Welcome to the latest edition of my potpourri. Chatting about a little of this and that to start the month and the year.
In no way was I on any sort of diet over the holidays. Not a food diet, a drink diet nor a debt diet.
I know!
Luckily, I am a woman of few needs so it wasn’t too crazy, but out of it all, I do have a couple things to share that you might find useful.
Amazon Prime
When we returned from vacation, December was half over and the window for killer deals had long been closed.
So if I needed to send anything quickly, it needed to be done pronto. Like no shopping around.
Amazon to the rescue. And to be honest, they have a lot of really nice and unique products.
If you dig for them.
I have a few social media outlets that offer pretty reliable recommendations, so that always helps when I need something new in my home or for gift ideas that a loved one might actually use.
Rarely, if ever, do I bother to buy clothes from Amazon because even if they are extra small, they are too big for me.
But other things can be great.
The deal I want to mention here is Amazon Prime itself. I have found I do not need to commit to a full year’s membership. I neither need and nor want that.
If I want to take advantage of Prime Days (which hasn’t been that great the past year), I can enroll in a 30-day plan for $15. And cancel at the end of 30 days.
Then over Christmas I found a 7-day plan for like 2 bucks. I quickly got everything ordered I needed in just a couple days.
But this created some sort of frenzy in my head and I bought every single thing I could think of. Let’s just say my Amazon bill this month is quite high.
They were smart to offer that $2 plan. It paid off big for them.
If you can in any way restrain yourself, I do suggest these smaller memberships.
Costco
If you don’t have a Costco membership you can find this product anywhere, but Costco for sure had the best deal.
I’m referring to our Ninja Crispi air fryer. Which I lovingly refer to as a Ninji. Why have two words when one will do?
I shared the purchase with you back in October, so we have a few solid months using it and I can still emphatically say this is a YES, worth the extra money.
We use this air fryer 2-3 times a week and have yet to be disappointed.
Which brings me to my next recommendation!
Spicy Meat Rub
Chad, my diet guru, gave me a recipe for a chicken rub that not only delighted my taste buds, it also included turmeric for my old joints.
Chad knows I am not good with garlic, but if you are, add a little garlic powder to this recipe.
I made up the amount called for in this recipe and used it on one chicken breast cooked in the Ninji and still have enough for one or two more meals.
If you like spicy and want to incorporate turmeric, here you go:
Spice Rub (Garlic-Free)
- 1½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½–1 tsp cayenne (to taste)
- 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
What I’m Reading
Did I tell you this? Sorry if I’m repeating myself. But!
While we were on our two-week vacation, my Kindle glitched on me. I had NOTHING to read for two weeks!
I did a lot of puzzles. Luckily I had brought puzzle books.
And speaking of puzzles, I recently became addicted to acrostic puzzles. Online sites are fun, but limited, so I found this book on Amazon and it’s been working my brain out like crazy.
And I just love a number 2 pencil!
Back to vacation: I had a couple audio books so I could listen to that at night.
Ugh, what an awful boring situation.
In any case, I really have few book recommendations, but here goes.
The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace is an older book I just found. On audio it was nice to listen to.
Daniel Wallace wrote Big Fish and if you’re familiar with that, you know he is a whimsical author and this is no exception. It’s creative, but I can’t really decide how much I liked it. The writing was good, it was original, but at the end of the day, I left a little disappointed.
Also on audio, The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay started off pretty solid, but fell flat quickly. It is a horror story and pretty gruesome, so if that’s not your scene, walk on by.
Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson on audio was not as bad as I thought it would be. The characters were not quite developed enough because the book chased too many rabbit holes. But it certainly left itself open for a series, so it might be a good one to keep on the radar.
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn is a departure from her normal historical books. Again, I thought this book started much stronger than it ended. But if you like something that reads more like a series of short stories with strong characters, give the audio version a try.
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy somehow got on my radar and I have no idea how. But, boy am I glad it did! This is hands down the best book I’ve listened to/read in a very long time.
If you love a cup o’ tea, a soft critter, have a brain that has been hard-used at some point, this is the book for you.
YES!
Wrap Up
I have much more to share with you regarding purchase recommendations, what I’m eating and some non-stressful goals.
But this post is long.
So for now, my friend, have a wonderful week. Thank you for sharing my journey and may God richly bless you.