Once I pack some of the clutter away, I give everything else an extra good dusting and polishing to make sure it is all sparkling clean. Then, I think about fresh tablecloths, paper lace borders or what have you. When the foundation is in place, then I feel like I am actually ready to decorate.

Now, just so you don’t think I’m some super achiever, I don’t decorate the whole house for Christmas, so this doesn’t get done in every room. Plus, I start the cleaning and packing away part super early. I just redid one display shelf and put everything that won’t work with the intended theme away two whole months before Christmas so a quick dusting when I actually put the decorations up is all that I’ll need.

Other things I do to get ready to decorate for Christmas include:

• Touching up paint chips.
• Cleaning windows so they sparkle along with the electric candles.
• Finding wreath hangers.
• Evaluating the condition of extension cords.

What do you do before you start putting up Christmas decorations?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Get Ready to Decorate for Christmas

As someone who cares about the environment, Ovie also focuses on organic ingredients with his cooking. And what’s a better cool-weather, tailgating dish than chili? More specifically, Ovie has a great chili recipe to share with you! Maybe you can even make it for a game soon.

Chili with Charleston Spice, The Ultimate Tailgate Dish
by Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta Falcons starting fullback and Eco-Athlete

Ingredients:

• 1-16 oz can of each: organic black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans
• 1 lb bag of fresh whole kernel corn
• 3 plum tomatoes diced
• 2 lb of free range organic boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2-16 oz cans organic diced stewed tomatoes

Charleston Spice:
(Combine following ingredients)

• 4 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1-1/2 tsp cocoa powder- unsweetened
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Directions:
(Makes 8 servings)

• Dice chicken breast in 1/2 inch cubes.
• Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Sauté in 2 tbsp olive oil and minced garlic for 2 to 3 minutes until brown. Remove from pan.
• In a stock pot, add beans, tomatoes, corn.
• Bring to a slow simmer. Then add Charleston Spice and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add cooked chicken.
• Let stand for 10 minutes on low heat.
• Garnish with organic cheese and low-fat sour cream.

What are your favorite tailgating dishes?

(Image via Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast)

Post from: Blisstree

Tailgating with Falcon’s Ovie Mughelli

• Cutting a shape from plywood and upholstering it. So eighties, but I hear the clothes are back, so why not compound our bad judgment and bring back eighties decorating ideas, too? (If shoulder pads come back, I’m not doing it again. They were horrible the first time around. Do you know how stupid giant shoulders look on a short person? No? Take a look through my photo album.) Seriously, though, padded headboards are comfortable to lean against, so, as long as you aren’t incredibly allergic to dust mites, it isn’t the worst idea ever.
• Using a cool old door. This can really make a nice headboard, but do be sure you don’t choose a door with lead paint on it. An unfinished door or a door with a nice fresh coat of unchipped paint is a better choice than a door with an authentic distressed finish that includes paint from an unknown era.
• Hanging a piece of lattice or picket fence. Both of these things can give a bedroom a country garden feel and look cute with the right accessories.
• Cutting a shape from plywood and using faux painting techniques to create a memorable headboard for a child’s bedroom. Matt and Shari have a cute baseball glove headboard they made this way.

Photo Gail Rau/SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Headboard Ideas

• A scribbled sign on the door that says “Don’t drink the water.” After I read the sign, which the realtor pulled down because it was unauthorized, I took a closer look at the surrounding houses and saw that a lot of them had gallons of water lined up on their porches. Hmm.
• The ability to enjoy the view and fresh air from inside without actually using a window or door. Yup. When you see four inch gaps in the walls, you should be concerned.
• Windows that are not actually attached to the house. Seriously. I touched one of the new windows on a house I was looking at and it wasn’t even nailed into place. The funny thing is they have signs for a security system on the house.
• Black fuzzy walls. It isn’t even a house with a mold problem anymore when it gets to that point. More like mold with a house problem. If the smell and sight of mold hits you before you finish opening the door, quietly shut the door again and go away. (I looked at a house with a mold problem before and then again after it was completely rehabbed a few years ago. The mold was already creeping back across the new kitchen cabinets. Fixing it is possible, but if you don’t fix it right…Well, why mess with it if you don’t have to?)
• Masking tape covering suspicious looking wall bulges. There’s a reason that wall isn’t smooth and masking tape is not going to fix the problem.

Photo: K. Thomas

Post from: Blisstree

More Reasons to Re-Think Buying a House

For those that have read “self help” books before, you’ll find more of the same motivating speech in this book. Where the book differs, however, is in a 4-step approach to conquering doubt. They take you through a series of steps (Label It, Question It, Rethink It, and Take Action.) While we sometimes know what it is we need to improve on, sometimes we cannot pinpoint it enough to change our actions. This is where Think Confident, Be Confident will help. Even people that have an idea about areas of their life they need to work on will benefit from thinking about it in a rational, calm manner and putting it down on paper.

There is nothing entirely new in these words. However, I think the way the authors have gone about presenting this information is a positive thing and I do believe this book can help improve self-esteem and doubt. I got a lot out of it and I think anyone that wants to improve their self-esteem will benefit from this book.

Here’s the best part, folks. I’ve got a brand spanking new copy of Think Confident, Be Confident to give away to one lucky reader. To enter to win, please leave a comment on this post by Wednesday, November 18th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day. U.S. and Canada entries only please.

Image: Amazon

Disclosure: An uncorrected galley proof of Think Confident, Be Confident was provided by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations for the purpose of review.

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaway: Think Confident, Be Confident

After you buy chestnuts, use them within one week or freeze. Otherwise, they may dry out. Store fresh chestnuts in a cool, dry place, not next to the fire!

Have you tried making chestnut soup? It first requires roasting some chestnuts, but directions are included below. Really, what can get you more in the holiday spirit than cooking with chestnuts? The reward is a tasty dish, sure to impress guests.

The Chestnut Soup Recipe by Chef Craig von Foerster of Post Ranch Inn, home of the highly acclaimed Sierra Mar Restaurant

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Canola Oil
• 8 ounces Yellow Onion diced
• 1 teaspoon Garlic minced
• 2 pounds Chestnuts
• 2 Parsnips peeled and chopped
• 2 1/2 quarts Vegetable or Chicken stock
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• to taste Salt and White Pepper
• 1/4 cup Butter (optional)

makes about 16 servings

Instructions

Prepare chestnuts:

• I use Italian chestnuts that I roast and peel here. Just cut a crises cross through the peel of the chestnut on the flat side.
• Place on a sheet pan in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
• Peel off outer shell and inner brown skin while chestnuts are still warm. You can use frozen or steamed chestnuts with great results.

Making the soup:

• Sweat the onions on medium heat until translucent (about 5 minutes) add the garlic and sauté 1 more minute.
• Add chestnuts and parsnips, and cover with chicken stock, or substitute water or vegetable stock.
• Simmer for 1/2 hour or until parsnips and chestnuts are soft.
• Add the heavy cream and return to a simmer for 1 minute.
• Process in a blender until smooth. For a creamier, richer soup, you can add 1/4 cup sweet butter to the soup while blending.
• Season with salt and white pepper to taste. To garnish, reduce 1 cup of sweet Marsala wine to a syrup consistency and drizzle over soup.

More about the chef:

Chef von Foerster wrote the Sierra Mar Cook Book,  and he’s also a contributor in Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook and the Small Luxury Hotels of the World Cookbook.

(Chef Craig von Foerster image via Post Ranch Inn; Chestnut image via stock.xchng)

Post from: Blisstree

Cool-Weather Wonders of Chestnuts

Kathy Zengolewicz

Here is what you will need to get started:

• A fabric scrap of your choice
• A jar with a lid and a band
• Cotton balls or fiberfill
• Card stock
• A glue gun

Using the lid of the jar, cut out a circle the same size as the lid from the card stock. Again, using the lid of your jar, trace around it on the wrong side of your fabric. Increase the radius of the circle one inch and cut out the larger circle.

Layer the fabric, cotton balls or fiberfill and lid and place them inside the band. Press the lid down so that the cotton balls and fabric form the pin cushion. Check to see if you need to move the fabric or cotton balls to avoid creases in the material. Make any adjustment that are needed and then hold everything in place and use the glue gun to glue the fabric to the underside of the lid. I know, this step would really work better if you had a couple more hands, but do the best you can.  ;>)

Trim away any excess fabric and hot glue the card stock to cover the fabric edges. Line the band with a small bead of glue and insert the pin cushion into it. Press it firmly to help it adhere.  Add the lid to the jar and you have a new pincushion.

Post from: Blisstree

Canning Jar Pin Cushion

• Water in the basement or signs of water damage. (Or backed up septic mess. Ick!) If that water has been there long, it may have weakened the house foundation. Even if the foundation is okay, all of that water may have created a mold mess. I’ve noticed over the years that houses with water in the basement that I’ve looked at seem to go on the market over and over again because of problems the buyers discover after they move in.
• Weak foundations. As far as I’m concerned, structural problems are one of the worst things to fix.
• Obvious leaks. If the roof is in really bad shape, you may have mold in the walls, weak staircases and a host of other scary problems. I once decided not to buy an old farmhouse after my inspector told me that the entire house, including rooms the owner had just remodeled, was filled with mold and that the staircase was verging on collapse.
• Lousy neighbors. If the people next door are rude, dirty, or doing drug deals with shady customers when you’re looking at a house, they’re not going to turn into wonderful folks after you purchase your new place. You might be able to live with bad neighbors for a year, but what about ten or fifteen years later?
• A bad past. Even if it doesn’t bother you, your house’s past may bother the next buyer. There is a sad house in a nearby neighborhood that is literally falling apart because no one would buy it because of its tragic past. Unless someone comes in from out of town, doesn’t talk to anyone and buys the house, it will probably end up going under the wrecking ball.

Do you have any reasons to avoid buying a house?

Photo: K. Thomas

Post from: Blisstree

Five Reasons to Re-Think Buying a House

Kathy Zengolewicz

Here is what you will need to get started:

• A white pillar candle (again, you can use any color – I used white)
• A thanksgiving paper napkin with images
• Modge Podge or white glue thinned out with water
• Sharp, fine pointed scissors
• A paint brush
• Rubbing alcohol

Clean the surface of the candle with rubbing alcohol. This will take off any debris or grease and help the decoupage to better adhere to the candle.

Leave the paper napkin folded and cut out the images that you would like to use on your candle. Leaving the napkin folder will make it easier to cut. Once you cut around the image, then you can carefully separate the layers. Keep only what you will need and discard the rest.

Using a paint brush, coat the area of your candle to be decoupaged with Modge Podge. Carefully position the cut out image on the candle and smooth gently into place with your fingers. Take your time doing this, once the thin napkin is in place it will not be easy to move again. You can add additional images if you choose using the same steps.

When all of the images are in place, use the paint brush to coat them with another layer of Modge Podge and let it dry completely.

As always, use caution with candles. Never leave a lit candle unattended and never leave a child or pet alone with a lit candle.

Post from: Blisstree

Holiday Decoupage Candle

This thought makes perfect sense to me. There has been a movement, ever since The Secret came out, that says if you think only positive thoughts and focus on your goal, you will attract positive things to you. This is great advice, but not always realistic. For example, sometimes life is unpredictable and even the most wonderful, blessed, positive people get slammed with something devastating. During those times, it is extremely helpful to let out your anger. Acknowledge it.

Typically, our friends and family will tell us to “cheer up” or “think positively” when something bad has happened. While I understand this (and have certainly done it myself), I also think that it’s healthier to go with the anger when we feel like and to act a little grumpy. It goes against human nature to be happy all the time. (After all, we’re not robots.)

The BBC News says that “grumpy people boast better decision making skills, exhibit more conscientious, careful thinking and make for better communicators.” In other words, being grumpy means we are “more real” than those who are constantly bubbly.

Being a little grumpy also lets other people know you are human. You may be treated a little bit better because others know you aren’t going to smile and say, “It’s okay” when someone uses or takes advantage of you. If you allow your grumpy mood to come through, it can also open up a dialog with someone like your friend or your spouse. You know what it’s like to just ignore something that bothers you, right? If you never talk to the person, or bring it up, it actually can make you angrier. Stuffing emotions is never a good thing, and that’s what’s good about being grumpy.

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

Being Grumpy Is a Good Thing!