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Happy February Rudolph Day and A Declutter Update

40bagsin40days Decluttering/Organizing Rudolph Day 2 Comments

Somehow, I went from a slow week without much planned to a busy one. Happens that way though doesn’t it?

I went from not working at all to working yesterday, half a day today, tomorrow, and all of next week!

Thought I better pop on here and share my Rudolph Day plans (it’s going to be a quick Rudolph day morning now) and the promised update on my decluttering challenge.

Let’s start with the fun stuff.

Rudolph Day Plans

As I mentioned above, it’s going to be more of a Rudolph morning than entire day over here. However, I might circle back and do some of the suggestions after work. Depends on how the half-day work day unfolds.

Started with eating my flip yogurt in the Peppermint crunch flavor for breakfast. And I do have a hot chocolate packet to enjoy later. Snickerdoodle intrigued me for February.

If I had time, I’d be tempted to throw together a batch of snickerdoodle cookies to enjoy along side it. And of course, to share with my family.

The Rudolph Day suggestions for February include:

  1. Starting a holiday letter. However, I’ve not done a holiday letters for quite a few years
  2. Devise a plan for Christmas cash. Remember the days of Christmas club accounts? Sadly, not really much of a thing anymore.
  3. Keep adding to the gift closet.
  4. And just for fun, get ready for Saint Patrick’s Day. Happily, I picked up a Christmas themed green sugar cookie mix on clearance in mid-January (Don’t worry I checked the expiration date) to give new life as shamrock cookies in March.

Since I’m on limited time this month, I’ll probably just drink my hot chocolate and maybe jot down a few gift ideas in my Christmas notebook. Still, I might also order a few early Christmas gifts. In 2019, I purchased 2 Christmas gifts each month and it worked out very well.   

Hopefully, my March Rudolph Day is a bit more exciting. (And yes, I mentioned taking every Rudolph day off work but sometimes things don’t go as planned. Actually, do things ever go as planned?)

Let’s move on to the fun of cleaning up after the Christmas season.

Declutter Update

Mentioned a week ago about following along with the 40 bags in 40 days for the Lenten season. You can read that post here. I’ve been doing pretty good with the daily clear outs. And I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it’s all currently sitting in the trunk of my car! Definitely, an item for the weekend agenda.

However, it’s also exciting because it means I’m making some progress!

I started with the art supply/craft/cookbook/birdseed holding cabinet. Hey, why limit myself to a junk drawer? I have an entire junk cabinet! However, my husband hates it and wants to replace it with something else. So, in an effort to appease, I finally gave it a serious declutter.

Before:

After:

Another area I tackled: the other side of our pantry. We keep the trash bags and medicines plus paper towels and tp there. Weird combination, I know.

Before and after:

Last, I opted to change locations and concentrate in the main bathroom.

Under the sink’s been bothering me for a while now. It wasn’t awful just annoying. And then, I wanted to lighten the look on the back of the toilet a bit.

Before and After

You’ll see below I actually added more to under the sink but I wanted to do it. The cleaning supplies were just sitting on the floor of the bathroom due to lack of space. Now they have a home.

My husband recently added a cabinet back on the bathroom wall for me so I’m currently debating how I want the bathroom to look.

And here’s the project I’m procrastinating to the weekend:

Ugh. Part of the issue, besides all the junk, is the shelves here are not standard size. Maybe I’ll ask my husband if he can adjust them for me.

Other (not pictured) projects included a chair in our bedroom and helping J clean and clear off his dresser and desk. With working a full week next week, I’ll probably aim to keep the declutter projects on the smaller side.

Are you working on any decluttering projects?

Blooming Again?

Before I end my post, mainly because I don’t want to leave you with the image of my nightmarish hall linen closet in your brain, how about an amaryllis update?

I started watering the bulb again in late January without much hope and then, it started growing. And it’s still growing:

Perhaps I’ll have a bloom or two by the next Rudolph day? (This morning I noticed a second smaller bud  on the other side).

If you’re wondering about the plant in the yellow pot, it’s my lemon tree. Purchased it on clearance around Valentine’s Day and all the leaves died and fell off! Froze the poor thing taking it from the store to the car. However, all hope is not lost as I noticed a teeny tiny leaf emerging from it yesterday.

Here’s to happier spring and summer days to come!

Happy Homemaker Monday, Nearing Winter’s End

HappyHomemakerMonday 8 Comments

Whew! Now that we’ve had a little winter, I’m ready for spring’s arrival. It’s not time quite yet but we only have 26 days to go.

Oh boy is it ever a Monday as well. I just typed up my entire post and something happened in the save draft part and *poof* it all disappeared except the first two sentences. So this is my second try at posting this morning.

Joining in to plan my week with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom.

The Weather

The sun is shining! It’s warm (well, warm for winter and supposed to be almost 50 degrees today). Tomorrow, it’s going to hit 60 degrees. And then, we return to normal with highs in the upper 40’s. However, I’ll take melted snow and upper 40’s over the artic blast any day. We want to return that weather for a full refund.

And I continue to think of our friends to the south hit so hard by the weather. Praying they quickly recover.

How I Am Feeling 

Frustrated! My blog keeps wigging out when I try to save my drafts

On My Mind

I’ve typed this section twice now. Maybe you aren’t meant to know what’s on my mind today. Thank you for all the kind words and prayers last week when I mentioned my job. Still thinking things through but feeling a bit more optimistic. Today’s concerns mostly revolve around my youngest son and his struggles with anxiety and school in this “lovely” pandemic world.

On The Breakfast Plate

Flip yogurt, coffee, vitamins.

On My Reading Pile

Planned to read A Virgin River Christmas this week because of Rudolph Day after taking a break from the books. However, I just couldn’t do it. The books are too “formula” for me. I don’t mind slightly predictable so perhaps I’m just not a fan of the author’s writing.

Since I needed a change, I quickly read through some suspense/thriller novels over the weekend with a new to me author, Shari Lapena. An Unwanted Guest was my favorite as it had a nice spooky vibe going. However, I also enjoyed The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House as well.

Then, to go a completely different direction, I read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. (Can’t figure out how to make the thing above the “e” in his last name). I’d never read it before and they reference it a few times in Fear The Walking Dead so I was curious. Enjoyed it.

Now, I’m back to suspense and reading Outfox by Sandra Brown. Takes a bit more concentration but engaging enough.

On My TV

The Muppet Show! Reliving my childhood with a bit of comfort television. And trying not be annoyed at my husband calling it Sesame Street for adults. He’s probably still annoyed at having sat through the movie, Bliss with me. “You pick the worst movies!” Ahem, I don’t disagree. I found that one disappointing. Not what I expected. At least WandaVision and Prodigal Son don’t disappoint. Of course, the latter is on hiatus until March. Still working through Fear the Walking Dead as my laundry folding show.

On The Menu

A bit ambitious this week, we’ll see how it goes.

MONDAY: stuffed peppers *I have a hair appointment at 11* *J has a baritone lesson at 6:30*

TUESDAY: ham steaks and baked sweet potatoes

WEDNESDAY: garlic chicken bites and asparagus (Fresh! On sale! Hooray!)

THURSDAY: Mongolian Beef in the crock pot *Rudolph Day*

FRIDAY: Sheet pan pancake

From The Camera

New Recipe I Tried Last Week or One That We Really Enjoyed

Yesterday, I tried a new recipe for sheet pan maple pork chops. The pork chops were okay but our family united in hatred of cooked fennel. One of my list items this year was to try a new vegetable each week. Now, we know fennel is not a favorite (to understate things).

To Relax This Week I Will

Make a second attempt at cleaning the house (doesn’t work well with everyone at home in snowy weather). Give my February magazines one last glance before tossing them in the recycle bin.

Quote For The Week

I shall have to put up with a few caterpillars if I want to see the butterflies.

(from The Little Prince)

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What are your plans for this last week of February?

 

Birds Not Having An Artic Blast

Birdwatching 10 Comments

The artic blast hit our area last week. I think this robin’s face sums up our feelings about the weather.

None of us plan to request a transfer to the North Pole anytime soon.

Feel very fortunate to live in an area accustomed to snowstorms. Thought often of those to the south without power in the midst of all this. In this area, most of us simply had a 20-30 minute planned outage and conserved power as requested.

Prior to the storm, I stocked up on birdseed.

If you feed them, they will come.

My regular customers were very happy about it.

(I know it’s not the best picture above but because of the temperature especially, most photos were through the back door).

And I had a new customer as well!

New Friend in the Yard

I spent quite a bit of time chasing this sparrow with the camera, both inside the back door and also, venturing out into the backyard once the temperature hit 21 degrees (that’s still pretty cold by the way!)

I think (90 percent sure but hoping someone confirms it for me) this is a fox sparrow.

Behaves much like my beloved white throated sparrows.

Warming Up

Yesterday, the mercury finally climbed to the 32 degree mark. My youngest son and I ignored the wind chill number (mid 20’s) and set off on a winter hike. While I grabbed my camera, I didn’t plan to do any serious birding. It was more of a get the teenager out of the house outing.

However, he’s my good luck charm when it comes to birding. As we started down the trail near some local lakes, he spotted a little group of trumpeter swans in the one area where the lake wasn’t frozen.

On our way back from the trail, we noticed a lone Canadian goose flying along the skyline.

Happily, we notice some other geese join up as we arrived at our car.

Other Birds Spotted This Week

Before I finish my post, I feel I should share at least one snow bird (dark eyed junco) given the weather.

It’s above freezing and sunny out there today so the birds are a bit happier. My husband even spotted our resident Cooper’s Hawk in a tree early this morning.

Other birds out and around the feeders: cardinals, house finches, the Carolina wren, house sparrows, robins, a few starlings, blue jays, nuthatches, and both the downy and red bellied woodpeckers.

Did you get a chance to do any bird watching this week? What birds did you spot?

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Joining in with the Bird Depot hosted by Anni at I’d Rather B Birdin’

 

 

 

Forty Days

40bagsin40days Decluttering/Organizing No Comments

Today’s the first day of Lent. And while I’m not Catholic, I have heard of giving something up for Lent. And I somewhat knew about the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge. This year after reading about it a bit, I’ve decided to participate.

The Basic Premise

You can find the detailed ideas and outline of the challenge over on the The White House Black Shutters blog.  However, the basic plan is simple: declutter one area of your home for the next 40 days. So, I guess I’m giving up clutter for Lent.

Bit of a Head Start

I do already have a box of items to donate sitting in our bedroom. However, I guess it wouldn’t be fair to count that box. Also, on Sunday, I did a small declutter project. It was before I thought about doing this. Again, probably not fair to count it. Yet, I still want to show my results.

What I’ve not quite affectionately been referring to as “the kitchen tower of doom”

A close-up of the mish mash:

And the new look after I cleared and organized:

Not completely done but much better.

Items about the new look I really like:
  • Cookbooks on the top, deciding still on others to display
  • The new “office” shelf. Been trying to figure out a pretty way to store a bit of mail/paperwork in the kitchen until I’m ready for it. The boys each have their own cardboard bin for their mail/paperwork. My husband and I are sharing one. It’s mostly filled with bills anyway.
  • The continued convenience of the sugar and flour easily accessible. Want to make labels (suggestion of J who thinks sugar and flour look a lot alike, inexperienced cook there)
Items still pending:
  • husband is uncertain about moving the potato and onion bins down a shelf because of the proximity of a heat vent.
  • His BBQ spray bottle and the foil he stores there. No idea what to do with those items. Don’t live by myself. Hardest part when it comes to organizing, all those other people! Ha.
  • I did move the chocolate chips and almond bark (used it on Valentine’s Day actually) to the pantry

My Plan For the Next 40 Days

One thing that appealed to me about this is the flexibility of it. I did print the check lists but it’s up to me what areas I pick on what days. Since I did a big clear out of the kitchen last year and it’s remarkably stayed fairly decent, I’m probably starting with the hallway between the kitchen and backdoor.

There’s a cabinet of doom there that my husband’s been asking to me to remove for years. However, it’s FULL. It’s also right by the backdoor. Might be a bit too cold to work there today. I did one side of the pantry earlier in the month. Did I ever share my photos? Can’t remember.

The other non-food side of the pantry isn’t as pretty. It holds medicines, brunch serving dishes, and drink mixes (tea and hot chocolate). Perhaps I’ll focus on it today. There’s also a cleaning alcove (very small) in the hallway that needs help.

Hopefully, I’ll remember to take my before and after photos. Then, every 7 days or so, I’ll share my progress.

Time to Start

Well, now that I’ve shared the plan, it’s time to start in on it. Plus, I’m getting a bit cold in the basement. Odd, it’s usually a bit warmer down here.

Are you giving up anything for Lent? Or working on a decluttering/organizing project? Let me know.

 

 

Happy Homemaker Monday, President’s Day

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Glad today is a holiday for most of us around here. We woke up to negative 9 degrees and now it’s snowing. My stubborn husband still went to work. Hopefully, he won’t have too much trouble.

Seems most of the country is “enjoying” this wintry weather. Thankfully, there are warmer days (and by that, I mean we get to see the top side of the freezing point by week end) ahead.

Time to join in with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom and plan this freezing cold mid-February week.

The Weather

Did I mention it’s freezing cold outside? And snowing? With dangerous wind chills? Again, so thankful today is a holiday. This crazy cold stuff lasts until sometime tomorrow afternoon. (Not thrilled to work in the morning) Then, on Wednesday, we see a balmy 20 degrees but with more snow chances. And a full “tropical” heat wave arrives just in time for the weekend with highs in the mid-30s.

How I Am Feeling This Morning

Like I drank a bit too much coffee because I did. And am I going to drink a bit more? Probably. Beautiful brown motivation in a cup.

On My Mind

My work. I’ve made no secret about loving my job. However, lately, they’ve made changes. And while I don’t hate it, I no longer have the “I love it so much I’d do it for free” feeling. One of my very favorite teachers is leaving soon. And with her departure, only one other teacher who was there when I started remains.

Realizing it’s a high turnover field I should’ve expected this. Yet, as I told the soon to depart teacher, it feels as if the whole dynamic of the place changed. And suddenly, I find myself questioning my thoughts that I’d probably be there “forever” and wondering if I, too, should move on to something else.

Currently, I’m telling myself to wait and see what spring/summer brings. However, when I started, the school had a such a homey and family feeling to it. And lately, it feels (for lack of a gentler word) so institutional to me. Not something I enjoy. Pausing and praying about it all. For now.

On The Breakfast Plate

A cinnamon swirl bagel with butter (wasn’t feeling the cream cheese) and I already mentioned the too much coffee. Plus my vitamins.

On My Reading Pile

Bad books that I keep reading. Okay, not bad but average. Maybe slightly above average. I’m working my way through the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr. Currently, I’m about halfway through the 3rd one, Whispering Rock.

Thought I’d test the books out before watching it on Netflix. However, I tried one episode of the series after being halfway through the 2nd book. And, it’s not my thing. “That’s pretty chick-flicky” was my husband’s comment. I do not disagree. Honestly, I keep reading the books because I’m fascinated by the town more than the characters or story lines. Bucket list item of mine is to visit the redwood forest so the books appeal to that side of me. The rest, chick literature. And not that well done, in my unpopular opinion.

Also, prior to this series, read The Long Road To Mercy by David Baldacci. Knew he was a pretty popular author so gave it a try. I’ll probably pick up the sequel at some point. Again, this rated just slightly above average for me with the setting (Grand Canyon) holding my interest a bit more than the characters. Though the thriller/action genre is more my thing.

On My TV

After trying and (not succeeding) to watch Virgin River, I switched over and watched X-Men: Days of Future Past on Disney Plus. Knew I’d enjoy it having gone to see it in the theater (remember those?) by myself when it first premiered. Wanted to watch it again as one of the characters is now in WandaVision (something else I’ve been watching weekly)

And since sometimes, you just have to “let it go” and give into the weather, I watched Frozen II on Disney Plus as well. Rare thing to say but the sequel was much better than the original. I really enjoyed it!

This week, I’ll probably watch a bit more Fear the Walking Dead while folding laundry (guess I’m the person who’d rather watch zombies than romance shows) as well as the new episode of Prodigal Son. My husband and I have also been watching Name That Tune but we don’t make it a priority.

On The Menu

Kept things pretty simple for Valentine’s Day yesterday

 

Since I have no plans to get out in this weather, it’s going to be a menu based on what we have around here. I went to the store last Wednesday but with everybody home, I think I could go to the store every day and it still might not be often enough.

MONDAY: Pork chops (maybe, have a I need to cook them if they’re okay situation. Forgot them in the fridge. UGH, hate to waste food but sometimes life happens) *Not sure if J has his lesson at 6:30 tonight or not, weather stuff*

TUESDAY: Pancakes and sausage and/or bacon *I work 10-3, though I could see this teacher pulling a do you mind just staying all day*

WEDNESDAY: Spaghetti or chicken of some sort, maybe I’ll do chicken cacciatore, this choice depends on if I can cook the pork chops or have to toss them

THURSDAY: Roast in the crock pot *I work 1-5:30*

FRIDAY:  Fish sticks and French Fries (or OUT, we didn’t get a Valentine’s take out as our planned restaurant didn’t open due to the weather so I cooked at home on Sunday)

From The Camera

New Recipe I Tried Last Week Or One That We Really Enjoyed

I’ve made this minestrone soup recipe with whatever was on on hand and they’ve ate it with no complaints twice now. No photo but nice to have another second time around success story! I serve it with Parmesan cheese and bread. Oh, and I have to brown some hamburger on the side for my husband to add to his but it’s plenty filling without any meat.

To Relax This Week I Will

Hopefully, get the house decently cleaned, light a new candle, and sit enjoying a clean house with a cup of tea and a book. Maybe try a new craft project (just something small I picked up at the $ spot at Target a few weeks back)

Something I Want To Share

I’ve got nothing. How about a lame joke?

Source: Pinterest

 

Quote For The Week

 

Love is the strongest force the world possesses and yet it is the humblest imaginable. (Mahatma Gandhi)

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How’s the weather where you are this week?

Cold Snap

Birdwatching 6 Comments

I took most of these photos on Sunday. The temperature dropped and it was quite cold out there. (We thought, I think it was maybe 10 degrees. This morning, it’s negative 2 degrees with a minus 22 degree wind chill. Trying to recall when we moved to Siberia.)

Just prior to the storm arriving, I snapped this white-throated sparrow taking shelter under the deck furniture. Not much shelter but there he sat as if he knew the weather was about to turn.

Waiting for the Storm

Our robin continues to visit daily. I don’t think he’s a fan of winter either.

The Groundhog said what now? How many more weeks of winter?

 

The Kansas City Chiefs lost the Super bowl and we have 6 more weeks of this nonsense weather? It’s going to get colder? You’re kidding, right? Afraid not.

 

A new bird joined the backyard crew. Not exactly excited about its appearance.

It’s a Starling, darling!

While not a fan of the starlings, nice to see a different bird in the backyard. And I’m not going to begrudge any bird looking for food in this crazy cold weather.

Of course, my regulars are still out back as well. The downy woodpeckers continue to visit the suet feeder, sometimes waiting patiently for me to clap my hands and shoo away the ever present squirrels.

Is Winter Over Yet?

 

Finally, one last bird photo to share this week. My blue jays also continue to visit. They’re fairly shy but I do hear them squawking when the feeders are empty or I’ve not thrown some seed on the deck.

The Cold Never Bothered Me, Anyway.

 

This morning, I’m hoping the freshly filled feeders don’t empty overnight. Not in a hurry to go freeze filling them up again soon. Since I found some suet blocks on clearance, I threw them out in solid clumps on the ground to maybe keep the squirrels busy. Wish me luck!

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Time to list other birds spotted this week: Cardinals, nuthatches, house sparrows, and house finches, the red-bellied woodpecker, dark-eyed juncos, crows, and Carolina wrens. Also, spotted some type of white bird of prey flying in the sky while driving to week. Couldn’t even begin to guess but I do hope I see it again when I can note more details. What birds did you spot this week?

*Joining in with the Bird D’Pot hosted by Anni over at I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 

Thursday Things

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Remember about a week ago when I said I watched Frozen on Disney Plus? My thought was I’d watch the sequel soon after. Turns out I don’t need to do that as we’re living it! Well, not the princess part. Or the cool castle part. No grand adventures or talking snowmen either.

However, it’s definitely as if Elsa had a finger pointing tantrum directed at the Midwest.

Twelve degrees out there right now and that’s warm for this week! Saw a meme that ordered the northerners to come get their “drunk weather” out of our backyards. I concur. And please, hurry!

It’s one thing to embrace winter but I’m not quite enjoying frigid cold just to drop a kid off at school yet. We’ve also had snow and ice mixed in with it. Road conditions were still poor enough Monday evening, that J’s baritone instructor called early to make sure we weren’t attempting the trip (He gives lessons out of his home).  And on Tuesday morning, my husband returned home and waited a bit longer to leave for work as the roads were solid ice.

Yesterday, we had a bit of a heat wave or at least improved road conditions, so I did a bit of running around after dropping J off at school.

Grocery Store

Thankfully, the store is back to somewhat normal hours so I didn’t have to worry about waiting for the “senior hours” to end.  Normally, I don’t shop on Wednesdays (sale day, always busy!) but made an exception.

Colder weather is supposed to arrive this weekend so I wanted to be prepared. Flower prices always go up around Valentine’s Day but they had these Meyer Lemon Trees in a sale cart:

A lot cheaper than a dozen roses! And (hopefully, keep reading though) longer lasting so I treated myself. Or rather I told my husband that he bought me a lemon tree for my Valentine’s flowers.

Also, treated myself to a Chai Tea Latte. A medium. Am I the only one can never remember the size names? A tall is a small but the Venti vs. Grande thing confuses me. Appreciated the barista’s graciousness in just saying so you want a medium? It was nice to have a warm beverage in hand going back out into the freezing cold.

Now, back to my plant. I took the photo above soon after I arrived home. Made sure to put it in the car/house first to limit its cold exposure. However, it still started this curling craziness last night:

It happened after I watered it. The soil seemed dry to me but apparently, over watering is a thing with these plants. Hopefully, I’ve not set a new plant killing record. I’m going to let the soil dry out for at least a solid week and see what happens. Wish me luck!

Tractor Supply and The Dollar Tree

Tractor Supply Stories

After driving to the grocery store, I decided the roads were decent enough that I should run a couple more errands.

Poor birds were completely out of seed (Minus a small bag I bought at the grocery store in case I ran out of steam before running more errands).

Lots of people were in Tractor Supply stocking up on bird seed, most likely for the upcoming frigid weekend. This surprised me as I’m not used to waiting to get into the bird seed aisle.

On another note, guess what happens when you down a medium Chai Tea Latte and then, go off on another shopping adventure?  I don’t enjoy using retail restrooms in normal times let alone pandemic ones. However, sometimes when you’ve got to go; you’ve got to go.

Found the bathroom, way back in the far corner of the store. Walked to the ladies room to see this lovely sign:

For key, please see cashier.

What? Asked another associate walking by. Oh, the cashier has the key. SIGH. Did I mention it was busy? Thought about just paying and simply going home but again, when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.

Back to the front I walk, park my cart, get the key from the cashier. It’s attached to a stick wrapped with pink duct tape. Visions of gas station restrooms floating through my head. Whew, just a normal bathroom with stalls. No idea if it’s a normal thing or a Covid thing that they keep them locked (Target’s bathrooms are still “normal”).

Relieved, in more ways than one, I returned to the front and waited in line to pay for my birdseed and return the key. Strange times aren’t they?

The Dollar Tree

Braving the restroom at Tractor Supply meant I could run an additional errand so I made my way over to the Dollar Tree. Turns out the particular store I frequent is moving. Quick Trip bought the whole corner or something. Thankfully, they’re just moving across the parking lot and next to another grocery store in our area. Hopefully, the new store’s a bit better maintained.

The moving date listed said mid-February so the store was quite empty. Nice to have a bit of space to shop although not much to look at in the mostly empty aisles. Bought some Fairy garden doors. Then, picked up my project idea paper boxes.

Since this post is getting a little lengthy, I think I’ll end it here and make you return tomorrow to see what’s stashed inside these boxes. I’ll share a few other recent projects I’ve been meaning to show you as well.

How’s your weather? If it’s warm, can we borrow some, please?

 

 

 

My Thoughts On Magnolia Journal

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I decided to purchase and savor one quality magazine each quarter. It’s an item on my 21 for 2021 list.

My choice for the winter quarter: Magnolia Journal.

magnolia journal

Thought it might be fun to share my thoughts about my “fancy” magazines. First, let me say I love magazines. However, I typically only subscribe when I find a free on-line deal. Mostly that means doing surveys and sometimes limited choices. Of all the magazines arriving, I think I’d probably be willing to pay for perhaps one subscription and that’s a maybe.

Basically, I’m telling you it’s hard for me justify shelling out money for a magazine. However, I do love flipping through their pages.

So, is Magnolia Journal worth it?

The Basics

Price: $7.99

Seems a bit steep to me. By comparison, the cover of Better Homes and Gardens list price is $3.99.

I justified the expense by using a grocery store gift card I had in my purse.

The current subscription rate is $20/year so discounted to $5 an issue. (Better Homes and Gardens arrives in my mailbox for free from some long ago forgotten deal)

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed about the magazine was the pages. Not the content of the pages but rather the quality of the pages themselves. The pages are a heavier weighted paper than your typical magazine. Gave it a bit of a more luxurious feel.

The Good

Don’t you hate when you pick up a magazine and read more ads than content? I was impressed with how the ads seemingly flowed without interrupting the content. And I do think the magazine contained more content than ads.

The articles lacked the redundancy many magazines suffer from when all relate to a singular theme.

Many articles and pages had spaces for journaling your own thoughts within the magazine.

magnolia journal

The interviews were interesting and engaging.

The recipe section contained appetizing food that called for regular ingredients.

magnolia journal

Complaint Section

Before I share my limited gripe about this issue, I want to give a slight pass since as a winter issue, Christmas pretty much had to be addressed. I mostly enjoyed the Christmas articles even in February.

However, the one way the magazine did stay cliche?  The ubiquitous in all magazines published around a holiday, an over-priced gift guide. While the gifts were at least varied in price, the cheapest women’s gift: $25 for a set of 3 loose-leaf teas. However, most of the gifts averaged out to about $50.

magnolia journal

And perhaps it’s because I have teenagers that I noticed, they were completely overlooked in the gift guide section. I can forgive this as I know their kids aren’t at that stage yet but I can’t advise buying any child a $70 backpack. Certainly, didn’t see any affordable ideas if you were gift shopping for more than one child on a limited budget. Perhaps, I’m not the gift-guide target audience. Happens a lot these days, realizing I’m not the target audience of shows, games, and now apparently magazine gift guides.

Overall Impression

Actually, impressed.

magnolia journal

Have you read this magazine? What are your thoughts?

Happy Homemaker Monday, Cold and Busy Week

HappyHomemakerMonday 2 Comments

Happy Monday from cold, snowy, and sad after a Super Bowl loss KC. It’s a balmy 7 degrees with snow out there this morning.

Most schools are either having on-line or snow days. Grateful J’s school still opts in for the idea of snow days.

I was supposed to work for just a few hours this morning but did something my younger self probably would never consider. I called and asked if they actually needed me. Thankfully, the answer was no, stay home and be safe. Hooray! A snow day for me as well.

Time to join in with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom.

The Weather

As I told my husband, we tend to forget that February is the coldest and snowiest month around here. It’s certainly not letting us down as we move into the 2nd week of the month. I mentioned it earlier but we’re in single digits (weekend wind chills were below zero and we had a bit of snow then as well) and snowing. Winter advisory until this afternoon. We are supposed to reach the teens later this week with slight chances for snow most days. It’s the Midwestern Winter version of just wait 5 minutes…

How I Am Feeling This Morning

A little tired with a slight headache (probably from lack of sleep, nothing serious) so relieved they didn’t need me at work today. Sad that my team lost the Super Bowl (grudgingly says congratulations, Tampa Bay!) but still (like most fans) super proud they made it there 2 years in a row. Shocked to hear last night that it’s the first time in his professional career that Patrick Mahomes lost a game by double digits. He’ll be back (with the rest of the team).

On My Mind

Trying to figure out what to do with my unexpected free time today. While J’s school called an official snow day they encouraged the kids to work on late/missing work. I certainly have more than a few procrastinated projects and phone calls. Maybe I’ll do the adult version of working on late/missing work. Or clean the house.

On The Breakfast Plate

I had apple cinnamon oatmeal, 2 sausages, coffee, and vitamins

On My Reading Pile

In keeping with my word of the year, I decided to spend less time trying to force myself to read books that weren’t holding my attention. Hamilton by Ron Chernow returned to the library as did The Little Book of Cottagecore by Emily Kent.

I started Infinite by Brian Freeman last Monday and finished it well before the week ended. His books seldom disappoint me and this one stayed true to that form. I really enjoyed this story of multiple realities intertwining though the ending left me on the fence.

Another of my holds popped up and I surprised myself by reading Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow in 2 days. Interesting from a sociological perspective, hopeful, and sobering all at the same time. Well worth reading.

And now, I’ve changed reading direction yet again and am reading another library hold that popped up for me, Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney.  Infants switched at birth because of a hospital mistake (maybe)? Parents meeting to discuss what to do about it. Really curious to see where this story is going.

On My TV

With the weather, I imagine I’ll watch a bit of TV this week. Last week I did a little better but Saturday I needed a day. So I sat and watched too many episodes of Fear The Walking Dead. Back to that for some reason. Might watch more today. And of course, I’ll watch Prodigal Son on Tuesday evening. And the new WandaVision (that one is getting good!) on Friday.

Speaking of on the TV, what did you think of the Super Bowl halftime show? I saw where quite a few thought it was boring but I enjoyed it. My sons actually came out and watched that with us (they aren’t football fans). I appreciated the simplicity of it.

On The Menu This Week

MONDAY: Minestrone (I’ll brown some hamburger on the side for my husband to add to his soup) *I work 9:45-2* *J has a baritone lesson at 6:30* *It’s my husband’s birthday so this may change, we celebrated some yesterday with the cake already*

Parchment paper is a nice thing to have, I was out so my cakes stuck.

 

TUESDAY: Baked pork chops with oven roasted carrots and parsnips, stuffing

WEDNESDAY: Chili and cornbread *I have a hair appt at 9*

THURSDAY: Chicken strips and French Fries *I work 11-4*

FRIDAY:  OUT maybe Panda Express? *Chinese New Year* *No school for J*

From The Camera

Sunnier days from long ago (last Wednesday)

 

New Recipe I Tried Last Week Or One That We Really Enjoyed

Sometimes the second time I make a new recipe they aren’t as big a hit as the first try. However, this spinach chicken skillet passed the second time test. I’ll need to add it into our regular rotation more often.

To Relax This Week, I Will

Read, work on this blog, and probably play the silly game I downloaded onto my phone: Project Makeover. It’s dumb but also kind of fun. Let’s call it a guilty pleasure. I also downloaded the game Go so that maybe I could understand it a bit better. (J is trying to teach me to play)

Something I Want To Share

Cottage Market is a blog I enjoy and she often offers free printables. I currently have the one pictured above on my fridge. Also, she donates to a pet rescue charity each week based on comments (I confess to being bad about commenting on Saturdays but I love the idea!).

Quote For The Week

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A Game Called Go, Some Geese, and Gulls

Birdwatching 6 Comments

On Wednesday afternoon, my son came home from school asking if I’d ever heard of a game called Go. Thanks to my obsession with Animal Crossing on my phone for a few years, I could say yes. Although I had no idea how to play or anything about it other than it being an item I could get for pretend animals in my game.

I’m taking the long way around to say my walk in Wednesday’s beautiful weather was delayed. First, my son created a Go game board and then, we played. I lost. Badly.

The Geese

However, I still took my walk. I just left the house much later than planned. Wednesdays are odd days in that school gets out early so my whole day usually ends up a bit off anyway. Tonight (Saturday) the ground is covered with snow and there’s a feels like 5 degrees temperature.

Just 3 days ago, it was more of a feels like 50 degree temperature. And sunny. I ventured off to my favorite walking park. It’d been a while as we’d had snow and rain and it’s often slow to dry over there. The parking lot still had the large puddles and I passed a part of the park where a large grassy area remained flooded. There I saw an usual sight. I’ve never seen Canada geese at this particular park. Yet, Here they were flying in to  enjoy the water. A few robins joined them.

I watched them for quite a while. The park was busy since super nice February days are relatively rare. The gentleman in the picture below appears closer to me than he is. The sidewalk to get over to that side is quite long.

I could have watched the geese for longer but I was on a time crunch (dinner time approaching fast). One last look.

Gulls

Yet another bird I’d never seen at this park. A group of gulls flying in the sky on the west side of the park. Couldn’t get the whole group in a decent photo but captured a few single gulls in flight.

I’ve often heard when you spot a gull, it means snow is on the way. Not sure if that’s just a local thing but it did get colder and then, snow today. Personally, I’ve noticed whenever the temperatures get unusually warm, snow tends to follow. Usually not this much cold air with it.

Other Birds Spotted This Week

Around the backyard, all the birds were happy that I finally got around to refilling the feeders on Friday morning. The squirrels were as well. I’ve been throwing extra seed out on the deck for our resident robin and the blue jays that like to visit. The tufted titmouse also seems to prefer coming up to the deck for seed.

The cardinals and house finches stick mostly to the feeders as do the chickadees though I’ve seen the first two visit the deck. The nuthatch also prefers the feeders. He takes no flack from the sparrows and is fun to watch when he spreads his wings to make them back off. The downy woodpeckers wait while I clap my hands at the greedy squirrels. Most the other birds also scatter with the squirrels but the downy woodpeckers wait patiently.

The white throated sparrows and dark-eyed juncos both make appearances on the deck and under all the bird feeders along with our mourning doves. The Carolina wrens and red-bellied woodpeckers also made appearances at the feeders.

My husband spotted the Cooper’s hawk on Tuesday but it was in the far neighbor’s tree and I only saw it fly over the yard.

What birds did you spot this week?

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Joining in with The Bird D’Pot hosted by Anni at I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 

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