On the Coattails

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: We NEED to Flirt.

2011-01-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

First, let me confess -- it isn't just that I haven't been blogging about Flirt With Your Husband Fridays. I haven't been doing that much flirting lately. Or, to be more specific, we haven't been "dating" lately. Everything is still good with us. But we've gotten caught up in the other roles of our lives.
We've been busy being grandparents, friends, sons and daughters, ministers and more. We've been busy. Period. We've been stretched out thin. And that's the time that flirting with your husband is more important than ever. Its also the time that is the easiest to neglect flirting with your husband. Trust me, I know this.
So, I'm getting serious again. I NEED to flirt with my husband. Because being lovers is what we do best. And being totally head-over-heels in love with each other is what feeds all of the other stuff that we do and all of the other roles that we fill.
In our society, people in love date. Yep. That's what they do. It isn't always grand or flashy. But they date. They spend time together just being together without being in any of their other roles.
I'm reminded of that song from Fiddler on the Roof --- Tevia and Golde sing "Do you love me?". Golde keeps referring back to their other roles rather than answering Tevia's question --- "do you love me?" That might have been okay for them --- in that time and that society. But today, we do it differently. I don't ever want to be giving the kind of answers that Golde gives.

I LOVE my husband. I adore him -- yes, even when he drives me bananas -- I deep down really, really LOVE him. And I need to spend time with him, just being his lover. So, I'm going to flirt wildly with my husband.

Not a Diet --- But.....

2011-01-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

I’m really not looking for another diet. But anytime that life offers a helping hand in eating appropriately, I’m all for it. So I really admired these plates from Slimware (www.slimware.com) They are way out of the price range that I’d ever consider paying ---- $36 for just 4 dinner plates --- but the concept intrigues me and I’m thinking.

The swirly design is set up so that you put your meat/protein on the smallest of the comma-looking thingees, your starch on the medium sized swirly, and veggies on the largest swirl. Voila, an instant beautiful plate with a properly proportioned meal.

Benefits?? Well, for starters, it puts your meal into balance --- mostly vegetables, a little protein, some carbs. It also seems to automatically undo some of the super-sizing of portions that has occurred in the American mindset. As much as we try to avoid it, the restaurant mentality of full, huge plates plagues our household at times. We suddenly find that we’re overloading our plates, super-sizing our portions and wondering why we’re gaining weight. This pretty plate seems to do a better job of managing portions than the usual eyeballing tricks or the tedious measuring and weighing all of the time.

The down side?? Well, the $36.00 is a big down side in my world. And the black and white color scheme is not great either. I have white dinnerware that I love, but black and white just doesn’t make it in my kitchen world. And the fact that they only come in sets of four isn’t rocking my world either.

Creativity time. Could I create a plate like this on a paper plate or even a charger and then set a clear, glass plate on top? That would let me control for color and style without struggling over food-safe inks and dyes. Could I stain the back side of the glass plate ? Would it withstand the dishwasher? (I’m not volunteering to hand wash the silly plate) Could I disguise the pattern as paisley or as something other than the modern looking comma thingees??

I think I’m going to give it a try --- maybe I’ll use the old deck of cards, baseball, and other tried and true visuals to work out some kind of a pattern --- something geometric, maybe.

I’ll let you know if it works out.

Project 333: New Year's Resolution??

2011-01-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

Have you caught wind of Project 333 yet??? I read about it in the newspaper a while back. I noted it, but it didn’t really pique my interest all that much. I’m re-thinking it now --- as I’m making New Year’s Resolutions.

Project 333 is the brainchild of Courtney Carver at www.bemorewithless.com

While that sounds like my kind of a blog ---- this gal might have pushed me a little too far with Project 333.

You commit to choosing 33 items as your entire wardrobe for 3 months. I was okay with the concept ----- until I grasped that shoes, accessories, jewelry --- everything all count in the 33 items. (I presume that a pair of shoes only counts as ONE??) Suddenly, that number was a little draconian and very scary.

Courtney and her followers swear that its very doable --- that they haven’t even worn all 33 of their chosen items. Wow.

I’m trying to think it all through. If everything counts – then I need to factor in the underwear issue. Which means I need to factor in the laundry issue – because if I’m cutting way back on underwear (cuz I am NOT even considering cutting my viewable wardrobe back enough to maintain my current underwear and laundry practices) – I’m going to be doing laundry A LOT more often. Even if I take a free pass on the underwear, I’m not sure 33 items of clothing, shoes and accessories is going to make it in my life.

So --- after you’ve gone and checked out Project 333 --- let me know ---- Is it something you’d consider for a New Year’s Resolution???

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T13:44:00.000-08:00

What are you doing New Year's Eve? I love that old song

Since I firmly believe in flirting with my husband (great New Year's resolution eh??) we're going out dancing tonight. He'll put on a tux. I'll put on a slinky evening gown, some fancy jewelry and some drop-dead, stop-you-in-your-tracks perfume.
Our dance group rents out a country club. We have dinner (most of mine will end up as left-overs for lunches this week -- there's always way too much food). We'll have a glass of champagne at midnight. And we'll dance until our feet fall off (or until 12:30 when the country club staff will close us down).
Fun. Elegant. Very flirty. See you next year.

Flirt with Your Husband Friday: Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite date of the entire year. (I say that a lot). Try this --- it is the most fun you will ever have with $10. This is a lunchtime date --- the mall should close by about 6:00 on Christmas Eve --- plus – we end this one by going to the Christmas Eve Service at our church --- perfect ending.

Take $10 and get it all in $1 bills. Go to the mall. Pick the mall that is on the not-so-great side of town.

Now the mall will be all lit up with Christmas lights, the holiday music will be blaring, and the fake Santa in the main court will be ho-ho-ho-ing away. And the folks in the mall will be frantic. These are people who are under stress. They are either trying desperately to get it all done before the stores close or they are trying to eke out every last penny they can manage before Christmas. The store staff are not having such a great time either. They would much rather be making the holiday for their own families rather than dealing with the cranky and crazed last-minute shoppers.

Watch for all of these folks. Watch especially for little kindnesses that you can do for about $1.00.

We’ve bought a cup of coffee for a harried worker, paid the tax for a child shopping for something for mom, and made up the little bit of difference for a desperate mom who was struggling to decide what she would put back on the shelf. We’ve left an extra tip for a waitress who was fantastic to a pair of wild toddlers and their weary parents. We’ve even bought a bottle of cold water for a hoarse and exhausted Santa who was still smiling for the camera.

You’ll be amazed at how much Christmas cheer can be managed for just one dollar. And I guarantee you’ll be equally amazed at how the spirit of the Season settles in your heart as you slowly spend the whole $10 (its harder than you think --- and it takes longer than you think). And when you go to church later on and start to sing “Joy to the World, the Lord has come”, don’t say I didn’t warn you if you find tears springing to your eyes and a renewed sense of joy and hope leaping in your heart.

Christmas: Staying Sane

2010-12-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

It's Here: Christmas Week has Come!

2010-12-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

Its here, its really here. (I can’t decide if the intonation on that should be child-like excitement or moaning dread) Ready or not, Christmas week is here. The final preparations are ready to be made.

Here’s what I have left to do:

Write out the menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so that everyone knows what’s going on and no one eats something I NEED.

Clean the house --- one final serious cleaning so that everything shines.

Set up the extra table as a server in the dining room.

Bake the pies

Set out the canned goods and dry goods for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner.

Set the table and label all the serving dishes

Defrost the frozen treats

Actually cook

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: Decorating the Christmas Tree

2010-12-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

We flirted around decorating the tree this year. We have collected ornaments from all of our travels. Our tree includes, a German cuckoo clock ornament, carved wooden nativity scenes from Spain, a pair of traditional dolls from the Czech Republic, a kilted Scottish Santa, and cloisonné ornaments from Hong Kong. Of course, there is the ornament from the Peninsula Hotel where we went for afternoon tea and made a donation to charity and received a gold Peninsula Hotel ornament to sign and hang on THEIR tree. (we carefully wrapped it in a napkin and took it home for OUR tree). We have the gaudy pink flamingo from our friends Jon and Em’s wedding in Sanibel. And our latest addition to the collection, the set of bookmarks we bought on the street in Seoul last Christmas when we visited there.

We made hot chai, pulled out a few cookies, and some crackers and cheese and took a long leisurely stroll down memory lane. We laughed and talked and remembered all of the very, very good times that these ornaments represent. We chuckled over the handmade ornaments given to us by beloved young hands. We compared the photos of our dogs, same breed, such different dogs, that grace two dog ornaments on our tree. We marveled at the melding of two family traditions, ornaments from each of our families that now live gracefully, side by side on our tree.

In short, we connected. And isn’t that what flirting with your husband is all about?

Wrapping Party

2010-12-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

I told you last week that I host a wrapping party. This is one of the most fun events of the season for me. Here’s how it works:

Invite a couple of girlfriends to join you for this. Not too many people. I’ve found that 3-5 is a perfect number. More than that , and it gets a little crazy.

Everyone brings:

All of the holiday gifts they need to wrap

Rolls of wrapping paper --- how many is determined by the size of the family they represent --- be fair.

A couple of rolls of tape (you’d be amazed how fast you go through tape)

Ribbons, bows and other embellishments (make sure at least one friend is someone sort of crafty – they’ll be able to make magic with some ribbon, a doily, and a cheesy dollar store ornament --- believe me, I know)

That’s it ---- then you all spend the evening helping each other wrap gorgeous presents, chatting and enjoying the company, and oohing and aahing over the gifts you’re giving to your loved ones. It makes the chore of wrapping all of those gifts into a fun girls-night-out.

Since each gal is only bringing a few rolls of wrapping paper, you can afford to spring for beautiful, gorgeous, lavish paper. We usually find that some drop-dead ribbons and embellishments arrive as well. The craftier among us usually trade embellishing for basic wrapping duties --- in other words --- “I’ll wrap your gifts if you’ll decorate mine”. Everyone ends up with fantastic looking Christmas gifts (even your husband will believe in elves again) and has fun in the process.

As the hostess, I provide some basic refreshments --- a tray of cookies from the Cookie Exchange, some cocoa, some wine (every girl’s night out deserves some wine) and a small tray of cheese, crackers and fruit.

I put on the Christmas music and rock the house. Three hours later, the house is a disaster of ribbon scraps, sticky paper pieces, and abandoned projects. But the pile of wrapped gifts is a sight to behold. We’re all happy, in the holiday spirit, and able to move on and focus on making the rest of the holiday a joy. What could be better than that???

Christmas: Wrapping Party

2010-12-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

I got a couple of questions about what I do with the mountain of cookies that I take home from the cookie exchange.

Three things:

1. I host a wrapping party for a couple of girlfriends. I’ll give you all of the details on that one next week. But for now --- the refreshments are taken care of --- we’re having cookies, of course.
2. I bag up little bags of assorted cookies and tie them off with some ribbon, a jingle bell, an a package of Land O Lakes hot cocoa mix (only because it comes in pretty colored foil packages that look beautiful) Now I have a little gift to hand to someone who does me a kindness during the holiday season. The mailman usually ends up with one, the UPS delivery guy, sometimes my neighbor who has rescued my blowing packages and receipts more than once – anyone at all. They’re right there, beautiful and ready to go.
3. We host an Open House after Christmas. This is an easy gathering to host, and everyone enjoys the relaxed atmosphere after the rush of the holidays is over. The bulk of the cookies from the cookie exchange go into the freezer for a couple of weeks until we’re ready for the Open House. Then a platter full of cookies and great steaming mugs of hot cocoa make for a casual, fun and yummy dessert “buffet”.

Flirt with Your Husband Friday: Build Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Build a Gingerbread house together --- yeah, just the two of you --- without the kids. Or build a whole village out of graham crackers.

Are You Ready??

2010-12-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Are you getting ready??? I mean that both ways --- You can’t appreciate the wonder of Christmas if you don’t get ready in the physical reality. At this time of the year, I always think about the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible. Mary sat at Jesus feet and just drank it in. Martha bustled around the house, preparing the meal, seeing to the needs of the guests, serving --- all the Martha stuff. Finally, Martha had a meltdown. She demanded that Jesus tell Mary to get herself in the kitchen and help. Jesus didn’t. He told Martha that Mary had made the better choice.

What did he mean by that??? Did he mean to forget about hospitality and tradition and eating and being together?? I hardly think so. But most of what was making Martha crazy could have been done ahead of time --- and then Martha could have relaxed and enjoyed Jesus and the rest of the company too. Mary decided that good-enough was good enough. She sat down, had a glass of wine with the Master and enjoyed the party. Martha ran around like a chicken with her head cut off and then got all caught up in resentment.

I really believe in the gift of Martha --- the talent and skill for hosting and making people feel welcome and wonderful --- without the grudging resentment that messed it all up. I’m working on cutting back on some of my ideas about perfection and tradition for Christmas, but I’m not there yet. So I’m working on getting ready. I’m working on planning ahead and doing things ahead so I can sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the party.

Here’s what I’m tackling this week to be ready:

Baking and freezing some really yummy treats --- they’ll pull out of the freezer in a flash when I need them.

Washing all of the Christmas dishes – just a run through the dishwasher when I don’t need them --- it will take the pressure off later.

Plan the menu --- this is it. I’m out of time to shop around for bargains for our celebration. I need to take stock and start a serious plan.

Make a playlist on the Ipod – I want Christmas music playing for our celebration, but I’m going to scream if Alvin and the Chipmunks starts playing ---- so I’ll make my own playlist and control that right up front.

Christmas: Cookie Exchange

2010-12-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

Yeah, we’re having a cookie swap where I work. And Yeah, I’m definitely participating (you’re surprised??? Have we met??) This is a simple cookie swap. Everyone bakes 6 dozen cookies of their choice. You sign up and put what kind of cookie you’re making. If you want to do something “normal” like Toll House or Peanut Butter, you’d better be one of the first souls to sign up.

On the designated day, everyone comes together with trays and platters of cookies. A quick walk around the table (it feels a little like musical chairs, except the Christmas music never stops) and everyone has a new platter with a wonderful assortment of holiday cookies to take home with them.

My friend Louise is the organizer of this event (God bless Louise) but if you’re thinking about having a cookie swap, you can find some great printable organizers here.

Don’t forget to grab some of the cookie tray cellophane covers at the Dollar Store – this is the only time of the year that they’re easy to find. Stock up now – it will make getting that platter of cookies to and from the cookie exchange much easier.

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: Christmas Lights

2010-12-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

You won’t believe what I’m going to suggest now. This is one of my favorite cheap dates in December. Pack up a thermos of hot chocolate and some of the leftover holiday cookies and go drive around looking at the wild and crazy displays of holiday decorations that some people display.

In our area, one of the parks does a huge a drive-through display of lights and scenes. You pay $5.00 a carload (don’t load the car, just the two of you, please) and drive through the park while the lights blink and flash and cheesy Christmas music plays over tinny loudspeakers.

But we also like to just take a ride and look at the lights. We enjoy the simple, tasteful displays as much as the showy, blinky ones. One house that we adore always does simple candles in the windows, wide red swaths at the door and a plain evergreen wreath on the front door. It is some simple that it’s breathtaking.

There are also a couple of houses with blinding displays of moveable figures, flashing colored lights and whtever else they can manage to put on the expanse of lawn. Sometimes we think we should make a contribution to the electric bill (can you imagine??)

This year, the internet is making this date a whole lot easier. Just go to www.tackylighttour.com to find pictures, and a search function. You can find homes with crazy light displays in your town and make your own tour. Take the camera and you can upload photos of what you find to the site as well. Just be aware --- this site has an eyeblinding 10,000 bulb minimum to be included. And if you find your home on the site --- well --- would you like a donation to the electric bill??

Starting the Pilgrimage of Advent

2010-11-29T07:55:00.000-08:00

Today started Advent. Recently, I had the privilege of listening to my friend Janet give the sermon for the morning. She said some deep things about getting ready for Advent --- she said I could share:

A few weeks ago the certain signs began to appear that the Holiday season is fast approaching. Advertisements for old games with a new twist like monopoly on DVD began appearing. But last week the signs were really clear and now there is no denying that the folks in commercial land want us to immediately jump into the holiday spirit of Christmas shopping with no reservations. But, wait a minute, I’m not there yet, I’m not even sure if I’m ready for Thanksgiving. Frankly, I’m not sure where I am at all. In just 2 weeks we celebrate the first Sunday in Advent. When I was a child Christmas couldn’t come soon enough. My heart and mind were ready and open to jump right in but as an adult I have accumulated burdens, I have reservations. I need more preparation. I need solitude and quiet, time to contemplate and prepare myself as if for a pilgrimage towards Christmas morning.

I love the idea of going on a pilgrimage like people did in the middle ages. It is a journey to prepare oneself to receive a gift of the sacred. Just think of what it must have been like living on a farm and dreaming about journeying to a Cathedral like Chartre in France. Imagine the excitement and anticipation as well as the fear of the unknown. On a pilgrimage every step is sacred and a step towards drawing closer to God. Some even make pilgrimages on their hands and knees. There is an expectation on a pilgrimage that you will encounter danger but also epiphanies and renewed hope. The gain far outweighs the danger. A pilgrimage is as much about the journey as it is the destination.

A pilgrimage is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding our vision of what is possible, stretching our soul, learning to see deeply, listening with our intuition, and taking courageous steps.

Told you ---- so --- are you ready for a pilgrimage this Advent?? I can’t wait to see what we’ll discover, how I’ll change and grow.

Give Thanks

2010-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Give thanks. What a simple directive. What a difficult accomplishment.

How fitting that we set aside one day to work on nothing except giving thanks (well, aside from the working of the cooking and the frantic battle-planning for the Black Friday assault)

I thought that this year, I would just bullet a handful of things I’m incredibly thankful for:

A husband who loves me and puts up with me and sometimes even embraces my quirkiness (I’m sticking by calling it “quirkiness, thank you very much)

A beloved friend who would strangle me if I named him here, who has demonstrated more character and courage in recent months than any seven people I know and who has been accused repeatedly of lacking both.

The presence of young children in our lives who see clearly through all of the nonsense that tangles up the adults and deal with people directly and authentically

A job that not only pays the bills, it makes me glad to go to work

A safe, happy, warm home that welcomes me and provides respite for my soul

Friends and colleagues who are not afraid to tell me when I’m going off the deep end and are not afraid to join me there occasionally

Edy’s Apple Pie Ice Cream (preferably with a drizzle of caramel sauce, but plain is fine)

A dog who has learned to trust (finally) and who has taught us more about trust than we ever dreamed possible

Fine, faithful friends who try their very best to “get it right” in the face of impossible obstacles and who love and appreciate us for simply standing with them

Yep --- give thanks ---- its good for the soul.

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: Go Dancing

2010-11-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

Go Dancing! Its old-fashioned, romantic and usually quite a cheap date.

We started taking ballroom dancing lessons a number of years ago. Its become something we love to do. As my beloved often puts it: “a few hours with the woman I love in my arms…. What could be wrong with that??”

Even if you don’t have a few years of lessons under your belt, go dancing. Find a romantic venue – not just some bar or club, please. Dress up a little bit. One of the beautiful things about most of the dances we attend is that the women dress to the nines, while the men are generally dressed in more of a classy casual style. We ladies get to indulge out love of ruffles, glittery things, and swirly dresses. The guys get to be comfortable – lots of monochromatic shirt/pants looks --- and no one wears a tie! Eveyone is happy.

One of the new places to dance that we’re enjoying is the Morgan Mansion, Ventfort Hall. This is an amazing restored Gilded Age Mansion. Right now, they’re trying out hosting dancing on Saturday nights, once a month.

If you click through and look through the photos, you’ll get an idea of why this zings my romance strings. It’s a beautiful venue and a lovely evening of dancing and just enjoying each other. Its an extravagant date without the extravagant price tag. Dancing at Ventfort Hall – use photos from their website

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: Send a Telegram

2010-11-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

Send a telegram including the old-fashioned STOP instead of periods to anyone for $5.65. At this nostalgic site, you type in your message, preview your telegram, and click SEND. Within 4-8 business days, your receipient will receive his surprise. Alas, it is delivered by regular mail truck, not pony express or a running messenger. Go here to try it out: www.telegramstop.com

First Snow!

2010-11-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

It snowed this week for the first time this year. It wasn’t that light fluffy snow that clings to the branches and makes everything look magical. This was that grainy, icy snow that freezes everything and erases all hope of salvaging anything in the garden. But it was pretty nonetheless.

The Wedding

2010-11-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

We had a wedding this weekend. It was truly lovely. I’ll let it speak for itself.

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: At a Wedding...

2010-11-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

We’ll be at a wedding this weekend --- my husband’s son’s wedding to be precise. And I’m planning to flirt with my husband at this wedding. I’m planning to show him just how very glad I am that we had our own wedding --- and that I married HIM.

I plan to hold his hand for most of the ceremony.

I plan to squeeze his hand and shoot him little lovey glances during the vows. The words won’t be quite the same as ours, but the thoughts and ideas will be the same.

I also plan to dance with my husband quite a bit at the reception. And if things work out, I’m planning to snuggle against him while we watch the new married couple dance.

And after the wedding is over --- I might be planning to re-enact our wedding night --- but I’m not telling.

Face it – weddings are a great chance to flirt with your husband.

2010-10-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have a lovely friend who is all crazy about the Twilight series. I’ll admit I read the entire series (including the two mongraphs that came out later) I haven’t seen the movies, and have no desire to see them. The books, I found disturbing ---- but each of us has different tastes ---- and Sue loves these books. She loves everything about the story and finds it intensely romantic.

So, for Halloween, I agreed that I’d help plan a Twilight party. It turned out to be a great deal trickier than I thought --- When one thinks of vampires and werewolves, one gets a rather dark image – lots of black and burgundy colors. But in the Twilight books, the descriptions of the vampires is all very light – lots of white, they shimmer in the sunlight. The Cullen’s house has lots of windows, white walls, beautiful and elegant furnishings. How, on earth, to mix the two images and come up with a party that would leave Sue satisfied.

First, a quick browse around the internet yielded this gorgeous tablescape

--- a vision of the wedding scene come to life. I LOVE it. It is gorgeous, elegant, simple, tasteful ---- absolutely beautiful. Could I borrow some of this and mix in a few “darker” elements in the food and drink and come up with a smashing vampire party for Halloween?

What about a menu of rare roast beef --- bloody roast beef, if you pardon the image for a moment. Serve it with a gorgeous beet salad (I’m loving the red without being too gory).

Appetizers??? Maybe crudite with baked brie?? All that melty, oozy goodness can’t go wrong --- its light and white --- we could play on the “vegetarian” joke in the book. If we bake the brie with a cranberry chutney, it would carry out the red theme and the contrast between the burgundy color of the chutney and the creamy pale cheese would be absolutely beautiful.

Dessert?? Apples --- how could it be anything else?? But something subtle here, I think --- Sliced sautéed apples with a light caramel sauce and a little dab of vanilla ice cream or even crème fraiche. Serve them in martini glasses to give it a little kick.

Tie the whole thing together with two kinds of sangria --- white and red, of course. And set the table, using the inspiration photo, with lots of white dishes, white linens, hydrangeas, green apples with the occasional deep red apple thrown in for contrast.

What do you think, Sue??? Beautiful?? Twilighty??? Fun.

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: Hike in the Woods

2010-10-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

We’re heading out to the woods today. I’ve packed the insulated backpack with ham and cheese sandwiches on onion rolls (makes the plain old ham and cheese just a tiny bit more special). I’ve tucked in bottles of lemon seltzer, a few cookies, a small bunch of grapes, and some cucumber chips. That should be enough to keep us happy.

We get so much use out of that insulated back pack. I wish I could recall who gifted us with it. When we first received it, I’ll confess, I thought it was silly and fairly useless. And, I suppose for its intended use, it is. It doesn’t hold enough for a real picnic and the wine holder sleeve that attaches to the side makes it bulky and awkward. But for taking a little picnic hiking or biking, it can’t be beat. I freeze a water bottle or two and place them in the bottom of the bag to act as ice packs (and drinks at the end of the trail) and then add a light lunch for two. The backpack slings nicely onto my husband’s strong shoulders and we’re off. Our backpack has been on countless bike rides and hikes through the woods. I can’t imagine what we ever did before it.

So today, its going hiking. We’re off to the woods. We’ll hike (and try not to get lost). We’ll take a few photos of the changing leaves. We’ll find a quite spot with a fallen tree or two for our picnic lunch. And the world will stop just for us for a few hours. Bliss.

Pasta with Sweet Potato

2010-10-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

Pasta with Sweet Potato

We’ve long enjoyed the classic Rigatoni with Broccoli, Olive Oil and Garlic --- this is just a little fall twist on that classic taste. We’re subbing in Sweet Potato for the Broccoli and adding a little bit of oregano to jazz it up. Since the herb garden is coming to its very end, this will use up the last of my oregano, I think. Try it:

· 4-5 small/medium sweet potatoes

· 1 box of chunky pasta (we like Rigatoni – but whatever you like)

· Olive oil

· Fresh garlic – sliced or chopped – your preference.

· Stalks of fresh oregano

· Parmesan cheese – grated (not the green box!!)

Bake the sweet potatoes for about an hour in a 375 oven. You want them still firm, but cooked.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box

When you drain it – keep about ¼ cup of the cooking water to mix with the dish later.

Heat some olive oil in your skillet --- add the garlic slices and cook until they just begin to turn golden colored.

Add the oregano and heat for just a minute or so – to infuse the flavor

Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/8 sections and quickly peel each section.

Pour the drained pasta and the peeled sweet potato chunks into a large mixing bowl.

Add the oil/garlic/oregano mixture and the pasta water (if you need it – I sometimes don’t)

Toss and serve with lots of parmesan

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: Breakfast Date

2010-09-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year when I love having a breakfast date. There’s something about fall that makes breakfast at our favorite coffee shop a real treat.

For us, for this particular treat, it has to be a morning with the luxury of time, and the absence of real hunger ----- because there is no real, serious breakfast involved. Oh, there are mornings when we go out for breakfast at some lovely restaurant and have omelets or French toast. But this fall breakfast date is not that.

We’ll go to Chocolate Springs and nestle into the sofa at the far end of the room. They’ll have the pecan buns from Wheatleigh. They are amazing. Its probably a good thing that I can’t get my hands on the recipe – but if Gourmet magazine ever wants to print that recipe, I’ll be happy to clip it out and laminate it.

We’ll bring the paper and browse through together, noticing articles and announcements that would otherwise skitter past unnoticed. We’ll chat and read little bits of interesting articles to each other. We’ll giggle at comics, silly photos, grammatical errors and more.

Several cups of hot steamy chai and coffee later, we’ll sigh, and begin to gather our things to leave. We’ll return to the mundane --- go grocery shopping, take the car to the car wash, and return the bottles to get our deposits back. But for that hour or so in the coffee shop, with sticky buns and steaming drinks --- we’re lost in our own little romantic world.

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: Last Patio Dinner

2010-09-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Our date this week will be one last dinner out on the patio. Soon, the weather will be too cold to enjoy eating out there. And the time will soon arrive to put the outdoor furniture under wraps to protect it from the winter’s cold and snow. But for now, one last crazy dinner out under the stars suits me fine.

Since the weather is already beginning to chill in the evenings, we’ll plan some warm comfort food. I’m thinking about maybe a hearty quiche. They’re one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers --- a nice eggy custard in pie crust filled with whatever bits of vegetables I have from the fridge. I’ll add a bowl of soup beside it. Its time to break out the crock pot and start my fall/winter ritual of weekly pots of soup.

We’ll light the tiki torches, not for the bugs – they’re gone for the season – but for the flickering flames --- romance ---- and warmth. Our friends recently inherited one of those fire pits that acts like a free-standing outdoor fireplace. I’m not willing to pay actual money for one --- but I love the idea. If anyone would like to bequeath a fire pit to me, I’ll happily accept. I might even start keeping my eye open for one at tag sales and such. I wonder if I could extend the use of the patio by a few weeks with a fire pit???

We’ll sit and huddle together over hot tea and coffee and just enjoy being together. We’ll talk about our day, wonder about the craziness of the world around us, and re-connect in that profound and simple way that knits couples together.

I’ll sit on my patio and flirt with my husband. Does life get any better??

Assistant Wanted: Virtual Need Apply

2010-09-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

With school having started, my to-do list is getting longer and longer. Things are in serious danger of not making it onto a “list” and just hoping I’ll remember them. Clearly, this is not going to work for me. And it is going to be one very long school year if I don’t find a better way.

Since I have an IPhone (who’s potential I clearly don’t maximize”) I thought I’d try getting a little more work out of it. I’ve been looking at personal organizers and virtual assistants.

I tried Cozi. It gives you a calendar, to-do lists and more. It will email your calendar to you each week (even after you decide you don’t want it anymore). And its free. But it doesn’t sync with the IPhone – only with Blackberries and other such smartphones. So it didn’t help me “on the run”.

I’m looking now at Jott. For $3.95 a month Jott will let me phone in messages and reminders to myself and send them back to me as emails. It will add things to my calendar and set reminder alarms on the calendar for me. Jott does a bunch of other things too – like converting voicemails to text messages – that I’m not sure I need or want.

Also on my list of possible hires is Toodledo. Toodledo is basically a to-do list dream for the Iphone. It lets me keep a list of to-dos, prioritize them, keep track of due dates etc. It will sync with ICal (good) and with most other applications known to man. And its free.

Next candidate: RemembertheMilk. This one also is a steroidal to-do list. It lets you make lists, set due dates, prioritize tasks etc. It syncs with googlemaps so you can use the GPS function on the IPhone with it (not sure how useful I’ll find that one, but you never know). Its free too (like that price) The only thing I don’t think I like about it is that it looks like you have to email tasks to yourself rather than just add them directly.

I’m still interviewing --- the freebies may get a probationary period. I’ll let you know who I hire.

Flirt With Your Husband Friday: Lunchboxes

2010-09-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

Do you pack your husband’s lunch?? Or maybe he packs yours??? (I’ll confess, I’m a spoiled princess who has her lunch packed for her every Monday morning --- talk about love.) But I leave designated leftovers in the fridge for his lunch all the time ---

However the lunch deal works itself out in your family, it can be a time to flirt shamelessly.

The next time you’re at the dollar store or the clearance rack of office supplies, grab some of the adorable shaped post-it notes. Not just the heart shaped ones, they’re obvious – try the Hawaiian shirt ones, or the bright yellow star shaped ones. The unusual post it notes make for great little love notes in a lunch box or even left in the fridge on the leftovers container.

Whether you choose simple sweet notes: “I love you”, or even just drawing hearts all over that Hawaiian shirt note --- or choose something a little more seductive --- “this shirt wouldn’t stay on you long if I were there” (okay, really cheesy, I know) – a little love note will give him a smile. And isn’t that what flirting is all about??? It makes you smile --- and smile ---- and smile……..

Deep Dish Quiche

2010-09-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

I’m almost ready to work the oven again. The heat of summer is dissipating and we’re ready for hearty foods once again. We’re still hosting guests fairly regularly, so I’m looking at quiches and frittatas for breakfasts. This one caught my eye. Its hearty, yummy and not your usual quiche

Deep Dish Quiche

Olive oil for the pan

1 onion sliced thinly

garlic (to taste)

1 package of baby spinach

dash of salt

pepper

refrigerated pie crust (I do NOT make my own pie crust anymore – Pillsbury’s is good)

1 jar of roasted red peppers

1 lb of mushrooms sliced and cooked

6 oz cheese

4 eggs

1 cup of milk

½ tsp dried rosemary crushed

Preheat the oven to 350 (always)

Using your large skillet (mine is cast iron) – heat a little olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until softened

Add the spinach, and salt and pepper. Cook until wilted. Drain off any excess liquid

Using a springform pan (trust me on this one) line the pan with the piecrust. Make sure to come up the sides – that’s the point of “deep dish”

Spread half of the vegetables (all of them) over the bottom of the crust. Top with half of the cheese

Repeat the layers so you have 4 layers in all

Beat the eggs and milk together. Add the rosemary

Pour over the vegetables and cheese

Bake for 50-60 minutes (until a knife comes out clean)

Labor Day

2010-09-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

--- Aaaah, Labor Day. Its such a bittersweet weekend. On the one hand, it’s a long, three-day weekend with time to relax and enjoy. On the other hand, it is the harbinger of fall, the exclamation mark on summer. School is back in session. The weather is beginning to hint at changes. The beach is surely done for the season.

But it also the promise of fall. The whisper of changing leaves, crisp mornings, apple picking and pumpkins. There is so much to look forward to.

One of the wonders of living in the Northeast is the drama of the changing seasons. Fall is incredibly different than summer or winter. It holds wonder and joy that is all its own. Labor Day can be a day to mourn the loss of summer ---- or it can be a welcoming and anticipation of the arrival of autumn. The glass can be half full if we allow it to be.

Flirt with Your Husband Friday: Back to School Date

2010-09-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, my mother always looked forward to the first day of school. No, she didn’t attend school --- it was her first day without children after the long summer. One year (after an especially trying summer), she even kissed the front of the schoolbus. I never knew quite what my parents did with the day (dad always seemed to manage to have that day off), but it was their day --- without the kids.

Now, things are a little bit different. For one, I TEACH at a school, which makes the first day of school one of the craziest days of the year. For another, I’m now the grown-up – cherishing the ritual of the first day of school. (I also have a much easier time imagining what my mom and dad might have done with their first day of freedom.)

So --- have a back to school date. Go out to dinner on the first night of school if you’re a teacher (you won’t be up for cooking anyway – so plan ahead for it). Or go out to lunch after the kiddos are all safely at school --- just the two of you. It won’t matter if its McDonalds or some chic French bistro – its time alone together and a ritual that will repeat itself for years to come. That’s what making family memories is all about --- repetition and rituals. Maybe some day your children will be writing about how mom and dad always had a date on the first day of school.

Summer's Swan Song

2010-09-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming to a sure close. I’m sad to see it end. This weekend we’ll be having a family picnic at the Jazz Festival. This is one concert that everyone in the family seems to be able to enjoy --- and we have widely diverse tastes in music!

Since this is likely the last picnic of the season, I really want to make it a little extra special. We’ll set up the table, with a tablecloth and cloth napkins. It always amazes me how much that simple detail makes a picnic feel more special. Even if I’m serving take-out or pizza (which, I confess, I’ve done once or twice) it makes the entire meal feel a little bit more elegant. It only takes a few minutes to drop the used linens in the washing machine and later, the dryer. Well worth the effort.

Food will be a bit more challenging. We’ll have the young children (who only eat white foods --- chicken, french-fries, rice, cheese, pasta etc), the vegetarians, the die-hard meat men, and one fairly fussy eater. Mix all of that in with a little bit of food snobbery – and you begin to sense the menu dilemna.

Whenever this kind of menu stress kicks in, I turn to my skewers. Anything skewered seems a little bit fancier. I can skewer the chicken nuggets for the kiddos, skewer a wide host of veggies for the vegetarians (and for me) and even skewer some fresh fruit for dessert later. Mix in a salad, maybe a noodle salad as well, and we’ll have a lovely menu.

Add some wine, some sparkling juice for the young ones and it will be the makings of an elegant picnic. Care to join us???

Organizing the Car

2010-08-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

I’m heading back to school/work so commuting is back on the table as an issue in my life. I hate the car when its cluttery, messy, and yucky. And I hate paying for car washes that never seem to last the day.

So, I’m getting serious about this --- I’m attempting to organize the car. I spend way too much time in the car to feel awful about that space. I need to love my car and love being in it. So, I’m determined --- the car will be an organized, pleasant, user-friendly space.

First up --- a pretty trash bin. Since I’ve gotten the new sewing maching and I’m trying all sorts of cute projects --- a new trash bin is on my list. I can line it with old grocery store bags to make removing trash easier, but the bin itself WILL BE pretty.

Next: a better phone charger. I hate the one I have – sometimes it charges, sometimes it doesn’t and I never know which it will be until its too late. All done with that problem. New charger – that works.

File system: I found this black (okay, not so cute) little file box that can sit in the front seat and keep papers, files, magazines, (the mail) and other stuff organized for me. It has slots for scissors (I’m always hunting for scissors), pens and the like.

Hanging organizer: I’ve been looking at these but they’ve always seemed too “soccer mom-ish” for me. They’re always shown in the pictures with kids books, games, and snacks in them. Not what I need. But I’m re-thinking them. I think that they could hold a lot of the cluttery stuff that accumulates in the car. The maps that don’t fit in the glove compartment (yes, I still use maps), the dog bones, a travel pack of wipes (essential!), Kleenex (equally essential), an extra pair of gloves – could all go in the organizer hanging on the back of the passenger seat so that I can reach them.

Last thing: I need to come up with some sort of organizing bin for the cell phone and other gadgets. They need to be right by the charger (naturally) but not falling into my way or in danger of having drinks spilled on them. Any ideas?

Pencil Pouch for a Notebook

2010-08-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

I just got a new sewing machine, so I'm trying all sorts of little bitty projects to practice using all of the funky new things this machine will do. (I'm still in a little bit of awe at the machine -- I moved up from a 50 year old Singer Featherweight

-- to a brand spanking new Janome ---

Its a little like stepping into Star Trek) Anyway ---- I fell in love (don't I always?) with this little pencil pouch
(how chic and rich is it to have your own customized pencil pouch at work or school instead of the silly Walmart or Target ones??)
Check out the beautiful tutorial here

Chores Charts for Kiddos

2010-08-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

I love cute, clever ways of helping kids learn responsibility. This cute --- super-cute--- set of chore charts really got my attention

You can find links here. This lady has a ton of pdf files with printables to construct gorgeous charts like these.
Another one that I loved:

Go ahead --- go check it out.

Corn, Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

2010-08-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

Corn, Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

· Whole wheat tortilla (2 per quesadilla)

· 4-6 oz of goat cheese, crumbled

· ¼ cup of corn kernels

· 1-2 strips of roasted red peppers cut into small pieces

· ¼ cup of black beans

· 2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

· fresh salsa and sour cream

Coat a large skillet with a very thin layer of olive oil and heat over medium heat.

Place on tortilla in the pan. Top with a layer of the crumbled goat cheese. Layer corn, beans, red peppers and cilantro on top of the goat cheese. Top with a second tortilla. Cook about 2-3 minutes on medium low heat (be careful not to get the pan too hot- or you’ll fry the tortilla without melting the yummy goat cheese)

Serve with salsa and sour cream (and maybe some sangria!!)

New York Designer Fabric Outlet

2010-08-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

I’m in love!! I found the most amazing fabric shop (and its not too, too far away.--- I might be in trouble here). I’ve been missing the Schumacher outlet something terrible (its only been 5 years – I’m still grieving, you know). I might have found its replacement!

New York Designer Fabric Outlet in Valatie NY is one amazing place. Let me begin by saying that the name of the shop does not even begin to do it justice. I probably passed it a dozen or more times and never even thought to stop. It just didn’t interest me --- I had visions of something very – I don’t know --- New York. This little outlet carries fabrics from around the world – the remnants of famous projects – from the White House to Paris – gorgeous fabric that graces some of the most elegant settings in the world.

The best part?? The fabric sells for somewhere around 15-20% of the original cost. Fabrics that originally sold for $350 a yard (gulp) can be found for $50, $35 and even $10 a yard. Those are my kind of prices. And the fabric is beautiful … I can’t even describe them. They’re really amazing.

Find them right on Route 9 just above the Hannaford Plaza. You won’t be sorry. Really.

Summer Gear: Organizing My Entryway

2010-08-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

We’re half-way through the summer (okay, you don’t have to point it out – we’re MORE than half-way – but I don’t want to think about that yet). The mess by the back door is beginning to get on my nerves. We have a large collection of dog leashes, pooper bags, beach stuff, cooler stuff, sunglasses and more that seems to have accumulated there. The organizing that I did to corral the winter gear is still in place --- but that’s the problem! The winter gear is occupying all of the important real estate – There’s no room for all of the summer gear. Time to fix this before I lose my mind.

I LOVE my antique ice-box by the back door – the inside of the ice-box holds (and hides!) all sorts of gear. But right now the top is messy and stuff is piled on the counter, the table and the floor alongside it.

Here’s what I’m thinking:

Ø Magnetic hooks on the side of the ice box to increase the hanging space for leashes, keys, etc.

Ø A new wall rack/hook alongside it. The old one only has 3 hooks – and although they’re large – they’re not cutting it. It also has a shelf that we don’t’ really use – except to catch cluttery stuff that never seems to leave the shelf once it takes up residence there.

Ø A couple of small pretty baskets for the top of the ice box to corral the sunglasses etc…. similar to what I did for gloves etc in the winter –

Ø A small bookshelf on the far side of the ice box – this could hold shoes, dog toys, cooler gear and the like without being obtrusive about it. When the wetter weather comes, the shoe tray could sit right in front of the shelf.

Ø A tray (maybe a sorter?) for the top of the bookshelf for mail etc --- We have a bad habit of leaving it on the counter (what a mess!) My previous plan had this on the top of the ice-box , but I’m really wanting that to look clean and tidy --- NO clutter --- not even the mail.

Breakfast Cereal Tarts

2010-07-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

So – with all of those guests coming, I thought I’d try out a few new breakfast recipes. I’m loving this one – I do all of the work ahead of time and the presentation looks fantastic!!

Cereal Tarts

5 cups of corn flakes (or something similar – Wheaties, whatever)

1 cup of nuts (something breakfasty – almonds, pecans etc)

4 TBS melted butter

6TBS maple syrup (use the real thing, please)

16 oz carton of plain yogurt

16 oz carton of vanilla yogurt

2-3 cups of fresh fruit (berries, peaches, plums, whatever)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Start by making tart shells:

Place the cornflakes and nuts in the bowl of your food processor and process until combined (just a few short pulses)

Pour the cereal and nut mix into a mixing bowl and drizzle with the melted butter. Mix to form a mix like for a graham cracker crust. Stir in the maple syrup

Press into tart pan (I loved this in mini tart pans so that everyone had an individual tart)

Bake for 10-20 minutes (depending on which size tart pans you use)

Cool

Now make the filling:

Remove the shells from the tart pans

Mix the yogurts together

Top the tart shell with the yogurt mixture and top with the fruit

Summer House Guests

2010-07-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

We’re having house guests a lot this summer (one of the “benefits” of living in a tourist town). So I’m trying to get things organized so that I can move between house guests easily (we have a couple of weekends where someone leaves and someone comes on the same day!)

I’m getting a spare house key cut. I don’t want to be tethered to a guest’s schedule. It will be easier for everyone if folks can come and go as they like.

I’m getting one more set of sheets for the guest bed. One of mine are getting threadbare, and I really want to have 2 sets. One for the bed, and one for the wash. That way no scrambling to get the bedding washed and back on the bed quickly. I also need to pick up a second set for the air mattress. Several of our guests are coming with children who will be sleeping on our famous air mattress – I don’t want to have a scramble with those sheets either.

I need to sort out the linen closet on the towel shelf too. We have two sets of towels that are a different color that were originally set up as guest towels. Somehow they’ve gotten mixed in with our towel sets and rotated into daily use. I want to make sure that we have enough towels (nothing missing or damaged) for guests to be comfortable.

And last of all, I need to clear out the top two drawers of the dresser in the guest room. We try to keep them empty for guests to use, but you know how it is --- junk happens. And then we tuck it into empty drawers to hide the clutter.

Lavender Cookies

2010-07-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

The lavender is still blooming strong. So I thought I’d make some lavender cookeies. These turned out extra good and they traveled well (picnics, you know)

Lavender Cookies

1 stick butter softened

1 ½ tsp lavender leaves chopped finely

½ cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350

Cream together the butter, sugar and lavender – Add the egg yolk and vanilla

Combine the flour and salt in a separate small bowl. Add it to the creamed butter mixture

Beat together until the dough forms

Roll the dough to make a log (Use a lightly floured surface, so it won’t stick)

Chill for an hour or more (I forgot about mine for the afternoon)

Slice the log into rounds and bake 10-12 minutes (they’ll brown a little bit around the edges when they’re done)

Lavender Bread

2010-06-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

We are completely in love with our lavender bed. I purchased a large number of plants at a flea market. We planted – and we learned.

Where we live, the winters are cold and harsh. Lavender does not like cold. It does not like harsh. It dies in cold harsh winters.

Two varieties of lavender are a little less prissy than the rest of the bunch. Munstead and Hidcote are varieties that have a fighting chance against the cold and snow. (We’ve had far better luck with Munstead, but we have friends up the road who swear by Hidcote --- go figure) I still lose young, small-ish plants every winter, but I have 5 strong healthy (getting larger) plants that keep coming back year after year.

Our lavender bed is right beside the driveway – its not the optimal location in terms of babying the plants through the winter (they get snow piled on them every time we shovel) – but when your pant leg or your skirt brushes the lavender as you get out of the car ---- aaahhhhh…..

So – one of the rites of summer is lavender bread --- we make it every summer. We’ve become “famous” for it among family and friends (people ask for it!) Its lovely toasted with berry jam in the morning for breakfast. It also makes the very best BLT for lunch.

Lavender Bread

½ cup water

1 cup buttermilk

¼ cup olive oil

4 cups bread flour

3 TBS lavender leaves finely chopped

1 ½ tsp lavender flowers finely chopped

1 TBS gluten

2 tsp salt

2 ¾ tsp yeast

Mix all of the ingredients in your bread machine pan. Bake according to the bread machine directions --- yum.

The 3/50 Project

2010-06-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

I found a flyer in a local store this week for the 3/50 project. I love it! It’s a plan to save the local economy – three stores at a time.

Here’s how it works:

Think about 3 local businesses (not the big box branches – real local businesses) that you would really miss if they closed up shop. Stop into those businesses and just say “hello”. Make a small purchase (just a token).

Remember that if half of us in the US spent a mere $50 a month in a local business, we would generat $42.6 billion in revenue (that was billion with a “B”) Holy mackerel!

Then take note: for every $100 spent in a local business, $68 returns to the community through taxes, employees wages, and other local spending by that business. On the other hand --- when you spend $100 at a big box chain, only about $43 stays in the local economy. Big difference!

So --- to participate in the 3/50 project:

Pick your 3 local businesses

Spend $50 (or whatever you can manage in your budget)

Save your local economy.

In other words; don’t complain about Walmart if you’re not doing something about it.

Lazy Susan for Snacks

2010-06-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

I found a terrific plastic lazy susan server at the grocery store this week. I’m setting up snack central in it:

Here’s what it looks like ---

And here’s what it will hold:

· Cut up vegetables – baby carrots, broccoli stalks, celery

· Small fruit – grapes, strawberries,

· Cheese sticks (the pre-packaged kind for easy keeping in the fridge)

· Little containers of cottage cheese

In the pantry I’ll also putting a second “Snack Central” with

· Granola bars

· Crackers

· Pita wedges and/or pita chips

· Pretzels

Can you tell I’m determined to snack healthy this summer?

Personal Best Monogram Shoppe

2010-05-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

We took a trip over to Washington Depot --- a tiny little town in northwestern Connecticut. What a wonderful shop we found! Personal Best Monogram Shop sells custom and stock monograms (the stock ones were lovely!) and will embroider that monogram onto pretty much anything you want.

We noticed bathrobes, napkins, mens shirts, towels, and all kinds of fabrics. But they also do stationery. Some people have even had their monogram done on wallpaper (I’d love to see that room --- its either classy beyond words, or tacky beyond words – can’t decide which)

These were beautiful monograms, not the simple ones I’m used to finding everywhere. Don’t bother looking for a website --- there isn’t one. But a day trip over to Washington Depot will yield a ton of fun --- they’re on Green Hill Road right in Washington Depot or give them a call 860-868-9966

GeoCaching

2010-05-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

One of my goals for the summer is to try geo-caching. It sounds fun --- we’ll get outdoors, get some exercise – the dog can go with us – and best of all, its free.

Geo-caching is a sort of “sport”. Its like an outdoor treasure hunt. People set up “caches” --- small weather-proof containers with a log and sometimes a “treasure” in them. Participants (that would be ME) use GPS to try to locate the containers. When you find one, you add your name and information to the log – and get the thrill of finding a treasure. Best of all (for me) it works with the IPhone because its GPS enabled. No equipment to purchase.

I went to www.geocaching.com to get some information. I set up a free account (just needed an email address basically) and started looking at possible caches to find. There were about 25 within 5 miles of my house!! Including along some of our favorite hiking trails. We can’t wait to get started.

Speed Cleaning My Bathroom

2010-05-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

Speed cleaning is always up my alley. (No cleaning would be up my alley too, if it didn’t result in living in a pig sty). I’ve picked up a couple of tricks recently that are making the bathroom part of cleaning a bit speedier.

First off, I replaced the toilet brush holder. You know, the one that sits on the floor beside the toilet and holds the brush you use to clean the toilet. I replaced the holder with a ceramic one that is all one piece. No seams. Why?? Because the FlyLady taught me the best trick. Fill that beautiful ceramic cylinder with a generic cleaning fluid (I’m loving Lysol Lavender scented all-purpose cleaner) and put the toilet brush back in the holder. Voila – always ready, no fussing around finding the cleaner, putting it away afterward etc. How silly did I feel that I never, ever though of that?? Better question: How great do I think it is now?

My next great aha: Clorox wipes. Yeah, I know – the rest of you have loved them for a long time. And I’ll confess, I’ve loved them in the kitchen and at work. But I hadn’t thought about them in the bathroom all that much. They are the cat’s meow for wiping down the sink and the top of the toilet as often as I notice it (which is way more often than when I had to drag out all of that cleaning stuff.) I did give the Scrubbing bubbles wipes a try – but I like the Clorox and Lysol all-purpose wipes better. Plus they kill germs like crazy. And you can do the mirror with them without streaking it like mad.

Just a couple of tricks, but boy do they make my life a lot easier.

Budget Nagging

2010-05-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm this is something worth thinking about. Mint.com will track all of your spending from credit card and debit card information. It even sorts your spending into categories for you: gas, groceries, clothing --- It keeps running totals on your spending in each category. But the best part?? It lets you set up budget amounts for each category and it sends you a text message if you go over the amount you’ve set to spend. WOW --- nothing like having your own personal nag to help you stay on budget. I love it.

Fonzie the Philosopher

2010-05-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this quote from Fonzie (yep, the leather jacket wearing, motorcycle riding, hip dude from Happy Days --- remember him?) “Cool is knowing the difference between right and wrong and doing with is right with guts”. Wow – Fonzie the philosopher --- who knew.

I’m thinking about getting that quote done with vinyl letters and putting it on the wall of my classroom. The only problem is: I’d spend eternity explaining to the kiddos “Who’s Fonzie”?

Still – what a great thought.

Happy Birthday on a Budget

2010-05-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Its someone’s birthday today. No, not mine. But someone I think the world of. Someone for whom all of the below “gifts” apply. Seriously, at a certain point in your life you start getting birthday gifts from your Uncle Sam. How great is that?

Happy 65^th --- at age 65 you automatically qualify for Medicare. All you have to do is fill our the forms – and you can do that ahead of your birthday, so you really do get the birthday gift on your birthday (thoughtful, that Uncle Sam)

Happy 62^nd --- You can start collecting Social Security if you need or want to. But if you’re like this fellow, don’t do it. It makes your payments much lower than they would be if you waited until 65 or 67 to start collecting. All the same, good to know you can collect if you need or want to.

Happy 60^th This is the point in time where you can make withdrawals from your IRA and other personally funded retirement accounts. Again, don’t do it if you don’t have to. But good to know you can --- freeing, sort of.

Happy 50^th Wow – just as all of the kids are independent and your income is as high as its ever going to be (okay, that was a depressing moment there, wasn’t it?) Uncle Sam increases the limits for your contributions to your retirement accounts. Use the next 15 year to sock away $6,000 a year in your IRA and $22,000 in your 401k. Even with the short investment span and the historically tragic interest rates right now, that could add up to a lot of spare change. What a great birthday present!

(And yes, you who’s birthday we’re celebrating around here, I DID get you a real present – the presents from Uncle Sam are just bonuses)

Gardening Thoughts

2010-05-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Since I’m starting to think about the garden and the outdoors again. I thought I’d do some planning for a potting/gardening area off of our patio. I don’t want to spend a ton of money on a fancy potting shed or even a potting table. But I do want an organized workspace for all of the tools, buckets of soil, seeds, packaging, and other stuff that seems to go with working in the yard and the garden.

Here’s what I’m thinking will work:

Ø Put a small table from the flea market or yard sales up against the side of the area.

Ø Add a set of plastic stackable bins (I’m thinking Kmart or Christmas Tree Shop) underneath. I’m not going to stack them --- I just want the uniform set of bins --- they’ll need to stack in the shed for the winter though. These can hold extra pots etc

Ø A straight board to set across the stackable bins – this will make place for holding those things that won’t fit inside the bins – as long as they’re not too heavy.

Ø A couple of large buckets (the kind you can get at HD – but I really don’t want orange buckets.) In the past, I’ve had good luck with a local donut shop. The filling for the donuts comes in these large white buckets (no handles) and they’ll give them to me for a song. The buckets can hold the potting soil, fertilizer etc.

My Deco Website

2010-04-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

I found a website that I’ll be using a lot soon --- mydeco.com lets me digitally clip pictures (instead of ripping them out of magazines like some kind of crazy clipping woman). Then I can use a 3-D room arranger to try out furniture, colors, art, curtains, etc in the digital version of my room before I go dragging heavy furniture around or painting walls. Best part?? I can upload photos of of the stuff I already own and use that in my virtual re-arranging. How great is that??

Camera Learning

2010-04-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

I’m trying hard to learn to use a digital camera that I’ve inherited. This new camera has a whole bunch of pre-sets that I’m learning to love. Portrait gives me this fuzzy focus on just the subject in the center of my frame. Everything else goes soft and slightly blurry --- beautiful. Aquarium is my favorite setting right now --- and no, I’m not using it at an aquarium. I am using it when I need to take a photo through a pane of glass (like a car window) --- the aquarium setting lets the camera “see through” the glass and take the picture I want – not a picture of the glass and the reflections on it. Love it.

Can’t wait to find out what some of the other settings will do (beyond their obvious named function – like “fireworks”

Gauging Your Middle-Class-ness

2010-04-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

I saw an article recently about “How to Gauge Your Middle-Class Status”. I found the whole thing very interesting. In some ways, we measure up --- in some we don’t --- and in some we over-achieve.

We’re big fans of Dave Ramsey at our house – and, like him, we don’t strive to be “normal”. Normal in America is broke, living on the edge, paycheck to paycheck. We have no desire to live like that. So, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me when I look at an article like that and we’re not normal.

Here’s a brief run-down of what they looked at:

Income: $51,000 - $123,000 --- yeah, we’re in there somewhere

Housing Cost: House worth $231,000 --- yep, we’re in that range too

Mortgage = $17,600 --- Are you kidding me??? Nope – we’re way under that --- and we’ve only got about 7 years left on our mortgage. No, we didn’t take out this mortgage eons ago. We followed Dave’s advice and only took a 15 year mortgage.

Home Size: 2,300 sq ft --- we’re smaller than that --- but we’re only a two person household. How much space do two people need??

Medical Expenses: $5,100 annually --- we are fortunate – we have excellent insurance, and although we pay a portion of the premium, we’re significantly under on this one too.

Cars: $12,400 annually shelled out. Baby, we are way under that. Mostly because of Dave again. We have no car payment. None. Average value NEW of the car: $45,000. I don’t know what to do with that part. Yeah, sure, when the car was new, it was $45,000 – but 15 minutes after you drive it off of the lot, its value starts dropping like a stone. I don’t know how that figures into anything, really.

College Savings: $4,100 per child. Who are these people kidding?? Really?? I don’t think you can attend community college for a year on that. We’re past that season of life, so we don’t stash money away for this- -- so I really have no comparison point on this one.

Vacations: One week at the beach or other tourist destination --- yeah we take a week -- and then some… Cost: $3,000 ---- What??? On one week at the beach?? What are these people doing??

Retirement Savings: 3.2% of income or $2,600 annually. Nope – we are so not normal on this one either. We save like squirrels. We’re not quite at the 15% that Dave recommends, but we’re creeping up on it quickly.

Everyday Spending: $14,200 for clothes, food, utilities, entertainment, etc. Again, we are way under this one --- probably how we’re able to be so far over on the savings item??

Number of Earners: 2 --- yeah, that’s us.

Hours Worked: 3,747 annually --- Geez, divided by 2 workers in the family – divided again by 50 or so weeks --- that’s about 37 hours a week. Yeah, that’s us, most of the time.

Education: High School diplomas and about 2 years of college. Nope --- we both have degrees that provide us with our jobs/income. We value education and continue our own learning every chance we get.

Household Net Worth: $84,000 --- wow – gotta wonder about this one --- especially if you go back and run the numbers about the value of the house, the college savings, retirement savings, etc. We’re not at all normal on this one --- good thing.

Debt: 18% of disposable income goes toward debt in the “normal” middle class family. They do include the mortgage in that --- which confuses me --- run the numbers again --- average income (take the mean) and the average mortgage payment annually --- it doesn’t come out mathematically. Unless you’re telling me that everyone in America is now listening to Dave Ramsey and has no debt other than their mortgage?? Nah, that wouldn’t be normal.

Menu Planning: Week of 4/18

2010-04-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm really trying to get back on the good-girl bandwagon. Really, menu planning helped -- it helped alot, but somehow it got lost in the holiday--school vacation shuffle. But I'm back, I'm committed and I'm really going to do this.

Breakfasts this week:

smoothies (we got a Magic Bullet and I'm in love!!) We have all kinds of fruit and juice and milk and yogurt -- smoothie heaven, look out.
banana bread and cream cheese sandwiches
peanut butter and waffle sandwiches
egg and ham cups
smoothies again (I told you I was in love)
fruit and cheese kebabs
pancakes for the weekend??

Lunches for this week:

fried rice with veggies and eggs
leftover macaroni and cheese
leftover meatloaf sandwiches
butternut squash soup and cheese bites
ramen noodles with poached egg and leftover ham strips
salad with ham strips and other yummies
fruit salad and yogurt

Supper!!

cauliflower pancakes and salad
meatloaf, rice and beets
macaroni and cheese with broccoli
broccoli and beef chinese style over rice
pasta with marinara sauce and salad
sesame noodles with veggies
dinner out at the annual Black Tie (fancy-fancy!!)

Menu Plan Monday: 3/29

2010-03-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for great plans and designs. I started Menu Plan Monday two weeks ago with a bang. Last week, it just didn't happen --- not at all. It didn't matter all that much because we had gone out for dinner two different nights on the weekend with friends and came home with a ton of leftovers -- and that essentially became the menu plan for the week. No fuss, no muss.
But still --- when I commit to something, I like to actually see it through -- and I hate getting off to such a poor start.
Now this week, I'm a day late with my menu plan (just posting it, actually -- I really did make it on Sunday)
This week is a bit challenging because of the Easter holiday coming up and the various responsibilities that we have (okay, okay, that my husband has...) during the week. It messes with meal planning quite a bit. But here's my best effort, because I believe that simply doing it is important. I do have to make more of a day-by-day plan this week, because the week is so crazy.... Here goes:

Breakfasts
Monday: toast with peanut butter, oranges, tea
Tuesday: pineapple with cottage cheese
Wednesday: fruit smoothies
Thursday: flagel (a flat bagel) with cream cheese and juice
Friday: We're fasting
Saturday: egg sandwiches on english muffins
Sunday: breakfast at church

Lunches:
Monday: leftover macaroni and cheese
Tuesday: salad with salami ribbons
Wednesday: cucumber roll sushi and apple wedges
Thursday: fruit salad and cottage cheese
Friday: We're fasting
Saturday: We'll be traveling: granola bars, cheese and crackers, apple wedges
Sunday: Easter dinner: ham, potatoes, asparagus, popovers, salad

Dinner:
Monday: eggplant and cheese rollups
Tuesday: pasta with sauce
Wednesday: beef and peppers over rice
Thursday: pierogies with sour cream and carmelized onions
Friday: We're fasting
Saturday: Dinner out with Dan and Lisa
Sunday: can't imagine we'll want anything after that huge Easter dinner!!

It's Spring: At least on the dinnertable...

2010-03-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted a quick and easy dinner and found this recipe for Pasta with Peas. We have a summertime favorite that is Pasta with Pesto and Peas, so this sounded like a sure winner for the wintertime and early spring.

Pasta with Peas

1 lb box of pasta (I used Orecchiette, the ear shaped pasta)

1-2 tbs of olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 can of Le Seur baby peas

¾ cup of heavy cream

1 cup of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

¼ cup of shredded mint leaves (loving my aerogarden for this)

Cook the pasta according to the box.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet

Add the garlic and peas and sauté briefly

Stir in the cream and half of the grated cheese

Simmer until it thickens

Mix the sauce and the cooked pasta and the mint.

Serve the remaining grated cheese on the top

Ten Ideas for a Welcoming Home

2010-03-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

I was browsing around the web and stumbled upon a lovely home-making blog called The Blessed Nest (great title, don't you think??) She recently had a post on 10 Simple Ideas For a Welcoming Home. There are some really terrific ideas there --- I strongly recommend that you click over and see what she thinks. I found a couple of new ideas --- you probably will too.

Blessed Nest inspired me to try my own hand at 10 Ideas for a Welcoming Home (sort of like one of those Letterman knock-offs)

Corral the clutter!! Some simple baskets that keep the daily clutter of life under control are all it takes. No one feels comfortable around someone else's newspapers, magazines, children's toys, dog toys etc. Just stash it in an easily accessible basket and get it out of sight. You'll feel better and your guests will too.
Clear the clutter on the porch and sidewalk too. You may love looking at the tricycle your three year old left in the sidewalk, but its just an obstacle to a guest. Obstacles are, by definition, not welcoming. Likewise the dead flower basket that blew down in the wind storm last week, and the broom that you left leaning against the wall on the porch. Create a clear, clean path up to and into your home.
Give the windows of the door a quick swipe with Windex. After the long winter, they're probably at least a little smudged with fingerprints, pawprints and the like. Make them sparkle!! It only takes a minute and it makes a huge difference to the visitor walking up to your door. Don't forget the back door too --- some company is "back door company" and usually they're the best kind. Right??
Light a candle that smells terrific. I learned this one from my friend Patricia. She has one of those homes that I always envy, but will never have (mostly because I will never clean the way she does). Besides the simple clean of her home, she always has a lovely candle burning in the kitchen (she's a Yankee Candle gal, I'm too cheap for that) The smell just welcomes you and pulls you inside.
Keep a sparkling pitcher near the fridge. When guests arrive (even unexpected guests) fill that pitcher with a little ice and some fresh cool water. Its amazing how welcoming a simple glass of water can feel --- and the pitcher just makes it feel special --- like someone was hoping you'd come for a visit.
Put some of those fancy, schmancy paper guest towels in your bathroom --- and forbid the family to even think about touching them!! I'm not one for spending money frivolously -- but this little touch means I don't have to wonder about guests feeling squicky about some grimy towel with dog hair on it. The guest towels are there in a little basket on the ledge of the sink..... Again, it makes it feel like I've been hoping you'd visit.
Actually sit down with your guests. No one feels comfortable visiting when the hostess is struggling in the kitchen or trying to sneak clean the bathroom. These people came to see you. Visit with them a while.
Get in the habit of hosting Friday night dessert. Its amazing -- Friday night seems to be the one night that stays somewhat clear in everyone's schedule. Kids teams and practices and clubs are most often during the week or during the day on the weekend. Adult social activities seem to be largely scheduled for Saturday nights. Don't try for dinner --- everyone is trying to re-balance after the long work week. Just invite someone for 8:00 dessert and coffee. You can pick up something on your way home if need be.
Accept invitations to other homes and to group outings. People cannot feel welcomed and comfortable in your home if they're not comfortable with YOU.
Practice relaxing --- when you're tense, you convey that tenseness to everyone around you --- your kids, the dog, your friends -- everyone. When you relax, everyone around you can relax too. After all, isn't that what you want in a welcoming home??? You want your guests to relax. Relax!

A Tiny Bit Better Than Yesterday

2010-03-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

The other day I was listening to the radio and heard this interview with Chantel Hobbs --- you can listen to the interview here and see her website here. She is a fitness expert and motivational speaker with a Christian perspective. While I found some of her comments about diet and exercise very intriguing (I’ll get to that in a minute) – I found one comment she made to start a huge brain spark in me. “We need to get to the place where we decide that every single day we can live a little bit better than we did yesterday”. WOW!! That applies to just about everything in life around here.

In terms of fitness and healthy eating --- I’ll just borrow from Chantel. Its all about balance --- fast one meal a week --- splurge one meal a week. Balance --- but overall, make a daily decision that today will be a tiny bit better than yesterday. Eat a tiny bit more vegetables today. Eat a tiny bit less junk food today than yesterday. Walk or run a tiny bit further today. Move a tiny bit more. That’s all, just be a tiny bit better today than yesterday.

Yesterday is already on the books. There is nothing you or I can do that will change yesterday. And tomorrow is too overwhelming. Nevermind forever – that’s way too overwhelming. Just manage today – let today be one tiny bit better than yesterday was.

Can you imagine how much life will be in one year if every day gets a tiny bit better than the day before it??? Can you imagine how much fitter our bodies could be? How much smaller our clothing might be?? How much better our doctor’s checkup will be??

So as we move through this spring together, I want to look at Chantel Hobbs’ idea and apply it to some different areas of life. Want to come with me??

St. Patrick's Day: Hungarian Style

2010-03-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

It’s St Patrick’s Day!! Are you wearing green?? I actually forgot my green until I started this post --- and went ARRRGGGHHHH!! I quickly ran upstairs for something with a little touch of the Irish in it.

No, we’re not Irish ourselves, but isn’t everyone Irish today??? That’s what my favorite Irishman tells me anyway.

I’ve moved my menu plan around a little bit (I didn’t factor in St. Patrick’s Day when I made the plan) so we’re having broiled fish and Hungarian cabbage and noodles for supper (sorry Sean, that’s as close to and Irish meal as we’re going to come – it does have cabbage!!)

For those of you looking for a way to serve the super-cheap cabbage this week (especially those of you not overly fond of the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage – that would be us) I thought I’d share my friend Esther’s Hungarian Cabbage and Noodles with you:

Hungarian Cabbage and Noodles

Ingredients:

1 large head of cabbage cored and sliced into thin ribbons

1 tsp salt

3 tbs oil (she said vegetable oil, I used olive oil)

1 tbs sugar (I cut this down a little bit)

1 onion, diced

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 package of egg noodles (get the good ones for this recipe)

Salt the cabbage and let it rest for a half an hour --- this will help to drain some of the excess water out of it. Blot it with paper towels to get the drained water.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the sugar --- gently brown the sugar. Add the onions and the cabbage and sauté gently for about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir them frequently – we don’t want charred onions.

Season with the pepper to taste.

Transfer all of this to a large bowl and keep warm.

Follow the directions on the package to cook the egg noodles – you’ll want to undercook them just a tiny bit --- al dente sort of .

Add the noodles and the cabbage mixture together.

Serve with fish or pork or chicken (Esther says beef too, but I like it better with a white meat or fish)

Menu Plan Monday: 3/15

2010-03-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

So, since we're fully on board with our budget and squirrelling away money like..... well, like squirrels, I guess..... I decided that I'd better get on board with menu planning as well.
We've always done "well enough" with taking advantage of specials at the store and organizing food based on what's in the house. But, I'm thinking that with a little extra organization and planning, I can do even better!!
So, here's my first attempt at posting and organizing our menu plan Monday --- (thanks to Organizing Junkie for organizing and motivating everyone on this)

Breakfasts

oatmeal with strawberries
frozen waffles
english muffins with peanut butter and fruit
yogurt and fruit
French pillows (I'll post a recipe later -- they're amazing!!)
egg sandwiches
oatmeal again -- with whatever fruit is still around

Lunches

leftover carmelized onion pizza (we had a pizza fest last night and have a ton of leftovers)
salad with leftover cut-up steak
pasta with sauce
leftover artichoke pizza
leftover mac and cheese
leftover unstuffed cabbage
sandwiches --

Dinners

pork chops with stuffing, applesauce and green beans
unstuffed cabbage
macaroni and cheese
pasta with sauce and salad
fish with Hungarian cabbage and noodles
potatoes gruyere with salad
asparagus with poached eggs and baked potato

Lent: Time

2010-03-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead!! That’s right, Daylight Savings Time begins today. That means it will be much darker when I leave the house at 5:30 AM (drat!), but it will stay lighter much later in the day (hooray for walks in the woods with Ginger!)

That got me to thinking about time --- as I prepare for my Easter celebration.

One of the things that makes this all work for me and for our family is time. I have time to prepare. I have time to ready the house, time to shop, time to prepare a special meal, time to decorate. I keep reading about how we as a generation have less leisure time than previous generations --- but we still have plenty of time. More than many in our world.

In part, that’s because we have so many labor saving devices that make time for us --- I don’t have to spend a whole day down at the river pounding my laundry on rocks to get it clean. I don’t even have to spend the whole day at the Laundromat getting my clothes clean. I can put a load in the washer and then go about other things in my day. When its done, I move it to the dryer and I move back to doing other things. The laundry does not totally consume my time (we just got our dryer fixed yesterday, so I’m a little laundry focused right now --- and appreciative of our newly functioning dryer!!)

I have time. I can go for a walk in the woods with Ginger. I can sit and read a book or mess around with this blog. I can spend a half an hour futzing with the mantle to make it look the way I want it to look. This afternoon we’re spending time with friends – doing nothing. Sure, the guys will watch the games and we’ll make pizza together for dinner. But mostly, we’ll be doing nothing. We’ll just sit and talk and enjoy each other’s company. None of us will feel the need to multi-task because our families will starve or freeze if we don’t (how do you think quilting bees and husking bees got started?). We’ll just idle away the afternoon – and enjoy time.

Time is a precious gift that I let slip past me all too often. I let time pass unnoticed and unappreciated. My challenge this week is to notice time and to appreciate it. Sitting for just five minutes each morning and evening to spend some quiet time and appreciate that time is the challenge for this week. Whether your tradition leads you to pray, to meditate or simply to sit quietly and notice the luxury of time --- appreciate some time this week.

Happy Birthday on a Budget

2010-03-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

So, how do you celebrate your husband's birthday without blowing the gazelle intense budget that you've both agreed to??? You get mighty creative --- that's how.

First, I started the morning by sneaking "Happy Birthday" into every snippet of our morning phone chat that I could --- I probably said "Happy Birthday" seventy-five times in a ten minute chat. It was obnoxious, but cute. It also made it really, really clear that I was onto his birthday and it wasn't going to pass by without notice!!

Dinnertime!! Using my free shopping techniques, I scored some cheese, baking potatoes, and cake mix at super low prices (nearly free!!) and used some of the savings in my shopping budget to score an inexpensive steak and some asparagus. The menu??

broiled steak
potatoes au gratin in little french au gratin dishes (pretty and a little bit fancy)
roasted asparagus
homemade birthday cupcakes in flower cake molds with buttercream frosting YUM
Champagne (someone had given a small bottle to me around Christmas time -- this seemed the perfect time to use it)

I picked up a card using ECBs at CVS (don't you love a sentence with more acronyms than actual words??) and a small present (I'm not giving away ALL of my secrets!!) Voila -- a fun and celebratory birthday without blowing the gazelle budget!!

I'm happy. He's happy ---- Happy Birthday!!

Lent: Education

2010-03-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

This is the final week of the Lenten “Get ready, get set” calendar (hmmm, wonder why its only four weeks?? --- Lent is longer than that. Maybe this really is Lent-Lite??) I’ll still continue my preparation for Easter, both physical and mental/spiritual --- but without the help of the calendar.

This week the calendar focuses us on thinking about education. It pointed out that over a billion people entered the 21^st Century unable to simply sign their names – that’s a very minimal measure of literacy!! These folks have never read a book, have never perused a blog, never heard of Shakespeare, Dante, Edith Wharton or even Twilight (another fairly low measure of literacy). What this means, is that they don’t have access to a way to make their lives better.

Think about it. You and I have access to a world of information and knowledge. We can learn to do virtually anything. We can audit classes at MIT (really, you didn’t know that?? Click here --- its free --- really). We can learn to build furniture (see Ana’s blog here) or cook (I’m not giving you links on this one – there are too many) or anything else we want to learn.

For those of us who ride “on the coattails” this is what gives us the power to make our lives better. We can access information, instructions, and inspiration for improving the quality of our lives without spending a ton of money. We can learn the things our mothers never taught us (like how to clean a shower curtain or how to manage a budget or whatever).

This week, I’m focusing on being grateful for my education – and for the continuing education it affords me. I’ve learned to read and to write – and to run a computer marginally well --- well enough to make it find what I want on the web, anyway. That all affords me access to more information than I could possibly process in a lifetime. That’s something to be grateful for! Every time I turn on my computer, I’m celebrating my education. Every time I read ANYTHING --- even the back of the cereal box (yes, that’s a bad habit of mine), I’m celebrating my education. When I read the words to the hymn I don’t know in church, I’m celebrating my education. How will you celebrate your education this week?? Get ready, get set --- Easter is coming.

Lent: Homes

2010-02-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

This past week’s calendar focused on refugees --- its amazing to me that over 26 million people have had to flee their homes because of violence and unrest in their countries. These are the people living in tent shelters that we occasionally glimpse on the television.

I vividly remember a song by one of my favorite composers, Michael Kelly Blanchard, called Ethiopia. He wrote it after watching a late night telethon for starving children in --- Ethiopia. Its poignant and heartbreaking. You can download and listen to it here. And you can listen to some of Mike's other music for free here. (YouTube is a wonderful thing sometimes --- but Ethiopia isn't on youtube)

These are people without a home. That’s the part that is most disturbing to me. Especially since I am so focused on home and making our home a nicer place to be.

So, my challenge this week is to really appreciate my home. I want to be thankful for all of the aspects of my home (especially when I’m sweeping or vacuuming or doing some other chore that I find to be drudgery) I need to remember that somewhere in the world there is a woman who would LOVE to be sweeping a floor in her own home.

This is especially important as I begin to decorate the house for spring and for Easter. Its so easy to get caught up in the decorations and the frou-frou of it all. I do all of that because I have a home. My work decorating for Easter is a reflection of my gratitude for that home --- more so this year.

Lent: Water

2010-02-25T05:49:00.000-08:00

This entire week on the “Get Ready- Get Set calendar” is all about water. Its so easy to forget how much of the world cannot simply turn on the tap and get fresh clean water. I remember living in China and craving a glass of ice cold water. It simply was not a possibility. All of our water had to be boiled for safety reasons. The only way to be sure that water had been boiled was to drink it “boiling hot”. I drank more cups of hot water than I care to remember. Ice cold water just wasn’t safe.

I think of that every time I read one of those fitness tips about drinking more water. Or when Weight Watchers tells me I need to drink eight glasses of water every day. I have a lot of nerve complaining about that. There was a day (a very hot day, back in China) when I would have gladly downed all eight glasses as once --- as long as they were icy cold, clean, fresh water.

So the challenge today is to drink more water --- and not complain about it!! Make it a ceremony of sorts. Find a fabulous glass and maybe a pitcher. Slice some lemon or some cucumber. Get some ice and some fresh, clean water. Think of this as similar to a Japanese tea ceremony. Its all about presence and mindfulness. Pour the water, sip the water. Feel it on your tongue. Swirl it around your mouth like some snooty wine connoisseur. Swallow and feel it slide down your throat. Be thankful.

Now --- no more swigging water mindlessly from Poland Springs bottles left on the counter over night. After all, this blog IS about making life more beautiful and elegant. Repeat that little water ceremony over and over and over again. Water can be its own little elegant part of your life. And you’ll be more thankful for it, too.

Lent: Enough

2010-02-21T05:28:00.000-08:00

So how are you coming with joining me in “get ready, get set”? Are you feeling a bit more ready for Easter than last week at this time? Is the thankfulness and preparation for celebrating seeping into your life yet?? Its starting to kick in around here.

We’re cleaning up the Valentine’s Day decorations, changing over the mantle to something more springy (green – that will carry us through St. Patrick’s Day and Easter without a major change again) and putting away the Valentine’s dishes, glasses, napkins and other stuff. The wreath on the door will change today too (stop by and see it, if you like)

I’m starting to think about my plans for Easter --- how I’ll make it special for all of us here, what I’ll do to celebrate and remember. But I’m very struck by today’s calendar challenge for Lent: 40-50% of all food ready for harvest NEVER gets eaten. Now, some of that has to do with harvesting problems, industrial issues with planning and efficiency etc. But some of that has to do with not finishing what’s on my plate and not eating leftovers before they go bad in my fridge. Some of that 40-50% is my personal responsibility (and yours --- although probably you’re better about this than I am) And, frankly, I’m worse when it comes to celebrations.

At celebrations I always want there to be a feeling of plenty. I usually can add a few people to the celebration at the last minute without over-stretching the food. That says something about my planning for the celebration. Yes, it makes it joyous – but wouldn’t it be joyous without so much wastefulness? What if I didn’t over-do the food? Would we still celebrate just as much?? I think yes.

So my personal challenge this year is to plan Easter a little more carefully. I’m trying to take into account “how much is enough?” and stay within that boundary. That will still be “plenty” – but it won’t be “too much” and we won’t contribute to that 40-50% of food that never gets eaten in our world.

Lent and Celebrations

2010-02-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

So for those of you who “observe”, Lent officially begins today. For those of us simply doing the “get ready, get set” (should we call this Lent-Lite??? – although spiritually, its not lite, is it??) we’ve already begun.

Today’s challenge from the Lenten Calendar (wish I knew where Cindy gets this thing from??) is: The cost of a night on the town for a couple can provide emergency food supplies for a family of five for a month. Wow --- think about that. What we “blow” on a celebration (like Valentine’s Day this past weekend) can provide food for five people for a MONTH!! Now, I know you and I are more frugal than most…. But still…… not that much more frugal!! Even if my celebrations could only feed that family for 2 weeks or so. I begin to feel my own decadence.

But this is a season to “get ready” to celebrate Easter, not a season to beat myself up about my own decadence. It’s a season to remember, be thankful, and demonstrate my gratitude with giving. That’s why we do this project.

The challenge in the calendar is to give according to the number of celebrations you’ve had in the past month. My challenge to you is a little bit different: estimate the cost of your last couple of celebrations (Valentine’s Day, birthdays etc) Pick a number that fairly represents a “celebration cost”. Divide by 14 (“even if my celebrations could only feed that family for two weeks or so…) and see if you can plan a day’s worth of food for that cost (sounds like an eat from the pantry challenge for the day, doesn’t it?)

Showing Love with Food

2010-02-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

I know, I know --- You’re expecting a Valentine’s Day post including the mushy stuff about how we celebrate here without spending a ton of money. Nope, sorry --- that ‘s not what you’re gonna get today (and yes we do celebrate --- and no, we don’t spend a ton of money!)

This is the time of year that our church begins thinking seriously about Easter --- sort of the “get ready, get set” for Easter. We’re not huge into Lent, per se – most of the traditions that people associate with Lent just pass us by. But, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, we take some time to “get ready”. It just makes Easter that much more meaningful for all of us (especially in this household, where Easter gets really, really hectic)

We participate in an ecumenical effort known as “One Great Hour of Sharing” and we use that offering as a way to ready our spirits and our minds to celebrate Easter. So I thought that this month (okay, 40 days), I’d do my usual “Countdown” to a holiday (with all of the household getting ready stuff) AND share with you some of the more meaningful days of our countdown offering as well.

Today the offering calendar asks us to think about a time someone showed us love using food – and then add our offering of thanksgiving for that person and their love.

For me, the instantaneous thought was Mom. I’ve shared before that we grew up poor. My mother knew how to pinch a penny so tight that Abe Lincoln tried to run every time he saw her coming. Food was one way she demonstrated love --- she cooked, canned, froze, baked and kept our family not only fed, but well fed every day of the week. Holidays, she really went overboard, using frugal ingredients to make something special.

But the time that first comes to my mind was about 12 years ago. I had a very serious case of pneumonia and a collapsed lung. I was stuck at home, in bed, and alone. Mom dropped by every day with a bottle of juice, some soup, bread or other food fit for an invalid. She quietly left it between my storm door and the front door for me to find whenever I awakened. The cold weather kept everything naturally “refrigerated” for me. It was such a quiet, gentle act of kindness and love. And I am profoundly grateful for it to this day.

Saving Money on Ginger (the dog)

2010-02-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

We’re coming up on Ginger’s “Gotcha Day” so I thought I’d post a little bit about pets. For those of you who are scratching your head, Miss Hurricane Ginger arrived at our household 2 years ago this coming week. And yes, she landed like a Category 4 Hurricane. We’ve come a long way since then --- she’s not the perfect dog (yet) but she’s well on her way to AWESOME.

Ginger is a happy, healthy dog who LOVES the vet. Fortunately for us, the vet loves her too. When we were getting ready to adopt, we dealt with a number of rescue organizations who wanted to know what we thought it cost to own a dog. We were shocked at how low most people estimate the cost to be. Owning a dog can be downright expensive. They need food, vet care, toys, grooming, leashes, beds and a host of other things.

We’ve gotten pretty good at saving on vet costs with our little Hurricane. For starters, we didn’t assume that we had the best price with the vet we had and loved. We did some shopping around and finding out what different vets cost. Once we had some information, we were ready to make decisions. Our vet was quite competitive and we think she’s terrific so we really wanted to stay with her. We were up front about the cost differences – and she made some adjustments. Some of the fees are still a tiny bit higher, but the level of service and quality of care are well worth the tiny difference for us.

We take Ginger to the vet regularly. She gets regular check-ups, immunizations and other health care. We’ve had dogs in the past and we know --- the same as people, healthy animals have longer and better lives. We keep Ginger trim and in good shape (she loves to go jogging!!) She’s spayed (that reduces her risk for a number of cancers). And she eats quality food. Keeping her healthy keeps our costs down.

There are times when she needs some medication. We used to simply accept the pill bottle from the vet. But now we’ve realized that we can shop around and take her prescription to CVS, Walgreens, Walmart or Target and often get some very inexpensive medication. We also use www.discountpetmedicines.com and 1800petmeds.com to price check all of the medications. Our vet price matches those websites, so I don’t actually have to order online. That makes everything very convenient.

We also have insurance on Ginger. The Humane Society has a pet health care insurance plan that isn’t expensive and will cover any emergencies (Hurricanes are prone to emergencies, so we’re holding our breath)

Communication Station: Entryway

2010-01-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Since I seem to be on a mini-makeover thing this month, I decided that I really wanted to streamline and organize all of our cell phones, mail organizers, chargers etc. So I thought I’d create a ‘communication station’ by the back door.

We have an antique icebox that has a place of honor by the back door. The compartments hold all sorts of things. There are places to stash mittens, scarves, and the dog leash. Because it’s a heavy metal unit, it also holds magnets and keeps the keys on the side.

On the downside – the magnets also mean that it tends to get cluttery with papers held onto it by magnets. The top of the icebox also tends to collect a lot of junk. It needs some help.

1. I’m putting two wooden dishes on the top of the icebox. One is fairly good sized and round. It will hold whatever comes out of my husband’s pockets. He has that man-habit of emptying his pockets when he comes in the door. The other is a long narrow dish with three dividers. I think it was sold for serving appetizers or nuts or something. We’ve used it for parties, but not so much that we’ll miss it. It can hold whatever else needs corralling.

2. I’m putting the rattan basket that I use for recycling paper UNDER the icebox. The icebox stands on legs and is fairly far off of the floor. The space underneath currently amasses an assortment of boots, shoes, slippers and dog toys (no, Ginger, those are not all the same thing!!) I’m thinking that by having the recycling bin right there by the door, the junk mail, newspapers etc can be corralled right away. I’m also hoping that by being close to the door, they’ll go OUT the door more quickly. Being underneath will keep it from being the eyesore that it currently is.

3. We keep a portable shredder on top of a rectangular antique flour canister. I’m thinking that can go on the floor beside the icebox. I’m really serious about junk mail not invading the house. I want it confined to the entry area. This way we can shred and toss right at the door.

4. I’m going to hang a small magnetic basket on the far side of the icebox. I’m not thrilled about how this will look, so I want it out of sight for the most part. I’m looking for a simple plastic basket. The kind that holds whiteboard markers and erasers where I work. I’ll run the charger cords for the phones through the bottom and then the cell phones will have a charging home right by the door. No more mad dashes up to the bedroom for a forgotten cell phone sitting on the dock on the nightstand.

Shower Power

2010-01-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Some days I really long for a tub – you know, the old fashioned kind where you can sink down up to your chin without your knees popping out. I crave a soak.

Unfortunately, craving is all I’ll be doing. We have a shower stall – a nice one, but a shower stall. No tub. No soaks.

But I’m determined to make this a relaxing oasis for us. Even if I can’t have a bubble bath, I’m going to relax, enjoy and be restored. So I was jazzed about finding some ideas for making this happen.

1. Towel warmers; I grew up in an old Victorian house with radiators. It was kind of a family habit that we draped our bath towels and our clothing over the radiator before stepping into the tub or shower. I got accustomed to toasty warm towels. Boy was it a shock when I moved out of my parents house and into more modern digs and had to endure cold towels. I bought our first towel warmer off the clearance aisle at Marshalls about 6 or 7 years ago. We’ll never go back.

2. A textured bathmat: I saw one at Marshalls the other day that looks like stones in the garden, but I wasn’t too sure how that would feel underfoot. There are quite a number that are made with reflexology in mind however. I’m not liking the price tags all that much, but I’m loving the idea. I have to figure out how I’m going to manage this one.

3. Shower Bombs: This didn’t sound so good on first hearing. Apparently they make the equivalent of fizzy bath cubes in the form of shower bombs. Its supposed to release a mist with relaxing aromas as the water from the shower hits it. I ordered a package of Shower Fizzers from CameliaPureBeauty.com

4. A New Shower Head: I bought one of the shower heads that are supposed to feel like rain. Its huge compared to my old shower head. My husband has promised to install it this weekend, so we’ll see. At the very least, its new and shiny. And as long as the water pressure is still good coming out of the shower head, there’s no downside for us. And maybe, just maybe we’ll love, love, love the rain feel of the shower. Sounds like a tropical resort, doesn’t it?

5. Essential Oils: My yoga teacher suggested this one. She dabs a bit of essential oil around the edges of the showerhead before a shower. I tried it last night – and its wonderful. I dabbed a few drops of lavender oil and spread it all along the outer edge of the shower head (the old one) before my bedtime shower. As the hot water splashed out of the showerhead, the scent from the oil wafted all over the place. Love it.

Baskets in the Fridge

2010-01-25T16:55:00.000-08:00

I was kind of taken aback -- I didn't expect so many comments and questions about my baskets in the fridge as a part of my mini-makeover of my kitchen. I thought everybody used baskets in the fridge and I was late to the party. I guess not.
Putting baskets in my fridge is the single best fridge organization trick I've ever learned. Its quick, cheap and easy. And it makes the fridge super organized and easy to work with.
I bought a handful (I think 4-5) of these baskets --- they fit on the shelves in my fridge perfectly. Each basket takes up the lion's share of half a shelf.
I designate each basket with a purpose. One holds leftovers, one holds snacks and goodies. Another one holds yogurt and breakfast stuff. Whatever suits your needs as a family.
Everything that belongs in that basket goes in that basket and STAYS in that basket. It makes it easy for me to know what needs to be replenished (or absolutely DOESN'T need restocking -- there is nothing worse than coming home with a ton of yogurt and discovering that no one has eaten the yogurt that is already in the fridge because it got pushed to the back of the shelf and forgotten about) I can see at a quick glance what we have enough of -- and what we need.
Everyone else in the house can see at a quick glance what is available for eating (without having to locate me and ask me personally). If its in the snack/munchie basket -- go ahead and munch. If its in the leftover basket -- its available for lunch. Eat it.
Packing lunches in the morning becomes easier and more streamlined with my baskets too. I just grab a whole basket -- take it to the counter and start packing. Everything I need is right there handy. When I'm done, the basket goes back in the fridge -- no muss, no fuss.
I seriously LOVE my fridge baskets ---

Tax Organization: Give Away

2010-01-23T17:03:00.001-08:00

Doing the drudge tasks is something that cannot be avoided for those of us without "help". I don't have a personal organizer, nanny, chef, housekeeper, chauffeur, butler or any other staff. I have to do it myself. But making it organized and pretty sure makes the chores go down easier. Mary Poppins was surely onto someone with that spoonful of sugar idea.....
So here's my spoonful of sugar for this week --- I have to begin collecting the documents I will need to do my taxes (psst --- so do you!!)
First off, I sat down with my beloved TurboTax from last year and make a list of every single piece of information that silly program will ask me for during the course of preparing my tax return. I typed it all out in a WORD document using the check-box option in bullets.
Then I make folders and stuck them into a cute little expanding file. I'll clip the checklist on the front (not shown in the photo -- too much information, I think) and check things off as they arrive and I put them in my file.
Its cute enough to sit out on the desk and not annoy me --- which means that I'll actually put the documents in the file quickly rather than lose them in the piles of mail and other stuff. That alone will help make my taxes go more quickly.
I'll also know as soon as I have everything --- which means I can start my taxes as early as possible -- and get my measly little refund as quickly as possible too. I like that.
Now, since I've decided to get a little more serious with this blog this year --- and since one of my strategies for getting more serious is to do some giveaways --- You benefit.
I've made up one extra Tax Organizer (the photo has mine -- tipped open so you can see PLUS one to give away --- that one could be yours) It has the expanding organizer, all of the folders, a set of blank labels (yours wouldn't be the same as mine anyway) and a generic checklist (mine is super personal for our situation).
Leave me a comment on this post to enter. I'll draw one name using the random integer generator to pick a winner. Make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you win!!
Give Away Ends Thursday 1/28 at 4:00 my time.
Best of luck!!

Christmas Comes to an End

2010-01-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

We had our final hurrah for the Christmas season this weekend. I know, its late, but its tradition. The Christmas decorations around here stay up until Martin Luther King Day. (We both have the day off and can do the work of un-decorating the house and get it all done and cleaned up at once.)

So -- MLK weekend is traditionally the last holiday party at our house. Always with the same friends -- and its always wonderful. There was snow on the ground, a fire in the fireplace, and laughter throughout the house. We rocked the Christmas CD collection one last time. And we ate and talked and ate some more.
I wasn't feeling all that energetic (been fighting off some kind of respiratory thing) -- so I wanted a menu that was festive, simple, and that I could make in stages throughout the day. Thank you Pioneer Woman!! Seriously -- this lady ROCKS.
I used her Pork Loin menu here --- I even made the homemade cranberry sauce (I may never eat canned again!!) This was the most amazing cranberry sauce I have ever tasted (and I made it myself!!). The second part of the recipe -- where you take the cranberry sauce and jazz it up more --- I could have skipped. I didn't skip it -- I made it..... but truly the cranberry sauce itself was so amazing, that the jazzed up version just paled.
So -- here was my lazy cooking plan (with a couple of menu adjustments from Pioneer Woman's menu)
Saturday --- make an Apple Pie --- these are seriously easy --- I got the apples from the orchard down the road (yep, they still had apples --- Got to love them -- I sent my husband to the shop. He tells them "My wife is making an apple pie". They pack a bag for him with a mix of apples perfect for pie. All I do is peel and assemble the pie --- Easy, peasy)
Sunday after church --- make the mashed potatoes --- I used Pioneer Woman's recipe to the T. Then I piled them all into my crockpot, set it to warm and left it sitting on the counter until dinner time. I made the Cranberry Sauce at the same time. Let it sit in a glass dish -- with the measure pulled out that I needed for the jazzed up sauce.
Took a nap (I told you I didn't feel like myself)
Around 2:00 Threw some greens and other veggies in the salad bowl and set it in the fridge. Salad -- done.
Around 4:00 --- cranked up the Christmas music --- started the Pork Loin. Mixed up a batch of popover batter (another tradition for this party) and let it sit on the counter. Pork Loin and Popovers went into the oven together --- my pork loin took a lot longer than Pioneer Woman's --- that was good, because it worked out perfectly with the popovers. Yay.
Around 4:30 (by now all of the guests are in the door and the wine is flowing) Zapped some spinach in the microwave while we ate a salad. Dinner is served.
Mine didn't look as pretty as Pioneer Woman's ---- but it tasted pretty darn good.

Kitchen Mini-Makeover

2010-01-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

I don’t have the time or the money for a full kitchen makeover – but I’d love one!! (that was just in case any fairy godmothers were listening!!)

So – I’m going to do a fake-over – I’m going to spruce up my kitchen on a budget of $50. Here’s my plan:

1. Completely clear the countertops --- Most of the stuff just isn’t going back. It will need to find another home --- in my home or at the Goodwill Store – but not on my countertop!!. Once they’re cleared, I’m sure they’ll need a good cleaning – and then the gleam will look and feel terrific.

2. Clean up the sink area --- this is something I learned from the FlyLady. Shine your sink!! I need to get rid of the old, moldy Brillo pad, the skanky sponge, and the nasty, drippy soap dispenser that I don’t use because it leaks (which is how it became nasty and drippy in the first place) I need new sponges (I want the cute ones with the colors and the patterns. I saw some striped ones at the Odd Lot store that I adore) I’ll look for a new soap dispenser at Home Goods (I abhor the ugly plastic bottles that dish soap comes in)

3. Sweep the floor, mop the floor and put down new throw rugs. Some of mine are looking a little sad (especially the one Ginger has been pulling at the edges of --- silly dog). Although the kitchen is blue and yellow (very French Country), I’m thinking that a splash of Cranberry Red might brighten it up for the long cold winter (not to mention not showing the slushy, muddy boot prints and paw-prints all winter).

4. Clean out the fridge and put in new baskets and a new can dispenser. Seriously, these are the best fridge tricks I ever learned. I keep the seltzer cans in a rolling can dispenser (we’re not real soda or beer drinkers – but seltzer – that’s a different story). And I keep plastic baskets on the lower shelves. Each basket contains a different category of item. There’s a salad basket – with all of the bags of pre-washed lettuce, baby carrots, bottles of salad dressing, and other veggies for salads. Want to make a salad? Just pull out the basket and you’re ready to go. There’s a condiment basket – it corrals all of the odd bottles of ketchup, mayo, mustard etc that seem to wander around the fridge and get in the way. All of the various fruit juices go in another basket for easy grab-and-go in the morning. Right now I need new baskets (or a serious trip through the dishwasher for the ones I have!)

New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T03:32:00.000-08:00

The new year is nearly upon us --- again.
New Year's Eve is a holiday that we celebrate in our household -- more than usual. Its our anniversary!! Yes, you heard that right. We got married on New Year's Eve. We figured it was a fun date, we'd never forget it, and we'd always have something special to do on that date. We were right!
This year we have the privilege of spending it in Seoul Korea with my husband's daughter (she lives here --- and yes, you read that part right too --- I'm sitting on the floor in Seoul, posting on my blog. Crazy eh??) So this year, the celebration is a little bit different. We spent the day touring a palace (in the freezing cold) and having our first taste of BiBimBap (wonderful!) and tonight we're snuggled up enjoying Korean home cooking and the grandson's attempt to fly his new remote control helicopter.
Usually we spend the early part of the evening with friends --- hors d'oeuvres are the standard. Then we all head out to a black tie gala with our ballroom dance group. Its an elegant and fun evening --- and quite the way to celebrate both the New Year and our anniversary.
Our standard contribution to the hors d'oeuvre menu is beef and pepper dip.
I know some of you (Shaw's shoppers!!) have a ton of free sour cream and cream cheese you're dying to use up --- here's the way to go.

Beef and Pepper Dip

1 package cream cheese
1 container sour cream
1 jar of dried beef (in the tuna aisle, please)
1 bell pepper (pick your favorite color)
paprika

Take the dried beef out of the jar and snip it into tiny little strips using kitchen shears.
Cut the bell pepper into thin strips. Cut each strip into half or thirds to make dipping easier.
Mix the sour cream and cream cheese together in a small casserole or small crockpot (the easier method)
Mix in the beef and the pepper.
Heat until bubbly
Sprinkle the top with paprika (until it looks terrific)
Serve with Triscuits or some other substantial cracker.

Christmas Outside

2009-12-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

The amount of work that goes into decorating outside the house is enormous --- and never do I appreciate my sweet, willing husband more than when we're knee deep in snow, hanging lights and greens and he is still whistling Christmas tunes. He is one amazing man.

All of this work was done AFTER we had driven up to the mountains in Vermont to pick out the perfect Christmas trees for OUR house --- and trees for my mom and my sister's houses too.

What a great guy!

Christmas in the Kitchen and Dining Room

2009-12-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

I'll just admit it: I have way too much Christmas and holiday stuff in the form of dishes, glassware, and the like. But don't go signing me up for Holiday Dishware Anonymous --- I love it. I change out all of the dishes, the candles, the glasses. For the two months of Christmas at our house the whole atmosphere is festive from Breakfast to Bedtime Snack ----
Dishware is cheap --- and its fun, festive and fancy. No one ever needs to know what you did or didn't pay for holiday dishes and glasses. They always look more impressive than they are.
Now the Coattails Way means searching out classy, chic dishes and glasses --- cute is fine -- CUTESY is not. I don't do teddybears, geese or silly things.... I do DO whimsical, wistful, and wonderful!!
My dishes are an old CVS find --- during the 90% off clearance after Christmas one year (and that was before I learned to CVS like a pro) Most of my glassware is either freebies from Arby's (or somewhere like that) or from Dollar Tree. The rest are gifts and clearance finds ---- they still look wonderful and make the holiday merry and bright
See what you think

Christmas Mantle

2009-12-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas gets a little nutty around here. We go all out with the decorating. Two trees enter the house (confuses the heck out of the dog). The fireplace mantle gets a full makeover. Dishes get switched out in the kitchen, the dining room gets new linens, candles etc --- even the bathroom gets holiday towels and and a holiday candle.

But first -- our mantle. I've been collecting things for many years --- they all get switched around and used in some different way every year. This is the mantle this year.

I created a forest of little trees along the line of the mantle. One end is anchored by my adorable Snowman and an old Norwegian horse that I love.

The center of the mantle is two giant pinecone ornaments that I found a few years ago. I love these things. They're dramatic and wonderful and showy and Christmassy --- and I love them in the center of the mantle.

Faux Jewelry

2009-12-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

I’m gearing up for the holiday party whirlwind (it starts next week for us). I love getting dressed up and feeling glamorous --- its very much part of the “on the coattails” thing. But I’m not spending a fortune doing it. Part of what takes a simple classy outfit (like my tuxedo) up the notch to positively glamorous is the jewelry. Nearly all of my jewelry is costume stuff from high-end stores like Claires, Target, and the Icing (yeah – high end!!) So I got some advice from a friend of ours who runs a jewelry store (the real kind – the kind I can’t afford) on choosing costume stuff that doesn’t scream “cheap”.

· Watch the stones. Cheap costume jewelry often has brightly colored stones that simply could never occur in nature. Go for the flatter, duller stones when you’re looking at colored “gems”.

· Buy something big enough to be impressive, but small enough that no one looks at it and “knows” that you could NEVER possibly afford a real stone that size. My faux diamond earrings do this terrifically for me. Where I work, a lot of the women have much, much larger (gaudy, almost) diamond studs in their ears. Mine are large enough to look great. But if I had studs as large as some of the ones I see, everyone would instantly know they were fake.

· Watch the setting. You want to see prongs around the “gem”. A lot of cheap jewelry is glued together and that’s it. Good jewelry is held into the setting using prongs to hold the stone. No prongs announces FAKE, FAKE, FAKE from 10 feet away. (or however close you can see the missing prongs)

· Shiny fake gold looks fake. Brushed fake gold and matte fake gold can often pull it off. Watch the super shiny stuff.

· Take super good care of it. The fake stuff scratches like crazy which is a dead giveaway that its cheap. Watch that it doesn’t wear away over time and show the base that’s underneath the coating of fake gold.

Countdown to Thanksgiving: The End

2009-11-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

Last week --- If you’re working alongside me, hopefully you’re experiencing a deeper awareness of why we celebrate this holiday (no, its not about the turkey!!)

As I move this close to Thanksgiving, its time for me to explain about a quirky holiday tradition in our household. Each Thanksgiivng, I select a couple of people for whom I am especially grateful this year. It can be for any reason --- just people who have made that quiet difference for me – and who deserve to know that – and to feel my appreciation. I spend some quiet time – with a pen and some nice stationary --- and write them a letter explaining why I am so grateful for them in my life right now. I generally mail them right before Thanksgiving.

So the first item on my to-do list this week is to write my Thanksgiving letters. My first one is going to our dog school teacher – without her, our dog would still be a complete and total wild child – she and we would be much less happy together. Without Leea and her work with us, this might not have been a successful rescue of a beautiful animal. Whether Ginger knows it or not, she owes Leea her life --- she’s one happy dog because of the work that Leea does.

My second Thanksgiving letter this year is going to a colleague at work. She is the person who checks on me when things are stressy. She leaves me little notes to cheer me up. She always has something positive to say – even after an awful meeting. She just makes life at work better. And she’s not even aware of how much she does this – and how huge a difference it makes for everyone (not just me). So she gets a letter this year.

The rest of my list for the week looks like this:

· Finish up the shopping for Thanksgiving dinner.

· Pick up a bouquet from Double Decker Farm --- I so love their vegetables and flowers – there won’t be all that much left – the season is really over – but Deb does such a terrific job with bouquet wrangling that it will be beautiful – and certainly more elegant and lovely than anything from the supermarket or florist.

· Pick up a bag of ice --- I want cold drinks for Thanksgiving!!

· Set up the timeline for cooking --- if I don’t plan this out like a military operation, we’ll be eating Thanksgiving dinner in six courses – based on what’s done when. Not fun. I take the time to back everything up from T-Time to know when to start what.

· Set out all of the necessary pots and pans with sticky notes about what gets cooked in each one. There’s nothing more frustrating than going to cook the potatoes and realizing that you already used the only pot they’ll fit in --- Plan ahead and label everything.

· Set out and label all of the serving dishes --- Need I repeat? It also makes it so someone else can actually be helpful in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day – not just in the kitchen and in the way.

· Tuesday, I’ll do the baking – all the pies and quick breads. The bread can wait until Thursday itself since it bakes in the bread machine and doesn’t tie up my oven.

· Wednesday night, I’ll set the table. Its nice to get up in the morning and be greeted by a lovely table all ready for Thanksgiving. We’ll eat breakfast at the kitchen counter….. that’s why I got those stools anyway, isn’t it??

Countdown to Thanksgiving

2009-11-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

I’m moving into week three of the Thanksgiving countdown – and I’m more in the spirit of Thankfulness than ever. I’m feeling like the holiday will run smoothly this year (that might be wishful thinking – but the planning and preparation are at least good mental energy). I’m continuing this week to focus myself on being aware of my blessings. I remember a hymn from my childhood – count your blessings, see what God has done. That’s the biggest part of the plan this week.

· Wash the tablecloth and the cloth napkins we use for Thanksgiving (they definitely haven’t been used since last year ) Make sure there are no stains or tears that will make me not want to use them.

· Beg my husband to sharpen the carving knife for the turkey. I cannot stand that every man in my family seems to believe that five minutes before Thanksgiving dinner is the perfect time for this chore. I remember watching my grandfather do this every year. It was so predictable that it became a family joke. My husband is in serious danger of carrying on the family tradition on this one. And this is one tradition I could do without.

· Clean out the fridge. As I keep shopping, I’ll need the room—Its no fun to try to clean out the sticky gunk with one hand while balancing the fresh groceries with the other hand. I want to get the jump on this one before the fridge starts filling up too much.

· Check the stores again – new week – new sale. See what from my grocery list is on sale or free this week.

· Burn a CD of gratitude music. Yes, I’m really serious. This is something I’ve wanted to do for years. There are so many wonderful pieces of music that remind us to be thankful. I want to gather a collection of some of my favorites and burn them to a CD as music for Thanksgiving dinner. If you have ideas for me --- leave me a comment – I’m open to ideas.

· Gather up my plastic leftover containers and match the lids to the containers. My stash of plasticware is a mess. Actually, it is well beyond a mess and has moved into complete chaos. If I wait until I’m packing leftovers for the gang, I will never be able find lids to go with containers and I will end up frustrated and tense. I prefer to feel grateful and appreciative --- matched lids and containers will move me in that direction (and will push my dear husband right over the edge into singing praises of thanksgiving – this is a bugaboo of his)

Countdown to Thanksgiving

2009-11-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

So – I survived last week’s start at getting ready for Thanksgiving. Its amazing how just starting the process increases my sense of gratitude and awareness of just how much I am blessed. So – as I continue my getting ready this week – I want to be very mindful and intentional about my preparation. I want to focus on being thankful as a mental preparation while I’m going about the physical preparations.

· Run the platters and special fall dishes through the dishwasher (some of them haven’t been out since last Thanksgiving – yuck)

· Do a real serious cleaning of the house --- that way the next two weeks can be just minor cleaning to maintain that….

· Call the salon and make an appointment for next week – I need a haircut before the holiday and if I don’t do it now, I’ll be cooking my turkey with a ratty hairband because my hair will be completely unworkable.

· Check out the stores for things on my grocery list that might be on sale this week.

Countdown to Thanksgiving

2009-11-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

Its time for my countdown to Thanksgiving!! I love this holiday. I love the fall and the decorating that goes with it. I love the colored leaves, the pumpkins, and the nuts. I love the spices and smells that go with Thanksgiivng. I love the togetherness of family and friends. And most of all, I love the awareness of gratitude that Thanksgiving gifts to us.

So – its time to begin planning and getting ready. Here’s my plan for this week:

· Pick up some decorative pumpkins for the table (just little ones)

· Grab one or two more potted mums – not sure where they’ll end up yet – but they always look terrific at Thanksgiving.

· Count up who is coming --- and invite anyone I can think of who might not have a place to spend Thanksgiivng (I’m a believer that “the more the merrier” was meant for Thanksgiving. I also believe that one of the ways in which we demonstrate our gratitude for our good fortune is sharing that with others – especially those who don’t have family and friends nearby with whom to celebrate)

· Write down the menu and an accompanying shopping list. A lot of the list will be on sale in the next couple of weeks – and much of it will be free with coupons and rebates – I need to know what I need to take advantage of that.

· Check the spice cabinet – there’s nothing worse than going to make apple pie and discovering that you’re short on cinnamon. I want to know NOW while I can still do something about it.

· Make a list of what needs to be thoroughly cleaned or repaired around our house in order to be company ready --- this way we still have four weeks to get it done!

Corn Fritters

2009-10-27T10:36:00.001-07:00

Corn Fritters: I can’t tell you how much I love corn fritters. When I was a kid, my mother was an absolute pro at stretching the food budget and making food that felt luxurious and special without breaking the bank. I didn’t realize until I was an adult with a food budget of my own to manage, just how creative she was with cheap food. Corn fritters fit that bill. They’re just good, satisfying food. They’re yummy. They’re festive. They feel luxurious and special. And best of all, they’re good cheap food. I found a recipe (from an old edition of All You) that brought back memories ---

Corn Fritters:

5 cups of oil (I will NOT be using that much)

2 1/3 cups of pancake mix (the kind where you just add water)

½ cup cornmeal

1 package of frozen corn

1 small red onion, chopped

Pour 2 inches of oil into a cast iron fry pan. Heat until water droplets snap back and sing (my great grandmother’s directions for knowing when oil is hot enough).

In a large bowl, mix the pancake mix, and cornmeal. Stir in 1 1/3 cups of water to make a batter. Stir in the corn and the onion.

Scoop 2-3 Tbs of batter into the hot oil and cook until golden brown and crispy (3-4 minutes each) Cook in small batches to avoid greasy fritters.

Drain on paper towels and serve. Yum.