Free Pintable Art and Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

Some random morning thoughts including free printable art, a recipe for crockpot beef and broccoli and catching up on book reviews.

Enjoying an early spring morning with a cup o’ joe and suddently inspiration hits.  I’d like a cute piece of cheerful art for my beverage station reflecting my favorite season.

And I want it now and I want it free.

Is that too much to ask?  I think not.

A darling blog, Burlap & Blue has a really good post full of cute, free printable art.

There were so many options to choose from I almost couldn’t decide, but since I wanted something near my coffee pot, I chose the “But first, coffee” print.

The .jpg format came right up on my laptop, I chose the 5 x 8 paper size and color options on the print screen and within 30 seconds I had a new piece of art.

Seriously!

I used an old frame I put my winter art in, used craft paper for a mat look and voila. 

It’s perfect without being over the top.  What do you think?

What I’m Eating

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

I recently found a recipe for a crockpot beef and broccoli recipe from Life in the Lofthouse.   The non-crockpot version from Skinnytaste has become one of our household favorites, but I thought it would be nice to try this version that can cook all day and tenderize the meat.

I added crushed red pepper and toasted sesame seeds.  I eliminated the sesame oil because I didn’t feel like it needed the extra fat.

It was good and the convenience can’t be beat, so if you’re looking for a new crockpot recipe, you will like this.

 But I’ll probably stick with the Skinnytaste version because it’s just a little tastier.

Reno Friends

Remember when my adorable friends from Reno came for a visit in October and we did a little hike along with Gail and Lane? 

They have an annual Super Bowl party in Reno and always root for the Seahawks (who sometimes are also in the game 😉)

Here is also a shot including Maureen and Ann who joined Jann and me for our 60^th birthday celebration a few (ahem) years ago.  I surely do miss these dear ones.  The only thing missing from the pic is me.

What I’m Reading

It’s been a very long time since I’ve updated my book list, so here you go in case you’re looking for any recommendations!

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid, much like her earlier, Daisy Jones and the Six, gives us a character that is impossible to believe is fictional.  She’s a jackass, but we like her.  Or maybe we’re rooting for her.  I don’t know.

It’s amazing that Reid writes these baby boomer characters so vividly when she herself is clearly not of that generation.  Good job, Ms. Reid.  Pick this on up.  Four stars out of five.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is any oldie but goodie by Shirley Jackson, the queen of horror.  This book qualifies as more eerie than scary in my opinion.  It’s along the lines of Patricia Highsmith and the antics of Mr. Ripley.

If you like reading about sociopaths, I highly recommend.  If you’re looking for a haunting, move along.  Four solid stars out of five.  Jackson was a darned good writer.

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley is an inventive storyline and solid story telling.  There are a few places where it drags along, but it’s still good and different from other thrillers, so yes, read it.

On audio The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is really good in the thriller genre.  I read/listen to so many of these, but this one was good with sold female characters even though written by a male author.  Recommend.

I have more books to report on, but since this is getting long, I’ll finish up next week.

Wrap Up

I’m looking forward to a weekend with good friends and hope to report back next week on some fun shenanigans.

Until then, God bless you and yours and let me know what you’re doing.