Glazed Lemon Jello Cake
If you like lemon, you will love this extra moist, extra lemony dessert. Lemon Jello Cake was one I always requested when Mom would ask what cake I would like for my birthday. Without traditional frosting, it is lighter, yet with the lemon jello in the cake and juice in the glaze, it has such a moist sweetness in every bite. Every bite offers that tart lemon taste that is simply delicious. It’s simple to put together too, and takes...
10 Hot Frozen Gift Ideas
Girls are GaGa Over Frozen. As soon as I watched Frozen in the theaters, I knew little girls everywhere were going to be gaga over Frozen and the stars of the Disney hit – Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff. While my daughter, who is 10, isn’t involved in the Frozen frenzy, every little girl I know ages 3 to 8 is. In fact, the most popular age group for Frozen fans is girls ages 3 to 8. While babies and young toddlers...
Living Housewarming Presents
Do you need a fresh idea for a housewarming gift? Let’s start with some of my favorite gifts that are not only fresh, but will remain alive and growing over the years. Our family moved all too often in years past. With each new home, we had adjustments. Some things we no longer needed, some new things were required. Every time some family members and some dear friends surprised us with little welcoming gifts that made our...
Stop the Diet, I Want to Get Off!
Sensible diet advice from Lisa Tillinger Johansen. The author is a registered dietician and at last, we have a book containing practical and sensible advice for those of us who are wanting to lose weight and improve our health. Yes, here we have the top tips and advice for weight loss without becoming part of the $60 billion dieting industry. Did that figure I just mentioned make you gulp? It’s true. You’ll have seen all...
Jesusita: Ronald L. Ruiz
Jesusita: A novel. The circumstances in which the characters in this novel live seem to be light years away from today’s reality. Yet the story of Jesusita and the other people you will meet in this novel tell us something about what life was like for immigrants in the years following the Second World War — yes, in America. These characters will stay with you for a long time. This is unlikely to be a book you will quickly...
Strawberry Rhubarb Dessert Bars
Garden Rhubarb Memories As a little girl I loved going to the garden with my Grandma to pick rhubarb. After we’d pick some we go back to her kitchen and get it all washed up. Then first and foremost after that we’d dab some of the smaller thinner stalks into sugar and eat it just like that. They were so good that way. That’s one of my most favorite garden memories with my Grandma. Making This Recipe With this recipe...
Fix Anything with Bondic Liquid Plastic
The throwaway society is really becoming a thing of the past. Today we see that it’s good common sense, a great money saver and good for the planet if we repair broken goods. But it’s not always that easy. That’s why we’re happy to recommend the Bondic system which can see to so many small repair jobs around the home, at work or in the car. You can see exactly how it works in the videos below but you’ll...
Are you ready to become a vegetarian?
Are you ready to become a vegetarian? Vegetarian Day is officially October 1, but you can become a vegetarian any day of the year. Some people also transition into becoming a vegetarian, perhaps giving up one type of food item at a time. Some transition more quickly; others take months and even a year or more to fully change their eating habits. October is also the first day of Vegetarian Awareness month. Vegetarians eat fruits,...
Top Authors of Romantic Suspense
Romantic Suspense Authors to Keep You Reading A dramatic, suspenseful novel is a favorite form of entertainment to me. It’s a pleasure to get lost in the tension, to be on the edge of my seat anxious to find out what will happen on the next pages. Suspense, thrillers, crime fiction, mysteries…all among my favorites. Sometimes it is nice to catch your breath with a little romance added in to the mystery. When looking for a good book...
Mason Jar Solar Lighting
Beautiful, practical, sustainable solar lighting. I could carry on and use even more words to describe these wonderful solar lights. They look fabulous, work brilliantly and provide jobs and education to the artisans who create them. These fabulous lights were originally developed for use in Africa in areas where traditional lighting fuels are unavailable, in short supply or prohibitively priced. The lights use solar power and will...
The World’s Easiest Almond Bark
Dark, Milk and White Chocolate Almond Bark. At Holiday time, everyone is rushed and time is one thing that everyone doesn’t seem to have enough of! Having said that, I love recipes that are easy, look real nice, are flavorful! It’s a bonus when it doesn’t take up too much of that precious time, and still lets your friends and family know that you care about them! This recipe fits all those categories to a “T”!...
Are You There God? It’s Me, Danny
Are You There God? It’s Me, Danny. No answer! He never answers me. I probably use His name more than I use my own, and always endearingly: “Oh my God”. “Good God”. “Dear God”. Yet still He stays away from me. Is it because I have done something in my life that has got up His nose? Then where is the forgiveness? And shouldn’t He at least let me know what it is so that I can apologise for...
Drying the laundry: The green way
A few years ago, when I was drying my weekly wash in our condo building’s community laundry room, I was cleaning the fluff filter in the dryer. ‘Where does this all come from?’ I wondered. The answer was obvious really – the fluff generated in dryer was fibres from my clothes. That must be bad. And then I remembered that wonderful smell from when I was a child – that gorgeous aroma of sheets and clothing...
Quality Gifts for Men by Victorinox Swiss Army
Victorinox Swiss Army is a company based in Ibach, Switzerland and it has been making the Swiss Army Knife since 1891. This is the ingenious pen knife Schweizer Offiziersmesser, or ‘Swiss Officer Knife’, that US soldiers loved so much that they bought thousands of them after WWII, calling them a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ because they couldn’t pronounce the German words. These amazing knives were originally in made in Switzerland for...
What’s the Point of Art?
Have a look at this painting of South Bay, Scarborough, by Yorkshire artist, Arthur Kitching. Do you like it? Yes? OK, why do you like it? No? Why don’t you like it? Or are you indifferent to it? Same type of question – why are you indifferent? I guess these questions go some way to answering the one posed in the title of this article. A work of art inevitably provokes a response from the viewer. You are drawn to it – or not...
Charles Frederick Ingalls – The Little Known Brother of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Charles Frederick Ingalls – The Little Known Brother of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I am sure most of us are familiar with Little House on the Prairie television program of the 1970s. Very little was mentioned about Laura’s only brother Charles Frederick Ingalls who died at the age of nearly 10 months old on August 27, 1876. He lived in the period between Laura’s books “On the Banks of Plum Creek” and “By...
The Film Effect
The Film Effect. I love taking photographs, it’s addictive, and over the past few years I’ve become rather snap happy. Without a reasonable smartphone camera I decided to carry round my trusty compact digital and, while learning more through this, I found the common side effects of the curse and convenience of such handy photography still applied. As other digital camera or phone uses may identify, you can find yourself wanting...
Under The Covers – Hallelujah
Andy Royston looks at how a quiet and modest song became one of the most performed rock songs in history. Hallelujah is a Hebrew word, which means ‘glory to the Lord’. The song explains that many kinds of hallelujahs do exist. I say all the perfect and broken hallelujahs have an equal value. It’s a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal or religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion. Leonard Cohen...
Dr Pepper Chocolate Cake
Pop Flavored Cake If you haven’t tried Dr Pepper in your cake you’re missing out! Thought I’d try making a cake with pop in it. I choose Dr Pepper for for my pop. I used it in the cake batter and frosting. Making this cake is pretty easy; not hard at all. You can’t taste the Dr Pepper flavor per se but it sure amplifies the flavor of the cake plus the frosting too. It makes it moist and bit heavier so...
The Solar Charger, an Essential for Your Cell Phone
Emergency Solar Power When You Need It. Over 21,000 of these small WakaWaka solar chargers were put to good use in the Philippines after the typhoon Yolanda struck in November of 2013. Besides providing solar power to charge their cell phones and tablet, the flashlight also aided them during the dark hours. This solar powered charger was recently featured as one of the highlights at the Consumer Electronics Show. Using a USB cord, It...
White Heat by Marco Pierre White: Review
Great British Chef – Marco Pierre White. This is a fabulous recipe book from one of Britain’s greatest chefs. And he created a stir (no pun intended) when he first burst onto the important London restaurant scene. Marco came from humble beginnings. He was born in Leeds in Yorkshire to an English father and an Italian mother – hence his international name. His mother died when he was just a young boy, leaving his...
Creamy Cauliflower Enchiladas
Vegetarian or Not, You’ll Love these Cauliflower Enchiladas I’m all for quick and easy meals that can be made at the last minute. This enchilada fits right in to that! This enchilada in a creamy cauliflower sauce is a tasty treat without many ingredients. Using no oil or butter keeps it lighter too. Cauliflower is a natural to add to any Mexican recipe. After trying the Cauliflower Vegetarian Enchiladas, it sounded interesting...
Book Review: 61 Hours, by Lee Child
Book Review: 61 Hours, by Lee Child. Give a book or movie a countdown and the pressure is on. That is exactly what happens in this edition of the Jack Reacher series, 61 Hours. Lee Childs created a very suspenseful tale here with enough intrigue that you lose sight of how short a time the whole story covers. Only two and a half days, give or take a few minutes. Reacher catches a ride on a tourist bus filled with senior citizens....
The Girl on the Train: Book Review
The Girl on the Train: A novel by Paula Hawkins. Oh, what a fabulous story Ms Hawkins has in store for us here. This is an incredibly suspenseful novel, it’s so mysterious and its twists and turns will keep you reading long after you intended to. It’s without doubt a one-sitting book. The girl of the title is Rachel. She’s divorced, overweight, unhappy and she drinks too much. Her life is a mess. Every morning she...
Ghostly Pumpkin Decor
Ghostly Friendly Hello – BOO! Ghostly Pumpkin Pumpkin Ghost. A friendly ghostly Hello! My ghost found its way into my pumpkin. Now I have another Halloween decoration for my deck. A ghostly pumpkin! This ghost is used for make a ghostly flower pot. This is a unique ghost stake set and I have never seen it anywhere’s else. I just love that it can be used for a few different decorations. I went out to the pumpkin patch and...
How to Cook in a Tiny Kitchen
Cooking in a tiny kitchen made easy. This is my kitchen and it’s not the smallest I’ve had. But it’s still pretty tiny, especially when you consider that we work from home, hardly ever eat out and therefore prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner in our kitchen every day. It’s L-shaped, small, and yet is perfect for us.There are a lot of myths about cooking in small spaces, which I’ll be debunking in this...
Slade House by David Mitchell
Slade House by David Mitchell: Book review. I challenge you to be able to put this book down once you’ve started reading it. You’ll be tempted to stay up all night, cancel your appointments and hide your cellphone. It’s likely that you won’t realise it at first. But before long you’ll want to learn more about the secrets of the mysterious Slade House as they are gradually revealed. The first person we...
The British Lion by Tony Schumacher
Book review: The British Lion. One of the latest books to arrive on the review desk at JAQUO HQ is, without doubt, a can’t-put-it-down historical novel with a twist. Several twists. Along with many other readers, I find that the ‘what-if’ novels of the twenty first century can provide rollicking good stories along with a generous dose of thought provoking ideas along the way. Mr Schumacher has certainly provided us...
UFOs: Book Details Well-Documented and Totally Unexplained Phenomena
UFOs: Book Details Well-Documented and Totally Unexplained Phenomena. Truth is scarier than fiction, and there are UFO stories that can’t easily be dismissed. Like most people, I was always skeptical about supposed UFO sightings, thinking they’re likely weather balloons, experimental military aircraft, or something that could be explained away. That changed with this book. My interest in UFOs began when my dad told me about a few...
Educational Gift Ideas: The Shopping Cart
An Enduring Toy for Playtime Every child needs a shopping cart! Okay, so maybe that is slightly exaggerated, but not very much! This was one of the most used toys when my daughter was a toddler. Every day she would shop. She had items that went in her little kitchen, but honestly her favorite shopping ‘aisle’ was our pantry. She would unload every item she could reach, either into her cart or onto the floor, then push the...
Howl at the Moon Day
I know many people who last month waited and waited to see the Blood Moon and some of them were awestruck with the beauty of the moon that night and then the eclipse that followed. Others weren’t so lucky. The clouds came in an ruined the evenings attraction sending many to bed earlier than they had expected. But wait just a minute! Here is another chance to go out and howl at the moon, like you have never howled at it before! Why?...
Halloween Skeleton Costumes, Shirts, and Accessories
Put together or buy a Complete Skeleton Costume here, for Halloween. Here you will find skeleton costumes, shirts, gloves, masks, leggings, and socks, with skeleton bones on them to compose your own Halloween skeleton costume. Mix and match, or get the whole costume, whatever you need or want. It’s time to get your boo on; or is that bones! Do you know how many bones are in the human skeleton? Is it the same for babies and...
A Personalized Book Embosser is a Special Gift for Someone Who Loves to Read
A Personalized Book Embosser is a Special Gift for Someone Who Loves to Read. A personalized book embosser is a lovely gift for anyone who loves to read, especially for those who love their hard-copy books. With the digital age, books to hold and made of paper are becoming less and less. Why not keep and protect these books and make a personal library by embossing each book with a seal stating “From the Library of….” It adds a...
Organise Anything – with Grid-It
A great way to organise almost anything. Although the Grid-It organising system was developed to control tech clutter – phones, earbuds, chargers etc. – this brilliantly simply yet effective storage system can be used for so many things. Here it is. You can see how it keeps your devices and their accessories safe and organised but because the Grid-It comes in several different sizes, you’ll understand how useful it...
Easy French Toast
This morning I woke up to a beautiful day without a single cloud in the sky. On days like these, there is nothing better than to have a leisurely breakfast at home. I went to my kitchen to see what I had and realized I had some bread that was about to go bad in a day or two. I also had exactly two eggs and a small amount of milk in the milk carton. If at this point, you’re thinking French Toast, you’re absolutely right...
How To Hang Your Artwork
The best placement for your wall art. So many little things make up the difference between a professionally designed interior and one that has not had the benefit of the expert eye. One huge giveaway is how artwork is placed on the walls. Luckily once you know the secret your home will not be like so many where artwork is hung haphazardly and there’s something about the professional way that subconsciously makes your home look...
Roll Up Games for Travel and Small Spaces
Chess, checkers and backgammon – for travelling or for small spaces. We’ve been living in the technological age for a long time now and that’s probably why there’s a huge trend now for playing traditional boardgames. The problem is, that they can take up so much room especially when you’re travelling, camping or if you live in a small apartment. Sondergut have the answer with these fabulous roll up...
Unusual gift ideas
I don’t know about you, but age and growing up mean two different things to me. The growing up part, I would like to leave right where it belongs…….somewhere back there! The Aging stuff, well, no one really gets away without doing some of that…… The problem is that most of us get caught up in the Growing Up and forget all the fun that could be had along the way. There are so many fun things that should be...
Who was J. Habakuk Jephson?
In December 1872, an American ship was found sailing off the Azores in the North Atlantic Ocean. It was in good condition, but its lifeboat was gone — and there was not a soul on board. The ship was called the Mary Celeste and for years there was speculation about what had happened to the ten people aboard. They had vanished into thin air. There was no sign of a struggle or fight. Other than the lifeboat nothing seemed to be...
Birds of Passage: Book Review
Birds of Passage: A Novel by Joe Giordano. I do hope that Mr Giordano has many more active writing years in front of him because after reading Birds of Passage, I’m left wanting to read much more from this author – in particular about this fascinating subject. Mr Giordano, who is from an Italian immigrant family himself, has created a wonderfully rich narrative detailing life in the early 1900s for those who had moved from...
African Wood Carvings
African drums, masks and sculptures by Eric Darko. Eric Darko is an artist living and working in his home country, Ghana. He was taught traditional wood carving by his brother when he was still at school. Today, Eric makes his living creating beautiful hand carved works of art. In the days before the internet, it was difficult for artists such as Eric to be appreciated by those of us who are at the other side of the world but today,...
Gifts for Travelers: Waist Bags & Money Belts
If you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves to travel then a money belt or waist bag is a really good idea. When you are on holiday you really don’t need to carry all your valuables with you everyday or have all your credit cards and ID with you especially when you’re staying in one place. But when you’re moving on from place to place then you’re going to be much more vulnerable and that’s when a...
Maleficent Christening Costume for Kids
Creating the Maleficent-Movie Look. Maleficent has been around for a very long time. However, with the release of Disney’s Maleficent, the evil fairy has had a huge makeover. If your tween or younger daughter is hoping to recreate Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent movie-look, you can do it easily with this costume. If the movie look isn’t exactly what you were looking for, make sure to continue scrolling as I have...
Book Review: The Path, by Peter Riva
An Appealing Techno Thriller Anything to do with technology, and where it may one day lead, fascinates me. As fast as it is improving, you have to wonder where it will take us in another decade. That is probably why I enjoyed The Path so much. Peter Riva has created a very entertaining—and possible—view into that future. When iRead Book Tours asked us to join the virtual book tour for The Path, it sounded like fun. I admit it is one...
Blueberry Bran Muffins
Blueberry Bran Muffins Save Print Blueberry Bran Muffins Rating 5 from 1 reviews Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 35 mins Serves: 12 to 16 Ingredients 1½ cup wheat bran 1 cup low fat buttermilk ⅓ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup egg substitute (or 1 egg) ⅔ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon...
Create and Share Social Media Graphics in Seconds
Use Pablo (free) to create and share on social media. We know how important images are for sharing – and getting clicks through to your website. If the image contains a quote or other words, even better. But who has time to spend ages in Photoshop or other graphic program? And then there’s the problem of making different sizes for different social media. It’s all just so time consuming. Or rather, it used to be....
Travels With My Aunt: Graham Greene
A great read: Travels With My Aunt. Henry Pulling was a retired bank manager. He had enjoyed a good but rather dull life. He’d never married, but he had a comfortable home, his books and his increasing interest in cultivating dahlias in his garden. It was a boring life but he had no complaints. He rather imagined that he would spend his retirement peacefully, enjoying his quiet little lifestyle, until the day he drew his last...
Stylish Entertaining with Sustainable Serveware
Service with a style. Whether you’re entertaining guests or simply serving family meals, the presentation of your food is always important. Our eyes make our mouths water in anticipation before we even taste the food. Today, I want to introduce you to a fabulous range of serving ware that has objects that are not just useful, they are beautiful, practical and made from sustainable materials. For example, I love the tray you see...
Fire Boy Cookies
Basler Leckerli/Laeckerli. This cookie comes from my native country Switzerland and it is delicious. The picture does not do justice for the flavour of the cookie when you take that first bite. It is a little bit of heaven when you are able to indulge in this specialty cookie and a hot cup of coffee or tea. Save Print Fire Boy Cookies Rating 5 from 1 reviews Ingredients 450 grams honey (16 ounces) 300 grams of sugar (10.5...
The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Review
The Grey sisters, Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots Although the nobility the the sixteenth century believed that women should have no place occupying the throne, in the second half of the century, its claimants were all female. And they were all young women; born within a dozen years of each other. These young women were: Elizabeth, who became Queen Elizabeth I, born in 1533 Lady Jane Grey, who ruled for just a few days, born in...
Baked chocolate dessert
Delicious baked chocolate recipe. This recipe dates from the late nineteen seventies and I’ve reproduced it here just as it was originally given. I rarely cook with salt though and find that I don’t need it in this delicious, chocolate-y recipe. It’s easy to make and I like to serve it in individual glasses or ramekins. The originator of the recipe suggests serving it with whipped cream but I find that a little rich...
A Review of High Crimes, the Movie and the Book
A Review of High Crimes, the Movie and the Book If you could enjoy watching Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, James Caviezel all in the same movie, would you pass it up? I wouldn’t. When High Crimes came out in 2002, I was anxious to see it. First, there was Morgan Freeman. I’ve been a fan of his as long as I can remember, but since his role in Shawshank Redemption, he’s become a favorite. His voice alone makes his movies worthwhile,...
Re-purposing Wine Bottles: Wall Vases
We drink wine. Often. And this means that we have lots of wine bottles to recycle or re-purpose. A lot of the time, I must admit, we put them into the recycling. That’s fine but I love ideas for using them to make décor items or useful goods for the home. This is one I especially love. It’s so simple but looks so good. If you wander into Home Depot, or any DIY store, you’ll find plenty of u-clamps or strap clamps....
Duck Dynasty and the Women of Duck Commander
Duck Dynasty and the Women of Duck Commander You may be familiar with the hit reality show, Duck Dynasty. Even if you’ve never watched an episode, you probably remember hearing some of the fallout from patriarch Phil Robertson’s unabashed comments a year or so ago, very politically incorrect, that almost led to cancellation of the series. Loyal fans spoke up, though, and the producers agreed that Phil would still be...
10 Tools Every Woman Needs
Start With Some Basics Every woman needs her own tools. Every woman should know how to use them. Man in the house or not, young or older, handy or otherwise, there are a few tools that are essential to make life–and do it yourself projects–easier and fun. Whether you’ve bought your first house or are moving in to your first apartment, they will be used often over the years. Kids nearing independence should know how...
Berry Frozen Yogurt Bites
Looking for a healthy frozen treat instead of ice cream? Here is a recipe that has so many good-for-you ingredients you can eat it every day! It makes a flavorful, sweet, satisfying dessert or snack any time of day. Check out these healthy ingredients: Coconut oil—good for so many things, including brain health Berries—one of the top 10 foods for brain and body health Nuts—another top brain food, and a healthy fat Greek Yogurt—Great...
An Exciting Suspense Thriller called Enraged
An Exciting Suspense Thriller called Enraged Each book in this page turning series by Brett Battles gets better and better. Isn’t that a credit to an excellent author? Enraged is the seventh in the Jonathan Quinn series. It was so good, I’ve already purchased number eight by Mr. Battles. When several members of his team are captured and tortured, the Cleaner plans their rescue. You could say the rescue was a success—he...
Gifts for Travellers: Warm Active Winter Clothing
Time for thinking about Christmas presents is fast approaching. Here are some tips and ideas for gifts for travellers or outdoor lovers who need to keep comfortable and warm. These days thousands of people go on winter vacations and very often visit cold countries – snow is a magnet that’s for sure. If you know someone who loves being in the great outdoors here are a few gift ideas that will not only be useful, but will be loved and...
Highland scones recipe
Highland scones recipe I have to admit that baking is definitely not my forte.But even I can handle these easy-to-make scones. They take only eight minutes in the oven and are simplicity itself to mix – no blenders, whisks or things-that-need-cleaning are used. Once you have the basic recipe, it opens up so many ideas. The recipe below contains currants, as these are traditional but you could omit these and other ingredients...
Flight 19 & the Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle
The mystery of Flight 19 and the Bermuda Triangle On December 5th, 1945, a routine training flight set off from Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station. There were five planes under the command of an experienced pilot, Charles Taylor. There were fifteen men in the five aircraft and not one was seen again. No bodies were ever found.There has been no trace of any wreckage and no debris or oil slicks were ever sighted. The fate on Flight...
Candy Corn Design Plastic Canvas Basket
A plastic canvas project that is easy to do and large enough for a child to do. The pattern is for size 7 plastic canvas or 7 holes per inch. You could do the pattern in size 5 or 5 holes per inch for ease for a child or very low vision person or elderly adult. You use a blunt needle with a large hole to accommodate the yarn. This is why I do plastic canvas because it is a lot easier for me to see as I am legally blind, I only have...
One Lucky Bastard: Roger Moore
Tales from Tinseltown by Roger Moore Wonderfully, I keep discovering books by people from the entertainment world who I never paid much attention to in previous years. Actor Roger Moore is one of them. I have to admit (and if you’re reading this Mr Moore, I apologize) Sean Connery was always the James Bond for me. Although I must admit that if he’d looked the way he does in this photograph when he was in Live and Let Die I...
SS Mohegan
The Mohegan disaster The SS Mohegan sank off the coast of Cornwall in 1898. Although this maritime disaster has been largely forgotten, the cause remains a mystery and of course, there is a conspiracy theory regarding the loss of the ship. And it’s a mysterious story indeed. The ship was built in the Yorkshire port of Hull. Her original name was Cleopatra and she didn’t get off to a good start. On her maiden voyage, which...
The Lady in the Van: Alan Bennett
The Lady in the Van This is the title of a wonderful book by British author, Alan Bennett. The story is true and will make you laugh … and maybe cry a little. It tells about the woman who was his neighbour for many years. Not just any neighbour, Miss Shepherd lived in her small van. And she parked it – for fifteen years – in Alan Bennett’s driveway. Now when I’ve told American people about this and used...
If the Shoe Fits … Bag the Matching Hat!
Halloween Plastic Canvas Projects. I found these patterns at Pinterest and wanted to make something like this. I decided to make two parts. One part with the shoe and one part with the witches hat. I also wanted to add a colorful sock like one sees with at Witch’s costume. Here is the one page of patterns from Pinterest Pinterest pattern pin. I adapted these patterns to fit the words above. I just did the hat by itself and shoe...
New Balance Walking Shoes
I have been looking at walking shoes for my son who is going on a school trip. He’ll be out in the countryside doing lots of activities as well as a lot of walking and I have settled on a pair of New Balance walking shoes. I can recommend New Balance walking shoes because I chose them after a lot of research and I am confident you’ll be as happy with them as we are. I am impressed that they have been through a lot of research...
Brain train to help prevent Alzheimer’s
Brain train to help prevent Alzheimer’s. Every week I run across new suggestions to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. That is very encouraging to me. Lately studies are showing results that can be measured and documented. The more they are able to do, the closer we get to slowing, treating, and preventing Alzheimer’s disease from affecting so many. One of the more recent studies has shown that meditation increases grey...
SunJack: The Portable Solar Charger
Charge your devices anywhere using solar power. These days we can make phone calls, browse the internet or use our e-readers almost anywhere. On the beach, in the countryside, when we’re camping or hiking. But, that is, only if we can charge our various devices. That’s where the SunJack comes in. Powered entirely by the sun, the SunJack will charge your phone, reader or tablet at the same speed as an ordinary home outlet....
A Gift Idea Your Parent will Cherish
A Gift Idea Your Parent will Cherish Most of us have a number of photo albums, even if they are now more online than actual books. It may seem like something that’s been done already. Still, one book that shows their life in photos, one they can look at over and over would be a treasure. You may know that I write about Alzheimer’s disease quite often. When I look back at the fifteen years we’ve been living with it, the changes I’ve...
Home Decor: Restful Blues
Restful and relaxing blues and greys. Various shades of blue and grey are known to be the most restful and soothing colours you can chose for your home décor. This is why so many people choose these colours for their bedrooms. But they are a wonderful choice if you’re redecorating your lounge, sitting room or family room. Just take a look at the example below. Just looking at the photograph is calming, isn’t it? Yet...
Look Who’s Back: By Timur Vermes
Hitler in the twenty first century: Hilarious satirical novel. I know, it just seems so wrong, doesn’t it? But this very clever fictional account of the fuhrer is just so very funny and I recommend it wholeheartedly; it’s sure to tickle your funny bone. The book has been a best seller in Germany (yes, in Germany) and has been translated into twenty seven (yes, twenty seven) languages including English (and yes, reviews...
Thanksgiving in Canada
Canadians from coast to coast are gearing up for Thanksgiving 2015 to be held this year on October 12th. While Canadians will celebrate this holiday much earlier than our American Cousins, we will probably be feasting on many of the same food items. After all, that is what Thanksgiving is all about. We are thankful for the great summer months and the produce that farmer’s fields everywhere have grown. We delight in what Mother Nature...
The Book of Hymns, A Lovely Gift Idea
Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the Worlds Greatest Hymn Stories Are you looking for a special gift for someone in your life? A mentor perhaps, a grandparent? When I ran across this lovely book, I thought of half a dozen people who would cherish it. It’s a collection of 150 of our favorite hymns. What makes this book extra special is the history behind the hymns. Each one includes the story of how and when it was written. So many of us...
Personal Alarms Save Lives
Personal alarms: Inexpensive yet essential. I don’t believe that the world is a scary place and I don’t believe in being alarmist but for the price of a bottle of wine, you can buy a personal alarm for yourself or a loved one. And it could be the best purchase you ever made. Everyone – male, female, young or old – should carry one of these at all times. I make no apologies for being so adamant. Personal alarms...
Book Review: The Toymaker, by Chuck Barrett
Book Review: The Toymaker by Chuck Barrett I just finished an entertaining novel by an author new to me, Chuck Barrett. This second novel in the Jake Pendleton series was published in 2012. I didn’t realize it was a series when I got The Toymaker or I would have read them in order, but this one is definitely a stand alone. It has a beginning that will draw you in, and an satisfactory ending. That is to say, it doesn’t...
The Mitford Sisters: Book review
The Sisters: The curious lives of the Mitford Sisters If you’ve never read this fascinating book about the Mitford sisters, then I highly recommend it. This isn’t a novel,it’s a biography, but it’s one of those ‘fact is stranger than fiction’ stories. The six sisters were born into minor British aristocracy between 1904 and 1920. They had an unconventional upbringing and each girl developed their...
Looking for the Best Cosmetic Bag?
Keep your cosmetics and make-up easy to use when you’re on the go. Thanks to a professional make-up artist, I have recently discovered the Lay-n-Go Cosmo make-up bag and I don’t know how I managed without it,especially when travelling or out and about. You can see straight away from the photograph on the right one huge advantage. It works on the principle of a drawstring bag. When you’re in a public bathroom, this...
Book Review: Chasing Fire, by Nora Roberts
The Best Book by Nora Roberts. Chasing Fire is my favorite book by Nora Roberts and one of my top five favorite audiobooks. This romantic suspense mystery is about the ‘Zulies,’ the elite team of smokejumpers out of Missoula, Montana, who parachute in to remote locations to fight wildfires. What caught my interest? First, it takes place in Montana. I love to read most anything about Montana. The unspoiled beauty of the...
Big Bat Halloween Decoration
Big Bat Halloween Decoration. Plastic canvas is a medium of a grid with holes similar to open weave needlepoint canvas. It’s firmer plastic that you work with yarn to make designs in the canvas or objects cut out such as this bat. I had gotten a lot of plastic canvas at the second hand store in 2011. People start projects or buy supplies and then give them to the second hand stores or the owners buy things at garage sales and...
The amazing hair clip multi-tool
Clippa – the hair clip that’s a mini-tool You never know when you’re going to need a screwdriver, a wrench, a ruler, a cutting blade … and that’s why Swiss Army Knives have been popular for so many years. I found though that for my purposes, the army knife was cumbersome to carry around all day. The I discovered the multi-tool card, which you see below. But now, if I need a Phillips screwdriver or if I...
Quick and Easy Recipes: Spinach for Breakfast
Quick and Easy Recipes: Spinach for Breakfast Today in the continuing series of spinach recipes come two of my favorite breakfasts. Both are fast and easy. So easy that you really don’t even need a recipe. Add as much as you like of the spinach and the eggs. You can feed a bunch. The first recipe especially is perfect for taking to a brunch. Because it is fast and easy yet still colorful and filling, I will often take it to morning...
Rain With Scattered Showers (of laughter & tears)
Rain With Scattered Showers (of laughter & tears) I wanna go to Baltimore. I don’t even know anything about Baltimore. I know it’s a city in that big US of A, but that’s all I know. I’m an Englishman, and I live nowhere near Baltimore – I live here… England. There are no Baltimores here. But still I want to go visit Baltimore. Is it not the case for you, as it is for me, that every once in a...
Sennheiser Headphones: Recommended by a Professional Sound Engineer
My son’s new headphones. At the time of writing my son is only 14 and seriously into music. He spends every spare moment either playing or listening. My job as mum is to protect his hearing and these Sennheiser HD201 Headphones do this very well indeed and are great value too. My son likes to crank up the volume and, before we bought him headphones, he was using ear-buds. This music sounded tinny and distorted and the sound...
Would a dawn simulation alarm clock work for you?
The benefits of a dawn simulation alarm clock You know what it’s like when the alarm clock rings, beeps or warbles. There you were, being served champagne on a luxury yacht with a gorgeous hunk gazing at you adoringly then …. ring ring! And suddenly, you’re facing the cold light of day. Even worse, often you’re facing the cold dark of day. At various times throughout the year, many of us have our alarms set to...
Book Review: A Case of Redemption
Book Review: A Case of Redemption A Case of Redemption, the second novel written by Adam Mitzner, has received rave reviews. The author was new to me, but I finally had to read it to see what all the talk was about. It was very good! Mr. Mitzner is being compared to Scott Turow and John Grisham–so you can see he is already quite popular. In this story, a young woman approaches Dan Sorenson to defend a rapper accused of killing...
An Astronaut for Halloween or Play Time
Be a Real Life Hero For Halloween Astronauts are real life heroes most kids look up to still today. A good percentage of those children would say that is exactly what they want to be when they grow up. How fun to encourage their love of the field with a costume they love. I remember how many of the kids in my daughter’s school wanted to be astronauts. Most of the boys, and quite a few of the girls too, wanted to board a...
Crème Caramel Authentic French Recipe
Crème Caramel Authentic French Recipe Crème Caramel is a very famous and delicious pudding style desert from France, which is also enjoyed in many other parts of Europe. There are many varieties of this egg custard pudding, for example a very famous sweet in Portugal known as Bolos de Nata, is just like crème caramel, the only difference between them is that the crème caramel does not have a pastry base. Here’s the recipe: ...
Sometimes We Forget to Say Thank You
Here is a great true story of one man’s way of saying thank you. It happened every Friday evening, almost without fail, when the sun resembled a giant orange and was starting to dip into the blue ocean. Old Ed came strolling along the beach to his favorite pier. Clutched in his bony hand was a bucket of shrimp. Ed walks out to the end of the pier, where it seems he almost has the world to himself. The glow of the sun is a golden...
Doctor’s Costume for Kids
Will your child be a doctor this Halloween? Halloween costumes are a serious business to some children. While often they enjoy portraying a movie or cartoon character, there are some who grow out of that but aren’t ready for the super scary costumes yet either. Real life personas make a fun and distinguished solution to that. Astronaut, fire chief, nurse, so many good options, I’m sure you can think of others. And what...
Planet-friendly charging station for multiple devices
Bamboo charging station for multiple devices At last the charging of our various devices in under control. With two of these little beauties in our home,our cellphones, tablets and laptops are tidily charging with no wires snaking their way across our surfaces. It was becoming a real problem until we discovered these. And we’re not a particularly teckie household – or so I thought. There are only two of us but between us,...
Pie Crust Cookies
Pie Crust Cookies My mom should have awards for baking the most wonderful pies. Her crusts were always perfect. Light, flaky, and even the correct shape in the pie pan (a personal problem I have with pie crust making). Whenever she made the crusts, she would put the leftover scraps of dough in an extra tin, sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar, and bake them too. We loved them. The other day when I was once again trying to make a pie...
A Book Review of Two Vince Flynn Bestsellers: Extreme Measures and Pursuit of Honor
Normally a book review features one book. This time I had to combine these two amazing books by the late Vince Flynn. Sadly Mr. Flynn died June 19th 2013. Partly because of that, I’ve tried to spread the books in his series over months. All but his very first book (Term Limits) features Mitch Rapp as the leading and recurring character. As soon as I finished Extreme Measures I had to start Pursuit on Honor. The two novels take...
Gift Ideas: The Left Handed Kitchen
Treat Your Left Hander to These Lefty Kitchen Accessories Do you have a few lefties in your family? If so, you may have heard them complain (only occasionally) about certain utensils, lessons, and notebooks. I bet you haven’t given it much thought, but today I beg you to reconsider. Until you try cutting with a scissor not made for your hand, you won’t understand. It hurts! A right handed scissor cuts into a lefty’s thumb, leaving...
America’s Death Row Inmates… They’re All Innocent
America’s Death Row Inmates… They’re All Innocent There’s an interesting book out called ‘Injustice: Life and Death in the Courtrooms of America’. I eyed it up at my local library then dragged it home for a read. The true story of a British businessman living in Florida who gets himself convicted of a double murder and is sentenced to death. Only… he’s innocent, according to the...
Feng Shui 101: Coping with clutter
Ask That Feng Shui Lady. A reader asks: “We’ve moved and downsized often and have given lots of stuff away. We are now in a one-bedroom apartment and have managed somehow to accumulate clutter again. I never thought that I’d let clutter take over again but life got in the way of clutter control. I can’t help wondering if I haven’t put something in the way of free-flowing energy and, in doing so, somehow...
A Princess Dress for Dress Up
A Princess All Year Long Does the little girl in your life like to dress up as a princess all year long? Last week at the grocery store a little princess was shopping with her mother. Princesses are everywhere. My adorable niece wears her princess dress nearly every day. It’s a little bit different from this one, but still a hit. Actually, she now has more than one which makes it much easier on mom. Clearly a princess dress is...
A Review of the documentary ‘Aluna’ . The Kogi People Warn us About the End of the World
This evening I was invited to a screening of ‘Aluna’ (‘the mind inside nature’), which was followed by a Q&A session with its award winning British director and documentary filmmaker Alan Ereira. This is the second documentary film he has made with the indigenous Kogi people of Colombia. These people are desperately trying to warn us of the very real possibility of the end of the world unless we stop ruthlessly...
The Advent of Autumn: Pic of the Week
The Advent of Autumn. What does autumn mean to you? With the autumn equinox occurring during late September, for some it means the end of summer and the gradual decline into the cold winter months, for others it means beautiful fall colours and temperatures dropping to acceptable levels. For the communities around me here in France, late summer and early autumn is the season of harvest. From cutting and bringing in the wheat,...
Gifts for Guitar Players
Gifts for Guitar players Guitarists love accessories and so it’s very easy to buy a gift for a guitar player. Believe me they are delighted when they receive specialist gifts because most of the things they use wear out and need to be replaced. Make sure you check what style of guitar is played, as they need different accessories. It’s not complicated, it will be electric, steel stringed acoustic, or a nylon stringed classical guitar....
Shopping at Harrods of London: For Everyone
Harrods of London ships worldwide At one time, shopping at the prestigious London store Harrods was the preserve of the rich. And only then was it available to those who lived in London or who travelled there. I’m almost at the stage when I can’t remember the days before online shopping and it’s strange to think that now, anyone and where in the world can shop at Harrods. The store was well known for being the place...
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