Three Incentives to Help You Accomplish Your Goal

September 17, 2015September 30, 2015 RefreshHer2 Comments

That adorable black dress that’s a little too tight and your niece’s upcoming wedding have a connection – it’s called incentive. So you cut calories out of your daily diet, say “no” to the special coffee drink at Starbuck’s and pretty soon you’re smiling in the mirror – wearing that adorable black dress.

Sometimes all we need is a little motivation to get us spurred forward in a goal. A couple days ago, I posted about living a life of poverty; a life that does lots of talk, but not as much action.

Could I encourage you today to look at the list you may have made mentally, of what you have only been talking, about and get a little incentive for those goals?

Here are Three ways to get incentive for a project before you:

Have someone hold you accountable. Ask your spouse or a close friend to check up on your progress. Wanting to start an exercise program? Have a friend text to ask you how it’s going. I actually have a friend who asked me to do this for her, and at first she had to answer in the negative about getting started, but then, because she knew I’d be asking again soon, she got the program off the ground! Weight Watchers works on this principle of accountability. When you know you’re going to stand on the scales, it is quite an incentive to say “No” to the birthday cake at the party at work!
Make progress markers on your calendar. I’m trying to memorize a passage of Scripture. I went to my Google calendar and marked what day I should be finished. That has been staring me in the face, and keeping me from losing sight of my goal!
Plan a reward for when you get finished. If you plan to clean out the basement or your family room, for instance, decide that once it’s finished you’ll host your girlfriends over for a party in your newly cleaned space! Take yourself for a manicure or facial after another goal is completed. Whatever kind of reward would motivate you – put that incentive out in front!

These incentives will help, but the best help is prayer. Proverbs 16:3

Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established.

The Lord will direct and give you wisdom about how to move to the next step.

Don’t let those desires sit and collect dust like books on a library shelf, give yourself the motivation necessary to move past the talking and get it accomplished.

Lovingly,

How To Add A Statement Wall for Under $5!

September 16, 2015September 15, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

I am blessed to have a sewing/crafting room at this Empty Nest stage of my life. I used to do my crafting at the kitchen table. It’s pretty great to go in my craft room and be able to leave out my projects while I’m working and not have to put it away so we can eat dinner!

I want to make this a lovely place where I’ll enjoying spending time. I’ve been stashing away ideas on my Pinterest Board, and have been anxious to add some details to one wall in particular. It’s the longest wall in the room, and I had hung only one large-ish picture on it, but it wasn’t enough. It really needed something else. Soooo…

On a recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I noticed that their scrapbooking paper was 50% off. I started collecting an assortment of patterns and colors that would coordinate well and bought two of each that I liked. I ended up with twelve sheets, which came to under $5 with the sale.

When I got home, I began crafting these paper pinwheels…

(For an easy Step by Step tutorial on How-To Make Paper Pinwheels, check back on Friday!)
I’ll also show how I hung them on the wall with a really simple technique!

I already had three of these pinwheels left over from Alli’s wedding, so I made six more, giving me plenty to add to my empty wall. Here’s the finished project:

I love it for a craft room, because it fits the room’s theme! It’s all about creativity and I think the paper pinwheels say, “This is a place of productivity and imagination!”

I think these pinwheels are adorable and would add a nice touch of whimsy to other places (aside from a craft room), like a nursery or a child’s room. Like this one:

Girl Heirloom Nursery — I think if you switched out the circles with the pinwheels it would be so cute!

Or for a backdrop wall for a shower or party, like here...

I love how they used different sizes. I may add some smaller ones to my collection!

This wouldn’t be the style for some, but I think it’s adorable!

How about you? Do you like paper crafty things on the wall, or do you only do professional and sleek?

With love from my crafting room,

Christian Life

The One Thing That Leads To Poverty Living

September 15, 2015September 16, 2015 RefreshHer5 Comments

“One day I’m going to tackle Bible memorization!”

“We’re going to have to get together for fellowship sometime soon!”

“”Some day I’m going to really start studying the Scriptures.”

“I sure want to make my life count for something. I hope it will some day.”

“I have a project at home that I’m hoping to get to some time.”

You know the saying, “Talk is cheap?” I believe I know it source – Proverbs 14:23b –

The talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

The one thing that leads us to living an empty, unfulfilled life is only talking about doing something and never getting it accomplished. It’s easy to talk, but not always as simple to follow through, isn’t it? We have all kinds of dreams, ambitions and hopes, but they never happen. Our talk leads to our penury (our poverty)!

If we’re not careful we can become spiritual paupers because we only talk about what Scripture we wish we could memorize, or what Bible study we’d like to start, what fervent prayer life we’d love to have, or what great book we’d love to read. If we only talk about it we’re poverty-stricken Christians.
Lonely paupers are those who only talk about having fellowship with friends, but never initiate it. They only dream about the day they’ll lay aside their other plans and do it!
Messy paupers never get around to carving out time for that junky closet or the garage that can’t be used for the car, but they sure talk about how nice it would be to park out of the rain.
People who never find a place to serve the Lord and others are empty paupers – they kind of aimlessly wander through life just trying to survive another day of their misery.

Are you living the life of some kind of pauper because you’re doing lots of talking about something the Lord has brought to your heart, but you’re not asking Him to help you to accomplish that? Philippians 2:13 reminds us: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Ask the Lord for wisdom about how to accomplish that desire He put in your heart, then claim this promise that says He will give you with both the willing and the doing of it!

Stop talking and start living the rich life of accomplishment!

Lovingly,

baking

Over-The-Top Carrot Cake

September 14, 2015September 16, 2015 RefreshHer5 Comments

I LOVE Southern Living recipes, and I really, really, LOVE their cakes. It seems that they take a simple recipe and just take it over the top! I have made several of their cakes that have become some of my all time favorites. The Blackberry Raspberry Truffle Cake and Coconut Cake are two. They will stay on my list for special occasions, but I’ve recently found another one – it’s for The Ultimate Carrot Cake! I made this because my husband is a fan of Carrot cake, but honestly, this recipe has changed my mind about this old classic!

In my standard fashion, I made the cake layers a few days in advance and froze them so that the icing and assembly would be faster and easier. The cake rose beautifully and was very moist. The icing calls for 7 cups of powdered sugar – I only used 5. It was delicious! Then the thing that was the “Icing on the Cake” (ha!) were the carrot curls on top. They are so yummy and resemble fruit leather. They were not hard to make and made a pretty presentation and a nice little added treat to each piece of cake! So, be sure to add the pretty embellishment, because it’s more than just decoration!

The Ultimate Carrot Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

3 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup peeled and grated Granny Smith apple

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Candied Carrot Curls

Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting

See a Collection of Classic Appetizers

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toss together first 3 ingredients; spread in a single layer in a foil- lined pan. Bake 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.

2. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients. Beat butter and both sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add oil; beat until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended.

3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla; fold in carrots, next 2 ingredients, and 1 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter into 3 greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

4. Bake at 350° for 23 to 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely. Spread Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Top with Candied Carrot Curls and remaining toasted pecans.

Do you have any Southern Living Cakes that you make regularly? Tell me about them! I’m always on the lookout for a recipe to add to my collection!

With love from my country kitchen,

Uncategorized

Bow Making Is Easy!

September 11, 2015September 16, 2015 RefreshHer8 Comments

I made this flag last year. I simply

Cut the burlap to the size I wanted
Frayed the edges of three sides.
On the top, I turned it down and made a casing for the pole to go through.
I used acrylic paint and free-handed a simple pumpkin on.
I used narrow ribbon to create the monogram and attached it using hot glue.

It was a super easy project and held up in the weather really well! The only thing that needed replacing was the bow. Here’s a video about how I made my bows: