Coffee, Mattress in a Box and a Kitchen Tool

Today is Favorites for my Friday Post and I wanted to go ahead and get right out of the way at the get go some of my favorite things. Now these things are truly favorites but I also want to be completely honest and let you know that these companies I have a personal relationship with too. SO…there’s the transparency you should expect from me.

But to be perfectly fair these companies are favorites whether or not I was connected. So here goes!

1. Cool Chicks Coffee - www.coolchickscoffee.com Coffee - I’m a coffee nut - I love it - I drink it!

   Freshly roasted and then immediately shipped, this coffee company roasts in Mississippi and is run by my two daughters. The girls launched this company as a homeschool project over ten years ago and it’s still going strong! With a variety of flavors to suit even the most discriminating palate there’s something everyone will love here! Freshly roasted coffee is unbeatable in flavor and freshness and the variety of flavors you can get means you can try something new all year!

2. Revived 365 - www.revived365.com

   This mattress in a box company made in Mississippi and shipped to your door boasts one of the most comfortable night sleeps you will ever experience. Yes I sleep on one every night, and when I travel I struggle to sleep well which of course makes vacationing difficult! I need to take a bed with me to every place we go! ha! This company is run by our daughter Kayla who is 21 and has recently graduated from college. I promise you won’t be disappointed with this bed in a box!

3. Bowlynder - www.bowlynder.com

   This really cool kitchen tool was designed by Mississippi girl Katie Jarnagin to solve a common problem we all struggle with in the kitchen! A drippy colander! She set out to design something that could help secure the liquids from a drippy ground beef drain, or a salad with dressing. Not only a great functioning item, she also made sure it had a great look so that it could go straight from sink to table if desired. And clean up - well that’s a breeze because it has plastic liners that are disposable! Be sure to check out this unique gift and give your friends and family the most unique gift they have ever received!

So that’s it for this week! I hope you’ll check out these finds and will enjoy seeing maybe some new to you products. It’s a great time to be thinking ahead for teacher gifts, friends and family and don’t wait another year to replace that bed! You know every year you have company come in for the holidays and you wish you had an extra bed or even had replaced that bed you’ve held on to for more years than you should because no one sleeps on it regularly!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday Tips, Tricks & Trends

It’s Back to School Season and once every one gets settled into their routines post Summer time freedom, we tend to turn our attention back to home decor.

Some bloggers and instagrammers/pinterest-ers (word?) are full blown into Fall decor and I can’t blame them really.

The fall seasonal decor time frame gets chewed up quick with the early onset of Christmas in the stores, and if you want to enjoy the Fall decor you got get in now.

Unfortunately here in the South it’s still hotter than blazes and I find it difficult to think about all things fall and trendy. Currently my fall decor is going to consist of letting my plants on the front porch die and then voila - dried everything. Just kidding, kind of… so instead of jumping into Fall right away I’m going to give it a few weeks if you don’t mind. I’ll get there…just not today. :)

As I’ve been flipping my favorite magazines and online forums, I’ve seen a bit of pushback on the whites, off whites and traditional neutrals. It seems we are all craving a bit of color in our spaces and there’s not a thing wrong with that in my opinion. Of course depending on your style, you don’t want to go crazy with all the paint, but maybe some pops of color here or there would brighten the mood, or even bring in some of the fall colors y’all are wanting!

So here’s some insider tips on getting some color added into what might be a more neutral decor.

1. Start with something small.

   Sure sometimes the bold move is the fun move - splash that paint around and have some fun! But not all of us can make the bold moves - either the family might disown you or there’s no money in the budget for a whole room remodel. Paint a door, or one piece of furniture like a chair/small desk etc and let it be the showy accent piece.

2. Think bold and primary.

   We want impact sometimes but we play it safe. Sometimes a piece with punch adds a wow factor we can’t get from a more muted color. If you are wanting to add a splash, consider the oomph a primary color will grant when you paint that door, or small item. Many of us are loving the bold blues popping up in kitchens lately! The blue that is the most attention grabbing is usually a bold choice, and brings a lot of style to a previously more sedate kitchen. I personally love the blues from Benjamin Moore like Blue Eyes, or Farrow & Ball Hague Blue. Remember too that these colors will vary from the can/sample based on the light in the room so be sure to test it first if you are going to paint a larger area like kitchen cabinets.

3. Test out your color goals in a less used space.

   Maybe a guest room, front entrance, or stairs can get a trial run of your pop of color desires. If you still love it then it’s a safe bet to use the color combo or single pops in more areas of your home. If your family comments and enjoys the lift that color adds to a space, you know again that you are on the right track and can spread the color through more areas of your home.

   What tips do you have for adding color to your spaces? Share in the comments!

Wednesday Spiritual Truths for our Hearts & Homes

The Pursuit of Balance

Let all things be done decently and in order. I Cor. 14:40

You won’t need to have too many conversations with people today to find that many of us feel overworked, under-rested, and to be completely honest, extremely stressed out.

The relentless struggle to do all the things required by our commitments to our jobs and our families, inevitably leads us to take inadequate time to care for ourselves. As a perfectionist, the words of I Corinthians above might lead me to feel even more pressure and work to be done. Let’s be fair, things can always be done better. But rather what I see in the verse above is that we must learn instead to take own the tasks only we are to do. Achieving a sense of balance in our lives comes from learning to say no and becoming laser focused on the task God has called each of us to.

If you are feeling out of balance today, I’d like to encourage you to take a step back, assess and analyze where that stress is coming from and then make adjustments if necessary to dial back your work load to only the things that He has called you to do. If there are no adjustments to be made, as is sometimes the case, then resting in the provision of His grace and strength will be what you must do as you navigate a busy season. Sometimes there is a sense of order restored in these busy times, just by acknowledging that He is in charge of it all and will help you through it. Knowing there is an end to the busy season eventually is also incredibly beneficial!

Tuesday Time Management & Decluttering Talk

My One Priority

Keeping our homes running smoothly requires prioritization. Having a good sense of priorities helps us to juggle all the things. As busy as we remain in our daily lives, we can’t do everything we think we need to do in a day. So there are some basic time management principles we can put into play that will help us in our hearts and hour homes.  The first thing is setting your priority.

For me personally this means getting all the things I need to do written out so that I can decide which is most important for my day. Each day my priority is spending time in my Bible and prayer.

It’s a first priority for my heart because it affects my home.

Beyond that I list out the things that I must do for that day, and the things I’d like to get accomplished and then make a schedule. I don’t always accomplish it according to schedule, but I get far more done with a schedule than I do if I just let the day roll along without a thought for how to accomplish it all.  The essence of time management is the plan and exercise of control on time spent on various activities. This increases effectiveness, efficiency and productivity. When we manage our time well we can accomplish more in a shorter period of time.

The irony for those who hate scheduling because it feels limiting is that the reality of the end result of time management is that you have more free time. This is free time that can be spent with family and friends, further your education, start a business, or serve more in your church and community.

A schedule and practice of regular time management helps to lower stress increases our focus which inevitably helps us accomplish more and leads to a better life and job success. Making a schedule and working to stick to it takes effort and discipline but you don’t have to be born with natural ability in this. This is a skill that can be developed and becomes most advantageous when you do work to develop it.

Monday Meals - Roast Beef Sliders

I can’t wait to share these with you!

These sliders are a big hit around not only my house, but also our small group and a recent church event! These are so good I don’t want anyone else to make them and bring them to events I’m making food for, but I’m going to share it anyway…lol!!

I hope you will enjoy them as much as we have!

Roast Beef Sliders

• Melt 2 T butter

• Sweat ½ onion chopped in melted butter until soft and translucent

• Slice 1 pkg Hawaiian Sweet rolls in half. Don’t break the rolls apart, try to have one complete layer. Place the bottoms in a lightly greased pan.

• Layer 1/2- 3/4 lb. deli sliced Provolone on top of the bottom layer of rolls.

• Followed by same amount of Deli sliced Roast Beef

• Add onions

• Replace the tops

  Mix together the following for the sauce (I whisk together to try to get the gravy packet completely dissolved)

• 8 t butter melted

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 pkg au jus gravy packet

• ¾ garlic powder

• ½ tsp onion powder

• T sesame seeds

  Pour over the top (or brush on for more even distribution) and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts

  Slice and serve and ENJOY!

Let me know if you love them as much as we do - and share your pictures - I’d love to see them.