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Fun Facts about Popcorn!

January 19, 2017 By: Nanette

It’s National Popcorn Day! Woohoo! I can’t be the only one who just loves popcorn. Seriously, I can eat way too much popcorn. I did yesterday at the movies. Salty, buttery, crunchy ooooh! Yummy. I want some now just thinking about it. Bet you didn’t know this about your favorite crunchy, salty snack:

Popcorn Fun Facts:

Most U.S. popcorn is grown in the Midwest, primarily in Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri.
Native Americans brought a bag of popped corn to the first Thanksgiving. A common way to eat popcorn at that time was to hold an oiled ear on a stick over the fire, then chew the popped kernels off it. Natives throughout the Americas also made a popcorn beer.
When the popcorn has finished popping, sometimes unpopped kernels remain. Known in the popcorn industry as “old maids”, the kernels don’t pop because they do not have enough moisture to create enough steam for an explosion.
Some Native American tribes believed that a spirit lived inside each kernel of popcorn. The spirits wouldn’t usually bother humans, but if their home was heated, they would jump around, getting angrier and angrier until they would burst.
The earliest evidence of popcorn was found in Peru and dates to 4700 BCE.
Popcorn kernels can pop up to 3 feet in the air.
The world’s largest popcorn ball was created by volunteers in Sac City, Iowa in February 2009. It stood over 8 feet tall, measured 38.8 feet in circumference and weighed 5,000 pounds. WOW!
The first popcorn machine was invented by Charlie Cretors in 1893.
Popcorn contains more iron than eggs, spinach, peanuts or roast beef according to the National Popcorn Institute.
Popcorn was designated as the Official State Snack Food of Illinois in 2004.

How do you like your popcorn?

Me? I like my popcorn simple. Crunchy, lightly salted and buttery popcorn is my favorite but if you like to experiment and add different flavors to your popcorn you might like these homemade options I found across the web:

Salted Oreo Popcorn, Chili Lime Popcorn, Buffalo Cheddar Popcorn

Salted Caramel Popcorn

S’mores Popcorn

Maple Bacon Popcorn

Enjoy today and don’t forget to share a little popcorn with your loved one.

Courage is My Word for 2017 What’s Yours?

January 3, 2017 By: Nanette

Courage, is my word for 2017. It takes courage to move forward, to step out of your comfort zone, to do things you are afraid of. It takes courage to put yourself out there knowing you could be faced with negativity.

If you don’t have courage and you don’t do what makes you nervous or scared, you aren’t growing. I need to grow both for my own personal self and for my business.

And not just that, I need to do it for my kids. I need to show my kids by example that just because we are scared doesn’t mean we give up. We need to face those fears, stand up to them, beat them and succeed! Triumph over fear, that is courage.

Is it shyness or fear?

I always just attributed my lack of courage I guess you could say to shyness but maybe that’s not at all what it is. It’s fear, fear I let overtake me.

A friend just shared a really great article on facebook, 10 Ways You’re Making Your Life Harder Than it Has to Be by Tim Hoch (ThoughtCatalog.com). And as I’m reading through it I hit number six and it’s me to a T. It says “You don’t take risks.” And he encourages you if you have a choice take the risk.

That’s fantastic advice and it takes courage to do just that, take those risks that scare you, just do it!

Every time I’m offered something that scares me I shy away from it. Not this year! This year I am going to take those scary chances and be bold and courageous! Just wait and see.

I’m going to bookmark my own page and keep coming back to this post every time I’m scared to do something as a reminder to be courageous.

Courage is my word for 2017!

What’s yours and how will you make it a major part of your 2017?

Remembering Dad – Louis Simon Gomez

December 1, 2016 By: Nanette

November was a very difficult month. In all honesty it all seems unreal as though the entire month didn’t really happen at all. And I wish it hadn’t. You see, early November out of the blue we heard my father in law (he’s always been “Dad” to me) had been unable to hold himself up. He couldn’t hold his own weight. After a third incident, he was admitted to the hospital. Then we were told he needed hospice care.

It hit like a ton of bricks. What did they mean hospice care? My mind and heart just couldn’t wrap themselves around this thought. He’d been fine or maybe we just wanted to believe he was. He was never one to complain and always told me his appointments went well. Same as always. He’d been sick ever since I’ve known him but he always bounced back. Always.

Yes he was in the hospital and obviously tired but he was still joking, making me laugh, talking, wanting to get out of there and go home. But he never went home again. The next day he was transferred to hospice care. We could see him slipping away from us every day, further and further.

We stayed by his side in hospice care and were with him when he left us in less than a week. His guitar being played for him. We told him we loved him so much yet I don’t think I ever told him enough. I was so grateful to be able to hold his hand in mine and tell him I loved him. I’ll forever remember the last time he squeezed my hand to let me know he heard me say those words to him.

louis gomez

He left a legacy of love, inspiration, music, sons, daughter in laws, grandchildren and so many friends that loved him so. He is deeply missed.

This is his life in pictures and his beautiful voice. I’m so grateful we have his albums and CDs so we can always hear “papa Louie” sing. We love you Dad. Life will never be the same without you.