How do I do it?

Back to blogging... and it feels wonderful. This year has been a tough - one both physically and emotionally. I needed to take a break. But now I need to come back. Yep, need.

I need to read your wonderful blogs, be inspired by your beautiful homes and encouraged by the daily happenings of your life. It blessed my heart and I need this kind of interaction.

I need to share my creative side, my moments of DIY inspiration at midnight, and I need to know I'm not the only one that gets the urge to spray paint at 11:59pm.

I need to share what has been on my heart and what God has been showing me through some difficult times.

I need you back in my life.

But here is the big question:

How do I come back after a 10 month hiatus?

Do I have to have a big whoopti-doo, giveaway, announcement or do I slip in quietly hoping no one will notice the awkward crickets chirping in the background?

Here's what I'm hoping:

I'm hoping it will be like the best friend you had in middle school that you have not seen in years. Then you suddenly run into her one day and you pick up like no time has passed at all. You chat over coffee  and realize that times may have changed but your friendship stayed lit deep in your heart.

Let's pick up where we left off...

Fill in the gaps from when we were apart...

And set out to make new memories.

Does that sound good to you?

I know I'm looking forward to it.

All photos taken by yours truly.

For The Love Of A Cookie

Sometimes you just have to let lose and be like a kid again. Dance in the rain, watch old cartoons in your jammies on Saturday morning, tell corny jokes and laugh at every one of them. Yep hubby and I still do these things every so often… ok fine the corny jokes are like a daily occurrence in this house. But hey that’s just what happens when you are so stinkin’ hilarious. {crickets chirping, awkward silence}



Anyhow, we try to be silly and goofy as often as possible ‘cause this life is too short to take it too seriously all the time. And that means fulfilling childhood dreams now as adults… like the dream my hubby had of making one giant cookie. Doesn’t sound too hard, right? Well here’s the catch: he wanted to make it our of layers of cookie dough so that it would be all big ‘n fat, chewy and crunchy all at the same time and most of all to see if he could use a whole batch of cookie dough on one continuous cookie without it breaking apart or going up into flames from overcooking the first layers.


So last week on a particularly long and rough work day I pulled out a $1.50 bag of Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix and we set out to make a giant layered cookie.


And just too properly chronicle the fun, here’s a little video for you enjoy.






My challenge for you today: be a kid. Dance in the rain {or snow if that’s all you got!}, watch cartoons with the kiddos and make a giant cookie just for kicks… remember to be a good little girl and share the cookie with hubby and the kiddos!


All photos taken by yours truly.

Progressive Dinner

Last Sunday I had the privilege of participating in a progressive dinner for the women’s discipleship group I am a part of. The reason for celebrating – reading through the Bible together in one year. It was the first time we had done it together, and for some it was their first time ever to read the Bible through. What fun to do it as a group and then celebrate together with our Church family at a special Bible Day service. More than 30 people shared verses they had learned in various discipleship classes – even the children got in on the fun. We all danced, sang and celebrated not just the accomplishment but also in thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father for his letter of love to us.

Once the service was over, we all piled into cars decked out with balloons, ribbon and words of celebration…. Things like “You made it! Hooray! Proud of you!” and my personal favorite, “Woo hoo!”

Our first stop on the progressive dinner menu was my parent’s house. There we feasted on a gorgeous veggie tray, homemade dip, butter wafers, and blueberry-grape juice. After that came fresh baked cheesy bread and café con leche, a Colombian staple of coffee and milk.

It was wonderful! And the anticipation of what came next had us all on pins and needles. Although I knew the final destination, I had no idea of all the fun in between.

Well the appetizers were scrumptious and the fellowship was rich. Yet before we knew it the time had come to head out to our second destination: the home of a dear family from the church. This stop was to toast our year together as a group, how much everyone had grown in the Word, and to thank our leader.

Each person received a colorful page with Psalm 148 written on it and a color coordinated toasting glass. How fun is that! With sparkling cider in hand we raised our glasses in celebration. We took turns reading verses from the page in joyous tones and concluded with our hostess sharing her favorite verse and the host reading this verse: 

Psalms 119:103

“How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

We then each had a small piece of baklava that was filled with gooey honey. As we bit into it the honey oozed out and delighted our taste buds. We were told to think of how sweet God’s word is to our lives. It was a moving moment of reflection.

From there we headed out to the final destination – out home. And I must say that I had such a wonderful time preparing the house for such a special group.

All weekend I worked on the little details like labels for the water pitchers and dessert tray, place cards, personalized chocolate bars and even a little pennant banner for the death by chocolate trifle {which I forgot to take a picture of! Can you believe it?!?}

It was so much fun! Hubby was a sweetheart and got a wonderful sound system all set up in the front room that played continuous soft dinner music. Just before we all arrived he went around the house and lit all the candles, turned off all the overhead lights and turned on all the little lamps around the house so that it looked, smelled and sounded heavenly.

The dinner menu was spectacular and our conversation meaningful. No one wanted the evening to end.

This year we began a new tradition and made memories that will last a lifetime.

What special moment or accomplishment could you celebrate with a meaningful and adventurous progressive dinner?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Valentine Treat - Death By Chocolate

While hubby gets the new computer {yippie!} all set up and I figure out where all my photos are stored, I thought that I would repost this delicious recipe that I shared last year.
Chocolate lovers - enjoy!

A good friend asked me this last weekend if I crave sweet or salty when I want a snack. And the truth is that I usually prefer something salty, like salt and vinegar chips. {to die for} But if I have something sweet, I want it to be super sweet and very rich. I love dark chocolate and creamy toffee. So you can imagine my absolute delight when I got to a scrapbooking weekend and was informed that my good friend had made Death by Chocolate for our dessert that night.

Have you ever had this rediculousely simple yet delicious dessert? It is amazing! And it looks just stunning in a triffle dish set in the center of a table.

The master mind behind the creation in this photo is our good friend "G" - the fantastic cook. Really he should be called the mostest-amazingest-talented-never-makes-the-same-recipe-twice-and-they-all taste-great-cook. Try putting that on a business card :)

He graciousely shared the simple recipe for this delectable wonder and I in turn am sharing it with you. And to show you just how easy it is to make, I am making one just to take photos.

Oh, the sacrifices I make for this blog.

You will need four main ingredients:
~ 1 chocolate cake, 13x9 pan (I just used a mix for convenience. Feel free to use your favorite cake recipe.) 
~ 6 Skor bars
~ 1 box of chocolate pudding (hubby chose Chocolate Fudge. His theory: if you're gonna go all out on dessert, go out with a bang!)
~ 1 tub Cool Whip, or fresh whipped cream

While the cake bakes, mix up the pudding and crumble up the Skor bars. Once cool, crumble up the cake. If you don't have a triffle dish {like me), use a clear, deep bowl. Or tall cups for individual servings.

Now the fun part - layering. First comes a layer of cake crumbles. Then pudding, coolwhip and Skor crumbles. See that blob of pudding? Avoid splatters like that so that the layers will be visible and not all mushed together. If it happens, just wipe it off with a paper towel.

Snack on all ingredients while assembling.

That part is essential to the success of the dessert. 

Repeat for at least two total layers. Top with cake crumbles. And Skor crumbles. If there are any left after snacking.

Easy Peasy.

This is such a simple dessert to make that it just may be my new "to go" dish for last minute meetings, potlucks, parties and to satisfy hubby's late night sweet tooth. Thanks so much "G" for sharing!

What is your "to go" dish for dessert? How about a dinner dish? Share in the comments below! Have you posted a great recipe lately? Let me know in the comments so I can check it out.

All photos taken by yours truly.
This delicious post is linked to We are That Family WFMW. Link up and join the party!

Thoughts On A Week Of Separation

One Week.

Seven Days.

One fourth of a month.

{ok maybe that last one was a bit dramatic}

But that's how long hubby and I have been apart...

And every second seemed like days on that plane ride home.

I have been at a conference in Georgia {shout out to all you lovely residents of the south} and the week spent there was wonderful. It was an inspiring and enjoyable time. I loved every moment of the training and ministering done.... but... it always feels so great to come home.

Kiss my hubby.

Snuggle with the pup.

Sleep with my own pillow.

Get back to my nest.

As I walked through the door, I took a deep breath expecting the house to be slightly on the cluttered side.... ok who am I kidding? I really expected it to be overwhelmed with speakers {hubby's hobby}, dirty dishes, clothes taking up permanent residence on the floor, and volcanic eruptions from hubby using the obliterater {that's what he calls the food processor, I love it!}

Disclaimer: Hubby is not an inconsiderate, overly messy person that would leave me a huge mess on purpose. He is just the kind of man who would get really excited about some home improvement project hours before picking me up and then not have time to clean it up. {which I secretly find adorable.}

Ok just had to make sure that was clear. 

Well much to my surprise the home was pretty much in tact, all speaker projects had been completed and neatly stacked in the front room, clothes were dutifully placed in the hamper, and.... get ready for this.... all the dishes were done and the sink was empty.

Done. 

Empty.

The two most glorious words to a housewife when speaking about a sink full of dishes.

He did it just for me, even though I had told him not to worry about any of that stuff while I was gone. What a fantastic guy! 

And while there were several explosions from the obliterater and the floor was so sticky my bare feet stuck to it I could have cared less. He took a moment out of his free time to bless me by cleaning up the mess in the sink. 

He took the time to make me feel

welcomed

loved

appreciated.

And that empty sink spoke volumes to my heart that night. It was something small to some, but to me it was selflessness personified in a lack of dishes.

Who would have thought that an empty kitchen sink could be such an expression of love.

What small gesture has someone done that blessed your heart lately? How have you blessed others with a simple act of kindness?

All photos taken by yours truly.

New Year, New Goal

Happy 2011 everyone!

Hope everyone had a fun and memorable time celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of a new adventure.

I feel so blessed looking back at 2010.... how God has constantly watched over my hubby and I - we lack nothing, have health, our nest is a home full of love, we are surrounded with friends and family who love and support us, and to top it all off we are looking forward to new and exciting changes this year. {no, it's not a baby... but I really would like that!} 

The coming year looks like it will be an exciting one, full of new challenges and goals at achieve... and busy. Really busy :) But that's ok! In fact, I am really looking forward to it!

Now that Christmas and New Years have wrapped up, {with a flourish of festivities, I might add!} it's time to get back into a regular routine and that includes some fun additions to blogging.

Over the holiday, I had time to think and refocus my ideas for this blog. And from all that pondering {yes, feel free to insert a joke about how I should not think too hard, lest I blow a fuse} came these ideas for "too Blessed to Stress" :

~ Simple Solutions - Short tips for everyday homemaking, crafting and just life in general. Sometimes I'll share a tip, sometimes I'll be asking for a tip. And if you have a tip you would like to share and be featured for just let me know. I love featuring! My email is under the "Contact" tab up above.{By the way, these Simple Solutions were inspired by a little book that my Grandmother gave me just after I was married. It is filled with quick tips for everyday use - I love books like that!}

~ All About You - A day to feature one of you! Whether you are a blogging power house or just blogging for fun, if you have something you want to share that goes along with what "too Blessed to Stress" is all about I would love to feature you! Maybe you have something crafty to share, a yummy recipe, something inspirational or just want to blog swap for the day, let me know! {remember, contact info is above}

~ Pick a Theme - Ideas for themed parties, dinners and "just because" celebrations. If you have any special requests for themes you would like to see, let me know and I'll see what my little noggin comes up with.

~ In The Quiet Place - Quotes, verses and stories that have touched my life... and that I hope will inspire you as well!

~ And after all the fun I had making this video, I am so excited to get working on a few more videos to post throughout the year. There will be some tutorials, recipes, and probably lots of hubby and I being goofy! What would you like to see on "too Blessed to Stress" videos?

So what do you think? Do these little additions sound like fun?

I sure hope so, because I know that I have had lots of fun getting them all ready for ya!

Before I wrap this up I just want to express my gratitude to all you wonderful followers and readers out there - you bless my heart with your creative blogs and your support of "too Blessed to Stress." Thank you for being a part of my life in 2010, and I am looking forward to another wonderful year with y'all in bloggy land!

All photos taken by yours truly.

I'm Dreaming Of A White {and music themed} Christmas

This is the first Christmas that I have had a hutch instead of a giant mirror to decorate in the dining room. At first I was kinda missing the nativity scene that usually graces the top of the buffet and the garland that wrapped around the mirror.

But once I got started with other projects around the room {all inspired by the middle of the room Christmas tree} I got all excited for the hutch. I had been using sheet music around the rest of the room when it donned on me: why not line the back of the hutch with sheet music and then have an all white display?

Instead of buying new music and antiquing it, I made several copies of an old music piece that had belonged to my Grandmother. Not only does it have the perfect amount of yellowing and wear, every time I look at the hutch I am reminded of my sweet Grandma.

Plain old scotch tape was used to hold it up. Nothing complicated so that I could mess around with the placement and nothing permanent so that after Christmas I can take it down... that is if I am tired of it by then. I love it so much that it may stay for a while!

After that, all I did was merrily walk run around my house like a kid in a toy store collecting any and everything that was white or slightly off white to display.

Pitchers.

A small church that belonged to my Grandma.

"Joy" angels that were a gift from my mom and the spray painted pedestal {see here}.

Gravy boat and a china plate hand painted by a dear friend.

Tea cup and a rectangular bowl. I use stuff like this even though it has a slight crack... but you can only tell if you are within 2 inches from it.... and if you are that close, I figure you deserve to know my little secret.

Ok so some color snuck in there. But only light, silvery blues and a tiny bit of browns.

Jingle bell wreath from my Hubby 7 years ago.

This has to be one of my favorite and simplest things in the display. All I did was take a piece of left over sheet music, cut it to size for the candle and taped it in the back. I could have mod podged or used wax to secure it, but if the candle is not all burned away by January I may want to remove it and try something else.

The paper doesn't even meet all the way in the back... but again if you are really gonna be that nosy that close, you deserve to know.

A little piece of twine tied in a bow, a wreath of white berries {from the Boutique, AKA Goodwill} all on a pretty plate, and call it a day. So pretty. I love how it combines elegant and rustic all in one. {Please note, I am SUPER careful when I burn this candle. I will remove the paper and twine when it gets too close to burning point. If you try this idea, please take the same precautions. Just sayin'}

Oh and here's little trick of mine. One thing that always bugs me is when a candle gets too squatty to sit high enough above the berry wreath to look normal and be at a safe height to burn. So to raise it up just enough, I take the lid off of a large jar candle and set in inside the wreath and place the candle on top. Perfect size and since it is glass, it will barely be noticeable.

I must say that I am pretty happy with the end result... alright, who am I kidding? I LOVE it! It is the perfect mix of elegant and country and matched the colors of the middle of the room Christmas tree just right... which is good, since that tree is visible from every room except the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Have you decorated with something in an unexpected way this year?

All photos taken by yours truly.