This blog was written five years ago and I'm happy to report we both have new bathrobes even though they're not what I wanted.

April 24, 2012

I decided it's time for Terry and me to get new bathrobes. Mine's 20 years old! I bought it at a garage sale. It’s heavy and comfy and if I write too much about it here, I’m apt to talk myself out of dumping it. (Maybe I should keep it as my winter robe. On some of those cold winter nights I have found such refuge in it. I also feel spiritual in it sometimes, because it has a hood and when I put it over my head, I feel like St. Francis.) Okay, okay it’s going in storage until November when my winter sweaters and coats come out of waiting.

Terry’s robe is another story. It's downright scary! It’s blue plaid velour and after the first washing it lost most of its “lour” and because the arms were too long he cut them off and insisted I didn’t need to hem his alteration project. So I didn’t, leaving the ends frayed in strings that grow longer with every washing.

The thing is, I never think to go bathrobe shopping and only when I’m pampered with a luxurious white terrycloth robe in a fancy hotel do I think it’s time to spring for a new “morning” look.

A Saint and a Blue Man

Terry and I have changed our routine this year and I don’t shower, dress and make the bed first thing in the morning anymore.

Do you like the taste of marinated meats? Since I’ve been living in the low-carb world, I’ve been marinating a lot. My low-carb physician is the one who suggested it. As the years have passed, I came up with the idea of using the pickle juice from my favorite pickles. If I like the pickle, why not put that flavor into chicken, pork or fish?

So I always save my pickle juices and use them on the meat of the day. Since I love Bubbies Dill Pickles, I love the brine and it’s especially delicious for chicken. This cooking video will show you exactly what I do.

In chapter twelve of "The Joy of Being Disorganized" it reminds its readers to “quiet your adult mind long enough to hear your inner child's voice.” Having a clean, cozy, peaceful home includes letting that fun-loving child in you remember what you love to eat! In this cooking video, you'll get a wonderful recipe for bone broth and a tasty chicken salad made from what was left on the bones after making the broth.

Every single tasty morsel of meat is simmered along with some yummy vegetables seasoned just right.

When the voice of your inner child starts on a whiny, crave, it just means you need protein. Having bone broth and chicken salad on hand will stop the craving within 20 seconds and your inner child's voice will stop its belligerent rant.

Have you ever noticed, if you take a plate of deviled eggs to a potluck, they disappear fast? They are such a famous treat and this recipe is really delicious! I don't use Penzey spices anymore and have switched to Savory Spice Shop. They have a better Italian Seasoning! I showed this cooking video in 2015 and I wasn't about to re-shoot it because I no longer use Penzey. 

Spring Cleaning? Start at the Entryway

Usually when we think of spring cleaning we think of getting out the buckets, brushes, rags and cleaners and cleaning the inside of the house. If you want to learn more about that, Google it. My blog this week is about sprucing up the place just before you go inside your home. You’ll have to go outside for this spring cleaning.

Your entryway is the gateway to your domestic life. It gives guests their first impression of your home life and quite frankly a little peek into who you are. After your guest rings the doorbell there’s “wait time,” and it’s a rather private period of scrutiny and judging for him or her. Here are my 8 tips for spring cleaning your entryway. 

Experts claim romantic love lasts from 18 months to three years. Mother Nature must know this, so once she makes a connection, she has to work fast if she wants more babies!

In 18 months she can put out one baby and one on the way (giving the mother a little recoup time) and in three years she can produce three. Done!

That’s what happened to me anyway and I blame it all on Mother Nature. 

This will date me, but I have three children thanks to Johnny Mathis. When he sang Misty and those luscious tones flowed from his lips, “Look at me, I’m as helpless as a kitten up a tree,” bang…I was pregnant with Michael and wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d come out bi-racial I was so in love with Johnny. Chances Are (one of Johnny’s biggest hits) rang in Peggy Ann and Wild is the Wind pulled Joanna from her non-physical place in the Universe to a place in our home. 

Happy Easter! May you truly enjoy the magic of this holy time.

This is a delicious, company breakfast dish that's so easy to make ahead so you won't have to get up extra early in the morning to fix your Easter guests' breakfast. So please enjoy this short cooking video. 

Would you buy this at Goodwill?

In a recent blog I wrote about declutteringg I said, “In deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, ask this question: ‘Would I buy this at Goodwill?’” Just that question opens your eyes to the item you’re looking at. If you were at Goodwill, would you buy this? Because when you’re buying something secondhand, you take your blinders off and put your examination lenses on.

I Was Blind and Now I See!  

At home, your blinders allow you to relax in private and not see what you don’t want to see, just like your sunglasses keep the sun from hurting your eyes. Your home isn’t subject to scrutiny until you’re going to have company at which time you get out your examination glasses and see with “company eyes.”

If you'll put your timer on for 15 minutes and spend that time looking for stuff you wouldn’t buy at Goodwill, you’ll probably be able to fill up a box to give away or pitch. As I wrote that sentence, it inspired me to do just that. So, I’ll be back in 15 minutes if I don’t get sidetracked and end up taking a bath or sweeping the deck.

It's time to make room for spring! Mother Nature spent all winter getting ready for this wonderful time of year and we can learn from her. When you let go of the past you create a place for what's waiting to come to you now.

Many have a hard time letting go and it really doesn’t have to be that way. Of course letting go of a person whom you love and he no longer loves you is a boo hoo, hard kind of letting go and it may take more than a season to get over, but you know the saying: If he doesn't love you, let him fly away, unless you want to play zoo keeper. But the decluttering kind of letting go can actually be fun, because of a test question you can ask every time you get stuck holding onto an item that needs to go.

You'll learn what that test question is in a minute. First, here's a little story. Because of a contest called Project CHAOS (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome) I’ve been in over 100 homes that were crammed with too much stuff. My sister and I would pick a winner in a city and armed with television cameras, newspaper journalists and photographers; we’d go into the home of the winning family and de-junk a room. The “befores” and “afters” were always media fodder.

I remember one specific winner vividly. She was a physician (even doctors can have too much stuff) and she wanted us to help her with her personal, walk-in closet. It was jam-packed with fashions that spanned two decades and four sizes. She dressed well. Her clothes were purchased at high-end dress shops and department stores and most were designer.