Fall is Here!

I don't know about you, but fall is exciting to me. It's such a wonderful time to reflect on God's beautiful creation as the seasons change and a variety of colors spread across the landscape. The air starts to get a little crisper and if you live in the Northwest, it starts to rain more frequently. I don't know about you, but I love the smell of rain-- and the sound is so relaxing.



via Verizon Mobile

It's also that time of year when you reach for your warm beverage and hold it close (if you've never done this, you really need to try it. It makes your warm beverage that much better). Chai lattes, pumpkin spice, hot cocoa.. yum!

Let me know what your fall favorites are!

Also, if you're feeling the fall check out this blog called OneYoungLove. She has a special fall give-away!!!

Happy Fall <3

Idea #13: Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate

So I found this recipe on Home and Hearth and thought it was worth a share. I don't know about you but nothing quite gets me excited for fall like pumpkins. Anything pumpkin and my ears start to perk up and I'm intrigued.

So it's not surprising that as I fumble along through pinterest (yes, a guilty pleasure), I'm stopping and pinning everything pumpkin. I even made a board called "pumpkin"...

Enough about pinterest..

This recipe looks delightful and it surprisingly doesn't even look that bad for you (can you say a guilt-free dessert/beverage?!) I even wonder, to make it a little more guilt free if you tried it with dark chocolate instead of white.

Let me know if you give it a try! I'll most likely be making one this weekend :o)

from Home and Hearth

Idea #12: BBQ Chicken Tacos

Last night we (my boyfriend and I) were planning on having burgers for dinner. When we got home from work, we realized that the beef was still in the freezer. If you're like us, you're ready for dinner and looking for something quick, and not having the meat defrosted puts a damper on that. We took this opportunity to look at what was waiting to be eaten in the fridge and pantry.. left overs, sandwiches, cereal, etc.

 

I discovered 2 defrosted chicken breasts just waiting to be cooked. I took this opportunity to be a little adventureous. If you know me, at least lately, I've been glued to recipes, especially new ones, and feeling a little lost in the imagination of cooking. I've been nervous to experiment with mixing ingredients together on the account of "what if it tastes aweful and we're stuck with eating the rest of it for dinner" -- a little negative, I know.

 

We'll last night was different. I decided to have a little fun and hope for the best..

 

Here are some other ingredients I tossed in:

 

1/2 green pepper

1/2 red onion

1 lime

1/4 cup cilantro (guestimate)

1/3 cup BBQ sauce (of your choice)

 

I started by adding about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the diced red onion to a skillet on medium heat. While I was waiting for the oil mixture to heat up, I sliced the chicken breasts into about 1/2 inch strips (so that they were easy to put into tacos AND cooked faster). I added the chicken to the skillet and squeezed the juice from the lime on top. Once the chicken was browned on both sides (about 7 or so minutes), I added the diced green peppers, cilantro, and BBQ sauce to the chicken mixture. Once added, I covered the skillet until the mixture was boiling. I then reduced the heat to low for another 5 minutes.

 

While this was wrapping up, i gathered together some toppings. I diced a small tomato, chopped up some lettuce and pulled out some cheese. We also heated up our tortillas by wrapping them in a damp paper towel individually and microwaving them for about 20 seconds.

 

And that it!! I think it turned out fantastic and my boyfriend even told me that it was really good.. even without me asking :o)

 

Let me know if you give this a try and let me know how yours turns out!!

Happy Tuesday!

Idea #11: Sweet Potato Hummus

I love reading Kayla Danelle's blog! I'm always either inspired, learn something new, and/or find something interesting to think about. I think her blog was my first real inspiration for things Paleo and got my wheels turning. I'm also LOVING the book that she suggested.. more on that later.

Today she posted about her weekend and linked to some of her older posts of recipes that she had found. I'm totally going to give them a try but one in particular I'm going to have to try tonight! It originates from SpoonForkBacon.com called Sweet Potato Hummus! Something tells me I'm going to love it!!

I'll let you know what I think and maybe even have some pictures to follow!

Eating Clean

Let's face it.. eating healthy isn't always fun. It can also be very time consuming; especially when what's quick is a drive through (sometimes that's even too long). But once you've consumed that very delicous food, it sets in and you feel gross. At least I do if I'm honest with myself.



A couple months ago I started doing some research about the "Paleo Diet". The concept seems great and very inspiring. I've even been trying to cut out the processed sugars and some carbs -- full Paleo would be a huge jump for me. My problem is that eating plain chicken and veggies is boring. I like to spice things up, but when it comes down to dinner time and I'm staring at my defrosted chicken thinking "what am I going to do with you"....

nothing seems to inspire me at that moment.

Today I was checking out a tweet from Heath Magazine (@goodhealth). I clicked on the link and found 8 ways to boost flavor! I know the ideas are simple but they can be the starting point to something better.. and a great source of inspiration.

What are some of your inspirational ingredients or go to spices and herbs?

Staying Cool

Today (here in Salem) it will be over 100 degrees! In my apartment we have no air conditioning so staying cool is a problem. Here are some ideas to think about for today (and tomorrow):

• Homemade Popsicles (try this recipe from Craft Berry Brush)
• Ice Cream
• Swimming in a pool
• Coast (or beach for those of you in Cali)
• White Water Rafting
• Floating a river
• Water skiing

There's a short list to help get you thinking!
Happy Thursday!

Idea #10: E-reader Sleeve!

So this last Christmas, I got a Nook Simple Touch as a present. I was so very excited about it (and am still excited about it) but I wanted to make sure I had a super cute cover for it. I looked online at pre-made ones and none of them were super exciting or said "This is Lindsay". Being the crafty one, I decided to look for the perfect pattern and fabric!

Almost 8 months later... still no e-reader sleeve or cover :(.

This last weekend, however, I took the Sleep in Your Own Bed Retreat with Sweet Treasures which meant that I would need a pattern. It was time to get serious and find a pattern! Looking through pinterest (one of the greatest inspirational sites ever-- also EXTREMELY addicting) I found this pattern from Birdiful Stitches! It was relatively easy to follow and I got the whole project done in one day!

Here's the finished product:

 

I hope you feel inspired for your next project!

Idea #9: My Hero

I stumbled across Beth's wonderful reminder today on her blog Epiphany. She was talking about who our hero really is. You can read her story here, which I highly recommend.

It's funny how when we feel like there is something missing in our lives, we look everywhere else to find what we can do or use to fill it; it can be a person, thing, or even a hobby. But the reality is, God wants us to be apart of Him. I challenge all of you (including myself) to spend more time in His Word this week getting to know your hero better.

Let me know how your week goes!

The Beginner's Quilt

Here are the most recent pictures of my quilt! The only step left to do is bind the edges but  I wanted to let you all see it!


I had sewn together the blocks and had my quilt sent to Loretta at Osborn Specialty Quilting who then did the beautiful sticking across the top!



(Laying on my bed)



I am still deciding on the fabric that will make up the binding but it will be one of the fabrics in the middle. I will post final pictures once the binding is completed :o) -- maybe even take some better quality pictures too!

Idea #8: Coffee Cozies

So I found this free pattern from Crafty Staci through pinterest awhile ago. They are wonderful coffee cozies that I made for my whole office for christmas as well as some friends and family! They are a wonderful small gift for your loved ones and friends :o)

      

Supplies:
Button
Hair Tie
11" of 2 different kinds of fabric
InsulBrite

They are even reversible and totally washable! Just don't forget to take it off your cup before you throw it away..

A Weekend of Events

So tomorrow, bright and early I will be making the long trek from Salem to Idaho for my brother's graduation! I am very excited to be apart of this very exciting milestone in his life and get to spend some family time.. even for a brief weekend.

Goal for the long drive: Work on my crochet scarf that I have been working on for the last 2 years.. yes, WAY too long. The goal is to get it even closer to completion so that come fall I can actually wear it :o) It is a very fun fall orange color. I'll share pictures at the end of the weekend.

For those of you sticking around the Portland/Salem area and looking for something exciting to do, you should check out Oregon Trail Rally! The first day is at the Portland International Raceway this Friday starting at 6 pm! It is something exciting that I'm sure you will not want to miss! Saturday and Sunday will be in The Dalles and have designated spectator sections. Hope some of you can make it!

http://rally-america.com/events/2012/OREGON/
http://oregontrailrally.com/

My new throw :o)

So its been awhile.. a long while since I've made a post. The big project that I have been working on lately is a quilt designed by Terri Staats at Sweet Treasures Quilt Patterns. It is an awesome beginners quilt that teaches you some of the basics of quilting (and sewing). She has other awesome patterns too that are for all the crafty folks out there (and if you're in the Salem, Oregon area she even teaches classes).

With that said, I was going to attach a picture to show you but my camera isnt wanting to cooperate right now. In the next week I will post you a picture of my almost completed quilt. It will go wonderfully on my bed as an accent blanket :o)

For all you adventureous crafters out there, you should give the art of quilting a try. It's pretty fun!

Idea #7b: Monogrammed Collage picture

So previously I had shared my christmas idea that I gave to my sister and for whatever reason the picture wasn't working... so here is another attempt for posting the picture :o)

Hopefully it works! New project soon.

Idea #7: Monogrammed Collage

First Christmas project:
So (again sorry about the poor quality picture and lack of detailed steps with pictures) I made this for my sister for christmas and it was quite easy.



All I had to do was find fun pictures (i just printed them in black and white on normal printer paper) and modge podged them to a canvas. I modged podged underneath the picture before placing it and then over the top to seal it. Once it was dry, I applied another coat of modge podge.

I also wrapped my pictures around the sides for a more completed look.. so once I had modge podged my second coat (and it was dry) I snipped the corners so that there wasn't a pointy corner.

For the button look, I bought 2 packs of buttons from JoAnns but you could easy just use ones from around the house if you have enough or pick out several of your favorites. I used 2 different sizes for depth.

Before applying the buttons, I had placed them on the counter to make sure that I had enough buttons and that I had them placed the way I wanted before gluing them down on the canvas. The buttons were applied with a good amount of tacky glue. Don't be afraid to have a little too much glue because it will dry clear.

Once buttons are placed, glued, and dried, YOU'RE DONE!!!

Another project well done!

Idea #7: Present Bows

Now this idea I got while glancing through pinterest one day.. I came across this blog that pretty exact in the art of making these bows.

I must be more adventurous or something (I'm not even sure what to call it), but all I used was newspaper and scotch tape. They turned out wonderful and I used them on all my presents this year for christmas! While making them, I had some other ideas cross my mind that I'll probably end up trying for birthday presents or next year for christmas. Instead of magazine pages or newspaper, you could make them with ribbon or even contruction paper or scrapbooking paper. With ribbon you would need to staple it, but this is just some ideas to get your mind wandering on other great ideas :o)

Here's how mine turned out:

I cut my strips a bit wider than they were suggesting. I also did something a little different in addition to my bows; since it's christmas, I added snowflakes over the tags! With the white bows, I made a newspaper bow too. All in all, I think they turned out great.

To tie it all together, I made a gift tag with just a square/rectangle of newspaper (white printer paper with the newspaper snowflake) and wrote their name in a fun font.

To me, this gives a personal touch to my gifts and is also cheaper (always a bonus). Happy crafting!

Idea #6: The Secrets Behind Cutting Burlap

Burlap is common material to use in dyi projects and many people enjoy the look of it. But burlap can be tricky material to work with. It never likes to stay flat or seem to cut straight. You may already know this, but if not, you can be in awe like I was when I learned trick. I've taken some photos to help those who learn better through pictures (sorry the quality is bad.. it's just a phone camera). The best part is, it really does make a straight line!

Materials:
Burlap
Scissors (not a rotary cutter-- sorry perfectionists)

Directions:

1.    Lay flat and folded in half like how it was on the bolt.


2.    Measure out desired length and snip thread closest to line.


3.    Pull on thread to pull it out of fabric (don't forget the under side).


(it's easiest if you hold the other end while pullingo on the string thread)


*If the thread get stuck or breaks halfway through, use your scissors to help guide it out.


4. Cut along the path that you have now created to make 2 pieces.


After that, you have strips of burlap that will hold together better than if you had used a rotary cutter to make a "straight" line!


Now, I have more projects that I am dying to share with you but if I did that I would be spoiling christmas.. stay tuned for more creative ideas/gifts to come!

Idea #5: Sweet Potato Fries

I dunno if you have ever tried sweet potato fries but this recipe is simple and really yummy! We made them the other night for dinner and they were a wonderful side--and a great, healthy alternative to regular fries. feel free to give them a try and let me know what you think!

http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/guaranteed-crispy-sweet-potato-fries-sriracha-mayo-dip/

Idea #4: 90 Day Challenge!

Starting tomorrow morning, I am going to start the 90 Day Challenge established by POP Pilates instructor, Cassey. It is going to be tough, especially the meals and water but I know it will lead to good results. I'll be posting frequently on my tumblr account if your interested to see my progress :o)

If this is interesting to you.. join in on the fun!

Idea #3

So I have always wanted a fun girly apron. I know its silly but its been something that I've wanted for awhile.. while getting sucked into pinterest I discovered this...

Now all I want to do is make one of these! Maybe even add a little lace over some of the layers.. i think it would be fun.. especially to make yourself!

Idea #2

How easy would this be.. taking old cans, spray paint them, and give them a modern look! you can even add buttons or different fabric to make them your own!