Polar Express B&W photo & #Hodgepodge Q&A

Welcome Kittens & Dawgs! Keeping things simple because I’m in low-key, no stress mode with it being the Christmas season am sharing another view of the Polar Express from our last year’s Bryson City, North Carolina day trip.

I’m not going to lie to you the power lines in this photo freak me out but there’s nothing I can do about it if an electric company is inconsiderate in where it places its utilities. Geez, the nerve of some people, right? To off-set the ugliness I converted my photo to B&W  and added a vignette giving it a vintage appeal with Pixelmator.  What do you think?

Next is my Wednesday Hodgepodge segment hosted by Joyce. This is an excellent way to get to know your fellow blogger and you’re invited to play alone.

1. ‘Hurry less, worry less’…what’s your strategy for making that happen this holiday season? How’s it going so far? Every year keeps getting easier, simpler with the holidays. We were never bought a lot for our kids, ourselves, or others.  That’s not the reason for the season. Dinner prep I do in stages, tackling a dish or dessert every day and same goes for decorating. This not only cuts the stress but allows me to enjoy the Christmas season more fuller. I hope the 2018 holiday season is a wee bit more hectic in a good way, though.  My prayer is in the coming new year that we’ll be in a new home with plenty of room to have the whole family over all at once.  I think I’d be okay with that kind of hurry and worry because it’ll be a good kind of both. Just remind me of that, though. 🙂

2. Do you have a list of to-dos that need accomplishing in order to prepare your home and/or property for the winter season? What are some of the jobs on your list? Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone to accomplish these tasks?  Definitely. Actually, I print off a blank calender sheet to pencil in daily activities and as I get them done, then I cross them off. Sometimes, if I get ahead of schedule then I move on to the next task. We are DIYers unless it’s a job out of league.

3. According to dietitians surveyed, the most popular health foods for 2018 will be turmeric, sprouted foods (bean sprouts, breads with sprouted grains, etc), veggies in place of grains, dairy-free milk, and pulses (lentils, chickpeas, etc).  What’s the first thought that ran through your head when you read this list? Of the foods listed which one might you add to your regular diet? Also, can milk really be dairy free? Is it still milk?  Honestly, none of this does anything for me. I eat what I want because it’s good for me and I already like it.  I already drink dairy-free milk, actually I have almond milk for my cereal since I’m lactose intolerant.  I’ll use it to make hot chocolate, too. DH still drinks milk. I have no problem with folks drinking dairy if that’s what they like.  I’ve wondered the same about diary-free milk, too. I’ll be eager to see what others answer your question.

4. The Pantone Color of the Year for 2018 is Ultra Violet. According to the Pantone site, ‘Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking pointing us to the future.’ What say you? Do you like the color purple? Did you see the movie or read the book-ha!?  Is purple a color you wear often? Describe for us one purple item in your home without using the word purple.  If you were in charge of such things what color would you select for 2018?  I do like the color purple. In fact for years it was my favorite color but in the last 10 years it got replaced with light pink. There’s a book/movie called “Purple”? I guess that answers that quesiton. I do wear purple a little. I have a polar fleece hoodie and a turtle neck sweater. Describing the one item in my home that’s purple…I have two that sit in its place when not in use, both made of wax, do you know what they are? I have no clue what color I’d select for the new year. I don’t think about these sorts of things and I’m not sure how important it is to me but I know various colors evoke different feelings. I’m a huge fan of colorful stuff, too. It usually makes me giddy. I’ll just leave this up to the “experts”.

5. Favorite book read this year? Sorry, my reading is limited to blogs and internet research. I haven’t read a book in years…really!

6.  Insert your own random thought here.  Over the weekend, we watched a delightful Christmas flick on Amazon Prime featuring Jimmy Durante, A Christmas Wish (In Color) (1950 ). This is a delightful film and Durante is hilarious!  If you haven’t seen it, then I invite you to check it out on Amazon Prime. Here it is in B&W on YouTube.

Do you like shortbread cookies? We do. I baked a small batch last week using a recipe I borrowed from my MIL years ago found in her vintage Betty Crocker cookbook. It’s an easy peasy recipe with only three ingredients!

One more piece of random, as I mentioned above, the power lines in the photo drive me crazy. So, I decided to process the B&W convert with my iPad app DistressedFX. I didn’t take note of the filters I used but liked the old vintage charm it produced.

Have a good day and hop back tomorrow for a new Christmas album share! X💋X💋, Cathy

 

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32 comments

    1. Claire,

      I’m not sure if you misread or it’s just a typeo but your comment “polka express” cracked me up. lol Thanks for the laughs, my friends. I have not riden the Polar Express but hope to one day…maybe when it’s warmer. 🙂

    1. Steve,

      You wanted me to save you the cookies. I thought you said to slay those cookies and I put them away fast! lol I guess I’ll have to bake some more. 😀

  3. Your pictures are just what i would think of if i wanted to take a train to the North Pole.

    Purple is my favorite, i’m going to stock up on purple items this year for when they become scarce!

  4. I’m so glad I stopped by. I loved the movie you posted. I watched the whole thing… it was just the greatest! Thanks for sharing! hugs & Merry Christmas. hugs

    1. Marie,

      That’s wonderful! It’s such a delightfully fun movie. I believe it’s the only Jimmy Durante film I recall watching, other than Frosting the Snowman, featuring him. He was such a talented man, wasn’t he? {{hugs}}

    1. Lydia,

      I hadn’t really thought about until I read your comment but I think B&W removes that modernization feel from an image creating less distraction for the eye to enjoy the photo. Thanks for visiting and Merry Christmas to you! 😉

    1. Thanks, Morgan! I’m happy that you like it. Power lines drive me nuts! They always manage to find a way into my photographs. I’m glad for your visit, now I’m off to see you! 😉

  7. I would love to ride on that train. I love trains.

    I ate some of those cookies with my coffee. Delicious.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday, Cathy. ♥

    1. Kathe,

      It is a tasty recipe and I’m tempted to make another batch but…I want to make sugar cookies, too. I could do both, couldn’t I? DH won’t complain. 🙂

  12. Thank you for the recipe, it looks good. I hope I have time to try it before Christmas, if not, I will right after.

  13. Hi, Cathy!

    Your final tweaking of the Polar Express image shown at the end of your post did the trick. The picture looks like it was ripped from a history book. Good going!

    I believe people who get carried away with decorating and buying things for Christmas are not demonstrating holiday spirit. Consciously or subconsciously they are trying to surpass their friends and neighbors. As you reminded us, that isn’t what Christmas is all about. You can foster Christmas spirit with a few modest decorating touches and a few meaningful gifts, ideally homemade items, and have more time left over to enjoy yourself and your family.

    Like you I have been drinking almond milk in place of cow’s milk the past few years. I pour it over my corn flakes. I like to eat healthy and so all of the suggested food items mentioned in #3 appeal to me.

    Purple and green have always been my two favorite “power” colors. They inspire and motivate me.

    I never watched The Great Rupert but scanned through the film it just now and immediately recognized Terry Moore, the actress I came to know as a child when I saw her in the 1949 movie Mighty Joe Young in which she starred with a giant gorilla much like King Kong. At one time Terry was married to Howard Hughes. She is still alive and will turn 89 a few weeks from now. I was wondering if you are watching the Amazon original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It is set in the late 50s and co-stars Tony Shalhoub, the fine character actor who played Monk. Mrs. Shady and I are eager to watch it.

    Thank you, dear friend Cathy!

    1. Tom,

      I agree the final edit does make my photo look like it came out of an old newspaper. Another point agree on is people do carry Christmas extravaganza too far. Folks need to step back and enjoy the spirit, instead of being swept away by it. I like eating healty,too. I would like to do more with lentils. We don’t eat them enough and they are so good. I make a sausage and lentil soup that’s good. It’s like Carrabba’s lentil & sausage soup if you’ve had it. Yum, good! DH mentioned Terry Moore was married to Howard Hughes. At first I thought he said Hugh Hefner. Same initials, right? You can imagine what I found when I Googled that connection. I discovered Terry was a bit of naughty girl in the 80s. 🙂 Mind ya, she looked fabulous for 55. I would’ve not guessed her age had I not read up on her a bit. Amazing! No, we haven’t watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Are y’all watching it? If so, let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by this morning!

  15. Thanks for the link to A Christmas Wish. The old movies – the classics – are always enjoyable to watch. That’s a good ideas to print off a blank calendar for the month and put the “to do” items on it. Hope you have a great week!

    1. Ann,

      I get on a kick to watch the old B&W films periodically and this season, we’ve watched three oldies. This one was by far the best. These movies are so wholesome and fun. 🙂

    1. Deb,

      I’m so glad you’re taking a less hurried path, including a little downtime with me this morning. I think we all need to slow down more because life is too short to watch it go by in a zip. I’ll see ya soon!

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