01 July 2020

HOME! HOME! HOME! (I love it!)

This is Whisk, reporting LIVE from Smoochie Face's office. I'm still in my jams, just ate a big-ass everything bagel with mock nuggets, local maple syrup and dried habanero peppers. With nothing but sunshine in the forecast, I predict a wonderful 5-day weekend. Happy Canada Day! Happy 4th of July! Happy Summer! Or ... depending on where you live, Happy Winter!

In other news, I have zero plans to get dressed today and later, I might make brownies. But if you're interested in frozen treats, I've linked my two most recent cold desserts at the bottom on this post.

And in other, OTHER news ......






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24 June 2020

FLIPPIN' FLOOPIN' FLAPPIN' (that's the title I'm going with today)

Okay ... ready? Here's the BEST thing about having a small 1,000 dollar emergency fund set aside BEFORE we started to pay down debt. That little bit makes me feel safe. Makes me feel like okay, if there's a bump, we got it. And got it we do, because when the bill comes (see cartoon), we're good to go. We have it. And you know what that means? For me, no stress. Zero.

Nadda. Nadda. Nadda.

Plumbers came today, we have the money, debt still gets paid down and I didn't have to cancel the order for my new studio mic.

How flippin' floopin' flappin' groovy is that?

I had planned on writing about food today but that got blown out of the water because I had to get all the reno stuff out of the way for the plumbers, which meant I was up very, very late. So instead, I made you this cartoon and I'm sharing my latest two videos.

And that my Boogerbutts, is all that's fit to print.

Cheers and boogie boogie. Whisk, out.






AIR-FRY FRIED RICE 
and
INSTANT POT NUGGET STEW 



17 June 2020

DONE! DONE! DONE! WAIT FOR IT .......... DONE!

Stick a fork in me, I'm DONE! Also, I enjoy doing laundry again. What? Who is this impostor? How can I go from nearly being killed by a pile of laundry so high, that I'd never survive the crash, to enjoying doing laundry?

I dunno. I just did. Each morning as the air fryer cooks Smoochie Face's lunch, I fold the laundry and/or start a new load and I am digging it.

Who knew? Not me.

In other DONE news, the raised beds for the front are finally DONE! I love the natural wood but it's only gonna turn gray before the season ends. And even though I won't paint every single box I build, I do enjoy the pop of Super Duper Yellow near the front porch.

And lastly, in DONES! Each morning after Tim goes to work, I do whatever quick thing needs done online, then I unplug and edit, edit, edit, edit and edit. Video. Still shots. Thumbs. Show notes. Whatever food related work needs done, gets done. Just like I used to do when I was a published writer (way back when the land was flat). Back then, the writing came first and today, the food-related work, also comes first.

It's been SO GOOD!

Get this. I've NEVER been here before. But as this moment, my videos for this coming Sunday and the following Wednesday after that are wait for it .... DONE, DONE, DONE!

Hot dog. Life is good.

Now, onto to Today's Menu. It's meatless meals with Tim making an appearance in the nugget video. If you enjoy my videos, please hit that subscribe button. I'm THIS close to hitting 1,000 subscribers. This close, I say, this close.

SUBSCRIPTION LINK (click here)

And with that, I'm off make supper because if I didn't already say it my work day edits are DONE, DONE, DONE, DONE!















10 June 2020

ETCH A SKETCHED MY BRAIN

Here's the scoop. It has been an odd, nothing quite working, work week. Then the video that was meant to go live today, which required a voice over because the audio wasn't on, turned out to have a BIG CHUNK missing ... so I passed on that turd and shot another video. Which also turned into Turdsville City.

So I Etch A Sketched my brain (aka shook my head and started fresh), and shot something that excited me - the crunchy, spicy snack that I LOVE (and was about to eat in real life).

As for the lost footage from the first video, you know, I'm okay with it. At first I went from The Happy Whisk to The Grumpy Spatula, but that didn't last. It's video. I got about a billion of them inside me just bursting to get out (just like in Alien).

But the cool thing is, even though it's not gone smooth this week with footage lost, the field mice invasion take-over of my filming/studio/kitchen area (yuk), and a headache that's been on and off since last Friday, I still wanted to keep doing the work - even when I didn't want to.

Does that make sense?

Anyway, it feels good. Even on a bad week. I still want to be here doing this. I love making food and sharing videos. I once believed that sharing my videos was spammy (more on that in another post), but now, I understand this is what I want to do. Even on the bad weeks.

I want to do the work.

I am doing the work.

That feels good.

In other news ....  on Monday, I finally built the last front porch raised bed. Up next, to paint them super duper yellow or to treat the wood so it won't go gray? I'm leaning toward super duper yellow. But I'm also groovin' on the natural look.

And that my Boogerbutts, is all that's fit to print. Thank you for reading and/or watching and I will see you again, next Wednesday.

Whisk, out.



2 more around the left side - to paint or not to paint?





03 June 2020

OVER THE MOON (saying goodbye to debt)

I am OVER THE MOON because this past weekend ... drum roll please ... we paid off $5,000.00 worth of debt.

5K people. GONE. Gone, gone, gone.

We still have more to go but we're getting closer and I cannot wait to scream from the rooftops, "WE'RE DEBT FREE!"

What helps the most? Working together. Work together, work together, have a plan, work together. Without Tim doing this with me, forget it Buster, it'd be a no flippin' go.

Another big thing is, saying no. Saying no to stuff like NetFlix, Hulu, Prime. Saying no now, so we can say yes later to things like, owning our own land, a used truck, more efficient video/photography gear and living a debt-free life.

We don't say no to everything. We still order the occasional pizza or veggie burger. We still have one service, Amazon Music. But on the whole, it boils down to doing the work and that often means, saying no. BUT ... that's not a bad thing. As much as I want a prime lens for my Canon M50, I'll enjoy it FAR MORE when we're debt free.

Just feels so good.

Up next ... BROWNIES!!!!! These come from Dani Spies and I added her link to video show notes (see end of post). I've made these brownies many times and each time I swapped out cashew butter for peanut butter. Simply because peanut butter costs me less money to make. After all, it's all about becoming debt-free and using cashews on a regular basis, not in the budget. But that's okay because these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies were SO GOOD!

And that, my Boogerbutts, is about all that's fit to print. I still haven't been in the garden because work has sucked up MOST of my day. Add to it there's a pile of laundry so high that if it falls on me, I may not survive. All you'll see is my little feet poking out, and the slight mumble of the word, "heeeeelp". But I'm planning on getting outside Friday. All day. Me. Garden. No work. Wireless headphones. Paint. Dirt. Seeds. Fun.

Until next post, thank you for stopping by. Cheers and boogie boogie. Whisk, out.



27 May 2020

WIGGY'S GOTCHA DAY

We recently celebrated Wiggy's Gotcha Day! And boy did we ever. 9 years ago. Whoosh.

So here's how it went down. We went to the pound and saw her, then I went back without Tim and asked to see her in the pound yard. I sat on the ground and she came barreling and I do mean barreling toward me and gave me a hug. Did a puppy flip. Gave me another puppy hug. Dashed over to other side of the yard. Peed the longest pee in the history of ever and then charged back my way, almost knocked me down (I was on the ground already, but she almost sent be all the way over). Gave me third puppy hug. I paid for her on the spot and brought her home.

I remember, she didn't know how to use stairs or jump in the car and ... they told me that she had a brother and sister but nobody wanted Wiggy because she wiggled too much.

She wiggled too much? Seriously?

Also, I LOVE this photo. I shot it from my phone back in 2016 right after The Great Declutter and removal of 95 percent of my stuff. The room was bare and simple and this shot just puts all that together.

In garden news, I haven't done ANYTHING. Not a thing. Hope to fix that this weekend. But, in other news, I've been cooking and baking my butt off. Writing food and filming in the new studio area and guess what?

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it!

LOOOOOOOOOOOVE it!

Today's foodie offers are: Spicy Onion Relish (or chutney) and it's so flippin' good. I've been eating it non-stop. I love it. And the last video is Air-Fry Pizza. The BEST reheat ever. No soggy bottoms. I put the relish on the pizza and it's a slice of heaven. Get it, slice. Pizza. What? No good? Not funny? I'm honestly giggling as I type this. I crack myself up.

And that my Boogerbutts, is all that's fit to print. See you next Wednesday with Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies and photos of the front porch.

Cheers and boogie boogie!



Wiggy's Gotcha Day 9 Years Ago





20 May 2020

WHO NEEDS A FRIDGE IN THE KITCHEN? NOT ME!

Now that we don't have a living room anymore, I moved the fridge AGAIN only this time, farther away and I LOVE IT!

I get up, I shoot videos and it's WONDERFUL. So much more room to create food. As for the big-ass pantry shelf, I did redo it but I'm asking too much of that poor shelf. It can't be ingredient storage, cereal, snacks, tools (like Instant Pots, Vitamix and a DeLonghi Air Fryer), PLUS a baker's rack (cavity pans, baking sheets, cheesecake pans, cooling racks).

Ack! I'm asking too much of one space.

My poor shelf is doing a so-so job at many things, instead of a really good job at one thing. Which by the way, I've changed my own work day flow to focus on one major thing per day and IT'S WORKING.

But more on that in another post, as I fear the rain drops will be falling on my head, if I don't get my booty outside and enjoy some this non-snowy day. Today's goal. Mow lawn and finish the raised beds in front of the messy porch (see picture below).

Ding, dong, I'm on it.

And that, my Boogerbutts, is what's going on in my world. What's going on in yours?

PS: Latest Spicy Vegan Reaper Noodles, video at the end. I had it yesterday for breakfast and it was GOOOOOOOD. And, dig this, I shot in in the new studio.

Hot dog. Life is good.

Before Shot - Taken Today



04 May 2020

GOODBYE MULTI TASKING

Hello Bloggers!

During the last week I went back to publishing videos and I LOVE it. Because this time, I'm JUST making videos. Where in the past, I'd do laundry, dishes and other chores in between scenes and edits. Now, I film, edit and schedule my video upload. No dish. No cleaning. No hanging the bedding over the back deck railing in between edits. Just video work.

It's heaven.

Which brings me to my 6 minute video, Mac 'n' Cheese Soup. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed making it. For those who don't eat almond cheese, cow cheese would work too. Either way, it's a great way to use up leftovers.

Thanks for watching and boogie boogie.

PS: For anyone who watches the Curry Spiced Lentil Soup video, that was shot BEFORE I set into motion, no chores during work hours.







20 April 2020

GOODBYE LIVING ROOM - HELLO WOOD SHOPPE

Guess what I'm doing this week? If you guessed ripping apart our broken down couch and taking it to the dump, followed by turning our living room into a temporary wood shoppe, then ding, ding, ding. You win three paper clips, two balls of wax and one shoe.









Carrot greens from my last post and the celery (that I didn't post). Both grown in water, soon to transfer the carrot tops to the yellow tins that I painted earlier this morning.

And that my Boogerbutts, is all that's fit to print. I'm going back outside to enjoy the sunny shine day, crank the ear buds and mow two lawns.

Cheers and boogie boogie. Whisk, out.

06 April 2020

HELLO MONDAY! SO NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN

Music on. Instant Pot going. Second Instant Pot going. Laundry swooshing down the hall. Dogs barking outside. Hello Monday!

So nice to see you again. 

Up next, bills, budget and all things good. That's because our crusade against debt continues, even during a pandemic - as we continue to put positive energy and empowerment into every single day.

For those who want to hear more about that, click my podcast EP: 103 EMPOWERMENT (even during a pandemic), or click the play button at the end of this blog post.

Now, let's get to the past weekend.

Tim and I celebrated our wedding anniversary outside. Thank you Sunny Day Spring. He wrote, I shucked peanuts. We listened to music and after that, we worked on the not-done-yet but soon-to-be, food lot.

When I woke this morning, the new area reminded me of an old black and white Sherlock Holmes or a Classic Monster Movie. I love them both, so I'll take it.

We also took measurements for additional areas where the garden boxes, raised beds and straight to soil plantings will go. Pretty good day, pandemic or no.

And before this post, I also made homemade orange-scented bleach wipes for the first time. Then I wiped down the a few things and so far, I love how they clean. I'll continue to test-drive them and report back. Have you made your own? So easy. 

And that my Boogerbutts, is all that's fit to print. But before I go, pictures! (and an embedded play button for podcast episode: 103).

Stay safe. Be well. Whisk, out.






23 March 2020

GOOD THINGS - STUDIO IN PROGRESS

Hello Monday! Hello World! Here's some good things going on in my world, today. I'd love to hear what's going on in yours. Let's kick things off.

First up, most of my veggie garden seeds are ordered and have shipped. We also increased the food pantry from five to six shelves, along with tucking a small bookshelf of tinned goods under my workbench. AND dun, dun, dun, I started sprouting lentils.

Never did it before. Learning and tasting as I go and after 12 hours, the lentils already have a good yummy crunch. So excited to see them sprout. Then to sprout other things.

Do you sprout? 

In other news, my missing front(ish) tooth will remain that way for a bit longer. My 3D image was considered non-essential and the appointment was canceled. Not a complaint. I'm fine waiting. For now, I'm a chick without a front tooth, living in a rural area, about to start a fun veggie garden. 

Life is good. Pictures to come. 

Lastly, with the fridge and upper cupboards long out of the kitchen, I finally pushed the workbench (aka kitchen table), against the wall and that makes filming SO MUCH EASIER. Pure heaven. But ... the wall is still red and damaged so I'll fix that. But for now I'm shooting any time of day, because film gear gets to stay up 24/7, which is something that I've wanted for a long time. Very, very happy to have this space. 

And that my Boogerbutts, is all that's fit to print. Stay safe, be kind to each other and look out for each other. These are messed up times but even in the midst of the mayhem, good things can still be a thing. 

Hugs & Bugs,
-Me



09 March 2020

AT LEAST I STOPPED SWEARING

It's long over-due. Time to turn this blog into a food blog. I want to say proper food blog but that's something I've not succeeded at ... yet. But that's okay, I'm gonna give it another go. I'm also happy to report that I'm no longer swearing as I change this site around. 

So that's good.

In other news, I didn't work on my studio wall this past weekend as planned. Instead, I moved my work bench next to the yucky wall and shot video from Friday through Sunday. 

Oh my gosh, what fun. 

As for the bake, I'm only two drafts in so for now, here's a picture of my Chocolate Baby Bundt Cakes (no eggs or dairy).  But I'm excited to share the formula with you in an upcoming post, right here on my very own foodie blog.

That's right. I'm gonna be a food blogger when I grow up. 



10 February 2020

I SHOULD BE BUT ...

Hello Boogerbutts!

Long time no talk. So much to share but today, I'm jumping back in with a quick hello and a little real-life cartoon of my Monday.