Rags to Riches | Floor Lamps

     I picked these floor lamps up at a local thrift store.. right away I knew I was going to paint them white. As they were, they did not fit in with the farmhouse look.

DIY | Oversized Poster Frame

     You may have noticed our world map, taped to the wall with blue painters tape. Which isn't a great solution when you have toddlers who like to peels things..  plus it just doesn't look nice. It needed a frame.

DIY | Console Table

     I needed to create a school work space for us. I got the idea to make a console table with a couple of square storage stools. Very practical and would look fantastic when they weren't using the table, with all the school books hidden in the stools underneath.

Rags to Riches | Magnetic Learning Calendar

     I had purchased the felt learning calendar a few months ago and after a few days, it started driving me bonkers! The felt pieces just would not stick! I would walk by and they would fall.. grrr.. So I decided to change it up and make it less frustrating.

Home Decor | Slow Progress

     There are people who purchase all new and matching furniture to decorate their new home in one go.. we are not those people.. our home decor is a slow progress and it used to stress me out to have people over..

Things you may not know about me #8

My heart stopped when I was a baby.

Home Decor | A little paint goes a long way...

     Since the last time I posted about this shelf {here} I have arranged and rearranged it multiple times. I've taken photos out and added some interesting pieces. And most recently decided that it needs some cohesive color..

DIY | Pallet Wall Clock

     I've wanted to make things with pallets since it exploded on pinterest. I finally got my chance and started with a smallish project.. a wall clock.. something our living room was in need of.

"Well I can't do any self care because ..."

     Any time I talk about self care, I hear so many excuses from women on why they can't do it and how they're so tired and wish they had the time or energy to take care of themselves. "Well I can't do any self care because..." "I don't have time." "Who will take care of my kids while I relax?" "I can't afford it." "I don't know how." Etc.. etc.. etc..

"You have time for self care?"

     The question that comes after "How do you always look so nice despite having 7 kids?", is "How do you have time for that with 7 kids?!" Well...

"You always look so nice!"

     I can't tell you how many times I've been asked how I manage to always look nice, despite having 7 children. Well for starters, I don't always look nice. Only when you see me, weather that's in real life or on social media. Even then, I don't always think I look nice at all. And very few people have seen me at my worst.

DIY | Leather Bible Cover

     Although this beautiful study bible has a hard cover, with daily use I thought it needed extra protection. Instead of buying a cover for it, I decided to make one.. I purchased some leather and sinew and went to work..

Happy Thrifting | Part 2

     I'm sure many of you know that thrift stores are my weakness. It is rare for me to not pop into one I happen to drive by. Some people may scrunch up their nose at this, but I don't care! I love thrift store shopping and finding great deals. This post is on how I do that. I know I've written about it before {here}, but I wanted to share some additional tips so here they are...

Skinny girl on a diet?

     Although I do not tell people that I'm on a keto diet, they do notice that I'm not eating like everyone else. They ask, "Why are YOU on a diet?! You're skinny! You need to eat or you'll die!" Well, thank you for your concern, but do you not see all this food on my plate?!

Capsule Wardrobe | Maybe Not

The inspiration closet...

    When I first started on my capsule wardrobe journey, I really wanted to have minimal clothes with maximum options to wear them.. So I purged and purged and was well on my way to a minimal closet.

Things you may not know about me #7

I had my right heel and ankle torn up by a bicycle wheel.

The Bomb Keto Soup

     I found this recipe on Pinterest, however some of the ingrdients called for are processed. Which, in my opinion, defeats the keto diet being as less processed as possible. So I remade it with fresh ingredients. Oh and added garlic, because garlic is life!

Almond Creamcheese Pancakes

     We love pancakes for breakfast, but it's a no-go on the keto diet. I needed, yes, needed to find a substitute that's just as delicious and these keto approved pancakes are just that!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bites

     A keto diet is 75-80% fat, 20% protein, and 5% or less carbs. Sometimes I don't consume enough fats and need a boost. Here's a yummy fat bomb recipe I made this week.

Crunchy Mama Tag

     My friend over at Simple Steps did a Crunchy Mama Tag and I enjoyed reading it.. thought I'd check myself too hehe..

Packing light for a 3 day trip

     I needed to fly to Missouri for a day and the tickets I purchased required almost a whole day to fly there and a whole day back... so I would be gone for three days.. Apparently, nowadays, you have to pay extra even for a carry on bag, but at least you're allowed a smaller personal bag at no extra charge. So I needed to figure out how to pack light into a purse.

When Friends & Family Question Homeschooling

      I recently started following a fellow homeschooler and blogger and was lead to her post "When Family and Friends Are Opposed to Homeschooling" I laughed and I cried and I laughed again. Here are a few of my favorite parts {and my added thoughts...}

Keto | Biscuits

     Well well well... wouldn't you know it, I have hopped on the keto bandwagon and have noticed great results!!

Coffee

     Let's talk coffee.. Do you love it? Loathe it? I am in between. I like to drink it on occasion, on a very rare occasion.

Things you may not know about me #6

Boiling water spilled on my leg.

Cashew Chicken Croissants

Last, but not least, meal number 9 from the two rotisserie chickens

White Couch | 4 months later

     I am often asked how we can have a white couch with 7 kids. I was going to wait a year before I gave my review, but here goes my 4 month review..

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Meal number 8 from the two rotisserie chickens.

     For this soup, I used the reserved broth from when I made the Creamy Chicken Mushroom Soup. And I used this Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe to make it. Double batch as usual, of course.

     I didn't have any orange carrots and used the yellow ones I did have instead, so they blend in with the soup. I like to see the different ingredients in my meals.. I feel like it looks better.. hehe.. I'm weird like that. But the chickadees keep eating them all! Oh well, at least I know they love carrots because I can't keep up with buying them! I also used 6 cups of pre cut broccoli florlettes, they came in a bag from Costco.

     Chickadees love it just the same and there was a little bit left over for me to have for lunch the next day.

Toothbrushes, toothpaste, and messes, oh my!

     I got sick and tired of finding toothbrushes all over the bathroom.. yuck.. and someone always leaves the cap off the toothpaste. I decided enough was enough, it was time to try something new.

Chicken and Rice Soup

   

Meal number seven from the two rotisserie chickens

Educational Netflix

     I thought I'd share our favorite shows we watch on Netflix that are not only fun, but also educational. I'm not one of those home school moms that make my kids write a report on any of these, we watch them for fun and relaxation.. but they still learn something..

Creamy Chicken Mushroom Soup

Meal number six from the two rotisserie chickens..

Things you may not know about me #5

I got a needle stuck in my palm

Chicken and Egg Dumpling Soup

Meal number five from the two rotisserie chickens..

Tail Blankets | Red Dragon & Blue Shark

     Made these cool tail blankets for my twin nephews birthday.. The boys loved them and now my own chickadees each want one! Keep reading if you want to see how I made them :)

Chicken Quinoa

Meal number four from the two rotisserie chickens

I Let My Family Dress Me For a Week

     I'm in this pretty fun Capsule Wardrobe Collective group on Facebook and came across this article there: I let my husband pick my outfits for a week

     I thought it would be fun to try something similar.. I wanted to get the chickadees involved as well.. so here we go.. I let my family pick my outfits for a week!!

Chicken Nuggets

Meal number three from the two rotisserie chickens

Rags to Riches | Lamps

     I liked these lamp bases the way they were, all they needed was the shades. I picked up a couple from IKEA, but for some reason they leave too much of the hardware visible.. so I needed to come up with a solution. I decided to add a ruffle to the bottom edges.. and this is how I did it..

Chicken Burittos

[not my photo]

Meal number two from the two rotisserie chickens

Rags to Riches | Nightstands

     I have a confession to make.. it's kind of crazy.. here it goes.. We've never had nighstands. Ever. I mean we've used dinky plastic drawer things for a little while, but never stable, useful, real nighstands!! When I saw these, my desire to makeover furniture started burning high, so I purchased them! I started this project a few months ago and I'm finally done!!

Chicken {Cauliflower} Alfredo

This is the first meal from the two rotisserie chickens..

DIY | Home Blocks

     The ladder shelf needed something on the bottom shelf.. I thought about adding a plant, or a folded blanket in a basket, or some kind of a block sign. I couldn't find a faux plant I liked and I'd be folding the blanket several times a day. So I decided on a block sign and settled on HOME made with yarn.

Home Decor | Ladder Shelf

     I want to take a moment and thank my friends and family and all of you who read my blog. I don't have many subscribers, but I know many of you still read my posts. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!! I wish for you and your family a wonder and joy filled 2018!