VIA… Deliciosa!

Posted under Coffee, Reviews by Sarah

I was recently given a sample of Starbucks’ revolutionary new instant coffee, VIA, by an eager barista. I told him there was no way he could sell me on any instant coffee, but asked him for some information, anyway. I ended up going home with a sample, but didn’t have the guts to break it out until this morning.

Well (insert drum roll here), I like it!

To quote from the website,

And they’re actually right!

They also have some really cool gear to transport your extra VIA packets:

Could it be? An instant coffee that could revolutionize the world of instant gratification caffeine fixes?

How Freakin’ Fabulous Am I? (rhetorical question)

Posted under Beauty, Books, Culture, Lessons, Life, Quotes, Recipes, Reviews by Sarah

There are a few things I’d like to say:

1. I suck for having procrastinated from writing for ever so long. You may not care, but I know the truth: I officially suck for not taking the time to record all of the freakin’ fabulous thoughts I’ve had over the last several months. Some of the blame can be laid on the following inconsequential pastimes: work, two bands plus other music projects, and being there for my family.

2. While I initially anticipated the arrival of winter with fear and trepidation, now that it has been asserting its climatic domination of my area for weeks, I’ve mostly gotten used to it. I had some noteworthy help from a few contributors: the Fionas (my amazing knee-high, sexy black leather boots), elbow-length black leather gloves, snow tires, and CAA, with an honourable mention to hemp hearts and espresso.

3. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I have a new bible that has very little to do with spirituality but everything to do with great taste. As happens with many great things, I stumbled upon this book in a local store that I hadn’t set foot in for a long while, and I can’t get enough of it. My new bible is written by What Not To Wear’s Clinton Kelly, and it’s called: Freakin’ Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally be Better Than Everyone Else.

Clinton’s approach is very humourous, but truly, truly fabulous. These pages are chock-full of common-sensical advice, from how to match patterns to how-to recipes for great appetizers to good manners. I love it, and possibly not platonically! I’ve been accused of being too proper, caring too much about grammar, and being picky about lighting, and now I find myself vindicated by Mr. Kelly. Alleluia!

I simply can’t leave it at that, I’m sorry. This book will likely stay on my coffee table for decades to come, and all of you who care will be able to leaf through it and glean its wisdom for yourself. Honestly, where else can you find all of this basic good advice in one very fun, well-published, entertaining format?

This is the book that I’ve been waiting to discover for all of my adult life. Or, at least since I discovered how fabulous one can be and my true potential for achieving it.

A great paragraph:

When throwing a party, you must sanitize and guest-proof your bathroom. If the bathroom that will be used by your guests is not absolutely spotless, you will quickly get a reputation as a dirty birdy. And then, nobody will eat the food you’ve made because they’re afraid of catching hepatitis.

Just sayin’: great writing, right?

Here’s another tidbit:

If chopping onions makes you cry, hold a few unlit matches in your mouth. The sulfur is supposed to absorb some of the onion fumes. You can also hold a slice of white bread in your mouth. Either way, you’ll look like an idiot. Also, try throwing the onion in the freezer for a bit before you chop it. The colder the onion, the less fumes. Personally, I don’t mind a good cry. In fact, if I cry while chopping the onions, I’ll run to the bathroom mirror and recite one of my favorite lines from Poltergeist: “Don’t you touch my babies!!!” It’s the part where the kids are being sucked into the bedroom closet for the second time and JoBeth Wiliams is at HER WIT’S END! It’s very dramatic. (Hi, JoBeth, if you’re reading this!!!)

I mean, come on! Mixing great advice with self-deprecating humour and pop-culture references? What could be better in a self-help book?

4. I have to go now. I have some more reading to do before I’ll be ready to host any freakin’ fabulous Christmas parties. Ta Ta.

47 Beavers on the Big, Blue Sea

Posted under Books, Reviews by Sarah

And the beavers pulled upon the oars
And the beavers rowed away from shore
And the beavers two, and the beavers three,
Forty-seven beavers on the big, blue sea!

No one thought that beavers were capable of scheming.
If you’d say, “They’ll row away,” most folks would say you’re dreaming.
But here they were and there they went across the briny blue,
Calling out a cadence like a real Olypmpic crew.

For a week or two the beaver crew rowed the Great Pacific,
Till from the north a storm blew in with winds that were terrrific!
And one by one, their oars blew off and vanished! Mercy me!
And forty-seven beavers were left bobbin’ in the sea!

Phil Vischer, the mastermind behind the ever-entertaining Veggie Tales, has gone out on a new limb: Jellyfish. Jellyfish is Phil’s new creative company, through which he hopes to pursue new ministry opportunies. If 47 Beavers on the Big, Blue Sea is any indication of the stuff that JellyfishPress is going to be producing, his books will be a smash hit just like his videos!

I never set out to do product reviews on this here blog site, but I couldn’t help myself after reading this children’s book this morning in the bookstore I work at (we’ve got it on sale!), reading and laughing. The illustrations, by Jared Chapman, are, of course, hilarious, too! This is the kind of book that you won’t mind reading to your kids over and over and over… like, ten times in 30 minutes! At least, I won’t!

My neices are getting one.