Snuggly

February can be so cold in Ohio! Since we just received a whopper of an electric bill, I decided to turn down the heat. Now my house is a little less comfortable than usual. This morning I heard my youngest & she was doing something in the laundry room. She came out wearing her North Face jacket & gloves & snuggling her blankie. I guess she was a bit cold & not used to the new temp in our house. She looked so snuggly that I had to get a photo of her. Don't worry, she didn't take the blankie to school. She asked me if I would put it in her room for her! Yesterday I was privy to a conversation at the hair salon (tried a new place & new stylist & I am "oh so happy"!) Two stylists were talking about their kids & breaking them of the bottle & their pacifiers. They each had a great attitude and had decided that this process would happen & that their kids wouldn't be lugging their bottle & pacifiers to kindergarten. Yep, I can agree with them, and they probably won't be taking the blankie to first grade, either! I loved the upbeat parenting attitude of these two stylists. Here is a picture of Miss Snuggly before heading out the door to school:

I am in full cleaning mode now folks! If you read my last post you will know that I was struggling to get motivated (Florida dreaming!) Now I realize that if I don't get going I will be filled with regret! Also, it helps that I have finalized our travel plans. Yesterday I was able to get my laundry room cleaned, as well as the pantry. I have put off the cleaning of the pantry for about 2-3 months. Let's put it his way, you could not even walk inside it, let alone try to get to the vacuum cleaner, or anything else for that matter! There is still one shelf that needs organized, but I am just thrilled that I can open the door & walk in.

There were two tricks that got me motivated to get these things done in a timely manner. The first trick was to use my "egg timer". I LOVE this thing! I purchased mine from the grocery (under $10) & here is what you will need on yours: a clip, ability to put in minutes or hours & a magnet. I put in the amount of time in which I would like to accomplish the task & then clip on the timer. It really helps to keep you focused on how much time you have. I also use it for the kids for piano practice. They put in their 10 minutes & start practicing. That way I don't have to keep asking "did you practice long enough"?

The second trick was that I had to take the day off from the computer on Wednesday. My hours online reading blogs, researching items (spring shoes, flights to Florida), & checking Facebook were really adding up. The homily at church on Sunday was all about addictions. Of course I sat there thinking that I was doing pretty well, with only a morning addiction to coffee. (Yes, my addiction to Hazelnut Creme coffee cannot be broken!) But then when I searched my soul I realized I was lying to myself. So my goal was to not even touch the computer on Wednesday. Well I cheated 2 times, but briefly. We will see how I do next Wednesday! But seriously, by taking the day off from the computer freed me up to tackle some other tasks. So I guess you have to decide what is holding you back from achieving one of your goals? Yep, that's right you might have to get out from under that cozy comforter!

The end result:

I hope you are starting off your February with a fresh attitude. We are expecting a winter snow storm in the next few days, so there will plenty of snuggling & drawer cleaning & probably a fresh pot of homemade soup. I will keep you posted:)

Getting motivated~not me! Aha, January is almost over & I am still not motivated to start my winter projects! Does anyone else feel this way? I have squandered my time on dreaming about vacation (and escaping the drawers that desperately need cleaned out!). Instead of hand cleaning & "waxing" my wood floors (another item on my list) I have slipped into another world. I am dreaming about the teal/blue/green waters of the Florida Keys. I am looking for dolphins in the distance...I admire those that write their to do list & stick to it! Another problem with the procrastination is that I start to feel guilty & wonder what I have done with the valuable time that I have let slip away. Too bad the guilt hasn't motivated me to get going!

Well, I better let you go. I am going to check on some flights for Spring Break! If I get motivated & start on my list, I will let you know. I will also let you know how I got motivated. In the meantime, feel free to send me some advice!!

Ahhhh, yummy holiday food!

Have you ever wondered why there are foods that we only eat at the holiday times & never eat them at other times of the year? I am super guilty of this mindset! I do have a wonderful recipe that I reserve for the holidays & I have even renamed it "Christmas Quiche" formerly known as "Spinach Quiche". It is delicious & can be modified to your tastes! I make this Christmas morning after all of the presents have been opened. When it is doen it has a beautiful appearance of red & green! It is easy, warm & delicious. If you entertain guests this would be wonderful with Irish coffee &/or mimosas. Enjoy!

Spinach Quiche or Christmas Quiche (not sure of original source!)

Prep: 25 min Bake: 60 min Oven: 450 degrees Stand: 10 min Makes: 6-8 servings

1 recipe pastry for Single Crust Pie (I use store bought, frozen, Pillsbury that is in a roll, allow a few minutes to defrost)

1/2 C. chopped onion (1 medium)

6 slices cooked bacon (sometimes I substitute chopped ham that is warmed in a skillet)

8 beaten eggs

1/2 C. dairy sour cream

1/2 C. half & half, light cream or milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Dash ground nutmeg (optional)

3 C. lightly packed chopped fresh spinach

2/3 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 C. shredded Swiss cheese

Cherry tomatoes cut up (optional) Sometimes I use roasted red peppers from a jar

1. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Trim; crimp edge as desired. Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4-5 minutes more or until pastry is set & dry. Reduce oven temp to 325 degrees.

2. Meanwhile in a large skillet cook onion & bacon until onion is tender & bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towels.

3. In a bowl stir together eggs, sour cream, half & half, salt, pepper, & if desired, nutmeg. Stir in onion mixture, spinach & cheeses. (& ham or roasted red peppers, if desired)

4. Pour egg mixture into hot pastry shell. Bake in the 325 oven for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent overbrowning. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. If desired garnish with cherry tomatoes.

This is such a great recipe that it can be used throughout the year! Also, I have found that it is so delicious that you won't want to eat the frozen quiche again! And yes, REAL men do eat quiche. Look for photos on Christmas day!

The 2 Day Event: Christmas Decorating

My typical indoor decorating for Christmas usually takes a day. This year was a different story~for some reason it lasted a full 2 days!!! It is nice to have it done! Here are a few tips:

1.Have a strong someone who will carry the storage boxes to the floor where you are decorating~this will allow you more energy to put into your decorating endeavors!

2. Have an idea of what you want to use & how you want it to look! Peruse magazines & blogs to come up with a general plan.

3. Give yourself a plenty of time to complete your decorating.

4. Try to enjoy it!

5. If you become frustrated, then take a quick break!

6. Don't be afraid to experiment!

7. Come up with inexpensive solutions to those vexing problems.

My vexing problem was finding a tree skirt that wasn't a version of red, blue or green. I needed something that was rather neutral & have used the same red/blue/green tree skirt for many years. I vowed to change it this year but kept finding the same color scheme at every store. After a lot of searching I found a fabric that complimented my color scheme. I bought 3 yards of a material that is used as a lining, so it has a pretty sheen. I would recommend purchasing 3 1/2-4 yards. I just tucked it around the tree & fluffed it & it is perfect!

The results are below. Keep in mind that when I took these photos it was daytime, but rather dark. Sorry about that!

the tree skirt

the decorated tree

my mini trees that occupy the transom windows

ornaments hanging from the chandelier by satin ribbon~a fun touch!