Five on Friday: This & That

I was out and about for most of today, but thought I'd still link up for Five on Friday - so I'm just going to share a bit of this and that. 

ONE

My diffuser even has a nightlight - nice for night time, especially if I put it in my daughter's room for a while.

I know that essential oils have been big in the past few years, and I'm a little late to the party, but I've been loving them lately! A couple of friends of mine (& they are fellow hockey mom's) have been very into them lately and sharing lots of fun info and products with me. I finally bought some of my own and have been having fun learning about them! One thing I'm doing regularly is running my diffuser.  It's been nice for adding extra moisture to the dry air, but also for picking out what oils I want to use for different properties. I've lately been into lavender for relaxation. Today I have a lavender and lemon oil mix going. So soothing. I've also been adding some essential oils to my water or tea. Peppermint oil has been great for headaches! Just dab some on the temples. I'm looking into making my own soaps, lotion, lip balm, -even deodorant! Love the idea of being so much more natural.

TWO

I've been slowly going through my office/craft room again and getting things organized. I have several projects I want to work on - but difficult without adequate room due to clutter! Plus, it's so fun to find the treasures I run into because of forgetting what I have sometimes! Lol!!

THREE

Ruby continues to be such a bright spot in my day. Tug-of-war is her favorite game by the way. ;)  But not only is she fun for me, but my MIL just adores her and Ruby is some of the best therapy she can get! 

FOUR

Annie had fun brushing and braiding my hair the other night. Is there anything more blissful than someone brushing and playing with your hair? ::sigh:: Pure heaven!  I've been looking at different styles on pinterest and thinking about giving my hair a bit of a chop this Spring!! I haven't had my hair shorter in quite a while - so I'm not positive yet. Here's a few styles I've pinned:

I don't know - it will be a BIG change if I go for it. We'll see!

FIVE

I've been thinking on some new Valentine's Day treats and crafts for fun. Here's a few things from my blog last year. You can find the post for the valentine's bars here.  And the post for the valentine bunting here.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm linking with Amy of Love Made My Home for Five on Friday.

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Pork Chops

This was a dish I made a few weeks ago that was a big hit! My in-law's loved them too, as I made them on a night I was bringing them dinner too. It was a recipe out of Fix It and Forget It magazine that had their "best recipes of 2015" in it. This dish was very tasty and the pork chops were nice and tender. I even used boneless and they were so good! This would be good with a homemade sauce or your favorite store bought bottle of sweet and sour sauce. The one thing I also added was I garnished the dish with cashews. When I make stir-fry, or other Asian inspired dishes, I often sprinkle on some cashews as we like the flavor and the crunch they add. As you can see I wrote what I thought of this one right in the book! Lol:

Wednesday Wonder

TWILIGHT TIME AND NIGHT TIME GLOW

Paper Weave Summer Scrapbook Layout

Hi Friends!

Well, if any of you folks that don't live in the northern regions of the world wonder how we do it - here's a few tips.  We take extra vitamin D. We look at gardening books and gaze at cookbooks with summer recipes to dream on in the future. We make summer inspired meals and grill indoors for a fun night. We take trips somewhere WARM! We watch the garden shows with products on QVC. And we craft and scrapbook summer ideas and layouts.  

Okay, maybe not everyone handles it this way....but I think a lot of us northerners at least do some of these things. Summer always seems so far away even as we get close to February. Our winters can start to feel endlessly long, so we do what we must to survive! Lol  Don't get me wrong. I love my northwoods and wouldn't live anywhere else (at least not full time). ;) I was looking through some older scrapbooks and layouts when I was working on some organization in my office the other day. I thought this one was a fun one and wanted to share. 

It's from a reunion obviously many years ago now. I love the fun summer colors and the photos of fun reunion activities like croquet.

But I thought what was really fun to share - was this weave pattern I did with the paper strips I had cut out. I cut them out with a 12x12 cutter that I have that will cut straight - or a wave pattern like this. Then I did an overlapping weave pattern at the bottom in the corner (alternating weaving the paper over and under). It adds a little more visual interest than just having the papers be straight.

Then on the 2nd page of the layout I added straight strips of paper on the right side, in the same colors as the left side page. I found this cute lawn chair sticker with bright colors that matched too - and fit perfect with my family reunion theme. Such fun! That's my favorite part of scrapbooking. Finding fun stickers and choosing the color and design I want to use to fit that layout. 

No matter what part of the world you're in - sending you warm thoughts! 

 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello Friends and happy Monday! Buckle up - here comes another week. 

We spent the weekend out-of-town for hockey, so it's nice to be home and I feel ready to jump into this week! 

The weekend was fun and both my daughter and son had hockey and both teams did great! And I got to watch the Packers/Cardinals game at the hotel. It was SO exciting at the end and went into overtime -but we lost in the end. Unfortunately our season is done (sad face). But there's always next year!  On to today...

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

Frigidly cold again this past weekend and today! It was -12 taking my daughter to school and with windchill it was about 30 below zero! That's COLD!  They say a high of maybe 5 degrees today. However, it is supposed to warm up into the 20's mid week and stick around a while. Let's hope as I'm tired of it being so freezing around here!!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

1/2 of a traditional British english muffin (I got them this weekend at Trader Joe's - love that place and wish we had one around here!!) with lemon curd on it. Yum! Some blueberries and orange & spice tea.

  AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:

Looks like the freezing winter day it is. Clear, blue skies and sunny but very frosty windows and hard crunchy frozen snow on the ground.  

RIGHT NOW I AM:

In my office working on this and listening to some praise and worship music. Looking through some papers and my crafting things. I need to get this place more organized again!

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE:

Nice and tidy from being gone this weekend. Laundry catch up as usual.

ON TODAY'S TO DO LIST:

I don't have my MIL today as my Mom is taking her all day to give me a "catch up" day from the weekend. I just LOVE that woman!! And I'm going to take my MIL a full day on a different day this week.

CURRENTLY READING:

My mind is all over the place with reading lately. I don't know what's wrong with me but I can't seem to stick with one book and keep jumping around! I keep gobbling up my magazines and newspaper though. 

ON THE TV TODAY:

Lots of shows taped. SNL, Downton Abbey, The Good Wife, Cooking shows, some movies...

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY: unsure - need to get groceries so will probably be something simple with what's on hand around here - maybe a salad bar night

TUESDAY: tacos 

WEDNESDAY: hockey/religious ed night so again something fast & simple: breakfast for dinner or sandwiches/soup

THURSDAY: honey mustard chicken, baked potatoes, this pasta salad

FRIDAY:spaghetti with homemade meatballs, garlic dinner rolls & salad

WHAT I AM CREATING AT THE MOMENT:

Valentine's cards, scrapbook organization

NEW RECIPE I WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:

the honey mustard chicken is a new recipe

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Before we leave for hockey weekends, or other getaways, I always make a check list. I have done this forever and it helps me so much so I don't forget things! So I write down the items I want to be sure to remember to take (like I always need my own pillow), phone chargers, my daughter's stuff for the hotel pool etc. I also write down things I might need to inform my Mom (she stays at our house and watches it and Ruby while we're gone). I then check off my list as I get the items accomplished or packed. Such a simple thing but has save me many times! I always double check it right before we leave. 

FROM THE CAMERA:

I often share photos of my daughter, but I thought I'd share some of my son today (even though he'd hate it). Such a teenager, but sshhhh and he'll never know. ;)  He plays defense so he's often tough against the boards trying to shut down the offense.

He always works hard to protect and defend his goalie!

There he is in action! My favorite - number 26. He also often takes shots on goal if he gets an opportunity and has scored in the past!

More glimpses of my hockey world. Lol! Ouch, I think that #40 got hit deflecting the puck on this one.

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I'm linking with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Five on Friday:A Winter Week

Hello Friends and TGIF! 

I'm so glad it's the weekend. It was a busy week around here, but I'm ready for things to slow down a bit. We have hockey (but of course when don't we? Lol), but other than that should be pretty mellow. Happy to be back at a less hectic post holiday pace. So today I thought I'd show you some highlights from my winter week.

ONE

It's been a pretty cold and snowy week. One day it was so cold below zero (-23 F) that I even had Ruby wear her fleece coat when she went outside. And of course, after being out in the cold one needs to snuggle up in a ball on the couch. :)  

The snow has been pretty and here's a video clip of my daughter serenading me on piano while I sip my morning coffee before taking her to school. Love watching the snow fall.

TWO

Well technically this was last weekend, but I had my girlfriends over for our belated Christmas gathering at my house.  One of the dishes I made was apples and toffee dip. First, cut up red and green apples and toss in pineapple juice. It doesn't affect the flavor, but the apples WILL NOT turn brown. Can have them done hours before the party!  It works amazing every time!  Then take an 8 oz cream cheese, and whip together with an 8 oz. cool whip. Then mix in about 2 Tbsp of caramel butterscotch ice cream topping. Spread out in a dish. Drizzle more of the caramel on top in a pretty pattern. Then sprinkle toffee chips on the top and chill. SO yummy & easy!

THREE

My daughter loves reading chapter books out loud together at night before she goes to bed. Sometime Ruby likes to get in on the action too! Lately we've been loving these Whatever After fairytale series of books. They're so magical and funny! A brother and sister find a magic mirror in their basement and it will whisk them away into different fairytales. While they are there - they usually end up accidentally messing up the tale, somehow, but often it works even for the better. As in something like empowering a princess to know that she doesn't even really need a prince and she's strong enough on her own. Lol!  Very cute. 

FOUR

I've had a bad case of Spring Fever this week (you can ready about it in my previous post also) and doing far too much dreaming on days like in these photos!

FIVE

I love these new frosty candles and candle holders I received at Christmas time and put them on my hearth. I miss the glow of the Christmas tree at night, but I've been keeping a lot of wintery candles glowing at night.  They still feed the soul in a magical way.

I'm linking with Amy from Love Made My Home for Five on Friday.

Delicious Asian Coleslaw (& Dreaming)

I have just been having one of those January weeks. The kind where I'm already dreaming on Spring and Summer....even though I know I have a LONG time to wait!  I don't know what's wrong with me, or why I punish myself this way.  I was born and raised here. Lived in the North my whole life. One would think I would get a grip! 

But as I've gotten older - I find that I always have this little lapse this time of year. Once the holiday hoopla has slowed down and it's just me and the cold and the snow...I get horrible Spring Fever!! Don't worry it will pass. And then I'll catch it again REALLY bad in March. But in the mean time sometimes I need to look at warm weather photos and dream on light summery recipes. That's why last week I made BBQ with that yummy orange pecan slaw side dish. So please indulge me another moment today.

Last summer at the beach and our docked pontoon

Last summer at a family reunion on the lake - Annie swimming with a cousin, and her and I on a pontoon boat

So I was looking at some of these photos from last summer. And the bottom ones are from a family reunion. It triggered a memory for me of something we ate at the family gathering. My cousin and his wife made this most delicious Asian coleslaw side dish to go along with our other yummy picnic food at the reunion. It was so different than other kinds I've had and I just fell in love with it! I don't think I ever remembered to share it with you all back then - so I'm sharing it today. Just in case you're having the same problem I am and need a summer time fix. ;) 

ASIAN STYLE COLESLAW

2 c shredded red cabbage

1 c shredded Napa cabbage

2 carrots, grated

6 scallions, chopped

1 jalapeno, minced

3 Tbsp sesame oil

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp Sriracha

1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

1/2 c honey roasted peanuts

1/2 c raisins

- Place the cabbages, carrots, scallions, and jalapeno in a largo bowl.  Toss to combine.  

- Mix the sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, Sriracha, and ginger together.  

- Add the dressing to the slaw, toss to combine.  Add the raisins and peanuts, toss again.  

- Refrigerate for 1-4 hours before serving.  

Wednesday Wonder

Window View on a Snowy Day

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello my Friends! Ready to begin a new week? 

I'm not sure either, but here goes! Lol  It was a good weekend over here. I'm still not 100% - but I'm almost there.  I had a belated Christmas gathering with my girlfriends at my house on Saturday. We've been doing it every year for close to 30 years!! I treasure that time with them, and I'm so glad I felt better so it could happen.  

Again, thank you for your kind words and support! I think that along with some physical issues, the stress of caregiving has been affecting things. My MIL has been worse over past few weeks and it gets very difficult and draining some days. We have looked into a memory care adult day service facility that may be taking her 1 day a week now - which will help.

Plus, the Packers won, and the Vikings lost this weekend....so just sayin' - all is truly getting right in my world!! ;)

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

It was -10 when I took my daughter to school, but with windchill probably closer to -20.  It was really cold this past weekend too. Looks like mid week it'll warm up a little, but then be in single to minus digits by next weekend too. Bbrrr! I know I live in the north, yet as I age I get wimpier and start dreaming on Spring and warmth by about this time. ::Sigh:: - I still have MANY months to go before that happens. 

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

Peach yogurt with granola and some banana.  1/2 cup of coffee (trying to cut down my caffeine)

  AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:

Many of my windows have little bits of frosty as it's so cold!! Still snow on the ground, but hard and crusty now with the severe cold. 

RIGHT NOW I AM:

Resting with Ruby as I write this and watch some of the news. 

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE:

Still pretty clean from the gathering I had this past weekend. My hubby was so helpful and helped me get the groceries and clean up, so the party could still happen. That was my final Christmas gathering - as you can tell it goes on for weeks around here! Lol  I threw in my laundry already, and just have a few dishes to load in the dishwasher.

ON TODAY'S TO DO LIST:

I need to go pick up my MIL pretty soon and take her for a pedi appointment. She has several pretty hard thick nails, that make it difficult for me to clip - so going to start bringing her regularly as they have the proper tools. Then need to run an errand and then come home and rest a bit at the end of the day before I bring her home. 

*I really rested up this weekend, so I'm overdue to come around and visit many of you my friends, and I will get time tonight and will come say hello.  I truly feel like I'm finally going to be back on track this week!

CURRENTLY READING:

Didn't read much over the past weekend. Some magazines and the local newspaper each day. 

ON THE TV TODAY:

I watched the Golden Globes and they were fun! I still need to watch Downton Abbey and I have some cooking shows taped. Oh and didn't watch The Good Wife yet either. So glad it's back on!

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY: breakfast burritos with eggs,onion, red pepper, turkey sausage, cheese & avocado

TUESDAY: chili and pumpkin cornbread 

WEDNESDAY: leftovers

THURSDAY: tomato soup and grilled cheese with apple

FRIDAY:homemade taco pizza

WHAT I AM CREATING AT THE MOMENT:

Hoping to get back to scrapbooking this week. I've been so missing it!

NEW RECIPE I WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:

Nothing really new - but the pumpkin cornbread is a mix I'm going to try.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

We do a lot of "breakfast for dinner" and a fun way to get the kiddos involved is to use a muffin tin and fill it with different fruits they can pick for toppings for yogurt or pancakes. Or you can fill it with different veggies to pick for eggs/omelets - or when we have salad night the kids like to pick their own veggies.

FROM THE CAMERA:

Since I felt better I cooked for the in-law's this weekend and finally made BBQ dinner with the orange pecan coleslaw recipe I shared last week - it was really tasty!

...to a brand new week! Hope it's a good one!

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I'm linking with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Foxy necklace, a recipe, and an update

Hello to All and Happy Friday! 

I've been a bit absent this week and just wanted to check in and let you know that I'm doing o.k.  So here's the update portion of this post. Lol Early in the week I ended up in the ER due to some health concerns. I won't go on with details, but let's just say a new medication is helping and I'm doing much better. Today I have felt better than I have all week, so I'm definitely going in the right direction. I hope to get back to blogland more, although may be posting a bit less for a while.  I know I mentioned to some of you through email, and on your blogs personally, that I had some issues going on.  I just want to send out the biggest heartfelt thank you for your kind words and prayers. They mean so much to me...and I even get choked up when I think about it. I feel so blessed to have all the love and support from family and friends here, let alone the wave of love and friendship I feel from so many of you blogging pals!! It just makes my day when I read your comments, or visit you and see what you've been up to lately. You mean a great deal to me and I thank you so much for everything! Looking forward to good days ahead in 2016!!  

Alright, now on to some other things I'd like to share today. Around the start of the holiday break my daughter and I were enjoying a craft book she had purchased at a school book fair. It has many fun cross stitch ideas...and here is one that we worked on together for a fox necklace. I think it turned out pretty cute! One might even say it's "foxy"! ;) 

It had a nice hoop to make working on the project easier.

Once we finished with the cross stitch part, we put the trimmed down finished piece of material in the hoop-like necklace medallion. As you can see there are other ideas for making a necklace, or other craft, including cross stitch alphabet letters.

We then trimmed the rest of the material down to fit the necklace and adhered it to the back. The book and kit came with this chain also. Annie just loved how it turned out!

Since I kind of missed out on a lot this week - I thought I'd share a quick recipe that sounds really yummy! I didn't do much cooking this week, due to joint pain in my hands, but here was a recipe I wanted to try, and I still plan to make in the future. Sounds like a yummy side dish to me! 

ORANGE PECAN SLAW

1 can mandarin oranges, drained (11 oz)  

1 cabbage head 

1/2 c. chopped pecans

3/4 c. mayo

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Cut orange segments into thirds. Finely shred cabbage. Combine cabbage, oranges and pecans.  Blend together mayo, lemon juice, sugar & salt. Pour over slaw and toss together. Cover and refrigerate for 20 - 30 minutes.  

Doesn't this sound tasty? It sounds like a fun coleslaw kind of side dish to go with BBQ or a good sandwich. Or I think it'd be yummy to maybe marinate some chicken with some similar flavors, grill it, and then have this as a side dish.  

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!! xo

Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Monday My Friends! 

I can't believe how fast the time has flown by and we're here in our bright shiny New Year 2016 and my kiddos have gone back to school today. That means back to a normal grind and getting back on track! I feel like I've had a nice break and got lots of quality time as a family. We had several gatherings with friends and family over the past couple of weeks. We've also seen some movies, played games, played in the snow and ate way more naughty things than we should. All the things that a nice holiday break should have in it! But I am truly ready to get back to real life now. I, like most folks, resolve to eat healthier and move more in this New Year. I have not felt as healthy lately, and I know what I need to do to make it better. I have been praying about it and doing my devotional time - and I read recently 'This is the Way. Walk in It'  - and I am adopting that as my motto for 2016!!

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

Bright and sunny today. Colder though and some chilly breezes. It was only in the teens this AM - but reaching closer to low 20's now.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

Toast with honey & cinnamon and some hot tea.

  AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:

I see bright blue sky and the sun shining away. Small piles of snow all around. Such a pretty contrast of colors and brightness with the dark evergreen trees against a bright blue sky and the bright white (sometimes almost blinding) snow reflecting it all.

RIGHT NOW I AM:

BAck from an appointment this AM, right after getting my daughter to school. So I am getting to this late.  Making a plan for the week and trying to keep schedules and appointments straight. My son has several hockey things this week. We have charter coming to fix a router issue one day. We also have someone coming to look at our fireplace and chimney this week, as we're going to finally put a new insert in so it will work now - and be something we can flip on with a click of a remote! ;) 

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE:

Pretty tidy. We celebrated a belated Christmas with some family friends of ours that were sick over the holidays - so we finally made it happen last night.  They came over and we had pizzas and exchanged some gifts and then watched the Packer/Viking game.  Great fun!! So just the usual laundry and a few dishes to load.

ON TODAY'S TO DO LIST:

My MIL will be here soon so I will be doing caregiving for her this afternoon. I don't feel super great, so we'll probably hang out. WAtch a show, visit and maybe do some coloring or crafting.

CURRENTLY READING:

I've gone back to the Mistletoe Inn series and going to finish them up. Also, all the fun new year magazine issues coming up lately, so reading them as well. 

ON THE TV TODAY:

I have some cooking shows taped and maybe a movie or 2.

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY: Leftovers and salad

TUESDAY: chicken and vegetable soup with elbow macaroni

WEDNESDAY: light chicken salad

THURSDAY: BBQ ribs, corn on the cob & orange pecan coleslaw

FRIDAY:maybe out - not sure?

WHAT I AM CREATING AT THE MOMENT:

Nothing at the moment, but ideas in the works. Going to get back to scrapbooking too!

NEW RECIPE I WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:

The macaroni veggie soup and orange pecan coleslaw will be new recipes

TIP OF THE WEEK:

I think journaling can be so helpful in many areas of life. I try to read my devotional every day and I will often journal if I feel the desire to do so.  I have been praying and journaling recently about the healthier path I want to take this year, and it really helps me when I see my thoughts in black and white. It's somewhere where I can get truly personal with myself. I know it sounds weird, but if you tried it I think you'd see how it can work. 

FROM THE CAMERA:

This photo I found on pinterest looks SO much like my Ruby did as a puppy. I'm posting this because I'm excited as my Mom has decided to get her own miniature golden doodle puppy this year! She recently reserved one, for a litter that will come this Spring, from the same place where we got Ruby!! Ruby will have a regular buddy to play with, and my Mom will have a buddy to keep her company every day. Annie and I are especially excited for my Mom and can't wait! Lol

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I'm linking with Sandra from Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.