Old Movies

We watched a wonderful movie last night called Mrs. Miniver. Alison at Brocante Home mentioned it a few weeks ago and it sounded like something we would enjoy. It won 6 Academy Awards in 1942 including best picture and best director. Mrs. Miniver is a British housewife who holds her family together during WWII which was of course still going on at the time this movie was filmed. It's definitely on my list of favorite movies of all time!


What are your favorite movies of all time?

Snow Day

No work or school for us today. The roads are too icy.

So we go outside to play until we are frozen...

Look at my poor rosemary plant.

The kids were "ice skating". I was just praying no one wound up with bruises or broken bones (which would have been a certainty if I had been sliding around out there).

Then we come inside to warm up...

Something warm to drink.




Some delicious scones


A warm fire.


And some good music

Comment Update/ Cleaning

I can't believe I had to delete spam comments from my spam comment post! I still don't know exactly what I'm going to do about it. I hate to turn on word verification because I want it be as easy as possible for all of you to comment. I'll have to give it some more thought. I also get the occasional nasty comment, but usually those are on older posts too so they are moderated and I can just hit the delete button. I didn't think I was all that controversial, but apparently I am! ;)

At the moment blogging is sort of taking a back seat. It was either quit blogging for few days, put on my cute apron and get some housework done or hire a maid. Guess which one I chose? Not because that's what I wanted, but because that's all I have the money for. ;) You wouldn't believe how much I got done yesterday when I grounded myself from the computer! Well, maybe you would.

Oh, and in case you were wondering about my art class...I'm having a great time! It's really making me use my brain in a different way. We're going to be making jewelry soon and I can't wait!

Spam Comments

I can't get over how many spam comments I have been having to delete lately! Have any of you been having the same problem? I have comments moderated on older posts, but lately I have had some on newer posts too. What do you other bloggers do to guard against it?

Organization Monday - Your Personal Information

This is one I really need to work on. I hope I'm not the only one who would have to dig through a box of papers to find the children's birth certificates or our social security cards.

Goals for this week:

*Decide where you would like to store this information.

* Label each category. Here are some examples of categories you might want to use.

Finances - this might include credit card number and the number to call if it's lost or stolen, bank account numbers and online banking passwords, your budget.

Health - allergies, medical records, blood types, insurance cards

House and car - warranty information for you appliances, details of home improvements and repairs, your home owners insurance information, car maintenance log.

Pets - vet number, allergies, shot record

Kids - school calendars, babysitter information, carpool calendar.

Emergency - emergency numbers, neighbors' numbers, directions to your house written out (if you are in a panic you won't remember).

* Purchase a fireproof safety deposit box. Here is one that is reasonably priced although I haven't tried it out myself. I've also heard you can put things in your freezer to survive a fire.
Keep inside: birth and marriage certificates, wills, passports, car titles.

You can also scan everything and safe it on your computer. Just be sure to make a copy onto a jump drive or external hard drive and remove from your computer if you get rid of it.

See what we've organized so far:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

3 Cheese Baked Penne

This is one of our favorite weeknight meals. It's quick and easy and serves 6 generously.




* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I use the dried kind)
* 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
* 2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
* 1 jar spaghetti sauce
* 1 lb ground hamburger
* 1 egg
* 1 lb Penne pasta
* 2 tsp dried parsley
* 1 tsp dried basil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium saucepan, cook ground beef until browned; drain grease and add spaghetti sauce. Meanwhile boil pasta according to package directions.
2. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, half the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley and basil.
3. Lightly grease 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Layer pasta, sauce mixture and cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over top. Bake 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Bring on the Romance

If you're like me (and I'm guessing some of you are) your life easily becomes all too serious and bogged down in practicalities. When I was younger I was much more of a dreamer who loved the romance and energy of just being alive. With Valentine's Day approaching and everyone's mind on flowers and chocolate what if we decided to spend this tiny season of our lives as romantics, full of wonder and delight? Not that we'll forget to pay the bills, but that we'll just have a little shift in attitude. Let's be gentle with ourselves and lower our insanely high standards just a bit.

Here are some loose suggestions. Just pick and choose a couple and I'll do the same.

Write an "I Love You Letter" to your spouse. Even if it's only a post-it note that says "I love how you tell me everything I cook is delicious".

Carry a camera around so you can look through its lens at the beauty around you.

Take an art class. (I've just started one and I'm both terrified and excited about it)

Flop down in your favorite chair with a cup of coffee and a book you love.

Light candles. Don't just let them sit there and gather dust.

Read poetry. Wordsworth is one of my favorites.

Rearrange your furniture. This always makes me look at a room in a new way.

Have breakfast in bed.

Go for a long, leisurely walk. No need to carry your hand weights and time yourself. :)

Buy yourself one colorful accessory (maybe a scarf or a bracelet) that you really love and makes you feel stylish and confident.

Carry around a small notebook and write down all the funny things your kids say.

Have an impromptu celebration. Invite a friend over and bake something delicious for no reason at all.

Declutter your makeup drawer and line it with beautiful paper so that it makes you smile every morning.

Enjoy this moment and this day.

Organization Challenge - Priorities

Now that the Christmas season is behind us and our decorations are (hopefully) all put away we can get back to our weekly organizing. This week we are going to focus on setting priorities and make thoughtful and realistic choices about what is important.

This picture is just a reminder that having our priorities in order helps us to find time to do the things we want to do.

Goals for the week:

1. Ask yourself some questions. What is important to me? What do I want to accomplish? What have I always wanted to do? Maybe you could even write a mission statement for yourself and/or your family. When you have the big picture in mind it's easier to know how the little things will fit into it.

2. Make a list of your top ten priorities and keep them in your journal or somewhere where you can see them regularly. I know we all have these in our heads, but I think it's a good idea to actually write them out and look at them. Most of these may be serious but don't forget to include fun in your list.

"...look first for the kingdom of God..." (Matthew 6:33)

3. Make a list of all the activities you currently participate in and compare them to the list above. Which activities need to stay and which need to go? What you don't do is as important as what you do. Be realistic and realize that you will also need some free, unstructured time in your day. Not everything has to be preplanned.

As your life changes, this list will change. Your priorities now may look different than they will down the road. Revise your list every 6 months or so as needed.

Week 1 - Your Mind
Week 2 - Your Schedule
Week 3 - Cleaning Schedule

So Blessed!

Picture of my sweet "babies" in the snow.

Make a donation here, or here or here (all reputable organizations that we have donated to) and count your blessings. Hug your babies a little tighter, snuggle with your husband and tell all those you love how important they are in your life.

Curtains Without Windows

We have french doors leading from our living room to our sun room/computer room/guest room. I've been thinking about hanging curtains there for ages both to soften the living room and to provide a little privacy for anyone spending the night in the guest room. I couldn't find any I liked that weren't ridiculously expensive until I came across these at Wal-mart. They're pretty and the price was right.

Here's the before picture. Those are deer antlers hanging over the doors. What can I say...I'm married to a hunter. :)


Here's the after. I think it really makes a difference in the atmosphere of the room.

Around the Web

Wonderful reading! Enjoy! :)



Vintage Reading List - 2010 There are several on this list I want to read.

Skirted pedestal sinks So cute!

Snowy Morning Beautiful pictures

Hooked on Houses: Sense & Sensibility I love her posts about movie houses.

Williams Sonoma Winter Sale I love to drool over all their goodies. Maybe I'll order one of those pretty table cloths and some peppermint bark. :)

Slow Cooker Chicken An easy way to have chicken on hand for future meals.

10 ways to cut your grocery bill. I have to admit, I don't do all of these. Especially the drinking only milk and water thing. The adults in this house are a little too addicted to Diet Coke and coffee.

The secret to having energy Very good point! I think I'll do this.

Because I'm Cold

I'm freezing here in the Siberian Tundra where the cold wind takes your breath away (oops I mean Texas). I'm trying to remember what it feels like to be warm and walk outside barefoot. Want to join me?

Cleaning Up Christmas

Anyone else still putting away Christmas decorations and vacuuming pine needles out of the carpet? I have the majority of it done, but I still need to take down the small artificial tree in the kitchen and my Christmas village.

I'm trying to make sure I put everything in the attic in an organized manner to save myself some aggravation next Christmas. I'm also planning to browse the 75% off decorations. Most of my lights finally gave out this year (as you can see if you look at the big dark spot on the tree in the Christmas morning pictures) and I know I won't want to buy them at full price next December. Might as well plan ahead.

This is also the time of year when I desperately need to clean out the refrigerator. I baked and cooked (and ate) my way through December and there is no telling what leftovers and gunk I'm going to find. I'm pulling out a trash bag and my rubber gloves this afternoon. If I don't come back send a search party!

Cookbooks

Woman's Favorite Cook Book

I just saw Julie and Julia for the first time (I tend not to see movies until they come to my corner Redbox) and I really enjoyed it. I used to love watching Julia Child on TV and it was fun to see her portrayed by Meryl Streep.

My sons watched it with me. It wasn't their favorite I have to admit (not much of a guy movie), but we did have some fun conversations about cookbooks and blogging afterward. I started thinking about my cookbook collection and if I had to pick one to blog about for a year which one would it be. My 1975 version of Joy of Cooking probably has the most variety and is one of my most loved cookbooks, but there is no way I could bring myself to cook through the game chapter that includes recipes for rabbit, opossum and raccoon. I can hardly even read that chapter...it has diagrams. Ugh!

Two of my favorites are Moosewood Cookbook or The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook. I know that's an odd combination and the two don't really go together. The Moosewood Cookbook is a vegetarian cookbook with lots of healthy recipes and of course we know Paula Deen's recipes are down home country cooking with lots of butter and calories, but I love them both. I could see myself cooking all the recipes in either of them. I've pretty much already cooked my way through The Pioneer Woman Cooks, so that would be an easy one.

My most retro cookbook would have to be The Ground Beef Cookbook. It was published in the 1960s, but I found it at a garage sale. It has over 500 recipes and includes Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson's "Pedernales River Chili," and Mrs. Hubert Humphrey's "Dinner -in-a -Dish". There's a whole chapter of "first lady favorites" from the first ladies of Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Kansas, Ohio, and several others. It would be a fun cookbook to both cook from and blog about.

Would you ever consider cooking ALL the recipes in one particular cookbook and/or blogging about it? If so which one would you choose?

Coffee Snob

I guess you can now call me a coffee snob. Look at what Greg bought us for Christmas! He said he wanted to buy us something that we would enjoy, but wouldn't buy for ourselves and boy did he ever. It's an espresso machine and it came with a milk frother/steamer. Can you believer that? I've been enjoying the most delicious lattes every morning. No more Starbucks for me! Y'all come on over and I'll make us some scones. Do you want a cappuccino or a latte? Do you like your milk frothed or steamed? I'll even srinkle a little ground cinnamon on top for you. :)

I'm studiously avoiding trying to guess how much money he spent because I know it was way too much (so don't tell me even if you know). As parents we hate for the kids to spend their hard-earned money on us don't we? I'm just going to enjoy it and appreciate his generosity.

What did you get for Christmas?