{Tell All Tuesday}

Today's post is going to be pretty short. There is no rhyme or reason, I just  have 1 short idea for you today.....

Since it is {Tell All Tuesday}I thought you could finish these two sentences for me. Maybe there is something in the past week you wished you would have done differently or something you are sooo glad you did.
So......
Today--finish your thought on these:

Can you finish this sentence?
I wish I would have......
I am so glad I .................

I look forward to seeing how each of you finish these!!

Don't forget to post an answer--you can even do it anonymously if you don't want people to know who you are...

{Good Morning Mondays- Guest Writer: Taylor Garrison}

{Good Morning Monday}

This morning we have a guest writer: Taylor Garrison

This morning she is going to show you how you can Decorate for Less in December!

Hope you enjoy!

Decorating For Less In December

 

When I tell people that my husband and I don't decorate much for Christmas they usually gasp in disapproval. They are reacting that way for two reasons, one, because I am in school for interior design (so I should jump at any chance to decorate!) and, two, because it just isn't typical for someone to not fill their home with Christmas/ Holiday decor this time of year. I would say that my reasoning comes from a strong belief that the reason for celebrating December 25th is something that can and should be honored all year. I think all holidays should be held in that perspective. A home should be lovely and inviting year round just as our hearts should be too. That doesn't mean to completely leave out some special decorating though! I decided to purchase one yard of fabric to see what I could do to snazz up the little table in our kitchen.

 

 

Next, I gathered up Christmas cards, a tray, a cute little plate, a tiny Christmas book, paper whites in a pot -all from other areas in my home. I folded and ironed the plaid fabric into a runner and laid it over the table first. You can't beat having a brand-new runner for less than $5! I didn't sew it yet, but even if you want to have a hem and can't sew, you can always use an adhesive iron-on hem.

 

 Then I began to position the other items around it. Most of the decor in my home is blue and white. The fun thing about plaid is that you don't have to get matchy-matchy with it. Have some fun and blend items you already own with any new decor that is specifically seasonal. This will help you keep costs down as well.

Small books are wonderful because they add whimsy. If you have small children that are learning to read, placing a fun story specific to the season on a table can be an easy way to encourage them to read.

 

 

 

As I looked at all the beautiful faces gracing the fronts of the cards, I thought of some pictures I recently had developed that a relative took a long time ago. A lot of the pictures she took included family members that have since passed away. I wanted to somehow include them with the cards so I found an appropriate frame and put it front and center. It is nice to have a special reminder of people I love, even if they are no longer on this earth. You could also showcase your own family's Christmas card in a special way by framing it too.

 

 

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make a holiday table. A little old and a little new can mix together to provide a beautiful showcase of the things you cherish most this Christmas. Decorating isn't hard if it comes from the heart.

 

 

I'll leave you with one more creative idea that I haven't done because I don't have any little ones yet:) You can purchase a big blank canvas (or several smaller ones) at your local craft store (there range from $10-$25) along with some fun paint that matches your Christmas decor. Have (or help) your child(ren) make a "masterpiece" to be hung in your home every December. You could paint the canvas(es) one color all over if you wanted and then ask them to paint shapes of things that remind them of Christmas. If they are too young to come up with shapes, help them use their hands and feet! Make sure it is signed with names and the year. That would be a fun way of keeping track of how big they are each Christmas, and how much they have developed artistically too.

I enjoyed visiting on Mommy Buzz today! You can follow me every day over at Perfectly Taylor'd

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

{Taylor}

 

*How To*

This is a "How To" from Brittany Hedrick

She is planning on sharing a new "How To" with you every couple of weeks.

I hope that you enjoy what she has to share!
 

How to:

Keepsake Children’s Hand-print

Unique Ways to Keepsake Your Child’s Hand print…….

When I had my first son I was kind of obsessed with figuring out different way to put
Carson’s fingerprint on everything. After all, there hand is only small once and I wanted to capture it as many different times and ways as possible.

So I thought up some neat ideas that I would like to share with you..

 *Hanging Fingerprints*

*Hanging Fingerprints*

I went to my local craft store and bought a few canvases (make sure they are the same size.. mine were 5x5 but you can use whatever size works for you!) and then I covered it with fabric I had left over. You staple the fabric (of your choice) to the back of the canvas. Make sure you pull the fabric you are using tight so there aren’t any bubbles and that you use small enough staples so it does not go through the frame. I used thick polka dot paper for my main design and ivory paper for his hand print. Taped them all together and decorated it with two different types of ribbon and added vertical dots on the side. Now you have the foundation for your child’s personalized fingerprints.

Play with it, have fun, and be creative…

Materials Needed For Hanging Fingerprints:

• Two matching canvases
• Fabric
• Staple gun & staples
• 1 sheet of a solid color paper
• 1 sheet of fun styled paper
• Black Ink pad
• Markers (optional)
• 2 different types of ribbon
• Glue or two sided tape (tape works best)

*Clay Plaques*

*Clay Plaques*

With the clay plaques I used molding clay from my local craft store.

**All craft stores do not carry a large supply of clay so you should call around for the exact type you want.**

The shells are wooden and have a dip in the middle. If using a flattened wood your mold will not be flesh with the wood and could possibly fall off when hung on the wall. After painting the wood brown I put the (GRAY) colored clay in the center. I mixed the clay before hand in a bowl then poured it into my mold. You should put the hand or foot in the clay almost immediate before it becomes too hard to press.. This does all depends on the amount of water you used to mix your clay to begin with. If runny, add more clay so it is stiff when you press the imprint in.

Set aside to dry a good 24 hours and that’s it!

Materials Needed For Clay Plaques:

• Gray Clay2 wooden plaques
• Paint (thick paint works best) or Stain
• The hand or foot you will be molding 

                  I hope you enjoy these tips and can benefit from them.

Just remember to have fun with it!

Brittany Hedrick

Choosing Thomas

 Choosing Thomas

(video link below)

I have been thinking about this video recently and wanted to share it with you.  I saw it back at Thanksgiving and had to pull myself together after watching this video. It is about a families decision to choose life after finding out there unborn son had a genetic disorder called, Trisomy 13 a rare DNA abnormality. Most of these babies only live hours or days if they survive birth at all. 

I will warn you it is a very emotional video and if you have kids you will probably want to do 2 things: First, have them leave the room if they are young, Second, you will probably go and hug them after viewing this video and thank the Lord for them.

This is such an amazing testimony that these people showed on choosing life, even if only for a short time. 

Click Here to see the video

Julie and Julia

 

 Before I start about this movie let me tell you the story leading up to watching the movie...

Last night my husband made a quick run to Publix for me.When he came home he said,"I brought something home for you." He had brought home the movie Julie and Julia.. We have both wanted to see this movie for a while and he thought last night would be a good night to watch it. Well he forgot that the finale of the "Biggest Loser" was coming on. But he was trying to surprise me and I didn't want to hurt his feelings and so we stayed up until midnight watching Julie and Julia after the biggest loser. It did make for a late night but the movie was really cute.

~~~~~~~~~~~

So these are some scenes from the movie. If you have not seen it then I don't want to give the story away to you but I do want to talk a little bit about it.

Now, I am not one for talking or writing for that matter about movies. This doesn't have anything to do with the topics I normally discuss but I thought I would make an exception. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Julia Child was a lady who could not have children. She desperately wanted to have something to do in her life that could fill that void that I think she had. She tried hat making, bridge, and a numerous of other things before she found her love for cooking. She loved to eat and she loved great tasting food.

That is when she came up with the idea of attending a cooking school.

So she decided to enroll in a class at Le Cordon Bleu. Her goal was to teach and eventually have a French cookbook published in English.

She did later achieve that goal along with other cookbooks and a cooking show.

This is definitely a cute movie to watch and when it is over you will feel inspired and believe it or not you will want to cook a meal.

Or at least that is how I felt. I was getting hungry as the show went on and when it was over I had a million ideas running through my head about food and recipes. (Not a very good thing to have at midnight.)

 ~~~~~~~~

Now on the other hand, Julie, was a young women who wanted to set a goal for herself and commit to finishing something that she started. She decided she would for 1 year cook through Julia Child's cookbook and she would blog about it.

She did have some obstacles to face with eating certain items and of coarse cooking lobster (seen below) but

she did finish her 1 year and her last recipe with de-boning and cooking a chicken. (seen in a picture below.)

Blogging about it ended up getting her book published and later this movie was made from her story.

~~~~~~~~~

I thought it would be neat to include a French recipe for you. So I have included two. One recipe is (courtesy of Julia Child) Beef Bourguignon and the other is from Le Cordon Bleu. (See below for recipes)

~~~~~~~~~

 

Julie talking with her husband about Julia Child.

 

Always excited about food!

 

Cooking Class at Le Cordon Bleu

 

 Julie's attempt at cooking Lobster

 

 Julie's last meal

 

 Bon Appetit

 

{Tell All Tuesday}

So today I am going to try something "new" it is called,

{Tell All Tuesday}

I think it is good (within reason) to be able to say what you feel about being a mother, share what it is like to be a wife, to tell your struggles of being a single mom or  to share an experience for others to hear, it gives a sense of normalcy and strength to keep up the work. It encourages other women and makes them realize that there are other who are going through the same thing and that they are not alone.

And that is the goal for today... Share something like these: I can't figure out why... and I don't have the answer;  I have been struggling with...; Is this normal?; etc.

~Lets get started~
I am going to vent a little today! It always seems to help get things off your chest by talking about it.....well in this case writing about it! 

Today or maybe I should say this week, I am a bit overwhelmed. I have lots going on. We are in the mist of packing to possibly head back to Jacksonville for good come December 19th.If we end up staying longer then we have to find a place to live. So I am in the mist of searching for places just in case. I am also thinking about if we do stay then I will need to pack up my Jacksonville home.  I am cleaning constantly so when the owner of the place we are renting comes to check the place out he will be impressed and give us our deposit back. I am taking care of two sick little boys-who might I add are not handling it very well. They are clingy and downright grumpy.

Along with doing the daily chores and routine things I am trying to be a loving, understanding, caring, child rearing mom and wife, plus tons more...
So life here this week is -- well lets just say-- is busy and overwhelming.I am praying that God will continue to give me the strength I need, to keep me well, and to know that God's has a plan and it is the best for us. He always knows best!
 Hopefully you don't take this as me complaining because I am not. I am so thankful for everything the Lord has placed in my life.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all his ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path."  Prov 3:5-6

So what struggles are you having this week? Or  Is this a week that you are sailing through with no problems?

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 and 1/2 cup flour, sifted

3 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1 and 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 and 1/4 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Note: If you can not have nuts, simply leave them out! You will be fine to not have these in the mix.

Place the chopped walnuts in a medium sized zipper bag. Using a meat mallet crush the walnuts into small pieces. In a small pan toast the walnuts over medium heat until they release a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in the toasted walnuts In a smaller bowl wisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add in the mashed sweet potatoes and the brown sugar, stirring until combined.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the pan. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Enjoy!