Organized Chaos

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We made it through last week.  Jake had some work travel.  We had people coming and doing to get the new HVAC unit installed.  My week was altered and adjusted as needed so I could be home whenever they needed to get access to the house to do their work.  Thankfully we were able to get the HVAC completely installed by Saturday and it appears to be working well.  It will be nice to have cool air once the heat hits.  This week is a little closer to normal, however, I have a lot of appointments due to last week being a little more flexible.  The girls will still be busy with homework and some more State testing, but I am hoping that it will not be as intense this week.  If all goes well I hope to get a lot accomplished this week.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Boxcar Children’s Blue Bay Mystery (Boxcar Children Series #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner to the kids – working on it, we got some done this past weekend
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kidsplayed a couple games with the kids Destination USA, Life, and more
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring 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(s)
    9. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break – getting closer to having the schedule figured out
    10. Ride Bikes with the Kids – didn’t get to this one
    11. Work on special projects with the kids
    12. Mail Mother’s Day Cards
    13. Celebrate Mother’s Day with Family

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – my app is acting up, hoping to get the kinks worked out this week
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals – I had some great days, but was still a little off by the end of the week
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day it took more than one day with all the activity going on
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – the attic was a busy place with HVAC people coming and going so tried to stay out of their way this week
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting) – didn’t re-stain deck, but got several other items done
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Pick up Dog and Goat Food)we also took Skipper to get her annual shots
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – a couple more to get completed
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients – have 2 more projects to tackle this week
    5. Prep, plan, and organize content for upcoming summer months with kids out of schoolmaking some good progress, hoping to tackle a lot more this week

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Medical Bills – working on it – paid a couple off 
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, HVAC unit, and other debt) – working on it
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Boxcar Children’s Blue Bay Mystery (Boxcar Children Series #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring 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(s)
    9. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    10. Ride Bikes with the Kids
    11. Work on special projects with the kids
    12. Attend Cousins Baby Shower
    13. Kids glasses fixed
    14. Kids orthodontist appointment

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    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. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Laundry Room)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Deck Cleaned & Prepped)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Mix Extra Vitamins in Goat Food)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Pick Up Replacement Lightbulbs)

    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
    5. Prep, plan, and organize content for upcoming summer months while the kids are out of school

    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, HVAC unit, and other debt)
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    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: Cute Panda Bears and Wildlife Show at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)

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    Panda Bear content to relax and eat bamboo

    The panda bears were one of the girls favorite animals to visit at the Atlanta Zoo.  I think the big fascination was watching the twin panda cubs.  It was a little harder to get a picture of both of them at the same time, but the kids loved watching them eat and play.  The Wildlife Show on birds was pretty neat too.  Of course the girls went up after the show to ask more questions about the birds.  The zoo worker was really great with the kids and patient in answering all the questions.  On the way out the girls wanted a picture with the gorilla.  It was a great day at the zoo.

    You can read more about our adventure at the Atlanta Zoo on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA), and Travel & Vacation: Orangutan Easter Egg Hunt at Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)  blog posts.

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    Looking pretty cute!

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    Look out, showing some teeth this time. Watch out!  They may look cute and adorable, but I think it would  not be a good idea to pet them with teeth that size.

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    Someone found an Easter pinata

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    Loving the bamboo

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    Peeling the bamboo stick apart, eating some pieces, and putting the other pieces on his belly for later.

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    Crunchy, but delicious

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    Good stuff

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    Panada’s look so cute

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    Checking things out around the pen

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    Heading towards some more goodies

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    Twin panda’s in their cage.  One sleeping on the log and the other one eating some bamboo

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    Relaxing and chewing on some bamboo

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     Bird Show in the Wildlife Theater at the Atlanta Zoo

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    Getting all their questions answered

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    Brina giving Willie B a hug

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    Karlie and Brina enjoyed the Atlanta Zoo

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    Karlie all smiles

  • Travel & Vacation: Orangutan Easter Egg Hunt at Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)

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    He’s eying that cool looking pinata egg with sweet Easter treats inside it!

    Another one of the neat events at the Atlanta Zoo was the Easter treats for the animals.  We were able to get front row viewing at the Orangutan Easter egg hunt.  It was super cute.  There was a Mommy with a little one which the girls thought was adorable.

    The Easter Eggs were made of jello and placed throughout the pen, pinata eggs full of special treats, leaf baskets with goodies, and cardboard cutouts with peanut like substance on the back for the orangutans to enjoy.  They had a lot of fun finding and snacking on their treats.  Even the baby found some.  They had paper garland hanging up which the orangutans enjoyed moving and playing with as well.

    You can read more about our adventure at the Atlanta Zoo on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) and Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog posts.

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    An edible Easter egg in the tree and one on the rock in the background….waiting to be found!

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    Swinging out to get the Easter garland

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    Oh yeah, this eggs mine!

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    Climbed up on top of the platform for this pinata treat

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    Enjoying the goodies inside the pinata Easter egg

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    Holding the cardboard cutout of the bunny rabbit and licking the treat off the back of it

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    Hanging out near the hammock picking up and eating eggs, delicious!

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    Look closely, he’s got a green jello egg in his mouth

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    Momma and baby

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    Sitting in the shade – Mom and Baby (the baby is not really little, but obviously still under its Mother’s care)

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    Mom and baby kisses

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    Licking the goodness off the back of the cardboard Easter egg decoration

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    Mom and baby looking for some more treats

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    The baby wasn’t too sure about everything at first so it stuck near its Mom at the beginning of the Easter Egg Hunt

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    The baby is getting brave.  He is climbing the pole to get the Easter basket, with a little Chick, and goodies.

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    Made it, now to grab it and head back down.

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    The Mom watched the baby climb, get the treats, and bring them back down.  Then she took the items from the baby and ate them herself, ha!   The baby did get some treats, but Momma Orangutan got the first dibs!

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    Rearranging the Easter Garland in their pen.

  • Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)

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     Lioness pacing on her rock

    We had a blast seeing all the animals on our recent trip to the Atlanta Zoo.  We arrived just as the Zoo opened in the morning and stayed until closing.  The kids loved seeing all the animals, the activities, and special events.  It was a busy, packed, and fun day together.  We walked all over the area of the zoo several times over.  The morning was a little cooler, but it was very comfortable by mid-morning (not too cold or hot).  You can read more about our adventure on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog post.  

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     The two lionesses were playing and pouncing on each other while we were there.  They were so fast we weren’t able to get a non-blurry picture of both of them together.  It was neat to watch them playing around instead of just sleeping on their rock.

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     Better watch out….

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     Tiger giving himself a bath.

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     Out for a stroll

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     The seal was catching the fish they were throwing at them.  You can see the fish right in front of him.

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     Karlie and Brina learning about snakes.

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     Karlie having fun

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     Learning more about this little turtle

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    Curled up and watching people as they go by his cage

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     Brina fascinated by all the animals

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    What’s in this one!?

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     Karlie and Mommy having fun at the Atlanta Zoo

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     Me and my girls!  They are growing up so fast.  Thankful for these little adventures together as a family!

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    Brina was always good a spotting the animals really quickly, not sure how she does it so fast!

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     The snake was following the heat from Karlie’s hand

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     Jake and his girls at the Atlanta Zoo

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     Jake is always so good about explaining and showing the girls different pieces of information about the animals.  The snake is acting like it might try to strike Jake’s hand through the glass in this picture, but it never did.

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     The bear brought this branch with leaves on top of the platform so he could eat it by himself without the other one bothering him.

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    Fun times!

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    They loved learning about all the different wildlife.

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    Love my family!  Grateful for the opportunity to hang out at the Atlanta Zoo for the day!

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    Such a rough life…. They look so cute and cuddly.

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    This is a “Tanuki” it is very timid and doesn’t come out very often per one of the zoo workers that we asked.  We walked by its cage multiple times and never saw it out until almost the end of the day.  It gets spooked easy so it is not visible very often.

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    How does your Mom carry you!?  Silly girls – Brina and Karlie

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    Karlie loves brushing the farm animals. She is currently on her way to brush another one.

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    Brina talking with the zoo worker about goats and asking questions.  He was really nice and pointed out several different types of goats and characteristics of the ones near her.

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    Brina and Karlie brushing one goat.  Lots of TLC for this Mamma goat.  They always love the interactive animal adventures.

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    The giraffe is eying us while the ostrich was too busy eating to give us any attention

  • Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)

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     Our family at the Atlanta Zoo!

    We surprised the girls with a long weekend trip to Atlanta, Georgia over Easter weekend.  They were very excited to go explore the Atlanta area.  We are members of our local zoo so we were able to get into the Atlanta Zoo at a discount which was really nice.  The kids love animals, learning more about various ones, interacting, and so much more.

    Since it was Easter weekend at the Atlanta Zoo the animals were getting special treats to enjoy for the Holiday.  The new Amphibian & Reptile Exhibit also opened the weekend we were there as well.  There were a lot of people at the zoo, but it was so big we had plenty of time do see and do almost everything (some things the kids enjoyed it so much we did it again).

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    Pink Flamingos were hanging out peacefully near the entrance to the zoo

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    So excited….Karlie and Brina!  They have their maps out and are ready to GO!

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     The birds were sleeping peacefully all together on one branch.

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     It was a little chilly when we first got there in the shade at opening, but no one was complaining!

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     Birds of all colors

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    Brina soaking it all in.  She loves animals.

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     Playing around in the water puddles.

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     Karlie smiling as she quietly watches the birds and little kids.

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     Meerkat’s roaming around in their pen.

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     There is always one Meerkat on watch (or guard) for predators

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     They gave the Meerkats a pillow case stuffed full of hay, little bugs, and special treats.  They were a little timid about it at first, but before long they were all taking turns going into the pillow case and digging out their special treats.

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     Are you done yet!  Hurry up and get your bug so I can get my turn inside the Easter treat sack!!!

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     They look cute, but serious.  Look at those claws on this meerkat!  Yikes!

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    Rhino heading out into the sun after getting some sticky mud on itself to protect it from a sunburn.

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     This rhino was moving the stick around and chewing on it.  Must of had something tasty on it.

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     They drew flowers, easter eggs, and bunny rabbits with chalk on the rocks in the Zebra’s pen.

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     The warthogs got hard boiled and colored Easter eggs for their special treat.  They both found the first one about the same time.

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     Someone found the purple Easter egg!

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    The elephants had Easter eggs that had a jello consistency that they place in baskets made of leaves.   This elephant just discovered the basket of leaves and is moving it out of the way so she can eat her jello Easter egg.

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     Whole lot of elephants!  They had a huge pen and sometimes if you couldn’t see them on one side you had to go around to see them in a different section.

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     Jake and his girls exploring the Atlanta Zoo

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     Beautiful bird

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     Brina found Big Bird’s Nest!!! HA!

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     My two little chickies in the huge nest!

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    Karlie thought the nest was hilarious!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was busy, but good.  The girls survived their first week of State testing at school and we tried to do some fun activities every day to keep help make the week go more pleasantly with them.  They have another round this week though.  They played outside a little more to get fresh air and were a huge help in getting some yard work done.  They helped me clean up the pool, pick up a bunch of sticks from the trees in the yard, and even a bonfire (which they loved).  Thankful for my kids and their willingness to work hard so we can get things done as a family.

    Jake and I had a Date Night on Friday which was really nice to get out and how some quiet time together as a couple.   Jake got both of the vehicles oil changes complete, mowed the lawn (thanks to my brother letting us borrow his mower), and a whole lot of other tasks done around the house and yard this weekend.  We ended Saturday with a delicious meal over the bonfire.  Sunday we went to church, relaxed, and had a planning session for the upcoming week.  All in all it was a good week and it was the first weekend in weeks that we stayed home for the entire weekend which was really nice!  While it was a productive week for me I didn’t necessarily do what was on my “goal” list, I plan to do better about sticking to it this week.  Hoping to get a lot accomplished this week as there is a lot I want to do before the kids get out of school.    Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids – we didn’t play a board game this week, but we spent good quality time together
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring 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(s)
    9. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break – we made some progress on it this weekend, hoping to wrap up some of the other big details within the next week
    10. Ride Bikes with the Kids – the kids rode bikes, but I didn’t get a chance to ride with them this week
    11. Mail out Mother’s Day Cards
    12. Celebrate Mother’s Day
    13. Go on Date Nights with the Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – it was acting up a few times last week so I am about 2 days behind schedule
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – it was two days this week with everything going on
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – girls closets are done, but still need to do my and Jake’s clothes. 
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip) – almost done, hopefully this week
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting) – we scrapped doing this activity instead cleaned up the pool, mowed, picked up & burned sticks, changed oil in both vehicles
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Give Skipper a Bath) – she still needs her bath, but all the animals did get a good brushing from the kids which they loved with all their fur shedding now that it is getting a lot warmer
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home) – working on it, should be done this week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – need to get a couple more completed
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – got a little behind this week
    4. Work completed for clients – have one more to complete soon

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – made another payment this week, slowly and surely we’re getting there
    2. Payoff Medical Bills – working on it
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, HVAC unit, and other debt) – working on it
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Boxcar Children’s Blue Bay Mystery (Boxcar Children Series #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring 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(s)
    9. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    10. Ride Bikes with the Kids
    11. Work on special projects with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    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. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Pick up Dog and Goat Food)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home)

    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
    5. Prep, plan, and organize content for upcoming summer months with kids out of school

    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, HVAC unit, and other debt)
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    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: Dry Erase Board Notes

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    Karlie’s dry erase board note to Jake

    In case you already haven’t noticed our family LOVES to travel.  Occasionally when Jake travels for work the rest of us get to tag along with him.  A lot of times his days are long and we don’t always get to see him throughout the day.  On our last work trip I told the girls to bring their dry erase boards and markers so we could “leave Daddy a note” for the day.  If he came back to the hotel room and we were not there he could see our notes, know what we were up to, and hopefully feel the love that we were sending his way.  It is not always possible to know when he may have a moment to run back to the room and if we are across town we cannot make it back in time to say “hi” so this is a little way to let him know that we are thinking about him even though we couldn’t be there to give him a hug in person.

    During this recent trip all of us were up with the sun at 6 am every morning and off in our separate ways shortly thereafter.  Sometimes it would be midnight or later before we reconnected again.  Several times Jake also left a note on the back of the dry erase boards for us which the girls loved.  If he had a few minutes and knew that we would be getting back really late he would prep dinner for us so we could make it quickly while the girls were showering so they could eat, relax for a few minutes, and crash in bed.

    We ate all but one breakfast and dinner in our hotel room.  All our lunches we packed in our backpacks and would eat whenever we were exploring for that day.  To help with the preparation and meal plan we brought a hot pot (yes, like the ones you use in college) to make our meals.  We were able to make some good, quick, healthy, and inexpensive meals in our hotel room like sloppy joes, mac-n-cheese, chicken & rice, soup, and more!  It was nice to relax together at the end of the day before hitting the bed.

    Every time we left for the day each girl would get out their dry erase boards and leave a note for Jake.  I would add an note to the bottom or side of each of their notes.  They had a lot of fun doing this for him and looked forward to it every morning.

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    Brina’s note to Daddy

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    Karlie letting Daddy know we are going to check out the animals!

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    Brina’s note to Daddy with a variety of colors.

    Monorail, Disney, Epcot, Flowers, Notes, Daddy, Pools, Dolphin Resort, Boardwalk, Swimming, Miniature Golf,

    Karlie’s note that includes a “heart family” of all of us.  Cute!

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    Brina’s note with hearts and letting him know to have “fun and do a good job”!

    Walt Disney World, Magic Kindom, Disney, Orlando, FL, Travel, Vacation

    Brina’s note to Dad with my note to the love of my love.

    Dry Erase Board Notes

    Jake’s note letting us know he prepped the meal and all we had to do is add water and boil.

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    Sweet note from my Handsome man!

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    Note from Karlie with her and Daddy as heart people.

    The girls love their Dad so very much.  It is precious to see how they enjoy not only doing little things for him, but also how excited they get to spend some extra time with him.  Thankful for a husband who works so hard to provide for our family.  He takes good care of all of us and always makes each of us feel special.  He is thoughtful, generous, and kind.  Even though he works hard he always makes a point to spend time with us as a family.  I am blessed in many ways.

    If your spouse travels and you go along with them you can easily do this for your spouse as well.  It was super simple, but made everyone feel more connected throughout the long days apart.  I hope that it made Jake’s days a little bit brighter.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We flew through last week with all the school, work, and other activities going on.  The girls finished and turned in their Science Fair journals and display boards on Friday!  WooHoo!  It was so nice to get them done.  They hand wrote over 100 pages in their journals and spent countless hours on the project.  They don’t actually present the project until the middle of May, but the majority of the work is complete and turned in for the teacher to grade.  This past weekend we were able to get away for a little bit to Georgia and have some fun!  We went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival which was very entertaining; I will share more about that in a later post.   This week the girls have a bunch of their year end State tests so hoping there is not a lot of homework so we can do some stuff around the house, yard, and have some extra fun in the evenings too.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell to the kids – we actually got to get a good start on this book, hoping to wrap it up this week
    2. Plan one special activity with the familywe had fun in Georgia over the weekend and went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival
    3. Play a Game with the Kidswe played Destination USA and a couple other ones together
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring 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. Finish and turn in the kids Science Fair Projects
    10. Prep for upcoming Summer Break

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – it was acting up last week, hoping to get caught up soon
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals – I blew it away on a couple of days and missed my target on a day or two, so probably if I average the week I hit close to my goal
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily – it doesn’t get written down every day, need to do better

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one daytook 2 days with the altered schedule this past week
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – it was cool and one of my daughters wanted to wear long sleeves last week so hoping to get it put up this week
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip) – almost done!
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Clean Off the Deck)the kids actually helped get this done
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Get Another Water Bucket set Out for the Goats)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – have a couple more to do
    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 Medical Bills – working on it (finished another one, now if we can just not go to the Dr again for a few months, ha)
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt) – working on it
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) 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 Spring 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(s)
    9. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    10. Ride Bikes with the Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    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. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Give Skipper a Bath)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home)

    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. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    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.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    This past week went by in a whirlwind.  Jake was traveling for work, the girls have been working diligently every day on their Science Fair Project which is due pretty soon, and there were a lot of extra activities and appointments going on.  We made it through the week in one piece, but hoping it slows down soon.  I was not aware of how time consuming the Science Fair projects would be.  Not sure if this week is much quieter, but I am hoping to make some more progress in the right direction. Due to the many activities going on this week several items are going to be the same again because I was unable to get to them.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell to the kids – we haven’t had as much time to read for fun with all the extra work on the Science Fair Projects, hoping to get to this more soon
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the KidsPlayed the  Destination USA Board Game with them
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring 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 – are brainstorming and trying to work out the details (and scheduling)
    9. Finish the kids Science Fair Projects – almost done!!!!!!!
    10. Prep for upcoming Summer Break – starting to fill in the schedule

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – I am about 3 days behind, need to catch up this week
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals – I did it!!!!
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily – this one didn’t get updated daily with everything going on

    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. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – other items took priority and with the cold rainy days one of my daughters wore her jeans and long shirts all week!
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from FL, STEM, and Atlanta trips) – got all the Florida and STEM ones completed, just need to tackle the Atlanta trip
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Clean Off the Deck) – it rained the entire week here in SC
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Get Another Water Bucket set Out for the Goats) – have one that will be repositioning soon

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – need to catch up
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – I did the high priority or hot items
    4. Work completed for clients –  have a few projects to complete soon

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Medical Bills- working on it (paid off a couple this week, YAY!)
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt)- working on it
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) 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 Spring 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. Finish and turn in the kids Science Fair Projects
    10. Prep for upcoming Summer Break

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    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. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Clean Off the Deck)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Get Another Water Bucket set Out for the 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
    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. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    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.

  • Free Ebooks: Life Without Clutter, Zap Your Procrastination, Critical Thinking, Nikola Tesla, Frugal Hacks, and more!

    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.

    Download a free copy of Life Without Clutter: A Textbook on The Most Effective Ways to Dispose of All Types of Clutter by Janet Curry

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