Decorating For Winter & Valentine's Day

When it comes time to take down all of the lovely Christmas decorations, I just hate to see them go. They make our home feel so warm and cozy on those dark and dreary winter days. So to combat that I decided to leave out all of the snowmen decorations and add the few Valentine's Day decorations to them to decorate our home for winter. I also leave our snowmen china and glasses out. The winter decorations make the house seem a little cozier and less naked. 

For the Valentine's decorations, I don't like garish or tacky ones. I like to use bears and a few heart decorations. The classier looking the better. I will leave all these up until the end of February, then I will get busy putting out the Easter decorations.

On top of our entertainment system, I put most of the snowmen I have and add angels to be my snow angels.

Heart picture frames and a Valentine's teddy bear.

More bears.

Just a few more.

A heart and two cute snowmen adorn the window sill in the kitchen.

On top of our china cabinet.

A few heart shaped boxes and snowmen salt and pepper shakers.

More heart boxes.

Love is in the air!

Corner shelf in the kitchen.

I wanted to do something to dress up our picture window, especially since this where our lovely tree stood. I decided to hang some snowflakes in the window. I made them out of tissue paper and attached them to ribbon which I attached to the window frame. I like how it turned out and it looks good from outside, too.

The cheerful snowmen, the smiling snow angels, the tissue paper snowflakes, and the bright colored Valentine's decorations make up for the missing Christmas decorations. They make the house seem cozy again. I love decorating our home for the different seasons. It is one of those simple ways to make a house feel like a home! 

Living a simple life and wouldn't have it any other way! 

Snapshots: Part 6

Life around here lately:  

Miss Copper surviving the land.

DH went to a tree farm in our lovely NC mountains to cut down our tree.

It is DD's job to put the angel on the tree. This tree was one of the prettiest ones we have ever had.

Wrapping presents is ...

...a messy endeavor,

...but I love the outcome.

We have had a few cold days and this is how Miss Oakley spent most of them.

DH and I spent those cold days snuggling under our warm fleece blankets catching up on "The Game Of Thrones."

I spent a lot of time during the holiday season baking.

I loved how these cupcakes turned.

I enjoy fixing big Sunday morning breakfasts for my loved ones. For this one, we had livermush sandwiches, potato pancakes, and fresh pineapple.

I got to do one of my favorite activities to make a Christmas present for my MIL ~ color!

One of my favorite ways to destress during the holiday season.

A Christmas ornament from our sweet step-niece and her husband that live in Alaska. Now we will always have a part of them in our home for the holidays.

Taking down the Christmas decorations is an even a bigger messy endeavor than wrapping presents.

Fixed a hot chocolate bar to celebrate New Year's Eve.

My hot chocolate concoction.

It snowed about 6 inches on January 7th.

We don't mind the snow as a matter of fact, we love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe this snowflake that is part of a project I am working on helped to inspire the snow.

It was a heavy one.

Miss Oakley is on strict kennel rest to help heal up her two herniated discs in her back. She has been an excellent patient so far.

Miss Oakley had a birthday on Jan. 9th. I went to Pet Smart to get her some special treats. 

My snowflake project. It is part of the decorating I did for winter and Valentine's Day.

Living a simple life and simply loving it!

5 More Ways To Fix Potatoes: Garlic Butter Potatoes

The idea for this recipe came from my momma. She cooks this dish in the microwave, but I am not a big microwave fan, so I bake it in the oven. I like to serve this dish with roast beef or some kind of pork. This dish is easy to fix and can tailored to your families tastes. 

Garlic Butter Potatoes

• 6 to 8 potatoes
• butter
• herbs and spices (I use garlic salt, black pepper, onion powder, and parsley flakes.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and grease a 9" X 13" baking dish. 

Peel potatoes and rinse. Slice potatoes using a mandolin or a knife. 

Start by putting a layer of potato slices in the baking dish. Dot the top with dabs of butter, then add herbs and spices. Repeat the process until you haves used up all the potato slices. 

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take off the foil and bake until the potatoes are fork tender. 

Easy, simple, and tastes yummy! That is a great combo. 

Living a simple life and thankful for each second of it! 

5 More Ways To Fix Potatoes: Scalloped Potatoes

My Scalloped Potato recipe is a combination of two recipes I clipped from magazines. I tried both recipes and liked different aspects of both recipes. So I combined those and came up with what I think is the perfect recipe. 

Scalloped Potatoes

• 6 to 8 medium size potatoes
• 3 cups of heavy cream 
• 1 Tbsp of flour
• herb and spices to your taste (I use garlic salt, Lawry's seasoning salt, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, a few red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper.) 

All the ingredients you will need.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9" X 13" baking dish.  

Peel potato and rinse. Slice them into thin slices with a mandolin or use a knife. 

 

In a large bowl; combine the cream, flour, herbs, and spices.  

Put the potato slices in the bowl. Stir until all the potato slices are well-coated with the cream mixture. 

Pour the potato mixture into your prepared baking dish. Cover the baking dish with foil and place into your preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 50 to 60 minutes or until fork tender. 

Let the potatoes cool slightly before eating. 

These potatoes are good with just about any kind of meat. We like it with grilled steaks or hamburger patties. They are also great as leftovers. Give them a try and let me know what you think! 

Living life simply and simply enjoying it!