The Evening Meal

Evening falls and the lights are on in the kitchen as I prepare the final meal of the day.  With my beloved feeling a bit under the weather, a steaming pot of homemade chicken noodle soup seems in order.

 I slice the carrots and celery, season and simmer the chicken broth and stir in the egg noodles as it comes to a boil on the stovetop.  The finishing touch is the tender chunks of chicken breast.  And the aroma is heavenly!  Soon our stomachs are filled with delicious sustenance.  

After this simple meal, I return to the kitchen to clean and put things away.  The blue bowls sparkle again; the heavy saucepan drains by the sink.  My eyes scan the counter tops and find stark beauty in the curved faucet and the stacked dishes on the open shelf.  My wedding ring sits on the window sill above the sink beside my favorite essential oil.  

Even the chippy striped cup that holds the scrub brush and dishwashing wand looks graceful in its functionality.  

Some might say that washing the dishes by hand is old fashioned.  But, it is a part of the process for me.  These tasks - preparing a meal and cleaning up after - are as rewarding to me as the food that is prepared.  These tasks are the way I tend to our home, the way I show love.  They feed my soul. 

Have you looked around and found beauty in the everyday, the ordinary?  It surrounds us - art hidden in plain sight.  It makes the way easier and life more abundant. 

Stop and see.....

Vintage Trucks & Angel Art

As September unfurls before us, I've been making some little changes around the cottage.  Our "look" or "style" is still evolving and my goal has been to eliminate clutter and fluff and only have pieces in our home that I truly love. This quote from William Morris pretty much sums it up for me - 

With this in mind, I have added a couple of pieces that I truly LOVE!  

The first is this print from Round Top Collection, painted by Texas artist, Roxanne Spradlin.  Now, I love every element of this piece of art - the blue vintage truck, the pumpkins, the barn.  And it is cutely edged with galvanized tin, making it so unique.  When I came across this, I ordered it right away and I really believe it will stay out past the current season.  Something about it just speaks right to my heart and pulls me into another world of days gone by. 

You can browse other pieces by Roxanne Spradlin and other artists at the Round Top Collection Gallery.  

The second piece of art I am crushing on is this beautiful angel painting by Lisa McReynolds, part of the "American Artists Curated for Kirkland's" line. I have been admiring angel and angel wing art for some time, so when I came across this, I put everything else in my arms back on the shelf and walked out with this one single item on my last Kirkland's visit.  I find myself just sitting and gazing at this on the living room wall, feeling peace and calm envelope me. 

You can check out more of this amazing artist's work at Kirkland's.

Neither one of these pieces cost more than $30, which just goes to prove to that you can find décor you love on a budget.  Their true value is in the warmth and welcome they provide and the way they make you feel in your own space.

Thank you for letting me share this little snippet of our home with you on our visit today.  If you were here, we would sit and sip a cup of coffee and talk about all our plans for pumpkin shopping and Fall decorating!  But, since you're not, please leave a comment and let me know you stopped by.  Or visit me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I'll look for you there!

Feathering the Nest

Three day weekends are a good thing.....a very good thing.  

And the changing of the seasons, Summer into Autumn, is also a very good thing.  There is already a different slant to the afternoon sun.  Mornings are refreshingly cooler and the evenings arrive a little earlier with each passing day.  Over the next few weeks we will be tumbling head first into Fall....and I wait with eager anticipation.  Even the summerlike afternoon heat this weekend couldn't dampen my autumnal spirit.  I dug around in the plastic bins in the storage building out back and brought in my first layer of seasonal décor....

I am craving a simpler, more natural look in our home this year.  Much less "stuff" made the cut and the results are exactly as I had hoped.  I am still tweaking as we live with it, but I will be sharing little snippets as the season progresses.  

As with most creatures, my urge to feather our nest grows very strong at this time of year.  Simple tasks like cleaning, laundry, even preparing a meal, take on an almost spiritual reverence in my role as homemaker.  Creating an atmosphere of comfort, warmth and welcome becomes the top priority.  Soon the season of snuggling will be upon us!  So, nest on, dear friends, nest on!!!

Introducing the Newest Member of the Family

I could not be more proud to announce the newest addition to our family! 

Youngest son, Sam, and his sweet wife, Savanna, welcomed Kenneth Grant Butler to the world on the morning of July 27th.  Weighing in at 6 pounds 14 ounces and
measuring 20-1/2 inches long, he is a perfect little bundle of pure joy.

He came about three weeks early because his momma was having some health issues.  But, the delivery was smooth and everyone is well and healthy now! 

It's difficult to put into words the crazy assortment of emotions I felt upon seeing my youngest hold a child of his own for the first time.  Let's just say my cup runneth over! 

Procrastinating on a Project

Sitting here, listening to the thunder and the pounding rain against the windows and wishing I had made good on my plans to clean out my closet today.

You see, I've been contemplating emptying my closet for months.  And I mean empty it completely!  Then reload with way fewer items.  Some call it a capsule wardrobe - that is a pretty popular term these days.  Others might say it a 'minimalist approach' to dressing.  Either way, it is something that has been wiggling around in my mind for some time. 

And yet, I continue to put the project off.  Why the blazes is that?  It's definitely something I want to do - downsize and simplify my wardrobe! 

The main reason is the sheer size of the project.  It is daunting, to say the least.  Perhaps even overwhelming.  I know it is probably going to take several hours and create a huge mess if I do it properly.  So, I start thinking about the process and begin to lose sight of the end result - which is a simpler wardrobe and less time focused on deciding what to wear each day. 

Even though I busted my rear getting most of the regular weekend chores done yesterday so I could work on the closet today, I still managed to piddle around and avoid getting started. 

Shame on me!  Seriously, now that it is nearly supper time, I find myself still sitting on the sofa, watching Netflix with the hubs and listening to the rain. 

I guess I am just not quite ready, or motivated, to get off my butt and get the job done.  Or, maybe I just needed the downtime today.  Whichever, I still feel a bit of disappointment with myself for not just jumping in feet first. 

Do you ever plan a project and find yourself procrastinating like this?  Please, oh please, tell me I am not the only one.

Super Bowl Sunday - What's for Supper!?!?!?

One of our favorite things to do when there's a big game on TV is make up a variety of "finger foods" to snack on during the evening.  Tonight's Super Bowl was no different and we went for some of our favorites - buffalo wings, sausage balls, pigs-in-a-blanket, and, of course, one of our old standbys,  this yummy spinach dip.

It's a tradition to have this creamy dip at least once during the holidays, but we rarely have it during the year.  So, it's a real treat!  It's delicious and rich; and the basic recipe makes a ton - we snack on it for days!  My favorite way to enjoy it - scoop it up with "hint of salt" wheat thins crackers. 

Yum yum!!!

Most of you probably have this recipe down by memory.  But, in case you haven't tried it, I'm sharing it below.

Spinach Dip

16 ounce container of sour cream

1 cup mayo

3-4 finely diced green onions

1 small can water chestnuts, diced

1 small package frozen chopped spinach

1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix (or spring vegetable soup mix - they both work great!)

Thaw spinach, squeeze and pat with paper towels to remove excess moisture.  In a medium size bowl, mix sour cream and mayo together.  Stir in vegetable soup mix, chopped water chestnuts and onion, mixing well.  Finally, add spinach, stirring well with fork to break it up and evenly distribute it throughout the dip. 

Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving with snack crackers of your choice. 

Now, to enjoy the last two minutes of the Super Bowl.  Looks like it's going to come down to the wire - great game!!!

Good Night, Moon!!!

Friday, the 13th.  Are you superstitious?  I'm not - but, it always makes me do a little double take to see a Friday, the 13th roll around on the calendar.

All in all, though, it was a pretty normal day....and a Friday, to boot.  There is no other feeling quite like finishing up a week at work and settling in at home on Friday evening - wallowing in the pleasure of knowing I don't have to get up for work in the morning.  It makes me want to snuggle on the sofa and stay up late.  Only problem is - I am generally too worn out from work to stay up late!  

There was the most fabulous full moon this week!  Did you see it?  Thank goodness it was a clear evening when it began its ascent in the eastern sky - a huge ball of molten silver.  The light it shed during the night was fiercely gentle, filtering through the woven blinds when we retired to bed and turned out the lamps.  When I awoke the next morning and took Pepper outside, it was still hanging out in the west.  Although it was beginning to settle down into the branches of the bare mesquite tree out front, and a haze had settled around it, it was magical.  Such beauty. 

It nearly took my breath away.

Just that few moments gazing at the setting moon helped to kickstart my day in a joyful way.  Such beauty is so often right under our noses - or maybe just above our heads.  We need only to stop and look, take it in, soak it up, revel in it. 

Breathe deeply....and keep it simple. 

Jane

WELCOME BACK - I've Got Something To Say...

Welcome, 2017!!!

And welcome back to all my Family & Friends at Janie's Porch!!!

I hope all of you had a peaceful and blessed Christmas.  Ours was lovely, even though I don't have a lot of photos to show for it.  You see, my main goal this year was to focus on just living it, get so caught up in the moments that I didn't even think of grabbing a camera and trying to document much of it.  And I was pretty successful at that, too....as is evidenced by my lack of Christmas posts and photos here on the blog.  I did, however, manage to get a few shots of décor and such shared on Instagram and Facebook.  (It is so much easier to share little everyday snippets on those "faster" platforms.  Hint, hint....)  For example, here is a shot of our Christmas tree this year - one of my all time favorites! 

With the start of a new year, I have been stealing away bits of time, here and there, to reflect on what is important.  As always, the question comes to mind, "Do I want to continue to blog?" 

Since I started this blog back in 2009, "blogging" has truly evolved and become something so different.  With the development of other social platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, it has become a lot easier to share thoughts in a brief, immediate fashion.  Let's face it - it is sometimes challenging to find the time to sit down and write a full length blog post.  From what I see, it is much the same for many others. 

Some bloggers have gone to monetized or commercialized platforms.  What was once a labor of love for amateurs is now a burgeoning business and successful blogs are often filled with pop-up ads and links that make it difficult to actually read or navigate through posts.  Honestly, everything has gotten so slick, glossy and perfect.  It is getting more and more rare to come across a good old grassroots, homegrown kind of blog.  And that frustrates me.

There is nothing wrong with an attractive, well laid out and visually pleasing blog.  But, when the same ideas and styles are shared over and over, it gets hard to distinguish one blog from the next.  (And I know you know exactly what I am talking about.....so, don't sit there and shake your head.)

Mostly, I am making the point that I have not the time or the inclination to duplicate so much of what I see out in "blogland".  I am just a working gal who likes to write and take a few photos.  I am not particularly gifted at either, but I feel like I do have my moments. 

I also like to share my thoughts on this or that from time to time.  I love our little cottage and like showing you our home, sharing a tried and true recipe, or even reminiscing about childhood memories or a meaningful family tradition. 

In recent months, I have come to embrace the idea of SIMPLICITY more and more.  Whether it is in our home and furnishings, wardrobe, or day to day lifestyle, "simplicity" is becoming the key word by which much is measured. 

With that in mind, I have begun the shift in both this blog and my other social media outlets towards finding simplicity.  I love sitting here at the keyboard and organizing my thoughts, seeking and finding the right words to get those thoughts down in a way that will mean something not only to me, but to the one who might stumble across and read them. 

I don't expect to get a lot of readers - mostly my husband, my dad, maybe the kids and a few friends who like to keep up.  That is fine.  It's mostly for me anyway - a creative outlet and something I can look back on and feel a sense of accomplishment. 

As I have said many times before, I would love to keep up with everyone on Facebook and Instagram.  I find it so much easier to snap a photo or pop a quick post over there on a regular basis.  It is also a lot easier to interact on those platforms, so I can get to know everyone better.  Here are the links to follow along -

FACEBOOK - Janie's Porch

INSTAGRAM - Janie's Porch

In the meantime, I hope you will still visit the original blog here.  I will still be posting because, like most things in life, Janie's Porch is still evolving.  I can promise you this, though - you will never get a pop up ad over here!

See you soon!