This Stop Willoughby

I started this blog one year ago today.  I had plans to celebrate my one year anniversary with a fun post or a give away, but here's the problem.....I'm sick.  I've got a nasty case of the flu and I'm absolutely exhausted.   I'll have to postpone celebrating for a while. Thank you so much to all of you who sent emails expressing concern about my absence.  I've been MIA for a while, but that was due to all of the decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking and baking that I did for Christmas. I didn't get sick until the day after Christmas. I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you when I'm feeling better! Willoughby

I have a simple question to ask you.  What is a Christmas cookie?  I've celebrated Christmas every year of my life, but today was the first time I ever thought about the what the term actually means (my son says I have too much time on my hands).   When I looked it up online, the definition read "A sugar cookie, usually cut in festive shapes, that is made and eaten at Christmas."  Really?  Could I have been doing it wrong all these years? Does Christmas mean December 25th, or does it include the entire holiday season?  Would it still be a Christmas cookie if you ate it on Thanksgiving?  Or New Years Eve?  What about other types of cookies?  If I make Chocolate Truffle cookies, for example, can they technically be called Christmas cookies?   And should I wait until Christmas to serve them?    Who are Christmas cookies for?  I know a lot of people, myself included,  make up platter...

I've been given some awards by my fabulous blog friends.  I apologize for not taking the time to post them and pass them on sooner.   I adore my blog buddies and appreciate each and every award.  If you haven't visited these blogs, please do so.  Right now.  I'm not kidding! From Holly at 504 Main From  Holly at 504 Main , Bashful Toast ,  and 5th Sister From Holly at 504 Main From Holly at 504 Main and  Bashful Toast From Bashful Toast and 5th Sister From Bashful Toast From Katie's Korner ,  One Step At A Time  and Tattoos and Teething Rings From One Step At A Time , 5th Sister , and Who Has The Thyme? From Rook No. 17 From Tattoos and Teething Rings From  Tattoos and Teething Rings From 5th Sister From Who Has The Thyme? Several of these awards have rules that state you must list a number of interesting or unknown facts about yourself.  Instead of...

Last week, I told you that Mr. Willoughby and I like to try new recipes together.  This morning, we decided to try making homemade donuts.  We prefer cake donuts to raised donuts, so we used this recipe .  They were easy and delicious and it didn't take much longer than a trip to the donut shop.  We got 13 donuts, or a baker's dozen,  plus a bunch of little donut holes out of one batch.  We did alter the recipe a bit by leaving out the cinnamon and nutmeg because we wanted to add a variety of toppings to the end product.  As you can see, we coated some with cinnamon sugar, some with a chocolate glaze and left a few plain.   We used our deep fryer, but I'm sure you could improvise with a deep pan, a few inches of oil and a candy thermometer. Our son liked them so much he thought we should go into business selling them.  Willoughby's Donut Shop?  I like the sound of that! Willoughby

I haven't been around as much as I'd like lately because I've been really busy.  I got it in my head that I wanted to go through every closet, drawer and cabinet in the house and get rid of all of the unused or underused items taking up space.   It's been quite an undertaking, but I feel really good about it. I went into this project telling myself to make decisions logically, not emotionally, but I still found it hard to part with some things.  I'm not really a pack rat by nature, but I am sentimental.  In the end, logic won out.  I reminded myself that stuff is just stuff.  Keeping items that remind me of when my kids were babies won't bring those days back.  On the flip side, parting with them won't erase cherished memories. I still have a few cabinets to go through, and I didn't even start on the basement, but we donated more than 18 bags of toys, clothes and household items to charity.  If that's not wor...

Everyone is good at something, right?  I think so, anyway.  It's what makes you interesting.  Me, I'm a pretty good cook.  I'm also good at trivia.  Neither of those are very unique, though.  If you asked me to name my most interesting or unusual talent, I guess I would have to say my ability to use power tools (because I'm a woman, people always seem surprised).  When we installed the trim molding on our front porch, we set the chop saw up in the yard and took turns cutting the pieces.  No one seemed surprised to see Mr. Willoughby using it, but I got a few strange looks when I did.  When I tell people that I cut all of the trim for the back porch with a chop saw and installed it with a nail gun while Mr. Willoughby was at work, they always seem to think it's unusual. I'd like to have one of those talents that entertain people at parties.  I'm always envious of people who can juggle or do card tricks. ...

Over the past few months, Mr. Willoughby and I have tried to expand our culinary horizons and experiment with some new dishes that we can make together.   On weeknights, I usually start dinner before he gets home, but on weekends, when time isn't an issue, we can leisurely prepare a meal together.  There isn't much criteria for choosing a recipe.  It's generally just a matter of finding something that sounds good and doesn't require a major shopping trip.   We also try to choose something the kids will be likely to enjoy. One of our most popular dishes has been paella.  It's a great dish for two people to prepare because it involves quite a bit of prep work.  There are onions and peppers to chop, chicken and sausage to be sliced and shrimp to be cleaned.  It gives us a lot of time to talk, laugh and enjoy a glass of wine while we work.  The end result is pretty ...

I love this project because it's so versatile.  You can use them for a variety of different occasions and personalize them any way you want.  You can also make them in nearly any size you like.  I'm talking about pillowboxes. I learned to make these years ago, long before I had the convenience of computer software and a printer.  You can make them out of any heavy, sturdy paper.  I prefer to use cardstock because it scores easily and holds it's shape well.  Heavy scrapbooking and decorative papers (even wallpaper) work well, too. To begin, you need a template.  You could easily make your own with a piece of paper, a ruler and something to trace for the curves.  If you want to skip that part, I've scanned one of the templates that I used.  It is for a pair of pillowboxes.  Be sure to click on the image before saving to get the largest size. You can use this template as a guide to create your boxes ...

I grew up in the suburbs.  From the house I lived in, you never had to travel more than a mile to get to  shopping malls, restaurants, drug stores or gas stations.  We had multiple movie theaters, bowling alleys, golf courses and a water park. After Mr. Willoughby and I got married, we lived in an apartment in that same suburb for a few years. From there we moved to another suburban area, and then the city.  It was while we were living in the city that we started spending our weekends on country drives and shopping at flea markets and farm stands.   We found ourselves charmed by the small towns with their farmhouses and quaint shops. When it was time to get out of our house in the city, we decided that we wanted to live in the country. It was an adjustment at first.  The closest place to shop (other than Kmart or the supermarket) is 20 miles away.  We have no movie theaters and only a...

This is just a short post to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  I'm behind in posting, behind in commenting and behind in passing on the thoughtful awards I've been given.  I'm also behind in everything else.  I've been sick for a little over a week and I just can't seem to get my energy back.  On Halloween, I broke a toe.  A few days later my right ear drum ruptured.  Since then I've had a bad cold (or possibly the flu, I'm not really sure), laryngitis, and insomnia.  I'm trying my best to get healthy again, but in the mean time, I'm exhausted.  I hope to get back on track over the next few days.  I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired!! Willoughby

When I was in elementary school, my mom was a volunteer at the school library. Every week she would bring home a few books for us to read together. Our favorites, by far, were the books in the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I think we read each one of them at least twice. We even checked out several biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder so we could learn more about her and see what she and her family looked like.  When we heard the books were being made into a television series, we were ecstatic. On September 11, 1974, we watched the pilot episode of Little House On The Prairie .  It instantly became my favorite show on television.  I loved the way it brought the stories and the characters to life.  Everything about it was quaint and charming.  I remember wishing I could spend an afternoon in Walnut Grove with Laura and Mary and taste the homemade bread Ma baked. I was watching television a few days ago when I happened to see a commerc...

A five year old local boy will be celebrating his last Christmas this weekend.  Noah Biorkman is dying of Neuroblastoma and his parents don't think he will make it to Christmas (click here to read the article on MLive).  People all over the world are sending cards to him and you can, too. Cards can be sent to: Noah Biorkman 1141 Fountain View Circle South Lyon, MI 48178 May Noah and his family enjoy a wonderful Christmas together.  I would like to thank  Rook No. 17 for posting Noah's story.  Even though the Biorkman family live an hour from my home, I hadn't been aware of their story until I read it on her blog.  My daughter and I will be making a card for Noah tomorrow.  Willoughby

When I get up in the morning, I have the mental capacity of a slug.  On weekdays, I get up around 5:00 a.m., but I don't start processing information until at least 5:45.   I have only partial hearing in one ear and I sleep like the dead, so my husband has to wake me when the alarm goes off. While he heads to the kitchen to start the coffee, I stagger into the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a shower.  I have to stick to autopilot at this point.  I always shampoo and then condition my hair, but if I start thinking about it, I get confused and can't remember if I've completed both steps.  I'll remember putting something in my hair, I just can't remember which one it was.  The water temperature can be an issue, too.  At 5:00 a.m., I just can't seem to remember whether to turn the lever to the left or the right if the water is too cold.  As long as I remain only semi conscious, autopilot knows to turn it to the lef...

Welcome to Willoughby's Blog Style Cocktail Party. I hope you will find some new blogs to follow and expand your circle of blog friends. I know you're all anxious to mingle, so I'll get right to it. I'd like to introduce Elvira from Magical Places On Tuscany's Coast .  I know you'll enjoy her blog as much as I do. A WARM WELCOME Tuscany's hill towns and countryside have enthralled inhabitants and visitors for centuries:  The golden light in the afternoon, the grape arbors and the rolling hillsides dotted with rustic farmhouses and villas. The sea, the very heart of this part of Tuscany, the Etruscan Coast; it is always with you.  It lives in it's history and in its landscape. It lights up the sunset; it pervades the air and offers wonderful views from the hills and villages. Living in this beautiful place with my Tuscan husband and my two boys and writing now about :  Beach-Style-Hideaways-Countryliving-Lifestyle ......who knows ... maybe...