Love This Art Project!

This is a quick link up to a super cute art project!

What do you need?

Markers
Masking tape
Big or small piece of paper
Your child

I just love it when I look at an art project list and I have all the items in my house without having to run out and buy them! And this is really cute!!!
Once again, it is from a Blog I love! Kathy has the best ideas!


Looking Forward,
Stacey

Welcoming Fall

Welcome friends from Emma Calls Me Mama Holdiay Blog Party! I am all about fall right now, so here is my link up to the holiday party! I hope you enjoy it!

Around our house, we don't have falling leaves or cool temperatures to usher in fall. But we do have a few recipes that we pull out in October that let us know that fall has arrived. I thought I would share a couple with you that you might enjoy.



Mike's Favorite Chili

2 lbs of ground beef
1 Onion chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes (Pureed in blender)
1 can of Bush's Chili Beans in Mild sauce (Also Pureed in blender - the kids have no idea!)
Chili powder to taste (your desired hotness!)
***2 small cans of tomato sauce (I never put this in, we like our chili really thick)
---1. Brown ground beef & onion, drain
2. Puree in blender diced tomatoes.
3. Puree in blender chili beans
4. Combine meat mixture, 2 purees, and heat through
5. Season with chili powder to your desired taste

***This easy recipe was from a friend of mine who lovingly brought me dinner right after the birth of my first child. I had been trying out chili recipes for my husband and after tasting this one he said, "I think we found it!" I have made it for the past 10 years!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 package of spice cake mix
1 can Libby 100% pumpkin (15 oz)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1/3 cup of water

---1. Blend all ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes
2. Pour batter into greased or paper lined muffin cups (about 24 muffins)
3. Bake at 350 for about 16-21 minutes
4. You can add a vanilla or cream cheese icing if you like.

***I always serve these muffins with the chili as part of the main course. I never add the icing because they are just as good without them. My kids devour them! As a side note, I heard a rumor that there was a shortage of pumpkin this year and that canned pumpkin may be hard to come by.

Looking Forward,
Stacey


P.S. For instructions on how to make these fabulous crafts and others, go to BHG.Com.
You can find these two crafts under Fall Welcome Message and Fall Pumpkin Centerpieces.

DIY Fall Decorations

Look what you can do with a trip to the dollar store, some chalk board paint and using what you already have!

My Front Porch
I have had the chair for years. It sat at the kitchen table when I lived at 29 Lincoln Avenue. My mom also has one on her front porch. So this chair always makes me feel like I am home. I decided this summer to paint it black and and remove the shredded weaved seat. I am thinking about making a new seat for it , but for now I have a board resting on the frame and a fall mum gracing it. I love it!

The simple black stool, I found on Craig's List. It was brown with red and blue beads glued to the side when I purchased it. I spray painted it black and now it is the perfect perch form my Monogram Pumpkin. I saw this on another blog and had to give it a try. I really wish I could remember the name so I could give due credit of my inspiration. I made my own stencil and used a black Sharpie pen to color in the "T". It took me about 5 minutes to do this!


Library Table
This new chalkboard started out as a picture frame. I painted the frame black, flipped over the back insert and coated it 3 times with chalk board paint. The pumpkins and leaves came from The Dollar Store. It was simple and inexpensive.




Looking Forward,
Stacey

P.S. I think this will be the extent of my fall decor this year. We have only one week before our new little girl arrives!

Project 10

Welcome friends from A Soft Place To Land! I'm not sure if this is a true DIY project. I did it myself (with the help of about 29 friends) and it is a project that required a trip to Michaels...so I think it qualifies! I just had to share it with as many people as I could! I hope it truly inspires you!

Last week my oldest daughter turned 10 years old. I believe that this is a critical year for her. In the next couple of years she will experience great physical and emotional changes and my hope is that during this time I can lavish on her the love and affirmation she will need as she crosses over into the teen years.

A couple of years ago while at a conference I heard speaker Julie Hiramine of Generations of Virtue speak about raising girls. She mentioned something she did for her daughter called, The First 30 Days of 10. For her 10th birthday, Julie asked 30 of her own friends to write letters of encouragement or short Bible studies for her daughter. I loved the idea and knew that I wanted to do something similar as well.

I called my version Project 10 and had 29 of the most amazing ladies write some of the sweetest notes to my daughter that I have ever read. I added a letter myself for a total number of 30.

I really wanted the presentation to be special. So when I found these adorable boxes at Michaels and was I was thrilled! Here is what she found as she unwrapped each one:

Box #1 - 10 Reece Cups (her favorite candy)
Box #2 - 10 hair accessories
Box #3 - 1 picture from each of her 9 previous birthdays and her actual Birth Day - September 30, 1999.
Box #4 - 30 letters all wrapped up in pretty pink tulle

She loved it! But the best part came just before she went to bed. She said with tears in her eyes, "Mommy, I love my letters. I never knew I was so special." Words are powerful things aren't they? My prayer for her is that she will store up all these things and treasure them in her heart for many years to come.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

Fall Inspiration

Happy October 1st!
Fall is in the air!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes...
Falling Leaves....
Cozy Sweaters....

Well at least in some part of the country! We had a blast of fall weather in the Southeast and it felt great. It must have dipped down into the 80's yesterday! So nice for this very pregnant girl. Plus, it was my oldest daughter's 10th birthday and we had a great time on a little boat ride viewing the gorgeous sunset. A perfect day!

I love to drive down to Polk County this time of year and visit The Barn. It is a great antique and seasonal store that is also a nice place to grab lunch with the girls. It is only open from October - May. The first weekend in October brings out huge crowds. I just love it. This year though, I am not feeling up to the excursion so I found some great fall inspirations on some of my favorite blogs! I think you will enjoy them to and they are just a click away.



Kim at Twice Remembered posted this yummy fall potpourri recipe that you can actually eat!

Sarah Mae at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee has some really cute fall clothing from Down East Basics up for grabs! These look really fun and are very affordable!

And over at Art Project for Kids you can do this beautiful fall inspired water color for a lazy afternoon project. Thanks Kathy!


I hope you have a fabulous fall day!

Looking Forward,
Stacey


P.S. I am also linking up with Southern Hospitality's "It's Fall, Y'all!"

Books and People

I was instantly attracted to the chapter titles of the new book I am reading called All I need Is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans by Susanna Foth Aughtmon. Here are just a few of them:

• I Am Oh So Tired
• I Am Not A Supermodel
• I Have Pride Issues
• I Worry About Things
• I Want Chocolate to Solve My Problems (my personal favorite!)
  
• I Have A Long Way To Go

Need I say more? Probably not, so let me just share this quote from the introduction:

"We need a whole lot of Jesus. Because there is this woman that we long to be and there is the woman that we actually are. Right here. Right now. The woman who struggles but longs to be more. The woman who is empty who longs to be full. The dissatisfied woman who longs to be content. The woman who longs to be overflowing with goodness and peace and have rher impulse spending under control. And the only thing that can bridge the gap between these two women is buckets of grace. Unending grace. And the only person who embodies this grace is Jesus." P. 15

This book arrived by bedside through a dear friend. I was just thinking to myself, "I need to find something new to read," and somehow she just knew. Don't you just love when that happens?

Oh Lord, give me more of You and less of me...and more friends like her to point that out to me!
Looking forward,
Stacey

Decorate for $0 or almost!

I am always changing things around at our house. My husband jokes with me, that every time he leaves on a business trip he never knows where the couch is going to be when he returns! I love to rework a space. I think I get this from my mom. I remember her changing her bedroom around almost every season. Even when you don't have a lot of money, if you move something to a new place, it feels new.

This summer, we did a major room swap for our girls because we are making space for baby #4. Since the major moving done I am now focusing on the smaller details. I told my daughter, "The cake is baked, it just isn't iced." I have their rooms in order - but will take time to add the part we all love - the icing! It is amazing how these spaces have been transformed. We really have not spent a lot of money. Our biggest expenditure was a bed for our 3 year old. We purchased it at Ikea for about $90. (Leirvik in the full size - we love it!) In addition to that we bought some closet organizers and sheets. Now, I would have loved to went out and bought brand new everything, but when you use what you have, you can really get a lovely result and save money in the process. I will try to post some pictures of these fun spaces soon.

Today I came across a new blog that I think you might like as well. It is called Room Remix and it focus on easy, inexpensive decor, and remixing what you have. PK, the blog designer has a fun contest going on right now. If you become a follower of her blog, you are automatically signed up to win a $30 gift card to some great stores like Home Goods and Pier 1. All entries need to be submitted before September 27. Here is the direct link to the giveaway:
http://roomremixblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/shopping-giveaway.html
I will also add her blog under my Blogs List sidebar.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

P.S. Also check out http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/ and meet the lovely Kimba! Her whole focus is making her home a beautiful place for her family. I think she does an amazing job! Real ideas, great give away and really neat link ups!