Now that my kiddo is a teenager, we don't do nearly as much crafting as we used to do together during the holidays. We still make things here and there; my teen actually made toilet paper ornaments for everyone this year! Looking for a project that holds a teen's interest is a challenge in and of itself.
Remember how long it took for Congress to enact a stimulus, not only when the pandemic first began, but recently? Payments for the approved $600 appear to be making their way to checking accounts much more quickly this time around, with some people already receiving them in their bank accounts. Many people will continue to receive them into next week while others wait for checks to arrive.
Keith Walker, an unhoused man from Atlanta, will forever be known as the hero of 16 cats and dogs. The animals would've perished in a fire had he not been there to bravely run into the shelter and rescue them all. The electrical fire began in the shelter's kitchen.
Prior to Covid-19, my family and I always went out to eat somewhere new--usually somewhere with authentic food from any country except our own!--and really looked forward to it. This year, we're thinking about getting takeout, but it's really not the same experience, is it? I'll always support getting takeout for the sake of supporting restaurants, but by the time we get home it's cold and not as much fun.
Our Douglas Fir is collapsing on itself. We got our tree late in the game and had to pick from the bottom of the barrel, and the tree was already not the top choice. It's also not my favorite kind of tree; I'd much rather get a Frasier Fir. But since I have all of these falling branches at my disposal, I've been slowly chopping them off and using them to create cute greenery displays in my pots outside!
As the year ends, we can look back on a lot of fun 80s styles that made comebacks--either via media or through celebrity fashion in general. Let's take a look at some of them and share our favorites!
The Queen's annual address is a pretty big deal, especially to people who live in England. When Gary Janetti decided to spoof it with a little animated clip from HBO Max's The Prince, he also decided to include the titular prince complaining throughout the speech, which made it much funnier.
Lately I've been craving some good baklava, and I'm honestly not very picky about it. I'll eat just about any pistachio-bedazzled goodness you place in front of me. But I'd love to know what makes your favorite Baklava shine!
I've heard that Turkish Delight has really good baklava, which is no surprise. Byrek & Baguette has them and you could get a savory pastry to make a whole meal while you're there. Celine Patisserie has it too, of course.
Are you still working on your six-word memoirs for 2020? If you have yours, be sure to share it with us! I've played with mine and come up with a few:
Quarantine and hygge dreams at home
Shining up the house in masks
Isolation, innovation, and making do daily
Yeah, I'm not a big fan of them, either, so I may keep playing!
One of the most exciting things about a New Year is the up and coming things to be released that we get excited about, from books to movies to yes, board games! Like any year, 2021 has some much-anticipated games coming soon, from Quest to Frosthaven to Lizard Wizard, and I'd love to try many of these out.
There are lots of traditional foods to eat during New Year's celebrations. You might eat grapes at midnight, eat noodles for long life, or Black-Eyed peas for luck. You might even eat a whole Hoppin' John feast. Or, if you're like my family, you might enjoy creating your own traditions.
Most of the time, New Year's Deals don't seem as great as other holiday deals, particularly when it comes to Christmas, but there are some really fabulous sales going on right now, especially in terms of big candle and bath and body companies. It's time for the semiannual Bath & Body Works sale, which happens every December and June, and you can often score items for up to 75% off. It's really the best time to buy from the company if you're a fan.
It's time for one of the biggest drinking at home days of the year! The question is... what are you mixing up? We grabbed a few Aldi specials, including their brand of Irish cream liquor, and I'm very excited to try it. But I know I'd like something bubbly and delicious for the whole midnight countdown at home, too.
Part 3 of 3 Parts (Please read Part 1 and 2 first)
“The Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) is a European Space Agency initiative (ESA) with the aim to develop the technology for a future regenerative life support system for long term human space missions. Initiated in 1989, the design is inspired by a terrestrial ecosystem.” Wikipedia
Part 2 of 3 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
“The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an experimental expandable space station module developed by Bigelow Aerospace, under contract to NASA, for testing as a temporary module on the International Space Station (ISS) from 2016 to at least 2020.” Wikipedia
Part 1 of 3 Parts
Decades after the end of space missions to land men on the moon, major spacefaring nations are now drafting plans for the return of manned lunar missions. One of the new goals is the creation of a permanent manned settlement on the Moon.
Everyone knows the weirdest animals are humans, but did you know that humans may have hibernated at one point in our early history? Neanderthals and earlier humans may have hibernated like cave bears, at least according to some of the evidence found on fossils. Damage to these early humans is similar to that of other species who hibernate.
Can you believe it's already time for a new TBR pile of books? 2021 has SO many great looking books in store for us, from a new Angie Thomas to another sure to be awesome read by Nnedi Okorafor, who's probably my favorite author of the last decade. And yes, it's sci-fi! And that's just in January!
A woman who received the Pfizer vaccine recently trolled an anti-vax group, saying she'd had a bad experience she wanted to share with the group. When they asked her about it, she relayed her bad experience: bad parking and a locked car that wasn't actually locked.
