Vintage Mama's Cottage

Creative inspiration for your home and family

Is it spring yet?

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Maybe if I extend an official invitation, spring will arrive. Eventually. Here in northern Indiana, we’re still shivering in our boots most days. The other day one of my girls had a tennis match and the other one had a track meet. I was trying to bounce between the tennis courts on one side of town and the high school track so I could watch both of them, at least for a little while. Fortunately for me, I was in the car most of the time since I was driving and then waiting for a while and driving again. But for the girls, it was pretty frosty out there! They both took warm, fuzzy blankets with them so they could wrap up when they weren’t participating, and they both had jackets (and I think gloves and hats, but what does a mama know about all that stuff???). But I could tell they were still shivering in that blustery, cold wind.

Then yesterday, the sun popped out and the wind died down for a while, and it was actually warm. For a while. I opened the door to our deck and a sudden gust of wind shipped a bunch of old, dried up, dead leaves into the house. I can’t wait to get outside and finish cleaning up all of the leaves, twigs, branches, and other debris that blew into our yard after we cleaned up everything in the fall. That brief moment of warm-ish breeze gave me hope that spring will arrive. Eventually.

While I’m waiting for spring this year, I’ve been a bit distracted from my creative projects since starting my new, part-time, work-at-home job, teaching English as a second language to children in China. It’s been a bit of a learning curve to understand the technology and how the teaching platforms work, making sure that my internet connection is stable and fast enough to work online in a one-on-one teaching environment. Now that I feel more comfortable with the whole process of teaching students via an online classroom, I’m beginning to find that I have more time to begin planning my next DIY, home improvement, sewing, refashioning, art journal projects. It really works great for me to have several projects “in process,” as my brain just works better when I can be planning different things.

I’m hopeful that my pretty wreath will encourage spring to appear very soon! If necessary, I just might make a couple more (since they are really fun and easy to make!) and pop them into my Etsy shop. That reminds me . . . I need to update my shop soon with some of the other creations that I’ve come up with over the winter. You can make your own “Hello Spring” wreath with the FREE tutorial HERE.

This new endeavor has really kept me pretty focused since the beginning of the year, so I’m really looking forward to turning my attention to those other projects. Of course, creating my online classroom was a creative project all on its own! I had to figure out how to make a “classroom” backdrop to create an educational / interesting setting for my students. I’m thinking they really wouldn’t care if they could see my little classroom / office that is set up in a corner of our freshly updated living room – but the company requires all teachers to have a “classroom” set-up. So here’s what I did . . . .

Our living room is quite large, so it works out great for me to have my computer and all the teaching supplies that I need all set up behind the love seat that faces the fireplace. We put my two file cabinets behind the love seat with a shelf across the tops to make a sturdy platform for all of my stuff. Then, I bought two tri-fold bulletin boards from Walmart and set them on top of the shelf. Since the love seat is behind the boards, there is a sturdy backing for my back drop so it doesn’t fall over. Then I decorated the boards with cute, fun stuff! I added some props, stuffed animals, books, and a white board for various activities with my students.

Now that I have myself organized for teaching, I’m off to my next creative adventure! In the meantime, while I’m waiting for spring to arrive, I wanted to share this spring wreath project, just in case you want to see if you can encourage spring to arrive at your house, too. Here are a few pictures of my Hello Spring wreath – be sure to visit again soon for the complete tutorial for making your very own Hello Spring wreath. Today, I hope you will join us for the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party. I’ll do my best to visit some of you this week. It’s been challenging to get around to very many of our weekly participants in the linky party, but I’m hopeful that I will have time for a visit with you very soon!

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

Thursday Favorite Thing blog link party

 

Katherine-Katherines Corner

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Marilyn-Marilyns Treats

Bev-Eclectic Red Barn

Angelina- Petite Haus

Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


Take Time to be Creative

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Take time to be creative

I’ve been reading a lot of articles recently about the benefits of creativity. Of course, not everyone THINKS that they are creative, and lots of people aren’t even the least bit interested in pursuing creative endeavors. Painting, drawing, singing, dancing, writing, sewing, quilting, writing music, playing an instrument, sculpting statues, designing clothing or graphic art, writing poetry . . . and anything else you can think of . . . often seems to be the realm of only certain people. Surely accountants, bankers, investment and real estate brokers, insurance or car sales people frequently seem uninterested in spending time “making stuff.”

But not always. Sometimes the people who make a living doing “left brain” types of work, also discover that doing something creative once in a while is good for their soul. And it also has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and relieve anxiety. That’s why there has been a recent resurgence in the simple activity of coloring. Especially for adults. We all loved to color pictures when we were kids. Probably even the math whiz in the 6th grade secretly loved to color pictures. Even if the pictures he /she liked to color the best were filled with robots, cars, or stars and planets and space ships.

So as I’ve been learning about the spiritual, mental, and physical benefits of creativity, I decided to follow-up on my art journal posts (which I am working on and making great progress!) with a bit of additional inspiration to encourage everyone who visits Vintage Mama’s Cottage to take time to be creative. There are so many different ways to discover your own style of creativity, but in the end it really doesn’t matter WHAT you create, and it really doesn’t even matter if it turns out the way you want it to, or if your creation is super simple and easy to do like . . . coloring! Just do it, for the benefits and blessings of slowing down and relaxing long enough to breathe. Even if it is only for 10 or 15 minutes, it will help you de-stress. Really!

According to Verily, “creative activities are literally therapy for your mind. Whether it’s writing, baking, gardening, sewing, or playing music, a creative outlet can really improve your mental clarity. And if Martha Stewart isn’t your spirit animal, hobbies such as reading and listening to music count, too.

The beauty of creating is that it doesn’t have to be elaborate or groundbreaking. It can be just about whatever you want, as long as it’s unrelated to work inside or outside the home. Here are five ways that creativity can be the key to better mental and emotional health” (5 Proven Ways Creativity is Good for Your Health). Some of the many ways that creativity is good for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health include:

  •  It relieves stress
  • It increases and renews brain function
  • It can help prevent Alzheimer’s
  • It improves mood
  • It cultivates your social life

And the spiritual implications of discovering your own creativity are significant as well. According to Alisha Gratehouse of Flourish in her book, “A Life that Flourishes,” there is scriptural inspiration for our creativity:

“You are the crowning design of the Ultimate Artist. In fact, the Bible calls you God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). And this word “masterpiece” is the Greek word poiema, which carries the idea of something that is artfully created.

Not only were you artfully created, but when you were formed you were also given specific desires, talents, abilities, gifts, and passions to help you fulfill God’s purpose for your life.

Furthermore, as a Christian, you have the Creator living on the inside of you! So, if you want to cultivate your soul and fulfill your God-given purpose, then it is important that you take time to explore those creative passions.”

You are so much more creative than you think you are!”

She offers ten additional benefits of creativity:

  •  Joy
  • Self-expression
  • Fulfillment
  • Authenticity
  • Sense of balance
  • Resourcefulness
  • Stress relief
  • Improved health
  • Continued growth
  • Connection with other women

So it really doesn’t matter if you “feel” creative or not . . . God the Creator made you in His image. So you are, by your very nature, creative. Let’s take this journey together and see what we discover about our own creativity, no matter how you choose to express yourself. To get you started, here is a coloring page that you can print out and start being creative! I hope you can join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party. That’s definitely one way to discover a TON of creative inspiration and ideas. Hope to see you there!

Sun and Moon Coloring PageFor more FREE coloring pages, please visit everfreecoloring.com  

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

Thursday Favorite Thing blog link party

 

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Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


Our Family’s Easter Traditions: Hot Cross Buns

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Resurrection
“Jesus said … ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die’”(John 11:25–26, ESV)

 “He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!”

As we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, this Holy Week gives us much to ponder. How do you celebrate Easter? There are so many different traditions from across the world and throughout history, that I have found it interesting to learn about other times and places that people celebrated the Easter story.

I also recognize that many of our Easter traditions aren’t specifically mentioned in the Bible (bunnies, eggs, candy . . . . ) and I know that some families choose to focus exclusively on the Biblical story of Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection at this time of year. I’ve also been reading some articles on other perspectives about when and how to celebrate the Resurrected Christ.

One thing that is for sure, for all of us, no matter when, where, or how we celebrate Easter, is that we are celebrating the gift of eternal life that is only through a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever your family traditions are at this time of year, we all can come together to celebrate HIM!

Here are some of the origins of various Easter traditions that I found interesting. Perhaps you have some family traditions for celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord. I would love to hear about them!

Origins of Easter

One of our favorite Easter traditions is making Hot Cross Buns. We try to keep the focus on the Bible story of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection during this holiday time, and one way to do that is with the story of Hot Cross Buns. According to legend, the origins of hot cross buns may go back as far as the 12th century. In one story, an Anglican monk baked the buns and marked them with a cross in honor of Good Friday. Over time they gained popularity, and eventually became a symbol of Easter weekend.

In many historically Christian countries, the buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of the crucifixion. They are believed by some to pre-date Christianity, although the first recorded use of the term ” hot cross bun” is not until 1733.

We’ve celebrated Easter for many years this way, and now it is just part of our family’s tradition at this time of year. Here is a recipe to check out if you would like to start this tradition in your family.

Hot Cross buns

Hot Cross Buns

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

BUNS

  • 1/4 cup apple juice or rum
  • 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit
  • 1/2 cup raisins or dried currants
  • 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk (save the white for the topping)
  • 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 4 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

TOPPING

  • 1 large egg white, reserved from above
  • 1 tablespoon milk

ICING

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 teaspoons milk, or enough to make a thick, pipeable icing

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease a 10″ square pan or 9″ x 13″ pan.
  2. Mix the rum or apple juice with the dried fruit and raisins, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave briefly, just till the fruit and liquid are very warm, and the plastic starts to “shrink wrap” itself over the top of the bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Note: If you worry about using plastic wrap in your microwave, simply cover the bowl with a glass lid.
  3. When the fruit is cool, mix together all of the dough ingredients (including the eggs and the egg yolk from the separated egg); hold out the fruit for the time being. Knead the mixture, using an electric mixer or bread machine, until the dough is soft and elastic. Mix in the fruit and any liquid not absorbed.
  4. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. It should become puffy, though may not double in bulk.
  5. Divide the dough into billiard ball-sized pieces, about 3 3/4 ounces each. A heaped muffin scoop (about 1/3 cup) makes about the right portion. You’ll make 12 to 14 buns. Use your greased hands to round them into balls. Arrange them in the prepared pan.
  6. Cover the pan, and let the buns rise for 1 hour, or until they’ve puffed up and are touching one another. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
  7. Whisk together the reserved egg white and milk, and brush it over the buns.
  8. Bake the buns for 20 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the buns out of the pan (they should come out in one large piece), and transfer them to a rack to cool.
  9. Mix together the icing ingredients, and when the buns are completely cool, pipe it in a cross shape atop each bun.

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Please join us for this week’s

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Favorite Things: Practical Repurposing

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Use it up, wear it out

These days, everyone seems to be repurposing / upcycling / refashioning all kinds of things. I guess I was way ahead of my time, because I’ve been doing that all of my life. But for me, it was always a matter of necessity, so I didn’t often think of “repurposing” as anything that could be fun and creative. It was just a way of doing what my mama always said: “Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.” And so that’s how we lived.

Finding a dress or skirt at the thrift shop and adding a row of lace or a ruffle at the bottom was just the sensible way of adding a bit more length to a garment . . . it wasn’t a fashion statement! And taking old Mason jars or tin cans and painting them or wrapping them in pretty paper just made sense at our house. That’s where we would store things like spoons and spatulas, or crayons and pencils. It never occurred to me that those things would one day be fashionable.

Cutting up two or three garments and piecing them back together to make a completely new garment was one way that I got anything “new” when I was a teenager – the other being when I would earn .75 or a dollar and go to our local dime store to buy a few yards of fabric and a pattern to make my own “new” outfit. That was when fabric was about .50 a yard and I could buy a pattern for about the same amount. So with just a couple of dollars in my pocket I could actually buy enough fabric and a pattern to make a new dress! And that’s exactly how I learned to sew! It was all trial and error, and over time I made a lot of mistakes and learned from them.

Now there is a wonderful appeal for all kinds of “repurposed” or “upcycled” items, especially in clothing / fashion design as well as in DIY home decor projects. Since I’ve been doing that kind of thing all my life, I am delighted to see this kind of frugal fashion and creative living skills becoming so popular. But since all of this kind of “making do” with whatever I already have on hand was not something to perceive as creative or fashionable, I need lots of inspiration to turn my old-fashioned, practical knack for using whatever is available for a humble, ordinary necessity into a few things that are fun and whimsical.

Vintage suitcases stacked

Now that we are getting back to our home update projects, it’s time to start searching for things that we can use to decorate a bit. Of course, we can always use stuff we’ve had around the house for several years and use those items just as they are. We can also paint a few things like picture and mirror frames, end tables, and even book shelves. But after stuff has been around for a really long time, it’s kind of fun to get something “new.” Well, “new to us.” That’s where the repurposing / upcycling projects come in!

Benches to book shelves

Recently I’ve found that having too much “stuff” around is making me feel a bit overwhelmed. Some fun stuff is great, but too much “clutter” and I begin to feel rather claustrophobic – so I’m being much  more selective with the items that we display in our home.  Here are some fun, creative ideas I found on Pinterest (of course, where else?) that have inspired me to “shop” my own house first and use things that we already have, and then the next time I’m at the thrift shop I’ll keep an eye out for things that I can upcycle with a purpose.

Vintage Tray Wall Display

Most of the time the DIY projects that I work on tend to be the kinds of things that I can use for a long time. When my kiddos were little, we would make paper DIY projects for the holidays or any other time, just because it was fun to do. I still have many of those projects stored for safe-keeping, and even though they are old and faded, I still love to take them out and look at them from time to time. The spring bunnies made from construction paper, the Mother’s Day card with “I Love You, Mom!” scrawled across the front in childish writing and paper cupcake liners for flowers, the Thanksgiving turkey pictures with colorful feathers, and the Christmas ornaments made from paper plates, construction paper, and glitter . . . all hold a special place in my heart.

Repurposed Drawer Tray

 

Now that all of the kiddos are pretty much grown up, I’m not collecting paper DIY project ideas these days. Instead I’m always looking for frugal DIY project ideas that will add a touch of charm and whimsy to our home. So as I was searching for ideas today, I came across some really fun ideas using vintage suitcases, discarded drawers, old serving trays, primitive benches, and even vintage jewelry.

Vintage jewelry cuff bracelet

Here’s a gorgeous cuff bracelet that is made from a basic bracelet form, wrapped with fabric or ribbon, with vintage jewelry and buttons attached. I’ve made similar bracelets that I hand stitched vintage buttons onto a fabric cuff, but this one has inspired me to try a bit different technique. Isn’t it beautiful?

Repurposed Tin Cans and Tea Cups

How fun is this??? Plain, old, ordinary tin cans have been repurposed with vintage tea cups and fancy drawer knobs. It is amazing what you can do with a bunch of old stuff and your imagination! Instead of buying boring canisters for my kitchen, I’m thinking I’ll make a set using tin cans and maybe some paint . . . or Contact paper? I can’t tell for sure how the  one was decorated with the white background and the dark gray floral design, but that spoon on the side is so cute! Guess I need to get busy!

Tin Can and Burlap Organizers

Here’s one more way to upcycle / repurpose those old tin cans – some white paint, burlap ribbon and twine, and a few vintage pins or buttons and look at the gorgeous result! How perfect would this be for all of my paint brushes out in my design studio? Or scissors on the sewing table, or all the other odds and ends that accumulate while I’m working on the next fun refashion project? Always looking for more practical but pretty upcycle DIY projects . . . how about you? Do you like to take old stuff and make it into new stuff? I’d love to hear about it!

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

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Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


Favorite Things: Time

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I’m finally finding some time (and energy!) to get back out in my sewing room / art studio and work on a few projects. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do that, mostly because LIFE happens and then suddenly you discover that weeks and even months have gone by and the best you’ve been able to accomplish is to get through a day. And everyone is still alive. It’s been a difficult winter, so I’m ready for spring!

I’ve had several pages planned and all set to go for my art journal for this year, but then suddenly it is March . . . and I haven’t even had time to work on this project that I really love. The other day I passed the counter top where all of my art journal supplies are all lined up, and I was feeling pretty sad about not having time or energy to “play” out there and I suddenly realized – I am in charge! So I stopped what I was doing (whatever it was at that moment) and decided  to at least get started.

I’m not always able to STOP what I’m doing and work on my art journal pages, even when I feel up to it. If I’m on my way out the door to an appointment, or to pick up a kid from tennis or track practice, or go to the orthodontist or doctor, then I just have to keep on moving. But most days I really do have TIME that I can work with and fit things into my schedule that are important to me. I’ve often heard that “time management” isn’t possible. The best you can hope for, I guess, is prioritizing your activities within the time that is available. We all have the same amount of time in a day, it is a matter of taking charge of what you are doing with your time. So I guess it could be called “life management” because we can’t control time no matter what we do.

I was only able to play around with my paper, scissors, and glue for a little while on that day, but here’s the really fun part of art journaling (to me anyway!) . . . if I even have a few minutes to create a layout / design for one of my pages, then when I have a few more minutes, I can glue things in place. Then, after that, the next time I have a few minutes, the glue is dry on that page and I am ready to draw, embellish, or write on that page. And then I can plan the next page. So it keeps me looking forward to what the next page is going to look like!

Since I am not great at drawing my own pictures, and I really don’t like the way my pages look when I’ve tried to paint them, I prefer to do collage-type pages. I also love to make little pockets and envelopes, tags and tiny books where I can write things that are important to me. So my pages are more like my fiber art creations – paper patchwork with bits and pieces of ribbons, lace, and vintage buttons. It one way to use up some of the leftover scraps from other projects, and because I love to sew, I sometimes include fabric scraps on my pages. I even stitch some of the embellishments on my pages!

If you like tiny books or pockets or envelopes, stitching them together is a fun way to create added texture and dimension to your art journal pages. Stitching pages together for a little book is not only the easiest way to create an adorable little booklet to tuck into a pocket, it is really pretty. You can stitch on other paper designs, or ribbons and lace, or just use a decorative stitch on the cover of your little book.

Today I am hopeful that I can make a bit more progress on my 2018 art journal. Of course, I like to make other art journals just for fun, but my attempts at making a yearly art journal is to document some of my thoughts, dreams, ideas, plans, and goals for my year. How about you? Have you ever thought about creating your own art journal? Remember, if you do, that it is YOUR art journal and you can do it any way you want! You will find lots of inspiration online at other blogs and websites, so take a look at what other artists are creating and get started on your very own art journal for 2018! It’s not too late to get started . . . that’s what I’m doing!

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

Thursday Favorite Thing blog link party

 

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Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


Favorite Things: Celebrate Our Irish Heritage

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Irish Tune

I’ve always known that part of my family ancestry and heritage is Irish. My mother’s maiden name was Dailey which is described as the “Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning “descendant of DÁLACH” There are several variants of the spelling of Dailey / Daly, and I know that there are many Americans with this same ancestry. But it wasn’t until I was in my late-20s that I really began to think about this part of my life. I had the privilege of traveling to Northern Ireland with a friend at that time. We stayed with her family, as she was originally from that part of Ireland but had been living in the US for a couple of years after marrying an American whom she met while working as a missionary in Bangladesh.

That was such a fascinating adventure for me, as a young American woman who really had never experienced anything beyond my rural, midwestern village in Michigan. And coming from a family that had numerous “branches” that meandered far and wide, there was never really any strong sense of family history or lineage. That happens when generations upon generations marry, have children, divorce, have children, remarry, have children, lose track of one another, have a few more children, and then completely forget who they are or where they come from. That was my understanding on my “history” for most of my life.

At the time I traveled to Northern Ireland, I really knew nothing at all about the history or the people of that country. Other than a vague notion of St. Patrick’s Day, wearing green so you didn’t get pinched (I still have no idea what THAT was all about!), and drawing leprechauns and shamrocks on school coloring pages . . . I had no clue what most of that meant. There were a few Catholic families in our small town, and a beautiful Catholic church. I even knew some of my classmates at school were Catholic, but that still had no connection to my life as a child growing up in a relatively impoverished village where most of the families I knew were struggling to get by from day to day. There just wasn’t time or reason to wonder about things like my ancestry!

When I visited a small farming village near Belfast, I learned about The Troubles between the Catholics and Protestants in that beautiful country. I have since researched and read a lot about the origins of this conflict and it truly helps me understand more of the history and violence that has been a part of the life of the Irish people for so many centuries. I have also learned so much about the history of the Irish people in America, which is another heartbreaking story of poverty, drudgery, hardship, and being social outcasts. It’s no wonder that the Irish has a reputation for being tough, and a little bit rough around the edges.

I would love to travel back to Ireland one day and learn more about my own ancestry and connections to the people of that country. The stories I’ve read are filled with people who have suffered through great challenges in life, but they have found a way to survive through it all. The Irish Potato Famine, The Troubles, the poverty and degradation, the toil-filled days and the nights of rebellion, all contribute to the story of the Irish people. They are a proud people, and I am hopeful that one day I will know more about them. Because in the end, I am one of them. I just didn’t know.

Irish Potato Famine

This coming week as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll be having our Sunday dinner of corned beef and cabbage, and I’ll be remembering that there is a long line of men and women before me who walked a very difficult journey that brought me to where I am today. For that I am truly grateful

Have you ever wondered about your ancestry and heritage? I would love to hear about what you have discovered! I hope you will join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party. You never know, you just might discover some new friends! See you there!

Nina Signature

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

Thursday Favorite Thing blog link party

 

Katherine-Katherines Corner

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Marilyn-Marilyns Treats

Bev-Eclectic Red Barn

Angelina- Petite Haus

Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


Favorite Things: Empty Inbox (or, It’s a Mess Around Here!)

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Last weekend our little family started working on a jigsaw puzzle. We’ve done that before and it’s a lot of fun! But after all of the shifting and reorganizing we did around here this past autumn with the home repairs and updates, most of our puzzle boxes were accidentally dumped upside down, or there was one or two missing pieces from the whole process of putting them together and taking them apart again . . . so I decided it was time to buy a brand-new jigsaw puzzle. At the store we were trying to decide which puzzle we wanted to work on. Did we want a picture of the ocean, or a picture of cartoons, or cats, or puppies, or Disney characters, landscapes, cityscapes, famous works of art, or country scenes and farm yards? What a selection!

I pulled on off the shelf that looked like an interesting design. It was a picture of a covered bridge with trees and flowers all around, blue sky with white fluffy clouds, butterflies flitting among the bright yellow, red, and blue flowers, a pathway through the grass up to the bridge, and lots and lots and lots of green leaves. Lots of green leaves. I said enthusiastically, “Let’s get this one! The pictures is really pretty, and it will be fun!”

“Hmmm . . . ” sighed the ever-diplomatic Hubby as he looked at the front of the puzzle box, gazing thoughtfully over my shoulder. “But it’s 1,000 pieces . . . ” he stated the obvious. “Don’t you think that might be too difficult?” “Of course not,” I stated with naive determination. “The girls will love it!” “Are you sure you don’t want to try one with . . . 500 pieces, or even . . . 750 pieces?” he asked hesitantly. “I mean, just in case, that one really is too difficult?” “It will be fun!” I declared, tossed it in the grocery cart, and took off towards the produce aisle. Hubby faithfully followed along, perhaps wondering if I had lost my mind. Perhaps I did.

When we got home, right after supper, we opened the box and dumped out all the pieces. There were 1,000 of those little things, and they all looked the same. We finally got all of the edge pieces in place (well, except for one, which we still can’t find now after a week of searching), and by then we were all staring cross-eyed at all those little pieces – that all looked the same. The next day we puttered around with it and found a few pieces the went together; we even found a few that matched up with the edge pieces. Making progress! But really, several hundred little pieces of a puzzle that are all green (leaves?) or light blue (sky?) or brown (pathway? covered bridge?) are going to take a very long time to figure out where they go and what they match up with.

So, I was wrong. It really IS a very difficult jigsaw puzzle, but fortunately it is all spread out on a table that we don’t need to use every night for supper so it can sit there until . . . spring? Summer? I don’t know how long it is going to take us to get it all put together. But while we are trying to figure it out, we’re having fun hanging out together around the table in the evenings, eating popcorn, watching TV, drinking hot cocoa (or whatever), and just being together. It’s worth the extra effort to figure it out. And I even think we will eventually find that one, lone edge piece that is still lurking somewhere in that pile of 1,000 puzzle pieces that all look the same.

As we were working on that crazy puzzle, I started thinking about my inbox. I know, a strange thing to think about while working on a puzzle, but it just reminded me of what a mess my inbox is. Well, actually my in BOXES, because I have a few different email accounts for my different projects. So this week I’ve been trying to sort through a bunch of messages, answer as many as I can, delete the ones I don’t need, and just generally get things organized in my little digital world. But then that got me to thinking about how life is kind of messy, but it’s a beautiful mess, so I guess in the end, whether it is a jigsaw puzzle, or my inbox, or my house, or my writing projects, or my little classroom here for my online classes, or life in general . . . we should try to keep things tidy, but that doesn’t always happen.

And just like that 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, I’ll eventually figure it out if I just give myself enough time and don’t give up. That’s my word of encouragement to myself this week: Don’t Give Up! Baby steps, a little at a time, one puzzle piece at a time, one email at a time, one load of laundry at a time, one paper graded at a time, and sooner or later I’ll make progress. Time to get back to that puzzle because it isn’t going to put itself together!

I hope you will join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party. I know, I know, it’s one more thing on your To Do list, but this one is fun, I promise. Hope to see you there!

Nina Signature

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

Thursday Favorite Thing blog link party

 

Katherine-Katherines Corner

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Marilyn-Marilyns Treats

Bev-Eclectic Red Barn

Angelina- Petite Haus

Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


Favorite Things: Working from Home

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Working from home . . . seems like the perfect job for many of us, especially those of us who would love to be at home with our children and still have the opportunity to help out with the family finances. The tricky part of working from home, that should be self-evident but doesn’t always seem to register with those around us, is that if we are “working” from home that we REALLY, really are WORKING. So if you want to work from home, your family will need to support you in this decision and acknowledge that, just because you are, in fact, at HOME – that you really are working. For those who aren’t really comfortable with self-disciple or self-motivation, working from home might not be a great opportunity. But for people who love the challenge of an interesting and meaningful job with flexible hours, pretty good pay, and still allows you to be at home with your family, here’s one possibility that might work for you.

VIPKID is an online ESL teaching platform, where you teach English to children in China. Of course, since we have traveled to China twice to bring our daughters home, we already have a love for the country, culture, and people of China. And because we still do have a couple of kiddos at home (although they are both teenagers now, my preferred place of employment is still at home), it has been important for me to find opportunities to help out with our family finances – kids are expensive, even when you are rather “old fashioned” parents who aren’t inclined to provide the latest shiny object for kids who think they simply can’t live without “it.” Whatever the latest “it” might be. So I’ve been looking at different opportunities for quite a while, trying out this one and that one, and even though there are lots of things out there that one could do to generate some income working from home, this is the one that seems like a good fit for me and my family.

I have recently been hired by VIPKID, signed the contract and all the legal stuff, but because of Chinese New Year which is celebrated during the month of February and families (and the staff at VIPKID in Beijing) are all on holiday until next week, I have been using this time to do the training for using their teaching resources and platform for the past few weeks. I will begin teaching real students next week . . . but so far, everything I have experienced has been very positive. Of course, I’m sure as with any company or place of employment, everything isn’t nor will it ever be “perfect,” but so far, so good.

I’m excited for this opportunity for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it will allow me still be be at home when my girls need me (like dropping off and picking up from track practice, orthodontist appointments, tennis practice, therapy appointments, youth group activities, and on and on and on . . . . ), and it will allow me to help with the family finances AND it will give me the opportunity to teach, which is something that I love to do!

My classroom!

If you are at all interested in looking at this employment opportunity for yourself, check it out! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to share with you what I’ve learned so far. There will be much more information once I get a bit more experience with this company, but for now my best guess is that it looks like a great possibility for this Work-at-home-Mom. What do you think? Do you have any work-from-home suggestions that have been a good fit for your family? I’ll let you know how this turns out in the coming weeks!

Nina Signature

PS There are several other online ESL companies that I’m looking at and will share some of that information with you next week. Right now I’m getting prepared for teaching my first students with VIPKID – so let me know if you have any questions!

PPS To apply for this opportunity, you do need a Bachelor’s degree, but ESL specific certification is not required. That is something that you can obtain along the way. The primary requirement is that all teachers must be native-English speakers, and any teaching experience is also helpful.

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

Hope to see you there!

Thursday Favorite Thing blog link party

 

Katherine-Katherines Corner

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Marilyn-Marilyns Treats

Bev-Eclectic Red Barn

Angelina- Petite Haus

Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


Favorite Things: My Art Journal

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ART JOURNAL 2018 Cover

As much as I love working on my art journals and creating fun and meaningful (to me) pages, life just has a way of keeping me distracted from this project. This art journal was actually started in 2016 and then LIFE happened . . . . I’ve made several smaller art journals since then, but this one just sat on a shelf out in my sewing room / art room / design studio while the needs of the people in my life kept me preoccupied. For a rather long time. Thankfully, we managed to take care of what we could, help those who needed us to the best of our ability, and now life seems a bit less chaotic. For the minute!

It seems like we just about got to the place where we could take a breath, and then BAM! Something else happened, like the flood last autumn after we had invested several months painting and updating our house. We had hoped to have everything just about wrapped up by Christmas, but it wasn’t until Christmas Eve when we finally had that mess cleaned up enough to put up our Christmas tree.

And then there are the necessities of life that keep us distracted, like doing the laundry, cooking (occasionally), paying the bills, cleaning the house, and for me there is always my writing, editing, and teaching responsibilities. Everyday there is something that is urgent, demanding my attention, right now (if not yesterday!), so my pretty art journal sits here on my desk hiding beneath a pile of teaching materials. I am frequently reminded, by its silent presence, that I haven’t worked on it since I made the cover. In 2016. But since I really do like the cover on this one, I decided to switch up the date and try again. We’ll see how it goes.

Of course getting the flu, taking the kids to dr., dentist, orthodontist, and eye dr. appointments also play a part in my neglect of my lonely art journal. The days fly by, the hours and minutes slip silently into the realms of memory, and still I see my art journal waiting patiently for me to return. Perhaps today. Or tomorrow. But I keep it here as a reminder that I must carve out a bit of time to be creative. When I look at my desk each morning, as I try to ignore the ever growing pile of papers, finger puppets, white board and markers, magnetic stars and virtual rewards for my students, I can’t help but feel a bit sad that I am so busy I don’t have time just to have fun.

So today I have decided that even if it is only for 15 or 20 minutes, I am going to play! I’ll post pictures of my creation, but in the meantime, I’ve determined that I have to stop working ALL. THE. TIME. and take a break now and then. Today’s the day! How about you? Do you manage to find time to have fun? Have you ever created an art journal . . . just for the fun of being creative? Well, maybe today is the day for YOU, too!

Check out some of the creative bloggers from this week’s Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party – I think you’ll find quite a bit of creative inspiration there!

Nina Signature

 

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

Hope to see you there!

Thursday Favorite Thing blog link party

 

Katherine-Katherines Corner

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Marilyn-Marilyns Treats

Bev-Eclectic Red Barn

Angelina- Petite Haus

Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


Favorite Things: Pretty Printables

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Some days we just need to be reminded that we are not alone, and that even through our most difficult times life, we can rest in God’s promises that He will never leave us if we trust in Him, and that He does have plans for our life that are always for our good. It may not always feel like that, but it it true.

If you have lived long enough to experience a broken heart, health concerns, relationship problems, financial challenges, or any number of other difficulties in life, then you know that it is hard to keep going when you are in the middle of it all. But once you come out into the sunlight of healing and wholeness, you can rejoice for God’s gift of grace.

So if you are struggling through days of weariness as a young mama, or searching for a way of escape from a hurtful or abusive situation, or worrying about a child that has gone astray, or devastated because of a broken marriage – you are not alone, and others have gone before you, who will tell you that you can get through this, too. You need to look to God for comfort, guidance, grace, and healing . . . and if you are willing . . . He can make you whole again.

I write this tonight after a conversation with someone I love dearly who is right there, right now, and afraid of the future. These are the days we need to stand up, show up, and determine to take steps in the right direction. Even baby steps will work, if you are walking towards the light of God’s love, so start moving. Take that first baby step, and just do the next right thing. Even if that is to go home and tuck your babies in, read your Bible to fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word, and get a good night’s sleep. Then, tomorrow, take a few more baby steps no matter how difficult it might be, just make sure you are walking towards God and He will guide you. He promised.

If you would like to print out either one of these Scripture verses, or upload them to your computer or your phone, just right click and “save as an image” to your computer. Put them right where you will be reminded of God’s endless love and that He will never leave you, no matter how many other people let you down, God never will. I promise.

Nina Signature

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Please join us for this week’s

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party

Hope to see you there!

Thursday Favorite Thing blog link party

 

Katherine-Katherines Corner

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Marilyn-Marilyns Treats

Bev-Eclectic Red Barn

Angelina- Petite Haus

Theresa Begin – Shoestring Elegance


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