Time to catch up with film and TV.

Yikes!

I’ve been taking a look at my Roku channels and removing those I don’t watch. Oddly, there aren’t that many. I find I spend a lot of time on PlutoTV or YouTube. Yeah, surprised me, too.

I’m slowly getting back into series TV.

Over on AcornTV the return of Queens of Mystery (season 2) was such fun. The series is quirky. The mysteries interesting and I’m starting to see where the base “what happened?” mystery is being addressed.

Over on Paramount+ Star Trek Discovery has once again been pure joy. I’ve lauded the cinematic look and feel to the series since the beginning, but it is the writing that keeps raising the bar. To be clear, I’m not one of those nitpickers who would rather complain over the perceived error regarding [ fill in the blank ]. I’d rather sit back and enjoy a story that is well written, isn’t insipid, and treats the audience as thinking adults.

Yeah, I get a bit pissy about that. 🙂

Speaking of Paramount+, the ability to catch up with NCIS and Ghosts when I feel like it is great. I love watching these shows live, but when necessary to be able to not have to record them is great. If you’ve never set a recorder to capture a show that was pre-empted by a sports show and you ended up missing a chunk of what you wanted to watch… You don’t know what you’ve missed.

Ghosts has become such a wonderful success! Frankly not many UK shows can make the jump to the US audience and succeed. Ghosts is one of the very few and it is developing into Appointment TV.

Call Me Kat over on FOX is another of those ex-pat UK shows that moved to the US market. Season 2 just premiered and I am pleased to say that it looks like season 2 is going to be great.

I finally sat back to watch Being the Ricardos on Amazon the other day and was blown away. This Aaron Sorkin film looked at the relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz not Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. It has the full support of the family, too. Lucie Arnaz even posted a video talking about the project before it was released and stated that she was impressed.

The film is exceptionally well cast and the writing sharp. For those who take the time to notice, there is a lot of information about how a series is produced. The main focus of the film is the relationship between Lucille and Desi. Behind all the glitz and glamour, beyond the masks of characters, the story of these two people is compelling.

Oh, and if you are interested, Lucie Arnaz did a documentary based on her family home movies and interviews with folks who knew her parents. You can find it, Lucy and Desi A Home Movie, on Amazon.

Love Those Reruns!

I’ve loved BritComs for years. A couple have found their way on my viewing list once again.

‘Allo, ‘Allo is one of those Croft and Lloyd series that I once watched on my local PBS station, then found on Pumpkin FM. A bit silly, a bit farce, a bit tongue in cheek. Always good for a laugh. Click here for more information about the show.

Thanks to both PlutoTV and Hulu, I’ve been able to watch the Mary Tyler Moore show again. It is amazing how well the show holds up.

These are a few of the movies and shows I’ve been watching. What have you been enjoying?

As we step into 2022 I’m thinking about projects I want to embark on. I’d bet you are also thinking along those lines.

First Up: I have an accumulation (aka: Stash) of quilting fabrics that need to be used. Really, there is no point to having it if you aren’t going to use it, right? And, while I can agree that there isn’t a huge time limit, ‘later’ basically means that you spent money on stuff you don’t really plan to do something with.

With that in mind, I have had a set of patterns for a Block of the Month quilt from AccuQuilt that dates back to, I think, 2012 or so. They are lovely, easy to piece and would be a beautiful wall hanging, table runner, or quilt.

If you go to the AccuQuilt website, click on the Patterns link and you will find a wide variety of options. Or, you could simply click on these links. 🙂

I don’t know if they are still available, but I do know that there are loads of free patterns available – and every die comes with free patterns – so there are loads of options.

Second Up: I also have an accumulation of card making supplies that I want to spend more time with. There are lots of techniques I want to try out, too. While I did focus on replacing old ink pads and gathering cardstocks in 2021, this year I want to make use of what I have rather than buy more. Space is limited and, like fabrics, there isn’t much use in not putting thing to use.

Third: I’m looking (once again) to expand my meal options. There’s nothing like getting stuck in the same rut with the same meal plans, right? It seems to me to be time to experiment a bit and try new things.

I also have quite a collection of cookbooks, so there are thousands of options I can choose from.

What do you think?

Are you feeling adventurous? Are you thinking that you might want to dip a toe into uncharted waters and try new things, use up old things and make room for some unexpected accomplishment? Not to mention possibly getting a head start on holiday gifting?

Let me know what you are contemplating. And, no matter what, take time to spend time with yourself. Enjoy!

Happy Boxing Day to those who celebrate even it if might just be a passing nod to the End Of the Christmas Festivities.

Not sure what Boxing Day is? Click HERE for an explanation.

In our house Boxing Day has become a day where we sit back, put our feet up, divvy up any leftovers and basically work to regain our sanity and composure after 4 to 6 weeks of Holiday Insanity. And we aren’t in that group who was up to their ears with shopping, wrapping, cooking, etc. They might need it more than we do. 🙂

Think of it as a type of recovery day, if you like.

Enjoy!

Video, that is. Maybe a bit of music, too..

If you are looking to find a wide array of holiday films, specials, and classics check out your streaming services. Disney+ has been adding quite a bit of seasonal programming and Amazon Prime even has a special search button to find those favorites. I think PlutoTV has already begun a channel devoted to holiday programming.

Granted, you probably won’t find everything you want to see, but you might be shocked/surprised to see what is available.

One of the yearly favorites in my home is the Muppets Christmas Carol. We are also fond of the Prep and Landing specials, too.

Have you noticed the yearly fireplace videos are back, too?

Before we know it we will be up to our ears with holiday baking. A perfect accompaniment to baking, package wrapping, and decorating would be the month long Holiday Radio Shows on RadioOnceMore. Check out their website with the program guide here. Note their special holiday programming begins December 1st but they also have some Thanksgiving shows at the end of November.

Enjoy!

This morning I got up and turned on the heater. Hooray! That might not sounds like such a big deal, but around here we’ve been living with temps in the low to mid 90s with humidity to match. I’m tired of my a/c – and I love my a/c.

Now, I know that we have a few more days when temps will rise to the 80s again, but at this moment I’m enjoying what I can.

I’ve been dreaming of casseroles lately. In celebration of weather cool enough to have the oven on, it headed to the kitchen and raided my pantry.

I heard about Rao’s fantastic sauces and decided to give them a try. I enjoy a good spaghetti or lasagna, not to mention pizza, but tomato sauce and I are not good friends. The acidity is a game stopper for me.

Doing some research, I found suggestions to add butter and baking soda (in small amounts) to resolve that issue, so I decided to try it.

The Rao’s sauce is scrumptious! I had to stop myself from eating it out of the jar. Yes, it is pricey, but I think it is worth it when you have a meal you actually want to eat.

Check out lunch:

Happy eating!