Slow Day

Inspired You

I love this dreamy photo and included in it were a few of my favorite gifts received at Christmas! I've been eagerly waiting for Miss Mustard Seed's book Inspired You to come out and was so thrilled to receive a copy for Christmas!

This book is so me, we are definitely kindred spirits and I found it a light and easy read while inspiring all at the same time. There are a few projects, lots of tips about paining, thoughts about hospitality, living in your home and dreaming big for your home while doing so on a modest budget.

Like many books of this kind, she seems to score amazing free or cheap GREAT items - but as she says, patience is the key to waiting for my turn as well.

I had nearly finished reading this book by the time we pulled into the driveway with over 4,000 new miles on the car in the past month. And, even though our house was a wreck as we descended upon it and the car contents exploded in the living room - I could not wait to get into a project!

On the third day after getting home, I had finished unpacking and jumped in. In a spontaneous moment without children {thanks G for having them at the park!} I ran to Wal-Mart to get a drop cloth. I know you can't imagine, but I didn't have even any scraps left :)

I bought one tiny thing of acrylic craft paint while at Hobby Lobby in Kansas City and nothing else to do this project ~ here's the Faux Grain Sack pillow I made with the MMS tutorial. Love it!

Inspiration abounds and you'll probably hear more about it in the future, but for now - a little dreaming about my Living Room.

* Coffee table, I want something smallish - definitely smaller than the massive trunk I used to have there. And, I'm willing to do something covered as MMS shows in the book - but don't want to spend a bunch on supplies. Free would be ideal :)

* Hoop art for around our new family canvas. I've struggled with this wall since we moved in, but it finally feels right. The bare space to the right is now my project and with a discount code from a friend, I scored this canvas for very little investment! I love it and want to surround it with some special words for our family on hoops. Perhaps a chair in that corner as well? We rarely use that door and it would be a cozy spot to sit and read?

* Some kind of fireplace seating. I'd love a little sette or something to sit in front of the fireplace facing it. I don't want it to be huge or high as I still want it to feel open, but to sort of divide that end of the long room off somehow. It is an idea I've been tossing around for years and it just never seems to leave, still mulling this over.

* Maybe one more smallish wing chair to round out our living room seating and make it feel a little more circular and warm/inviting.

I love how our living room has been taking shape over the past year and a half and it is fun to dream about the future of this room too!

All that to say, I really enjoyed this inspiring and encouraging read! Have any of you read it?

Crustless Zucchini Pie

This summer, my Mom made this while we were at her house and again when we were just there. And, it is delish but even better my children love it which means I will definitely be making it again!

Crustless Zucchini Pie

1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. vegetable oil {I used 1/3 c.}
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese {I didn't have any, so used co-jack}
4 eggs, beaten
minced parsley and basil
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup Bisquick mix
1 cup shredded cheese

Stir eggs and oil together and then toss everything else in and stir. Divide between two glass pie pans sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until browning. Yum! It's also great leftover.

Family Night: Happy New Year

Here are two fun family night activities we've done recently and I don't have a single photo from either!

First of all, while we were in Kansas City, we'd had lots of family time - but not much with just our little family - so one evening when an opportunity came - we chose to go out as a family. David loves BBQ whenever we head west, so we found a great place to eat and met a lovely family in the process! It was a fun memory and great time.

Last week, we did our New Year's Eve party on Friday night since we'd been traveling on the 31st. I made appetizers, we did a balloon drop, had noisemakers and sparkling grape juice - it was lots of fun. And, it doesn't always occur to me to move things to another night but I'm so glad we did this time.

Have you been doing anything fun as a family lately?

Mini Chalkboard Gift

You are all going to think I am completely crazy, but {whispering} I've started making Christmas gifts for next year already. I know, I know - but I'm really hoping to give more handmade this next year and so I set a little goal for myself: everytime I make something for myself, I need to make something to give to create a little gift stash for next Christmas.

So, I did recover a pillow recently and it goes with a book review coming up - next week I think! But, in the meantime I went on a blitz and made six gifts in a 24 hr. period. This certainly will not last all year, so I'll just go with it while I am here!

I was laying in bed one Friday night going to sleep and had this vision of these blocks of pine sitting on the bookshelf in my closet knowing I would "use them for something!" And, thinking that these would make such cute little chalkboards.

Next morning when I woke up, I had them done before breakfast! Yes, that is just the way I roll - don't laugh. The blocks of pine were supposed to be for a CC art project, but I just couldn't get them to work for the specified project and needed much softer wood, so they became a potential craft supply. They were free from a fellow CC parent's wood scraps.

Should you want to join me in making one or four of these, here's how! Start with 1x4x4 pieces of wood - these were already sanded smooth, but you might need to soften any rough edges if yours aren't.

Paint with chalkboard paint, I prefer two coats - but whatever you think is good. Side note: I bought this can of chalkboard paint over five years ago to make the big chalkboard in our dining room. It is nearly gone, but now I consider it a crafting staple.

After your two coats are dry, rub a piece of chalk all over to season the board. Then wipe it off really well.

I thought of so many fun things you could do with these - and the beauty is if both sides might show - you could write something on both sides! You could put one in a guest room to welcome guests, include on a tray for breakfast in bed, draw one seasonal icon, etc...

Here's another fun idea I had. Ok, the back story first. Once there were four or us girls who shared a rental house. One of my friends had a little plastic lizard and it became such a joke for us to hide it in unusual places to surprise others. Even after we weren't all living in the same house, we'd tuck it in a package to the other, etc... it just became a long lasting and fun thing. What if you used one of these chalkboards that way?! Who knew when or where it would show up?! Could be a fun family thing to do.

Wrapping it up super cute is optional {or is it?!} but makes it oh so special. I was pleased to find enough chalk in my art drawer and got this bakery twine on Target clearance for thirty cents. The paper tape also came from Target clearance. In the end, these little darlings were pennies a piece!

I re-purposed a basket to become my gift collector and I know that I will have so much fun peering in there over the next months and adding to it!

Slow Day

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 The day after Christmas, all of us girls went out shopping {or bummin' as our family likes to say} and after hitting some sales, it was approaching lunch time. I don't know why - but consistently I love to go out for lunch the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas. It just feels special to me and part of the tradition. I don't know, it's just fun to me!

Anyway, we had planned to go to Chick-fil-A, always a hit in this family! And, while we were there, a lady came around offering free samples of their Chicken Tortilla Soup.

I'd been wanting to try it for a while as it always looked and sounded good but I was never brave enough to order it. For one thing, I do not like tomatoes and I had yet to see a tortilla soup without tomatoes in it. So, I was thrilled for an opportunity to try this when I saw it was tomato-free :)

It was soooo yum! And, I was instantly trying to figure out what was in it to see if I could make it. After searching on line with no success in finding a recipe, I did consult their website for ingredients and then made this up. My version is not quite as spicy as theirs, but still really yummy! And, their version has sour cream and cream, but after trying this I don't think they are needed.

Speaking of Chick-fil-A, we also stopped once in Atlanta on our way home and it was raining. Only at CFA, would someone come out with an umbrella to walk you in! Amazing.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 can Black Beans, drained
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained

2 c. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cooked and cubed
1 c. Corn or 1 can corn drained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 c. Carrots, diced
1/2 c. Onion, minced or diced
1 Tbsp. Cumin
1/4 c. Red Pepper
1/4 c. Green Pepper
3 c. Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 c. masa
1 c. water
Corn Tortilla Strips, for garnish
Cheese, for garnish

I just dumped everything except for the tortilla chips and cheese into the Crock Pot around lunch time and let it cook on low all afternoon. It smells divine and was super simple! Enjoy!

UPDATED: I like to add 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce to this now and it just adds the right amount of liquid. For those who have asked about the masa, this is a trick I learned from Pioneer Woman. You mix the masa and 1 c. water together until smooth and stir into the soup. It gives a little thickening {not doughy} and southwest flavor. You can use cornmeal instead but masa would be smoother. 

Processing Quiet

The thoughts you've all shared on quiet this past week, emails I've received and just my own pondering of this have had my thoughts swirling about quiet.

A few thoughts I've had in the process:

* Several have mentioned the inner quiet, separated from the external circumstances and noises that we cannot always control. I think this is key for me, and have found I can walk out of Wal-Mart feeling quiet or leave a little friend's birthday party and feel quieted for the lovely conversation with a friend during. Learning to find this inner quiet is so important I think, because it doesn't depend on ideal circumstances which is what I (and perhaps many of us?) hope to achieve.

* Clutter screams at me and robs me of quiet. On one of those days where I say, "I'm about to scream" ~ I actually do. Not at anyone, just at one more pile of misplaced or overflowing stuff. And, yes, I've been cleaning out around here and it is a wonderful thing!

* Several of you mentioned nature and I was thinking on our long car ride home how just looking out the window made me feel quiet. This is similar to the first star, but the music was on, chatter was going and I was in my own little world feeling quiet and enjoying the scenery God created. There are positives and negatives to learning to tune things out - but in at least some realm, I do think it is helpful for the quiet loving mama.

* Being up in the morning before everyone else in a quiet house was also mentioned several times and this is another big one for me. I think I look for little pockets of quiet - for example, right after a meal, my children play really well together. I don't know what it is, but I've watched it over and over - perhaps that content feeling from a good meal? So, I usually let them and know those are some of my pockets of time to be quiet and go about my work. But, back to the morning, I have found that if I am up before my children, it makes such a difference. Ideally, I love one hour to just get ready for the day - before our trip, it seemed everyone was up earlier and earlier and it was getting harder and harder for me to carve out this time each morning. So far since coming home, they have slept in a little - oh, may it continue!

More to come, I'm sure - thanks for sharing your thoughts as well I have enjoyed reading your quiet thoughts!

Family Night: Wedding!

We are home again now after being gone a month! We were in Colorado for about 2 1/2 weeks and then in Kansas City for Christmas and my aunt's wedding.

It was so fun to get all the littles together and especially to see them so dressed up! Here are a few fun pix!

The Quiet Place Winner

... is Jenny from Jenny's Heart! Thank you for all of your lovely and quieting thoughts!

Where Quiet Begins

It's 9:30pm on New Year's Eve and I'm crawling into bed after a long travel day. Our hotel room is quiet and all three littles have already fallen asleep, but my mind and heart are not quiet.

As I am unsuccessfully trying to join those in slumber, my mind is shouting things I need to do, want to do, want to be. And, as my body responds to this mental state - I am more awake and less relaxed than before.

{sigh} I realize that quiet is something I must choose if it will be a characteristic of my mind and heart.

As a child and teen it took me a loooong time to get to sleep, even a couple of hours. I would lay there and think ... and worry. My Mom told me that I could think of relaxing each part of my body and work my way through mentally relaxing myself. This has helped me fall asleep many times!

It worked again as I thought of it in terms of quieting. Quiet my toes, quiet my feet, quiet my legs, etc... It is a way that I choose quiet and begin to learn the practice of quiet.

So many outer aspects of quiet are not always things I can change or control. Inner quiet requires strength and choice making it so calming and beautiful.

Quiet begins inside me. Speaking of which, quiet found me yesterday just in reading all of your entries for the drawing - go read the comments and sense the quiet described there.

The Quiet Place: A Giveaway!

In keeping with the quiet theme here for this year, it was very timely when I was contacted by Moody Publishers to do a review for this book. I'd love to put in a quick word of thanks here to Moody ~ I so appreciate knowing that I can consistently trust books that I pick up published by Moody. Obviously, I cannot speak for every single book as I have not read each one - but I have yet to come across one that has raised a concern for me and that is so refreshing and cause for great appreciation and thankfulness.

The Quiet Place Daily, Daily Devotional Readings by Nancy Leigh Demos is just what that title says. 365 daily readings with Scripture, devotional thoughts and questions for further reflection are included.

I started reading my copy yesterday, but Moody was gracious enough to include two copies so I could give one away here as well. I've been itching to start this book earlier, and let myself read only the intro to whet my appetite!

I am eagerly looking forward to enjoying this book each day and infusing this quiet time each day with God and His Word.

To enter the drawing for a copy of this book, leave a comment sharing what comes to mind when you think of quiet. Entries will be accepted today only until 10pm EST.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free from Moody Publishers to review here. All opinions shared are completely my own. Giveaway copy is also compliments of Moody.

2013: Quiet

 Quiet is a word I've used here frequently and it is something I crave. It isn't always silence that equals quiet and it is the word on my heart for this coming year. I'll be exploring thoughts including:

Quiet: practicing quiet and learning to listen
Quiet: spending less
Quiet: exercising 3 times a week
Quiet: getting organized and cleaning out
Quiet: evening quiet retreats
Quiet: reading about quiet and a word study
Quiet: schedule quieting

Do you have a word for this year?