washi + doilies = love!

{picked up these rolls at Target last week!}

I'm definitely in love with the washi tape trend,

& I've seen some really adorable packaging & wrapping ideas lately.

love this eclectic mix of tapes + text! {found here}

glassine bags + doilies + washi {found here}

my friend Elizabeth @ Sew Chatty used washi to dress up this baby gift - adorable!

Do you love washi? What is your favorite way to use it?

Happy Monday!

going for a walk.

I went for a loong walk yesterday {5 miles!},

and I just wanted to share these pictures I snapped.

Florida really is a beautiful place!

I saw a lot of birds, squirrels, some cute ducks,

and even 2 alligators!

happy weekend, everyone!

hope it's a lovely one. ;)

*****

don't forget, you can use the code HELLO10

for 10% off your purchase at Petunia Blooms!

(code expires Monday morning)

shop update.

hello, everyone!

you may have noticed that I haven't mentioned the shop lately...

well, that's because it's been a little neglected lately.

with the craft fair coming up, I've been hard at work

building my inventory, which hasn't left me much time/energy

to make extra things to list in the shop.

however, there are still some great things available!

seriously, these accessories are perfectly adorable for Spring. :)

you can use the code HELLO10 for 10% off your purchase,

and I'll include a special extra something with each

order placed before Monday morning.

so, please check out the shop!

I'd love to send you a pretty package. ;)

everything you do.

"Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do"

{from Do Everything by Steven Curtis Chapman}

Every time I hear that song on the radio, I start smiling.

It's such a great reminder, that everything I do, no matter how big or small,

can be used for the glory of God.

Isn't that amazing? 

happy Wednesday, friends.

have a picnic {a fun little date}

The mister & I had been planning a picnic for this past Saturday for about a week,

and even though the forecast called for rain, it held off long enough for us to have our fun.

We went by Jason's Deli & picked up lunch {soup + sandwiches are favorites of ours!}

and then headed to a park right down the road from our place. 

It was really cloudy & windy, but it was still a lot of fun to go on a picnic with my favorite guy.

We ate our lunch, went for a walk & only got rained on a little at the end. ;)

What about you? Do you enjoy picnics with the people you love?

I know I do!

Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

important to me.

There are a lot of things in my life that are very important to me.

my wonderful husband.

morning coffee. ;)

a refreshing shower.

mousse for my crazy curls.

sewing + creating on a daily basis.

a {mostly} clean house.

dark chocolate.

reading a good book.

my family {including in-laws!}.

birthdays + celebrations.

my church family.

weekends.

But I was thinking this morning how often I neglect

the very thing that should be most important to me...

my amazing, merciful Savior.

Spending time in His Word & prayer.

Jesus, draw me closer to you today.

{Not that any of those other things are bad, because they aren't,

but they also shouldn't replace Him in my life. This is just what's on my mind today.}

Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:2

{recipe} chicken & black bean enchilada casserole

chicken & black bean enchilada casserole

found on Sweet Treats & More, recipe from AllRecipes

2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast meat

½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chili peppers.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.

Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*****

I'm always looking for good recipes to try, and this one was a definite keeper! I served it with corn & white rice, and it was very tasty without being too spicy. We ate about 1/4 of it one night, 1/4 another night and then I put the rest of it in the freezer for another time.

What is your favorite go-to recipe that everyone enjoys? I'd love if you'd share it with me!

last week.

I was definitely planning on joining in on InstaFriday,

but it just didn't happen; I was hanging out with my fabulous sister-in-law instead. ;)

So here's a few pieces of life from last week...

*****

my mister took me to see The Hunger Games on Monday night!

I enjoyed it, even though I'm not as crazy about the series as some people I know.

I appreciated that they didn't make the violence too gory...that's really not my thing.

I spent a lot of Tuesday afternoon watching the 2nd season of Downton Abbey

and working on a special order for my cousin's prom {I'll share more about that soon!}

I only have a few Downton Abbey episodes left, but I don't want it to end!

I guess wearing "matching" shirts could be considered cheesy,

but I kinda loved it. ;) I really do adore my husband!

I've been riding my new bike down to a park near us,

and there's a HUGE lake. It's really pretty, so I had to stop to take a picture.

On Thursday, my mother & sisters-in-law came over for a Girl's Night In.

We watched The Help, sipped coffee & ate some yummy brownies!

One sister-in-law spent the night with me, and we stayed up late playing Scrabble.

It's one of my favorite games, and I ended up winning!

one of my favorite places to be on a Friday night;

snuggled up on the couch, holding my man's hand.

I've been working on these headbands for a looong time,

building up my inventory for the craft fair in May.

This batch is almost done...

We spent the day on Saturday with our family,

and we got to meet our newest niece...

She is unbelievably precious!

We got home late on Saturday night,

so our Sunday was divided between the pool, a yummy lunch of leftovers,

lots of sewing for me and finishing taxes for the mister...

and now it's Monday morning, the start of a new week with so much to do.

Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend!

currently...

I'm sitting at our table today, but this is my view most mornings.

listening

to my piano solo, romantic period channel on Pandora.

the music is so lovely.

eating

honey bunches of oats with cinnamon clusters.

drinking

my morning coffee, of course. ;)

wearing

still in my pajamas + robe.

feeling

tired, but content for the moment.

mornings are pretty quiet around here,

at least until I wake up enough to start on my to do list.

weather

I haven't been outside yet,

but it's probably another hot and sunny day here in Florida.

wanting

this + this, pretty please!

needing

more hours in my day!

I have a nice long list of chores to finish,

but I really want to spend more time sewing...

still working on inventory for that craft fair.

thinking

about my plans for the day, 

and about the verse I read this morning:

"Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows."

{Luke 12:7}

enjoying

looking forward to a "girl's night in"

with my mother + sisters-in-law tonight!

Have a wonderfully lovely Thursday!

happiness is...

happiness is handmade print

my friend Lindsay re-opened her shop today!

I want to get one of everything....

Be sure to stop by her blog & look around,

you might just find a discount code. ;)

just beachy.

I've been asking my husband if we could go to the beach for a while now,

and we finally got to go over the weekend!

His sister and her kids are in town for Spring Break,

so we went with the whole family {about 15 of us all together}.

swim suit is from Lime Ricki

my wonderful husband was laughing at my lovely tan lines and had to take a picture...

the only time I'm out in the sun is when I'm wearing tennis shoes, so my feet are super pale!

The water was actually really cold, but we still had a good time swimming, walking on the beach, digging in the sand, sculpting shoes out of sand {my younger brother-in-law}, and watching the beautiful sunset.

I hope we can go back sometime soon! :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend; He is risen INDEED.

wishing :: shades of blue

blueberry :: color block purse from Rouge & Whimsy

the beka set :: no-crease hair ties from Sisterly Ties

polka dot/mint fold over clutch from lauren darlings

aqua rose earrings from Poofy Cheeks

I'm just loving all these pretty shades of blue!

What are you wishing for these days?

feeling pretty.

You know what I love?

That something as simple as a headband & some flower earrings

can make me feel more put together, prettier.

Even when my day just consists of grocery shopping, washing dishes,

and doing a bunch of laundry. ;)

headband :: made by me

{if you'd like one, just send me an email &

I'd be happy to do a custom order for you!}

earrings :: from an etsy shop, but I'm not sure which one,

they were a gift from my sister-in-law.

sunglasses :: target

dressing up a brown paper bag

I love to wrap up pretty packages for people I love.

Even though the paper gets thrown away, gifts are so much more enjoyable when

they look nice on the outside, too {at least I think so!}.

My dear friend Elisabeth turned 20 yesterday,

and this is her gift all wrapped up:

This is one of my favorite ways to wrap gifts.

I have a boatload of plain brown lunch bags that aren't very pretty by themselves,

but add a lacy doily & a little ribbon, and it's good to go!

What is your favorite way to add a little pizzazz to a gift?