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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Is Your Receiver Dirty?

I have a problem. My two adorable children love to play with mommy's phone. It has several versions of Angry Birds, including Star Wars, which is my son's favorite. Baby Girl loves to look at the picture of herself, her brother or both, depending on which of them has done something most recently that I deemed adorable enough to be plastered as my wallpaper. Needless to say, with kids comes crumbs, snot, slime and all other manners of filth. So what's the problem you ask? Somehow the receiver of my phone (the part where I listen to what the other person is saying) has gunk jammed into it. The only way I can hear them is to use the speakerphone or earbuds, neither of which are very convenient.



This got me to thinking the other day, though... How much junk do I have crammed into my heart that I can no longer hear the voice of God? He could be yelling, even screaming at me (although I don't think He would ever do that), and I would be utterly clueless.

It's cliché to say this these days, but we really are nearing His return. If we cannot hear His voice, how will we know that He is urging us to witness to the woman sharing the ice cream aisle at Walmart, calling us to missions work in Ghana, or intercession for our church, pastor, city and families? We're too busy being busy for God, that we don't have time to take His call and couldn't hear Him anyway.

Today, I ask you to take a moment and clean out the receiver in your heart. See what He's been trying to say to you.

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, May 27, 2013

Monday's Munchies - Pumpkin Banana Bread

We have the best neighbors. They help us any time we need it, keep us informed about things going on in the neighborhood, etc., which is why I'm going to be making some of this bread for them today. It's so moist and delicious and the banana flavor is hardly noticeable. This recipe makes two loaves, so I'll be keeping one to enjoy with my coffee in the morning!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour 
2 cups whole wheat flour (if you don't have whole wheat flour, you can replace with 2 more cups of all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda 
4 teaspoons baking powder 
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup granulated sugar 
 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil (canola or vegetable oil will work too)
4 eggs, lightly beaten 
 1 cup lowfat (2%) milk
 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin 
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through pumpkin pie spice) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. 

Combine sugar and all wet ingredients in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. 

Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool loaves in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool loaves completely. 

Yield: 2 loaves, 16 slices per loaf (serving size: 1 slice) 

Number of Servings: 32


Let me know if you try this recipe and how you like it! Also, what kinds of recipes would you like to see on future Monday Munchies posts?

Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday's Munchies - Mexican Biscuit Casserole

My husband loves anything and everything considered Mexican fare, so this recipe is naturally a no-brainer. It's pretty easy - just brown, mix, pour, place, and bake - so it's a no-brainer favorite for the chef (a.k.a. me!), too! The ingredients listed are what I use when I prepare this dish. Obviously, you don't have to use fat-free/reduced fat items depending on your preferences, but I like to cut fat and improve health whenever possible!

Ingredients:
1½ lbs uncooked ground beef
1¼ oz package reduced sodium taco seasoning
¾ cup water
16 oz (1 can) canned kidney beans, undrained
11 oz canned corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 can refrigerated biscuits (i.e. Pillsbury or store brand)
1 cup fat free skim milk
3 cup shredded fat-free Cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook ground beef until brown. Drain fat.
  1. Add taco seasoning mix and water to the ground beef. Add the undrained kidney beans and the drained corn; bring to boiling.
  2. Spoon hot meat mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish and top with some of the cheese.
  3. Immediately place biscuits on top and bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Let me know how you and your families like this dish! I'd love to hear your feedback.

Cassie

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Getting Back on Track

Whew! It has been a whirlwind of chaos around the Threads house. Prayer conference, illness, and family drama have wreaked havoc on my plans and routines!

With that said, I've been getting myself back in the routine of normalcy. Not that anything is ever really NORMAL when you have a first-grader, an infant, and a husband who works crazy hours. :-)

While I'm getting back in the groove of the necessary chores like house cleaning, meal prep, laundry and just generally getting more organized, I want to approach another necessity that we often ignore as busy wives and mothers - our health.



My first-grader is off to school, lunch in hand, by 7:45 a.m. The baby is usually waking by the time I return home to prepare her fruit and oatmeal combo. After she is fed and the mess is cleared, the hubs is off to work with his homemade lunch. Then I realize it's approaching lunch time and I still haven't eaten or, worse, I'm on my second or third package of fruit snacks just because it's easier than cooking another meal. 

Personally, I struggle with something I'm going to call "the priority complex"- it is more important to me to take care of my family 100% of the time than it is to ever give a thought for myself, because spending time caring for myself would be selfish. But think about this: when you're sitting on the plane and the stewardess is going through her spiel about the oxygen mask, what does she say?

"In case there is a loss in cabin pressure, yellow oxygen masks will deploy from the ceiling compartment located above you. To secure, pull the mask towards you, secure the elastic strap to your head, and fasten it so it covers your mouth and nose. Breath normally. Even if the bag does not inflate, please keep in mind that oxygen is flowing. Please make sure to secure your own mask before assisting others."
 
How can we expect to properly care for our families if we're neglecting the care of their caretaker? (Wow, that sounds a lot like woodchuckers chucking wood!) This cycle of neglect breeds illness, obesity and I'd rather not think of anything worse, not to mention low self-esteem because I'm unhappy with who I have become.

I came across a video series taught by the author of the book, "Made to Crave", by Lysa TerKeurst. It has really rocked my way of thinking about food, God, and my relationship with both. I haven't read the book yet, but based on these videos, I'm urging you to check into it even if you don't have a "problem" with food. We all have something we crave to replace God when what we really need is Him. I'll be posting a review after I've finished reading the book.

Have a great weekend and I'll be checking in with you again next week!

Until then...
Cassie

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Just a thought...

So sorry I seem to have dropped off the face of the earth. A lot has been going on at the home front, from a basement flood to the dog trashing our living room. Life sure stays interesting around here! ;-)

As the title states, I have a thought for you today, especially for the younger ladies (say, 12-18ish).

Last night, I stopped at Walmart for some staples (i.e. baby food and formula) on my way home from work. After paying for the items, I stopped in the entry area where they keep the carts to cover the baby with her blanket before going outside. I noticed the cart-pusher (for lack of a better title) paused to look at me, so I looked up and gave him a grin as I so often do to random strangers in the store. I figure if they're going to look at me, I might as well give them something nice to look at. Anyway, I gave him a grin and went back to covering the baby, but noted that he had turned and was walking in our direction. When he reached us, he leaned over slightly toward my ear and said in a low voice "it's nice to see a young lady who dresses like she still has some respect for herself" and nodded toward the store. I quickly glanced to see what I was wearing; gray flats, gray pencil skirt, a blue top with lace around the neckline and a black cardigan- appropriate office attire. I laughed and replied 'yes, I'm sure you don't see much of that around here. In fact, we don't see much of that at all anymore, do we?' He grinned and shook his head no, then wished me a good evening and went back to straightening the rows of carts he had just brought in.

As I walked to the car, I thought about the last decade of my life. I've walked on both sides of the proverbial fence and, for a while, tried to walk right on the fence. I wore jeans and cut my hair, and I also dressed and did things with one group of people that I wouldn't dare do with another. It's ironic though, that I always received far more compliments and, to be frank, attention from the opposite sex on the days when I dressed modestly and "appropriately" than I ever did on the days when I wore what society deemed to be fashionable. The kind of attention worth noting, at least. It reminded me of an e-card I found:
 
 
Just something to ponder on this Wednesday afternoon...
 
Until next time,
Cassie

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Thrifty Thursday - Cake Tasting Cardigan

Welcome to the first post of the Thrifty Thursday series! I'm really excited about this series.

For our first adventure, I have a cute little cardigan re-work. I found this cute little number at ModCloth (if you haven't checked them out, you should!).


But, priced at $69.99, it's a little out of this momma's budget. Fear not- I have a solution!

I remembered having this cardigan that I purchased at the thrift shop some time ago (cue Macklemore in the background: "I'm gonna pop some tags, only got $20 in my pocket..."). I wore it a handful of times and then stored it away with my 'I'll wear it again after the baby comes' stash. (sorry for the poor photo lighting... the kids were in bed and I was taking advantage of the nighttime quiet!)


 
I also dug out some black yarn from my stash of random crafting paraphernalia and set to work.
 
 

I used a teeny tiny crochet hook to poke through the knit and pull the yarn back through. (I didn't pay attention to size, just that it was small enough to fit through the material, yet big enough to pull all of the yarn back through the cardigan).
 
 
After you poke your hook through, place the yarn over the hook...
 
 
And pull it through. You should have a loop of yarn coming through the front of the cardigan. (see picture below) If you look at the picture above, you can see my orange hook sticking out a bit. I left it in the loop of the stitches and only used the smaller hook for poking holes and pulling the loops. After I pulled a loop through, I took the smaller hook out and inserted the larger hook in the loop, creating the two loops you'll see on the orange hook in a minute.

 
Insert a larger hook (again, size is based on your preference/need) into the loop you just pulled through. I chose to insert my hook front to back. I suppose it wouldn't matter if you did it back to front, but I noticed it caused the loops to have a twist in them. After the loop is around your hook, bring the yarn over the hook in front of the loop (see below). This is known as, quite simply, "yarning over". Who woulda thought of that?? :-D
 
 
 
Pull through both loops on your hook. It should look like this:


 
 
Now, chain 3 (simply yarn over and pull through the loop on your hook 3 times):

 
 
Then repeat! Insert the smaller hook, yarn over it, pull through, insert larger hook, yarn over, pull through both, chain 3, repeat, repeat, repeat until you make your way all the way around! I've finished the waistline and plan to go around the sleeves and collar, as well as tacking down the lace a little bit.

 
 
Some people say this item is "free" since I already had the items, but I did have to buy them at one point in the past so let's say I got the cardigan for $4 at the thrift store, the skein of yarn for $2.88 at Walmart, and the hooks at Joann craft store for $1.99 each. Which means for around $10-11, I have a new look-alike sweater that saved me almost $60! That's a win-win in my book!
 
Until next time,
Cassie
 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Como se dice... Whoops?

Well... how does that saying go? "The best-laid plans of mice and men..."

I told you last week that I'd have the Etsy store up and running on Friday and a new post series starting today. I lied.

I thought I'd be able to post everything before we left to visit my husband's parents in Kentucky, but... I didn't.

I told you I'd have a new post series starting today, but... I don't. After we came home from Kentucky on Sunday, the baby came down with a cold and I spent the first part of the week tending to a sick infant on top of the regular household duties.

Life happens. You get up early, you go to bed late, and sometimes you just have to accept that not everything can get done. Or so the voice in my head tells me (which sounds a lot like my mother, might I add).

I am happy to tell you that the Etsy store is, in fact, up and running as of now. Please remember that all of the items are one of a kind, ready to ship, and not what will be available in the Purple Threads store on a regular basis. I am only clearing out my craft space to make room for what's coming soon. You can view the items here, or by clicking on the "Etsy Shop" page link at the top of the screen.

As for the Thrifty Thursday post, I will try to finish up that project before Sunday and have it posted for you on Monday.

Until next time,
Cassie

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Thrifty Thursdays and SHOP!!

Happy Thursday!!

I just wanted to update you on some new plans in the works...

Starting next Thursday (March 7th), I'm going to start an ongoing series titled "Thrifty Thursday". Every Thursday I will be posting an item that I have purchased from the thrift store and revamped and/or embellished for myself or one of my children. I'm fairly certain my husband wouldn't wear anything I've embellished. ;-) These posts will include before and after shots of the items, as well as a tutorial if you'd like to attempt to make a similar item for yourself or enlist a crafty friend to do it for you! I'm so excited for these posts and the excuse to A. raid thrift store racks, and B. SEW AND BE CRAFTY!!!

Tomorrow morning I will be posting items in my Etsy store for your purchasing pleasure. I have a small stockpile of items I've made in hopes of selling them, but never managed to get around to the selling part... until NOW! There are flowers and bows for wearing and a couple purses that would be great for spring or summer. There may be other things, but my memory is failing me right now. Come check it out! I'll be posting to facebook and Twitter as I go, so make sure you've "liked" and/or "followed" me there! Please note that after these items are gone, there won't be any more like them so grab them while you can! In the meantime, I'm working on items that will be better related to the mission of Purple Threads!

Until then...

Cassie

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Forward Motion

I told you last week that I am done with excuses. I can live my life in a bubble, standing idly by and watching the world happen around me, or I can live my life. I'm choosing the latter.

So I started the launch of Purple Threads on Facebook today (find it here! also, here on Twitter), admist some turmoil at home that would have normally sent me spiraling into an all-day, cookie-eating depression that would inevitably do nothing but cause weight gain and more depression. Nope. Not gonna happen. By the way, Mr. Threads and I are fine. It's not THAT kind of turmoil. ;-) Let me explain.

We moved into our home a year ago. I had just found out that I was pregnant and the tenant of one of my dad's rental properties was moving out at the end of February. All great news for a woman frantically trying to figure out how she was going to fit a surprise baby into an already crammed 2-bedroom apartment with her husband and 6-year-old son. Goodbye 2-bedroom apartment; hello 3-bedroom, 1-1/2 bathroom, living room, dining room, privacy fence, front and back porch, 2-car garage WITH FULL BASEMENT, 1930's-built, beauty of a home. I may or may not have ran through the house dancing after we got the keys. ;-)

We moved in and I had dreams and goals for how I would decorate and make it home. Then reality hit me- I was newly pregnant and exhausted. I was also working full-time, so I felt like I was ready to go to bed by the time I got home from work every night. I spent the weekends frantically trying to clean and put things away, but I was really just compounding my exhaustion and the vicious cycle began.

I kept telling myself that I would have 6 weeks off work after the baby was born and I'd be able to get everything done then. Felicity Grace was born at 11:52pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012. I was released Saturday afternoon, went to church on Sunday and spent the day Monday sleeping in between feedings and changings because it had all finally caught up with me. After 3 weeks of trying to figure out why she was eating constantly but not keeping anything down, we learned she was lactose intolerant. We switched to soy formula and she's been fine ever since! But before I knew it, those 6 weeks were over and I was headed back to work.

I only work two days each week now, and I've been chipping away at the housework day by day between bottles, naps, picking up my son from school, and helping with various projects at our church. It seems like I start projects but have to stop for one of several reasons and the next day I have something more important that has to be done, so I always have projects started all over the house. This past weekend, though, it really hit me how much this work has been weighing on my mind. I woke Saturday night sobbing after dreaming that my husband yelled at me for not getting more done around the house. Yesterday and today I woke up in other rooms of the house frantically trying to clean and put things away in my sleep. Something has to change now.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting pictures of my projects as they are completed so you can see my progress. This year is the start of great things and I want my home to be the peaceful place it should be, not the chaotic one we've had.

I'll leave you with this worship break. ;-)


Until next time...
Cassie

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Excuses, Excuses... and then a Purpose.

I like excuses. They keep me from doing things I'm scared to do, things I know I should do, things I want to do; they keep me from being vulnerable.

I'm really good at coming up with excuses, and trust me, I've used them all at least oncetwice. a few hundred times. I'm also really good at ideas. I have lots of them all the time. They run through my mind constantly like Olympic-qualifying, record-crushing track phenomenons. And those ideas spawn dreams and plans, but before they can grow to realities, they die at the hands of my excuses. It's quite pathetic, much like my analogies.

The sad part is it's all true and I know it about myself, but I've never been willing to change. Changing takes work. It's hard, it takes effort and, most of all, it takes accountability- all things that I've never been fond of. Please don't misunderstand, though, it's not because I like being lackadaisical, but because I don't want to fail and in my mind you can't fail if you just don't try in the first place. Seems like an easy concept, right? Wrong. It never hit me quite like the day my husband threw it in my face. He wasn't being malicious and probably didn't even realize how much he hurt me, but he did, and I'm glad.

We were having a conversation about things we wanted to do or change within our home, personal goals and goals for our family. I mentioned this blog and my dreams for starting my own business from home and made some off-handed, snarky remark about how, despite my dreaming and planning, it would never happen because none of my plans ever do.

"You're not a finisher, are you?"

The words stung like lemon juice in a papercut. I'm notorious for starting projects and not finishing them, or simply wanting to do projects that never even get started. I choked back tears (much like I am now) and, after a moment to compose myself, I replied 'no, I'm not'. He asked me why, and when I told him, he grinned and said he would always support me in anything I wanted to do and that I had no reason to fear because I'm good at everything I do. I shrugged it off, telling myself those are things a husband is supposed to say.

I pushed that day to the back of my mind. Every once in a while I'm reminded, but for the most part I've forgotten it- until the beginning of this year. You see, this year marks my 25th year of existence on this earth. I've made a lot of mistakes over the years and I've also made a lot of excuses. But it's time for a change, time for an "about-face", time to let go of those ridiculous excuses and start doing the things I know I'm supposed to do.

I started this blog with a purpose and I let it slip away with excuses, mostly that no one would care what I have to say for one reason or another. Until now. Not because I want fame or glory or recognition, but because I have a husband and children who need and depend on me to provide them with healthy, substantial meals and a happy home full of laughter and life, and most of all, want me to love them as much and more than they love me.

Here's to 2013 and living the life of a virtuous woman- with prayer, focus, love, hope, PURPOSE, and NO EXCUSES.