Snow Day and a little Creativity

My kids finally got their snow day on Friday.  They were so excited! I thought I would share some pictures of the snow we got and how pretty it looked.  My daughter has been bugging me to share some of her hobbies with you and she loves Webkinz.  She has been collecting them for a little over a year and she has quite a few.  My son collects them too.  They don't just play with them on the computer, we have weddings and parties for them.  She makes videos and sets up all the props, stage etc.  I'm not sure what she will be when she grows up but she sure loves creating and making things.  I try to encourage her all that I can, I think that this is just an important part of being a parent.  When you think about it your kids they are the most important accomplishment that you can have in your life.  It's not about how much money you make or how successful your career is but the life long love from your child that matters most.

So here's some pictures, bear with me and gather your kiddos around the computer they might enjoy them too! My daughter took all these pictures too.

Chill and his son Chilly

I didn't know she put them in the snow, I told her not to do this!

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings for you and your family,

Carey

Looking for a little Winter Cheer?

Need a little inspiration today, I found a great link to beat the January blahs with a whole array of decorating styles and ideas.  Perfect for a chilly snowy day inside!

Check it out and see who is listed

Enjoy!

Carey

Yummy Taco Soup will Warm You Up

Here's a quick recipe for some Taco Soup for Fix It and Forget It  One of the things I love about this cookbook is it calls for few ingredients, and the ease of throwing things together.  I also love that there are 2-3 three of the same recipes on a page.  They are each slightly different.  For example there were 4 different taco soups.  If you don't like one you can try another! It's so easy and I love to brown up a bunch of meat ahead of time stash it in the frig to pull out and dump into the crockpot.  My whole family loves this recipe minus my son he's kinda picky.  I like to serve it with sour cream, cheddar cheese and fritos!

My mother in law found these sweet Holly dishes on clearance at Kroger for a really low price!!!  I couldn't get over how pretty they were for the price.  They say Holiday Time on the bottom and they are dishwasher and microwave safe.  I don't think they say Christmas at all.  Isn't she the sweetest?

Stop by Colleen's Blog for more recipes!

Taco Soup with Pinto Beans

serves 10-12

1lb. ground beef

1 large onion

3 14 oz. cans pinto beans

1 14 oz. can tomates with green chilies

1 can chopped tomotoes

15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 pkg. dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

1 pkg. dry Taco Seasoning

15 1/4 oz. can corn, drained

1.  Brown beef and onions in skillet.  Drain.

2.  Combine all ingredients in slow cooker

3.  Cover.  Cook on low for 4 hours or until ingredients are heated through.

** I make a few substitutions to meet my families needs.  I don't put as many cans of beans and I like the Fiesta corn in mine.

Enjoy!

Carey

More snowy white inspiration...

Hello again on this snowy afternoon.  It's really coming down here at my house and I pray for my kids safe return as they did go to school today.

Here's some pics of my dining room and some other little areas around my home:

my dining room

my centerpiece is a spruce wreath with little blue berries surrounded by icy white pieces and the infamous battery operated white candles

This is my little tree I always keep up year round.  this time with some rusty snowmen of different sizes and the snowflakes are actually picks I got at Jo Ann's for 75 % off, gotta love that.

My entryway is where I always signal the season, this hasn't changed much since Christmas.  I did put the little houses here.

I love this little white, silvery church.  I had to get it I thought it would go with my little house.  It has a light inside and I got it at Target for $5!!! Woo hoo I love a bargain.

on top of my TV armoire, I put the little ivory star in the basket, I have since moved it again, always fussing with things.  I got the candle holder at Kohl's it was a gift from my sweet Aunt Princess.  It really sparkles at night.

This is my bakers cupboard, I just put my snowmen in here.  I moved things around a bit to find a place for them.  I saw my moms lacey white doiley and thought it would look nice in there with all the snowmen.

Finally, my husband always gets me a Santa and a snowman for Christmas,  this year he got me a little guy to go with my other snowman.  I like to think of them as Papa Snowman w/his son. So cute!

Have a blessed day, stay safe and warm

Carey

Fresh, Clean, Snowy Look of Winter

Hello blogging friends, I have been working on my house for the last two weeks and am finally done with it all.  It's a huge relief.  We have a loomy forecast of snow on it's way.  I went out to get one more thing that I forgot yesterday and the grocery store was utter chaos.  You know how people get if they think they will be snowed in. 

I am really enjoying the clean uncluttered look of my house after the holidays.  I luvv.. my snowmen though so they will stay with me a bit longer.  I have found my tastes are changing and evolving as I live in my new house ,as well as, all the blog hopping.  I really enjoyed the hooked on houses.net holiday open house.  Another place I always find inspiration is from a primitive place. 

Here's my new mantel look in the family room:

The snowman star was a housewarming gift from my sister.

at night

Remember the graniteware bowl? Well I changed it up just a bit placed a icy wreath and some pines in the bowl.  I'm loving white snowflakes and things that have an icy look to them. 

I'm still enjoying my fresh balsam candle from B & BW

Each time I glance up at my mantel I remember when my husband and I lived in South Dakota and we went up into the hills.  It was so beautiful! The snow had just fallen and it was one of those perfect winter days.  I wanted to get some pinecones for decorating and we had such a good time playing in the snow and falling down the sides of the steep hills.  I will never forget that day.

In my kitchen I chose to display my growing collection of white cake stands.

More white pitchers, milk bottles, buckets and tins

I chose to keep my stovetop simple and this time of year I like to keep my teapot kettle handy for hot cocoa.

This little candle holder I got last year and it's just perfect for my island.

I'll be back with more pics soon, stay inside where it's warm, Cause' baby it's cold outside!

Carey

Make-Over Monday

Here's a quick before and after that my hubby and I worked on over Christmas break.  He bought it for me through a silent auction for $3 and I bought the shades on ebay for 30.  So here is my new chandelier for my kitchen for only $33!!!!  I love a bargain. 

It was kinda of a dark rusty color with some texture but it reminded me of more southwest than country so I decided on black and these cute red/white gingham shades really make it pop.  I just sprayed on several coats of a satin black color. Then my husband hung it up for me. I thought about looking for some candle looking drip sleeves but decided this would do for now.  Now, I just need a farmhouse table to go under it, do you hear that honey??

Before

This is what we had in our kitchen before, you can see it right hanging in front of our huge tree.

Before it was painted

After

Hope you enjoyed my little make-over now only one more light to go in this room.  Got any ideas for me? You can see it looming in the background.  My sister suggested painting it too but I just don't thing the styles go together.  We'll see..stay tuned I'll be back soon some frosty white decorations to show you.

Carey

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year blogging buddies! I don't know about you but this is the time of year I tend to streamline my home.  I'm loving the clean look of my house right now.  All of my decorations came down today.  I've been working on it a little at a time.  I kept the frosty guys in my basement and scattered about my family room.  I think I may even keep my twinking lighted mini tree and snowman on my front porch for a while longer.  I love the fresh, crispness of dark green with icy white on my wreath, it's so perfect for Winter. 

Like many of you resolutions are something I don't make and keep very much so I didn't this year.  Although I have some weight I'd like to lose that's for sure.  It has slowly been creaping back and I'm to the point I have to do something about it.  Maybe some of you can relate to this no matter what the number might be.  A few years ago I lost about 35 lbs so I would like to get back into that size and goal weight again.  I feel unhealthy and know my that if I would start exercising more regularly and eating better I would feel better.

I'm also at a point in my professional life where I'm not exactly sure where to go, I will begin substituting again after break after doing this for 2 years.  I hope it will turn into something more full time in the Fall.  My husband is concerned about not finding work after he retires so this would help him feel better if I already had a contract.  I thought about going back to school but I'm not sure what else I would do if not in education.  I have been waiting for my DH to graduate before starting anything else.  I could start on my masters but feel uneasy about staying in eduation when I haven't found a teaching job for years.  I heard about many teachers retiring when I was in college I just want to know when that will happen exactly I"ve been out of school since '96 and taught for a total of 6 years.  Mmm... I guess people have delayed retirement.

Well, whatever 2010 will bring I am excited at the prospect and I know that God has a plan for me and my family and I just have to trust that it will be a good one.  I'll be back to share some more photos of my home soon.

Wishing you and your family a Blessed and Happy New Year,

Carey