Laundry Room Sign

This project was so easy, I probably don't even need to post about how to do it!

First pick out your burlap. Burlap is amazing--it comes in different shades of tan and it has such a nice textured look. I have several plans for burlap in my house! The only thing is that it's messy and it has a funny smell. Some people like the smell, some don't. Another great thing about Burlap is that it's very affordable! Walmart sells it for $2.97/yard.

Grab a black sharpie. Now go find a font in word that you like and print out your letters in the size you want for your sign. I was able to use Word Art to get outlined letters so I'm not killing the black ink! Then lay your letters under the burlap and trace away. You can fill them in but I liked the outlined look, so I left it.

Maybe if I want to change it up, as I often do, I'll fill them in.

So I am very proud of how I hung it. I took gold thumb tacks that I had already, and colored them black with the same sharpie. Then I just hung it up, with the help of my gracious husband.  Happy Sign Making!

The End.

My Mother-In-Law's AMAZING yet DANGEROUS Black Bean Soup

This soup is seriously "dangerous," as my husband put it after taking one bite. It's dangerous because you don't want to stop eating it. It very very very easy to make. It literally takes about 25 minutes to whip it up! You season it similar to Chili and top it with all sorts of yummy goodness! It isn't the prettiest soup, here's a picture I snapped right before I inhaled it:

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cans of black beans
Smoked turkey sausage (I used the long link of Johnsonville)
1 cup Chicken Stock
Garlic
Peppers (I had a half a bag of sliced red, green, and yellow peppers in my freezer)
Onion
Jalapeno
1 tbs Chili Powder
1 tbs Oregano
1 tsp Cumin
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Toppings: Be Creative! But here's what I did:

Avocado, Cilantro, Cheese, Diced Tomatoes, Crushed Tortilla Chips
I was out of Sour Cream but that would of made it even more amazing!

First slice the smoke sausage into thin, round pieces. Then chop the onion and peppers and sauté them all together in some olive oil or coconut oil (coconut oil has no flavor and is very good for you!) This is the base of your soup so you want to use a good size pot!

While the onions and peppers are getting more translucent put one can of black beans along with the chicken stock and your spices in the blender and puree the mixture.

Back to the onion and peppers--add minced garlic and jalapeno to taste. Give it a minute to cook and then add your black bean puree mixture to the pot

Then add the other two cans of black beans. Then there's my little trick that I'm not going to tell you...But maybe you can figure it out. I add something to the pot and let it simmer for a little bit. It gives it a very yummy smokey taste. I remove it before I serve it so nobody will know! Man, I totally just gave it away! ;) ;)

That's IT! Then add your toppings and you'll just love the soup so much you may want to marry it. I think this soup can be enjoyed over any season. But when you are missing the summer on a cold winter night, this is the perfect meal.

I appreciate your comments, let me know how it turns out for you!

Laundry Room

So I've been following www.imperfecthomemaking.com and her 31 days of Organization. I've been doing it at my own pace, and doing my own list. But I definitely draw from her for ideas. I've also been wanting to nest like crazy. It's hard with an infant because you normally can't start and finish something in a day, let alone at one time..So it's been difficult that I can't seem to quench my thirst to nest, decorate, organize...

A couple saturdays Ben was sleeping in (he deserves it, he works hard!!) and it was one of those mornings I like to call "Starbucks Mornings." Which maybe I'll blog about another day. I had just heard from the in laws that we weren't going to get to paint the living room for another month or two, which they so graciously offered to help us do, so i was a little bummed about that. I was thinking about the Laundry Room. I really don't like doing laundry, it just overwhelms me. But one thing I read on my favorite blog (imperfecthomemaking) is that it's very hard to organize an area that is not pretty. So I was sitting at Starbucks and something just rose up in me (i would like to believe it was the Holy Spirit! lol) so I drove up to Home Depot and bought the paint and an hour later I was painting!

Here is my boring laundry room:

I emptied the shelves. I didn't really think I would blog about this and would of showed you other pictures!

Yikes! That ugly water heater. 

Ready? Drum Roll Please.........

The picture doesn't really do the color justice. I found some baskets in Lucy's room that weren't really serving a huge purpose, so I took the pink liners out of them and put them on the shelves. I thought the pile of white towels was a nice touch, too. 

Oh, that ugly water heater? Where did it go, you ask? It's behind the curtain! I found this curtain actually in a box of fabric and tablecloths I had on the top shelf before I gave this room a makeover. I bought the tension rod at Target for $7.99. I found that pretty tray there on the top of my fridge. I bought that the first year Ben and I were married. Haven't used it since then....When the budget allows, I'll buy some glass canisters for detergent, Borax, softener, and such...

Okay, this is my favorite part that I'm really proud of:

MY SIGN!

I love Kelly's Laundry sign, found on her blog:  www.imperfecthomemaking.com

So I took some leftover burlap I had from a wreath I made (I'll share that in a post to come) and have seen several projects that I've loved with burlap and a sharpie. So I made it and I love it! Come back tomorrow, or the next day if I don't get to it, and I'll show you how I made it!

I love that I did this very sporadically. Sometimes I can be impulsive and it not go so well. As soon as I got back in the car with my paint at home depot I got buyer's remorse..I thought, "How am I going to do this alone with my little 10 month old?" and also "What will my husband say about this...Is wasn't in the budget!" Ben woke up and loved it. It has really helped me WANT to stay on top of all that laundry. I'll show more pics to come...I have more I want to add to it!

Oh yeah, I'm a Homemaker...

As a first time mom, and I'm sure all you moms out there will understand me, it's a BIG transition in a lot of ways...I mean, I was a nanny for several years, and thought I was prepared. Well, I was prepared in lots of ways, but not in the drastic life change. I mean, it's drastic! It's drastic in all the right ways. I've never felt so much purpose in my life, but there's still this questioning of identity and individuality. You are now a mom. Not just YOU; still "you" but "you" are different.  So I still wondered what my calling was, wondering when I go to graduate school what do I get my masters in?? Nothing really seemed very exciting and as meaningful as what I am doing now, raising a life! So in the past few weeks, I've really been embracing this identity as a homemaker. it's been so much fun. I've been taking on a lot of projects, and really giving into my heart's desire: raising my daughter and making our home.  This is such a special time and I want to make the most of it. I've been organizing and purging, decorating, creating...My sister in law came for Christmas and imparted the motto to me: "If you don't LOVE it, get rid of it!" You should see our shed...It is half full of stuff to be sold at our yard in April. I'm not getting nearly as overwhelmed with our home because there's less stuff to worry about. I found a blog that I'm addicted to, it's called "Imperfect Homemaking." Check it out! She has helped me in a lot of ways...Really taking being at home seriously. Hopefully I will be blogging more too!