BETTER (A Five-Minute Friday Post)

It's the first Five-Minute Friday of 2019 and the word of the day is "BETTER!"

Here's the evidence!

This year, I'm working at making the house better.  I have a heap of boxes to go through - some have been stored in the garage and attic for a long time (please don't ask how long - it's embarrassing!), and some are from our parents' houses, stored in one of the bedrooms.  I actually took one of those blasted boxes from the garage and emptied it today.  Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!  I decided to keep about half and donate the rest.  I only pitched one thing.  Someone will enjoy the items I "released."  I'd like to do that once a week.  Just think of the stuff I can jettison!!!

Also, I've been watching "Tidying with Marie Kondo" on NetFlix, and even though some of the things she does make me shake my head in disbelief (for example, thanking the items you're letting go), it's been kind of motivating.  You know, if Those People can do it, by gosh, so can I.  I've gotten some ideas for how to store some things that I would have never come up with on my own.

So, like the old motivational mantra says, "Every day in every way I'm getting better and better!"

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This post is part of the Five-Minute Friday link-up.  Today's writing prompt was "BETTER."  For more information on Five-Minute Friday, click here.

Amazing Eggnog French Toast (A Holiday Leftover Recipe)

That Man and I like to have eggnog for Christmas and New Year's.  YUM!  But we (well, I) tend to overbuy and we end up with too much eggnog to drink before its expiration date. 

What to do?

Eggnog is mainly milk, cream, eggs, and sugar, so I use it to make french toast.  That Man says it's the best he's ever had, and that's high praise indeed, especially from someone who usually tells me a dish is "not bad" when others would say "really good" or "great."

Here it is on the griddle.

Amazing Eggnog French Toast (8 slices)

1 1/2 cups eggnog
3 eggs
1 1/2 t nutmeg
1 t vanilla
8 slices round-top bread (not what is packaged as "sandwich" bread)

Preheat griddle until a drop of water dances on it.  Whisk together the first four ingredients until foamy.  Dip each slice of bread into the eggnog mixture, covering both sides, and place on the griddle.  If there is any liquid left, pour it evenly over each slice on griddle.  They will be well soaked.  Turn slices after they have puffed up a little, are browned on the bottom, and can be easily turned with a spatula.  Cook on the other side until browned on the bottom and set.

I Prolly WON'T Get a Sammie - EVER

What is it lately with the toddler talk?

I recently read a post on one of my favorite blogs, and the blogger had used the word "prolly."  Someone (not me - honest!) commented "Prolly is not a word."  She defended her choice as basically being the way she talks to her friends - casually.  Really?  You use the word "prolly" in a spoken sentence?  Really?  Really?

And the menu of one of my favorite local breakfast/lunch/brunch places has a section for "Sammies."  I don't know what to make of that.  I can almost see "samwich" in conversation - almost.  Barely.  But certainly NOT "sammie," and not on a written menu.  Shudder.

Now, I wouldn't comment on that blog about "prolly."  It was her choice, and even though it bugs the heck out of me, I wasn't going to say anything - there.  And to make a stink in the restaurant about the  menu wording wouldn't do any good.

But HERE is a different story - my house, my rules - so here's my rant!

I suppose "prolly" came from texting; that's where I first came across it.  Even in texts, it makes me cringe.  I mean, if it saved a little time, then maybe.  Maybe.  But in most text programs, if you just start out with "prob," the word "probably" usually shows up as an option to choose.  In mine, if you put in "prolly," it suggests "probably."  So what's with "prolly?"  Why do so many bloggers use it?

And then there's "sammie" instead of "sandwich."  When my kids were little and were learning to talk, they would say "samwich" and we would correct them.  Then I started hearing grown people, so-called adults, using the word "sammie."  As in, "I'm going out for a sammie.  Wanna go with?"  (And that's another pet peeve - "go with."  How difficult is it to add "me" to the end?  Or just leave off the "with" altogether?)

These are just a couple of examples of what I used to call "lazy talk."  I climbed all over my kids for using lazy talk.  I worked hard to get them to speak and write in a way that would make them at least appear to be intelligent and grown up, but now I see this kind of stuff everywhere. 

Maybe people use it because they think it makes them sound on trend and smart.

But it doesn't make them sound smart; it makes them sound infantile and immature.

It's just lazy talk.  Toddler talk.

They need to grow up.

Books I Read in 2018

It's the beginning of the new year and time to look back at last year's accomplishments.

My reading goal this past year was 100 books, and I beat it!  I read either 108 or 105 books, depending on how you want to count The Spiderwick Chronicles since they are technically four separate, but very short, books.  I'll admit I got irritated by a few books, and so quit reading them before I got all the way through, but I finished almost all of them.

So here's an overview of my reading adventures this year, plus some recommendations - both books to read and books to avoid.

I had a thing for books about World War II this year, and I didn't get stuck with any dogs.  The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, The Baker's Secret, Dear Mrs. Bird, The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are all books I'd recommend.  All.  Of.  Them.  I think Dear Mrs. Bird was the best, though, closely followed by The Baker's Secret.

Memoirs were a big part of my reading this past year - seventeen books!  Hiding in the Light, As You Wish, Belles on Their Toes, I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had, and Reasons to Stay Alive are at the top of my recommendations.  Hiding in the Light (Rivqa Bary) is about a Muslim girl who converted to Christianity and her escape from her family - in the United States.  As You Wish (Cary Elwes) is about filming The Princess Bride - inconceivable!!!  I'd Like to Apologize (Tony Danza - yes, THAT Tony Danza) is about the year he spent as a history teacher in an inner-city high school - excellent!  Reasons to Stay Alive (Matt Haig) chronicles his struggles with mental illness and how he has been able to deal with it.

Religion included Hiding in the Light (TWO categories!), Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Answering Jihad, and three more.  The Cost of Discipleship (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) is not only long, but dense and repetitive.  I just couldn't get through it.  I admit I gave up.  Probably something to do with the translation from German.  And German theologians.  Whew!

Lots of cozy mysteries.  I found a new author to follow - Sophie Kelly's Magical Cats series is just plain fun.  And I found a couple of authors to avoid - Miranda James and Maddie Day.  Miranda James's main character is boring.  That's the only way I can describe him.  Ugh.  And I thought I'd enjoy Maddie Day's books because they're set in southern Indiana.  The plots aren't bad, but the reader is beaten to death by the heavy-handed way she gives clues.  Again, ugh.

Several self-help type things.  Top of the list is The ONE Thing (Gary Keller) - WOW.  The Art of Thinking Clearly (Rolf Dobelli), not so much.  In fact, the bottom.  He can't get past his own biases, saying that anyone who believes in God or practices a religion can't think clearly.  The Art of X-Ray Reading (Roy Peter Clark) is an excellent look at how to read great books in order to improve your own writing.

A few books for kids.  I enjoyed Nim's Island (Wendy Orr), and I re-read Henry Huggins (Beverly Cleary) - WOW.  I'd forgotten just how great this book is.  I plan to work my way through her books this year.  I can hardly wait!

Another book I re-read is Christy (Catherine Marshall) - another great book I'd kind of forgotten about.  It's the story of the author's mother, who went into Appalachia as a young, single, female missionary (unheard of!) in the early 1900s.