Kids

  • Creative Kids: Karlie’s Dry Erase Board Art

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    The other day I found this dry erase board on the ground after homework time.  While going through review homework the girls are allowed to doodle as long as they are answering the review questions.  Karlie’s doodle for this day turned out pretty well.  She even put her “Karlie” card on her artwork.  I love it when the girls get creative.  Reminds me that the kids are growing up.

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    Karlie’s business card labeling her artwork!

  • Love It – Butterflies and Flowers Connectagons by HearthSong

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    Butterfly and Flower Connectagon Fun!

    One of our kids got a Butterflies and Flowers Connectagons by HearthSong toy as a gift.  It has been neat seeing the various configurations she has created with this fun toy.  The butterflies are beautiful bright colors and the flowers are all snowy white.  The pieces are wooden and they can be interlinked in several spots on each piece.  There are many combinations that can captivate their attention for quite some time.

    The HearthSong Connectagons is a building set that stimulates creativity.  Our set includes 50 butterflies and 12 white flowers.  The slotted sides allow the kids to connect the butterflies and flowers together.  It helps with hand-eye coordination and teaches kids how to experiment building many different sculptures with these beautiful pieces.  Some of the configurations make it look like the butterflies are flying to or from the flowers.

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    Showing off another butterfly configuration she made!

    To learn more about Connectagons or to read reviews you can go to HearthSong’s website or Amazon.  If you are not interested in the butterfly and flower Connectagons you may enjoy one of the other sets they carry:

    HearthSong Connectagons® Glow-in-the-Dark Celestial

    HearthSong Connectagons® Glow-in-the-Dark Celestial

    • 157 glow-in-the-dark pieces with slotted sides
    • Full moon, moon phases, constellations, and galaxies

    Hearth Song Connectgons Original Building Set

    • Connectagons Creative Building Set
    • Set includes 240 Wooden circles
    • Build freeform sculptures in any direction using wooden pieces with slotted sides that connect
    • Encourages open-ended play
    • For Ages 4 and Up.

    “Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love!  There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun.  I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list.  It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!

  • Birthday Celebration

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     Happy Birthday breakfast

    The girls got two of their birthday wishes on their birthday – one was that they would have snow on their birthday and the second was that they would not have to go to school because of a snow day.  They got both wishes and were very excited.  It’s not every day you get out of school on a Wednesday for snow in South Carolina.  Thankful for these two girls and look forward to many more amazing memories this year with them.  They each got to pick out what they wanted to eat for their birthday breakfast.  For their special birthday dinner they wanted a Seafood Meal at home.

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    Karlie had eggs with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese in them.

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    Brina had a slice of cinnamon swirl breakfast cake.

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     My sister-in-law Becky shared a chocolate cake recipe with me that was both egg and dairy free so I decided to try it for their birthday.  It turned out really well.  They loved it.  You couldn’t even tell that it was egg and dairy free.  The flavor reminded me of my Grandma Doris Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake she used to make from scratch.

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     The girls wrote out a list of inside and outside activities they wanted to do on their birthday since they were home from school due to the snow.  Even though they didn’t get to do all the items on the list I would say they did the majority of them.  We packed a lot of fun activities into the day.

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    For their family birthday dinner they requested a seafood meal and specifically asked for King Crab.  They love seafood and the King Crab was a hit and they are getting better at digging out the meat without assistance.

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    Jake and I picked up Mai-Mahi steak burgers to try as well for their seafood  birthday meal.  The Mai-Mahi steak with the fresh bakery bun, lettuce, and tomatoes were a tasty hit too!  Thankful for our girls and that we can celebrate another birthday with them!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We are wrapping up February this week.  How is that possible!?  This past week we celebrated the girls 10th Birthday.  It is hard to believe that they are already 10 years old.  We had a couple of snow and ice days so the girls got out of some school this past week so I was thankful for the extra time I had with them.  Unfortunately, Jake had to go on a work trip so he missed out on some of the snow and ice adventures, but made it back to celebrate the girls birthday together!  I have a lot of projects that I want to get accomplished this week as we gear up for a very busy March!  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Ashleigh’s Dream (Thoroughbred Series #5) by Joanna Campbell to the kids – finished reading during the days off school
    2. Plan one special activity with the family – celebrated the girls Birthday
    3. Play a Game with the Kids – played games during the kids snow days, the girls and I played their new Destination USA game from Grandpa and Grandma
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events – have another fun family adventure to plan
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework – they got out of school early on Monday, no school Tuesday and Wednesday, and started late on Thursday so our homework schedule was altered this week!
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before – only had to pack lunches Sunday night, Wed, & Thursday nights this week
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
    9. Celebrate Kid’s Birthday

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – got behind a couple days with the kids home and spending time with them
    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 – took a little more time
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer – working on it
    4. Clean House (Focus – Laundry Room) – spent time with the kids with them being off instead of tackling the laundry room
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Linens Cabinet) – spent extra time with the kids instead
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pick Up Down Sticks) – we picked up sticks, but there are more with all the wind we’ve been having
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Hay 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 – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt) – made an extra payment again this week
    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 – put on hold with the ice and snow this week

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Wonder’s Yearling (Thoroughbred Series #6) 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. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure
    9. Pull out our Spring / Summer Clothes

    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 – Laundry Room)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Linens Cabinet)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pick Up Down Sticks)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Sweet Hay)

    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 Medical Bills
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt)
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Attend “Financial Peace University” Class & Become More Accountable with our Finances
    6. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
    7. 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.

  • Flashback Friday: Happy 3rd Birthday!

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    Happy 3rd Birthday Girls!

    Today’s Flashback Friday goes back to 2008 for the girls 3rd birthday!  We did a Garden & Bug theme for this birthday party.  It was neat seeing them getting excited as we decorated for the birthday party.  They had a blast!  It is amazing how quickly they are growing up.

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    The family is ready to celebrate at their 3rd birthday party!  WooHoo!

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    Grandma Kay made the delicious birthday cakes for the girls.  Brina had a bumble bee, Karlie had a ladybug, and the big cake was a flower garden.  They looked adorable!  Jake’s Mom makes some amazing cakes!

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    Brina and Karlie with Grandma Kay right before the birthday party!

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    Watching the candles as the guests sing Happy Birthday!  So excited!

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    Checking out the candles and their cakes!

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    Karlie eating little bits while Brina digs right now!

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    Brina’s ready for clean up…I think it’s Jake turn to hose her down, ha!

    Karlie started on her cake then ate a wing from Brina's beec

    Karlie eating her cake and enjoying the fun!

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    Snacking on their yummy party food!

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    When they were little we pulled the cooler up the counter so they could stand on it and “help” us cook.  Food is ready now the party can begin!

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    Opening their birthday gifts!

  • Beautiful SC Sunrise

    Beautiful SC Sunrise

    Gorgeous Sunrise!

    The kids and I enjoyed this beautiful sunrise earlier this week.  It’s not every day we see these great sunrises in South Carolina.  Our drive to school was perfectly timed with the sunrise on this special morning.

    Thankful for a chance to share this with my kids.  All of us were glad that we got stopped at the stoplight that morning so we could soak in the beauty around us.  It’s the little treasures throughout each day such as a beautiful sunrise that remind us of the many blessings in our lives.

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    What a great way to start a new day!

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  • Kids in the Kitchen: Cupcake Pops on a Stick

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    Blue Raspberry Cupcake Pop anyone?

    The kids were baking up a storm in the kitchen the other day.  They put together these delicious blue raspberry cupcake pops.  Thankfully for kids who enjoy spending time in the kitchen cooking.  Now if I could get them to spend more time cleaning up their cooking messes.  They do clean up some, it’s just not always a thorough, but they are getting better!

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    Some of the delicious cupcake pops they made!

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    The sprinkles had a blue raspberry flavor which made these extra tasty!

  • Happy 10th Birthday Brina & Karlie! We Love You!

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    Happy Birthday Brina & Karlie!

    Wishing our two beautiful daughters a very special 10th birthday!  Today is a bitter sweet day.  They now in the double digits which feels like such a big step in them growing up.  We are so excited to be celebrating our twin daughters 10th birthday, but at the same time we are in shock that they could be turning 10 already.  The time has gone by way too fast and our babies are growing up!

    Thankful for these two amazing blessings in our life.  There is not a day that goes by that we do not thank God for giving us these two precious gifts.  God has richly blessed our lives with these sweethearts.

    Brina and Karlie both fill our home with excitement, laughter, and a lot of fun activity.  While they were born on the same day they could not be more different.  Thankful for the gifts and talents God has given each one.  Brina has a big heart for animals and Karlie has dreams of one day blasting off into space!  We are proud of them and look forward to watching them grow up into beautiful young ladies.

    Praying that God will continue to work in their hearts and lives this year as well as give us wisdom as parents in raising them.  Wishing them a year packed for awesome memories, growth, good health, and so much more!  Happy 1oth Birthday Brina and Karlie!  We LOVE you more than you can imagine!!!  Hope your birthday is truly OUT OF THIS WORLD!

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    We LOVE you!!!

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    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.

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