National Jelly Bean Day Review

National Jelly Bean Day is a Food Awareness Day celebrated each year on April 22. 

The Jelly Bean

There are dozens of companies who make Jelly beans. Just one company makes the Jelly Belly jelly bean. It was first just a brand of the Herman Goelitz Candy Company. Today, it is its own company ~ the Jelly Belly Company. 

The Jelly Belly Company makes over 50 flavors of beans. The difference between Jelly Beans and Jelly Belly beans is the taste. The standard jelly beans have no flavoring or coloring in the center, whereas Jelly Belly flavors both the centers and the shells.  Jelly Belly beans are smaller, but have a more intense flavor and are made in exotic flavors.

Fun Facts About Jelly Beans

Although no one knows who started National Jelly Bean Day, the first mention of the jelly bean can be traced back to an 1861 ad by William Schrafft, a confectioner in Boston, which promoted sending jelly beans to soldiers in the Union Army during the Civil War. 

• Candymakers have always made candy into novelty shapes, which seems to be the main reason this egg-shaped candy ended up being called jelly beans

• Being egg-shaped, the Jelly Bean became popular starting in the 1930s as the perfect candy for Easter Baskets. By the way, if you lined up all the jelly beans eaten by folks during the Easter holidays, they could circle the Earth three times! In fact, about 5 billion Jelly beans are eaten at Easter. 

• There are 4 calories in each Jelly Bean.

• And the ‘funnest’ facts of all….. 

Jelly Beans were President Reagan’s favorite candies. He used them to quit smoking when he was governor of California. 

About 3 tons of red, white, and blue jelly beans were used during Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th President of the United States

Jelly Belly beans were the first jelly beans in space, sent on the 1983 Challenger mission by President Reagan as a surprise for the astronauts.

Reagan’s favorite flavor was licorice! 

SUMMARY

National Jelly Bean Day is a fun holiday often associated with Easter traditions because the egg-like shape of the jelly bean reminds us of the Easter Bunny delivering eggs as a sign of Spring. 

National Jelly Bean Day
April 22

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*National Jelly Bean Day holiday review was written by Wednesday Elf

JELLY BEANS:  

ClassicBrach Jelly Beans Bulk, Assorted Flavors, 2 Pound Bulk Pack - Delicious Traditional Jelly bean Candy for Easter Egg Hunts, and Baskets

The Jelly Bean Planet, Gourmet Jelly Beans Gift 42.5 Oz Jar - 36 Huge Natural Fruit Flavors, Seasonal, Birthday, Easter Candy, Plant Based Colors - Gluten Free, Fun Bulk Sweets Assortment

Jelly Belly 49 Assorted Flavors Jelly Beans - 1 Pound (16 Ounces) Resealable Bag - Genuine, Official, Straight from the Source

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Sea Animal Plush Gift Sets for Kids

Gift Review of soft toy sea animals with cute carriers

Sea-themed toys for babies and toddlers come in several varieties, each with a collection of soft plush toys which fit inside a related carrier. The carriers make it easy for tiny tots to carry them from place to place. 

If you live near the shore, or have vacationed at the beach, these sea animal gift sets make fun and appealing gifts.

Seaside Gift Sets

Four ocean animals in a large plush whale carrier. 

The package contains 4 smaller animals (starfish, dolphin, octopus and a ray) which fit inside a large whale carrier. The carrier is in the design of an Orca whale with a zipper design and measures about 17 inches long. The starfish and the octopus measure close to 4 inches in size, with the dolphin and the ray close to 5 inches in size. Cute soft snuggle buddies in an ocean theme. 

Plush Shark Toy and 5 Sea Animals Set

Another ocean-themed plush playset is this Amazon’s Choice plush shark toy carrier with 5 sea animals. The sea animal toys include a turtle, a whale, an octopus, a stingray and a crab which all fit inside this zippered shark carrier.

This sea creature plush toy set helps children explore marine life while they are enjoying a playtime of cuddly fun. An ideal gift for birthdays and holidays. 

Plush Seashell Gift Set

This cute seashell carrying bag set comes with 5 cute sea animal plushies, which include a Mermaid, a seahorse, an octopus, a crab and a sea turtle.

The shell-shaped bag has a zippered opening and a sewn-in handle to store the sea animals for easy storing and carrying.

This soft toy Mermaid and her sea animal friends toy set is a darling gift for birthdays, holidays and baby showers.

Six Piece Turtle Stuffed Animal Set 

This 6 piece sea turtle set comes with a 12 inch stuffed plush Sea Turtle mom and includes 3 Baby sea turtles and 2 Eggs. 

A green mother turtle plush has a zipper belly under the shell which holds, 3 baby plushies and 1 cute baby turtle egg, plus 1 baby turtle that broke out of its shell. 

Summary

These seaside-themed plush playsets will give your little ones hours of cuddly fun as they learn about the marine creatures that live in the ocean. Choose from a whale, a shark, a seashell or a sea turtle set. All are cute cuddle buddies for little ones. 

Related Reviews:

• Barnyard Buddies in Plush - a Cuddly Review

*Plush Gift Sets in a Sea Animal Theme review was written by Wednesday Elf

Plush toy gift sets in a seaside theme:

 

Syhood 5 Pieces Sea Stuffed Animals Plush Set Include 1 Large Whale Plush Doll with Small Starfish Dolphin Octopus Ray Stuffed Toy for Huggable Sleeping Holiday Birthday Gifts

PREXTEX Plush Toy Shark Stuffed Animal with 5 Sea Animals - Shark Plush Toy with Turtle, Whale, Octopus, Stingray, Crab - Giant Stuffed Animals for Kids Aged 3 and Up - Fun Gift for Sea Animal Lovers

BenBen Ocean Stuffed Animal, 5 Pack Small Sea Creature Plush Toys and Shell Carrying Bag Set, Cute Plushies for Baby Kids, Sea Turtle, Octopus, Mermaid, Seahorse, Crab, Baby Shower, Stocking Stuffers

Aoriher 6 Pieces Turtle Stuffed Animal Set 12 Inch Stuffed Plush Sea Turtle Mom with 3 Babies and 2 Eggs for Kids Birthday Valentine‘s Day(Classic)

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National Alfred Hitchcock Day Reviewed

March 12 has been selected as the day we honor the Master of Suspense - Alfred Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock Day is a holiday in the category of Arts & Entertainment. On March 12 we celebrate the life, times and work of this master filmmaker.

Presenting Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock (Wikipedia)

Hitchcock was an English film director who became one of the  most influential figures in the world of cinema.

In a career that spanned six decades, Hitchcock directed over 50 feature films, many of which are still watched and well known today.  Some of his most famous were Strangers on a Train,  Dial M for Murder, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Birds and Psycho. The actors in these, and other, Hitchcock films were some of the top names of the day, including Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly and Ingrid Bergman.

Hitchcock became as well known as any of his actors due to his cameo appearances in most of his films, his many interviews, and his television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. 

Born in Essex (near East London), Alfred Hitchcock grew up in a rather austere and strict environment without much joy. He had no real friends and developed many fears over the years. Perhaps his background helped bring out the suspenseful and fearful ideas he had for his many films.

Hitchcock's favorite subject was geography and he loved maps and timetables of trains, trams and buses. He had a particular interest in London trams and, fans of Hitchcock films will note, a large percentage of his films included rail or tram scenes. 

Alfred Hitchcock married Alma Reville, an English screenwriter, in 1926 and they had one daughter, Pat. Alma became his closest collaborator and wrote or co-wrote many of Hitchcock's films. 

One of Hitchcock’s most famous movies was Psycho. The violence (shower scene) and the early death of the heroine by a disturbed murderer became the hallmarks of a new horror-film genre and became very popular with audiences. 

Alfred Hitchcock’s films showed recurring themes and plot devices throughout his directing career. The "Hitchcockian" style included the use of "editing and camera movement to mimic a person's gaze, thereby turning viewers into voyeurs, and framing shots to maximise anxiety and fear."

Summary

Alfred Hitchcock received many awards for his work over the years, and frequent accolades.  Life magazine called him the "greatest master of melodrama in screen history". The holiday of National Alfred Hitchcock Day celebrates this outstanding Master of Suspense.

Related Reviews:

• Alfred Hitchcock Suspense Films Collection Reviewed by Sylvestermouse Cynthia

For more Holiday Reviews, Check out

ReviewThisReviews: Holidays

A Few of the Many Favorite & Most Well-Known Hitchcock Films:

The Birds [DVD]

Psycho (1960) - 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital [4K UHD]

North By Northwest (4K UHD + Digital)

Rear Window - 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital [4K UHD]

*Review of the Holiday ‘National Alfred Hitchcock Day’ was written by Wednesday Elf.

 

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Pork Chops with Gravy Crock-Pot Recipe

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)
• 1 Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup 
• 1 pkg of Pork Gravy Mix   (I use Pioneer Roasted Pork Gravy Mix)
• ½ Cup Water or Chicken Broth 
• ½ teaspoon Pepper 
• Butter 

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.

Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Oval Manual Portable Slow Cooker, Red - SCCPVL600-R

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Pork Chops with Gravy Crock Pot Recipe Written by:

© 2024 Cynthia Sylvestermouse
 

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A Review of Water Bottle Dog Toys

 

Dogs Love That Crinkle Crinkle!

I was visiting my niece this past weekend. We were drinking coffee at the kitchen table and I noticed her yellow lab was out in the yard tossing and pouncing on some kind of toy. He was having big fun! This went on for quite a while, so I asked her what the dog was playing that was keeping him so entertained.

She went to the patio door and called the dog inside. The dog grabbed his toy and came trotting into the kitchen. The toy was some kind of fuzzy stuffed animal, but when he dropped it and started biting it and pawing it, it made a crinkling noise. It was not the kind of noise I had ever heard coming from a dog toy, so I was intrigued. The noise seemed to egg the dog on to play.

I asked her what toy it was. She laughed and said, it was a good thing she had another, as she could never get the one he had away from him, he played with it all the time. I laughed as she went to the cupboard and pulled out a cute, plush, pink pig. She handed it to me and I looked at it and then squeezed it. It made no crinkling noise. I looked up at her, puzzled.  No noise?  She picked up an empty water bottle and opened the Velcro at the end of the toy and slipped in the bottle. She handed me the toy and said "squeeze it."  When I did, it made the familiar crinkling noise!

The dog heard the noise and came running over and dancing around, wanting to play. She said that she had seen her friend's dog playing with one at the dog park and her dog fell in love with it, so she bought a couple off Amazon.  From the time it had arrived her dog had not stopped playing with it.

I was pretty impressed. I don’t have any dogs, but I have several friends and relatives that did. They are like my foster dogs, so I always get them gifts for holidays.  I knew their dogs would love these toys!

Zippy Paws Otter Toy

Of all the ones I saw on Amazon, I like this cute otter the most, so I ordered it for my girlfriend's dog.  I liked the fact that it did not have eyes or a nose that could be torn off and swallowed. I was surprised at the thickness of the material and the fact it had two layers to help protect the bottle.  I also noticed it had a different type of closure with a loop instead of Velcro.  It came with a regular sized water bottle with a reusable cap that squeaked!  When you change the bottle, you just take off the cap and replace it with the squeaker cap and slide it in.  Your dog is ready for a squeaking, crinkling good time!

While browsing these toys on Amazon I ran across another one that I absolutely loved!  A toy shaped like a wine bottle that says "Paws Off My Wine!"  I have a friend that loves wine and I know she will get a kick out of this dog toy for her Husky.  They also come in beer bottles.

Prime Pets Wine Bottle Toy

I highly recommend these toys!  They encourage play not only between you and your pet, but also play by themselves, which helps them stay healthy and entertained.  They are also so many choices, you are sure to find something your family will love.....tacos, hippos, doughnuts, frogs, bones, the types of toys are almost endless!   Buy one for your pet, I am sure you or they will not be disappointed!

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The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella ~ A Book Review

 Well I don't know about all of you but my friends and I are always on the lookout for something a little lighter and fun after all the stresses of the Holidays are over.  To that end we search out something to do or read that will bring a little levity to our days.  And that's when The Undomestic Goddess, by Sophie Kinsella landed on my desk!

All of my gal pals have had enough of cooking, cleaning, preparing meals and speical family dinners to last then till Easter at least and I'm sure some of you are feeling that way too!  Well, I have a solution for you and it's between the pages of this book.  The Undomestic Goddess makes you stop and think, "What could this possibly be about?"

Well, if you are in need of some light hearted reading that will have you laughing out loud, this just might be the book you are looking for.  Written in 2008 it's not new by any means of the imagination, but the story is so good that you just might want to pick it up more than once, or pick up some of Sophie Kinsella's other books.

So here's the synopsis and you decide if it's something you would enjoy:

Samantha Sweeting is a brilliant mind, smart as a whip and all she's ever wanted is to become a lawyer!  Well after passing the bar and getting her first job at the most prestigious law firm in town, she is well on her way to realizing her dreams.  

After 7 years of putting in all the hours, weekend meetings, last minute preparations for a big legal fight, Samantha does one thing wrong and it will be her undoing!  She's made a mistake that any first year intern would never make and it's going to cost her the job of her dreams and the firm 50 million pounds!

Needless to say, her dreams of becoming a partner in this firm is  never going to happen!  How could she have been so stupid.  A super smart, brilliant legal mind does not forget to file papers to protect the company she works for from being sued or liable for that kind of money.  But, that's what has happened.

Samantha in her panic leaves the offices amid gasping partners that have just found out what she has done.  She is having a major melt down and can't focus at all on the next steps to take. 

Finding herself on a train going somewhere, she literally stumbles onto the grounds of a very nice home!  She's hoping to get some clarity and the owners of the home are awaiting the arrival of a "Domestic" to help run their home.

Well, let's just say that Samantha in her crazed mental state accepts the position as the new housekeeper.  After all where else is she going to go? 

I don't want to give to much more of the book away, let's just agree that what happens after this chance encounter and new job posting, Samantha gets a whole new education and the hilarity ensues.

This book is classified as Chick-Lit, and so it is!  I would recommend it to anyone who needs a break from their normal genre of reading materials.  Sit back and enjoy page after page of the antics that happen when a lawyer turns up to clean the Loo's, do the laundry,  ironing and cook the dinners!

You will find yourself shaking your head and laughing out loud!  January is a great time of the year to start with a good belly laugh!  And you can start it right here!

Sophie Kinsella is witty, funny, and just very easy to read and if you enjoy this book there are other's that she has written as well.

Here are some of  her other titles that you might enjoy and there are many more:

Shopaholic and Sister

Can You Keep a Secret?

Shopaholic Ties The Knot

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan 

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Just for added fun, many of these titles are free if you are a member of the Audible Audiobooks on Amazon.  And there are more there for you as well.

I have a few loaded up on my reader to take to the beach when we are away on holidays!

I hope you enjoy her writing as much as I have!

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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Reviewing Two Similar Rummy-Style Card Games

Several years ago I learned a new card game called Three-Thirteen (3/13). It is played with a regular deck of cards. The rules are simple and the game is very enjoyable played with two or more players. 

The other rummy type card game I just began playing is called Five Crowns.

Three-Thirteen Basic Rules

Image Source: Pixabay

As each round is played, each player tries to combine all the cards in their hand into one or more sets (as either 3 or more of a kind, or as a run, or a combination of both). When a player’s hand is complete, they lay down their hand and all other players get one more turn to try and improve their own hand to reduce their score.

Play begins with a three-card hand and the number of cards increases by one for each subsequent hand from 3 to 13 (kings). Designated wild cards can be used for any card when saving runs and sets. The wild cards change with each round with the jokers always being wild and each round having as its wild card the card that equals the number of cards dealt for that round (i.e., with 3 cards, 3s are wild, with 4 cards, 4s are wild, etc.)

At the end of the final round (Kings), the winner is the player with the fewest number of points. There are several variations of Three-Thirteen, as seen here in the Wikipedia article. 

Since learning to play 3/13, I have taught it to everyone in my family. So anytime I get together with siblings, children, or grandchildren, this has been our card game of choice.

Recently, I joined a card group at my apartment complex. They get together once a month to play cards and then share a meal. My first time I planned to play whatever the group had decided on, but also hoped to eventually teach them my favorite card game ~ Three-Thirteen. When I arrived for my first visit to the group, I discovered their preferred game was Five Crowns. Turns out that the rules are basically the same as my beloved game of 3/13. What fun! I learned a new game with new friends and still get to play my favorite rummy card game!

Five Crowns Basic Rules

PlayMonster Five Crowns — The Game Isn't Over Until the Kings Go Wild! — 5 Suited Rummy-Style Card Game — For Ages 8+

Five Crowns differs from playing with simply a regular deck of cards (or two decks if you have more than 3 people) in that there are five suits (your regular hearts, spades, clubs & diamonds, plus a STAR suit. 

The game consists of two 58-card decks (116 cards in all) containing the five suits, each consisting of eleven cards from the 3s to the kings. There are also six Jokers in this game, used as wild cards in each round. 

As with the game of Three-Thirteen, Five Crowns is won by the person with the lowest score at the end of play.

Summary

Whether you play Three-Thirteen or Five Crowns, these rummy-style games are quick, easy and a great deal of fun to play. If you enjoy playing cards, you will find these two games extremely pleasurable. 

Links to Related Reviews of Playing Card Games & Playing Card Holidays:

• Card Playing Day (December 28)
• Monopoly Deal
• Cards Against Humanity
• Here to Slay Strategy Card Game

*A Review of Two Similar Rummy-Style Card Games was written by 

     ~Wednesday Elf

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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