Okay, maybe hot weather is relative. Snow melting, no coat in January weather? The first super early round of mud season is upon us weather? Hello, potholes weather (actually, that weather’s been here for a bit!). A fool’s spring definitely.
Quick post as it was a long day, I make my own schedule so why would I agree to close one day and open the next? Ugh. Not bad days but I’m tired.
Hot Chocolate of the Week:
Not a hit with me even with marshmallows added. And I typically do like Dove chocolates (though to be fair, I’m a dark chocolate fan much more than milk chocolate). I think this came from my work Christmas gift. Hoping I’ve not ruined quick hot chocolate for myself by making those homemade versions! I made this Sunday when it was cooler out.
Hot Weather (for January)
It’s beautiful and sunny outside except it’s also oh so muddy! Lots of snow from a blizzard makes lots ofmud when it melts. Just a reminder that this was our weather just last week on Tuesday:
So between the two, I’ll take the warmer weather. That said I’ve seen this meme numerous places to the point I’m not sure how to credit the original author but it’s extremely accurate:
If you aren’t smiling in Kansas City today, you’re either a Bills fan or a sports hater. And let me tell you, around here, we’re smiling! So happy to see my team going for a chance to make Super Bowl history with a 3-peat!
We had sports talk radio on this morning and I think one of the hosts kind of summed things up: You really do feel bad for Josh Allen because he seems like a nice guy and no denying he’s a great quarterback. But then, you go We’re going to the Super Bowl! AGAIN. Wheeee!
So much to do today after feeling under the weather pretty much all of last week. Still, I’m determined to post and join in with Sandra for Happy Homemaker Monday.
Let’s get to it.
The Weather
Sunrise with the moon showing on Saturday or Sunday, can’t remember which
The sun is shining, it’s warming up, 43 degrees already. Did I mention it was a happy day?! Supposed to be in the 50’s tomorrow and Wednesday, then drop back to the 40’s and probably rain on Friday. I’ll be even happier if the rain washes away the ugly snow piles from the blizzard.
Things That Make Me Happy
How ‘Bout Those Chiefs?!!!!!?? (Sorry, I’ll *try* to be less obnoxious the rest of the week but this is super exciting!)
(I actually talked my husband into going to the fan zone at Union Station this morning to get some pictures! Sharing some here, more in later posts)
On the Breakfast Plate
French toast bagel and coffee, vitamins
On the Lunch Plate
Macaroni and Cheese from the blue box (G is home sick from work and requested it). I added leftover BBQ little smokies to mine, super yummy!
On The Dinner Plate
Trying a new one off the back of the carton of chicken stock: Asian Bow Tie Pasta (trying to get the elements of chicken soup into my son who doesn’t like soup)
On The Menu
The *three* rings off our dessert cupcakes from dinner last night. (Store-bought)
MONDAY: Asian Bow Tie Pasta
TUESDAY: Kielbasa on the grill, potatoes, cucumber salad *I work 2:30-6*
WEDNESDAY: Spicy Korean Chicken, homemade spring rolls, rice (seeing if my husband will grill it tomorrow) *I work 7:00-3:30*
THURSDAY: Korean meatballs/rice *I work 3-5*
FRIDAY: Cabbage Roll Casserole
On My Reading Pile
Too many books I need to read, good problem. Right now I’m trying to finish up Deck the Donuts by Ginger Bolton and just started Mickey7 by Edward Ashton (G gave me this book for Christmas) plus have 2 ebooks that came off my hold list at the library (not sure I remember the titles at the moment).
On My TV This Week
Football! I’m kind of glad the Washington Commanders lost as I’d have felt bad cheering against them in the Super Bowl. I have no reservations about cheering against Philadelphia (again). I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of the Commanders (or the Bills, of course).
In non-sports viewing, I watched the second season of Night Agent (really like that show) on Netflix. A movie that shouldn’t have been so good but was: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. And finally, I’ve been casually watching Brooklyn 99 at night, a funny, you don’t have to think very hard comedy.
On My To Do List
Mostly getting things back in order after being sick so all the usual: laundry, cleaning the house, grocery store, etc. Add in going to the bank and getting a new bankcard because my new one never arrived (DONE), double checking if I have any auto withdraws because the pin changed (I don’t think I do but sometimes I put Black Friday streaming deals on my card), car wash, double-checking work calendar, and I don’t even know what else.
New Recipe I Tried Or Want To Try
The Asian Chicken Bow Tie pasta is new. So is the cabbage roll casserole.
From The Camera
Quote for the Week
Where there is love, there is joy. (Mother Teresa)
It’s been a slow January week. And I’ve been fighting off some sinus-type thing for most of it. Focusing on resting mostly. Good week for it with the super cold temperatures and not much going on really (other than the Chiefs, you bet I’m wearing my lucky red even if I’m home on red Friday. Go Chiefs!)
For right now, I’m hopping on here with a Five on Friday post with images from this week.
ONE: A Fun Surprise
My sister-in-law who moved to Florida a few years ago, sent us Christmas cookies (made after Christmas, it’s okay I wondered as well)! I don’t make these cookies (don’t even try) so we were all thrilled. Only one slight issue:
How many crumbs equal a cookie? We figured it out and they were still super delicious!
TWO: Cold Sunlight
The cold didn’t stop the sunlight from streaming in the windows. I found myself a bit captivated with the way it hit this hibiscus bloom. Why is my hibiscus blooming indoors in January? I have no idea.
It also hit upon the bromeliad plant. I picked up two of these around Christmas as bedroom decor plants.
THREE: Bird-watching
Of course, I immediately went to bird-watching upon picking up the “real” camera again. I’ll be excited to get images from outside and not through the backdoor when the weather warms up again. Here’s an interesting bird:
(Remember these images are through the glass of the backdoor)
My goal is to get a good image of this bird but it won’t cooperate! Did you figure out what it was yet?
Believe it or not, it’s a Northern Cardinal! It’s either molting or has severe leucism or both.
And since those pictures were awful, here’s an actual in focus one of the Flicker woodpecker visiting the suet feeder:
Such amazing looking birds!
FOUR: Frugal Menus
I didn’t even have a menu prepared on Monday so here’s what we ended up eating this week:
Monday: Roast in the crock pot
Tuesday: Chicken Tingas, from freezer, plus I used some corn tortillas to make homemade chips
Wednesday: Beef vegetable stew using leftover roast meat and dinner rolls
Thursday: Fried pork chops, baked potatoes, and dinner rolls again
Friday: Tonight I’m either making turkey sausages and peppers or we’ll have waffles/bacon
Sat/Sun: Not sure yet but I know we have chili in the freezer so maybe that during the game
FIVE: Reading and Watching
Here’s what I’ve been reading and watching (besides the birds!)
Reading:
I finished up all the Jessica Dodge books that were available on Kindle Unlimited. Not high brow literature but I did enjoy the somewhat spooky stories set mainly in Wales and Scotland. They weren’t exactly a series but I’d suggest reading them in this order: The Forgotten Witch, The Book of Lost Enchantments, and then, Misplaced Magic. I did find the last one a bit spookier than the first two and not ideal for before bed reading.
Now, I’m reading Deck the Donuts by Ginger Bolton. Yes, it’s a Christmas cozy murder mystery.
Watching:
Something about being under the weather with me and I watch old action movies I’ve somehow never seen. This week’s been all about the Rush Hour movies with Jackie Chan. I only have the third left to watch.They are goofy but enjoyable. Also on my list of viewing from this week, Brooklyn 99, it’s nice and light, not much thinking required. Perfect if your before bed book is a bit too scary. And finally, I started watching season 2 of The Night Agent yesterday as I really enjoyed the first season. Of course, football this weekend. Did I already say Go Chiefs!?
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Not much going on today, just laundry and probably a bit more watching (of birds and tv). I really need to run to Target but haven’t felt like it. If I feel decent at all tomorrow or Sunday, I plan to spend some much needed time outside (it’s supposed to be in the high 30’s or maybe 40’s finally). No big plans just going to let the weekend unfold.
Do you have exciting weekend plans?
*Also, planning to link up to My Creative Life for this Five on Friday when she posts. Go check out her blog!
I finally settled on a word for 2025 and it’s none of the ones I considered. How it goes sometimes, right? The closest I came to the words I considered was savor.
However, I felt it came with a bit of pressure. And did I want to feel that I must savor the moments of unhappiness that creep into the years along with the wonders. Still, I wanted to notice the moments of happiness and unhappiness and every moment in between. Not just go through the year in a daze (I feel like slept walk through 2024 somehow) but actually pay attention and notice the things happening around me. So my word for 2025 is:
NOTICE
I think I could go a bit further with it and use a phrase: notice the moment. Mostly that’s how I plan to engage my word but I’m keeping things simple and just having a word for the year. I’m hoping by noticing the world around me and not spending quite so much time distracting myself (with say my phone), that I can arrive at the end of 2025 and not wonder what happened and where it all went.
What do you think? If you already picked a word for 2025, what is it and how is it going for you so far?
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Adding a picture here just to break up topics a bit.
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Speaking of noticing, I noticed I didn’t care for the way I did my 25 for 2025 list. I can fix that though. A new off the cuff list. Some items might be the same and some may change. Anyway, here’s an updated straight up list of 25 things I want to do in 2025, no order, no categories, just a list.
Try a different hot chocolate flavor every week during winter
Get my ears pierced again
Plant a garden again (we skipped last year other than in a few pots)
Go on a walk at least once a week (giving myself grace for weeks when the temp is below zero!)
Send someone a letter every week of 2025
Buy 2 Christmas presents a month
Lose 25 pounds (who knows maybe this is my year!)
Say yes to invitations, maybes are yes. (I have permission to NOT go if I really don’t want to go)
Host Easter brunch
Go through an automatic car wash by myself
Notice and embrace the pace of every season
Clean out the computer desk (Note my computer desk is a big engineering type desk with lots of space in the drawers that I think contain papers dating back to the kids’ elementary school days)
Blog at least 3 times a week
Date night with my husband once a month (I should probably share this list item with him)
Clean and organize basement
Participate in the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge (just jumping in with it. Thank you Carol for mentioning it in your blog post on Monday!)
Pick up the real camera at least once a week
Take 4 trips, one in each season
Act from a place of peace, love, and kindness. Take a pause if necessary (sports team cheering exempted, LOL)
Clean up the back deck and backyard to make it a more peaceful place (this requires better weather and husband help…hmmm, a date night? Ha!)
Clean corner in bedroom (clear out the clutter corner basically)
Have spa day once a month
Serious email clean out and unsubscribe from lists
Give myself permission to rest on days I feel run down
Refer back to the list near the end of each month (With a blog post? Maybe sometimes…)
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Will I still do some of the things dropped from my first 25 in 2025 list? Maybe or maybe not. Will I do everything on this list? Maybe or maybe not. I do feel better about this list though like I can stick to it better.
Nope, not a typo in my title. I tried two different types of hot chocolate this week. And yes, it is only Wednesday. Take a look at what temperature we woke up to on Tuesday:
Yeah, just a little chilly out there. Still, I had a hair appointment and since I was out anyway, made a brief stop by the grocery store. Don’t worry it was up to 3 degrees by the time I made it to the store. So, you see the logic of trying two hot chocolates this week instead of only one.
Monday’s choice:
Monday wasn’t quite as cold. However, I thought it would be a good day to try out a new recipe since I had the day off work. Colonial Hot Chocolate seemed fitting somehow as it was also Inauguration Day.
Hmm…needs a little something. How about a bit of whipped cream topped with cinnamon-sugar?
My thoughts: While I enjoyed the flavor of it, I didn’t care for the grittiness of it. Not sure if I did something wrong or that was just how they had their hot chocolate in colonial times. I do think if you put the spices in a tea strainer or maybe strained the hot chocolate before pouring in the cup, it would improve the experience quite a bit.
Notes: I didn’t have any star anise so left it out, I think it would’ve enhanced the flavor but I didn’t miss it that much. Also didn’t have any orange rinds (I’d definitely add that if I make it again) and opted to leave out the red chili pepper.
Tuesday’s Choice:
Even without the bitter cold, this choice wins of all the hot chocolates I’ve tried so far! Italian Hot Chocolate is definitely to be savored and not slurped away.
I added a bit of whipped cream to this but it did not need it. At all.
Look how thick this is:
My thoughts: First, a disclaimer, Italian food is my absolute favorite so no surprise I loved this. It was so rich and thick, definitely more a dessert than a drink. I mostly drank it off the spoon. My family, who I made try this one, all said um, it’s pudding. And it does have that texture. G thought it was a bit bitter but he’s not a dark chocolate fan.
Notes: I did make a few mistakes while making this, accidentally mixing the sugar at the beginning with the cocoa/cornstarch mixture. Making this is definitely a process that requires patience. I didn’t add any extra flavors to it. If When I make it again, I might swirl in a bit of vanilla or a bit of amaretto but I don’t think it really needs anything at all. Did I make two cups (J changed his mind about wanting any) and have a second cup without the whipped cream for dessert after dinner? Yes, yes I did.
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Remember as part of my 25 for 2025 list, I’ve decided to try a new kind of hot chocolate every week this winter (and packets count if I don’t have time to make it from scratch!).
Have you ever tried Italian hot chocolate?
Do you have a favorite style of hot chocolate I should try?
Happy Monday! Here in the U.S., it’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as well as Inauguration Day. And bitter cold, here in Kansas City. No work for me today (schools out because of MLK, Jr. Day) so a good day to putter around and maybe get a bit of indoor housekeeping done.
Joining in again with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom, hoping 2025 is the year, I manage to post a Happy Homemaker Post every Monday.
The Weather
Come hang out by the Netflix fireplace with me:
Already mentioned it but again, it’s bitter cold out there! Right now it’s 7 degrees with a minus 4 degree windchill and supposed to get colder before warming up again. By Wednesday though we’re back to our normal mid 30’s and I even see some 40’s for the weekend. Slight (very slight) chance of a sprinkling of snow on Thursday.
Things That Make Me Happy
How About Those Chiefs????!!!!! Two games away from a 3 peat win of the Super Bowl!
As I Look Outside My Window
Saturday sunrise out the front windows (I may have actually stepped out and froze for this photo)
This was from yesterday but the birds were busy at the birdfeeders! A few favorites. I took these through the backdoor so not super great quality!
white-throated sparrowI had a flicker woodpecker at my suet feeder, that’s new one for around here!Red-bellied woodpecker
And who’s this?
Squirrel!
On the Breakfast Plate
Apple cinnamon oatmeal and coffee
On the Lunch Plate
I’m thawing out a frittata from the freezer that I made around New Year’s
On The Dinner Plate
Roast in the crock pot, dinner rolls
On The Menu
A work in progress. I’ve decided I need to spend today seeing what we have and making menus to clear out the fridge/freezer/pantry. Threw some produce away this morning that should have been used. UGH, I know we’ve all had it happen but it’s so frustrating especially with the price of groceries.
MONDAY: Roast in the crock pot
TUESDAY: Maybe Chicken Tingas (already cooked in freezer) *Hair appointment for me at 10:00 a.m.*
WEDNESDAY: ???
THURSDAY: ???
FRIDAY: ???
On My Reading Pile
The Forgotten Witch by Jessica Dodge, I enjoyed The Book of Lost Enchantments enough to read another. Each book seems to be stand alone. They are cozy and kind of whimsical reads set in Scotland. Probably make great Fall reads but I’m reading them in winter.
On My TV This Week
Oh, can I say it again? How About Those Chiefs????!!!! Okay, I’ll stop. Obviously, football this weekend. And I’m so grateful that I won’t have to listen to Joe Buck/Troy Aikman again. UGH, they were annoying. For the record, I saw the same roughing the passer calls in a quite a few other non-Chiefs games earlier in the season where the announcers explained the rule instead of griping. I confess I spent many years hating on New England so I guess I get it, they hate us ’cause they ain’t us 😉
Okay, enough of that, time to start practicing my “Shut Up, Tony Romo!” yells. LOL. I actually don’t mind him as much. Sorry about the tough loss for the Detroit fans out there.
Other than that, my husband and I have one episode of Resident Alien left to watch. Maybe I’ll finally get around to finishing Emily in Paris.
On My To Do List
What’s not on my to do list? Same old stuff really: laundry, clean the house, declutter a bit (I did *finally,* on a couple warm days last week, drop off some donation boxes that had been in the trunk way too long), grocery store and Target runs, make meal list from items in fridge/freezer/pantry, pay bills,etc.
What I’m Creating
I usually don’t have anything for this category but we had a work event on Friday and it was a painting party:
(I got a little carried away with my snow!)
I’m also planning to create a loaf of banana bread in bit to have the oven maybe heat the house up a bit more.
From The Camera
I picked my real camera up this week for the first time in such a long time! So the pictures in the post are a combo of phone/real camera pictures.
Think she’s dreaming of warm summer days? I think the hibiscus I moved in for the winter is sharing her dream as it bloomed over the weekend!
Quote for the Week
My favorite quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. :
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I am more of a vanilla person so really expected to enjoy this one.
I did NOT. It was not good. Maybe too soon after the rich Belgian hot chocolate? Or maybe it’s just called hot chocolate for a reason? And I accidentally bought 2 packets of it. SIGH. Maybe I can figure out something to do with the other package to make it better.
A Delight
Before baking:
And after:
(Sorry forgot to flip the photos). YUM. Just YUM.
The blueberry French toast bake that Carrie shared was a hit! Mostly with me. To be fair, my husband said it would make a “good side” and that he didn’t care for mushy bread. (NOTE: the bread was not mushy at all. He just isn’t a huge sourdough fan and that’s what I used) J decided he was not a fan of hot blueberries but thought it would be great with other fruit. G just thought it needed something on top. My family is super picky though. This dish is an absolute 10/10 for me.
I made a few mistakes in the recipe like accidentally doubling the seasonings when I halved the recipe but I don’t think that hurt it at all. And not really a mistake but I always add a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg to my recipes with real blueberries.
Started the week off working (bright and early at 7:00AM as well) so Happy Homemaker Monday turns into Happy Homemaker Tuesday afternoon around here.
Just going to get right to it while I’m still semi-functioning.
The Weather
Cold yesterday and today but we are going to warm up! 40’s by Friday! I predict some snowmelt in the future. While the snow is pretty and I’ll be sad to see much of it go, honestly, it’s stressing me out that I can’t park in my *usual* spot at work because of it. So I’ll be happy to have my parking spot back. And happy for a bit warmer weather until the next front comes over the weekend and then, it’s COLD again.
As I Look Outside My Window
Snow on the ground still plus I need to refill the birdfeeders.
Right Now
Taking a break from paying bills to do something fun (like type up this post!)
Things That Make Me Happy
Children, blue skies, watching the birds, snuggles with a little gray cat
On the Breakfast Plate
Homemade egg mcmuffin (egg w/cheese on English muffin), coffee
On the Lunch Plate
Junk (should’ve just eaten lunch at work, waited to long and so snacked here at home)
On The Dinner Plate
Blueberry French Toast Bake
On The Menu
Trying to slowly get back to routine…
MONDAY: sausage, broccoli, and orzo *I worked 7-12:30*
TUESDAY: Blueberry French Toast bake, bacon & sausage *I worked 8:30-1*
WEDNESDAY: pepper steak *I work 7:30-4* plus scheduled night out with friends
THURSDAY: chicken sandwiches, French fries
FRIDAY: No idea *I work 8-4 plus have a work party (postponed from December)
On My Reading Pile
Just started a new one: The Book of Lost Enchantments by Jessica Dodge, the premise intrigued me
On My TV This Week
Mostly football (Sorry about your team, Carrie!) though most the games were fairly lopsided. More football this weekend (one game I’m really interested in watching). Tried to watch the new show, Doc on Fox network. It was okay but I kept thinking why don’t they get the brain doctor from the show on the other network to come help her, LOL. Doubt I’ll keep up with it.
On My To Do List
Nothing overly exciting: pay bills, clean house, go with the masses to wash my car & fill up the gas tank on one of the 40 degree days. Trying to take January slow and just go with the pace of winter.
New Recipe I Tried Or Want To Try
Trying out the Blueberry French Toast bake that Carrie from Northwoods Scrapbook mentioned last week.
From The Camera
Pretty much an inside weekend. As much as I want to get out and hike in the snow, it’s been too cold and I have to be mindful of the fact that underneath the snow is ice. Maybe Thursday, I’ll get a chance to get out somewhere. So, long way to say nothing exciting here.
Quote for the Week
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Starting off with this wonderful cinnamon roll (and coffee, always coffee) that I had for breakfast.
My husband had to work this morning and thinking I had to move my car (snow day problems) so he could get out, I decided to go to the grocery store since we were out of a few basics. And not so basic things as well. I ended up going to two stores since my non-regular store was having a sale on a few things we really enjoy (and blueberries!). While I love my Hy-Vee so much, I’m sorry to say their bakery stinks. Might be a good thing as I’m never all that tempted. I can’t seem to make it out of the other store without something. See case in point, picture of cinnamon roll.
Smells so good!
I’m not a huge fan of Target candles but J gave me 2 of these little jar candles for Christmas. And this one smells so good and has impressed me with how it fills the whole bedroom with scent.
An Unexpected Surprise!
I planned to only work a few hours in the afternoon yesterday but ended up going in earlier. And 2 of the sweetest little girls (sisters) could hardly wait to hand me this card. They had them for all the teachers in that classroom and included me! Really made my day.
As if the sweet words written above weren’t enough (they were!), the card also contained a coffee gift card! (Note: the card is signed as well but I’m not showing that part for privacy reasons)
Christmas lives on!
The poinsettia my husband brought home as surprise around Thanksgiving is still going strong. I don’t why but that makes me happy.
Now, if it could just talk to the Christmas cactus about blooming times…
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Not really too much going on around here today. My coworker mentioned it looked like it would be a cozy weekend in as we were leaving yesterday. I think she’s probably right. There’s a chance of rain (yes, rain) later this afternoon. No idea what that’ll do to the 5 foot drifts where they plowed the snow. Or the roads for that matter. Probably going to be a football watching weekend over here. And I do need to spend some time getting the house back in order and doing a bit of laundry.
Otherwise, I’ll probably be enjoying another cinnamon roll maybe with a cup of tea and finishing up the last of the cozy romance book series set in Iceland. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
Everyone was home again yesterday. Today, things are starting to slowly return to routine. My husband and G went off to work though G had a late start. I’m doing a load of laundry and pondering what I might want to do today.
I knew I wanted to put up a blog post. Maybe return to doing winter Wednesdays. So for today, just a few images. Even the nature centers were closed yesterday (and it was cold out there!) but I was craving some outdoor time (and sunshine!). So, a few phone snaps from the back yard to start.
Also, not the best pictures because my hands even in the fingerless gloves were COLD. I also should’ve grabbed the real camera for decent bird pictures because we had a great variety. That said, I do like how this zoomed in phone picture of a junco and cardinal sitting in the oak tree has a surreal painting like feel:
The cardinal a bit more in focus. The sun and wind knocked most the snow off this side of the oak tree so that’s why it looks so bare.
Higher up, the trees looked like this:
The trees were making me happy yesterday along with the bright blue skies! Just the tippy top of the trees in this photo had ice left.
Time to warm up:
On my list of 25 for 2025 (still thinking on that word of the year but leaning toward either savor or trust), try a new hot chocolate every week of winter. So I opted to start out by trying this Belgian hot chocolate recipe.
It was so good and so rich that I couldn’t drink an entire cup (I didn’t even fill this cup full). Half of it is still in the fridge to be rewarmed, perhaps later today.
Definitely a 5 star cup of hot chocolate!
Note, I love dark chocolate so opted for the darkest chocolate I could find that stayed with the parameters of the recipe.
Have you ever had Belgian hot chocolate? Also, if you have a kind of hot chocolate you think I should try, I’m open to suggestions. It doesn’t need to be homemade, if it’s a packet flavor, I’d like to know that as well.
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Now, I’m off to fold a bit of laundry, put away a few remaining stray Christmas decorations, and clean up around here a bit. However, you spend this winter Wednesday, I hope you enjoy it!
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