bits of home-kitchen/dining

KITCHEN/DINING

This is a area of the house I spend ALOT of time....I love cooking for myself! 

I have so many people ask me how I can cook for just one person, SIMPLE you just make it work! 

Sometimes I will cook for two at night, then eat it the next day for lunch. Generally though I try to cook breakfast and supper..then for lunch just snack on whatever I have handy. I have pretty much gotten the proportions right for cooking for one, Its not hard just takes a little practice so you don't have food for an army left over in your kitchen...haha yes this has happened to me! 

As far as kitchen decor....It has the same feel as the living room. Just a fresh clean look! All the little knicknacks on the hutch I have collected from little antique shops mainly around Missouri. The little crystal chandelier pieces are some of my favorite things, My mom has picked them up from little shops in Missouri and around the east coast and has given them to me. Its so fun to have a unique little collection of something I cherish! One of my favorite spots in the house is probably the coffee area in the last picture, haha its not that glamorous but nothing makes me happier then my morning brew! 

Hope you enjoy the preview!! 

HAPPY MONDAY!!!  

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#56-pool days with my nieces and nephews 

#57-sweet potato fries 

#58-water bottles 

Prov. 4:20-23

This sunday has been sooo great!! I got to visit with some friends and just relax and have a little me time which was well deserved!! :) I have the day off tomorrow as well so I will do another "bits of home" posting to show you a little more of what I call home!  

I have been doing something fun this month with my community group girls from church 

as well as my little sister...It has been fun to listen to what the other girls get out of it

...as well as picking up little tidbits of knowledge along the way...

sooooo this month we started reading one Proverbs a day. Because its August 4th,

 its fitting that I would have read the 4th chapter! :) Its crazy that I have read proverbs so many times, and each time I find something new and applicable to my life, so this is just my little breaking down of a couple verses that I felt were super powerful! :) 

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20.My son, pay attention to what I say; 

listen closely to my words. 21Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. 23Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 

Prov. 4:20-23

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Vs. 20- I love how solomon says here..."PAY ATTENTION", I know for myself that sometimes I get stuck in a routine and just go go go without even paying attention to whats going on around me....Or I will have somebody talking to me, but I will zone out and "listen" but not remember a word that was said. He wants us to be captivated by the good news he is sharing and he doesn't want it to go in one ear out the other. 

vs. 21-22- These verses pretty much speaks for itself...Once you hear a tidbit of knowledge, don't let it leave you....meditate on it so that it can be a useful tool in the future. Whenever you surround yourself with the truth, your whole body(I don't believe its meaning physical as much as spiritual) will feel like new and refreshed because it doesn't have sin and temptations holding it down. 

vs.23- This is my favorite verse....guard your heart! Whatever you put into your heart is what will come out, If you fill it with my sinful desires then my heart will long for those things and won't be satisfied til you have them, Or you could guard my heart against those things and store up scripture in it so that whatever happens in life, wither it is a new job promotion....or laid off from work. Your overflow will be pleasing to the Lord, no matter what the circumstances life may throw at you. 

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#53-good workout 

#54-homemade salmon and veggies for dinner

#55-a good church home with people I love 

Bits of Home-Living Room

A SAMPLE OF MY LIVING ROOM

Over the years of living of living on my own I have begun 
to acquire a bunch of little nicknacks and random objects

 which I have thrown together in hopes of it looking somewhat cohesive! I love the decor style to be clean and fresh, Alot of what is in my home is either from antique stores, thrift stores, things I have gotten for free or 
things I have paid a small amount of money for...then redid to fit my likeing. I don't think you need to spend ALOT 
of money to make a house look like a home. :)

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Some of my favorite things. 
1.Owl painting done by my Grandpa Kroese.
2.Wooden Arrows given to me for christmas by my older sister(Ashley). 
3.Quilt...Found it while antiquing with my mom. 
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#51-big glasses of ice water 
#52-airconditioning in the car
#53-fresh new canvas 

SMITH VACATION 2013

I realize it has been a couple+ months since I have been on here, 

I suppose life got hecktic and I put aside the "bloglife" for a while, But I am looking forward to 

starting up again and getting back to typing! :) 

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To catch you up to date....

From the last post I was just packing and getting ready to move into my new place in "The city". I have been living here for a while now and I ABSOLUTELY love it!!! I was a little hesitant about moving into an apartment since I have never lived in one, I got the first floor and I LOVE IT! I think I lucked out with the tenants above me though because I never ever hear them...which some of my friends who also live in first floor apartments can't say the same. One of my conditions to finding an apartment is that I DID NOT want carpet and I found that!!! My whole apartment(including the bedroom) has all wood floors, which is sooo easy to clean and looks alot fresher(in my person opinion). I will take some pictures here soon and give you a tour coming up of the place I call home. :) 

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A couple weeks ago, I went home for our annual family vacation where we spend 

a week on the lake camping. It was soooo nice to not be on a schedule or having to worry about "looking nice", but just a relaxing week full of family fun. We had a few twists and turns throughout  the week....but I think over all, everyone was just thankful for a little time together. I think that sometimes I take my family for granted, throughout the whole week everyone was happy and eager to help whoever needed it. I'm so thankful for a great support system and family who loves each other so much, I know that some people arn't as lucky as I am in that respect and I'm just VERY VERY grateful that God has blessed me with amazing parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Here are a few pics from our relaxing week!!!

 *thank you to david for getting me an AMAZING camera to which I could capture all of our fun times!! 

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#48-An amazing family who loves me

#49-waking up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee 

#50-clean baseboards and fresh laundry 

craziness of life

Things have been crazy over here lately,

So I thought I would fill you in as to what this past week has entailed! :) 

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I found out a couple weeks ago that my sister is moving back to where I live now, and I will be moving into the "BIG CITY" , I'm sooooo excited for this new change of life and all the adventures that will come with it! I will be working at my same salon, just making a little commute in the morning, for which I am actually kind of excited about! Getting to enjoy my cup(s) of coffee on my way to work while listening to music....haha ask me in a year how thats working out for me...my "idea" of a fun commute might have changed! :)  Shortly after the excitement kicked off it was panic mode, haha if anybody has moved they know it entails ALOT!! From packing to switching all your address over, quite a tedious task but I tried not to stress out to much and gave it to God and I knew that he would provide exactly what I needed and wanted...and HE DID! I found a wonderful little apartment thats in a safe area, that I will enjoy coming home to and....it has a pool haha which will be the HIGHLIGHT of my summer. So even if life seams....overwhelming at times, he HAS it under control and he knows us better than we know ourselves.

I sold my washer and dryer this week so I have been without, Monday I spent the day in the laundry mat....I know that seams HORRIBLE on your day off but I actually don't mind, I usually bring a book or my laptop and just take time to set down and rest instead of going a million miles a hour. 

I have a couple friends who are going through some really hard times and struggling with things I havn't had to experience yet. For me though....even though life may seam overwhelming and we ask ourselves the question.."Why would God do this?", Here is the answer....Nobody knows Gods plan for our lives or the people around us, but with faith we need to trust that he is greater and more powerful than even we can imagine. He knows exactly what is going on in each of our lives and he wants to provide us with comfort and healing if we lean on him for guidance. Sometimes I think that my problems are insignificant to him or wonder if he is even listening, but he wants to have a real relationship and wants to hear from our hearts instead of a scripted prayer every night. If we call on him in our times of need and uncertainty, he will give us peace and comfort that far surpasses anything that human words could express. 

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Matt 11:28-30

Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=516Qg_1AUok
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#45-with the new move... being next to a "WHOLE FOODS GROCERY"
#46-keylime yogurt 
#47-the girls in my community group 

~Daniel and the Lions Den~

Faithfulness: 

Is choosing daily to follow God,

regardless of our circumstances. 

Today, I spent ALOT of time at church between two services and biblestudy...

so I have alot to think about for the upcoming week but I wanted to share something that really popped out to me today....It was a simple story about

 "Daniel and the Lions Den".

The childhood story is told over and over again in christianity and I think we overlook the 

"kid stories" and don't pay attention to the message that is being said;

 since we have heard them countless times.

(so here is tiny tidbits of the story.....If you want you can go here and read the whole story)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%206&version=NIV

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10.Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

This passage really stuck out to me because Daniel didn't do anything out of the ordinary. 

In this time it was custom to have your windows open toward Jerusalem, He was doing exactly what he had always done, 3 times a day down on his knees in prayer. Daniel didn't close his windows in fear, he didn't pray 3 times a day because he wanted to prove he was holier than the rest....he simply did what God asks of us and that is to steadily follow him regardless of what the circumstances around us. Daniel prayed in pure faith....If he wouldn't have prayed he wouldn't have needed to ask God for help because he wouldn't have been thrown into the den. 

Are we faithful with our prayers to God even when the consequences 

seam hopeless? 

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25.Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: 

"May you prosper greatly!

26.I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. 

"For he is the living God and he endures forever; 

his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.

27.He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth. 

He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."  

If you've read the story you know about Daniel getting thrown into the lions den and God saving him from the mouths of the lions. Sometimes God works in ways we don't understand at first....we think we KNOW the plan and we think that we can outsmart him. God didn't save daniel from the lions den, he helped daniel through it so that through Daniel all nations and people would learn to know that "Daniels God" is the one and true God. Sometimes we have to go through ruff patches in our life, and God WILL be there to help us and provide us the safety that we need....and through our struggles may our faith be apparent so that Gods compassion and love will shine through us. 

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If you have any questions or thoughts feel free to message me

 have a great monday morning!!!!! :) 

#42-going to the movies

#43-new pillow shams made 

#44-the quiet, still....silence

{worry}

Do not be afraid, little flock,

 for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. 

Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, 

a treasure in heaven that will never fail, 

where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Luke 12:32-34

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Here lately I have been catching myself worrying....alot! Granted, to me they are valid things to worry about but....what I constantly have to keep reminding myself is that God is in control.

He has control over every aspect of my life wither it is something huge or something small.

I have never been a worrier....I always go with the flow, it takes alot for something to upset me...and generally I have alot of peace in my life(only by the grace of God). But, I suppose that sometimes in life God gives us challenges and trials to see how we will react to those situations and to test us and make us stronger. We should be mindfull of our problems and trials and bring them to God with our hearts wide open.

 BUT: 

Worrying will not effect anything, it won't add more power to the prayers; It won't make us feel better; It won't add time to our life; It won't "Fix" our problems.....

My heart has ached so badly sometimes because I just want to "fix" what is broken and for life to be back to the normal carefree times....but, through alot of prayer...God has given me a spirit of peace. His hand is over every aspect of my life, so why am I second guessing that? He made the whole earth and everything in it...and i'm worried about him not "having a plan??". He hears our cries and he blesses those who run after him. As long as I stay in his word and follow after him with my whole heart, he will bless me and those around me....Our God is a God of healing, peace and comfort. Whenever I am faced in a time of worry....I always quote quietly to myself...

"All I have need of his hand will provide, He's always been faithful to me"

No matter what has happened in my life....he has provided for me...he has always been there even when I went astray..he always has been a provider over my life. So in times of worry and doubt I try to think about all the things he has blessed me with and how he hasn't failed me yet....

he IS the God of provision and faithfulness. 

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#39-Gods provision 

#40-Tomato, Fetta and Cucumber salad

#41-Being able to reach family members with push of a button