Organized Chaos

  • Travel & Vacation: 40 Plus Hour Road Trip Together

    Our family recently went on a forty plus hour road trip together.  A lot of fun memories were created on our road trip up to New England including time spent with several extended family members.  Here are a few pictures of our journey in the van:

    Sleeping beauties in the van!

    Thankful to have girls who enjoy a long road trip.  I had to smile when I looked back and saw them fast asleep with their toys on their laps.

    Seriously, who needs a pillow when you have your sisters head to sleep against!

    This was a popular sight on our 40+ hour road trip.  The girls would be quiet so we would look back and see them sleeping soundly with their heads together.  A sister comes in handy for a pillow in a pinch!

    Look out Boston here we come!!!

    We had a blast staying with family in the Boston area.  Thankful for our time together with extended family!

    Going through the "Big Dig" in Boston

    The girls thought it was neat going through the long tunnel under the city!

    The girls enjoying one of their DVDs with head phones.

    We have a DVD player we can set up in the van which we use for long road trips.  Our policy is if the road trip is longer than 5 hours we will put in the DVD player.  The girls were VERY excited to go on a long road trip because they got to watch a couple movies.

    Beautiful day and amazing scenery.

    We enjoyed the beautiful landscape on our drive up north.  The green trees, puffy white clouds and Vermont Mountains in the distance.  One of these years we need to head up to New England during the Fall, I bet it is breathtaking when all the trees are turning.

    Little goodies and toys kept the girls entertained throughout the trip.

    Karlie watching a video while Brina plays with her remote control car.  They had a blast playing in the car and exploring when we stopped.

    Connecticul Welcomes Us! Yay!

    Even though we went through a lot of different states on our journey I was only able to capture a few state “Welcome” signs.  It was hard to time the pictures and at night none of them turned out well.  We made a brief stop in CT after trying three exits to find gas and a working restroom for the kiddos (I didn’t realize how many Mom/Pop gas stations didn’t have working restrooms).

    Downtown Hartford

    We only spent a few hours in Hartford, CT on our trip.  The girls said next trip they want to explore it more!

    Welcome to Pennsylvania!

    The traffic in Pennsylvania was less but the roads were much rougher.  We saw some beautiful scenery throughout the mountains of Pennsylvania!

    So busy painting they completely ignored my request for a picture!

    These books were a big hit, obviously!   The girls are always game for crafts and had been begging to “paint”.  I found the solution at Big Lots in their clearance section, paint books that use water pens to paint.  Less of a mess for us and more fun for the girls.  All we had to do was fill up their pens a couple times along the way.

    Beautiful river at sunset

     We were blessed to see a lot of wonderful scenery on the way.

    Our girls resting in the van!

    Despite the many hours on the road the girls were such troopers.  They did not complain at all even though they spent a lot of hours in the van.  It was neat to see them have fun, entertain themselves, and get excited about exploring the different areas we stopped.  Thankful for their sweet adventuresome spirit.  They even slept a good 5 to 7 hours as we were driving through the night!  Needless to say they were rested when we got home (Mommy and Daddy were exhausted).  For tips on flying with the kids check out Tips on Flying with Kids.

    “A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  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.  Go with a good attitude and looking 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!

  • Family Recipe: Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw

    The red and green cabbage fresh from our garden is now ready to be turned into coleslaw!

     

    During the summers when I was a kid I always enjoyed going to visit my Grandparents.  Many summers I would spend a couple weeks helping Grandma Willa make meals while the guys were harvesting wheat.  Grandma made the BEST coleslaw.  It was one of my favorite side dishes she would make throughout the summer.  I recently harvested a couple cabbages out of our garden so I had the opportunity to make Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw for guests.

    Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw:

    • 1 package Coleslaw Mix or 1/2 medium head of Cabbage, shredded (or part of a green cabbage and part of a red)
    • 1 small Green Onion (yellow onion will work too)
    • 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
    • 1/2 cup Almond Slivers
    • 1 package Ramon Chicken Flavored Noodles (uncooked), noodles broken in pieces (beef flavor will work as well)

    Dressing:

    • 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1/3 cup Vinegar (white or apple vinegar)
    • 1/2 cup Sugar
    • 1/2 cup Oil

    Mix the coleslaw (or cabbage) and onion together.  Measure and place in a separate bowl the Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, and Ramon Noodles.  Mix the dressing and add chicken ramon flavor packets to the dressing.  Pour the dressing over salad and mix well.  Before serving add the mixture of Sunflower Seeds, Almonds and Noodles (adding before serving makes sure they are crunchy when you eat the salad).  Serve and enjoy!

    You can also add a lot of other great items to make the coleslaw more colorful and tasty:

    • 1/2 cup Raisins
    • 1/2 cup sliced Apples
    • 1/2 cup shredded Carrots
    • 1/2 cup shredded Broccoli Steams

    I always add the raisins to the coleslaw and sometimes the carrots & apples depending on what I have in the kitchen.

  • Summer Recipe: Cucumber Water

    Fresh Garden Cucumber in a Pitcher of Water

    You probably have had a glass of water with a lemon wedge in it for extra zest, but have you tried Cucumber Water?  Instead of adding a lemon to your glass of water today try adding a couple slices of cucumbers.  During the summer months when we have fresh garden cucumbers we like to slice them up and add them to a pitcher of water for extra flavor.  It is a great drink variation you can  bring to the dinner table.  It’s especially fun to serve when you have guests.  If your family enjoys cucumbers this is a refreshing drink to try.  Add a few slices to your pitcher of water today.

    • 1 sliced Cucumber
    • Water

    Slice up the cucumber and add it to a pitcher of water.  Allow the cucumber to remain the water about an hour before serving for extra flavor.

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points

    Receive another 5 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  BABYISDUEANYDAY

    The code didn’t have an expiration date but they usually expire in a few days so be sure to add it to your account soon!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • Living on a Budget: Creative Cash (July Update)

    July is my sixth month tracking my Creative Cash.  What is Creative Cash?  Creative Cash is finding ways to come up with extra cash to share with others as well as work on our current goal.  I am working part time, a stay at home Mom, and wear many other hats from day to day, however, I feel that it is important to save money for our family by using coupons and buying items on sale but to earn a little money to help with the extra expenses and to share with others.  The extra amount I bring in on top of the work is what I call “Creative Cash” which means finding ways to make money creatively or with items and talents I have already.  I have tested this goal over the last couple months as I am challenging myself to make my life more simplified.   I plan to continue this goal for the remaining months of the year.  Despite the many financial obstacles that we have faced as a family we have been blessed with so much.  We believe it is important to be accountable with our finances and give to others.

    Explanation: The creative cash will be made throughout the entire month through various endeavors.  As it comes in the money is placed into our savings account and withdrawn at the end of the month so it can be split.  It is my goal to make at least $100 extra a month to help with our goals as well as share with others.  At the end of the month the money will be split 50 / 50 with half going towards our current goal we are working on (which at the moment is paying down debt) and the other half going to charity.

    To be honest July was not a great month, our family was extremely active in many other areas.  I have only been home one weekend the past couple of months so it has been difficult squeezing in the extra activities to generate the creative cash.  I am thankful that we have had the opportunity to travel together as a family and create many great new memories, however, the creative cash has been effected by it.  I anticipate August being another busy month but hopefully once the girls get back in school life will once again return our new “normal” and I can come closer to meeting this goal.  Thankfully I was able to save some extra cash even though I did not reach my my goal of $100.  I want to share with you the ways we did it so if you are looking for ways to make a little extra creative cash for your family hopefully we can be an inspiration in getting your creative juices flowing:

    • $18.98 – Other miscellaneous amounts earned  (rebates, returns, cash back,  extra money, etc…) that was added to my stash for the month.  Most of the cash this month was from rebate checks I received from prior purchases.

    It was a harder month to set the extra aside because it was very busy and I was not able to participate in as many extra creative cash activities.  The good news is despite the crazy schedule I was able to get a few dollars of creative cash.   July’s “Creative Cash” total was $18.98 which means $9.49 extra that goes towards our current goal (paying down debt) and $9.49 goes towards charity.  I didn’t hit my $100 goal this month.  It has been really busy with school being out and traveling with the family.  I am happy that I was able to something this month and every little bit helps us get a little closer to our goals as well as helps others along the way.  I have plan of action on ways to earn creative cash in August so stayed tuned, hopefully, it will be another month where we can get closer to our goal and share with others.  Each month I do a variety activities to accomplish this goal, the items above are just the ones I did specifically in July.  I look forward to sharing more of the things that work well for our family as I do them in the upcoming months.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating  and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to find ways to help our family as well as invest in the lives of others is important to us.  I hope that we have been able to encourage you to find ways to come up with some creative cash for your household as well.  Obviously, each situation and family is unique so decide what works for you and go for it!  Do you know of another way to earn creative cash?   I would love to hear your idea!

    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.

    Photo by StopNLook

  • Travel & Vacation: Fun in Charleston

    On our family road trip to Charleston we got to discover neat places.  Thanks to a friend, who gave us some information in advance, we had a blast exploring new kid playgrounds during our time away.   It was a fun filled inexpensive mini vacation together.

    Karlie climbing.

    The girls and I spent one morning at the Mt. Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park.  They loved it!

    Brina on the tire swing.

    Brina loves spinning on this swing!

    Karlie enjoying her time at the playground.

    It took a lot of work to climb up the jungle gym and go down this slide, Karlie is quite pleased with her accomplishment!

    Brina loves this slide.

    Brina happy to finally go down the slide, several kids fell trying to get up the jungle gym to go down this slide.

    Giggling as they look down on Mommy!

    Brina and Karlie loved being up high and thought it was hilarious how “tiny” Mommy was on the ground.

    Brina determined to get find the diving stick.

    The girls swam for hours in the hotel pool.  They had fun splashing, playing, relaxing and meeting new friends.

    Karlie loved splashing around in the pool.

    We spent almost five hours in the pool that afternoon.  The nice part about where the pool was located is that part of it was in the shade throughout the day so you didn’t have to be out in the intense heat all day swimming.

    Daddy, Karlie and Brina ready for dinner at Red's

    We ate at a local seafood restaurant one night.  The girls favorite part was that the kids meals were served on a frisbee so they were able to take it home with them, they thought it was so funny.

    Crossing the Arthur Ravenel Bridge just after sun down to go into downtown Charleston.

    We gave the girls the option after dinner to go back to the hotel and swim or go to downtown Charleston and drive around.  Much to our surprise they wanted to go explore downtown Charleston.  They always enjoyed going over this bridge!

    The girls wanted to know all the history behind the cannons.

    Daddy patiently answered many questions on the history behind Charleston and the surrounding area during our walk through the park and downtown.

    The most bizarre thing we saw in Charleston.

    As we were walking through the part we saw a visible path of white feathers about 3 to 5 feet across from one tree to the next tree (about 30 to 40 feet away).  The feathers had obviously been placed there for a reason, we believe there is some historical resemblance but not sure.  Can anyone who has more knowledge on the history of Charleston give us an explanation?  It was odd seeing a path of feathers between two huge trees and several cars as they were driving by honked as they passed that part of the park.

    See the white line between the two trees? It is a wide path of white feathers.

    I am still a little perplexed by this one…..

    Our family thoroughly enjoy Charleston the food, adventures, and time together was refreshing.  I am thrilled the girls had fun exploring the town.  I have a little bit more about our Charleston adventures coming up soon so stay tuned!

    “A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  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.  Go with a good attitude and looking 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: Road Trip to Charleston

    We recently went on a road family road trip to Charleston, it technically was a work and family fun trip combined. I am thankful for a wonderful time together exploring Charleston.  A lot of great memories were made that week!

    Brina and Karlie in Charleston!

    This is the pier near the Waterfront Park, you can get a good view of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge from the pier.

    Brina enjoying the slide!

    The girls loved the Waterfront Park, thanks Janet for telling us about this great park!  The park is directly under the large Arthur Ravenel Bridge.  It is great having the park under the bridge because the majority of it is shaded even during the hottest parts of the day.

    Karlie fun at the Waterfront Park.

    Karlie climbing on the jungle gym at Waterfront Park.  If you look above her head you can see the cement from the bridge above us.  You can hear all the traffic going along the bridge as you are playing on the playground.  It’s a great park and if you go they charge $0.50 per hour to park (they take cash, coins, credit / debit).  I was never able to get the credit / debit to work so I would suggest making sure you have cash or coins prior to going to the park.

    Brina spinning at the park.

    The girls do better at spinning then I do.  They thought this was so much fun standing and twisting around!

    Karlie doing her workbook at the hotel.

    Karlie and Brina thought it was great doing a few pages of their workbooks in the hotel.  They did really well!  Karlie made her own desk out of an end table and used the cooler for her chair, she was so proud of her “creative” desk.

    Brina on the Waterfront slide.

    Back at Waterfront park for more fun.  The girls loved the park so much they wanted to show Daddy so we got pizza, ate a picnic at the park and let the girls play so more.

    Karlie on the slide.

    Karlie having a blast on the slide at the park.

    Brina spinning.

    The girls thought these were awesome.  No matter how you sat in these stools you would spin.  I was surprised at how long they could spin, Mommy didn’t last nearly as long!

    Karlie still dazed from a big spin.

    These seats were hilarious.  Karlie lost a shoe on this spin!

    Daddy and Brina on the double swing.

    They had double swings under awnings along the pier.  It was beautiful and cool sitting together enjoying a swing!

    Mommy and Karlie swinging on the other side!

    We had a blast in Charleston.  The first day we spent exploring a little bit and enjoying some time playing at their beautiful park.  Thankful for a great time with the family creating memories!

    “A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  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.  Go with a good attitude and looking 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!

  • Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – Zucchini, Green Beans, Squash, Lettuce, Cucumber, Strawberries, Purple Beans, and Tomatoes!

    We are loving the fresh vegetables from our garden!  This week I only took one picture from the garden because we were traveling.  The good news is we were able to take some of our goodies from the garden to share with family along the way.  Also, while we are gone my brother and his family get to pick any of the produce that is ready for themselves or to give away so I didn’t get pictures of the items they picked while we were out of town.

    Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:

    Fresh Garden Produce!

    We were able to pick this all in one day fresh from the garden.  Fresh Zucchini, Green Beans, Summer Squash, Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Whole Size Tomatoes, Fresh Leafy Green Lettuce, Purple Beans, a handful of Strawberries that made it in the picture and a Banana Pepper (not pictured because it was ate by the kiddos).  Some of these items we delivered to a good friend since we were traveling and we wanted to make sure they were eaten while they were still fresh.

    We were able to share some of the veggies this week with family and friends!  Thankful for a garden that we can share!

    What are you eating out of your garden this week?

  • Spending Time with Grandma!

    We were so thankful that my Mom was able to come visit us for several days.  She went with us to Savannah for my cousins graduation and time at the beach.  The girls love spending time with Grandma and were thrilled to hang out together.

     

    Grandma Penny helping the girls do their workbooks!

    I think Grandma Penny was much more patient then Mommy doing the workbooks!

     

    Grandma Penny reading books to the girls!

    The girls love it when Grandma reads them books.  Today they relaxed for a few minutes on the front porch with a stack of books to read together.  Thank you Mom for reading to our girls, they LOVE their time with you!  I am thankful for a Mom who takes the time to be with our family.  The girls have many wonderful family memories because of moments like these!

     

  • New Upromise eCoupons for July 2011

    Upromise has posted their new eCoupons for the month of July 2011.  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 28 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.