Valentine Day Favorites

 We are all about celebrating.  Valentine's Day is in the dead of winter for a lot of us. It isn't just about giving to your sweetheart.  Seriously! It involves chocolate, love and crafts! People decorate for Christmas, Halloween and Easter so why not Valentine's Day.  We're in.

So here are a few of our favorite Valentine's Day ideas and blogs!! Drum roll please.....

Inspired by charm is one of our go to eye candy blogs. Check out this White Texas Sheet Cake. Oh yeah he has other Valentine's Day goodies there also.

Head over to A Wandafulthing for a great variety of easy Valentine's Day projects. These are for adults and kids.

One of my favorite wreaths (not Valentine) but made because I saw this one.  A Wandafulthing has the cutest Dollar Store DIY wreath. I made it in yellows for spring and in a circle. Love it!

Again one of our favorite blogs a beautiful mess has a post on DIY projects and recipes for Valentine's Day. One stop looking!!

How cute is this! modpodge rocks.  Can see on entryway table. Want it.

kastyles shows us a cute mason jar DIY for Valentine's Day.

This doesn't touch it but hope you find something you'd like to make and share. A few of them have multiple projects and a good variety.  Kids included.

Happy Valentine's Day

Book Club - Where the crawdads sing

 Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens

This book was highly recommended.  Well written definitely. Mixed reviews here. People have favorite genres they are drawn to  - one of us is thrillers.  Another more light reading like Me before You. So people head into a novel with different expectations - even when they try not to.

The book jumps back and forth in time to showcase Kya growing up and the present day (well present day at the time 1969) story line. It was a bit of a struggle at times to think of a child that young being left to fend for herself. It showed how you can't assume people's intelligent by whether they attend school or get a formal education.  It was a great book to show how much learning can take place exploring and through nature. How there are different ways to learn and yes don't make assumptions on looks and education.

If you enjoy a mystery there was one. Plus a love story so different elements in the novel. It was slow to get into but enjoyed more once backgrounds established. Kya is a strong female character. The other characters in the book we found where supporting characters. Moving her story along. They also showed different sides of her. Vulnerable intelligent, strong and capable. 

You end up rooting for some characters and wanting payback for others. The story was written at the time of segregation and anyone not white and living in town wasn't enough. Enough white. Enough smart. Enough worthy. You name it, so take a deep breathe when you read how ignorant and hurtful people can be. (and still are!)

It is somewhat a coming of age novel. You watch Kya grow and adapt to her surroundings. To having family and then being alone. She wants what we all want connection.  There are twists we didn't see coming so keep reading.

Yes this is a recommendation.  Hard at times. Sad at times. But so is real life.

Storage solutions we are crushing over and a few we use!

 January seems to have turned into organizing, purging and sorting month.  We're all for that. So we thought we'd share a few of our favorite storage solutions you can pick up at IKEA (or other stores).  

under the bed storage  This is a good area to use to swap out seasonal clothes like t-shirts and winter sweaters.  Also sheets. 

clothes organizer  A few of us have these. Dividing the drawer up makes it tidier and easier to get at things. Love not opening a drawer and having a bundle to look through.

open bin   This is great for kids to store toys or in an entryway closet for extra mitts, hats and gloves.  One of  us has one in bedroom closet to store t-shirts when not in season.

two chest of drawers  This is so versatile. Great bedside table or even end table.  Oh what about putting one in an entryway closet!

utility carts  These are great in a kitchen or craft area. Wheels so you can move around and out of the way.

baskets   You can't beat a pretty basket for dropping blankets or even toys into for a quick clean up.

pegboard  Sometimes desk space is limited - especially now when people are working from home. So get some stuff off your work area.  Pegboards are great idea.

Hope some of these ideas caught your eye. Winter can be long so having projects definitely helps and organizing can also feel so satisficing

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Happy New Year and making the best of it

 WOW we are into the second week of January already.  Christmas and holidays were different for some of us and not so much for others.  For smaller disbursed families it was the status quo. For others there were many empty chairs around the table. It was all about making the best of the situation for ourselves and those around us.

Now that the year has started and it is status quo for a while longer.  This writer is thinking at least until June. Sorry.  The decision to move forward is stay positive. Make things happen we can control.  One of us is learning how to crochet. Book club is still happening via Zoom. It is organizing January - have you seen all the containers in the stores? A few of us are embracing this. One of us purged Christmas decorations. No longer holding on to items that weren't her aesthetic. Thanks but no thanks.

It is winter for us. A time for nesting. We are taking advantage of home and making it work for us. Organizing and still purging. What are your plans for January?

 

Some of our favorite Christmas blog posts

 This was a fun post to do - I mean really - all we had to do was check out blog posts.  Which some of us do on a daily basis anyways.  In no particular order.......

Life approved simply  has a post dedicated to children's book.  There is a review of each book. There is no better gift than a book for a child.  Reading takes you places.

Head over to inspired by charm for orange-almond mushroom (the shape not the ingredient) sugar cookies.  This is X favorite blog so she had a hard time narrowing it down. These were so different we wanted to include them. When over there check out his Christmas decor.

A Wandafulthing  does a yearly 12 days of Christmas.  This caught our eye honey lavender scrub.

It you want a bit of a laugh the art of doing stuff shows us classic versus Pinterest outdoor decorating. 

Style at home  shows us a few ways to decorate for the holidays.

This is for best year  best Christmas destinations.  This year we can narrow it down to our top three. Research and start planning.

There were so many more.  We'd love to know your favorite Christmas and/or holidays blogs! Always looking to check more sites out.  Happy Holidays. 

Making the most of staying home

 2020 has been hard on everyone.  Even introverts (we have a few here) are finding it hard.  Over a Zoom call we discussed ways we are making isolation easier.  We wanted to share some of our ways:

• On-line paint night.  On of us is addicted to this. There are Facebook groups and YouTube videos galore out there.  Everything from The Grinch, snowmen to winter nights. The supplies are available.  Dollar Stores have canvasses and paint making it pretty reasonable. It is fun when you get the whole family involved as it can take an evening and definitely a change from screen time.
• We are starting our book club again via Zoom. 
• If you won't be home for the holidays we're sure Zoom or Skype is on your list.  A friend is going to Zoom her family members and wear an outfit that relates to them for individual calls. A few shirts were gifts. Maybe dress-up for the parents. It is a way to make your calls more personal and a laugh if everyone remembers the shirt and the reason it was gifted to begin with.
• Baking - we have the time why not?
• Go through pictures on your phone.  Deleted doubles and out of focus shots. File ones you want to print later or send individuals.
• Holiday movies anyone! Get everyone in your house to pick their favoriate. Plan a movie night with popcorn, hot chocolate and other treats.
• Write a letter.  Yes, you read that right. Write a hand written letter to someone who would appreciate it (if not need it). Not two lines in a card, but an actual letter. People are in isolation and receiving mail is special. All you need to do is write about what is going on in family life. Even books or shows you are currently watching. People are interested.
• If in doubt pick up the phone and call someone.  Or better yet schedule it in your calendar to call X many people a week. Make sure people know you are thinking of them. Just because you can't see them face-to-face don't write the holidays off.  This is going to be hard on a lot of people. As a community we have to do our part.

Happy Holidays   

This Christmas will be different - send a card! Yep we said it.

 We were discussing the upcoming holidays and how this year would be different.  Someone said they were not sending cards this year. It didn't feel like Christmas!  Another person chimed in that sending cards and touching base was more important this year than every before!  People will be isolated. Families not travelling home for the holidays so yes to sending cards.

The bigger picture is we have to be creative this year. People won't get home. For some individuals sending a Christmas parcel is too expensive.  So sending cards is the perfect alternative. Maybe you haven't sent cards for years, in that case this is the year to rethink it.

Getting something in the mail I think means more than receiving a fast email.  A card to put out and look at.  That can be part of your holiday decor. This year more than any year touch base with people. Don't make the assumption that people are okay or that someone else is checking on them. Sending a card is one way to say thinking of you.

So dig out those cards or purchase them. Get those stamps and drop a note. Let Christmas 2020 say we care. We're thinking of you. We wish you Merry Christmas.