Twins
Summer Activities: Picnics on the Porch
Brina and Karlie are having a "picnic" on the front porch. Skipper, the girls faithful outdoor friend, is nearby in case they drop any crumbs! A new favorite spot for the girls to eat their snacks, lunch, and goodies is on the front porch. A couple years ago my parents got me a glider for the front porch and it has been a huge hit with the entire family. The girls like to sit on the glider and eat because Skipper is not trying to snatch their food but they can still eat outside. Their drinks are usually on the table next to the glider whenever they are playing outside to help remind them to stay hydrated.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Skipper gets her fair share of extra food from the girls. On the hot days when the girls spend a lot of time outside all three of them (the kids and dog) crash by the evening. One time after a full day of playing with the girls we watched Skipper walk up to the front door mat (where she enjoys napping) and literally flop over in exhaustion. She’s enjoying all the attention but it wears her out too.
Does your family have a favorite spot to eat picnics at home?
Family Celebrations: Graduating Kindergarten
We were excited to celebrate our girls kindergarten graduation. It is crazy just thinking that they are finished with kindergarten and will be starting first grade in just a couple months. All our friends said time will go by quickly, I didn’t realize how fast! Here are a few pictures from their fun celebration:
Brina and Karlie ready for their Kindergarten Program! 
Karlie getting her diploma from Mrs. Boyles (AKA Principal or "Boss Lady") 
Brina getting her Kindergarten Diploma from Mrs. Boyles 
Brina and Karlie happy to get their diploma with all their friends! 
In celebration of the girls graduating Kindergarten we went to the Greenville Drive Game that Night! 
Let's PLAY BALL! We ran into a lot of friends at the game. The tickets were purchased through the Playcation Package we bought.
Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – Leafy Lettuce, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Purple Beans, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Green Beans, and Snow Peas!
We are loving the fresh vegetables from our garden! This week I did better at taking pictures of the items our family picked. We were traveling for a few day. Hopefully my brother who was watching the house was able to get a few items out of the garden to use for their family.
Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:
Fresh from the Garden - Leafy Lettuce, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Cherry and Roma Tomatoes, Strawberries, Green Beans, and Purple Beans. We got two more big bags of leafy lettuce before we had to pull the stocks because they were flowering. The zucchini and summer squash are starting to picking. We’ve been getting a few strawberries and a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes more regularly now. We have both green and purple beans producing now in the garden.
Big Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Purple Beans, Summer Squash, Leafy Green Lettuce, Snow Peas, Strawberry and Green Beans from the Garden The snow peas have been amazing and delicious to eat fresh for snacks and in baking, however, they are pretty much done producing. The lettuce is slowing down too but we hope to get a few more salads in before it completely wraps up for the season. On a more positive note the tomatoes, beans, and squash are still going pretty strong despite all the storms.
We were able to share some of the veggies this week with family, friends and people at our church. During the summer months our church does a “Corner Harvest” where people can share fresh produce from their garden. It is neat to see what other families are growing and share our produce.
What are you eating out of your garden this week?
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! Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points (Expires Tonight)
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: TWITTERKEYWALET
The code expires on 11:59 PM EST on June 21st so make sure to add it to your account within the next few days!
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!
Fresh & Healthy: A Refreshing Twist to Ice Water
Summer Time Favorite Drink - Ice Water with Fresh Lemon Slices! One of our favorite inexpensive, easy, and refreshing summer drinks we like to serve at our house is Ice Water with Fresh Lemon Slices! Lemonade is delicious but can be a little too sweet at times. Many times on the hot summer days the kids just want ice water so to add a little more to their drinks we will buy lemons when they are on sale, slice them up and add them to the water pitcher. It is very refreshing!
Refreshing and delicious - Cool lemon water on a hot day! I need to look for some more lemons on clearance! The girls and I drink this a lot since we spend some time almost every day outside!
Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points (Expires Tonight)
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: TWITTERDIPEWIPE
The code expires on 11:59 PM EST on June 20th so make sure to add it to your account within the next few days!
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!
CVS: Spent $1 and Got $14 ECB’s Back!
CVS Deals! CVS has a few good deals this week. I was happy to stock up on some items including fingernail polish and shampoo this week while utilizing a few of my coupons. The girls had fun picking out the finger polish today. I see a pedicure and manicure happening in the near future with blue and purple colors! Today I was able to get the items for $1.73 plus tax ($0.12) making my out of pocket cost $1.85 and received $14.00 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase. Here is what I purchased this week.
- 1 – Pantene Shampoo 2 in 1 Classic for $3.49
- 1 – Pantene Shampoo 2 in 1 Clean for $3.49
- 1 – LA Looks Power Spike Gel for $2.99
- 1 – Revlon Scented Fingernail Polish (Blue) for $4.99
- 1 – Revlon Scented Fingernail Polish (Green) for $4.99
- 1 – Irish Spring Hair and Body Wash (15 oz) for $2.99
- 1 – Colgate Toothbrush 360 for $2.79
Here are the coupons I used on the items.
- Used $3.00 Pantene Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $1.00 Colgate Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $1.00 Revlon Nail Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $1.00 Revlon Nail Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $17.99 ECB coupons from prior purchases
I received $14.00 ECB’s back today:
- $2.00 ECB’s for Pantene Products
- $2.00 ECB’s for L.A Looks Products
- $6.00 ECB’s for Revlon Products ($3.00 each)
- $2.00 ECB’s for Irish Spring Products
- $2.00 ECB’s for Colgate Products
Today I was able to save $33.80 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons.
When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club). As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS. Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase. You can pick and chose what is best for your family.
I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week! For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week! Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household. In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.
Pampers Gifts to Grow – 10 Free Points
Receive another 10 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: FXHMWY4WKHU47JD
The code expires on June 24th so make sure to add it to your account within the next few days!
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!
FXHMWY4WKHU47JDRecipe: 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.
