mrblog.website

I'm a sucker for coupons. The irrational part of my brain screams, "It's a bargain! Get it! Use the coupon!" This is the same part of my brain that convinces me that having cookies for breakfast is a smart dietary choice. The more sensible part of my brain has been beaten into submission over the years and doesn't even bother to put up a fight anymore. So when I got a coupon for a Hello Fresh meal kit, of course I ordered one, even though I knew it was probably a bit foolish. But, in my defense, I was curious what all the fuss is about. I also did a quick calculation and figured out that the cost of the meals (with the coupon, not at full price) was about what I'd spend on groceries, so it wasn't going to break the bank. I picked three meals (two servings each) - Korean-style chicken thighs, chicken over tabbouleh, and chicken cheddar fajitas. Because I don't have an oven, I was limited to meals that could be cooked on the stove-top. A few days later, ...

Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words: 1 - I was tempted to buy a box of Cap'n Crunch the other day. It's probably my favorite not-good-for-you-but-oh-so-delicious cereal. I used to eat it far more often than was good for me in college. 2 - These days I usually have a bowl of oatmeal in the morning. Not nearly as delicious. Unless, of course you sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top. Not that I would ever do that. 3 - Did you know that you can do more with Cap'n Crunch than just dousing it with milk? I actually found a recipe for Cap'n Crunch chicken. It sounds rather odd. I think I'll stick with just eating mine the old fashioned way in a bowl. What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it? For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here .  Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and...

Paul at Lat43 does these hysterical Morning Tea blog posts which are a brain dump of whatever pops into his head while he's writing them. I decided to steal his idea. Except, I'm drinking coffee while I write this and he drinks tea, so it isn't really stealing, is it? So, here we go - all of the random nonsense floating through my head while I sip on my morning coffee. I stayed at a house in Atlanta earlier this month that came complete with two cats, one dog, and an Alexa. I loved the cats, the dog was sweet, but Alexa creeped me out. The thought of an object in the corner talking to me was weird. As much as I love reading scifi, I don't think I'm really cut out for a world populated with androids and AIs.  Of course, I'm one of those people who has the camera on my computer covered up with blue tape. You know that they're watching, don't you? Some raccoons got on my boat in the middle of the night and made a terrible racket. I'm assuming they...

See that list above? It's from a list of "Stores and Outfits for a First-Class Whale Ship, For a Cape Horn Voyage." {You can see the full list here .} My mom is really into genealogy and does a lot of research on our seafaring ancestors who hailed from New England and made their living on whaling ships. So, from time-to-time, she sends me little tidbits about what life might have been like for them. I love food. I love thinking about food. I love daydreaming about food. And I really love eating food. So this particular tidbit about the food provisions they would carry was right up my alley. My great great grandmother gave birth on a whaling ship in the Marquesas Islands . Her husband was the captain, and one of the perks of being the captain is that you got to take your wife on long voyages with you. I'm not entirely convinced that that would have been a perk for the wives. Years onboard a boat as the only woman, hoping you wouldn't be attacked by sea monsters and...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. **** Today's Spanish word is >>kilogramo<< (kilogram). And now for some random thoughts: 1 - Kilograms make me think of food shopping and cooking in New Zealand. 2 - Unlike us Yankees, they use the metric system. Such enlightened people. Americans of a certain age, will remember when we tried to go metric back in the 70s. It was  dismal failure. Although, we do buy soda pop in liter bottles. So there is that small victory. 3 - Kilograms were pretty easy to work with. When it came to shopping for meat, you just figure that two pounds of ground beef (or mince) equals roughly a kilogram. 4 - Now I'm thinking about cooking in New Zealand. That's how random my thought process is. That's a picture of our stove on our boat in New Z...

In addition to the usual blog posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday about our eccentric travel adventures and day-to-day life living aboard a sailboat, I also occasionally post on Saturdays, focusing on things related to writing such as cover reveals, book launches, reviews, interviews with authors etc. So if you're a bit of a book nerd like I am, check in on Saturdays - you never know what might pop up. **** Today, I'm featuring reviews of three sailing-related books.... HOW NOT TO BUY A CRUISING BOAT | by Deb and TJ Akey >>How Not to Buy a Sailboat<< is a great resource for anyone who is thinking about buying a cruising boat. The authors candidly share their experiences, both the good and the bad, so that aspiring cruisers can benefit from their hard-earned lessons. I've followed Deb and TJ's blog for years and always admired their practical, down-to-earth, and accessible writing style, which is also reflected in their book. You'll feel li...

Clockwise from upper left: (1) Trying to get back to learning Spanish; (2) Valentine's Day candy; (3) When your computer breaks, it's time to do sewing projects; (4) Some of the sailing books I read; (5) Taking apart my laptop; and (6) Shopping for canned meat. It's time for our usual monthly recap by the numbers. February was a month of moderation and frustration. After many parties and overindulging over the past several months, I decided to declare last month to be >>Febfast<< . No, I didn't fast. Don't be silly. I can't go more than four hours without something to eat. But what I did do was try to cut out red meat, booze, junk food, and sugary treats. I succeeded on all fronts except the sugary treats. But, on the plus side, I only ate sugary treats that other people gave me - like cookies from my friend Jane and candy from my mom. Although, now that I think about it, I guess I ate red meat (in the form of corned beef) at our canned meat cook-off...