I Hosted a Tryazon Party Featuring Wiley Wallaby Licorice

 

Before I begin writing about my party experience I want to first disclose a few things. First, I was not paid by Wiley Wallaby or Tryazon for hosting and/or promoting the product. Also, I was gifted several bags of licorice for my guests to sample and take home from Tryazon and Wiley Wallaby. 

What is Tryazon? Tryazon is a company that works with businesses to help promote their brands by supplying full-size samples to members for hosting parties that feature the product. The website posts upcoming parties for members to apply to host in their homes in person or virtually. If you are selected they send you party packs that contain samples of the product, sometimes coupons or a promotional code for a discount for the products for guests, and other party favors. It is completely free to sign up to be a member, You can find more information on their website at https://www.tryazon.com/home-party/.

What is Wiley Wallaby? Wiley Wallaby is Australian-style licorice that is made in the US. It is gluten-free and it doesn't use high-fructose corn syrup. The licorice is super soft and chewy, kind of a cross in texture between a gummy candy and typical licorice sold in America. I have found the licorice at many of my local stores, I know that you can find it on Amazon and the company website https://tryazon.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cf91a9d655cebac4b146a1668&id=2133504c9b&e=bda0ebfd23. The first time I tried the licorice was a few years ago when I spotted the classic red Licorice at Dollar Tree. I was curious and thought I would try it out and I loved it! My husband and I soon found ourselves addicted to the tasty treat. When I saw that Tryazon was offering an opportunity to host a Wiley Wallaby licorice candy I jumped at the chance to host a party. Not only did I want to be able to try out the new flavors but I wanted my friends to try them out, too! Not to mention any time I get to host a Tryazon party, it gives me something to look forward to during these foggy, murky, and dreary times.

When my party pack arrived I was excited to see the classic Red and Black Licorice and over-joyed to see Green Apple, Watermelon, Blasted Berry, and Sourrageous Drops. I was given doubles of many of the flavors so I evenly divided the spare bags into individual goody bags for my guests to take home. It was a lot of fun to get everyone together on a gloomy day. I made pizza, cupcakes, coffee, and had soda on-hand. It was definitely a sweet party! The downside to the party was that some of my guests had to drop out at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts. Also, the day started out warm but was also snowy. Once the sun began to dip below the horizon the temperature outside dropped and the roads became sketchy. Fortunately, everyone made it home safely and they were able to enjoy candy for days!

Overall, I had a great time hosting this party. It was one of my favorite Tryazon parties that I've hosted thus far because I love the taste of Wiley Wallaby's licorice. I have hosted a handful of Tryazon parties and I have also tried a "Tryabox." A Tryabox is when you get to try out a product without hosting a party and those are such a treat. Needless to say, I am very much a fan of Tryazon and I absolutely LOVE getting to host parties. I love being able to try out new products and to have a reason for a small party with my friends, even if it is just a virtual party, it is just nice to have a fun distraction. I hope to continue to host many more parties in the future.  The next time I have an opportunity to host another fantastic Tryazon party or participate in a Tryabox I will tell you all about my experience.

 Until then~ Toodahloo!

New Year, New Blogging Style

It's a fresh new year and I am ready for it! I went totally dark on this blog over the summer months. I completely intended on returning, but to say I lost my mojo was an understatement. A few years ago my blog had evolved from a relaxed place where I would touch base with my friends and let them know what was going on in my life to a blog that was more and more about crafting tutorials. The process of having to photograph each step of the crafting process along with loading and editing the photos became daunting and it made writing posts less fun for me. I almost dreaded the idea of posting because I didn't feel like I could write if I didn't have a craft to share and I didn't feel like crafting just so that I would have something to write about.
Instead, I focused my energy on my garden ( that's a whole other blog post) and was drawn completely away from this blog. My apologies, friends. Let's start fresh. I just cracked open a new planner kit and began plotting and scheming. I haven't gotten as far as digging out my stickers or washi tape but it's a start. I have the tendency to make a huge mental list in my head and overwhelm myself feeling as though I have to complete everything all at once. Today, I decided to make it a goal to stop doing that. My husband is always telling me not to overdo it, to rest, to stop exhausting myself. Since I will be turning 40 soon, I want to start the next forty years of my life being more relaxed. I worked as far as I wanted with the planner for the day and when I was fulfilled, I set it aside to resume more work on it tomorrow.
I began my day ( and my new year) by cleaning dog poo off of my kitchen floor before I could even brew a pot of coffee. Once the animals were fed and the dogs let back inside, I got myself dressed and shoveled my driveway as we were struck once again by the snow fairy. I didn't want my husband to attempt to shovel since he'd been poorly most of the weekend and he needed to get to the airport by 10:30 in the morning. I wanted him to rest as much as possible. After he woke up and got himself some coffee he found me outside and insisted on helping but I refused. Once I was done I was able to enjoy a coffee and spend at least an hour with him before he headed out to the airport. the rest of the day I enjoyed (truly, I did) some light cleaning and more shoveling. Tomorrow, the temperature is going to drop back to the single digits and I don't plan on doing any outdoor work then.
It's a grey and gloomy afternoon; I am sipping my latte and listening to the wind whip about my yard. The windchimes are quite noisy at the moment. For now, all is calm after the hectic holiday season. I still have my tree up, as well as all my other decor. I have no plans to remove it until Sunday. On Saturday I will be hosting one final holiday celebration and then I can put away the decorations for another year. I will keep some decorations up for a while yet, as some things are just nice to have a while longer and winter isn't going anywhere any time soon. So, my mini wreaths and snowflakes shall remain on my kitchen cupboards and my snowflake cushions will stay on the couch. I will even keep my outdoor snowman wreath on my backdoor. However, any decorations that are red and green or depict Christmas shall be tucked into bins and put back into storage.
I don't mind the ritual of holiday decor removal because it makes room for new holiday decor. I like to decorate for all seasons and many holidays. As such, I am never sad to see the decorations go for the year. I will keep you updated more this year than last now that I am letting myself off the hook and will have more fun with this blog. Expect to read very random thoughts throughout the year and enjoy the occasional craft or baking story. Here's to a new year and a new blog!
Until next time~ Toodahloo!

The Oasis of Australian Television

Say what? When winters are dismally dull, I turn to Australian television. I have seen a lot of criticism for various shows and I am not sure some people are snobby or that they're overthinking it a bit. I'm not saying that all Australian shows are brilliant but I have found a few gems that profoundly alter my mood depending on the show and my mood. I think this all began when I was quite young. In the early 1980's HBO had slim pickings when it came to movie selection and availability. So when they got their hands on a movie they would play it and play it to death. One such example is the movie Dot And The Kangaroo. I constantly watched that movie whenever it was on. About a decade ago I was able to snag it on dvd. Watching the movie again as an adult I could see why I loved it. The movie has action, a little girl as the main character and kangaroos! That movie made me obsessed with kangaroos. I would watch Dot and the Kangaroo over Winnie the Pooh any day when I was a kid. The movie, based on a children's book is a classic just as the book the movie is based on. I love that it has a cartoon drawn over actual footage of the outback. I actually learned a bit about Australian fauna when I watched the movie. To this day, I am still creeped out by the Bunyip scene.
In adulthood, Netflix, Hulu and Tubi became treasure troves for Australian guilty pleasures. The first began with McLeod's Daughters. It was a bit like CBC's Heartland, which I love. I was all about seeing the sunshine on the "Drover's Run" ranch on a bleak winter's day. Then, I discovered Doctor Blake Mysteries on PBS. That show was a mix of Murdoch Mysteries mixed with House. Set in Ballarat, the period show has fantastic costumes and props and that is right up my street. Also, that show rarely featured a rainy day and how could you not love Doctor Blake's relationship with his inherited house manager Jean. Next, I discovered on Netflix the show "Glitch." I think it was recommended to me because I watched the show Les Revenants.  This show was equal to Les Revenants in the way that it was eerie and mysterious. I couldn't stop watching this show, I had to know why the characters dug their way back to life. I loved that with each episode you learned a little more about each character's backstory, again very similar to Les Revenants. What separates this show from the French feature is the lack of subtitles (French is not my first language, though still learning) and the sunshine. Les Revenants was filmed with a bit of blue tone. The show had a lot of mist and fog, which added to the creep factor, but Glitch being located in such a sunny seemingly happy place, it was a stark contrast and created mixed emotions.
I forgot to mention the show Up To The Rafters. I found that on hulu and watched that every day when my husband and I first moved in together before we were married. I watched it while I settled into our rental home and it was a nice silly show that didn't have any mystery about it, just a sort of sitcom that helped me giggle. I thought the parents were great and they had a cute house. It isn't my go-to anymore but it served its purpose. On occasion, I will watch Miss Fischer's Murder Mysteries because I love period mysteries.
Lately, though, I was hooked and I mean HOOKED on the show Puberty Blues. I discovered this one day while searching through shows on Tubi.  The show was set in the 1970's and was based on a book of the same name that I assume was a bit like the Judy Blume book "Forever" which was basically "Lady Chatterley's Lover" for tweens in the 80's. I love the main characters "Sue" and "Debbie." The parents were great, too. I like that the series shows the parents experience juxtaposed with the teens. It proves that being a teen is rough, but being an adult is challenging and once more, being an adult with your own adult world while being a parent of a teen when you were a teen not too long ago can be very complicated. As rough and a cringe-worthy as some scenes were, the setting was in a sunny beach town which lightened the mood. Surfing played a huge role in the show; so did drug use, drinking, and awkwardly bad sex. However, I loved the friendship between Sue and Deb, they were not Anne and Diana, but it was very real. I loved the wardrobe of the show and the mid-century modern houses featured were fantastic. Would you ever be able to pay me to be a teenager again? Heck no, and this show proves why, but I still loved the show.
Between most of these shows were many actors that overlapped between the shows over the years, their recognizable faces made me want to watch the shows even more. Kind of like watching Canadian television. No, I have never been to Australia and due to my paralyzing fear of flying I hardly doubt I will ever go, sadly, but thank goodness for Australian television- it offers a lovely escape. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Mildred Hubble (the Housecat) Is A Mum

Proud Millie with her babies.

When we brought sweet little Millie home last October, she quickly became my cuddle bug. That first weekend she stayed on my lap most of the time while I binge-watched the entire second season of Stranger Things. Mildred was always meant to be my companion but was also intended to be a partner in crime for Paddy Murphy, Murr for short. Once Murr became comfortable around a new ball of fluff in the house, he never left her side. He was so happy to have a friend who was like him, rather than the dogs who seemed to love Murr but played too rough for his liking. Millie proved to be a fantastic companion and she grew up quickly. She is a delightful queen who grew up to be a very beautiful lady cat.

Then, the change came. One Friday night I had begun a frightful binge on the show Glitch I was up into the wee hours of the morning and when I woke up the next day, I turned the show back on and devoured it....my love for this show has little to do with Millie other than the fact that I was so engrossed that I overlooked Millie's insatiable need to breed moment. Now, as I said before, Millie was adopted so that Murr could have a family of his own. He has an appointment to be neutered this week. However, my husband thought that it would be a good experience for me to witness the birth of a cat or two or three in Millie's case. He also thought that it would be good for Millie and Murr to procreate before being fixed, as it would help them be calmer the rest of their lives. For a while, there was a lot of speculation as to whether Millie was "heavy with puppy" or not. As time passed the distinct feeling or furballs in her belly was prominent.
I was a nervous cat mum, to say the least. I had only witness kitten birth in the movies and I had a feeling that it wouldn't be as quick as had been seen in the movie The Adventures of Milo & Otis. I made certain to do my research so that I knew what to do should Millie need assistance. I don't know if there is a "What To Expect When Your Cat Is Expecting" book, but it would have been nice.
When it came closer to her time, I paid close attention to her activities. I didn't want her to give birth in the crawl space or in my closet, so I made a birthing box in my office for her. Having a birthing box/nest for her in my office ensured that she and her kittens would be safe from inquisitive dogs and would put her at ease. One day I observed that she had been going behind my books on the bottom shelf of my bookcase. I saw that as a warning that her time was near. The night before the birth she spent the entire night at my side. It isn't unusual for her to sleep with me, but usually, she would sleep with me for part of the night, get a snack, play downstairs, then up with me again for a sunrise snuggle. This time, however, she slept curled up next to me the whole night, never leaving my side. The next morning I was having my coffee and I noticed that she was once again behind the books and scratching the shelf. I asked her to come out and she refused, so I removed the books, scooped her up and immediately placed her in her birthing nest. I left my coffee and cell phone in the kitchen.

(L-R) Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee.

When Millie got in the box and didn't jump out of it, but instead curled up into a ball I knew something was up.  I quickly ran to the kitchen and grabbed my coffee and phone as I wanted to document the birth as well as keep my husband up to date on the progress. Then, poor Millie started panting. This was when her "Blue Lagoon moment" began. She didn't know what was happening, but her instinct told her what to do. I turned on some soothing nature sounds on Youtube on my phone to help her relax. With the sounds of a bubbling brook and chirping birds playing I became my kitty's doula. With some serious fidgeting and probably the worst cry that I ever heard come out of Millie, Optimus Prime was born...breach. About half an hour or so later Megatron and a few minutes after that out came Bumblebee. Optimus Prime was the only boy born. He looks a lot like Murr, Megatron is all stripes with a white belly and Bumblebee looks like a perfectly fluffy cow, she is the perfect mesh of Murr and Millie.

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee

The kittens thrived and in a week they will be off to new homes, with the exception of Bumblebee (whom I call "Bumbles". Fear not, all the kitties will be staying with the family. O.P. will be going home with our oldest and his girlfriend. Megatron will be going home with the younger two kids to their Mom's house so I know that the kittens will be loved and well cared for.

Murr had proven to be a very good father. At first, I was very nervous about introducing him to his children. I was afraid that he would eat them after seeing horror stories online and from having my mother tell some gruesome tales. Happily, Murr is very doting on his children. He protects them from the curious nudgings of Rory and he gives them baths. I have found that he is very much back to his old kitten self in terms of having a very loving nature towards his humans and I think that he is much happier now that he has a complete family. Am I a crazy cat lady now? No, I don't have enough cats, turtlenecks or sweater vests for that. I have just enough cats and dogs to make life interesting and less lonely when my husband is away at work. If you follow me on Instagram you've likely seen a dozen posts of my kittens already. If not, check me out to stay up to date. I post on Instagram and Twitter far more often than I do on Facebook or the blog. I want to blog more often, but summer tasks make that more of a challenge. I think I might have found my groove though, so maybe there's hope for me yet? Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Rory snuggles with Optimus Prime

P.S. Megatron is a bit more shy than the other two kittens, but she is healthy, cuddly, and very sweet.

Muggy Morning Musings

Ugh, friends, this summer is moving by so swiftly! June was overtaken by graduations of nephews and friends, which brought on graduation parties and typical teenage melodrama. Also, Mildred gave birth to a small litter of adorable kittens, more on that in another post.  I have been dodging thunderstorms and insane heat waves, trying to work on the house. Since we bought the house nearly two years ago, it seems like we are still settling in. We bought the house in late summer and with all the work that needed to be done to it, we couldn't move in until October, which meant any yard work that needed to be done had to be put off until the following spring. Last year I began working on a vegetable garden, a wildflower garden, and a flower bed. It is still a work in progress. Last year, my father kindly tilled a large patch of the lawn to be our vegetable garden. The yard hadn't been tilled for a garden there before, so the grass eventually grew back and took over the garden, not leaving much space for the vegetables. This year, my dad tilled the spot again and my husband spread weed killer/blocker sheets on top of the soil before we began planting. This has made weeding the garden a breeze and the vegetables are doing great. We have peppers, tomatoes, squash, beans, cucumbers, onions, Swiss chard, beet greens, two types of romaine lettuce, mesclun mix, and buttercrunch lettuce. With all the vegetables, I will have plenty of salads and I will be able to make my own salsa!
I have also been putting a lot of work into the wildflower garden and the flower bed. I have spent a substantial amount of my summertime battling weeds. I have also been doing a lot of pruning, aside from planting new perennial plants. The roses that had been planted by the previous owners needed a lot of tlc. So I am hoping that my hard work will pay off and by next spring my garden will look fantastic!
Aside from gardening, I have also been working on minor home improvements, which is hard to do in this summer weather. Sometimes, it can either be too hot, too humid, or rainy and trying to find a happy medium is tricky. I have scraped and re-painted many of the window sills and I will need to do more at the end of summer when the weather is more forgiving. I also have plans to fix the front doorstep and clean up that door. I also want to put up gutters in September, fix the mudroom to make it cozy for holiday dinners, and get the garage cleaned up in time to store the truck in the winter months. At some point this late summer or early fall, we are putting in a woodstove. Since we are getting a stove, I have been getting wood and I need to get that stacked and stored for the winter too. Some people vacation in the summer this housewife spends her summer preparing for winter. At least I am getting a lot of fresh air and a suntan. Each night I sit down to watch some tv and all I can think is that there are never enough hours in the day! I have my fingers and toes crossed that come October, I can rest up a bit and dive into some more crafts for the holiday season. Heres to hoping! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

The Evolution of My Office Renovation

This was taken the first day we began working on the house.

When we bought our house nearly two years ago, we knew that it needed some work. When we toured the house we saw that the house had great bones, it just needed some elbow grease, some paint, a bit of spackle, some fresh curtains, new flooring, and a decorative touch. It also needed imagination, patience, and time. So when we were handed the keys over Labor Day weekend, we couldn't wait to get into the house and start pulling up the carpets and clearing away the debris.

Flynn enjoyed exploring the new space.

The house had enough bedrooms for each kiddo, which was great. The room that is now my office was the bedroom of the oldest child who has since gone away for school, life, etc. We let each child pick out what the wanted their room color to be and we bought paint accordingly. We were on a very tight budget so I actually blended a can of white paint that we already had with a bit f black paint that we got marked down at Home Depot (not sponsored). The walls in the room had been an off-white or cream color with very old wall to wall carpeting. There was also an odd shelving unit built into the wall that had access to the stink pipe. I really didn't want that pipe visible, so we removed the shelving and walled it off. The room opposite to the office is the bathroom and that entire room had to be gutted. I'll post about that another time.

So, as requested by the son, I painted the walls grey and the carpeting was removed and I painted the floor black. He decorated the walls with his t-shirt collection and it was a typical teenage boys room. After he graduated high school and went away to college I wasn't jumping at the bit to redecorate. I wanted to wait at least a year and see what would happen. However, I decided to move along with the process when it was clear that he was growing up and eager to be on his own. His bedroom was becoming a spot for debris to land and was a waste of valuable space.  I decided that it was time for me to make an office, where I will eventually be able to work and keep the spare bed in there just in case a guest needs a comfortable place to rest.

Fearing the raisin would overpowering for a small room, I used it to create an accent wall.

Eventually, the door to the bathroom will be removed and the wall will be finished.

I based my entire design on a California Raisins lamp that my grandmother had made me when I was a little girl. I had recently unearthed it from my parents' attic and wanted to use it in my new office. I chose a color that would closely match the color of the raisins on my lamp. I chose Color Place Rich Raisin in a satin finish. I used black chalkboard paint to paint my floor. This made the floor more durable and doesn't scratch as easily. 

Murr really likes the room. It is a nice space to take a nap.

I made curtain rods with wooden dowels that I found at Hobby Lobby (not sponsored), painted them black, and I made finials using a black macrame yarn/rope and tied them into fishermen's knots. I purchased two sets of thermal/light blocking curtains on ebay (not sponsored) for $10.00/set. I also bought gold vinyl star decals on Wish (not sponsored) for $1.00. If you haven't noticed, I decorated this room on a budget. It took a lot of time to gather all the materials together, but it came out great. I will do a part 2 to this post, showing the decor in more detail. This will be a cozy space to work in. Right now I am waiting for Rory to get a little older and to outgrow his chewing habit. It is very distracting to work in the office with him in it right now. Also, Mildred is currently residing in my office with her litter of kittens that she birthed a week ago-more on that in a later post. For the time being, my office/guest room is a kitten nursery and I likely won't be doing much work in there until September. For now, I just grab materials from there to use for projects that I work on in other places in the house. Stay tuned for the follow-up to this post which should be up next week. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Ending My Hiatus

If you've been reading my blog for a time you might have observed that I will take sporadic breaks from writing. This really isn't unusual for those who blog as a hobby. I really needed to take the rest of the winter off. This past winter was dreadfully long and a bit dull. The snowstorms seemed to be ceaseless and just as it seemed as winter was coming to a screeching halt another snowstorm would creep in. It was a constant battle with the shovel and I was exhausted. So now it is May, Labor Day weekend and I feel ready to catch you all up. I think I will be having an evening writing session, where I will write several posts and schedule them to publish throughout the week. I have a cup of tea and my British boy band song list playing and I am in the zone....brace yourself.
In March my husband decided that he wanted to get a puppy. The kids had been campaigning for a while, approaching us the various adorable photos of random canines that they found on online shelter pages. The dogs varied from purebred to mutt, compact and giant and it was getting ridiculous. At one point I had one teenager messaging me about a dog, while the other teenager was messaging their father about said dog. I was on to them and I was not going to cave. However, my husband thought that it would be a good idea to get a puppy who could learn under the tutelage of Flynn and become a great companion. He was on the lookout for a good candidate when he found a litter of beagle pups that were up for sale. He immediately contacted the breeder and an appointment was made. Fortunately, he wasn't asking for much money for the pups and the tiny splurge was well within our budget- we lucked out. We were excited and eager to meet our new family member but had to wait. We had a specific puppy in mind, based on the photos that were sent to us. The week of our appointment we were counting down the days towards meeting our pal. Then the clouds grew dark and we were hit with a massive snowstorm, a blizzard to be exact, the day before our appointment. The next morning the sun was shining brightly and the snowploughs cleared the fluff away from the roads. The town was over an hours drive away and the breeder lived on a mountain...seriously...a mountain. Undaunted, we armed ourselves with coffee and decided to enjoy the road trip.
When we made our way to the breeders home, we were greeted by older beagles from previous litters as well as the beagle parents. Then the breeder opened the door to his home and let out the pups. Most of the puppies ran past us towards their parents, while two ran to us. One of the pups who came to greet us was the same puppy that we saw in photos and had hoped that we would bond with him. It was an immediate connection and the decision was made. If you follow me on Instagram or Tumblr you would have seen many posts of our Rory. He is a very smart beagle, full of love and energy. He is very obedient and follows Flynn around everywhere Flynn goes. He also loves to cuddle on my lap and be by my side whenever he can. Keegan could take or leave Rory, he tolerates him. Murr washes his paws of him and Millie wishes that Rory was a little less curious about her, but ever the lady, she remains patient and poised.

Since bringing Rory home he has grown quite a bit and he's not finished. He's learned a few tricks and has worked up the courage to ride in the car, so long as Flynn is with him. Overall, he is a wonderful companion and very loved by everyone in the family. He even likes to go with me to visit my parents and socialize with their dog. I am grateful for the opportunity to have him as a member of the family and will likely share more about him in other posts. That about sums up what was happening at the end of winter, I will update you on other topics in later posts to come. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

What Is Happening in February

This month has been a grab bag of emotions. I am very certain that I am just done with winter. I really enjoy February, because it is a birthday month, we have Valentine's Day, and the month is rather short. When we start off the month with the tradition of waking a sluggish rodent to predict our future, we're setting ourselves up for disappointment. Winter will always last as long as it is scheduled and we would be fooling ourselves if we thought that we could cheat our way out of it. At least we have bits of things to look forward to, such as vacation and holidays. I made a tiara cake for Valentine's Day. I used a Devil's Food cake mix, then I made a chocolate ganache, I added almond extract to Cool Whip to spread on top of the ganache layer and I finished the layers with a berry topping. The cake was sublime. I still have the tiara cake pan that my mother purchased in the mid-1980s. I think it was a Dunkin Hines kit and it had always been a favorite. When I unearthed the pan from a pile of random objects in my parent's attic, I snatched the pan to take to my home. This cake is delightful.

I had watched numerous Dollar Tree Haul videos on Youtube (a guilty pleasure of mine) that showed a variety of adorable Valentine decorations. By the time I finally got around to shopping at the store, most of the Valentine decor had been picked through. I was able to find some cute glittery hearts that I hung from my kitchen cupboards. The bubblegum pink glitter makes me smile. I had a girl day with my bestie and another day out with my husband, both times I managed to gather some St. Patricks Day and some Easter decor. I am hoping to get some more of both, but I wanted to get what I could from St. Patricks while it was available and the things that I spotted for Easter I grabbed before they were gone. I am hoping to gather some more supplies tomorrow, that way I can work on some crafts this week.

The beginning stage of decorating my planner.

This is the finished look for my March spread.

My bestie and I had a fabulous girls day out the day after Valentine's Day. I was able to take advantage of the post-holiday clearance. I found a lot of adorable washi tape from the Target Dollar spot that was half price, so I was able to purchase several rolls for only $3.00! I do love a good clearance sale.

I made a quick sketch to plan out where to place my flowers, herbs, and strawberries.

Now that February is winding down, I've been planning a few projects for the month of March. I am focusing my energy on redecorating the inside of my house so that I am all set for Spring cleaning. Once Spring rolls in I will be doing a lot of work outside. There is plenty of yard work to be down, a few fixes to the outside of the house and a garden to start working on. I began my seed purchases the other day. My husband and I work on the vegetable garden together, but the flower garden is my thing. There's a lot that I want to do with my wildflowers this year. Last year was our first Spring and Summer in our home, so we were just establishing our gardens. Now that I am more settled in, there is so much that I want to do. I got a really good start last year, so I hope to achieve even more this year. I think that it will be a lot of fun and it will be nice to be outside and be productive. This next month might be bit busy and I am so excited about that! Hopefully, I will be able to share my various projects as they are completed. I will keep you updated. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Rediscovering My Cookbooks

Can I just tell how happy I am that it is the final day of January? This month seems to have dragged along on purpose, just to spite me. At least today was a sunny day but most of the week was cold and gray. Don't get me wrong, it's still freezing outside. When you have to bundle up just to get the mail and then actually getting the mail requires strategic acrobatic moves, and to make the challenge more interesting you happen to have impaired gait it isn't at all fun. Yes, I am looking forward to Springtime, yes it is months away, but at least January is nearly done.

Before I let the first month of the year come to a close, I wanted to write about one of my goals for this year. I had decided to become less reliant on using the internet for everyday things like cooking. I love social media, but not everything in my life requires a Google search. I have an amazing collection of cookbooks. I have some classics, some new gems, baking cookbooks, and ethnic cuisine cookbooks. I have practically everything I need to help me create fantastic dishes. I even have two binders filled with recipes that I've printed out over the years- some of them I printed out in 1998. So, I decided to start using my cookbook library again.

Once I started searching for specific recipes for making dinner or baking cakes, I began noticing some fantastic recipes for other things that I never once considered making, mostly because I had no idea that I had the recipe on hand. It is actually a lot of fun skimming through my books and finding endless possibilities.

This afternoon, I found myself getting sucked into re-watching season one of Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and I decided to bake some soda bread. I used a recipe from my "Irish Food & Cooking" cookbook. After looking through that book, I found a bunch of recipes that I had completely forgotten about. I know that a lot of those dishes my husband would love. I think I will be experimenting with those recipes over the next month. If and when I make something from that book, I will let you know. Until next time~Toodahloo!

2018 Planner DIY

For the past couple of years, I have relied on a planner to help me to stay motivated and organized. I have always been a list maker and I was obsessed with my Trapper Keeper when I was a kid. I decided to try to make my own planner this year, one that was more suited to my needs. The first planner that I used for 2016 was a nice planner, but it was wrong for me. The planner was organized by each month. Then, each month had pages for each week. So, if you opened the book, the pages that were side-by-side were for each week. The week pages included each day of the week broken down by the hour. It was way too much for me. I think that kind of planner is great for someone who is super busy and juggling many tasks and schedules. For me, I felt like I had to schedule each hour like I had to fill in the time with chores, tasks, and goals. Then, if I fell behind schedule or didn't complete each task, I felt like a failure. Not to mention, the planner was uninspiring. 

For 2017, I needed something a lot more simple. My husband got me a planner that I really liked. It was a pale blue moleskin cover and it was a day planner. It was organized by the month, with a calendar for each section and then each day had a section to write down anything that you wanted to remember to do, almost like a journal. It was what I needed then. I never felt like a failure for not getting stuff done. 

For 2018, I wanted a planner that had a little bit of everything in one spot. I wanted a section for keeping dates and a schedule, I wanted a section for organizing the budget, I wanted a section for meal planning, and I wanted a section for blog planning. That way, everything would be kept in one spot and it would be so much easier for me to function, it is my household binder of sorts and I love it.

You can buy all kinds of planers out there, but since my needs were so specific, it made more sense for me to make my own. I bought my supplies at Walmart and The Dollar Tree. The actual three-ring 2-inch binder came from Walmart. I found it in the stationery/office supply section. Sold right next to the binder was a bunch of dividers that were the same size s my binder, so I grabbed those too. Then, I bought a bunch of fun paper clips with flags on them, also at Walmart, I think I spent less than $10.00 on all the supplies that I bought from Walmart. 

The rest of the supplies I got at The Dollar Tree. This includes stickers, washi tape, notepads, notebooks, an elasticated headband, gluesticks, a desk calendar, pens, and hot glue. I adhered velcro to the back of the notebook (above) and to the inside of the cover of the binder. That way I could remove the notebook if I wanted to write things down. On the inside of the back cover, I hot glued a cute sticky notepad that I found at The Dollar Tree.

On the back of each month, I glued these sections of the desk calendar. That way, I'd have a place to write down more notes and I wouldn't be wasting part of the calendar. I had already had cardstock on hand. I  cut the desk calendar to size and glued it to the cardstock in order to make it sturdier and then I marked where the rings were and used a hole punch to make the holes to poke the rings through. 

Then, I began the fun part, the decorating of the calendar. I was inspired by the planner videos of  CheapCraftyGirl on Youtube. I intend to get more stickers for each month as the month approaches and jazz up the pages more, but this is just the starting point. I think that approaching each month at a time and sitting down to decorate the monthly pages will be fun and a nice way to relax, it will also be a great creative outlet. I think that starting each month with decorating the pages will keep me motivated to stay on track.

For the meal planning section, I designed my own weekly chart on Windows and I laminated it. That way, I could write down a meal plan for the week with a dry erase marker and be able to edit the plan as needed. Then, when the week was done I could erase it all and start fresh. I also printed out a meal idealist that I made on my computer a long time ago. I just wrote down meals that were cheap and easy to make and that my family enjoys. This list has helped me come up with many meal plans; it's great to have when I can't think straight or when we have a tight budget. Having all of the ingredients listed in the meals makes it super easy to make a grocery list!

For the budget section, I printed out monthly budget charts that I found for free on Pinterest, so I printed twelve of those. I also printed out a bill tracker chart that was for the entire year. That chart was also free to print and found on Pinterest. I also found a nice weekly blog planner free to print on Pinterest. Lastly, I went on Pinterest and found a bunch of inspirational quotes and I printed them out to stick throughout my planner. Sometimes, it's nice to read kind words when you're being hard on yourself. Lastly, once my planner was assembled, it needed something to keep it tight. With all of those pages and additional notebooks, the binder wanted to splay open a bit. So, I bought a bunch of headbands from The Dollar Tree. The packet came with an assortment of colors and I chose one that I thought would complement the teal. I simply used hot glue to glue the headband to the back cover of the binder and positioned it where I felt it could keep the binder closed. I like the way it came out. I really didn't spend a whole lot on this planner/household binder. I will continue to buy more stickers and washi tape for each month, but I will be buying them at Walmart and The Dollar Tree since I am able to find adorable supplies at those stores and they are very inexpensive. I can't wait to go find some Valentine's themed stickers! This is going to be a lot of fun! With any luck, this planner will help me feel more confident in my managing of the household and I will feel less scatterbrained. Soon, I will be decorating the house for Valentine's Day and before I know it, it will Be March and I will be decorating for St. Patrick's Day! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Enduring Blizzards, Fighting Colds and Navigating My Way To The New Year

If you hadn't noticed. I took a much-needed break from blogging. I usually love to write during the Fall months and the many holidays that I celebrate from October to January. This year was far too exhausting for me to do any of that. I was trying my best to stay healthy so that I could enter the New Year refreshed and ready for new adventures. I made it through Christmas, which was a challenge, and just a few days later I started to feel sick. I am still recovering.
I got my white Christmas, it was beautiful but stressful. I was very worried that family wouldn't be able to make it to celebrate the holiday. My husband spent most of the morning snow throwing the driveway, while I arranged presents and helped him with the dinner preparations. Fortunately, the kids and my in-laws made it safely and it was a good day.
When it came time to celebrate Christmas with my parents and my sister families, I was feeling pretty rubbish, but I still had fun. I was hoping to post about my goals for the new year. I am not one to make resolutions, but I do like to try new things each year. So, here are some things that I wish to strive for in the year 2018, in no particular order... I want to enjoy more of what I have. I am a youtube junkie. I have been for years. I prefer to watch beauty bloggers, tutorials, etc. I also like a few lifestyle channels and I really like Dollar Tree videos. I know, it's weird. I recently cut back on my subscription feed and I only follow a few beauty bloggers and a couple ladies who do crafts with Dollar Tree supplies. The problem with being a Youtube junkie is the fact that you have so much product exposure. You see a woman using a new eyeshadow palette of a foundation and you suddenly need to get it. Even though you already have half a dozen eyeshadow palettes. The videos are fun to watch, but they are so seductive. Therefore, I've decided to watch less of those videos and only watch specific vloggers and I also decided to focus on the makeup I already have and work with that.
I have also decided to use my cookbooks more. I have so many cookbooks and binders with printed recipes. So, instead of hopping on one of my Pinterest boards in search or recipes, I am going to use my cookbooks. I also want to find new recipes to try in my cookbook library.
I have also begun using a new binder/planner and I think that it will be much more helpful to keep my life organized. I will post more about that later.
That about sums up everything that I wanted to touch base on with my 2018 goals. In other news, we had another blizzard plow through yesterday. All day long I was worried that the power would go out. The thought was terrifying as there has been a wave of below freezing temperatures lately. I made certain to have extra water in the refrigerator, plenty of candles and make-shift space heaters, flashlights, matches, extra blankets, and a clean kitchen. Fortunately, the power never did go out, but I didn't get much sleep last night because I spent the majority of the night checking to see if the power was still on. With any luck, I will sleep better tonight.
I am excited about all the new things I want to try out and all of the old hobbies that I want to get back into again. I will write more in-depth about various gols for this year over the next few weeks and more as they come. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

DIY Cake Stand Using Dollar Tree Supplies

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen a post I made with a picture of this cake stand. This project was super easy to make. I made it in two days because I wanted the glue to dry properly. I already have a very lovely cake stand but I wanted another one where I could place the gluten-free baked treats that I make for my stepdaughter. It didn't seem fair that the rest of us were able to have our treats displayed on a nice cake stand while she is reduced to a boring old plate. I wanted something special for her, where I could present her treats in a pretty and inviting way. Ever the frugal crafter, I decided to make one. While I was out on a girl day with my bosom friend, I searched the Dollar Tree for items that I could use to fashion a cute cake stand. I already had some ideas in mind, after searching the Dollar Tree website.

I knew the plate and bowl that I wanted, so I was able to find them quickly. I thought that I wanted to use another candlestick, but then I found the one that I chose. It is very solid and sturdy, and it was even heavier than the one that I had originally intended to use. Those candlesticks come in black or white, so I chose black. Then, I needed and handle. At first, I looked for a knob, but couldn't find one. Then, I looked and tealight candle holders, but I couldn't find one that I liked. I decided to think outside of the box and headed to the toy section. There, I found rubber farm animals and I thought that the sheep was not only the perfect size and weight for the handle, but it also matched the color scheme.

After I brought the candlestick home, I noticed that it was scuffed up. I decided to paint the entire surface with chalkboard paint, simply because I had it on hand. I left it on my deck to dry while I worked on the rest of the cake stand,

Using a clear salad bowl that I found in the catering section, I used the super glue that they sell at the Dollar Tree to stick the sheep to the bottom of the bowl. I flipped the bowl upside down, squeezed a tiny bit of glue to the bottom of the sheep's hooves and centered it onto the underside of the bowl. I set the bowl aside and allowed for it to dry overnight.

Next, I wanted to glue the candlestick to the underside of the plate. I found the center of the plate and I used a dry erase marker to trace the shape of the top of the candlestick. This way I could place super glue on the plate and the candlestick so they would adhere more securely.

After squeezing a bead of glue around the perimeter of the candlestick top, I added more glue on the circle outline and carefully placed the candlestick on the underside of the plate. I let that dry over night.

The next day, I had an adorable cake stand. The bowl just barely fit on top of the plate, so keeping it on was tricky. I need to add a lip along the edge of the plate to keep the top on better. Were I to try this again, I might use one of the plate chargers that are sold in the dish aisle. I really do like how this came out. It almost has that "Farmhouse Chic" that ladies seem to be going gaga over lately. I am just happy to have a cute cake stand for the gluten-free goodies. It fits the decor of my kitchen and it only cost me $4.00 to make, because I already had the glue and painting the candlestick is entirely optional. If you were going to do this with all new supplies, it could be done for $5.00, not including tax. Still, a nice bargain for something that you will only use on certain occasions. This would be a cute thing to try for different holidays, too. Think of the fun you could have with holiday decorations for the handle, and festive colors for the base! I had a lot of fun doing this and would likely try it out again. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

We Got A New Kitten and Other Distractions

I have been sick lately and had little energy to sit down and write. Most of the time I am feeling pretty exhausted. It all began a few weeks ago when I thought that I was getting hit with allergies but instead was a nasty cold. Once the cold finally subsided, I was still feeling gross and it turned out to be Fall allergies. I have had Fall allergies since I was a teenager and they always prove to be far worse than Spring allergies. The thing is, I love to be outside, especially in the Fall, also the kids have soccer. I don't make it to every home game, however, I also have nephews who play soccer and I like to go to their games too. This proved to be the biggest problem for me. So, back when I still had a cold, I toughed it out, took some DayQuil and went to my nephew's soccer match. Then, I went to my sister's house for dinner after the game and I didn't get home until after 9 pm. the combination of being out in the cold, out to allergen air, being out late and running around doing too much all made me very sick. Then, I finally got over the cold and WHAM, I was hit with allergies. Over the weekend, I went to another nephew's soccer match with my husband. It was a great day for soccer, nice and warm. The next day, I went to a parcel of land that my Dad owns, with my Dad, to pick apples. Problem is, his apple trees are on a hill, in a meadow. That was very silly of me. Between the soccer match the day before and the apple picking I felt awful. I already had a stuffy headache while apple picking from the exposure during the previous days game, after that I was down for the count. I was having dinner with my parents and was going to watch the premiere of The Walking Dead, but my head felt so stuffed up and after taking an allergy pill, I could barely stay awake. So, I went home, ut on some comfy pajamas, cuddled with my new kitten in bed and watched Masterpiece on PBS. 

 
So, about that kitten.......

My husband wanted to get another cat so that Murr could have a companion. We have one large dog and one small dog, both are great pals. The dogs get along swimmingly with  Murr. Where the dogs are, Murr is too. When it;s time for bed, they all race up the stairs together. The thing is, Murr likes to play, he is only 1 1/2 years old. The dogs, like to play with each other, but they are older dogs and like to relax. Also, they are far too big to lay with the cat. So, I agreed to get another cat, under the condition that it be an all black cat. I have always preferred black cats and I haven't had an all black cat since the passing of Merlin. A couple of months ago a woman he knew posted on Facebook that her cat had kittens and they would be available for new homes when they were ten weeks old. Two of the cats available were all black. My husband asked me if I would be interested, and I gave him a "soft yes." I had forgotten all about it, until a couple of weeks ago e=when he reminded me that the kittens would soon be ready. So, last Saturday morning, we drove to the woman;s home where the kittens were and were handed this little ball of love. I told my husband that a black cat needed to be named after a wizard or a witch, that is is my tradition. He went along with it, he was just happy to get a kitten. I named her "Mildred Hubble" after a character from my favorite childhood movie. It is also a new show available on Netflix and there was another tv version that was made in the 1990s. We call her "Millie" for short. I only call her by her full name when she is naughty.
As I write this, she is sleeping on my lap, only ten minutes earlier, she was climbing all over me and being a bit of a terror. She loves to cuddle and purrs a lot. She isn't a fan of the dogs, yet, and she is very playful with Murr. Murr, is very pleased with his new companion, he finds her to be a very adept pupil. ALready, he is a bit protective of her. So, even though it took some convincing, I am happy to have this darling black kitten, Just in time for Halloween.
It is a very stormy day. The winds are blowing and rain is pouring down hard. This is the perfect weather for hot cocoa, a movie, and cuddles. So, after I complete some more writing, while Mildred naps, I think I will watch The Worst Witch (the 1980s movie version with Fairuza Balk). I will be posting some of the crafts that I had been working on before I got sick. So, be on the lookout for those throughout the rest of the week. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Pacing Myself

The above photo illustrates how I have been feeling lately. It has been over a week since my last post. I intended to write about the various craft projects that I had been working on, but then I came down with something. I am not sure if I am dealing with allergies, something that always plagues me this time of year, or if the shifting weather brought on a cold. When I had a girls day out with my dearest friend, the weather was phenomenal. The weather has been quite mild, but then the next day the weather would be seasonal. Whenever the weather has an abrupt change, I get sick. So, with the way things have timed out, between going out and about, allergy season, and weather changes, it's hard for me to pinpoint the precise cause. At any rate, I have been a bit under the weather. However, even with my cold/allergies I still need to function like any normal human. I need to get groceries, run errands, visit family, etc. I had been very busy all weekend and I am worn out I'm taking today, which is beautiful weather and a nice change from yesterday, to rest. By rest I mean, still get tasks done, but not overdo it. So, instead of making a chore list to check off, I decided to have a mental list of goals. I decided that I would do things on my goal list, when I felt like doing them, but not be hard on myself if I didn't complete the list. It is very refreshing when I can't do today, I still have time to do tomorrow. Surprisingly, I've gotten quite a bit done and I am very very relaxed. I even made myself a pumpkin latte!

Last week my husband helped me pick some of the apples from our apple tree. It was a fantastic warm morning and it was perfect weather for apple picking. 

We are fortunate to have so many apples on our tree. The better apples are up high where we can't reach them. This week, I am going to have my Dad assist me with picking more. He has a tool that enables you to pick fruit from fruit trees that are out of reach and it doesn't require the use of a ladder or step stool. Because of my impaired balance, I don't like to use ladders, and I am very cautious with step stools. If I can avoid using even step stools, I do so. 

Without any additional tools, we picked three full baskets of apples. I've already baked apple crisp and apple rhubarb pie. I plan on making a lot of applesauce and dried apples for the winter. I think I might try to make apple leather, too. I will still have some apples for baking and will spend the rest of the Fall baking pies, crisps, muffins and coffee cakes.

I mentioned earlier that I had done many crafts that I wanted to write about. I will be sharing those in upcoming posts, so look out for those this week. Until next time...~Toodahloo!