Loving Life

  • Song: “This Life” by MercyMe

    This is a great reminder of what our life should look like to others “this life was meant to shine.”  Our life on this earth is not forever so we need to make the most of each day.  May we continually look for ways we can make a positive impact on the lives of others.  Love this phrase –  “Every moment is a chance  to let your light break through”!

    This is not my home
    (this is not my space)
    This is not my style
    (this is not my place)

    Can’t get comfortable
    (cant get settled in)
    Simply don’t belong
    (cant get used to this)

    But I’m here right now
    (I can hear you say)
    Make the most of Me
    (this wont go to waste)
    If I’m out of my mind
    (yeah its all for Christ)
    If I’m making sense
    (then get it right)

    Every moment is a chance
    To let your light break through

    This life (oh oh oh oh)
    This life was meant to shine

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    The girls were wrapping up their last full week of school so we had a lot of extra activities now we just need to get through the next few days and it will be summer break!  It was hard to get everything done last week with all the year end activities therefore I am hoping to catch up this week.   We have a lot of really great activities planned for this summer.  It will be fun to travel a little and catch up with some family and friends too.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Prep for Summer Break – I got their summer reading wall put up now need to finalize all the other little details
    3. Read at least one book to the girls every day – didn’t get a chance on Monday night it was packed full with KOH, 1 John Ministry – Homeless Dinner, Girls 1st Grade Program and Swimming Lessons
    4. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day – we missed Monday night but otherwise did well
    5. Attend the Girls First Grade Program
    6. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
    7. Swimming Lessons for the Kids
    8. Confirm the Schedule / Flights for upcoming Family Reunion – schedules confirmed just need to get flights arranged

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – getting closer
    2. Update my goals – didn’t get to it this past week
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst – I keep leaving the book in random places so getting behind
    4. Finish The Hunger Games by Susan Collins (recommended by several friends) – while the book captivated my attention I have a lot of mixed feelings about the book…..

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up & cleaning the house – had a couple days I let it go with all the activities going on this past week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk – I ended the week with a stack of papers that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group
    3. Feed & Serve Homeless – 1 John Ministry

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – so close but went over by $1.76
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – getting closer
    3. Put aside cash for upcoming trips – on hold momentarily
    4. Save money for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – working on it

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Final Prep for Summer Break
    3. Read at least one book to the girls every day
    4. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    5. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
    6. Confirm the Schedule / Flights for upcoming Family Reunion

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Update my goals
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up & cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated schedule to our Community Group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Save money for upcoming trips
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    I apologize it has been so long since I have posted my $40 for 4 grocery update!  It has been a fun, amazing, wild, memorable several months with a trip to India, Charleston, Disney, Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, family staying with us on and off for a month as well as many other wonderful activities! I have been doing my best to stay within budget but having you alongside of me and reading my regular post definitely keeps me more accountable because I have blown the budget several times since I last posted!   Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Save A Lot | RiteAid and Ingles

    Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:

    • $4.87 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 1 gallon Milk and 1 bag Brown Sugar (ran out of milk and used the rest of my brown sugar for the homeless dinner our Community Group hosted on Monday evening so had to restock these items)

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $11.79 at Ingles for 2 loaves Bread,  1 gallon Milk, 1 Yellow Sweet Onion, 1 container Pina Colada Yogurt (on clearance & so delicious I almost didn’t share it), 1 bag Fresh Green Beans (clearance $0.99), 1 bag Fresh Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Carrots (clearance $0.99), 1 container Mushrooms (clearance $0.99), 1 container Dill Veggie Dip (clearance $0.99), and 1 package Wholly Avocado Dip (clearance $0.99).  Everything was marked down, on sale, or on clearance at Ingles.

    Groceries from Ingles and Save A Lot | RiteAid

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $7.77 at Ingles for 1 container of Dill Seasoning, 1 loaf French Bread, 1 container Peach Yogurt  (on clearance), 1 container Fresh Pink Lemonade (clearance $0.99), 1 container Veggie Dip (clearance $0.99), and 1 container fresh Chicken Salad  (on clearance) Everything was marked down, on sale, or on clearance at Ingles.
    • Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:$17.33 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 1 package Flour Tortillas, 2 multi-packs Trident Gum (clearance $0.74), 2 Ham & Cheddar Lunchables, 1 bag Chicken Breasts, 6 packs Sandwich Creme Cookies (clearance $0.69), 1 pack Powdered Donuts (clearance $0.84), bags of Cheddar Cheese Balls, and 1 Watermelon.

    I was able to get a few great items this week. Thankfully, I was able to make it by the store and pick up some items that we’ll need over the next couple of weeks even if a couple of unexpected items got added to the list.  Thanks for helping keep me on track even in the midst of this busy season!  I don’t anticipate life slowing down too much though since the girls will be getting out of school next week and we have a lot of exciting adventures planned for their summer break.

    This week I spent $41.76  on groceries.  I was bummed that I went over on my budgeted amount for the week again but thankful I was only $1.76 over!  I would have made it but I was asked to provide snacks for the girls field day so it was extra items I wasn’t planning on for the week that helped me slide past my goal.  I was happy to find a few items marked down on clearance and provide snacks (watermelon, cookies, and cheese balls) for 20 students while staying pretty close to my budgeted amount.  I hope that next week we can come under budget!

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • Travel & Vacation: Trip to the Pirate Park & Charleston Creamery

    Stopping to refuel…..so thankful the girls both travel so well!

    We have been on some long trips with our kids (over 40 hours of drive time) which makes us very thankful that they both love to travel.  They get excited when we tell them they will get to “sleep” in the van.  The girls love it when the road trip is more than 5 hours because that means Daddy will put in the DVD player for them to watch movies while we drive.   They stay entertained when we we take the 2 or 4 hour trips as well with books, games, music, and more.  It is always an adventure no matter where we go and the girls love exploring different areas as well as going back to our favorite parks or places we have visited in the past.   The pictures in this post are from our winter trip to Charleston, South Carolina.  Love seeing their smiles, watching them play, and thankful that they had a chance to relax for a few days.

     

    Karlie relaxing on the bench and blowing some bubbles.

    Brina checking out the pirate treasure chest full of sand at the “Pirate” Park on Daniel’s Island.

    Karlie (she is wearing the black shirt in the middle of the ship) is checking out the big sunken pirate ship

    Brina climbing the lighthouse at the pirate’s park

    Look out…..here comes Karlie!

    Look out BELOW!!!  I can hear Brina giggling as she comes zipping down the slide.

    Getting ice cream from their favorite ice cream store – Charleston Creamery!  In this picture Karlie is choosing her 1st topping.  After they select their ice cream flavors and toppings a robot puts it together for them.  The girls LOVE it!

    The robot is getting ready to make the ice cream.

    Mesmerized by the robot making the ice cream!

    Ta….Da……the ice cream treat is now ready to eat!  Thanks Robot! 🙂  The robot only serves soft serve ice cream but you can get one of their many homemade flavors in a cup, cone, or shake!

    Charleston Creamery has a place for the kids to sit and play with toys while you enjoy your treat too.  It’s a great family owned ice cream store.  It is one of the girls favorite places to visit while in the Charleston area.  For more information about their store, location, upcoming events, specials, or their newest flavor of ice cream you can find them on Facebook!

    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!

  • Travel & Vacation: Hanging Out on Daniel’s Island

    One of our favorite places to visit….Daniel’s Island (near Charleston)!

    Happy Brina Bee, she loves our trips to Daniel’s Island!

    As I was going back over some of our pictures from the last several months I realized I didn’t share with you our winter trip to Daniel’s Island.  The beautiful part about going to Daniel’s Island in the winter time is the weather is awesome.  Majority of the time you don’t even need a jacket.  The only thing the girls were disappointed about our winter visit is that the pool was closed (but that was only for a split moment)!

    Karlie thrilled to be back in Daniel’s Island at the “turtle” park

    Brina and Karlie hanging out in the white boat at the park

    Oh boy……Karlie caught something and is bringing it over to show me, love the silly smile on her face as she brings the surprise!

    Some serious discussions going on about how to take care of their big turtles

    Brina and Karlie put together mini pizzas for our lunch together

    Delicious Pizza!  I snapped a picture before she wiped the pizza sauce off her face, but she’s all smiles after lunch!

    Caught Brina doing twirls around the room after eating lunch….I think she’s ready for our next adventure!

    Karlie loves spotting all the USA Flags.  She insisted that I take a picture of the one flying over the tennis stadium.

    Brina and Karlie standing in front of the “astronaut” in TGI Friday’s!

    Brina played so hard today on Daniel’s Island she crashed instantly

    Karlie is asleep with a smile on her face after a fun day

    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!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Our family was able to spend some time in Florida, visiting friends and seeing the area!  We got to go to Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, and Disney Magic Kingdom!  We had a blast visiting the amazing places and spending time with our friends.  Thankful for the awesome opportunities to create memories!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Prep for Summer Break – working on it 🙂
    3. Read at least one book to the girls every day – didn’t do this every day we were on vacation
    4. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    5. Plan & go on at least one family Adventure – went on a adventure to Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, and Disney soooo much fun!
    6. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – almost made it
    2. Review my upcoming goals
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
    4. Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House – work in progress
    3. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week – didn’t get home until the middle of the week and with everything going on so didn’t get this done
    4. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Work on upcoming speaking engagement

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
    3. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group – emailed the updated schedule and information

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – working on it
    3. Save money for upcoming trips – starting it
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – work in progress
    5. Save money for upcoming home projects – on hold temporarily

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Prep for Summer Break
    3. Read at least one book to the girls every day
    4. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    5. Attend the Girls First Grade Program
    6. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
    7. Swimming Lessons for the Kids
    8. Confirm the Schedule / Flights for upcoming Family Reunion

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Update my goals
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
    4. Finish The Hunger Games by Susan Collins (recommended by several friends)

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up & cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group
    3. Feed & Serve Homeless – 1 John Ministry

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Save money for upcoming trips
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
    5. Save money for upcoming home projects

    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

  • Book: “No One to Call Me Home” by James Close

    As I was going through a stack a books we had in the house and trying to decide which ones to keep, sale, giveaway, or donate I came across this book.  I cannot remember where it came from and hadn’t read it before but it captivated my attention so I decided to read it.  The book is called No One To Call Me Home by Reverend James J. Close and it is about Reverend Close’s ministry at the Mercy Boys Home in Chicago.  His ministry provides a home, meals, clothing, and a loving environment for homeless teenage boys.  The boys typically range between 14 to 18 years old (sometimes they take in younger siblings).  There is also a Mercy Girls Home but Reverend Close lived and worked at the Boys Home so the majority of the book discussed not only the lives of the kids he impacted but some of their struggles as well as successes.

    Some of the stories he told brought tears to my eyes…..stories of some of the obstacles small children and teenagers had to face such as starvation, stealing, crime, abuse, drugs, alcohol, neglect and so much more.  None of these children asked to grow up in these families.   The Mercy Home has reached out to many of these hurt teenagers and provided them a safe and healthy environment in hopes that they will be able to encourage the kids to heal and become successful adults.

    As a parent this book made me not only appreciate the stable (although not perfect) home environment I was raised in and motivates me to pray for wisdom as I raise my kids as well as find ways to make a positive impact on the lives of other children.  The book is short and a quick read but touches on many areas of the heart.  Although I don’t have all the same religious beliefs as Reverend Close I think he is on the right track with providing a safe, stable environment for these teenagers.  Not every story he has is successful but it is encouraging to know that through their ministry they are making a wonderful impact on many individuals and families.  It really makes you think about the ways you can make a positive impact on the lives of others.

    A few quotes that made an impact on me:

    The Mercy kids are some of the most courageous and extraordinary persons I have ever met.  Many have overcome immense odds to succeed in life.  Others were not so fortunate.  But each of them taught me about life and made me grateful for the simple blessings to be found in each day.

    Our street was as big as the universe to me…..when it started getting dark, the other kids’ moms would lean out the windows and start calling to their kids – it’s time to come home.  I would stay out there and keep playing until I was alone. I was always the last one to come home.  I always had to decide when to go in. There was never anyone to call me in – to call me home.

    Our kids have so few of the simple family experiences that most kids have growing up, it nearly boggles the mind.  I’m not talking about ritzy family vacations and Christmas Eve around the fireplace.  I’m talking about food in the refrigerator and the same bed every night.

    If all you’ve known is disappointment, if all you’ve been told is what a loser you are, if all you’ve seen is poverty and life on the other side of the law – it is hard to believe things can ever change for someone like you.

    I’m a strong believer in the power of prayer combined with effort and love. 

    They are just kids.  They need a place to live and someone to love them unconditionally.

  • New Upromise eCoupons for June 2012

    Upromise has posted their new eCoupons for the month of June 2012. Remember to activate your eCoupons to get additional savings. If you have not yet signed up for Upromise you can get more information regarding on our experience or directly at the Upromise website.

    This month they have 41 coupons you can activate for bonus savings. Once you activate your eCoupons all you have to do is scan your rewards card or purchase the items at the store and the cash will be added to your account. You don’t even have to carry any coupons to get the rewards!

    You can go to their website for more information on the Upromise program, it’s free to join.