• Kids in the Kitchen: Fruit Cars

    Apple Cars

    The kids loved these fruit treats.  It was a fun snack and craft to do at the girls birthday party too.  At their party we set out a bowl of apples, oranges, grapefruits, and grapes so the kids could put together their own cars.  The cars we’re a lot of fun and you could even drive them (so cute with their wobbly wheels).

    Orange Car

    Cute little fruit cars made by the kids.  All it takes is some fruit and toothpicks (broken in half for the wheels).  If you have smaller kids you may want to help them put them together and take out the toothpicks for them before they eat their fruit car.

  • Gift Giving: Welcome Home Basket for My Sweetheart

    Basket full of goodies for my handsome man!

    When Jake goes away on a business trip I try to have something special for him when he gets back home.  Recently I had this basket full of goodies waiting for him on the couch upon his return.  The basket included:

    • Love Note
    • 2 bags Original Chex Mix
    • 2 pack Hand Sanitizer
    • Sheets Energy Strips – Cinnamon and Berry Blast
    • Peanuts
    • Rolo’s wrapped in a red Love Note

    Inside the wrapping paper – “I love the way you roll!”

    I am thankful for a husband who loves me, works hard to provide for our family, and is an amazing Daddy to our girls.  These little gifts are just one of the ways I love to remind him of how much he means to us.  The kids have a blast helping pick out something special to “welcome” Daddy back home whether it is a balloon, a favorite food, special drink, sign, drawings, cards and more.  Every time I try to do a different surprise and in various locations in the house to mix it up a little bit for him.  I have a lot of fun doing it for him and I know it is appreciated too.

  • Creative Kids: Random Notes of Love

    Cute little surprise note!

    On one of our trips this year the girls hid a note in my backpack.  I love finding fun notes from my girls.  So who do you think put this note in my bag?  If you guessed Brina you are correct!  Jake got one in his backpack from Karlie.  It’s the little stuff like this that makes me so thankful for my sweet girls!

    Sweet note hidden in Daddy’s backpack!

  • Save A Lot: Deals for the week of August 8 – 14, 2012

    The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience.  It is a great time to stock up on some Save A Lot deals.  Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!

    Meat and Seafood

    Ground Beef – $1.99 lb

    Assorted Pork Chops – $1.69 lb

    Grilling Steaks, Ribeye, T-Bone, NY Strip – $6.99 lb

    Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going! Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts or types of meats, vegetables and more.

    Fridge and Freezer

    Eggs (dozen) – $0.99

    Pillsbury Grands Biscuits, Buttermilk or Flaky (16.3 oz)  –  $1.00

    Signature Select or Maple View Farms Slider (4 oz) – $1.00

    Tony’s Crispy Crust Pizza (7 oz) – $1.00

    Parkway (16 oz) – $1.00

    Bright & Early, Orange, Grape or Apple Juice (59 oz) – $1.00

    Popsicle Novelties (13 oz) – $1.00

    World’s Fair Ice Cream (56 oz) – $1.99

    Mantia’s Pizza – $1.99

    Enhance Coffee Creamer (16 oz) – $2.29

    Frozen Buttermilk Pancakes (10 count) – $1.00

    Coburn Farms Yogurt – $0.50

    Produce

    Bananas – $0.44 lb

    Potatoes (8 pounds) – $2.49

    Grocery

    Pepsi (2 liter) – $1.00
    Use $0.55/1 coupon from  insert 7/22 Sunday Supplement (Expires 8/11/12)
    $0.45 each after coupon

    Ginger Evans Granulated Sugar (4 pounds) – $1.99

    Duke’s Mayonnaise (32 oz) – $2.99

    Chex Mix Snack Mix (8 oz) – $1.00

    Mrs. Freshley’s Fudge Brownies or Mini Donuts (7 – 10 oz) – $1.00

    Kurtz Ketchup (32 oz) – $1.00

    Save-A-Lot Soft Drinks (12 pack) – $1.99

    O’Days Mac & Cheese – $0.39

    Golden Flake Potato Chips (5 oz) – $1.50

    McDaniel’s Classic Roast Coffee (32 oz) – $6.99

    Kurtz Whole Dill or Hamburger Slices (32 oz) – $1.99

    Portmann’s Salad Dressing (16 oz) – $1.69

    Weston Vegetable Oil (48 oz) – $2.99

    Sunny Delight (48 oz) – $1.00

    Morning Delight Syrup (24 oz) – $1.89

    Little Hugs Variety Pack (160 oz) – $2.99

    Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce – $0.99

    Kurtz Yellow Mustard (16 oz) – $0.69

    Panner Peanut Butter (16 oz) – $1.99

    Wylwood Canned Vegetables – $0.59

    Granny Ella’s Vanilla Wafers (11 oz) – $1.79

    Albaney Bakery Sandwich Cookies – $1.99

    Save A Lot Today Toaster Pastries – $0.99

    Bramley’s Grape Jelly (32 oz) – $1.69

    Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals!  Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.  For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here.  If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.

  • Family Activities: Date Night Wish Lists

    Found one of Brina’s Date Night Wish lists from earlier this year!

    Jake and I try to routinely go on a Date Night with the girls.  He’ll take one out and I will take the other girl out on a Date.  Sometimes we’ll ask them to write out a list of some fun activities they would like to do during Date Night.  As I was going back over some things I came across these two lists from earlier in the year.  They made me smile reading them and remembering all the fun memories.  Many of the activities are free they just require some extra time and attention.

    Karlie’s Date Night Wish List for her Date with Daddy

    We like to request these lists every few months because it gives us a good idea of what is important to our kids.  So often we think the big elaborate activities are the most fun but after talking with them and reading their lists sometimes they would rather sit down and read a book with you, look through the telescope, picnic in the park, play ball, go look at animals at the pet store, or even a trip to the library.  Just reading these lists again make me thankful for my girls and the little activities that make an big impact on their hearts and lives.  Spending time together one-on-one and as a family is more important then all the trinkets in the world.  These date nights are priceless memories that have opened up many wonderful conversations with our girls.  They always look forward to their special date nights!

    Do you plan one-on-one time with your children? If so what activities do you enjoy doing together?

  • Song: “Give Me Jesus” by Jeremy Camp

    We need help every hour of everyday.  This song is a great reminder of who we need to turn to “when I rise” or “when I am alone”.

    In the morning, when I rise
    In the morning, when I rise
    In the morning, when I rise

    Give me Jesus.
    Give me Jesus,
    Give me Jesus.
    You can have all this world,
    Just give me Jesus.

    When I am alone,
    When I am alone,
    When I am alone,
    Give me Jesus

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Our family was able to spend some time with extended family over the last couple weeks.  It was nice catching up with many people and creating new memories.  Now that we are back home everyone is trying to get back on the regular schedule.  Before long the kids will be back in school so we want to make sure we are prepared for that as well as enjoy our last few weeks of summer break together. I am hoping to get caught up on a few goals this week.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    4. Spend time with extended family – spent time in both Kansas and Colorado over the last 3 weeks

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time catching up and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Check in with the person coming by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – working on it
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold until we get a new vehicle

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    4. Spend time with extended family

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Pick out my next book to read

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pack for upcoming trip
    5. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.

  • Recipe: Fresh Blueberry Muffins

    Fresh Blueberries

    A couple weeks ago the girls and I went over to a friends house to pick blueberries.  I was really impressed with how dedicated the girls were to picking the blueberries with me.  They had a blast picking the blueberries, washing them and of course helping us eat them.  The kids loved eating the fresh blueberries and helped me make homemade blueberry muffins, blueberry smoothies, and more goodies with the fresh blueberries.

    When we picked the blueberries we used a beach bucket to store them in while we are picking because it had a handle.  When we got home we rinsed the blueberries, and laid them out on racks to dry out (see picture below) before bagging and putting them in the freezer.

    Fresh blueberries drying out after being rinsed

    You don’t want to store fresh blueberries in an tight container all today, especially if you are leaving it on the kitchen counter for awhile because they will go bad.  The blueberries, much like some people, need a little bit a space between them and the next one to breath.

    Homemade Blueberries Muffins (made with the fresh blueberries we picked together)

    I am so thankful for a sweet friend who let us come over and pick blueberries.  The blueberries have been a huge hit in our house and it was great having a chance to pick and catch up at the same time.  Blueberries are very healthy for you and this is the time of year to get stock up on some either picking them yourselves or getting them on sale at the store.

    Fresh Blueberry Muffin Recipe:

    • 1 cup fresh Milk
    • 1/2 cup Oil
    • 1 Egg
    • 2 cups Flour
    • 2/3 cup Sugar
    • 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 cup Fresh Blueberries

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 12 muffin cup pan.  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together and create a well in the center.  Put milk, oil and egg in bowl and blend well.  Add the moist items to the flour mixture and stir until moistened.  Fold in the fresh blueberries and spoon into muffin cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove from oven butter the tops of the muffins and sprinkle with sugar in the raw crystals.