I Like Thursday #145

 One hundred forty-five weeks.  That is almost 2 3/4 years worth of posts.  I started joining LeeAnna's I Like Thursday bloggers in 2017.  Since that time I have traveled back and forth across the US three times, hence the reason why I don't have more post.

I like the interesting appliances I see while I wander the store at times.  A donut maker! 

Perhaps it could put me out of work if customers all decided to make their own donuts. 😮  Probably not ever going to happen.  

I recently purchased a new InstaPot that also has an air fryer too!  I will say I love it.  I was astonished at all the accessories for the InstaPot.

I saw a recipe recently using cookie dough in the insta pot and topping it with ice cream when it is done cooking.  Sounds yummy.

Bobbin got a sweatshirt. This is the first shirt I have bought her that the hood actually goes over her head.  While it is toasty on cold days she is not a fan, and can actually manage to wriggle out of it.  

While I am pretty proud of how self sufficient I can be, at times I fail miserably.  Example my sewing room used to have a ceiling fan with those small candle looking type bulbs.  Recently I had a day I turned the light switch, and nothing happened.  I shut it off and turned it on again, and it flashed on.  The next day same thing, but it took about 10 seconds before it came on.  I thought perhaps I needed a new switch.  After what felt like a bazillion trips up and down the stairs, I never did figure out what beaker would shut the power off to that room.  I finally resorted to shutting the power off to the whole house.  The new switch didn't work.  What happened was like a horror movie.   The light started flashing off and on.  We switched it off.  Decided to change out the bulbs....and it worked.  For a day.

Next was to just get a whole new fixture.  As I removed the ceiling fan/light I realized that the socket was cracked.  

The cracked socket made it so that the circuit was disrupted.  

This is my new light.  It has two 100 watt bulbs and is an amazing light.  The problem?  For some reason I have breakers which keep shutting down.  I finally decided that it was time to call an electrician.  My appointment will be for the 5th of February.  Obviously I did something wrong if it isn't working correctly.  Sometimes you just need to bring in the professionals, and say uncle.  

The books I read for the week were Desert Guardian by AW Baldwin.  Ethan was mountain biking the southwest, and goes over the edge.  He is rescued by a hermit named Relic.  Relic leaves Ethan at the River in hopes of hitching a ride with the white water rafters back to civilization.  

Throw in some relic hunters determined to protect their discoveries and a beautiful river guide and Ethan's life will never be the same. 

Magpie Speaks by R Allen Chappell.  The witch of Ganado is causing havoc and Paul T'Sosi needs to protect his family. 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.  My mother was a teacher as I was growing up and her specialty was reading.  I remember this book sitting on the shelves at my house, yet I never remember picking it up to read. 

Kit is left an orphan after her grandfather dies and in an act of desperation she boards a ship for Connecticut to live with her Aunt and Uncle.  Arriving in colonial Connecticut and living with Puritans is quite the change.  Kit befriends Hannah Tupper and old widow that lives on the edge of Blackbird Pond.  Headstrong and spoiled Kit has a lot to learn about work, and her family has a lot to learn about friendship.

Now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color and check out the other I Like Thursday posts.

I Like Thursday #144

Welcome to my 144th post of I Like Thursday.  Weekly LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color encourages us to share things we have found that we like/love.  

I don't know about many of you, but I will say today while I didn't get to see the whole inauguration I did get to see the poet Amanda Gorman.  All I can say is WOW!

 I will admit I felt a sigh of relief as if a huge weight had been lifted after the events of the past few weeks.  

Paczki season started, and then they came up with an idea of making some "designer" Paczki.  

A Bavarian Turtle Paczki....a Bavarian Paczki, topped with fudge, pecans, caramel, and chocolate drizzle.  

Raspberry Creme Paczki....Raspberry Paczki filled with cream cheese icing, and topped with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and a smidge of raspberry.

Have you ever had your brown sugar turn into a brick?  I have seen many different home remedies, but decided to try one of these.  A brown sugar saver.  Does it work.  A resounding yes it does.  You soak it for about 15 minutes in hot water.  Dry it off, then place it in your brown sugar.  It actually makes it nice and loose. 

Remember the cute shirt I saw at work that I wanted to get Bobbin?  

My daughter actually went to several stores looking for it.  No luck.  Either small or X-large.  :(  I found something similar though.

It has a crown and says, " Feed Me and Tell Me I'm Pretty."  Gray is not Bobbin's color though.  But it is so cute, and has a sweet little bow on the cowl neck.  

I saw this kitchen towel and thought it was so appropriate for the era we are in.  The last few years I have developed a thing for bees.  

I had to ask my mom to send a picture for me of the Christmas Stockings at her house.  I have cross stitched the tops of each one.

I have a stocking, as well as one for my youngest daughter and her 3 sons that live here in Michigan, so there are 4 more.  I had a stocking for Jeff, my mom returned it to me as a keepsake.  I need to make one more for my middle daughter's man.  I love seeing how our family has grown.  

Speaking of Jeff.  There are times I would like to just close down my Facebook page, but every now and then a memory shows up, and it means so much I hate to lose that.

This is a picture of Jeff when Finn was born.  There were a whole series of pictures with him and the older boys with baby Finn too.  

I have been working a lot this week.  People calling off are a trial--at least to me, it means that I get called in to work.  They keep trying to hire new people, but doing doughnuts seem to be very overwhelming to them, and so they decline the job.  Sigh.  

My books for the week are Chaos at Little Leaf Creek by Cindy Bell.

Cassie Alberta has purchased a house in Little Leaf Creek so she can make a new start.  Things go awry quickly when a sculpture that she would like to have in her yard must be approved by the town historical society, and the head of the group is found murdered in Cassie's yard.  

End of the Line by Emily James is the 9th installment in the Maple Syrup Mysteries.  It is only a few short weeks until Nicole marries Mark the town coroner.  But the town police chief turns up missing and another police officer is murdered at Mark's house.  How does it all tie together?  Throw in a food truck that specializes in cupcakes and police corruption.  Will Nicole and Mark be married?  

Thanks for stopping by, now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color to see the other I Like Thursday posts. 

I Like Thursday #143

 Welcome to my 143rd I Like Thursday post.  Thank you to LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color for leading us and encouraging us to find things that we like or love and add positivity to the universe.

I keep a sourdough starter going.  I decided that I wanted to try to make a cinnamon raisin bread with the sourdough discard.  I found the recipe on King Arthur's baking site.

It has a nice crumb and not too sweet.  

It was very yummy.

I don't get to see many sunrises anymore because I am at work, in the bakery at 3 am most days of the week.  I liked seeing the sliver of moon.

It looked like it was caught up in the branches of the tree.

We have kind of had a different winter than normal.  More overcast gray days than sunny days.  So seeing this sunrise and the promise of some blue skies was nice.  

It is that time of year again.  I am thinking I may not have to do quite as many as last year due to COVID,  

Yep it is Paczki season.  Fat Tuesday is February 16, 2021.  I have been making these for about a week.  I am starting slow, 12 boxes a day, and every morning they are all gone and  I make 12 more boxes the next day.  Bavarian (custard), Cheese (cream cheese), Raspberry, Cherry, and Lemon.  I also have blueberry, strawberry, apple, and prune.  

I like when the seed catalogs start to arrive.  It gives you time to dream of creating a beautiful growing space.  

Speaking of books....

 

How cool is this fountain?  It is the Amelia Valerio Weinberg Memorial Fountain in Cincinnati.  

To keep up with the book theme.....

My books for the week.

An Unwelcome Guest by Emily Organ this is the 7th installment of the Penny Green Mysteries.  Penny is invited to spend the night in a new hotel that has just opened.  In a previous life there were many tragedies that had occurred in the hotel, but it has been totally renovated, and the new owner is a successful American.  The new Hotelier ends up dead, and the murder weapon in Penny's Room.  It is up to Penny to prove her innocence.  

Ripe for Vengeance by Wendy Tyson.  This is the 4th book in the greenhouse mysteries.  Megan's hunky boyfriend, local vet Denver Finn introduces her to his college buddies.  All of these people work for a pharmaceutical company called BOLD.  They are doing a retreat with high risk kids, one which is Denver's aunt's foster son who led a tragic life.  A  call comes in Denver's best friend has been murdered and Dylan the foster son was found holding the murder weapon.  

 The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles this is the 3rd in the Penn Gage series set in Natchez, Mississippi.  An Irish mobster, riverboat casino's dog fighting and murder are all intertwined when Penn's best friend from childhood is thrown off of a wall.  

The Devil Drinks Coffee by Destiny Ford.  Kate Saxee has returned to her hometown of Branson Falls, Utah to be the editor, news reporter and photographer of the small town newspaper.  The death of the most popular girl in high school who has been missing for months, a cow that committed suicide, a stolen combine racing at 15 miles an hour down the freeway, and a senior citizen who has her head caught in a revolving door, nothing is ever quiet in the sleepy little Mormon town.  Throw in a sexy PI Hawk, and the local State Representative Drake, and Kate has her hands full.  

Now head over to LeeAnna's to check out the other I Like Thursday posts. 

I Like Thursday #142

Welcome to my 142nd I Like Thursday post.   I have had a strange but awesome week.  I think work is tired of paying me double time and triple time and a half on holidays because they have been making sure I have days off.  I had Wednesday the 30th off, New Year's Day, Sunday, and Tuesday.  The first couple of days I did sleep a lot, but since then even though I have been working every other day I have been cleaning up, putting Christmas away (except for my Christmas Tree) and working on some sewing projects. I think it is a huge like.

I want to thank LeeAnna for encouraging a group of us to find and share things we like or love during the week, to throw some positivity, and love out into the universe.  

My Christmas cactus is blooming.   I think the poor dear is confused and also needs a repotting, but after reading up on it, I need to wait for a while before I do that.  I will call it an Epiphany cactus since Wednesday was the beginning of Epiphany.  

I don't know about many of you, but I like the beginning of the year.  I clean up my computer folders, download files to my external hard drive.  Start new 2021 folders.  I need to clean out my file cabinets an file paperwork. 

While Christmas is barely in the box, I am getting inundated with plant catalogs in the mail, and Valentine's and Easter things at work.  I did love these two dog shirts/sweaters.

It says:  Feed me and tell me I'm pretty.  It has picture of donuts on it.  Isn't it perfect for my Bobbin?

 

 Then there is the Soul Mate sweater.  I will admit this little girl had my heart from the first moment I saw her picture.  She is my doggy soul mate.

 With so many friends who knit and crochet I saw this at work and it made me giggle.

This yarn cake is about 2 1/2 feet tall.  It looks like it may be chenille. 

Recently I had to go to a different feed store for bedding for my chooks.  I got a chuckle at the mascot at the door.

 The pup looks a wee bit like my Bobbin.  It is reminding people to wear masks, and socially distance.

While there I spied these socks.  There was some fuzzy sheep, longhorns, horses, goats. 

I ordered a couple of more ornaments, and I just loved the hen and chicks on a nest.

I have done a bit of sewing.  I made these two strip quilts called Timber Gnomies.  I think I will be putting some borders on them eventually.  I have also been working on the Bonnie Hunter Grassy Creek Mystery Quilt.  I have step one done, and am working on step two currently.  (Currently as of last Friday they were on step 6).  

Today was a stressful day for many reasons.  So Bobbin and I went for a drive and got a Starbucks.  Here is Bobbin enjoying her Puppercino.

 I have been enjoying some beautiful art from a Native American Man from tribe.  How to select just one piece is difficult.  Check it out!  Carl Avery Studios

With so many free days I have had a lot of time to listen or read books.  

Booked for Murder by Eva Gates the 2nd in the Lighthouse Library Mystery Series.  

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.  Purportedly one of the 1st books written considered to be in the mystery genre.  

The Secret of Dunhaven Castle by Nellie Steele.  Cate Kensie an untenured professor at a small university is approached and informed that she is the last legal heir of Gertrude McKenzie.  In order to be the heir she must live at Dunhaven Castle in Scotland.  Once there strange things start to occur.  

Ye Olde Antique Shoppe:  The Edward V Coin by Margaret Brazear.  Another book where a long lost relative inherits an old shop and home.  Rachel enters the Antique Shoppe and takes an old coin which she figures she can sell after consulting with her friend Peter Atwood.  They step out of the shop and into 1483.

 

Death at LaFenice by Donna Leon the first book in the Commisario Brunetti series.  A world famous conductor is found dead in his dressing room after an interval during an opera.  An opera house in Venice full of suspects, including an orchestra and the cast of LaTraviata. 

Now head over to LeeAnnas at Not Afraid of Color and check out the other I Like Thursday posts.