home is where my story begins...

Family Bibles

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It’s probably because I love antiques and I’m fascinated by family history, but somehow I ended up being the keeper of the family bibles.  They are tattered and worn, but so beautiful.  I love that each one tells its own story. Most of our bibles tell who they belonged to and the year they were given inside the cover.

My grandma and grandpa, on my mom’s side, both had fathers who were preachers.  I can just image how they must have lived with their bibles at their sides.  To hold something that belonged to my great grandfather, and is over 100 years old, feels really special.

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Every time I look through them, I find little treasures tucked inside.  Today, I found a letter that my grandpa wrote to his father for Father’s Day in 1941.  He described the job he had just taken in a garage in downtown Seattle and assured his father that he was living a Christian life that he could be proud of.

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I know I’ve written about this before, but my favorite thing is that there are notes written in the margins of the bibles. There is something about handwriting that makes me feel a bit more connected to my past.  Seeing handwritten notes, always in cursive, helps me to see what was important back then.

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Being the keeper of the family bibles has inspired me to start Bible Journaling.  If you are not familiar with this, check it out on Pinterest.  My hope is that someday my great grandchildren will love to see my notes, doodles, and art (if I can even call it that) left behind for them.

Happy journaling!

Cookie Friday

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Yes, I know it’s Saturday, but I needed to share my love for Cookie Friday.

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I’ve been baking cookies on Friday for as long as my kids have been in school.  I thought it was a great treat after a long week, and my kids usually had friends over after school.  My kids go to school with their cousins, from both sides of the family, and they’d often find their way to my house on Friday afternoon for warm cookies.  I tried to time it so the cookies were still warm when they all arrived.

When I went back to work full time, I started baking on Thursday night so cookies would be ready for the kids after school. Some weeks, I just couldn’t do it.  Teaching full time is exhausting and, for those of you who don’t know me in-real-life, I’m sick ALL the time.  Sometimes there is no energy for cookie baking.  Well, I’m back working part time this year and I’m happy to say that Cookie Friday is back in full force!  (I’ve also been trying to LIMIT myself to only baking on Friday. I’ll let you know how that goes. I really love to bake!)

This recipe is my classic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  This time I just swapped out the chocolate chips for M&M’s.  As a side note, I don’t do this very often because the M&M’s have dye in them and there is one member of our family who does not react well to dyes.

Here’s the recipe:
1 Cup Crisco shortening (original, not butter flavor)
3/4 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup white sugar
Mix until soft and fluffy.

Add:
2 Eggs
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix just until blended.

Dry ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
Mix it up and add a bag of M&M’s or chocolate chips.  With M&M cookies, I find that they are prettier if you also add a few candies to the top just before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

Welcome back, Cookie Friday.  Welcome back.

Homemade Bread and Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Yesterday was Veteran’s Day and the kids and I were given the gift of time.  It was a day off in the middle of the week that we all needed.  My daughter’s Veteran’s Day concert was the night before and it was a great concert.  She didn’t seem like her perky self, but I didn’t really think much of it… until the fever set in.  I guess if you have to get sick, it’s best to do it on a day off from school.  So, my daughter was down and out, my son wanted to hang out with friends, and I’m just trying to take it easy and ride out my back pain.  In the midst of resting and relaxing, I decided that it was a good day for baking bread and cookies.  Ok, when is it NOT a good day for baking bread and cookies??
I started with the bread because it’s the easiest.  Friends, I know you may think this sounds crazy, but homemade bread is the easiest treat ever!  I use the same recipe that my mom always did when I was growing up.  Sometimes I will use whole wheat flower instead of white, but it’s always the same basic recipe.  I make the dough in my bread machine, on the dough cycle, because it makes the process SO much easier.  Once the dough is ready I put it into bread pans to rise again.  I don’t like the way my bread machine cooks the bread, so that’s why I just use the dough cycle.
If you don’t own a bread machine, you can buy one for CHEAP at Goodwill.  I use mine on a regular basis and I actually have two because it makes the double batches of cinnamon rolls so much easier.
If you’re ready to try some easy homemade bread, here’s my recipe:
Ingredients:
1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups scalded milk
1 Tbsp shortening
6 cups flour
(white, whole wheat, or a combination)
2 Tbsp sugar
2tsp salt
Combine yeast and warm water.  Let it rest for about 10 minutes.  Scald the milk and add the shortening so that it melts.  Put the milk mixture into the bread machine first. Add the rest of the dry ingredients on top of the milk.  Then, pour the yeast mixture on the very top.  Set your bread machine to the dough cycle and wait for it to beep at you!  Once it has risen in the machine, form into loaves and let rise again until it has doubled in size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Tips:
DON’T BE AFRAID OF YEAST!
Yeast is very easy to work with and shouldn’t be intimidating. When I dissolve the yeast in the warm water, I make sure the water feels slightly warmer than bathtub water.  If it is super hot, it will kill the yeast.  If you use cold water, it won’t activate.  I also make sure the milk is about that same temperature.  Finally, when I let the bread rise in the pans, I usually turn on my oven to preheat and just set the pans on the stove.  It gives the pans just enough warmth to help them rise.

In addition to homemade bread, it was also a chocolate chip cookie kind of day.  Luckily, one kiddo was napping and the other was at a friends house, so I just ate all of the cookies myself and hid the evidence.  Ok, just kidding on that one.  Actually, after baking the cookies, I put them all into individual baggies and into a freezer container.  That way, as the kids are making their lunches, they can pull out a bag of 2 cookies and put it into their lunches. By the time lunch rolls around, the cookies have thawed and are ready to eat.  

Here’s the recipe:
1 Cup Crisco shortening (original, not butter flavor)
3/4 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup white sugar
Mix until soft and fluffy.

Add:
2 Eggs
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix just until blended.

Dry ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Mix it up and add 8-12 oz of chocolate chips.

Bake for 10 minutes (or less) at 350 degrees. My oven is a standard oven, not convection, and this is what I do.

I didn’t check a bunch of items off of my To Do list on Veteran’s Day, but I did get to spend time with my kids, rest, and do a little baking.  All in all, I’d say that’s a productive day.

Happy baking!

Antiques That Tell Your Family Story

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I love filling my home with things that have history. I don’t spend a lot of time shopping antique and thrift stores. (Although I wish I had the time and money to browse antique stores.) Most of my treasures come from family members, so I really appreciate the history behind these pieces.

 

The pocket watches belonged to my step-dad and grandpa. I love holding something in my hand that they held onto for so many years.

 

This sewing machine was in a corner of my parents’ garage for years, before it found a home in my craft room.

 

There is nothing more meaningful than holding your great-grandmother’s Bible. There are even handwritten notes inside from church services and Bible studies.


When we were going through my grandma’s old suitcases, we opened one and found her wedding dress and my grandpa’s WWII army uniform. Many years before, she told us she had thrown them away because they were tattered. It was amazing to find them in perfect condition inside a suitcase in her garage.

The flower garden quilt is from my husband’s side of the family. His grandma sent it home with me after a visit to her house. It is very tattered, but I just have the good part of the quilt poking out of the basket. The star quilt was made my great grandmother and the picnic basket belonged to my grandma and grandpa.

This one was made my great grandmother and my great, great grandmother as a wedding gift for my grandparents. The patterned fabric was made from old shirts and dresses. They didn’t have a lot of money and they used the scraps they had available.

I can’t say I purposefully fill my home with antiques. I don’t seek them out, scour thrift shops, or shop ebay for a great deal. I fill my home with these treasures because each piece has a story.

What story does your home tell?

Decorating With Old Books – Loving Family History

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My husband calls it old junk, but I love home decor that has some sort of history.  I think he may be coming around a bit.  Recently, when we went away for the weekend, I convinced him to wander the antique mall for a few minutes.  He actually said that it wasn’t the worst part of the weekend.  That’s improvement!

I love treasures that tell a story. Even more special is a treasure that tells part of my own story, and reveals a little bit about where I’m from. I love the look of old books in home decor, but I really love that my old books came from my grandparents.



They have the neatest old covers.

The inside of the cover is beautiful too! They just don’t make books like this anymore.

Here’s my favorite. This is a bible that was on my grandma’s bookshelf. Inside, it says, “For Our Dear Mother. From, Edith and Chester. August, 1927.” Edith and Chester were my grandmother’s parents. So, this bible belonged to Edith or Chester’s mother, my great-great-grandmother. How cool is that… just to know that I’m holding the same bible that my great-great-grandmother held.

There are even hand written notes inside the margins that were written during church services or bible studies.

I also have an old hymnal from Seattle Pacific College (now Seattle Pacific University). Both of my grandparents, both parents, several aunts, uncles, cousins, and I also went there.

If you look around my house, you’ll see that I decorate with lots of old books. To most people, that’s all they are… just old books. To me, they’re part of my history and it’s amazing to hold a little piece of history in my hands.

Happy decorating!

How To Keep Your Kids Busy Over Spring Break

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Spring break is almost here!  We are sticking pretty close to home this year and it made me think about what we are going to do to keep ourselves busy.  This blog is all about home and family.  I love to share cooking, sewing, gardening, and art projects that we are doing around here so I thought I’d let you in on my secret weapon.  I must confess that I don’t always come up with amazing ideas on my own to keep my daughter busy.  I love books and I’m always on the lookout for fun How-To books for her.  Over the past few years, these have provided hours of entertainment.
*In full disclosure, I’m part of the Amazon Affiliate program, so if you choose to buy a product by clicking on it, I get a little kick-back.  I promise, I wouldn’t tell you to buy these books unless I really and truly loved them.*
First up is the Mom and Me Cookbook.  I have a pretty big children’s cookbook collection and this one is my absolute favorite.  
If you’re up for a little sewing, this book has some great projects for beginners.  My daughter and niece made both of the projects on the front of the book, had a great time, and learned a new skill.
 
 
If gardening is your thing, then this next book is great for getting a few little projects going.

 
 
The next item is something that I don’t actually own, but it is on my wish list.  I’ve been wanting to do some experimenting with wire art in the classroom and at home.  I thought this would be a good way to start and see how we like it.

 
 
I bought this pipe cleaner book when we were on vacation and needed an activity for our down-time.  It was a great way to keep kids busy.  Did you know the best way to cut pipe cleaners is with nail clippers?  The book comes with pipe cleaners and shows you how to make all sorts of different animals.

 
 
Ok, this one is awesome.  Have you ever heard of watercolor pencils?  You color with them, like normal pencils, but then you add water to the colored-on paper with a paintbrush.  It makes it look like a watercolor painting!  You might be thinking, “Ok, that’s great, but I can’t draw.”  Well, neither can I!  This book walks you through the drawing process, step by step, and you end up with a pretty cool product.  My daughter liked this one and even framed a few of her paintings.

 

My last suggestion is the Loopdedoo.  It’s a little “machine” that helps you make friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss.  Each bracelet takes just minutes and there are tons of different looks you can make.  This was a Christmas present one year and it kept my daughter busy for the entire break.

I can’t wait for Spring Break.  Sigh.  Arts and crafts, gardening, sewing, and baking are on my To Do list.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?

Happy shopping!

Mission: Organization

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Do you have those spaces in your home where you feel like the contents are spilling out to greet you?  Does something fall on your foot every single time you open the darn freezer?  Do you have piles of Barbie movies that your daughter hasn’t watched for at least 3 years?

You don’t?  Wellll, I don’t eeeeither… I guess.  Just forget everything I just wrote there.

In all honesty, my house is in desperate need of decrapification.  Decrapification needs to precede cute-sification, so I can’t make my house pretty until I can see a few of the surfaces again!  The problem?  We just have too much junk!  Our weekends have been crazy-busy with basketball tournaments and I just haven’t had time to clean out the clutter.  There are certain hot-spots in my house right now that are driving me insane, so I’ve decided to take the next few weeks and write about Mission: Organization on the blog.  (It sounds much nicer that Mission: Decrapification.)  Spring Break is just around the corner and we don’t have any huge trips planned, so we’ll have a little time to get things organized around here.  (My kids are going to be thrilled with this plan… Hey kids, instead of hitting the beach on Maui today, we’ll be reorganizing the sock drawers!!!)

Today we started with hot-spot #1, my little hoarder’s room.  She was actually in the mood to get rid of things, so I jumped at the chance.  She’s decided that her room is too small.  Well, her room is a nice size, she just has too many toys and no place to walk.  She decided that it was time to get rid of the Barbies and store the American Girl Dolls and clothes under her bed.

Will you look at this?  I can see the floor! And the bed is made!  And the books are put away!

She cleared out all of the Barbies, houses, planes, and RV’s.  We also took a huge box filled with school projects and garbage out to the recycle bin.

Now, doesn’t this look like a place you could have some fun?
There is space to play, space to work, and space to WALK!
Happy decrapification organizing!

Three Best Photos – 8th Grade Photography Continued

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My son is wrapping up his 8th grade photography class and one of his assignments was to choose his 3 favorites from the quarter-long class.  It was really interesting to watch as he scrolled through the photos he has taken in the past few weeks.  He talked about why liked certain photos and how it was hard to pick “favorites”.  In the end, these are the 3 he picked.
This one was from the gym at his middle school,.

Here’s one from our yard on a rainy fall morning.  He’s been really having fun with perspective photos.
Finally, here is one from the football field at his school  This was one of the first pictures he took and it’s been a long standing favorite.
It’s been really fun for me to have him taking this class.  He’s been totally interested in learning more about photography and constantly looking up new information online or watching YouTube videos about different techniques and equipment.  Unfortunately, he thinks he needs a fancy-pants camera now. 

Um.. Who Is This Kid?

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Who are you, and what have you done with my son?
Maybe he wanted something.  Or maybe he caused some trouble around the ‘hood on Halloween night.  
We spent our Halloween night with a handful of teenagers hanging out at our house, a few kiddos out trick-or-treating with their dads, and a few kids staying for a sleepover.  We woke up in the morning, made a SUPER fast breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, and then threw the dishes in the sink and ran out to soccer.  You can imagine the mess of serving breakfast to a group of 2 adults and 5 kids, but we had no time to deal with it.  We drove up to soccer, took team pictures, cheered on the team, grabbed some lunch on the way home, and didn’t get home until well into the afternoon.  When we walked in the door, this is what I saw!
I didn’t know if I should cry, hug him, or look for the intruder who must have been threatening my son in some way.  Counters clear, dishes done, and the remnants of breakfast put away.
Not only was the kitchen clean, but the family room where the boys had slept was cleaned up and vacuumed.  No candy wrappers.  No sleeping bags.  No stinky-boy socks.  Just a sweet little puppy watching his boy work.

Then, the next day, after helping me in the kitchen again, he found a recipe for roasted cauliflower that he whipped up for our family party. 

Seriously, friends, I’m waiting for the other shoe to fall.  He’s a teenager and this is not the norm for us, so I’m a little worried about the backlash from this.  I don’t know what it will be, but I can assure you that it’s coming.  I’m afraid.  Very, very afraid.

White Chicken Chili – Super Speedy Style

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It all started last week when my son said, “Remember that soup you made that had the crispy tortillas on top?  Can you make that again?”

I kept promising I’d make it, but the craziness of life kept getting in the way.  Emergency trips to the vet, shuttling kids to activities, and late nights working on school stuff consumed my time.  On Tuesday, I promised I’d make it, but the dog needed the cooked chicken breast (remember that vet visit) and I didn’t have time to make more.  (I may be feeding him cooked chicken breast, rice, and broth for every meal but at least he’s finally eating!)  With that promise broken, I PROMISED again to make it on Wednesday.  Wellll, I didn’t actually remember that I had a staff meeting on Wednesdays and that I wouldn’t get home until 5:00 and the whole family would need to be out of the house by 5:30.

I walked in the door at 5:10 and pulled up my recipe.  I was missing a few ingredients but I didn’t want to let me kids down again.  My hubby and daughter were just about ready to walk out the door with empty tummies, but they grabbed a snack and said they’d eat at 7:30, after soccer.  I made my grocery list, grabbed my son, and headed out to the store.  We pulled out of the driveway at 5:20.  Now, friends, here’s the amazing part.  My son had to be at church at 6:00 for Youth Group.  We drove to the store, shopped for our ingredients, drove home, prepared a fabulous homemade chili, ate, and got him to church by 6:00.  Chefs around the world would be shaking their heads at me, because quality soup/chili cannot be made quickly.  They take time to set and let the flavors mesh.  But, moms all over the world would be high-fiving me for this new record I set!! Yes, I’ve got my fist out waitin’ for a fist bump!

Here’s what I did:

I started by cooking a pound of chicken breast in the crockpot so it was one less thing to do when I got home. 

In a pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add 1/2 small diced onion, cook for 3 minutes
Add 1 clove of minced garlic, cook for 1 more minute
Add 1/2 cup flour and mix
Slowly add 1 cup of half and half and 1 cup of milk
Add 8 oz of light cream cheese
Add 1 1/2 cups of Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
This mixture makes kind of a mac and cheese type sauce.
Slowly pour in 3-6 cups of chicken stock (depending on how thick you like your chili)
Add 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
(or chop your own)
1 diced yellow pepper
(corn would be good too, if you are not a fan of peppers)
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

It made a thick, yummy, cheesy, chicken chili that everyone loved.

My hubby says this recipe needs to go in our regular rotation. The kids both loved it too!
By the way, those little tortilla strips on top were just cut and tossed with olive oil and a bit of taco seasoning.  Then I baked them for about 5 minutes to crisp them up.  They were a perfect little topping for the chili.

Happy cooking!