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Showing posts from September, 2020

My Fall/Halloween Checklist for 2020

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Here is my fall checklist for 2020. I would love to know what is on your checklist. Feel free to join me as I begin to check things off the list. *********************************************************************************  ******************************************************************************* Happy Fall Everyone! KathieyV

Home-How to Re-Soften Your Towels

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I have noticed lately that my towels are no longer soft.  The towels have taken on a very coarse or rough texture, and they just don't feel very pleasant to the touch.  I found an article on The Spruce that was titled how to soften your towels, and I thought I would give it a try. Here is a quote from their site that may explain why towels lose their softness.  "Every towel will eventually become stiff and scratchy if  body soil, body oils, detergents, chemicals, and minerals from hard water are left in the fibers  after washing. Most of the time, the softness can be brought back to the towel fabric simply by stripping away the gunk and then following the easy steps to help prevent the problem in the first place." Here is the list they give of what you will need to correct this problem Supplies Hot water Distilled white vinegar Household ammonia (optional) (I bought distilled white vinegar on Amazon.) Tools  Washing machine Clothes dryer Wool dryer balls (I bought wool

Kathiey's Vlog

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Quote of the week Books One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London I am not enjoying this book.  I just want to finish as quickly as possible.  If you watched my Try A Chapter video I was impressed by the first chapter of this book.  It was actually sweet.  An older lady attempting to help a young insecure woman.  It quickly shifts to superficial to me when the protagonist is the star of a show called Main Squeeze.  It is a bit like The Bachelor.  For me, it is extremely dull and shallow and I don't care what happens to the characters.  My only hope for the book is that somehow the first chapter appears in the later chapters.  I plan to finish this book but I am not excited about it. Movies This week I randomly choose a movie on Amazon Prime.  I decided to watch "Legal Action" Here is the description from Amazon, "Successful big city lawyer Casey McKay travels to a small rural town where he reluctantly agrees to defend his no-good ex-brother-in-law for murder, but in the mi

Journal Prompt-What is your favorite season of the year and why?

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The answer to this question comes to my mind immediately. I don't even have to think twice about it. My favorite season of the year is fall. One reason it is my favorite season is that I live in North Carolina.  The NC summers are so hot and humid that beginning in June, I start to count the days until fall.   In the summer, even in the early mornings, when I walk my dog, I end the walked drenched with sweat, not the healthy sweat you get with a workout but the sweat produced by humidity.  I just don't feel good in the summer, but I savor the days when the weather cools, and you can go outside and take a deep breath of the cooler air and feel revitalized. There are so many marvelous things to love about fall other than the weather.  I love the colorful leaves, the spiced pumpkin lattes, a warm soft sweater, pumpkin patches, and apple cider donuts.  There is such a joy in being able to open your windows at night to sleep in the coolness under several warm cozy blankets. I love

Five Book Reading Wrap-up

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(There is an Amazon link to each book.  If you are interested in a bit more information, just click on the link.  I am an Amazon Affiliate.  If you click on the link and buy anything at all, I get a percent of the sale with no cost to you...thanks:-) ********************************************************************************* Book 1  "Watching You" by Lisa Jewell Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction Good Reads Rating-3.93/5 My Rating is 3.5/5 Overview I found on Amazon. In Lisa Jewell’s latest “bone-chilling suspense” ( People ), no one is who they seem—and everyone has something to hide. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Ruth Ware,  Watching You  will keep you guessing as “Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace” ( Booklist , starred review) until the startling revelations on the very last page. From Good Reads Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort

Journal Prompt-Share a Time You Helped Someone in Need.

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Over the years, I would like to think that I helped someone along the way. Regarding helping someone, my mind goes back to my years as an RN. I worked in hospitals and clinics and met many in need of a touch to ease their physical and emotional pain. Working as a nurse allowed me to help and comfort others.  I remember the many hands held, the many hugs shared, and the many prayers prayed with my patients.  For me, the most memorable was a young man in his twenties. He had terminal cancer to the point where his bones would spontaneously break for no apparent reason except for the disease ravaging his body. He was in constant pain. I remember thinking back on how I dreaded to see such discomfort. I soon decided to change my mindset. Instead of the focus being the suffering, I began to see it as a chance for ministry. I began to hold him up in my prayers. I went in early for my shifts to pray with him.  Sadly, I don't remember his name, it was over 30 years ago, but I clearly remembe

Genres- What is Magical Realism????

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Magical Realism depicts a picture of the real world with the addition of magical elements.  Magical Realism can also be called marvelous Realism, according to Wikipedia.  Many would say if there is magic, it must be Fantasy.  It seems the line becomes a bit blurred between the two, but the defining characteristics are the story takes place in the real world, not a fantasy world, and in this world, magic is thrown in as usual. Quotes that describe Magical Realism Magic Realism , (also known as Magical Realism  or  marvelous Realism ) is a  style of fiction and literary  genre  that paints a realistic view of the modern world while also adding magical elements.  It is considered a subgenre of Fantasy , and is sometimes called  fabulism , Wikipedia "Magic Realism is based in our reality, and when fantastical things happen, none of the characters see the magic as strange, but it's just accepted. So it's the writer showing us an alternative to accepted reality. Fantasy is usua

Monthly Motivation "Trust God to Give You the Strength to Get Back up Again"

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Have you ever failed at anything?  I have.  Have you ever fallen down either physically, or figuratively and felt you did not have the strength to keep on trying? I have.  Have you ever felt lost/confused and just did not have the motivation even to try to get out of the hole you have dug for yourself, or the energy to attempt to get out of the pit in which life has had placed you?  I have. I guess most of us have been in these situations.  But there is good news!  It is a new day and can be a new beginning; we can get back up and keep on trying to be the best we can be.  I find this is only possible with God's help.  Here are a few sayings to help us pull ourselves up by our bootstraps no matter what is going on in our lives. "This thing called failure is not the falling down but the staying down."  (Author unknown,  at least to me.) (I happen to know the person in the photo, and he did get up and had many triumphant sledding moments after this fall.  He could

Kathiey's Home-Putting Together a Book Shelf

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It was obvious I needed more places to store my books.  I needed a new bookshelf. I have so many books that I still have not read and I have them piled on stacks on the floor. I decided to go to Wayfair and order a bookshelf.  The picture below only shows you a portion of the pieces I need to assemble to put this project together.  I knew if I did not get started it would never happen so I jumped into the task.  The how-to manual had many pages and much jargon I did not understand. The "hidden cam locks" very threatening to me but I thought anything I could not figure out I would google. Let's go..... Four hours and many hidden cams later I had myself a bookshelf. I actually ended up liking the cam locks, they were easier than screwing in screws with the hand screwdriver. I literally proceeded to drag and slide my new creation to the desired location and then fill it with books. It is beautiful just don't look too closely.  I am sure you will find some mistakes but I