Family
Working in the Yard & Building Bonfires
We were planning on working in the yard and doing a bonfire. As soon as we got into the yard it started to rain. So we decided to take a little break and eat popsicles.
Skipper hanging out with us too Skipper decided to stay and hang out with us. Maybe she could get a nibble of a popsicle, ha!
Toasty fire to warm us up We ended up doing a fire once the rain, thunder and lightening subsided. It did sprinkle on and off but we still were able to pick a lot of sticks and limbs off the yard to make our bonfire.
Boiling water for hot chocolate We cooked the water for our hot chocolates on the stove since the bonfire was so hot.
Karlie drinking her hot chocolate and watching the jiffy pop start popping Karlie enjoying her hot chocolate and fascinated by the jiffy pop.
Brina munching on some freshly cooked jiffy pop! We made jiffy pop for a fun snack at the bonfire. The girls and Skipper loved it! It was both a productive and fun evening together with the family.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Our family had a blast spending some time together for Thanksgiving last week. I was beginning to wonder what kind of week it would be when we started the week tired and with a little one throwing up. Thankfully we didn’t have any big travel plans and have gotten past that little spurt of sickness now everyone seems to be on the mend. Over the Thanksgiving week together we laughed, snuggled, read books, worked on projects, ate delicious food, went shopping, put up the Christmas tree, and just had fun relaxing as well as doing stuff around the house. I am thankful for a wonderful family and an opportunity to spend some extra time together.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everyday- Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week – didn’t make do it 5 days
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed) – not quite every night
Spend extra time with my family over the Thanksgiving Holiday
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – the first half of the week went well
Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Tuesday
Home Management Goals
Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the houseDinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Wednesday)All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayPut up the Christmas Tree
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk – my desk was buried by the end of the weekend, time with the family took priority
Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – ahem….this one didn’t happen with birthday and Holidays, my sweet husband did a trip for me which brought it up as well.
- Pay off remaining debt – working on it
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – on hold until the debt is paid off
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
- Get the girls passport pictures taken
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Tuesday
- Finish reading The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine who has a blog called Money Saving Mom (VERY excited about the opportunity to preview this book by a blogger I have been following for years and thankful to be featured on her blog weekly with the Save A Lot Deals!)
- Listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)
Home Management Goals
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- File the receipts and coupons for the last couple of months.
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others.
- Deliver a meal to a new Mom.
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Pay off remaining debt
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
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
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
May you have a truly amazing day with your family and friends. I am thankful for the many wonderful blessings in my life. I love this quote because even during the difficult times there is “always something to be thankful for”. What a great reminder not just for Thanksgiving Day but for everyday of our lives!
Raising Multiples: Upstate Multiples Club Fall Party
Checking out the rabbits Our family had fun at the Multiples Club Fall Party! We went to Fisher’s Orchard in Greer, South Carolina. It is a small peach farm with a little barn, farm animals, pumpkins, hayrides and more for families to enjoy.
Karlie having a blast with the rabbits! Karlie loved petting, talking to, and looking at all the rabbits on the farm. She was thrilled to find that they were very soft and enjoyed eating the apple pieces she was feeding them.
Brina tickled pink to have a chance to hand feed the bunny rabbits! Brina has a soft spot for animals and babies. She had a grand time hand feeding all the animals on the farm.
Hand feeding and petting the farm animals. The girls thought it was awesome hand feeding all the farm animals.
Karlie running through the maze with a friend They had a really neat maze that the girls loved. Both girls went through it several times on their own. They enjoyed being able to do it by themselves yet they could still see us!
Brina giggling as she rounded the final corner of the maze! Brina thought it was hilarious she made it through the maze before Karlie the first time.
They got faster every time they did the maze. Both girls coming around the final piece of the maze at the farm.
Hayride through the peach orchard The girls enjoyed the ride through the peach orchard. We saw all kinds of scarecrows, trees, and a giant hay bale spider.
Our two little pumpkins sitting with the pumpkins. Pausing for a moment to snap a picture (much to the girls protest). They thought that we should take home some of the huge pumpkins but since they were $80 or more we decided they were a little out of the family budget.
Family at the Fisher Orchard Farm Quick family shot on the hay bales at the orchard.
Karlie getting her hand painted There is just something about being able to get your hand or face painted. The girls had fun getting their hands painted during the party. Karlie got a United States Flag and a Rocket.
Brina getting her hand painted Brina waited for Karlie to finish now she gets to have her hand painted. So much fun! Brina got a rainbow on one hand and a flower on the other hand.
Relaxing on the hay bale outside of the maze Brina and Karlie loved all the scarecrows at this farm and hay bales to sit on.
Pretty girls next to a happy hay bale at Fisher Farm It was a lot of fun hanging out with our family and families of Multiples at the farm for a few hours.
Family Recipes: Quick Breakfast Smoothie
A few months ago Jake got me a new blender….ahem…..after I wore out the second Kitchen Aid blender in our 11 years of marriage. I LOVE smoothies, even on cold days. Some days I don’t have time to sit down a long breakfast and I like being able to whip up a delicious breakfast drink that I can sip on as I am working.
The girls are hooked on smoothies too. Anytime I have the blender out their first question is “Are you making us a smoothie?” Meaning can you make me a smoothie first, ha! 🙂 Just ask Jake if they are already fed, playing in another room, or otherwise uninterested in what I am doing they are immediately by my side when the blender turns on! We have many smoothie variations but I wanted to share a healthy breakfast one that I enjoy (and yes it contains food I normally don’t get excited about eating in it).
Quick Breakfast Smoothie:
- 3 Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1o Grapes (fresh or frozen)
- 8 oz Milk
- 1/2 cup Ice
- 1 hard boiled Egg
- 3 tablespoons Strawberry or Vanilla Yogurt (optional)
Put all the ingredients in the blender and mix together. You have a healthy mix of protein, fruit, and dairy for your morning breakfast.
We keep frozen strawberries and grapes (as well as other fruit) in the freezer and a batch of hard boiled eggs in the fridge so this smoothie takes a minute to put together and is ready. I was hesitant to add the egg at first but you really cannot taste it in the smoothie and it adds a boost of protein. Sometimes I will add a pack of Chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast for the girls for an extra boost. You can in a variety of other fruits that you have on hand or enjoy for your smoothie as well.
Family Outings: SkyTop Apple Orchard
We made it to SkyTop Orchard this year! We surprised the girls one Saturday morning by taking a road trip to SkyTop Orchard in North Carolina. Several friends had told us that it is a great place to go apple picking so we decided to check it out!
Too busy watching everybody and everything around them to look at the camera! Pausing for a moment to take a picture by the Sky Top 2011 Apple. There were so many people and activities going on that they girls were just mesmerized.
Hey MOM! Is this a good one? Karlie loved picking the apples straight from the tree. It didn’t take us long with four people picking to fill up our baskets!
Looking for juicy apples to pick! Karlie and Brina looking through all the apples on the branches for the ripe and juicy ones to pick. They got pretty good at picking out the perfect apples!
Brina pleased with the apple she found. Brina found a good one! She was so excited when she found a perfect apple to put into the basket.
Walking with Daddy through the apple orchard There were a lot of apples on the ground. Some of them were whole while others were turning into mush. If you stepped on a mushy apple you feet would slide. The girls held our hands when we were walking longer distances to help prevent them from sliding around so much on the slick apples.
Girls - Look Daddy there's a good one up there! Daddy - You want which one?! You know the saying “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence” well the same thing applies to apple picking. The perfect apple is always at the top of the tree out of reach!
Daddy gave the girls a few boosts to get some of the "perfect" apples at the top of the trees! Thankfully with a little boost from Daddy the girls were able to get some of those pretty apples up on top. They thought it was neat that they could reach the apples without climbing the trees.
Brina and Karlie playing on SkyTop's playground Another highlight for the girls was playing in the houses and on SkyTop’s playground. They had a blast checking out all the fun houses, slides, and fun activities.
Two sweet girls peeking through the playhouse window at me! As I was watching them play I caught them peeking at me through the window. Cute! Love those two girlies so much and thankful for an opportunity to go on a family adventure together. Great memories!
Brina Bee climbing up the wall Brina proudly climbed up the climbing wall. She came over to me and said Mom that is a lot easier then the ones that you have to get buckled into. Brina loved seeing all the babies and little kids at the orchard. Glad she had a great time!
Karlie Kook Kat peeping through the window. Sweet picture of Karlie peeping out the window. It is amazing to see how much they have grown up over the last few months.
Giant haybale spider The girls thought this giant spider was hilarious! They had fun climbing all over it!
Our family at SkyTop! We had a blast together picking apples and playing at SkyTop Apple Orchard!
One bushel of apples We picked one bushel (approximately 42 pounds of apples)! These apples were delicious! It was a lot of fun to eat them plain and in a lot of dishes from apple crisp to apple pie to applesauce to apple smoothies and more!
Organized Chaos: Organizing Our Stockpile
I LOVE getting a great deal but over the last couple of years when I find a good deal the more I find myself asking “Do I really need this?” Yes, using coupons are wonderful and getting a great deal is amazing only if you are going to use those items or plan on giving them away. A friend introduced me to the show “Extreme Couponing” and after a few episodes I could no longer watch it. The amount that some people had stuffed in various places in their home was too much for me to even watch. After some thought I decided to come up with a plan to organize my stockpile in a way that would give me a visual indication that our family’s stockpile is full plus keep the items organized in a way that anyone in my family can find an item, including the kids.
Here is what I did:
- Reorganized our Linen Closet to make room for the stockpile bins.
- Purchased inexpensive containers from the Dollar Store.
- Used the Label Maker to put the description on the front of each container.
- Filled the containers with items from the stockpile.
- Once a bin is full then I know it is time to stop buying that item
- Any extras items that I get for free I put into a separate box to be given away.
The new system had to be practical for our family. I think it is wise to be good stewards of what we have been given and find opportunities to share what you have with others. I decided that if I had enough of a certain item to last our family for 6 months to a year our stockpile is considered full and I didn’t need to purchase any more of those items. If I did get a couple items for free they would be put in a special box to give to others (charities, school, church, people in need, friends, family, and anyone else that may need an item from it).
I have been using this system for several months now and I am really pleased with how it works. It is easy to know when the stockpile is full enough for your family and it is more efficient when someone needs to locate an item. The majority of the items in this closet are office supplies, school supplies and miscellaneous household items. I love having the freedom to take a few weeks off from using coupons, shopping, or getting deals in general because I know exactly what I have on hand and when I have enough for my family.
Family Outings: Fall Festivals & Fun Activities
A little behind in posting these pictures but I figure it’s better late than never, right!? Since a couple of our family members have requested these pictures here we go…..
One happy and one scary pumpkin on the front porch In celebration of Fall Festivals, events, and activities we had the girls do a pumpkin this year. Brina wanted a happy pumpkin and Karlie wanted a scary pumpkin. They did the outlines for their pumpkins and Daddy cut out the pieces. They were both quite pleased with their pumpkins.
One Blue Crayon and One Violet Crayon The girls dressed up this year as crayons! They were super excited to wear their crayon costumes that we picked up on clearance last year.
Goody cups for the girls class at school. The girls helped pack the goody cups for their teacher and friends in their classroom! Besides stickers, pencils, glow in the dark silly bands we included a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Candy Corn Cupcakes for the girls class We made candy corn cupcakes for the girls class at school. They were so excited to take them and share with their friends at lunch.
Karlie and Brina carrying their goody basket into school They were thrilled to carry the goody basket into school. Several other students stopped to express their delight in the cool basket on their way to class, I think that alone made the girls day!
Two little crayons and Daddy getting into the teacup This was the first ride the girls went on at the Fall Festival. So thankful Jake was willing to ride with them, last year I went on it and almost threw up from the spinning!
Hold onto your hats little crayons! It made me dizzy just watching them spinning in circles but they had a blast!
Fun fall festival rides Our two crayons are in the blue one. They loved this ride last year too.
Having fun They loved looking out of their “cage” as they called it over the rest of the Fall Festival. When they got off they told us everything that they saw on the ride and what activities they wanted to do.
Ready to fly on the bug Two little crayons going for another spinning ride on the little bug, too cute!
Bug in flight It was hard getting a picture when both of them were looking at me. The bug got cut off on this one but at least both girls are looking my direction! 🙂
All buckled in...now ready to swing and spin Daddy was such a sport and went with the girls again on this spinning ride. Everyone is all buckled in and ready to SWING!
There they are swinging It looks pretty innocent doesn’t it but if your stomach does flip-flops while going in circles…..
Checking out all the equipment in the medical helicopter They had a emergency helicopter there so you could show your kids. Pretty neat seeing on the devices they put into it.
Two little crayons coming down the slide They had a blast jumping on bouncy castles, racing through bounce house mazes, and zipping down the slides.
Two cute crayons next to a giant black cat The cat was having problems staying up but I snapped a quick picture with them in front of it. They thought it was so funny seeing a giant black cat.
Family Outings: All Star Greenville Drive Baseball Game
Karlie and Brina in their Greenville Drive All Stars Shirts Karlie and Brina received their Greenville Drive All Star TShirts for completing the reading program through the library. They were super excited to get the free Tshirts, to walk in the parade, and to get free tickets to a Greenville Drive baseball game!
Brina and Karlie walking in the "All Star" parade before the Greenville Drive game The girls were loving the “parade” around the field before the Greenville Drive game. They were amazed at all the dents in the scoreboard from all the baseballs hitting it. I think it surprised them that the balls would hit it so hard. The shirts were really big (one size fits all) so they had a hard time figuring out how to wear them without them being a dress, in this picture Brina is just holding hers up and Karlie has her tied up.
Watching the Greenville Drive play baseball! The girls loved watching the Greenville Drive baseball games. They really started getting into the games, really cute. It was a great activity with the family and we had extended family join us for this game (Luke, Kristen, and Hudson) as well making it even more fun!
Hanging out at the game with Daddy Thanks Daddy for getting us great seats! The girls got free tickets for finishing the reading program and Daddy was able to get the rest of us seats through work! We had a blast even though the Greenville Drive didn’t win that night!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was packed full of a lot of extra activities, appointments, refinance closing, and travel some of the events were on the calendar and others we squeezed in because it was necessary. The biggest blessing was being able to cross off our Refinance Closing. The paperwork was submitted back in September and several of the documents re-submitted over the last couple of months because the lender couldn’t find the paperwork we gave them or one person didn’t give the next person the right information and so forth. Now we can breathe a little sigh of relief to get that completed.
Even though I didn’t get everything done the good news is I am at least taking small steps in the right direction. This week will not be a huge goal driven week because of the Thanksgiving Holiday. My biggest “goal” is to spend quality time with my family. Hopefully, as we spend time together I will get some necessary items accomplished but if not that is okay too because life needs to be fun every once in awhile, right!? Jake and I have several joint projects that we are hoping to work on over the next few weeks and the girls want to put up the tree. Some of my goals will be on “hold” during this week, you’ll see it pick back up again after Thanksgiving! 🙂
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everydayHave the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed) – really need to do better on this one, we spent extra time before bed one night talking on the phone to Daddy since he was traveling this week instead.
- Get the girls passport pictures taken – did not get their pictures done
- Finish filing the last several weeks of coupons in my File Folder and Binder – didn’t get this done, other priorities popped up
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – did much better (4 days) but missed one day so can’t cross this one off
- Finish reading The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine who has a blog called Money Saving Mom (VERY excited about the opportunity to preview this book by a blogger I have been following for years and thankful to be featured on her blog weekly with the Save A Lot Deals!) – still reading other activities took priority this week
Listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday through Thursday – I was really bad at the beginning of the week getting to bed on time because I was trying to finish a project but I paid for it the next day.
Home Management Goals
Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the houseDinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – Jake was traveling this week so I had to move my laundry day up 2 days to help with packing and since we were only home for a couple hours that day I wasn’t able to get it done in 1 day, it took me 2 days this week.
- File the receipts for the last couple of months and organize the table in the office. – still waiting to be done
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk – it was a wild week with Jake being gone, long doctor appointments, phone calls, refinance, and I didn’t do this really important task and now feel the side effects of it
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Research ways to create more residual income – didn’t get to it
- Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012 – I did write down a couple thoughts but didn’t get really in depth in this one so don’t feel right about crossing it off
Ministry Goals
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others. – wasn’t able to do this one.
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch– I got to have lunch with Jake and his co-workers while supporting a local charity!
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4Close on our Refinance – Our plan is to go from the 30 year mortgage that we have been paying off to a 10 year mortgage with a lower interest rate.Sooooo THRILLED to have this one done! 🙂 We knocked 11 years off what we were currently paying by switching to a 10 year and the best part is we are now paying about $20 less every month with the new mortgage!
- Pay off remaining debt – almost there
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – on hold until the debt is paid off
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
- Spend extra time with my family over the Thanksgiving Holiday
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Tuesday
Home Management Goals
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Wednesday)
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Put up the Christmas Tree
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Pay off remaining debt
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
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
