Hidden Magnolias

  Wow! Can you believe it is 2021?  Time just flies.  And for me, because I have been able to work from home, it seems that the past year went by even faster. Almost all of us have been affected by sort of lock down, social distancing, craving for favorite restaurant meals, a party, a visit to a bar or even to the mall. Our lives have been changed and we have adjusted.  Since I like to look at lessons learned, here are some: I need to call and reach out to my old friends more often. And when this is all over, I must make plans to visit them. I really enjoy playing ball with my dog. When the church bells go off, I am presented with a ball reminding me, it is lunchtime and time to play. The fresh air and sunshine helps my mood and makes me more productive in the afternoon. I don't need to shop for clothes. The causal work at home wardrobe is very liberating and when I do go back to the office, I am going to be a whole lot less concerned about "the right outfit." I have...

  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...