Drowning in a sea of cookies

Its that time of year that all Girl Scout leaders and parents look forward to - Cookie Season. We all love having our lives commandeered by boxes of fatty/sugary deliciousness and fanatical customers. WINK WINK
For two solid months our schedules are dictated by cute little girls; in vests festooned with patches of every shape and size; imploring you to help them sell, sell, sell and sell some more.
I must admit that when we started out in this organization, I was less than thrilled. The margins are small and the labor is great. However I have seen the gains and experience M has gotten four years later. And not just her, but when you get a group of girls together selling cookies at a booth, even the most shy will start to come out of their shell and get just a smidge more comfortable with public speaking. Plus the business principles they get hands-on is impressive: marketing, management and financial all rolled into a 3-hour cookie booth. So when you see that group of Girl Scouts out selling cookies, even if you have to pass on purchasing, give them a high five - they are learning important life lessons at that table with their friends.
Not all Girl Scouts are naturally inclined to selling and managing they cookies. I know that I and my husband lend a helping hand in all the different aspects of the business. But as our oldest daughter, M,  learns more and more each year, we try to pass off to her the responsibilities that are age appropriate. And she is a natural. This year marks the first time we borrowed a wagon, packed it with cookies and ventured the neighborhood. She insisted on pulling the wagon herself, although we live on the side of a hill.We were able to unload on our neighbors the majority of the cookies we had left in our inventory. I am sure they didn't mind being coerced into breaking their diets for a pint-sized selling dynamo.
In two more weeks we will be past this phase of the Girl Scout season, then comes the best part - planning the summer fun with the sales proceeds!

Wear it Wednesday

I have worked for a professional office for three years now, and one of my challenges coming from being a stay-at-home mom was to re-imagine my personal style.  My go-to at the time was jeans and t-shirts and flip flops. At the time I only had a couple outfits I would wear to church and I wasn't very comfortable wearing professional clothing. Fast forward all that time and I have a much broader sense of office style.

I did not start out with much of a budget so I had to pick up pieces here and there. This outfit is a great example of buying pieces at separate times and it all coming together fairly well. I bought the top about 6 months ago from Stitchfix. If you are not familiar, it is a clothing subscription where online stylists will send you five items in a box and you decide whether to keep all the pieces or only one or none. You have a $20 fee per delivery that can be put toward your purchase, I tried out the service for a couple months and found that while I liked some of the clothing they sent me, I was often uncomfortable with the cost. The average price per item is $55. This blouse falls into that range. Its one of the only pieces I still wear regularly, it washes and wears nicely.

It features silver grommets along the neckline, tulip shaped puff sleeves  and a flattering v-cut neckline.

The slacks are a recent purchase form the local Salvation Army. I was on the look out for a nice pair of navy pants, they are hard to come by in the used market. I was really lucky, these still had the tags - never worn. I paid around $5-6. A steal!

The shoes are also a new purchase. I recently joined Poshmark, an online market for clothing and accessories. I have sold a few items and maintain a closet with items. Its really easy to get started buying and selling. I have purchased more than I have sold, and it helps if you like other closets and join parties with items from your own closet. As with anything, it takes time to develop a following and build sales. The app is easy to use. I found these along with a couple other items from the same closet to get a better deal on shipping and a sales discount. In total I believe I paid about $10. That is a little more than I like to spend on second hand shoes, but they were like new in a color that is hard to find. Its my new obsession, really. I have found some really cute stuff at a great deal, so rounding out my home closet has become much easier. 

Its hard to see in the picture, they are a shimmery dark blue wedge with grommet detailing made by Tommy Hilfiger. 

Unexpected

The weather was so mild for February, that me and my daughters spent some time outside. I took a few minutes to look over my garden boxes, the weeds were happily sprouting in all of them. I steadily worked my way around pulling them out. Imagine my surprise when I look over and see a lone lettuce plant reaching for the sun! I imagine the seed had been waiting for just such weather as we have had the past week.

Cute Printables for Valentine's Day

With Valentines around the corner, I have been looking for different cards for my two girls to exchange. Back when I had a little more time on my hands, I would design my own. Now there are so many available for free from very talented designers, I just find them online and print them out. It’s a real time saver.

I try to avoid candy around holidays because I know there are food allergies, plus my kids always have way too much candy at the house anyways. This year I have found a cute valentine for my little, A, and it is fitting because she is very into stickers. What I really mean is obsessed. I had some stickers I bought at Target at an after-Valentines sale so all I needed was some artwork and little bags I bought at Hobby Lobby.

Artwork: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/118501033921196270/

My older girl, M,  is a little trickier; she definitely wants to attach candy. I let her browse an Oriental Trading Co. catalogue and she chose an owl theme. I found some really cute artwork online for her Valentines as well, and will probably attach skittles.

Artwork: http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/2012/02/owl-valentines-printable.html

I appreciate the parents that go that extra mile for the activities at school, but to be honest one of M’s (my older child) favorite Valentines a few years back was of a lenticular (3D) dinosaur that she carried around for weeks. Kids are so much simpler than adults. 

Vintage sheets

My mom, sister and I have a tradition of going out to yard sales together the Saturday before Mothers Day in order to spend some quality time together doing something we all love to do. I usually make out a map and I or my sister will drive. We like different things and its is fun to see what we all think is interesting enough to buy. Afterwards my mom will pick a  restaurant and we will visit over lunch. It is one of my favorite things to do all year.

Last year we stopped at an estate sale and my sister chose a sheet and commented that if it did not fit her bed she would sell it. I asked her about it and found out there are several groups online that are for collectors of vintage linens. Initially I was surprised. Old sheets, who knew? Fast forward a couple months and I was looking for some sheets for my own bed. I was having a hard time finding anything I liked that wasn't out of my price range. I remembered that conversation and decided to look for myself what kind of sheets would be available. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a range of colors and patterns. The prices range about as much as the choices. I found a Facebook page to follow and studied what was on trend and popular before venturing out on my own to find some of these pieces "in the wild." 

Although my local area boasts a variety of thrift stores, the best selection for vintage sheets is at the Goodwill. I try to stop by once a week to see what they have to offer. It has refueled my passion for resale, finding new and interesting items to share. If you are interested in learning more on vintage sheets, this is the Facebook page I follow: https://www.facebook.com/groups/817573291645843/

If you are interested in seeing the sheets I have available in my etsy store, you can click the gallery to your right. 

Lost Lake - a novel

I just recently finished this novel and it was like an after-dinner treat. Not entirely unexpected but still refreshing in that it takes your mind off of the world for a short while. Isn't that what hobbies should be about?

The first time she saw Lost Lake, it was just a picture on a postcard, but she knew she was seeing her future. That was half a lifetime ago. Now all that's left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the Southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own secret dreams and desires. It's not quite enough to keep Eby Pim from selling up and calling this her final summer at the lake. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door. Kate spent her best summer at Lost Lake, at the age of twelve, before she learned of loneliness, and heartbreak, and loss. Perhaps, if she returns, her young daughter can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer...and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago. One by one, people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something: a second chance, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they need before it's too late? In this atmospheric and enchanting novel, Sarah Addison Allen illuminates the secret longings and the everyday magic that wait to be discovered in the unlikeliest of places. - Amazon

There are a few mystical elements that I felt were unnecessary and unsubstantiated and one in particular that was used to pull the heart strings. While the ending was mostly predictable, it was a sweet read for a couple afternoons.

Happy Package

My package of hope came in the mail - as in my seeds, because isn't that what you are planting along with them? Hope for a lovely garden, healthy plants and a decent harvest. I am trying some new things this year.
Last season we tried corn, peas, beans, zucchini, tomatoes radishes, beets, cucumbers, cantaloupe, cilantro and basil. Our larger tomatoes didn't do very well but the cherry tomatoes... Oh my!
This year I decided the corn wasn't worth the space. The zucchini is a keeper, and the beans as well. I am going to try a new cucumber hybrid, peppers and Brussels sprouts.
Now to wait until late February to start the indoor seeds.

Only a week away and a Teacher's Appreciation printout

So many times over the past year I have written blog posts and Facebook updates in my head. Sounds crazy but even when I can't decide what direction I might would go in writing a blog, I still think in terms of one. So here I am about to give birth to another kiddo and thinking I might start again with my blog. Perfect timing to take on ONE MORE THING, right? I am just not going to over-think it and share either what's on my mind or something new that I have made.
This time of year we think about getting small tokens to show the teachers in our kids' lives that we appreciate all their hard work. A friend of mine was having some printer issues and asked me to print out something very similar to what I have here but I couldn't find a print file on the website. So I just remade it. Feel free to use this for the teachers in your life. Right click with your mouse and save it to your desktop. While I would love to give credit to whoever had this clever idea, it would be near impossible to discern where it came from originally. So thank you Pinterest!

UHA: Reusing socks

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!

Skirt for a child: A good way to utilize ribbed socks when the feet are past wearing, is to cut the legs off straight above the heel. Open up the back, sew or crochet enough of them together to give width for a child's skirt, making shell trimming for the bottom, and sewing in a bank at the waist. These are warm, durable, pretty and little trouble to make.

If I were a handy sewer, I would have to try this!

Christmas Wreath

I don't really have a tutorial this time, just a couple pictures of a project that I have wanted to make for a long time. I have collected ornaments for a long time to make this wreath and last week I finally sat down make put it all together. To help with filling in the cracks, I covered the wreath with that red, velvet ribbon that you can get copious amounts of at Christmas.

I used some new, but mostly used ornaments. The best advice I have for you is use a lot of hot glue and keep the wreath laying flat. If you move it too much, it won't lay flat on the wall when you hang it. I have had to go back and re-glue some of the small filler ornaments. Good luck!

Trivet Pin Board

Pinterest has everyone pin-happy, but I still like to actually use a physical pin board for bits and scraps and ideas. While I was at Ikea a few weeks back I bought several packs of cork trivets to make my own cork pin boards. It was an easy afternoon activity to put together several groupings.

Your basic materials are cork mats or trivets, metal mending plates, screws, screw driver, and a small d-ring hanger. You can get a lot fancier with paint and ribbon but this is the original simple idea. 

Place the cork pieces in the position you want them to be in, use the mending plates and screws to connect them together. 

Attach the d-ring hanger at the top of the board, and hang it where you want to use it. I used a little hot glue to hold the screw in place for the hanger, it also keeps the screw from scratching the wall. I also used trivets because at Ikea they are pretty thick and inexpensive. Sometimes cork at a regular department store can get expensive.

This is where I hung one of the boards I made. It hangs on the corner of my corner cabinet, no irony intended!

Patchwork Shoes

I know it seems I fell off the face of the earth, but I have been a busy girl. My daughter, M, finished preschool last week and since then I have had to be sole entertainment. But enough with excuses. I was searching around Pinterest one day when I happened upon this idea. My mom quilts and a while back she gave me a huge box of scraps, and I just knew this was the perfect idea to use some of them. It took me a while to find inexpensive shoes to use, now that Toms are so hot, all the skippies are more expensive than usual. Skippies is what we used to call no-name shoes when I was in high school 100 years ago.

What you need is a bunch of coordinating scraps, fabric fusion glue, a pair of shoes. scissors and a paint brush. It should be a cheap paint brush because you will probably have to throw it away afterwards. Now the blog I read mentioned thinning the glue with water to make it go farther, but I found that I had a hard time getting the fabric to stick when I did that so I used it at original strength. I also found that it worked best when I put glue on the shoe, on the back of the fabric and over the top of the fabric. That helped hold the fabric in place.

Basically you cut scraps to fit the edge of the shoes and glue away! It takes a little bit of time to get the fabric to lay where you want and to cut it to fit. My main problem with this project has been after the glue dried. The shoes are incredibly stiff. I have washed them but I think I will need to wash them again to help with that problem. Also next time I will use only two or three fabrics to make a more cohesive design. 

Spinach manicotti

I think that this dish is considered to be a difficult dish, however this recipe certainly makes it simple. It is also a nice change when you want something without meat.

You will need: 7-8 manicotti shells | non-stick spray | 1 15oz container ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan | 1 10 oz package spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups prepared marinara sauce | 2 tbsp cream (I used half and half)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil the pasta for 7-8 minutes, drain and place in an 8-inch square baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, s&p. Transfer to a plastic bag, squeeze bag and cut off corner. Squeeze filling into the shells, filling halfway from one side and then switching to the other side. Place back into baking dish.

In a separate bowl, mix the cream and marinara sauce. Pour over the top of the filled manicotti.  Sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Tomato jam

This past weekend I spent some time in Atlanta and ate at a local Italian place. For lunch my friend and I had some pretty unique sandwiches. I had a pimento cheese and bacon jam panini and she had a meatloaf panini with tomato jam. Both were fantastic so I want to recreate them both at home. I am still working on the bacon jam but I did make a batch of tomato jam and I want to share it with you.

You need 5lb of tomatoes, chopped. These are some tomatoes I froze from last summer, aren't they gorgeous? They worked fine, but I did drain them as they thawed.

The rest of the cast of characters: 3 1/2 cups sugar | 8tbsp lime juice | 2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1tsp cinnamon | 1/2 tsp ground cloves | 1tbsp salt | 1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer. Stir regularly and cook until it reduces to a jam-like consistency. This takes about 2 hours. 

When the jam has cooked down enough, fill sanitized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and twist on rings. Process in a boiling bath for 20 minutes. When time is up, removes jars from water bath and cool. Be sure to test your seals. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

Chicken pomodoro

It sounds so fancy but couldn't be any easier or tastier. No need to order this at a restaurant any more!

You will need: 1lb boneless, skinless chicken (I use 5-6 tenders) | 3tbsp olive oil | 1 onion chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, minced | 1 14.5 oz can of Italian diced tomatoes | 1/3 cup heavy cream

Pat chicken dry and season with s&p. Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until done, transfer to a plate.

Heat remaining oil in the pan. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, cream and 1/4 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Add chicken back to the pan (I usually go ahead and cut the chicken into bite size pieces before adding back to the pan). Simmer about 10-15 minutes minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Serve over rice or pasta.

UHA - preserving wings of birds

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!


Place them as you wish and dry them slowly before the fire. We cure turkeys' wings by spreading them on the hearth and placing a smoothing iron on them to hold them in place until the moisture and oil be dried out; sometimes it takes several days.

Perfect potpie

I like chicken pot pie. I like the pie crust on the top and bottom, I like the kind that only has a top crust. I have found a recipe that makes a very delicious top crust that uses very common ingredients and cooks up even and pretty.

Filling: Mix together 2 cups of your frozen veggies | 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chicken | 1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder | 1 can cream of celery | 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom

Spread into a greased 13x9 pan.

Crust: 1/2 cup butter, melted | 1 cup all purpose flour | 1 cup milk | 1/4 tsp pepper | 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together, it will be a little lumpy. Spread evenly over the veggie mixture. Bake at 400 degrees until golden, about 30-35 minutes.

Powder detergent

Not to get all granola-y on you but I was checking some blogs about making things from scratch and came across several folks who make their own detergent. Some people make their own liquid detergent and I read about that, but the effort outweighed the benefit to me. I also read a few "recipes" about powdered detergent and thought it may be worth trying.

All you need is 1 cup super washing soda | 1 cup Borax | 1 cup grated soap (I used Fels Naptha).

All the recipes that I found had twice as much soap as soda or Borax, but I felt that was too much so I adjusted and it works just as well. You toss about 2tbsp in with your wash and it gets clean and smells good. If you want to check out the blog I got my information from, she talks about what the different ingredients do for your laundry. She also has lots of other recipes for making things from scratch in your home.  FYI: 1 bar of soap = 2 cups grated.

http://heart-hands-home.blogspot.com/

Two-ingredient lemon bars (?)

I can hardly resist a recipe with only two (or three) ingredients, so when I saw this one on Pinterest I knew I needed to try it.

All you need is: an angel food cake mix | lemon pie filling | confectioners sugar. 

Mix the lemon pie filling with the cake mix. Be careful, though, because the cake mix is very light and it will seem like the two won't mix well. Then pour it into a 9x13 pan. I sprayed mine with a flour/cooking spray combo that you can get at the store. It helped keep the cake from sticking to the pan. Then bake in a preheated over at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

If you are so inclined, you can dust it with powdered sugar. To me this was less like a lemon bar and more like a light lemon cake. Try it out for yourself and tell me what you think!

UHA - Cleaning windows

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!


Chamois or buckskin cleans a window very nicely; but if the wings of turkeys, geese or large fowls are saved and well dried there is nothing better - far more economical than chamois, beside removing all the dirt more effectually. With the wings all the dirt can be taken out of corners, and when done there will be no lint on the glass.
Nothing is better for cleaning stoves, brushing out corners or brushing off furniture than a good clean wing.

NEXT SUNDAY: preserving birds' wings, because I know you are just dying to know how!