Loving Life
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
I have to admit some days were just exhausting this week. Thankful for a family that loves me even when I am wiped out and pitches in when/where they can. The girls are doing well in school. Jake and I were able to get away for a little bit together and we had fun at a work event this weekend too. There was a lot of good blessings that surprised me this week, but thankful for them all the same.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful that Jake drove the girls into school so I could leave for work and get my day started.
Tuesday – Thankful that the Hot Water Heater is NOW FIXED!!! After 2 weeks without a hot water heater you really do appreciate it! 🙂 I am grateful that it was the hot season when it decided to break down. The part was recalled so we had to wait for the company to order it before it could be repaired.
Wednesday – Thankful that for an opportunity to use my work skills and be part of a great team of professionals. Not everyday is perfect, but we are able to get a lot accomplished during our time at work and are continually learning from each other.
Thursday – Thankful for a chance to meet a friend and catch up over lunch!
Friday – Thankful that the girls had a fun game night with their church youth group and I got to go on a spontaneous DATE NIGHT with my Handsome Man!!!!!! 🙂 Love spending time with him!
Saturday – Thankful for a chance to hang out with my family and co-workers at the lake. Grateful to Jeff and his family for their gracious hosting of the whole group at their beautiful place!
Sunday – Thankful for some relaxing time with my family before we hit the super busy week ahead. It was good to recharge and hang out together!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.
Date Night with My Man
The girls had a church Youth Group event on Friday night so Jake and I were able to get away for a couple hours together. LOVE spending time with Jake. Always enjoy a date night when we can relax, talk as a couple, laugh, and catch up with each other for a little bit.
I dropped off the girls at church and met Jake at Los Amigos restaurant in Powdersville. He already had a table saved for us! When I arrived I found a beautiful rose laying on the table waiting for me! Love his thoughtfulness and the way he makes me feel appreciated.
We had an enjoyable dinner, other than we probably ate too much, ha! We didn’t have a whole lot of time after dinner before we had to pick the girls up from the church event so we headed over to Walmart to pick up a couple of items that we needed and to stretch our legs after a big dinner.
We picked up the girls and headed home. Once the kids were showered and tucked into bed we headed back downstairs for an at home movie night together. It was wonderful spending the evening with my Handsome Man! Always enjoy these moments together even when they are more spontaneous. It has been very busy lately so it is nice to be intentional and carve out time when we can relax together as a couple.
I love you Jacob Wesley Hayes! Thanks for everything you do for me!!! You’re the best!!! XOXO
Love my beautiful rose! Thanks Handsome!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
We are off to a great start of the school year! Now if only I can get fully caught up on all the fun projects I have going on at home. Thankful for an opportunity to work, but always enjoy some time to refocus, spend time with family & friends, run errands, and tackle projects around the house. There is always more to do then time allows, but I am super excited about some of the fun stuff in store the remainder of the 2016 year!!!
In case you haven’t already noticed I am a goal oriented, list driven, and more of a type A personality. I LOVE learning new things, but also enjoy the comfort of the normal everyday treasures in each day as well. When I take a moment to soak in what is around me I remember that I take too much for granted and that I am blessed beyond measure (which I don’t deserve).
The time I have with my family is a priority to me. I absolutely LOVE hanging out with my husband, the girls are growing up way too fast and it is always a joy sharing a special moment with them, it is refreshing to catch up with a dear friend, and mentally stimulating to balance a work, school, family, life, and everything else schedule….. I get more wrong then I get right, but thankfully I have a forgiving and gracious Heavenly Father and people who are not afraid to speak truth into my life.
One of my big goals this week is to start sharing with you a “taste” of the adventures our family enjoyed over the summer break. We were able to catch up with people we love and experience some amazing memories together. As I gear up for another busy week I am trying to not over committed myself, but want to stay on track. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Pick out a new Chapter book to read to the girls and start reading it– It is one I got as a girl when I was in 6th grade and read many times (the girls think it is awesome that I am reading a book to them that I received when I was their age). They love their reading time and I hope to more time reading with them this week!
Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.All of Alan Zull’s “Bad Pets” short stories books have been a big hit with our kids!- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids. – working through them
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids. – continuing to learn along with the girls on this one too!
Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night. – love this one-on-one quiet time with each girl…the only problem this week I was so relaxed talking with that a couple of times I fell asleep at the foot of their beds as I was chatting and either they or Jake had to wake me up, ha! Obviously, I was relaxing a little too much!Plan one special activity with the family– we have planned some super fun day or weekend activities this fall (I can’t share yet….they sometimes read my blog…..shhh…..)Play a Game with the KidsCreate Memories with the FamilySpend Quality time with each family memberDo a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week
Kid Goals
Do Homework Monday – FridayPack Lunches and Prep for the next daySpend one-on-one time with kids each day
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water- Wear FitBit (at least 10,000 steps and 10 sets of stairs every day) – wasn’t the best week I have had….
Do Yoga at least 5 times this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- Give Skipper a bath this week – will need to do it next week, other outside items took priority
Speed clean & pick up the house 15 minutes a night
Business Goals
Update Work Notes- Get caught up on blog posts – hoping to gain more momentum this week!!!
- Work on a few special projects – got a couple gearing up….
Ministry Goals
Go to breakfast or lunch with a family member or friendCounting my blessings journal
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the financial advisor – really need to buckle down and get this on our schedule soon
- Get our finances and budget back on track – doing better now that we are in a more set routine
- Pay down debt we owe – made extra payments again this week
- Limit amount spent on Groceries, Household, and Other Items (use what we already have at home) – better, but not within our target range
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read the book Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry (I had this book, an 1954 version, when I was in 6th grade and it takes place near White River Junction, Vermont near where Jake’s grandparents and Mom live so the girls know the area fairly well)
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
- Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Create Memories with the Family
- Spend Quality time with each family member
- Do a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week
Kid Goals
- Do Homework Monday – Friday
- Pack Lunches and Prep for the next day
- Spend one-on-one time with kids each day
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water
- Wear FitBit (at least 10,000 steps and 10 sets of stairs every day)
- Do Yoga at least 5 times this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- Household Cleaning / Organization – Pantry de-cluttered and organized
- Plan out the Menu for the Week
- Give Skipper a bath this week
- Speed clean & pick up the house 15 minutes a night
Business Goals
- Update Work Notes
- Get caught up on blog posts
- Work on a few special projects
- Update my LinkedIn Profile
- Research a couple of items in regards to the blog
- Confirm the tasks my plate as I transition to a new team
Ministry Goals
- Go to breakfast or lunch with a family member or friend
- Counting my blessings journal
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the financial advisor
- Get our finances and budget back on track
- Pay down debt we owe
- Limit amount spent on Groceries, Household, and Other Items (use what we already have at home)
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
Sometimes You Will Never Know …
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a crazy fun week as we spent fun time with friends visiting from Maine, the girls starting Middle School, and adjusting to the new work schedule. Thankful for the amazing blessings in my life. You don’t have to look very far or hard to find something to be grateful for in your life. It can be a simple smile from a stranger to sharing laughter with a friend or spending quality time with someone you love.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful day off work and spend the morning with our friends from Maine. In the afternoon I was able to hang out with the girls and have fun on their last day of summer.
Tuesday – Thankful that Jake went with me to take the girls to their first day of Middle School. Glad that their first day went smoothly for them.
Wednesday – Thankful that when Jake travels he takes the time to talk with me and catch up. It’s not the same as having him at home, but it is always great hearing his voice and chatting about our days.
Thursday – Thankful picked up the girls right when school got out and went “clothes” shopping for new school shorts. Grateful they are growing, but it doesn’t take long for them to grown out of their shorts.
Friday – Thankful for safety as we traveled, it was rainy and was slowed down multiple times by car accidents, but everyone arrived back home safely.
Saturday – Thankful for a quiet and productive day at home and around town with the family (first Saturday in a long time that we were not traveling or running around with a lot of activities going on).
Sunday – Thankful for a husband who enjoys and is a great cook. Love it when he pitches in around the kitchen and house. I am one spoiled chick with him around.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
It has been a whirlwind of activities around our house this past week with getting back from Alaska, work, transitioning the kids to a new school, friends visiting, and a large amount of other fun activities going on. Thankful to be back home again and getting started on a more consistently (and somewhat) normal school again.
Since this week we have a mix of activities on the agenda including school and work we’ll make it simple and easy. I based our menu off some items that we need to use up from our pantry. Hopefully once we get into our new regular routine I will be able to catch up on more long term projects around the house and yard again. Our menu is going to be simple and easy. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Beef Pasta Casserole, Steamed Vegetables
- Tuesday (Seafood, Soup, Salad, or Sandwich Entree): Homemade Individual Pizzas, Salad
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Chicken Vindaloo, Homemade Naan Bread
- Thursday (Pork Entree or Kid‘s Night to Cook): Pork & Vegetable Stir Fry, Udon Noodles
- 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 pasta 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
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
We are officially on the new school and work schedule starting this week. The girls are now in middle school. It has been a little bit more of an adjustment, but they (and their parents) are doing well. Looking forward to seeing the schedule get into the new normal rhythm. I a positive there will be a lot of fun and exciting events as we fly through these next few weeks.
Thankful for a great summer. We had a lot of great opportunities to catch up with family and friends across the county. We were able to cover a lot of territory over the past couple of months. Last week we had close friends staying with us for a few days which was awesome. Grateful for friends who check in on our house and pets while we were traveling and that work was flexible with the slightly insane schedule.
I am hoping to get back up, running, and staying on top of things more regularly with the house, blog, and personal goals. You should be seeing some of our fun adventures over the summer break. Hoping to ease back into some of these items so I am not over committed as I gear up for a busy week. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Finish reading The Forgotten Filly by Karle Dickerson to the kids- Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids – these are fun, short stories that make the kids giggle. We actually saw one of the locations where one of the stories took place when we were traveling through Alaska! Very exciting!!!
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids. – somehow this set got placed in a random spot and didn’t go through it until later in the week
Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids– these have been a fun learning tool for me tooReflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night– always love hearing the neat things they are thankful for in their daysPlan one special activity with the family– spent time with our friends that were visiting from MainePlay a Game with the Kids– we did a Nerf war with friends while they are visiting all adults and most of the kids participated (Savannah slept through the whole Nerf game)Create Memories with the Family– thankful for great memories and special times together – I took off the girls last day of summer to hang out with them and our friends from Maine- Spend Quality time with each family member – the girls did a slumber party with Bradley this week so we did not do one-on-one time with everyone this week
Do a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week– craft time and science experiment fun over the weekend
Kid Goals
Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grow their skills– lots of fun learning and being creative as well as attending the first few days of school- At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day – didn’t get this on a couple of the school nights
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water, wear FitBit, and do yoga (or at least stretch out) each day – I didn’t get all these goals accomplished this week. Had some technical issues with the TV for yoga while Jake was out of town with work. Did well on the water and decent on the FitBit though.
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
Business Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
Ministry Goals
- Quality time with my family
Financial Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Pick out a new Chapter book to read to the girls and start reading it
- Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
- Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Create Memories with the Family
- Spend Quality time with each family member
- Do a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week
Kid Goals
- Do Homework Monday – Friday
- Pack Lunches and Prep for the next day
- Spend one-on-one time with kids each day
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water
- Wear FitBit (at least 10,000 steps and 10 sets of stairs every day)
- Do Yoga at least 5 times this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- Give Skipper a bath this week
- Speed clean & pick up the house 15 minutes a night
Business Goals
- Update Work Notes
- Get caught up on blog posts
- Work on a few special projects
Ministry Goals
- Go to breakfast or lunch with a family member or friend
- Counting my blessings journal
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the financial advisor
- Get our finances and budget back on track
- Pay down debt we owe
- Limit amount spent on Groceries, Household, and Other Items (use what we already have at home)
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
Note to Self …
Airports & Transportation: Charlotte International Airport – CLT (Charlotte, NC)
Our family LOVES traveling!!! We especially enjoy it if we are able to get a reasonable priced flight out of the nearest airport, Greenville, SC (GSP). If we cannot get a flight out of Greenville then Charlotte International Airport CLT is our next airport of choice. Charlotte is not too far from Greenville and often has great tickets. We try to always leave a little bit earlier than we anticipate because with traffic and the occasional rain shower it can slow you down. Plus we typically park in the long term parking and catch the shuttle to the airport so that takes a little more time then a quick drop off at the airport.
On our last two big trips we flew out of Charlotte International Airport CLT. One of our trips was up to New England and the Midwest and our most recent trip from Charlotte was to Anchorage, Alaska. Brina and Karlie went to their last day of their Robotics and Software Computer Game Programming Camp at the Roper Mountain Science Camp while Jake and I tackled the last few items we needed to get done at work. I came home from work, picked up Jake, and then we picked up the girls from camp on our way to the airport. Traffic was pretty good and we only had a few sprinkles of rain on the way to Charlotte so we made good time, despite our unscheduled potty break stop a couple exits before the airport. Jake was able to wrap up more work items and a couple calls on the way to the airport as I drove.
We quickly found out that the Charlotte airport can be a little busy on Friday afternoons and evenings. It took us longer than normal to find a parking spot in long term parking. We were beginning to think the lot was completely full, but we found one eventually near the end of the lot. Once we found a spot to park and got all our luggage out of the van we immediately made our way to the canopy to wait for the next bus to arrive. Thankfully they have a bus pick up people every few minutes. The first bus that arrived at our canopy location was completely full so we had to wait for the next bus which we could see coming down the road. They had a bus probably every 2 to 6 minutes going through the parking lot.
The long term parking bus drops you off at the basement level and directly across the walkway from the check in counters. Once you get into the airport you’ll need to take either the escalators, stairs, or elevator up to the 2nd floor to check into your airline and drop off your luggage.
We’ve had great experience even during the busier times of getting through the check-in lines fairly quickly and smoothly. You can go through any of the TSA check points because all the terminals merge immediately after the check points. We typically pick the TSA line with the shortest line or one with the most open lines at the time. As long as you follow the TSA guidelines (take off your shoes if over 12 years old, no liquids, etc….) you should get through pretty quickly. The terminals are well marked and easy to get to as well. If you are looking for a snack, drink, or restrooms they have a number of options and locations just outside the main terminals as well as along the terminals.
It can get crowded at times, but we’ve always had good luck flying out of Charlotte. The employees are friendly, professional, and do their best to get you on and off your plane in a timely manner. They do not have any control over the weather, but otherwise we’ve had no issues. Thankfully this flight was the same. Quick, easy, and on time! Thank you CLT!
Travel & Vacation: Family Vacation…..Way Up NORTH!!!
Picture of the last Alaska Airline plane we got on!
North to ALASKA!!! We took a family vacation to Alaska this summer! We had a blast! We packed a lot in our time in Alaska. We flew Alaska Airlines. The girls did amazing on all the flights. We flew through the night both on the way to Alaska and on the way home too. They went through the airports fine, helped with the luggage, entertained themselves on the plane (and even rested). Thankful for kids who love to travel and explore new places.
Jake and the girls getting on the plane….notice they are entering the back half the plane. First time on this type of plane!
Sleeping Beauty on the plane!
Another one bites the dust….
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable. 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!
