Brita With Candles and Apples

Carl Larrson

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(now those are some slippers!)

A Little Geography Lesson and Tour

I was asked to name the Seven Natural

Wonders of the World recently. I was embarrassed

to realize that I couldn't! In fact,

I thought Niagra Falls was one of them and it

is not! Not only that, I only could name

two of the seven! So, I thought I'd do a little

geography lesson ...for myself...

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1. The Grand Canyon

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The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge

carved by the Colorado River in the United States state of Arizona.

2. The Great Barrier Reef

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The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world,

composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands.

The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of

Queensland in northeast Australia.

3. Mount Everest

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Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth. (29,029 ft)

The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in High Asia,

is located on the border between Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal, and Tibet, China.

4. The Aurora Borealis

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Auroras, sometimes called the northern and southern (polar) lights, are natural light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. The aurora borealis is also called the northern polar lights, as it is only visible in the sky from the Northern Hemisphere.

5. Victoria Falls

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The Victoria Falls is a waterfall situated in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls are, by some measures, the most enormous waterfall in the world, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily seen wildlife of any major waterfall site.

6. The Paricutin Volcano

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Parícutin is a cinder cone volcano in the Mexican state of Michoacán, close to a lava-covered village of the same name. Eruptions happened between 1943 and 1952.

7. The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro

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The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, or Guanabara Bay, is known as one of the most beautiful natural harbors. Rio de Janeiro Harbour is located in Brazil on the south-western shore of Guanabara Bay. The bay is surrounded by the city of Rio, the second largest city and former capital of Brazil, along a strip of land between the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. The world famous statue of Jesus stands on the top of Corcovado Peak. The harbor was formed by the Atlantic Ocean, which wore out the soil and rocks along the coast.

And since I've only seen one of these...the Grand Canyon.... (and that was from an airplane window!).... I guess I have a bit of traveling to do!

Anybody want to come along? :)

Seven Ways to Keep Warm

We're experiencing another winter storm with more snow,

sleet and icy temperatures! School has been cancelled

and it's one of those cozy snow days!

Here's my 7 favorite ways to stay warm:

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1. A favorite pair of slippers...

2. A steaming cup of anything...coffee, tea, hot chocolate...

3. A favorite, old, broken-in wooly sweater... 4. A yummy comfort food.... 5. The warmth of a crackling fire... 6. Extra blankets on the bed..

7. And a hot bubble bath just before going to sleep.

Have I forgotten anything?

Stay warm! And if you live down south, don't

tell me that it's in the 60's and you are having your

tea with ice while sitting on the porch swing! :)

googleimages.com

Dinner Rolls

Sandy at 4 Reluctant Entertainers posted a quick yeast roll

recipe that is really yummy! I made a few changes when

I baked them the second time for our company

that came for dinner yesterday.

This makes 24 huge, light and fluffy rolls.

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Dinner Rolls

1. microwave 2 c water and 1 c butter for 2.5 minutes, set aside

2. in seperate bowl, whisk 1 c sugar and 2 eggs, set aside

3. in seperate bowl whisk 1/2 c warm water, 1 t sugar and 3 pkgs yeast

4. In mixer, add all above ingredients with 1 t salt and 7.5 c self

rising flour. Mix well until sticky dough forms.

5.Let rise 1 hour

6. Punch down and rise 30 minutes

7. Turn onto floured board and lightly knead

8. Divide into 24 balls and rise 30 minutes on greased pans.

9. Bake 23 minutes at 350 degrees.

10. Brush with a little butter while hot.

Harry's Note

What a sweetheart, huh!

Actually, I'm sure his teacher told him what to write. His

mind just doesn't work like this to write me a note,

unless it is a request for something.

But what I'm most impressed with is the printing.

The boys didn't exhibit being left handed or right handed

until they were 10 years old! This drove the professionals

crazy at school and they did all kinds of tests but they

always came back with 50% left handed and 50% right handed

results. They didn't seem to have the hand strength to get

enough firm pressure for writing and also didn't have the

desire to do it. As you can see, Harry uses a marker just

because the pressure isn't needed like it is with a pencil.

But he's really come a long way, especially in the last year.

Spencer and Alex brought home similar papers.

Spencer's is almost identical and Alex traced dotted

letters to say the same thing. All are now right handed.

Slowly but surely we plug along! :)

A Facelift

I'm spending the next few days giving our master bath a

facelift. The 20 year old striped wallpaper with floral

border is screaming 1980's to me! Besides, with the

steamy showers, it is almost falling off all by itself!

This Carl Larsson painting reminds me of

our current project...except it's just me

working in there!

Ever Get the Feeling Someone is Watching You?

I was unloading groceries yesterday and had to do a

double-take at my bananas! Do you see my little

banana man? Too bad he isn't a Madonna or a

Jesus face that would go for millions on Ebay!

He looks like a rough old sailor, or maybe

George Washington with dark hair!

**unretouched photo by me

God Speed

Metamorphasis Monday

My blog friend Susan, from

Between Naps on the Porch is hosting

Metamorphasis Monday over at her blog.

Anybody that has a great before & after

renovation of something they did in their home can

join in. I added my kitchen pantry that I cleaned out

and posted a couple of weeks ago. It's great to look at

the others...some really inspiring renovations

going on in people's homes!

If you don't visit Susan's blog, go check it out!

She has a GORGEOUS home and you will enjoy

browsing through her house!

If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them!

Well, here's new pic of Me and my 5 men!

It's -15 degrees this morning!

And with the wind chill, it's -34!!!

School has been cancelled.

A good day to putter in our jamies and

drink lots of hot coffee.

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Brrrrrr....going to sit by the fire!

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ooops...just saw that this pic has a baby in there...

no...don't even ask....ha-ha!

Stay warm!

****Update....as of 11:00 PM, we are pronouced the

coldest spot in the nation...even colder than Alaska with

our -18 degrees! Amazing...and yes, freezing!

Harry Chester

Yesterday Susan from girlsinwhitedresses was

commenting on Harry's name. He's named after his

Great Grandpa Harry on the Mister's side.

When we were picking names for the triplets we

threw around a lot of choices. I thought it would be

nice to name one after both of his great grandpas until

I realized that my grandpa's name was Chester.

Harry Chester just was too funny! So we ended up

choosing the grandpa and great grandpa, making

the name Harrison William. Much more sophisticated

sounding, don't you think?

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This got me think about those attendance lists that substitute

teachers and professors would pass around the classroom.

You are supposed to sign your name but I never did

see one that didn't have a few ficticious names added to it!

You know....like Harry Leggs, Ben Dover, Ima Plumber.

Penny Loafers, Colin Oscopy...you get the idea.

Anybody else ever sign a funny name to an

attendance sheet? Those poor subs!

Harry's Hang-up

This is what Harry's plate looks like every day after supper.

Want to take a guess at what that blob of squishy stuff is?

It's the skins from his grapes. Can you believe that? What a talented boy to chew a mouthful of grapes,

swallow the flesh and have a neat little wad to

lay back on the plate.

I'm guessing he does the same thing at school.

At least he doesn't bring the wad home in his lunch box!

Sigh.....eyes rolling. :)

It's All In My Head, Right?

Have you ever noticed that you feel more hungry as soon as

you decide you are dieting? I had more self control over

the holidays when there were tons of homemade goodies

surrounding me! ha! But as soon as I start eating Special K

for breakfast and trying not to snack, I can't think of

anything but food! I have been in constant hunger!

Care for a Cheeto?

"A gift is pure when it is given from the heart ...

to the right person...at the right time...and at the right place,

...and when we expect nothing in return."

~~Bhagavad Gita

Bran Muffins

I hadn't baked these muffins in years. They are nice, basic

bran muffins...sweet and filling with lots of fiber.

We had them with soup for dinner and again

for breakfast.

All Bran Muffins

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1 1/2 c All Bran cereal

1 c buttermilk

1/3 c oil

1 egg

2/3 c brown sugar

1/2 t vanilla

1 1/2 c flour

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 c craisins, or any dried fruit

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Mix all wet ingredients with cereal and let set 5 minutes.

Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

Divide into eight muffin cups

Bake 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Toothpick test.

I'll Stay the Way I Am, Thank you!

I stumbled across a blog that features celebrities and

their plastic surgeries. If you want to look up a favorite

and see if they really did have something done,

click here for Dr. Tony Youn's Celebrity Cosmetic

Surgery Blog. I can understand a little nip and tuck here and

there..especially if your looks are your living.

But the one thing that I don't understand is the

collagen lips! Why, oh why, do they want their

top lip full of lumps and bigger than their bottom lip?

That one I will never understand.

googleimages.com

Diet Alternative

We could all just forget the Special K and get these!

Although, I must say that I am enjoying my

Vanilla Almond Special K at the moment. :)

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results

of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown

out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage

to follow your heart and intuition.

They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs, American Entrepreneur

*antique pocket watch from 1880's magazine ad*

White

"White is not a mere absence of colour;

it is a shining and affirmative thing,

as fierce as red, as definite as black.

God paints in many colours;

but He never paints so gorgeously,

I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white."

--Gilbert Keith Chesterton [British author, 1874–1936]

googleimages.com

Metamorphasis Monday = Kitchen Pantry

I'm almost too embarrassed to show this, but the

end result is so wonderful! I was going to clean out

the kitchen pantry today...remove everything and

wipe it out. But after everything was removed, it

was obvious that 20 years had taken it's toll!

The marked up walls, worn out shelf paper....yuck!

I washed the carpet scrap in the washer and rummaged in

my left over paint cans and found a nice

blue-gray for the walls and white for the shelves.

Ahhhhh....every inch of my house needs this

kind of attention! At least this fun little project

only took the morning!

Do You Hear That?

You don't hear ANYTHING?

That's exactly my point....all five men off to work

and school after Christmas break.

Aaaaahh.

I'll be in recuperation mode today....

The Fine Art of DeCluttering

About 6 years ago I was introduced to the de-cluttering

craze that was hitting the country and beyond. I come

from a long line of hoarders, lovers of all things

beautiful...even too many things of beauty!

And when the things become a burden,

making it too hard to clean, keep order

or live comfortably, it's time to reduce the 'stuff'!

I am fascinated with collecting, people who

collect...what and why...and how it can

become an obsession.

One of my favorite professional cleaning/decluttering

people is Don Aslett. He has written some great,

entertaining and inspiring books on how to

bring some order into your life.

I've checked them out at the library many times!

You just can't read one of his books without

having a sudden urge to jump up and

organize something in your home!

My favorite part of his books are the stories

of real people and things that they've hoarded.

When they finally 'saw the light' and

started cleaning out their homes, they have

listed some incredible things they had kept!

One thing that has always stuck in my mind was

the story he tells of someone saving a jar full of

scraps of string. The jar was labelled just for that

purpose. Hmmm....and why keep these?

Even the label admits that they are useless.

It's a humerous reminder that some things just

need to be thrown in the trash!

January is the perfect time to organize and

clean...and I'm always inspired when I think of this jar!

Flylady.com is a good website with daily chores to

do to keep your house and life neat and tidy. But their

website is so cluttered it bothers me to go there!

Isn't that ironic!? I did just find organizedhome.com

which looks very nice. I may just have to stop in

and get some inspiration once in a while!

A Winter Moon

Silver

Slowly, silently, now the moon

Walks the night in her silver shoon;

This way, and that, she peers, and sees

Silver fruit upon silver trees;

One by one the casements catch

Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;

Couched in his kennel, like a log,

With paws of silver sleeps the dog;

From their shadowy coat the white breasts peep

Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep;

A harvest mouse goes scampering by,

With silver claws, and silver eye;

And moveless fish in the water gleam,

By silver reeds in a silver stream.

- Walter de la Mare

**photo googleimages.com

Carmel Corn

You guessed it...a holiday family favorite!

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6 qts popped corn (24 cups)

2 sticks butter

2 c brown sugar

1/2 c light corn syrup

1 t salt

1 t vanilla extract

3/4 t baking soda

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In saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup

and salt. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add vanilla and baking soda and stir to combine.

Pour over popped corn which should be in an extra

large, greased bowl. Mix until completely coated.

Turn into large, greased pan. Bake at 250 for 1 hour,

stirring every 15 minutes.