Berry Season! How to Wash and Store

Nothing makes me happier than when the first berry starts to change color! A magical aroma fills the air and assures me that sunshine days are ahead. It is my favorite thing to pick the first berry of the season with the sun on back!

However when I bring them inside, I can see they are typically covered with dirt. I can't put my head in the sand and tell myself they were cleaned in processing and at the store. I know where these berries are from; the gross dirt from my yard. 

But that isn't going to stop me from enjoying the kick off to summer and from making amazing bakes with my homegrown berries. I have been able to find a way that fully cleans the berries and helps them last longer in the fridge. You've spent all that time taking care of the berry bushes in your yard, you are not going to let these precious gems go to waste! 

Here are the steps to take to help you enjoy them to the fullest: 

1. Fill a large bowl with 4 cups of water and a 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar Add the berries and slow mix them around with your hand, removing the dirt and excess "stuff." There is a science behind why we use vinegar, and if you really, really want to know check out this article. Let the berries soak for at least 5 minutes. 

2. Using a colander, remove the berries from the water and rinse. Make sure to rinse well to remove any excess vinegar so you can't taste it. 

3. For the softer berries, place them out on a towel, but if they are sturdier like blueberries or strawberries you can use a salad spinner to dry. 

4. Then line an air-tight container with paper towels and add the berries. I leave one corner up to stop condensation from collecting and causing mold.

What to Do on NYE

New Years is one of those holidays that I can’t decide whether I love it or hate it. It largely depends on how I set my expectations. If I build it up to be this big holiday, watch too many movies with NYE celebrations in them, or daydream about the holiday too much, then it turns to be a big letdown. You mean I don't have a 100-foot yacht and enough money for my own personal fireworks show?!? It’s no wonder that the holiday turns to be a letdown when I expect it to be as grand as all of that.

Oddly enough, when I have no plans or expectations, it turns out to be the best NYE ever. One particular NYE, my husband and I got off a 9 hour flight and were going to take a quick nap before heading out to his mom's to have a low key night. Well, falling asleep at 3 pm seemed okay, but when we woke up at 9:00 we were scrambling.

We hadn't called, made any food, and felt horrible about oversleeping. We called the first restaurant that we thought might be open, asked his mom to meet us there, and drove 80 on the highway. We made it with 1 hour till midnight and agreed that “whatever happens, happens”, because we were just grateful we didn't completely oversleep!

It turned out to be the most fun and closest I had been to being on a boat for NYE. The restaurant had a live band that played Auld Lang Syne at midnight, the food was amazing, and the staff was so friendly. Now this did come with a cost and it wasn't a cheap night by any means, but reminded me that sometimes low expectations are the best when it comes to planning.

So how do you go about this? It’s important to keep in mind what matters most to you. Is it saving money? Being surrounded by people? Not being surrounded by people? Getting s#$*face drunk and throwing up on your neighbor’s fence? You would be surprised, but that could be someone's idea of a great NYE. While I probably don't have much advice on the last question, or want to get involved in a neighborly dispute, I can help with the others!

Save Money

• Find a Groupon to a restaurant: If you plan ahead and check the fine print, a Groupon can be a great option for having a fun NYE while saving some mula. My husband and I discovered our favorite Italian restaurant this way! We had no plans for NYE except to buy a car for my husband, and when we were done, we were starving and slightly angry (aka, hangry). We pulled up a Groupon, called the restaurant, and headed that way for a fantastic meal! We were so full afterwards, that going home and watching the fireworks on TV seemed perfectly acceptable. Now this doesn't have to be for a meal, maybe it’s for a bowling alley or brewery in the area. Take a look at what Groupon has and plan a fun evening. 

• Game Night with Friends: Invite a select few of friends over for an ole fashion game night! Keeping it just a couple of people will keep the cost down, as well as the stress. You can ask people to bring over their favorite game, have some drinks, and soon the good times will be going. I would suggest ending the night with a good game of Cards Against Humanity and just relax to ring in the New Year with laughter. 

Around People

1. Fancy Dinner: Sometimes we don't feel like being hermits, but don't want to go to a raging party or can't wrangle all our friends together on the night of NYE. If we still feel like doing something special, we decide to invest in a fun night out. We pick a restaurant, put on our fancy clothes, and head out. This way we are going out, and we feel like we are doing something fun. There is the extra bonus that typically the restaurant we pick is packed with people, so we don't feel like hermits either. It can be really fun to ring in the new year at the restaurant with the other patrons, making some new friends at the same time!

1. Throw a Party: If you are able to get your friends together, why not have people over! The best part about NYE is typically people come over after dinner, so you don't have the expectation to feed them other than light appetizers (which you can find in the freezer aisle), and you don't have to go anywhere. The party literally comes to you, you are surrounded by your friends, and you get to start the year with a fun celebration! 

Just You (or the Two of You)

1. Make a Special Meal: It is totally fair if you don't want to be surrounded by people and want to save money. Especially after the holidays which can be both stressful and expensive. So why not make your favorite meal, pick out an enjoyable movie, and have a night in? Plus, since when did it become taboo to have some R&R time to "hit the restart" button? It’s completely acceptable to not want to be driving during the most dangerous night of the year, and completely fine to need some down time. However, I understand the guilt that comes along with that decision, so make it a special night in for yourself. Make a special meal, enjoy a nice glass of wine, and go to bed early if you want! (I won't tell)

1. Take a Mental Health Day: Okay, if the one above sounds a little too low key, that’s fair. So why not take a day and completely focus on yourself. Of course you have work and obligations at home, so like any responsible adult, you’ve been slammed with errands and haven't had time for, let’s say, reading a book or going for a run. Well today is your day! You can make the decision to do the things you’ve been craving to do, but there hasn’t been enough time. Well now there is, and it is your own mental health day to take a break and completely focus on yourself. 

How to Fix Christmas Tree Lights

My husband does not celebrate Christmas, and when we first got together we agreed we would not have a Christmas tree. After years of discussion and deliberation, we came to a different compromise; we could get a tree as long as it did not cost more than $25 and we made it a "snowman tree." So this set me off with the task on how I was going to find a tree that would work.

I did not want to buy a real tree as I feel bad cutting down a tree and also, they would be more than $25. I began looking around at Goodwills and other thrift stores right after the holiday to see if any were donated. I found several and was going to buy one but found out that my work was throwing theirs away since the lights did not work.

I quickly stuffed it in the back of my Volvo and headed home. My first thought was, "oh I bet my dad can fix this up in a spiffy." When I called him, however, he was not as willing to help as I thought he would be. Apparently he has had years of practice battling lights that do not work and told me I would have to check bulb by bulb.

This was not the answer I was looking for so I quickly started researching other options. I landed upon the most amazing tool ever. It is called Light Keeper Pro, and it quickly solved my problem of having to check bulb by bulb. I first started off using the "quick fix trigger" which worked on some of the lights but not all. You put the outlet plug or one of the bulb sockets in the Light Keeper, then hit the trigger, and the lights come back on!

Once the strands that this worked for were on, I could easily see which lights needed to be changed and which were still okay. Now for the light strands that this did not work for. I used the voltage detector and started to find where it would pick up an electric circuit, then worked my way up the light strand to the point it lost detection. Once this happened, I pulled out the bulbs near this area, tested them using the bulb tester on the Light Keeper, and replaced any that were out.

Sometimes this would kick the whole light strand on, sometimes I had to keep going. When doing this, I used a green sharpie to mark the ones I had checked. This was my way of not having to go back and check bulbs I have already done.

To replace the bulbs, I went to the dollar store and got a cheap light strand that matched the color of lights on the tree. I would take the bulb out of the dollar store light strand, then put it in my tree's bulb holder. This worked for me as it was near impossible to find out the manufacturer of the tree, and replacement bulbs seemed more expensive than just buying a strand of lights.

At this point, I turned on a Christmas movie and started working away replacing any bulbs that needed fixing. Hopefully your tree will not take as long as mine; however, I do suggest picking a long movie as this part took some time. One thing I learned while doing this was to hold on to the bulb holder very carefully.  I dropped one and it immediately disappeared into the sea of green. It took some time to recover, and if you lose that part the whole strand will not turn on.

All in all, the project was a huge success as the tree was free, the Light Keeper was worth every penny, and now we have an amazing tree to look forward to every year.

What you need:

• Light Keeper Pro

• Green marker
• Cheap light strand
• Fanny pack or pocket for storing small parts, suggested but optional

Tips:

• Look for trees right after the Christmas holiday to see if people are getting rid of their old artificial tree
• Careful with the small parts not to drop any while changing bulbs
• Buy a Light Keeper Pro - it is worth it

Review of Rover.com

My heart is aching as I write this...I missed my dog! I never thought I would be one of those people. Before we got a dog, we would see others' post and think, "man those people are really attached!" Well now I'm one of them.

We normally have a family relative take care of Buddy when we travel, but she had too many pups to watch over this last Thanksgiving. So we had to branch out to other sources and weren't loving the idea. Someone suggested to use Rover.com, and we started looking people up. The interface was nice and it was very easy to see others' reviews.

We quickly discovered that there was a large selection of people on Rover.com; some living in small apartments and others with their own homes. We started to narrow down our search to fit the needs of our very large dog, and came up with our top five.

After reaching out, our top five was narrowed down a little more, and we set up "meet and greets." This was an important part of choosing who we liked, as we could see how our dog liked the environment and person who would be watching him. After that we decided on the best fit, and booked our pup's stay.

We had to pay immediately when booking, so a couple of months before the planned visit. The payment was done through Rover.com, and we didn't have any issues with our pupsitter cancelling after receiving the payment.

After the reservation was confirmed, I was able to fill out the specifics of Buddy. I provided his vet's name and information, a description of Bud's personality, and some "heads up" items. These items were like: don't let me get anywhere near socks if you want a pair, he goes nuts on the leash if he sees a squirrel looking at him the wrong way...you know, those "heads up" items.

Drop off was super easy, as I pulled up and Buddy ran off to find said squirrels, and I provided the food to the sitter. He asked me a couple of confirmation questions like how much food he ate and where he slept, and then I was off!

During my vacation I received a photo of Buddy running around in the sitters yard and wrestling with other dogs. He looked like he was having a blast, and it put me at ease while on my trip.

When I arrived at the sitter's home, Buddy looked super happy, and he was dirty from playing in the yard that day. Apparently the owner needed help digging a hole in his yard, he just didn't know it. This was completely fine, as I told the sitter I planned on taking him straight to the groomers after his stay. So the sitter wasn't super worried about cleaning him up. The sitter even gave Buddy a toy to take home with him which was super sweet!

Buddy slept the whole way to the groomers, and then rested for many days after our visit. It appears that the dog had a great vacation, as well as us! It was a great experience, and I would recommend it to many people! It is a much better alternative than having him cooped up in a boarding kennel and not getting any exercise. Extra bonus, the price was less than the kennels in our area!

Let me know if you have used Rover.com and share your experience below! I would love to hear others!

Chicken Broth

If you are anything like me, about midway through the week, you find yourself stopping at the grocery store buying a rotisserie chicken...and you're not happy about it. You know you can make something better (you simply don't have the time), and you know about half of it will go to waste. Well, I can't help you get more time in the day, but I do have a solution for what to do with the leftovers!

I have been mortified when I flip over the box for chicken broth, and see all the "ingredients." Some I can't pronounce, others I feel don't need to be in chicken broth. I wanted to make my own, but the idea of adding another thing to make from scratch for a recipe seemed silly. However, I started toying with the idea of making it from leftover ingredients and storing it in my fridge for when the day comes I needed it.

I started with the leftover rotisserie chicken, but didn't want to stand over a boiling pot or have to think about it all day. So I threw the chicken in the slower cooker, roughly chopped one onion, smashed some leftover garlic, and covered all of these with 3 quarts of water. I set it for 10 hours (because I was going to bed and didn't want to deal with it until the morning); however, the cooking time can be adjusted to how much time you have. Nothing is cooking in the cooker, we are just wanting to heat everything up so it releases it juices and becomes chicken broth.

When I got up in the morning, the broth was ready to be strained, and put in jars. I took the leftover chicken and onions and squeezed the liquid out of them, as that was the best and most flavorful broth. Once I was done, the broth could be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks to a month.

Ingredients: 
One leftover rotisserie chicken
1 onion, chopped
3-6 garlic cloves, smashed
3 quarts of water

Take the chicken, onion, and garlic and place it in a slow cooker. Cover with 3 quarts of water, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Once done cooking, using a strainer remove the broth into jars. Make sure you squeeze the chicken and onions to remove more broth and juice. Once you are done, it can be stored in your fridge for 2 weeks to a month.

How I Survived the Year of Weddings

I’m not joking when I write this, 2017 has been the year for weddings. I love everyone who got married and wish them a lifetime of happiness and joy (here comes the buuuuuuut), but man, it was a lot of work just to attend! When you think of weddings, you think about dancing to Shout and having a blast. Yes those moments are there, but lets be real about the work leading up to that as a guest.

                                  

Weddings are expensive to attend, can be a whole day or even weekend event, and takes a lot of energy! That is just the ceremony/reception, and I'm not even going to get into the bridal showers, bachelorette/bachelor parties, and engagement parties! If I am not careful, I can find myself quickly turning into a bitter, grumpy, and snarky person. I believe that the union of two people is a beautiful and sacred, but so are my vacations, saving money for said vacations, relaxing on the couch watching football, playing with my dog....

But how are you supposed to stay positive and not let those thoughts slip into your mind when you have weeks with back to back weddings!? You are spending a lot of money, have to find the right outfit (formal, garden, or more casual attire), and you feel like your weekends are gone in a second! It is very easy to turn into a not so sweet person when you feel like your life is being monopolized by weddings!

                   

After it "nicely" being pointed out my husband that I needed an attitude check, I came up with some tricks to keep me grounded and remembering that these are fun, loving events for people I really care about. So below are my tips and tricks on how I survived. It was a compilation of what helped me stay in a positive attitude, and be able to fully partake in the fun. 

• Wedding attire: I should start out by saying, I’m not a fashion blogger with this tip! I wanted to get some dresses for the weddings I had coming up, all with different friend groups. I wanted to update my wardrobe as the ones I had looked tired, but didn’t want to break the bank or spend days looking for dresses that fit. I was shopping at Marshalls and found a dress that fit really well, had different color options, and was marked down significantly. Since it was all different friends, no one would notice the similar dress at multiple weddings. Also the dresses were relatively simple, that I could dress them up with jewelry or a scarf that it was not noticeable in pictures (if someone was even looking that close). This might not be an option for every person, but if you want to save time looking for a dress, save money, and look nice this is an option for you!
                       
• Utilize sales: You should know by late spring the summer weddings you have coming up, and this is when I start to look for sales. Memorial day is especially great, and we buy most of our gifts during this time. Almost every wedding I have been too has a Macys.com registry, and we go through and start purchasing. The bonus is that it will look like you got them, let’s say a $100 gift, for $40. You save money, and you can scratch that chore off your list. Then when the time comes for the wedding, you don’t have to do any last minute purchasing and miss out on the good registry items! Also for fall and winter weddings, utilize labor day sales!
                                  
• Travel: If you have to travel, make a vacation out of it. My husband and I like to travel somewhere at least once a year or we start to get stir crazy. There have been weddings that weren't in areas we wanted to explore, but they did have an international airport. For us, the east coast is a port for areas that we can't easily access from our hometown. We search for cheap flights, then structure our layover just long enough that we could attend, then boom, we are off for our vacation. 

• Vacation not an option: When you have "the year of weddings," making a nice vacation out of it isn't always making it an affordable option. In this case, we reach out to others attending to see if they wanted to go in on an AirBNB. Then we have a kitchen and split up making meals (or the price for the non-cooking folks). We would also share a rental car, and other expenses. It helped make it less of a hit to the pocketbook. 
• Connect with the couple: It sounds weird, but the more I was connected to the wedding, the more excited I was. We would try to get dinner or have them over for a "wedding planning" break. We would talk, reconnect, and enjoy each other's company and remember why we are great friends! If we didn't know one person well, it would give us a chance to get to know them better as well. It sounds silly, but it really makes a difference when you are at the wedding if you have caught up recently, and helps prevent the "man I would rather be watching football right now" feeling. 

• Say No: It is okay to say no! For some reason we get a wedding invite and think by receiving this, we must attend. Well if you RSVP with enough time, no is a completely acceptable answer. If you feel obligated to go to the wedding, you are going to be bitter, not have a good time, and not be there for the real purpose! Don't feel bad if you are RSVPing with plenty of time, the couple will appreciate knowing ahead of time instead of a last minute cancellation. 
• Be selective: If you feel like no is not an acceptable answer to the ceremony or would really like to attend, try opting out of the other obligations. Maybe don’t attend the multiple bridal showers and bachelorette/bachelor party. This is another dress or outfit you have to plan, a gift you have to buy, and time out of your already busy schedule. Also, it seems like the bachelor and bachelorette parties are becoming more and more extravagant, and travel could be expected. Take some self-care, and make sure you are spreading yourself too thin. It is completely acceptable to bow out respectfully from these events.