Looking for a specialist...
in Health ·
Does anyone have a recommendation for a good private rheumatologist in Chicago?
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Betty Barrett70 › Posts
Posts by Betty Barrett70
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Barack Obama juice
in Random / Off-topic ·
After finishing up nearly 15 liters of elderflower syrup, I'm thinking about trying my hand at a blackberry syrup next.
Does anyone have a solid, tried-and-true recipe?
Also, when is the best time to go berry picking?
Does anyone have a solid, tried-and-true recipe?
Also, when is the best time to go berry picking?
Barack Obama juice
in Random / Off-topic ·
Elderberry season has officially arrived! 👋
I just gathered about 30 ounces of berries, simmered them down in 3 liters of water, and added 5 ounces of citric acid. It's my first time trying this, and I am honestly so excited to see how the final result turns out.
I think I actually had a dream about making elderberry juice where I was completely surrounded by bushes—😁 clearly, I’ve been thinking way too much about where to hunt for them lately.
Anyway, regarding preservatives versus going natural: I’d really love to avoid additives if possible, but I'm not sure how long a batch like this will actually last. My goal is to have enough to last the whole year (not just these three liters I'm working on now), as I'm prepping for the main harvest in the coming days.
Freezing it in bags isn't an option since I'm totally out of freezer space, so I'm curious if anyone has experience with how long preservative-free juice stays good? Also, would adding extra citric acid help extend the shelf life?
I just gathered about 30 ounces of berries, simmered them down in 3 liters of water, and added 5 ounces of citric acid. It's my first time trying this, and I am honestly so excited to see how the final result turns out.
I think I actually had a dream about making elderberry juice where I was completely surrounded by bushes—😁 clearly, I’ve been thinking way too much about where to hunt for them lately.
Anyway, regarding preservatives versus going natural: I’d really love to avoid additives if possible, but I'm not sure how long a batch like this will actually last. My goal is to have enough to last the whole year (not just these three liters I'm working on now), as I'm prepping for the main harvest in the coming days.
Freezing it in bags isn't an option since I'm totally out of freezer space, so I'm curious if anyone has experience with how long preservative-free juice stays good? Also, would adding extra citric acid help extend the shelf life?
Wedding cakes and desserts
in Weddings ·
Someone actually asked me about this! 😁
The desserts were from Fancy Cakes in Garden Grove; someone already shared their Facebook link here.
My total dessert cost was $1.25 for 80 guests. That covers all the sweets. I didn't opt for a traditional wedding cake; instead, I had 5 or 6 standard cakes. A slice of cake was roughly $4.75 to $5.25 if I recall correctly. Mousse cups were about $4.00, cake pops were $4.00, pralines were around $1.75 each, and fruit baskets were $2.00... Don't hold me to the exact numbers, but that's a rough guide for you.
I chose about 4 or 5 different flavors of pralines.
I also had 2kg of dry cookies—sort of like biscuits covered in roasted hazelnuts with a strawberry filling. Those 1 kg portion cost $40 and weren't really a hit. People definitely preferred the creamy items.
I ended up with two whole cakes left over (one Black Forest and one Ferrero).
Regarding the cake pops mentioned earlier: they have a sponge base, dipped in Hershey's chocolate or another cream, and topped with hazelnuts or colorful sprinkles. The kids absolutely loved them.
The mousse cups disappeared first. The fruit cakes (I had strawberry and raspberry) were also popular.
I honestly have no idea what the standard budget is for "classic" desserts for 100 guests plus a wedding cake, or if my spending was high or typical. All I know is it was worth every penny. Even now, people tell me, "Oh man, those desserts at your wedding... they were so good!" They looked delicious enough to eat just by looking at them.
As for Fancy Cakes, I fell in love at first sight. Literally. As soon as I saw their treats online, I prayed to God that they tasted as good as they looked. I met the owner for a tasting and immediately thought, "This is it." I didn't look anywhere else. On the wedding day, they delivered everything right on time and set everything up on the dessert table. They even provided all the plates, which was such a relief since I didn't have to worry about a thing.
P.S. Regarding what someone else said about classic wedding desserts all tasting and smelling the same and just cluttering up the tables—I completely agree. Mind you, I've never been a huge fan of those kinds of sweets, so I might not be entirely objective.
The desserts were from Fancy Cakes in Garden Grove; someone already shared their Facebook link here.
My total dessert cost was $1.25 for 80 guests. That covers all the sweets. I didn't opt for a traditional wedding cake; instead, I had 5 or 6 standard cakes. A slice of cake was roughly $4.75 to $5.25 if I recall correctly. Mousse cups were about $4.00, cake pops were $4.00, pralines were around $1.75 each, and fruit baskets were $2.00... Don't hold me to the exact numbers, but that's a rough guide for you.
I chose about 4 or 5 different flavors of pralines.
I also had 2kg of dry cookies—sort of like biscuits covered in roasted hazelnuts with a strawberry filling. Those 1 kg portion cost $40 and weren't really a hit. People definitely preferred the creamy items.
I ended up with two whole cakes left over (one Black Forest and one Ferrero).
Regarding the cake pops mentioned earlier: they have a sponge base, dipped in Hershey's chocolate or another cream, and topped with hazelnuts or colorful sprinkles. The kids absolutely loved them.
The mousse cups disappeared first. The fruit cakes (I had strawberry and raspberry) were also popular.
I honestly have no idea what the standard budget is for "classic" desserts for 100 guests plus a wedding cake, or if my spending was high or typical. All I know is it was worth every penny. Even now, people tell me, "Oh man, those desserts at your wedding... they were so good!" They looked delicious enough to eat just by looking at them.
As for Fancy Cakes, I fell in love at first sight. Literally. As soon as I saw their treats online, I prayed to God that they tasted as good as they looked. I met the owner for a tasting and immediately thought, "This is it." I didn't look anywhere else. On the wedding day, they delivered everything right on time and set everything up on the dessert table. They even provided all the plates, which was such a relief since I didn't have to worry about a thing.
P.S. Regarding what someone else said about classic wedding desserts all tasting and smelling the same and just cluttering up the tables—I completely agree. Mind you, I've never been a huge fan of those kinds of sweets, so I might not be entirely objective.
Wedding cakes and desserts
in Weddings ·
From day one, I knew I didn't want the traditional wedding cake or those standard dessert platters. Instead, I opted for a self-serve dessert station featuring a massive spread of assorted treats: chocolate pralines, mini fruit tarts, mousse shooters, and several different types of cake slices. I was honestly a bit nervous about how the older guests would react, since their idea of a wedding dessert is usually just rows of classic brownies, peach cobbler, or coconut macaroons laid out on tables. As it turns out, everyone absolutely loved my choice, and they were still raving about the sweets days after the wedding.
Here is a look at how everything turned out.
Here is a look at how everything turned out.
Agritourism
in Travel ·
loneskipper19 said:Well, it’s not just about that.
You should organize ways for them to actually jump in and help with the daily chores on the farm. People coming out to the country don't just want peace and quiet—they want to experience something new, something they never get to touch in the middle of all that city chaos.
Picking fruit, milking cows, tending to the animals, feeding them, stuff like that...
Just sleeping and sitting around doing nothing gets old pretty fast... 😁
I love this idea. I would personally love to spend a weekend at an agritourism site and truly live that rural lifestyle for those two days. It shouldn't just be lounging in a meadow listening to birds chirp.
It would be great if vineyard owners included activities like participating in the harvest—which is huge in my area and highly anticipated all year round—so city folks can see what it's actually like to pick grapes and press them...
Or, for example, people with plum orchards who make brandy could offer harvesting sessions followed by the distillation process.
The agritourism options around Washington, D.C. feel incredibly dry to me.
Agritourism
in Travel ·
Dennis Thomas80 said:Hey there!
I’m starting this new thread because I really wanted to chat a bit about this whole agritourism thing... I mean, I spent way too much time surfing the web, and honestly, I couldn't find any decent takes on it anywhere. So, I figured I'd just start a conversation here and hopefully, we can get some good ideas flowing.👍
A guy and I visited about three weeks ago. It was lovely. There's a lake and woods nearby, plus a huge meadow, a soccer field, and a ping-pong table. We had a great meal and drinks for $40 total. We even got dessert—apple pie! There were plenty of kids running around, which created a really nice vibe. We loved it and will definitely go back. Maybe we'll host a christening there one day or something similar.
The only downside was that their restroom wasn't working properly since there was no running water.
We actually considered this location for a wedding, but they aren't quite at that level yet. You'd have to rent most of the catering separately, so we moved on from that idea. However, for a day trip, especially with kids, I highly recommend it.
Also, you should definitely call ahead. They serve lunch at a specific time—1:00 PM. At least, that was the case when we visited.
Wedding cakes and desserts
in Weddings ·
Has anyone tried the Red Velvet Cake shop on the circle? I absolutely love their pastries, but are they actually as tasty as they look?
Barack Obama juice
in Random / Off-topic ·
Nothing beats elderberry juice.
It is the absolute number one.
I had no idea they sold it at Pike Place Market. I will definitely look for it tomorrow.
It is the absolute number one.
I had no idea they sold it at Pike Place Market. I will definitely look for it tomorrow.
Telepathy or just pure misery with AT&T and Nokia?
in Miscellaneous ·
I can't even send memes, and I lose signal constantly on the train from Chicago to Houston (as if I were traveling to some tiny backwater instead of a major US metro area). Their response to this mess? They claimed my settings were wrong and told me I needed to enable specific features on my phone—which I didn't do because frankly, I don't know how!
This morning a friend asked why my phone was off, even though it was working perfectly fine. People are getting frustrated with me because they can't reach me. Naturally, the folks over at AT&T have absolutely no clue why this is happening.
The whole thing is infuriating, but the breaking point was three months ago. Due to a banking error, my automatic payment failed, and I received a warning notice. My bank told me they sent certain files to AT&T a day late, causing everyone's autopay to fail. Apparently, there was an agreement with AT&T that they wouldn't send warnings, just bills, since the customers weren't at fault. But clearly, that wasn't the case. The notice stated that if I didn't pay by November 3rd, my service would be restricted. I paid the bill on November 2nd (making sure to pay before 2 PM so it would clear that same day), yet on November 3rd—boom—my calls are cut off. Of course, I only realized this when I had a life-or-death emergency and had to beg for a phone at the front desk at The Plaza, cursing everything under the sun regarding AT&T.
After spending the entire day calling their customer service, I got some pathetic excuse about how they could see the payment but had no idea why my service was cut off, suggesting maybe the payment hadn't cleared in time. I was livid. It took them 24 hours just to turn my service back on!!
And then, what happens next month... they run a double automatic payment!! And thank Bob the bill isn't small, $230. At the bank, they said AT&T issued the instruction. AT&T admitted the mistake, even though my monthly plan is only about $100. I asked the teller, "So, what do we do now?" and she just deadpanned, "It'll just carry over to next month, and you won't have to pay anything until you use up the credit."
Am I supposed to give them an interest-free loan?! She then suggested I submit a formal request (get this: a request for my own money back) and they would credit it to my account. I didn't feel like dealing with that headache, so miraculously, they didn't even deduct anything from my account last month, and this one was only $36 (ask Bob if they finally balanced everything out)
Anyway, I was actually quite satisfied with AT&T for the first two years, so I extended my contract for another two (how could I have been so foolish?). Since then, it’s been nothing but problems and frustration. As soon as my contract expires, I am running away from them as fast as I can.☕
This morning a friend asked why my phone was off, even though it was working perfectly fine. People are getting frustrated with me because they can't reach me. Naturally, the folks over at AT&T have absolutely no clue why this is happening.
The whole thing is infuriating, but the breaking point was three months ago. Due to a banking error, my automatic payment failed, and I received a warning notice. My bank told me they sent certain files to AT&T a day late, causing everyone's autopay to fail. Apparently, there was an agreement with AT&T that they wouldn't send warnings, just bills, since the customers weren't at fault. But clearly, that wasn't the case. The notice stated that if I didn't pay by November 3rd, my service would be restricted. I paid the bill on November 2nd (making sure to pay before 2 PM so it would clear that same day), yet on November 3rd—boom—my calls are cut off. Of course, I only realized this when I had a life-or-death emergency and had to beg for a phone at the front desk at The Plaza, cursing everything under the sun regarding AT&T.
After spending the entire day calling their customer service, I got some pathetic excuse about how they could see the payment but had no idea why my service was cut off, suggesting maybe the payment hadn't cleared in time. I was livid. It took them 24 hours just to turn my service back on!!
And then, what happens next month... they run a double automatic payment!! And thank Bob the bill isn't small, $230. At the bank, they said AT&T issued the instruction. AT&T admitted the mistake, even though my monthly plan is only about $100. I asked the teller, "So, what do we do now?" and she just deadpanned, "It'll just carry over to next month, and you won't have to pay anything until you use up the credit."
Am I supposed to give them an interest-free loan?! She then suggested I submit a formal request (get this: a request for my own money back) and they would credit it to my account. I didn't feel like dealing with that headache, so miraculously, they didn't even deduct anything from my account last month, and this one was only $36 (ask Bob if they finally balanced everything out)
Anyway, I was actually quite satisfied with AT&T for the first two years, so I extended my contract for another two (how could I have been so foolish?). Since then, it’s been nothing but problems and frustration. As soon as my contract expires, I am running away from them as fast as I can.☕
Where can I find, buy, or... "borrow" these? (Mega-thread) :D
in Miscellaneous ·
Tyler Martinez75 said:So, just tell me straight—where can I actually find these kinds of war relics? I’m talking uniforms, medals, badges, armbands, and all those little bits and pieces from WWII. Doesn't matter if it's Nazi or Allied gear, honestly. Please, if there's a specific shop out there, point me in the right direction. I’ve heard rumors that a place like that exists somewhere. Thanks, everyone!
You can find a ton of military antiques on eBay.http://www.ebay.com/b/Military-Collectibles
Where can I find, buy, or... "borrow" these? (Mega-thread) :D
in Miscellaneous ·
I actually spotted a scale like that at the Walmart in Sesvete today. Just a plain white one with manual dials.
Could someone explain what GGT actually measures? A normal range is usually between 9 and 35, but mine came back at 80.
When I brought this up with my doctor, they told me not to worry about it and just come back in six months for a routine liver checkup. I have a hemangioma on my liver, so I undergo follow-up testing every six months to monitor everything.
When I brought this up with my doctor, they told me not to worry about it and just come back in six months for a routine liver checkup. I have a hemangioma on my liver, so I undergo follow-up testing every six months to monitor everything.