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a slice of life
a slice of life

no spend February | how we got out of debt

While we’re focusing on money this month, specifically not spending beyond the bills and necessities, I thought I would post a couple of times about finances.  I’m not a financial expert by any means, but we have completely transformed the way we spend, save, and view debt over the past 10 years and I thought I would share the story of how we got out of debt as an encouragement to those who might be currently under the weight of student loans, credit card debt, car payments, or any sort of financial obligation that is paying for past purchases instead of current and future ones. First of all, let me say that none of this is said in judgment of anyone who has debt.  It’s very easy to get into and almost expected in society today.  As soon as I was old enough, I had a credit card and started

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February 2, 2021 60 Comments
a slice of life

February 2021 Organizing & No Spend Challenge

I know I’m not the only one who felt like things got a little out of control in 2020.  Not only did we have the big, global things going on, but I had a lot of significant events happen in my business…selling a part of my business and writing a book to name the two biggies.  When big, overwhelming things are happening, I find that I start to slip in the little day-to-day things.  I’m not quite as on top of daily habits that keep the house organized.  I’ve tackled a few organizing projects over the year, but small things like getting rid of the boys’ shoes they outgrew or cleaning out a linen closet, or purging the freezer start to feel simultaneously too small and too big to worry about. But I’m feeling ready to deal with all of the things that have been forgotten and neglected.  I’m ready

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January 26, 2021 100 Comments
a slice of life

vintage-style leather sketchbook & giveaway!

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know that I love having beautiful supplies and tools.  I’m always casually on the hunt for new or new-to-me things that will make working, creating, or making even more enjoyable.  Well, a couple of weeks before Christmas, I found this beautiful vintage-style leather sketchbook from a small shop that sells on . These vintage-style leather sketchbooks come in several different sizes and a few color options for the leather cover. I generally like to have a larger work area, so I have the (above) and Weed Green (below.)  I also have the 13 x 8 in Red Brown.  Sadly, the Weed Green is completely sold out at the moment, but they will hopefully restock soon. I bought one of these sketchbooks initially because I loved the paper with the deckled edges.  I was looking for some paper with deckled edges

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January 22, 2021 574 Comments
a slice of life

breakfast vegetable & egg stir fry recipe

One of the things I want to focus on this year is eating more vegetables.  I like vegetables, so there is really no excuse for not eating plenty of them every day.  But, you know how it is…it’s just easy to go for something else.  So, I’ve started eating a vegetable& egg stir fry for breakfast.  At first, I thought it would be a bit of a disappointment, but I really love it and have started craving it.  It’s a hot and hearty breakfast that gives me a good start eating for the day.  I shared a picture of it on Instagram earlier this week and received so many comments on it and requests for the recipe, so here it is… The key to making this vegetable and egg stir fry easy to make for breakfast is to have all of the veggies chopped in advance.  I chop them up

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January 20, 2021 5 Comments
a slice of life

December Books of the Week

Well, it’s our last book of the week post for 2020 and I have decided to not continue with sharing a book for each week into 2021.  Instead, we’ll mix it up a little bit and I’ll just share some favorites from a variety of categories, including books.  I love my resource library, though, and I’m glad I shared 52 of my favorite books with you last year!  It gave me an excuse to visit some old favorites and to purchase some new ones to review. Here are the books I picked to finish out the year… The Painted Art Journal I love just about everything that comes from Jeanne Oliver.  I bought her ruffled camera bag and some clothes from her website about 10 years ago!  Since then, I have followed her creative journey and we even met up for coffee when her family was visiting Gettysburg, PA.  She

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January 13, 2021 6 Comments
a slice of life

Christmas 2020 recap

While our Christmas break was quiet and slow, it was also full.  We have spent Christmas with family some years, but it’s not out of the ordinary for it to just be the four of us, so this year didn’t feel sad or lonely.  We did miss the school Christmas concert and church staff Christmas party, but it was still a sweet season.  We ordered our yearly Christmas Eve breakfast out and ate it at home.  We had our candlelight Christmas Eve service on the sofa in our jammies.  We watched movies at home instead of going to the theatre.  We met with our family over Zoom to open presents and play games.  But we still had a wonderful time of celebration, reflection, and rest. (Yes, the top string of lights burnt out just before Christmas!  Ugh!) And Christmas morning was still a flurry of activity and excitement as the

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January 5, 2021 22 Comments
a slice of life

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Song

About 8 years ago, I snuck off into another room a couple of days before Christmas and played the guitar and sang I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas for my blog readers. Unfortunately, that video was accidentally deleted a few years ago. Since that first song, we’ve done a song for Christmas almost every year.  We’ve done duets, group songs with friends and family involving preschool toys, kazoos, and popcorn-tin drums. It’s been so much fun and I know my blog followers have enjoyed seeing that different side of me (and seeing more of my family.)  Every year, I receive messages asking if I’m going to do a Christmas song and I try to pick a fun song that we can perform for you. I didn’t last year because I was recovering from shoulder surgery, but I felt like this year needed a song.  It’s been quite the year! We

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December 23, 2020 118 Comments
a slice of life

The perfect cup of coffee with Storyville

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by.  As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own.  You can read more about sponsored posts HERE. When reached out to me about trying their coffee and coffee-making gear, I told them that they had the right house, but the wrong person.  I am not a coffee drinker.  I wish I were because it looks so comforting on cold days or when you need a pick-me-up.  But, Jeff loves coffee and drinks enough for both of us.  I might consider it to be one of his hobbies!  He’s always on the lookout for a better cup of coffee.  Needless to say, he was more than excited when a few boxes arrived at our house from Seattle labeled “Storyville”. If you’re not familiar with , let me tell you a bit about it.  Storyville is a Seattle-based artisan coffee roaster who might be

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December 16, 2020 29 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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