Written on January 31, 2008
I love having a space where I can create… my sewing machine is always at the ready, my ribbons are at hand, and my fabric is readily available. My other craft materials are organized by category: yarn/crochet, adhesives, cutting tools, embroidery threads and needles, notions, art journaling accents, and so forth. However, like every space,…
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Written on January 30, 2008
So it’s winter, and the produce at the grocery store is looking kind of sketchy… But you’re dreaming of spring, and you want something light for dinner. Enter the recipe for “Skip to Spring” Pasta Salad Start with about 3 cups of tri-color rotini. Throw it into a pot of boiling salted water, and let…
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Written on January 29, 2008
Please give a warm welcome to the newest members of the Joyful Abode family: Stationery sets! It’s been in the works for a long time, and many, many doodles later… a huge order of paper and envelopes later, and lots of time spent digitally coloring and designing layouts later… I present to you unique stationery…
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Written on January 28, 2008
Mmm… does it get any better than this? Chewy cookies that are the perfect consistency for milk-dipping… Perfection! I’m not a banana-eating person. I don’t like bananas at all. I can’t even stand the smell of bananas. I used to say that when I became a teacher, I would tell all of my students’ parents…
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Written on January 26, 2008
One night, much to the dismay of the guy, who likes huge slabs of meat next to piles of starch… I was really in the mood for hors d’oeuvres. Call them what you will: appetizers, starters, or-dervs… I think they’re excellent. Little bites of yum, no matter what kind they are. So I dug around…
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Written on January 24, 2008
A couple of months ago, when I was at the fabric store, I got sucked in by the flannel. I mean, I couldn’t get out of that aisle! There’s so much cute stuff in there. I ended up buying a ton of it to make baby blankets with. I wanted my blankets to be really…
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Written on January 23, 2008
If you like pumpkin desserts, you’ll love this quick and simple pumpkin pecan crumble. It’s sort of like a crustless pumpkin pie with a soft cake-y topping. You CAN spoon some onto your plate and eat it with a fork or spoon (with vanilla ice cream. Mmm), but It’s also great served as a dessert…
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Written on January 22, 2008
So, it doesn’t look terribly different from the living room my apartment in Columbia, SC or our row house in Pensacola, FL BUT I have to show off our new green wall. Whoever decided on the paint colors for this house chose them FOR ME. The green in the living room is perfect, as is…
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Written on January 21, 2008
So, if you don’t feel like going all out with making delicious meat sauce for your spaghetti, meatballs are a little faster and just as yummy. Here’s how I made mine: 1 lb. of lean ground beef 1 egg, beaten minced garlic (however much you like) 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs Mix it all together with…
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Written on January 20, 2008
So, since the cherries-and-clementines chocolate fest, I’ve experimented with dipping everything in the house in chocolate, then tasting it. Chocolate covered olives? A no go. But chocolate ritz cracker sandwiches? Quite tasty! They would probably be even better if the sandwiches were dunked in chocolate, so there’s chocolate EVERYwhere. The buttery-salty flavor and airy texture…
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Written on January 19, 2008
The days are getting longer, and your SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or winter blues should be lifting now. But you can lift your spirits even faster with a few simple jobs around the house. Clean your windows to let the sun shine in unobstructed. When the man and I cleaned all of our windows, we…
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Written on January 18, 2008
Cabbage is really overlooked as a vegetable. I know I hardly think of it when I’m thinking of a side-item. Usually I think of green beans, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, or something like that. But cabbage is delicious and full of cancer-preventing stuff, and really low in calories (while being full of vitamin C, vitamin A,…
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