Friday Thoughts: Speedy Speed Style
Hey friends! It’s time to pop back in with a speed style Friday Thoughts post because I have so many crazy things to talk to you about. And also, these posts are my favorite. And also, you guys are AWESOME. Your comments on these posts are golden. I come back to them over and over when I need some ideas (and laughs).
Today I’m going through a bullet list of things that have been on my mind. It’s kind of a lot. But don’t be scared. AND DO NOT LEAVE ME HANGING. I need some help and advice and friendship and support and chocolate. So answer all my questions, dang it. 🙂 Especially #7. Thanks.
You can catch all past Friday Thoughts posts here.
1. Glasses Thoughts: I ordered my first-ever pair of glasses online at Zenni Optical (unsponsored, not affiliated with them in the least) after hearing how inexpensive it could be. I was scared (my prescription is pretty gnarly with a really high astigmatism). I had to measure my pupillary distance (gulp). I succeeded (awkward miracle). I have wanted a pair of clear-ish frames for a while and love them so much. I’ve never received so many compliments on glasses before. You can see them in these IGTV videos. Here’s the link to the frames I ordered.
2. How to Teach Kids to Read Thoughts: my days of teaching kids, at least my own kids, to read are past (and it makes me kind of sad). With all five of my kids, I used this old school, simple, no frills book to teach them to read – aff. link. They are all varying levels and strengths of readers, but I can solidly say that this book gave each of them a really strong foundation for basic principles. It’s not exciting and colorful (I often bribed them with M&Ms to get through the first lessons until the pictures start appearing with the stories), but I love this book and am grateful I had it to teach my kids (they each started using it at different ages based on their individual personalities and learning styles, but it was anywhere from 4-6 years old for each of them). Anybody else used this book?
3. Bum Bum Cream Thoughts: Yes, you heard me right. Bum Bum Cream. (Heads up, lots of bikini-clad women on the website – you can also find it here on Amazon– aff. link) This stuff is magical and wow, it has a cult following. I’m sure I’m the last person on earth to know about it. And despite the name, it’s not really for your bum bum. At least I don’t think so. Ha. I use it as my go-to hand cream (along with this Capri blue lotion – aff. link). I’ve never had lotion that smelled so good. Like, people have actually come up to sniff me when I’m wearing it…which has made me think swiftly about discontinuing use, personal space issue alert, but I can’t because I love it. It’s soft and smooth and not greasy and perfect.
4. Signature Recipe Thoughts: I’ve been known to wax poetic about the value of having a signature recipe and how empowering that can be. A recipe that people know you by. A recipe people request and talk about. A recipe that basically makes you feel like a rock star. Not only is it kind of fun, but it also becomes a back-pocket recipe. Something you don’t even have to think twice about when you make it because it turns out perfect every time, and it can become a really easy go-to recipe to take anytime you need a stellar ________ (fill in the blank) recipe for that certain event or potluck or whatever. Plus before you know it, people will be saying things like “I really hope she brings her famous horseradish carrot jello salad tonight!” except of course I really hope no one actually has a horseradish carrot jello salad as their signature recipe.
I LOVE asking people what their signature recipe is. So here goes. What’s your signature recipe?? I think I have different signature recipes depending on the occasion, but one of them is definitely these super soft chocolate chip cookies and I make this fluffier than fluffy bread all the time to take to new neighbors/church members and peeps who just need a little thinking-of-you-here’s-a-loaf-of-bread-don’t-feel-guilty-about-eating-the-whole-loaf kind of pick me up. I also say it’s perfectly ok for your signature recipe to change over time (or every day).
5. Movie Thoughts: recently my two younger kids (ages 7 and 10) and I stumbled on this Miniscule: Valley of the Lost Ants movie, and holy cow, it was entertaining. I didn’t read anything about it before we started watching so I was slightly alarmed/bemused when I realized there was no talking in the movie at all, but my kids did not even notice. It was creative and funny and highly captivating. Also, I just watched the Hundred Foot Journey movie and quite liked it! I mean, yes, because it’s about food, but I enjoyed the personalities and story line (even though there was just one part that I can’t mention because of spoilers that had me side-eyeing the believability). Have you watched either of these?
6. Sunscreen Thoughts: I’m actually gearing up to do an updated suncare/sunscreen post related to my skin cancer and some updated products I’m using and things I’m doing to protect my skin and my family’s skin. But. I had to tell you about this supergoop unseen sunscreen that has completely rocked my world. It.is.amazing. I’ve been using it every day on my face (finding the right facial sunscreen is SO hard especially with an spf 40). It has the most interesting, lovely matte texture that feels like a primer (and I love it). Honestly, it’s one of those products I’m totally scared will ever be discontinued because it’s become such a huge part of my skincare regime.
7. Photo/Video Storage Thoughts: Ok, I’m almost done, but I just have a super big question for you. How do you store your personal/family digital photos and videos long term? On a cloud service? External hard drives? CDs? Haha, mostly kidding with that last one (ahem, says the one who has a bunch of cds stuffed with family pictures from the early 2000’s sitting in a closet somewhere). I’ve used external hard drives as a backup for our family photos/videos forever, but based on the fact that they can fail and/or a natural disaster could wipe them out, I think I need to explore a cloud service. However, the daunting task of uploading 17 years worth of digital pictures with subpar internet speeds has me holding back (as in, it would take years to upload them all). Am I missing another obvious solution? Help? Advice? Chocolate? Send it all.
That was a lot! Sorry for the brain dump! So much for “speed style” haha. If you made it to the end, just know I love your guts and am virtually sending you high fives and lots of cookies. Love your guts!
Oh wait, there’s more!
Friday Thoughts Update:
After the last Friday Thoughts post and your significant alarm at my game closet, a much-needed intervention took place. Behold the before and after. I’m actually happy (and completely and utterly shocked) to say that two months later, it still *mostly* looks like the new and improved version. Storing games on their sides is brilliant; thanks to the many readers who suggested that.
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339 Comments on “Friday Thoughts: Speedy Speed Style”
I just started using that book to teach my almost kindergartner to read! I love it so far! Very relaxed, works on several skills, i.e. sounds, rhyming, blending and reading comprehension all at once. He needs a little incentive as well sometimes .
I’m big on backing up my photos. I have them on my computer, on an external hard drive, on my Carbonite subscription to automatically back them up, and I’m in the process of storing them on Dropbox as well. I don’t want to lose any of them. Also, make sure you’re printing your photos at a place that has archival quality. I’ve been using Persnickety Prints for years, and I love them. Water won’t damage their prints. Technology changes all the time and photos that are printed the right way can last hundreds of years.
Am I the only one who read, “How to Teach Kids to Read Thoughts” and thought you were talk g about mind reading for a second? ♀️
Little late to the party, but that’s my reality. So, here goes:
1-Thanks for your suggestions; I typically just get my frames at my ophthalomolgist and they are always way too pricey.
3 & 6-Bum Bum Cream . . . just ordered and excited to get it. One suggestion . . . start while you are young and sunscreen your hands. I didn’t and my hands give away my age. Most people think I am at least 10 years younger than I am until they see my hands. I use sunscreen products from Paula’s Choice (available online) and have for over 20 years (but unfortunately, not on my hands until the last five or so years).
4-Signature recipes . . . different things for different groups. I make about 30 dozen cookies (about six different recipes) every Christmas season and give to friends. About 15 years ago, I started to add sugared cranberries. People absolutely loved them and many people eagerly await them on my Christmas plate each year. The next door neighbor only wants cranberries. My daughter loves my lemon steak and has converted her husband. My husband and his family begs for my macaroni salad. I am asked repeatedly to bring Keith’s baked beans, baked apples, and/or apple pie (the secret is to use at least three different apples and to cook the slices in apple cider) to family and church events. And, lastly, my husband is known for his barbequed flank steak. Whew! That’s too many!
7-Really need to do this. Appreciate everyone’s comments.
I have two pairs of glasses from Denny. I love them, had them for over two years still no scratches. Sometimes you have to dig in for cute frames but they are certainly there to be found.
Your Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best I’ve ever tried and my new go-to! They should definitely qualify as your signature cookie anyway! 🙂
I just ordered that sunscreen. It sounds awesome. Thanks for the tip!
As someone who gave up on contacts almost 20 years ago, I love industry disruptors in the Rx glasses field! Seriously such an overpriced industry. I also love Warby Parker for a lower cost option. Not as dirt cheap as Zenni, but they do have a few in-person locations (if you are lucky enough to live near one) which made it easier for me to find a good fit. And since moving overseas I have purchased another pair using the option to have them mail you up to 5 different frames to try on at home.
And I definitely have opinions on photo backup storage! Years ago before we had children my husband and I took a trip to Brazil and shortly after our compute crashed and we lost EVERYTHING. I only cared about the pictures, which represented the first 7 years of our marriage, including what was a huge-deal, epic trip for us. Had a friend try to restore our hard drive then sent it to special company to try to have it fixed in their “clean room” for $800 but no one could get anything off it and we just ended up a little poorer. Ever since then I have paid yearly for an online backup service. I have used a few different companies and right now use idrive. I just switched a few months ago due a promotion they had for those leaving another service that discontinued service for home users. But didn’t make the jump before reading a lot of industry reviews. I have always been told that you want to do a hard drive backup and cloud based backup for the most ideal, but not failsafe, protection. Many of my photos also backup to services like google photo, but honestly even though I mainly care about the photos, I feel better paying for a service that backs up my entire computer and keeps everything in a nice orderly file system that I am comfortable with. I really like folders! And its nice that I never have to think about it. Since I recently switched I had to do the whole upload process over again and it’s wasn’t that bad. I think it only took a few hours for the initial upload (or at least not more than a day), and I could still work on the computer if I needed to. Had an initial issue with it not working right on my MAC but there was a phone number to talk to a real person in customer service and they quickly helped me resolve the issue. Of course in the 12 years since had that heartbreaking computer crash we have never had another issue, but no one can make me stop paying and protecting our photos from here on out!
I have used the same book to teach my children to read (one left to go). I know everyone says how boring it is, but my brain loves how orderly and systematic the approach it. I seriously love it, even if there were a few (ok a lot) of rough moments getting a few of my kids on board at times.
Yikes! I know I’m already #331 in the comments, but I couldn’t help saying “hey” since you sent your love to us via virtual cookies!!! I used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and it is so stinkin’ boring, but IT WORKS, and that is what matters to me, haha… I already used it with my first two, but my (currently) four-year-old has a whole different style of learning (very artsy little fella) and I am terrified it will some how not work with him…. Unless I use your brilliant bribe of m and m’s….. Anyway, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, Mel!!! I hope it was delicious!!!!
Happy Mother’s Day. Our delicious dinner featured your recipes, something that’s happening so often, it leads me to your Signature recipes question. Your recipes have become more and more my go to for special events and family dinner. Thank you for providing the kind of recipes that make those moments special. You obviously have a very special talent.
So many thoughts Mel! Thanks for sharing. I think my signature dishes are probably my pinto beans (they have chipotle peppers in them, so they’re kind of special), my chocolate chip cookies (I make the NY times overnight cookie dough recipe), and your cinnamon roll cake. Those three are the first that come to mind.
You’re a gem! Have a wonderful mother’s day tomorrow!
I LOVE the movie Hundred Foot Journey! So glad you saw it. Very few people have heard of it.
I have been stressing about photo storage as well. Feeling very unorganized and overwhelmed. So I purchased this: https://missfreddy.com/courses/ backup bootcamp. I am almost done with it. Have learned so much and feeling much better about my picture situation 🙂 Would totally recommend it. You can also hire her to do it for you, which I think would be amazing as well.
From what I’ve heard, Google is good but Amazon saves your full size images and google compresses them. Both have facial recognition and all sorts of really great features. I am going to use Amazon cloud since it’s free with a prime membership. You just have to pay for extra video storage. But I like the youtube idea someone mentioned in another comment! So, after the bootcamp I now have an external hard drive with all my pictures organized in years and months and now I am getting ready to backup to amazon photos! That way it’s in 2 places.
I have been trying for so long to get a good massaman curry recipe, with little to no success. Would you mind sharing?
We use google photos for back-up, as well as shutterfly and we will soon attach a hard drive. I have many CDs of pictures from around 2006 and am in the midst of loading them onto the computer to add to google photos.
Reading! We have an online preschool program in our state that two of my littles have done. They learned to read using that program AND we read a lot of books! We LOVE reading and make weekly trips to the library.
Glasses! I have worn contacts for AGES and would love to have a good pair of glasses so that I don’t have to spend so much money on contacts! Thanks for trying out Zenni and giving a review of it – I will just have to take the plunge and go for it!
I didn’t think I had a signature recipe until my husband’s aunt asked if I would make “the baked beans you always make” and also the rolls you always make? I was perplexed because I didn’t ever remeber making the baked beans!! HAHA! The rolls, of course, were your french bread roll recipe!! DELICIOUS!
Quick comment about storing games on their sides. I bought some extra large rubber bands to keep the game contents in the boxes when they’re stored on their sides. It’s worked out great, especially for the games that have somewhat mangled boxes if you know what I mean. 😉
At the risk of getting lost in all these comments . . . .
Fish Tacos.
As for photo storage, I use two back-up drives. One is my usual backup drive, and the other I update every couple months. I hesitate to use cloud storage, because I’d rather have the physical drive. Sort of like preferring real books to e-books, I suppose.
As far as photo storage, I asked my uncle once his ideas for saving important photos, documents, etc.–he works with computers and is the vice president of his company…very tech savvy. He said that he always backs things up in multiple ways (at least 3 or so). The cloud…like anything else…is not fail-proof. We have an external hard drive. We use the cloud, and we have things stored on thumb drives, computers, etc. Have fun and good luck!
Some of my kids are slightly stubborn, so they’re pre-learning-to-read skills were picked up by the Leapfrog “Letter Factory” video, and the follow up “Word Factory.” They love it. As a side note, we bought it originally for the same kid who started potty training finally after watching the “Elmo’s Potty Time” DVD, and NOT because mom tried to teach her to. Mainly because (at least one) of my children would rather listen to anyone but mom on certain things….
As far as photo storage, I make a Costco photo calendar yearly for my parents, and that has become one of my backup plans since those photos stay on their web site in my account. After losing a whole year or more of photos to an external hard drive that was damaged, I rely on that to be my backup for now and try to upload my most important photos more often than once a year. We also are trying to figure out a “better way” for the long term. And we also have photo CDs, but my husband said I have too many pictures to do that now.
My husband was a missionary in Thailand, and because of that, I’ve really enjoyed perfecting my massaman curry as a go-to knockout pot luck dish.
I have been trying for so long to get a good massaman curry recipe, with little to no success. Would you mind sharing?
I just recently discovered your blog, and I love it. I feel like I ‘know you’ just by reading the last several posts and it seems you think similarly to me so I can easily follow your thought-processes. I am eager to try many of the recipes on your website but seem to have found you right after your Friday Thoughts post. I thought I’d put my two cents worth in. Glasses–I like your clear ones and have almost the same frames but in black. I have been wearing glasses since 1st grade and I too have very high astigmatism (off the charts) but have never used that site–I go to Lenscrafters–might need to look into it. Reading–my mother never used a book to help me read. Rather, she would read all kinds of books to me–if I expressed interest in it, it went in the basket to read–and took me every week to the library as a special outing, where we often would sit and read out loud taking turns. She taught me both the roots of words (Greek and Latin) and phonetics so I could sound them out. She was also a stickler for looking up meanings of words in the dictionary. By the time I was in school I devoured books, loved the book fairs, and would ask for books for Christmas.
I do not know if I have a signature dish. Like others have stated, I usually ask what is needed and make that. I do have a decent gift for baking cookies and I have a Chocolate Pie recipe handed down from my paternal Grandmother that I make somewhat often. Perhaps that counts? Sunscreen–I have a love/hate relationship with Sunscreen. Since I live in the south it is a must, but I am allergic to all metals, including the zinc that is prevalent in so many. I have found that tinted moisturizer cream works well for me day-to-day for my face and that sunscreen appropriate for babies works for more sun exposure (I did find I cannot keep using the same one all the time or it quits working, weird, huh?). Finally, photo storage. I have a three-fold system. I keep the SD cards when they become full in a SD card holder in a safe. I back those up using my computer to an external hard drive or USB and I also cloud-store them with Shutterfly, using many of the photos to make books, photo cards, collages, etc. For older, non-digital photos. Those I have not already scrap-booked, I put in photo-safe storage boxes and have been slowly scanning and digitizing them. The negatives go with the SD cards in the safe. As a bit of an OCD photo description person, I have my digital ones organized by year, then month, then event/person, and labeled with who, what where, why and when as appropriate. I still print/scrap/or collage my photos regularly and like to keep current photos in frames around the home.
I love these posts so much!
I’m going to get the sunscreen as soon as it’s back in stock, I’m on their email list! I’m curious though, do you reapply all day? I hate the idea of washing my makeup off and reapplying so I’m wondering what your system is.
I Dropbox for all my photos and Crashplan as my computer back up.
My signature dish . . . maybe my mac and cheese? People always ask me to bring that at cookouts. That’s a tough one, I rarely make the same dish!
Hi Mel! So even though I love love love your recipes my question is related to health! I, too, had melanoma a year ago and am always looking for quality, sunscreen. I just purchased Ungoop per your recommendation. What do you apply for a daily sunscreen over the rest of your body?
Chili Con Queso is my signature dish which is totally unhealthy but people said it was like crack for the soul. I don’t think any of my friends have actually used crack, but you get the idea. Unclear if you want my recipe, but it is very easy and incredibly delicious.
Sunscreen: you may like Keys Solar Rx SPF Moisturizer Sunscreen (physical sunblock, not a chemical sunblock) —works well—I’ve been using this for 8 years. Keys Luminos Facial Moisturizer (for night—no sunscreen). The CEO/Founder tells her story of developing these products following her melanoma & subsequent skin issues from chemicals in rxs & skin products.
Keys has a kind of Alternative Naturals — jellied avocado oil (instead of petroleum jelly) skin products; also hair & body products & even a dog product line! They sell trial size packets to see if you like the products.
https://www.keyspure.com/
I looked at this site and products. They look wonderful! Also read the story behind the product development. Thanks for sharing this! I have a wonderful local (and they’ve been written up in Glamour: https://www.thegoodstuffbotanicals.com) source for some things, but they don’t make hair care products. And I might try the tinted moisturizer. The founder’s story about the chemicals in prescription and other skin products causing problems really resonates with me.
Liz—try mixing a tiny bit of your own foundation w/ a small amount of your sunscreen; may be a better match to your skin color than the Keys tinted sunscreen (they offer one tint).
Thanks for the suggestion KT. I actually tossed all cosmetics over the last year, tweaked diet a little (more Omega3 and VitD foods) and my skin responded. At any rate, I ordered samples from KeysPure – what a great option to try things!
Given my struggles finding glasses I like that fit well, that site is amazing…thank you. And, looking through your IGTV link…the clear frames are cool but I think you’re very striking in the dark frames.
That book for teaching reading seems to be popular around here. I need to get on it for the summer. My kindergartner is right on level but I’d like to see him ahead a little more before school starts in the fall.
Signature dish: probably my Spicy Molasses Cookies. They started from Pioneer Woman’s recipe but I’ve modified them enough that maybe they count as my recipe now??
Sunscreen: I always follow your sunscreen posts. It’s a big issue at my house with ingredient allergies and texture/sense/scent issues. But…$32 a tube? I don’t think I can do that. =(
Photo storage: they go from my phone, to backed up on my laptop, then laptop backed up on external hard drive. Maybe not enough protection but all the patience and time I have.
Thank you for the movie recommendation for my 5 yr old.
Hi, Mel! I feel your pain about photo storage! But, I am looking into Ibi – The Smart Photo Manager and plan to use it this summer, organizing photos!
Oh, I can’t wait to try that facial sunscreen. I have been looking for something, too!
It is odd, but, my signature cake is Duncan Hines yellow cake with my mother’s butter cream icing. My sons ask for it for every holiday! (especially birthdays)
Love, love, love your recipes!!!!
Thank you!
I love these questions. Please share results. I have been trying to find the
“how to teach your kids to read book for ages. I could never get the title right!! Thank you. And the games storage..genius. Thank you. I love your site SO MUCH.
When I saw #2’s title, I seriously thought it was going to be about reading minds. “Why on earth would you want to teach your kids how to read thoughts?!?”
That’s what I thought too! Haha! And then next, I would have to know how to read thoughts before I taught them … yikes!
🙂
#7 I store all my pictures on Shutterfly. I also use them for Christmas Cards, photo calendars, and family photo books. The storage is free.
Thanks, Krista!
First off, love your guts. We use Google photos and then to be extra safe, I download (every few months) the google photos onto my laptop. I also make sure my laptop is backed up with Carbonite.
Sounds like a great backup plan, Christine! Thanks for sharing!
I also use Google photos app… it stores videos too. I also use Shutterfly for my pics because you can order on-line from them. You can also set both to automatically upload all your future pictures to them so you never have to do a thing. 🙂
Hi Mel!! I love your Friday Thoughts posts!! To answer #7…we use Amazon cloud storage to store our photos and videos and it is great! We have it set to upload automatically every day. Yes! It did take some time to upload our years of pictures initially but we “set it and forgot it” and just let them load. It’s about $59 a year..totally worth it! Xoxo!
Thanks, Jamie! A lot of people have recommended Amazon for videos!
Hi Mel! My signature cake recipe is this one https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/raspberry-lemon-cake-recipe, and I hope you try it because I know you’ll LOOOVE it! There’s lemon curd! And lemon zest! And fresh raspberries! (Don’t skip those, the pop of juice mixed with the cake and frosting is unreal) I recommend using orange zest in place of the flavoring it calls for in the cake, and buttercream in place of the meringue frosting.
Whoa…that cake sounds amazing!! Can’t wait to check it out. Thanks, Sarah!
What a great conversation! I used How to teach your child to read book with all four children. It is amazing. (a lot of incentives for some of the kids who didn’t LOVE reading).
My hubby is an ophthalmologist so we haven’t used Zenni (but totally would if I didn’t have the sweet hookups) he doesn’t eat curry or anything with a strong smell for lunch to spare his patients (fairly sure he has popped a few comfort level bubbles).
I haven’t seen or read one hundred foot journey but can’t wait to check it out (second recommendation this week).
My signature dish, 10 years ago it would have been sticky chicken. Now, I love variety (thanks to you!) I wouldn’t say it was signature dish but my vegetarian friends were super sad when I didn’t bring lentil chili to a ward cook-off (I brought it the previous year…guess I know what is expected)
You are amazing! Thanks for all the wonderful food that comes into my home! My 13 year old son makes your French bread rolls every Sunday.
Haha, I laughed at the curry comment, Julie. And also, your 13-year old is seriously a rock star for making those rolls. My kids need to step up their bread baking game for sure!
My mother-in-law gave me that book for teaching your child to read, months ago, and I was like “this is great! I’ll look at it someday” and then it went on my bookshelf and I forgot about it. Then I was talking with my friend recently, and I learned that the schools here only teach kids to read by sight (my daughter starts kindergarten this fall) (I’m dying a little inside)(she’s my only kid) and I was like HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECK NO. Over my dead body will my kid not be able to recognize words phonetically.
So that’s the story of how this book has been sitting on my kitchen table, telling me to teach her to read everyday for the past two weeks, and I haven’t started it yet, but then you posted this about that exact book and I’m like “look, okay universe, I hear you, we’ll start tomorrow”.
And THAT’S the story of how m&ms have been added to my “run to the store” list for tomorrow.
Whoa. Yes. Sounds like the universe was doing some serious communicating with you!! Good luck. (And be sure to get some M&Ms for yourself…the first few lessons aren’t super fun for anyone, at least in our experience). Also, momma hugs for sending your kiddo to kindergarten. I know some moms rejoice; I’m the sad mom for a few days.
Google Photos is AMAZING! I had photos on a couple laptops, a desktop, and my phone. I got Google photos on each device, logged in on each device using my Gmail account, and now all photos are in one place. I pay Google $20/year for extra storage. I mostly take photos and videos with my phone, and they immediately backup to the Google photos cloud. The face recognition and search functions are incredible for finding old photos. The Google Photos app even makes videos and photo books for me. Definitely check it out. Also, I have heard from a few places recently that it is crucial to print hard copies of photos because digital ones will be “lost” in 20, 30, 50 years. Our kids and grandkids won’t know where to find them if we don’t print them. I LOVE Chatbooks for this but am looking into other options as well.
So, so many people saying google photos is where it’s at! I need to see if I can transfer over some of the photos I uploaded to google drive to google photos and then it would make sense. Thank you! And that’s interesting about digital photos not being around forever. That’s kind of scary.
Not sure I can take credit for a signature dish because 99% of the things I cook that get rave reviews come from your website ha, ha! I do have an easy chocolate cake recipe with buttercream icing that I found in a Canadian Living magazine years ago. It’s delicious and super easy. It’s the one thing I do get asked to bring whenever we have family birthday suppers at my mom’s.
Have you ever tried sunscreens by COOLA? I use COOLA Face Mineral BB Cream Matte Tint, Unscented, SPF 30 everyday and love it. It’s light and leaves my face face with a smooth matte finish and the tint just blends in and doesn’t leave any kind of strange colour on your skin. I’m very fair skinned and you can’t see it at all. It also comes untinted as well. The active ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc. I’ve been using it for years on our trips to Mexico and our August trips to Florida and have never burned my face yet (and the August sun in Florida is no joke for this pale Canadian girl!). Granted I do always wear a hat as well which obviously helps. My dad had melanoma on his back which thankfully was caught early and was successfully removed so I do try to be extra careful.
https://coola.com/collections/face/products/mineral-face-spf-30-unscented-matte-finish-tint-sunscreen-lotion
Seriously, you can’t go wrong with a killer chocolate cake. I bet it’s fabulous! I haven’t tried that sunscreen company but I’ll definitely look into it! Thank you so much!
#2 That’s the best book\program for reading! Love it!
#7 We do cloud storage but we also do everything on chromebooks. Good luck.
Thanks, Marie!
I am so excited to read through #7, because I too am at a loss with what to do. This is my current system: Every time I clear my camera of pictures, I organize them by year, then month, into 3 spots: my computer and 2 separate external hard drives. The external hard drives go into my safe, which is fireproof for 2 hours. The reason that I have TWO external hard drives is that I have already had one (quite expensive one) fail. And my computer hard drive has failed before. Twice. So in my paranoia, I have 3 backup spots. None of them are ideal. My computer is so full that it is SLLLOOOOOW. And the external hard drives are cramping the space in my safe. I also don’t trust cloud sites. What if they go bankrupt? What if the site gets hacked and wiped out? Clearly there is no easy answer! And as far as my albums…I stopped printing years ago. Okay, on to something else. My signature recipe is probably a chicken curry recipe I adapted from allrecipes.com years ago to suit our taste. There are many people that don’t like it (like my meat-and-potatoes dad), but in my rural area of MN, many people are pleasantly surprised by how yummy something not made out of wild rice or tator tots can be. When I bring it to potlucks, I generally give out the recipe to quite a few people and return home with an empty pot. Sunscreen: I am frugal and use the generic Oil of Olay face cream with SPF at Walmart. I am going to be checking out that book and those movies. And I realize how blessed I am to have a family of 6, and NONE of us need or wear any kind of eye correction. We have other issues, believe me 🙂 Have a great week Mel!
I don’t think that’s paranoia – sounds like that’s straight up smart! And makes me feel better for having two external backups and a fireproof box, too. I’m also a little nervous about cloud systems, too. What to do?!? Love the curry signature recipe! Way to get people to eat outside of their comfort zones!
Mel, I love your website! I have made SO many of your recipes and passed them on to my family and friends as well. I also love looking at the products that you use and recommend and have bought several of those as well. And your family is SO cute and I do enjoy hearing about the fun things your kids are doing (now that mine are grown).
I feel like one of my best recipes is my macaroni and cheese – at least according to my family. And, dessert wise it would have to be my pecan tarts and butter cookies.
I love your “clear” glasses. They are super cute and very fashionable. My daughter has been encouraging me to try that style – I think I will now. Thank you so much, Mel, for sharing your recipes, your family life, and your faith. It’s so uplifting to read your blog and hear your stories.
Thank you so much for your kindness, Brenda! And you should definitely go for the glasses!! I bet they’ll be adorable on you. And coming from the least fashionable person ever, if I can pull them off, anyone can!
#4. These black bean brownies are delicious with whip cream or ice cream. https://showmetheyummy.com/black-bean-brownies/
#7. We have two external drives. We load all of our photos onto one of them and store at the inlaws. Every six months we load the second drive and replace it with the other one. This way if we have a fire I’m only losing 6 months of photos.
Thanks, Kathy!
oh, i forgot the hard part . . . the signatures! i love a signature or a repertoire.
at this moment in time, my signature is Angel Biscuits (Southern Living) that have been indestructible. the dough can sit up to 5 days in the fridge before baking and thus travels well in an ice chest; we jazz them up with a flavored butter or berry jam; they are perfect at any meal; we always make them for special occasions with company. they are also small and one is rich and nice but of course, you may eat as many as you wish. ho ho.
another signature is the Pioneer Woman’s Chocolate Pudding. i think she puts it in a pie shell. i serve it in cunning beakers with chopped and toasted burnt (toasted) almonds and freshly whipped cream. it is a crowd pleaser and i think i have friends come to stay with us because i make it for them. it is GF and best chilled. it is also the perfect dessert to take in to people when you’re bringing dinner. it is comfort and amazing.
a third signature is Popovers (Sunset). my mother grew up on popovers and we serve them for breakfast on her birthday, mother’s day, etc. so easy and special and yummy.
my husband’s signatures are steak tacos, mexican rice, and grilled honey chipotle shrimp.
Those angel biscuits sound so, so good! Do you use special flour for them? You have such wonderful signature recipes, Karen (your husband, too, yum!)!
i don’t use special flour. just all purpose and they are seriously indestructible. in fact, i make them in place of rolls now because my rolls are never over the top.
100 Foot Journey is one of my favorite movies! I love it! That lotion looks phenomenal!
Thanks, Karen!
You can back up your family pictures on Amazon prime photos, included in your prime membership. They can be set top automatically backup from your folder to Prime. It’s great! Dropbox is also good.
Lots of people recommending Prime in this comment thread! I had no idea!
I have been looking into your question #7 too. I found this Consumer Report article helpful.
https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-cameras-photography/best-cloud-storage-services-for-photos/
Yay! Thank you!
Hi Mel!
I will try to answer in order…
1. I have ordered 1 pair of glasses for my son from Zenni and was very pleased!! We will defiantly be ordering again. I wanted to make sure they were totally correct so I took them to my optometry office and they checked the Rx and all was correct.
2. Reading with my #1 was easy, she just seemed to pick it up but we are struggling with #2 but have started using I Can Fly in addition to what he is learning in school and we are seeing some good progress. The I can Fly books are geared toward kids with dyslexia but I really like to format!
3. I have not heard of Bum Bum Cream but my go to lotion is Vanicream and as a peds NP I am constantly washing my hands and this is the best I have found and I have tried LOTS of lotions/hand creams!
4. I would say my signature recipe is a white cheddar pimento cheese. Every time I make it for home or a party it disappears fast! My family requests it just as much as friends when we are having a party. It is great as a dip, on a sandwich or on top of chili. The second is my chocolate chess pie- it is my go to for gifts, treats, or anything last minute. I always have the supplies on hand! PS- I will be honored to share either or both recipes with you!
5……
6. My daily face cream from Rodan and Fields has an SPF and I as someone that burns very easily I am always thrilled how well it works weather I am just out and about or working in the yard. I also love the Trader Joe’s spray on sunscreen for the body and my kids don’t complain about it burning!
7.- I can’t wait to read the comments too!
Bum Bum is WAAAY too pricey for my budget. ///
My signatures are Southern Pecan Pralines, broccoli salad, and Ciera Pie (named for my granddaughter)-Caramel Pecan French Silk Pie (http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/pies/caramel-pecan-french-silk-pie). Sounds very intimidating but actually pretty simple. I don’t use a whole jar of caramel, just enough to cover the bottom. ///
The One Hundred Foot Journey gets 5:5 stars from me./// My photos are also scattered; on One Drive (very slow and difficult to sort), PC, thumb drive called PhotoKeeper (I haven’t figured out a way to sort here either), now trying an external drive. Once sorted (probably in another lifetime) I think I will keep on an external drive and the thumb drive, but keep the the thumb drive in another location and try to remember to update it periodically. Would love to hear from someone who has successfully sorted hundreds of photos. I’ve thought of seeing if a student at one of the local colleges has a photography (?) student who needs to do a project…
Student intern sounds like a great idea for help sorting through photos! And that pie sounds AMAZING! Going to check out the link right now!
We did watch the 100 foot movie and enjoyed it. The other one looks fun even if we haven’t had kids in the house for a very long time 🙂
Signature dish….maybe my mac and cheese? I do love to bake though and people love my/your cinnamon rolls too and pretty much any baked good that’s homemade because homemade is always better than bakery.
Can you comment on the scent of the supergoop sunscreen? I cannot abide most fragrances and sunscreen has a smell. Like every product I try has a definite sunscreen smell that even the strongest of coconut cannot cover up and it gags me. As a result I wear sunscreen on tropical vacations and skip it the rest of the time. Terrible but true.
Hey Marcella! I feel like the scent on the supergoop is undetectable, at least to me. It’s unscented, technically, but there is a very slight hint of some scent – it just doesn’t bother me (and it isn’t gaggy like the scent of self-tanners and that kind of thing).
#3 “personal space issue alert” cracked me up. Andrew has the same issue. The first time he went to the eye dr, the dr. came up close to examine him and Andrew said, “Whoa! Too close! I have space issues and I prefer people from at 1000 feet away.”
Signature recipe- unfortunately broccoli salad 🙁 I used to love it but had issues with it during my 2nd pregnancy and now just can’t bring myself to eat it ever again. I get asked to make it for family dinners though.
Hahahahaha. Andrew and I. Soulmates. Eye doctor visits really challenge my personal space issues. And that’s a travesty that your signature recipe is one that you can’t stand anymore! I feel sad for you.
Wow, signature dish? My kids would probably say my chicken enchiladas or chocolate chip cookies or my cheesecake. I just love to cook and bake and I’m always trying your recipes plus ones from other blogs I follow. Your recipes truly are the best and your Quick and Easy Egg Roll Skillet is one of my favs lately. I can’t get enough of it! ( I add sliced water chestnuts to it, BTW).
Pics and storage are my worries too right now. What do I do with all the print pictures? I did buy a scanner, but then I’ m not sure what to do with the picture once I scan it…throw it away? Who’s going to care about my baby pics some day? Right now I use google drive and I have some pics on Shutterfly, but it’s so disorganized! And I want to be able to share pics with my kids who are adults and living on their own. I’m interested to read suggestions from your readers too!
Water chestnuts to that dish would be so good!! I’m going to try it even though Brian dislikes water chestnuts, crazy guy. I hear you on pics I scan in. Should I keep the original??? Lots of good suggestions in this thread about digital storage overall. I’ll compile a list and share in the next Friday Thoughts post.
The link to the book you mentioned for teaching kids to read isn’t working right. At least for me. It sent me to amazons home page. And I’m really interested! Please help!
Try this one: https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=read+in+100+easy+lessons&qid=1557028775&s=books&sr=1-1
Thanks!!
Dropbox! We store all our digital photos in an external hard drive and I’m Dropbox. It’s worth the fee for peace of mind.
Also loved Hundred Foot Journey!
I have a dropbox account but never thought of storing my photos there!
I would have to say rolls-i have used several of your recipes (i love the cornmeal ones) and i love King Arthur flour and use their recipes A LOT!! Apple cake with Carmel frosting…to die for. I, too have photos everywhere…uhhh now stored on cd’s but….need to get organized with this…
That cake sounds divine! I love apple cakes in a big way (even though I’m a chocolate girl through and through).
Great post as usual. Even though I’ve been going you for like a decade (whoa) I’m still amazed that you take time to reply to comments. So awesome.
I love the unseen sunscreen too. Have you tried their matte version yet? It’s a physical sunscreen and I really want to try it but it’s tinted so I’ve held off, lots of tinted sunscreens are too orange for me. But I love the unseen one so it gives me hope for their matte version.
Thanks, Sarah! I have tried the tinted Elta MD sunscreen and it’s not my fave…so I”m wary about tinted sunscreens, too, but I’d love to find a really really good physical facial sunscreen.
One of my kids would say my signature dish is your shredded beef enchiladas and your snickerdoodles. Funny note, I’ve been cooking a lot less these last couple months, and I used to hear, “Mom, I’m tired of Mel having us try new stuff.” But recently it was, “Mom, dinners are really boring and don’t taste like much, can you starting using Mel again” . And as for the Back up feedback, this is also one of my heavy guilts. I feel overwhelmed. I have considered hiring it out to get me initially organized and updated. I have seen stuff like Miss Freddy and others on Instagram who charge a package deal to do so. Because I’m partially on old systems, the cloud, etc. It’s a mess. I do plan on adding an app to my phone that makes a deleting habit better. It’s called slidebox. A techy Instagrammer I follow uses it and I bet it’s good. Spoken like a true procrastinator to say I haven’t tried it yet. I promised myself this May I would and do other photo goals!
And have you heard of the stories podcast Six Minutes for kids? I’ve heard it’s really good and a good summer activity.
Haha, I’m sorry your kids were sick of all the recipes a while back! My kids also get tired of trying new stuff and sometimes I have to just put on my big girl pants and make spaghetti and tacos for them to keep them happy. 🙂 Thank you for the podcast recommendation! (Also for the app recommendation, interesting!)
I saw the Hundred Foot Journey movie before I read the book. It’s been a while on both accounts, but in this case, the movie is better than the book. As for Miniscule, I bet my kids would LOVE that! We live in eastern Europe and can’t get the same Amazon Prime movies over here that we had access to in the US. But, I have a 7 year old who would love that one, so I’m definitely going to look into it!
My signature recipe would probably be Tuxedo Cake from Annie’s Eats. I’ve been making it (or using the cake part of it) for YEARS. At a church fundraiser cake auction, it once sold for $80! It’s just a GREAT recipe! My daughter learned to make your breadsticks recently and that’s now her signature recipe–she makes them any time we need something bread-y with dinner!
I think I tried using that book to teach my older kids to read. But I never got past the first lesson or two. My 2 kids who went to public school were both reading before they went, with minimal effort from me. When I started homeschooling, we switched to All About Reading, which has been awesome for my kids.
I think I’ve made that cake but it’s been years! I’ll have to make it again! Thanks for reminding me.
I asked my husband what my signature dish was and he said “anything from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe” He knows you’re my food muse.
Ok, well this was the best and made me feel like a million bucks. seriously.
Hey Mel,
Any idea if the supergoop is a physical or chemical sunscreen?
Here’s the list from the website: -Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 8%, Octinoxate 4.5%, Octisalate 5%
-Red Algae: Protects against visible light, including blue light.
-Meadowfoam Seed Oil: Increases hydration levels, resulting in a more even skin texture.
-Diatomaceous Earth: Absorbs perspiration and excess oils.
-Extract of Frankincense: An anti-inflammatory that helps make the skin less sensitive to UV radiation.
I’m still on the search for a perfect facial sunscreen that is physical vs chemical.
I LOVE my Zenni glasses! I’ve been wearing them for over 4 yrs and payed less than $50 for them. I’ve gotten others I just don’t love them as much as my main pair. I read the book Hundred Foot Journey which the movie was based off of. I thought the book was good but lacking in my opinion. Yes, the main character got his Michelin stars but I felt he sold himself out. I feel like he lost his Indian food culture. He got those stars by making French food. I would have loved to see the book end with him going back to create high-end Indian food or integrating some of that into his restaurant. Those are just my thoughts.
No signature dish for me. I have some within my family but that about it. That would require time that I just don’t have to practice cooking.
I need photo/video storage!
I read the book Hundred Foot Journey which the movie was based off of. I thought the book was good but lacking in my opinion. Yes, the main character got his Michelin stars but I felt he sold himself out. I feel like he lost his Indian food culture. He got those stars by making French food. I would have loved to see the book end with him going back to create high-end Indian food or integrating some of that into his restaurant. Those are just my thoughts.
No signature dish for me. I have some within my family but that about it. That would require time that I just don’t have to practice cooking.
I need photo/video storage!
I kind of felt the same way about the movie storyline. I was a bit disappointed that he left his Indian roots and converted to French cooking, but I enjoyed the movie overall. I want to read the book, too.
Favorite recipe: homemade ice cream using recipes from the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream recipe book. They know a thing or two about it 🙂 My specialties are mint chocolate chip, coffee black walnut, and plain chocolate (the cooked version — Ben has a recipe and Jerry has a recipe, and I use the one where you have to melt the chocolate. As always, use good chocolate). Lots of chocolate chips in the MCC — of course. A little less coffee than the coffee recipe calls for. I usually make the mint chocolate chip bright emerald green, although once, for the Fourth of July, I made three batches — one each of red, white, and blue. Tip: Use a lot of food coloring; otherwise it’s a pale imitation of your cream, although it tastes the same. …. I use the Whynter ice cream maker. A little expensive, but no pro-freezing, no rock salt, no mess, just batch after batch after batch.
I have that book, Margaret! And now you’ve inspired me to dig it out and start making more recipes from it! I have a Whynter ice cream maker, too, so basically, I have no excuse. You inspired me!
I have friends who rave about it, but I could never get my kids into the 100 Lessons book (try as I might), but so far they’ve all managed to become pretty good readers.
I need photo/video storage advice too! I would really like to know the best way to put all our videos in one place for easy home movie watching.
Yeah, that book probably isn’t for everyone…and it definitely isn’t the only resource for good readers!
My signature dish depends on where I am. My kids teachers and the school staff all know me as the green salsa lady. The neighbors know me as the cinnamon roll girl….as for family and friends they just know I’m gonna make something yummy and always share.
We use One Drive for storage. It works with Microsoft 365 (I think) and has storage online separate from our own storage. I have back up with Apple iCloud too. Good luck!! My computer stores work data and personal stuff so we had to have something good to back up those things. We do have an external hard drive too that’s probably 5 years outdated.
Thanks for the tips on how you store things, Jessica! And I love that your signature dish revolves around your social circles. Main theme? You’re going to seriously deliver some yumminess no matter where you’re at. Love it!
My husband and I both wear Zenni glasses and have really liked them. My husband has had his for 3 years and they’re still in great shape! My prescription changes so I’ve ordered 3 pairs plus sunglasses and they’ve held up well. My face is thin and I do wish they had smaller adult glasses but the price is so amazing it’s fine.
We pay for extra Google Drive storage for our pictures and videos. We’ve had 2 external hard drives fail so I don’t trust them at all. Thanks for the Friday Thoughts! I love them too.
That makes me feel great about my Zenni purchase knowing you guys have been loving their glasses for years! My prescription changes every year, too, so I probably won’t get years and years out of one pair, but the price can’t be beat. I’ve been using Google Drive a bit and it’s working ok…I think mostly it kills me my internet is so slow.
My signature recipe is Caramel Corn. I can’t get by a family event without bringing it. I literally hear about it if I don’t have it. And I’ve received invites to events with written requests for a batch included. TRUTH! 🙂
Haha, this made me laugh! Caramel corn for the win!
I love the Friday thoughts posts! My signature recipe for family bbqs is baked beans from scratch in the slow cooker, and your chocolate quinoa cake. I started making the cake for a few family members with celiac disease and now everyone requests it because it is so good. Just a thought on teaching kids to read… not all 4 and 5 year olds have the eye development needed to read, especially boys who are slower in this area than girls, so if kids are not reading it may be because of normal eye immaturity. Also, some kids have problems with eye development. My niece was 9 and still wasn’t reading well even though she loved audiobooks. Her eye checkups at their regular eye dr were always normal until my sister found a developmental ophthalmologist who discovered that her eyes were not tracking together and she could only see three letters at a time and couldn’t see any punctuation. After 18 months of eye therapy she was reading at grade level, and not feeling stupid anymore!! Love your blog!!
Interesting about the eyesight, Stephanie! Thanks for sharing that! So helpful.
Sorry about the soapbox !!
We use Amazon Prime photos, although it doesn have a data limit for videos. Unlimited for photos though, and the ones we take on our phones are instantly uploaded.
That’s good to know, Lauren! Thank you!
Mel,
My children are 21, 18, & 14. I used the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons to teach each of them to read before they went into kindergarten. Getting through the lessons wasn’t always easy. And we had our share of “incentives” as well. : ) but it was totally worth it. I also used some of the concepts in my curriculum for my preschool that I taught for 14 years. However, it is definitely geared for one on one application. I think it is a fabulous book and I am happy to see it is still in print. I hope your readers will check it out!
Thanks, Jennifer! It may not be for everyone but it’s been a great resource for our family. Glad to know you enjoyed that book as well. 🙂
#7 My hubby is a computer guy, so he takes care of all the back-ups. We have a NAS (network attached storage) that does automatic backups and we also have a second back-up on an eternal hard drive that he keeps at work in case our house blows up! He brings it home from time to time to back stuff up. We are worried about privacy issues with using the cloud (especially Google).
#6 Face sunscreen: I’ve been using Elta MD Physical SPF 41 for years and LOVE it! One thing I love about it is that it uses physical blocks (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) instead of chemical ones. What are your thoughts about that? I worry about the long-term effects of the chemical blocks.
I love these Friday thoughts!
Oh yes, I hear you on the sunscreen. I love Elta MD products (I use them a lot and almost exclusively until supergoop came into my life). I definitely try to use the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sunscreens almost all of the time. I have struggled to find a great facial sunscreen that isn’t greasy (Elta MD has a pretty good one). Also, I wish me or Brian were super technical and could be considered “computer people” – NAS sounds amazing and way above my know-how. Haha.
Hi, I have never commented but have been using a ton of your recipes since my friend introduced me to your blog! I use google photos and with the amount I have stored it is $.99/month. It automatically backs up photos from my phone and that is cheap! My signature recipes are pecan stuffed, bacon wrapped dates and carrot cake, mmmmmmm. Thanks for all you do to make our eating delicious!!
Thanks for the comment, Katie! And for sharing your thoughts on google photos! And wow, your signature recipes sound AMAZING.
Love Zenni! And those clear frames are super cute.
I used that book when teaching my first to read– loved it. Got lazy with our 2nd and he picked reading up really well just by perusing the Bob books.
I feel like I need that bum bum cream in my life– worried that buying it on Amazon will get me a fake product though! Have you purchased there or direct from the company site?
Signature recipe…. hm, I have become known for my dinner rolls, for sure. People in the ward always ask me to bring those to events and potlucks. My homemade sourdough is another, and I’d say your spinach salad with the nuts and feta. So good.
I tried that super goop sunscreen when I got a sample of it and it is so good! Loved the feel of it. I also got a sample of Elta MD “UV clear” broad-spectrum spf 46 and was super impressed.
I use Amazon Prime photos for the unlimited photo storage and I pay for the upgrade that provides unlimited video storage as well. I love that the photos and videos are uploaded and saved automatically, and I can access them from anywhere. Very satisfied so far. Amazon isn’t going anywhere and all their cloud services are solid.
Hey Megan! I’ve bought the bum bum cream from both the sol de janeiro website and Amazon and never had a problem?? Homemade sourdough! AWESOME! That’s like super cool. Yes, the Elta MD sunscreens are awesome. I’ve been using them for years and love, love them. Thanks for the tip on Amazon Prime storage!
We use Amazon Photos for pictures! It’s free with prime membership and has unlimited storage! With the app on our phone, our phone pictures are automatically uploaded to the cloud. So nice that it’s completely hands-off to upload all the pictures. (And I take about a billion pictures of our cute kids every day, so even better that I don’t even have to think about uploading them!)
As for a signature dish, I have more of a signature category: dessert! The best part of the meal!
Haha, signature category! Yes! I love that!
Totally used 100 easy lessons. Cheesecake or cinnamon rolls or lasagna I think would be my signature. I use amazon drive for photo storage. It’s free unlimited photo storage with prime membership. I upload all my family movies to YouTube and make them unlisted so creepers can’t watch them. It takes awhile to back up at the beginning but isn’t too bad if you keep up on it now.
So many people using Amazon for photo storage! Where have I been!
Your Friday posts are always so fun and interesting! As for teaching children to read, I think reading to them daily and having an abundance of books available for them to read and browse through will spark their interest. Glad to read all the pointers on #7. That’s something I need to do. The movie Hundred Foot Journey is great! Signature dish:
probably rolls, cinnamon rolls and potato salad and most all of your cookie recipes!!!
I love your thoughts on reading! So true!
Watch “guernsey literary and potato peel pie society” on Netflix, it’s fantastic, as is the book. I lost a year’s worth of photos on my phone (sadness) and have since gone to google photos automatic updates, they go instantly to the cloud and my husband also backs them up on a hard drive. I also got the Elta MD based on your recommendation and love it, might have to try your new favorite. PS These posts are super helpful so thanks everyone!
Loved that movie! AND the book. Such a great story. That is so, so sad about losing those photos. Kind of gives me a pit in my stomach and makes me realize I need to get something set up fast!
I just want to let you know that I love, love your glasses. I would be too afraid to order them online but I’m so glad you took the step forward. I think they make you look elegant and studious. I love the size and wanted some like that but the clerk and my husband both agreed that they were “too big” for my face. I just like the look of the big ones on everyone, even myself.
Thank you so much, Linda! I was super nervous to order glasses online, too. Zenni actually let me send back a pair that just wasn’t right and I was so grateful for that.
I have no advice, but the exact same question as #7!!! Please let us know what people are saying because I need help!!!
tons of super helpful tips in this comment thread for sure! I’ll compile a list.
Love these posts, love your recipes! I’m here to tell you that you’re answering a specific prayer right now. My son is about to finish first grade and has struggled with reading ALL year. My husband and I were just talking about realistic ways to teach him how to read this summer. I’m buying the book today. Thanks for the recommendation!
So happy to hear that, Nancy – also, read through the comments because there are a lot of other great tips about young kids and reading! Good luck!
Happy Friday to you, too! My signature dish has become your banana bars with browned butter icing! I never tire of making or eating them! The only thing I do differently is add sprinkles on top and that is what elevates them to Bedazzled Banana Bars! Lol.
I use the cloud to store my photos but really should do something else. And, last but not least, I love your guts, too!
Sprinkles on top of browned butter banana bars?? WHY HAVE I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT?? Such a great idea! Bedazzled bars. Haha.
WD.com
Look for my cloud
$150 -$200
One time cost that comes with cloud storage. You can even link your phone, laptop etc up to it. It connects to your router and everything g sinks to it via WiFi or cell data. Updates automatically unless you set it up differently. It’s awesome it uploaded pics and videos so easily and set up was so simple.
Super interesting, thanks for the info, Heidi! I’ll look into it!
I love these posts. In regards to teaching kids to read I have never heard of the book you used. My two oldest are readers. My third is 4 and we’re just starting to dabble and I have two more that I’ll get to teach to read. We use BOB books. My husband has also been reading chapter books to my kids for years, which I think helps in the long run.
I’ve never thought about having a signature recipe. When I think of you I think of cinnamon rolls. Very, very yummy cinnamon rolls!
Bob books are great! Glad to hear they’ve worked so well with your kids! We’ve gone through phases of reading to our kids out loud but I definitely need to up our game on that right now!
Yes times a million to 100 Easy Lessons! We follow it up with All About Reading level 2 and bam! my kiddos were solidly on the strong reader train.
Sweet!
We started using BackBlaze a few months ago for a backup. It is a great price and backs up my laptop constantly. You can also have it backup whatever is hooked into your computer (ie. a backup drive). It took FOREVER to do the first backup (like a month) but once it was done it just runs in the background and keeps a constant backup of everything on my laptop.
Oh nice! Thanks for the info!
These Friday thoughts totally rock my world as well! I wait for them to come in my email. First thing I have to say is an answer to #7. My husband works IT so he is the one who does all the work for storing our videos and pictures and documents too. But really I think you could handle it. We use Microsoft OneDrive. It is a subscription service that is $10/month and includes 1 terabyte of space for sharing on five computers and also Microsoft Office Suite ( so the licensing for 5 computers to have Word, Excel, etc. ). It is great for us. We also keep a copy on a large hard drive for redundancy (IT lingo for an extra copy or two). It would take a couple days probably to upload all of your data. But it is sooo nice to have it all there. And all of the pictures and videos on all our phones get uploaded automatically to OneDrive as we set it up to do so. Anyway. I know my husband would be happy to help you set it up, if you need any help. Shoot me an email if you need more information.
As for a signature recipe, I think I would say most things baked. I love baking over plain cooking. But I don’t know that I can pick just one recipe. Among my sisters/-in-law it might be my microwave pumpkin pie oatmeal. But I would have to ask people to really know. Ha ha.
Jennifer! Thank you! Such great info. I appreciate it and I may take your husband up on some help or advice. I use mac computers, though, and I wonder if that would be a no go with a microsoft product like that. Hmmm. I’ll look into it. I actually LOVE that your signature recipe might involve a microwave AND oatmeal.
Oh my goodness! I knew we would be friends if we ever lived close by!!! Your game closet looks just like mine – both before and after!! When we built our house 5 years ago, the builder and his contractors all gave me funny looks when I had the “coat closet” in the blueprint turned into a game closet. “Are you SURE?!?” Yes, I’m sure!! We live in the South. We don’t have bulky coats. But we definitely have a lot of board games!!! (What else are ya gonna do when the temp is 110 degrees with 100% humidity for the last 10 days?!)
And all four of my kids learned to read with that same book – which I bought used for $5!!! My youngest – now age 8 – was rather miffed at using a falling-apart book, but soon changed her tune when she realized several of the later lessons had been lost and she could be done sooner! Hahaha!
Signature recipe?! Homemade biscuits, homemade apple pie, and meatloaf. I get asked for those a LOT. Secret to the meatloaf? Make it in the same pan my Mamaw used 40+ years ago. Turns out perfect. Hahaha! 😉
Oh yes, I would totally transition a coat closet into a game closet. For sure!! Good move, my friend, good move.
We use BackBlaze for digital storage. It does cost money, but it automatically backs up everything on your computer. After the initial upload, it keeps current whenever you change or add files, so you don’t have to think about it.
Also, once a year (ideally), I go through all of my photos and hand pick a selection to get printed and put in real-live photo albums. I try not to agonize over this, but just to pick a representative sampling of our year without having to print out all 800 photos that I took. My Mom has photo albums for each of us kids (because digital photos weren’t a thing then), and I still enjoy pulling mine out to look at them. I want to be able to give these to my kids when they’re older because they are so much more likely to look through them in a physical album than to dig up old files stored on my computer or in the cloud!
Others suggesting backblaze, too – good to know! Thank you! Also, when you do your photo albums are you printing individual pictures and sliding them into albums or doing a digital album (that you could get reprinted if it got lost)?
Printing individual photos and sliding them into an album. The real old-school way! Something about it seems more authentic to me than a digital album or even a printed photo book (like Shutterfly – though I do have several of those as well). Since all of my photos are backed up digitally, I don’t worry about losing the album. I just compile the pictures I want to print and order the prints in 4×6 size from Walmart.
Love this!
Oh Mel, what a delight to read your Friday posts and comments!!!!! My signature recipe is my Mom’s banana pudding. It is incredible and PERFECT for summer. I’ve tried lots of refrigerated banana puddings and nothing compares. My father-in-law always requests it for Father’s Day…and my 3 roommates from the college days always want it when they stay with me. My great-grandmother had the “best ever one that you bake in the oven” complete with a meringue…but sadly the recipe is not to be found. A bowl of that…a cup of coffee filled with half milk and sugar (!)…and conversation with her could not be beat. Until something like her hot version can be found, I’ll happily make my Mom’s cold version, continuing to please all!!
Ok, well, that banana pudding sounds divine. That is Brian’s favorite dessert ever but I just don’t make it for him as often as I should! I love the memories you have of chatting with your grandma over her famous banana pudding. That’s the best.
Just a question about #6! I have the EltaMD facial sunscreen that you recommended and I really like it. So…is the supergoop even better? Thanks!
Good question and I’ll definitely cover this in my sunscreen update post, but I still really love the EltaMD facial sunscreen (and other Elta MD sunscreens), but this supergoop unseen sunscreen has become my go-to daily facial sunscreen (I keep the Elta MD facial sunscreen on hand if I’m going to be swimming or outside for much longer)
I love, LOVE Google photos! Did you know that it can recognize faces and make folders for you of that person over you click the face and name them, plus the searching ability if endless! Type in pizza, for example, and it will find every photo of pizza in your life. One day of uploading your old photos will change your life forever and it’s FREE!
Whoa, that’s super cool!
Have you tried google photos? I started using it as my backup…I still do an external drive, but it is free for the size of video and photo I am ok with. It automatically downloads from my phone on WiFi, and tells me what is available to erase off my phone afterwards. I love it. Now I am not worried about a back up drive failing. Btw, you are so loved in our house that my 8 year old told me she wants to be just like you when she grows up!
So many recommending google photos! I’ve been living under a rock apparently. And that is seriously the sweetest thing about your daughter – seriously, made my day!! (And made me think I need to be a much better human if there are kids out there thinking that)
I understand your fear with uploading your photos with subpar internet. Also, it just seems weird to me to trust that they will always exist somewhere invisible. But I would say, just get started with it at least for your photos going forward, and worry about your old photos later (or keep them on your hard drives for awhile). It is so nice when you go on vacation that when you come back, all of them are already in the cloud (if you use your phone/tablet). We use Google so everything from our phones/tablets automatically uploads. You can do that with your old photos too (automatic backup) but for us, it has taken months and I’m not positive but I think it’s still working on it. 🙂
Such good advice, Rachel – instead of stressing about all the back log of photos, I really do need to just get moving for photos going forward and I can figure out a solution for all the photos later.
Sunscreen. Over the last several years I have tossed a LOT of skin stuff and I currently don’t put anything on my skin that I couldn’t eat. Products absorb through the skin. I am following Wellness Mama’s eat your sunscreen protocol which means consuming things that allow your skin to do what it was meant to do. At least that is my take and what I prefer to do. The only supplement I take is her recommended BioAstin. I eat salmon, sardines and flax/chia/hemp seed regularly (Omega3) That said, I get a reasonable, but not excessive amount of sun. I typically wear a hat with all around brim but not a huge hat … kind of cowboy meets fedora. For me it is comfortable and provides mostly eye shade and some face shade. I don’t burn, I don’t really tan either. I’m comfortable and my skin looks and feels better than it has in a very long time. And yes, no “toxic” products means I don’t wear makeup. Do you know how much extra time that means? I’m sure many may be unwilling to go this route but I love it and I believe my skin and internals do also!
Zenni – LOVE Zenni. I bought my first pair 3 years ago. Bi-focals as I don’t like the gradient thing. My eye Dr. was amazed that the bi lense was so perfect in position. I get lost of compliments on the frame which I think is kind of quirky but I love. https://www.zennioptical.com/p/womens-fullrim-mixed-materials-round-eyeglass-frames-/7886?skuId=788618 I have 2 pairs of the same frame: 1 with bi-focal and 1 just distance. I also bought the clip on sunglass lens. I’ve purchased a prescription sunglass frame as well. I also tried one of the more spendy-trendy sites and did not have as much success.
So interesting about the eat your sunscreen method, Liz! Thanks for sharing! I am a definite hat-wearer outside, too, and I like the idea of really striving for a non-toxic view on skincare (or anything really!). Thanks for opening my eyes to a new way of thinking about this! Also, those glasses are really unique and super cute! I like them a lot. I also tried online glasses from another site that was much more expensive and trendier and they were a fail, but Zenni worked great so far. Although my prescription isn’t eligible for their sunglasses, which was kind of a bummer.
After posting, I realized … oh, I still do use a couple of things that I wouldn’t eat 🙂 … “natural products” but still they have some unpronounceables: deordorant, hair conditioner, shower soap. Wellness Mama has homemade versions but I haven’t gone down that road yet!
Oh and #7. I r an I.T. professional (34 years!) but have no easy answer to this. BUT some thoughts and what I do. I am ruthless about editing daily and removing duplicate photos, out of focus photos and just bad photos. I use both external hard drives and cloud backup. I use OneDrive because I have a Windows Computer. But my iPhone/iPad back up to iCloud. I would not hesitate to use Amazon Cloud or any other of the Cloud services. When I used External drives only, I kept duplicates and stored some out of my house. Now, with slow internet and 17 years of stuff… HIRE it done to the cloud if you have photos on external whatever or backup to external and hire offsite to a cloud service. As with all things in life you cannot prevent every disaster. I typically try to think about something that fits my schedule and what I WILL do regularly.
Love all your thoughts and want too order so many of these items now…already sent for the reading book and will go to sephora for the sunscreen supergoop… a year or more ago I bought the slack line you recommended and my grandkids (28 of them) have enjoyed it so much!! Im able to keep it up year round so it gets a lot of use. Thanks for all your great ideas and recipes! Love you too!!!
So happy that slack line has been a hit, Laura! Ours has been up year round, too, and I don’t see it coming down any time soon!
Great minds think alike!! My signature recipes are browned butter chocolate chip cookies (DIVINE!!) and artisan bread. Two recipes I will never get tired of making no matter how many times they’re requested!
Yessss!
A lot of my most famous recipes come from your sight but I would have to say I am asked to make my cheesecake cockaigne from the “Joy of Cooking” cookbook for every family event and every birthday. It is crazy good. I also have a spinach salad recipe that I have been asked to make for every relief society function and have given the recipe out more times than I can count.
That cheesecake recipe sounds super intriguing! I love that it’s become your go-to. Also, I just might need that recipe for the spinach salad. Just sayin’
I’m guessing my signature dish would be my family’s banana bread (which is actually more like a cake). I get repeated demands from people to share the recipe when I bring it somewhere. And also apple pie. I made one with my husband on our first date and so it’s been my thinging ever since. 🙂
We have both a hard drive and we also store photos on Google. We used to use Flickr because it had a ton of free storage for full res photos, but they sadly changed that and so we switched.
I’ve also used that book to teach kids to read. I do my own version of it though. I abbreviate the first lessons to speed through them. But that book really helped my daughter between kinder and first grade go from struggling to a strong reader. However for my 5 year old right now, we are using another book called Learn to Read Acticty Book by Hannah Braun. It’s very similar to 100 lessons, but in color! My son is loving it!
And congrats on your closet still being organized, it looks great!
That’s so fun about the apple pie, Loni! Thanks for the recommendation on the other reading book! (And for the tips on how you do photo storage!)
Ahh where did my comment go???? Waaa I’ll retype it. I use that same book for reading and was super excited when I finished it with child #1 last week!
PHOTOS: http://www.forever.com My gal is Lori Funden and she will answer any questions!
Hands down. Nothin like it. Conversion services (avoid the uploading nightmare!!). Backed up multiple places. Automatic upgraded formats as technology changes. 100+ year guarantee. You own your photos. ****Read the policies of cloud services!! They usually reserve the right to delete your photos at any time, and often downgrade the pixel quality.****. Can’t recommend Forever enough! Happy customer here. They have massive sales often, and fantastic customer service! You can make photo books super fast from your stored photos, too.
Wow, Monica, thanks so much on the forever.com recommendation. I will definitely be checking it out. You are awesome. Thank you!
I literally just started using that reading book you suggested. My 5 year old finds it a little boring, but I’m afraid to skip lessons because I know it all builds on previous lessons. M&Ms sound like a great cure!
I’ve also been thinking about signature dishes and my husband actually rocks at this. We built our own pizza oven in the back yard a few years back and he loves throwing pizza parties and being generally awesome at wood-fired pizza. His chicken bacon Alfredo pizza is always a big hit, as well as chicken bacon ranch with a stuffed crust. Basically, it’s amazing.
Yes, that book does start out a bit…dry. But it gets better with the pictures. That pizza oven sounds so, so cool! We have a couple family friends here who have done the same thing and it’s literally the best pizza ever. Wow. So fun!
I also use that book for my kids! Just finished lesson 100 with child #1 last week and I was more excited than her!! For your photos, I highly recommend Forever. I don’t sell it but I am a happy customer and I can hook you up with my gal! It seriously, it isn’t unlike any other cloud service. Your photos are backed up in multiple places, they automatically upgrade the formats as technology changes, you OWN your photos (read the policy of cloud services, most reserve the right to delete them at ANY time), 100 year + guarantee. You can also send in a conversion box and they will do all the uploading for you. Seriously the best and they have massive sales often. I can’t recommend it enough! http://www.forever.com
Love your post!
My signature recipes are corn dip and brownies, but not eaten together! I shan’t dare show up at a gathering without these items, so while it can get boring, they are easy and it’s nice to be loved.
We are semi old school and drop our photos onto thumb drives that are stored in a fire-proof safe.
Haha, yeah, not sure those would be great together. But love them separate! Also, I don’t think old school is all bad here. We have a fireproof/waterproof box that I keep some photos in but not all of them.
This year I decided it was time to get on top of my photo mess. I have them stored on Google Photos (they will automatically upload from your phone, which makes it nice!). I have also started uploading all of them to Shutterfly. I like having hard copies of my pictures so my family can look at them, but photo albums were getting way too big and I don’t scrapbook (is that even a thing anymore???). I decided photo books were the way to go for me! I’ve always wanted to do a photobook for every year, but I’ve never made it a habit. This year I’ve finally found something that works for me! Almost every Sunday I sit down and devote time to creating photobooks. I work on the year we’re in (2019) so I’m keeping up and I work on past years at the same time, which means I’m also catching up. What I do is, for instance, in January I’ll create pages for January of that year and also January of 2-3 previous years (I’m doing 2016-2019). This has seriously helped me so so much! Instead of thinking about documenting thousands of pictures, I just think about doing the ones for that month in whatever year I’m working on that day. I’ve also found it really enjoyable to do! Anyway, I guess you weren’t really looking for ways to document, but maybe it will help someone that’s feeling overwhelmed about pictures like I was!
Thanks for your thoughts on this, Diane! It’s my year to get on top of my photo “mess” too. This comment thread is so helpful! You are amazing for spending time each week working on it. I love that! And those photo books are going to be so, so priceless.
The best method for digital photo storage depends on your objectives and usage patterns. If you primarily share your photos with others, then a cloud service makes a lot of sense. The downsides of cloud services include a potential lack of privacy, hacking, and mistakes they make. If you take and store a lot of photos, your ongoing storage costs can add up to something sizable. In addition, over time, online photo services have gone out of business or merged with other services, creating problems for users.
Having spent my entire 35 year career in the computer industry, I personally prefer external hard drives. I’ve been using them since the start of digital photography in the mid-1990’s and have found them to be reliable. Today you can buy a 4TB hard drive for about $100, which can store approximately 800,000 photos from today’s digital cameras.
The downsides of external hard drives is that they can fail, be damaged from a variety of factors, can simply be lost or misplaced, or can be stolen. User error can also result in a loss of data on the drives. In order to reduce the risk of data loss I always have two external hard drives of the same brand and capacity for my current storage needs. I buy a new set of drives every 3 to 4 years and transfer data from the old drives to the new. To my knowledge I have not lost any data over these past 20 years. I store the two drives in different places in my house, and I also keep the older hard drives (with their data) in case something goes wrong with the new ones (which hasn’t happened yet).
As you can imagine, external hard drives can take more of your time and expertise to manage properly, so they’re not a solution for everyone. Ultimately, it comes down to your objectives and priorities. How important are your photos (and other data) that you may want to keep for the long term? How important is the privacy of your data? How much time and money are you willing to spend to secure your data?
Loved, loved this comment, Mitch! Thanks for weighing in! Hard drives have been my primary backup solution but I’ve been feeling all this worry (maybe a little pressure, too??) to get everything on a cloud-based service in case the hard drives fail (even though that hasn’t ever happened) or something happens like a natural disaster or whatever. But my brain likes the idea of hard drive storage (and backing them up is faster than trying to get them all uploaded to a cloud service). Hmmm, you’ve given me a lot to think about. Thank you!
OH PLEASE!!!!! will you do a post on the responses you got regarding storing pictures and such???? I will forget to check back for comments and I ask this of my friends all the time!! would love to hear your research results!!!!!
I’ll try to compile a list!
Mel, my Husband is going to be maaaaad at you.
Now I have to get that face sunscreen and the reading book (I have a reluctant 4yr old that I’d like to encourage a little more).
As for photo storage— I have Apple iCloud storage (since most of my photos are on my phone these days) but I also have an external hard drive. I’m actually considering copying from one hard drive to another and mailing it to my parents for dual storage. ♀️
If you come up with an awesome solution, let us know!
Haha, I just ran into someone at our school carnival tonight who said everytime she gets an amazon package she blames it on “mel” and he’s started to say “is this mel’s fault??” I was like “whoa! wait a second!” but it was pretty funny. 🙂 So tell your husband I’m sorry.
So honestly, my first thought when I saw the “2. How to Teach Kids to Read Thoughts” bullet was “she is teaching her kids how to read thoughts??!!!??” But then I realized I’m an idiot and you meant thoughts about how to teach kids to read and not about reading thoughts.
I digress. I’ve used the same book to teach my kids to read and love it. My sisters all used the same book and love it. My preschooler is reading at a 1st grade level and I attribute it entirely to this book.
Hahahahahaha. Oh gosh, Annette, you made me laugh out loud. Bad phrasing on my part for sure. But man, that was funny. I would be scared if they could read my thoughts. 🙂
Amazon Prime customers get free photo storage! We also pay for an online cloud service, and have several hard drives… we had a scare a few months ago where both our laptop and our desktop looked like they were going to give out, so we very quickly backed everything up. So glad we did.
Looking forward to your sun/skincare post! We tried the 100 lessons book with my second… it was a no-go. She wouldn’t even sit down with me if she thought I was trying to teach her how to read. Luckily she has thrived in K and 1st and now loves to read. My signature dish in the place we lived last was scotcheroos (those peanut butter chocolate butterscotch rice Krispies). I had a good friend with celiac, and had to find something she could eat at our gatherings.
Yes, scares like that definitely make me feel like I need a solution NOW. And I agree, that book is definitely not for everyone and there are tons of good little readers out there that haven’t used it. Love hearing what works for some and what works for others! Also, my husband would say your signature dish is one of his all time FAVORITES. 🙂
Oh Mel, you are a gem. I love your Friday thoughts posts! I’m definitely going to track down that sunscreen and give it a try. I’ve been thinking I really need to do better at protecting my skin, but I’ve struggled to find something that doesn’t make my already sensitive, super oily, but also extremely dry skin freak out any more than it does. And I have no idea what the best photo storage solution is, though I definitely need to find one. Would you mind sharing what you learn with us?
As for signature recipes, mine is your brownies from the cookie dough topped brownie recipe. You should hear my in-laws when I make them. All of my sisters-in-law (and several of their husbands) get super excited to see them. I’ve only made the cookie dough topping once (not that I’m opposed to cookie dough), but those brownies? Oh. My. Goodness. It was love at first bite. For a long time I used them as the base for my mint brownies, but nowadays I tend to make them plain because my husband hates mint (who could hate mint!?) or with just a simple chocolate buttercream and they are magical. Especially if they’ve had a chance to sit in the fridge overnight and become even more dense and fudgy.
Hey! I hope you like that sunscreen. I agree, it’s really hard to find one that just works with each type of skin. I’ve tried so many, I can’t keep track, but I love this one. I’ll definitely compile a list of storage solutions! I’m so happy that innocent little brownie recipe has become THE recipe for you! I’m going to try to make them plain! Can’t wait!
Mushroom pate is my most requested dish to bring to anyone’s house…HA and if I don’t serve it at my house, I have some disappointed guests!!! But it’s so good and the leftovers, if there are any any, are equally amazing!! Thanks, Mel, love these Friday posts…and will watch for answers on #7, as I have the same problem…:(
Thanks, Judi! I have to be honest, I’ve never made or tried mushroom pate!
Amazon has a great cloud based service for your photos! Check it out 😉
Thanks for the sunscreen recommendation- going to try that brand asap.
I’ll do that!
My favorite meal lately has been your loaded baked potato soup and French bread rolls (if I’m feeling ambitious ). My husband can’t have milk and I’m a little scared to try it with almond milk, so I have a little bowl when I make it for others haha. I can make it gluten free really easy, and usually I just add 1/3 c bacon and a little extra cheese so I don’t have to worry about toppings. Everyone loves it.
Such a delicious combo!
The closest thing I have to a signature dish is probably your overnight crescent rolls. That is always my assignment for big family dinners. My kids call them scorpion rolls because sometimes mine start to unroll and so the point sticks out.
I’m the worst at taking and organizing pictures so I can’t help with that one!
I’m also wondering if you have trouble with small pieces in your games when you store them sideways. I really need to figure out a better system for storing our games. Or stop buying games. Or probably both of those things.
I have that reading book but haven’t used it with my kids yet. I’m hoping to figure out some way to get my kindergartner to do it with me this summer. He is super independent and thinks only teachers can help him learn.
Haha. I love that! Scorpion rolls! And yes, the storing on the side thing messes with the game organization a bit but the tradeoff of an organized closet has been worth it. I’ve started using some larger rubber bands for some of the games that get wonky stored on their sides (helps with the box not coming apart but not necessarily with the insides getting messed up). Good luck with that awesome kindergartener!
Thanks for spending so much time replying to me and everyone! I appreciate your advice on the game storage. We will see how soon I get brave enough to try it. 🙂
Yes! Yes! Yes! to teaching children to read in a 100 easy lessons! Sounds like a gimmic, but this is the real deal. All four of my own learned to read with this book too and I love that I got to be there to see that light turn on. This book is so cherished at our house and although we have no reason to read it more than one time each, it’s crumpled and loved pages will forever have a place on our bookshelf. PS. All my kids learned at different ages too and I had lots of teachers who wanted to know our secret. The secret is this book and I don’t know why it still feels like a secret.
Love that this book has been such a success for you, Carrie! I agree, I’ll keep my copy forever! (I have the older version with the yellow cover)
My signature dish is potato salad. I’m frequently asked to make cookies and it’s either sour cream sugar cookies or monster cookies.
Yum to all of those! A good potato salad cannot be beat.
I love The One Hundred Foot Journey! It is a great movie. My signature recipe is Banana Cream Pie. My husband backs up our photos on external hard drives.
Thanks, Kristen!
Known for my buttery dinner rolls and for my flan. I love your one-bowl brownie recipe that has saved me more than a few times!
I agree, that brownie recipe is a lifesaver! And I love that flan is one of your signature recipes!
What does it say about me that my signature recipes are actually all . . . your recipes? HA! I think my most-often requested recipes/items are your sugar cookies, coconut blueberry cake with lemon sauce, sweet & sour meatballs, and best chocolate cake.
I have no ideas for #7, but will be following as it feels like the eternal struggle to find, organize, and keep digital pics.
Ha! I don’t know what it says about you, but it sure makes me feel like a million bucks. Thank you!
Yay, I love these kind of brain dump posts!! It’s always so fun to hear what’s on someone else’s mind!
I’m currently using 100 Easy Lessons with my middle son:) I tried using it with both of my daughters, but lo & behold, they both have dyslexia & it made things more confusing for them with the dots & dashes & such. Oy!
As for signature recipes (it’s one of my favorite topics, too!) – my back pocket recipe for my family is the Pioneer Woman’s chickpea curry (I seriously make it almost weekly! Haha.); my signature dish for potlucks is Paula Deen’s frito corn salad; at Thanksgiving I’m known for my pumpkin gingerbread trifle:) ; and I once received a marriage proposal when I made a jalapeno popper dip from Simply Gourmet, so needless to say that one’s always a hit;) But mostly, I’m known for desserts & I switch it up often (your carrot cake was a HUGE hit last Easter). ❤
Anyway, Happy Friday! xo
Thanks for sharing that about your girls, Molly! Such a good reminder that kids are not created equal in so many ways and I never would have thought the dots and dashes could impact the learning! I’m going to have to get my hands on that chickpea curry recipe. Yum! Really what I want to know is if you accepted that marriage proposal. Haha.
I have my photos on iCloud and downloaded to the computer. But I kind of want to go old school and print them all out and put in a photo album too. Oh and I also do chatbooks, my kids love to look at them.
I love that sunscreen recommendation!
And I love Zenni too. I’ve been meaning to order a new pair for myself and my son, this was a good reminder.
Thanks, Jennifer! Love hearing what people are doing with photos. I also sometimes want to just print them all out because I’m still so old school that way (as in, I still plan my week on a paper calendar and not on my phone)
Do you rubber band all those game and puzzle boxes? I would have pieces flying without some type of closure system.
Yes! It helps with the tops not coming off (but in the interest of full disclosure, storing them on their sides definitely messes up the insides a bit)
Photo storage–we are not great at that (we have CDs with photos on them and files on the computer, and probably an external hard drive too but I’m not 100% sure about that) but one thing I have done is go through and pick favorite photos for a time period of about 3-5 years that tell our family’s “story” and put them in a photo book with details about trips, special experiences, etc. So we have hard copies of the most important photos along with the stories about those photos. Picaboo is my favorite site for that but there are others that are good too. I think hard copies are the way to go if you really want them preserved long term, technology is changing SO FAST right now it is hard to keep up!
Signature recipe: my husband’s family always talks about my homemade bread. I use the basic recipe, minus milk and eggs, from the Tassajara Bread Book. Have you read that? I LOVE that cookbook, it has the best whole wheat bread recipe/method I have found (yields the most consistent results of any recipe I have tried) and also an amazingly light and moist honey whole wheat muffin recipe. I highly recommend it!
Reading–three of my kids (so far) have taught themselves and the other one has had dyslexia-type reading issues so teaching her was tricky. So I basically still don’t know how to do it. But I love the idea of reading lessons in a book….
Ok, I just love the photo book idea. That’s my 2nd struggle I didn’t get into in this post, but with all the photos stored online, computer, etc, my kids don’t see them. I want a way for them to have more photos to get their hands on. We do chatbooks and print out our family blog, but I like the idea of ongoing photo books. And I am most definitely looking into that book ASAP. CAN’T WAIT!
So, I totally thought you were teaching your kids to read thoughts! Which seemed like an awesome idea! With my oldest I used the old hooked on phonics app. It was perfect for him! Just like playing a game in the iPod touch (like I said, this was the old one… Before smart phones). He really only needed help with making sense of the how of reading and then we could do the rest with books. With my youngest now I haven’t found the best way. He knows all his letters and sounds from that alphabet app, but we haven’t figured out how to help him start reading. I mostly avoid letting kids play on my phone/Kindle/whatever, so they think it’s amazing when I do let them play and then they think learning is fun!
My signature recipe is a super moist chocolate cake. So yummy. And banana bread (the secret is using the whey from straining yogurt in place of the buttermilk). And for dinner, it’s probably my curry.
Haha, someone else said that too, Karina! Bad choice of wording on my pat! Love all of your signature recipes! And I’m going to try using the whey in my banana bread next time!
We put ours on digital picture frames, you can place them all over the house in different rooms with the pictures you would like everyone who comes over to see personal and precious ones for you or your family’s eyes only! You can get alot of pictures on them and they slowly rotate the pictures you will love them they are awesome. Just one thought from a viewer, hope it helps. Always a conversation piece.
Margot
Love this idea, Margot! I just told Brian to add it to my Mother’s Day wish list!
Just started using the “Teach your child to read…” book this week with my #4 child! I’ve known about it for a few years but since she’ll almost be 6 when she begins school, I thought I’d give it a try! She loves it, though, so no bribing required and she reminds me to do the lessons with her 🙂
As far as photo storage goes, I’m kind of a fanatic for making sure they’re double and triple backed up. I keep them on an external hard drive, but as far as cloud storage goes, after a lot of research, Google photos won due to their ability to store unlimited length videos. We do pay for 1 TB of storage, though. It has some great features also, and I know they’re not going to just close up shop leaving me looking for a new storage site, since it’s Google 🙂 there are some features I wish they had, but it keeps my photos and videos safe and organized, which is my #1 priority. It also backs up photos from all of our devices to a central account.
That’s awesome she’s so on board with it that she reminds you! Thanks for the insight into cloud storage and what you’ve found to work best for you. I’m learning so much!
We too have a lot of dedicated board game storage, and also store them sideways. I noticed you have El Dorado on your board game shelf, which my husband has been eyeing recently, so I told him Mel has it. His response? “Kitchen Café Mel? I knew we liked her!” haha.
Love hearing all your life tips and seemingly-tiny-but-actually-very-important(!) discoveries along the way!
Haha. That made me laugh! We don’t play El Dorado as often as others, but it is SUPER fun especially for more strategic game players.
I LOVE bum bum cream! It smells divine!
I back up my photos in multiple places: google photos {I pay for extra storage and it automatically scans for new photos on my computer, and I just open the app on my phone for it to back that up as well. It takes FOREVER for the initial upload, I just let it run until it finished. I had like 75,000 photos.} I also have 2 hard drives that I save to on occasion and I keep one in my safe in hopes that it will make it through any natural disasters that take out the internet #zombieapocolypse. And I print Chatbooks so I have the pictures I care about most there…. just in case. It’s so overwhelming to pick an option! But I say just pick one and commit and you’ll be fine. It matters more that they are backed up than where they are backed up. I’m lazy and like easy so I went with google photos. Good luck!
BTW, Love your website and all your recipes. I’ve been following you since 2007 and you haven’t failed me yet! {Your risotto oatmeal dish made you a life-long groupie, I still make it all the time. Thanks for dedicating your life to the feeding of my family . }
Ok, I need to figure out how get google photos to sync with my computer. So many people are suggesting that! Your system sounds amazing. I wish I had been that motivated in the past but I’m determined to get there! And I am so, so happy (and super flattered) that you are still here after all this time. Girl, that’s FOREVER! And seriously endears you to me because that’s a long time to stick around. But I agree, that red berry risotto is something special. 🙂
I absolutely swear by Usborne books Very First reader series. Used it with both my girls and they were both reading (and still are) above grade level. They love the stories and it’s a fun thing to do together. It starts out with parent and child reading together with the child doing the easy pages. It gets progressively harder until they are reading whole books on their own. Each book focuses on different types of sounds that are new for that book. Then they have additional practice word lists you can print. They are really amazing.
thanks for the reading recommendation!
My signature recipe is homemade dinner rolls with honey butter (that I add marshmallow cream to). People go CRAZY whenever I bring honey butter anywhere. I also make a killer green salad with my secret “house” dressing which is just a rice vinaigrette that I’ve been making for years. Sometimes I make a cheesecake too but for the most part, rolls and salads are what I’m asked to bring to almost every family function (and we have a LOT).
Share your recipe? I’m still experimenting to find my go-to always-have-in-the=fridge recipe. Thanks.
If you are looking for a fabulous honey butter, check out Mel’s recipe on the https://www.melskitchencafe.com/?s=fluffy+honey+butter. It really is amazing.
Sounds amazing!!
Shoot, I left a lengthy comment and it’s not posting, so I’ll do some bullet points, too. 🙂
1) Signature dish: green salads are my thing. I love veggies!
2) Thank you for reading book suggestion- need to try this with my kid!
3) I also love Capri blue- I’ve been burning Bath and Body Works Peach Bellini candle the past few weeks. Haven’t been a candle person, but this converted me. It literally lifts my mood- I feel happier when I smell it. Been loving it!!
4) I also stack my games sideways- makes a huge difference!
5) From one dark chocolate lover to another, my go-to is Lindt 90% dark chocolate bars. They ha e the smoothest, creamiest cocoa taste without the bitterness- huge fan!
6) So glad you got the glasses figured out! Having lost my hearing I know how vital good support devices are, so way to go on that!
7) Thanks for the face lotion suggestion- also been looking for something better than what I’ve been using.
8) Your kids are adorable! (Even the older ones 😉 ). Hope all is well for you and yours!
9) Been loving the Friday Thoughts posts- sorry I’ve been a silent reader- keep them coming!
10) Still just love ya!
Take care!
Love hearing from you, Amy! I’m going to go looking for those chocolate bars. NEED! Love you, too, my friend. 🙂
As for storing digital photos/videos–I use DropBox and an external hard drive besides having current photos I’m working with on computer hard drives and regular phone backups on iCloud. It seems like overkill sometimes but from personal experience, I now live by the mantra “when your hard drive/computer crashes not if….” No hardware is immune.
Thanks for all you do in making me successful in the kitchen with your recipes and info on the blog!
So true about all hardware being fallible. Thanks for your thoughts!
Mel! I also started using supergoop Matte face sunscreen a little while ago and I am hoarding it because I love it and because there were 2 options… the 1st option $18 and the next $36. I was thinking $18 was a lot for a moisturizer and I buy their big pump sunscreen for my kids and it lasts almost all summer and I have 5 kids! so I was thinking that the $36 option must be giant. Well, the $18 option is like for you carry on bag or something because it is tiny. But I love it so much I hardly have to wear any other make up! So yay for Supergoop, but watch those size options! oops!!
I’m so happy you are a fan of that sunscreen, too, Jessica! I’ve wondered if I should go for their pump sunscreen. That’s awesome it lasts so long!
Mel, you are the best girlfriend I’ve never met! I have been following you for years and love, love you. Thank you for the ideas, encouragement and yummy cookie recipies. If supergoop stops making their sunscreen, try Heliocare gel – order from Beauty and the boutique. The owner of the boutique is very sweet and has great easy ‘I don’t have for makeup’ tips.
Oh thank you, Dana!! And thanks for the recommendation on another sunscreen. Love that!
How to Teach Your Kids to Read book, never heard of it, but kinda wish I had as my youngest struggled with reading in gr. 1 and even in gr. 2. However, he is 16 now and can read just fine, thankyouverymuch! Bum Bum cream. Never heard of it, either! I guess I have been living under a rock? Probably will not be buying it as it’s expensive and I am going to try to make my own cream in an effort to go Zero Waste, so although it does sound awfully nice… Loved Hundred Foot Journey. Your link to the sunscreen doesn’t work for me for some reason, so no comment there. Signature recipe is raspberry cheesecake brownies, or my Daffodil cake (like an angle food cake but marbled with orange and lemon, so light and delicious) And Google Photos is what I use for photo storage. But let’s not even get into all those boxes of printed photos languishing in my crawl space… that’s kinda like storage, right? Ahem, must get on that.
p.s. Great job on your games closet! I was losing sleep over that!
Good luck on the zero waste path, Maxine! Sounds like it will be a worthwhile adventure! Your signature recipes sound divine! Glad you can sleep more soundly now!! 🙂
Amazon Prime has free photo storage. That’s what our family uses, in addition to external hard drive backup.
So many people recommending Amazon!
Ooh, if I have a signature recipe, it’s probably the raspberry butter I make at Christmas to take to people. It’s more than a compound butter. Imagine butter and homemade jam having a beautiful baby.
Well, that sounds like a very beautiful thing.
I used that same book to teach Trace to read! We didn’t make it all the way through, and we sometimes had some pretty big battles with doing the lessons, but it gave him a pretty good foundation to enter preschool with and now he is totally reading! Not sure what his kindergarten teacher is going to do with him next year. My signature recipe is an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with coconut and walnuts (my favorite cookie ever!) and my homemade white bread. Shane got glasses from Zenni too! Great discovery. And as far as photos and videos go…I do several things. But the one I count on the most is just google photos. Free app that takes all your pics from your phone and automatically stores them on a cloud. Not sure how you would get all your old photos on there though. But you could start having any new ones go there.
Well, obvs, because you and I think alike on so many things. Not surprised we used the same reading book. Ha. Did you make those cookies in college? If not, rude.
Haha! They are a Mrs. Fields recipe that somebody gave me that I have perfected. And you don’t like nuts in your cookies right? That might be your one fatal flaw. These have walnuts so you might not appreciate them. But honestly, they are so good. I don’t know how you couldn’t.
I’ll just be right here waiting for you to SEND ME THE RECIPE. I might even get over my nuts-do-not-belong-in-cookies philosophy.
Done.
I have used that book to teach one of my children how to read and we both loved it. It can’t get easier than that and it is so effective! Lessons are short and my daughter requested doing two-three at a time . She was reading fluently before she started kindergarten. I made a chart with 100 squares and we put a sticker on each square for lesson completed. I had somebody recommend this book to me and have since recommended it to others! It’s defijitely a winner.
Yes, I loved that the lessons were so short and straightforward!
LOVE the Teach your Child to Read workbook! With our 1st, we were struggling to get him going with letters and reading until a friend told us about this book. Changed everything. He LOVES reading now and I loved doing the workbook with him…before, I didn’t know how to help him. Used with our 2nd child, and amazing results once again!
Same here! So grateful someone told me about this book so many years ago.
I got my signature dish while teaching middle school cooking as a substitute teacher (cooking is not my subject but you have to come prepared to teach anything!). The kids hated it because it was too weird and spicy, but I’ve taken it and modified it over the years and cooked it countless times and everyone adores it. It started out as Indonesian beef meatball skewers with simple satay sauce, but I long ago dropped the skewers and just cook the meatballs up in the frying pan. They are juicier that way and easier. Served on a bed of rice, simple and sooooo delicious! A Sri Lankan friend of mine suggested mango chutney as a condiment and although it’s probably not authentic at all, the flavours are sensational together.
Wow, that meal sounds amazing, Laura!! I might need you to send me the recipe. 🙂
My mom used that book to teach me how to read 25 years ago! (Granted it was an earlier version than that link, but the same book). She used it for me and my two sisters and we all love reading!
I don’t really have a “signature recipe” that other people associate with me but I think the closest thing I have is a meal that my husband and I discovered and we love! He requests it often and it’s definitely in our regular rotation. I adapted it from this recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220316/salmon-with-dijon-butter-sauce-asparagus-and-herb-butter-angel-hair-pasta/ I usually use tilapia instead of salmon because it’s less expensive. I also simplified the seasoning and usually just sprinkle our favorite lemon pepper over the fish before searing it in the skillet. The Dijon butter sauce is amazing so we usually double that part of the recipe!
I love using google drive for photo storage! I have the app on my phone so it automatically uploads photos as I take them since my phone is my main camera these days. I have not gone back to upload old photos into it because all my older photos are on either amazon photos (which is free if you have amazon prime, but I don’t anymore) or an external hard drive.
That’s amazing! I know that book has been around a long time simply because my copy is a used version (and it’s the old yellow cover). Thanks for including the link to your favorite meal. Looks AMAZING! I’ll be trying for sure!
So, I’m terms of #7, I store my pictures I’m a couple of different places. 1- strait on my computer in files. I organize them by year and then by month. 2- I take those organized files and then I put them on a huge external hard drive. And finally, I also take those same organized files and I pay for a yearly subscription with Dropbox. It’s probably redundant and overkill, and I could probably save $100 a year by just using good photos… but this works for me and I’ve been able to find my pictures when I needed them.
In terms of a signature recipe, I don’t really have one, BUT whenever I make something and someone asks for the recipe, they literally go, “Oh wait, I remember, its’s from Mel’a kitchen, isn’t it?” And they are basically always right. I really don’t say that to flatter you, it’s 100% true. I basically have a signature *website.*
I honestly don’t think that’s overkill at all. Sounds like a great system! And seriously, that IS super flattering. You have no idea. Thanks for the pick me up (and smile)
I would have to second this statement. You’re my signature website. Anytime someone compliments something I bring to a function, they know where I got it!
Thanks, sweet girl. 🙂
Game closet looks great! Way to go!
I love using Bob books to help my kids read. It is so exciting to watch them learn sounds and figure the world out! What a thrill for them.
As for signature your soft cookies are quickly becoming my signature too – I also make ginger snaps that will rock your world and homemade (deep fried Utah style) scones with a maple glaze. Cannot. Eat. Just. One.
I am with you deliciousness must be shared. Yum.
I love your Friday thoughts, and you wish to send me cookies – I will take cookies anytime. Have a wonderful weekend Mel
Thanks, Jenny! Sounds like I need that ginger snaps recipe, my friend!
I used that book to teach all 4 of my kids to read and they started kindergarten reading at a 2nd grade level. I think that boosted their confidence from the get-go. I admit, it’s bit always fun, but I’d let them pick one thing from the dollar spot every 10 lessons and when the finished all 100, they got a date night to chuckie cheese.
I think my signature summer meal (I know, it’s not just a recipe, I’m complicated that way) is pulled pork on homemade buns with coleslaw, homemade lemonade, and chocolate chip cookies with homemade ice cream for dessert. And for winter hamburger soup with homemade French bread and buttermilk brownies.
As for glasses, I love md Zenni until I got lasik, and I love lasik even more.
Great incentives for that reading book, Kari! And whoa, that signature meal sounds seriously ridiculously yummy.
Signature recipes … Like you, I have several. Side, soup, dessert, appetizer, main. (Lots and lots of fellowship dinners and family gatherings). Roasted new potatoes, Aztec chowder, pumpkin pie, hummus, chicken gumbo.
As to the photo storage … I do suggest a cloud service. There are a myriad of choices, epending on your personal technology. iCloud, Google, Verizon cloud, etc. These all have a limited amount of free storage space and then you can choose to pay for more. If your internet is patchy are you able to go somewhere else where you can connect to a seecure WiFi?
Thanks, Susan! Yes, I need to look into faster wifi solutions (can’t get any faster where I live but I could probably go somewhere to upload).
First off, I love the new frames. Zenni is great for ordering some accessory glasses. I wear glasses everyday and to the gym too, so I like to have options.
Signature dish – homemade rolls or cookies. I also make a your Blackbean/Mango quinoa salad and it is a requested item.
love the game organization.
Thanks for the sunscreen tips, I need a new one for the face this summer as the old one is discontinued. Yikes. Always hard to start again.
Also the first picture, makes my heart melt. We use iCloud and google photos to back up.
Thanks, Susan!
Perfect timing with the sunscreen post! I have been struggling with my facial sunscreen and thought, I bet Mel would have a good recommendation! We store our photos on an external hard drive, AND it backs up regularly through an online cloud service. We set it to only back up at night, and it is such a peace of mind for me! We also use Google photos, which automatically backs up all our phone pics. (But I still download them off my phone onto the external drive regularly.)
That sounds like a cool system to have the external hard drive back up to a cloud service. My brain is spinning with all the options!!
My signature recipe is a homemade brownie recipe and pretzel salad. My family is quite disappointed when I don’t make and bring them to get togethers. We use google photos which works well for us.
That’s the sign of a true signature recipe!
Great thought provoking post! We will all end up with lots of good info!
– Hand cream – sounds interesting – how would you classify the “Volcano” scent ? Citrus? Floral? Herbaceous? I love this hand cream especially during cold Midwest winters https://usa.loccitane.com/shea-butter-hand-cream,82,1,29193,1159026.htm#s=39166
– signature recipe – I’m sad to say I’m not sure I have one. I’m the guest who says what do you need and I fill in so I end up bringing many different things to parties/potlucks. Having said that one of the most popular things I’ve made is a version of this avocado tomato corn salad. If you love cilantro and fresh veggies it’s the best. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/aidas-corn-tomato-and-avocado-salad-recipe-1972712
Another kind-of signature is a toasted walnut Gorgonzola compound butter for putting on steaks.
-photo storage great question I’m old school (cd’s of old videos (also download loaded to computer) stored in safety deposit box with flash drive of all photos which are on my computer and iCloud) so I can’t wait to hear some more current ideas !!
The volcano scent is light and a bit citrus-y with a hint of floral. Yes, that’s what I would say. It’s divine. And not obtrusive. Thanks for the link to the hand cream you love! And that recipe looks amazing!! Sounds like you DO have a signature recipe or two!
Ok, do you use goop now instead of elta, md? I LOVE elta md (both you and a derm recommended it) but I also did try the goop tinted sunscreen. I want to try the unseen too, but I love a tinted spf since I don’t wear other make up on top.
And digital…just google/overdrive?? Not perfect and not super organized. ah!
Not sure I have a signature recipe….maybe sweet potato black bean burritos or my husband and I make pretty good pizza!
And I just have a 3 and 6 year old. I did NOTHING to prep 6 year old for kindergarted/reading except reading to him. I feel like “that’s what school is for”…but maybe I should have done something else? Is it too late? I can always try on the younger one!
I use both! I’ll go into more details on my suncare post, but I’ve been using supergoop daily with Elta MD as my go to for more prolonged sun exposure. And no, I don’t think you necessarily need to prep them before school at all. You are doing just fine, mama! I just always wanted a little something learning-wise to do with them when they were home so that book fit the bill!
My signature recipe is Chex party mix! Now before you think of the awful varieties that are on the cereal boxes, my recipe is the oldest one there is for this snack. My friends and family go nuts over this stuff and it’s so special to make every Christmas!
Me, too, Becky ~ my story is exactly like yours! I’ve made it for wedding receptions and graduations, and chuckle every time!
Sounds yummy, Becky!
Oops! One more thought: I use the blurb online book tool instead of the download because I’ve been known to delete books accidentally:/ I also love that I can load pics anywhere with an internet connection…
Thanks, Kandis!
I have used carbonite for years now, and it did take FOREVER (like a few weeks?) to do the initial dump but now it is easy and seamless. Bonus, it’s so helpful when you get a new computer to just import all your files.
Thanks, Ellen! So many ideas to sort through!
#7: I turn my videos into a short monthly video with the vivavideo app (vimeo is good for iPhones) and upload to a private YouTube channel. Seriously takes 10 minutes. We share with friends/family and watch the old ones on Sunday mornings;)
I edit my pics in picasa into collages with info typed right on the pics, then load weekly or monthly to a blurb book that I print as a Christmas gift to myself;) They have a pdf version I order and save to my hard drive that I keep in emergency storage because I couldn’t carry all those books!
Love that video idea!
I love that book! I hope it works on my boys like it did for my daughter.
My signature dish is Pork Chili Verde. It’s the only dish I don’t follow a recipe when I make it and it’s always delicious.
I’m definitely going to get that sunscreen. I’m regretting my teen years of not wearing anything on my face.
Sometimes those are the best kinds of recipes!!
I have the teach your child to read book, it never worked for us. Too many tears and lost tempers on both sides. I have never been able to teach any of my kids to read, they hate it and refused. Of course they learned in school, but I wasn’t able to teach them. They all hate reading still and it breaks my heart because that’s all I want to do is read all day long! Maybe they see me doing that and that’s why they hate reading?
Signature recipe is almond puff. It’s a perfect blend of buttery, flakey crust with a deliciously sweet almond soufflé topping, then topped with a sweet almond glaze on top. Everyone raves about it and it’s gone in seconds.
Oh, I hear you. Definitely not a one size fits all with kids! There’s some things my kids hate to do that makes me so sad and I wonder if I’ve done something wrong?? Maybe they’ll come around to reading, you never know! Also, that almond puff sounds so yummy!
My signature recipe is either my spinach lasagna (with homemade marinara) or my apple crisp.
YUM!
What a wonderful photo of your son and daughter. It makes me laugh just to look at her! Please keep us updated on the photo/video storage solutions. I also have a rural internet that struggles to upload anything and I have decades of photos that I need to save.
My signature dish is a buttermilk coffee cake. It is in my recipe file on a worn out and faded card that just says Coffee Cake–no other description needed!
I’ll compile a list! And I bet that coffee cake is divine!
Mel I think you’re awesome! I’m s sucker for all things that smell delicious. Can’t wait to try that lotion! Love your Friday thoughts
Thanks, Ashlee!
I love your Friday thoughts posts! My signature dish changes (many of them are your recipes), but one I’ve been known for for years is Bundt Bread. I really need to email you the recipe because I think it deserves a place on your site! And the photo dilemma. I use google photos and I like it, but I also have some super old photos that I need to figure out what to do with them. It’s overwhelming!
I just got your email. I AM SO EXCITED!!
Also I make yearly scrapbooks (not really detailed) on Blurb. Or rather that’s my goal and I’ve got 5 of 13 years done. Look up Eighteen 25 what she does. Then if I ever do lose things for some reason, I can just get those reprinted. The kids love to pull out their birth year and read their birth story and relive family trips
Yes! I’ve used blurb for my blog books. It’s a great idea that I need to keep in the rotation for photo storage.
I’m definitely going to order that reading book! My daughter just turned 5 and I’ve been doing phonics with her (how I learned to read) but I’m always looking for new resources.
I don’t really have a signature dish- I get bored so easily with food and sometimes I’ll make a new recipe that’s amazing and I always think to myself ‘I’ll have to remember this for the next time _____ (we have guests, go to a potluck, have no groceries etc)” and I never do! I’ll have to start a list I guess. I’ve had family ask me to make the same dish again and I have no idea what it was that I made the first time. Also if you wanted another higher SPF option, the Biore UV watery Rich sunscreen is SPF 50, available on amazon, absorbs nicely and isn’t greasy or white casting, plays nice under makeup, and is only $16 Canadian, so probably less for you. It’s been my go to face sunscreen for years, I’m extreme about skincare!
I hear you – I get bored easily, too. That’s why I have 100 versions of chocolate chip cookies on this site. Haha. Thanks for the sunscreen recommendation!
Zenni: we had a great experience ordering my husband’s glasses. He wanted these crazy expensive Oakley frames but I was able to find a very comparable pair and convinced him to give it a shot. So glad he did! Yours look adorable!
Signature recipes: White Texas Sheet Cake (make sure you use half vanilla, half almond extract), your Amazing Romaine Salad and Anne Burrell’s Focaccia bread. Also your vanilla buttercream with Cooking Classy’s Chocolate Layer Cake.
That’s awesome about your experience with Zenni! Love your signature recipes!!
We love Zenni! I’ve been using them since college when none of us had insurance. My persciption is really mild and it seems like a waste to spend big bucks on something that I hardly ever wear. My dad likes to get persciption sunglasses from them for driving.
How do you know when your child is ready to learn to read? My oldest is two. I really don’t want to be pushy at all. I didn’t want to even think about it until he’s in first grade but some of the other parents in my neighborhood said that if your kid can’t read when they enter kindergarten they are already behind? Is that true?
We use the photo service that comes with Amazon prime. We like it. The family vault feature is nice. It makes it easy to share pictures from family trips. But it doesn’t have very much video storage so we are still looking for a video solution.
That’s a good question about reading. All of my kids were a bit different. When I felt like they had a pretty good attention span to listen to me read to them, I would start to look for the signs that they were noticing letters and/or sounding things out. With a couple of my kids, we started the lessons in this book…and then stopped. And I tried again several months later and it worked MUCH better. I do not think they are behind if they aren’t reading in kinder but maybe that’s school district dependent. Certainly not here! They can get a good foundation in most schools.
Let’s see. I’ve never ordered glasses there because once we sold the bakery that I didn’t want in the first place, I got LASIK! So that’s my favorite! My signature recipe in my family is your pizza, potlucks is any of the chocolate chip cookie bars (it depends on my mood), and those are really my constants. There’s too many yummy things to make! We have an external hard drive that both hubby and I know to grab in case of emergency. My cousin had her phone pictures saved to her phone and 2 cloud services, and somehow she lost 18 months of pictures, including a trip to Disneyland, and her baby’s first year of life. So I don’t know how much I trust clouds.
Yay for LASIK! And that makes me just so sad about your cousin’s pictures. Ack!
These posts are my favorite. Two signature recipes (for which you always get credit): 1. Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. 2. A variation on your red wine dressing from the “Gourmet Green Salad” post.
Thanks, Sidney!
“How to Teach Kids to Read Thoughts” – I thought we were going to discuss mind reading. Darn, lol! Guess I’ll have to keep telling my kids to do work around the house the old fashioned way. Thanks for the sunscreen update! I was just about to buy one.
I thought the same thing!
Haha. I know! Bad wording on my part!
So were the glasses cheap? I am in the same boat as you – I pay a ridiculous amount to get new glasses to have the coke bottle lenses whittled down to a reasonable size. I would LOVE a cheaper option that would allow me to have more than one pair!
They were much cheaper than buying them through an office, but because I paid for high index lenses, I’d say they were right around $95. However several of my friends have lower prescriptions and pay $25!
1. I was buying cheap reading glasses at Walmart twice a month due to their fragility. When I realized this negated any savings I went with bunnyeyez.com (during a 50% sale). I love how they tilt!
2. I’m aging myself here: “Hooked on Phonics” was THE reading program when my kids were young…is it even around any more?
6. Supergoop…I heard about this some years ago when a professional tennis player (Sharapova??) became co-owner. I remember thinking it had to be pretty good since those tennis players are in the sun all the time!
7. aaah, photo storage! External hard drive for me too although I do remember all those years of making yearly CD’s (always two–one to keep at home and one for my parents to keep just in case a photo catastrophe struck!!)
Thanks, Sandra! I do think Hooked on Phonics is around but just in a totally different format.
This is a completely different topic, but I know where to find help. We started having a potluck once a month after church. I don’t know why I feel so intimidated about cooking for it. Do you have post to take the fear out of potluck dinners?
Hey Kelly, I don’t have a potluck post but it’s a good idea! Tell me what stresses you out the most??
Hey, Mel! Love the Friday Thoughts posts- love all your posts, as per usual! I also store my games sideways and it has made a huge difference in being able to keep the game closet clean! I don’t have any thoughts for #7 because we haven’t figured that out yet, so I’ll be watching for ideas here. I also don’t have a signature recipe at the moment but people usually like my green salads (doesn’t sound exciting but a good green salad can go a long way, which I know you know). Also, I totally love Capri blue lotion- best scent ever! I have been burning the Bath and Body Works Peach Bellini candle in my home the past few weeks and I think I’m addicted. It literally lifts my mood with its scent. You might like it if you’re a candle person (or even if not- I wasn’t a candle person until I found this!). Thanks for the tip on the reading book- I need a good tool for one of my kids. Also, glad the glasses worked out! I know how important it is to have good devices (for me, hearing) when a sense starts to have issues. Happy for you! Hope all is well with you and yours. Sending love and hugs! (Oh, and on a dark chocolate note, I have been treating myself to Lindt 90% dark chocolate bars… they are so smooth, so creamy, and so dark, I can’t get enough! From one dark chocolate lover to another 🙂 .) Love ya!
This is probably to obvious to be helpful, but I use Google photos. It’s free and automatically backs up. I’m just a snap shot kinda girl with limited space on my iPhone, which why I use it. But it does have some cool search features to find pix lost in the depths.
*too obvious
Lots of people saying google photos works for them!
Thanks for the recommendations on the sunscreen(and the bum bum cream). I have a tough time trying to find one that doesn’t feel greasy and can be used as a moisturizer. I’m gonna have to order that asap. Can’t wait for your sunscreen/skin cancer update. My signature dish right now is enchiladas and probably queso dip. We don’t do the rotel tomatoes in our its just beef and hate to (but not really) cheez-whiz with some spices.
Thanks, Courtney! Signature recipes are the best (love a good queso dip!)
I’ve used that book to teach my older 4 to read and will start using it on my fifth this fall. Love/hate it! Ha.
My signature dish may be black bean and corn salsa (I get Asked to bring it to a lot of dinners) or my brownies.
Haha. YES. Love/hate it too, my friend
Did you have to get rid of any games or is that all just reorganization?? We have a lot, too, but I’m not ready to part with any of them! ha
All our photos since 2015 are in the cloud on Google Photos, but I guess I need to figure something out with my older pictures, too! Interested to see what people recommend!
I sent about 10 to the thrift store that we didn’t play anymore but that’s it!
My signature dish is lemon pound cake with a little jar of blueberry sauce I can every summer. People seem to enjoy it.
Yum!