Monday, May 30, 2022
I am getting something I have wanted for years, however could not justify the expense. I am not going to explain further in this post, however will in the near future. Stay tuned.
Shown below, the powerful little Aspiron vacuum with attachments, that replaces a more expensive Kenmore canister vacuum. The Kenmore seems to have a short in the electrical system.
The Kenmore's attachment was motorized providing a two motor system whereas the Aspiron's attachment is not. I like the power and less bulky nature of the Aspiron and I think it is a keeper. The Aspiron is easier to move up and down the stairs for baseboards, upholstery, and the steps, however it is stored upstairs.
For some reason, I will buy a new vacuum. Two that I purchased, the Deik cordless stand-up shown on the left (great price because of a lightning deal, Dec. 2017) and the Fuller Mini Maid Handheld (Oct. 2016) vac for electronics on the right.
The stand-up Dyson vacuum shown below- was a holiday gift from a family member. It is used on the main level where there are both carpeted and hardwood flooring areas.
Do I vacuum? Not as much as I would like, but yes, sometimes.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Lately, I have been taking a course, zooming, making financial moves or adding technical know-how to my skill set. The other activity? Waiting for the gardens to start their seasonal display. I love this time of year.
Monday, May 02, 2022
I have been so busy setting up online resources for my real estate activities, I have had little time for anything else. Based on these recent activities, I added two items to my wishlist:
The Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens will enable the wide angle room or exterior property shots that are popular with real estate photographers and agents. I use an adaptor with my Canon EOS M50 camera which allows any Canon EF lens to be attached.
The Canon EOS M50 comes with software which greatly enhances the quality of my photos. Combined with Canon EF series lenses, I am able to capture great photos.
Over the last two weeks, the only other thing I have had time for is baking. Sunday, before last, I made an almond, strawberry filled buttermilk two layer cake with almond butter cream icing. This cake was so good, I told myself I would miss it when it was all gone. Every time I lifted the glass dome from the cake plate, I could smell the wonderful almond extract that I had been very generous with- when adding the ingredients.
I used the basic buttermilk cake recipe from this post, however made the following substitutions:
- Rather than ¾ C (or 6oz) of Buttermilk, I used 7oz for this version.
- Rather than pure vanilla extract I used just under a tablespoon of pure almond extract.
For the strawberries, I used fresh- which I sliced, de-stemmed and macerated in pure cane sugar for a day or so. The almond buttercream icing:
- ⅜ C Unsalted Butter or 1 whole stick plus 2 tablespoons, room temperature
- 2+ C of Powered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons of Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1½ Teaspoons of Pure Almond Extract
Whip the butter for about 5 minutes before adding the other ingredients- to taste. Note, I made the cake around 5:00 in the evening on Sunday (earlier, busy shooting photos for my real estate profiles) and after it cooled, let it sit in the pans in the microwave until the next morning. I then made the buttercream icing and put everything together.
Last week, I was out shopping for the basics, when I came across the wood cake stand shown in the photos below. Also shown below, the very similar cake stand I found on Amazon.
The cake stand I purchased, did not come with the glass dome and quite frankly was under $20 from Walmart. I wanted to show how the stand looked- covered.
