Thursday:) Things I learned on The Internet

“ Whenever I have a question, I look it up on the internet. So, it must be true, right? It’s on the internet.”

-Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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Somebody posted this today, so I thought I’d share. You never know when you’ll be on Jeopardy or Master Minds. I’ll see if I can remember any of these words “overmorrow,”

Always try and learn something new every day.

My artist friend Robin Pedrero shared some artist tips on Facebook. There were a few other pages, but you get the idea.

Look at this cool idea, especially if you have kids that have to have all their favorite toys.

Sometimes I take a picture of where I’m parked, but I didn’t know I could drop a pin to locate my car later. This I need! 😳

I read about this too. I bought some green onions, cut them and used in a frittata, and planted the bottom bulb parts in some dirt instead of tossing. Now, about every two weeks, I have another batch of green onions, and just keep watering. Who knew?

This tip I learned not that long ago. I always used to do that tedious back space, back space, back space to correct my spelling. If you’re not familiar with this, I’m sure most of you are but, try it. I’m on my iPad, and I just touch the space bar and slide it back and forth and up and down. Magic!

And let’s not forget the ever popular Nigerian Prince. I’m still waiting for my check. 🤦‍♀️😳

So much to learn, so little time.

Tuesday:) Toni’s Tips For Today

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: Someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”

~Tom Bodett

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Normally I try and make a time-lapse video, but I’m exhausted and plum out of ideas for an art project today. I finished cleaning up my kitchen, did laundry, went to lunch, stopped at the store, walked 2 1/2 miles, trimmed some dead bushes, took out the trash and collapsed. So, I’m sharing some tips from my Facebook friends for this lovely busy Tuesday.

Don’t feed bread to water fowl. It’s so commonly done.

Plant these shrubs and trees for pollinators,

Tuesday:) Toni’s Top Tips for Today

“I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.” ― Oscar Wilde

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I had lunch with my friend Mary today. I told her that I was going to the Women’s CHRP Retreat  at church this weekend. She said that she baked some brownies for the event, and was hoping they would stay fresh. I asked her if I ever told her my tip for keeping brownies, cupcakes, cookies, etc. moist and fresh tasting for days. She was impressed, so I shared some of my other tips. I’ll share with you too.

If you don’t have an infuser for flavoring water, you can use a whisk. When I cut up a mango, I save the pit and skin and either put it in a whisk or straight in a tall glass, add water and refrigerate. It’s a two-for-one. You get to eat the mango or fruit, and enjoy the water. Result, tasty flavored water. Keep refilling with water.

With the brownies and cookies, get a slice of soft bread, tear or cut up and place in the four corners of your baked goods, maybe one or two pieces in the middle, then cover with foil or its lid. Baked goods stay fresh and moist for a couple of days. Even add fresh bread pieces and throw out dried ones for a couple more days. Works every time. No more dried up frosting or dry brownies. Trust me…I have lots of experience.

My facvorite tip is the acupressure pinch for leg cramps. I learned this one when I took Lamaze classes way back in the 80’s. You take your index finger and place on that little grove above your lip, then place your thumb inside the lip and squeeze and press fingers together as hard as possible. Keep pinching until you feel the cramp disappear. It may take a few seconds, but it works. Believe me, I’ve used this one a zillion times. (Looks goofy, but who cares when you are in pain.)

Tuesday:) Toni’s Topsy-Turvey Tip Of The Day

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

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To say I’m strange and do goofy things is putting it mildly. I make faces with my brownie mix, I save dryer lint, and the list goes on. I’m always thinking of innovative ways to conserve, save the environment, and repurpose every day items. I think I mentioned before that I like to put my watermelon rinds in my glass pitcher of water to make fruity water, but the other day, I had cut up several real delicious papayas, and thought…hmm…how can I infuse this into my water? It seemed so wasteful to throw out the rinds. I looked around for something to infuse with. I couldn’t find anything big enough with holes.

Light bulb moment…In the container where I keep all the wooden spoons and spatulas, I found a whisk. Maybe?

I wedged the thin slices of papaya skins into the whisk. They slid in very nicely and stayed caged inside. Mind you, these are just the outside washed skins or peelings, the actual papaya was cut up and put in a fruit salad earlier. But, there’s always some fruit left. Waste not, want not.

The whisk worked perfectly.It’s stainless steel and plastic, it fits in the pitcher nicely, the rinds do not escape and float around, and the water is flavored and tastes like papaya. When the water is consumed, I just add more water, pop it in the fridge, and it’s a refreshing drink for summer and lasts several days.

So, that’s my tip for the day. It may sound silly, but it tastes pretty good.

Tuesday Tasty Tip of the Day

There is no love sincerer than the love of food.~George Bernard Shaw

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Who doesn’t love food? Some people don’t like to cook or bake, but I love both. If you are cooking  and preparing food for four hundred or just for yourself, I think the number one rule should be 1.) Make the meal look pretty or fun. Fun food is always more appetizing. 

Even when preparing a simple salad for myself, I make it look pretty. This one happens to be silly and made me smile. 

  
Admit it, you’re smiling right now, aren’t you ? Or, at least you think I’m a nut. I see faces in my food. (Spinach salad with cheese hair, cherry tomatoes, and some left over chicken.)

  
Today, I made a pretty tostada. Under this creation is a crispy flour tortilla than I crisped in a dry pan, a few table spoons of black beans, topped with tomato, jack cheese, a few dollops of plain Greek yogurt, surrounded by baby spinach. I’m not a vegetarian, but I prepare this all the time. Pretty and delicious. 

  
  
Here’s a funny brownie mix face just for good measure. 

Food should be fun!!!

Tuesdsy : Toni ‘s Tip of the Day

You gain control over any situation with a positive outlook.~Lailah Gifty Akita, Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind

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My timely tip for this Tuesday:

When life gives you old squishy lemons, make new refreshing lemonade. And when life gives you not so fresh and fluffy cupcakes, make new yummy cake balls and pop them in the freezer for a rainy day. 

 ~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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I had a few cupcakes that were a couple of days old. The frosting was starting to get crusty. Oh no ! You can’t waste cupcakes. I do this with brownies, except rarely do I have left over brownies. 

Step. 1: Put cupcakes in a bowl. Yes, take the paper liners off, silly goose. 

  
Step 2: Mush and smush and blend cupcakes with a big fork. If you’re lazy or have a lot, you can use a good processor. I hate the clean up. 

  
Step. 3: Blend in some left over frosting that you have tucked away in the back scary recesses of your freezer. ( yes, I always have some in a baggy ) Or use about  1/2 cup of canned frosting. Smoosh that all up together. 

Step 4: Grab about a tablespoon of mixture and roll into bite size balls. I just use my hands. This way I can lick my fingers at the end. 

  
Step 5: Pop a couple in your mouth to make sure they are delicious. Yes, they are! 

Step. 6: You can either freeze them or dip them in melted chocolate or both. Or, just stand there and eat most of them like I did. There weren’t that many ! 

  

Tuesday Tip of the Day: Take a Little Time

My mission in life is not only to enjoy life, but to help others to feel the joy of life.Debasish Mridha

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During my stay here with Mom, I’m trying to take time out to visit with and socialize with her “girlfriends.” These girls are al in their 80’s and 90’s, and they are so cute. They giggle and get around the best they can. 

This evening, I was sitting alone in a quiet corner downstairs by the activity room , deciding what I was going to blog about today , ( free wifi downstairs ), when a caravan of white -haired ladies in walkers scooted past me towards the elevator.  Mom’s friend, Miss Eleanor said,  “We ‘re going up to see Leona ‘s paintings. Wanna come?” 

I didn’t know Miss Leona , but she seemed very excited and proud to show off her artwork to the other residents.  So , off I went, trailing behind the parade of walkers. 

  
Once inside, we “oohed and awwed” at the paintings that Miss Leona had displayed on her walls. She said she doesn’t paint anymore , as her hands are no longer steady, but you could see the delight in her eyes when we all expounded on her amazing talent. 

  
It doesn’t take much to make someone smile or make them feel special… a kind word, a smile, or just taking a few minutes out of your day to listen or share a story. 

This quote is very profound. ..

My mission in life is not only to enjoy life, but to help others to feel the joy of life.

Debasish Mridha

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Not only did I help make someone ‘s day a little brighter, I also found something fun to blog about. 

Tuesday Tip of the Day: Enjoy Every Moment

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
Eddie Cantor
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While the east coast was being rocked and socked by snow storms and frigid temps, it was a glorious warm sunny day in McKinney. You can’t waste a wonderful winter day like today. I got up early and went to Zumba with my neighbor, Diane. When I got home, I went for a long brisk walk, almost two hours. It’s late January, and I had a t-shirt on, no jacket. It was in the 70’s. Woo hoo!

By 5 o’clock, I was ready for another walk. I was going to soak up each second of sunshine, and enjoy all the sights and sounds of nature. Here are some fabulous photos from my walk.

Several hot air balloons floated in the sky.

A young mom and her baby were feeding the ducks by the pond.

After my walk, I sat on the front step with an iced tea, called my sister and chatted on the phone, and just watched the glorious sun set paint the horizon.

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
Eddie Cantor
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I did that today. I didn’t miss any scenery or a second of sunshine.

Tuesday:Tips from Toni

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
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It was a cool drizzly morning, so I couldn’t get out for my morning walk. But, I did go to Zumba at 8:30. Rain nor sleet nor gloom of day can stop me from my Zumba class. (That covers the cheer and song part.)

By late afternoon, I was getting mighty hungry. But, what to fix for lunch? More leftovers? Maybe some hot soup. I used to love preparing huge pots of homemade soups and stews. Not any more. I want fast and easy.

Here’s my tip for a hearty, nutritious, vegetarian soup. One can of cream of mushroom soup and one can of black beans. Enough for two days. (More leftovers.)

Then, I warmed up a flour tortilla in a dry pan until crispy, plopped on some spinach, and put some leftover chicken fajitas on top. (The third and last day of those leftovers.)

Another tip. When your food looks pretty, it tastes so much better.

So, I pretty much covered the quote, Mr. Tolkein. I value food, cheer and song. Now, bring on the merrier world.

Tuesday: Tip of the Day

“Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.”
― Dalai Lama XIV
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Quite a busy day. I went for a long walk at 7:15 am with my new neighbor, Daine, for about an hour, then off to Zumba 8:30-9:30. Stopped for an iced tea with Karen after class, then straight home to work on MORE unpacking. Will it never end? Nope!

I got so wrapped up with my whirlwind organizing, that I totally forgot that I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours. Yikes! I opened the fridge. Oops! No leftovers. Now what?

Thank goodness I learned that tip about freezing avocados. I buy them when they are in season and cheap, then add a little lemon and freeze halves in a little,ziplock.mI always have tortillas, cheese, spinach and plain yogurt in the fridge. Then there’s always a can of black beans in the pantry. All these items last a pretty long time.

Now, to prepare a feast. I warm the tortilla in a dry pan till crispy, add cheese, squish the avocado on top, a couple of spoonfuls of black beans, a handful of spinach, tomato, then a few dollops of yogurt. Oh my! Awesome!

This is one of my all time favorites. Great for vegetarians too. I’m not a vegatarian, but I could be…not really. Once in a while, I need a slice of pepperoni pizza.