News from the Nest, February 6

Hi-dee-ho, digital neighbor! I sincerely hope your day and week are off to a good start! And welcome to those of you who have recently just joined us from Simplify Daily! You’ll find that Decluttering is just one of the topics we regularly discuss here.

It will be a short week for us as we head to Florida on Wednesday to visit Terry’s stepdad and some friends. We will spend a day in Savannah on the way home and would love any restaurant recommendations.

I found out on Thursday that I have NO health insurance due to a confluence of unfortunate events. ZERO! And that I haven’t had it for the past five weeks this year. That’s a little unnerving for a woman of a certain age. To that end, I’ve wrapped myself in bubble wrap and am avoiding cracked mirrors and ladders until Wednesday, when a new policy kicks in. Wish me luck!

new on the blog

How to Avoid Inadvertently Cancelling Your Health Insurance…just joking 🤣🤣🤣! But seriously, I could write a lengthy article on this topic after my infuriating calls with multiple BCBSNC and HealthCare.Gov employees last week.

The seventh post in our Seven Week Declutter Series focuses on Mental Clutter and how to Declutter Your Mind. The previous six posts in the series provided a checklist of items you could toss from certain rooms and most likely never miss. The checklist helps jumpstart the process, which many find very useful. Unfortunately, there is no checklist for mental clutter…wouldn’t that be lovely, though. Instead, this post gives an overview of mental clutter and some tips to deal with it and keep it at bay.

Remember, you can join the challenge ANYTIME!

from the knitting basket

• I made this knit purse for my mom several years ago, and it still remains her ‘spring and summer’ purse. The folks at Annie’s Catalog asked me if they could sell this pattern in the catalog, and I agreed. I do get a percentage of the sales. BUT (shhh, this is our little secret), subscribers to Nourish + Nestle have access to this pattern for free. And don’t forget you could nab the printable pattern in the Library.

On a somewhat related note, I am in AWE of people who have seasonal purses or change their purses to go with their ensemble. I have used the same purse, 7 days a week/365 days a year, for (without exaggeration) 16 years! As my grandma would say, ‘that’s what makes the world go ’round.’ Those little differences/preferences in each of us fuel our world.

• This Eyelet Baby Blanket was my first baby blanket pattern, and I have a soft spot in my heart for it. It is such a sweet little blanket.

• Common Knit Errors and how to prevent and/or fix them.

from the kitchen

• This Jalapeño Cheese Spread is SUPER easy to make if you need a quick nosh for your SUPER Bowl gathering…or if you just feel like a yummy quick nosh. No Football required!

• Tuck some habanero peppers into this Mango Habanero Salsa if you want more heat in your appetizer. Once again, it is easy to make…you can use frozen mango. Just be sure to wear gloves when dicing those little orange balls of fire.

• Seems like the perfect time for this 15 Bean Soup Recipe. Swap out the smoked ham for smoked turkey for a healthier version of this classic.

• This Savory Quick Bread is the perfect accompaniment to the 15 Bean Soup.

• Let your slow cooker do all the work for this Pulled Beef. Then, top your Pulled Beef with quick and easy homemade BBQ sauce for the perfect game-day or any-day sandwich.

• Do you or does someone in your family love Snickerdoodle cookies? Our entire family does, so I wanted an easier, quicker way to enjoy them without having to roll each dough ball in cinnamon sugar. Enter the Snickerdoodle Cookie Bar!

dogs love Valentine’s Day, too!

• These Three-Ingredient Dog Treats could not be easier to make. And the ingredient are easily substituted for what you have in your pantry.
• Well, I guess one ingredient could be simpler! Dehydrate sweet potato slices for these Sweet Potato Dog Chews.
• Or try these Pumpkin Dog Treats.
• And last but certainly not least…Cheese Dog Treats are always a welcome goodie.

the home

• Wrap a piece of paper towel secured by a rubberband around your bottle of oil to prevent sticky drips.

• Here are a few kitchen organization tips and ideas as you continue to declutter and organize.

• How to clean and maintain your cast iron pots and pans.

• How to reduce kitchen waste.

• Along the same lines, how to keep your produce fresher, longer.

• How to repair moth holes! This was an oddly enjoyable task!

a few favorite 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.

Cute and useful measuring cups on sale at Walmart. I’m always on the lookout for functional but attractive measuring cups…they make great gifts for new brides, young people getting their first apartments, etc…

This thermometer is so dang useful! When it was so cold this weekend, we found areas under doors, in outlets, and around windows where we clearly to add some weather stripping or insulation. I also use it to find warm spots to let my bread rise and cooler spots to ferment vegetables. We have the Black and Decker one, which seems to be sold out everywhere; I wonder if it is discontinued. But this one has great reviews and is more competitively priced.

I’m trying to decide whether I should get this Blanket Basket or this Blanket Chest. My challenge is…Peep, the cat, loves to lie in the current blanket basket, which has seen better days. The lid is long gone, so she can jump in and out at her whim.

This Label Maker is the bomb diggity! Use the app on either your Android or iPhone and print at will!

Well, friends. I’ll be awaiting a repairman today. I’ll also be doing a little baking and crafting today to share with you in the upcoming weeks.

Wishing you a fantastic day!

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!