All I have to do is look at chocolate and my clothes start shrinking. There are a great number of recipes I have recently added to the food blog that will make you go out and buy a new wardrobe.
With Springtime around the corner, I have looked for informative gardening posts and have listed some. And as I get back to sewing and crafting, I'm still searching for new projects when I get my craft room going again.
I'm still in a very happy mood since my mom is in town.
Since it is now early Christmas with not much longer to go, I have been busy finding interesting stuff to write about Christmas. While I am still looking for more gift giving homemade food recipes, I am tired of looking at all those sweets. It is torturing me since I cut out sugar from my life. But my discipline has been excellent. I still have those canned refrigerated cinnamon rolls in the fridge and although I think about them, I have not made any. The recipes are tempting me to make them!
Funny thing about my neighborhood . . . we have traveling chickens and some very vocal roosters. The hens cluck along with their babies. Don't laugh, but I enjoy them very much. They have been around since before Kiki passed away. She would look at me like to say "what is that noise?" When they are traveling through my yard talking to other chickens, I think of Kiki. Missing her like crazy. I'd give anything to have her and The Captain back with me. This house is so empty without them. The cycle of life is maddening at times, yet so wonderful at the same time.
I've got gardening on my mind. That explains why I am starting to post more stuff on Subtropical Gardening. Looking forward to my container gardening. It is awesome to have desires again after none at all. The healing process is entering another grief phase which makes me very happy.
By the way, I am enjoying some new music for me . . . French love songs. Check them out, I love it!
Listed below are new blog posts . . . check them out!
Autumn hit Tampa three days last week. It was quite a surprise to get down to 38 degrees one night. I hate the cold and would like to enjoy a mild autumn that brings cooler temps and less humidity. Not an early winter!
Yes, I know I am spoiled with awesome Tampa weather and some of you guys are dealing with snow already. Some people like the snow, but I can't relate at all. I wouldn't know what to do living in a snowy climate.
I've been obsessed with posts to my food blog. Honestly, I miss cooking and am slowly getting back to preparing meals for one, but it is not fun. I'm working on it and hope to learn to love it.
My workaholic nature has brought me to being behind the computer way too many hours and loving it again. I'm grateful I have found something that makes me happy again and I'm like a kid with a new toy.
I'm extremely active on x/Twitter joining others in retweeting each others posts. If you are interested in joining me and bring more people to your website, blog, online store, events, promotions, etc., go to https://x.com/GinaAlfani and simply retreat one or more of my posts and I will retweet yours. You will automatically be picked up by other retweeters after I retweet yours.
The arrival of spring has got me all excited about garden projects. I've written about some of those DIY projects in my gardening blog, Subtropical Gardening. DIY Hypertufa Plant Containers DIY Concrete Garden Hands Awesome Container Gardening Idea Check out the bird cage that was turned into a plant container from the Empress of Dirt! Click here to go to an excellent article on other ideas for unusual plantings. The front fence is in the process of going up and will be embellished with a row of beautiful and colorful bougainvillea. Finally . . . privacy and no trespassers! Some other blog posts . . . Peace, Lovc, Happiness Dealing with a toxic relationship Keep Your Goals on Track Gina's Italian Kitchen Triple Layered Strawberry Cake
We are celebrating the new season with a Spring Sale at Crows Nest Jewels. Use coupon code SPRING17 . . . Political happenings are keeping me glued to cable news! Hopefully the beautiful spring Florida weather will lure me away :) Hope you are experiencing beautiful spring weather in your part of the world!
We are well into winter and have only had one or two nights of needing the heat on. It has been like springtime this week! Gotta love living in Florida . . . I'm feeling much better since the Presidential Inauguration has passed and President Trump is settling into the White House. The political campaign and everything that followed exhausted me and gave me a ton of anxiety. Like I needed more anxiety . . . My new hobby of making soap has peaked my curiousity to make other beauty items. My blog LaBelladiva is full of DIY recipes that I would like to try and I have added the following: DIY Lip Balms Oatmeal Masks For All Skin Types How about some new recipes? I have added the following recipes to my food blog, Gina's Italian Kitchen: Everything But The Kitchen Sink Rice Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tots Casserole
Seems like since I was hit by that nasty flu or virus, whatever you want to call it, I have not been able to pick myself back up. I've heard from others who were hit by the virus that it was a nasty one, but to last this long? All I want to do is sleep!
My intentions are always positive that "today will be the day I can get up and go" . . . but it is not happening! Human nature makes us so impatient!
As usual, my food blog remains active since I'm always looking for great recipes . . . since I've been spending a lot of time resting in bed, the Food Network and the Cooking Channel have been what interests me and I am finding more great recipes than I haven't had time to post!
This week at Gina's Italian Kitchen, I have featuredOven Baked Breakfast Tacos that look delicious, easy and the variation possibilities are endless . . . also freezable! Kelsey Nixon'sBaked Tomatoes Stuffed with Creamy Mac and Cheese is one of the first new meals I'm going to try since Mac and Cheese is a popular item in our kitchen! Can't wait to try out Guy Fieri'sSpicy Polenta Cakesto put my stomach on fire with the jalapeno peppers :)
The Captain and I missed the Cinco de Mayo festivities, but we are gearing up for some spicy happenings in the kitchen when we are feeling better! Lots more Tex-Mex type of recipes coming!
Something I found for the crafters who love to design their own jewelry will love theDIY Rhinestone Statement Necklace. . . I can't wait to get back into creating!
While Peace, Love and Happiness has been sapped by not feeling well, this time has been one of self-reflection and being so grateful and blessed for where I am compared to one of the lowest points of my life when my first husband JR passed away. It is so easy to get caught up in our day to day irritations that momentarily rob us of our joy and happiness, but it takes looking back at desperate times to appreciate these little things that usually pass quickly, making way for the next catastrophe, right? The post "Picking Up the Pieces . . . Putting Them Away" ponders those thoughts.
It was surprising with a trickster husband skulking around the house I didn’t get zonked with an April Fool’s prank.
This week in the kitchen . . . we enjoyed a very delicious cuban style roast pork accompanied by tasty black beans and white rice. The meal is a staple in the latin community, kind of like a burger and fries. It is a meal that lasts at least a couple of days and when you’ve have enough, the pork is resurrected into another meal.
This time around it turned out to be what we call The Captain’s Pork Stew, a very delicious thick soup that is loaded with pork and various vegetables in a light tomato sauce. Learning how to use leftovers to make different meals is a trick we are perfecting in an attempt to stretch our food dollars.
Check out Gina’s Italian Kitchen for some awesome recipe discoveries I’ve made this week!
My curiosity has been peaked by felt crafts that I have been running into around the internet. Seems to be a rather inexpensive and easy craft to get involved with. Cute stuff worth looking into.
It has been one of those weeks when certain music has been ringing in my ears and I couldn’t ignore it. The result is a music post on my blog Gina’s Music Memories . . . Linda Ronstadt, The Mad Love Album. It took me back to the days of the early 80’s and new wave music. Good times and great memories! Great music too . . . check it out if you haven’t heard it or it has been a long time.
Then there is my blog about life . . . Peace, Love, Happiness. Sometimes the most bizarre thoughts cross my mind and I just have to explore them in detail. Just stuff of life that happens or feelings or emotions we go through. Sometimes happy, sometimes not too happy. I’ve been trying to cut down my smoking in an attempt to quit smoking and my thoughts go to strange places. But don’t we all do that?
By the way . . . having a really tough time kicking the habit. April 2 was my quit date and I almost made it the whole day. The Captain quit cold turkey a while back, he’s on day 50 something of being nicotine free . . . extremely proud of him!
A couple of months ago, a very large tree limb crumbled part of our large storage shed that holds all my treasures. The Captain is finally feeling better after his surgery to tackle that problem. We are going to have all types of log furniture, I kid you not! Get ready for some of those DIY projects . . .
All is well for another week in Gina’s internet world . . . hope you all have an awesome weekend!
The Captain and I love stocking up on chicken when it is on sale at the local meat market or grocery store. Sometimes we will cook whole chickens, shred the meat and freeze enough for one casserole in separate bags. What a time saver, not to mention you can save so much money doing this.
Do you get bored with the same ole recipes week after week?
Expand your choices!
Click here for chicken recipes from my food blog, Gina’s Italian Kitchen.
Just a note to let everyone know that my husband, The Captain, passed away in 2023. It was a heartbreaking experience to put my sweet fur baby Kiki to sleep in 2024.
I am finally back to posting again. It had been a long time since I was able to update my blogs and have removed my website. I am still trying to get my life in order which has been one of the most difficult things I have ever dealt with in my life. I was already dealing with issues surrounding the death of my first husband. Here I go again . . . I am beyond heartbroken.
