The St. Louis area has many beautiful light displays during the month of December and one of my favorites is the Zoo Lights.
On a chilly night in mid December my friend and I spent an evening at the St. Louis Zoo enjoying the lights and taking photographs. We had never been there before and wasn't sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. We spent about 1 1/2 hours out in the park enjoying the lights before we went inside to warm up with some hot chocolate. In that time we didn't even begin to see all the beautiful lights. The displays were wonderful and all focused around the animals in each particular area.
Information about Zoo Lights
The Zoo Lights display is open from Thanksgiving through December 30th. It starts at 5:30 each night and there is a nominal fee for entrance which includes free parking. What a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Besides enjoying the lights you can was a 3D movie of Rudolph the Reindeer, roast marshmallows over fire pits, enjoy hot chocolate and other snacks at several stands around the park and have your photo taken at several different displays.
Photographic Tour
I enjoy taking photographs and shooting the zoo lights was a real pleasure. I found that I was able to get wonderful shots without a flash. I hope you enjoy my photographic tour.
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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.”
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.”
Is your family archive of recipes full of recipes tucked away in notebooks, on napkins, folded pieces of paper and the old school recipe cards? And haven't you always wanted to turn those treasured recipes into a book along with the family memories?
In Feast Of The Seven Fishes a families' authentic Italian recipes are shared in combination with the stories of each recipe and the neighborhood which shaped this family and its' traditions.
Memoir + Cookbook
Feast Of The Seven Fishes: A Brooklyn Italian's Recipes Celebrating Food & Family by Daniel Paterna is a combination memoir and cookbook. This is the story of the community of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn and the impact the community had upon the author and his family through the generations. Food, family and community are interwoven with delightful neighborhood anecdotes with the impact of remembering history for those who grew up in Bensonhurst and to preserve it for future generations. The story of Bensonhurst will resonate if your Grandma, food, family dinners and family owned neighborhood shops were apart of your community. It is rare for a cookbook to read as a memoir and vice versa which is what makes this combination so unique and enjoyable.
The Recipes
Do you have a treasure trove of family recipes written or typed on the old school index recipe cards? I suspect you do and the photos of this families' recipes handwritten on index cards certainly evoke fond memories of my Grandma and Mom's favorite recipes! And of course there are the personalized "notes" on the cards ... The authentic Italian recipes are detailed throughout the journey of the neighborhood as the author recalls the family food shops which were an integral and historical part of the family recipes. Take a journey through each major holiday and the traditional Italian recipes which accompany each holiday. The chapter with a compilation of Feast Of The Seven Fishes recipes is amazing and slightly intimidating (due to the number of dishes) for one who has never cooked such a feast! However, the recipes are inspiring to all cooks to either compare your family recipe or for those seeking authentic Italian recipes.
I am excited to cook these recipes and up my cooking game with authentic Italian recipes! Memoir fans and cookbook fans are sure to enjoy this book. This is a perfect gift for those who want real Italian recipes - old school - and aren't those recipes usually the best!
I received this book from the Publisherin exchange for an unbiased review.
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For the proud Capricorn, the Goat is not an acronym lol (greatest of all time - sorry!). If your birthday falls between December 22nd and January 20th, you were born under the sign of Capricorn.
Since I'm a fan of astrology and often on the hunt for funky home decorating ideas, I've added a section on Funkthishouse called 'Astrology Home Decor.' Each astrology sign is featured with suggested home decor items for creating a zodiac-themed bedroom.
When decorating a bedroom to reflect your astrology sign, don't restrict yourself to just the sign name and symbol. Each sign has several other aspects; lucky numbers, birthstone, your sign's lucky days, your ruling planet, your sign's element, and more. Here are some suggestions for Capricorn's room.
Capricorn: Practical, Realistic, Persistent, Disciplined, Intelligent, Caring, Analytical, and Organized.
Traits: Capricorns tend to be rule-followers and prefer systems and boundaries that are clearly defined. If you're looking for a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type, it's likely you won't find that trait in a Capricorn.
Work: Preferring structure makes them ideal candidates to climb the corporate ladder. Whether they climb that ladder or not, they approach their profession seriously and with dedication.
Home: Capricorns are a bit fussy about their home and how it's presented. Hey, there's nothing wrong with that is there?
Responsibilty: If your significant other is a Capricorn, they might be the banker of the family. Since they can be counted on to abide by structure and are detailed, the family finances are probably in good hands with a Capricorn.
Love: In relationships, they're committed and will focus on doing what it takes with a partner they can count on. Since they prefer structure, a stable relationship that offers that has value to them.
Capricorn 2020
As one year ends and another begins, I visit my favorite Astrologer on YouTube, Kelly Rosano. She offers up fun and interesting videos for each sign. Her presentations are broken down in an easy to follow format.
She's completed an annual 2020 summary for all twelve signs and also features a monthly summary for each. I'm a Leo, and I found her projections for 2020 to match almost everything I had been planning and thinking. Interesting!
Capricorn, if you're wondering how 2020 may look for you, check out Kelly Rosano's video below:
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