Family

  • Recipes: Apple Bacon Bread

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    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.

    Breakfast Bread and Egg Casserole

     First layer with the apples and bacon sprinkled over the top.

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    Sprinkled with a little cinnamon and sugar on top!

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    Hot and delicious!

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    Whose ready for some Apple Bacon Bread!

  • Birthday Celebration!

    Happy Birthday, Red Velvet Birthday Cake, Gifts, Games, Food, and More

    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!

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    Delicious red velvet cake picked up by my sweet Handsome!

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    It was rich and tasty!

    Birthday Gifts, Birthday Cards

    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! 🙂

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    The perfect appetizer before a yummy birthday dinner!

  • Recipes: Homemade Chicken Flavored Dog Biscuits

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    Homemade Dog Biscuits

    The dog at our house is super spoiled, even though she doesn’t realize it.  And at times she probably doesn’t deserve to be spoiled, like when she shreds our Wall Street Journal.  Guess she is no different than humans, we are spoiled and blessed with so much yet we tend to act out.  Overall she’s a wonderful dog, well behaved, and is super great with the kids even if she does get herself into trouble at times.

    There is a certain child in our family that especially has a soft spot for animals.  She has been BEGGING me to make dog biscuit treats with her for our black, furry, four-legged, mischievous family member!  Our family had a roasted chicken a few days ago so I decided it was time to experiment with Homemade Dog Biscuits.  The biscuits turned out really well and Skipper, our black lab, now has a giant baggie of homemade dog biscuits.  She seems to think they are AMAZING, but she is not a picky eater.  The girls love giving her the homemade treats too so everyone’s happy (or at least should be).

    Homemade Chicken Flavored Dog Biscuits:

    • 1 cup Hot Water
    • 2 tablespoons Milk
    • 2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
    • 3/4 cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
    • 2 Eggs
    • 1 cup of diced Chicken pieces (we used the heart, liver, gizzard, and pieces of chicken)
    • 5 cups Flour

    Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.  Stir all ingredients together to make a thick dough.  Knead the dough on a floured surface for 3 minutes.  Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes (we used a dog bone and bear).  Place the cookies on the baking sheet and cook for 35 minutes, turn off oven and leave in the oven for additional 20 minutes.  The edges should be slightly brown.  Remove from oven and cool.  Store in a Ziplock bag or air tight container in the fridge.

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    Tray full of Homemade Chicken Flavored Dog Biscuits!

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    The puppy in our family is very happy to get her special homemade treats.

  • Free Ebooks: I Wish I Were A Panda, 40 Top Paleo Recipes, Treasure Island, Christmas Without Stress, Your Family Legacy, 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 I Wish I Were a PANDA by Dan Jackson

    Download a free copy of 40 Top Paleo Recipes – Quick and Easy Paleo Recipes by Jenny Allan

    Download a free copy of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

    Download a free copy of The Everyday Cookbook – Healthy Cookbook with 130 Amazing Whole Food Recipes That Are Easy on the Budget by Vesela Tabakova

    Download a free copy of Christmas Without Stress – 50 Tips for a Peaceful Holiday by Caroline Kendall

    Download a free copy of Your Family Legacy – 32 Ways to Preserve Your Family’s Wealth for Generations by Michael Palumbox

    Download a free copy of The Invent To Learn Guide to 3D Printing in the Classroom by David Thornburg, Norma Thornburg, and Sara Armstrong

    Download a free copy of Deer & Fixings – How to Cook Delicious Vension by John E. Phillips & Denise Phillips

    Download a free copy of Baby Proofing Your Home Childproofing Your House Parenting Guide, Advice, Checklists by Baslee Troutman

    Download a free copy of Mind Hurdles – Grade 2 – 150 Interactive Questions and Answers That Stimulate Learning by LL Kross

  • 3D Printed: Vacuum Cleaner Attachment

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    My new vacuum cleaner attachment!

    One of the cool and very practical items Jake has printed for me using his 3D printer is a vacuum cleaner attachment!  Yes, I know it is crazy to get excited about a vacuum cleaner attachment, but I do.  My husband knows me very well and this was a perfect gift to print!

    The vacuum attachment works well to help easily empty out my household vacuum dirt bin.   The new 3D printed attachment is on the vacuum in the garage and when my regular house vacuum dirt bin is full all I have to do it put the container up to the attachment, turn on the garage vacuum, and it is completely cleaned out.  No more taking apart the dirty vacuum bin to empty it into a trash can and trying to get out the carpet fuzz or random items that like to get stuck in the corners of the bin. It is a quick, easy, and less messy way to empty my vacuum dirt bin!  Thankful for my husband and his thoughtfulness.

    PrinterBot 3D Printer

    Who knew you could print the perfect vacuum cleaner attachment?  Awesome!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Our family had a great time in the Midwest celebrating my little brother’s wedding.  It was wonderful seeing my family over the Thanksgiving Holiday.  The wedding was beautiful, successful, and hopefully they are now relaxing on their honeymoon!  I was happy to welcome another sister into our family, WOOHOO!!!  Happy for my brother and his new wife.

    Now I am back home and need to make some progress with upcoming projects.  Here’s what happened this past week and what is going on this week.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to read to the kids – about halfway through the book
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events
    4. Spend time Monday – Tuesday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8. Watch a movie with the Kids
    9. Listen to an Audiobook with the Kids
    10. Thanksgiving Holiday – So Many Reasons to be Thankful
    11. Celebrating Josh & Megan’s Wedding & Activities

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – didn’t drink enough when traveling
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – took 2 days
    2. Clean House (Basic Speed Clean before the Holiday Activities)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    4. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8. Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items
    9. Dr. Appointments for Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
    4. Clean House (Focus – Suitcases Unpacked & Put Away from Wedding / Thanksgiving Trip)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Snack Bins Refilled)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool and Leaves)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Hay Feeder Filled)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Earn some Creative Cash
    5. 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.

  • Sweet Treat from My Husband

    Chocolate Covered Strawberries

    There are so many reasons to be thankful for my husband!  Not long ago he picked up a box of Dole’s Strawberry Dippers and brought them home for me.  Such a sweetheart!  The Dole Strawberry Dippers are frozen strawberry halves covered in dark chocolate!  Absolutely…..DELICIOUS!!!  Thank you baby for the special surprise!  He knows me well!  YOUR THE BEST!!!

  • Wishing You a Safe & Happy Thanksgiving

    Be Kind Be thoughtful Be genuine but most of All Be Thankful  Orange Inspiration and Color Theory / The English Room Blog

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Wishing you a truly amazing and safe Thanksgiving Holiday if you will be traveling to see family and friends!  I am thankful for the many wonderful blessings in my life.  This year we are thrilled to spend some time with our extended family over the Thanksgiving Holiday!  It is not every year we are able to get together for Thanksgiving!   We also get to celebrate with my youngest brother as he marries the love of his life this Thanksgiving weekend.  So many reasons to be thankful!

    I love this quote because even during the difficult times we can “be kind, be thoughtful, be genuine, but most of all be thankful”.  What a great reminder not just for Thanksgiving Day, but for everyday of our lives!

    photo credit

  • 3D Printed: Toy Dog

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    3D printer black toy dog!

    Shortly after getting his 3D printer Jake printed something special for each of the girls.  Brina wanted a dog so he did a 3D print out of a black toy dog.  She was so excited when the dog was finally printed!  She carried her new dog around with her and it sits in a special place on her dresser.  Thankful for Jake and what he does to make his girls feel treasured.  For Karlie he printed a 3D rocket which was a perfect piece for her!

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    Brina showing me what her Dad printed just for her!

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    Her new little pup hanging out with her as we have family game night!

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     It is amazing to think that this was actually printed!  So cool!  Watching the printer is very mesmerizing.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    There is so much to be thankful for in my life.  These last couple of months have been challenging for me, but my family and friends have been a huge source of encouragement with their help and prayers.  I continue to heal, but seem to be making progress slowly in the right direction which is great.

    I was able to do more activities this week as well as celebrate another birthday.  Praying that this new year is full of great fun!  There are still items I was not able to complete on my ever growing list, but at least I am moving forward.

    With this week being Thanksgiving it will be a little different for me.  I will plan on spending more quality time with my family.  It will be week of celebrating various events with my extended family, including Thanksgiving and my brother’s wedding, so I am very excited!

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read the book Wonder’s Promise by Joanna Campbell to read to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events
    4. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Play a Game with the Kids – we played Sorry together on my birthday
    8. Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items – other activities took priority this week
    9. Dr. Appointments for Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – took me 2 days, but getting it done!
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later) – we had appointments / activities during the days AND every night after school this week so I was not able to get it done this week
    4. Clean House (Focus – Bathrooms) – got started….
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Storage Room) – going to have to put this one on hold for a week
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool taken down and put away) – it was a rainy weekend and needed my hubby’s help on this one
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Refill Dog & Goat Food Bin)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – got some progress made, but need to do more soon
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – it was a wild week with extra activities that took priority
    4. Work completed for clients – got a good bit done, but need to put in some more time

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch – didn’t have a free breakfast / lunch this week
    2. Prep for our Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child boxes – gathering items

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Earn some Creative Cash – working on it
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to read to the kids (The kids have been really enjoying this series.  It was Brina’s turn to pick out the book and she choose this one for me to read to them!)
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events
    4. Spend time Monday – Tuesday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8. Watch a movie with the Kids
    9. Listen to an Audiobook with the Kids
    10. Thanksgiving Holiday – So Many Reasons to be Thankful
    11. Celebrating Josh & Megan’s Wedding & Activities

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Clean House (Basic Speed Clean before the Holiday Activities)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork

    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.