Sunday Recipe

It’s SUNDAY!!!! For many families, gathering around the table for a meal on a Sunday is tradition (cue Fiddler on the Roof Music) and often times the mama is responsible for whipping up a delicious meal. If you’re drawing a blank with what to make try this yummy and EASY Sweet and Sour Pork recipe. We will be making it tonight with you!! Let us know how it turns out 💗💜
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Cook the rice separate but everything else together!! Enjoy!! ¾ cup
Jasmine Rice
2 clove
Garlic
12 ounce
Pork Chops
3 teaspoon
White Wine Vinegar
1 unit
Vegetable Stock Concentrate
2 unit
Bell Pepper
2 unit
Scallions
1 tablespoon
Cornstarch
1 tablespoon
Soy Sauce

Sweet and Sour Pork

Pinners Unite!

My sister and I went to the Pinterest Conference. She attended the one in Texas, while I attended in Arizona. Can I just say that it was so epic! Seriously a sight to behold and an event to look forward to each year. Its like the state fair but for women. Below are our pointers/ramblings if you are planning on attending next year.

1. This is an event you can really go to alone or with girlfriends. There is soooooo much to see and do. Whether you are talking to vendors or doing the classes you can talk to someone new the entire time you’re there. Obviously its fun to go with friends, but make sure you guys are on the same page on how you want the experience to be. If you are wanting to take every class and your friend just wants to walk around and peruse, then its probably best to drive desperately and meet up for lunch (food vendors there are great).
2. BRING MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While the entree tickets are quite cheap ($8) and parking is going to depend on the venue, for example, Carmen’s was $20 but mine was $5, you will still need to save those coins for once you walk through those red curtains. Why you might ask? A. You are going to want to buy E V E R Y T H I N G. Most vendors are small business owners and most whose companies are still out of their homes. Therefore they can do some serious discounts. Plus there is such diverse array of products and you can get side tracked easily. B. While the classes are free, the materials are not. Carmen and I both wanted to make this farmhouse candle project (it was a craft at each separate events) but the materials were $35!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Um I could have bought one fully made at Home Goods or Hobby Lobby for the same amount. Now obviously since we’re attending the DIY holy grail I understand the concept of spending more money just to say that I made it rather than buy it. But I just wasn’t planning on dropping that kind of cash on top of trying to shop. Most classes materials ranged between the $20 – $40 range.
3.  Ok so I just told you about the classes with expensive ass materials, but I wanted to let you know that they also have some classes that are free and still worth your while to sit in on. I went to a make up class, which was really more about how to keep your skin clear while wearing make-up. It was great and I learned some new techniques. The other one I went to was this lady who was talking about how to declutter your life….. I just need her to follow me around all day. Or at least make a monthly home visit. I also sat in on a couple of the craft workshops as they were finishing up. The speakers are super enthusiastic and know their stuff. I kinda wanted to walk up to a couple of them and ask for their hand in friendship.
4. THE FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since Pinterest is all about making the ordinary unique, you can bet your bottom dollar that the food vendors are just as unique. And so good! Y’all I had a duck burger……….. it changed my life.
5. Try your hardest not to bring your kiddos. While the event is free for children under the age of 12 and they do their best to make it mom friendly (posh private nursing areas and $5 kid crafts) its tough to sit in on a workshop with a 3 year old on your lap. Also it can get kind of congested at peak times, so just like we try our darnedest not to bring them to the mall…. the same applies here.
6. This one won’t be long. Don’t bring your husbands. They won’t have fun and you won’t either. They do have a cash bar there, if you bring the mister one or both of you will end up spending your entire time at the bar.
7. GIRL POWER!! Its so fun and empowering to be around all of these women entrepreneurs who are not only making a name for themselves, but also sharing their creativity with the rest of us. And while yes Pinterest is technically gender neutral we can all admit that the site caters mostly to women. Thus their conference does the same. A great number of the vendors are local to your area, so purchasing from them is not only supporting a female owned businesses but also your local community. One day Code Name: Mama will have a booth!

All in all go! Make the time, its a two day gig. You can spend on day shopping and another day crafting. It was such a fun me day and I can’t wait for next year.

❤

Inspiration

As a writer I am constantly looking for new things to write about. Always searching for inspiration from my surroundings. Generally I have a lot of ideas formulating in my brain, but remembering them and putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) is a different story. That’s why I am so excited about these little gems I scooped up from Target today. One of them is a book called Listography and its exactly what is sounds like, a book that you write down your favorite things in list form based on different prompts. I love this idea so much because its just so light, fun, and a great way to remember that restaurant you went to that one time three years ago on vacation. The second book is 300 Writing Prompts and again the title is very self explanatory, you just write the your thoughts on whatever topic asked in a short paragraph. And what a unique way to shake up your me time! Quick fun things that I can glean from to better my writing, get to know myself and keep me off of social media I am totally down for. Plus, they are cute little items to leave to my kids and grandchildren for them to really know what mommy thought about things in life I didn’t always share. Excited to start writing in these with a trustee glass of pinot grigio by side.

❤

DIY

I have succumbed to the latest trend. What trend you ask? Do It Yourself or DIY as it is so affectionately referred to. I have gone full force, no holds bar and I already have a major love hate relationship with my new found hobby. I have watched HGTV for years…. no seriously like forever. But I was always a person who would rather buy a replica of what I had just seen strenuously put together over a one hour time frame. The mister has been encouraging me since our oldest was born to get a hobby. Did you know your kids can’t be your hobby? Yeah I didn’t until kid #2 showed up (more on that in another post). After a lot of earnest attempts at failed interests, I decided to try my hand at the DIY world. I mean I am an INTENSE pinner (seriously, I’m going to the Pinterest Convention) and I wanted to stretch beyond only getting recipes, beauty hacks, and fun kids tips out of the website. So this past weekend, I wisely (<- that was sarcasm) took my three children to Ikea, Hobby Lobby and Home Depot on a hot Saturday morning to start my new past time.

Like I said earlier, I there’s some love and hate here. Not fully hate, lets say love and annoyance. So I’ll start with the love portion: 1. There is something really fulfilling about creating with your own hands. Seeing a slab of wood transform into a useful household object is neat. I like that I can say I needed something, so I made it happen. 2. I get to be alone!!! The mister put a rectangle fold out table in my home office, so I can have my own creative space. Well and so he doesn’t have to see my art coming into fruition because I’m a little too messy for his neat freak heart. But coming in here an being able to paint and glue my heart out while listening to John Mayer (ultimate favorite artist) is just the little bit of heaven that I needed. Its like a spa for my mind and heart. I emerge after 30 or so minutes of not being bothered a little more at ease. 3. This kind of ties back to the first point, but I like that I can be specific. If I want my creation to come in blowing kisses pink paint instead of candy pink then that’s my choice. I don’t have to settle for what Target or Amazon offers (yes I am that particular about color shades) or if I want my lettering to say a specific phrase then voila, I just made it happen. 4. There is nothing out there that is quite like my project. Much like my sweet babies, I get to have something unique and specific to my house that I worked on, which yields amazing appreciation and pride. 5. My home is going to to très chic each time I add a new piece.

Now for the annoyances: 1. ITS SO EXPENSIVE!!! Ok I know that as I continue to keep my projects going, some items I won’t have to continue to buy. I mean I’m pretty sure that I will be using Mod Podge with like each craft. But getting into this business is no joke. I spent wayyy more than I anticipated. One down fall that was totally on me was that I bought all maple wood. Way too pricey for laundry room additives. But seriously, I probably could have bought already manufactured pieces three times over. Screws, hooks, spray paint etc. man all that ish adds up quick. Yes yes yes I know I could have priced it out before I went but hindsight is always 20/20. 2. When you have a family these projects take forever. My sister was like “um was there a hidden step? Why are you still working on this?” Nope. I just have three kids, three dogs, and a husband with his own business so I don’t get a full weekend to just try to reenact Joanna Gaines’ life.  Thus trying to get in a little work here and there turns a one day project into a one week project in a blink of an eye. 3. I think this annoyance will probably go away as I get my crafting legs under me, but messing up the small things can be very frustrating. For example, when you paint a 2×4 piece of wood on a beach towel and the paint runs on the sides of it, the paint will stick to the towel and the wood creating a velcro like effect. Its not pretty or fun to try and fix your mistake once you’ve realized it after everything is fully dry.

I’m think this new hobby is going to be good for me. I can’t rush, because I am making it and I’m very particular on aesthetics, so I have to take my time and do a good job. And I need to slow down in life most of the time, I’m sure this will help. While I don’t think I’ll ever get to the level of the lady who built her whole house from YouTube videos, I think I can successfully master being the nice neighbor that garners interest because she has some really cool handmade pieces in her house.

❤