• Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week flew by so quickly and we are now entering the middle of February.  I am excited about some of the fun events coming up this week.  My parents will be coming to visit us in SC for a few days.  The kids are thrilled and I have to kick into gear to get my house picked up before our guests arrive.  Also, this week is special because we are celebrating Valentine’s Day which is a great time to demonstrate our love to those around us.   Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Wonder’s Victory by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kidswe did it different this week, we split up in pairs to play games one-on-one with the kids (Jake played Chess with Karlie and I played Trouble with Brina)
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids – working on it
    9. Confirm my parents plans for their upcoming visit

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer – still going through the various items
    4. Clean House (Focus – Dining Room)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Game Closet) – isn’t quite finished yet
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Clean Kids Outdoor Toy Storage Containers)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up More Dog Food)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)- working on it, made a small extra payment this week
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went to more than 1 store
    5. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay – sold a couple items and used the money to make an extra payment on our debt

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Ashleigh’s Dream (Thoroughbred Series #5) by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
    9. Confirm my parents plans and activities for their upcoming visit
    10. Celebrate Valentine’s Day
    11. Spend Extra Time with Extended Family

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Overall House Cleaning)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Game Closet)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Yard Clean Up)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Salt Block for Goats)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
    5. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay

    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.

  • Free Ebooks: Tips To Help You Save Money And Get Out Of Debt, Gluten-free Salad Cookbook, Organize your Office, Frugal Simplicity, Hamlyn QuickCook, Organic Pest Control, Free wood II, and more!

    The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading).  The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.

    Download a free copy of Great Tips To Help You Save Money And Get Out Of Debt – Money Saving Tips (Debt-Free Book) by Mike C. Adams

    Download a free copy of Gluten-free Salad Cookbook: Easy and Delicious Salad Recipes for the Gluten-free Diet (Quick and Easy Gluten-free Recipes Book 7) by Vesela Tabakova

    Download a free copy of Organize your Office: The Ultimate Guide to Organizing your Office and having a Stress-free workplace! (Time Management, Organization) by Online Business Buddy

    Download a free copy of Frugal Simplicity: 101 Ways To Use Frugal Simplicity For Organizing And Decluttering Your Life And Embracing The Simplicity Lifestyle (Debt Free, Mindfulness, Simplify Your Life) by Lilly Sparks

    Download a free copy of Hamlyn QuickCook: 50 Recipes in 10, 20, or 30 Minutes by Hamlyn

    Download a free copy of Organic Pest Control : Homemade Organic Pest Repellents, Natural, Easy And Proven Solutions For A Pest And Disease Free Home And Garden by John Parker

    Download a free copy of Free wood II: (More tools, tips and techniques) How to upcycle usable wood from pallets and crates. With five projects. (Free Wood Series Book 2) by TG FORGE

    Download a free copy of How to Create a Complete Meal in a Jiffy (Book 6) by Prasenjeet Kumar

    Download a free copy of Creating and Planting Alpine Gardens by Rex Murfitt

    Download a free copy of Baking Soda Power! Frugal and Natural: Health, Cleaning, and Hygiene Secrets of Baking Soda (Home Remedies, DIY Household Hacks, Chemical-Free, Green Cleaning, Natural Cleaning, Non-Toxic) by Patty Korman

  • Olive Garden Teams Up With My Gym for 2nd Annual Parents’ Night Out!

    Olive Garden

    On Friday, Feb. 20, Olive Garden will break down the barriers to date night for parents through a national partnership with My Gym. Olive Garden will cover the cost for kids to have a fun-filled evening at My Gym while parents enjoy an affordable Four Course Festa Italiana dinner as part of its second annual Parents’ Night Out.

    Parents Night Out Banner

    A recent survey found that the overall cost, including childcare and dining, combined with lack of trustworthy child supervision are the largest barriers to date night for nearly 75 percent of parents.* Parents’ Night Out is designed to solve this dilemma. Parents can enjoy quality time over an affordable and delicious meal at Olive Garden while their kids are entertained with games and activities in a safe environment.

    Couples can participate in Parents’ Night Out by contacting their nearest My Gym location to confirm participation, obtain event details and register. Space is limited to approximately 30 kids at each of the 148 participating My Gym locations in the U.S. and Canada, and reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis (deposit required).

    To help parents make the most of their evening, Olive Garden is offering its first-ever Four Course Festa Italiana starting at $12.99, featuring unlimited breadsticks and choice of homemade soup or famous house salad, and choice of small plate, entrée and decadent Dolcini mini dessert.

    For more about the great deals at Olive Garden, visit www.olivegarden.com or connect with Olive Garden on social media atFacebook.com/OliveGardenTwitter.com/OliveGarden and Instagram.com/OliveGarden.

  • Flashback Friday: Barnyard Theme 1st Birthday Party

    Happy 1st Birthday Brina and Karliec

    Happy 1st Birthday girls!

    Today our flashback event goes back to the girls first birthday party!  We had a barnyard theme for their first birthday party.  Our family and friends came to celebrate the special day with us.  They were very excited and quite confused by all the commotion that day.  Even Jake’s Mom, my parents, and my grandparents were able to come for this special event with us!

    First Birthday Party Groupc

    Thankful for our family and friends who celebrated this special day with us!  It is amazing to see how much these families have grown and changed since this celebration over 9 years ago!

    Brina and Karlie's 1st Birthday Cakes made by Grandma Kayc

    Jake’s Mom (aka Grandma Kay) made these beautiful farm cakes for the girls.  She put a lot of time and energy into the cakes and they were so adorable! Brina’s was a calf and Karlie’s was a lamb.  The rest of us got to enjoy the barn cake!  They were super cute and delicious.

    Brina and Karlie eating their birthday cakesc

    Brina demolished her birthday cake.  Karlie didn’t want to touch her cake or get messy, the only frosting she got on her fingers and face was from us sticking her fingers into the frosting for her and smearing it on her face.

    Brina - what's everyone looking at, it was good cakec

    What’s everyone looking at!?  Brina thoroughly enjoyed her birthday cake! 🙂  What a mess!

    Brina's Little Calf Cakec

    Brina’s adorable calf cake before she tore into it.

    Karlie's Little Lamb Cakec

    Karlie’s cute lamb cake.  It looked almost the same once she was done with it!

  • Toenail Painting Party

    Ozobot, Butterflies and Flowers, Snap Circuit

    Every once in a while when we get a few extra minutes the girls enjoy doing a toenail painting party.  We usually make it a fun event by choosing a variety of neat colors.  Sometimes we paint our own toenails and other times paint each others toenails.

    We spend our time chatting and catching up with each other during this relaxing activity.  A lot of great conversations and laughter usually happen during these parties (I am sure it has nothing to do with the paint fumes)!  While our toes may not always be perfectly painted or we make a mess we have a lot of fun together which is the most important part of the activity anyway.  Thankful for these wonderful moments that I can share with my girls!

  • Free Ebooks: Money Management Makeover, Organized Home, Diabetic Gluten Free Recipes, Create Your Mind Maps in 24 Hours, Cheapskate Living And Loving It, Valentine’s Day Perfect Paleo Cookbook Recipes, Bug Life Funny & Weird Insect Animals, Brain Health, and more!

    The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading).  The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.

    Download a free copy of Organized Home: A 5 Step Plan to Stress Free Simplicity and an Organized, Clean, and De-cluttered Home by Martha Mayberry

     

    Download a free copy of Diabetic Gluten Free Recipes: One Stop Cookbook With Delicious Recipes That Your Diabetic Family Will Enjoy! by Natalie Johnson

    Download a free copy of Create Your Mind Maps in 24 Hours: Learn to Organize Your ideas with Mind Mapping Strategies to Think Smart and Clear, Get Logical Thinking, and Improve Skills by Christ Lewis

    Download a free copy of Cheapskate Living And Loving It: 50 Creative Ways To Save Money, Live A Frugal Lifestyle And Enjoy Life Debt Free by Kathy Stanton

    Download a free copy of Paleolithic Recipes: Passionate Paleo; Valentine’s Day Perfect Paleo Cookbook Recipes For Romance and Beyond by Victoria Love

    Download a free copy of Bug Life Funny & Weird Insect Animals – Learn with Amazing Photos and Fun Facts About Bugs and Spiders by P. T. Hersom

    Download a free copy of Brain Health: How To Improve Your Memory by Rashelle Johnson

    Download a free copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

    Download a free copy of Delicious & Healthy Recipes Series: Main Dishes: Vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Gluten free, Lactose free, Wholefoods by Katayoun Pakatchi

  • Free Trial of Amazon Prime – FREE 2 Day Shipping & Unlimited Instant Streaming TV Episodes, Movies, and Music!

    You can get a 30 day FREE trial of Amazon Prime.  If you are looking to try out Amazon Prime this is a great time to do it!  The 2 Day Free shipping could come in handy if you are ordering any gifts on Amazon too!  You get unlimited ad-free songs, instant streaming movies and tv shows as well as free Kindle books!

    Amazon Prime Benefits:

    • FREE 2 Day Shipping (No Minimum Order)
    • Unlimited, ad-free streaming on over million songs
    • Unlimited instant streaming of movies and TV episodes
    • Borrow Kindle Books from the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library

    This is a great time to try out Amazon Prime, see if you like it and enjoy the benefits.  You can chose to cancel your membership after the 30 day free trial or get a yearly membership.

    Amazon_Prime

  • Recipes: Classic Chex Mix in the Crockpot (Gluten, Peanut, & Dairy Free)

    Original Chex Mix

    Classic Chex Mix made in the Crockpot!

    I have always enjoyed Chex Mix!  It is a great winter snack food as you are sitting by the fire or playing board games around the dining room table.  There are so many amazing variations to it as well.  I especially like the sweet Chex Mix recipes here are some of my favorites:

    The other day I decided to try making the Classic Chex Mix out with items I already had in our pantry and in the crockpot.  I added several variations to the Classic Chex Mix because we have a family member that cannot have peanuts or dairy and we have some friends who cannot have gluten.  My recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and peanut free for those who do not want to use those products in their Classic Chex Mix. You can substitute regular pretzels, dairy butter, or peanuts if you would prefer them instead.

    Classic Chex Mix (Gluten & Peanut Free)

    • 5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
    • 5 cups Corn Crunch Cereal
    • 2 cups Gluten Free Pretzels
    • 1 cup Almonds
    • 6 Tablespoons Dairy-Free Butter or Margarine (melted)
    • 1/2 Tablespoon Seasoned Salt
    • 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

    Place the cereal, pretzels, and almonds into your crockpot.  Melt the butter (or margarine) in a separate bowl and mix in the salt, garlic, and worcestershire sauce.  Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture in the crockpot and gently stir until the cereal is evenly coated.  Cover and turn the crockpot on low for 3 hours.  If your crockpot does not have a hole for moisture to escape you can leave a slight gap at the lid so the moisture can escape otherwise you can place a towel or paper towel up by the lid of the crockpot to absorb any condensation from the Chex Mix cooking.  Stir the Chex Mix every hour to keep it from burning.  Once it is done spread the mixture out evenly on parchment paper and let it cool.

    I love using my crockpot for a variety of great recipes.  Plus the house smells amazing as the food cooks.  The only thing I forgot to do was take a picture of the finished Classic Chex Mix.  Sorry!  Guess it is time to make another batch.  It turned out well.  I still prefer the “sweet” Chex mixes over the salty, but this was a great alternative snack to have around the house for those who cannot eat gluten, dairy, or peanuts!

  • Song: Me Without You by TobyMac

    Thankful for the opportunity to go through this awesome journey of life with one stronger and wiser than I am.  I have been blessed with a wonderful gift of saving grace, but life also dishes out plenty of difficult times too.  During those tough times I am especially grateful He is there to see me through as well as remind me of His faithfulness and goodness in my life.

    Raindrops rollin’ off my brim
    Streetlights got the pavement glistenin’
    Touchdown, I fall into Your arms
    Right where I belong
    Your everlasting arms

    And where would I be
    Without You…

    I’d be packin’ my bags when I need to stay
    I’d be chasin’ every breeze that blows my way
    I’d be building my kingdom just to watch it fade away
    It’s true
    That’s me without You-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou
    That’s me without You-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou
    That’s me without You-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou
    Don’t know where I’d be without You
    (Wooooah, without you)

    Flashback, step into the scene
    There’s You and there’s a very different me
    Touchdown, You had me at believe
    You had me at believe, You did

    You rescued me
    You are mine, I am Yours
    You rescued me
    And I am Yours forever
    You saved me, remade me

    And where would I be