Coloring Eggs!

We were finally able to have the granddaughters out for a visit!!!   Coloring eggs, hunting for eggs and reading a silly egg story were all great fun.  The story came with these awesome stickers and the girls really had fun giving our eggs some "egg-stra" cute faces! 

It's the small things that are really special in this 2nd pandemic year.  Appreciate any time you get with family!

~ Connie
 

New Cards on my Etsy shop!!

Happy to share that I have added some new card designs to my Etsy shop.  You can check them out at this link PrairieChick Studio

Snail mail, it's a thing.  Send some today!

~ Connie

The Leopard print flats or the red Converse?!!

How is it that my wonderful husband can live a complete and happy life with just 4 pairs of shoes!!

To me this is just unthinkable. Not that I have closets full of shoes mind you, but I do certainly have more than just 4 or 5 pairs.  During all those busy mom years I could find a cute pair of colorful tennies or fun bright sandals at my favorite TARGET while I stocked up on TP and toothpaste.  And I may have added to the shoe collection post pregnancy when only my shoe size had remained the same. 😉 When momma needed a shopping fix I could let myself buy new cute shoes over jeans in a new bigger size! (Can I get an AMEN?!)  Needless to say, now as a 50 something mom and grandma, I have a very cute collection of fun and stylish shoes.  This has actually been a PLUS as I started to refocus and revamp my fashion and style journey.

One of the best and useful tips I learned is -

STYLE TIP #2

A simple way to up your fashion game each day is to add one "Remarkable" piece.  You could be wearing basic jeans and a white T shirt but add those Red Converse high tops or those eye catching Gold gladiator sandals and you have just put together a "remarkable" fashion outfit! 😁  And someone WILL probably notice and say "You look great, and I love those shoes!" 

So no matter your size, or age or budget ... you can start today.  Just push yourself to add just that little extra "remarkable" item to your outfit.  (It may be shoes or a unique bag, or a cool scarf or even eye catching bold red lip stick!  You will be surprised how simple it is and how often you will receive a compliment on how great you look.)

Let's go be confident and uniquely us dear friends!

~ Connie

Beef and Cheese Foldover

Here is a quick and simple dinner idea... my mom made this when I was a kid and it has been a staple in our family of BBQ lovers.

Beef & Cheese Foldover

1 pound ground beef

1/2 c. diced onions

2 tubes crescent rolls

6 slices american cheese

3/4 c. BBQ sauce

Brown ground beef and onions in a skillet. Drain.

Unroll one tube of crescent rolls on a baking sheet. Flatten into a bottom one piece crust.

Mix BBQ sauce into ground beef and spread this mixture over crescent roll crust.  Layer on the slices of cheese.  Unroll 2nd tube of crescent rolls to form a top crust. Pinch together edges.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Slice into pieces and serve with additional BBQ sauce if desired.

** A ham and cheese variation ~ Spread a honey mustard sauce over bottom crust.  Layer on sliced deli ham and american cheese. Add top crust and bake as above.

If you'd like more free recipe ideas, join my recipe email list and I will send you an email about 6 times a year.  You can join the list here Prairie Chick Recipes

You'll find me in the tiny house...

I've been working lately on some acrylic paintings for our house.  I did a couple of other ones as Christmas gifts, so now that the holidays are over I can post these pictures.  

My art studio space is out in the tiny house on our property.  The previous landowner used it as a hunting cabin before our main house was built.  When we moved here I claimed it as my art space and when we have a full house of visitors, it doubles as extra guest quarters.  We hope to upgrade it in the future for our guests, but it works great for me to get away and focus on a painting project.  I don't worry about leaving my art supplies strewn about when I'm in the middle of something ... works better than the kitchen counter in that regard!

The barn quilt was my 3rd, and my largest piece so far.  It looks awesome hanging above our fireplace and I am quite pleased with it.

The windmill, was a first attempt at painting a landscape in acrylic.  It turned out pretty well I think for a first try.  

I have a couple of other projects in mind for this winter, will have to see what I actually have time to get done!

~ Connie

When style fell out of the minivan...

When chatting with a girlfriend last year, I shared that I felt like my fashion style had fallen out of the mini van and been lost along the roadside during my years of motherhood! 😂 And now that the nest was for the most part empty -- I really wanted my STYLE back!!  (And hey there is plenty of room in the nest for it now!😏)

Unfortunately, I was not feeling my over 50, mother of 4 body was exactly high fashion material.  Yet I began my search to rediscover myself and my fashion sense.  The internet can be both a great resource and also an evil promoter of ridiculous feminine stereotypes.  So in my quest for information on how to determine my own style and shop smarter ...I discovered some great tips and some crazy overpriced online "style" classes!  I thought I'd occasionally write about some of my findings here to help any other women out there who maybe feel a little bit lost like myself.

It's crazy to discover how tied up our fashion sense is with our self esteem and body image!

I feel like this process in my life has been so helpful in discovering what helps me feel pretty, confident, and authentically me!  After all, this is our life ...it's not a dress rehearsal and we won't get a "do over" here on this planet.  COVID should make us appreciate that!  So I won't get those years back that I spent worrying that I wasn't skinny enough, or curvy enough or didn't have the money to spend on expensive trendy fashion.

Now, I have given myself permission to wear bight red lipstick if I want ... and matching red Converse shoes with confidence! (or maybe those leopard print flats!) 😉  So if you would like to join me on this STYLISH journey, check back occasionally for new inspiration and ideas.

Learn which style silhouettes and accessories flatter most every body type and age.  Learn what 3 things to consider to make all your outfits "remarkable".  And learn how to coordinate colors, prints and patterns to flatter your own personal coloring and style preferences.  These lessons and tips have really helped me create more stylish and pulled together outfits and I want to share these ideas with you. I hope you find your own personal style tastes and discover the joy and self confidence it builds when you feel "remarkably" fashionable!  And we will discover a lot of it already hiding in clothes you already own!


STYLE TIP # 1

The V neckline is the most flattering on most women!  No matter your size, the V neck tends to make everyone look taller and slimmer.  Even adding a long pendant necklace can visually create a V line on a dress or top without the actual V neckline.  So consider this tip every time you get dressed!  Have you got a V shape on top??!


  


Let's go be confident and uniquely us dear friends!

~ Connie

2020, NOT the year we wanted!

So the end of a year always puts me in a reflective mood.  My birthday is  December 31 so a new year always means a year older! 2020 has certainly been a difficult year.  Besides all the pandemic crazy, my husband and I have had aging parents facing health challenges, kids facing job challenges, military life challenges, college challenges with COVID, and on and on and on!  Can we be done yet??!

The holidays certainly were not what we hoped, no gathering with the grandparents for their safety; no traveling home for our daughter and military son-in-law (all leave cancelled!) and no visits from our grandkids!  Very sad indeed.

Happily there are things to focus on for 2021.  I have started my 2nd children's board book!  Son number 2 got engaged and they are planning a summer 2021 wedding!  Our recently graduated teacher has her first teaching job!

So for now let's take it one day at a time.  Hurry up 2021 ...we need a new start!