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Screen Door Frame

AHHHHHH, Summer is HERE! YES!YES!YES! We have been having so much fun. A ride-along last night with my hubby was an unexpected adventure to say the LEAST! He is my knight in shining armor! I have a deep appreciation for those firefighters who are willing to put their lives on the line at any given second!

Caleb is in Alaska and our home has been bustling with our daughter's friends that are so much fun to be with. Let's see, this morning they made pancakes for us, Lauriss washed her daddy's car and then we had the most delightful water fight! I finally got Lauriss when she least expected it...and she got me right back when I least expected it...IN THE HOUSE!





All that to say...don't you love summer? It is the light breeze in the trees, the warm deck wood on bare feet, the smell of dirt that has been watered to keep the plants happy and the fountain filled to the brim with fresh water for the little birdies who adore their morning bath!

Not sure why I love screen doors, but I do! Not the metal ones, but the old wood ones that creeeek and squeak! Maybe I watched too many episodes of the Waltons...but I always imagine my hubby and I in the South sippin' on lemonade...late into the night out on a moonlit porch...taking in the last bit of a long day. We would kiss goodnight...open the screen door and let it close behind us...only to do it all over again the next night!!! BUT, since there is something called reality I decided to make a frame so we can be reminded of a dream that might just be a reality one day! If not here, I am pretty sure there will be squeaky screen doors in heaven and lemonade!

how to...make a screen door frame: {an old Mary Engelbreit craft idea}

Materials:

a frame

two knobs...I used flat bottomed glass knobs

two screw eyes

a staple gun

a glue gun

screen mesh material {This is going under "frugal" because I got the mesh for $2 from Home Depot because it had been opened! YAY!}

embellishments...sea shells, clothespins, ribbons, wire etc...

Directions:



1. Remove glass and metal flaps {that keep glass in place} from frame.




2. Paint your frame



3. After paint is dry...be patient!!! you will want to staple screen mesh to the back of your frame.



4. Then you will want to embellish. Screw in the screw eye hooky thing-a-ma-jigs and get creative from there. Last but not least: glue gun the glass knobs to the bottom. THAT IS IT!







Shared with: tip junkie, our simple country life, raising homemakers, wow us wednesday, made by you Monday, at the picket fence, tidy mom, not so simple housewife

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Garlic Turkey Lavash Wraps

{photo credit: my bff}



We LOVE having company over and every time our guests leave, I want to do it again!!!

It is not about your house, freshly-vacuumed carpets, dusted shelves, and a well-manicured lawn. It IS about getting together and encouraging one another. Listening with your heart and not being distracted by your list of "to do's". {Like siding that is peeling and a garage door that gets stuck...} It is your chance as a hostess to welcome your friends into your home to make them feel pampered, loved and cared for!

There is a time for inviting friends over for a spur-of-the moment dinner, but there is also a time to have them over for a well-planned, but not overly extravagant meal where the focus isn't the surroundings but the friendship.

Here is a simple picnic for the park or your dining room table!


Menu:

Lavash Wraps {Trader Joe's}

Fruit Salad or grapes on the vine with freshly picked strawberries

Kettle Chips {Our Favorite}

A fun sparkly drink...like Trader Joe's Vintage Soda Pop {Thank you, Kim!}

Chocolate chip cookies

Everything can be made ahead...so as to be sure to thoroughly enjoy your company!

So, if you have been thinking about having someone over and you find yourself being too busy, call them, text them, facebook them or whatever other means of communication you might use. Set a date and stick to it. Keep it simple... sandwiches will do just fine and cute napkins always make any meal extra special!

It will be time well spent and I am sure you will want to do it again...sooner than later!

Lavash wraps

Softened cream cheese

Shredded carrots

Avocado

Red leaf romaine, washed, dried and torn into small pieces

Garlic deli turkey , all natural

Sharp Tillamook Cheese, shredded

Directions:

*Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on Lavash bread. Be sure to cover all the nooks and crannies.

*Layer veggies, then the turkey. End with cheese.

*Roll tightly.

*Wrap with a piece of waxed paper.

*Cut sandwich into half.

*Tie a ribbon, string, or twine around the middle.

For a picnic: These can be made in advance. Place prepared wraps in Large gallon size Ziploc bag. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

**Just MAKE SURE the carrots and lettuce have been dried with a paper towel so you don’t end up with soggy wraps and end up ordering SUBWAY for your picnic. {ASK me how I figured that out!}

Best if dipped into a balsamic vinaigrette!

ENJOY!

Shared with: titus 2sday, tip junkie, women living well, raising homemakers, garlic turkey wraps

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"Meet My Friend Monday"...Tam from Art in Flight

My friend, Tam never ceases to amaze me. She is the wife to one sweet guy and momma to two handsome young sons...and there most likely is not anything crafty she couldn't do! She can paint like crazy...and a few years ago she started making the most beautiful and yummy-smelling soaps.

Welcome, Tam, to Simply...this that and the other!

Orange Spice

Rosemary

Lavender

Tomato Leaf

I love to make soap! The whole event is so relaxing. Making soap is like a "timeout" for me. From cleaning and sterilizing the kitchen to get ready for the process to decorating each bar. I love the little paper flowers on the soaps. They seem just right for spring time. The surprise soap scent is tomato leaf. I know I've mentioned it before but once you've taken a sniff you will fall in love. It is a truly fresh and clean smell. EXACTLY like a tomato leaf!

In my next post (on Sunday) I will feature a few more soap scents and I will be having a give-a-way! Come check it out :)

Thank YOU, Tam!

I hope you will visit her blog soon!

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The Hospitality House {and a

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Star Spangled Ice Cream Sandwiches

Do you need a quick dessert for the 4th of July? Here you go! Short and sweet.

1. Favorite brownie recipe or box mix.

2. Bake brownies according to directions.

I baked mine in star molds, but you could make a thin batch and use cookie cutters to cut them out...after they are cooled completely. {Make sure your pan is well-greased so they don't stick! I do NOT need hate mail. :] }

Freeze cooled brownie "cookies".

You will need two stars for each sandwich.

Scoop a small scoop of peppermint ice cream onto first star. Top with a second
star. Sprinkle edges with a bit of crushed peppermint candy {optional}

Place in the freezer until ready to serve.

If you have waxed sandwich bags, you could store them in the bags and place them in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Happy 4th of July to all of YOU!

Shared with: at the picket fence, stone gable, comfy in the kitchen

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Dad's Handkerchief

{written by Laura...my twinsie}

Don’t you just love it when out of the blue you are absolutely reminded of God’s undeniable blessings in your life? We all face difficult seasons in our lives when all we can do is trust God to be faithful, and yet our hearts are spilling over with pain and unanswered questions. There have been many such times in my, but I am truly grateful when God allows me a glimpse back into those times to show me the painful paths that He has lovingly paved with His protection and never-ending faithfulness.


Not long ago, I was going through my suitcases and bags. I had just pulled out some old brochures, a couple of shampoo bottles, and a stray sock. I was ready to put the bag back way when I realized I needed to clean out another inside pocket I had forgotten about. I reached down and found some old gum wrappers when I felt something stuffed way down in the corner. I pulled it out and was instantly taken back to a different time in my life. I had found one of my father’s handkerchief’s that he had given to me years ago. As I held that handkerchief, I was so moved with emotion, I had to sit down as the tears started flooding down my face. What I held in my hand was OH.SO.MUCH.MORE than a handkerchief!! It was what it represented that made it PRICELESS to me!!


I had been raised in Germany as a missionary kid, along with my twin sister and brother. We had been in German schools until fifth grade. After a year-long furlough in the States, our family had decided that my Lisa and I would attend boarding school instead of returning to the German schools. The day arrived for school to begin, and we had to say good bye to our parents and brother. Up until that time, it was me who would be the first to cry. This time it was Lisa. I am sure that my dad pulled out his hanky to wipe away Lisa’s tears as he reassured us of his love for us, and that we would talk soon.


GOD WAS GOOD and carried us through those difficult years of separation, and dad always had comforting words and strong hugs when we were going through difficult times. To be sure, if there were tears to be wiped, he would pull out his handkerchief to wipe way our tears.
The more I thought about that handkerchief, I tried to remember how I ended up with it!! Then, it dawned on me that it was when I was still in college. I had traveled back to Germany to visit my parents. My time there had come to an end, and we were once again saying the all too familiar good-byes. He once again reached up to wipe away the tears, and then most likely gave me the handkerchief to take along on that flight.


How thankful I am for my father that God has given to me. I am even more thankful for my Heavenly Father who loves me and cares for me as only a loving Father can.
At the point my father GAVE me that handkerchief, he was offering me a tangible object of his love for me. So, too, does our Heavenly Father gift us with tangible portions of His love. It can come in varying forms. It may come through the timely words of a loving friend, a sense of peace in the middle of a seemingly hopeless situation, or in a passage of His written Word.


God is creative in His unlimited touches of GRACE! Just as God knew that the perfect extension of my father’s love for me, was through a humble piece of woven cloth, God knows the measure and degree of tangible love that you need to touch your life. It may not be immediate, and it may not be in the shape of a handkerchief, but it definitely will present itself - often when you are least expecting it.
Thank you dad for your lifelong legacy of love, serving others, sacrifice, HUMOR, and TIME!! You are a continual reminder of God’s love for me and to SO MANY OTHERS.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Always love...

Laura




shared with: women living well

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