#I don’t have the spoons to make larger posts but I want to share smaller tidbits about my AU for Bun-Bun

[artblogofanekophile]

Thank you so much for the tag, @jhoudiey!

This looked like a nice, simple enough thing to fill in (though knowing me I will needlessly complicate matters), so I decided to do this as a way to ease myself back into posting.

Firstly, here's the blank answers for ease of use:

Veggies VS Meat

Spicy food VS Non-spicy food

Sweet VS Salty

Noodles VS Rice

Mint VS No mint

Singing VS Dancing

Cold weather VS Hot weather

Dog VS Cat person

Big spoon VS Little spoon

Extrovert VS Introvert

Actions VS Words

Thin-skinned VS Thick-skinned

Movies VS Series

Comics VS Books

Good liar VS Bad liar

I believe the intention is to simply bold the answers... But because I'm extra, I'll be providing an explanation where I feel necessary. You may fill it in as you so please!

Without further adieu...

Neko

Veggies VS Meat

Miss Neko is a feline beastwoman, and cats are well-known to be obligate carnivores. However, in being a beastwoman, she also needs some form of a human diet as well. Her preference is absolutely meat, but she stopped begrudging the need to eat vegetables at about age nine.

Spicy food VS Non-spicy food

Cats are well known to have sensitive tongues, and Miss Neko is no exception! Anything more than mild spice and the poor thing will be sneaking ice-cubes out of the Mostro Lounge freezer for days!

Sweet VS Salty

She has a bit of a sweet tooth! Especially cake.

Noodles VS Rice

Rice is generally less messy, and there's nothing more irritating than ending up wearing most of your food, especially for a proud pedigree such as herself!

Mint VS No mint

I imagine mint will have the same effect on her as spice - it's less of a refreshing treat and more like a cold burn.

Singing VS Dancing

Miss Neko loves to sing! Whether she's good at it or not, well... That's up for her company to decide. Even then, it won't stop her.

Cold weather VS Hot weather

While she can manage the sun in small enough doses, Neko dislikes excessive heat. She learned the hard way to apply sun-lotion to the skin of her ears when she was but a kitten! The cold weather is so much more accommodating to her natural tendencies. Ah, a cushioned window-sill, a woolen sweater, a warm drink and the sound of the gentle rain hitting the window...

She could just... nod off right... there...

Dog VS Cat person

"Nya? Surely you jest! Can't you see from these adorrrable ears and this elegant tail that I am nothing less than a pedigree kitty? How silly~"

Big spoon VS Little spoon

Both! I was initially going to say it depends on who I ship her with, but even if she was dating one of the taller characters, I don't think she would shy away from curling in around them and purring against their shoulder to soothe them to sleep. Relationships are about give and take, after all!

Extrovert VS Introvert {It's... complicated}

I think that Miss Neko is an introvert that disguises herself as an extrovert. She displays a veneer of charm and natural charisma, putting forth the impression of a very confident person. However, her sense of bravado hides away a rather vulnerable side to herself, a part of her with insecurities and vulnerabilities that she doesn't want to readily share with just anyone.

Actions VS Words

Words can so often be empty. Actions, no matter how small, can say as much as a thousand words could. Although, if you wished to pair said actions with pretty words...

Thin-skinned VS Thick-skinned

I think it does depend somewhat on the situation, but I think that Neko doesn't allow things to pierce her very deeply unless they come from someone she holds in very high esteem. Working as a server in the Mostro Lounge has perhaps taught her how to let thoughtless words roll off her back... most of the time.

Movies VS Series

If you ask her to sit through much more than 90 minute movie, she might just doze off.

Comics VS Books

Both! Though she definitely gets through comics faster, unless the book she's reading is incredibly interesting.

Good liar VS Bad liar

A good liar to those who don't know her heart.

Persephone Amaryllis

Veggies VS Meat

Persephone finds it incredibly rewarding when meals are made using produce from her own garden! You can really taste the difference in quality.

Spicy food VS Non-spicy food

She's more adventurous with foods than others! She's always keen to try anything at least once. Kalim seemed delighted when she seemed to enjoy the dishes from his homeland despite the intensity of the spice. Even if a few others looked at her as though she'd grown a second head...

Sweet VS Salty

Sweet treats are great! Especially when you incorporate fruits and berries into a dessert.

Noodles VS Rice

Being someone who likes to work in the dirt when tending to plants, she doesn't really care much if she gets her clothes dirty from slurping noodles. Keeping her clothes spotless aren't a huge priority for her - stains just bring back fun memories.

Mint VS No mint

A little can go a long way, bringing a dish together to feel light yet fulfilling. Easy to overdo, however!

Singing VS Dancing

Being a rather animated person, she often has a lot of pent up energy! Who cares if you look silly, so long as you're having fun?

Cold weather VS Hot weather

Warm weather is Persephone's element. There's no better time to go for a long walk outside and take in the beauty of nature, wading through long grass, sitting in the shade of a tree, watching the gentle breeze sway the budding flowers to and fro. The soft caress of the sun as it cascades over your skin... what could be better than that?

Dog VS Cat person

Both animals are wonderful as far as Seph is concerned! They both have their own unique characteristics as a species that make them charming, though perhaps a dog might suit Persephone a bit more as a pet because dogs tend to match her energy more, and she could take a dog out on her adventures with her. Fancy getting a cat that isn't Neko into a harness!

Big spoon VS Little spoon

She has a protective and nurturing side to her as well. Sometimes all you need is someone to hold you close and be present with you in that moment. Seph may be a high-energy person, but she also knows when to mellow out and simply let a moment pass comfortably with peace. Nothing need be said, only felt. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere.

Extrovert VS Introvert

And extrovert, through and through! She has no qualms about going up and introducing herself with confidence and enthusiasm. Anything new, she will readily and cheerfully throw herself into it. She tends to be quite open and upfront about her positions and feelings on matters and people... there are few things that she feels the need to hide, but that's the same for everyone, isn't it? No one is entitled to her deepest secrets, it makes the version of her she shows to other people no less authentic.

Actions VS Words

Growing up, she learned that people liked to excuse their actions with words. She thinks it's best to let your actions and the way you treat others do the talking for you. Small gifts, body language, physical touch, small acts of service... That's her love language.

Thin-skinned VS Thick-skinned

There is nothing you could say to her that her mother or herself hasn't already. You'll have to try pretty hard or be pretty close to hurt Persephone Amaryllis.

Movies VS Series

Movies have so little time to really explore the world and characters! A series can offer more insight at a far less rushed pace than movies can, and you get so much more growth in a series than in a film. They feel more satisfying to Persephone.

Comics VS Books

There's just something so satisfying about the sound of a page turning, the scent of paper and ink, and a typewritten font...

Good liar VS Bad liar

Strict mothers make convincing liars.

Robin Redfearn

Veggies VS Meat

It takes both to make a wholesome, hearty meal!

Spicy food VS Non-spicy food

Robin is used to her grandmother's traditional cooking, where sadly the most spicy seasoning is probably pepper...

Sweet VS Salty

There's nothing like a nice trifle after dinner to hit the spot.

Noodles VS Rice

She prefers white rice because it soaks up the sauce in a dish, giving it more flavour.

Mint VS No mint

A little bit of mint is fine. Just not so intense that it makes her eyes water!

Singing VS Dancing

True to her namesake, Robin loves to sing and has quite a nice voice! She often sings while she does chores or schoolwork. If you make it known that you're listening, though, she'll trail off, turn red and quickly go back to her business but in silence.

Cold weather VS Hot weather

Many a winter night was spent cuddled up on her grandma's knee in front of the fireplace as it crackled and roared, the falling snow faint through the frosted windowpanes, the dog at her feet. Her grandmother's soft voice humming her a lullaby as she fought sleep but always eventually succumbed. These memories hold such a special place in her heart.

Dog VS Cat person

She's fond of dogs because of her grandmother's Scottish Terrier!

Also she's shipped with Jack, how can she not like dogs lol

Big spoon VS Little spoon

I don't think poor little Robin could be a big spoon if she tried... though the idea of her trying to spoon Jack is kind of hilarious. But no, I think that she would feel safe and content being in the arms of the person she loves, feeling his breath against the nape of her neck as his warmth envelops her. Lured into a secure, peaceful sleep, much like the roaring fireplace back home...

Extrovert VS Introvert

Robin is quite shy and timid at first, and while she does work on becoming more confident and assertive... she still can't quite manage to be as outspoken and energetic as Persephone. She likes smaller social gatherings, and if asked to attend larger ones, she generally sticks with a small, familiar group and tries to have a good time!

Actions VS Words

Both are necessary. Communication is an important part of any relationship. Telling someone she loves them, though nerve wracking to start, will eventually come to be as natural as breathing to her. She also shows love usually through cooking or baking. She'll purposefully make more than she needs to so she can give others what's left over, and omurice with a heart-shaped squirt of ketchup? You'd best believe it.

Thin-skinned VS Thick-skinned

Admittedly, she can be pretty easily discouraged and hurt. It's something that she knows is an issue and she's working on not taking things to heart so much. Easier said than done.

Movies VS Series

She doesn't really watch much TV. She gets more absorbed by books.

Comics VS Books

Having lived a rather sheltered life before she somehow ended up in NRC, she often found escapism in the form of fantasy books. Who would have thought that she would be walking amongst wizards and magicians, not unlike the ones in those childhood stories? Certainly not Robin!

Good liar VS Bad liar

Honestly if she had to lie she would probably just do it by omission or being very selective about the information she shares. Her grandmother had this look that always somehow managed to make a confession spill from her lips in mere moments... Sometimes Robin wonders if her Grandma might have been a magician...

This was fun, if not a bit long-winded... my apologies. I just get so into it! I hope it's not bothersome to read.

Tagging: @mopotatoes, @shadowwalker593, @goudsreblogzone, @junowritings, @kotobukicutie

And anybody else who would like to participate! To those I have tagged, please don't feel pressured to fill this out (certainly not in the amount of detail I went to) if you don't want to. I'm just interested to see what your answers are for your characters. If you're not comfortable sharing, that's totally fine. No pressure at all. <3

[theconfusedartist]

alright, it’s the end of the year so imma be honest

being in quarantine has made me realize how little nonblack people care about black lives. like. I only ever reblog posts with radical statements without tags bc I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m personally attacking them and sometimes bc though I agree with the general post, there might be things that I disagree with but don’t have the spoons to really sit down and put in the tags why the phrasing/usage of certain words or phrases upset me. so I just like and move on

but after seeing that Black Lives Matter is trending on tumblr at #20 all the seething rage I’ve been holding in my chest kinda bubbles over. why? Because this year, nonblack people have proven, whether we’re talking on a large scale like corporations, businesses, and larger financial institutions or if we’re taking on a smaller scale like person to person or even just seeing someone’s post on whatever social media, that they don’t are about black people

It really was unnerving. Seeing these ads or hearing them say “Black Lives Matter! As long as they contribute to our sales!Buy now! And feel like a better person because you shopped at a store that was unafraid to say BLM!” and then looking up and seeing they weren’t donating a cent to any movements or even giving money to the black people who’s posts had skyrocketed asking for money due to COVID

“I think BLM!” proclaims a nonblack blogger, puts it in their bio and then talks over black people in issues that have nothing to do with them

It’s like seeing the whole ‘I have a black friend’ trope being commodisized in real time as people clamored to claim their anti-racism but in the next breath talked about how we should wait or things aren’t as bad as they say they are.

It always was a hit, another kick to the ribs, another post to turn away from as nonblack people started sharing pictures of black bodies with “hashtag BLM” as though to them the statement held no more weight than “I prefer cats over dogs”

It hurt, hearing about another black person who’d been killed for just existing in a space where someone took offense, then not only having to deal with the fact that their death and photos of their bodies are going to be spread around but also the fact that there would be people claiming that person deserved their death. why? well, it must’ve been some reason if they were killed for it (but there never actually is)

but this? seeing tumblr our BLM on trending as if it’s some pop culture reference or something silly that will pass once the year end infuriated and enrages me. my life will not end at the end of this year, I will still matter, all the black people living and dead will still matter whether they get acknowledged or not

Black people are people. Even when our worth is assigned and considered lesser than, we will still matter and what you think or believe on the subjec will not EVER change the fact that OIR LIVES MATTER

We have WORTH. Not just as a punching bag, a token friend, a cautionary tale, or something big and scary to gawk at, not just as much as what we are able to produce

BLACK LIVES MATTER NO MATTER WHAT WORTH NONBLACK PEOPLE TRY TO IGNORE IT, NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY TRY AND HOW OFTEN WE’RE REMINDED THAT YOU ONLY VALUE US FOR OUR LABOR, WE WILL STILL MATTER

no amount of hate, racism, or ignorance will ever change that and honestly? I pity you.

All over the world, we are told that we are nothing and don’t matter when we know it isn’t true, even as were verbally or metaphorically spit on, and yet this world wouldn’t be as it is without us

After all, if we weren’t out here creating history, making waves in our own spaces, and radicalizing the world simply by existing to the point that all we touch and create is so much better than what others create that they have to steal what we make and create and are too embarrassed to admit their lack of imagination and respond with indignation for their cultural appropriation, where would they be? So much of the basis other cultures have are stolen off the backs of black people and their creations, as much as that galls me, but without us you’d be less than nothing

So thank you, 2020. For showing me even if we and our lives don’t matter to nonblack people that we will always remain not only relevant but will continue to thrive even under the worst circumstances as everyone else falters because we’ve been here so long that all we can do is continue to stay winning

[near-seth-experience]

I made Cookies & Cream Fudge :D

I made this for the first time as a Christmas treat for a family get-together back in 2014 or 15 based upon a recipe I found online, and it was a hit. I decided to make it again this year, but I didn’t keep the initial link or write it down. I ended up referring to this one from allrecipes for the ingredients/ proportions and then improvising because it’s honestly pretty simple.

I wanted to make a post sharing the recipe because:

Stuff sucks, and sweets tend to make life more bearable.

I made something and it’s tasty, so I gotta flex a little.

Sharing tasty things is one of the best ways to spread holiday cheer.

Writing the recipe and instructions out will help me remember it and give me something accessible to refer to for next time.

Materials:

Large sauce pan

8x8 or 9x13 inch pan to hold the finished product as it hardens in the fridge.  It’s easier to cut into smaller pieces if you use a larger pan like the 9x13, but I used a glass 8x8 square pan, which made the overall brick turn out a bit taller.

A sturdy spoon/ anything that’s good for stirring

one of those rubber spatula thingies that I don’t know the name of.

Wax paper/ parchment paper to line your 8x8 / 9x13 pan with. I honestly don’t know if one type of paper would be better than the other. I don’t have the most culinary intelligence. I used parchment, and it didn’t give me any trouble when it came time to peel it off.

Hands with less arthritis than mine, or a cooking buddy. Not gonna lie, the stirring got really tough as it thickened.  I made this solo because I was in a rush to make sure I had it ready in order to send some in a package to my Grandma later, but if there wasn’t any urgency I would have absolutely waited until my dad got home from work just for the extra pair of hands.

One Gallon-sized Ziploc bag.

A good knife for cutting a fudge block into smaller pieces. I used a normal butcher knife.

Ingredients:

One standard package of Oreo cookies. 

I used the entire thing, and it was a 14.3 ounce package. I didn’t think to count, but according to the serving size information, it would have totaled in at around 36 oreos. you could absolutely use other whatever Oreos you feel like for this, although I’d only recommend Double Stuffed if you’re a mad lad. The end result turns out rich enough with just the basic bitch Oreos, but hey, go wild.

One 14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

18oz baking white chocolate. the allrecipes link above suggested three 6oz packages of baking squares, but I just used one and a half 12oz bags of white chocolate chips because I felt like it might have melted easier due to the smaller pieces. I doubt it makes much of a difference though.

Salt the allrecipes link says 1/8th of a teaspoon, but I just shook a tiny bit into my hand without measuring and did one of these into the sauce pan:

but with obviously much less sex-appeal.

Instructions:

1. Put Oreos in the one-gallon ziploc and beat it up I tried to crush them into pieces roughly the size of 1/4th of an oreo, but it doesn’t matter all that much since the fudge will harden around it, and you’re gonna be cutting the entire block into bite-sized pieces later.

2. Line your 8x8 / 9x13 pan with your wax/parchment paper before you start making the fudge proper.  Don’t be like me and scramble to do it in the middle of stirring.

3.Set the oreos aside, and dump the condensed milk and white chocolate into the sauce pan Warning: I felt like a dumb-dumb when I put all of the ingredients in at once. It made it REALLY difficult to continually stir as it melted because it ended up being much heavier on the spoon. It would definitely be better to just start with the condensed milk and maybe 12 oz of your white chocolate, and add the rest of white chocolate as you go.  

4. Do the Salt Bae you can also do this step at any time during the melting process you’re sexier than me, so you can no doubt pull this off. I believe in you.

5. Melt the contents of the sauce pan over a low heat, stirring continuously to keep anything from sticking to the bottom or sides of the sauce pan Warning: It thickens very quickly, so be mindful and make sure everything is prepared before starting. Seriously. I ended up buying myself a little time by adding a small splash of Half-and-Half into the sauce pan while I was stirring. Absolute panic-move, not gonna lie. I don’t even know if it mattered, if I’m honest. It didn’t effect the end-result, so I dodged a bullet there. If you know better than I do, and this ended up actually being a sound tactic, I think milk would be an alternative to Half-and-Half.

6.Once the fudge is melted and dummy thicc, remove it from the heat and start dumping in the crushed oreos. I used the rubber spatula thingy and worked them in with a vertical, slightly elliptical motion. I was kind of reminded of one of my favorite gifs, so maybe it’ll help:

The more dust and fine oreo pieces you pour into your fudge, the more gray the fudge will turn out. So if you care about presentation and want more of a white chocolate color to it, try to only add whole pieces. That never gets old lmao

7.Dump the entire thing onto the paper in the other pan, using the rubber spatula thingy to help level it out and fill the corners. 8.Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until it gets hard.

9.Remove it from the fridge, flip the fudge brick out of the pan, peel off the paper.

10.Cut the brick  I used a butcher knife to cut it into big ol’ chunks seen in the picture above, but once I’m preparing to serve it to family this Christmas I’ll be dicing it into much smaller pieces, roughly the size of a one-inch cube or a D20 or something, so people can put a few on a plate with the rest of their treats or whatever.

Notes:

It takes more time to gather the materials and do all of the prep than to actually make the fudge. Once it gets going, it doesn’t take long at all.

I  just took a slice off of one of the big chunks to try it, and it’s so rich that I would not recommend eating more than what is shown in the sparkly-eyed selfie below in one sitting....

Image taken moments before regret. But... like... delicious regret.... oh god.

[skullvins]

would you share the recipe of the splatoon cookies and icing with us?? im always looking for new recipes!!

Yes! Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of methods but I can tell you how I did it.

TL;DR of them is they’re basic shortbread cookies with royal icing, which is what all those stim videos of people icing cookies are! Shortbread doesn’t change shape much when baked so is ideal if you want a distinct shape to your cookie.

Anyway!

For around eight cookies, you will need:

300g unsalted butter, chopped into chunks/cubes and at roughly room temperature

450g plain flour

150g caster sugar/powdered sugar

baking parchment or grease proof paper/baking trays/a rolling pin/a sharp knife/a bowl/wire cooling racks etc

Paper and a pen/pencil

For the icing:

4-5 egg whites

about 750g-850g icing sugar (I used a bit over a box and a half of 500g boxes of icing sugar so)

Black/Pink/Green/whatever colours you’d like food colouring - I prefer gel food colouring because it’s easier to work with in my experience but you can use powder/liquid and get the same results

Spatula/a big spoon will probably do it just might be a bit harder

Piping bags/nozzles/if you don’t have either and don’t want to invest a lot of money into them you can make piping bags out of baking parchment/grease proof paper, see at the end of the post.

Like, a bunch of bowls. No, really.

Edible glitter (optional)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C/ gas mark 4. Grease and line two baking trays by using a bit of extra butter/any kind of fat and covering the tray with baking parchment/grease proof paper.

Sift your flour into a bowl and add the sugar and mix together. Add the butter into the bowl and work through with your fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. You probably want to work it more than you think you want to work it. If you take care to toss what you have in your bowl every now and then you won’t be left with loads of flour at the bottom of the bowl. You can then start working the mixture into a dough by clumping the crumbs together. With a big mix like this, do it in 3-4 chunks and then group them together. Put the whole thing in the fridge (or wrap the dough in cling film and put that in the fridge if you’re short on room) and leave to chill for a bit.

Grab your sheet of paper and fold it in half. Then, draw half a squid, cut it out and unfold for a whole squid shape. I did mine something like this

(Mine was about 15-20cm tall.)

Cut another two sheets of baking parchment/grease proof paper (big enough that you can work on them; around the size of the trays will probably be alright). Place one of them so it curls downwards to stop it from curling back up. Take your ball of dough and split it in half to make it easier to roll out and work with. Place one half on the paper and put the other sheet on top so it also curls downwards. Roll out your dough by using the rolling pin on top of the second sheet, so the dough is sandwiched between the two sheets - this method saves having to flour the surface/rolling pin, so the ratio of your dough isn’t affected (and also works with cookies - special tip!). Roll your dough so it’s about half an inch thick and place your paper squid on top of it, and cut round it with the knife to acquire a dough squid, then place that bad boy on one of your trays. Repeat this for as many squids as you can get out of the mix (you’ll probably get 8-9 depending on the size of your squid). Switch to the other half of the dough when you need to.

Put ‘em in the oven on around the middle shelf for 22-28 minutes, or until they’re golden but not burnt. Once baked, put the trays on wire racks and leave them on the trays for a bit until they’re cool enough to move (move them too soon and they’ll break!).

While they’re cooling, it’s icing time. But first, you gotta prep your bags. You’re gonna need 3-4 bags depending on if you’re doing one or two colours of squid. If you don’t have quite the right nozzles/bags, I’ll put some tips at the end of the recipe.

For the actual icing, crack your eggs and carefully separate the whites and yolk (if you’re not sure how to do this google a video, it’s a bit hard to describe). Sift in the icing sugar gradually and mix with a spatula. You want a consistency that’s thick enough that you can pipe with it, but thin enough that it’ll flood nicely when you’re filling in the cookies.

Take a small amount of the icing and spoon into one of your piping bags. as this is royal icing, try to keep the end of the nozzle and the top of the bag covered with something (kitchen roll/a cloth will do) to stop it from hardening (In fact, it’s a good idea to keep the main bowl of icing covered with a damp tea towel when you’re not working with it for the same reason). Set this bag aside for later.

Take a slightly larger amount of the icing and put it in a second, smaller bowl. Add some black food colouring and mix that up, then spoon that into a second back, keeping it covered similarly to the last bag.

If you’re doing two colours, take half of what’s left and put that in a third bowl, and colour this one pink. Spoon this icing into a third bag. You can then dye the last bowl green and spoon that into a fourth bag. I found the pink dye I had to be pretty much the right colour but I added a bit of yellow to the green mix, so have a play round with the colour if you have spare dye to do so. If you make the colour a bit too dark, you can offset it with a bit of white icing if you think you’ll have enough spare, or make up more white icing to offset it if you have the egg/icing sugar to do so.

To actually decorate, I piped on the mask, filled that in with the white for the eyes, then carefully put a drop of black in the centre for the pupil. If you mess this up you can carefully fix it with a bit of black/white icing and a skewer. I then outlined the coloured section and filled it in. Here’s a doodle of the rough order.

If you want the effect at the end of the tentacles, spray/sprinkle some edible glitter at the end of the tentacles and then use whichever colour icing to add drops to create the circles at the end of the tentacles.

If you can, leave them to set overnight. If you can’t leave out them that long, leave them for about half an hour (maybe clean up and come back to them?) and then carefully transfer them to tins. Make sure none of them lie on top of any of the others or you’ll knock the icing!

And there you have it - squid cookies! You can probably make an octoling variant, I just couldn’t be bothered to make another variant on this already. If you do make some, please let me know! I’d love to see them.

But Boo, I don’t have piping bags/nozzles/goddammit are these things really that expensive?

To answer your second question: yes, and it kills me (I didn’t even quite have enough nozzles for this!). You should see the state of my baking supply cupboard. To answer your other questions:

If you own some nozzles, but not enough small round ones, you can get away with small star ones for the white. If you’re dedicated enough to buy nozzles, you want the ones that look like this:

rather than big buttercream nozzles, which are much bigger.

If you don’t have nozzles at all/don’t have enough (I was one short when I made mine and made it work!), you can kinda make them by taping around the bottom of your bag (if you have nozzles, put one in and tape around that for better shape. If you don’t, fill the bag first). This’ll make the end of the bag a bit stronger so it holds its shape better - then just cut a hole at the end of the bag. If you do this though be careful not to squeeze the bag too hard.

To make your own bags (although they won’t be super big), you can cut a sheet of baking parchment/grease proof paper and then cut it in half diagonally and fold both of the pointy ends round into the square end. Here’s a link to a site with a video and pictures of how to do it.

If you’re a more practised baker/looking to make stuff like this more often, it’s definitely worth getting yourself at least a small set of nozzles for future projects, but don’t spend a fortune if you’re not gonna get use out of them - especially when there’s some pretty ok alternatives.

Have fun with the icing!

[plague-of-insomnia]

Sebciel Drabble - Excerpt from “Circus” AU

So I was feeling really low this weekend and decided I’d try to write some fluff or PWP to cheer me up and ofc this came out instead, which is neither.

      It’s a slice from an AU I'm working on (tentatively titled Circus). It's likely to be a dark, complex story. In it, Joker runs an escort agency called Circus. Sebastian, now almost thirty, has been working for him as an escort and fixer for years and knows he’s going to probably have to retire from the former soon. Ciel is in his twenties and the two of them have been dating for some time by the present point of the story. Seb, Finny, and Ciel share an apartment. I don’t know the full details yet, but Finny and probably Ciel also work for Joker in some capacity, though Sebastian has insisted Ciel go to school (since that was always Ciel’s dream). Lau is the big antagonist of the story whom both Seb and Ciel have a personal vendetta against, though I don’t want to go into more detail as that’d be a big spoiler (and isn’t necessary for enjoying this little snippet).

      This scene is basically just Sebastian and Ciel talking over dinner. There's some heat and nudity, but no sex, sorry.

      I thought about putting this on AO3, but honestly I have no idea if this scene will make it into the final story since it's still in the early stages. But this is probably relatively early in, probably within the first few chapters.

      Anyway, enjoy, and if you liked it (and want me to post more of my in-progress stuff on here) please let me know by liking/commenting/reblogging!

_____________

      “Seb? I’m home,” Ciel called as he entered the apartment.

      “In the kitchen.”

      Ciel followed the delicious aroma, dumping his bag on the couch before wandering over to his boyfriend.

      Sebastian stood at the stove, using cooking chopsticks to stir something sizzling away in a wok. He had borrowed some of Finny’s bobby-pins to keep his long bangs out of his eyes while he cooked, and they shone when he moved and caught the light just right, the colored metal standing out sharply amidst his ink black hair. He was dressed in old, faded, low-hanging jeans that were fitted but from before the skinny fad, with holes everywhere, including a large one that started at the bottom of his right back pocket and expanded across his lower butt, revealing a muscled, pale cheek. Unsurprisingly, Sebastian was going commando. He was bare from the waist up except for an apron (hot oil on bare nipples was a lesson he’d learned the hard way).

      Ciel took a moment to appreciate the line of his boyfriend’s back, the shift and slide of skin and muscles in his shoulders as he moved, the hint of his tattoo peaking above the waistband of his jeans. A stereotypical pronged devil’s tail along his tailbone that curled down and over his currently covered left ass cheek. He took his persona seriously. Sometimes too seriously. “Whatcha cooking?”

      Seb paused to lean over and press a kiss to Ciel’s head when he grew closer. “‘Use up all the leftovers in the fridge’ fried rice.”

      Ciel snagged a carrot from the cutting board and popped it in his mouth, humming appreciatively. Sebastian knew what it was like to starve, and so he was ruthless in making sure they had almost no food waste. More impressive than that was how delicious his meals could be, no matter the ingredients. Sebastian was such a talented cook, Ciel had tried to convince him more than once to enroll in culinary school with no success. As confident and domineering as Sebastian could seem, the truth was he didn’t see himself as worth much more than being a whore and a thug.

      “How was class?”

      Ciel gathered the cutlery and bowls as Sebastian added the finishing touches to the rice. “Eh. We have to write a business plan.”

      Sebastian accepted the bowls, one at a time, filling them with fried rice.

      “Finny isn’t eating with us?”

      Sebastian shook his head. He’s training with Bard, and then he has clients so he said not to worry about him; they’d grab something.”

      Ciel nodded absently and followed his boyfriend to their small table, where they both began to dig in. “Awesome as always,” Ciel said with a grin as he gathered some more spoonfuls.

      Sebastian smiled fondly and picked at his own meal.

      That didn’t escape Ciel’s notice, but he said nothing. “Anyway, I was thinking of doing this idea I’ve had for awhile, but it’s probably stupid.”

      “You’re brilliant, so I doubt that,” Sebastian assured Ciel, his unusual mahogany eyes showing nothing but pure sincerity. Ciel had fallen in love with Sebastian years before they’d acknowledged it partly because of the taller man’s sometimes brutal honesty. He could be duplicitous and a flatterer while in his Luci persona, but Sebastian himself preferred to lay everything out on the table.

      Ciel blushed and took a bite of food to give him time to stall and figure out how to formulate what he wanted to say. “I want to start a toy company that makes toys designed for sick kids. Stuff that’s easy to disinfect and resistant to allergens, that’s compact so they’re easy to bring to a doctor’s appointment or when in the hospital. Stuff that will help comfort and distract kids who are in pain or not feeling well.” Ciel blushed again and ducked his head.

      The slate-haired man felt fingers cradle his chin and direct it back up so that he was looking at Sebastian, who was leaning in almost too-close as he was overly fond of doing. “That’s a wonderful idea. I would probably start a knife company or a sex toy company.”

      “Or something to do with cats,” Ciel grumbled good naturedly.

      Sebastian chuckled. “Maybe a whole line of cat-themed dildos and butt plugs.”

      “You and cats and your oversexed brain. No one wants to think of their cat when they’re masturbating.”

      Sebastian shrugged with a playful smile. Then he leaned nearer and planted a chaste kiss on Ciel’s lips, but it soon turned heated when the smaller man stuck his tongue out to taste Sebastian’s own lips, soy sauce and ginger making Ciel’s mouth water.

      Ciel didn’t have much to compare him to, but in his mind Sebastian had to be the world’s most fantastic kisser. He’d never truly given it a chance, but he was almost certain that—especially if he were backed up—he could come just from kissing.

      Sebastian held Ciel’s face in a way that was both possessive and tender, nibbling on Ciel’s tongue in a way that went straight to the smaller man’s cock.

      Ciel leaned into the kiss, chasing Sebastian, who always seemed to escape to continue dominating the kiss. Typical, but still frustrating. Knowing how to distract him, the smaller man splayed his hands on the larger’s chest, scraping a fingernail along Sebastian’s bare nipple.

      Sebastian growled, but instead of escalating or allowing Ciel to control the kiss, he pulled back, his blown pupils, erect nipples and half chubby tenting his pants the only indication they’d made out at all. His look was distant, and his breathing even when he said, “We should finish eating.”

      Ciel nodded absently, reaching down to readjust his own hard-on so he could sit more comfortably, and picked up his spoon again. “You all right?”

      Sebastian smiled, but it was forced and fake and it pissed Ciel off. “Fine.”

      The slate-haired man grunted. “You know, you could still go. To school.”

      Sebastian scoffed as he stabbed a piece of chicken with a chopstick, fisted in one hand like a knife. “It’s too late for me.”

      “You always say that. But it’s not. There are people in their thirties and forties in my classes.”

      Sebastian looked away, intently focused on his food, although he was mostly stirring the rice around without eating it. “Ciel, I’m not like you. I was born into this life. I don’t belong in the light.”

      “Seb—”

      “What I did to you and Finny, that’s technically kidnapping, you know.”

      “That was years ago. And you didn’t kidnap us, you rescued us!”

      Sebastian sighed and set his chopsticks down, clearly having lost whatever little appetite he had. “Not in the eyes of the law. You don’t know what I’ve done. What I do for Joker. I’m not a good person.”

      Ciel sputtered, trying to argue, but Sebastian talked over him.

      “I have a fifth-grade education.”

      “Only officially. But you’re smart and you’ve taught yourself a lot. I bet if you tried you could get your GED—”

      “Enough,” Sebastian snarled, eyes flashing. Ciel didn’t see him angry often, but he could be truly terrifying when he was; it was almost as if his irises glowed red.

      “Tell me what’s wrong,” the younger man demanded, indicating Sebastian’s bowl with his spoon. The taller man had often insisted Ciel and Finny clear their plates, reminding them they never knew when that meal needed to last them for days. Sebastian always ate, even if he didn’t seem to be hungry.

      For a moment, when their eyes met, Ciel thought Sebastian was going to come clean. But instead, he just shook his head and pushed to his feet. “I’m going for a run. I’ll eat something after.”

      Ciel jumped up and rushed to meet him on the way to their bedroom. “Don’t do this. Come on.”

      Sebastian ignored his boyfriend and unbuttoned his jeans, kicking them off as he pulled on a cutoff shirt. “I just need to clear my head. I told you I’m fine.”

      Ciel forced his way between Sebastian and the dresser, not letting the man’s washboard stomach, toned thighs or long, thick cock distract him from his purpose. “I know I’m not the only one with nightmares. I know that you can’t sleep more often than not. I know you stand out on the balcony for hours with that lighter and pack of cigarettes you keep in the top shelf of the closet, thinking about lighting up.” The taller man had quit not long after bringing Finny and Ciel home, after the doctors explained cigarette smoke was triggering to Ciel’s lungs. The smaller man looked up, trying to meet his boyfriend’s eyes, but Sebastian had shut them. “You’re not a robot, Seb. You can talk to me. I’m not a child anymore. You don’t need to protect me.”

      Sebastian sighed heavily. He pulled the pins from his hair and shook out his bangs, carding his fingers through the strands to rearrange them. He darted a hand around Ciel and managed to yank open a drawer enough to grab a pair of shorts. He slipped them on before Ciel could complain. He stood for a long moment, hands on his hips, bare stomach expanding and relaxing with each breath.

      Ciel held his ground, shifting to stand between Sebastian and the door as a wordless way to indicate he wasn’t letting his boyfriend go without a fight. The smaller man folded his arms on his chest and cocked his hip, daring Sebastian to keep this up.

      “I swear to Satan you’re even more headstrong than me.” He crossed and enveloped Ciel in his arms, cradling the small man to his larger frame as if worried he would disappear. He bent his head until his nose brushed Ciel’s hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered almost inaudibly.

      Sebastian didn’t apologize often; it surprised Ciel enough to pull back to try to search the taller man’s face for some clue as to why he was suddenly giving in. It was an expression so complex, no matter how many years they’d known each other, Ciel wasn’t sure he could pry out exactly what his boyfriend was thinking.

      “Lau,” Sebastian whispered, his voice hoarse.

      “What?” Ciel didn’t understand.

      “Lau’s back,” Sebastian repeated, louder, angrier. His fists tightened. “And he’s trafficking kids again.”

####

[fbwzoo]

Cleaning Hermit Crab Shells

So I posted in an answer to an ask earlier today that I don’t really clean the hermit crab tank - you don’t want to risk disturbing molters by upsetting the substrate too much, and generally it builds up good bacteria that help break down food bits & poop, similar to a bio-active enclosure.

But I forgot something I DO still clean in the crab tank, and that’s their shells! I had the time/energy to do so today and cleaned their two main shell shops, so I got some pictures of the process to share.

Supplies: - trash can - paper towels - Prime water conditioner - Instant Ocean salt - 1-2 large bowls for water & a spoon for mixing salt water

Step 1: Empty out sand & poop

Hermit crabs are pretty good at dragging sand into everything, including their shells. They also like to drag the shells out & bury them sometimes. And they even seem to use them as “toilets”, so to speak, and often poop in the extra shells! So make sure you clean as much sand off & out of the shells into the trash before putting them in your sink - too much sand can cause pipe issues.

I usually dump out whatever’s inside the shell (you may need to use a paper towel to wipe it out as much as possible too), then use the paper towel to wipe off the outside as well.

Dump out all of the stuff in the shell shop containers as well, if you use them. Then you can rinse the container off with water & dry it thoroughly with a paper towel.

Step 2: Prepare your rinse water

You can use Prime treated water for all water stages if you’d like. I do that sometimes, but skipped it this time because the shells were so dirty. I just left the faucet on & ran them under it to clean them for the initial rinse. If you want to use treated water, you can plug up the sink & fill it with water, then treat, or you can use a large bowl filled with treated water & change it out as needed for clean treated water.

You also want to prepare a bowl that has treated water with Instant Ocean salt. This one shouldn’t get very dirty, if at all, so you won’t have to use much - just make sure it’s deep enough to dip your biggest shell in.

Step 3: Rinse the shells

I fill the shells up with water & turn them backwards a few times to make sure water gets all the way into the shell. Then turn them forwards so the water comes back out with all the crud. You can lightly shake them to help dislodge debris as well. I rinse out a couple more times, then turn the shell forward 3-4 more times to make sure all the water comes back out (especially if you’re using untreated water for this stage, like I did today). 

Step 4: Salt water dip

After rinsing the shells thoroughly, you can dip them in the salt water bowl. Doesn’t need to be long, just a quick dunk. I turn the shells forward another 2-3 times after the dunk to get most of the water back out so they don’t make a mess in the shell shop. They’ll still likely have a small amount in the back, which is fine & can encourage the crabs to check them out. 

Step 5: Place back in shell shop

I like to organize the shops so the larger shells are on the bottom, smaller ones on top. The big crabs are more than able to move things around as needed to get to what they want, so everyone should be able to find their sizes this way. I also have multiple shell shops so that I can break up the size ranges a bit more to keep small ones from getting buried. 

Shiny clean shells!

Tah-dah!

You can place your shell shops back in the tank & take a well-earned break! If you have a ton of shells like me, your back probably hurts right about now. XD It took me approximately 30 minutes to do ~50 shells. Not too long, but make sure you plan for the added work time. 

Step 6: Watch your crabs check out the fresh clothes!

Aragog was pretty excited to see the clean clothes! One of the little ones came to check things out too. If you’re very lucky, you might get to see a shell change after putting in the clean shells! It’s a great way to encourage the crabs to check out their choices again & maybe try on something new. :)

Additional Tips & Notes:

- If you have enough shells, you can keep some back & swap them out when you clean the shell shops. Your crabs may be more enticed by the new offerings!

- Make sure you do not boil the shells. Boiling shells is only recommended when you first get them. Sometimes crabs will hide in a shell that’s much too big & they can be very difficult or impossible to see hiding way back in the shell. You do not want to risk boiling one of your crabbies!!

- Shell cleaning can be done as often as you wish, but try to do it at least every couple months. Some people aim to clean the shells once a month or a couple times a month, depending on if they’re in a shop or loose on the substrate. I usually go every other month or so, depending on how dirty they’re getting. 

- Cleaning the shells can be a great way to distract crabs if you have someone picking on other crabs for their shells. Make sure you always have 5-6 appropriately sized shells per crab. They need plenty of choices to ensure they don’t start coveting the shell another crab is wearing! Crabs can & will kill each other for a shell if they feel there aren’t enough choices. If a crab is climbing on another one, grabbing the edge of their shell & trying to rock them, they are trying to shelljack that crab & you need to intervene.

- Clean shells are also important if you have a naked crab. Always treat a naked crab as an emergency. It’s a good idea to join a group or forum so you have someplace to ask for help if you have an emergency like this - you will receive instructions on what to do for the naked crab, and you can share information about your crab tank to see what might have caused the issue & fix it. I’m in the Facebook groups for Hermit Crab Association (which also has a forum on the site of same name), Hermit Crab Owners, and Land Hermit Crab Owners Society (which has a forum on crabstreetjournal.org). All of these groups can help if you have an emergency.

[gelasssoek]

Mike's Hobo Pork Stew. Hobo stew is a recipe straight from my time as a YMCA camp counselor. It can be cooked on the fire pit at home or at a campsite. Hobo Stew with potatoes can take about an hour to cook, depending on how you slice the potatoes.

Beef and Barley Stew Recipe - How to Make Stewed Beef Shank with Barley. This apps include Images, Ingredients and Method. This apps include Images, Ingredients and Method.

Hello everybody, it is Drew, welcome to my recipe site. Today, we're going to prepare a special dish, mike's hobo pork stew. It is one of my favorites food recipes. This time, I'm gonna make it a bit unique. This will be really delicious.

Hobo stew is a recipe straight from my time as a YMCA camp counselor. It can be cooked on the fire pit at home or at a campsite. Hobo Stew with potatoes can take about an hour to cook, depending on how you slice the potatoes.

Mike's Hobo Pork Stew is one of the most well liked of current trending foods in the world. It's enjoyed by millions daily. It is simple, it's quick, it tastes delicious. Mike's Hobo Pork Stew is something that I have loved my entire life. They are nice and they look wonderful.

To begin with this recipe, we must prepare a few ingredients. You can cook mike's hobo pork stew using 21 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you cook that.

The ingredients needed to make Mike's Hobo Pork Stew:

{Get of Pork Roast.

{Make ready 3 lb of Pork Shoulder Or Butt Roast [frozen or raw].

{Make ready 3 box of 32 oz Chicken Broth.

{Prepare 1 can of 14.5 oz Hunts Diced Tomatoes [use all fluids].

{Get 1 large of Elephant Clove Garlic [smashed - or 6 smaller cloves].

{Take 1 tbsp of Each: Onion Powder - Kitchen Bouquet - Italian Seasoning.

{Get 1/2 tsp of Each: Sea Salt - Black Pepper.

{Prepare 1 large of Bay Leaf.

{Prepare 1 packages of 15 oz McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning.

{Get of Vegetables.

{Take 10 medium of Potatoes [washed - peeled or unpeeled - halved].

{Prepare 1 1/2 cup of Baby Carrots [halved].

{Prepare 2 medium of White Onions [quartered].

{Take 4 stalk of Fresh Celery [1" chop with all leaves].

{Make ready 1 can of Green Beans [drained - optional].

{Prepare 1/2 can of Whole Kernel Corn [drained - optional].

{Get of Kitchen Equipment.

{Take 1 large of Cooking Pot [with lid].

{Make ready 1 of Pair Kitchen Shears.

{Make ready 1 of Slotted Spoon.

{Prepare 1 of Ladle.

See recipes for My pork stew, Pork stew with mushroom and nut too. This Recipe is meant for Scouts BSA. Let me know how you enjoyed your Hobo Stew! Send a photo of your meal so I can add it here.

Instructions to make Mike's Hobo Pork Stew:

° Mix everything in the Pork Roast section except for 1 box broth. Save that for later. ° Crush garlic but, leave it in larger chunks so you can pull it out later along with the bay leaf. ° Mix well, bring broth to a boil and allow roast to simmer for several hours covered. Or, until roast has fully tenderized and you can cut or tear it apart easily. Add broth as needed throughout simmer. ° Flip roast once during simmer..

Chop all vegetables. Place potatoes, celery and onions in cold water to keep them from browning or limping if, chopping early. Drain vegetables prior to adding to your simmering pot..

Once pork roast has tenderized, pull crushed garlic and bay leaf out with slotted spoon. Cut up roast with kitchen shears or a large knife while still in broth pot..

Add all drained vegetables to the meat and broth and stir..

Add water if additional fluid is needed to cover vegetables. But, add as little water as you'll need. Simmer stew covered for 35 to 40 minutes longer. Or, until vegetables are soft. Meaning: a knife can easily penetrate your potatoes and carrots. Stir carefully and occasionally. You don't want to break up your potatoes. ;0).

At this point I'll taste test my stew. Since flavors can dissapate with long simmer times, I'll usually add additional garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and sea salt to taste..

Serve with warm bread. In fact, if you want a crazy easy recipe for that, try my 5 minute bread recipe posted below. https://ift.tt/2Kn61aL.

Hobo Stew is simple to make and simply delicious. Hobo Stew is an easy to make oven-baked dish that is really tasty. This apps include Images, Ingredients and Method. Hobo Stew, Hobo Stew And Dumplings, Venison Hobo Stew, etc. Related Pages. all day beef stew. anaheim green chili pork stew.

So that is going to wrap it up for this special food mike's hobo pork stew recipe. Thank you very much for your time. I am sure you can make this at home. There is gonna be more interesting food at home recipes coming up. Don't forget to save this page on your browser, and share it to your loved ones, colleague and friends. Thank you for reading. Go on get cooking!

[rebelwheelsnycshow]

The Accessible Protest Report #1 : If Not Now on 11/12/17

The following is what happened when I went to a protest as a disabled intersectional activist in a motorized wheelchair. Wheelchair accessibility is NOT the only form of accessibility. However, I am focusing on that, as I am documenting my personal experience and thus what I feel qualified to talk about.

Do note that the following report is not intended to shame any group nor demand instant and perfect social consciousness & accessibility awareness. I decided to document my experience (spoons willing), so that groups who are trying, get a shout out and when groups miss the mark, everyone can learn from it.

WHO: If Not Now NYC https://ifnotnowmovement.org

[image description: photo of my protest sign on a wooden floor. it has a yellow background with bold black text. the text reads "I'm so confused. I was always taught as a young Jewish kid that white supremacists & Nazis were the enemy #history & now Zionists & Bannon are sitting at the same lunch table... WHAT?!']

ACCESSIBILITY POINTS: A volunteer with the group took photos of all the curb cuts in the planned route and checked with me before the march to make sure they were wheelchair accessible.

Asked if it would be most accessible for me to be in the front, middle or back of the march Marked event volunteers made sure that I did not get left behind and stayed with the group and seemed fairly aware of the need for curb cuts.

They also livestreamed the event via facebook, for those who could not physically attend. (FB livestream is not accessible to everyone, but I am not sure if there is a live stream service that is?)

livestream url: https://www.facebook.com/IfNotNowOrg/videos/1549837565103206

POTENTIAL POINTS: From what I understand smaller protest signs were available (as well as larger ones), however I did not test them out as I brought my own, and thus can not verify either way if the smaller signs were “wheelchair user friendly”. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: During the rally and march, they expressed solidarity for all marginalized communities and against all forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, queer/transphobia, antisemitism, etc., but did not mention the disability community nor ableism. I have a feeling though that this was just due to not knowing, rather than intentional exclusion, considering how down they were with wheelchair accessibility.

HALF POINTS: Seeing that the location of the event was the steps of the New York Public Library, I asked the organizers via their facebook event page:

“Q: Will this be towards the bottom of the steps? I ask as I would like to attend, but when protests happen towards the top and even towards the middle, although I have solidarity [for] the events, as an activist in a wheelchair I don't have access to the actual protests. in solidarity - michele “ They replied: “Thank you for asking Michele! The rallying point will be at the bottom of the steps. After the opening rally, we will be marching for a few blocks and then returning to the library, so if you have any questions about access we'd be happy to talk through them before or at the beginning of the action.”

The pre and post march rallies, did take place on the lower portion of the steps, which made it more accessible than if it was at the top or middle, but when I first got there, I did feel a bit isolated from the group as people were chatting with each other on the steps, which I did not have access too. (Though the feeling of isolation was also due to the fact that I didn’t know anyone lol, though the fact that people were socializing on the steps did not help. I will say that a number of people did say hello to me and introduce themselves)

I would have preferred if (during the rallies) the front row, positioned themselves on the sidewalk level, so I wasn’t the only person not on the steps, but I don’t think I clearly communicated that to them, and I appreciate that they were open to dialogue about this and responded pretty quickly to my question.

OUTREACH: When I got home, I left the following comment on their event page “Thank you to the organizers who checked with me if the curb cuts in the marching route was accessible. I deeply appreciate the solidarity... I wanted to share this resource with the group, as I thought it might be of interest since the group does have awareness of accessibility. For anyone who wanted to educate themselves further : https://whatisableism.tumblr.com in solidarity - Michele” COMMENTS: Overall, people were very nice and I didn’t experience any social ableism from people. I didn’t notice anyone gawking at me with the usual looks of pity, disdain or confusion, nor did anyone say to me things like “it’s just SO inspiring to see you here!” (while not saying that to anyone else at the protest who wasn’t in a wheelchair). While I do hope the group will mention disabled people when they reference other marginalized communities, I would protest with them again and have signed up so I am notified of future events. HASHTAGS: #WeFiredBannon #JewishResistance #EndTheOccupation #IfNotNow EVENT INFO: https://www.facebook.com/events/1978807355668582

[kurtwarren54]

BEST OF BABY MONTH

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I feel like I have so many friends either pregnant or with newborns at home and I literally live for sharing all my favorite baby finds. It can be SO overwhelming as a new mom knowing what things actually work, what you should register for and just what you should try next for your baby. We made it 1 year over here (YAY!) and excited to share that September is Best of Baby Month on walmart.com which means they are having some incredible savings on over 700 baby products online. It’s basically like Black Friday come early and it can be hard to sift through these savings as a first time parent. I went through and picked out some of my must haves that I have used from the newborn state to 1 year old. They often have next day shipping which is a MUST when you are shopping at 3am during those late night feedings and decide you need to try a new swaddle like RIGHT NOW. Mamas, I feel you. I was doing the same exact thing! Happy shopping Mamas.

BEST OF BABY SAVINGS

boon nurse baby bottle drying rack: I started out with the larger size boon drying rack and then also got this smaller version since I wanted to take up less space on my counter. Both are epic if you will be using any bottles or if you are pumping. I like having a separate place for all things baby to not mix it with our food items. This has free NextDay delivery and rollback pricing.

fisher-price cradle ’n swing with 6-speeds swing: This swing is a life saver. We had ours set up in our office and bedroom when he was older for some naps and a safe place to put him. It can swing in different directions which is a game changer since some babies prefer certain kinds of motion. Also the songs in it are great and Otis loved watching the mobile. Warning this takes up a big footprint but it was such a great resource for us when he was a newborn. Worth it in my opinion! It’s currently $127.90 and promo for $106.99!

baby breeze electric baby bottle sterilizer and dryer machine: Ok I never thought that I was even going to use this and honestly this was one of my favorite baby gadgets that really surprised me how much I used it. Such an easy way to sterilize my bottles and it also drys them which is a game changer. Honestly you have no time to brush your teeth let alone think about taking the time to sterilize your bottles so this device is 100% worth the counter space needed. Buy this sterilizer and get a $10 walmart gift card.

avanchy bamboo stay put suction baby bowl and spoon: I bought a few of these products because they are both chic and functional. The suction is essential when feeding a little baby that is going to inevitably throw their plate to the floor. Buy and safe $5.

hatch baby rest sound machine, night light + time-to-rise: One of my favorite devices in Otis’ nursery. It was epic in the newborn stage as well. We actually loved it so much we have 2 of them. 1 in his nursery and 1 in our bedroom. During the newborn phase it was both a great sound machine and night light during late night nursing. You can easily adjust the brightness and color of the nightlight so it’s easy on baby and mama’s eyes. Also I love that I can adjust or turn it on and off with an app. So now that Otis is older, if he happens to fall asleep on me while having his bottle, I can go into the app on my phone and steal mode turn on his sound machine before I place him in his crib. This is a GAME CHANGER. I am all about baby tech and this is a must have. Also, I don’t often find sound machines that are loud enough and this one is LOUD. Which is essential. This has rollback pricing and free delivery.

fisher-price deluxe kick & play removable piano gym: This is something Otis loved when he was starting to pull up on things. It was the perfect height for him and he is obsessed with the piano to this day. We now use the piano on its own and I use the pad in his nursery as a changing pad on the floor because… Toddler diaper changes are a wrestling match. This has rollback pricing and NextDay delivery.

pampers swaddlers: These were our favorite newborn diapers and you go through them like CRAZY. So this savings is epic. Buy 2, Get $20 gift card.

regalo 38” walk thru baby gate: Baby gates aren’t needed until baby is on the move but this is great to prep and have before that time comes so you can easily just set it up. Rollback pricing and free NextDay delivery.

lamaze clip & go fife the firefly: This is one of my hands down favorite toys for Otis. We used it during our physical therapy as a developmental tool. It makes noises and crinkles and it was a great motivator to help him learn to roll over and crawl. Rollback pricing and free NextDay delivery.

philips avent natural baby bottle newborn starter gift set: If you plan to use bottles, I recommenced getting a few different kinds because you never know what your baby is going to like. I bought these as an option and they are having a great savings on them. Rollback pricing and free NextDay delivery.

plums organics pouches: We love these pouches for when Otis started eating solids. Pick any 2 (6pk) and receive $2 off.

baby breeze formula pro advanced formula dispenser: So this is something I actually have sitting in my garage and never opened. But since I love my bottle sterilizer so much, I wanted to share this savings with you. I WISH I remembered I had in my garage because my friend has this and says it’s a total game changer if you are formula feeding. When you buy it, you get a $50 gift card to walmart.

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The post BEST OF BABY MONTH appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

from Wellness https://www.eatsleepwear.com/2019/09/23/best-of-baby-month/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[elizabethcariasa]

BEST OF BABY MONTH

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I feel like I have so many friends either pregnant or with newborns at home and I literally live for sharing all my favorite baby finds. It can be SO overwhelming as a new mom knowing what things actually work, what you should register for and just what you should try next for your baby. We made it 1 year over here (YAY!) and excited to share that September is Best of Baby Month on walmart.com which means they are having some incredible savings on over 700 baby products online. It’s basically like Black Friday come early and it can be hard to sift through these savings as a first time parent. I went through and picked out some of my must haves that I have used from the newborn state to 1 year old. They often have next day shipping which is a MUST when you are shopping at 3am during those late night feedings and decide you need to try a new swaddle like RIGHT NOW. Mamas, I feel you. I was doing the same exact thing! Happy shopping Mamas.

BEST OF BABY SAVINGS

boon nurse baby bottle drying rack: I started out with the larger size boon drying rack and then also got this smaller version since I wanted to take up less space on my counter. Both are epic if you will be using any bottles or if you are pumping. I like having a separate place for all things baby to not mix it with our food items. This has free NextDay delivery and rollback pricing.

fisher-price cradle ’n swing with 6-speeds swing: This swing is a life saver. We had ours set up in our office and bedroom when he was older for some naps and a safe place to put him. It can swing in different directions which is a game changer since some babies prefer certain kinds of motion. Also the songs in it are great and Otis loved watching the mobile. Warning this takes up a big footprint but it was such a great resource for us when he was a newborn. Worth it in my opinion! It’s currently $127.90 and promo for $106.99!

baby breeze electric baby bottle sterilizer and dryer machine: Ok I never thought that I was even going to use this and honestly this was one of my favorite baby gadgets that really surprised me how much I used it. Such an easy way to sterilize my bottles and it also drys them which is a game changer. Honestly you have no time to brush your teeth let alone think about taking the time to sterilize your bottles so this device is 100% worth the counter space needed. Buy this sterilizer and get a $10 walmart gift card.

avanchy bamboo stay put suction baby bowl and spoon: I bought a few of these products because they are both chic and functional. The suction is essential when feeding a little baby that is going to inevitably throw their plate to the floor. Buy and safe $5.

hatch baby rest sound machine, night light + time-to-rise: One of my favorite devices in Otis’ nursery. It was epic in the newborn stage as well. We actually loved it so much we have 2 of them. 1 in his nursery and 1 in our bedroom. During the newborn phase it was both a great sound machine and night light during late night nursing. You can easily adjust the brightness and color of the nightlight so it’s easy on baby and mama’s eyes. Also I love that I can adjust or turn it on and off with an app. So now that Otis is older, if he happens to fall asleep on me while having his bottle, I can go into the app on my phone and steal mode turn on his sound machine before I place him in his crib. This is a GAME CHANGER. I am all about baby tech and this is a must have. Also, I don’t often find sound machines that are loud enough and this one is LOUD. Which is essential. This has rollback pricing and free delivery.

fisher-price deluxe kick & play removable piano gym: This is something Otis loved when he was starting to pull up on things. It was the perfect height for him and he is obsessed with the piano to this day. We now use the piano on its own and I use the pad in his nursery as a changing pad on the floor because… Toddler diaper changes are a wrestling match. This has rollback pricing and NextDay delivery.

pampers swaddlers: These were our favorite newborn diapers and you go through them like CRAZY. So this savings is epic. Buy 2, Get $20 gift card.

regalo 38” walk thru baby gate: Baby gates aren’t needed until baby is on the move but this is great to prep and have before that time comes so you can easily just set it up. Rollback pricing and free NextDay delivery.

lamaze clip & go fife the firefly: This is one of my hands down favorite toys for Otis. We used it during our physical therapy as a developmental tool. It makes noises and crinkles and it was a great motivator to help him learn to roll over and crawl. Rollback pricing and free NextDay delivery.

philips avent natural baby bottle newborn starter gift set: If you plan to use bottles, I recommenced getting a few different kinds because you never know what your baby is going to like. I bought these as an option and they are having a great savings on them. Rollback pricing and free NextDay delivery.

plums organics pouches: We love these pouches for when Otis started eating solids. Pick any 2 (6pk) and receive $2 off.

baby breeze formula pro advanced formula dispenser: So this is something I actually have sitting in my garage and never opened. But since I love my bottle sterilizer so much, I wanted to share this savings with you. I WISH I remembered I had in my garage because my friend has this and says it’s a total game changer if you are formula feeding. When you buy it, you get a $50 gift card to walmart.

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The post BEST OF BABY MONTH appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

[filosofablogger]

Good morning, friends, and welcome to the first day of a new {yawn} week.  Now, I want to start by reminding you all that today is Earth Day!  I tried … I really tried to find a way to combine Jolly Monday with an Earth Day post, but it just wasn’t working out, and finally I had to admit that it was about as much fun and as interesting as a trip to the dentist.  Part of the problem, of course, is that Jolly is in the shop for repairs and without him I’m … well … Jolly-less.  Sigh.  I may have an Earth Day post this afternoon if I can quell the mind bounce and focus later on, but for this morning, I think we shall just try to have a bit of humour with which to start our week, okay?

I did not bake this morning, so you’ll have to settle for treats from the local donut place.  Leave the one with sprinkles for Benjamin, okay?  It’s the only kind he likes. Grab a bite and let’s see what we can find to bring a smile to our faces. 

  …………………………………………………………………………. 🤔

…………………………………………. 🤔

…………………………….. 💭

……….  😣

Okay, well … um … that worked out well, didn’t it?  Tell you what … how ‘bout I dig up some jokes?

A man and his pet giraffe walk into a bar and start drinking. As the night goes on, they get drunk, and the giraffe finally passes out. The man decides to go home.

As he’s leaving, the man is approached by the barkeeper who says, “Hey, you’re not gonna leave that lyin’ here, are ya?”

“Hmph,” says the man. “That’s not a lion — it’s a giraffe.”

Um … yeah … fell flat, huh?  Let me try again …

Q: What do you get when you cross a bear with a deer?

A: Beer.

Not even a chuckle, eh?  One more try … lawyer jokes are always good for a grin at least …

Farmer Joe decided his injuries from his recent accident were serious enough to take the trucking company responsible for the accident to court. In court, the trucking company’s fancy lawyer was questioning farmer Joe.

“Didn’t you say, at the scene of the accident, that you were fine?”

”Well, I’ll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into the–”

”I didn’t ask for any details,” the lawyer interrupted. ”Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, that you were fine?”

”Well I had just got Bessie into the trailer and was driving down the road–”

”Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question.” By this time the Judge was fairly interested in Farmer Joe’s answer and told the lawyer so.

”Well,” said the farmer, “as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was driving her down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurting real bad and didn’t want to move. However, I could hear ol’ Bessie moaning and groaning. I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans. Shortly after the accident a Highway Patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning so he went over to her. After he looked at her he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes. Then the Patrolman came across the road with his gun in his hand and looked at me. He said, ‘Your mule was in such bad shape I had to shoot her. How are you feeling?'”

Ah, at least a few grins, so I think I’ll quit with the jokes while I’m ahead … kinda sorta.  Okay.  I have no choice but to revert to my old standby … cute critters.  {Oh Jolly, please get well soon … I NEED you!}

According to one site … a couple, actually … these are the ten cutest animals in the world:

Fun Fact: Hedgehogs are largely immune to snake venom.

Hedgehogs are spiny mammals that can be found in Asia, Africa and Europe. Although they look more like a rat but are undeniably cute and harmless too. Which is the reason they are increasing in popularity as an exotic pet animals. If you are looking for a cute pet which is also unique in itself, go get a hedgehog.

Fun Fact: Penny the Little Penguin was the mascot for the 2007 FINA World Swimming Championships held in Melbourne, Victoria

What could possibly be anything cuter than penguins, it’s their little version. These penguins are absolutely similar to normal penguins except for the size. Their small size make them much more cute than normal ones, so much so they can be said one of the top 10 cutest animals on earth.

Fun Facts: Northern little owls often take prey same size or larger than themselves.

Northern Pygmy Owls are small owls native to western north America. These little birds are the smallest species of owl. Adults are 15-17 cm in overall length (nearly 6 inches) and are gray, brownish-gray or rufous in color.

Fun Fact: Koalas do not drink much water as they get most of their moisture from the leaves they eat. Even the word “koala” means “no water”.

Koalas are easily recognizable animal by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose. The koala has a body length of 60-85 cm and weighs 4-15 kg. Koals are very cute animals, and their face has innocent kind of expression, which just enhances the adorableness.

Fun Fact: Arctic foxes can survive extreme cold, they won’t start shivering until temperature go lower than -70 degree Celsius.

Arctic foxes also known as polar foxes or snow foxes are the breed of fox adapted to live in extreme cold environment. Their round body shape is good to minimize heat escaping from the body, and it also give them a very cute fluffy look.

Fun Fact: They are Herbivorous Carnivoran, means genetically they belong to carnivore group but are more similar to Giant pandas (which are herbivorous).

Red pandas are mammals native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Even though, their name consist Panda, but genetically are not closely related to Giant Pandas.

They have reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs, and is slightly larger than a domestic cat.

They are an endangered species. Habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression, although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries.

Fun Fact: Two dogs were rescued from Titanic wreckage and one of them was a Pomeranian.

Pomeranians are also known as toy dogs due to their small size and cute teddy bear like appearance. They are continuously going smaller in size. But their smaller size is rapidly increasing their popularity.

In terms of registration figures, since at least 1998, the breed has ranked among the top twenty most popular breeds in the USA, and the current fashion for small dogs has increased their popularity worldwide.

Fun Fact: Rabbits have a lot of babies. Mommas can give birth as much as nine babies each year.

Rabbits are small cute herbivorous mammals that are some of the most popular pet animals on earth. Rabbits come in many different colours and patterns, just like cats and dogs, and are family friendly. Although require some special measures around kids due to those little teeth, that can easily pierce human skin.

Fun Fact: Those oversized ears are not only excellent for listening purposes but also serve as a way to dissipate heat and keep cool in the desert environment.

Fennec Foxes are exotic animals that you can also have as pet, though they require different treatment than domestic cats and dogs. They are extremely playful and family friendly, even look more like a mix of cat and dog than a fox. Their furry body, small size and big ears make them one of the cutest animals on earth.

Fun Fact: Persian Cats‘ long hair look may look like it requires high maintenance. But in reality, they are considered to be one of the most low maintenance and friendliest cat breeds.

Even though almost all of the cat breeds are cute. Watching a playing kitten in the early morning puts a big smile on your face. If you’re are an animal lover, you most likely have a cat or dog in your home or around you right now. If you own a cat and it’s not Persian, so please don’t be upset. But we’re choosing Persian cat for this entry as they’re tiny bit more cute than other cats.  Note:  We have a part-Persian and she is the meanest darn cat I’ve ever known.  We named her Tiger Lily before we knew how ornery she was!

Friends, this isn’t much of a Jolly Monday post, and for that I apologize.  I’ve had the wind knocked out of my sails in the past week, between the Mueller report and related reactions, the Notre-Dame fire, and yesterdays horrific bombings in Sri Lanka and I just can’t find my humorous side, especially with Jolly gone.  Next week … I promise to do better.  Meanwhile, have a great week, and please, find a smile and share it with someone this week.  Love and hugs from Filosofa … and the missing Jolly!

Tryin’-To-Be-Jolly Monday Good morning, friends, and welcome to the first day of a new {yawn} week.  Now, I want to start by reminding you all that today is Earth Day! 

[chalkegg9-blog]

Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

posted on August 17, 2018 by Brenda

This recipe for Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping comes from my Grandma Renelt’s recipe box. The muffins are tender, while the topping is crispy. These are my favorite blueberry muffins in all the world!

I have no other recipes for blueberry muffins. This is it, folks. The recipe I grew up on.

My dear Grandma Renelt’s recipe for Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping.

These muffins are tender and moist, and super flavorful with fresh summer blueberries studded throughout. And, as if that wasn’t enough, there’s a crunchy, buttery, sugary crumb topping that totally clinches the win for these muffins.

Friends and family have asked me for this recipe time and time again, and with very good reason.

Enjoy!

Grandma and The Cowboy at Paul Bunyan Center, 1964

My grandma is an incredibly special woman to me. She has always worked hard and played even harder (just try to outlast this woman in cards, dice, or marbles!). And I’m positive that much of my domestic ways were passed directly from her, to my mom, to me.

I found this photo of Grandma in play mode and just had to share.

When I first came across this old photo, I passed on by it, looking for another one I had in mind. Then something was nagging at me to return to it…

Our girls and The Cowboy at the Wall Drug Store, 2010

Of course!

The cowboy Grandma was getting cozy with bore a striking resemblance to the same one our girls sat by on our trip to the Black Hills.

This recipe for blueberry muffins with crumb topping is not only incredibly delicious, but it also holds a very special place in my heart. I never tire of baking up a new batch. And I love how the whole process reminds me of Grandma each and every time I pull out the recipe.

I’ve never had better blueberries than the ones we pick locally each July and August. The berries are sweet, tart, and perfectly firm.

And as a bonus, blueberry picking makes for a super fun day trip!

Can you make blueberry muffins with frozen blueberries?

Every single summer, after we pick blueberries, we make a batch of blueberry muffins. The goodness of the just-picked berries is undeniable. A few more favorite blueberry recipes: my mom’s Blueberry Tea Cake, Blueberry Pot Pies, and this beautiful, tangy Roasted Blueberry Crème Fraîche Ice Cream.

But I always make sure to pick enough blueberries to freeze, to ensure a few batches of Grandma’s muffins over the upcoming months.

Yes, this recipe works very well with frozen blueberries. Simply fold the frozen berries into the muffin batter, just like you would the fresh berries.

How to make crumb topping for muffins

My biggest piece of advice for making crispy crumb topping for muffins is to use butter that is just nicely softened at room temperature. Do not melt the butter. And then, with a fork, just keep pressing the dry ingredients into the butter until pea-sized pieces form.

When sprinkling the crumb topping mixture over the muffin batter, use your fingers to compress some of it into larger pieces.

To ensure the crumb topping stays crisp for a day or two, simply store any leftover muffins at room temperature, uncovered. Uncovered is the key.

To save this recipe for blueberry muffins with crumb topping, pin it!

Print Recipe

Grandma Renelt's Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

These blueberry muffins are tender, while the topping is crispy. The recipe comes from my grandma, my favorite blueberry muffins in all the world!

Yield: 10 to 12 muffins

Prep Time:20 minutes

Cook Time:20 minutes

Total Time:40 minutes

Calories per serving: 204

Ingredients:

for the muffins:

1 large egg

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1-3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1-1/2 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not thaw)

for the crumb topping:

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. flour

2 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray standard muffin tin with non-stick spray, or use baking cup liners, and set aside.

Mix egg, milk, and oil in small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir. Do not overmix. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into muffin tin and let rest a few minutes while you prepare the crumble topping. For plumper, fuller muffins, divide batter between just 10 of the muffin cups (as shown in my photos). For smaller muffins, use all 12 cups.

In a small bowl, combine all topping ingredients with a fork, until crumbly. You want some pea-size pieces of crumble. Sprinkle over muffin batter.

Bake until crumb topping is a bit golden and a toothpick comes out just barely clean, about 20 minutes. Let rest in pan for about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool. Muffins are best eaten on the day they are made, when the crumb topping is crunchiest. If we don’t eat all the muffins in the first day, we leave them out on the counter, uncovered. This will help to keep the crumb topping more crisp.

From Grandma Renelt’s recipe box.

© a farmgirl's dabbles

If you like this blueberry muffins with crumb topping recipe, you might like:

Blueberry Crème Fraîche Cheesecake (GORGEOUS!!!) from love & olive oil, Blueberry Waffles from Barefeet in the Kitchen, and Blueberry Banana Breakfast Cake from Reluctant Entertainer.

This post was previously published July 2010. Photographs of muffins and some of the text were updated July 2016, and again in 2018.

Recommended for this post:

Chicago Metallic Muffin Pan

Cooling Rack

Brown Baking Cup Liners

GIR Ultimate Spatula

We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. See our disclosure policy for more info.

posted in Berries, Breads, Breakfast, Muffins & Scones, Travel

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[gruntadminloch-moved]

The temptation to say "all" for ToddLoch is strong. If you feel that is too much, then 2 4 13, 23, 24, 31, 34 (lol we know this one), 39, 48

“For the people I love, I’ll do anything, of course!” (50 OTP Things | askbox)

NAH ALL IS FINE I CAN DO THEM ALL although I already did a few but I’ll link back to that post lol GONNA DO THE FIRST 25 RN AND THE REST LATER.

ToddLoch ! @iridescententomologist

1. Who is the early bird/ Who is the night owl?

“I. . .don’t make a habit of sleeping all that much as it is.  So I suppose I would be the night owl, although I try and wake up early as possible as not to disrupt work too much--not to mention I wake easily if there’s enough noise and Shady House isn’t quiet for long.  Todd and I part ways at a reasonable time most days, assuming he doesn’t fall asleep in my lap, and I believe he wakes up fairly early to check on Wimpod nests and the like he’s placed about Po Town. . .I suppose that makes me both and, assuming he gets a reasonable amount of sleep, he’d simply be the early bird."2. Who is the big spoon/ Who is the little spoon?

“It varies, but I think he’s the big spoon somewhat more often.  Simply because he often climbs on my back.  He’ll sit in my lap or wrap himself around me otherwise just as often, and otherwise we’re often face to face.”3. Who hogs the cover/ Who loves to cuddle?

“We both cuddle!  Ah, but since this is Alola and I’m rarely particularly cold anymore, he tends to bother more with the blankets than I do.”4. Who wakes the other one up with kisses?

“He wakes me up. It doesn’t usually take much, but if he wakes up before I do, that tends to be what happens.  If he’s still asleep when I wake up, I don’t make a habit of waking him.  I’d rather he get his rest.”5. Who usually has nightmares?

“. . .I certainly hope he’s not been having any.  I don’t dream much as it is.  I’d like to say neither, but he does keep such things to himself. . .I don’t want him to think about them, but ignoring them and bottling them up. . .it’s not any good, either. . . .”6. Who would have really deep emotional thoughts at the middle of the night/ Who would have them in the middle of the day? 

“He’s always got something on his mind, day or night.  I suppose I don’t think much emotionally. . .I was. . .never really taught to consider my own feelings much, so I never really learned how to.  But he has lots of interesting and amazing thoughts at all times of the day.”7. Who sweats the small stuff?

(Answered!)8. Who sleeps in their underwear (or naked)/ Who sleeps in their pajamas?

“We both have pajamas, although I don’t often wear mine simply because I tend to fall asleep in whatever I wore that day.  I. . .don’t think he’s ever seen me undressed, actually.  It’s not much of an interest.”9. Who makes the coffee (or tea)?

“Honestly, we drink far more soda than either of those, so it’s a little hard to say.  I make tea for Doctor Schaedler--ah--h-his cousin, not him, they’re both--ah, I make them more often, as I’m usually handling it for somebody else.  And we go to our fair share of cafes and the like, so a barista, if that counts.10. Who likes sweet/ Who likes sour?

“Todd and I will eat just about anything, but I believe he prefers sweets, so I don’t really have much besides them between the two.”11. Who likes horror movies/ Who likes romance movies?

“I’ll watch whatever Todd will watch.  Of the two, I believe he prefers romance.   . . . . .Pe-ersonally. . .I’m quite into horror, myself. . .I’d never make him watch anything horrifying with me, of course, but. . . .”12. Who is smol/ Who is tol?

“He’s smaller than me, but taller; I’m larger than him, but shorter.”13. Who is considered the scaredy cat?

“Neither of us find ourselves particularly afraid of anything.  He tends to respond optimistically to even frightening situations, and I don’t make a habit of being scared considering my line of work.”

14. Who kills the spiders?

“Forbidden.”15. Who is scared of the dark?

“. . . . . . . . . .Only a little bit, and in very cramped spaces.”16. Who is scared of thunderstorms?

“It’d be rather inconvenient if we were afraid of storms in a place where it perpetually rains. Neither of us, that I’m aware of.”17. Who works/ Who stays at home?

“I live in my place of work.  And he’s a travelling entomologist.  So, both and neither, for us both.”18. Who is a cat person/ Who is a dog person?

“Mistress calls me “Puppy,” does that count. . .?  I'm quite fond of them both.  Todd is a bug person, and often behaves like a particularly affectionate feline, if that counts for anything.”19. Who loves to call the other one cute names?

“We both have rather short names, so petnames have yet to come up, actually. . . .”20. Who is dominant/ Who is submissive?

“We have no such interests.  (In general, I think we’re both rather submissive, follower types. He’s learning to be stronger, however, so I look forward to seeing something of a more dominating side to him.)”21. Who has an obsession (over anything)?

“He with bugs, me with him, and both of us with Master!”  And Todd with Loch, too! He can’t be without him anymore.22. Who goes all out for Valentine’s Day?

“We’ve yet to celebrate Valentine’s Day together. . .I should see if I can make plans for us when it’s coming up.  I think I’ll remember before he does.  Honestly, what we’ll probably do is buy a lot of chocolate and candy and sweets--all of the holiday-themed ones that come out. . .but should we wait for the discounts or get everything while it’s still in stock. . . .”  Planning!!23. Who asks who out on the first date?

“That. . .depends. . .on what one would call the first date. . . .  We started spending time together immediately.  There wasn’t particularly any asking. If a date involves leaving the house. . .I suppose. . .it was something that happened smoothly without any asking.  Simply ‘we should go out and eat something’ when the time to eat came around--so we did, and there was no question."24. Who is the talker/ Who is the listener? 

“I don’t talk much as it is.  So I’ll always listen to him talk.”  Of course, if you get Loch going, he won’t shut up, but. . . .25. Who wears the other ones clothes?

“Todd wears mine every so often. I’m not certain I’d fit in his. . .but he wears my old SKULL grunt uniform pieces sometimes.  They don’t really fit him, style-wise, but I’m never unhappy to see someone in one of our uniforms, behe.”

The next half will come later tonight. . .!  Because I have to do real life things now bleh.

[passionspoon]

Paleo nut and seed bread

Omg, you have to check out this paleo nut and seed bread! Packed with seeds and nuts, which will help you feel full between meals, make this bread healthy, vegan, keto-friendly and gluten-free. This will become the one and only recipe you'll ever need...

Omg, you have to check out this paleo nut and seed bread! Packed with seeds and nuts, which will help you feel full between meals, make this bread healthy, vegan, keto-friendly and gluten-free. Maybe, this will become the one and only recipe you’ll ever need when making bread from now on.

(more…)

[yesterdaysdreams]

How to Make an Easy DIY Concrete Planter

Hello again! Thalita here from The Learner Observer back with an easy DIY tutorial that you can make anytime of year – a concrete planter! This method doesn’t use any fancy concrete forms or molds, giving it a fun slouchy paper bag kind of style, but you could use any container you can think of to give it the shape you want. For more DIY concrete planter methods and variations, read to the bottom of the post. 

How to Make Your Own Concrete Planter

This post contains affiliate links. Learn more and read our full disclosure policy here. 

Here’s what you’ll need to make this:

some cardboard boxes in varying sizes. I chose one to be the external side of my planter and one that would fit inside of it

packing tape or duct tape

concrete or mortar mix

water

a large bucket

an old wooden spoon or scrap wood for mixing

a measuring cup

old cup or a garden tool for scooping up the concrete mix

First, I started by taking all of the edges and corners of the cardboard boxes so that the concrete mix wouldn’t get into the nooks and crannies, and so that the box would stay together a bit better.

Mix your concrete or mortar mix according to the instructions (this is where that measuring cup comes in handy) until it’s about the consistency of a dry cookie batter. Now, start pouring it into your larger box until it’s about an inch high.

Now place the smaller box inside so that it’s centered in the larger one and start filling the edges around it with your mix.

Fill until you have your desired height for the planter, but remember: the taller it is, the heavier it will be!

I made my edges quite chunky and left the planter quite short, so it’s heavy, but I can still move it around easily.

Now tape the top of the box so that it’s all somewhat straight – cardboard will get wet and get slouchy, which is where you get that sort of paper bag look from, but the tape helps it to stay mostly upright so that it’s not too slouchy!

Let this sit for a couple of days to be safe, especially if you don’t happen to be in a hot and dry climate when you make this! Once the box feels solid, remove the inner box first and make sure the inside is dry. If it isn’t, leave it for another 24 hours or so. You could end up with a crumbled planter if you remove everything too soon!

Once it’s all dry, remove all of the paper and if any cardboard stuck to the sides, give it a quick sanding. You may also need to do this on the edges so that they’re a bit smoother.

And that’s it! You now have yourself a concrete planter!

I planted some little cacti in mine, and they seem to love it. It’s an easy and unique little piece in our laundry room now! (And PS: if you love that letterboard, you can buy one here or DIY one here.)

Have you ever attempted a concrete/mortar project? Would you? Truthfully, I was a little overwhelmed at the thought at first, bit I’m glad I tried it!

More DIY concrete planters:

In addition to this freeform style DIY concrete planter shared by Thalita, try these other 4 ways to make a concrete planter:

1: Hypertufa Cement Pots. Make a lighter-weight concrete planter with a natural stone look by making a hypertufa mix following the instructions here.

2: Concrete Plant Pots and Garden Globes. Use old plastic containers to make gift-sized concrete pots and upcycle an old globe light to make a garden globe.

3: Modular Concrete Mini Planters with DIY Molds. Recycle cardboard to make your own concrete mold (instructions here) and make a set of these modular mini planters for a desk or wall planter. The added gold edging is beautiful!

4: Tall Outdoor Concrete Planter. This is the big kahuna! Learn to use concrete dye to tint the planter a different color and how to make your own large concrete form from melamine, including adding a decorative detail.

  The post How to Make an Easy DIY Concrete Planter appeared first on Remodelaholic.

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[andrewmawby]

How to Make an Easy DIY Concrete Planter

Hello again! Thalita here from The Learner Observer back with an easy DIY tutorial that you can make anytime of year – a concrete planter! This method doesn’t use any fancy concrete forms or molds, giving it a fun slouchy paper bag kind of style, but you could use any container you can think of to give it the shape you want. For more DIY concrete planter methods and variations, read to the bottom of the post. 

How to Make Your Own Concrete Planter

This post contains affiliate links. Learn more and read our full disclosure policy here. 

Here’s what you’ll need to make this:

some cardboard boxes in varying sizes. I chose one to be the external side of my planter and one that would fit inside of it

packing tape or duct tape

concrete or mortar mix

water

a large bucket

an old wooden spoon or scrap wood for mixing

a measuring cup

old cup or a garden tool for scooping up the concrete mix

First, I started by taking all of the edges and corners of the cardboard boxes so that the concrete mix wouldn’t get into the nooks and crannies, and so that the box would stay together a bit better.

Mix your concrete or mortar mix according to the instructions (this is where that measuring cup comes in handy) until it’s about the consistency of a dry cookie batter. Now, start pouring it into your larger box until it’s about an inch high.

Now place the smaller box inside so that it’s centered in the larger one and start filling the edges around it with your mix.

Fill until you have your desired height for the planter, but remember: the taller it is, the heavier it will be!

I made my edges quite chunky and left the planter quite short, so it’s heavy, but I can still move it around easily.

Now tape the top of the box so that it’s all somewhat straight – cardboard will get wet and get slouchy, which is where you get that sort of paper bag look from, but the tape helps it to stay mostly upright so that it’s not too slouchy!

Let this sit for a couple of days to be safe, especially if you don’t happen to be in a hot and dry climate when you make this! Once the box feels solid, remove the inner box first and make sure the inside is dry. If it isn’t, leave it for another 24 hours or so. You could end up with a crumbled planter if you remove everything too soon!

Once it’s all dry, remove all of the paper and if any cardboard stuck to the sides, give it a quick sanding. You may also need to do this on the edges so that they’re a bit smoother.

And that’s it! You now have yourself a concrete planter!

I planted some little cacti in mine, and they seem to love it. It’s an easy and unique little piece in our laundry room now! (And PS: if you love that letterboard, you can buy one here or DIY one here.)

Have you ever attempted a concrete/mortar project? Would you? Truthfully, I was a little overwhelmed at the thought at first, bit I’m glad I tried it!

More DIY concrete planters:

In addition to this freeform style DIY concrete planter shared by Thalita, try these other 4 ways to make a concrete planter:

1: Hypertufa Cement Pots. Make a lighter-weight concrete planter with a natural stone look by making a hypertufa mix following the instructions here.

2: Concrete Plant Pots and Garden Globes. Use old plastic containers to make gift-sized concrete pots and upcycle an old globe light to make a garden globe.

3: Modular Concrete Mini Planters with DIY Molds. Recycle cardboard to make your own concrete mold (instructions here) and make a set of these modular mini planters for a desk or wall planter. The added gold edging is beautiful!

4: Tall Outdoor Concrete Planter. This is the big kahuna! Learn to use concrete dye to tint the planter a different color and how to make your own large concrete form from melamine, including adding a decorative detail.

  The post How to Make an Easy DIY Concrete Planter appeared first on Remodelaholic.

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