Events & Holidays

  • Travel & Vacation: Spending Time with Family in Kansas

    The plane was delayed due to rain, but now we are ready to go.  Two little chickies all buckled in….one snacking and the other one with her nose already in a book.  Thankful that the girls travel well.

    The girls and I recently flew out to Kansas to spend some time with my family. We stayed at my parents house, but thankfully we were able to catch up with quite a few people while we were out there visiting. While we were in Kansas Jake was traveling with work so he was managing to stay busy too.

    The girls even got in on the last part of my parents church’s VBS, which included getting wet with water balloons.  I think the highest temperature I saw during out week and half in Kansas was 113 while it was hot the wind helped make it more tolerable.

    A cooler full of mammoth water balloons for VBS game time the next day!

    Lots of little water balloons too!  I think by the end the count was somewhere around 300 water balloons.  The kids loved it!

    Karlie picked a variety of flowers from Grandma Penny’s gardens and displayed the flowers in a pie dish.  They actually lasted almost the entire time we were out there!

    Brina made a blue cat while Brandon is working on some blueberry cookies!

    Karlie is busy socializing and creating play dough goodies too!  Grandma Penny made some homemade play dough for the kids.  They loved it (and were asking me to make some a couple days ago)!

    Beautiful purple flower along the road in Harlan, Kansas

    Some of my Great Grandma Viola’s rose bushes were blooming near the Kelly’s Store and the Post Office in Harlan, Kansas where she used work.  She planted the roses many years ago and yet they continue to bloom every year! Grandma Vi had an amazing green thumb (something I did not inherit, by the way)! She loved flowers and I thought it would be appropriate to stop to snap a quick picture of one of her pretty roses while I was in the area!

     

    Brina and Brandon hanging out in their giant tent they built downstairs in Grandpa Russell and Grandma Penny’s basement!

    Three silly kiddos hanging out in their fort tent while chomping on some “spicy” candy Aunt Renelle brought for them to try!

     

    One of the girls favorite places to visit when in Kansas!  A view of my parents house from the top of Windy Point.

  • Celebrating Father’s Day

    Happy Father’s Day! We love you! XOXOXO

    Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and my Grandpa’s for being there for me throughout my life and for continuing to make a positive impact in the lives of our kids. Happy Father’s Day to my amazing husband Jake Hayes who is a loving husband and a kind, caring, generous, considerate, and awesome Dad to our girls! Thanks for everything you do for us, all your hard work, the laughter, and fun memories you bring into our lives. I love you bunches and am grateful that God has allowed me to share this incredible journey with you! XOXO Happy Fathers Day!

    Sending a Happy Father’s Day message!

    The girls and I were able to spend the week before Father’s Day with my parents and extended family in Kansas.  It was great getting to spend some time with my Dad right before Father’s Day since I don’t get to do that very often anymore with us being so far away.  Thankful that my parents let us invade their house for about 10 days and the great memories we made while in Kansas.

    We were not able to be with Jake for Father’s Day so the girls and I decided to send him a Father’s Day picture.   They helped orchestrate and plan this “chalk message surprise” for Jake.   They were bubbling over with so much excitement that I was afraid they would bust out with the secret before we got it done since we talked to him earlier in the day….they didn’t  though.

    He enjoyed his Father’s Day message from the kids (and the one furry critter that had to be in the picture too).  While Father’s Day is a specific time to “thank” our Dads we are grateful that we can celebrate any time of the year. I am also, thankful that my brother and sister-in-law invited us hang out with them for a few hours on Father’s Day and for the delicious Low Country Broil they made for lunch!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    The girls and I were able to spend some extra time with my extended family in Kansas last week.  The time went by too fast and now that we are back home (and mostly unpacked).  I hit the ground running this past weekend when we landed in South Carolina and don’t think I’ll be stopping any time soon.  There are many fun activities as well as long list of projects on the agenda this week, so I am hoping to get through a bunch of them while having fun along the way!

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
    5. Spend some time Monday – Friday having the girls read & do workbooks – we had a travel day in there but otherwise we did pretty well (and we even did some while traveling too)
    6. Spend time with extended family
    7. Go to nephews baseball game

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – thankful for some down time on the airplane so I could finish this book!

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Pay all upcoming bills – had a stack of them when we got home

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients – took time off last week since I was visiting family

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles – working on it
    2. Pay medical bills in full – making payments

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station:  Secret of the Prince’s Tomb   by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 7)
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
    5. Spend some time Monday – Friday having the girls read & do workbooks
    6. Go to Science Camp
    7. Prepare for a big weekend
    8. Ride bikes with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Pay all upcoming bills
    3. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the 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. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles
    2. Pay medical bills in full

    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

    Last week was better even if I am running a couple days late with my weekly goal updates.  The girls and I traveled a little last week so we could spend time with extended family.  It has been nice catching up with Great Grandparents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews, Cousins and more!  This week I have a lot I want to do, but the schedule will be a little different from the normal routine.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6) – we’ve been busy and a little off schedule with the traveling last week
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
    5. Celebrate the Girls Last Day of School
    6. Spend time with extended family

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – didn’t get any official exercise done, but I was really active
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – on the day the girls & I traveled I did not stay up on my water
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz – finished and returned it, now need to type out all my notes!

    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 – traveled part of the week so didn’t plan out those days
    3. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles – made another payment
    2. Pay medical bills in full – making payments

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
    5. Spend some time Monday – Friday having the girls read & do workbooks
    6. Spend time with extended family
    7. Go to nephews baseball game

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles
    2. Pay medical bills in full

    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

    It has been an emotional and exhausting week.  There was one day I was running on an hour of sleep and other days I felt like I was running on fumes.  I was able to tackle some items on my list and hoping to get a little more done before the schedule switches again soon.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    5. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
    8. Field Day at the girls school

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – didn’t get this one done but it was busy!
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz – almost done!

    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. Pay all upcoming bills
    4. Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing – put on hold
    5. Give Skipper a bath – she escaped bath time due to the rain this weekend

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles – made another payment on the van
    2. Pay medical bills in full – making payments

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
    5. Celebrate’s the Girls Last Day of School

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz

    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. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles
    2. Pay medical bills in full

    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

    We are thankful for our time together this week.  It has been a busy week.  Seems like there is always more to do than time allows.  I made some progress this week, but hoping to make even more with all that I have on my list.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 5)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game – didn’t get to it this week with everything going on
    4. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    5. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Bridgette’s dentist appointment
    8. Schedule eye appointment for Bridgette – didn’t get it scheduled

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz – been reading & taking notes

    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. Pay all upcoming bills
    4. Get paperwork signed for new Home & Auto Insurance Policies
    5. Remove remaining leaves from the lawn – with the rain the leaves were too wet to move
    6. Clean up the sticks and trees that have fallen & had been cut down – got through a good chunk, but still have more to do
    7. Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing – it rained so we are waiting
    8. Give Skipper a bath – didn’t want to wash her in the rain
    9. Work on the deck – it was put on hold this 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. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles – working on it
    2. Pay medical bills in full – paid one off, now working on paying down the next one

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 5)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    5. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Schedule eye appointment for Bridgette
    8. Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
    9. Date Night with Karlie
    10. Date Night with Brina
    11. Extra time spent with the family over the Holiday Weekend
    12. Field Trip with the girls school

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz

    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. Pay all upcoming bills
    4. Get paperwork signed for new Home & Auto Insurance Policies
    5. Remove remaining leaves from the lawn
    6. Clean up the sticks and trees that have fallen & had been cut down
    7. Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing
    8. Give Skipper a bath
    9. Work on the deck

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles
    2. Pay medical bills in full

    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

    It was great to have Jake back home again last week!  Although, I didn’t get everything done I hoped (do we ever get caught up) I was able to make progress in the right direction.  Hoping to make some more progress this week.

    Last week’s goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 5)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    5. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Schedule dentist appointments for (Jake & Bridgette) – Jake’s already gone to his and mine’s next week
    8. Schedule eye appointment for Bridgette – didn’t get to this one

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz (someone gave me this to read) – getting closer to being done!

    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. Pay all upcoming bills
    4. Work on Spring Cleaning
    5. Get paperwork signed for new Home & Auto Insurance Policies – almost completed
    6. Remove remaining leaves from the lawn – didn’t get to it
    7. Clean up the sticks and trees that have fallen & had been cut down – other items took priority this weekend
    8. Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing – it rained
    9. Give Skipper a bath – decided to wait since it rained
    10. Treat the lawn – didn’t want to treat it since it was going to rain
    11. Work on the deck – still have more to do but made progress 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. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Groceries $40 for 4 – went over budget
    2. Payoff the Van – hoping to make an extra payment
    3. Pay medical bills in full – making payments

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 5)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    5. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Bridgette’s dentist appointment
    8. Schedule eye appointment for Bridgette

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz

    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. Pay all upcoming bills
    4. Get paperwork signed for new Home & Auto Insurance Policies
    5. Remove remaining leaves from the lawn
    6. Clean up the sticks and trees that have fallen & had been cut down
    7. Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing
    8. Give Skipper a bath
    9. Work on the deck

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Vehicles
    2. Pay medical bills in full

    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.

  • Roper Mountain Science Center

    Holding a snake

    The girls always love going to Roper Mountain Science Center.  They have second Saturday themed events that are fun for the whole family with a lot of educational information.  The animals are always a great hit with our kids.  For more information about Roper Mountain Science Center, the upcoming second Saturday events, or activities please check out Roper Mountain Science Center’s website.

    What do you think she is holding?  If you guessed baby mouse you are correct!

    So soft!  Chinchilla!

    Karlie trying to play one of the games

    Brina and Karlie having fun!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was busier than normal while Jake was out of town the whole week at a conference.  I am so glad to have him back home again!  It was a rainy weekend, but thankful to have some time together with the family.  I was able to get caught up on a few projects last week too.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Revenge of a Red Knight by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 4)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game – we didn’t play a board game but we did a contest and game outside together including an obstacle course designed and laid out by the girls
    4. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    5. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Schedule May Volunteer Dates
    8. Schedule dentist appointments for (Jake & Bridgette)
    9. Schedule eye appointment for Bridgette

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – I almost did it (it was 4 days this week)!
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – caught up and current once again!
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz (someone gave me this to read) – reading through it!

    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. Pay all upcoming bills
    4. Work on Spring Cleaning
    5. Get insurance quotes & make a decision on Home & Auto Insurance Policies – got the quotes and made the decision just need to sign the paperwork this week
    6. Remove remaining leaves from the lawn – it rained this weekend so we’ll have to wait to do the leaves next week
    7. Clean up the sticks and trees that have fallen & had been cut down – since it rained we are waiting on this project
    8. Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing – the rain delayed this weekend project
    9. Give Skipper a bath – didn’t give Skipper a bath because of the rainy week and mud
    10. Treat the lawn – waiting until a non-rainy weekend

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients
    4. Schedule May work dates

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Send out the Alms & Legs Meeting Time and Place

    Financial Goals

    1. Groceries $40 for 4  – went a little over on the grocery budget this week
    2. Payoff the Van – made a payment and included a little extra the first part of the week
    3. Pay medical bills in full – continuing to make payments

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read Imagination Station: Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 5)
    2. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    3. Play a board game
    4. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    5. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Schedule dentist appointments for (Jake & Bridgette)
    8. Schedule eye appointment for Bridgette

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz (someone gave me this to read)

    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. Pay all upcoming bills
    4. Work on Spring Cleaning
    5. Get paperwork signed for new Home & Auto Insurance Policies
    6. Remove remaining leaves from the lawn
    7. Clean up the sticks and trees that have fallen & had been cut down
    8. Reseal Jungle Gym & Swing
    9. Give Skipper a bath
    10. Treat the lawn
    11. Work on the deck

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Pay medical bills in full

    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.

  • Greenville Drive Baseball Game & Fireworks

    Greenville Drive Baseball Game

    The other night as we were talking about summer the girls brought up the Greenville Drive and how much fun they had going to the games.  There is just something about watching a game in person that makes it extra fun.  It’s a great family summer activity too. Plus, if you time it right on certain nights they do fireworks (that is always a big highlight for our kids)! 🙂

    We try to go to at least once (maybe more) to a Greenville Drive Baseball game each summer.    Also, the past two summers the girls have earned rewards for doing the summer reading program through the local library which includes free tickets to a Greenville Drive game.  Way to go girls!

    As I was thinking about our conversation I came across some pictures of our last Greenville Drive Game and thought it was a good time to share.  If your starting to think about summer break and planning some fun activities for your kids you should check into your local sports teams!  For those of you who live near Greenville, SC you can check out the Greenville Drive’s 2013 Schedule online.

    Brina and Karlie pausing for a brief moment from watching the game so I could snap a picture.

    Fireworks after the Greenville Drive game are always a hit!