creating:crock pot chicken taco chili

Ok I know that this is the second recipe I had tried this week.  I got inspired!

I had the urge to try recipes that I had found on Pinterest, and this one jumped out to me and we REALLY like this one.  

Serve it with Trader Joe's corn bread and green salad and you have a winning meal!

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Ingredients: 

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions: 

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with cheese and sour cream.

creating: cheddar bacon ranch chicken pasta

I have been having fun pinning recipes on Pinterest and this week I pulled some recipes to finally try.  It was different from what I normally make and that's what made me want to try it.  We really liked it and it was easy too♥!

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 pound mostaccioli or other short pasta

6 strips of bacon, diced

1 tablespoon butter

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 packet ranch dressing mix

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain, return to pot, and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Drain all but one tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pan.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the reserved bacon drippings, then add the chicken to the same skillet. Cook until tender, no longer pink, and slightly browned.

4. Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, stirring to coat evenly. Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon; cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

5. Serve each plate of pasta with more bacon sprinkled over the top. Green onions would also be a delicious topping.

a little spray paint goes a long way

This is the tiniest project, but I have been wanting to do it for such a long time!

When we first moved into our house, we painted our bathroom dark red.  (It was originally blue sponge paint when we bought the house.)  But then I moved away from red and we painted it a dark brown, which I love!

Here is the view from our bed:

 My friend Madelyn painted this picture for me shortly after we got married and I love that I get to start and end my day with it:

 On the other hand, those little iron chairs that I got from Goodwill seem to get lost against the brown paint, so when you look at the wall, I feel like Mad's art isn't centered correctly.  So I used a little bit of this:

(Reading DIY blogs has definitely shown me the value that spray paint can bring to a project, especially high gloss white or black.)

Here they are:

I love how they turned out!

(How silly that this little project made me so happy!)

Eden and Ryder's book review

This last week when we were at my parent's house, we were introduced to these children's book and I really enjoyed them, so I thought I would share them with you!

If you have a chance to check them out, do it. I think you will like them too♥.

If you have a boy, this is one that you should add to your collection:

(She is the illustrator for Shoe-La-La...)

Thanks mom for always sharing fun new things with us!

7 months

You are 7 months old, Eden Marie!

You are such a delight and we are so thankful to have you in our lives and are so honored to be your parents.  

We love you little girl!

time with family

While Kit was gone this week, we drove out and spent tuesday through thursday with my family. It was so fun!  They made the time that Kit was gone go so fast...

So here are a few snapshots of the week:

On Monday, we stayed home and enjoyed feeding the baby, had pillow fights, baked coffee cake, and just tried to stay cool... (This week, Eden had bananas, avocado, and sweet potatoes and LOVED all three...)

Then in Redlands, there was lots of things like

 eating:

 crafting: (more on that later...)

having time in the pool: 

 (We really tuckered our littlest Rae out!)

 had time with family:

and bath time with the cousins:

This was my little guy on the way home:

(We had so much fun!)

To our family~

Thank you so much for loving on us while Kit was away.

We love you guys so much and we love living life with all of you.
Happy friday everyone!

creating: front porch space

This summer, despite the heat, we have been having fun being outside and hanging with our neighbors, so we felt like we really wanted to give some much needed attention to our front porch sitting area.

To remind you, it looked like this:

Very sad and not very inviting...

I found a lantern for a couple bucks at Goodwill and changed it up with a little spray paint to match the pillows that I recovered:

We brought a bakers rack from our back yard that we had purchased when we were first married to go in between the chairs. I love that piece!

So here is the finished product:

I am so happy how it turned out!  I can't wait for the weather to cool down a little bit so that we can really enjoy it!

I have already been making plans for decorating it with pumpkins for the fall...

Oh I can't wait!

fashion according to Eden Marie: Converse

Eden loves the shoes her Mia and Papa got for her.

Pink seemed like the natural choice for our baby girl♥.

(Hey, I am going to have fun dressing her while she lets me...)

Thanks Mia and Papa for always spoiling our babies!

creating: monogramed family wall

We have a wall in our dining room that has been needing a little shot of family love and I found this idea on Pinterest and realized it was a perfect project for the space.  I am so hapy about it because it allows me to change pictures out in a super easy way with out having to dismantle frames, and then I get to have updated pictures all the time.  (Did I mention that I have a slight addiction with taking pictures?)  So here is the wall that needed a little help:

 Here is the project:

I bought square 9 inch frames at Ikea:

 Framed out burlap and black cardstock and framed it OUTSIDE of the glass using spray adhesive to glue the burlap to the card stock.  (I did not glue anything to the glass incase I wanted to use it later):

 Whihc had the finished look of this:

 Then I had an 'R' that I sprayed black so that it matched the frame:

And bought metal clips at an office supply store and sprayed them the same black as the 'R':

Here is the finished frames:

I am so excited how it turned out!
It will be so easy to change the photos...

weekend celebrations, frustrations and some traveling...

On Saturday I got to attend a very special baby shower celebration for our very sweat friend, Beth.

It was a beautiful gathering!
I got to connect with some friends from college and eat some tasty food and I didn't have either of the kiddos with me... 
It was really nice!
There were so many special details!

 

 

We decorated onesies:

 The mama to be and I:

Some very special women in my life: 

It was a really special celebration to be part of.  
We can't wait for Turner to get here!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The shower was then followed by some incredible frustrations that left us irriated and HOT!  First, our car is in the shop because the A/C broke and driving two small children in 100 + degree weather isn't good for anyone, plus it was time for it's check up.  So we rented a car to get us though this next week, since Kit will be out of town speaking.  All of this to say, Kit and I are waiting for the dreaded phone call where they tell us how much of Ryder's college fund we have to use to get a car that we can drive as a family without anyone getting heat stroke. 
Then on saturday afternoon, we lost power in our house from 4pm until after went to bed at 11pm.  
It was so frustrating!  We actually lost power to 90% of our house (don't ask me how that happens.  Edison said it had something to do with the transformer... All I heard was "blah blah blah, you won't have any air until it's fixed...")  Super fun...  At one point I had a headlamp on, holding Eden in front of an oscillating fan, while I complained to Kit, who was at work and couldn't do anything about it.
I was so incredibly frustrated and tired of being HOT!
Then Sunday came:
We woke up to a cool house and a toddler that was excited to go to church.
It was definitely a new day.  I was so thankful! 
I realized that in the midst of my irritations, I did not have a very thankful heart.  I have a husband who loves to be with our kids who created a space for me to connect with old friends and celebrate new life.  His job makes it possible for me to only work one day a week and to not have to do daycare.
I have a house that I love.  I love it here!  It's one of my favorite places to be (I think because of who I share it with ♥.)  Edison came out and fixed it at no charge to us.
I have neighbors that we love, that while they were in the same boat with no power, brought out their lawn chairs into our front yard in the cool evening, and we all sat and talked under the stars.
Kit is speaking this week which he gets paid for.   Money that I don't count in our regular income so the timing of it with a broken car was such a blessing.  The Lord provides so many times and I forget to say thank you and to praise him for his faithfulness and provision.
Instead, I find myself cursing Edison for not fixing things faster or complaining at how hot I am, forgetting that I have a home with A/C.
I want a heart of thankfulness.  A heart that is grateful. A heart that gives praise.
Thank goodness the Lord is a God of patience and grace!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kit is leaving today for the WHOLE week for a speaking engagement in St Louis and Kansas City.  I am already missing him so much.  I know that the kiddos are going to miss him too...  So we are heading out to Redlands to be with family.  It is so wonderful to get the kids with their family whenever we can. 

Kit Rae~

I am so proud of you and I can't wait to have you back home with us.  We love you and we miss you and will be praying for a very safe trip!♥