"Love in Store" starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Robert Buckley, is a
feel-good movie for the
forever hopeless romantic. Of course, it is predictable, but sometimes predictability is what
you desire. No mystery solving "little grey cells" required. No fear of a horrifying moment that will make your heart
jump or your skin crawl. Just a sweet romantic movie full of witty
banter you can sit back, watch and enjoy.
The plot of the movie is based on an online shopping store reminiscent of The Home Shopping Network. HSN preceded Amazon.com and other online
stores by a decade. You could, and still can, watch the entertaining
hosts of HSN demonstrate products on TV and select the fabulous products you
want from the comfort of your own home. Most likely, we all know
someone who had boxes filled with their purchases arriving at their home
weekly long before daily deliveries became commonplace.
In retrospect, it is rather funny to think back to those original
"influencers" who seemed more like friends visiting us through our
television. As a matter of fact, we actually had one family member who
chatted about the hosts by name in conversations as if we all knew them
personally. She completely trusted them to give her the best product
recommendations.
Love in Store Movie Synopsis
Love in Store DVD or Prime VideoCheck PriceTerrie Carpenter and David Crabtree are hosts on the "Shopping from Home"
channel. They each have their own separate segments, hosting style,
and regular "shoppers".
When the top selling host, Sharyn St. Clair, announces her retirement, the
competition begins between Terrie and David to replace her in her prime-time
spot. Their rivalry is obvious as they openly trade barbs with each
other.
Then, the unthinkable happens: they get thrown together to co-host a
program when Terrie's regular co-host has to take unexpected leave.
Turns out, their witty exchanges are popular with the audience, which causes
both of their ratings, viewership, and sales to go up.
There is "love in store" for these two, as sparks fly in more than one way
between Terrie and David. They both end up asking each other David's
online catch phrase, "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and
precious life?"
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
During the winter months, it is much too cold to cook outside. In
early spring, we get a lot of rain, which also keeps us from cooking outdoors. In this review, I will share how our family still enjoys
delicious home-cooked grilled hamburgers which we cook indoors. It is surprisingly easy!
Several years ago, we purchased our first
Cuisinart Griddler. Today, it is used as often as our stove-top or oven. For me,
I prefer meat cooked on the Griddler because it eliminates the charcoal
flavor. For those of you who really love the charcoal taste, you may
want to sprinkle
charcoal seasoning on
your meat before you cook it.
Because meat splatters when cooking, I put towels down under our
Griddler. That simply makes cleanup easier. I purchased two
towels specifically for that purpose and I only use them under the
Griddler.
How to Make & Cook the Hamburgers for Indoor Grilling
He cooks 2 hamburgers at a time for 4 minutes or 1 hamburger for 3½ minutes. It is not necessary to turn
them because the Griddler cooks on both sides at once.
We immediately place the cooked burger on a bun, add cheese if desired, and
wrap in aluminum foil. Then, I place them in the oven (preheated to 175°) to
keep the warm until all of the burgers are cooked. Placing them in the
oven also makes the cheese melt completely between the burger and the
bun.
After all of the burgers are cooked, we take our first servings out of the oven,
garnish them and eat our delicious indoor grilled hamburgers!
Cleaning the Griddler
I rinse each Griddler plate in hot water in my sink and put the plates in my dishwasher. Since there are replacement Griddler plates sold separately, I don't worry about the washing them in the dishwasher. I would prefer they be completely sanitized.
_____
The Griddler plates are double sided. If you flip the plates over with the smooth sides up, and lay the Griddler open flat, you have a griddle which is awesome for making breakfast! I frequently make pancakes and eggs on the flat griddle side.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
My husband gave me the Smart Go Travel Lamp for my birthday this past
year so I would have direct light to work on my crafts wherever I wish to
sit in our home.
The dining room table or the kitchen counter are both
examples of places that only offer overhead lighting. They are areas
that give me plenty of room to spread my work out in front of me, but don't
have direct light on a specific area. I frequently bring in a desk
lamp, but they must be plugged in and that can be distance limiting.
At the dining room table, the cord has to stretch across the walk-through
path and could easily trip someone walking by or pull the lamp off the table.
The Daylight Smart Go Travel Lamp is cordless. It is powered by a
rechargeable battery that lasts over 6 hours on the highest setting.
Thus far, that has been longer than I will sit and work constantly on any
project. On the lowest lighting setting, it will last for 30 hours
without recharging. However, I doubt I would ever use it on that
lowest setting. After all, my objective is to add a lot of light to a
specific work area.
Features of the Daylight Smart Go Travel Lamp
There are several features of the Smart Go Travel Lamp that would make me
recommend it. While it was given to me to use while crafting, it was
the lamp I grabbed when I set down this year to work on income taxes.
The light it provided for reading and writing was fabulous! It
is actually more directed light than a desk lamp offers and was definitely
an improvement over standard room lighting.
Requires Little Desktop Space (base is approx. 3" x 2")
I must tell you, this is probably
the best crafting gift I have ever received. Excellent lighting
is so important for stitching, bead work, reading a pattern, precision
cutting, and so much more. I am not an artist, but I can certainly see
how having this directed light on your work would be
magnificent.
Good direct lighting for the simple daily tasks of paperwork, paying bills,
and accounting is essential. This is the best desk lamp I have ever
owned, but you must remember to recharge it since it is cordless.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
We love going to the fair! One of the biggest reasons we love the
fair, is the food, especially Pronto Pups. The first stop we make when
we enter the fairgrounds, is the Pronto Pup food truck. If we attend a
festival or specialty show and see the Pronto Pup food truck, we make a
beeline to it immediately. Forget the show, we need a Pronto
Pup!
We didn't get to go to the fair this past fall and we felt a tremendous
loss by not getting our annual Pronto Pup. Well, okay, calling it a
"tremendous loss" might be exaggerating a bit, but having a 40+ year
tradition interrupted, does leave one feeling unsettled. We simply
needed a Pronto Pup to center our universe back on its axis. And,
horror of all horrors, we had not attended any shows or festivals in
months. We were, most definitely, feeling deprived.
When shopping for Christmas gifts this year, I spotted a corn dog maker on
Amazon. I added it to my wishlist so I could think about it. I
did not believe there was any way a homemade Pronto Pup could live up to the
taste of the fair delicacy. I honestly believed they must be deep
fried to have the right texture and flavor. I feared a Pronto Pup made
in an electric gadget at home would be a great disappointment.
However, after my husband said he wished he had a Pronto Pup for the
trillionth time since fall, I was determined to find one for him. With
no upcoming local events that would offer a Pronto Pup, I became more
desperate and decided to try the electric corn dog maker.
Yowsers, I'm glad I did! The half-sized Pronto Pups made in the
electric corn dog maker were delicious. Almost as good as going to the
fair, although I haven't figured out how to get the Ferris Wheel here for
the full fair experience.
MasterChef Corn Dog Maker - Electric Nonstick Baker
I was not thrilled with the recipe included with the maker because it
called for pancake mix. I thought pancake mix would make the batter
too sweet for the authentic Pronto Pup taste I wanted to recreate. I
sought out a Pronto Pup copycat batter recipe and it sounded perfect as I
read through the ingredients. Since this was our first test, I decided
to make a batter recipe of both types, the one that came with the maker and
the copycat recipe. After my family had tried both, the copycat recipe
was unanimously chosen as the best. However, to be fair, the pancake
mix recipe tasted good, even though it was sweeter, and required less
ingredients to make, but it was much thinner than the copycat batter.
We all preferred the thicker coating on the hot dogs.
It is very easy to make the Pronto Pups.
Make the batter recipe
Preheat the maker - wait for the green light to come on & indicate that the maker is ready
Spray the trays with a non-stick spray (I wipe off excess spray before adding food. It just needs a light coating)
Simply cut the hot dogs in half
Insert a skewer into each half
Dip the hot dogs into the batter, covering them fully
Lay the battered hot dogs on the maker plate with the sticks aligned in the depressions on the side
Spoon a small amount of batter on the top of each hot dog
Close the maker lid and cook for 3 minutes
Open the lid, turn the hot dogs and cook for 3 more minutes
Remove your cooked Pronto Pups/corn dogs and serve
Pronto Pup Batter Copycat Recipe
I am including the recipe here for the copycat Pronto Pup batter so you
don't have to go on a separate search. Since there are several recipes
online, I thought it best to share the one that we used. I wouldn't
want any Pronto Pup lovers to be disappointed.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I love cooking in my crock pot. It is so nice to be able to start a
meal in the morning and have it ready to serve at dinnertime without too
much additional fuss. I am constantly seeking new crock pot recipes
that my family will enjoy.
Not all of my new recipe experiments have been well received in our
home. Due to varying ingredient preferences, it is not unusual for one
of us to like a particular meal while others simply do not care for it and
start rutting in the refrigerator for last night's leftovers. When I
plan to try a new recipe, I make sure there is an alternative meal
available. I've learned that is a necessity.
Due to my own childhood experiences with tomatoes, I've never required my children, or anyone, to eat a meal that did not
appeal to them, simply because it was set before them. Of course, I
cook with tomatoes, but my personal preference is either tomato sauce or
petite diced tomatoes. I cannot eat a tomato alone or sliced on a
hamburger like my parents, siblings & husband. Therefore, I
completely understand when someone doesn't like a specific ingredient or
presentation.
A few years ago, my mother started cooking pork chops in her crock
pot. I have cooked pork loin in my crock pot for decades, but not the
chops and I hesitated to try the pork chops in gravy. However, Mom was
kind enough to share one of her cooked pork chops with me and I loved
them. They are awesome!
She gave me her recipe and with a few very simple changes based on my
household preferences, I now cook pork chops in gravy for my family.
Everyone, except our vegans, love these chops.
Crock Pot Recipe for Pork Chops with Gravy
5 Pork Chops (any size – I use the breakfast chops)
Note: Can add a pkg of onion dip mix if desired (I don’t use this)
Directions
Mix together the soup, gravy mix, water and pepper. Pour into the crock
pot.
Layer the pork chops on top of the mixture.
Lightly pepper and add a pat of butter on each pork chop.
Cook for 7 ½ hours on low.
Finishing sauce thickener after chops are cooked: In a cup,
stir together 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch & 2 Tablespoons Water to make a
sauce thickener. Temporarily remove pork chops and stir mixture into
sauce in the crock pot. Add the chops back to the crock pot and cook
chops in the sauce for another 30 minutes.
During that additional 30 of cooking in the crockpot, I prepare a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice and serve the cooked pork chops over the wild rice.
My Crock-Pot
I own two crock-pots. My original crock pot is over 40 years old, but
it still works like new. However, during the holidays, I found I
needed a second crock-pot to carry meals to my parent's home when my
siblings and their families are in town. I chose one that has latches
on the top for easy transporting.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
My husband and I are constantly searching for a movie we can watch
together and both enjoy. When we happened upon "Invitation to a Murder"
(released as "An Invitation to Murder" in the UK), we immediately settled in
for a great new whodunit movie that is similar to our beloved
Hercule Poirot
or
Sherlock Holmes
series. It is based on a story written by Gérard Miller and the
screenplay was written by Brian O'Donnell.
The 1930's London setting is reminiscent of a Poirot story. A gathering of strangers in a remote mansion where one is killed and
another is the killer also seems familiar.
The amateur sleuth in the movie, Miranda Green, is not as renowned as Poirot or Sherlock. Even though she does not possess their same level of experience or well-developed abilities, she still exhibits keen observation skills and her deductive reasoning is rather
impressive.
The similarities are obvious, but the plot of "Invitation to a Murder" is
quite unique with it's own surprises. The murder victim is as
astonishing as the killer's identity.
With the promise of two more movies to be released in 2025, this new
amateur sleuth seems set to become another admired detective in a great movie
series that will be compelling to follow.
When Miranda Green receives an invitation to Abbott Island for an audience
with Mr. Lewis Findley for the weekend, she doesn't quite know what to
expect, but she is quite intrigued. After doing a bit of research on
Lewis Findley, she can't resist the "adventure" or the mystery behind the
invitation. Using the ticket she received with the invitation, she
boards the train and quickly discovers she is not the only invited
guest. There are 5 other invitees from widely varying
backgrounds. It would seem, none have ever met Mr. Findley. Miranda immediately
starts sharing her observations and trying to figure out what she believes
are obvious inconsistencies. As they say, the plot thickens!
After taking the ferry to the island, the guests arrive at Findley's
mansion where they are greeted by a few servants, but not Lewis
Findley. The guests are informed that Mr. Findley has been delayed due
to weather. They are escorted to their rooms and given instructions to
meet again for cocktails in the lounge once they have settled in.
If You are An Amazon Prime Member, Click Here to View the Movie for FreeOver cocktails, they discover more details about each other by playing a game to guess which 2 facts about each guest are true, and which fact is a lie. Miranda shares how she can quickly deduce which fact is a lie by using her observations.
Between cocktails and dinner, several of the guests explore the mansion. Miranda explores a bit too much and is intercepted and redirected by one of the servants. This only serves to make her even more curious about what secrets are hidden in the mansion and she continues her exploration. She is, once again, intercepted, but this time by the butler who insists that she accompany him to the dining room for dinner.
Strange things happen during the night. Discoveries the following morning, along with the announcement that Mr. Findley will not be joining them on that day, only lead to more questions and suspicions. When the unthinkable happens and someone is murdered, all of the guests and staff are suspects.
Be Sure to Stay Tuned
"Murder at the Embassy" and "The Mystery of the Golden Spear" are both
scheduled for release in 2025. Plus, they will both star Mischa Barton
as Miranda Green. Having the same actress play the role will definitely
establish Miranda Green as a soon to be renowned amateur sleuth.
Where to Watch
As Amazon Prime Members, we watched "Invitation to a Murder" on Amazon for
free (with ads). It is also available for rental or purchase on
Amazon.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Imagine coming across a beloved childhood toy that is still being made, or
is being made again, exactly like the original. That happened to my
husband recently when he came across the Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel
Airplane model kit.
As a child, he loved his model airplane and has happy memories of "flying"
Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel around his home. It was a pretty cool
snap-together model that even a child could make, and he did. Once it
was made, the little propeller would turn with the help of a battery.
Unfortunately, he has no idea what happened to his plane. His family
moved often during his childhood. Many of his possessions were either
lost or discarded for him.
When he showed me the kit on Amazon, I promptly ordered it for him.
Little did I know that Snoopy, with the help of my husband, would literally
be flying around my head in his Sopwith Camel plane when I went to bed on
Valentine's Day. Oh, and as with the original, the battery operated
propeller does turn giving the model the appearance of flying.
Snoopy Searching for the Red Baron!
Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel Atlantis Toy & Hobby Plastic Model Kit
ATLANTIS TOY & HOBBY Plastic Model Kit-Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel, RedCheck PriceThis model is truly awesome! I was amazed by how easy it was to put
together. Since no painting is required, Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel
were ready to fly again in an hour or so. My husband did decide to
paint Snoopy's eyes so they would show up better, but otherwise the
detailing on the plane was done with the included stickers.
What comes in the kit:
38 colored molded plastic parts
Battery operated engine with spinning propeller - battery not
included
Snoopy
Dog House Display Stand
Decals
Instructions
Detailed and Easy to Follow Instructions
A Few Additional Notes About the Model
I don't know why the Amazon listing says "red" in the description.
The plane is yellow with a red engine cover.
Also, the battery has to be inserted in the opposite direction shown in the
instructions for the propeller to turn correctly.
Snoopy's eyes are raised in the while molded plastic, but they are not
colored. If you want Snoopy to have black eyes and brows, you will
need to paint them on. My husband used a black paint pen.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I really enjoy watching romantic movies even though they are often predictable. Like childhood fairy tales, I think most of us want a happy ending where they all live happily ever after. However, I do love it when the movie has an unusual plot.
The "Timeless Love" movie plot did not disappoint.
Many of us know how it feels to meet someone and become instant friends because we feel an immediate connection. However, it would be rare to meet someone for the first time and know our future together because we have already "lived" it.
This movie is not based on a victim with amnesia, as one might think. The main character is not a seer, psychic, fortune teller or "predictor" of any kind. And, she is not mentally unstable. She is simply an accident victim that is in a coma for two months and lives a different life while unconscious. More like a prolonged dream that feels very real. So real, that when she wakes from the coma, she is looking for her missing loved ones that don't exist in reality. We can almost feel her pain as she grieves the loss of the family she mentally had during her comatose state.
It doesn't help when those around her think she might need psychiatric help when she shares her experience.
After being in a car accident, Megan is in a coma for 2 months. While in
her comatose state, she sees her husband, Thomas and two children. She is
extremely happy with her life and doesn't even realize she is not "living"
her life.
When she wakes from her coma, the hospital calls her parents and she can't help but wonder why her husband and children are not there to see her. When her parents tell her that she is single, has never been married or had children, she is devastated by the loss of her sweet family.
In addition to having to come to terms with reality, she also lost her job. Because of the length of time she was in a coma, they had to replace her. The temporary employment agency sends her to work at a photography studio and she is stunned to discover she knows everything about the owner. After all, she was/is married to him. Of course, she is a total stranger to him.
The Hallmark movie, "Timeless Love" starring Rachel Skarsten and Brant
Daugherty is one of several movies that claims that name. It would be very
easy to search for the title and end up watching the wrong movie, or at
least not the movie you intended to watch.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
In 2011, I watched each episode of Downton Abbey as it aired weekly with my
daughter. No matter what else was going on in our days, we were in
front of the TV 5 minutes before the show started. We didn't want to
miss a thing, including the opening theme music. We were both
completely captivated by the drama, the decor, the clothes and the
family. It really was like taking a peek into the lives of nobility in
1912.
Over the course of the last few weeks, I watched the entire series and both
subsequent movies again, but this time I watched them with my husband.
Because of his job, he had never seen any of the episodes. Of course,
he had heard of Downton Abbey, but didn't have the time to watch a series as
it aired. Now, with the entire series available on Amazon Prime, we
were able to watch the episodes back to back each night at whatever time we
settled in to begin watching after dinner. Some nights, we would watch
2 episodes or part of the next episode just to see what happened next.
I was surprised by how much I did not remember.
Being able to watch all 6 seasons at our convenience instead of being ruled
by a specific airing date and time, was fabulous. It was also really
nice to be able to replay a scene of the show to hear something that we
didn't quite understand, or pause it as needed.
Currently, all 6 seasons of Downton Abbey are available free for Amazon
Prime members. The two subsequent movies, Downton Abbey: The Motion
Picture and Downton Abbey: A New Era are both available to rent. Since
I owned the DVDs it wasn't necessary for us to rent them, but it is really
nice to know we could have rented them if I had not been able to easily lay
hands on the DVDs.
It is amazing how cohesive the series and movies are to each other.
None of the actors were replaced or changed as is necessary in some
series. The house seemed to stay exactly the same too, as if the
family and servants continuously live there. That alone gives Downton
Abbey a "real" feel, but the actors do such a great job of playing their
roles, you actually believe they are real people and not just characters in
a dramatization.
Downton Abbey fans await the release of the next movie, Downton Abbey
3, in Sept. 2025 and we have already been told our favorite characters will be played by the
original actors.If you start watching the series now, you will
be all caught up and familiar with the characters before the new movie is
released.
Downton Abbey Series & Movies
Downton Abbey -On Amazon Prime VideoCheck PriceThis British historical TV drama started as a mini-series, but clearly fans could not get enough of Downton Abbey. The mini-series has been followed by 2 movies already and another is on the way.
The series revolves around the family of the Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville). We meet the family, as well as the staff of Downton Abbey, in the first episode of 'season one' when a new heir is named after the sinking of the Titanic.
Robert Crawley knew the intended heir, his first cousin, James, all of his life but when James and his son, Patrick, died on the Titanic, an unknown third cousin once removed is next in line. No one ever expected both the heir and his son to die before Downton Abbey was passed to one of them. Viewers had never met either of those men, so it was easy for us to embrace Matthew Crawley as the heir apparent upon his arrival. He is such a unassuming individual and so easy to like that we rejoiced that he would be the next Earl of Grantham.
It seems unfair that all three of Robert Crawley's children would be passed over and displaced for a third cousin's son, but Robert's children are all females and the estate, as well as the title of Earl, are entailed to the next male heir.
The series does such a good job of developing each of the characters in the household, including the staff, that before the end of the first season, we feel they are part of our own family. There are some we don't especially like, but we love them regardless and realize the "family" would not be complete without them.
___________
If you have already watched the series, I would love to hear who you would name as your favorite character. If you have not watched it yet, please return and share you opinions after you watch the series.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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![Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey Seasons 1-6 Complete Series Collection (Original U.K. Edition) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61VVVihXx-L._SL500_.jpg)
![Downton Abbey (Movie, 2019) [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51YZ7C2GGKL._SL500_.jpg)
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