Finding Joy During Covid-19 House Arrest

Hi Friends! I'm reaching out to the universe to say "Hello! We miss you!" to all the planet. We are on day two of "stay at home" lockdown here in New Mexico, but school has already been out for two weeks and we have basically been self-quarantining since then except for a few necessary departures from home. 

First thing this morning I took dear Hubs to an emergency endodontist appointment. Having a tooth die during a pandemic, while on lockdown is not a lot of fun. Like you need more problems. Thank goodness for Tylenol with Codeine or I'm not sure what would be happening here.

As I said, Kiddo has been out of school now for two weeks already and now with our latest state lockdown that has added at least another week, not that anyone is feeling very optimistic that the kids will go back to school this year. Kiddo says she's learned her lesson about leaving things like jackets in her locker. I think I may have mentioned that in warning a few times over the past three years but no one was listening to me on that. Ha. Whatever it takes, a mom's gentle, wise warning or a global pandemic. Insert "hands thrown up in the air" emotion here and then "laughing" emoji -- haha.

We are staying busy completing a list of chores, tasks and odd jobs around the house that have needed attention. Progress is slower than I had hoped but we are crossing things off just about every day. Yesterday I fixed three loose tiles on our master bath tub. We've been weeding and trimming up the yard in 15 minutes stretches that really end up being 30 but no one has rebelled yet. Crossing my fingers there is no uprising about it not really being 15 minutes even though I keep selling it as that.

The Man has replaced some electrical plugs this week, fixed a plastic storage cupboard that was knocked over and cracked in a crazy wind, and sorted through a box of shoes in the garage. Progress.

Kiddo has finally caught on to the philosophy The Man and I have been preaching for years that if you tidy your room up in a few minutes every day you don't have to spend a whole Saturday cleaning up a giant mess. If there is to be any silver lining to this crazy March 2020, I'll take a long-term commitment to keeping her room clean. But I'm going to hold back my celebratory dance a little longer to see if things stick.

The one person who thinks having the entire pack at home 24/7 is the greatest thing ever it is our German Shepherd. Everyone taking breaks to play with him throughout the day, people to snuggle with, no one too busy for him or leaving home for long hours. This IS his best life!

Meanwhile for we humans there are a lot of stresses underlying all this and worries for the future. Just managing the daily anxiety for children and adults requires a lot of attention and effort. But there is an interesting lesson I've learned as I've watched social media over the past two weeks. Those who are positive are positive still, those you are happy are finding ways to stay happy and make the best of life. Those who are generally grumpy, negative and sour still are. Attitude really is everything! Doesn't matter what you are going through. Some people act like this is only happening to them and some people are reaching out in every way possible to bless others and share love EVEN THOUGH this IS happening to them. Such a life lesson!

A friend dropped off a brownie mix, some microwave popcorn and some chocolate in the cutest bag on our doorstep yesterday. I have lots of friends texting to see if we need anything while they are out. 

Perhaps my favorite act of service this week was after we heard Monday afternoon that the governor was going to put the state under "stay at home" rules. So we decided to run out and just see if we could grab a few more groceries. As we were getting ready to leave, The Man got the brilliant idea to grab some food for our dear "senior" neighbors so they would not have to go out and expose themselves to the potential health risks of grocery shopping. At the store we each got a cart and tried to divide and conquer on our list.

When we met up again his cart was filled with stuff for the neighbors. In the end he delivered a giant box with tons of fresh produce because the wife is a vegetarian, juice, bread, toilet paper and other goods to them. It was so sweet! He tried to doorbell ditch the box at the porch but their dog started barking and the wife saw him. But I thought that was one of the sweetest, most generous things I have ever seen him do -- and he has always been very generous.

So I say, keep on watching out for each other, friends. Keep looking to the positive people to buoy you up. This is hard and none of us has ever done it before -- so we have to give ourselves a lot of grace and be gentle with ourselves. This is a "figure it out day by day" situation. We can do this! Brave and strong! Resilient. Loving and caring for each other.

Never Get A Storage Unit -- Until You Consider The Costs

When we moved to New Mexico, because we were moving in two parts over a 9-month period, we needed to get a storage unit here for all our belongings coming from California, until we moved into a new home. I was staying in a small 2-bedroom, already furnished townhouse, so everything but clothes and important necessities went into the storage unit.

At the end of January, we finally, finally got that storage unit emptied and closed out our account. It turned out to be exactly three years from the week we first got the storage unit. In the course of that three years, it was really only a must that we have the unit for the first year probably since we were doing some renovation work on the house for a few months after we closed the sale. So that means we paid for that huge storage unit that was only partially filled for two year unnecessarily.

I can justify a little more of that time if I consider I was in a cast or barely out of a cast for six months of that two years. But it sickens me that we kept paying for it. The least we could've done is downsized it to about a quarter of the size. Once I got in there in mid-January are really started clearing it out, I realized probably 1/2 of everything that was in there was empty cardboard boxes. Insanity.

Oh that makes my stomach hurt just to write it. We could have purchased everything in that storage unit and some more things we need with the money we paid for that unnecessary storage unit. Of course, this is the whole storage unit scam, get you in there and you never get out. I can't tell you how many months I said I was going to close it out and clear it out but the task seemed a little too monumental.

There were a few bigger pieces of furniture inside but only a few and most of them can be sold. Even though our new house is decent sized, there really isn't a lot of room for furniture inside it due to the open design and wall to wall windows. You can't put a tall bookcase up in front of a window and where there are walls they are generally very narrow or angled to accommodate all the walls of windows. 

So I started making trips with carloads of things from the storage unit to our house and because we live at the end of a secluded circle, down a very secluded lane I just stacked everything in front of the house.  Dear friends helped me with one final load in their pickup truck at 7 pm the last day of the monthly contract. In that load was just a bookcase, two beds and a storage rack. It was amazing to see the unit empty. Sweeping out the storage unit and walking away from the dumpster I had filled at least half of with stuff out of that unit was a victory. Joy and success.

However there was still that mountain of stuff in front of our garage that I have been working on. Thankfully the weather has been good and dry so everything has been perfectly safe out there. Every day I have been going through things and either finding a place to use an item in the house or choosing to donate, sell or recycle it.

I've made four or five trips to the thrift store the past couple of weeks. I haven't been taking huge carloads, but just a few boxes of items as they accumulate in the back of my car. It feels good to get rid of stuff as fast as possible, plus that keeps family members from going through it all and trying to keep things. For the few true storage items we need to keep in boxes, I've been putting those in attics or the garage. I'm amazed that those things have fit nicely into small spaces and we have more room for things than it felt like we did in those areas.

This was a doozy task but I'm happier about it for a few reasons: 1) saving money! 2) getting rid of stuff we don't need. 3) feeling more organized. 4) being more settled in our home. 5) feeling like a better steward over our belongings and how we use our money.

I think it was also the thing that really got me energized for 2018 and helped me get going for the new year. I did this all by myself for the most part and I think it was kind of therapeutic to just listen to podcasts and music and sift through things without having anyone else there to question my decisions or have to make decisions with.

I listened to a lot of inspiring podcasts and happy music through the long days. I also was better than I ever have been about taking breaks and not going for so long that I totally wore myself out. I am still learning to pace myself in my life. Ha. So that was one of my big projects done for January. Do you or did you have any big projects to get through this winter? What were they? How did you feel about them and how did you tackle them?

West Elm Metallic Honeycomb Pendant Lights For Sale

We purchased these fixtures for our kitchen and then put them in storage until we decided what to do our kitchen renovation. Since then we've realized they probably won't work with decisions we've made so far in other areas that are open to our kitchen, so we've decided to sell them and try to find something else that will work better. I'm a little sad about that because I love these but I hope they find a very happy home!

These sold out very quickly with West Elm and there are no longer available. They are still in the original boxes and have not been opened or unpacked. They come with two different cord options: hanging cord with on-cord on-off switch and we paid extra for adapters so that these can be hung as pendants from the ceiling.

Here's the store description: 

Artfully shaped. Our Metallic Honeycomb Glass Pendant is handblown by artisans in India, then cut by hand on a wheel to achieve its faceted face. Dipped in shiny silver as a final touch, it's a beautiful way to add soft light to a room.

8.5"diam. x 8"h.
Handblown, hand-cut glass with silver finish.
Plug in.
15' cord set included.
In-line on/off switch.
Made in India.

If you're interested in these and in ABQ you can pick them up. If you are in Utah I can get these to you next week. Anywhere else we can arrange shipping. $300 for the three light fixtures and we'll toss in the three pendant adapter kits for free.

Make Time To Spend With Friends

It is so easy to get busy and find that weeks or months have gone by without checking in with your friends. I have some terrific friends here and in different parts of the country. I'm trying to do better staying in touch from a distance, thank goodness for social media which helps a lot, but can still be rather impersonal. I've been trying to shoot emails to friends more often to just say "Hi" and "How ya doin?"

Over the summer I have made it a priority to meet up with girlfriends for brunch or lunch every couple of weeks. We've had some great talks about schools, creative pursuits, home design and decor, about challenges we are facing and we've even read some personal development books that we've been sharing.

It is so nice to once a week or so be able to leave the grind of housekeeping and work at home and just get away somewhere different, to talk and think about other things and leave feeling renewed of soul. It's definitely a great when a friend can help inspire you and you can inspire them with your past experiences and dreams for the future. Plus it's giving me the chance to get to know friends' favorite cafes and eateries around our area.

While I've tried to do this as a habit over the years, this is really the first time where I've been able to maintain it regularly and it's been a joy. One of the best parts about our community here is that there are a lot of friends who have kids about the same age, are at the same school and often the same church. So we are able to do both family activities, fun kid things and parent get togethers with the families we know quite easily.

Because we live in an area where people have yards, backyard parties are easy to throw together and there is space for everyone to spread out and have fun playing or talking. That may sound weird to some people, but living in LA, most everyone lived in an apartment, so very few people had yards. We had to meet at parks or other places and it was not so easy. Not to mention we often had to pay for parking or entrance fees to many places. Things to be grateful for!

One of the things a girlfriend and I are doing is keeping a list of cool places in the city that we want to check out. Then when we decide to get together, we can choose something off the list. We've been to a cool book signing, a hip store grand opening and to some fun cafes. On the list we have added going to breakfast and to the farm shop at my favorite working farm/upscale hotel, happy hour at a favorite downtown historic hotel, a new french bakery, some local boutiques and museums we have yet to see. It's great to have a buddy to adventure to new places with and that helps me make it a priority to actually get to those places that I so often think I want to visit. This way it becomes a plan, rather than a wish that never happens. Having someone fun to go to those places with makes it even better. On our list are a few things we want to do with husbands too and families too.

Making time to spend with friends has been such a gift to us here and I think it's a great thing to do no matter where you live or what station in life you are in. It might be taking babies to the park with other mom friends or going to lunch with a bunch of empty nester friends but it's good for the soul no matter our age.

Tourist In Our Own Town: Labor Day Weekend

Without realizing it, seems we've made a tradition of spending Labor Day Weekend as tourists in our own town. This year we slept in and then headed out for adventure time. We did some country and city this year and it was a perfect mix.

We started out at Wildlife West Animal Park. It's a small wild animal refuge. There are often fun events throughout the summer here and on Saturdays they have a chuck wagon dinner during the summer season. There are great birds and large beasts there. We came in the afternoon so at the end of our visit the animals were becoming more active after sleeping through the hot day. 

We really enjoyed seeing how the gray foxes dangle in the trees to sleep, watching the elk from just a couple of feet away rubbing and smacking his antlers into fencing and trees. It was very interesting to see that up close. That is one big rack!

We also saw two cougars up quite close and a black bear which we were glad to enjoy behind a fence instead of in our yard. I guess I haven't mentioned it here but we have had a lot of bear visiting our yard this summer. We had heard there had been no bear sightings in our neighborhood for a few years. Well this year there had been quite a bear problem on the east side of the city. We have seen at least three bears up close to our house, one even opening our back fence and coming very close to our back door just as my husband stepped out to see what had moved the gate. Scary. So we enjoyed watching this bear from a distance!

Our visit seem to last just the right amount of time and we were really pleased with all the animals we were able to enjoy. We had brought a nice little picnic with us which we enjoyed in a shaded shed/pavilion on the property. It was nicely cool in the shade and after being out in the sun for a couple of hours, having cold drinks, fruits, veggies and crackers and cheese were the perfect small meal to enjoy while we sat and relaxed for a while. By this point the park was just about to close, so we had the space all to ourselves which was nice.

We drove back to the city and then went to ABQ Uptown. Some of the shops were closed for the holiday but we had a nice time wandering around, made a few small purchases and then stopped in to try Frost Gelato. We were not disappointed. I tried Marbled Dark Cherry and Creme de Biscotti. The Man tried Avocado and caramel coconut something. Kiddo tried coconut and vanilla. We all tried each other's and had a peaceful time sitting outside as the sun set over the city.

We wandered a little while longer and then drove to Winrock Center, which is next door, and had dinner at Red Robin. By the time we got done with dinner it was 10 p.m. It was a fun day and we were all ready for bed by the time we headed home. It was fun to adventure around our city. We still have so many fun things to see and try. Days like this are great reminder for us to get out and learn fun things about our city and spend time in places that feel like us and that we enjoy.

Big Likes #7: Skylights

Growing up we had a skylight in our living room, but I never really understood how fantastic skylights were until I moved to the Southwest. Many homes here take advantage of skylights and it makes an amazing difference in the brightness of one's home and they are a big electricity saver too.

I first really noticed this when we moved into our home and our garage had a skylight in it. That means that you never need to turn the light on in the garage when you go in there during the day if the garage door is down. It's already light. I'm sort of surprised by this every time I walk into our garage because I have been so used to having to turn a light on in all the other garages I've had.

In the townhouse we lived in for a short time before we moved into our house there were skylights over the vanities in the bathrooms and it was wonderful to have that natural light when getting ready and looking in the mirrors. Another room where there are rarely windows and where you never needed to flip on the lights thanks to the skylights.

In this house we also have skylights in our family room and dining/living room and they make such a difference in the amount of light in those spaces. Albuquerque has an average of 310 days of sunshine a year, so we really get a great advantage to enjoying more natural light in our home and need less electrical lighting during daylight hours. The skylights have also really helped out our houseplants who seem so healthy and happy with the all natural light they get.

Skylights are not that expensive to install although I would suggest having a professional do it because it affects roofing and there can be problems with leaks if not installed properly. There are different versions that can be opened for additional ventilation too. Ours are opaque plastic bubbles, so they don't open but we have so many doors and windows in our house that can be opened that we really don't need that feature. But I sure do love our skylights, all the extra light they bring in just makes our home a happier place - and who does not want to save on lighting costs! Skylights are something I have learned to appreciate because of living in the southwest where they are plentiful. They are Big Like #7 this week.

Saying Goodbye To May: Patio Outdoor Space Ready

May is pretty much my favorite month of the year and I am always sad to see it end. With Mother's Day, my birthday and Memorial Day weekend it's pretty much a month long party. Not complaining!
I have so many beautiful cards on my mantle along with fresh flowers and potted plants that have come my way the past couple of weeks. It just makes everything feel so festive.

I have been working hard on outdoor living spaces as I have talked about repeatedly here. I am happy to report that for the past several night we have been out on our front patio, with the solar lanterns lit playing games and having fun. Every day it seems I add something new. First it was a couple of tea lights in jars, then I broke open a big box of wicker lanterns like these on the table above.

Story about those wicker lanterns. In December 2011 (!!!!), we had just gotten engaged and I was in full-blown, excited wedding planning dream land. I found these wicker lanterns at TJMaxx and ended up driving all over the Los Angeles metro area buying them out of every store so that I had enough to use them on the long tables for our wedding. You can see my original blog post full of enthusiasm about having found them here. Well fast forward 6 1/2 years (oh my gosh....) and we never had our big wedding thanks to a little detour called Afghanistan.....and these lanterns, along with anything else I purchased for our wedding have been languishing in storage ever since.

I didn't have the heart to get rid of them, thought perhaps someday we might actually have a vow ceremony/reception of some kind that we could share with family and friends. So in boxes they have sat. Finally I brought one box out and opened it. Along with six lanterns I found a couple hundred really cute paper napkins I had purchased for a pre-wedding picnic or rehearsal dinner or something. Wow. Anyway I put three of these lanterns out on the coffee table on the front porch and they look so fun and festive and create such a lovely light in the evenings...and I feel a little sad that they are going to get used and get ruined without every having served their true purpose but whatever. I have to get over that...

I started making a small buffet table for the back deck with two towers of four cinder blocks and a pretty wood top that I built. I spent part of Friday night at Home Depot with my building plans, trying to figure out the best materials to use and pushing one of those gigantic pull carts that was so heavy I had to totally lean my entire body into it to get it to move. Then I packed everything into my little VW Golf (crazy amount of cargo space, even fit 6' wood plants and 10 cinderblocks with room to spare!).

I have been working on this table since Friday night and hoped to have it done Saturday but it's definitely a work in progress and I should have it done by Wednesday. I have the top done, just need to even out the edges on each side and then stain it and polyurethane it for outdoor use. It's a bar height and will fit our new little portable barbecue grill and leave room for serving food too. You can see the example of the table I'm building here. I'm not doing the sides, just one long 6' length. I figured we can add the sides later if we feel we need them but I think the three-sided table is more than we need and doesn't fit out space all that well. We have a fairly narrow patio but it's very long so a long table along one wall makes great sense for us. I'll share more details when I have a finished product to show you. Excited about it! Really makes my soul so happy to have a creative project.

We also got our temporary, but large and fabulous, bi-fold door/sawhorse dining table out of the shed last night. Hooray! throw a giant tablecloth over that and we have a table to eat at outside. I made a makeshift grilling table out of a 3x3 stack of cinderblocks to hold the little portable grill I picked up at Ace Hardware on Friday. I was looking for a different grill which they have on line but apparently don't carry in the stores.

While they didn't have the one I wanted, they had this little grill on sale for $12.99 and how could I beat that?! Some day we plan on having a nice big grill in the back - and are so lucky to already have a gas line from the house out to the patio -- but until we decide what we want and how we'll configure it all, this little grill will work just fine. I probably should've bought two or three and we could've had an awesome little grilling station for $36. I might still do that. That would get us through some fun entertaining and they are so small and easy to deal with. I like the idea of having three of these on a long table and cooking up all kinds of fun things that way.

I couldn't let Memorial Day Weekend pass without a barbecue so that was my big goal for the weekend. I kept the menu easy and light. Burgers with cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. Here's a link to my hamburger recipe I've been refining for a few years now. I think I've found my groove with the spices in these and they always taste good. I picked up some already cut up pineapple, a big watermelon and chips today and we were in business!

We ate dinner just as the sun was setting with our cafe string lights on, wicker lanterns on the table and a delicious, simple summer feast. We had a great time and after the meal we played with Kiddo's plethora of glow-in-the-dark bracelets, necklaces and other trinkets she's been stashing in a drawer. Nights here in Albuquerque are so perfect for outdoor time. Little to no wind, no bugs, perfect temps so you don't need a sweater. It's just lovely being outside on summer nights here! I hope we'll start eating outside every night we can throughout the summer.

Now that we have everything set up, it should be a cinch to enjoy our outdoor areas as much as we can throughout the summer. Looking forward to having friends over and swimming the summer away. Speaking of which, the pool is up and running as of today --- with just one little challenge. Our heaterless pool is still a little cold. Water temps at 63 degrees. We need some hot sunny days!....or I need to finally order that solar pool heating blanket I kept looking at last year that is supposed to heat pool water up by a good 17 degrees. That would work.

I am so happy we're set for summer finally. Being able to go outside to read, have a cup of tea, relax, take a nap or eat a meal is the best and it just makes our home feel tons bigger when you add these outside rooms where one can go. Hooray for summer. Here are a few more things I am thinking about building for the backyard this summer.

Sectional seating
Dining Table
Outdoor Rugs
Two by Four Bench
Simple Concrete Planters

Seeing Our Positive Accomplishments: Home Decor

I have been feeling discouraged with the progress (or lack of progress) on making our home look lovely. I am highly motivated to have a home that is comfortable and welcoming and we have been struggling. That means I really struggle because having this feels so vital to my soul. While ruminating about this over the past couple of days, it came to me that things are getting prettier around here, I just haven't let myself see that.

Last week I finally FINALLY got a plant and pot that I bought last summer out on the front porch of our house. You may remember I had planned to make a wood plant stand to put the pot it. Well just didn't have time for that. So here we are 10 months later and I found this wonderful stick table I bought 18 months ago and put the pot and plant on top of that and suddenly I have a front porch look that I like. It goes well with the basket I bought last winter for the door that I can update for holidays and seasons with a cute little sign on the front and rotating flowers or plants inside.

I happened to pick up these patriotic fan decorations at Target last week and they were sitting on my desk and I thought, hey I know what I can put in that basket for the summer. Since the front door is well protected and shaded they should be fine there for the entire summer. If not I have another set I can replace them with. The doormat I bought last fall some time and I love it and it all works and speaks my style. Needed that! Okay, progress is happening!

Even if the house hasn't been painted a color I actually like and I'm a little unthrilled with the turquoise front door (some days I like it, but I would love to get rid of that middle section with all the scrolly stuff!) I can still be happy with things done the best they can for now. Wanting everything done right this second isn't really very realistic and why make myself miserable. It may not be magazine worthy but it's the best it's ever been and I can be happy with that for now.

Before I updated the front door basket I took a small whisk broom and swept down the entire door. Then I used a really great squirt bottle that has a good strong sprayer on it and squirted down the front door really well with just plain water, getting into all those nooks and crannies. It was like a mini-power wash for the door. I dried it off and wow did it look a million times better without all the silt and dirt deposits on every edge!

That entire front door update was not that hard and in fact took just a little over 30 minutes. The Man had stacked some small boxes of wood near that door which was making it look a little messy and they had been there for a while. Making those go away was just three simple trips to move those boxes where they needed to be.  None of this was as overwhelming as it feels sometimes.

Next I realized that I'd made some valuable improvements on our "curb appeal" by hanging the silk lanterns together in a tree, adding the new chairs and a little "As-is" IKEA table I picked up just before we left California that has been waiting for a home. Now when people come up to our home they don't see dry ground, scraggly juniper trees and sagebrush. Hopefully they see a welcoming patio! Plans are to add an outdoor table here shortly with some chairs for outside meals, newspaper or magazine reading, journal writing and early morning tea. Can't wait.

On the back patio we still have work to do, but just adding my pretty white and terra cotta pots of vegetable and herbs has cheered up that space quite a bit! Progress!

It sure helped to turn my attitude and perspective around when I started really seeing the good things that are happening around here instead of feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by the mass entirety of the project. Life really is constantly about baby steps and when we get overwhelmed and discouraged it's usually because we're looking beyond the mark a bit and forgetting those baby steps that are what really get us to our goals, hopes and dreams. So today I am going to again take baby steps towards my home and life goals. Recognizing my small successes has been a major source of encouragement to keep taking small steps forward!

Creating Cozy Outdoor Spaces For Our Home

I have mentioned a few times here that I have been working on creating some welcoming and relaxing spaces for our yard. When you start doing the math on decorating four outdoor spaces the costs can balloon pretty quickly, especially if you hope to add a comfortable, quality sectional seating area. Even if you DIY things it can still get very expensive. I can buy a nice table for what I could make one for by the time I buy lumber and treat it so that can safely be outside in the sun and rain.

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So I made my dream list, whittled it down and then whittled it down some more. I came to a realization that making the areas serviceable for our goals could be done well with a little creativity and some cost savings. Rather than having a long table with chairs for the dining area, I am considering two picnic tables set end to end. That way I get a table and seating for a huge savings over buying a table or building a table and then needing to buy 10-12 chairs. It can still be plenty cozy with a nice table arrangement and our beautiful string lights overhead. Lovely.

I also got very practical about chaise lounges for the pool area. The hotel style plastic ones will work just fine and I can get seating and side tables for a nice price with a discount. Done deal.

I also started watching sales and looking at Craigslist. Craigslist, comically was extremely overpriced for the used furniture people were selling. I could buy new for a better price. I'd been watching a few patio chairs at Target anticipating there would be a sale toward the end of May and found them on sale this past weekend. I was looking at a different chair but when I went into the store to give them one last try I ended up picking up the Southwest Wicker Club Chair which I liked a lot better and was just five dollars more.

So I grabbed the gray with gray cushions and found a way to pack them into the back of my Volkswagen Golf. IT has a pretty amazing cargo area when you put the back seats down. I also had three huge bags of soil that I had to move to the floor of the front seat because I needed the height to get the chairs in. But it all worked and I actually still had quite a bit of space in the back.

I also picked up two of these pillows which are great. I like the funky pineapple image and on the back it's a fun, bold black and white pattern so you can choose a side, use one of each or whatever you like.

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For right now these chairs are going on the front patio, until we get a table out front. I'm almost thinking about picking up three picnic tables and putting two in the back and one on that front patio. Because it's an East facing patio, it's a great place to sit in the mornings or to get away from the sun in the afternoons and early evenings. It's also next to the driveway so there's room for other activities like bike riding, giant bubble wanding or throwing ball with the dog as well.

Once I got the chairs in place and all the wrapping off them and tags cut off the pillows, I pulled out the super cute solar silk outdoor lanterns I picked up at IKEA in February. You can see them at the link, scroll down a bit. I had planned to put them in the backyard, but I going to use them in the front for a while. I also have three strands of white and black small round lanterns that I can use in the front or back. I might put those in the front yard and then bring the larger silk lanterns to the back yard where I think they will hang better from the larger trees.

So far my initial planning budget has plummeted by a thousand or more dollars, which is good. We can always upgrade later and we we may find that picnic tables fit our mountain home just perfectly. We can get all three tables for less than the price of one dining set with chairs. I like that idea right now. There are still so many things we could invest in for this house and that need attention, so it makes sense to be budget conscious but also get the house in a place where we can enjoy it more and entertain, etc.

Working outside the house has been fun and it's encouraging us to spend more time outside which I think is hugely healthy for the mind and soul. It seems like if you start the habit of spending time outside at the beginning of the summer you spend more time outside over the course of the summer.  I'd like to do that this year. I always think those summers where you realize mournfully in mid-August that you didn't make the most of it are rather sad.

So it's headlong into summer now, fingers crossed. Now we just need some summer weather two days in a row. The weather certainly has been fickle this Spring! I may regret my complaints come early August after it's been 100+ for a month straight. Ha.

Grand Designs: A Refreshing "New" Home Design Show

I first heard about Grand Designs from the Young House Love Has A Podcast hosted by John and Sherry Petersik a couple of weeks ago. It's new to us here in the U.S. but in the U.K. many seasons have aired. I checked it out and have to say I binged all the episodes within two weeks...I realize that's not really binging in the "didn't leave my house for three days until I'd watched every episode" context, but for someone who is quite busy, I got through them pretty quickly.

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Here are the reasons I really like this show:

1) The host and writer, Kevin McCloud is completely likable. There is nothing annoying to him. He is curious, kind, generous, and asks the right and often obvious questions viewers want to know. He makes the show better in every way.

2) The homebuilders are dreamers and risk takers. No one is whining about granite countertops and stainless steels appliances here. (Little HGTV joke.) The homebuilders on this show are doing remarkable things and sometimes it works out and sometimes there are some major disasters and yet they all make it work the best they can. Some of the biggest doubters are often family members.

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3) Every story doesn't wrap up perfectly every time. Sometimes the homeowners run out of money and the homes don't get all glamorously and magically finished. There are disagreements between spouses and mother nature certainly has taken her toll in a few episodes. But there is still a warm, hopeful, upbeat feeling to the show.

4) There is always an element of attempting the impossible in each episode. These builders are really trying to do new things and envision new ways of doing things.

5) There are some amazing homes features. Some are very expensive and some are not. But they are all very unique.

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6) You get some great lessons on architecture. This show is more about building the house than furnishing the house. You can learn a lot about different building techniques and materials. You do get to see the decorated or at least partially decorated house at the end but there isn't a lot of time spent on the furnishing aspect.

7) The build locations are often unbelievably beautiful spots all over Great Britain. If you like lush, green meadows and ocean cliffs, you'll definitely get that here.

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I thought initially that there were two seasons available on Netflix, but later noticed that it's episodes that bounce around between the many seasons that have been made of the show.  Hopefully at some point Netflix will add more episodes of Grand Designs and perhaps put them into chronological order. Most of the episodes featured right now are from 2009-2012. So there is a lot of talk about "the bad economy" and situations that now seem to have been a long time ago now. But those elements don't take anything away from the enjoyment of the show.

I'm recommending this show! If you check it out I'd love to hear what you think. Leave a comment below or comment on other social media. Happy viewing.

Checking Off The Small Things

Today I did something that I've been needing to do for months. It was a small thing but aren't those the things that end up driving up nuts day after day -- those little things we need or need to check off our To Do lists. Today was a good example. I have needed a new eyelash curler for a long time. I am usually pretty good about replacing those frequently because they do get weak and quit working well and the eyelashes show it. But I have struck out finding the one I like at several stores and then at other stores it seems too high prices for what I've paid in the past.

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It's been one of those small seasons in my life where I feel like there are a lot of little things like this that have been put off as we've been super busy, tired, etc. in the last few weeks of school. As we face the beginning of summer break next week and things are winding down a little it's nice to try to get caught up with some of those small things. One season of sports has ended for a while, all the big school projects are done as of today, lots of doctors, dentist and optical appointments were taken care of the first couple of weeks of May too. Whew! No wonder we felt so busy.

So it feels like the perfect time, due to need and to a slightly quieter schedule, to take care of little things. I have been running more errands, doing a better job keeping lists of things and taking time a couple of days this week to take care of a few of them. It seems like lots of these things are self-care items like the eyelash curler.

Today I also bought a nail buffing block. I like to get a good pedicure, but Mani-pedis are significantly more expensive here in ABQ than they were in L.A. so I'm good to do my own nails since I only buff shine them and keep them pretty short. Then I can indulge in a pedicure once a month. My nail polish always seems to stay in pretty good shape and I give myself a good foot buffing after every shower so they stay in pretty good condition along with lots of coconut oil, lotion, etc.

I found myself a better hydrating shampoo, conditioner and leave in conditioner to try this past week and boy did it make a huge difference in my hair when I washed it last night. Soft and silky - and much easier to comb through and blow dry. Little things like this make life feel a lot more pleasant.

I also got some new lip gloss and wonderful hand lotion from Aveda this week. My last lip gloss was running low and I had a $25 product gift card at my salon. Monday morning I went in and had a fun little shop which only cost me about $5 over the value of my gift card. Last Friday I got the highlights refresh that will take me into the summer months happily. I'm having to get hair upkeep done more often now, which is costly -- and a big bummer. Another task I need to take care of is getting new bras. That has been put off for too long now and it's a must. I also need some new workout clothes. I'm at a point where most of mine are getting a little ragged.

I also need body lotion. I've gotten very selective about lotions I use...no mineral oil, no petroleum. So it's pretty much impossible to buy lotion at a major drug or department store. You might find some shea butters or Burt's Bees options that will work but they usually come in pretty small containers  which don't last long when you live in a desert! But I can't just go to the regular lotion aisle and grab something that is clean of ingredients I don't want to be putting on my body. 

I've been using Bliss Spa lemon and sage lotion for years. Get it for a great price at Marshalls or TJMaxx and I stock up because they don't always have it in the larger more economical bottles. I need more of that stuff which I've been adding some magnesium oil to in the evenings before bed. 

After a shower I often add some coconut oil or Un-petroleum Jelly to my lotion to combat the dry, dry climate here in NM. This is also an inexpensive way to make the lotion last longer. I buy my coconut oil at Trader Joe's and one jar lasts quite a good long time. I'll take care of getting that lotion before the end of the week. I'll also share more about magnesium oil in the next week or so. Have been trying it on the family and am learning as much about it as possible. I have a store credit/gift card in my wallet for my lotion needs. Yay.

I also need a new bronzer. I've been experimenting and not really liking anything I've found. I think it's time to get serious and go back to Bare Minerals that I used for years and loved.

It's so nice to have the things you need on hand so that you can be diligent about self care. It's never fun to be feeling frustrated when trying to take care of yourself especially because the times we need self care the most are when we're already tired. I'm happily checking a few things off my list and trying to make life a little more enjoyable.

In the summer there seem to be a lot more social engagements and gatherings and it sure feels good to look and feel good on those occasions and it's so nice to feel good every day. Having what you need on hand at home to look good and to feel good makes such a difference. Taking care of little things only takes a few minutes but sure makes a big difference in how I feel about myself and my life.

A Little This & That

It's been a busy few days with lots of unexpected interruptions to the regular routine....if there is such a thing? I feel like we've been on the go nonstop lately and this week seems to be no different. I haven't gotten any of my big To Dos done yet, but I certainly haven't been sitting around.

Kiddo had a big school project due on Thursday so that is keeping me busy making sure she is staying busy and on track to get done on time. She needs a tri-fold board, costume, oral presentation, etc. When she was younger I had such a better handle on getting homework done. We lived in a smaller place and it just feels like sitting at the kitchen counter was so conducive to me being able to help her get her homework done quickly.

These days she's is often at the table in the living room working on homework and I am in the kitchen. It's much harder for me to keep track of what's happening and how fast she's working, etc. This makes for a little bit more frustrating homework process. Our kitchen bar/counter area isn't really great for doing homework but I'd like to find a happy medium somewhere in all of it.

Another really goofy thing that has been happening recently is that I feel like our grocery shopping habits have swung out of control. I like to go once a week, with a list and just get it all done. Of course, as with many other families that may mean going to a regular grocery chain, then making another trip to a place like Target or WalMart and then another stop at Trader Joe's. Also a little tiring.

But the past few weeks The Man has been calling me almost daily saying, "I'm at the grocery store, do you need anything?" For some reason he loves to go to the grocery store. In LA when we had a store a few hundred yards away he would go just to wander around. Unfortunately this lead to some fairly frequent impulse grocery shopping. So he's been stopping almost daily getting some little item he needs, then calls me to see if I need anything.

Trying to give instructions over the phone about what brand and type of item to buy, trying to explain where to find it or even texting a list doesn't seem to work too well either, despite both our best hopes. He frequently can't find what I'm asking for or forgets to get an item, etc. and I find myself not giving him a full list because it's too tiring, so I'll give him three or four items and then go without some other things I need.

I hate to make another trip but then find myself without key ingredients I need or any items you would consider "meal" foods. It's all a little silly. But again, not super cost efficient and I feel like we need to reign that in or I just need to never have The Man get anything on my list, make a real list and go once a week myself again. It's so strange how things can just slip out of habit around the house and them you really have to regroup and stop the madness.

Maybe it the big school project Kiddo has do this week. Perhaps we've been running a little too fast the past few weeks. Spring is always so busy for us with a birthday or holiday or other event seeming to come almost weekly from January to June.

Maybe it's the coming of Spring and so many more things to do now that we need to keep the yard and pool up and get it all in shape for the summer. Maybe it's the end of the school year that is exacerbating all this mild chaos. I notice Kiddo is more tired than normal after school and perhaps the parents are tired as well. Haha.

Whatever it is, I am feeling a little pushed to get us back into a good rhythm here at the end of the school year before we jump headlong into summer. In my spare time (hahaha) I am kicking off two businesses and trying to work on decorating our outside living spaces.

I set a goal and budget for decorating four small spaces in the yard. As I started pricing things out, I felt a push to try to do it for a smaller and smaller budget and took that on as a big challenge. I have been searching for best deals and finding less expensive options that will work well for us for a few years.

It's been a very fun challenge and I've been excited to try to find things sourced from businesses that offer discounts and to watch for sale prices on the items I want to buy. I am really excited to watch for some Memorial Day sales on a few items. It's a lot to keep track of. I'll share more of what I'm looking at soon and put together a post on each of the four spaces and how I budgeted.

I thought it would be a bit humorous to post a happy Mother's Day photo with this post because in all honesty this Mama isn't feeling super on the ball right now. It was nice to have that day, last Sunday to celebrate the beauty of motherhood but Monday morning it was right back into the thick of it and feeling a little undone. Life is what it is, isn't it. There is no predicting or directing it much beyond what you try to do.

Big Likes #6: A Nice Tote Bag

I frequently go to doctor's appointments with The Man or extracurricular activities with Kiddo and need to bring along something to entertain myself while I am there. I always love carrying along some water, a snack and a book or magazines or something to study. Lately I've been studying a lot and that is something that helps me feel like I am staying really effective with my time even if I'm sitting in the car or in a doctor's waiting room.

It's great to have something nice looking to carry my extra things in, along with my purse. I take pride in the handbag I carry and like for that to carry over into any secondary bag I may be carrying. Some days I just carry a bigger tote and put my purse essentials in there as well.
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This is a bag I designed for Live Live ABQ but I have several others too. One of my favorites is a Heath Ceramics canvas bag that I think was designed by Skinny LaMinx. I picked it up in 2012 at the Heath Ceramics shop in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. It's natural canvas with a green silk screen logo. I try to keep it very clean and like for it to look pulled together and tidy, rather than running around carrying junk in an old plastic grocery bag.

The right tote bag can carry over a pulled together look and make carrying a few extra things easy and stylish rather than frumpy and scattered. I often think about lessons I've learned about taking just a few extra minutes to look a little more pulled together before one heads out the door. It's a real thing, and it makes a big difference in how we feel about ourselves and how we present ourselves to others. Most importantly is how I feel when I go out into the world. I have control over that and sometimes it's just a simple thing like carrying my extra load in an attractive tote rather than looking harried and messy with things falling out of my purse or in a junky old bag. That's why this week's Big Like is a nice tote bag!

Setting Aside Time For Study

Recently I've been putting a significant and regular effort on making time to study. I've been studying internet business, real estate and parenting. I am pushing myself to be more of a student and it's been a little more of a concerted effort than just reading articles occasionally. I find that it has really been valuable use of my time. As I think about lifelong learning I think regular study is something that can greatly benefit us.

This is me studying in bed last weekend

Some days the articles are things that interest me and other days the topics are just things I really have to know to continue down a path ahead of me. Some days I can devote a couple of hours to study and other days it may be 15 -30 minutes. One day last week I needed to read an article about creating SKU numbers. Super fun, right?! But I knuckled under and got it done in less than 30 minutes while I was waiting for The Man who was in a doctor's appointment.

I was able to wrap my head around the topic and figure out a system that would work best for my online store in a short amount of time. I have a small pile of business articles I've printed out that I can carry in my bag to study when I'm waiting somewhere. Some days I'm studying in the car, some or on the patio at the golf course. Other days I'm grabbing a few spare minutes while I eat lunch or in bed before I go to sleep.

I keep a stack of magazine articles tabbed and a few books available that I can power through when I have time. I have a pretty challenging business book that I am studying right now,  every day when possible. I can only get through about five pages or so in a study session based on the new concepts I am trying to digest and usually getting a little tired or overloaded. The font size is tiny and two pages of material is a lot of information. But I try to keep at it frequently so that I can get through it. As soon as I can finish this book I can move forward into some new learning and tasks that I am anxious to get to, so there is a sense of urgency on my part. This has been a good and difficult challenge for me to work on.

I was reading some of my family history about my paternal ancestors who were ranchers in the Intermountain West. Although most did not have a formal education, they were lifelong learners and avid readers. While I have had the benefit of a lot of education that is not the same as being a lifelong learner and engaged student. It's never too late to learn a new skill or open up a new world to ourselves through study. While I'm doing this, I thought it would be a great time to throw some encouragement for study out into the world. 

Do you have something you've always wanted to study or some new challenges that you might steer through more easily with the help of some study on your part? It really only takes a few minutes a day or even a week to make lifelong learning a part of our lives. Study is a good challenge to keep our minds sharp and to continue learning and keeping up with latest trends, science, technology and life skills. I'm hoping I'll make some significant progress on my business book this coming week and then I'll be lining up some new topics of study to follow up on after that. Learning is a good thing.

Busy Pursuits

Hi friends! I hope this finds you well. It's been a busy week. I have been working so hard the past few weeks to get two business projects off the ground. Both have required a learning curve that at first didn't seem too daunting and in reality have been pretty challenging. I've been book studying, doing research on the internet, taking a lot of notes and doing quite a bit of work on web sites and creative projects. Whew.

Here's a little glimpse of what I've been working on. I'll go live with a little online store to promote loving the Albuquerque life in the next few days. It's been a lot of work between product development, business set up and marketing. Happily I am getting good interest from the community and I hope that the enthusiasm will continue when the shop opens. Fingers crossed.

There are several other irons on the fire right now which I consider a real blessing, but I am scrambling to keep up. It's been a heads down, working day and night kind of week. The best part is that all of it is fun and interesting to me. If only there weren't daily chores and tasks to keep up with. Today I also organized an Easter Egg Hunt for Saturday night. Happily we're having it at a local park so there's no getting the house ready for a crowd. I just need to get a basket of plastic eggs filled and make a treat to share. The plan is that each family will bring 24 filled plastic eggs for each child they bring. Then we'll just hide all the eggs around the park and turn the kids loose. Should be a lot of fun.

We invited a lot of families so it will be interesting to see what kind of crowd turnout we have. Might be huge, might be small, might be somewhere in the middle. No matter what it will be fun to have an egg hunt with the kids and then have time to sit and hang out with friends while the kids run around together and play.

I am trying to be careful about sleeping and resting enough. Workouts have slipped this week, which isn't great. It's been a yoga pants, barely brushed hair couple of days that are starting to run one into each other. Dinners have been a quick and hurried afterthought but thankfully we are eating well still. Tuesday I was feeling sick after going to a meeting and appointments earlier in the day. I slept for a while in the late afternoon and slept in again the next morning. But I'm getting things done and hopefully a little crazy time right now will pay off in the coming weeks and months. Some days, weeks and months are like this and I'm feeling grateful for the work and opportunities. It's been a interesting road to get here. I am excited to get the shop open and start seeing the fruits of goals and efforts I started two years ago.

How are things going in your world? It seems like we often have cyclical periods in the month where even though we're having different experiences we sometimes flow in the same levels of ups and downs. Hope things are well for you!

DIY: Five Dollar Bandana Scarf

In Denmark during the chillier months scarves are a must and during the times I have lived there I had a few that I really loved. I remember one that was purple that was extra long and I could wrap it around and around my neck. Comfy and cozy.

Fast forward a few years, my awesome friend Sally, who is super creative, gave me a great scarf that was made out of cotton bandanas sewn together. They weren't just any cotton bandanas but super cute floral and polkadot ones in blue, lavender and white. I have worn this scarf a lot and have often looked for bandanas I really loved that I could make a scarf or two out of. I have looked and looked and never found quite the right thing. Some days I would look online and then never finish the order.

Finally last Friday I made a quick run to Hobby Lobby to pick  up a couple of needed items and I happened to be in the same aisle where all the bandanas were and found some that I loved. Perfect colors. So I grabbed five and happily they were on sale for 77 cents each - so I got five for $3.85 plus tax. Great deal for a scarf!

I brought them home and cut off all the tags and then just sewed them together along each edge. I could've made it an infinity scarf if i'd sewn the last two ends together but I like the flexibility of a rectangle scarf -- even makes a good picnic blanket if you need it to. Now I have a super cute, extra-long teal, gray and white scarf for spring. It will be a great pick me up for winter wear too paired with all the dark colors one often wears in the colder months.

Great scarf for a great price. I'm excited to make more of these for myself and they do make fantastic gifts. Would be great for holiday gift giving or birthdays throughout the year. A real savings too when you compare the cost to buying a scarf. A nice 100% cotton scarf usually costs between fifteen and fifty dollars.

Big Like #5: All These Uses For The Simple Binder Clip

More office supply love this week and a little secret we came up with that has saved us big money and some serious frustration. We buy Binder Clips in a office size box from the office supply store and use them not only in the office but on every item in the kitchen that we might use a Chip Clip on.
And guess what, they last forever unlike their cheap plastic kitchen cousins.

We keep a box of them in the kitchen next to the fridge where we can easily grab one to close up on bag of cereal, chips, chocolate chips, nuts, freezer waffles...you name it, if it could use a chip clip we are sticking a simple black binder clip on it. Then when we're done with them we just toss them back in that box in the kitchen drawer and they get used indefinitely.

For the cost and extended life we're saving a ton not buying plastic kitchen clips. You can find them in all sorts of fun colors and sizes tailored just to your needs and preferences and buy them in varying lot sizes so you get just what you need or a few years supply for not much more than that. I also use them sometimes to hold together small art projects I am working on. They work great as clamps while gluing things together or to hold things together while you make adjustments so that everything is evenly spaced. You can also loop one over a magnet hook to organize papers on a fridge or magnet board. You can even use them to clip and display art. They can be great for holding open coloring book pages that might frustrate children to keep flat. I've used one for a bookmark before too.

We keep a few in the car too and we seem to find uses for them all the time. You can use them to clip a blanket up over a window if the sun is blazing down on sleeping kiddos (keeping in mind driver visibility issues of course!) You could clip needed items to the visors or use them to clip a blanket around a kiddo to keep them covered and warm in the car. (Use your creativity here there are a few ways I can see this working.)

They would probably be a great addition to a 72-hour kit in a variety of sizes. You could use them to create a shelter if you had some rope and a tarp or to create a water catcher by clipping up the edges of a jacket or tarp or plastic bag. You could use them to create a temporary outdoor shower with some fabric or tarp. So along with the clips, you should definitely get a tarp it sounds like! Ha. You could also use them to construct a survival oven if you had some foil or something metal. You can also use them to hold a spoon on the side of a pot by clipping one to the edge and sliding the spoon handle through the clip prongs. They could also be useful in a myriad of ways in the garden.

So very versatile, so inexpensive and so great to have on hand when you need one. From the tiniest size to the largest size there is a good use for every one and having a pretty collection of them on hand can make life a little simpler and happier.

Lilacs And Garden Planting Season

Last year when I was in that dumb cast I missed out on enjoying all the lilacs we have in our yard. To get to them I would've either had to hop down a crazy, loose dirt path or climbed down some steep and unven natural boulder stairs to get to them and that just was not possible. So today was my day to walk happily on two working feet down to the lilac bushes to cut a big box full of blooms to bring into the house.

I was reminded that lilacs are pretty messy but I thought to myself some of the greatest joys in life bring messes with them. You can't have the sweet scent of fresh flowers without a bit of a mess when they crumble. I'll clean it up when it's time. Meanwhile I have a vase of blooms on the kitchen windowsill, on my desk, on our dining table, the foyer table and in our powder room.

There are still tons of blooms to come so I hope I'll make time to go out and retrieve more as these die and new blooms come on the bushes. We had some good rain this week but our backyard is not looking so hot. Needs some attention. Of course I'm thinking there are snakes just waiting to jump out at me from behind every rock. Agh. I think I need some study leather cowboy/work boots to protect my ankles.

It's an adjustment to me to think of lilacs the last week of March and first week of April. Growing up they were Memorial Day blooms and my grandmother would gather jars of them to take to the cemetery to decorate graves that weekend.

We have had a very odd year with our forsythia bush in the back yard. It should bloom tons of bright yellow flowers in February or early March and then leaf out for the summer. Our front bush did bloom but our back bush only didn't. It got about five blooms on it just about the time it started to leaf. Last year is was full, vibrant and flowered early in the Spring. Not sure what's going on with the back yard, but it needs some love.

I also need to brush up on taking care of some of these plants I'm not that familiar with. I'd also like to get rid of a few weedy-looking things that are meant to be there but just look ugly. We also have a far back patch of dirt that could/should be grass of something. This house was empty for a while and before that lived in by older people who just let the yard go pretty much. Yards are a lot of work. I did well to keep up with a little garden patio in our last house.

I am itching to get some planters going with sweet peas, herbs and tomatoes. Having a fresh herb garden is just the best. My family has been so spoiled to have fresh tomatoes the past few years that they can't stand grocery store tomatoes - and they both love tomatoes. Hopefully this year I'll buy some better plants and we'll get a little bit bigger harvest. I should grow some peppers and chiles if I can too. We need to plant a bunch of mint in pots around the yard to ward off bugs, especially ants and mosquitos - although we don't get too many mosquitos here.

I also read that there are herbs to help ward off fleas. Last year we had a couple of weeks of pure misery with fleas. They didn't bother the dog at all because he was medically protected but we humans took the brunt of it. I've never dealt with fleas before but it was awful and we don't want to experience that again this year!

Gardening is so much fun. We certainly have the space but the upkeep is a lot of work, although the rewards are delicious. We still have about two weeks until recommended planting season - after the last frost traditionally. After being able to garden year round in California this waiting to plant business makes me antsy. I'm going to start preparing my gardening beds and pots now and then in a couple of weeks I can just start popping in seeds and plant starts. I think I'll start planting some seedlings this weekend and that'll give me a couple of weeks head start on planting outside. Fun stuff! Are you planting anything this year? If so, what are you most excited about growing.

Pin Test #26: Baked Fries & Sweet Potato Fries

We had a few leftover burgers in the fridge last week that I decided they would make a good dinner on Thursday. But we were short on a lot of things we often eat with burgers. We didn't have a wide assortment of fresh veggies and fruit which I usually serve with burger meals. We had a few carrots and just a little lettuce and no tomatoes for the burgers. So I was looking for something different I could whip up to round out the meal.

I had potatoes and sweet potatoes so I thought it might be a good night to try a baked fries recipe using both. So I tried Miminalist Baker's Crispy Baked Garlic Matchstick Fries and Gimme Some Oven's Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Fries.

Now it seems like often I do something to screw up these Pin Test recipes so I can't always say it was the recipe. This time, Kiddo made the sweet potato fries and I'm not totally sure what happened but they got a little too much cayenne in them, so no one ate them. I think we need to try this recipe again with a little more adult supervision. The Man loves a good sweet potato fry so we'll definitely try this one again soon and I'll try to gauge the cayenne situation a little better.

The crispy baked garlic fries were good. I would say I need to work on my cooking methods for both. I think maybe I overcooked them. While they weren't photo-worthy they did taste good! I think these could've used a little more oil on the pan because they stuck to the pan. I think I need to work on my garlic tossing of these when they are done too. But they were yummy and every one of them got eaten up. The Man had two servings and Kiddo and I split the rest. Despite my failing in the artistic creation, they were yummy and we'll try them again soon.

It's very challenging to make a recipe for the first time and try to figure out all the subtle and not so subtle nuances. Both these recipes have made it into my personal cookbook and I'll pull them out and try them again soon. I recommend them both, you might just want to be judicious about cayenne in the sweet potato recipe. I'm not sure what happened there, I guess I'll have a better idea as we continue to experiment with these.

Here are the links to both recipes:
Crispy Baked Garlic Matchstick Fries
Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Here are a few other Pin Test recipes you might want to check out.
Crack Broccoli - A family favorite we eat almost weekly!
Mongolian Beef Ramen
Slow Cooker Recipes

It's been rainy and cool here in the desert. It feels like northern Europe, which I love a little dose of. It's been more drizzly than rainy and I have so many memories of days like this in England and Scandinavia. I good scarf around the neck and good rain jacket layered over something warm seem to be just the ticket on days like this. It's nice to have a little break from the usual desert weather. I need to drink tea, sit by a window and read a book or something to celebrate it.

If I were in northern Europe I'd ride my bike somewhere cozy or light some candles. Ooh, it is a perfect cozy day...this is where Hygge comes in...you know that Danish lifestyle trend that suddenly everyone is talking about. I met Hygge in 1988 and she's been a friend these long years. Candles, tea, good company. Done.