DIY Ice Skates

Caden has been begging me to take him ice skating.  I have no idea where he got this idea, but it got me thinking.  We can bring the ice skating inside!My friend, Laura used to let her kids skate on commercial grade carpet (the flat, no pad kind) with wax paper taped to their shoes.  We don't exactly have commercial grade carpet in our home, but we do have wood floors!

I didn't have any wax paper on hand so I used freezer paper.  Freezer paper has a glossy side and a matte side.  The matte side works the best on wood floors.  I put together some make-shift ice skates by punching a hole on top of the skates and stringing a little ribbon through.  (My son didn't like the tape because the skates kept falling off.  Making "ice skates" eliminated all frustrations).





My son absolutely loved skating on the wood floors and this will be a definite favorite on those days it's too cold to go outside.

Recipe Roundup-Soups

January is a great month for soups!  Here’s a few of my favorites:



Tomato Basil Soup from Jenny Steffens Hobick.



Butternut Squash Soup from Habitually Hungry.



Roasted Red Pepper Soup from Good Life Eats.



Four Cheese Tortellini Soup from Apple Crumbs.

Do you have a favorite soup?

Preparing Your House for Winter

Ready to pull out the fall decor?  Before you do, be sure to prepare you home for winter!

by cwalker71

Don't forget:

-Change your air filters to make sure your system working properly for the winter.  Also consider having an licensed technician check your unit.  Having the heat break down in the middle of a cold spell isn't fun for anyone, and may cost you more to have someone come look at it!

-Consider changing out light bulbs for the more energy efficient compact fluorescent.  You'll be happy that you're saving money and your husband will be happy because he doesn't have to get the ladder out to change them as often!

-Check the weather stripping around your doors.  This is easy to replace if missing or damaged and cuts down on those cold drafts!

-Get chimney cleaned to reduce the probability of a fire.

-Test all fire detectors and carbon monoxide detectors-replacing the batteries if needed.

What do you do every fall to prepare for winter?