Try Something New! :D

I hope you all have been doing well and preparing for the holiday season ahead of us!  Thanksgiving is in less than two days, can you believe it?! Christmas will be here sooner than we know it, which means I'm even closer to my trip to Europe! :)

I've done a few things here and there and have yet to share them with you. I have finally checked two things off of my DIY list....

1: Butternut Squash Soup
2: Homemade Tool Tutu

I love butternut squash soup, but anytime I order it at a restaurant it is loaded up with sugar and salt and other unnecessary ingredients. So, I took it upon myself to make my own semi-healthy version of this deliciousness! The recipe is very simple and easy and inexpensive! Win, win, win!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash
2 cups vegetable broth (any broth works)
1 onion (medium sized, red or white)
1 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground cinnamon
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half and place face down into the baking dish. Bake for for about an hour, until tender. After the squash is done, peel the skin of with a fork (it should be easy to remove.) Cut the squash and onion into chunks. Bring the squash, onions and broth to a boil.

After ingredients have been boiled, place everything into a blender. Puree ingredients until you get the desired texture or until smooth. Place in your finest china, serve and enjoy! :)

*Take note, this is a recipe that can be modified to your liking, so have fun with it!*

So good! <3

I finally made an adorable no-sew tutu skirt made of tool! I may only be 21, but no one is ever too old for a tutu. Am I right or am I right?? :) I finally had a reason to make one for my Halloween costume this year. -- I was Minnie Mouse. :) I was planning on buying one and then realized how expensive it would be for something I'd only be wearing probably one time. Check out my easy how to below:

Materials Needed:

6 yards of tool (Any color)

Elastic band (Big enough for your waist)

2 safety pins

White paper

Scissors

White paper

Hot glue gun/glue

Instructions:

Cut the tool into strips. Mine were 1 inch wide and roughly 2 feet long. Keep in mind, not everyone is the same height, so cut them to your desired length. Additionally, you will essentially be "doubling" these strips so don't make them too short! (It sounds confusing, I'll explain further below.)

Place your elastic band around the back side of a chair (I used a small ladder) and tie it in a knot. This will allow both your hands to be free and you won't be struggling to keep the elastic from going crazy. The next step is a tad confusing. Refer to the picture below:

In the end, your tool should be tight and look like this....

This entire process takes quite awhile, so be patient. Make sure to turn some tunes on or watch TV while doing this. It will make the process go by much faster.

After all the tool is on, untie the knot and pin the safety pins in the desired place on the band. (I used two just in case.) You want the tutu to be somewhat tight, but it's okay for it to be a little loose. Keep in mind, it is elastic so putting it on and taking it off is easy regardless!

This next part is specifically for the costume I chose. I used a coffee cup to outline my circle and cut away! I then hot glued them all over the tutu. On a side note, the mouse ears and tail were already purchased from prior Halloweens, I just glued ribbon on them!

Here's the finished product! Super easy and super simple. Minnie Mouse is always a crowd pleaser, plus I had lots of fun in making my costume instead of buying an overpriced one!

The joys of being from a big family...

As many know, I come from a rather "large" family. Numerous times people will get to know me and ask how many siblings I have or how many siblings my parents have, etc. and their reaction never gets old..."You have FIVE brothers and sisters?! How did your parents do that?" Well folks, it's called having a lot of trust in God and each other along with having a little patience and lots of love. Boom! THAT'S how my parents did it!

With this being said, I've compiled a list of what I think it's like to come from a big family. I have multiple cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces/nephews and so on. There are many perks that come with being from such a huge, loving family and I'm going to share them with you! Keep in mind, these may seem like faults to some, but I truly think these are some of the greatest reasons of why I love being from such a big family. Here's to looking inside my life and what I'm surrounded by daily. :)

These are in no particular order, so here goes:

1. Everyone knows every detail of your life. Be prepared for any family member to ask you about your latest gossip at the next family convention.

This can be a bad thing, but also good. When your cousin and her husband have their first child all the way in Maine and you don't get to talk much, you still find out every detail the day they're born! This typically happens through numerous phone calls from every single aunt and uncle calling each other multiple times to make sure everyone knows. :D It never gets old!

On the other hand, words spread like fire in a big family. You're pregnant? Grandparents know the day you find out. You broke up with your significant other? Aunts and uncles question you about it at the next family get together. On the plus side, knowing what everyone is doing and how everyone is never becomes an issue because someone always knows!

My baptism way back in '93. Man, we were little! :)

2. What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours... ALWAYS.

Whether it's your clothes, food, advice or whatever, when you come from a big family everything is shared with everyone.

Many times you'll see yourself giving advice to your family members and realize that you should probably listen closely to what you're saying too because that piece of advice pertains to you too! :)

Your closet become your sisters closet...every time. "Oh you're coming to visit? Don't worry about packing anything you can borrow my stuff!" "Rach, can I borrow this?" "Hey, I went through your clothes, I'm going to wear this tonight. Hope ya don't mind." -- Nope look away, glad ya like my style! ;) I also love the fact that I have four sisters and all of us can wear each others clothes. My wardrobe is expanded in .2 seconds during the holidays when they all visit. :)

3. There's constantly a helping hand. Sometimes too many!

Growing up, us kids always kept up with chores around the house. Even when we went to grandma and grandpas house, cleaning up after dinner or doing dishes was always something we did, just because. Mom needs veggies chopped up for soup? BAM, done! Need help getting groceries out of the car? When all of us kids went out at once, we got this done in one trip. And yes, if you're wondering, we were quite proud of that, haha. With so many people around there's always someone willing to help with anything and everything.

4. There is an endless amount of role models surrounding you.

I'm learning not only from my parents and siblings each day, but also from my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and more. It never fails to amaze me how much knowledge I've gained from my family and being around them. I come from a family very rich in love and knowledge and it rubs off on not just our family, but the friends and random people we surround ourselves and I love it! My grandpa always has a life lesson to teach us kids when we visit whether it's how they did things a certain way when he was younger or his opinion about the modern world we're surrounded by. These stories and moments never get old.

Not only did we wear matching outfits for Christmas, but we looked good doing it!

Who knew I'd be as close as I am to these goofballs?

5. There is no place for silence.

Between all the laughter and "yelling" there is never a dull [or quiet] moment in the house. There is constantly so much energy in the house, especially during the holidays! Nothing is more joyful than being surrounded by loved ones and sharing great laughs and memories. Specifically during Thanksgiving and Christmas, you have to speak up else you won't be heard in our household. I'm sure mom and dad enjoy this greatly! HAHA.

6. You are "forced" to find who you truly are.

With having so many siblings surrounding you, it forces everyone to become a completely different individual than everyone else. You have to find yourself in the chaos - allowing yourself to be heard! This not only built character in my siblings and me, but it allowed all of us to be completely different and find our own niche. It's nice for others to enjoy an array of personalities, it becomes contagious and makes people wonder more about us. Going along with this, coming from a large family allowed me to be more open minded about others. I was always taught by my parents and family to not judge others and coming from such a diverse family allowed me to understand and accept others' beliefs, morals, backgrounds and more.

Kat, Sue, Sarah and me at another family wedding.

Bottom Row: Sarah and Cesia (cousin)
Top Row: Kat and me
At a family wedding!

7. Family dinners. Nuff said.
When I was younger we had dinner around 5:30 at least 6 out of 7 days. This included all six kids and my parents. There was never a dull moment at the kitchen table with a spilled drink or two. Elbow to elbow with every dish crowding the table as we ate, laughed and enjoyed the beauty of family. Mom always knew exactly what to make to please all of us and if we didn't like it, we sat at the table until we ate it! I still enjoy family dinners even though it's usually only my parents, my sister and me. :)

8. You have an endless amount of friends who truly care.

My closest friends are my siblings and cousins. I go to my family for everything. Nothing is more reassuring than knowing I will always have a friend to lean on and talk to. I've been asked numerous times if having my siblings as some of my best friends get annoying since they know all of my business. My answer is always no, of course. I love the fact that not only can I go to them for anything, but they're always honest about what they have to say or how they feel.

Kat getting kisses from Becca and James. (She looks like she really loves it!)
And of course Suzanne is cheesing it! :)

All of us now! I can't believe how old we're getting...it's weird! 

9. Valuing non-material/material things seemed to come a lot easier.

Valuing the simple things in life came very easy for my siblings and me. (On a side note, I'm not saying small families don't value the simple things in life.) Being from a larger family can be challenging at times. Often, in many instances while growing up, I (and I'm sure my siblings) found I would have to give and take or do without something because we just couldn't have it -- you get where I'm going....

Our parents always taught and still teach us the value of our faith, family, relationships, saving up and just life in general. Having the simple lesson of how to value the important things in life is something I will always cherish that I am forever grateful that my parents and family have instilled in us.

10. Your house is always the place to be...usually.

I remember growing up and my siblings constantly had friends over at the house. Of course, being the youngest I thought it was awesome to have older kids to "hang" out with and look up to. Our house became the house to go to after school, sporting events and especially during those long summer days. We were so lucky to have parents with open arms to every one of our friends. Knowing friends and family are welcome at all times is always a plus and I think we did a great job of doing that! :)



Although this list may be different for others, this sums up what it was like for me during my younger years. I'm still constantly thanking God for blessing me with such a big family surrounded with love and support. The older all of us get, the closer we get (regardless of how far apart we live from one another.)

So my challenge to you is to reflect on your life for a bit. What was it like growing up when you were a kid? Is your family similar to mine? Different? Share your thoughts below, I would love to know more about you!

As always with love,

Rachel <3