Family

  • Family Recipe: Green Bean Tator Tot Casserole

    My Mom is a great cook and this is one of the recipes I remember her making when I was a kid.  It is a great mix of flavors and the perfect casserole to take to someone for a meal or if you want to make two and freeze one for a busy day later that month.  One thing I really love about this meal is that you can use what you have on hand in your pantry or freezer (you don’t have to buy a “special” type of green beans, hashbrowns, or cheese) to make it tasty!

    Green Bean Casserole

    • 2 lbs Hamburger, browned
    • 1 can Mushrooms (optional)
    • 1 pkg Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella or Cheddar or Mix)
    • 2 to 3 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
    • 1 pkg frozen Hashbrowns or Tator Tots
    • 3 cans Green Beans (any style)

    Brown the hamburger then add the mushroom soup and canned mushrooms.  Stir and place on the bottom of a casserole dish.  Then layer the green beans on top of the meat mixture.  Spread the hashbrowns over the top of the green beans.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over the hashbrowns.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.  Until cheese is golden.

  • Academy Sports & Outdoors: Clearance Sale – 88¢ (Over 700 Items)

    Academy Sports & Outdoors is having an online clearance sale!

    Over 700 items are priced at $0.88 each plus clearance on over 2000 other items.  If you are looking to get a birthday gift or stock up on outdoor clothes or items this is a great time to do it.  Click on their “Clearance” tab and sort by price “low to high” to see all the clearance items.  The shipping rates are a little high but if you are ordering a handful of items at $0.88 each it will offset the delivery charges.
    Limited supplies so stock up while you can!

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 10 Free Points

    Receive 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:  FollowPampers10

    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!

  • Twice as Fun: A Visit From The Tooth Fairy

    My little Karlie is growing up!

    Karlie recently lost her first baby tooth which was an exciting day for the whole family.  It marked a new stage in her life which means my baby is growing up!  Although our girls know the “tooth fairy” really doesn’t exist it is fun to celebrate a new milestone in the lives of our kids.

    Brina was excited for Karlie too and shared in the celebrations but is now ready for her baby teeth to start falling out as well.  That is one hard part about having two at the same age, they are excited for each other but are ready for their turn too.  Each of us is made uniquely so we let Brina know she will have a chance to celebrate too when her big teeth come through.  I told her teeth will come in when it is perfect for her.  Those who know me realize that I have been dreading this stage of Motherhood because I just don’t like wiggly teeth.  I have to say it is amazing how much you can actually handle once you are going through it with your child.

    Here are some pictures from Karlie’s First Tooth Fairy Celebration:

     

    Karlie's Dollar from the "Tooth Fairy" for losing her first tooth!

    We put $1 Dollar in a butterfly Ziploc bag for Karlie losing her first tooth!  She was super excited to see cash under her pillow the next morning.  Karlie was up before the sun came up because she was so excited about losing her first tooth!

    A Special Note from the Tooth Fairy

    The front side of her present had a note from the Tooth Fairy that said – “Congratulations Karlie on getting your 1st big girl tooth!  Love, Tooth Fairy”   She thought it was super silly especially the “eyes” on the word tooth!

    A Note from the Tooth Fairy to Karlie!

    On the back side of her gift there was another note from the Tooth Fairy – “Karlie, Congratulations on losing your 1st baby tooth!  You are growing up to be a beautiful girl! Love, The Tooth Fairy”  Karlie thought it was great getting two special notes from the Tooth Fairy!

     

    Karlie's Tooth Fairy goodies - $1 Dollar and 1 Book!

    Karlie was super excited to find her treasure under her pillow the next morning.  I picked out shiny “star” wrapping paper for Karlie because she enjoys rockets, planets, and science.  She even kept the paper for several days after opening the gift!

     

    Karlie showing off her new book from the "Tooth Fairy"!

    Karlie was super excited to get a new book!  Both girls love horses so they had fun reading this book together several times over the last few days.

     

    Karlie's baby tooth in a little treasure chest!

    The dentist gave the Karlie a cute little yellow treasure chest to put her baby tooth in.  She was super excited about the mini treasure chest!

    It was a lot of fun celebrating the loss of Karlie’s first baby tooth.  Karlie knows that there is no such thing as “The Tooth Fairy” even though we call it the Tooth Fairy.  She was thrilled to get something special either way even if Mom and Dad are the Tooth Fairy.  As parents we feel like it is okay to celebrate the monumental moments with your kids, however, we chose let them know if something that we celebrate such as the “Tooth Fairy” is really imaginary.  We don’t want our kids growing up thinking we lied to them about something that isn’t even real.  Every family has to make a decision about what is best for their family.

    Please share with us your ideas on what you do to celebrate your children losing their teeth and what the “Tooth Fairy” brings for special goodies!

    Twice as Fun is a series on raising Twins and all the joy that comes with it.  We have been richly blessed to have twin daughters in our lives and want to share with you our thoughts, challenges, wisdom and love for raising multiples.  Our girls have different interests and hobbies but they both know how to add excitement to our lives and make us chuckle.

  • Family Celebrations: Happy Birthday Skipper!

    Best Buddies - A Girl and Her Dog (Brina and Skipper)

    The fifth member of our family is full of energy, a loyal friend, loves to play outside and adds a lot of laughter to our family…….Skipper!  She is our sweet black lab who the girls absolutely adore!  Our little Puddle Skipper Hayes was born on March 14, 2010 and she had fun celebrating her 1st birthday with us!  It was a busy day full of a lot of activities but ended it with a little celebration for our furry family member.  The girls were so excited to celebrate Skipper’s birthday.

    Here are a few pictures from our fun together!

     

    Brina and Karlie wrapping Skipper's birthday gifts!

    The girls wrapped Skipper’s gifts in newspaper and A LOT of tape!  They even had tape on the floor when they were done (you can see a pile in between them on the carpet).  They were so excited and had a blast doing the wrapping for their furry sister!

     

    Skipper's Special Birthday Meal!

    The girls thought it was hilarious putting Skipper’s candle in her special meal.  They thought it was funny she would rather have a special birthday meal with “bacon” then a birthday cake.  The girls were worried that Skipper was going to burn her nose so she barely got close to the bowl until the candle was blown out, glad they were looking out for her.  It was great watching them trying to keep her away from the candle while we sang Happy Birthday!

     

    Skipper eating her birthday treat!

    The best puppy birthday meal you can ask for – Meaty and Moist, simply delicious!  Plus she got to eat her special birthday treat all by herself (no one was wanting to share it with her).

     

    The unwrapping part of the birthday celebrations was exciting and confusing for Skipper, good thing the girls were there to help!

    Skipper was very excited to get new bones and a toy!  She immediately took one bone into the yard, then realized the other one was still on the porch so went back for that one.  I really think she stayed up all night playing and eating her bones!

    Happy Birthday Skipper!  Hope you enjoyed your play time with the family, your feast, bones, and toy!  The girls had fun picking them out, wrapping and celebrating with you!!!

  • Living on a Budget – Groceries $40 for 4

    SaveALot | RiteAid and Walgreens

    I made it through my second week of doing my new cash budget system – Groceries $40 for 4 and I have to be honest with you, it didn’t go well at ALL.  It was a super busy week and I decided at the beginning of the week to totally revamped my menu for this week.  The good news is the menu included a bunch of new healthy recipes, however, since we have been cutting back on our grocery shopping the last few weeks we had to rebuild our fresh fruit and veggie stockpile.  Although I was able to get a lot of great deals on veggies (Thank You Aldi’s) it still added up quickly.  My grocery store shopping this week was spread out and sandwiched in between appointments which made it even more hurried and less organized.   I am still learning how to operate on the cash grocery system (even though I blew it this week).  Hopefully, we can continue trying to utilize the food we already have in our pantry and freezer along with adding in extra fresh fruits and veggies.  I did learn a lot about the mistakes I made this week (hopefully I can refrain from repeating them).  What I learned this week from some of my grocery shopping mistakes:

    • It is important to make the time to go shopping and not try to squeeze it in between appointments (rushing through doesn’t always work well even with a list).
    • Forgetting some of my coupons made a huge difference ( I didn’t have the time or desire to use extra gas to go back for them)
    • Shopping early morning is much better than in the middle of the day (not as many markdown items)
    • Fresh items are more expensive (it is okay to substitute in some frozen ones too).
    • Completely altering your menu once the week has already started causes unnecessary stress
    • There are certain times of day it is not smart to take the whole crew with you to the store (right after school when they are restless and very HUNGRY)
    • It is very difficult sticking to a $40 grocery budget when I had numerous hiccups in my process

    Pictured above is my Walgreens and SaveALot | Rite Aid trip.  Sorry I was not able to get a picture of my Aldi’s and BiLo trips it took everything in me just to put the stuff away (actually, I still have a few cans sitting on the counter still waiting for me to put them in the pantry).   I didn’t separate out my household and grocery items at Aldi or BiLo either so I don’t have the exact totals but to be completely honest I more than double my grocery budget for this week.  Here is what I spent at the two stores pictured above and what we bought:

    • $5.05 at Walgreens for 2 cans of Cashews
    • $19.23 at SaveALot | RiteAid for Milk, Parmesan Grated Cheese, Yogurt, Carrots, Cheese, Mushrooms, Stew Meat, Hamburger Helper

    Life was spread out and busy this week.  My grocery shopping and house shows the ripple effect of it too. It was our second week of the challenge – Groceries $40 for 4 and we more than doubled our grocery budget of $40.   I was disappointed in myself for making so many silly mistakes (and I knew better too) in my rush to pick up groceries and feed the family.  I did get to use some coupons, bought clearance items, and utilized weekly ad discounts to help save us a little extra on our grocery budget even though the savings wasn’t enough.  I really hope to be more organized and do better next week.  We’ll see how I do!

    I hope to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  I hope by taking the extra time to watch my grocery spending it will allow us to feed our family, enjoy life, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    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.

  • Recipe: Broccoli Rice Hot Dish

    I made a new recipe this past weekend from one of  Taste of Home’s “Guilt Free Cooking” Cookbooks and the entire family loved it.  I received thumbs up from everyone, several please make this again, and the kids even asked for seconds.  What was leftover of the casserole was eaten the next day so it didn’t go to waste either.  The best part is it was a “healthier” dish and was easy to make. I am not a huge egg person so I had a little hesitation in trying it because I didn’t want something that had a heavy egg flavor.  In the end I was super happy I tried it because I couldn’t even taste the eggs because it had so much flavor in the dish.  As I am trying to eat healthier and cook better food for my family (not that we don’t have a couple of pizza nights a month) I am looking for new, easy, inexpensive and tasty recipes to try.  I bought this cookbook when it was on clearance for $2.50 before Christmas and this weekend as I was sitting on the front porch glider leafing through it while watching the kids play in the yard this recipe jump off the page begging for me to try it out, glad I did too.  It was a hit with the family and it included ingredients that I can easily have on hand.  I used it as our main meal but since it is meatless you could have it as a side as well.

    Broccoli Rice Hot Dish

    • 2 cups hot cooked Rice
    • 3/4 cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar Cheese
    • 1/2 cup Egg Substitute OR (1 egg)
    • 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt

    Filling

    • 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped Broccoli, thawed
    • 4 oz chopped fresh Mushrooms
    • 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper (we choose to not add the red pepper)
    • 1/2 medium Onion, chopped
    • 1 cup Egg Substitute OR (2 Eggs)
    • 1/2 cup Fat Free Milk
    • 1/2 teaspoon Onion Salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
    • 1 cup (4 oz) shredded reduced fat Cheddar Cheese

    In a large bowl, combine the rice, cheese, egg, and garlic salt.  Press firmly into a 2 quart baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

    Meanwhile, place the broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, onion in a steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover and steam for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

    In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, onion salt, and pepper; stir in vegetables.  Pour over crust.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

    Do you have easy, inexpensive and tasty recipes to try?  Send me an email and I may post it on my blog or put a link to your blog in your comment.  As a family of 4 with a busy schedule having a stash of great healthy recipes on hand is very beneficial!

    Photo by Taste of Home

  • Vacation: “Cruise Adventure” on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas (Part 2, Pictures)

    We talked a little earlier this week about our cruise vacation on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas!

    Now we would like to share a few pictures of our adventures on board the ship that week!

     

    Our Stateroom on the cruise!

    Our stateroom was great!  They had plenty of shelves and spots to put items away.  It had the most comfortable bed I have slept on in long time.  Jake and I are still trying to figure out how we can get that bed with the rocking motion of the ship so we can sleep soundly again!

    Sitting on the window sill in our stateroom!

    This picture was requested by our girls.  I did one last time and they wanted another window seat picture.  The beautiful scenery behind me is Puerto Rico.

    Playing Put-Put in the dark on the top of the ship. Go Amber!

    We played Put-Put or Miniature Golf in the dark and wind.  They had plenty of lights and music going.  Thankfully no one lost their ball but we had a few close calls!

    Glass Coffee Table looking down the centrium of the ship (13 floors)

    It was pretty amazing looking down through the coffee table to the centrium.  A couple brave people laid across the table but their pictures were too dark with all the lighting beneath them.  It wasn’t an ideal place to linger if you don’t like heights.

    Race cars on the wall by the "Pit Stop"! Karlie loves Matchbox cars so she liked this picture!

    Karlie LOVES Match box cars so we took this picture for her!

    Jake checking out the night sights with the binoculars!

    Jake checking out the sights with his binoculars.  It came in handy several times during the trip. The walkie talkies were another great investment especially since we were traveling with a group.

    Formal Night with my "sparkly" dress B & K helped me pick out!

    Our first formal night on the cruise.  It was fun to dress up, go to dinner and a show with my man!

    Every night after dinner our room would be cleaned, bed turned down, and we had a towel friend to welcome us back (tonight was a Swan)

    The towel animals were a special treat in our room every night.  Sometimes they were on the bed and other times they were hanging up in the room.  Little gifts from our stateroom attendant!

    Indoor Pool in the Solarium with Jake on the bridge over it.

    The indoor pool and Solarium was really neat.  Full of plants, a pool, cafe and more.  The pool was really neat especially at night when the ship was moving because you could see the waves rolling back and forth in the pool as the ship rocked.

    Outdoor Pool deck at night!

    The outdoor pool was always surrounded by numerous people laying out to work on their tans.

    Dad, Josh, and Jeremy playing pool on the Self Leveling Pool Tables in the Safari Club, pretty neat!

    The self leveling pool tables were pretty cool.  It was a hit with our group after dinner.  I even played a couple rounds!

    Amazing food - Ice Sculpture & Fruit. Love the fruit monkey climbing the palm tree.

    The food was simply delicious!  The best part is I didn’t have to cook or clean all week.  Love the fruit monkey in the tree.

    Dolphin carved on a Watermelon

    Talented watermelon carvers on board.  These looked awesome and they were the displays!

    Swan carved into a watermelon

    The swan was beautiful.  The detailed carving on these and other watermelons was really neat!

    A rooster made out of veggies!

    The rooster made me laugh.  I have never seen someone turn vegetables into a rooster before, very creative!

    Our awesome waiter Noel balancing a glass of water on his head while dancing.

    Noel was an awesome waiter.  He was positive, pleasant and entertaining.  Also, he offered a lot of great recommendations on what to do during our days on the islands, several times that proved very valuable!

    Elephant towel by our pillow that night.

    The elephant was so cute standing next to Jake’s pillows.  Our stateroom attendant did a great job keeping the room clean and was always helpful with any questions we had.  We only watched the ship and activity information channel on TV but since ours wasn’t working we ended up getting a Flat Panel TV in our room by the second day.  The maintenance guy said you would be amazed how many people actually spend the entire cruise in their rooms watching TV.  So thankful Jake isn’t that way because we had a blast exploring islands, learning, on adventures and meeting new people.

    Plant full of lobster tails for our table! Delicious!

    Noel brought our table plates of lobster tails since everyone ordered lobster one night.  It was wonderful.  The girls were ready to go with us just for the lobster and seafood we ate during our cruise!

    Jake and I after dinner and the show!

    Our second “formal” dinner night.  Jake and I had wonderful time having fun and relaxing together.  It was great traveling with family yet having some time alone as well.  Lots of fun memories!

    Beautiful fresh flowers!Two things I love about this picture - their window sill seats all over the boat and Amber's pirate shirt!

    Fresh flowers were distributed throughout the ship.  The islands had the most beautiful plants.  Loved it!

    Pool Volleyball - Crew versus Guests

    Outdoor pool in the daytime.  They are having a Pool Volleyball competition between the Crew and Guests.  Not sure who won the competition but we watched a couple rounds.

    Going down the ship's water slide!

    They had a water slide on the ship.  Yes, I had to go down it!  Actually I think we went down it 3 or 4 times.  If you look behind the people standing at the railing you will see the ocean in the background.

    Jake and I with our server for the week, Noel! Awesome!

    Noel was an excellent waiter.  He even came by our breakfast table the morning we were leaving to say goodbye to our group.  If you go on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas request Noel as your waiter, you won’t be disappointed!

    Long hallway of staterooms!

    This picture makes me laugh because it really is a long hallway with rooms on both sides.  With that being said we never seen or heard anyone in the rooms next to us (well except for Jeremy and Amber, but that was because they were part of our party).

    "3526" our Stateroom!

     

    It was a wonderful week packed full of fun activities and great memories.  Jake and I had a blast and look forward to our next vacation traveling.  Next week I will share with you a little about our adventures in Puerto Rico!

    A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

     

  • A Little Purple Flower

    Those who know me have heard this story many times.  The other day as I was reflecting on my life and the many blessings in it my thoughts drifted back to this moment several years ago that so deeply stirred my heart.  I want to share this story with you to provide encouragement for those tough days.

    When I was in college I had an experience that left a lasting imprint on my heart and life.  Sometimes God uses the “tiniest” blessings to uplift and encourage us.  It had been a rough week at college with a lot of projects, tests, work, and activities.  I was a little more stressed than normal and homesick.  I had just checked my mailbox and once again it was empty.  As I quietly walked back to my dorm room I noticed a group of preschool children from the daycare nearby coming my direction walking in a single file line with their teachers.  The kids were talking, laughing and full of life.  Right as I was walking past them one little boy yelled “STOP!”  The whole line of kids, teachers, and myself stopped as he bent over at the edge of the sidewalk, looked at the ground, then started jumping up and down while yelling excitedly  “LOOK I FOUND A PURPLE FLOWER!”  What he had found was the tiniest little purple flower attached to a weed on the edge of the sidewalk.

    Everyday that week I had walked by those purple flowers but yet I was so focused on my own life, problems, and thoughts that I had failed to stop and notice the little purple flowers in my life.  Those purple flowers represent a multitude of blessings God sends my way to remind me (even in the tough times) that He loves me.  Often he uses the beauty of His creation to capture my attention but it could be many other blessings in my life that I didn’t stop to appreciate.  I never walked down that sidewalk again without looking for a purple flower and this moment has been etched in my mind as a reminder for me to continue looking for those purple flowers.

    There have been seasons in my life since that time when I had to look closely at the weeds (metaphorically speaking) to find a beautiful purple flower in the midst of the trial.  It was a simple illustration of God’s love shining through that little boy to remind me how truly blessed I am.  This moment made a priceless impact on my life and even though life isn’t always easy I know God cares enough to send even a tiny purple flower across my path.

    I want to encourage you if you are going through a rough season.  It’s okay to have tough days, God still loves you, cares about you, and is reaching out to show you blessings (no matter how big or tiny) everyday.  Although, you may have to look harder for those little purple flowers on the side of the walkway in the middle of the weeds you can rejoice in those little miracles of encouragement.  Take a moment today to reflect on the purple flowers in your life.

    Photo by donjd2

  • Curious Kids: Triangular Vacuums

    The neat part about having kids is that they notice the small things, the stuff we take for granted as adults.  A few months ago one of my girls wanted to know “Why does the vacuum leave triangles on the carpet?”  It perplexed them when they were watching me because the vacuum itself is a rectangle yet somehow it manages to spit out triangles onto the carpet when I vacuum the floor.  Although the triangles are not necessary I let them know that seeing the triangles indicates to Mommy that the carpet has recently been cleaned and makes the room look nice.

    They had been learning about patterns at school and this strange occurrence at home captivated their attention one day.  The triangles are created in a pattern by the way I steer the vacuum cleaner over the carpet.  It helps me know that I have cleaned the entire floor and adds an extra reward at the end.   It is the little things that you do that the kids pick up on and want to learn more about.  I don’t know for sure if they will do the same things once they are grown but at least they know why Mommy creates triangles on the floor and how to do it with a rectangle shaped vacuum.  I am thankful for kids who have the desire to learn, explore, and try to figure out how things work.  Their curiosity keeps me on my toes and allows me to continue finding ways to teach them about life.  As a Mom love this day to day education opportunity with my girls.