Table swap and Fall decorating!

A few weeks ago my neighbor and I decided to have a "Hoarders" sale. I found the idea from THIS BLOG.  It was such a hilarious post, we both figured it was worth a try!

Long story short, we sold a TON of crap. We literally copied everything the blog recommended and it worked like a charm.

While sorting through our "crap" prior to the sale, I discovered my neighbor was selling a gorgeous dining room table (on her sister's behalf) for a mere $250. I've always adored our little antique table I found on craigslist about 4 years ago. It just always bothered me that it only came with 5 chairs. It was impossible to find a matching captains chair to complete the set. Plus, it was just a tad too small and rickety for when we had company over.

So back to the Hoarders sale...

I saw my neighbors gem of a table and we decided to swap tables right there on the lawn! 

We pulled my little table outside to the yard sale and put the "new" one right in my dining room. 

I ended up selling mine for $200 to a guy who pulled up on a motorcycle (of all the people I pictured buying it, he was the last one! We died laughing.). 

In the end, I paid $50 total for a pretty awesome upgrade. I got an almost brand new table (more solid and will last a lot longer) PLUS an extra chair than I originally had PLUS a table about two feet longer than my original.

Here she is in her new home! 

Some fall decorations may have crept in as well....

I still can't totally give up the beachy look. Do you spy the starfish on the wall (below)?

But I tried to incorporate some Fall elements in other ways...

 And who says white pumpkins don't go with everything?

So we're keeping a little beach around here. It makes me happy.

***

Revive my heart...

I was able to get away for a couple days last week. 

BY

MY

SELF.

I was a bit crazy trying to get everything in order before the trip. If you're a mom of little ones, you know what I'm talking about. Figuring out childcare, making meals for the hubby and kids you are leaving behind. Pretty sure I yelled at my kids 486 times while I was packing and cleaning just an hour before I left. 

But oh my goodness...did I need this get-away.

I attended my first True Woman Conference down in Indianapolis, IN.

I have been to smaller church retreats in the past. But, when I saw over eight THOUSAND women in the Indianapolis Convention Center...

I was blown away.

It's hard to put into words everything I experienced with God in those two and a half days.

But I CAN tell you...

It was breathtaking.

It was challenging.

It was freeing.

It was convicting.

It was motivating.

It was encouraging.

It was powerfully lead by the Holy Spirit.

It spoke directly to my heart.

I left with this phrase running through my head....

"The more you know God, the more you will hear Him."

Lately, I've been kinda going through the motions. The daily routine of life. Ever been there? 

Yeeaaahhh. 

I've been wanting some direction in certain areas of my life and was just expecting God to point the way. What I haven't been doing is intentionally seeking Him. Pulling my face close to His and whispering what's deep in my heart. Absorbing His word and pouring over each verse with the intention to learn something fresh and new. I was getting distracted by shopping online, facebooking, pinning, and other silly things. 

I'm currently taking a break from FB and Pinterest. They are not bad things per say. It just turns bad when it's all I can think about. When it's the first thing I want to check at the beginning of the day. They are sucking my precious hours every day and it's time for a priority adjustment. I want to soak up every bit of Him so that when he does speak I can say, "Yes, Lord. I'm here!".

Mornings are not my friend. I don't like getting up. Plain and simple. I tend to complain about it too--which only perpetuates my bad attitude. Maybe if I get up just a bit earlier to start by seeking the Lord first, I will despise mornings a smidge less?? 

I'm giving it a try anyway...

After announcing my fast, one of my close friends asked, "So are you giving up the blog too?"

Nope. 

Still here.

:)

***

You can listen to ALL the same speakers/ sessions that I heard at the conference online for FREE if you are interested! (My favorite speaker was Priscilla Shirer...I had goosebumps the whole time. Powerful speaker.)

CLICK HERE

***

Mason {18 months}

Speaking of growing up around here....

THIS boy is 18 months old today.

Has a bubbly personality and a whole lotta spunk. 

A friendly little man who waves and smiles at anyone and everyone.

A professional "little brother" who knows exactly which buttons to push.

Is a lover of food, any kind of ball, trucks, putting things in his mouth, throwing things, hitting things, and getting dirty.

He's 100% boy and I 100% love him.

***

A picnic birthday for Kensie {sweet & simple}

Life has a way of sneaking up on you. Never more true than when you have kids. Tiny, helpless, infants one minute. Jabbering, running, giggling toddlers the next. It's crazy to think our sweet Kensie girl turned 3 today.

 But, that's how life is. It's sneaky and crazy at the same time.

This girl loves all things princess and picnic related.

With both in mind, I decided this year to keep it super simple and to the point. We love you. We think you're a princess of the King. So let's do what you love most and have a picnic!

We started the day off with a decorated bedroom door. Squealing with delight does not even come close to the sounds that girl made when she woke up in the morning. Wish I would have caught her in action.

Then later in the day a tasty picnic dinner in the front yard...

No other guests. Just us.

But it was lovely.

No extra decorations (besides the helium balloons). Everything else we either had or borrowed.

No "real" gifts this year. The kids have more than enough toys and we wanted to change their perspective on birthdays a little. So, a quick trip to the library to pick out her favorite movies, and then to the grocery store to pick up the helium balloons--and the girl was thrilled.

We also signed up for a child through World Vision. Her name is Saundarya. She's the same age and has the same birthdate as Kensie. For now, Kensie loves watching the 15 second video of Saundarya coloring on a piece of paper (she watched it 4 times in a row) and she adores the fact that they both love playing with dolls. Hopefully this will mean more to Kensie as she grows up. Just another way to keep the focus away from us on our birthday. Planning to get Mason a child on his 3rd birthday as well.

Sometimes the simplest birthdays are the sweetest.

***

Some {Life} and some {Pinterest}

Life has been full here. As most of our lives are.

Full of hard things...

So much work and little time with my hubby and growing up even when we don't want to and diaper-changing and house-cleaning and getting sick and then getting better again and raising kids and yelling more than I like. 



Full of good things too...

Laughing and tickling and chasing each other down the hallway and snuggling and reading together and coloring and learning new words and being silly and going for walks and feeling full of life.



So to keep this post more interesting than my life ramblings thought I would share my favorite pins from this week...

Source: custombibletexts.wordpress.com via Shannon on Pinterest

It always is, isn't it?

Source: procaine.tumblr.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Swimming pool made to look like a pond...in my dreams!

Source: tikkido.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Kensie is turning 3 in a couple days. We are forgoing a big party this year and keeping it simple. But I still like this cake.

Source: marthastewart.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Fall is coming whether I'm ready or not. Love this muted table setting.

Source: girlinthegreenscarf.tumblr.com via Shannon on Pinterest

I love this. Especially this past week.

Source: practicalenrichment.wordpress.com via Shannon on Pinterest

DIY sweatshirt. This is SO happening. At some point.

Source: damnlol.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Okay so I thought this was funny. Ummm it has 63 repins and 30 likes. I mean I DID use the word "hilarious" in my description but sometimes I don't get how Pinterest works. 63 REPINS?? Come on people....there are way funnier things than this. 

Source: flickr.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Hoping to get a pic like this before summer is over!




Whether your kids just started school or you're the one running after them at home all day, I hope your September has started off well!

***

Homemade taco seasoning mix {recipe}

We eat a lot of Mexican food in our house. 

Nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and our favorite...

TACOS!

I found the following recipe about 6 years ago online (before Pinterest, gasp!) and it makes homemade tacos simply the BEST. I saved it to my desktop in a word document so I don't have a clue what site I found it on. If you know where it originated, please leave the link. I would love to thank the person who came up with it!

All-Natural Taco Seasoning Mix

This seasoning mix is the secret behind terrific tacos whatever the filling — ground beef, chicken, turkey, even sautéed veggies.

Makes about 3/4 cup

·  4 tablespoons chili powder

·  2 tablespoons onion powder

·  2 tablespoons garlic powder

·  1 tablespoon natural brown sugar

·  1 tablespoon arrowroot (this one was tricky to find. Try a health food store or local spice store)

·  2 tablespoons ground cumin

·  4 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste

·  4 teaspoons paprika

·  4 teaspoons dried oregano

·  1–3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Stir all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container until ready to use.

Now that you're in the mood for cooking, I'll share my favorite way to make taco meat using this yummy seasoning...

Start by sauteing one whole chopped onion in some olive oil.

Get 'em nice and brown, then push them to the sides of the pan to make room for your thawed ground beef.

Sorry, I can't bare to take pics of raw meat...so fast forward >>>>

Once the meat is browned, drain the extra grease.

Sprinkle your homemade taco seasoning mix (about 1-2 Tablespoons?)

Once you mix it all together you can totally STOP here.

But, if you like some extra color and flavor....

Mix in some drained and rinsed canned corn (maybe 1 cup?).

Add some drained and rinsed canned black beans (maybe 1 cup?).

Mix it all together and voila!

Delicious taco meat to stuff your flour or corn tortillas with. 

You're family will thank you. 

Trust me.

***

A week snapshot...

On top of Greg working 14-16 hours every day last week, here's a quick snapshot of the past seven days on the home-front:

Monday: Sore from the Amazing Race. Like, the kids barely brushed against my shins and I wanted to cry.

Tuesday: Still sore. Managed to take the kids to an enclosed space where they can climb and slide and run while I sit the whole time. It's called the mall playground. Life-saver I tell ya.

Wednesday: Finally feeling like I can walk without a limp. Meanwhile, the kids decided to fight over every single toy in our house. The baby stroller, the legos, the blocks, the paper towel tube that we turned into a "trumpet". Does it matter? Took them to a park to burn some energy in hopes that they would forget what toys are.

Thursday: Even more fighting over toys. Pretty sure I threatened to donate ALL our toys at least 6,923 times. Took the fighting siblings to another park--not for them but for me. I needed some clean, fresh air.

Friday:Started the day with a nice and relaxing play-date at yet another park. Thought this day would be smooth. Nope. More fights, disciplining, and tantrums throughout. Then at 7:35pm Kensie felt impelled to throw a wooden truck toy close range at Mason's head. Blood streaming down his crying chubby face. Once I got him cleaned up enough to reveal how tiny the cut was, I decided he wouldn't need to visit the ER for stitches. I still feel bad at how I screamed at Kensie.

Saturday: I was mentally and physically exhausted. Almost zero patience with my kids. Missing my hubby like crazy. Just needing a break from LIFE at this point. Thankfully a sweet couple from our Sunday School class invited us for a boat ride and dinner date (pre-planned with two other couples). Long story short, I found a babysitter last minute (I would have sooner but with Greg's schedule I wasn't banking on even going). Greg rushed home from work just in time so we could have a few uninterrupted hours together (without kids!). It was lovely. Just holding hands and walking the pier. Bumping knees on the boat ride. Laughing with friends. SO needed.

Sunday: We went to church separately. Greg went to first service, and myself and the kids went to second service--we passed each other briefly in the hallways. Followed by more work in the afternoon (for Greg), then he rushed home so I could attend a baby shower with some former college teammates of mine. Again, with NO kids. Although there were other kids there, I felt FREE as a bird! It was definitely refreshing.

Taking pictures are good for recording. But writing is good for actually remembering. 

{Wow. Just had a light bulb moment there.}

They did have SOME sweet moments of giggling and fun last week.

I feel much more prepared and refreshed to start this week. But, sometimes a girl's gotta vent.

Thanks for staying tuned in my friends. And being okay with a little venting now and then.

It's healing.