Simple Rustic Advent Wreath

For those of you who aren't super crafty - or are but don't have the time for lavish details - this is the perfect Advent wreath (or seasonal centerpiece) for you!

Lest you think I'm a genius, I got the idea for this centerpiece HERE. I love that it uses something I already had, although in the future, I will be keeping my eye out for a vintage bread pan at antique stores to use specifically for this purpose.

This literally took me about 15 minutes to make. The most time consuming part was wrapping the twine around the candles, which in retrospect I wish I had done prior to putting them in the foam.

Here's what you will need:

• Bread pan or other small square tin (deep enough to hide a thick piece of florist's foam to support the candles)
• A brick of florist's foam or styrofoam
• A bag of moss (I bought a 200 cubic inch bag of it. WAY to much. I could have bought a 50 cubic inch and had plenty. At least I can reuse for holidays to come) You could also use fresh pine boughs trimmed from your tree or other greenery cut from around your house.
• 4 tapered candles
• Baker's twine, ribbon, rafia etc.

1. Cut your foam to size if it doesn't fit perfectly in the pan. Leave space below rim for moss to fill the top.
2. Wrap the candles with baker's twine and tie off.
3. I just eyed the placement of the candles, but you could always measure for even placement. Push the candles firmly through the foam until you hit the bottom of the pan.
4. Fill any spaces around the foam with moss to for stabilization.
5. Fill around each candle with the moss until you have the desired effect.

That's it! We will light the first candle tomorrow evening during dinner, and each Sunday after that. But you could also start with the first Sunday of December and each Sunday following, with the fourth candle lit on Christmas Eve.

Beginning December 1st I will be posting each day's Advent reading, so check back for those! I'm so excited to start this special tradition with my family, lighting each candle as we anticipate the arrival of the Light of the world.

All is Grace,
Carie

The people who walked in darkness

    have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

    on them has light shone.

Isaiah 9:2

A New Christmas Tradition - The Jesse Tree

Jesse Tree Advent Calendar from BabyWhatKnots
Available HERE

There are certain things you remember from your childhood, yearly traditions that bring a touch of nostalgia when your senses journey back with notes of a familiar melody, whiff of pine or bite of baked yumminess. Maybe its Grandma's cookies, or Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas", or maybe its just the simple joy of Christmas tree hunting - arriving home pink-nosed and chilly, but heart and arms full of the soft scent of pine and the anticipation of finding place after perfect place for treasured ornaments.

I can distinctly remember certain snapshots of holidays...

Mom patiently making tray after tray of Christmas cutout cookies,

begging to be the one who got to set up the old-fashioned nativity scene,

hushed holiness of a Christmas Eve candlelit ceremony

lying underneath the decorated boughs, just staring for collective hours up into the sparkled branches while I listened to Nat and Bing and Vince on the record player. Truth be told, I'd still lay with my head under the branches if I didn't think my family would send me directly to Looney-ville, or the ER because I finally poked my eye out like Mom always said I would.

As I became an adult, I started thinking about what traditions I would want to carry into my own family. For years I wanted to add an Advent element to the holiday festivities, but never remembered until we were in the thick of it all and then promptly forgot until the middle of the following December.

Thankfully, this year I was finally able to think ahead. I had read an article in Ann Voskamp's blog about a book she had just published called Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, a family advent devotional, and figured it would be a great addition to our Christmas book compilation. Plus, it was on sale on Amazon. Yay! (Still is, by the way.)

I had also been eyeing an adorable advent garland that my friend had made for her family and toyed with the idea of creating my own. But seeing as even the simplest sewing projects sometimes always end up at my mom's house for the finishing touches, I decided trying to assemble an intricate 25 piece garland was probably not the way mom wanted to start her holiday.

While there are companion printables to Unwrapping the Greatest Gift as well as a ceramic ornament set, the first would have been loved to pieces within a few years and the second was a little too fancy for my taste. I wanted something the kids could touch and enjoy decorating with, but that would hold up over the years, eventually becoming an heirloom my grandchildren could treasure. So I shopped around and ended up with this darling set from the Etsy shop BabyWhatKnots. After reading each day's devotional from Voskamp's advent book and corresponding passages of scripture, the kids will get to find that day's ornament and put it on their very own Jesse Tree.

Ann's book starts where most people wouldn't think the Christmas story began - at the creation of the world - and then follows the heart of God as he weaves the pages of history into a tapestry that foretells the coming of the Savior, ending on that glorious night when he became Immanuel, "God with us." 

I'm so very excited about this tradition, because while I grew up knowing Christmas was about Jesus, I don't think I consciously linked the stories of the Old Testament with the gift of the New. Not in this way. Not deliberately and with great thankfulness and expectancy. 

Those are the very things I realized I want my children to take away from this season. Expectancy, thankfulness...and not just a little bit of WONDER.

I hope you take this journey too. Maybe with a Jesse Tree of your own, or a walk through the pages of your family bible as you revisit the forethought and love of a Father who moved heaven and earth to be GOD WITH US.

And if you have never known the beauty of the true Christmas Story, it's ok. I will be posting each day's reading for you. So grab that dusty Bible off your shelf, head to your local bookstore or google the scripture readings...Meanwhile, I will be praying that the Light of the World reveals himself to you in a transforming way this holiday season. 

All is Grace, 

Carie

4 months pregnant with our little Bubba.

There will always be something magical about freshly blanketed Christmas lights.

Bubba's first taste of WONDER.

1000 Gifts...And counting

Almost two years ago I began reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I friend of mine recommended the book and since she has great taste (thanks Francie!), I decided to check it out. Although I read just about anything I can get my hands on, I am not really into what I would call the "self-help" books - even the Christian ones. But I can honestly say there has never been any book - other than the Bible - that has as deeply and profoundly impacted my life as One Thousand Gifts. 

One Thousand Gifts is about Ann Voskamp's journey to discovering real joy and experiences with grace in the midst of the chaos, craziness and heartache of every day life. Her earliest memories in life are of witnessing the tragic death of her little sister at age four...later she struggled with severe anxiety, depression and cutting. Finally, a friend encouraged her to keep a journal and write down one thousand things she was thankful for - one thousand gifts. And it changed her life. 

Her book centers around the greek word eucharisteo which means to be grateful, feel thankful and give thanks. I have absolutely fallen in love with this word. It's like a little Russian nesting doll of meaning. Eucharisteo is comprised of two greek words, charis and chara. Charis is the greek word for grace but also contains the derivative (chara), meaning "joy". So eucharisteo, the giving of thanks, has grace and joy as its very roots. Eucharisteo is the key to joy. 

And who couldn't use more joy?

I'm a perfectionist. I love need lists. I like order. And rules. Plans. Thrive on met expectations and goals succeeded.

Mothering and wifery (if midwifery is a word, then wifery should totally be a legit word) are the last jobs that lend themselves to perfection, order and succeeded goals and expectations. Put simply, it can be hard to find joy, let alone the keys. Or snuggy-bear. Or sanity. 

There have been many times, especially since the arrival of kids, that I have found myself restless. And if you asked me why I was restless, I don't know that I could have given you an answer. It forever eluded me, like that extra hour of sleep on a Saturday morning. 

Maybe it's the lack of "me" time. Maybe its that today I feel ugly. Or unloveable. Or like I'm living someone else's life. That I should be, have been someone else. 

The answers would change with the moments, like a chameleon changing it's colors. 

But as I started reading about eucharisteo, things started to change. As I took up the challenge to become a seeker of grace, I started to really live. I began noticing things I hadn't before... 

Light playing across scratched eighty-year-old hardwood floors. 

That one long lock of hair falling just so across Sassy's face. 

Breezy lullaby blowing through wedding-gift chimes on my front porch. 

Exquisite luxurious long cool shower on hottest of summer days.

I began noticing grace. Gifted by the creator of Grace. The original source of Joy.

My heart began to awaken and unfurl, like the first crocuses of spring, stretching up stiffly through the hard frozen ground that had held it imprisoned for so long. And as my heart petals unfurled, I began to sense my great purpose...the meaning and joy and reason that had eluded for so long.

THIS. 

This is what I was made for.

This is why I am here. To seek grace wherever it may be found and to give thanks to the Great Giver, and in doing so to reap joy. 

Grace. 

Thanksgiving. 

Joy. 

These are Eucharisteo. 

What better time than now - this very moment - to begin your search for grace, to start giving thanks, to reap JOY? It's already built into this month for you. But instead of stuffing yourself with turkey and pie and Black Friday fillers of the soul, why not fill yourself to overflowing with thanks? Fill yourself full, then empty your cup into the lives of those around you and fill up some more?

If your life is dark and meaningless, the giving of thanks is a match lit upon the tinder of a joyful blaze. 

If your life is day after day after day...why not start noticing the little things that separate those days, making them memorable, making them count?

If your life is good, why settle for good when you could have great?

There is always more Grace. There is always more to be thankful for. There is always, always more Joy to be found my friend. 

And who couldn't use more JOY?

Sun's rise...that rises and rises and rises.

A hug.

Frozen sparkling tiny work of art. 

Tiny girl with big girl dreams.

First encounters.

Now you may say this is NOT grace. HECK NO.
But if you had been a fly on my wall and seen the spider-killing episode, you would have fallen on my crumb-strewn floor rolling with laughter, tears streaming, belly heaving - and would have certainly concluded the moment was so CHOCK FULL of grace you could hardly stand it. 

So PLEASE. 

Search for Grace. He is there. Waiting for you to notice. To give thanks. To enter into fullness of JOY.

I promise you,

All IS Grace,

Carie

One act of thanksgiving,

when things go wrong with us, 

is worth a thousand thanks when things

are agreeable to our inclinations.

Saint John of Avila

  

A pretty use for leftover herbs

Today the clouds are low and gray and heavy laden, lumbering slowly across the sky. The hills are dusted with the powdered sugar of first fall snows, but here in the valley, sky mists over with icy drops of intermittent rain leaving slightest wisp of snowy memory on the brain.

Days like this, energy and time slow to a trickle, mimicking the coquettish mountain stream as it murmurs and meanders and falls into winter's beckoning breath.

It can be hard to battle the coming gloom and gray of winter.

But sometimes the laughter of a child, the warm scent of a gingerbread latte, or a little bit of leafy beauty brought indoors can help keep the clouds at bay...at least until that next snatch of sunlight heads your way.

When using fresh herbs for cooking I often have quite a bit leftover, especially if I purchase them at the Good Food Store. I always save the extra and try to remember to use them up in other recipes, but usually I forget and they end up going in the trash. I've read they can be chopped and frozen with either oil or water in ice cube trays, but I can be lazy and forgetful and that method has never really appealed to me.

I've always thought greenery was just as pretty as the flowers themselves, and so when I have quite a bit of extra herbs I've started saving them in mini vases and places them in nooks around the house. This works especially well with the stalkier herbs like thyme and rosemary.

It's like getting two-for-one! Yummy fresh taste in your prepared dishes and a little bouquet to make you smile for days after.

All is Grace,
Carie

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs with a Honey-Mustard Thyme Glaze

I love to cook. When it comes to baking, I can follow a recipe, but I'm not a huge sweets fan and baking has too many rules for my taste. It's more like chemistry. Cooking is art.

I follow recipes, but I love adding my own twists or substituting for items that I have on hand. I love trying new spices and flavors, and for a while - pre-kids - I rarely cooked the same thing twice. I buy cookbooks and read them like novels. Seriously. (I know, I know...that's just weird.)

Anyway, now that I'm a busy mom-of-three and don't have as much time (or mullah), once I find a tasty recipe that fits into our crazy lifestyle, it goes into my monthly rotation.

My new favorite is lemon-pepper chicken thighs with a honey-mustard thyme glaze. Sounds fancy, but it is super easy to prepare, yet tastes like it took hours. Always a plus in my opinion.

The first time I made it I used boneless skinless thighs because that's what I had on hand. The second time around I bought bone-in skin-on, and let me tell you, they rocked my world. The meat stayed tender and incredibly juicy, but the skin got glazed and crunchy and oh-my-goodness awesome. Also, treat yourself and make sure you purchase fresh thyme...dried won't have near the same "wow" factor. Plus, if your bunch is large enough, you should have enough left to put together a pretty little some'n some'n for yourself.

*small spoiler alert for the next post* Ahem.

This recipe serves 4, but I usually double it so I have some leftovers.

Lemon-Pepper Chicken Thighs (with Honey-Mustard Thyme Glaze)

Ingredients:

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• pinch of coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place an oven-safe cooling rack on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet.
2. Combine lemon juice, olive oil and garlic powder in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Add chicken and stir to coat.
3. Place chicken on rack and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes.
4. While chicken is roasting, melt honey in a small pot and whisk in the minced garlic, thyme and Dijon. After the 30 minutes are up, brush each thigh with the honey-mustard mixture, coating thoroughly. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the chicken's juices run clear. (If the skin starts to blacken, but the chicken still needs more time, cover with a piece of foil.)
5. Die happy.

Foil and non-stick spray help make clean up hassle-free

Make sure you stop and smell the roses - I mean - spices.

I prefer silicone basting brushes to the fibrous kind. They are easier to clean cuz you just pop 'em in the washer.

Walla! Bon Apetit.

All is Grace,

Carie