Bridgerton Season 3 Arrived

This gorgeous poster reveals who the main characters are in Bridgerton, Season 3. It's Penelope aka Pen and Colin.

Isn't the art work gorgeous? I shouldn't be surprised but this Bridgerton poster is available at Amazonavailable at Amazon as well as Walmart, Target, etc. 

As I write this, the price at Amazon is $20.99 unframed.

You'll immediately notice than Pen looks a lot different than in the previous 2 seasons.

I was thrilled when Darling Daughter called to tell me the first half of the season had been released.

GET A FAN AND SMELLING SALTS

The fan will keep you cool, and the smelling salts will keep you from swooning over Colin. How could he not know Pen was in love with him?

You're going to love this season. Finally, Colin recognizes that Pen the Wallflower turns out to be more than he ever expected.

Then there's Lady Whistledown. If you've watched the previous 2 seasons, you know who she is in her "real" life.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I've considered canceling Netflix because their lineup of movies hasn't interested me greatly with the exception of The Gray Man and Night Agent—and Bridgerton. Those 3 keep me subscribing to Netflix. Watch it and you'll understand what I mean.

Joan participates in 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 I LOVE READING, my free NL, and receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.

Texas Had a BAD Week

Corner of our house at bottom left.

Like much of the country, Texas has had a bad few weeks.

First there was torrential rains that flooded much of East Texas and sent rivers and creeks out of their banks.

Then came the smoke from fires in Mexico and Central America. At first, I thought we'd suddenly developed a Los Angeles case of smog.

The air quality hit the red zone everywhere from the Valley at the southern tip of the state to the Dallas area. Anyone with respiratory problems was advised to stay inside.

Strike 3 was last Thursday when a storm ripped through the state from west of Austin all the way across the Gulf Coast area and on into Louisiana, wreaking havoc everywhere it touched.

ELECTRICITY DIED

 Our power went off before the torrential rains and 60 mile per hour winds plowed through the Houston area around dinner time. It was an incredibly fast storm front. Looking out the back windows in my house, it was black as midnight. Walking to the front of the house and looking out, it was still daylight. Then the wind slammed against the back of our house. I literally jumped. 

When the storm passed and daylight returned, we went outside to check our generator. The picture above shows our house—with a giant pine tree leaning over our yard, threatening our house. The tree was not in our yard, but in our neighbor's yard.

Image by Peter H from Pixabay

PINES CAN BE DANGEROUS

Darling Hubby immediately walked around to our neighbor's house. Fortunately they were home. 

Even better, they'd noticed the tree and had gone outside to check it. The pine had begun to uproot. I think the tree in front of it was holding it in place.

Our wonderful neighbors had already contacted a tree service that promised to be out the next morning to remove the tree. We slept in the media room near the front of the house that night—not in the bedroom in the direct path of the tree.

True to their word, the tree cutters showed up and removed the tree. 

Watching a guy with a chain saw hanging from his belt climb all the way to the top of a 50+ feet tall pine that's partially uprooted was nerve-racking. They got it down, section by section. It took all morning.

We were lucky. Not so lucky are the more than 100,000 homes still without power. Not so lucky is the area just north of the Houston downtown business district that was struck by a  tornado spawned from the storm. The aftermath there looked like a war zone.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

So many towns in our country have suffered greatly from tornadoes and floods this year. My thoughts and prayers go out to you all.

Remembering Mom

Today is an intensely personal post.

Today would have been my Mom's birthday. 

Remembering you, Momma, on this special day.

Love you.

Miss you.

Always have.

Always will.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I guess one never gets over losing a mother or father.

Review - Get Human on the Phone

A few years ago I blogged about this app. Today I decided to see if it was still operational.

Luckily, GetHuman is alive and well.

The reason I say luckily is because this is an amazing resource if you need to call a big company and avoid the circular trap that is now AI-generated.

Like it says on the GetHuman landing page:  "Fix Your Customer Service Issues Faster. Get a rep on the phone faster & get better help."

Yes, this resource gives actual phone numbers for big companies. 

On the landing page you'll see: "All-time Most Popular Phone Numbers" as well as how to present your problem when your call is answered.

In the case of a company like Google which will never be answered by a real human, it tells you how to get to a human even though it may take time and effort.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I was thrilled to see this app still existed because I've been trying for a while to get a Gooogle problem solved. If I'm successful, I'll let you know what process worked for me.

Mom, the First Female Super Hero I Met

Celebrate your Mom today. I have 2 quotes for you. I wish I knew who spoke these words.

A sweet quote for you.

"A mother's sacrifice is never-ending, but her love is never-fading."

And a funny quote too.

"If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way mom told you to in the beginning."

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Tell Mom you love her and thank her for everything she's done for you. She's probably the first female super hero you ever met. 

Saturday Share Recipe - Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya

If you like Cajun-inspired dishes, you'll want to add this recipe to your repertoire.

My Mom's friend Nell is the source of this recipe which comes from her family's cookbook.

It's easy to make and delicious to eat with either crusty garlic bread, French bread, or even cornbread.

Like most legumes, black-eyed peas are a good source of complex carbohydrates with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are nutrition power houses. Just 1 cup (165 grams), gives you tremedous benefits.

NUTRITION STATS FOR BLACK-EYED PEAS

160 calories, 0.6 g fat, 33.5 g carbs, 5.2 g protein, 8.3 g fiber, 5.3 g of sugar and the Minimum Daily Requirement (MDR) of these minerals:

10% of iron
15% of potassium

15% of zinc

16% of calcium
20% of magnesium
24% of copper
41% of manganese

and the MDR of these vitamins:

37% of vitamin K
44% of vitamin A
52% of folate.

BLACK-EYED PEA JAMBALAYA

Ingredients

1 chopped onion

1 chopped bell pepper (charred to remove the membrane)

1 bunch chopped green onions

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 can beef broth

1 pound sliced smoked sausage

1 1/2 cup washed rice, drained

1-2 teaspoons or to taste of Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning

2 cans Trappey's Black-Eyed Peas (Yes, you can use another brand. I always use Trappey's because when I was a kid, we lived near the Trappey's cannery, and my Mom thought they were the best next to home-cooked black-eyed peas. You can also use the peas with Jalapeño added.)

Instructions

1. Slice the sausage and set aside.

2. Wash the rice and drain well.

3. Dice the onion, the charred bell pepper, and green onions.

4. In a Dutch oven or similar pot, add the oil and chopped vegetables. Saute until translucent.

5. Add the drained rice to the vegetables in the hot Dutch oven, stirring while you let it saute about 3-5 minutes.

6. Add the broth, peas, and sliced sausage.

7. Sprinkle in the Creole Seasoning to taste.

8. Stir well to blend everything together then let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is done and the flavors have meded together.

9. Before serving, stir in 3-5 drops, or more to your taste, of McIhenny's Tabasco or just set the bottle on the table for your guests to spice it up the way they like.

ALTERNATIVES

1. There is no salt added to this jambalaya  because the peas, broth, Tony's, and sausage have salt.

2. If you're concerned about salt intake, look for low-sodium broth, Tony's, and sausage.

3. If you have leftover rice, omit the raw rice when you make the jambalaya and serve the hot "stew" over the already cooked (and warmed in the microwave) rice.

4. You can also cook black-eyed peas from scratch and use that in the recipe instead of canned peas.

5. If you like your food really spicy, add sliced jalapeño peppers and/or the peas with the peppers added. Also, use spicy hot smoked sausage rather than regular smoked sausage—and lots of Tabasco.

4. Don't forget the Tabasco.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

When I make any kind of jambalaya, I think of my Mom and remember watching her in the kitchen as she cooked jambalaya or gumbo or any of the other mouth-watering dishes she prepared. I miss her so much.

Joan participates in 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.

Want exclusive content, giveaways, and bargain books?

 Sign up for I LOVE READING, Joan's free NL.

Fun Facts About Mother's Day

This Sunday in the U.S.A. is Mother's Day. We all have a mother. Most of us who are mothers realize the balancing act Mom had to do as a mother, a wife, and a homemaker—probably while juggling a job too. 

Pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea and let me tell you some things about Mother's Day that you may not know. 

1. Mother's Day is a global celebration with 168 countries participating. Most often, this holiday is celebrated in March or May with over half of the countries honoring Mom on the second Sunday of May.

2. Traditionally, in many Christian churches on Mother's Day Sunday, people wore a red carnation if their mothers were still living, but a white one if she had passed.

3. The word Mom or Mum is thought to have been invented by babies because the first sound a baby makes is ma or muh. Check out many different languages, and you'll find that the word for Mom begins with that M sound, for example, in French, mother is Mère. In German, it's Mutter. In Italian and Spanish, it's Madre. Even in Hindi, it's Maa. 

4. More phone calls are made on Mother's Day than any other day of the year.

5. Mother's Day is the busiest restaurant dining day of the year. (That's probably no surprise.)

6. The origin of Mother's Day is found in ancient times when Greeks, Romans, and other cultures celebrated mothers and mother goddesses.

7. Mother's Day in the U.S. was made official on May 9, 1914.

8. Mother's Day is the third most attended church service (after Christmas and Easter).

9. According to Pantone, the color specialist, Mother's Day is signified by:

Green which represents a mother's protective nature,

Yellow for a Mom's optimistic outlook towards life and her children,

Pink for her compassionate and nurturing soul, and

Red for a mother's passion and empowerment.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're lucky enough to still have your Mom with you, be sure you let her know on how very much you love her and do that every day of your life, not just on Mother's Day

Sign up for I LOVE READING, Joan's free NL, to receive exclusive content and book news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.