Cyber Monday Deals over at Jones Design Co

Yesterday, I shared a post from Jones Design Company. Today, I received an email from Emily that she has her art prints on sale! Go now- they are on sale today only!! I'm planning on getting the art print assortment- 12 great art prints for $39.99. :) What an amazing deal!!

Bless your mess,
Karen

What she said...

When I first started reading blogs a couple of years ago, one of my usual stops was Jones Design Company. Emily has a beautiful family, home and business. All of the printables she designs and shares were one of the biggest reasons that I read her blog. And the artwork that is available for purchase really caught my eye- how she combines scripture and art in a modern, graphic way feels really accessible. 

With an ever increasing blog roll to be inspired by, I have not visited Jones Design in a while. Until last night. When I spent the better part of 2 hours enjoying what I've missed the last 6 months. Of all that I have missed, (of which I pinned a bunch for future inspiration), Emily's post about playing with her kids felt like it was just for me.

Reading blogs can be so hard because it seems like everyone else has their act together: their homes are clean AND stylish; their family-lives are pleasant AND prioritized; those women are great moms AND wives AND bloggers AND still have time for themselves. I really appreciate it when the women behind the blogs I love share their struggles. Yes, I am blessed to have children and to be home with them. Yes, I love them and I am glad to be home with them. And Yes, I feel guilty when I'd rather finish mopping the floor or cook dinner by myself or read a blog post instead of playing with my kids.

If your children ever ask you "mommy, can you play with me?" and you feel conflicted about whether to say yes or no, then read Emily's post "Do You Play With Your Kids?".  You'll no longer feel alone with your guilt!

Bless your mess,
Karen

Recycle Bank

Go check out this site 

Recyclebank is working towards a world without waste by rewarding people for taking everyday green actions. It's free to join and as easy as 1, 2, 3. Earn points for taking everyday green actions, redeem them for great rewards, and learn ways to save money and live greener every day!

A friend of mine told me about this site and I'm so glad she did! The site is has interactive opportunities to earn points which can be redeemed for all sorts of things! In exchange for a few minutes of your time, you learn about the environment, steps you can take to positively impact our world AND you can redeem your points for awesome rewards! Rewards like discounts on groceries, entertainment and even gift cards! 

You get to choose from categories like:                           

• clothing and accessories                                   
• gifts and flowers 
• health and beauty 
• food and beverage
• go green
• holiday rewards

Rewards can be redeemed by:

• Print at Home
• On-line
• via Mail

My personal favorite is a $10.00 off $50.00 Coupon for Harris Teeter. It is basically FREE money!!! For a few minutes of time learning about ways to help the environment and save myself some money (like turning off the shower water while I put shampoo in my hair), I can quickly rack up enough points to get $10.00 of free food! Yesterday, I used my $10 off $50 HT coupon at Lowe's Foods (they accept their competitor's coupons). It was great- Lowe's has a deal thru 11/13 that as long as you spend at least $35 you can get a turkey for .47/lb! I bought a 21 lb turkey for $9.91!! Fist pump! Because I was doing a regular grocery run, it was easy to spend the required $35 and I knew I had to spend $50 anyway in order to use my $10 off coupon. Y'all, that turkey was free-the coupon essentially bought Thanksgiving dinner :) Double fist pump!!

Next time, I'm going to cash in my points for a year subscription to Martha Stewart Living magazine. I earned 215 points yesterday morning (in about 20 minutes) and only need 75 more! 

Join the site, learn something helpful, and pick your rewards! I'd love to hear how easy you find earning points to be and what you pick as your reward! Leave a comment!

**UPDATE: Be sure to check out the SC Johnson Green Choices Challenge. I just earned 155 points in 10 minutes by clicking on all the targets in the house for August, September, October, and November. 

Bless your mess,

Karen

Cherry Cherry Bang Bang

I don't usually paint my fingernails- it has just never been a habit of mine. I used to bite my nails constantly. Even toenails. (I know- gross. haven't been able to do that done that in decades. But Thing # 2 has been seen doing it recently.) It also seemed that I could feel the weight of fingernail polish on my fingers. Anyone else? Nope, just me? Moving on. Over the past year, I've purchased a few colors and tried them out. Cherry Cherry Bang Bang is by far my favorite color. Plus, it was a free gift from CVS (a sponsor at the Becoming 2012 Conference). I love this color!!! Can't wait until I grow my nails longer. I only bite my nails now when I am nervous. Or if I break a nail and one of them ends up really short. It just feels weird. So ALL of them HAVE to go. Anyone else? Nope, just me again?  Anywho, if this color looks good on the equivalent of a 6 year old's nails, then it will definitely look great on fully developed adult nails!

Here are some of the other colors I've tried and liked....

Polar Bear 120, Sea 07, Just in Lime and Cherry Cherry Bang Bang 414

When I lined them all up, I realized that all of these colors are in the fabric of my current favorite purse. I would love to find this fabric and make some pillows.

Fossil from this consignment store

Do any of you ever find that the prettiest fabrics are in accessories instead of home decor fabrics?

Bless your mess,

Karen

**even though all of the nail polishes above are Sally Hansen, this was not a sponsored post** 

It's What's For Dinner

Dinner time can be such a headache without a plan. Add to that the inconvenience of a dwindling pantry- so it was slim pick'ins. I told you I'm a procrastinator! Tomorrow,  I aim to get my coupon on. Back to tonight- I went to my trusty cookbook- Better Homes and Gardens' Anyone Can Cook. Love this cookbook! It totally makes me feel like I CAN cook. I came across Caribbean Rice and Beans and could see that I had just about everything I needed. One quick emergency ingredient (coconut milk) phone call to my sister and I was all set. I doubled the recipe so I could use the entire can of coconut milk and I am soooo glad I did! Leftovers! Even the kids loved it- it's a miracle!

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Caribbean Rice and Beans

1/2 cup finely chopped onions (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice or short grain rice **I used long grain rice. I'm a rebel like that**
1 15.5 ounce can small red beans or light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 ounce can vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk 
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion (2) **Didn't have any. Didn't care :)**

1. In a 2- to 2 1/2 quart saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot butter until tender; add rice. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat about 5 minutes or until rice is golden.

2. Stir beans, broth, coconut milk, jalapeno pepper, dried thyme (if using), salt, and allspice into saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and mixture is creamy. Stir in fresh thyme (if using). Sprinkle with green onion. Makes 4 to 5 main-dish servings.

I sprinkled jerk seasoning over frozen, skinless chicken breasts and roasted them in the oven. The hubby shredded them for me because I decided that grabbing the thermometer that had been IN the chicken IN the oven could be removed with my bare fingers. Ouch. We served the chicken over the beans and rice. A simple salad on the side added some color and some crunch. Yummy. I'm adding it  to the rotation. Try it!

Bless your mess,
Karen

Easy Sunday Mornings? Not quite...

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I don't know about you, but getting to church on Sunday mornings can be one of the toughest times we have all week. The boys were tired and cranky from a family viewing of "ET" last night. The weather was cold and rainy- all but requiring us to stay in bed. "Church clothes" were too much to ask of the boys. Mind you, they were wearing khakis or cords, and weren't even forced to wear collared shirts today. Thing 1 and Thing 2 rebelled by wearing their play clothes underneath their church clothes! Whatever it takes, right? 

As usual, I am glad that we made it to church today, even if we were 10 minutes late to Sunday School Singers. Once the service started, and the boys were relatively quiet and still (shout out to Highlight's "Hidden Pictures"), our Pastor shared another sermon in his "Mayday, Mayday!" Series. Today's sermon was about the law in the Bible and how it relates to us today. My biggest take away from it was "the christian faith is not about our goodness, but about HIS goodness."

I also laughed as much as I can remember in recent history! Pastor Jeff referenced a book called Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier. He read an excerpt of it and now I think I have to make it my personal mission to get my hands on a copy of this book. Hysterical!! I found a review on line by Mary-Jane Donnellan who described it like this: "Lamentations of the Father is a humorous and colorfully illustrated book, which offers a delightful yet insightful perspective on parenting. Adapting the language of Deuteronomy, tongue-in-cheek, it sets out a father's code of conduct for young children."

You'll like this if you are a parent of if you have spent ANY time with children. Here's an excerpt:

Of the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea, and of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but not in the living room. Of the hoofed animals, broiled or ground into burgers, you may eat, but not in the living room. Of the cloven-hoofed animal, plain or with cheese, you may eat, but not in the living room. Of the cereal grains, of the corn and of the wheat and of the oats, and of all the cereals that are of bright color and unknown provenance you may eat, but not in the living room. Of the quiescently frozen dessert and of all frozen after-meal treats you may eat, but absolutely not in the living room. Of the juices and other beverages, yes, even of those in sippy-cups, you may drink, but not in the living room, neither may you carry such therein. Indeed, when you reach the place where the living room carpet begins, of any food or beverage there you may not eat, neither may you drink.

But if you are sick, and are lying down and watching something, then may you eat in the living room.

Read more of it here!

Bless your mess, 
Karen 

The booth is open for business!! Today was moving day and, despite the rain, all went well. I could not have done it without a lot of help- Paula was my muscle and my sister, Sarah, kept the kids. Thank you!! Please come on down to Melville Trading Company and wander over to Booth # 9. You'll find an eclectic mix of vintage, industrial, and modern pieces.

This is what the space looked like when we first arrived.

the inventory pile

getting settled in

a little closer 

my favorite mirror

vintage Paint By Numbers

More inventory to come later this week!

There are several items in the booth that I either handmade or rejuvenated. I''ll share some tutorials soon!

Bless your mess, 

Karen