Heartwarming Snacks Your Valentine Will Love

Courtesy of Jalynn Baker

Hi Friends,

Strawberries, candies and chocolates galore! We're sharing six perfectly scrumptious snacks that are certain to appease whomever you’re crushing on this Valentine's Day.

Whether you love the Valentine's Day basics, or prefer something more inventive, one thing is certain. It takes a whole lot of creativity to come up with fresh and imaginative sweets for the day of love. Try wooing your Valentine with one of these delicious treats that kids of all ages will adore. 

Simply Sweet Strawberry Milk

Warm your Valentine’s heart and soul with this hot strawberry milk. Crush conversation heart candies into small pieces, and place them in a dish. Next, place a small amount of simple syrup in a shallow dish. Dip the mug into the simple syrup, and follow by dipping it into the dish of crushed conversation heart candies. This will give the mug some holiday flair. In the mug, add 2 tablespoons of strawberry powder and 1 cup of hot milk. Mix thoroughly. Top with whipped cream and more conversation hearts, and serve to your honey for a love-filled drink.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Bark

For a twist on an old classic, look no further than this berry-good, berry-filled yogurt bark. Begin by placing 30 ounces of plain Greek yogurt into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the yogurt. Mix thoroughly. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the yogurt mixture evenly on the baking sheet. Lay sliced strawberries and mini chocolate chips on the surface of the yogurt and finish with a pink icing or chocolate drizzle. Freeze until hardened. Break apart and enjoy!

I Scream, You Scream

Who doesn’t love an ice cream sandwich, and what better way to spread love and Valentine’s cheer than with a holiday-themed cookie sandwich? Place a couple of scoops of ice cream on the bottom of one cookie, and top with a second cookie. Compress the cookies together until the ice cream has reached the outer edges of the sandwich. Place pink and red sprinkles in a dish and roll the cookie in the sprinkles until all exposed ice cream has been covered in sugary confetti pieces. Store in the freezer until ready to serve.

Cupid's Skewers

Cupid’s skewers are the perfect no-candy treat option. Cut out different types of melon with a mini heart-shaped cookie cutter, and slide the cut pieces onto a wooden skewer. Once all the fruit has been added, place two pieces of washi tape on one end of the stick to represent the arrow's fletching. Place a larger piece of washi tape on the opposite end, and cut into an arrow shape to bring Cupid’s skewer to life.

You Give Me Butterflies

Give your Valentine butterflies with this simple sweets-filled pack. Fill a small plastic baggie with your favorite mini candies. Cover a clothespin in washi tape. Separate the candies in the bag into two sides, and pinch the two compartments together with the clothespin to create the butterfly wing shapes. Be sure the clamping side of the clothespin is at the top of the bag. Shape a single pipe cleaner into two antenna, and secure it with the clothespin to complete your butterfly.

Tic-Tac-Toe Brownies

For an easy, yet completely lovable snack, create tic-tac-toe brownies by simply icing a few lines and adding conversation heart candies. This snack not only acts as a delectable treat, but doubles as a mini board game. Create a tic-tac-toe board grid on the brownie with icing. Place small icing dots on the grid to secure the conversation hearts to the brownie. Pass along a meaningful message by lining up your favorite conversation candies before sharing. 

Make Valentine's Day even sweeter with these aww-worthy treat ideas.

Bon Appétit...

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Live well,
Yvonne

Closet Storage Containers

Courtesy of Jennifer Crutchfield
Photography by Closet Maid

Hi Friends,

Try a closet storage container to corral clutter instantly.

Closets can collect more random stuff than any room in a house. Tame the overflow with storage containers that complement your room's decor and restore order to the space. Whether you plan to use bins, boxes, baskets or bags it's important to evaluate how you will use them so that you can identify which will work best.

Boxes with tops or covers are terrific for storing seasonal items, protecting them from dust, moisture, light or pests. They stack easily on high shelves above hanging clothes and are a great way to use an area that can often be underused. Plastic boxes, clear boxes, cardboard boxes and wooden boxes protect while keeping the contents in easy reach.

Vacuum storage bags are very popular, efficient and affordable. They are great for large seasonal items like sweaters, jackets and blankets and when space is at a premium they can be a terrific way to maximize it. The clear bags allow you to see what's inside and their vacuum seal protects clothes from moisture, dust and bugs.

Bins and baskets with open tops are useful to maintain order on shelves and help keep clothes folded and unwrinkled. You can get colors, sizes and styles to match any decor and fit anything from socks to blankets. The other great thing about bins and baskets is how easily they travel from the laundry room to the shelf. Bins and baskets are also a terrific way to keep track of toys, balls and sports equipment in children's closets.

Check big box stores for reasonable bulk prices...

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Live well,
Yvonne

10 Steps to an Organized Closet

Courtesy of Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore

Hi Friends,

Last week our post was about organization for the new year; well, we are continuing that trend.

Learn how to make your closet work for you — and your clothes.

Step 1: Assess Obstacles to an Organized Closet

Are your shoes overtaking the space? Try a hanging-shoe rack or over-the-door organizer. Do your clothes overcrowd? Thinner hangers create space so you can find things easier. Feeling rushed each morning? Dividing shirts, dresses, jeans, etc. bring a sense of order and saves time. Solving your biggest problem will motivate you to create the closet of your dreams.

Step 2: Make it a Family Effort

Getting your hubby and kids involved in organizing can make a difference in your family's day-to-day life. Everyone should be in charge of his or her own clothes, accessories, and toys. This will cut your cleaning time in half and ensure nothing important is thrown away by mistake.

Step 3: Take An Hour

Scheduling just 60 minutes a week can really make a dent in your overstuffed, cluttered closet. Can't spare that much? Try two half-hour sessions. If you're constantly being interrupted by "Hey Mom!" -- ask your spouse to take the kids out for the afternoon. Remember to return the favor when it's his turn to hit the closets.

Step 4: Start from Scratch

Take everything (yes, everything) out of your closet. If you don't remove it all, chances are the same unworn clothes will be moved around the closet. Now it's time to sort. Throw out old and damaged clothing. Donate what you don't need or don't wear.

Step 5: Out with the Odd

Remove items that have no business in your closet. Bank statements, insurance information, or tax documents don't belong next to your shoes, scarves, and sweaters. Create a Life.doc to organize and store all of your important documents in one accessible place. File the remaining papers in an office cabinet or milk crate.

Step 6: Organize in Sections

Designate a place for everything in your closet. Shoes in one place, sweaters in another, and so on. This will help you keep order and save you time each morning. Make smart use of the space. Installing shelves will double your storage and help sweaters and t-shirts keep their shape better.

Step 7: Apply the 80/20 Rule

You may not want to admit it, but the majority of clothes you have probably go unworn. It's said that the average American only wears 10 to 20 percent of their clothes. To cut down on the fluff, remove items you haven't worn in a year. Drop off the excess at Goodwill or arrange a clotheswap with friends.

Step 8: Put One In; Take One Out

For each new item you buy to put in your closet, donate one item (or pitch it if it's past its prime). This will keep you from returning to your pack-rat ways.

Step 9: Keep It Going

Dedicate 15 minutes a week to straightening your closet after the "big clean". Spending this small amount of time will ensure you never have to go through a major de-clutter again.

Step 10: Reward Yourself

Recognize and celebrate what you've done. Treat yourself to some new hangers or buy that silk blouse you've been eyeing. Now, you actually have room for it!

These tips will certaininly make life a litte better...

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Live well,
Yvonne

Organizing a Catchall Closet

Courtesy of Aimee Lane

Hi Friends,

The Holidays are behind us, now it's time to get back in the routine of our normal lives. Lets start with organizing for the new year.

Follow these simple steps for using storage containers to organize your catchall closet.

Most of us stash too much in our hall closet for lack of a better storage solution. Purchasing clear storage containers and spending a few hours are all it takes to transform a cluttered closet into an organized, multifunctional space.

Step One. Unload everything to get a good idea of usable space, then draw a diagram of the shelf dimensions so you know what size storage bins work with the space.

Step Two. Go shopping for storage bins. Large bins are necessary, but small bins often allow for better sorting. Use smaller bins to sort gift bags into specific categories, such as Christmas, birthdays, girls and boys. Detailed organization cuts search time.

Step Three. Purchase bins that:

• are the same brand so they stack easily.
• are clear so you can easily see what's inside.
• come in a variety of sizes.

Step Four. Storage bins are often a great motivator for purging. Remember your goal is to have a manageable space. Be willing to let go of items that you haven't used over the last year and donate items that could benefit others.

Step Five. Place like items into the same bins.

Now organize away!

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Live well,
Yvonne

Pantry Organization

Courtesy of Melissa Webster

Hi Friends,

Optimized kitchen pantry organization often means the difference between a chaotic mess and a fully functional, efficient kitchen that is a joy to experience.

When the pantry is stocked where everything has its place and purpose and is easy to locate and access, meal preparation becomes a breeze the whole family can enjoy.

There are so many things you can do to organize your pantry. Multiple shelving, shallow shelving, rollout drawers and shelves, racks, baskets, bins—they all work together to separate food items so everything is within reaching distance, easy to locate and access. Multiple shelving serves as a sort of modular shelving system layered one after the other, expanding and collapsing in on each other. For the smaller two-door pantry cabinet, these work well to utilize every inch of space. If you have a recessed or reach-in pantry or a walk-in closet, a multiple shelving system works really well to maximize space, doubling or tripling the usable space you already have.

Shallow shelves are essential to keeping every item front and center for easy location and access. If your pantry cabinet is set very deep, then you'll want to install rollout drawers and shelves so every item you store will be easy to see and access quickly. Rollout shelves and drawers prevent items from disappearing in the deep, dark recesses of the back of a deep-set cabinet, never to be seen again, and make every item pull out to you.

Racks are really great to hang over the pantry door or to build into the door for storing frequently used spices, cans, jars and bottles. Spice racks are very popular and the cool, dark pantry will keep your spices fresh and ready to use as needed. Baskets are great for produce and spices like garlic and whole ginger, and they can be set on top of shelves inside the pantry or hung from the ceiling.

Clear see-through bins are perfect for organizing dried legumes, pastas, grains and cereals. It gives your whole pantry a clean, streamlined look and allows you to throw away all those awkward-sized boxes taking up space. Be sure to include erasable labels as well, so you know what everything is and can rewrite as needed.

Your pantry will be easier to manage and you will save money by not duplicating items you already have but just couldn't see them. Save time, save money; win, win...

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Live well,
Yvonne

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Photo Compliments of Hulton Archive/Getty Images
 
Hi Friends,

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on Wednesday, August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington, DC. Words that resound in our history today, however, most publications only reveal a portion of the speech and we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share the speech in it's entirety.

I HAVE A DREAM
By Martin Luther King, Jr.
Wednesday, August 28, 1963

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

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Live well,
Yvonne

Closet Systems 101

Courtesy of Jeannie Matteucci
Photography by Rubbermaid

Hi Friends,

There are many customization options for closet systems that can be a perfect fit for your home and lifestyle.

While some might have the budget for a shop-built wood closet system with custom millwork, most homeowners go with a wire or melamine shelf-and-bracket closet system they found at a home-improvement store, online retailer or specialty store offering closet storage solutions. From do-it-yourself to professionally installed, closets can range from very simple to highly-customized systems created just for your closets.

To help you decide on the right storage solution for your home, here are some things to consider when it comes to different systems:

Photo courtesy of Rubbermaid

Coated wire is economical, versatile and widely available. These vinyl or epoxy-coated wire systems allow you to clearly see the items in your closet and provide good air circulation. Depending on the system you choose, many support a good amount of weight and tend to be very durable if installed properly.

While most wire systems are white, some manufacturers offer other colors and finishes. If you need to store small items in your closet with this kind of system, use baskets or bins so the items don't end up lost or misplaced. You may also want to use shelf liner to prevent indentation marks in your folded clothing.

Photo courtesy of ClosetMaid

Melamine systems are made of an ultra-thin sheet of paper printed with color and pattern, then saturated with resin and thermally fused to industrial-grade particleboard or MDF (medium-density fiberboard). They often come in white or wood-grain finishes.

While economical and attractive, the quality of melamine systems will vary. The best melamine systems use thermally fused, thick (3/4") boards. The thickness of the material, the process used to make the system (thermally fused melamine is preferred over cold-pressed) and the quality of the accessories and fittings determine the durability of the product.

Organization makes life easier...

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Live well,
Yvonne