Torianna's Corner

In Vanity Post #108 last week, I mentioned that I love it when a plan comes together, and in that post, I was talking about the plan I created for fixing the veteran’s quilt that I started last year. Well… Today, I have some good news: It’s REALLY coming together!

Between Vanity Post #104 and now, I have:

• taken out all of the blocks that need to be changed;
• created four more solid blue blocks; AND
• inserted the first of the solid blue blocks into the quilt top!

I wasn’t sure how difficult it was going to be to insert/replace blocks in each of the six rows, so I decided to give it a try tonight — after creating the fourth solid blue block! It turned out to be much easier than I thought, AND the first row is now complete!!

However, I did discover something not-so-good: I forgot to take out one of the solid red blocks — the kind of block that led me down the path to creating my current plan. So… Before I can start working on Row #2, I’ll have to:

1. take out that darned solid red block; and
2. figure out whether I have enough solid blue blocks (the replacements for the solid red blocks) OR if I’ll have to make one more of ’em.

In any case, I’m REALLY pleased that the plan for my veteran’s quilt is coming together!

Have you ever noticed that things take longer to do than you think they would? I have, and I can’t help but wonder why this is true more often than not.

A few days ago, I encountered this situation, and it irritated me — probably because I was undoubtedly in a hurry. I can’t remember what I was doing at the time, so I didn’t think much of it then — except, of course, the fact that it irritated me.

Well… It happened again! Yesterday, I was packing a birthday box for my Darlin’ Daughter, and I didn’t think it would take very long for me to gather all of its contents together, wrap everything, and pack it all into a box for shipping. So, I had that task plus a couple others on “The Three Tasks” list for the day.

Knowing that I needed to get it into the mail at least four days prior to her birthday (since I’ve noticed that it takes at least that long for mail to reach her), I made this task the top priority for the day, but I should have known…

Things take longer to do than you think they would!

Lo and behold! Packing that birthday box took longer — A LOT longer — than I thought it would!! Like almost all afternoon! I spent FIVE AND A HALF hours getting that darned birthday box ready to ship!!

Of course, I must admit that I did get sidetracked a couple of times — once during the gathering process when I spent some time boxing up some of my sewing “stuff” AND again during the wrapping process when I remembered something I should have done days ago.

The good news is that the birthday box is FINALLY ready to mail. I hope (1) the birthday box reaches my Darlin’ Daughter BEFORE her birthday (since I’m trying to be more like Mom when it comes to birthdays), and (2) that she likes everything I sent her!

And on that note, I’m going to close this vanity post, but before I go, I want you to do something for me:

Please heed the advice from this cautionary tale of mine by adding extra time to your schedule for completing the important tasks because…

Things take longer to do than you think they would!

The other day, I read “A Psalm for Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in “Simple Abundance”, one of my nightstand books, and I thought it was very inspirational — so much so that I transcribed it into my current “Holler Happenings” notebook AND published it in Vanity Post #106.

Well… Yesterday, I read something in that same nightstand book, and I experienced an “Ah, ha!” moment. So, I’m going to transcribe it here, so I can go back to it as often as needed — to serve as a reminder. Without further ado, here are those “words of wisdom”:

“We cannot achieve without ambition.

Action — ambition in motion — is what produces achievement.”

As soon as I read those two sentences, I knew what Mr. Longfellow meant when he said: “Let us, then, be up and doing”, and I realized that it’s the “action” part (or lack thereof, in my case) that has been a problem (if not, the main problem) for me. It’s why I’ve been trying to achieve the same goals for years but not accomplishing any of them.

So… I think “Ambition in motion” is going to be my mantra/motto for my 2026/2027 trip around the sun! I’m hoping that it will remind me that I’ve got to be “up and doing” in order to achieve all of the goals I’ve set for myself.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about the inspirational quote in today’s vanity post, so please leave a comment below.

While perusing nationaldaycalendar.com, I noticed (belatedly) that September 16th was National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day, and that got me to thinking about that tasty sweet treat and how that was (and still is) the only way that I’ve ever liked to eat raisins!

The more I thought about cinnamon raisin bread, the more I wondered whether stores even sell cinnamon raisin bread! Have you seen any cinnamon raisin bread in your local grocery store? I haven’t! Since this yummy reminder of my childhood has captured my attention, I decided to go in search of a (simple) recipe I can use to make myself a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread to enjoy (belatedly) in honor of September’s National Cinnamon Raisin Bread.

Lucky for me (and you, too!), I happened to find one, and I’m going to share it with you. So… Grab your baking supplies and join me as I travel down memory lane and make a loaf of this tasty sweet treat. Without further ado, here’s the recipe (from allrecipes.com):

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
• 2 (o.25 ounce) packages of active dry yeast
• 1 cup raisins
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup margarine (or butter), softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. Warm 1 1/2 cups milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. Stir together warm water and yeast in a large bowl; let sit until frothy, about 5 minutes. Mix in raisins, eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, margarine, and salt until combined. Stir in cooled milk. Add flour gradually to make a stiff dough.
3. Remove dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Transfer to a large, greased bowl and turn dough to grease the entire surface. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Grease three 9×5-inch loaf pans; set aside.
5. Punch down dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a large rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 Tablespoons milk. Mix together remaining 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle over moistened dough. Roll up tightly into a log, about 3 inches in diameter.
6. Cut log into thirds; tuck under ends to form loaves. Place into the prepared loaf pans and lightly grease the tops. Cover and let rise again, about 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped, about 45 minutes. (Watch it carefully near the midway point to prevent it from burning.) Remove loaves from the pans and brush with melted butter. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

So, there you have it: a recipe for making three loaves of cinnamon raisin bread! I’d love to know (1) whether a grocery store in your “neck of the woods” still sells loaves of cinnamon raisin bread, (2) whether you tried this recipe (and how it turned out, of course); and (3) if you have a recipe for this tasty treat that you’d like to share with me. Until later…

Bon Appétit!

As they often said on “The A Team”, I love it when a plan comes together.” Usually, they were referring to some high-action plan that they were trying to make happen, but I’m referring to something with far less action — at least the “chasing the bad guys” kind of action that kept Mr. T and the rest of the gang busy during each episode.

The “plan” that I’m talking about is the “coming together” of a quilt. I’m actually in the middle of making three different quilts come together, but the one I’ll be discussing in today’s vanity post is one that I started last year — one that was to be given to a local veteran at a special Veteran’s Day dinner and ceremony. For some reason (illness, if I remember correctly), I wasn’t able to get the quilt finished in time for the ceremony, but after looking at the quilt top once I was feeling better, I decided that it was just as well since I didn’t really like the quilt top.

So… I vowed that I would fix what I didn’t like about the quilt top (which was mostly the placement of the various blocks) and get it ready to be given to a local veteran during the next Veteran’s Day dinner and ceremony! Consequently, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time trying to come up with a plan to fix what I didn’t like, and yesterday, I finalized that plan and the plan is starting to come together.

While going through my current “Holler Happenings” notebook, I found something else inspirational that I want to keep handy for future reference. Here it is:

“A Psalm for Life”

Let us, then, be up and doing

With a heart for any fate,

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.”

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

Hope you find it to be as inspiring as I do. By the way… If you have other sources of inspiration (i.e. poems, quotes, etc.), I hope you’ll take a moment to share ’em with me by leaving a comment below. Here’s to inspiration!!

While doing some research for my current work-in-progress, I came across a cute poem that’s very appropriate for me at this time in my life. So… I decided to transcribe it into one of my vanity posts. By doing so, I’ll have easy access to it whenever I feel the need for its inspiration. Without further ado, here it is:

“A Writer’s Prayer”

Lord, inspire me to write stories that touch readers’ hearts.

Breathe your spirit into my characters so they come alive on the written page.

Help me develop intriguing plots full of twists and turns that capture the imagination and move the story to a satisfying resolution.

Keep me focused and on schedule, and take away any fear or sense of inadequacy that blocks my progress.

Give me the courage to step out in faith, to stretch and grow and to be the writer you have called me to be.

Amen

(Thanks to Debby Giusti, the author of “A Writer’s Prayer”)

While perusing the National Day Calendar Web site earlier this month, I discovered that today is what promises to be a tasty day! It is National Chocolate Milkshake Day!!

I’ve tried making chocolate milkshakes at home before, but they usually ended up being more “milky” than “milkshakey” — probably because I was never able to the ratio between the ice cream and the milk correct. Wanting to make Sweet Thing and I a delicious chocolate milkshake to savor in honor of National Chocolate Milkshake Day, I searched far and wide (read: I did a quick Internet search online) for something that would give me the proper ratios (read: a recipe), and it didn’t take very long to find something (thanks to Brave’s AI summaries) I could use.

So… Here’s what I found:

Chocolate Milkshake Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla ice cream (or chocolate ice cream)
• 1/2 cup cold milk
• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup (or hot fudge sauce)

Directions

1. Combine the ice cream, milk, and chocolate syrup in a blender.
2. Blend on high speed for 15-30 seconds until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into chilled glasses and top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings or sprinkles.

Variations

• With cocoa powder: Replace the syrup with 3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder and 4 Tablespoons of sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water to create a homemade chocolate syrup before blending.
• Thicker shake: Reduce the milk to 1/4 cup or substitute half the milk with heavy cream.
• Without ice cream: Blend frozen bananas, ice cubes,(plant-based) milk and cocoa powder for a dairy-free or frozen alternative.
• Without a blender: Soften the ice cream slightly and whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.

So, there you have it: A recipe with the proper ratios for making a chocolate milkshake! I do hope you’ll join Sweet Thing and I in celebrating National Chocolate Milkshake Day today — OR any day, for that matter! I’m sure a chocolate milkshake will turn any day into a tasty day! Bon Appétit!

09/13/26 Follow-up:

The chocolate milkshake I made for myself to celebrate National Chocolate Milkshake was DELICIOUS! However… The next time I use this recipe again, I’m going to use my handy-dandy immersion blender (that’s made specifically for this purpose) instead of my regular blender (as the recipe’s directions stated) — primarily because the chocolate syrup stayed in the bottom of the blender container instead of getting mixed into the milkshake. Such a waste of perfectly good chocolate syrup!!

Yesterday, I spent much of the day doing something that I’ve been meaning to do for YEARS but, for whatever reason, never did: compiling a collection of indexes (or is it “Indices” as the plural for “index”? If you know the answer to this question, please let me know. ) Anyway…

While writing a “Pages” entry yesterday, I wondered what I’d been doing on this day (the fourth day of a trip around the sun), so I went back to the first “Holler Happenings” notebook of my 2025/2026 trip around the sun. Once I’d satisfied my curiosity (and found out that I hadn’t done much since I wasn’t feeling well that day), I had a BIG pile of these notebooks on my lap (earning me the nickname of “paper bird”). So… I decided to (finally) do that “something” I’ve been meaning to do: photocopy each index from all of the notebooks that had one, which I’ll then compile into some three-pronged folders I’d purchased during this month’s back-to-school sale at my local WalMart.

Well… It turned out that I hadn’t created indexes/indices for FIVE of the fifteen “Holler Happenings” notebooks, so I photocopied those that I had and then spent most of the remainder of the day going through those five notebooks and deciding what info warranted inclusion in that notebook’s index. I actually enjoyed the time spent going through the notebooks because doing so brought back memories — both good and not-so-good — which is, actually, one of the main reasons I document my days in this manner! Like Mom in her later years, I have difficulties remembering things (Sweet Thing can certainly verify this!), so I always follow the advice that I’ve given my children: “If you want to remember something, write it down!” Don’t think either of them have taken me up on that advice, though, but I still do! It’s a rare day when I don’t have a notebook with me.

So, yeah… It’s about time I spent some time creating a collection of indexes/indices for the fifteen “Holler Happenings” notebooks for one of my trips around the sun!