In the Storm

january | currents

currently...

lagging behind in my 50 miles walking this month

missing swimming; need to go twice next week for sure

juggling all the documenting projects, crafting, simplifying, 52-projects, i've got going on and loving it

trusting God will provide for our needs even as i lose hours at work

looking forward to the new bible study i begin leading this weekend, no other gods

anticipating all we are going to learn about australia as the boys move from africa in their world geography lessons to australia for the next couple months.

hoping the scale at the beginning of february will indicate a loss

seeing projects in my mind is not usually how they turn out in real life. sometimes a real bummer

wanting to start another 52- project; saw it in an idea gallery at designer digitals. the lady is documenting 'herself', her life, with a different word or phrase each week and telling a story around it. sounds so similar to 31 things i did last summer that i could really wrap myself around that. i'd have to catch up or not - just start

drinking lots of coffee lately in these chilly temperatures

celebrating the end of another week with a date with hoosier man

forging really good relationships with our small group

watching the series, justified on DVD. we're definitely going to need to get season 3.

reading a book in the j.d. robb series - again

seeing a really good year with all its ups and downs, but God in the middle and front and center through it all

 

 

 

 

 

52 scraplifts | 05

using a page by kathryn thompson from creating keepsakes magazine, top ten 2006. i used the same basic layout for my next scraplift. some photos and a story to tell, with few embellishments and another page is complete.

i cannot say enough how fun this is!!!

our new year was spent quietly, just us, enjoying good food and good television.

52gratitudes | 04

it's not a little thing. this being thankful. it's a big thing. this being thankful. i've got a big GOD. and he deserves my gratitude. for the little things. for the big things. and for everything in between.

recipes to share

i have a couple new recipes to share.

my kids will all get their copy once i get a nice stack of 4x6 recipes cards printed and get ready to ship. maybe another ten or so, then i'll get the stack printed and ship them out so they can add them to their recipe books (which they received as a christmas gift - and which both elizabeth and ashley loved!)

these are recipes that i've shared with our small group. they are my guinea pigs for desserts and appetizers. they love it! i get to try out new and they get to enjoy. i can always tell if things are hit by how much is left, or their moans at the yumminess, or their 'this is so good' comments.

it just makes me smile to create wonderful foods for them to enjoy.

oh, this was good! unfortunately due to the price of fontina it will not be on the round of fares too often. but, man, the fresh herbs with the creamy cheese was divine.

i'm attempting beans this year. it is one of my unwritten goals to add beans into our diet. i started with something that i figured i could handle fairly easy - bean dip with refried beans. winner! although this is a good appetizer/snack for small group i could certainly see making this for just us to snack on while watching television.

because of my wacky tastebuds i wasn't able to enjoy this but small group loved it. i'm sure come fall it'll be on the rotation again.

so so good! and i even was able to enjoy the bars because of all the fruit and creaminess rather than the cake like tastes i can't enjoy. the strawberry and lime was perfect! even in january, during the cold weather. these would be an awesome dessert for a pot luck too.

52 scraplifts | 04

you can see my style. clean lines, simple, photos + words, few embellishments. this time i scraplifted an old creating keepsakes magazine hall of fame honorable mention by andie smith. loved the combination of same size squares across an entire two page for photos + a nice size 'square' for journaling.

i caught the georgia boys out back one chilly afternoon in the middle of a dueling battle with makeshift weapons. i get such a kick out of their games. i gave my page a border around the photos but pretty much scraplifted the page to a tee.

as you can see they really get into the 'battle' as if for real.

i am having a blast with this scraplifting and get pages cranked out at the same time. but, yes project life will still continue. i just don't want to give up regular scrapbooking.

blessed.

i opened the refrigerator in the garage, our second refrigerator, and saw the very full shelves of extra dairy, piles of vegatables, proteins...i am blessed.

i awoke this morning, flung back the two quilts, one blanket, and the flannel top sheet and climbed out of my very comfortable bed with solid mattress and two pillows...i am blessed.

i pulled on sweatpants, a tank top, a sweater, and a fleece jacket - with soft, cozy warm socks...i am blessed.

i poured a cup of coffee, from a pot already made for me...i am blessed.

i passed by a box of items that i've purged, reduced and am giving away to goodwill...i am blessed.

i checked the temperature outside this morning, a brisk 40 degrees fahrenheit and i slept, all cozy warm, and i'm awake all cozy warm...i am blessed.

we are feasting on beef and broccoli with rice tonight for dinner...i am blessed.

we enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship with awesome friends last night, enjoyed a yummy meal of roasted chicken, roasted red peppers, pesto with fettuccini and garlic bread, enoyed conversation of their missionary journey, and the boys' missionary journey...i am blessed.

i passed on some meteorological information to someone on email from information that i'd learned over my many years in meteorology, that i'd learned in the military and through a college degree...i am blessed.

i am enjoying the time home with john and jarrod and our homeschooling endeavors...i am blessed.

i glance over at our bookshelves, packed with favorites, able to read over and over again, share with others...i am blessed.

shared laughter with my sons...i am blessed.

rewarded with this weed, the dandelion, and the memories that accompany them...i am blessed.

pin + action | 02

awhile back i pinned this awesome, creative necklace from a girl who makes and knew at some point i would take action and make one for myself.

my boys were away this weekend on a campout so i thought it would be a great time to create my own necklace.

my supplies included: 5 colors of craft paint, 10 hole-drilled wooden balls, painters tape, a paint brush, and a length of thin leather

i used a lovely turquoise, a sharp pink, a delightful orange, a rad lime, and a decadent brown. i would have liked martha stewart paints but these were on sale for cheap and martha stewarts are very expensive

i worked two at a time, taping off half of each wooden bead, painting, letting dry, and applying a second coat. i have to say that the photo does not due the colors justice. they are bold and bright in real life.

i love my new necklace. i spruced up my workout outfit with the necklace. it made it just a tad dressier.

so very cool.

and that is my second pin + action this year.

project life | week 03

week 3 of project life and i am loving recording our lives week by week.

i really like the whole color coordinating of the paper and elements so i'm going to go with that, at least for the time being. i've used a mix of elise blaha cripe, cathy zielske, and ali edwards products and more than likely, until project life the midnight edition comes out they will be my go-to products for project life.

also, thus far i'm sticking with digital. i could certainly see doing some traditional pages as time goes on and i'm fully committed to this project (i.e. i've done it for months) but now the ease of digital is suiting me - and i'm getting the pages and our stories documented.

my pages are very simple and clean, creative-wise. few embellishments just words, stories, and photos. i think next week i'll try and tell more information, more little stories and not just the big picture. lots of journaling + photos and we'll see how that goes.

i might work on a 6x12 insert (i have document protectors that size) this week to add additional photos from the campout this past weekend. there are probably, in fact i know there are, more stories to tell from the weekend that i wasn't privy too.

all the week's of project life can be found here susan's project life 2013.

hello monday | 04

from this weekend's boy scout father-son freeze out

hello monday.

hello to a quiet week of no tests in homeschool

hello to really good friends coming for dinner

hello to some really yummy meals this week: roasted chicken red pepper pesto fettuccini, whiskey sliders, taco salad, beef and broccoli

hello to another pin action project

hello to more simplifying; tackling the kitchen glass/mug cabinet this week

hello to finishing The Outsiders and watching the movie

hello to beginning our geography study on Australia - so excited!

hello to the pool. i missed you last week because i was sick.

hello to moving more!

 

i'm linking up with the always amazing, charming, darling, creative lisa.

 

 

simplify something | 03

you may be able to tell from my simplifying that i'm really starting small and slow and easy. it really is so i don't get discouraged. so my confidence is boosted that i can tackle one spot at a time. every little area that i've hit gives me a little skip in my step, a patter of the heart, and a smile on my face.

this drawer is my large drawer in my dresser. it's a mess right? have no clue what's in there and i've been known to mismatch my pajamas because i can't find a top or bottom at any given time.

i tackled it for my simplify something this week. you might ask at this point does this mean i'm only going to hit one area a week. not necessarily. but, i am taking it slow, pacing myself, getting the feel of purging, then organizing. some areas will require consultation with hoosier man: does he want to let something go? how do we want to organize this?

so anyways...

i purged. have i worn it recently? honestly, am i planning on wearing it? does it even fit good? since i'm extremely picky about how things look (i.e. nothing close fitting) this can be fairly simple. can i hand it down?

pretty! and it even looks like i wear color. a stack of shirts/shorts/sweatpants to goodwill; a t-shirt to john and a pair of sweatpants (they were men's anyways) to jarrod. they both love getting hand-me-downs from hoosier man or i.

i've stacked my clothes in piles of four: my workout clothes (tanks and sweats), my pajamas (pants and tops), bathing suits, and miscellaneous shirts.

i'm satisfied with this purge and organize and to simplify something.