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| Image by Saleh Perdomo, Pixabay |
On my way to the appointment, I saw the funniest bumper sticker on the car in front of me at a red light.
Pretend to honk if you love mimes.
Oh, my. I honked and I laughed which helped me shake my grouchy mood and put a smile on my face.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
Laughter can quickly change a mood. I guess it really is the best medicine.
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The movie DOG, now on Netflix, was released in 2022. Starring Channing Tatum, the flick comes pretty close to family friendly, but it is rated PG-13 so be warned.
Billed as a comedy drama, or dramedy if you prefer, the story is about a dog named Lulu that Army Ranger Briggs (Tatum) takes on as he races to make a soldier's funeral on time.
Ranger Briggs and Lulu are subjected to a series of misadventures including breaking some laws, escaping death, and generally driving each crazy until they manage to bond and form a relationship.
The movie was inspired by a road trip Tatum took with his dying dog, a pitbull mix also named Lulu, after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2018.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
I'm a sucker for dog movies so I enjoyed it. It was entertaining so give it a look if you're looking for family fare.
Kindle Colorsoft is amazing with its color display and warm adjustable light. Better yet, no ads!
Regularly priced at $249.99, it's on special today for $169.99. Check out the Colorsoft features:
Read in color – 7" display, high-contrast, easy on the eyes, paper-like color
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| Image by Alban_Gogh from Pixabay |
1. Every year, 46 million farm-raised turkeys are sold for Thanksgiving.
2. It's not true that turkeys can't fly. Wild turkeys can fly short distances at up to 55 mph. They can run up to 25 mph.
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| Image by Mikki Couch from Pixabay |
5. If you ever heard the gobble gobble call of wild turkeys, you'll never forget it. They communicate using over 20 different vocalizations.
6. Wild turkeys sleep in trees to stay safe from predaators.
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| Image by Nadine Doerlé from Pixabay |
Thanksgiving is a week away. Everyone loves this holiday because it's built around family and food.
Usually you get to see family—maybe not all of them but a good representation of parents, grandparents, siblings, kids, and grandkids.
Often, friends may join the celebration too.
Too often, most of the work in coordinating the event and cooking the feast falls onto the woman of the house.
Many women still take on the majority of the work either because they're perfectionists or their men are slow to volunteer.
With that thought in mind, I thought I'd give the "chief cook and bottle washer" some tips on how to enjoy the day and still cook up a fabulous meal that will delight your guests.
9 THANKSGIVING SURVIVAL TIPS
1. Write your menu. Check your pantry. Make a grocery list. for the big day. Assign a person to do the grocery shopping.
If you don't feel you have anyone capable of getting the items on your list, go with your volunteer and give them some needed training in obtaining groceries. That volunteer will bring the groceries into the house and store them appropriately. (Perhaps another training exercise?)
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| Image by Solomon Rodgers from Pixabay |
3. Assign someone to set the dining table for the Thanksgiving dinner.
If this will be on a table used only for formal occasions, your volunteer can set it in advance and carefully cover the set table with a clean sheet.
4. Look at your menu and assemble your sous chefs and workers. Assign duties. Decide what preparations can be done in advance, i.e., slicing and dicing vegetables, baking cakes, making and freezing dressing or other dishes that can be frozen and defrosted and cooked on the big day.
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| Image by Victoria, Pixabay |
7. Assign childcare entertainers to help with any young children who arrive.
8. Thank your troops. As you end your meeting, be sure and thank them for their assistance because it shows that they love you and want you to be happy too.
(Sometimes, you have to state the obvious because children don't think about things the same way adults do. Just as the men in our lives may not realize how much work it is because we make it look so easy!!)
Often kids and significant others don't realize how tiring a big celebration is. I know you think they should see you need help without your having to ask, but that's just not the way the world works.
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| Image by olga volkovitskaia from Pixabay |
In fact, take 15 minutes to lie down with your feet up. maybe read a little while you relax. Then check your makeup, fluff your hair, and rejoin the crowd.
TAKEAWAY TRUTHIs this post meant to be taken seriously? Absolutely! We women should enjoy the day too, but who can enjoy anything when exhausted? Don't be passive aggressive. Simply focus on the outcome you want—a great day for all—then smile and explain what is needed to make that happen.
Becky?!?! That name just doesn't go with wrath. Then there's the tag line, "Hell hath no fury like a 16-year-old scorned."
So let me tell you about this movie, a sequel to the 2020 film, Becky. This sequel, The Wrath of Becky, was a 2023 American action thriller directed by Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote.
Mr. Angel actually wrote the screenplay based on a story he and Ms. Coote wrote.
The first and second movies star Lulu Wilson as Becky, and Seann William Scott co-stars as Darryl Junion in the second film which premiered at South by Southwest film festival in March 2023 and then was released in the U.S. in May 2023.
The first film was received well by critics and audiences which is why the second film exists. After watching The Wrath of Becky, it's easy to see why the first film was so popular.
BLURBING THE MOVIE
Two years after she escaped a violent attack by Neo-Nazis on her family, 16-year-old Becky attempts to rebuild her life in the care of an older woman who is as tough as nails. However, when a violent group known as the Noble Men break into their home, attack them and take Becky's beloved dog, she goes after them, and hell has no fury like Becky's vengeance!
MY 2¢
This film is gory—I winced and closed my eyes at some scenes—but it's also wickedly funny and full of twists and turns. It was quite a surprise, and I think you might like it too.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
If you're looking for something different and entertaining, you should watch The Wrath of Becky.
I thought I'd begin sharing some of my favorite one-pot meals which I often cook in a large skillet or Dutch oven.
Today's recipe is flexible in that you can swap out ingredients and/or add extra ingredients you particularly like.
There really aren't any specific measurements in this recipe because I normally cook that way unless I'm trying some new recipe. At the end of this post, I'll include some options for you to consider.
I like to call this Chuck Wagon Skillet Dinner because I imagine it's something a trail drive cook might cook in an old cast iron Dutch oven with a heavy-gauge wire handle he'd suspend over an open fire.
My Mom had that type of Dutch oven and cooked in it for more than 60 years. She made everything from spaghetti to beans, soups, and stews of every kind. My brother has her Dutch oven. When I visit him at the farm, I sometimes think we should take it out of the cabinet and see if we could cook over an open flame.
Ingredients
Directions
1. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef. Before it's completely done, add the onion and the bell pepper. Continue cooking over medium heat until the veggies are soft.
2. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring to keep the mixture from sticking. After a few minutes, add the salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to distribute the seasonings.
5. Mix 2 tablespoons of AP flour in 1/4 cup cold water. Stir it until flour and water are blended well. Turn the heat up on your skillet and pour the slurry into the mixture. Stir to mix well and heat until the slurry has magically thickened the "gravy."
6. Serve with one of these "breads": heated tortillla chips, heated corn or flour tortillas, cornbread, or a crusty artisan bread like French, Italian, or sourdough.
OPTIONS
(*1) Potatoes ingredient can be changed to rice. If leftover rice, add after thickening the gravy and simmer for 5 extra minutes to heat the rice through. If using raw rice, add after all the other ingredients and add 1/2 to 1 cup more broth then simmer for 40 minutes.
(*2) Instead of pinto beans, you can add any kind of canned beans or a mixture of varieties. Just be sure to rinse and drain the beans.
(*4) Instead of Pace's Picante, you can use any picante or salsa you like. Or, you can use 1 -2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes or 1 cup canned diced tomatoes (if you use canned tomatoes, add a pinch of sugar to counteract the citric acid in canned tomatoes).
(*5) The amount of broth really depends on your personal taste. If you like a lot of gravy, use more and adjust the amount of slurry you add to thicken. If you like less, then adjust accordingly.
(*6) The slurry mixture used to thicken the stew can also be cornstarch and water.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
The "triangle dinner bell" in the image to the right is made of wrought iron. It's what people on ranches and farms used to "ring" to call everyone to dinner.
I have one like it that my Dad made. He was a master of many skills including a bit of blacksmithing when needed. The one he made hung on the porch at my parents' home, and it made the loudest, clangingest noise you ever heard!
This political thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow premiered in October 2025. I'm forced to wonder if the film, derivative of many of the 1960s offerings mining the same "nuclear war by accident" material—ever heard of the Henry Fonda movie Failsafe?—was designed to play upon the fear many Americans have at this time in our history.
Rather than political thriller, I think this film should be labeled psychological suspense with a bushel of paranoia. Is it me or is there thinly disguised political opinions underpinning this film.
I don't know about you, but I watch movies to be entertained, and this movie was not entertaining.
BLURB
"The film follows the U.S. President and his advisors as they race against the clock to determine the origin of a single, unattributed missile launch and decide on a response, exploring the extreme pressure and impossible decisions involved."
After the dramatic opening that incites your curiosity, the film descends into paranoia and becomes mostly a cliche as it presents the usual terror in the streets as portrayed in most disaster movies. The ending reminded me of 2 other movies—the third Terminator film when the adult John Connor and his love interest end up as the leaders of the destroyed world, and the first War Games film when all the bombs were supposedly unleashed—although in War Games there was an optimistic ending.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
Some people like to discuss the odds of thermonuclear war. Not me. Life is difficult enough without obsessing about something like that over which you have absolutely no control.
If you like movies like this, then you'll probably have a different opinion of A House of Dynamite. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think about this movie.
In my book, April Fool Proposition, the heroine and hero get a "mutual" dog that I modeled after Freddie, our daughter's golden doodle.
At left, you can see Freddie in a birthday photo from a few years ago. He's all grown up now and is the most intelligent, loving dog one could hope to have.
I've written a few books with dogs as characters because I love dogs. If you're looking for unconditional love, then you need to get a dog.
As a dog lover—no offense to cats and cat lovers—I want to share some of my favorite dog quotes. I think they prove my point that dogs are awesome.
The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. —Andy Rooney
If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons. —James Thurber
Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul—chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth! —Anne Tyler
You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, "Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!' —Dave Barry
A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. —Robert Benchley
Nothing in the world is friendlier than a wet dog. —Anonymous
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. —Mark Twain
Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell. —Emily Dickinson
Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen. —Orhan Pamuk
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can=t eat or play with it, just pee on it and walk away. —Anonymous
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. —Will Rogers
When I was a kid, my older brother Vernon loved honey buns. This was a snack cake made created in North Carolina by the Griffin Pie Company back in the 1950s.
By the time honey buns reached our state, they came from Flowers Foods. I don't know if this was a licensed product or a merger of companies.
I do know that my brother's lifelong love for this golden brown treat still makes me smile. Little boys—and girls—grow up but they don't abandon the delights of childhood.
I think these snack cakes found at convenience stores are now made and sold by Little Debbie.
GENESIS OF HONEY BUN CAKE
Southern home cooks are always looking for ways to recreate something popular which is how the Honey Bun Cake came into being. Today's recipe was in my sister-in-law's collection. Judy was an amazing home chef. I don't think she ever made anything that wasn't mouthwateringly delicious even though she often used a box cake mix because she was a busy woman and needed timesaving methods.
By the way, you'll be serving the cake in the baking pan so if a "pretty" table is important to you, invest in a pretty baking pan for your casseroles and cakes.
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| You can buy Honey Buns but the taste isn't the same. |
Ingredients - Batter
1 yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
8 ounces sour cream
Ingredients - Filling
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans
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| Pretty 9x13 Baking Dish from Amazon |
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons hot water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. (175° C.). Prepare a 9"x13" baking pan by spraying with baking spray or lightly buttering. You'll be serving the cake from this pan.
2. Mix the batter ingredients well. The batter will be thick.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the filling ingredients.
4. Pour half of the batter into the baking dish and smooth. Sprinkle the filling over this. Then spread the rest of the batter on top.
5. Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes until cake is done. If in doubt, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake top layer. If it comes out clean, it's done.
6. Remove from the oven and cool in the pain for about 15 minutes. While the cake is cooling, mis up the glaze. If the glaze is too thick add more hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring well after each until it is pourable. Using a skewer or fork, poke holes in the cake and evenly pour the glaze over the cake while it is still warm.
7. Cut into squares and serve. People go absolutely crazy over this cake.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
This is a delicious dessert. It's not something you'd eat every day, but for special occasions, you can't beat it. Brew some coffee to go along with the cake. Bon appetite!
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.
M. J. Schiller, a bestselling author of the Rock Romance sub-genre, is one of my favorite authors. She blends emotion, great characters, and a compelling plot into a book you can't put down.
Now, she's written and published, HEARTS FLUSH, a book in a different genre—historical western romance—and it's awesome.
I'm excited to tell you about it so let's start with a blurb.
For him, everything was riding on this hand.
The year is 1858. Banker Alistair Lynn hires four brothers to protect his family as they travel west.
Jessie Weston, the youngest of the four, is different. Thoughtful, Jessie tries to hide his reading from his brothers, who tease him incessantly for it.
Piper Lynn, the youngest of the Lynn sisters, is also “different.” Forever with her head in a book, she often speaks with a frankness that others find off-putting.
When their trip leads them through trials and tragedies, Jessie and Piper fall in love. But, as neither of them is experienced with the opposite sex, they often misunderstand each other. Will these difficulties tear them apart or will it be one of the dangers on their journey that ends their budding courtship in a more permanent way?
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| Amazon Only Link |
JESSIE
If I’d known what I was going to be wagering for, I would have listened to my stupid brothers when they explained poker. Everything important to me was riding on this one game.
Sweat broke on my brow. Could I remember their card playing advice? I had to, or she’d be leaving with another man, and, in a convoluted way, it would be my fault.
I glanced up into Piper’s face. The color had gone out of her usually rosy cheeks, her lips quivered slightly, and hers were the eyes of a trapped animal. She was scared to death. And she should be. She lowered her head, looking ashamed and embarrassed. And she should be.
McDiver ran his gaze over her lustily, and my skin crawled. My opponent rubbed a knuckle along the side of Piper’s finger on the table, and she recoiled. McDiver laughed at her, and my jaw tightened. I would not allow this pig of a man near Piper, even if it cost me my life.
I studied my cards. A five of hearts, jack of spades, two of clubs, queen of hearts, and an ace of hearts. Could I have a worse hand? They didn’t even come close to matching.
“Well? What’s it gonna be? Ya want ta draw?”
Oh, yes. I can git different cards ta possibly make what I had better. But what to keep? The ace, because it was highest?
I so wished Dawson was around instead of being occupied with a woman. Or, if Amycus weren’t completely drunk, with his head on the bar, he may be able to advise me.
I glanced up in hopes that Dawson was winding his way down the steps but was disappointed. I picked the four other cards surrounding the ace and was about to lay them on the table when I remembered.
If I can git them all the same…what did they call it? What does it matter, all with the same symbol on them—that was a good hand. But will it be good enough?
I kept my three heart cards and removed the other two.
Besides, I’ll have more chances ta match whatever cards the jackass is gonna give me.
If these cards aren’t the ones I’m lookin’ fer… I need more time ta think of a plan ta git her out of here, the little fool.
If I pull my gun, I’ll have a dozen trained on me before I even git ta my feet.
I could maybe throw the table over, grab Piper, and we could make a run fer it… But the idea of putting my back, and, more importantly, Piper’s, toward this mongrel, well, it didn’t sit comfortably to say the least.
“Well…?”
My heart was beating like a Lakota war drum.
It was showdown time.
M.J. Schiller is a retired lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer. She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In her mind everybody has a romance.
She is the mother of a twenty-eight-year-old and three twenty-six-year-olds. That's right, triplets! So having recently taught four children to drive, she likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.
VISIT M.J. SCHILLER ONLINE
Website: https://mjschillerauthor.blogspot.com/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/m-j-schiller
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Schiller-Romance-Author/286382241460365
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Tumblr: http://mjschilz.tumblr.com/
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6479377.M_J_Schiller
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M-J-Schiller/e/B009JOQFQQ
BUY LINKS — HEARTS FLUSH
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
If you're looking for a new release that's got heart and soul, pick up a copy of HEARTS FLUSH by my friend, M.J. Schiller.
You'll be glad you did.
