Sincerely Yours Online

Wise Wife Wednesday: My Husband's Friendships

2012-02-01T10:32:00.000-06:00

-THE INSPIRATION-

I was challenged once when I heard an older, wiser wife say, "If you're not praying for your husband, then who is?" And it stopped me in my tracks. If I'm not praying for Sam - his heart, his character, his faithfulness, his courage, his purity, his relationships, his direction....then who is? Praying for our husbands is not only our responsibility but it is an enormous privilege! And not only will praying for our husbands empower them to live the life God intended, but we will enjoy the benefits of a deeper relationship with our spouses as we experience God's favor and grace that He so kindly pours out on those who seek Him.

Proverbs 14:1 says that a wise woman builds her home. I believe that every single prayer for my husband is like a brick being laid, like I'm helping build a solid foundation and a fortress of protection around him, us, and our family. I want to be a wise wife who builds my home, who prays God's power into my husband, who seeks a deeper relationship with my spouse, and who enjoys God's favor! Don't you?!

-THE PRAYER-

This week I'm praying for Sam's relationships with other men - that he would have meaningful friendships with men who sharpen him and make him a better mirror of God's love. Print off this 4x6 card and join me in praying the same for your husband! {This is a big one, ladies!}

Pretty Pinnings: Heart-Heavy

2012-01-31T10:59:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is February! Hooray! And I know that some of you are still taking down Christmas decorations because I've seen your shame-filled social media posts. Not that I'd ever dream of calling you out publicly for thousands to see, Jennifer Mitchael. Oops. Did I say that?

But while many of you are packing up the nativity scenes, I know full well that there are droves of us who are excited about Valentine's Day. Oh yes, it's a holiday where the Heart is the notable icon; but I heart Hearts all year 'round. I love hearts so much that I realized that I needed a Pinterest board of heart-inspired lovelies all its own! And now that Valentine's Day is nearing, hearts are everywhere across the Pinterest pages, and I'm in absolute heart-heaven! From sugar-cookie hearts and brownie hearts with raspberry buttercream to heart paper garlands and mason jar crafts. I'm in love.

See more pretty pinnings as well as other lovelies by following me on Pinterest! Click on the Pinterest link in the sidebar to join in the swooning...

WIMM: Shrimp-stuffed Twice-baked Potatoes

2012-01-30T10:17:00.002-06:00

"Look-uh thay-re!" It's what Paula Deen says when she makes something ridiculously delicious and a little bit naughty in her kitchen. I giggle every time she says it! It's an expression of supreme delight with her workmanship. Supreme excitement about getting to take the first bite! And after I baked, mashed, chopped, sauteed, stuffed and assembled these most deluxe potatoes, it was nearly visceral..."Look-uh thay-re!" I getcha, Paula. I getcha.

With this being the BIG game week, I'm sure y'all are making preparations to gather with friends or family around some of your favorite sinful dishes and dips to cheer on your team. I like both teams and both quarterbacks, so I don't have a dog in the fight. {Regardless, I'm quite certain that the alter-Amy will rear her ugly head and shout and carry-on. After all, it is football.} But I'm easily, always more excited about what to fix and serve and eat on Super Bowl Sunday. And you can count on these delicious, rich, hearty, cheesey potatoes to please everyone from the gal who doesn't know a 'tight end' from an 'end zone' to the manliest super-fan fella. I will be munching on these beauties on Super Bowl Sunday when I'm cheering for the Pat-iants. If I can stand to wait that long...

SHRIMP-STUFFED TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

{Paula Deen, y'all}

4 (6 to 8-ounce) russet potatoes, scrubbed and pricked all over with a fork
Vegetable oil, to coat potatoes
4 slices bacon
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning or more to taste
1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
4 green onions, thinly sliced, white and light green parts; dark green parts chopped, for garnish
1 cup grated Cheddar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Rub the potatoes with vegetable oil and put them on a baking sheet. Bake the potatoes until tender, about 1 hour. While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer the slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of bacon grease from the skillet.

Cut the shrimp into thirds. Reheat the bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, Cajun seasoning, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the shrimp are opaque, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes.

When the potatoes are done, let them cool slightly (leave the oven on). Slice off the top third of each potato and carefully scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Scoop out the potato from the top third, and add that to the bowl, then discard the skin. Leave about 1/4-inch border of potato inside the skin. Mash the potato flesh with 1 teaspoon salt, the green onion, cheese, butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, and black pepper. Stuff the potato skins with the filling, mounding any extra on top. Divide the shrimp on top of the potatoes and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. Return the potatoes to the oven on the baking sheet and bake them until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven, sprinkle with the reserved chopped green onions and serve.

InstaFriday

2012-01-27T11:41:00.002-06:00

Happy Friday! Do y'all feel like the weekends get here faster and faster? I sure do! We keep quite a pace around here, and I can tell the days are flying past us. InstaFriday seems to get here quickly week to week! And this week is a lot of random. But for those who know me at all, you know that "random" is my M.O. Sam says I have Attention Deficit "Oooh, Shiny!"....but I have more fun than he does! And I agree that I find a lot of joy in some of the oddest places. {see final picture for proof!} Here we go - a journal of my week in phone pics!

I designed a lot, lot, LOT of pretties this week for May brides. At one point I was trying to make room to write something on my desk, and I giggled at my crowded surroundings. Pantone color matching fans, three decks of paper swatches, invitation samples from my arsenal, order forms, files, a calculator and a Diet Coke of course. You know the music is playin' when my desk is a wreck! Messy desk = Creative juice.

I bought a new mirror. Ladies, y'all know how exciting that is! I had just been in Dallas for the Cotton Bowl and visited Mary Cates and Co. - a DREAMY boutique on Lover's Lane - full of furniture and accessories with age, patina, and make-your-heart-flutter details. And it is entirely too pricey for my pocketbook. But I found this mirror with age, patina, and make-your-heart-flutter detail for $125 {not $1250!} for my entry. It is thrilling for so many reasons. I knew all a-y'all would get it. Thanks for celebrating with me!

My family went with our friends the Baileys to the Arkansas-Auburn basketball game this week. And although we shot a miserable 12% in the first half, we still won. Somehow. It was literally like there was an invisible force-field around the basket that repelled every. single. shot. Thank Heavens we were with fun friends! It was a win either way!

I spent one whole day shipping a gazillion etsy orders and platters. And I have had a handful of reports from customers around the US that their packages looked like they had been run over by a truck. {Thanks for that, USPS!} So I thought I'd apply a little Southern charm to my packages with hopes that the carriers would be wooed into being more careful. These stickers are sugar-sweet! Southern charm has proven effective with police officers and house contractors, so I'm hoping to pull a Southern-girl "Jedi mind trick" on the mail carriers.

Now I'm sure you'll be shocked by this, but I don't batter and fry food very often. Not because I can't, but because I hate the mess of dredging. Three pans. Flour to egg wash to bread crumbs and into the oil. It's a lot of work that I'm often just not up for. BUT I did make one of my fave dishes last night - Chicken Parmesan {the real way, not the Pinterest casserole way...no offense, Pinterest.} And I have always made my own crumbs or breading. Until now. I have heard forEVER about Panko, but I just didn't believe they could be any better than what I used. Y'all. They're magical. So crispy, and they stuck to my egg wash like they were hanging on for dear life. They need to be flavored with seasoning or salt/pepper, but they are my new crumb of choice.

When I was scooping flour for Dredging Dish #1, I thought I'd give y'all an update on the levels in the monstrous glass jars on my island. I filled them with almost 10 pounds of flour/sugar on December 15 and posted this {here}. I've heard numerous comments along the lines of "I'd never use that much flour in a lifetime." Yet in just a little more than a month, it's almost gone. And I wonder why I get winded putting on a fitted sheet...

The highlight of my week, hands down, was this. An Arkansas-shaped Stacy's Pita Chip. I pulled it right out of the bag at the stoplight after picking Grace up from school. And I literally shrieked and had a fit! {Attention Deficit "Oooh Shiny"} And I squawked for Grace to take a picture of it with my phone for y'all to see! So here, my friends, is the Natural State in a pita cracker. Photographed on the thigh of my teenage daughter, who first laughed then rolled her eyes like I was ridiculous...and then tweeted it immediately because she knew in her heart that it was actually pretty fabulous.

That's my life where we eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest! "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another..." John 1:16 I hope your week was big and blessed as well! I'll see y'all back here Monday! xo

Save the Date: Alice In Wonderland Inspired

2012-01-26T09:18:00.002-06:00

If you are a "liker" of Sincerely Yours Paper on Facebook, then you've heard me squeal comments about this Save the Date throughout the design process. It has been so. much. fun to create! Especially with Miss Sarah Edwards giving me freedom to follow my creative instincts! {Three cheers for Creative Freedom!}

In Sarah's design consultation, she shared with me that her theme was inspired by Alice in Wonderland. But rather than going the route of whimsical/crazy-train, we steered more in the direction of modern-storybook with vintage "Alice" graphics and a combination of simple, clean typefaces to reflect the wedding's setting at the charming Pratt Place Inn and Barn. And during the design process, to give this Save the Date announcement a little modern punch, I incorporated a geometric quatrefoil pattern. A punch of modern pattern in deep cobalt. Accents in "Alice" blue. Warm ivories and greige graphics. A sepia-toned map of Wonderland. And a custom-designed pocket watch graphic with hands set on 5:12...the wedding date! This Save the Date is a "wonder" full dream come true! {wink}

And while you've got your looking glass handy, peek over at the new Weddings in Arkansas blog {here} where sweet Laura asked me to post a little industry inspiration! See this Save the Date and a few other SYP lovelies on Arkansas' newest online wedding resource! And brides, be sure to follow them on Pinterest and pick up their beautifully-produced magazine for a wealth of wedding ideas! {Thank you, Laura, for inviting me to be a part! xo}

Wise Wife Wednesday: My Husband's Focus

2012-01-25T09:43:00.000-06:00

-THE INSPIRATION-

-THE PRAYER-

This week let's pray for our husbands to run the race of life with endurance and proper focus. Print off this 4x6 card and join me!

Scripture from The Holy Bible. Prayer inspired by Family Life Publishing.

{new item} Polkadot Heart Platter

2012-01-24T12:54:00.001-06:00

Just in time for Valentine's Day! This adorable polkadot heart platter is personalized with your first name, last name, a teacher's name, or even a couple's names! Makes a great gift, a cute display item, an adorable desk tray or catch-all, and a fun serving piece for cookies & brownies, fruits & veggies, or piles of pancakes or PBJ's! Available on the Sincerely Yours Paper etsy shoppe {here}. Order by Friday to have in time to give or use for Valentine's Day!

{ps} Discounts available for 3 or more platters!

WIMM: Cilantro, Lime & Black Bean Salsa

2012-01-23T10:53:00.000-06:00

Welcome to What I Made Monday everyone! I hope your weekend was great! Unusually warm weather and all of the organizing ideas on Pinterest inspired a little "Spring Cleaning in January" on Saturday. I cleaned and organized my kitchen while I caught up on hours and hours of recorded Food Network shows. And we had the usual 40-50 people come through our doors over the course of the weekend. It's the way we live around here. I wouldn't have it any other way.

And if you're like me and the rest of the football-lovin' world, you watched great NFL games yesterday. Oh my goodness sake. Fun fun games! Won by a kick. Lost by a kick. Too much for my heart to handle! But the two teams that will knock heads in the Super Bowl have been decided, and naturally I'm already thinking F-O-O-D. This delicious concoction can either be served with warmed tortilla chips as a dip to go along with your finger foods. OR you can serve it as a side item with pans of enchiladas or piled high beside your fajitas for yummy forks-full. And it's healthy. {insert record-scratching} Yes, it's good for you. But next week, I'm cancelling it right out with another Super Bowl recipe for the man-folk. Shrimp and crab-stuffed twice baked potatoes topped with cheddar and chives. {insert crowd-roaring}

Until then...Cilantro, Lime & Black Bean Salsa. Yum.

CILANTRO, LIME & BLACK BEAN SALSA

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can shoe peg corn, drained

1 can mild Rotel, drain 1/2 can

1 can original Rotel, drain 1/2 can

1/4 cup cilantro chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 avocado, dubed

1 1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons oil

Mix together in a big bowl and enjoy!

InstaFriday

2012-01-20T23:01:00.000-06:00

Hooray for Friday! I'm so glad it's here, aren't you?! I'm posting late again today because...well, because I'm a late person. I'm late for most things. So why should blogging be any different?! I'm actually blogging in my studio while I'm listening to the sounds of Sam and the kids teaching Sam's mom how to play gin around the breakfast table . It's very entertaining to say the least! I wish y'all could be flies on the wall to hear him with his mom. He's a stinker, and she's gullible which makes for endless stories and giggles.

{I just heard Sam say, "GiGi, your official rapper name is gonna be Young Gee-zee. Whattup, Gee-zee?!"}

Back to instaFriday! There's a doozie at the end...wait for it. Here we go!

These are my new gloves from my SIL Nance. They were my Christmas gift, and I heart them. They have that little fancy patch on the fingertips so I can text without taking them off. The gal at the Starbucks window was quite enamored with them. So I thought y'all might be too. So I took a picture for ya.

My phlox are blooming. In January. In Arkansas. Because the weather has us all terribly confused! They're confused. I'm confused. One minute I'm wearing my new gloves, and the next minute I'm opening windows in the house and shedding my cardigan. Then the next minute....

...we build a raging inferno of a fire.

{"You're going down to Chinatown, Gee-zee!"}

I spent a lot of time re-organizing my studio this week after I took it all apart last weekend. I am deLIGHTed to have added the beautiful portraits of SYP brides here and there around my room. They're just so pretty! And I just cleaned out and straightened and got all orderly. {sigh} Feels good.

{Mom, you're not supposed to tell us what your cards are.}

Conversation hearts. I love them. I eat them by the hands full. And this week I ate my fair share and then some because I had bags of them left over from my bridal event last weekend. I was first taken aback by the stamped term "sup babe." Really? Then I realized there's a whole new conversation-heart-phrasology that resembles what I imagine would be text messages among gangstas.

Then today while I was all dressed in cute trousers, flats, a cardi and my favorite ruffly peony flower pin...I saw it. A purple conversation heart that said "so fine" had been dropped and lodged inside the petals of my flower. For how long I do not know.

Conversation Hearts-1. Amy-0.

{"She hit the flo', next thing I know, Gee-zee got low low low low low low low."}

Wow.

Southern Weddings: Smitten in Birmingham

2012-01-19T10:35:00.000-06:00

I love all weddings. I can't help it. It's in my blood. But my oh my, Southern wedding tug at my heartstrings. Brides raised below the Mason Dixon Line appreciate their roots and know how to incorporate sweet Southern charm into their weddings. Vintage milk glass, stitched hankies, ruffly peonies, pretty cakes, timeless colors and garden decor. Details that seem to tell a story or represent something or someone special. Each of these details are included in this Birmingham, Alabama wedding from 100 Layer Cake. And I just couldn't help but share it here with all a-y'all. Hold on to your hearts....and don't miss the prettiest cake pops you've ever laid your eyes on.

Wise Wife Wednesday: My Husband's Heart

2012-01-18T11:13:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 14:1 says that a wise woman builds her home. I believe that every single prayer for my husband is like a brick being laid, like I'm helping build a solid foundation and a fortress of protection around him, us, and our family. I want to be a wise wife who builds my home, prays God's power into my husband, seeks a deeper relationship with my spouse, and enjoy God's favor! Don't you?!

This week, I'm praying Matthew 22:37-40. I hope you'll take advantage of this 4x6 printable card and join me!

Scripture from The Holy Bible. Prayer inspired by Family Life Publishing.

Bridal Event Details!

2012-01-17T10:47:00.001-06:00

Lots and lots of pretty details to share with you today! As you know, I spent the weekend in Little Rock at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Bridal Event sharing my wares with brides galore! It was a fun weekend, especially with my gal-pal Jenessa Bailey. She and I had a ball! When we weren't talking non-stop with brides and their entourages, we were talking non-stop with each other. A good girlie weekend all the way around!

My booth featured a wonderful variety of all styles of Sincerely Yours Paper wedding invitations, Save the Dates, personal stationery, gifts and more. I featured a few select bridal portraits {courtesy of Benfield Photography} to show the brides behind the papers. It was a bee-u-tiful addition! Then I also showcased fancy wedding organizer/binders, personalized plates and a few other goodies that are available at SYP. Brides really enjoyed picking up the paper swatch booklets and filing through the options to locate their wedding colors! They also swooned over Taryn Dunlap Shannon's screen-printed Save the Date hankie [here}and Jenessa's own silk-wrapped-and-brooched wedding invitation from her 2006 wedding to-do. It was a treat to explain to brides how Sincerely Yours Paper is unique from a retail ordering experience, offering an enduring, personal, custom design relationship with brides through the entirety of their wedding journey. And I'm looking forward to working with several of these ladies doing just that!

Here are a few pretty details from my space. AND a special thanks goes out to Shawna Young with Young Designs for letting me use her camera since I had left mine inside my car parked in an undisclosed lot via Peabody valet. A little pic of me, Jenessa and Shawna in the Young Designs booth tops off today's post.

What I Made Monday: contacts, connections & a mess

2012-01-16T11:22:00.001-06:00

Good Monday morning, y'all! I hope your weekend was great! Mine certainly was. I spent the weekend in central Arkansas at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette bridal event at the Statehouse Convention Center. I had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful faces! Brides, vendors and more! It was a treat for me to bring Sincerely Yours Paper "down the mountain" to the capital city!

I know y'all were expecting a new recipe today on my regular "What I Made Monday" post! But today, my entire studio is still loaded in the back of my suburban. And my world is a mess! So I'm spending today unpacking, reorganizing and getting ready for a week full of paper design appointments here in my studio! Details and highlights of bridal event tomorrow! So I'll see ya back here then! xo

InstaFriday

2012-01-13T18:24:00.000-06:00

I am so. so. behind today! I've been in a frenzy getting ready for my first appearance at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Bridal Event this weekend! So I'm squeezing in a post and well-wishes for a great weekend for each of you! And as busy as I've been this week, I've still managed to snap a few pics to journal the week! Here we go!

Our family was treated to Cotton Bowl tickets, and I'm hog-wild to say that Arkansas won! Wooo Pig Sooie! It was our first time to lay our eyes on the football mecca {aka Jerry World}, and it certainly impressed. We stayed with my bestie in Dallas and enjoyed them so so much!

I baked a potpie early in the week and got to use my pie crust decorative punchy thingies that my brother-in-law gave me at Christmas. How much fun is THAT?! As if I needed any other reason to want to bake food inside crust....

Blue Man Group came to Fayetteville. I surprised our whole family with tickets for the show! They are wonderful and weird. They are creative and creepy. My heart thumped and my retinas flashed for hours following. But it was worth it! It was a fun fun night!

And then it started....I kicked into hyper-drive and started working tirelessly to get myself together for the bridal show in Little Rock. It's big big BIG and a little fancy-pants. So I've been churning over the details to make sure the SYP booth looks magical! {Well, as magical as a 10x10 black draped booth with convention center carpet can be.} I started by delving into drawer after drawer, bin after bin of wedding invitations to decide what I wanted to showcase. The result? A giant box of duplicates, rumpled samples, bits and pieces etc. of five years of wedding invitations. I dragged this big boy to the corner just in time to greet the recycling truck. Whew. Feels good to be clean.

Then I hit Hobby Lobby with a long list of goodies that I needed to get. Peachie O's included. They are my munchie of choice when I know I'm facing an hour or more in the craft store. Best $1.49 I spent there, that's for sure.

I had a lovely idea sitting under the dryer at my salon on Thursday that I wanted to show a few select brides with their paper suites so prospective clients could see the people with the papers. So I texted my friends Dale and Mere at Benfield Photography and had them send over bridal portraits of SYP brides. And my goodness sake! They are gor-geous. Beautiful brides. Beautiful wedding papers. Swoon.

And lastly and what has been responsible for my late-Friday post is this. I have basically set up a faux 'booth' in my living room. And there are photos, invitations, wrappers, hooks, pens, conversation hearts, business cards, linens and more all. over. the place. But it's coming together finally! And I'm getting super duper excited! If you're in the Little Rock on Sunday, come by the Statehouse Convention Center from 12:30-5:00 and drop-by the Sincerely Yours Paper booth #34 to say hello! I have a FAB giveaway of SIX personalized melamine plates. I have pretty business materials to give you. And I have conversation hearts by the spoons full. And if y'all don't eat them, I will. Hope to see you there!

SYP Earns Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Award!

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

I am beyond excited that Sincerely Yours Paper is one of the 2012 winners of this year’s WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™. "The prestigious annual awards program recognizes the best local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry."

While many industry awards are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds. The awards are determined by a combination of four factors: overall rating, total number of reviews, review performance from 2011, and consistency of reviews from year to year. This year’s recipients represent the top 5% of the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. Professionals from across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, are recognized based on their overall achievements throughout the previous year.

I'm delighted to have been recognized by WeddingWire based on the amazing reviews by Sincerely Yours Paper clients! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and continued trust with your paper lovelies!

See what brides are saying about Sincerely Yours Paper....

"Amy was the best! She has such Southern classic charm, and was able to create the perfect paper lovelies that described our style and personality! We love, and recommend her to everyone we know!"

"The best of the best in Wedding Invitations. This was my favorite part of the entire wedding planning process! Amy and her team did such a wonderful job helping design the perfect wedding invitation for us! We were is awe of her work and we would highly reccomend her to anyone! Very pleased!"

"I simply cannot express how much I loved working with Amy and every single item that she designed. Amy's work and creativity helped set the entire theme / style for my wedding. She was able to perfectly capture "my style" in every detail. My wedding would not have been the same without her and her work and I would recommend her to any bride. I plan on being a life-long customer of Sincerely Yours Paper!"

Just Listed! Three New Cards!

2012-01-10T13:47:00.001-06:00

I've been a busy paper girl the last week or so! And I'm excited to show y'all a few new card designs that are right in step with SYP's signature "sweet, simple and Southern" style! Y'all take a look....

{[CUSTOM CALLIGRAPHY SCALLOP CARDS}

Perhaps the only thing more charming than scallops is hand-penned calligraphy. And this little card combines both! A timeless card appropriate for all ages and all occasions - this custom calligraphy scallop card is a paper lover's dream! Four ink colors to choose from! AND your calligraphy file is saved for future orders so follow-up orders of your cards are less the $25 calligraphy fee! A pretty fancy investment, huh? Your own personal hand-written design file!

{CLASSIC MONOGRAM SCALLOP CARDS}

This lovely little flat card marries the charm of scallops with the timelessness of a three-letter monogram circled in the sweetest olive branch wreath! Available in pool, peony, straw and spring. There's even an option to swap out ecru envelopes for a fun little gravel grey guy!

So cute!

{FORMAL FOLD-OVER NOTE}

The classic, cursive folded note is the "little black dress" in every girl's paper wardrobe. Timeless across the board for all writing occasions! Choose gravel grey ink for the most traditional look; or select a colored ink to add a little fancy to your fold-over! Any way you order it, these stationery items, printed in the most flourishing script, are breath-taking beauties!

Ah, swooning. I heart pretty paper, don't y'all?! You can shop now for all of these stationery goodies in the SYP etsy shoppe! Just click HERE to get started!

What I Made Monday: Homemade Waffles with Sweet Cream

2012-01-09T10:50:00.005-06:00

Breakfast for supper is a way of life in the South. Eggs, biscuits and gravy are staples in most households and can be whipped up at any hour! Another favorite in our family is homemade waffles and sweet cream. But because homemade waffles take more time than mornings often allow, it's a great dinnertime option when "breakfast for supper" is our MO of the night. I happened to have the most delicious blackberries on hand that were a sweet-tart addition to these dense-but-light, crispy-but-tender squares of goodness!

I have tried multiple recipes over the years to find THE waffle that would become mine. And this recipe may just have claimed the title. I believe the key is whipped egg whites. {You'll see...} Emeril Lagasse is the inspiration behind these waffles, with a few of my own alterations. And this is what ya' get. Pure deliciousness.

HOMEMADE WAFFLES WITH SWEET CREAM & BLACKBERRIES

makes 8 {4-inch} waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, separated

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons {1/2 stick} unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

nonstick cooking spray

Preheat waffle iron according to the instructions. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved and eggs begin to pale. Add the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the egg-milk mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix. In a third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, adding a teaspoon of sugar if needed. Using a rubber spatula, folded the egg whites into the waffle batter, being careful not to over mix. {You don't want to lose the fluffiness and air that the whipped egg whites provide!} Coat the waffle iron with cooking spray, and ladle batter in iron just enough to cover the grid. Close and cook per instructions until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately with warm syrup, sweet cream and a smattering of berries.

SWEET CREAM

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a chilled bowl with chilled whisk attachment, beat cream on medium-high speed until thickening. Add sugar and vanilla, and continue to beat until cream holds its peaks. May store in refrigerator for several days, rewhipping as it separates.

Cast Your Vote! The Benny Awards!

2012-01-04T09:11:00.000-06:00

I am thankful to be surrounded by some of the most supremely talented wedding vendors. And although photographers are a dime a dozen, this pair is heads above the rest....by miles! Dale and Meredith of Benfield Photography are the cream of the crop of wedding photographers. Not only is their work jaw-dropping, but they are a pleasure to work with. I've always told brides that they should like their photographer, not just their photographs, because the photographer is all up in your business on wedding day. They are right next to you when your maid of honor is buttoning the back of your dress, when you're penning a sweet note to your groom, when your mama is helping you with your veil, when you tearfully hug your daddy's neck and when you and your husband find yourselves alone at the end of the aisle after the I Do's have been said and you're staring at forever. You want the Benfields there, with their cameras and with their warmth, every step of the way.

Today I wanted y'all to know that you can view Benfield Photography's 2011 best of the best and cast your vote for their annual Benny Awards! They have creatively categorized their faves from last year and posted them online for you to vote on - then Dale and Mere throw a fancy party for their previous clients where they give awards to the winners! It's a big to-do, and you'll definitely love browsing their work and voting on your favorites! There are loads of Sincerely Yours Paper brides throughout the images, so I'll certainly be voting myself!

The images are big and beautiful, so give it a little time to load. Then have fun voting! Start HERE.

Published! Citiscapes Magazine Wedding Issue

2012-01-03T12:54:00.000-06:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, I mean January! It's the most wonderful time of the year to be a wedding vendor! The new year's brides are making plans, selecting their wedding professionals, and booking appointments. I am meeting so many new {darling} clients and dreaming along with them! It's a fun fun season for our industry!

AND it's also a wonderful time of year to be a Northwest Arkansas wedding vendor thanks to Citiscapes magazine! Each January, the team at Citiscapes feature the best of the best in NWA weddings, from vendors to real weddings to style trends and more! And I'm excited to say that Sincerely Yours Paper made an appearance nine different times in this year's publication in some fashion - an advertisement, a featured wedding, a few themed style boards, and a few other fun little ways {you'll see!}....read on!

Lauren and Ryan's pretty Southern-inspired wedding invitation was used in the SYP advertisement.

Cassie and Michael's graphic flat-printed invitation is featured in a themed casual style board.

Micah and Jared's classic invitation with ribbon and raised ink is included in a traditional style board.

Marissa and Tyler's clean letterpress invitation is seen in the modern weddings style board.

In the real weddings section, you'll see Jennifer and Matt's wintry wedding highlighted! Gorgeous pictures of the event taken by friend-photogs at Benfield Photography.

Bride and Southern Aisle wedding blogger, Lauren Gallegly Adams shares her industry insight in a lovely interview! Lauren is a Sincerely Yours Paper bride and friend! {So excited for her!}

Beautiful SYP bride, Jessica Stuetelberg Davis, can be oohed and aahed over in an ad for Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. Her bridal portraits by Benfield Photography certainly show off the beauty of the garden! Jessica and Matthew's invitation is shown above.

In a nice article about NWA catering, I caught a glimpse of the custom SYP sign that marked a table of refreshing champagne slushies for a hot late summer wedding! Photo by The Hudsons and catering by Catering Unlimited.

And last but certainly not least, Sincerely Yours Paper bride and bestie Jenessa Dyer Bailey's beautiful new home is the highlighted house-tour with the most endearing article about Mark and Jenessa's life and marriage. It all started in 2006 and was announced by the most lush SYP wedding invitation to date. Sweet sweet friends.

If you haven't picked up a copy of Citiscapes 2012 Wedding Guide, here's what you're looking for. Grab a copy and see for yourself why it's the most wonderful time of the year! xo

What I Made Monday: Lemon Garlic Shrimp Alfredo

2012-01-02T11:48:00.002-06:00

Happiest First Monday of 2012! I hope you are fully recovered from your holiday season. It was a wonderful time for my family, and today is my official 'back in the swing of things' day! It's nice to be back!

As you well know, I cooked up a storm over the Christmas season. And along with cooking comes cleaning. And along with cleaning comes exhaustion. And along with exhaustion comes simplifying. So that's what this WIMM post is all about! After prepping big fancy meals and desserts for hours and hours over the last few weeks, I am sharing a simple recipe with you that I hope your family will enjoy like mine does! And this post-holiday dish is lighter, easier and quicker than most! Hooray for simple meals!

LEMON GARLIC SHRIMP ALFREDO

{serves 4-6}

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact

*I use frozen raw shrimp that I thaw in a strainer by running water over them*

2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

pinch of cayenne pepper {optional}

Juice of 2 lemons

2 tablespoons white cooking wine

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

alfredo noodles, boiled al dente and drained

your favorite jar of alfredo sauce

Boil noodles in salted water til al dente and drain. Simmer store-bought alfredo on the stovetop. {Hooray for simple!} Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, garlic and cayenne, tossing until the shrimp are pink, 3-4 minutes. Add cooking wine and juice of 2 lemons, stirring quickly. Remove from heat and toss in parsley to coat. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Divide pasta into shallow bowls, topping with alfredo sauce. Spoon shrimp and sauce over pasta. Serve with fresh pepper and crusty bread.

Pretty Pinnings: food wedding favors

2011-12-29T09:36:00.001-06:00

I'm a foodie girl who loves gifts, both giving and receiving. So it's no surprise that I've found myself pinning food favors on Pinterest this week. Food favors are so thoughtful and add such a personal touch to your wedding celebration or dinner party. And the packaging options for food favors are the icing on the cake! Little paper bags, burlap sleeves, printed personalized stickers, spoons, twine, and more!

Brides, food favors are not only adorable, but they can also be that final touch that continues your wedding's theme even as your guests leave. Southern brides can give individual pecan pies or honey from Savannah. A summertime wedding can be topped off with homemade strawberries and shortcakes sent home with each guest in a little basket. And send your guests home after a crisp evening Autumn celebration with boxed s'mores to go! What a perfect opportunity to be creative and thrifty with a personal touch by sending your guests off with such a fond farewell!

See more pretty pinnings as well as other lovelies by following me on Pinterest! Click on the Pinterest link in the sidebar to join in the swooning...

SYP Etsy shoppe open doors!

2011-12-27T10:49:00.004-06:00

I don't know about y'all, but I'm still full from Christmas! Lots of eating and laughing and telling stories! I hope your Christmas holiday was a blessing and filled your bellies and your hearts!

I hope some of you are new here because you were gifted new Sincerely Yours Paper stationery, melamine and Sooie-ware! Welcome to you all!

And I can't help but thank those of you who frequent here for such a wonderful gift season. Y'all went above and beyond in your giving of SYP lovelies to your friends and family! Thank you again for your friendship to SYP!

Today I'm here to let you know that the Sincerely Yours Paper etsy shoppe has re-opened! You can shop HERE. New products are on the horizon as we usher in a new year! I'm looking forward to sharing 2012 with each of you! xo

Comfort and Joy: My Holiday Menu

2011-12-22T10:07:00.002-06:00

It's already happening. Has it happened to you yet? A little wave of sadness as the excitement nears that in just a few days it'll all come to a halt? All of the planning and jingly music. All of the anticipation. All of the Christmas hullabaloo. I just look forward so much to the holidays that I get a weency little tinge of the It's Almost Over blues. I just love to have a reason to celebrate!!!

BUT before Christmas 2011 is in the books, we feast! We laugh. We gather. We pray. We unwrap. We worship. We make memories. And we feast some more. And that, my friends, is what I'm working on today. My weekend menu of prepping and stirring and baking and more. The looong, I-need-a-Starbucks-to-get-me-through grocery shop where you are required to wait your turn before you can maneuver your cart down the baking aisle. This year I will put food in more than 60 mouths over the course of a 72 hour period. All here in my home. Some popping in. Some lingering for the day. Some staying. But all, eating. And I couldn't be more excited!!!

In the last week, y'all have asked me what I'm making for the holidays with my family. In order to keep it all straight, I've made a master-list to tuck in my cookbook stand that I'll work off of, helping me know what order dishes need to be prepared....what can be made ahead of time, etc. And it just happens to be a little bit cute.

My goodness, comfort and joy. Right?!

After all of that eatin' and gatherin' and loving on each other, we'll wash and put away all of the dishes. We'll eventually take down the Christmas tree and the stockings. We'll go on our 2012 diets. And the holiday hullabaloo will come to a screeching halt. Thankfully, the joy of the season that the birth of Jesus the Christ put in our hearts will continue. And that's a reason to celebrate!

Merriest Christmas and great big blessings to each of you!

What I Made Monday: Fresh Simmering Potpourri

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's here! This is officially Christmas Week! I've been wrapping up a storm and baking things I don't even need, just because the season calls for it! And my time of reflection on God's gift to me through the sending of His Son is getting sweeter and sweeter. {I hope you can say the same!}

And speaking of getting sweeter, have I got a treat for you this WIMM! Here's the background...

Allison {my SIL} brought me a little sussie a week or so ago of homemade fresh simmering potpourri. And I about had a fit. I shrieked and sniffed it and went ca-razy over it! Then after she left, I called my bestie in Texas and told her all about it. And together over the phone, she and I took apart all of the elements in the bag o'goodness and measured it out to come up with the recipe. Then I burned mine for days and days and days. This homemade fresh potpourri simmers on your stove top and gives off a sweet, citrus-y, cinnamon-y scent that is undoubtedly Christmas. It practically makes me burst into song! "Oh there's no place like home for the holidays!" Ah, it's delightful, and I wanted to share the warmth with you for your own stove-tops this season.

THE SMELLS OF THE SEASON

{fresh simmering potpourri}

One small orange

1/2-3/4 cup fresh whole cranberries

1 tablespoon whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half to make 6 short pieces total

- - -

First, slice the orange in quarters.

Place all of the ingredients into a small saucepan.

Fill the pan with water and simmer on low heat on your stove's smallest burner.

Stir hourly and refill the water as needed.

Refrigerate the mixture after each use,

adding water and reheating for up to a month.

Isn't that simple? And doesn't it sound divine?! I have even thrown in a split vanilla bean and a few shakes of All-Spice into my potpourri. And as you use lemons or apples throughout the holiday, you can just add in a few more fresh pieces of fruit to your concoction. It only smells better as it cooks down and becomes more concentrated!

Simmering stove-top potpourri makes the neatest little gifts to give as well! There are so many ways to package it! I have given it in red and white striped glossy bags with kraft tags clipped on with a clothespin! I have also put all of the ingredients into a cute little chubby Mason jar with a lid and wrapped red and white kitchen twine around the belly of the jar with instructions tucked inside the string. {see InstaFriday pic below}. And then watch out...you may be inclined to burst into song..."fooooor the holidays, you can't beat home sweet home!"

InstaFriday

2011-12-16T12:05:00.000-06:00

Can y'all believe it's Friday again already?! THIS Friday in particular means there's only one week left til Christmas {the weekend of, anyway}. I've been ordering last minute gifts and making lists and forming menus and calling sisters-in-law and wrapping gifts. Hustle and bustle for certain! We've had quite a week which you'll see here! After all, it's InstaFriday where I post my week in review through phone pics only. Here we go!

Isaac and I made 24 glass Christmas ornaments for him to sell at his school's economics fair. I thought I'd just get him set up and then leave him to do the work; but we ended up doing many of them together! It was a ball! And they turned out beautifully! {It's kind of hard to let them go!}

On the way to church Sunday morning, I spotted a Sincerely Yours Paper Swanky Sooie decal on the car beside me. So I thoroughly embarrassed my children and their friends who slept over by leaning out the window and snapping a picture of it....

....and I saw another one on the way home! How squealy is that?!

This week, Luke had his Christmas choir concert. It was wonderful! I'm so proud of our school's music program! And I loooved that tons of his friends are in choir with him. These boys are also starters on the football and basketball teams...and they're smart and they love Jesus. Luke's the one in the slacks and tie. {wink}

Sam and I kindof flaked out on Christmas this year and did the "Can I just order what I want from you?" thing. It's a sad day when that happens, EXCEPT that I got two new fancy Le Creuset pans! This one is the enameled cast iron skillet in the cutest fennel green ever. The other pan is on back-order because of its fabulousness, I'm sure. So I altered my menu this week so I could use my new skillet as much as possible.

It even makes hot dogs cute.

I bought this spectacular musical snow globe lava lamp for a white elephant party.

I made mason jars of fresh stovetop simmering potpourri and gave a few as gifts. I'm sharing the recipe and more pictures with you next week! I think y'all will love it!

And last but certainly not least {shown in a different phone app}, I wanted to share with you our last picture with Mama Grace taken in October. She died yesterday at the ripe young age of 100. She is Sam's grandmother, the rock of the family. When Sam's daddy died unexpectedly when he and his brothers were little, Mama Grace was the one who picked them up by their boot straps, moved in with them, helped her daughter raise her three young sons, and was the support and strength they all needed to survive some really hard years. She and I shared a love of pretty dishes. She gave me one of my favorite old mixing bowls. She taught me how to make gravy. She baked perfect chocolate pies. And she was a pistol until the day she died. I am beyond thankful for her sacrifice and influence in the life of my husband. We love you, Mama Grace!

A few of my favorite things...in my kitchen

2011-12-15T16:14:00.004-06:00

You know the song...raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. We hear it a lot during the Christmas season. And I thought I'd share with y'all some of my favorite things about being in my kitchen. It is, firstly, my most favorite place on earth. And because I spend a lot of time in there stirring up love and frosting, I have surrounded myself with things that I love! Some are treasures. Some are thoughtfully purchased functioning items. But each of them gives me joy! These are a few of my favorite things...PLUS a little shopping insider tip for each in case you want to share the love!

My collection of aprons. One is my grannies. Several are gifts from sweet friends. I have an apron for every season and everyday wear. And y'all know how I feel about aprons....{here} -Shop Anthropologie for cute aprons!-

My french wire tiered market basket that holds fruits and veggies. -flea market find-

I have a love affair with my basket of cutting boards and baking sheets. An idea from Ina Garten's own kitchen, this basket is charming and provides texture and function to my kitchen. -shop Target or Pottery Barn for great baskets-

My collection of cookbooks! My go-to's are 1001 Ways to Cook Southern and Bon Appetit, Y'all by Virginia Willis. And Pioneer Woman of course! {blog and cookbook}

This dutch-oven mama sits out on my stove top every single minute of the day. She's a beauty. And she makes a mean batch of chicken and dumplin's. -shop dutch ovens at Sur la Table-

My Goliath-sized glass canisters of flour and sugar. I got these bad-boys at Walmart for $10 each! Smaller sizes available for $7 each. They're fabulous!


I heart King Arthur flour. I currently have enough to make approximately 23,798 buttermilk pancakes. -King Arthur flour available at the fancy WM Neighborhood Market at Pinnacle Hills in Rogers, AR or you can buy it on Amazon.-

I long to spend quality time with my mixer. He's an awesome Friday-night date, if you ask me. -available everywhere-

I cannot, in good conscious, admit how giddy I am over this set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls. They nest. They pour. They stir up beautifully. And they're cu-u-ute. -shop vintage pyrex on etsy.com-

Sam and I enjoyed a summer-time {sweltering} trip to Boston, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard last year. I found this gorgeous map of MV on a linen dishtowel, and I knew I wanted to frame it. It is one of only two framed pictures in my kitchen. It delights me.

Double-handled soup bowls from Williams-Sonoma. These little guys are high-functioning! I bake cobblers and pot pies in them. I serve soups in them. And they are perfect for shrimp and grits!


And last but not least, pie plates. {Y'all knew it was coming!} These two in particular are ruffled pie dishes from Emile Henry - available on Amazon and beyond. The green one was my first EH dish that I bought in a neat little kitchen store in Nova Scotia. The blue one was a knee-jerk purchase because, well, look at it. Blue + ruffles + pie = must-have. These stoneware pie plates are great not only for pies but for all kinds of other baked items like cinnamon rolls, baked beans, cobblers, hot dips, and more.

Ah, isn't it a dreamy all-star list of charming, kitchen lovelies?! Thanks for stopping by to gush with me over my favorite things! xo

Welcome To My Kitchen: My Favorite Place on Earth

2011-12-13T11:17:00.001-06:00

You know if I could, I'd have y'all all over for pie and coffee this holiday season. There is nothing I enjoy more than preparing food for people I love. Paula Deen {my hero} says that when you make something for someone else, it's like giving a little piece of your heart. And that's just how I feel on the inside when I'm able to labor over something delicious with my own hands and then share it with my loved ones. And this is the place where all of that happens: my kitchen. The hub of the home. The heart of the home. The place where pie crusts are crimped, where onions and garlic are chopped, where butter softens {like my waistline} and love is served up on ironstone plates and ladled into double-handled soup bowls. My favorite place on earth.

Today I invite you to take a peek inside my kitchen. And tomorrow I'll share with you a few details that make my kitchen uniquely mine...things that warm me as much as the comfort foods that are made here.

WIMM: "You Smell Like Beef & Cheese"...dip

2011-12-12T13:07:00.003-06:00

Okay, this recipe isn't REALLY called "You smell like beef and cheese"....but I like to think it's what the fake Santa might've been munching on in the break-room behind the scenes before Elf outed him as a liar who smelled like beef and cheese. {Can y'all ever see that scene enough over the course of your life? I think not. Here ya go: WATCH} But this favorite of mine is undoubtedly beef and cheese...stirred and baked and bubbly and stringy and creamy and nutty. Mmmm. I'm sad there's none left after our small group's Christmas party last night! This {dried} beef and {cream} cheese dip is a crowd-pleasing, easy-making, great-traveling appetizer for your neighborhood gathering or office party. Bake it in a pie plate and serve with torn pieces of toasted sourdough or french bread. Then listen to the compliments roll in like "Who made that dip?" and "Man, that's good." and scrape, scrape, scrape. {That's the sound of the last spoonfuls being scraped out of the dish!}

So for the holidays coming up {and we'll lump in the bowl games in January!} I thought I'd share with y'all one of my all-time favorite, delicious, rich, pretty and simple party dips that I love to serve!

If smelling like beef and cheese is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

"YOU SMELL LIKE BEEF AND CHEESE" DIP

{aka dried beef and cream cheese bake}

2 blocks of cream cheese, room temp

2 jars of armour dried beef , chopped

{at my grocery, it's located with the tuna, canned chicken, and other canned meats.

the term "canned meat" is just so creepy}

1 bundle of green onions and stems, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar/jack blend

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

1 teaspoon garlic powder {not salt}

PLUS

approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans to cover top of dip

loaf of french bread or sourdough bread to tear and toast

---

Stir together well and spread into a lightly greased pie plate.

Top with chopped pecans and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes til it's melty, a wee brown, and bubbling a little around the edges.

Serve with toasted pieces of torn bread.

Easy, peasey, beef and cheesey!

InstaFriday: sights and smells of the season!

2011-12-09T12:52:00.001-06:00

You hear it on the radio, and I bet it's ringing true in your home like it is mine..."It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" It looks, feels, smells, and sounds like Christmas within my walls. I had a wonderful week decorating and cooking feed-your-soul kinds of homemade goodness. We were festive and had a fun fun week! I hope you did as well! Here's the InstaFriday recap of my week in phone pics only! Hope you enjoy!!!

My friend Kendra greeted me at my front door early last week with some fresh evergreen clippings from her big beautiful tree in her backyard. What a nice gesture that has added a wonderful level of charm to my home's seasonal decor. {Thanks, KGB!}

It was a coooold week here. As a matter of fact, the term "blustery" couldn't have been more appropriate on several of the days. And around here, "blustery" equals comfort food. So I made a yummy dutch oven full of chicken and dumplin's...served in a Johnson Brother's bowl. Even warmer.

And homemade pizzas.

Here's our first dusting of snow in Northwest Arkansas taken in my flannel drawstrings and fleece looking out my front stoop. Yes, to many of you this looks wimpy, but in Arkansas what you aren't seeing is the black ice that had actually formed and caused a gazillion accidents that morning....as well as making a regular 10-minute morning commute take more than an hour. We stayed home late on this slick morning and waited out the fender-benders and read the passage in Luke about the angel telling Mary that she was going to birth God's Son. We pondered God's favor.

I worked long, long days finishing up orders. Folding, counting, packaging, ribbon-ing, shipping...and I hired Grace to help this week. There is one last small batch of goodies going out in the next two days, and Sincerely Yours Paper Christmas orders are in the books! Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!

Speaking of Grace, we enjoyed her Christmas choir concert. I love that my babies all sing. She's the one in the black dress.

I nested. And big-time, y'all. I simmered stove-top potpourri that my SIL Allison gave me as a little seasonal sussie. It is divine! This cranberry concoction smells like all-things Christmas. It makes you want to eat the air you're breathin'.

I hung wreaths in the windows of my house with berry sprigs and wide burlap bows. Just the words "wide burlap bows" make my heart flutter. If there were a bumper sticker that said "I break for burlap" then it'd be on my back-end for sure.

I also break for wrapping paper....

...and flour and sugar.

I filled two humongous, can-hardly-get-your-arms-around-them glass jars and shamelessly plopped them in the middle of my island. Some of you have set goals to maintain your weight during the holidays; I, on the other hand, set goals of using all 10 pounds of these two ingredients between now and early January when my kids go back to school. I figure if Santa is considered endearing because of his jolly plumpness, then so can I.

{ps} Every day next week will be a blog post from my kitchen! I'll be sharing yummy recipes. I'll give you a peek at some of my most heart-warming kitchen treasures. And I'm even going to share a little shopper's guide of all of my personal can't-live-without-em kitchen staples.

That's my life where we eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest! "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another..." John 1:16 Thank you for stopping in and spending time here with me. I'll see y'all back here Monday! xo

SYP is coming to Little Rock!

2011-12-08T12:22:00.001-06:00

That's right! Sincerely Yours Paper is participating in this year's Arkansas Democrat Gazette bridal event at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. And I'm so so excited about it! I'm looking forward to meeting and visiting with all of you central Arkansas brides and showing off my paper fancies! I'll be bringing custom wedding invitation designs that have been created for previous SYP brides as well as pre-made invitation designs that brides can customize without the process of designing from the ground up! I'll also have russell + hazel 3-ring wedding organizers as well as some charming new signature SYP items like personalized banners, monogrammed dinner plates, stationery and more! And who better to bring along for her company and expertise than former SYP bride/event planner/friend Jenessa Bailey! She knows Sincerely Yours Paper inside and out, front ways and back ways. So look for us at the Sincerely Yours Paper booth {#34} on Sunday, January 15!

By the way, I'm planning to schedule a weekend in central Arkansas for private paper consultations for brides who contract with me to design their wedding paper suites. The early-in-2012 date is yet to be determined but will be set in time for this bridal event. So stop by the booth and ask about the availabilities to book your private paper consultation!

Here's a look at the lovelies that are heading down the mountain with me to the capital city!

Pretty Pinnings: holiday projects

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Pinterest has turned my holiday planning up on its ear. I have never been so overwhelmingly giddy about new recipes, gift wrap, bobbles, jingles, decorating and twine and felt. And doilies. Oh dear. It's endless. And this week I thought I'd show y'all a few of the holiday projects that I've been pinning. I can't tell you with certainty that I'll be making them all, but I CAN tell you with certainty that these DIY's are keeping me up all night...."visions of caramel bourbon vanilla sauce dance in my head."

See more pretty pinnings as well as other lovelies by following me on Pinterest! Click on the Pinterest square in the sidebar to join in the swooning...

What I Made Monday: Homemade French Onion Soup

2011-12-05T12:12:00.001-06:00

Happiest Monday, y'all! It's a coooold one here in the Ozark Mountains, that's for sure..."whizzing cold" as my mom always says. So I thought y'all might enjoy a rich bubbly bowl of soup to warm you up today!

Homemade french onion soup is one of Sam's and my favorite warm-ups. Last week he chopped wood and brought it inside to be geared up for Old Man Winter's long visit. And it was a chill-ya-to-the-bone kind of day. So I made delicious bowls of french onion to heat up his insides when he came in. {ps...I find him extremely handsome in his work boots.} I like to toast a reuben sandwich on the side that oozes with swiss cheese and has a little kick of horseradish dressing. Mmm. Mmm. Good! Y'all enjoy and stay warm!

FRENCH ONION SOUP

reuben sandwich details below*

-recipe serves 5-6; I half it for the two of us with enough left for another bowl or two-
8 onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil + 4 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 cups beef stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme {optional}
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
bag/box of large seasoned croutons
thick sliced deli swiss cheese, torn into quarters {2 slices per bowl}

Saute onions and garlic in oil and butter over low heat until tender and golden yellow. Sprinkle flour over onions, cook a few minutes more, until the flour begins to brown in color. Add stock and wine and bring to a boil, adding thyme and bay leaf. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle oven-proof soup bowls full of soup. Add croutons, covering the surface of the soup. Cover croutons with pieces of quartered swiss cheese. Place bowls on a baking stone or cooking sheet and broil on low for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. {Always watch your dish closely when broiling as not to burn!} Serve with a grilled reuben sandwich on the side!

*Layer shaved deli corned beef, swiss cheese, and a heaping spoonful of sauerkraut on your favorite Rye bread (marbled, seedless, Jewish...}. I make a little sauce of horseradish, mayo, chopped sweet pickles and a dash of hot sauce and spread onto my Rye. Or you can use pre-made Thousand Island dressing. Melt pads of butter in a pre-heated skillet and toast til nice and crispy on both sides!

not-so-InstaFriday {cruise-style!}

2011-12-02T10:02:00.001-06:00

Happiest Friday, y'all! I can't believe it's been almost a week since we've been back from our Thanksgiving vacation! We looked forward to it for so long, and I always get a little sad when it finally comes then goes to quickly. My parents treated us {'us' meaning my family and my brother's family} to a 7-day Disney cruise to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. It was magical....just like Walt intended.

The M.O. of InstaFriday is that all the week's pictures are journaled through phone pics only. But between the 11 of us, we took some wonderful and fun pictures on fancy-pants cameras that I'm sharing with y'all today instead! Thus, a not-so-InstaFriday Friday!

{ps} I'm holding back the urge to include lengthy commentary with each picture telling all about the details! {Y'all know me!} So instead, I'm just telling ya what each pic is. Gaw, so hard for me! Enjoy the pics...and my brevity! But don't get used to it...

The Disney Wonder

The ship in Cabo San Lucas

The ship was decorated for Christmas in magical Disney-style!

Dinner together in Animator's Palate...a dining room that is black and white at the onset of your meal but gradually becomes full-color throughout the course of your meal! So neat!

Full-sized movie screen hovered over one of the pools. Here we are on the top deck watching Rataouille while we waited for the sun to set.

We ate glorious food, y'all. Peppered goat cheese salad. Okay, this is the only salad I ate all week. Can't lie.

My view at breakfast each morning....it's okay to be jealous.

John, Allison, Emma and Brooklyn with Minnie Mouse. And a green dinner napkin on John's head for some reason.

Our family with Mickey!

One of the gazillion activities on board - an animation class! Here's Grace and me with our Mickey's....

And here's B's drawing of Goofy. {laughed til we cried}

Another fun activity on board. When in Rome!

Emma, B, and John on "Pirate Night"...

My daddy on "Pirate Night"...and obviously retired and not having to worry about keeping his job as CEO of a bank. Such a good sport!

My kiddos in beautiful Puerto Vallarta!

Kids boarding ship after our day in Puerto Vallarta.

El Arco de Cabo San Lucas - unedited by the way. This is God's real blue.

Our fam on a tour boat in Cabo with the ship in the background!

Never knew rocks could be so pretty, y'all!

My boys jet-skiing around Cabo. They only dumped over twice {insert eye-roll}.

This little number kept us in stitches all week. A personality as big as that hat!

Gracie-loo and me in Cabo. Loved having her all to myself for a week!

Ah, sunsets. We enjoyed many of them on our dreamy vacation....

thanks to these two. Love you, Nana and G-dad!

That's my life where we eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest! "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another..." John 1:16 I hope you have a warm first-weekend-in-December. I'll see ya back here Monday! xo

Holiday Order Deadline is Here!

2011-11-30T11:32:00.001-06:00

Well, hello!!! I know I said I'd meet y'all back here on Monday after our Thanksgiving vacation...I didn't keep my word. Apologies. Oh, I've been here. At my desk. For 16 hours a day since we got home. Surviving on a diet of caffeine and Saltine crackers. Don't believe me? Here's a snap of my desk yesterday including cuticle cream within quick reach...

Somebody really ought to pick up around here....

But as busy and crazy and overly-caffeinated as I am, I wouldn't change a thing! You all have been ordering up a {Christmas} storm! So let me say to everyone before I lower the order deadline boom....I am thankful, humbled and delighted that out of all of the gifts you could give to your loved ones, that y'all choose Sincerely Yours Paper things. I mean it. Thank you.

For those of you who have ordered, everything is being designed, moved into production, and is mailing out in waves. I expect all SYP goodies to be in-hand no later than December 15-18ish with hopes that the postal system works smoothly {say your prayers, people}. Melamine may arrive as late as the 20th.

For those of you have have NOT ordered...

The ORDER DEADLINE for all SYP lovelies is NOON on DECEMBER 1.

That's tomorrow, y'all! At noon on December 1, the SYP Etsy shoppe is closing its "doors" until January 1, 2012 so I can deck the halls, bake pies, wrap gifts, enjoy my family, and get geared up for the wedding season around the bend! So get logged into your Etsy account and wrap up your Christmas shopping with some fancy Sincerely Yours Paper wares. Click HERE to shop.

Psst. Don't forget you can purchase pretty ribboned SYP gift certificates too!

InstaFriday + SYPkeeping

2011-11-18T10:41:00.001-06:00

Happiest Friday, y'all! I hope you had a week filled with things that make your heart happy. The holidays are officially upon us. And I'm so excited to be celebrating them with friends and family! I know you are too! And aren't we loving the Target commercial with the gal in her heavy makeup, skin-tight jogging suit, heels and pearls...doing her calisthenics for Black Friday?! Makes me giggle.

A little ~~house~~SYPkeeping, I am officially taking off all of next week to spend Thanksgiving with my family. And by "taking off", I mean no phone, internet, email, etsy, facebook, twitter, blog, pinterest, posting, commenting, linking, sharing, folding, cutting, printing, packaging, mailing...a REAL vacation. So what y'all need to know is that you may STILL PLACE ORDERS until December 1. Melamine orders must be placed by NOON on December 1! If you have questions or etsy orders etc. I will reply as quickly as I can when I return to my studio on Monday, November 28. And this blog will lie dormant until then as well. Much needed and much anticipated. And a good break will gas up my creative tank for the coming wedding season that I'm elated about!

But before I go, we mustn't forget that it's InstaFriday - a week of life chronicled in phone pics only. And there are some fun ones!

Saturday, Arkansas did some wooo-piggin' on Tennessee, making us #6 in the country. Y'all know how much I love my Hogs. We left with a few minutes remaining {only because I had a little one who didn't feel well} and this was my view looking back at the stadium. Doesn't it just give you cold chills?! That is 72,000 seats of Heaven.

On Sunday after church, I had a few minutes to breeze into a neat little antique store that I'm never able to go in, and I fell in love with a pair of jadeite mugs. I adore jadeite but didn't have any of my own. Until now. And I'm on day five of drinking out of this little vintage fella who warms my heart.

My friend Kelley gave me this Trapp "Lemon Sugar Cookie" candle for my birthday last month. And just this week, I burned it for the first time. People. You need this candle. It smells like my Grannie's lemon glazed pound cake fresh out of the oven.

Remember last week's temp in my house? 66. Well today it's 63. Temperature is falling. And my nose is running. And Sam Hannon isn't budging. It's frosty in here....

Literally.

We had a rare all-five-of-us-are-home evening. So we ordered our favorite New York pizza from a local Italian eatery, we put on comfies, and we watched Elf. And just before the kids got home that afternoon, I hung stockings and just a few other Christmas pretties to usher in Good Cheer. What a toasty night...just us, good food, stockings, snuggled under blankets, and one cotton headed ninny muggins.

I have made a pact with my SIL Allison that we would not crack a single holiday magazine until we we able to spend this coming Thanksgiving week together. LOOK at the pile of dreaminess that I have accumulated in the last couple weeks! This covenant is quite a commitment for a magazine junkie like me. How I long to see what's inside!

I cannot tell a lie. I looked at the pie recipes. I couldn't help it.

Me and pie...like a moth to a flame.

That's my life where we eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest! "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another..." John 1:16 I hope you'll eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest this Thanksgiving! Much love, y'all. xo

Pretty Pinnings

2011-11-17T12:37:00.001-06:00

While many of you are pinning Christmas and holiday decor and foods, I've been looking at all sorts of wedding lovelies for 2012 inspiration. Because of a wonderful rush of paper inquiries from next year's brides, I've been delving into the pages of inspiration boards and bouquets and palettes and details on some of my favorite wedding resources online. Here are some pretty pinnings for you today!

edible paper + calligraphy in edible ink on shortbread cookies = the sweetest placecards and favors


this girl's heart will always flutter at ruffly peony bouquets. doesn't yours?

apothecaries + chalkboards + white paper bags + pink macaroons = a most charming cookie buffet

rich creme with peach details + layers of ruffles and petals = the most romantic cake ever made

me + pinterest + holiday baking = this pie that isn't wedding-related but still divine!

See more pretty pinnings as well as other lovelies by following me on Pinterest! Click on the Pinterest square in the sidebar to join in the swooning...

Gift Certificates Just in Time for Christmas!

2011-11-16T16:44:00.001-06:00

Are you smitten with personalized paper lovelies but just can't seem to choose for your mom? Do you adore monogrammed goodies but aren't sure what your teacher's middle name is? Do you long to get a special, handmade gift for a friend but you don't have two weeks to wait on production? Will you be realizing on December 4 that you missed the December 1 SYP product order deadline? Well, a Sincerely Yours Paper gift certificate is the answer!

This darling, 6x6 gift certificate with charming jingly wording is personalized and printed on sparkly white stock and presents in a ribbon-wrapped vellum envelope. The cuteness is a gift in itself, y'all!

Available in increments of $30, $50, $75, and $100 on the SYP Etsy shoppe! Click HERE for more details and to order yours today!

What I Made Monday: Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-11-14T12:54:00.001-06:00

Happiest Monday to y'all! My goodness, I'm getting in the holiday spirit, aren't you?! I did some Christmas shopping this last weekend. I have been perusing recipes that I'm excited to prepare and serve over the coming weeks. I scavenged a neat old copper barrel with wooden handles from a flea market to store our wood in for the Winter. {It's sittin' on our hearth right now!} And the first-of-the-seasonal-ten-million television features of "Elf" came on. Oh, yes, it was recorded by our family and it will be watched. Ten. Million. Times. {And I laugh every single time, don't y'all?!!}

Knowing that you will likely be attending a shindig or hosting company over the season, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite crowd-pleasing appetizers. Now, let me preface this WIMM recipe by saying this: don't be a 'shroom snob. I know full-well that stuffed mushrooms may be considered out-dated or tacky. I know there are more sophisticated pre-meal dishes. But I also know that these little rich, decadent, non-fancy fungi disappear within minutes of being put out before my guests. And the last time I served them, there was a polite but spirited tangle over who got the last one. So 'shroom snobs can put that in their pipes and smoke it! {Please excuse the perfectly-played but less-than-appropriate mushroom pun.}

These are my pics. This is my stamp of approval. The recipe is Ree Drummond's and can be found HERE. Y'all try 'em. They're delicious....and addicting!

InstaFriday

2011-11-11T11:00:00.001-06:00

Hooray for the weekend! I'm so glad it's here, aren't y'all?

I don't know about you, but I find myself straddling the seasonal-fence. Is it fall? Or is it winter? Is it Thanksgiving? Or is it Christmas? Is it football season? Or is it basketball season? Well, all of the above coexist peacefully together in my household as of this week. It's a menagerie of merriness.

My friend Dawn gave me this fun little painted metal sign that hangs on my front door. She's from Iowa and has only just started to say "y'all" after having lived in the South for years. I like to think I have influenced her in that way. When she finally converts to using the collective word "y'all" to reference a single person, I'll know my job is done.

Y'all know what I'm talking about...

I converted my big fat white Halloween pumpkin into a big fat white turkey for Thanksgiving! My SIL Allison gave me these neat little metal pieces that you ~~shove~~ carefully stick into your pumpkin to make this gorgeous gobbler. He makes me happy!

This, my friends, is the ruffled do-it-yourself Christmas tree skirt that most of y'all have seen on Pinterest. I, too, have pinned the ruffly linen goodness with no intention of every really do-it-yourself-ing it. And my talented thoughtful friend Jenessa MADE ONE FOR ME. The verse that came to mind, after I shrieked and hugged her neck and made a scene, was John 15:13. "Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends." (I know that's comPLETEly not what Jesus intended when He spoke that, but it's the sacrifice bit that came to me anyway.) Jenessa loves me a lot. And I her.

ANOTHER friend brought me homemade pumpkin spice doughnuts to my door. Gaw, I have good friends, don't I? Heidi is a fellow Pinterest junkie who fearlessly tries all kinds of recipes...and then brings me the extras. Somehow, she's entirely skinny. And I kind of hate her for that. But the doughnuts were amazing.

I plead the 5th on how many I ~~inhaled~~ ate.

If there were a foot race between my husband's competitiveness and his cheapness, it'd be a photo finish that would be number one on ESPN's Top Ten Plays. He refuses to turn on the heat, although we've been under a freeze warning for, oh I don't know, a WEEK! It's so cold in our house that he and I have to psych ourselves up to get into our freezing cold bedsheets at night. We literally have to hee-hee-ho-ho breath for the first few seconds that the frostbitten flat-sheet touches our skin. BUT one year we didn't turn the heat on until December 9 {aka The Day I Threatened To Strangle Him To The Cold Ground}. So now he thinks we have to "beat our record"....Thus I'm blogging wrapped in a fleece blanket.

It has been a regular Santa's Workshop here in my studio! Y'all are shopping up a storm on the SYP Etsy store, and I'm printing and packaging and mailing goodies on their merry way! So with the frosty (indoor) temps and lots of holiday gift orders, it seemed only natural that it was time for this...

24 hour Christmas Music on Pandora.

Merry Christmas to me!

That's my life where we eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest! "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another..." John 1:16 See you Monday!

Paper Praise from Real SYP Brides

2011-11-10T08:35:00.000-06:00

I am so fortunate to enjoy what I do. I'm a people girl who happens to make pretty papers. And pretty papers bring people into my world. What a nice cycle, right?!

It's a supreme joy to have a happy client who is happy with her paper lovelies. I have a special little spot in my office for hand-written notes from brides and their mommas. And I have a special little file on my desktop for emailed praise. Y'all are so encouraging, and you make me love what I do!

Today I'm sharing the love and the sweet words from happy brides and their mommas.

"It has been a real pleasure to work with you on these invitations. You have been informative, knowledgeable - the utmost professional. And your southern charm and grace have been an inspiration! I feel fortunate to have come upon you and your website, and I truly appreciate how you turned this into a wonderful experience. I look forward to doing this again when my younger daughter gets married! Thank you for all of your time and effort!" -Carmen Dominguez de Vallois, mother of bride Gillian Marie Frick {Miami, Florida}

"I am IN LOVE with the invitation!!! I almost cried when I saw it! I can't thank you enough! It's absolutely perfect! I think I almost like the envelope the best though. It's so adorable!! You are one talented lady! I know I'm using a lot of exclamation points but that's how I feel! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" - Erin Scoggins soon-to-be-Yoder {Rogers, Arkansas}

"Oh, my goodness Amy!!! You are the AMAZING lady and I thank you so much for the sweet, sweet words!! I can't tell you how much Erin loves the invitations. Her two favorite things about this wedding are her dress and the invitations." -Wanda Scoggins, the mother of Erin Scoggins soon-to-be-Yoder

"Thank you so much, Amy! It has been a joy to work with you through this whole process. Thanks for all your patience with me and all of your design expertise! They look AMAZING! They are more beautiful than I could have imagined" -Micah Cauthron Rego {Ft. Smith, Arkansas}

Humbled. And maybe a little squeal.

Holiday Orders + Deadlines

2011-11-08T11:54:00.000-06:00

It's that time! The holidays are around the corner! The first of many jingly commercials are just starting to sprinkle the airways. Rows of festive trimmings are newly displayed in departments stores! Boutiques are decorating windows and gearing up for seasonal shoppers! And Sincerely Yours Paper is in the spirit with almost 100 personalized original items for sale on the SYP Etsy shoppe! All kinds of charming, unique gifts with all kinds of price ranges for all kinds of folks on your list!

Personalized stationery including folded notes and flat scalloped cards.

Personalized scalloped recipe cards with coordinating melamine serving platters!

Little Love Notes to slip inside pockets, drawers, lunch boxes and more!

Custom maple rubber stamps for return addresses and holiday gift tags!

"Cookies for Santa" plates that are sure to become a family treasure for years to come!

"Celebrate Plates" to make any special day (or not so special day) extra fun!

Personalized wall-sized AND refrigerator-sized perpetual dry-erase calendars!

A spirited array of licensed Sooie Series melamine-ware, towels + car decals!

ORDER DEADLINES

With the holiday rush to design, produce and ship your products, there are deadlines for each product that you need to know! Order deadlines follow:

DECEMBER 1, 2011 is the order deadline for all melamine and rubber stamps.

DECEMBER 10, 2011 is the order deadline for all paper goods and dry-erase calendars.

Any orders received after these dates will not be placed and will be fully refunded.

*In the interest of fairness, orderliness, and bookkeeping, all orders, including NWA orders, must be placed through the Sincerely Yours Paper Etsy shoppe and will be shipped to you at the lowest possible USPS rates.

Click HERE to start shopping!

What I Made Monday: Classic Apple Pie

2011-11-07T10:41:00.000-06:00

Gooood Monday morning, y'all! I hope you've adjusted to falling-back this last weekend. I am a big big fan of these darker evenings! My comfies, a cup of decaf, lit candles, and comfort food start callin' my name about 5:00 in the afternoon when the skies begin to grey and night settles in early. Drop the temps just enough to build a fire...and put a fork in me, I'm done.

I've always been weather-inspired when I cook. I know many of y'all are the same. When I say to Sam on a blustery Autumn afternoon, "It just feels like a pot-pie night," he gives me the you're-from-another-planet look. When I say it to my sister-in-law, she gets me...and she agrees. And she makes pot-pie too. My strongest Fall-weather-inspired urge when it's crisp outside is always the same. Apple pie. Oh, I've made a gazillion versions of apple pie. But I'm talkin' good old fashioned, two-crust, sugar-sprinkled, apple pie. From slicing and sugaring the apples to building the pie in my cast-iron pie dish {click here} to topping the crust with baker's sugar and my favorite pie bird {click here}. The pie from beginning to end warms my soul.

I have studied multiple apple pie recipes from some of the greats to find that many of them are similar. Among others, I have made Martha Stewart's Mile-High Apple Pie, Barefoot Contessa's Deep Dish Apple Pie, and Paula Deen's Apple Pie. And what I've learned is the the tips make the difference between good pie and great pie! So what follows is the recipe that I've landed on, gleaning wisdom from our kitchen ~~forefathers~~ foremothers, with important steps that make apple pie perfection!

CLASSIC APPLE PIE

One recipe for a double crust OR a refrigerated pie crust

8-9 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced.

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of fine sea salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 tablespoon water for brushing top crust

Decorative White Sugar Crystals OR regular sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer one dough round to a 9-inch pie plate, trimming the dough flush with the plate's rim. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place apples in a large mixing bowl; sprinkle over the sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir to combine, coating well. Place the apple pie mixture into the unbaked pie shell, mounding apples higher in the center of the pie. Dot with butter bits. Cover the filled pie crust with the top crust. Fold the dough under, and crimp the edges with a fork or with your fingers. Chill in the refrigerator until the crust is firm, about 15 minutes. After chilling, cut a few slits in the top crust {or use a pie bird to vent} and brush the top crust with water, sprinkling several teaspoons of sugar on the top. Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly before slicing and serving or serve at room temperature. Store pie loosely covered on the counter.

Meeting The Pioneer Woman!

2011-11-04T17:18:00.000-05:00

Happiest Friday to y'all! I know this is a late afternoon post, but I also knew I'd have something super duper fun to show ya this afternoon. So I've been holdin' out because....I got to meet Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. And y'all know how much I cook and how much of my cookin' is hers. So I don't need to tell you how tickled I was for this day to come!

Ree was in Ft. Smith an hour from here at a luncheon and a book-signing. So we loaded up three cars and headed down the mountain to see her! She was as wonderful and witty and down-to-earth and sweet as we expected - like she was just one of the girls who should've hopped in the car with us and ridden home sucking down a Sonic drink with the rest of us. She talked about her family, Marlboro Man, cooking, homeschooling, photography...and she even sang Endless Love in her best "Charlie" voice. {We laughed til we cried!} She told all about her journey from starting a little personal blog to winning the the Thanksgiving Throwdown with Bobby Flay. At one point she showed a picture of herself with Paula Deen, and I almost spoke in tongues.

Here we are trying to be friendly and cute without letting on that we're all stalkers.

I made Ree a bundle of Sincerely Yours Paper personalized scalloped recipe cards {here}and gave them to her when she was signing my cookbook. We had a kindred moment when she and I shared our love of scallops. I tried not to gush, even though I really just wanted to squeeze her neck! She even said her new cookbook coming out in March has scalloped pages. Scalloped pages AND a new cookbook?! Shriek and swoon.

My signed cookbook!

And here's my carload back in Northwest Arkansas with our signed cookbooks, our Sonic drinks, and happy foodie-friend hearts. Oh, and boots. It was a fun fun day! And it made me itch to be in my kitchen! So I'm planning to fix and chop and bake and stir this weekend!

I hope y'all have a great weekend too! I'll see you back here on Monday!

{new item} Cookies for Santa Plate: personalized

2011-11-03T12:31:00.002-05:00

Ho Ho Ho to you! This charming, vintage-esque plate is the perfect piece to set out cookies and treats for dear old Santa Claus. He's worked so hard all year long making toys for all the good girls and boys! Doesn't he deserve our warmest welcome? And what a darling decorative plate to display throughout all of the days leading up to Christmas morning! This personalized plate will surely become a Christmas treasure in your family for years to come!

DETAILS

-One 10-inch melamine plate is personalized with "Cookies for Santa from (Your Family's Name)"

-Melamine is a heavy, durable BPA-free plastic that is virtually indestructible and will last for years and years. (dishwasher safe; do not microwave)

-Available as shown in your choice of Green, Stone, or Pool.

GIFT-GIVING IDEAS

Give this unique personalized plate to school teachers, neighbors, friends and family. And what a fun seasonal shower gift to give newlyweds or a new mommy friend! {ps}Wrap this plate in cellophane tied with pretty ribbon or twine and filled with baked treats for an extra sweet gift!

HOW TO ORDER

If you have an Etsy account, you may purchase all SYP items on my Etsy shoppe. OR if you do not have an Etsy, you can just click the Buy Now button below, choosing your color and personalization! Easy! If you have multiple plate orders, please enter them individually.

HURRY! The order deadline for all melamine is December 1! {And "sooner than later" is a safe motto during the holiday-ordering season!} If you have questions about ordering, please email sincerelyyours@cox.net.

*production time is approximately 12 days before shipping*

Marriage Morsels: Peace, Love and Splenda

2011-11-02T10:32:00.000-05:00

It is just a used packet of Splenda...or is it? Perhaps thislittle yellow packet of fake sweetness is a messenger. Say what? What kind of message could a usedsugar substitute packet deliver? This particular packet is a messenger ofpeace, love, and fun.

See, it all started with a comment my lovely bride madeabout me leaving my used Splenda packet on the counter in front of the coffeemaker. {every single day of his life. exactly three full steps from the trash can.} Apparently my behavior was not…ummmm…meeting her expectations. Myresponse to this comment had all kinds of potential for conflict or negativity. But I decided to use it as a platform for FUN! Let’s face it, most marriages coulduse a little less conflict and a lot more fun.

In response to Amy’scorrection I have decided to "fun her" into forgiving me for my sinful ways. So thelast few days, Amy has found used Splenda packets in lots of places around thehouse. Each one is strategically placed to grab her attention. She goes to doher make-up and there is a Splenda packet balanced on the neck of her faucet. She goes to her officeand there is a Splenda packet on her keyboard. She finally finds her phone and, BOOM, a Splenda packet. I am sure it is making her smile. I am certainly enjoyingmyself in the process. I think we have both gotten the message. Peace! Love!Fun! I am not leaving trash on the countertop anymore, and Amy has exchangedsmiles for ruffled feathers. {I had already snapped this pic on my phone when Sam left the first packet on Monday morning because it made me laugh...and roll my eyes.}

Fun, laughter, playfulness and smiles should be a regular part of the marriage relationship. Sometimes the smallest effort can make your bride orgroom’s day! So the marriage enrichment challenge for this week is simple: putsome FUN back in your marriage! Your relationship will be sweeter for it!

Jonna + Ryan: personalized dinner menus and wedding details

2011-11-01T10:26:00.001-05:00

It was a beautiful and crisp October weekend when Jonna Dyer and Ryan Mills said their "I do's" on the lawn at Inn at Carnall Hall. Her wedding palette mirrored the changing leaves and the charm of the details honored the history of the hotel.

Planned by her sister and wedding designer Jenessa Bailey, and photographed by the photographer-phenoms of Benfield Photography, this wedding ceremony and reception were full of warm details. Wooden pews positioned in the grass. Cashmere and wool throws for the guests to keep warm during the ceremony. Lush Autumn florals. Gorgeous tables. A menu fit for a king. And individual wedding cakes for each guest in seasonal flavors. Just so lovely.

I was asked to design a custom dinner menu that would incorporate all of the beautifully-worded dishes as well as the carefully selected wine-pairings for each course. With such a grand meal, the menu followed suit in a significant 6x10 layered design. Each dinner menu also served as a place card, with each guest's name hand-penned by Houston calligrapher Elecia Fogg in a striking copper metallic ink. The bride's wish was for the personalized dinner menus to become a wedding treasure - a keepsake for her guests to remember their weekend together celebrating family and friendship.

What I Made Monday: Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

2011-10-31T10:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween Monday! I hope y'all had a great weekend. We carved our pumpkins last night with a pumpkin design that suited each person's personality. {More on that on InstaFriday this week!} So they'll be lighted and flickering on our doorsteps tonight as we greet little happy, furry, sparkly and scary faces!

So today in the spirit of "Trick or treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat..." I've got a really yummy treat for y'all. And believe me, it smells better than feet. That's for certain!

This recipe has been around here for so long that I honestly can't recall its beginnings. As a matter of fact, it's one of those dishes that ya' know by heart. I double this recipe and make two big pans for company. It makes a great "giving meal". And it's easy to whip up and bake. Creamy and cheesey. Brown and bubbly. I'm serving this to my family tonight before we fill our bags and bellies with candy and more! And I'm excitedly looking foward to its warm, comforting fork-fulls!

SOUR CREAM CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

16 oz. carton sour cream

1 small can diced green chiles

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (or cheddar-jack blend)

10 large flour tortillas (burrito-sized, not soft taco or fajita-sized)

8oz. heavy whipping cream

salt/pepper/garlic powder/cumin to taste

paprika for sprinkle of color on the top

In a very large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, chiles, soup, onion, and 2 cups of cheese. Mix well. Add shredded chicken; salt and pepper a little. Add a garlic powder and cumin to taste. Stir well. Spread each flour tortilla with the mixture and roll up, placing seam-side down in a sprayed 9x13 pan. Fill pan will all ten tortillas, packing them in nice and tight. If there is filling left over, just spread it directly over the top of the pan of rolled tortillas. Pour whipping cream over the entire pan of enchiladas. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes on 350 degrees. Remove foil, sprinkle with the remaining one cup of shredded cheese; and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and they're bubbling. Remove and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

InstaFriday

2011-10-28T11:40:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful Fall Friday here in Northwest Arkansas! I'm sure you all are looking forward to the weekend like I am. We have plans to grab Mexican food with family, a few sleepovers, an Arkansas game and many other activities planned. Nice and full - inside and out. InstaFriday is a journal of the week in phone pics only. And a big week it was...

As y'all may recall from another post, my hip was out of whack for the whole week {still going slow today}. But I did lots of heating, icing, medicating, limping, and resting. And on Monday morning, I got a wonderful doorstep gift from my friend Dawn who brought me a Sonic Diet Coke, a seasonal hand treat, and sample packets of BioFreeze. It's that magic sensation somewhere between so-cold-it's-hot. As a matter of fact, I smeared the packet on my low back and then stood at the sink to get a water. And I swear y'all I turned around to check the stove because I thought the heat on my backside meant there must be a flame on. God's honest truth.

This is my cousin-more-like-my-sister Marcy. She and I grew up driveway to driveway all of our lives. And we're only a year apart in age. But I won't say who's older...okay, it's her. If she cut her hair, I cut mine. If she wore blue nail polish, I wore blue. She and I spent hours playing house, building forts, practicing makeup, learning "Thriller", cheering, double-dating, and then talking on the phone when we went different ways in college and throughout our early years of marriage. Well, the Lord brought her and her family to Northwest Arkansas in December and our boys are best friends. {I know, full-circle.} And she has a tumor in her neck. We knew it was there and thought it'd be an easy surgery; but an MRI showed otherwise. So this week, we had some news that sent us to our knees and brought everything into perspective. She and her husband are leaving for the Mayo to have this unwelcome guy removed in a delicate surgery followed by pathology reports. I wanted y'all to know so you could be praying with me next week.

The Lord is good, and we're leaning on His sovereign plan and unfailing mercies.

On a brighter note, the colors in the Ozark Mountains turned brilliant in reds and golds this week. We needed some cold nights and, boy, did we have those! The trees responded accordingly. We find ourselves driving to school in the morning gasping and pointing at how lovely the trees are. It's a treat to watch them deepen in color each day. It's a greater treat to see my children recognize and appreciate God's creativity.

Cold mornings + Morning Carpool = Arsaga's Drive-Thru in my Pajamas

My first shipment of my new licensed Arkansas Razorback melamine arrived. It was a big fun celebration! Then again, I've never met a melamine plate I didn't like. There's gonna be a little somethin' somethin' about these swanky sooie goodies....so stay tuned!

It was spirit week for my boys. Here's Ike on Nerd Day. It's hard to be nerdy when you're just so stinkin' handsome.

Aaaand, here's Luke dressed like a girl. {He's the one in the back just to the right of Raggedy Andy.} The cheerleaders chose some of the more spirited football players to dress up and "wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle it" at the pep rally. He turned cartwheels and stunted, and we laughed until we had tears. And I had to text Marcy to reminisce about dressing up our junior high football players for a pep rally...26 years ago.

Good memories then. Good memories now.

And that's my life where we eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest! "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another..." John 1:16 See you Monday!

{new item} custom rubber stamp + christmas tags set

2011-10-27T13:26:00.000-05:00

If you're like me, you dream about your holiday packaging year round. Thus, this personalized custom rubber stamp and gift tags set was born! Four classic holiday designs to choose from - snowflake, ornaments, candle or Christmas bells! Hang them, tie them, slide them, stick them - horizontally or vertically! Adorn your packages, goodie bags, baked treats and more with a charming custom touch! Plus a fun variety of colored ink pads are also available...every shade to compliment your favorite gift-wrap!

One personalized maple rubber stamp and 25 4x6 scalloped brown kraft gift tags for $39.00! {click here} to see the details and place your order!

Register now for an Etsy account if you don't already have one! You won't want to miss out on the fun SYP holiday shopping and specials this season!

Celebrate Plate Crazies!

2011-10-26T14:04:00.001-05:00

If y'all follow me on Twitter or you're a liker (not to be confused with "licker") of the SYP{fb} page, then you shared in my virtual squealing and carrying-on when the first real Celebrate Plates arrived in my studio. I mean, y'all. They're so cute!

This personalized 10.5" durable melamine dinner plate is the love-child of the Celebrate Everything platter and the You Are Special Today plate. It's polkadotty and adorable and is intended to make meals on special days even more fun!

I ordered a big box of them for my friends who are having babies. {And there a lot of you out there!} And I just couldn't stand not to show y'all. But I haven't even given these to my pregger friends and/or new mamas. So if you happen to be my friend and you have a Preston or a Ruby, then SURPRISE! {heehee}

Aren't they the best?! Gaw, am I too old to have an "Amy's Celebrate Plate"? Because I really, really want one.

These darling durable dinner plates are available on my shoppe {click here}. They are a fabulous baby gift to give. They are a super fun Christmas gift for kiddos, nieces, nephews or your favorite teacher's little baby boy or girl. A treasure to make a special day even more special OR just to make any other day fun! Because there's something to celebrate each day, right?!

Erin + Brad: the charming barn wedding invitation

2011-10-25T11:52:00.000-05:00

There are almost so many things to tell you about this sweet bride that I'm not sure where to begin.

Do I tell you the details of this invitation suite in it's warm Autumn-y slate and curry? Do I tell you that she and her mama have been precious to my family for almost twenty years? Do I tell you that Erin's mama, Ms. Wanda, used to have sleepovers at her house with my Gracie when she was little? Do I tell you that Wanda and Erin have ministry hearts that have impacted zillions from Northwest Arkansas to India and beyond? Do I tell you that I've had the privilege of watching Erin grow up into this gorgeous godly woman who waited for the right man in God's time? Do I tell you that this was a wedding invitation that was pure joy for me to design because of all of this wonderfulness behind it?

See? Where do I begin?

Well, I'll tell you where I'll end. And it's simple. {Future brides, listen close.} Guard you heart. Keep your eyes on the One who is the most important Man in your life. And in His time, you'll look over and see Mr. Right walking alongside you. It might be sooner than you think. Longer than you think. And maybe not even where you think. But when the Lord shows you His man for you, no matter when or where or how long it takes, you can rest assured that it'll be a love worth waiting for...

Swoon.

Kristin J. Portraiture

What I Made Monday: French Toast Casserole

2011-10-24T11:53:00.000-05:00

Happiest Monday to you! I'm posting today from my comfies and a heating pad after "throwing my back out" on Friday afternoon. Words that make a gal feel older than dirt. But nonetheless, I'm stationary today {although I'm stationERY every day}. So this week's WIMM post is actually a scrumptious dish I made the weekend before last. And I'd give about anything to have a warm sugary nutty bowl of it today while I'm on the mend. I feel sure it'd make me feel 100% better, don't you?! I mean, look at the gooey moistness of this cinnamony, cream-soaked bready goodness. I threw in a few berries for good measure.

Paula Deen's French Toast Casserole is easily the best I've had. I served this to some special drop-in company and got positive feedback {i.e. moaning while they took each bite}. And this recipe got the hoped-for comment, "as good as something I'd get in a restaurant". And y'all, it's not because I did anything new or fancified to this recipe. It's just the recipe itself. Supremely simple and supremely scrumptious. This french toast casserole would equally be divine as a cold Autumn night's dessert.

As if this bowl of pure love needed any more plus-es, it's made the day or night before and then easily bakes in the oven the morning you're ready to serve. Hear the choirs of angels sing...

{click here} for the recipe complete with the praline spread that is the decidedly over-the-top element that makes this breakfast casserole stand alone. Y'all enjoy!

InstaFriday

2011-10-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

Yay for Friday already! The weather, the Arkansas Razorbacks, my new Southern Living and a low-key weekend are combining to make me elated that the weekend is here! I have recipes I'm trying this weekend. Just me and my kitchen tonight. And I couldn't be more excited!

So y'all know how it works: InstaFriday is a journal of this week in phone pics only. Jump on board with Jeannett over at Life Rearranged on this InstaFriday bandwagon. {And while you're at it, read her story about her babies...and say a few prayers on their family's behalf.} Here we go!

My sweet friend from Dallas brought these real fresh berries to me for my birthday. I've asked her twice what they're called; and I can't remember to save my life. But they are charming and sweet and very fall-ish. She even arranged them for me in a big fat white ironstone pitcher right in my entry. Warms me on many levels.

I'm quickly becoming smitten with doilies. Oh, I've always been fond of real doilies; but paper doilies are coming on strong in the cockles of my heart. I bought a box with several sizes this week. And just today I lined a shipping box with one. And it was adorable. Me and doilies...we have big plans together.

It's wedding weekend for two Sincerely Yours Paper brides. And one of them ordered these sweet menu markers for the cake table which will feature an array of multiple flavored cakes. And after I made these little cards with pretty letters and yummy words, I was especially thankful for my job.

Sam gave me a lovely gift card to a fancy kitchen store called Sur la Table {here} and I used it to buy a fancy-kitchen-store French cast-iron grill pan and press. It arrived this week and I greeted it with a shriek. Paula Deen and my other heroes use a grill pan for countless recipes so I've been hoping for one. Me and my grill pan...we have big plans together.

Speaking of Paula Deen. Speaking of greeting-it-with-a-shriek. I ordered Paula Deens' Southern Cooking Bible which came last night. There was an unbearable pull to purchase this book. I mean, the cover has my three favorite words on it: Southern, cooking, and Bible. And the back cover is Paula holding a pie in a blue ruffled pie dish. Y'all, it's more than my heart can take. So tonight, my family is farmed out; and I have a date with Paula. Me and Paula...we have big plans together.

And that's my life where we eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest! "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another..." John 1:16 See you Monday!

Sarah Marie + Aaron: the wedding invitation

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

It may not surprise you that one of the paper's names in this invitation suite is appropriately called "Fashionista." The bride herself is just so. Bold and creative. Sweet and saucy. And her wedding will be a wonderful expression of her designer-self. One of two Eastern Arkansas gals with whom I've been working this fall, Sarah Marie has been a fun bride with whom to collaborate - and it doesn't stop with the invitation. Her fuchsia and chocolate napkins with gold foil custom monogram and custom-designed equally fabulous ceremony programs are in creation phase. All inspired by her brown and creme striped linens and fuchsia and antique gold accents! A delightful palette and a delightful bride!

Marriage Morsels: Conflict Resolution Mistakes

2011-10-19T10:05:00.000-05:00

Inevitably every marriage relationship will have its shareof conflict. As we live life together, we will let each other down, agitate oneanother, or hurt one another’s feelings. The next thing you know a discussionleads to an argument and one of us bows up and the other grabs a meat cleaver! {hopefully not really!} A healthymarriage is not void of these moments, but a healthy marriage is able to navigate thesedelicate junctures in a wise manner.

All marriages willhave conflict. Therefore, we mustlearn to resolve the conflicts in a healthy way. In order to build healthy conflict resolution skills, we need to first recognize the unhealthy habits in our communication, many of which have bitten me and Amy many times.

Here are 6 common mistakes that couples make in the midst ofa quarrel:

Pursuing thewrong goal. The goal of conflict resolution is not winning or losing. The goalis understanding and problem solving. Many of us get off track by trying to winthe argument. Our true goal should be understanding how our spouse feels andworking towards becoming one with one another again. As a matter of fact, take a minute to be certain that you're even in an disagreement, or is it merely just a misunderstanding!

Withdrawal/Avoidance. We derail when one or both spouses choose to walk away from a conflict and notresolve it. Sweeping it under the rug and giving the cold shoulder will notlead to understanding or oneness. We need to address the real hurts andfrustrations we have with one another or they will build up and becomeunmanageable.

Escalation. The conflict begins to intensify and lose control. Emotions take over andthings are said or done that are not intended. Often the original issue is lostor forgotten as the argument jumps track and self control is abandoned. Angerand frustration flare, interruptions and responses are given with noforethought.

NegativeInterpretation. You or your spouse begin to listen to what the other saysthrough a negative filter. Even the positive statements are receivednegatively. “The only reason you areapologizing now is because…”

Invalidation.You or your spouse makes the other feel as though they don’t matter.Invalidation is taking a true emotion or belief and belittling it or cutting itslegs out from under it. Because we may not understand how our spouse can feelthat way, we refuse to acknowledge it as a true possibility.

Mind Reading.You or your spouse begins to put words in each others mouths. You assumethoughts and motives they are having. You make assumptions on why they saidsomething or tell them what you think they are thinking.

Recognizeyourself in any of these? Ouch, right? Which ones are common in your marriage? These behaviors arethings we are to avoid if we want our conflicts to be avenues of understandingand not roads of pain and strife. I know it is easier said than done, trust me,I have failed many times. I encourage you to start by putting the meat cleaver back in the drawer, and maybe pick up this great book recommendation instead, Mad About Us: Moving From Anger to Intimacy by Gary and Carrie Oliver.

SYP Sooie Plates & Platters

2011-10-18T10:48:00.001-05:00

They're here!!! Finally, after having designed them, submitted them to the licensing gods, and receiving approval, Sincerely Yours Paper is puh-leased to announce the first-ever customizable Arkansas Razorback melamine dishware! Oh yes, there are a few standard plastic Hog chip-and-dip sets out there, but NOTHING like these! All original SYP designs. All super stylish and fun! All with the option to personalize them!!!

Melamine is the hard, durable, virtually indestructible plastic like cafeteria trays are made out of. Dishwasher-safe and BPA-free (the good kind of plastic)...these plates and platters are vibrant and glossy and stylish with the same durability! They are not paper plates, plastic throw-away dishes, or Chinette. I know some of y'all needed clarity on this...so there ya have it!

Think Christmas presents for the Hog fans in your life!

Think wedding gifts to help stock the newlyweds' game-day wares!

Think birthdays, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Boss' Day, Teacher Appreciation Week and more!

Think "I want these for my own kitchen" Day! {Wait, that's not a real day...but it should be!}

All designs come blank {without personalization} or custom {with personalization}. AND I designed all of the plates and platters in coordinating shades of red, white, grey and black so that they mix and match and look spirited all together! {I looove the mix and match look, don't y'all?}

***Be sure to read the details about discounted pricing for multiple plate orders plus combined shipping***

All of the items are listed on the SYP Etsy shoppe for purchase. AND through the end of the week, you can play TAG & WIN on the SYP Facebook page. Just tag yourself in the picture of the Sooie Plates that is posted on the SYP page, and you'll be entered to win a series of all four dinner plates! Easy, right?!

Listen gang, I have shown a few prototype plates to folks who have come through my studio, and the response is phenomenal. You'll want to give them this Christmas! And while you're combining the shipping, you might as well get some for yourself. They're sure to secure victories and they make your BBQ moist and delicious! Ok, maybe not. But they are definitely fabulous and fun!

So check them out HERE {as well as some other really great new personalized melamine plates and paper, of course!}. Believe me, you'll go Hog Wild!

What I Made Monday: Shrimp 'n' Grits, Y'all

2011-10-17T10:59:00.001-05:00

Good Monday, gang! Hope your weekend was a nice one! Ours was packed as is the norm around here these days!

Last week's WIMM post highlighted all of the zillions of dishes I prepped and served to my special out-of-town company over the long weekend. But I've saved the best dish for today! I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this might be the best meal that comes out of my kitchen. These shrimp and grits are rich and creamy with delicious Cajun heat. Absolute comfort food. So indulgent and yummy that, although you're stuffed to your neck, you find yourself a wee disappointed when the last bite's about to hit your lips. That good.

In addition to this recipe being "better than any I've had in a restaurant" {true quote from my friend's well-traveled hubs}, it's simple. There's a little time involved, but the skill-level is quite easy. It's an extremely manageable meal with little juggling as the grits bake in the oven while the shrimp is being cooked in your skillet. PLUS it's a one-dish assembly! I use my double-handled soup bowls from Williams-Sonoma {here} and they work beautifully. The spicy sauteed shrimp recipe is an adapted Paula Deen; but the jalapeno cheddar grits are my sister in law's recipe. {Y'all know Allison if you've poked your head in here very often.} So here goes! The details accompanied by some glorious pictures that just make a girl drool....

SHRIMP AND GRITS

{prepare and bake grits first followed by the shrimp}

12 oz. mild Mexican Velveeta, cubed into small squares

4 cups of water

1 cup of instant grits {uncooked}

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp. salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder {or more to taste}

3 jarred jalapeno rings, minced

Bring salted water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy pot. Add butter; stir to melt. Add grits to boiling water and cook uncovered for about 2 minutes stirring constantly until grits thicken a little. Reduce heat to low {grits will bubble and 'spit'} and stir in cubes of cheese until completely melted. Stir in garlic powder and minced jalapenos. Pour into individual greased oven-safe bowls {or one larger casserole dish} and bake in the oven at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

6 slices of thick-cut hickory bacon, chopped

{sprinkled with brown sugar and black pepper and baked in the oven on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until crispy; reserve drippings for shrimp}

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

1/2-1 cup dry white wine {I use more so it's saucier}

1 pound large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined {I use jumbo frozen shrimp, thawed}

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

After baking/crisping bacon, add two tablespoons of the drippings to a large heavy skillet. Add one tablespoon of butter and one teaspoon of olive oil. Over medium heat, add peppers, garlic, and creole seasoning; cook for several minutes, stirring frequently until pepper are just a little tender. Add wine and cook for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally until shrimp are pink and firm. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and minced chives. Spoon over bowls of creamy jalapeno cheese grits and top with additional chives and crisp bacon crumbles. Serve immediately while hot.

InstaFriday

2011-10-14T10:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, y'all! I don't know about you, but I feel like my weeks are flying by! Regular blog posts like What I Made Monday and InstaFriday seem to roll around so quickly from week to week! So here we are on InstaFriday - a journal of the week in phone pics. Join in the fun {HERE} and get on board! It's a lot of fun!

I missed last week's InstaFriday because I had company in town and I took a blog-iday. (That's a blog holiday.) So I'm kind of tossing in highlights of the last two weeks. And Great Day! There's been lots going on! Take a look....

If you follow along, you saw my cart full-o-pumpkins that I bought. And they're holding court on my doorsteps.

Grace and a group of her friends went to HarBer High School homecoming. {Isn't she lovely?} A few mom friends and I made sweets and sparkly pretty drinks and hosted the picture-taking at my home. We prayed from the time our children were in diapers for the Lord to be cultivating a solid friendship foundation for our kids when they grew older. And He has certainly honored those prayers. All of our kids have neat friends with great families. Thankful.

I ordered bulk Madagascar vanilla beans for a top-secret project I'm working on. I could smell them through the cardboard shipping box. Yumm!

Remember I said "neat friends"? This is Luke (front) and his friend Drew doing their Bible studies together at the island. We pick them up at football practice, run them home to shower, sit them down to do their lessons, and take them over to their junior high small group every Wednesday. I love that they're big, muscle-y grid-iron head-knockers who also love Jesus. Good stuff.

It was my birthday last week! And I share my big day with my sweet niece Brooklyn who rang my doorbell and said "Happy Birfday to us!" We exchanged gifts on the deck.

She. Is. Presh.

For my birthday, my bestie from college came to town with her family for the long weekend and the Auburn game. She has rocked my babies, and I hers. It's the weekend a year that we treasure and anticipate, then ache when it's over.

Erin's family left town on Sunday morning, so Sam took the kids to church in one car while I stayed behind to hug and say goodbye to my sweet Dallas friends. Then I came to church in a separate car. As soon as Grace and I saw one another from across the worship center, she turned around in true teenager fashion and made a run for it. For without having seen each other before church - we dressed exactly the same. I laughed and forced a picture. She, on the other hand, was mortified.

And this is what my bedroom looks like when we go from sun-up to sun-down with school, work, errands, forgotten football socks that have to be run to school, company, games, meetings, bible study, community group, ministry, brides, block parties, and well, life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

And that's my life where we eat big, laugh bigger and love biggest! "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another..." John 1:16 See you Monday!

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

2011-10-12T12:39:00.001-05:00

My youngest Isaac and I are both under the weather today. We don't have the full-blown stomach bug, but a horrible aching that will not go away. I even decided to take my temperature yesterday afternoon when I was covered in chill-bumps and I was hurting in my head, shoulders, knees and toes {101 was the read!} So I went to bed at 6pm yesterday and slept til 7am this morning. Thus we are having a PJ day and I'm doing just a little working {and pinning}.....no fancy blog today. But I'm pulling for a better day tomorrow. Y'all take care - and wash your hands!

{ps} Don't we wish medicine bottles still looked this lovely? It'd make me feel better for certain!

I'm pinning! SYP on Pinterest

2011-10-11T09:55:00.003-05:00

Well, I held out as long as I could. I felt like my legs had been dangling off a cliff with many of y'all pulling my feet to take the plunge. And my fingers. couldn't. hold. on. any. longer. Oh, I had heard all kinds of wonderful things about Pinterest. The recipes. The wreaths. The gift ideas. The home files. The wedding inspirations.....and I knew that if I finally 'jumped' that it would be something I'd love. And y'all were right. Thanks for the coaxing. But now I'm gonna need accountability NOT to spend hours a day oohing and aahing and, well, pinning. I'm sure the new will wear off, but for now, I'm head over heels in love with pinning. My warmest gratitude to "Ben and the Pinterest Team" for this incomprehensible pin-board to organize all of the dreamiest lovelies out there on the world wide web. I can already sense it's gonna be a game-changer around here.

It has been delightfully thrilling to follow many of you. {we are birds of a feather, some of us!} Sincerely Yours Paper has eight boards, and y'all are invited to follow along and see all of the "lovelies" on my boards! Here's a glimpse...eeeee!!!!

HERE

What (didn't I) Make Monday

2011-10-10T11:19:00.000-05:00

Good Monday, y'all! I had a big big long long weekend starting with my birthday on Thursday with my best friend from Dallas comin in town and bringing her family. She loves to be in the kitchen as much as I do, so we cooked and prepped and served and washed for several days. Laughing and visiting all the while. It was just so fun. I made Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, Shrimp and Grits (will post next week!), Custard-style Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce, Ribs (Sam's specialty), Grannie's Mac 'n Cheese, Red Cabbage Slaw, Slow-Baked Bacon Brown Beans and White Chicken Chili.

Then we hosted about 20 good folks in our home for Sunday night community group (it's like "Sunday School" for all you Southern Baptists out there.) I made a dark cherry and blackberry crisp plus a peach cobbler in my cast iron skillet. No wonder I'm not hungry this morning!

Many of these recipes are Autumn favorites that I've posted for y'all before. So I'm sharing highlights of those favorite recipes and linking y'all back to their original posts...because I have lots of dishes to wash. And if you haven't tried these yummy recipes, what are ya waitin for? I've made these particular dishes, soups and breads many times, over and over because they're just. that. good.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread: Click HERE for original WIMM post

White Chicken Chili: Click HERE for original WIMM post

Granny Nelson's Mac & Cheese: Click HERE for original WIMM post

Custard-style Bread Pudding: Click HERE for original WIMM post

Personalized Celebrate Plate

2011-10-06T12:19:00.000-05:00

Thank you ALL for your lovely and thoughtful birthday wishes to me today! I'm warmed by your kindness, and y'all are making this regular, old run-of-the-mill Thursday feel extra special and sweet. Big hugs and smooches all around!

No matter how young or old (eh-hem) you might be, every one wants to feel treasured on his or her birthday! So I've designed a personalized Celebrate Plate to help make special occasions even more fun! Celebrate a birthday, good grades, nice behavior, a soccer goal, a ballet recital, Mother's Day, or any other big day with a Celebrate Plate that is all your own!

These plates (boy or girl) make squeal-worthy gifts to give for showers, birthday parties and Christmas! I even think it'd be a fun treat to give a pair as a wedding gift! His and hers!

You can get yours on the SYP Etsy shoppe today! Takes approximately two weeks to arrive. Shop HERE or click on my mini-Etsy on the right sidebar!

{PS} Don't have an Etsy account? Well, y'all should! Sign up for an account...you'll be glad you did!

Marriage Morsels: Do You Know Your Horse?

2011-10-05T11:13:00.001-05:00

Two summersago, my family ventured out to Westcliffe, CO to stay a week at Horn CreekLodge for family camp. It was a week ofrelaxation, togetherness and of course MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES! We went white waterrafting, hiking, fishing, and even took a horseback ride into the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. It was on this horseback trail ride that I learned a “people lesson” from ahorse wrangler. Just before our adventure took off from the stables, ourwranglers took each of us through a get to know you session concerning ourparticular horse that we would be spending the day upon. I remember thewrangler speaking to me about my horse’s name, her age, and her temperament -how she was a bit lazy and had a tendency towards stubbornness. The wranglerwent on to get specific: my horse did not particularly like being close to thehorse in front of her, so I need to keep some distance between us. I was toldhow to use the reigns pretty aggressively and to really give her a strong spurto get her going. I was told not to let her eat the weeds and grass on thetrail because once she started she would try to go there all day, there weremore details, but I think you get the point…it was a lot of information, buteach piece was very valuable on our journey.

Lesson learned: if we need to know all of these detailsto spend a few hours with a horse, then I would think that we would need tointimately and deeply know all the details we could discover about the personwe are committed to for life.

So how well do you know your Stallion or Mare?

Once you know your spouse, really know them, then you arebetter prepared to partner with them appropriately. Have you ever wondered whyyour spouse is so weird? Why he or she does things a certain way? Or why he orshe reacts to certain things or dislikes some situations? Knowing your spousecan help you relate to them. For instance, if your spouse is task oriented,then you need to know that they like lists, schedules, agendas, and plans. Ifyour spouse is an extrovert, then he or she will be more apt to want tosocialize and be with groups and attend parties. Knowing your spouse helps youlove, serve, and partner with them effectively. We must remember that our goal in marriage is to know our spouse andnot change them. Most of our personality and temperament is “hardwired”into us. You can’t make an introvert the life of the party and you can’t makeAmy Hannon be on time (sorry babe, love you), you just live with and adjust tothe one you married, or as my high school football coach used to say: “dancewith the one who brung you.” Of course we can seek in marriage to stretch ourtendencies and preferences seeking to change to accommodate our spouses, but my observation is thatpersonality traits and temperaments are hard to change.

So how well do you know your spouse? Here are some thingsto consider:

-Is your spouse an introvert or an extrovert? Is he/she energized by groups and people or prefer to be alone or with a selectfew?

-What is you spouse’s personal stress level? At this pointin life, is he/she overwhelmed?

-How does your spouse react to change? Is he/she spontaneous and flexible or does he/she like to stick with an expected pattern orstructure?

-Is your spouse an organized person? Does he/she set goals andpersistently attain them, or are goals and agendas often set aside for other pursuits?

-Is your spouse emotionally steady or does he/she tend to riseand fall emotionally depending on the circumstances of the day?

-Does your spouse have a high or low level of self esteem?Self confidence?

-Is your spouse a people pleaser? Stubborn? Shy?

The answers to these questionsare very important. Some of these answers make your spouse endearing and somemake you crazy! Either way, this is the person you are called to live with 'til death do you part! Knowing these answers will help you understand WHO your spouse isand WHY they act the way they do each day. Knowing your spouse also enables youto relate to them most appropriately. For instance, if your spouse is taskoriented and likes order, then you might be careful changing plans orexpectations suddenly on them (Karate Chop!)

I would recommend doing apersonality/temperament overview of your spouse. Try to get to know them alittle better this week. Author GaryChapman has written a powerful book that enhances your knowledge of your spousecalled: The Five Love Languages. This book is a NY Times best seller and is a MUST READ for all couples. To learn more about the book, click HERE.

P.S. The site even contains anassessment tool that you and your spouse can take and use for discussion!

Happy Trails to you!

SYP Spirit Tees ON SALE!

2011-10-04T13:22:00.000-05:00

I'm clearing out and gearing up for Christmas goodies and specials and sales and NEW products for you all....so that means that the current inventory of SYP Spirit Tees need to find a new home! So prices have been reduced on the SYP Etsy shoppe and you can get your Sooie tees for $22.00 and your HarBer Wildcat tees for only $17.50! Be thinking Christmas gifts, y'all.

Now listen up, gang. If you have NOT already signed up for an Etsy account, it's simple and quick! And believe me, you'll be glad you did! I'd say MOST of my new favorite goodies for myself, my home, my wrist, my kitchen have come from an Etsy store. AND I am going to have some great new products that will be available only through the SYP Etsy shoppe. (You won't want to miss out!) So get signed up and get in on this tee shirt special before they're gone! And grab a pair of fabulous salt and pepper shakers while you're at it....

Click HERE to get your tees.

WIMM: Sweet Tea-Brined Fried Chicken & Biscones

2011-10-03T13:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday, y'all! I hope your weekend was great. For those of you who weren't aware, the Arkansas Razorbacks came back with a vengeance to beat Texas A&M in a fabulous football game! And today we're ranked in the top 10. I felt like it was my Southern civil duty to let y'all know....

NOW, there are a lot of different things that I share with y'all on What I Made Monday. Some are quicker than others. Some are leaner than others. And today's recipe is neither quick nor lean. But let me tell ya' something....it's the best fried chicken. Ever. Conceived by Paula Deen's buddy Ms. Cheryl from Savannah's Back in the Day Bakery, this chicken brines for hours in a mixture of strong sweet tea and salt. And then it fries and is served with biscones - the would-be "love child" of a biscuit and a scone. Who on earth thinks of that? And why isn't she my friend??? This meal is one that you will want to prepare and serve on a day where you just feel like being in your kitchen. It's time consuming and a little messy, but the result is worth every. last. minute. And because this recipe has lots of steps, I'm sending you there via link...here it is {recipe} Y'all enjoy!