Holiday Wrap Up

Can you believe it's the final day of 2018?

How can that be?? And how did Christmas fly by so quickly?

It always does, though, doesn't it? 

A New Addition to Mountain Mama's Kitchen

I hope all my sweet readers had a wonderful Christmas!

It was a busy, busy time in my little mountain top house, but filled with much love and laughter as well. 

Not to mention, lots of wonderful gifts! I'll share more of them after I unpack and photograph them, but for now I'm sharing something new in Mountain Mama's kitchen....an Instant Pot. 

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all peace and love during the holiday season!

Thank you for your friendship!

Debbie - MountainMama

xo

My Christmas Dinner Menu

Only a few days until Christmas, my sweet friends - do you all have your Christmas menu planned out?

I do....I planned the whole week's worth of menus last weekend so I could do my grocery shopping early! 

Look at me being ahead of the game....and I only forgot one thing! Good thing my younger daughter passes the market on her way home!

There's a good reason I plan my menus out early...bear with me, I'm going to tell you a story. 

What A Glorious Morning!

We've had a lot of snow up on the mountain top for this early in the season. 

When it's not snowing, it seems to be cloudy and threatening snow. 

Yesterday it was a mixed bag of tricks - rain, sleet, snow, ice. You name it, we got it. 

The Most Fabulous Chicken Pot Pie

The other night I roasted a whole chicken, Ina Garten style. 

I seriously think her recipe for roast chicken is the best there is. The chicken is always incredibly moist and full of flavor!

What's Cooking In Mountain Mama's Kitchen

I have a very exciting weekend in the kitchen planned....what, that doesn't sound exciting to  you? Well, if you're any sort of a foodie you'll understand what I mean.

I've been drooling over a few recipes out there in blog land, and have a number of things planned to create in my little country kitchen this weekend.

My Magical Forest Christmas

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I have always been a big fan of twinkling lights, so Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. 

This year I decided to keep the decorating fairly simple compared to past years, and just focus on the twinkle lights. 

Easy Peasy Dinner Party Menus

I'm planning a dinner party for one of my dearest friends, as a birthday celebration. I've been thinking of this for quite some time, and have finally started the ball rolling by picking a day and sending invites. 

Now it's time to plan the menu!

Budget Friendly Holiday Gift Guide

It's hard to believe Christmas is less than a month away - how did that happen so fast? I think I'm prepared each year, yet it seems to sneak up on me regardless and then I realize just how UN-prepared I really am!

I've been hopping around blogland and I love seeing some of the holiday gift guides that are out there, so I thought I'd share just a few of the items that I consider fabulous gifts....and all but the last two are in the range of $20 or less.

Grateful, Thankful, Blessed

It's hard to believe it's only November and we've had snow more than once already!

Last Thursday's storm dumped over a foot of snow on our little mountain top. 

How To Save Big Money On Beauty Products

I don't know about you, but even when I'm on a tight budget there are still things I need to stick to, like my beauty routine. 

I'm a girly girl, always have been. I try to take good care of my skin, and I wear makeup every day....well, most days! 

How I Cut Over $10,000 Per Year In Expenses

I've been planning on writing this post for quite some time now, it just took me a while to actually run the numbers.

I can't believe I was able to cut over $10,000 per year in expenses - that's crazy, insane, just wild!

The Post I'm So Excited To Write

I have been SOOOO excited to finally write this post! 

It's been a long time coming, but it will all be worth it in the end!

How To Overwinter Your Geraniums

Remember back in the spring I promised to show you how to overwinter your Geraniums? 

Well, it's time!!

Autumn In The Mountains

It's been kind of a weird Autumn up here on the mountain top. One day it's chilly, the next day warm and humid. 

But it appears that's about to change. 

Fall Fashion Over 50

I can't believe I'm writing a post about fall fashion for women over 50....because I can't believe that I'm 50!  How did that happen so quickly?

Uggghhh. Things certainly change a lot on a woman's body between 40 and 50, that's for sure. No doubt I'll look back in 10 years when I'm 60 and wish to be 50 again, but right now I'm just trying to get used to my life at 50. 

Happy Fall, Y'All!

The leaves are changing and starting to fall and there's a nip in the air most evenings now on the mountain top....and I couldn't be happier!

It's finally here, it's finally Fall, Y'All!

Molly's First Year

I can't believe it, but sweet Little Miss Molly has been in her forever home for a year now! 

September 14th is the day she came into our lives, and the day we have designated as her birthday. 

If you haven't read the story of how this sweet angel came into our world, hop on over to this post and catch up. 

Looking Forward To Fall

It's been ridiculously hot on the Mountain Top this summer, which is quite bizarre for us.

I have to say I'm not loving it.

A Busy Weekend & More Zucchini Recipes!

It was another busy weekend around my little house, no doubt about it. 

The garden was a mess of weeds and overgrown beds after all the rain we've had. 

And the veggie garden was spitting out cucumbers like there's no tomorrow. 

Preserving The Harvest

By now, most of you know that I am a huge gardener. Like, HUGE.

Perhaps a little crazy. But in a good way.

Mountain Mama Is Nominated For An Award

I can't believe it, but for the THIRD year in a row this humble little blog of mine is nominated for the Amara Interior Blog Awards.

Whaattt???

The Vegetable Garden In August

We have had a hot, sticky summer, which is very rare for us up here in the mountains. 

I can't say I like it much....but  my veggie garden sure does!

Pineapple Mango Chutney

It's been a long time since I've posted a recipe on here, wow where does the time go! 

It's not like I haven't been cooking, that's for sure, but I guess I've been slacking when it comes to taking note of measurements and taking photos to share with you. 

Sorry about that....but this one should make up for it!

Awesome Summer Reads

Believe it or not, during my busiest season at work, every year we take some time to go up to the lake to our favorite resort and relax for a few days. 

It's never long enough, and it seems that just as I'm getting into the hang of just doing nothing, it's time to pack up and come home. 

Of course, when I get back to work I pay for it dearly...but it sure is wonderful at the time and I look forward to it every year.

July 4th On The Mountain Top

It's been unbearably hot on the mountain top for the past 5 days. We are not used to this heat and humidity, especially not for extended periods like this. 

The Garden In Late June

Thank you for all of your sweet comments on my last post. It's amazing how this little blog has connected me with so many wonderful blog friends in the three years I've been writing it. I truly appreciate all of my loyal readers and your comments are so precious to me.

Papa's Garden

Thank you for all of your lovely messages regarding the loss of my father. Your words were comforting, and I truly appreciate all your hugs and prayers. 

We've been getting through, one day at a time, as you do, I guess. 

Saying Goodbye

My dad passed away on Monday, June 4th. 

He had struggled with various pulmonary diseases for ten years....and he had an incredibly tough fight the past few years. This past year, he really had no quality of life left, he was just existing.

It was his time....he was ready. 

We weren't. 

The Garden Cottage Got A Big Facelift!

By now you know how obsessed I am with my little garden cottage. 

In my last post I showed you the most recent upgrade, the lattice around the base. 

Which made her look prettier, but NOTHING like what I did this past weekend!

Progress On My Garden Cottage & A Look Back

In the far back corner of my property sits my little garden cottage, of which I am quite enamored. 

It's not quite a she-shed, as it's a hard working and very valuable piece of real estate. Not to mention it's usually a bit of a mess inside, as I am an avid gardener and it gets used regularly. 

But that doesn't mean it shouldn't look good while working hard, right?

Sweetie Is Full Of Surprises

I hope you all had a fabulous Mother's Day Weekend!

As much as I tried to take some time to relax, it didn't happen....there's just far too much to be done around the gardens at this time of year.  

Color Is Returning To The Mountain Top

It's delightful to see the haze of green slowly climbing up the mountain from the base to the top. 

In the fall it's reversed, the foliage begins at the summit. But in the spring we watch it climb from Main Street all the way up, taking its sweet time. 

Sweetie's Busy Weekend

It was another busy weekend around my little mountain top house. 

But then again, when do I ever have a weekend that's NOT busy? 

Only if I'm away....which is why it's important to get away every now and again, am I right? If I'm in my house, I see a billion things that need to be done. If I'm away, anything I see that needs to be done is not my problem! 

The Garden In Early May

I know many of you have been enjoying spring weather for quite some time now. 

Not up here on the mountain top, that's for sure....we had snow on Monday and have only had spring for 3 days now!

It almost seems too good to be true after all this time, but I'm delighted to finally be able to sit outside and feel the spring sunshine on my face. 

Heaven, pure heaven. 

Gardens That Inspire Me To Get Out There & Dig!

For any of you who have been following me for any length of time, you know I'm an avid gardener. 

I have just under 2 acres on a mountain top in upstate NY and I work very hard on my days off both maintaining and improving my landscape. 

And sometimes I get plumb worn out....and I need to take a break and get some inspiration. 

Mountain Mama Is Going Solar!

For quite a while now I've been researching the process of going solar.

To be honest, it felt like a fairly daunting process until I stumbled upon a website called Energy Sage. Prior to that I was really feeling quite overwhelmed by the whole thing - it was far too much information for me to process on my own.

ps...this is not a sponsored post, I just really want to share this with you as I feel their free service is a huge benefit to anyone considering going solar!

Progress & Improvements

Finally spring seems to have come to the mountain top and for a change the weather was cooperative when I had time off work!

Needless to say I took advantage of every second of sunshine and spent the entire weekend outside - and boy did it feel good!

Weekend Projects Galore & The Bears Are Back!!

Well after the LONGEST winter on record, it looks like spring may finally be making its way to the mountain top starting tomorrow!

May I just say IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Garden In Mid April

This past weekend I was bound and determined to finally get out in the garden and do some spring cleanup. 

The weather has been against me every single weekend - any time I had a day at home to do what I needed to do it was snowing or raining. 

Grrrrrrrrr. Enough already!

Chicken Taco Soup

I can't believe how long it's been since I've shared a recipe with you!! It's not like I haven't been cooking, I certainly have....some amazing meals have come out of this little kitchen this winter!

Well, fortunately I decided to take photos the other night when I made this amazing Chicken Taco Soup because it is most definitely a KEEPER and will be on repeat in this house!

And for any of you on Weight Watchers, this is an incredibly low point soup....as a matter of fact, with the rice it's only two points, but if you leave out the rice it's one point....without the toppings, of course. 

This & That...And Where The Heck Is Spring?

It's in the 20's here and snowing like mad at the moment. 

Seriously, I'm over it....where the heck is spring?

Five Things I Do To Get A Better Night's Sleep

Menopause is mean. It sucks the moisture out of our bodies, it messes with our hair, and it adds unwanted pounds.

It also robs us of precious hours of sleep....and I think that might be the worst part of all!

Spring Comes Slowly To The Mountain Top

The weather on the mountain top has been above freezing for three days now, and the snow is slowly beginning to melt away. 

We're at that 'ugly' stage, where the mounds of snow along the roads are all blackened by road dirt, and the trees are still bare. Mud season is right around the corner.

Winter Lingers On....And A Very Close Call

All over blogland and Instagram I see lovely photos of flowers, sunshine, and spring. 

Meanwhile, here on the mountain top, we are still buried in snow and ice. 

Let The Sun Shine In!

Despite the fact that it is still very much winter in our neck of the woods, the sun this past weekend was beyond glorious!

Combined with the change to the clocks for daylight savings time and this is one happy blogger!

Finding A Little Summer Amidst The Snow

As you know, we got a whopper of a storm last week, and another on Thursday, which means we will not see grass for quite some time. 

Le sigh. 

However, I figured out a way to bring a little summer into these winter days - and it was easy peasy, my favorite!

Winter Storm Riley

We had quite the Nor'easter this past weekend! Winter Storm Riley settled over the mountain top and dumped 3+ FEET of snow!

The entire mountain top as well as many neighboring villages were without power for 30+ hours, and some areas are still waiting for power to be restored. 

Early Spring Garden Chores

I know I said spring is a long way off on the mountain top. Yet, as I see so many blog friends posting photos of spring shrubs in bloom in their areas, I can't help but start to get excited to spend some time outdoors in my garden, taking care of my spring gardening chores. 

Finding My Way To Peace

My friend Brenda over at Cozy Little House posted today about how she conquered her fears to get to a better place in her life. 

She really got me thinking. 

I often post about the peace that I have in my little mountain top home, and how happy I am living here. 

But many of you are newer readers and don't know how that peace came to be. 

Embracing Winter On The MountainTop

All over blogland and on Instagram I'm seeing lovely photos of spring flowers and posts about spring dreams. 

Up here on the Mountain Top, I know we've got a good two months or more left of winter, so there's really no point in getting too excited about spring just yet!

The best thing to do is to settle in and embrace what's left of winter. 

I mean, really - what else can you do?

One Of The Ways I Combat Daily Stress

I've always been a big fan of Aromatherapy. It started many years ago, when my children were babies and I went through one of the most stressful times in my life. 

That's a story for another day, but suffice it to say, I used Aromatherapy regularly as one of the things that got me through that terrible time.  Candles, essential oils, linen mists, body sprays and lotions....you name it, if it was scented with essential oils, I used it.  It's amazing how a particular scent can lift your mood or calm your mind.

Oh, and then there was wine. That helped, too.

Living A Beautiful Life

Over the holidays I read a fabulous book, spurred on by comments left by many of you on a post on another blog. 

I can't remember which blog, but I immediately pulled up my Amazon account and ordered the book. 

An Absence Of Color

I can't believe it's been TWO weeks since I was able to get a post up! I think since I started blogging this is the first time I've gone that long without checking in!

My office mate is on medical leave at the moment, which means I've been taking over a lot of what he does to keep things running smoothly until his return. 

Which equates to me being busier than ever right now! 

Spaces That Speak To My Heart

Happy New Year Everyone!!!! I truly hope you had a marvelous time ringing in 2018 with someone you love!

I was pretty much sick as a dog with a nasty head cold all weekend, so I spent some much needed time reading by the fire and bouncing around online.