Monday, December 29, 2025

All About The Attitude

 


Florida will be getting a glimpse of winter this week and we will see lows in the 40's for a few days.  I don't like it, but it is better than some of you guys experiencing snow.  The hope is that it will go away since I do not have a heater (and don't want one).  But I do have a lot of heavy clothes that usually works for me unless we get in the 30's.  No worries here for now, it is all about the positive attitude.

My blog focus for the next day or so is all about New Years Eve, food, traditions, etc.  My black eyed peas have already been purchased and I will start the soaking process tomorrow.  Other than that, I think a pork tenderloin sounds good and will last a few days.  No sweets this holiday week since I have blood labs due this coming month and I want the doctor to be happy.

Hoping that everyone is enduring the cold weather and bad storms in the US, not sure about the other parts of the world.  Have a good week!



NEW BLOG POSTS


Subtropical Gardening

How to Propagate Succulents (for More Free Plants!)

Jump-Start Spring by Forcing Bulbs Indoors

The #1 Reason Houseplant Leaves Turn Yellow & The Instant Fix


Fabulous Frugalista

Understanding Food Expiration Date Labels Made Simple


Peace Love Happiness

One day at a time


Gina's Italian Kitchen

Lemon Cake

Buttermilk Biscuit Ham Pot Pie

Collection of Ham Posts from Baking to Leftover Ham Recipes UPDATED

Ham & Egg Pockets

Farmhouse Chicken Cornbread Casserole

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Country Potato Pancakes

Skillet Lasagna

Pecan Cobbler

Better Than Starbucks Lemon Loaf Copycat Recipe

Banana Bread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup

Air Fryer Boneless Pork Chops

Smothered Pork Chops With Mushrooms





Saturday, December 27, 2025

Let them eat cake!

 




It has been a quiet, peaceful Christmas week.  Of course I had my terrible grief moments and momentarily lost it, but I pulled myself together fast.  Progress is getting over the moment quickly.  I'm happy!

Yes, I'm craving a beautiful, delicious cake.  You can tell by all the cake posts!  And I have not posted all the recipes I have found.

Doing research for my blog posts has really been enjoyable.  For most people, it would be considered work, but for me it is fun.  I have always been a geek like that, loving work and being the classic workaholic.  Not a bad way to be.  

Have a fabulous weekend!




NEW BLOG POSTS


LaBelladiva

A Lifetime of Memories Packed Away for Another Year


Gina's Italian Kitchen

Cannoli Cake Semi-Homemade

Chocolate Cheesecake

Cheesy Country Ham Grit Balls

Cake Mix Cookies

Tagliatelle Pasta (Homemade)

Honoring the cheesecake and searching for the perfect one

Root Beer Bundt Cake

Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork

Turkey Leftovers UPDATED

Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy

Mississippi Pot Roast Slow Cooker

Limoncello Cake

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Italian Cream Cheese Cake

Come-Home-to-Mama Chocolate Cake



Friday, December 26, 2025

Happy to be living in Florida!

 


We are enjoying the beautiful weather that makes us Floridians happy to be living in Florida.  Loving these open window days!  Much of the south has been experiencing very nice warm weather, however, our friends in the north are having awful weather.  The news was showing the travel difficulties at a time when everyone is going back home from the holidays.  So sorry for you guys!

My lifestyle change of no sugar didn't work so well for Christmas.  One of my Christmas gifts to myself was a pumpkin pie.  Not just one piece, but a whole pie.  Treating myself on special days helps me stay on track when I know the treat is coming soon.  But I did go a little overboard on the treat.

Facebook gave me the gift of keeping me out of my account.  Too many problems with Facebook.  When it finally comes back, I think I'm done with it.  I will learn how to use Instagram instead since I don't hear of too many problems even though they are owned by the same company.  Maybe it is a better program.

Looking forward to a new year, even though I made much progress this year.  It is nothing more than going from one day to the next, psychologically a new chapter in the book of life, a new beginning.

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday week and being grateful for all your blessings.  I know I am so grateful for all the good Lord has blessed me with . . . especially those awesome memories that still make me happy and sad and always will.  Love and miss you Captain and Kiki.



NEW BLOG POSTS


Gina's Italian Kitchen

The Best Way To Store Cookies To Keep Them Fresh

How to Make Homemade Pasta

Italian Almond Cookies (Amaretti)

Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Lemony Butter Cookies

Sausage Gravy Breakfast Lasagna

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta




Subtropical Gardening

7 Smart Ways to Use Old Potting Soil, According to Gardening Experts

Composting Methods That Turn Food Scraps Into Garden Gold

Great Ways To Use Coffee Grounds In The Fall

How to Propagate Fruit Trees

Pine Cone Bird Feeders




Fabulous Frugalista

What Happens To Your Fridge Food When The Power Goes Out


Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Merry Christmas Animal Lovers and everyone else!

 

Merry Christmas!


Hope you all are having a wonderful joyous Christmas.

Here is an old Christmas video I made that never gets old:



Since I am a huge animal lover, I am always looking for others on You Tube and I found the cutest ever Merry Christmas video from a big time animal lover.  They are special and precious!  Hope you enjoy it as I have.



Happy Birthday Jesus!



Christmas is sad without
The Captain and my sweet Kiki,
but I'm OK, I have awesome memories
to keep me smiling


NEW BLOG POSTS


LaBelladiva

Sew A DIY Casserole Carrier

Holiday Decorating Made Easy: Your Guide to a Beautiful and Festive Season

How to Sew a Pet Collar


Subtropical Gardening

Keep Your Chickens Healthy Over Winter

Things Everyone With An African Violet Should Know

Grow Garden Pansy Flowers for Early Blooms

Grow Vegetables Without a Greenhouse in Winter

Colorful Succulents That’ll Brighten Your Home All Winter Long


Gina's Italian Kitchen

Feast of the Seven Fishes - Shrimp Scampi

Martha's Prime Rib Roast

The Best Christmas Recipe Guide - UPDATED

Pecan Pie Dump Cake

Spicy Mexican Shrimp Pasta

Loaded Breakfast Puff Pastry

Healthy Appetizer Recipes









Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Naughty or Nice?

 


He's making a list and checking it twice . . . have you been naughty or nice?

I've been nice . . .

This year has flown by and I can't believe Christmas is almost here.  At least I am glad time has flown since I am closer to being "normal" and over all the sad stuff.  But I'm getting there!

The world continues to go crazy, but what else is new?

I'm just happy for all the dog people breeding and selling dogs, letting us watch them grow up on You Tube and also the horse people showing off their horses or letting us in on their day to day stuff on a horse farm.  For some strange reason, it has helped me deal with losing my Kiki girl.  I love animal people and I have grieved alongside them when they lose one of their precious animals.  I've watched some of them for years.

One of them just had a Christmas party for their horses and they dressed them up in festive attire.  They were precious!  Here is the link to the party if you enjoy festive animals having a Christmas party . . . 

 


Hope you are all having and joyous and festive holiday season! 

Listed below are new blog posts.



NEW BLOG POSTS

Subtropical Gardening

How to Care for Poinsettias Now and After the Holidays

Feeding and Attracting Cardinals to Your Feeders In The Winter


Peace Love Happiness

Coming out of the fog


LaBelladiva

Christmas Tree Decoration Ideas For A Dazzling Holiday


Gina's Italian Kitchen

Chocolate Lasagna

Italian Cream Cake

Sparkling Linzer Cookies

Peppermint Mocha Cake Balls

Pecan Cheesecake Pie

Dr Pepper Sheet Cake

No Bake Oreo Pie

Chocolate Éclair Dessert

Baklava from The Pioneer Woman

Grilling/Smoking . . . A Collection of Recipes

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Bisquick Apple Coffee Cake

Grandma Dot's Stuffing Balls

Hummingbird Cake

Fudgy Cocoa Brownies

Alice Springs Chicken

Cattle Drive Casserole

Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes

Russian Tea Cake

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Cherry Cheese Danish

Slow Cooker Classic Goulash

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Lemon Shortbread Cookies



Friday, December 19, 2025

Christmas memories

 


Happy Friday!  Seems like we just started a new week and here we are at the weekend.

There is an article I posted to LaBelladiva that took me back to exceptionally good Christmas times with JR.  It is about your first wedding Christmas ornaments and I thought about little things I haven't thought about in 20+ years.  Stuff like shopping for Christmas ornaments and remembering conversations we had while selecting them.  Priceless memories of times with JR after he's been gone over 20 years.  Seems like yesterday.  Check out the article and see what memories it brings up for you.

My posts the past couple of days have focused on recipes I would like to try since I am really bored with food.  For one thing, cooking for one sucks and I really don't like leftovers.  So I have decided to focus on meals that leftovers can go in the freezer for another time.  I found lots of them!

Hope your pre-Christmas time is joyous and memorable.  Cherish your loved ones and tell them you love them while you can.




NEW BLOG POSTS

Peace Love and Happiness

Positive anything and everything

Agree to love


LaBelladiva

Why My Favorite Christmas Ornament Will Only Get Better With Age


Gina's Italian Kitchen

Potato Puffs

Ham and Swiss Casserole

The Best Coconut Layer Cake

Slow-Cooker Crab Rangoon Dip

Quick Cannoli Dip

The Best Coconut Cream Pie

The Best Focaccia

Bacon Ranch Cream Cheese Wellington

Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Lemon and Garlic

The Best Stuffed Peppers

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes . . . a collection of recipes

Mamaw's Chicken and Rice Casserole

Funeral Potatoes

Potato Chip Chicken Tenders

Stromboli

Baked Tilapia

Lemon Thyme Chicken

Sausage Bread

Angel Biscuits

Caesar Chicken

Shipwreck Casserole

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Orange Rolls from scratch

Spaghetti Aglio E Olio UPDATED

Cowboy Cookie Bars

Oven Roast Beef

Slow cooker breakfast casserole





Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Better be good . . .

 


This week has been a pretty decent week for me.  Not for anything in particular, but I am feeling positive about everything.  That has been one of my goals and it makes me happy.

I'm feeling pretty sad about all the killing that went on all over the world this weekend.  So sad that killing people has become a sport and Rob Reiner and his wife . . . it is unbelievable that a child who I assume was very spoiled and ungrateful would kill his parents in such a vile way after all they did for him.  The media has been in a frenzy and they make me sick.  The whole experience has been horrible and it seems like it is going to be full blown madness.

My blog posts from the last day or so is listed below.  I'm really bored with food and my new focus is going to be finding new recipes that I would like to make.

Hope everyone is having an awesome week!  Better be good because . . .



New blog posts


Gina's Italian Kitchen

Johnny Marzetti Casserole

Carrot Cake Recipe Collection

How to Cook Dried Beans for Better Flavor, Creamier Texture, and Big Savings

Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Almond Joy Cookies

Snickerdoodle Cobbler 

Vanilla Red Velvet Marbled Pound Cake

Oreo Fudge

Key Lime Pie

Strawberry Shortcake Puffs

Swiss Mushroom Chicken

Stuffed Pepper Skillet

Country Chicken and Gravy

Cashew Chicken

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Slow Cooker Corn Chowder


Subtropical Gardening

How to Use Coffee Grounds to Get Gorgeous Christmas Cactus Blooms Every Year

How to Propagate Roses for an Endless Supply of Beautiful Blooms

Fruit Trees You Can Grow Indoors


LaBelladiva

Holiday Decorations I Always Buy Secondhand