Coaster to Coaster

The weekend is almost here, I can feel it. I should be working on my couch slipcovers, but here I am instead. Blogging and listening to my new Diana Krall jazz CD. It's very relaxy taxi.

My creative friend, Crafty Christy emailed me some photos from our ladies craft night, that we had a couple months ago. We made some beautiful tile coasters, based on the tutorial found at Style Me Pretty.

There, you'll find a step by step guide along with the materials you'll need:
• 4x4 inch plain ceramic tiles (white ones at Lowes are only 16 cents each! Talk about an affordable project.))
• scrapbook paper
• Mod Podge
• foam brushes
• cork with adhesive backing (We found rolls at Joann Fabrics. Make sure to look for the one with adhesive)

I'm feeling lazy, so I'm not going to re-type all of the instructions because Style Me Pretty did that for us! (It's this relaxing CD I tell ya!) Didn't they turn out great?

The cork was a little tricky to put on. It does tend to tear a bit if you're not careful during cutting. And it is VERY sticky (as Crafty Christy found out). We had a blast making them, and kept having to go to Lowes for more tiles, because we wanted to make more! They made beautiful Christmas gifts. Sets of four, tied up with ribbon, wrapped with paper, or presented in a little box.

We did run into a little "situation" with the Polycrylic sealer stage. Some of them started to bubble up at first. I think it had something to do with the drying time between applying coats, possibly the moisture in the basement where we were crafting, and maybe temperature? Crafty Christy, would you like to explain what happened? (She's the engineering brains of this operation, not me)

In the end, they still turned out great. Now you have no excuse for putting your drink on something unstylish. Or worse yet, putting your drink on a bare coffee table. Go make some!

Snowy Soupy Day

 

January is here. In full force. The current temperature is 12 degrees F, but it feels like -3! Brrrrrrrr. There's my hard-working husband, sweeping snow off my car and shoveling the driveway so we could go to church this morning. What better way to warm you up on a day like this, than some homemade chicken soup? That's what's simmering on the stove right now. I love making chicken soup. It's so easy and inexpensive, and makes a lot. I vary the ingredients each time, depending on what vegetables I want to use. Here is the basic recipe (feel free to add your own spin to it):

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken fryer (or rotisserie chicken)
1 48oz can reduced sodium chicken broth
celery
onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
carrots (I buy the pre-sliced ones to save time)
sliced mushrooms (or other vegetable of choice)

baby spinach (I didn't have any this time, but I usually add a whole bag at the end)
Spices of choice (parsley, pepper, garlic salt, etc.) 
small pasta (if you would like to serve it with noodles)


Directions:
Start by heating olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Add chopped garlic and onions and saute until softened. Wash off the whole chicken and remove excess skin or fat (this is the worst part! I cringe every time I have to handle "the bird"). Place whole chicken into the stock pot with the garlic and onions, and add 48oz can of chicken broth. Add enough water to almost completely cover the chicken. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then simmer/boil until chicken is cooked through. I don't know exactly how long it took, but it was about an hour or so. Once chicken meat is white and cooked, remove chicken from pot and place on a plate to cool. Reduce heat. Skim fat/excess oil/onions and garlic off the top of the broth and discard. Chop vegetables and add to the broth (celery, additional onions/scallions, carrots, mushrooms) as well as desired spices (parsley, pepper, garlic salt).
While vegetables start cooking in the broth, remove and shred meat off of the cooled chicken, into a bowl (make sure chicken is in bite size pieces). Once chicken is cleaned (I consider myself to be an expert chicken cleaner, is that a skill?), add it to the soup. Bring everything back up to a simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add spinach last, and allow to wilt. I usually cook a small size pasta in a separate pan, and add it to the soup only when it's time to eat. I have found that adding pasta to the whole pot, tends to make the pasta mushy and not-so-great when it's re-heated.

There you have it - hot chicken vegetable soup for a cold winter's day. Enjoy and stay warm!



 

Happy New Year!

Happy new year! I wish you health, happiness and many blessings in 2010. Looking back on 2009, I have so much to be thankful for ~ wonderful family & friends, a cozy home that keeps me warm in the winter and cool in the summer (and I get to decorate it!), a great job, good health, and the list could go on and on.

Many people are picking one word or phrase as the theme of their new years resolution(s). I think I will too. I could probably write a mile long list of goals, accomplishments and improvements for this year, but I think keeping it focused on one or two is a much more achievable task. Don't you?

This year, my word is Gratitude and my action is Love. I consider myself to be generally thankful. I try not to take things for granted and rarely forget to say "Thank you". But I want to have an attitude of sincere gratitude, at work, at home, with my family and friends, and most importantly gratitude to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's far too easy to look around at the things that others have, and start the comparison game. Instead of seeing what I think I may be lacking, I want to focus on all the things that I have been blessed with. And to put my gratitude into practice, I want to exude more love. Not just saying "I love you" here and there, or doing nice things for people because I feel like it's the right thing to do. Really and truly loving others. Love demonstrated toward my husband, my family, my friends, co-workers, strangers at the grocery store, even crazy drivers during traffic (I may need to add patience to my list for that one!).  I believe that the more grateful you are in your heart, the more love you will have to show. I want to be that kind of person. "We love him, because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Here's to 2010!

Cinnamon Honey Butter Recipe

I found a recipe for Cinnamon Honey Butter at Fly Through Our Window, a beautiful blog. I like cinnamon, I like honey, and I like butter, so I decided this edible gift project was way too cute not to try, so I did. I think I had more fun decorating the adorable little glass jars and designing my own gift tags than actually mixing up the butter! It made a great Christmas gift. I brought some with us to my in-laws, and we went through 2 jars at breakfast!

Ingredients/Supplies:
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of honey
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
4oz. canning jars (or larger size of choice)
Square fabric scraps
Raffia, ribbon or string
Tag

I used my hand mixer and whipped the butter. Then I added the powdered sugar, then honey, then cinnamon. Continue whipping, scrapping sides, until blended and creamy smooth. Spoon into jars. What could be easier? And so delicious? I love it on toast.

 DOWNLOAD AND PRINT *FREE* TAGS BELOW

 

Some Christmas Snapshots

"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS." Luke 1:31

Merry Christmas! December 25th was a few days ago, but my husband and I were in Pennsylvania, celebrating with family, so there simply wasn't any time for blogging. I feel so far behind on all the posts floating around in my head. I still want to finish highlights from my trip to Arizona. I have a few handmade crafts and gifts that I can now share, since the recipients have received them, and I won't spoil the surprise. I am currently MOST excited about our latest furniture rearranging in our living room and dining room. I've got the itch to switch up our decor! AND I hesitate to say, I am attempting to sew slip covers for our love seat AND couch. I hesitate, because I have the feeling that very soon I will be very frustrated along the slip-cover-making process, and may want to give up, but I really want to do this! My husband wants a "new" couch too, so he is encouraging me to do it. By New Years. Not gonna happen. But soon. I am determined!

Here are a few snapshots of our Christmas this year, with some of our favorite people in the whole world. I only wish that all of our loved ones could be together during this wonderful time of year. We are truly blessed to have family and friends that we love so much and that love us. Most of all, the love of our Savior. A Savior who loved us so much, that He came to earth. "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10

I am so blessed to have such caring and hospitable in-laws. They go out of their way to make Christmas memorable and enjoyable for all of us.

My beautiful sister-in-law and her husband, who traveled through the night from Ohio to be with us.

My niece Sydney, adorable, full of energy, and says the funniest things.


My niece Morgan, cute as a button, smiley, and absolutely cuddly.


Our annual family photo in front of the tree.

Ariel view of the tree that we decorated together after Church on Christmas Eve.


Who could resist a felt ornament shaped like a bell, with this adorable face on it? Yes, this is my chubby-cheeked husband, just a little guy way back when. So cute!

And he's even cuter and handsomer now! I am so blessed to have an amazing husband, every day of the year, and especially on Christmas.

The joy of Christmas morning!

Christmas Music Favorite

This is definitely one of my favorite Christmas CD's. I never get sick of it, year after year. I love the piano, the songs, and the nostalgic feeling that it gives me. "Christmas time is here, families drawing near, oh that we could always see such spirit through the year..."

Arizona '09 Part 1

Hello all! Are you in countdown mode? Only 5 days until Christmas! That's right, only FIVE days. I am looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior with family in Pennsylvania. I was blessed to see my parents who live in Arizona, earlier this month. That was a present in itself! After being back in winter-y NY for a week now, I still haven't shared any of my trip with you. But then again, I have been back to work, shopping, crafting, trying to decorate the house a bit. I'm sure you can understand that!

So, here is part 1 of my trip to AZ, starting with the flight. This may not seem very interesting or even important, but I actually enjoy flying. I used to love it when I was younger. There's just something about being up in the clouds on a sunny morning, removed from the world below, watching earth get smaller and smaller until all you see is a sea of clouds. I have been on many flights and I still always want to capture the clouds (click on the photos to see up close, it's way better!).


At one point it looked like a cloud carpet. A friend once said "Doesn't it look like the softest stuff you've ever seen? It makes you want to wrap yourself up in it and take a nap." All too true. "Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds." Psalm 36:5

The whole concept of flying still boggles my mind. I know, I know, there's aerodynamics, physics, Newton's laws, and a whole lot of other scientific reasons why planes fly. But it's still amazing. It just is. You know what else is amazing? Being able to watch HGTV at 30,000 feet, especially when you don't have cable at home!


I must say, I was glued to every house-hunting, remodel and decorating show there was. One right after the next. THIS was a great start to my vacation.

You know what else I like about flying? Airplane food. Call me crazy, but nothing gets me more excited in air, than the moment the flight attendants roll the cart down the aisle with mini-size bags of pretzels, soda, water or juice. Better yet, my flight served lunch! Unbeknown to me. Thumbs up for Continental Airlines. I didn't think airlines served meals for free anymore. (Although, I guess it's not really "free" since I bought a ticket and paid to check my luggage. But it still felt free.)


I dined on a cheeseburger (which was quite good), salad and M&M's for dessert. I considered saving my M&M's for later, but decided they must be eaten immediately. Typical.

So I was flying along, watching TV and enjoying snacks, ready for a week of relaxation and warm weather. The longest stretch of my flight was about 5 hours, so I was anxious to arrive, stretch my legs and see my family. As the plane neared Phoenix around sunset, the mountains looked incredible. It is a sight to see, miles of mountains, fading into a sky of pinks and purples. "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Psalm 90:2

When I arrived, we headed to P.F. Chang's China Bistro for dinner. This was my first time at the much acclaimed restaurant, and it did not disappoint. Delicious! Here we are (there's really only one of me, but this is what it would look like if I had a twin). Do you think I look more like my Mom or Dad?


So much to say, so little time! More to come in part 2.