Come Home To Comfort

Come Home To Comfort is the byline for Country Living magazine - my magazine pick of the day.

And I might as well fess up right from the start, I had very little time to read the actual magazine.

But Wait! Before you go penalizing me for slacking off on my Every Day (but the weekends) in May commitment - hear me out. The reason for my lack of quality mag reading time was because I went to the website first.....And Loved It!

Even the tour of the Double Wide Kitchen, made even more fun by the southern accent of the mobile home owner, was incredible. Wait until you see her kitchen island. Then, if you like what you see, take the tour of the Double Wide Bedroom, the Double Wide living room, and top it off with a tour of the Double Wide bathroom.

This is the first time in 28 years that Country Living magazine has ever featured a mobile home... and as the southern accented interviewer said "you could've knocked her over with a feather" when she saw it. (I couldn't help but think that you probably could've knocked the whole doggone double wide over with a feather in a good Florida storm...but I'm not one to stereotype.)

After the double wide tour, be sure to look at the video of the living room in the Country Living 2008 Show House living room - and pay special attention to the table in the foyer. Because I'm going to so steal that idea for my foy-a table.

On the website there are also videos on cooking asparagus and 99 other kitchen helps. There are also budgeting interviews, craft videos, and even a Country Living store.

The obvious question intelligent blog readers like mine may be asking is this: Why subscribe to the magazine when you can get all the same stuff, in video format, on the website?

Two reasons: Nothing can really beat the ease of a nice, glossy, lightweight magazine. Who wants to take a laptop out by the pool, or in the van while you're waiting for ballet to dismiss, ......or in the bathroom of a double wide? Nope, you need a magazine for times like those.

And then there's the problem of the cold sores. Well, actually cold sores won't be much of a problem if you just get yourself some Abreve. And I know this because I watched an Abreve commercial every. single. time. that I watched a video on the Country Living website. With a paper magazine you can skip those ads, but with videos you have to watch it every. single. time.

But you came here to find out if Country Living magazine had changed my life.

Well, I do love the covers of the magazine, as seen at the top of this post. And that porch belongs to a gal in the city I live in - which makes me wonder why it is not covered in pollen like mine. Every month, Country Living has an enchanting cover - One that looks great on my coffee table or thrown casually at the end of my couch, as if I had just spent a few leisurely hours browsing through it. And truth be known, that's the nicest thing about this magazine.

It's eye candy. Great pictures. Not alot of text. You can pick it up and relax for a few minutes, then pick it up a few weeks later. And if you're over 50, it will be like you've never even seen it before.

The issue I read today was May 2009. It's called The Big Bargain Issue, but I'm not sure why. (In fact, not to steal County Living's thunder, but I still think Real Simple is the best magazine for finding 'deals'- as I'm sure we'll all find out when I review it later this month.)

However, I did find three things I just have to share from this month's CL issue.
First, in the DIY Idea Notebook section, look at these adorable kid's hand prints. I would love some of my grandchildren's handprints for Mother's Day. (hint:hint).
I think the very-simple instructions are on the website under crafts.




I also enjoyed the recipe section titled "Just Like Mom Used to Make" where seven of America's best chefs shared a favorite recipe passed down by their mothers.
Here's the one I'm making ASAP (even though I'm sure my girls like their mother's chicken pot pie recipe better...)


One thing I really like about the magazine is the way they print "Steal this idea!", along with big white arrows, to highlight different decorating ideas that would be easy to duplicate. And I plan on legitimately stealing this one, since they are the ones who suggested it! (Darn, I can't get it to upload....Maybe they don't want me stealing it after all!) Anyway, ......it was a bunch of melamine plates hung on an outside porch wall. The wall was red and the plates were white and I'm a sucker for red and white, as you can see if you look through my blog archives under 'decorating'.

Here are a few things I didn't care for:


Yes, those are old tennis rackets resurrected as mirrors. Does Not Work For Me. And neither does the feed-sack upholstery.



And here's one I'm still not sure about. I think my tastes are 'maturing' from the teapot lamp stage....but there's an immature part of me, the Alice in Wonderland part, that would still like to read a book by the light of this whimsical lamp.



Here's one I won't be wasting a doily on. Collars for bottles? I think not.



So, what's the verdict on Country Living?

I think it's worth the money I paid to subscribe. And you can subscribe for even less than I did by going to their website to sign up.

As I flipped through it again just now I found several more bits of information that I'm too tired to find pictures for - So use your imagination, or go buy the magazine.

--Turning a metal tray into a magnetic message board...So cute for a child's room or kitchen message center. Just hang the metal tray on the wall with a plate hanger. It doesn't get easier than that.

--The supermarket bouquet challenge, where the florist separated the flowers in a grocery store bouqet and made 3 darling centerpieces.

-- I learned what a cloche is; AND I want one (yet another Mother's Day idea. If I gave birth to you, you are really without excuse this year!)

Being a Country magazine and all there are, of course, the obligatory articles on bunnies, trips to Idaho, and turning metal sheds into guest cottages (for real.)

But if you're like my friend Lea, who is on a quest not to spend ANY money this month, then you'll find plenty of great ideas on the website. Just give yourself plenty of time. It's that good.




P.S. I'm leaving town in the morning (Fri) to watch my 17yo compete in a regatta in Tenn. I'm taking my laptop in hopes of blogging. But I may have to pick something easy....like the Land's End catalog :)