Hello Blog Friends. Happy April!
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I was a lucky winner of a giveaway.
I won MacKenzie-Childs Bunny Candles!
I was the winner of the Tales of the Traveling Tote - March 1st Giveaway!
Cherry Kay of Entertaining Women hosted the giveaway of three checked bunny candles from MacKenzie-Childs.
Patti from the blog Pandora's Box sent me the bunny candles and it was so much fun opening the box and seeing these cute bunny candles.
I have them sitting on my mantel.
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I have the bunny candles sitting on top of a handmade crocheted doily.
The pretty doily was made by the talented blogger Kitty from Kitty's Kozy Kitchen.
Thank you, Kitty I just love this colorful doily.
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You can also see in the photo below that Kitty made the Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole that I recently made and I posted the recipe on the blog. Kitty made the casserole without the veggies. She made carrots and string beans on the side.
Thank you Kitty for making the IP Tuna Noodle Casserole.
Please visit Patti's blog Pandora's Box to read about The Traveling Tote Series. The next adventure will be on June 1st.
These are the blogs that participate in The Tales of The Traveling Tote.
Pandora's Box, The Painted Apron, The Sketchy Reader, Mountain Breaths, The French Hutch, Life and Linda, Panoply, Hyacinths for the Soul, Purple Chocolat Home, and Entertaining Women.
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This pretty white amaryllis flower bloomed recently.
I received the pot, bulb, and dirt as a gift at Christmas time to plant. Thanks, Cynthia I love this beautiful plant and I think it's the perfect way to celebrate Spring!
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I am so thankful for all of my blog friends. You all are so awesome. 💖
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Julie xo
Hello blog friends.
I Love Bacon!
How many of you love bacon but hate making it because of the mess it makes? Well, I have a super easy way to make bacon.
You BAKE IT IN THE OVEN!
No more frying or making your bacon in the microwave oven.
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The bacon comes out super crispy and there is no mess on top of the stove or in your microwave oven.
All you need to make this baked bacon is an oven, a large pan, and bacon.
While you are baking the bacon in the oven, you can be making your eggs or pancakes on the stove!
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| Yummy Spinach and Eggs Omelette with Toast my husband made! |
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This is how I made the bacon:
BAKED BACON
INGREDIENTS:
Baking Pan
Bacon
DIRECTIONS:
Do not preheat your oven. Put your bacon into a cold oven. Starting with a cold oven ensures that the bacon will cook slowly like it needs to.
Arrange the bacon slices on a sheet pan and place the pan on the center rack of a cold oven. Do not stretch out the slices. Drape the bacon across the pan. Close oven and turn the oven on to 400 degrees F.
Check bacon in 17 to 20 minutes to see if bacon is golden brown. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices.
Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to a plate or another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb any bacon fat.
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| Yummy Bacon made in the oven! |
PLEASE NOTE: In the comments section Stephanie has a great tip. Stephanie says that she cooks the bacon on parchment paper. She also adds a layer of parchment paper over the bacon to keep the grease under control since it can splatter in the oven. Thanks Stephanie for this great tip.
I hope I've inspired you to make bacon in the oven this weekend. :)
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Have a great day and see you all soon!
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Hello friends. Yay, it's Friday and the end of the week.
I'm so happy that it's the start of Spring. 🌹
Here are some of my favorite things I'm sharing with you this week.
1) Three Things Writing Series April Reminder
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Laura from the blog The Horton Family has a fun writing series that she hosts the second Monday of the month. I have participated in this the last two times and it's such a fun way to write about the prompts she gives us each month. Here is the writing prompt for April 8th. I hope you all will join in too. There is no link up but you can just post it on your blog Monday, April 8th.
2) Matcha Green Tea Protein Drink
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My husband has been making protein shakes for part of our breakfast. Whenever he makes one he will give me a glass of this protein drink too. It's a healthy drink because he adds fruit, protein powder, Matcha green tea powder, almond milk, and ice cubes.
3) The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
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I am reading this book right now and loving it. I was gifted this book for Christmas by my daughter.
Here is how Amazon describes the book:
Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love--and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.
The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.
I'm in the middle of the book now and I can't put it down as I love reading it. There are 771 pages in the book but don't let that scare you as it's a fast read.
I hope you'll put this one on your reading book list.
I hope you'll put this one on your reading book list.
4) Noosa Yogurt
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My husband and I are loving this yogurt right now. I never had this before and I decided to try it out when I saw it in the supermarket. The yogurt container is small and it has fruit on the bottom and creamy yogurt on the top. I sometimes add granola on top of the yogurt and that tastes really yummy! We usually have one of these for our dessert after dinner or a snack in the evening.
5) Spring Shopping
I have started my spring shopping this week. I bought these cute Tommy Hilfiger flip flops, Tommy Hilfiger sunglasses, a floral sunglass case, sandals, and new sneakers.
Have you bought anything new for spring yet and what did you buy?
6) My fur baby Bosco
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My rescue dog Bosco is such a cute and loving dog. He hates it when I want to take his photo and he usually looks away, but this time I was lucky to capture this shot of him. I can't believe that Bosco will be 12 years old in the fall.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day and weekend. :)
HELLO BLOG FRIENDS.
GOODBYE WINTER, HELLO SPRING!
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Yay! We all survived the winter and today is the first day of Spring!
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Spring is one of my favorite seasons. I love that the weather starts to get warmer and flowers start to bloom.
I also like that it stays lighter outside and it gets darker later in the evening.
I also like that it stays lighter outside and it gets darker later in the evening.
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It seems like after a long winter you see more people out and this is when I enjoy taking long walks with my dog Bosco. Even Bosco seems to have a pep in his walk and we seem to meet a lot of other people walking their dogs too.
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Spring is the time of year, when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade.
- Charles Dickens
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Wishing you all a wonderful first day of Spring!
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Hope you all have a great day and see you all soon.
Hello blog friends. I love celebrating St. Patrick's Day and for the past few years I've posted this recipe for Irish Soda Bread on the blog.
Irish Soda Bread is one of my favorite breads and I was so happy when this recipe was given to me by our friend and his mom who was from Ireland.
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This recipe is so simple and easy to make and tastes best made warm right out of the oven and smothered with some butter.
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I bake this bread every year and I hope you will enjoy this Irish Soda Bread recipe as much as we do.
IRISH SODA BREAD RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups regular flour
1 egg
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 stick margarine
1 cup raisins
1/4 box caraway seeds
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
(Dash of nutmeg or cinnamon - if desired)
DIRECTIONS:
All ingredients at room temperature
Use shallow greased 9" baking tin. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring raisins to boiling point only. Drain and cool. Sift together all dry ingredients. Rub in margarine. Beat egg and buttermilk together. Add to mixture using a wooden spoon. Fold in raisins. Mixture will be on the dry side- light dough. Roll into baking tin. Smooth top with spoon. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Cool on rack thoroughly. Glaze with melted sugar (2 tablespoons) in 1/2 oz. boiling water. Top of cake only, sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar. Slice and serve with butter.
Enjoy!
** NOTE: I did not use the caraway seeds or the sugar glaze on top of bread that the recipe calls for, and it still tasted amazing.
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Have a wonderful Friday and weekend.
WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
Hello blog friends. Welcome to Three Things March.
I am joining Laura from The Horton Family for her Three Things Series. Laura doesn't have a link party, but we all write and answer the writing prompts for each month. It will be posted on the second Monday of the month.
I am sharing mine today since I co-host with Jess on Monday's the blog party Cooking and Crafting with J & J.
I am joining Laura from The Horton Family for her Three Things Series. Laura doesn't have a link party, but we all write and answer the writing prompts for each month. It will be posted on the second Monday of the month.
I am sharing mine today since I co-host with Jess on Monday's the blog party Cooking and Crafting with J & J.
Here are the Three Things Question and Answer Prompts.
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1. Do you believe in luck? Why or why not?
Yes, I believe in luck. What I believe is that we make our own luck. I really think that your approach and attitude to life makes a big difference in how things will turn out for you. If we are an unhappy person or have a bad attitude than bad and unlucky things will happen in your life. I believe that if you are a happy person, have a good attitude, then good things will happen to us and we will be a lucky person. I feel so lucky to have a fun loving husband, daughter, and friends. Of course, I also feel so lucky to have you as my blog friends.
2. What was your favorite thing about yesterday or today?
My favorite thing was going out for breakfast with my husband to a local Italian eatery. They have the best food and desserts and it's a favorite spot for many in our neighborhood. I enjoyed spending some time with my husband and catching up with what is new. I had for breakfast a spinach frittata and my husband and I shared a toasted prosciutto bagel with coffee. Needless to say, it was a favorite day for me!
3. Show us the last picture you took and a short description of it.
It's been very cold and snowy where I live. One night recently I just curled up on the couch with my dog Bosco. The crocheted blanket that I'm wrapped up in was made by one of my husband's aunts. This blanket is so old but it's so warm and cozy. I enjoyed cuddling with Bosco while I watched TV.
Here are the Write with Me - 3 Things - writing prompts for April. They are to be posted on the second Monday, April 8th.
Hope you come join us in April!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Julie xo
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