This Wild and Precious Life

Friday Five

1. I Heard I Had by Dear Rouge

I can't. stop. listening to this song! So good.

 

 

2. Foolproof Cheesecake | Pure Wow

It's my husband's birthday this weekend, and I'm going to be making this cheesecake. Very possibly with caramel and pecans on top.

 

 

3. Easing back into Scrapbooking...

I made this 8.5 x 11 page for an insert on my daughter's birthday, which I will share next week! This is the first scrapbook page I've done in about eleven years. We'll see if this continues.

4. Doodling...

Doodling on little bits of paper for the wall is fun.

5. This quote...

Great wallpaper, but I adore the quote.

Happy Friday!

on letting go of fear, part two

Image Source

In January I wrote about wanting to let go of fear, and to live in the light.  It's all about cultivating the life I want. Over these past few months, I have been working towards that and wanted to document my progress here. Now, these are the steps I took that helped me, and I am no psychologist, but I thought the may help someone else out there as well. 

How to Let Go of Fear

1. Make the decision. This was, surprisingly, a difficult step for me. I kept getting stuck at not knowing how, that I never started the process to change. Isn't not knowing the outcome or the steps, also a fear? Choosing a course of action based on fear, will never result in a life that's genuine.
2. Weigh the options. What do I gain (or lose) from holding on to this fear? Is it enhancing my life, or is it constricting me? 
3. Do something that scares you. This might seem odd, but it was huge to me. In February, the idea of walking on a semi frozen lake was terrifying. I saw many people skating on it, many people walking on it. I also saw the rippling water beyond the ice. My husband and kids took off running and I stood there staring after them. Like a baby learning to walk, I took a couple of steps. I could see cracks along the ice, and the bottom of the lake, but the ice held me. I made more steps, and still more. Soon, I ended up quite a ways away from the shore. At this point, I could feel the gentle sway of the water through the ice, almost like being on a large boat in the ocean. I could feel the anxiety creeping back but I pushed it back down with deep breaths. I was okay. I was okay, and I did something scary. I had to go back to the solid ground after a kind man took a family picture, but I did it. Doing this meant I could do more.
4. Make a plan. What makes you happy? What do you want to do more of? Sitting down with a calendar or planner and blocking units of time for the things that are meaningful gave me more time and happiness. For me it's juggling time with my husband, kids, school, volunteering, as well as  making time for me. Planning out my days helps to make sure there is balance in my life.
5. Stop trying to please everyone. Not everyone will be happy with me. Not everyone will like what I do. Many people will challenge my decisions... and that's okay. That is where they are in life. I can be kind to them without accepting their ideas into my thoughts. 
6. Journal. Every night before I go to sleep, I write down five things from the day I was thankful for. Nothing more, nothing less. This simple task doesn't take long, but it helps form gratitude thinking. That means that even on the hard days, the down days, the challenging days, I find five things to be grateful for. After time, it has turned my thinking around - it has made me more mindful of my day, and more present, more happy. In turn, life is more fulfilling.

Do I still have down days? Sure. Do I still have fears I have to overcome? Yes, some. It's a work in progress but this is a starting point, and life is happier for it. Here is a final parting gift, because it's fitting and just good.

 

project life : : week five

Not much happened this particular week, until the weekend trip we took. I decided to feature the trip on this two page spread. 

The 4 x 6 journal card comes from Studio Calico's Sugar Rush kit, and the transparent 3 x 4 comes from the Blue Note kit, also from Studio Calico. The arrow and day of the week stickers come from Becky Higgin's Clementine project life core kit. The digital stamp is from Studio Calico.

The 4 x 6 card is from Becky Higgin's Midnight Core Kit ( I adore this kit, with all the great neutrals!). The washi tape is from the Blue Note kit, and the wood veneer star is from the Sugar Rush kit from Studio Calico.

The 4 x 6 card is from the Midnight Core Kit, and on it I layered a promotional card in the Copper Mountain kit to mat under the photo. The 3 x 4 deer card is from the Studio Calico Copper Mountain kit. The other 3 x 4 is from the Clementine edition. On the top left image, I added a clear tag circle from the Blue Note kit.

The bottom left 4 x 6 is a card from the Midnight edition. Atop is layered a card from the Dreamy We R Memory Keepers journal pad from Target, and I secured the photo with washi tape from the Blue Note kit.

The other 4 x 6 card is from the same pad from Target, only in the 4 x 6 size. I layered a photo of the map route, and under it a sticky from the Wanderlust Scrap Pad (affiliate link). I love these because they are like little sticky notes, and are easily repositionable. The circle is a FREE printable from Two Peas in a Bucket.

Happy Tuesday!

Currents : : Busy life is busy

Sorry for my absense this week. Life has been swamped. Now that April is here, we're three months away from our big move to Germany. Three. That may seem like a ways away, especially since the weather is still cold and there's still snow on the ground, but it's really not. There are passports to get, a house to organize, paperwork (so. much. paperwork.) to do for the Army, appointments, military IDs to get, a house to declutter and organize (ACK!), etc, etc, etc. It's getting real.

But I digress. Here are my currents:

listening : : to the new podcast Elise Gets Crafty from Elise Blaha Cripe.

tasting : : the coffee on my tongue.

enjoying : : seeing the sun out of my window.

hoping : : that means more snow will melt.

marveling : : at how quickly the calendar fills up!

relishing : : these moments of time to myself, before afternoon of dentist appointments and dance lessons.

feeling : : glad that I changed my Lenten sacrifice to not yelling from not eating meat. A turkey burger for lunch sounds good (and the house is more peaceful).

purusing : : the materials in the e-courses I am taking. Stitched by Paige Evans at Studio Calico and 52 Weeks of Art Journaling over at A Beautiful Mess.

feeling : : so inspired to keep creating, and to push creativity to another level. 

planning : : on sharing my progress on project life next week, as well as some journaling cards I designed from the inspring April Mood board at Two Peas in a Bucket.

anticipating : : the return of Game of Thrones, this Sunday.

thinking : : about starting dinner in the slow-cooker. It will be a chicken meal, any good recipes?

wishing : : you a wonderful Thursday, friends!

 

 

 

favorite packaging designs

Today I start tow classes: packaging design and advertising design. In light of this, I thought I would share some of my favorite packaging designs from my pinterest board.

Kase Stifte, or cheese pencils by Korefe

I love the concept, a cheese pencil for cheese shavings. Brilliant.

This gnome bread bag by Lo Siento

How cute is he?

Bla-Bla Cookie packaging from students at the Moscow School of Art and Design

This packaging is cute, smart (take a cookie out of the "mouth" of the package) and interesting. 

Slingshot Coffee redesign by Good South.

This bottle is sleek, chic, and I love the use of typography. Very nice cold brew concentrate bottle.

Living Greens by Noise 13

The design of this cold-pressed juice is lovely and simple. It lets the color of the juice shine.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

 

a case of startitis

This week I finished my research paper (YAY!!!!) and then got the itch to start projects. Maybe it's the free time for a couple of days, or maybe it's the NEED for spring to be present. Maybe still, I've been bitten by the knitting bug. Whatever the reason, I've started three projects since last week.

The first is a pair of baby booties for a friend that is having a shower next week. She's having a girl, and I couldn't resist knitting up a girly pair of booties. I'm using the Oscar pattern. They are a super quick knit, and are knit flat and sewn together at the end. The yarn is Mama Blue Knitting Goods, a brand that is discontinued. 

The second is a Liesl cardigan by Ysolda Teague. I'm using Sundara Yarn Aran Silky Merino in Viridiscent. I've had this yarn for a while, and I think the lacy pattern will be a good spring cardigan.

The third is a Seven Circle scarf. I'm using Manos del Uraguay in Wildflowers. This one skein of yarn has all of my current favorite colors and I'm lookinf forward to wearing this pop of color until the weather warms up.

As far as reading, I'm still reading My Sisters the Saints. I'm working my way through it, and am on the section with Edith Stein. Reading about this saint is intriguing and makes me want to learn more about her. Anyone have any recommendations on resources about her?

What are you working on?

Linking to:  Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on} Frontier Dreams | Yarn Along Small Things

 

DIY Industrial Craft Table

 

 

 

I haven't been posting about my project life progress, because I put it on hold. I didn't have a spot for my stuff, so the way I would work on my album is to lug my album to either the floor or the coffee table. If I chose the floor, I would enlist one of my children to guard the album from the dogs while I gather the other materials. Then I would do as much as I could get done and put everything away, again having someone on guard. It was tedious and eventually I just took over the coffee table. That wasn't ideal, either, as people eventually placed their items (various remotes, toys, and other things) atop my album. 

I lamented my woes discussed this with my husband, and we agreed that a table would be a good solution. I prefer standing, so around waist height would be preferred. After perusing the interwebs, we decided to make it ourselves. We did a search on pinterest, and found nothing like what we needed, but used it as inspriration, and then headed to the plumbing section of hardware store. The whole project cost less that $200!

Materials

All pipes and fittings should be in black cast iron (we couldn't find cast iron flanges, so we will be spray painting ours when the weather warms up) and 3/4 inch width.

• 8 - flanges
• 2  - 18" pipes
• 4 - 36" pipes
• 4 - T connections
• 4 - nipples
• 16 - 3/4" screws

Then we headed to the wood department and found a nice birch top that was already made, and cut to size. The dimensions of it are 24" x 48".

Directions

1. Screw the T connections on each end of the 18" pipes (so that the T is perpendicular to the pipe).
2. Screw a nipple into four of the flanges, and screw the other four flanges to one end of the 36" pipe. 
3. Screw the 36" pipes to the available end of the T connector. You now have two legs.
4. Measure three inches in on each end of the table top, and put the flanges (that are opposite the crossbar end) to the inside of the measurement. This will give the table a three inch overhang on each side. Center the flanges, length-wise, and screw the legs on, four screws per flange.

Finished measurements (in inches) are: 24 x 48 x 40.5 

I love this table, and after planing my things on it, it's perfect! It's a comfortable height, and I can spread my album out, without it taking up the whole space. I plan on staining the table top a chestnut color when the weather warms up. Come on, warmer weather!

 

 

healthier crockpot bolognese

Mother Earth sure has a sick sense of humor. Yesterday was the first day of Spring, but you would've never thought, if you were here. It was cold (20 degrees) and rainy/icy which later turned to snow. It's the kind of day that chills you to the bones. No matter how many layers you put on, the cold seeps into your fabric. It's the kind of day that calls for nice comfort food. Bonus points if it can be made in a crockpot. Sure the oven is nice and would warm a house, but sometimes there's not enough time to be home for that. 

It was the perfect day for my bolognese. It's satisfying without being heavy. It's healthy and packed with vegetables. It also makes a TON. There was enough for my family to eat with rigatoni, and have a gallon leftover for baked ziti. It was hit and even my son who's allergic to vegetables (so he thinks)  gave it the thumbs up. So, if you can pardon my iPhone picture, here is the recipe!

Healthier Crockpot Bolognese

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground sirloin (90/10)
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms, cleaned, destemmed, and cut in half
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28 oz can of tomato sauce
• 3 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 cups semi-dry red wine, or favorite wine to drink (divided)
• 1 Tbsp dry Italian seasoning
• 1.5 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• salt 
• pepper

Directions

1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add meats. Break apart while cooking, and cook until browned. Add 1 cup of wine to deglaze pan. Scrape brown bits off bottom of pan. Place contents of pan into crockpot insert. Place pan back onto burner.
2. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots, and garlic to pan, and season with salt and pepper*. Cook until onions are soft and garlic is fragrant. Add another cup of wine to deglaze the pan. Add vegetables to the crockpot.
3. Add the rest of the inredients (except fresh parsley) to the crockpot. Season with salt and pepper as desired, and stir until combined. 
4. Cook on low for 10 hours, and resist the urge to lift the lid. After 10 hours, stir in the fresh parsley.
5. Either serve right away with your favorite pasta or use for meat sauce, or freeze. 

* I don't use a lot of extra salt when cooking. I give two twists to my mill (for this recipe, I only used salt when cooking the veggies). I load on the pepper though - we are big black pepper fans.

Enjoy!