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Gratitude

January 13, 2015March 27, 2018

This is a blog post that I started writing in January of 2014. I never posted it because it never felt finished or “wrapped up” and sometimes I really struggle with pushing “publish” on topics that are so personal and heartfelt. But these same sentiments have been on my mind a lot over the course of the last year. Chalk it up to my goal this year to make my blog content more in-depth.

Warning: this is a long post. Grab a cup of tea and stay a while.

Have you heard about the word-of-the-year trend? Instead of making a list of New Year’s goals or resolutions, you simply choose one word to focus on for the year. I’ve never chosen one before, because I always have bigger/longer/list-ier ideas for things I want to accomplish within the year. You can see my list for 2015, here (along with links to past year’s goals). I would look at that list and never be able to narrow things down to just one word, just one idea.

However, over the past year or so, there has been one word that has consistently been on my mind.

Gratitude.

Everyone has heard the word, everyone has something to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my husband, family, job, home, skills, etc. But what has really been on my mind is practicing a heart of gratitude. Not just being thankful for the big, lovely things in your life, but spending each day truly focusing on every little thing you have to be grateful for. Allowing yourself to mentally give those things higher priority over the small, negative little details that can seep into our souls. And being grateful for even the not-so-great life moments. Because we aren’t just made up of lovely, beautiful, happy moments. The not-so-great make us who we are too.

When something bad happens in your day isn’t it so easy to get caught up in it? Let it dictate the rest of your day and control your actions? Let it make you upset/mad/angry. That anger can even seep over into the next day or the next if we let it (or unfortunately for some, can seep into their entire lives making them constantly bitter and angry). It makes us question our overall happiness, our overall blessings. It is so easy to get caught up in a culture of complaint. We let those negative moments take over our lives, rule our lunch discussions with a friend, control our thoughts and actions, maybe even let them take over our relationships and our marriages. Make us become critical, harsh, and condescending people.

“Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still seeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint.” -Henri Nouwen

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be controlled by every negative thing that happens in my life. Those negative moments can easily overshadow all the wonderful aspects of our lives, if we let them. I want to choose joy. Rejoicing. Gratitude.

Here is an excerpt from Henri Nouwen’s “Bread for the Journey” that has really stuck with me since I first read it a year or so ago. On the Spiritual Work of Gratitude:

“To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.” -Henri Nouwen

Around this time last year, I was invited through work (I work at a church) to go on their annual women’s retreat. The theme of the retreat was “Rejoice!” and its primary focus was on cultivating a heart of gratitude. One of the lectures from the speaker was about “desert blooms” — otherwise known as happy or positive moments/events/outcomes in life during a period that otherwise looks pretty grim or desert-like. We had to complete an exercise where we wrote down all the “deserts” of our lives — all the big, bad moments, the terrible events and losses, the periods of life that seemed so grim that no good could possibly come from them. Then, on the other side of the page, directly across from our deserts, we had to list our “blooms” — the positive outcomes that had come, even in the midst of hurt and sorrow.

I have to say, this exercise was pretty eye-opening for me. I’m young, so I understandably haven’t been through a plethora of deserts, but everyone has their tough moments. A few examples from my life:

1. My college years. As you might know from reading this blog for a while, college was a rough time for me. I was stressed, exhausted, depressed, overworked, lonely, missed my family and missed getting to always be around for various events, struggled with figuring out what I wanted to do and worried about not being able to study what I wanted, and I also had a slew of health problems, just to name a few. After I graduated (and figured out my health issues!) things got much better, but I had still gotten into the habit of reflecting back on my college years as a “rough time” in life. Through my constant labeling of college as “bad” I had begun to overlook the good things that happened during those years. And a lot of good things happened! Drew and I moved to a new place, got to explore and learn the culture and fall in love with New Orleans, we grew immensely in our relationship because we were so isolated from the rest of our families, we got engaged, got married, and moved into our first apartment together. We also started a business, met a lot of new people, learned a lot of really neat things, and we paved the path that is leading us down our lives/careers today. That is just a few of the good things that happened, and already “my college years” aren’t sounding so bad, huh?

2. The death of my Mamaw. This one has always been particularly hard. I was incredibly close to my Mamaw (read more about her, here) and her death came suddenly and unexpectedly. Since I was only 15 when she died, I really struggled with her death. Not only because I missed her, but because I was too young to have thought to ask her about so much of her life and I had lost my chance. Mamaw didn’t drive, so we had so many activities planned for when I turned 16. Me taking her to her beauty-shop appointments, us going on shopping trips together, none of which were ever realized. Her death lingered with me for years (and still does). I miss her and wish that I’d had those moments with her, to drive her around, to talk with her about her life, to ask her for guidance, about marriage, about tough times. But, this exercise in gratitude made me realize something I had never considered before. Her passing before my Papaw gave me the ability to get to know him, where I otherwise might not have. My whole childhood, I would run into Mamaw and Papaw’s house and dart right past Papaw, who would always be sitting in his recliner in the living room, and run straight to the back of the house, where Mamaw would be in her recliner reading or watching TV. I do have memories with Papaw from my childhood, him telling me stories or letting me help him in the garden, but I really never took the time to chat with him and get to know him until Mamaw passed away and I couldn’t just dart past him to get on with my business. My Papaw’s death last Spring really drove that point home. I’m so grateful for those last 8 years I had with Papaw. To chat with him about his life, to listen to his stories.

I can’t say that I’ve become anything close to an expert in appreciating life’s toughest moments. It is certainly a continual process and it takes time. The last year has been (and continues to be) a really rough time for my family. Important family relationships have been severed and a lot of really deep and irrevocable hurt has been caused. I wish I could see the blooms in this desert. They may not come for years. But, I haven’t let this desert cloud my judgement on my whole life like it did in college. I’m able to see that a lot of other really great things are happening for me to rejoice about.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24

What gratitude is not: complaint, greed, desire for more, sorrow, depression, negativity. What it is: trust, thankfulness, rejoicing, choosing happiness despite your situation, appreciation, being happy with what you have rather than what you want.

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” -John Milton

Another practice that has helped me to do this, also started at the women’s retreat, is keeping a gratitude journal. I don’t write in it every day, but when I think of it, at least a few times a month, I end my day by writing down the best moments of the day, or the things I am most grateful for in life right then. Sometimes I’ll make Drew do it with me and we’ll talk for a few minutes about our gratitudes. On bad days, it isn’t always easy to come up with a whole list of things you are grateful for. I often don’t feel like listing anything or taking any more time to reflect on the bad day I’ve had. But those good moments are there if you take the time to look for them (it helps immensely to change your attitude on your day!). I find prayer and simplicity are also helpful practices for gratitude. Choosing happiness (and not letting our emotions or situations define us) is a constant battle.

I love this quote by Sarah Ban Breathnach from her book, Simple Abundance, that I’ve been reading lately. I feel like it perfectly sums up why we need gratitude in our lives to really lead happy, joyful lives.

“There are six threads of abundant living which, when woven together, produce a tapestry of contentment that wraps us in inner peace, well-being, happiness, and a sense of security. First there is gratitude. When we do a mental and spiritual inventory of all that we have, we realize that we are very rich indeed. Gratitude gives way to simplicity–the desire to clear out, pare down, and realize the essentials of what we need to live truly well. Simplicity brings with it order, both internally and externally. A sense of order in our life brings us harmony. Harmony provides us with the inner peace we need to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us each day, and beauty opens us to joy.” -Sarah Ban Breathnach

Here’s to finding the joy in even the worst days.

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Planning 2015

January 6, 2015March 27, 2018

I’m so excited about the things I have planned to accomplish in 2015. However, my main goal (Surface Pattern Design) is a pretty big goal that will take a lot of hard work, and between that, my other personal goals, life in general, and also working a full time day job, this year is going to be really busy.

Last month, I started looking at a better way to organize my days. In college, I used Moleskine’s Weekly Planner, which was great because I could see the week on one side, and use the other side (blank lined page) for writing out that week’s to-do list, extra notes, etc. In college, when I needed to consider the whole week of assignments to work on, this system worked great. However, once I started working, I realized it was lacking. There wasn’t enough space on each day to write out all the daily work tasks that I needed to do. So instead of coming up with a better system, I pretty much just ended up with a desk full of post-it notes every day for the last year and a half.

This year, I decided I needed a better system. One that organized my day better, listed my work priorities and regular weekly to-dos, kept track of the few meetings I have, and also had space to keep track of my personal to-dos. I started researching the biggest and best planners on the market: Erin Condren’s Life Planner, Emily Ley’s Simplified Planner, and Whitney English’s Day Designer.

The Life Planner is too colorful and busy for me and it plans by the week, not the day. The Simplified Planner and Day Designer are both simple and beautiful (The Day Designer Spotty Dots is GORGEOUS!), and plan by the day, but unfortunately in December they had already sold out for 2015. I sulked around a little that I had missed my opportunity to buy one, and started to plan out when more might go on sale or to see if I could find a retailer somewhere with one left, but I really wanted to start getting organized right then, so I took matters into my own hands and decided to make my own planning system (that would work specifically for my needs – BONUS!).

There are two things that I don’t love about both The Simplified Planner and the Day Designer. Number one is that the majority of each page focuses on each day’s appointment list, rather than the to-dos that need to be accomplished that day. In my job, I mostly sit at my desk and design on my computer all day. I occasionally have a few meetings spread throughout the week, but not enough to need an appointment planner. Number two is that they also don’t have space to separate work and personal tasks. I think the set-up would be perfect if I was solely an entrepreneur, but to work outside the home and also do design work for our business and have other personal career goals, the set-up just isn’t perfect for me right now. (I think I might try one of them out next year though! I’ll have to plan this far ahead to make sure I get one before they sell out next year!)

So I ended up with a mini 3-ring binder (in color “Peacock” from The Container Store, here.) filled with pages to help me plan not only my days, but my weeks, keep track of short and long term goals, meal plan, keep meeting notes, etc!

On each day page, there is room for me to write in my top priorities for the day, list my to-d0 list, keep track of any special meetings or appointments that day, I have a space where my reoccurring tasks are listed and I can circle the ones I need to work on, I have space to list my personal to-dos, list blog posts I need to work on, write down what I’m planning for dinner that night, jot down notes, and even a little space at the bottom to check off if I’ve done one thing that day in the direction of my dreams.

I printed my sheets on 8.5×11 color copy paper (it is a little thicker and glossier than regular copy paper and holds up a little better for this, without pens bleeding through), cut the pages in half, and hole punched them for a mini three-ring binder. I love using the monthly and weekly planner pages as well as the daily ones to help me stay focused on my long-term goals. I’m super excited about this system!

I’ve only been using this planner for a couple weeks now, but already it is working beautifully! I feel so much more organized!

Even better, I am sharing it with you!

Download Planning Sheets Here or click on the image above to download. Print as many times as you need!

Happy Planning!

P.S. I just used some champagne metallic cardstock to cut dividers to put between my extra blank sheets for each category, but The Container Store sells lots of other accessories for these mini 3-ring binders, here, including dividers, a notebook that size, pockets, rubber bands, etc. Target also has some cute mini 3-ring binders.

UPDATE 1-22-15: After using these for several weeks, I realized that having sheets for both weekend planning and yearly planning would be helpful too, so I added those to the download above. I’m loving the yearly planning sheets! I’m using three different ones, one for work projects due during the year, one for planning blog posts throughout the year, and one for personal goals/vacations/etc that are happening throughout the year. A great way to see the big picture if you are a yearly goals kind-of person!

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Reflections on 2014, Goals for 2015

January 1, 2015

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited for 2015! I have some pretty exciting goals and dreams that I plan to work on accomplishing in the new year!

But first, let’s reflect on the past year:

2014 (recap)

2014 was a very productive year! I had some very exciting opportunities and I made major progress on a few big goals of mine!

My goals from last year and how I did at accomplishing them:

1. Better Life Balance. I feel like this is one of those things that you can always be perfecting and I’m happy to say that I think I did a pretty good job on it this year. 2014 was my first full year out of school and the first time that I had to balance my day-job work life with my personal career goals and hobbies/interests. I’ve been able to spend my evenings/weekends exploring graphic and surface pattern design, reading, blogging more than I have in years, doing DIY home/decorating projects (see our office makeover, how we built our 12 ft long double desk, the rooms we painted, our living room gallery wall, and Drew’s dresser makeover), cooking and trying out new recipes, doing more GF baking, painting, crocheting, watching my favorite TV shows, keeping up with my favorite blogs, getting involved in our church group, taking walks, going on date nights, traveling, etc! I feel like I have really worked this year on being healthy in a well-rounded way and making time to nurture my creativity in many different ways.

2. Expand Learning & Education in Different Ways. My main goal with this was that even though I was out of school, I didn’t want my learning process to stop, I wanted to expand my education in different ways. I believe I did a great job of this in 2014! I read more books for fun than I have (ever?). I crocheted two baby blankets, three scarves, several crochet snowflakes, worked on part of another baby blanket and started an afghan throw for our living room using stitches I’d never tried before. I continued to paint, building my body of work, and even exhibiting my art in a exhibition last June, as well as updating my logo and art branding. I joined the New Orleans Lettering Arts Association to build up my calligraphy and hand-lettering skills and I worked on digitizing my hand lettering for various projects (my hand-lettering is on the image above). I worked on getting better at using my Wacom tablet, and I learned a ton of new Adobe Illustrator tricks and so much about Surface Pattern and Fabric Design in Bonnie Christine’s Design Surface Patterns from Scratch online course.

3. Incorporating Exercise into the Everyday. If there was one thing I failed at in 2014, it would be this one. I wish I could say that I have incorporated exercise into the everyday, but in fact, I’m sure I exercised less in 2014 than I did in 2013. I did my Pilates class like normal in the Spring (I’ve been going once or twice a week for the last several years), but this Fall, they wouldn’t let me sign up for it without also purchasing a membership to the University gym that it is a part of. That would have cost me several hundred dollars that we just didn’t have in our budget. I looked into other places, but they are all so darn expensive! Debt pay-off is a priority in our lives right now and I can’t afford to pay hundreds of dollars to exercise. I wish I could get into a good routine of exercising at home by myself, but it is just so hard to have the diligence to do so with so many other things happening! Before it started getting dark so early this Fall/Winter, we did go on occasional outside walks around the neighborhood, which were nice. I need to get better at this!

4. Focus on Our Marriage. This year we’ve started going on date nights almost every Friday night and have made a much better effort at spending quality time together other than just being in the same room on our computers. Having a kitty and spending time together playing with Violet has really helped us “unplug” and spend time together. We also have gotten into a routine of both coming home from work and talking about our days while we make dinner together. Working on our debt-pay off plan as a team and making significant progress on that as a couple has also really helped strengthen our relationship.

5. Gluten-free Baking. I’m happy to say that I’ve experimented quite a bit with gluten-free baking this year! I’ve nailed down a recipe I really like for Artisan Gluten-free Bread, I’ve made my own All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Mix, made GF crackers, GF shortcrust, GF Blackberry and Sawdust pies, along with several different types of GF biscuits, rolls, and cornbread. I need to make GF doughnuts next!

6. Debt Pay-Off. In 2013, we paid off Drew’s credit card debt and most of his car. In 2014, we made the final payments on Drew’s car and paid off all the student loans in Drew’s name (over $26,000 worth!). In 2015, we only have the student loans in Drew’s parents’ names left to pay off!

7. Consistent Branding and New Opportunities. When I first wrote this down as a goal, I had in mind opening an Etsy shop to sell my artwork, but along the way, my plans changed a bit and I started down a road to another creative goal I’m really excited to achieve! In 2014, I worked on painting more artwork (some of my best work yet), experimenting with techniques I’ve wanted to take time to explore (mixed media paintings on fabric as well as canvas), and was able to show my work in an exhibition. Along the way I updated my art and design branding and website and I started working on updating my blog design and branding (look for the reveal in 2015!). I also worked on improving my hand-lettering, digitizing it and using it on artwork and in design projects, and started to learn calligraphy, joining the New Orleans Lettering Arts Association. One of the most exciting opportunities of 2014 however, was taking Bonnie Christine’s Design Surface Patterns from Scratch course, learning so much more about how to achieve my dream of being a Surface Pattern Designer, and on top of that, getting to meet Bonnie Christine and attend Quilt Market! I also designed my first repeatable patterns!

2015 (goals)

I’m so excited for the things in store in 2015!

My goals for this year:

1. Surface Pattern Design. I’m so ready to turn my dream of being a surface pattern designer into a reality! I’m confident that there are great things in store for this in 2015! My goal is to work as hard as I can in my free time designing repeatable patterns! Inspiration for collections, illustrations, and making patterns. I want to design at least two collections (10 patterns each in two colorways for a total of 20 patterns in a collection), but doing three collections would be even better! I want to put together a portfolio of my work to start working towards turning it into a career!

2. Learn to Quilt. I’ve wanted to make a quilt for years! I’ve done some minor quilting-type projects before, but this is the year to actually make a quilt! I got several quilting books for Christmas and I’ve collected the fabrics that I want to use. I need to read my quilting books, study up on the techniques, gather any other supplies I need, and start quilting! I would like to start with a throw blanket size.

3. Blog. I’ve really enjoyed getting back into blogging more regularly over the last half a year or so. I’d love to continue that into 2015 with a more consistent blogging schedule, but more importantly I want to work on better, more in-depth content. Not that recipes and monthly recaps aren’t great, but I want to talk more about creative ideas, share tips/techniques, and really dive into more of the things that I’m passionate about. I also want to reveal my updated blog design this year, with a better about me page, and better and easier to navigate projects and recipes pages.

4. Other Creative Outlets. Just because I’m choosing to focus this year on surface pattern design, quilting, and blogging, doesn’t mean that I want to leave my other creative outlets behind. I would love to continue painting and work on incorporating painting work into my pattern design work. I would also love to continue to get better at hand-lettering and calligraphy. For Christmas, Drew bought me a gift certificate to Melissa Esplin’s calligraphy course, so I definitely plan on improving my lettering this year! I would also love to read more regularly (I got a ton of books for Christmas I need to read!) and continue working on crochet and DIY/home decorating projects when I can.

5. Pay off Debt. Drew and I have done so well at sticking to a tight budget and putting everything we can towards paying off our debt over the past two years. The only debt we have left are the student loans in Drew’s parents names and I would love to be able to pay those off completely in 2015! It is an enormous goal, but I have faith we can make some great progress on it!

Other Areas to Continue Positive Work: Continue date nights and focusing on a more intentional marriage. Continue my gratitude journal. Continue church involvement in our 20/30s group. Work on taking Pilates classes again and continuing to eat healthy, gluten-free meals. Work on relaxation, not over-stressing, and not over-working myself.

Cheers to making great things happen in 2015!

P.S. It is a tradition to share my old year recap and new year goals on here. See here for 2014, here for 2013, here for 2012, and here and here for 2011.

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Life Right Now * December 2014

December 31, 2014

Click to check out June, July, August, September, October, and November.

Right now in life, I am:

MAKING a list of all I want to accomplish in the new year and reflecting on the beauty of 2014.
COOKING spaetzle (Christmas Eve) and roast, mashed potatoes, and veggies (on Christmas Day/Drew’s Birthday). We’ve been eating lots of Chicken Tortilla Soup this month and I made GF Christmas cookies (which are really just my Tart Crust turned into cookies with the filling iced on top! I added strawberries to some too!).
DRINKING hot chocolate (mmm, I want some right now!) and grapefruit essential oil in my water (grapefruit oil is supposed to be an antidepressant, detoxing, an energy booster, good for digestion, and aids in easing anxiety, bad moods, irritation, and stress — among other things). I also made Wassail for the first time this Christmas!
READING Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design and Designing Patterns: For Decoration, Fashion, and Graphics. I got lots of new books for Christmas! I better start reading faster!

WANTING to have a quiet, relaxing, day off to ring in the New Year.
PLAYING Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud. And lots of Christmas music this month, of course. This sweet song has quickly become a favorite.
SEWING nothing this month, but I have a sewing project that I want to tackle in ~~December~~ January! It involves these gold cloth napkins from West Elm.
CROCHETING snowflakes for our Christmas tree! Also this scarf, this scarf, and another one too.
WISHING for an organized 2015 thanks to the planner sheets I’ve been designing!

ENJOYING snuggling my sweet kitten as she recovers from her spay. (photo above)
WAITING to receive my gift from my Goody Goody Gift Swap partner. The gift I gave got me painting again!
LIKING all my lovely Christmas gifts! So many great books to read, essential oils to use, art/design supplies to play with!
WONDERING what it would be like to take a road trip in an adorable little camper like this one.

LOVING my new kslade made bag! (photo above) It is the Cruiser Crossbody in Saddle (I’ve been eyeing it for months and finally got it on sale after Thanksgiving!). The leather is so luscious and I LOVE my gold monogram (you can see that here).
HOPING that this post might have touched some hearts that feel the same way around Christmas time.
MARVELING at the fact that this month marked 4 years since Drew and I got engaged!
NEEDING to refresh, recharge, and gear up for a great 2015. I’m seriously so excited about what 2015 will hold!
SMELLING the lavender essential oil that I added to the coconut oil I rub on my legs. Great for dry, itchy skin!

WEARING lots of warm, chunky sweaters and my favorite leather boots!
FOLLOWING along and singing Christmas Carols in Jackson Square. Too bad we got there too late to get a program and a real candle!
NOTICING the beauty in the discarded.
KNOWING this. “The moment that you feel, just possibly, you are walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind, and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself…That is the moment, you might be starting to get it right.” –Neil Gaiman
THINKING about productivity and work-flow and scheduling and how I’m going to accomplish all my personal goals next year while also working full-time!

BOOKMARKING lots of creative business and blog advice as I think about where I want my career to lead!
CELEBRATING a wonderful Christmas! Filled with love and joy and family and kitten snuggles. (see photos above and another here and here)
OPENING lots of gifts from family and friends!
LAUGHING at this crazy little cat.
FEELING grateful for this year’s accomplishments and excited and ready to start a new year. I love this time of the year! Doesn’t it just seem so refreshing and exciting!?

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Christmas Cards & Decor 2014

December 19, 2014March 27, 2018

Merry Christmas from the Rowlands!

Sending Christmas Cards might just be my favorite Christmas tradition. I love getting them in the mail from our family and friends and I love looking back at our past Christmas cards and seeing how much we’ve changed over the last few years. Ours this year includes our sweet little Violet. It also includes my hand-lettering again! See last year’s card, here.

Here are all the Christmas cards since we’ve been married! 2012, 2013, and 2014! All washi taped to our French doors along with the other cards we’ve been receiving. We’ve gotten several more since I took this picture and now almost the entire door is covered up.

Our tree looks pretty similar to last year, with just silver, gold, and white ornaments. I love using the beads we’ve caught at Mardi Gras parades here in New Orleans on our tree.

My favorite part of our simple Christmas decor is the sparkly, white, metal snowflakes we hang from the curtain rods in here. The closest thing to real snow we see here in New Orleans!

This year I also added some homemade Crochet Snowflakes to our tree.

I also finally bought a tree skirt as well! (The last few year’s I’ve just bunched up a quilt under the tree.) I bought this metallic gold fabric one while shopping with my sister and mother-in-law the day after Thanksgiving.

We also have a sweet little wooden nativity scene out this year. It was a Christmas gift last year from my mother-in-law.

Love my Lindsay Letters print of one of my favorite Christmas songs.

Of course, the most difficult part of this Christmas has been keeping this little kitty out of the tree! I’ve hung lemon slices along the bottom of the tree and we daily spray it down with orange citrus spray which helps, but she still gets in there. I didn’t put breakable ornaments on the tree this year, so I’m less worried about the tree and more worried about her unwrapping all the gifts. Eating paper is her favorite. So far, most of the gifts have a few bite marks and a few straightened bows, but only one gift has had the paper ripped off. Hopefully it stays that way!

Past Christmas Posts:

Merry Christmas 2010! (the Christmas we got engaged) and Christmas Eve that year

Christmas Shortbread Cookies (from before I was Gluten-free)

Christmas Decorating (our first year in this apartment)

Doily Christmas Wrapping

Our First Rowland Family Christmas Card

Our Second Rowland Family Christmas Card

Last Year’s Christmas Decor

Scenes from Last Christmas

Christmas Memories, Heartache, and Peace

Crochet Snowflake Ornaments

Spaetzle

December 17, 2014March 27, 2018

This is a very special recipe. It was my family’s favorite food growing up, one that was often requested for birthdays or served on special occasions like Christmas Eve (I mentioned it here). I hadn’t had it in several years (since going gluten-free), so a few weeks ago I tried working on a gluten-free version. It is just as delicious gluten-free and surprisingly simple to make for such a special recipe. Spaetzle is a type of German dumpling, if you’ve never had or heard of it before. This dish is similar to chicken and dumplings, except that these dumplings are a little more firm than your standard American dumplings.

Spaetzle
makes about 6 servings

Ingredients:
-3 cups flour (I use my GF All-Purpose Flour mix)
-1 tsp salt
-6 Tbsp melted butter
-4 Tbsp water
-4 eggs
-8 cups chicken stock/broth
-2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
-1-2 cups frozen peas
-salt, pepper, herbs/Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions:
1. In large stockpot, bring 8 cups chicken broth to a boil.
2. In medium bowl, mix together flour and salt.
3. In small bowl, beat together melted butter, water, and eggs.
4. Pour liquid mixture into bowl with dry ingredients and mix with wooden spoon until smooth.
5. Turn chicken broth down to a low simmer.
6. Press spaetzle dough through spaetzle maker or potato ricer into broth, cutting off every inch or so.
7. Stir gently so spaetzles do not stick. Spaetzle is done when it floats.
8. Scoop floating spaetzles out into a bowl. Continue process until all spaetzles are cooked.
9. Once all spaetzles are cooked, add back into chicken broth.
10. Add chicken and peas.
11. Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (or herbs/spices of your choice) as desired.
12. Serve when peas are cooked and chicken is heated through.

Enjoy!

A few notes:

If the spaetzles absorb too much broth while cooking, feel free to add in more before serving. You can also thicken the broth with cornstarch or add in a can of cream of chicken soup (not gluten-free), if you want thicker broth. The first time I made this gluten-free, I also added 1/8 tsp xanthan gum, but forgot to add it the second time I made it and didn’t notice a difference between the two. If you are making this gluten-free, feel free to add it or not.

The original recipe calls for half of this one [1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 Tbsp melted butter, 2 Tbsp water, 2 eggs], but I wouldn’t recommend making that little, unless there is only one person eating. If you want to make it for more than 6 people, you might triple this recipe, instead of doubling the one above. Up to you. At family gatherings we’ve been known to quadruple this recipe. 🙂

Crochet Snowflake Ornaments

December 14, 2014March 27, 2018

Last Christmas I started crocheting these little white snowflakes to put on our Christmas tree. I only did a few last year (you can see a shot of me working on them here), so this year I made a few more and turned them into ornaments for our tree. I love the way they turned out!

Crochet Snowflakes
Pattern adapted from this one.
Hook: 3.75 mm [US F-5]
Yarn: I used white cotton yarn, but any normal thickness yarn will work.

To start: Ch 5; join with a slip st to form a ring.
Round 1: Ch 1, [2 sc in ring, ch 3] 6 times; join with a slip st
in first sc – 6 ch-3 loops.
Round 2: Slip st in next sc, ch 1, [(2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) all in ch-3
loop] 6 times; join.
Round 3: Slip st in next sc, ch 1, [(sc, ch 3, sc, ch 5, sc, ch 3,
sc) all in ch-3 loop, ch 2] 6 times; join. Fasten off.
Finish: Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS: Ch = chain; mm = millimeters; sc = single crochet; st(s) = stitch (es); [ ] = work directions in brackets the number of times specified.

To turn into ornaments, lay them out on cardboard and pin the six points out with straight pins. Spray them with a couple coats of fabric stiffener/spray starch (according to bottle directions) to help them hold their shape. Once dry, loop an ornament hook through one of the points and hang them on the tree!

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Christmas Memories, Heartache, and Peace

December 11, 2014March 27, 2018

One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to put together the Advent devotional book that the church I work at produces every year. It is a really amazing resource filled with devotions written by members of the congregation. This year, I was asked to write a devotional for one of the days, one that I thought I would also share with you here. It echos a similar holiday sentiment to what I wrote about on this blog four years ago, here.

As a child, Christmas Eve was magical. My sisters and I would spend the day being the honorary “present wrappers” for anyone who needed last-minute gifts wrapped. There would be a fire in the fireplace, Christmas music on the radio, and my mom would be in the kitchen cooking up our favorite spaetzle recipe. Once our bellies were full and all presents were wrapped, we would pile in the car to head up the road to my Mamaw and Papaw’s house, where homemade sweets, warm hugs, and piles of presents my shopping-loving grandmother had carefully chosen were waiting for us. Still to this day I have never met a better shopper than my Mamaw – she had an amazing ability to pick out things you never knew you wanted, but ended up loving and treasuring for years.

When I was fifteen, my Mamaw unexpectedly passed away in her sleep one September night. Since then, Christmases just haven’t been the same. My family has grown up, grown apart, and formed individual families of our own. Christmas has lost a bit of its sparkle. I know the real reason to celebrate is one of joy – the wonderful birth of our Lord and Savior – but no matter what, every Christmas Eve, a tinge of sadness still comes over me, not at the loss of the enchantment that Mamaw’s gifts used to bring, but because it is another Christmas Eve to put childhood memories behind me and move on without my Mamaw.

Prayer: Lord, today we pray for those who are going through tough times during this Christmas season- dealing with the loss of a loved one, changes in family or traditions, or for any other reasons for experiencing grief during this otherwise joyful time. Help us to find the joy and peace that only You can bring. Amen.

Christmas is generally a wonderful and joyous time. But it can also be a time of hurt and heartache. Many are struggling through difficult times during this season. Dealing with health issues, family dramas, financial problems, the loss of a loved one, endless sources of stress and sadness.

But we also have hope. We have the ability to have peace. I ask that this Christmas season, amidst all the hustle and bustle and joy and merry-making, you say a prayer for those who might be struggling for whatever reason. Pray that we all find the joy and peace that only God can bring.

“I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.” -John 14:27

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Life Right Now * November 2014

December 5, 2014March 27, 2018

Click to check out June, July, August, September, and October.

Right now in life, I am:

MAKING updates to my blog design! Hoping to unveil a new design in the New Year!
COOKING lots of family recipes (and making them gluten-free)! I made my family’s spaetzle recipe gluten free for the first time, I made my favorite Sawdust Pie (recipe here), and I’ve made gluten-free Angel Biscuits too using this new All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. Drew got a smoker this month, so he has been smoking pork butts, chickens, and brisket.
DRINKING hot chocolate!
READING Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design. I actually bought this book from a cute little design shop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire when Drew and I were there on our honeymoon. It has only taken me nearly three years to start reading it!
WANTING to go Christmas caroling next month!
PLAYING Taylor Swift’s new 1989 album. And this.
SEWING nothing this month, but I have a sewing project that I want to tackle in December! It involves these gold cloth napkins from West Elm.
CROCHETING a grey throw for our living room.
WISHING for a restful weekend. Last weekend was a busy, wonderful Thanksgiving weekend spent with family in Nashville (see photo below), but I’m looking forward to some downtime and relaxing this weekend. (In other words, I really want to lay on my couch and crochet and watch Christmas movies and do nothing else. But I have a lot of projects I’m working on, so I probably will be busy too.)

ENJOYING shopping with my older sister, Blair, and mother-in-law, Susie, on Black Friday. We skipped the early morning crowds and went shopping together Friday afternoon at the mall. It was a great time and I got some things I needed (on major sale!).
WAITING until Christmas! So excited to see everyone open the gifts I’ve picked out for them.
LIKING this apron I picked up from an antique/thrift store.
WONDERING what this little cat thinks of us. She did so great on the long car ride to and from Nashville last weekend (see photo below). Although she must think we are crazy for all the chaos in her life lately!
LOVING how Drew’s childhood dresser makeover turned out!
HOPING for a wonderful Christmas season for everyone! I love this time of year!
MARVELING at THE PATTERNS I MADE this month! I’ve wanted to learn repeatable pattern design for so long! Some photos of the process: working, illustrations, my first pattern!, experimenting, my favorite so far.
NEEDING to slow down and enjoy this Advent season. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle.
SMELLING Sweet Olive trees, roses, more roses, and lots of delicious foods this month.

WEARING this outfit for our Christmas pictures this year. I’ll post about our cards soon.
FOLLOWING in my childhood footsteps by breaking out the watercolors.
NOTICING this fortune I found tucked inside my Moleskine notebook.
KNOWING that dreams take hard work.
THINKING about how much I love our living room gallery wall! So great to finally have it finished!
BOOKMARKING this newsletter from Braid Creative. As she says, “if you feel like your gift isn’t special or unique that’s okay – because it’s not your special gift that really matters – it’s the consistent and persistent way in which you show up, do the thing, and put it out there.”
CELEBRATING a wonderful Thanksgiving. Lots of food, kiddos, relaxing, swaddling, playing, and crafting.
OPENING the door to our house and reveling in how clean and organized it is! After nearly a month of having plumbing work done in our house, we deep cleaned and organized every room. It is more put together than it has ever been.
LAUGHING at Violet’s little pawprint.
FEELING thankful! For Drew, for Violet, for work, for family, for our home, for creativity.

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Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour

November 24, 2014March 27, 2018

I’ve been eating a gluten-free diet for almost two years now and this month is the first time I’d tried making my own gluten-free all-purpose flour. I’m not sure why I resisted so long! When I first went gluten-free, I resisted having to buy a million different gluten-free flours, so I stuck to recipes I could make with simply brown rice flour or a combination of just a few other flours. However, over the past few years for various recipes I’ve ended up with a pantry full of different GF flours anyway. It was about time I mixed some together and came up with a simple substitute for my old gluten flour recipes!

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
makes about 9 cups

Ingredients:
-4 cups finely or stone-ground white rice flour
-2 cups stone-ground brown rice flour
-2 cups tapioca flour or tapioca starch
-1 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

Directions:
1. In an extra-large bowl or container, combine flours. Whisk together until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Use a large spoon to bring flour up from the bottom of the bowl to the top and whisk again. Repeat a few times to make sure the flours are evenly distributed throughout the entire mixture.
2. Store the flour in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. Store in the refrigerator or freezer for longer use. (I store mine in a half-gallon mason jar in the fridge.) Allow the flour to come to room temperature before using.
3. Lightly stir the flour before measuring. Spoon the flour into measuring cup and level off with a straight edge (the back of a butter knife works perfectly).

Note: Depending on the recipe, you might have to add a little bit of xanthan gum to your regular recipe to get the best gluten-free result (it acts as a binder similar to gluten).

I’ve already used this GF flour mix several times in the last week or two to make family recipes I hadn’t had in years! It has worked wonderfully for me so far. I actually had to mix up a second batch of it yesterday to make some biscuits. More gluten-free recipes using this flour mix will be coming soon!

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