Kathy Zengolewicz

Here is what you will need to get started:

• 1 Paper mache book box
• Scrapbook papers: Brick Red, Musical notes (or anything you choose)
• A clock kit
• Acrylic paints: Barn red, Yellow-tan
• A ½ inch flat paintbrush
• A glue stick
• Paper trimmer
• Scissors
• Black pen, or computer-generated text

Start by painting the pages of the books with yellow-tan. Apply two coats letting them dry between coats. Paint the remainder of the book dark brown. Apply two coats here too, and let them dry in between coats.

Drill or cut a hole in the front of the book and follow the manufacturer’s directions for the clock kit.

Take the scrapbook paper, I used the musical notes, and glue them on the front and back of the book box. Cut the clock hole through the paper. Cut a strip of the red paper to wrap around the spine of the book and overlap slightly in the front and the back of the book.

Insert the clock and glue the clock numbers to the front of the box. To make the clock look authentically old you can cut out some rectangular book labels from scrap world map paper and either print a title with a black pen or use the computer to create text.

I was very impress with the outcome of this work and I’m sure that you will be too.

Post from: Blisstree

Decorative Paper Mache Clock

In her book Toxic Friends, Susan Shapiro Barash seeks to answer that question. She starts by identifying ten different types of female friends. In addition, she provides some detail on her website as to how she did research, why she decided to write the book, and even offers a quiz that will help women determine what kind of friend they are.

Barash has also written ten other books and teaches gender studies at Marymount Manhattan College. In other words, she knows the subject area very well.
I read this book with interest. I definitely saw myself in some of the descriptions, as well as the types of friendships she describes. I think women may be able to benefit from reading these descriptions as it will help you identify which of your friends are the strongest and which may actually be negative for you.

If I had one criticism for the book, it’s that I didn’t feel that it gave me the go-ahead to change my friendships. Sure, it helped me identify them easier, but that’s also because I have taken the time to get to know my women friends. I had already identified what type of friends I have by spending the time to get to know them. I wouldn’t simply want to label people without doing this important step. For those women who are clueless as to why her friends act the way they do, this book may well be of help.

I also think this is an issue that happens more in younger women than in those (like myself) who are a bit older and have been through the ups and downs of friendship. I know I have some women in my life in which I give more to our friendship than they do. I know not every friendship is created equal. I am always searching for mature friendships, and spend the most time on those when I find them.

But for other women who feel they need some guidance in this area, Toxic Friends may be your answer. And guess what? I’m giving a copy away to one lucky Blisstree reader. If you’d like to enter to win, just leave a comment on this post about friendship. The comment can be anything. It can be a statement, a quote, a few words… whatever. There are no right or wrong answers.

Leave your comment by Sunday, November 22nd. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky person the next day. Good luck!

Disclosure: A copy of Toxic Friends was provided to the blogger by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. The same copy is being given away in this contest.

Image: Susan Shapiro Barash

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Giveaway and Review: Toxic Friends

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

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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)

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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

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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

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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

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Five Reasons to Re-Think Buying a House