Stuff.

I am happy to report that I am spending more time creating than I have in years.

It's THE best medicine for whatever ails me.  I feel like a bona fide creative person again.

  

I am sorry to report that I still have nothing to show you from my class yet. I'm working on the first project--vintage journals.  Of course, I can't just make just ONE and move on to the next project.  No, I have to start half a dozen vintage journals while I wait for the required tool to arrive in the mail! Oh brother. I can't help myself.  Soon I'll put them all together and show ya!

For now, I thought I would show you some of the other "stuff" I've been making.

How about this basket full of sunshine?

This clothes pin idea is easier than easy.  You can make these.  I know you can.

And there's a bonus--they'll make you smile!  

They look super cute paired with the next project.

Old frame + chicken wire + staple gun= scratched up arms and a really fun memory board.

 Again, not hard to make.  True, chicken wire is not so fun to work with.  But it sure is cute!  

You can also use smaller wire to make a jewelry holder like this one in Hanna's room.  Love it!

OR how about a board for recipes in the kitchen? 

Chalkboards are fun too.  Big ones. Little ones.

 I have a few too many around the house now. 

 It seems I have a problem of over doing it.  

It seems I have a fondness for red and turquoise.

You should really make one of these chalkboards for yourself. It's not hard at all.  There are tutorials all over the web for you.  Or I suppose you could buy one of mine.  But that's a whole 'nother idea spelled e-t-s-y.

Oh yeah, baby.

As soon as I figure out what in the world I'm doing you just might find me at...

Etsy shop coming soon???

Maybe.  I don't know yet.

Do I dare?

Busy, busy, busy.

I love my new class. Love. IT. But look what it's done to my studio.

Who am I kidding?  I LOVE what it's done to my studio!!!!

 How can I not love a room full of inspiration?

I'll clean  it up for some "nice" pictures one of these days--but don't hold your breath.

For now, you get the real deal.  This is how it should be anyways, right?

What? A clean corner?

I better go do something about that.

(smile)

Staring at Stairs

The vision must be followed by the venture.

It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.

 ~Vance Havner

I suppose I shouldn't be quoting people I've never heard of.

Oh well.

I love the quote.

Really love it.

I've stared up the steps.

I've prayed.

God's been listening.

He's been leaving me hints.

He's clever like that.

I'm taking a step up those stairs:

Jeanne Oliver's e-Course.

Details found here.

I am beyond excited.  Like I could burst.

Like I've been waiting for

                         

                                                                                a

                                                                            v e r y

                                                                            l o n g

                                                                            t i m e.

Like something that was lost is about to be found.

I'm tempted to sprint.

But no, I will savor each and every step.

I don't want to miss a thing.

~ ~ ~

How about you?

Are there any stairs that you've been staring up at?

The Power of a Name

I believe I could put the words "Aunt Sue's" or "Aunt Lori's" in front of most any recipe and the chances of my kids liking it would multiply.

Somehow my sisters expand my children's taste buds and put my minimal kitchen skills to shame. Aunt Sue and Aunt Lori treat us to all sorts of culinary delights that rarely if ever grace our table at home. Food is a love language they obviously inherited from our mom.

So here's the problem.

I added black beans to Aunt Sue's Chicken Enchilada recipe last night.

GASP!

Why is it that the very same beans that so easily hide in our favorite taco soup are now deemed repulsive when sitting side by side with chicken and slathered in sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and cheddar cheese?

Go figure.

Moral of the story?
Don't mess with culinary success.
Or... Aunt Sue, how about adding black beans next time?

Aunt Sue's Chicken Enchiladas

Sauce: (mix together)
   1 can cream of chicken soup
   1/4 cup salsa
   1/4 cup sour cream
   1/4 cup milk
   1/4 pkg taco seasoning



Filling:
   1 small onion chopped
   3 cups chopped cooked chicken, broth reserved
   1/2 cup sour cream
   1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
   1/4 pkg taco seasoning
   1/4 cup salsa

12 Tortillas (taco size)
1 cup cheddar for topping

Directions:
Saute onion in chicken broth until tender.
Stir in sour cream, cheese, salsa, taco seasoning, and chicken.  Set aside.
Mix sauce. Pour about 1 cup of sauce into a 9x13 greased baking dish.
Divide filling--about 1/3 cup into each tortilla.
Roll up and place seam side down in the pan.
Spread remaining sauce over the top.
Sprinkle 1 cup sharp cheddar over sauce.
Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake 5-10 more minutes.

Optional:
Rinse and drain a can of black beans.  Add 1/2 cup to the chicken filling. I dare you.

Not a Bad Day

Inspiration strikes at the oddest times.

Like when you are sick and your kids are sick and miss the first day back to school. So here we are, home after a trip to the doctor and the pharmacy.  Strep throat strikes again.  Nothing better to do but play an action packed game of cards.

This girl always wins a game of Go Fish.  I think it's because she amasses an enormous stack of cards and can't actually see what she has in her hands. The answer you will almost always get when you ask for a card  is, "Go fish." Errr... I know it's in there somewhere.

Well, hide no more shy little kitten and pokey puppy!

Thanks to this clever idea from a waiting room magazine, 

we now have the smartest card holder every card hoarding 6 year old needs to play fair.  

 Take an empty egg carton, turn it over, and cut a slit across each "bump" with a knife. Done. Easy-peasy.  Go ahead and make it cute if you want to, but I don't have the energy for that today.

Genius! It works!  No more hiding cards!  

She won again, but at least I can know I got beat fair and square. 

I actually don't mind a sick day now and then--as long as it doesn't involve the stomach flu. Gross. What I do like is an excuse to watch Anne of Green Gables all afternoon with Gabby.

So overall, I expect this to be a great day.  The sun is shining.  We are loaded up on antibiotics, and it finally snowed yesterday.  Not bad at all.

Bright Shiny and New

My sister recently asked me how I was doing.  What she meant was "Are you okay?" I was not immediately sure what she was referring to because frankly, this year has been so full of ups and downs.  Change lurked around every corner.  She could have been talking about any number of things.

But she was talking about Levi.
We all thought Levi would be home with us for Christmas.
It's hard to say his name. It's so much easier just to say "the adoption."  When I say his name, I see his face, and when I see his face, well, you can imagine.

So to answer her question.
I'm okay.
I'm surprisingly okay.
I hope I'm not in denial here, but I'm extraordinarily okay.
Thanks for asking.

The past year will certainly go down in the record books. I wouldn't have--couldn't have--planned it this way myself. Nobody would. And really, isn't that good news?  That when we step out in faith, God will work out his best plan for us...no matter what?  No matter how much we plan and strive, how hard we try to arrange and control, no matter the decisions we make, paths we take, messes we create, no matter how long we wait...God is in control and he'll get us where we need to be. That truth has become so real to me. I wear it like a favorite pair of jeans.

I'll take his plan over mine any day.   

And you know what?  I haven't been this full of hope in a long time. Crazy isn't it?  After all the heartache, all the stress, all the unexpected change?  I couldn't begin to explain in one single post, but there's a bright shiny new hope written upon my heart.  I'll sum it up simply with five familiar words: 

Jesus loves me this I know.

Not just because the Bible tells me so.  I know it because I've seen it, felt it, prayed it, cried it, and lived it through the mountain top highs and dark valley lows of this year. I'm learning that my messy, sinful, bruised, and battered heart really matters to him.  I haven't always believed that, so we are making big progress here.

From the outside, our life and family may look pretty much the same as it did 12 months ago. But let me tell ya', we've changed and grown in ways that cannot be measured by outside appearances.  Maybe that was the plan all along.

Yes. Jesus love me. And you. And Levi.

This I know.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm27:13

Christmas Slides For the Family

I don't know about you guys, 

but I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!

Brrrr...it's cold out there!  Time to take your memories inside to warm up!

There's no place like home for the holidays!
I hope you enjoyed the memories of Christmas at home.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a
goodnight!