my tribe.

do you have a tribe of women in your life? 

i believe there are seasons in our lives when we can feel friendless & lonely. when luke & i first moved to arkansas, i felt so alone & disconnected from our amazing community in missouri. in missouri, i was just a bike ride away from a coffee date with a girlfriend or dinner with our favorite couples.

our life looks very different now. we live miles away from town, our schedules aren't as flexible as they used to be & it feels like we are busier than ever. i still crave that deep connectedness, though-- that kind of connectedness with friends that a husband or partner simply can't fill. 

after nearly three years, i am finally able to say that i have found my tribe. we work out together, we share coffee together, we cry together, we encourage together & we eat together.

i recently participated in a group at church that was centered around meal planning, budgeting & the enjoyment of food in community. week after week, a small group of us women shared one of the most intimate parts of our lives- our food story. we exchanged recipes & our food practices. we re-organized our fridges & worked on breaking some unhealthy habits. we planned meals & leaned on each other for financial accountability. at the end of our group, we shared a meal, good conversation & friendship. we are all so different, from our personalities to our seasons in life, yet we come together with a love for food. 

i've also started scheduling weekly coffee dates with my tribe. these women are amazing. i am so thankful that i get to share a cup of coffee with them for an hour each week. we talk about the big life stuff & the small beautiful stuff. this has been a big life-changer for me. 

of course, these kind of relationships, like all relationships, take work. it requires a bit of time & effort, but it's absolutely worth it. living life with women who get you & you get them is like a breath of fresh air. i am so thankful to have this tribe of connectedness.

if you're struggling to find or create your tribe, here are some suggestions:

+ invite a handful of women to coffee // this is an inexpensive way to get out of the house & around a table with women.

+ don't search for the perfect women to be your friends // i know this suggestion might sound crazy, but i have found myself only wanting to be friends with girls who had the same convictions or preferences as i do. life is about learning from others & what better person to learn from than a friend who is different but near & dear to you?

+ difference is good // a lot of my girlfriends have children. i am the youngest in my tribe of girlfriends who are in their late 20s to early 40s. i have learned so much from these seasoned women & their wisdom has been invaluable to my life. 

+ plan a potluck // this is a great way to have a delicious meal & not put too much pressure on the hostess. invite a group of women to your house, share in the responsibility of the meal & open a bottle of wine. good conversation will happen, i promise.

+ experience a shared interest together // join a book club or yoga class together. go for weekly walks or bake together. find shared interests with women & set aside time to do them regularly. this will create a connectedness that will lead to deeper friendships.

most of all, love & serve people fiercely & it will be returned to you. 

love,

natalie

finding our rhythm once more

happy monday, friends! 

i am excited for the week ahead. 

we have struggled to stay within the rhythm of home these last few weeks. i was away in austin for a girls' weekend & right when i arrived home, luke left for a work trip. it feels so good to be back home together.

i spent the weekend cleaning, doing laundry, prepping meals, sewing & establishing a to-do list for the week ahead. it's a busy week, but we're home & finding our groove once more.

how do you prep for the week ahead? how do you establish that home rhythm after a couple of weeks off? please share!

wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

love,

natalie

valentine's day inspiration

good morning friends!

it feels so good to be back in this space after a bit of an unexpected break. we've had some technical difficulties here with a computer that is on it's very last leg. i finally purchased a new computer after months of saving & i cannot tell you how good it feels. 

when i arrived home after a weekend in austin, luke surprised me with fresh bouquets around our home & little origami hearts poking out from those beautiful flowers. he knows the way to my heart- flowers & crafts! 

i am a valentine's day girl. i love a day spent being intentional about showing your love to those handful that are dear & near to the heart. 

with about $10 i made two valentine's day gifts for luke's younger siblings. i purchased candy from target along with a handful of items from the dollar bin. so fun & easy. 

i also made these pop flowers, completely inspired by my sweet friend sara. i poked the cupcake liners with the pop sticks & scrunched them up to the top. i added a bit of washi tape to keep the liners in place & added a little kraft heart with "you are loved" stamped on it. tied with baker's twine, this makes a sweet & inexpensive happy gift.

what are some of your ideas for this fun holiday? please share!

love,

natalie

a snow day: celebrating the quiet of winter

good morning, friends! 

it's our second snow day this week. yesterday morning was so beautiful on the farm with a thick layer of glittery snow covering every surface. 

our friends, rachel & josh of poppy & fern, were stuck here for another day due to the snow (no complaints! we love them!) so we stepped outside in the early morning to say hello to our sweet animal friends. 

this might be the first year i am not craving spring by february. i am savoring this slower pace of living that only winter & colder days can bring. 

we will soon start seeds & till the ground. bulbs will begin blooming & projects will begin on the farm. spring will come soon enough.

for now, let's celebrate this quiet season.

love,

natalie

in the kitchen: delicious recipe ideas

hello, friends! today i thought i'd share some of our new favorite recipes found online.

+ this crockpot chicken enchilada soup is AMAZING. we paired it with tortilla chips, but you could easily add a bed of spinach to the bottom of your bowl for a healthy swap. this recipe could also easily be made vegetarian (& cheaper!) with an extra boost of beans.

+ the whole family loved this quinoa salad with pear, fresh spinach & apple. we served this as an entree with sauteed garlicky green beans. 

+ we are a big soup family. it's economical, warm & filling. i love chicken noodle soup, but soup from a can is out of the question in our home. this crockpot chicken noodle soup recipe is delicious with additional herb seasoning. it's so easy, too. i love making this recipe during a busy day when we need a bit of warmth & a bowl of comfort food. paired with homemade biscuits makes this meal just right.

+ nacho night! nacho night is perfect for a fun friday night meal. we grab a bag of tortilla chips, shred sharp cheddar cheese & sprinkle it on top of the tortilla chips placed on a baking sheet. broil it for just a few minutes until the cheese is fully melted. grab the baking sheet out of the oven & serve with additional toppings like salsa, avocado, lettuce, sour cream (yogurt is a delicious replacement), refried beans, black beans & spinach! 

+ i know i've listed quite a few crockpot recipes, but they're perfect for short winter days. here's a favorite link to 50 vegetarian crockpot recipes that are delicious. we've tried quite a few & love them. 

+ this is a simple chickpea curry recipe that we have recently started making & love. it's more economical when you cook dried chickpeas. making a big pot of chickpeas means you have leftovers for homemade hummus!

+ the one pan pasta is our go-to recipe on busy nights. have you tried it? it's delicious! paired with a big salad makes this meal balanced.

what are some recipes that you're loving right now? please share!

love,

natalie

#dressinhappinessdaily // my get dressed & feel great project

it makes me giggle that i am about to write a post about fashion. actually, this post isn't about that at all. it's much bigger & more meaningful than the ever-changing trends & materialism of our culture.

you see, i've been working from home for almost two years now. often times i would get knee deep into emails by 8 am that i totally forgot to get dressed. this resulted in floral pj pants & yoga pants with a stained t-shirt all day, every day. 

this didn't reflect who i was as an individual. i wasn't that girl rarely showered & wearing the same dirty outfit with her hair in a bun. i knew that i loved myself more than that.

fast forward to the new year. i recognized that i needed change. as i began processing through this half-minded habit in my life, i knew that the only way to make this new habit stick would be to share with all of you. 

so i created a hashtag #dressinhappinessdaily & began sharing my get dressed & feel great project on instagram (@nataliecreates). it's day 27 & i cannot tell you how transformative this project has been for my spirit, my work ethic, my soul & my life.

1. i feel pretty.

2. i feel ready for what's ahead.

3. i feel capable.

4. i feel that i am worth it.

just some thoughts -

i don't spend a ton of time on myself each morning. i usually braid my hair & put on clothing that makes me happy. 

i also haven't spent that much money on this project. i bought two pairs of pants because i literally had zero pants that fit & one cardigan that you see in two of these photos. i mostly shop from thrift stores & i love that.

also, i have been surprised to find that i feel more satisfied with my closet than ever before. our budget is so limited that i often felt discouraged about my lack of clothing options. now i realize what's in my closet & how i might utilize each piece to create something happy to wear. it's fun & creative & resourceful. 

finally, i feel good about who i am. i have always struggled with self-image issues, wishing i were a certain size or believing that if i were 20 lb. lighter i would be happy. this practice has taught me to love myself right now & today. 

today isn't too late to start! get up & get dressed, friends! & share your journey with me... #dressinhappinessdaily because you are worth it.

how do you practice self-love? please share!

love,

natalie

p.s. once i began this project, i came across an amazing artist, kelly rae roberts, & her wear your joy project. this project is SO inspiring. make sure to check it out if you have a moment. 

how we save: practices on saving money in the kitchen

if you are new to this blog, i would recommend starting here on this topic. in my meal planning 101 post, i share how i meal plan from start to finish. it might help answer some of your questions on how we budget & follow our budget while eating healthy, whole foods. this blog post is also helpful with a great burrito recipe we make regularly.

yesterday on instagram (@nataliecreates) i posted the photo above of our empty fridge before heading out to the grocery store. the photo was flooded with questions, thoughts & frustrations on the topic. 

we spend $70 on groceries, including household items such as toilet paper & shampoo, a week. we eat three meals a day at home from that budget. it's become something i really enjoy doing for our little family- crunching numbers & finding freedom in what we have. we use every little bit of food in our fridge, from veggie scraps to sour milk. 

i'm certain this is how we make our budget work. there aren't any real secrets on how we save money- it just takes a bit of research & quite honestly, a lot of time. late last night as i was making yogurt, i thought i'd share with you some practices we use in the kitchen to make the most of what we have.

1. homemade yogurt: we make our own yogurt from local raw milk. raw milk isn't necessary to make yogurt, but i find it to be a bit more creamy. there are so many techniques on making yogurt & i especially like abby's recipe. we have a donvier yogurt maker that i picked up for $3 from a thrift shop & i just follow the recipe that comes with the maker. i usually make yogurt once every couple of weeks if we have a surplus of milk that is going sour. we purchase organic vanilla yogurt regularly for smoothies & granola. we eat a lot of yogurt around here.

2. put up: i talk about this a lot here on the blog, but it's something i think can make a great difference in your food budget. we put up a lot of food. this doesn't mean we grow all of the food we preserve, freeze & dry. this simply means we shop seasonally from local farms, farmers' market & even the grocery store. last night i made apple sauce for oatmeal from storage apples grown this past fall. we have bags of frozen berries in the freezer perfect for smoothies that we harvested from local farms this past summer. last week i purchased bananas that were at a great discount from the grocery store. i peeled, chopped & put them in a freezer bag for future muffins, pancakes & smoothies.

every year before purchasing fresh food from farms throughout the summer, i identify what we eat most. for example, we eat a lot of tomato sauce. what tomatoes i'm unable to grow i purchase in bulk from the farmers' market & can or freeze sauce. we also eat a lot of bell peppers so i make sure to grow more than enough plants in our garden. i chop surplus peppers & add them to freezer bags for fajitas during the winter.  

3. chicken broth: i usually buy a whole chicken once every month or two. i make my whole chickens in the crockpot using this recipe. i also want to add that purchasing whole chicken rather than cuts of meat is much more economical. once i have stripped the meat from the bone, i place all of the bones back into the crockpot & fill the crockpot up with water to almost the rim. i turn the crockpot on low & allow it to simmer for 12 hours or so until a rich, golden broth has been made. once my broth is finished, i allow it to cool & then strain it. i put the liquid in mason jars for the freezer. we eat a lot of soups & chilis so we save so much money making our own broth. it's delicious & much better for you, too.

4. veggie broth: save your vegetable scraps, friends! when i am cooking, i save all of my vegetable scraps, including onion skins, carrot tops, broccoli stems & more. i put them all in a big freezer bag & place it in the freezer until it's full. once i have filled up my freezer bag, i put all of the scraps in my crockpot, add some herb seasoning & fill up the crockpot with water until it's almost to the rim. just like the chicken broth, i allow it to cook on low for 12 hours until a rich vegetable broth is made. once the broth is cooked, i allow it to cool. i strain the vegetable scraps from the broth & then place the liquid broth in mason jars for the freezer. i love having veggie broth on hand for vegetarian meals with friends. 

i hope that some of our practices in the kitchen are helpful to you & your budget. if you'd like to learn more about the culture of food we embrace, i would recommend picking up tamar adler's book, "an everlasting meal: cooking with economy and grace." it's wonderful!

do you have any tips or practices on saving money in the kitchen? please share! i'd love for this space to be a resource for myself & others!

love,

natalie