Halloween Hats
These are fun and soooo easy to make for your Halloween celebration!
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Oct 28
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Oct 25
Godparents of the Future King
Anyone would be honored to be the godparent of this little dolly, but the fact that he will one day be the King of England makes the job a particularly special honour! Read more
Oct 24
A Doll’s House Fit For a Queen!
In the early 1920’s, Queen Mary’s (the wife of King George V) cousin came up with the idea that it would be nice to have a dolls’ house made for the Queen. And, so she did! Read more
Oct 23
Today’s The Day!
Yes, today is the day that His Royal Highness, Prince George, is being christened. He wore the christening gown that his Daddy wore (seen below)….the only difference is that George actually wore a replica of the gown as it was felt that it was getting a bit old and fragile.
Oct 22
Banana Caramel Cream Pecan Cake
This is NOT the cake that will be served at Prince George’s Christening tomorrow….but it could be! Read more
Oct 21
Family Tree – A Royal One!
With all of this talk of His Royal Highness, Baby George, and his christening coming up this week, we thought you might find this interesting. There is one more name that is about to go onto this family tree – do you know who? Read more
Oct 18
Mediterranean Delight
Falafel, warm pita bread, saganki, hummus and tzatziki sauce…yummy! Simple to make at home and good for you too! Read more
Oct 17
Say “Cheese” – Saganaki Greek Cheese That Is!
By now you may be realizing that all this week we have been highlighting people, stories and food that come from the Mediterranean. Up until now, we have been focused primarily on Italy.
Oct 16
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Growing up in London, as I did, it was never very difficult to get to most countries on “The Continent” i.e. in the rest of Europe. Read more
Oct 15
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
What’s more Mediterranean than pasta, tomatoes, peppers, salami and olives? Put them all together and you’ve got one great pasta salad! Read more
Oct 14
Columbus Started It All!
Not only did he discover that the world was round and not flat but, in so doing, he found the New World which encompasses what we now call the United States of America! Read more
Oct 11
No Guilt Oatmeal Apple Walnut Bars
The title of this post just about sums these bars up. Only one descriptive word is missing from the title….delish! Read more
Oct 10
Sugarplum’s Gratitude
Those of you who knew my mother, Ruth, know that my pet name for her is Sugarplum – and what a Sugarplum she was and continues to be…..in my heart.
Oct 9
Oct 8
Hello Yoga, Bye Bye Stress!
Everywhere we turn we hear about the adverse effects of stress. In only a few minutes a day, do something good for yourself to get rid of stress and feel refreshed. Read more
Oct 7
Sweet and Clean
Need a fresh start to your week? How about a wonderful and simple sugar scrub you can make in a snap that will give your skin a lovely, healthy glow!
Oct 4
Simple Soft Homemade Pretzels
As Fall sets in, what could be more inviting than a warm soft homemade pretzel?!!! And yes!…anyone can make these 🙂 Read more
Oct 3
Savvy Secrets for Cooking
As the weather cools down the cooking we did outdoors all summer begins to move indoors again. Here are some tips and ideas to make your cooking and baking easier and more successful. These are some Savvy Secrets for cooking.
Oct 2
A New Coat of Arms for Kate and Wills
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a new Conjugal Coat of Arms which will represent them in heraldic terms as a married couple. Read more
Oct 1
It’s Oktoberfest Time!
Today is October 1st. Whether you are of German heritage or not, it’s time to celebrate. It’s Oktoberfest time! Read more
Sep 30
Smile – You’re Alive
A well-known speaker started off his seminar holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” Read more
Sep 27
Weekend Brunch – Easy Huevos Rancheros
Sometimes we think foods that have a foreign name or that we aren’t sure how to pronounce, must certainly be difficult to make. Not this one! Read more
Sep 26
Well done, Joey Prusak
A Dairy Queen employee, Joey Prusak, has certainly hit the headlines this week with his act of kindness. Read more
Sep 25
Simple and Hearty – Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew
After a long day it is nice to be able to make a meal that won’t take longer to clean up than it did to eat. From time to time we want to bring you ideas for some meals that you can make in minutes and that are oh so satisfying…otherwise known as Simple and Hearty. Today it is Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew. Read more
Sep 24
Charles Is Forever Waiting!
His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales (shown here with his grandmother, the Queen Mother) was just three years old at the time of his mother’s accession to the throne of England and ever since that young age has been groomed to be king. Read more
Sep 23
Naturally Clean
The shelves of stores are jammed with products that claim to be the strongest, best smelling, easiest to use, best value, etc. Read more
Sep 20
Thai It, You’ll Like It – Coconut Chicken Soup
This is quick and easy to make and SOOOO yummy! Read more
Sep 19
Breakfast “Cupcakes”
This breakfast muffin is so good, all you have to do is add a little butter cream cheese icing and you’ve got the perfect cupcake! Read more
Sep 18
Kate – The Future Queen
“While Diana reignited the royal family, she also rocked the royal institution to its core. Kate, however, has taken to her role seamlessly, embracing the royal rule book.” Read more
Sep 17
Salad Days – Aunt Nancy’s Taco Salad
Many years ago my darling cousin, Nancy Joy, served my son, Trevor, and I a wonderful taco salad. Read more
Sep 16
“Go Forth With Courage, Faith and Love”
The mother of one of the 26 victims of last year’s Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre has written a powerful letter to the teachers of America. Read more
Sep 13
Dog Days of Summer Delight – Cherry Ice
Sometimes the hottest days of summer, otherwise known as The Dog Days of Summer, come at the beginning of Fall. When they arrive, we can all enjoy a treat of something cool and refreshing! Read more
Sep 12
Sep 11
Happy Birthday Puff
Puff the Magic Dragon turns 50 this year! Read more
Sep 10
Delicious Tuesday Chicken Sandwich
It would be just as delicious on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday! Read more
Sep 9
There Is So Much Good In This World
How touching it is to read a wonderful story about something good that has taken place in the world. Indeed, we feel that we should magnify and ponder these things and pass them along. So, that we are doing. Read more
Sep 7
Credit Where Credit Is Due
It has been brought to our attention that we had our head in the clouds on Thursday when we mentioned that George Carlin was the author of those wonderful observations about life. Read more
Sep 6
Love Lemon – Lemon Custard Cakes
Love a good lemony dessert? Here’s a quick, easy and very yummy one for you! Read more
Sep 5
Food For Thought – George Carlin
The Grammy Award winning George Carlin was not only a stand up comedian but, after reading his “observation” on the vast subject of life, we realize that he was obviously a great thinker as well. Read more
Sep 4
Homemade Gift Tags
Simple, cheap, quick and fun….why wouldn’t you make these pretty gift tags to keep on hand? Read more
Sep 3
Perfect Iced Refreshment
Want the perfect glass of iced tea? Read more
Sep 2
Happy Labor Day!
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a day set aside each year to celebrate the achievements of American workers and the contributions they have made to our country. Read more
Aug 30
Making A Better Burger
This is the start of Labor Day weekend. We’ve got a tip to make your burgers better:) Read more
Aug 29
Food For Thought
Words are powerful…sometimes life changing. Here are a few powerful quotes we have run across lately that we wanted to share with you, our “chums”. Read more
Aug 28
Nuts to You! – Iced Pecans
Our “chum”, Sally from Texas, shared this recipe with us that she found in a 1960’s copy of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Read more
Aug 27
Meals With Mickey
Everybody loves Mickey! You can delight kids of all ages with a breakfast or lunch that includes this world famous mouse 🙂 Read more
Aug 26
Well done! Definition of ‘Sexy’
Ashton Kutcher rose to the top of the pile a couple of weeks ago when he told a gigantic crowd of teenagers that to be sexy, one needs to be smart, thoughtful and generous. Read more
Aug 23
Remember Your Travels!
How I wish that a Journal had been started for me when I was a babe and began my travels!
Aug 22
Magic Tangle Free – Stress Free Mornings
If your home is like many, as mothers and their children ready themselves each day to get out the door to school, there is often a battle over the combing of the hair… but wait!…..not anymore! Read more
Aug 21
Off They Go With Their Backpacks!
Photo from earlymama.com
What did we do before backpacks! Golly, other cultures have carried things on their backs for centuries so we finally caught up and now, most school children you see, will be carrying one on their sweet back. Read more
Aug 20
Double Duty Waffles
Waffles are always a welcome sight on any morning, but especially on school or work day mornings. They don’t have to be time consuming or a hassle. And they can do “double duty ” if you use them to make lunch to! We’ll show you how 🙂 Read more
Aug 19
Back To School – LunchSkins For Our Munchkins
It is hard to believe but summer is coming to an end and everyone is going down the list of things to be done in order to be prepared for that first day of school. Read more
Aug 16
Homemade Fresh, Clean AND Soft!
We gave you our “recipe” for all natural laundry soap a couple of days ago. But we thought the job wasn’t complete until you had our “recipe” for an all natural fabric softener too 🙂 Read more
Aug 15
“Cleaner” Savvy Secrets!
Continuing on with the “cleaning” idea, here are a few Savvy Secrets! Read more
Aug 14
There Is A Plan
Rarely, well actually never, do Jackie or I post something from someone else’s blog just verbatim. We may reference it or use it for inspiration or suggest that you, our chums, check it out, but copy and paste a whole article….NEVER. Until now 🙂 Read more
Aug 13
Homemade Fresh and Clean
If you want to, you can make just about anything you need for your home. Many people now do make products they use everyday in an effort to save some money. Nothing wrong with that! But there is another reason for making some household products yourself, that may be even more important. You can control what goes into them. Read more
Aug 12
Gratitude Will Turn Your Life Around!
When John Kralik was a young boy, his grandfather told him that he would give him a silver dollar. His grandfather also said that, if he wrote a thank you note to his grandfather for the silver dollar, when he received the silver dollar, he would give him another silver dollar and for every thank you note thereafter, he would get a silver dollar. Read more
Aug 9
Happy Birthday Randy
Simply cannot miss an opportunity to wish my sweet husband a very blessed and Happy Birthday. He is an amazing husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend and very, very loved by all who know him …especially and mostly me 🙂 So I simply must say loudly:
Happy Birthday Randy!
Aug 9
Everyone’s Favorite Summer Sandwich
What is everyone’s favorite summer sandwich? Why an ice cream sandwich, of course! Read more
Aug 8
Handed A Lemon? Make Lemonade!
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade! What a great bit of advice that is. Read more
Aug 7
Savvy Secrets – Lemon Peel
To continue our week dedicated to the joys of lemons, we have some very helpful ideas about how to use lemon peel!
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Aug 6
The “No Fly” Zone
According to Wikipedia: “A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which aircraft are not permitted to fly.” We aren’t referring to that no fly zone. According to your Two Chums “A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which flies are not permitted to fly.” Read more
Aug 5
On Sale – Lemons!
Ceramic lemons in bowl
There is something just rather wonderful, rather traditional, rather timeless, about a bowl of ceramic lemons sitting on a coffee table or a kitchen counter. The yellow in lemons is so cheery, so upbeat, reminding us of wonderful summer evenings, sitting outside sipping on a long glass of lemonade. Read more
Aug 3
Weekend Delight – Carrot Cake Pancakes
No you aren’t seeing double. Due to a problem with the server, many of you, our chums who subscribe to Two Chums, were unable to open the e-mail containing the post yesterday. So we are resending it out to you today. Happy Saturday and Bon Appetit !
All across this great land, as the weekend approaches, so does brunch! What better way to celebrate the weekend than with breakfast and dessert combined? !!! Read more
Aug 1
Uncle Harry
As the new loving first time parents, William and Kate are all about tradition and duty and teaching their son the lessons he will need to be the future King. You can be sure Uncle Harry will balance them, and in true form, he will be all about fun:) Read more
Jul 31
Well Done! – Bald For Good
We hear stories all the time about celebrities or teenagers who shave their heads. They choose baldness to get attention or as the result of a prank or a dare. This is a different story…the story of going Bald for Good 🙂 Read more
Jul 30
Salad Days – Kale Salad
Nothing tastes better for lunch or dinner on warm summer days or nights than a refreshing crisp salad. Cool and crunchy and perfectly dressed, this Kale Salad surely fits the bill…oh and did we mention it is really healthy too? 🙂
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Jul 29
The Gospel According To Nordstrom
In the late 1800’s John W. Nordstrom, at the age of 16 came to the United States from Sweden with $5 in his pocket. Read more
Jul 26
Judging A Book By Its Cover
Tootsie. This movie is a classic. It is funny and poignant and is one of Dustin Hoffman’s finest performances. He has some very interesting thoughts about having played the role of a woman. Read more
Jul 25
A Special Day In The Life Of A Chum!
This week we have all been busy celebrating the birth of Prince George but today, this Chum celebrates a very special lady – her Chum, Robin! Read more
Jul 25
It’s George Alexander Louis!
The new little prince has a name…George Alexander Louis. He will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. A big name for this little guy. But then he comes from a family with a big history!
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Jul 24
Gifts for the Prince
The world is rejoicing at the birth of this new Prince. Babies who were born in England on Monday, when His Royal Highness Prince of Cambridge was born, will receive a commemorative silver coin….in blue pouches for boys and pink for girls. Apparently, commemorating a birth by crossing the palm of a baby with silver has long been a tradition.
The Royal Mint has made 2013 of these silver pennies. The sterling silver penny features the shield of the Royal Arms along with the year 2013. How lovely that in some small way each baby who receives one will share in the celebration! Read more
Jul 23
Welcome the Future King!
Let the celebrations begin….the future King has arrived! Read more
Jul 22
Savvy Secrets of Duct Tape
Last week we offered you some Savvy Secrets for WD-40 and quoted G. Weilacher as saying “One only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop.” We promised then to bring you some Savvy Secrets for duct tape so today we are making good on that promise. Read more
Jul 19
The Cookie Jar – Lemon Butter Cookies
What is summer without some yummy cookies for your trips to the beach, a weekend picnic, a Sunday lunch or a treat with a cup of tea or a tall glass of iced tea any afternoon of the week? Read more
Jul 18
The Greatest Show On Earth
Growing up I looked forward every year to the circus coming to town. Perhaps because it was always close to my birthday, I associated the arrival of the Greatest Show On Earth with excitement and delight! Read more
Jul 17
Waiting For An Heir
Catherine and William will not be needing any witnesses at the birth of their baby! Read more
Jul 16
Savvy Secrets – More WD-40!
“One only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop.” – G. Weilacher Read more
Jul 15
Let’s Hear It For The French!
Yes, let’s hear it for the French! Bastille Day having been celebrated in France yesterday, we thought it would be fun to raise the French flag and salute France. Read more
Jul 12
Favorite Banana Muffins
The weekend is coming. Wouldn’t an easy and delicious banana muffin make your Saturday or Sunday breakfast or brunch just perfect? Read more
Jul 11
Jul 10
Savvy Secrets – Getting Rid of Bugs & Critters
Bugs can be a problem anytime but they are often the most unwanted guests of summer. We have some safe and natural ways to send them on their way or keep them from “visiting” in the first place! Read more
Jul 9
Alexandra or George?
You know, the English love to bet. They bet on all and anything! So, it does not surprise us one bit that a lot of the English have placed money on whether the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, will have a girl or a boy and what they will name this precious baby. Read more
Jul 8
Five Days A Week!
Your Two Chums are interested. Read more
Jul 5
The Ultimate All American Comfort Food
Where ever you live, chances are, fried chicken tops the list of your favorite All American Comfort Foods… Read more
Jul 4
Celebrating Our Freedom- Happy 4th!
Today, no matter who you are, which part of this country you call home, no matter how old or young you may be, we all celebrate the freedom that is ours as those who live in the United States of America. Read more
Jul 3
An “All American” Pie
What could be more American than any version of apple pie? You will love these little Apple Hand Pies. They are perfect for the 4th of July… as the saying goes, something truly American is “as American as apple pie!” Read more
Jul 2
“America’s Pastime”
It is hard to think about the United States of America and not think of baseball. Certainly, baseball is a game that is enjoyed by the people of many different countries but it is considered “America’s game”! Read more
Jul 1
All “American Girl” Doll
It was not until about six years ago that I first stepped foot into an American Girl doll store and oh, what a wonderful surprise awaited me! Read more
Jun 29
The Cookie Jar -“Devil” Cookies
How good is this cookie? One bite is all you will need to know…. Read more
Jun 27
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
As I walked through my laundry room not long ago I saw two pairs of pink Crocs sitting by the back door. One belonged to my daughter, Amanda, and the other to her youngest daughter, Evangeline. There they were, a picture of exactly what was happening day in and day out…little feet were following in the footsteps of the bigger ones and Evangeline was actually, in so many ways, becoming a mini version of her mommy. Read more
Jun 26
Eggs and Bacon – Not Just for Breakfast Anymore!
Back when we first started this Two Chums website journey, we offered you our recipe for Deviled Eggs.
Jun 25
On Sale
Everybody loves a bargain. We came across a few we thought we would share with you, our chums. We’re not talking about just cheap junk (as in our recent post A Father’ Advices). We are talking things from companies that sell nice quality items but simply have too much stock and have put these items On Sale !
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Jun 24
Lay Your Burdens Down
Recently we received an email from a chum with an attachment we felt we needed to share. The story reminds us of the words from that old gospel spiritual “Down By The Riverside”. The first verse of the spiritual is:
Gonna lay down my burden,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside.
Gonna lay down my burden,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside. Read more
Jun 21
Chicken Enchiladas -Olé
Growing up in Los Angeles with family roots in Texas, Mexican food has always been a staple at our table… this recipe is a relatively new addition that promises to be a favorite for many years to come:) Read more
Jun 20
9 March, 1959
Can you guess who was born on 9 March, 1959? All little girls have at least one of them! Yes, you guessed it – Barbie was born! Read more
Jun 19
Not Just A Garnish – Parsley
Parsley may be the world’s most popular garnish but this remarkable herb has healing properties and health benefits that qualify it as a superfood. Read more
Jun 18
Have You Punned Lately?
The pun is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of words or similar sounding words. They have been used to create humor by writers, ranging from William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde to George Carlin.
Everyone can appreciate a good pun now and again. Your Two chums are no exception. We came across a list of clever puns that we thought you might appreciate…or at least you may know someone who will enjoy them… Read more
Jun 17
Never Give In – Just Let Go Chapter 5
When we say “Never Give In”, we mean it in the context that Sir Winston Churchill did when he said, “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” Instead, “Just Let Go”.
Jun 14
Meat and Potatoes for Dad – Sunday Pot Roast
Not so many years ago, pot roast was the Sunday dinner of choice in many homes….at least many southern homes. Meat and potatoes is a meal that most men love….a meal dads love! Read more
