Wednesday in the Word: There's a sermon in that...

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that, as women, we can be quite territorial. This is something the Lord has really convicted me of lately.

My realllly close friends and family can tell you that I might be one of the world's largest skeptics--a strength when certain discernment is needed but also a great weakness when it turns into a mechanism to protect myself unnecessarily. Truthfully, sometimes it's just easier to stay in your comfort zone  of "like minded" people--but, truthfully, that's just not always where the Lord wants us.

I have a prime example in a furry little lady I know named Sercy. Sercy was my sister's 11th birthday present eight years ago (bear with me even if you aren't a dog person).

Around four years later, a new man entered the scene, this cutie patootie named Boo.

Well, five years after Sercy and Boo became siblings, Sercy still did not really understand the concept or definition of sibling love. She has not liked the competition, the split attention, the company, you name it...she just hasn't been too fond, and quite frankly, it has brought out the worst in her. It's caused her to be snippy, ornary (sp?) and just a grumpy lady!

My parents and sister have been traveling a lot lately so we've been keeping these doggies at our house which means Sercy has been moved out of "her" territory, her comfort zone. She's not the one "in charge." These two dogs have finally been forced onto equal ground.

Low and behold, guess what has happened? Sercy has started LOVING Boo of all things. It's amazing. After all these years, she all of a sudden loves the brother that was given to her and is lost if he is not in her presence. The two of them now look out for one another and are sweet to one another.

How many of us are like that?

 If you ask me, this is a lesson for us women....that once we get over our "territory," we can love our "brother" (or sister) in the way we were created. Furthermore, our "territory" is enhanced and even expands!

I was reminded of this last night when I attended a coffee at my church where I only knew a handful of people. Most of the "security blankets" in my direct comfort zone were not in attendance. Shamefully, if you had told me that not many of my close church friends were going to be there beforehand, I may not have gone. However, it was an AMAZING night. I invited a couple of special friends outside of church that actually came and I was able to connect in a new way with some beautiful sisters in Christ. Most importantly, I witnessed an indescribable energy and presence of the Holy Spirit that I never would have witnessed if I had remained in my comfort zone. I love it when the Lord lifts our eyes!

Both of these examples remind me of the Prayer of Jabez from the Bible.

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” 1 Chronicles 4:10

Are you a Sercy? Are you skeptical of anything new in your life? Are you trapped in your comfort zone? I know I am guilty, guilty, guilty.

 Will you join me in praying the prayer of Jabez...that your territory will be enlarged including  really loving your brother (1 John 4:20-21)...yes, even if it's not in your comfort zone?

Free-for-all Friday: Everything I needed to know in life....

...I learned from Peanuts...

....or maybe it's Pinterest?

Sooooo, I was perusing Pinterest and couldn't help but notice this reoccuring trend among "pins"--a little pattern called "Chevron." Call me behind the times b/c I would recognize this pattern but never knew the official "name" of it.  Apparently, it's really "caught on" in the world of accesories, clothing and home decor.

http://theglitterguide.com/2011/08/09/crazy-about-chevron/

I was telling a friend about this trend because she just moved into a new house and I was envisioning a splash of Chevron...perhaps via a lil grey chevron pillow...as a nice touch in her sitting room. 

Not long after, her decorator/sister  called so we inquired. She enlightened us that chevron would be considered fashion forward vs. classic traditional.

Know how once you hear about something new, it pops up like 10 million trillion times and you wonder how you never ran across it before?

Well, a few days later, good ole Stacey (remember her?...theme song...in China) told me she was going to study at the Charlie Brown Cafe in her Chinese town. I made her promise to take a picture so she did. I wish you could see this cute lil cafe but I'm having trouble uploading the picture. Hark! The pattern on Charlie Brown's shirt was stenciled on the outside of the streetside glass windows around the whole outside perameter of the cafe.

It's alllllllllll coming full circle. Could it be that ole Chuck was the original King of Chevron? Who knew that the fashion forward need look no further than Peanuts (and maybe Pinterest) for the answers to all of life's important matters. ;)

Here a a few of my personal fav chevron sightings? 

Chevron Rug

Pink Chevron!

Yellow chevron A-line Skirt

Do you have any chevron? Do tell.

If you're feeling like adding some cheap, crafty, DIY chevron to your home this weekend, here is a step by step tutorial to put a lil splash of it at your entry way or kitchen sink. If you try it, send us a pic!

Thrifty Thursday (post 1 of 2): Giveaways

Maybe this should really be called Giveaway Thursday because there are some exciting giveaways that some ladies and friends of the Roof are hosting right now! I feel good posting each of these giveaways because even if you don't like to enter giveaways or don't happen to be fortunate enough to win any of them, they are all products and/or services about which you will benefit knowing (I know I'm bombarding you w/ links but you'll be glad).

• If you haven’t done so, don’t forget to go over to Finding Hope and take advantage of your TEN chances to enter the $75  Comfort Food {Giveaway!} courtesy of Sympathy Food. 
• TEN people have 4 chances to win a TeachMe: Toddler, TeachMe: Kindergarten, or TeachMe: 1st Grade  IPhone/Ipad app over at Carolina Clipper.
• Our friend and guest poster, Katherine, of Rhymes with Smile has opened a brand new Etsy shop featuring all upcycled products. You should check it out b/c she has some cuuute baby things. She is also hosting a giveaway on her blog for an upcycled IPod/IPhone case (noticing a theme here?) and a $10 ITunes Card and you have 3 chances to win.
• Our friend, Lisa, at 100 Days of Real Food is giving away TWO six month meal plans with a great service that provides customized meal plans using all fresh ingredients.

Ya'll go enter some giveaways and check out these great sites while you're at it. Spread the word. Let us know if you win anything!

Thrifty Thursday (Post 2 of 2): Queen City Consignment LOVE

Fall is many people's fav season. Lists of reasons most likely include football, apple cider, pumpkin patch, pretty leaves, and crisp air. I'm screamin' that one reason to love Fall is CONSIGNMENT SALES!
There are TONS of excellent consignment sales in the Charlotte area from which you can benefit. Our friends at Little Ones Magazine have compiled a very helpful comprehensive list that you can print and stick in your purse or calendar for excellent reference as you plan your shopping trips. Just click here to view and print. You can also find a comprehensive list compiled by our friend at Charlotte SmartyPants with the help of Little Ones Magazine.

I am thankful for these lists since I've been in mourning that my fav sale, Divine Consign, has decided not to return to our area. I've eyeballed a couple of replacements.

If any of  you, our other readers, happen to have a comprehensive list in your areas (Raleigh, Atlanta, Austin, etc.). Please do share so we can make sure the sisters in your area can benefit!

Wednesday in Worship

On the other site I've been working on, we've created a YouTube Channel with some music to help people get their praise on.  We recently added a couple of Hillsong Live songs that you may enjoy. If today finds you going through a little rough patch, try praising the Lord to this song and declaring especially these lyrics that are true yesterday, today and forevermore. Praise Him that He is stronger!

Faithfulness 
None can deny 
Through the storm 
And through the fire 
There is truth that sets me free 
Jesus Christ who lives in me 

You are stronger 
You are stronger...

"Stronger" by Hillsong Live



Also, if you haven't done so, don't forget to take advantage of your TEN chances to enter the Comfort Food {Giveaway!}. You can't win unless you've entered. Whatcha waiting for? :)

Train Up Tuesday: Undeserved Trophies

Recently, my boys found out that I had a few trophies from my childhood. I grew up in an era where most trophies still were "earned". Though a few girls I grew up with had numerous awards for beauty pageants, my trophies were for things like memorizing the books of the Bible, winning a spelling bee, character awards, art, and even one for a "marathon" in elementary school. Yet, as "special" as those moments were at the time, all these years my awards have been collecting dust or have been packed away for quite a long time.

When I brought them out (because the boys begged me to), we dusted them. I explained to the boys that they have no real value....gold painted metal, and they wouldn't survive a fire. It was a great opportunity to share a lesson on laying up true treasures in heaven. The boys were quite captivated, though no matter what I taught them, their eyes were still fixed on those trophies.

Later, my husband and I were chatting before bedtime. He told me that we had three trophies...our three sons. I've been chewing on that for awhile. These "trophies" we have been given aren't even "deserved" or "earned"....though we've certainly worked really hard since they were "given" to us. Yet, at the same time, they aren't like those awards given at the end of an athletic season to members who just showed up to meet the requirements of being on the team. Our sons (trophies) weren't carelessly given and half-heartedly received. These have been entrusted to us. They are to be put on display for God's glory. And the way we raise them is what will bring Christ glory...not for our own sakes (though it does feel good for people to notice the job you seem to be doing as a parent) but so that the world will take notice of the Christ that is.



How are you treating your "trophies"? Are they "on display" to shine for Christ in the way you are leading them? Remember, they are more valuable than any earthly treasure. Value them as such!

Much love,
Ashlie

Love is not ...

Love is not envious (1 Corinthians 13:4). Wikipedia defines envy as an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's(perceived) superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."  Envy is the opposite of generous. It is a feeling of ill will to those who are equal to us. Envy leads to hate or a covetous desire for something.

If we place envy in the context of marriage it looks very ugly, childish and selfish.  The loveless marriage is often because we chose to be at war with our spouse and at war with anything good in his life.  It can be as simple as being envious that my husband "gets" to ride to and from work in his truck everyday with no kids and no distractions.  On the other hand the envy can root deeply and stem from the feeling of inadequecy a stay at home mom feels as she gives up career and paycheck to "stay" home and take care of the children and the domestic duties.  Envy can lead to bitterness and contempt towards our husbands.  There is no good fruit that comes from a bitter woman who focuses in on what she doesn't have.

Love is not envious.  Love IS generous.  Love looks the good things in our husbands lives and motivates us to celebrate those things!  Here are some applications for today:

1)  Pray and ask God to reveal areas you may be envious of your husband.
2)  Admit to yourself, confess to God and to your husband where you have resented something good in his life.
3)  Celebrate your husband and his good fortune today!  Do something to show your appreciation for him and remind him (and yourself) of the character traits you were drawn to him in the beginning days of your relationship.

Remember, we are all in the process of change and growth.  Truth sets us free as does honesty with ourselves and vulnerability in our marriages!

With grace and love,
Annie

Savory Smackerel: Daily Bread

Hope ya'll have enjoyed some of the ways to implement your garden crop and farmer's stand produce. I must say I might be in mourning that the summahtime produce is nearing the end. :( Right now, butternut squash just isn't exciting me as much as the abundance of tomatoes we've enjoyed. If you would like to give one last fun tomato recipe a whirl, be sure to check out Musing Foodie's fried green tomato endeavor and tutorial.

Now, we're moving on to a year round food item--bread. Who can ever get enough of it? Talk about comfort at it's finest. Unfortunately for my hips, anytime I am in a "changing" season in my life (ie the week of my wedding, the weeks after my brother's death, 1st trimester morning sickness)...you know, anything that tends to get the stomach rumbling....bread is one of the only thing I find that settles the ole tum tum.

For awhile, I've heard some of my friends talk alllll about their bread machines. I'll admit I didn't sink my teeth right away because I didn't want to succumb to the pressure of having "another thing to keep up with" or another thing on the list "to do."

I happened to be browsing Craigslist about 3 weeks ago and found a good bread machine for $25. I figured I'd give it a whirl and see if I'd really use it. That way, we wouldn't be at much of a loss if I didn't. I had to see for myself but, boy, have I been missing out! If I knew then what I know now, I totally would've registered for one for my wedding, requested grains and flour in place of baked ziti after my brother's death, and lived on bread alone for my 1st trimesters (who needs Zofran?)!

Report: I haven't bought any bread items in 3 weeks (even including burger/dog buns and pizza dough) so we've more than made up for that $25 and I've found you don't eat nearly as much bread when it is full of good, hearty ingredients opposed to preservatives and air. Not to mention, it makes your house smell A-Mazing! It is sooooo worth it.

Hence, our new Savory Smackerel series~ Daily Bread! We are going to explore some fabulous ways to get the most outta those bread machines. First up: Onion Bagels.

I heart onion bagels. Never in a million years did I imagine I would ever bake my own bagels but it was so easy. This was the second thing I did in my bread machine and they are Di-Vine! Move over, Bruegger's, Panera and Einstein. HPS has your number! Try them and let me know what you think.

Onion Bagels (adapted from http://www.grouprecipes.com/5615/onion-bagels.html)
Ingredients

• 1 cup of water, warm
• 4 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups of white whole wheat bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

To finish:

• 1 oz. sugar
• yolk of 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup of onions, sauteed (I probably used more like 1/2 cup)

Instructions:

• Put the ingredients in the order listed above into your bread machine baking pan.
• Set the program to dough.
• When the cycle has finished, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal sized pieces.
• Shape each piece into a sausage shape with tapered ends measuring about 9 inches in length.
• Working with a piece at a time, join the ends together to make a circle.
• Then pinch them gently to seal them.
• Place the circles on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, leaving enough room between them for each to rise.
• Cover the circles with a clean dish towel and leave them to rise for about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 .
• Finely chop enough onion to make a 1/4 cup. Saute in a bit of butter.
• Put the onions aside.
• Bring a large pan of water to boil.
• Add the sugar and stir the water until the sugar is dissolved.
• Place 2 bagels in the boiling water and let them cook for about 30 seconds on each side.
• Continue until all bagels have been in the water for a total of 1 minute.
• Turn them with a slotted spoon.
• Lift each bagel out of the water, gently shaking it as you do so to remove as much water as possible.
• Return the bagels to the baking tray.
• Beat the egg yolk with the water, then brush this mixture over each of the bagels.
• Sprinkle the sauted onions over the bagels.
• Bake the bagels in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until they are golden.
• Transfer the bagels to a wire rack and leave them to cool.

$10 for $50 of Christmas Cards AND $0 for $75 worth of Comfort Food

I'm sure many of you may already receive Living Social's daily deals. If not, you definitely want to sign up now! Today's deal is all the reason you need. You know how we love VistaPrint on the Roof, right?!?!? Well, right now you can get $50 worth of VistaPrint love for  only $10! I don't know about you but I'm thinking Christmas Cards!!!! The fine print says you need to use this deal by November 22 so my goal is to have my act together in the Christmas Card department (pictures taken, card done) and order those babies up early. Then, I won't be a procrastinator, won't have to pay more than the cards themselves for expedited shipping and can actually get them out before New Years. I know, I know. I sound so ambitious. It's easy to sound that way in August. You know as well as me that the proof is in the puddin, it's where the rubber meets the road, what other cliche can I come up with? So if you, too, at least want to feel ambitious in August, get your Christmas cards in August for only $10 today by going here now.

Next up..food. I know how ya'll LOVE comfort food, free stuff and to bless your friend's hearts. What's better than $75 worth of comfort food that you don't have to make?


Truth is, it will only be a matter of time before you fall in the category of either needing your own heart blessed and/or feeling like you should bless somebody else's heart...which means ALL of you need to go here pronto to enter the $75 Comfort Food {Giveaway!} courtesy of Sympathy Food. I think I mentioned the other day that this site, (Finding Hope), is one of my new babies so it would be great if you wanted to help me with any feedback and spread the word about it!

Wednesday in.....Worship!

I know Wednesday's topic is usually Wednesday in the Word but the Holy Spirit has been blessing me with me some A-Mazing worship as of late (thanks to my A-Mazing church's musical leader(s) and choir who are whipping out some fabulous new tunes). You can see this post on my new baby (web site) as of late (in conjunction w/ my parentals) but this past Sunday was no exception with the below song.

My favorite part to scream out...for me...for my husband....for my children...for my family....for my friends...for life:

The mountains shake before Him
The demons run and flee
At the mention of the name
King of Majesty
There is no power in hell
Or any who can stand
Before the power and the presence of the Great I am ...

Blare it. Bust out the moves. Be blessed.

Train Up Tuesday: Easy Inspirations

Well, thanks to Hannah's post last Monday, I'm finally...pinteresting (is that the verb form of "pinterest"?) I don't know if I should thank her that much, because I could easily become addicted to it. Nonetheless, I have found some inspiring quote prints and fun ideas for my kiddos! It has DEFINITELY helped me organize my bookmarks as I am much more visually inclined. :) And, for me, it has been nice to find topics with a "visual" description rather than opting to "google" something. I can check out "pin boards" of others who have already done some leg work to organized great ideas!

Here are a few of my fave quotes that are print or paint and frame worthy or have inspired me in some way:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/61772754/Before-You-Speak-Think
Something I'm trying to learn myself and instill in my boys.



decorate.tipjunkie.com
I love family mottos in homes. I need to make one!



sewdangcute
Simple way to teach LOVE!


THIS one just made me smile and feel like I was "validated" :)

I've also been able to gather some great new ideas for my boys. I've stumbled upon some helpful blogs I otherwise may not have found. I like this idea of reminder strips (you know boys...sometimes you HAVE to tell them step by step!)



Have fun "pinteresting"!....oh, and refer some great ideas my way! ;-)

Much love,
Ashlie

Savory Smackerel: Salsa

So, I promised last week that I would share a fab salsa recipe with you in the event you don't know what to do with your summer's tomato bounty. Welllll, my hubs made a kidder outta me. He is so tickled with our salsa production that he want's it to be a novelty to those with whom we share it...yes, a secret (gasp). Since I'm called to be submissive, I'm afraid I have to oblige. BUT I'm not going to totally leave you hangin'. :)

I WILL tell you we combined two recipes plus added our own tasty ammendments to our batch of salsa. I WILL tell you that this is an excellent base recipe (wink, wink). From there, have fun with it! I don't think you can mess it up and you'll be more than happy with the end result. Be sure to jot down exactly what you do. Then, you'll have your very own secret recipe with which you can tease us! :)

xoxox

Free-for-all Friday: Giveaways Galore and Super Doubles!

Have ya'll been praisin' up a storm with our new theme song??!?! I just love it.

Since, I switched things up on ya'll yesterday, thought I'd share at least a couple of fun little tidbits with you today.

First, hurry over to Sarah Masci: a drop of golden sun on Facebook for the last day to enter her giveaway for a set of back to school labels and matching notecards for your child (winner's choice)! Not sure when she's drawing so you might want to enter as sooooon as you can.

Next, howwwww cute is this IPhone case? Want it, need it, gotta have it.

This is one of our friend, Caroline Simas', designs and she is giving away two on her blog right now. You know you want one so go enter here pronto!

Update: Charlotte SmartyPants would like us to make sure that you Charlotte ladies know about their Back to School Giveaway which includes $3oo worth of product from Alphabet Soup, Carolina Pad and Children's Theater (Seussical). To enter, simply fill out this survey.

Last but not least, for those in the southeast, you probably already know that Harris Teeter is Super Doubling coupons right now (until midnight on Tues.). If you are overwhelmed and need a boost, you can head over to Southern Savers to see the sales (advertised and unadvertised) matched up with the coupons to use and plan your trip. If you are like this twin mom, feel free to utilize the reduced $1.95 online Express Lane fee for the last weeks of summer while you can. Don't know where I'd be without it and no need to justify b/c you couldn't even get a babysitter for that!

Happy Friday! Ya'll stay cool out there.

Who knew we needed a theme song?

I had scheduled this time to sit down and tell you about a few deals to help make this Thursday Thrifty. However, my course has changed and today is going to be Theme Song Thursday instead. Sometimes things just need to be switched up and today is one of those days.


As you know, we've always had our theme verse here on the Roof, "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops." Matthew 10:27


Background: Well, I have a very dear, loooong time friend name Stacey who happens to be serving in China. Traditionally, RWAV's audience has been moms but Stacey isn't a mom. She is single with no children. However, she shares with me on occasion how the Lord has laid you ladies on her heart. She thinks of you. She prays for you, and believe me, you can be blessed by this because my girl is a prayer WARRIOR!!!!


Anywho- Stacey has taken it upon her sweet self to find us a theme song...and it just happens to have our theme verse in it's chorus! By golly, I love that girl.


You're going to love it. If you're dry today OR you are meandering through the mundane routine housework OR you need a new tune to spice up your exercise routine...just hit play and worship...by yourself, with your kids...just do it. No matter what you feel in your spirit, just scream these words out to the Lord. Feel free to even bust out some dance moves as you start to loosen up and take off a load. You just might get refueled and have fun while you're doing it. :)


Here we have the brand new Roof with a View theme song....Rooftops by Jesus Culture!

Marvelous Monday: Pinterest!

Pinterest....heard of it? Heard of it and wonder what in the world it is? Either way, trust me. You want it.

Even if you aren't a Facebooker, you will LOVE Pinterest. There is zero pressure. It weeds out the mundane details of what your neighbor's best friend ate for dinner, where your high school BFF's sister checked in for her bi-weekly spa treatment or whose genius child went poopie on the potty at the age of 18 months (ok...I'm being a little dramatic and I do love FB-just not some of it's trivialness).

Basically, Pinterest is a bucket list of fabulous ideas at you fingertips for which you would otherwise have to read 5 years worths of subscriptions to Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple and Good Housekeeping to generate the same amount of creative energy.

Think back to your adolescence-did you have a bulletin board in your bedroom and live to decorate your school locker? Remember how you would cut out magazine clippings of buzz words you liked, celebrities you stalked, and the latest trends you "had" to have?

Save the bulletin board clutter, ladies. Pinterest is your technologically savvy, 2000's version of all that magazine clipping.

How it works
The jist is you sign up for Pinterest, install a "pin" on your computer toolbar and anytime you see a visual of something you like online, you "pin it" for future reference.

You have "boards" which are basically  like folders which you can label in whatever categories you like and you can organize your "pins" amongst your "boards."

It is like Facebook in that you have "friends" and you can follow your friends "boards" but there really isn't  pressure. It's just a fun way to share ideas.

You can "repin" other pins onto your boards and "like" or comment to "pins" as well.

Soooo, in summary, when you glance at your Pinterest homescreen, it is like looking at the best of the best of internet ideas and blogs all on one screen-which, in essence, saves you a ton of time--at least, if you "need" ideas. Otherwise, it could quite possibly err on the addictive, time sucking side (just a preliminary caution).

Enough of my chatter. Proof is in the puddin. Here are a few of my favorite "pins."

Store your sheets inside one of their pillowcases.

The Rain Gutter bookshelves we featured.

Halloween alternative to candy. Hello, Dollar Store!

Hotdogopus

TuTu tableskirt

DIY Ribbon Wreath

...and this doesn't even include all the fabulous recipes!

Convinced yet? On Pinterest, each picture is linked to the site from where it came so you can get all the scoop you need. See how it saves you tons of blog reading?!!? What's not to love? I know you're Pinterested so just take the plunge.

Have a Marvelous Monday and Happpppy Pinning. :)

Savory Smackerel: Back to the Tomato

Just a fraction of this week's garden fresh tomato supply!

So, we've been doing a mini series on how our gardens (and summertime produce stands) taste. Sorry we've been kinda quiet the past couple of days but that garden is keeping this girl BUSY! I know we've already covered the tomato in this series but we've had tomatoes and figs coming out of our ears and a sister can only eat so many mater sammiches. What in the world do you do with all of the Lord's garden provision? 2 words. Marinara and Salsa. We now have tons. It takes a lil' time but BOY is it worth it!

I'll admit that, in the past, I steered away from these endeavors b/c the thought of peeling and seeding tomatoes kinda intimidated me. However, I found this site that brought it down to my level and was very helpful. Trust me that you don't want to skip this step or your sauces will err on the watery side.

Marinara
For me, homemade marinara is comfort at it's finest because my sweet Mama Eleanor has been making homemade marinara for years and one of my all time favorite meals when we pay a visit to the beach (well, anytime really) is spaghetti topped with her homemade marinara and baked shrimp or scallops from the local Bill's Seafood. It just doesn't get much more comforting or tasty.

I FINALLY attempted a batch of my own. 1st time was a little watery (I didn't de-seed). Second time was pretty much on the money if I don't say so myself. My grandmother has her recipe in her head...you know...a pinch of this, a lil of that. Apparently, it is outta the American Cancer Society from years ago but I can't find it. The closest match to her instructions that I've found online was this one (give or take) and it is freshly fabulous. Prego doesn't light a candle to it. Oh and don't worry, if you don't have fresh tomatoes, the instructions include a substitution option of using canned tomatoes and it is just as good plus a little thicker in consistency.

Oh...and the figs? I gave CCs recipe a whirl plus my man made a mean batch of fig jam. Party in your mouth!

As for the salsa, be gathering you some tomatoes and I'll share that one with you next week. You will LOVE it.

Happy Saturday!

Train Up Tuesday: Document Their Childhood

Most likely, you have a digital camera. If you're like me, you love that you have 20 frames of the same shot (and are hesitant to delete ANY of them, because it's like deleting a child!!!). And probably, you've only actually printed a couple dozen of the 1.5 billion photos you have on your computer.

Or, maybe you are a scrapbooker. I love the thought in those, but I would NEVER have nor make time to actually make them myself...buying the right papers, stickers, punches, ribbons...too many decisions for this 'ole gal! However, I do think it's worth your while to have those photos out of the computer and in a book so your kiddos can actually enjoy looking through their (or your) past. I love going through my childhood photos with my boys, figuring out which of them they think I resemble as a baby, sharing memories of my growing up years. I also love going through their pictures with them as they say, "HEY! I remember that!" or "I was SO cute then!".

In the last few years, I've opted to make photobooks. The first one I made was through Apple to document our first family trip with our firstborn. It was nice, but pricey and I never came across discounts (I'm all about a "special"!). I've also used Walgreens (recently) to make a book for our middle's second year. That one was pretty simple, but I wasn't very impressed with the final product (too many small black print smears throughout the book). Shutterfly, however is the one I have been most impressed with. I had made a small photobook with them in the past for my husband on Father's Day. He keeps it in his office to "show and tell" ;-)

The latest book I made was to capture our first year of homeschool. I figured, we don't have a "year book", but this would be better! Instead of just a couple of photos of my kids, they get a WHOLE book to themselves! Shutterfly offers a "simple path" and a "custom path". I think you would be impressed with either. We opted to customize our book and it was a real winner! The custom path was really quite simple...even though it was custom. I like being able to make one of my own photos the background for displaying other pics. I was thoroughly impressed with the finished product.

Shutterfly often has deals and specials (you currently save 20% on their cards AND get free shipping on orders over $30, making now a great time to work on Christmas cards or maybe birthday invites). Perhaps the BEST deal you can try for is a FREE photobook from Shutterfly. Do you have a blog? Go here to sign up for a chance for a free photo book from Shutterfly. (Promotion ends soon as blogs must be posted by August 5th!)

Yes, I'm hoping for a free book, as well. Like I said, I have WAY too many pics on my computer and am working to backtrack on some pics that I want to be able to look at with my boys in my lap :)

Have fun capturing AND actually printing your moments with the little ones!

-Ashlie