Hidden Magnolias

  It is getting close to Halloween time and time to re-watch the Good Witch.  The Good Witch is Hallmark's most popular and long lasting movies/series.  Why is it so popular? I like it and ask myself that all the time. Perhaps it is the subtle hint of supernatural powers but not the overt "wicked witch" kind. Perhaps the great building that is Gray House. (Which is really a B&B in Dundas, Ontario called Foxbar House.)  You can read about it here.  Or perhaps, the positive endings of each show.  Why do I love Hallmark Movies?  Well, they give us an out, albeit temporary, from our fast-paced, often ugly, in your face, realistic worlds. They feature small towns, people who have known each other for years; small family owned businesses that thrive because they aren’t strangled out of existence by big box stores on the edge of town; people who take pride in their homes, appearance, schools and town.  These towns rarely exist, if at all except in th...

We are staying at home. We are social distancing. We are masked. We have a pandemic. So many people have lost jobs, small businesses, and income. As a result, I have seen a resurgence online of younger people discovering some of “grandma’s” or “great grand ma’s” frugal tips, ways to cost costs and save money. So, I just had to join in. Some of web sites focus more on saving the environment. Some on sustainable living. Some on reducing waste. Here are my favorites. https://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/30-old-fashioned-frugal-tips-from-grandma/ https://retrohousewifegoesgreen.com/vintage-frugal-tips/ https://www.shoestringcottage.com/favourite-frugal-recipes/ https://www.shoestringcottage.com/favourite-frugal-recipes/ https://nanaisfrugal.wordpress.com/ https://www.frugalwoods.com/2020/05/27/reader-suggestions-what-to-cook-during-a-pandemic/ Hope you learn as much I have and enjoy these interes...

Amazon Prime had an offer for Season 1 of Seaside Hotel so I thought, why not? It is a delightful series and one I am really happy I found. In the series, the woman go to Skagen for a girl's afternoon out. Never heard of it. But in usual Pat fashion -- I knew nothing about that part of Denmark. I marveled while looking a the pictures of sea oats and sand dunes that look just like the Georgia Coast. Naw, this is Denmark -- where did they film it? Denmark is cold. It couldn't possibly have sand dunes and sea oats ---  I investigated. With my old friend Google Maps, I first had to locate Jutland. Silly me, I checked the south side of Denmark first. Finally I just asked and there it was -- way up on the tip top part. In reality, the show was filmed in Jammerbugten. The hotel is a set. But Skagen is real. Anyway, here are a few things I discovered. There really are some adorable beach cottages. House in Skagen, Denmark   © Gunvor Eline Eng Jakobsen / Alamy Stoc...

I’ve been in a weird place for the last month or so. Maybe weird isn’t the right word — but with all this social distancing, working from home, wearing a mask while out buying groceries, numbers of sick & dead in the USA growing daily – I find things a bit disconcerting or even eerie. Don’t you? So what have I done? Well, I have done some introspection. https://constructorus.ru/psixologiya/samoanaliz-ili-pomoshh-psixologa.html . Here is what I came up with - the good, the bad, the ugly: I don't need clothes/shopping   A good outcome of all this stay at home situation, is that I haven’t bought any new clothes – only makeup, because I pitched all my other makeup that was made in China. You can read about that in my previous post. I am more creative than I think    Why is this a good outcome? Well, for one, my closet is so full, I am rediscovering clothes from way back in the depths and being creative to put together new outfits. Also, doing differen...

During our quarantine time, I have been reading various sustainability sites and blogs. And I am profoundly disappointed. I am not going to name the sites because I don't like to publicly humiliate people -- there is enough of that in the news. But here is one. Shopping with a picnic or other basket A particularly delightful blogger uses a picnic basket when she goes to the farmer's market. It looks cute and does reduce the waste of putting things in plastic bags or paper sacks. And is a great idea. So what is my beef? She directs people to an Etsy store, where they are some beautiful hand made baskets you can buy. BUY???? Why buy? Yard sales, garage sales, jumble sales, and thrift stores are full of these things. The baskets on Etsy don't say anything about being made from recycling materials or anything, in fact they look brand new. Yes, it is reusable. Yes, it does cut down on waste. Yes, it is cute and trendy. Yes, it is handy. But a trul...

If you have read any of my blog, you know I have a thing for made in the USA products.  Until recently, I never gave any thought as to whether my makeup is made in the USA or not. Last week, I stumbled upon a You Tube Video where a girl was reviewing a new line of lipsticks by an internet influencer. The colors were beautiful. The packaging was stunning if not a little over to top. But the product inside was something else. The lipsticks had hair and particles in them. I was aghast!!! What happened? How could this be? You can view it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGUylu-Gwj0 Curious, I viewed other videos -- it just got worse and worse.   https://medium.com/@jyssicaschwartz/7-business-lessons-from-the-jaclyn-hill-cosmetics-disaster-cd6fef58fc06   https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/a27892318/jaclyn-hill-lipstick-line-controversy/ . People all over were complaining about them being unclean and even dangerous to health. I know I...

Just read an article about iconic brands closing. You can read it here. What I thought was very interesting is the H&M is closing some stores in the USA. I was happy when I read that sentence because they are one of the worse pushers of "Fast Fashion."  (Read the book,  Overdressed  to learn more.) Image: Hypebae I was happy, I was dancing. But then....I stopped in my tracks when I read this sentence: "However, while they are booming, the H&M’s in the U.S. are showing slower growth and they plan to close 160 stores. The good news is they’re planning to open more stores in other parts of the world." They are going top open more stores in countries whose consumers  are not conscientious  as those in the USA. More and more we are saying NO! to fast fashion.  But many other countries are not.  Two  brands reducing their stores: Charlotte Russe "Since 1975, the Californian-based retail chain, Charlotte Russe has been the ul...

I am constantly bewildered by the enormous amount of things out there for me to buy to help with sustainable living. It has almost become a huge Industry by itself -- t he prices are outrageous!  Let's look. One website offers an on-the-go reusables kit for $114.99. Now I like all this stuff, it looks good and is very cool. BUT..... https://www.netzerocompany.com/collections/bundles/products/on-the-go-reusables-kit?variant=30683874164834 Why not use what you have instead of buying this kit? Start with the utensils. Just pull out of set of stainless steel you already have in your kitchen drawer. OR buy a set from a thrift store or yard sale if you don't want to use what you have at home? Pennies on the Dollar. You can make or have a chum make you the carrying case with left over fabric from a shirt/top/skirt/pants that you are throwing away or from a scrap of cute fabric you can find at yard sales. Another things that had me scratching my head is the silico...

I can't believe it. Someone asked me where have I been. I didn't think anyone (besides me) reads blogs anymore.  I may come back on and I may not. I often think about things to blog about but somehow I never get around to it.  Thanks Pat