Spring Wreath

Over the last several years I have been attempting to purchase wreaths for my front door that I can use for each season. Apparently I am extremely picky as this hasn't been an easy task. About 2 years ago I found a winter wreath that I actually liked, and more recently found an autumn wreath that wasn't super cheap looking so I added it to my collection as well. I'm not sure why it's been such a process but I like to find ones that at least look a little realistic and not pay an arm and a leg for them. Even some of the super fake looking ones are ridiculously priced! Okay that's the cheap Mennonite in me talking. :)

With the "summer like" temps that we had last week (50's HAHA!!) and everything in stores being sold two or three seasons ahead of time, I decided I should probably start looking for a Spring wreath. The other day I checked at Michael's and wasn't impressed so yesterday I drug my Mom into Hobby Lobby while running our weekly Monday grocery errands. Let me assure you that she did NOT go in the store kicking and screaming but the scrapbooking paper purchases she made were simply not my fault.

After seeing the price tags on the pre-made wreaths and not really being impressed enough to want to break the bank on them, I thought maybe my door would just remain wreath-less for another warm season or two. Since this seems to be a trend each year, I decided to look around for any pieces that caught my eye that I could use to make my own. I found some pieces that I liked and then proceeded to do what any good daughter would do -- I called my Mom who was on the other side of the store and interrupted her scrapbook paper shopping to come help me decide which color flowers were best. :) We are dangerous, let me tell you!

Thanks to the wonderful weekly Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon and their fabulous sales, my items totaled $32.82. I went home nervous and excited to tackle my new project, hoping that it would turn out at least half decent. My hands don't always create what my brain dreams up. :) I started with the following items pictured below...a plain grapevine wreath, 6 feet of berry garland, and a stem of both purple/cream flowers.

And for a better view of each item...

My blank wreath canvas!

I wanted some color but nothing super bold.

I always love the looks of this berry garland stuff.

Definitely stole Chris' sidecutters temporarily. ;)

As you can see in the above picture, I started with the berry garland, attaching it every few inches with some green wire that I already had here. After I had the garland securely in place, I cut apart the purple/cream flower stems and positioned those around the wreath.

And here is my finished product proudly displayed on my front door!

I was pleased with it for being my first wreath attempt and for the price I paid for everything. And the best part was that I had fun creating it! Now I'm ready if Spring ever decides to show up. :)

S.W.A.P. Rewind

August 6-12, 2000 was a week filled with many great memories that I hope to never forget. I was 15 years old and had been so excited to go on a missions trip with fellow "Franklin Conference District Youth" friends. Several of the older youth had gone in previous years but you had to be 15 to participate so I couldn't wait until I hit that mark. The year finally came and we embarked on a billion hour van ride to Harlan, Kentucky. The outreach called "S.W.A.P. - Sharing with Appalachian People" takes groups in for a week at a time to work on homes that are falling apart in one form or another. My group consisted of Kara Lehman (youth group and lifetime friend) and two guys from New York whom we had never met before. Our task was to completely gut a bathroom for an older lady who was in desperate need of a bathroom remodel. This was her only bathroom so we all had to use the neighbors bathroom while we were completing this task. Not only did we get to know the lady we did the work for but we get to know the neighbor lady and her son as well. It was neat to relate to all of them in just the short time we were there. On our last day of work, I swapped addresses with them and have managed to keep in touch via snail mail over the years. The lady who we did the work for stopped corresponding a few years ago but the neighbor lady had continued to keep in touch. Shirley Elkins -- would you believe we even shared the same birthday? Over the years we would write when we could and swap birthday/Christmas cards on a regular basis. 

Fast forward to today. I received a hand written letter that had a return address of Frankfort, Kentucky but the person's name wasn't familiar to me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach and upon opening the letter my suspicions were proved true. The letter was written by Shirley's oldest daughter whom I never had the opportunity to meet. She was writing to tell me that Shirley passed away suddenly. She began to tell me that Shirley always loved hearing from me and thanked me for keeping in touch with her. She ended the letter saying "She thought a lot of you." 

It's never easy to hear when someone passes but I took this letter particularly hard. I can't say where Shirley is today but I hope and pray she is rejoicing in Heaven with Jesus. The questions flooded my mind....

Did I say enough? Did I really make an impact on her life in a positive way? Did Jesus shine through my letters? Did the week I spent interacting with her almost 14 years ago make a Jesus impact on her and her son? Sobering to be reminded that all of our days are numbered and every interaction we have with others in this world are of serious eternal value. May I never take the power of my actions and words for granted and may Jesus SHINE BRIGHTLY through me in all that I do and say today and always. 

 

White Bean Chowder

I had several requests for this recipe so I thought I might as well put it up on my blog for everyone to enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here. I double the original recipe when I make it and have tweaked it to look like the following:

Ingredients -

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Slices Bacon, Diced

1 Large Onion, Diced

2 Celery Stalks, Diced

2 Large Carrots, Diced

1/2 of a Red or Green Bell Pepper, Diced

6 Cloves Garlic, Minced

3 Tablespoons Flour (I use Oat or Brown Rice to make this Gluten Free.)

6 Cups Chicken Broth

2-3 Fresh Tomatoes, Diced

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

2 Bay Leaves

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

4 Teaspoons Dried Parsley

3 (15 oz.) Cans Cannellini Beans, Rinsed and Drained

6 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

Cooking Directions -

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat; add the bacon and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and bell pepper and cook until starting to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium, stir in the garlic and cook 2 minutes, then stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes more.

Add the chicken broth, tomato, tomato paste, bay leaves, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley, and beans and bring to a boil; turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Mash a few of the beans against the side of the pot if you want a thicker soup. (I do this quite a bit as I like thick soup.)

Remove the bay leaves and stir in the heavy cream. Simmer a few more minutes until heated through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired; serve. 

I serve this with shredded cheddar cheese and/or parmesan cheese which is a nice addition to the top of each hot bowl of soup. :) Enjoy!!