Living Room Layout

I’ve been wanting to redo our living room for a few months now, but time and money just haven’t been on our side. Besides, that coming up with the perfect layout seemed nearly impossible. We have a long narrow living space which can be difficult to arrange furniture around in. So I started to work on different designs and this is what I’ve come up with…

I am happy with the results and I really think it will work for us once we are able to get to work. I want to use a lot of what we already have but add two recliners then possibly a new sofa later on. Here is a photo of our actual living room… please excuse the dust! I’m definitely not loving the layout we have now. The rug also wants to walk and bunch up under the couch which drives me insane! We will fix this very soon.

 

This photo is a bit older but we have the same layout, the main difference now is our new curtains which are light and sheer and no clutter in the chair! Sorry I didn’t have time to upload a current photo. 

 

After we move the television away from under the window I plan on getting a couple of cactus plants to go in the window sill. It’s probably about the only house plant we wouldn’t kill and they are cute and tiny. Please let me know what you think of my ideas and feel free to share your ideas if you like. I love interior design and moving things around makes things feel better almost like we have a new house!

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Saving & Reusing Containers & Jars

I always feel like I should keep just about everything that could be reused, even if I have no idea what I would do with it. Some things are good to use as planters while others can make great storage bins. Some plastic items will make great treasure collecting toys for kids to use while exploring outside. Like this peanut butter jar…

 

I also made this dish soap dispenser from a steak sauce bottle and hand soap pump.

 

Others I’m not so good with finding good uses for like these…

 

Yet I’m still tempted to keep them anyway. We also sometimes keep butter bowls for leftover food storage. What are some things that you like to keep and what do you use them for?

Easter Perspective: Jesus or Eggs

With a bit of research online, you can find that there are many people who do not believe that we should celebrate Easter. You will read words like Pagan and traditions of men, and if you think about it you will begin to wonder yourself which came first, the observance/celebration of Christ’s resurrection? Those colorful eggs/fluffy bunnies, lots of candy? or did false god worshipers really start it all only to later have Christians throw in Christ to make it acceptable to celebrate? Don’t get me wrong I do not believe that God is sending people to Hell for hiding colorful eggs for their children but it does make you wonder how those things came about.

Growing up I never really knew the Christian meaning of Easter, we didn’t attend church because of my mothers upbringing with Jehovah’s Witnesses, it took her a long time to get away from all of that but I’m so glad she did it! Needless to say Easter for us was mostly about the baskets and candy and those colorful eggs. I may have heard some other things, I really don’t remember too much else. but I don’t agree with extremes in either direction. While we do need to make sure our kids know about the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the importance. Getting all dressed up and making our kids go to church because it’s Easter is just not right, especially when most of these people only attend this day and make sure they look their best and then probably won’t be seen until around Christmas which is also about the only time people want to help the poor (go figure). It’s a sad truth in America, they even make TV commercials that back it up.

What I want Christians who read this to understand is that we are the church and that it isn’t any building but is in the heart. The bible says For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 KJV Nothing here suggests of a building or specific location but anywhere at all. It is not about who looks the best dressed or who didn’t miss church this week or last. or even assuming the one who doesn’t go at all isn’t saved. Assumptions get people into trouble all the time!

If you do decide to go to church this Easter, my prayer is that you will go for all the right reasons. To learn and share the love of Christ and to remember what he did for us all. As for other religions. There are so many different kinds but always remember that no matter how many man made beliefs there may be we should always believe what the Bible says first because the word of God is always true.

 

“God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” Romans 3:4 KJV

 

Jesus is Risen. Happy Easter,

 

 

A Special Delivery!

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We had been talking about making the title design for our blog with a chicken, I was bummed at the thought though because we didn’t even have chickens yet, then this evening my son and husband came home from the bus stop with a small box that made little peeping sounds!!! Six tiny baby chicks are now going to be apart of our family!

They were gifted to us by my Mother and Father in law, who are wanting to help us get started. We are going into this with basically no experience but thank the Lord for the Internet and advice from family and friends. I’m so excited to finally get started with animal keeping! I have loved farm animals since I was a little girl. I use to have stickers of cow, sheep, and chickens and loved playing Harvest Moon on Gameboy, which was about the closest I’ve come to keeping animals, besides a cat or dog. It does make me nervous not knowing what I’m doing but at the same time it’s also exciting and I hope to work toward more animals in the next few years, but for now, our plans are raising chickens and a hog. We also have two black ducklings coming! I’m not exactly sure why my husband wanted them, but I think we will love having them around here either way!

I have no clue what kind of chicks these are so if anyone knows please leave me a comment! This is what the box said…

I read that straight run means un-sexed 50/50 chance hen or rooster so I guess we will have to wait and see! Either way, they are here and we love them already!

What is simple living to you?

I have seen groups and posts about simple living, but most of them are either about homesteading/farming or minimalism so it became obvious that the subject means something different to everyone. I wouldn’t at all call myself a minimalist. That just isn’t one of my goals in life, and I don’t like the cold feeling of having little in possessions and the modern furnishings you see in their posts. That doesn’t mean that some of their ideas aren’t inspiring to me just that I wouldn’t take it as far as they do. Simple living for me is to be content where you are with what you have, enjoying things that most people take for granted in life. Living in the moment which is still one of the hardest things for me to be present and not thinking of what’s to come or what has past. Basically to enjoy life and be thankful to God for each day.

My New Years’ resolution this year was to SLOW down!

I don’t feel that we have an overly fast pace lifestyle, to begin with BUT what I really feel like I wanted here was to slow my mind and thought process down… having too much on the table of our minds can really bring you down and make you feel like life is out of control and not good. It doesn’t have to be this way yet sometimes we can get stuck in the rut of taking in too much information that isn’t even necessary for living. People get wrapped up in politics and demanding rights and all of these things you see on social media today, and it gets to be too much thrown in your face. I’ve recently taken the time as I said in a previous post, to clean up my FB account and it has made a major difference. Not only that but I’m using the site less now. which is giving my mind some much-needed rest.

 Being the list maker that I am, here is a list of a few goals I have for living a more simple life.

1. Prayer over worry:  Worrying about everything gets us nowhere, while prayer places things into the hands of our God.
2. Enjoy the little things: Flowers gifted by little hands, birds singing in the morning, a light breeze in the evening… a beautiful sunset.
3. Be more frugal: Try to buy things that will last longer such as bar soap over liquid, this also includes simple meals and keeping waste to a minimum.
4. Read the bible every day: Whether it is one verse or a whole chapter/book. Just read something out of the bible every day.
5. Spend more time outside: I am a homebody but once I quit being stubborn and get outside I always end up feeling better.
6. Have more family time: We are a really close family but I think sometimes we could do more with our kids instead of doing things that are by habit.
7. Kick clutter out: This is a tough one for most people because it’s an ongoing process that never ends. Deal with clutter right away.
8. Live in the moment: I have always been a daydreamer so for me being present is not an easy task, but look how much is missed when we aren’t.
9. Work on gardening: The idea of gardening is awesome, but my brown thumb gets in the way every time. Practice makes perfect, right?
10. Be thankful and content: Don’t say I’ll be happy when… or I’d be happy IF…. JUST be happy, thankful and content today no and ifs or buts. ~

This is what simple living is to me, what are some things that you would like to work towards in your life?

A (not so) Motivated Monday

The cold snap we’ve had the past few days has got me so drained, yesterday was stunning in comparison but I still felt so tired while at the same time the sunshine put me in the mood to get rid of things! It took me half the day to come out of my funk and start working around the house. I’ve decided to let some of the baby’s things go because it’s definitely time. While it’s sad he has grown out of his bassinet even just using it as a changing area… It’s sad but it will also be good to have it out of the way being useful to someone else.

 Today has definitely been a “Motivate Monday” kinda day, I hate not knowing what to get into other than basic household things. The best way that I’ve found to self-motivate on any day is to make a list of things that need to be done or taken care of. I am a compulsive lust maker, I will seriously make a list of a list of lists haha! Not really but still I love to make lists because they help to make me feel organized and productive. I always say I have some form of OCD just not the kind that keeps my house spotless. Well here is my list of things that need to be done.

1. Fold/put away laundry from yesterday.
2. Clean up the kitchen/Put away dishes.
3. Take the bag of clothes out to the truck for donation.
4. Sweep the front porch.
5. Move winter tote box to the shed.
6. Fill the bird feeders.
7. Post baby items for sale.
8. Run the sweeper in the living room.
9. Make a note to pick up vacuum storage bags at the store.
10. Buy new shoes for Bubba.

       All was well with list making but this is how it really went….

1. Make a list of things to do. 2.Take nap with baby. 3.Wake up and eat cause breastfeeding and napping makes Mama Bear hungry…… so it didn’t go exactly as planned, but we did go out and get Bubs much-needed shoes because he’s so hard on them.  At least I have the rest of my list for tomorrow right!!? That’s a Mama Bear life you never know how your plans will change. Needless to say, I’m worn out from the trip and ready for bed!

 

Goodnight,

 

Food Fixx Friday: Chili Cheese Nachos Plus two extras!

Anyone who really knows me can tell you how much I love cheese! It’s one of those foods I couldn’t live without. So here are the nachos we had this week. (Thanks to Dad for buying in bulk!!)

Hello, Cheesy Chili Nachos!

The next dish is from my mother in law and it is absolutely delicious. They are called Swiss hamburgers, and I served them with Jasmine white rice and broccoli seasoned with butter and garlic. Broccoli is a favorite veggie in this house.

Last but definitely not least is Mama Bear’s Spaghetti with summer sausage!

Spaghetti, in general, is not one of my favorite dishes so when I make it I love to think outside the box a bit and play around with different flavors, and summer sausage has become one of our favorites to throw in. I’ve also used hot sauce, salsa, and mild banana pepper/juice. I’d love to try a taco pasta dish soon.

 the first time I made spaghetti myself it was terrible! My advice is… do not give up, to be a good cook you have to COOK!

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