Cleaning List Anyone????

Neat little list for you to do with as you wish, submitted by Apartment Therapy. com

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR HOUSE IN 20 MINUTES A DAY FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS
1. Surface clean living room and kitchen (pick up stray items, dust, sweep, vacuum)
2. Clean bathrooms (toilets, showers, floors, walls, mirrors)
3. Surface clean bedrooms (put away toys, clothes, dust)
4. Surface clean "extra" rooms (basement, office, play room)
5. Surface clean living room and kitchen
6. Clean bathrooms
7. Clean all interior windows (white vinegar and newspaper works great and is cheap!)
8. Sweep and vacuum all floors in the house (don't forget stairs)
9. Surface clean bedrooms
10. Deep clean living room (mirrors, baseboards, dust artwork)
11. Clean bathrooms
12. Clean out closets (hang up clothes, mittens, jackets, hats)
13. Surface clean "extra" rooms
14. Deep clean bedrooms (organize drawers, check under bed, tidy closet, dust artwork, fans, lights, mop)
15. Surface clean living room and kitchen
16. Deep clean bathrooms (clean inside drawers, inside of trash cans, tops of mirrors, tile, mop)
17. Clean all door knobs, phones, entertainment equipment (remote controls), switch plates, banisters and other things that are repeatedly touched.
18. Clean out the refrigerator, take stock of food, organize pantry
19. Clean entryway, sweep porch (if you have one), clean out car (because they're often our home away from home)
20. Surface clean living room and kitchen
21. Surface clean bathrooms
22. Surface clean bedrooms
23. Sweep and vacuum all floors in the house
24. Clean linen closet, straighten towels, sheets or regular closet if not applicable
25. Surface clean living room and kitchen
26. Deep clean kitchen (scrub appliances, wash trash cans, base boards, wipe down and straighten cabinets)
27. Surface clean bathrooms
28. Surfaces clean bedrooms
29. Clean one item you've been meaning to get to and haven't (deep clean your stove, wipe down all light fixtures, tackle a particularly unruly area)
30. Sweep and vacuum all floors in the house
To this list you can also add chores that are to be done monthly or quarterly. It's easier to plan for larger tasks like steam cleaning a sofa or heavy traffic hallway, then it feels like part of the routine instead of that thing you keep putting off and dreading.
Habits are formed by doing and one of the best ways to change a bad habit is to replace it with another action. So if the time spent right when you come home from work is usually filled with email reading and a small nap, try switching it out with your cleaning instead. Making the 20 minute time slot routine will build good habits and help you stay on top of the game without feeling like it's a real chore.

Bling, Sparkle, Sparkle, Bling!

I love me some bling!!!
A couple of pictures of our tree this year! I love the lights,

the sparkle and the joy that goes with decorating for the season….

and you can never have too much sparkle!!
Don’t you think!

Antiquing vs. Original

I took a picture of my fireplace a couple of days ago. I decided to put it out there in regular form and antiqued form.....now the voting is up to you!

The difference….a normal picture and the antiquing process.

I think it can be a very personal preference as to liking or disliking the antiquing process.

One picture is full of color, clear and bright. Antiqued changes it greatly, making them a bit void of color, not nearly as clear or bright.

Each have their place, and to me, each is quite beautiful.

Would I turn all of my photos antique? No. but there is definitely a time for it. What do you think?
Antiquing a photo: love it or hate it?

Healthy Christmas Cookies

Peanut Butter Christmas Cookies

Now these are my own recipe and are:
Gluten free
Sugar free
Dairy free

I know, I know…that in itself sounds…ummm…not so good. But in the words of my husband, “those things are dangerous!” I myself am not a big peanut butter person, in fact, I have never had a peanut butter sandwich in my life, as I would never eat a spoonful of peanut butter as I really don’t like it. But when covered in chocolate, it is quite tolerable and even yummy.

1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ c. honey sweetened peanut butter
½ c . coconut oil
½ c. xylitol
½ c. brown sugar sub.
1 tbl black strap molasses
1 egg
2 tbl. Heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Sugar free Hershey’s mini candy bars

Mix the flours, soda and salt together and set aside
Cream the peanut butter, coconut oil, xylitol, brown sugar sub, and molasses together. Add egg, cream and vanilla.
Add in the flour mixture in 3 additions. Roll into small walnut sized balls and put on baking sheet and sprinkle with a small amount of additional xylitol.
Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes. Pull out and top with ½ a bar of the mini candy bars. Let cool and eat in moderation.

Now, all the ingredients that I use, aside form the candy bars are organic and or natural. Xylitol is a tree bark
and the brown sugar sub is a sugar alcohol (not alcohol like booze, but the cast off of the natural process of crystallizing pure cane.
Coconut oil is used in place of Crisco or butter, making them dairy free. It is a natural solid oil that is trans fat free and better for you than lard.

Please!!! know that even though these are sugar free, organic (without the candy bar, but there are organic, sugar free chocolates out there) gluten free and dairy free, they are NOT WITHOUT CALORIES! So moderation is still needed if you are concerned about calories.
BUT, there is a lot less guilt by eating something yummy, that is not full of over processed junk, that will make the Christmas Season a bit easier to face.
Have an amazing Wednesday!!
The coconut flour is found at health food stores The Almond flour can be bought, but I grind my own from raw almonds, in a coffee grinder that has never had coffee beans in it...you must chop the almonds first, and put mine through a sieve to make sure there are no large pieces of almond in it, which I just toss those pieces back into the grinder and finish the job!

A Special Family

There is this family, that is now a part of our family,

and that makes me smile!

I took a few quick photos of them on Thanksgiving Day

that they are going to use for their Christmas Cards.

This special family is a part of ours, because our lovely youngest Daughter married into said family.....I have to confess, that B's Mother and I knew long before the couple that they were chosen by God to spend their lives together, and we are so pleased that they obeyed God and did as their Mother's said! Kidding (alittle) about that last thing!

So, I am just putting up the photo's for you to smile at too!

Have a supreme Tuesday!

Starbucks Recipes of the Season...

Courtesy of Fox News Page.....On average, Americans consume 3.1 cups of coffee a day and if Starbucks is your brewery of choice, that's $33 per work week for a grande-sized pick-me-up.
And now the coffee company is offering their seasonal holiday drinks, but at roughly $5.00 a cup, those sugary lattes will quickly burn a hole in your pocket.
So why not make them at home? With the right recipe you can enjoy your favorite Starbucks drink without putting a dent in your wallet.
Enjoy!

Gingerbread Latte
Starbucks' Price: $4.75 for grande
Recipe:First prepare the Gingerbread Syrup

2 cups water 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce hit and allow for syrup to simmer. Leave uncovered for 15 minutes and then remove from fire.
1/2 cup fresh espresso

8 ounces milk, steamed
Prepare a double shot of espresso and steam 8 ounces of milk. Pour 1/2 cup of espresso into mug, add 1/4 cup of gingerbread syrup followed by the milk. Stir and serve hot.

Caramel Brulée Latte
Recipe:

2 oz. espresso or strong coffee

8 oz. steamed milk1 oz. vanilla bean syrup

2 tbsp. caramel ice cream topping
Brew coffee or espresso. Line mug with caramel topping, add syrup and then espresso. Steam milk and pour into cup.

Pumpkin Spice Latte
Recipe:

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1-2 shots espresso (about 1/4 cup of espresso or 1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee)
Combine milk, pumpkin and sugar in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until steamed. Remove from hit and stir in vanilla and pumpkin spice. Transfer the mixture into a blender and process for 10 seconds or until foamy. Or you can simply whisk the mixture until foam appears.
Pour into mug, add espresso and enjoy.

Peppermint Mocha
Recipe:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

3 tablespoons powdered cocoa

3 tablespoons warm water

1/2 cup hot espresso

1 1/2 cups hot milk
Stir the water and sugar in a saucepan until sugar dissolves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and add peppermint extract. Allow mixture to simmer for 20 minutes.
Mix cocoa and water in a mag until paste forms. Add espresso and 1 1/2 teaspoon of the peppermint syrup. Finally, add the milk and serve hot.

Eggnog Latte
Recipe:

1/2 cup eggnog

1/4 cup whole milk

1-2 shots espresso

Sprinkle of nutmeg for garnish
Combine cold eggnog with cold milk and steam. Add espresso shots to steamed eggnog mixture and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Chai Tea Latte
Recipe:

3 cups water

3 cups milk

6-8 black tea bags

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger
Bring water and milk to a boil. Add remaining ingredients, return to boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Remove tea bags then filter. Serve hot or iced.

It's All In Your Attitude

I love this quote, and love how it hits you with truth.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task,
but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks,
as if they were great & noble."
~Hellen Keller~

Amen, and Amen.

Have an amazing Thursday, and do everything, small, everything large, as a greatness!