I grew up "making do." I had an abundance of what seemed to be everything and yet now I know it was a very, very frugal lifestyle and we did so much "making do." I thought about this all morning in the shower, folding clothes, watering plants and then I realized that the life I feel the most comfortable living is a life spent with simple abundance. My parents made do by "recycling" most everything and that was before recycling had a name. Since Momma was a grow your own and preserve it sort of gal, we always had jars of all shapes and sizes sitting on tall shelves in the basement. Well naturally that gene of  hoarding,  saving jars has been passed on to me and I have a entire shelf of  pickle jars, jam jars, olive jars that are all neatly organized on a top shelf in my pantry...and I soak the labels off them too. You do know the longer you live the more you become like your Mother...sorry dea

I am striving to bring back the good old days while keeping life real in my home, heart and Christmas shopping this season. I  grew up in a time period where the Big Box stores were only in the big cities, or not at all and most definitely not on every street corner. Mom and Pop stores were the norm and everyone in the county purchased everything from their clothing to dish soap. These hardworking shop owners not only knew your name, they knew the name of your dog, cow and even how your crops were doing. Sort of sounds like Little House On The Prairie doesn't it? Well in the scheme of things it really wasn't that long ago and it really was my life...a life I long for once again. In fact, I never even went inside a Walmart until I was in college. When I write this, it makes me realize even more how important it is to be to get back to the basics. Oh, I know how convenient one stop shopping is and all that jazz, but seriously how about you and I supporting real shop owners who cr

As the Holidays draw near I am reminded of the many traditions associated with the celebrations of the season. I know each one of you have many that you hold dear to your hearts. One of my favorite traditions began years ago when I was just a young girl at home. My Mother would always give me a keepsake Christmas angel ornament to hang on our Christmas Tree. It was such a special gift to me because I knew how much time and thought had gone into choosing it. The years rolled on and I had children of mine own. Each year I would go to the Hallmark store and choose the perfect ornament for the children. Quite frequently I would give my girls Christmas Angels, just as my mother had given me. For my son I would choose a more whimsical ornament that reminded me of him. I still remember the year he took Spanish, I found the most precious little ceramic boy with a colorful Sombrero. I  have all of those ornaments to this day and I decorate a special

You know I am still working on discovering and implementing ways to living a life that is plain and simple . It just so happened that while  I was at market the other day I overheard two ladies discussing the benefits  and uses of vegetable broth. Well, their conversation got me to thinking about how I should be making my own vegetable broth instead of buying it. I'm pretty sure living with intent and simplicity can begin with vegetable broth too! Vegetable broth can be a little pricey, tasteless and watery,  while homemade is always tastier, richer and of course more economical. I use vegetable broth in so many of my recipes, it adds a robust flavor to stews, gumbos, chowders roasts, rice, quinoa and stir-fry. I have a favorite dutch oven that I use to saute my vegetables in and then I simmer the stock for a few hours to enhance the flavors for a full-bodied and rich vegetable broth. These dutch ovens really do work well, as they don't boil away the moisture. Those heavy pots

Well by now you know me and wreaths. I think we can truly say  that I really do not need a season or a reason to make them! So, when I spied these adorable mini grapevine wreaths I knew that we were a match made in heaven...smiles. So here we go friends an easy Christmas wreath ornament tutorial. First off I would like to welcome you to day 16 of the second year of 31 days of Handmade Christmas Ornaments Blog hop. I am so thrilled to be part of this extraordinary group of bloggers who are inspiring us with Christmas ornaments all through the month of October. You will find links to the other handmade Christmas ornaments at the end of this post. Time from start to finish for Christmas Wreath Ornaments ~under 1 hour. The mess ~minimal The Cost ~under $2.00 per ornament The Supplies ~ 1. Mini Grapevine wreaths (package of 6)  2. Mini embellished wood slice (package of 4) 3. Mini Gold bows (package of 8) 4. Thin Gold metallic cord 5. Scissors 6. Glue Gun 7. Glue Sticks 8. Gold faux stick w