Family

  • What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan

    https://blessingsmultiplied.com//wp-content/uploads/2011/09/4088699532_ae44f04b7dc.jpg

    This week will have a mix of special events on the schedule for us to attend.  Thankful for opportunity to spend some time with the family and a chance to participate in some fun activities this week.  The rest of the week will be simple meals because it will be busy at work, home, and other activities.  Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:

    Our Weekly Menu Plan

    • Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Special Event
    • Tuesday (Seafood, Soup, Salad, or Sandwich Entree)Special Event
    • Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree):  Vegetarian Pasta Casserole, Steamed Vegetables
    • Thursday (Pork Entree or Kid‘s Night to Cook):  Individual Homemade Pizzas, Salad
    • Friday, Saturday, & Sunday:  Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting

    I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or pasta entree and so forth).  It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned.  I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.

    Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family.  On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home.  As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes.  If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).

    As a family of four our life can get busy.  What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget.  Our family typically eats 6 to 7  dinner meals at home a week.  We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat.  Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family.  Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day.  Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends.  The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety.  We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.

    Photo by Liz

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was amazing, refreshing, fun, and fantastic!  I LOVED spending the extra time with my family.  It was great to focus on spending time together and not worrying or concentrating on all the tasks, goals, and items on my “To Do” list.  I needed the break from the “normal” so I could focus on enjoying the people I love dearly in my life.  The kids are growing up way too quickly and I treasure the time that I have with them.  I want to pack in as many awesome memories with the entire family while they are still growing up.  This week will be a mix of focusing on my family and gearing up for the regular routine again.  I don’t want to switch too quickly as to shock my system, although I do need to get back on track with my tasks and goals.  I figure if I gradually ease into it again I will be good to go soon!  The shorter list was nice and much easier to tackle (and enjoy), but I cannot do that every week if I want to stay on top of life, schedules, and everything else going on with the family.   I am keeping it pretty close to the same as last week, but will be adding on a few items each day.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading The Forgotten Filly by Karle Dickerson to the kids – was able to get a good chunk of the book read with the kids
    2. Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids. – had some good laughs reading this one
    3. Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids. – learning more everyday
    4. Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids. – interesting trivia
    5. Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
    6. Plan one special activity with the family
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8. Create Memories with the Family
    9. Spend Quality time with each family member
    10. Do a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week

    Kid Goals

    1. Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grow their skills
    2. At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water, wear FitBit, and do yoga (or at least stretch out) each day

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list

    Business Goals

    1. Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list

    Ministry Goals

    1. Quality time with my family

    Financial Goals

    1. Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading The Forgotten Filly by Karle Dickerson to the kids.
    2. Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
    3. Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
    4. Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
    5. Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
    6. Plan one special activity with the family
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8. Create Memories with the Family
    9. Spend Quality time with each family member
    10. Do a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week

    Kid Goals

    1. Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grow their skills
    2. At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water, wear FitBit, and do yoga (or at least stretch out) each day

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list

    Business Goals

    1. Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list

    Ministry Goals

    1. Quality time with my family

    Financial Goals

    1. Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list

    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

  • What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?

    Our fortunes!

    Recently we had Chinese food and the following were our fortunes from the meal:

    • Jake – “You will be traveling to distant lands for business purposes” (He travels a lot of places for work!)
    • Bridgette – “You will travel to many exotic places in the next few years.” (I LOVE to travel.  I have already been to many amazing places over the years and I cannot wait to see more of the world.  Plus, sometimes I get to travel with Jake when he goes on work trips.  Maybe our fortunes were suppose to be together, sounds like more fun for me though! 🙂  Already looking forward to these exotic places we are going to together!)
    • Brina – “You have a flair for adding fanciful dimension to any story.” (She is definitely the more fancy of the two kids!)
    • Karlie – “You will soon be involved in many gatherings and parties.”  (I am curious about what she’s going to be doing!)

    It was a fun evening of relaxing with the family, eating Chinese food, and laughing about silly fortunes.  We have so much to be thankful for in our lives.  We are richly blessed and take many things for granted every day.  Let’s treasure the time with have with our friends, families, and those around us.  It is not impossible to run into people that you know even if you are across the world.  Our lives leave an imprint of each person we interact with whether it is only once or many times!  Make each moment count for good!

  • My Newest Friend & Pet: Meet “Bubbles the 3rd”

    Bubbles 3 now comfortably at home in my kitchen!

    Jake came home from doing errands one day and this little guy was there to greet me.  The first pet we ever had as a married couple was a red and blue beta fish named “Bubbles”.  He hung out on the counter top in the kitchen at our apartment. We have not had a beta fish for a long time because we have other tanks and they are the type of fish that really need their own space and tank.

    I am a big fan of animals and little critters, however, I don’t enjoy the maintenance part of fish tanks.  Thankfully Jake handles that piece for me.  I make sure Bubbles is fed and entertained, but otherwise Jake does any tank cleaning.  Yes, I have conversations with my fish while cleaning or cooking in the kitchen!   He is hard to get a picture of because he is either hiding or won’t stop moving.  He is a beautiful red and blue long fin beta.  Bubble the 3rd has even learned my tap means “time to eat”!  Bubbles is the only pet that I get to feed consistently, the girls all feed and care for the all the other pets in the family.   Bubbles is my cooking and cleaning buddy when Jake and the girls are not home or around!

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a busy week, but we had a lot of fun.  The girls came into work with me first thing in the morning for a little bit.  They helped unlock the doors, turn on lights, and get set up for the day before spending time working on their summer workbooks for some time before I took them into camp.  They did a Music & Technology camp in the morning and a Rube Goldberg creative experiments in the afternoon.  It was super neat seeing what cool creations they developed over the course of the week.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for an opportunity to spend some time chatting with the girls on the way to work and their help getting everything set up for the day.

    Tuesday – Thankful to have an chance to see and hear all the neat things the girls are learning and creating in their week at Summer Camp.

    Wednesday – Thankful for a dentist near home, that gets me in for an early appointment, and that I didn’t have any cavities or items that need to be done! Yay!

    Thursday – Thankful for the girls curious and inquisitive minds.  They are not afraid to ask questions so they can learn more from people in various areas.

    Friday – Thankful for some quiet one-on-one time with Jake.  It was nice to relax, catch up, chat, and spend some time together.  Grateful for his thoughts and for being a sounding board regarding my crazy ideas.  He brings peace, calm, and great insight to areas that am I trying to figure out.

    Saturday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend time my family!  We got a lot of accomplished, but also had fun together!

    Sunday – Thankful for the freedom to attend church, learn, and grow.  Grateful for a refreshing and much needed moments with my family.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It was a whirlwind week of work, summer camp, and activities.  We had a lot of fun, got items done, and made progress along the way.  Even though we were exhausting by the time Friday hit we were very thankful for a relaxing and productive weekend at home.  Glad to have some time with my family and get some projects moving along at home too.    Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein to the kids. – almost done!
    2. Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
    3. Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids. – did some of them
    4. Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.- did not make it through 7 pages
    5. Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
    6. Plan one special activity with the family
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8.  Attend After Work Activities
    9. Lunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activities
    10. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
    11. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    12. Ride Bikes with the Kids – the girls road, but we did not get a chance
    13. Work on family projects togetherthe girls were a big help getting items done around the house and yard this weekend
    14. Unpack suitcase from last family adventure
    15. Daily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control – we did a lot of cleaning, but didn’t get to the speed clean everyday (some days by the time we got home, ate dinner, took showers, we were ready to just hit the bed).

    Kid Goals

    1. Have kids do Summer Workbook(s)
    2. Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a day
    3. Sign up kids for the Easley, Anderson, & Greenville County Summer Library Reading Programssigned up for all 3 counties Summer Reading Programs near us since we are in each county eve
    4. Sign up kids for Barnes & Noble and other similar reading programs
    5. Have kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)
    6. Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skills
    7. Each kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blog
    8. Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skills
    9. Kids start packing suitcases for next family adventure
    10. At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Keep up with my FitBit Goals – some days were better than others
    3. Do yoga at least 5 times a week – did it three times during the work week, but had a couple mornings that other priorities popped up
    4. Go to my Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
    6. Tackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayit took 2 days because we were busy working on other projects together as a family
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus – Normal Maintenance Cleaning)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Start getting the Laundry Room back together and organized so we can clean up the family room downstairs)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Plant Lilly Flower and Blueberry Bush – weather permitting)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Refill Skipper’s Feeder)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Check on Water Heater Recall Notice we received)

    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
    5. Notes typed for work – want to get caught up on some of my notes for easy reference
    6. Meeting regarding work goals and upcoming tasks completed – worked on some of these items but need to fine tune it
    7. Folders Labeled for work – got some of them labeled but need to get more
    8. Desk drawers organized – getting closer
    9. Do at least 5 blog posts this week – did my regular posts but was not able to get the additional ones that I wanted to done
    10. Catch up on Hootesuite
    11. Upload pictures from last few weeks and update – got some of them completed, needs more work

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. One-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
    3. One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
    4. One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)

    Financial Goals

    1. Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor – narrowing down some dates with Jake so can confirm our schedules
    2. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt  – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget
    5. Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use – getting through some of the items we need to get organizes
    6. Take items to the recycling distributor – hopefully taking those in this week
    7. Make meals with items from pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to use up what we have and eliminate any extra spending – doing better this week

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein to the kids.
    2. Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
    3. Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
    4. Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
    5. Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
    6. Plan one special activity with the family
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8.  Attend After Work Activities
    9. Lunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activities
    10. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
    11. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    12. Work on family projects together
    13. Daily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control

    Kid Goals

    1. Have kids do work in their Summer Workbook(s)
    2. Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a day
    3. Have kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)
    4. Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skills
    5. Each kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blog
    6. Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skills
    7. At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    3. Do yoga at least 5 times a week
    4. Go to my Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
    6. Tackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list
    7. Read over the kids blog posts

    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. Clean House (Focus – Clean Living Room)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Label & Hang Up Kids Necklaces)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Pick up Sticks found in the yard from the past couple of storms)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Work of the Goat & Dog Fences)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Check on Water Heater Recall Notice we received)

    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
    5. Notes typed for work
    6. Meeting regarding work goals and upcoming tasks completed
    7. Folders Labeled for work
    8. Training on new projects
    9. Desk drawers organized
    10. Do at least 5 blog posts this week
    11. Catch up on Hootesuite
    12. Upload pictures from last few weeks and update

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. One-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
    3. One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
    4. One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)

    Financial Goals

    1. Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor
    2. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget
    5. Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use
    6. Take items to the recycling distributor
    7. Make meals with items from pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to use up what we have and eliminate any extra spending

    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

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a wonderful week packed with adventures and memories with family and friends.  We were able to spend time with people we hadn’t seen in quite awhile and meet some sweet little ones (new nieces and nephews that we are meeting for the first time).  The girls have had a blast meeting the sweet babies, playing with family and friends, spending time with cute animals, and making memories with a lot of people in our lives.  Thankful for an opportunity to travel and catch up with family from a variety of different areas.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for the an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s cousin and family.  See a little bit of Boston with its great history.  As well as a chance to catch up with our great friends Mike and Ashley with their little ones in Maine.

    Tuesday – Thankful for friends that are like family that we can spend time with and have a blast whenever we get together.  It was wonderful catching up with Mike & Ashley.  The girls were thrilled to meet Savannah, sweet girl with lots of personality, and Bradley. Grateful for the ability to fly as we head out to see my family in the Midwest, even though going through airports can be an adventure it does save time if were are wanting to see people that are spread out over many miles and more on a specifically on a limited time frame.

    Wednesday – Thankful for a chance to spend some time on the farm in Kansas with my parents and family.  The girls always love time spending with the family and animals.

    Thursday – Thankful for time in the Midwest with extended family.  Grateful that we can see a number of people in this area.

    Friday – Thankful for another day with extended family.  The girls have grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and more people to enjoy time with during our stay.

    Saturday – Thankful for a safe trip to Colorado to see my cousin Renelle and her family.

    Sunday – Thankful for some time to hang out with extended family in the Denver, Fort Collins, Johnston areas.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!

  • Relationships: Reflecting on Memories

    Sunflower / Yellow Flower

    • Across the fields the summer sun
    • Is shining, and the breeze
    • Flows gently through the trees
    • Like waves upon the summer seas.
    • The wild flowers all along the fence
    • Are dancing in the sun.
    • The bees are buzzing through the fields. . .
    • I’ll bet their work is fun.
    • Look, there’s a path upon the hill;
    • Please come and walk with m.
    • For overtop the hill and down,
    • A meadow we will see.
    • For in the meadow there’s a brook
    • That I once waded through,
    • And in the meadow there are flowers
    • Of every shade and hue.
    • Come walk, with me along that brook
    • And share this day with me.
    • As carefree children once again
    • We live in memory.

    – Bonnie Gaunt

    Our lives are sprinkled with a variety of  memories.  Some of those memories bring a smile to our face while others bring a tear of sadness to our eyes.  Memories can come rushing back when one or more of our senses are spiked such as a familiar place, smell, or sound.

    When we walk along a stream or visit a familiar area with a family member or friend we get a glance into the past.  It’s important to take the time to remember those good times.  Relax in a quiet walk with someone dear to us.  Taking the time to laugh at the good times and great memories we have shared over the years.  Life goes by quickly and no one is guaranteed another day, but we have today so let’s make the best of what we have with those we love.

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a week fun filled week with a lot of work, travel, time with extended family, and neat activities.  Thankful for an opportunity to travel for a few days to spend catching up with family.  I added the weekend since this week as well.  Grateful for safety as we traveled to see people and for the wonderful memories that were made along the way.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for the girls help in getting some tasks done around the house.  It was a busy day of prepping and packing.  The girls packed their entire suitcases by themselves so that saved me time from rounding up all their items and getting them in the suitcase.

    Tuesday – Thankful for friends that are willing to watch our house and pets while we were away visiting family in New England.  It is good knowing that the everything is being cared for while we are away.

    Wednesday – Thankful for a job that I can work part time so I can travel with my family as well.  Jake dropped me off at work this morning and picked me up early afternoon to drive to the airport so we could fly out to see family in New England.  Also, grateful for airplanes and the ability to travel places relatively quickly.  Thankful safety in our travels.

    Thursday – Thankful for time to spend with Jake’s Mom and grandparents in Vermont.  It was cooler in Vermont but the girls had a grand time with Grandma Kay, Nana, PopPop, and their chickens, puppy, and exploring the woods.

    Friday – Thankful for another fun filled day in Vermont to spend time with family.

    Saturday – Thankful for a safe trip to Connecticut and an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s Dad. The girls had a blast!

    Sunday – Thankful for a safe trip to Massachusetts to visit with Jake’s cousin Matt and his family.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!

  • Congratulations Brina! Regional Science Fair Champion – Cupcakes on the Rise Project

    Brina bringing back her trophy!

    Brina has worked really hard over the past few months on her Science Fair project, Cupcakes on the rise!  She has made approximately 410 cupcakes since starting her experiments.  Our fridge has been full of chocolate cupcakes and she as well as Karlie have taken a lot of cupcakes to school everyone week to share with their friends and classmates.  Proud of Brina for all her hard work.

    Regional Science Fair Champion – Brina!!!

    For her science experiment Brina picked a cooking experiment.  She wanted to find out the difference in the heights of cupcakes when you use eggs versus egg substitutes (like applesauce and egg replacer).  Many people have allergies and it is important when making food for people with these allergies to know how the recipes will turn out.  The eggs act as binding agents in cupcakes, but will non-egg cupcakes turn out similar and tasty.  Are there any noticeable differences specifically in height (but also observations regarding taste, texture, how perishable the cupcakes are, and more information).

    Congratulating my sweet girl on her win!  She was still in shock, but excited and pleased!

     Brina started working on her Science project months ago.  She started with making cupcakes one batch at a time.  Brina did everything in making the cupcakes (a couple of times Mom or Dad chipped in and helped with clean up, but otherwise she did it on her own).  Next she took the information from her experiments and created her journal, graphs, took pictures, and more.  Once she had all her experiments completed and the journal was complete she started working on her display board.  She added all the required and key information on her board and then spent the next few days adding more cute decorations to make it fun and appealing.  There were a lot of stickers used in the process! 🙂  The display board turned out well too.

    Jake and Brina at the Regional Science Fair Ceremony!  Way to go kiddo!

    She discovered that although the applesauce and egg replacers do act sufficiently as binding agents in cupcakes they do not rise as high as the cupcakes containing eggs.  The taste and textures of the non-egg cupcakes were not only acceptable, but preferred by some family and friends.  The day before her school’s Science Fair presentations she made another batch of cookies to share with her and Karlie’s classmates.  She won the opportunity to go to regional the following week! The day before the regional Science Fair competition she made another batch of cupcakes with the 3 different binding agents to take for the judges to enjoy.  Jake took her during the school day to set up her project and we came back for the ceremony that evening.  We were pleasantly surprised when they announced her as the 1st place winner for the Regional Science Fair 2016.  She won a trophy, certificate, medal, and a cash prize for her Science Fair Project.

    Standing with my sweet Brina by her display board, cupcake goodies, and all her awards!  Good job Brina Bee!!!

    Thankful for an opportunity to see Brina work for months through the Science Fair process and her hard work get rewarded.  She is a great cook and always a big help in the kitchen.  The project was fun, tasty, and a great learning experience for everyone in our family.