Friday, November 14, 2008

Getting To Know You: A Journey With Purpose

About Me:
Hello!
My name is Jacy, married for four and a half years to the bestest husband ever, Benji. We have two little boys, Noah (3) and Ryder (1) who bring so much joy to our lives.
God has brought a lot of things our way, including a job that keeps Benji away from home, four days out of the week, while I stay home with the boys teaching their little minds all God wants them to know, all while on a quest to build a home and call it our own, wherever that may be and only time will tell.
We are a family, passionately striving to follow Jesus Christ and his will for our lives. This journey will undoubtedly bring many obstacles before us, but it is our prayer that in Happy moments we will praise him, Difficult moments we will seek him, Quiet moments we will worship him, Painful moments we will trust him and Every moment we will THANK him.
Define Home:

I currently live in a home where I can not call my own.
We are, for the time being, staying with my in-laws until we are able to find a place to build.
So as you can imagine my longing for this word home, I am, in my own words, about to define.
HOME is a place your heart is, and longs for when you've been gone. It's a place to worship, a place to Love, a place to feel safe and secure, a place to feel comfort, a place where you raise your children in, then later in life hear them say, "this is my home." It's a place to go when your day has been more than stressful and your eyes cry as soon as you step foot in. It's a place where you can be happy, free, laugh uncontrollably and occasionally snort. It's a place where you can go from the shower through the kitchen, down the hall and to the bedroom with no worries. A place to be your self. A place to throw parties and dinners and holidays and feel cozy and inviting..
It's a place to be a family.

And since I don't have a home of my own to share with you here are a few snippets of what I would LOVE to have in the home we build...hopefully sometime next year.




Decorating Elements:
I love color, soft greens, earthy browns, robins egg blues, burnt oranges, accenting those colors with the basics, I love vintage, sheer white curtains, polka dots, chair rail, white crispy cabinets, black and white photos, I love a pretty dish set, sand dollars, pillows, peg boards covered with pictures and cards, a refrigerator covered in hand paintings and abc magnets, home made crafts, books galore, my willow tree collection, wrap around sectionals, wooden letter words old lanterns, grand pianos, flowers on my kitchen table, archways and oh my goodness...the list could go on when the holidays come around!!
I've always thought less is more. Simple and Clean is inviting and still warm and cozy feeling.
Favorite Creative Outlet:
writing, blogging, crafty things, magazines, color, fabrics, photography, scrap booking, sewing, my boys, cooking, baking, reading...I love all these things they would be considered my passion.
Where do you find Inspiration:
Every where! Including all the above!
Mostly blogging, BH&G, Martha Stewart, Pottery Barn, magazines, reading, my boys, writing children stories oh the list could really go on and on and on....
Favorite Color:
The hardest thing to answer.
For my home I would love to use browns, burnt oranges, soft blues, light olive greens, with a dab of reds, maybe some lavender somewhere.
I wear a lot of rich green, red, orange, lavender and brown. I think those look best on me.
You'll never catch me in pink...ugh unless I have a summer tan it completely washes me out...same for yellow!
Book Recommendation:
I know this book would have nothing to do with this subject, but I'd have to say
Shepharding A Child's Heart by Ted Tripp.
I could read it a thousand times and learn something new each time.
I love it!
A Tried and True Recipe:
Spicey Sweet Chili

8 oz. boneless beef top sirloin or top round steak
Nonstick cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1 cup water
1 15 1/4-oz. can pineapple tidbits (juice pack), undrained
1 15- to 15 3/4-oz. can chili beans with chili gravy, undrained
1 14 1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Dairy sour cream (optional)
Directions
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 3/4-inch pieces. Lightly coat an unheated 4-quart Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add meat, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir until meat is brown and onion is tender.
2. Carefully stir in the water, pineapple, chili beans with gravy, tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes or until meat is tender. If desired, serve with sour cream. Makes 5 or 6 servings.
Corners of My Home:
or rather corners of my room.
It's small but it's cozy and I have a lot to look forward to!


I will spare you any pictures of the boys room or their play room. It's a mess lol and I have a lot of clothes to put away!!
Favorite Household Tip:
My mother use to always tell me "smile when you clean, it will go by much faster."

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

A Happy Handmade Christmas


Welcome to our
Happy Handmade Christmas Swap
!


With the focus of this Christmas Season
being on less consumerism
and more things made from the heart
we thought we would focus on something
that was less "big box"
and more "home made."

Don't think you have to sew
to be in this swap!
In fact, we are finding more fun things to do
that are made in the kitchen
or at the craft table
than at the sewing machine or off the knitting needles.

Stamped ribbons, embellished cards,
garlands, wreaths, boxes full of goodies,
cookies and gingerbread houses, oh my!
Put some Christmas music on, browse through our
posts of inspiration (coming soon!) and
sign up for our swap to join in on some
happy handmade Christmas!


1. When can I sign up?: right now! Deadline is Sat. Nov. 15.

2. Who’s my partner?: We will send out your partner info via e-mail around Nov. 15 or 16

3. What goes into a package?: Anything handmade!
Stamped gift tags, scraped Christmas cards,
a handmade garland or banner,
some delicious cookies along with the recipes,
a jingle bell wreath, handmade soaps or lotions,
your own designed earrings or bracelet,
burn a CD full of all of your favorite songs,
an ornament that you knitted, sewed, glued, or folded,
homemade bath salts, handmade candies,
an advent calender, or a December Daily binder.


If you would like you could also throw in some:
beautiful tissue paper, bright colored ribbons, twine,
raffia, colored or striped tape, tulle,
small items to be tied on top of packages,
Christmas scrapbook papers, Christmas fabric scraps,
Christmas buttons, Holiday stickers,
vintage Christmas sheet music,
a candle or two of your favorite Holiday scent,
some tea for calming frazzled nerves, a delicious treat.

4. How to I join in on all this fun?: send us an email at


with the following details
- first and last name
- postal address
- email address
- blog address (if you have one)
- describe your Christmas/Holiday
colors and theme in a few sentences.


Packages to be sent by Saturday, Dec. 6th

Please note: This is an International swap, so if you do not want to ship internationally,
please let us know in your email.

5. How much should this package be worth or How do I know how much to send?: We would like everyone to make one handmade gift item for their partner
and include a CD of your favorite Christmas music or a Christmas magazine issue that has inspired you this Holiday season. Anything extra, is up to you.
In the spirit of the swap, let's try to keep the monetary expenditures at a minimum
but the joy of the season at a maximum. :)


Sunday, November 02, 2008

Introductions: Aminta

Hello Ladies!
I have been a member on here for awhile, but I guess I never introduced myself properly. :)
So, here goes!

About Me: I am THE wife to a wonderful, hard working, hard core "boy". Who comes home to us in the evenings instead of the numerous things he could be doing. We have been married for almost six years, YAY!!! We have one daughter, Faith (April '99), and two sons, Nelson (Nov. '03) and Beau (Dec. '06). I home-school Faith and am starting "Sonny" this year......very slowly. Slowly because he is not interested. Therfore I must slowly interest him. I love, love, love to sew, bake and be with my little family. I have really enjoyed our few times away to just enjoying eachothers company. Those are my favorite times. I am from a family of TEN. EIGHT children and two parents. My mother and I enjoy visiting with eachother and encouraging one another in our Faith along with our craftyness. :) I love each of my family members, and am very close to a few. Time and distance along with different personalities in a large family and the dissolve of my parents marriage has left a large family in a bit of turmoil. Time will heal (with Gods direction).



Decorating Elements/Favorite Colors: Neutrals, browns, tans, greens, blues, reds and a little bit of burnt orange for good measure. Autumn colors. Warmth. Cozy. Pottery-Barn-y. Beachy. Cottage-y. Romantic. Ecclectic. Vintage (more 60's then anything). Scandinavian. But, mostly an ecclectic mix of cozy.


Inspirations: OH....this is a fun, but difficult one for me to answer. I find beauty in everything (almost), as long as I have my eyes open. Open to the beauty of that which surrounds you. Custume home-y. Nature. Sunrise, Sunset. Grass. Mud. Falling leaves. My sister Chelle, My Mother, My sisters. My brothers. My hubby. My children. Heather Bailey. Anna Maria Horner (especially her house!!!)My friends on the internet......... smiles!
FABRIC! Scrappy designs. Laura (my friend). Christ. My kids. My amazingly taltented Petie.




Define Home: Hmmm....... heaven. For this place is only temporary.
No, I mean, yes it is, but that is not what this question asked for.
So, I really feel at home in a place that is clean and cozy, where I am excepted and loved for who I am. My home is home. My family is home. My hubby is home. My children, home.
Creative Outlets: I do love to sew. I adore to create things for my little family and others. Sewing. Sewing. Sewing. I also love to bake. Baking for my family and others gives me peace. I just hate the mess it creates! lol LOVE fabrics. Textures to work with.......


Recipe We Induge In: Home-made Chicken Fettecinni. Nelson loves it so much he closes his eyes to eat. And now, everytime Beau gets hungry he asks for "ticken". :)


Favorite Spot In My House: Hmmmm..... there are so many! I love my sewing room, our "sitting" room, our dinning room, our front porch.................... my bed! Lol!





Household Tip: Hmmm....... Get organized before you have children. Because I find it almost impossible to get to it now that I have three! Other then that, I have no idea..... Oh wait! I try to wash each dish as I bake and cook, to minimize dishes. My hands are my dish washer and has been most of my life. I am soo looking forward to a plug in, on button push away, dishwasher one day!
So there you have it! That is me, and my life in a very small nut shell.