The girls love to listen to music whether we are in the car, at home, or even sometime outside!  One of their favorite groups to listen to is Twin Sisters.  The music cd listed above is on Weather by Twin Sisters and is part of their Science Series.  Every night as the girls are going to sleep they get to listen to one cd.

Before doing this they would keep each other up talking.  With the music it helps give them some quiet time as they go to sleep and typically one or both are asleep before the music ends.  The CD goes through a variety of fun songs about the weather including storms, season, the water cycle, and more.

I love the fact that the girls are not only listening to music in the car or at home but that the music teaches them about specific topics like the weather.  It says that the music is for ages 4 to 9 years old, but even younger or older kids will enjoy the cheerful music on the CD. Here are the songs on the CD:

• When I Grow Up
• What Does A Meteorologist Do?
• the Weather’s Always Changing
• Tools To Predict The Weather
• What Is Wind?
• It’s Called The Water Cycle
• Tornadoes and Hurricanes
• I See An Elephant In The Sky
• What Is Thunder And Lightening?
• There Are Four Seasons
• Spring And Summer
• Fall And Winter

Crockpot full of fresh apples which will soon be applesauce!

The weather is starting to turn cooler now that we have officially hit the Fall season. Our family loves apples!  We have made A LOT of applesauce with apples we picked together as well as ones purchased at the store.   The best part about this applesauce recipe is that it is made in the crockpot and is super easy.  Here is the recipe in case you have some apples you want to use up or would like to make applesauce.  This recipe works well for pears too, if you want you can make pearsauce (delicious)!

Crockpot Applesauce:

• 4 Apples
• 1  tablespoon Lemon Juice (or 1 fresh squeezed Lemon)
• 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Water
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks (or 1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon)

1.  Wash the apples.   Peel, core and cut your apples into cubes.

2.  Put the apples in the crockpot.  Mix the lemon juice and water together then pour over the apples.  Sprinkle the top of the apples with Brown Sugar.  Place the cinnamon sticks on top (or sprinkle ground cinnamon)

3.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.  When the apples are soft, drain any extra liquid, mash them with a potato masher, fork, or blender.

4.  Store in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator or freeze to enjoy at a later date.

I tripled the recipe to fill up the crockpot since we had quite a few apples.  You can add more or less of the cinnamon based on your family’s preference.  It is a pretty easy recipe.  I love being able to leave it in the crockpot and come home to a wonderful smelling house.

Tip:  I put most of our applesauce in ziplock bags and stuck them in the freezer.  When you are ready to use the applesauce pull it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge for a few hours.  To get out the applesauce out of the bag use scissors to cut off one of the corners of the bag and squeeze the applesauce out into a bowl.

I used a variety of apples to make our applesauce.  You can use a variety or just one type it is completely up to you.

The green apple has been skinned, now we just need to cube it and put it in the crockpot (minus the seeds and stem)

Here are a couple other great Apple / Fall Recipes we enjoy:

Apple Peel Confetti Crisps

• Apple Peel Confetti Crisps – these were a HUGE hit with the kids and helped us use up some of the extra apple peels. The girls requested these in their lunch boxes for weeks!  I even had a classmate of the girls stop me in the hallway to ask if I could make some more (the girls had shared and he wanted some more).  🙂

• Crockpot Pearsauce – just like our Crockpot Applesauce but with pears!  The applesauce looks very similar to this pearsauce and both taste delicious!

What are you making with your fresh apples this Fall?

Karlie playing in the pool and swimming (even in freezing cold water)!

The girls and I love it when we can tag along with Jake on his work trips.  One of our favorite places to visit is Charleston.  You can often find us playing in one of the many great parks, checking out local history and stores, or swimming.

These photos were from a trip earlier in the year when we stayed at the Marriott in Mount Pleasant.  At the beginning of the week it was over 90 degrees, but on the last day it was only 40 degrees.  The pool water was pretty chilly (at least for me) with the fluctuation in temperatures, however, that didn’t stop the girls from spending hours splashing around in the pool.  I think having the hot tub made it more enjoyable for the girls as well.

Mom, it’s so cold! Is it time for us to get in the hot tub yet? (Brina)

Karlie dipping her feet into the hot tub

Brina thinking about getting into the pool…..it was cold and she definitely preferred the hot tub.  We were the only ones brave enough to go swimming in the icy water today.

Karlie’s face when I informed her that the ants were enjoying her M&M’s that blew off the table because she didn’t put them away.

Let’s go out in the sun and read Mom!

Karlie – Come on guys, jump in…..really it’s not cold!

Brina relaxing and reading another book to me while lounging by the pool

Karlie trying to convince Daddy and Brina to come into the freezing pool for a “refreshing” swim!  Let’s just say Mom didn’t get into this water very often it was too “refreshing” for me.

Look the water is so cold that Karlie’s hands turned blue!  (It was that cold, but her fingernails just happen to be painted blue.)

Brina’s glad to be back in the warm hot tub again

It was a great trip.  Our family was able to spend some quality time together too.  The girls had a blast at the parks, in the freezing pool, and hanging out for a few days.  Jake was able to get work done during the day and relax with us in the evenings.  We even ran into  friends from home and spent some time catching up while they are in town as well.

The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

Heading to the boat safari

Our first night in Orange County Kabini, India we took a boat safari.  It was a lot of fun and we even saw a few animals.  We received binoculars to help spot animals on shore.  It was a great time to take the tour because the river was down a little bit so a lot of animals were coming out to eat the fresh green grass at the edge of the water.

View of the huts from the boat

Our boat safari crew ready to explore

Herd of elephants….guess that little guy wants to do his own thing!

Another group of elephants showing us their back sides….the little one is cute!

Herd of deer eating the green grass at the edge of the river

Elephant munching away on some stalks

Black birds perched up on the tree

Wild boars

Cattle crossing the river in a shallow spot to get to a grassy island to eat.

Turtle sunning himself on the tree stump

Bison grazing on the fresh green grass near the water’s edge

Indian coracles (or hand made boat). Indian coracles are either saucer or bowl shaped and circular, with the greatest diameter across the mouth.

Finished our boat safari at sunset.  Our guide is walking up the ramp.  He was informative and did a great job keeping the kids engaged too.  The item in the bottom right hand corner is a coracle turned upside down.

Our fun crew

The boat safari was pretty amazing!  We were able to see quite of few animals even without the binoculars.  Watching the animals in their natural habitat was awesome.  We are so thankful for Matt, Jen and their family for sharing this trip with us.  It was a lot of fun!  The kids were real troopers throughout the entire adventure; we had them going from sun up to sun down!

The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

It isn’t easy to forgive, especially when you have been hurt.  This song by Matthew West is a great reminder of the importance of forgiving.  Here are some of the words from the song:

It’s the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those that don’t deserve

It’s the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just to real
It takes everything you have just to say the word

Forgiveness, Forgiveness

It flies in the face of all your pride
It moves away the mad inside
It’s always anger’s own worst enemy
Even when the jury and the judge
Say you gotta right to hold a grudge
It’s the whisper in your ear saying ‘Set It Free’

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible

I want to finally set it free
So show me how to see what Your mercy sees
Help me now to give what You gave to me

Forgiveness, Forgiveness

Currently we have activities after school 5 days a week so planning our menu in advance is a huge help.  Just deciding what to make and prepping in earlier in the day or week help us save a lot of extra time in the evenings.  Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:

Our Weekly Menu Plan

• Monday (Beef or Seafood Entree):  Catfish, French Bread
• Tuesday (Kid’s Night to Cook):  Kids in the Kitchen – Bacon & Potato Au Gratin
• Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Mexican Chicken, Fresh Fruit
• Thursday (Pasta or Pork Entree): Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes
• Friday, Saturday, & Sunday:  Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting

I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or seafood entree and so forth).  It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned.  I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.

Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family.  On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home.  As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes.  If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).

As a family of four our life can get busy.  What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget.  Our family typically eats 6 to 7  dinner meals at home a week.  We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat.  Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family.  Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day.  Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends.  The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety.  We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.

Photo by Liz

It was a fun week with a lot of activities.  Always love our time together.  I was able to do most of the items on my goal list this week thankfully.  Hopefully this week I will be able to tackle more items on my list!

Last week’s goals:

Family Goals

1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
4. Attend After School Activities
5. Plan one special Activity with the Family – we did a bonfire and went to a small fair together!
6. Attend Back to School Night Event
7. Schedule a Meet & Greet with 1 of the girls teachers

Personal Goals

1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
3. Finish reading Our Boys by Joe Drape – I started this one a couple years ago and never finished so starting over.  It’s about the Smith Center, Kansas football team (it has been interesting reading the book so far because I know some of the people in it since my parents live near Smith Center) – see my review on the book

Home 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. Start tackling my Fall Organizational Schedule – have my list and getting ready to start
4. 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. Get caught up on 5 blog items

Ministry Goals

1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
3. Work out the details of our Community Group Camping Adventure – working out the last few details

Financial Goals

1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
2. Payoff the Van – still working on it, we were able to put a little extra towards it this month
3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – getting closer

My goals for the upcoming week:

Family Goals

1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
4. Attend After School Activities
5. Plan one special Activity with the Family

Personal Goals

1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
3. Finish reading Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith (I got a pre-release copy to read)
4. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith

Home 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. Start tackling my Fall Organizational Schedule
4. 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. Get caught up on 5 blog items

Ministry Goals

1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
3. Work out the details of our Community Group Camping Adventure
4. A Friend Challenged me to read through my Bible – since I am already through the majority of the year I am working on a plan where you can read through the Bible in 90 days by YouVersion

Financial Goals

1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
2. Payoff the Van
3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)

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.