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Weleda Skin Food Skin Saviour
Weleda’s Skin Food has become something of an skincare icon, and not without reason. It’s one of those products which every stash should have. If you have dry, sensitive or troubled skin you need to try Skin Food. It was Weleda’s first skincare cream, and the formula contains organic sunflower seed oil, and extracts of wild pansy, chamomile, calendula as well as rosemary so it fixes basically any skin woe you can think of. Not only this, but the cream is rich enough to treat elbows, knees and torn cuticles too!

Weleda Skin Food

The Weleda Skin Saviour comes packaged with an organic cotton flannel and is meant to be used as a moisture mask. All you have to do is apply a layer of Skin Food to clean, cleansed skin and then relax for 10-15 minutes. Before applying the Skin Food, I dampen the flannel with warm water and drape it on my face for a minute just to open my pores. Once the mask is on, I relax for a bit to let my skin drink in all the moisture it needs. A rather long and relaxing bath is great for this, since the steam seems to encourage the process even more.

Weleda Skin Food 1

Once I’m done, I just tissue the excess off and I’m left with skin which feels super moisturised and nourished. For days after using Skin Food, I’ve noticed that I don’t suffer from any little dry patches, and my makeup applies super smoothly. I’m such a fan!

Weleda’s Skin Saviour set costs £9.95 and is available here (UK) and here (US)

It’s way too easy to feel a little ‘blah’ at this time of year, all the fun of Christmas and New Year is well and truly finished and the weather is just ridiculously bad. To feel a little bit more like myself, I’ve been turning to Elemental Herbology’s gorgeous Pure Radiance duo.

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Whenever the temperature drops, I can count on my skin drying out. This coupled with wind, rain and general British weather isn’t the most ideal of partnerships. To combat this, I’ve been regularly turning to Weleda’s iconic Skin Food.

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Weleda is one of those brands which just churns out great products at super-affordable prices, and their best-selling Skin Food is no different, View Post

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Faria Buckle Zip Up Ankle Boots in Red Lycra

Faria Buckle Zip Up Ankle Boots in Red Lycra

Regular Price: £32.95

Sale Price: £16.95

Style Notes

Zip up and get up in Faria, our newest ankle boot featuring a stiletto heel and zip detailing. Produced in a stretch lycra fabric, these little booties are ultimately comfortable and are also available in Khaki.

Material: Lycra
Boot Height: 8.6" / 22cm
Heel Height: 4.7" / 12 cm

Size Details

Size guide

Regular fitting - For any further size enquiries please e-mail [email protected]

Delivery & Returns

*Please note due to Easter weekend we will be closed from 30th March to 2nd April so all orders placed during that time will be despatched when we reopen on Tuesday 3rd April. There will also be no courier deliveries on Friday 30th so any express orders placed on Thursday 29th (at appropriate times before cut off) will be delivered on Tuesday 3rd*

Royal Mail Tracked (2-3 Working Days) - £2.95

Next Working Day (Order before 5PM) - £4.95

Next Working Day By 12PM (Order before 3PM) - £9.90

Saturday Delivery (Order by 5PM Friday) - £9.95

Economy (8-12 Working Days) - £9.95

Standard (5-7 Working Days) - £11.95

Express (1-2 Working Days) - £14.95

Standard (5-7 Working Days) - £11.95

Express (2-3 Working Days) - £20.95 (+ £5 per additional item)

EUROPE - Please see Shipping Page for specific European rates

Standard Tracked (2-3 Working Days) - £5.95

Next Working Day (Order By 4pm GMT) - From £12.95

REST OF THE WORLD - Please see Shipping Page for all other specific country rates

For any further information or queries on delivery email [email protected]

We guarantee to refund any item you are not completely happy with when you return it to us in an unused and saleable condition within 14 days of receipt. Refunds will be at the original purchase price excluding the initial delivery charge and will be made to your original method of payment. If replacement goods are required, you need to arrange this via e-mail and/or specify so on your returns form.

**Please note all SALE and CLEARANCE purchases are final and cannot be accepted as a return**

Please note swimwear and underwear items are non-returnable due to hygiene reasons, this does not affect your statutory rights.

Items must be returned in the original and re-sellable condition otherwise we cannot refund them as new.

For further instructions and information, please visit our returns page by clicking here.

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Food & Drink » Food News

Smiling Toad Brewery announces expansion, new location

  • Matthew Schniper
For the second time since opening in 2013, Smiling Toad Brewery is moving and expanding — so get your last visits in before the spot closes sometime in October. Co-owner Biff Morehead hopes that the brewery’s new location at 2028 Sheldon Ave., the former Thirsty’s, will open in December, around the same time that road work on the adjacent stretch of 21st Street is completed.
Location Details Smiling Toad Brewery
1757 S. 8th St., #100
Cheyenne Mountain
Colorado Springs, Colo.

“There’s been a demand for our beer... so we’re moving up to 10 barrels,” says Morehead, noting that he’ll be using the brewery’s current three-barrel system for at least the first few months in the new location. He couldn’t afford to buy the brewery’s current building and do the necessary build-out to expand, so he elected to move and keep the budget intact. Over the coming months, he and his team will renovate the new location’s lower floor as the brewery area, leaving the upper floor and deck for customers.

“We’re going to have a much bigger taproom presence,” he says. “I don’t know about food yet, if we’re going to add a kitchen or rely on food trucks... I don’t know if I want that responsibility yet.”
The new location will have 15 taps, just like the current spot, though Morehead plans to add a nitro tap. He also notes how this expansion will help Smiling Toad open accounts at more bars and restaurants around town; right now, he has no plans to bottle or can.

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Screens » Opening in Orlando

On Screens in Orlando: The Square, Aida's Secrets and more

Aida's Secrets Truth, they say, is stranger than fiction. They just don't say it to Holocaust survivors, lest they get smacked in the face. For the reasons why, witness this twisty tale of family secrets, as uncovered by a 67-year-old survivor of Bergen-Belsen who discovers that his bloodline is richer and more complex than he ever thought. The Hollywood Reporter says the film is going to make you want to rush out and consult a genealogist. Unless you're Steve Bannon, in which case no news is good news, I guess. (NR)

Gangster Land From the looks of it, the mean streets of a studio tour appear to have provided the backdrop for this low-budget period crime drama, in which the underworld enmities that led to the St. Valentine's Day Massacre are seen through the eyes of Al Capone's right-hand man, Jack McGurn. Capone is played by Mel Gibson's son Milo; gee, I hope he found some way to research the traits of aging psychopaths who are a danger to everyone around them. Like all worthy projects, this one features Jamie-Lynn Sigler as a flapper. Now there's a Charleston to chew on. (NR)

The Square Hey, who's up for some Swedish satire? Who isn't already Swedish, I mean? The Palme d'Or winner at this year's Cannes concerns the brouhaha that erupts when an art gallery tries to spice up its promotion of an installation that might be too bland. A cast that includes Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West is headlined by Danish actor Claes Bang (which is a real person, honest, not an identity created by the predictive text on PornHub). Fun trivia: Supporting actor Terry Notary was cast after director Ruben Ostlund did a Google search for the term "actor imitating monkey." Seen Tape? I would have thought that title belonged forever to Ethan Hawke. (R)

Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas If you've already checked out Coco, then you might be ready for an animated feature that was made by actual Hispanics. But don't worry: You don't have to understand Spanish, because they've dubbed it into English. (Whew, that was close!) Its predecessor, 2012's Tad, the Lost Explorer, didn't even get released stateside, but that hopefully won't be too much of a stumbling block as the titular bricklayer-turned-adventurer tries to rescue his girlfriend from a millionaire who's after a necklace once owned by King Midas. Hmmm ... a rich guy who's obsessed with gold and a danger to women. There's got to be a pee-pee tape in there somewhere. (PG)


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News » Feature

For ArchCity Defenders' New Director, Blake Strode, Home Is Where the Injustice Was

In 2013, more than a year before their scrappy law firm catapulted to national prominence, Thomas Harvey and Michael-John Voss finally sat down to hash out the future of ArchCity Defenders. The two attorneys were in agreement. To really make a difference, the firm would have to grow. And, when it did, they shouldn't be the ones to lead it.

They had scribbled out the idea for the nonprofit firm on a napkin as law students at Saint Louis University, and, along with their classmate John McAnnar, they kept the idea alive even after graduating in 2009. They were idealistic. They were also angry.

From their earliest assignments as interns assisting on criminal defense cases, the trio had become increasingly distraught at the patterns they saw. Whether in the city or county court systems, their clients were overwhelmingly poor and black, with circumstances placing them outside the help of the state's overworked public defender system. These were not hardened criminals, but regular people living one interaction with police away — one traffic stop away — from being arrested on "failure to appear" violations for missing previous court dates. And once in law enforcement's grasp, they were being jailed by the thousands, destroying families and weakening communities, merely because they couldn't afford to pay fines and bail fees.

Of course, the three were not the first law school students to take a hard look at the criminal justice system and see endless lines of impoverished minorities staring back. But where others move on to cushy corporate jobs and stable salaries, the trio set to embodying ArchCity Defenders' mission statement with fervor — "Combating the criminalization of poverty and state violence against poor people and people of color."

The mission was far too big for three lawyers (even with a collection of interns and volunteers offering assists). That much was obvious in 2013. But the prospect of expanding the organization wasn't just about raising funds or hiring attorneys. In the minds of its founders, it also meant finding someone to take the reins, someone who'd lived the battles they were fighting.

"If we're going to be ... a racial justice organization, that's going to serve predominately low-income communities of color, we need to have leadership that's more reflective of the community we serve," Harvey remembers thinking at the time. All three founders are white. "If we are going to be true to our principles, that was something we needed to do."

The plan would have to wait: The next four years would find ArchCity on the front lines of court battles challenging everything from modern-day debtor's prisons to the indiscriminate use of tear gas.

With Harvey as executive director, the firm made its name in the wake of protests that rippled across the region in August 2014. The protests, sparked by the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, drew intense scrutiny to the sprawl of court systems in the 91 municipalities scattered across St. Louis County — their penny-ante harassment of minority residents providing a vivid backdrop to the mantra that "Black Lives Matter."

As the firm's stature increased, ArchCity Defenders went from being mostly a three-man show to an indispensable source for both activists and policymakers trying to fix St. Louis' criminal justice system. Word about its good works spread.

In Boston, that word reached a St. Louis native attending one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. His name was Blake Strode.

On September 25, 2014 — the same day that the Ferguson police chief delivered a stilted video apology to Michael Brown's family — the Harvard student emailed ArchCity. "He wanted to see if there was any way to return to St. Louis after he graduated," recalls Harvey.

On a recent weekday, sitting behind the desk in his fifth-floor office within the Christ Church Cathedral, Harvey clicks through his inbox, finally finding the old email. "He and I talked a little bit, and we started exploring ways to bring him here," Harvey says, noting, "We didn't have enough money to pay someone, certainly not a Harvard graduate."

Harvey can't help but smile at the improbability of it all. Strode — who has just been named the firm's incoming executive director, replacing Harvey — felt in some ways like the answer the co-founders had been looking for ever since they dreamed up their firm almost a decade ago. If anything, he was almost too good to be true.

"That wasn't what I was envisioning, having someone who was from St. Louis, went to Harvard and wanted to come back," says Harvey. "I don't think I ever could have imagined someone like Blake."


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One of Two SAPD Officers Shot Thursday Has Died

Officer Miguel Moreno - SAPD
  • SAPD
  • Officer Miguel Moreno

Update 11:45: Officer Miguel Moreno died from his injuries shortly after 11 a.m., according to SAPD spokeswoman Romana Lopez.

(Original Post)

One of the two San Antonio police officers shot while on patrol Thursday afternoon is not expected to survive, San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus told reporters Friday morning. McManus said the other officer, who was shot in the torso by the unidentified suspect, remains in "serious condition," and is currently between surgeries at San Antonio Military Medical Center.

"We’re going to lose a truly, truly beautiful man," McManus said of SAPD officer Miguel Moreno, who was shot in the head Thursday.

Officer Moreno and Officer Julio Cavazos were on a routine neighborhood patrol looking for vehicle burglaries just north of downtown when they were shot Thursday, according to McManus. Just after 3 p.m, the pair pulled over to investigate a car that looked broken into on the corner of Evergreen and Howard, just a block or so from the Main Street strip and right on the edge of the San Antonio College campus. McManus says that as soon as they stepped out of the car, a man opened fire on both officers.

Moreno, hit in the chin, dropped to the ground immediately. Cavazos, shot in the torso, managed to pull Moreno out of view and returned fire. The suspect died shortly afterward. At this point, it's unclear if Cavazos' bullet or his own killed him.

At a Friday press conference, McManus said the still-unidentified suspect was shot in the buttocks and head, but SAPD was "not able to determine" whose gun the headshot came from.

"If you have someone who has no respect for his own life, what respect does he have for other's life?" he asked. "I don’t know."

SAPD Chief William McManus addresses reporters Friday morning. - FACEBOOK, VIA KSAT LIVESTREAM
  • Facebook, via KSAT livestream
  • SAPD Chief William McManus addresses reporters Friday morning.

Another man who was with the suspect at the time of the shooting has been taken in to custody. The SAPD hasn't released the identities of either man.

McManus called Moreno and Cavazos "truly good guys," nine-year veterans of SAPD who were in there mid-30s. At this point, the department has no idea why the two officers were targeted. They did everything right, McManus said.

"I'm at a loss for words to describe what a tragedy this is," he told reporters. "Imagine one of your relatives shot and killed on the street for apparently no reason. That’s as close as I can make it."

This shooting comes less than a year after veteran Detective Benjamin Marconi was shot to death during a routine traffic stop in front of the SAPD headquarters.


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Disappointment About Gifts Is Good for Kids Who Have Enough

Learning to navigate the feeling of disappointment is a critical ability for a child's growth
December 25, 2018 Updated: December 25, 2018

Disappointment is a natural human emotion that occurs after a perceived failure. For our young children, this perceived failure can look like not getting the toy they wanted, not being invited to a classmate’s birthday party or losing their favorite stuffed animal.

It is essential for children’s mental health, well-being and overall development that they experience how to deal with disappointment well. But this can be difficult for parents to handle, particularly around holidays that have grown to involve consumerism, gift-giving, and expectations.

North American culture often mistakenly links love and happiness with material goods such as toys; the Santa story promises magical wish fulfillment. This can cause conflict for parents when children do not get the “right” gift.

On holidays, there’s social and personal pressure to provide “happiness” and “joy” to children through material objects, which can be confused with providing the necessities. For parents who do not have the resources to provide the “perfect” or “desired” gift, this can cause additional stress, shame, guilt and fear around disappointment.

Parents may feel as though they have let down their child and that they have impacted the child’s experience or memory of their “special day.”

This is especially true if the child has difficulty with or is learning to regulate emotions and expresses disappointment through tantrums or sulking.

These behaviors can affect parents profoundly, often leading them to feel bad about themselves or that the child does not love them.

Focus on Traditions Over Gifts

The holiday season should be about love, connection and spending time together. This is at the core of all family traditions and what children will remember and bring with them as they develop and eventually have their own families.

Traditions and rituals are important for creating meaning and a sense of belonging.

Practicing family traditions can create seasonal rhythms that bring a sense of joy. (Shutterstock)

Being a part of something greater than yourself or your immediate family and creating positive loving memories and security are all important for children’s emotional, social and cognitive development.

To help children understand the “true” meaning of a holiday season, you might delve more into your own traditions. Or you might like to create new family traditions that provide opportunities to connect with each other and your wider community.

Experiences such as baking for others and donating to a food bank or toy drive can help children to understand that the holidays are for making a positive difference.

Emphasize Giving, Not Receiving

Changing our focus from giving rather than receiving can help our children develop and appreciate the strength in gratitude.

Research has linked gratitude to significant health and wellness benefits such as improving self-esteem, improving sleep, and developing empathy.

The other thing to know is that although disappointment feels awful, it is a part of life and is actually a positive and healthy emotion that’s central to children’s emotional, cognitive and social development throughout their lives.

Parents naturally try to protect their children from pain, to make them feel better from what we deem as negative emotions such as anger, sadness and disappointment.

But it is important for us to equip them with the tools to manage “special” day and day-to-day disappointments. Because ultimately, as they grow older, those disappointing moments in life become more profound.

When parents support children in dealing with disappointment it can lead to the development of adaptation and resilience, which are both important for children in order for them to bounce back from difficult experiences throughout life.

Here are some more ways you can help children deal with disappointment:

1. Acknowledge Your Child’s Feelings

Let them know that you understand. It is important to label and validate children’s feelings.

Tell your child that you recognize why they are feeling disappointed and that it’s OK to express this emotion.

In order for children to develop a positive sense of self, empathy and social skills, they need to be able to feel, label, and talk about all feelings.

2. Share Your Own Disappointments

Often times, when children are disappointed about not receiving what they wanted, they also feel badly because they are told to feel fortunate and thankful for what they have.

To encourage children to embrace and express their emotions, it is helpful to share a story of a time when you also felt disappointment.

Perhaps you can remember a holiday when you were young, when you too were disappointed over a dream gift that never arrived. Empathizing with your child’s emotional experience will remind them that they are not alone and that their emotions are valid.

3. Be Mindful, Stay Present

It’s always important, but especially during the holiday season, to be intentional about the expectations you set for your children. Instead of talking about the gifts under the tree, you could talk about the fun they will have with friends and family during your holiday traditions.

Be present through the disappointment and the behavior. Disappointment can feel awful for children. The emotion and the behavior will pass, and your child will be stronger and more resilient when they know the boundaries.

4. Don’t Label Your Child

During this time, it is important to be mindful of your own language and attitudes. Don’t say: “You’re acting like a baby.”

Although it is difficult, try not to label your child, even if the label describes what he or she has done. You can use questions to motivate change, such as “Are your actions safe?” or “Are your words kind?”

Although the holiday season brings out the best and worst in all of us, if we want to support our child’s growth and development it is important that we help them learn to manage and deal with their disappointments everyday.

Through loving, caring relationships our children will always grow and prosper.

Nikki Martyn is the program head of early childhood studies at the University of Guelph-Humber in Canada and Elena Merenda is the assistant program head of early childhood studies at the University of Guelph-HumberThis article was first published on The Conversation.


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If you're surfing through cheap deals on toys learn shapes UK, is the best place for you. You can also take a look at our extensive range of breaks toy to find the perfect one to enrich your life. If you are seeking for affordable male vibrate toys with the best quality, we have great collections of designs for you. Whether you'd like pool toys cartoon UK or small toy puppies UK, just pick one at DHgate in no time, you'll feel "it's worth every penny" when you get your parcel. What's more, cheap deals on toy buttons await you every day. Free and fast shipping to UK!


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Self Storage Cornelius, NC

Self storage in Cornelius

Compare cheap self storage units, Cornelius, NC with USSelfStorage.

Some of the most populated cities in North Carolina are Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem providing the best storage units selection. Hundreds of self storage facilities located within city limits offer great service and savings. Finding public storage in Cornelius or in any other nearby city like Huntersville, Mooresville, Kannapolis or Harrisburg is affordable, fast and easy.

Enter the city or zip code of your choice into the search bar to find the self-storage facility listings nearby. Once you locate the storage facility, compare storage unit sizes, prices, amenities and discounts. Check out pictures, descriptions, and read customer reviews to assist you when making a selection. Once you select the storage unit that best fits your needs, simply reserve online for free and lock in your price and discount. If you choose, you can call and speak to a friendly and professional customer service representative who could answer all your questions and who could take a reservation; no credit card is required to reserve a storage unit online or by phone. A detailed confirmation e-mail will be automatically forwarded to your inbox. Your storage unit will be available for you when you arrive at the storage facility on your selected move in date. It is that fast and easy.

FIRST MONTH FREE, $1 the first month, 50% off discounts, in Cornelius, NC.

Storage facilities in Cornelius, NC offer a variety of discounts to their customers. When searching for storage unit compare the price of the storage unit as well as the discount that storage facility is offering. Some storage facilities offer the same special on every storage unit they have in their inventory, while other facilities might offer different discounts on selective units in their inventory. Facility specials change from day to day, depending on the storage facility or on the occupancy of a particular unit at a given facility. Some storage facilities might not offer a discount on a storage unit or at their facility.

Storage prices in Cornelius NC can vary based on unit size and amenities.

Self Storage unit prices in Cornelius start as low as $7.00 per month. Typically a smaller storage unit on an upper floor or requires a rolling ladder to access. The most common storage unit sizes are 5’ X5’, 5’ X 10’, 10’ X 10’ and 10’ X 20’ and standard ceiling storage unit heights are 8 feet high and doors could vary in width from 3’ to 8’ feet wide. Whether the Cornelius storage unit is climate controlled or a drive up storage unit, will also determine the price. Usually, storage units which are climate controlled, air conditioned are more expensive than drive up unit. You will also find that a lower floor or ground floor storage unit will run you typically more money that a unit that is an upper floor and would require elevator access.

Your Cornelius NC self storage facility search has produced 72 locations.

Within 5 miles of your, Cornelius storage search query we are showing 1 storage facilities. Within 25 miles of your, Cornelius storage search query we are showing 57 storage facilities. Within 45 mile of your, Cornelius storage search query we are showing 72 storage facilities.

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Welcome to the Maas Clinic!

A place where the effects of aging seem to slow down and ‘being healthy’ is not just a passing fad, but a way of life. Offering relief from allergies, painful illnesses, and a range of other complaints, the Maas Clinic puts its patients first. Not only do we treat the symptoms of your ailments but we work with you to find the root cause and provide strategies to help you live a happy, healthy life.

Brief history of the Maas Clinic

Originally conceptualized by British-trained Osteopath, Laurens Maas and his Barbadian wife Cathie over 17 years ago, the Maas Clinic has secured its place at the front of clinical representation in the Caribbean for cutting edge scientific testing with holistic and naturopathic therapy.

As the first osteopath on the island of Barbados, Laurens pioneered the field and was solely responsible for getting the science recognized and then registered through The Barbados Parliament and Ministry of Health. He later sat on the paramedical council and represented alternative/complementary practitioners for the standardization of holistic health sciences and the safety of the general public.

How the Maas Clinic works today

With state-of-the-art digital feedback systems and NASA based, FDA cleared medical diagnostic tools, supportive staff, and a dramatic, modern setting patients can feel 100% confident that with their own commitment and the scientific and compassionate support of the clinic, they can achieve amazing things and maintain and celebrate optimum health at all times.

Our UK clinic offers both a full range of osteopathic services and state of the art diagnostic testing for Functional Diagnostic Medicine.  Our Barbados and Skype Clinics operate virtually and therefore do not offer osteopathic services.


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Category Archives: Daily Life!

Calorie Counting

And so it begins…. After months of marathon training and basically eating whatever I want, the calorie counting has started again.

I want to say ‘Ughhh’ so bad, but I know I need to be positive and optimistic about it. In reality, it doesn’t take that much work with my Sparkpeople app. And I love waking up in the morning feeling awesome because I know I didn’t overdo it the day before. Having power over food and using it for the good of our own bodies is one of the most rewarding feelings.

About 2 years ago, in January of 2012, I started taking Jazzercise classes. I had tracked calories on and off through college. But I got more on track with during this time and lost a few pounds. After a month or 2 as a student, I decided that teaching Jazzercise was definitely something I wanted to do. I was around 155 lbs at this point. On my petite and curvy 5 foot tall frame, I was a fairly chunky little thing.

During my jazzercise training, I loosely tracked my calories (I had more splurge days than non-splurge days) and the weight continued to fall off. I was taking numerous classes a week, along with doing my instructor training. Any calories I took in didn’t have time to stick because I was always on the go! On the weekend of my instructor certification, I was down to 142 lbs. I still felt ‘heavy’ but knew that I was a million times healthier than I was even a few months ago.

Once I started teaching 5 classes a week, the weight still kept coming off but more slowly since I wasn’t having to do hours and hours of practice for my certification. Around January of 2013, I was at 135 lbs – 25 lbs down from my heaviest weight. Woot! It’s funny, but it wasn’t until this point that people began to notice the difference. Others could finally ‘tell’ that I had lost weight. And then they would ask how. Jazzercise was always my answer. 🙂

Through the summer of 2013 is when I got to my smallest: 119 lbs. That weigh-in was on a morning after a day of little eating due to multiple Jazzercise classes and work. So I kinda took it as a grain of salt. In reality, I think I was around a solid 120-122 during most of the summer when none of my clothes fit me anymore. It took very strict calorie counting to get down below 128 lbs…. Which makes sense about where I am right now with my weight.

Once the holidays hit late 2013 and I was training for my first half marathon, my calorie counting got pushed aside. Big time. When you run 30+ miles a week plus teach Jazzercise, it’s hard to control your appetite! Now that my last full marathon of the spring is down, it’s time to get back on track. Why you might ask? My pants from last summer are tight!! And buying new pants isn’t really fun! The 8-10 lbs I’ve put on has settled right around my hips. Nothing some veggies and calorie counting can’t handle. 🙂

I use the Sparkpeople app to log my daily calories and fitness minutes. I have it linked with my FitBit. And those 2 things work together to make me into one lean, mean weight losing machine!… At least let’s hope!

I have 2 more races I’m currently signed up for: the Go Girl Half Marathon in Springfield on April 19 & the Divas Half Marathon in Branson on May 4. I’m hoping since they are only half marathons instead of fulls, I shouldn’t have to carb load as much and derail my diet plans. Although 13.1 miles is a long enough race to carve out some room for a nice big post-race meal! I’m excited to feel completely recovered to get back to my normal training schedule to finish off these last 2 races of my spring season.

I, once again, slept in past my alarm this morning. So today’s workout will happen tonight at Jazzercise instead! Nick keeps telling me to take it easy and listen to my body. Well apparently my body wants to sleep more than go to the gym this week, so that’s what I’ve been doing! Next week, there’s no excuses though!!

I hope you all have a great weekend. I’m so excited to enjoy the beautiful weather!

Happy Friday everyone! I’m so excited and ready for this fun weekend at the GO! St. Louis Marathon! Our bags are packed and everything seems to be set to go. We’ll get on the road to Nicks parents house right after the work day today.

So Mac and mommy have both gotten haircuts this week. It’s looking much sharper around our house these days!

Mine came first on Wednesday night. I got around 4 inches cut off. It’s amazing how much healthier my hair feels! I wanted to keep my length but knew I needed to chop a bit off for it to be healthy again. And then Mr. Mac’s appointment was early this morning!

He was a nervous little man on the way to the groomer this morning. I told him that he would also be getting his annual shots today during his groom. He was not too excited.

He was nervous! I dropped him off on my way to work. The nurses and groomer said he behaved wonderfully. Proud momma! And now he is set for the warmer temps we’ve been having. 🙂

I did leave him dressed in a shirt after lunch though. It’s only in the 40s today. He’s going to have to be dressed for a few days if the 70 degree temps don’t come back!

Anywho, last minute race logistics… My race starts at 7 am on Sunday. I’m bib 919. And I’m hoping to finish in less than 4:14 to set a new PR! The temps are looking great – in the 40s with some clouds and no rain! I know I can do it. It’s just a question of how fast?!

I hope you all have great weekends and do something fun! Think of me on Sunday morning as I’m running around the streets of St. Louis!>

Dear God…

That’s how my morning run went this morning. Dear God….please don’t let it rain on Sunday. Dear God….please don’t let there be another mid-race cancellation. Dear God…please don’t let me die.

Seriously. On my 4 mile run this morning, I prayed the entire time about my marathon on Sunday. I’m not sure why it’s really giving me anxiety today! In between my prayers, I would try to visualize myself doing well during the race. I tried to visualize myself charging up the daunting hills with ease. And I tried to picture myself crossing the finish line in a super-awesome victory pose. All of which I did, but it didn’t make me feel any less stressed. So then I just continued to pray. By the time I made it home, I was feeling kinda better and kinda worse about it. Why am I freaking out?!

I know I’ll be fine once we get to St. Louis and everything starts to fall into place. But this week of taper madness is hitting me hard. Maybe it’s because my first race was a little traumatic and I’m not sure if I’m ready to face it again. But I do know that this race cannot be any worse than my first one. There is a 0% chance of precip with a high of 60 degrees on race day. There are no thunderstorms with dropping temps in sight, and for that I am thankful! No more thunder-sleet racing for me!

Define Bottle

So my boss saw this super awesome bottle on the show Shark Tank (do you watch it?), and decided to go online to order one for herself. She also got me one as a surprise gift! IMG_3658 IMG_3656I was skeptical at first because fruit floating in my water kinda freaks me out. I don’t even get the lemons at restaurants because I hate the seeds getting in my water. But this fancy bottle takes care of all of those problems!

IMG_3657 IMG_3673 IMG_3676
I’ve been experimenting with my Define Bottle this week with new fruits and veggies. Halo oranges, cucumber slices, and strawberries have made it into my bottle so far. My fave? The cucumbers. Now I just need to get some fresh mint to add with the cucumber and it will be amazing! And as an added bonus, I haven’t been craving my normal packet of Crystal Light addition in my water that I usually have every afternoon. ‘Clean’ drinking at it’s finest!

This Week…

So far, this week has consisted of Jazzercise mostly. And carbo-loading a little. Carbs come in some very yummy forms at this Eastery time of year!

IMG_3671 IMG_3677I haven’t been home much to pack and focus on the weekend ahead (maybe that’s why I’m stressed?). Tonight my packing for the marathon will start, and I’m getting my haircut!

IMG_3680My hair is out of control right now, and I’m thinking a good cut of 3-4 inches will make it look healthy again. My love my long locks but my split ends are yucky. Maybe I should get my haircut more often than once every 6 months?? 🙂

Then tomorrow will consist of only 1 Jazzercise class, followed by me frantically finishing my packing. Luckily the forecast is making it easy to pack: crop running tights, a tank top, and rain jacket (just in case!). Done!

Friday, Mac is getting his summer haircut followed by his annual shots and checkup. He’s going to have all this done while mommy is at work, so he may not be very happy with me when I go to pick him up during lunch. But I’m just praying that they say he is healthy like usual!  Then right after work, we’ll load up and head out to STL for this fun weekend. I’m thankful the race is on Sunday so we will have Saturday to hit the expo and rest before my main event!

I got an email from the Go! STL Marathon yesterday telling me that my bib number will be 919. There’s no live steam video, but if you see any photos, watch for me! 919! They also offer athlete tracking for free – exciting! So Nick, my mom, and Nick’s mom will all receive text messages as I hit the splits during the course. I’m hoping this helps Nick to find me better throughout the course to keep any confusion at bay. Little Rock was confusing for him to say the least, so this one will be smoother!

Well have a great day everyone. Think of me while I carbo-load and prepare for the Go! STL Marathon weekend!


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Kingz Balistico 2.0 BJJ Gi Blue

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The Kingz Balistico 2.0 kimono, our new and improved Balistico model.

This is a special edition of one of our most popular gis, the Kingz Lightweight kimono, one of the strongest and most technically advanced gis on the market. Balístico - the Portuguese word for "ballistic" - refers to the science of the movement of objects or projectiles that are shot or forced to move forward in the air... like you when you're launching yourself toward your opponent.

The Kingz Balistico kimono features a 480 GSM cotton Pearl Weave jacket, made from a single piece of fabric, with ample reinforcements in all the major stress points. The fabric itself undergoes a rigorous preshrinking process, so you never have to worry about your gi getting shorter and tighter with every wash. The lapel is made from synthetic heat resistant vulcanized rubber, covered in the same ripstop material as the pants, which keeps the gi light, allows for faster drying, and keeps your lapel fungus and bacteria free. The jacket is adorned simply in matching Balistico logos (a distinctive eagle design) embroidered on the upper sleeves, on the back underneath the collar, and with Balistico emblazoned under the left rib cage. The pants are made from light, yet extremely durable, 8 oz cotton/polyester ripstop material.

Our favorite details, however, are the NO-Grip sleeve technology and the Coolmax® lining across the inside of the shoulders and side vents of the jacket. An extra layer of ripstop on the inside of the sleeves makes it extremely hard for your opponent to maintain an iron grip. And the patented Coolmax® lining - subliminated with the Balistico eagle design - keeps you cool and refreshed, even during the hardest training session.

*100% IBJJF legal

  • 100% cotton jacket and pants
  • 100% preshrunk for an ideal fit
  • Triple reinforced stitching across all stress points
  • Quick dry and fully breathable

  • 480 GSM Pearl Weave
  • NO-Grip sleeve technology
  • Coolmax® lining (inside shoulders and side vents)
  • High stitch count embroidered logos
  • Custom seam taping
  • Made of one piece fabric for superior strength and durability
  • Synthetic heat resistant vulcanized rubber lapel insert
  • Subtle contrast stitching
  • 100% preshrunk

  • 8 oz cotton/polyester ripstop material
  • Double reinforced knee padding, triple stitched with over lapped seam
  • Custom detailed Kingz stretchy drawstring
  • Subtle contrast stitching

*Includes a FREE Kingz gi bag
*Belt not included


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Top Ten Glossy WAKO Pointfighter Gloves Green/White

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PPS foam padding covered in Nubuk II glossy leather, inner lining with grip line made of ASL antislip material and with long reinforced thumb lock.
Fixation with elastic band and Velcro strap.
Ultralight Pointfighter (approx. 225 gr. / glove) with additional reinforcement to support the wrist during blocking.


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Venum Cutback Tank Top Black/Yellow

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Whatever if you weared it for training, or for chilling on the beach , the Venum Cutback tank top will allow you comfort and freedom of movement all day.

Regular fit, mesh inserts on the sides, colorful graphics ... the Venum cutback tank top has all the perfect assets of a casual basic.

  • 100% premium cotton: for comfort.
  • Standard cut.
  • With mesh inserts on the sides.
  • Venum logo.


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Chipotle Coleslaw

Coleslaw reminds me of summer, of barbecues and sunshine. As a child my favorite coleslaw was from Kentucky Fried Chicken, yes I grew up in those days where fast food was a regular part of our diet!  When I came to England one could get coleslaw but the disappointing overall taste was of mayonnaise. For years I didn’t eat it, before it occurred to me that I could make my own coleslaw! I tried lots of recipes and finally found one on the internet that replicated the KFC taste, it was good but a rather long-winded recipe and as the only coleslaw eater in the house, too much just for me. I recently had lunch in the Mexican restaurant,  Wahaca.  Alongside my meal was some coleslaw, well it was the best coleslaw I’d had for ages! It had the usual cabbage etc but had a spicy, smoky taste. I have no idea what was in it but a day later I was trying to make it for myself at home! Here is my version, it’s fairly hot, with only a little mayonnaise which is lighter on the calories. The taste I recognized in the Wahaca coleslaw was the hot and smoky chipotle.  I’m lucky enough to have some chipotle powder that I bought on holiday in Florida. In the UK you can get a chipotle paste made by Discovery. To get chipotle chilli powder you may have to shop online.

Using a food processor to slice the cabbage makes this come together really quickly. Although as its such a small amount it wouldn’t take very long to chop and grate by hand. A little red cabbage looks nice in this but for such a small portion I wouldn’t rush to buy 2 cabbages!

Chipotle Coleslaw (makes approx 3 servings)

  • 1/2 a small White cabbage,  thinly sliced
  • 1 Carrot, grated
  • 2 heaped tbsp Mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp Cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Chipotle powder (if using paste use 1 tsp) this is quite hot, you may prefer to add less to taste
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Add the cabbage and carrot to a large bowl.
  2. Add the mayonnaise and vinegar, stirring well to coat all of the vegetables.Add the chipotle, stirring well to combine.
  3. Add the Chipotle and salt, stirring well to combine.

Serve immediately or keep covered in the fridge, this will last for 2-3 days.

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  1. #1 by lizthechef on April 22, 2012 - 17:23

    I will be the only person in our family eating this spicy treat, but I plan to devour it!

    • #2 by Jayne on April 22, 2012 - 21:06

      Thanks Liz, the portion is not overwhelming as I too am a solo coleslaw eater!

  2. #3 by Wendy Read (@Sunchowder) on April 23, 2012 - 13:53

    This looks so tasty Jayne! I am not a “spicy” lover, you would never know it from my product line though! Chipotle peppers are simply smoked/dried Jalapenos. I have never smoked them myself, but I can imagine that would be a fun Sunday project 🙂 This recipe is going into my “try” box!

    • #4 by Jayne on April 23, 2012 - 14:51

      Thanks! I only just learned that chipotles are smoked jalapenos, we never stop learning do we?

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Posts Tagged cake

Blood Orange Cake

Blood Orange Cake

What a long break from blogging I’ve had, (did anyone notice, haha)! I often go longer than I mean to between posts although long ago gave up trying to keep up with all the bloggers that post without fail each week (or each day)! However this was a long break even for me. After a fabulous holiday spent in Vermont where I completely forgot about everything and all routine went out of the window I was left wondering if  there was a recipe left in me, I had no inspiration at all, until the discovery of this season’s blood oranges put me back on track!

I think part of the reason for my lack of inspiration is that I’m caught with that January feeling that I should be eating more healthily but not wanting to, then wondering what’s wrong with me that I have so little control! My head is a busy place this month! Anyone else feel the same or are you all diligently watching what you are eating? Kudos to you if you are! I am pretty much a rule follower but hate been told what to do so I think all the articles and constant talk of diets makes me rebel, after all isn’t January depressing enough? So for those rebels out there I offer you cake in January! For those avoiding cake, I’m sorry save this recipe and healthy new year recipes will resume!

I was so happy to come across the first of the blood oranges but then typically a few sat in the fruit bowl which led me to make this blood orange cake, a simple cake made with olive oil. Using olive oil eliminates the need to soften butter, which in colder climates can take quite a while! I based my cake on the Lemon Olive Oil cake that I make regularly. That cake is such a success so I thought I would swap blood orange juice for the lemon. I didn’t have yoghurt available so made my own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to 125 mls of milk. This cake is not fancy, it’s just the right sort of plain with a simple blood orange syrup topping it. I like a slice with a cup of coffee but it would be great served with ice-cream as a dessert!

I wont pretend this is healthy in any way but it is good!

Blood Orange Cake

  • 250 grams sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 125 ml buttermilk
  • 100 ml olive oil
  • 250 grams self-raising flour
  • zest and juice of 3 blood oranges, reserve the juice for the syrup

for the glaze

  • 60 grams sugar
  • 100 ml blood orange juice

  1. Grease and base line an 8 inch cake tin (I used a silicone one this time). Preheat oven to 350 F, 180 C, Gas 4.
  2. Whisk together the sugar and eggs.
  3. Mix in the buttermilk.
  4. Add the olive oil and blood orange zest.
  5. Fold in the flour.
  6. Pour mixture into cake tin.
  7. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean when inserted into middle of cake.
  8. While cake is baking make the syrup by putting the blood orange juice and sugar into a small sauce pan and heat until the sugar has melted, remove from the heat and leave until needed.
  9. When the cake is baked, take from the oven and while still hot prick cake surface with a toothpick and pour the blood orange syrup over the cake. Leave to cool in the tin.

blood oranges

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Zucchini Bread (that’s really cake)

I can not believe that I have not put this recipe on my blog before! Its been my go to Summer cake recipe ever since the regular gluts of courgettes have come my way.

I have no childhood memories of courgettes, not one! I don’t think they made it into our house, my parents must not have liked them. I only seem to remember discovering them after I came to the UK, therefore I usually call them courgettes. I use the word zucchini for this loaf however as when I first started looking for inspiration for the courgette glut it was American recipes for zucchini cake that first caught my eye and the name has stuck!

This is a light cake with no taste of courgette, lets face it they are a rather tasteless vegetable aren’t they? The courgette do however lend a lovely moistness to the cake. Think carrot cake, only easier! Another thing I love about this loaf is that it uses olive oil rather than butter, a blessing for last minute cake making, no waiting for butter to soften! Finally as if I couldn’t sing this loaf’s praises enough, it freezes very well so when I have loads of courgette and I’ve got the food possessor out I shred more and make extra cakes to store in the freezer.

This loaf also works well with wholemeal flour.

I am linking this up with Ren’s Simple and in Season blog event as courgettes are most definitely in season at the moment!

Zucchini Bread

  • 180 gram plain white flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 180 grams sugar ( I like to use unrefined)
  • 125 ml olive oil – mild flavoured
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200 grams grated zucchini (courgette)
  1. Pre heat oven to 170 c, 325 f, Gas 3. Prepare a loaf tin by greasing with a little olive oil and lining with baking paper.
  2. Weigh the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into a bowl, whisk together.
  3. In another bowl, or in your mixer bowl beat together the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.
  4. Add the flour mix and combine well.
  5. Gently stir in the zucchini/courgette.
  6. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for approximately 45 minutes.
  7. When cooked cool in the tin for about 20 minutes the turn onto a rack to cool completely.

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Jubilee Victoria Sponge

It’s the Jubilee weekend! I have had all year to plan what to make but in typical Jayne style I left it until the last-minute!  The rest of my life is fairly organised, I’m a lover of lists but for some reason when it comes to cooking I’m more relaxed and often do things at the last-minute, quickly flicking through one of my cookery books minutes before going to the supermarket looking for something new to try. If you come to dinner at my house you will most likely be served a meal that I have never made before! For the Jubilee weekend I wanted to make a cake, something traditional, something with a royal tone. I decide to make a Victoria sponge, strangely a cake that I don’t make all that often, I do like it, it’s just often overlooked while I’m trying other recipes, so many cakes so little time! The Victoria sponge is indeed named after Queen Victoria and was apparently created by her lady in waiting, the Duchess of Bedford, who is also said to have started the English afternoon tea tradition. It seemed fitting then that I celebrated the Diamond Jubilee with a cake that was originally made for a Queen!

This recipe is the one used by my friend Pearl, she makes a wonderful Victoria sponge, her cake rises so well and is wonderfully light. Where Victoria sponge is concerned I think the recipe is pretty standard. Traditionally the filling was just jam but I wanted something a little more fancy so added cream, decadence seemed the order of the day!

Victoria Sponge

  • 200 grams Caster sugar
  • 200 grams Unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 Eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tsp Vanilla essence
  • 200 grams Self Raising flour
  • 1.5 tsp Baking powder
  • 2 tbsp Milk

For the filling

  • 4 tbsp Jam, I used jumbleberry but any berry jam would be nice.
  • 300 ml Double (heavy) Cream, whipped. Careful not to over whip as I did!

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C, 350 F, Gas mark 4. Grease and line 2 8 inch round baking tins.

  1. Cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy, I use a stand mixer but a wooden spoon and elbow grease works just fine!
  2. Add an egg, mix to incorporate, repeat with another egg mix and repeat until all the eggs are used.
  3. Stir the vanilla.
  4. Add half of the flour, mix in gently add the rest and mix in gently, do not over stir at this point.
  5. Gently stir in the milk.
  6. Divide the mixture between the prepared cake tins.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  8. Allow cakes to cool in their tins then carefully remove. Remove baking paper.
  9. Spread the jam onto one sponge half, followed by the cream. Sandwich the cakes together a sprinkle with icing sugar.

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World Baking Day (cake!)

Today is World Baking Day! A day to celebrate cake, where you are invited to make a cake, take a picture of it in a crazy place and then share, if sharing on twitter use the hashtag #caking

As if I need a reason to make cake! My cake is a Lemon poppy-seed loaf, while lovely, it is a recipe test so I am not at liberty to share the recipe!

I was trying to think of outrageous places and my husband was trying to convince me to take a picture of the cake on the toilet (really!) but here is what I ended up with, happy World Cake Day!

If you need some cake inspiration here are some cakes from earlier posts here, here and here

Apple Cake

Apple cake

This cake was a happy accident. I had bought some apples to go in with the lunch my husband’s takes to work, too much of a healthy push from me and the poor apples sat on the counter for a couple of days, unwanted. Not wanting to waste them and with the weather so Autumnal at the moment (please note its Spring as I write this!) I thought I would make an apple cake. As this was a spur of the moment decision the butter was hard in the fridge so I used olive oil. I like using olive oil in cakes, as well as the oil been ready to use right away cakes made with olive oil seem to have a really nice bounce to the texture. I’ve made this cake in a loaf tin and in a round cake tin, it worked well both ways. Trying to keep things a little healthier I used a mix of wholemeal and white flours and also used the less refined muscodavo sugar.

Apple Cake

  • 100 g wholemeal flour
  • 50 g white flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
  • 100 g light brown muscodavo Sugar
  • 75 g caster sugar
  • 150 ml olive oil
  • 60 ml plain yogurt
  • 2 apples, peeled and grated I used Cox apples but any eating apple would be fine.

Use either a loaf tin or an 8 inch loose bottom round baking tin.

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C, 400 F, Gas mark 6
  2. Base line and grease your baking tin.
  3. Whisk together the flours, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
  4. Mix together the sugars and oil, I used my stand mixer.
  5. Add the eggs, one at a time mixing with each egg.
  6. Mix in the yogurt.
  7. Add half the flours, baking powder and cinnamon mix, mix then add the rest.
  8. Fold in the grated apple.
  9. Pour into the prepared cake tin.
  10. Bake for 45-50 minutes if using the round tin, 50-60 if using the loaf tin.
  11. Once cooked, let the cake cool in the tin for about 20 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

apple cake

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Lemon Angel Food Cake #Baketogether

I love angel food cake but I’ve never made it before and actually I havent had it since for years, maybe since I was a child. I’m certain that I remember my mother making angel food cake out of a pack too so maybe I havent even had real Angel food cake!

This months Baketogether was Angel Food Cake, arranged by Abby Dodge, using her Tangerine Angel Food Cake recipe when I saw this my first thought was “yes, I love Angel food cake!” I thought of how I would “switch it up” as Abby encourages us to do. Lemon would be my theme, I was looking forward to this! Last weekend, for Easter, I made a different lemon cake that required a lemon curd filling, using 10 egg yolks, this meant I had 10 egg whites ready for the Baketogether, serendipity at work! Then through twitter I found out that the bundt pan I had intended on using wasnt the right pan! In my mind a bundt pan and an angel food cake pan were the same thing, this is not the case, my memory was playing with me again! A few tweets and a forwarded article later and it seemed that although not advisable an angel food cake could be made in a bundt with limited success. What did I have to lose? Anyway those egg whites needed using!

I followed Abby’s instructions exactly, the only difference was swapping in the zest of a lemon for her tangerine zest.  I let it completely cool upside down resting on 4 cans of soup! When it was cool it had shrunk away a little from the middle, I used a small thin spatula and ran it around the top then gently slid it up and down all the way around. I put a plate over the bottom of the pan and turned it upside down and that baby slipped right out! I was so pleased! True it’s not perfect and it has a few little rustic edges, but it’s not the disaster I had dreaded ! This cake is like eating a cloud! Amazingly light and fluffy with a subtle taste of lemon. Whether my mother’s angel food cake came out of a pack or not my memory served me well, I do love angel food cake!

To go with it I did another switch and rather than Abby’s caramel sauce I made a lemon sauce, inspired by the lemon curd I had made the week before. Thanks Abby for another great recipe and a great baketogether!

Lemon Angel Food Cake

See here for Abby’s recipe

Note, superfine sugar is caster sugar and confectioners sugar is icing sugar if making in UK.

Lemon Sauce

  • 115 grams butter
  • 150 grams caster sugar
  • 50 ml water
  • 50 ml lemon juice
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp of fresh lemon zest
  1.  Put the butter, sugar, water, and lemon juice into a medium-sized pan, heat slowly whisking all the time.
  2. When the butter is starting melt add the egg and zest, keep whisking. Heat slowly, constantly whisking until the mix comes to the boil and thickens. If too thick add a little more water, if not so thick don’t worry this firms up as it cools.
  3. Sieve the sauce to remove any egg solids. Let cool before serving.

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Chocolate Guinness Cake

Chocolate Guiness Cake madebyjayne

I thought twice  about making this cake as I don’t like Guinness! However in the spirit of St Patrick’s day I thought it would be fun to try.  I’ve extensively used and loved the Hummingbird Bakery book so I’ve been keen to try a recipe from the latest Hummingbird Cake Days book, their chocolate Guinness cake sounded perfect as a St Patrick’s day treat.

The making of this cake is an easy wet ingredients added to dry ingredients method and I love it when cakes require melted butter, no waiting around on a chilly day for butter soften! As the cake was only for my husband and I,  I halved the ingredients to make a smaller cake, using an 8 inch tin rather than the 9 inch specified and that was right for the amount of mixture. This made a good-sized cake. I did find halving the frosting ingredients less successful, the frosting was a little soft resulting in a more rustic finish than the polished finish I had hoped for, it still tasted great though!

This is a good chocolate cake! It has a light, fluffy texture. The Guinness adds moistness to the cake without leaving any taste, perfect for me. If you find that a little disappointing make sure you buy more than you need for a little cooks tipple!

Chocolate Guinness Cake

  • For the recipe see here

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Posts Tagged olive oil

Banana Olive Oil Muffins

Banana Olive Oil muffins madebyjayne

Easy, peasy, that’s what these are! If you have over-ripe bananas, in under 30 minutes you can have a rack of delicious banana muffins!

I began freezing over-ripe bananas a while ago. It was a revelation to me that you could just throw whole bananas in the freezer! The bananas do defrost to a gross mush but that just makes mashing them easier. I was looking in the freezer recently and found frozen bananas all over the place! Turns out I had 19 frozen bananas! I defrosted 3 bananas out to make my usual banana bread only to discover I had no butter!  I’m a fan of baking with oil rather than butter as it adds a great texture so I thought Id try replacing the butter with olive oil.  As I was changing things I thought Id try muffins rather than a loaf.

These banana olive oil muffins are a great alternative to banana bread. Using oil rather than butter worked so well I will stick to that! They are quicker to cook than a loaf and are easily portable in their own cases, making a great lunch box addition. They are also really versatile, I think I will add raisins next time. What do you like in your banana muffin?

Banana Olive Oil Muffins

  • 150 grams plain flour
  • 100 grams caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 bananas, mashed
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 80 ml olive oil

  1. Preheat the oven to 190 C, 375 F, Gas 5. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. A fairy cake pan works too!
  2. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients, ( flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon).
  3. Combine the beaten egg, mashed bananas and olive oil, fold into the dry ingredients until just combined.
  4. Fill each paper liner about half full and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
  5. Cool on a wire rack, store in an airtight tin.

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Pearl’s Lemon Olive Oil Cake

This recipe came from my friend Pearl who spends her summers in Italy. She got the recipe from an Italian friend who got it from someone in New Zealand.  Pearl makes great cakes,  she always gets a high rise! She is very relaxed in her baking, whatever tin you have will do she says.

I bake this cake  in a lined 8 inch springform tin. Pearl uses her local (Italian) extra virgin olive oil, which sometimes I’m also lucky enough to have!  Otherwise I use whatever extra virgin olive oil I have at the time.  I have made this cake so many times and it always turns out well. It is the easiest cake to make and quite a large one so it works well  for a dinner party dessert, served with some vanilla ice cream. Once I even forgot the syrup stage at the end and the cake was still good!

It is in cup measurements, I use my US cup measures. Pearl in her relaxed way says as long as you use the same cup for measuring everything it will be fine, I’ve seen her use a regular coffee cup.

  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup plain yoghurt
  • 3/4 cups olive oil
  • Zest from 3 lemons
  • 2 cups self rising flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice

  1. Grease and base line an 8 inch cake tin (I use springform)
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F 180 C.
  3. Whisk together the sugar and eggs.
  4. Mix in the yoghurt.
  5. Add the olive oil and lemon zest.
  6. Fold in the flour.
  7. Pour mixture into cake tin.
  8. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean when inserted into middle of cake.
  9. While cake is baking mix together the 1/4 cup of sugar & 1/2 cup of lemon juice to make a syrup.
  10. When the cake is baked, take from the oven and while still hot prick cake surface with a toothpick and pour the lemon syrup over the cake. Leave to cool in the tin

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TIFF/EP vs. Exif

I just discovered today that there are two different TIFF tags called “FocalPlaneResolutionUnit.” Tag 41488 goes by this name and is part of the Exif tag set. Accepted values for it are:

  • 1 = No absolute unit of measurement
  • 2 = Inch
  • 3 = Centimeter

Tag 37392 is a TIFF/EP (Electronic Photography) tag (working draft, final version not available online), also used in other raw formats, including DNG. Its accepted values are:

  • 1 = Inch
  • 2 = Metre
  • 3 = Centimetre
  • 4 = Millimetre
  • 5 = Micrometre

Recently I was sent a TIFF file, as a JHOVE issue, that had a tag 41488 with a value of 4. JHOVE correctly, but perhaps confusingly, reported that the fFocalPlaneResolutionUnit tag had an invalid value.

There are other tags in TIFF/EP that are equivalent, or nearly, to Exif tags. In some cases their values are identically specified, sometimes not. The Exif SubjectLocation tag is numbered 41492 and always has two shorts for its value, giving an X and Y value. The TIFF/EP counterpart is tag 37396, which can also have three shorts (specifying a circle) or four (specifying a rectangle).

I don’t know how this came about, but it’s something to watch out for in software that deals with both Exif and TIFF/EP tags. Some software may accept the EP extensions for Exif tags, but there’s no guarantee this will work.

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County seeks chunk of plaintiff's wrongful death verdict after settlement offer rejected

By Record News | Jan 1, 2019

BENTON – St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson claims a wrongful death trial over the suicide of Bradley Scarpi in jail produced a verdict so small that Scarpi’s estate owes the county $111,513.66 for taking the case to trial.

On Dec. 21, Watson moved to recover all fees and costs that the county incurred after Scarpi’s brother Dwayne White rejected an $850,000 settlement offer.

County counsel Thomas Ysursa wrote, “Defendants’ costs include the reasonable costs it incurred, due to having to try this case.”

The motion would give the county 37 percent of a $301,000 verdict that jurors rendered for White on Dec. 7.

It placed Senior District Judge Phil Gilbert between extremes, because White had moved a day earlier to recover $947,612.66 in fees and costs from the county.

His lawyers at MacArthur Justice Center in Chicago reported that they spent 2,362 hours on the case, and local counsel LaToya Berry spent 234.5 hours.

“This sort of recovery on behalf of the heirs of a detained individual is an outlier, well exceeding what prisoners generally are able to recover from state actors if they are able to recover at all,” they wrote.

Deputies detained Scarpi, age 33, on April 14, 2014.

On May 23, 2014, deputy Christopher Lanzante found him hanging from his cell bars, alive but unconscious.

Scarpi died at a hospital 37 minutes later.

White sued the county, Watson, and 13 employees in 2016.

His lawyers wrote that defendants failed to place Scarpi in a suicide proof cell, obtain mental health services, or check on him regularly.

They wrote that Scarpi told Lanzante he would kill himself and Lanzante told him he could do what he wanted.

They wrote that another detainee told Lanzante that Scarpi would kill himself, and Lanzante responded that then Scarpi would be dead.

Gilbert quickly dismissed most defendants, and as trial approached he granted summary judgment to others.

White dismissed three more, setting up trial for Lanzante and Watson only.

Jurors laid all blame on Lanzante, finding no unconstitutional policies or practices in Watson’s department.

They awarded Scarpi’s children $150,000 for wrongful death, and they awarded the estate $150,000 in compensatory damages for failure to protect.

They awarded $1,000 in punitive damages.

Although jurors didn’t hold Watson liable, the parties had agreed that a wrongful death verdict would apply to him in his official capacity.

They had also agreed that the county would indemnify any damage award against Lanzante or Watson in his official capacity.

White then petitioned to recover $868,475 in fees and $79,037.56 in costs.

“This litigation enforced the constitutional rights of a man who died because a government employee violated those rights,” attorney Vanessa del Valle wrote.

“It is difficult to imagine a public interest greater than preventing senseless deaths that occur because of the unreasonable behavior of state actors.

“Cases brought to redress deprivations of constitutional rights are a highly specialized area of federal practice.”

She wrote that lawyers must go to great lengths to discover what happened in an opaque environment where defense witnesses control evidence.

She wrote that the county’s $850,000 settlement offer included legal fees and costs and that if White had accepted the offer, he would be responsible for paying legal fees and costs.

As of Nov. 9, when White rejected the offer, he had accrued $576,000 in fees and costs.

Del Valle wrote that if he had accepted the offer the estate would have recovered $274,000, less than the jury awarded.

When Ysursa filed Watson’s motion for fees and costs, he added a footnote stating he would respond to White’s motion.

He listed $96,102 in fees, $10,606.56 in costs, and $4,805.10 for transcripts.

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Get The Systems, Training, Community AndSupport You Need To Forge Your Destiny!

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As soon as you place your order, you’ll get directed to a receipt page with an automated login link to access the materials. You can access it anywhere, immediately, without having to wait for anything or anyone.

The application will only take a couple of minutes to complete. It’s really more of an introduction to who you are and what you’re seeking. Fill out as much as you feel comfortable with. Go with your gut. Then you’ll be able to instantly go through a series of short trainings and resources we’ve prepared for you.

That way, you can make a real and informed decision to whether this is something you would like to learn more about or even participate in. Does that make sense?

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Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter

DIY Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter

DIY Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter

This Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter is quite simply wonderful for the hair! The recipe is quick to make and literally can be done with 2 ingredients (I use an extra ingredient to make it super moisturizing but this is optional).

Why is this a Moisturizing Conditioning Whipped Butter?

I have been asked if whipped butter (on its own) is moisturizing for the hair and in my opinion it isn’t really “moisturizing” because I find that in order for a product to be truly moisturizing it should have proper moisturizing ingredients – basically it should have water included in some way. Water, at least for my hair, is the beginning and end of moisture. Regular whipped butter (on its own) doesn’t usually include water (especially if it is homemade) unless you have also added preservatives to keep it from going rancid and growing bacteria. I find regular whipped butter to be excellent at sealing, providing shine, making the hair soft, but not necessarily a moisturizing product in itself. For example, I would not abandon using leave-in conditioner in place of regular whipped butter.

So the combination of the moisturizing leave-in with the whipped butter makes this a moisturizing conditioning butter! To make sure you are using a moisturizing leave-in look at the back of your product to see if water is listed within the top three ingredients (if it is the very first ingredient even better).

IMPORTANT! I am not a Doctor, Physician, Dermatologist nor a Cosmologist. The information provided on my blog is for informational purposes only and any use thereof is solely at your own choice/risk. The information contained herein is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment in any manner. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding any medical condition.  Once you have done that, do patch tests before you put anything all over your head. Please consider this as my advice. You are responsible if you choose to follow some of my methods.

DIY Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter

DIY Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter

  • 1 oz Whipped Shea Butter (you can use any whipped butter, I used my DIY Whipped Butter)
  • 0.7 oz Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner (you might need to experiment with different leave-ins)
  • 0.2 oz Glycerin (Optional for additional moisture)
  • Whisk
  • Bowl
  • Gloves
  • Airtight container

When & how do I like to use this mix?:

I consider this an ‘all in one’ product. It has moisturizing properties, the ability to seal in moisture and at the same time also helps to give a little definition. I normally apply the butter mid-week on hair that was already properly moisturized and sealed after it was washed. I use it to help restyle my hair, giving back curl definition on styles like a twist-out, braid-out, Bantu knot-out, pin curls etc. I usually lightly spritz my hair with water and then follow up with the mix and move onto setting my hair. If my hair is feeling uber dry I will use my DIY Spray Leave-In Conditioner or my DIY Moisturizing and Curl Activating Spray. I do not follow up with an oil since the whipped butter already contains oil.

Storage/Shelf life:

I make small batches of this since I do not use preservatives. The combo of the leave-in and butter can result in bacteria/mold growth if it is left for weeks and weeks before being used up or properly stored. I have kept my mix for 4 weeks without any issues (by week 4 I had used everything up) but I strongly recommend making small batches especially when you are first trying out the recipe because not all leave-ins will mix well with your chosen whipped butter. You can store it in your fridge to help extend its shelf life for a little longer, just keep in mind the cold temperatures in the fridge will make the mix a little hard so take it out at least 30 minutes before you want to use it.

Ingredient benefits:

Shea Butter: Shea butter acts as an excellent sealant and is known to help “trap in” moisture and moisturizing products applied to hair. Shea butter is actually considered to have some moisturizing properties and is therefore wonderful for the scalp as well as the hair. Shea Butter provides nourishment to dry or damaged hair from the roots to tips and is said to help repair and protect against weather damage, dryness and brittleness. It also has a smoothing effect that helps provide shine to the hair.

Water Based Leave-In: Water based leave-ins are a vital part of proving our naturally dry hair with moisture and should be part of our moisturizing routine. Leave-ins help to continue to condition the hair over the days they are left on and therefore help to prolong moisture in the hair while at the same time keeping the hair soft and supple. Leave-ins help to refresh styles, revitalizes our curls and help to smooth the hair cuticle, leaving us with shiny hair.

Glycerin: Vegetable Glycerin is a humectant that attracts water in the air (humidity) and directs it to the area applied (the hair.) Due to its oily nature it can also be used as a sealant however should be used sparingly and should be diluted since it is thick and sticky. Vegetable Glycerin is better served when used in moderately humid climate, if used where there is a lack of humidity in the air it can do the opposite, extract moisture from the hair to the air. At the same time too much humidity in the air can cause frizz. (Not all naturals like to use glycerin so this is a head to head preference).

I would love to hear what you think about this mix, especially if you try it out!


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Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury makeup

Hello beautiful! How are you today?

Today’s post is all about Charlotte Tilbury. I’m sure if you’re into make or beauty, you would have seen or heard talk about this range. I know I certainly had and was curious about it so I went on twitter (@majeang) and asked if it was worth it. I bought a couple of items so the answer was a resounding yes!

I went to Selfridges on a lovely Saturday with my friend for a trial on her Magic Foundation. The makeup artist tried 3 different foundation shades on me to get the perfect one until she was satisfied. My friend was a bit dubious with her choice but she was pretty adamant that it was the correct one.

Charlotte Tilbury makeup
Magic Foundation- £29.50

She then set it with powder, my shade was No.3 which looked so finely milled and went on so smoothly that I actually felt nothing.

Charlotte Tilbury makeup
Pressed powder – £33

Finally, lipstick was added and OMG this was one of the creamiest lipsticks I’ve ever tried. I went for their darkest shade, Night Crimson, which I absolutely fell in love with.

Charlotte Tilbury makeup
Lipstick- £23

After this was applied I walked about for 10 minutes and suddenly everything just came together. It seems that this makeup needs a bit of time to ‘breathe’ and mix with your body chemistry, a bit like perfume. I’ve got combination skin with sensitive areas and I have to say, it didn’t irritate me and it lasted until evening. So much so, that I was disappointed that I had to wash it off before bed.

Now this is on the higher end, think Bobbi Brown or MAC, but you get what you pay for. Not to say that you can’t get great products for less but only you can determine what is value for money. I highly recommend, at least what I tried and trust me I’m no beauty expert but if I can use this range with ease anyone can!

Tell me have you tried this range before? What did you think?

More about majeang

A 30-plus Trini lifestyle, travel and fashion blogger living in the UK trying to live her best life whilst, showing others that they can to!


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Colourpop X IluvSarahii: Pressed Powder Palette & Liquid Lipsticks

Colourpop X IluvSarahii Pressed Powder Palette

We can’t deny it – we LOVE collabs! We have been anticipating this one for WEEKS now & are sooooooo excited to announce that Colourpop is releasing what is possibly one of the most exciting collabs of the summer with ILuvSarahii on Wednesday, 5.24! The collection will include two Pressed Powder Palettes in shade combos Saucey Chic-y & three new Liquid Lipstick shades Mamacita, Curvii, and 951 – let’s get into this.

Colourpop X IluvSarahii Pressed Powder Palette

The packaging of these palettes is where we HAVE to start – those sleeves though! We love them not only for the gorgeous design, but also because they’ll protect the palette itself! We love that! The color combos in each of these palette is AH-MAZING! Saucy is a cool toned mix of pinks & peaches with some really incredible mattes. The palette will feature Heavy Gleam (Metallic), Razy (Matte), Chic Happens (Matte) & Lit (Metallic). Razy is that perfect brownish mauve that we would totally load up all over the crease for a super soft, blow out effect. The Chic-y palette contains slightly more wearable, neutral tones that we are totally falling for. There’s Vivacious (Metallic), Distressed (Matte), Freckles (Matte) & Noche (Matte). Mmm, we know all you matte lovers are drooling now knowing this set is mostly those – how perfect! This is a palette made for every skin ton & every eye color.

Colourpop X IluvSarahii Liquid Lipsticks

Lippies are always the highlight of CP collections – these are no exception! Each shade comes in a different formula & includes as matching Lippie Pencil! We have Curvii in the Ultra Glossy formula ($6)951 in the Ultra Satin Formula ($6) and Mamacita in the Ultra Matte formula ($6)! These are literally blowing our minds they’re THAT stunning: Mamacita is a suuuuuuper deep burgundy wine shade. This may not scream SUMMER at the top of its lungs, but we can get down with vampy lips any time of year. Plus, we love that they chose this to be the matte shade – there’s something about a crazy deep, matte shade that we can’t resist. 951 is the mid-toned, pinkish mauve nude. This one is your wear everyday, everywhere lip, for real. And you already know Ultra Satin is my jammmmmmm so I’m all over this one like Jefree Star is on his hunky man candy. Lastly, we have the Ultra Glossy lip in Curvii that literally everyone will adore! This peachy nude goes flawlessly with nearly any lip! The formula of these is so pigmented that you could even wear it on it’s own! Imagine it toped of 951 – I see my new fav lip combo coming up!

If the above swatches aren’t enough or if you’re just dying to see more of this awesome collab, Sarahii did a full swatch and overview video on her YouTube channel – check it out below!

All Upcoming Releases & Sales


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Camp Kalahari is located on the edge of the Makgadikgadi salt pans in the Botswana
10 rooms
Jack's Camp is classic camp located on the Makgadikgadi Pans in central Botswana.
8 rooms
Sans Camp is a deluxe camp Located in Botswana overlooking the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.
6 rooms
Planet Baobab is located on the edge of Makgadikgadi salt pan, 5 km from Gweta town
24 rooms
Meno A Kwena is located in Kalahari,salt Pans in Botswana and it is situated on tribal land on a cliff edge overlooking the Boteti River.
8 rooms
Fishing as a tourist activity is offered mostly by water-based lodges.
This activity is central to all camps and safaris are conducted by open 4x4 Land Rovers.
Birds are found anywhere in Botswana, although some areas offer better bird-watching activity.


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Vacuum Fitting Poster

Item #200-2050FIT Revised ON: 04/13
In stock
Item #200-2050FIT

The (OS1) Vacuum Fitting Poster features Larry the cleaning worker demonstrating the proper way to wear the SuperCoach Pro10 Vac. A perfect addition to your (OS1) Training room or anywhere your cleaning workers put on the backpack vacuums to go to work. Posters are sold individually and are 11 X 17". REVISED ON: 04/13
Write Your Own Review
You're reviewing:Vacuum Fitting Poster


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The Quareia Magician’s Deck

LXXXI – The Quareia Magician’s Deck is a unique magical tool for 21st century magicians.

LXXXI is a collaboration between magical artists Stuart Littlejohn www.stuartlittlejohn.com and Cassandra Beanland en gb.facebook.com/cassandrabeanlandart and magical adept Josephine McCarthy josephinemccarthy.com

All of the paintings are original works of art in oil, acrylic, or water colour, and are the result of three years painting and collaboration.

The deck has 81 cards, a mystical number that relates to completion, and it is divided in to four realms: the Divine Realm (red borders), the Inner realm (blue borders), the physical world (green borders) and the realm of death and the underworld (black borders). The further away from humanity a being or place is, the less human it becomes. This is reflected in the deck, and can teach a magician a great deal about how beings function and why.

Order LXXXI – The Quareia Magician’s Deck

Quareia YouTube Channel

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Family Lifestyle Session: The Williams'

This is seriously one of my FAVORITE blog posts EVER! When Kris told me she wanted a lifestyle session at their house and that they were going to plant flowers, I was ecstatic. This is what life is all about, folks. This is the beautiful of it all right here.

"Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going" -Tennessee Williams


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Clear Communication Creates Community

Posted: December 7th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Musings on Writing (and Life), Plain English: Why | No Comments »

It’s a fast, loud world—a world in which virtually everyone has a voice in the collective conversation that is the Internet. Our fancy law degrees are no longer enough to make people listen to us, so we may no longer hide behind time-worn conventions of legal writing. We lawyers will forfeit our voice in the collective conversation—and much of our influence—if we don’t learn to communicate more clearly.

But if we can learn to communicate clearly, people may begin to understand us. If they understand us, they may begin to trust us more. They may even begin to listen to and learn from what we say. We will have joined the conversation.

After all, communication, at its best, is about community.

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Plain = Honest = Trustworthy

Posted: December 6th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Most Popular Posts, Musings on Writing (and Life), Plain English: Why | No Comments »

Why is plain English such a powerful writing tool? Plain English establishes your credibility because it tells the reader that you speak a language that they already know and understand. It also shows your humanity so it creates a genuine connection between you and your reader. And plain English is clear and transparent. It reassures the reader that you are not trying to pull any fast moves with language, so it leads the reader to regard you as honest and trustworthy.

The most valuable asset that any lawyer has is trust—the trust of our clients, the trust of our colleagues, the trust of the public. A lawyer’s reputation is simply the public manifestation of that trust. Because plain English shows your honesty and humanity, it promotes trust. So plain English should be one of the foundations on which lawyers build careers and reputations.

How trustworthy is your writing?

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What do you think?

Why plain English?

Posted: June 3rd, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Mission Critical Stuff, Plain English: Why | Tags: , | No Comments »

Now that you have spent your three years of law school learning a foreign language, the suggestion that you write in plain English may hit hard. Why plain English? What about all those expensive new words? The fancy legalese? The scholarly Latin?

Our clients speak plain English and you should too. Plain English is clean and transparent so it fosters trust. It’s easily understood so it promotes justice and order.  And it shows empathy for our poor readers.  If you want your readers to listen to and learn from what you say, you need to use the language they already know.  Plain English adds value because it makes legal thought accessible.

Not only that, but your clients will like you for it.

I’m posting specific tips and pet peeves under Plain English Tips

What do you think?

How plain is plain English?

Posted: June 3rd, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Mission Critical Stuff, Plain English: Why | Tags: , | No Comments »

Plain English is conversational English. If you would not use a word or phrase when speaking with a colleague, don’t use it in your writing. Imagine you are writing for your Aunt Agatha, your neighbor or your friends on the train. These people will keep you real because they are very very smart and they will not tolerate fussy, impenetrable sentences. (And if you use fussy, impenetrable language in conversation, you problems are far too deep to be resolved in a writing program!)

Simply say each sentence aloud to edit for plain English and to cure clutter and grammatical errors. If you are smart enough to have made it through law school, the grammatical rules of modern English are embedded in your ear. Saying your sentences aloud is the only tool an educated writer needs for effective sentence-level editing.

And plain English does not mean simple English. You are entitled to use your massive vocabulary. But use it to achieve precision and nuance, not to show off your supposed intellectual superiority.

What do you think?


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Friday’s Odds and Ends

Posted by mcm0704 on April 25, 2014 |

This is going to be a short post today as I have been busy the past few days and did not have time to read the news and find something to rant about, which may be a good thing for my blood pressure. Part of what has occupied my time is helping out with a production at the Winnsboro Center For the Arts. Rudy Ramos, an actor from Hollywood, is in town to do his one-man show, Geronimo, Life on the Reservation, and we are so thrilled to have an actor of his talent on our stage.

We have a busy day planned for today. First we are going to a television station where Rudy will be interviewed. I’m going along to make sure he gets to Tyler and back without getting lost. It’s almost 60 miles one way, and he does not know his way around East Texas. His friend who is driving has a good GPS, but it doesn’t hurt to have a local who knows the shortcuts and has a map come along.

For the production, I am stepping into the role of stage manager, which means I get to help with the set and costume changes. Set change is going to be easy. Between scene one and scene two I put a chair on stage. After scene two I take it off.  After that, there will be nothing else for me to do on stage, as the rest of the show is done with no set pieces or props.

That is quite a challenge for an actor. To make a story come to life with nothing but a bare stage and his or her ability to get into character. Not many can pull it off, and I was impressed with how well Rudy did this during a tech rehearsal on Thursday.

Here is just a sample of the magic Rudy creates on stage. This video was shot in Memphis to kick off the nationwide tour of this show.

We will have performances on Saturday and Sunday, with more rehearsal this afternoon, so you will understand it if I am a bit absent this weekend. No, I didn’t say absent-minded. Just absent. So have a great weekend, and play nicely without me.

My joke from the comic strips today is from Heart of the City by Mark Tatulli
Heart is walking down the street with her side-kick, Dean. She says, “Someday when I’m rich and famous, I’ll have somebody to do all my cleaning. I’ll have somebody to do my shopping, pay my bills, wash my clothes, drive my car, AND feed my cat.”
“So what will you do?”
“Apparently walking around L.A. with a water bottle and complaining about the paparazzi is THE job to have today.”

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Don’t Mess With Old People

Posted by mcm0704 on September 24, 2014 |

Please help me welcome Mags as today’s Wednesday’s Guest. She is the central character in Nancy Lynn Jarvis’s novel, Mags & The AARP Gang. I reviewed the book on Sunday, so you can check that out if you want to. While Mags is entertaining us here, I am over at The Blood Red Pencil with […]

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Arteis Acquired by HP

Arteis, the privately held parent company of Logoworks and LogoMaker, has been acquired by HP for an undisclosed amount.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Arteis has been profitable since the summer of 2002, and pulled in about $3.5 million in 2004. Arteis provides enterprise solutions for small businesses seeking logo designs, business cards and other package services. The Arteis' model operates in a similar fashion to guru, which creates a marketplace for freelancers and gives them a platform to manage their own projects. They also incorporate collaborative efforts to bring forth quality and options for their customers.

HP plans to keep the same values currently promoted Logoworks in terms of the services they provide their clients. As marketing on the Internet increases, tools such as Logoworks become more important, and the do-it-yourself atmosphere teamed with a professional base that is provided by Logoworks is key to offering a cost-effective solution. As HP desires to move into a consumer-centric, individualized and customizable market, acquiring Arteis seems to be along the lines of HP's end goals.


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'Choo Shall Not Pass': Real-Life Gandalf Challenges Train

Commuters know that traveling by public transportation is sometimes far too similar to trekking through Middle Earth. But how do you think Gandalf would react to modern train technology if he lived in 2013? A train of passengers witnessed this firsth...


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Book of Memories™

Order a Book of Memories™ Memorial Website and share the memory. Learn More

Pre-arrangement is a gift to your family, sparing them from hard decisions at an emotional time. Learn More

Cremation Caskets

Longley (70000653)

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Specifications: Fiberwood
Laminated Medium Cherry Finish
Blue Crepe Interior

7663 Saltsburg Road | Plum, PA 15239 | Phone: 412-798-9740 | Fax: 412-798-9539 | Email: