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Gummi Bears… Haribo is everywhere!

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Lately, the Haribo gummi bears keep coming in my path. Why?

When I was in Munich in December, I saw the store. Then I was downtown Chicago standing in the check out line and I saw the Haribo bear display. Such a great marketing idea.

My daughter really likes the Happy Cola sour gummies. They are hard to find, so when we were in Germany and happened to walk by the store, of course, we went in. They didn’t have the sour ones. However, a friend was in Copenhagen, he found the sour ones and brought them back to Chicago. A good man!

Finally, I was at the Goodman Theatre to see a show, we walked out at Intermission and what do we see… HARIBO gummies again. At the theatre??

I haven’t eaten Haribo gummies in years.

What SIGN is this???

P.S. I should have used Canva to make illustration look fancy. Still learning, PIC COLLAGE was faster…

Happy Easter!

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Easter is early this year. The cookies in the photo are from “An Italian in my Kitchen.” I’ve been following Rosemary Molley, a Canadian, who married an Italian and has been living in Italy for over 25 years. On her website, she shares so many wonderful recipes she learned from her mother/n/law and just living in Italy.

Here’s a screen shot from her website: www.anitalianinmykitchen.com

She has great cookbooks too.

For Easter, she has a variety of breads, cakes, cookies that you can try out. If you are looking for a good Italian recipe, you’ll find so many great ideas. I like her soups, stews, pasta, pizza and dessert dishes. In fact, there is a lemon mousse I want to try.

Wishing those of you who celebrate this holiday a “HAPPY EASTER!”

Having fun with Canva!

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I was playing around with Canva. Right now, when I look at this image, it’s sparkling. However, when I press publish, I’m not sure if the sparkles will remain. At any rate, it’s nice to try new programs.

For those of you not familiar with Canva, it’s a free graphic design tool allowing you to create graphics for presentations, social media, logos, etc. There is a bit of a learning curve, for me anyhow. I’ve worked a little bit in Photoshop, so I can see it is somewhat similar, just need to get up to speed on how to use the different tools on the dashboard.

What new programs have you learned lately?

German hiking socks…

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Last year, I was on the hunt for good quality socks. Lately, all I see in the American stores are fuzzy socks. I’m not sure why the socks have become ultra plush, like the blankets they make now. They feel soft, but no weight, no wool, or quality to them.

Recently, I was in Germany in a department store. I happened to walk through the sports department. I saw these FALKE (German since 1895) socks, merino wool blend. I immediately liked the feel of them. They felt like normal old fashioned socks. They even had an added cushion at the ball of the foot. They were a bit pricey, but worth it. They wash well, I’ve already washed them. I don’t put them in the dryer.

Good marketing – Style (TK2) and size on the bottom of the foot. Brilliant!

They only had one pair of women’s socks in my size, so the top photo with blue socks is men’s size. I decided to give them a go. You see they fit perfectly. The women’s socks were girly in color.

I can wear these FALKE socks for walking and hiking. An added bonus, they tell you what foot to put the sock on Left/Right. One day, I didn’t pay attention. I put the socks on the wrong feet. My daughters were traveling with me. I said, “Why do these socks feel so strange?”

One of my daughters looked down and said, “Mama, you have them on the wrong feet. Follow directions!”We all laughed. A new concept, having to think when you put your socks on.

A major win with FALKE!

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

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Happy St Patrick’s Day! I’m prepared. Recently, I was at Notre Dame University and picked up this shirt. Go Irish! Got to wear some green this weekend.

Then in yearly tradition, the Chicago Plumbers Union will dye the Chicago River green on Saturday. I always think of the “The Wizard of Oz” and their Emerald City when I see how green the river gets. It’s BEAUTIFUL!

We really get excited to see them dye the river. YouTube has some videos, you can see the process. There are a lot of Irish folks in Chicago, so it’s a lot of fun. I can’t say that corned beef and cabbage is my favorite meal, but once a year, OK. Lots of Irish beer. Don’t forget to wear some green.

My daughter lived in Ireland for six years. She said that St Patrick’s Day is their biggest holiday.

It’s time to watch “The Quiet Man.” Love that movie.

Have a great weekend. Happy St Patrick’s Day! ☘️

Dreams… What do you remember?

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Do you remember your dreams? They say we all dream, but I “rarely” remember anything. Although, every once in a while, I wake up humming / singing a song. So, I must have dreamt something, right.

This AM, I woke up singing Johnny Cash’s song, “Ring of Fire.” NOW, what was that about? I have been in a country music mood lately. I guess it’s time to listen to his music. My Dad used to blast “A Girl Named Sue” when he was in the Johnny Cash mood.

Well… I was going to share these two songs with you, but today YouTube and WP are not cooperating. When I do a paste for the song, I get a “not supported” message from WP. Trying to sort that out…

If you haven’t listened to Johnny Cash, visit his videos on YouTube.

This might make you chuckle. A few months ago, I woke up singing, “Santa Lucia.” Now, who knows what my mind was thinking THAT night!!

Paintings… sisters…

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Recently, I saw these two paintings. I wasn’t looking for paintings, but they caught my attention, because I have two daughters. I thought they depicted their personalities.

The elephants when they are stressed. The giraffes when they are trying to decide what to do.

I find life amusing.

At any given moment in life, we can see, hear, smell something and a vision comes to us or we are transported back in time. For example, recently, I smelled some lilacs and I was brought back to my childhood when they were in bloom.

Have you had a recent memory come to you after seeing “something?”

Pop-Tarts Inventor… William “Bill” Post, passes at 96

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Did you know that Pop-Tarts were created in 1963? They were originally called, “Fruit Scones.” This name didn’t seem to fit, so they were renamed, “Pop-Tarts” after the Pop culture at the time. However, I had a funny thought, “POP-out-of-the-toaster” might have played into the name too.

William “Bill” Post, who invented Pop-Tarts 60 years ago, passed away at 96 in Grand Rapids, Michigan on February 10, 2024. Here’s where it gets tricky. News articles say that Post invented Pop-Tarts, but when I went to the Pop-Tarts website, it doesn’t mention his name at all. That’s sad, right.

Well, Netflix is coming out with a film on May 3rd, “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story” directed by and starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld. This has to be good with Seinfeld. I look forward to the film to better understand “who” invented the Pop-Tart!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Love can be found. I saw this telephone booth in Nashville. Yes, you can try to find a cowboy! I didn’t try to call the number. I wonder if it worked. I’m sure they’d say something amusing, right.

A lady was dressed all in pink. She was with her husband, I saw her by the booth. I asked if she wanted a picture with her husband. She said, “YES,” it was her birthday. So, I took the picture. THEN she pulled me aside. She whispered, “You take picture of me alone, no husband.” 

Laughing, “Ok,” I said.

She was hamming it up for the camera. This pose, that pose. She must have been in her 50s. As I was taking photos, I told her it would be fun if she pretended she was making a phone call. She picked up the phone, more poses. It was fun being the photographer.

Whether you have someone or not, you can still have a heartfelt day! 💕

Wishing you ALL a HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!