Good Morning! It’s still crisp and Fallish here but I am hearing rumors of snow in Maine already. So not ready for that. Today we get to head over to Maine (from the comfort of our own warm homes and NOT in the snow) to visit my friend Jennifer! Jennifer and I are “blog friends” and have gotten to know each other over the last year or so. When I started this blog and began reading blogs I kind of didn’t understand how bloggers could even really get to know each other. But I honest to goodness count Jennifer as a friend. I could hop on a plane today and spend a weekend with her and have a wonderful time without even thinking it was strange.  She and I have shared thoughts on all boy families, motherhood, job ideas and making a house a home.  I spotted her porch on another blog and clicked over one day and haven’t stopped visiting. You can visit her at her blog The Finest Kind of Life .  Here’s what Jennifer had to say about home…

For years I struggled with the “making a house a home” thing; I longed to be surrounded by beauty, but felt guilty fluffing up my house. Terribly guilty. Shouldn’t I give everything to the poor? The hurting? It’s not as if we are extraordinarily wealthy; we are a family of 5 on a high school teachers income. But we have so much more than so many…so why should I spend it on throw pillows? On fabric? On a rug? Isn’t that going too far?

It’s not going too far. {Whew, right?}

God made us for beauty, and He made us to help one another out. While we should prioritize giving and helping those in need (believe me, that is more important than a throw pillow!), we should also realize that by buying, we are giving.

My family is living in that stage of life where we have to be thrifty. Creative. Make new from old…make do. Paint samples (for actual painting projects, not just for color ideas) and fabric coupons are my best friends. Would I like that $2000, made in America sofa? Yes! Can I afford it? No! Will I be able to afford it someday? Maybe…and if I can, I will buy it in a heartbeat. Because I’m helping to support someone with that purchase. I’m supporting someone’s artistry and God-given talents. I’m keeping people in jobs and helping to fuel their passion with that purchase! My family has started a business, and it is SO exciting to have someone recognize our passion and support it. In return we are able to give to others; through gifts and donations; through purchasing materials for OUR business. Simple economics!

I bought a rug a few weeks ago; it was $100 on Overstock. Right now $100 is a big deal to us. But I had some Discover Card bucks (we do use a credit card, but pay it off monthly so we can use the reward dollars for fun things). I had enough to *almost* cover it, but I hit the “buy” button anyway, and we had to live on peanut butter and jelly for a few days before payday. It probably wasn’t the wisest use of my funds, to be completely honest. Sometimes I take the non-Dave Ramsey route, for sure. But tonight, my husband was sitting on the couch in our living room and commenting on how much he appreciated a clean, well decorated house to come home to. A house that has become “us”. Whose belongings aren’t being paid off on the charge card. {Albeit paid with a few pb & j’s, occasionally} So impulse buy be darned; I have a happy husband! Just remind me not to make a habit out of it, ok?

We’re all at different stages in life, financially. We try to honor God by being wise with our funds, by staying out of debt, by giving as He leads. After that, if we can afford to add a little beauty to our house…I believe He’s all for it!!

this is the porch that made me want to know Jennifer…isn’t it so cute?! The bunting, the hand painted signs, I can just imagine relaxing out there while kiddos nap!

Jennifer recently refinished her dining room. I love the beadboard wallapaper, family photos, chevron fabric!!

I love the monogram over the bed that Jennifer MADE!  Crazy. Thinking this might be added to my wishlist. Jennifer’s shop is 163 Design Company. She and her parents are hand making gorgeous things! A year ago she was dabbling in some sign making and now she owns a company! Very fun stuff!  Another great place to scope out Christmas gifts for family or add to your own wishlist.

Have a great day y’all!

So I have talked here a bit on hospitality and sharing what you have. Sometimes hospitality isn’t about having people into your space but about sending out a bit of what you have! In the midst of the penny pinching and meal planning and planning for our next family celebration we can get um…a tad bit focused on us. I have worked hard to make sure that taking care of others is part of our weekly schedule.  It doesn’t always have to be but it is often in the form of nourishing others!  No matter how bad the economy is I feel like we can all find ways to share what we have with others.

We are off to our nieces and nephew’s baptism this morning so I don’t have lots of time but I thought I would post a little fall treat mix recipe that is 5 mins of work to mix up but is nice to pass on to co-workers and neighbors.  We first had this little snack mix at my friend Annie’s house. So this is in no way anything I made up! It’s easy, peazy but so yummy!

Mix together the following in a big bowl:

salted peanuts

golden raisins

candy corn

reece’s pieces peanut butter candies

almonds

pecans

Use whatever ratios you like. ou can make this mix as healthy as you want. For our batch I did plain almonds and pecans but added the salted peanuts. The salted peanuts added enough salt for flavor but kept the snack on the healthier side. I am all about my kids getting a candy corn or reece’s here or there if they are also getting a handful of nuts too!  And you could also do it more like a chex mix substituting the extra nuts with chex cereal.

Grab a few baggies and some fall color ribbon and fill’em on up. Have them handy for friends or neighbors. Jackson took some to his teachers who had a work afternoon ahead of them. Another bag went to my friend Bonnie who was working long shifts in the ER. They were so thankful for a little treat! Throw the rest in a jar for snacks for your family.

Happy Fall! (I know it’s sneaking away from us and winter is on it’s way, but we will enjoy it while it’s here)

When I was growing up we had a cookie jar. My mom was home during our early school years and I can remember many of our snacks being something homemade.  Until recently we didn’t have a cookie jar. I finally found a big glass jar at a garage sale and it does the job!

About a month ago I started a little tradition with Jackson of baking on Sunday afternoons. We don’t make anything fancy. Normally just something to fill the cookie jar for the week to come. It isn’t really about the cookies or muffins, although they do make good after school snacks and treats for lunch boxes. It’s more about spending time being together in our home away from the distractions. The rest of the week we bustle and keep so busy without really producing much to show for our busyness. On Sundays we go to church and spend the rest of the day relaxing and make it a point not to make big plans. Our Sunday baking is a relaxing activity (minus the egg rolling off on to the floor and things going in far from the recipes directions) that allows me to steal a little one on one time with Jackson who is gone so much of his days now in school.

Last Sunday we made simple peanut butter cookies, oh if you could have seen my boy pressing cookies with the fork…made.his.day. These cookies pictured above are from Gina’s Skinny Taste blog. They were the Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Pecan Cookies.  I try to look for recipes that will be healthy and also a bit of a treat. I was pleased with these because Owen thought he was getting cookies and I knew he was getting oats, pumpkin, nuts…I think I will try these homemade granola bars next.

I am off to help with the MOPs fall consignment sale. If any of you are local and want to get over to Ashburn today I will be there helping out and would love to see you! It is going to be a madhouse of people scrambling for bargains.  And Seth is at home POTTY TRAINING the O man! The mad house of shoppers doesn’t sound so bad now does it!?    Have a great Saturday, y’all!

Is it really Friday already?! The days sure feel long at times but the weeks are flying by!!  We have a packed weekend but today I have the entire day to conquer the house and get us all set for the busy!  And just a slight distraction, I am going to have Owen’s first day of underoos!! Let the potty training fun begin!  I seriously got tempted this time around to just let him potty train himself someday when he cares. But that didn’t seem so socially acceptable. My second thought was to wait until winter and pray that we get snowed in like we did when Jackson potty-trained. We were in the house for 6 days straight during Snowmageden and voila, he was good to go!  But being snowed in is so inconvenient so I will move forward and take care of this beast without complaining. Speaking of complaining…I was reading Little House on the Prairie last night with Jackson (no it’s not a girls only book) and there is a part where Laura is upset that they can’t camp yet.  Oh, heck, let me just share this passage with you.

Then Ma said, “Laura”. That was all, but it meant that Laura must not complain. So she did not complain any more outloud, but she was still naughty, inside. She sat and thought complaints to herself. ” Little House on the Prairie pg 15

Oh My! My kids have not learned the art of the internal complaint, I am pretty sure I hear them all audibly. So I might be good about not complaining to you all throughout the potty-training process but I might complain to myself!  And I will for sure complain to Seth out loud!

Back to savoring home…

Well, the boys get the prize. Their rooms are certainly the most fun!  Like the other rooms in the house they are primarily thrifted or gifted things throughout. When we moved in I spent the first few days putting the boys rooms together. I felt like it was really important for them to have the security of their own space with their own things after a ton of travel and uncertainty. It’s always been my goal for my kids rooms to have pictures of the people that love them, pictures of them as babies (so I can pretend they are still that little) and then I want them to be able to grow into their spaces (which just means there isn’t really a theme or age specific thing necessarily, just boy stuff.)

Owen’s room

Each room is currently sporting paper blinds! Owen utilizes his the most..can’t you tell?!

I pinned book shelves like these a year ago on Pintrest and had all but given up on doing them. Somehow my trips to Lowe’s with the boys to look for gutters to cut just got the best of me. I went to a little flea market with my friend Bonnie a month ago and happened upon these curio shelves for $1 each, with the drill holes already in them. Saved our marriage! I love the shelves that Leigh’s dad built but I knew we couldn’t pull them off and Owen’s space is pretty limited on that wall. so when I found these 3 shelves that fit perfectly in his space I knew it was a flea market miracle!

Owen’s quilt makes me smile. My friend Nina sewed it for him and it matches Jackson’s cowboy fabrics (just in case they share a room in the future). Reminds me of Nina every time I hop on Owen’s bed to read with him! If we are lucky Nina will share her sewing room in Poland with us!! Crackers the puppy and Owen’s bunny from Annie O guard the bed.

this is a significant decoration in Owen’s room. This clock is mom’s best friend!

if Owen’s room looks too clean it’s because we have actually limited his room to just books and a few toys that are tucked away. His little early bird self was pulling out the toys at 5 AM or earlier so we just keep it clear.

Owen’s room is painted in Sanctuary (I think it’s a Behr color from home depot…maybe a Martha Stewart from home depot) but it is a little darker than I had planned but still nice.

Jackson’s room

Jackson’s room is probably the most fun….he has the most unnecessary decoration in the house which is a real saddle (a garage sale find that made my husband wonder if I had lost my mind).  I said I don’t go with themes but Jackson’s room is kind of a cowboy room. Every kid that steps into our home hops on to that saddle and loves it.  Jackson’s room was originally a study so it has lots of built in shelving! I have tried to make a shelf for each place he has lived and then mix in things he likes, his artwork, etc. He has a few shelves that I “let” him do. Most of them are still a work in progress. The red armoire is the one we found on the side of the road in Switzerland and finished with maps on the inside.  And that Saturday Post print could not be more like Jackson!

Aunt Sue, can you see the calf on the shelf by his bed?! That is a mainstay, in every suitcase and on every trip!

Jackson’s room is painted Teatime by Behr at Home Depot, it too is a bit darker than I should have done for the room size but it is cozy. We call it peanut butter color!

I am definitely savoring the little boyness that is going on these days and I love that their rooms reflect that. I feel like the days are flying by right now and I just want to enjoy them while they are little. Just not savoring the potty-training. Ok, I complained to you. To my credit, his first pair of undies this morning lasted less than 5 mins. Less than 5 mins.