Retro Air Popped Popcorn and Pepsi

We're popcorn junkies. I'll admit it. My husband probably gets his love of popcorn from his grandfather. Grandpa was known for liking it so much, that at his funeral someone had given a bouquet of flowers with a popcorn bag stuck among the flowers (we thought it was a very original gesture and so "him"). I was given an air popper for a bridal shower gift, and we popped popcorn all the time with that thing when we were first married. It was cheap and fun, and we'd play board games in the evenings with a bowl of popcorn. Then we eventually got a microwave and have had microwave popcorn all these years. We'd get Jiffy Pop whenever we went camping and would shake those things over the fire until our arms felt like they were going to fall off. But the smell of wood smoke, pine trees, and popcorn in one delightful whiff was worth all the effort. Well, we lately for some reason we've had a hard time finding a microwave variety that tastes good. That coupled with the thought that perhaps it would be healthier to return to the air popped variety--with real melted butter and our own hand sprinkling of salt (perhaps I'll get some sea salt for lower sodium)--we invested in an air popper. They were hard to find! We had a 20% off coupon at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and were able to get this cute retro-looking popper for $16. Not bad. Mmmmm, we've been popping away since then and enjoying every moment. It's quite entertaining to watch (the kids love it--especially the popcorn that flies off into the kitchen somewhere) and actually faster than a microwave believe it or not. The bag of popcorn was cheap and will last awhile. We like the idea of knowing exactly what is on the popcorn and feel healthier as a result.

As a side note (and not having much to do with being healthier!)...we discovered this "Throwback" Pepsi with its retro label. I remember this logo from when I was a kid. My family was a group of Pepsi drinkers--some drinking much more Pepsi than they should have. My husband and I have cut way, way back on sodas, but they are certainly a nice treat from time to time. I was shocked when he got this at the grocery store the other day...."I remember that label!" I told him. Wow...this is going back a ways. It is nice that they are using just sugar and not high fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients, sodium benzoate, and such in it....worth it, we think, and, well, a fun splurge from time to time.