Organized Chaos

  • Summer Activities: Fun Family Day at Home!

    School’s out and the summer heat is here. We love spending time as a family outside, however, some of that time involves finding cool activities to do during the summer heat.  There is always something fun to do during the girls summer vacation away from school.  Below are some of the fun adventures we did on a recent Saturday together.

    Swimming in the Pool

    Brina and Karlie Swimming in the Pool!

    Eating Ice Cream

    Daddy, Karlie, Brina and Skipper enjoying a bowl of ice cream on the front porch!

    Napping in the Hammock

    Karlie snoozing in the shade on the hammock after a swim in the pool!

    Playing Under the Jungle Gym – Sand Fun

    Brina "cleaning" the sand off the Jungle Gym after swimming in the pool!

    Science Experiments

    Growing Rocks in a Rainbow of Colors! Since one of the girls is into "sharks" I choose a shark background for this experiment.

     

    Brina and Karlie watching the rocks grow! It was an interesting experiment over a couple days!

     

  • Book: “The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room” by Stan and Jan Berenstain

    I love my kiddos, however, there are days I feel like all I do is pick up after the entire family.  It is amazing how quickly the house can get cluttered.  When you add all the kid books, toys and goodies it can become a mess in a hurry.  The girls do help pick up but the process is not always the most efficient and every so often we make a point to go through the toys and books they have to keep our home from getting cluttered with extra stuff.  We like the book  The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Stan & Jan Berenstain.  They have a whole series of great “character” books that our girls enjoy.  This is one of the books Mommy pulls out occasionally to read because it is good to not only remind the kids but the adults in our household that it is important to take care of the items we have.  Also, I like how they encourage the cubs to share with others.  I think it is important that we are good examples as parents first followed by teaching them through books and spending time organizing / putting away their toys with them.  What is one of your favorite Berenstain Bear books?

  • Recipe: Taco Lasagna

     

    Taco Lasagna, one of our family's favorites!

    Taco Lasagna is a favorite menu request in our household.  It is one that my husband requests at least once a month and it is super easy to make.  Our friend, Terry,  from church was kind enough to share the recipe with us.  If you like taco’s this is a great recipe to check out.  It uses flour tortillas instead of pasta to separate the layers.  Brina helped me put this one together, she even sliced the olives all by herself, did one complete layer and added cheese.  Glad that she enjoys helping Mommy in the kitchen!  Thanks for sharing the recipe Terry!

    Taco Lasagna:

    • 1 pound ground Beef or Turkey
    • 1/2 cup chopped Green Pepper (optional)
    • 1/2 cup chopped Onions
    • 2/3 cup Water
    • 1 package of Taco Seasoning
    • 1 (15 oz) can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 (14.5 oz ) can Mexican Tomatoes, undrained
    • 1 (16 oz) can Refried Beans
    • 6 (8 inch) Flour Tortillas
    • 3 cups shredded Mexican Cheese

    In a large skillet, cook the meat, green pepper, and onion over medium heat until done.  Add water and taco seasoning; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 2 minutes.  Stir in black beans and tomatoes.  Simmer uncovered 10 minutes.  Place 2 flour tortillas in a greased 13 x 9 pan.  Spread half of the refried beans then half of the beef mixture.  Sprinkle with 1 cup Mexican cheese.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining tortillas and cheese (I try to add a little extra cheese if I have it and sliced olives if we have them in the pantry or fridge).  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is melted.  I usually take the foil off the last few minutes to let the cheese on top get a little crispy since our family likes it that way.

  • Fresh & Healthy: How We Split Our First Cherry Tomato 4 Ways

    Our first tomato this year was a sweet little cherry tomato!

    The garden has been a wonderful teaching opportunity for our kids in many ways from the science of preparing, planting, and maintaining it to sharing with others and many more great learning moments.  One of the most exciting parts about the garden is seeing the plants start producing vegetables and fruits.  The tomato plants took (months according to the girls) to turn from green to red.  We have made it a point to split the first type of vegetable or fruit that comes out of the garden four ways.  The first pick of lettuce, summer squash, zucchini, etc….were easy to split among the family.  The first tomato happened to be a little red cherry tomato.  The girls giggled thinking their was no way we could split it four ways.  We teased them about making 4 sandwiches out of the tomato and they thought that would be impossible.  My sweet husband came up with a great solution that was a huge hit.  The girls had a blasting watching us come up with a delicious treat to share with the whole family.  They were amused and excited to eat their first BLT sandwich of the summer!

     

    Making our first "tomato" sandwiches of the summer season!

    We took a tortilla, small scoop and cut out 8 little circles to make our sandwiches.

    Cutting up our first tomato to eat on our sandwiches!

    Daddy carefully cut the tomato into 4 slices.

    Our first BLT sandwich - the mini version!

    The first cherry tomato became a mini BLT’s for the family.  We had tortilla’s for the bread, fresh lettuce from the garden, the fresh cherry tomato and a small piece of bacon.  Who’s ready for a BLT?!

    My first BLT sandwich of the summer with fresh lettuce and our first tomato from the garden!

    The girls giggled while eating their bite sized BLT sandwiches.  They didn’t think Mommy and Daddy could make 4 sandwiches with our first tomato since it was a cherry tomato.  We did it and they tasted delicious!  These would make great appetizers and you can use fresh garden veggies to put them together.  Make up a few, your kids will LOVE them!

     

  • Fresh & Healthy: Having Fun with Produce

    Fruit and Veggie Snack

    The girls have enjoyed helping pick vegetables and fruits from our garden this summer.   They don’t get too excited about pulling the weeds but have gotten better at spotting produce and picking it.  Once the fresh produce is washed they are always fascinated at seeing all the goodies spread out on the counter.  Many times they pick a variety of pieces to eat at that time.  One night as they were getting into their pj’s I put together a special fruit / veggie snack from the produce we had picked that day (see picture above). They giggled as they ate their special goodies from the garden and talked about how to grow food in a garden.

    Smile – sliced Green Peppers

    Nose – sliced Strawberry

    Eyes – halved Cherry Tomato

    Eye Lashes – cut up Purple Beans

    It’s a simple way to get the kids excited about eating fruits and vegetables.  I love surprising them with special treats and seeing their joy at getting something fun to eat.

  • Summer Activities: Enjoying our First Juicy Watermelon of the Season

    Thanks Daddy for the Yummy Watermelon! Yes I made the girls eat it outside, we know how messy they can get with this juicy treat!

    As a special treat Jake brought home a watermelon recently!  It was our first watermelon of the season so we were super excited to dig into the juicy melon.  The last watermelon I purchased wasn’t great but this one was AMAZING!!!!  Maybe the key is to have dear hubby pick them out in the future.

    Eating watermelon brings back memories…..the first few watermelons the girls ate were the sweet yellow watermelons because we got a bunch on sale at the local Farmer’s Market.  When we gave them the regular “pink” watermelon for the first time they didn’t believe us at first that it really was watermelon because it wasn’t yellow!  Every summer season we enjoy sharing our first watermelon together, this year we kicked off the season with a traditional seedless pink one.  Maybe we’ll have to head to the local Farmer’s Market and get yellow to enjoy soon.

    Brina munching away on the sweet watermelon! Too busy eating to even look at the camera!

     

    Karlie licking off her sticky fingers! Ummm.....Mom where's the napkins? She was more concerned about the mess she was making!

    Thanks babe for the delicious treat, it hit the spot on a hot day!  All of us enjoyed eating our first watermelon of the season and are already looking forward to the next one!

  • Book: “Living in Love” by James & Betty Robison

    I recently read the book “Living in Love” by James and Betty Robison who are Co-Hosts on TV’s “Life Today”.  Having a healthy marriage is important to me so I thought this book would give new insights or provide great reminders on ways to strengthen our marriage relationship. I enjoy having a chance to read a chapter or two of a book each day and was excited to check this one out.

    James and Betty Robison grew up in very different family environments, James was the son of a single Mom and Betty grew up in a church going family.  In the book they discussed their backgrounds and how they met.  The book has a unique layout and more conversational.  It shows Betty’s insights and James’ viewpoints by putting a headline at the top of each section.

    Although I have never watched their show I appreciated that they encouraged couples to work on their own hearts first and stop trying to “fix” their spouses.  Both James and Betty recommended praying for your spouse, marriage and family.  Each family member brings a variety of dynamics to the relationship.  They discuss topics that we don’t hear a lot about in our culture when it comes to marriage – selfishness, commitment, trust, communication, and confrontation.  When married couples have solid God centered foundations in place we have more opportunities to grow and work together as a cohesive team.  James and Betty do not claim to know everything but are thankful for God’s hand working in their lives as individuals and as a couple.

    A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

    “An unhealthy self-focus can show up in marriage in many ways, but the one I observed most frequently is people trying to shape their spouses according to their own expectations.  This is always a mistake.  Instead of trying to change your mate it is best to allow God to shape you.”

    “Trust is built on the foundation of commitment – first and ultimately, to God and then to each other.”

    At the end of each chapter they added a few questions for each couple to answer separately or together.  Overall the book is a great resource to read for those going into marriage or for couples wanting a gentle reminder of ways to build a healthy foundation in their marriage.  If you cannot purchase the book I would recommend checking it out at your local church or community library.  It is a pretty quick read and it never hurts to be reminded of ways to keep the communication open between you and your spouse.

    Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah.  The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – A Variety of Fresh Leafy Lettuce, Summer Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Snow Peas, Pepper, Spinach, Zucchini, & More…Oh My!

    We are loving the fresh vegetables from our garden!

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

    Our very first picks of Fresh Snow Peas, Cherry Tomato, Summer Squash and Banana Pepper! Even though it is only a handful of items (including our first tomato of the summer, ha) hopefully we'll have some more coming soon and throughout the rest of summer.

     

    Fresh Garden Vegetables - at least 5 Varieties of Leafy Lettuce, Summer Squash, Zucchini, another Cherry Tomato, Snow Peas, Spinach, Sweet Basil (bagged), and Dill (bagged)!

    What are you eating out of your garden this week?

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

    May is my fourth 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.

    May was a good month even though it was extremely active in many other areas of my life.  Thankfully I was able to save some extra cash however, 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:

    • $23.11 – Items sold on Ebay (after fees):   The all the items sold were coupons.  I encourage you to look around at some of the coupons you get the mail, newspapers, magazines, in your stockpile, or other places and if you will not have the opportunity to use them then consider selling them for a little extra creative cash.
    • $9.51 – A portion of the proceeds from the Upstate Women’s & Home Consignment Sale
    • $29.50– A portion of the proceeds from the Taylors & Friends Consignment Store.
    • $14.90 – Other miscellaneous amounts earned  (rebates, returns, cash back,  extra money, etc…) that was added to my stash for the month.

    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.  May’s “Creative Cash” total was $77.02 which means $38.51 extra that goes towards our current goal (paying down debt) and $38.51 goes towards charity.  May was the first month I didn’t hit my $100 goal but I am happy that I was able to get close to the goal 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 June 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 May.  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

  • Life Simplified: Old Boots Transformed into Flower Pots

    Boots transformed into a decorative Flower Pot!

    I love being able to creatively recycle items that have been around our house for awhile.  My husband used to wear these boots!  Now that they are worn out (and covered in specks of paint) I have found another use for them on my front porch….as a flower pot.  The boots are a unique decoration to have on the front porch.  I love seeing peoples reactions the first time they see them!  I get a lot of comments like “That’s a great idea!  Honey can I use your old boots once your done with them!”

    Flowers Planted in Jake's Old Boots!

    It’s super easy to do!  Find an old pair of boots, fill them with potting soil, and add a couple plants to each one and you has an inexpensive masterpiece that will be a colorful welcome to those visiting your home.  I typically do seasonal flowers so I can give a fresh look to the boots in the Spring and Fall.  Do you items that you recycle within your home?