Fun National Days in February

 I did some research and found some fun holidays for us to celebrate in the month of February.

Here we go:

February 5

National Shower with a Friend Day

I thought this was started as a way to save money on the water bill or to save on water.  Apparently this started out as a way to educate people on the benefits of filtered, chlorine free water.   A little humor was thrown in while letting people know the effects that chlorine has when bathing.   You can still shower with a friend or two to save some money.  Or, feel free to completely skip your shower today.  

February 6

National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

A great way to fight cabin fever and the winter blues.  Started by a mother of 6 when a snowstorm came through their town and it turned into a family tradition.  Now we all get to celebrate!  What flavor will you have today?

February 8

National Clean Out Your Computer Day

I think I celebrated this a couple of weeks ago.  This is a great time to go through your computer and do a little housekeeping.  Delete old files and emails.  Make sure you are using the latest version of programs and operating systems.  A little early spring cleaning for your computer.

February 9

National Pizza Day

A great day to have your brother come over and make pizza for you.  When can we expect you, Steve?

February 11

National Make a Friend Day

A great day to meet someone new and make a new friend.  New friends can broaden our horizons and challenge us to try something new.  They sharpen our social skills and help us from being lonely.   A great way to find new friends is to join a club or take a class.  So, get out there and make a new friend today.

February 16

National Do a Grouch a Favor Day

A grouch is a habitually irritable or complaining person.  Everyone knows someone that fits that description (if you don't, then maybe you are the grouch!).  Today is the day to turn that person around.  Surprise them with coffee or a sweet treat.  Visit them and listen to them grumble.  Offer to help them with a project.  Today would be also be a great day to watch, "Grumpy Old Men."

February 17

National Cabbage Day

Cabbage is an ancient food with origins in Turkey and the Mediterranean.  It comes in many forms: Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, kohlrabi and kale.  Cabbage is versatile and makes a great diet food.  There are quite a few recipes out there that you can use to celebrate the day.  This one says to celebrate with a friend.  Just make sure they know that you are cooking cabbage.  Cabbage does have a "strong" smelly  odor when it is cooked.  

February 20

National Love Your Pet Day

I swear Pippen must be working with these National Day calendars.  He always seems to get at least one day a month to be loved and pampered.  Well, this does happen on a daily basis but he now has a reason to be spoiled once a month.

February 22

National Margarita Day

I'll have the frozen strawberry margarita, thanks.

February 23

National Dog Biscuit Day

Really Pippen?  Now we have to give you more treats?

February 24

National Tortilla Chip Day

Great day to make some guacamole to go with that margarita!

February 26

National Toast Day

I'm sure Bella will be making tea and toast today.  Don't ask me to make your toast, unless you want a strong burnt flavor.

February 27

National Retro Day

A day to celebrate life before the smart phone and all of those little gadgets.  What's your favorite retro?  The Beehive?  Bell bottoms?  Roller skates or skate board?  How about a leather jacket, a single glove and the moonwalk?  What will your retro be today?

it's also

National Skip the Straw Day

This seems to be an ongoing celebration.  I think they are after Patti and her plastic straws.  Make sure you skip the straw or pull out your reusable straw today.

That's it for February!  Let's have a great month!

Karen Stories

 It's been awhile since I have posted Karen stories here.  I thought I would piece together some of the stories that I have collected over the last 6 months.  I write these down in my phone notes.  They are weird experiences that I feel I have to look over at a later time and really think about what actually happened in this situation.   Enjoy.

I had a customer who wanted to return worn clothes.   He claimed that they don't fit anymore.  I almost suggested that he should look into losing weight, but, I wanted to keep my job.

This one guy came in and purchased a few items.  We got to talking and it turns out that he is visiting the area on business.  He has a brother who lives here and comes into this store when he is in town.  We got to talking and it turns out he is from Green Bay.  He came back into the store the next day to return some items and we talked a little more.  When I mentioned this to a co-worker she said, is that the guy with the tattoo?  I said I didn't check to see if he had a tattoo.  She said that she waited on him yesterday.  Apparently he took off his shirt and tried another shirt right there at the register.  

Masks are mandatory inside stores in our state.  We provide free masks if the customer does not have one.  We can not force a customer to wear a mask.  The customer I was waiting on was not wearing a mask.  We have shields at our register and I was wearing a mask.  The customer at the next register yelled, "Nice mask!"  My customer said, "Thanks."  The other customer then said, "I hope you get it!" ("it" refers to Covid)  There were some other choice words that were said, but, I think you get how this went down.

There is a point during a transaction where I tell the customer to press the red button.  I can't tell you how many people have pressed the green button.  I don't know what to say about this one.  Poor listening skills?  Unable to see the color green?  I don't know.

I work in a clothing store.  I had a customer ask me if we do cash back.  I believe I grocery stores are the only ones that give cash back.

A customer called the store and wanted to know when she will receive the credit for her return.  According to the customer, all of the other stores give the credit right away.  I explained that I have worked at other retail stores and have shopped as a customer at stores and credits always take longer than a charge on your card, sometimes 7-10 days.  I told her that she can contact her bank and ask when they will post the credit.  She then informed me that she will not be shopping at our store anymore because she does not get her money back fast enough.

I had a customer come up to the register wearing disposable gloves.  She tosses a paper onto the counter and looks at me.  I guess I was supposed to know what she wanted by her actions.  I was a jerk asked her what was on the paper.  It turns out it was an "in store" pick up.  I'm not sure why she was wearing the gloves to hold the piece of paper that she printed at home.  If she didn't want to hold it, I certainly wasn't going to touch that paper!

I had a woman argue with me that it wasn't 30 days on a return and that the store should change that.  It seems that she forgot that some months have 31 days and others have 30 days.

And, finally,

A customer walks in and I say hello.  The customer immediately raises his hands and says, "I've been squirted so many times today."  I said, well, if you want, I can get the cleaning fluid out and spray you again.  The next customer said, "That was weird.  I bet you could write a book!"  I said, "I sure could!"

Pill Box

 I believe I have reached that age where I understand the need for the weekly divided pill box containers.

I have been working the early shift at work for the last couple of months and have learned how to streamline my morning routine. I have my routine down to 30 minutes.  That thirty minutes includes:  getting dressed, eating breakfast, grabbing my water bottle and a snack, putting on my coat, grabbing my purse and keys and then hopping into the car.  And, before the questions start rolling in, normally, I get up early (6 or 7am).  My work schedule has me getting up at 4 or 5 am.  That's a little early for me.

The first few days of this early schedule, I forgot to take my vitamins.  So, I started putting them in a container and placing it on the counter.  In the morning, I had no excuse for not taking my vitamins.  They were right there.  And, it didn't add on any extra time to my morning routine!   Now, I don't plan on running out and purchasing a pill box, but, I do understand the need for these containers.  This is how I began my newfound appreciation for the pill container. 

The Lost Art of Cursive Handwriting

Cursive is any style of writing where some of the letters are joined together.  It is intended for everyday use.  There is formal cursive and casual cursive.  Formal cursive is where all of the letters are joined.  Casual cursive is when there are more pen lifts and only a couple of letters are joined.   Cursive was intended to make writing faster.  It also helps you remember things when you put pen to paper and write them out.  

I remember taking handwriting class in elementary school.  I was so excited to start writing in cursive.  I remember practicing at home on a chalk board the night before the start of the handwriting unit.   I couldn't wait to be able to read and write in cursive.  It was like another language.  Oh, and I also remember getting "C's" in handwriting.  Apparently my letters were not exactly as they appeared in our handwriting book.  We used the D'Nealian style of writing and my "F's" never matched the letters in our book.  Maybe because "F" is the start of my name and I developed my own way of how that letter should appear in writing.  Also, my handwriting can be a little messy if I'm in a hurry.   Of course, after learning cursive, all of our papers had to be written in cursive.  I guess that was good practice for us.

When my children were in elementary school, I looked forward to their cursive unit.  I thought it would be fun to see their penmanship.  I was disappointed that the teachers did not spend as much time with the students teaching this subject.  I was told that computers were the way of the future and that our children would not need this skill.  Of course, I made my children practice their penmanship.  You never know when you might need to handwrite a note or letter.  I can't say that they have great penmanship (one of them is a lefty) but at least they know how to write in cursive if needed.

All of this came back to me when I realized there are people out there that can not read anything that is written in cursive.  I understand that little children can't read cursive.  They learn how to print their letters.   

It makes me wonder if once (us old people) die, will cursive handwriting die with us?  Will it be something that future generations will take as an informational college course?  "How past generations used to communicate with others by using a pen, paper and fancy handwriting."

Do you still write in cursive?

Mask Pick Up Lines

From the looks of things, masks might be around for a little while longer.  Who would have thought that we would be wearing masks everywhere?  And yet here we are, almost one year later, wearing plain or colorful masks over our face.

Wearing a mask and trying to flirt must be difficult.  I thought I would try to help out all of the single people out there.  I mean, it must be tough to find a date when you have to keep a six foot distance from people.  And trying to talk to people with a mask on isn't as easy as it sounds.  When you finally do get within that six foot range, how do you strike up a conversation?

If you are single and in the dating scene, I came up with a list of pick up lines that might help you break the ice.  Now, I haven't tried out any of these lines so I can not guarantee that they will work.  If you do try any of the lines and they work, let me know!

Let's get started:

"I saw you from across the room in that sexy mask and had to come over and say hello."

"That mask shows off your sexy nose cleavage."

"What are you hiding behind that lovely mask of yours?"

"Can I peak behind your mask?"

"I'd like to get you alone and slip off that mask."

"Is that your nose in your mask or are you just happy to see me?"

"Lets go someplace where we can slip out of our masks."

"I think your mask is getting thicker."

"Hey baby, I think you left your mask on my nightstand."

"That mask just oozes sexiness."

I think there is quite a variety of lines that you can use on that list.   Try them  out and see which line works best for you.

I really hope these pick up lines help you.  If you can think of any other pick up lines to add to the list, let me know in the comments!

Vegan Diaries - Vegan Brownies

I thought I would try my hand at making some brownies and use up some mint chocolate chips that I had in the freezer.  

OK.  The truth is, the troops here have been begging for some sweets and I wanted to get them off my back  make them happy and use up the mint chips I had on hand.  I did not mention that these were vegan (shh!  Don't tell my family!).  They didn't ask and were quite happy with a nice sweet treat.  

Here's the recipe:

Vegan Brownies

ingredients:

4 TBSP ground flax seed

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter, melted (vegan)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips (or mint chips)

directions:

In small bowl, mix flax with cold water.  Let sit for 10 minutes so it can thicken.

Oven 350. 

Line 8x8 pan with parchment paper.

Melt butter. 

In large bowl whisk melted butter and sugars.  Add flax eggs and vanilla until combined.

Add flour and cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.  Stir until just combined. 

Bake for 35 minutes. * 

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes.  Let cook for another 30 minutes before serving.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

* brownies will firm up once you let them cool

*if you want more sweetness, adjust to 1 cup sugar and 1 cup brown sugar

You can use chocolate chips instead.  I had the mint chips on hand and thought I would try them.

If you like fudgy brownies, these are for definitely for you.

Enjoy!

My Weird Dog

 It's been awhile since my last weird dog post.  Probably because Curly has been doing some strange things that have almost convinced me that my dog isn't that weird.  

But, this post isn't about Curly, it's about Pippen.

This story starts with RT (of course) and his Costco runs (by the way, the Costco runs could be an entire series).  Today we will just talk about this one incident  Costco run that ended tragically with RT dropping a bottle of mango juice.  The cap flew off the bottle and mango juice spilled on the driveway.  Luckily the bottle was plastic and RT was able to grab the bottle before all of the juice spilled out. (I was wondering why the bottle was in our refrigerator without a cap)

After the incident, every night when RT let the dogs outside before bed, Pippen felt the need to put his mark on the mango juice.  It was bad enough there was no rain to wash the mango juice off the driveway.  Now Pippen had to put his mark there, somehow laying claim to that mango juice.

Eventually the rain (and snow) came and cleaned the driveway and Pippen went back to marking the trees.

Hand Sanitizer

 During this quarantine/pandemic, there has been an increase in the purchase and usage of hand sanitizer.  Due to the concerns of individuals (and lawmakers) about the spread of COVID germs, hand sanitizer has been pretty popular.  In fact, when this whole pandemic started (with the quarantine) hand sanitizer was hard to find because people were hoarding it (along with toilet paper and hand soap).  It really makes me wonder what people were doing prior to this pandemic?  Was hand soap a knick knack or something you have on hand  for show?  Did people wash their hands before all of this hit the fan?

Hand sanitizer has finally made it back on the shelves (I think the market is over saturated).  Stores have hand sanitizing stations where customers can get a glob and rub it into their hands.  We even have some at the registers at work.  Customers can sanitize when they walk into the store, sanitize again at the register and then at the door as they are leaving.  I have witnessed customers enter the store, sanitize their hands three or four times before they enter the store.  I'm not sure if the first two don't count or are just practice runs and the third time is the charm?  This also happens at the register.  I'm beginning to think it has become a nervous habit for some people.  See how many times they can sanitize their hands.  

Again, it really makes me wonder if these people were hand washers before the pandemic. 

Vasilopita Bread - Greek New Year's Bread

 This year I went in search of a new Vasilopita Bread recipe.  I wanted something a little easier.  I also wanted to get a little closer to my Aunt Vi's Vasilopita recipe.  My Aunt Vi made the best Vasilopita.  I know my bread won't be number one, but this recipe definitely takes second place.  Sadly, I don't have my Aunt Vi's recipe, so I took to the internet and found this recipe here.

 

Here's the recipe:

Vasilopita Bread

ingredients:

1 pkg active dry yeast

3/4 cup milk, lukewarm

3 eggs, beaten

1.5 tsp grated orange rind

1/2 cup sugar

4 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground masticha

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg (for glazing)

blanched split almonds or sesame seeds

directions:

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of milk

Add remainder of milk, eggs, orange rind and sugar.

In a warm bowl, add 3 cups flour, salt and spices make a well in the center.

Pour in yeast mixture and stir to blend in flour.  Gradually add warm melted butter.

Mix dough with hands until it comes away from the sides.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding remaining flour as required.

Knead for 10 minutes.

Place ball of dough in bowl that has been greased with butter.

Turn dough over to coat top with butter and cover bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap.

Leave to rise in warm place until doubled.

Punch down and turn onto lightly floured surface.

Knead lightly and shape into a round loaf.

Place onto large greased baking sheet or greased 10" round baking dish

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled (1.5-2 hours).

Glaze with beaten egg and arrange almonds or sesames onto the bread (pressing lightly).

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes until golden brown and cooked when tested.

If bread browns too quickly, place greased parchment paper on top.

Cool on wire rack

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I used the 1/2 cup of sugar and it turned out wonderfully.

I did not add the orange rind and the world did not end.

I used oatmilk instead of milk and the bread turned out great.

I have yet to try it with a flax egg, but I did use vegan butter.

This bread turned out wonderfully.  My family devoured it quickly.  This bread is a sweet bread.  Tastes great plain or with a little butter (regular or vegan).  I did catch a couple of family members eating this bread with dinner.  Of course, my family loves good bread, so, I took this as a compliment.

Let me know if you try making Vasilopita.  I would love to hear how your bread turns out!

Enjoy!

Political Hatred

Every four years there is a Presidential election.  Every four years (most) people vote in the Presidential election.

Sometimes the candidate you voted for wins, while there are years that the candidate you voted for loses.

There are people who are upset or disgruntled because their candidate did not win.  They get into heated discussions with other people (family, friends, etc.).  But, life continues on.

I remember various elections in my lifetime where I was around people not happy with the current president.  

Did they spew out hatred?  No.

Did they say he should die?  No.

Did they say he should be out of office?  Yes.

Did they try to force him out of office?  No.

Did the country cry and complain about it for four years?  No.

The moaning and groaning and crying that has been going on for four years.  The spewing of hate over the President.  The words.  The actions.  It's all being watched and observed.

You might be in public or at home.  Your words and your actions are being watched very closely.  And, no.  It's not the government that is watching you.  It's other people.  Mainly children.  They may be your children or children that happen to be near your public rant.  They might even see your rant on social media.  They see the hate that flows so easily from your mouth.  They see the disgust and anger in your voice and body movements.  And from this, they learn.  They learn hate.  They learn that if they don't get their way, they can complain until they get their preferred result.  They learn disgust.  They learn to express their anger in negative ways.  They learn that it's perfectly acceptable to hate and to publicly show their hate and anger.

It took four years and another election for people to wake up and proclaim that this new president is going to "heal the country through science, hope and love."   That's a pretty tall order for any one person to fulfill.  

Don't get me wrong.  One person can change the world.  But, that one person is you.  Don't rely on someone else to make the changes.   The healing and change has to start with each individual.  You have to decide that you will react with kindness and love.  That you will not spew hatred at others.  And, most importantly, you have to be willing to change.  

Happy New Year!

 Well, we survived 2020!  It's time to look forward to 2021!

I don't know about you, but, I think I will hold off on buying a planner for this year.  

I do know that I will definitely be celebrating by making a big batch of Hoppin' John.  Eating black eyed peas on New Years Day is supposed to bring luck in the new year.  If you are in need of a vegetarian Hoppin' John recipe, click here.  

I also enjoy making a Greek sweet bread called, Vasilopita.  The tradition is as follows.  When the clock strikes midnight, the lights are turned off and then turned on again to mark the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year.  The Vasilopita is cut into slices.  Inside the Vasilopita there is a hidden gold coin.  The custom is, whoever finds the gold coin in their slice of bread will have good luck for the whole year.   Click here for the recipe.  

How do you start of your New Year?  

Do you do anything special?