"29 days 'til spring. But who's counting?"
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Happy Birthday, Abbycadabra!
It is so hard to believe that 5 years ago, I became a Mimi! Yes, indeed, it is our dear Miss Abigail's 5th birthday!! In the blink of an eye...
My sweet Abby - you and your "magic hugs" that are meant to last until we see each other again - bring to mind this poem which is a favorite of mine and is a "gift" to you today. Happy birthday, Abby! Mimi loves you :)
My sweet Abby - you and your "magic hugs" that are meant to last until we see each other again - bring to mind this poem which is a favorite of mine and is a "gift" to you today. Happy birthday, Abby! Mimi loves you :)
Hug-o'-War
I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.
--Shel Silverstein
Friday, February 14, 2014
Never Too Late for Love
All is not lost - for me or for you, if you still are looking for last minute ways to share a Valentine message. Pinterest had some ideas for the procrastinators among us (or for those of us who would rather not blow the family budget on an 8 pound box of chocolates....well, we would, but...you know what I mean). Here are a few that I found.
Have a couple of bananas and a Sharpie?
Of course, if your Valentine has a weakness for donuts instead of bananas, this is a great idea - and the link takes you to a free printable from Remarkable Home - easy peasy.
And finally, grab a couple of tootsie pops and some construction paper...
P.S. I really wasn't kidding about an 8 pound box of chocolates. DeBrand's Chocolatier's was giving away this!!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Goodness Bakes!
After another couple of subzero mornings, it was time for our favorite morning (and evening....and lunchtime) dish (yes, once it's made, we enjoy it for any meal - it is THAT delish and THAT versatile...well, at least for us. We're not picky).
I give you - JoAnn's Baked Oatmeal (now JoAnn will tell you that this is Mary Sue's Baked Oatmeal, but I got the recipe from JoAnn, so there you go). This 9" X 13" pan of awesomeness will warm you up and fill you up anytime this winter (and next fall - yes, we do start early with this one - as soon as the apples are ready, hubby and soccer girl will start asking for it).
One of the great things about this dish is that, for the most part, it is quite healthy. Yes, it does call for some brown sugar -- but, I think next time we make it, I'm going to try reducing the amount. I'm pretty sure it would be just fine with half the amount or maybe even one quarter the amount (I'll let you know when I do -- or if you beat me to it, post a comment and fill us in on your results).
The other change (healthier, I think) we tried last night was with the milk and the oil. We used unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk (I hardly ever use regular milk anymore, but we have it on hand for hubby's cereal) :) And the oil? In the past, we have always gone with 1/2 canola and 1/2 olive. This time we did 1/2 coconut oil (melted it in the microwave) and 1/2 olive oil. I thought the whole dish would have a coconut "taste" to it (which we really didn't think we would mind) as it had a wonderful tropical aroma when everything was mixed. However, the finished dish didn't have any trace of a coconut taste to me at all. We are using the coconut oil here and there, and this seemed like a good place to substitute it - it worked!
Other tips for "Baked Oatmeal":
* Night before prep dry ingredients, wet ingredients (refrigerate), and chopped fruit/nuts except apple (wait til morning to chop apple to prevent turning brown).
* An easy way to do the applesauce is if you have snack packs - they are 1/2 c. each
* Might be interesting/healthy to try this with egg whites/egg substitutes, too.
* I've been told this can be made with Splenda instead of the brown sugar. Again, we will probably just try reducing the brown sugar first. Then we may try adding Truvia (Splenda is still a no-no for me with migraines). :/
Finally, here's "JoAnn's Baked Oatmeal"! Enjoy :)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
3 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats (real oats, not quick-cooking)
2 c. milk
1/2 c. oil (can use all olive oil, all canola, or 1/2 & 1/2)
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c. applesauce
1 t. vanilla
1 fresh apple chopped
1/4 c. dried fruit (cranberries, etc.)
1/2 c. ch. nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.)
Preheat oven to 375 (350 for glass pan). Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir well. Add fruit and nuts. Pour into greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Bake 25 minutes. Cool a little before eating. Cover and refrigerate the rest. Reheat portions in microwave.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Wearing Red?
A beautiful infinity scarf that is full of not just red, but of wonderful other colors in its details from EasyStreets on Etsy.
This fun but warm-looking "newsboy" cap from ActingCrazy on Artfire - a brilliant warm red.
Sooo adorable -- love, love this red, "red riding hood" sweater from WildernessSerenity on Etsy.
And this is perfect for holding a much needed shawl in place this winter! Beautiful! From 2GoodClaymates on Artfire.
I hope you're joining me in wearing red and encourage others to get on board. February is "Go Red for Women" month so you've got plenty of opportunities to "celebrate red" as you promote healthy hearts for women!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
One for the Birds
I have seen a lot of winters {insert age jokes here} and in many places (Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Indiana - yep, moved a lot). And while I'm not saying this is the worst winter I've seen, I'm definitely ranking it towards the top -- I think it's an age thing. Yeah, I'll say it. It's an age thing. Cold, ice, snow, wind....repeat....cold, ice, snow, wind. Not doing it for me anymore.
So, yes, for me, this winter is for the birds. But, it really is for the birds. This picture, taken from two storms ago (and I've lost count on our total number of snowfalls this year), is at the end of our driveway where the wintry trees and shrubs are home to several families of cardinals. They will even stay put if we drive toward the garage slowly.
We have had our bird feeders out since the summer, but the winter activity has been fun to watch. This feeder is just outside our family room window, allowing us a close-up view, and to the right is a miniature evergreen where the birds often "hang out" between eating.
The two biggest challenges are keeping the feeders filled in the middle of or in between storms - here's hubby trying his best - and an ongoing battle with a family of black squirrels from our neighbors' tree. The squirrels seem to think we are feeding them, and at any given time, we may look out and see one of them clinging to the feeder and chomping away, spilling seed to the ground. Hubby will bang on the window - doing his best Clark Griswold or The Old Man Parker ("The Christmas Story") imitation - to chase them away...one defiant squirrel found itself the target of a tennis ball this weekend when it didn't respond to the banging window. :)
Of course, the birds still enjoy the feed either way - from the feeder or on the ground. But with this winter weather and greedy squirrels, birdseed is becoming a weekly staple on the grocery list.
If anyone has any suggestions for dealing with the squirrels, please let me know! We've tried WD40 on the pole and no, please, no guns. ;) Meanwhile, we'll keep feeding everyone, I suppose and wait for spring!
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