Moles and More: My List of Fabulous Finds (Week 19)

Did you know that today is National Mole Day?

What is a "mole" and why celebrate it?

In addition to being a furry animal that lives underground, a "mole" is a basic unit of measurement in chemistry: Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 1023)  I know that I learned about Avogadro's Number when I was in high school; in fact I remember using it quite a bit.  I do not, however, remember ever celebrating it!


In the more recent past, "Mole Day" began as a way make chemistry more exciting, and it is celebrated every year between 6:02 am and 6:02 pm on October 23rd. My son's chemistry teacher has invited all her students to arrive at school at 6:02 tomorrow morning, with "mole" related foods.

My first "fabulous find" of this week has to do with Mole Day - and then there are some pretty fabulous other things as well.

~~*~~

This Week's Fabulous Finds:

~ ~ National Mole Day

Just to be clear - this National day of recognition is in honor of moles - not voles. We have far too many of those on our property right now - watch the top quarter of this short video
clip I filmed - and you will see what I mean! 

Note: I don't have a lot of experience with uploading YouTube videos. For some reason, after my video plays, another selection loads ... these are not my videos! My video is the one with the caption "Vole Invasion" in the top left corner, and a view of grass and a flagstone patio.  I'm not sure what you will see if you watch the other videos ;-0 

Guacamole and molasses.

When my son told me yesterday about his chemistry class observing "mole day," he was originally planning on supplying GuacaMOLE and chips.  Clever -right? But it didn't seem like that would be so appealing at 6:02 am in the morning. A quick peek at Pinterest gave the suggestion that anything with molasses would be fitting.

I mentioned last week about how I am realizing my days are coming to a close when I will be baking for large groups of teens. So, of course, I voluteered to make molasses muffins.  I tried a new recipe - not too sweet, but a nice texture and taste. (It can be a little tricky to combine eggs and butter - be sure your butter is very soft, and slowly add eggs while beating.) Here it is:

• Molasses Spice Muffins

~ ~ *~ ~

~ ~ It Pays to Ask

One simple phone call today, and I saved us $25 a month.  

I don't have a link for this great find - it is really just a reminder that you never know until you ask!

Verizon Wireless

This summer, I called our cell phone carrier to ask if there were any new promotions that could help lower our bill. There was not, but then the service person told me that because my son's two-year contract on his phone had expired, we could switch to month-to-month contract, and our bill could be reduced by $25 per month.

You have to ask 

The contract on my son's phone had been expired for about three months ... I asked why the discount had not already been applied. I was told it was not an automatic deduction, because most people just get a new phone and renew the contract, but that the month-to-month contract was available for anyone who asked for it. I then asked if she could make the deduction retroactive to the date the contract ended - and she said that "because I asked," she could!

My phone contract ended this week. At least this time I knew to call and ask for the reduction on our bill. It seems it pays to check in regularly with your phone service provider, and be sure you are getting the best deal!

~~*~~

~ ~ All My Questions Answered!
I recently completed a blog refresh with Kim Six Blogger Support. I cannot say enough good things about Kim. She answered ALL of my questions, and taught me a lot. I wanted to do a lot of the work myself, because I wanted to understand how it all worked - and Kim was an amazing teacher.

Have you poked around a bit since I made the changes?

• Do you like the dropdown menu at the top? (I still have some work to do to get it organized, but it will hopefully become a useful tool.)

• My newsletter has a new format (I am now using Mail Chimp, and Kim helped me set that up too.) If you haven't signed up to get my posts by email yet, I really hope you will!!! 

• I knew exactly what color scheme I wanted, but I was struggling to make it happen. Thanks to Kim, my background colors are the way I want them now. What do you think?

In addition to blog assistance, Kim also writes a really popular blog, The Kim Six Fix about DIY, home improvement, crafts, kids and cooking. Be sure to check it out!

~~*~~

~ ~ A Matter of Perspective

It has been widely questioned whether Justin Trudeau, the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada, is too young for the job. My reaction is somewhat different. I cannot believe that the son of Pierre Trudeau, the first political figure I was ever aware of, is already 43! 

• Justin Trudeau: Who is Canada's New Prime Minister?

In celebration of a fresh political future for Canada, even though I am in the United States, it might be a good excuse to bake my Canadian Maple Cake - here's the link, in case you didn't see the recipe when I previously published it!

~~*~~

What food would you make to celebrate "Mole Day"?

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!