Tea

 I have discovered a really strong Cinnamon tea from Adagio Teas.  Hot Cinnamon tea is wonderful to sip during the chilly months.

Bring on Fall and Winter.  I'm ready!

Gesundheit

 We survived a quarantine.  We survived a pandemic.  We survived wearing masks everywhere.

During the entire mask phase, I was (and still am) afraid to sneeze in public.  I'm sure other people felt the same way.  I mean, sniffle, cough or sneeze and people give you a dirty look.  It doesn't matter that you are wearing a mask that is covering the germs.

I think my sternutaphobia (fear of sneezing) is making me have to sneeze.  The fear of sneezing into my mask might be worse than the actual fear of the sneeze itself.

I know that my sneezes are not related to COVID.  Dust, allergies and the Good Ol' Sun can bring on a sneeze for me.  It also wouldn't be so bad if my sneezes weren't so LOUD!!  (Visit The LOUD Sneeze for more information)

How do you feel about sneezing or coughing in public?

Grocery Store Music

 Have you noticed that the music they play in stores now is basically songs from the 80's?  There is nothing like doing a little grocery shopping to the tune of "Hungry Like the Wolf."  Which, when you think about it, it's perfect because I'm hungry and I have to buy some food!

Growing up the music played in stores was (I thought) just that, plain music.  Music without words.  Happy music is being played, but, not too fast where it will rush you out of the store.  The music is to get you to stay in the store longer and, hopefully, spend more money.  Using 80's music must be an appeal to a different generation, Generation X  (Bye, bye Boomers!).

I'm not sure if the songs that are being played are to get you to buy certain foods or are challenging you to push away from the cart and "Bust a Move"  do your best 80's inspired dance to the song.

I mean, play, "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and you remember that you signed up for that bake sale and need some flour and sugar.  

A little Michael Jackson's, "Beat It" and you remember to pick up some eggs.

Throw in "We Got the Beat," by the Go-Gos and you're asking for some 80's pop dancing or a friendly reminder to buy some beets.

"Red, Red Wine" by UB40 gives you a little nudge to pick up a bottle (or three) to go with Sunday's dinner.

Then "Push It" (Salt n Pepa) real good on up to the register.

The next time you are grocery shopping in store, stop and  "Walk Like an Egyptian"  listen to the background music.  Is the music, "Nasty?"  Or, does it make you want to stay in the store, "All Night Long?" 

Success!

I have unleashed my inner Martha Stewart!  I am proud to announce that I have successfully learned how to fold a fitted sheet.  It only took one try.  If you too would like to master the art of fitted sheet folding, you can check out YouTube for  some "How To" videos.  I can now check this one off my bucket list.  

Next up....napkin folding.

Feel The Burn

 My garden has been going a little crazy these last days of summer.  Well, mainly the peppers.  

RT will tell you how much he enjoys poblano peppers.  We added one more plant this year and now have a total of three poblano plants in our garden.  We add these peppers to salsa and various dishes.  When there is an excess (which there usually is) I chop them and freeze them so they can be used in future recipes.  The only problem I run into is a bad burning sensation on my hands.   This isn't anything new for me.  I have the same experience when chopping jalapenos.  (Can you tell that I am the main pepper chopper in the house?)  I do have to remind myself not to touch any body parts.  

Yesterday, after chopping a dozen or so poblano peppers, my hand was burning.  I thought I would try one of the home remedies online to lessen the burn.  I was quite surprised that it worked.  

If you ever find yourself in this situation after chopping dozens of peppers, put some rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball and wipe down your hand(s).  This removes the oils from the skin.  (do not soak your skin in the rubbing alcohol)  Then wash your hands using dish detergent.

A Scary Journey Inside My Life

 It all started with that first post.  You can read it here.

Today marks 10 long  frightening  scary  years for A Scary Journey Inside My Life.  Honestly, I didn't think it would last a year.  I told you early on that this journey was going to be scary.  I think I have made good on that promise.    

A few things have changed since that original post.  

My children are 10 years older

Newton is no longer with us

We don't sell security cameras 

We now have a weird dog named Pippen

Some things have stayed the same:

Still married to RT (poor lucky guy)

Still live in Illinois (hopefully my days in this state are numbered...)

My brain is still living in Zihuatanejo

There are lots of inner workings in my brain, many gears going and some at the same time.  And of course, there is a lot going on in my life.

Oh, yea, and, My Life is still scary.

Who knew that my family would provide so much entertainment many stories?

You can thank RT for giving me that push to start this blog.  Little does he know, he has provided quite a few stories.  (No, he still isn't allowed to read the posts)

If you have been here since the beginning, you are a saint   I'm sorry   God Bless You!  thank you for putting up with me and my craziness all of these years.  If you have just joined the journey,  RUN   hang on tight.  This crazy  scary ride is not over yet!

Who is in for another 10???!  

Cheers!

Rice Krispy Treats

 As I was cleaning out my pantry I noticed that I had a million  several bags of marshmallows.  OK.  Four bags, to be exact.  

Now, I know what you are thinking.  "Why would she have so many bags of marshmallows?"  I honestly don't have a real good answer for you.

I purchased marshmallows for  Girl Scout meetings.  We have to meet outdoors and we always serve hot chocolate.  Does that require four bags of marshmallows for six girls?  Probably not.

An intervention was needed.  I decided that we would use them to make Rice Krispy Treats.  

Now for the problem.

In that sentence I used the word "we" which, to me, translates to "Bella."  

Give me a recipe and I can probably make it.  Ask me to make Rice Krispy Treats and, well, chaos ensues.  Apparently I was quite entertaining during the entire treat making process

I followed the recipe on the box and the treats did not set.  They were edible but they turned out a little chewier than normal Rice Krispy treats.  My family has been making fun of me so I am determined to master the art of the Rice Krispy Treat.  

I might need to buy some more marshmallows.

Things To Do at 4am

 I thought I would make a little list of things that you can do at 4 am.   You know, in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you are awake at 4am and don't have a clue what you could or should be doing at that time.

Here we go:

Sleep

Think about sleep

Try to sleep

Make a mental grocery list

Sleep

Write a blog post in your head

Try to sleep

Sleep

Make a lunch for your child*

Sleep

Sleep

Try to sleep

Sleep

I hope this list helps.

*So, I promised the child that I would make her a lunch for school.  She normally makes her own lunch but was having a rough evening.  I, of course, forgot to make the lunch.  Luckily I remembered at 4am.  I was about to roll over and sleep and hope that I wake up at 6 to make the lunch but realized that, with my luck, I would probably sleep through that time and miss my opportunity, resulting in tears  a bad day.  You will be happy to know that I made an awesome lunch.  Oh yea, and I was wide awake after my lunch making excursion.

Have a Great Day Today

 I went on my morning walk today and received the best encouraging words.  I passed by a group of young kids on a trampoline.  I think it was an older sister with her two younger brothers.  As soon as I walked by, the girl stands up and says, "Good Morning, Ma'am.  I hope you have a great day today."  I thanked her and wished her the same happiness for the day.  Nothing like some upbeat, happy and encouraging words in the morning.

I thought I would spread the love and say, I hope you have a great day today!

National Ampersand Day

 Did you know that the ampersand was the last letter of the alphabet?

The ampersand is a combination of the letters e and t and means and in Latin

The plus sign is actually an ampersand.

It's great to use when taking notes.

It has also been used in decor, art and company logos.  

Want to impress friends with your knowledge of ampersands?  Click here and check out amperart.com and get some more fun facts about the ampersand.

I always found it difficult to draw the typical ampersand and opted for the plus sign.

How to celebrate today?

Practice drawing/writing ampersands today.

Use lots of ampersands today.

Send your friends who have the letters 'and' in their name a note.  For example, &rew, &rea, Alex&er.  You get the idea.

Post your best ampersand on social media with #nationalampersandday 

National Another Look Unlimited Day

 The day after Labor Day is known as National Another Look Unlimited Day.  This day is set aside to look around your house and purge things that you have accumulated.  Think of it as a Fall cleaning.  

It's time to go through the attic, garage, basement and closets and get rid of things that you don't need anymore.  Tidy up the items that you decide to keep and put them to use.  

If the items you are purging are useable, consider donating them so someone else can give them a new life and purpose.

I will be doing my part by cleaning out my garage and basement from the items that somehow made it into our house (a special thanks to my relatives).

How will you be participating today?