Good by Winter and Hello Spring

Nothing says SPRING like a ice cream sunday made with Diet Moxie and Low Carb Vanilla Ice Cream.     What a treat it was to have this considering it was still Winter up here. Well, winter is a funny term because it was in the high 70's and I was spending this past weekend doing this.

Yes, I was outside getting my toes warmed up by the sun. It was a perfect weekend. Warm and overcast on Saturday which was OK by me since we had so many stores to run around to and on Sunday, sun - warm- wonderful!  The dogs played together and played with their toys (well- August played with toys, Becke sun bathed) and played with the grand girls and by the end of the weekend they did this.

On the last day of winter we opened up the grill and grilled cubed steak and grilled cabbage. I found the grilled cabbage on Pinterest and you can see the directions here. Here was our verdict on the meal:

YES, we will have this again! Really, cabbage with bacon and butter! Can it get any better than that. Love the low carb eating and yes, it was really good.  Next time, I'm cutting the cabbage into 4 and get a bigger piece!  

Love this weather - how about you - how did you welcome Spring or say by to winter?

Reusing those store bags

Last month I took part in the February Photo Challenge and one day the topic was "closet".  Being true to the challenge, I took this photo:

It's the shelf that I want to focus on so here is the just the shelf:

The shelf  was just covered with stuff and I really didn't like the looks of it so I went to work cleaning it out. I took out my 3 big bags and set them on the floor. The bags are marked "TOSS", "KEEP" and "GIVE". Within a few minutes all 3 bags were filled. The TOSS bag gets emptied right away in the out going trash and the bag itself goes back in storage. The GIVE gets emptied into my car and when I head out it gets dropped off  at Family Outfitters where it will once again finds a good home and gets used for its purpose.  The KEEP goes back on the shelf but I just didn't want to re-stack the shelf so here is what I did.

I went into the bag of bags and dug out those bags that came from stores where the store name and logo are on them. There is something about giving a gift in a Sears bag that takes away from the gift, but the bag I still have (I am Scottish remember). I pulled out a Sears bag, 2 Verizon bags, a Hallmark bag and a few others. Took the items that I wanted to keep and put them in the bags.  

Inside them are my visors, purses and other items that that I will use this summer and the shelf is clean, neat and better yet, no cost to me. 

Just some of my visors inside the bag

Another bag holds purses

The end result is a clean shelf in the now clean closet. Just wait till all those sweaters and sweatshirts get put away!!!Oh Yeah!

How about you, do you find a new use for those store bags?

Wednesday Hodgepodge: The Green Edition

Thank you Joyce for another set of questions that make me think and laugh at the same time.  You all can join by clicking on the above button and answer the questions, or answer them here.  It really is fun.

1. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated this coming Saturday...what's a favorite article of clothing you own that contains a touch o' the green?
Most of my spring/summer clothes are still put away so that means that I have only sleeves to wear right now but I was given this shirt (and it's short sleeves) so I will wear this if I don't get to my spring/summer stash before St. Patrick's day.

2. What's a favorite 'green space' in the town, state, or province where you live?
My own back yard. No traveling needed, no fee to get into and look around, always open, good people and relaxing.  Yup, my own back yard.

3. Do you wish you were taller, shorter, or think you're just about right in the height department?
I always wanted to to be 5' 11 1/2 inches!  I'm 5' 6".  Both my parents were 5' 4" and so I didn't have genes for it but boy did I want to be tall.  I figured tall people could eat more and I love to eat!!

4. What's the surest way for someone to pick a fight with you?
Mess with my family!  Hubby, kids and spouses and grandkids are all perfect! Do you hear me, PERFECT!

5. Broccoli-Spinach-String Beans-Peas...of the four, your favorite green veg? (Or the one you dislike the least if that first option's too hard. I just know there's some veggie haters out there.)
WOW this is the one that makes me think. I love them all....Spinach needs to be fresh however, something awful about frozen or worst yet, canned spinach.  Blech!!! But fresh spinach is delicious...
Broccoli as well as string beans and peas are great but I think peas are my least favorite (unless they come right out the garden).  I really do like veggies.

6. March is National Women's History Month...besides friends, neighbors and the women you're related to, who's a woman in history you admire and why?
Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved watching "Little House on the Prairie" so getting to meet her would be great treat. I would like to know what she thinks about  the way things  are today.

7. Keep Calm and ____________on.
You fill in the blank.
Keep Calm and PRESS on. Leave it all the feet of Jesus and just press on doing what you can, when you can, in a way that you can. He will fill in what you can't.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
This is officially the last week of winter and although it has been a mild winter, I am so glad to see it go.  I love seeing plants popping out of the ground and watching the brown ground becoming green and full of life.
Goodby Winter, Hello Spring!

The Joy of Daylight Savings Time

I love Daylight Savings Time! There is something about daylight savings time that makes my heart sing. To me it really signals the end of winter. The sun is up later in the evening when I get home, I have some time outdoors before the sun goes down.

I feel like opening the windows and doors and changing out the air, raking the yard and getting it ready for plants, or kids toys, or dog toys. It doesn't matter if there is still some snow on the ground, rake around it!

 I want to spring clean and shake out the old dust. I want a pedicure and to dust off the flip flops.

I know, officially, it's still winter and in New Hampshire. We can still have snow, lots of it. But its been a mild winter and we've had only 2 snow storms all season so I'm feeling good about the end of winter.

Basket of flip flops

We've been cleaning, and re-arranging furniture and changing the air in the house (I even turned off the heat during the day). I like raking around the snow, doing laundry (oh man has there been laundry) and putting out the deck chairs and sharing a cup of tea with Hubby and enjoying our lives.

Deck chars and snow shovel, what wrong with that?

I love playing with grandkids and giving myself a pedicure. I've been up early and sleeping well.  How about you, does daylight saving time change what you do?

Thursday is sure better than Wednesday around here. I spent yesterday either in bed or on the couch nursing a common cold. Most of the time colds don't stop me, I take my Mucinex DM and march on but this time my ears were full so everyone sounded like they were speaking under water and I was really dizzy. So I took the day off and stayed inside hoping that my ears would unplug. They did but the cost was a fever!  It was the kind of day where all I wanted to do was sleep and I did do a lot of that.  Hubby was home to make me tea with with honey and even heated me up some food when I got hungry. He took the dogs out a few times but Becke will only go out if I open the door so I had to get up to open the door.  Daddy can let her back in but I have to let her out - one of her little strange things.

Becke will sleep on my legs when I'm sick or at least stay really close to me, she did so all Wednesday. She is my nurse, checking on me and keeping me company. Do you have a pet that does that for you? It's one of the things I love about pets. 

August, however, wants and needs to play. Usually he goes to puppy day care where he plays with his friends and comes home ready to nap and chill until bedtime.  Wednesday, he wanted to play. Bringing me toys and dropping them on my head, or running up and down the hall making noise, or asking to go out (he rings a jingle bell hanging near the door) and running around the yard in the melting snow and when he comes back in he's wet and runs up and down me.  He is a bit more work, but when he got ready to nap, he would curl up under my arm and fall asleep.  

I remember the days when I would be sick but had small children and so there was no napping, or resting and I cannot image how I did it! I can't image how my daughter does it now with 2 little ones under 3 years old!!  Hubby would be working or needed to sleep after working all night so it is such a blessing to have him home. He is such a loving man who makes me feel so special.

I tell you all this to let you know that I serve a AWESOME GOD who takes care of me and blesses me with love and care I feel blessed even when I'm sick.

How are you feeling blessed these days?