A Busy, Blessed Mother's Day

I will do a tea wrap up tomorrow, and you will be completely blown away by the tables at our tea this year.  The ladies did a terrific job being creative.
Today, I just wanted to share my Mother's Day yesterday with you!

Like many of you, I woke up to breakfast in bed.  My poor hubby had to work a little harder to create a yummy breakfast since I am watching my carbs.  I had a nice cup of coffee, scrambled eggs and bacon.  It was quite a treat!

We went to church and heard an AMAZING sermon on Psalm 23.  I had never heard it put into the context my pastor did, and it was such an encouragement.  It should be on our website to listen to after Tuesday morning.  You can hear it at http://www.compasschurch.org/.

We came home for about an hour, and I opened gifts.  I got two books I wanted and a cute yellow belt from Ruche.  My 6 year old made me a special coffee mug, and my husband topped it all with a generous gift card to the mall and a promise to watch the boys whenever I want to go look for some clothes.  I love to shop slowly by myself, which I never get to do!  What a treat!

Two Mother's Day books I got from my sweet family

After church, we went to my sister's house for pool play, lunch and gifts.  It was an absolutely perfect Southern California day--mid to high 70's with a little breeze in the late afternoon.

My sister and brother in law's beautiful backyard

More of the beautiful backyard

My nephew doing a flip off the waterfall diving platform

My 3 year old contemplating the pool

Our hosts

My other sister and her two girls

My mom, sister and niece

My niece is graduating from high school and is off to college in the fall.  She had me make this sign for her mom (my sister), since it was a little saying they would say to one another to get through stressful assignments she had in school.

I ate way too many kumquats off their tree.  They were so ripe for the picking!

My little swimmer enjoying his HUGE chocolate cake

Finally, we ended the day with dinner, more pool time and gifts at my mother in law's home.  It was my father in law's birthday, so we all got to celebrate the day!

How was your Mother's Day?  I pray you had a great day and realized what a very undeserved and amazing blessing it is to be a mommy!

Pinterest Recipe: Pizza Bites

My kids are BOTH picky eaters.  They will eat fruit and milk, which is basically why there are still alive, but protein beyond milk gets tricky.  The youngest will down some yogurt, but I can't overdo it or he'll sense I'm actually feeding him something that is healthy and stop eating it.  Sigh.
When we have pizza, they both tend to find ways to nibble around the cheese.  My youngest will turn his pizza over and just plain nibble on the crust bottom.  We have to pull out the big time discipline guns in order to get a few pepperoni or cheese bites into them.
I was curious how this Pinterest recipe would work from Rags to Riches.  They are easy peasy pizza bites.  It has lots of bread surrounding a little hot pocket of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni in it.  Plus, it is a dippable food, which always earns a higher score for a kiddo. 
So I adapted the recipe to my kiddos and tried it.  Instead of cheddar and mixed cheeses, I went mozzarella inside of the pizza bite.  Also, I made the same recipe on Zucchini slices for me--low carbing it.

Flatten a buttermilk biscuit

Top with pepperoni, mozzarella and more pepperoni

lift the sides and pinch the dough together

Turn it over for the smooth dough balls

Top with egg wash, parmesan, garlic powder and Italian seasoning

Cook and voila!

(Exact Recipe on the link above)

It was well received.  My youngest wouldn't eat it, but he is on an especially stubborn "I don't like that" phase. Afer his milk and a couple spoonfuls of apple sauce, he went on dinner strike.  He'll probably eat us out of house and home when he is 16 to make up for it.

My hubby and older boy liked it.  My zucchini variation was good too!  The parmesan crisped up nice and salty.  Yum!

It is Well with My Soul

Last week wasn't an easy one.  Almost two weeks ago, I was at a baby shower celebrating a friend's baby that would be here in late May.  It is her second and her first boy.   What a blessing!
Five days later, she held that little boy, stillborn, in her arms.  We went from celebrating and rejoicing to mourning and grieving with our friend.  It was very hard, and many of us had days of tears and sadness.

She and her husband have shown amazing strength in God throughout this trial.  They have been breathing in God's promises in scripture and leaning fully on God and the support He is sending through friends and family.  They are actually facing the grief with honesty AND praise to God for His comfort and peace through such an experience. 

As I traversed my own grief, which is nothing like the mom and dad's, I realize, I thought of the hymn "It is Well with My Soul."  This hymn was written by Horatio Spafford as he was crossing the Atlantic Ocean from America to England.  There is a story, though.

Horatio had sent his daughters and wife ahead of him to England while he did some business in America.  He had recently suffered some financial losses and trials, and he needed to stay and wrap up some loose ends.  The boat with his family was wrecked and sank, and his wife was the only survivor of his family.

As he suffered heavy grief, he went on a boat himself to join his grieving wife in England.  The boat on which he was a passenger stopped in the ocean for remembrance at the EXACT spot where his daughters were lost in the sea.  He was able to write the hymn right there as he poured out his heart to God and put his grief into an eternal perspective.

We too can learn from Horatio's example.  Though the world is falling apart at the seams, and sometimes it feels as if nothing is right, we can rejoice that our eternity is secure in Christ if we are Christians.  The trials of this world are intense, but they are temporary.  Praise God for the hope of our future in Heaven and His promise of comfort, peace and wisdom as we face the trials of this world.

Romans 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

It is Well with My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Refrain: It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.

My Pinterest Tips

Are you on Pinterest?  I joined back in the early days and have loved every minute of it.  I have gotten MANY fun ideas, recipes, and inspirations from the virtual pinboard.  I think Pinterest is a genius idea.

A common phrase I hear from new Pinterest members is, "I don't get it."  I, and many other crafters, use Pinterest to save ideas for cooking, crafting, fashion, etc.  If you don't craft or do creative projects, though, it is still useful.

You can have boards with exercise tips, pin rooms that give you inspiration ideas for that room remodel you might have done soon (even if it isn't a DIY), or even grab some photo staging shots that you might try for your next Christmas card photo session.  Don't give up!  It really is useful if you think about how it can motivate and inspire you.

If you are new to Pinterest or if you are wanting to organize what you have on your boards so far, I am going to offer a few personal tips that I have found useful. 

1.  Make your boards specific.
I recently took my generic "recipe" board and also created "sweet tooth," "breakfast" and "beverages" boards.  I spent HOURS editing recipes from the broad "recipe" board into the new categories and eventually took a break.  I probably have another hour or two of editing to get it all organized.  I probably should also do an "appetizer" board and a "healthy recipe" board, but I need to get over the first hurdle. 
I wish someone had said, "Be specific with your board titles, so you can easily find pins later when you want them!"
If you pin crafts, this can apply too.  Be specific--fabric crafts, mod podge crafts, painting crafts, kid crafts, home decor crafts--divide it up as it makes sense to you.
You get the gist.  It will save you hours of wading through pins looking for that "great idea" you pinned a month or more ago.

2.  Follow people who have similar interests.
Of course you can follow your friends and family, but you don't have to follow every pinner who pins your pin.  You will get frustrated if you do.  You'll be looking at thousands of pins on space travel, sculpture art, cat photos, vegan recipes or whatever other specific interests you don't have that these people do!  This isn't to say you won't see many pins others like that don't apply to you, but it helps you have a more productive time browsing those you follow when they have similar interests. 

3.  Try to have specific times for pinning. 
A lot of people are scared to be on Pinterest because it is a "time sucker."  It sure could be, and when I first joined, I admit I spent too much time scanning pins and pinning ideas.  I learned that as I followed tip number 2, though, that I didn't have to just look under general "crafts" to find pins.  I was following people who had great, similar interests, and I could mainly just browse the pins of those I follow and find awesome ideas. 
I also try to just pin at set times.  My hubby and I play on our iphones for about 15 minutes before we fall asleep.  This is a great time to pin.  If I am waiting for a dr. in the waiting room or sitting at school pick up, I can pin.  When I am poolside on vacation, I do a LOT of pinning.  I don't open Pinterest every time I'm on the computer.  That would be a bad idea, and I would be wasting time when I could be doing my cleaning, cooking, crafting, and spending time with my family.

4.  Pin what YOU love and not what others might like.
The point of Pinterest is to have it be a TOOL for you.  I have boards that helped inspire me for certain parties or themes for entertaining.  Most people probably aren't interested in making a Parisian themed tea table, but the pins were useful to me. If I want, I can delete the pins or board after the event, but often I see people pinning those pins for their own specific party or theme.
If you spend all your time pinning what is "cool" or what you think will get pins, then you are missing the point, and you'll have a long list of pins that do you absolutely no good and don't really inspire you.  Have Pinterest work for you and pin things that you might use or make.  People will find you who are interested in the same thing--just watch!  Whenever someone follows my boards, I go to that person's board page, because, often, it means we have very similar interests and I want to follow them too!

I hope these tips helped you if you are new to the Pinterest phenomenon or if you are confused or overwhelmed by it all.  If you want an invite to Pinterest, just leave a comment and your e-mail, and I will send you an invitation. 

On this blog, I'll be posting some new crafts and another themed tea table soon.  I am speaking to a group of ladies on forgiveness this Friday, so I've been busy prepping for that.  The next week, though, is our annual tea, and I will reveal my table's theme and the crafts I'm doing for that (it is all on the "down low" for now).  I also am almost done with my gallery wall at home.  I am in LOVE with how it is turning out.  I hope you are all having a fruitful and blessed week!

Galatians Sign

I've been  making a lot of signs this month, and this was ordered by a friend.  She picked the great verse and asked for the fun colors.  What verse would you want on your wall?

Monogrammed Trays

It is Teacher Appreciation Week.  The teachers love their posters I made from the class!  You can see those "super" posters here.

I also wanted to make a practical, cute and not too expensive gift for the teachers.  We are bringing them little things each day of the week.

I saw perfect, summer melamine trays at Bed, Bath and Beyond for 14.99.  I snatched 2 of them up and monogrammed them with a big, 'ol summery white letter (I used vinyl cut on my Silhouette machine).

Here is the tray before . . .

Here is the tray after . . .

My little kindgergartener melted my heart this morning by saying he wanted to buy his OWN gift for his teachers.  He gets a dollar a week for his allowance, so he came in grasping $3.00 from his piggy bank.  He decided to get them a "fancy coffee" from Starbucks, but I told him they are each more expensive than 1.50 (he has two teachers because they share a contract in his class).  He wouldn't hear of me chipping in to add to his 1.50 for the coffee (a tall caramel machiatto to be exact).  Each cost 3.55, so he paid for it all.  That made this mommy's day!  I'm so proud of his generous little heart.

If you need an easy gift for a sister or friend for Mother's Day, try monogramming a tray!  I want one too!

And the winning look is . . . Our Gallery Wall "Look"

Well, folks, I am super thankful for your feedback on my gallery wall.  You can see the feedback post and the two looks voted upon here.  I went with the less structured look, and we got it all hung on the wall last night.  I LOVE it!

(By the way, putting paper on the wall FIRST to see how the frames will look is GENIUS!  That was a great time saver!)

It is far from finished.  I need to do my two scripture canvases--they will be white with black lettering.  I also need to order pictures for the frames.  I am doing black and white photos and trying to get a punch of color in the "look" with the two armchairs I want to get for either side of the TV console.  If you see any affordable, punch of rust or yellow or other fun color chairs, send me a link!

I can't wait to post the FINAL look--pictures, canvases, chairs and all. 

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