Today, as I sit in our home in the middle of the state of Georgia, I am sorely missing the Atlantic Ocean. Ok, I really miss any body of water. Water is very therapeutic for me – listening to the waves, the water at it knocks against itself, the glare of the sun off the stillness of the top of the water, walking along a beach while my feet get wet, then sandy, then wet again. Being on any body of water is the best place I can be at any given moment. Today, I will take you back and share some memories with you and a fabulous new recipe we had yesterday.
My love for the water started before I could walk. We lived in central Florida and had a pool. My brother was a little older than me and was taking swim lessons. My parents thought I should go ahead and learn – so I did. I loved swimming and jumping off the diving board.
My love for the Suwanee River came from my Papa. I remember learning how to drive a boat about the age of 7. It was just me and Papa and the sparkling water of North Florida. A john boat brought some sweet memories. He taught me to fish, to not be afraid of gators (ha!), and how to cook homemade french fries. He also taught me how to clean fish – which we would eat immediately after catching them.
I remember quiet summer evenings at our trailer near Munden Creek (near the sleepy fishing community of Suwanee, FL). Mosquitos and radios and country tapes that included Kenny Rogers, Alabama, George Straight, and Barbara Mandrell. We would play rummy because we had no television. We would walk down to the little pond with worms and cane poles.
I moved to a beach town for college and quickly knew that I was born to live by the beach. You’d never be able to tell because I’m as white as they come, but everyday my junior and senior year I would walk down the beach in the morning and the evening. Some college friends and I would get a group together and have some worship jam sessions at night by the water.
My mister and I in our courting days took a few trips to the waterside of Carolina. The first time we held hands it was sprinkling and we were walking along the beach. Romantic yes.
On our honeymoon we woke up in Prince Edward Island overlooking the bright shiny water.
I love bridges, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, creeks, oceans, and the gulf.
One thing that goes well with water: seafood. And with seafood you need good dipping sauce and good friends to share it with.
Yesterday, I made a tarter sauce that I could easily eat with a spoon. Yes, the entire bowl, no seafood necessary. Thought I would share it with yall. But, first, let me introduce you to a company in South Florida run by a young friend of mine. His family is so important to me and I value their friendship. Tyler started Sailfish Alley Outfitters and runs a quality fishing gear. We all know you need fishing gear and here is the place to get some of the best. And you might as well look good while doing it. With custom tees and hats and more, this is your place to find it. And while you are catching fish, looking great while doing it, building relationships while you are fishing, you can be dreaming of the tarter sauce that you’ll have back in your fridge for your catch of the day.
Housemade Tarter Sauce
Recipe Type: Dip
Cuisine: Seafood
Author: kcreatives
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1/2 cup
A great partner to seafood is a tarter sauce. Never buy bottled again!
One of the biggest encouragements to me in the losing weight and healthy living game is affirmation from others. Words of affirmation are important to me in almost every area of life, so there is no reason it should be any different in this area.
Maybe you are the same? And maybe you do have people in your life who are your encouraging accountability friends and also those friends who give you the right words even when you’ve blown it by eating a hot fudge brownie sundae because you were having a bad day (those days happen). They are the friends you have, either by text, phone, or in person, that will help you when you are wanting to ruin all the hard work you’ve done by blowing off your diet because its “that time of the month”. You hopefully have people in your life who are helpful with new healthy recipes or new exercises that will help you beat the humdrum diet chamber we all can get in sometime.
One area that I think everyone needs encouragement in is the closet. Most women are emotionally helped when they look nice. I remember that lesson from high school. If you want to do good on a test, dress smart or dress nice that day. It would usually boost your test scores more than if you wore cut-offs and flipflops. Well, women, if you are losing weight, keep your closet a “good vibe only” place!
Pictures below: at 225 when my older son was 4 months old. and last week at 166 when my older son is almost 3. I really love that scarf and my hair in the picture on the left. But, I love that outfit a whole lot more on the right!
Here are a couple of things to consider:
Wear what fits. Right now I am in between sizes in my jeans. The ones that I’ve been wearing are getting too big, but the ones I have folded on my skinny shelf fit fine in the legs, but still leave me with a muffin top (that no woman wants). Tip: wear the bigger ones. They will make you look smaller than if you are trying to squeeze every single pound into too small of clothes.
Wear what makes you feel pretty. If you think you look pretty, stylish, or thin – chances are other people will think so too because you will exude more confidence. That confidence will also help you as you eat that day. It will remind you of all your hard work that you’ve put into a new healthy lifestyle.
Ask your spouse/boyfriend/SO: The person I want to please most with what I wear is my husband. His is the gaze I want to hold. So, ask your mister (or significant other) what he likes, what looks good on you, what patterns he would go for, etc. And if he doesn’t like something, and you aren’t that attached to it, sell it or give it away – no use having it in your closet.
Don’t beat yourself up! The print above is from my friend Bpaperie and I won it from her shop. It helps when I look at it in my closet to not be so condemning of every roll or stretch mark (thank you babies and years of weight loss yo-yo dieting) or inch of cellulite. Focus on your strengths and how much weight you have already lost.
Welcome to the end of another month. Where I clean out my fridge and freezer and dig way deep in the pantry. Going to try to make ends meet another month – but do so in a tasty way!
My mister only asked for one meal this week so he is getting what he asked for – steak (ribeye) and potatoes).
Making this quiche (without the crust and adding in some veggies)
Making some healthy chocolate zucchini bread for my misters’ breakfast. They can down some bread and muffins in the morning, so I might as well make it at healthy as possible.
I’m thawing some chicken. This soup is calling my name. Avocados and lime in a bowl – yes please, especially with my guacamole recipe coming out on Wednesday!
Since I’m trying to stick to paleo this week, this is a perfect easy crockpot meal that will be perfect by itself with greens or on a salad. It will also be good for burritos or enchiladas for my misters who love flour tortillas!
What are you guys cooking this week? How do you survive the last week of the month? And how do you eat well but not make your family eat exactly like you do?
I’m over in the state to my west at a family reunion…eating southern cooking, talking family, and taking photos. I made some oatmeal cream pies for the event and will look forward to hours of quiet in the car driving through the country. I look forward also to sharing photos of my family and farm life with you when I return.
But for now, I want to hear from you:
How did you find this blog?
What do you like featured most on here?
What would you like to see more of here on the blog
Thanks. I’d really love to make this a blog that you guys want to read (and cook from!)
Life: it has a lot to do with savoring every moment. Sometimes those moments are the best of times. Sometimes those moments are bittersweet. Sometimes those moments are just bitter. There are moments you’d rather not capture or every remember. But, mostly, even the bad ones, find their ever lasting way into your mind – etched there forever for you to press play and pause whenever you want.
That’s what I love about photography. It gives you the ability to not only press play and pause on the camera of your mind – but also hang up those captured moments for the rest of the world to see (or at least people who visit your home).
And with photography – you have to be ever learning. Thanks to Blogging for Books, I have been thrilled at looking through the new book by Sarah Wilkerson, CEO of Clickin Moms (they know how to capture life). The pictures are of course fabulous – different styles for every photographer. Also, it helps you learn by giving you the camera and lens and settings so you can practice.
I am a learner by doing, and love having photographers in my life who will let me ask them tons of questions when I’m with them, but I do love this book so I can see exactly how the photo should turn out. Learning is half the battle, right.
I don’t know what it is but the moment anyone in my family says they are sick, I immediately jump on the orange juice and chicken soup bandwagon. Well, last weekend, my husband came down something for the millionth time this year. I said I would go to the store that night.
I’m not a huge fan of broth noodle soup because after reheating it several times you don’t have any broth left. And it usually lacks flavor. However, I wanted something creamy and thick and comforting. This was it!
My boys and my mister have loved it – and my mister is all better. So, was it the chicken noodle soup, who knows? But, I know it didn’t hurt!
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Recipe Type: soup
Cuisine: chicken
Author: kcreatives
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
Thick and creamy chicken noodle soup
Ingredients
7-8 cups homemade chicken broth
2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, cubed or shredded
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 bag frozen peas and carrots (do not thaw)
2 T unsalted butter
3 cups of medium egg noodles, (measure out 3 cups dry before cooking)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream (or half and half, or more milk)
generous amounts of salt and pepper (remember you can always add but you can’t take away)
Instructions
In a dutch oven, saute onion and frozen peas and carrots over medium heat with the 2 T of butter for about 5 minutes.
Add in liquid and bring to a boil.
Add in noodles. Cook until al dente.
In a small sauce pan, heat butter and flour, whisking vigorously until all the flour is mixed in and the butter is melted. Add in milk and cream.
It will thicken as it stands.
When the noodles are done, add in chicken and cream mixture.
Let sit for a few minutes off heat. Serve with bread or a side salad.
This soup does get thicker as it sits in the fridge a while. Leftovers are more like a casserole. So yummy.
Watching people who are really great at what they do do what they do – it excites me! And I want to introduce you to one of those people.
Lindsey Hohman. I met Lindsey while we were both getting pedicures at a spa night hosted by her sister-in-law. I immediately was connecting with her down-to-earth personality and her creative bent toward everything. This girl has so much creativeness that it oozes out the ends of her hair.
You can see it in everything she does and her style fits her home perfectly. When I left her home a few days ago I called my husband and told him I found our dream house. No joke. Gray, white, lots of light, hydrangeas, plenty of space, a huge back yard, a rocking chair front porch, Gator stuff in the house. Yup. I hope this girl keeps me as a friend!
Lindsey is a handletter-er genius and it flows from her. I wish I could do it – and I can’t. We all have our gifts. Apparently. But, I love her whimsical style of writing and her soft style of watercolor. I love her floral looks but it doesn’t make everything too girlie. She is authentic. She loves Jesus, the Bible, and the Gospel. She uses an ESV Journaling Bible. She has two really cute kids. She loved my food. Yup. She’s a winner.
Our kids played, we ate and talked, and she was kind enough to answer some questions so you can get to know her a bit.
First, the question every one will want to know, what is in your coffee cup? Sweetness. Hazelnut coffee with french vanilla creamer. Stevia for more sweetness. If its not sweet, I’m not drinking it.
What are you learning from your art? I’m learning to view God in the light of grace. I am getting out of the box of “I need to do this before I will be ______” Living in grace and not living in law.
“Its a challenge to see you how God sees you.” – LH
What’s one area as a business creative in which you want to grow? I need to work on my shop set-up. Learning which avenues are best for which art styles.
What are your favorite materials? I love being creative with paints and pens and chalk. I like manipulating them in different ways to get a different effect.
What inspires your creativity? LOTS. I am a visually-inspired person. I love pretty things. Magazine and Pinterest lend inspiration. I love to sketch and doodle. If I’m listening to someone talk, I’m usually doodling. Watercolor is a new medium. One thing I’m learning is you can’t base your creations on others’. A lot of my inspiration comes from magazines and other print work. I love taking time to sit alone a read through a magazine!
How do you balance being a wife and a mom and a creative? Inclusion and patience. Basically, multitasking. I can’t do just one of the other. I am always Mommy and _____.
Lindsey, thank you so much for hanging out with me. I look forward to future play dates, cupcake dates, and creative sessions with you.
And yes, Lindsey made that necklace!
All photos are property of kcreatives photography. Use with permission.
One of the big trends in birthday photos or memory books is to talk about the child’s favorite foods, words, people, toys, books, etc at each time they have a birthday. I wish I had the chalk-lettering skills to do one for my boys’ birthdays coming up, but I will leave that to the experts.
But, if I were to do a chalkboard letter sign for my younger toddler, his favorite word would be “mine.” And seriously, we didn’t teach him that word. Its not like my husband and I go around saying mine mine mine in the house. But, knowing we as his parents are sinners,I’m sure he did pick it up from us at some point along the way.
Mine is not a word we want said a lot in our home. I usually answer him back with something like that: “Bubs, nothing is yours. God gave us all things and all the things that we have are from him. He gave them to us to use and share. We need to be kind and share the gifts that we’ve been given.” I want him to learn a few things from this conversation (that happens at least 10 times a day):
1. God is the giver of all good gifts. James chapter 1 says that and many times in the Psalms it says that everything in the world is the Lord’s. We may have been given a gift from our parents, grandparents, friends, etc but ultimately all good things come from God.
2. God does want hearts full of gratitude. God desires our hearts to be overflowing with praise for all that He has done for us. And out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks! So, if we can train our children to be thankful, then as they get older, maybe a heart of thankfulness with take root in them by the power of the Holy Spirit and their little mouths will bubble forth with praise!
3. God does want us to be kind. Kindness is fruit of the Spirit, so that makes it something that God desires in us. Kindness is not something we naturally gravitate towards. No, we all naturally gravitate toward taking care of ourselves first. Kindness is showing special care and grace for someone else. Even in toddler world, that may mean sharing the last cookie or giving up a special toy because another friend wants to play with it.
There is a new book by Tommy Nelson that helps preschoolers not only learn a crucial life skill of counting, but also, more importantly, how to express their thankfulness. Count My Blessings 1-2-3 is a perfect little shapes book that is durable and fun and rhyme-y. My boys have loved this book series. When we read it together I can help them think of specific cases of each blessing (like friends).
If you would like to win a copy of this book for your toddler, all you have to do is tell me one thing that you are thankful for in being their mommy or daddy. That shouldn’t be that hard – and it will help continue to grow a spirit of thankfulness in you as their parent.
1. My mister is working long hours and needs foods that he can eat at his desk, probably 2 meals each day. That means I get to eat a lot of my salads alone – but I need to make meals that can keep him full for those long 12 hours days.
2. I’m trying to do better about making a meal plan and sticking with it so my boys don’t eat so many chicken nuggets and french fries. If I have quick dinners already prepared for when I walk in the door with them then I will be less tempted to eat fast food because it is quick.
Homemade take on Panera’s kale caesar salad (I love this!)
I absolutely love to make cupcakes. They are fun to photograph and they are more delicious to eat! And you don’t get to cup too big of a slice of cake. You can just eat one cupcake, piled high with delicious buttercream (or any frosting that you choose), and its so portable.
As I’m researching cupcakes today to find some to make to take to an “at home with” shoot on Tuesday, I thought I’d share with you some of the fun ones I’ve found. Enjoy – and get your cupcake bake on this weekend.
