Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Source: tredways.org via Rebecca on Pinterest This December (ahem, tomorrow!) I'll be participating for the second time, in my friend's annual photography project. For an entire month, I'll just be posting one photo a day. It's a time for quiet on the blog, letting my mind stew lots of new blog posts, but also to enjoy the full season that is upon us. This year we've ( I've ) really reined back and have almost nothing planned in December...and it will stay that way. A few play-dates, and of course each Grandma (or Oma) will get their special baking days with the kids and I, but other than that, we're not doing anything else. At home we enjoy our own traditions of an advent calendar , and a daily Jesse tree , along with ^ baking days, but the presents are finished, mostly packaged, and the family photos are ready to be sent. Enjoy friends. *** So what IS the DPP? It's a photo challenge to shoot and upload one picture per day until Christmas. Please find

Source: Uploaded by user via Cami on Pinterest Yes, I know this isn't my picture, and ahem*, I'm working on it! Every stinkin' time I make this, I try to remember to take a picture of it for the blog, and every time there is almost none left...when I remember. Anyway. What you need to know : This is a mix between baked apples, baked oatmeal, and apple crisp...with fruit. Yeah. I'll try to remember to publish a photo when I make it again, you work on making this crowd pleaser. This dish is great because it: 1) makes your house smell good 2) is pretty darn healthy 3) it's easy peasy 4) Who doesn't love apples in the Fall? This recipe was adapted from The New Better Homes and Garden Cook Book. Ingredients: 4-6 cooking apples (I used Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith...because I like them) 1/2 cup+ raisins 2 tblsp brown sugar (or sucanat, or honey) 1 tblsp cinnamin 1 tblsp nutmeg 1/2 cup apple juice 1/2 cup thick oats 1/3 cup slivered or chopped nuts (al

Source: domesticease.com via Sydney on Pinterest Source: Uploaded by user via Patrice on Pinterest Source: Uploaded by user via Patrice on Pinterest Source: ashbyhouse.com.au via Ashby on Pinterest Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via Dakota on Pinterest Source: travel.nationalgeographic.com via Jesse on Pinterest

Join others around the world to savor a sweet moment from your week (or two!)

Source: google.com via Kristin on Pinterest Happy Thanksgiving y'all. Hope you enjoy some rest during the holiday, and spend it with those you love.

Remember when I had last call for this a bit ago? There were a number of things I did over the weekend, and here is just a small (minutely small) snippet of it. The rest I either didn't take pictures of, or can't because of the holiday coming up. Here's just a small taste of our weekend. *** We spend 24 hours together (about 15 women, 10 of which stay the night) at Roger's B&B, and craft til we drop (or realize it's time to go out to eat!). This year we had a great group of gals, mostly ladies who have always gone to it, with a few newbies. We worked all day and night until 5 of us decided to go to Blue Orchid for dinner. Yum. End of story. When we got back we resumed our craft stance until well into the night when I was the first one to go to bed at 11:30! Wake up at 7:30 and get ready for the day. Breakfast around 9 (another yum) was quiche, fruit + granola, juice, coffee, and a muffin. Just a few of us decided to stay after that until around 11 when the las

A couple weekends ago, I helped throw a baby shower for a good friend. This shower was a bit more specific than your average shower--because the mom-in-honor already has 3 children! She is expecting her fourth, but recently moved to Lincoln and had never had a Grace baby shower. That had to be fixed! Since she has both genders already at home, she doesn't really need a lot of baby gear/clothing, but I feel that every baby should be celebrated, and so I had the idea to do a Diaper + Book shower . It was a really fun and the small crowd of good friends made it a good experience. I'll tell you a little bit about it and the crafts I did to give it a bit of an extra whimsical touch. I love hanging garlands or banners of any kind, but I had seen something similar to the above picture on Pinterest , and thought the pastel colors would really make a sweet entrance. All of the fabric I had gotten from a friend for free, and with the help of a friend (my co-host) J, we were able to make

ohh cousins! * Join others to remember a sweet moment from the week.

Source: mybakingaddiction.com via Ashton on Pinterest One of my favorite things that I really miss from 'before' is cheap, greasy pizza. Pizza Hut was my favorite pizza place and I can still smell the overwhelming garlic on their breadsticks. Gluten, however, loves that place, too, and I can no longer eat there. I went without pizza for a long time because for a number of years after I was diagnosed with celiac, I could only find tiny, expensive (and disgusting) GF pizzas in the freezer section, and I was too nervous (lazy?) to make my own...especially knowing they wouldn't taste the same! Alas, this can now be made easily with the help of my good friend Bob and his Red Mill mixes. With their GF pizza mix a staple in our pantry, this pizza literally has only a few other ingredients. It's actually quite healthy, too. I first tasted a similar pizza at my friend M's house, who I believe got a similar recipe from The Dish. We're all friends here, so let's sh

Source: lilluna.com via Lora Joy on Pinterest I'm game for round 3 of Get the Craft Outta' Yo House ! Miss B has done it again and schemed and planned a way to gather a bunch of awesome ladies, food, wine, and their craft (whatever that is!) at Roger's Bed & Breakfast this Saturday. If you're local and you're interested, there are a few spots left, if you're on facebook let me know and I'll invite you to the shindig. Should be an awesome time...it always is! There is a cost, around 10$-12 per person, but let me tell you, it is worth every penny. Some of us go out for dinner, others ask for 'pretty please' take out, and still others just munch on the food brought and wait for the fantastic breakfast in the morning. Will we see you there? $10 people...I'd pay MUCH more for uninterrupted sewing time. Believe me.

This is a fitting topic for this week's {Visual Monday} as I'm taking it low-key in the early week due to an absence of Spouse, and also remembering our pastor's wonderful sermon (Sabbath Stewardship) from yesterday on the Sabbath--mainly taking a day to rest fully and praise Him in however you enjoy creation. With that; rest. Source: designsponge.com via Kirsten on Pinterest Source: pixdaus.com via Reneé on Pinterest Source: piaulin.com via aneta on Pinterest Source: 28.media.tumblr.com via Ana Sofia on Pinterest Source: wishflowers.tumblr.com via Janey on Pinterest Source: awelltraveledman.tumblr.com via Hillary on Pinterest

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There are always a few crafts going on over here. Some are big, multi-week preparations, some are small, 30 minute quick fixes. Others in the works for gifts, surprises, and parties. But, always, something .

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The creativity of this one is fascinating to watch. * Join others in savoring a moment from your week.

Source: designsponge.com via Eva on Pinterest I recently saw this post and then this one , and thought it'd be fun (and hello, honest) to participate. Obviously I wish there were more hours in the day, too, messes stress me out, and I'm constantly over scheduled. Let's all give ourselves a little grace, eh? * I (maybe) clean my floors twice a year. (And that's a BIG maybe.) I am a tooth-brushing nazi for myself. I often forget to brush my own children's teeth once a day...as in...they might get their teeth brushed a couple times a week. There have been times when wet laundry sat so long it grew black mold. Time(S)! I can't stand cleaning bathrooms. I will happily clean OTHER PEOPLE'S bathrooms before mine. The shower, needless to say, pretty much always has a ring. Stale air makes me feel like I'm going to get sick (see #8). Children who have no sense of personal space get on my nerves in about three seconds. My tantrums often rival those of my 2 and

For those of you who have found (and love) Pinterest , this recipe got immediately 'pinned' to my foodie board, and was one of the few that make the cut into the kitchen. Back story. We always go out to Chipotle . Like, always. If my husband is around and there is some reason that we're going out, it's there. And although I love a good Chipots share, I also love other food (yes, that's right honey, look away!). One of the restaurants I love is PF Changs. The closest one is an hour away but whenever we have our kid-free weekends, I try to push for a slice of Omaha with a side of Lettuce Wraps. Please? Enough of that. When I saw the pin for make-at-home lettuce wraps I quickly repinned to my foodie board, and then printed out the recipe from the original website . I, ahem, did a few things differently as I lack the human will and determination to follow a recipe to the T. It's a character flaw that usually ends up on the positive side, more often than not. I'