Edie Wadsworth

A Workspace, a Boutique, a Dream

September 2, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 54 Comments

As you know, I’m a fan of an inspiring workspace.

After 3 years of living and working hard in this office, I still love it. Despite the fact that it NEVER looks this clean. An in, NOT EVER. I stalk inspiring workspaces online a lot and am always trying to figure out how our spaces can work better for us and imbibe the quirky leanings of my brain.

(if you can source this photo, please let me know!)

I’ve had this teeny tiny dream/idea in the back of my head for years that I rarely talk about and rarely share about. Why? Because what if I never do it? What if it sounds stupid and impractical? What if I already have enough on my plate? [Read more…] about A Workspace, a Boutique, a Dream

Weekend Grace, Football and Holiday Edition

September 1, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 15 Comments

Y’all. Can I tell you how much I love long weekends? And long weekends which involve a lot of football? It’s my love language. I don’t know how to properly convey to you the excitement that rattles through the air around these parts when football season starts. We’ve been nervous for days about our young Volunteers but they did us proud last night. Rocky Top never sounded so good! All 467 times we heard it. 🙂

via Southern Living, the 10 commandments of College Football

It was a pretty good weekend to be stranded with a stress fracture because, well, FOOTBALL! It also lends itself to reading and writing nonstop, which has become my life. I’m in a walking boot for a few weeks and I must confess that I did ask my dear orthopedic surgeon friend why in world cam walkers didn’t come in the shape of cowboy boots. He asked me why in the world I continue running when I end up with a stress fracture or torn muscle every other year. I told him about how I’d likely land myself in a funny farm in a straight jacket without running, in which case we agreed that a cam walker for a few weeks isn’t so bad after all. [Read more…] about Weekend Grace, Football and Holiday Edition

The Well Stocked Pantry (aka I May Be Hoarding Chicken Stock)

August 28, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 79 Comments

Welcome to the well stocked pantry!

The Well Stocked Pantry via lifeingrace

Okay, I’m not saying I’m a hoarder but what I’m saying is—I like a well stocked pantry. My sister hoards paper products so it runs in the family. At this very moment, she’s probably got 120 rolls of toilet paper. And I could be underestimating here.

But then, who am I to talk, I just bought a case of chicken stock and 14 cans of tomatoes. And more chicken stock is being added to my grocery list as we speak because as a girl heads into football season, there’s two things she can’t get enough of—her favorite SEC team (Go Vols!) and chicken stock. There’s Rocky Top chili and Italian Sub Soup to make, dear ones. I do not want to be caught with my orange and white checkered pants down.

(If you’re more interested in Game Day fashion than Game Day food, visit my friend Melanie, who has attended to all your orange attire needs.)

The Well Stocked Pantry via lifeingrace

Okay, drum roll please. I almost hate to tell you this because every time I tell someone about my chicken stock, they start hoarding it too and then I can’t get it at my grocery store. This is not a word of a lie—I drove to 3 different stores in my little town last week in order to get my chicken stock. Which is why I always buy all they have, be it a carton or a case. Because this brand is amazing. I wish they were paying me to say that, but they aren’t. It’s better than homemade stock, in my humble opinion. It’s dark and rich and full of tasty goodness. I use it ALL the time in almost everything I cook. I get very nervous when the stash gets low. If you ever wonder what to get me for Christmas, you can never go wrong with this chicken stock. Or something from Tiffany’s. Either one is fine.

Kitchen Basics stock—chicken in bulk, a couple beef (I don’t love the vegetable or seafood stock but you might!)
Tomatoes–28 oz cans of San Marzano and 14 oz cans of fire roasted, tomato sauce, tomato paste, marinara, spaghetti sauce, Rotel

Canned Beans–black, pintos,garbanzos, cannelini, white northern, chili beans

Dried Beans—navy, pintos, lentils, black
Grains–I keep jasmine rice, brown rice, wild rice, long grain, risotto, quinoa. Pasta–lasagna noodles, fusilli pasta (I use this for my lasagna soup), macaroni, orzo, spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, barley
Soups—cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of whatever’s on sale, tomato

Oils–I buy olive oil in large vats, canola, peanut, coconut, sesame, chili oil
Vinegars—red wine, balsamic, distilled, apple cider, rice wine Sauces–chili sauce, Sriracha, cholula, Sweet Baby Ray’s, Country Bob’s, local honey!!!!, maple syrup, various hot sauces, every kind of mustard this side of the Atlantic

Peppers and Olives–chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, roasted red peppers, black olives, green olives, kalamata olives
Bread Crumbs—panko, regular and eye-talian
Jellies and Jars–pepper jelly, apricot, marmalade, pesto, jalapeños, pepperoncinis, pickles, hot cherry peppers

Misc—canned artichokes, canned pumpkin
Nut Butters–I have about 5 varieties of peanut butter, almond butter, and of course, Nutella.
Nuts–Trader Joe’s has a superb selection of nuts and we keep every kind imaginable on hand.
Dried Fruits–I always keep jumbo raisins, dried cranberries and dried Tart cherries for my cherry chocolate chip cookies!

Don’t forget the onions, potatoes, garlic, and shallots.

There’s no end to the yummy goodness that can be made and shared from a well stocked pantry. Buy in bulk and watch for sales, especially buy one, get one free. I’ve always got my eye out for pantry items that are on deep discount.

With a well-stocked pantry, you eliminate the first road block to cooking. If you have things on hand, you’re much less likely to give in to the temptation of eating out. Your family will be happy and well nourished with good, home-cooked meals and you will be like super woman. Only without the corset.

Click here to print this list!

To make the labels, I just print the words I want in my favorite font (Champignon) on card stock or even regular computer paper, cut them to size and then tape them (with packing tape) onto the containers. I usually resize the font to 150 ish to get the size I need. This is a great job for an eager (younger) helper! I got my containers at Walmart and my local grocery store.

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ps. In case you didn’t know, this family doctor took the plunge into the world of natural health and essential oils and these oils are BLOWING MY MIND. If you want to feel better, sleep better, strengthen your immune system, reduce your stress, and clear some of the common toxins out of your life, I’d love to walk with you as you get started.

In the month of December (2016) I’m giving away a signed copy of my book along with a $10 product credit (to repay you for the cost of your shipping) to anyone who joins Young Living with me with a Premium Starter kit.

Young Living is giving away a free bottle of Christmas Spirit (my ABSOLUTE favorite Christmas scent and SO GOOD for mood!!) with every starter kit purchase. It’s a great time to join!!

Click here to read more about it!!

Something More Than a Miracle

August 25, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 96 Comments

I’m writing this in part to tell you that if you ever wonder what you’ve done in your life, and everyone does wonder sooner or later, you have been God’s grace to me, a miracle, something more than a miracle. ~Marilynne Robinson, Gilead

It was a crisp October day when we stood on the back porch of our brand new house looking out on this near perfect landscape.

We could hardly believe that this was the exact same place we had stood nine months earlier and watched our house burn to the ground. We were overwhelmed with gratitude at how these ashes had turned to beauty—not just how God has raised up a house, but how He had once again raised hope in our hearts. We wanted this house to be a house of blessing. We prayed that maybe we’d even be able to adopt another child. We went so far as make an appointment with an attorney because we had always felt this sense that our family wasn’t finished—that we wanted to raise a son together. I would dream about “him” and in my mind, I knew just where I wanted the nursery. More than anything else, I wanted the chance to raise a child without the added pressure of working a high stress job.

I already had a name for him. John Elijah Wadsworth. We’d call him Jack after C.S. Lewis.

While my dreams for another child were bubbling over in my heart, we kept on living our life. We homeschooled our girls. We lived hard in these rooms—cooking, sewing, crafting, reading, learning. And a few months into enjoying our new place, my husband’s son moved across the country to live with us and get his life back on track. He moved into our guest room with his oversized backpack, his barrel o’ monkeys mustache, and his heartache.

Those early days were long and hard. There were so many tears. There were days we weren’t sure we’d make it. And we were often unsure if he would.

There was that fight in the garden when he yelled and I cried. There was that time he ran off and we worried we’d never see him again. There were those times I should have reached out and didn’t. All the mistakes, the misunderstandings, the failings. And then there was that day we made salsa in the kitchen—the first time I thought that maybe, just maybe this was all gonna be okay. There were those hundreds of meals he and I cooked together. The food that tastes so good that you know it had to be made by someone who loves you.

And then there was that day.

The one I couldn’t have prepared for in a million years.

The day he left.

I stood outside and watched him load the last of his things. I promised myself I wouldn’t come apart. I was so happy for him—that he’d come this far, that he was standing on his own feet so well. And that’s when I saw the miracle. God had given me another child to love. Not one born of my flesh but one so stitched into the fabric of my heart that he will never be anything to me but a son. I told him how grateful I was for him—how he had so blessed us by being here. I told him I couldn’t love him anymore if he were my own. I watched him drive away and cried for two hours straight.

Turns out God answered my prayer. There was no cute nursery to decorate. There were no baby blankets to wash. But the sacredness of this life intertwined in mine is no less a miracle.

And to think I almost missed the grace of God because it came dressed up like a wayward boy.

Maybe I’m finally learning that grace almost never looks like grace at first glance.

Weekend Grace

August 23, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 15 Comments

I’m over summer. Well, that’s not exactly true. We’re heading out on the boat today to meet some friends for a delicious (and greasy) lunch at a nearby marina. They make THE BEST homemade fries. But, after that, the dog days are dead to me. As a matter of fact, I’ve already started knitting hand warmers, in radical rebellion of 100% humidity.

I may even take my knitting on the boat in some kind of desperate plea to the weather gods to SEND FALL ALREADY. I stumbled onto this awesome yarn in Walmart and spotted a pattern for leg warmers (which I may shorten to boot cuffs) and hand warmers that knit up SO fast and are perfect for beginners. The book is called Learn to Knit, in the craft section at Walmart by the knitting stuff. I have a little video on knitting dishcloths on my blog that might be enough instruction to get you started.

I like knitting so much I’m thinking of starting a knitting club. In related news, I’ve decided I’m choosing Meme as my grandma name whenever these kids of mine have some babies. #nopressurekids

I’m obsessed with Lulie Wallace. She’s a gifted artist who lives in Charleston and does just beautiful work.

I have three of her prints in my house and I’m DYING for a painting.

She’s also got a line of fabrics, bags, pouches, etc. For now, I’ll enjoy my Lulie prints but I hope to incorporate more of her art into my life!

I LOVE these receiving blankets kits from Anna Maria Horner. Her fabrics are so wonderful and these would make the perfect gift for bebes!

I never told you about my weekend at Becoming. And now it seems like a lifetime ago. I’ll give you the cliff notes.

Paige was my roomie and then stayed at my house a couple of nights. We SO enjoyed the girl time. We talked a lot about mom guilt and mom failures, so I came home and wrote about it. Noonday launched their new fall line so check out Paige’s Noonday site and see what goodies you must have.

Ruth’s talk on Clutter Free Forever led me to come home and clean out all the closets in this house. Have mercy on my soul, is all I can say.

She and I both do this thing called Sunday Prep, where you spend a couple of hours on Sunday evening getting ready for the week. Well. I never realized how seriously she takes hers. You’ve got see this post on her Sunday prep routine. Can we just have a moment of silence in honor of this piece of well lived life? I’ll post mine someday just for fun. Hint. Her Sunday prep has a spread sheet. Mine does not. Hers involves making ten meals. Mine involves sorta planning 5. In other words, her Sunday prep is outta my league but I’m may just have to try it someday. And I thought I was an overachiever.

The night we finished the conference, I got to spend a wonderful evening with some of my favorite people. We laughed until I seriously thought I might choke. There was a fair amount of discussion about #oldladyproblems though Bri is a bit young to have to hear such horror stories.

(Bri, Ruth, yours truly, Kristy, Jen, Paige)

I also got to see Rhoda which was a treat!

Let me finish with what’s currently on my nightstand.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed (memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, soon to be a movie starring Reese Witherspoon)

Bleak House, by Charles Dickens (book of the month for my nerdy book club) (also, I LOVE these covers, designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith)

The Death of Adam, essays by Marilynne Robinson

Hope your weekend is full of good things!

xoxo

The (small) Kitchen Appliance I Never Want to Be Without

August 20, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 96 Comments

I hate to even mention this to some of you who live in the northwest or midwest or northeast and have really short summers but here in the South, all we can think about is fall. It’s been summer since April here and we’re over it. AND? It’s almost football season (Glory Hallelujah!) which means GO BIG ORANGE, and boots, and soup, and did I mention FOOTBALL?

So, before we throw ourselves headlong into everything pumpkin and bonfire, I wanted to make sure you get this kitchen gadget.

I use it ALL the time. As in, almost everyday. It’s part submersion blender, part food processor. I use it for all my blended soups, of course—like my spicy tomato and the broccoli cheese—but when I bought it, I could not have predicted how much I would use the mini food processor.

OH MY WORD. I’m 100% sure that I never want to live without this chopper/blender EVER again.

Anytime I need something chopped up, as in almost everyday, I use this little handy thing.

When I make guacamole, I use it to chop up everything but the avocado. I used it the other day to make a quick pesto with fresh basil from my garden. I use it to chop up garlic and ginger whenever I’m making anything Asian or Indian. I use it chop up pickles whenever I’m making egg salad. I use it so much it’s almost ridiculous.

I’ve been meaning to tell you about it forever but then I saw it’s 50% off on Amazon today. Order it up, my friends, and we’ll make so much tasty food this fall it’ll make your head spin. Also, if you already have one and have not figured out how wonderful it is, take my word for it and pull it out of retirement.

(This is NOT a sponsored post but it is an affiliate link!)

Also? While we patiently hum Rocky Top and wait for the first kick-off, I thought you might enjoy some cute little bibs and t-shirts and flour sacks from my friends over at Collard Queens.