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Its like Christmas all over again

Look what came in the mail today. I was so excited I couldn't contain myself.

I am a big fan of Mrs.O and I am going to digest this from cover to cover!


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Apple Cobbler - Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom!

Every year in August I go peach picking and then spend a whole day baking peach cobbler. I bake enough to give out to family and friends and to last us through the winter. (My gosh I sound like Laura Ingals.)

It took me a while through trial and error to perfect my peach cobbler recipe and I am darn proud of it. However, my husband and mother were pestering me to make apple cobbler. (My husband is still pestering me to learn how to make cherry cobbler. Does anyone have a great recipe?) I will admit there were a couple of things holding me back from making it. One, I only found recipes for apple crisp or brown betty and I wanted something that was distinctly like a cobbler with a cake like topping . I am picky about cobbler and do not like them made with a crumble or pie like top. Two, I am always a little intimidated of baking with apples. I don't know why but I just am. I think this is part of the reason why I shy away from making pies.

Well one day while perusing my cookbooks I came across a recipe for apple cobbler in the Frugal Gourmet Cooks American. (I have a lot of cookbooks and I will admit that was the first time I cracked it since I bought it several years ago.) The cobbler topping was very similar to the one I use for my peach cobbler, so I was sold in trying it. The recipe turned out to be very simple and fast. The hardest part was slicing up the apples. Plus it's super yummy. You can see I enjoyed it immediately with some vanilla ice cream.

Apple Cobbler


Filling

  • 2 lbs of baking apple cored an sliced ( I use a mix of golden delicious and granny smith)
  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar
  • cinnamon
  • sugar
Topping
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 lb of unsalted butter melted
  • 1/2 cup of milk
Preheat oven to 350.

1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in pan on cooktop. Add apples and saute till tender. (I use a my chafing dish which you can cook with on top of the stove and then bake in the oven. So I eliminate the need for two pans)

2. Add 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup of sugar to apples (depending on how sweet you like it - I add closer to a 1/2 cup to counter the tartness of the granny smiths). Add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Transfer apples to baking dish.

3. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Add milk and melted butter. Beat together till mixture is well incorporated. Mixture will have thick consistency.

4. Pour batter over top of the apples or you can  mix the batter into the apples in the dish like I did.

5. Bake approximately 50 minutes till batter is brown on outside and cooked fully through.


PS I know I am doing a lot of food posts this week but with the holiday I did a lot of cooking.


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My Grandmother's Recipe for Sweet Potatoes

Everybody asks me if I put crack in my sweet potatoes, because they are so yummy and addictive.  I laugh and tell them no but there is a secret ingredient which I will divulge later in this post.

This recipe for sweet potatoes is the one I learned to make from watching my grandma make them countless times for our holiday dinner. I was always eager to help out in the kitchen but being too little to really do anything substantial I was given the job as the taste tester. My job was to taste all the food and let her know what else something needed, more salt, more sugar, more milk, etc. Through observation and my special job as taster I was able to learn all my grandmother's recipes.  Making her sweet potatoes is my way of staying connected to her especially during the holidays since my grandmother is severely debilitated and lives permanently in a nursing home. I miss those special times in the kitchen with her and making this recipe brings back so many great memories.

I got the highest compliment from my mother last year when she said "You make the sweets just as good as momma used to make." That bought a huge smile to my face and is the best compliment I have ever gotten on my cooking.

Warning - this recipe is not for anyone trying to watch their figure. This is good old southern cooking at its best and it has the secret deadly ingredient of a lot of southern recipes, namely butter and sugar and LOTS of it. People are so surprised at how good they are but really its just the fact that they are so rich with real butter and sugar, something people appear to be afraid to cook with these days. Well I say live a little once in a while, especially during the holiday.

Also please note that I do not know exact quantities for this recipe and frankly I am too scared to measure. I just don't want to have any concept of the caloric intake of this dish.

Grandma Young's Sweet Potato Pudding 



  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Unsalted Butter (most times I use at least 1 stick)
  • Whole Milk
  • Sugar
  • Brown Sugar
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Large Eggs (1-2 depending on how large a batch you are making)
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
I prefer to prepare this the night before and bake right before serving. I think preparing a day ahead enhances the flavor.

1. Cut potatoes into quarters or eighths and place into boiling water

2. Once potatoes are fully cooked (skin will be slightly peeling away and fork will insert easily into potato) drain and run cold water over them

3. At this point the skin will easily peel away from the potato (I hate peeling potatoes and this is the lazy way to remove the skin). Peel all skin from the potato and place in large bowl

4. With potato masher begin to mash potatoes. Cut butter into chunks and mash into potatoes (I like to do this while the potatoes are hot so the butter melts easily.)

5. Add in sugar, brown sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon continuing to mash the potatoes.  Keep mashing potatoes until they are creamy and smooth. I try to eliminate any major lumps. You may add more milk to get them creamier. But be careful so as to not make potatoes runny, should have the consistency of pudding almost. (I add ingredients till I get the desired consistency and taste. Since I have seen them made and made them myself so many times I just know the right balance. Really it's about what you prefer. For example I tend to add more cinnamon than what my grandmother did and I modified the recipe to also incorporate brown sugar)

7. Place in casserole dish and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. They will get slightly brown on top.

My mother who is more health conscious now used to put additional butter on them on her plate to get them extra rich. Now I think that is just INSANE!


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DIY Weekend - And I Am Not Happy About It

Did not intend for this to be a DIY weekend but it is, to my dismay. We have to tackle the type of DIY project I hate - where there is no clear obvious difference in your before and after from a visual standpoint.

Our bathroom fan is not functioning correctly. So here is what we are getting ourselves into. Not sexy or exciting but absolutely necessary.


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Christmas Wrapping

Yeah I know the post is a little late but what the hey.

I didn't have many packages to wrap this year and in fact two were gift cards in plain legal envelopes but I did try to make them look pretty.

You can also check the post on my business blog.





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I Got the Kindle!




My special guy got me the Kindle for Christmas!!!! I wanted to do backflips.  I was so impressed that he remembered that it was something that I had been wanting for a long time. We took a cruise last fall and I saw another guest with one in the dining room one afternoon. Me being a major book fanatic was instantly captivated and I struck up a conversation about the device. The gentleman I was talking to about it had nothing negative to say and was gushing about how wonderful it was. At the time I just couldn't justify the price since we were saving for our wedding.

Didn't mention it much after that and in fact haven't talked about it for months. Well my husband remembered that it was on my secret want list. Ever since Christmas day it has been my little buddy - it is my companion every night before bed and when I wake up in the morning. I think this is going to jump start my reading habit again. In the past year with planning the wedding and now with launching a business my reading has slowed down to a snail's pace and I am lucky to finish a book a month. This is sad considering I used to go through 2-3 books in a week. Well I have already downloaded three books and I am well into two of them. 

I thought I would miss the tactile experiencing of reading but I don't. It feels no different reading the Kindle than it does reading a book. In fact I am finding that there are many advantages to the Kindle over regular books. Its light weight and now I can carry my whole library with me. I am someone who insures that practically every purse I own is large enough for a book and sometimes this makes my purse extremely heavy. So my pocketbook just got a lot lighter. The Kindle also has a built in dictionary, so no more creating a list of new words in the back of the book for look up at a later time (which I usually forget to do). I can instantly look a word up by hovering the mouse over it. I can also browse and buy books whenever I want and get them instantly. No more waiting for the UPS man. Plus they are way less than the usual Amazon price.

Now I will still buy traditional books but the bulk of my reading will now be on the Kindle.

It may just replace my Iphone as my favorite gadget ..... Nah that is just crazy talk. lol

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Cucumber Dill Salad

I remember my mother making cucumber salad during the summer when I was little girl. Her recipe was made purely with white vinegar and cucumbers. My mother loved it really tart. This is my take on her simple recipe but altering it to my craving for tart with a kick of sweetness. My father-in-law goes crazy for this recipe and I do too.

Like a lot of my recipes, especially the ones I learned from my mother and grandmother,  I don't have quantities because I cook to taste. And frankly sometimes I am too lazy to measure and write down the quantities. For easy recipes such as this the quantities of the seasoning is subjective and really can be what ever suits you best. However, for other recipes where measurements are critical I will always give exact measurements.



Cucumber Dill Salad

  • Cucumbers
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Dill
This recipe is best made a day ahead because it gives the cucumbers adequate time to marinate. 

Slice cucumbers to desired thickness. (I like mine on the thin side). Immerse cucumbers in vinegar. Add sugar to desired taste. I like a sweet tart taste but not too much sugar that the cucumbers loose their bite. Add dill. Refrigerate overnight and serve.

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Cranberry Sauce

I grew up on canned cranberry sauce and loved it. I didn't get to experience fresh made cranberry sauce till I was an adult. Because it was never made in my home growing up I just got it into my head that it was hard to make. Little did I know how easy it was until I found a recipe for it in Food Network magazine this past November. I made it for Thanksgiving and now I am cranberry sauce crazy.  I could eat this morning, noon, and night.  This recipe is so simple and tasty. It has just the right balance of sweetness and tartness.




Perfect Cranberry Sauce

  • 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries (can use frozen as well - I have only used fresh)
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • orange zest to taste (can also use lemon zest)
  • 2 tablespoons of water
Empty cranberries into saucepan with sugar, orange zest, and water. Cook over low heat , stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft - about 10 minutes. Increase to medium heat and cook until the cranberries burst - about 12 minutes. At this point you can add a half a cup of  cranberries to give it a little more of a tart taste.  Add additional sugar to taste. Cool to room temperature before serving.




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Meet Our Little Crumb Snatcher

Here is our little guy Donnie during Christmas dinner. Always ready at a moments notice for an errant crumb to make its way to the floor.

He may be old and he may be slowing down but he can still snatch a crumb faster than a blink of an eye.


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A Low Key Christmas



We enjoyed a very low key Christmas - it was just my husband, my mother, and myself. Because it was only three people I did not pull out all the stops for Christmas dinner. I kept it relatively simple compared to holidays of the past.

I pared down the menu and did a buffet in lieu of the full holiday spread with complete table setting with our vintage china. It was so much less work and I was able to enjoy the day more.  Plus clean up was a breeze since there were not stacks of vintage china to hand wash. I able to stick our appetizer plates from Crate and Barrel in the dishwasher. Yeah! However, my husband was not a fan of the little plates and he had to go back to the buffet numerous times to get his fill. But he was a good sport about it.




I even cheated a little and ordered smoked turkey breast and ham from Heavenly Ham. I didn't have the energy to brine and roast a turkey and quite frankly I don't think I can ever make ham as good as Heavenly Ham. Their ham is like a slice of perfection. I order one every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter and is the highlight of the holiday meal for me.

Here are the items I did make and will share my holiday recipes with you.

Sweet Potato Souffle - a recipe I learned from my grandmother and is a holiday staple
Macaroni and Cheese
Cucumber Dill Salad
Corn, Bean and Tomato Salad
Sausage, Apple Cornbread Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce

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Happy Holidays



Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

We have had a year filled with so many blessings and on this day we are especially thankful for all of God's gifts. We plan to rejoice and and revel in the love of our family and friends. Wishing you joy, peace, and love not only this day but every day. God Bless.

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My Goto Gifts this Year

Each year I choose one gift and give that to everyone. Some people may think this somewhat "tacky" and that it takes the personal element out of gift giving. But when you have a large list of people it just makes more sense. And this year I had even less time than usual to get gifts since work has been so demanding. I was ordering gifts as late as Sunday just making it in under the deadline for gifts to get there by Christmas.

I had two goto gifts this year.

One was Royal Riveria Pears from Harry & David. I constantly lament these days at the quality of fruit at the supermarket. It seems as though to get decent fruit you truly have to shop at higher end markets such as Whole Foods. So I look at Harry and David as an extra special treat.  Their fruit is always the freshest and tastiest I have ever had. Unfortunately it is not something you can have every day and is reserved for special occasions.  I would be over the moon ecstatic if I got a membership to their fruit of the month clubs. I keep promising myself that one day I will splurge and get myself a one year membership but I never do.




My other goto gift was the Brownie Sampler from Dancing Deer Company. After my auntie raved about them one year I consistently buy at least one of their gift sets each year. The packaging is so quaint and I love the wooden gift boxes which can be repurposed for other uses. Plus they are so rich and decadent.





Both companies have frequent sales throughout the year, and fortunately I was able to score free shipping in time for Christmas!

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Snow Day the Morning After - Digging Out

So while I was inside creating items for my etsy shop my husband was outside digging us out from the 14" of snow we got yesterday. While he was hard at work I stepped out to take some photos trying out my other lens (a 55-200MM).













After digging out the cars and shoveling the drive, walkway and sidewalk, I prepared a nice hot mug of chai tea with a ginger cookie.







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Got the Organizing Bug: Bookcases


Some of our basement bookcases. They are Ikea Billy bookcases that we built dry wall around, fastened together and secured,  and then finished with simple trim moulding to save on having custom built ins done.

I think its partly a symptom of the time of the year but all week I have been going around the house and taking stock of all the things I want to reorganize or redecorate in the house. And I must tell you that I have a long punch list right now. Most of the items are projects that will not require much money but could make a big difference in the look of a room. One of the projects that I started 5 am Friday morning was reorganizing our bookcases.

I am a book hoarder and there are books in practically every room in the house.  I have always been a voracious reader and it was a hobby that my mother developed in me. Every Saturday she would take me to the bookstore and buy me one book. She also bought books for me on my birthday, for Christmas, and as rewards for good behavior.  When I became old enough I went to the library every day after school and would spend hours upon hours reading my weekly selections. Even now I find it a special treat to be able to spend the whole day in Barnes & Noble. To accommodate all the books we have 5 bookcases in the basement and 4 bookcases in the office. However, I want the bookcases to be a little more stylish looking and not look so packed.

(I am also seriously contemplating thinning out our collection. Just writing that causes a pain in my chest. I love my books. But I reluctantly admit that every book is not worth keeping after being read. Some books are purely light reading, a distraction for the moment, a form of escape from the daily stress of reality, and after they are done should be passed on. While others are great books that I digest in small pieces and come back to again and again.)

Yesterday I put together an inspiration board of ideas I would like to put to use in our bookcases throughout the house.



All photos except for the bottom right are from HGTV, I can't remember where I found that one.

Some of the tips I want to use are

  • Arrange books by color. I think this will be somewhat time intensive trying to categorize them by color and also insuring there are enough books in one color grouping to make an impact. I mean who actually considers the color of the book cover when making their purchase decision of a book. But arranging them by color just looks so cool. I think we have enough books throughout the house to be able to do it.
  • Vary how you display the books - lay some on their side and others up and down.
  • Be asymmetrical - vary shelf heights, use dd number of display objects, place display items off center.
  • Vary the height of your accessories - mix large, medium, and small.
  • Be creative with your display objects and use a variety. You can use photos, vases, bowls, cake stands, statues, large rocks, plants, flowers, etc
  • Create layers with display objects - overlap photos, place objects in front of others, etc
I am going to see what items we have around the house to integrate into the bookshelves but it may require a trip to Ikea or Home Goods.

I will post pictures after my revamp. But I think this may be an ongoing process of edits but I know there is definitely room for improvement now.

Next up my closet!

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Did I do that?

Mathematics has always been a life long love of mine. It was my favorite subject in school and I would past the time as girl working the math puzzle books my mother bought me. So it was just natural for me to major in mathematics in college and I was even a PhD student in applied mathematics (I dropped out after 3 years - a story for another day).


A page from my numerical analysis textbook.


A couple of days ago I was happened to pick up one of my old math text books and was just stunned at the fact that I once fully comprehended everything in the book. If the notes in the margins weren't in my handwriting I would think that I was peeking at the work of a completely different person.  It made me think "Am I getting dumber in my old age? Is my mental capacity actually diminishing?" The hardest math problem I tackle now are applying percents and ratios in order to forecast revenue and expenses, the sudoku variation puzzles I do  for leisure, and calculating sales prices and tips. This is a far cry from the young woman who studied math theory and application ranging from number theory, statistics, optimization. I just sat there thinking what happened?

Well it is a classic example of use or loose it. I had trained and conditioned my brain for years to think a certain way and process a very specific type of information, namely mathematical theory. And like any skill set they get rusty without use - it has been almost 10 years since I was in my graduate program.


The most challenging math I do now. Look at the difference.

I always say that I will take the time to pick up one of my math texts and began to seriously study again, but it just gets pushed to the bottom of the list in terms of priorities. Right now I am more interested in cooking, photography, dance, and arts & crafts. Maybe one day I will be able to go back to my first love.

Did you work for years developing a talent or skill that you no longer use?

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Snow Day




Here is what our yard looks like.

Needless to say it will be a lazy day at home instead of the frantic day of last minute Christmas shopping I had planned. I willing be catching up on Tivo (something I never get to do), working on my business, gift shopping on the internet, and just taking occasional cat naps throughout the day.  Once the roads are cleared I will go out tomorrow.

Enjoy the snow and be safe.

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Making Laundry Fun - Is it Possible?

Is it possible to make doing laundry fun? My answer would be a definitive NO.

Laundry is the household chore I hate the most. I wait until its absolutely necessary to do my laundry. Thank God my husband does his own (I truly count that as a blessing). Roosevelt is very disciplined in doing his laundry and takes it very seriously. Every Sunday afternoon is his wash day where he goes to the basement to enjoy football and do his laundry. While most of us separate our items into whites, light coloreds, and dark coloreds, he on the other hand has a complex sorting system based on color, fabric and use of garment. I was a little intrigued at first but at this point it is beyond my mental processing and makes sense to only him.

So laundry day which is really 2-3 times a week is the most despised task in my house. (I have to do laundry at least twice a week to keep up on all our linens. I am a towel fanatic and change towels daily so they pile up.)

To make laundry tolerable I splurged last week and bought new detergent from The Laundress. I was introduced to The Laundress a couple of years ago via a magazine article that exalted the benefits of their products and how the two founders, Lindsey and Gwen, have taken laundry to an art form. These two ladies definitely know about laundry and have great tips about proper washing and care of your garments on their site. I made the investment of buying their product after purchasing custom high end bedding. I figured that after making such a large investment in linen that I should also invest in proper care so that it wear as well as possible over time.

I absolutely love their detergents. They truly are gentle on fabrics and the smell alone is a dream. I love when I sink into fresh sheets that have been laundered with their products. It is like heaven. Plus their products don't have harsh chemicals and are more eco friendly than most brands you buy in the supermarket.

I may take the complete plunge and do all my wash with their products and not just our bedding and table linen.

Here are the products I use, but go over to their website and check out their complete line. They have specialized detergents for baby (which we will definitely use when that time comes), denim, wools & cashmeres, and even pet wash.
















Please note that I have not been paid in any way to review products by The Laundress. These are simply my views as as an ordinary Jane telling my personal experience from a product I use on a regular basis in my own household.

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Christmas Wish List

Hopefully Santa feels I have been a good little girl this year.
















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The Fabulous Mrs O

I have a fascination with Martha but I also have a love affair with Michelle Obama.  I am always struck by her pose, down to earth attitude, and her clean yet simply elegant style. Yes I am a Martha Wannabee but I am a bigger Michelle Obama groupie.

So I was like a kid on Christmas when I rediscovered the Mrs O blog. I had it in my reader but somehow missed the message that they changed platforms and to update the subscription link.

Well they are back bigger and better! And Mary Tomer the author of the blog also has a book. I wish I had known about the book earlier so it could have made my Christmas list.




Check out some of the recent stylings of Michelle from the Mrs. O blog. (All photos courtesy of mrs-o.org)












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Faux Stay at Home Wife

I am a stay at home wife. A faux stay at home wife.

I hold down a full time job in corporate America, however, I don't drive or catch a train to work I just roll out of bed and walk less than 20 feet to my desk. See I telecommute. After years of driving at least 100 miles a day roundtrip to work I now work out of the comfort of my home.  Most of my day is spent  with a phone glued to my ear ( I really need to invest in a headset) on conference calls with my colleagues in our central office.  And  the other half of the day I am banging out Excel spreadsheets looking at a bizillion numbers and calculating all the ways we can turn a profit.



Here is a pic of what my desk typically looks like by about 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

I have been working full time from home for over a year now and as winter and the holidays approach I think back to last winter when I actually got a case of cabin fever and quite frankly went a little batty. It is not hard for me not to go out the house for days on end and to easily wear sweat pants or my nightgown all day.   Maybe I shouldn't admit this but sometimes I go days without combing my hair too.) And having as your only source of social interaction your cat and husband for days on end can feel as though you are being socially and intellectually starved. (Nothing against my husband because we have wonderful conversations but I think he also gets stressed from the burden of being my only social outlet most days).

When I tell people that I telecommute, their eyes literally light up and their voice goes up an octave and say with some envy "Wow, that must be sweet." Well it has its pros and cons.

Pros

  • You don't have the stress of a long commute
  • You have more flexibility in your daily schedule
  • You don't have to worry about office politics as much
  • You don't have the annoying coworker
  • You have the most comfortable work environment possible
  • You are always close to the bathroom
  • Your pet is with you all day providing companionship and love
  • You get more laundry and cleaning done than you normally would
  • You have the freedom to wear whatever you want, you set the dress code
Cons
  • You have absolutely no meaningful live human contact or stimulation (talking on the phone gets tiresome after a while)
  • You are more apt to miscommunication because you do not have key signals via facial expressions and body language
  • Becoming lax on personal appearance is easy to do (My husband has come a couple of times and utteredd "Have you even showered yet?")
  • No office parties, Secret Santas, or potlucks at holiday time
  • No best friend co-worker to console you when you have rough patches at work or when you want to share good news
  • You are not in the loop on office gossip
  • Sometimes the mantra is true "Out of sight, out of mind" which makes career advancement a little more challenging
Misconceptions
  • You work shorter hours while in fact you may actually work longer hours than your counterparts. I can start my day 1-2 hours earlier and I usually finish around the same time.
  • You watch TV all day while in fact I don't watch any TV during the day. Nada. Zip. NOT AT ALL. Not even morning shows which I used to catch before I left out when I was commuting. I do listen to NPR till about 8:30 then its silence for the rest of the day. The TV if it comes on does not get turned on till my husband comes home.
  • You have so much free time, while if work is really busy I barely have any.  During busy periods it easy to put in at least a 12 hour day and between juggling making dinner and taking of other household stuff that leaves very little free time.
I truly love my work situation but I do need to find away to avoid the cabin fever I had last year and insure I  get out the house every day.

I will leave for a latter post the pressure I feel in staying home and juggling the household chores as if I am a "real" stay at home wife. Pressure which is totally self inflicted.

Does anyone else juggle being a faux stay at home wife? What are the perks or drawbacks to working from home?


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Wedding Gifts Keep Coming




Last week marked our three month anniversary, so I was surprised when we got delivery from the UPS man yesterday.

It was a wedding gift from our registry. Now gifts at anytime are always appreciated but it was a surprise (albeit a pleasant one) to get a wedding gift. The gift came from a couple that did not attend our wedding but we will be guests at their nuptials next month.

If you have been following my wedding blog, you may already know that we had a very small wedding. We topped out at 36 guests down from the 48 that was our original guest list. I was skeptical from the beginning that we would get much off our registry. My husband and I went through the typical back and forth about the value of the registry. Me being a stickler for etiquette deemed it necessary and a way to guide our guests in getting appropriate gifts for us that we truly needed and would enjoy. My husband felt as though since we are older and more established the registry was not necessary and he preferred a cash gift. (Cash is always appreciated but it should not be first and foremost in your wedding gift requests). Since we had a long engagement we got quite a few registry items as Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, and from my shower.  We were also  able to complete a substantial portion through redeeming rewards points accrued on our credit card from wedding related purchases. (It was always a source of much glee for me when a vendor took credit card. Rewards cards are a great vehicle for paying for your wedding AS LONG AS YOU PAY THE BILL OFF IMMEDIATELY. I can not stress this enough. We paid for our wedding out right and no one should go into debt to get married. Go into debt for a home, for an education, but not to get married. Its not worth it for one day. Ok I am off my soapbox.)

I know I will be putting this buffet server to good use next week at Christmas.

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Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas

All I could say was OOOOOHHHHHH. AAAHHHHHHHHHH. PURTY!



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Got the Organizing Bug: Magazines






I caught the organizing bug this morning. Every so often I get an itch to organize some little item around the house and today it was the magazine collection in our office. We keep them neatly organized in magazine files and baskets from Ikea, however, I think our collection had just got to be too much. We had catalogs that I had stowed away with the intention of buying some bookmarked item that has long been forgotten. We had issues of magazines as far back as 2005 which have not been touched since their initial reading. Some of the magazines were hard to part with because of that nagging feeling that there just might be some useful tidbit of information in them that I will need at some future point in time.

To cut down on the magazine clutter here are the new magazine rules:
  • Only store 1 year's worth of issues of any one magazine 
  • All issues older than a year will be purged and recycled. 
  • Before magazines are purged articles of interest will be clipped and put into a clear plastic protectors in a binder.
I also had to seriously think about what magazines were worth having a subscription to because I am prone to being a magazine junkie. Here is what made the list and all other magazines will be read in the grocery checkout line, online, or when I am relaxing in Barnes and Noble (which probably doesn't make any magazine editors too happy - sorry!).
  • Martha Stewart Living
  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • Food Network Cooking Magazine
  • Martha Stewart Everyday Food







How do you organize and catalog your magazines at home? How long do you generally keep them? What magazines d you read religiously?

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Game Day

Yesterday was game day in my house. Everything stops when the Eagles are playing. I was fortunate though to get the opportunity to have Roe be my model for pictures.

Here he is in his game day glory. Enraptured by the Eagles at play. It was the first time also I fully shot in totally manual mode on my Nikon.







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Peanut Butter Anyone?

So my husband came home with this last week. He can't resist bulk items on sale.

Now what am I supposed to do with 4lbs of peanut butter ????????


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Dyn-o-mite

I just couldn't resist getting these at Target yesterday. They just called to me. We had a lazy day around the house and I have been lounging in them all day.

I think they are comfortable and cute. My husband thinks I am channeling JJ Walker from Good Times and is ready for me to break out with "Dyn-O-Mite!"


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Look what came in the mail today

I will be reading this tomorrow (Who am I kidding, probably tonight)


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(never home)maker
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