure.
- Ginger is called “the universal medicine”
- Onion is believed to clean the blood among many other health benefits. It is also one of the cheapest vegetables.
- Use chocolate covered bananas as a healthy dessert.
- The liver can make more enzymes out of fresh lemon juice than any other food element.
- Whole oats are famously fiber, minerals, and vitamins rich.
- Frozen vegetables retain almost all of their nutritional value.
- Asian food is considered among the healthiest in the world.
- To make any meal ultra nutritious, just add sea vegetables (can be found in Asian markets)
- Fasting is one of the oldest therapies in medicine.
- Spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available that improve brain function.
- Eggs aid in concentration and improves memory.
- An orange a day keeps the doctor away!
- Wait 20 to 30 minutes to have a second helping.
- Swap soda for water.
- Pack healthy snacks.
- Select foods that have minimal saturated fats.
- Avoid foods that contain more than 10 ingredients.
- Avoid foods that contain man-made ingredients.
- 3,500 calories = 1 pound of body weight
- Spice your meals up.
- Split your meal with a friend.
- Avoid open buffets.
- Eat your favorite foods – even if unhealthy – every now and then.
- Don’t shop when you’re hungry.
- Don’t put serving bowls on the table.
- Protein bars make a good snack.
- Research healthy restaurants.
- Start each lunch/dinner with salad.
- Drinking a glass of ice water can burn 25 calories!
- Don’t leave yourself dehydrated. Water flushes out fats and toxins.
- The best healthy cuisines are Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican and Greek.
- Buy food in its season (e.g. strawberries in summer).
- Buy from local farmers.
- Veggie broth is a great healthy choice.
- Eat less, enjoy more.
- Make your own instead of buying in jars.
Irish Guinness Beef Stew – Crockpot Recipe
2 pounds stewing beef (well trimmed and cut into one inch cubes)
1/2 cup flour (for coating the beef)
Salt and pepper (to season dredging flour)
2 – 4 tablespoons canola oil (for pre-cooking the beef)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups frozen pearl onions (about 12 oz package)
2 to 3 parsnips (julienned)
16 oz. baby carrots (1 packet)
2 pounds red potatoes (quartered)
1 and 1/4 cups Guinness stout (1 bottle (11 oz))
3 cups beef broth
1 cup water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon thyme
3 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 to 3 tablespoons corn starch (for thickening stew at end of cooking)
1/4 cup beef broth (to mix with corn starch to thicken stew)
Method:
Peel and julienne the parsnips into 2 inch long pieces to match the length of the baby carrots. Add the pearl onions, baby carrots, parsnips, and potato quarters into the bottom of the crock pot.
Season the flour in a flat bowl and dredge the beef chunks.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the floured beef cubes and brown them on all sides. You may need to complete this in two steps depending on the size of your skillet.
Remove the beef from the pan and add to the crock pot. Add the garlic to the skillet and brown for one minute.
Mix 1 cup of the beef broth with the red wine vinegar and dijon mustard in a small pitcher. Pour into the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen any beef or garlic.
Add the stock from the skillet, the additional beef stock, water and Guinness to the crock pot.
Add the thyme, bay leaves, cloves, brown sugar and chocolate chips to the crock pot. Mix ingredients together.
Place the lid on the crock pot and cook the stew on low for about 12 hours. Try not to lift the lid of the crock pot too often during cooking, since this can allow the heat escape and slow down cooking. The stew is done when the vegetables are tender.
Put the corn flour in a small pitcher or bowl and blend with 1/4 cup of cold beef broth, making sure the mixture is smooth. Turn the crock pot to high and add the thickening. Season the stew according to taste at this point. Cook for an additional 20 minutes to allow the stew to thicken. Stir occasionally.
Remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve in a large soup bowl. Tastes great with Irish Brown Bread.
24 Lies People Like To Tell Women
1. There is such a thing as a “real” woman and she is defined by “having curves,” which is not to be confused with “being fat,” and if you fall too far outside of that particular bell curve, you do not count as a “real” woman.
2. There is something inherently wrong with you if you have slept with a certain number of people, and it must be the result of some former trauma or unfinished business you have.
3. There is something inherently wrong with you if you are insisting on remaining a virgin until marriage, or indefinitely, and it is something that can be rectified with “the right man.”
4. Bisexual women are simply “going through a phase” or “having a little fun,” and are doing it mostly for the attention of the men they are more attracted to.
5. There is a direct correlation between the kind of clothes you wear and the amount of respect you deserve.
6. Men are entitled to sex with you after a certain amount of nice gestures, and if you remain uninterested after the right combination of activities and words, you are responsible for his unhappiness for being a cold bitch.
7. You are “supposed to” enjoy and universally support any number of female artists and creators simply because she is female, and not because you actually identify with her work in any way.
8. There is a certain amount of your worth as a person — and it’s significant — which is tied up in your relationship status.
9. You owe strange men on the street who call out to you and make you feel uncomfortable to smile at them and cheerfully dismiss their advances.
10. If you don’t smile, and you don’t make yourself as amicable as possible while getting away, you are guilty of being a frigid bitch.
11. If you are too friendly, you’re leading them on.
12. The vast majority of your value in dating someone is how good-looking you are. The other qualities you may or may not possess are rendered largely unimportant in the face of your physical beauty.
13. If you don’t look like a photo-shopped image of a model in a magazine, there is something inherently wrong with you, and not with the image.
14. If you spend enough money on beauty products, clothes, and haircuts, you will become as beautiful (and therefore as worthy) as said women in the magazines.
15. There is a “correct” course of action to take as a woman when you are in an abusive relationship, and if you don’t follow it to the letter, you are deserving of shame and mockery for not presenting a good example for other women.
16. It is every woman’s job to be a model of some kind for other women in her life.
17. If one woman acts a certain way, or engages in a certain behavior, she is a reflection on all women and not just herself and her personal choices.
18. There are certain things that women should inherently want out of life, such as marriage and having children, and if you do not want those things there is something defective about you.
19. As a woman, the question you should be asking yourself as you enter your career is unquestionably “How do I have it all?” The underlying assumption is always that you want both a family life and a career, lest you be considered lazy or immature on either front.
20. There are certain choices we can make in life which are inherently more feminist than others, such as choosing to delay family life in order to have a high-powered career.
21. Sex work is something dirty and shameful, and being an educated, hard-working, good person and being a sex worker are mutually exclusive.
22. There is a way to date and have sex and meet people which is more moral and respectable than another.
23. Your sexuality should always be someone else’s business, and other people should get a say in the control you have over your own body.
24. If you are a take-charge person who is hard-working and demanding of others the way many men who are deeply respected in business might be, you are a bitch. And that is that.
Valentine's Day Movie Marathon!
Here are my movies for Valentine's Day...what will you be watching?
I Hate Valentine's Day
A florist, who abides by a strict five-date-limit with any man, finds herself wanting more with the new restaurateur in town.
Love Actually
Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
An Affair to Remember
A couple falls in love and agrees to meet in six months at the Empire State Building - but will it happen?
Must Love Dogs
A forty-something preschool teacher looks to the personals for a change of pace and a relationship, with hilarious results.
A florist, who abides by a strict five-date-limit with any man, finds herself wanting more with the new restaurateur in town.
Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
A couple falls in love and agrees to meet in six months at the Empire State Building - but will it happen?
A forty-something preschool teacher looks to the personals for a change of pace and a relationship, with hilarious results.
Software Review: Calibre E-Book Management
So, should you want to read Nook - by rights, you should be able to, even if you have a kindle etc...
Read it carefully and check it out.
CLICK HERE it's free!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Nook Color Wallpapers
Nook Color Wallpaper 01, a set on Flickr.
Nook Color Wallpaper 02, a set on Flickr.
Nook Color Wallpaper 03, a set on Flickr.
Nook Color Wallpaper 04, a set on Flickr.
Nook Color Wallpaper 05, a set on Flickr.
Nook Color Wallpaper 06, a set on Flickr.
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients:
9 ounces uncooked spaghetti
Cooking spray
1 cup frozen chopped onion
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
2 (14.5-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 tablespoon low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
3 cups frozen chopped cooked chicken, thawed
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350º.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.
Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup cheese, cooked spaghetti, and chicken. Spoon into a 3-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes.
Pan-Seared Scallops on Linguine with Tomato-Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups hot cooked linguine
Cooking spray
3/4 pound large sea scallops
1/8 teaspoon salt
Chopped cilantro
Preparation:
Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium skillet; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Drain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, reserving liquid; discard solids.
Return wine mixture to skillet. Add cream; cook over medium heat 1 minute. Add butter, stirring until butter melts. Stir in tomato, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Add linguine; toss well. Cover and keep warm.
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Arrange scallops in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Add scallops to pasta mixture; toss gently to combine. Garnish with cilantro, if desired
Monday, February 11, 2013
Review: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook: More than 100 Retro Recipes for the Modern Cook
The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook: More than 100 Retro Recipes for the Modern Cook by Rick Rodgers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you love the 60's...get this book!!!
View all my reviews
Review: More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives by Guy Fieri
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Not bad...typical Guy :c)
Lots of good recipes though!
View all my reviews
Review: Etched in Silver
Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This isn't a full-length novel...it's a novella...that said:
It felt a bit rushed! I wish there was more back-story! I am thinking that there will be a lot more in the first, full-length book (Witchling) which I will be starting soon :c)
A good introduction & hiya to the characters though...I just really want to read their full stories :c)
3/5 stars :c)
View all my reviews
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Banana Bread
Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Servings: 12
3 bananas, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup natural applesauce
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a mixer, mash bananas, add Splenda and mix.
3. Mix in rest of ingredients.
4. Pour ingredients into a bread pan sprayed with non-stick spray.
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes; cake tester should come out clean when done.
6. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
*If using a dark coated pan, bake at 325 degrees and bake a little longer; cake tester to should come out clean when done.
Banishing Spell To Stop Harm
It is not a dark spell but a very potent protective one.
You may use a different oil if you wish to use as a banishing oil.
Rosemary may be substituted for Rue.
Materials:
1 black taper or image candle (gender depends on who you are trying to bind) nail
black cloth a large piece of black cloth red ribbon cotton needle and thread
Banishing oil (see below) loose tobacco
A small mirror that can stand by itself
If you can obtain hair or nail clippings from the person or a picture, you can use it in this spell.
Fold the felt in half and cut out a rough shape of the person you want to bind.
Make the figure large enough so that you will be able to stuff it after you have sewn it together.
Sew the pieces of the poppet together, leaving a hole through which you can stuff the poppet.
Fill it with cotton and tobacco, and if you have the hair or nail clippings of the person, add those to it.
Once it is filled, sew the opening closed. If you have a picture of the person,
staple or sew it to the front of the poppet.
Next, care the name of the person onto the black candle with the nail and add these runes:
Thuraz, Isa, Eihwas, a dark filled in circle to represent the dark moon,
bars like you will see in a jail, and a widdershins (anticlockwise) spiral.
Anoint the candle and the poppet with the oil.
Cast a circle, invoke the elements, God or Goddess you are working with.
Light the altar candles.
Light the black candle and adjust the mirror so that flame is reflected in the glass.
Hold the poppet out in front of you and say:
"Creature of cloth thou art,
Creature of flesh and blood you be.
I name you (name of the person you are binding).
No more shall you do me harm.
No more shall you repeat false tales.
No more shall you interfere in my life, nor in the lives of my loved ones.
By the power of the Gods and by my will, So mote it be!"
Draw an invoking pentagram over the poppet.
Now take the ribbon and begin to wrap the poppet like a mummy,
leaving no space unwrapped. Say:
"I bind your feet from bringing harm to me.
I bind your hands from reaching out to harm me.
I bind your mouth from spreading false tales to harm me.
I bind your mind from sending energy to harm me.
If you do so continue, let all negative energy be cast and reflected directly at you!"
Tie off the ribbon and hold the poppet in front of the mirror while you visualize all negative
energy this person has sent to you being reflected back at them.
Wrap the poppet in the black cloth and tie with another length of ribbon. Say:
"Great Mother, I have bound this person
from harming me and my loved ones.
By the powers of three times three
By Earth and Fire, Air and Sea
I fix this spell, then set it free
Twill give no harm to return to me
As I will, So mote it be!"
Let the candle burn out while the poppet sits at its base, then take the poppet
and the remains of the candle far from your home and bury it deep in the ground
or toss it in the ocean and walk away without looking back.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
60 of the World’s Happiest Facts
2. If you fake laugh long enough you’ll start to really laugh, really, really hard.
3. The book cover to the prize winning short story collection, Spellbound, was chosen because author, Joel Willans, bought his wife’s engagement ring with poker winnings.
4. The Beatles used the word “love” 613 times throughout their career.
5. The chances of you (as opposed to someone else) being born is about 1 in 40 million.
6. Every year, millions of trees grow thanks to squirrels forgetting where they buried their nuts.
7. On the day of his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. had a pillow-fight in his motel room.
8. The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We’re all made of star dust.
9. Cancer death rates are down 20% in past 20 years.
10. The miles traveled by the Apollo 11 crew to the moon were greater than every single exploration mission to the New World combined.
11. Penguins only have one mate their entire life and “propose” by giving their mate a pebble.
12. Cows have best friends.
13. Despite high infant mortality rates and lower life expectancies, not one of your direct ancestors died childless.
14. Cuddling releases Oxytocin which helps speed healing and recovery from physical wounds.
15. Otters hold hands when sleeping so they don’t drift away from each other.
16. Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon, wrote his daughter initials there. They’ll last at least 50,000 years.
17. There’s a type of jellyfish that lives forever.
18. Wayne Allwine (the voice of Mickey Mouse) and Russi Taylor (the voice of Minnie Mouse) were married in real life.
19. We now have less crime, a lower death rate and longer life expectancy than at any other time in human history.
20. The clitoris has 8000 nerve fibres, double that of the penis, and is the only organ in the body, which has evolved purely for pleasure.
21. Butterflies can taste with their feet.
22. For someone, somewhere in the world, today is the most amazing day of their life.
23. When you die, your body decomposes, and the atoms that contained “you” are recycled into Earth to be used again.
24. Every year the Netherlands sends 20,000 tulip bulbs to Canada to thank them for their aid in the Second World War.
25. Rats giggle when you tickle them. Their voices are so high-pitched you need special equipment to hear them, but when you do, their laughs are immediately evident.
26. Sea horses mate for life, are completely faithful and travel together by holding on to each others tails.
27. The guy at the end of this video exists.
28. If you say “my cocaine” you sound like Michael Caine saying his own name.
29. Male puppies, when playing with female puppies, will intentionally let the female win.
30. The next Star Wars will not be directed by George Lucas.
31. It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown.
32.The kingdom of Bhutan use ‘gross national happiness’ as a key national indicator.
33. The majority of European children born in 2013 will live to see the year 2100.
34. There’s an animal called a Dik Dik. And it’s the cutest antelope you’ll ever see.
35. Neurologically speaking, seeing somebody else smile actually makes you happier.
36. Every human being spent about half an hour as a single cell.
37. There are people, ombrophiles, who have a passionate love for rain.
38. Once your brain realizes that you’re dying, it releases DMT, one of the most powerful known psychedelics. This dilates your perception of time and allowing you to live inside your own mind for hours or even days.
39. No matter how long you live there will always be an amazing new food for you try.
40. A group of porcupines is called a prickle.
41. Aside from a sample in a lab, Smallpox is completely extinct. No one else will ever die from it again.
42. A pig’s orgasms last thirty minutes.
43. We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born.
44. Sloths only leave their tree once a week, to pee and poo.
45. Spinner dolphins sleep in pairs, one with the left hemisphere asleep, the other with the right. They each keep watch with one eye and half a brain. They are known to sleep-mate for life.
46. At the time of your birth, you were, for a few seconds, the youngest person on the planet.
47. Cows produce the most milk when listening to the song Everybody Hurts by REM.
48. Somewhere, someone is losing their virginity right now.
49. If you spell out numbers in order, the first time you get to the letter “a” is at one-thousand.
50. We've all been here forever. Every bit of matter we see has been here since the beginning of time and it always will be.
51. A monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in South Bend, Indiana.
52. Happiness is a skill. You can learn it and it’s not hard.
53. Except when breeding, the Common Swift spend their entire lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in flight. They drink, feed, and often mate and sleep on the wing
54. Baby rabbits are called kittens.
55. Baby puffins are called pufflings.
56. Costa Rica is statistically the happiest nation on Earth.
57. Worms communicate by snuggling.
58. 2013 is the first year since 1987 that consists for four different digits.
59. With our horseless carriages, flying robots, space travel, long-distance communication at the speed of light, cloning, lasers, connection to people all over the world, we are living in the future people dreamed of.
60. If you blend a sea sponge, it will re-form back into a sea sponge.
Learn something new every day!
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A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue.
A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
A snail can sleep for three years.
Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.
Butterflies taste with their feet.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds.
Dogs only have about 10.
"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt."
February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
If the population of China walked past you, in single file the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.
Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.
Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand; "lollipop" with your right.
The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
The Bible does not say there were three wise men; it only says there were three gifts.
The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.
The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.
The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).
There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."
There's no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewables Vitamins.
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself.
Monday, February 4, 2013
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