I haven’t tried the recipes in here yet, but I’ll keep you posted as to whether or not this book provided the one that’s key to happiness!

You know, this book was enjoyable!  For what it was.

It was a romance novel dressed up in a contemporary fiction book jacket to fool the potential reader into buying it.  Not that the romance genre is a bad one…I have read my fair share over the course of my life and throw one in here and again when I am just looking for something light and spicy.  It’s just that sometimes you’re in the market for a romance and sometimes you’re looking for a book with a little more substance.

And why I crave romances at the beach in summer and books of depth, classics, and nonfiction in the cold weather is an enigma.  But it is in my bones nonetheless!

A book about a female chef who finally gets to run her own kitchen, the ghosts of an accident from her past and the man who’s love will help to heal her.  Great ingredients for a successful recipe of a book; strong women, food, ghosts, strong men bent to get the woman!

Timing of this particular read may not have been idyllic,  but I will absolutely be on the lookout for Barbara O’Neal’s other works of fiction to devour on those hot summer days when my toes are buried in the sand!

 

One day you just wake up and there it is…the dreaded female mustache.  When did that get there?  Where did that come from?  How do I get that thing off of my face???

Probably when you first start to notice it, it may be faint and/or really thin.  But over time, it will start to “fill” in.  Doesn’t that sound atrocious?!

When I first gasped in the mirror, I knew that I had to take immediate action.  I was not going to let this thing take over my face.  The battle was on.

I started with Jolen bleach.

Comes in a box for about 6 bucks, and you figure out how to lighten your mustache hairs to a blond color.  You do a little chemistry project in your bathroom, mixing one strong smelling chemical with another to form a paste.  Then you smear the paste onto “the affected area” and let it sit there for 8 minutes.  Voilà!  Lighter hairs.  Lasts about 3 weeks, max.  But a great starter kit, nonetheless.  Not painful, effective, and not too inconvenient.

Not yet, anyways.

Then you get a real life.  That doesn’t mean its better.  It’s just a reality check.  Gone are the days of going out till 4 am and sleeping till noon.  Gone are the endless hours primping in the bathroom to get ready for a big night out.  Gone are the freedoms.  Gone are the … I’ll stop there.  Now, you’ve got a husband and a house and throw kids into the mix.  8-10 minutes extra minutes in the bathroom is the equivalent to wishing that you looked like you did before you had kids. Not. Going. To. Happen.

So, you may decide to have it waxed.  Yup, ouch.  Ouch the first time and don’t listen to anyone. ouch every time.  But, oh so much more effective than bleach.  And time savings?  Mucho.  Rip.  Rip.  Done.  If you go to a salon to have them do it, it may cost you more time.  But if you go there already to have your hair or nails done, squeeze it in and the time will be minimal.

But, if you have neither the extra time nor extra cash to have someone take care of it for you, or if you’re just to embarrassed to face anyone with the Wooly Bear creeping on your upper lip, consider the at-home wax kit.

It costs 5 bucks, can be purchased slyly (Oh this?  Yeah, it’s for my sister.  She’s got really dark hair…), can be done anytime you can stomach it and takes about 30 seconds to do.

The next time you see a bit of stubble trying to rear their ugly heads, you’re armed with the “Rippah”.  Ouch.  But really, the alternative is worse.  Nobody wants to be the bearded lady at the carnival…

 

Keep a grocery list running all week.  Keep it in a spot in the kitchen that you can easily access, you and your loved ones so that they can add what they need/want.

This is so easy to do and brilliant.

So many times I have run out of nutmeg during the middle of the week, forgotten about it by Saturday when I do groceries because it’s not a “staple” and been frustrated when I go to reach for some to make my banana bread and realize it’s not there!

With a running grocery list, I can add to it the moment I run out of an item.  So ideally, no more forgetting!  (Notice I said “ideally”.  That’s because I still forget to add things to the list once in a while.  Or inevitably, I won’t be the last to use an item and whoever does may forget!)

I also find that by starting my list at the beginning of the week, I have the time to put each item on the list in order that they appear in the store.

So, when I first walk into my grocery store, I walk into the produce section.  Therefore, I start with produce at the top of my list.  Then add meats, dry goods, breads, and dairy.

It keeps me organized and efficient at home and organized and saves me time at the store!

Oooooooo these are yummy!  And a favorite amongst the young ‘uns.  Jelly and cinnamon-sugar for breakfast?  Mind blowing.

Super-easy to make.  You will need 3 things.

1. Your favorite french toast recipe. ( In case you can’t find yours… give this one a try!)
2. Your favorite Jelly. (Wanna a homemade one?)
3. A cinnamon-sugar combo. (See below…)

And, magic.  That’s what will transpire.

Ok, let the sweet adventure begin!

Grab about 6-8 pieces of day-old bread.

Cut off the crusts.  (See why kids dig it?!)

Flatten with a rolling pin.  Really flatten it.

Add a line of your favorite jelly across the middle of the bread.

Roll it up, tightly…

Dip it on all sides in your french toast batter, and saute over medium heat in a skillet until cooked on all sides.

Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to 1/2 cup of sugar and stir.

 

Roll the french toast bundles in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  And sit back and watch the show!

Bon Appétit, Ma Chérie!

 

That’s it!  I’ve had it!

There is nothing more frustrating than going to get a piece of aluminum foil out of its box and having the roll dump out of the box and onto the floor and unravel itself. Aaaaugh!

It never goes back in the same way and inevitably I cut myself on that sharp strip on the box.

Not anymore.  I have decided to exact control over this situation in my life.  This one being one of the few that I can control!

Actually, I didn’t decide anything at all.  I just learned, after years and years of buying these boxes of foil, parchment, plastic wrap, etc that there is a way to keep the roll from moving!

Let me fill you  in…

Here is a typical box of parchment paper.

Here is what I’ve missed out on for eons.  There is a secret, maybe not a secret to anyone else, “tab” on both sides of the box that you push in.  That’s it.  Nothing else.  Nothing fancy.  Just a tab that you push in.

And the miracle that this tab performs?  You got it.  It wedges itself into the hole on the side of the roll of parchment paper and MAGIC, the roll doesn’t ever escape from teh box again.  Ever.

Simple pleasures.  They make my world go round.