31 Things to Add to Your January Bucket List

If you don’t want to read my post, watch the video here…

Otherwise, I found this list the other day titled 31 Things to Add to Your January Bucket List. It intrigued me, so I had to read it. A few of the items left me scratching my head, but the rest—okay, I’ll buy them. If you want to read their description, click the link here. Otherwise, here is my take on their list.

31 Things to Add to Your January Bucket List

  1. Create a Vision Board 
    • I’ve honestly never been a vision board kind of girl. I think the closest I come to a vision board is Pinterest and does that even count? I mean a lot of people plan their weddings on Pinterest. Pinterest wasn’t really a thing when I was getting married. It was just getting its hype… it came out in March 2010. At that point, I had been engaged for about half a month and my wedding was that fall.
  2. Experiment with the best non-alcoholic drinks
    • My massage therapist told my husband and me about adding tart cherry juice to 7-up before bed and it’s supposed to make you sleep better than melatonin. Is it that good? I don’t know. Did it make us sleep well, yes. Can we have it since doing Keto, nope. Bummer. I can also tell you that if you have the Keto flu, just down an electrolyte packet and you will feel much better. It’s oddly satisfying.
  3. Find your new favorite workout
    • Okay, this is where I fail. I hate working out. It’s not on my list of faves. I really want to start building muscle, but again, It’s January, it’s cold out (1˚F this morning), and I feel like hybernating.
  4. Cook your way through “our” favorite soups
    • I went and looked through their soups. Some sound good, some don’t. I think you get that with everything. Here lately at our house, we’ve had Zuppa Toscana (keto-friendly even) and tomato soup on rotation.
  5. Tidy up your digital space
    • Ooooo, don’t look at my desk area. If they are referring to my computer, it’s not too shabby.  My desk area though, I can’t even get to my desktop right now, thank goodness I have a laptop.
    • I did go back and look this up, what she meant was your desktop. Get rid of old files, apps you don’t need, etc. Start fresh.
  6. Send a handwritten card.
    • Once upon a time I had penpals, like way back in the day. A lot of them I now have as friends on Facebook. Kind of fun how that all goes. I went from handwritten letters to them to emails, and now we just comment on or like posts. Strange how life changes. It’s also sad that people don’t send mail much anymore, but I have to say, I’ve been very disappointed with the post office lately. I have a package that was coming from a town that takes less than 30 minutes to drive to that is sitting in Des Moines, Iowa (6 hours from here). I had a second package coming from the same place that sat in Kansas City for over a week. What gives?
  7. Get a head start on Spring Cleaning
    • I signed up just before January 1 to do this cleaning thing with Kathryn {Do It on a Dime}. I had higher hopes than the support I’ve gotten, but I’m not giving up yet. 
  8. Reassess your wardrobe
    • Y’all, I’ve had to, a lot of my clothes are big, but here’s one thing that I’ve done recently. I turned all the hangers around. If I wear the item in a given period of time (6 months) then it stays. If it hasn’t been turned around, I need to a) get rid of it totally or b) seriously question why. Some things in my closet are a one time of year wear…
  9. Get your healthy eating back on track
    • So I’ve been on a plateau with my weight now for over a month. It is a little gut-wrenching. When you are trying and nothing is happening. I’ve bounced around the same 4ish pounds now for over a month. It makes me always want to throw my hands up in the air and say screw it. Please, someone, keep me going. I am… but gosh.
  10. Buy yourself flowers
    • Does seeds count? I’m sooooo ready to start planting plants again. In fact, I burned off my garden a couple of weeks ago. I wish it would have burned more and I’ll probably try some more, but it felt awesome.
  11. Join a book club
    • I really want to do this. Just saying.
  12. Revamp your morning routine
    • I’m trying. I always feel more put together when my hair is done. I’m not sure if I like curls or straight better, or sometimes let my natural curls fly. Yup, my hair is semi-naturally curly. It’s a strange, odd combination honestly. In the last couple of years the front that used to be kinky curly is starting to relax and it’s weird getting used to that.
  13. Rediscover your love for smoothies
    • I don’t think rediscover works for me. While yes I like a good Beach Bum with Dark Chocolate from Tropical Smoothie Cafe, I’m not really a smoothie type person. 
  14. Learn something new
    • So I have a subscription to Craftsy and I have a subscription to MasterClass. I really want to learn something new, but gosh… Oh and I really really want to learn Spanish (helpful where I live plus where I vacation) and Greek. I have some Greek in me and want to visit there sooooooooo bad. What is the best way to learn these languages? Seriously man.
  15. Create a regular catch-up routine
    • Her definition of catch-up routine is with loved ones both family and friends. I agree, everyone should.
  16. Subscribe to a few favorite magazines
    • Ok, so this one threw me for a loop. Do people still order magazines? I say that and then I have to say I have a subscription to one, Bake from Scratch Magazine. While they do have an online version, I prefer the hard copy of that magazine. Otherwise, those are the only magazines I get anymore.
  17. Cross off that project that’s been on your list forever
    • So right now, a project that has been on our list forever is the outside of my house. I’ve had a green house for friggin ever, but that’s because we’ve been residing, new windows, and a new roof. The hold-up is we were going to add on as well, but there is rumor that the interstate is going to expand and if it does, that will take out our house. If it does that, why spend the money to add on? Yes, it could get us more money in the end when our house gets bought, but is the time and energy worth it? The plan is set to start this year and I wish that they would just go ahead and quit being so coy about it.
  18. Create a reading goal
  19. Plan a girl’s night
    • A friend of mine and I have discussed that… Jody, let’s get on that.
  20. Make a DIY winter decoration
  21. Make your favorite warm beverage
    • I’m not sure I have one. Hot Chocolate is a take it or leave it thing for me, however I have found a Keto Hot Chocolate recipe that I want to try. Especially since my daughter loves hot chocolate so I could drink it with her.
  22. Take a long walk through your city
    • I live in the country so that would require me to drive to town to take a very cold walk. We’re in the middle of an artic blast right now and really, our city isn’t made for “walks.” I guess I’ll go walk the dogs.
  23. Make a list of acts of kindness you want to try every week
    • This would be an awesome idea. I should get on that.
  24. Learn a new hand-lettering technique
    • Would that require me to write a handwritten letter?
  25. Have a board game night
  26. Create a list-a-day journal
    • I like bullet journals. It’s a lot like having a to-do list. I like those. I also like bullet blog posts.
  27. Make homemade bread
    • Sure for the gal who is doing keto. Yes, I know, you all know I’m doing Keto. ha. I did find a recipe for Keto bread that is supposed to be like real bread. I’ll have to try that and see how good it really is. I’m a carb girl after all.
  28. Practice better sleep hygeine
    • We got a sleep number bed a year ago. For the most part, I like it. Some days I hate it. If I’m mad at it, I yell at it in the middle of the night. I might be around for comic relief. But after trips and sleeping on crappy beds, I really love my bed. I also feel that way about my pillows too. I have a love-hate relationship with them. I love to hate them sometimes. Some days they are soooooo hard that I get frustrated and other nights they are amazing. If I can take my pillows on trips, you better believe I will.
  29. Dive into all things manifestation
    • She has a manifestation guide to help you get all the things you ever dreamed of… or something like that. I haven’t read this guide yet. I’ll get back with you.
  30. Find things you love about winter
    • I hate winter. It’s cold, I’m cold, my hands are freezing. I’m over my free trial of winter. Bring on summer. Oh yeah, I get to go on a Caribbean cruise next month. Let’s go.
  31. Get started on your Valentine’s Day cards
    • I don’t even mail out Christmas cards, why would I send out Valentine’s Day cards? Maybe for that lettering thing… Anyway, this year on Valentine’s Day I get to get my hair highlighted. Then we’re going to have a yummy dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. It’s Mediterranean. Mmmm. Here is your less than one-month warning… Valentine’s Day is on Friday this year. If you plan to go out for Valentine’s Day, start making those reservations now before it all fills up and you are left wanting.

And there you have it… My take on 31 things to do to make January not so drab. Now I’m off to the fire to try and warm up. Wish me luck!

Dust off the Cobwebs

Wow, it’s been a hot minute since I was here last. Looks like October 7th of 2021. I’m trying to decide if I even remember how to do this quite honestly. A lot has happened since then, we’ve now been around the sun 3 times plus a few days/months. The world started slowly moving away from Covid… although I’m not sure about that one some days. We’ve been through an election, weird weather all across the US and the world, We had Totality (the solar eclipse), quite honestly I could keep on and on… but I won’t. If you’re here, that means you lived through most of it too, not to mention the random little idiocracies we all deal with individually.

I started this year sick as a dog. But it was just me… no one in my house got it. How do I know, other than they weren’t sick because I was around them. I mean, I have a cup that I carry around with me all the time and my family would grab it and drink from it. So whatever I had wasn’t contagious. I would suggest to them not to drink after me, but they would. It wasn’t a cold… oh no, it was something internal pipe-related. Haha… I’ll just leave it at that. I’m not 100% sure I’m over it, but we’re getting better every day. At one point I figured it was the Keto Flu. I had all the symptoms and oh yeah, I’m kind of doing Keto. I’m Keto adjacent as I like to call it. Or Keto/low carb. I’ve lost 36lbs. I still haven’t felt like sharing that on my FB page with people I know. I’m not sure why. I do have people I know on Instagram and I shared it there, but… I don’t have nearly as many people I know on Instagram as I do on my personal Facebook page. 

My husband and I started this in July, so we’ve been doing it for about 6 months. I’ve been more strict than he has because hello, I’m a woman in my 40’s and he’s a dude. Not fair, but anyway it is what it is. By the way, he’s lost 40lbs. I’m so proud of him! He’s doing amazing and not to break my arm patting myself on the back, but I feel like I am too. We have a cruise coming up and quite honestly, I’d like to drop down into the next 10lb bracket, but I’m afraid I’m just made to live in the 10lb bracket I’m in because I’ve been here for about a month now. I’m getting close to the weight I was before having my little girl 10 years ago, however, I’m not sure what my end goal is. I just keep setting small goals. One of my “rewards” for hitting a goal was I got a new denim jacket. I could have bought it, but I just really wanted to “earn” it and I did. I honestly can’t tell you where it is right now. haha. Christmas kind of threw up in my house and I’m just now getting it back in order. That means I’ll find the jacket, eventually.

I bought a thing online to help me get my house back in order. I’m kind of frustrated with it because it isn’t what I thought it was going to be… but give it time and actually try, I hope it works! Oh yeah, I also have a YouTube channel. I have had it for years technically but never did anything with it. Then all the sudden one day in like 2022 maybe I started. I wasn’t what you would call consistent, and technically I’m still not, but I try. I only have 263 followers as of checking yesterday. I really wanted to be at 300 by the new year, but I didn’t get there. I’ve heard people aren’t following YouTube channels like they once were. I’m always a day late and a dollar short to things. Oh well.

One last thing… I saw an article talking about How to Create a Vision for the Life You Want to Live and it asked 9 questions. Technically there are only 7 questions with 2 prompts, but I wanted to put them here.

  1. Write down your Mantra: Be Present
  2. What does your dream life look like? Traveling the world.
  3. How do you want to feel this year? Satisfied.
  4. When are you happiest? On vacation with my family.
  5. Where do you want to go this year? 
    • On a Cruise (booked)
    • Ft. Worth, TX (looking like twice)
    • Either on another cruise OR Out west
  6. Who are the people in your life you want to prioritize? My family and then friends. They are so precious to me.
  7. What books do you want to read this year?
  8. What’s one thing you want to learn this year? A foreign Language. I kind of have it down to Greek (yikes) and Spanish (helpful, especially around here)
  9. Create a Vision Board. I suck at these 🙂

So hopefully at the end of the year we can see how I did, especially because it is in writing (or typing) and it is out there for the whole world to see and keep me accountable. We’ll see how that works 🙂

 

 

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10 Years

I was thinking about this today… I started this blog in October 2009. That seems like a lifetime ago. This blog has seen me through dating my husband, marriage, having kids, losing my job, grad school, you name it, it’s probably there. That’s a super crazy and scary thought really.

A question that people like to ask is, “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” I’m torn on how I feel about this question. Back when I graduated high school, I was 17 (going on 18) years old. I truly think it would have been crazy if we would have had to write ourselves a letter that was either sent to us or given to us at our 10-year class reunion. It would have been fun if it had been titled, Where You See Yourself in 10 Years. Could you imagine what we would have written to ourselves?

10 years from high school graduation, I was getting married. Well… technically 9. I hit our 10-year class reunion the same year as my 1 year anniversary. In that 10 years, I never would have pictured my life the way it went. The thought of that almost makes me laugh really. Then 10 years after that… would be this year (I graduated in 2001). First off, let’s address the elephant in the room…  WHO would have predicted 2020? Seriously. Not me… that’s for sure. But it could have been interesting to see what I thought would happen in the last 10 years. 

I’m pretty sure in my 101 in 1001 I wrote myself a letter that was supposed to be opened and read in 10 years. I’m not sure I want to read it honestly. I really don’t know how I feel about reading it. Last I knew it was in our safe. Maybe I threw it away. If not, maybe I should. Again, I’m a little leary about what I wrote. 

This blog has served a great purpose to me. It has reminded me of things I totally forgot about. And I know there are a lot of cobwebs around here. I’ve debated tearing it down so many times. I don’t think anyone reads it. There’s a lot of information I question about having on here these days. Etc. Etc. And it doesn’t help that over Labor Day Weekend my Facebook account got hacked… I lost 2 pages I was an admin on. We’ve gotten one back, the other is gone for good I guess. I get a lot of spam messages on this blog. I’m almost tired of social media-type sites. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I haven’t gotten rid of them or even quit checking them, but I’ve tried to be a lot more present. I’ve stayed off them quite a bit.

I never could have predicted my life in the last 10 or 20 years. Not even a part of it. Some of it I remember, I was going to go on to be an Ag. teacher, possibly go on and become an ag. pharmaceutical rep. Heck, why not? I also toyed with the notion of going into Ag. Business. It always revolved around agriculture. I was going to be married by the time I was 23-25. 1-2 kids probably. I could go on and on… but I’m here to tell you NONE of that happened that way.

Don’t take my None of that happened that way as a bad thing. On the contrary! There might be a few things I’d like to change. A few things I can’t seem to wrap my head around… but I really like my life. But 2020 and Covid-19 can suck it… just throwing that out there.

Just remember… Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a mystery, Today is the present. Live in the present!

Seed Calendar for MO 6b

Here is where I update and archive our yearly gardening seed calendar for Missouri & Hardiness Zone 6b.
This changes slightly every year depending on the current weather in Missouri.

Are your seeds still good?

Seed Calendar for Missouri 6b

Plant = Plant Name
Seeds = Date that seeds are planted inside unless otherwise noted. 
Transplant = Date that seedlings are planted outside.

2021

Last Estimated Frost Date: April 18

Y’all, I got carried away with seeds this year… Just saying… WOW!

Missouri 6b

Plant | Seeds | Transplant

Spring:

Artichoke | March 8 |
Amaranthus (Autumn’s Touch) | March 9 |
Amaranthus (Perfecta) | March 9 |
Asclepias (Bloodflower) | March 8 |
Aster (Crego Mixed Colors) | March 29 |
Aster (Starlight Formula Mix) | March 8 |
Bachelor’s Button (Classic Artistic Mix) | April 6 |
Bachelor’s Button (Double Mixed Colors | March 10 |
Basil (African Nunum) | March 9 |
Basil (Dark Opal) | March 9 |
Basil (Genovese) | March 9 |
Basil (Large Leaf Italian) | March 9 |
Basil (Lemon) | March 9 |
Basil (Sweet) | March 9 |
Basil (Sweet Italian) | March 9 |
Basil (Valentino) | March 9 |
Begonia (Viking Red on Chocolate) | March 8 |
Black-eyed Susan | April 6 |
Broccoli (Calabrese) | April 6 |
Broccoli (Rapini) | April 6|
Broccoli (Waltham 29) | April 6 |
Cantaloupe | April 6 |
Carrots (from Atwoods) | April 7 |
Carrots (From Amazon) | April 7 |
Celosia (Dracula) | March 9 |
Chives (Baker Creek) | March 8 |
Chives (NK Lawn & Garden) | March 8 |
Cilantro (Coriander) | April 6 |
Citronella | April 6 |
Coleus (Wizard Mix) | February 18 |
Cornflower (Blue Dwarf) | April 6 |
Cosmos (Daydream) | March 29 |
Digitalis (Excelsior Mix) | March 10 |
Digitalis (Strawberry) | March 10 |
Eggplant | April 6 |
Evening Primrose | April 6 |
Foxglove (Mixed Color Digitalis) | March 29 |
Garlic (I know I planted this late!!) | March 2 |
Habanero Pepper | March 29 |
Hollyhock (Summer Carnival, Mixed Colors) | April 6 |
Johnny Jump Up (Viola/Helen Mount) | April 6 |
Lavender | March 8 |
Leeks | March 9 | April 7
Lupine (Pixie Delight Dwarf) | March 29 |
Lupine (Russel) | March 29 |
Marigold (Jolly Jester) | March 29 |
Marigold (Orange Hawaii) |March 29 |
Marigold (Queen Sophia) | March 29 |
Marigold (Sparky Mixed Colors) | March 29 |
Mint | April 6 |
Mixed Seashell | April 6 |
Nasturtium (Orchid Cream) | March 29 |
Nasturtium (Purple Emperor) | March 29 |
Nemophila ( Five Spot) | April 6 |
Onion | (Sets) March 7 
Onions (Yellow Sweet Spanish) | March 8 |
Oregano (Baker Creek) | March 8 |
Oregano (NK Lawn & Garden) | March 8 |
Ornamental Grass (Pampas) | April 6 |
Pansy (Black King) | March 29 |
Pansy (Brush Strokes Viola) | March 29 |
Parsley (Dark Green Italian Plain Leaf) | February 14 |
Parsley (Moss Curled) | March 8 |
Pepper (Craig’s Grande Jalapeño | February 14 |
Pepper (Orange Bell) | February 14 |
Pepper (Poblano) | February 14 |
Pepper (Rainbow) | March 29 | 
Pepper (Zulu) | February 14 |
Petunia (Sparkler) | March 8
Phlox (Cherry Caramel) | April 6 |
Phlox (Sugar Stars) | April 6 |
Poppy (Amazing Grey) | April 6 |
Poppy (Black Swan) | April 6 |
Poppy (Great Red) | April 6 |
Poppy (Lady Bird) | April 6 | 
Poppy (Park’s Black Peony) | April 6 |
Purple Coneflower | April 6 |
Pumpkins (90-100#) | April 6 |
Pumpkins (129#) | April 6 |
Pumpkins (Small Decorative) | April 6 |
Ratibida (Prairie Coneflower) | April 6 |
Rosemary | March 8 |
Rudbeckia (Marmalade) | April 6 |
Sage (Livingston) | April 6 |
Salvia (Sirius Blue Sage) | February 14 |
Stocks (Anytime Mix) | April 6 |
Sweet William (Singl Mixed Color) | April 6 |
Thyme | April 6 |
Tomatillo | February 18 |
Tomato (Beefsteak) | April 6 |
Tomato (Chocolate Stripes) | February 18 |
Tomato (Green Zebra) | February 18 |
Tomato (Italian Heirloom) | February 18
Tomato (Red Zebra) | February 18 |
Tomato (Roma) | February 14 |
Tomato (Roma) | February 18 |
Tomato (Martino’s Roma) | February 14 |
Tomato (San Marzano) | February 14 | 
Wildflower (Perennial Mix) | April 5 

Summer:

Cherry Tomatoes | April 10  |  May 16
San Marzano Tomatoes | April 10  |  May 16
Bell Peppers | April 10  |  May 16
Highlander Peppers  | April 10  |  May 16
Marigolds | April 10  |  May 16
Potatoes | May 2 (directly in ground)
Cucumbers | May 31 (directly in ground)
Carrots | May 31 (directly in ground)
Microgreens | May 31 (directly in ground)

Fall:

Broccoli   |   August 21 | October 11
Kale   |    August 21 | October 11
Onions   |    August 21 | October 11
Brussels Sprouts    |    August 21 | October 11
Garlic | TBA

2020

Spring:
Artichoke | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Basil | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Beans | April 25 (Directly in-ground)
Broccoli   |   March 30 (Directly in-ground) (Didn’t sprout) | April 21 (in trays) (didn’t sprout)
Brussels Sprouts | March 30 (Directly in-ground) (Didn’t sprout) | April 17 (in trays, 2nd attempt) 
Carrots | March 30 (directly in-ground) | April 17 (in trays, don’t do this, but 2nd attempt) | April 25 (directly in-ground 3rd attempt)
Cauliflower | March 30 | (Directly in-ground) (Didn’t sprout) | April 21 (in trays) (didn’t sprout)
Cilantro | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Corn, Peaches & Cream | April 25 (Directly in-ground)
Cucumbers | April 21 | June 4
Okra | April 21 | June 4
Onions | April 25 (from starts) (directly in-ground)
Parsley | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Pumpkins | June 4 (store-bought starts)
Rosemary | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Yellow Squash | April 21 | June 4
Zucchini | April 21 | Didn’t sprout

Summer:
Bell Peppers | June 4 (store-bought starts)
Corn, Incredible | June 3 (directly in-ground)
Marigolds | June 4 (store-bought starts)
Potatoes | June 4
Tomatoes, Cherry | June 4 (store-bought starts)
Tomatoes, Solar Flair | June 4 (store-bought starts)

Fall:
Green Beans | August 12 (Directly in-ground)

Cast Iron Pan & Walmart

Over the Weekend I had to question what year we were in… Here’s the story…

Saturday we wound up in Pawhuska, Oklahoma at The Pioneer Woman’s places… (the Merc, her new store, and of course the Lodge where she films her show). You are invited to the Lodge on the days that it is open, you just have to get a ticket at the Merc. We wanted to eat at the Merc, but we had to put our name on the list. It was a 2 1/2-3 hour wait to get in and we arrived at 10:45 a.m. We got our ticket to the Lodge and the guy told us we had plenty of time to go to the Lodge and come back. We were like 68 on the list and at about 15 you needed to head back this way. Cool. (more…)

What to Say?

Here we are again… I sit here trying to come up with words to say and yet they elude me. They are not there. 

Just a few weeks ago my family was headed to a tumbling competition. Halfway through our drive hubby got a phone call. A friend of ours needed help and we weren’t able to assist. We weren’t home. That was the last time hubby heard his voice. The last time I heard his voice was a couple of weeks prior to that when he came to my house and I loaded him up with freshly made candied Jalapeños.

When they say life is short, that’s truly how it is… Life is short. There are days when I think, oh I can put that off until tomorrow, but there is no guarantee that tomorrow will come. That is a scary thought. (more…)

Our Snow Apocalypse

My truck was totally cleaned off when I went to bed last night…
Saw this on a friend’s Facebook page… oh so true (haha) (It is meant to be harmless fun…):
 
Public service announcement for Missouri 😆 🥶❄️🧊😳
 
All of you transplants that are new to Missouri are about to experience a “Missouri Winter 🥶 ”. This is 6 or 7 days of cold 🥶 , maybe some ice 🧊 and snow ❄️ with single-digit temperatures and with a wind chill, it will be well below zero. The weatherman will threaten snow ❄️. Know that it may snow ❄️, and it may not and if the weatherman says 2 inches then it could be 10 or it could be 1/2”. It doesn’t really matter how much snow ❄️ it is, we’ll all freak out because we don’t see snow often.
 
The threat of snow ❄️ (or ice 🧊 ) from the weatherman is your prompt to head to the grocery store and buy milk 🥛, eggs 🥚, and bread 🥖. It doesn’t matter if you need these items. It’s just what we do. Everyone in town will be there.
 
You’ll also need to make a mad dash for faucet covers and finding them and getting out of the store will be like an episode of the hunger games. You’re in the redneck district.
 
Don’t look for a sled 🛷 . You won’t find one. In the rare chance, we get enough ice or snow to sled grab some cardboard or a trash can lid, and go find the nearest hill. You may become alarmed by the fact that you’re “sledding” towards a ditch, fence, tree 🌲, or maybe into a road. Just go with it. You’ll be fine.
 

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GBB Bucket List

Those blue smoldering eyes. Gosh… They are almost intimidating. But the handshake would be awesome, am I right? Not a clue what I’m talking about? Well… The Great British Bake Off obviously. And who has those eyes? That would be Paul Hollywood, duh. haha. 

Truth be told, I’d love to go to culinary school, but it’s not an option. That doesn’t mean I can’t learn to cook/bake at home, right? I’ve really gotten into watching The Great British Bake Off. Actually, the first one I saw was the American version when Jeff Foxworthy was the host. Man, that was a few years ago. Then I saw there was a British version and it seems to have taken off better than the American version. I’m ready to move to Britain so that I can join in… however, I’m definitely not as good as those guys. Wow! So impressive!

I’m pretty sure that if I were to get some of the technical challenges that they do, I’d cry because I wouldn’t have the first clue where to start. And while a lot of them say, I don’t know what that is… they do a very good job! It’s impressive.

The Judges

Paul Hollywood & Mary Berry were the original judges of the British version. Then starting with series (I assume season ;)) 8, Prue Leith took Mary Berry’s place. But those blue eyes are still wandering the tent. While Paul Hollywood is older than me by a bit, he’s still a very good looking man! And those eyes… wow! haha.

Technical Challenges

If you’ve never watched the show… They do a signature bake, a technical bake, and a showstopper.

Each week has a theme. The contestants can practice the signature and showstopper, but the technical is done blind. No one knows what the technical challenge will be. The looks on everyone’s face and their reactions are quite priceless really. And some of that is the editing department/videoing, but you know that’s how the contestants reacted… It was just caught on tape and edited correctly to make it even more entertaining.

I really want to be on this show… but until then, especially because I’m not British, I can always try to make their technical bakes. And my husband has blue eyes… maybe he can give me those smoldering looks. haha.

Technical Challenge Bucket List

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Look for the Good

Here we are… the last day of the year. We’re about to complete another trip around the sun. And while there is a lot to be upset about in 2020… there’s a lot of good that came out of 2020 as well. What?

One thing that keeps coming running through my mind was a fight that my husband and I had. It revolved around time. Not enough time. Not enough time to do what we wanted. It was a bad fight and I truthfully don’t want to go into detail… but still… it was a bad fight. I can’t remember when it happened. I know it was after Christmas, but before the shut down in March.

You know when they say, will the fight matter in an hour, a day, a month, or even a year, should you fight for it? This particular fight really did seem to matter. It kind of feels like it still matters. (more…)