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
