The 30 x 30 challenge. As a SAHM.

Do you ever watch, "What Not to Wear"? Back in the days that we had cable, it was one of my favs. And, there were those episodes where you would think "how did they get to that point"... Well, the last go-round of 30x30 that Kendi hosted had me surfing new blogs and realizing that I was wearing sweatpants and college sweatshirts everyday! Not the worst thing in the world, but I thought... What the heck why not give this a try.

The other reasons I am giving it a try? Simplicity. I have been praying about simplicity since this past summer and I think that participating in the 30 x 30 challenge could really help. I'm hoping it creates in me the desire to get rid of all of the excess in the closet, and hopefully NOT the opposite. I am also doing it for fun. Just because. On that note, I spend most of my time at the library, the YMCA and right here at home. So on days that this crew doesn't go anywhere, bring it on college sweats!

Without further ado, here are my picks:

So, um, I chose and photographed really quickly {anyone know how to get those salt stains out of my suede boots? true sign of the mw}. We'll see if this works out for me, or not. The outfit I wore today shows three of the pieces that I am going to include. Items pictured from top left going clockwise:

Gray boots (Steve Madden), short black boots (Vera Wang for Kohl's), ballet flats (Payless), floral print blouse (Wal-Mart. I know, right? But, just wait, there's more. Told you this was the SAHM version), jeans (CAbi), boots (Apt. 9 for Kohl's), sequined tank (VW for Kohl's), black cardigan (Express), creme cardigan (Express), plaid ruffle button up (Wal-Mart), pin-stripe tuxedo shirt (J. Crew), button up Oxford (J. Crew factory), long sleeved tee (Scheel's), collared sweatshirt (J. Crew), ruffle cardigan (J. Crew), turtle neck tunic (Von Maur), paisley dress (Target), plaid ruffle tunic (Wal-Mart), gray cardigan (Wal-Mart), black dress pants (Express), jeans (Banana Republic factory).

Not pictured is my face (ha!) and a super cute ruffle tank from Old Navy and I cannot find it at the moment. Which means that it is either: in the hamper, in one of the four baskets of laundry needing a home, lost in my closet or lost. Ha! Also, I am not quite to my 30 pieces... Mainly because this is all I could come up with. I will add a few staples from my closet throughout until I get to my 30... As I sorted through to come up with these pieces I realized that many of them are purchases made in 2006 and 2007 when I was working in Corporate America and it is fun to see how much use I have already gotten out of them. The rest were either gifts or mega-clearance items, I will post details as the days go by. 

Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe

The kitchen is not a place that I typically enjoy spending time, but recently I stumbled upon a recipe for Cream Cheese Chicken, and it was a hit at our house. Then I shared the recipe with a friend and she took the time to e-mail me and say how much her family loved it and that it was going to be a staple in their home.

Recently I made the meal for a friend and her children and she called to say that the boys gobbled it up and she loved it and couldn't wait to eat the leftovers. Last night I served it for dinner to Jon's parents, sister and brother-in-law with rave reviews. Hopefully these people weren't all just being nice and they really did enjoy it, because I am about to share.

On a side-note, I tried to find the website back that had the recipe I originally used and I can't - so the credit for this recipe is not mine...

Ingredients
2 lbs chicken breast
Cream of Mushroom soup (1 can)*
8 oz cream cheese
1 packet Italian dressing mix**
1/2 cup butter or margarine
Choice of pasta

Directions
Set your Crockpot to high and melt the butter. Once the butter is melted add the Italian dressing mix. Slice the chicken breast into small strips and add to the Crockpot (I find that it is easiest to slice the chicken in to strips when it is still slightly frozen). Let this cook on high for two hours then add the soup and cream cheese. Leave in Crockpot until the mixture is bubbling. Serve over cooked pasta.

The recipe above yields enough for approximately four adults. This meal freezes well and my Crockpot is large enough to triple the recipe. Love having an extra meal in the deep freeze for the days I am feeling a little less than ambitious in the cooking department.

*In place of a can of cream of mushroom soup, I have been using Wildtree Cream of Mushroom Soup Base to make the soup and then add it to the Crockpot. It is, in my opinion, 100 times better than the canned soup. If you use the canned soup, I recommend the low sodium version to prevent the recipe from tasting to salty.


**In place of the packet of Italian dressing mix, I have been using .7 ounces Penzeys Italian dressing mix. Again, if you use the store bought packet, I recommend the low sodium version.

Blizzard Bloghop

Today I am doing something a bit different, and participating in the Blizzard Bloghop. I had "tweeted" the other day about wishing I could go to the Blissdom Conference; a handful of my favorite bloggers are there right now and I thought how neat it would be to meet them in person and share ideas with them live. Then, Ann Marie "tweeted" at me about her #BlizzardBloghop "meet and greet". Sounded fun, here goes nothing.

This is me:

I blog because I think that we grow the most when we can teach others and because I love to learn from others. I thrive from Christian fellowship, something that I am seeking more and more of, and I think that blogging is an outlet to that. This is just one small way for us to let His light shine, to maybe touch a life, and to inspire deeper personal growth. Hebrews 10:24-25 says Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

As my husband and I continue our journey to achieving Financial Peace, I have come to enjoy blogs about bargain hunting and frugality. As a mom to two small boys I enjoy blogs that share ideas on parenting and fun/educational activities for small children. For myself, I enjoy blogs that talk about fashion, crafting and other DIY, fitness and health.

And, "Blessed in the Midwest" is essentially a random compilation of all the above mentioned. I am by no means a "writer" by definition, but I certainly hope you enjoy what you read!

facebook

Deactivated. Yup, it's true. After months of this nagging feeling that facebook was more of a detriment that it was a benefit I have deactivated my account. So, if you think I "defriended" you, rest assured, it's not personal.

I felt like...

The privacy settings are out of control. 


I was a lazy friend because of it. Instead of spending time calling and talking with my good friends, I could just check up on them on facebook. 

ETC, and,


There is no point anymore...


The latter I am not so sure about, and so if I decide "I neeeeeed" facebook in my life, I'll be back, same friends, photos, tags, and all.


For now, peace out facebook!

Wordless Wednesday

Talk To Me Tuesday: Your Purse

Why wouldn't I blog about what's in my purse? I only have a laundry room full of clothes and sheets waiting, ever so patiently, to be washed, dirty dishes in the sink, and floors that need mopped... Ha! But, this certainly seems a much more productive use of nap time, if I do say so myself. So, I have skipped a few weeks of "TTMT", {ib}h (that's, inspired by Heidi *wink*), and am hopping back on board.

First, let me introduce you to the purse, which was a Christmas gift, but is from Kohl's:

When it comes to handbags, I have Visa taste on a Dave Ramsey budget (or for the non-FPU'ers out there, champagne taste on a Bud Light budget) which makes finding a purse difficult. I have been looking at purses for probably the last year without finding one that really felt like "the one". This is the one. For now.

Here are it's innards (warning: if you have a sensitive stomach you may not want to continue. Okay, I kid. But, it's a mess):

• Bible - perfect purse size, not my "study" Bible, but I love to have it with me
• Notebook - for the to-do list and other random scribbles
• Extra camera battery (likely needs to be charged)
• MOPS goods (newsletter, meeting handout, information cards, punch card)
• Headband
• Reusable snack bag with some stale veggie straws
• Sunglasses (everyone needs two identical pair in their purse, right?)
• Comb
• Trusty envelope system
• Kleenex, etc
• Old receipts and a couple of grocery lists
• "Airport" bag: hand sanitizer (once again, two), lip gloss (three various)
• Chip clip (?)
• Two packages of gum... both empty
• One lone bobby pin
• Lots of loose pennies
• Pens and a pencil

I am thankful for this topic, it forced me to clean and reorganize my purse (that is way overpacked considering it often gets left behind in lieu of the diaper bag, the contents of which I do not dare photograph or blog about, ha)!

Trust

Yesterday, I posted this and touched on trusting the Lord. Today, this was in my inbox.

On Sunday, during the message at church*, the pastor touched on this passage. Satan has to ask the Lord's permission before we are "sifted as wheat" and Jesus says, "But I have prayed for you..." That.is.awesome.

I'm not trying to be cryptic in simply posting links, I just can't put any of this in to my own words better than it is already written.

*By our mistake God's plan we did not attend the church that we are members. We got the time wrong for the service and since we were all ready and out the door we attended a church near by. There was so much more to the message than simply what I have posted, and I know I needed to hear it.

Prayers

Over the last few days it seems that I have been reading, or hearing, about so many in need of healing and prayer. I feel compelled to ask for the following prayers, specifically. This has been on my heart for the last few days. I think of this family constantly throughout my day, I hear songs on the radio and picture them, and look at my healthy little boys and am reaffirmed that they, and all children, are miracles.

Yesterday morning I pulled up Heidi's blog for an update. As I read through her update and followed her link to photos of the P family, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the health of my children only to look down in the corner and see my Matthew's bright smile. Tears. Lots of them.

Please lift up prayers for Ang & Gabe and their family. I do not know them personally, but have met them through Heidi, around this same time last year. They have a newborn baby girl, Kylie, that is in the NICU after undergoing heart surgery.

From Heidi's blog, some specific prayer requests are:

"But I'm still asking you to pray for her. And her little girl. And her husband and their boys.

Pray for rest and healing for Kylie. Pray that she will get stronger. Pray that her heart is healing and that she will soon be able to be taken off this medicine successfully. Pray for Kylie's mom and dad. Pray for rest and strength and grace. Pray for peace and comfort for them. Pray for Kylie's brothers. Pray for rest and understanding and comfort. Pray for the non-believers that little Kylie is touching. Pray that God uses them to do big things for His kingdom as He's used little Kylie in big ways to reach them."

Please storm God's door for this family and sweet baby girl. 

I cannot imagine the emotions that they are feeling. I only know what it is like to go to the hospital praying that there will be no complications, that I will return home with a healthy baby. Praying that if something did go wrong I would still trust God's perfect plan. I only know what it feels like to see their face for the first time and be awe struck by little men that weigh barely six pounds. I only know the sound of a healthy cry. Because of that, this family leaves me inspired by their faithfulness and their trust in the Lord.

.blessed.: Enjoying the third year...

.blessed.: Enjoying the third year...: "Time for a Matthew update! When do I have to stop counting his age in months? It's easy to remember exactly how many months old he is right..."

If you are clicking on the posts that begin with ".blessed." and seeing a screen that says you have not been invited to view this post, it is not personal! I blog about my family and children mostly for my memories and to keep friends and family updated. A while back, I decided that for our privacy and safety any posts that were specifically related to the family would be on a private blog. If you are wanting to keep updated on us, send me a quick e-mail/facebook/leave a comment and I will certainly add you to that blog feed, as well!

.blessed.: Christmas

.blessed.: Christmas: "Time for a quick blog post before [finally] taking down the Christmas tree. It's not that I am lazy, I was waiting for the Three Kings (and..."

Book List 2011

What's on your must-read list for 2011? I have high hopes for reading, a lot, this year! Last year, I made a goal to read at least one book per week. Lofty. Very lofty. Little did I know that we would be moving in May, or that I would be starting my own CPA business in June. I also had no clue what being the mother of two would be like. I was also not very committed to said goal. However, part of that may have been that I made some bad selections for reading material right out of the gate. I was reading all non-fiction, and let's be honest one of the fun parts of reading is sometimes escaping reality.

This year I want to put together a list, and I want them to come as recommendations from you! So far in 2011 I have read:

Breaking Dawn: I have seen the "Twilight" movies and enjoyed them. I wanted to read Breaking Dawn before the movies hit the theaters. I give this book the "just okay" rating. It was entertaining but I was not thoroughly impressed and expect that I will like the movies better than the book.

More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey: I thought that More Than Enough was phenomenal. It is similar to Ramsey's other materials but this book was not about the numbers behind your budget it was about the character and values that are reflected in how you handle your money. This book was so good that you can be sure I will be writing a separate post about it. Loved it.

Gazelles, Baby Steps And 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt by Jon Acuff: This book was cute. Jon Acuff is funny. Though, I think this book would be a little bit difficult to appreciate if I were not a Financial Peace Fanatic. If you don't already read Acuff's blog (linked above), you should.

I know, eleven days in to January and three books down. Little did you know, I was laying in the warm Mexican sun for a week and with my nose stuck in books and magazines. Hey... I had to catch up on celebrity gossip, you know?

Other books that are on my 2011 list (in no particular order):

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

Decision Points by George W. Bush

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

3:16 The Numbers of Hope by Max Lucado (I'm a Lucado junkie)

11 Indispensable Relationships by Leonard Sweet

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge (recommended as a good read for the mother/caretaker/teacher of boys)

Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood by Jim Fay & Charles Fay

That's it so far. What should I add? What are you reading in 2011?

.blessed.: Six Months and So Handsome!

.blessed.: Six Months and So Handsome!: "Happy half-birthday to my little babe... Jon and I seem to give our children multiple nicknames and by the age of one, maybe a choice nickna..."

Psalm 63

Saturday night, Jon and I returned from this:

 ...to reality. A blessed reality. But, reality nonetheless. And, this reality involves a very gray, cold, gloomy-looking day - the kind that makes you cold down to your bones despite layers of clothing that include a hooded sweatshirt and thick socks. So, when the boys laid down for their nap I set aside the chores and dug in to the Word instead. I spent the week soaking up sun, today this passage was my sunshine:

"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and behold your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.

But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in Him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced." 

Psalm 63