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Lava Lamp: how to make a dinner party unforgettable with DYI Lava Lamp.

Christina
Create
Apr 22, 2021

Sixty and seventies styles are making a comeback. From wide lapels, hip huggers, and bell bottoms. A favorite of mine was laying back and listening to the Doors and watch the side lava lamp bubble away! This year dinner time has become more entertainment time, including tapping into throwback science! Who doesn’t love a little science along with your favorite vino and dessert?

In fairness we do have a family of nerds- microbiologists, biologists, mathematicians, chemists, and engineers typically surround our table, so science topics are pretty much the norm. Add in a couple of bottles of wine, and we soon find ourselves making lava lamps like school kids!

Homemade lava lamps are actually pretty simple to make and you can save the mixture and use it again!

Wine Glass or Jar
Oil – Canola Oil or Coconut Oil
Water
Food Coloring – Neon is wicked cool
Glow in the Dark Mica for Extra Fun
Alka Seltzer – Baking Soda and Lemon Juice (citric acid) can be used as well

Experiment Time:

Fill your wine glass or jar about 1/2 full of water.
Add your oil so there are about 2 inches left at the top (don’t want it to spill over)
Add in your food coloring and glow in the dark powder if you wish.
Break your Alka Seltzer tablets in quarters and add one at a time. (if using baking soda, put the baking soda in before you add the water, and then add about a tablespoon of lemon juice)

Now sit back and enjoy the show.

If you used the glow-in-the-dark powder, turn off the lights or use a flashlight behind the glass and still turn out the lights. Throw on some vinyl and you are going back in time!

Kung Pao Chicken-a quick and tasty way to end the week.

Christina
Food & Recipes
Apr 16, 2021

Kung Pao Chicken

Easy week-night dish with just the right amount of heat. This Szechuan meal is a one-pan meal (other than the rice). Loaded with veggies, but room for plenty more.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 6 People

Calories 375 kcal

Equipment

cast iron pan or wok
rice cooker

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Avacodo Oil
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs best but breasts work
4 each Scallions (chopped fine) chopped fine
1 Tbsp Ginger Fresh chopeed, ground bottled or freeze dried
2 Tbsp Szechuan Style Pepper Blend
2 Tbsp Roasted Red Pepper Thai Paste
1 tsp Garlic 2 cloves fresh, or use bottled
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
4 Tbsp Vegan Soy Sauce
1 small Water Melon Radish Sliced
4 tsp sugar
1 small Red Pepper Sliced
2 tsp Sweet Rice Flour
2 Tbsp Chopped Roasted Peanuts
6 Cups Cooked Jasmin Rice

Instructions

Prep all your veggies: this dish cooks quick. Dice your red pepper, slice the radish and chop the green onion (save some green onion for garnish)
Prior to cooking, season the Chicken with the Szechuan Pepper
Heat 2/3 Avacado oil https://amzn.to/3ed2erM in a large cast iron pan or wok https://amzn.to/3ed2erM over high heat until sizzles with a little splash of water. Avacado has a high flash point, so can withstand the high heat. Add chicken, cook well on all sides to get a good brown, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Lower the heat, and remove the chicken (we will add back in shortly).
Return pan to high heat; add remaining tablespoon of Avacado oil. Add most of scallions, red pepper, radish, ginger, Thai Sauce and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant, around 30 seconds to a minute.
Return chicken to pan; stir to coat chicken. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce and rice flour . Mix together, and cook for about 1 minute. Add the peanuts, and toss to combine. Garnish with remaining scallions. Serve immediately over rice.

Notes

Keyword chinese, kung pao, szechuan chicken

Craft Shows: when should you just buy that beautiful craft or try and make it.

· Craft Resin Charcuterie Board ·

Christina
Create
Apr 4, 2021

Craft Show Mistakes

When to Buy or Make

Craft shows can be a wonderful place to find gifts and one of a kind treasures or a money pit for crafters.

Craft| kraft |noun

an activity involving skill in making things by hand.

Verb [with object] exercise skill in making (something).

I like to consider myself a crafter, or better yet an artisan. Unfortunately, that means I think I can make anything or recreate anything. And typically, I would say I can, with enough investment and/or money as well as time. Rarely can we make a quality product on the first try.

Recently a dear friend visited from Hawaii. As a house warming gift she gave me a beautiful board with resin waves (the Hawaii theme). The artist is Marr Artworks on Oahu and can be found on Etsy, Marr Artworks. My friend knows my crafting passion, and has been the recipient of many a ware from my studio, so she says “you can make one like it”. And the wheels started to turn.

How hard can resin craft be. Now I won’t be giving you a video tutorial, or step by step instructions on how to fail at making a resin board. Like most crafts today, just go to YouTube and you can find a lot of instructions with detailed tutorials if you want to give it a try. Now don’t get me wrong, if you are a creator, and love to try new crafts, please give this one a try. Just don’t expect to have the same outcome as the board from Marr Artworks.

The real question is, when do you just buy the item and enjoy the artwork, and go down the rabbit hole. If you have a craft room that looks like mine, it is full of past craft supplies, that makes you wonder when you had time to do them all.

As I have spent many a Sunday, at our local Farmer’s Market, I can say some of my jewelry and wire crafts (quartz necklace) were quite popular locally. That said, I would sometimes see a piece of jewelry or other item I became enthralled with only to spend hundreds of dollars on supplies and hours recreating, only to find I didn’t love the process. I may have come close to making the item, but should have just bought the damn necklace and returned to what I love making.

Below is a list of items I purchased for my poor attempt at recreating the lovely art board. Note, they are links to amazon, but that is where I got the items to give this a go. I won’t give the prices but a total of what I spent vs. just buying the board for $45 from Marr Artworks, @marrarrworks.

List of items purchased:

Dr Craft’s Resin

Resin Pigment 20 Colors

Resin Disposal Cups and Sticks

Set of two Bamboo Cutting Boards

Rough edge cutting board from Home Goods ($7.99).

I had plastic cups for leveling (see one of the many videos), painters tape (the blue kind) and a hot air gun from my embossing days. Even with the items I had, my experiment cost me close to $100.

Notably, my white was pearl, and so didn’t get the white. I put way to much epoxy on, wasting a lot of material. and used too many colors.

I think I will try again, but won’t be selling them any time soon. I will stick to my coffee scoops and jewelry. Hopefully I will see you at the Wheeler Farm Sunday Market in Utah, and show off some of my art!

Now we are back to the question: should you buy or make. In this instance, epoxy is really not my thing, I would just buy! Come back soon to see some of the tie dye. That one I chose it as passion (all my family and friends can attest), and hope you would like a item or two.

Please go to Marr Artworks and order one of their pieces, they are beautiful!

Your feet don’t need to hurt: three ways to pain free walking.

· We don't have to settle- take control today, and fix your foot pain. ·

Christina
Lifestyle Hacks
Mar 23, 2021

Certain things we take for granite; breathing, sun rises, electricity, and walking about. Unfortunately, sometimes life gets in the way. In this case, an over strained ligament from toes to foot. Geez- getting older can be a literal pain. So what to do? Not walking or doing Jazzercise isn’t an option! So a little curative ice water, purple Ninjas and a new pair of Tenni’s will fix you right up.

Healthy Feet

lead to joy

A little stretching everyday goes a long way in preventing plantar fasciitis

Best hack for foot pain is to rub your foot daily on a frozen water bottle. An epsom salt bath will help with swelling! The next step is to get rid of old shoes, and get a pair that are designed to support your feet. Below are top shoes for foot health identified by Women’s Health Magazine in 2021.

Best Walking Shoe with Arch Support: Asics Dynaflyte 3

Best Cushioned Walking Shoe:Hoka One One Bondi 7

Best Walking Shoes for Wide Feet: Asics Gel-Contend 5

Best Value Walking Shoes: Ryka Devotion Plus 2 Walking Shoe

Best Travel Walking Shoe: Adidas Edge Lux Clima

Get out the Boots- it will be hiking time soon! Love the Mountains!

· Spring is in the air. ·

Christina
Adventures, Local
Mar 14, 2021

Mountain Escape

Time to Hit the Trails

Spring is in the air, which means it is almost time to hang up the skis and break out the boots.

From the Rockies to the Smokies, mountain trails provide a little peace, quiet and a little fresh air. Each area has it’s own beauty as well as pitfalls. Best advice to give, is know the hike rating, have plenty of water on hand, and have good boots (or in the case of my husband in his younger days, a good pair of Birks)!

Our favorite hiking is only half-hour or less away. We are fortunate to call the Wasatch range of the Western Rockies home. We can literally be on a mountain in ten minutes with any range of hike within a half hour. If you are looking for an app, I would suggest the All Trails App, ranks the hikes, gives you the map of the hike and tips on terrain. A local start-up in Utah has created TREK DECK- a deck of cards with 52 local hikes all ready mapped out and tested for you!

Above is a photo of a hike we took while visiting Zurich. Actually, any place we go, we are able to find a hike, walk or trek, to appreciate the natural beauty of the place we are visiting. Not only is it a nice break from the bustle of travel, but you meet some great people along the way!

Well spring is almost here, and the trails are calling!

Meet Freya the Shy Kitten-Learning to Love

· Latest addition to the Fur Baby Tribe ·

Christina
Freya, Fur Babies
Mar 13, 2021

Freya

No Longer Shy

Took her a few weeks, but she has now settled in and learning to love her human and fur baby family. She has come along way from her lonely shelter days.

My daughter decided another little one was needed in the house. Not sure why, but she was on the hunt. Finding a rescue anything during the pandemic was no easy task. Interviews were standard, along with demonstrating you were equipped to rescue a little life that needed a bit of care.

After a couple of weeks of disappointment, she got the call, and off to the shelter in Park City she went. There she met Freya. A twice abandoned kitten, for of all things, being too shy. Well it was love at first site- if initially a one way affair.

Once home, we realized we had our work cut out for us. She was really, and I mean, really shy. Her comfort zone was under the bed, in the middle, where no one could get her. After a few days of patiently laying by the bed, and loving her from a far, we realized a bolder approach was needed. She was happy as could be to sleep in the middle of the floor, under the bed, with someone in the room. No human interaction needed- but we knew she could change.

So- we moved the bed- lovingly carried her down stairs, and introduced her to the Fur Baby Clan (Tonks, Stark, Solo and Libby). That was all it took. Off she went, and the play time began. Following their lead, she began to play, and interact with her humans. Her little cross eyes, sometime meant she would run into them, but no harm no foul.

The best part, was when she started to talk. Cat’s don’t talk to each other as adults, just to their mom. However, they do learn to talk to their humans. At first it was a growl, but soon turned into a MEEWISH sound. She hasn’t mastered the classic MEOW, but the little MEW will do!

Best Retirement Ever

· Planning now for a great retirement ·

Wow, never thought I would be thinking about retirement. Aside from financial planning, never thought retirement was for me. Figured I would work forever. Then the unthinkable happened, I got old-ish. Don’t want to imply I am old by, sit on the porch with purplish hair, until I rot old, but that I actually can and want to do something else with my life.

With reality sitting in, I can now see the mistakes so many I coach from my corporate Human Resources view, have made. Retirement was a fixed point in time and not an actual life change. Frightfully, many retirees passed soon after retirement, and others thrived, even looking years younger. So what is the secret? What were the differentiating characteristics of their approach to retirement? Chatting with so many after retirement, it became clear; they were excited about their new adventure and planned for it. Not just that they had enough money, which of course is essential, but actually had a plan for what they were going to do (https://neon.ly/Retirement_Goals). Seemed simple enough, but how many of us actually engage in active goal planning for our everyday lives, let alone, actual retirement?

stylish office supplies arranged on table — Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

marketing people woman art — Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

A little plug for personal goal planning. I have had a time planner of sorts since graduating from University. Recently, while doing a little downsizing of stuff, found some old goal sheets. Nothing fancy, just a piece of paper with theoretical year goals and five year goals. These were things like, learn to scuba dive, buy a car, get a masters degree, zip-line, go on a cruise and a littany of other items. I made the list, tucked it away and that was that. Ironically, I have done this pretty much every year. The interesting thing, was how many of those one off goals I had actually accomplished. No grand plan, just simply writing it down.

Now I know from experience, had I engaged in detailed planning, I would have achieved more but was surprised at the results nonetheless.

“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.”

Gloria Steinem

So what to do? Simply take the time now, to plan for your next decade. I am looking at the back end of 50, but this applies to every time in your life. Trust me, if you are lucky, you will age and time will move forward. It is your decision, to actually plan your way, and have a sense of direction.

The one truth, as we get older, our bodies don’t always know the plan, hence contingencies may be needed. For example, if you had planned to tour around in a van for a couple of years, but now need regular medical care, have a back up plan, so you don’t feel cheated and just give up. Find a charity, manage a camp ground near home for a summer, travel more locally, or have an insurance plan that will accommodate doctors in remote areas. Choice is yours, but at least it is your choice and your plan (https://neon.ly/Retirement_Goals).

Mine is starting this business and blog. Having a focus that includes travel, the creation of products and crafts as well as exploring different aspects of life, is my way of planning for my future! What is yours?

Earn United Travel Miles without Travel or Credit Card

· Free Travel ·

Christina
Adventures, Financial Freedom, Passive Income
Feb 8, 2021

One of the down sides to the pandemic has been the lack of travel. Not just being stuck at home for months on end, but potentially lapsing mileage programs, and limited ways to earn miles, other than travel linked credit cards.

United Airlines, just started a program called “Opinion Miles Club”. Essentially you take a survey and earn mileage points upon completion. As with most programs like this, I was a bit dubious. Previously had received an email to earn gift cards for surveys, and after 3 hours, and not even close to a gift card, gave up.

But, times are a changing, so decided to try this one out and let you know if it worked, and if so, what do the financials look like.

First, I signed up at https://www.opinionmilesclub.com/index. Note, you need to be a member of United’s points program for you to get any benefit. The site does ask a lot, I mean a lot, of personal information. United claims it is protected, but know there is identifying information you do enter. No credit cards, or socials, but enough that I was a bit leary. But for the sake of all of you, I forged on.

I spent one (1) hour doing five (5) different surveys, plus my sign-up points of 300 and earned 600 points. Interestingly, I double-checked my United points balance, and the points were deposited immediately. Pretty cool! But is it worth the time, and how much time would it take to get an average ticket.

Most tickets I checked for April (maybe we can travel in April), were around 13,000 points for one round trip ticket. The one I selected was for Miami (thinking a cruise would be nice, HAHAHA)! To get 13,000 points, I would need to spend 28 hours (roughly), completed surveys. The value of the above ticket, in the economy section, was $324. Spending 28 hours for a $324 dollar ticket, is a wage of $13.36 per hour, almost double the minimum wage in my area.

So the short of it, if you don’t mind sharing your info, and can handle the tediousness of the survey process, and have the time, this is actually a viable way to earn some travel points to use when the whole pandemic thing is long gone! Happy survey completion for the purpose of future travel adventures!

anonymous travelers on beach against sea and houses on mount — Photo by Rachel Claire on Pexels.com

rocky formations on coast with plants and sea — Photo by Rachel Claire on Pexels.com

Make Spring cleaning equal cash: you deserve a little extra money in your pocket!

· Earn a little extra cash reselling your clothes and household goods. ·

Spring cleaning is almost upon us. I know that every year, as we clean out closets and drawers, we make quite a few trips to the goodwill. Although a good option to clear out the closets, they can be a way to earn a little extra cash. Full disclosure, my adult daughter has been using Posh Mark https://poshmark.com/, to sell some of her clothes ( hmmm- I think some I gave her), and as a way to get new clothes on her limited budget. Note, that you can list all sorts of household goods, but name brand and popular items work best; Scentsy, Athleta, Pottery Barn, and Lululemon, to name just a few.

Poshmark is an app where you can easily buy and sell, clothing and other goods.

Every user has a “closet” space where you can add new items to sell to other users on the app.

When adding a new item to sell, here are some tips as well as the basic steps.

1: For some well known or popular brands, there are hundreds of listings. So the challenge is to make your post stand out. One way, is to find the original picture for the distributor. They will have already spent the money on models, lighting, and stagging. Choose the photo that you want your potential buyers to see first, or commonly called the “display” photo.

2: Then take photos of your item, both front and back, to show the condition of the item. Fully disclose if there are rips, stains, or anything else wrong with the item. Just use your iPone and frame the item in a contrasting color. Always show the tag with the label, and if it is a new item, show the tag.

3: Upload all your photos, including a detailed description, again with details of any wear and tear.

4: Pricing can be tricky. First see how much the item is selling for from the orginal store, and your item is still for sale. If so, choose the pricing accordingly.

5: Costs to you. The old saying, “nothing is for free”, apply here as well. Poshmark will take $2.95 fee from your sale under $15.00, and 20% of all sales more than $15.00. THat may sound steep, but Poshmark supplies prepaid shipping that is built into the service. Not a bad way to earn a little more cash.

Poshmark is just one avenue to sell items. There are so many more; Decluttr, Facebook, Offerup, eBay, Chairish, Dealo, etc.. Like anything else, this could be a way to make a little extra cash:

Pros: no inventory required (other than what you have on hand), no upfront costs, all app based, shipping charges included and the company takes care of the back end advertising.

Cons: no control if items will sell, competing with a lot of sellers, inventory shortage, unless you want to shop garage sales and good will, and then resell.

Many a niche store has been developed through the resale of items. So, good luck with your first resell!

assorted apparel and accessories for dress sewing in tailor atelier — Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

Watching Sundance Films

· Sundance Film Festival ·

Christina
Adventures
Feb 2, 2021

Being from Salt Lake City, the Sundance Film Festival is a staple family activity. In the past 10 years, the festival has become a bit big and in many cases expensive. One good outcome from 2020, is that the festival is officially virtual and you can attend what you want.

Yesterday, we were fortunate to watch a preview of one of the showcased films, ” Life In a Day”, by Kevin Macdonald. In 2011, he showcased, “Life In a Day”, 2010, and now we get to experience July 25, 2020, from around the world.

Where were you on July 25, 2020; inside, isolated, alone in the wilderness? The film showcases what thousands of our fellow humans were doing around the world. From giving birth to kite flying, playing with pet rats, and of course, dealing with COVID-19.

If you have never been able to go to Sundance, this film is a great example of innovative film making. The film will be released on Saturday, February 6, 2021, on youtube, for free!

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