“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

– William Wordsworth

I oftentimes find interesting stories or posts and I think “this is really good, I want to share this.” In grade school, my favorite day of the week was Friday when the teacher would lead “current events.” Each student was charged with the task of bringing to school a newspaper clipping to share with the class. I loved sitting in the reading circle and couldn’t wait until it was my time to shine. This was a terrific way to learn new ideas, form critical thinking, and develop presentation skills.

So, I am bringing back current events of things said, something I read, and something I learned. I may even toss in something I loved about the week.

Something that I read and learned – I subscribe to The Washington Post digital paper. It’s $1 week and you can choose all kinds of news that interest you. For me, it’s books to read, weekly meal planning, health, fitness, baking, the top stories for the week, life after 50, cookbooks, 5-minutes or less of top political stories, and About Us.  The latter is about candid conversations about identity in America. This article is a must-read about something I had no clue – the “Verzuz” phenomenon.  Basically, two artists perform (or in the case of producers, play) up to 20 songs of their discography and discuss them while streaming on Instagram (and now AppleTV) in a nominal “battle of the bands” — though, really, it’s viewers who win. Beginning in the early days of the coronavirus quarantine, matches were between current stars, but over time “Verzuz” has evolved — technologically and otherwise — to include the greats of past decades. This past weekend featured Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight with their special guest Dionne Warwick!

Something I love – I discovered the new Netflix series Get Organized with the Home Edit. Of course, I binged all the episodes and now I am bored. But, I signed up to attend Joanna and Clea’s Virtual Book Club Tour. I paid the extra bit to get signed copies of both of their books.  The show makes me want to sort 10,000 pieces of rainbow candy into glass jars and sip champagne while I do it.

And I love this:  Pumpkin Spice Latte Chex Mix

Heck yes!  I am ready for fall. I think everyone is so hopefully cooler days can lift our mood. I may whip this up for my weekend study snack.

Ingredient List:

  • 8 cups Cinnamon Chex™ cereal
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 package (12 oz) white vanilla baking chips (2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

  1. Place cereal in large microwavable bowl; set aside.
  2. In a 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on High 30 to 45 seconds or until melted; stir in brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice. Microwave uncovered on High about 1 minute or until smooth and bubbly. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal in bowl; stir until evenly coated. Microwave uncovered on High 3 to 4 minutes, stirring after each minute, until cereal is glazed and toasted; leave in bowl, and set aside.
  3. In a medium microwavable bowl, microwave white vanilla baking chips uncovered on High 45 seconds; stir. Continue heating in 15-second intervals, stirring vigorously after each, until chips are melted and stirred smooth.
  4. Pour melted chips over cereal in bowl; stir until well coated. Transfer cereal to a large food-storage plastic bag or container; add powdered sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool, about 20 minutes.

Have a great weekend y’all.