You are here: Home / Archives for Home Sweet Home

30 family activities that don’t require electricity

October 28, 2012 by · 6 Comments
If you are without power for an extended amount of time, what to do? Certainly frustrating, but here are 30 ideas of things to do that will hopefully keep the kids happier and make the time go by quicker. And of course there is carving pumpkins, highly seasonal though!

Read books (yourself)
Read books to your kids
Read magazines
Play cards
Play board games
Scrapbooking
Write letters to family and friends
Mani/Pedi for yourself and your daughters
Go for a walk
Brush your cat/dog
Organize your drawers and cabinets
Clean out your closet
Do puzzles
Knitting or crocheting or cross stitch
Balance your checkbook, clean out papers and office stuff
Clip and organize coupons
Tend to your indoor plants (pruning, etc.)
Sit and do nothing (when was last time you did that?)
Organize your pantry
Tell stories to each other (come up with prompts like “My favorite holiday last year was … because…)
Play-doh or clay
Painting or watercolor
Paper mache
Decoupage
Stretching/yoga
Clean out your purse
Organize your list of cell phone contacts-add, update, delete
Crossword puzzles, word find, sudoku
The kids’ homework or studying
Sewing-mend items, fix buttons, etc.

lightbulb

Filed Under: Home Sweet Home Tagged With:

5 things you need to do for storm preparation #Frankenstorm

October 26, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Here are 5 things that you probably haven’t done yet, that you need to do. Hurricane Sandy isn’t supposed to hit until Sunday, so you still have time.

SEE ALSO: What you really need to purchase for Frankenstorm.

1. Grab your phone or video camera and film what you own. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes and will serve as proof as to what you own. Even if you don’t live in a flood plain, you may have  a tree fall on your house or who knows what else.

2. Grab a note pad and pen and quickly document everything you own of significant value. Say $50 or $100 or more.

3. Look at your policy and see what your deductible is. Add anything big that you own. Call them or email them today!

4. Find your insurance company phone number and program it into your phone.

5. Have your cameras and video cameras charged and ready to go. If you do have storm damage, film it is as soon as you can, then you’ll have video record of it and can begin cleanup.

Remind yourself, that while you want to recover whatever financial losses you can … that things are just things … and that it’s people and love and family that really count!

Click to see all the NBC 10 coverage. And, safety first!

Filed Under: Home Sweet Home Tagged With: ,

The big east coast Frankenstorm~what you really need to prepare (with printable checklist)

October 26, 2012 by · 2 Comments
Apparently we are expecting the storm of all storms in a few days. It has earned the term Frankenstorm. Cool huh? So while you’ll see lots of articles telling you to go get bottled water and fill up your car with gas, here’s what I think are essentials if you are going to be stuck in the house with your family for a few days. For most of us, it should hopefully be nothing more than some down time, stuck inside. So let’s make the most of it. Starting with this. Because you don’t expect me to be sober the entire time, do you? (kidding!)
SEE ALSO: 5 tasks you need to do before the storm!

I’m a wine gal myself, but some prefer beer.

And if you don’t have birth control on hand, go get some. Seriously. Didn’t you know that many big storms are followed by a mini baby boom about 40 weeks later? True story.

Yes, this really is what people are doing when they are stuck inside together.

I also like to have lots of comfort food in the house. I make big breakfasts, I bake cookies and cakes.

Because baking cookies with your kids is fun. Really.

And because any good Pennsylvanian will tell you, as soon as you hear the word “storm” you feel the urge to buy:

milk eggs and bread

Why is this a storm staple?

Whatever your vice is, coffee, tea, soda … make sure you have plenty of it.

coffee beans, coffee mug

Because I can’t think of much that is more painful that being stuck in the house with two active boys … and I’m out of caffeine!

 

If you don’t have Netflix or something like that–

Get one or two for yourself and for the kids.

Why am I showing this? If you can get to a dollar store, go. Get a few toys for each kid and hide them. Use them as bribes as necessary.

Also if you have time, swing by the library and get yourself a good book or two or more. And pick up movies if you want, usually cheaper than Redbox.

It’s sort of the same as comfort food, but I like to have the house stocked with plenty of junk food, for all the movie watching.

Too much junk food? Not possible!

You probably won’t need to buy these, you probably already have some on hand. But now here’s your chance to do family game night.

Trashy magazines are an indulgence of mine.

And because…you can only be a lump on a couch reading trashy magazines and eating junk food for so long…before you will get the urge to accomplish something, right? So think about what project you’ve been wanting to do, and take this down time as an opportunity to do it. Get your Christmas cards addressed, get your entire holiday season planned out as far as budget and spending, clean out a closet or two, finish a cross stitch project…there’s lots to be done, right? n

On a serious note–yes, you should have bottled water, batteries, candles, medications, firewood, flashlights, radios, a full tank of gas, dry goods and a working can opener. Check on elderly family, neighbors and shut-ins to make sure they are taken care of. I know that I also need to make sure that our gutters are clear and that our shopvac and sump pump are in good working condition, as I expect water in the basement. :( Hunker down, relax and stay safe everyone! And here’s a checklist for you:

Water for 5 days
Batteries for all flashlights and radios
Lighters and candles
Firewood moved to dry spot
All your cleaning rags and utility towels ready and in accessible spot for cleanup
Juice boxes/Gatorade-other non perishable drinks
Horizon milk boxes
paper towels
cleaning supplies
medications for 7 days
checked neighbors and relatives
liquor store run
non perishable food items (PB&J)
trash bags
checked all draining and gutters
all outdoors stuff moved indoors, so it won’t blow around
ice
ready made infant formula, if you need it
books, magazines, activities that don’t require electricity
PECO and other phone numbers programmed into phone
make contact for place to go, in case you are evacuated
 diapers and wipes
 clean clothes for everyone
disposable dinner ware & baby bottles, if you can’t do dishes
 test sump pump (put bucket of water in it, see if it kicks on)
 check trees for loose branches, take care of now if you can
have a plan for what’s in your freezer if power is out for extended amount of time
food/meds for pets, plans if you have to evacuate

Filed Under: Home Sweet Home Tagged With:

{recipe} a better green bean casserole + Pinterest blog hop

October 25, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

I’m in the process of starting to think and plan for holiday meals. But, since there is still plenty of time to modify menus and shop, I thought maybe you’d want to share some of your favorite recipes.

Here’s a new one I’m going to try. It’s a different twist on green bean casserole. Yes, the easy side dish that is often served at Thanksgiving and other holiday meals.  I loathe the regular one with the mushroom soup. But both beef tenderloin and ham (things I often serve at Christmas) go well with green beans, so I’m always on the hunt for green bean recipes. I was cleaning out a kitchen drawer today & came across a recipe card with this on it. I swear I’ve been carrying this recipe card around, moving it from house to house, for almost 20 years. I vaguely remember getting this pack of cards in the mail, in the early 1990s!

Holiday Recipe Blog Hop~share yours! New kind of green bean casserole
 

Print

Prep time

Cook time

Total time

 

An easy twist on an old favorite, adds some variety to this classic holiday side dish recipe.
Author:
Recipe type: side dish, vegetable
Cuisine: American, budget friendly
Serves: 8

Ingredients
  • · 1½ tablespoons butter
  • · 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • · 1½ cups milk
  • · 3 to 4 teaspoons dry ranch-style salad dressing mix
  • · ¼ to ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • · 1 cup chopped onion
  • · 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • · 1½ cups sliced fresh mushrooms (I’ll be skipping this part, ironically. I live in the mushroom capital of the world & HATE them!)
  • · 1¼ pounds fresh green beans, cooked until crisp-tender
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, toasted OR
  • French’s fried onions

Instructions
  1. · To make white sauce, melt butter in small saucepan over low heat.
  2. Stir in flour; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  3. Using wire whisk, stir in milk; bring to a boil.
  4. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened.
  5. Stir in dressing mix and white pepper; set aside.
  6. · Preheat oven to 350F.
  7. Spray medium skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.
  8. Remove half of onion mixture; set aside.
  9. Add mushrooms to onion mixture remaining in skillet and cook about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
  10. Combine mushroom mixture, green beans and white sauce in 1½-quart casserole.
  11. Combine bread crumbs with reserved onion mixture; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Notes
This is easy to double and triple, and much of the work can be done ahead of time.

 



Filed Under: Food & Recipes Tagged With: ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »