Celebrating Joseph's Brother...

You've heard of him...Joseph and his coat of many colors.  Or more popularly... 

 

via

 

Well, this week my kiddos and I were studying the true Biblical account of Joseph and the details surrounding his brothers selling him to the Egyptians for our weekly CBS class...

 

 Gen. 37:21

 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life."

 

 

Wait! What?  I'd never noticed that verse before.  I think I've always just read the story but didn't pay close attention to the details.

 

This called for a celebration! 

{With these!} 

 

 

Reuben Sandwiches!!!

 

OK ~ maybe that was a huge jump, but guess which brother my children will remember?

 

Honestly our family was recently introduced to The Reuben by my future daughter-in-law's family.  This is a meal they love, and now is a favorite in our home as well!

{Thanks Meyers!!!}

 

They are super easy, and super yummy!  Even if you wouldn't normally eat some of the individual ingredients, I dare you to try one of these!

 

 

The Reuben

 

1 Loaf Rye Bread -sliced for sandwiches

2 Slices Peppered Pastrami {per sandwich}

{Authentic Reubens are made with Corned Beef - FYI}

1 Slice Swiss {per sandwich}

Sauerkraut

{I like to use the fresh stuff you find in the refrigerated section}

Thousand Island Dressing

 

 

Butter outside portion of each slice of bread. Pile on ingredients listed above. Grill until well toasted!

Enjoy!

 

 

And just to keep the smiles going....

 

"What do you call a cranky German?"

 

"A sauerkraut!"

 

{I can see the eye rolls now...}

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be Refreshed!



 



For The Love of Owls {Part 2}

What would a party be without some yummy food?

 

 

I have to admit, I did quite a bit of searching on the Internet for food ideas!  I couldn't decide if we were going to go for a "what owl's eat" theme, or a "looks like an owl" theme.  In the end, food that looked like Owls seemed more cute and was much more fun to make!

 

 

 

Since the "cute" factor won, I found these water bottle wraps that I downloaded onto photo paper, and Ken hot glued to our water bottles!

 

Let me take a minute and tell you about Erin's awesome website:

 

How To Nest For Less

 

She has all kinds of free printables there, that you can add your own wording on!  She only asks for you to "Pin" her site!!!  How generous is that?  Looking for Owl, Pirate, Cupcake or Ladybug printables?  She's got 'em!!!

 

 

 

The girls helped to fill plastic wine cups {from the Dollar Store} with M&Ms, and then decorated these cupcakes with Oreos and M&Ms to look like owls! 

 

 

 

Add a fancy wrapper, place the cupcake in the cup, and voila!

 

We added some crackers on trays as well as pretzel sticks and a couple of cups of extra olives!

 

A yummy lunch was enjoyed by all!

 



 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be Refreshed!

For the Love of Owls!

 

So you may remember that Birthday Celebrations are not my forte!  I wrote about it in my Candy Land Party post, when we were celebrating Sarah's birthday months after its occurrence.  We do have family parties, but I never seem to get around to the friends party, so this Owl Party was a combined 2012 birthday celebration for both Isabelle and Sarah!  I'm certain it's one the girls will always remember!

 

As we were contemplating what type of party to have, the girls finally settled on an owl theme!  {Pretty easy, even for this "party planning challenged" girl!}

 

One of the highlights of the party was the Owl Pal game!

 

Each of the kiddos colored their own Owl Mask {purchased from JoAnns and altered to have owl ears instead of bear ears}!

 

 

Then donning their masks, they listened to the instructions on finding their "pal"...a little felt mouse!

 

Instructions and a template for these sweet things can be found at Skip to My Lou!

We had hidden them all around the house!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each kiddo found a mouse...and then discovered why they were numbered on the bottom!

 

 

Before the party we had made 14 different felt owls...using this amazing pattern by Snowy Bliss! Then we had them in bags with coordinating tags to the numbers on the mice!

As each kiddo opened their bag, they discovered their own owl to adopt and name! Each owl came with a poem to describe their personality and an adoption certificate! {Remember Cabbage Patch Kids...I think what made them so special was the Adoption Certificate that came with them!}

 

Here are a few of the owls we made!

 

 

 

The kiddos were awesome...after the Reveal Ceremony, they all took the opportunity to trade for the owl they preferred!  Each one was very gracious!

 

 

Ok, that's just the beginning! 

 

Zion and I are off to Children's Hospital today for a recheck on his kidneys!  We would appreciate your prayers!

 

Check back for more Owl Party details!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be Refreshed!

 

 

 

 

 

A Sneak Peek into Our Week...

You won't be seeing much of us this week...

 

We are busy preparing!

 

Here are just a few pictures to peak your interest...

 

 

 

 

 

Come back Friday for a more complete reveal and then next week for some more "eye candy" with tutorials!

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be Refreshed!

DIY Seed Pots {Tutorial}

The last few days have given us some signs of spring! The daffodils are beginning to bloom! The chives are beginning to pop up through the leaves in the garden.  Pinterest boards are popping with spring fashion ideas!

 

 

These little signs always give me an itch to dig in the dirt, and my radar for early planting sounds its alarm!

 

This year, my goal is to utilize more of my yard for edible plants, and hopefully still maintain some beauty! 

{I'm really an aesthetic gardener at heart!}

 

My idea is to plant 18 tomato plants along the inside of the picket fence that dresses up our front yard.  Hopefully the pickets will maintain the charm all while supporting the tomato vines! 

{Not to mention this is where we get the most sunshine!}

 

 

Typically I run to the garden store and purchase starts for all of the plants I want in my garden.  This year, in an effort to stick to our new budget, I am getting more creative in starting from seed and spending a minimal amount on supplies!

 

 

Here is a tutorial for free DIY Seed Pots!

 

 

 

Gather your supplies:

 

*Can with both ends cut off

* Stack of newspapers {mine are donated from my neighbor}

 

 

Next, cut your newspaper into strips and roll using your can.  You will want to leave about 2" at the end to fold into the end of the can, which makes the bottom of your seed pot.

 

 

Once you have folded the paper into the bottom, set the can upright and press down on the paper to make it flat. 

{Am I making sense?}

 

The can should slip out at this point!

 

 

Fold over the tops about 1/2"-1" in order to hold everything in place!  And voila...free seed pots in very little time!

 

 

Fill those babies with some planting soil, add your seeds, water, and place in a sunny window!

 

 

This post brought to you by my happy helpers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be Refreshed!

Our Kitchen Reveal {Before and After}

Just over a year ago we embarked on a major change in our home...

 

 

 

The Kitchen {before}

 

 

 

 

 

and after! 

 

My handy husband did all of the work himself, except for the hardwood floors!!!

 

 

Those are the original cabinets that he sanded, bonded and painted!

 

 

My favorite part of the kitchen is the sink!!!

 

I had always dreamed of having a farmhouse style sink, but if you've ever shopped around for one, you know they come with a VERY high price tag {in the 1000's}!

 

One day we were walking through IKEA, and we found this one for $300!!!

 

Of course, being from IKEA it is made for IKEA cabinets, but Mr. Handyman was able to cut and create different supports to make it work in our standard cabinetry! 

 

I love, love, love this sink...Claire can even take a bath in it!

 

 

The next HUGE blessing in this project is our stove! 

 

 We had a 15-20 year old stove that really had seen better days!  One day I was perusing Craigslist, and came across a stainless stove that sounded perfect.  But, we really did not have the budget for it, and I was tempted to just make it work! 

 

Following a prompting of the Holy Spirit, I chose to wait!  Would you believe two days later, my friend Megan posted this on Facebook?  {Free!!!  Just come take it!!!}  This stove is incredible...it even dehydrates down to 104 degrees...low enough to still be considered "raw" for you health lovers!  Not to mention the numerous other features it has! {Thank you Miss Megan!}

 

 

This is a view from the living room...if you look at the "before" picture above, you can see that we gained a ton of space by removing the wall that was between the dining room and kitchen!

 

This table {which we also found on Craigslist} expands to 104"!!  Enough to seat all of us plus in-laws and grand babies!!!

 

 

 

 

This is the other side of the dining room...here is where the piano sits. {My husband and his siblings learned to play on this piano ~ now my children do!}

 

 

Eventually we would like to build a window seat that expands the whole length of the wall under the window to the counter. And, we do need to add some blinds before summer comes and the sun is beating in those windows!!! And, yes, we do intend to redo those chairs on the ends...all in good time!

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be Refreshed!