Delish Bean Soup

Place 2 cups of beans in a bowl. Cover with water and let it soak overnight. In the morning, admire the rainbow of colors. Drain your beans and rinse them generously. Pour them into a crockpot. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 can diced tomatoes, sliced carrots, diced onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh oregano, and whatever else your heart desires. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Your house will smell wonderful and you may have to sample the soup throughout the day. You know, just to make sure it's tasting alright. ;) This served 4 people perfectly. And it tastes marvelous with cheddar cheese biscuits. ENJOY!!   

Christmas Goals

Late Saturday evening, classical Christmas music filled the house as I wrapped our tree in lights and fingermade garland. My house is still in transition between the fall and winter decor, but this one little corner is all Christmas with more to be added. :) My ever growing goal list for this Christmas season:

Read "A Christmas Carol" * Gingerbread Cake, take two * Finish decorating our home * Read these daily advent devotionals with Tony * Gingerbread cookies with family * Homemade cranberry sauce * Make a coffee filter wreath * Find perfect gifts * Make some cinnamon applesauce ornaments * Lots of warm drinks * Reread this pamphlet from JR Miller * Listen to the sermon series "A Son Is Given" throughout the month * Play lots of Christmas music *

26 Birthday Goals

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday week! I had so much fun celebrating with family. All my gifts were perfect.. Tony had a long weekend, which means we were able to spend much time together. Thanksgiving ... need I say more? We slept in. Went shopping. Took a lovely walk in the park. Extended hospitality two nights in a row. Completely enjoyed each other. And much more! I have totally been inspired by Elsie to start my own birthday list. So here are *almost* 26 goals to acheive before my 27th birthday; listed in no specific order. :)

1. Turn our home into a winter wonderland for Christmas **

2. Plan something super special for our 100th month of togetherness {May 12, 2011}**

3. Read classics from JR Miller ** & Charles Dickens*

4. Write a goal list for the Christmas season **

5. Read through the Bible

6. Grow in my nutritional knowledge **

7. Make our bedroom a magical place

8. Creative marketing for ShaynaMade**

9. Complete my first crocheted purse **

10. Paint a large sunshiney canvas for the laundry room **

11. A photo shoot with lots of balloons

12. Make something lovely with kniting needles **

13. Greek feast with family

14. Graduation celebration for Tony {summer time} *

15. Grow a pretty little garden **

16. Eat at Macaroni Grille with my Tony **

17. Blog, blog, blog throughout the year **

18. Homemade cream cheese ...

19. ... turned into homemade cheese cake

20.  Buy more pretty dresses **

21. Enjoy my free meal from IHOP **

22. Purchase Disney's "A Christmas Carol"
23. Super fun vacation **

24. Document the year with lots and lots of pictures

25. Organize our office

26. Take life day by day :) **

Last updated: 11/21/2011 , ** means completed

Cookies with Mom & Brittany

Tuesday evening we made cookies shaped like leaves, frogs, apples, and cute little squirrels. We had a batch of sugar and a batch of chocolate cookie dough. We had much fun making a mess in mom's kitchen, while "A Christmas Carol" played in the background.

A Hat for Miranda

ADVENTURE

Today marks my 26th year of life!!! I have so much to be thankful for. Sunday night, my facebook status read: "I had such a wonderful time at my little birthday celebration with family. All the food was super yummy. We laughed a lot. Took lots of pictures. Ate yummy cake. Sipped on coffee. Had a little jewelry party of sorts. And all my gifts are perfect. :) Oh how I love my family -- oh so very much!!! Such a great blessing from God!!!" I received a birthday hug this morning from my one and only, awesome gifts from Tony's parents this morning, and my day has been sprinkled with many birthday wishes via facebook. If I were to have a themed party, I think I'd totally want it to look a little something like this birthday girls (all pictures borrowed from there)! A party modeled after the movie UP! I love it! So bright, cheerful, and much great meaning to life in general. May my adventure continue! :)

Breaks in the clouds

French toast and scrambled eggs for my love, packed lunch, fresh coffee, hugs and kisses, XOoxXO,  clean kitchen, laundry going, and some lovely moments spent on the front porch... enjoying the crisp cool air, my cozy attire, warm coffee, and flowers that still bloom despite the frost. Last night we curled into our flannel sheets way past bedtime (which is unfortunately becoming quite the norm around here). And although we were both very sleepy ... we had the desire to read. I read from "Think on These Things" by JR Miller. The words I read rang so true with my heart ~ "We should seek the line of brightness in any dark picture, and think of that..."

The past couple weeks our schedule has been totally insane, due mostly to Tony's school work. And it does not appear that the next few weeks will look any different. There has been very little (I mean little) sleep along with much stress and confusion brought on from the demands of his assignments. It has been rough and I have cried many tears and prayers! But despite the gloominess of this here Internet Applications class, there are many bright lines!! And that is where my mind tries to settle. "If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things."   

I have a husband that loves me muchly, a cozy home to live in, clean laundry piled in the living room chair, yummy food to eat, kisses on the forehead from Tony, soothing music via pandora, special treats like Horizon Egg Nog and fancy truffles from Whole Foods, a lovely family, a great church to worship King Jesus with, a treasured date night, our little talks at the pool, Jewish knishes and matzo ball soup by mommy, a quick game of guesstures with family, an early thanksgiving meal with sweet friends ........ all these things (and so much more) bring praise to my lips. My heart is overwhelmed with the many good things gifted to me from God. And although it seems that most of our day is spent "underwater" per say, these "gulps" of fresh air are wonderful and give us so much fuel. "And there always are breaks in the clouds through which we can see the blue and the stars. No lot in life is ever so utterly hopeless as to have in it nothing to alleviate its unhappiness. There is always something of brightness, one line, at least, in the darkest experience. There always are comforts, no matter how great the sorrow. Every cloud has on it some bit of silver lining. There are hopes, consolations, encouragements, in every experience of grief or loss, and we are to think of these..."   

We went out to eat..

This is where Dad, Chrissie, and I ate lunch yesterday ~ Pei Wei Asian Diner. This place is awesome! They have put much thought into small details and I love them all. :)

My dream kitchen.... I seriously want one of those large pots and a rod hanging from the ceiling to hang all my pots on. And a really long table with tall black chairs gathered around.... and the stone walls... :) I'm so glad we got there before the large lunch crowd came.

Chrissie ordered the Thai Dynamite!

I ordered the Thai Coconut Curry!

Dad ordered the Sesame Chicken!

The waitress was so kind to snap a picture of us. Yay for family!! We so wished Brittany and Mom didn't have to work, because then it would have been a true *sister* day!

My sweet sister!!! :)

The art of dining well is no slight art,

the pleasure not a slight pleasure.

--Michel de Montaigne

Pretty Details at our Ladies Brunch

Saturday morning nine ladies gathered together for fellowship. Lots of pretty decor, yummy food, hot coffee, apple cider, great conversation, Truths from scripture proclaimed, encouraged hearts, prayer, apple cinnamon ornaments, and super sweet ladies that I love dearly!!!  :)

My Mommy.Made Wreath

Sovereign Medicine

Originally posted August 7, 2008

Prayer is the sovereign medicine of the soul.

It is the dispeller of sorrow:

by venting the grief it eases the heart.

--Thomas Watson

When my heart is heavy, sad, confused, and hurting; when my mind just can't seem to rest, prayer is sovereign medicine to my soul. When I was in highschool, my art teacher showed me her prayer journal - just a simple notebook where she would write down her conversations with God. I thought it was the neatest thing and decided to start my own prayer journal. Now five years later I still keep a prayer journal. Some pages are marked with much joy and hope, whereas others have stains of tear drops and scribbly writing. It seems that I am able to focus more and articulate my thoughts better when I write it down. By venting my grief it eases my heart. I find hope and rest in HIM! It is also very interesting to go back and read through some of my prayers from a few years ago... I can see how God has answered prayers, how He has changed my will, how He has taught me and how He has drawn me closer to Himself.

Easy Wool Throw via Design Sponge

Click HERE for the tutorial!! 

Late, late meal at Denny's

BIG Announcement!! Introducing ShaynaMade!!

ShaynaMade is my very own little business; 

a place for you to order pretty personalized items 

like business cards, postcards, yard signs, banners, and more. 

A place for me to showcase and expand my creativity. 

Be sure to visit my website and befriend me on Facebook!!