January 2018 – Pure Sugar

New Haircut!

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Are there any things that you put off, and put off again, and put off some more until the thing has been put off so many times that you are almost embarrassed to do it? That’s me with hair cuts. Don’t ask why, but for the last few years, that’s how I’ve been. In fact, the last time I went to the salon was about two years ago. (Yes, you read that correctly — two years ago.)

My hair had gotten extremely long. The snarls were maddening and honestly it just looked a mess. So last Wednesday I finally called and made the appointment for this morning. As you can see from these “before” photos, it was so long I had trouble getting it all in the photo! Might be the longest my hair has ever been, actually.

And… the after! I wanted to keep it long (ponytails and messy buns are critical to my style, lol!), but had to go a bit shorter. She cut five inches off the length, and added in long layers and shaped the sides. I think my hair looks and feels much better (and healthier)! My hairdresser is a magician, that’s for sure!

I did schedule my next hair appointment so I don’t get myself into the same predicament. It really is important to take the time to do things for yourself too. I’m a pretty low-maintenance person, but really there’s nothing selfish about taking the time to get your hair done or do your nails or other little things like that. I think I tend to put everyone else’s needs before mine sometimes. A little TLC goes a long way, even if it’s just an hour at the hair salon!

End of January

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Carol — 3 Comments ↓

Here we are at the end of January! Frankly, it can go. It was kind of a rough month, and I am hoping things ease up in February! At least we have so far been lucky to stay away from the flu — working with the public, I am honestly a little nervous about it, but I just keep washing my hands and using hand sanitizer and hoping for the best!

On to Happy Homemaker Monday. Linking up with Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

As I look outside my window:::
It’s gray and getting dark out. The temperature wasn’t too bad today — high 30s/low 40s. At least I didn’t have to bundle way up while running around. We may have a little snow overnight.

Right now I am:::
Sitting in the living room with Laura, listening to Noah practice his drums, and watching the clock so I can start supper on time.

Thinking and pondering:::
Oh, so many things! But right now I’m thinking about how happy I am that pit orchestra practice was cancelled tonight and I do not have to go back out.

On my bedside table:::
Two books. I was lucky to get a copy of Kristin Hannah’s new book, The Great Alone, before it is even out and I also have Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz that I want to start reading.

On my tv tonight:::
Not sure. Last night we watched “The Snowman” and the night before that we watched “It.” I’ll probably see what catches my eye on Netflix.

Listening to:::
The steady percussion sound from Noah’s drum kit. He got an electric drum set for Christmas, and he wears headphones so while we still hear a bit, it is significantly quieter!

On the menu for this week:::
Sunday – Pizza, salad
Monday – Salmon, red potatoes and green beans in herb sauce
Tuesday – Broccoli chicken noodle bake, green salad
Wednesday – Turkey tacos, Mexican rice
Thursday – Chicken & chickpea tikka masala, rice, cucumber salad, naan
Friday –
Saturday –

On my to do list:::
I’ve got laundry to put away and a sink full of dishes I have to do. The house could also use a good vacuuming.

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

I’m working a ruffle scarf, and I want to crack on with some dishcloths (seeing as though I have more cotton yarn than I imagined).

My simple pleasure:::

Having a dry, shiny sink at the end of the day.

Lesson learned the past week:::
You can’t change people, so figure out a way to deal with them and find a good friend you can complain to 😉

From the camera:::

It looks like this succulent has babies! I have no idea how it happened, but I am thrilled. Honestly, it’s been ignored on my west-facing bedroom window. But I’m excited about it.

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Decorating With Silk Flowers

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Carol — No Comments ↓

I received a free product from Silk Plants Direct and CSI Wall Panels in exchange for my honest review.

The sun is shining here in the Hudson Valley, but it is still very cold out. I’m starting to grow impatient for spring, and finding myself wanting to have flowers in the house for pops of color. My cats, however, tend to nibble on fresh flowers, so I enjoy using silk flowers instead.

I was given the opportunity to try out a silk arrangement from Silk Plants Direct and I was happy to oblige! The first thing that struck me was the vast selection of gorgeous silk plants on their website. Whether you are looking for greenery, stems, or finished arrangements, Silk Plants Direct has it all.

I knew I wanted something with lots of color, so I chose this Peony arrangement:

It arrived quickly and extremely well-packaged. The glass vase was very secure and the silk flowers were not crushed. It just needed a little bit of fluffing before I put it on display.

The flowers are incredibly realistic looking! In fact, my mother-in-law was surprised when I told her that the flowers were artificial — she thought I’d purchased the arrangement from the florist!

Originally I had planned to put these flowers on my nightstand because the colors coordinate perfectly with my quilt, but I love it so much it is in my kitchen where everyone can enjoy it

Silk flowers are one way to give a quick update to your decor. Another way is using 3D Wall panels from CSI Wall Panels. These lightweight panels have so many creative uses — if you’re itching for a change, check them out!

So. Much. YARN!

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Carol — No Comments ↓

Oh boy, what a project I am working on! When we had our heating issue and had to empty closets and move everything in order to access the pipes, I became all too aware of how much yarn I have. I found Michael’s bags with a few balls of Sugar ‘n Cream. I found baskets with a couple skeins tucked away. And my storage tote was overflowing. I decided that I really needed to go through and organize it all, so that is what I did today.

I started out with everything just thrown together.

I decided that I was going to get rid of any yarn that was terribly tangled, and say “goodbye” to any unfinished project to which I no longer had the pattern, or was over a year old.

I’ll be honest: it wasn’t easy. There were some Stitch-cation squares I let go of, some half-complete dishcloths with yarn that was broken or tangled, and a cowl I had started with Red Heart Unforgettable. Love the colors, but hated working with the yarn!

Does anyone remember the planned pooling craze? Yeah, I wanted to try it out and got frustrated, I guess. Found this in there, too. I just cut off the portion that I had done. Tension is so important when you’re doing that technique — no point in trying to pick it back up now!.

I just had to get rid of these things for my own sanity. Also, any clumps of “yarn barf” went right in the trash. The point of this exercise was not to spend hours detangling!

Then it was on to trying to decide how to organize everything. I’d love to have beautiful open storage, but we have cats. And the cats love yarn. Therefore, totes are the most practical storage, if not the prettiest.

I now have one for acrylic yarns (my go-to), one for “fancy” acrylics (like Caron Cakes, some that have glitter or sequins, etc.), one for cotton dishcloth yarn:

And finally one smallish box of specialty yarn (anything I purchase at real yarn store, or at the Sheep & Wool festival):

I’m not 100% done yet. My acrylic tote is still overflowing, but tonight my plan is to break out the yarn winder. Some of the half-used skeins can be wound into compact cakes and that should make a difference for storage (not to mention it’s probably better for the yarn).

So yeah… I really think I can go on a “yarn diet” for a few months and try to use what I have. However, I think part of my problem is that it never was really organized before, so if I wasn’t sure if I had a color I’d buy it instead of digging through everything. That shouldn’t happen now!

On A Chilly Monday

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Carol — 6 Comments ↓

Oh, I have been waiting all year for this day. No, really. I mentioned in my last post that we were without heat on our second floor and finally today the pipes are being fixed. I cannot tell you how happy I will be to sleep in my bed again! Currently I’m on the pull-out sofa in the living room and Drew is on a cot in the kitchen. Classy!

Our room happens to be the one with the majority of issues, so everything is pulled out, and it’s a huge mess. On the other hand, it’s an opportunity to go through stuff that I can donate or otherwise get rid of, and re-organize everything else. So that will be this week’s big project.

On to Happy Homemaker Monday. Linking up with Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

As I look outside my window:::
It’s cold and sunny today. We are having the craziest weather, I swear. Last Sunday it was down to -14. Thursday it was 62! And right now the temperature is hovering around 15 degrees with a chance of snow in the next day or two. Normally I enjoy winter, but I’ll be honest. This year I am over it.

Right now I am:::
I’m drinking a cup of coffee and cooking sausage for tonight’s dinner.

Thinking and pondering:::
Seems like everyone has health issues going on, and I’ll add myself to that list. Hopefully it is nothing, but after my physical last week I need to go back for another test, as well as another blood test to check on my stupid anemia. I don’t really want to get into it online, and really, there is probably zero to worry about, but I’m being super careful with my diet for the next couple weeks until I take this test.

On my bedside table:::
I am hoping to have my bedside table back today! My makeshift nightstand has the usual end table decorations, plus my thyroid meds, water, and Burt’s Bees lip balm.

On my tv tonight:::
We got the last season of Big Bang Theory on DVD for Christmas, so I think we will watch a couple episodes of that.

Listening to:::
The kids are watching “Fuller House.” The plumbers are banging away upstairs.

On the menu for this week:::
Sunday – Chicken fajitas
Monday – Sausage, kale, and potato Soup, salad, onion rolls.
Tuesday – Chicken pot pie, salad
Wednesday – Turkey tacos or taco salads
Thursday – Turkey meatloaf muffins, mashed potatoes, green beans
Friday – Cheesy pasta bake with WW penne, salad
Saturday –

On my to do list:::
With my house in disarray for the last two weeks, pretty much everything is on there! I just want to get everything back in order (and get the cot out of the kitchen, LOL!)

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
I pulled out my Atlanticus blanket last week meaning to work on it, but I have not picked up a hook. I might start with a dishcloth or two this afternoon to try to get back in the swing of things.

My simple pleasure:::
Passing on my cart at Aldi to someone else and not taking their quarter. It is such a small gesture, I know, but it makes me happy when someone does that for me. Just a little kindness.

Lesson learned the past week:::
As humans, we can adjust to situations pretty quickly. May not always be the ideal solution, but somehow we have the ability to make the best of it.

From the camera:::
My succulent looked pretty in the sunshine the other day. Love those winter shadows.

What a Start to the New Year

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Carol — No Comments ↓

Happy New Year! I wish I could say that ours has been amazing so far, but that’s not exactly the case. As if the frigid cold temperatures and below-zero wind chill factors weren’t bad enough, we are without heat on the second floor of our house!

Our pipes froze and at least one burst (though luckily, we do not have water damage) Check out that chunk of ice that came out.

So we have been dealing with plumbers, and homeowner’s insurance, and Drew is trying to do some of the work himself to save money. Hopefully by the end of next week everything will be back to normal. In the meantime, we have heat on the first floor, so we’ve just been sleeping down here. The “campout” was amusing the first couple of nights, but now I am kind of over it and ready to sleep in my own bed again.

Other than that, not much else is going on. It’s hard trying to get back into a schedule. Everything seems so chaotic! Plus, we had that “bomb cyclone” snow storm on Thursday. Everything was closed up. The snow accumulation wasn’t too bad (maybe 4-5 inches), but the wind and temperatures were awful. And today is even colder!

I’m trying to get back into a calligraphy practice.

And I want to get back to working on my Atlanticus blanket.

Basically I just want things back to normal! Drew ran out to Home Depot for a few more things, so he is just going to pick up pizza for dinner tonight. Honestly I’m really looking forward to it! Well, I’m going to wash a few dishes and try to fold up this last load of laundry. I want to try to get back into a blogging schedule so desperately — here’s hoping that the rest of this month goes a little bit better than the way it started!