Calico and Cupcakes

Bunco Night and Headbands

2012-02-25T09:16:00.000-08:00

Today is my sweet niece's birthday. She is seven. Having two boys, I jump at the rare chance to make anything girly--ruffles galore. So, though I bought her a present she wanted at the toy store, I had to make a couple of headbands for her!

I had leftover wool felt from my Thrive (our church's marriage ministry) leader wives craft night, and a pile of those elastic headbands that are great for exercising (or just being seven--or thirty something, for that matter).

I had no plan--just to experiment with glue and felt. I ended up making 4 felt bows and tucking them into a ruffled strip of felt. I don't sew, so I used hot glue, but those of you sassy sewers could whip this up quickly with a needle and thread. The pictures don't do these justice. They are REALLY cute! I love when you have no idea what you are doing and it just works--whew!

I love grey felt too. I don't love the purple headband with it, but it is for a SEVEN year old. The store only had neon, bright colored headbands. I am on the hunt for neutral colored ones now to make more.

I thought I'd model it--now I want one!

My favorite

Then, last night, Thrive had an all group activity. Our amazing activity team planned an amazing night. We have about 300 people on our ministry roster, so all group activities are big and FUN! These nights are all about meeting others and just having intentional fellowship.

We had about 100 people come to play Bunco. What a great night!

I did much better than past years (three Buncos within two rounds!), but I still was waaaay behind the winners. Here are some pictures of the night--the red hat is for when anyone yells, "Bunco!"

Directions/Rule time

Silly hubby

Our activities leader, Justin. He is THE funniest person you will ever meet.

Love this ministry!

Josh and Jenny

Table 1, the winner table, had See's Candy. The loser table had vienna sausages, pickled tomatoes, kiddie chairs and sailor hats.

Bunco!

This is our WINNER of the night--Diane. I have NO idea why, but she is sitting at the loser table in this picture.

Bunco!

Megan got Bunco!

Andrea got a Bunco!

Go Josh!

DJ Darren--our friend Darren had fun playing music, keeping us energetic and chair dancing.

Ice cream sandwich break!

A blurry picture of me wearing the Bunco hat

Megan's score card!

Figuring out the winners

It was a ton of fun!

Happy weekend to all of you!

Scripture Art

2012-02-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

I will post more details about what I've been up to soon, but here are some examples of scripture art on canvas that I've been making . . . Look for an Etsy announcement soon!!! Plus, Calico and Cupcakes is at 200 followers, so I will soon host my first EVER giveaway to win a scripture canvas piece.Yay! Stay tuned . . .

San Diego Mini Trip and Craft Night

2012-02-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

Our family was needing a little fun, so we took advantage of the long weekend and headed to San Diego for one night.

We love San Diego. It is only an hour south of us, and there is so much to do with the kids. It is our go-to vacation spot for weekends away, along with the Palm Springs area. Of course, there is Sea World, the zoo, Balboa Park, the wild animal park, and Legoland, but we just wanted a mellow, cheaper trip this time around.

We still did a ton of stuff--Old Town for Mexican food, the Gaslamp Quarter for dinner, Coronado Island for park time and a visit to the beach, Boomers for some mini golf, swimming at the hotel pool, and Seaport Village for carousel rides and kite flying with the boys. If you aren't from California and you ever visit, definitely spend a lot of time in San Diego. It is clean, pretty and has tons to do!

I got home in the afternoon, and I started setting up for a craft night I was hosting that evening. In the hustle of the night, I didn't get any pictures. Insert a big frowny face here.

Fourteen of our leader wives in our church's marriage ministry came over and we made Dahlia pins like this--you can see a picture of my first Dahlia pin I ever made, which I love other than the bright polyester felt I used. I have made several of these and been happy, but my pin from last night was not my favorite. I had nice, cream wool felt, but I made mine too high, rigid and stacked. I am going to try to improvise a little bit next time. Have you made these before, and do you have a trick?

The craft night was great, and everyone's Dahlia pin was a reflection of their personality. I loved it! We had lots of fellowship and chocolate to help us enjoy the night even more!

Yesterday, I had the thrill! I came running downstairs to show my husband, and he just blinked at me. He didn't get it--maybe you will! I found a project off my blog on pinterest. I didn't pin it, I didn't search for it, and it wasn't pinned by someone I knew. I had a legitimate pin off my blog onto the Pinterest site--and it had 32 repins just from that one person's pin! When you are a little blog, it is the little things, folks. It made me smile!

Today, hubby is home for the holiday weekend, and we are getting odds and ends done. The boys are playing in a homemade fort upstairs, Ry is practicing a lesson he is giving on I Peter this week, and I have an impressive load of laundry to do. Tomorrow I'll get back to crafting for the airplane party and share some more projects. I also have recorded last night's newest Downton Abbey and can't wait to sit with a cup of coffee and find out what is going on in post WWI English manor life.

Enjoy your long weekend!

Squinting into the sun in San Diego . .

Silhouette Print and Cut tutorial: Airplane party lunch tags

2012-02-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

I am the first of my hometown buddies to buy a Silhouette. A few people own a Cricut, but I get questions about the Silhouette all the time. What is it? How is it different? Do you like it? What exactly does it do?

I thought it might be fun to take pictures of a print and cut session to show people an example of what the Silhouette does and looks like. As many of you know, I am throwing my soon to be 3 year old an airplane party. He walks around the house talking about airplanes all the time. He is just a teensy bit excited!

I wanted to print and cut the "in flight" lunch box labels for the party, so I am designing, printing and cutting those today. Join me! You do not have to print designs for the Silhouette to cut. You can just cut out shapes/outlines/letters, etc. (no printer involved), which is the first task I learned on the Silhouette. You simply take the downloaded shape on your computer, size it the way you want, send it to the Silhouette, and it cuts the shape. You can cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, fabric and more.

I have made vinyl letters for signs and paper letters for banners. I have cut out shapes for Christmas decor. I have cut out tags and various shapes for present cards, party tags, etc. It is my favorite crafting tool.

I bought these DARLING aqua polka dot boxes from Polka Dot Market to hold each lunch for the party. We are doing a vintage airplane feel for the party, so the "boxed" in-flight lunch was a cute play on that. I will make little sandwiches, have a bag of chips and add clear cups of fruit. My colors are aqua and orange--so fun!

First, I open the Silhouette program on my computer. Here I have my computer plugged into the Silhouette. There are no cartridges to buy for the Silhouette. Every cut, design, and project comes from your computer.

I had made some circular tags, but I am not over the moon about them. I will create some new ones for this tutorial.

I first copy my downloaded "ticket" shape (I used these for the invites) onto my blank computer page and "ungroup" the shape.

I remove the airplane shape and delete the rest. I can resize the airplane to fit into an outer label shape.

I pick a classic, scalloped square shape to be the outline of my labels.

I use the font tool to add the word "lunch" in an "Airplane" font I downloaded for free from Lovely Little Snippets. I found the link on Pinterest. I place the airplane and font inside the square and size them.

Cute!

At first I did everything in black because I was going to print the design on orange paper. I did a print and didn't love it on the orange.

I decided to do orange fill paint in each shape and print it on white cardstock. (Sorry, I didn't take a picture of this, but just click on the shape you want to fill (select it) and then click on the paint can at the top. Pick your color and you're done!).

On the Silhouette, you need to make sure you check the box "show the registration marks" to print. This will help the machine to accurately cut the design you are printing. Here is the screen BEFORE I checked the box.

I also took the one shape I designed and just hit "duplicate" until I filled my page.

When you choose how the machine will cut your design, you want to select the inside shapes (ungroup the entire design and select each part). Check "no cut" under the cutting style window. Then just the outside label will be cut from the printed sheet. The dark pink line is where the machine will cut.

I printed the sheet on my printer. The scalloped lines are light since they will be cut.

I put it into my Silhouette and had it read the registration marks. It got to work and cut out the labels.

I took each label and some teal ribbon I bought at Costco for the spring season. I wrapped the ribbon around the box and then added my label.

Perfect! They are a cross between a suitcase and a boxed lunch--just the look I wanted.

Since I broke down all the steps, it sounds much more complicated than it actually is. It just takes a few hours of playing with the Silhouette program to grasp how to use the different functions, and they have a great tech support you can call for help.

I'll show you more projects as I prepare for the party. I still have so much to do, but I'm having so much fun!

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share a few snapshots of our Valentine breakfast this morning. . .

I hope to synch up my phone sometime in the next 200 years and talk about the Wives' Workshop I spoke at last weekend.

For now, enjoy the love . . .

Heart waffles and bacon on a new plate and a bag of dollar bin goodies . . .

One love bug

He's a ham and cheese

Another love bug . . . He likes his chalkboard I made him for practicing his writing . . .

We called daddy at work to say we loved him and to wish him a Happy Valentine's Day!

We pray your day is filled with LOVE!

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

I John 3:16

Valentine Chalkboard

2012-02-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

I went to the Target dollar bin and filled a baggie with little odds and ends for my two little Valentines this year. I also wanted to make my kindergartener something fun with items I had around the house. He is really excited about writing, so I decided to use scrap wood and left over chalkboard paint to make him a chalkboard for Valentine's Day.

First I took the 12 inch by 12 inch piece of thin plywood I had left from a trip to Michael's.

I painted white acrylic craft paint over the surface. I painted two coats.

I then--because I'm lazy and didn't want to hook up my Silhouette (someday I'll have a desk where it is permanently set up)--handdrew a heart on paper, cut it out, and then traced it onto the wet paint. I wasn't concerned about the mess in the heart because that was getting painted.

I painted the inside of the heart with chalkboard paint and let it dry.

I covered the edges with glued red ric rac. Voila! This was fast, easy and will entertain him for hours.

Have fun writing messages, my little buddy!

Superbowl Grub

2012-02-03T11:35:00.000-08:00

I love football, but I am more of a college sport follower than a pro football fan. However, like the rest of America, I love the chance for a party, fun commercial watching and FOOD when the Superbowl arrives.

What fun snacks and meals do you eat? It is fun when guests all bring a dish and you can concentrate on just a creative dish or two. I thought I'd share some ideas that caught the attention of my stomach . . . er . . . eye.

The Food Network gives us chorizo and shrimp quesadillas with smoky guacamole. It is a Rachel Ray recipe, so it is most likely straight forward. The reviews are through the roof, and we are big quesadilla fans here!

Here is another fun traditional food with a twist: Grilled Potato Skins with the fixings! This is also rated easy by The Food Network. They have a video showing you how to make this tasty treat if you follow the link.

If you are setting out snacks from a bag, how about making a creative BOWL? The Food Network Magazine shares this fun and easy project for a "super bowl."

Safeway, yes Safeway, had this easy peasy recipe for cheddar, ranch, bacon pinwheels. What is there not to love about crescent rolls, cheese, bacon, ranch and green onion? Yummo!

What if you are eating healthy, like me? How about baked zucchini fries? These make me think I'm splurging on my diet!

Share what fun recipe you are making! I'm sure I'll be making something the boys and Ryan will eat: maybe a yummy spin on a hamburger. You can read about creative hamburger ingredients and recipes at my old post here. Enjoy Superbowl Sunday!

Easy, Affordable and Personal Valentine Day Cards

2012-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

I HEART Costco.

They are genius. Somehow they have managed to mix low cost and high quality together, and they deliver just that. Plus, they are awesome with their return policies. One shopping trip I bought Tangled, the movie, and the DVD didn't make it home. I honestly didn't know if I left it in the cart in the parking lot or if the cashier forgot to put it into my cart at checkout, but it was paid for on my receipt. I went right back to the return counter and explained just that--I wasn't sure what happened and it could have very well been my fault. Without hesitating, they gave me another copy and said, "Have a nice day!" That, folks, is a lost art at stores these days.

Anyway, I digress. Last year, we made homemade scrapbook type Valentine cards with a cute photo of the boys to mail to relatives. It took a long time, but it was affordable and cute. This year I don't have that much time, but I still wanted a cute, original, and AFFORDABLE Valentine card to send to our hundreds of relatives (I exaggerate, but we have a lot of family!). If there ever is a time to send snail mail and put a stamp on an envelope, it is Valentine's Day.

Costco to the rescue! For $7.99, you can design a greeting card and get 10 copies, along with pre-printed return address envelopes. Seriously, that is the cost of 2-3 cards at the Hallmark store these days. If you have more to send, you can do the greeting cards people send at Christmas, but with Valentine trim and wording. They are 50 for about $15.00. They come with unprinted envelopes. All you need to have is a Costco membership.

Here is our creation.

My 5 year old decided to be uncooperative and would not allow his brother to hug or kiss him. He held out his arm, winced, moaned and tried in every way to ruin the photo session. I finally got the ONE shot of my 2 year old sneaking a kiss, but I had a mess of all the other photos.

So, I decided to just roll with it. I added a little bit of humor to the card.

The kids punched out hearts and glued them to the inside. On the other inside page, we will sign a little personal message.

I love the fact that you can add a little message and picture on the back of the card too! Fun!

So, if you don't want to go spend $3-5 dollars on an impersonal card at the store, try Costco! Oh, and I am getting no money or endorsement for promoting them. I just like Costco. : )

Happy card creating!

Happy February!

2012-02-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

It is February! The month of love. Plus, my two year old has taken to potty training this week like a bee to honey, so I'm filled with thanks! I whipped out my Silhouette and made a LOVE banner. Happy LOVE month to you!

Project Family Room

2012-01-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

This was our walk through on our house in April 2010 (that is our nice realtor in the picture). This is the way the family before us had the family room decorated--LOTS of furniture, dark peach tile on the floor and fireplace, a built in holding the TV and taking up precious space in the room. It needed some work and reconfiguring. I am by no means streamlined or contemporary, but I can't stand clutter. Thankfully, they had a beautiful cutout niche above the fireplace and some nice white shutters on the windows.

We tore out the peach tile (which was in the whole house practically) and put in chocolate, distressed wood floors. We put travertine on the fireplace and tore out the built in. Here is the family room in process right before we moved into the house. The tile has been torn up, the built in taken out and the paint colors for the niche are being chosen--thus the weird colors on the wall.

Here is our family room currently. I apologize for the dark picture. I have the wonderful habit of taking pictures at the worst time of day. That is setting sunlight on our fireplace, not some weird design.:

(Here is the blank canvas wall I mention below)

I'm working on my family room this year. After unemployment for our family in 2011, we are thankful for the gift of an income in 2012 and ready to jump back into house projects. We recently had both crown moulding and pocket lights put into our family room ceiling. We were tired of squinting at our guests whenever we sat in there at night--or we'd turn on our really bright patio lights just outside to add to the illumination of the room (sad!).

I'm loving the lights! We had four added to the room, one focal spotlight for our fireplace and one in the "hallway" between the family room and the kitchen.

The family room is tiny. We don't have a teeny, tiny house, but the smallest rooms by far are both the family and living room. Entertaining can be an issue since we often entertain 50-60 people when we have ministry leadership meetings/dinners at our home. We knew about the issue when we moved into this house, but the positives in the house/yard outweighed this negative. Thankfully, the yard is nice and big, but even southern California has limits on how often you can ask guests to sit outside.

Because of this, we used leather ottomans as a coffee table, which also can be separated and moved as seats. Our small couch holds about 3 guests, and right now we have a massive leather chair by the TV wall.
We want to move that chair elsewhere and get two proportionally smaller armchairs on each side of the TV console. We also have three barstools right where I am standing to take the pictures, as we have a breakfast bar counter facing out into our family room. These are handy to turn around and act as additional seating.

In addition, I would like to put white federalist moulding wrapping around the bottom half of the room to brighten up this part of the house. It gets very little direct sunlight, and I am a girl who likes light and bright.

I also want to do a photo wall around the TV. I can't decide if I should have white frames or black. I love white, but I am thinking that since they will surround the TV and almost camaflouge the flatscreen into the picture wall, they should have black frames with large, white matting. The TV will have too much "weight" with white frames around it. I will do all black and white photos.

I also want to paint the 80's brass on the fireplace glass with a black metal paint and, eventually, I want to get a larger, crown moulding looking mantle to cover our lovely, thin plywood one.

Finally, I want some long, ceiling to floor white column curtains to frame the slider that leads out to the backyard. It is immediately to the right of the couch.

What are your thoughts, my decorating friends? Do you have any ideas for the wall around the TV? What kind of armchairs would you buy for each side of the TV console and what color would you prefer to see? Right now I have creams, tans, rusts and golds in the room, but I'm open to another color. All those colors blend nicely with our dark, red undertoned kitchen cabinets and wood floor.

I'm excited for project family room and can't wait to show you the progress!

Personalized Bulletin Board Tutorial

2012-01-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I made a giant, very affordable bulletin board with foam core and fabric. You can see that tutorial here. It was great until my 2 year old--whom we nicknamed Destructo very early on--got to it. After a few swipes and knocking it off the wall, it started to fall apart, and pins were everywhere in the carpet. Foam core had met its match.

My hubby asked if I could use a normal bulletin board with cork and decorate that for our wall. It would hang more securely, and it would hold the pins more firmly. In other words, it would be Destructo proof.

I found two, smaller bulletin boards (one for each boy) at Costco and brought them home. I was looking for some fun Mod type fabric, but I didn't find exactly what I wanted. The fabrics were too feminine or too plain. I knew the fabric needed to complement the tan walls and leather couch in our playroom, so I found a seafoam green fabric that worked.

I made one bulletin board by stapling the fabric into place along the edges--my teaching skills in making bulletin boards came back to me. I didn't like all the wrinkles and loose fabric that resulted, though. I picked the most wrinkle prone fabric in the store. I ironed and ironed until my hand hurt, but it seemed to only multiply the wrinkles. So I made the second bulletin board by using spray adhesive. I sprayed the cork and smoothed the fabric over the cork. MUCH better! I stapled the edges and then I glued a thick, dark chocolate ribbon around the edge of both bulletin boards. I used my photo drink coasters to hold down the ribbon as the glue dried in the corners of the ribbon.

The stapled edges before the ribbon was glued around the edges.

Do you see the wrinkles? Ugh! The second one is MUCH better, but I didn't take a prep picture of it.

Finally, I printed out each boy's name on dark brown vinyl on my Silhouette. It added a little fun touch to have each board labeled with chunky letters.

Voila! My hubby hung up both of the boards, and now we are ready to see if they are Destructo proof.

Low Carb Chicken (tortilla if you want it) Soup

2012-01-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

I told you all that I am doing Atkins. You can read my post here. One of my favorite meals whether I am dieting or not dieting is chicken tortilla soup. In fact, you can read a previous recipe I shared for this yummy meal--a thicker, higher carb version than the one I'm about to share.

Recently I had the chicken tortilla soup at Cafe Rio and fell in love. It is really brothy, with tons of fresh ingredients. I get it every time I go.

So, when I wanted to cook a low carb version of chicken tortilla soup, I thought of my favorite order at Cafe Rio. I have to say, it turned out to be delicious! If you are looking for a good comfort soup or a good diet recipe, I highly recommend this soup.

First I boiled my three chicken breasts in 2 boxes of chicken stock. Then I shredded and chopped up the cooked chicken (keep the stock for the soup).
Add 2 cups of water to the stock and bring to a simmer.
Add some taco seasoning into your soup to taste. I added very little, because I was wanting a very fresh ingredient taste.
Drop the chicken into the liquid again.
I chopped up a small yellow onion and let it simmer in the soup for a couple of hours.

When you are ready to eat, mix a couple tablespoons of lime juice into your soup.
Spoon some steaming hot soup with the chicken and onion into your bowl.
Put a couple of tablespoons of fresh salsa into your soup in your bowl and stir.
Put 2 generous tablespoons of guacamole into your bowl or add fresh chopped up avocado.
Sprinkle a little Mexican mixture cheese into your soup. (Usually Jack and Cheddar blends)
Chop up fresh cilantro and put it all over your bowl of soup.
If you aren't going low carb, heap some tortilla chip strips on the top of your soup. I didn't add any, and I still was happy with the soup.

Your kitchen will smell so good, and you will feel full on hot, healthy soup!
My hubby will get some cornbread on the side, and I've had this soup at Rubio's Baja Grill with lots of rice in it. This won't do for my Atkins friends, but it might be something I add to my husband's bowl to make it more filling.

Enjoy!

Women in the Word Wednesday: Kindness

2012-01-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow or Friday I should have a post about some new vinyl letters and bulletin boards I have been making for the boys, but I wanted to share something that happened on my street this morning.

I had gotten up early to work out with a friend, and right after my friend left I heard screaming outside. I knew something was wrong, but I was upstairs with my son in the front bonus room. I looked outside the window to see if I needed to call 911 and just find out what was happening. Two neighbor ladies were outside, and they had their dogs. The one neighbor was walking her small terriors on leashes, but she was in front of the other neighbor's house. The neighbor not walking her dogs was taking her daughter to school and, upon opening the garage door, her medium sized dog (not a violent breed--a wheaton) ran out and started growling at and chasing the little dogs on the leash. The screaming was coming from the neighbor with her dogs on a leash.

This went on for about 20 seconds before the neighbor was able to grab her dog away and get him in the garage. She was horrified and turned to the dog walking neighbor to apologize profusely. The other neighbor, whose dogs had been chased, started to let a stream of cussing and hateful words come screaming from her mouth toward this lady. She continued to walk down the street to her house, turning around every five seconds to continue screaming at this family and their unleashed dog.

What the angry neighbor did not realize (no one is extremely close on our street), is that this family she was hating and yelling at was in the midst of a terrible trial. The husband had been rushed into emergency quadruple bipass surgery just days before Christmas and had only recently come home from the hospital. They are in financial trial right now, and the wife is trying to run the house, take care of her two teenage kids on her own and make sure her husband is healing and not facing any of the stress. Her naughty pooch was not a purposeful offense. I'm sure she did not expect there to be two dogs right outside her driveway when she opened the garage door to drive her daughter to school.

I am sure she retreated into her home and sobbed. I would have after being screamed at like that.

The whole scene upset me. I was so sad for both of the ladies, and I dropped to my knees and prayed for them. I prayed for peace, for love, for understanding, for patience, and for remorse. I prayed for me too. How often do I assume the worst in people, have no patience for mistakes or circumstances they are facing, and, though I don't scream obscenities at them, I hold bitterness or anger in my heart. What a powerful reminder for me this morning!

The scene provided a good discussion on kindness and forgiveness with my son.

Whether or not other people are in hard circumstances, God calls Christians to forgive. It is just that more powerful of a reminder, though, to know that many people we face in our day are probably dealing with their own trials and stress. How painful to know that we might be adding to someone's sadness or despair with our impatient words or looks.

I encourage you today to have compassion and kindness for others. It will help you heap on forgiveness and patience as you go throughout your day.

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” (Matthew 18:23-35) C. S. Lewis

Ephesians 4:1-2 “I . . .urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love”

Spring necklace

2012-01-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

What is canteloupe orange, watermelon pink and summer sky blue all over?--my new necklace! I went into a little boutique store in our neighborhood mall today--Francesca's Collections for those of you who live in the area--and spotted this spring necklace.

I didn't care that I don't have the perfect top or dress for it yet. It was about 20.00, and it made me think of cotton candy colors and sundresses. I love it, and I wanted to share.

My five year old said it looked like candy and was worried my two year old would eat it. It certainly was a sweet find for me on a cloudy January day!

Airplane Party Invitations

2012-01-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

My baby is turning 3 in March. I can't believe it! I have started planning ideas for the party, and I want to make sure I get the invitations out soon, as everyone's calendar is full.

I am going to do an airplane theme with orange and aqua as the colors. I'll be sharing more decor and theme ideas as we get closer to the party, but I thought I'd share the invitations with you.

I have the Silhouette, so I looked up shapes about airplanes. I found some cute shapes, and I loved this "ticket" idea.

I printed them out in the party colors.

You have air mail!

I linked this to:

Canvas Verse Tutorial

2012-01-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

I have a good friend who has a birthday this week! I thought it would be fun to create a subway style canvas piece with her favorite Bible verse. It wasn't difficult, just time consuming. It will get easier now that I've made my first sign.

Get a blank canvas. I got mine at Michael's. I bought a 12 by 14 inch size.

Paint the top of the white canvas white. Why, you ask? I'll show you in a minute, but it is for touch up purposes.

Once you let the white paint dry (mine dried overnight), you can cut out your adhesive vinyl letters. I used my Silhouette to write out most of the words from Jeremiah 29:11,13. Next time I will play with the size of each word and have more variance.

Tape off lines equadistance apart from one another on the canvas. My masking tape lines are 1 and 3/4 inches apart.

As you attach the vinyl letters, you can play with spacing and take off the masking tape as you go.

Voila!

Now you need to choose a color to paint or spray paint your canvas. I wanted a distressed look, so I wasn't going for glossy, perfect coverage. My 2 year old dumped his snack bowl on the wet paint, so I had to actually add more spray paint than I planned, which took some of the grayish look I wanted away. If you want an even spray, do a few coats.

Peel up the vinyl letters after the spray paint dries. MAKE SURE your vinyl letters are pressed down tightly before you spray, as you get bleeding into the white space. Don't worry, though, because you painted the canvas a white that you can match and touch up! This first letter was my worst one.

Here is the final product. I dry brushed some white to make the canvas look more distressed. The edges look great with the dry brush technique.

I like it! I want to make one for my house that is in softer font and with a mustard or sage color. I hope my friend likes it! Have fun creating!

This post is linked to:

Atkins, Hypothyroid, and a Metabolic History of Me

2012-01-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

(At my mom's house, helping her cook a poached salmon dish with lime and ginger)

Like the other 5 million people New Year's dieting, I'm buckling down again in order to lose holiday pounds and the pounds I needed to lose before the holidays. When I need to lose weight, cutting out sugar and limiting carbs is the most successful method for my metabolism.

I didn't have to diet until I was about 28 years old. I was always the "skinny" girl who ate whatever she wanted and still wore a size 2. It was not something I flaunted, but I sure took it for granted.

When I hit my late 20's, my metabolism started to finally slow down, and when I got married at 28, I started Atkins a few months after my wedding. I was still very normal and by no means overweight, but some of my coworkers were going to try the diet and I was hoping to lose about 10 pounds and reach "skinny" status again. I was able to lose 15 pounds fairly easily, and I kept 10 of those off for years.

Then, I had my children. By the time I had my second boy, I was 34, and my genetics dealt me Hashimoto's disease (a type of hypothyroid disease). I wasn't diagnosed right away, but I was frustrated with dieting and working out and not losing weight very easily. In addition, I was able to GAIN weight by blinking. When I told my mom I was exhausted as if someone had given me sleep medicine, and I also was having insomnia, she sent me to her endrocrinologist. The diagnosis was Hashimoto's--my immune system was attacking my thyroid. It was a relief to know I actually had a medical reason for all the symptoms I was feeling.

Within two years, the amount of synthroid (medicine) I need to take has tripled as my Hashimoto's progresses. Last spring, I had clumps of hair falling out of my head when I showered or brushed my hair. It was horrible. Thankfully, God gave me thick, thick hair, and what would cause bald spots on many heads just thinned my hair. Now, after my synthroid has been adjusted and raised, my hair is growing back in and I have many "fly away" hairs sticking up as my hair recovers and regrows. Pomade is currently my best friend.

There are a couple of myths I want to debunk: Hypothyroid patients don't just have slow metabolisms. I get foggy brained, low energy, dry skin, brittle hair, digestive issues, and other fun side effects. For some reason, many doctors and people think hypothyroidism is just a term for being "fat" and blaming it on a medical issue. I wish. Everyone's metabolism slows as they age, but this is much worse than the norm.

Also, hormone thyroid replacements, such as synthroid, don't help you lose weight--at least that isn't my experience. They help you not continue to pack on the pounds like before, but you still have to work hard at dieting and working out, in fact much harder than a non-hypothyroid patient in order to lose the same amount of weight. I have had people say, "I wish I had hypothyroidism and got medicine to lose weight." Um. That isn't quite how it works, unfortunately. In fact, often thyroid patients can get their TSH levels back to normal and still feel many of the side effects of an underactive or overactive thyroid. Everyone is different, so it is a tricky disease. I highly recommend going to see an endocrinologist often if you are diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease.

Overall, it is just a good reminder that I'm in a decaying shell and to concentrate on my eternal state and relationship with God more than I do on eating and exercise. Every gray hair, skin blemish and wrinkle remind us that we are falling apart and fighting an eventually losing battle to physically stay the same. Still, I need to take care of what God has given me and be healthy so I can be an effective wife, mom and friend.

You might hear me share some Atkins type recipes over the next few months as I diet. Last night we had grilled Mahi Mahi with kalamata olive butter. Tonight I made a chicken and sage soup with lemon zest and chicken broth. My favorite low carb food is Perfect 10 bagels. They are high in fiber and protein, and they have only 10 carbs in a whole bagel.

Are you starting a new diet or way of eating? Link up your post or tips in the comments! It is great to encourage one another as we aim to eat better, live a healthy life and get moving!

I linked this to: House of Hepworths

Eureka! Our Anniversary Trip to Gold Country

2012-01-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

I love California history. There is something about the west, Manifest Destiny, and pioneers that has always intrigued me. So, needless to say, I really enjoyed our recent anniversary trip up to the Sacramento area. We celebrated 9 years by staying at a bed and breakfast right above Sutter's Mill, the original gold finding spot that spurred the California Gold Rush in 1848.

Usually there would be some snow, but we are having an Indian Summer in California, so both our anniversary night and our following trip to Tahoe involved little to no snow. I'll write a separate post about our Tahoe trip with friends, but here is a brief pictorial summary of our anniversary trip! God blessed us with a wonderful time and safe trip!

We left early in the morning and got to Sacramento around 1:00. We stopped by the Capitol building.

The Governor's office.

We drove to our Bed and Breakfast and got to spend about an hour at the Gold Rush town and Sutter's Mill site.

Here is the Sutter's Mill replica.

Sutter's Mill

Ryan is pretending to find gold at the original location where gold was discovered.

The town was so cute and quaint. I wish we had been there earlier in the day, as things were closing or already closed.

The beautiful river that began the Gold Rush.

Our Bed and Breakfast, Bella Vista, which I would recommend.

The view from our room in the bed and breakfast.

Our family room and kitchenette. They only had a two bedroom available, but it was nice and spacious!

My wonderful hubby--Happy Anniversary, Ry!

Anniversary Trip

2011-12-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

Nine years ago I married my hubby. We had a Christmas wedding, and I still think it was the best day of my life.
We are leaving tomorrow morning for a little time away to celebrate, and I am so excited. Our parents are so awesome, taking the kids so we can enjoy time without the little energizer bunnies. I'll take pictures of the trip to share with you all. We are going to a beautiful area!
We got married in our late 20's, but it was still early enough that digital film wasn't the norm. I had to take pictures of the hard copy pictures in our wedding album in order to share some pics from our day, but I got a few. Enjoy!

Two Days of Christmas

2011-12-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

(My two boys on the left in the plaid and stripes, and my sister in law's children on the right)

We had a unique situation this year. Ryan's family was celebrating ALL the Christmas traditions on Christmas Eve, as his sister was leaving for her honeymoon on Christmas and his brother was flying back to Ohio Chrismas morning. My side of the family was doing all their celebrating together on Christmas Eve as well, including the four December birthdays in my family. So, the busiest day for us was Christmas Eve!

I was in the midst of a BAD cold, so the morning was a bit foggy for me. I was nursing a fever and chills, but I was thankful it wasn't the stomach flu. I detest the stomach flu! I felt much better as the day went on, and, for that, I am thankful!

We started the day by going over to my in-laws' for "Christmas" breakfast, taking pictures on the stairs and enjoying a long round of presents. We let the five kids (all 6 and under) open all their gifts first and then ushered them upstairs to watch Polar Express while the adults opened their gifts in peace. Genius!

After we finished, we drove to my mom and dad's for more presents, birthday cake, and time with my sisters, their families and my parents. My kids are the youngest on this side, with three of the cousins in their teens, so it is a little more calm as we open presents.

We drove to Christmas Eve services at church and then drove back to my in laws' for a prime rib Christmas dinner.

It was a busy, full, but very blessed day!

Christmas, we got up slowly--recovering from the day before, and started by finishing off the nativity story and the Jesse Tree ornaments with my boys. Then, we opened stockings together and enjoyed the Pioneer Woman's Baked Cinnamon French Toast. After breakfast, we opened more gifts. We scaled back this year. Ryan and I only did stocking presents for one another, and we had a limit to spend. The boys didn't get any BIG present from us this year, as we knew the grandparents were giving them some fun gifts that they would love. It was so nice, and the boys were completely happy with the smaller gifts.

We listened to Christmas services online--our church livestreams the services, which is the BEST thing ever if you are sick or the kids are sick and you can't be at church. Then my parents came over to our house, and we had an early Christmas ham dinner around 4. We watched A Christmas Story and just relaxed, which was a nice treat after the busy day prior. Here is a picture of my Christmas dinner table:

Yesterday, the day after Christmas, my husband and I cleaned the house top to bottom, took down our REALLY dry, fire hazard tree, went through toys to donate and organized the new ones, and did home projects. It as his only day off this week, so we had to just dig in and be productive.

He is back to work at his new job today, and I'm getting packed and organized for our anniversary trip Thursday through Monday. I'll share more about that later. I'm SO excited!

I pray you had a joyous Christmas! I'm excited for 2012!

(Our boys at the bottom of our stairs waiting to open presents under the tree on Christmas morning)

Christmas Tablescape Ideas

2011-12-21T09:40:00.000-08:00

I recently got a question from a friend about her Christmas table. She is one of my really creative, talented friends, so I know her table is going to be amazing! She wondered about mixing formal and informal dishes/decorations on her table and even how to mix a woodsy theme with her inherited cherry blossom china. I am not a trained decorater, though I love to decorate, but my rule of thumb is that textures and even "looks" can be mixed when you balance them, bring them together thoughtfully and unify them by color or some other theme. In fact, sometimes a less matchy-matchy table is even more amazing than one that is pulled straight from the pretty tableware catalogue. It made me start thinking about my own Christmas table. I am hosting Christmas for a small gathering of immediate family, and I would love to have a beautiful table to welcome my guests.

I started searching Christmas table ideas on Pinterest, and I thought I'd share some cute ideas from other's tables.

Red and White. Candy cane stripes. What is there not to love about the bold, clean look of crisp white and rich red? These tables found inspiration there.

Style me Pretty

Gordon Gossip shared this table by Eddie Ross

Pier 1

Woman's Day

Hostess With The Mostess

Tobi's Blog

Globally Gorgeous

Style Me Pretty

Vietri

Another great way to add pizzaz to your table is to put some metallics on your tablescape. Chrsitmas lends itself to silver, gold or both. Have fun with it!

Desde My Ventana
Subtle silver, tans, and white

House and Home
Gold and White

A Little Inspiration
Tans, white and subtle gold

My Notting Hill
(Silver and green)

Pottery Barn
Silver, cream and green

Southern Living
Silver, Gold, Green and Red

Some tables are traditionally spectacular. Pine, green, red, plaid or pinecones make everyone feel the warmth of Christmas.

The Lady in the Stone House

Sweeter Homes

The Bride's Cafe

BBB

Cut Rate Crafts

Happy tablescaping to all of you hostesses! Be yourself and have fun with different colors, textures, themes and decorations! Share your link if you post a photo of your Christmas table!

Lessons from The Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

Like most people, I love a good rendition of O' Holy Night or The First Noel, but the song that tears me up each year is The Little Drummer Boy. Yup. Are you thinking, "Why?"

I love the words and the message they have for us.

"Come, they told me
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
Our newborn King to see
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum

Our finest gifts we bring
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
To lay before the King
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
Rum, pa, pum, pum, rum, pa, pum, pum

So to honor Him
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
When we come

Little Baby
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
I am a poor boy too
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum

I have no gift to bring
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
That's fit to give a King
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
Rum, pa, pum, pum, rum, pa, pum, pum

Shall I play for You
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
On my drum, on my drum

Mary nodded
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
The ox and lamb kept time
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum

I played my drum for Him
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
I played my best for HimPa, rum, pa, pum, pum
Rum, pa, pum, pum, rum, pa, pum, pum

Then He smiled at me
Pa, rum, pa, pum, pum
Me and my drum"

Although this is a fictional account, and there wasn't a drummer boy with the wise men (in fact, the wise men did not visit Mary and Christ until well after they were already home and not in the manger--read Matthew 1 and 2 carefully), I love the fact that this song reminds us that God gave us each our own circumstances and gifts. Whatever we have, whether a poor drummer boy with a drum or a great wise man with riches, we need to joyfully and sacrificially honor God for His glory. He is greatly pleased when we worship Him with such sincerity, thankfulness and obedience. He is worthy of our best--whatever that may be!

We know we can't earn God's favor. Only repentance for sin and faith in what Christ has done for us can save us, but, as Christians, we can show thankfulness and honor to the God who sent Christ to live the perfect life for us and then die and face God's wrath for our sin.

Don't let circumstances keep you from giving God your best and the glory due to Him. He sees our hearts and knows when we are truly honoring Him.

Do you have an opportunity to share the gospel? Can you serve a needy family dinner or buy some presents for them, inviting them to church? Can you share your testimony with a friend? Can you use your talents to serve others at church?

What is your best gift that you can give to God to honor Him today?

The Wedding

2011-12-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

My sister in law, Katie, got married to her new hubby, Jon, on Sunday. It was absolutely beautiful. She had thought through so many details, and it showed.

It was clear and crisp for the wedding, and both of my boys walked down the aisle without incident--Woohoo!

My husband and I were both in the wedding party, so there are no pictures of the ceremony, but I have some before shots.

Enjoy!

The beautiful bride getting ready

Her GORGEOUS dress! I wish the lighting were better. I was trying not to make the REAL photographer upset. . .

The colors were champagne, cream and cranberry. Here are the dresses we wore as bridesmaids. . .

My mother in law had a beautiful cranberry dress. Isn't her hair pretty too?

The flower girls

Just before the ceremony. This shows some of the amazing dress details. She was such a pretty bride!

The bridesmaid flowers

The bride's bouquet

The programs

Setting up for the ceremony

Flowers on the chairs at the ceremony

Our family right after the ceremony. I put on my jacket because we were standing in short, sleeveless dresses in chilly weather during the ceremony outside. I have a shot of the dress further down. . .

The boys were given treats to stay quiet during the ceremony. Do you see the sugar kicking in?

My big boy

My little munchkin

This is the only pic I got of me in my dress. It isn't the best picture, but doesn't my hubby look handsome?

I made a banner for Katie's hot chocolate bar, and I'll share some details in a later post. She had regular and Mexican hot chocolate. She had three flavors of marshmallows, peppermint sticks, cinnamon sticks, fresh whipping cream, chocolate shavings, caramel sauce and more. It was a very popular place!

A centerpiece at the reception

Giving her new Uncle Jon a hug . . .

It was a breathtaking day! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. B!

Sneak Peek and Snow

2011-12-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is W day--the wedding day. My beautiful sister in law is getting married. I can't wait to share pictures--the whole event will be stunning and her dress is BEAUTIFUL!

Katie had me make a banner for a little surprise she is having at the reception. I don't want to give any details away, but here is a sneak peek at the banner I'll show you!

Today we are off for nails and the rehearsal dinner. . . tomorrow I have hair, dress, pictures and the main event!

We are praying for nice December weather. Did you hear we had SNOW in Southern Orange County, CA this week? That is pretty remarkable--it has been decades since it snowed here. It was all fun for Facebook pictures and shocking our friends who expect 80 degree weather here all the time, but it isn't so fun for a wedding where the bridesmaids are wearing strapless, knee length dresses. Just sayin. It was light, but it is so rare here. This picture was by my friend Shawn near the Laguna Hills Mall.

I'll post wedding pics soon! I'm off to get started on the wedding weekend!

Busy, busy

2011-12-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

Here is our Christmas card. We took these pictures before Ryan had a job, and the JOY summarized how we felt about the hope we have in Christ, even in trial.

This week is a busy one! Last night we had 60 people over for our ministry leaders' Christmas party. It was so fun--dinner, dessert and a white elephant gift exchange. Fitting 60 people inside a house is a tight squeeze too!

The marriage ministry we co-lead is having its all member Christmas party on Thursday night. We have a fantastic team of helpers, but decorating the tables, getting dessert, and planning games for over 200 people is always a challenge!

Friday morning, my five year old has his school Christmas performance, and I'm making cute, chocolate covered oreo cookie pops for the class.

Friday night is an service dinner the marriage ministry holds every year for some families that are in need this Christmas. We adopt families and provide dinner, dessert and gifts for the families. It is always a wonderful night. That night should have about 120 people attending, but, again, we have a fantastic team of volunteers leading the charge.

The biggest event happening this week is my sister in law's wedding! She is getting married Sunday, and all four of us are in the wedding. The rehearsal dinner is Saturday night, and a couple days of fittings, nails, and other errands all lead up to the big day!

I will be sure to post pictures from as many of the events as I can, but especially the wedding. Christmas is getting close! Christmas is my favorite holiday--Merry Christmas!

Chocolate Covered Oreo Neighbor Gifts

2011-12-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

I almost always make my caramel brownies for the neighbors, but I wantedto try something new this year.

I had seen these beautifully covered oreos on Pinterest, but I wasn't sure I could get the smooth look without buying a mold. SO, I used a muffin tin, and it worked beautifully.

Enjoy the pictures. From the smiles on my neighbors' faces, I think the treats were appreciated!

I bought Oreos, white chocolate melts and candy canes.

I crushed the 2 candy canes--sorry for the glare--this was at night.

I put a spoonful of melted chocolate in each muffin tin and put a cookie on top.

I covered the cookie with melted chocolate and put some crushed peppermint stick on top. Then, I popped them into the fridge to set.

Once the chocolate was hard, the cookies popped right out of the muffin tins.

I put three in a little bag and tied it with red ric rac.

So sweet, easy and delicious for Christmas!

Pinterest Recipe: Bacon, Ranch Pull Apart Bread

2011-12-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

(picture from Plain Chicken--found on Pinterest)

Plain Chicken has had this recipe on Pinterest for awhile now, and I have been craving it for awhile now. Yes, folks, it is really good. I even messed up the recipe. In my December busy haze, I didn't read carefully before heading to the store and bought a bottle of ranch dressing instead of ranch dressing MIX. I mixed the bottled dressing with the butter and it tasted great, but I bet the mix and butter would be even better.

This pulls apart with gooey promise and you get a strong bacon taste in every bite. The baked in ranch-butter that soaked into each sourdough bite was the best part. My friend and I almost ate the whole loaf, and I would have eaten more if it hadn't been unacceptably gluttonous.

Next time I make this I will run ten miles first (or at least be aware I need to) and add some finely chopped green onions toward the end of the baking time.

I was so happy inhaling this that I didn't take a picture. It really looked a lot like the picture above. Often my recipes look "different" from the beautiful example on the recipe, but this one looked just about as ooey and gooey with calories and deliciousness as above.

This would be a fun appetizer for an informal party this Christmas or New Year's. Your fingers get buttery and gooey, and the boss's party isn't the place for this dish. This actually would be a PERFECT dish for watching your favorite football bowl game. We resorted to a fork and knife half way through, but it was too pretentious for this appetizer. Enjoy!

Bacon/Ranch Pull Apart Bread:

1 unsliced loaf of round sourdough bread
8-12 ounces of shredded cheese (I used a cheddar/jack mix)
3 oz. of bacon bits or chopped bacon
1/2 cup of melted butter
1 Tbsp of ranch dressing MIX

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place shredded cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Thoughtful Christmas Activities for Kids

2011-12-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

As our family room mantle says, we try to keep our eyes off ourselves, especially at Christmas. We don't even ask our kids what they "want" for Christmas. They certainly make it known all year long. My five year old caught wind of my mother asking about some toys I had mentioned for him, and he asks every day when he gets them. Kids are wired to love the "gimme, gimme" of Christmas.

As a parent, I want my boys to focus on Christ and others at Christmas, and I need to planfully train them for this. There are so many fun ways to practice a thoughtful Christmas. We do the Jesse Tree advent activities, and many of our friends at church are celebrating St. Nicholas day today by practicing generosity with other families just as Pastor Nicholas did years ago. I wish I had a post about this, but my pastor gave a great sermon about St. Nicholas and the way he handles "Santa Claus". He mentions books and activities, so it is worth the listen here.

Also, two new ideas came to my attention via my Pinterest boards this year. Check out their pictures and blog links below.


The first was a mom from TSJ Photography who wanted her kids to serve others and learn the popular saying, "It is better to give than receive." They made an advent calendar of service activities throughout December. She even has a cute printable that tells others they have been "RACK'd"--been recipients of Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. This would be a great way to write down a verse and even a summary of the gospel as you leave the note for others.

Here are some ideas that are random and not so random: Bring a teacher, office staff person, or post office worker a Starbucks. Pay for a person in the drive thru behind you.  Mail or drop off anonymous gift cards to families you know who are in need of some "help" this Christmas. Help a family put up Christmas lights who have illness or other reason for this being difficult (remember to help take them down after Christmas). Buy a Christmas tree for a young family who might not be able to afford one this Christmas. Leave a pretty Poinsettia on the doorstep of a widow or single mom. Make dinner for someone who is having trials this season. Invite single or lonely neighbors to your home to have dinner with your family. Pass out free hot cocoa or cider to people driving around looking at lights in your neighborhood. Sing with your kids and leave Christmas caroling song messages on people's message machines (short songs and a sweet message). Let someone else have the amazing parking spot you just found. Be creative! If you have older kids, let them help you think of nice activities you can do. Depending on your routine, circumstances, and neighborhood, the ideas will be specific and unique.


This other idea is much like the Jesse Tree.  Pinfluence made a paper circle garland, but glued scripture print outs that point to Christ on each paper ring. Each day, you and the kids can rip off a garland ring and read the scripture together. This would be a fun activity to do at dinner. Pinfluence even includes free scripture ideas and downloads on the link.

Have a beautiful day celebrating God's generosity and gifts to us by focusing on Christ and being generous to with others!

Christmas Card Rejects

2011-12-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

I was considering NOT doing Christmas cards this year when we were without a job, but Ryan really wanted to still do them. My super sweet friend, Jenny, asked if she could bless us by taking family pictures for free.

She was amazing with the camera!

My two boys were not.

They are five and two, and trying to get a picture of all of us looking is like climbing Mount Everest. Difficult. We did find a couple pictures we could use. We got the two year old to smile like last year--by tickling him. Try it. It is the greatest trick ever. My husband has become a master of posing like he is holding still while still inconspicuously tickling the two year old for a smile.

I thought I give you some Friday light heartedness and show you what my boys do on 99% of our pictures. These are some of our favorite rejects . . .

Micah wouldn't put down the Mickey Mouse telephone toy and play along. I think this was the FIRST picture--sigh.

Micah is not enjoying being tickled and the five year old is being goofy.

See the mischief all over his face? It is oozing out. He is thinking, "How can I be cute and then run away really fast and ruin the picture?"

A much needed time out from pictures.

And that's a wrap!

I love my little, crazy boys! Those who know me know how high energy they are! I hope I gave you a smile for the weekend!

Our Unemployment Story: God's Good Gifts

2011-11-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

If you follow my posts, you might have realized our family has been in the trial of unemployment. My husband worked for a national fast food company as a director of finance. After 12 years with the company, he was told he was being let go last May and his last day of work was the Friday before Labor Day. The company did bless us with severance, which we know was a gift from God.

So, we have been looking for a job for 7 months, since the May announcement, but jobs were very slow in even appearing on the job lists. He had many interviews, but the processes were extremely slow and nothing seemed to be fruitful. Companies would decide not to hire anyone due to the economy, they would change the title and pay to where it was not feasible for Ryan, or they would want some crazy skill that Ryan didn't have--international experience/banking experience/healthcare experience/techonology experience.

We knew that God had a plan. He had allowed many different "random" circumstances lead to Ryan's unemployment, so we knew he would do the same to provide employment for our family. It was hard not knowing if God wanted us to move to a smaller home, to look into a different type of career, to have me work part time, or to look at jobs in places that would require us to relocate, but we prayed we would be able to do whatever He willed with joy and contentment. God slowly peeled away layers of entitlement and anxiety to refine us and grow us in our spiritual maturity.

We had hoped and prayed that Ryan would have a job by the time we got to November. We were told by several people that job availabilities and interviews came to a standstill over the holidays. November 1st came and went, and we hunkered down for a frugal Christmas season, with our eyes hopeful on January and early spring.

God picked the most unlikely circumstances and timing to bring us a job. November 17th, two days before Ryan's birthday, Ryan got an e-mail from an old co-worker who had been talking to executives over at El Pollo Loco (a grilled chicken fast food restaurant in western states), and they were looking for a new finance director to work in their marketing department. This co-worker told them he knew the man for the job, and he forwarded Ryan's resume from his LinkedIn page. All of this happened without Ryan knowing! Ryan got a call at the end of the same workday asking him to be at El Pollo Loco at 8:45 the next morning to interview with two executives.

In past job interviews, Ryan had been given about 2 week time intervals between contact and interview dates, and, after that, many layers of interviews that went on for months. This contact to interview was all within 24 hours!

Ryan's interview lasted 4 hours, and he ended up meeting not only the 2 executives, but the whole executive team and the president. He was asked to return on Monday to go to a training for a new technology they were using and to interview with HR. He had a job offer on Wednesday afternoon, and we spent Thanksgiving day truly feeling the provision of God with keen awareness! He signed the paperwork the day after Thanksgiving and started his job today!

We smile at how God broke all the rules in order to prove to us that this job was from Him and nothing of our own doing. Ryan didn't apply for the job, but it came to him without his knowledge. He got the job in a traditionally slow hiring season. He was able to move from hearing about the job to getting a job offer in less than a week--much different than ANY job interview process he had faced before.

We are praising God for His goodness to us and for providing us with a job. We are thankful that He grew us in this trial, and we have another example of God's faithfulness to strengthen our faith. We are more than excited to share this story with everyone, as we know many people are facing financial struggles and other trials right now. We pray you are encouraged in your prayers and waiting on Him. To God be the glory and the honor. We are thankful for His goodness to us!

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

First Calico and Cupcakes Boutique Wrap Up

2011-11-28T08:43:00.000-08:00

I had my first boutique sale at my home yesterday. It was amazing! I loved chatting with friends and family and just seeing the beautiful items the other vendors brought. It was a blazing 80 degrees here in Orange County, so the holiday mood was all INSIDE my house.

I made a variety of Christmas decorations, which are my favorite crafts to make all year long. Most of my items were sold, and have a long list of orders to craft this week. Yay! Here is a picture walk through the day!

I forgot to take pictures until half way through the day, so the cutest items are gone. Here is the full, beautiful ribbon wreath in cream and gold on Calico and Cupcakes' table

Yarn Christmas Trees made from fluffy white yarn

Joy letters were the hit of the day. I must admit, they make me happy too!

Nativity signs and canvases were a great addition.

I added white trim to this sign on a whim, and everyone loved it. They said it reminded them of snow or Santa's suit trim.

Burlap wrapped vertical joy banners

My favorite banner--Emmanuel--was sold early, and I didn't get a picture of it. I am making 2 more special order, so I hope to get a picture of one of those.

I love the little scalloped details on the edges of the dark red.

Here is a picture of the Calico and Cupcakes area, but, again, it was half way through the day, and a lot of the best items were gone. It was fun, though!

My friend, Beth, sews darling creations and has a shop called Sew Blue Boutique. Here are some of her beautiful items.

Her cute display of hand sewn items

Beth also handcrafts cute signs for the home. I bought one for our entryway.

She has two little girls and makes the sweetest clothes for girls.

Full and soft flower pins

Scarves and sunglass cases

My friend, Meredith, has a shop called Simple Purity. She makes handmade, organic skincare products and she also sews beautiful pillows. Here are some pictures of her lovely items. I bought some of the lotions and a lip balm.

I didn't do her soft, beautiful pillows justice in these photos. The wool felt creations were my favorite, but they were all gorgeous.

Her skincare products are so affordable! Plus, they smell great and work wonders on dry skin spots.

My friends, Lisa and Erica, sold Premier Jewelry. I have never been a huge fan of the normal jewelry party fare, but they have won me over BIG time with Premier! I hosted a party for Lisa in the fall, and every party I attend, I have new items I LOVE. Here is their beautiful set-up:

Finally, my friend, Lillian, is an AMAZING baker. She has a business baking goodies for parties, so she made hot toffee cake, apple tarts, red velvet cupcakes and chocolate cookies for free for the party. What a treat! I didn't get any good pictures of the food! There were always a lot of people gathered there partaking of the goodies!

That toffee cake on the yellow mat was AMAZING! Everyone had a hard time choosing their favorite of the treats.

It was fun! We have already talked about doing it again in the spring . . . stay tuned!

Double Chocolate, Sour Cream Cake

2011-11-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

My mom made this cake for me for my birthday back in September and I was hooked! She found the recipe from a reader in The Orange County Register. I am not much of a chocolate cake person unless it is GOOD chocolate cake. This is GOOD cake--really good!

I made cake pops using this cake for my autumn bridal shower, and I recently made this cake for my husband's birthday this week. It is a hit every time. This is a perfect winter holiday recipe--rich, gooey, thick and decadent.

Double Chocolate, Sour Cream Cake
1 package of chocolate cake mix
1 small package of instant chocolate pudding mix
3/4 cup of oil
3/4 cup of milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 package (12 ounces) chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped nuts, optional (I don't use these in my cake)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and beat until mixed. Pour into a greased bundt pan or into pans you are using. Bake at 350 for 48-50 minutes for a bundt cake, bake about 35 minutes for 2 round cake pans, and bake about 40 minutes for a 9 by 13 pan. Check regularly and be careful to not overcook-these times are estimates.

Let the cake cool in the pan, and then invert it onto a cake plate. Use your favorite frosting (I have used my cream cheese frosting and chocolate frosting, and it is good with any flavor!). Enjoy!

Harvest Salad

2011-11-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Well, before I get into the recipe for this yummy salad, I have to be honest with you all. Friday Favorites posts might be taking a break for a little while. I have found that Pinterest has replaced a need for me to highlight fun crafts, recipes, and parties. Most of my blog readers are now on Pinterest, and I have noticed a dropped interest in the Friday highlights since people started joining Pinterest, which essentially highlights great projects 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Since I am extremely busy with two boys, a husband looking for work, a ministry I co-lead at church and a beginning stages shop, the time I spend gathering, linking and writing up the favorites does not seem worth the amount of interest it currently holds. I'd love your thoughts, though. If the only thing you like about Calico and Cupcakes is the Friday Favorites, let me know. I want to do my best to make this blog an interesting, fun, and creative place to visit!

Okay, this recipe is courtesy of my lovely sister's mother in law. Our families are close and spend many holiday's together, and when I first tasted this salad, I KNEW I had to get the recipe. She calls it a "Cornucopia Salad," and it is truly full of tasty goodies.

Bring the salad to Thanksgiving, serve it at a baby or bridal shower, or just make a wonderful meal for your family. It is a perfect autumn salad!

Harvest Salad
1/2 cup of candied nuts or a bag of honey coated almond slivers in the salad section
1/2 head of Romaine, torn
1/2 head of butter lettuce, torn
1 cup of chopped celery
4 chopped green onions
11 ounce can of mandarin orange slices
1 avocado cut into chunks
1 apple diced (Granny Smith are a great variety)
1/4 cup of craisins or other berry
1/2 cup of feta or blue cheese, crumbled
3 chicken breasts grilled and chopped or a double package of Tyson cooked chicken strips, cooked

Dressing:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup of veg. oil
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar
Mix and pour over salad when ready to serve.

Women in the Word Wednesday: Saying "Forgive Me" in Marriage

2011-11-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."

We live in a society where there are a lot of rationalizations and excuses for bad behavior. Sometimes we even laugh at our sin and try to make it humorous. "I am in a bad mood! Watch out--I don't know what I'll say!" "I am just one of those people who tells you exactly what I'm thinking. That's just who I am."

Unfortunately, this kind of excusing of sin creeps into our marriage relationship too. We lash out because of OUR bad day. We realize later it was wrong, but we chalk it up to a bad mood and move on without bringing up our behavior. We assume something incorrectly about our spouse, and then when we are proven wrong about our assumptions, we just think "Oh" and move on. We forget to do something our spouse has asked us to do and, when we are asked about it, we get defensive and accusatory rather than just apologizing and admitting our error. We correct and disrespect our spouse in front of our kids or other adults, and we think our spouse is just being "too sensitive" if they get upset.

Compare this common behavior with the godly repentance and responsibility David shows for his sin when the prophet Nathan confronts him with his sin concerning Bathsheba and Uriah. II Samuel 12:13 says, "David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD.'"

It seems that apologies are rare in marriages today. Heartfelt, sincere admonitions of fault, blame and grief at our behavior are difficult, but, if we are Christian women, we should recognize sin and reconcile with those we have hurt.

We might need to just say an "I'm sorry" for an accidental wrong or a careless misdeed, such as truly forgetting to finish that task our spouse requested. More often, though, we need to say "forgive me for __fill in the blank___" for those wrongs that we did deliberately, such as replying with harsh words, accusing our spouse incorrectly, or the myriad of other wrongs we might have committed against our spouse.

As Christian women, we recognize we are sinful before a holy God, and only in Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit do we have righteousness, forgiveness and good deeds. We repent of sin and turn from our bad behavior when we fall short of what God desires. It shouldn't be farfetched for us to see we need to humbly ask for forgiveness and take responsibility for our choices in our personal relationships, including the one with our spouse. It is sinful pride that keeps us from reconciling with our husbands when we are wrong. There should be no excuses--just sorrow for our behavior because we have offended our spouse, and, most importantly, God.

Do you reconcile with your spouse after a fight or those "tense" moments? Do you say "Forgive me. I was wrong?" Do your kids watch you admit your shortcomings and humbly confess them to others? Are you more concerned with your spouse's apology and then, and only then, willing to say you are "sorry?" We should be concerned with our own part of the problem and humble ourselves first, regardless of whether our spouse is still in sin and refusing to repent.

This goes against the grain of the world. People might see this as weak, hypercritical of self, and strange. However, we know that the things of God will not fit in with the philosphies and actions of the world.

I Corinthians 3:18-19 "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God."

Let's be women quick to take responsibility for our actions and faster to recognize sin in our attitudes and behavior, especially in our marriages. Is there something in your marriage that needs to be discussed and followed with a "forgive me?"

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

2011-11-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you, once again, to Pinterest, and my friend Lisa who pinned this recipe first, we are having a delicious dinner. My family is thankful for that website too. They are eating better than ever. Last night we had a spaghetti casserole with cream cheese and french onions that was scrumptious.

I am REALLY excited about tonight's meal, though, because it is one of my husband's favorites--French Dip sandwiches. It is his birthday week, so I am trying to fix his favorites. The best thing about this recipe is that it is all done in a crock pot.

I'm linking the recipe, but know that I didn't find beef consume. I just used beef broth, and I think it will be great.

Here is the recipe from Becky Higgins. Enjoy!

Autumn Themed Bridal Shower

2011-11-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

My beautiful sister in law, Katie, above, is getting married in December. A couple of months ago, I ran some fun, bridal shower theme ideas by her, and she loved the idea of a cream, gold, white and tan autumn shower. It was so fun putting all the pieces in place, and I got to plan and prep with my other beautiful sister in law, Sarah.

It was raining, which was predicted, so we decorated and held the event inside. Katie had a fantastic day, and it was so fun to see her smiling and glowing with happiness as we celebrated her upcoming wedding!

For the menu, we had a "He popped the question popcorn bar" for appetizers as guests arrived. I made cones to hold the popcorn, which I bought from the Ma and Pa Kettlecorn store.

After guests had mingled, we served lunch, which was a harvest salad, cornbread muffins and fruit kabobs. I'll post the recipe for the harvest salad this week. It is a go-to recipe for parties.

We also had a coffee bar set up in the kitchen and lemonade and water in another little serving area.

Finally, we ended with sweet treats.
We had a caramel trifle, which I found off Pinterest here. I will share this recipe later. I would make some flavor and ingredient adjustments, which I'll share later. It was still delicious, though.

We also had double chocolate, sour cream, chocolate chip cake pops and cake balls. I'll also share that recipe soon! Finally, my sister in law made a beautiful plate of pumpkin bread to round out the autumn theme.

If you have read about my candy bar baby shower game here, we adapted it to a wedding shower theme. I'll write an upcoming post with those candies and words soon. Here is the board after we played the game. . .

To end the party, we gave each guest a caramel apple with Heath bar and drizzled chocolate. I used my Silhouette to make autumn leaves and write a cute little tag that tied in with the autumn theme.

It was a wonderful day and party. Here are some more pics! Thanks for stopping by!

My beautiful sisters in law

Centerpieces

I didn't get a very good picture of the pretty banner I made, but you get the idea. . .

New apron

The guests

Marina made a beautiful ribbon bouquet

Katie and my mother in law, Susan.

We love you, Katie! We had fun celebrating with you!

Cream of Tortellini Soup: Crockpot Recipe

2011-11-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

This was a Pinterest find. The original source can be found at Better Homes and Gardens. I am a soup fanatic, but, alas, in pure tragedy style, the soup lover married the man who doesn't think soup is a meal. In order to sway his soup disdaining heart, I added loads of Italian sausage to the recipe and made my broth extra rich and thick. I won his heart. Yay!

Next time I will add more chicken broth to my soup (I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth) in order to make this less rich, and I will keep the sausage. I left off the mushrooms, which would have immediately caused a veto from hubby. As many of the comments infer, "white sauce" wasn't found at my store, so a packet of Alfredo mix did the trick. It was a very filling and enjoyable meal--especially on a chilly evening when even the peeps here in Southern California were wearing jackets and scarves.

Enjoy!

Creamy Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

1
1 1/2 - 2 ounce envelope white sauce mix (see above)
4
cups water
1
14 ounce can vegetable broth (see above)
1 1/2
cups sliced fresh mushrooms (see above)
1/2
cup chopped onion
3
cloves garlic, minced
1/2
teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4
teaspoon salt
1/4
teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/8
teaspoon cayenne pepper
1
7 - 8 ounce package dried cheese tortellini (about 2 cups)
1
12 ounce can evaporated milk
6
cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
Ground black pepper (optional)
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Place dry white sauce mix in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting (in crock pot) for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

3. Stir in dried tortellini. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or high-heat setting for 45 minutes more.

4. Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts (Creamy Tortellini Soup)

Friday Favorites: 11-4-11

2011-11-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

I had SO much fun speaking about crafting/blogging and the holidays with a group of young moms at church this morning. I was speaking to an audience of over 100 women--some who are crafting experts, and some who have NEVER even seen a craft blog, so I had to keep the ideas general but applicable to everyone. I think it worked and was a nice morning for all!

Next weekend is the weekend I am throwing my autumn bridal shower! I can't wait to share the pictures, ideas and tutorials with you!

For now, here are some fun ideas from the week!

On Etsy, I found these pom poms made from doilies on Myhaleygirl! This actually looks EASIER than the tissue paper poms that are so popular right now. I have been dreading the poofing of the poms for the bridal shower--maybe I'll try these!

Oh, Crafts! came up with this cute stamp idea for packages and for letters. Since Christmas is coming, this would be a fun idea for any Christmas Card envelopes you are sending. Just exchange the pink for gold or Christmas colors . . . If you can't find a tag stamp, just cut a sponge or foam in the shape of a tag!

Somewhat Simple created and shared some free Thanksgiving printables. print, cut and fold in half on a toothpick or lollipop stick in order to make cupcake toppers, or cute decor for each slice of pumpkin pie!

Armelle--cute blog I just found--love it--posted some cute Thanksgiving table decorations for the kiddie table--or the young in heart.

Sweet Pea's Kitchen shared an awesome sweet potato recipe for Thanksgiving. Instead of peeling and casseroling the sweet potatoes, how about just serving them in the skin like a twice baked potato? Fun presentation and easy--win, win!

Catch My Party shared these frree, darling Thanksgiving printables from Love the Day. I love the non-traditional colors!

The Hungry Mouse shared a pumpkin, brown sugar cheesecake in a chocolate, shortbread crust. YUMMMM!

The photo completely sold me on this one, but Flickr had a homemade caramel recipe from Betty Crocker packaged in cute little Christmas jars. My neighbors would be pretty happy to get one of these!

Okay, I am getting hungry (I love yummy holiday recipes). . . and it is dinner time. We are off to PF Chang to use a gift card and enjoy a treat! Have a great weekend!

Give Thanks Activity Sign

2011-11-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

For years, I hung an Oriental Trading Company "Thankfulness Tree" on the back of our front door. Each day, the kiddos would list something for which they were thankful on a paper leaf, and we would create a beautiful thankfulness tree. Well, my now two and a half year old lived up to his name, "Destructo", and he ripped the tree trunk to pieces last year.

Since I just received my Silhouette Cameo and I needed to create a new thankfulness activity for our family, I got out a spare canvas, some extra fall scrapbooking papers, and I got to work!

First, I sprayed adhesive on my canvas and cut a piece of scrapbook paper to lay on top.

I designed the Give Thanks! lettering and then added 1 Thessalonians 5:18 on my Silhouette software.

I hooked my computer up to the Silhouette cutting machine.

Here is the Cameo. I love it!

I hot glued 4 pieces of brown ribbon to the bottom, back of the canvas so that each of our family members could clip thankful leaves onto the ribbons.

I made leaves on the Silhouette and cut out 10 per person in our family.

My little Destructo holds up my sign so far . . . I just used clothespins to pin on thankful leaves.

I glued on my Silhouette letters and some ric rac as a border.

I pinned the leaves onto the ribbon--ready for our "thankful for" notes.

Ready to go!

My first thankful note is that I'm thankful for Fall Fest--our church's Harvest Carnival. It was a fun night!

Here is a close up of the papers I used for the leaves.

Enjoy! Whether you make a thankful tree or thankfulness ribbon hanger, make sure you practice thankfulness this November!

I linked this to:

Friday Favorites: 10-27-11

2011-10-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have absolutely loved using my Silhouette Cameo this week! I didn't even get to hook it up until Monday, but I've made two garland banners and two signs for the upcoming bridal shower I'm throwing.

I have had a lot of friends ask me about the Cameo--what is it? It is an electronic cutting tool, but, unlike the Cricket, it is completely off your computer. You download software and then have access to an online library of thousands of shapes, fonts, outlines, etc. Each download is about 99 cents. So, I only have to spend several dollars on one party or theme rather than buying a whole "cartridge" for 50-80 dollars with theme shapes I might only use once or twice. You can read more about the machine here.

So far, I've used only cardstock with my machine, but it cuts vinyl and fabric too. I know all three will come in really handy. I will be able to make signs and those cute baby onesie gifts lickity split!

AND, Silhouette is not endorsing me or giving me anything to talk about them. I'm not even a blip on their radar, but some bigger crafting blogs--including the Silhouette blog--are giving away free Cameos right now! Enter and see if you can win one! I am LOVING mine.

So, I haven't been posting tons of projects on my blog. I am sorry! It isn't that I'm not doing projects, but I'm busy making projects I can't share yet! I am throwing an autumn themed bridal shower on November 12th, which I can't wait to share with you--creams, whites, golds and tans will be our color scheme, with a fun appetizer bar and favor bags. I can't wait to show you! (I did preview the cream pumpkin centerpieces on the Calico and Cupcakes Facebook Page).

I am also throwing a crafting boutique--the first official sales for the Calico and Cupcakes SHOP--on November 27th! I will be posting my products as soon as I start crafting them--Christmas decor!

Oh, and, since I'm not busy (ha, HA!), I'm speaking on crafting at our church's young mom's outreach group on the 4th of November. Whew!

Somewhere in all that November craziness is my hubby's birthday. I need help. I really want to encourage him this year--he is a hardworker looking for a new job to provide for us. Does anyone have any low cost ideas for celebrating and encouraging your spouse? We have a gift card for a fun date night to celebrate, but I want to give him some really thoughtful gifts or activities. Ideas would be much appreciated!

Okay, okay. Enough "blah, blah, blah" from me. It is time for Friday Favorites! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Can you believe November begins next week? Craftgossip.com shared a cute kiddie favor from Parents.com for the Thanksgiving table or for your favorite little gobbler. All you need is felt, googly eyes and a Tootsie Roll Pop.

Craftily-Ever-After.blogspot.com made pilgrim hats to decorate the Thanksgiving table. Reeses, frosting and a cookie are all you need for this cute decorative dessert.

El Mundo Reciclaje (Okay, Lucia, is that The Recycled World? My Spanish is rusty.) shared a cheap easy way to make pumpkin centerpieces. You will need a dryer vent cut into pieces, spray paint, a cinnamon stick and some Spanish Moss. So cute!

Disney Family Fun gave us a cute neighborhood scavenger hunt to do with the family on Thanksgiving. Some of the points might not apply to sunny, warm southern California, but you could write up your own fun list of things you know you could find in your neighborhood!

Okay, this has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but monogramed balloons--can you say GENIUS!? If you have a vinyl cutter, you could use that, but this tutorial from Life in Wonderland just has you cutting out printed letters and attaching them to the balloon. What a BEAUTIFUL and personal touch for a party!

Finally, am I the only person who hasn't tried a salted caramel mocha from Starbucks? You have NO idea how much I love caramel. It has taken every ounce of diet will power to not try one. Sigh. I can enjoy perusing salted caramel recipes, though, and here are two that looked yummy!

The Greedy Gourmand made a salted caramel and vanilla baked cheesecake. Look at these pictures!

52 Kitchen Adventures shared a recipe for a salted caramel mocha. Looks. . . So . . . Good!

I'm off to San Diego with the family this weekend for a little relaxation and rest! Yahoo! I pray your weekend is blessed too!

Friday Favorites: October 21, 2011

2011-10-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, this was on my doorstep last night. I know! I am beside myself excited. I watched the training video and read the quick start guide, but this is going to be a huge learning curve. Once I understand it, I will be able to do SO many things with this Silhouette Cameo. I am giddy!

I also set up my Etsy shop this week--nothing for sale yet, but that will change once I get the Cameo purring. The shop IS officially open, though. I just need to list some items . . .

Well, there are some fun inspiration ideas this week. Enjoy, and happy Friday!

Okay, I love that I can discover new online stores from finding cute outfits on Pinterest. I thought this dress would be so cute with a cardigan, tights and cowboy boots. It is from La Posh Style, which is completely affordable and carries some really cute items. Check it out!

OhDeeDoh created children's book placemats. This is such a fun idea for a book themed birthday party or for Dr. Suess Day at school! Get an old book from Goodwill or one that is missing pages, etc. in your own library. Laminate the pages and create placemats. SO fun!

Instructables.com showed us a really easy clip to make for those of you with girls. What a cute idea for Christmas parties and celebrations. It is just ribbon, an alligator clip and glue. . .

Re-nest posted 5 great ways to get your home smelling like fall for your seasonal get togethers. There is nothing better than the smell of cloves, cinnamon and apples.

Le Choses de Marie showed us a creative and amazing smelling way to display candles in your fall decor. Genius and so pretty!

Midwest Living gave us a delicious recipe for creamy artichoke lasagna. Talk about comfort food!

If you are trying to be good, like me, here is a healthier recipe. Aggie's Kitchen shared a spicy shrimp and avocado lettuce wrap. Yum!

Finally, let's end with something sweet. Dreamy Desserts made Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. What a fun treat for the fall season!

I hope you found something pretty or tasty or fun to make! Enjoy your weekend!

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Cupcakes and the Famous Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

2011-10-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

So, I have to confess I'm having a bad day. I've realized it doesn't take much to throw me off my game, though. A not so nice worker yelled at me at the car dealer (long story), and, though I tried to apologize for something I am not so sure was my mistake, I got a head shake, something muttered under her breath, rolled eyes and heavy sigh aimed in my direction.

I'm learning about the folly of pride in WBS this week AND heard about it in Sunday's sermon. I love it when God makes it clear He wants me to pay attention to something. It is a good thing, because my prideful self wanted to report the rudeness to her manager and also give her a piece of my mind at how she treated me. Truly, though, I am guessing SHE was having a bad morning and needed the grace that she wasn't giving to me. It was my opportunity to show humility and grace. Ouch. Pruning hurts.

Then, when I attempted to be nice and fill up my husband's car with gas for him, I had a strange man knocking on my driver door as I was ready to pull away. I am always nervous about people approaching me when I am getting gas in my car--safety issues and all. I gave him the best authoritative glare I could muster from my 5'3" frame and gave him an untrusting, "Yes?" He smiled nicely (so much more than I deserved with my snippy "YES?") and said my son's cardoor was slightly ajar. Sigh. He was being nice. My defenses melted, and I thanked him profusely. I was shown grace from him and reminded again of my need to be humble ALL THE TIME. I can be safe, aware and humble all at once--no snippy words needed.

Anyway, that has NOTHING to do with pumpkin cupcake muffins, but I had to share my morning and be real.

NOW, a lot of you have seen this recipe on Pinterest, but these semi-sweet muffins--cupcakes if you will--are really good. They are from the blog Sweet Verbena. The best part is they only need TWO ingredients! They call for a box of cake mix (unprepared) and a 15 oz. can of pumpkin. I read through the comments on the original blog and saw some people added chocolate chips, so I, OF COURSE, added about 1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips into the mix. I also used spice cake mix instead of the yellow cake mix in the picture.

Here is the recipe--short and sweet:
1 box of cake mix--unprepared (I used spice cake)
1 can of pumpkin (15 ounce)
1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Put into cupcake wrappers or muffin tins and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes

Now, the best part is that I topped them with my mom's famous cream cheese frosting. I grew up with this stuff, and it always makes me happy. I am warning you, though, I have a SERIOUS sweet tooth--not chocolate, but SUGAR--and this stuff is sweet. If you are more of a bitterweet chocolate person, this might be the perfect muffin for your sweet frosting, because the muffins aren't as sweet as a regular cupcake. It takes the edge off the sugar.

Mom's Famous Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 box of powdered sugar
1 package of cream cheese, 8 oz.
1 stick of butter
1 tsp. of vanilla

Mix the wet ingredients at low speed until blended. Then add the powdered sugar a little at a time with a medium speed mixer until it is all blended.

Enjoy!

Friday Favorites: 10-14-11

2011-10-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to chat about my church women's retreat last weekend. It was amazing! We studied I Corinthians 13 and dove into a deep study of godly, sacrificial love. I am walking away with a goal to work on patience and not being so intent to have my own way. I was heading up the greeting at the retreat for the first time, which was really fun. I got to meet many new women and also come out of my shell a bit.

I forgot my camera (so sad!), but my church had photographers there. If I remember I'll post some of the church's pictures on the blog.

I have been keeping busy by making baby gifts, making invitations for my sister's wedding shower--so excited to share all the details with you when I host that in mid-November, decorating pumpkins for our ministry wives' workshop this weekend and gearing up for a boutique sale with some friends at the end of November. Oh, and I'm a guest speaker on crafting at a young mom's group at our church in early November. Ha! I have a lot on my plate, but I love it all!

Here are some fun ideas from the week. Enjoy and have a beautiful weekend!

Six Sisters Stuff made 4 ingredient Rolo cookies. Have I mentioned I am a caramel fanatic? Sigh.

Parmesan Hashbrown Cups? Yes, please! Thank you

Pieced Pasttimes shared a beautiful tutorial on making a subway art sign. The directions are clear and the outcome is beautiful!

I love Lisa Leonard for many reasons, and she, of course, gives a cost effective, beautiful project for Christmas. Take a 5 dollar Ikea doormat and paint the stencil JOY. This would be fun with placemats, canvas art, etc.

Stay at Home Artist had a guest blogger, The OBriens, make such fun, whimsical fabric pom pom necklaces. We are used to the strand poms or rolled flowers, but this is dainty and fun without being SO crafty and such a large statement. Plus, this is insanely easy to do.

I love Tidy Mom. She is a really nice blogger who keeps it real and always has fun ideas. Tis the season for bringing appetizers, and this puff pastry garlic chicken puffs look delish!

Women in the Word Wednesday: Someday

2011-10-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

There is a constant conversation that happens around our house lately.

My five year old: "Mom, when can we go to Disneyland/go to the bounce house place/go to Legoland/take a plane ride again/etc?" (Fill in the blank with the activity of choice on his mind.)

Me: "Well, God willing, when daddy gets a job again, we can go someday." (I just have to stop and say I am so, so proud of my hardworking husband and how well he is using all his energy to lead his family and find work to provide for us.)
"We'll have to wait and see what God has planned. For now, let's be thankful for our blessings like our family, house, health, church, etc." (All the while, I'm making a note to self and checking my heart attitude too.)

Five year old: (happily) "Okay." (skips off)

You see, because my five year old trusts me with a blind kind of trust, he takes what I say as truth. He doesn't like to wait, but he knows I love him and I will do what I can for him. He is motivated just by the promise of a POSSIBLE someday. He fills his heart with the hope it might happen and dreams about the possibilities.

God too tells us that blessings, rewards, justice, glory and perfection await Christians . . . someday in Heaven. Unlike mine to my five year old, God's promises are sure. In Genesis 3, He tells us this world is broken and fallen in due to our sin. Throughout scripture, He points Christians to the definite hope we have in Heaven.

I don't like to wait.

There are days I impatiently pout and curl my lip over in sin. I want the pain and hard situations to end, and I am not content with the circumstances God allows to come my way. I want justice to be served. I want the sickness to go away. I want everyone to be nice. I want Heaven now.

On those days, I am not trusting God as I should, staying content as I should, or meditating on the "someday" that will be here in a blink of an eye.

Like my son trusting me, I need to better trust in God's promises and have them motivate me to live in thankfulness, contentment and obedience today--even when the circumstances are difficult. God's promises are sure--much better than my own.

May I dwell on God's "someday" of Heaven and use God's SURE promises to get me through this life with obedience, trust, and a happy heart full of hope and confidence.

I'll experience the glories of Heaven and all will be made right because of Christ Jesus. I know this with all confidence now, but it will be a reality to me. . . someday.

Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Friday Favorites: 10-6-11

2011-10-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am posting Friday Favorites early because I am leaving for my church's Women's Retreat early in the morning tomorrow. I'll share pics and let you know what I learned when I get back!

Enjoy these fun ideas!

I am an adorer of organization. Curbly used a Quaker oatmeal box to organize ribbon. I love this idea!

Modern Day Moms made the cutest mousepad. What a cute gift idea--and really cost effective!

Made by Rae made the cutest bibs for baby boys! I love to decorate onesies. . . I'm going to have to give some of these ideas a try!

The Less than Perfect Life of Bliss came up with a fun way to reward and motivate good behavior on a road trip. I love how she decorated each clip as well!

Here are 3 different ways to decorate your fall pumpkins with ribbon. Each idea is so creative and fun!

My Blessed Life

The Autocrat

Eddie Ross

Finally, let's end with some yummy fall recipes. My Kitchen Addiction made pumpkin spice cannolis. Yum!

These Peas are Hollow made Gingerbread Bundt Cake. They are so cute--perfect for those neighbor gifts at Christmas.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Katie's Engagement Party

2011-10-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Katie and Jon

My sister in law got engaged in September, and my in laws threw her a beautiful engagement party.

I got to make the vertical photo banners that are hanging on the patio pillars. It was fun looking through Katie's pictures of the years she and Jon have dated.

I also did a tutorial on the photo banners here if you are interested.

We had yummy Italian food, live music, twinkling white lights, luminary bags around the pool and lots of friends and family.

I'll be throwing Katie a bridal shower in a cream, white, gold and brown autumn theme in mid November. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and share the ideas with you all.

Enjoy the beautiful party pictures . . .

One of Katie's friends, Marina, made beautiful tarts, cupcakes, cheesecakes, macaroons, and mint brownies for the dessert table.

My lovey sisters in law, Katie and Sarah.

This is one of the five photo banners hanging on the patio pillars. They are cardstock with punch designed scrapbook paper, covered by 8 by 10 photos. The big photos and papers are all hanging on white ribbon.

Sarah hung beautiful white globe lanterns all around.

More photo banners . . .

The beatuiful tree that sparkled once it got dark.

The beautiful waterfall into their pool.

My brother in law and hubby.

Orchids floating with candles were arranged by Sarah.

Here is detailing of the scalloped paper I made.

A detail of the ribbon that hung and tied the banners to the posts.

Starting to get dark--beautiful.

Happy engagement, Katie and Jon!

Friday Favorites: 9-30-11

2011-09-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

My sister in law has her engagement party tomorrow, so I've been making bruchetta for 70 people, putting pics in frames to decorate the party, and creating vertical photo banners for the patio. Needless to say, life is a little busy right now. So, I figure getting Friday Favorites out late is better than never.

Oh, and my birthday was a blessing! Friends and family made me feel very special, and I got many fun gifts. My hubby scored BIG by preordering a Silhouette Cameo for me. I am chomping at the bit to do some fun projects! Speaking of fun projects, enjoy the inspiration today! Happy Friday!

Add Some Paint made a dry erase board desk. I have blogged about this paint before, but I haven't tried it yet. This inspired me. I think a cute board in the kitchen would be bright and fun for messages, verses, etc.

Organize and Decorate Everything made pumpkin tp rolls--seriously easy and cute. Whether you decorate your house with them like the blogger or just have fun tp decor as you store it in the bathroom, this was a cute idea.

I love making baby onesies as gifts for mommies of a new little one. I thought these were so simple yet sweet. There are a ton of girl onesies out there (ruffles, etc.), so it was fun to see some boy ideas.
Here is a funny one from Knit, Stitch, Click.

Here is a cute sports theme from A Girl and a Glue Gun.

Sunny Side Up in San Diego shared a Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread recipe. It looks AMAZING! This is getting baked this fall for sure!

Erin's Food Files made pumpkin cream cheese truffles. They look amazing too--so easy to pop into your mouth without feeling too guilty!

Closet Cooking made pumpkin pie french toast with ginger snap crumbles for a topping. Yes, please.

Finally, let's end with some beautiful fall decor. Have you decorated your mantle yet? I haven't, but these ideas have me itching to break out some decorations and also try some new ideas!
Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures

Sweet Something Design

My Blessed Life

B&B's Nest

Our Vintage Home Love

Nesting Place

The At Home Blog in Arkansas

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Friday Favorites: September 23, 2011

2011-09-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it is my birthday today! I have so many blessings in my life. I am so thankful to God for my family, my church, my friends, and all my wonderful readers. I'm quickly approaching 40 (a couple of years still to go), but I notice I am struggling less with wrinkles appearing, gray hair starting and not having the body I had at 22. My husband always says that God peaks us 1/3 of the way into our lives and we are going downhill physically for 2/3 of our lives. That is telling of where God wants us to focus and put most of our energy--on eternity, not on this quickly passing, temporal life.

My wonderful hubby has planned a day out without the kids, so I have to be quick with my Friday Favorites. I think I'll break the mold today and do a quick picture parade of creative costumes. Our family celebrates at Fall Fest every Halloween. Our church has a free community festival every Halloween, and the kids can wear costumes and come get candy and ride on rides without coming across the darker aspects of the holiday. With my hubby out of work right now, I was trying to find fun, cheap costumes for the boys. Micah always gets to wear Carter's hand-me down costumes (until he knows better).

So, enjoy these ideas of my favorites. Maybe you'll get a fun costume idea for your little one!

Crunchy Peas has a great photo gallery of some easy, fun costumes. I love this gumball machine idea!

This one is my favorite: More than words can Describe took the characters from the Up movie and made costumes--SO CUTE!

The Disney Family Fun blog had some cute ideas which would require some cardboard and markers or fabric--easy and unique:

Made created some traffic themed costumes . . .

The Zoo also liked the traffic theme, but they added some humor into the costume . . .

There was a whole thread of comments about doing Curious George costumes on Windsor Peak. I love getting the siblings to be George and the Man in the Yellow Hat.

Sarah's Party Perfect shared some Mad Scientist costumes. . .

Happy weekend, everyone!

Women in the Word: Busy Lives and Spiritual Disciplines

2011-09-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

I met my accountability partner this morning and begged for accountability for time management, especially in keeping my spiritual disciplines. Fall routines have begun, and suddenly we are extremely busy. It is easy to be tempted to put off Bible reading and prayer to get some stuff checked off the "to do" list first, but God has reminded me to fight that temptation. Though I am stressed and anxious by the to dos, there is no better remedy that a mind that is fixed on His plan, peace and priorities.

Here is a good reminder from my pastor about being diligent in obedience and spiritual disciplines, even when the flesh is weak and doesn't "feel" like obeying or participating.

Some rationalize their disregard for doing what is right because they say their “hearts are not in it” and they “don’t want to be hypocrites.” They may consider themselves to be off the hook in neglecting prayer, Bible study or church attendance because they don’t “feel it,” but of course they are not. God will not shrug his proverbial shoulders and say, “Well then, if you don’t feel it, don’t bother.” Instead of abandoning our Christian duties because we feel inauthentic, God calls us to adjust our attitude and mindset. The psalmist says of God, “You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently” (Psalm 119:4). The Hebrew word translated “diligently” is the same word we find in Deuteronomy 6:5 where you and I are told to love the Lord “with all of our might.” It involves mental effort, gumption, determination, focus and thoughtfulness. Consider David who seems to be concerned about “going through the motions” of worship, when he turns his exhortation to his own soul and mind: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psalm 103:1). The neglectful are correct when they admit inauthenticity is a problem, but their proposed remedy is ruinous. We must never walk away from the Lord’s commands when we feel weak or lethargic, instead, with the Spirit’s help, we must retool and retune our hearts to sincerely and wholeheartedly engage in keeping his precepts.

On Trend: Birthday Party Themes based on Children's Books

2011-09-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Being someone who loves books, who is an ex-teacher and who is an ex-English major, I love to see all the children's birthday party themes based on classic literature and popular kids' books. I thought I'd share a little inspiration from this trend today. Maybe you will get your next party idea from this post! I drew most of my examples from two of my favorite sites: Pizzazerie and Hostess with the Mostess. Add them to your blog reading list if they aren't already there--they are great party resources!

Goodnight Moon is one of my son's favorite bedtime books. This Goodnight Moon party is darling--tables that are set like a bed--so creative!

Where the Wild Things Are is a children's classic. This is a modern twist on the book.

Here is another link to the same themed party, but with a different feel.

Peter Rabbit . . .

Little Red Riding Hood . . .

Alice in Wonderland . . .

and this Alice party . . .

and this Alice party too . . .

One of my favorite themes: The Wizard of Oz . . .

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . . .

Goldilocks and the Three Bears . . .

Curious George . . .

The Very Hungry Catepillar . . .

Now go have fun! Pick your child's favorite book or story and run with the theme at your next kid's birthday party!

Friday Favorites: September 16, 2011

2011-09-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Well, our big ministry kick off was a success last night! We had about 240 adults there to enjoy our fun opening night. I'll do a post this upcoming week with pics of the room and maybe even upload a couple funny videos if I can figure that out!

I spied the first pumpkins at the grocery store this week! I had fun teaching Micah the word "pumpkin"--he is my little speech articulation delay buddy. Micah liked the "unkins" too. So, because the pumpkins are out and because I LOVE fall, I'll share some fall favorites starting today!

Enjoy this week's fun ideas!

Parents Magazine had a great idea of a Give Thanks calendar leading up to Thanksgiving. We do a thanks "tree" on leaves each year, but this is a cute idea too. I love choices!

Serenity Now shared a link to a prayer board idea. Now those prayer requests you should be remembering are written down and on your mind throughout the day. We do family prayer requests with the kids once a week and pray for them every day. This would be a great way to record them.

Simple and Handmade made some beautiful, simple necklaces. I love the origami inspired ones.

Dress Art Form on Etsy made a beautiful wool jacket dress (I would use it as a jacket!). It is handmade and customized for only 99 dollars! SO pretty!

Now for some yummy fall inspired food! Chica and Jo shared a yummy recipe of pumpkin pie stuffed french toast.

Taste of Home made a caramel apple trifle. YUM!

That's So Michelle made Apple Cider Floats (a recipe from Rachel Rae). Think hot apple cider with vanilla ice cream, nutmeg and a cinnamon stir stick.

Pennies on a Platter shared pumpkin ice cream/snickerdoodle cookie sandwiches. I am in serious love with pumpkin ice cream.

Now let's talk about decorated pumpkins. We don't do "Halloween" at our house, but we do fall and harvest. I love the monogramed, numbered or written on pumpkins. Here are some ideas.

Dollar Store Crafts shared a way to monogram a pumpkin with black thumb tacks.

Marsh Madness shared some beautiful fall decorations, but I especially love the address on the pumpkins. Stacked, they are simply beautiful!

Loving Every Moment shared pumpkin ideas from all over. The pictures are not linked, so I'm not sure who created the beautifully vinyled "Welcome Friends" pumpkin, but I love it.

Twig and Thistle, in cooperation with Better Homes and Gardens, showed some beautiful gold and black harvest decor. This spray painted pumpkin is a golden idea for the house address.

Brown Paper Packages used scrapbook paper, mod podge and pumpkins to monogram decorations for the porch. Fun! I was thinking even the decorated tape might produce this look!

Enjoy your weekend!

Thinking about an Etsy Business

2011-09-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

I've been a stay at home mom for almost 6 years, but for the first time, I'm thinking about opening an Etsy shop. My husband lost his job this summer, but, honestly, it isn't related to that timing that made me think of this opportunity. We are fairly hopeful he'll have a job soon. More, it had to do with life--many of my friends are starting to do little part time work at home or in the job world, and my oldest just started Kindergarten. Next year my youngest will be in preschool, and I will actually have time alone when there are no kids at home!

As you can tell from my blog name, I love parties and creativity. I love to bake and cook, I love decorating, I love writing, I love art and drawing, and these can all form a nice marriage when you are planning a theme party. My favorite part of party planning is picking a theme and weaving it across the party into decorations, games, food, etc. I started liking party decoration businesses on Facebook pages, and I came to realize I really enjoyed all the creativity and it was something I would do well. I'm not a printable party person--I want texture on my decorations and handmade details that make it look unique and special. In addition, I want my designs to be cute, but modern and contemporary.

I am thinking about just starting with basics--having a few themes for parties and selling some main handmade decorations--banners in the theme, a birthday hat in the theme for the guest of honor, cupcake picks, cupcake sleeves, goodie bag tags, table banners, etc. I might also make custom order vertical photo banners made to the desired theme--these add such personality and big impact to a party.

Of course, it isn't as easy as just starting the business. I am researching graphics for the shop, looking up places to print business cards, figuring out shipping costs/methods, thinking of cute packaging, buying a Silhouette for die cuts and easy letter graphics (the new Silhouettes aren't available until October), etc. I'm hoping to get this going by the end of October.

It's a little scary too.

Am I ready to face failure or the demand of the shop if it succeeds? I won't know unless I try. I'm praying about it, planning, and getting excited.

I'll keep you all updated as the shop progresses and when it will open.

If you have ever considered an Etsy business shop, share your thoughts! Here is a quick, easy read to get you started on planning: http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/the-quick-start-guide-to-selling-on-etsy/.

I apologize that I haven't posted as many crafts lately. Between ministry planning, family needs, shop planning and school starting, life hasn't allowed as much time for crafting random things. I am looking forward to a December wedding for my sister in law and the fall holidays coming, and I can't wait to share these things with you too! I have a lot of joy in my heart concerning the things to come!

Friday Favorites: 9-9-11

2011-09-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, everyone! Our week was great but a bit crazy--school started for my little kindergartener, my sister in law got engaged, we lost our electricity for a few hours along with the rest of southern California, and we are gearing up for our marriage ministry at church to start up again next week after a summer off from weekly meetings. September is always chalk full of fun!

Enjoy some of the fun ideas and recipes I came across this week! Have a great, creative and fruitful week, everyone!

The Do It Yourself Divas gave us a recipe for homemade Mod Podge. This stuff is really pricey at the craft stores, so this is a great idea!

The Modest Maven made the cutest boy bibs. These look so easy! You can buy the premade bibs and decorate with a little tie and collar (I use heat transfer fabric since I don't sew a lot). What a cute idea for those baby boys!

Makes and Takes made a wipe off/write on board from a simple frame and scrapbook paper. This is a really affordable and useful idea! Get an old frame with gladd, add any paper that coordinates with your decor, get an Expo marker, and you are ready to go!

Style Me Pretty used this cute idea for a wedding, but this would be great at a brunch or dessert get together. Put coffee in cute cups and then add a long stir stick with a donut hole skewered to the top. I love food styling ideas like this--so fun!

Do you have a love for hanging decorations? I do! Whenever I see paper lantern decorations, I am a happy girl. They can be traditionally grouped together on a patio or ceiling, but sometimes a fun idea comes along that is entirely outside the box. This wedding in Laguna Beach was featured on theknot.com, and I loved the colors!

I had to share this idea from Share and Remember because my son talks about paint toast all the time. He did this in preschool, and I had no idea what he was saying. I thought maybe they put butter on the toast and called it "painting." Now I know what he was saying--he is super excited to do this at home too!

Speaking of toast, I thought I'd go with a breakfast theme for recipes this week. I love breakfast and brunches. These recipes look delicious, so be ready to click and save them to your computer!

The Domestic Momma and Village Cook took mini muffin tins and made hashbrown baskets with eggs, cheese and bacon. This is serious breakfast deliciousness!

Gimme Some Oven made a twist on this "Idaho Sunrise" breakfast dish too. This includes baked potato shells filled with baked eggs and bacon. What a great idea!

Macheesmo made a spin on the Egg Mc Muffin. You could send your little one off to school with lots of protein and a full tummy with this fun breakfast.

The Gourmet Traveller shared delectable bacon hashbrowns. The picture sells it!

Of course, what recipe list would be complete without the Pioneer Woman. I love her. This recipe for Monkey Bread is SO simple and involves NO mixing. Seriously, if you don't cook, you can impress your friends with these. My boys would obey me all day if I made these--after the sugar high wore off.

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-09-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

I did a great job! No tears! You would think today was all about me, but it was my oldest son's first day of kindergarten. We packed up his backpack, snack/lunch and sent him to school. Here are some pictures of the morning!

His sweet teacher--this picture shows the nerves he was feeling.

Little brother wanted to wear his backpack this morning too.

Such a big boy!

Micah was a little jealous this morning. He wanted his picture taken too.

And so it begins . . .

We are praying for a great year and some great, godly friends for Carter. He is going to LOVE kindergarten.

Friday Favorites: September 2nd, 2011

2011-09-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

September has officially started, so I can break out some fall ideas. (I know fall isn't official until the last week of September, but that is okay). I am accumulating and saving all the cute pumpkin, fall ideas for a week or two more, but, since school is starting, let's talk about apples!

When I taught, apples were the theme of my room for September. We did a fall sensory poem, apple stamping (see an example of apple stamping here), hanging apple core art listing adjectives describing apples (see similar apple art with expository apple paragraphs here), and apple math and estimation. If you homeschool or want to do some fun activities at home, these are all really easy ideas.

Here is the idea of the sensory poem/language activity (uses similes). You can use this poem for any topic and it can be scaffolded for different levels and developmental stages:

Apples
Apples sound like _______ (example: crunching leaves or my brother munching)
Apples smell like __________ (examples: cinnamon and sugar or grandma's pie)
Apples taste like ___________ (examples: fresh applesauce or Thanksgiving or sweet)
Apples look like ______________ (examples: My teacher's desk, a beautiful orchard, a shiny, red ruby)
Apples feel like ______________ (examples: smooth skin or a ball)
Apples

To stamp with apples, cut the apples into any shape (even just in half) and use tempura paint to "stamp" on art paper with the apples.

Make applesauce together and have your kids help you with measurement math. Talk about solids (apple)and liquids (sauce) and gas (steam) to bring in science. You can talk about taste buds, botany (apple trees), etc. Estimate the number of seeds your child will find in the apple before you cut it open. Chart which type of apple each person likes best. Read the story of Johnny Appleseed and study American folklore and history. Thematic teaching ideas are open to almost anything. Have fun!

Here are some great APPLE ideas I found while browsing the blog world this week! Enjoy!

Cute Food for Kids had a fun way to give your kiddos an apple snack. A pretzel stick would be a really cute addition as the umbrella handle.

Apples can be creative party decorations for a fall baby/wedding shower.
Snippet and Ink shared a school themed wedding where the apples were made into garlands. So clever!

I wish I knew where this cute idea originated, but the Pinterest link flips to the sign in for Google each time. If you happen to know, please leave the info for all of us in the comments. I love the easy idea of apple vases as centerpieces or at each place setting.

Project Wedding shared beautiful photos of apples being used as place cards. This could be used in a farm themed birthday party, a fall inspired celebration shower, or a fall wedding. Gorgeous!

Matthew Mead Style made beautiful apple tea light candles. This is so easy and so beautiful. I am guessing the apple scent is wonderful too.

Then, of course, there are the wonderful recipes that come with autumn's apple crop.
Gimme Some Oven has a ton of apple recipes in the archives, but I especially loved this simple idea of serving hot apple cider in apple "cups." What a fun spin for dessert time at a fall dinner party.

If you need a cider recipe to fill those apple mugs, what about caramel apple cider? Yum! Our Best Bites is a GREAT creative site that shared a recipe for this.

Atlantis Home made brie, apple and arugula quesadillas. Doesn't that sound fancy? It sounds like a really delicious appetizer too!

Eat, Live, Run shared a beautiful apple braid recipe. Honestly, when it is broken down in steps, it doesn't look hard to make at all. Wouldn't this be a fun treat to bake with the kiddos on a cold, crisp autumn day?

Leave it up to Williams Sonoma to come up with apple "sandwiches." Filled with peanut butter, raisins and granola, these apple snacks are healthy and protein packed!

Snack Girl shared an easy recipe for cinnamon, sugar dried apple crisps.

Smitten Kitchen takes apples into breakfast with fluffy apple pancakes. This would be gobbled up in a second in my house!

Almost Bourdain made apple beignets. You get to decide if these are breakfast or dessert.

Finally, the Kitchn.com gives us a whole post of apple recipes: caramel apples; tuna, arugula and apple sandwiches; oven baked apple donuts; apple sauce, apple and potato fritters with sour cream and herb dipping sauce; and chocolate cake with apples and hazelnuts.

Happy fall soon, everyone! Doesn't it look beautiful and delicious?

Women in the Word Wednesday: Friendship: August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24

When my husband and I got married, we did premarital counseling at church. The pastor quickly exposed the fact that my extrovert husband gains energy and joy from social gatherings. I, on the other hand, am an introvert, and I reenergize and refuel from alone time. Not only did I have to recognize this in marriage, but I have realized I had taken this fact too far in friendships.

I grew up taking friendships for granted and really not understanding the benefit of the ladies God placed in my life. I wasn't saved, and I used friendships for my benefit. If it took too much work, I wasn't interested in maintaining the relationship. To be honest, I was popular in worldly terms in high school and college, but I kept people at arm's length. I liked to have many friends on a surface level, especially as I grew older and got busier. I always protected that alone time that I craved and idolized.

When I became a Christian at 21, I started to realize my sinfulness in friendships. I was selfish and me oriented. I didn't invest in others as I should and was alone too much. It was and continues to be a growing process, but I have realized, especially as a stay at home mom, the need for Christian women to invest in the lives of some good, close, godly friends.

I have made huge gains in this area these past couple of years. It took a friend calling me up last year and point blank telling me that I was a little intimidating to approach, but that she really wanted to be a friend with me on a deeper level. I had been told multiple times I seemed aloof, intimidating, or even "snobby", and though I liked to think people had misinterpreted my natural tendency to be an introvert, I knew that wasn't entirely the reason. I resolved to correct my sinful attitude regarding my friendships and to invest in some close, godly women. When there was a season that they needed more of me than I was getting in return, that would be okay. When they needed to chat at an inconvenient hour once in awhile, that would be okay. I would be mindful of how I could invest in and minister to them as sisters in Christ and friends.

The result has been a richer, deeper relationship than I thought I could have with other ladies. The joy I feel at seeing these ladies, praying for them, sharing struggles with them and being accountable to them is amazing. Recently, I told some friends of my desire to have a core group of Christian women to know better and to meet with regularly. Every single woman responded with relief that I said it first and that she wanted the same thing. So many Christian ladies are lonely and worn out, needing encouragement and friends.

We live in a society that teaches us to be strong, to compete with other women, and to act like we have it all together (if you let your guard down, you'll be hurt). How refreshing to know that God wants us to give of ourselves and love other women with Christ's love. He wants us to be real, confess our sin to one another and to have godly examples who will admonish and encourage us. Yes, there will be times when they disappoint me, hurt my feelings or sin against me; but I know I will sadly do this too. A deep, godly friendship will repent, reconcile and move forward in forgiveness--becoming stronger as we grow in the likeness of Christ together.

I know not every woman struggles with this. Some people need to actually spend LESS time investing in friendships and more time prioritizing God, husband and kids. If you are like me, though, I urge you to step out of your selfish comfort zone and identify some women whom you would like to know better. Get on the phone, schedule some talks with them and start investing in them. God will bless you as you consider others better than yourself!

Ask yourself:
Do you make time to invest in friendship with other godly women?
Do you have friends with whom you are real but who spur you on in godliness?
Do you have women in your life who you are discipling and women in your life who mentor you?
Do you pray for friends--real, invested prayers (the kind where you rejoice when they do and mourn with them in grief)?

Table Talk from In Between Laundry

2011-08-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Erin is the creative genius over at In Between Laundry. She has such great ideas, recipes and crafts!

Like me, she has an English major background, so it was great to hear she is using her skills as a creative mom and skilled writer to publish her first e-book!

Erin has just published Table Talk. It is available on her blog for only five dollars. It has 52 creative dinner table conversations to have as a family. The discussions foster manners, language development, creative problem solving, math, and even serving others.

Click on this link and go check out all the details. Ordering is easy, and we plan to have a GREAT year of family discussion at our dinner table!

Friday Favorites: August 26, 2011

2011-08-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

After all our brown boot talk last week, I went out an got a cute pair from Cathy Jean for 60 dollars. They are having 25 and 50% off sales right now at Cathy Jean, so the boots are a really great price! Did anyone else find any brown boot deals?

This week, I found really fun ideas--as always. I am so thankful for computers and blogs. I just feed my creativity through everyone else's amazing ideas--I could never come up with this on my own!
Enjoy!

Brown Paper Packages came up with a cute first day of school teacher gift. I think every teacher deserves a little chocolate on the first day of school--after weeks of meetings, setting up their classroom and prepping for the year. This is an easy and delicious idea.

Oops! I Craft my Pants (I don't come up with the names, people) made another cheap and creative teacher gift. Find a pretty and nicely scented lotion and attach this tag to it!

Kid's With a Vision (KWAV's) shared a blessing bag idea. It is a great idea to make some of these with your kids, especially now that fall is coming up and a lot of us make "thankful" leaves or trees with our families. Basically, these bags are necessity kits that you can keep in your car to give to needy or homeless.

Epsom salt looks like glitter snow. It is a great decorating tool for the holidays. The Inspired Room shared how she uses candles and epsom salt to make snowy and expensive-looking holiday candles. Beautiful!

School is starting for many older siblings, but what educational centers and games can we play with those still at home? Growing in Pre-K has some creative and fun math center ideas. Many of these activities can be done independently and then you can check in to check accuracy when it is warranted.

Helping Little Hands gives us a fun AND educational game for those really little ones, especially those boys! Create a color practice "parking lot" on fabric. My boys love anything with cars, and this activity can be adapted and scaffolded to include math, graphing, patterns, etc. Be creative with it!

For fall fashion, let's look at cuffs/bracelets/bangles. These are fun jewelry pieces, and they flatter almost any arm. Do you have a cuff /chunky bracelet/set of bangles for fall yet?

style.com

shebreathes.com

shopbop.com

shopruche.com

Forever21.com

jcpenney.com

An Optimistic Faith

2011-08-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:28 doesn't mean life will be perfect or easy. The "good" it talks about is God's glory and our holiness, and sometimes that can happen through some painful experiences. Christians know God is sovereign and loving, and even when life hurts, our faith keeps us hopeful and trusting.

My pastor wrote a great blog about this last spring. Enjoy the encouragement:

"Faith in Christ as we walk through this life can easily be mistaken for optimism. Don’t misunderstand, faith is not some worldly pie-in-the-sky glee. It is instead, a thoughtful confidence that our God is in charge of everything in our lives and his sovereign purpose for us will prevail. The words of Romans 8:28 (“God works all things together for good”) are not a license to live recklessly, but a reminder that the twists in the road “for those who love him” are adjustments that God has ordained to take us where he intends. We can be confident that God not only “called us according to his purpose” but he is actively using a variety of means to accomplish it. Where does that leave us? Looking pretty optimistic! We love him, he directs our lives and we entrust the outcome to him. So shun the temptation to fret or complain, and keep trusting our King!"
- Pastor Mike Fabarez (March 15, 2011)

Repurposed Project: Car Trash Can

2011-08-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Better Homes and Gardens blogged about using a plastic cereal container and turning it into a trashcan, and I saw the finished idea pinned on Pinterest.

A few days later, I was about to throw away a giant, dishwasher gel pack container that was empty when I realized IT was the perfect size to do the same project.

(container with Mod Podge on it, ready to apply fabric)

Because the container was clear, and I didn't want an ugly trashbag showing in my car, I used some cute fabric scraps to Mod Podge onto my container.

That was it! SO easy. I want to put down some velcro on the bottom of my container to keep the container stable and still in the car, but I am excited to finally have a place to put wipes, napkins, straw wrappers, gum, etc.

(Applying the fabric)

All done!

My little trash generator likes it too! Let's take it to the car!

Friday Favorites: August 19, 2011

2011-08-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for school starting in a couple of weeks. This week, I tried to give you a few "first day of school" ideas. Enjoy a little creative fun as you think about the new routines just around the corner.

Poppies at Play came up with the cutest idea--Ding Dong Ditching your friends. This one doesn't just involve a doorbell and running away. Rather, you can't do so unless you leave this cute printable on a package of chocolate yummies!

Besides new clothes and backpacks, it is fun to do something special for your student on the first day of school. Here are a few creative ideas.
Rook No. 17 made a cute lunch treat using Smarties candies.

Funky Lunch is a blog devoted to those creative, fun lunches. This Mater design would make my 5 year old's day! She gives a tutorial on how to create this fun sandwich!

OhDeeDoh also loves Funky Lunches. She shares a few of their cute sandwich creations on her post too! Here is a fun caterpillar creation.

There's a 1st for everything also made a cute lunch treat using goldfish crackers. You'll get an F in spelling, but I think it is an A plus for fun.

Eighteen25 used one of the back to school supplies as a cute encouragement card for the student's first day.

If you are ending summer with a pool party for the kids, here are some cute ideas. Party Frosting was hosting a nautical shower, but these napkin ties are PERFECT for an end of summer pool party.

Cupcake takes the Cake shared a really EASY cupcake decorating idea. This could also tie into a pool party theme.

Martha Stewart gave us a centerpiece or dessert idea for a fishy swim party. This one is edible and oh, so cute!

Finally, brown boots are everywhere for fall. If you have to buy ONE color, buy brown. Wear them with a short skirt and tights, leggings or skinny jeans. A taller boot than usual and a wedge heel are two trend spots for the season. Here are some fashion ideas off Pinterest. You can find all these pictures on my Pinterest account under "Fashion" or "Casual Momma Clothes." If you click on the picture on Pinterest, it will tell you where to find the outfit and take you to the website. If you are on pinterest, you can follow my boards and find me at http://pinterest.com/chiarahawley/

So, share with the other readers where you find cute boots at a good price. The 6th outfit down has 66 dollar boots from H&M.

These boots above are from JC Penney for 99 dollars from St. John's Bay.

These lighter brown boots are 49.99 at JC Penney.

Again, JC Penney for 59.99.

This light brown boot is 99 dollars at Victoria Secret.

These are 158 dollars at Victoria Secret. I like the buckle detail and small heel to keep it casual.

Where do you like to find your boots? Share with us!

I hope you enjoyed the creative ideas! Have a great weekend!

WITWW: Kindergarten Lessons: 8-18-11

2011-08-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

Along with many moms this time of year, I am asking myself, "Where did the time go?" My oldest is starting kindergarten, but it seems like just a few weeks ago I was changing his diapers, walking him around the house during his fussy hour and picking up spilled cheerios from his snacky cup.
I am so proud of how much he has matured and grown. He is a very active little boy, and he has gained much in the area of self control and discernment.
Like other moms, I'll get weepy and sentimental when I drop him off at his first day of school this year. I will grieve the loss of my baby and my dependent little guy, but I'll also realize it is a natural progression that God allows.
From the day he was born, my son has slowly been growing physically, emotionally, and, I pray, in the knowledge of God; so he can leave my home and live life on his own someday. God blesses us with children "on lease". They are His, and He entrusts us to train them, love them, and help them gain independence so He can use them in their own lives--apart from mom and dad.
Included in being a godly mom is realizing I am not in control of their lives--God is. From each sickness God allows to their safety; from which teacher they get to which friends are in their class or lives; and from which subject they love to which lessons might be a struggle, God has ordained it all ahead of time.
God gave me a very enthusiastic, loving, energetic little boy five and a half years ago. He is using each of my son's apparent "strengths" and "weaknesses" for His glory and to train him up so He can use him in specific moments of time and in specific situations. It is just the beginning as I let go of his little hand, wave goodbye and watch the kindgergarten door close. I'm fairly sure I'll have to hold back tears, but, in all this, I am thankful and confident God is in control.

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield;in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;my heart exults,and with my song I give thanks to him.

Party Tip: Ice Bowl

2011-08-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

If you are throwing a summer shin dig, big or small, a great way to make a statement with your food display is by making an ice bowl to hold your food. It is extremely easy, you can make it any size you need, you can decorate the bowl with any edible or safe flowers, fruit slices or decorations, and it makes a big impact.

Of course, you want to keep the bowl on a summery platter or plate to catch water as it melts, and you don't want to display it in full sun. If you put any moist food items inside, you want to put a pretty lettuce lining inside so the food doesn't stick to the bowl as it is dished (think of the "tongue on a frozen pole" effect).

Here are the easy steps to make your own:

You need to get stacking bowls. Your ice bowl will be the size of the larger stacking bowl.

Fill the larger bowl with water (about 2/3 full)

Place the smaller bowl inside and weigh it down so it sits inside and displaces the water--I used more water in the small bowl to weigh it down.

Place in your freezer until the water is starting to freeze and get thick.

Pick an edible or safe decoration to sit inside the ice. Ideas: Fruit slices, edible plants or flowers, thematic decorations.

Stick the decor down the sides between the bowls and spread them all around in the icy water.

After 24 hours, take the bowls out of the freezer and remove the smaller bowl from the top (it usually twists right out, but you might use warm water for a SECOND to loosen it).

Twist the ice bowl out of the larger bowl (again, if needed, QUICKLY run warm water on the bottom of the bowl to loosen the ice).

Ready for a summer food table!

So summery and fresh! Have fun!

I linked this post to:

Friday Favorites: 8-12-11

2011-08-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm posting Friday Favorites a day early because we are off for an extended weekend in Lake Arrowhead with Ryan's family!

Have fun with all the creative inspiration!

Ashley Anne Photography photographed fabric mod podged onto flower pots. I love this idea! You can coordinate with your home decor and really add punch in a garden window, a bathroom, a shelf or a wall unit.

Wren Handmade made foam baby blocks with fabric. This would be a sweet idea for a baby gift, especially with cute fabrics. It does involve sewing, but EASY PEASY sewing.

Design Dazzle made fabric bandaids with glue dots and scrap fabric. This would be a really cute little gift for a girl. A boy could get away with these if you do dinos, sports, or superhero fabrics.

I found these beautiful apple candles on Tumblr by Are So Happy. What a fun, festive idea for fall!

The Cutest Food.com blog put jello in hollowed out orange shells and sliced them up for beautiful and creative fun!

Having Fun at Home had a great idea for the bath: colored shaving cream for painting and playing! My boys would love this!

Jen Johnson's blog had the cutest idea--and the photos on her blog are AMAZING! Put your baby in front of a mirror, white board, or chalkboard and write down the milestone and the date. Keep a photo journal and you will remember when your little one rolled over, crawled, walked, said ma-ma, etc. GENIUS!

The Accidental Hostess had a healthy and yummy idea--frozen grapesicles. String grapes on a skewer or popsicle stick and then freeze them. Yum! What a great treat on a hot afternoon!

I'm going to end today's Friday Favorites with Fashion inspiration I found this week. Have fun!

Tres awesome shared these ruffle shoes.

A Dannijo bracelet.

Emma Stine earrings.

Anthropologie.com had a beautiful top.

Monsoon.com had this beautiful dress.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Women in the Word Wednesday: PRAYER, August 10, 2011

2011-08-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delay in posting the prayer lesson I gave back in July to some women at my church. It was just posted yesterday on the church website.
I gave a lesson on the privelege and effectiveness of prayer. I spoke on the need for both concentrated and conversational prayer, the excitement we need to have about the privelege of prayer, the help in structuring prayer with the acronymn ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication), the need to align our hearts to God's will, and the power and change that God can bring when it is His will to do so.

It is an easy, straightforward lesson. You can click on the audio link and listen while browsing on your computer.

If you click a link soon, you can merely click http://www.compasschurch.org/wbs/sermons and then click the "play" arrow. If you click on the link after August 2011, you will need to go to http://www.compasschurch.org/women/ and then click on "previous sermons" on the right. Then, browse the sermon archives. The lesson should be called "Foundations: Prayer Basics from July 2011" or something to that manner.

Enjoy! I pray this blesses you as much as it grew me in understanding prayer!