I Learned Something Today!

There's a thing called the American Dialect Society.

This is a way better idea than dictionaries naming their word of the year.

Read more: http://mentalfloss.com/article/61052/american-dialect-societys-word-year

Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, Banana BREAD!

...doop dooby dooby doop!

My Favorite Banana Bread Recipe!

Adapted from the recipe posted at http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5715.0

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cups flour
• can mix flour types!
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• can mix white & brown!
• can use -way- less sugar, especially if your bananas are really ripe
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• about 2-3 bananas, definitely eyeball-able, so use what you've got on hand
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• can sub. applesauce for oil
• equivalent of 2 or 3 eggs
• use Ener-G egg replacer to make it vegan
• 1/3 cup soy-buttermilk
• make your own: 1/3 cup soymilk (or regular milk!) + 1/3 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix bananas, oil, and buttermilk in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Combine the banana mixture with the large bowl containing dry ingredients, and stir well. 
5. Add eggs, stir well.
6. If you want to, you can add 1/2 cup of extras as well. Chocolate chips are DELICIOUS and make this basically a dessert. Nuts would also work, and eventually I want to try it with shredded coconut. But, it's delicious without any additions, too!
7. Pour into an oiled 9x5 inch bread pan.
8. Bake in 325 degree oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

Tips: The closer your bread pan is to the oven's heating coils, the more likely the top will get burnt. Put it on a rack in the middle of the oven (and if you have a double-oven with a smaller and a larger oven? Use the bigger one. Learned that the hard way...!)

Also, the leftovers have a strange way of getting MORE moist, instead of drying out like traditional banana bread recipes! Yummm.

Check out the comments at the original recipe's link for more suggestions on tweaking it! :)

Spot-on Advice.

Felicia Day is one of my role models because she is so dang creative, smart, funny, and holy moly productive! I really like this video where she gives advice on writing, which can translate to pretty much any kind of creative undertaking.

Love it!

Haters Gon' Hate.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is one of my favorite shows, because it always makes me laugh. Sometimes they have something meant to be funny that hits home for me in more than just a comedic way, though. I love this video so much. Thanks to everyone who was involved, and Mr. Cano for being a good sport!

I think it's a pretty good metaphor for experiencing horrible comments on the internet. It's easy to say anything, until that person is standing in front of your face! I love how comedy can show the truths of the world in such a clear way, but still be entertaining, too. That's the best way to learn!

Throwback Thursday: Missy

If you thought I sound like I'm 12 now, check out this video from when I probably was 12! These are a few home movie clips I transferred off VHS of my family's cat Missy, who was my grandma's cat until she passed away and I somehow convinced my parents to take her in (even though she was mean to everyone except my grandma). She stayed in our basement in that cat bed for a good three months, and after what I like to think of as her time of mourning, she emerged a whole new cat. That "elderly" cat became a kitten, following us around, always wanting attention, and being super playful! It was really amazing. She lived to be around 21-22 years old, the oldest cat I've ever known!

A (not) quick hello! (or goodbye)

On Joy

Today's Truth Bomb from Danielle LaPorte says, "Speak of your joy. Often."



A couple things that popped into my head upon reading this: Daffodils. Hellebores. Coffee. Video games. Friends on Twitter and Facebook. Art journalling and Effy Wild's classes. Inspiring YouTubers and fun podcasters. Pokemon on Netflix. Incense. And New Age Shops!

And so, I want to share this little candle with you that I purchased recently.

Cheeeeeeese!

A little backstory: On my to-do list for quite awhile was the task to pick up some frankincense resin and a charcoal incense setup, since I've usually only burned incense sticks. My dear friend, Effy recommended the actual resin tears - okay I want to call them blobs, they look like blobs! - so I avoided buying any frankincense till I found those since I'm trying to spend money wisely these days.

Another thing on my to-do list was to check out this store in town that I kept seeing in the Williamsburg Magazine, which is one of those freebie publications you can pick up around town that are generally meant for tourists but I find quite useful. The store is called Stick Stone & Bone and from the advertisements, I got the feeling that it might be a metaphysical or new age shop, even though it wasn't explicitly stated as such.

Ad from Williamsburg Magazine

I can't blame them - in the conservative little town of Williamsburg, a "gift shop" would probably go over better than a new age shop. I had some extra time the other day between errands and I know their hours are a little wonky compared to my schedule lately, so I decided it'd be a perfect time to try checking a couple things off my to-do list with one stop.

When I went in and saw the kinds of things they sell and the atmosphere of the store, I knew it was my kind of store. The owner, Linda, was super friendly, answered all of my questions, and didn't make me feel weird or uncomfortable at all. I told her I was looking for frankinsence and she not only showed me the options they had and where they were in the store, but when I told her I was new to the whole charcoal burning thing, she explained to me how to do it! In such detail that I was able to figure it out on my own once I got home, woohoo!

I thought the prices were super reasonable. I picked up two bags of loose incense for $2 each, and the reiki charged JOY candle for a little under $3. Honestly, I would have bought this candle no matter what it rang up as, because it smells SO GOOD!!! It came with a little paper that says it has the essential oils of plumeria, jasmine, and sandalwood in it, which I must like because I want to eat it but eating candles is bad so yeah.

The little paper that came with the candle.

So this is how Danielle LaPorte's Truth Bomb ties in - I'm sharing the JOY candle, along with the joy of finding a new age shop in my area! WOOT! I had this thing on my nightstand and every night as I'd fall asleep, I'd think, oh gosh it smells so good, I can't wait to burn it in the morning! and then I'd wake up and get busy and forget, until the night as I smelled it again as I was falling asleep. Sheesh. ^_^  But today, it's burning and I am so happy!

From what I gather, Stick Stone & Bone was set up in New York, but since the owner is relocating to Williamsburg, she's set up the shop here - and I am so grateful to have a store where I don't have to travel to Newport News, Norfolk, or Richmond to spend mah moneys on shinies!

I also wanted to share this store with you because I know metaphysical shops are stereotypically difficult to keep open. There is no website yet for Stick Stone & Bone. It's on Richmond Road between Saigon Pearl and Ripley's Believe it or Not, nestled back in the corner. If you find yourself in the area, take a moment to pop in to Stick Stone & Bone. It's a small store, but the prices are very reasonable for the beautiful things they sell. They have stones, incense, candles!, tarot cards, pendulums, books, essential oils, and jewelry that all caught my eye.

I've noticed that the things I purchase when I'm on vacation end up meaning more to me, because they bring back memories of the trip along with whatever purpose the doodads actually serve, so this is a perfect place to hit up if you're vacationing in Williamsburg to take a little magic home with you.

Let me know if you check it out, what you think of it, and what you bought! I'm looking forward to going back and hope all my friends find joy in this new store as well!