Stay Warm This Winter

One of the best parts of winter is being able to enjoy a delicious cup of hot cocoa!


I believe I bonded with hot cocoa the year I turned thirteen. My brother and I were ice skating on the pond in our backyard and I fell in! Only my feet were wet but in order to not get frost-bite I thought I should take off my shoes. (Who knows what in the world I was thinking! lol)

We were about half a mile from the house although walking barefoot it seemed more like five! My brother ran home, my parent's were not at home at the time, and grabbed the sled. He also grabbed blankets and a cup of hot cocoa.


He came running back as fast as he could and made me get into the sled, cover up and sit the hot cocoa by my feet. He pulled me home, and saved my toes!


I would like to mention that this was my little brother, he is two years younger than I am. He was eleven at the time, but he was my hero!

Mmm ... mmm ... mm ... It makes me hungry just thinking about it! I find nothing more delightful than preparing a hot bowl of Potato Soup for my family. Top it off with cheese and crackers and your living like a king, or in my case a Queen!


There are so many delicious soups that make great winter meals! It warms your tummy and comforts your soul! For me it makes me feel right at home, just the smell takes me back to my childhood!


You could make Homemade Beef Stew in which you get a splendor of warm yummy vegetables and hot roast beef all cooked in tomato juice. You could also go with Chicken Tortilla Soup which is kind of a variation of the original chicken and noodles, however without the noodles and add vegetables. In my opinion it's a lot tastier!


On cold winter evenings soup will soothe your soul!

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I own around seventy-five blankets if not more than that! I love 'em! I am most comfortable wrapped up in a nice soft blankey with a hot cup of cocoa next to my snuggly husband and two children! We all run to the blankets to get our favorites before someone else snatches it away! Then we cuddle up on the couch and tell stories of the day we had, read a good book, or watch one of our favorite family friendly movies!


After buying so many blankets from different stores, I finally decided it was time to make my own. I've known how to crochet since I was very little. Around the age of nine my mother taught me, because she would always make these beautiful blankets and I wanted to learn how to do it! Although I've had the skill for many years, I made my very first crocheted blanket almost three years ago. It wasn't much, I only used one stitch and made a pretty solid blanket, but I was proud of it! It took me quite a long time to complete, and I made it for my daughter as a Christmas present, although at the time she was only two so I think I was more enthusiastic about it than she was!


There are many ways to make your own blankets such as, knitting, crocheting, quilting, and the infamous "tying the knots." Most are to complicated to describe and deserve their own lens however I will tell you how to do the "tie the knots" type of blanket.


1) Choose a fabric, preferably a soft thick piece of fleece. You will need to choose a front and a back and also decide how big you would like your blanket to be. Once you have decided how long and wide you should buy your fleece about and inch or two bigger than the measurement you desire.

2)Put the two pieces fleece together and make one inch long by one inch wide cuts around the edges. The pieces should still be connected to the fabric. Do not cut anything off of your fabric.

3) Tie the pieces that you cut together into knots like this:
Continue to tie all the way around.

4) You are all finished! Ta Dah! You've made your first blanket! Doesn't it feel great to accomplish something! It was pretty simple, huh!

Now you know how to do the "tying the knots" type of blanket, go crazy! Make a few more, they make wonderful Christmas gifts as well.
If you want to learn more about making blankets you can find detailed instructions on knitting, crocheting, and more at Joann.com


The other great thing that I use my blankets for is this; when I go to bed I layer lots of fuzzy warm blankets between my sheets, that way I'm not laying on a cold sheet and covering up with a cold sheet! Plus it just adds more insulation!





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Make sure to bundle yourself up! You don't want to catch a cold! Plus this is another way to use your body heat as a personal heater! The more layers the warmer you'll be because your clothing traps the heat in.


I suggest investing in hoodies! They are my favorite, so comfy, and versatile! Hoodies go with practically anything. Plus you can slip them over almost anything, and they don't really make you look any larger than what you really are. (If you buy your actual size that is) I am a size medium and I have a hoodie that is an XX which makes me look as though I'm pregnant with triplets! lol


Also warm socks, try the ones that are really fuzzy inside! You can't have too many socks, and slippers wouldn't hurt either! I know for me it's always my toes and fingers that get cold first!


Speaking of fingers aren't gloves a wonderful invention! I don't know what people did without them!