Sweet, Sweet Sinus Relief

I am an avid sufferer of allergic rhinitis and (self-diagnosed) chronic sinusitis. All that boils down to? I'm congested, deep in my sinuses, pretty much year round. Some times are better than other times, I'll be honest, but there are days, like today, when I wake up dry-mouthed and stuffy because I've been so congested I'm breathing through my mouth and not my nose.

There are a lot of OTC meds I can (and do!) avail myself of, but I have to be careful what I use because I am prone to nosebleeds. Nice, big, heavy, Old Faithful-like gushers, if I'm lucky, that take an age and a half to stop and leave me with headaches afterwards.

So I tend towards suffering through it, or slathering on the Mentholatum or Vicks VapoRub. Although occasionally, I will find myself going homeopathic, and I'd like to share with the rest of you snufflies out there my "miracle cure."

Vinegar. Mixed pickling spice.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

If you're anything like me, you're always on the lookout for something that you can just toss in the crock-pot, let it simmer for a few hours, and then come back to it and have a nice, delicious meal ready.

Well, I can't promise that, but I can promise you a meat sauce that you can use for spaghetti, beefaroni, or pretty much anything else you want to use it with. It can also serve as the base for chili (with or without beans).

It's a pretty low-maintenance recipe that you can spice up with any additives that you want. Mostly I just add cheese near the end, shredded cheddar or Mozzarella if I've got it on hand, because we're a cheese-eating family here.

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Stop Making Kristen Stewart A Martyr

Before we begin, I would like to offer a disclaimer:
I am a thirty-five, soon to be thirty-six, year old woman who despises the Twilight series and everything that it stands for. However, I have no personal anathema or particular hatred towards Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, or anyone else involved in the whole shebang. In fact, I rather like some of the actors and actresses.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let me start this off by giving you the two links that started my tirade.

IndieWire: The Public Shaming of Kristen Stewart
Trampire: Why The Public Slut-Shaming Matters For Young Women from RKEC on Tumblr.

Go ahead and read, I'll wait here.

Spicy Beef Roast

Like pretty much every single other person on the planet, I'm always looking for things. A new purse, the exact right pair of jeans that fit perfectly and make me look flawless while being extraordinarily affordable, a nifty pair of shoes that don't hurt my feet and yet offer decent support, the best deal on Fancy Feast cat food for two picky cats who don't know how good they've got it.

Mostly, though? I look for recipes. Because cooking is not my favorite thing to do. I don't MIND it, oddly enough, I just get tired of DOING it every night, and I'm occasionally always looking for something new to try that's easy, that tastes delicious, and that doesn't break my budget.

While in recent months, both Pinterest and Six Sisters' Stuff has filled that void, I came across a recipe of my own that I discovered a few years back. It's from a booklet of recipes at Crock-Pot.com and is amazingly good.

Image borrowed from Blossy's Cook Book

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Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

I found this on Tumblr and it had been reblogged so many times, I could not find the actual original attribution. I traced it as far back as I could, to the blog of the person (Jessica) who first posted it, but not the exact post.

That being said? It looks so sinfully delicious I can't wait to try it, and I thought it'd be worth sharing.

Book Review: The Lives of the Monster Dogs

I picked up The Lives of the Monster Dogs at the library one weekend strictly on its cover; a beautiful Siberian Husky/Malamute-type dog in a smoking jacket. The blurb on the back was intriguing; dogs that walk upright on their hind legs, have prosthetic-yet-working human hands and voice boxes, land in New York City.

You'd think they'd have all kinds of zany adventures; wrong-o! Turns out these are Monster Dogs, that's the name they accept for themselves, and they set up housekeeping in NYC. Of course, they're all still stuck in the 1800s (there's a long, semi-pointless back story that vaguely involves Kaiser Wilhelm that explains this) and are all wearing bustled dresses and Prussian uniforms, but that's okay because it's New York City and that's where the Freak Flag flies. At least, that's their rationale for landing in NYC.

Talking dogs, Victorian clothes, and laser guns (yes, laser guns). What could go wrong?

DIY Project: Jewelry Box

How many of you have trinket boxes, junk boxes, photo boxes, or any other kind of box piled around the house with no idea what to do with them?

Oh, just me, is it?

Well, I am a box collector. I have quite a few, of many varied shapes and sizes, but the box in question, that precipitated this whole project, is one I've had for eighteen years; it was a senior gift from my high school the year I graduated, and over time, it's served as a pencil box, trinket box, necklace box, bead box, storage box, empty-box-sitting-around-looking-pretty box... you get the idea.

I also collect rings. I rarely wear them; they get in my way when I type, and when I get hot and cranky, my hands swell and the rings get really tight and uncomfortable. But I love collecting them, especially unique ones. Like these ones.

And so, I made this:

You can, too, and for under $10. More likely, it'll be under $5, depending on if you already have felt at home or not.