• Travel & Vacation: Charleston History & Sites to See (part 2)

    Checking out a more modern one….some serious discussions are taking place.

    This post is in addition from our post earlier today on Travel & Vacation: Charleston History & Sites to See.    At least one night every time we go with Jake to Charleston we spend some time in walking through Battery Park looking at all the monuments, reading them and talking about history.  You would think by now the girls have this park memorized and would be tired of it, but they request to go here every time we are in the Charleston area.  The pictures of Battery Park are a little darker because we went at night.  Plus you’ll see some other great items to look out for on your road trip to Charleston (at least if you are heading to Charleston from the same direction we go).

    The girls always request a trip to battery park when we are in Charleston

    A large monument in Battery Park, the girls want us to read the monument then they have fun seeing how many different states they can find etched on the stones.

    Exploring the cannons at Battery Park

    This tree’s looking a little spooky at night in battery park.  Still haven’t figured out the meaning behind the white feathers from an earlier trip Travel & Vacation: Fun in Charleston.  If you know the reason I would love to find out!

    Mommy and girls in the giant gazebo at Battery Park

    Karlie especially gets excited when we pass the “rocket” because she loves rockets.  Brina gets excited because she knows that we are almost to Daniel’s Island! 🙂

    Another favorite sight on our trip to and from Charleston!  The girls always love seeing the USA Flag and on the other side of the road is a huge smiley face!

    While Battery Park is one of the kids favorite places to visit it is only one of the many great historical sites to see while in Charleston.  You can take a tour of Fort Sumter or Fort Moultrie or take a ride on a horse drawn carriage through Charleston as they share history and facts with you or many more wonderful activities.  Battery Park is an easy one because it is free (as long as you can find parking).  What are some other great historical or fun places to visit in the Charleston area?

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  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.  Explore with a good attitude, look 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!

  • Travel & Vacation: Charleston History & Sites to See

    Karlie and Brina standing at the pier with Patriots Point and USS Yorktown in the background.

    Brina and Karlie love going to Charleston with us.  One of their favorite things to do in Charleston is to explore and learn tidbits of history.  Charleston has a lot of history so it has provided many opportunities for us to learn and appreciate our country’s history.  We always visit Waterfront Park in Mount Pleasant whenever we go to Charleston.  Near the pier is an area with a fountain, monuments, and plaques honoring our military.  You can also see the USS Yorktown from that area too (see picture above).  There are other areas in Mount Pleasant, Daniel’s Island and Charleston with a lot of history as well.  Here is a few we enjoy visiting when we are in the area.

    A sign near the monument

    Monument….”on behalf of a grateful nation”

    Department of Army (1775) monument

    Throwing their coins into the fountain.

    United States Coast Guard (1790)

    South Carolina state flag flying in the wind next to the monuments

    United States Air Force

    Fountain near waterfront park

    Department of the Navy – United State of America

    This one is on Daniel’s Island and says “By 1680, Charleston had moved to its present location and was growing rapidly.  It attracted French Huguenots and others drawn by the promise of religious tolerance and available land.”

    Department of Navy – United States Marine Corps

    In Peace and War – United States Merchant Marine (1775)

     The neat part about reading these monuments with the girls is that it gives us an opportunity to discuss our country, its history, and show appreciation for the men and women who have served and those who are currently serving.  We have many amazing blessings living in the United States.  No country is perfect, but we have a lot of great things to celebrate in our history.

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  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.  Explore with a good attitude, look 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!

  • Song: “I Lift My Hands” by Chris Tomlin

    I am thankful that there is a healer whose love and mercy is unfailing.  No matter what trials you face this week I hope you are encouraged by the one who can give you the strength you need every day.  May my eyes be open, my faith be strong, and my prayers be lifted up to the one whose love is deeper than the sea.

    Be still, there is a healer
    His love is deeper than the sea
    His mercy, it is unfailing
    His arms are fortress for the weak

    Let faith arise
    Let faith arise

    I lift my hands to believe again
    You are my refuge, You are my strength
    As I pour out my heart
    These things, I remember
    You are faithful, God, forever

    Be still, there is a river
    That flows from Calvary’s tree
    A fountain for the thirsty
    Pure grace that washes over me

    Let faith arise, let faith arise
    Open my eyes, open my eyes

  • What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan

     

    Last week I declared a “leftover” night after looking in the refrigerator and seeing it full of food that needed to be eaten.  The girls were excited to have leftover night.  They told me that it was like eating at a fancy restaurant with a buffet because they could choose whatever they wanted to eat.  Thankful for kids who are content to eat leftovers.  I debated about whether or not to do the menu this week because it is very simple and I am mixing it up a little bit due to our schedules.  Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:

    Our Weekly Menu Plan

    • Monday (Beef or Seafood Entree):  Poor Man’s Pasta, Fresh Fruit
    • Tuesday (Kid’s Night to Cook):  Kids in the Kitchen – Potato Bake, Fresh Veggies
    • Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Grilled Cheese, Steamed Veggies
    • Thursday (Pasta or Pork Entree): Special Event
    • 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 seafood 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

    I was able to tackle some of my goals for last week.  Although it was busy and a few extra activities were added to my list I made some head way.  Hopefully this week I will be able to tackle more items on my list!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family – we took some time to rest & recharge as a family
    6. Go on a Field Trip with the Girls Classes – we went Hartwell Dam and a Sailboat Educational Field Trip

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith (I got a pre-release copy to read) – didn’t have as much time to read this week
    4. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith – wasn’t able to finish 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. Start tackling my Fall Organizational Schedule – got a little bit done this past week
    4. 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. Get caught up on 5 blog items
    4. Complete the Website Blog Update – working out the last few glitches, so thankful for all my husbands hard work on the website! 🙂

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Work out the details of our Community Group Camping Adventure – made a few calls last week
    4. A Friend Challenged me to read / listen through the entire Bible – since I am already through the majority of the year I am working on a plan where you can read through the Bible in 90 days by YouVersion – been faithful to listen to my chapters everyday

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – stayed within budget this week
    2. Payoff the Van – putting any extra money towards paying it off
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – working on it

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Go on a Field Trip with the Girls Classes

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith (I got a pre-release copy to read)
    4. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith

    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. Start tackling my Fall Organizational Schedule
    4. 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. Get caught up on 5 blog items
    4. Complete the Website Blog Update

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Work out the details of our Community Group Camping Adventure
    4. A Friend Challenged me to read through my Bible – since I am already through the majority of the year I am working on a plan where you can read through the Bible in 90 days by YouVersion

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)

    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.

  • Game: “Carcassonne” by Rio Grande Games

    Our family loves playing games! Whether it is a card, board or video game we always look forward to having a chance to sit down with family and friends.  Carcassonne by Rio Grande Games is a fun board game that we enjoy playing.  We found this board game after spending a lot of time playing Settlers of Catan, it looked similar so we decided to try it out.

    Carcassonne is based on the famous French city of Carcassonne that is well known for its roman and medieval fortifications.  The game is for between 2 to 5 players ages 8 and up.  Each player gets a tile on his turn and can lay it down to build roads, cities, and more.  The tiles are chosen at random, however, the player can choose where to place the tile and what to play on it.  The game is fascinating for younger kids to watch too because it starts with 1 piece and grows bigger as people build the cities and surrounding areas until everything is linked together like one big interactive puzzle.

    If you are a fan of Settlers of Catan or another similar game I highly recommend that you check out Carcassonne for your next game night or get it as a gift for the game lover on your list.

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    Groceries from Walmart, BiLo, & Ingles

    I didn’t have my act together enough last week to post pictures of my grocery shopping trip so I made a point even though this week was crazy to squeeze it in again.  When I stay on track with posting my grocery budget tends to do better too.  Earlier this week my husband informed me that we no longer had any bacon in the house so I picked up a couple packs for him.  🙂  This week I mainly stocked up on some fresh produce and bacon.  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Walmart Groceries:

    • $2.61 at Walmart for 1 pack of Carolina Pride Bacon

    BiLo Groceries:

    • $6.46 at BiLo for 1 pack Smoked Sausage, 1 pack Southern Home Bacon, and 1 container Southern Home Spread (everything purchased at BiLo was on sale this week.)

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $18.93 at Ingles for 1bag Laura Lynn Tortilla Corn Chips (sale), 1 bag Laura Lynn Potato Chips (sale), 1 pack Laura Lynn Hamburger Buns , 1 loaf Laura Lynn Sandwich Bread, 1.25 pounds White Grapes, 1.55 pounds Red Grapes, 1 bag Yellow Apples (5 pounds), 1 container fresh Mushrooms, 1 container Idaho Bleu Cheese, 1 container Avocado Dip, 1 container fresh Strawberries, 1 container fresh Tomatoes, and 1 bag Fresh Express Caesar Salad. (Everything I purchased at Ingles was either on sale or marked down.  All the produce was marked down to 99 cents to $1.49 as you can see from the bright green stickers.)

    This week I spent $28.00  on groceries.   I went under on the budget this week.  I am not sure how I did it but somehow I managed to spend money at three stores and end up with an even amount (that doesn’t happen very often).  Hopefully that is a sign that it will be a good grocery month for us.  I was happy to get some produce deals and stock back up on bacon for my hubby.  Hopefully next week we can come under budget and September will be a better 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.

  • Recipe: Candy Corn Cookie Pizza

    Our family enjoys candy corn, cookies, and pizza so this dessert is a great combination.  If you are looking for a festive Fall dessert recipe this one is always a hit with our family.

    Candy Corn Cookie Pizza

    • 18 oz Sugar Cookie Dough
    • 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
    • 1 cup Candy Corn
    • 1/2 cup Raisins
    • 1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
    • 1/4 cup Vanilla Frosting

     
    Preheat oven to 350°F.   Grease a 12-inch pizza pan.  Roll the cookie dough into a 1/4 inch thickness.*   Bake cookie dough for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust turns golden.  Allow to cool completely.  Gently remove crust from pan and place on a serving platter.  Spread the peanut butter over the crust.  Sprinkle candy corn, chocolate chips and raisins evenly over the top of the peanut butter.  Put the vanilla frosting in a microwavable bowl and microwave 10 seconds or until thin.  Drizzle frosting over the cookie pizza.  Cut into wedges and serve.

    *You can also use rolled refrigerated sugar cookie dough.  Here are the directions:  Cut cookie dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices.  Place the slices on the greased pizza pan and press down with floured hands. (the rest of the recipe above is the same).