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#GIRLBOSS Series. Helping YOU be a boss. And a girl.

I’m so excited about this series that we will be bringing to NellieBellie over the next many weeks. I have been teary eyed while reading these women’s words. They are full of inspiration, good advice, and plain fun. These are women entrepreneurs. Specifically creative businesses. I’ve spent a bit of time interviewing and visiting them to hear some of their highs, lows, tips, tricks, and goals.

Not all of us will own our own business. Many of us would never want that for ourselves. But, we all have a great appreciation for the dedication and skills that running a successful business takes. Especially a creative business. Especially as a woman. Especially while staying relatively sane.

These women vary in ages from 19 years old to well, older than 19. Many of them are parents, some with younger and some older. There are two sets of sisters in business together. There are online stores, brick and mortar stores, baked goods, personalized goods, and all sorts of different TYPES of things. But as we go hear from these women I want you to focus on the SAMENESS they all share…

confidence in their talent.

outside support.

drive. SERIOUS drive.

planning.

patience.

mistakes.

learning.

and more mistakes.

DRIVE.

SELF-VALUE

Let me introduce these women that we will hear from in the upcoming few weeks …

Maggie and Nell
Hi Little One.

These two sisters don’t even live in the same state, yet they have managed to create Hi Little One, a company devoted to highly personalized, type-driven, and personality-filled gifts for kids. They donate 10% of profits for pediatric cancer research and commit to sticking with USA-made garments. All great things.

These women have a passion for what they do, working together, and the way they can affect their world with their business. You will love hearing what drives them, how they manage busy lives (Maggie has 3 kids), how they keep up with friend and family time, and the lessons they have learned that YOU can apply to your life regardless if you will ever start a business of your own.

For Hi Little One I work about four to five depending on the day. As a mom? 24/7!
~Maggie Lundquist

Hannah
Hannah’s Homemade Heavens.

This girl is 19 years old, y’all. For real. And just a few months ago opened her bakery in my hometown of Stillwater, MN. I KNOW…makes you feel like SUCH a failure, right! GAH. But spend a few minutes with Hannah and you will be smitten with her sweetness and love for what she does. This girl you can’t help but WANT to succeed at everything. Her bakery is full of the usual treats, cookies, and pastries. But, Hannah isn’t your usual baker.

You won’t want to miss hearing about what drives this girl to start her day at 5 am (for a teenager…guys!), what challenges she has faced, and whom she would say is her number one supporter (hint-#MomGoals). This girl is an inspiration!

…really awesome home cooked food! That’s what I really hope people feel at my bakery.

~Hannah

Diane and Terry
My Sister’s Cottage.

We have another sisterly duo here! They are a GREAT example of working together, supporting another, and CONFIDENCE in their skills. These two run a brick and mortar store in downtown Stillwater, called My Sister’s Cottage, selling well curated vintage furniture and goodies that have been hand picked, reimagined, and beautified. Terry loves the thrill of the hunt, finding unique pieces of furniture and home decor. Diane loves to let those pieces of furniture talk to her and paints the piece accordingly. She is happiest upstairs in the studio space of the shop, wearing an old shirt and painting away the afternoon. Terry has full confidence in Diane’s ability to transform pieces and Diane has full confidence in Terry’s ability to find great pieces. And then…they have confidence in their OWN skills. Seriously, case study in working together!

Sigh, some people’s kids are just making me feel like I need to work on making my sisters listen to me :).

These ladies are full of life experience, experience working in a brick and mortar location, working in a small town!, and managing store hours while keeping a semblance of a life. You won’t want to miss their thoughts and how it might apply to your busy mom life!

By having our own shop, we satisfy our vintage love, which saves our own homes from bordering on cluttered! Now we have free rein to scoop up diamonds in the rough, bring them to the shop, make them pretty and let someone else enjoy them. ~Terry and Diane

Amy
Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe

Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe has gone from a small hobby, to money-making hobby, to part-time business, to full-time business, and soon-to-be full-fledged bakery in a matter of a couple of years. Amy has learned the ins and outs of many facets of business and entrepreneurship. She’s full of wisdom for anyone setting out to try to make a living out of something they love. AND having a family. Without going crazy insane. Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe features real ingredients, fantastic flavors, utterly perfect technique, and wonderful customer service. She has steadily been rising in the cupcake/cake world in Minnesota.

I have been utterly impressed with this lady’s ability to work crazy hard while managing to stay connected to her family and friends. I use Amy as my personal example of keeping play and fun mixed in with work. She works hard and plays harder, a combo that is incredibly hard to achieve when you are a working mom. Especially when you are a mom that owns your own business!

Fast paced and full of buttercream is my favorite way to go through life! ~Amy

Stop in every weekend to hear from these #GirlBosses . It’s all fun and games until someone starts a business!

Series begins February 14th.

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!

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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!

Nutella CINNAMON ROLL Waffle Bites

4 ingredient Coconut Milk Chocolate Pudding

Do you know one of the foods I have most missed by removing milks and sugars from my diet? Chocolate. Chocolate in all forms. Chocolate in all flavors. But mostly in the silky smooth form of pudding and mousse. I ADORE silky smooth chocolate and milk smooshed into one big giant bowl of deliciousness!

Do you know what I have found as a fantastic substitute for my favorite chocolate mousse recipe?

Let me tell you!! (I am uber excited about this one for you guys!)

(insert clapping hands and jumping up and down motions!)

Chocolate pudding made with coconut cream! As in… no dairy! Score. Swoosh. Bam.

Okay, I can tell you aren’t quite as excited as I am. But that’s simply because you still don’t understand the beauty of this treat. It’s only 4 ingredients, 5 minutes, and DONE. No milk, no sugar, no eggs, no wheat…only creamy chocolatey goodness.

Yes, it’s too good to be true. Yes, I’m pulling your leg. Yes, I’m a liar.

But not in this!! I would NEVER lie about smooth and sweet chocolate pudding. NEVER EVER.

Give it a try, won’t you. And let me know if it has made your day. And year. And all the years to come!

You can often find coconut cream near the coconut milk at your local grocery. It should even be in a similar can.

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Your home should be for people, not stuff.

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Answering a reader question today “How do you, Janel, declutter and organize your spaces? What are the steps?”

Oh boy, is that a full question!

I’m giving you my process, why I rarely need to use the process anymore, and my favorite tip…

“Your home should be for people, not stuff.”

God’s Eye mirror craft

Today I have a craft project!! I know, ring the bells, send out the banners, it’s a big day! I realized I had been talking about food, food, food lately and forgetting to give you all a bit of a craft fix from time to time. Sorry about that! Today I have a fun kid’s craft that will be a great way to pass a January Saturday afternoon.

Do you remember the God’s Eye we all used to make at summer school each year? These are a glorified version of that old-school craft. Popsicle sticks and string, y’all.

These items are mostly purchased but feel free to recycle those popsicle sticks from your kids! And, if you are having kids do this project you can pull out the good ol’ Elmers glue if it makes you feel better than using a hot glue gun. Do what works best.

The mirrors are easily purchased at your craft store. You can often find small mirrors at a home improvement store, as well. There is nothing fancy about this….simply flip the mirror over and glue on the popsicle sticks.

Note: if using Elmer’s glue you will have to wait for the glue to dry before moving on to the next step.

this God's Eye craft is an update on the classic craft featuring popsicle sticks and string. We added a mirror and hung them in multiples for fun decor! — Now we go old school and wrap the string. And wrap. And wrap. Maybe drink a bit of coffee (or for kids, cocoa.) for a break. And do it again.

Wrap. And wrap.

When you get to the end of your wrapping, use a bit of hot glue (or Elmer’s, if you prefer) to tack the string end down to keep it from unraveling on you.

Ours has a bit of washi tape, buttons, and a holder to finish it out.

That, my dear friends, is an old-school craft. The way crafts were intended. With popsicle sticks, glue, and string. For real. Hang them in multiples on a wall for a fantastic bit of decor. I mean, people pay serious money for these kinds of personalized mirrors!

Mirror Craft   


Materials

Package of small mirrors (found at most dollar or big box stores)
Colored popsicle sticks
Yarn
Glue gun
Scissors
Glitter, buttons, sequins and any other embellishments of your choice
(refer to photo)

Instructions


Flip the mirror over and arrange the colored popsicle sticks into a "sun" or "flower" shape. Hot glue them into place.  (refer to photo)

Unravel a few feet of yarn, hot glue the end onto the back of the mirror between 2 popsicle sticks (refer to photo)

Start wrapping the yarn around each popsicle stick twice.  Wrap twice, and go around the next popsicle stick twice.  And so on.   (refer to photo)    

Wrap the yarn as far up the popsicle sticks as you wish,  end by securing the yarn on the back with hot glue.  (refer to photo)

Decorate as desired with glitter, buttons and more!  A braided strip of yarn glued to the back of two popsicle sticks makes a great hanger!

the Best White Cake recipe

After seeing the success that our homemade chocolate cake recipe has had and how much you all love it I realized that that my best white cake recipe could be something that you would find valuable as well. Having a chocolate cake or white cake recipe that you KNOW will produce a fantastic cake makes life so much simpler. It might take a bit longer to make these cakes than a box mix, but it certainly is better for you to use REAL ingredients. And, there is something so satisfying to make a cake. Put a bit of music on, pour a glass of wine, and get baking. Truly, you’ll be feeding your soul!

Classic cakes like chocolate cake, white cake, carrot cake, and pound cakes never go out of style. Especially really, really good cake recipes like grandma used to make!

Tips to a perfect white cake:

Use room temperature buttermilk and egg whites.
Don’t skip this. It makes a huge difference!! Just set your buttermilk and whites on the counter a few hours before you intend to start.
Using shortening keeps your cake white in color.
But don’t be afraid to use butter! The flavor is better. Just be sure your butter is softened a bit.
Spray & flour your pans.
There is nothing worse than cake that sticks to the pan. Especially when making layer cakes. Of course, if you are making a 9 by 13 cake there is no need to worry about this step as much as if you are attempting a layer cake. You can even pick up cooking spray that is made just for baking and has flour right in it…easy peasy!
Use clear vanilla concentrate, if possible.
Again, this does nothing for the flavor…only the color. And don’t be afraid to try almond extract….yum!
Use good flour. We used Bob’s Red Mill. It’s organic and incredibly versatile. And it is the same high protein flour used by professional bakers and produces high, well-textured loaves of bread equally as well as it produces light, airy baked goods.
Make your own buttermilk, easy-peasy…
1 cup of regular milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
Stir together and let sit 10 minutes…buttermilk!

I’m a big fan of tried and true recipes, and this white cake is one of them. I can imagine a family back in “the day” sitting about talking and laughing around this very same cake. That makes me feel like I have a small touch of the “way it was” in my kitchen. Granted, I am making this cake with my fantastic oven, mixer, and fancy pants tools. But still. I still have a bit of nostalgia for recipes like this.

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For this cake I used our sugar-free cream cheese frosting but often use my absolute favorite…creamy chocolate frosting. Seriously you guys, it is the best!

Other cakes we love:

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cake (Gluten-free)
Butter Cake

Click here to download a $1 off coupon for any Bob’s Red Mill product!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.