Winter's Call To Rest

January 4, 2018 Shyla Yoder

Hello Winter! When the holiday’s end and the year closes, you are left with crisp, white, snow covered landscapes, chilly-wrap-a-thick-scarf-around-your-nose air, early evenings and late mornings, cups of hot chocolate and a desire to
S l o w D o w n.

Winter calls us to slow down.

The sun goes down earlier, calling us to stop working sooner. The temperature plummets, making it harder to go to-and-fro. Business slows, callings us to spend longer mornings at home with our families and cups of coffee.

I sometimes feel a slight stress creeping in upon a new year when I think of everything that will happen and all that I’ll have to do, even if it’s months away. Seeing everyone’s goal planning, I worry that I’ll be behind! What my body really wants to do is rest, take some time with no demands and recharge.

Not everyone feels stressed thinking of a year- my husband for instance, who doesn’t know what the word stress means. He is a problem solver and gets energy in high-stress situations or the thought of a year that will be demanding. He says – bring it on! The planner in me needs to know what is going to happen and how I am going to tackle it. Then, I can rest! So, I sat down to look over my year and wrote down some goals and placed them accordingly on my calendar, leaving space to rest in January.

I hope that you’ll obey winter’s call to rest. I think the Lord gave the season intentionally and our bodies will reward us for taking time to recharge, even my superhero husband.

This is Bingo, Wayne's farm dog from his Horse Training days. He is loyal, sooo well trained, and keeps me such good company.

Here’s to spending less time rushing and engaged to technology and more time living in the present, feeling the steam on our nose when we drink our morning coffee, watch the birds, play in the snow, reading paper books and magazines, playing games with our families and not having a plan at all!

Merry sweet, slow winter.

Homemade Marshmallows, Hot Cocoa Station & Christmas Florals

December 15, 2017 Shyla Yoder

Good Afternoon. It's Friday, December 15th and I'm sitting in our little brick house, pine needles and cinnamon roasting on the stove, tree decorated, cookie jars filled and cards strung...

What is it that makes Christmas special to you? Do you love cookie baking with children in tow, flour everywhere? Do you love gift-giving, tying up paper-wrapped packages with ribbon and bows - filling your hands with hot chocolate, warm, fuzzy blankets in front of the fireplace glow - or is it stringing the lights around the Christmas tree while the world fills up with snow?

I love all of those things, each and every one the most. In fact, I tend to embrace all of the Christmas joy without leaving any activity behind. It's a wonderful thing, the warmth and the cheer, which the whole world seems to reciprocate in such a cold, bitter season, isn't it?

I believe it is. But, I'm so thankful, that when all the cookies are baked and pine put in place, that there's a deeper peace in my heart from a Savior who came to the world, with love in his heart, to save us all - which is the best gift of all!

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”

— Dr. Seuss

|| A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ||

|| HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS ||

My first time and this had to have been my favorite Christmas activity yet! Homemade marshmallows (see recipe at bottom) are so easy, fun and delicious! I was surprised at how soft and fluffy they were.

See how to make this easy design by Pine and Crave here.

|| SWEET LITTLE GIFTS ||

I like to give little homemade gifts to my friends each year at Christmas. I try to think of something simple that doesn't cost a lot but is sweet. These marshmallows, with a little chocolate and crushed candy cane, did the trick this year! I filled up little treat cups from Target (gift wrap aisle) and wrapped with cellophane and string.

|| DIY CRANBERRY ORNAMENTS ||

Some leftover Thanksgiving cranberries + floral wire + wire cutters + your imagination = DIY ornaments. A great pop of red for the tree!

|| CHRISTMAS FLORALS ||

One of the floral designs I did this year for a Holiday event!
See more at: FLORALS

|| HOT COCOA STATION ||

Hot Cocoa is my....... FAVORRR-RITE!!
Making a little station is super easy, a fun countertop decoration and just a scoop away from all kinds of yummy hot cocoa cups! Ingredient suggestions: Your favorite Hot Cocoa (dark chocolate or double chocolate are my fave), Marshmallows (big, small or homemade!), peppermint sticks (the porous kind that melt well) or crushed candy cane, Gingerbread men, caramel, sea salt, cocoa powder shaker, cinnamon.

LINKS // Homemade Marshmallows: Ashlee Marie (easy, basic) or Pine and Crave (peppermint) // See the rest of the Christmas florals and my other creations here: Beauty // Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows: Pine and Crave || Christmas Inspiration: My Instagram

I hope you enjoyed this little festive Christmas post and no matter what you did to celebrate this year, that you can enjoy something small today, just where you are!

A very Merry Christmas to you!

Our Thanksgiving Table

November 24, 2017 Shyla Yoder

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday centered around food and thankfulness. I've spent it many different ways, going away to family gatherings with a dish in hand, not being able to come home when I lived out of state & having friends-giving (such a fun time to make non-traditional dishes), staying home for a quiet day with my small family and cooking up a big feast together (one of my favorites). On this Thanksgiving, we had the wonderful opportunity, as a newly married couple who moved a few hours south from Ohio to West Virginia, to host my family in our little brick house.

Wayne and I were especially excited about this, seeing that it would be our first holiday we didn't have to travel home for and we both love to host! The week started out with the usual household chores of laundry and cleaning and Tuesday awoke around 6am with a whole host of food preparation! This was the day I was excited for. Wayne left to hunt with his buddy Andrew and I put the rising bread dough in the oven. By mid-morning I had the dressing (stuffing) mixed, potatoes cut and ready to boil, pie crust rolled out and filling made, sweet potato casserole prepped and a list of things that I still needed for Wayne to bring home.

He arrived around 1:30pm with bags in hand and the afternoon off! So we spent it together, he took me out that night and we officially felt like we were on holiday time!

Wednesday morning I set and photographed the tablescape while he de-boned the piebald deer he shot on Monday to send along with Andrew to Ohio for processing. We spent the afternoon in town together running errands and in the evening we baked the pie, prepped the turkey and Wayne made the venison backstraps on the grill for us.

Thursday morning woke us up at 6 to put the turkey in the oven and back to bed before we had a cup of coffee on the couch together and started the rest of the feast! After putting the potatoes on the stove to boil and started browning the dressing, simmering the cranberry sauce and sweet potato casserole in the oven the morning flew by! Before we knew it my Dad and brother walked through the door, rosy-cheeked and arms full of hugs!

Wayne helped me juggle the last chores as Dad carved the turkey and I made some gravy. We set the spread out on the counter and filed through before sitting down at the table, candlesticks lit and sparkling apple cider poured. The meal was completed by slices of pumpkin custard pie and cups of coffee.

Our Thanksgiving Table | tablescape, thanksgiving meal, pumpkin pie | loveshyla.com.jpg

We played a vicious game of unwrap-the-big-ball-that-Wayne-used-all-the-tape-in-the-house-to-hide-silly-gifts-in and laughed up a storm as we tried to open this thing wearing oven mitts before the next person rolled a 6 and took it!

The rest of the afternoon contained the usual Thanksgiving day activity including couch sitting, paper reading, hunting movie watching, hot tub soaking, pumpkin pie latte drinking, snacking, snacking, snacking and a few games of euchre (which Wayne and I won) before my sweet family hit the road again.

Our Thanksgiving Table | tablescape, thanksgiving meal, pumpkin pie, pumpkin latte | loveshyla.com.jpg

Wayne and I took a short walk outside in the chilly air before coming back in for the evening with full hearts and bellies. What a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thank-you Lord for such wonderful blessings on this earth, for family and home.