Friday Favorites

 

My Friday Favorites....

 

 

My new camera!  I am so loving it.  Photography is something I have always wanted to explore and I now have a camera that is not annoying and not my phone :)  I am having so much fun with it. I can't wait to have some extra time to go on the hunt for some beautiful country churches and barns.  Oh,  and of course I also wanted a pretty and unique camera strap, as well as a "retro" camera case to accompany it.  I like to name the inanimate objects in my life so the camera will fondly be known as "Stella".

 

The perfect pairing for fall.  Creamer is probably my favorite pumpkin flavored anything... and as we all know, everything comes in pumpkin flavor in the fall now a days.

 



 

Farming.  Well, watching The Man farm I should say.  I am so proud of his profession :)

 

 

Our little hometown grocery and their fruit dip is to die for.....yummo!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Work, Work, Work

So this is what I do for the majority of the day...

 

Work at my desk.  A necessary evil to almost every job.

 

Drive around in this cool ride.  I know, you're jealous.

 

Read books to children...and get paid for it.

 

Some of my props for Stellaluna (one of the best children's books ever)....that is a bat puppet, not a beaver as my oldest thought.

I also do a lot of boring day to day tasks, but hanging out with the preschoolers is pretty awesome :)

It's Whats For Dinner

 

Everyone needs a quick and easy go to for busy nights.  I am sure I did not make this up completely on my own, but it was the result of what was in the pantry one night, and I must say it is YUMMY :)

 

 

Hamburger Casserole

 

2 pounds browned ground beef, I brown mine with 1/2 a chopped onion

 

1 package cooked egg noodles, I use No Yolks noodles

 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

 

1/2 a soup can of milk

 

1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

 

 

I mix the ingredients together except for the cheese and put in a casserole dish.  Top with the shredded cheddar. Then pop it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

 

 

See, Yummy and Easy !!! I hope you enjoy :)

 

 

 

 



A Little Inspiration in the Day to Day

 

 

 

 

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

 ~ Sir James M. Barrie, British writer










October Currently

 

 

So far this is what October is looking like for me....

 

 

Cooking...Soups and comfort foods like Chili, Potato Soup, and Cookies.

 

Drinking...more coffee than in the summer and adding those yummy flavored creamers.

 

Pinning...Elf ideas and fall decor.  I love decorating for fall.

 

Crafting... Lately hair accessories again like bows and hair ties.

 

Smelling...Candles like apple cinnamon and maple.

 

Reading...The Fifth Gospel by Bobby Conway

 

Thanking... Jesus for a greater peace with my Mom's battle with breast cancer and the opportunity to start talking about it more and dealing with the feelings and fears it left me with. 

 

 

 



Sharing Some Scripture

 



Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 

 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11

 

 

As a  mother, I know that words have the power to build up or tear down.  I believe in encouragement and love with my words.  However, I am sarcastic by nature and I also see how my sharp tongue seems to have it's own mind.  It truly  is a double edged sword. 

 

Recently, my friend told me she finds me to be "so creative".  Who me?  I had been in a slump and her words alone, sparked me to start letting my "creative juices flow" again.  I have been trying to do a craft, write something, etc, each week now.  I am rising up to the challenge to be Creative!!

 

I am also paying this forward.  I am encouraging my daughters more, encouraging my husband, and encouraging my friends.   I am not giving false compliments, but rather looking for things that I see that they are good at and encouraging them to foster their talents.  God calls us to not hide our talents but to multiply them for his glory. 

 

We make a difference with how we use our words.  We make a difference in God's kingdom when we encourage others to grow and share their resources.  Words matter dear friends.  Proceed with excitement!

 





Art Journaling

 

Crayons and Colored Pens/Pencils, and Stickers....OH MY !!!!

 

Art Journaling.  Have you heard of it?  I love to journal and have recently started back on a more consistent basis.  I used to journal in a very "Dear Diary" form....this got incrediably boring after my day became less "exciting"  and without the "young angst" of boyfriends, friend drama, etc.  To journal about cooking, cleaning, burping babies, etc on a day to day basis loses it's appeal quick. 

 

I started switching from journaling to list making.  I started making "I Did" lists in the evenings instead of "To Do" list because it is much more satisfying to see what you have accomplished instead of what you did not.  But I didn't see this is journaling since I usually just threw the list away.

 

Then I tried scrapbooking.  Well, I decided I was more into collecting the stickers, papers, stamps, etc.  Sitting down to collage photos just didn't seem to happen for me.  I felt like it had to be perfect since others would be looking at it.

 

Recently I decided to start keeping all my lists in a journal.  That led to lists, quotes, random thoughts, and all kinds of items being written that was hanging out in my head.  I loved this!  I now carry my "journal" everywhere with me.  I started using colored pens, making doodles, and recently using stickers.  To anyone else, this may seem very Kindergartenish.  However, the creative outlet it gives me has been fun as well as therapeutic.

 

I recently purchased a book on my Kindle for journal prompts.  The author  includes a section on Art Journaling.  I never thought about it as an actual form of journaling.  So it is not just me!!!!

 

I am now using up all the scrapbooking material I have been collecting for the past 18 years when Katie was born and I thought I HAD to scrapbook to be a good mom (she has about 10 completed pages).  I am excited about the stationary section of the stores, and am feeling creative again!

 

What I like most is that it is just for me.  No one is judging my juvenile art skills or random thoughts.  Not that they would, but journaling is such a personal creative outlet, that it feels like a best friend that holds the key to who you really, really are without the pretense of society's opinions. 

 

 

I can't show you the insides....remember, it is just for me :)  Happy Journaling!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Insta Friday

Happy Friday!! This is just a small window into this busy week.  Homecoming will be it's own post all together.  This is what I did post on IG this week:

Our family decided to skip the football game since it was away and built a fire instead. It was the perfect night for it and there was a lot of giggling, singing along to the itunes playlist, and the girl's having to listen to Doug and I reminisce about our Homecoming Glory Days since homecoming week was coming up.

Sneaking a pic of Madi in her basketball huddle, she was not impressed :)

I finally did some real grocery shopping....I am now broke.

Madi refuses to dress up for School Spirit Week (she is adorable and very junior highish).

Lucy on the other hand was all about Spirit Week.  This was Elderly Day.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I made this pumpkin last year (it is paper mache). My momma died 14 years ago from this horrible disease, my dear friend's mom passed last year, and I have several other friends and family who have battled it as well.  Get your mammograms ladies!!

I used to hate long drive up lines.  Now a days, I enjoy the quiet of my car for the few extra minutes :)