February 2016 – Page 2 – WordPress test9

Pistachio Muffin recipe

Pistachio muffins are really good, but we’ve been afraid to try them. They seem like they’d take a lot of work. We were wrong. They are easy. And super delicious.

Pistachio muffins one of my favorite muffins to make from my muffin mix recipe. It is a universal mix (okay, not quite. lemon poppyseed is not our friend with this muffin mix) that can be used for a whole bunch of different types of muffins. ai like using a prepared mix and then customizing it with my favorite kinds of muffins. Keeps it simple. You can also find the recipe for the muffin mix at the bottom of this post, if you would like to try it. I make up a batch of the basic muffin mix once a month or so to speed up our mornings. I also love that making my own mix allows me to control the ingredients that go into it.

I couldn’t find any shelled pistachios, so we had to shell them and chop them ourselves. Normally, I wouldn’t bother with this and just move on to a different recipe. But, Katie really wanted Pistachio Muffins. So, we shelled them ourselves. And by we, I actually mean Katie. Isn’t she cute? That’s where she wanted to sit, in the middle of everything, because she didn’t want to feel left out. Do you have pets or kids that do this, always need to be in the way?

No, these Pistachio muffins aren’t the traditional bright green color. Why? We didn’t want to add the food coloring required to get the green color. We aren’t fans of food coloring simply for the sake of color. So we left it out. And we still think these muffins are pretty cute. They look less like a science experiment and more like a delicious breakfast muffin! If you like the green color go ahead and add the coloring! Usually, it’s just a drop or two of green food coloring until you get the color you like. (For Saint Patricks Day you MUST add the food coloring, right!?!)

Look at that creepy smile! But you can see how beautiful these muffins are. They were Lanet’s favorite. They’re just so delicious and absolutely worth the trouble of shelling pistachios (Katie was right!).

If you can get your hand on already shelled and chopped pistachios (I know they exist!) this recipe will be very quick and easy. Try it out and see what you think!

We hope it makes your mornings easier and tastier. Perhaps you could even take a weekend afternoon for a little pistachio shelling on the kitchen floor? I highly recommend it!

[yumprint-recipe id=’17’][yumprint-recipe id=’18’]

simplifying your schedule

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Gosh, don’t think for one second that I have my schedule under control all days, all weeks, and all years. Heck…sometimes I’m lucky if it’s for a few hours.

However, you don’t get to my age in life having ran a business all of your life while being a mother of 2, a youth director, a sibling of 9, and all sorts of other titles without knowing a thing or two about time management.

I am a MASTER at packing a whole lot of productivity into my day. And a MASTER at making it seem like the day isn’t terribly busy. Both, at the same time.

Not possible, you say? Sure, not every day. But I have learned a few tricks over the years, employ a few tools, and get lucky here and there. I’d love to share a bit of what I have learned in the hopes it might you gain a bit of sanity in your crazy, hectic life.

Pomodoro Timer
I use this little tool for tasks I dislike but know need to be accomplished. Or, for when I would love to read a book but know that I can’t take too long because there are other things that should be done. The idea is simple…break up your day into small increments (I have mine set for 25 minutes) with small breaks in between each increment. Do that task for 25 minutes and stop. Do it again if necessary. Or not. Really, it simply teaches you (and your kids) that anything can be done for a small amount of time. And often, it only takes a small amount of time to finish it.
Block Scheduling
In the podcast I don’t go into great detail about this because I think it’s fairly self-explanatory. Block scheduling is simply scheduling time for the activities you need to do each week/month. But, doing them in block times rather than a bit every day. This allows your brain to devote time only to that task (frees up energy and brain space!), allows you to stay on groove for the entire time (saves time!), and allows you to take out necessary supplies only once (saves time, energy, and sometimes money!). Example:
Saturday is laundry day in my house. Sure, it’s a pile but the rest of the week I’m not distracted by folding or doing laundry…I know it will be done on Saturday.
Monday is money day. I take care of the bills, interacting with the bank, and other necessary financial decisions.
First of the month is Monthly planning. I plan out the month for schedules, meals, bills, and misc. Sure, I don’t get everything.
I schedule a time in my week to go out for coffee with a friend (if I don’t schedule the time I fill it with “work”).
Sunday is grocery shopping day. Sure, I’ll pick up toilet paper if we run out but I don’t need to remember “what else we might need” because I know Sunday it will be taken care of. Get it? Doing a bit of block scheduling and creating to-do list for the blocks can help free up your brain and time. You KNOW that these to-do lists will be addressed at the proper time which allows you to focus and enjoy the task at hand.
White Space
Along with the block scheduling, I schedule “white space” into our calendar. How each family does this will vary. Some families need a few hours each week, a day a month, or a week every few months. For our family, I try to make sure we have a full weekend without scheduling for each person. They may not always be the same weekend for everyone, that’s okay. It’s about each individual getting a couple days to do what they feel is important to them and to “catch up” on what is bothering them.Scheduling “white space” in the calendar is vital to keeping stress at bay, feeling productive, and remembering that life is ours to enjoy.
Saying NO to good things.In order to block schedule and create white space I often have to turn down good things. For myself and for my kids. Invitations to great events, sleep-overs to friends homes, or non-profit fundraisers. There seems to be no shortage of good things to be involved in and give time to. And, I want to do it all! I want my kids to have all the good experiences they can. In all the clubs that exists. Yet, if I don’t say no to good things there is no white space available for my kids to learn what THEY love. For me to recharge and rest so that I can best contribute to the good things I’m already a part of.
Having a great planner.
A great planner should help you remember what is most important in your day. Not your to-do list. The problem with to-do lists is that we often don’t prioritize them properly. We are just intent on getting the list crossed off that we don’t do the items in a proper order. Good planners will help you prioritize your day and keep you on task. Remember that just doing isn’t useful. Doing in the right order is best. I mention these in my podcast but I will mention them here, as well. Day Designer by Whitney English and Planner Pad are my two favorites because of the funnel systems they use.

“Orbit” gum Valentine with free printable

Remember, if printing and sticking gum on to these Valentine’s is still too much work for you right now…buy Valentine’s. Especially the ones with sugar attached :). Sure, you might get some dirty looks for being “that mom”. But your kid’s will love that you aren’t stressing and crazy. And their classmates will love that they finally got something good.

Our “into Orbit” Valentines are pretty darn cheesy, if I don’t say so myself. Cheese Louise. But they are simple, fast, and great! See, procrastination on getting those classroom Valentine’s done isn’t a problem anymore.

I know, I know–you can say it–the CUTEST, cheesiest Valentine you ever did see. Gosh.

And to make your life even easier as you scramble, we’ve included a free printable. Now you just need to run out to the store and get paper, ink, double sided tape, and gum. Dang it anyway. Well, we tried to make this easier for you, at least. Too bad you still have to do some work! But hey…it gives you an excuse to head to Target!

This printable will give you 4 Valentines per sheet. We suggest using cardstock, if you can. And then stick your Orbit gum onto the Valentine with good sturdy double-stick tape.

(to print click on the image and save to your computer)

Happy Cheesy Valentines day to you and yours!!

Tiny home tour-kitchen nook.

I’ll be giving you glimpses into my tiny home a bit at a time in the weeks to come. I want you to see that it is perfectly possible to have a practical AND beautiful home that is tiny in stature but big in living. Not that I want you to join in the tiny home movement. Simply so you can rethink how many THINGS you have and are taking care of. And maybe, just maybe…reduce that stuff. So you can DO more with your people. Those people are what it is all about, after all.

So, I don’t think of my home as a tiny home. I think it’s simply small. But, according to definition, is anything under 1000 square foot is a tiny home. Therefore, Nate, Katie, Levi, and I live in a tiny home. With Newton, the dog.

There is absolutely no question that living in such a small space has brought challenges along with it. But, it’s brought a great sense of accomplishment. We are spending less time taking care of stuff and more time having fun.

Today I want to show you our kitchen nook/dining room. This little space serves multiple purposes in one tiny area. We eat here, we do homework here, I work here often, this serves as the game table, we make terrariums on this table, I even photograph recipes in this nook.

I am a huge fan of corner nooks for use in small spaces. They save space and seat a number of people while looking beautiful and tidy.

I created this nook with an IKEA bench that hs served multiple purposes for us, as well as an old church pew that I simply adore. Those two benches make up the corner seating. Right now I am using a round table that I found for $100 dollars at a local vintage shop. It’s not idea for this space but until I find something better…it works. I adore the treatment of the top with it’s green, blue, and white!

I employ vintage folding chairs for the additional dining space (I also have one being used as an end table in our bedroom to be pulled into the dining room when needed) because they are sturdy, look good, portable (we often take them outside in the summer!), and inexpensive.

I’ve added a narrow vintage cabinet to give us storage for our linens, alcohol, wine glasses, and more. I like this cabinet because it is small in stature but gives the dining room all sorts of charm.

That ladder. I have gotten a gillion comments about that guy. Let me tell you about it…

I simply loved it and didn’t want to get rid of it when we needed to edit down our belongings. So, I found a home for it. And I utterly love it in the dining room to show off my favorite cookbooks (although I am still on the hunt for one more fantastic one!). I have learned small homes do NOT require every. single. space. to be used for storage. In fact, you’ll notice that the top of the liquor cabinet is used purely for my favorite art pieces, vintage silver salt and pepper shakers, and greenery. Nothing practical about it.

As renters, we can’t do much with the structure of the space. But, we DID change out the light and use a command hook on the ceiling to move the light over to the corner. Immediately the space looks more updated and personalized. Adding our own decor, color, and fabric adds more personalization and comfort.

Another renter trick…dowels and command hooks for curtain rods. The curtains in this space are purely decorative and mounted with a cheap dowel and clear command hooks. This temporary option cost me about $8.00 for both windows.

Tip:

To make them function, I could have used a longer dowel to move the curtains across the window.

We took an afternoon with family members and made terrariums for the centerpiece. I am not about having decorative items for no purpose. So, we made an activity out of making living terrariums for each member of the family (Nate & I share one). Putting the jars onto a wooden tray (found at a thrift store) keeps it looking clean, purposeful, and moveable.

Did I convince you that a small space can be lovely and purposeful? Are you on board with living in a tiny home? Maybe not. But, I surely love this space and love having my morning coffee in this space each day!

Month: February 2016

Pistachio Muffin recipe

simplifying your schedule

“Orbit” gum Valentine with free printable

Tiny home tour-kitchen nook.

Nutella CINNAMON ROLL Waffle Bites