Tuesday Tidbits

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I’m back from my short break last week and, wow, I feel like I’ve had a month off! I’m re-energized and ready to go! I hope you’re all having a fabulous summer. The weather has been so lovely here and I can’t believe it it’s already the 12th of August – yikes! Ok, no time to think about that – it’s Tidbits time 🙂

Serene from the fabulous House of Yumm has created the most delicious smoothie to help you get started on your busy days. I am very particular about my smoothies and will confess to being unable to drink green ones, lol. There’s something about a green drink that just doesn’t fly with me. That’s ok though because I eat loads of greens through the day so I’m not missing out. This delicious concoction has yogurt, pineapple and banana! When I first spotted this, I knew I had to try it and bought the ingredients immediately. It is now my most favourite smoothie ever!

Serene included oats for a good source of fiber and did not add any sweeteners. She suggests adding strawberries as well as just one way to change it up to suit your tastes. Love this. Thanks so much, Serene!

Since we’re starting off on a healthy kick this morning, Crazy Foods has a great list of suggestions to help you eat healthier. These tips are good common sense and super easy. It will add loads of nutrients to your meals and another layer of freshness. Check it out here.

Use avocado instead of butter? Bake flourless brownies using black beans? Love these ideas and they have so many more worth exploring.

Image Source : panoramio.com

The Online Central has a fascinating collection of Fantasy Inspired Cottages that will make you smile, and wonder and yearn to visit the people inside. The homes are from all over the globe – Mexico, Thailand, and New Zealand – just to name a few. Some are charming, some spooky and some even romantic but they all make me want to meet the folks who had the imagination to build these places. It`s so freeing when we step outside of the box, don`t you think?

Needing some inspiration on those chilly or rainy days when the kids are inside and you want them to take a break from their IPads ?Here`s a fun site with 25 great experiments that will amaze both children and adults. Growing a Jeweled Rose is a great place with helpful info for kids from kindergarten to grade 11. They have over 1,000 fun and educational activities for you to explore!

HOW THINGS — USED TO BE:

Next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500’s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children – last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Houses had thatched roofs – thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was a roofing contractors nightmare! More conventionaly, houses in the USA have timer-frame roofs, which makes various roofing contractors Round Rock job much easier. With thatched roofs, it was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, rats, and bugs) lived in the roof.

When it rained it became slippery, and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof, hence the saying, “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That’s how canopy beds came into existence.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got to the top, “the upper crust.”

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up hence, the custom of holding a “wake.”

Who said that history is boring?!

Source

So you know I can never resist posting about wildlife and here is one that is guaranteed to make you smile. 15 Unusual Animal Friendships That Will Melt Your Heart is a beautiful collection of how both domesticated and wildlife creatures are just like humans – we all need that closeness with another being. This tugged at the heartstrings!

And if you are in need of a stress free vacation, take 3 minutes out of your life to watch this – I guarantee you’ll leave smiling. Have a great day, everyone!

PS….Just wanted to include this short clip on Robin Williams. He made me laugh more than any other comedian. He also made me cry in his brilliant performances in Good Will Hunting, The Fisher King and my favourite, Dead Poets Society.