Casual Friday

Happy Friday all!

In the spirit of Friday I would like to keep this post rather casual with a few of my random thoughts. Please buckle your seat belts because I have no idea where we might end up by the end of this post.

This morning while I was enjoying my daily cup of joe, catching up on the blogs I follow, I noticed Jack was going crazy by our back door. This usually means there is something exciting outside that he is planning his imaginary (since he is not allowed outside) attack against. Sure enough there was a creepy crawly lizard on our back patio. In order for you to understand the types of lizards we deal with here, I had to include a picture of this beast, that I like to call a mini dinosaur.

The way these mini dino's crawl is terrifying yet completely fascinating. I am pretty sure we have a few living underneath that stack of boxes.

I love reading magazines! I have a few to get caught up on at the moment, but in the midst of my daily activities and reading the many blogs I follow, I find that the magazines often are put on the back burner of my reading list.

With the growing popularity of blogs, I wonder what the future holds for magazines. This leads me to a conversation I often have with Brandon, paper books vs. digital books. I have heard talk of many schools considering using iPads or other forms digital tablets to store all textbooks instead of purchasing multiple hard copies of text books. I can't help but question this because I am a tactical kinesthetic learner (who also struggles with dyslexia). As a kinesthetic learner and a dyslexic I need to physically touch the pages of a book and actively read in order to better retain the information I am reading. This concerns me for children who struggle with the same types of learning disabilities that I have. This could lead me to a whole other conversation of school teaching systems and how they are set up for only one type of learner but I can save that for another time. Ultimately, what I am getting at, is I love to actually hold a book or magazine and flip through it as a relaxing activity.

As if reading my magazines, and blogs weren't enough I am also currently reading The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning. You may ask, how in the world do you have enough time to read all of these things?! My friends, remember, I am currently unemployed (looking for a job in a new town) and do not do well with so much spare time. So I have found myself reading more than I ever have in my life. This book is such an EASY read and I promise it has something in it for everyone! I told Brandon yesterday that this book has "Smacked me in the face", it is so good. During my second or third year at Vanguard, Brennan Manning came to the school and spoke for numerous chapels. I only wish I could go back a few years and sit in on those chapels again with the appreciation I would have for him today. He is a man with great life experiences and great wisdom. He writes so honestly and genuinely, while reminding us of Christ's longing for us. The theme though out the book is based on Song of Solomon 7:10 (NASB),

"I am my Beloved's,

and his desire is for me."

Such a simple concept yet so hard for us to accept.

I am done with my random ramblings for today. That wasn't too bad was it? It was wordier than I had planned. I hope all of you have a great, relaxing weekend!

Maci K

Make Organizing Fun

I don't know about you but I love to organize! Whether it is a closet, a pantry or a desk, I love the feeling of accomplishment and peace afterwords. I have pretty much always been this way, I was the girl in elementary school situating my pencil box, binders and paper so perfectly that the other kids probably thought I was crazy. I have had friends through out the years ask me to help them organize closets. When I wanted to make a little extra money my mom (who is very organized) would asked me to re-arrange and re-organize the kitchen to make it more efficient. I think you get the picture, I love it!

For those of you who do not enjoy organization like I do, you probably know the final product will be good and will allow you to live your life more simply, but you find the process grueling. It's okay! I understand, not everyone shares my love for organizing.  Trust me, occasionally, I will get overwhelmed by certain projects. For example, since we moved almost 4 weeks ago, I have had every box unpacked and organized with everything in its place... except... this lonely box.

It is our box of office/desk supplies, as well as our old junk drawer odds and ends. I'm sure a lot of it needs to be thrown out as well as our new apartment does not have a specified place for all of these things, so I am having to get a little creative. Its has just been one of those tasks that I keep pushing off and pushing off but that box has been staring at me and haunting me every day I sit down to watch TV or sit at our desk.

Soooo... Yesterday, while I was at Target, I was browsing through almost every isle and I found these "Fashion File Folders" for $4.99 (mine are a slightly different design yet very similar). When I saw these I was instantly inspired to tackle this awful box.

This afternoon, while writing this post, I have been working on getting rid of old paper work and the unnecessary odds and ends; I am now reminded of why I was putting this project off. But I must say I keep pushing through because I am so excited to use my new adorable file folders and put them in a great woven basket. I still have a bit of work to complete this project such as labels to place on each tab and a bag to go through with B but here is the semi-finished product!

 

I only wish you could feel what I feel when I look at this basket of file folders! This little bit of my organizational heaven! It was such an affordable change! Trust me there is more that I would love to do with this space, however these small changes buy me (and Brandon) time before we want to make the more costly changes.

If there was one point for those who hate organizing to take away from this post, it would be; Make organizing fun! Whether you use a woven wood basket or a metal basket or "fashion file folders"; make a small purchase that will help YOU enjoy organizing your space.

Always feel free to share with me your thoughts, suggestions or even your own projects you have tackled or need to tackle.

Maci K

Southwestern Black Bean Turkey Burgers

Brandon and I are self proclaimed foodies! We are most definitely not the most refined foodies but we love fun and delicious food. The Food Network is by far our favorite channel to watch together and we are constantly referring to the website for recipe inspiration. Even though we are foodies we like to try our best to be pretty conscious about what we are eating.

Now a bit of background before diving into this scrumptious meal... While I was in my second year of college I decided to become a vegetarian indefinitely but I was only able to stick to if for a little less than a year. That experience has allowed me to appreciate vegetarian meals so much more than I possibly would have before. I have also recently heard health experts say, meat is difficult for the body to digest but if you do choose to eat meat it should be organic due to the antibiotics an many other harmful chemicals that are injected into non organic animals. Currently, organic meats are so far out of our budget that a better option for us, is to eat less meat and supplement with more veggies and other alternatives.

While I was a vegetarian one of my favorite meals that I never felt like I was missing out on meat was black bean burgers. Over the past few weeks I have been suggesting to Brandon that we should buy black bean burgers. But since I have had a little more time on my hands, as I am unemployed at the moment due to our move, I searched for a homemade recipe from the Food Network and stumbled upon this Paula Deane recipe. Before you dismiss it as I almost did, I actually believe it is one of her healthiest recipes. I stuck to the salsa recipe but the actual burgers I gave my own twist; in other words I supplemented using ingredients I had and often have in my cupboards. Now I know this is not completely vegetarian but it is a great option to eat less meat!

Salsa Ingredients:

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, de-veined, chopped

3 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. juice of a lime

3/4 can of black beans

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

Burger Ingredients:

3/4 lb. of lean ground turkey

3/4 can of black beans

1/2 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 packet chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

A few dashes of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Avocado, sour cream for garnish

  Iceberg lettuce or burger bun thins

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Salsa: Mix all ingredients for the salsa in a medium size bowl, cover and refrigerate until time to plate.

Burgers: Use your hands to fold all burger ingredients together in order to distribute each flavor throughout every burger. Be sure not to over fold in order to prevent creating a tough burger. Take a portion of the burger mixture; roll and flatten to create a burger. Note: I made larger burgers because we chose to make ours protein style this time. In a skillet warm a dash of extra virgin olive oil and cook each side of your burger for approximately 5 minutes per side. Next place your burgers in the oven for a short 2-3 minutes to finish cooking.

To Plate: Create a bed of lettuce on plate and lay burger on top. Spoon salsa on over the burger. Spoon a small dollop of sour cream and finish with sliced avocado placed on top.

Hope you enjoy!

Maci K

Window Accessory Made Easy

Now before anyone begins to think that I am some amazing homemaker or anything of that sort, let me remind you that I am simply a new wife with limited materials and a small budget trying to make the most of our little one bedroom apartment.

Our last place was a one bedroom as well, therefore there hasn't been much that we have needed to buy. In our new place we have an additional little window in our kitchen that did not come with any type of window covering on it. However, it is a glass brick window which creates hardly any privacy on its own.

(I apologize for the picture quality, as of right now all of our pictures are taken on our iPhones.)

Neither Brandon or I felt comfortable with this so we put buying or creating a window covering (or as I prefer to call it "window accessory") high on our priority list. Since the window is small I knew we would need the curtains to be made to size. Currently I do not have the room or money to have my own sewing machine so I knew I would have to get creative. In my following of many blogs I have seen sewing tape or sewing glue mentioned before so I figured I would give it a try.

Yesterday my handy hubby and I put up our new window accessory. He did all the measuring, leveling and drilling of the curtain rod; I did the measuring, cutting, ironing and sticking of the curtain.

Now this may seem pretty self explanatory, but I figure, if I share how I do some things, you might also share how you do things and we may learn from each other.

Supplies: Scissors, Measuring Tape, Iron, Sewing tape

After Brandon placed and installed the curtain rod I measured the length that I wanted my curtain to be and cut the curtain width wise.

Next I ironed the entire curtain and also ironed the crease for the fold at the bottom of the curtain.

I then placed the sewing tape gently along the very bottom and back of the curtain. Once I was happy with its placement, I secured it by pressing the tape firmly and carefully against the curtain while ensuring all air bubbles were filled. I finished by removing the paper portion of the sewing tape and folding over the crease and securing the placement of the fabric on the tape.

Here is the sewing tape I used; I found it for less than $5 at Target.

I am very happy with the final product!

Maci K

The Peaceful Nest

This morning I realized that I began blogging with out further explaining the purpose of my blog or why it is called The Peaceful Nest. Let me preface by saying that through out my random ramblings I will mention or reference my childhood often or things I have learned from my parents because I was blessed to have a great childhood with a loving family who's joy is intoxicating. I can credit who I am to my parents and the grace of God.

Now back to the what and why of The Peaceful Nest. I am in my mid twenties and at times I feel as though I am experiencing a quarter life crisis. I am the first to admit that I am still discovering who I was created to be. At this age it is common for us mid twenties to feel the pressure to know what we want to do with our lives and know who we want to be. I graduated a 4 year college without a clear direction of what I wanted to do. So for the past two years I have had a couple of administrative types of jobs. I can't complain too much because I must be thankful that I was employed yet I was not even in the least bit fulfilled by the work I was doing.

So, a few months ago as I was feeling this desire to be more fulfilled by the work I do as well as the pressures of this world to have clear direction, I realized that I could potentially be a great Professional Organizer. I was ready to seriously pursue this; I even met with an actual Professional Organizer to ask for her guidance and advice. She said I had what it took and she suggested I start my own business and just start doing it. I was so completely inspired by our meeting, I decided I would pull from my husbands creativity and skills and asked him to  build me a website. We order business cards and went through the whole nine-yards. I was not messing around but quickly I realized that I had a full time job and no time to actually pursue it at that time.

While I was on this kick, I decided I would name my company The Peaceful Nest. I wanted the name of my company to have more meaning because I knew that organizing someone's home is an intimate experience and very meaningful. It took me a few weeks until I finally settled with the name The Peaceful Nest. My inspiration for this name came from the desires I have for my own home. As I started this post saying, growing up my families home always had a sense of warmth and peace which was not simply created by fabulous decorating and perfect orgnaization. Instead these feelings that our home produced were deeply rooted in the foundation of my parents God centered marriage. We are a family of 5 therefore typically you would not expect a family of this size to have a home that produced peace, but it was the truth. Even to the present day when anyone walks through that door, whether it be family, friends or a first time guest, they would describe the home as a place that of course looks beautiful(due to my mother's lovely style) but they would also say that it is a space that allows every individual to be authentic and relax into who they really are.

This is something Brandon and I deeply desire for our home. Like I said about my home growing up, it starts in the foundation of a God centered marriage and then there are additional things we can all do in order to create this sense of peace and allow our spaces to be spaces that welcome authenticity.

Thank you for bearing with me through my long winded ramblings but I believe it will help you understand me and the purpose of my blog. Now may I leave you with a scripture that my sweet MIL (Mother-In-Law) gave to me when I was creating the name this name.  She also HAND STICHED and framed this verse and gave it to Brandon and I as a going away gift when we moved. It now hangs in our kitchen as a constant reminder of our prayer for our home.

My people will live 

in peaceful dwelling places,

in secure homes,

in undisturbed places

of rest.

Isaiah 32:18

Maci K

A Successful Move

Let me start off by saying, growing up my family moved fairly often; it was never further than 15 minutes from the previous house, and the three of us kids were blessed to be able to go to the same private school despite the moves. I never found moving to be a traumatic event, rather I looked forward to the whole process! Maybe I was just a unique child but I loved everything from getting the house ready for a open house to packing, and unpacking and making the beds with my Mimi (my mom's mom); it was a blast!

However, packing up for our most recent move which was roughly a 400 mile move was a bit different. I still had a great excitement for the move however it was much more difficult. The simple logistics of every single item in our little one bedroom one bath apartment having to be packed securely in order to survive the move was not as easy as I had expected it to be. In the above picture you can see how organized we began this process of packing up and moving but as time past quickly and it was the actual week of the move our organized packing quickly became organized chaos.

This chaos all had to fit perfectly in two trucks, two cars and a trailer. I proudly can say we were able to make it happen and we were almost completely unpacked and settled in 3 days. I must admit I truly did not anticipate how significantly different moving just 10 miles can be compared to 400 miles. No matter the amount of items and furniture you are moving it changes the way you pack because everything must be secured and placed appropriately so that it my not melt, break or crack. After all that, we only lost a few candles and a Hershey's Chocolate Bar and oh yes our beloved Sunburst (Stay tuned for the sunburst surgery).  Overall it was a successful move and we loving settling into our new home.

Also, just in case you were wondering, Jack our cat made the trip with out any crazy cat moments. Although he was pretty uneasy through out the whole process but once we got to our new home he was in heaven with all of the new nooks and crannies.

Well folks that's it for today, stay tuned for more on our big transition.

Maci K

Leaving The Nest

Just two and a half short weeks ago my husband was offered a job with a film company in the Southern California area. We could not be more excited about this opportunity because this is an absolutely dream of his! As his wife I could not be more thrilled to support him through the pursuit of his dream, but I must admit packing up and leaving our home town where majority of both of our families live is not easy. This is another step in the process of two becoming one. We both went to college out of town and experienced “leaving the nest” for the first time. But after completing our schooling we returned to our home town in Northern California and recently got married. Now it is time for us to leave once again but this time I can’t help but be excited about the chance we have to further establish our selves as our own family. Despite the mix of emotions we feel as we prepare to leave we are looking forward to the journey this will be. Now as we are preparing emotionally for this next part in our lives it is also time to prepare our home for this transition....

Meet Jack our cat. He is dreading this process of packing up and leaving just as much as we are.

Now that the count down, is on I am strategically planning each step for our move to make it as smooth of a transition as possible, or at lease I hope to. About a month ago (prior to finding out about this move) we went through closets, both storage and clothes and cleaned house. We took all of the things we decided we no longer liked or used and brought them over to my parents house and had a garage sale; whatever we didn’t sell we gave to GoodWill. It feels good to have that part of the process done and out of the way. Now it is time to gather our supplies while attempting not to spend a penny.

 Once Brandon and I heard word that we were moving we kept our eyes pealed at each or our workplaces for any boxes in good condition. I also grabbed the old papers at my office that were going to be recycled anyways. While I was at it I figured I could get the office stocked with all paper needed and grabbed the paper boxes for myself. I believe we will need to purchase a few boxes but this will help in some of the costs.

Stay tuned as we walk through this journey.

Maci K