DIY Turquoise Pepper Mill

I got this vintage salt and pepper shaker set last year while Annivertiquing.

That's antiquing on your Anniversary.

It has become a tradition and can I just say that I fall in love with my man all over again when he takes me Annivertiquing?!?!

This was also back before my iPhone made me a lazy photographer.

Anyhoo, the pepper mill had gotten to where the grinder did not work well so I've always just kept our old wooden pepper mill for easier, faster use.

This week that old wooden boring beyond belief pepper mill was getting to me.

It was screaming, "For the love of Pete can't you see I need some color in my life?!"




So I grabbed my go to paints and got to shakin' and sprayin'.



I put tape over the hardware that I did not want to paint, and I stuffed the cavity of the pepper mill with paper towels so that paint would not get into the areas that the peppercorns would be stored.



I'm pretty much in love with it and make excuses to walk by it all day long.

Red and turquoise...don't they make a fabulous couple?

Got a wooden pepper mill in your kitchen?

Add a splash of color to your kitchen and paint that thing!

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I'm linking up at these fabulous blogs:

Robyn at Mingle Monday

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

InstaFriday {Tornadoes in January}

It isn't all that rare for me to have an evening to myself.

It is however very rare to have one in my own home.

As you can see I filled that time with refined, cultural things.



I got to do a little antiquing this week.

Long overdue.

The smell of moth balls does wonders for the soul.

By the way...this cash register was $3500...wha?!?!



I spent the rest of my week dodging tornadoes.



And sitting in the storm shelter at 2 am waiting for this to hit.

With four not so glad to be out of bed family members.

There are not enough moth balls in the world folks.



My boy is so creative.

He called this one...Mustard Man.



Magpie has learned 3 chords on her guitar.

One more and she can play just about any worship song out there.



This girl oozes with creativity.

She painted this adorable owl canvas for our homeschool talent show this week.

Love.



It was displayed alongside her photography.

She has such an eye.

I told her daddy that if he felt compelled to give her my camera and get a different upgraded one for me I would totally understand and wouldn't have my feelings hurt too much.



This is her latest talent.

Making Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies.

And making her momma fat.





"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

InstaFriday {Mom of the Year}

Welcome to my favorite post of the week.

InstaFriday.

Why is it my favorite you ask?

Because as someone that takes pictures, I tend to think all pictures need to be "perfect" and forget to capture all the less than perfect moments that happen daily here in our little world.

InstaFriday encourages me to not only look for them, but capture them in time here on my blog.

Plus, it's just easy...I heart easy.

This is on my "Cleaning" playlist.

Still wanna be my friend?



There are no words for how much I love this girl.

Or how much I am thoroughly enjoying her company as she becomes a young woman.

There are no words for this either really so I'll tell you a little story about that snazzy Gussy Sews headband she's sportin'.

Sunday morning, as we were all getting ready for church, I found this on a shelf in my closet and thought to myself, "hmm..why on earth did Maggie leave her headband in my closet?"

I took it to her room and put it away.

Later I asked her about leaving her gray headband in my closet and she responded with a really puzzled, "Mom, I don't have a gray headband."

It all came rushing back to me...you know, like in the movies when someone suddenly remembers something and all the scenes are playing out so vividly in their minds??

Yeah, I pretty much bought that for her for Christmas, hid it in my closet, and forgot to give it to her.... but thought I had already.

Did I mention she lost 3 teeth last week too and the Tooth Fairy was a no show two nights in a row?

That's mom of the year material right there folks.

Or it's the stuff she'll be paying top dollar to lay on a little black couch and talk about when she's 30.

Two words...cheese. cake.

Who needs a little black couch?!

I finally mustered up the courage to start reading Kisses from Katie.

So far it is every bit as brutal as I thought it would be.

And by brutal I mean so convicting I can hardly stand myself but at the same time inspiring me beyond belief.

See for yourself.

So far it is this one that I keep tripping over.

That I keep thumbing my way back to.

The one that leaves the knot in my throat.

On a much lighter note, er....well, maybe I should say a much heavier note, I shared how to make these bad boys on the blog this week.

Click here for the recipe.

Why not whip up a batch for the family this weekend?

They are scrumptious.

Have a wonderful weekend!

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

The Homeschool Mother's Journal {My First Ever}

In My Life This Week:

Pondering Anniversary plans.

Trying to be more disciplined in keeping track of what I eat.

Loving my pj's...and the empty schedule that allows me to keep them on.

Feeling empowered after 9 years of no answers... and finally a diagnosis.

In Our Homeschool This Week:

We are eating up American History...and devouring this book.

Such great insight.

Did I mention I'd sing the praises of Sonlight from the rooftops if asked to??

I am learning things I never knew.

It ought to be a crime to teach History the way I was taught.

Helpful Homeschooling Tips or Advice to Share:

If you use Teaching Textbooks for Math, I encourage you to try something new this week.

Try having them actually use the textbook and do their Math on paper.

The kids asked if they could try this when starting the new semester.

They watch the lecture on the computer and then manually do the work.

I was a bit shocked to discover what a difference it made.

They have to think a bit more for themselves and it allowed me to see some things we needed to work on even though the computer score said they had A's.

Just food for thought.

I Am Inspired By:



My daughter...who is not afraid to be creative.

My Favorite Thing This Week Was:

A game of Apples to Apples with my teenager in which he confesses that he thought BenGay was maybe a place in Africa.

I nearly wet myself.

I'm Reading:



It is undoing me to my very core.

I'm Working On:

Exodus 14:14

Accepting the things I cannot change. Having the courage to change the things that I can. And the wisdom to know the difference.

Letting go of my false sense of control.

I'm Cooking:

Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

I'm Grateful For:

Finding a really good doctor. Finally.

I'm Praying For:

My extended family.

A Video To Share:

This video is so very funny and it has gone viral this week.

Cool fact: One of the guys in this video is a 2011 graduate of our Homeschool Tutorial.

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Nutella Sandwich Cookies ::Gasp::

We have a huge affinity for Nutella here in my home.

I even have a board devoted to Nutella on Pinterest.

I guess you could say we have an addiction of sorts.

Nothing is off limits.

Not even Krispy Kreme donuts. Yes, I am pathetic but that is a whole 'nother story for a whole 'nother day.

Over the holidays I found this recipe and I have to say...these may be some of the yummiest cookies to ever grace your lips. They are good people.

So good I feel sorta guilty about introducing you to them.

Kinda like I'm pushin' drugs or something.

The recipe below has been doubled...because I am realistic like that.

And you should be too.

For those of you still in denial {there is still hope for you}, you can just half the ingredients should you want less cookies.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) of Butter softened

2 cups White Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour {You can also use self-rising and omit the salt and baking powder}

1 tsp. Salt

3 tsp. Baking Powder

2 cups Quick Cooking Oats

Nutella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Eat a spoonful of Nutella.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Eat a spoonful of Nutella.

Add flour, salt, baking powder, and oats. Mix until combined. Eat a spoonful of Nutella.

Using a measuring spoon, drop 1 teaspoon of dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 2 1/2 inches apart (the dough will spread a lot). Eat a spoonful of Nutella.

Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Keep in mind that these can overbake quickly. Eat a spoonful of Nutella...while you wait of course.

**Bake time will vary! This recipe calls for 8-9 minutes. My oven took 17-18 minutes. Watch your first batch like a hawk and make note of how long it takes in your oven.**

Do not remove from parchment paper until completely cooled.

Should you have some Nutella left, spread a spoonful or so on half the cookies. Then top those with the remaining cookies to create sandwiches.

1 cup (2 sticks) of Butter softened

2 cups White Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (I used Self-Rising and just omitted the salt and baking powder)

2 cups Quick Cooking Oats

You will want to make these small so that they bake out thin and crispy.

While they are baking, you may feel that they are going to be too thin and too crunchy.

They are intended to be thin, crispy, and sort of airy, so resist the urge to go big with them.

Also try your best to round them into balls...they will come out in a more uniformed shape.

Which makes for prettier sandwiches.

Delicious...and gorgeous.

Enjoy!!!

I'm linking up at the fabulous blogs:

Robyn at Mingle Monday

 


"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"