The Suede Sofa Blog

STOP EATING!

Do you ever have days when you eat everything in the house and you still feel unsatisfied? And then as you are frantically trying to find your hidden candy stash you scream inside, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP EATING!! WHY ARE YOU STILL EATING?!”

Even though I normally stay within 5 pounds of my healthy weight (besides when I’m pregnant) I still have days when I fall off the deep end. Thinking that it will make me FeeL better, I eat everything in sight, when in fact it only makes me feel worse and causes me to eat more. I basically give up on myself and hOpE that tomorrow is a better day (when many times it isn’t because I feel horrible the next morning!)

I’ll be hoNesT; I don’t have a glorious ending to this post. I’m just writing to say that no matter what size or weight you are, some days are just TOUGH. Have you ever stuck to a diet for weeks or months and then, for whatever reason, you lose control and gain all the weight back? Probably, yes. The reAliTy is, even in the most perfect circumstances PeaCe wItH FoOd won’t always be as peaceful as it sounds.

Speaking of which, I don’t know about you but the holiday goodies are making this “eating stuff” even more difficult. I’m trying to sample in moderation, but again…trying to be real with you…it is a struggle and some days I just give up.

Confession: Right before I sat down to write this post, I had inTenTions of ending my horrible eating day with a glass of milk and cookies. I just happened to text my sis and she said she was at the gym. Hearing from her is what it took to “snap out of it”. Instead, I’ve opted to write you and sAvE myself the extra calories and disappointment I would have felt in 10 minutes. Thank you sis and to you readers for detouring my thoughts so my day could end better than expected!

You are NEVER alone.

~Lara

{LOL}

Sometimes in life you just have to “LaUgH OuT LoUd”. That is, at YoUrSeLf. Stop taking yourself so SeRiOuS (and trying to impress people) and just roll with it.

This happened to Lara and I a few months ago. We were trying something new on our blog – using a SmArTpHoNe to record a video. We really don’t do many videos of ourselves and are trying to branch out to help our readers take a PeEk at our everyday lives. In an attempt to video ourselves and then transfer the videos to YoUtUbE, we (or should I say, I) inadvertantly submitted our videos to Facebook and didn’t realize it until 16 hours later. One of those videos was the “SuRpRiSe” announcement (the “Live It List” challenge prize – a Coach purse) that was not to be “AiReD” until a week later. Fortunately, I realized the mistake and only 6 viewers were PriVy to that announcement before I took the video off of Facebook.

What to do?

LaUgH. OuT. LoUd!!

We learned a lesson and got a GoOd LaUgH at the same time.

Are there things in your life that you would like to try to do, but are afraid you will make a fool of yourself? Do them anyway, unafraid of looking SiLLy. And then be ready to LOL. You will be able to enjoy yourself, your life, and all those silly moments that life sends your way, a whole lot more, when you do.

;)

Robynn~

{I’ll Be Home For Christmas}

This WiStFuL World War II song has special meaning as it depicts so beautifully the yearning of SeRviCe MeN and WoMeN (as well as others who are away) to be home for the holidays. This song is still a special one and the Suede Sofa wishes you a WaRm holiday season whether you are home for Christmas or there only in your DrEaMs!!

{Take A Picture. It Lasts Longer.}

I was recently thinking back to an event in my life and wanted to go back and revisit it for a second. The only problem was I had not taken any pictures, so I was left to reminisce in my sketchy memories. Boy, did I wish I had taken pictures. I know it is easy to get so busy with an event or activity that you forget to take pics OR you don’t think it is important at the time to snap those shots. Then you live to regret it. It is for that reason that I finally decided that I am not going anywhere without my camera. The nice thing about cameras is they make them small. Really small. Many of them even come with the feature of using them as a camera or a camcorder. If you don’t like the idea of carrying around another object, regardless the size, consider getting a smart phone that has these options. Christmas is just around the corner and if you’re making out a list you may want to add this to yours. Then you won’t ever have to worry about missing one of life’s memorable moments.

Robynn~

Christmas Cookies

Marble Chocolate Cookie Bark by Lara

I LoVe these Marble cookies because they are super fast to make and a great way to use your leftover almond bark and oreos! Put them in a clear container and it makes a pretty gift too! ~Lara

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

1 pkg. (6 squares) White Almond Bark, melted

10 OREO Cookies, crumbled, divided

1 pkg. (6 squares) Chocolate Almond Bark, melted

ADD peanut butter to white chocolate; stir until well blended. Stir 1/2 the cookies into each bowl of chocolate.

DROP spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet, alternating colors of chocolates. Swirl with knife.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces.

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{CHECKERBOARD COOKIES} by Robynn

I really think these cookies are FuN and they taste yummy-licious as well!

You can either use your favorite Sugar Cookie Cutout recipe or the following one I use (from the red and white checkered Better Homes And Gardens Cookbook).

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl beat batter with an electric mixer on medium to high-speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour.

Make two batches of the above sugar cookies in separate bowls. To one batch add 1/2 cup melted milk-chocolate chips.

Press each batch of cookie dough into half of a shoe-box lid lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate.

After dough has been chilled, layer the dough as in the above pic:

With a long knife cut down through the two layers (about 1/2 inch wide strips). Take two of these strips and place as shown in the above pic. Then slice and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.

This cookie dough (or whatever cookie dough you prefer) can be given as a Christmas gift! Just wrap in wax paper (parchment paper doesn’t allow tape to stick to it) and attach a Christmas gift tag containing the kind of cookie dough and baking directions! (If your cookie dough contains raw eggs, make note of that on the instructions.)

Enjoy!

Robynn~
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Italian Knot Cookies by Robyn (Jersey Girl)

I’ve been making these cookies for Christmas since I was a little girl. The recipe was passed down from my great-grandmother to my “Grandma Triolo” and they are always a HuGe hit!

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

½ lb. butter (2 sticks)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

5 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

Dough:

Melt butter, add sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt…slowly add flour. Chill dough in refrigerator for an hour. Form knots and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Icing:

Mix confectioner’s sugar, a drop of vanilla, and warm water until you get the consistency you want (I like my icing on this thick side). Dip tops of cookies into icing and add sprinkles! EnJoY!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{Peace With Food – Numero Uno}

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There’s a verse in the Bible I love that says, “WiSdOm is SuPreMe; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 (NIV)

I personally believe the first step to peace with food is getting wisdom. Obviously if this area of “peace with food” (whether that is eating too much, not enough, or binging and purging) is something that is challenging for you, you don’t have all the InForMatiOn you need or else you’re just not “there” yet. There are times when we know we need to make changes, but for whatever reason aren’t ready or just don’t want to badly enough. Sometimes we enjoy our misery. For a while, that is. But chances are you do want it BadLy enough. Chances are you have tried numerous times and failed and you’re frustrated, discouraged, disillusioned, and feel hopeless which is exactly why you need wisdom. You need to know what to do with your unique set of circumstances.

Wisdom is what can guide you in your JouRnEy. Wisdom comes from many sources. I do my best to remember (because it is easy to forget) to go to the author of wisdom first for help, God Himself, but hey God uses lots of things including people and circumstances. So make sure you ask Him WHO and/or WHAT He may want to use to help you. Maybe it will be a SuPpOrT group. Maybe your situation is more severe and you need help from a professional counselor. Maybe it will be a book or InSpiRing movie, song, quote, or video. Maybe it’s an organization such as Weight Watchers that can help guide you in making good eating choices. Maybe it’s your physician or a website that can give you the information you need to start a SeNsibLe exercise program. Or maybe it will be a good friend who can encourage you and hold you AcCouNtabLe.

The old adage goes, “Wisdom is PoWeR.” So before you plunge in headfirst, take some time to get the wisdom you need to get a “Smart Start”. It will save precious time and help you hit the ground running!

Robynn~

Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees

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Our family is planning a BiG trip to Disneyworld this summer! It will be the first visit for both of my children and we can’t wait to see the excitement on their faces as they meet their favorites…Tinkerbell and Mickey Mouse! With a big trip like this comes a BIG price tag. I don’t want my kids thinking you show up to Disneyworld and say, “HeRe I Am!” I want them to understand that our family has worked hard to save and plan for such a special trip.

Like many kids, mine have so many toys they don’t know which one to play with first. For upcoming holidays and birthdays I have asked my family to give my children Disney gift cards instead of toys. I bought each of them a small Disney sandwhich keeper at my local dollar store and my kids now use them to save all of their “DiSNeY MoNeY.” Between Halloween and Thanksgiving they already have a nice collection of gift cards from family and any money they got from trick-or-treating went into their sandwich keepers too.

We’ve been discussing different things they can use their “Disney money” on when go on our trip such as souveniers, special snacks, extra activites, etc. As young as my children are they are really understanding why they are saving their “Disney money” and it makes me happy to know that they are learning such a ValUAbLe lesson so early in life!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

DIY Ladder Shelf

I made a shelf a couple of years ago and LoVe how it turned out. Recently, my sister wanted one so I was able to take some pictures this time to share the steps with you! Thanks Sis, for asking me, so I could document this for a post :)

I bought (2) 1x4x8 pieces of pine and got to wOrk cutting them to the sizes I wanted.

(2) 4 foot 1x4 pieces, and (3) 1 foot 1/4 pieces

You can make the shelf as tall and wide as you’d like, but I made this one 4-feet long and the “rungs” 1-foot tall (for easy measuring!)

After they were cut, I laid it out to see what it would look like.

Then off to making it look pReTTy! Used some dark walnut stain I had on hand. This stain has been used for SO MANY projects!

Time to assemble!

I had “my man” help me nail the shelf together. We laid the long pieces side-by-side and then marked where the “rungs” would go. Then I used 2 brad nails to sEcuRe the top and bottom of every piece. Very easy if you can get someone to help you with this step, and the exposed nails add to the character!

Added some hardware to the back so it would be ready for my sister to hang!

This is a picture of my shelf that I made a couple years ago. This one is longer than the one I made above for my sister. Custom make it to fit your needs, just make sure you buy enough 1×4’s! This is easily something you could do in an afternoon and it’s super eaSy and inexPensiVe! You could even have the pieces cut to size at your hardware store if you don’t have access to a miter saw!

P.S. Here is a mini-ladder shelf I made with some left over wood from my pRojeCt. I added some hooks and we use it to hang our keys in the mudroom!

~Lara

{Mean People}

You can call them “the Scrooge”, “the Grinch”, or “MeAn PeOpLe”. We all either know of some or come across them from time to time. And for whatever reason it seems that their antics are more AnNoYiNg during the holiday season. Maybe that’s because their negative persona is in stark contrast to the cheer and joy of the Christmas season.

But before I WriTe ThEm oFF this holiday, I’m reminding myself that “Hurt (adjective) people, hurt (verb) people”. That’s what they do. It’s what comes natural. In fact, sadly, that is, probably all they know. Maybe it’s because of AbuSe as a child, maybe it’s because of great pain or loss, or maybe it’s because they have never been given love, which in that case it is obvious why they are “mean” – giving away something you don’t have (in this case, love/kindness) is an impossibilty.

So, God, please help me to remember that you loved me before I loved you and now it’s time for me to ReTuRn the FaVoR.

Robynn~

St. Nicholas Day

Four years ago when my son was a baby, I started a TrAdItIoN that families around the world have been doing for ages. December 6^th is the celebration of St. Nicholas Day. St. Nicholas was known for his GeNeRoSiTy to those in need and his love for children.

In many European countries, on December 5^th, the eve of St. Nicholas Day children leave their ShOeS outside of the bedroom doors and wait for St. Nicholas to leave them a surprise. I have my children do the same thing with their favorite shoes and I love to see their excitement when they wake up in the morning to find that St. Nicholas has visited our home. I feel this is a great way to “KiCk OfF” the holiday season and teach my children about a Saint who was so giving to little ones like themselves. You can read more about St. Nicholas at www.stnicholascenter.org.

What family traditions do YoU do to start the holiday season? We LoVe to hear from our readers so please share your stories!