Monthly Archives: March 2012

Fame On Friday’s #2!

Posted by Leanne on March 30, 2012 6 comments
stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest, furniture refinishing

Fame On Fridays, Because I heart My Readers!

First, I’d like to announce the winner of last week’s Fame on Fridays GIVEAWAY from Raj at Pink Chai Style…  the winner is…. JUNO!  with her comment:

It is hard to say what the favorite item in my closet is because I don’t fit into most of it at the moment.  I guess at this time my favorite item is my maternity pants (black) but I am hoping to get rid of them as soon as possible.  My favorite item I want to get into is my Brown linen skirt from Banana Republic.  I love the way it fit and flowed.

Congrats Juno, and you will receive your new e-book in your email box this soon!

 

 

Today’s reader feature:  Stacey from Embracing Change

 

I am so excited about today’s guest feature!!  I have been a big fan of Stacey’s for a while now, and follow both of her blogs.  She has amazing talent, and a very busy life!  Take it away Stacey!

My name is Stacey and my blog home is Embracing Change.  You can find my blog at http://staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com.

stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest

 

I have been blogging since November 2010 after my husband told me I should start a blog.  I wonder if he is sorry now as it has become my hobby!  Blogging is labor-intensive and time-consuming, but I love it!  My passion is for thrifting and recreating furniture.  I also craft and create, but making over old ugly pieces of furniture is my true love.  I enjoy taking the old and making it new!  I enjoy decorating and home decor as well.  First and foremost, I am a Christian.  I work full-time as both a pastor’s wife and as director of a large day care center director at our church.  I attended Millersville University and earned my master’s degree in clinical psychology and have a background in working with children in the field of mental health and counseling.  I worked in this field 10 years until the Lord directed me into my current job.

stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest, furniture refinishing

 

I have two beautiful, creative girls as well – Emma is 7 and Ana is 4.  I also have an awesome husband named Chris.  He is an amazing man! I am blessed beyond measure. I currently live in Northeast PA above Scranton - I call it the “frozen tundra.”   I am busy all the time and struggle at times to find time to do what I love, but I always seem to make the time.  Isn’t that what passion is all about?  I am passionate for painting, decorating and creating.  It is my therapy and my outlet.  In fact, my passion for creating and crafting has led me to begin a new business endeavor with my friend Megan who has similar interests. Our business is called The Blessed Nest and we are in the beginning stages.  You can find us here: http://blessednesters.blogspot.com.  We create home decor and recreate furniture.  We LOVE what we do and wish we had more time although we both know we must keep our full-time jobs! It is a great deal of fun for sure!

stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest, furniture refinishing

 

My blog is Embracing Change and I would love for you to come visit and perhaps follow me if you like what you see!

stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest, furniture refinishing

 

I also host a linky party weekly on Thursdays called Creative Inspirations!  I would love if you came by to see all the fabulous projects or even link something up yourself!  And a special thank you to Leanne for having me here!  I am very honored!

stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest, furniture refinishing

stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest, furniture refinishing

stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest, furniture refinishing

stacey freet, embracing change, the blessed nest, furniture refinishing

 

 

 

 

 Isn’t her work gorgeous!?  I am so in love with all of it!  Thank YOU so much Stacey!  I am honored to have you here!!  And thank you to everyone for reading!

xo, Leanne

 

What is this “Fame On Fridays”??

Here is everything about it!:

Fame On Fridays! … because I heart my readers!!

I love my followers, and I am so grateful to all of you for following my blog…and as a thank you, I want to show you off!  I know there are A LOT of talent reading my blog, and I want to know more about You!

If you have a blog, let us know whatever you want us to know about it!  …But you don’t need to be a blogger to be featured.  Love to bake?  Send me your pictures and recipes!  Love to knit?  Send me a scarf!  Haha, joking :)   Maybe you accomplished something you didn’t know you could do, just because there was no one around to help you.  Brag about it here!  Maybe you changed something in your life in a positive way.  Tell us about it!  Maybe you are amazing at organizing.  Share your tips with us!

If you would like to be featured, send me any info you would like us to know about you & pictures of what you have created.  I’ll schedule you in for a Friday, and will email you to let you know when you are scheduled, so you can brag to all your friends!  :)

The Only Rules:

1.)  You must be a follower of Because (I think) I Can through email, Linky Followers, RSS Feed, or Facebook.

2.)  Spread the Love!  Let people know you are being featured, and where to find it!  Do you have a friend you think people should know about?  Get your friend to contact me!

That’s it!  You can email me at leanne @ becauseithinkican . com, or contact me through my contact form on my sidebar.  I look forward to getting to know you better!

Pinterest Wednesday!

Posted by Leanne on March 28, 2012 6 comments

Thank you all so much on the feedback I received yesterday on my Chevron Mirror! Honestly, I’m still humming and hawing, but I’m thinking I might need to leave it alone, since all the feedback yesterday was so positive!

and before I forget, I want to remind you to leave a comment in the post for Fame On Fridays with Raj Thandi, for a chance to win her style e-book!  All you have to do is leave a comment, letting me know your favorite clothing item in your closet!

Now onto today’s Pinteresting Post!

 

 

Today is a lot about turquoise, a lot about Easter, and a little about everything else. Turquoise is absolutely one of my happy colors, along with apple green. Do you have happy colors??

I am loving the color combinations in this photo. There are some things I just wouldn’t think of putting together, and this combination would be one of them. I love it.

Source: st.houzz.com via Stacy on Pinterest

 

and more turquoise…

Source: google.com via Stacy on Pinterest

 

ahhh… and more turquoise…. I love how beautifully “chippy” this hutch is…

Source: hearthandmadeuk.blogspot.com via Stacy on Pinterest

oh, and this… I am pretty sure I will have to make this, maybe this spring?

 

awww… love the owl too!

Source: sassysites.blogspot.com via Karie on Pinterest

the words (in turquoise) is what I imagine my hubby is thinking when laying on the couch looking all sexy like this! ;)

 

oh, yes, and Easter is coming up soon! I love Easter and everything about it. I love the church services, the hymns, the family get togethers… and yes, the chocolate! I’m hoping to be daring enough this year to do some easter egg decorating with the kids! What is your favorite (and simple) way to decorate eggs?

 

 

 

Whha? rainbow Jello eggs?

 

Love this wreath… as inspired as I am though, I’m pretty sure I’ll just be hanging up my Super-Store-bought one!

 

my kids would go nuts for this… a glow-in-the-dark Easter Egg Hunt!

 

I am very curious about open shelving lately, wondering how that would work in our kitchen… I see it in magazines and on blogs all the time… I haven’t mentioned it to hubby yet, because I’m pretty sure his response would be that besides making sure the shelves always look nice and tidy, wouldn’t the dishes get covered in kitchen grease and daily dust? hmmm, do any of you have them?

 

 

this makes me want to jump up and down and squeal “Hubby, we NEED this!!”, although I know he would just roll his eyes at me. :)

Thanks for reading! I love your comments on all of my posts, and I love when you pin my pictures! But remember, for these Pinterest posts, click on the link under the photo, named “source:”, to get you to the original location, and to pin from the original source! Thanks!!

I hope you join me on Pinterest!  I look forward to seeing you there!

xo, Leanne

 


BOGO 50% Off Girls' & Boys' Fashion Tops

Chevron Mirror

Posted by Leanne on March 27, 2012 29 comments
chevron mirror9

I have never been crazy about the Chevron pattern, but it is all over blogland, and doesn’t seem to be dying.  If I wasn’t so into blogs, I wouldn’t even realize there was a pattern named Chevron, and I certainly wouldn’t know what it looks like!  But when all the bloggers I read are loving something, and I just don’t, I begin to wonder… is there something wrong with me?  :)

But when I saw this on Pinterest:

Source: etsy.com via Leanne on Pinterest

 

I suddenly liked it on here, and was inspired to make a bit of a copycat.

In my storage of stuff, I came across a couple of those IKEA mirrors, and decided to give it a try…

I’m just not sure if I like it! I know I love the one from Pinterest much more…. what do YOU think? Like, or not like?

thanks for reading!

xo, Leanne

Linked to:  Not Just A Housewife, Mommy By day, Crafter by Night, Uncommom Designs, Oopsie Daisy,

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special

Sunshine Muffins

Posted by Leanne on March 26, 2012 11 comments
healthy muffin recipe

Mr. Sandman held me hostage the past 2 days.  Saturday and Sunday I could barely keep my eyes open.  I was just so, so, tired.  Anna also had a bad cold, and hubby was feeling the same way I was, Jordan’s allergies were acting up, so we had the quietest weekend ever.  Jordan didn’t mind, he got to play his computer games all day, both days, while the rest of us slept…  but the weather was more gorgeous than ever, it was the last weekend of Spring Break, plus we missed my brother’s birthday party.  We were totally bummed.

Today though, I seem to be pretty much back to normal (with the exception of a sore throat) and managed to get a lot done…. including…get this – baking.muffins.with.Anna.  I am not a fan of baking, so baking anything with a 3 year old is not my idea of fun.  Plus, we baked these babies from scratch.  When I asked Anna if she wanted to bake muffins with me, she immediately looked in the cupboard of packaged baking goods.  When I said “no not those kinds”, she replied with:

“We’re not baking pretend muffins?!  We’re baking REAL muffins??”

Wow, what have I done?!  I’m still a good mom, right?!  ;)

And our experiment went surprisingly well.  I even doubled the recipe, as these are my favorite muffins ever…  there’s a lot of grating involved, especially when the recipe is doubled, but we pulled it off, and they are d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s.  Healthy, chewy and moist all at the same time, I’m so happy to have a freezer full of them again.  I love pulling one out every morning for breakfast, heating it up, and loving it with a hot cup of tea.

Which, of course, I had to test immediately, just to make sure I did the job right.

sunshine muffins

muffin recipe

Sunshine Muffins and Peppermint Tea. Yum.

Which, of course, inspired a tea party!

tea party

Notice Jordan is a wee bit embarrassed to have himself photographed at a tea party!

tea party!

 

The kids had juice served with my crystal creamer… this is usual with our tea parties…it’s the only time the crystal comes out!

 

I love how careful they are with the crystal creamer

Are you drooling yet?  Because trust me, these muffins are drool worthy!

healthy muffin recipe

Here’s the recipe for you!

Sunshine Muffins,

12 muffins or 4 mini loaves

Ingredients

2 cups (500ml) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (310) ml) white sugar
2 tsp (10) ml baking soda
2 tsp (10ml) ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
3 eggs
1 cup (250 ml) applesauce
2 tsp (10 ml) Vanilla extract
2 cups (500 ml) grated carrot
1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins
1/2 cup (125 ml) sliced almonds
1/2 cup (125 ml) shredded cocnut
1 apple, peeled, cored and coarsely grated.

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (190 C). Lightly spray muffin pan or mini loaf pans with vegetable oil.
2. Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a large mizing bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk together eggs, applesauce, and Vanilla Extract in another bowl. Add carrots, raisins, almonds, coconut and apple to wet mizxture
4. Combine wet with dry ingredients and stir with a mixing spoon until just well blended.
5. Spoon into prepared pan(s) and bake for 20 minutes (may take 5 – 7 mintues longer if using mini-loaf pans.)

Per Serving: Calories 230, Fat 4.5g, Cholesterol 60mg, Sodium 350mg, Carbohydrate 45g (Fibre 3g, sugars 25g), Protein 5g

Enjoy!!

Oh, and a little family note, this little darling can now do “So BIG!” and turned 10 months yesterday!  Yikes!

10 months Old!

Thanks so much for reading!!

xo, Leanne

Linked to:  Randee’s Organized Chaos, Keeping It Simple, Making the World Cuter, Polly Want A Crafter, Serendipity and Spice, Mommy By Day Crafter By Night, At Home With K, The Grateful Belly

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special

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Fame On Friday #1

Posted by Leanne on March 23, 2012 9 comments

Here it is, my new series,

Fame On Fridays, Because I heart My Readers!

Today’s reader feature:  Raj Thandi

I’m excited about this new series of mine, and I’m very excited about my first guest!!  Raj and I have known each other for quite a long time now.  We met through networking when I had my home-based spa, and Raj was running a maternity clothing line.  I even modelled for her company when I was around 7 months pregnant with Anna (almost 4 years ago)!  Check it out!

nursing cover

Me, pregnant, modelling a nursing cover

We’ve both moved on to other things, and I’m so amazed by all the stuff Raj gets done in a day… And today Raj is generous enough to offer a giveaway!!  Here’s a little bio of Raj:

Raj is a full-time mom and marketing consultant, and a part-time a fashionista. After suffering with post partum depression after her first child was born, Raj decided to get rid of her sweatpants and get dressed. That one experience sparked her interest in a career in fashion and almost 7 years later she started a personal style blog. Now Raj is obsessed with teaching women (especially moms) how to dress well on a budget, and Shop Your Closet for new looks before hitting the mall.

You can  check out Raj’s fashion blog, Pink Chai Style, and her Facebook page… I love following Raj’s blog, I find her very inspiring for looking at my closet with a different eye, and encourages me to dress in color, and thrift a little more for clothes… so far I haven’t had any luck with the thrifting part, searching racks for treasured clothes is not one of my talents, but she makes me want to learn!

Raj has also just created a Styling Book!  And this is where the Giveaway comes in!  I own this fun little e-book, and I’m feeling challenged to shop my closet!  Especially with the weather finally looking like spring!  You can find out more about her styling book here.

Enter the Giveaway…

All you have to do to enter the Giveaway, is leave a comment here at the end of this post, letting me know what the favorite item in your closet is!  the winner will then be chosen randomly next Thursday, and you will receive your prize in your email inbox!  Easypeasy!!

 Thanks so much for visiting, Raj, and thank you to eveyone for reading!

 

xo, Leanne

 

What is this “Fame On Fridays”??

Here is everything about it!:

Fame On Fridays! … because I heart my readers!!

I love my followers, and I am so grateful to all of you for following my blog…and as a thank you, I want to show you off!  I know there are A LOT of talent reading my blog, and I want to know more about You!

If you have a blog, let us know whatever you want us to know about it!  …But you don’t need to be a blogger to be featured.  Love to bake?  Send me your pictures and recipes!  Love to knit?  Send me a scarf!  Haha, joking :)   Maybe you accomplished something you didn’t know you could do, just because there was no one around to help you.  Brag about it here!  Maybe you changed something in your life in a positive way.  Tell us about it!  Maybe you are amazing at organizing.  Share your tips with us!

If you would like to be featured, send me any info you would like us to know about you & pictures of what you have created.  I’ll schedule you in for a Friday, and will email you to let you know when you are scheduled, so you can brag to all your friends!  :)

The Only Rules:

1.)  You must be a follower of Because (I think) I Can through email, Linky Followers, RSS Feed, or Facebook.

2.)  Spread the Love!  Let people know you are being featured, and where to find it!  Do you have a friend you think people should know about?  Get your friend to contact me!

That’s it!  You can email me at leanne @ becauseithinkican . com, or contact me through my contact form on my sidebar.  I look forward to getting to know you better!