Sometimes Good People Make Bad Choices...

 I just read this on Instagram and it hit my heart.

I've always tried to do the "right" thing.  I have to admit there have been many times when I did what "Reia" wanted and not what God wanted.

I'm very thankful for this statement.  I am actually not my bad choices.  Thank you Instagram and "Power of Positivity" for reminding me that we're all human and we often "miss the mark".

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Movies ~ Hurricane Party

I threw myself a Hurricane party for one today.

Photo by Anant Jain on Unsplash

I watched the rain literally hit every window in my house.  ("Note to self" - must clean every window now.)  I also watched the wind whip tree limbs and leaves in all kinds of distorted ways.  (Another "Note to self" - glad I hadn't raked yet.)

I've Laughed, Prayed and Eaten my way through today.  Watched a long list of Christmas movies.  Finished a jigsaw puzzle too - that will be a post for another day.

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

I also shed a few tears as I went through my day.  Tears for what I miss (my great, big guy that hated the commercial side of Christmas).  Tears for what I have (family and friends that mean the world to me).  Tears of thanks (I'm very thankful for all I have in my life).

I feel like my insides were washed today while the outside got a good washing from Mother Nature as Nicole passed through my area.

Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash

I feel refreshed and renewed.  Ready to fight another day.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Nov. 7th ~ Movie... Christmas on Holly Lane

I have my favorite Christmas Movies.  You can read about some of them on previous posts here.  Some haven't been written about yet.  I was pleasantly surprised to add a new movie to my list of favorites.

Christmas on Holly Lane

It was warm, inviting and showed how the love of three friends could overcome multiple obstacles.

Watch the Trailer on YouTube here.

I was reminded that opening up your home to those you love might mean squishing up some but the rewards are tremendous!

Check it out.  It's on Freevee right now.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Nov. 6th ~ Savings - Thanksgiving and Ibotta

Ibotta released this year's "Thanksgiving" Rebate.  They changed it in several ways this year and I think I like the change.  The biggest change to me was we could shop at other stores and not just Walmart this year.

This year - the rebate is in 3 stages.

Stage 1 - buy/redeem the required number of offers (I had to redeem 16 offers but I found yogurt, chips, etc. to make it doable.  Several of the chips were BOGO so that made the offer even sweeter - or - saltier).

Stage 2 - completing stage 1 unlocks your FREE Butterball Turkey.  (Free 3# Frozen Butterball Turkey Breast or $14 cash back towards a bigger Butterball Turkey.)

Now you buy/redeem 4 more offers.

Stage 3 - completing stage 2 unlocks your FREE sides.

It felt like a scavenger hunt and now I'm really stocked up on some good items.  Next stage for me...I'm off to redeem my FREE offers.

If you haven't tried Ibotta out, you really should.  (Just click the + sign of the offer you want to redeem, buy the item, redeem your receipt through the app and you've made some $ back.)

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Nov. 5th ~ Puzzle Completed Day

There wasn't a "National Day" that clicked with me today, so I decided to post my latest completed jigsaw puzzle.  Entitled "Holiday Shop" - 2000 pieces and made by the CEACO company.

It was really detailed.  I mean really detailed.  I kept finding heads, bears, ornaments, cookies - all kinds of things in the pieces.  I really loved this puzzle because it took me awhile and a whole lot of thought to get it together.

Toward the end of a puzzle, I like to put all of the remaining pieces in shape order.  Makes it easier to choose the right piece.  Even with all of the pieces laid out it was days before they all found their way to their correct home.  Whew!  I loved it!

This puzzle was a true puzzle treasure!  It's staying on my puzzle table for a little longer and later I'll bring it out again.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Nov. 4th ~ National Easy-Bake Oven Day

 What a fun day and subject to research!  Easy-Bake Ovens - I had one as a young girl and the miniature cake boxes fascinated me.

Here's some history...the Easy Bake Oven was invented by Ronald Howes after watching street vendors in New York City use light bulbs to keep food hot.  

Not only has the Easy-Bake Oven been around for over 50 years.  More than 150 million little packages of food have been sold.  That's a lot of little packages of food!

Here's a 1963 Easy-Bake Oven commerical I found on YouTube.

Walmart has a present day Easy Bake Oven.  Plus - there's even a cookbook!

What a fun walk down memory lane!  Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Nov. 3rd ~ National Sandwich Day

I'm a sandwich kind of girl!  Just enough good things in the middle of some good bread and I'm a happy camper!

Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

I read some history on the sandwich, but nothing was concrete, so I'll just let you know my favorite places to get a sandwich and what that sandwich is.

Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

Arby's Corned Beef Reuben - I used to make these but it's a lot easier to swing through Arby's.

Subway - anything at Subway and with all of the toppings!

Panera - same as Subway - pretty much any of their sandwiches.

5 Guys - Burgers - totally their burgers.

My Ginger - she makes a mean Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  I've never eaten one as good as the one she makes.

What about you?  What are your favorites?

I'm off to the kitchen to make a copycat of one of my favorites.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Nov 2nd ~ National Advent Calendar Day

Apparently Aldi created "National Advent Calendar Day" in 2020.  It's to be celebrated on the first Wednesday in November.  You can see their Advent Calendars for 2022 - released today - here.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

National Today has this graphic showing the history of the Advent Calendar timeline.

I really liked the history and the pictures of previous Advent Calendars I found at "An Historian Around Town".

I found my own display of Advent Calendars and they made me smile.  They were beautiful and different.  A lot of choices.

Today's "National Day" makes me happy.  There's something special about a countdown and Advent Calendars count down to a very special event.

May today's "National Day" remind you of things that give us hope and encouragement...something to look forward to.  We could all use a reason to look forward to tomorrow and a reason to smile.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Nov. 1st ~ National Authors Day

We all have our favorite authors.  I have more than I can list.  My book loving daughters have even more, I'm sure.  I'm especially proud of the author I birthed.  I told her for many a year that she was a writer - I was absolutely right.  Books are pouring out of her right now.

So today I'm focusing on the author I raised.  Her genre right now is Young Adult / High School.  I'm counting on her to give our youth of today some high standards and let them know that we understand what they're going through on their life's journey.

We all gather baggage as the years roll on.  I know I've spent a lot of years discovering and healing as I examine and toss my baggage.  Ginger's books have helped me do just that.

I laughed and cried my way through this book.

You can follow Ginger as she writes on Wattpad.  You can purchase her first published book at Amazon ("The Summer List" on kindle and paperback).

I get to read what she's writing that's not "Wattpad" or "Amazon" ready - perks of birthing the author no doubt.

She's back to blogging too and I'm thrilled about that!

So - kick back and read some of Ginger's works.  You won't regret it!

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Oct. 31st ~ National Caramel Apple Day

We made it to Oct. 31st.  We all know today is Halloween but did you know the Caramel Apple is celebrated today also?

Photo by Henry Becerra on Unsplash

In the 1950s a Kraft employee had way too many caramels left over.  The employee went to work finding a way to use up the extra caramels and the "Caramel Apple" was invented.

Caramel Apples recipe - from House and Home (looks easy to do).

Easy Caramel Apple Dip recipe - from "Mom on Timeout".

Here's to Caramel Apples!  Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Oct. 30th ~ National Candy Corn Day

I know, right?  There's a national day for candy corn?  Apparently, there is!

Photo by Mary Jane Duford on Unsplash

A few facts:

George Renniger created candy corn in the 1800s.

Candy corn used to be called "Chicken Feed".

Annually 35 million pounds (9 Billion pieces) of Candy Corn are consumed worldwide.

Candy Corn is one of the top 10 most popular Halloween candies.

I also like the chocolate candy corn.

Here are a few more interesting facts from "Taste of Home".

Plus... a video - "How Candy Corn is Made" - Unwrapped / Food Network (3:15)

What a fun day to celebrate!  Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Oct. 29th ~ National Oatmeal Day

National Oatmeal Day - So many uses and so good for us.

Photo by Łukasz Rawa on Unsplash

According to WebMD - "This whole-grain powerhouse has been packing serious nutrition and hearty flavor into breakfast for generations. It’s one of the few comfort foods that’s as good for you as it is just plain good."

Plus - the fiber within oats is more soluble than any other grain.

Ok - health info aside...oatmeal just tastes good - in cookies, as a late-night snack or for breakfast on a cold day.

As for oatmeal cookies - I've always made the Oatmeal Cookies from the recipe on the Quaker Oats Oatmeal container.  Bonus - I found more recipes at the Quaker Oats website.  They look really good!

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Oct. 28th ~ Frankenstein Friday

Didn't know this was a thing.  My Bill introduced me to Svengoolie (MeTV on Saturday nights).  I'd come home from my job (playing for Saturday night Mass) and he'd have a pizza ready and Svengoolie ready also.  We developed a routine that lasted until he moved on to Heaven last year.

Frankenstein was often featured and I found my favorites from the various movies (1930s and 1940s).  There was Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankentstein. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (definitely one of my favorites), Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein - the list goes on.  You can read more here.

So - if you haven't watched one of the many older Frankenstein movies, you owe it to yourself to join me and watch at least one of them.  I'll bring the popcorn.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Oct. 27th ~ National American Beer Day

I think I lean toward American Beers every day but the thought that today is "National American Beer Day" gave me pause for thought.

To celebrate I decided to buy a beer I hadn't tried yet.  Being very frugal, I chose one that had an Ibotta rebate attached.

My Bill always loved Miller Lite.  Once we got married it turned into Milwaulkee's Best or Keystone.  Every now and then we'd splurge but usually it was what we could afford.

One time we bought a keg because I'd "run the numbers" and it would be cheaper to have a keg.  It was an absolutely wonderful couple of days until the keg ran dry and the party ended.  We - umm, I - didn't do that again.

Today brought back a lot of memories of drinking beer with my best friend who was also my husband.  I'm not sure what he's drinking in Heaven but I'm behaving myself and trying something new on "National American Beer Day".

On a side note - thinking of American beer always makes me think of "Nati" - Natural Light beer and then my mind goes on to Walker Hayes' song "Fancy Like" which then makes me think of my daughter Ginger and her husband Adam.  (Don't you love the way my mind works?")

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Oct. 26th ~ National Pumpkin Day

Did you know...pumpkins are a member of the gourd family  Other members of the gourd family are melons, cucumbers, squash (yellow and zucchini). Plus they're fruits - not vegetables.  Their history in North America goes back 5,000 years.

Pumpkin is also one of the best-known sources of beta-carotene (an antioxidant converted to vitamin A in the body).  They are loaded with fiber, potassium, and vitamin C.

Photo by Marius Ciocirlan on Unsplash

While I love melons (all kinds) and really love squash with onions, zucchini stir-fried and cucumbers just to snack on, I found these interesting cookies.

Side Note:  Dewey's Bakery was founded in 1930 in Winston-Salem, NC.  To read more about their history, click here.

Hope you have a good "National Pumpkin Day" and that there's a good pumpkin patch in your future this fall to visit.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Oct. 25th ~ Sourest Day

Welcome to "Sourest Day".  Today is the day for all things sour.  While I love green apples and lemons, I'm concentrating on candy today.

I polled two young people (my grandson and a young friend) about their favorite sour candy.  I received two different answers.  So here goes...

My young friend said Sour Patch Kids but it has to be the box not a bag.  Boy, was she right!  They are sour but addictive!

My grandson's answer was "Limon 7".  I'd never heard of it.  Limon 7 is a salt and lemon powder.  The powder can be eaten straight from the pouch or poured on to fruit.  I chose the pouch route.

I'm already thinking of other ways to use the Limon 7.  Since I have 99 more pouches of it, I wonder if I can come up with 99 more ways to use it.

Hope you enjoy "Sour Day" and thanks for visiting ~ Reia 

Oct. 24th ~ National Food / Bologna Day

National Food Day was celebrated for the first time in 1975.  The day was created by the CSPI (Center for Science and Public Interest).

Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

It was supposed to be like "Earth Day" and focused on educating people about healthy eating, good farming methods, etc.  I try to eat healthy, but I certainly wouldn't be the poster child for "National Food Day".  I do love a good salad though - honest!

In fact, I wanted to write about "National Bologna Day" but didn't buy any in time to take pictures or get the recipe for this "Bologna and Cream Cheese" cake.  Yes, it's a thing.

So, here's the 1973 commercial floating around in my head as I thought about my post for "National Bologna Day".

Oscar Meyer Commercial - 1973 

Thanks for visiting on this day that's all about food ~ Reia

Oct. 23rd ~ T.V. Talk Show Host Day

One thing I can say about all of the Talk Show Hosts I've seen during my life time - they've entertained me, made me laugh and educated me over the years.

My all time favorite is... Johnny Carson (information from IMDB.com).  You can stream Johnny Carson's show on Pluto TV, the Roku Channel and Peacock.  I'm adding a few YouTube clips here (3:49 and 4:27).  I think my favorites were when animals were brought on the show.

Cute Koala Climbs a Tree on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show

Baby Mountain Lion Stares Down Johnny Carson

My newest favorite Talk Show Host is Jonathan Ross.  You can watch him on Britbox.  Here's a clip with Steve Carell and Gordon Ramsey (start at the 1:40 marker).  Steve Carell is telling about his fine dining experience.  I haven't laughed this much in a while and even Gordon Ramsey was cracking up.

I've also enjoyed Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and many others.  I can say the Talk Show Hosts I've enjoyed over the years have added a lot to my life.  I'm very happy to celebrate them today.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Oct. 22nd ~ National Nut Day

 Happy "National Nut Day"!  Liberation Foods - a Community Interest Company that's owned by smallholder farmers around the world - designated Oct. 22nd to be "National Nut Day" in 2015.

Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

For some interesting "Nut" Facts - visit RitiRiwaz.  One that caught my eye is - Pistachios aren't a nut - they're a seed.  (There goes the photo I was going to use.)

Photo by Pavel Kalenik on Unsplash

Did you know there's a website called - Nutcracker Museum?  The site even has a "Puzzle" page for Kids.

Photo by Chris Briggs on Unsplash

The Minimalist Baker shows us how to Make our own Nut Butter.

Thanks for visiting on "National Nut Day"!  Reia