Some warm drinks for snowy afternoons

Hello friends:

Thank you for your comments, I love them, you are so nice.
Today, its very windy and cold, perfect for a warm
drink at the end of the day.  Traditional hot chocolate with marshmellows, herbal teas with honey from the "farmer's market", or this great "dulce de leche" coffee  from "the pioneer cook"

Recipe: Dulce de Leche Coffee

Prep Time: 10 Minutes  |  Cook Time:  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 6

Print Recipe 3"x5" Cards 4"x6" Cards Full Page

Ingredients

• 4 cups Strongly Brewed Good Coffee
• 6 ounces, fluid Dulce De Leche (*see Note)
• 6 Tablespoons Kahlua, More If Preferred
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 6 Tablespoons Chocolate, Grated

Preparation Instructions

Add Dulce de Leche to the very hot coffee; stir until completely dissolved and combined. Keep coffee hot.
Combine cream with sugar and whip until stiff.
Add 1 tablespoon Kahlua to each coffee cup. May add 1 1/2 if desired, or may add whiskey or brandy in addition.
Pour the coffee/dulce de leche mixture into each glass. Top with a heaping tablespoon whipped cream and grated chocolate of your choice.
Absolutely sinful!
*Dulce de Leche is sold in the Hispanic aisle of supermarkets, or in Hispanic specialty markets. It is sold in solid 15 ounce blocks, or in cans or bottles in more of a liquid form. You can also find recipes for making your own Dulce de Leche using sweetened condensed milk. Yum!



HOT CIDER YUM YUM YUM

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

4-6 C 100% apple juice or cider
1-2 cinnamon sticks
4-6 whole cloves
1-2 pinches nutmeg
4 Tbsp cinnamon syrup (optional)
whipped cream
caramel syrup

Directions:

Combine juice or cider and spices together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain spices and add cinnamon syrup, if using. Portion into mugs and top with whipped cream and caramel syrup

from domessticated





STAY WARM<


Martha

Mulled Apple Cider

A little snow, a little ice and inspirations

Hello friends:

Its cold here in the NE. we had a few days of very
cold days.  A little snow today, and some ice, just
lovely, for hot chocolate, fuzzy throws, crafts, and
family.

Love days like this, its New England.

A little inspirations and a fun recipe.








My favorites at Etsy:

Dew Linen Lavender Satchet...

dedeetsyshop

$9.00 USD

favorite

BLESSED Burlap Banner- Bun...

dedeetsyshop

$19.00 USD

favorite

French Rose Linen Pillow-

My favorite shop Vintage Junkie:



I WILL NOT BUY NEW!!! way to go girl, love her




My favorite "pinterest" pick



A favorite stationary store "Oblation"  Portland, Oregon,

love the window display:



Napa Valley House







love this Napa Valley California, house, just beautiful don't you think?



love the kid's room!!!



dream kitchen, everything at hand, including the veggies, knives, etc.  lovely.



love,
martha

Winter, recipe, and inspiration

Hello my friends:

Sorry for not writing, 2012 started with a busy time for me.   many o

A great tutorial coming your way tomorrow. I made some unique things.

Here is a pick:

Snowflake tags, I made a lot of them for customers, but have a lot left.
10 for 10.  These tags dress up a gift, a special jar, or bottle.  They also
look stunning on a bulletin board, or as magnets.
You can write a message on the back with a sharpie.

Enjoy,

martha

New Year Organization Resolutions and more

Hello friends:

This is a short post, I'm into my ears with these:

and making my famous music birds.  They are going all the way to Spain, I'm hurrying with all the after the holidays orders.

Hope you are all sticking with your resolutions. I'm so far doing one little organization task a day.

It works for me, So far, I did three drawers on one dresser, and two buckets of crafts, and I'm so

excited about finally finding crafts items that I'm setting a great system. It works, keep at it, remember a small organization task a day, by January 31 we will be so organized that life is going to be wonderful for us

crafters and DYI people.

I love suitcases, I saw this on pinrerest and loved it, check it out, sorry for the short post, but today is a busy day for me,

martha

House guests and the task of organizing our homes

House guests, a way to make them comfortable.Its not easy to host guests, and its not easy to be a house guests, here are some ideas to make them feel welcome in your home.

5. Anticipate your guests needs. I'm not saying suddenly become clairvoyant and read their minds. But think about what they might need while at your home. I like to keep a basket with toiletries (extra toothbrushes, lotion, aspirin), a few snacks, and a bottle of water or two in the guest room (I also throw in other little things, like lint rollers, for "just in case" situations). What a relief it will be for your guests when they can turn to that basket for a forgotten necessity after a long day of travel! Another helpful trick - leave a basket of blankets, quilts or pillows available for your guests in case of a chilly night. These things make all the different, I promise you.





Gather some maps from the area for your out of town guests.


enjoy your guests,

organize, organize, organize, organize, a 2012 trend, goal, resolution, brain issue...

It is a known fact that children do much better in school and academics if they have a peaceful emotional stable home life. Also, a structured day at school, and after school when they get home, they have about five or six hours before bed. Research backs the theory that if their home life is organized and makes them feel at peace without stress, they will perform better academic.   Around blog land it seems like everyone is into organizing their spaces in January 2011. This is so important for kids, one of the dangers of "too organized" I call these "fanatics"  people that get upset when their rugs get dirty or furniture scratched.  One way to avoid this is to have one room where kids are able to paint, play, make a mess for their "creative play time" without worries of  the "mess". This room is for them to create, play, draw, paint, do crafts.  Parents can replace rugs, and furniture, however, they cannot replace the consequences of children who don't have the opportunity for "creative, imaginative play time after school hours"
I don't agree with kids being in a car after school for hours from lessons to games. I have neighbors who even eat take out in the car every night.  After school is a very important time for children. They spent more than 6 hours in a tight rigourous environment, they are "on" for 6 hours this is a lot for small children.

ORGANIZE have the kids help you, great large and small muscle activity. REWARD the kids with an ice cream, remember (FOOD is a powerful reward or make pop corn, brownies, cookies, yum yum)

Around here, most professional organizers have "waiting lists"  and they charge from $50.00 to $100.00 an hour.  They do a great job, they move heavy things, bring different containers, and supplies, work side by side with you, and make the calls to the different charities for "pick up" of all the clothes, toys, and furniture
that you want to give away.

.For most of us who cannot afford this little luxury, here are some ideas how to organize ourselves FREE of charge, IT WILL COST TIME.

First:  Have a small goal each day, instead of of trying to do it all at once.

Secondly:  Gather your organizational supplies:  bags, (different sizes), containers, tape, sharpies, scissors, list of charities phone numbers, calendars, timer, and big chart paper for your schedule, your favorite music, stereo.

Thirdly:  Make your first goal, write it on a large piece of paper:

Example:  Organize the clutter on top of the entrance table.  You know the one that you put all the stuff when you enter your house:  cell phones, school bags, keys, mail, packages, coats, mittens, scarfs, boots, groceries, and whatever else.
I have a habit of going to the dollar store and get bargains for the week, then I put it on the entrance table to put away later, I'm in a rush, but it stays there for the week.  Can you relate????

After you set the goal for the day, set your timer ( I love timers) can you tell I teach?  Set it for 10 minutes, this means in 10 minutes, everything is put away, hang clothes, put away keys, books, school bags, mail, coupons, pencils, whatever is on the table.  In 10 minutes you are done!!!!!!  reward yourself with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Goal No.2  Set the timer for 10 minutes .  Organize one drawer from your clutter kitchen.  Make sure you have a trash bag and a give away box.  Take everything out, sort fast, and keep items that belong in the drawer, any extras give away or throw away.  You hear the timer, ITS TIME, you did it!!! reward yourself, two tasks in one day is a lot.  So maybe this reward is a bit bigger than your cup of tea,  lit your favorite candle on, for a little while, or set two or three candles.this is up to you.
REWARDS TO SELF ARE IMPORTANT. 



This is my style of organizing, I get a lot more done, if I set goals, and they have to be small ones at the beginning, WRITE them in a big piece of paper, check them off.  You will fell GREAT when you see all of the boxes checked and done.  You WORK very hard.  One day I was feeling motivated and wrote 21 goals on my pad.  I started like a crazy maniac, and WORK WORK WORK without stopping for five hours, it was insane, but I kept checking my boxes, when I finally finished I took a long bath, and it felt GREAT.
I couldn't believe it, this included doing a task that I hate, LAUNDRY, I just hate doing it, but it must be done, I mean wash, dry, fold and PUT AWAY.  It also included changing beds, I hate that too. Oh well, I hate cleaning, organizing, do you???? I'm sure you do, its more fun to just PLAY at decorating, PLAY at doing crafts, than the other chores????  Be honest, but this is living, and it is what it is.










More
 I love this so pretty and neat, I don't have this but I want it.






Love this kitchen does anybody live here?????




Lots of spices, very well organized and clean.


Here is this dream entrance hall, no table but I love the ottoman and the letters.


LOVE THIS so so organized and pretty,  from PB



The same idea but kids never leave their shoes in such a neat way, they take them off, and throw them any way they can, and off they go to play. This is a dream.  from BHG

Organize the DVDs. and VHSs movies, great idea.

From BHS great baskets and storage for DVD.s
The art caddy is great, store it under the bed. chalkboard labels so you can change the labels easily




This is a great desk for a kitchen, I love it, most of us need two or three desks.  One for our kitchen, one for our crafts, and one for our jobs, business, etc. I met a girl at a craft workshop the other day, she bought two folding tables for her craft "desk"  she sets them up when she does her crafts projects, then puts them away under the bed, out of the way. I thought it was a great idea. She paid $ 20.00 per table at Job Lot store or Walmart.

Now this one from BHG is beautiful, love the labels the color, its very very nice.




This is a great ideas for all the cables, chargers, etc, use toilet paper and towel rolls, I have mine in one huge box. This is much better.

The under the bed drawers a fantastic idea for books, games and more.

Very high style, old silverplate forks as business cards holder, tickets, laundry pick up, very very nice, love. again from BHG Better Homes and Gardens.


Have fun and remember ORGANIZE SOMETHING EVERYDAY, one task a day, only for 10 minutes, and you will achieve your goal faster.

martha