Category Discover

How 6 Million People Read My Blog Post!

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Did it work? Did I catch your attention with the 6 Million readers?

I saw an article on the art of blog writing. It mentioned that it helps to use a “number” in the title. Personally, I always steer clear of posts that say, “3 Best Gluten Free Breads,” or “10 Worst TV Shows,” etc. I used to get sucked into those, then realized they were full of “fluff.” WHY, because they got the memo that adding a number to their title would get you readers/followers, so a bit boring, lots of copy cat articles.

I sold advertising for magazines years ago. We had certain issues that used the “number technique.” It did work. Our February Wedding issue focused on the 10 Best Wedding Planners, June would be the 20 Best Dentists, September focused on the 5 Best Senior Centers… You get the idea.

It helped sell advertising. Think about it, were these companies really the BEST or were they the ones willing to pay high advertising rates? This is when I realized, there are a lot of “fake” articles out there.

So, if you want to be an influencer, then you need to write in a certain way.

If, you are like me, and write for enjoyment. Then you write your post, get your coffee, sit back and see who comes. If no one comes, tweak things a bit, then see / hope your numbers soar.

Have fun writing!

Food: Eating berries are good for us, but…

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Ok, I hope I don’t make too many people cringe by saying this, but every time I eat a blackberry, they remind of ants. YES, they look like a group of ants in my mind.

Blackberries are a strange fruit, so many little black balls that pop in your mouth. We had a blackberry tree where I grew up. It was glorious to pick blackberries daily and just munch on them non-stop, fingers turning purple. Of course, there was a mad dash to get to the tree first before siblings / friends ate them.

You probably won’t look at blackberries the same now.

I’m off to eat some more…

Below ZERO Temps… What do YOU do?

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This past week has been cold, below zero temps the other day. It’s not possible to walk, so I had to find “something” to do.

Joann Fabric had a huge yarn sale. I decided, time to knit a blanket. It’s coming along. I feel a bit like a granny. Since it will be big, it might take until Fall to complete, depends on how much time I commit to it.

While knitting, I’ve been watching Top Chef on Netflix. I didn’t know that show was still on. As they race against the clock competing, it keeps me going. Keep knitting – one more row, one more row!

Right now, I have dark grey and this light blue color. I’m trying to decide, stay with those two colors only or add this purple violet color. I’m always drawn to bright colors versus earth tones.

I’m amused when I go on a train or bus and see people knitting/crocheting. It does take time, we have to use every minute to get the project done!

Do you have a winter project?

It’s official, today is Valentine’s Day!

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My daughter sent me this, it’s cute. I’ve also received messages from family, friends, vendors (those are sweet) just sending wishes for a heart filled day! I think this day is about love and kindness.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day and a wonderful weekend!

Valentine’s Day… Almost here!

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I know everything is about the Super Bowl right now, but Valentine’s Day is next week. I was at Costco and saw these ravioli hearts. I loved them. They cook in 4 minutes, a lovely dinner ready so fast. PERFECT!

It’s not all about chocolates and roses, right. Look at these cute macarons.

So, while you are out shopping for Super Bowl snacks, you might want to add a Valentine purchase to your cart. Better to be ready, waiting for the last minute, it’s never a good idea.

Enjoy the weekend!

A bit of humor when we’re sick.

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I’m a bit under the weather, it happens. Nowadays, if a friend sends a message, it’s always in a Text or Email.

Guess what though, this friend took time to send a card. It was so funny, it lifted my spirits.

So, here’s to taking time to send a greeting card to someone, I liked Becca Cahan’s humor. I’d like to see what other cards she’s made. Thoughtfulness does make a difference!

Humorous storage bins…

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I was at Joann Fabrics recently. They have so many discounts on everything in the store. As I went through the isles, I came across these adorable storage bins. Quite a few of them. Take a look.

They are so amusing. Too bad I don’t need one, but I did like that orange fox a lot.

A few more you might enjoy.

We do need humor in our lives and walking by one of these baskets every day, would give me pause and that feeling that I should “slow down” enjoy life more.

Have a great weekend filled with humor!

Snow ART — Blink and you’ll miss it!

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The other day it was snowing. My daughter and I went walking and as we were talking, she suddenly said, “Look, Mickey Mouse.” We looked more closely and laughed, “YES, it sure looked like Mickey!!”

She was on a roll. As we walked, she kept noticing more snow art, it was so amusing. You can see from above, the left photo, if we blinked, we would not have seen Mickey, same with the other funny figures. We saw the figures at a distance, I zoomed in on them.

We “did” take the liberty of adding to some of the art, ie the snail, we added an antenna, the fish skeleton, we added the bones, that balloon, we added the string… but the balloon, you can see from left photo using our imagination, it was there… the added string, made it believable to “non-snow art-believers.”

Finally, for the GRAND FINALE, before we started to shovel snow… we saw this SMILEY FACE.

Ok… with this one… the EYES were THERE… my daughter added the mouth, but COVER the mouth and you can see how the EYES were talking to us in a “catch me if you dare,” kind of look.

What a fun walk. So, what snow art have you seen lately?

Baking – Madeleine attempts…

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January is the perfect time to bake. For Christmas, my daughter gave me a madeleine pan. I was excited to make them. Sadly, after two failed batches, I’ve given up, not forever, but for now.

If you know madeleines, you can tell from the photo that they aren’t right. I can hear the Chef’s critique now as he/she bangs the madeleine on the table and breaks it in half. Good, you got the hump, but they didn’t rise properly, too dense and too brown on the edges, turn the heat down. TRY AGAIN!

There are so many recipes out there, it was hard to choose one. For the first batch, I went with Martha Stewart’s recipe. As madeleines are tricky, I thought Martha’s recipe would be full proof. Maybe it is, but not for me, I got a fail!

I then tried “another” recipe. I don’t remember which one, I randomly chose one. Again, somewhat similar to this batch. This makes me think that “maybe” I’m not whipping the eggs/sugar enough. BUT I feel PROUD of myself for getting the hump. That’s a big deal with a madeleines. You have to have the hump!

If you haven’t tasted a madeleine. they are a nice cookie type cake. There is debate on what they are called. They are like individual cookies; however, the texture is clearly a cake.

So, stay tuned. I am determined to get them right. Maybe I’ll try again next week. It’s just painful in this tough economy (groceries so expensive) to waste ingredients, but baking takes practice.

Cheers to getting it right the NEXT time!

2025 New Year — 10 Year Blog Anniversary!

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Well, I’ve done it! I’ve hit 10 years of Blogging.

When I told my daughters, it’s been ten years and I’ve decided to change my little bird photo. They said in unison, “Go Mama, rebranding your Blog.”

I didn’t think of it that way, but they’re right. Big corporations are constantly rebranding. I still sniffle that Aunt Jemima is gone, replaced with Pearl Milling Company brand name. Sometimes we miss the old brand. New is not always better.

Rebranding my Blog meant the hunt was on for a NEW animal photo / background color. As I went through my photos, I plugged them in to see how they looked. There were runners-up!

Each one special in a different way. I do like that sheep on the top right. Doesn’t he speak to diversity and uniqueness? The owl was amusing, as well as the other sheep.

After careful consideration, days of this or that, I decided on the eagle. Yes, he’s the WINNER.

So, here’s to 2025, embracing change and focusing on new challenges.

Cheers!