Organization 011

I've been spending the past few days trimming down my house. I'm taking old, unused cookbooks off the shelves, deciding which towels are good, and which I'm converting down to rags. I am going through pots and pans, deciding which need to be replaced, which need to be given away, and which need to be stored in more functional places. In fact, I am going to make a small garage sale section at an upcoming Handmade and Homespun Winter Shop that I am organizing in February, to sell these items. I will be charging $0.50 per item, and having two boxes for people to put the money in, on the honor system. One box will be for donations to the local school system, the other for the art gallery to support the arts. This way, everyone benefits.

It's time to pull it together. The economy is still in the hole, and from what I've heard, it's only getting worse. Someone (who will remain unnamed) buys materials overseas, and said the trend is heading towards both hoarding and jacking up prices. Prices have already tripled in his industry. He joked that we should start stocking up on canned essentials now, but he may not be too far off. (For money saving tips from someone who's been retired over 45 years, click here.)

This is the perfect time to pare down, buy less, repurpose more. I successfully used my Evelyn Fields reusable snack bag yesterday, and now realize that I will no longer be needing Ziploc snack bags. I've also been using real towels in lieu of paper towels, and it's been great. More savings. I've been refilling my Sigg with filtered tap, and have saved at least $15 this week on single water bottles (that start at $1.59, I might add) while drinking much better water than any plastic bottling company can offer. I've only bought coffee out once, at the bowling alley. I always get coffee with breakfast at the diner; I am referring to carry out coffee.

Beautiful unbleached cotton reusuable snack bag by Evelyn Fields on etsy,
with artifically flavored and colored orange Boy Scout popcorn
(we aren't in Boy Scouts, just supported them)

On Monday, I took an old hobo bag out of the closet. It was given to me years ago by W's sister, Mary. It's a big, slouchy yellow bag with a painted butterfly on the front. Every day, literally, since the day I first used it, I got compliments on it. Every day. Never has this happened to me before. Last year, someone got me a new purse for a gift, so this yellow bag went into retirement.

Randomly, I had a dream about this purse, and decided to use it once again. Day 1, I got a compliment. Today is only Day 2 with it back in rotation, and I am sure I will hear about it again. It has no name brand, and I've never seen it before. It's very bohemian. I think I will be using this bag until it falls apart. I love it that much.

I wear and keep my clothes for years, but I'm going through to find things that I will never wear again to donate to the Market Street Mission. Mine and W's old tees are being given to a friend, ADeM, to be repurposed for bigger and better things. Stay tuned.

All of this is giving me the opportunity to give my house more space, more room for us to grow. Though we are in the heart of winter, I see only the promise of spring. Perhaps my spring cleaning has started a season too soon. I guess it can't hurt to get ahead of them game.

Every Domestic Goddess Needs... (and a recipe for birthday cupcakes)

I rarely write and publish my blog post on the same day. This blog post, for example, will be published on my son's birthday. Snow delays are popping up all over the place, so it's my bet that our school will open late and he will get to sleep in. When he wakes up, he will find himself surrounded by blue and white balloons hovering at the top of the ceiling, with draping ribbons (in matching colors) hanging to the floor, and a giant happy birthday sign on the wall. I hope this will start his day with a smile. He deserves it.


But I write this the day before my son's birthday, on Dr. King's big day. There is no mail, and both the banks and schools are closed. W and I took the kids out to celebrate Johnny's birthday this morning, and then we celebrated with my parents in the evening. After such an action packed day, I arrived home to find a package by my front door. This was odd. There's no mail today. I looked up close, and the package was sent via UPS. From California. 


So exciting. 


I brought in the package, tossed my Sigg water bottles in the sink, and proceeded to open it. I recognized the return address, and remembered that the sender had asked for my address sometime last month. I'd assumed it was to send me a Christmas card. Apparently, it was for something else. 


The package smelled beautiful. The scent was strong and floral, but I wasn't sure how. Inside were layers and layers of... I don't know what wrapped in beautiful tissue paper. I began opening them one at a time. First, a red and white checkerboard apron, finely trimmed in lace. Handmade? There wasn't a tag so I assumed so. It was beautiful. I tied it around my waist. I unfolded the tissue paper of the next gift. Another apron. Blue patterned with a sheer blue overlay (or underlay); it seems to be reversible. Again, no tag. Handmade? I tied that one on too. I felt like a little girl playing princess. As I went along, more and more fabulous aprons appeared from beneath the tissue paper, and a few organza bags were in the middle, filled with dried flowers. Ah, that was the scent. I stood laughing, wrapped in five aprons, shocked at the wonderfulness of it all. How was I so lucky?

The beautiful vintage aprons gifted to me. Completely fabulous!

There was no note. Nothing. I searched between the aprons and the paper. Still nothing. I rechecked the envelope and there it was. A thickly packed envelope with "Tiffany" written across the front. First I read the card. It had a sweet message from the person who sent it to me, and it began with "Every Domestic Goddess needs a few vintage aprons." She mentioned that she collects them, and wanted to share some with me. She sent me five in all, one of which is a red Christmas apron, with a gold Christmas tree across the front. What could be better?


She'd also typed me a long, lovely note that is personal, and it made me feel fortunate to have 'virtually' met her. It's rare that I find someone who is both generous and understanding, someone who truly gets me and connects with me. When that does happen, though, it reminds me that I am in good company. This is how I felt when I read her letter.


It ends with something I'd like to share with you, something she wrote, and I hope that she doesn't mind that I am quoting her and using her name (here comes the reveal!). Thank you very much to the beautiful blonde, California girl who is a mother, wife, and fellow domestic goddess! I love the package and will wear, and care for, these vintage aprons with love and thanks.


A domestic goddess is a woman who keeps her home ordered, clean, uncluttered and tastefully decorated. In addition, she is an ace in the kitchen, a brilliant baker, fabulous cook and exceptional entertainer. As if this is not enough, a domestic goddess always looks beautiful and sexy. She can put in a full day at the office, work in the garden, put up shelves in the house, be a fabulous mother and a vamp in the bedroom. We can have it all!  -- Paula Thompson


Finally, in keeping with my domestic duties, here is my favorite recipe for birthdays, called Happy Birthday Cupcakes, from Lifetime Magazine 2003. The first time I made these were for my mother's birthday in 2003. We served them at California Pizza Kitchen, after having dinner there with my family and maternal grandparents. I frosted them warm and the frosting dripped everywhere. What a memory!


Makes 24 cupcakes


cupcakes
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 c boiling water
3/4 c mascarpone, at room temperature
2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t non-alum baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 c granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 t chocolate extract (my addition)


vanilla frosting
5 c confectioners' sugar
1/2 c mascarpone, at room temperature
1 t pure vanilla extract
food coloring (optional)


1. In a medium bowl, whisk cocoa and boiling water until smooth; let cool 10 minutes. Whisk in the mascarpone. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
3. In medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Follow with cocoa mixture, then vanilla. 
5. On low speed, add in flour mixture. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups.
6. Bake 20 to 22 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove muffin from tin; cool on wire rack. 


For frosting: Using a wire whisk, beat together confectioners' sugar, mascarpone, and vanilla, adding a few drops of water if necessary to make a smooth, thick frosting. For pastel colors (optional): Tint frosting with small drops of color. Frost cupcakes as desired. Top with flowers and candles. 


Cupcakes without frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks. Frosting can be made 1 day ahead; return to room temperature before using. Frost cupcakes on the day of the party. (I don't like to refrigerate baked goods, so I recommend freezing if making ahead. DG)

Show and Tell Monday - Italian Playing Cards

It's week two in the Show and Tell Monday series, created by kt40. I did as Katy said, and searched my stuff to pick just one thing to show, and I must say that it was tough. In the end, it was a new (old) find that won out.


Last month, when I was cleaning out my grandparents' old dresser, to be redone by the fabulously talented Andrea DeMorest of Savannah Hope Vintage, I found an old pack of playing cards. They were my grandparents, who must have gotten them while on a trip to Italy. I made the choice not to open them, as I wanted their fingers to have been the last to touch them. Still, they look so cool on the outside.

What I love about them, aside from the fact that they were my grandparents' cards and came all the way from Italy, is the design and color of the pack. I love that the box is red, and has faded with time. I love the gold writing (which is difficult to see in my cell phone picture) as it has a lovely texture to it. Very Italian. The graphic is cool, and I love the way "NAPOLETANE" is written across the front.

I have them sitting on the dresser (now painted) in which they were found, leaning against an old photo of W. The two things that I love, one on top of the other.

Less Is More (save money, save our earth - please read)

God, everybody talks about being green nowadays. Recycle this, repurpose that. If I had a penny for every time I heard someone say any of those words, along with phrases like "light bulb moment", "the universe", or "good energy", well, I'd be loaded.

But the fact is that these words and phrases are being used because they matter. Heck, I use those words as much as everybody else. Here's why: we are overbuying, under using, and wasting way too much. I think back to when I was a kid, and how different everything was. Water wasn't bottled (plastic waste), people didn't go on daily Starbuck's or Dunkin Donuts coffee runs (paper waste), fast food wasn't taken out daily (again, paper waste, and worse yet, Styrofoam waste). We didn't have baby wipes (or for that matter, adult potty wipes), and most babies were diapered in cloth (just think about all that landfill). I know that my grandmothers washed their dishes with dishrags (rarely a sponge) and that they would hang them to dry after washing and rinsing them with soap. You say dishrags carry bacteria? Oh, and sponges don't? Just wash them. Their clothes hung on clothing lines. Food was shared via Tupperware, not those flimsy plastic containers that you use a handful of times and then throw away. People cooked food (they didn't microwave it), and they baked their own desserts. Homemade wasn't a novelty, it was the norm.

People took their lunches to work in lunch pails, and though their sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper, drinks were carried in thermoses. They brought forks and knives from home, and returned them home to be washed and used again, and again, and again. They ate dinner at the kitchen table on real plates with real forks and knives, and the table was covered with a tablecloth. Napkins were cloth, too. Washable.

People washed themselves with bar soap, not antimicrobial, antibacterial, kill-everything-under-the-sun-even-the-good-bacteria pump soap that comes in a plastic container. One bar for the body, another bar by the sink.

People didn't buy new things everyday. They didn't shop away their sorrows, or their boredom. They cleaned and managed their homes; they cooked dinner. They didn't spend exorbitant amounts of money on crappy plywood furniture, but saved their money and bought well-crafted, real wood furniture, with dovetailed drawers. If something broke, it was fixed, not replaced. Hand-me-downs happened with clothing and furniture. Things just weren't thrown out.

Quality mattered. It still does. Somehow, we've just forgotten.

Today, while picking up my Evelyn Fields reusable coffee filters at Savannah Hope Vintage, I got to talking to the owner, the lovely Andrea D, about quality. I was telling her how I think that what she does is amazing. She gives new life to select, vintage furniture, and her prices are a fraction of what is available in today's market. The price of a side table is comparable to furniture at, say, Pier 1, but hers is quality craftsmanship with amazing detail, and real wood, whereas Pier 1's stuff is made with plywood and glue, I think. Andrea's furniture is as beautiful, no, more beautiful than the furniture they sell at Anthropologie.  Savannah Hope Vintage furniture is recycling at it's finest. My house is nearly all Savannah Hope Vintage, and it's fabulous.

Anyhow, Andrea and I were talking about the filters, and the napkins and reusable snack bags (all unbleached cotton, and handmade in the U.S.A.) that are also made by the same person, Melissa, of Evelyn Fields. We were talking about how being green is also a great way to save money, and it struck a chord with me.

I bought two reusable snack bags to see if I could actually green up my snacking. I've managed to carry my Sigg water bottles, filled with filtered tap water, a majority of the time. In addition, I often use my reusable grocery bags. However, with both, I forget to clean them or return them to their proper place. I need to brush up on the follow through of greening my life. Sometimes, bigger changes are easier to implement than little ones. So I am giving up as many disposable items as I can, ay-sap.

As soon as I am out of paper towels, I am converting to cloth. I have a ton of dish towels and rags already, so I am going to keep them in a big basket under my island in the kitchen and use them in place of the paper ones. I am also going to try the reusable snack bags, and ditch the Ziplocks. At least for snacks...

I've been saving my glass jars (think jelly, sauce, pickle jars) and reusing them to store things, and so far, it's been effortless. I love glass. It doesn't leech into foods, and holds everything really well. (And look at how pretty glass can be when one gets crafty (click here). Kudos to Andrea D. for this!) Whenever possible, I don't take shopping bags for my purchases (like from the bookstore), and when I do, I reuse those bags for garbage or recycling.

I challenge you to save some money and perhaps lessen your carbon footprint. Look around you and see what you are doing right now that can be replaced with a cheaper, more earth friendly option. The investment in a few towels might be more than a roll of paper towels today, but long term, you will be saving lots of money. And our earth.

Java!

This morning, I went without my usual cup of coffee. Each morning, while waiting for my pancake pan to heat up, I start my coffee. I fill the water to three cups, grab the filter, and put one and a half scoops full of coffee grounds into the filter. While it brews, I make the pancakes.

My timing is impeccable.

Today, as I was going through the usual process, something happened. I reached into my vintage coffee tin, where my filters are kept, and... nothing. I checked the spot where I keep the overflow of filters and still, nothing. No big deal, I'd just go get some more at the store after I dropped my son off at school.

But by the time I got through running my errands, I'd completely forgotten to get the filters. Turns out, that was a good thing.

My favorite shop, Savannah Hope Vintage, carries vintage items and furniture, but she also carries cool handmade items, including home goods, purses, jewelry, and other things. Today, she posted that she is carrying reusable coffee filters. Whaaaat?

Well, I was just too excited. I had never heard of reusable coffee filters before, but I was very interested. I asked some questions, and it turns out that they are made out of unbleached cotton and you use them like you would a regular filter. When you are done, you just toss out the grinds, rinse the filter, and allow it to dry wherever you'd leave a dish to dry (like a dish drying rack). Eventually, the coffee stains the filter to a lovely coffee brown. The tag line that goes along with the filters is, "For those who love coffee, not trash."

I went to pick mine up, but by the time I got to the shop, it was closed. I plan on going back tomorrow morning before my root canal (something to look forward to). I will get two, just in case I want to make more than one pot of coffee in the same day.

I can't imagine how many coffee filters I go through in a year, but I know it's more than a few. Knowing that I am not wasting all that paper really makes me feel good. It may not make a big dent, but it's a start. The woman who makes the filters also makes reusable snack bags, "unpaper towels", and napkins. While the towels and napkins aren't new ideas to me, I do like that they are unbleached cotton, and that they are handmade by a mom right here in the United States. The snack bag idea is novel and worth looking into. Could these snack bags eliminate the need for little ziplocks? They seal with velcro, and are machine washable. If I do get them, which I am thinking I will, I promise to do a test run and blog about them. They will force me to be a bit more organized, but then again, that is one of my New Year's Wants.

Locals can go to Savannah Hope Vintage (418 Main Street, Boonton) to get theirs. For those living out of the area, shop online for them at www.EvelynFields.com.

Snow Day the Fun Way (finally)

Yesterday, when I heard about the impending snow storm, I nearly cried. After being in the house sick, with a sick kid, I didn't want to be trapped inside our house for yet another day. It was nice, yes, to sit by the fire with my son, decorating and relaxing, but after two days, both of us were getting bored. I did prepare by stealing out quickly for some groceries and rock salt, but that was about the only time I'd been out since Sunday. We don't live with W and the girls, so snow days don't just become a party for us. They take planning. And driving. Otherwise, I'd probably look forward to them. So as the reporters frenzy heightened, and the updates on this second blizzard were underway, I melted down.

There was hope. W had mentioned that we could take the kids sledding, provided that my son was well enough to go. I don't know if it was the power of suggestion, the progression of the cold, or just a random miracle, but my son slept soundly through the night last night, and woke up itching to go sledding. We were going sledding!

W took us to a place he's been going since he was a kid, about 20 minutes from my house. It's not just a hill, it's a hill. It's in a beautiful, well-known sort of place, with an amazing landscape, and a brick tower that his great-grandfather had built. It's even named after him. When we arrived there, we saw families of sledders at the top of the hill, covered in pure white snow. The snow was so fresh, it was unbelievable. We hiked from where we were parked, and I couldn't help but notice that our footprints were fresh in the snow.  We were making our own path.

I'd packed a thermos full of hot chocolate, brought a baggie filled with marshmallows, and disposable coffee cups. W brought his camera, and a trunk full of sleds. We were ready.

When I reached the top of the sledding hill, I looked down. It was daunting, though perhaps only for me. Before I had a chance to register it, everyone, including W, was at the bottom of the hill. Whoosh! 

Searching through the bunches of people, I found the set that belonged to me. Up they came, dragging their sleds and dodging the people who were racing down. This went on for something like an hour, with occasional sled swapping. One of our sleds, an inflatable three-seater, couldn't take the heat and popped a hole.

At some point, W and the kids took a break and had some hot chocolate. While we sat, a small black and white dog came by to see what we were drinking. Another dog, a big golden retriever, kept chasing the sleds as they rushed down the hill. It felt like we were back in the 70s, when all that mattered was the slope of the hill and the measure of freshly packed snow.

I never imagined sledding could be so much fun, and I didn't even do it! I was the only one who didn't go down the mountain, but I did use W's camera to take photos of everyone else. Despite the fact that it was freezing cold on top of that wooded hill, I couldn't have had a better time if I tried. It was a wonderful day, the kind that I thought only other people had.

Until now.

Lighting Up My Heart

I have seen the most beautiful, giant heart lit up on the Tringali Iron Works building in Boonton Township for many years now. They usually put it up in January and keep it hanging through the end of February, in celebration of Valentine's Day. It seems to be a strand of lights wrapped around a giant iron heart. I've wanted one since the first time I saw it, but could never find one. Perhaps they sell them, but my guess is that they'd be way out of my modest price range.


Now, my old neighbors, Chris and Dan, have a cute neon sign that reads "Love" in script, that they place inside their storm door each year for Valentine's Day, and I happily would have taken that as a substitute for the iron, lit heart. After years of searching, I've found nothing.


As W and I were driving by the iron works building the other day, I pointed to the heart and told him that I wanted to make something similar. I knew where to get the lights, but what could I wrap them around?


"You could use coat hangers," he easily replied.


Coat hangers. Brilliant! Why hadn't I thought of that. He explained how I could do it, and made it seem easy enough. However, yesterday I asked him to get me started by straightening out one of the hangers. He did it with ease, and I decided that it would be a great project to finish while I was stuck in the house.


Here is how it began. W's white hanger, and my black hanger, straightened out then twisted together to form a heart. 

The wires are taped together at the meeting points first, for added support,
with pink duct tape. (The white wire is hard to see against the white desk.)

Next, I decided to make the heart thicker by taping the whole thing up with pink duct tape. I was going to do double or triple wire, but molding the wire's curves is harder than you might think, and I wanted the curves to stay sweet. It is going to be wrapped in white wire with red lights, but I wanted it to still look lovely underneath.

I put my favorite cards inside the heart's opening, to add some love.

The last step will be to wrap it in lights. The lights haven't arrived yet, but I couldn't wait to share my project with you. I will post a photo once it's lit and hanging.


Here it is, lit and hanging. A heart made with one white coat hanger, W's, and one black coat hanger, mine. Wrapped with lights, lit, and hung on my son's birthday. I feel the love!

What will you be doing to decorate your home for Valentine's Day this year? Anything crafty?