learning to like cooking

One of my Mother's Day gifts from Paul and little n is The Pioneer Woman Cookbook. Paul picked it out all on his own without me asking for anything in particular. He did a great job because I have been wanting this book. 

As I have mentioned a few times before, I don't really like to cook, but I enjoy baking. Since Pinterest has come along, I have been saving recipes to my food + drink board. I have tried a few of them. Some successful, some not. Either way it has really gotten me to enjoy cooking and food preparation a bit more. It has also made me realize how much processed food we were eating and how much more expensive it is.

So I have really been interested in cooking a lot more lately and I can't wait to flip through the book and start trying some new recipes! Paul is pretty happy about it too. Poor guy, he married someone who hates to cook, but I am slowly changing ;)

mother's day 2013

I am so thankful I have been given the title "mom" to this sweet little guy! He brightens my days and melts my heart. Being a mom can be rough and a lot of hard work at times, but it is worth it all! I am also so very thankful for my moms. I have not always gotten along with my mom, as most teenage girls and their moms don't, but today I am grateful for her friendship and her love for little n. I have been blessed with a mother in-law who is so much like me. I have learned a lot of cooking and crafting tips from her and she is Godly lady. I love both of these women equally and I am so proud to call them "mom."

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday!

xo,

Sherry

how to kill a succulent

Yes, I am going to tell you how to kill your succulents...
so you can prevent it from happening to you!

The last time I had a succulent was in 2010. I killed it because it didn't get enough light in the living room. Our house is horrible for natural night, unfortunately! I love the idea of planting succulents in old tins so I thought I would give it another shot. I bought 1 jelly bean succulent, that's what the he/she (don't ask) called it.

Here is what I have learned along the way...

1. Succulents need lots of light (hot sun).
2. Apparently they like poor soil according to Gardener's Supply Company
3. The potting mix should be allowed to dry completely before needing watered again. Succulents need very little watering, but don't under-water. In the winter they can almost go every other month on watering.
4. Succulents are nearly indestructible (not true for me).

Back to this go around, Here is my jelly bean succulent after transferring it to my old coffee tin with fresh potting soil...

See how they are wilting? Also, the "jelly beans" are very fragile and falling off. Here is where we cue the whomp whomp sound effects and I laugh while saying "succulent fail"...again!

Does anyone have any advice or tips? Ever had this kind of succulent before and know exactly what my problem is? Do share!

still eating local

Last year Paul and I made the goal to eat more at locally owned restaurants. We have been to a few, but there are still plenty on our list. Tonight, we decided to have New York style pizza instead of eat left overs at home. After going on our walk we stopped by for a slice each. Next time we go out we plan to mark a new restaurant off our list. This is fun!

life lately, according to my iphone...

Eating. walking. thifting. shopping. playing outside. That just about sums up the last few weeks. This year has been great so far! I am loving all the little adventures that my family is going on. Even if it's just taking that 25 minute walk 2-3 times a week. Just something to get us out of the house for a while. We are working on better budgeting our money so we choose 1 day each week to eat out and 1 day to get ice cream or any other kind of sweet treat. When the weather is warm little n and I go outside and play for a while. 

10 in 30

Paul got a new job at the beginning of this year and it has been a major blessing! Along with his new job is of course, new insurance. The insurance is a bit more expensive than his last job, but they offer this "deal." The "deal" is...if you wear a pedometer (that they provide) and walk, they will cut your insurance cost by $120. At first, I was skeptical because it seemed to be a bit of a pain to have to do this everyday. There are two options: one, you wear the pedometer every single day with a goal of 8,000 steps or two, you wear the pedometer 10 times a month and go on a 25 minute walk. 

We started out doing option 1 and let me just say that being home with a toddler all day didn't even get me close to 8,000 steps! Paul wasn't getting that much either, due to his desk job and only getting a short walk on his breaks. We decided to go with option 2 and it has worked so much easier! For one, who wants to wear a pedometer every single day...NOT ME! We have been going on walks twice a week, three times a week, twice a week, and then three times a week every month. That sort of breaks it up and we have been going to different locations for our walks. If it is cold outside, we go to the mall and walk up and down it 5 times. When it is warm we walk the park, the river trails, or outdoor shopping areas.

After 2 months of doing option two we are used to it now and it really takes no time at all. Sure, there are times when we really don't want to have to go out in the evening after Paul gets off work, but it has actually given us time to just chat. I have enjoyed discussing our future dreams, plans, and student ministry ideas over these walks.

If you follow me on instagram @littleteas, you can see my walking photos and I have created a hash tag to categorize them at #10in30