Winter Cold is Headed Our Way!

The weatherman is forecasting temperatures in the low single digits this week.  I'd say Jack Frost is definitely nipping at our heels, wouldn't you?

Tomorrow the kids and I will be adding the plastic to our windows.  (Skeptics take note:  Adding window insulation helps get rid of drafts and lowers heating bills...even if  your home is relatively new.)

We've tried a number of different brands, but have come back to 3M Window Insulation kits for consistent quality and sealant tape that does lift off at the end of the season.

Bedtime when the temperatures drop sees a line at the microwave, too.   Why?  Because we all have bed warmers.  I made these bed warmers a few years ago and now we swear by them.



Each is filled with rice and a little bit essential oil. You put them in the microwave for 1-3 minutes and they become radiant heat packs. I made pocket warmers, a bed warmer, and two other warmers that I'm told by Superman and Buttercup are "neck warmers". Now, I don't know about you, but my neck never gets particularly cold...I was planning on using them as foot warmers, but, hey, I can be flexible. Anyway, everything was made out of scrap fabric: the two solid color ones were made out of the extra sweatshirt material I had from making those nightgowns I told you about, the pocket warmers were made out of leftover fabric from little gift bags I made, and the bed warmer is from flannel I had leftover from making Buttercup some pajama pants. These are really, really cool and if you tend to be cold, I highly recommend taking the ten minutes to make one or three.

The kids new winter coats and snow pants are ready and waiting...those kids keep growing, darn it.  The mittens and scarves have come out of  storage.

Invaders, Heat Packs, and Oops!

You can never be too careful with an unmade bed in this house...there is always someone willing to take nap! Look at what happened when I left my bed unmade because I decided to just put the sheets back on the bed after they made it through the laundry this morning. I came upstairs with an armful of freshly washed sheets only to find out my bed had been commandeered by bed sloths!...and with a fuzzy pink blanket! What is up with that? They even had the nerve to express outrage when I kicked them out to make the bed. I guess I'll just need to be more vigilant in the future...these things can become a habit!


Look at these heat packs I made! Each is filled with rice and a little bit (in some cases, too much!) essential oil. You put them in the microwave for a minute or so and they become radiant heat packs. I made pocket warmers, a bed warmer, and two other warmers that I'm told by Superman and Buttercup are "neck warmers". Now, I don't know about you, but my neck never gets particularly cold...I was planning on using them as foot warmers, but, hey, I can be flexible. Anyway, everything was made out of scrap fabric: the two solid color ones were made out of the extra sweatshirt material I had from making those nightgowns I told you about, the pocket warmers were made out of leftover fabric from little gift bags I made, and the bed warmer is from flannel I had leftover from making Buttercup some pajama pants. These are really, really cool and if you tend to be cold, I highly recommend taking the ten minutes to make one!

Now, for our reality check. Not everything goes smoothly at the Nagle household. No, it really doesn't. I decided it was time to wash one of the couch covers that we had dyed brown (Klippan from Ikea, just in case you were wondering). I decided it would be advisable to wash it by itself JUST IN CASE any more dye came out of the fabric, so I tossed the slipcover into an empty washer...or so I thought. I thought wrong! Look at what happened to one of my formerly white ski socks and one of Valiant's formerly white socks and one formerly white washcloth!