Simplicity by Sabrina

As part of our continuous Valentine's Day date, Travis planned the activity that we would do this year while I planned the dinner. We got to go out last night for dinner, which was great! We stayed out late and had fun together.

When I woke up this morning, this is what I saw...


Normally some wives might be mad at seeing the mess, but I was so happy because I knew what it meant--homemade bread!

Travis told me this week, "To you, the smell of bread is so romantic, so that is what I planned for our Valentine's Day date activity." My man knows me well. Haha.

Bread #1:
English muffins
He woke up early and made homemade English muffins and I have to say, they were PERFECT! They were on the griddle when I came into the kitchen, so I got to see him work his magic when he cooked them.



Travis and I were saying that when you see English muffins in the store, you assume that either a baking master or a machine made them and how can one even attempt to make them look as good at home? But, he definitely did it and they looked and tasted great. We made egg sandwiches and they were very good!


Bread #2:
Ciabatta bread
We have made this recipe before and it is mouth-watering good! Ciabatta bread is always a treat that I spring for when we have some extra grocery money, but since we have learned how to bake it, it is totally cheaper, but just more labor intensive. The starter has to be done the night before and it needs quite a bit of work to knead, but it is a great bread with a nice, oily taste.



Bread #3:
Homemade pizza
For lunch Travis planned on homemade pizza, but he pulled out all the stops. We tried a recipe with feta cheese, prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, sweet peppers, and parmesan. Travis also made the tomato sauce from scratch since we had some extra tomatoes, which was also a treat. Travis says it was the best pizza he has ever tasted. The crust turned out perfectly--not too crunchy and not too chewy.


Bread #4:
Homemade rolls
We have tried a few roll recipes and we have some favorites, but Travis decided to try one more for me and he did most of the work on this one since our baby girl needed some loving and attention this afternoon. It is a french roll that turned out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. We had it as an after dinner snack (because Travis also made a good Jambalaya crock pot dinner). He bought a Fontina cheese to eat with it (we have become lovers of expensive cheese whenever we can get it!) and it tasted really delicious!


I didn't think that I would marry someone who loves to cook and bake this much, but he sure did surprise me this Valentine's Day with some amazing bread!

I can't wait for Valentine's Day so we can finish the third part to our date and one of my favorite Valentine's Day traditions for us! Stay tuned for my last Valentine's Day post :)

I have always told myself that if I ever posted a recipe on a blog that I would ALWAYS post the recipe first because who really wants to scroll through your life story before reading the recipe you posted? Has anyone else ever noticed that recipe blogs have WAY too much commentary before you actually get to the recipe? Well, I decided to change things up, at least on this blog.


I don't know if my mother always baked sugar cookies around Valentine's Day, but I have memories of multiple years of her doing it, so I am calling it a tradition. The part I loved the most about it was she would bake what seemed like a hundred heart-shaped sugar cookies, frost them all pink, and write all of our names on them so you knew that you had cookies just for you. I remember watching her get out the cookie decorating supplies and spell our names onto the cookies. I was always particularly impressed with her ability to fit my long name on cookies. As you can see from my frosting abilities, I do not have cookie decorating gear (maybe one day...), but I am here to say that sometimes simple is best!

Since my mom is known as "Grammie" in our house, I decided to call it Grammie's Sugar Cookies. Also, for some reason my mom has not posted this recipe on her blog, so I decided to do it here.



I especially love this recipe because it is easy! I usually half the recipe because it makes a TON of cookies. I made mostly big hearts and I still got 2-3 dozen out of making just half of the above recipe. I also love that this recipe does not require you to chill the dough. Most sugar cookie recipes say that the validity of the recipe depends on you chilling the dough for at least 2 hours, and in some cases 24. Sometimes we just don't have time for that when we want sugar cookies now! This recipe is perfect for that, but if you need to chill the dough then this recipe works just as well for that too. I also like the vanilla flavor of this recipe and sometimes I double just the vanilla part so I can taste it more.


Sugar cookie tips:

If you want thicker, softer cookies then do not roll the dough to a quarter of an inch and instead try a half an inch. Likewise, if you want thinner, crunchier cookies then roll it out thinner.

If you are using all cookie cutters that are around the same size (like you are using a snowman and a star that are about the same size) then use only one shape when you are cutting it out each time. It helps save on space so you don't have to roll it out so many times.

Put all of the same shape and size on a cookie sheet to cook. The cookies will cook more evenly.

Use parchment paper and light colored baking sheet. Parchment paper makes it easy to remove from cookie sheet and light colored baking sheets prevent burning.

Be vigilant when cooking sugar cookies! The first batch might need 10 minutes, but most likely the second will need less time, especially if they are thinner. The best time to pull them out is when you can BARELY start to see a little brown around the edges.

If you are wanting to do multiple layers of frosting, make sure the first one dries completely--it is better to even wait overnight--before adding the second layer. This also makes it easier if you mess up and you can just scrape off the wet frosting while the dry frosting stays!

You don't need fancy cookie decorating equipment to write words. I only used a ziploc sandwich bag filled with frosting. You can definitely tell, but I think it is still worth doing.



Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

The Williams Family

This past week I was in charge of a luncheon for our church that was supposed to feed 70 missionaries. I had a lot of help in pulling it off and I am so grateful. But the person who probably helped me the most was my dear husband. He willingly made 10 lbs. of refried pinto beans that were delicious and he didn't even make a big deal about it! And then the morning of the luncheon he helped me make 9 lbs. of rice so that it could be fresh because who likes leftover rice?

It is times like these that I realize that I definitely married up in the world because who else would spend their day off of work to help cook for 70 other people just because your wife asked you to?

I only got to snap one picture the whole day because of the busyness of it, but I am grateful for the experience. (I mean, how else was I supposed to know that all of our burners actually can work at the same time? haha)

Travis said that it will give us practice to cook for our posterity when we are the grandpa and grandma of the family. So maybe our skills can be put to good use in another 50 to 60 years.

At the end of the day, especially the 10 lb. rice and bean kind of days, I am glad that I am in this life with someone who is pretty amazing. And we are in this thing together, rice and beans and all. And I couldn't imagine anything better. :)

I wanted to share an idea that I had that we did for Family Home Evening on Monday night and I am excited to use it to count down to Valentine's Day!


It is pretty simple and I already had everything in my house (double score when it comes to crafts!)
I don't know if this will become a tradition, but I am excited to see how much we like it.

Since it was my turn to plan our Family Home Evening, I wanted to do something that would help us express love for each other leading up to Valentine's Day. It is always good to express love to each other as a family and I am excited to be able to teach my kids how important that is. This is also a great literacy activity to get them excited about reading for little children and great to get older kids writing! And for the parents, it is great to express appreciation and love for those little things that we sometimes forget to say.


Materials:

• 7 pieces of colored paper, 3-4 sheets of white paper
• Printer (only using black ink on this craft)
• Envelope Template and Notes Printout
• Scissors
• Glue stick or rubber cement (or glue of choice)
• Cardboard box
• Optional: Brown craft paper, Countdown sign

Missy Sue

If you love braiding and hairstyling, this blog is the best! I love all of her hair tutorials because they are clear, simple, and she makes the most complicated of braids look so easy. She takes great pictures and describes in her blog posts each step so that you know what you are doing. She has done hundreds of braids and hairstyles and posts weekly. I also liked following her pregnancy posts when I was pregnant and got some clothes from the sites she suggested. If you want to feel inspired with hair, visit Missy Sue's blog.


Magnolia Market

This is Joanna Gaines's blog that follows the episodes of Fixer Upper house remodels, holiday crafts, house decorating ideas, pictures of their huge, beautiful farmhouse, and even gardening tips. I don't currently have a home that I can remodel or change at all but I feel inspired by Joanna's designs and it makes me want to redesign our house or at least wonder how I could. If you want to look at beautiful homes and clear, crisp designs go to her blog and feel inspired!


Two Sisters and a Story

This blog is beautiful and does a variety of things from crafts, recipes, card-making, deal alerts at local stores, etc. It is written by two sisters (Lyndsie and Natalie) and Alanna Story, hence, two sisters and a "story". From beautiful pictures to cute posts, they post almost every single day with something beautiful and fun. If you want to feel inspired especially in the Valentine's Day season coming up quick, check out their blog.

McKenzie Sue Makes

McKenzie does a little of everything and is a real Renaissance woman! She designs, cooks, sews, crafts, and does it all flawlessly! I love the design of her blog and if I were a better coder, my blog could look half as good as hers! She also does photography so all of her pictures are beautiful. If you want to be inspired in many different ways, visit her blog! Also, if you have any design needs for your own blog or site, she is the person to ask. She is very talented and I would recommend her skills to anyone! She also has a shop on her blog if you want to purchase anything from her.


The Miss Olivia

I love teaching blogs and this blog fits all of the things that I love about teaching. I love Olivia's anecdotes and stories of teaching--it reminds me of my time as a first grade teacher. I also love how she has posts that are research-based and also has very cute resources on her Teachers Pay Teachers store. When our baby girl gets older, I will definitely be buying her resources to teach her early literacy! Her blog inspires me to be a better teacher and parent (even though I am not teaching full-time anymore).


Merry Happy Blog

I fully admit that I creep on blogs of people, and I have to say that Hannah's blog is just so genuine as she talks about her life as a mom, wife, and budding photographer. I believe she is starting up a photography business in the Utah area. I would recommend her skills because I get inspired looking at her photos and how beautifully crisp they are. I wish I had those skills sometimes when I look at all of our blurry family photos, but maybe one day I will learn! Read Hannah's blog if you want to relax, read some good stories, and have a good laugh. :)


Perez Family Recipes

This blog is a lot of my mom's cooking with pictures and just the recipe (none of that scrolling through someone's life story to get to a recipe!) I go to this blog so much when I want one of my mom's family recipes and she has tagged them in a way that is very easy to find them! It is so convenient when I am at the store and decide I want to make one of my mom's recipes and I can just look up her blog and find the ingredients quick! My mom's cooking has always inspired me to be a better cook (although my husband far outshines me in the kitchen), but maybe one day I will have her skills when it comes to making rolls. Yum!


Dear Juliet

My husband, Travis, started this blog when we found out I was pregnant with Juliet. He wrote letters to her that started out, "Dear Baby" and then when we found out we were having a girl they changed to, "Dear Daughter" and then when we picked out her name, he writes to her as, "Dear Juliet". I only write occasionally and Travis is much better about remembering to journal her milestones and fun pictures, but this blog inspires me to be a better parent and try to remember what is actually important. We are keeping this blog private and plan to give it to Juliet when she is older, so I hope we can keep it up for her.


Williams Family Recipes

Travis is the best cook and he has a recipe blog, but he has chosen to keep it private. He has some amazing recipes though and maybe he will let me post a few in the future on this blog. Travis is more adventurous than me in pretty much every way, but one way in which it really shows is in our cooking and how different we are in the kitchen. He reminds me to be more adventurous and try new things, even when I like the same, old, boring meals. I saved the best two blogs for last, even though I cannot share them with everyone because they are the most inspiring to me.

What blogs inspire you?

The dynamic couple that has everyone enchanted in the past couple of years has been without a doubt Chip and Joanna Gaines. They have brought fame to their small town of Waco, Texas through their television show Fixer Upper. Chip works in the construction/restoration side of fixing up homes for their clients while Joanna tackles the design and staging of the homes. Their company is called Magnolia Homes, but started as a shop called Magnolia Market that Joanna opened when she and Chip were newlyweds.

This book follows their story from the very beginning of how they met, dated, and married. They share heartwarming and funny anecdotes from their life as newlyweds from their unplanned honeymoon to their first apartment that smelled like pet urine and rotten meat when they moved in. Their story continues, following their different perspectives about their first personal fixer upper house of 800 square feet, bringing their babies home, starting their business together, Joanna feeling she should close down her shop once she started having more kids, and the continuing of following their dreams as they both became experts in their respective fields and complemented each other with their talents, ambitions, and love of life.

I enjoyed this light read and gained insight into this couples' life. I could identify with their funny stories of being newlywed and having babies because that is the stage of life I am in now. Even though the language of the book is very informal, as if you are sitting on their Magnolia Farm sipping lemonade while they tell you about their lives, it has a genuine tone throughout. It is easy to get the sense that Chip and Joanna care for each other as spouses and support each other. Though they are not perfect and readily admit to their faults, it is refreshing to see a real couple tackle real life problems.

Because of their conservative views, I feel like I can identify with their morals and goals. However, one way in which this book really changed my world view is how Chip and Joanna take crazy risks when it comes to real estate. Before Fixer Upper, Chip and Joanna would buy run down homes with their own money and fix them up to resell or lease. This requires a lot of credit and lots of debt in order to pull off. They shared how they kept going in their business by putting every rent check or property sold money back into another property so they could flip it. Some months they did not know how they would feed themselves or pay their mortgage because of this lifestyle. I personally have never been in debt and it was interesting to see people live life so differently and do risk-taking in that way that opposes how I would handle finances. The financial problems they candidly share in their book provides the book with more depth and shows how everyone struggles--especially financially. I believe this is how with their rising fame Chip and Joanna have stayed down to earth. They remember all too well what it was like to barely make ends meet and be a struggling local business.


My favorite parts of the book were Joanna's "revelations". Her first was on her couch in a beautiful home she had designed as a showcase to promote her work while she was at home with her kids.

Joanna says, "In my nonstop efforts to make the house look good and to raise our baby of a business, I had failed to create a space where my children could thrive and be kids. I had neglected to create a home that my most important babies could love too." (pg. 120)
Revelation #1: Family is what is most important and is worth putting time and effort into it even if it is a little messy and unorganized.

Joanna's second revelation came when Chip decided to buy a small house they would renovate and move into to save on money and have other business opportunities. They affectionately called it the "shotgun" house. She was not excited to move out of their showcase home she meticulously designed, but realized that the kids loved the smaller house even upon first glance. She says, "That day in that house with our kids was another turning point for me as a designer and a mom. I came to a brand-new conclusion: 'If all I'm doing is creating beautiful spaces, I'm failing. But if I'm creating beautiful spaces where families are thriving, then I'm really doing something.' Doing that became my new calling." (pg. 130)
Revelation #2: Families thriving is what is most important and all of our jobs should try to enable this goal.

In the nitty gritty of life, it is hard to appreciate special moments and time with the ones we love. Joanna remarks, "I realized that my determination to make things perfect meant I was chasing an empty obsession all day long. Nothing was ever going to be perfect the way I had envisioned it in the past. Did I want to keep spending my energy on that effort, or did I want to step out of that obsession and enjoy my kids, maybe allowing myself to get messy right along with them in the process? I chose the latter--and that made all the difference." (pg. 144)
Revelation #3: Life is messy. We need to embrace it and appreciate it in the beautiful messiness of it especially if that means we are loving those that matter.

All of these revelations lead up to the biggest one of all: thriving. That word was used a lot in the previous revelations, but I like how Joanna phrased it: "'If I'm going to sit around and say I am "just surviving" every day, well guess what? When a big wave comes along suddenly, I won't be surviving--I'll be drowning!' I mean, that's life. Life is never predictable. Life is never really manageable...So I finally flipped the switch in my mind. I said, 'I have to choose to thrive, even in the pain. Even when it's tough.'" (pg. 147-148)
Revelation #4: Choose to thrive and not just survive. It requires a different mind set, but it is what life is about!

In short, here is the breakdown of Magnolia Story:

Genre: Autobiography
Number of pages: 182
Reading endurance: Low reading endurance required
This short novel could be finished in a day or two, easy!
Good Moral: Definitely. Morality is important in literature for me to recommend it.
Favorite Quote: "Don't quit, and don't give up. The reward is just around the corner. And in times of doubt or times of joy, listen for that still, small voice. Know that God has been there from the beginning--and he will be there until the end." (pg. 182)
Recommend? Yes

For more information about Chip and Joanna Gaines, visit their blog.