in response to the feedback & encouragement i received on wednesday, all i can say is thank you. i wish i could invite you all over for coffee around our big ol’ farm table. as blog comments, text messages, emails & phone calls came in sharing your stories & thoughts, i just sat here in front of this screen & ugly cried. i cried for your losses, your gains, your struggles, your successes & all of those in-betweens. you all are some amazing people & just know i am here cheering you along whatever journey you’re on. xo.
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hello there! i am so excited to share with you a little wedding gift basket i made for under $10!
we traveled to missouri this past weekend to celebrate with our dear friends in honor of their new life together. with the expense of travel & a one night’s stay in a hotel, i didn’t have much left in the budget for gifts. instead of showing up empty-handed, i put on my creative thinking cap & got to work!
whenever i am creating a gift, i like to think about what that individual values & how they spend their free time. this brainstorm session allows me to create a gift just as unique as the recipient! our friends love to sit on their patio in the evenings. they also love good food & drinks. a simple syrup gift basket was the perfect fit for their lifestyle.
here’s how i made their gift basket & stayed under $10*.
– i found the bottles at tj maxx for under $3 each & the wire basket at a thrift store for $1. you could also use recycled condiment jars & a basket found around your home for free!
– i made the simple syrups using my own recipe featured on hello luvvy. all of the ingredients for simple syrups can be found in your garden & pantry. in the simple syrup recipe, substitute the mint for any herb of your choice. for this basket, i made mint & lavender syrups.
– i found some straws in my party box to fancy up fun drinks! you can find colorful paper straws at target, craft stores, party stores or online.
– i made my own tags with my gift tag punch out (similar to this one) & wrote the names of each syrup on them.
– i used leftover tissue paper, handmade fabric ribbon & kraft tags with a little clothespin found in my stash to decorate the package.
– i used one of my happy flags & tied the following recipe for a simple syrup summer drink onto it with string.
* total expenses: $7
please feel free to print out this recipe for your gift basket!
if you have a bit more cash to spend, you could add a small bottle of alcohol so the happy couple could make homemade cocktails. for the non-drinking couple, a nice bottle of sparkling water & pretty glasses would be lovely. you could also add fun coasters or a package of paper napkins for their next patio get-together!
don’t let your limited budget get in the way of creating meaningful gifts! for more gift ideas, visit my homemaking page. happy creating!
love,
natalie
we don’t have children, but we want them.
our story as of yet isn’t of infertility, years of trying, or miscarriages. my heart aches for those who are enduring this season; i cannot even begin to imagine this reality.
my story is of mismanagement of personal debt & my husband’s selfless love to take on this story as his own, too. our story is of marrying early & growing up together. our story is in the waiting.
you see, for a couple of years now, i have quietly held onto the hope that soon we would be ready for a house full of babies.
throughout these years, we’ve watched our closest friends fill their homes with new life & celebrated in their joys. throughout these years, we’ve listened to breastfeeding/home birth/hospital birth/homeschooling/unschooling/public schooling/private schooling conversations with nothing to add. throughout these years, we’ve learned from our dearest friends & gathered tools for our parenting toolbox.
throughout these years, we’ve paid off our debt a little at a time, slow & steady. throughout these years, we’ve been given a home & farm on which to grow & deeply love. throughout these years, we’ve waited. & we’re still waiting.
you see, if i had a quarter for every person who has asked when we plan on having a family – as if we don’t ask ourselves that question every. single. day. & as if we don’t already have our own little family – i would be rich & then pay off my debt & have that baby.
through the years of waiting, i have finally realized that we are, in fact, not broken & we are allowed to embrace this season.
my intention for sharing our story is that maybe you too are waiting for children (or maybe you do not want them at all) yet you feel broken or as if you’re missing out because you don’t have a house full.
friends, we are not missing out on life. in fact, we’re filling our house with memories & meaningful relationships. we’re growing in our love together & we’re growing as individuals with rich experiences & interests.
our story is not in the waiting. it’s much more than that.
to those without children –
our story is of meals shared together without high chairs.
our story is of uninterrupted sleep at night.
our story is of date nights on a whim.
our story is of completed projects in one sitting.
our story is of glass cups & real plates.
our story is of only two loads of laundry.
our story is of wiping only our own butts, noses & mouths.
our story is of hosting baby showers for expectant parents.
our story is of signing up for kids church & nursery.
our story is of holding our friends’ babies when they need a break.
our story is of babysitting so others can enjoy a date night.
our story is of loving our friends’ littles as our own.
to those with children –
allow us into your story.
trust us with your littles.
let us read books to your children & hold your new babies.
invite us over to your mommy play dates. we need play dates, too.
drink coffee with us & join us for a girls’ weekend every once in awhile.
don’t apologize for your dirty house. we have dirty houses, too.
to those with & without children –
let us learn from each other & not divide.
let us not put each other down for having too much or not enough free time.
let us punch jealousy square in the face when it prevents us from savoring what we already have.
let us invite each other into our own struggles so we may find commonality & friendship.
let us listen more & speak less.
let us celebrate, embrace & cherish this season. we have things worth saying, feelings worth feeling, & thoughts worth sharing with or without babies.
love,
natalie
so, i kind of flipped out when my gal pal, melissa, over at tend shared her pickled sugar snap peas. we are happily swimming in sugar snaps right now. i go out to the garden during my snack break & chow down on about twenty at a time while harvesting from our large trellis of sugar snap peas. they’re delicious & perfect. no hummus needed.
in an effort to preserve this deliciousness for later in the summer, i decided to quick pickle my own sugar snap peas. i scoured the internet for the very best sugar snap pea recipe i could find. i came across the glorious smitten kitchen & her pickled sugar snap pea recipe. sadly, it had sugar. so, using her recipe as my guidepost, i created my own quick pickled sugar snap peas recipe. you can find most of these ingredients in your pantry so get to picklin’ quick!
quick pickled sugar snap peas recipe
(makes around 2 jars)
2 cups white distilled vinegar
2 cups cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
enough sugar snaps to fill two jars, trimmed
5 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of dried pepper flakes
in a saucepan, heat the vinegar with the salt & honey until it’s dissolved. this only takes a couple of minutes. remove the saucepan from the heat & add cold water. place in the freezer until the liquid is completely cool.
while the vinegar mixture is cooling, trim your sugar snap peas. some prefer to remove the string, but i don’t bother. once all of your sugar snap peas are trimmed, set them aside.
place garlic & dried pepper flakes into the bottom of your jars. pack your sugar snap peas into your jar as tightly as you can. i usually turn my jar on it’s side & stuff my sugar snap peas in that way. shorter jars are best.
when the vinegar mixture is cool, place a funnel over your jar & pour the brine until all of the sugar snaps in the jar are completely covered. cover your jar with a lid & place in the refrigerator. begin chowing down after about 24 hours, or less, depending on your willpower.
(quick pickled sugar snaps must be refrigerated. i only added them to this shelf for the cuteness factor & to take a quick picture)
what are some of your favorite quick pickling recipes?
love,
natalie