Cool Stuff: Churro Popcorn Seasoning

I came across this gem the other day at Walmart. We don't make a ton of popcorn at home, but every once in a while when we do it's nice to shake it up a little bit. Some of the Kernel Season's brand seasoning is quite good while others leave a little to be desired. This one is definitely a winner and my favorite so far. 

Cool Stuff: Bullzip

I haven't done a "cool stuff" post in a while. And this is kind of cool, but mostly just extremely helpful, and that is Bullzip PDF. It's a free printer driver for windows that basically turns your printout into a .pdf file. (It's Adobe's Portable Document Format for all you file-type nerds out there.) 

I have it installed on all on my computers and use it a ton. If you don't have it, you might want to check it out. Their website is bullzip.com and they've got some other free software there, but that printer driver is the one I use all the time.

Cool Stuff: Sequence

On one of the podcasts I listen to (At the Table with Patrick Lencioni), they used to go around and have the hosts share free "ads" for something they liked, like a local coffee shop or a product of some sort. I always looked forward to seeing what they were going to highlight and perhaps try it myself. 

That's been kind of a background motive for many of my blog posts - to share the love for a product or recipe, TV show or move, or whatever is fun that someone may want to try. So in the spirit of that, I'm going to start a new recurring feature on the blog. I may talk a lot about it, or I might just tell you what it is and suggest you give it a try. I'm probably going to call it "Cool Stuff" unless someone comes up with something better. Feel free to add suggestions in the comments. 

For my first installment, I am going to highlight my favorite board game: "Sequence". I love it because it's easy to learn, but the more you play the better you get at incorporating some strategy. I've played this for hours with youth group students, friends, and family. If you're ever interested in getting together to play Sequence - or hosting a Sequence night! - just let me know.

Books and Audiobooks Galore

One of the best things about long trips is listening to audio books with Rosalie. Already planning several books we are going to listen to on our upcoming vacation next month. It make the trip pass quickly and gives us a shared experience to enjoy. Rosalie also enjoys listening to audio books while she sews, so can burn through several books a week.

Many people are unaware of how many free audio books are available through the library. Our local library in Pine City uses the Overdrive site and there are thousands and thousands of books available. Not just fiction, there are a ton of nonfiction books there, as well. And not just audio books, there are plenty of ebooks available for instant download.

Helpful Hints: Water Dispenser Hack

[My original post on this got deleted somehow, but here's the gist of it.]

If you have a water dispenser like mine (a 5 gallon one), here's a great hack to keep from having to buy so many lids. I love the brand we have, but in order to add a bottle of water you have to invert the bottle and pierce the lid. If you use a lid that already has been pierced you end up with water splashed around every time you change the water bottle.

My solution: use a plastic ziplock bag and place it over the top of the bottle and then put a lid on. It will keep the water in long enough to turn the jug upside down and insert it into the dispenser. Problem solved.