H.A. Larson's Blog, page 64

April Ipsy!

Hello! Long time no see, right? Well, I told you I'd be back periodically, and I didn't lie. Anyway, my April Ipsy subscription came, so let's check it out!

Here are all the contents.



Here is the cute little bag it all came in.



First up, pur-lisse's treatment sheet masks for the face. One is blue lotus + white tea while the other one is blue lotus + seaweed. Now that I have all my evenings to spend how I wish, I'm really looking forward to giving myself more pedis, manis, and, of course, facials. I'll post about these soonish.



This is a beautiful tapered blush brush made by Crown brushes. I'm pretty excited about this one actually, because although I already have two blush brushes, I'm not crazy about either one of them. This one, though, looks awesome and I'll be using tomorrow morning before work!



This is a single eyeshadow, in color Marrakesh-Desert Sands, made by Nomad. It's a gold color, and since I've been wearing a lot of browns/beiges/golds lately, it's going to work perfectly into my palette.



The glare on this one is bad (sorry) but it's a Tarte lip color called Wonder. It's a salmon-colored red. Not my usual color, but I'll give it a go!

I just now noticed that I left out the Skinn eye enhancing eyeliner! You can see it in the first picture. It's not your typical eyeliner, but rather a brightening pencil that is good for perking up tired-looking eyes. This will definitely come in handy on those early mornings!
Ok, so that's the Ipsy for this month. I hope you enjoyed seeing what came in my personalized bag. If you so desire, you can see the full array of what came in people's April Ispy bag here.

Mini Shopping Trip

The other day, I went through my makeup and got rid of items that were no longer any good or that I no longer use. Of course, this left space for me to acquire more makeup, which is what I happened across yesterday.



Now, e.l.f. is known for decent quality, inexpensive makeup products. Their brushes are pretty decent as well. I found this cute little set of eyeshadow duos with a good brush for $5! Yep, $5!



I saw these sparkling eyeliners (each comes with it's own sharpener, which I think is very cool) and asked myself, "Would I use these eyeliners very much?" And my answer was, "I don't know, but I'm willing to find out!" Also a steal at $5.



I'm super picky about purses. I rarely find purses that I 'just fall in love with', but yesterday was different. This purse is beautiful! It's actually all dark blue but my camera flash makes it look lighter than it is.  


So, that's my mini haul from yesterday. Have a great day!
H.A.

Monday Edition #4

Good morning! So, it's time for me to share this week's Monday Edition. To keep those up-to-speed who don't regularly read my posts, ever since the weather has begun to turn warmer, I've been getting out on my Mondays (my day off) and enjoying my favorite thing: being outside.
This week, in an attempt to go somewhere different every Monday until I run out of feasible places to go to, I went out to Cunningham Lake. It's a man-made lake with some forested areas. I've recently begun coming out here a bit more often, and have discovered that there are quite a bit of trails in around the lake to hike. The land is pretty flat, so it's not a tough hike by any means, but you can definitely hike at a faster pace and still get a good workout. 
As is my usual practice, I take pictures on my journey. Here are my favorites.


The trees are beginning to really bud again with some green and leaves, but there are still plenty that look like the skeletons of last year. As I was hiking through the forested parts of Cunningham Lake, I ran across this view, which was striking.



Okay, so this wasn't taken at Cunningham Lake, but rather in my front yard. I took it from my car on my way out as I was heading to Cunningham Lake. It was such a pretty picture that I had to include it.



I took one of the side paths of the wooded trails that lead to the lake, and I took this shot. You can see the buoys in the background, and the waves were making beautiful, serene patterns on the water.



Cunningham Lake is actually an interesting place to walk/hike as there are many different things that you can see. They have a small marina and a mini-lighthouse. Here is a shot of them as I was making my way towards them.

So, that was this week's Monday Edition. I'll be back next week with another new Monday adventure. Have a fantastic day!
H.A.

Free Book this Weekend

I'm giving away free copies of The Station over the weekend. Grab your copy today here. 

Vegan Jerky and other Goodness

Hey everyone. I've been working very hard over the past week to build up my other author persona, and all that goes with it.. Like I said, H.A. Larson won't be as active, but I will still be somewhat active, never fear! To that end, I have a new post today about my first shipment from my monthly subscription to the Louisville Vegan Jerky of the Month Club. I bought a few of their jerkies over the holidays, and fell in love. I also got a few other vegan goodies that I thought I'd share. 




The card that came in my first box! Every month, the Louisville Vegan Jerky company sends out two of their regular flavors plus one of their test batch flavors. This month the test batch is Smokey Carolina BBQ.



Here we have the two standard flavors, Maple Bacon and Sriracha Maple, surrounding the lovely test batch of Smokey Carolina BBQ. Let me tell you...that BBQ one is amazing! I sure hope they turn that one into a regular.



Like many vegans, I love Hampton Creek. They've found a way to veganize things that still taste good. Their mayo tastes like regular mayo using vegan ingredients. I finally located one (just one sadly) tub of their cookie dough at Super Target, which will never get baked let me tell you. They have been announcing regularly on their facebook page that they would be selling their Ranch dressing at Walmart, and luckily, I found it at my local one. I bought two bottles! 



The only Miyoko cheese carried at the store that I hadn't tried was the Double Cream Sundried Tomato and Garlic, so I picked one up as well. Oh my goodness! It's like eating at Isa's Modern Love...there's no bad one!  

So there was my most righteous vegan haul. Hope you enjoyed it, and give one or more of them a try!
Much love,
H.A.

Dreams and Being Inspired

This post is going to be part musing and part announcement. As you all know, I've been working on my fourth book called "The Box". As is the case with every book I've written, the beginning and the ending go rather quickly, but the middle always drags as I get the "meat" of the developed. I'm used to this and it's not a big deal. I've noticed with this book though, that I'm just not currently feeling inspired, but I keep plugging away on it though albeit very slow.
I have been, however, feeling inspired lately to write a different kind of story all together. One that is gritty, sexy, and, at times, violent. This is the kind of story I love to read, and have always dreamed of writing. I have dystopian ideas swirling around in my head, beckoning me to put them down on paper...so I am. I have another pen name that has written a couple of terrible, short, cheesy 'smut' books, and using this moniker, I'm going to write my inspired ideas of dystopian tales. 
Does this mean I'm giving up on H.A. Larson? Absolutely not, but I think after I write my dystopian tale, that I can find the inspiration I need to make "The Box" the exact kind of horror story I can be proud of. I'll still be keeping up with all my social media, and I will definitely keep putting up my posts here of all the things I enjoy most in life.
And don't worry, you'll all be kept exclusively in the loop regarding my next phase of writing life.
Upwards to dreams, inspirations, and the future.
All my love, H.A.

Monday Edition #3

 Hey everyone! Sorry I was absent the last few days. I had a typical Monday (coming right up!) which ended with me not feeling very well. Yesterday, the sickness (stomach flu more than likely) reared it's ugly head and all I did was sleep and moan a lot. I'm still feeling a bit icky today, but I've taken some meds and am getting back into the swing of things. 
The last three Mondays (my day off during the week) have been absolutely perfect. The weather has been just right, allowing me to get things done and indulge in my favorite activity: being outside, particularly as it pertains to hiking. This week I went to Hitchcock Nature Center. A quick drive over the river into Iowa, this park used to be a YMCA camp at one point before being privately purchased by a man who wanted to turn it into a huge garbage dump. Some citizens challenged him in court, and eventually, wrested control of this beautiful area from him and turned it into a county park that is pure heaven to enjoy. It's one of my favorite places to be next to Neale Woods (see Monday Edition #1).




A view from the topmost part of the park at the Lodge. From here you can survey the beautiful land rolling up and down the Loess Hills. The Loess (pronounced Luss) Hills are so-named for the soil they are comprised of, and only a few places in the world have this soil. Nestled among the flatness of the Midwest landscape, these Hills provide a mountainesque experience for those of us who live here.



A view from the beginning of the trail called "The Chute". It's hard if you're going up, but not so much going down. Don't be fooled though, sometimes going down can be almost as treacherous as going up.



"Hidden Valley" trail is so named as it's hidden from sight on top of all the hills that surround it as it's nestled amongst a canopy of trees. The trees are just starting to bud, and, as you can see, the grass is returning to green.



Many logs were carefully piled up in stacks along the trails here and there. Old, dead trees are cut down and chopped into firewood which are then sold to those who camp out here at the park for use in their bonfires. Primitive sites are only $10/night.



This view is looking the opposite direction from the lodge, directly into the Loess Hills, part of which I was standing on, and part of which you can see off in the distance. It's a beautiful touch of majestic for us flat-land dwellers. I take a picture from this exactly spot every season. If you look through my posts...you might find them all!



The duality of the trail made possible through a hidden fork in the trail. Even the stark, bare trees look content and peaceful here. Is it any wonder I adore being outside?

I hope your day is bright and lovely. 
-H.A.

Spring is Here!

It's official: Spring is here! There's nothing like Spring to bridge the gap between Winter doldrums and Summer heat. Next to Fall, it's my favorite time of the year. Spring brings a sense of renewal and awakens the earth to the beauty of a new year.
For a naturaphile (I just made that up) like myself, it's the perfect time of the year to take in Mother Nature. The weather isn't too hot, it isn't too cold, and the mosquitos won't be trying to bite until Summer. It's also the most beautiful time of the year (again, next to Fall) when the flowers are in bloom, the leaves reappear to the trees, and everything is a lovely shade of green. 
Be prepared for many hiking days complete with beautiful photos and a conversation, and if it's a lovely day where you are...get outside.
-H.A.

Seitan Wings

The other night, for St. Patrick's Day, I decided to mix up some seitan so I could make a proper Irish stew, complete with stout. As I was cutting pieces off the seitan to throw into some simmering broth, I recalled the wonderful seitan wings I had had a few times at the Benson Brewery. I decided instantly that I needed to turn half of the seitan into some wings, and I'm forever grateful for that decision. My husband says I need to make ten pounds of these from now on. 
We covered half of them in homemade buffalo sauce (for my husband) and the other half in bbq sauce (for me). We served both styles with FYH's vegan Blue Cheese dressing. It was amazingly delicious and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be making these often. 

Vegan Seitan Wings

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. vital wheat gluten1 t. each of granulated garlic, granulated onion, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper1 T. each of parsley and steak seasoning1 c. warm water6 c. vegetable stock1/2 c. flour (any kind) for dredgingoil for fryingsauces of choice for coatingsauce of choice for dipping

Instructions:
1. Put the vegetable stock in a large pan and set it on the stove over medium-high heat.
2. Mix the vital wheat gluten, spices, and warm water in a mixing bowl. Mix well with hands and continue using your hands to knead/massage the dough for a minute. Let the dough rest for a minute.
3. After the dough has rested, either tear off chunks or cut chunks off the dough with a clean pair of scissors. I use the latter. Keep in mind that the pieces will expand quite a bit in the broth so keep the pieces fairly small, but not too small.
4. Add the seitan pieces to the broth and gentle boil until all the pieces have doubled in size and are floating at the top. Remove the pan from heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
5. Remove the seitan pieces from the broth and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool and dry for a few minutes.
6. Add the dredging flour to a bowl and add the seitan pieces, lightly coating each completely with flour.
7. Add some oil to a frying pan on medium-high heat. You don't have to add a ton, just enough to be able to fry the seitan pieces on one side. You can turn each piece a few times to achieve a crispy crust on all sides. 
8. Add the seitan pieces, in batches if needed as you don't want the pieces touching each other, and fry on all sides until crispy.
9. When the wings are completely fried on all sides transfer to a paper towel-lined plate for just a minute (long enough to drain some of the outside oil). 
10. Transfer wings to a bowl and add your favorite sauce, enough to coat each wing well. If you want to have more than one kind, just make sure to add each sauce and wings to different bowls.
11. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
12. Enjoy!

Second Teaser from "The Box"

Hey everyone! I thought it was time for another teaser from my upcoming 4th book "The Box". Enjoy!


            “Do you need any help over here?” Olivia asked. The words were an interloper in Heidi’s memory, and she found it hard to pull herself out of that moment in the past.             “Huh?” Heidi asked feeling dazed.             “Were you lost in thought?” Olivia asked.             “Yeah, I was just thinking about Sammy,” Heidi answered. It was partially the truth.             Olivia nodded and went back to what she had been doing. Heidi watched her, making sure she was preoccupied again before heading over to the chest. This time it wasn’t locked as she flipped the latch and opened it. Her hands made the dust from the top of the crate fill the air around her and she waved her free hand in an attempt to push it away.             The crate was standing just out of whatever sunlight streamed in through the window. As a result, the inside of the crate was filled with darkness. Heidi gave her eyes a few moments to adjust. She could see the same clothes sitting on the top and she felt transported back thirty years into the past. Heidi took the clothes out inspecting them carefully. She recognized some of them from the photos Gran had just shown her from the photo album. The green dress she had worn on her first date with Grandpa Matt.             She grew quickly bored with looking at the old clothes as her mind pressed her to reach the bottom of the crate. She half-expected the box to not be where it was all those years ago, but it was. It was almost as if it had never moved. She felt her heart begin to race as she reached her hand down to grab it. A small spark of static electricity shocked her finger as she touched the wooden surface. She quickly withdrew her hand, but just as quickly moved it back in and picked up the box.             It seemed smaller than she remembered as she turned it over in her hands and triggered some déjà vu. Just then Gran swooped in from her left side and swiftly grabbed the box from her hands. “You can’t have this,” she said curtly as she walked away with it.             From Heidi’s right side, she could just see a shadow dart off to the corner.







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