4.29.13 Creating a SenseSational Home

This is one of my very, very favorite "home" books.  I've read it through numerous times, and have bought several copies to give as gifts:

 

This book explores making your home pleasing to all five senses.  Instead of covering rules of decorating, it shows you how to make your home a welcoming place, a place that appeals to YOU. 

Often when decorating, we focus solely on the visual.  How does it look?  But our entire body experiences our home.  So if you want your home to be a truly welcoming, comforting place, embrace your other four senses also.  

Touch - do you love to run your hand over the fabric on your sofa, or does the texture bother you? Do your feet hit an icy floor when you step out of the shower, or a deep cushy rug?

Smell - smell is so important. One of my favorite childhood memories is coming home from school and smelling the dinner my mom had cooking on the stove.  Nothing says 'welcome home' like that!  

Sound - stop for a moment and listen to the sounds of your home.  I changed several things when I realized how important this aspect was.  No more yelling from room to room - if you want me, come to where I am.  (or text me - ha!)  No more running the vacuum, washer and dishwasher all at the same time while my family was trying to relax. I don't want the noise level in my home to give my family a headache.  

Taste - of course.  We all know how much 'taste' can say 'home'.  They even named a magazine after that concept - "Taste of Home". :)

The book covers all of these aspects in much greater detail of course.  

The book is out of print and has been for some time, but you can still find used copies all around the internet.  Clicking the picture of the book above will take you to Amazon where they have several used, very inexpensive copies.

I hope you love it as much as I have!

4.22.13 My little red friend has bitten the dust

My morning routine involves getting out my favorite black-and-white enamel cup, putting it under the spout of my little red coffee-maker, and hitting GO! 

After adding the water and K-cup of course.

Within minutes the scent of freshly brewed coffee - otherwise known as Life's Essential Juice - is wafting through the house.

Well, this morning my little red friend let me down. :(    Add water, add K-cup, push GO.... and nada.  No coffee.  No wafting aromas.  Just a whirring sound for a while, and then nothing. 

This is tragic.

Rest in peace, my little red buddy.  I'll cherish all the mornings we spent together. 

4.21.13 Lunch Today

Sitting in church this morning, I suddenly got a MAJOR craving for bacon-wrapped shrimp.

Inner dialog - "Bacon-wrapped shrimp.  Oh, yeah.  Bacon-wrapped shrimp.  I really need some of that! - Hey! Listen to Pastor's sermon!  He's saying some great stuff! - Oh, MAN I want some bacon-wrapped shrimp!! - LISTEN!! Pay attention! - Mmmm..... crispy bacon wrapped around a large piece of shrimp, maybe with a jalapeno and some cheese inside, too - Hey! Get your mind on the service!!" - and so on and so forth.

In between listening to the sermon, my brain ran around in circles trying to remember which restaurants nearby served these tasty morsels.  It landed on Fresco's Cocina Mexicana.  One of my favorite restaurants. 

My husband and older daughter had tickets to a Texas Rangers ballgame that afternoon, so my younger daughter and I headed out to Fresco's when church was over.

Oh yeah.  Uh-huh.

Large shrimp, jalapeno, cheese, wrapped in bacon and grilled.  Every bit as good as my taste buds had been telling me they were going to be.  A side of garlic mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables to go along with them.

That's what I call lunch.

Oh, yeah.  Pastor's sermon was truly amazing, and yes I did actually hear most of what he had to say.   ;)

4.17.13 Rosemary Chicken

I knew we were having chicken for dinner, but wasn't sure what I was going to do with it exactly.  I was wracking my brain for different toppings, then remembered - Hello!! - I had fresh herbs growing right-outside-my-door! 

These are brand new to my garden plan.  It was so satisfying to simply walk out my door and snip off a few springs of rosemary and oregano.  

Sprinkled those around on top of the chicken, added salt, pepper and garlic powder, and the meal was on! The smell that filled the house was amazing. And it gave a wonderful flavor to the chicken.

(Please excuse the washed-out picture, it was just a quickie with my iPhone)

I'm excited to see what else I can do with these fresh herbs.  Smashburger sells some amazing rosemary seasoned french fries - I think I may try those out next! 

4.16.13 Loving this Spring!

I'm really enjoying spring this year.  I'm trying to soak in as many under-90-degrees days as I can before the broiling summer arrives here in Texas. 

We've lived in our home seven years, but we're just now getting around to decorating the outdoors.  I've taken advantage of every holiday and special occasion this year to ask for a tree or plant as a gift. So far we've planted two Bradford pear trees, two plum trees, three crape myrtles, four rosebushes, two flowering vines, a blackberry vine...and various flowers, herbs and vegetable plants. 
 

We bought the trees in early spring when they looked like bare giant sticks.  It has been so much fun to watch each teeny little bump on the limbs bud out and then burst into a fully formed leaf.

The blackberry vine has blooms all over, and I have a teeny little strawberry on one of my strawberry plants, plus numerous blooms.

As Phil from Duck Dynasty would say - that makes me happy, happy, happy!  :)

Welcome!

Welcome to my corner of the world! 

Here, we celebrate all of the small moments that make up a Big Life!

I am in total agreement with Robert Louis Stevenson's opinion-

"Life is so full of a number of things,

  I'm sure we should all be as happy

 as kings!"

This blog is full of those "numbers of things".

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, get comfortable and enjoy the "little things" with me.