Friday Facts About Creativity

January, the coldest month in the Northern Hemisphere, is also known as International Creativity Month.

I think that might have something to do with the energy of the New Year.

Since this is the coldest part of winter, people spend more time indoors. I suspect that more people are engaged in creative pursuits since it's too cold outside to do much.

In case you've always thought creativity was a trait with which one is born, I must tell you that's not true. Creativity can be a learned trait if one has the desire to learn it.

FRIDAY FACTS ABOUT CREATIVITY

Creativity is the ability to form unique and valuable ideas or works using one's imagination.

1. Creativity comes from education, sharing knowledge with others, and by repetition and work.

2. Creativity is a process using a combination of slow, deliberate toughts coupled with quick, unconscious thoughts. That's a combination of learning and inspiration.

3. Those who are open to new experiences, who can persevere ance, and who are self-motivated are more likely to be creative and/or be willing to display creativity.

4. Just as good health can be maintained by exercise, stress management, and good sleep, so can creativity. Lack of those can kill or cripple creativity.

5. Unlike intelligence, creativity actually improves when thinking slows down.

6. Creative ventures help fight anxiety because they activate the parts of your brain that process emotions. 

For example, art and music help calm brain activity. That enables a person to feel emotional harmony.

Do you have a creative outlet? Have you ever wanted to try a creative pursuit like painting, drawing, writing, tying fly fishing lures, learning a musical instrument, woodworking, cooking, or anything else in the creative world? 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

The sky is the limit when it comes to creative pursuits. This is the month to give it a go. You may discover a passion that will enrich your life and improve your health.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases. 

Happy Fig Newton Day!

I saw in my special days email that today is FIG NEWTON DAY.

Wow! I can get behind this celebration of the cookie that's not a cookie—it's a Newton.

Fig Newtons are my second favorite cookie—after oatmeal raisin pecan cookies.

Oddly enough I sometimes have difficulty in finding them on the grocer's shelf.

That's when I turn to Amazon that usually has every variety of Newtons in every quantity from snack packs to big boxes. My fave is the Whole Grain Fig Newtons. I'm leaving to run up to Kroger's and see if they have these in stock today.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Why not have a mini-celebration today with your favorite cookie and a cup of your favorite beverage? Sounds like a great afternoon snack to me.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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The 3 C's Quote and a Book Rec

With his wise words, motivational speaker Zig Ziglar changed a lot of lives for the better.

Even though he passed in 2012, his words live on to continue inspiring people.

Today I wanted to share a Ziglar quote with you because it is simple and so profound. It's called the 3 C's quote.

"The 3 C's of Life: choices, chances, changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change."

BOOK REC

This started as a short post to give you Ziglar's 3 C's quote, but if you're floundering in life, I want to recommend reading one of Zig Ziglar's books.

He has many books, but the ones that may help you the most are those on personal development like his How to Stay Motivated series.

Ziglar started as a salesman and became so successful at selling that he was asked to teach others how to sell successfully. Thus his writing career began. He's one of the most well-known self-help authors.

You'll find his books in print, digital, and audio. You'll find many videos about him and his books on YouTube.

Developing the Qualities of Success: How to Stay Motivated is a book everyone should probably read because succeeding at anything usually takes long persistent, consistent effort. It's easy to get disillusioned and discouraged. This book tells you how to keep going.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

The key to making this book work for you is reading it, thinking about it, internalizing it, and taking action—just as the 3 C's quote says. You have my heartfelt good wishes to succeed.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.

Review - Monsieur Spade on Netflix

During the cold weekend, Darling Hubby and I watched Monsieur Spade, a great miniseries created by Scott Frank and Tom Fontana.

It was intelligent, compelling, and had a whimsical touch one might say because it was the story of what happened to Sam Spade, Dashiell Hammett's fictional private detective in The Maltese Falcon.

Frankly, we both loved it and plan to watch it again.

Originally, this was an AMC series that didn't fare very well with the audience. As is my habit, I read reviews after watching the series. The most frequent negative comment I read was: "Why is there so much French talking in it?"

Duh. It's set in France. I found the dialogue in French was a seamless and logical transition. 

BLURB

The story opens when Sam Spade travels to a small village in the south of France to deliver an orphaned girl to her grandmother. Immediately, nothing turns out as he expected. In fact,  nothing is predictable throughout the series which interweaves Spade's past with the secrets of the residents of the village.

After all, the era in which the story is set is less than 20 years after the end of WW2 and at the end of the French-Algerian War.

Spade who married the love of his life had settled in the village, but his marital bliss was short-lived. Still, he's content with his quiet, peaceful life until 6 nuns at the local convent are brutally murdered. The rest of the story is one you must see for yourself, and the mysteries pile up as the bodies keep dropping.

I hope there will be a second season for Monsieur Spade because it's rare to find such intelligent fare. Even better, there are no over the top action sequences and/or super hero/humans.

THE SUPERB CAST

You may not recognize the French actors in this series if you don't watch a lot of French movies or series, but they are as excellent as Clive Owen who portrays Sam Spade.

Cara Bossom as Teresa, Denis Ménochet as Chief of Police Patrice Michaud, Louise Bourgoin as Marguerite Devereaux, Chiara Mastroianni as Gabrielle, Stanley Weber as Jean-Pierre Devereaux, Matthew Beard as George Fitzsimmons, Jonathan Zaccaï as Philippe Saint-André, Rebecca Root as Cynthia Fitzsimmons, Oscar Lesage as Henri Thibaut, Dean Winters as Father Matthew, Alfre Woodard as Virginia Dell, Caroline Silhol as Audrey Saint-André, Clotilde Mollet as Helena Thibaut, and Vincent Nemeth as Doctor Pouchol.

A special shout-out to Dean Winters and Alfre Woodard, two actors who are always—dare I say—perfect in every role they undertake.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Monsieur Spade streams on Netflix and 6 or 8 other streaming services so check the service to which you subscribe. You might get lucky.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.

Monday Magic - Free App for Meal Planning

Today I bring you something a little different in my free app reviews—a website app to help you plan a meal.

If you're like me, you have too much to do in a short amount of time.

That means when the "what's for dinner" question arises, you're struggling for an answer.

If you have the MyFridgeFood app, you have an answer.

You can use the app on your computer or download it to your smartphone. Simply enter the ingredients in your fridge and click "Find Recipes" and get a selection of things you can prepare with what you have on hand.

For instance, I entered some random ingredients currently residing in my fridge, and I got  entrees I could prepare. Here's the list of some of the things I could cook as generated by the app:

Breakfast Nests, Stuffed Breakfast Potatoes, Bacon Wrapped Mini Omelet, Bacon and Egg Toast Cups, Cajun Bacon Burger, BarBQ Beef Sandwich, Fried Potato Sandwich, Bacon Wrapped Grilled Cheese, Roasted Bacon Cheesy Potatoes, Bacon Cheddar Potatoes, Potato Rounds, Roasted Onions, and Guilt-Free Fries which is just 1 of 5 potatoe fry recipes.

Just cllick on the recipe you chose, and it opens with complete details.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

MyFridgeFood is a total winner despite the popups. Because of the popups, I think it's easier to use on a computer than a phone, but that's just my opinion.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.

Pray for Those in Harm's Way

The fires raging in California are horrific. I've seen a lot of comments about only rich people being affected.

That's simply not true. Average people are also affected, but even if only the rich were affected, it's still devastating.

Wealthy people have the same emotions and attachments to their homes, the keepsakes that are lost, and the "things" they've collected over the years just as "average" people do.

Despite what some may think, we really are all alike when it comes to pain and loss—that emotional response is universal.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Tap into your inner goodness and compassion. Pray for those affected by the wildfires and for those in harm's way as they fight them.

Saturday Share Recipe - Easy Chicken Casserole

If you're still tired from the holidays, here's an easy dinner casserole that will save you time, energy, and money.

This entree serves 6-8.

EASY CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Ingredients

8 ounces egg noodles
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion

4 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter

1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
12 ounces diced cooked chicken
1 cup frozen green peas, defrosted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350°F. (177° C.) and set the peas out to defrost.

(2) Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with Pam or something similar.

(3) Cook noodles according to directions, drain, and set aside.

(4) In a saucepan, saute the onion, celery, and mushrooms until tender.

(5) Stir in the sour cream and milk. When blended, add chicken and other ingredients.

(6) Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve warm.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I love family meals that are easy to prepare and delicious to eat.