Busy, Busy, Busy! (free printable weekly schedule)

Sorry for the delay in posts!  Dustin and I took a much needed vacation and my mind was finally cleared...when it was time to come home.  Seriously, I've never had such a hard time trying to clear my mind before!  Have you ever experienced that?  You try and relax but EVERYTHING you forgot to do or need to do just keeps popping in your mind?

I have a tendency to write all the things I randomly remember on my hand, a napkin, or whatever else is mildly within reach.  Then I wash my hands or throw away my napkin and *POOF* my ideas are gone.  I've gone through calendars before that never work.  They either don't have enough space to write or have too much  (I don't want every single hour of my day written out!).  I like to just jot down things not scheduled, say "remember to mow the lawn" or "buy lettuce."  So I figured, why not come up with my own little way of keeping things organized?  Just enough space for each day of the week and a reminder column for next week, as well as a place to jot down menu ideas and other random thoughts.  PERFECT for me and I hope you find it useful, too!

Click here for a Printable PDF of the file & happy organizing!

salty & buttery

I'm a self-proclaimed baker. 

I absolutely love baking and finding new - usually fattening - recipes.  But it seems in this day and age, everyone wants to be thinner and therefore does not cook with butter.  Or cream.  Or anything that could hurt their figure.  Well, I have always enjoyed Julia Child's outlook on life and butter, and recently came across this quote which sums up my experiences of cooking in general.  Too often we follow recipes to the T and miss out on the really good stuff.  Some of the best experiences I've had in the kitchen are just throwing random ingredients together and making a new tasty creation. 

Life is like that sometimes, don't you think?  Not to get all philosophical on you or anything, but it seems we try to live life how we should - we go to school, get married, buy a house, have kids.... but maybe we are missing that spice in our lives by following these cultural recipes for our lives.  I believe God has called us to be the "salt" of the earth, so maybe we ought to throw a little spice in our lives for others :)  Live a little more for Him and don't feel bad if you are using real butter when everyone else is using margarine. 

Sometimes a new creation is worth trying. 

Audrey Lesson #2

Words to Live By: CS Lewis

I have recently started a faith-based book club & my awesome group of girls chose to start reading through all of C.S. Lewis's standards.  This got me thinking about one of my favorites (ok, they are actually all my favorites), "Till We Have Faces."  I love learning of mythology and this book wraps it together quite nicely. 

This quote just stands out to me & I thought I'd make a little sign to remember it by :)

Zucchini Recipe #2

The other night, my friend Kelley and I decided to make a dinner concoction.  She brought over what she had (ground turkey and peppers), while I found what I had an abundance of -  zucchini from my garden and large bag of rice.  Thus the creation of "Cheesy Zucchini Rice with Turkey & Peppers." 

Creative, eh?

It turned out AMAZING if I do say so myself.  Here's what we did:

For the rice, I used this recipe found on Pinterest: cheesy-zucchini-rice.  (I didn't need to add the milk at all.)

Then we simply browned the turkey with some garlic powder/salt/pepper/chili powder and sauteed the peppers towards the end.  Throw altogether in a bowl & enjoy!

A sophisticated sport

the cousins playing croquet. very UNsophisticated.

I remember visiting the Grand Hotel on Jekyll Island, GA growing up and seeing a professional croquet court that costs money to play.  There are pictures adorning the hotel walls of high-class patrons with a mixed drink in one hand and their mallet in the other.  Where did this sophisticated sport go wrong?

A simple game, yet intense at points, croquet is a game my family has enjoyed lplaying at my grandparents' house for years.  My aunt (who mows their yard) actually trims a croquet court at a shorter setting than the rest of the yard just for our game.  We like to think of ourselves as professionals.  Each August the whole family gathers together to celebrate summer birthdays and all us cousins bust out the old set.  This year, my brother and cousin decided to pit boys vs. girls and became poison much quicker, killing us all before we even had a chance to round the corner.  Regardless of the outcome, croquet is classic game in which all ages can enjoy.  (Just make sure you wear good shoes so you can hit an opponent out of the playing area!)

featured on Etsy

My "thank you labels" were recently featured on a Treasury List on Etsy !  Check it out :)