Auriel Tejas, Massage Therapist

01/21/2024

The fascinating Barabar Hill Caves, India's oldest surviving rock-cut caves dating back to the Maurya Empire (322-185 BCE). With their Ashokan inscriptions, these caves are located in Bihar's Jehanabad district, specifically in the Makhdumpur region, just 24 km (15 mi) north of Gaya. The Barabar group consists of four caves, while the Nagarjuni group boasts three caves, often referred to as the Nagarjuni Caves, situated 1.6 km (0.99 mi) away on the Nagarjuni Hill. These rock-cut chambers feature dedicatory inscriptions in the name of "King Piyadasi" for the Barabar group and "Devanampiya Dasaratha" for the Nagarjuni group. Scholars believe these inscriptions date back to the 3rd century BCE during the Maurya period, corresponding to the reign of Ashoka (273-232 BCE) and his grandson, Dasharatha Maurya.

The caves were once utilized by ascetics from the Ajivika sect, founded by Makkhali Gosala, a contemporary of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, as well as Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism. Notably, the Ajivikas shared several similarities with both Buddhism and Jainism. Additionally, the site is adorned with rock-cut sculptures and inscriptions from later periods, representing both Buddhist and Hindu influences.

History Three Thousand

01/21/2024

Yellow Bittern.

📸: KT Wong

01/21/2024

I made these potatoes over the holidays when my boys were home…twice! They were so good we did a repeat just a few days later. You’ll love them, too!

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes

Ingredients:
1.5 lb Mini-gold potatoes
2 Tb olive oil
1 Tb dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Wash potatoes and cut them in half. Then score them with a diamond pattern on the flat side so when you place them on the baking pan and push down, they will flatten slightly.
Put the potatoes in a bowl and toss them with the olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and parsley. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the Parmesan and Romano cheeses and melted butter. Mix together to form a paste. Transfer the cheese mixture to your baking dish and spread into an even layer. Press the potato halves into the cheese, flat side down.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, you’ll see a little browning of the cheese around the edge of the pan.
Remove from the oven and let the potatoes rest for 10 minutes so the cheese hardens.
Serve and enjoy!

https://qvc.co/valerieparrhillfb

01/21/2024

‘The Bears’

Here’s one of my personal favourite recent creations. Always fun to work through new bear pieces.

Robbie

01/21/2024

I recently received a comment on a post that stated everything in my home was too old. While the nature of the comment may have been meant to be hurtful, I actually took it as a compliment. You see, I have a deep love for everything old.

There is something truly special about the charm and character that old homes and vintage decor bring to a space. A snapshot of time, the stories embedded in each piece, and the rich history that surrounds them - all of it speaks to my soul.

I am a sentimental decorator. My home goals are to curate a collected home that tells a unique story, one that is not like anyone else’s. My home is an extension of who I am, as it should be for everyone. I delight in decorating with family heirlooms because it reflects my family’s history - something that is extremely important to me.

This is a space where I honor the beauty of the past and draw inspiration from the stories behind each item. You have come to the right place if you:

• share the appreciation for the beauty of old things

• find joy in scouring thrift stores and repurposing forgotten treasures

• yearn for heartfelt conversations with kindred spirits

To those who may struggle to grasp my adoration for all things old, I invite you to take a step back and appreciate the beauty that lies in the past. To my fellow old souls, thank you for joining me on this journey. You uplift me everyday with kindness, support and inspiration - I truly hope I do the same for you!

This view is of the built-in located in my dining room. The doors have leaded glass and small, dark green, stained glass squares at the top. This exquisite chair is part of a set that dates back to the late 1800s. The set includes this rocker, a chair and settee. Each has ornate detail on the spiral of the arms and claw feet. The picture hanging on the wall of the dapper gentleman is an estate sale find.

01/21/2024

Back story-
My husband and I have this inside joke that he is NOT part of the design team-lol.
He never wants to create… he’s always “just tell me how long you want the board cut”.

He really will do just about anything I ask, as long as I can give him exact measurements and step by step instructions.
This is a struggle with us because my brain doesn’t work that way. I don’t work from a pattern, and couldn’t read a blue print if my life depended on it.
I hold things side by side, eyeball it… lay things out in the floor… all while he shakes his head.

The thing is - I don’t know how long I want a board cut…until I can kinda visualize it… so mostly it’s easier to just cut the board myself, which suits him just fine🙂

But ….TODAY
I walked into the workshop and “Mr. Exact Measurement” himself had made this amazing cross,all on his own!🥰

Instead of asking me, he picked the wood himself AND decide what to make!

This 2.5” thick board was previously hand chiseled (long ago)and was a spacer between logs and held chinking. (btw it’s from the 150+ year old home stead log house we demoed this summer.)

Can I just say, like it or not, he’s being promoted to the Design Team as I type 😉

Welcome to the dark side ,Luke Schultz🤣🤣🤣🤣

01/21/2024

Nathan Birnbaum took the stage name "Burns" from the Burns Brothers Coal Company, whose trucks he'd stolen lumps from growing up, to help heat the family home. "George" was a sobriquet his brother occasionally used."

You know, lots of times people have asked me what [Gracie Allen] and I did to make our marriage work. It's simple--we didn't do anything. I think the trouble with a lot of people is that they work too hard at staying married. They make a business out of it. When you work too hard at a business you get tired, and when you get tired you get grouchy, you start fighting, and when you start fighting you're out of business."

In the early 1940s, during the height of Burns and Allen's popularity, Burns had a brief extramarital affair. He apologized to Allen by giving her a new coffee table, and nothing more was said about it. However, years later, when Gracie was serving coffee to a friend in their living room, George overheard her say, "You know, I wish George would have another affair. I really need a new coffee table."

"The Sunshine Boys" (1975) was the first feature film for Burns in thirty-six years; he had not appeared in a movie since "Honolulu" (1939). This movie was considered Burns' comeback movie, the comeback being considered one of the most significant ever in Hollywood film history. When Burns won the Oscar, at his acceptance speech he said: "This is all so exciting. I've decided to keep making one movie every thirty-six years. You get to be new again."

Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were touted to play the lead roles in the film, but Writer Neil Simon disagreed and maintained that the leads should be played by Jewish comedians. Several actors were considered for the leads in the movie including Phil Silvers and Groucho Marx. The picture was actually cast with real-life Vaudeville veterans Jack Benny and Red Skelton; bizarrely, both had to be replaced, Benny due to being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and Skelton allegedly because the work was too "blue." The film was finally cast with Burns and Walter Matthau. (IMDb)

Happy Birthday, George Burns!

01/21/2024

I commented on someone’s post on why their saurkraut tasted like salty cabbage instead or saurkraut.
This is how I do mine. This is a large pickle jar. I shred the cabbage and put in a Large bowl then salt, about 2 tsp. Per lb of cabbage. I squeeze it with my hands to release the juices the. Put it in the pickle jar with enough juice to cover.
I use those glass beads from the dollar tree as weights. Here I have two mesh bag of them still in the mesh (to make for easier washing if the bags leak) I put them in two ziplock bags. I have heard concern that the gods might contain lead so this is why I do it in baggies and not put them straight into the jar as weights.
Make sure all the cabbage is submerged so there is no spoilage. I put the jar in a container because it will bubble as it ferments. I leave mine out on a counter for two- 3 weeks to continue fermenting. The longer you leave it out the more sour it gets.
After it gets to my liking I store mine in the refrigerator and that keeps the probiotics alive. I like to eat mine raw but my husband likes it cooked so I will put this in smaller jars can some for him and leave a jar in the fridge for me.
Be warned it might make you gassy so I only eat it when my husband is out of town because he got really mad at me one night and had to sleep in the guest room. 😬😂
If you cook it or can it then you kill the beneficial bacteria.
Hope this helps.

01/21/2024

- The Goliath heron (Ardea goliath), also known as the giant heron,
is a very large wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae.

01/21/2024

The "Pointing rock" in Little Finland, Clark County, Nevada, United States.

Little Finland is a scenic red rock area, located in a remote section of Clark County, Nevada, south of Mesquite, known for its red rock scenery and strangely-shaped, delicate rock formations. The landscape is similar to Valley of Fire State Park, which is about 20 miles to the west, across Lake Mead.

📷 Tomas Hoste Photography

01/21/2024

Thought for Today: Thank You, Mom.

My mom was an expert in scrimping and saving -- especially in the kitchen.

I remember her rinsing out the ketchup bottle with water to make it last a little longer. She never threw a speck of bread out either; she dried old bread in the oven for bread crumbs for her meatloaf or meatballs. If the bread turned green, she put in near the bird feeder for the birds. If milk soured, she used it in a cake. When she used to butcher chickens, almost every part was used - well, except the comb and the cluck. I remember her scrubbing the chicken feet until they glistened and those tootsies were added to tomato beef broth or to spaghetti sauce. Later Gram, Mom and my aunts and I gnawed on them as we sat around the kitchen table and "chewed the fat." If there was leftover spaghetti, it was reheated, fried, or made into sandwiches. Vegetable skins, bones, and fat from meat were never tossed. She kept a jar of oil in the fridge from the bacon drippings, and she reused her meatball oil. Peelings made good soup, and potato peelings were fried to make chips. We used bones to make stock, and when we ate chicken -- we ate it right down to the bone and then some. . And she made her own popsicle chunks in the old silver metal ice cube trays.

Lucy made her own cleaners to save money too, plus other stuff for her family and the home. She used vinegar for cleaning her windows, baking soda for toothpaste or cleaning pots and pans. She used beeswax and turpentine for furniture polish. Mom took scratches out of her tables and chairs with olive oil or iodine, and some elbow grease. She bought a giant jar of lanolin to use for our hair conditioner, and she burned cinnamon in the kitchen for an air freshener.

Yes, I know some of these saving methods may sound odd, or they may sound pretty drastic. However, when you go through the Great Depression, wartime, or when there were 11 mouths to feed when you grew up - it's tough. So you learn to save and to survive.

Here's to all the watered down ketchup bottles, here's to the dried bread in the oven, and here's to the leftover fat stored in the fridge. ❤Most of all, here's to all the moms out there that scrimped and saved and sacrificed for their families. You taught us well.

"I will look after you and I will look after anybody you say needs to be looked after, any way you say. I am here. I brought my whole self to you. I am your mother." - Maya Angelou

01/21/2024

01/21/2024

How to make wattle raised garden bed
Full guide in the first comment 💬👀