Friday, January 23, 2015

Weekend Bloggy Reading :: Link Up!

Happy Friday, friends! Ready for some creative inspiration? Welcome to my Weekend Bloggy Reading link party. Fridays are fun because this is the day of the week where other bloggers stop by to link up their best post of the week here at Serenity Now, and readers get to browse tons of fun project ideas. If you're new here, don't forget to "Follow" or subscribe so you don't miss future parties and projects!

*Please be sure to read my guidelines before you add a link--I've had to bypass so many great projects lately because they didn't include a link back to my blog in the post!

This party is a great place to showcase your very best post of the week (home decor, crafts, party ideas, recipes, DIY, tips and tricks, etc.) and to see what else is out there.

Did you miss any of my posts this week? I'd love for you to click over:


Easy Ham & Potato Soup Recipe
Inspiring Project Ideas

*And don't forget that the first BOTB column will be up at Centsational Girl today! Be sure to visit to see what Kate and I have rounded up for the Best of the Blogosphere!

Time to link up your best post of the week!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Inspiring Project Ideas {link party features}

I love it when features day rolls around because I always hope to show off a project or two you haven't seen around the blogosphere yet. I'm pleased to share some good creative features from the weekend link party with you today. The party opens up again tomorrow morning, so be ready to join the fun. If you're new to the blog, I take a couple of days each week to let other bloggers showcase their project ideas here, and I take a day to feature a few of my faves. We have crafts, home decor, DIY, recipes, party ideas, organizing, sewing, tips and tricks, seasonal projects, and more!

Here are some projects that caught my eye this week:

~Breakfast Room Before and After via Home to Cottage

~Toy Car Box to Sewing Notions Storage via The Silly Pearl

~Puff Pastry Breakfast Pizza via The Life Jolie

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Easy Ham and Potato Soup Recipe

Do you like to channel your inner Soup Nazi like I do? Every so often, I dig into my archives and update old blog recipes with new photos and wording. Today, I'm going to share a recipe for Easy Ham and Potato Soup...this is a super simple recipe that's great to throw together on a busy weeknight. Perfect for cold weather!


Easy Ham and Potato Soup 
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients: 
3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes (I was in too much of a hurry to cube anything. I just chopped 'em up into bits)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used onion flakes)
1 cube chicken bullion
1 cup water
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 tsp. all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese
1 cup chopped ham

 Directions:
1. In a large stock pot, add potatoes, celery, onion, chicken bullion, water, and parsley flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until vegetables become tender.

2. In a separate bowl, mix flour and milk. Once it is well blended, add to soup mixture and cook until soup becomes thick. (I added slightly more flour to make a thicker soup)

3. Stir in cheese, cooked ham, or hamburger, and simmer until cheese is melted. (I added the cheese to the individual servings because T is weird and hates cheese)

Note: You could totally skip the ham and this would still be yummy with the cheese! Also, I have found that it is way easier to just buy the small cans of Hormel ham from the grocery and chop it up. No one seems to notice the difference.


Is soup one of your comfort food meals for cold weather? What's your favorite kind?


If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments, Facebook shares, and Tweets!

Follow on Bloglovin

Monday, January 19, 2015

Well, that's one way to spend MLK Day

Michaela Byrd is in bed sick today. I'm really hoping it's not the flu, but will probably take her in to get tested this morning. I'm trying to look on the bright side...at least today is a school holiday and she's not missing classroom time. Right? Right.

Hope your day goes better than mine is starting out! 


If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments, Facebook shares, and Tweets!

Follow on Bloglovin

Friday, January 16, 2015

Weekend Bloggy Reading :: Link Up!

Happy weekend! Ready for some creative inspiration? Welcome to my Weekend Bloggy Reading link party. Fridays are fun because this is the day of the week where other bloggers stop by to link up their best post of the week here at Serenity Now, and readers get to browse tons of fun project ideas. If you're new here, don't forget to "Follow" or subscribe so you don't miss future parties and projects!

*Please be sure to read my guidelines before you add a link--I've had to bypass so many great projects lately because they didn't include a link back to my blog in the post!

This party is a great place to showcase your very best post of the week (home decor, crafts, party ideas, recipes, DIY, tips and tricks, etc.) and to see what else is out there.

Did you miss any of my posts this week? I'd love for you to click over:

Pancakes and Pajamas Theme Birthday Party (on a budget)
My Winter Book List for 2015
Inspiring Project Ideas

Time to link up your best post of the week!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Inspiring Project Ideas {link party features}

I'm pleased to share some good creative features from the weekend link party with you today. The party opens up again tomorrow morning, so be ready to join the fun. If you're new to the blog, I take a couple of days each week to let other bloggers showcase their project ideas here, and I take a day to feature a few of my faves. We have crafts, home decor, DIY, recipes, party ideas, organizing, sewing, tips and tricks, seasonal projects, and more!

Here are some projects that caught my eye this week:

~Lemonade Stand Birthday Party via Te Amo Too

~Apple Shortcake with Honey, Cinnamon, and Lavender via Winnish

~5 Tips for a Winter Mantel via Reinvented

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Winter Reading List {2015}

One of the things I love to do on the blog is share my current reading lists. The weather has been frigid here in Virginia lately. Makes me want to curl up under a big blanket with the dogs and read all day...except I have, you know, three kids and laundry and meals to cook and I like to watch The Bachelor on Monday nights. So I save my reading for before bed, but I try to fit in some time when I can. Here's my Reading List for Winter 2015! 
Find a great list of books to read this winter--at Serenity Now!



Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace -Anne Lamott
This one is our January pick for book club this month. It must be pretty good because I've been on the library wait list since November!! 

From Amazon: "Our victories over hardship and pain may seem small, she writes, but they change us—our perceptions, our perspectives, and our lives. Lamott writes of forgiveness, restoration, and transformation, how we can turn toward love even in the most hopeless situations, how we find the joy in getting lost and our amazement in finally being found."

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons (Ballantine Reader's Circle)  -Lorna Landvik

Landvik's book is my pick for the February meeting of book club, and I'm really psyched to read it. It looks like a fun read...a nice mix of friendship, poignancy, and humor. Right up my alley!

From Amazon: "Sometimes life is like a bad waiter—it serves you exactly what you don’t want. The women of Freesia Court have come together at life’s table, fully convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delectable desserts, and a strong shoulder can’t fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together—the foundation of a book group they call AWEB—Angry Wives Eating Bon Bons—an unofficial “club” that becomes much more. It becomes a lifeline."

The Apple Orchard (Bella Vista)  -Susan Wiggs

I finished this one and the sequel (listed below) in a few days. Compelling story that touches on the Danish Resistance Movement during World War II, it's set in modern-day California (Sonoma). I could picture everything...great descriptions. A fun read without being too syrupy sweet.

From Amazon: "#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs brings readers into the lush abundance of Sonoma County, in a story of sisters, friendship and the invisible bonds of history that are woven like a spell around us."

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