Pinterest

It was a happy day when I found Pinterest. Imagine a place of creative ideas for gardening, baking, decorating, shopping, crafting, camping and just about anything else that you can think of. You can browse subjects and then "pin" what you like to your "boards". You can also follow what your friends find interesting. I have found gift ideas for friends and family by following them on Pinterest as well as many creative and helpful things that have made everyday life easier.
I clean my showers and bathtub with a dish sponge filled with Dawn and white vinegar. I have made coffee filter snowflakes for my kitchen window. Kate and I made our own laundry detergent. I have made appetizers and deserts. Wrapped my Christmas presents in a way that the tag just slips into a little pocket that you fold into the wrapping paper. And the things that I try just keeps on growing. Amazing!
Sometime last fall I pinned and idea for fire starters. You just take toilet paper rolls and fill them up with dryer lint. I figured that by winter I would have enough for a seasons worth of fires (little did I know that Jim and the kids found my stash in the cabinet above the washer and thinking that I had completely lost my mind  threw them away) I was able to put a few together before Christmas and when John set about making our Christmas Day fire I pulled a few out. They worked perfectly. Better and easier than than newspaper and certainly more economical than those pre made fire starters. I now use paper towel rolls and depending on the quality of the wood usually only one is needed.
Every Saturday morning I make breakfast for us and if it's chilly I will throw a duralog in the fireplace. Jim and I eat our breakfast in front of the fire, reading and catching up. This morning, it was 10 degrees outside and the house seemed chilly. Definitely a morning for a real fire.

Here is the start of my fire this morning with my trusty Pinterest fire starter.

In less than five minutes I had a roaring fire going and ready for Jim when he came down.

Stay cozy.

Back

It's funny how being sick forces you to slow down. It's just a winter cold, but it is forcing me to take it easy today.
Don't think that anyone is still checking in. No matter. I will write anyway.
So much has changed since I last posted. Jim is employed now, thank God. He was offered a job with a consulting firm back in November and has been working for The Hartford- since then. He likes it, quite alot actually. He still has some freedom to work from home if need be, but most days he goes in to the office. It's a long commute by car, nonetheless, he is thankful. This job came through right under the wire and we all are relieved and grateful to say the least.
I am still at my job in Hamden and all is the same with that. I have made some fine friends there and although the work is the work, the days pass very quickly.
Funny enough, Kate is working for and Orthopaedic office now too. My competition actually. She was hired at Christmastime and has been working since. She just started her last semester at Gateway and fingers crossed she will be starting UNH next fall for the final leg of becoming a dental hygienist. She is at home with us now. She came home last Fall and we are happy to have her back with us.
As you know Zachary made it through the grueling hiring process of the CT State Police. He has decided however that this is not the path for him. He is now working for CDW, (IT solutions for business)  and he told me last weekend that he loves it.
We have been surviving the frigid New England winter. The puppies are well, but lonely now that Jim is working in an office.
I am hoping to begin to post more frequently. We'll see.