Messing about with empathy
Forgotten food that ends up at the back of the pantry and never gets used really bothers me. I go grocery shopping all the time, and we eat most of the new stuff I buy, which means the stuff in the back languishes. Occasionally I get an urge to finally eat this food. In the…
Today is National Christmas Card Day. If you send Christmas cards, either by snail mail or email, the hardest part can be writing the card’s heartfelt message. This article by Good Housekeeping has a lot of great ideas to reduce your stress and increase your holiday spirit.
We made speculaas cookies last night. I’d take pictures, but they didn’t turn out well because I made a mistake. Remarkably, I’ve never made this mistake before, and I’ll never make it again. I used baking soda instead of baking powder. Here is a great article about why these two white powders should not be…
While I was at Mom and Dad’s house for Thanksgiving, we pulled out my old Barbie toys for the grandkids to play with. Here is a list of what I had that my parents kept for over thirty years. Mansion Pool Motorhome Corvette Two horses Three Barbie dolls Two Ken dolls A big trunk of…
Somebody might have asked this question in Germany in the 1880s. I’ll come back to it in a bit. My parents bought their first artificial tree this year. This ends a 53-year tradition of buying a tree from a lot or cutting it down in a national forest. I think that all Christmas trees are…
Today is Sinterklaas Day. (Or, as I just learned from Holland.com, the last day of Sinterklaas, which goes from November 15 to December 5.) Sinterklaas is Dutch for Santa Claus, (We got the name from when the Dutch came to the colonies.) On this day, Dutch people exchange presents, eat chocolate letters, write poetry about…
In my house, the radio plays Christmas songs 24/7, so I am always singing, although not always on key. Luckily for my hubby who has to hear me, I do know most of the words. Since it is coming from the radio, I don’t know which song will come next, and there are some that…
I’ve been home from vacation for three days now, and I don’t have my rhythm back. My to-do list is long, and I’m still unpacking. I need a vacation from my vacation. Don’t get me wrong. We had a fantastic vacation, and it was wonderful to spend time with family and friends, but my everyday…
When I look for a monthly poem, I try to find one that is not about any holiday but only relates to the month or season. This time I chose the first one I found. It isn’t the happiest poem ever, but I like the way it rhymes. Also, it’s short, which I think all…
Happy Eat A Red Apple Day! I have no idea why this holiday is today, but since I like apples, I figured it would be easy to celebrate. If this holiday were in September or October, I would understand because that’s apple harvest season. But someone wanted it to be today, and so it is.…