by Kimberly | Aug 24, 2015 | The Charming South Kitchen, Uncategorized
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?
by Kimberly | Aug 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
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!)
by Kimberly | Aug 17, 2015 | food, The Charming South Kitchen, Uncategorized
Two things are driving my menu this week:
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!)
PW’s Panzanella salad with roasted salmon on it
Vanilla Almond Cupcakes for a photo shoot tomorrow
Thai Chicken Curry
Fish Tacos (featuring TJ’s fish nuggets and homemade lime crema and broccoli slaw)
by Kimberly | Aug 10, 2015 | Uncategorized
I don’t think I will be the first to tell you that life is often filled with hard and trying times. Is that a surprise to anyone? Often if we spend most of our time in the social media world and not in the real world we might get the sense that life is always gorgeous. But, it is filled with cloudy days, dead flowers, blow out diapers, and sometimes lots of tears.
And at times we might find ourselves completely helpless when it comes to some of the things that make our days darker: cancer, sickness, death, unemployment because of a downsize at the office, a broken marriage because of our spouse’s infidelity, a broken relationship because of lies and anger and gossip. Each day holds different things and its hard to always known what’s coming at us.
But, with the things that I can control – I want them to be pretty things. I don’t know what your pretty and life-giving things are. Will you fill me in? What are things that brighten your day and make you smile?
Here are my top ten pretty things – or things that are life-giving to me:
1. Flowers. Trader Joes is my perfect place right now to get live, fresh, pretty flowers. This week it was 9 white roses for 5$. I work it in to my food budget. It is well worth it.
2. Pretty scripture. I have raved about Kristin Schmucker’s work and my friend Lindsey Hohman is doing some beautiful work.
3. Friends that breathe life into me. There are certain friends that my husband knows if he puts me around them for any period of time than I come back with my soul deeply encouraged. One of those is my mentor. One of those is my best friend. Some are sweet friends that live in other states. Not only do we like to do fun things together, but I love being a part of their lives, knowing and being known.
4. My boys smiles. I will be the first to tell you that parenting two toddlers is hard and tiring work. Often days I cry about something. But, when I’m kicking the ball with my younger son or reading a book with the older – or just holding their hands – or see their excitement as we get cookies at Publix – their smiles are contagious.
5. My husband. I’m learning marriage is not what I thought it would be. I thought I would hang out with my mister more. You know in the dating and engagement phase you spend much of your time together. Well, when you get married, for most people, it is different. My mister works a lot to provide for us, or we have engagements at church or photo shoots or errands to run that pull us apart. So, when we get to sit down and eat food together on the couch while watching West Wing – or walking around ATL or traveling to a beach somewhere together – that is definitely a pretty thing in my life.
6. Photos. One of my tag lines for my photography is “something worth remembering” that I stole from a paragraph in an Emily Freeman book. That’s why you want to take photos right – to remember that moment. I love looking at them. Some of our engagement session with a sweet friend are hanging on our wall right now and I remember that day 4 years ago this month like it was yesterday. There is definitely more intimacy in our marriage now – but we love remembering those days of awkwardly posing and being close to each other – and wouldn’t have it any other way.
7. Clean. This is tough for me, but my husband is rubbing off. Saturday night we spent about 90 minutes working on our downstairs: cleaning, decluttering, being together. I knew that would make him more happy than anything else – and that is one of the reasons it makes me happy and is a pretty thing.
8. Creativity. Any time I can be creative: whether its in the kitchen, behind the lens, or with a pen in my hand – its a pretty thing. It is refreshing to my soul.
9. Fitness: When I am in shape (or being healthy), my whole life looks better. My mom told my husband that before we got married. And he is seeing the reality of it as right now, after two babies and two moves, I’m finally back lower than the day we got married.
10. New scenery. Pretty things that God created – so much of the world I’ve not seen. Whenever I can explore something new and see something I’ve not seen – especially with my mister – oh, it is definitely a pretty thing. We absolutely love to explore together. I know we will enjoy involving our boys more as they get older, but right now that is still something we love to do mostly on our own.
I’d love to hear about your pretty things.
by Kimberly | Aug 7, 2015 | creatives, kcreatives photography, newborn, photo shoot, Uncategorized
Little toes. Little noses. Little fingers. Lots of laughs and pokes and sweet, tender moments from older siblings. Lots of wonder and amazement from tired but grateful parents.
Newborn shoots are a really sweet time to spend with a new family – maybe been a family for a while – but with the addition of each child, each special creation, a new family emerges.
I got to spend an evening with a sweet family in our church. Baby was quite awake even with a full belly. Perfect lighting outside and eager siblings made it for a fun, eventful evening.
Thankful to be able to capture such moments. Never to be had again.
“Something worth remembering” – all photos property of kcreatives photography.
If you’d like to “schedule” a newborn shoot, or talk about other services, please contact kcreativesphotography@gmail.com
by Kimberly | Aug 2, 2015 | Bible, Books, Shepherding Children, Uncategorized
How many of you have more than 10 Bibles in your home? That would definitely define our home – we have so many, and many in boxes. The ones in boxes are probably from our childhood. They are tucked away to help us remember what the Lord has done in our lives by the help of His word. That is actually why I encourage note taking, prayer highlighting, etc in your Bible.
One of the ways to teach children, especially starting in the toddler years, even before they can read, to love their Bibles (the very Word of God) is by getting a little Bible made just for them. The new Tommy Nelson Bible,the Just for Me Bible, complete with round board book edges and a bridge red handle, is a perfect example.
You can teach your toddler to look in the Bible. You can teach them to take their Bibles to church. You can teach them to turn in their Bibles when the pastor instructs the adults to turn in their Bibles. They may not even be able to read yet and yet they will be learning a valuable discipline of loving the Word of God.
If you would like to win one of these for your toddler: tell me what was your favorite Bible story when you were little.
Thanks Tommy Nelson for the book: all thoughts are my own.
