Easy Homemade Pickles

I love a good, cold, crispy pickle!
These homemade pickles do not disappoint.
Go try them.
They will easily become your new favorite! :)

Homemade pickle recipe

Simple October Craft Workshop

Saturday, I had the pleasure of crafting with some amazing ladies at the Simple October Craft Workshop! I love being able to share an afternoon making pretty things with new and old friends.

Popcorn, mini vanilla cupcakes, and cake batter sprinkle cookies....yum!

We had some amazing swag from a few of my favorite shops...Creative Carmella,
The Big Red Heart, and Hey Emily Thomas. Each item was so special and I am so thankful for our sponsors!

Door prizes are so fun. We had mini note cards and a cup cozy/coaster set from my shop, Simple October, as well as, a sweet coffee print from Hey Emily Thomas. This photo doesn't do Emily's print justice at all. It's so gorgeous, I had a hard time parting with it!

And...that's a wrap! The Simple October Craft Workshop 2015 was such a good one!

Simple October Craft Workshop . May 23 . Registration

We are so excited to announce the next Simple October Craft Workshop!

 

Join us for an afternoon of crafting and fun!

Saturday, May 23, 2015

 

Where: Fellowship Hall at First Assembly of God, 3111 St. Johns Ave. Palatka, FL 32177

 

Time: 3 -5pm

Cost: $25 per ticket

Workshop space is limited, so call your friends and register for your ticket today.*

 

Each attendee will make 3 different projects to take home.

 

PROJECTS:

 

1.Mini Tassel Garland - We'll create a mini tassel garland using tissue paper with a variety of colors available. These garlands look great hanging from a fireplace mantel, in a nursery or kids room, or to add some fun to a party.

 

2. Embellished Gift Bag - It's always fun to give gifts and adding some extra special touches to the gift bag makes it that much sweeter. I'll show you how to craft a paper flower and add some extra charm to your next gift.

 

3. Painted Wood Bead Key Chain - Solid wood beads will become the cutest little key chain when you paint them with your favorite colors.

 

It wouldn't be a party without something sweet to eat! Treats and drinks are provided!

 

 

*To register for your ticket, please fill out our registration form. Thanks!

 

Sorry, due to the nature of this workshop we are unable to offer refunds.

 

 

I can't wait to see you there!

xoxo Emily



Pinwheels & Good Intentions

Hello, my gorgeous friends!

You know, I started the year thinking I would be able to keep up with blogging more. The momentum that comes with a new year was sweeping my best intentions up in a whirlwind of possibilities. I had grand plans to dedicate more time to this space, but the reality is most of the time it means I have to give up time somewhere else.
Right now, my youngest is still a baby.
I'm homeschooling the twins.
Trying to run a handmade shop & scrambling to keep up because time is literally whizzing by.
So, my friends, please forgive me for all my previous promises to blog more. I promise not to make those promises anymore. ;)

I will, however, post when I can gather my thoughts together enough to blog. And as luck would have it, I have some thoughts to share today. (I'm also typing one handed since I have a clingy, sick, 16 month old. Poor baby.)

This project started with the fabric pinwheels that I'm obsessed with making these days. I seriously can't get enough of them.
Then a few weeks ago, I bought some fantastic gold spray paint. Because I obviously need more spray paint in my life.
Spaghetti is on our menu regularly....which means I have a collection of spaghetti sauce jars.

Gold spray paint + spaghetti sauce jar lids = AWESOME

I had a vision now....jars with gold lids and fabric pinwheels tied to the outside...oh, my stars!

Of course, you already knew that I would have to fill these jars with some extra treats. I mean, how could I not.

I love how they turned out! I made these to give away as Easter gifts but they could be made up for any occasion. Versatility wins!

Thanks for visiting!
xoxo Emily

Fake Lasagna

Feeding people is part of my love language.

I get deep satisfaction from cooking food for the people I care about and it's one of my favorite ways to help a family with a newborn.
Each time I've come home from having a baby(ies) cooking a meal is not my main priority. But you still have to eat so, being able to lift that stress off of a new mom, even if it's just for one meal, equals a less stress gift.

This fake lasagna recipe was one that my mom got from her sister and it's a meal we make regularly in our home, new baby or not. It's quick, easy to put together, and it's just different enough from traditional lasagna to be a nice change.

Fake Lasagna

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
16 oz. egg noodles, cooked (my favorite to use are the No Yoke dumpling noodles)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. sour cream
jar of spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb. ground beef

- Cook the noodles and drain.

- Cook the ground beef over medium heat until fully cooked.

- Add spaghetti sauce to meat and warm, remove from stove top.

- Stir together cream cheese, sour cream, and cooked noodles.

- Pour all of the noodle mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese.
Pour all of the spaghetti sauce on top of cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.

Enjoy with a salad and garlic bread!

My Liam a couple weeks old. Now he's 13.5 months and I'm missing this infant phase.

Housewarming Gift

While getting ready to write this post I noticed that, like the Hostess Gift I shared last week, this gift was also for my sister and her husband. They had a big year in 2014. Lots to celebrate, including a move into a new home.

 

 

This was a very simple gift to pull together and can be adapted for any budget or style. For instance, I made the fabric bin and monogrammed the towel with come fabric however, you could just as easily purchase a basket and decorated dish towel. Hobby Lobby and Michaels sell some cute containers and baskets at great prices. Use one of their store coupons or purchase during their weekly sales and they are even more budget friendly.

 

My sister told me a month or so before this that she wanted some of these lids and straws to use on her new porch. I wanted to make sure she had the jars to use the lids with so, I included Mason jars with them. These will be nice for sipping iced tea on their porch this summer.

I also included some recipe cards and soy wax melts from the always wonderful, Grace from

Grace Note Candle Co. Her wax melts are amazing!

 

I tucked all the goodies inside the chevron container with a little tissue paper. Tied a ribbon around the front and clipped a couple tags I already had with a note. Easy and simple. Budget friendly and thoughtful.

 

Thoughtfulness goes a long way! So, if you are worried that you don't have it all together or feel like you have to give something big to mean something, just remember that it's what's from your heart that truly matters.

 

three good things

One of my goals for this space, during 2015, includes blogging more regularly. I'm sure this will be trial and error, but I'm going to aim for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This seems like a realistic place for me to start and I'm excited for this little space of mine.

This year I'm also going to give myself more writing prompts to get my thoughts down. Share more of my favorite things, people, blogs, websites, handmade shops, etc. And the crafts and projects I put together.
In sharing with you my favorites from the week, I give you "three good things".

Photo by me. Apple Coffee Cake from The Faux Martha. Link below.

1. I stumbled across The Faux Martha a month or so ago and I love seeing her photos pop up in my Instagram feed. She has some amazing recipes that are on my radar to make soon. Like these pumpkin scones and this apple coffee cake, my mom and I made yesterday. Oh, my! Soooo GOOD!


2. Momastery Blog. I've recently rediscovered Glennon Doyle Melton and her words resonate with me so much. I can't get enough. This post made me laugh. This one made me happy cry. Community means so much. Her book, Carry on Warrior, is on my must read list.


3. My mom gifted me this book, Dinner: A love story, for Christmas and I am so enjoying it. We already made the Black Bean Burritos recipe and they were incredible. I've been dreaming about having them again. Maybe next week. You can find their blog here. You'll thank me later.

Hostess Gift - Coffee

Oh, January! You are so good already. 2015 looks like it's going to be a great year for the Kinsauls.

Alright, so I meant to share this before Christmas but never did. I will probably be blogging a few other things that I didn't get to last year and the seasons might be a little off but I'm okay with that. I hope you stick around to see what's going on over here in my little corner of the world. I have some big plans for this year and I would love to have you join me on this journey.

Giving gifts are a passion of mine. I love to see how the thoughtfulness of a gift makes the recipient smile and know they are loved. So, with that thought, I hope to blog more about some of the different gifts I give throughout the year and a few that if put together last year. I always like reading what other's give for gifts and hope you are inspired to bless someone in your life.

My sister and brother-in-law hosted Liam's 1st birthday party in their home and I wanted to do something nice to say thank you. They are both coffee (and hot cocoa) drinkers so, I started simple with a Starbucks gift card. Then I tucked it in a red berry basket (I found mine at Michaels.) along with a bottle of Torani Salted Caramel Syrup, and a mini bottle brush Christmas tree.

Using a strip of red and white checkered fabric I already had, I tied it all up with a bow. Then I added a little personalized tag and a note of thanks and called it good. Until I remembered the sweet printable I purchased from the ever wonderful, Hannah of Wifey Singer Prints.

 It was the perfect addition to my gift. I clipped it to a clip board that I picked up from Walmart and included it with the berry basket of goods.
Simple. Thoughtful. Sweet. These are a few of my favorite things. :)

Do you have any tried and true gifts that you love to give? I'd love to know what your favorites are.

Goodbye 2014 - Hello 2015

Coming to the end of twenty fourteen kind of feels like "thank, God, I made it".
You might not believe me when I say this has been the hardest year of my adult life.
When you see my posts here and there on Facebook and Instagram they are mostly positive or about good things but remember that internet lives are not the whole story. My thoughts about this may change someday but right now I'm alright with only showing mostly good things through social media. However, I would be lying if I said there weren't times I wished I could share the hard. I haven't shared as much because I'm truly afraid that if I start it will be hard to stop. Or it will only look like I'm complaining. Which I probably would be. I don't keep the hard to myself to make it seem like my life is perfect but rather to avoid extra damage to my already too sensitive heart.
So, with these thoughts I'll just say that this year was not what I expected it to be....it was so, so hard.
When the new year started it felt full of possibilities and I was blissfully happy with my three week old baby, my twins, and my husband. Circumstances can change so much. And I've let my circumstances steal my joy, my life, and my hope. Too many times my heart has felt tortured and lifeless. I've let my mind stay in a place that's unforgiving of self and let it wreck my self esteem to some extent. I wish I could say that I've found a way out of the dark hole I've let myself sink to but I don't think I'm there yet. Filling myself with good. Reading things that uplift. Prayer. Yet, I remain here in this place. A place of hopelessness.
And yet, even in all of this hopelessness I know somewhere inside of me that there is hope. It's a constant battle within myself between knowing the truth and feeling desperate anyway. So much about my life has not turned out the way I thought it would. Most things are for the better. Some things feel like "what happened? how did I get here? Seriously, what happened?" I have said for years that I never wanted to come back to this town to live and yet here I am. Here we are. Don't get me wrong, I love that we are so close to family now. That part has been nice. However, even with that I haven't felt this alone in a long time. Even the short time we lived in Houston and I knew no one, I still didn't feel alone like this. Being back though, my husband doesn't seem to need me as much, my kids have other people (this is good though), and I am left feeling unneeded and without my best friend.  All the tears cried. Time wasted. Life not lived. Twenty fourteen, I have never been so happy to see you go.
I know that a new year is not the answer. It doesn't fix anything. Time is just moving onward.
Yet, I feel sparks of hope again with the prospect of the new year. And that is something.

So, in all my rambling thoughts there is this one thought that I shared all of this to get to. I'm tired. I feel like the new year is bringing some kind of rest. Bringing some peace. Bringing hope. I am looking forward to working towards some goals. Like reading more, making sure I get enough sleep, taking better care of myself, both physically and mentally. This is my last year in my twenties and I know time will go on after I turn thirty but it's hard to embrace the inevitable while feeling like you haven't accomplished all that you wanted to during the last decade. My resolve for this year is to make it one of my best. To work towards my better life, to be brave, to find my hope again, to see the awesome in my life again.

I am so ready for this year. A seemingly fresh start. My 29th year.

Hugs to you, friends, and cheers to a bright new year ahead! Hello 2015!

Liam is ONE!

Oh, my gosh! This year has flown by and I think I might be a little in denial about my baby being one year old.
I mean, I've always been one of those people who just can't seem to understand how her kids are this age and that age, but this has seriously been a fast year. And honestly, I'm not complaining because it means we are that much closer to our goals and things like that, I guess, but the entire year has felt like a blur. I feel like I'm always so busy and I don't document as much of our story(ies) as I used to. Maybe a goal for the next year?!

However this year has come about, the fact remains that my boy is ONE!
ONE year old!

We celebrated his actual birthday with some new to him things like trays of Cheerios, cow's milk in his sippy, and finally getting outside to swing in his (new to us) swing. I think he had a pretty great day.

The weekend after his actual birth date, we celebrated a little more by having a party with our families.
My original theme for the party was Cows and turning one however there weren't too many cow related things other than the framed photo, by Meg Duerksen, I propped on the table and the black and white colors.
I have to say though, that I really love how it all turned out. Everything was easy and uncomplicated.
That's my favorite these days, uncomplicated.

Being about to celebrate with our families had to be the best thing of all. The twins first birthday was our last one together when we lived here before so, it was long overdue.

My sister, Holly, and brother-in-law, Kyle, graciously opened their home to us for the party venue. We are so grateful to them for being so wonderful during this transitional phase in our lives. Their home was a lovely backdrop for our photos and party décor. Thank you both!

 

 

 

These two photos were my favorite from Liam opening his gifts because his brothers wanted in on the action. Liam loved that they were right there with him and I loved that they wanted to be apart of the whole process. They have grown so much and seeing their development has been a definite highlight from this year.

He was so serious about this cupcake, and the singing, and all the attention. Oh, my gosh...cute!

Night and day from the twins' first birthday. This boy loved his cupcake. I had no idea how fun this is to watch. Feeling thankful that I was able to experience this with him.

And just like that my baby is one. Happy Birthday, Liam Bennett! You are sunshine and goodness and I love you so.

A few details about his party décor and food.

I free hand cut the letters out of black paper for the "Liam is ONE" banner and strung them up on some grey yarn. The white half circle bunting was made by folding over coffee filters onto grey yarn. My sister and I taped the ends of the coffee filters so they wouldn't fall off. Both were quick and easy to make and I love what they added to the décor.

Table cloth is 2.5 yards of black and white checkered fabric.

Dinner:
Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, I used this recipe but changed the dressing part to water.
Homemade Mac & Cheese
My mom made the baked beans and homemade coleslaw (not pictured)
Bags of potato chips

Dessert:
Homemade vanilla, vanilla cupcakes. This is my go-to recipe for vanilla cake but my frosting is a little different. However, I can't seem to find a link to it so, if you're interested, I'll add it later.

We also had an ice cream sundae bar with sprinkles, homemade buttery caramel sauce (I've made it before here but can't seem to find a link to the recipe. I'll try to blog it soon because it's seriously so good), candy, gummy bears, whipped topping, and cherries.

If you have any questions about the party that I didn't cover, just leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them soon. Thanks for reading!

Merry (Belated) Christmas

 

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With lots of love from,

The Kinsauls

David. Emily. Brett. Favre. & Liam.

 

 



Simple October Workshop - Chrismas Edition Sponsors - GIVEAWAY

Remember the Christmas workshop I hosted in November? Well, we had some seriously great sponsors send swag for each of the ladies that attended and I am long over due with praising them here on the old blog.

I wish I could send each of you a pretty little package with all these gorgeous products. (See below for a chance to snag a few of these goodies.)
These handmade shops are some favorites of mine. You will not regret following these ladies either. The creative inspiration they give is priceless.

1. Give with Joy

Aneta, from Give with Joy, sent each of our ladies these adorable "Merry and Bright" cards. The color and style are perfect. She was such a joy to work too. I love all the sweet hand lettered and digital items in her shop. Go check out her Give with Joy shop here. You can also follow her on Instagram and the Give with Joy blog. Thank you, Aneta for being such a blessing!


2.The Salvage Sign

I love seeing all the new signs that Danielle from The Salvage Sign makes. They are amazing! Danielle sent us this awesome "Dream Big" hand painted sign to give away for one of our door prizes. You can keep up with all her DIY projects on her blog, Two Little Superheroes , on Instagram @littlesuperheroes , and on Facebook here. Thank you, Danielle, for sending us one of your awesome signs.


3. Hazel Berry Paper

These lovelies are from the amazing Jillian from Hazel Berry Paper. She spoiled our attendees with her darling and witty cards. And these colors....oh, my! Check out her Etsy shop, Hazel Berry Paper. You can also follow her on Instagram @jilliandolberry, on Facebook, and her blog for updates and inspiration. Jillian, thank you for sharing your talents with our attendees.

4. Thatch and Thistle

We are big fans of the beautiful products from Thatch and Thistle. Brynne is always such a joy to work with. She sent these darling heart stickers seals from her shop. Go snag some goodies for yourself at Thatch & Thistle Supply Co. You can also follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
Thank you, Brynne for spoiling our attendees!

Photo credit: Susanne Sutton

The mini JOY banner was from my shop, Simple October.

This workshop was a blast and our sponsors made it that much better!
Thank you again, to all our sponsors, for spoiling our attendees with your beautiful products!


GIVEAWAY!!! CLOSED
We had a couple extra swag items from our event and I would love to send one to YOU!
To enter, simply comment below with your favorite Christmas tradition. That's it!
I'll randomly select two (2) names from the comments below and send you each some extra sweet goodies. Giveaway closes tomorrow (Thursday, December 18th) at 9 pm EST.
Thank you!

Edited:
Our randomly selected winners from the comments below are Nicole Hess and Deana Sutherland.
Congrats, ladies! Send me an email with your mailing address and I'll get these goodies on their way to you. Thank you to everyone who commented! I loved reading all the traditions.

Simple October Workshop - Christmas Edition

We had the best time crafting at the Simple October Workshop.
These nights are filled with good conversation, growing friendships, crafting pretty things, treats and coffee.
Some of my most favorite handmade shops sent some goodies for the ladies that attended. Each one unique and so very talented. I'll be posting all the details about them soon.

We crafted festive felt banners, faux Christmas tree snow globes, hand stamped muslin bags, and creative paper gift tags. Seeing all these creative ladies bring their own style into each one of their crafted items is my favorite. I am so sad that I didn't get a photo of all the finished projects together this time. They were all amazing!

Vintage trucks with tiny Christmas trees and sprigs of evergreen decorated little parts here and there. Oh, my heart!
Thanks to my mom for trucks. They are all from her and are so cute. I'm sure some of them were my dad's when he was little.

One of my sisters made the chocolate layered bars and my mom made thin twice baked potatoes and spinach artichoke dip. I only made the white chocolate peppermint tarts but everything was delicious!

 

One of my sisters hand cut each one of the paper snowflakes that were hanging from the ceiling. They made the room feel magical with the twinkle lights. Also, I have to mention that my brother in law, Kyle, helped us so much by hanging everything from the ceiling. We would not have made it without him.

And seriously, I would have been so over my head with trying to get everything done without help from my mom, sister, brother in law, and my husband for watching our twins the entire day. Liam still stays with me and he was such a trooper hanging out with us while we worked.

I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Thanks to all who came, you are such a blessing to me and your support is immeasurable. Thank you!
You can see more photos from the night on Instagram using the hashtag #simpleoctoberholiday