A Cozy Day

My absolutely favorite kind of day is one that is gray outside. Gray and rainy. Gray and snowing. Gray and anything. GRAY! I love it! It is the ultimate in cozy weather if you ask me - perfect for staying home. (I know, I am in serious minority on this one!)

The lights inside seem to glow brighter, candle light looks fabulous with gray weather outside. It reminds me of when we were in France - the gardens there looked so beautiful and the flowers seemed more colorful than they do here. Why, I wondered? I think I figured out why - at least for me. The skies are gray very often and the houses are also very neutral. The only things providing color are the gardens! Here, we are bombarded with color!

Anyway, the point is it was gray and cozy. I decided when I got up to declare this a pajama day. We would stay in our pj's all day! I was the only one who wanted to - but that is ok with me!

We started our day with a yummy and cozy breakfast:
Fresh Apple Muffins, a cup of tea, milk ~ mmm, delicious!

Look at this cute tea bag rest my Mom sent me from Celestial Seasonings. One of these days, I'm going to plan a tea around this theme!

After breakfast, we read this lovely book:
The little ladies took their time getting dressed. We folded laundry and put it away. Then, we had a tea party! Oh, the girls were so excited! I sat with them and sipped "tea" and worked on a Christmas project (I'm planning a Handcrafted Christmas series here in September and October).
We snuggled together on the couch and watched a movie, played, I admired my farm fresh eggs! We cleaned out the fridge together. Next, it was time to fix lunch. A cozy lunch to me is a grilled cheese! And, I'd been wanting to try this recipe, so today seemed like a good opportunity.
The Ultimate Grilled Cheese

1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. seasoned salt
10 slices Italian Bread (1/2 inch thick)
2 T. butter or margarine, softened

Mix cream cheese and mayo until well combined. Stir in remaining cheese and seasonings. Spread about 1/3 c. mixture on one slice bread. Butter both outside edges of bread and toast in skillet until lightly browned. (From Quick Cooking, March/April 2000)

* I made half a recipe and I think that 1/3 c. mixture is too much for one sandwich - so this would probably yield more than five sandwiches. I know it isn't low anything, but it was a fun treat for today.

We read some more before naps and then the ladies headed off to slumber. I marveled at how much water had collected from all the rain and added my watering can to collect more!
I gathered my craft supplies and headed to the couch to watch a movie from the library. I can't remember how long it has been since I made some of my favorite notecards. I hope I never get tired of this craft, because these cards always make me smile!
What does a cozy day look like to you? What is your favorite kind of weather?

Family Night: Olympics

I will admit that I have been out of the loop on the Olympics. Since we don't really get any channels except for PBS, we don't keep up with what is on television. However, when I saw Amy's great idea of a Family Night themed around the Olympics, I wanted to try her idea.

Friday was a long day with all my littles, so we opted to go out for Chinese. David took us to a place new to me - oh, it was soooo good! I discovered Honey Chicken which I'd never heard of and it was so delicious!

David put a lot of effort into figuring out how to download some Olympics and burn them off onto a DVD so we could watch them when we got home. It was a review of highlights from Day Five and from BBC - so a different perspective than we were used to! I will say that they have not made it easy to watch the Olympics if you don't have network television access.

While we watched the highlights, we had hot tea and fortune cookies! I think the little ladies enjoyed it - thanks, Amy for such a great idea!!

Anyone else watching any Olympics? How are you involving your children with this?

Treasures

I came home with lots of goodies from loved ones - thank you! Among those are a few that stand out:

Vintage Alphabet Cards and Chalkboard found at a thrift store!

My great-great-grandmothers mixing bowl and egg beater! Four generations before me and still going strong! Here, my french toast dipping mixture was the best I've ever made with no clumps of egg white sticking to my bread.

A quilt made by my great-great-grandmother!

A copy of a candy making cookbook. I'm not sure I got the story straight - I think someone in our family used to make these candies and sell them, is that right, Mom? Anyway, it is loaded with delicious recipes!

And, I surprised my Mom and Grandma by taking a copy of this cookbook which has our recipe for Cinnamon Rolls/Cloverleaf Rolls that has been used for five generations in our family! It was published in this newest Gooseberry Patch cookbook. Here's the recipe including the tradition of the yellow bowl!

Do you have any treasures from your ancestors? I'd love to hear your special memories and about your treasures!

Rachel is two!

We celebrated Rachel's 2nd birthday while on our trip! In fact, we celebrated twice! The first time at Aunt Carrie's house and then in Kansas City with all my family at my Aunt Joanie's house. We are so thankful for sweet Rachel! And, you can see that she had a great time!

My theme was rainbows - it all stemmed from seeing the cover of this book. All it takes is one idea to get a whole theme rolling!

Rachel's rainbow cake, singing Happy Birthday and blowing out two candles!

I found these matching rainbow shirts for Emily and Rachel at Penney's and used a $10 off coupon to get them nearly free. Then, at Carter's found this onesie on clearance for Nathan - all together less than $5 for each of them to have a rainbow birthday shirt!

I bought twelve helium balloons, two of each color of the rainbow, and had the party store tie them all onto one string. When we got home, tying one end to each of two chairs made a fun rainbow of balloons to play with and open gifts under.

My aunt recently went to Guatemala and brought back these neat balls for our party favors! She didn't even know about our theme!

A favorite memory of this day is that the first gift Rachel opened was a Mrs. Potatohead. She was so excited to play with it, that she did not want to open any more gifts for quite a while. I am so thankful that she would have been content with just that one gift if that was what she was given! Eventually, she did open her other gifts and in addition to the Potatohead, the lamb and stroller were two more favorites. She's also been enjoying her new "Pooh and Piglet" dress, princess bath toys and animals for her ark.

It was a special day celebrated with lots of special family in honor of our sweet Rachel!

Milestone Pictures

I have made it a tradition to get pictures taken of each of our littles at 3 months, 6 months, one year and every year after that around their birthday.

There are not good affordable options where we live, so while we were on our trip - I took our three to Penney's for updated pictures.

We had Samuel's six month photo:





Rachel's two year photo:







And, our first photo of the three together:
I love how these turned out! What do you do for milestone pictures - where do you get them taken and how often?

Resourceful, Creative and Frugal Unite!

Another fun thing I wanted to do in Kansas City was to meet Crystal of Money Saving Mom and Biblical Womanhood.

She was gracious enough to agree to get together twice - once at Starbucks and then again the next day with all our littles.

I had sort of a mental list of questions I wanted to ask her and enjoyed getting her input. I appreciated her wisdom and felt that she was a kindred spirit in many ways. We definitely have a lot in common.

Here was our cute photographer:
And, then she wanted her picture taken the way we had our photo taken:
I know that I always hope I am the same person in "real life" and on my blog. I felt that Crystal was exactly what I expected and thought of her by reading her blog. And, I enjoyed the opportunity to get together!

Other bloggers I'd love to meet are Meredith, Joy and Amy. Better yet, could I just pick and choose my neighbors from all over the country and we could create one giant and wonderful community?!

Have any of you met fellow bloggers? Who would you like to meet? Why?

Curious Sofa

One of the places I wanted to go in Kansas City was a neat store called Curious Sofa. I first saw an article about this shop in Country Living and then, the owner's home was featured recently as well.

So, one afternoon during nap time, my aunt offered for Carrie and I to go out and do some errands. Carrie indulged my desire to go here and went along.

Oh, the store was so dreamy - I could have spent much longer just wandering through and admiring all the creative touches. I wanted to get a little something for myself - but also made an extra effort to get there because my sweet friend, Amy, also loves this to read Debbie's blog and I wanted to bring her something from this store. So, hopefully this will be a fun treat for you to look forward to Amy!

Debbie was in the store - I recognized her as soon as we walked in, but it took my sister's force to make me say something to her - we found her out back cleaning up a chandelier! Her dog, Pearl, was perched up on a cute ticking bed near the cash register - so cute.

Here is the treat I came home with:
It is a set of alphabet cards with metal grommets in the top - and a ribbon for hanging. You can create and re-create many garlands with these letters! You probably all know by now how much I love garlands! Oh, and it's letter press - love letter press! And, designed from Victorian lettering. Need I say more?

Amy - this is your treat (looking a little bedraggled from being in the car so long!) that I hope to deliver to you in person very soon! I'll let her share what is inside on her blog! And, no - I did not get her the same thing I got!

A "Pioneerish" Evening

I know, that isn't a word. But, it seemed to best describe my thought. This afternoon (Thursday) a big storm rolled in and it started raining HARD very suddenly. There was lots of lightening and thunder and then the loudest thunder crack I think I've heard in a very long time. But, I just kept putting laundry away - the lights were blinking on and off every minute or two. And, in the end we were without electricity for about five hours. (Yes, and it was 101 today!)

While putting the laundry away, I happened to peek outside and see that a huge tree had been hit by lightening right across the street from our house and a second tree had been hit as well and had partially fallen. Oh, how thankful I was that they fell into the street and not on our neighbors houses!

Look at this tree, though. It has been standing tall and beautiful getting green in proper season as long as we've lived in this house. Yet, when split at the base - you can see that the center of the base was rotten. David said, "Funny how something can look so alive and yet be so dead inside." Indeed - and that's a thought provoking statement if you really think about how many things that could apply to.

Anyway, we enjoyed a candlelight dinner of sandwiches, chips and a can of fruit cocktail. I didn't want to open the fridge too much and couldn't cook anything - so this was a good solution.

Our after dinner entertainment was not very pioneerish - but while David got called out to work, the rest of us piled on the couch and watched the neighbors and firemen saw up those huge trees just so people could get to their driveways. I mentioned to the little ladies how it was great to see the neighbors out there working together and helping one another.

When David came home, I mixed up a cooler of lemonade and took it out to those working on the trees. When something like this happens - don't you just want to DO something? I know I did.

After all our littles were in bed, boy was it warm in here. We decided to have a bowl of ice cream! I figured it may melt into oblivion by morning, so we might as well enjoy some and cool off! I think it will be fine since the power came back on before I went to bed. And, boy did that air conditioning feel divine!

Hmmm, maybe I don't want to be a pioneer after all ...

Simplify Life Week: Day Five

A Need to Simplify

As I worked on this topic and series of posts this week - I became aware more and more of areas I need to be more intentional about simplifying.

We could probably all name several things that are complicating our lives - and I see that as the opposite of simplicity. Simplicity adds to our lives, complication takes away.

So, as I look at my life - what are the things that add complication? Are they worth ignoring if they take away from my life? Please note here that I am aware some situations cannot be reduced to being either simple or complicated. Sometimes, we will have complicated things in our lives that we cannot change. However, if we commit to changing some of the things we can - we will have more energy for those things that require more of us.

I'm sure that I'm not finished coming up with a list of things that need simplifying - here are a few thoughts though:

* Should I continue to head out every Monday morning while leaving my three littles at home with Grandma to hit CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens? Yes, the deals are compelling - but is this simplifying my life or complicating it? Would a simpler solution be to go out on Sunday evening, get these errands done and then spend an hour at a coffee shop journaling, praying and spending time with God? This is something I've been wanting to implement and it seems to sound like a good scenario. Or, is the better option to skip the stops and just do the time with God?

* Am I worried and anxious about pleasing others? Yes - and honestly, that complicates my life.

* How can I balance my desires to spend time doing crafty projects? What is appropriate for my schedule and season of life?

* Working on paring down our home, excess.

* Outside commitments that take me away from the home - reduce and examine.

These are just a few thoughts - I'd love to hear what's on your heart on this topic.

Hope you've enjoyed this week of talking about simplifying. I have purposefully taken a very different approach than the world often takes on this topic and would continue to enjoy your thoughts on all these ideas! Thanks for all the great comments this week!

Simplify Life Week: Day Four

A Simpler Time

So often, I find myself thinking of times in history as simpler times. And, in some ways - this doesn't fully make sense since we have so many things now that help make our lives easier. We have grocery stores, appliances, running water, electricity and efficient transportation.

However, it seems like our lives now are more complicated than ever. What is it about a past time that draws me to its simplicity? Yes, it is easy to create an idealistic past - but, I think some of our perceptions are realistic.

Life was lived with far less opportunity and far less distractions. Families worked much harder, yet were content with far less than what we consider a bare minimum today.

To me, this kind of simplicity holds such a purity that almost feels reverent. There were not myriads of things pulling families away from home or time together.

And, home is the one place we can really develop our own definition of simplicity and what it means in our daily lives. I think simplifying means many different things to each of us.

I have mentioned this book before, but it is my very favorite on this topic of living simply. Because, this book captures exactly what simplicity means to me and what I desire.

Simpler Times by Thomas Kinkade

"When we come back to things that really matter, then peace begins to settle into our lives like golden sunlight sifting to a forest floor. And somewhere deep down inside we know that simpler times are better times." ~ quoted from back cover

While we were away, my aunt gave me a quilt that my great-great-grandma made. As I looked at and admired this treasure, it struck me as a picture of living simply. This quilt was likely made from clothes that were no longer wearable or scraps of fabric left from something else or a bag of flour. Today, we are inundated with choices and opportunities. Instead of cutting up our worn out clothes to make quilts - how many of us spend hours debating over what fabric we will choose or how many fabric stores do we visit? How much of our time, energy and money does this consume? Does this seem like simplifying?

A quote from the inside cover:

"Picture a place where you're yearning to be. A place where work, home, and play are properly balanced, where people exist peaceably, where relationships flourish. A place where there's time for what's really important. Picture life the way you're hungry to live it, in your deepest heart of hearts. Picture simpler times."

I don't know what that does to you - but it really tugs at the inner longings of my heart and the way I desire to live and shape my home. What does it bring to your mind?

When I began looking at the paintings in this book again recently, I realized that there was something in common about where I always picture myself in the paintings. I picture myself inside one of the cozy homes with delicious and inviting light exuding from the windows. My "simpler times" revolve around being at home rather than pulled in many directions.

"It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest and living close to nature." ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

So, how do you choose to live in simpler times? Here are a few thoughts shared in the book:

* create a refuge - a place within your home that is your favorite spot or that refreshes your spirit. My spot is sitting on our bed during nap time looking out at our flowers and enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

* "... avoid spending sizable chunks of our lives simply moving from one place to another."
- walk or bike to errands
- "... turn necessary chores into family outings ..." ~ I pull my girls out to the mail box sometimes in the wagon rather than just walking down the driveway - it turns it into sort of an outing.

* limit or avoid television

* learn to say no without guilt - even to good things. "what a surge of energy when we realize that saying no is really a way of saying yes to all we really care about."

* "Most of us are so accustomed to over stimulation that peace feels strange to us, it makes us nervous. Simplicity can be an acquired taste, especially in a society that revels in complexity." Before I was married and became a mom, I was very comfortable with solitude. Now, I find that I am often so busy out of necessity - that when I do have quiet time, I sort of stumble around wondering how to use it.

* "It's true in painting, and it's true in life. How things look depends on the way you see them." Perspective.

* Glowing windows - more here.

Now, I'm curious - what describes a simpler time to you? Do you have a spot within your home that is refreshing to you?

Simplify Life Week: Day Three

Simplify Life ~ Plan

I am a hopeless planner. I am always planning something. I think ahead and work ahead and this is one of the things that seems to simplify my life. I mean, really, if you want to add instant stress and complication in your life - keep doing things at the last minute repeatedly!

I plan using a calendar: I have a daily calendar that keeps my to-do lists in it. I do not always accomplish everything listed there - but it is written down and I will get to it when I can. I also have a calendar on the wall where I write appointments, birthdays, etc... When I go to write out my daily to-do list, I can easily incorporate these things into my daily list.

Not only do I intentionally plan using a calendar, I intentionally do not OVER plan (at least not our time away from home)! We do not need to be running hither and yon participating in every opportunity that presents itself. I don't want to live that way and I don't want my children to grow up in a life like that.

I plan using an idea journal: One of the areas I love to plan is in things I'd like to do creatively. Birthday parties around here are not thrown together the night before - I work on them for weeks or sometimes months in advance. For me, this is part of the fun and takes a lot of the stress out of it. It allows me to do a lot of extra things I wouldn't be able to do if I thought of the whole thing 48 hours before the big event!

I'm always planning ahead for the next Christmas and what gifts I'd like to make. A spot like Organized Christmas is a great tool in planning out a lot of larger tasks into smaller portions over a longer period of time.

I'm reminded of setting aside money all year to do your Christmas shopping so it is not a burden on your budget! Same is true for your time! If you are stashing ideas away part of the year and then actually doing some part of the year, when the season arrives - you will be well prepared and so thankful that you can contribute your ideas to the celebration.

One more thought -

Proverbs 14:22, "Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness."

I'd like to generate more love and faithfulness in my life and in my home. Wouldn't you? When we spend our time planning and carrying out those things which are good - this is what the Bible says we will find. I love that.

One of the most fun ways to plan is just to dream. What would you like to accomplish? How can you make that happen? How can you fit your specific gifts and abilities into this to share them to their full potential? What inspires you?

How about you? Do you plan ahead or work ahead? How does this help simplify your life? Or does planning ahead not work for you? How do you simplify without planning?

Simplify Life Week: Day Two

Simple Living ~ what does the Bible say about such an idea?

Simplify is defined like this by Webster's dictionary, "to make simple or simpler; to reduce to basic essentials; to diminish in scope or complexity; to make more intelligible."

Ok, so to become less complex and to reduce to what is really necessary. Sounds to me like removing things that are just "fillers" in our lives and focus on the One thing we need to be focusing on.

Mark 12:30, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

What is a filler in my life? Anything that competes with my time with the Lord. If I am to do as the above passage states - I must place Him FIRST in my life. Oh, how I have failed at this.

Use this verse as a filter to test the things that are in my life. Do the things I am involved in fit in with this command to love God with all I am? Do the things I think, say, dream about, and live out line up with this?

Luke 10:38-42, "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'"

Have I chosen what is better? Am I worried and distracted by many other things than sitting at the Lord's feet and listening to what He says. Often, yes I am.

O, Lord - give me an undivided heart.

Psalm 86:11, "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name."

Ezekiel 11:19, "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh."

Remember the song, Undivided Heart, by Twila Paris?

What is necessary?

Colossians 1:10-14, "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and my please Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Lord, please simplify my heart to be focused on YOU, not distracted and complicated with many other things. Give me tunnel vision desiring to see You and Your ways only.

Simplify Life Week: Day One

I have been wanting to write this post for quite some time. Back in March, I attended a session of our bi-monthly women's Bible Study at church. Our pastor's wife usually speaks and then we break up into small groups, but at this particular session, our small group leader was sharing in the large group teaching time. What she shared was very meaningful to me and really caused me to do more thinking and praying on it.

With her permission, I will share with you what stood out to me and what happened because of it.

First of all, I was intrigued because her topic was Clean Heart. Well, you know how that has been on my mind and heart a lot this year - so I couldn't wait to hear what she had to say. In fact, I am so glad I made the special effort to get there that morning, because I am thankful God allowed me to be there to hear His words through her.

She shared a great comparison on the passages of Genesis 3:6 and 1 John 2:15-17. In Genesis 3, Eve sees that the fruit from the forbidden tree is, "good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom." Over in 1 John, we are reminded of the things which do not come from God but from the world, "the cravings of the sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does."

Here is the comparison:
* good for food: lust of the flesh
* delight to the eyes: lust of the eyes
* desirable to make one wise: the boastful pride of life

I don't know about you, but I'd never thought about this in this way. It really opened my eyes and made me think about what it might be in my life that Satan is holding out in temptation just as he tempted Eve with the forbidden fruit.

She also shared 2 Corinthians 11:2-3, "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve with his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." NASB

Ok, so now that you know what Scriptures she shared - let me tie this in with simplifying your life and having a clean heart. She shared her very personal experience of trying to simplify and declutter her home. In regards to the things I have in my home - what are my motives for keeping certain things? Is there any foolishness in my home becuase of the things I have? Am I a wise woman who builds my home or a foolish woman who tears it down?

Be willing to call sin what it is: sin. Do not let myself get caught up in saying my house is cluttered because I struggle in this area or have not cleaned out things I should because it is a weakness.

Do the things in our home represent the things of God - the things that will last:

* God
* His Word
* people

Make sure this is the tone of my home and consider then when making purchases in the future as well.

Here is what came in my journal:
Question: Satan holds out things to me to tempt me (other things than fruit from the Garden of Eden). What are these things and do I question/doubt God and accept the desire of these things giving way to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and boastful pride of life?

I processed this with David and he said, "You are more worried about what others think than coveting wisdom as Eve did..." Ouch. Oh, I teared up instantly because you know what? He was exactly right. I was immediately humbled.

My mind was instantly thinking of my closet - as I looked in there I saw things I'm keeping for:
* maybe I will use it someday
* someone will be upset if I get rid of that: guilt
* it is neat and I don't want to get rid of it
* I like what having that says about me - how it looks

Action: Go in and get rid of anything in these categories. Be honest and be willing to have a burden lifted! Consider my motives.

And, from after I worked on my closet:

Dear Lord,
Thank You for speaking to me on the motives I have for keeping certain things. I went through my closet and was able to get rid of a number of things I was keeping with wrong motives. It is very freeing going into my closet now and not dealing with all of those things.

Lord, I would like to as for Your help as I go through the rest of the house and work on the areas I identified on a walk-through yesterday that bother me or need attention.

I am finding as I Spring Clean that I really like our home. And, it is especially inviting when it is tidy - it would be easier to keep tidy if the volume was down. Lord, I know this will not be easy - but I want our home to reflect our hearts and I want both to be free of unhealthy clutter.

Would you please give David and I a unified vision on this and work our Your will in our hearts?
Thank You, Lord.
Amen.

Update:
This was several months ago - and I have not completed all of my projects and in fact, feel like I need to purge a couple of the same areas again! This is an ongoing evolving process. But, these thoughts were extremely meaningful and helpful to me!

Simplify Life ~ Do the things in your home represent a clean heart? Is there anything that needs purging? Ask God and He will guide you in this!

Home

That word says it all. We are safely home from our marathon road trip! We had a great time and I am looking forward to processing it here.

We were welcomed home with a wonderfully clean house, bubbles for a bubble bath and orders to do no work today! Thank you, David, for all your hard work while we were gone!

I'll be posting on Simplify Your Life week the next five days, then we'll get back to the trip!

Looking forward to catching up with you all!