I have really started  to like the sweater pillows they have at Pottery Barn.  So I went to Goodwill and found some sweaters I liked and transformed them into pillow covers.  This makes 4 new pillows!! You can check out 2 other pillows I did here.  I still have 2 more to cover, but have not yet decided what to do with them. 

I have been meaning to post this for weeks now.  I just haven't gotten around to it.  So don't mind the old pictures.  I have so many cooking magazines and have been needing to find a way to organize them.  I also have been struggling with oraganizing the way I plan meals and shopping lists ect.  I always plan my meals out for the week on Sundays (I need to see sales before I plan) and write up my shopping lists.  But I have always done this on paper that just gets lost or misplpaced and then it is the middle of the week and I can't remember what I was going to make.  This frustrates me.  I decided to make a menu planner with a binder, that I decorated just for me to say it is pretty:)  I love binders, I have a fitness/diet binder a decoarting ideas binder and a coupon binder. 

I found this blog a few weeks ago, and found a series of posts she and her husband were doing titled "He Said/ She Said".  It is a video series on Lust and Marriage. This is a very real and vulnerable thing they did.  I know from experience that what they have to say is true.  My husband and I have a very honest relationship with eachother.  I can honestly say I know everything about him and his struggles being a christian man in a very ungodly world.   When we were first married I was very clueless to the struggles men faced.  A couple years into our marriage I found out.  As hard as it might be to swallow, it has helped our marriage imensly and we have grown as a couple.  We are also much more aware of our boys and the struggles they do and or will face.  Our children are not allowed to watch The Little Mermaid movie.  Around 2 years ago my son Zachy (mind you he was only 6 then) had watched the movie.  Everyday he was asking to watch it over and over again,  I overheard him saying too one of the other kids that's it that's the part and they would rewind the movie.  I confronted him to ask him what he liked about the movie so much he told me there was one part he liked.  It was the part were the octopus changes Ariel into a human,  there was a very quick flash of what appeared to be nudity.  I was shocked, I had watched the movie so many times growing up and never even noticed that.  It showed me how different a little boy and little girl are.

You can check out her video series here: at Wearethatfamily

I am so honered to have recieved an award from Melissa over at Frugal Creativity. I have been really enjoying her blog.  She is a crafter and homemaker who can do it frugally.  Is frugally actually a word?  Well either way it is how I would describe it.  You must go check her out.


1.Post the award.

2.Thank and mention the person who gave you the award.

3.Pass the award on to seven bloggers whom you think embody the spirit of the Kreativ Blogger Award.

4.Name seven things about yourself that others don't know.

5.Don’t forget to notify your seven Kreativ Bloggers about their AWARD and post links to their blogs
 

I am passing this award onto:
 
1.Meg @ A Little Knick Knack  Must check out her felt activity book she made for her daughter!
 
2. Jennifer @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam She is the queen of Goodwill deals (that is why I love her)
 
3. "Bird" @ Bird Crafts She is sooo crafty!!
 
4. Shelley @ Coupon Teacher She inspires me to keep couponing!
 
5. Rachelle @ Fingerprints on The Fridge You have got to see her newest entryway transformation

6. Gay @ It's a Hodgepodge Life She she has a new feature where she posts your projects that were inspired by her creations

7. My sister Rebecca @ Growing up Our Style She is a creative mommy to 2 precious little ones

Now for 7 things you may not know about me:

1. Check out this post: here

2.  I am from Rochester NY moved to Four Oaks NC around 1.5 yrs ago and am now living in Arnold, MD

3.  I love candles!

4.  I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 13 years old

5.  I never ever shop regular prices, I head straight back to the clearance racks

6.   My husband and I have worked in youth ministry for 11 years

7.  I have been to Romania, I went in the middle of winter when I was 7 months pregnant.

I love everything about Easter!!  I love the spring, and the flowers, the warmer weather, the excitement that summer will be here soon and most of all a celebration of The Lord's Resurrection!  I am already starting to bring out a few decorations and buying supplies I need to make some new one's.  One thing I need to make is a new wreath for the door.  I was searching the internet for some ideas and thought I would share them with you.

I saw these in a Kraft cookbook and had to give them a try since they were so cute.  I followed my own recipe for meatloaf and just put them in muffin tins.   These were the perfect portion size for the kids and they loved them!!

In a 1/2 cup serving you will get:
                          
120 calories

9 grams fiber
2.5 grams fat
1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat (0.3 grams plant omega-3 fatty acids)
0.5 gram monounsaturated fat
11 grams protein
13 grams carbohydrate
15 mg sodium
10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C
10% Daily Value for iron
8% Daily Value for vitamin A
4% Daily Value for calcium

The very first time I had these I was very leary, I hate  peas.  I thought for sure these would be similiar, THEY ARE NOT!!

When I make them I just toss them in some boiling water for a fe minutes,  When they change in color I take them out.  I prefer mine crunchier but some people like them a little softer.  Then I toss them in a little salt and eat away:)  

I found some information on soy that just makes me love them more***

Soy protein may help reduce insulin resistance, kidney damage, and fatty liver in people with diabetes, according to a study in rats.
  
A new study from the Chinese University of Hong Kong indicated that soy protein containing isoflavones (phytoestrogens) significantly reduced overall cholesterol and LDL "bad" cholesterol, and raised HDL or "good" cholesterol, especially in men.

A study in women reported that regular consumption of soy foods was associated with healthy cholesterol levels.

The component thought to be at least partly responsible for soy's health benefits is a type of phytoestrogen called isoflavones. Isoflavones also appear to work with certain proteins in soy to protect against cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

Results from a new study in China suggest that eating more soybean protein may help prevent and treat hypertension.

A study in which 12 postmenopausal women drank 36 ounces of soy milk daily for 16 weeks noted an anti-inflammatory effect of the isoflavones found in soy. According to the study authors, this may be important in the prevention of bone loss and cancer, among other things

I have been wanting to cover some old pillows I have had for a very, very long time.  I love all the new pillows that pottery barn has.  We have brown leather couches so a neutral color works well.  I found $2 linen window panels at Goodwill.  Two of them ended up on the window and the third I decided to cover 2 of the pillows. 

Here is my inspiration:

This is the curtain panel I found at  goodwill for $2!!!