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Love My Family
My Handsome man reading to the girls. Love listening to Jake reading to the girls. Jake and the girls love history. He was reading a book about the Christmas when Winston Churchill stayed in the White House. The girls love reading and enjoy those moments when we can read to them. Thankful for my family and seeing Jake reading with the girls warms my heart.
Lunch Box Surprises: A Banana with a Name
Karlie & Brina’s bananas for lunch
When I make school lunches for the girls I try to put in something fun or interesting into their lunch boxes. Usually they don’t see what surprise I have added until they open their lunch box at school. I use a variety of different notes, treats, and special items for their lunches. One of the treats I have been doing this year is tattooing their bananas before sticking them into their lunches. They have gotten a real kick out of seeing tattooed bananas appear in their lunch boxes!
I love discovering new and easy ways to add a little spark to their meal! Both girls enjoy bananas and will take them in their lunches plus we typically have a variety of tattoos from random places around to put to use. These tattoos were from the girls last visit to the eye doctor.
One day as I was tattooing their bananas Jake suggested adding their names to the bananas too. I took a butter knife and lightly scratched their names into the bananas and drew a heart around their tattoos. As the scratched parts became exposed to the air the lettering began to darken and this is what it looked like a short while later. Our family usually packs lunches the night before so these went in the lunch boxes and fridge at night; the next morning when I added the ice packs the bananas looked the same as pictured above. The girls thought these were awesome!
Help Fight for a Cure & Get Money Back While Shopping at Bloomingdales – #GivePink
If you love shopping and want to support a great cause here’s a neat opportunity for you. Bloomingdale’s is doing a “Give Pink Give More” promotion right now. I am sure all of us can name someone that we know or knew that had breast cancer so this is one that touches close to home for many us who have had family and friends. It is a great time to help give while shopping with Bloomingdale’s.
How it works:
From October 1 through November 3, 2013, enroll by charging a $15 fee on your Bloomingdale’s card–100% funds research, support and awareness programs at The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The Tutu Project benefiting The Carey Foundation and The Cancer Vixen Fund at Beth Israel Hospital. Then shop to your heart’s content (even for cosmetics and fragrances) on your Bloomingdale’s card.
What you get when you spend:
You’ll be mailed a Give Pink, Get More gift card worth up to $250 in December–just in time for the holidays–to use at any Bloomingdale’s store and bloomingdales.com.*
*Subject to credit approval. May not be used as payment or credit on a Bloomingdale’s card account or exchanged for cash. Restrictions and exclusions apply. TERMS & CONDITIONS.
More Bloomingdale’s on:
Bloomingdale’s Website
Visit & Like Bloomingdale’s on Facebook
Follow Bloomingdale’s on Twitter & Use the Hashtag: #GivePink
Check out Bloomingdale’s is Pinning on Pinterest
Get the Bloomie’s App on your phone
A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Bloomingdale’s for sponsoring this post! Any specific product information was provided by Bloomingdale’s and SheSpeaks, however, the opinions expressed in this post are our own.
Life on the Farm: Pigs, Cows, & Planting Tomatoes….Oh My!
The girls had to go check out the pigs. Thankfully they were really tame because they were pretty big!
Our girls love animals and always enjoy spending time with ANY animal they come in contact with…yup including the pigs, ha! During our recent trip to the Midwest to see family the girls spent some extra time on the farm. The guys happened to be working cattle so they got to watch some of that process as well as hand feed the pigs. The girls quickly discovered that there was only one barn cat (out of the 15) that would even let them get close enough to pet it!
My cousin Renelle was in town from Colorado so in between hand feeding the farm animals and exploring with the kids we planted tomatoes for Grandpa Verlyn and Grandma Doris to enjoy later this Summer. I am thankful that the girls got an opportunity to spend time on the farm as well as some time getting to know their grandparents and great grandparents a little better. We have a lot of great memories of our time in Kansas!
To Brina hand feeding the pigs and petting at the same time.
This pig’s got it made….lounging in the shade being hand fed grass from Karlie! What a life!
Hand feeding the pigs
Giving the cows a special snack!
They couldn’t feed the cattle fast enough as soon as they brought a handful the cows pulled it through and were munching away on it.
Travel & Vacation: Spending Time with Family in Kansas
The plane was delayed due to rain, but now we are ready to go. Two little chickies all buckled in….one snacking and the other one with her nose already in a book. Thankful that the girls travel well.
The girls and I recently flew out to Kansas to spend some time with my family. We stayed at my parents house, but thankfully we were able to catch up with quite a few people while we were out there visiting. While we were in Kansas Jake was traveling with work so he was managing to stay busy too.
The girls even got in on the last part of my parents church’s VBS, which included getting wet with water balloons. I think the highest temperature I saw during out week and half in Kansas was 113 while it was hot the wind helped make it more tolerable.
A cooler full of mammoth water balloons for VBS game time the next day!
Lots of little water balloons too! I think by the end the count was somewhere around 300 water balloons. The kids loved it!
Karlie picked a variety of flowers from Grandma Penny’s gardens and displayed the flowers in a pie dish. They actually lasted almost the entire time we were out there!
Brina made a blue cat while Brandon is working on some blueberry cookies!
Karlie is busy socializing and creating play dough goodies too! Grandma Penny made some homemade play dough for the kids. They loved it (and were asking me to make some a couple days ago)!
Beautiful purple flower along the road in Harlan, Kansas
Some of my Great Grandma Viola’s rose bushes were blooming near the Kelly’s Store and the Post Office in Harlan, Kansas where she used work. She planted the roses many years ago and yet they continue to bloom every year! Grandma Vi had an amazing green thumb (something I did not inherit, by the way)! She loved flowers and I thought it would be appropriate to stop to snap a quick picture of one of her pretty roses while I was in the area!
Brina and Brandon hanging out in their giant tent they built downstairs in Grandpa Russell and Grandma Penny’s basement!
Three silly kiddos hanging out in their fort tent while chomping on some “spicy” candy Aunt Renelle brought for them to try!
One of the girls favorite places to visit when in Kansas! A view of my parents house from the top of Windy Point.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
It was great having a long weekend together. Thankful for my family. There has been a lot of extra stuff going on lately so we really needed some quiet time to catch up. I was able to get a lot of stuff done this past week, but I am hoping to get even more done on our list.
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Read Imagination Station: Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 5)
Plan one special Activity with the Family- Play a board game – we didn’t play a board game, but we did a lot of fun activities together as a family including some fun science experiments, fireworks and more
Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforeDaily School Activities & Homework CompletedAttend After School Activities- Schedule eye appointment for Bridgette – put on hold with everything that is going on right now
Prepare for Upcoming Summer EventsDate Night with KarlieDate Night with BrinaExtra time spent with the family over the Holiday WeekendField Trip with the girls school
Personal Goals
Exercise at least 5 days this weekDrink 8 glasses of water each dayContinue my YouVersion plan(s)- Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz – almost done!
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned out for the weekPay all upcoming billsGet paperwork signed for new Home & Auto Insurance PoliciesRemove remaining leaves from the lawnClean up the sticks and trees that have fallen & had been cut down- Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing – other items took priority over this one
- Give Skipper a bath – gave Skipper her monthly treatment and heart worm medicine so held off on her bath this week
- Work on the deck – put on hold for a few weeks
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork completed for clients
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch- Write and Send Out Community Group Email – we are breaking for the summer so I won’t be doing weekly emails but we’ll be staying touch with each other throughout the Summer and hopefully doing a couple fun family socials
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Vehicles – made payments on both the van and car
- Pay medical bills in full – making payments
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6)
- Plan one special Activity with the Family
- Play a board game
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
- Attend After School Activities
- Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
- Field Day at the girls school
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Pay all upcoming bills
- Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing
- Give Skipper a bath
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Vehicles
- Pay medical bills in full
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.
Travel & Vacation: Road Trip Snack Container
Have I mentioned before how much we enjoy traveling??? 🙂 We have been blessed with a number of opportunities to travel over the past few years. On a quick side note – While it is great to get away and explore new places it is always wonderful coming home.
You may have noticed one of my previous posts about these Road Trip Snack Containers here or here, but I want to encourage anyone with kids who take roads trips to try these out. These have come in very handy over the past few years at our house.
The girls are always super excited to see what I have packed in their snack containers. It helps with the “I’m Hungry” statement you hear in the middle of a road trip and it allows you to pack a little container for each kid instead of bringing the whole box of crackers or nuts or whatever it is you typically bring. Plus it gives the kids a variety of snacks to choose from, kids really do love having choices!
The girls have yet to finish an entire snack container on the trip so usually it provides snacks throughout the time you are away too. It always surprises me what they choose to eat first. I cannot count the number times that they go for the nuts or fruit over any of the sweet treats.
One Child’s Road Trip Snack Container
Items that we packed for this road trip:
- Animal Crackers
- Raisins
- Whole Cashews (without shells)
- Fruit Marshmallow Bites
- Cheesy Bugles
- Fruit by the Foot
- Peanuts
- Sweet Tarts
- Chocolate & Mint Swirl Marshmallows
- Golden Raisins
- Chocolate Covered Raisins
- Whole Peanuts (with shells)
- Fruit Chews
- Whole Pecans (without shells)
- Ritz Crackers
- Whole Pistachios (with shells)
- Organic Applesauce (in a squeeze bag)
- Flavored Peanuts
- Cheese & Peanut Butter Crackers
- 2 Packs of Flavored Fruit Drink Packs to add to their bottled water (1 Kooleaid Fruit Punch & 1Mixed Berry)
- Rainbow coated Sunflower Seeds
- Ritz Bites Peanut Butter Crackers
- Rice Krispie Treat
- 2 Million Dollar Mints
All packed and ready to close up so we can put them on the girls car seats before we go to bed!
We don’t stop a lot on road trips unless we need gas, go to the bathroom, or for a quick meal (a lot of times we’ll pack a picnic lunch to eat on the way). The kids are content to read, work on workbooks, play games, or occasionally watch a movie if it is a long road trip (our rule is that the trip needs to be 5 hours or longer before a movie is part of it).
We picked up the containers at Walmart for a couple of dollars. The stickers were at Hobby Lobby in the scrapbook section and we used a 40% coupon. We have used these Road Trip Snack Bins for several road trips with our girls and they have held up well. Once the trip is over and they have finished eating the items in the bins all you have to do is wash them and store until the next family adventure. It is a blessing to be able to travel with our family. We have created many amazing family memories on the road together.
Love Is Patient…
Hugs Were Invented…
Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping
Every new year we set goals, challenge ourselves to reach new heights, and to focus on what’s really important in life. The picture above is a handful of receipts where I bought grocery items over the last few weeks. Back in 2011 I made it a goal to simplify my life more by enjoying the blessings and not wasting what God has given me. One of the ways I did this was by going through several No Grocery Shopping weeks, picking up only necessities while trying to use the items we already had in our fridge, freezer, and pantry.
When I did it in 2011 it was my intention to go 1 month, but I made it 8 weeks (with only a few hiccups). It is my plan to do this again with the hope of making it at least through the month of January. I will be sharing with you the successes and challenges on those specific areas in my life as I go through them.
Life Simplified Goal:
- No Grocery Shopping (except for necessities) in the month of January.
Explanation of the Goal: My goal during the month of January is to not shop for groceries other than necessities (milk, eggs, bread). Our freezer is full and our pantry is overflowing with all the great deals that we have picked up over the past few months. One of the reason for the goal is that I want to use the items I have and not waste them. Stockpiling is wonderful but there may come a point when we need to eat through that stockpile before it expires, save the extra money to work on a financial goal, and be creative with what we have at home. I have been thinking about this challenge for several weeks over the Holidays. Over the past few months (including our experience traveling to India) it has really hit me that we have been really blessed yet there are children and families that content with a lot less. Menu planning may take a little extra creative thinking on my part but I think I can do it. If I do purchase something it needs to meet one of the following criteria:
- FREE – I don’t want to waste free grocery coupons that my family will use while doing this goal
- Necessity – Milk, Eggs, Bread, etc…
- For Someone Else outside of my household. For example I make meals for new Moms in our church and if I need to pick up an item for them on the way to deliver a meal that will be an exception.
I have already started this goal. The only things I purchased this first week has been a loaf of bread and 1 gallon of milk. Last week we ate a bunch of leftovers for several days since our fridge was full and we don’t want to waste the food we have. Plus a sweet friend brought us a meal after my daughters surgery which was amazing and got us through more than two meals. It takes a little more time and focus to come up with a menu but everyone seems to be doing pretty well. The real challenge will come at the end of the month when we are getting low in the pantry and when we host guests!
I will share with you the challenges, successes and what I had to purchase so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating and sharing your story. I would love to extend this goal into February if I can make our pantry stretch!
Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others. Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff” and if you are like us we just have too much. I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives. When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.
