Easy Come...Easy Go...

Last week the sun came out for about a minute. The temperature warmed up into the low 50's and all of our snow melted. I was so excited to see that some of my fall pansy's had survived the cold. But then winter came back and reminded me that it's still January and we have a long way to go until spring. I just heard on the news that another winter storm is about to hit and that 39 states could be affected. I hope you don't live in one of them.

Sally

Tea of the Week

Continuing with my "make time for tea-time" plan, I decided that it might be fun to try a different tea each week. This week while scanning the 5000 teas at my local Kroger the Constant Comment caught my eye. I used to drink Constant Comment all the time when I was in college, before I started drinking coffee. I bought a box, fixed a cup and just the smell of it brewing made me happy. you can really smell and taste the oranges and sweet spice. It's funny how such a little thing as a tea bag can change ones whole mood for the day.

Sally

Do You Eat Breakfast?

I am a huge breakfast fan. I honestly can't imagine getting by with just a cup of coffee. Don't get me wrong, I've gotta have the coffee, but there really is more to breakfast. One of my new favorite things is Quaker Hearty Medleys
I like the apple cranberry almond flavor. It really does fill me up and that way I know I can make it until lunch. The other thing that I want to say about breakfast is that all of the hype about how people who eat breakfast tend to weigh less than those who choose to skip it, is in my opinions a bunch of hooey. If all it took to loose weight was a good , healthy breakfast, I would be at my goal weight by now. Really. Where do these guys come up with this stuff? All I know is that I LOVE breakfast and I'm going to keep on eating it regardless. There you have it. My weekly rant.

Sally

Chickens Undercover

When my good friends Jacqueline and Joni came to visit last fall, we did a little shopping. That's probably not very shocking. We shopped at one of my favorite malls, the one with William-Sanoma and Pottery Barn. That's probably not a surprise either. Anyway, Joni bought one of these glass dome cover things (which I'm sure has a real name). She took it home and is using it to decorated her kitchen. She sent me a picture of how she used it during the holidays, but it's on my phone and I can't figure out how to get it onto my computer. Take my word for it. It was cute. If you know Joni, you know that she's a pretty "cool" lady. In my attempt to be cool just like her I decided that maybe I should get one too. So I did.

Now comes the problem, what to put under the dome? I've tried several things and just haven't been happy with them. I was thinking that maybe I'm just not meant to be cool. But then, I happened upon these chickens at Hobby Lobby and decided to give them a try. What do you think? Cool? Not so cool? I can't decide.

Sally

The Peppermint Pig

When Angela and Dewey came to visit right after Christmas, they came bearing gifts. One of the cutest little gifts of all time was The Peppermint Pig. It's kind of like an edible ornament complete with a little card explaining it's history. This is a good thing, because while it's cute enough, you have to admit that a peppermint pig is kinda strange.

The gist is that that these pigs have been made in a little candy shop in Saratoga Springs NY for many, many years. Apparently in Victorian times during the holidays the pig was a symbol of good health, happiness and prosperity.

Our pig has been hanging around looking cute for a few weeks now and Alan and I got to thinking that maybe in order to cash in on the good tidings we needed to actually break the pig and enjoy the candy. So we did. It was pretty tasty and now we are waiting patiently for our Good Health, Happiness & Prosperity! (If I were you, I get a Peppermint Pig too,)
Sally

Cold, Snowy, Weekend

We woke up to a very chilly Saturday morning. From the sound of it pretty much all of you did too. It was actually 8 degrees, but by the time I thought to take a picture of our thermometer it got a little warmer. I keep telling myself that it's colder in Iowa, and for some reason that makes me feel a little better. Sorry Iowa friends.

My main goal and accomplishment for the day was to clean the house. How boring, but so needed. I prefer to do my cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping on one of my days off from work, but my little "fill-in" job at the yarn shop took up all of my extra time this week. I do enjoy the way the house looks and smells when it's clean, I just wish that it lasted longer. We already have little doggy footprints all over the hardwood floors. Lovely. Makes you ask yourself, Why bother?


My other great idea was to send Alan to the park to take some pictures. I think we need documentation of what Brown Park looks like in the middle of winter. I told him to be sure and get a shot of the sign. That meant that he had to get out of the car and walk around a bit. I think he did a great job! Thanks honey.

Sally

Another Spa Day for Maggie

It couldn't come soon enough. This was one stinky dog. All of the rain and yuck that we have had lately does not make for a fresh smelling puppy. I was hoping for Valentine bows this time, but I guess since we are on an 8 week schedule we will have to settle for St. Patrick's Day garb.

Sally

Do You Drink Green Tea?

Don't you just love the whole idea of "tea time"? I do and I'm not really what you would call a tea drinker. My mom was a serious tea drinker. When I was little I thought it was because she was from Boston. Turns out she just really enjoyed a good cup of tea. When Alan and I were graduate students in Wisconsin, living in married student housing and getting by on love we had some wonderful neighbors from Australia. Jim and Margaret were a little older than us and so much wiser. Margaret was a firm believer in "tea time". She had tea every afternoon around 4:00 and I had a standing invitation. Sometimes we had "treats" to go with our tea. I was not fond of the Vegemite sandwich treats but the regular biscuit treats were always tasty. Margaret taught me the importance of taking time every day for a "cuppa" and a chat as she used to say. Some how after leaving Wisconsin and starting a family and working "tea time" slipped away from my daily routine and got lost. I'm making an effort to reinstate it. All the talk about green tea and how healthy it is for you (and how it can help you loose weight) got me thinking that I should give it a try. I've stocked up on tea thanks to my friend Barb I even have some fancy tea and a fancy cup to go with it. Do you have to drink tea from a tea cup, or is a mug OK? It probably tastes better from a pretty china cup. Maybe I'll have to start a new collection.

Sally

I Had to Buy IT

I've always been a Barnes and Noble kind of gal. Very faithful and loyal a member of the frequent buyers club since way back when. That is until now. I think I've been so dedicated to B&N because that has always been the closest bookstore to my house. Like I said, if I'm anything, I'm loyal to my favorite, local stores. Well, the closest B&N to me now is not that close. As a matter of fact it happens to be on one of the roads that I try to avoid at all costs. The Borders bookstore is very close, practically right around the corner. It doesn't have a cafe, and I'm trying to overlook that little negative feature and focus on all of the great deals that I have found there lately.

I know you are probably thinking "what happened to Less is More?" I'm still trying very hard not to buy books, but since I started my new job I've needed to replace some of the children's books that I use for therapy. It's very hard to walk into a bookstore and walk all the way to the back and up some steps and not notice all of the books so nicely displayed calling out "buy me" "take me home" "you need me". I swear I can really hear them.

Today was one of those days. Books were screaming at me. Thank goodness I was able to control myself a little and leave with only one. The thing is the one that I left with is huge. It's really like two or three so I feel like I lucked out. When I tell you that it's a cookbook, you are probably going to roll your eyes and say something like "what the heck do you need another cookbook for?" Am I right? Well, I don't but I do. I saw this book Nigella Kitchen mentioned by another Blogger whose site I visit regularly. In Praise of Leftovers is the name of the blog and she's always cooking up something yummy. I also watched Nigella on the Food Network Sunday and I just love how casual she seems to be and who could not love her beautiful accent. Anyway, When I passed by the cookbooks, hers just jumped out at me. When I saw that it was 50% off plus my extra 10% member discount, plus the $10.00 off Borders coupon I just got in the mail, the thing was practically free and I was not leaving the store without it. So there. It sounds like I'm trying to justify bringing it home. Maybe I am just a little. All I know for sure is that I can't wait to open it up and start cooking.

Sally

My Kind of Weekend

It's Sunday evening and we are getting ready to watch the Golden Globe's. I usually have a strong dislike for Sunday evenings. The weekend goes by so quickly and then it's time to start the work week all over. This weekend zipped past too, but somehow I managed to fit in most of my favorite things. We picked Grace up from UK Friday night. It's a long story, but the short version is that the weather was supposed to get bad and she has "another" dentist appointment on Monday. She enjoyed her 4 days back at school and 3 days of class.

Saturday morning I got up early so that I could attend the first 2011 Block of the Month Club meeting at my local quilt shop. I wasn't going to join, but now that I've been to the meeting and finished my first block I'm so glad that I did. Check out my projects heading at the top to see more. Saturday afternoon we finally made it to a movie at the "cheap" theater just around the corner. All shows are only $3.00. That's just $9.00 for all three of us. We saw Love and Other Drugs and really enjoyed it. If you want to know more about the movie look under Books and Movies at the top. Sunday I shopped, cooked, knitted and sewed. Might sound like a boring weekend to you, but I enjoyed every minute.

Sally

Snow Day

Woke up this morning to another wintry wonderland like day. We really only got a few inches of snow, but it was enough and the timing was just right to have school called off. At this rate these poor little kids are going to be going to school until July.

I worked at the yarn shop all day and we only had 4 customers. I guess everyone decided to stay home and off the roads. Good idea, because Louisville drivers do not have a clue how to drive in questionable weather.

I'm sure that winter is doing it's thing at your house too. My recommendation is: stay home, stay warm and drink lots of hot cocoa with marshmallows unless you are doing the South Beach Diet and then it's water for you.

Sally

Last Day of Vacation

Grace spent her last day of winter break chillin' with her cat, and trying to stay warm. I'm not sure, but she just might be ready to get back to college life. Maybe not dorm food, but a little more excitement than what we can provide here. She had such a great fall semester and now that she has that first one under her belt, spring semester should be a piece of cake.

Sally

Welcome Home Grace

I was going to call this post "How to Embarrass your Daughter", but honestly that was not my intention at all. Alan and I picked Grace up at the airport last night and I just happened to have my camera in my purse. You know me, I'm always looking for a good photo opportunity.

Grace was getting home from spending a few days in Iowa and catching up with some of her very close friends. (Thanks to the Strikes for taking such good care of her while she was there.)

Anyway, the airport was practically deserted so I didn't think it would be such a big deal, me taking a few pictures for the blog and all. Apparently I guessed wrong. If you know what's good for you, you won't take your camera to the airport.

Sally

Catch Up Saturday

So, the first full week of January has passed by in a blur. Are you keeping all of your resolutions? Every year I make the same ones. I'm hoping that 2011 is the year I can say that I accomplished them all so that next year I can start on some new ones. I'm sure my list looks pretty much like everyone Else's, with maybe a few exceptions. Going with the "Less is more" motto of this blog here is what I'm striving for this year:

Eat less

Exercise more

Sleep more

Worry less

Yoga more

Read more

Craft more

Correspond more

Complain less (I'm just throwing that one in cause I need another "less")

There you have it. I'll keep you posted. As you can see from the picture one of the reasons that I need more sleep is because not only do I share a bed with Alan, but also George and Maggie. It just might be that what I really need is a bigger bed.

Be sure to check out the other updated sections at the top of this blog.

Sally

What A Way To Start 2011

So, I started the new year off with a root canal. How about you?

Honestly this is something that I wish I had had done a long time ago, well at least some time in 2010. It is my first one and I have to tell you that I was feeling very uncomfortable about the process. I hate to say this because it makes me sound like a baby, but I hate going to the dentist. As far as I can remember I always have, so I'm guessing I always will. My Mom was the Queen of healthy teeth hygiene. I have been going to the dentist twice a year for cleanings(not to mention fillings etc..) since I was three years old. That's at least 90 dental visits to date not including all of the times I had to go just to take own my kids. I figure if I have to go to the dentist twice a year so do they. What's fair is fair. I'm sure they will thank me some day. Thanks Mom.
Sally

Happy 2011!

Happy, Happy New Year!

I hope that you celebrated in style, whatever your style might be.

We were so lucky to get to share the day with our closest, oldest friends. Angela and Dewey stopped by for a visit. Honestly I think they just wanted to check out our new house. Every time we have moved, they have made it a point to visit. I'm sure they are secretly giving us some kind of special "new house blessing", which we greatly appreciate, because they have connections if you know what I mean.

Ang and I are old school pals from LSU. I'm sure it's because of her that I made it through our acoustics class. She's an amazing speech pathologist (who should have gotten a PhD) and one of my very best friends. Her husband Dewey is also pretty amazing. He and Alan have had to listen to Angela and I talk and talk and talk for hours, because that's what any good speech pathologist does. We love spending time with them and I can't think of a better way to spend the last day of 2010.

Sally