Chocolate Peppermint Milkshake {Chick Fil-A Knockoff}

Something about December makes me crave all things peppermint!  Candy Cane Joe Joe's from Trader Joe's, peppermint ice cream, candy canes, chocolate peppermint milkshakes from Chick Fil-A... the list goes on and on!

So I had this idea

I just took some of this

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and added a couple of these

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put them in a blender with a little milk

and you're done!!!

sooooooooo yummy!

Anyone else out there drawn to peppermint this time of year?  You should try this shake!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Blessings,
Jamie

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Make a Christmas Pillow from an Old Sweater

I knew I was holding on to this old sweater for a reason... I made it into this!

I used the sleeves last winter for this wreath

See the resemblence?

I was starting to think I was nuts for holding onto that cut up sweater... turns out my craft-hoarding paid off!

I was originally inspired by these

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They don't have these pillows anymore (and I wouldn't pay that much for them anyway) so I dug out the old sweater remnant!

This is what it looked like when I pulled it out of my scrap bin.

I cut off all the area above that is shaded gray.

Then I sewed it (inside out) into a square, leaving about 6 inches to stuff the pillow form in.  I stuffed it and sewed up the rest of the seam.

And now for the bow...

I made a long chain by casting 4 sts onto a size 11 knitting needle and knitting a stockinette stitch until it was long enough to wrap around the pillow and tie a bow.

The berries were crocheted from a pattern I found at Petals to Picots.  I made 5 of them and stitched them onto the pillow.  Easy peasy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jamie

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

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Amazing Apple and Cinnamon Chip Pancakes

Hi!  Things have been super busy here!  The etsy shop is keeping me occupied with plenty of Christmas orders but I've really missed blogging.

So I thought I'd do a quick post about one of the recipes I've been making a lot this fall: apple cinnamon chip pancakes!

They're super easy to make

Chop the apples pretty small so they'll cook quickly.  I used Gala apples.  Mix them into your favorite pancake batter.  If you'd like to make the batter from scratch, here is a great recipe.

After pouring some of the batter into the pan, sprinkle some cinnamon chips on top

The apples will cook a little bit, but still maintain some of their crispness.

Here is the bottom side of the pancake; you can see the chips on this side.

Mmmmmm, delish!

These are the cinnamon chips I used

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I've been putting cinnamon chips into lots of different recipes lately... I especially like them in sugar cookies!

Have you tried cinnamon chips?  Any recommendations for other recipes to try them in?  Let me know in the comments!

And one more thing:

10% off in the creative imperative etsy store today!!!

Just enter CYBERMONDAY as the coupon code.

Blessings,

Jamie

White and Wood Nightstands

After the luck I had at our local Salvation Army with the dresser, I thought I'd go looking for some nightstands.  I couldn't fail.  After all, I had my furniture thrifting good luck charm, Andi, with me!  She knows a lot more about furniture than I do and she just has a good eye for this stuff.

Here's what we found for $25 a piece

I really wasn't sure they'd work, but I'm so glad I took a chance!  I really wanted something that would tie the dresser I just refinished

together with our white headboard

that's the headboard in our old house, but you get the idea.

It was super quick and easy to fix the nightstands up.  Just a little cleaning on/in the drawers and then some white spray paint on the perimeter of them.

I love how they turned out!

I can't wait to reveal more of the bedroom.  Only a couple short weeks ago, it was a sad, depressing place to go.  Now it is feeling like a calming haven for us.

What do you think of the white with the wood?  Weird?  Wacky?  Wonderful?  Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jamie

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Letting Go of the Goat Shirts...

I find that I am seriously stressed out most of the time.  I feel like I am always forgetting something.  Letting someone down.  Not sticking to my commitments.  Not being a good friend, wife, mom, sister, daughter-in-law.  The list goes on and on.  The truth is this:  I bet most of those things are goat shirts.

photo courtesy of Andi from Jane of All Crafts

Confused?  Let me explain.  I got together with my friend Andi last week and she mentioned that she feels overwhelmed right now.  I know she has a ton on her plate so I feel like I have no right to complain about my overwhelmedness.

We were talking about how lately life feels like a series of balls that we have dropped.  And then she said, "And I never made you that goat shirt."

Yes, I did mention that I would love one of her shirts that she makes that says, "I love goats".  The truth is, if I was that concerned about it, I should put an order in at her etsy shop so it became an official order for her.  I find I have the same problem when orders come in from local friends rather than being in my etsy queue.

Anyway, this shirt wasn't even on my radar!  I had completely forgotten that I had even mentioned I would like one.  And here it was one of the many things that is sitting there in the back of her head, nagging her all the time.

So, my question is this:  How many things that I'm worrying about are just goat shirts to someone else?

This is a small fraction of the crazy things that run through my mind regularly

I haven't called that person back

I never been able to help that person find a rug for her living room

I haven't talked to my best friend in weeks... is she OK?

I never finished the sample boards for that client

How am I going to find a sitter for when I have to work?

I completely let the people in the children's ministry at church down

Was one of my kids supposed to be snack helper today?

Is today a color day at school?

Is there field trip money overdue?

I never got back to that client

I'm late shipping that order

I promised my pastor I'd paint for him and haven't scheduled it

I never got a painting bid to the woman at the preschool

Am I reading enough with my kids?

Do I let them watch too much TV?

Did I forget to return some library books?

Whose birthday is this week?

I haven't been out for a girls night with the preschool moms in ages... are they judging me?

I haven't finished the design for that client

I don't cook often enough for my family

I'm not making sure the kids are eating organic stuff

When's the last time the kids had a bath?

Do my kids know they're loved?

I shouldn't have yelled at them like that

Did I leave a burner/flat iron/oven on at home?

What else am I forgetting?

So these are just SOME of the things that have gone through my head TODAY!  And it is only 9:30am as I type this.  And yes, I did leave a burner on at home.  When I look at the list of things running through my head, it's a wonder that I didn't leave all the burners on!

So I basically need to go through that list and figure out which items are goat shirts.  I'm not just talking about prioritizing, though that helps.  I'm talking about truly letting go of the guilt about the things I can't get to right now.

We don't have any family that lives in town, so finding available and affordable help with the kids can be difficult and I hate asking friends for help.  My kids are only young once and they need my attention when I am here with them.  Even the best marriages (especially the best marriages) need regular maintenance.  My good friends will understand when I don't call them back right away.  I tell myself these things, but I don't always believe them.

I just need to extend the same grace to myself that I try to extend to others when it comes to my shortcomings. It feels cathartic just writing this, but it also helps to share it with others.

Do you have any goat shirts in your life you need to let go of?

Blessings,

Jamie

Halloween House Tour!

Here are a few snippets from our house this October.

The drop-down spider made an appearance in the new house.  Mr. Creative Imperative came up with the great idea of using a tack in the top part of the front door.  So much better than using tape and then waiting for the tape to give out!

Here is the rest of the front entryway

...looks like some little hands got into the candy corn!

Some bats

A raven

And here's our fireplace

I love how the spiderwebs stick to the stone.  It made it so easy to decorate.

Those mercury glass pumpkins on the mantel... they light up and flicker!  I didn't even realize it until I got them home from the store.  Bonus!

I made the "EEK"/"BOO" sign out of some blocks I found at Marshalls.  

$0.30 for three blocks???  Yes please!  Have you seen how much blocks cost at craft stores?  It's crazy.

I cut the letters out of Contact paper on my Silhouette... it's metallic!

I know it's hard to see in the photo, but I love the way the metallic letters look.

And I just received this beautiful, gigantic acorn ornament from my in-laws for my birthday.

I love it!  It's one of those great decor items that you can put out in September and leave out through December.

And last, but not least, we have the pumpkin under glass.  It's a painted pumpkin from the dollar store.

Hope you're having a great fall!

Blessings,

Jamie

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life