Other People's Genius {Spring Wreaths}

what you'll need: sheets of scrapbook paper, hot glue, wreath form, ribbon or fabric for bow 

by Two Girls Being Crafty

what you'll need: wreath frame, burlap, silk, tulle, fabric, silk flowers
from Redberry Barn

what you'll need: wreath form, burlap, fabric, tulle, scrapbooking brads, hot glue, twine, small clothespins, paper, stamp pad
from Tatertots and Jello

what you'll need: foam wreath, 20 yards of fabric strips, masking tape, scissors, pins
from In Color Order

what you'll need: wreath form, 3 yards of linen fabric, glue gun, scissors, sewing machine {optional}
from Live A Little Wilder

 

what you'll need: ribbon, wreath frame, cupcake papers, hot glue gun

from Tatetots and Jello

what you'll need: wicker wreath frame, grass, flowers, hot glue, yarn

from Young and Crafty

what you'll need: glue gun, crepe paper, wreath form, ribbon

from A Glimpse Inside

what you'll need: egg dye/food coloring, rattan balls, wreath form, twist ties, hot glue

by Dollar Store Mom

what you'll need: wreath form, butcher paper

from Alisa Burke

Graham Cracker Recipe

In case you hadn't heard our little family has been sick for over a week now.
I'm pretty sure we're on the upswing but still not one-hundred percent.
We've been homebound to keep the "ickies" to ourselves.
We're getting bored!

My big plan for yesterday was to sew my heart out and get a few things done but, since CJ was feeling up to it, I decided to do a little baking instead {which he usually helps out with}.
We started with whole wheat honey bread which I've never made before {more on that next week} but the star of the day was definitely the graham crackers.

I have been giving Miss Mak graham crackers as a snack for several months now but always felt bad when I didn't buy organic ones which I couldn't always find. Now, I feel like I have the best solution!
Yay for homemade!
I found the recipe months ago at Smitten Kitchen.
The site did a great job of taking pictures so I didn't bother taking many.
Plus, mine weren't nearly as cute and uniform as theirs were.
They may be ugly but they taste delicious!

Yes... I'm excited.

Maybe too excited.

Oh well.


Actually, I do have a couple of notes for this recipe...

1. The dough seemed a bit too soft when I was done mixing all the ingredients so I added a little more flour. They ended up coming out fine for me. The recipe warns that the dough will be soft and sticky. Based on the picture of the dough coming out of the processor I was certain mine was just too wet. Use your judgement here. Again, adding flour seemed to make no difference but it made me feel better.
2. After chilling, the dough warms very quickly and gets soft. Be careful to use plenty of flour on your work surface and not to roll it too thin because that makes it harder to work with.
3. I highly recommend using a pizza wheel to cut the dough. You get much straighter lines and the dough doesn't pull like it does when you run a knife through it. One person who commented on the post even suggested baking a couple of giant sheets of the cookie and then cutting it with a pizza wheel right out of the oven. I think I'm going to try that next time.
4. She's not kidding... watch the clock on your oven. Depending on how thin you roll these they can quickly burn.

Enjoy!

Book Report {Radical}

Radical by David Platt - The premise... "we have missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable... we are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves". This book is full of challenging stuff that required me to stop and think several times about where I'm at as opposed to where I ought to be in the charge I was given as a follower of Christ. Platt discusses how "real success is found in radical sacrifice", how "ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves but in making much of God", how "the purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture we live in", how "meaning is found in community, not indvidualism; joy is found in generosity, not materialism; and truth is found in Christ, not universalism." "Ultimately, Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience, and enjoy."
The book comes with a lot of practical applications and is even accompanied by a website that furthers the reader along in the challenge that is at the end of the book (i.e. The Radical Experiment). This challenge involves five components to be accomplished in one year's time:
1. pray for the entire world {Platt suggests resources to do this with your family}
2. read through the entire Bible
3. sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
4. spend your time in another context
5. commit your life to multiplying a community

Needless to say... Yes! I recommend it! 

Oma's Homemade Bread

I've said it before... I want to tell you about Oma someday.
Until I can sit down to write and actually do her justice, you'll just have to trust me on the recipes of hers that I share.
They're wonderful, like she was. 
Maybe it's just nostalgia but I will keep on making her goodies regardless. Enjoy!

Oma's Homemade Bread

{white and cinnamon raisin versions}

What You'll Need:

1 pkg yeast {2 1/4 tsp if using jarred yeast}

3/4 c luke warm water

1 T sugar

1 egg, beaten

3/4 c warm water

3 c all-purpose flour

For Cinnamon Raisin You'll Also Need:

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

1 c raisins

What To Do:

Mix yeast, water, and sugar in a small bowl and let sit. Once bubbles form, put the mixture into a large bowl.

Add the egg, salt, and water.{If you're making the cinnamon-raisin version now's the time to add the spices.}

Slowly add the flour a cup at a time and stir in between each cup added.

If you're making the cinnamon raisin bread, add raisins into dough after the third cup.

Mix in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Turn over onto a floured surface.

Knead for 5 minutes, adding flour as needed until it no longer sticks.  Not sure what that means? Well...this is still too sticky.

{As a point of reference, I've had to add as much as two cups of flour during kneading, to get it to the right consistency}

Form into a ball and place the ball into a lightly oiled bowl. Loosely cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Leave in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. {If you are in a cold, dry spot, this make take closer to an hour to rise.}

 

I usually put my oven on as low as it will go for a few minutes, turn it off, then place the covered bowls in the oven with a small bowl of water to keep the humidity up. 

Once risen, punch the dough down, pour out onto lightly floured work surface, and knead for another 5 minutes. Place into a greased loaf pan and loosely cover with dish towel to rise for another 45 minutes.

Set the oven to 350 and bake for 45 minutes.

There you have it! Hot homemade bread! Hubs and I fight over the "butt" ends of the bread. I usually claim that since I baked it I get them but now that I make two loaves at a time I guess I have to share! Enjoy!

What I'm Glad I Can Say...

I wish I could say that my dogs don't wait until naptime to start a barking spree and wake the kids. 
I wish I could say that Miss Mak miraculously starting walking after turning fifteen months, thus relieving my concerns about running out of hands in a few weeks.
I wish I could say that Bean made an early appearance and spared me the last 3.5 weeks of pregnancy.
I wish I could say that the weather up here has been beautiful and sunny and that business is booming.
I wish I could say I've been a wonderful wife to my husband, that I have been nothing but kind towards him, and that I have been perfectly patient with the kids. 
I wish I could say that we had the best weekend ever, that three quarters of our family wasn't sick and homebound, and that we sat in church to worship our Risen Lord together.


However...

I'm glad I can say I finished another book today and that I got a bit of rest since everyone around here was fairly lethargic.
I'm glad I can say that I haven't had to make any meals for the past few days because the B.R.A.T. diet doesn't require much planning.
I'm glad I can say that I was able to go to church while Hubs stayed home with the kiddos.
I'm glad I can say that Bean is still wiggling away, which is comforting, and that I can hold her very VERY soon.
I'm glad I can say that despite my selfishness and pride Hubs and the kids love me anyway.
I'm glad I can say that yesterday was Easter which was a day to celebrate what our Savior did what I could not do and paid my debt which was far too large for me to cover.
I'm glad I can say that I have these and SO many more things to be thankful for today.

Good Good Friday Worship

I wanted to share a few of my favorite "Easter songs". These may not be the traditional hymns I and many others grew up on but the messages are all beautiful.

Enjoy your weekend. I pray you are all able to easily put off the distractions of this world and focus on the unimaginable gift and ever present charge we have been given. 

Lead Me To the Cross (Hillsong) sung by Brooke Fraser
How Deep the Father's Love sung by Joy Williams
In Christ Alone by Philips, Craig, and Dean
Cry in my Heart by Starfield {not particularly Easter-ish but still so good!}

Hooded Towel Tutorial

I saw this at kojo designs and have been wanting to make it ever since.
I put it off for a while because we have plenty of towels at home and I couldn't justify buying more

but then Target had a sale... 

all towels, all sizes, for $2.99! 

So I gave in and got enough towels to rework them for CJ, Mak and Bean. Woo hoo!
I wanted to make something a little more "delicate" for the ladies and found this tutorial at The Cottage Home.

And then, I found a downside.
I couldn't seem to find an easy to understand tutorial for making the hood portion. Now, I've been sewing since I was able to reach the sewing pedal and my mom has been quilting for at least 25 years and neither of us could figure this ridiculously simple thing out! {I mean absolutely NOTHING personal to those who have made tutorials before me! Maybe it's my baby brain and my mom's menopause that made it so difficult.}
So I decided to make another attempt at explaining the process. Hopefully it will make it easy for you because, truly, an unembellished hooded towel takes no time at all! I mean it... 10 minutes. Maybe!

What You'll Need: 
1 bath towel
1 hand towel
decorative fabric, ric-rac {optional}

What To Do:
One: If you'd like to decorate your large towel, do it now. I used a square washcloth and the letter "M" to decorate hers. I didn't do anything to the body of CJ's. What you do here is up to you. When you're done, set the towel aside.
Two: Cut off the embellished edge of your  hand towel

Three:  Lay your towel out flat.
Note: if you'd like to embellish the hood like I did for Mak and Bean then head over to The Cottage Home for some ideas. 

Fold the towel in half so that the cut edge is now with the finished edge {in my case, the edge with the tag}

Four: Stitch up two ends to create a rectangular pocket.

Five: Turn your "pocket" inside out and lay flat with open end towards you.

Six: This is where the manuever comes in that is SO simple to do and yet SO hard to explain. Here goes nothin'...
Place your left hand inside the pocket and push your fingers up to the top right corner like so... 

 Now, use your other hand to invert the top right corner and grab it with your left hand.

 Pull the inverted corner, with your left hand to the top left corner and use your right hand to tuck it in neatly.

The bottom right corner will naturally invert itself into the bottom left corner. Tuck that in neatly too. When you're done, you'll end up with this...

Now, all you need to do is open it correctly to create the "hood"

And there you have it!
You can now top stitch around the sides and part of the hood that goes over the forehead to secure it into place if you'd like.

And... to attach it...

Seven:
Fold your bath towel in half and place a pin at the top center.
Place it outside-up {or embellished side-up} on your work surface.
Find the center of your hood, and place it opening-side-up on your bath towel.
Match up the center marks, pin into place and stitch across the bottom of the hood, securing it to the bath towel.

You can then open up the towel and run one more stitch across the bottom of the hood for added security.

And you're done! 

 

linking up to The Idea Room

I Miss These Days....

You know, the days when my toddler slept like a rock from 8 to 8. Not no mo'. 

So I'm taking the day off to recover. 

But don't worry! I'll be back tomorrow. I have something fun to share. 

Here's a hint: I FINALLY pulled out my sewing machine again! 

Have a lovely day!

Monkey Business

CJ and Mak got two adorable gifts for Christmas.
Yes, I realize Christmas was four months ago... it was a late received gift that had to travel from Pennsylvania...
Anyway, Sock Monkeys have come a LONG way!

Now... if only something could be done with those creepy Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls!
No offense intended to those of you who love them...
they just happen to totally creep me and Hubs out.
We will not allow them in our house much to my mother-in-law's chagrin.

... and since we're already on the topic of monkeys...
How long is it going to take the Man in the Yellow Hat to realize the George just isn't going to EVER "be a good little monkey"?!
I'm just sayin'.

My Book List

Never in my life have I read so much as I have since I had kids. Sure, many of those books have been on child rearing and being a "better"  mommy. I'm not so much a fiction reader. If I don't find something useful that I can put into practice I tend to get bored easily. I've read the occasional Nicholas Sparks book while on vacation but that's because vacation is meant to be brainless. I generally prefer books that make me think.
Anyway, I figured I'd share some of the goodies I've been reading as well as those I'm hoping to read soon and others that have been recommended to me.
After all, it was reading over someone else's book list that got me going in the first place.



Am Reading 
America's Cheapest Family: Gets You Right On The Money by Steve & Annette Economides



Have Read

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate by Jerry Bridges - This was a pretty basic book, in my opinion. It did a good job of getting to the heart of specific sins we tolerate but it wasn't very thorough. I recommend it as a supplement but as a whole I thought it was a little dry.

Radical by David Platt - The premise... "we have missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable... we are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves". This book is full of challenging stuff that required me to stop and think several times about where I'm at as opposed to where I ought to be in the charge I was given as a follower of Christ. Platt discusses how "real success is found in radical sacrifice", how "ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves but in making much of God", how "the purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture we live in", how "meaning is found in community, not indvidualism; joy is found in generosity, not materialism; and truth is found in Christ, not universalism." "Ultimately, Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience, and enjoy."
The book comes with a lot of practical applications and is even accompanied by a website that furthers the reader along in the challenge that is at the end of the book (i.e. The Radical Experiment). This challenge involves five components to be accomplished in one year's time:
1. pray for the entire world {Platt suggests resources to do this with your family}
2. read through the entire Bible
3. sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
4. spend your time in another context
5. commit your life to multiplying a community
And yes, I recommend it.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
- I've read this a couple of times. Lewis does a phenomenal job breaking down Christianity to such basic components. I think it's beautiful.

Created to be His HelpMeet by Debi Pearl
- This is a controvercial book. Be warned! I started reading this book knowing that many women struggled with what was behind the cover. I started out very optimistic. The first half of the book was great and challenging. The second half... was hard. I read it in bed at night next to Sweet Hubs and ran some of the ideas by him. He thought some things were a bit extreme even though they were in his favor. I recommend this book but with caution. You've been warned!

How To Raise a Healthy Child... In Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn
- This is a "go to" book for me. My natural inclination is to not completely trust doctors. If you're in the medical profession, it's okay, we can still be friends. I've just experienced how doctors tend to think they have the cure for everything and they all too often offer remedies that are questionable to me, at best. I don't like drugs of any kind though I realize their use and benefits. All of that is to say that I recommend this book as a reference or something to consider before running to the doctor. This book has served our family well.

The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
- This is one of my "Top 5". There are so many beautiful examples and practical applications for how to make motherhood an artform. She goes beyond the day to day tasks and encourages instilling things like hospitality, organization, and creativity in your kids. Admittedly, she sometimes makes it sound so easy {and I can personally attest that it is not!} but, at the absolute least, I found a renewed motivation and fervor in the pages of this book. I'll be reading this several times over.

The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman
- I found this to be very interesting. Leman even admits that it's not an exact science since there are an infinite number of ways which families are organized. Leman gives recommendations on ways to parent different birth orders such as: acknowledging that first borns and only children tend to be perfectionists and that it's important to not try to "improve on" everything they say and do... or making sure you don't get too sentimental in parenting the last born that you over-spoil them and enforce their already perfected ability to duck out of responsibility.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
- There are at least 1,000 wonderful things I can say about this book! I read it at a time where I was struggling with complacency and discontentment. If you're there... it's the perfect time to pick up a copy! I warn everyone that Voskamp's style of writing is a bit more poetic than I'm used to but her message rings clear... God has blessed each and every one of us with gifts beyond measure and it is when we fail to stop, recognize, and say "thank you" that we lose our love of our Creator and our joy. I've shared this with many friends and plan to continue to pass it on. 
 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- This was a quick and easy read for me. I flew through it. I rushed through the book so I could see the movie and I thoroughly enjoyed them both. If you have time, pick it up. So worth it, in my opinion!

Hoping to Get to...

Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas
The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
Steady Days by Jamie C. Martin
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
More than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation by William Hendriksen
Open Heart, Open Home by Karen Mains

P.S. All of the "reviews" here are my own. Take them with a grain of salt and read them for yourself.