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Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!

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This is the first week of March 2021.  I can’t believe how time flies.  It has been one year since the start of the plandemic.  I’m hoping this month will bring good news and 2021 will begin looking better than 2020.

Hope Hope Hope

This week my favorites begin with sweet memories…

Favorite # ONE

Happy Birthday Daddy

He would have been 75 years old on March 1st.He was and is precious.

I didn’t publish a new blog post this year, but I’ve written several posts celebrating Daddy.  Last year I published this post.

If you haven’t read it yet, I think it is worth a read.

My nephew Clay was remembering some of the record albums and songs that Daddy enjoyed.  He started a chat with the family on Monday March 1st to share some memories.

Favorite # TWO

Family Chat

There were several more and I remember all of them.  Except Nancy and Lee.

As I was listening to some of my Daddy’s records and favorite songs, I thought I would share another version of one that I discovered.  After I was listening to Gentle On My Mind I noticed another version by The Band Perry

Favorite # THREE

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It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t say something about food in my post today.  I mentioned my sushi bowl last week in this post.  This week I did one better…

Favorite # FOUR

Fajita Bowl

Peppers, onions, pintos and rice… low cal and yummy!

~

Favorite # FIVE

Dr. Seuss

This belonged to either Stephanie or Amanda.  It looks like Amanda started to write her name at the bottom,  Richard espcially loved one of the books in this collection:  Green Eggs and Ham.  He eventually learned to recite it as I read it to him.  I’m glad I held onto these books.  You never know when the other Dr. Seuss books may offend someone to the point that they eliminate them all.

 

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Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

HEY EVERYBODY!

What a WEEK it has been!

 

Do Not be alarmed by the following images.

They will not hurt you.

My website went down on Wednesday and again on Thursday.

If you tried to check out my blog on Wednesday, you may have seen this.

I called Bluehost and they told me WordPress had updated something or other and I would need to change my DNS.  For awhile everything was okay.

  The next day I got this…

So I called Bluehost again and was told my DNS IP was wrong.

SMH.

I think we’re all straight now.

But, alas, there was more technological trouble to come…

My company PC has been giving me trouble.  Yesterday it altogether gave up the ghost.  I had to go to Fleming Island to exchange it for a new one.

It was quite strange being in that building.  At one time it was [in my opinion] overcrowded.  While I was there, I saw only three people.  Most of the lights were out and it was eerily quiet.  Very strange.  It has been almost a year since I packed up to start working from home.  I can honestly say that I don’t miss it!

Favorite # ONE

Working from Home!

Clearly I had to start with that!

I posted often last spring and summer about how I like working from home, starting with the post

QUARANTINED!

that you can read about here and another here.

~

Favorite # TWO

This Face Scrubby ThingI’ve used it everyday since I received it.  It was a Christmas Stocking Stuffer and although I know what to do with it, I don’t know what it is called.

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Favorite # THREE

Recently I learned about a recipe for a vegan

Sushi Bowl

  Since I don’t like raw fish, I thought this may be something I would like.  And who wouldn’t?  It is a bowl of jasmine rice topped with cucumber, carrots, edamame, avocado, and a sesame seed sprinkle (which I thought was a nice touch).  I didn’t follow a specific recipe, but a good one can be found here.  That recipe includes a few sauces and dressings as well.  To my sushi bowl I added some soy sauce and since I had no chopsticks, I ate it with a fork.

~

Favorite # FOUR

Red Lentil Chili

I discovered the recipe on The Stingy Vegan’s website here.

Since Thursday was National Chili Day I posted the recipe so I would be able to refer back and make it again.

Recipe here

This is turning into a food blog.

~

Favorite # FIVE

Lifelong Friends

There was a time when LB was a BellSouth phone tech and some of the gentlemen that started out as his co-workers became his good friends.  Many of those same good friends have remained friends for the past 30+ years.

This isn’t a typical Friday favorite, and it doesn’t make me happy to report, but it is important to remember a dear friend that LB said goodbye to this week.  David Gardner was a good friend to LB and a member of the Three Musketeers. 

David will be missed.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

National Chili Day

Today is

National Chili Day!

This is not my first chili post.  I’ve posted a chili recipe on this blog before.  You can find it here and it is very tasty.

It is my Cave Girl chili and the one LB likes the most.

But this year [on Super Bowl Sunday] I tried a new recipe:

Red Lentil Chili

Red Lentil Chili

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 onion diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste 
  • 2 bay leaves 
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano 
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin 
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder 
  • 3 teaspoons smoked paprika 
  • A large can (27.5 oz) whole or diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup (215 grams) red lentils rinsed
  • A large can (20 oz) kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup vegetable stock 
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • Pepper to taste

Directions

  • Sauté the onion and garlic in a pot with 1/4 cup of water over medium heat. Once soft add the red pepper and cook for a few minutes to soften.
  • Once most of the water has evaporated, add the tomato paste, herbs and spices and stir for about 30 seconds to release the flavors of the spices.
  • Add the tomatoes, lentils, beans and vegetable stock. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Allow the chili to simmer very gently until the lentils are soft – about 30 minutes. If too much liquid evaporates, add a touch more stock or water.
  • Finally, stir in the brown sugar, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste.
  • Serve with fresh lime to squeeze over and your choice of toppings.

 I discovered the recipe on The Stingy Vegan’s website here.  My recipe was doubled and tweaked just a bit.  The texture of the lentils was not to my liking, so I simmered in the slow cooker for several hours.  All day, in fact.

Eventually, I loved it.

Sadly, I was the only one who loved it, so I packaged it up in small containers and put it in the freezer.I’ll be making it again!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

What’s Up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday is a monthly compilation of

What’s Up

 posted on a

Here goes…

What we’re eating

I mentioned in this post that I could live on orange soda and rotisserie chicken.  Once upon a time, that was my diet.  But at the beginning of this year, I took part in the Daniel Fast for 21 days.  On the menu… Plants and Water.  Think BEANS, GREENS, POTATOES, RICE, and LENTILS.

This is mixed salad greens doused with my homemade chickpea dressing and a sprinkle of Tajin chili-lime seasoning.

Interestingly enough, I enjoyed the Daniel Fast and I am proud of my success.  Also, I like the way that I feel.  I am still following a whole food plant based diet.  LB is half following.

Now that the 21 days has ended, I’m drinking coffee in the morning again, but with almond/coconut creamer only. This one is pretty good. Hummus has replaced rotisserie chicken as my new favorite.  But I am once again enjoying my orange soda on the weekend!

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What I’m Reminiscing About

The GOOD OLE DAYS.

I must be getting old.

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What We’ve Been Up To

Last week I made a birthday cake.  A four-tiered birthday cake.  It took four days.

This was a learning experience that included cake boards and dowels.  I baked the ten inch layers on Wednesday, the eight, six, and four inch layers on Thursday, applied the crumb coat on Friday, and put it all together on Saturday.  Although the finished product was pretty ugly, the princess who ordered it seemed pleased.

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What I’m Loving

Yes it was worth it!

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What I’m Dreading

Four years of the Biden/Harris administration.

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What I’m Working On

Trying to come up with content for my blog.  Now that I rarely go anywhere, it isn’t as interesting to post about what has been going on.

If I report my thoughts about politics any more than I already have, I may be cancelled 😆

~

What I’m Excited About

Daylight Saving Time

which begins on the 2nd Sunday in March.

Yes it is true that we are going to lose an hour, but I prepared for this and took the following Monday off.

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What I’m Watching/Reading

With my 21 day Daniel Fast book came a devotional.

Since that 21 day experience ended, I have been reading my Bible every morning.  It only takes 21 days to form a habit.

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What I’m Listening To

since I’m increasingly and overwhelmingly disgusted with MSM, I’ve been listing to alternate news, for example     AndWeKnow  on Rumble.

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What I’m Wearing

I haven’t bought into the lounge-wear trend.  So I am currently wearing jeans.

Every.

Day.

~

What I’m Doing This Weekend

I absolutely will  NOT be baking LOL!

At the moment I anticipating sleeping in on Saturday morning.  Nothing has been planned at this point.  Going out isn’t as much fun as it used to be, mostly because I can’t breathe under a mask.

This is why I reminisce about the good ole days.

~

What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month

Spring!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

This week we observed Valentine’s Day so it stands to reason that I’m going to mention my Valentine

Favorite # ONE

LB

My Valentine!

 ~

Favorite # TWO

Valentine’s Day Presents~

It has been almost a year since our world drastically changed.  Last year on Valentine’s Day, I was working several miles away from my home… commuting daily and complaining the whole way.  These days I seldom leave the house except for those rare occasions when we go out to dinner.

On Sunday LB and I went to

Favorite # THREE

Salsas

Mexican Restaurant

This one has probably been a favorite before.

~

And speaking of Salsa, has anyone tried this…

Favorite # FOUR

Herdez Guacamole Salsa

OMG I love it!

~

It wouldn’t be a true Valentine’s Day post if I didn’t include my favorite Valentine’s Day Baby

Favorite # FIVE

Rory

Born on Valentine’s Day 2018.

She is growing up so fast!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

Favorite # ONE

Super Bowl Sunday

I don’t care a whole lot about football, but LB has a couple of friends who come over to watch the super bowl game with us every year.  This year we had a great time catching up and EATING.  I enjoyed seeing them!

In addition to that, I did notice that Tom Brady didn’t don a mask when he arrived at the stadium.  He didn’t wear a mask at all.  He also took some flack about not wearing a mask.

Is Tom Brady a Superhero?

The liberals are unhappy. 

So YES!

~

I recently completed my 21 day Daniel fast which inspired me to look for ways to make vegetables taste better.  One of my favorites is a recipe that I put together using several other recipes I found.

Favorite # TWO

Cheese Sauce

with no cheese

Vegan Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 2 Yukon gold potatoes
  • 2  diced carrots
  • 10 oz. frozen cauliflower or butternut squash
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 ¼ tsp lemon juice
  • water

Instructions: 

Boil potatoes and carrots together in a pot until fork tender.  Reserve the water to add back into the cheese sauce.

Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender, along with some of the reserved water and blend. Add more of the reserved water to thin to desired consistency.

 

I’ll be making another batch this week!

~

Favorite # THREE

Hair

My hair.  I  am happy because I got my trim and color this week.

I’m not including the photo.

~

Favorite # FOUR

UHaul

What would we do without UHaul America?  If all you have is a compact car, have no fear… you can rent a UHaul truck for the day.  Anyone can do it.  This week my daughter rented one and on Wednesday night it was loaded with the contents of her house, to move to her new house.  I was able to take Thursday afternoon off to help unload it.  I felt like I worked hard.  My fitbit showed 17, 499 steps and the end of the move.  But I didn’t do nearly as much as my nephew Clay.

What a sweetheart he is.  One in a million!

Clay is a great guy!

Which leads me to my

Favorite # FIVE

I listen to a podcast [on RUMBLE, a free speech platform] on which the speaker frequently refers to “our favorite President”

This one will forever be my favorite!

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Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

Friday Favorites

It’s Friday!

YAY

Someone suggested to me today, that Friday should be called YayDay.

Seems fitting to me.

Let me start my Friday Favorites with last Saturday.  We threw a BIG party for Mama’s 75th birthday.

Favorite # ONE

She seemed to have a really good time.

We had a band, a sing-a-long, a Mary video, lots of family, food, balloons… it was quite an event!

Happy Birthday Mama!

And on the subject of birthdays…

~

Favorite # TWO

Happy Birthday LB!

LB had a birthday Tuesday before last, and would have been in last week’s Friday Favorites if I had created a post to share.

Hoping to get me to spend more time on the back patio, he chose an outdoor heater as his birthday present.

We celebrated the big day by going to LaNopalera for dinnerand taking the next day off.

LB wanted to go to the beach for a cookout.

So we did.LB will always be my favorite!

~

Favorite # THREE

Carrot Cake

February 3rd was National Carrot Cake Day.

I asked LB to choose a birthday cake from my Southern Living Cake book.  Guess which one he picked.That’s right, he wanted a giant carrot cake for his birthday.

And on the subject of cakes, this week I recieved a request to make a birthday cake for our favorite soon-to-be 3 year old Rory.

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Favorite # FOUR

A Cake like no Other

This is an example of the cake that Emily believes Rory will love, since she loves the story of Sleeping Beauty.

Reminiscent of the birthday cake the three fairies made for Aurora.  It looks like a mess, so I’m sure I won’t have any trouble replicating.

~

Although it isn’t always PRETTY, it is important to pass along information to people you care about.  Especially since it won’t be covered on News4Jax or any MSM.

Favorite # FIVE

Being Informed

Clearly you will see that this video was created prior to our 2020 Presidential election, however it contains information that everyone has a right to know.

https://rumble.com/vdkn0l-covid-911-learn-the-truth.html

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Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

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