February 8, 2012 - Wednesday

Well... I'm up and refreshed... I slept like a champ last night.  I was talking to my friend... plopped on the bed while we were chatting... then played a few 'scrabble with friends' games on my phone... and that was all she wrote.  I was gone!  Until... the smell of coffee brewing this morning.  You know... NO ONE makes a better cup of coffee than my hubby!  It just tastes so great!

Hey... look what my friend, Paula, sent me!!  Now this is what I call having fun 'jumping on the bed' with your best friend!!

He doesn't even look scared does he?  So silly!!!

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Then... I have a blog I follow from SEW MANY WAYS... and she had some wonderful ideas on how to use HANGING SHOE BAGS.  I use these myself... especially with my sewing supplies!  I have one full of all those small sewing items that you just don't know where to put!  I use the plastic - clear ones... so I can see right through them and it's easier to find things.  Here are some of her examples!!

Here we have two different types of shoe bags... the one on top is great for adult shoes...so they can sit nice and flat and not get all crunched up.  The bottom one is great for softer - children's shoes.  It's so much less stressful for them (and you) to keep their room and the floor of their closet clean when we make it this easy.  You can attach the shoe rack at the bottom to the door so it won't swing around when the door is opened.

For those of you that have cold weather...these work great for gloves, scarves, etc. on the inside of your coat closet.  How many times did we have to search for gloves when we were little... Trying to remember which coat pocket we stuffed them in.  Here is your answer.  You could even put kids small rubber boots in the pockets too!!!  How about the dog leash... since you have to go to the closet to get your coat to walk the dog... it's a great place for their leash!!  Or... if they too have to wear a coat... stuff it in one of these pockets!

How about for toys????  I thought of this for my grand kids... you know how they have all of these teeny...tiny... toys???  What a great place to store them.  Although.. I would have to use the clear plastic ones... so they can find things easier!  Polly Pockets, doll house furniture, crayon boxes... the list goes on and on...

Now... this is genius... Here is a SKINNY linen closet door in your bathroom.  Most of the shoe racks are to wide... so... just cut in in half!!!  How cool is that?   Fill it full of anything you want... extra toothpaste, hair brushes, q-tips, hair scrunchies.... the list can go on and on!  LOVE THIS IDEA!!

How about hanging one in your kitchen pantry???  You know all of those small packages of spices that we buy...for tacos, gravy, jello... this is a perfect place to store them!  And by using plastic.. you can see everything!

This organizer is hanging on the inside of the closet in an office!  How many times do I search all over my desk for items that I only need to use once in awhile?  You know... the single paper punch, extra scotch tape, address stickers, extra post-it notes.... pencil lead/erasers (for my ever sharps), and then...we have the different size markers/highlighters.. I could go on forever!  Here you go... you now have a solution!!

But this...is the best... for FABRIC.  Now.. the only drawback on the fabric storage issue... you cannot pile 20 pounds of fabric on each of these shelf units..they are not that strong!  however... they are a great place to put your charm packs... how about patterns in each slot (by categories) ... you have a great imagination... let it fly!!!

Well...with all of these ideas today.. I'm getting the vibes that Walmart, Target, Kmart... will be bombed with shoe organizer purchases!    Here are some more ideas for you (just to keep your mind going crazy with ideas....)

• cleaners
• medicine...as long as they are locked and out of reach from children. Great for child free homes
• canning jars filled with craft supplies (buttons, beads). Each jar fits in the pockets
• children's snack bars and treats
• socks, nylons, pantyhose, tights
• bra organizer...keeps them from getting crushed in your drawer
• dog supplies...toys, stuffed animals, bones, treat, leashes, collars, brushes
• hair accessories...head bands, clips, bows, brushes, curling irons, straighteners etc

Hope you have fun getting your "shoe bags" into place!  Let me know if you've used yours for anything different than what I've shown you!

That's your organizational tip for the day:  USE SHOE BAGS and make your life so much easier!

Chat tomorrow...

Gloria

February 7, 2012 – Tuesday

Today … I’m hopefully sewing with my girlfriend, Merryanne!!  We normally get together on Tuesdays and sew for a good part of the day…have lunch… and then she heads home in the afternoon.  It’s such a good bonding time.  She’s a nut and I love her to death… sisterhood is such a wonderful thing.  I have so MANY sisters.. it’s just wonderful!!

Hey… I wanted to share these three silly photos with you of this goofy cat!  Can you imagine a cat liking to sleep in a bowl???  How strange!!!

My hubby sent me this list today.  I thought it was so interesting… so it’s my blog for the day!  Did you know that:

ALABAMA – was the first place to have 911 – started in 1968.

ALASKA – one out of every 64 people has a pilot’s license.

ARIZONA – Is the only state in the continental US which doesn’t follow Daylight Savings Time.

ARKANSAS – has the only active diamond mine in the US.

CALIFORNIA – Its economy is so large that if it were a country, it would rank seventh in the world.

COLORADO – In 1976 it became the only state to turn down the Olympics.

CONNECTICUT – The Frisbee was invented here at Yale University.

DELAWARE – has more scientists and engineers than any other state.

FLORIDA – at 874.3 square miles, Jacksonville if the US’s largest city. (I knew that…did you?)

GEOGIA – It was here, in 1886, that pharmacist John Pemberton made the first vat of Coca-Cola.

HAWAII – Hawaiians live, on average 5 years longer than residents in any other state.  It has no snakes!

IDAHO – TV was invented in Rigby, Idaho, in 1922.

ILLINOIS – Has a Governor in jail, one pending jail, and the most corrupt state in the union! (now that’s a state I want to live in…)

INDIANA – Home to Santa Claus, Indiana which gets a half million letters to Santa every year.

IOWA – Winnebago got their name from Winnebago County.  Only state that begins with two vowels.

KANSAS – Liberal, Kansas – has an exact replica of the house in The Wizard of Oz.

KENTUCKY – has more than $6 billion in gold underneath Fort Knox.

LOUISIANA – has parishes instead of counties – they were originally Spanish church units.

MAINE – It’s so big, it covers as many square miles as the other 5 New England states combined.

MARYLAND – The Ouija board was created in Baltimore in 1892.

MASSACHUSETTS – The Fig Newton is named after Newton, Mass.

MICHIGAN – Fremont, home to Gerber is the baby food capital of the world.

MINNESOTA – Bloomington Mall of America is so big, if you spent 10 minutes in each store, you’d be there nearly four days. (my feet and back hurt just thinking about it…)

MISSISSIPPI – President Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear here…that’s how the teddy bear got its name

MISSOURI – The birthplace of the ice cream cone.

MONTANA – A sapphire from Montana is in the Crown Jewels of England.

NEBRASKA – more triplets are born here than in any other state. (wonder if it’s the water?)

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Birthplace of Tupperware, invented in 1938 by Earl Tupper.

NEW JERSEY – has the most shopping malls in one are in the world.

NEW MEXICO – Smokey the Bear was rescued from a 1950 forest fire here.

NEW YORK – Is the home to the nation’s oldest cattle ranch, started in 1747 in Montauk

NORTH CAROLINA – home of the first Krispy Kreme doughnut. (YUM)

NORTH DAKOTA – Rigby, is the exact geographic center of north America.

OHIO – the hot dog was invented here in 1900

OKLAHOMA – the ground of the state capital are covered by operating oil wells.

OREGON – has the most ghost towns in the country.

PENNSYLVANIA – the Smiley :) was first used in 1980 by computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University.

RHODE ISLAND – the nation’s oldest bar, the White Horse Tavern, opened here in 1673.

SOUTH CAROLINA – Sumter County is the home to the world’s largest gingko farm

SOUTH DAKOTA – is the only state that’s never had an earthquake.

TENNESSEE – Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry is the longest running live radio show in the world.

TEXAS – Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco back in 1885.  The hamburger was invented in Arlington-1906.

UTAH – the first Kentucky Fiend Chicken opened here in 1952.

VERMONT – Montpelier is the only state capital without a McDonald’s. (I wonder why??)

VIRGINIA – home of the world’s largest office building – The Pentagon.

WASHINGTON – Seattle has twice as many college graduates at any other state.

WASHINGTON DC – was the first planned capital in the world

WEST VIRGINIA – had the world’s first brick paved street in Charleston in 1870.

WISCONSIN – the ice cream sundae was invented in 1881 to get around Blue Laws prohibiting ice cream from being sold on Sundays. (I’m so glad they thought of this!)

WYOMING – the first state to allow women to vote!

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Well…what did you think?  Wasn’t it fun to know some of these things.  Now you are all ready to play Trivial Pursuit!  Hahahahaahahaha… (I was never very good at that game…).  These will be fun to share at the dinner table with your family!

Breakfast is ready… I’m heading to the kitchen.

Have a great day… and… let’s get organized!  Here’s your tip for the day…

 

Do you have a pet?  It’s time to clean out their toys… throw out those they no longer play with… or the ones that are looking pretty darn ‘scary’… buy them a new one.  I’m sure you’ll get a big slobbery kiss for it!

February 6, 2012 – Monday

Happy Monday everyone!  It’s supposed to rain today and tomorrow…so you know what that means???  LET’S SEW!!!  I love to sew when it’s raining… turn on the TV to HGTV or better yet… an NCIS marathon (wow I love those two fellows… so handsome!).  I have my laundry done, my bed is made and I’m just going to listen to my little featherweight purr all day!   I tried to sew yesterday… but it just didn’t happen!  ARG!!!  HOWEVER…

I did make a ‘killer’ recipe that I want to share with you!  It’s White Chicken Enchiladas(?).  They were so easy to make and OH SO GOOD.  Take a peek!!  Here’s the recipe!  Now… make sure you add this to the recipe.  I cut up a medium onion and caramelized it in butter – then added it to the sour cream – green chili’s mixture.  The onions were a GREAT addition.  I would love to take the credit for it… but someone mentioned it in the ‘comments’ section of the on-line recipe and it sounded like a perfect addition. 

Do you ever make recipes posted on the Internet?  I do… and so far – everyone I’ve made has been wonderful.  Make sure you scroll down to the end of the recipe and read all of the comments.  You’ll see where people may have adjusted the recipe and made it better! 

Chicken enchiladas with green chili sour cream sauce

10 soft taco shells

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies (I had a 7 oz can and used the entire can!)

1 medium sweet onion

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan

2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

3.  Chop onion and carmelize in olive oil

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly. 

4. Stir in sour cream, carmelized onions and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.

5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Do not bake longer than the 22 minutes - they can dry out too much.

Have fun making these and enjoy.  It makes 10 of them… HUGE!  I DID USE more than 2 cups of shredded chicken.  I had FOUR – HUGE – chicken breasts that I simmered and shredded. 

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Look at these silly dogs!!!  Can you tell one is playing the dominant roll?  Or he’s just being lazy and wants a padded seat… I guess the concrete is to rough on his butt!!  What a hoot.  The look on the dog that is being squashed is something else.  Good little chuckle for the day!

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So… what are your thoughts on picture frames?  Not given them much thought?  Well… I LOVE beautiful picture frames (so does my daughter…do you think she got that from me?).  Now… I really don’t own any wonderful frames… as of yet… but look at what they did with this!!!  It’s two frames – one on top of the other… and it’s so wonderful…. Don’t you think?  I love chunky and ornate. 

Then…look at what they did with these sweet frames… LOVE THEM!! So creative… you could make these to match any room in your house!  These have metal on the back - covered with fabric.  Use a spray adhesive and smooth flat.  Then take some cute buttons, old ear rings... add magnets to the back and you have adorable message boards!

 

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Clothes… have you ever dreamed of being able to wear special pieces of clothing.. knowing that your body will just NOT cooperate with that concept?  Well.. I sure have.  My body is so messed up that my dreams are all I have to look good (tee hee).  Look at this shirt – I’m not sure why.. but I just think it’s so sweet.  Now…this shirt would look wonderful on my Heather.  She has that pretty long neck (without multiple chins) and those slim shoulders (not slumping like mine) and those skinny arms (NO BAT WINGS).  I can just see her in this…so sweet… aaaahhhh… I’ll just live out my wardrobe fantasy though Heather!!!  What  a novel idea!!!

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Hey… do you like cookies? Well… I must admit… I am a cookie monster (at least I used to be).  So now that the cookies are ‘taboo’ with my diet.. I just look at the pictures and can image what they taste like.  I have decided that once all of my excess baggage is GONE.. I’m going to treat myself to some of these delicacies every once in awhile.  This one… is top on the list!!

Peanut butter melts with chocolate dips and nuts!

Here’s the recipe!!!

Pretty, peanut butter cookies with just five ingredients (It only makes about 18 cookies...what's up with that?  NOT ENOUGH!!  I would have to quadruple this recipe!)

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

4 oz. Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, melted

1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 325. Mix peanut butter, sugar and egg until well blended.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove and roll mixture into 18 balls.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

Flatten each ball by using a fork to make a criss-cross pattern.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet and then cool completely on a wire rack.  Melt chocolate.Dip one end of cookie into melted chocolate and then dip into chopped peanuts. Repeat with other side. Place on wax paper covered cookie sheet and refrigerate until chocolate hardens.

OK… I’m signing off.. the sun is coming up and it’s time to get another cup of coffee and let the sewing begin.  (I guess I’d better get out of my pj’s first!)  Oh no… this is a perfect day for PJ’s.  Susan used to ask me all the time at the store (when the weather was bad) if she could go home and put on her PJs and sew… she would stay in them all day and then get dressed right before her hubby came home.  Ahhhhh… Susan… you’re my kind of gal!!! 

Hey…we should have a PJ party sometime…wouldn’t that be fun???  Speaking of parties… I’m planning a “pinning party”!  Yep… that’s right…. All of us that love to PIN (using Pinterest) will be getting together soon!  Let me know if you’d  like to come!  We will have lots of food, show and tell – and laughter!!  ((it’s the best medicine you know….)

 

Organizational Tip:  Do you have electronics & phones that you no longer use?  Get rid of them!!  Take the phones into Verizon (or any other phone store – make sure everything is erased from it) and donate your phone.  Old cameras you no longer used… donate them to Goodwill… !!  Have fun!!

Gloria
p.s.  Sorry about all of these silly lines!  I have NO CLUE where they came from and I can't get rid of them!  (have I told you how frustrating it is when I can't get my computer to do what I want.... arg!!)