Muster up some FUN.

Josie is a crafty girl.  Lucky she has a crafty teacher.

 Look at the colorful cuteness we made in school this week.

How cool is that?  Peel 'em. Melt 'em. Freeze 'em. Done.

Trust me, you need to do this.  I know you want to.  

Better yet,  make them heart shaped and pass them out at school on Valentine's Day.
Okay?

Now go make some memories.
You might be surprised at how much fun you can muster up for February.

That was the plan.

(random winter photography)

Six months ago, 

I was about to adopt a toddler. I was about to enter a whole new journey of parenting an adopted special needs child. I was about to have five children. I was also about to start our sixth year of homeschooling, with three kids at home while the oldest spread her homeschooled wings and flew off to highschool. I was about to begin another year in leadership at Community Bible Study with a group of women who had grown near and dear to my heart over the past year. 

That was the road before me.  

That was the plan.  

Three very good things.  

Then it all came crashing down.  In a matter of weeks, everything changed.  Heart wrenching decisions completely altered the course.  In one tumultuous swoosh of God’s design, the good and worthy and excellent plans for the future came to a screeching halt.

We would not be adopting Levi.  We would not be homeschooling.  I would not be in leadership at CBS.

BAM.

Plans were shattered.

I was shattered.

And it was exactly what I needed.

Yes, I needed a good shattering of a lot of junk.  God, of course, knew it.

I also needed a shattering of a lot of good stuff.  

Even the "good" stuff in our lives can sometimes be the "wrong" stuff.

At the time, all these decisions and changes seemed so sudden and urgent.  But the reality is, we prayed for many years about adoption.  We prayed for many years about homeschooling our children.  For many years we sought God's will and prayed for God's direction in all these things.
  

Why then are we so surprised when God does exactly that?

Yes, it hurt a little (a lot). It took time to see through the mess of emotions.  God's message was clear.
Wait. Rest. Be still.  He is the one taking the shattered pieces and making something beautiful.
~ ~ ~
When it becomes clear that God has rocked your world, your head spins a little.  
When it becomes clear that He is lovingly and tenderly putting you all back together 
into the vessel he always had in mind,
well, 
your heart spins a little.

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.