DisTRACKtions...

I was thinking about how I haven't really blogged in a while and was looking at my "Organization Station" that I'll have to blog about one day, and noticed that I hadn't used it in a month. The week of February 27th was still up there and it's the end of March! I finally get in a groove, in a routine, priorities in check and BAM! Distraction: TAXES. Now I was proud of myself this year because I got it done in time, got help with it, and am finished. I'm overwhelmed, stressed, my house in disarray only to realize we were going out of town for a week for my brother's wedding, a great distraction. The wedding was absolutely beautiful by the way...And I came home with a very  nice tan! It was in Florida:) But it is so difficult to stay on TRACK when you get DIS-tracted...Like the play on words?

So how do you stay afloat?  I heard this great teaching on the "Top 5%." The top 5% is the percentage of things we do that only we can do, it's the most important of all activities in our lives that I know I often neglect the most. Here's my top 5% list:

1. Spend time with God
2. Spend time with Hubby
3. Take Care of my daugther
4. Take care of my home
5. Exercise and Healthy Diet


There are a few other things in my top 5% that I didn't list. When I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed I evaluate my activities. 99% of the time I'm stressed because I'm neglecting my top 5%. Blogging is definitely an outlet for me and If I haven't written a blog in a while it usually means I've been distracted by things that seem important but end up draining me. What ways do you stay on track and focused?  Please Share!

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!

A Little Secret to a Run-down, Run-dry Life...

Woke up this morning to a baby soaking wet with spit up and poop overflowing out of her diaper. It broke my heart that she was in this condition, she didn't seem to mind it as much. With my eyes barely open and my back stiff and painful from hurting it the day before, I fed and bathed her and started my day. She is 7 months old and has not slept through the night just yet, which is not a big deal. But I am feeling the repercussions. Now that she is just waking up once, it seems I'm more tired. I try to take naps but lay there unable to stop my mind from going through lists, ideas, to-dos, and worrying. The littlest thing sets me off, especially if it's something my husband says. He won't mean anything by it, I seem to take everything personally and the wrong way.

So spending time writing in my journal and with Jesus is not just a priority but a necessity. I'm so glad it is this way, because although I'm beat sometimes, I experience so much life and fullness in the midst of everything. Don't get me wrong--I love being a mother, I love my husband with everything--I'm just being real that it's difficult and challenging and not very glamorous. I know all you moms out there get me. Anyways, back to spending time with Jesus...this morning I was brooding. So I came to the Lord asking for help and He was so good to answer. I opened up to Psalm 118, it was just floating in my mind, I wasn't sure what it said, "Thank God because he's good, because His love never quits. Tell the world His love never quits.." Okay, that's good. I thought to myself. Let me just soak in that for a moment. Then 2 Thessalonians stuck out to me so I went there, "Our God gives you everything you need! Makes you everything you're to be! You need to know, that thanking God over and over again is not only a pleasure but a must." Ah-ha..Thanking God is the secret to getting out of this Pity Party I was having. So I began to write what I was thankful for..I was sort of angry at my husband and having all of these accusing thoughts in my head, which I was realizing was not right or true. I ended up writing over a page of how I was thankful for him. I can't wait to share it with him. And it totally brought me out of that negative, brooding funk. As I lifted my thanks to God, the pleasing aroma pushed the gray clouds out of the way. I kept reading 2 Thessalonians 1, "You're so steady and determined in your faith despite your hard times that have come down on you..All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the Kingdom." As I read over it again, I realized Paul was admonishing the church at Thessalonians for being so awesome. Although I wasn't feeling so awesome, the Lord used to show me how to be awesome--to be thankful.

I know there are a lot of run-down, run-dry moms and friends out there and I thought this may encourage you as it did me to get out of the funk, get filled up, and see the reality--God is good, His love never quits, and there is always something to be thankful about. Much Love~

Passion

I read something this morning that i hadn't really hadn't noticed before. It's in Ephesians 1, it reads, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened and then you would know the hope to which you are called.." And I know that it could mean, and probably does mean, several things. But one thing I think it relates to here is Passion. Ben is always talking about how important your passion is. He loves jiu jitsu and surfing. He gets so sad when he isn't able to do either for a season. Especially Jiu Jitsu. We are different in how we need our passions or how we respond to them. He thinks about his quite often. I forget about mine, but notice when I actually do make time for them I'm so much happier and more myself. Dance is definitely my passion, but I think it has gone to a new level..I just noticed really.

I love dance so much, I think dance, without really trying to think about it. And I think about it the most when I'm trying to go to sleep, or when I am spending time soaking with the Lord. And I dance mostly when I encounter the Lord. This all just dawned on me. I was sitting here, listening to worship, and I imagine myself dancing, without trying to. It is such an expression of my heart. I can't not dance during worship times. It just has to come out. I was really nervous to dance at church for the longest time. It would burn inside of me, but those voices kept me from doing it. Voices of insecurity. And those voices of judgement. And whatifs. One day I just did it. And i haven't really been able to stop. It's like when you kiss the one you love for the first time, and then after that you just want to kiss them all of the time. Every time you have a moment of awe about that person, you want to kiss them. Dancing for me is like kissing God.

I think passions start out as desires with a purpose, they bring us out of our shell and help us to become who we are destined to be...and then we become them. We just do them without thinking about it, it becomes natural. Is this making any sense?