Rachel R. Smith's Blog, page 13

Happy National Popcorn Day!

I love these national * insert random food here * days! Bring on national chocolate, tea, coffee, Twizzlers bites, mega stuff Oreo, and Chicken in a Biskit day!

Buuuuttt, popcorn really does have a special place in my heart. It’s one of my favorite snacks to unwind with while watching TV with hubby or reading. My supply used to be limited to the premade bags from the store–or the delicious kiosk in the middle of the mall–but not anymore.

Have you ever tried topping homemade popcorn with seasoning only to be disappointed because the powders don’t stick? Me too–until I learned an easy, low fat/calorie trick! Make plain popcorn as usual, then spread it across a baking sheet in an even layer. Spray the popcorn with a light coating of cooking spray and sprinkle on the seasoning. The cooking spray makes the powder stick without causing the popcorn to become soggy!

So many options!

And you’re not limited to using the store-bought seasonings either! There are tons of great recipes online for flavoring mixtures that you can blend using the spices from your baking cabinet. I learned about my favorite one from the Chew. It’s a savory blend that was originally meant for flavoring potato chips, but it’s just as good on popcorn!

Quick Spiced Chips Popcorn

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix and sprinkle away!

There’s also a million different kinds of popcorn kernels available now (who knew?!). It would be an understatement to say that I have delicate teeth. I won’t go into that, but suffice to say that popcorn kernels are not my friend. Fortunately, I discovered Tiny But Mighty popcorn. The kernels are, well, tiny, and it’s advertised that the individual kernels disintegrate when they pop. I can happily vouch that these claims are absolutely true. No kernels to get caught in my teeth, low risk of accidentally chomping an unpopped one. Win-win. I highly recommend. (If I remember correctly, they are sold in both bags for air popper and microwave, so you can pick whichever you prefer!)

Tiny kernels with a regular one (center) for scale.

Are you a popcorn fan? What’s your favorite kind?

Is there anything better than a book??

Yes there is! A free book! And here’s a chance to get one–the Tome Tender giveaway of Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror has officially begun. Click here to go to the Tome Tender Book Blog and enter for a chance to win 1 of 5 ebook copies of Records of the Ohanzee Book 1. You’ll find the entry form at the bottom of the post.

Good luck!

Nail Polish Sunday #4-Zoya Hazel

It’s that time again–Nail Polish Sunday! Today I’m keeping it simple and sharing one of my favorite polish brands–Zoya. If you haven’t heard of Zoya before, here’s a link to their page. It’s not a brand that you can find in a lot of places (at least in my experience), but it’s an Ohio-based company so it holds a special place in my heart. Zoya polishes come in a huge range of colors and are now big 5 free.

I picked one of their colors for today because I got an email reminder this morning about a special promo they are running. Until midnight (EST) tonight, you can get 4 bottles of their polish for free through their website if you use code 4YOU at checkout. You still have to pay $15 for shipping/handling, but that’s still a pretty good deal for polish that usually costs $9 per bottle! (FYI–I’m not getting anything out of recommending them, I just really like their polish!)

So, this week I painted my nails with one of their newer colors: Hazel.

It’s a grey-green shade with an almost metallic sheen. The formula applies easily and dries glossy smooth. Two coats later plus top coat and–voila!–here’s the result.

I have a lot of Zoya polishes, and the formula is consistently great for all of them. Here are just a few of my favorite colors (and yes, I definitely have a soft spot for blues ^_-).

Mosheen and Rebel
Blu and Cosmo

Of these four, Blu is my favorite. In the bottle, it’s an unassuming pale blue–almost white. I’m not normally a fan of the extremely pale pastels, they tend to wash out my skin. But Blu is one of those rare exceptions that not only matches my skin tone, it enhances it. And who wouldn’t love that?

Do you have a favorite brand or color that might not be very well known? Let me know in the comments!

The Writer’s Life According To Jack Sparrow

Who knew Jack Sparrow was a writer too?!

You Write Fiction

Yo-ho, yo-ho, a writer’s life for me…I think. Here are 11 gifs that sum up a writer’s life quite nicely.

When a new idea hits you.

When your cat mocks your new idea.

Writer’s block.

This chapter needs some work…

The cat’s on the keyboard again.

The first time someone asks about your book.

When a friend/relative singles you out as a writer.

When you’re forced to socialize.

The one time you have company over.

When someone criticizes your writing.

When you get a good review on your book.

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Odds of Winning: 1 in 292 million…Challenge Accepted!

$2 for the chance to win…dun dun DUN…$1.5 billion dollars? I’ll take it!

I bought a ticket for last Saturday’s drawing using the numbers from the back of my fortune cookie. Unfortunately, while the cookie was tasty, it failed to deliver on the lottery numbers. This time I went with a more reliable method: I let the computer randomly pick the numbers for me. ^_- Did you know that computers are better at picking truly random numbers than humans?

Sure the odds of winning are small, but 1 in 292 million is still greater than 0. Based on the number of tickets sold, statistically, it is almost guaranteed that someone will win tonight (if not multiple people). And let’s be real–a ticket costs less than a 20 oz soda and a candy bar. There are worse ways to spend $2. To those of you who live in Powerball states: have you bought a ticket? Even if you don’t, would you buy a ticket if you did?

 

How to Write when it’s @#?$! Cold Outside

Sn(NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)ow!

Well, it finally happened. We’ve managed to dodge the bullet for weeks, but being blanketed in the white plague is an inevitability in Ohio. I’d like to say that I like snow. It’s fluffy, sparkly, and pure white. Absolutely beautiful to look at. But, I know that it will, also inevitably, become an icy, grey slush that turns the roads into skating rinks. You may as well

abandon all hope ye who want to venture outside of the house without risking life and limb (ok, mostly just limb). And if you do venture out…

Ack!

it’s cold out there, folks! Not as cold as some places are right now (remember that NFL playoff game in MN yesterday??), but this is definitely cold for Ohio.

Let’s just pretend that “8” is a typo and that they meant to say “80.”

And it’s not going to get better anytime soon, either. Looking outside the window now, I can see that it’s already started to snow again.

So here’s a photo journey of how I stay cozy and warm and write when it’s freezing outside.

“Grog make fire.” *Flips light switch* “Fire good.”

First, turn on the fire. It’s a gas fireplace. I know, that’s cheating. But there is a certain charm about being able to make fire with a flick of a finger. (I’m looking at you, Roy Mustang. ^_-)

One way to make roses bloom in winter.

Next, liquid inspiration–a pot of warm tea. My favorite: Harney & Sons Rose Scented Black.

No-calorie, non-fat s’mores for the win.

Follow up with a liberal application of heated s’mores slippers.

You can tell from his expression that Sumo likes the cold just as much as I do. XD

Add one fuzzy radiant heater on the arm rest and I’m ready to go!

And when the writing is done, the best way to enjoy the evening…

PS- Despite the cold and snow, my tough little pansies are being role models of how to weather the weather. If they can make it, we can too!

Still here, even though they don’t look too happy about it.

Stay warm everybody. The cold may be inevitable, but spring is too! While we count the days until then, what are you doing to cope with the cold where you live?

1337 Likes? What’s so special about 1337?

Earlier today I got a notification from WordPress that my blog has now received 1337 likes. Cool! But what’s significant about 1337?

Naturally, I turn to Hubby, who is sitting on the couch beside me, and ask, “What’s so special about 1337?”

To which my favorite computer nerd replies, with narrowed eyes and a wry grin, “You don’t know what 1337 means?”

I answer his question first with a blink and a blank stare and then realization dawned on me. “Haha, I’m 1337! Guess I’m officially not a blogging n00b anymore!” ^_-

Thanks everybody! Here’s to the next 1337! (^_^)v

It’s January, you must have missed the memo…

Found these little guys popping up in little clusters all over our front garden. It’s been an unusually warm winter so far, but we’ve still had several nights with lows in the teens. The petals have turned blue from the cold (not really, they were blue in the first place ^_-) but these little pansies are hanging in there! I wonder how long they will last?

Review of Reflection: Harbinger of the Phoenix

Thanks to Dianne at Tome Tender for her recent review of Reflection: Harbinger of the Phoenix (Records of the Ohanzee Book 2)! If you’re interested in reading her thoughts on the book, you can read the full review here. Bookworms: You’ll definitely want to check out the Tome Tender website. It’s a great resource for finding reviews, info on new book releases, and giveaways!

And, speaking of giveaways, there’s only one week left until the giveaway for Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror begins. I’ll post next week with a link and information on how you can enter for a chance to win 1 of 5 ebook copies.

Monkeys and Dragons with Petals

Image Credit: Wikia
Image Credit: Wikia

Happy New Year, everyone! Over the holidays, I came across a news blurb about the Aquamarine Fukushima in Iwaki, Japan. The aquarium is featuring a display of “monkey-faced” orchids to celebrate the year of the monkey in the Chinese zodiac. While the Chinese lunar new year doesn’t begin until February 8, I thought this would still be an interesting first post of the year here–particularly because it ties in with an upcoming scene for Reflection: Thorn of the White Rose.

You see, the “monkey-faced” orchid’s scientific name is Dracula simia. No, that’s not a typo. There actually is an entire genus of orchids named “Dracula.” While the name is most frequently associated with vampires, the Latin meaning is “little dragon.”

In the scene from book 3, we see Echidna tending to her prized orchids as…well, I can’t tell you exactly what is happening in that part of the story yet. But my point is, orchids are Echidna’s favorite flowers, just as roses are Nerissa’s. When I include such details in the story, the motivation behind their inclusion isn’t arbitrary. In the case of Echidna, orchids were chosen not only because they are perceived to be exotic and elegant flowers (and notoriously regarded as high maintenance), but also because of the tie between the genus name and the fact that the dragon is the symbol of the country of Marise. It’s a subtle detail, but for anyone who takes the time to look deeper, I’ve planted a lot of connections and hints about the plot within the character and city names and chapter titles. And sometimes I just bury little puns right in the text. ^_- It’s not something that would stand out to anyone, but it’s ok if the hints all go unnoticed at first since everything will be revealed in the end anyway.

As a reader, do you ever notice those small details in stories?