Family Fun
Free Ebooks: Creative Homemaking Guide to Christmas Recipes, Christmas 100 Recipes, Baked Chicago’s Simply Decadent Brownies, Four Week Mini Bible Study, 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 Creative Homemaking Guide to Christmas Recipes, Traditions, and Crafts by Rachel Paxton
Download a free copy of Christmas 100 Recipe by T. L. Sheppeard
Download a free copy of Baked Chicago’s Simply Decadent Brownies Cookbook by Harvey Morris
Download a free copy of Friendship – Four Week Mini Bible Study by Ashley Ferris
Download a free copy of Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success (Smashwords Guides 3) by Mark Coker
Download a free copy of The ABCs of Money by Natalie Pace
Download a free copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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Download a free copy of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Science Experiment: Why Do Leaves Change Colors?
Why do leaves change colors?
Recently we did a science experiment with the kids. We were talking about leaves and why they change colors. In the Spring and Summer they are various shades of green, but once the cold weather of Fall hits the leaves start changing colors.
What is chromatography? The definition of chromatography is the separation of mixtures into their constituents by preferential adsorption by a solid, as a column of silica (column chromatography) or a strip of filter paper (paper chromatography) or by a gel. We decided to uncover the rainbow of colors found in each leaf. The kids picked 9 leaves to experiment.
Science Experiment Items:
- Leaves (different colors and types)
- White Coffee Filters
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Scissors
The leaves contain a green pigment, chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is used to capture sunlight. By using chromatography you will be able to see the different colors present in the leaves.
Collect a variety of leaves to test. Pour 1/4 inch of rubbing alcohol into the bottom of a jar. Cut the leaves into small pieces and put each leaf into its own container. Cut the coffee filter into 1 inch strips. Put a strip of coffee filter in each container (the bottom of the strip should touch the rubbing alcohol) and you can fold the top of the strip over the top of the container.
Watch carefully as the rubbing alcohol moves up the coffee filter paper. You will notice the colors moving up the paper as well. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the rubbing to move up the paper.
We did the experiment saw the results and then “just for fun” we left it overnight to see what would happen.
One of the girls picked out 2 dark green leaves and one flower petal to test in this experiment. I figured they might as well see what happens with it too!
One of the girls picked out a red, yellow, and orange leaf to experiment with today!
Check out the cool colors!
What one of the leaves looked after sitting over night; after the rubbing alcohol evaporated.
As you can see the red flower petals (in the container on the left) did not amount to much color on the paper. The other two leaves did great!
Some cool colors found in these leaves.
Our 9 different leaf experiments and the colors we found inside them. We found the most variety of colors in the dark green leaves. The lighter colors on the left were ones that were turning colors (yellow, orange, and red leaves). The one on the right that looks almost white with a very faint yellow color is the red flower petal. Glad I let the kids experiment with that too even though it wasn’t a leaf, it was still a good learning lesson.Organized Chaos: Easy DIY Headband Holder
The headbands are now hung up in the girls closets so they can access them easily!
We have a lot of headbands in our house. There are two girls in our home who wear headbands, however, it was getting to frustrating trying to figure out the best way to store all the headbands. Just putting them into a storage box wasn’t working because it was a mess, headbands were getting broken, it is was impossible on a busy school morning to find a particular headband before rushing off to school.
I decided it was time to come up with a solution that would help keep the headbands organized. The idea started while I was putting away a swimming noodle…. Which happened to be a good size to hang a headband on so I decided to give it a try.
The pile of headbands that need to be organized
All you need is a thick noodle, hanger, headbands, and knife!
Cut the noodle to fit inside your hanger.
Slice one side of the noodle so you can slide it onto the hanger. The thicker the noodle the better.
Hang your headbands on the noodle and your done!
The headbands are ready to go into my daughters closet!
We have used this headband holder / organizer for several months now and it works awesome! Each girl has their own headband hanger on the back of their closet door so they can reach in and grab whatever headband they want to wear that day.
Heart Reflections: Spending One-On-One With Each Kid
I cannot remember how old the girls were when we started with official Date Nights, but we always tried to make sure we had one-on-one time with each child even when they were little. That could mean taking one child to the grocery store while Daddy reads to the one at home. Now that the girls are older we give them several Date Night options that appeal to them.
We do a mix of “Home Date Nights” and “Out on the Town Date Nights” to help make it more cost effective for the family. Most months we swap, usually one of us goes out with one child and the other stays home (great chance to watch a movie or do puzzles, play a game or build a castle out of legos). The date nights with the kids give us time to have fun, make memories, and opens up a multitude of opportunities to have some heart to heart conversations with our kids.
Also, it is very important that your children see you and your spouse go on Date Nights and have fun together too. Usually when Jake and I go out the girls want to make sure that their “turn” is coming up soon! Thankful for time to spend with my family!
3D Printed: Heart Puzzle
Super cool heart puzzle my husband made for me with his 3D printer.
While I was away Jake made me a 3D printed heart puzzle, love my man! It was a sweet surprise when I came home! He is so thoughtful! The “flowers” or gears on the heart rotates around and when all of them are aligned it looks like the heart in the pictures. Super cool! The girls thought it was fascinating too!
The pieces had to be printed in several settings and then he clipped them together to form the puzzle. So thankful for my man. He is always doing things to brighten my day! Love him!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week flew by so quickly I barely had time to blink. December is flying by too fast. Although I was able to get a lot accomplished this past week I need to put-it-in-gear and prep for the upcoming Holidays, including finish decorating and getting gifts for those on my list this year. Not to mention Christmas cards, wrapping, and more…. With everything that has been going on these past few months I feel like I am falling behind. It’s time to catch up and get some Holiday and year end activities done this week!
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to the kids – getting closer, we’ve had a lot of after school activities and homework last week
Plan one special activity with the family– we met our cousins and went through the Journey to Bethlehem which was amazing!Prepare for Upcoming Winter EventsSpend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with HomeworkAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforePlay a Game with the Kids- Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items – I made a little progress, but not enough to cross it off the list
Dr. Appointments for Kids
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each dayContinue my YouVersion plan(s)Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – it is still taking me more than one day
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later) – did not do it this week
Clean House (Focus – Suitcases Unpacked & Put Away from Wedding / Thanksgiving Trip)- Organize Chaos (Focus – Snack Bins Refilled) – got about half of it done before getting pulled away to other activities
- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool and Leaves) – it rained again so we were not able to get this done
Pet Care (Focus – Hay Feeder Filled)
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsRespond to Inquiry – Business Relation EmailsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork completed for clients
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
Pay Bills & File Paperwork- Earn some Creative Cash – working on it
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – had to go to more than one store due to specific dietary items that were needed and I went over budget because I haven’t went grocery shopping for a couple weeks
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
- Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items
- Dr. Appointments for Kids
- Finish Decorating for Christmas
- Send out Christmas Cards
- Complete Our Christmas Shopping
- Start Wrapping Gifts
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
- Clean House (Focus – House Decorated & Christmas Bins Back Up in the Attic)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Clean Out the Pantry)
- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Blow Leaves Off Deck)
- Pet Care (Focus – Skipper a Bath)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- 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: Jingle All the Way, Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Cookies, Easy Recipes for Christmas Cooking, Hearty Soups, 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 Jingle All the Way by Tom Shay-Zapien
Download a free copy of Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Cookies – Make Impressive Holiday Treats by Dennis Weaver
Download a free copy of Easy Recipes for Christmas Cooking by Rosanne Hewitt-Cromwell, Sheila Kiely, and Paul Callaghan
Download a free copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Download a free copy of The 12 Days of Christmas by Xist Publishing
Download a free copy of Hearty Soups – A Collection of Homemade Soups by Dennis Weaver
Download a free copy of Quirk Books D.I.Y. Gift Guide by Homemade Quirk
Download a free copy of How To Memorize the Bible Fast and Easy by Adam Houge
Download a free copy of Making Costume Jewelry – An Easy & Complete Step by Step Guide by Janet Evans
Download a free copy of My Life and Work by Henry Ford
Playing Bananagrams
Brina reading me the directions to the Bananagrams game
Our family enjoys games! The kids are always up for playing a game. Occasionally when we get done with homework early or have a little extra free time we try to find ways to have fun. One of the things the kids will often ask me to do is play a game with them.
On this particular day Brina wanted me to play Bananagrams with her. I finished up dinner prep work while she got the game set up and read the game directions to me. We had a great time playing the game together!
It is important to me to take the extra time whenever possible to stop all the “busy work” that I need to do around the house and play with the kids. I am thankful for our time playing together, the great laughs we shared, and for some wonderful conversations that took place during the game that day. It was so worth it!
Recipes: Apple Bacon Bread
One of our family members is a big fan of Breakfast Breads. I tried a new one recently that was a big hit. It contains a couple popular ingredients, apples and bacon. Apples and bacon have been on sale in a couple of the local stores so that’s what was included in the new breakfast bread.
Apple Bacon Breakfast Bread:
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
- 2/3 cup White Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Bacon, small pieces
- 1 large Apple, peeled and cubed
Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or 5 mini loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar in a bowl and set aside. In mixer blend together butter and white sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs; blend until combined. Add flour and baking powder and mix until blended. Mix in milk.
Pour half the batter in the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle half the apples, bacon pieces, and cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter. Pour remaining batter over the apple and bacon layer. Top with remaining apples, bacon, and cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
First layer with the apples and bacon sprinkled over the top.
Sprinkled with a little cinnamon and sugar on top!
Hot and delicious!
Whose ready for some Apple Bacon Bread!
Birthday Celebration!
The birthday candles kept relighting!
It has been a crazy few months around our house! Recently, I had the privilege of celebrating another birthday. It was a wonderful day! This year my birthday fell on a Saturday so Jake and the girls made me breakfast, we had delicious food, played games, read books, relaxed, opened gifts, ate cake, and ended the day by watching a movie together.
The cards, gifts, texts, phone calls, messages, emails, and all the best wishes made my day super special. Thankful for my family, friends, the opportunity to celebrate another year, and the many amazing blessings in my life. I have so many great memories and praying that this upcoming year is packed full of even more!
Delicious red velvet cake picked up by my sweet Handsome!
It was rich and tasty!
Cards and goodies from my family. They each picked out and wrapped their own gifts! I even got some cute birthday “notes” on a couple packages! 🙂
The perfect appetizer before a yummy birthday dinner!
