Family

  • Vacation: “Nature’s Little Secrets” – Tortola, British Virgin Islands

    Our first view of Tortola, British Virgin Islands, beautiful islands!

    During our recent trip we were able to stop by Tortola, British Virgin Islands where the licenses plates read “Nature’s Little Secrets”.  Tortola is the largest and the capital of the 60 islands.  We took a shore excursion called “Tortola Highlights”!  The excursion started out in an open-air safari bus (aka a large open taxi).  We took a scenic drive through the beautiful island of Tortola.  The driver told us pieces of the history and culture as the bus climbed up the narrow curvy roads.  We passed many local villages including Trench and Fahie Hill.

    Tortola wasn’t always a peaceful island, it is said to be the spot where many pirates such as Bluebeard and Sir Francis Drake used to hide in the coves to pounce on the treasure ships as they sailed past.  The old pirate dens are now used for snorkeling, exploring, or relaxing on the beach.  British Virgin Islands includes Norman’s Isle which is believed to be the source of inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”.  Pirate Jost Van Dyke’s island is well known for it’s beaches.  Virgin Gorda is the place where Rockefeller first promoted the island as an ideal tourist destination.

    The island has “range” free livestock – cows, chickens, horses, goats everywhere, there was no place for them to go unless they wanted to take a long swim in the ocean.  Tortola’s main source of revenue was sugar cane, however, their primary source is now tourism.  You can find plenty of rum distilleries, old sugar mills, and colonial landmarks while exploring the island.

    At the top of the island we stopped at the “Sky Top” Restaurant which was the highest point on all the islands.  We were able to get a panoramic view of the British Virgin Islands, it was beautiful! The biggest hit for the “Sky Top” restaurant was the view, if you wanted to use the restroom you had to buy a drink (a can of Coke was $4.50), buy an expensive souvenir, or pay a $1 cash to use their facilities.  The  restroom had a working toilet but soap and paper towels were not available.

    Tortola is also known for their white sand beaches and mountains full of fruit trees.  We stopped for a swim at the Cane Garden Bay.  We traveled around the entire island over Zion Hill for the scenic drive along the Sir Francis Drake Highway and back to Road Town where we browsed through some local shops.  The driving was a little bumpy in areas as they recently had a storm that dropped over 4 feet of rain.  We got stuck in a traffic jam due to a car accident but we all managed to make it back to the ship on time.  It was interesting hearing the highlights from the drivers’ point of view, he was very proud of their schools, churches, and a new hospital they recently built.

    If you go to Tortola make sure to bring cash for tips and to use the restroom as well as hand sanitizer!  Tortola is a beautiful place with breathtaking views of the other islands.  It is worth exploring if you are in the area!  We hope to one day go back for another visit!  I will be sharing in a future post some of the pictures we took while on the island of Tortola!

    Below are some more facts regarding Tortola and the surrounding British Virgin Islands:

    • Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II
    • Governor – His Excellency Boyd McCleary
    • National Anthem – “God Save the Queen”
    • Flag – “Union Jack”
    • Territory Status – Non-Sovereign, overseas territory of the United Kingdom, internal self-governing
    • Legal System – English Law
    • Largest Island – Tortola
    • Language – English (official), Spanish
    • Population – 28,882
    • Religion – Christianity (major), Hinduism, Islamic
    • Monetary Unit – US Dollar
    • Economy – One of the most prosperous in the Caribbean. Highest Income Generators – Tourism & Financial Services
    • Sales Tax – None
    • Life Expectancy – 70 to 78
    • National Flower – Oleander
    • National Bird – Turtle Dove
    • National Tree – White Cedar

  • Life’s a CIRCUS!!!

    Sometimes every day life begins to feel like one circus act after another.  As a family of four there is always plenty of fun happening around our house. Even though life has a way of getting busy it is important to take some time to relax and just have fun!  Go to the circus and let yourself laugh!

    I had the privilege of chaperoning my girls kindergarten class to the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  It had been years since I have been to the circus and the girls had never gone.  We had a blast!  It was a challenge keeping all the kids together especially since a bunch of other schools were attending the same day but we managed to keep track of our troops and everyone made it home safely.  Here are a few pictures from our adventures.

    Karlie and Brina at the Circus! I could NOT pry their eyes away from the circus long enough to take a picture, it was that much fun!

    The clowns were a big hit for both of the girls!

    So much visual stimulation! Always a lot of fun stuff to watch!

    The beautiful horses captivated the girls attention!

    The kids were impressed with the strong men and swings!

    A couple of the kids had their eyes covered because they didn't want to see the lady fall!

    The "Donut Wheel" bike was a big hit with the kids!
    The girls were glad to see the Tigers caged at the circus & loved their "tricks"!

    The elephants were a huge hit with all the kids!

  • Rice Krispy Super Bowl Footballs

    In celebration of the Super Bowl event tomorrow our family has put together Football Rice Krispy treats to share with our family and friends.

    Football Rice Krispy Treats with Chocolate Frosting!

    We used an oval football cookie cutter to make footballs in celebration of the Super Bowl weekend.  The chocolate frosting turned out pretty well.  The girls had fun helping us decorate and eating the extra rice krispy corners that were not made into footballs.

    Rainbow Football Rice Krispy Treats for the Super Bowl!

    The girls loved the rainbow colored footballs in celebration of the Super Bowl weekend.  I recommend staying away from the yellow frosting because it doesn’t show up as well.

    Are you doing any special recipes for the Super Bowl festivities?

  • Be My Valentine: Cookie Surprise!

    Window Pane Heart Cookies made with love by the girls and their friends!

    We made these fun window pane Valentine Cookie Surprises this week.  The girls had a blast cutting out the cookie shapes and adding the hard candy to make window panes!  They taste pretty yummy too with the variety of flavors and textures.  The cookie dough is your basic sugar cookie mix.  We added the hard candies in the middle to make the cookies extra special.  It was a wonderful baking adventure with our girls and their friends who were spending time over at our house.  After having 5 young girls cooking in the kitchen it was a mess but they were so proud of their creations and goodies that it was worth the extra clean up time!

    Sugar Cookies

    • 1/3 cup Butter or Margarine
    • 1/3 cup Shortening
    • 3/4 cup Sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
    • 1 Egg
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
    • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
    • 20 to 40 Hard Candies (We used a variety of Lifesavers, Root Beer Float Hard Candies & Candy Canes*)

    1.  Beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt.  Beat till combined, scraping the bowl so everything is well blended.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Gradually add the flour into the mixture.

    2.  Cover and chill dough for 1 to 3 hours to make it easier to handle when making cookies or cutouts.

    3.  Lay down wax paper and lightly flour.  Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thickness.  Use a variety of cookie cutters to make the shapes you want.  Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.

    4.  Cut out a heart shape in the middle of the cookies.  Fill the hole with a crushed hard candy.  The candy will melt during baking creating the glass window pane hearts in the middle of the cookies. *We tried using up extra candy canes but they didn’t melt well (they tasted good) but I would stick to the one color hard candies like life savers!

    5.  Bake at 375° for 7 to 9 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are firm and light brown.  Cool until the middle window are set then transfer to a platter.

    Surprise Valentine's Cookie - this one had three different flavors!

  • Be My Valentine: Scrapbook Highlights

    Do you like to scrapbook?  You don’t need to be current with your scrapbooking to do this Valentine’s Day gift (I am way behind on my scrapbooking too).  Show your spouse and family you love them on Valentine’s Day by doing a Scrapbook highlighting the big events over the past year.  You can do scrapbook at home with your materials or one online at Snapfish or any other great photo place.  Think back over this past year and pick one or two big events for each month or two. Here is some ideas of what to include to get you started, even if you do the Holidays you’ll have plenty of special memories.

    • January – Happy New Year
    • February – Happy Valentine’s Day
    • March – Springing into Spring
    • April – Easter
    • May – Mother’s Day
    • June – Father’s Day
    • July – Independence Day
    • August – Back to School
    • September – First Day of Fall
    • October – Halloween
    • November – Thanksgiving
    • December – Christmas
    • Birthdays
    • Fresh Start
    • Weddings
    • Anniversaries
    • Special Trips
    • Vacations
    • And so much more!!!

    Create you book of highlights with the scrapbook material you have or do it online.  It will be a fun gift as you reflect back on the memories you made together!

    Photo by shimelle

  • Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Meals)

    A couple questions we have been asked several times over the last month regarding my No Grocery Shopping challenge are – What have we been eating?  Do we have any recipes?  I am thrilled that we were able extend this challenge into February!   The quick answer is the meals have been “simple”.   Thankfully my family does not have any food allergies so we can be a little more flexible on what we eat.

    Here are a few ways we made our pantry stretch:

    • Always Eat Leftovers
    • Keep it Simple
    • Make Meals with Few Ingredients
    • Cook 1 Main Meal a Day
    • Cut back on Snacks
    • Make Meatless Meals

    On typical day we eat toast, cereal, eggs,  oatmeal or something we have on hand for breakfast.  The girls have lunch at school so they are covered for that meal.  Jake and I eat left overs for lunch (the left overs are usually from dinner the night before).  For dinner I fix a simple, few ingredients main dish to feed our family of four then add fruits, veggies and other sides to compliment the main dish.

    The first place I noticed a dip in the pantry was with the snacks.  When the kids get home form school they are HUNGRY (they eat their school lunch at 10:30 AM) and are always ready for a snack.  If it has been a busy day for me a lot of times they will grab an item from our “snack basket” on the kitchen counter which contains items such as granola bars, pretzels, crackers, etc…. We have noticed a dip in our dairy products too.  The girls will often have a cheese stick or yogurt for a snack after school so those have been being utilized.  Another snack they enjoy after school is a half of peanut butter & jelly sandwich or peanut butter with honey and veggies which gives them an extra boost of protein.

    One of the neat parts about doing this challenge is I have started noticing trends in our family.  I have seen what we eat more of as well as the items that get left behind more frequently.  It is important to me that we all continue to get healthy meals and snacks, however, I want to eliminate wastefulness.

    Along with the main meals we have a fruit and vegetable.  We still have chicken and beef weekly as well as fish every couple of weeks.  I will be adding the recipes for these items in the next day or two.  It is our plan to continue this challenge yet another week!

    I will continue to share with you the challenges, successes and what I have purchased so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating  and sharing your story.  I am thrilled that we can extend this goal and continue to use up the items we already have in our home!

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

  • Life Simplified: Sell, Give, Donate or Toss It?

    I was listening to the radio a few weeks ago and heard the announcer telling a personal story how she had a box of knickknacks and other items.  She was procrastinating on organizing the items and as she was going through it she was trying to decide what she should give away, put away or throw away……in the end she just got a bigger box.

    This little story stood out to me because I have been thinking about how we as a family and Americans in general need to cut back.  One of my goals in 2011 is to simplify my life more by enjoying the blessings and not wasting what God has given me.  I have been sharing with you the successes and challenges on those specific areas in my life as I go through them.

    My Third Life Simplified Goal:

    • Organize & De-Clutter our Home

    Explanation of the Goal: When my husband and I were first married we lived a nice but small apartment.  When we had friends over to eat we had to sit on the floor or the hand-me-down love seat that I received from a client that was throwing it out.  The majority of our items have been purchased second hand or given to us by family or friends.  After a couple years in the apartment we moved into our home and then had kids.  Recently as we were sitting together talking about life we realized how much “stuff” we had accumulated over the course of a few years.  I am a sentimental person so a lot of items have a story behind them, but there a many items in our home we no longer use.  The girls have baby toys that they no longer play with along with knickknacks here and there.  Over the course of the year we a going to reorganize and de-clutter our home.  I think it will be a continual work in progress, however, if we are not using an item we need to evaluate if we really need it.

    Here are some ways we anticipate eliminating some of the clutter:

    • Sell It – EBay, CraigsList, or Garage Sale
    • Give It Away – to someone needing or wanting the item.
    • Donate it to a charity or an organization that can give it to a person who can use it
    • Throw it away – this one is hard for me!  I am still learning that it is okay to not keep every single piece of paper my kids scribble on.  I want to have some to put in a scrapbook for them but I don’t need every paper.  I love the memories!

    We have already started working on this goal.  It is amazing how easy it is to post to CraigsList and Ebay which the items usually sell within a week or two.  When someone is over at the house and we realize that they could use something we have but are not using we take the opportunity to give it away.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating  and sharing your story.  I would love to have an organized and de-cluttered home by the end of the year.

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

  • Be My Valentine: Romantic Dinner for Two!

    You have the babysitter lined up for the kids now it is time to figure out what fun excursion to do with your spouse.  Going out to eat at a restaurant is a great option, however, going on Valentine’s Day can mean a lot of waiting in lines.  If you have your heart set on going to a restaurant go to a place where you can make a reservation in advanced or pick a different evening near Valentine’s Day.  As a side note, the point of Valentine’s Day is to spend time together and celebrate with your love ones.  If you do it a day earlier or later it can be an even more relaxing and romantic date to remember.  Since Valentine’s Day is on a Monday this year, try going on Friday or Saturday before Valentine’s Day.  Going near the Holiday but not on the Holiday allows you to get into the restaurant easier and dinner will be more relaxing with better service because you’re not rushed.  It will be less expensive for the babysitter that night since you don’t have to be out as long waiting for a table.

    My recommendation if you want to go out on Valentine’s Days (or any other Date Night) for less go on a picnic with your spouse.  Why is going a picnic a better option:

    • It’s Less Expensive – you can pick up food on sale at the grocery store and make it at home.
    • No Waiting in Line
    • Relaxing Meal Together
    • One-on-One Conversation without interruptions

    Since it is winter time you may ask, how do we do a picnic in the snow?  The last cold picnic we went on together Jake and I found a great spot to park.  We took all the seats out of the van except the front two then put a air mattress in the back part of the van.  We brought a picnic basket full of goodies and a movie.  We had a quiet relaxing meal together, talked, and enjoyed a movie.  It was a great evening full of fun and relaxation.

    “Be My Valentine” is a series of creative ways you can celebrate Valentine’s Day with those you love.  You can make it a special Holiday without spending a lot.  Spread a little extra cheer to those around you this Valentine’s Day!  Surprise your loved ones with a fun and thoughtful gift from the heart.  It is a great time to reflect on sweet memories as well as create new ones with whole family.  May this Valentine’s season be bursting with love for you!

  • Cruising on “Serenade of the Seas”

    We had the privilege of cruising on Royal Caribbean’s “Serenade of the Seas” ship on our last vacation.  The first evening we were aboard the boat was full of exploring the ship, our cabin, the schedules, activities and the amazing services they had to offer.  It was our second cruise and the “Serenade of the Seas” was a bigger ship as well as a longer trip.  We were excited to have the opportunity to explore more islands during our trip.   Both of us slept very well aboard our time on the ship as they cruised from island to island during the night.  We met a lot of really neat people and was able to spend some quality time with our family.  “Serenade of the Seas” is one of Royal Caribbean’s newer ships.  Here is some information about “Serenade of the Seas”:

    Ship Facts

    * Maiden Voyage: August 1, 2003
    * Passenger Capacity: 2,114 double occupancy; 2,502 maximum
    * Godmother: Whoopi Goldberg
    * Gross Tonnage: 90,090
    * Length: 962′
    * Beam: 105.6′
    * Draft: 27.9′
    * Cruising Speed: 22 knots

    Ship Highlights

    * Rock-climbing wall
    * Portofino Italian Restaurant
    * Chops Grille
    * Latté-tudes,SM a specialty coffee house featuring Seattle’s Best Coffee®
    * Seaview Café
    * Themed bars and lounges
    * Casino RoyaleSM
    * The Colony Club, a unique British colonial-style lounge with self-leveling pool tables;
    * Beautiful indoor Solarium
    * Indoor/outdoor country club with golf simulator
    * Adventure Ocean® youth facilities
    * Day Spa and Fitness Center
    * Sports court with basketball/volleyball court

    These were just a few of the details of “Serenade of the Seas”.   We enjoyed amazing food, great entertainment and a fun times.  We would go again if we had the opportunity.  If you have never cruised before it is an experience worth trying at least once.  None of our party got sea sick.  The trip was pretty smooth and the service wonderful.  Check it out if you are thinking about taking a cruise.  Who knows who you’ll meet along the way!

    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!