I love living life with people and catching up with friends. Today was one of those days. And for me, catching up and hanging out usually teaches me something. Today was no different.
I’m so glad friends are in our lives. Especially during a season with much pain, I’m thankful for those friends that brighten your day and soothe you and make you feel right at home: no matter where you are.
Three things I learned today:
1. Being known is something that is sweet – but you don’t want everyone to know you. I really love having honest relationships with people (and even here on the blog). I love living life with folks and knowing what goes on in their lives and what God is teaching them – what they are walking through. But, there are times when being known hurts and is painful. You can do one of two things at that moment – and I think you have to know which moment you are in : walk away or persevere. You have to decide for yourself with much prayer which one you should do in any given moment. Walk away – maybe the relationship is a harmful one for you – you need to walk away. But, in the most important relationships: your marriage, family, or tried and true friends – you persevere.
2. What do you want to be known for? How do people describe you to others? What do you want to be known for to either friends or strangers? There are some adjectives that I would love to be described as – and then there are some, that right now I’m not, but I want to be – so I know what areas I need to work on.
3. Travel – I love it. My friend travels for her job. She is not married and has the luxury of doing so. She packs up and heads out and pours into the community she is in for any given time. I love to travel and see the world. It is much harder with a husband and kids. But, I love living a life of an adventure. That’s why we are always in the car (except during nap time). I want to explore my area – which is ATL and is amazing to explore.
Another normal week of cooking here in the South. Do you ever get tired of cooking or having to prepare meals for your family – or just for yourself? I know I do. 5-7 meals each week not including breakfast and lunch – it gets tiresome and repetitive.
So, what do you do?
1. Look at new websites and get new ideas. And you can also look at blogs that do an inspiration post (like How Sweet and Heather’s Dish). I do it to – like the Weekend Inspiration post or Link Love posts. I love giving you new blogs to read.
2. Ask your family what are things they would like to eat. Of course my littles don’t really answer me right now, but my husband usually has good ideas. If you are having people over for dinner – ask what they would like to have.
3. Look in your pantry and create some new dishes with what you have. I always have jiffy corn muffin mix and canned beans and soups in my pantry. Something may just catch your eye and bring some creativity to the table.
Monday: Farmhouse salads with fresh ingredients and hard boiled eggs and cheese and chicken strips. One of our favorite go-to dinners.
Tuesday: We are having a first ATL house guests tonight so I wanted to know what I could cook. We are having roasted broccoli, fresh summer tomatoes, and parmesan Greek chicken.
Wednesday: Chopped Thai Salads from Pinch of Yum because the mister won’t be home till late and I can eat it right after the boys go to bed.
Friday: Leftovers is what’s for dinner and then for a date night dessert: this tart. Truth be told I have a tart pan that I’ve never used. Yes, I’ve had it for about 10 years and never used it – always keeping it because I might use it one day. Well, that day is coming!
Saturday: Zucchini bread – I actually really love it. Summer goodness in loaf form. So, I’ll be chilling with this loaf, some eggs, bacon, and fruit for brinner.
Sunday: And then take some of the bread and toast it with a smearing of butter and milk and a banana. Then the hubs has this Sunday off so maybe some comfort food after church at night and leftovers for lunch. This Sloppy Joe bowl fits the bill.
Sometimes being a creative has its drawbacks. For me, it really came this week as I thought about narrowing the fields for how I am creative. But, all of it flows together. And comparison isn’t good – but if you don’t see anyone ever better than you – how can you improve?
Well, I wanted to share some websites with you – ones that inspire me to be better at what I LOVE to do. I am a creative person in most every field: from parenting, our weekly and daily schedules, photography, cooking, handlettering, cards, etc. So, enjoy these websites and let me know some ones I can look at too!
Griffin Gibson Photography – a local to me photographer that I hope to contact soon (a friend mentioned her name to me) and take some lessons from.
Mallory Ward Photography – another young photographer that has an eye for special people and the every day. I am having time with this girl this week.
Holly and Flora – this budding wine expert and foodie takes beautiful photography of the special and unique and fresh and local foods and spirits she makes in her home in Denver. I always love any time I get to chat with this long-time friend.
All She Wrote Notes Calligraphy – I get the honor of hanging out with this girl in Chapel Hill in July. Looking forward to a mini photo shoot and learning about her craft! I love that she does it all free hand – she doesn’t print out what she does.
Adventures in Cooking – Her photography and inspiration behind her food is amazing. Simple, rustic, beautiful.
Elyse Fitzpatrick – Her writing. Straight forward, gospel centered. That’s how I like to write. Oh, to write like her (one day, maybe, ha!)
One other note: You’ll hear more about this in the days ahead….but I love living creatively. I have thought about that this year – fighting the mundane, living and dwelling in creative beauty. There is beauty all around us – so make every moment beautiful. Glimpses of our Creator are all around us. And beauty reflects him too. I’ll be doing a series of blogs and photo sessions that reflect this theme as I introduce a new direction for this blog.
Full summer time swing here in HOTlanta. I really hate the name of that because it implies more than just weather, but maybe I can just say the ATL. That will work for me!
Going to try some new healthy recipes this week here in the kitchen:
Monday: pork tenderloin (just as a guideline) with some relish and herbs from my friend Jayme. Roasted corn with lime sea salt from LaJolla and cantaloupe.
Tuesday: Rice and a variation on these Greek vegetables out of a Greek cookbook from a church in Durham, NC
Wednesday: Brinner of French toast made with some Publix Breakfast bread and some bacon and eggs.
Thursday: For tacos this week – I’m going with this – and its perfect for leftovers (and who doesn’t love Doritos)
Friday: When my parents were here we visited the Marietta Diner and I had a chicken salad melt. It was really good. I want to recreate this with crescent rolls. Can’t wait to share the recipe with you!
Saturday: Vegetarian this week is these lentils. So easy too.
Sunday: Leftovers! Mister works this Sunday too so everything will need to be quick before work and naptimes but after church.
Father’s Day is a beautiful tradition. In our world today, most fathers (especially the ones we see on the news and television and movies) are portrayed as worthless, deadbeats, sarcastic, drunk, mean to their wives, lazy, jobless, etc. That is not the type of Dad I want to show my sons. I’m glad I was blessed with an amazing husband who shows them what being a great dad is!
But, as a Mom to two boys – what can I do to really help them grasp on to what a Dad, a godly Dad, should be like? My parents were in town and opted to keep our younger and I took the Eli buddy along with me to run errands. I took this opportunity to start a tradition I will call Future Daddy Dates.
Here is what I did: I took my Buddy to McD’s and we sat and had a conversation about Daddies. Really simple. Not expensive. And being that he is only 21 months, not a long time. But one word it definitely was: Intentional.
1. Talk about who God has called him as a Daddy to be. Of course, I don’t know if Little e will ever be a daddy. He may never get married or have biological or adoptive children, but that is our prayer. So, I went through three basic characteristics of what a Daddy/Husband should be: protector, provider, and leader. He should protect his children as best he can from the harm of the world and teach him how to love his protective care – while also teaching his children to protect themselves. He should provide for his children. This means working a job, whatever it takes to provide for their needs. He should also lead his children. This means teaching them about God, leading in humility and service, and leading their home. The way I taught Little e about these things at McD’s was to give him examples of what his daddy does. Like hold his hand when crossing the street. Like working every day so we have food on the table. Like praying before meals and orchestrating Family Worship time and taking us to church.
2. I pointed out good daddy qualities I already see in him (even though he’s not even 2 yet). For Little e, I told him how wonderful it is that he is joyful, funny, and hospitable. These three traits are important for Daddies to have. He is joyful – most of the time with a smile on his face – a smile that is contagious. Funny – oh this life is hard and needs to have laughter in it. Hospitable – he makes other people feel welcome and shares toys. These base traits are great to have and will come in handy as he grows up.
3. I told him about his Heavenly Father. Little e is cute and funny – but he is a sinner. He was born a sinner – in need of a Savior. And He has a Father of Lights – giver of good gifts – who doesn’t change but sent Jesus to pay the price for his sins. He is a God who will listen to his prayers and protect him at all times.
How are you raising your sons to be godly men? Invest intentionally in their little lives. You have an important role in their lives as their mother. Use it for the sake of the gospel.
Throughout any given day, we as believers need to rehearse the Gospel to ourselves. The Gospel isn’t a crutch. Its our life line. Its the only truth that we have in a world that is constantly feeding us lies: You aren’t good enough. Your kids aren’t good enough. You will never be able to compare with her. Your house isn’t clean enough. You will never be ENOUGH.
The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus is ENOUGH. He is everything we need to be enough in this life – and in the life to come. We need to tell ourselves that all the time. One of the ways that we can do that is by remembering who Jesus said He was.
The I AM statements are so pivotal because these statements separate believing Christians from the rest of the world. We know that Jesus is God (based on God saying that He is I AM in Exodus 3) and by believing that Jesus said he was the resurrection and the life. There are seven statements in all.
If you need help remembering these, or just want to give the gift of Scripture to a friend – then look no further.
The newest print on Etsy is the Jesus print outlined in the 7 I AM statement. (The above picture is the print stylized for gift giving. I did this artwork for a friend for a Father’s Day gift.)
Who doesn’t like getting a hand-written thank you note in the mail? Thank you notes are probably the kind of stationery I buy the most.
What does the Bible have to say about thanks? Colossians says that we should have a heart filled with thanksgiving. Paul, a prominent NT writer, was always thankful for the people he served in ministry with and those whom he served. Thankfulness is something that must be cultivated in us. Selfishness and pride are two opposites of gratitude. If we think we are entitled to something we will not grow in our attitude of gratitude?
So, why not start cultivating a heart of thankfulness today by writing a hand-written note of thanks!
I thought I would help you out by selling some thank you notes on the Etsy site.
This is the first of a set. Each thanks note card set contains 5 and will have various thanks greetings that form the outline of the letters.
I haven’t done a link love in a while – so much going on and I’m finally getting around to blogging more now that I’ve got a schedule mostly figured out with two boys for the summer. Thankful for a block of time to be creative in the middle of the day!
Here are some gems found around the internet:
Dr. Moore speaks to writers – and really other creative – about “cultivating creativity – or imagination” Love it!
Joining up with Jess Lively to take 30 photos of things I’m grateful for throughout June. Sometimes when it is hot my patience wears thin – so I’m thankful for this little exercise!
Think I’m going to be making this soon for a cheap meal! As always we are trying to cut back on our food budget!
Since we don’t have a fire pit in our backyard this summer, might have to settle for these!
The longest chapter of the Bible is all about the importance of the Word of God. Some people think it is just a book of good sayings that you can live by or not. Some people think it is a crutch for believers. Some people just don’t think it made up fables. Some don’t think there is any validity to it at all. Some just think its good literature.
I for one think is it a true and reliable and helpful for my every day walk to know my Savior more. The know the One who humbled himself to die on a cross for me. Of course, the whole Bible is God’s spoken written word for us to know His greatest Hero of all time: Jesus.
That’s why when I had to write out Philippians 2.5-8 for an art piece for someone, I came up with the name form of Jesus to write Philippians 2 in. This is one of the Christ hymsn that we find in the Bible. And what better verses to memorize than to remember the truth of the Gospel and ask for help in living this out.
Head on over to KDC Creatives on Etsy to purchase a customizable one. Colors. Washi tape. 8×10. Framed, not framed (framed and matted is more expensive.).
Do you have any verses you like to memorize and do you want to get more of the Word in your home? Ask me about custom art work! Birthdays. Marriages. Births. Engagements. Special Holidays. You name it.
I used to think quiches were hard and way too many calories for what you got (ie how they tasted). That’s until I started making my own. This is one of the most delicious things I’ve made in a while. We both loved it (the older little isn’t a fan of eggs).
Being a mom of two littles, I don’t readily have time to roll out pie crust – I do have time but I choose to use it doing other things – especially when the pie shells from Pillsbury are so good and easy and inexpensive (Thank you!). When you are a mom, you have to choose where you spend your time. I spend mine in being active with the two, cooking simple meals, keeping the house clean, and being creative. Making pie dough from scratch doesn’t make the top-whatever list. How do you manage your time as a mom? What do you learn to say no to? Has that been hard to change your priorities since kids came along?
I digress: but hopefully encourage!
Deep Dish Spinach Artichoke Quiche
Recipe Type: Quiche
Cuisine: Breakfast
Author: kd316
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Creamy, filling, delicious quiche perfect for breakfast, brunch or brinner.
Ingredients
1 deep dish pie crust
3/4 pound bacon, cooked, drained, chopped
1 cup cooked frozen spinach, drained, chopped
1 onion, chopped, cooked
3 artichoke hearts, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
7 eggs
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Bake your pie crust for 10 minutes at 350.
Mix all ingredients together.
Pour into pre-baked pie crust
Some will spill over – you can make an additional ramekin if you like.
Place on cooking sheet to keep your oven clean.
Bake for 55-60 minutes for 1 hour until completely set.
