You guys probably don’t know this about me, but I was a ridiculously devoted scrapbooker for many many years. I started in 6th grade. Growing up, I worked as a janitor and my first major purchase was a film camera. It cost me $254, if I’m remembering correctly. I spent a lot of what I earned on developing film and I don’t regret it for a second. Eventually, I was indeed that crazy person who would spend an entire hour on 1 page. Wow, if I could go back and tell myself to find a better use for my time! Obviously, I had to learn the hard way. Fast forward to marriage and a new baby. By the time Faith was crawling, I realized that this hobby and I were breaking up. I was frustrated that I seemed to have the only baby who cried all day. Why couldn’t she just let me work on HER baby book? Distraction was in full force as I tried to wrongfully twist my calling and season of that time. So funny to see how God weaves his plans and lessons in our life. We all know the crazy motivated little girl she is today!
I COMPLETELY see why I had my little Faith before an easier child. God was molding me and showing me the things that weren’t necessary in my life so I could eventually understand how to drink those moments in, not just journal, cut, paste, and embellish them to pieces. For me, it had become a part of my life that didn’t belong in that season of difficulty. So, I switched fully to a website I had started in 2002, before she was born. This continued for many years, even when I had Jack and Dean. Then I realized my (little!) spare time was getting zapped again. 3 kids that were 4 and under. WEBSITE OVER. I may not have been working on that website during the day, but I needed that rest of the mind and soul at night and I didn’t even know it. The season was missed again.
Fast forward, I start this particular blog in 2010 as a way to connect with friends and family far away who wanted recipes and tutorials. My husband traveled all the time so I had a lot of evenings at home while the kids were sleeping. We had left the church I grew up in, following years of growing apart in our understanding of God’s grace and our view of His love towards more than those who have their names in a member book. We were rejected by friends in the process and carried from that place a further conviction that God’s love looks a whole lot different than we had experienced, up until that point. His arms are wide and open. I felt alone but hopefully for what was over the next hilltop. In this season, instead of sharing about my kids, I wanted to offer up the things I was learning and experiencing. This space has been more about sharing skills, information, and travel…something I LOVE doing and it has been very healing. After that stretch of time, my husband traveled less, I had made a new group of friends and I wanted to just be with him and these ladies, sharing laughter and tears as we went. It has been a lovely season and I’m so thankful for the hurt that has finally been removed from my heart through truth spoken in these friendships. I’m finally starting to understand this “season” thing!
This new season is upon me where those babies aren’t crawling around (oh, how I miss it!), nobody is potty training or needs their bottom wiped, and my kids have even learned to play with each other (something I never thought would ever happen). Change within ourselves is good and I’ve learned that even though I wanted to start something and do it exactly the same for each child for 20 years, that didn’t happen. It took some time, but I’m OK with how God worked it out.
There will still be recipes and loads of things that are inspiring me. It’s been a joy to have met some of you lovely readers in person and hear what you’ve made and tried from my site. In my soul, I just feel that you, like me, don’t have time. We don’t have time to read tons of blogs and live our life in the way we should. If you read my blog in any sort of regular sense, I am truly honored. Only a few blogs appear on my screen for soaking in every week. The rest of my online stops are quick ones for recipes or how-tos, as it should be. Anything more would be a distraction from the fullness of life out there waiting for me to grasp and devotion to the people who need my full attention! God needs my eyes in a certain direction and I don’t want to miss his nudges.
All of this to say, see the season you are in for what it is…a season. Tomorrow you might find yourself in a new place.
For myself alone, I wanted to start keeping more of a journal of our memories, experiences, and recipes. I take pictures with my camera ALL THE TIME, but don’t have time to blog the “how-to” for everything. ;) I don’t know how often or for long I’ll do this, but I’m OK with that! I don’t want to miss the season again! I hope you enjoy soaking in these moments during your week.
Some simple moments I want to remember this week:
// Jack asked me to take a picture of him because Grandma wants a close picture of him. She told him my pictures are too far away and she can’t see his face. Here, Grandma ;) //
// We harvested all of our Thompson seedless last week because japanese beetles were on the attack. Turns out that our insect book says the main things they eat are grapes. Good to know. I also made a fizzy frozen grape and lime drink I posted on IG here. //
// The pool is in full swing and we had people her every day last week! Fun to see our friends so often. //
// After several months of no garden because the chickens had eaten it, dirt had been gradually added back in and the garden is reborn. Thanks to my husband for lending his muscles. //
// Roast 4 pounds of tomatoes, 1 thickly chopped red onion, a head of garlic, salt and pepper, and a drizzle of oil on 425 for an hour. Blend and use as pizza sauce, squeezing the roasted garlic from it’s casing before you blend. It’s the best pizza sauce I’ve ever had. You can thank me later. //
// Obsession with this heirloom tomato, Humbolt Fog, and vinaigrette salad continues. I posted the dressing recipe on IG here. //
// Faith made risotto (Recipe coming soon!) for the first…and second time last week. Super proud of her growth and I’m thinking she will be a way better cook than me before she’s a teenager. Yikes. //
// We made quick pickles inspired by “Little Bunny Follows His Nose”. You can find the recipe on Paging Supermom here. //
// My Dad gave me some figs from one of my parent’s neighbors. I gladly accepted and made figs poached in honey syrup. I think a jar will be marrying some super ripe blue cheese soon. //
// Last week, my husband was working in Vegas so I decided to turn the house upside-down and reorganize…everything. He has come to expect changes after his long trips and OBVIOUSLY I didn’t want to let him down. I went through lots and lots of stuff and got rid of things that I thought I had already gotten rid of. //
// Every time we have an outdoor movie, we wonder why we don’t do it more often. This time we watched “National Velvet” because Faith had just finished the book. Her love of horses has fired up again. I caught her reading a book on horsemanship. I expect mention of horseback riding any second. //
I realize that I post a lot of pictures of food. I’m sorry. Well, maybe I’m not.
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I am always a fan of a practical project that replaces an expensive purchase. Everyone loves to save some money, right? Since we switched completely over to glass storage from plastic a while back, I immediately got slammed with the price-tag of the fancy glass water bottles. Don’t get me wrong, I really really love our fancy glass water bottles. They are pretty and useful. However, I have only brought myself to buy one for each of us because they are $25-$30!!! So, naturally, I decided to make my own. The kids have taken them to soccer practice, in the car, and anywhere else you would take a plastic water bottle…without the waste.
Choose your vinyl sheet color and arrange it on the Cricut mat as shown above. Load the file from my project in the Cricut design space or create your own text. For the “drink me” bottle, I chose the size of 5 and the “courier new” font in the design space. I positioned the text starting at the 1 inch mark from the top and side markings. Hit “GO”. Position the “light” cutting mat in your explore and hold it level until it loads (If you don’t hold the mat level, it won’t load correctly and will cut part of your mat). Follow the rest of the instructions until your project is cut. Now, cut off the part of your vinyl sheet that has the text, saving the remainder for another project. Carefully place the letters along the length of the glass bottle. You can adhere a straight piece of vinyl or use a piece of paper to line your letters up more evenly. Done!
