Intentional Living

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was busy with Jake traveling, school, work, volunteering, and a whole bundle of other activities.  Even though I didn’t make as much progress as I hoped I was able to get some things accomplished.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls (Book 6) – finished it and started the next book already
    2. Read Imagination Station: Attack at the Arena by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 2) – haven’t started it yet
    3. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    4. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Plan one special Activity with the Family – with the busy week we decided to spend some quiet time at home
    7. Volunteer One Day at Girls School

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – wasn’t a great week with exercise
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – put on hold currently
    5. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz (someone gave me this to read) – working my way through it

    Home 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. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Groceries $40 for 4 – went over budget by $3
    2. Payoff the Van – working on it
    3. Pay medical bills in full – paying them
    4. Complete 2012 Taxes – working on them

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls (Book 7)
    2. Read Imagination Station: Attack at the Arena by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 2)
    3. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    4. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    7. Volunteer One Day at Girls School
    8. Easter activity & celebration
    9. Get together with Family and/or Friends

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
    5. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz (someone gave me this to read)

    Home 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. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Send out Alms & Legs Meeting Notes

    Financial Goals

    1. Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Pay medical bills in full
    4. Complete 2012 Taxes

    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.

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    Groceries from Save A Lot | RiteAid

    It has a whirlwind of weeks this year from traveling, school, work, volunteering weekly, and so much more.  The first few weeks of the year I did the No Grocery Shopping Challenge in order to use up some of the items we had in stock in both our refrigerator, freezers, and pantry.   It really well and we made it a little over 7 weeks which I was thankful for since it was my goal to make it at least a month.  Now that we are starting to get lower on some items I decided it was time to start our regular weekly $40 for 4 grocery budget again.    I even remembered to take pictures this week so I could do the post for you! 🙂

    Jake has been in Charleston for some work meetings, so we are looking forward to spending time with him this weekend.  I did manage to get a lot of projects done (just not necessarily things that I planned to do).  Do you ever have weeks like that?  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:

    • $18.45 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 3 containers Fresh Strawberries (marked down), 1 container Fresh Mushrooms (marked down), 3 Mountain Dew 2 liters, 1 gallon of Milk, 1 box Pillsbury Fudge Brownie Mix, 1 can Canola Cooking Spray, 1 container Cool Whip, 1 bag Sandwich Bread, 1 bag Kiggins Cereal, 2 cans Sliced Pineapple. (Everything I purchased at Save A Lot | RiteAid was either on sale or marked down.  All the produce was marked down as low as 99 cents as you can see from the bright green and orange stickers.)

    Groceries from Ingles

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $24.66 at Ingles for 1 bag English Muffins, 1 container Yogurt (marked down), 1 container Chip Dip (marked down), 1 package Ground Beef (marked down), 1 package Pork (marked down), 1 bag Red Delicious Apples, 1 container Blue Cheese Crumbles, 1 bag Bananas (marked down), 27 packs Wylers Red Koolaide, and 1 bottle Pepsi Next 2 liter (free after coupon).  (Most items were either marked down or on sale with an exception of the blue cheese.  I got the Blue Cheese as a special treat for my man since he was away working all week, couldn’t help spoiling him a little bit! 🙂 )

    This week I spent $43.11  on groceries.   I went over on the budget this week, but thankfully it was over by only $3 dollars.   I was happy to get some produce deals and stock back up on a few items we were needing to replenish in our fridge and pantry.  Hopefully next week we can come under budget and March will be a good month for us!

    It is my goal 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.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, 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.

  • Fresh Apples & Caramel Dip

    Fresh Apple Slices and Caramel Dip

    Do you have a party where you need a quick, healthy, and easy appetizer?  This one is kind of a no-brainer, but sometimes I need to be reminded that the simple easy snacks that require less prep can be just as enjoyable for everyone (and allows you to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family).  Freshly sliced apples with caramel dip is a great one to bring and share!  There’s is just something refreshing and delicious about apples and caramel.  Yum!

    For this event I took fresh apples sliced them, dipped them in a mix of  lemon juice and water to keep them from turning brown and poured the caramel dip that we already had in the pantry onto the serving platter.  You can make your own caramel sauce, but since I had some on hand it was easier just to pour it into the dish.  Also, if you want to make it even easier, especially if you’re in a pinch, you can purchase both pre-sliced apples and caramel dip at the store.  Sometimes it’s the simple easy stuff that is a big hit.

  • Heart Reflections: Finding Contentment

    Linda Dillow in her book Calm My Anxious Heart speaks of a missionary woman that lives in a mud hut in Africa.  When she asked the missionary how she was so content this is what she said:

    • Never allow yourself to complain about anything (not even the weather).
    • Never picture yourself in a different circumstance or someplace else.
    • Never compare your lot with the lot of another.
    • Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
    • Never dwell on tomorrow.  Remember it is God’s and not ours.

    A few months ago I had the opportunity to travel to India.  It was an amazing trip and I had a great time exploring several different areas.  I saw things while traveling that just broke my heart…people living on the street or under tarps, children who didn’t have their basic needs met, poverty, and much more.  On the flip side while in India I experienced the wonderful hospitality and generosity from the people we encountered (many who didn’t have a lot yet graciously shared).

    Traveling to India revealed a lot of things in my heart – one of them being how selfish and discontent I am even though I have been abundantly blessed.  I have food, family, clothes, shelter and even more yet some days I still complain.   I plan to use this list as a reminder to focus on the many blessings in my life so my heart will rejoice  and break the shackles of discontent that sometimes holds my heart captive.

    At times it can be difficult to be thankful for the many blessings we have in life.  Life doesn’t always go the way we expect.  I have a tendency to not only be discontent but to worry about the future or things out of my control.

    I could fill my house and heart with all kinds of stuff, worry, fear, or anything else yet by doing this it only grabs hold of my heart and hampers my effectiveness in ministering to the people around me.  Besides life here on earth is temporary and I cannot take stuff with me when its my time to go.  Let’s take some time today to think, pray, and count our blessings in our lives and find contentment in what really matters.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was crazy with Jake being out of town part of the week and having a sick little one complaining of right side and shoulder pain which resulted in us going to the pediatrician followed by a visit to the hospital for an ultrasound to see if something was wrong with her appendix.  The actual ultrasound itself took over an hour with two different people trying to get a good picture of her appendix.  They never did get a good picture, but they didn’t see anything abnormal either.  Thankfully she is starting to feel better now.  I am really ready for the warmer weather and praying for healthier weeks ahead!  Despite all the busyness I was able to get some items done this week.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls (Book 6) – working on it
    2. Read Imagination Station: Attack at the Arena by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 2) – last was so busy we didn’t get a chance to start it yet
    3. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    4. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    7. Celebrate at Girls Birthday Party
    8. Volunteer One Day at Girls School

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – didn’t get it done
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – its been so busy this one’s been on hold
    5. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz (someone gave me this to read) – got through more of it

    Home 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. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients – had to put some on hold because I had a sick little one a couple days this past week

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Groceries $40 for 4 – honestly with the week being so busy and various visits to the doctor, hospital, pharmacy, and store I didn’t keep track, but I am pretty sure we went over this week
    2. Payoff the Van – working on it
    3. Pay medical bills in full – making payments
    4. Complete 2012 Taxes – making progress

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls (Book 6)
    2. Read Imagination Station: Attack at the Arena by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 2)
    3. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    4. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    7. Volunteer One Day at Girls School

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
    5. Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz (someone gave me this to read)

    Home 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. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Pay medical bills in full
    4. Complete 2012 Taxes

    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.

  • Chicken Pasta Bake

    The other day I had leftover items that I needed to use up so I came up with this Chicken Pasta Bake.  I don’t like letting leftovers go to waste and this casserole turned out really well.  You can play around with this recipe and add various ingredients depending what you have in the refrigerator that needs to be used up.

    Chicken Pasta Bake

    • 1 lb sliced, cooked, and season Chicken Breasts
    • 16 oz Noodles (any type, I used Rotini)
    • 2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
    • Mushrooms (optional)
    • 1 cup Pasta Sauce (optional)

    Grease an 9×13 pyrex dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  If your pasta has not already been cooked, go ahead and make it according to the directions on the box.  While the pasta is cooking if your chicken is not already sliced and cooked go ahead and slice your chicken and cook it in a skillet, bake or fry it  (add whatever seasoning you want to it).  Layer drained pasta noodles on the bottom of the pyrex then mix a cup of pasta sauce in with the noodles.  Layer the chicken and mushrooms (if using mushrooms) on top of the pasta.  Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted completely.

  • Travel & Vacation: Leaving on a Jet Plane

    Leaving on a Jet Plane!  Jake took this picture of an airplane flying over the ship earlier that day

    We spent most of Saturday morning on the boat enjoying breakfast, walking around, and reminiscing before heading to the Fort Lauderdale airport.  Our flights didn’t leave until later that afternoon so we had plenty of time to get to the airport, relax, and have some fun before parting ways and getting onto the planes.  Half of us were heading back to South Carolina and the other half were going to Kansas.  We ate snacks, read books, played games, slept, and were entertained by the wildlife that came to eat the crumbs the kids dropped on the floor.  Probably the most entertaining game we played was Bean Boozled, we had some good laughs with that one (a couple times we even had the couple sitting next to us laughing).

    Nicko enjoying his candy bracelet from Brina Bee!

    Nicko enjoying his candy bracelet from Brina Bee!

    Zach could sleep anywhere….here he is sleeping soundly on Grandma Penny’s lap at the airport

    Reading books in the airport

    Another form of airport entertainment in Fort Lauderdale, watching the pigeons come in and pick up the crumbs that the kids dropped on the floor.  This one was right next to my foot!  The birds came several times within inches from us.  The kids would eventually get so excited watching them that they would scare the birds away but in a few minutes they would come back again.  Although it was kind of gross the kids were entertained and fascinated by the birds (they kept wanting to feed the birds more).

    This guy was right next to Amber’s boot and backpack.  He wasn’t very scared of us, he was more interested in getting the crumbs off the floor.

  • Travel & Vacation: One Last Trip Around the Ship (Part 2)

    One last walk on the track around the ship – Daddy and Brina

    Since we had a little extra time after breakfast we decided to go for a walk around the ship one more time to soak in all the memories and the girls wanted to take a few extra pictures.  We were one of the last few people off the boat (we weren’t in a rush anyway because our flights didn’t leave until the afternoon) so we didn’t see a lot of people mostly just workers cleaning and prepping for the next crowd to come aboard later that day.

    Another view of the kids pool area.  This one has a better picture of the “circle” pool that the kids enjoyed.  It looks like its currently being cleaned.

    Brina walking on the track of the open deck

     

    Brina soaking it all in one last time!

    Karlie loved cruising!

  • Travel & Vacation: One Last Trip Around the Ship

    Karlie and Brina hanging out by the dolphin

    On the last day after eating breakfast our family took one more trip around the ship to soak in all the memories before getting off the boat and heading to the airport.  We had a great time on our cruise with the kids.  It was hard to believe Saturday was here and it was time to start heading home again.  So many memories were made during this fun week.  Thankful for a great time with our family.

    Last stop by the Adventure Ocean club before heading to the airport.  Karlie’s giggling at Brina displaying the sign for the picture.

    Karlie snapping a picture

    Karlie is mesmerized by the view

    Brina shivering while Karlie takes another picture