Inspired by . . . intentional gratitude

Being intentional about being grateful makes every part of our life better!

While it's true that this is something we should try to be all the time, people tend to be more demonstrative about their thankfulness in the month of November.

The trendy "Thanksgiving Tree" is just one of the ways you can be intentional about being grateful every day!

There are a lot of great ideas out there. Here are some of my favorites:

 

Julie, over at Savings by Design has some great ideas for the kiddos! With a large thankful tree and a thankful turkey, too!

Rebekah over at Simply Rebekah did a similar wall-tree. Here is her version – isn't it great!

 

I love these curly willow branches that Darcy Miller used for her family's tree!

 

I like this idea of using pictures, of people we're thankful for, as tags on the tree. I found this idea on pinterest, and it links to Aunt Ruthie's, but I couldn't find the picture once I got there. Maybe you'll have better luck!

 

Here is a neat idea that uses the tree as a centerpiece as well as an activity for your guests on Thanksgiving day.

 

This one, by Mindy Starr over at Creative Juice, was by far my favorite!

 

I love how Mindy and her family focused each day on what they were thankful for before hanging the leaf on their thankful tree! Great idea, Mindy!

There are a  lot of great ideas on Pinterest, so I encourage you to have a look for yourself!

 

There's still time to join our online Bible study group! You can learn more about it HERE.

 

 

With gratitude,

 

 

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

Inspired by . . . easy dinners

We were looking for something different for dinner last tonight, so I pulled up my Pinterest "food" board, to see what I might find.

A recipe from Melding Magic caught my eye.

 

 

I changed it a bit to fit what I had on hand, and also cut down on some of the fat.

 

CREAMY TUNA CASSEROLE

Source: Originally adapted from a Kraft Recipe by www.meldingmagic.com

Further Adapted by: Inspired by June

INGREDIENTS:

1 package (12 oz) Velveeta Shells & Cheese

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 tsp garlic, minced

3 T butter {or 1 T extra virgin olive oil}

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1/2 a link of skinless beef sausage, cut into bite size pieces {we like Eckrich}

1 can (12 oz) tuna (packed in water), drained well 

1/2 cup mayonnaise

panko

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Prepare Shells & Cheese according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, in small skillet, sauté onions, red peppers and garlic in butter {or olive oil} until soft. Add this mixture

(including butter) to Shells & Cheese, along with all remaining ingredients. Mix well. Spoon into lightly

greased 13 x 9 x 2-in baking pan.

4. Sprinkle panko over the top, as desired.

5. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 40 min., or until thoroughly heated.

6. Remove foil and bake a few minutes more until top browns to your liking.

 

 

I'd never tried Velveeta Shells and Cheese before, but I'm sure that's what made this casserole so rich and creamy. This was an easy, one dish meal that everyone enjoyed.

I bet it will make great leftovers, too!

 

Have a wonder-filled day,

 

 

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

  

Inspired by. . . a picture

 

I know most of you have moved on to Christmas. But hopefully there are few of you who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving {smile} and still need some inspiration for your front door.

It's been months since I've had the opportunity to craft and I've been itching to make a new wreath for our front door.  We're in the process of putting in flower beds and making a few other changes to the front porch, so the front door needed to have something pretty and welcoming amidst the general chaos!

While at Jo-Ann's picking up some supplies for the wedding invitations and wedding favors {post still to come} I was inspired by this picture:

 

 

Love the rich gold-tones and little pears peeking through the leaves!  A dear friend had given me a gift certificate to another craft store, so I was $$$ flush and ready to shop for my wreath supplies! 

Have you noticed all the little owls making their appearance around blog land?  Isn't it fun when something you're already fond of becomes popular!  My grandmother was partial to owls and I have a special affection for them because of my memories of her.  After seeing Sarah's lovely creation over at Lacquer and Linen, I knew I wanted to add a sweet avian accent to my wreath, too!  After a quick review of my Inspired by... wreaths pinterest board and seeing the Fall Argyle Wreath from Create and Celebrate that I'd pinned last year, I was sure of it.

 

 

The most expensive part of this wreath was the sprig of pears at $8.00 {ouch!} – even with the gift certificate, that hurt. But the good news is, I only used half the sprig, so I have half left over for the next project!

 

 

After spray painting the wreath gold, I actually decided I liked it better in color, but there was no turning back!  However, after adding the ribbon, a few sprigs of some coppery colored bush (that I had not spray painted) and the little owl there was enough contrasting color to improve my opinion.

 

 

And I really like how it looks against our green front door!

 

 

What's inspiring you this Fall?

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

Inspired by... autumn

 

Never mind that Fall doesn't officially begin until the 23rd, it's been such a hot summer that the suddenly cooler nights (and in some regions, days) have us all eager to begin focusing on pumpkins, colored leaves and mums. I'm a summer girl, but I do love autumn. The only problem I have with autumn is that it's followed by winter [smile].

I have a couple of Fall projects that I'll be sharing with you soon. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some inspiration...

 

I fell in love with these swan-neck gourds last year. These would look so pretty hanging over the railing on my front porch!

Another touch of whimsy! My mom collects hedgehogs and I just couldn't resist these! (If these people do this for Fall imagine what their yard looks like at Christmas!)

 

Hoo-t can resist this cuteness!

 

I'm always looking for ideas for filler in candle holders and hurricanes. This picture gets too blurry if I make it any bigger, but the stuff on the bottom is kernels of corn! What a great idea! And if you used Indian corn it would add even more color... maybe paired with some mulberry colored candles, hmm...

 

Love this idea using felt leaves to dress up the buffet table!

 

Corn husks! Love those mulberry tones!

 

Stunning centerpiece! I love using natural grasses in Fall displays.

 

 

A little large for a centerpiece, but I think this would look great on the hearth. I would need to add some more of the colorful gourds to my display though.  All this white would get lost against my limestone fireplace.

 

Since we're on the subject of white pumpkins... I love these!  I see a DIY knockoff in my future!

 

More pumpkins! These are paper. Love the curly Q's!

 

Even more paper pumpkins! 

 

There is so much inspiration out there!  These were just a few of my favorites.  You can find all the links to the original sources on my Pinterest boards.  (A couple of these, like the paper pumpkins have tutorials.) That is one of the things I love about Pinterest, I can track back to where I found the idea originally – which is really helpful when tutorials are given!

If you are a visual person, I think you will find Pinterest much easier than trying to locate a website in your list of bookmarks or favorites!  Need an invite? Leave me a comment with our email address and I'll send you one!

Oh, and speaking of cooler weather, we've been leaving our windows open and I just have to share this last photo with you...

Don't those ears just crack you up?

(His head is pressed against the screen)

You can see more of my baby kitty, Aslan, here.

 

So, what's inspiring you this Fall?

I'd love to hear!

 

Blessings,