Tag Archives: Food

BingeworthyTV, Books, Cooking, Lifestyle, Music, Reading, Summer

Summertime Binge-Watching, Reading, and Eating

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How is your summer going so far, my friends? Are you staying busy? Hopefully not too busy. We all know that’s no fun.

Life is going at a bit of a more leisurely pace at this point in the Summer of 2026. I’m enjoying our lifestyle here in Minnesconsin with only myself, Mr. NOA and our two silly dogs to care for. There’s no big plans for any travel for the forseeable future for us. To my surprise, I’m okay with that. We are getting cracking on the multitude of small (and large) home improvement projects on the master list created at the beginning of the season though, which I’m really happy about.

From replacing flooring (our entryway no longer has green carpet, thanks to Mr. NOA!), to a bathroom remodel, to switching out light fixtures, we certainly have our work cut out for us. We have decided to do it all piece-meal, doing the work ourselves as much as we can and as our finances allow. Our objective is to just keep moving forward and always have a project we are working on around here.

Of course not all my down-time is dedicated to DIY home improvement projects. I mean, maybe it should be? Yet there are other activities lately, like binge-watching, reading, and eating, that I’m quite enjoying these days.

What I’m binge-watching:

At night, I often relax by lounging on my couch, preferably with a dog or two next to me, and binge-watching (often limited) series on one of my streaming apps. I like that I can choose how many episodes I want to watch. Unlike a 2 hour movie, which I don’t like pausing to finish another day.

Of course, there’s the danger of getting so engrossed in the story that I’m watching, that I’ll blow far past my bedtime and regret it the next day. Restraint is key.

The most recent binge-watch for me is “5 Star Weekend” on Peacock. It was unexpected. I came into it thinking it would be mindless, fluffy, and all “girls just want to have fun”. Instead, I was treated to a realistic portrait of a group of female friends. The actors in this series captured the awkwardness of meeting a friend’s friend for the first time as an adult. It also got me thinking of the different sorts of friends we make as women throughout our lives, from those who we befriended as girls to those we collect along the way. I never thought I’d hear Jennifer Garner say the “f bomb” though. However, as an appreciator of salty language, I found it refreshing. I’d say if you liked “Wine Country” (on Netflix), starring one of my favorite comic female actors, Amy Poehler, you will enjoy this one.

What I’m Reading:

American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins. Got it from my local library. It’d been a minute since I’d been there. It is a very harrowing tale of a mother and her 8 year-old son’s trek to the U.S. to escape horrific violence in Acapulco. Jumping onto the top of trains, always keeping an eye out for those who may mean them harm. It’s about motherhood and womanhood, and fear, and class. It’s engrossing and heartbreaking, and it’s a book that I know I will never forget. If we could get everyone to read this book, I suspect that my fellow Americans’ attitudes towards the plight of immigrants would change.

What I’m eating:

I love the simplicity of cooking in the summer. Oftentimes, it’s not even so much cooking as it is throwing things together. Like the other night, when I made a charcuterie board for Mr. NOA and I to graze on in place of a “real” supper. Those little tomatoes, fresh and at the peak of ripeness, that we grow in these big planters outside in the doggie’s “playpen” (the fence we put up earlier this summer). It’s such a little treat to slice those up and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on them to accompany our unfussy summer suppers. Adding sliced cucumbers purchased from the Farmer’s Market and some lovely sliced sourdough with italian seasonings, and it’s *chef’s kiss* to me. A couple of weeks ago, I clipped off the leaves from our basil plant and made a delectable little pesto, which was phenomenal on toasted sliced French bread with thinly sliced tomatoes and a sprinkling of Italian cheese blend. I’m hoping to do that again before the summer ends.

So, friends, tell me, what is it that you are binge-watching, reading, and eating during these “dog days” of summer?

Let me leave you with a song that I love very much. It popped into my head last night, as Mr. NOA were out in the yard and I noticed a pair of honeybees enjoying the goldenrod in one of ou

Flower Gardens, Grandparenting, Gratitude, Intentionality, Lifestyle, Minnesconsin, Simplicity, Summer

8 Simple Summer Delights

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One of the many things I love about living in Minnesconsin is that there are 4 distinct seasons. This is not the case in every part of the U.S. or other countries, for that matter.

Historically, I’ve thought of fall as being my favorite season. Not too hot, and not too cold. Or spring, when new life is beginning to bloom, the grass is starting to green up, and we all know that summer is on the horizon. Winter, I’m not too fond of.

But summer is something else. I especially appreciate it after a cooler than usual spring this year.

Do you live in a place that has distinct seasons?

There are so many sweet little delights about the summer season in my mind.

My top 8:

  1. That feeling of exhiliration that comes when you emerge from a jump into a cold lake. How your heart beats so fast. How the sun’s rays feel on your wet skin, like a hug from the universe.
  2. Spontaneous ice-cream runs. I recently discovered smores flavored ice cream at our local general store. So decadent!
  3. Running through sprinklers on a hot, humid day. I recently bought a new one to enjoy in the yard on hot days with our grandsons. I’m hoping to put it to use next weekend when we celebrate the youngest’s first birthday.
  4. The lovely, peaceful beauty I get to enjoy on my drive to work in the mornings. The little country road with a lots of curves and dips, surrounded on either side by lush vegetation is a really pleasant way to start my day.
  5. Flowers. I’ve got a new one I am totally in love with. I’ve never seen anything like it. Daisies in various shades of yellow, orange, and red. And there’s our butterfly garden, which is slightly unkempt but wild and beautiful nonetheless.
  6. Speaking of flowers, the smell of lilacs is absolutely delightful to me. We planted a couple of lilac trees in our butterfly garden last summer, but they failed to bloom. Mr. NOA recently replanted one of them in a different spot and it seems to like it there quite a bit. No blooming yet, but thankfully the smell of our neighbors lilacs wafts our way when the wind is right.
  7. Going to Farmer’s Markets. There is the one we typically go to on summer Saturday mornings, but there’s a couple of other ones nearby on different days that I have yet to check out. I adore soaking in the energy and sense of community found in these spaces.
  8. Dining al fresco. Whether on our little deck or at one of our local restaurants with outdoor seating, sipping a refreshing beverage and breaking bread with others in the open air is a true delight.

Please share in the comments what your special summer delights are!

To cap this little blog post off today, here’s a song that is all about sweet summer vibes. Enjoy, and Happy Summer!

bloggingfundamentals, Inspire, Laughter

Calling b.s. on “Live each day as if it were your last”

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Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius is credited with the quote “Live each day as if it were your last”.

While many may believe this is a powerful, inspirational, motivating quote, for me at least it’s bullshit.

If I personally were to take this literally, my last day on earth would include the following:

As I would only have 24 hours to work with which doesn’t allow enough time to get on a flight to Minnesota, Wisconsin, or anywhere for that matter, I would call or video chat everyone I love to tell them goodbye. It would be terribly emotional and heart wrenching.

Once I collected myself from that activity, I would proceed to consume the following food and drink (in no particular order) : french fries, gourmet chocolate cake, lasagna, pizza, twizzlers, red wine, hot fudge sundae, chicken quesadillas, cheesecake, craft beer, warm chocolate chip cookies, Starbucks coffee, and cinnamon rolls.

Then after thoroughly puking my guts out, I’d listen to my favorite music. Picking artists and songs and listening to them would take up quite a large part of whatever is left of my last day on earth. However, the music would give me energy to press on to more important activities. Like spending time outdoors with my other half/best friend/best hubby ever. And then of course, a little hanky panky would be in order.

I would then proceed to spend time furiously writing checks to all of my favorite charities along with my two spectacularly wonderful adult children.

At that point, I would be ready to engage in having some fun and laughing so hard I’d be peeing my pants, such as watching favorite SNL clips from years gone by or random YouTube videos of toddlers, puppies, kittens, and goats doing hilariously adorable things on camera. That would then prompt me to seek out the nearest neighborhood dogs and small children so I could pet and interact with them (okay, maybe I wouldn’t actually pet the small children, that’d be wacko).

I would cap off my last day on earth with singing songs with or to Christopher (my beautiful grandson who turns 3 today) via video chat.

Then I would call it a day and presumably croke.

However, I would quite likely wake up the next  morning (okay noon, but let’s be real here, yesterday was jam freaking packed!). So would begin another “last day on earth”.  Oh the anxiety!! Good Lord!

So….this is my alternative to “live every day as if it is your last”:

“Love as if every day is your last”

As in…..as much as humanly possible:

Be kind to everyone you come into contact with.

Bake something yummy to share with friends/neighbors/co-workers.

Tell those you love what you love about them.

Give something you have (something you really love) to someone who needs it more than you.

Pass on favorite books, movies, or music to someone you know will treasure them as much as you do.

Smile and say “Hi” to strangers

Be radically hospitable to visitors to your home.

Pet stranger’s dogs

Lift up the good deeds others are doing.

I, for one, prefer to love as it if was my last day as an earthly being. Living “as if” it was my last day is far too exhausting. To me, loving every day as if it was your last is better than living as if it was.