Friday, January 21, 2011

SNOW * SNOW * SNOW

Here in the midwest, we've had a lot more snow than in recent winters. For those of us fortunate to ride out the winter storms inside, it affords time to nest and cuddle together. All that luxury however, means we'll probably be going to school well into June!



While I was dreaming of vacationing down under by watching Oprah in Australia, my sweet husband was determined to clear the driveway - just in case we wanted to venture out. Right. Not me. I've been finding plenty of things to do inside while sipping my coffee and hot chocolate. Here are just a few highlights from our little snow day vaca.
  • I made Okey Dokey caramel corn. Very delish - and addictive! Have you tried it?

  • Preparing for Valentine's Day by signing up for the latest e-zine with the Bella Queen herself.

  • Enjoying old-fashioned fun by making and stringing pom-poms into garlands.



  • Having way too much fun with the photos we had taken before Christmas. SO, so glad we were finally able to do this. I recently purchased an 11x14 canvas of the boys.

And just ordered a 16x20 of this one of Jeff and me for Valentine's day - in black & white, of course. fuN! I've been ordering my canvases from HERE.



  • Doing lots of reading and homework. The timing of the snow was great from that perspective for sure. Very excited about my classes this semester. Particularly, the Multi-Sensory Methods of Teaching course. It's all about incorporating the arts in your teaching. Right.Up.My.Alley. We are even having a trash to treasure assignment in a few weeks. The twist is we won't use our own trash to create our treasure. GAAAH! So excited about that!

  • Watching lots of movies. Ran across this one last weekend. Loved everything about this movie. The costume and set production were beyond beautiful. Add in the romance factor of Keats and his beloved Fannie and well, WOW! I saw it on STARZ, but Momma Bird tells me you can rent it at your local movie store.



  • Finding inspiration from some new blogs. Did a twist on a project I saw here: Life in the Fun Lane. I love the graphic punch of the lettering. Ran out of crepe paper trim so I need to add a bit more to the "E". Here are a couple others I'm frequenting on a regular basis:


Miss Mustard Seed


Pretties and Posies


  • Finished my last "for fun" read for awhile. Just finished reading Nicholas Sparks' Safe Haven. It was good, but not my favorite of his books. I need to choose something to read over Spring break. Any suggestions for a must-read? Of course, I'll be checking in with Jamie and Claire when I just canna take it anymore. ;0)

So, how are you passing the time this Winter? Have you ventured out for some outdoor fun? Making something handmade? Tried a new comfort food recipe? Well, then do tell!


Until we meet again, stay warm!


UPDATED 1/23/2011: Several have emailed requesting the Okey Dokey Caramel Corn recipe. So, here ya go:
Ingredients -
1 bag of Okey Dokey puff corn OR Old Dutch puff corn
1 cup butter (not margarine)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
Directions -
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Combine butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup in a 2 quart sauce pan.
Cook on medium heat until the mixture has melted.
Once mixture has melted add the baking sode. (This will cause the mixture to foarm)
In a large roaster pan pour puffed corn and pour caramel miture over the corn and store until well mixed.
Place in oven for 45 mintues, stirring at least every 10-15 minutes.
Remove from oven, pour on wax paper and break apart.
Let cool and enjoy!




















Saturday, January 08, 2011


Hello, friends. Are you still out there? I hope this finds you enjoying all the new year brings - satisfaction for what was accomplished in the previous year and great expectations for what's to come.


I love the start of a new year. Its a time to reflect and to attempt new things. A time to begin again and make another run at LIFE.


One of the rituals I've participated in the past several years is to choose an action word for the year. My word for 2011 is CAN. As in I CAN. Yep. Whatever I hope or imagine. With God's help I CAN do it. Foremost on my mind is my schooling. I'm more than half way to fulfilling a life-long dream of teaching by earning my masters degree and my certification. But there are lots of other things I'd like to accomplish in this new year. Throughout the year as I attempt them, I will remember that I CAN.

So...if you were to choose your word for 2011, what would it be? Here's to bringing that word to life in this new year.

Bonne Anne!