The Downside Of Public Transportation

You know, my mother once told me that whenever I take the bus there will always be one weirdo on the bus.
Strange, every time I have taken the bus I have never seen a weirdo.

Piatnik Jigsaw Puzzles - Now A Part Of The Fun At Tuesdays And Thursdays

The jigsaw-puzzle was invented more than 200 years ago, initially for purely pedagogic reasons. In 1767, in order to familiarize his pupils with the geography of their country, the English teacher, John Spilsbury, cut up a map into several pieces, to be re-assembled again by his protégés. Spilsbury`s idea was successful and was soon copied by teachers teaching other subjects.
With time, the teaching aid turned into a popular sparetime activity. Pictures of idyllic scenes, landscapes and picturesque buildings were glued on wooden boards, which were then sawn into several pieces in order to re-assemble them again. This explains the English name "jigsaw" puzzle! The first puzzles were made of cedar-wood or mahagony. Later on soft woods were used and, finally, plywood.


Not until the 1960's were puzzles made of cardboard produced which are as good a quality as expensive wooden puzzles. This new production method suddenly made it possible to produce puzzles everybody could afford. Many different puzzles began to appear and started what could be called a real puzzle boom. Nowadays millions of pictures are punched into small pieces every year in order to be reassembled again by patient puzzle players. PIATNIK puzzles are made of a special high-quality cardboard and sold worldwide.


Piantnik Puzzles are now a part of the fun at Tuesdays And Thursdays!

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

The Hungry Caterpillar Hand Puppet - Now Available At Tuesdays And Thursdays

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Peter Rabbit Blocks - A Beatrix Potter Classic at Tuesdays And Thursdays

Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit is there with his blue jacket in one scene, with Flopsy and Mopsy and Cotton-tail, plus Jemima Puddle-Duck, Tom Kitten and Benjamin Bunny.

Enjoy these sweet illustrations, which have been bringing delight to parents and small children since 1902! The block set contains 9 2-inch cubes, with each side forming the parts of six different puzzle pictures. They're also fun to use as building blocks! Comes packaged in a sturdy box with sliding drawer. Made for ages 3+.

The Peter Rabbit Puzzle Blocks are available at Tuesdays And Thursdays.

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Albert Einstein is having fun at Tuesdays And Thursdays

Albert Einstein Little Thinker Are you tired of all those cute but essentially brainless "beanie" dolls? The folks over at the Unemployed Philosophers Guild were too, so to offset that trend they designed the "Little Thinkers" line of beanie toys. Let the Little Thinkers add a little culture and humor to your life - or even to the students in your life! 11" tall and oh, so smart! Now available at Tuesdays And Thursdays!

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Words We Love : Ubuntu

“Your pain is my pain, My wealth is your wealth, Your salvation is my salvation.”
- African expression of "Ubuntu"

Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipe From Caprial Pence

Back in the 1990's I discovered Caprial Pence. She has had her own PBS series and has also hosted Caprial and John's kitchen with her husband. She has authored several cookbooks including American Bistro Fare.

One of my favourite American Bistro Fare recipes, and one that I have made several times (so much so that I no longer need the recipe) is Pumpkin Bread Pudding. It's a great twist on the classic Pumpkin Pie and sure to become a favourite everywhere.


1 baguette, diced (I have found that a variety of day old white bread works well too)
1 cup toasted pecans (a few times toasted chopped filberts have gone over really well)
2 1/2 cups half and half
3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree (the Libby's in the can works great)
3/4 cup sugar (white sugar is fine, but everything tastes better with Turbinado sugar)
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablesppon crystallized ginger (rough chopped ginger, so that the pieces about the size of M&M's seems to be what produces the best results)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (grate your own - the flavour will be amazing!)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The original recipe calls for a 10-inch springform pan, but I have found that well greased 8 or 9 inch square baking pans work well too. Place the diced bread in the pan, sprinkle the toasted pecans over the bread as evenly as possible.

In a medium bowl mix half and half, pumpkin, and 3/4 cup sugar. Then add brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, ground and crystallized ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

Pour this mixture over the bread and mix well. Let stand about 20 minutes so the bread can absorb the pumpkin mixture. Give it a quick mix again just before placing it in the oven.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Caprial's recipes have made many of my Ordinary Days Extraordinary so without hesitation, I highly recommend heading to your local book seller to check out American Bistro Fare as well as Caprial's other books.

Pepto Bismol Haiku

Nausea Heartburn

Indigestion, An Upset

Stomach Di’rhea

Tuscan Blood Orange Perfume by Pacifica

TUSCAN BLOOD ORANGE solid perfume by Pacifica

Blood orange is loved for it's absence of bitterness with rich, juicy flavor and bright raspberry and strawberry notes. Italian sweet oranges flesh out this naturally beautiful essence.

Pacifica perfumes are formulated with natural to be paraben-free and vegan using the highest quality botanical ingredients and our signature Pacifica fragrance blends with essential oils. Pacifica body care and candle products are all made in the USA.


So what's so deal with blood oranges? A favorite of many orange connoisseurs, the blood orange, with its sweet, deep red flesh, is believed to be the result of a mutation that occurred in 17th-century Italy.

Grown for centuries in the Sicilian region, the orange plays a very important cultural role in Italy. Oranges are used in foods, drinks, liquors, and celebrated at festivals. A red streaked sky at sunset is known as a "blood orange sky." The scent of oranges also evokes images of Tuscany, the heart of medieval Italy. Boasting enchanted towns such as Florence, Pisa, and Siena, Tuscany is littered with castles, the ruins of walled villages, and landscapes doted with orange trees that can be detected in the slightest of sea breezes. Additionally, the blood orange is used as an antidepressant, aphrodisiac, and in various tonics.


Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Magnetic Poetry College Edition : Now Available at Tuesdays And Thursdays

A perfect gift for any college-minded person from incoming freshmen to experienced grad students, the College Kit enlivens any matriculate message board with scholarly words like lecture, roommate, pizza, dorm, degree and cram.

Find the College Edition, as well as a wide variety of Specialty Magnetic Poetry Kits at Tuesdays And Thursdays.

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Suntan Target Uglydoll now at Tuesdays And Thursdays

New for 2008 and Available now at Tuesdays and Thursdays

A Corridor Of Coulour In Upper Montclair NJ

Part of the charm of Upper Montclair is its connection to the past, and simpler times. Small family owned restaurants, a traditional Hardware Store where you can find about anything, and small shops with treasures personally selected by the people who work in the store and know the community.

The train, actually a commuter train carrying passengers to and from New York and Jersey City, still makes its way through Montclair several times a day. The deep bellows of the train horn echo through the neighborhoods regularly - signalling the arrival of Mom, or Dad, or perhaps just letting us know that its still there.

Something about the train horn, and the train itself is magic. Trains always have had that magic - especially for boys of all ages. Perhaps thats why no matter how many times I have passed over the same crossing I look to my left, and then to my right - hoping to see a bit of that magic in the distance making its way down the tracks.

This is a view from the grade crossing at Bellevue Avenue looking southeast.

Finding A Colorful Soulmate at Tuesdays And Thursdays

Life is too short for matching socks, especially when you can wear these fun and beautiful socks! Multipatterned and colorful mismatched socks for children, adults, and now babies from Vermont's Socklady.

Marianne Wakerlin, the Socklady is the founder and owner of Sol Mate Socks. The company is named after her mom, Sunny, who taught Marianne how to knit. Marianne continued to knit for the next 40 years, but it wasn’t until she started knitting socks that her real passion was born.

"I found it exhilarating, designing a pair of socks that didn't match and were knit in random patterns with multiple colors. I loved my finished socks!" Within a few years Marianne had knit over one hundred pairs of socks for family and friends, and she decided to turn her hobby into a business. Her colorful and complex patterns are knit in the USA at a family owned knitting mill, hand finished and mismatched.

Solmate Socks are a part of the fun at Tuesdays and Thursdays

Cookies ! Journal at Tuesdays And Thursdays

What better place to keep all your favourite cookie recipes than in a Cookie Monster mini-journal ? It's small size is perfect for small hands to treasure, and when the kids are all grown up - you can pass their cookie journal from their childhood on to them.

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Words We Love : Raconteur

Raconteur


noun

a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly

In keeping with our goal of making ordinary days extraordinary, from time to time we will be adding more new, interesting, and sometimes forgotten, words to the Tuesdays And Thursdays blog roll. Look for more of them in the coming weeks!

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Greggo Magnets Join The Fun At Tuesdays And Thursdays

Taking fridge magnets a notch above the usual, Greggo Magnets creates themed magnet sets for the artist and intellectual just waiting to express themselves on everyone's favourite home appliance!

The die-cut images are printed on a 7" x 9" ;sheet - ready for you to pop out and express your own magnetic personality.

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Words We Love : Maverick

Mav”er*ick\ n. In the southwestern part of the United States, a bullock or heifer that has not been branded, and is unclaimed or wild;—said to be from Maverick, the name of a cattle owner in Texas who neglected to brand his cattle.


In keeping with our goal of making ordinary days extraordinary, from time to time we will be adding more new, interesting, and sometimes forgotten, words to the Tuesdays And Thursdays blog roll. Look for more of them in the coming weeks!


Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Jeero Wants You To Change Your Batteries

Jeero is really into this changing batteries in smoke detectors thing – I’m not really sure, but he’s really into it. So heed the advice of the International Association Of Fire Chiefs and change your smoke detector battery when you change your clock!

Crazy Mates - A Pirate Version Of Crazy Eights Now At Tuesdays And Thursdays

Crazy Mates Card Game

 It's Crazy Eights With a Piratey Twist! Classic Card Games for Modern Kids Crazy Mates includes 48 cards and rules of play for 2 games - a basic game and a challenge game. All hands on deck for a fun filled game where losting is winning and the first one to shout "shiver me timbers" is the winner!

Find more fun games and other pirate themed gifts in our store.

Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary