I'm excited to do my first "new format" post! I am not what you would call a trendy girl, in fact I'm quite the opposite. However, there are two trends I have gotten into lately, Facebook and Pinterest. Both are time suckers, so I have to be intentional about how I use them. Pinterest has been really convenient in helping me keep track of interesting things for later use. I use it mostly for tagging recipes, craft tutorials, and activities to do with the boys. I have tried not to get overwhelmed by all the ideas and take them one at a time. It is easy to get overwhelmed and even feel insecure about my abilities as a wife and mother when I see the things others are doing. I know that sounds pathetic, but I'm just keeping it real!
Anyway, I have two ideas, or "pins" to share with you. One is a recipe and one is a craft/decor item. I made this recipe tonight and it was not only a crowd pleaser, but I also snuck veggies in! 2 points for me! I love Broccoli Cheese soup and it just seemed like such a great pre-Thanksgiving meal. I only wish the weather would cooperate and get cooler! We had a party over the weekend and I had left over crudités I wanted to use. This recipe called for broccoli and carrots. I had to google what julienne carrots are. I'm clearly no pro in the kitchen! If I can do this, so can you! It might be easier to use "match stick" carrots if you don't already have baby carrots on hand you need to use. It would save you the chopping, which is always my least favorite part of cooking. I made another minor adjustment to the recipe as it called to puree the soup in its entirety. That much soup wouldn't fit in my blender, so I pureed about half of it and left the rest. I like the actual veggies peeking through too. Anyway, I highly recommend this recipe and my kiddos and hubby gave it 6 thumbs up as well!
Onto the crafts...I am way into crafting. I like to think I get it from my mom, but I am nowhere near as good at it as her. But, I do love doing it and use it as a stress reliever! I have a ton of crafting ideas "pinned" on Pinterest and who knows if I will even get close to making them all. However, I have found sometimes I find 2 or 3 similar "pins" that I end up combining for my own take. In honor of Thanksgiving, I present you with, The Thankful Tree! This was such a fun project and so simple too! I combined it with this idea (another pin) of putting mini pumpkins in a vase with sticks.
I actually loved the idea so much I shared it with my Sunday School class' women's coordinator, Melanie. We decided to do a women's event and all make the trees for our families to add things they are thankful for. It was a lot of fun and it was so neat to see how each of us took the same materials and made totally unique trees. I cut out the tags on my Cricut so it was super simple. A couple of the ladies found the sticks and I bought the vases for $3 at Garden Ridge. It was a super cheap and very meaningful project with a beautiful end result! Here is a picture of all the ladies with their "trees." Beautiful ladies, with beautiful hearts, and thankfulness overflowing from them! My sweet friend Jackie made the tags tied around the vases. The verse she selected was so appropriate and profound!
 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15 Happy Thanksgiving to you! Enjoy your family and the richness of God's blessings on your life! I know I will! Oh, and happy pining! |
