Mini-Makeover - Kitchen

Sometimes, you need a change.

There is alot we would change about our circa 1970's house if money were no object. The wood paneling in the family room, the harvest gold master bath, the faded lime green carpeting in the living room. But in the meantime, we're learning to be content with what we have and make small changes as we are able.

A few weekends ago, I decided to do a mini-makeover in the kitchen. Just one small corner. Here you will see our open storage in the kitchen. At the height of my couponing, we decided we needed extra pantry space. So we bought two bookshelves from Target and put them in the kitchen. You'll see it's a bit cluttered with plastic baggies of bulk goods and some boxed items that aren't apart of our diet anymore.

BEFORE

AFTER!

Since our need for extra storage space has decreased (less boxed items, less space needed), I moved one of the bookshelves out of the kitchen. It not only makes the kitchen look more open, but it also makes the space more functional. You can now easily access the light switches and the plugs that were hidden behind the shelves before. And use the cafe table next to the shelf. I also went through and purged any items that contained high fructose corn syrup and/or too many additives.

The top shelf now holds some of the bulk goods in glass containers that I've been buying from the thrift store. For the spices and remaining bulk items I didn't have containers for, I placed them in baskets nabbed from the kids' bedrooms.

Now, I just have to figure out what to do with the wall space above the cafe table. It's screaming for something. I really liked the look of the herb crates in this Lettered Cottage kitchen makeover. Something similar with baskets matching those on the shelf would be cool. Also loved this framed fork idea at The Nesting Place.

One small space at a time, we're crafting a home we love!

Nourishing Breakfast - Soaked Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

As a working mother, week day breakfasts at our home not only have to be wholesome, but also quick since time is precious! Aside from soaked oatmeal and green smoothies, muffins are another week day breakfast staple. Muffins are not only portable for breakfast on the go, but also make great lunch box additions!

One of our favorites is Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins. It's a basic but very versatile muffin recipe. When I've not had fresh or frozen blueberries, I've easily substituted bananas or ground flax seed and on occasion have just made them plain.

Soaked Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

1 1/4c organic rolled oats

1 c whole wheat flour

1/3 c organic sucanat

1 tbsp baking powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 c butter, melted

1 c fresh or frozen organic blueberries

Overnight, soak the rolled oats and whole wheat flour in 1 cup of water with a tablespoon of organic lemon juice added.

If you're new to the Nourishing Traditions methods like I am, you may wonder what the soaked oatmeal and flour are going to look like in the morning. Sort of like muffin paste, but don't worry!

In the morning, add the egg, sucanat, baking powder and melted butter to the soaked oats and flour. After adding these ingredients, I let my batter sit for a minute just to moisten the soaked oat and flour mixture a bit. Blend ingredients together. Slowly fold in 1 cup fresh or frozen organic blueberries.

Fill greased muffin cups and bake at 425 F for 20-25 minutes. Then enjoy!

This post is apart of the Nourishing Gourmet's Nourished Start Breakfast Carnival.

Small Attacks

Maybe it's just the small town, Southern Baptist girl coming out in me. But at times, I feel like I'm under attack. And as often the case, it's nothing major but small. Take last night for instance. I'm washing the dishes before bed. I'm actually enjoying the task, something that I've struggled with since our dishwasher bit the dust. All the troubles of the day seem to be flowing down the drain when suddenly, the hot water pressure goes away. Dave just installed the new faucet himself (so proud of him!) last week, so I'm standing at the sink baffled. The cold water worked fine but not the hot. Dave comes downstairs to try and figure out what's going wrong. In the process of trying the fix the hot water, water starts spewing from the hose underneath the sink and the water shut off valve gets broken. So now our kitchen sink is inoperable and we have to pay someone to come out and fix it. Ugghhh!

Considering past occurrences, this should have been expected. It really seems like every time we reach some personal or financial goal, something happens. This week, we just reached the halfway point of our Baby Step 3 emergency fund goal. The sink breaks. Last year after we completed our initial emergency fund, the upstairs shower broke and the roof in the sun room developed a leak, damaging the hardwoods. As we neared the end of paying off our debt in Baby Step 2, Reed was admitted to the hospital, the transmission and water pump in our van needed to be replaced and Dave's car also had engine issues. And then as we finally did pay off our last debt, the dishwasher broke. Coincidence, I'm beginning to think not!

Small things irk me, to the nth degree. Being aware of this, I'm trying to stop before I react. To realize that in the grand scheme of life, these "things" aren't important. And that maybe my attachment to them is too great. But why so many numerous attacks on such a small level?

It was after reading Jenn's post this morning about A Woman Inspired Conference, that the small attacks began to make sense. In short, God seeks our obedience with the small things. He wants our "yes" in those areas. So it makes sense the enemy would attack on the small level! Therefore, my defense has to be saying yes to God with each setback and frustration. Finding His lessons for me in each small trial and not giving myself over to the negative feelings the enemy would have me believe.

Slowly, I'm learning.

That Was Quick!

The seeds the kids and I started a little over a week ago, have already started sprouting! I guess when you start late, it doesn't take long for the exciting stuff to happen LOL! The long, tall seedlings are tomato plants and the smaller ones are the basil. Still left to do on our container gardening checklist is get some containers (a must!), more soil and get the lettuce and bell pepper seeds going.

Earth Day Means Green Coupons!

As Earth Day (April 22nd) approaches, be on the look out for more green and organic coupons and rebate offers. Last year, a lot of stores also offered deals for free reusable shopping bags. I've already picked up a copy of the Go Organic for Earth Day coupon booklet at Kroger. So keep your eyes open for more green deals!

Easter Sunday

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Mag'dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salo'me, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.

And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen.

And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?"

And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; -- it was very large.

And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.

And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.

But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you."

Mark 16:1-7

HE IS RISEN!

HAPPY EASTER!

Easter Eggs

Are we the only ones who do NOT eat our dyed eggs?

They just seem too pretty to eat to me :)