Friday Weigh In and Happy Things

The Irish believe that things happen in threes. 

Bad things tend to happen in threes. 

But good things also happen in threes. 

Last night when I got home from work there were three deer in my back garden. I was happy to see them as I had been hearing the hunters in the woods not so long ago. 

This morning when I was leaving for work there were three turkeys at the end of my lane. Which is rather unusual as they generally travel in much larger groups, known as a rafter of turkeys. 

And this morning when I weighed in (remember, Friday is weigh in day!) I lost exactly three pounds. 

YIPPEEEEEEEEEE!!

Is there some significance in the number 3 on this day? I don' t know. 

But I was happy. 

I feel much better than I did at the start of the year. 

My body is no longer craving cookies. Instead it craves fruit and greens. And whole grains. 

Yes, I still eat cheese. 

Yes, I still drink wine. 

But I have been trying to eat more whole foods and stay away from processed foods. I still eat 'regular' dinners - I just eat smaller portions. 

I am mindful of what I am putting in my body. 

And it's working. I'm down 7.4 lbs so far this month. And I feel so much better for it!

Other things that made me happy on this beautiful morning:

The sunshine through the kitchen window making the bottles glow. 

The daffodil that my daughter brought home from Trader Joe's last night and put in the kitchen window to make me smile. The rest are in her room. She adores daffodils!

The new fridge magnet the pups bought me for Christmas. Bold little furbabies!

And the one I bought for myself! Ha ha, I could have written this one!

The way the sun was streaming in the guest room window this morning. No wonder those plants are so happy!

The reflection of the Swiss Dot Sheers on the Big Green Monster. I have always, ALWAYS loved Swiss Dot Sheers on my windows!  And my paperwhites are starting to respond to all that morning sunshine. 

And both horses came to my bedroom window to say good morning on this fine day. 

What made you smile today? 

Recipe Roundup

I can't believe I've been blogging for just about 6 months now! And I've 'met' so many amazing new friends - what an incredible bonus that has been!

I know many of you have just recently found my blog and I am so happy you did! I truly cherish each and every one of your comments and I feel so incredibly blessed to have so many folks following my little blog. 

I have created a Facebook page for my blog which is interesting because I am NOT a Facebook person in the least! However, it's a great place for me to share some of the various articles that I find interesting as well as some recipes, cooking and house tips, and incredible houses. Please click on the link on the right side of my page to like me on Facebook - this way my posts will come right to your page. 

At least I think that's how it works!!  :) Correct me if I'm wrong....

Since so many of you are new to my world I thought I would do a little recipe roundup where I gather all the recipes I've posted so far into one convenient location. The link to each recipe can be found below the photo. 

Most of my recipes are fairly easy to make and are made with healthy ingredients like lots and lots of veggies! 

And cheese....always cheese. 

Enjoy!!

Tortellini with Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

Roasted Tomato Soup

The Easiest Tomato Sauce Ever

The Very Best Veggie Lasagna

Farm Fresh Bolognese

Crock Pot Chicken Broth

My First Quiche

NuNu's Pizza

Deconstructed Lasagna

Bourbon Vanilla Cranberry Sauce

Mouth Watering Meatloaf

Red and White Winter Salad

My Favorite Butternut Squash Soup

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I Have a Dream....

I love my house, no secret about it. It's such a great little house, just perfect for me. 

But that doesn't mean it's perfect. It has a few flaws, for sure. 

One is that the garage is not attached to the house. I have never ever understood why people would build a garage in the snowy northeast and not attach it to the house. 

Another flaw is that there is no proper entry. When visitors come to the house, they are not really sure where to go.  I usually stand out on the deck waving people up the garden steps and in through the kitchen door. 

Through the long months of waiting to close on my house I thought of many ways I wanted to improve my home. Things I had always dreamed of having in my home like a sunroom, a proper foyer, a greenhouse, a beautiful entry. A screened porch and/or a covered porch. 

I looked into adding a sunroom or four-season room to my house, with a doorway from the living room. The price was crazy, I couldn't justify it. 

I tried to figure out how to make a proper entry in my living room using furniture - a bench, a hall tree, something. 

But it's just too awkward. 

And then one day the light-bulb went on over my head. 

Via

Bingo - an enclosed breezeway between the garage and the house that would serve as the formal entry, the foyer, a small sunroom, and a bit of a greenhouse for all the plants I would like to overwinter. 

It would have French doors that open onto my stone patio that is in between my house and garage. It would be like a secret garden back there!

It would need to be a multi-purpose space. It will give me the coat closet and proper entry/foyer I am lacking. It will serve as my sunroom/greenhouse in the winter months and my covered porch/screened porch in the summer months. 

It needs to be big enough for a small table and chairs and have a source of heat as well as a ceiling fan. 

I need to be able to sit there with my coffee in the mornings and my wine in the evenings. 

Via

And the dream was born. 

My contractor and I have discussed options on how to make it work best, given the tight space we are working within. 

Via

We have tossed around ideas for months now. 

I originally wanted it finished before the first snowfall. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a proper place to take off my boots and coat when I get home other than in the kitchen doorway?

When it came to October and my contractor was still finishing up the many other projects we took on, it was determined it needed to wait until spring. 

I thought the Gods were stepping in and telling me to take a break. Six months of continuous construction and projects was a long time - it would be nice to have my house to myself for a little while. 

And I also thought, let me live through the first winter in my  new house and see how it goes. 

How icy will the steps get leading down from the kitchen entrance to the garage door?

How hard will it be lugging firewood up those wooden steps and in through the kitchen?

How messy will things be when we are tracking snow into the house every single day?

Via

Well, our winter got off to a slow start but now it seems to be here to stay. 

And although my daughters carry the firewood in from the garage I'm constantly telling them to kick off their snowy shoes by the kitchen door before they track snow and salt all over my house. It's a continuous battle. 

The pups also bring in the snow on their little paws. My wood floors are a mess of little footprints constantly. 

The treads I added to the kitchen steps do help with traction, but we still have to be extremely cautious. 

And I absolutely hate not having a place to come in, take off my shoes and hang up my coat. 

Via

So, the wheels are spinning again. 

Too bad I didn't hit the Powerball. That would have made this a no-brainer. 

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Amaryllis Care and Tips

In 2014 I bought a whole bunch of Amaryllis bulbs to give as holiday gifts. I purchased them online from Jackson & Perkins so I knew I was getting high quality bulbs. 

When I gave the bulbs, I included the following instructions on a little card that I tied on with pretty ribbon. 

Water Planting

1. Fill a clear vessel with a three-inch layer of stones or pebbles.

2. Add the amaryllis bulb, then add more stones around it for stability.

3. Add water just below the bulb, but not touching it, and monitor the water level to make sure it remains consistent.

Soil Planting

1. Partially fill a pot with well-draining potting soil; add bulbs.

2. Fill in with soil 2/3 of the way up the bulb, keeping the "neck and shoulders" above the soil level.

3. Water and let pot drain; cover the soil surface with moss or pebbles for decoration. Potted amaryllis can thrive for more than 15 years if properly maintained.

Care Tips

• After planting, place bulbs in a warm, bright spot. Bottom heat, such as a germination pad or the top of a refrigerator, will help force the bulbs out of dormancy.

• Water sparingly until green growth appears, then water regularly. Try to keep the soil moist but not soggy.

• Stake the stalks with twigs when they grow tall so they don't topple over.

• After flowers fade, cut stems an inch from the base of the bulb. Water as needed and apply household fertilizer monthly until midsummer. Then, cease watering and let bulbs rest for two months, at which point they're ready to begin the forcing process once again.

I planted the ones I kept for myself in soil.  

I  wonder how many of the ones I gave as gifts are still going strong a year later?

Mine are absolutely gorgeous, and as you can see there are still more blooms to come!

I kept them out on  my deck in the summer months and fertilized with a gentle organic liquid fertilizer every time I fed the rest of my outdoor planters. 

In the fall, right before the first frost, I sprayed them liberally with insecticidal soap and brought them indoors. 

I put them on the floor in the closet under the stairs and didn't look at them again for weeks. 

When I finally pulled them out to use the closet for storage, they were already starting to grow again! I was shocked. 

I put them in my utility room until after the holidays, no water or any attention at all given to them. 

When the Christmas decor went back into storage I brought them upstairs and gave them water. 

They bloomed beautifully within a couple of weeks!

They are absolutely glorious - I will replant them at some point before forcing them again next season as they have gotten quite large for the pots they are in but other than that? 

Easy Peasy! 

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No Spend Month - Week Two Recap

It's a bitterly cold day in the mountains today with wind chills in the negatives. 

A great day to stay indoors if ever there was one!

I wish I had that option. Instead I was traipsing around out in the frigid wind with my contacts freezing to my eyeballs. 

What does this have to do with my no spend month, you ask?

Well, this frigid weather might be the cause of me breaking my no spend month!

These photos are of the beautiful frost on the windows in my garage. The frost makes the most gorgeous lace window coverings!

It also means I have to run my car for a while before I ever head out of the house. 

Which means my full tank of gas may not last the whole month as I had hoped. 

I'm at a half tank right now. It's not looking good to make it through to the end. 

However, my remote start is such a blessing on these frosty mornings I couldn't possibly complain!

Other than that, my no spend month is going quite well!

The shopping list on the fridge is growing by the day. 

But there are still plenty of meals left in my freezers and pantry so no worries there. 

I have been unpacking some last boxes of items from the move - things I bought ages ago and didn't know quite where to put them.  They've been hanging out in the garage until I figure it out. 

This lantern I originally bought for outside my garden cottage but when I unwrapped it I was concerned the wood would take too much of a beating out there. 

So, in it came....and I moved things around until I found the perfect spot. 

Doesn't it look great on the built-ins in my master suite? 

When my no spend month is over I may get a LED candle with a remote for the lantern. 

Or maybe I won't. We'll see. 

Another little happy spot in my bedroom is this vignette on top of my dresser. My daughter gave me that super-cool gold sparkly peacock for Christmas and it made itself at home nestled in my bird mirror. 

It makes me smile every time I look at it. 

So, the puttering continues, moving things here, there, and yonder for a fresh look without spending a dime. 

I unpacked two copper candle sconces that I'm considering hanging on either side of the TV in the living room. 

We'll see....I'm still figuring it out.  I'm so hesitant to commit to the holes in the walls it's comical!

Keeping busy without buying a thing - I have to say I'm really liking this challenge. I find it refreshing to 'make do' - it's freeing, somehow. Reminiscent of a simpler time. 

Halfway through.....let's see how I feel this time next week. 

How's your January shaping up? Are you sticking to your goals?