Featured on Zazzle :)

http://www.zazzle.com/fuschia_rose_and_linen_swirls_pillows-189887993077583040?gl=z-238530046788923484

Some of my favorite baby stuff from ZAZZLE!

Since I'm going to be a new NANA to our baby boy #2 soon, I thought I would share some of my favorite baby shower invitations from ZAZZLE. Recently I started a shop on Zazzle and have found some wonderful art and products that I will continue to share in the future.

Monkey Jungle Baby Shower Invitations
See other jungle theme baby shower invitations

Woodland Baby Animails Baby Shower Invitation
Check out more woodland baby shower invitations

Nautical Sailboat Baby Boy Baby Shower Invitation
Find another nautical baby shower

Downward Facing Dog - yoga baby Tshirt
Browse more baby yoga clothes

Hope your weekend is going well!

 

Featured on Zazzle. Thank you!!

http://www.zazzle.com/monaco_blue_and_linen_damask_2_round_wallclock-256212588332168755?gl=z-238530046788923484

Microwave Brown Rice Recipe

I'm not a big rice eater but do enjoy the taste of plain brown rice over white rice and the higher glycemic index is better for diabetics and probably most others as well.

There are lots of microwave brown rice recipes online. I found one and to make really fluffy, dry brown rice, I found modifying the recipe I chose worked really well. My 10 year old microwave may be the issue so if you've tried making brown rice in your microwave and experienced issues, try the recipe below with the modifications I've added.

THE PERFECT BROWN RICE

1. Wash the rice to remove the starchiness. 


2. I use an old microwave rice cooker but any safe bowl with a tight fitting lid will do. Ratios of rice to water for brown rice are 1:4 rice to water. For example 1 cup rice | 4 cups water.


3. Cover and microwave until water boils (10 - 15 minutes depending on microwave).


4. CAREFULLY remove cover (steam does burn).


5. Microwave uncovered 20-30 minutes or until most of water is absorbed.


6. Leave rice, uncovered, in the microwave overnight (or at least 8 hours). The rest of the water will be absorbed by the rice.


7. Fluff with fork and serve or use in other recipes.

 Let me know how this works for you and if you make modifications, please share by commenting. Have a terrific holiday season!

More on Using CSS3 Multiple Background Images with Blogger

Back in March, I wrote about CSS3 multiple background images and using them with Blogger. There were some issues with the background rendering in some browsers when I wrote in March. Now, a mere 2 months later, it seems that with updated browser programming on most of the popular browsers, the issue is resolved. Older browser versions will show only a white background which is not a bad thing since the priority for me is that people read my blog and find something of interest.

First, one needs the individual images for the background. I use 3 -- an image for the left side, an image for the right side, and an image for the center of my blog. When I first wrote and tried using CSS3 multiple image coding, I created and used transparent pngs. The pixelation around the edges showed through and I wasn't pleased with the result.

Since then, I've been playing around with editing images to solve this problem and what I discovered is that using the center background color (or texture if that is what your Blogger background includes) as the background color on the actual images for my left and right hand borders works better than transparency. I do think the background and borders now look just how I envisioned.

This is the coding I ended up using successfully:

body {

   background:

url("left-image.png") top left no-repeat,

url("right-image.png") top right no-repeat,

url("center-background-image.png") center top no-repeat;

  background-attachment: fixed;

  margin:0;

  color:$textcolor;

  font: x-small Georgia Serif;

  font-size/* */:/**/small;

  font-size: /**/small;

  text-align: center;

  }

I've copied the entire section from my Blogger html coding because this is where the changes need to be made.

With regard to my image sizing, my left image ended up being 216 pixels wide, the right image is 181 pixels wide, and the center background is 1415 pixels. I don't think the width of the background image is important as long as it is wide enough to fill the open space you have. Your images may need to be wider or narrower depending on the format of your blog. I played with sizing a bit before I found what worked for my blog. There may be a mathematical way to figure this and if you are a math whiz who resolves this, I invite you to share the information in the comments below.

W3Schools has an understandable tutorial regarding using CSS3 in this way. I also found this excellent YouTube video which explains the coding in a way even a novice can understand:

I hope this helps you. Enjoy and I would love to hear how you use this along with a link to your blog or website so I can see what you've done.

Have a wonderful week and blessed day,