Beckie Lives and Learns

If it's not illegal, immoral, or blatantly stupid, I am willing to give it a try!

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • What I Made
  • Fun and games
  • What I Did
  • Other Stuff I Learned
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • What I Made
  • Fun and games
  • What I Did
  • Other Stuff I Learned

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

Categories

  • Fun and games
  • Other Stuff I Learned
  • Uncategorized
  • What I Did
  • What I Made
  • Working on Wellness

Recent Posts

  • It’s Farmers’ Market Season–ENJOY! Each Trip Can Be Great for Your Health!
  • Coffee and Conversation–Take the Time to Talk. Bonus–You Benefit!
  • 52 Ideas for Your Own Mini “Bucket List” Calendar–Make it Your Best Year Yet!
  • Shabbat Morning Services are Good for My Health

Previous posts

Recent Comments

  • Beckie on It’s Farmers’ Market Season–ENJOY! Each Trip Can Be Great for Your Health!
  • Steve Bergman on It’s Farmers’ Market Season–ENJOY! Each Trip Can Be Great for Your Health!
  • Coffee and Conversation--Take the Time to Talk. on Joining a Book Club–A Great Decision for So Many Reasons!
  • Beckie on 52 Ideas for Your Own Mini “Bucket List” Calendar–Make it Your Best Year Yet!
  • Stephen Bergman on 52 Ideas for Your Own Mini “Bucket List” Calendar–Make it Your Best Year Yet!
  • My etched plate!
    What I Made

    Glass Etching–Final Product Looked Great Despite Being a First Attempt!

    March 8, 2019 /

    Thank you to my friend, Sue, who introduced me to the world of glass etching!  I have known Sue for a few years via my local Community Arts Center. She has been part of the staff of several community theater productions in which my daughter has performed.  (I gladly embraced the role of “stage mom”–a supportive one; not a pushy one.) Sue responded to my original request on Facebook in which I asked members of my community to teach me something new, and she gets the honor of being the first to join me for a one-on-one session!  (Congrats, Sue! : ) ) I arrived at her home, and she…

    read more
    Beckie 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    These are the tomatillos that were in the bag.

    Time to Try and Taste Tomatillos

    March 17, 2019
    Eucalyptus shower melts

    Eucalyptus Shower Melts–Another Pinterest Find

    June 15, 2019
    Freshly roasted garlic spread on freshly made bread. I can get used to this!

    Reunion with the Too-Long Ignored Bread Maker and Garlic Roaster

    May 1, 2020
  • Cup of Creamy Cauliflower Soup
    What I Made

    Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

    March 4, 2019 /

    Frequently, cooking in my kitchen is a lot like the television show “Chopped”–I see what is in the fridge or in the pantry and just go from there. I can’t say that what I make is any good (I usually like it; the rest of my family is upset that I did not follow a specific recipe. Happily, though, no one in my house is withering away to nothing.) Something unusual, though, happened recently–I found a recipe and actually had all of the ingredients on hand! I receive produce every few weeks from “Imperfect Produce” (I will write about that at a future time) and had received some of the…

    read more
    Beckie 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Before and after a flip

    Steak 101

    June 9, 2019
    Here are the long Japanese eggplant which I found at my local farmers' market.

    Japanese Eggplant

    September 28, 2019
    Sourdough Bread

    Sourdough Bread–Back In the Kitchen, Pandemic Series

    July 21, 2020
  • Some creations from the library's 3D printer
    Other Stuff I Learned

    3D Printing for Us Common Folk

    February 27, 2019 /

    Taking advantage of my wonderful local library, I attended a class titled “Intro to 3D Printing.”  This is how it was described on the library website: “Learn to create a small object using ready-to-print files or custom Tinkercad files and the library’s 3D printers.”  (Yes, my area libraries now have 3D printers–very cool!)  This was a fun introduction to 3D printing. Most of the class involved working on the website Tinkercad.  This is a free and easy-to-use website for making 3D printable items.  Whether or not you have access to a 3D printer, it is still something entertaining to check out. The site is www.tinkercad.com.  You can create your account,…

    read more
    Beckie 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    TEDx--REBOOT

    TEDx: Reboot–Prepare for a Reset, a Fresh Start, a Do-Over

    January 12, 2020
    Inner trim panel of the door removed to allow access to the broken car handle assembly

    Trapped! (aka Broken Car Door Handle)

    August 15, 2019
    Local trees since we cannot travel currently

    Experience Five (Virtual) Tours of National Parks in Just One Hour! (aka How to Travel while Sheltering at Home)

    April 3, 2020
  • Date night!
    What I Did

    Million Dollar Quartet

    February 24, 2019 /

    I love musical theater!  I love professional musical theater!  I love community musical theater! I recently had the experience of seeing musical history come to life before my very eyes and ears!  I recently saw a local professional production of “Million Dollar Quartet.” For those who don’t know, this show is inspired by what happened on December 4, 1956–Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley were together at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the best jam sessions ever!  (This really happened!) I didn’t just see but rather experienced this performance at the Marriott Theater in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Certainly, some musicals are great…

    read more
    Beckie 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Just part of the view of the Fourth Lake forest preserve.

    Let’s Get Down and Dirty

    June 23, 2019
    Me and my sign--I watched how it was created from start to finish!

    It’s a Sign! (aka The Birth of a Banner)

    March 22, 2020
    Return to community theater after two decades!

    My Return to Community Theater After a Two Decade Hiatus

    September 11, 2022
  • Frozen yogurt drops
    What I Made

    Yogurt Drops

    February 21, 2019 /

    Now that I have officially “put myself out there” with a blog, I am more inspired to try new things on a more frequent basis.  When I don’t have time for a large project or have any formal activity planned, I figure that I can just look up a “life hack” and see how well it works. I recently found a life hack on Pinterest (1000lifehacks.com).  This is what it said: “Spoon some yogurt into a plastic bag. Poke a small hole in the bottom and squeeze small dots onto a cookie sheet.  Freeze for an hour. A great healthy snack.” This seemed easy enough to try. I filled my…

    read more
    Beckie 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    The painting, stamping, cutting, and decoupaging is done!

    Mixed Media Art Project–Painting, Stamping, Decoupage

    October 30, 2019
    I bet that you can't see the uneven paper anymore, can you?!

    Enjoy Your Wine; Then Upcycle the Wine Bottle!

    December 5, 2019
    Dragon Fruit

    Dragon Fruit–Trying a New (to us) Fruit

    February 6, 2019
  • The final hem!
    What I Did

    A-hem, Part 2

    February 17, 2019 /

    I am glad to say that all worked out well in the saga of my attempt to hem trousers using HeatnBond.  I promised an update, so here you go! Because my husband is very handy and wanted to make sure that I did not ruin the iron (I did not take offense to this), he lead the iron cleaning task. As mentioned in my earlier “A-hem” post, we found instructions for cleaning the melted on adhesive off of the iron via the product website. (Thanks, Mom, for the fabric softener sheets that we needed!  Mom to the rescue!) Take home point: if you have a problem, check the product website!…

    read more
    Beckie 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    The show we came to see was on the marquee, too.

    “Whose Live Anyway?” at the Genesee Theatre

    October 16, 2019

    Reverse Tie-Dye–Family Fun Creating Coordinated Sweats!

    January 3, 2021

    Summer Community Theater–Excited to be Back on Stage!

    September 4, 2023
  • The tight bond between iron-on adhesive and the face of an iron.
    What I Did

    A-hem

    February 11, 2019 /

    I am writing this as much for the purpose of venting as for sharing. Hopefully my experience will help others remember that when you get frustrated and feel stupid trying to accomplish what seems like a simple task, you are not alone.  As perfect as so many things appear on-line, reality can get really annoying and frustrating. My daughter and her friend recently wanted to go “Thrifting” –the treasure hunt to see if they could find something really cool for a low price at a thrift store.  (They were successful!) I was happy to take them. While at the thrift store, I decided to look for pants to wear to…

    read more
    Beckie 3 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Getting older with grace and style!

    Dear Gen-Xers:

    March 12, 2023
    I was ready for Sixteen Candles to transport me back to the 80's!

    The Music was Like, Omigod, Totally Awesome!

    June 18, 2019

    Reverse Tie-Dye–Family Fun Creating Coordinated Sweats!

    January 3, 2021
  • Cup of onion soup with oyster crackers
    What I Made

    Onion Soup, Take 1

    February 10, 2019 /

    Secondary title: HE LIKED IT! I admit that I am not the best cook.  Fortunately for me, I am not terribly picky.  A little more unfortunate, though, is the fact that my family members are not huge fans of what I create.  (If they don’t cook something, they are going to be stuck with whatever I make.) I do try to get creative with ingredients I have in the house, and, as a vegetarian, most of what I use is not very expensive (thus, I don’t worry as much about wasting money if my creation is not eaten by anyone but myself), and by not using meat/chicken/fish, the chance of…

    read more
    Beckie 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    I am very pleased with how this turned out!

    Mosaic Birdhouse

    September 2, 2019
    Here are the long Japanese eggplant which I found at my local farmers' market.

    Japanese Eggplant

    September 28, 2019
    I bet that you can't see the uneven paper anymore, can you?!

    Enjoy Your Wine; Then Upcycle the Wine Bottle!

    December 5, 2019
  • Uncategorized

    To think that I was done with tests

    February 9, 2019 /

    I am testing to see if this post connects to my Facebook account. Part of my “living and learning” is trying to figure out the technical aspect of setting up my blog in connection to social media. As I get more and more frustrated, I have to remind myself that this whole process can “count” as part of my “grand plan” to try new things. This part of the plan sucks.

    read more
    Beckie 0 Comments
  • Dragon Fruit
    What I Made

    Dragon Fruit–Trying a New (to us) Fruit

    February 6, 2019 /

    My son is taking a Gourmet Foods class in high school.  (This is a nice break from his AP classes, plus, I know he won’t starve when he heads off to college.)   He has always liked eating (typical teenage boy with hollow legs), but he is now showing more interest in trying and plating new and different foods.  Today, he and his father picked up some groceries. Included among the typical stuff was a dragon fruit. My knowledge of dragon fruit was limited to “I think I may have heard of that before.”   My son and I both independently did a little research so as to know what to do…

    read more
    Beckie 1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    Some of the paint blending magic. Oooohhh!

    Walk, Sweat, and Paint

    July 20, 2019
    Brazilian lemonade--Delicious!

    Brazilian Lemonade

    May 27, 2019
    Before and after a flip

    Steak 101

    June 9, 2019
 Older Posts
Newer Posts 

Pages

  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy

Categories

Ashe Theme by WP Royal.