News From The Nest, February 3

Good Morning, friends. It’s a foggy, pea-soup Monday here in Southeastern North Carolina. It’s the kind of fog that drips on you. And it’s the kind of morning that encourages you to snuggle down for the day. I find foggy days to be cozy and calming…when I’m indoors, of course.

We had a lovely weekend in Richmond, visiting friends. We strolled through the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens and visited two of the city’s Farmer’s Markets. The friends we visited are loyal, weekly Farmer’s Market attendees and have convinced Terry and me to be more regular with our local Farmer’s Market. Terry also converted one of our friends to his Old-Fashioneds, which I swear are the best around. When we travel, we tote our Old-Fashioned fixings in a leather, hard-side case that belonged to my dad, his traveling bar, complete with his monogram. It’s straight out of Mad Men or James Bond and is one of my favorite things that belonged to my dad.

Speaking of my dad, his most favorite dessert was Carrot Cake, and coincidentally, today is National Carrot Cake Day! So, if that is your favorite dessert, you are obliged to treat yourself today! If you need a good recipe, I’ve got one for you! It’s the one I would make for dad on his birthday and Father’s Day.

Tomorrow is National Homemade Soup Day, apropos for the first week in typically chilly and damp February. If you need a new soup recipe to celebrate the day, look no further!

Need a good reason to hone your optimism muscle? The first Thursday of every February is National Optimimist Day.

Whether homemade or store-bought, make sure to send cards to your besties on Friday for National Send a Card to a Friend Day!

And just like that, our week is planned out for us! 😉

New on the Blog

If your skin starts feeling dry, tight, and itchy during these cold months, take a few minutes to make yourself a batch of sugar scrub. Comprised of moisturizing coconut oil and exfoliating sugar, this at-home spa treatment soothes dry skin. Don’t be put off if you aren’t fond of smelling like a piña colada; I use refined, odorless coconut oil. It also makes a welcome gift, and to that end I’ve provided printable tags.

From the Knit Studio

• This knitted blanket uses a chunky yarn to knit the half-linen stitch knit and is trimmed with a faux fur applied i-cord. This blanket is my most requested knitted gift request. Optional instructions to finish this blanket with seed stitch instead of the faux fur applied i-cord are also included.

• An Applied I-Cord is a nice way to finish any knitted piece, and you’ll need it to put the faux fur edge on this blanket.

• Print off and cut out these Knit Care Tags to accompany your knitted or crocheted gifts. The care tags instruct the recipient to wash and dry their new gift.

From the Kitchen

• This smoky and spicy Jalapeño Cheese Spread is an easy appetizer recipe that is perfect for Superbowl entertaining or just weekend noshing.

• This Layered Taco Dip is another excellent dip if you have guests over for the Superbowl. This dip is always a crowd favorite and is made with refried beans, canned chiles, cream cheese, taco seasoning, freshly grated cheese, salsa, and fresh vegetables. 

• Let chuck roast slowly simmer in garlic, onion, Worcestershire, and soy sauce for the day, and you’ll have the best fork-tender, pull-apart beef for sandwiches, enchilada or burrito filling, and more. Once again, this Slowcooker Pulled Beef is an excellent menu item for your football or any day gathering. But don’t take my word for it; here’s what Carla said,

Made this for Sunday dinner and it was delicious! I did sear the meat before adding it to the crock pot, but made no other changes. My family loved it! Thank you!

• Make this homemade barbecue sauce to accompany your pulled beef sandwiches.

• This delicious Apple-Cider Doughnut Bundt Cake will be one of your favorite desserts for a variety of reasons:
  • It’s a versatile treat, equally suited to the breakfast table as it is to a dessert buffet with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
  • Fresh Nutmeg
  • Very easy to make
  • More Fresh Nutmeg
  • It freezes well

• Substituting brown sugar for white sugar gives my Grandma’s classic Date Nut Bars recipe a deeper, richer flavor with just a hint of molasses. Truly a comfort-food sweet treat.

From the Arts + Crafts Studio

• You can personalize these DIY Tassels to fit any decor or room style. I especially love the large wood bead tassels I’ve seen, so once I figured out how to drill the balls of wood, I was tickled to discover just how easy it is to make them. Now I need more pieces of ‘tassel-able’ furniture!

• Surely, you could macramé some of these sparkly votive holders for your use. But what a splendid little gift they would make as well!

• Galentine’s Day is a made-up holiday I can get behind. How is it not good to celebrate our gal pals, those who buoy us on our dark days and celebrate with us on our bright days? Women celebrating women is ALWAYS a good thing. Here are some food and craft ideas for a lovely evening with your best girlfriends.

In the Home

• Organize your table linens to keep them fresh, unwrinkled, and easy to find.

• I know it’s a tired refrain, but…doesn’t life seem to have just gotten crazier and busier? I’m always looking for ways to slow my world down, simplify my life, and make it less busy and stressful. I indeed don’t have all the answers, and I don’t always do what I know I *should* do, but I do make a daily effort. Here are eight ideas to simplify your life to help reduce stress.

A Few Fun Finds

Some of these links may be Amazon affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from the sale of these products to help defray the costs of operating this site, but the price you are charged is not affected. You can see my full disclosure policy here.

• If you are entertaining for the Superbowl, this football party kit is a great deal!
• Custom monogram pillows.
• Who knew there was such a thing? Could be a fun stocking stuffer.

Well, I say it every week, but its true…I have several great posts I need to get written up to share with you! That’s my goal on this foggy day.

Until next week,

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!