Where did August Go?

I cannot believe that the date of this blog is going to be Sept. 2. Where did the summer go? But, to tell the truth I am ready to say farewell to the 90 degree + hot days of summer and hello to the crisp autumn mornings and warm apple cider drinking weather.

I love fall, it is my favorite season, and I always look forward to it. It is just the season that follows afterward that I really dread. If we could go from December to April, I would be happier than Snookie in a pickle factory!

However, that is not the case and I must suffer for three months.

The main problem for me during winter, is I get this feeling of isolation. Because the roads are bad, and I work from home, I don't really go anywhere. For several days, I am stuck at home with the cats, bored out of my skull. Thank God for the Internet so I can have some kind of access to the outside world.

I am hoping to try and stave off this feeling of isolation by possibly finding something fun to do outside of the house. I started looking for volunteer opportunities, choirs to join and even Scrabble Clubs, but I really didn't find anything.

The Scrabble Club meets Monday evening, so that isn't good because I want to spend time with Kev when he is home. Same thing with the choir in the evening, plus when it is winter, I really don't want to have to drive at night. (I know I sound like a senior citizen.)

So I guess my search will continue. Hopefully I will find something.

But, before I get ahead of myself, there is still one more summery rite of passage that needs to happen before Old Man Winter peeks around the corner: Labor Day.

We really don't have any plans for the holiday weekend that is quickly approaching.

Saturday morning, after we return from our usual Saturday morning breakfast at our usual Saturday morning breakfast spot, we are going to move some boxes from our basement to our shed that we just built. Once these boxes are moved, that means we can start finishing the basement, which includes the first part of the remodeling project: my pantry. I am so excited to get a place where I can store my surplice grocery bargains. Our hall closet and kitchen cabinets are starting to overflow.

After our hard work of box moving, we are planning on visiting our friends Megan and Steve to meet their two new kitties and grab some Ethiopian food in East Liberty.

Meg and I are also planning on checking out some bridesmaid dresses for our friend Kira's upcoming wedding in January. I love playing "dress up" so this should be a lot of fun!

Sunday, I think we are just going to take it easy and enjoy the day, and on Monday Kev has to work the early shift and I have to cover an event for the paper in the morning.

What are your plans for the upcoming holiday?

December is all about Sparkle

Each month Martha Stewart comes to our home.

Well, not actually, but technically she is here in spirit in the form of her Living magazine.

My awesome Mother-in-Law gives me her copy of the magazine once she is done reading it.

Each month, I love looking at her different articles about how to spin your own wool and how to crochet a pair of socks or even how to make the most complicated recipe in the world.

So in the spirit of Martha's visit, I am going to try and review her magazine each month. I will pick out the good parts and the ridiculous parts and share them with you in this blog segment called: Living with Martha.


For this month's cover, Martha and her crew went all out. Not only is there one cover, not just two covers but three separate covers on this bad boy.

On the main cover, Martha promises to share with me 138 of the Best Decorations, Recipes and Gifts from A to Z. (She also wishes me a "Sparkling Season" which I thought was very nice of her.)

The second cover features "Martha's Famous Croquembouche" and she assures me that it is easier than it looks. When I can't even pronounce it, I know nothing is going to be easy about this recipe.

The final cover has a photo of "Ombre Glitter and Luxurious Bows" and tells me that I should "Dress up with Bells, Bows and Glittering Decorations". Apparently Martha is all about the sparkle this year.

After the barrage of covers, there is my favorite part of the magazine, Martha's Calendar. (I talked about my love for this in my previous post).

Skip past all of the children clothing and car ads plus the Editor's Letter and finally on page 35 there is something to sink your teeth into: "From My Home to Yours (Faux trees are genuinely beautiful and making a deserved comeback)."

In this article, Martha talks about the shinny aluminum trees that were created in the 1950s to provide people with a reusable and environmentally friendly option for the family's Tannenbaum.

She also talks about feather trees and wood trees and how much she prefers these vintage trees to regular ones.

She goes on to say that even though these trees were originally sold for $25, their new cousins can cost hundreds of dollars in retail stores today.

The recipe for the fancy dessert that I can't pronounce is on the next page. (You know the one that is going to be easy.) It takes up a whole page. She even makes her own caramel to go over the whole thing. Way too much work for me.

For the Jewish readers, Martha has a recipe to make marshmallow dreidels. This is actually a really cute idea!

She dips the bottom of 1 chocolate kiss in 8 ounces of melted semisweet chocolate and presses it on to one marshmallow. Cut a slit in the bottom of the marshmallow and insert one thin pretzel stick. Then dip the whole dreidel into chocolate and refrigerate for about 15 minutes. After set, she says to pipe white chocolate onto the sides of the dreidel by writing Hebrew letters.

In her craft section, Martha shows a new knit solution to weave really cute adornments that can be placed on sweaters and scarves any anywhere else that needs a little extra pop of color.

The only catch is that you have to go out and purchase a kit called the Knitwit for about $20.

In my opinion $20 isn't that much to spend on something that can make all of these cute different baubles like this knitwit purse.

Also in her crafts section, Martha shows how to make different kinds of candles including scented soy votive candles and frosty salted pillars.

When I see her candle recipes, I always say that I am going to give them a try. Unfortunately, because of our two cats, having lit candles in our house is really not an option.

Now for the meat and Potatoes of the magazine: Holiday ideas from A to Z.

This section features several beautiful photographs and different ideas to make your Christmases bright.

There is so much information in this section, that it makes the magazine worth purchasing.

I am not going to get into too much detail on the blog about all of the projects, but I will list what the A to Z items are.

Snow Angels (maybe stretching for the letter A a little bit)
Bells, Bows and Bowwow
Christmas Cookies
Deck the Halls
Elves at Work
A Family Feast (complete with several recipes for your family feast)
Giving Gifts and Handmade Cards
Cool as Ice
Jolly Kris Kringle (I feel like I was cheated out of a letter)
Light up the Night
Making Spirits Bright
Naughty or Nice
Oh, What Fun it is to Make a Peppermint House
Quietest
Remembering
Let it Snow
Trim the Tree With Treasures From the Sea
Uncommon Vision
Winter Welcome
Traditional Xmas Breads
Yuletide Treats
Just Add Zest

All of the recipes and instructions for the crafts and decorations are included in the magazine along with some detailed photos of how to do some of the steps.

For those who are trying to watch their waistline so they don't end up with a "bowl full of jelly" will want to check out Fit To Eat: Cocktail-party foods with a healthy streak. Some of the recipes include Shrimp and Avocado Salad on Endive Leaves, Warm Spinach-White Bean Dip with Crudites and Chicken Skewers With Walnuts and Cilantro.

All in all, the December edition of Living is worth the purchase price. It is filled with delicious holiday recipes that will warm your home and your tummy, cute crafts that the whole family can make and some decorating ideas that will add some sparkle to your home.

In my opinion, this issue is "A Good Thing."

Why did the Turkey Cross the Road.....

As I stood there in our kitchen cursing at the butter because I could not beat it into submission so I could cut cute little leaf shapes into it, I really began to hate Thanksgiving.

I had spent the morning ironing (which I absolutely hate doing) the tablecloth and napkins, hand washing our good china so we could use it for the first time, surfing the Internet on how to "un-tarnish" my grandmother's silverware and trying to explain to a very zealous cat that cutlery is not for kittens.

Everything was going well, until I could not get those leaf shapes into the butter. It was at this point I knew I had given into the "holiday perfection demon."

This demon (who in my mind looks a little like the Weight Watcher's Hungry Monster but a little more evil) always pays me a visit at this time of year. He likes to remind me that everything needs to be absolutely perfect. That because it is a holiday, things need to be more special.

This is the same creature that can reduce me into a melting mass of emotion because I cannot make the perfect bow for our Christmas wreath. It is also the same being that drives me to find the perfect gift, have it be on sale and wrapped perfect with sharp, crisp edges.

But, as I stood there with the butter-covered rolling pin in my hand, instead of smashing the butter, I decided to smash away my holiday demon.

So what if there is one little wrinkle in the tablecloth? So what if we have to eat butter off of one of our everyday dishes that do not match our china? So what if there is one little speck of tarnish at the base of a piece of the silverware?

Once I had shipped off my holiday menace, something happened: I really started to see the real meaning behind Thanksgiving.

I know it is so cliche and sounds like an after school or Charlie Brown television special but it is true.

There are so many times that I look at my faults and what I do not have, that I miss all that I am truly blessed to have.

So in the spirit of the holiday, I have decided to make a "Thankful List" (in no particular order).

* I am thankful for my family and friends who continue to support and love me.

*I am thankful for my wonderful husband who has been by my side for 10 years.

* I am thankful for having God in my life. I know there are bad times, but there will also be good times and He will not give me anything I cannot handle.

*I am thankful for my freedom. This is becoming more and more of a thing to be thankful for considering the state of the world today.

*I am thankful to have a roof over my head, food on the table and clothes in my closet. Everyday I take for granted the most simple and basic needs that are met each day.

* I am thankful for our two cats. They have provided us with so much joy and happiness, with just a touch of anxiety to keep things interesting.


I don't want to get "preachy" but this Thanksgiving, instead of fighting over the turkey drumstick, or complaining about your grandmother asking you when you are going to get married or have a baby, just take a deep breath and count your blessings.

I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving full of good food, fellowship and many fond memories.