Good Reading Around the Web

Novel Story

Decorating Mistakes Real People Make By Taking Design Ideas Seriously from Like Mother, Like Daughter
I love this post and the pictures that go along with it. The part about distressed furniture is particularly good. I have lots of naturally distressed furniture in my house too. I also have the mismatched appliances.

Upgrading Your Life from Brocante Home
A great post with lots to consider.

It is about abandoning envy and working on ourselves: giving up laziness and moment by moment, task by task, chipping away at all the petty fears that keep us bouyed to our current lives, treading water and staring longingly at far off islands and distant horizons.

Why Can't Middle Aged Women Have Long Hair?
This is really interesting.  It's something I've wondered myself.  My hair is a little past shoulder length and at least for now I can't imagine having it short.

Point and Shoot Photo Tips from Lil Blue Boo
Even if you don't have a DSLR camera, you can still take great pictures!

the dangerous spiral of criticism & how to claw your way back out
I think the title of this one speaks for itself. :) It's a great article for anyone who puts herself "out there" either through writing, art, or other types of creativity.

Hope your week is off to a fantastic start!
Much love,

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

We've had more than our share of beautiful rainbows this year and they are amazing every single time. I keep taking pictures even though they never look as good as the real thing.

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
Genesis 9:16

Domestic

Do*mes*tic
–adjective
1.of or pertaining to the home, the household, household affairs, or the family: domestic pleasures.
2.devoted to home life or household affairs.

That'll Be the Day

I think I'll put my hair in a ponytail and dance around the kitchen while I do dishes. :)


"the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll."
-Bruce Elder

Make A Decision

Unless it's something really big (like what graduate school should I go to), I usually don't have any trouble making decisions. Maybe it's the right-brained person in me, but I can pick a paint color or even a dishwasher without thinking about it twice.  A couple of my children, however, not so much.  They agonize and overthink every little thing.  So, being the nice mama I am, and borrowing heavily from old psychology textbooks, I have come up with a little step-by-step guide to decision making which should appeal to those of you who are left-brained and analytical.

1.  What are your choices?  You have to identify the potential choices before you can go any further.
2.  Research.  This includes both researching the actual product/color/shoe/graduate school...whatever, and yourself.  What are you hoping to get?  A comfortable shoe that goes with your favorite jeans?   A dishwasher that will last for 15 years?  A career that you won't hate?
3.  Consult and brainstorm.  Talk to others and get their opinions and brainstorm possibilities but only for a limited time.  Don't get stalled out at this point. This is the part where you can take a picture of the shoes with your phone and send it your friend.  :)
4.  Pros and Cons.  Make a list of pros and cons, but again don't let it take too long.  Give yourself a deadline if you need to.
5.  Decide and act.  This is the hard part.  Make a decision and act on it.  If you don't decide, that's a decision too.   If you're like me, you'll be deciding on the first thing that caught your eye anyway.

So there you have it my little over thinking darlings.  Happy decision making!

It's Slow Cooker Season

And here you thought it was Fall! This is the time of year when my slow cooker goes into full time service. It's a busy mom's best friend!

I can get supper put together in the morning, or even the night before and then it's one less thing to worry about.  If I put it together the night before I can either put a slow cooker  liner bag into a bowl and layer the ingredients in it, or put them into the removable part of my crock pot and put it in the fridge.  If you use the crock, be sure and let it sit out on the counter for a bit so it's not super cold when you turn on your slow cooker.  You don't want to crack anything.

Tonight we had Green Chile-Chicken Enchilada Casserole. My crock pot runs a little hot, so I cooked it about 5 hours instead of the full 6, and it turned out great.

Here are some slow cooker recipes I've posted here in the past:
Crock Pot Chicken with Mushroom Gravy
Curried Split Pea Soup
Tex-Mex Dinner
Crock Pot Lasagna
Au Gratin Ham and Potatoes in the Crock Pot
Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot

Instant Mood Lifter

Happy Retro Girl Splashing Water with Arms Raised

Do you ever feel like life is weighing you down?  Some days I have swirling lists in my head of things that need to be done and I start nagging myself to be more and do more and faster, faster, faster. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, I've found that the quickest way to feel better is to do something for someone else. Nothing big to add to my to-do list, just a small gesture. Maybe buying a latte for a friend who's been down, baking some pumpkin bread for a neighbor, or leaving an anonymous thank you note under the windshield wiper of the car with the "my son is a soldier" bumper sticker.  None of these require much effort or forethought, but they do take my eyes off my own troubles for awhile and soon I'm feeling the sunshine again.

Wishing you a week of sunshine!

My Apologies in Advance

I'm teaching trying to teach myself all the ins and outs of my camera and how to take better pictures. There has been lots of running away from the camera going on at my house, so I've mostly been limited to inanimate objects and plants. Even the dog is now giving me the "don't go there" look when he spies the camera in my hand. I'm somehow beginning to feel a little kinship with the paparazzi.

 My family has no interest in my new obsession hobby so you get to be the beneficiary of my "creative" focusing and composition abilities

You know, the more I research and learn about photography, the more I realize that I know absolutely nothing about it.  That's true for a lot of things, isn't it?

I'm usually somewhat oblivious to what's going on around me (not a trait that I'm proud of) because the wheels are turning in my head and I'm thinking about way too many things at once, but looking for potential subjects helps me to slow down and actually see what's in front of me.

Thanks for being patient with all my experimenting! :)

When the Weather Cools

Photo via Ceiling Fans Info

For the first time in months I turned off the ceiling fans! You fellow southerners will know what a momentous occasion that is.  I'm thrilled that Fall is really here, but my ceiling fans were filthy!  It's amazing how dirty they can get when they're moving so fast.  I'm sure it has something to do with the physics of the blades and the chemical composition of the dust, right?  I don't really need to know...

Cleaning ceiling fans is one of those "unseen" things that homemakers do.  No one will pat you on the back for the immaculate state of your fans, but it must be done (at least occasionally).  I have a three step method for cleaning my ceiling fans.  It's not exactly quick and easy, but it works and keeps the dust from falling all over me and my furniture and carpet.

Step 1:  I vacuum as much of the fan as I can reach with the crevice tool (this seems to work better than the brush on my vacuum cleaner).  This is the key to keeping the dust from falling everywhere.

Step 2:  I dust the tops of blades with a microfiber cloth sprayed lightly with Pledge.  I've tried tools meant for this, but they never seems to get all the dust.  I usually stand on a chair, but sometimes I get out the ladder.  Be careful!  My mother-in-law broke her wrist standing on a table to clean a light fixture one time and I don't want that to happen to any of you!

Step 3:  I wipe the bottoms of the blades (the part that you see when you look up) with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  Some of the dust is stubborn and this gets rid of the last of it.

If I have time I'll also take off the light globes and give them a quick wash.  Might as well get everything clean at once.

Now I'm off to show my husband how clean the fans are and tell him I need an "atta girl". ;)

Between Games

It's official. Sports have taken over our lives. If I had a dollar for every hour I've spent in the bleachers this week I could at least buy a couple of gallons of gas for the mom mobile.

Between games we've managed to fit in a trip to the park to enjoy the cooler weather,

enjoyed a rousing game of Apples to Apples (my kids love to try and convince the judge to pick their card - I must be raising a family of future attorneys)

listened to our newest CD while singing loudly in the car,

and ate more than our share of Mexican food

and cinnamon rolls.

It's a good thing I'm running or I wouldn't be able to fit into any of my clothes!

How was your weekend?