Hot c-c-cocoa

It has been getting progressively colder here in the the northeast. Not Arctic Circle cold, but cold enough. I have not been able to feel my finger tips since October. I really dislike being cold. Add to that the fact that we have oil heat and at $3.03 a gallon we are subscribing to the put more clothes on line of reasoning. It's fine for my boys, because they are part reptile, but I am a delicate flower. I walk around the house in no less than 3 layers of clothing, and will frequently put the hood of my sweatshirt up to conserve more body heat.

This afternoon was especially frigid. We had rain and then snow followed by a ferocious breeze out of the north. It was cold. Fer realz cold.


We all needed a pick me up, and this did the trick. Hot cocoa in a snowman mug. Who wouldn't be warmed by that?

Please don't let the outward condition of that red potholder be a commentary on my culinary abilities or lack thereof. This house has an electric stove, and I inadvertently tossed the potholder on the hot stove top after grabbing the food from the oven. The odor of burning cotton cued me into the fact that something was wrong. Thankfully I grabbed it before a full on fire consumed the kitchen.

How are you keeping warm?

The Secret Ingredient

This is why yesterday ran smoothly.

Why yesterday was infinitely better than the day before.

Why today holds promises of good things.


May your day be blessed!

Coming Clean (not literally)

What I want you to believe:




The reality:

This is what the room looks like at the end of 4 out of 5 school days, minus the tipped over chair. I know that the tipped over chair gives the room a "the beatings will now begin" feeling, but I can assure you that is not the case. Joe was playing visit the dog in jail, and the chair just never got picked back up. Nor did the legos. Or the blanket. Or the books. You get it. Sometimes you just have to shut the door and say, I will deal with you tomorrow. (Or in a week from now.)

So this is a reality check for those who think that my home is always clean. Clearly you have been supplied erroneous information. Don't you feel better?

Getting it Together

I really love decorating for fall because the colors bring such a feeling of calm to a space. I kept it simple, as simple as the ginormous mantle would let me. It was a challenge to not overfill it.

Also pictured is my new sofa table, courtesy of Craig's List. It was exactly what I was looking for. Exactly.

These fall pictures also serve as the living/dining room afters. You remember the befores, right? Gone is the green paint and the super shiny brass fireplace frame. I spray painted the existing one with high heat spray paint. May I suggest that you open the windows if you ever do this? Gah. I was coughing up black particles for over an hour.

You can't really tell from this photo, but the pining room paint color is darker than the living room. I love the way it turned out.


I did pretty much the same thing last year. I used sticks and twigs along with the dried flowers. I love the crisp, fall feel to the assortment. (Click to enlarge.) I also used fake pumpkins. Last year I used real ones and they rotten and ate away at the wood. Why did I not know that could happen?

I consider this a part of the 31 Days because this is important to me. I love to decorate and it can sometimes get pushed to the back burner.

Is that mop following me?

This is a video of my family singing to me on my 40th birthday. I watched it for the first time the other day and I had to keep rewinding it to look at the mop. That mop has had a prominent place in the majority of our photos.




Note John's 8th grade graduation. (Please disregard the wardrobe malfunction.) This is our old house. You can see in this photo the full extent of my kitchen cabinets, hence the mop living front and center there in next to the fridge.


Christmas. Always a joyous occasion. And. What's that? The mop again. It mocks, silently, from its haughty little bucket.


I truly believed that once we had a larger home, the mop would no longer make its way into our family photos. So much for logic.


Have you heard Foster? I bought the whole album from iTunes and downloaded it onto my iPod. The entire album is awesome, not just this one song.



How cute is Mark Foster at 1:08? It feels wrong to sing and dance around the house to a song about running away from bullets, but I like it. I think the message is this: even if you are being shot at, nice shoes are important. (Oh, I kid!)