What makes you smile every time you see it?
Field Guide by Stampington
Melinda
Melinda
Amazing talent!!!!!!!
Melinda
Every day when I see the countries that have visited my blog, I’m grateful. It’s a moment with no walls. Most of us have never talked but I feel your soul. Some of us do talk every day but unless I go to your blog, I don’t know what country you are from.
Today someone from Ukraine stopped by and my heart went through the roof. With the destruction of the war and the toll on the people, I felt blessed that one person was able to put the war to the side for one minute. Thank you.
I want to shout out to the people of Ukraine, the bond, the strength, and most importantly helping each other, and not leaving their neighbors behind is enviable. Ukraine is a very special country and one day I would love to visit to feel your spirit. There is no doubt in my mind Ukraine will rebuild and be stronger for it. President Zelensky is one hell of a man and leader. I love his down-to-earth nature and visiting leaders in his camo! WOW. No pretenses from him. If only America would learn from him.
So far this year, 116 countries have visited my blog, that’s mind-blowing! Many countries surprise me, like China, Russia, and several Middle Eastern countries. Thank you for letting me in your life even for a few minutes.
2023 has been the most challenging for my health and each of you is like a shot in the arm, like medicine.
I’m sending the best wishes your way and praying for your health and happiness.
Melinda
It’s the weekend!!!!!!
I’m so glad you’ve joined me this week for another edition of Weekend Music Share.
Have a great weekend!
Melinda
Welcome back to Weekend Music Share, the place where everyone can share their favorite music.
Feel free to use the Weekend Music Share banner in your post, and use the hashtag #WeekendMusicShare on social media so other participants can find your post.
So glad you stopped by and hope to see you again soon.

Melinda

Melinda
Finding this video was such a joy. I had not heard of the duo and would never have guessed it was a very young David Bowie. Beautiful, just pure joy.
Let’s have a country jam!
Let’s get the memories flowing with these great Holiday Songs.
I left the hospital a couple of hours ago, I thought about how you have pulled me through one of the most difficult years personally.

Bono’s. voice share my joy!
Melinda
Melinda
A good-quality tire means that it has great tread depth and traction. This translates to having a much better grip on the road, especially when you’re driving in rough conditions like heavy snow or rain. Weather can add hazards to the road because you’ll be more likely to slide around, so good tires will keep your car firmly on the ground for a safer driving experience. You’ll lower the rate of accidents and generally improve your driving experience too. Make sure you get quality tires from a place like Dually Shop, especially if you know that you’ll be driving in harsh or difficult conditions and need something reliable.
Another good reason to swap out and upgrade your tire is because you actually get a bit more mileage out of it! Your car tends to use a bit more fuel to get to places if the tires aren’t very good. With high-quality tires, there’s less rolling resistance which means you spend less fuel getting from point A to B, and there’s actually less energy needed to even move your vehicle. In short, better tires mean better fuel economy, ultimately translating into even more money savings!
Upgrading your tire can actually improve your braking response times. This is because of the better traction that you get in quality tires. This is crucial for emergency braking situations and will generally feel more responsive than if you were to drive with worn-out tires. So if you’ve ever driven your car and felt a little unsafe because of how delayed braking feels, try swapping out the tires. You’ll feel an immediate difference because of the improved traction and you’ll feel much safer on the road since you can react faster to different situations.
In short, upgrading your tires is rarely a bad idea. It’s a sound way to upgrade your car, you definitely get your investment back, and it’s something you can do on your own at home with a few tools.
This a collaborative post.
Melinda
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, or just trying to reduce your meat intake, you know how hard it can be to come up with tasty and creative meatless meals. But don’t despair! With a few easy steps, you can make delicious and nutritious meals without worrying about hurting any animals in the process. Whether you prefer something simple and savory, or something more exotic, these tips will help make your next meat-free meal absolutely scrumptious!
Now that you have the basics covered, it’s time to get creative! Start by looking up vegetarian and vegan recipes online or in cookbooks for inspiration. From there, you can customize any recipe with your favorite ingredients, herbs, and spices to make it truly unique. You can even modify traditional dishes like lasagna or chili to make them meatless without losing their flavor.
For a quick and easy meal consider making a veggie-loaded wrap; all you need is a whole wheat tortilla plus whatever vegetables and condiments you have on hand. If you’re having guests over, try making an appetizing roasted vegetable platter accompanied by hummus or tzatziki dip. And don’t limit yourself to recipes – you can also have fun creating your own dishes by experimenting with new flavor combinations.
Trying new recipes is a great way to expand your culinary knowledge and creativity when it comes to cooking meatless meals. With vegan and vegetarian cuisine becoming increasingly popular, there’s no shortage of exciting recipes out there waiting to be discovered. To liven up your meal routine, try looking for recipes from around the world — like vegan tacos with sautéed veggies and black beans, Thai stir-fries, or Mediterranean salads — as these dishes are often packed with flavor and nutrition.
When trying something new, it’s important to read the recipe carefully so that you have all the necessary ingredients on hand. In addition, pay attention to details such as how long certain ingredients need to cook or how much seasoning should be used. If possible, watch a video of someone else making the recipe first as this can help you better understand the steps involved in making the dish. It may also be helpful to make notes of any changes you may want to make next time such as increasing spices or adding more vegetables for extra flavor.
Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself if the recipe doesn’t turn out exactly as planned! Cooking is an art form and even experienced chefs have mishaps from time to time. Making mistakes is part of the learning process and can lead to some amazing discoveries along the way! So don’t be afraid to get creative with your cooking and enjoy exploring new flavors!
In conclusion, meatless meals can be both delicious and nutritious. By following the steps outlined above you will be well on your way to creating flavorful, satisfying dishes that even meat-eaters would enjoy. So get cooking and start exploring a whole world of exciting meatless options!
This is a collaborative post.
Melinda

Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes
Fresh basil
1/2 pound Mozzarella di Bufala di Campania (soft mozzarella cheese)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Using a bread knife, slice tomatoes thickly into 1/2-inch slices. Select soft mozzarella cheese packaged in water so it remains moist and flavorful (don’t use hard-packed mozzarella for pizza topping.)
Carefully slice the mozzarella cheese 1/2 inch pieces. Place the mozzarella on top of the tomato and add a sprig of freshly washed basil.
At this point, you can drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and serve. Or if preparing ahead of time, refrigerate on individual plates and drizzle olive oil on top just before serving.
Use one generous tomato slice per serving.
Enjoy!
Melinda
From the book Gluten Freedom
By Shelly Gannan
We replace the flour in this recipe with Pamela’s gluten-free baking mix. Pamela’s baking mix includes xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. you have to add these ingredients if you are using plain gluten-free flour that does not already have them added.
Ingredients:
3 cups gluten-free flour*
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups mashed bananas (3-4 very ripe bananas)
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 bag of chocolate chips
*Or use Pamela’s baking mix and eliminate the next four ingredients.
Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease bottoms of two 9x5x3 loaf pans. If not using a premade baking mix, combine flour, xanthan gum, cider vinegar, baking soda, and salt in mixing bowl; blend well with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat bananas separately in a large mixing bowl, then add all the ingredients except chocolate chips to the bananas and beat on low speed for 1 minute.
Fold in chocolate chips and pour mixture evenly into pans. Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans to cool completely. If you are making muffins, bake for 20 minutes, testing doneness with a toothpick.
Makes two loaves or 12 muffins.
Enjoy
Melinda

Melinda
If you’re something who suffers from overthinking, you’re not alone. Rumination is a leading cause of anxiety and depression.
Fortunately, there are numerous things you can do to get out of your head and back into the world as you used to know it. It’s just a question of practicing the right activities. Do what works for you.
If you are someone who enjoys the company of others, invest more time in socializing. Focusing on other people and their needs can help to take your mind away from internal thoughts.
One option is to join a club of people with shared interests. Doing something with others can be an excellent way to focus on something new and get more enjoyment from life.
The other approach is to surround yourself with friends and family and do something productive together.
Another approach is to spend some time exploring the wilderness. Being in nature can have a profound healing effect on some people, helping them feel more grounded and connected to human origins.
You can try hiking, camping or even cycling. Experiencing nature in reality and not through a screen is a fundamentally different animal.
You could also try something thrilling, such as off-roading. Focusing on the track ahead of you while you drive an overpowered 4×4 helps to eliminate ruminations and makes you feel alive again.
Just make sure you have the proper supplies. Driving a hard-top Roxor requires having the correct Roxor accessories. Not being prepared could increase anxiety.
Another approach is to get lost in a good book. Spend some time rifling through the pages of a famous novel you haven’t read yet and absorb yourself in another world. Don’t let the same thought patterns dominate your life.
Travel can also be a fantastic healer if you have the financial ability to engage in it. Seeing new places and meeting new people gives you a fundamentally different perspective on life, letting you get more out of it.
You can also try learning something new. Taking up a new hobby or skill can be a wonderful distraction from the thoughts and images swirling around in your head.
The more cognitively demanding the task, the better it tends to be at eliminating rumination. Writing is high up on the list, as is dance, learning a musical instrument, and creating artwork. Pick something that feels uncomfortably difficult so that it takes up more of your mental resources, leaving less for pondering unpleasant thoughts.
You might also want to start journaling, something many therapy patients find helpful. Writing down your thoughts can be therapeutic and helps you sort out your feelings in your mind.
Finally, you can try puzzles and games. These can force you to return to the moment and have fun, something that might be lacking in your life if you struggle with intrusive thoughts. Find games that satisfy you when you solve them.
This is a collaborative post.
Melinda
R
This is the end of the year and many will look to make charitable donations. One important step is to look at how the charity is managed. The key step is to check out Charity Navigator. They rate the effectiveness of the management of funds by rating the charities by giving them stars. The higher the score means more of the money is going towards actual work.

Many companies send out requests for money and have great advertising and if a charity spends more than 75-80% in total expenses they are not managing their money well. You go to Charity Navigator and search for the charity you’re looking for or the type of charity you’re looking for and they will show a list. Look at the score, and all the info available on the charity. Personally, I only give money to charities with four stars.
This year I’m adding a new charity to my list, one that services homeless veterans. I’m combing through Charity Navigator to find a charity that spends its money on the ground directly helping vets. So far all I have found are advocacy groups or ones with less than four stars. I have to keep searching so we can make our donations this week.
Be sure your money is being spent on services, not a highly paid executive and team who sends out letters asking for money.
Happy New Year!
Melinda
For your next birthday party, make a “pavlova” – a delicious meringue shell filled with whipped cream and topped with fresh fruit. With it’s sweet, fluffy interior and crunchy crust, meringue is a favorite for kids of all ages. The desert, which is claimed by both New Zealand and Australia, was created for the great imperial Russian ballerina, Anna Palova, during her tour in the 1920’s.
4 egg whites
1 cup fine granulated sugar (castor sugar)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (if desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberries and kiwi fruit
Preheat oven 250 degrees. Beat eggs whites on high speed until they look like ribbons when dropped from the beater. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Beat meringue mixture until it forms stiffs peaks but isn’t dry.
Fold vinegar, cornstarch, and vanilla into mixture. Using parchment paper on a cookie sheet, spoon the meringue mixture into a circle on the sheet about six to eight inches in diameter ( a rubber spatula really helps with this step.)
Bake 1 1/2 hours. Turn oven off and open the door, leaving the meringue to cool. The meringue shell will fall as it cools but that is okay.- that’s when whipped cream is for.
When the meringue shell is cool, whip the cream in the mixing bowl until it thickens. If desired, add sugar and vanilla to the cream. Don’t overbeat the cream or it will clump. Cover meringue with whipped cream and sliced fruit. You might want to make two-this is a very popular dessert! One pavlova serves six to eight people. And just in case you’d like the kids to eat dinner before dessert, try this traditional New Zealand family dinner one weekend.
This is one of my favorite deserts and every holiday I have one or two! Enjoy.
Melinda
Thinking about the old days over the weekend, I know how blessed I am to have the experiences. I’ve added a few photos of a couple of adventures. It began at two years old.
Melinda
We, humans, are complicated creatures capable of expressing thousands of emotions. This site shows you that anxiety and stress are common across the natural world, and animals have many ways of showing it. Unfortunately for us, humans can also be very good at hiding those emotions, so it isn’t always possible to tell how a loved one or friend is feeling. Here are a few common signs that may suggest your friend is feeling more anxious or stressed than normal.
If you have noticed that small things seem to be bothering your friend more than usual, this could be a symptom of stress or anxiety. The Calm Clinic suggests that irritability is a common sign of anxiety and can cause people to unexpectedly get upset or even lash out. If your friend has displayed these symptoms, do not be afraid to quietly and sympathetically tell them you have noticed a difference in their behavior and ask if there is anything you can do to help. They may not have noticed the change yet themselves, so give them time and space if they need it to think about their behavior and any reasons that might be causing them to feel more irritable.
If your colleague at work is constantly reaching for the coffee, making silly mistakes, and looking exhausted, they may not be getting enough sleep. Anxiety and stress can throw off sleep patterns very quickly. According to Medical News Today, the link between stress and sleep deprivation is very common, with only 35% of Americans getting the correct amount of sleep. A lack of sleep can cause mental health problems to worsen and deepen, so sleep deprivation must be tackled. Again, this is a case of having a quiet word and asking if there is anything that keeps them up at night. If there is a worry often sharing it confidentially can help a friend to put things into perspective. Assure your friend that any discussions can be confidential, and you would only ever break confidentiality if you were worried they may harm themselves or others.
Our diet can fluctuate wildly due to stress and anxiety. Some people may overeat or reach for junk food over healthier options. Others swing the other way and may cut out food altogether. Of course, dietary changes are not always linked to mental health. Only raise the question with a friend if you feel the pattern has been sustained over a substantial period, and if you suspect stress or anxiety may be the trigger for the dietary shift. You can help someone by offering to cook meals or to share lunches with them. Even a few meals in a freezer that they can reach for when they don’t have the energy to cook can make a huge difference to someone’s overall well being.
If your friend does let you know that they are feeling more anxious or stressed than usual, then reassure your friend that there are easy steps you can both take together which will help. Look online for expert advice and positive stories from those who have been in similar situations.
This is a collaborative post.
Melinda
Thank you for all the great feedback on the Blogger Highlight series, I’ve enjoyed meeting each blogger and sharing their site with you. This week we highlight the blog Shedding Light On Mental Heath.

Shining a light on Mental Illness
Hi and welcome to my blog “Shedding Light on Mental Health.” My name is Amy Gamble and I am a National Award winning Mental Health Advocate focused on educating others about Mental Health related challenges.
I live with bipolar disorder and PTSD. My journey has been very long and difficult, but I was able to overcome my mental health challenges and recover.
I try to offer hope in my blogs as well as share insights.
Amy and I have followed each other for years. I’m overjoyed she has jumped over her challenges. What she didn’t say is that she is an Olympian and respected Speaker. You have to visit Amy’s blog.
Melinda