Monday, August 24, 2020

We've Moved

 Hello, if you are here....thanks for coming....but remember we have a new website.


Please go to

www.onthecouchunderathrow.com


Can't wait to see you there.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Ready, set, move!

 Ok, pack your bags we are moving to the new site on Monday!!!

If you have this bookmarked, make sure you update to

www.onthecouchunderathrow.com

I hope to finish sprucing up our new home this weekend and I will be there to greet you on Monday morning!!!!


Let me show you another move I recently made


Y'all, when COVID hit and we left the office on March 13th, we all thought we'd be back in a couple of weeks.  Well five months later and we are still working from home. I finally went out and brought my plants home.  Aren't they pitiful.....but amazingly still alive........well sort of.


This peace lily


is 9 years old.  She was lush and full and gorgeous.  I have confidence she can make a comeback

This is actually a poinsettia.  



She's about 7 years old.  I am shocked that she's made it this long.  But I'll keep putting in the effort .

This orchid......


well.....I am not sure I have ever had the orchid touch but since she still has leaves, I am going to give her another go.

Now this next one actually looks the best of them all


I have had this plant for over 15 years.  It is called a goldfish plant because its blooms look like goldfish.  I feel like it is going to make it for sure.  I am going to give it a much needed re-potting.

Now this little fella


It is definitely the worst of the lot.  I'm not even sure what kind it is and we may never know again.  But I will give it some TLC and we will hope for the best.

I will report back on whether there is any success or not.

Hope you have a great weekend.  I will see you at the new website on Monday.


Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Keepers After the Pandemic

 First of all, thank you for all the sweet comments about the blog.  I appreciate you all being willing to pack your blog bags and move with me to our new website.  If you missed the announcement, go back and read Monday's post.    

I will keep you posted on when we will all move over!

But today I want to share a few things I hope we keep after the pandemic.


1) Sanitizing Shopping Carts - anyone else feel like maybe we should have been doing this all along?  Just feels like a good practice to wipe down a surface that the public has been touching all day.

2) I feel the same way about the frozen food door handles and the card readers.....let's keep up the cleaning on those

3) Giving everyone some personal space.  Honestly, have you ever been standing in the check out line with someone breathing down your neck and every step you take forward, they take a step forward.  I hope we keep those dots on the floor and can maintain a little personal space.

4) Staggered college move in/outs.  Yes, to not every college student with 18 plastic bins and 5 family members showing up on campus the same day.  Please, please can we keep this!

5) No waiting room at doctor/dentist visits.  How nice that we have figured out that you can show up for your appointment, go in, be seen and leave so the next person can arrive for their appointment.  It is a wonderful concept that I fully embrace.

6) Drive by birthday parties and showers.....I don't mind them.....I really don't

7) Being home more.  I think we may have all over done the being busy thing.  It has been nice cutting back on the running around to something all the time.  I may need a new sofa more often....but I feel it is a good trade off.


Have you found some things that you would like to keep too?

I think we all have.  See you back on Friday!

Monday, August 17, 2020

Welcome to Monday

 Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We had a busy but good one.  Still lots to do, but a lot of progress was made.

I mentioned an announcement on Friday that I would have for you this week.

Well we are moving......not me personally.....all of us on this blog.  When I started this blog a little over 3 years ago I wasn't sure if or how long I would last.  I honestly wasn't sure if anyone would tune in to read and if I would have enough to say.  I am humbled and honored that you guys show up here.  This creative outlet has turned out to be such a blessing to me.  And it would mean absolutely nothing without each of you ..... a BIG thank you to each of you.  Since I wasn't sure about our longevity I started out on a free blogger platform.  But now that I think we are here to stay....I have purchased the domain which means no one else can be called On the Couch Under a Throw! And we are going to be a real dot com very soon!!!

If you go and look at www.onthecouchunderathrow.com, you will see a Coming Soon!!!

And it really is coming soon.  Many of you subscribe, so you will continue to get the blog sent to your email.  But I know some of you just pop in so you will need to eventually change the address you type in.  I will let you know when we officially pack our bags and make the move.

Right now we are in the process of moving over all 500 plus blog posts to the website and making it nice and pretty.  Hopefully, this will make searching things easier, leaving comments easier, hopefully everything will be easier.

I am very excited to make everything better and better for you all!

Just a quick little note of a find we had over the weekend.  Huntsville now has a Crumbl Cookies and we gave them a try



We tried an oatmeal chocolate chunk, a rocky road, a sugar and a pina colada.

They were all good.  They are a pretty good size so we all cut a piece from each and sampled them all.

If you need a quarantine treat.....here you go.

Have a wonderful week!!!


Thursday, August 13, 2020

Coming Soon

 Short and simple post this week because I am off working feverishly on a BIG announcement for next week.


So wishing you all a great weekend.  Stay safe, stay cool.....and wish me luck for bringing this across the finish line and having it ready to roll out to you next week.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

August Gift Guide

 Are you in need of a gift this month? Well let's do some gift shopping.......


If you need a gift for the beauty lover, check out this beauty bag

Relavel Travel Makeup Train Case Makeup Cosmetic Case Organizer Portable Artist Storage Bag with Adjustable Dividers for Cosmetics Makeup Brushes Toiletry Jewelry Digital Accessories Black

Rosmax Beauty Bag is the perfect organizer for the friend (or you) who has a lot of products to organize.


If you need a home gift, try the 

Echo Show - I think the quarantine has made this even a more fun thing to own.  

You know what else we have needed while spending more time in our homes?

This 

iPhone Charger YOKERSU Nylon Braided Lightning Cable Fast Charging 2Pack 6FT Data Sync Transfer Cord with Port Plug Wall Charger(ETL Listed)Compatible with iPhone XS Max/XS/XR/X/8/7/6S/6/Plus/SE/iPad

Extended Charging cord and it's this month's idea for the guys on your list.

For kids on your list consider this


This paracord comes in several different color options and will be perfect to help carry around that hydroflask.

And lastly for that girlfriend who has a birthday this month

Apple Watch band......this one comes in several color choices, but I think this pink would be fun to give.


Hope that gives you some great ideas for you or a friend.

See you back on Friday!

Monday, August 10, 2020

July Book Review

Welcome to this month's book review.  Three good books for you this month.  It was a decent month with three good reads.  Let's get started

First up, 
A Good Marriage by [Kimberly McCreight]


A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight.  Essentially, there are a whole bunch of couples who interact with each other because of their kids, their jobs or mutual relationships.  Each admires one thing or another about the other's marriages.  But they all have hidden secrets, checkered pasts and some weird quirks.  When one of the moms is killed in her own home, the investigation will bring a lot of those things to light.  It is a twisted tale of connections that have all gone awry.  

Next up


The Light Over London by Julia Kelly.  I really enjoyed this one.  An estate sale leads to the discovery of a small box and journal.  This find identifies a small town girl who becomes one of the women helping with the war effort.  She has good friends, meets and marries who she thinks is her dream guy, and learns a lot about herself and about her misjudgment of other people. It has love, loss, more love.....an enjoyable read.

Lastly, this month



All Adults Here by Emma Straub.  Well the title says it all.  This family which consist of a mom and two adult sons and one adult daughter are making their way through life and encountering absolutely everything that could possible come up.  This is not a morally upright read, so just be prepared.  However, it is not overly descriptive in a graphic way.  I always need a character or two to resonate with and pull for.  This book has that, so I was able to enjoy the read. And it gave me an appreciation for those I call family.

Hope you are reading some good stuff too. 

Make it a great week!

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Nordstrom Anniversary sale - differently

This time of year we are normally putting on matching t-shirts, grabbing bottled water and cereal bars and heading into Nordstrom for a full day of shopping.  Although the store in Nashville is open, we are just doing some online shopping.  So while we won't be creating chaos in the stores, we will be burning up the internet.  We have been previewing the sale for the last week and making selections.  As soon as things start arriving we will be sure to show you some try ons and let you know what we loved.

At first glance, here are some items that have caught our eye
BP. Faux Fur Sleeping Bag, Main, color, IVORY


If you have a young girl on your list, I am in love with this faux fur sleeping bag
I would like this now and would have loved it as a little girl.  It is by BP and will be under $60 during the sale.

And I am loving these work clothes
BP. Jogger Pants, Main, color, IVORY EGRET SPOT LEOPARD

BP. Cozy Top, Main, color, IVORY EGRET SPOT LEOPARD 

Ok, they may be listed as lounge wear, but let's face it, they are now work clothes these days.  These are also by BP and come in 7 or so different color options.

I also really love this
TORY BURCH Carson Leather Tote, Main, color, BLACK

This is the Tory Burch Carson Tote.  It is normally over $500 but during the sale it will be under $300.  Still a splurge item, but less of a splurge.

And I am really liking this Steve Madden white sneaker
STEVE MADDEN Charlie Platform Sneaker, Alternate, color, WHITE

It will be under $50.

The sale will go live for cardholders on August 13th, live for everyone else on August 19th.  We hope to have some of our items delivered and ready to show you by then.

I have 29 items in my cart right now.....hopefully, many will be winners.  Buckle in, ladies, we are heading into sale mode.


Monday, August 3, 2020

Worship Focus - August

Yes, it is amazingly August.  And so today we roll out a new focus of Worship.  I have enjoyed our word for 2020 being Worship because there is absolutely no circumstance that we can find ourselves in that the Worship of our God is not only appropriate, but necessary.  While 2020 continues to flex its surprises and challenges.....we continue to stay on course....to Worship.

Here's our focus verse for the month of August


Literally, everything that we know has been turned upside down.  Simple things like gathering with friends, going to the grocery store, schools and  working all look very different now.  Even our church services look different.

But God continues to show us His faithfulness, His sovereignty, His majesty through the skies.  I don't know if I have ever noticed so many beautiful sunsets and the night skies......well they always leave us in awe.  We have seen so many rainbows.....so many reminders that God is God.  And with all that is going on I am thankful for this constant.


Encouraging you today to to join with the skies in proclaiming the wonderful works of God.  Encouraging you to pause in the evening and admire the masterful display He provides for us each night.


His creation continues to praise Him and so will we.


Each month I select a winner from the those subscribed to the blog for one person to win their very own WORSHIP bracelet.




This month's winner is 
Debbie B. !!!!!
Debbie I will send your bracelet to you in the mail.  Thanks for reading along with us here.

Have a wonderful month of Woship and a great week!

Friday, July 31, 2020

National Friendship Day - Sunday

Anyone else missing their friends, the gatherings, the hanging out, the in person conversations?  Well Sunday can be your day!  This Sunday is


Friendship Day in 2020/2021 - When, Where, Why, How is Celebrated?
Photo credit: holidayscalendar.com

Maybe through some virtual platform or email or text you can take the opportunity this weekend to reconnect or at least check in on each other.

We may not be able to visit in each other's homes or even share a meal at a restaurant BUT we are going to have to find new, innovative ways to keep those connections.

It has been really fun to watch my daughter and her friends actually write letters to each other this summer......way to go girls!

Maybe this celebration of National Friendship Day will be just the prompt we need to send some love to special folks in our lives.

Please allow me to be the first to say to all of you

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY!!!!!

Thanks for staying connected with me here.

Have a wonderful weekend.


Wednesday, July 29, 2020

If Walls Could Talk.....

We've all heard the expression....if walls could talk....well maybe they do.  I have said before I am a huge word person which, of course, is why I enjoy a good book and detest a bad one.  I also really like word art because it is good way to put out a positive message.

So what are your walls saying about you?  Lots of my walls are saying....zzzzzzzzzz (totally boring).  But a few walls are speaking exactly like I want them to.

Here is a canvas I had made for our bedroom




It is kind of the hinge-pin of marriage, right and we thought it would always be a good reminder to us.

I used this company Great Big Canvas. You can create a canvas in the size and color you want with any wording you want.  So if you have a favorite scripture or quote it is a good way to get that done for your walls.

This is what we call our memory wall.


It is in our breakfast area.  It also has a scripture canvas.  We decided on this scripture as a family and had it made.  We also have several momentos from different trips - a photo from Hawaii, a cross from Italy, a wooden G from Magnolia in Waco, a starfish from Nantucket.  I also have a painted pictures of a couple of cows in honor of my dad.  He always raised cows as I was growing up and I spent a many a day in the pasture with him.  It always gives me a smile when I see those cows.  The tree is for my mom because she loves trees and can always spot an unusual one or pretty one.  I have to say I don't notice enough, but I am always amazed when she says look at that tree and sure enough it is a beautiful creation that I almost missed.  And my resident artist painted the simple grace we all grew up saying on a canvas for me. This has been a fun wall to add to.

I shared with you guys here about the inspirational wall we did in the hall bathroom



And I found this sign at Sugarboo and Co. and it is what we see as we exit our house every day.

It may be hard to read in the picture, but it says "Your day will go the way the corners of your mouth turn". I thought it was perfect to read going in and out of our house.

See you back on Friday!

Monday, July 27, 2020

Wrapped and Ready

Well July 25th was quite successful.  We started the day with a little Christmas breakfast


Ham and cheese quiche and some blueberry muffins from Publix.  I prepped everything for the quiche the night before and got up about an hour before everyone and popped them in the oven.

Then I got all the fixins in the slowcooker for our traditional chili.  Fortunately, our baker was on duty and she made about 6 sour dough loaves to contribute to the day.

We pulled out all the tables, the supplies and got busy


QVC was kind enough to be selling Christmas stuff all day so we tuned in......and only ordered a few things.
By five o'clock we had wrapped about 200 presents


This year was a little different.  I always do 12 days of Christmas for my daughter and her college roommates.  Usually it is a fun little treat for them all because they are leading up to finals and who doesn't need a present to open every day leading up to finals.  But the college has decided finals will be over when they come home for Thanksgiving.  There are 4 girls so I normally wrap 4 of the same items in one box, but this year I wrapped each girl's items individually.  They will each take all 12 of their presents home with them and they can zoom or Facetime to open them.   Anyone else already planning on virtual Christmas celebrations.......yeah, we are hoping not but planning just in case.

I always get a lot of questions about storage of all these wrapped presents.  Here's how we make that a success

1) tiny packages all go in a storage bin with a lid for easy storage
2) Use quality boxes.  Good quality boxes will stack nicely and not cave in or smush
3) Carefully stack the packages from heaviest to lightest
4) Stack in a Jenga fashion.  You all know the Jenga game, right? 
Amazon.com: Jenga Game Wooden Blocks Stacking Tumbling Tower Kids Game Ages  6 and Up (Amazon Exclusive): Toys & Games
Well that is exactly how I stack the boxes.  One layer going one direction, the next layer turned in the opposite direction. 
5) I have one closet in my house that is truly the gift closet.  All my gift wrap supplies are here.  I have talked about my Elfa organizing system before.


All the gifts I buy through the year are stored here as they wait to be wrapped.  Once wrapped they go right back into the same closet.




When it is time to put up the trees, we will pull out the presents, put on ribbons and embellishments and we are ready to go!

Thanks to you all for sending me sweet Merry Christmas messages on Saturday and all the nice comments.  Nothing makes Christmas better than enjoying it with friends!!!

Wishing you a great week!

Friday, July 24, 2020

Getting Ready

Short and sweet today, girls, because tomorrow is a big day.....


And you know what that means.....

We will be watching Christmas movies

We will be wearing fuzzy PJs

We will be eating chili

We will be WRAPPING CHRISTMAS GIFTS!!!!

That's right, we will be dragging out all the bins and we will be surprised by some of the things we find that we don't even remember buying.  I got a new shipment of boxes. We are fully stocked in tissue paper and tape.
And all this quarantine time has given me more online shopping hours.  I am probably 95% done with all my shopping this year.

It is going to be great!!!
I'll give you a full report next week.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend too.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

My Latest Netflix

I am a bit of a multitasker.  I am watching or listening to something while cooking, cleaning the kitchen, folding laundry, writing blog posts......So I have spent quite a bit of time with Netflix.  It is challenging though because I do hate bad entertainment.  And then if I start watching something bad it still shows up in my "continue watching" section. I can't tell you how much that annoys me.  So if anyone knows how to fix that, please let me know.

But here are some shows I started and actually liked
First up

The Boy who Harnessed the Wind' is memorizing and worthwhile – Tribal  Tribune

This is an absolutely beautiful story.  Of course, it is based on a true story which makes it even more intense.  We watched this as a family and it was so good.  It is a movie so you don't have to get invested in multiple episodes.  Highly, highly recommend this one.

Next up

The Stranger | Netflix Official Site

The Stranger.  Now this one is suspenseful and does involve several episodes.  The writers of this should be crowned the king and queens of cliff hangers.  At the end of every episode I wanted to immediately watch the next one.  I was literally guessing all the way through.  I watched this one solo.  There is nothing too graphic in it but it is slightly dark and does have some violence in it, but no more than a Law or Order show.  I enjoyed this series.

On a much lighter note

The Single Wives - Home | Facebook

This is an Australian Show about four ladies who are either divorced or widowed and looking for new love.  I watched this one solo too.  But it turns out that it was not very grabby, overly physical.  I cannot watch most dating shows.  Two thumbs up to Australia for having a reasonable about of decorum in producing a dating show.  I was invested in these ladies and cheered for some of them and cringed at one of them.  I was definitely interested right through to the last episode.....and a little surprised by the conclusion which is also good.

This next one may be my favorite

Say I Do season 1 review - be ready to be swooned | Ready Steady Cut

These are all couples that have some interesting history together.  They are thrown a surprise wedding by these three
TV Roundup: Netflix Announces 'Say I Do' Premiere Date (Watch) - Variety

That's Jeremiah Brent who takes care of the venue and decor, Thai Nguyen who takes care of the attire and Chef Gabriele Bertaccini who takes care of the food.  The stories are so personal and they make the ceremonies very specialized to the couple.  Fair warning, if you are a crier you might want to get some kleenex ready with your popcorn.  These are such touching stories.  We are only up to episode 5 in this one but I don't mind it being in my "continue to watch" section.....because I actually plan to finish it.
I do love a sweet love story.

Send me suggestions.....I need them.

Monday, July 20, 2020

Recent Amazon Buys

Amazon and I have always had a good relationship, but we may be corresponding with each other even more lately.  Today I thought I would share with you a few of the standouts I have ordered, tried and fallen in love with

We burn a lot of candles around here and we are always hunting for one of those disposable lighters that will actually work.  So we ordered this

RONXS Lighter
It is a USB rechargeable lighter.  No more clicking to no avail. It plugs right in and charges right up.  We have really enjoyed having it.  It does not produce a flame.  It produces more of a spark but that spark lights everything just like a flame.  It also has a safety switch.  This has been one of our best buys lately.

I also needed some spray bottles.  We have been trying to cut down on all the bottles of stuff we recycle.  Honestly, our recycle pickup used to be every week and now it is once a month.  We are big recyclers, but we fill that bin up quickly.  So I grabbed these

Glass Spray Bottles

These were packaged super nicely and are very good quality.  The first thing I mixed was some Young Living Thieves Essential Oil cleanser.  We kept one bottle on the main floor and put the other on the second floor.  The counter tops in this house have never been so happy.

I showed you these the other day
Spice Jars

If you missed the post with all those details, just click here.  I just ordered my second set to finish out all my spices.  I have been grabbing these and cooking with them and they are performing wonderfully.

The last thing for today is these
E-Cloths

We have found these to be quite good in cleaning mirrors and glass.

Now as you can imagine we've had several other boxes delivered and I am in the process of giving them all a go right now.  If any other products rise to the top, I will be sure to report back here.

I have been bonding like crazy with Netflix too.  On Wednesday I will share what good things I have found there.

Have a wonderful week!


Friday, July 17, 2020

"Indoor Camping"


You all know I am not an outdoor kind of girl, but I do like a good s'more.  I ordered this little guy

FLÃŽKR Fire2 - Simplified Ambience


It is a little personalized fireplace.  It is Cement, sits on a quartz base and the fuel is isopropyl alcohol. The best part is it generates a food safe flame so you can make smores on the kitchen table

We lit it up and gave it a try.


And the results were just lovely


It is really a fun little thing.  Of course, you can use it outside as well.....you know if you are in to that kind of thing.

Have a great weekend.  See you back on Monday.

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Cookbooks and Recipes to Try

I have mentioned before that I read a cookbook like a novel.  I enjoy sifting through the pages and deciding new ones to try.  This is the new Joanna Gaines cookbook that my girls gifted me for Mother's Day

Magnolia Table, Volume 2

We have loved making so many things from the first cookbook.  This second volume is just as good.
We cooked up this pasta dish



It was supposed to have some fancy pasta, but that was not on the pandemic grocery shelves, so we just used good old fashioned spaghetti.  To say this was delicious would be an absolute understatement.  My goodness was it good.  A great sauce, pancetta and peas......so good.

The newest Pioneer Woman Cookbook is also a great one
The New Fontier
There are so many good recipes in the book and so many pictures.  She did a picture of just about every step not just the finished product.  We made this for breakfast




It is her Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole.....there's frozen tater tots, sausage, cheese and all kinds of other goodness.  The good news is you can assemble it the night before.  I put it in the oven while we watched virtual church and it was hot and ready for our post service brunch.  I will definitely be making this one again.

This last cookbook, I think I have shown you before.....but I absolutely love it
A Place at the Table
Even if  you don't cook you would enjoy this book.  It has wonderful stories all throughout.  If you do cook, you'll be glad because it has some really good recipes too.  We made this





It is a Mexican dip that you serve with tortilla chips.  The base of this is cream cheese.....enough said....what can wrong when you start with cream cheese? Add in some green chiles, ground beef and other great deliciousness and you have a real winner.

Love all three of these books and the dishes we are cooking up from them.

If you are cooking more these days, give one of these or all of these books a try.