Ginger Snap Crafts: Rachel @ Architecture of a Mom {Christmas Break Guest}

Rachel @ Architecture of a Mom {Christmas Break Guest}

Hi! I'm Rachel from Architecture of a Mom.

I'm so excited to be here at Ginger Snap Crafts for Christmas Break! A big thanks to Ginger for letting me take part. And now, a little bit about me:
I am a full time architect, wife, and mommy to three girls: a five year old and twin toddlers. Once I survived the first few months of mothering the twins with a preschooler, too, I realized that I needed something to be my little bit of sanity--somewhere to encourage me to create. Between work and keeping up with family, "me" time tends to be in short supply around here...anyone climb that mountain of laundry yet this week? Basically, I needed "build" a blog that was a creative outlet...and that's when I created Architecture of a Mom!

Mostly, I post about 4 things:

Recipes (because I love to cook and make up new recipes)
Crafts and DIY (because I need someone--my readers--to encourage me to finish my projects!)
Menu Planning (it keeps me sane at dinner time)
Family Fun (where I post about all kinds of things that are important to me and my family)

What are my favorite things in my blog right now?

Pumpkin Granola

I've been making granola for a long time, but this fall I decided to throw a can of pumpkin into the mix! I loved it, but then suddenly found myself needing to make another batch of pumpkin granola...because the kiddos loved it, too. If you like pumpkin, stock up now while it's in stores, and make this throughout the year, because it's awesome...and healthy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Sweet Potatoes

Mexican flavors and sweet potatoes doesn't sound like it goes together, but the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the spicy flavors really complement each other. And sweet potatoes have so much to offer in the way of vitamins. The best part was that everyone in my house loved it...and it was so easy! Chicken Tortilla Soup is a perfect, nutritious weeknight meal for my family.

Quick Parmesan Pasta with Chicken

This recipe is seriously one I made up on the fly almost entirely out of leftovers, and really, at the beginning of my blogging journey. Imagine my surprise when this recipe took off on Pinterest! I guess other people have a need for using leftovers like chicken, and feeding picky children and husbands...hmm. Even better, the way that Parmesan Pasta with Chicken gets its creaminess is low-fat evaporated milk...much healthier than your typical mac and cheese!

Boo-Boo Birds

If you have kids, then you have boo-boos. If you have a preschooler who doesn't look where she's going and twins that have a great resemblance to monkeys much of the time, then you have a lot of boo-boos. This little guy is an alternative to commercial ice packs, and let's face it, a kid feels better when they can hold something cute, too! Trust me, if you make one, be wary of little ones that visit your house. They may try to steal the boo-boo bird if they see it!

Colored Mercury Glass Votives

When I get my hands on the Pottery Barn catalog, I always find myself inspired. In the Christmas catalog, I saw some great colored mercury glass pieces. I have seen around the blogosphere all kinds of tutorials to make colored glass using modge podge. I combined that concept with faux mercury glass to make some colored mercury glass votives...perfect for decorating for the holidays...and beyond! These little guys aren't going into the attic at the new year, that's for sure.

I hope you enjoyed this little preview of Architecture of a Mom! I would love it if you came by and let me know what you think! Feel free to connect via RSS, Pinterest, Facebook, Email, and Twitter!

Thanks again, Ginger, for letting me stop by!