Gee Whiz, Cheese Whiz!

I had the most ridiculous experience on Friday.

I  was rushing down to Laguna Beach for a women's retreat straight from work and knew that traffic was going to be horrible.  On my way there, I stopped at a grocery store to pick up some snacks for the weekend and splurged on some "Easy Cheese" and Triscuits.  Cheese spread and crackers was always a special treat between my mom and me...it's kind of expensive, so we rarely ever bought it.  Whenever we did, it was something to relish and enjoy!

Since Jesse doesn't like Easy Cheese, (and thinks it smells gross), I decided to get some while I wouldn't be around him.  That's a loving thing to do, rightt?  :0)

 It was a great snack for the drive.  I kept the cheese bottle in one of the cup holders, and held the box of crackers in my lap.  Whenever I got to a red light, I'd squirt some cheese on a Triscuit and munch happily away as I coasted through the beautiful ocean town of Laguna Beach.  MAN, I MISS LIVING NEAR THE OCEAN!!!

Annnnnnyway, when I finally arrived at the resort, I pulled into a parking space and shifted into "Park."  Something landed on my hand, and I realized that the shift stick had hit the nozzle of the cheese container (which was still in the cup holder) and sent cheese spraying everywhere!  A second later, I realized that it hadn't just pressed the nozzle, it was still pressing the nozzle, and now cheese spread was squirting over the shift stick, all over the cup holder, and spilling over the sides of the center console down to the floor.  That was one high-pressure nozzle! 

The most ridiculous part was that when I had shifted to Park, it wedged the nozzle between the shift stick and the cupholder so that as hard as I tried, I couldn't pull the cheese bottle out of that crazy situation withoiut shifting to Reverse to give the cheese bottle more space and get it out of there!

By the time I had done that, nearly the entire bottle had emptied, and Jesse's car (yes, I was driving HIS!) was covered in one of his least favorite food items! 

Wow...what a way to begin a "relaxing" women's retreat!

Just thought you'd enjoy a laugh with me...who would've ever expected that to happen?!?

Jalapeño Jelly

One of the ladies at work today brought in the yummiest treat!  She made jalapeño jelly at home and brought it in with stone ground wheat crackers and cream cheese spread.  It wasn't the healthiest thing in the world, but it tasted just wonderful!

I haven't gotten to try the recipe myself, but I wanted to save it so that I don't forget it (and I figured I'd share it with you!)

♥ 1 large green bell pepper
♥12 jalapeno peppers

♥1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

♥1 pinch salt

♥4 1/4 cups granulated sugar

♥4 ounces liquid pectin

♥4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
 
1.Combine the green bell pepper and 12 jalapeno peppers in the container of a food processor or blender. Process until finely chopped. This can be done in batches, if the peppers do not fit.


2.Transfer the peppers to a large saucepan, and stir in the cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through at least 2 layers of cheesecloth, and discard pulp. You should have about 1 cup of liquid.

3.Return the liquid to the saucepan, and stir in the salt and sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the mixture comes to a rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down), boil for one minute, then stir in the liquid pectin.

4.Stir in the remaining jalapeno peppers, and ladle into sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Seal jars in a hot water bath. Refrigerate jelly after seal is broken.





If you get to try it before I do, make sure you tell me about it!
 
 
 
 
P.S. Along with the jalapeno jelly, she also set out a platter of tomato slices soaked in balsamic vinegar.  Balsamic tomatoes on top of cream cheese crackers?  Who know that would be so tasty?!?
Give that one a try, too!

Happy Homemaking!
♥ Bethany

One Lovely Blog Award

A huge smile broke out across my face when I got home today.  I've been awarded my very first blog award!

My sweet friend Paris over at Bless My Nest nominated me for the One Lovely Blog award and said this about me:





Bethany is the craftiest gal I know, and I mean that in a wonderful way! She blogs about newlywed life with her husband, inspiring crafting endeavors, yummy recipes and her entertaining recollections of various experiences as a teacher.

I've been blessed to know Paris and truly look up to her as an inspiration for wholesome, Christian family living.  Paris, her husband David, and their adorable son James are such a wonderful, happy little family! 

The rules in receiving the award are:

1. Accept the award and acknowledge the person who bestowed it upon me.

2. Pay it forward to 15 newly discovered blogs you enjoy.

I'm going to play the rules a bit differently, because I don't expect everyone I award to turn around and find 15 other blogs.  It takes a lot of time, and I know that many of you are very, very busy!  But I wanted to recognize you as bloggers whom I love, let you know that I appreciate you, and send some happy blogger hopefuls your way!

♥ Taking Off the Shoes ♥

Laura's blog is a collage of favorite song lyrics, funny memories, inspiring quotes,  poetry, and the day-to-day thoughts on life as a 17 year old.  Her blog is the first one I check each day [and it's not only because she's my baby sister!]  Also, don't forget to check out her music playlist in the sidebar.  It's played 24/7 over here :-)

♥  Posie Gets Cozy ♥

I love escaping to the beautiful little world of Alicia Paulson.  Her blog depicts her day-to-day life of working in her home studio creating beautiul quilts, sweet crocheted projects, and lovely embroidered pieces.  It's refreshing, soothing, and brings me back to the coast I miss so much.

♥ Notes From the Plumb Tree ♥

I found Jenny's blog through her Etsy shop.  Oringinally, I simply fell in love with the sweet little shoes and baby things she creates, but now I love reading about her three beautiful children and her experiences as a first year homeschool mom.

♥ Ruffles and Stuff ♥

I discovered this little beauty a bit too late.  Disney, the gorgeous mom/pastor's wife/crafter of this blog is no longer regularly blogging.  This blog is chockful of beautiful little ideas for sweet and dainty crafts, and even though new posts won't be showing up very often, you'll still get some wonderful ideas from what she has already written!

♥ Mission Mathematician ♥

Katie is a spunky young woman  bringing Jesus' love to Africa.  She is two months into her second year of teaching in Malawi, and always has interesting stories to tell.  Her blog wll inspire you, remind you of how blessed we are with everything we have, and refresh you with God's Word. 

♥ The Pretty Bitty Blog ♥
Bonnie is a sweet young wife and mother who delights in making beautiful little outfits for her adorable baby girl, Elora.  I love picking up her  money-saving techniques and filing them away for my own kids someday. 

♥ Make It and Love It ♥

Ashley and Brittany have teamed up to create this wonderful blog full of gorgeous photos and step-by-step tutorials to help you do everything from sewing a tutu for your little girl to decorating a cake pretty enough for The Cake Boss.  Check it out, have fun making one of their projects, and then post your pictures in their "You Made It/Love It" section of the blog :-)

♥ Bee In My Bonnet ♥

Lori's blog makes me drool.  The quilts that she designs and creates are a mystery to me--they don't seem humanly possible!  Her attention to detail, her lovely applique, and the way that she brings stories to life through fabric makes me envious (in as christianly a way as possible!)  See what I mean?

♥ Our Life and Times♥

Mollie's photos of her two beautiful children will bring a smile to your face.  She's a young, energetic mom who delights in finding healthy recipes for her husband and kids, decorating her home, and sharing tips on happy, healthy, frugal living. 

♥ Sunny Bug ♥

Oh my, I've actually found someone else who loves Martha as much as I do!  Aside from that (which I only discovered yesterday, anyway!), Elizabeth's blog is truly a treat.  It is full of all sorts of creative projects to sew, bake, or make.  And who can resist her cute site?

♥ My Ramblings ♥

Candace is new to the blogging scene and has great ideas and recipes!  She shares insight on newlywed life, thoughts on Scripture, and fun, creative ideas.  Don't miss the blog she shares with her husband, Matt :-)  A Couple of "Ott"ers

♥ Heatherlydee ♥

Heather is a gorgeous girl who is honest, down to earth, has a flair for fashion, and a heart for God.  I love her picture posts, her frugal fashion tips, and entries that make my heart sing.

♥ You Go Girl! ♥

Cassie has so many beautiful handmade things on her blog that I could be happy reading it for hours.  I love her crocheted lace pillow cases, her cute handbags, sweet aprons, and adorable outfits.  For those of you who don't know how to crochet, she has great tutorials to teach you!

♥ My Not So Glamorous Life ♥

Jenn blogs from the heart.  Her thoughts on daiy life, cute stories about her family, and pictures of their adventures are always fun to follow. 

♥ This Is Reverb ♥

There's no way I'm telling Pastor Ryan that I'm giving him the "One Lovely Blog" award, but I just wanted to mention him here so that you can check out his blog!  Pastor Ryan's blog is not simply theological; he captures moments with his wife and two adorable little ones, shares step-by-step recipes, and the inspiring photos he takes.

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Flower Girl Baskets

My childhood friend, Emily, got married recently.  There are so many pictures to post and so many things to tell!  But I thought I would share a tutorial on how to make the satin-lined flower girls baskets I made for her wedding.

Originally, the idea was to just buy some pretty little white flower girl baskets, but after several of us searching all of the shops in our hometowns, the search was in vain and we knew we would need to make our own. 

I took on the challenge, and was surprised that I couldn't even find white baskets!  All I could find at local craft store was natural wood baskets.  So, I added another step to the process and bought some white spray paint.


After sanding the baskets down lightly to make sure there were no splintery parts (very important when your flower girls are 2 and 5 years old!), I took them outside for the next step.

I used a large lid from a cardboard box (or one of the cartons they put your purchases in at Costco would work) to keep the paint from spraying everywhere.  Even though I did it outside, I didn't want white grass!

Painted up and pretty!

Let the baskets dry for a few hours before working on the next steps (2-3 hours should do it).

Next, I took the baskets inside and pinned a circle of satin to the perimeter of the basket.  I measured the diameter of the circle and then added about 8 inches to it when I cut the circle out.  Adding the satin lining to the basket gives it a touch of elegance and looks so pretty!

I used regular old straight pins from my sewing basket.  The wood in the basket I used was soft enough to push the pins right into it.  If the basket you're using is too dense to do this, try using clamps, or simple free-hand it when you use your hot glue gun to secure it.  Just make sure you're eying the fabric to make sure you're gathering it evenly!

When you're finished pinning, it should look like this:

 

If you're wondering why I didn't paint the handle white, don't worry!  It's going to be wrapped in satin ribbon.  :-)

A view of the basket's interior.  The satin will look really bulky while you're pinning it in, but don't worry.  When it's glued down and the decorative ribbon secures it, it looks just beautiful.  Trust me :-)

To decorate the handle, I wanted to finish the satin look.  I added white satin ribbon (1 inch thick).  It really pulled the whole thing together--and made it look so "wedding-ish."  Just remember to tack the ribbon down with glue every few wraps so that it doesn't fall apart in your flower girl's hands!

My favorite touch was using the same pearl/lace ribbon around the basket that I put on the ring bearer pillow I made.  I was really pleased with how the baskets were lined with the same satin I used for the pillow, and the same ribbon!  It made a beautiful set.

The purpose of the ribbon (aside from looking pretty!) is to hide the edges of the satin lining.  Voila!  All gone :-)

Next, it's time to dress your pretty little basket up!

All I used was some lavender ribbon, white ribbon, and little ribbon rosettes. 

There are endless possibilities of things that you could add.  The world is yours!

Here are the finished products:

So much fun!  I loved being able to add a handmade touch to Emily's wedding.

Here's a list of things you'll need to make it easier:

♥ wooden baskets

♥ fine sandpaper

♥ white spray paint (if your basket isn't white already)

♥ satin

♥ straight pins

♥ satin ribbon (one inch wide)

♥ hot glue gun

♥ edging ribbon (like the pearl/lace edging ribbon I used)

♥ little satin rosettes in the color of your choice

♥ matching satin ribbon (1/8" or 1/4" thick)

Let your creativity loose and have fun with what you come up with!  If you make one, send me a link of the picture!  I would love to see.

Don't limit yourself to the next wedding...find ways to make pretty satin-lined Christmas baskets or make your own Easter baske for your kids next year.  The possibilities are endless! 

Have fun! ♥

A Beautiful Surprise

Today is the most lovely, chilly, perfect day. 

I love the way the mist hangs on the mountains, the brisk air, and the need to wear sweaters and scarves again.  I had to use the windshield wipers all the way home today.  Just wonderful!

And guess what was waiting at home for me?

This beautiful pink rose refuses to believe that Fall is here.  She's just in her baby stages of blooming, but so vibrant and summer-scented that she brightens my sleepy garden.

Just as I'm getting excited about Autumn, I'm reminded how beautiful other seasons can be.

Bloom on, sweet rose!

A Much-Needed Sabbath

Saturday did not go as planned.

We were supposed to meet Momma B out in Redlands to celebrate our birthdays together and go for our annual girly birthday pedicure (not Jesse, he was planning on finding something else to do out there!).  I look forward to it every year.  We've been doing it since before Jesse and I were married.  Momma B is so happy to have a girl in the family now!  I love that a pedicure is our tradition (and it's the only one I get during the year, so it's a big deal for me.)

We were planning to go to a cross country meet for one of or high schoolers (potato/tomato Mike, actually) at 8am and drive straight out to meet Momma B from there, hang out with her for the day, and then drive to the baseball park for Jesse's men's church league game. 

But when I woke up on Saturday, I knew that not much of that would be happening.  The headache that had begun the night before had morphed into a migraine that hurt so bad that I knew if I got out of bed and tried to function like a normal day, the migraine would latcht on even harder and take me days to get rid of.

First, we decided that we were going to need to miss the cross country meet.  So I stayed in the darkness of our bedroom praying that it would go away so we could still make it out to see Momma B.  We ended up calling her and letting her know not to expect us as early as we thought, and then I fell back asleep for hours.  When I woke up again, it was to Jesse's voice telling his mom that he didn't think we'd make it at all that day; he wasn't feeling well either.  Jesse's allergies had hit hard while I was asleep, and through the course of the rest of the day, he nearly finished a box of tissues all by himself.

So there we were, Migraine Missy and Sniffly Sir, both sick and tired and miserable.  We curled up together in our favorite chair, but every time he reached for a tissue, I got dizzy and felt even worse.  We ended up spending the afternoon on seperate couches (which we never, ever do).

As weird as it sounds, it was just the kind of day we needed.  God ordained that there should be one day of rest each week, and with our crazy 12 hour church days, Sunday sadly-but-certainly is not a day of rest for us.  I guess it takes us being sick to realize every once in a while that we need a break. 

We needed a day to stay in our pjs til 6:00 at night (and then yes, we did make it to the game), eat our childhood comfort foods, watch old favorite movies, sleep off and on, and serve each other as best we could. 

A sick day isn't something I'm going to hope for frequently, but God knew we needed one.  And even though 2 days later the migraine hasn't completely left, I'm thankful that Jesse and I got to share a much needed day of rest.  And if making us sick is the only way He can get us to take a day off, at least I get to take it with my handsome man.  ♥

Dutch Oven Pot Roast

I have a new baby.

She's a gorgeous apple-red dutch oven, and I'm in love.

It was a birthday present from Momma B.  I'm so excited!

I made gumbo a few weeks ago and learned that it's not very easy to make a perfect roux in a thin-bottomed metal pot.  (In fact, it's very easy to make a perfectly scorched roux in a thin-bottomed metal pot.)

My southern Mother-in-law knew that a girl needs a real dutch oven to make a real gumbo, so that was my birthday present from her this year.  I'm going to have many pics to upload from my wonderful 24th birthday!  Check here to find them soon :-)

I was so excited to have a dutch oven that I wanted to find a simple yummy recipe to try it out.
Pot roast was always a special meal during my childhood, so I decided to try my hand at it.  The dutch oven made it so moist and flavorful!  This recipe is the simplest thing in the world.  If you don't have a dutch oven, try doing this in a slow cooker.


♥2.5 pound beef chuck pot roast (about 8 inches long by 2 inches thick)

♥1 packet of Lipton Beef and Onion powdered soup mix (adds such simple,yummy flavor!)

♥4-6 small russet potatoes

♥ two or three hanfuls ofbaby carrots (about 6 ounces)

♥1 cup water

♥pinch of salt

♥pinch of pepper

The most important part to making a pot roast is to sear in all of the juices before you get started.  Turn the stove on to medium-high heat and sear each side for 4-6 minutes.  It should come out a light brown, caramelly color.

Once the roast is nicely browned, remove from heat and season the top and sides with salt and pepper.  Mix the onion soup mix with 1 cup of water, and pour it around (not on top of) the roast.  Put it back on the stove and get it up to a simmer for two hours.  Put your ear next to the pot to listen for a gentle simmering sound.  Make sure it's not too hot--it will dry the poor thing out!

Ten minutes before the two-hour timer goes off, cut up your potatoes.  There shouldn't be any pieces thicker than 1.5 inches.  Add the potatoes and carrots to the pot and leave it alone for another hour.

I told you this was easy, didn't I?  :-)

Dinner is all set and ready once you turn that burner off an hour later.  Serve with some salad, some bread rolls, and a homey dessert, and you've got yourself one of the easiest crowd pleasers you could come up with!

Enjoy :-)