Being Girl-y

Have you seen them?

They're everywhere this spring!

You noticed, right?!

And did they make you catch your breath?

(coastal living)

And make your toes tingle?

Ruffles, I mean.

Ruffles everywhere.

On clothes,

And pillows,

(etsy)

And hats,

And shoes.

Wow! It's good to be a girl!

Savory and Speedy Dinner!

What do you get when you take 8 aromatic piles of herbs and spices:

Happily stir them all together:

Rub them briskly into boneless chicken breasts:

Lay them snugly in the crockpot, pour over some broth, and let slowly simmer?

Why, just some really tasty, yummy-scrummy chicken that's moist and spicy and took all of 5 minutes to prepare!

You must try!

Cajun Roasted Chicken Breasts

3 pounds boneless and skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 cup chicken broth

I cut up each chicken breast piece into 3 pieces. Then I mixed all the herbs/spices together and rubbed them on all sides of the breast pieces. Lay pieces in slow cooker and pour on 1 cup of chicken broth. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Taking Into Account One's Environment

As a mother of a Youngest Daughter, there are certain visions in my mind that go along with that place in the family.

My visualizations include things like:

Shy smiles,

Ruffly tutus,

Dreamy scenes with baby dolls,

Large, expressive eyes,

Dancing and ruffles,

And lots and lots of pink.

Unfortunately, my mental images didn't take into account

growing

up

in

a

household

with

three

brothers.

"Peace out, man."

All You Have

flickr

God will not be all you want until He is all you need.

And God will not be all you need until He is all you have.

These words were texted to me by an especially dear friend. An especially dear friend who is living them . . . and finding them true.

These words caused me to catch my breath because the journey can be so painful. But also because the journey is so healing and life-giving and freeing.

These words bring me joy because I have seen God working them out inside of me. And I see Him making this truth a reality in so many others.

"I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance, to the full, until it overflows."

John 10:10

Stitching Freestyle

Oh . . . my . . . goodness, am I ever LOVING this freestyle embroidery. Have I mentioned to you the "e-zine" that Teresa McFayden has put out? Oh, yes, I guess I have. Maybe . . . like . . . three times.

(By the way . . . don't know why some of the pictures show a bluish cast to portions of the linen. Must be something with the lighting.)

Okay, well, I'm ready to show you the results of the first lesson. Yes, Teresa is on Lesson 10. I am on Lesson 1. But at least I'm further along than the first letter of the first word! You've gotta give me that!

I accomplished what you see here while waiting.

Waiting until the kids' Co-op lets out. Waiting during a golf lesson. Waiting after basketball practice. Waiting at the doctor's office. Waiting in the orthodontist's office. Never knew I did so much waiting! Now I have something to show for it!!

At first I wasn't sure I was going to like this embroidery. My mind is used to churning, whirling, spinning, and there was something mind-numbing about the endless up and down of the needle. But once my hyperactive brain got slowed down and used to the pace, I started to find the creativity and simplicity refreshing and soothing.

And now, I can't stop!! I'm loving this. I love the freestyle nature of it. I love how I can put my own spin on it.

This is just the beginning!! There's a lot more to come as I make it through all 10 lessons and fill up this sampler. Can't wait to show you!

Sprucing Up For Spring

I haven't blogged in a few days so I could spruce up the Little Blog for spring.

I really wanted to have a picture in the banner that had at least a little something to do with "imperfection." But it wasn't attractive to show a sink full of dirty dishes or the current state of my desk.

I finally decided that the perfect way to show "living with imperfection" was to take one of my favorite flowers, the gerber daisy, in brilliant red and pull a few petals off one of them. Then I'd have a line of beautiful red gerbers and at the end of the line, one imperfect gerber.

Youngest Son and I drove off to get the flowers, and I tried to find the best place to photograph them.





I tried the rail of the deck, with the woods in the background. But you couldn't really see the "imperfect" red gerber, and the photo made it look like I live in the woods. And I don't live in the woods.

I just see them from my deck . . . and gaze after them longingly.




Then I tried photographing them on the deck with the brick of the house behind. But I thought the deck and brick were a little too orange-y and the red gerbers just blended in with the background a little too much.

Besides, it kind of looked like the blog should be called "Living With Imperfection on the Ranch," and I'm not Pioneer Woman . . . I just want to be.






The final photo shoot ended up to be perfect. On the side of the tub in the master bathroom. Yep, the tub . . . where I luxuriate in hour-long bubble baths every night {ahem . . . not!}

I just loved the way the red showed up against the white and the blue. And the column always makes me feel like I'm bathing in the Roman Baths. Or they would if I ever took a bath.

(I do, however, take showers. Just thought you should know.)

As soon as dinner was over, I made my announcement:

"Okay, everyone in to the computer to see my new banner for my blog!"

(Dramatic rolling of eyes by teenagers, attempts at escape by Youngest Son, reluctant shuffling of feet by the rest.)

I pulled it up onto the screen . . . hoping they would see its beauty, get the "imperfection" connection.

"Well, Mom, I love it all except that," said Oldest Son (his large pointer finger resting on the gerber with the missing petals).

"That is supposed to be the 'imperfection,'" explained Oldest Daughter dryly, who only knew this because I had divulged it to her earlier. "Nobody is going to get it, Mom."

"Okay, thank you all. I'm sure everyone has some homework to do now."

Ah, yes, nothing like a house full of teenagers to keep you humble . . . and balanced . . . and focused.

I don't even need to read books like "Humility." I have on-site tutors 24 hours a day.

Speaking of which, I put up a little "carousel" on the sidebar to show what I'm reading currently. I just LOVE when people share the books they're reading . . . the books they're enjoying.

Sorry, but I'm not a big fiction reader. Most of what I love is non-fiction. You can assume that any fiction that shows up on the carousel is probably what I'm currently reading aloud to the kids . . . one of the best parts of my day!

If you've found a great book, feel free to share!!

And now I will go sit in a corner of the couch and read "So Long, Insecurity . . . " and see if I can make it one more day in this household . . . with my self-confidence intact.

The Risks of the Circus

Our every-once-in-a-while excursion to the circus, although an eagerly anticipated event, is always fraught with risk!

It begins when we walk through the front door of the stadium, when the Man of the House and I will immediately be accosted by little people to purchase the $35 glow-in-the-dark spinners that are currently selling at Dollar Tree for $4.99.

We run the risk of being considered spoil-sport, stingy, incomprehensible, insensitive, and out-of-touch. We joyfully accept such risk.

This harsh stance will also extend to $10 bags of cotton candy, $15 snow cones in plastic elephant cups, and $50 small stuffed tigers.

I can pretty much be assured that the day following the circus,Youngest Son will again attempt to teach our 2 large, aging dogs to perform feats of dexterity and daring.

This will involve the disappearance of large amounts of Milk Bones and an increase in our golden's arthritis.

Middle Son, on the other hand, will come back from the circus totally convinced that he can tightrope-walk the deck railing . . . and then free fall to the trampoline 1 story below.

Youngest Daughter will have reawakened within her her life's calling to some form of entertainment career involving skimpy outfits with lots of sequins and long, flowing hair.

There are many reasons for which this career path seems undesirable and ill-advised.

In the face of these risks, our crew of 7 continues to press on, enjoying the circus every couple of years.

The joy, excitement, and adrenaline rushes while enjoying the three rings, make the risks a small price to pay.

It is, after all, the greatest show on earth!