Renew your spirit with winter decorations

Shortly before Thanksgiving, Bo and I put up our holiday tree and some winter* decorations.

I usually like to wait until after Thanksgiving (truthfully, I prefer to wait until December), but we wanted the munchkins to be able to help and enjoy the decorations, and since they went back to Monty right after Thanksgiving, it just worked out better this way.

I like having winter decorations out. I love this time of year. People are happier, kinder, and much more compassionate. People are taking action to make a positive impact on the world around them. People are more optimistic about life and society.

It's a good time of year.

I wish more people would carry the spirit of these holidays with them through the rest of the year. Think how wonderful our world would be if people made an effort to be compassionate and generous every day instead of just once a year?** What if people focused on bringing light to other people's lives instead of bringing "stuff" into their own lives?

Sometime in January our decorations will come down. Our winter tree will be put away until next Thanksgiving, the ornaments packed away in a bin. But this January, I will be making a conscious effort to keep the joy and excitement that comes with those decorations in my heart through the rest of the year.

You don't need lights up around your home to be a light to the people around you!






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*Since our holiday celebrations are secular, I prefer to think of our decorations as for the season rather than for the holidays. Not only does that keep traditional religious decorations out of the equation, but it means I can keep them out a bit longer, which makes me happy.

**I know there are people who are kind and compassionate and generous all year round. That's one thing that I'm working on in myself in an effort to live a more holistic lifestyle. But I'm speaking in generalities for the purposes of this post.

Summer cleaning

Tink likes to help clean. Usually.

I have found that when my home is clean and organized and smells good, I am at peace, happier, and more productive in the office. I do regular cleaning throughout the week to keep the house in order, but every once in a while, I feel the need to do a full, deep-clean of the entire apartment to get the house "back to ready."

I didn't do any spring cleaning this year. I intended to take a few days and deep-clean the apartment when the weather warmed up, but life got in the way, so it didn't happen.

Over the next two weeks I'm going to be doing summer cleaning instead.

In a little over a week, Yvaine is taking the munchkins and I on a little weekend trip, and I want to have the deep-cleaning done before we go. That way, the apartment will be nice and clean when we get back into town after the trip.

The apartment is clean, but there are things that I've been meaning to work on that haven't gotten done, and get ready for the shift in our lives that will occur in August when the munchkins come home to me. It will be a good way to start our autumn.

Do you do seasonal deep-cleaning?

My Daily Schedule

When you work from home, no matter the industry or field, finding a balance between your work and home life is imperative. It can be easy to let your work self get distracted by things at home (TV, Internet, laundry, etc.) or let your home self get distracted by work (emails, phone calls, articles, etc.). Many people find they either procrastinate terribly, or they never close their office. Neither is healthy.

Finding balance is something I've been working on for a long time, and I'm finally feeling comfortable in where I am. The key for me has been building a schedule that includes home and work tasks throughout the day. This enables me to get everything done I need to for work, but gives me the breaks I need to get home tasks done, as well. Since that's the way I have my schedule set up, I can be comfortable walking away from work when it's time to clean, and I can be comfortable walking away from house work when it's time to work.

You can see my detailed daily schedule here.

How do you balance your home and work life? Do you find yourself drawn more to one or the other?

Your Coffee Kitchen

When I got married, one of my favorite things to do (you know, besides actually getting married) was starting our bridal registry. Wandering through the store with our little scanning gun let us think about exactly what we wanted in our home, and for me, the most important room was the kitchen. And the first place I went, scanner in hand, was the coffee makers.

For anyone who wants to make good coffee at home, the tools used are important. From the coffee maker to the grinder to the beans, you should make sure every item in your coffee kitchen meets your coffee needs.

Your Coffee Grinder
A coffee grinder is not necessary in a coffee kitchen (you can purchase coffee grounds instead of beans), but I recommend grinding your own beans prior to brewing your coffee. Ground coffee stales more quickly than beans, which alters the flavor of the brewed coffee. If you've never had freshly ground and brewed coffee, you probably won't notice a difference, but those who drink fresh coffee know how quickly the grinds go stale, even when stored carefully.

When selecting a grinder, you have to decide how much control you want over the grinding of your coffee. Some grinders allow you to just pour in some beans, push a button, and grounds appear. Others allow you to select how coarsely or finely the beans are ground.

Gourmet Coffee Zone has a good explanation of the different kinds of grinder available that can give you information about what kind of grinder best suits your coffee needs.

Your Coffee Maker
Before you go to a store and buy the biggest, fanciest coffee maker that can be programmed to make coffee at the same time every morning with pods of pre-measured coffee that even adds your preferred sweetener to the cup before your alarm clock even goes off, you should decide what kind of coffee-drinker you are. After all, if all you consume is that morning cup with your eggs, you probably don't need a coffee maker that can make twenty cups at once. Conversely, if you're one of those coffee-drinkers that uses a thermos for each "cup" that's kept filled all day, you probably don't want a French press or coffee maker that brews one cup at a time.

Once you determine the size of your coffee maker, you should decide how much control you want over the brewing of your coffee. Are you a coffee drinker that wants to simply pour in the grounds and water, push a button and walk away? Or do you want to be able to decide exactly how long the water runs through the grounds, and at what pressure? This decision will also help tailor your coffee kitchen.

This article at Facts on Coffee will give you some good information on selecting a coffee maker, as well as this article on different stlyes of coffee makers.

Remember: the coffee you make at home is in your hands! You have decide what you want out of your coffee kitchen, then make the product choices that best meet those needs. Make sure you find out all you can about the different products available, then make an informed decision.

And once you get everything home, cleaned, and set up, enjoy your coffee!

How to Make Coffee at Home

When someone says the phrase "a good cup of coffee," do you think of your favorite Italian restaurant? Starbucks? That little coffee bar around the corner? Home?



When I hear that phrase, I immediately think of a strong cup of coffee from an indie hole-in-the-wall coffee house I used to know, and wish I could replicate it at home. I'm making progress, of course, but whenever I bring up the idea of an espresso machine at home, my husband raises and eyebrow and turns away. I guess the one I want just isn't practical in our one-bedroom apartment (but so pretty!). So I'm having to adapt my coffee desires with the limitations of not living in a fully-functional coffee house.



Though I don't have one (yet), I think one of the best ways to make a great cup of coffee at home is with a French Press. It's easier to control the strength of the coffee, the temperature of the water, and how much coffee is made over a traditional coffee maker.* It would work out much better for me since my husband doesn't drink coffee--I can make just enough for me and have considerably less waste.



If you would like to use a French Press, I do want to let you know it's easier than you may think. True, it's a bit more involved than scooping coffee into a filter, filling the resevoir and pushing a button, but it's less involved than a manual espresso machine, too. So here's how it works:

1. Grind your coffee beans in a burr grinder. You should only grind enough for the coffee you're making at the time since ground coffee stales faster than beans. When you grind the coffee, your grinder setting should be a little coarser than the setting for a traditional coffee maker.
2. Pour your coffee grinds into the French press. You should use approximately two level tablespoons for every six ounces of water.
3. Boil water on your stove, then take the water off the heat for about five minutes. This will allow the water to get to the proper temperature (195-205 degrees).
4. Pour enough water over the beans to wet them, and allow them to expand a little.
5. Pour the rest of the water over the grinds and stir.
6. Place the plunger over the press to retain the heat, but don't press it down yet. Let the coffee brew for three or four minutes (or longer once you figure out how strong you like your coffee in a French press).
7. Push the plunger down slowly. This pushes the grinds to the bottom (under the plunger) and the brewed coffee to the top.
8. Pour your coffee.
9. Add sugar and/or cream to taste, and enjoy!
10. Be sure to clean your French press completely after each use!

It's as simple as that! Enjoy!




*NOTE: If you do use a traditional coffee maker, be sure it's one that boils the water before pouring it over the coffee grinds or a drip-style coffee maker. If the water isn't hot enough when it's poured over the grinds, your coffee will be bitter instead of rich and delicious. (Don't say I didn't warn you!)