Home Sanctuary

Autumn Sweeps In

Oh, how I love Autumn!  It's not just because my daughters have beautiful "Autumn" complexions and hair.

(This is a thinly veiled excuse to post a photo of my girls.)

 This photo is from a couple of Autumns ago. It's one of my favorites.

I love Fall mostly because the crisp air makes me feel invigorated. I did a cartwheel the other morning, just just because I was THINKING about fall weather. I can't wait to put pumpkins and mums out, even though I know it will be awhile before that crisp air gets here!

But the north wind (not yet cool) has started to bring leaves and grass and sticks from Canada (Alright, Oklahoma) right to my front porch. (Well, it's the back porch, really, so we generally just call it "The Breezeway.")

The Breezeway gets to be more like a wind tunnel sometimes, and it's hard to keep it looking nice. Plus we've had an invasion of spider webs that are icky, so very icky.

Today's Small Thing is to simply sweep your front porch, stoop or walkway.    I'm completely aware that it's a losing battle, but we've gotta fight on until winter, girls!  Away with you, crumbly leaves!  Be gone! Death to spiders!

This is a pretty easy job.  So easy, you could get one of your children to learn some responsibility and do it for you! :) Sometimes easy jobs are just enough to raise your spirits and make you turn cartwheels!

Song of the Day: Autumn Leaves, Nat King Cole of course!

Now, cooler weather also makes me want to drink hot liquids. How about some Company Girl Coffee? If you'd like a chance to join a fun little meme today, simply link your blog below. Then stop in and visit the other lovely Company Girls who are participating! Even if you aren't a blogger with a link, why not

pop in on some of the other blogs to say hello! It's easy and fun...and opens a whole new world of friendship.

Company Girl Book - The Perfect Gift Idea

Are you looking for some last-minute gifts to give to the special girlfriends in your life? I have just the thing.

I happen to have 35 signed copies in my studio RIGHT NOW that I will ship out, first come first served, right away.....just in time for Christmas. But you'll need to order by emailing me asap to get yours.

I've found that most customers purchase three to five copies, (some as many as ten!), and I encourage them to grab an extra one because they will inevitably think of "just one more" dear friend to give a copy to. I've loved seeing the response - the "awww's" and "ooooh's" over the photos and the sweet sentiment inside. It's the perfect gift for special friends. (But feel free to order one just for yourself - it's all good!!)

Now, you can always order the books from Amazon or at my little bookstore, but just know that those copies will not be signed. If you do order online that way, you should still get them before Christmas - even though the shipping info may say otherwise. Orders generally take 7-8 days to receive.

So, ladies! Send me an email, letting me know how many copies you would like. The cost is $12.95 each, plus $3.00 each for shipping. If you need to order a whole bunch of them, we can work out a better shipping fee for a bulk sale. When my 35 signed copies are gone, all orders will have to go through the store. I'll give you payment option info when you email.

Merry Christmas! Love, Rachel

P.S. Want to know more about the book? Find out here.

Live Webcast with Priscilla Shirer Today at 10 am CST

Hey there, Girls! I want to invite you to join Priscilla Shirer's live webcast today at 10 am CST....in which I will be one of her guests! Priscilla has been hosting a book club for her newest book, The Resolution for Women, and this week's topic is "Loving My Children."

I am so honored to be part of the round table discussion with Priscilla and her sister, Chrystal (another incredible mom) and know it is going to be a fun - maybe challenging - hour. Hop on over and join us for all or part of it! I believe you'll be able to log in and "chat" while we talk...and you can pose your own questions about parenting and loving your children for us to discuss.

See you there!!

Rachel

The Ambush Cook, Kristina Kuzmic!

Happy Monday morning, ladies! I want to introduce a fellow Company Girl who is about to have her own show on Oprah Winfrey's network . . . meet Kristina Kuzmic.

Kristina's getting her OWN SHOW!! How cool is that???

Here's Kristina goofing off on her set. So cute.

I first "met" Kristina some time back, here at Home Sanctuary through our weekly Company Girl Coffee link ups... and I remember thinking "this girl's got something special." Her cooking blog was fun and entertaining, and her personality sparkled through her videos. I literally laughed out loud through them. So I was not surprised when I learned that she was competing to host her own show on OWN. I just KNEW she'd get it!

And she did. Yeah, I called it. psh.

"The Ambush Cook" premieres on Saturday, December 3rd at noon (ET/PT) on OWN. (Be sure to check your local listings for your service provider's schedule.) Here is the official trailer and description of the show:

  

Kristina Kuzmic has been passionate about cooking her entire life. In The Ambush Cook, a half-hour reality cooking series, Kristina ambushes people from their everyday lives and takes them to her kitchen for an intervention in home cooking.

From married moms addicted to frozen foods and take-out, to single bachelors who still go to mom's house for dinner every single night, as varied as Kristina's guests may be they all have one thing in common: they fear the kitchen! Kristina takes a no-nonsense approach to tackling the many issues that cause people to give up on cooking. From Braised Short Ribs to Pistachio Crusted Tilapia, her recipes are tasty enough to satisfy the most discerning palate, yet simple enough for anyone to follow. Failure is not an option in Kristina's kitchen. She is filling the world with better cooks, one ambush at a time!

The Ambush Cook will premiere with back-to-back episodes Saturday, December 3 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/own/Official-Trailer-The-Ambush-Cook#ixzz1lD1AHzcn

I love the premise for this show, and if they ever run short of people who need cooking intervention, I humbly offer myself as a willing ambushee for the cause. I really need a new way to cook chicken for the fam, and Kristina promises that the show will help not only cooking 'fraidy cats, but people who might be stuck in a cooking rut, like me.

Now, Kristina and I have been emailing back and forth this past week, and she's got a couple of recipes to share with Home Sanctuary readers. I'll post one today and one on Friday as a reminder to tune in on Saturday. Sweet! You'll find it in the next post, below.

Let's give our "own" Company Girl Kristina a big boost today by showing her some love.

Follow her on twitter and like her on Facebook to help spread the word about The Ambush Cook, and then be sure and tune in on Saturday, Dec. 3rd for the premiere! You can leave her a comment here or on the OWN trailer site.

Good Luck, Kristina! Best wishes from the Company Girls!!

 

Keep Smiling

I have a confession to make. 

I have FOUR active toothbrushes. 

I have one in my master bathroom (my favorite brush because it feels the best), one in the guest bathroom (because I often get ready in there since the girls moved out), one in the downstairs bathroom (for that last-minute brushing before heading out the door), and one travel-sized brush in my purse for emergencies (like removing an errant poppy seed from a restaurant lunch.)

Is that excessive?  I don't know.  All I know is that I love the just-brushed feeling that a stick of gum just can't give you after you've eaten garlic and onions. 

But as much as I love my toothbrushes, I hate to clean the toothbrush holders.  Maybe because I'm a "neat" brusher and don't have foam running down the handle when I brush, while others in this household jam their wet, drooly handles into the receptacles without so much as a thought.  All that crusty toothpaste that collects at the bottom doesn't belong to me so I don't want to be responsible for it.

Is it me, or is that crust just nasty???  Blech!

Today's Small Thing is to clean your toothbrush holders (or wherever you store toothbrushes.) You might need to let the years of saliva sediment soak in warm water for awhile before you can face scrubbing them.  It will feel great to see those holders looking all shiny and pretty again!

POINTS: 30 for cleaning one holder

BONUS: 10 each for any other holder/drawer/countertop your toothbrushes may rest

Song of the Day: When You're Smiling, Dean Martin

More confessions:  when was the last time you replaced your toothbrush?

I'm on a Famous Person's Blog! That Makes Me....

...feel like I've had a brush with celebrity.
 
Today, I'm a guest blogger on Hannah Keeley's website! Remember, she is doing a special promotion with American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning, and has invited several guests to help promote it.  I'd LOVE to have a huge Company Girl participation so people sit up and say, "who ARE those girls???"

Aww, just the Company Girls, yeah. Company Girl NATION, that's who.

Could you use a new $15,000 heating and air conditioning system?  We could. Our upstairs unit has been on its last legs for the past decade. The last time we had someone out to repair it, the guy laughed and adjusted his hat before saying, "Ma'am, they stopped making those units in the 1980's." Just fix it, buddy, I don't need your commentary.

All you have to do is fill out the form for a chance to win. You might even win a 1/2 day home makeover with Hannah herself...and I think that in itself would be super cool. I love her blog, her tips and her faith and am so glad to have found her website.  I know you'll enjoy it, too.

If you stop over, would you leave a comment so she knows how you happened by?? If you tweet, feel free to do that, too. Thanks, ladies!

Is Anyone Going to Deeper Still - OK City?

Hey my sweet Company Girls!

 
 

I'm going to be attending the Deeper Still Conference in Oklahoma City this weekend!  I'd LOVE to meet up with you if you are going!!

I'll be catching the "behind the scenes" action with my dear darling friend, Priscilla Shirer, and I hear that I might get to chat with Miss KAY ARTHUR and BETH MOORE as well!  For Priscilla's blog, of course.  I'll be working real hard on that. Actually, PRISCILLA will be chatting with those ladies, and I will be holding the flip camera.  So essentially, I will be in the same room with Greatness. I will keep ya'll up to date with the excitement of the weekend....so stay tuned.

Let me know if you are going to be there and we will try to figure out a way to MEET IN REAL LIFE!

email: rachelanne@homesanctuary.com

twitter: RachelAnneRidge

Company Girl Coffee 10.23

Please tell me it's not Friday already!  After last weekend's women's retreat, this week somehow blew past. 

I'm so excited because we are getting a brand new bed today!  Girls, you know your bed is BAD when you value SLEEP over sleeping TOGETHER....my husband has had to sleep in the guest room for his back's sake for several months.  Which is weird.  Kissing each other good night in the hallway and then shuffling off to separate rooms is just...sad. 

Tonight, the lonely Old People will be reunited once again.  In comfort.

I am beside myself with joy!  I think I'll wear my pajamas all day so I'm ready when the delivery truck arrives.

Link up for a virtual cup of coffee below!  It's a fun and easy way to make some new friends by inviting people over to your blog to visit.  Simply fill out the little form with your blog post URL and that's IT!  Voila!  Then try and hit as many blogs as you can over the weekend.  Don't forget to read the comments because that's where our non-blogging Company Girls chat!

There is no Small Thing today, due to my lack of planning around a very late hockey game last night and a full day starting early today.  Sorry about that, girls!

Please be sure and stop by on Monday for a very cool announcement! In fact, now would be a great time to click on that little "RSS" link in the right sidebar so you can subscribe to my blog posts every day!  That way you'll never miss a Small Thing OR my announcement on Monday!  Yay!

"Most Votes" Photo!

Wow, girls!  You really got out the votes and made this here little contest a whole lot of fun!

The Most Votes Winner is Laura (Org Junkie) with this great photo:

I love the story that goes with it, which she shared here.

Laura's photo has garnered a guaranteed spot in the Company Girl gift book, and I daresay, a permanent place in her friend's heart.  She will also receive a copy of her photo professionally mounted on canvas.  Way to go, Laura! 

I'm going to give an honorable mention to Kym, who came in close second with this awesome photo:

Kym's site is just chock full of gorgeous photographs, and it's just plain eye-candy greatness.  Thank you, Kym!

And I forgot to announce the winner of the Curly Q Cutie, the random drawing for submissions during the contest.  The winner is Crystal W, a non-blogging Company Girl from Texas.  Congrats, Crystal!

How can I ever say thank you ENOUGH for all the wonderful photographs you all sent in!  I've looked at them again and again, and I can't help smiling all the way through!   The hardest part is just beginning...choosing the best from among them for the book.  I do not have a hard-fast date for completing the selection process, but I am anxious to finalize everything and get it published!  I'll keep you posted on progress.

Several of you have asked if you can still submit photos for consideration, and the answer is "yes!"  You may upload photos through July 15...however, with our summer schedules, please don't be offended if they are not posted to the site within 24 hours.  We'll do our best, but it may take us more time.

A special THANK YOU goes to Dawn, who has uploaded over 300 photos and kept me organized through this process!  She has been an awesome assistant and wonderful friend.  I could not do this project without her!

Bless you all!

Chocolate Giveaway!

Check out Alicia's Great Chocolate Giveaway that she's having on her blog, Momma's Musings!  Alicia creates the fabulous goodies at Fat Daddy Sweets, and she's got instructions for how to be entered in the drawing at her blog.  Heavenly!!  You deserve this.