new year's eve 2022

 if you had a bad year, i hope the next one is better. if you had a good year, i hope the next one is just as good.

if you're going to a party tonight, don't drink and drive. and remember "buzzed" driving is just as bad as drunk driving.

christmas 2022

 hope you have a nice holiday, if you celebrate.

be careful driving home and if you're braving the stores tomorrow for sales and/or returns.

not quite winter

 but it's cold!

next week there are going to be signal digit lows (F). some of the lowest temps (highs) since the 1980s.

there will be some snow too. amounts to be determined.

yet another cake

 quite possibly the last one.

it was duncan hines perfectly moist strawberry supreme with betty crocker rich and creamy milk chocolate frosting. basically, a chocolate covered strawberry.

the cake smelled of strawberries like it should, but didn't really taste like it.

the frosting didn't really taste like chocolate. this is most likely the end of the cake mix & frosting adventures. we're considering brownie mix next.

stroopwafel ice cream sandwiches

 got them from wal-mart. they're O.K. nothing to really recommend them.

a think layer of ice cream, but the flavor was lackluster.

thanksgiving 2022

 hope you all don't eat too much and avoid issues with your family.

be careful driving, more drunk/buzzed driving accidents happen on thanksgiving then new year's eve.

if you hit the sales tomorrow, watch out for the crazy shoppers.

gingerbread men ice cream sandwiches

 they're from wal-mart.

not too bad. not very ginger spice, which is good. but i expected more.

fall weather now

 it's in the 40s during the day and 30s at night.

there's rain or a bit of snow. sometimes there a mix.

i don't like really cold weather, but at least it's seasonally appropriate.

little debbie christmas tree cake ice cream

 the company that puts out the little debbie inspired ice creams keeps them coming.

this time it's the seasonal christmas tree cake. it was ok, nothing really special.

weird weather

 

weather makes no sense sometimes. a couple of weeks ago we had two days of 40-ish degree temperatures with rain/snow mix and then that weekend it was 70-ish with sunshine.

more cake

 my brother's choice this time; better crocker butter recipe yellow cake mix with pillsbury funfetti hot pink frosting. i was really hoping he'd go with the funfetti aqua blue or the chocolate chip cookie dough one (i forget who makes that) for a big cookie mix you can get, but he is not a fan of chocolate.

the cake was dry & hard to frost because the top layer of cake kept coming off. the icing had matching hot pink sugar to sprinkle on top, but it would've been better if it was white.

so another one that's not really good. store bought cake is better.

halloween 2022

 if you're trick or treat-ing tonight be careful out there.

if you're luck enough to get candy on sale in the next few days, i envy you. wal-mart & target have been moving out halloween in favor of christmas. 

i wonder of the 50-75% off sales for holiday items near or after the holiday are a thing of the past?

honey vanilla cheerios

 got these from wal-mart the other day.

not too bad. one of the better flavors they've some out with recently.

when mixed with pumpkin spice cheerios (mentioned in the previous post) it almost tastes like a dessert of some sort.

pumpkin spice cheerios

 my brother ran across these in target & we decided to try them.

not horrible. basic fall/pumpkin spice flavor.

nothing special or something to get again.

another random cake

 this time it was spice cake with whipped vanilla frosting, both from betty crocker.

the cake was a lot more moist, but not much spice. the pumpkin spice cake we had from entenmann's had more spice.

the frosting was kind of like that homemade stuff you make with powered sugar & milk. 

not bad, but neither are anything to repeat.

entenmann's pimpkin spice cake

 saw thin in a guy's cart at wal-mart & had to track it down.

not too heavy on the spice, with kind of thick vanilla frosting that was kind of close to the cream cheese frosting red velvet cakes typically have.

not bad. but won't get again. unless we forget next year.

another little debbie ice cream

 this time it's pumpkin delights flavor (just in time for fall).

it's O.K. just a hint of pumpkin spice. 

nothing to get again.

yachty's pizzeria pizza

 a frozen thing from wal-mart. it's from a rapper of some sort called lil yachty.

they had buffalo chicken with hot cheese crust & a vegetable one with the same kind of crust. we got the buffalo chicken.

we expected it to be very hot, but it wasn't. which is good, because we don't like super hot stuff. the "shot cheese crust" was just a heavy dusting of hot cheese powder. not very good really. they also make a hot honey cheese one, but we won't be getting that.

mom's birthday 2022

Your fantasy life is especially active today, Virgo, so enjoy this little break into your dream world.
Coming back to reality may be difficult. Keep tabs on your emotions so they don't get the better of you. The impressions you receive from the outside world may not be accurate today. Keep your wits about you and try not to get caught up in drugs and alcohol.

tarot card of the day;
The High Priestess

The High Priestess is the wisest woman you've ever met. And like all the smartest people in your life, she guards her secrets closely. She's a reminder that to know yourself, you must cut out the noise and look inwards. You possess all the intuition you need to make life's biggest decisions.

The High Priestess faces us head on, challenging us to seek truth to our deepest desires from what we know already. The scroll she holds (representing knowledge) and the lunar crescent above her (representing inner emotions) are testaments to her pursuit for knowledge from within. Let her calm presence guide you to the knowledge you already possess.

random cake making

 my brother wanted a 9x13 cake pan to make different things for dinner in. but wal-mart doesn't have them any more. it's more like 12.7x8.9.

we wanted to make cakes because we haven't done that in a long time. we got box mixes & cans (jars?) of frosting. my brother got pillsbury devils food cake & salted caramel frosting. we made that today.

the frosting is so-so, the cake was dry and it could not be tasted over the frosting. disappointed, really.

halloween candy season

 we were thinking of not doing any holiday candy this go-a-round. there's nothing interesting. but the call of reece's PB pumpkins was too much.

but that's all we'll do though (most likely) for this holiday. 

christmas and valentine's tends to have more interesting (or at least fancier) things. so we may get more then the PB shapes then.

coke dreamworld

 it's the latest limited time coke flavor and we decided to get one to split.

first of all the smell is....a bit strong. my brother said it smelled like cat spray. i heard it was supposed to be mango, & it sort of smelled tropical fruit like.

the taste reminded me of some kink of fruit bubblegum. watermelon maybe? which doesn't really make sense, if it's supposed to be mango. but it's been years since i've had watermelon bubblegum, or any bubblegum really.

the coke starlight that came out earlier this year was better. but i'd still rather have regular coke.

like my brother said; i'm glad we only had a half of a bottle to drink. not anything to buy again.

Beyond Meat Jerky

 it's a plant based thing we picked up from wal-mart.

it's very leathery, you can't bite through it at all. but when you do managed to shove a piece into your mouth, it softens up enough to chew rather quickly.

it's kind of spicy, to cover up the fact that it's not meat. it's not horrible though, just not something to get again.

dad's birthday 2022

Your active side may really show today, Virgo. While you can be extremely focused on "thinking" work, you can also love keeping active and enjoy physical work. When you have a project like cleaning your home, you can be quick when you put your mind to it. This is a good day to get a lot accomplished. You'll probably enjoy it very much and bask in the satisfaction afterwards.

tarot card of the day:
The World

The World card signifies a long journey coming to an end. If you've recently accomplished a lifelong goal such as purchasing a house, that's why this card appears. Take a well-earned victory lap before you prepare for the next big adventure.

The card depicts a butterfly at its last stage in life: fully transformed and able to fly. Such is the representation the World card brings: The end to a long journey. As the butterfly rises above, there's a sense of accomplishment and success associated with its movement. That's because the World's presence is a clear indicator that you have lived, you have loved, and you have learned. It's time to use that information to live the life you want.

i hate the heat

 i know i complain every year, but i really hate the summer heat.

i swear it's hitting my brother & myself harder this year, despite not as many 100+ days (with heat index) as last year.

peanut butter cravings

 it's been a long time since i've had a PB sandwich. i was thinking about it for awhile & thought that we (brother & i) never had a fluffernutter sandwich. and further thinking led me to think about a PB/marshmallow fluff/chocolate hazelnut spread sandwich. (probably not the first person to think of that.)

first had the fluffernutter; it was OK (PB with honey is better). the trick is to have a thick layer of both the PB & the fluff.

then today did the cocohazelnut-fluffernutter (i guess that's what it could be called) & it was OK too, but neither are anything to repeat.

ice cream novelites

 my brother wanted some, so we picked up a few from wal-mart.

drumsticks; we love chocolate variety pack (with chocolate, white chocolate with fudge & chocolate with fudge). we don't usually like chocolate ice cream, but these were good.

drumsticks; banana split variety pack (with banana, strawberry with fudge & banana with fudge). we don't really like strawberry ice cream, but these were ok.

reeses' dessert bar, by good humor. not bad.

oreo ice cream (well, now it's frozen dairy dessert) sandwiches. almost always good.

klodkike ice cream sandwiches. fairly good.

brother's birthday 2022

from horoscope.com

There are days when you feel wonderful without being able to attribute the feeling to any real event. Of course, your rational mind will search for a reason for the happiness. If you count the number of times when you do things against your will or better judgment, it becomes obvious that logic and reason don't always apply to this world. Don't even try to understand, Cancer, just enjoy!

tarot card of the day;
Temperance
Balance is hard to find, but the Temperance card is clear: You're finding it in your own life. Now, keep that moderation going. All of life is a balancing act and you're well on your way to reaching inner peace. Nurture it.
If you're feeling calmer just looking at this card, imagine what it'd be like to bring that calm to the rest of your life. With the fire and water elements juggled on both sides, Temperance is a true depiction of balance. She enjoys all the sensations that life has to offer, on both ends of the spectrum: good and bad, happy and sad, and so forth. Through her hands the elements combine to create perfect harmony. They ask you to seek this in your own life.

july 4th 2022

 hope everyone stays safe, firecrackers are no joke.

enjoy the bbq & picnics. hopefully find some deals at the store.

what is in a name?

 our last name is 10 letters long & it's a PITA to fit on some sign here lines. and it rarely fit in the blocks they had on standardized tests in school.

would maybe like to change it, to something 6 letters or less (fewer?), but that's a pain to do and what would it be?

brown, black, green(e), gold, silver, grey are possibilities. smith is overused as is jones. ford is a crap car brand, so that's out.

wilson & watson might be good. but are so far down on the alphabetical list. st. john is too religious for my anti-religious brother, as is pope.

barns would either remind people of bucky or the barns on the original dallas (cliff, pam & their father), depending on their age.

baker, cooper, miller (although there was a girl in school i didn't like with that name), hunter, potter (might get harry potter comments), farmer, cook, or tanner (full house comments, i'm sure) might also work.

ultimately, we're stuck with the last name we have. just have to deal with it.

snapple elements

 snapple had these drinks in the 1990s called elements. it was rain, fire, earth & sun. later they had others. they were discontinued in the early 2000s (i think) well now they're back. but it looks like just rain, fire & air. more may follow. sadly they're no longer in glass bottles, but plastic.

found rain at a convenience store & tried it the other day. it's just OK. 10% juice is basically water  with some flavors really.

will be on the lookout for the other two (& possible future flavors).

healthy choice, but bad idea

 got the healthy choice BBQ seasoned steak with red potatoes (frozen dinner).

first of all it smelled like a wood fire, i though the microwave caught fire. although my brother says that a burned up motor smells different. the taste was terrible and the aftertaste was worse.

not worth the money to buy it, the time to cook it or the calories gotten from it.

bonus little debie ice cream

 discovered tow more varieties of little debbie ice cream at wal-mart.

unicorn cake, basically food dye overload. and star crunch, chocolaty ice cream maybe some rice crispy stuff. i don't know.

will be surprised if there are more.

my birthday 2022

 since blogthings folded up, i'm trying something else for birthdays.

from horoscope.com;

Your enthusiasm for group activities and social events is high, Gemini. You might want to discuss your ideas with others. However, you could have trouble reaching people you need to speak with. This can be frustrating, but your enthusiasm isn't likely to flag because of it. Keep trying. Eventually you'll accomplish your goal. Whatever you plan today is likely to be gratifying even if the process is difficult.

tarot card of the day;
Temperance
Balance is hard to find, but the Temperance card is clear: You're finding it in your own life. Now, keep that moderation going. All of life is a balancing act and you're well on your way to reaching inner peace. Nurture it.

If you're feeling calmer just looking at this card, imagine what it'd be like to bring that calm to the rest of your life. With the fire and water elements juggled on both sides, Temperance is a true depiction of balance. She enjoys all the sensations that life has to offer, on both ends of the spectrum: good and bad, happy and sad, and so forth. Through her hands the elements combine to create perfect harmony. They ask you to seek this in your own life.

gilbert brand chicken sausage

 found it at wal-mart. the aloha with pineapple & ginger and the caprese with basil, mozzarella & sun dried tomatoes.

neither were very good.

the last of the little debbie ice cream

 found the last flavor; swiss roll.

not too bad. kind of tasted like the real thing.

glad that's done.

blueberry muffin kit kat

 found at wal-mart. not too bad. not an overwhelming flavor. which is good with berry flavors, IMHO.

still think about those flavors that supposedly came out in 2020. and wonder if we missed them, or because of world events, they were not released.

more little debbie ice cream

 found cosmic brownie, zebra cake & strawberry shortcake roll. all were fairly good.

that just leave swiss roll to be tried.

wendy's big bacon cheddar chicken

 decided to try this new thing at wendy's; a chicken sandwich with bacon crispy onions & bacon jam.

very meh, not worth what they charge for it and the sandwich itself is smaller than it used to be.

also the coke freestyle didn't have the flavors they usually have. i don't know if it's supply issues or they don't bother because they're not popular.

little debbie ice cream

 some company has put out 7 flavors of ice cream based on little debbie snack cakes.

they are exclusive to wal-mart & came out on march 1, but we haven't been able to find them until now.

well, we found 3. honey buns--just OK, oatmeal cream pie--too much cinnamon, & nutty bars--the chocolate tasted cheap. 

we'll probably get the others though. if we can find them.

boston cream pie pop tarts

 saw that this was new ant wal-mart and grabbed a box.

not good at all. the filling was sort of like a BCP, but not really.

so many food disappointments lately. it more than a bit depressing.

sweetkiwi frozen whipped greek yogurt

  it is a new thing from wal-mart.

nasty tart/sour flavor. like greek yogurt times 100.

it was cookies & cream flavor, but you could not taste the cookies. plus, it had a grainy texture.

gardein f'sh filets

got these from wal-mart to try the other day.

very greasy, to mimic fried fish. but tasted more like like gardein's fake chicken.

seafood feast!

 went to aldi & came across shrimp & scallop scampi in mini terracotta bowls, tuna cakes, salmon cakes and salt & pepper calamari. lent, you know.

my brother doesn't want fish on fridays, because that's the expected thing. and were not very catholic.

drakes cakes

 whent to a slightly more fancy grocery store than normal not long ago & came across drake's cakes on a shelf.

never had them before, but rosie o'donnell used to talk about them on her old '90s talk show a lot.

we got the devil dogs (Creme-Filled Devils Food Cakes) & funny bones (Peanut Butter Creme-Filled Devils Food Cakes). the devil dogs are more of a sandwich thing though.

both were OK. nothing really to get again.

st. patrick's day 2022

 try not to drink too much green beer today.

if you don't drink, try to avoid those that have drank (drunk?) too much green beer.

chicken vindaloo with potato & pea samosas

 the last of the stuff from deep india kitchen.

chicken vindaloo with roasted chicken, spicy yogurt sauce, & turmeric rice. very spicy. a three on their scale.

the potato  & pea samosas (a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling) was potatoes, peas, spices with tamarind mint chutney. i don't like peas, but the heat of the first dish overwhelmed the taste of the second one.

noting to get again. but it's interesting to try other cultures' foods. considering that this is a rural area & we don't get a chance to try these kind of things often. 

chicken curry

 another one from deep india kitchen.

roasted chicken, zesty sauce, turmeric basmati rice. rather spicy. rated 2 peppers on their scale. not something to get again.

spinach paneer

 it's frozen from a company called deep india kitchen (deep means lamp).

the meal is spinach, cheese (paneer), savory sauce, turmeric rice & is a 1 on the spicy scale (it goes up to 3). not too bad, the cheese is very dense, although i'm not a fan of spinach.

we have other dishes from this company, so stay tuned for more reviews.

coke starlight

we tried the coke starlight today. 

it has a very vague toasted something taste (marshmallow, i think). my brother said it had a slight graham cracker taste. 

i had a slight cooling feeling on the back edges of my tongue, like i had mint flavored stuff & this was the feeling 20 minutes later. 

not horrible, my like my brother said; "i wouldn't get another bottle of this. maybe from a Coke Freestyle machine though." 

it's supposed to taste like space, more specifically like a certain cloud of stuff that has the same chemical that gives raspberries their flavor. but there wasn't any raspberry to this.

the last of the ice cream haul

 favorite day blueberry cheesecake, midnight mix & cream a-licious pecan pie.

the blueberry wasn't good, all you could taste was the blueberry flavor. which is often the problem with blueberry stuff.

midnight mix has pretzel pieces, m&ms (most likely the no-name version), chocolate swirls & cookie pieces. they're probably going for a midnight snack kind of thing. it was OK.

the pecan pie barely had any pecans & mostly just had the goopy goo that makes up most of a pecan pie.

none were really anything to get again.

ice cream

 had the favoraite day peanut butter cookes & cream and the cream a-licious banana pudding.

the PB cookies & cream was pretty good, probably the best out of the ones we had so far. (my brother thinks the triple chocolate truffle is.)

the banana pudding is aggressively yellow, as a lot of banana (& lemon) flavored things are, nearly neon yellow. the taste is like some banana flavored candy. probaly based on the old banana species that people used to eat before it died out, as most banana flavored things are.

the weather is weird (again)

 some days it's cold & snowy, as you'd expect for this time of year. 

then for a day or two, it's 20+ degrees warmer with sunshine & maybe some rain.

climate change is real and it is confusing as well as worrying.

more ice cream

 today was favorite day "gourmet" triple chocolate truffle and cream a-licious  caramel pound cake.

the chocolate was a bit better than the caramel stuff. both were hard to dish out. the chocolate had chocolate swirls that were hare to get through because they were cold & the caramel had a layer of caramel top of the ice cream.

ice cream bonanza!

 went to target and discovered a bunch of ice cream flavors that lookeded interesting. we ended up with 9 pints! that will be divided between my brother and myself.

today we had s'mores from the target brand favorite day gourmet & peach cobbler from a brand we never heard of called cream a-licious, which is some southern brand.

the s'mores had dark chocolate, which is never good. and the peach cobbler had too much cinnamon. cinnamon is like garlic in savory dishes, people add too much thinking it enhances the flavor, but that's all you end up tasting. also, it is used to hide the fact that the food item is made with cheap ingredients.

valentines day 2022

 hope you had a nice holiday today.

and you can get discounted candy tomorrow. or today, as the case may be.

it's such a bummer that wal-mart & target start moving stuff out days before the holiday and rarely do a discount any more.

the rest ot the van leeuwwn ice cream

 we had the other 3; sicilian pistachio (my brother insisted we get it), brown sugar chunk, with cookie dough, brownies & walnuts and peanut butter brownie chip.

the pistachio was an odd gray-ish green with a vague taste of the nut. the BSC was ok as the base ice cream flavor, but the brownies were not really good. the PB itself was not too bad, but again the brownies were not.

noting to get again. especially at the price they charge.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

its a company that sell ice cream in brooklyn. they make french ice cream, which means it as extra eggs yokes.

discovered this brand at wal-mart the other day. 5 of the ones they had looked interesting, so we bought them.

had the honeycomb & the earl grey tea today.

they were OK. but the problem with earl grey tea is the bergamot oil, that come from the rind of a type of orange.

it is not cheap either.

hershey's strawberry cream hearts

 they're milk chocolate (of course) small-ish, in a bag of like 30-something. they're not too bad. best in small doses. probaly won't get again.

like the raspberry kit kats, they have a strong smell of their flavor, but because of the chocolate don't have a powerful taste.

raspberry kit kats

 sadly not one of the regular sized ones were supposed to get a couple of years ago, but a limited time mini version for valentine's day.

we got a big mixed back of milk chocolate, white chocolate & the raspberry ones since there was a good chance there would not be too many of the new ones in case we didn't like them.

and we don't. very artificial taste, borderline cough drop kind of thing. would not get again.

bitter cold

you know it is way too cold when 22f is the high. well at least this isn't northern canada.

i'm always surprised about just how cold it can get in january & febuary.

mt. dew spark

 it's a new flavor (not sure if it's limited time or not) that says it's raspberry lemonade.

it has a very intense fizz to it, like if you drank low volt electricity. there is a bit of berry flavor like a berry flavored rolaid or something. we will not get it again.

none of these different mt. types/flavors have been any good & i don't know why people continue to buy them.

it's cold!

 a lot of days here where the highs are in the 30s & the lows are in the 20s.

some days might have a bit of snow and highs in the 20s & lows in the teens.

winter is letting us know that it is still a force to be reckoned with.