Thursday Thoughts

My heart is heavy as I sit here, thinking about the chaotic state that our world is in. If you're living on this planet, how can you not be affected by the events taking place, and that have been taking place, for years and years (and from the beginning on time)? It doesn't seem right that I'm enjoying a salad while my baby naps peacefully, while others are fleeing their homes for their very lives, not knowing where they will end up or if they'll even have food today. 

My mind has a difficult time reconciling the injustice of it all. The sadness. The pain. The gravity of loss. The total fear. The reality of evil. What can we do? It feels wrong to turn on the TV and relax, while so many don't even have a bed to sleep in. I look at my young son. He is clothed and warm, safe from harm. He has toys and books. He knows how loved he is. Far too many children don't have any of those things. 

I was deeply impacted by this photographers project documenting where refugee children are forced to sleep. Regardless of your opinion on the issue, the stories are real. The children are real. No one should have to live like this. I read every single one. My heart breaking over and over. 

There are hurting people as well as evil doers all over this Earth. We live in a fallen world. Sin is here. I keep reminding myself that the story isn't over. This is just part of a much bigger plan. God's design for mankind isn't finished. This world was not created to be our permanent home. There is hope. Jesus is the answer!

I've been really enjoying SheReadsTruth.com and have been so encouraged by their Bible reading plans and devotions for women. I haven't been going in any particular order but I'm currently going through Philippians. Today's reading was just what I needed, reminding me that I am a citizen of Heaven, not Earth. With all of the plagues of evil and chaos, Romans 16:20 gave me hope, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." Our God is the God of peace. And one day, soon, He will put an end to Satan and every form of evil. What a glorious day that will be! 

The only answer I have to the "What can we do?" question is to pray. Pray for the people who are displaced. Who are hurting. Lost. Forsaken. Pray for the orphans and widows. Pray for those trapped in the horrors of sex trafficing. Pray for the mothers pondering abortions and pray for those willing to provide abortions. Pray for the homeless, the hungry, the broken. Pray for those with addictions. Pray for those plotting harm and carrying out wickedness. Most of all, pray that every lost soul would find Jesus Christ. He is the true hope and the answer for this world. 

And, love your loved ones. Hug your spouse, your children and your family, tighter. They are a gift. And every day you get to spend with them is a gift.  

Oatmeal Add-ins

What's better than warm oatmeal on a cold morning?

Oatmeal is one of my favorite things to make for breakfast, but I like to make it "fancy." By that, I mean adding fruit, nuts and other delicious add-ins. If you have 3 minutes and a microwave, you can easily transform regular 'ol oatmeal into the "fancy" kind that you'll pay $4+ for at your coffee shop.

TO MAKE ONE SERVING OF OATMEAL
1/2 cup of old fashioned oats in a microwave safe bowl
Add 3/4 cup of your choice of milk (cow's, almond, flax, coconut, whatever) 
Microwave for 3 minutes
Carefully remove from microwave (it's HOT) 
Add in your choice of toppings, stir and enjoy! 

Here are some delicious combinations that I like:

- Dried cranberries, sliced apple, chopped walnuts, agave

- Chopped walnuts, blueberries, juice of half a lemon, honey

- Pumpkin seeds, sliced banana, pecans, maple syrup

Use whatever you like and whatever you have! Cheers to better breakfasts.

Home Office Tour and WeWork

Since becoming a work at home mom (yay!), having a dedicated work space and home office is vital. Earlier this year, after my son was born, I left my full-time job (which I loved) to be a stay at home mom (which I really love even more). Now, I am a freelance graphic designer and art director. For me, it's the best of both worlds. 

Almost two years ago, I did a complete home office makeover. Including building a custom desk, reupholstering my office chair, painting a chandelier, making burlap message boards, and other fun DIY projects. My combination office/craft room/reading and relaxation spot is one of my favorite rooms in our home. A few things have changed, but much has remained the same. Here is a tour of my work space and a few must-haves that I included in the design. 

A LARGE DESK
My biggest must-have was a large desk with ample work space. Enough to accommodate two computers, a sewing machine, tools and still have room to work. My husband and I built a custom desk that spans the length of the room. It's awesome! Believe it or not, sometimes I still wish it were larger. I tend to make a mess when I get creative and there never seems to be a shortage of papers, folders and miscellaneous items.

STORAGE
Another must-have was plenty of storage. We used deep cabinets from IKEA as the base of our desk. We also brought in a large storage hutch from another room to keep craft supplies. Everything has a place and can be stowed out of sight! 

A COMFORTABLE CHAIR
In addition to my desk chair, I wanted a place where I could sit and read, journal, sketch and just relax. This comfy chair and little side table is one of my favorite places to sit with a cup of tea and recharge. 

GOOD LIGHTING
One of my most favorite elements of this room is the chandelier I spray-painted bright red! It definitely lights up the whole space and makes me happy. No more boring crappy lighting. I also bought a pretty little mercury glass lamp for my side table, which casts a warm glow in the evening. Proper lighting can make or break a room. Especially when you're trying to work. 

INSPIRATIONAL ITEMS
If you spend a lot of time in a room, you should surround yourself with things that inspire you and make you happy. I have all types of items in my work space that make me smile. Milk glass vessels, antique cameras, jars of buttons, ribbons and supplies, photos of family and friends, cards and keepsakes, inspirational quotes. Being surrounded by pretty things makes me enjoy working and crafting (and even paying bills). 

Your space doesn't have to be huge and it doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be someplace you like to be and can accomplish what you need to get done. Functional as well as fun. As simple or as fancy as you like. As long as the basics are there - a desk, chair, (electricity if you need to be plugged in), paper, pens, etc. Maybe sunlight and fresh air are all you need some days. A change of scenery. A coffee shop. A bench at the park.

If you don't have your own work space or would like to network and connect with others, WeWork offers shared office locations around the globe. They also offer discounts and benefits to their members. If you run your own business, or you're a freelancer like me, sometimes a professional office space is beneficial. To learn more, visit WeWork.com. I have not had the opportunity to use one of their office spaces yet, but I definitely plan on keeping them in mind. 

Mini Coffee Station

 

If there's one thing that will always be a staple in our kitchen, it's a coffee maker. My husband is an avid coffee drinker and he has been since the day we met. Morning, noon or night, he's almost always up for a cup (or two or three). 

I've seen many different types of coffee stations or coffee bars all over Pinterest. I was especially inspired by Katie Bower's desk turned coffee bar. Our kitchen isn't big enough to dedicate much counter space to making a true "station", or add a large piece of furniture, so I kept thinking of other ways to create something on a smaller scale.  

I've had this wooden wine rack in our living room for a few years. It feels like a tall end table. It's been serving as a wine-magazine-candle rack for quite a while. I wondered if it might just work as a mini coffee station. 

It's one of the first things you see when you walk into our house and is snugged right behind our kitchen table next to a bench. Anything bigger would be too much. 

I really wanted to incorporate shelving above to keep mugs and a sugar bowl. The shelves were already there, so all I had to do was re-style them. All you need is some type of stand - it could be an old dresser, hutch, desk, island, table, shelving unit, anything! Add your coffee maker and a basket or tray with supplies - coffee (of course!), filters, stir sticks, whatever you like. And lastly, some pretty mugs, sugar, and other fixin's. That's it! Cute, right?

Make sure you have something underneath your coffee maker if it's a wooden surface or something you'd rather not get wet. I used a round place mat. Andrew's favorite coffee is Wawa hazelnut. He buys some every time we go to Pennsylvania to keep his supply stocked.

I can also store my cookbooks and still use it for wine bottles. A perfect little multipurpose stand! I bought this inexpensive wine rack at Big Lots years ago. Check out the miscellaneous furniture section at similar stores for little gems like this. 

Cheers and happy coffee drinking!

White to Bright Style Challenge

Chairish, an online marketplace for buying and selling vintage furniture, invited me to participate in their White to Bright style challenge. The goal is to design a mix styles room, with a color scheme based around an accent chair. If you know me, you know that I like vintage furniture and I love styling rooms and picking out home decor. My kind of fun!

I selected to use their Bergere chairs with orange upholstery. Aren't they pretty? Great lines! As soon as I saw them, I knew they were the ones I wanted to design a room around. Since I have a tangerine wing back chair in my living room, that also happens to be a vintage find, I was all the more inspired. I'm not afraid of color and mixing old and new styles.  

I learned two cool things while designing this room. First, I discovered what Chairish is. It's such a great site for buying, selling and browsing. I could look around all day! So many unique pieces. And not just furniture, but lighting, art, rugs, small decor and more. What a wonderful way to be inspired - and keep your eye out for diamonds in the rough at garage sales and flea markets. Shop for Chairish accent chairs here.

Secondly, I discovered Polyvore. Am I the last one to know about this? It's got style boards, fashion, home decor, and trends galore. Seriously. Why didn't I know about this? You can make your own boards and pick and choose from hundreds and hundreds of images. It's a collage makers dream come true! If you're looking for a specific item, such as a blue ottoman, you can run a search and find every blue ottoman that's out there. Uh. Maze. Zing. When I was a little girl, I literally used to cut pictures of furniture out of magazines and glue them to paper to decorate pretend rooms. I was so ahead of my time!

Here is the room I created, based on the pair of orange Bergere chairs. I designed it in Photoshop (because I use it all the time and found it to be more flexible for me), but if you don't have Photoshop, Polyvore is your new BFF. 

What goes with orange? I chose navy blue and gray with gold accents. I'm still a fan of light gray walls. It's a wonderful neutral that almost any color can work with. The dark gray floor length curtains create a nice backdrop for the room. The orange chairs really hold their own, so I chose complimentary pieces that helped them stand out, yet look like they all belong together. I like how the gold lamp, mirror and chandelier add shine and sophistication, but aren't too fancy or ornate. The navy blue love seat pulls everything together and helps anchor the room. The blue and white ottoman plays off the love seat and adds another layer of texture and pattern. The rug also introduces a subtle pattern, with a warm straw color that works with everything and looks great against the wood flooring. 

I don't know about you, but I would like to live in this space! It feels modern with a vintage flair, yet looks comfortable and approachable. I'd say this room is definitely not boring white, but cheerful and bright! 

Thank you, Chairish for the opportunity to create a fun room! I hope you'll be as inspired as I was.

So Much to Say

 
I'm not very good at verbally communicating (just ask my husband). I've always preferred writing my thoughts and feelings. I often get tongue tied, forget what I was going to say or what I really wanted to say, doesn't come out quite right. And speaking in front of large crowds? Forget it. It's taken me years to be able to stand at the front of a room and present coherent material at a meeting.

Becoming a mom has caused me to feel more deeply and experience emotions on a whole new level. I find myself lacking the words to articulate my feelings, even more now. After waiting years to have our son, I wake up every day with the realization that we are so very lucky, blessed, to have him here with us. I get to see his smile every morning. I get to rock him to sleep every night. I get to play with him and watch him discover the world. He is bursting with life. Our God-sent gift of love.

Sadly, so many people aren't able to experience the same.

Very early this morning, a friend of mine gave birth to her second child. A precious baby boy, who lived for just 18 minutes. Minutes. She and her husband knew early on that their baby was not expected to live long after birth, yet they saw no other choice than to carry him to term. They welcomed him into their hearts, long before they met him. And today, they finally met him and also said goodbye to him, this side of heaven. Their daughter welcomed him into heaven and they are both with Jesus. Two babies they held in their arms are now in the arms of Jesus.

My heart is so broken for them. Knowing they were at the hospital yesterday, waiting for his arrival, I couldn't keep back tears. I still can't. I've been praying continually. Praying prayers that I don't even have words for. Praying that God would wrap His arms around them and comfort them like only He can. I think the glaring question in everyone's mind is, "Why, God?" We may never know the answer. But our God is still good. He is still faithful. Still in control. And to Him be the glory.

I look around me and there are children with cancer. Babies who need transplants. Kids who don't make it to their 5th birthday. It's beyond heart wrenching. My mom-heart aches for these families and wishes it would all just go away. Children don't deserve this. There is nothing right or fair about it. 

It makes me hug my baby boy a little tighter. Stare at him while he's sleeping a little longer. Kiss his sweet face a few more times. And one more kiss before I go to bed. It makes me thank God with all my heart that he is here, that he's healthy, that he's happy. It makes me pray harder for his health and well-being, but most of all, that he will love God with all his heart and live for his purpose. It makes me feel so undeserving. So blessed. Clinging tightly to every moment. Desiring to take it all in and not forget a single thing. Even on a frustrating day, there is so much to be thankful for.

Today, Marshall fell asleep on my shoulder. Lately he's been napping and sleeping in his crib the majority of the time. But today, he wanted to sleep in my arms. So I held him for almost and hour, even though my arm muscles started to burn and my back started to ache. I wanted to cradle him forever. Not everyone gets to do that. God has given me an amazing gift and I want to cherish that gift, every single day.

Sometimes no words are needed. You only need to hold tightly to the ones God has placed in your life. Those are the moments that say it all.

So, if things have been, and continue to be a little quiet around here, know that I am doing "mom things", taking care of my family, loving my husband and my son, and trying to be the woman God wants me to be. He has blessed me far abundantly beyond what I could ever hope for.

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

You guys. I made my first strawberry rhubarb pie and it was amazing. It was pretty easy too. I used this recipe as a guide for the filling and made my favorite box pie crust (Betty Crocker, the same crust that my Mom has always used for her apple pie).

Our friends recently moved into a new house and had an excess of rhubarb growing in their yard, and generously gave us a bouquet of it. Thanks James and Bethany! The first thing that came to my mind was starwberry rhubarb pie, even though I've never used rhubarb before. Isn't it pretty? The giant leaves are poisonous, I learned. The bright red stalks are for eating, but are very tart/bitter and need a lot of sweetening. 

Enter strawberries and sugar. A winning combination! Such beautiful red. 

I had fun rolling out the dough, making a lattice top (use a pizza cutter), and adding a pair of hearts, just to make it cute. I'm no good at crimping the pie crust edges so I just try to roll it down and make it look halfway decent! 

The top got a tiny bit too golden brown but I caught it just in time. It was still perfectly cooked with the right amount of flakiness. The filling was sweet and bubbly and gooey, almost like strawberry jam. Yum. 

I cut the first beautiful slice and I was hooked! It tasted better than I imagined.

I confess, I ate three quarters of this pie. All. By. Myself. Not in one sitting. 

In my defense, I'm the only one in my house who likes sweets (until Marshall can decide for himself). 

I did share two slices. 

This is why I can't bake pies. 

I am weak. 

Ingredients:
3 cups of sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups of sliced rhubarb stalks
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Splash of orange juice or lemon juice
Pie crust of your choice (2 if you do a lattice top)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat fruit.
Pour filling into prepared pie crust. 
Cut dough to form lattice top. Brush crust with milk and sprinkle granulated sugar on top, if desired. 
Bake for 55-65 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
If crust is browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil. 
Cool for 1 hour before serving.

Signs of Life

It's Spring, you guys! For real this time. Flowers are popping up, trees are budding, the grass is actually greener, creatures are reappearing, and the sun, oh, the sun is shining again! 

 

I am a huge fan of spring. Once winter has thawed and new life reawakens, it makes me feel so hopeful and happy. I gotta be honest, winter is such a drag! Physically and emotionally. I am thankful the snow is gone (for now), but the changing seasons make me appreciate the uniqueness of each time of year. 

I read a quote recently by Elisha Galotti, "Winter will give way to Spring, and if all we do is wait for the warmth of the next season, we'll miss the beauty of today." I just love that. 

I've been thinking a lot about life (and birth) since the arrival of our baby boy. There are so many sweet eye-opening truths to be learned from babies and how precious life really is and how beautiful our God is. The same God who made daffodils and silver frogs and the sun to rule the day, made you and I and everything that has breath. Despite all of the suffering and chaos that plagues this world, there is so much beauty to be seen and joy to experience. It's all around us.

I'm reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

Take a few moments to look around and breathe in the sweet aroma of spring. Know that God is there and He makes all things new!  

Housewarming Gift Basket

Our friends recently moved into a new home and I wanted to bring them a little housewarming gift. I was trying to think of something clever and simple that I haven't done before. After consulting Pinterest, I came across various versions of a "It's a Wonderful Life" inspired baskets. I really like the three wishes each ingredients sends. 

Bread, that this house may never know hunger. 
I picked up a rustic looking country loaf from the grocery store. If I had more time I would have baked it myself. 

Salt, that this life may always have flavor. 
I found a rather large gourmet sea salt grinder at Marshall's (my favorite store, of course). 

Wine, that joy and prosperity may reign forever.
Any bottle of wine or sparking grape juice is perfect. I wrapped it in a pretty tea towel to add color. 

All you need is a cute basket to hold them all and your gift is pretty much done.

FREE PRINTABLE TAGS
I designed my own tags, printed them on white card stock, cut them out and attached them with white baking string. Simply save and print the above page if you'd like to use them! Or you can hand write your own for a more personal touch.

Any new homeowner will be blessed by a sweet basket like this. 

Art Direction and Food Styling

Over the past two years in my career as a designer, I've had the opportunity to grow my skills in art direction and food styling. I've worked in the food and grocery industry for 16 years and food photography has become a favorite part of my job. I have worked on many different shots for food packaging as well as for ads and various marketing materials.

The most recent project at the top of my dream-job list was working on photography for Wegmans MENU magazine, winter 2015 issue. This was such an exciting opportunity for me because I've always wanted to work on a magazine.

Most people don't realize the amount of planning, preparation, equipment, time and intense attention to detail goes into one beautiful finished photograph. You definitely have to have patience and an eye for looking at details, noticing flaws and finding ways to make the subject look even more appealing. An absolute must when it comes to photography, especially food photography. My brain is wired for that type of work. It's actually more fun to me than work. I really enjoyed handpicking each green bean, looking for the most beautiful mushrooms, and selecting every garlic clove and herb in order to carefully compose the recipe setups. Not to mention selecting the perfect vessels, plates and surfaces. It really is an art! 

The theme of the winter issue is primarily colorful and flavorful Asian dishes with some really unique and beautiful ingredients. I learned a lot about Asian vegetables, some of which I had never used in cooking before. 

There are also sections showcasing products and other new recipes. I love the variety of both templated shots and beauty shots that allow more creativity.

Who wouldn't enjoy working with amazing cheeses and indulgent desserts? 

And everyone's favorite, pizza.

When the magazine is released, the pages are filled with appetizing images that make it look "simple." But it really takes an army, working behind the scenes (and camera) for everything to come together. Chefs, meal planners, photographers, designers, art directors, shoppers, editors - too many to name. It takes an entire team with a serious amount of teamwork. I was grateful to have people guiding me and teaching me throughout the project. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to be involved in the creative process and part of this amazing team. I learned a tremendous amount about food, food styling, art direction and photography.

If you haven't looked at a copy of MENU yet, I highly recommend you do. I am inspired with each issue. There are recipes for every type of home cook - don't be intimidated. You may even surprise yourself when you try a new recipe!