Style Matching



No, this is not a picture of my living room... but I do like the colors!



I occasionally watch The Nate Berkus Show and yesterday was one of the days I caught it as we have a cold going through our house and I wasn't feeling motivated to do much of anything except veg. Anyway, Nate and another designer were talking about how a person's clothing style should be reflective in their interior decorating. Apparently, the two should go hand in hand, and if they don't then you're not really allowing others to see the real you when they enter your home.

I find this concept to be very fascinating and I've been thinking about it ever since. I was telling my husband about this last night at the dinner table and asked him if he thought my clothes and my house matched. He looked me over, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "I don't see it..." Husbands never do though, right? However, the more I've thought about it, the more I realized that yes, my clothes and my house do tend to match.

For example, yesterday I was wearing a teal and green striped sweater and corduroy pants. Although Nathan pointed out that I don't have anything in those colors in my home he was, of course, wrong. My guest bedroom is a French country theme decorated in a dusty teal and brown. My living room and master bedroom are shades of green, and I own a corduroy chair which is my absolute fave plus two corduroy beanbag chairs. See where I'm going with this?

I love birdhouses and welcome signs. You'll find them everywhere in my country-cozy home. I keep my home styled in earth-tones, nothing bright. I myself and a quiet person who prefers to blend in for the most part. I want people to feel comfortable in my home as much as I want them to be comfortable around me. I think my personal style both in my clothes and home say that. I'm a genuinely kind and quiet person, a peace-maker and I've often had people tell me how peaceful my home is.

So, having said all that. Now it's your turn. What do you think your clothes and home say about you? Definitely something to think about. :)

Half the Hamburger, Twice the Health

I learned this tip from my mother-in-law who raised nine children. Mealtime at her house was a hectic time, I'm sure, trying to manage all those little ones. So she started cooking large quantities of hamburger at a time and freezing it in smaller portions for later. That way, when she was ready to prepare a meal, half the work was already done.

I don't cook with hamburger too much because I'm just not a big fan of red meat, but when I do, I most often cook a whole pound and take half of it and freeze it for another recipe. I then double whatever vegetables the recipe calls for so as to not make the liquid be off-balance.

It's easy to do. Simply scoop out the amount you wish to freeze and place it in a quart-sized freezer bag. Press the hamburger flat. This makes the meat much easier to break apart and reheat when you're making another meal. I'm all about saving time when cooking and this is a great way to do just that!

Here's a yummy recipe to get you started!

Szechwan Beef
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup water
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 can cut baby corn
2 cups instant brown rice

1. In large skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Remove from skillet and set aside. Place half in a Ziploc bag and freeze for later.
2. Add oil to skillet and return to medium heat. Add carrots and peas and stir-fry about 3 minutes.
3. In small cup, combine water and soy sauce with cornstarch and ginger. Add to vegetables in skillet.
4. Return ground beef to skillet along with baby corn. Cook over medium heat until heated through.
5. Prepare rice according to package directions. Serve beef and vegetables over rice.

Better Book Organizing for Kids

We love books here at our house! And because we love them so much we have accumulated quite the library. I'm glad that I have passed down my love of reading to my children and I'm glad they love their books so much. However, I wasn't glad with the way the little kid books were always a mess on the shelves. I wasn't glad that my children couldn't find the book they were looking for, and I sure wasn't glad that I was the only one who could put them away.

So, I did something about it!

Instead of lining up all the books vertically, I stacked them horizontally by category, placing the largest books on the bottom and the smallest on top. This way makes my kids be able to see what they're looking for and be able to put them away. I wrote the categories on Post-It notes and laminated them to keep them looking nice. I then attached the labels to the bookshelf with painters tape so the finish would be protected. I put the really large books on top of the shelf in neat piles.

Here's the way I categorized them:

• Animals
• Potty books (for little kids)
• Babies
• Dogs
• Feelings and Opposites
• Getting Dressed and The Body
• Colors and Shapes
• ABC's and 123's
• Touch and Feel
• Bedtime
• Nature and Food
• Church and Jesus

These categories are, of course, just suggestions. Categorize them in the best way for you. And don't worry if your child can't read the labels. With your help, they'll soon be able to memorize where their books go. Before you know it, they'll be reading the labels too.

That is, after all, the whole idea of books. :)