Since, I’ve been meaning to show you my office space for awhile, I am happily joining up with the party.

Remember this empty space next to the attic entry?

It became a play room, until…

…a few additions later, it became my office!

Here are a couple of close up shots.

Never fear the little ones took over the “big” bedroom when the twins came last Fall. Their play space has been reinvented. More on that later!

Thanks for stopping by to check out where all the Just a Blink magic happens!

Love,
Jess

Day 1 proved to be less than successful with my hand-me-down sewing machine failing on me even though I swear I heard her say she’d be there for me.

I had resolve. I would not let a little bump in the road throw off my sewing machine journey. I borrowed my mother-in-law’s  Viking sewing machine so I could attempt to reteach myself how to sew.

The Viking’s case was well seasoned. I felt a connection to the small metal latches as I popped them open. It seemed they could tell me a 100 old stories of the hands that had touched them.

The machine sat with authority in it’s metallic green-blue glory. No, arrow diagrams were engraved in the metal to inform a novice how to thread the needle. The bobbin winder had no guide to make sure the thread was evenly spun. It’s knobs were plentiful, yet they were almost entirely unmarked.

Ah, the Viking, heavy and dependable, mocked me as if to say,

“If you have to ask you might as well not be sewing with me.”

And so it was.

I sent the Viking back to the home of  the “sewer” that had touched it’s metal latches 100s of times before.

Love,

Jess

Day One:

My hand-me-down sewing machine was calling to me from the top shelf in the garage. 5 years, she sat voiceless, collecting dust but now I heard her say,

Use me. Today is the day! Discover the usefulness I possess. I will unlock your creativity in unexpected in miraculous ways! Surely, your determination alone will give you golden fingers to stitch beautiful and important works of art.

The cold plastic case of my hand-me-down machine hung from the white handle in my clenched fist. She was heavier than I remembered.

I smiled as I set her down in the designated clearing on my kitchen table. I could already see all the Halloween costumes, hair bows and pot holders I was going to create, over the years, with the whirling noise of her presser foot.

Wait. The presser foot! Seriously, WHERE. WAS. HER. PRESSER. FOOT? Where was my sweet sewing machine’s presser foot? Gone. Yep, so was the plug-in cord.

gone, baby, gone. hmmph.

I hoped Day 2 would prove to be more productive.

Love,

Jess

…she provides food for her family…

I picked up an old fashioned photo album from the thrift store today. Remember when people used to have real photos? Now its like, “here look at my phone, here is my daughters dance recital.” In other words, the thrift store was full of photo albums.

Of course the album’s cover design was a delightful modern bouquet of faded 1990′s pastel glory. So, I had to get crafty with it. Isn’t that the point of getting a thrifty score?

It went a little something like this

Our Family Meals. 31 meals collected just for us. I am hoping this “family cookbook” will simplify my process in providing food for my family.

Love,

Jess

This post was linked up with Somewhat Simple

Proverbs 31:15

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

Just checking in to say I’m busy working on verse 15.

I came up with a recipe file of 31 family meals.

I started feeding the babies baby mush cereal. Leah likes it the best.

I made a portion of {birthday} food for my worker.

I am giving myself a lot of homework for this verse so I’ll be writing on it for a while. (or until a different verse catches my attention more )

Coming Up: Menu planning, freezer inventory, shopping list, coupons, recipes

Love,

Jess

Onto the task before me…try to learn about the wisdom found in Proverbs 31, hands on.

Proverbs 31:14

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

photo credit: anthropologie

Like merchant ships she brings food from a far – basically grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping with 4 kids 5 and under!? Not. going. to. happen. Can you even image the scene? Cart wheels squeaking, breast milk leaking, children fighting, babies crying. Even on a good day, where would I put the food?

Enter online shopping

I am fortunate to have a local service in my community that provides pick-up or delivery service. The small fee I pay for having someone else shop the aisles for me and bring the food to my house, is worth every penny.

Shopping online provides the opportunity to watch my finances. I can easily “put back” items that have put my budget over. I can also stick to my list a lot better when I don’t have the chance to roam to the “other side” of Target. You know what I am talking about…holiday decor, clothes, clearance end caps and toys.

Add extra help

Even the thought of taking all the little ones (in this freezing weather) on a small trip to restock fresh foods or small items can really wear me down. I try to ask for help whenever I need some assistance. I love my friends and family!

The wisdom

Being wise is knowing when to push yourself and knowing when to set your limits. I set my sails to gather food, I just require a crew to help me navigate the way home.

Love,

Jess

I’ll be back with more grocery and meal planning adventures.

The start of a new decade. Time flies.

It’s resolution time again. But, I’m skipping the torment of a having a long list of Will Do Better At and Want To Be More.

Instead, I am adopting a One Little Word Resolution. Have you heard of those?

I guess, it’s like a word that I’ll push myself with over the next year. It’s one little word that helps unify goals.

The word I’ve chosen is ENRICH.

The dictionary definition of enrich means:

• to supply with abundance of anything desirable
• to add greater value or significance to
• to adorn or decorate
• to make finer in quality, as by supplying desirable elements or ingredients

It’s is my desire to sprinkle in the idea of enrichment as I grow in my relationship with God, decorate my home, raise my kids and cook with desirable ingredients.

Okay, okay…I’m not so perfect. I’ll give you two traditional resolutions

Want To Be More: Stylish. New eyeglasses for me this year and new summer sandals.

Will Do Better At: Reading. I hope to read one book this year without pictures.

Wish me luck and hold me in your prayers! I really hope to make a special movement in my life as I begin this new decade.

Love,

Jess

P.S. If you have a One Single Word Resolution, I’d love to hear it!

I packed away the tree and cleaned the house. I feels good to get a fresh start on the new year without the beautiful *clutter* of Christmas.

Before I say goodbye to this season’s Christmas, I thought I’d post about a few of my favorite things…

My favorite gift: Shadow Box Frame for my Christmas Tree

My parents had my vintage costume jewelry tree professionally matte and framed. I collected pendants, earrings and bracelets to craft this unique and festive piece of wall art.  I created the tree (a couple years back) to mimic a similar piece that my Grandma Mary hung in her home during the Holidays.

My favorite craft: Christmas Countdown on a Stick

The 2 X 4 Advent Calendar. I took photos of this project as I went along, so, I may post a tutorial in November next year…right now I am pretty sure nobody can think about Christmas projects anymore. I did use scrap wood, Mod Podge, scrapbook paper, recycled Christmas greeting cards and an old advent calendar to put this all together.

Favorite After Christmas Sale Item: Glitter Decoupage Tree

Okay, I don’t have much to say about this ornament other than I bought it from Target for mere pennies! Why do I love to brag about a good deal so much? It just brings me so much joy I guess. It is such a pretty little thing.

Hope you all had some favorites this year too!

Love,

Jess

I am tired. Did I mention I have two newborn baby girls? Of course, I  did.

This means I am too tired to think about meals for more than two seconds…especially when Ryan asks repetitively, “What are we going to eat?”

So, I really needed to make things simple around the kitchen. Think once. Prepare food as follows…

Breakfast

M: English Muffins, Sausage and Jam

T: Toast and Eggs with a side of fruit

W: Oatmeal, Raisins and honey or jam

Th: Yogurt and Granola

F: Pancakes and Syrup

Sat: Muffins and/or Smoothies

Sun: Cold Cereal and Bananas

Lunch

M: Soup, Crackers and Jell-O

T: Pasta and grapes

W: Chicken Nuggets with Veggies and Dip

Th: Sun-nut butter and Jelly Sandwiches and String Cheese

F: Bagel Pizzas and Salad

Sat: Free Choice

Sun: Family Meal (at Grandma’s, a restaurant or the crock-pot)

Do It Yourself

Grab some markers and colored pencils or snag some colorful clip art and create your own menu plan chart! It’s free and might help take some stress out of your meal prep. Some folks will say a fixed meal plan is to predictable or boring. I say so is cold cereal everyday.

My picture menu plan is posted on the refrigerator to help Ryan learn the days of the week and give him peace of mind that, indeed, their will be food (even when I’m tired).

Love,

Jess

This post is linked up with Kimba’s DIY Day

Hey Y’all!

I took a trip to Dallas/Ft.Worth TX last week to visit and reconnect with friends that relocated down south. Hot, yes! Worth it, of course.

Upon returning home, my gracious parents, Grammy Lu and Papa Den, cleaned my whole house! Even the oven.

They brought in flowers, caught a mouse and even organized my spices! Nice.

I am working on my own nesting and I’ll have some projects to write about soon. But, for now I am easing back into the daily routine that was so wonderfully tossed aside during my trip.

Peace,

Jess