It's the Little Things {aka Friday Faves}

It's been a GOOD week. Not easy, but good all the same. Here are a few of the 'little things' that are my faves from this week ...

 

1. Current fave snack:

French vanilla yogurt + ground flax seed + fresh strawberries

 

 

2. Fave puppy ...

isn't she the cutest? On the days I'm at home and hubby is working and kids are in school she is my faithful companion. I seriously find her doing the cutest things ALL.DAY.LONG. I know I take entirely too many photos of her but I can't help it!

 

3. Braiding Hope's hair ...

 no I'm not super good at it, but she likes to have it braided at night so she'll have 'waves' for school the next day. I know she won't always want me to help with her hair so I cherish this time!

 

4. Crafting with my girlies.

Joy wanted to help make her own birthday party invites ... seriously love it when they do stamping and card making with me!

 

5. Sunshine!

The temps have been ABSOLUTLY FRIGID here this week ... but it's still been sunny every day which helps ease the sting of the cold just a bit.

 

6. My husband who works SO hard.

He has an outdoor job and there are times I simply can't imagine working outside, especially this week. But he does it every day and provides for us so well.

 

7. My eliptical machine.

 I honestly was ready to sell it cause we rarely used it, but for the past few weeks I've decided it's worth keeping around. I get down there and usually do about 45 min which burns approximately 430+ calories. Best thing? Watching my fave shows on the DVR while I work out!

 

8. Cozy blankets and tea/coffee.

 I have been just chilled to the bone this week so I've been consuming lots of coffee and tea. I also almost always have a cozy blanket on my lap! At bedtime I have a heated blanket that I use to warm up the bed before I climb in - seriously the best thing ever!

 

9. Finding awesome deals at Staples.

These Martha Stewart tags were only 50 cents per package! I will use them for scrapbooking. I had a staples reward certificate so I got these FREE plus I also got ... 

 

10. 3 of these GLASS jars with red flip top ceramic lids

- get this, these beauties were ONE DOLLAR EACH! Also free with my staples reward certificate! I have no idea why they had them at Staples, but I love them and they look great filled with my tea bags!

 

11. My sweet little bean.

She's battled a cough all week but today she just looked worn out and was coughing so much so I kept her home from school. She is relaxing, watching TV and keeping warm. I think she just needs some extra rest. I'm not glad she's sick, but it's sorta nice to have her home and have an excuse to stay in for the whole day.

I'm linking up with Rachel at Finding Joy with my Friday Faves and with Lindsey at Hello Hue for The Little Things. Hop on over and check out their blogs ... =)


     

Decorating Question

OK, this is for my friends who like to decorate ... I got this HUGE corkboard from a friend really cheap and I have a vision for how I want to use it - the problem is my vision works well in TWO different rooms in my house!

So here are my options -

1. I have a blank wall in my master bedroom, so I can use it there and tack up photos of hubby and I through the years, love notes to each other, quotes, special mementos, etc...

OR

2. I can hang it up downstairs in my craft area and tack up all sorts of girly things, crafty inspiration, fave photos, things from magazines, quotes, etc...

Thoughts???

 

I also need to figure out a simple way to add a wood frame around it ... I'm not so good when it comes to wood working projects!

Show Us Your Life - Favorite Soups

Ahhhhh ... soup, a favorite topic of mine! I absolutely LOVE so many different soups and love that it's so easy to copy restaurant quality soups at home in a very easy way. I also personally love having a soup, salad and bread night for dinner - I could probably substitute this type of dinner for meat and potatoes at least half of the nights of the week. Unfortunately my husband doesn't really consider soup a MAIN dish, so we don't do this too often. =)

 

Anyway, I have a lot of favorites but THIS one has got to top my list. I'm just gonna warn you that it is NOT healthy ... but it is delicious. So maybe just make it for an every-once-in-a-while treat.

 

CROCK POT BROCCOLI-CHEDDAR SOUP

 

{image credit: Food Network}

 

8 oz brick of Velveeta - cut up into chunks

1 pint half and half

[2] 10 oz cans of Cream of celery soup

1/2 pint sour cream

[2] 10 oz packages of frozen, chopped broccoli

salt and pepper to taste

 

{optional: shredded cheese or croutons to sprinkle on top when serving}

 

Spray your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray {DO NOT skip this step!} Place all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low about 3-4 hours - stir frequently as the ingredients begin to melt and come together. It's a very thick and filling soup. This is awesome served with fresh bread or in bread bowls like pictured above.

 

ENJOY!!!!

 

Please check out Kelly's Korner for LOTS and LOTS more Soup recipes!  

My Girls - Jan. 2013

I always see parents doing monthly or yearly updates on their kids like showing what kind of things they're into at each age. So I found this cute printable on Pinterest where the child fills in the blanks with some of their current faves. I had my girlies fill it out and these are their answers:

 

Hope ~ 11 yrs and 4 mos old

Favorite things to:

DO: rollerskate

EAT: cotton candy ice cream

WEAR: fancy dresses {as you can tell by the picture!}

READ: fiction books about girls my age

WATCH: Good Luck Charlie

LISTEN TO: One Direction

 

THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS YEAR {2012}:

Sledding at the golf course

 

THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR:

a roof over my head and family and friends

 

THINGS I WANT TO DO NEXT YEAR {2013}:

make the basketball team at my middle school

 

 

 

Joy ~ turning TEN!!!! in just over a month

Favorite things to:

DO: play

EAT: mac and cheese

WEAR: tops that have a cute pic of peace

READ: Ramona Quimby books

WATCH: disney channel

LISTEN TO: One Direction

 

THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS YEAR {2012}:

I went to school {isn't this awesome?! and I worried that she wouldn't like school!!}

 

THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR:

My family

 

THINGS I WANT TO DO NEXT YEAR {2013}:

Go to Lake Compounce or Six Flags





 

 

Love these girlies!

*sigh*

My little girls are growing up too fast. We've entered the stage where we have to talk through so many changes and important things. Actually we've sort of been here a while already, but it seems like lately we're having to talk through even more tough topics.

It's hard. So hard to see them growing up so fast. So hard to start the difficult conversations that you know NEED to happen. Hard to tell them things that spoil their innocence and naivete.

I am just so grateful for really good books. I seriously can't imagine trying to stumble my way through these conversations without good books to guide me.

Here are a few we are currently going through...

Just for Girls and Just for Moms by Elizabeth Hoekstra I actually saw/heard Elizabeth and her daughter at a Mother/Daughter conference a few years back and bought these books then. I have had them stashed away for awhile but now I am going through them with my oldest. {sorry about the blurry pic!}

The Beauty Book by Nancy Rue They also have The Body Book and a whole bunch of others and a bunch of fiction story books for girls this age too. This whole FaithGirlz series is FANTASTIC! I am currently reading through this with my younger girl.   

 

 

 

 Between by Vicki Courtney  These are FABULOUS to use as a devotional either with just one girl or a whole group. The last one we did by Vicki was a look into the book of Proverbs and we loved it. This one dives into all sorts of topics like your relationships with others, friends, boys, etc. We have two copies of this so each girl has her own and we use this as a devotional we do together.

 

 

All of this talking and reading together takes time. But I feel that these are crucial years in a young girl's life and I want my girls to be able to talk with me through everything they encounter and/or are feeling. I'm just so thankful that I get to be the one to talk through these things, even when sometimes I think it would be easier to let someone else do it. It really is a privilege to be a Mom of girls and I am truly blessed and thankful.

Random Saturday

Good Morning friends! Happy Saturday! Right now in this season of life our week is SUPER busy from Monday-Friday and then we have our weekends pretty much free ... so even though by Friday night we're exhausted, it's soooo wonderful to sleep in on Saturday, then wake up knowing we have nothing to do and nowhere to be! {except for hubby who works on Saturdays}

Anyway, this morning I just thought I'd share with you a whole bunch of random thoughts from my week. Hope you can follow along!

 

My husband and I and another couple {that our some of our best friends} help lead the Middle school/high school Sunday school for our 3rd service at church. We usually have anywhere from 8-25 kids there. Last week it was my turn to prepare for the lesson and I had a nice quiet afternoon in the house while Bob was at work and the girls were at school. We're using the curriculum called KNOWN and so far it's been fantastic!

 

I truly dread getting up early every morning, but even though I might not NEED to get up, I feel it's important to be up to help my girls get ready for school. My oldest gets up first and comes to wake me up ... I usually stumble groggily to the kitchen to get my coffee to wake me up. Well the Lord has certainly rewarded us in the early mornings this past week - I think just about every single day we've had the most GORGEOUS sunrises to greet us. These are looking out my kitchen door down the street. I'm absolutely amazed by His creation!!

 

 

These photos were NOT edited, the sky really was all those beautiful colors! Kinda makes ya wanna get up early, doesn't it?!

 

 

My oldest had a very busy and exciting week. 3 basketball games, her first band concert and an honor roll breakfast at school to reward all the kids who made honor roll the first semester. She is doing SO incredibly amazing in school and we are SO proud of her! This is not a very good picture, but this was her first band concert. This is her first year playing the clarinet and she's doing quite well. She is the 2nd from the left in the front row.

 

 

And here is her basketball team at their first game. She is number 14 - yes she is SUPER tall already ... very close to passing her Mama! {all these girls are the same age/grade!}

 

 

In other random news:

 

My family and I started watching Duck Dynasty this week - oh my goodness, absolutely hilarious! Good, clean, family friendly humor ... gotta love it!

 

This Thursday also marked the day my Dad died 9 years ago. It's hard. I still miss him so much. When I see kids with their Grandpas I cry, just wishing he could have lived long enough to know my girls and see them grow up. {He met them both but they were 2 yrs and almost 1 when he died so the girls don't even remember him.} When we go to the girl's basketball games or stuff like that I wish he was still here to watch them too. I know how proud he would have been of them and know he would have loved to tease and tickle them {something he was very good at!} I am so grateful to know he's in heaven and I have the assurance through Jesus that I will see him again ... but yeah, sometimes it's just hard.

 

On that note, I read this awesome blog post this week titled 'Six Words You Should Say Today' ... please, please if you are a parent go check it out. What struck me most was that just this week after one of my daughter's games we got in the car and I immediately began telling her all the things I thought she needed to work on. But after reading this post I realized all she really needs to hear from me is 'I really love to watch you play!' She probably already knows what she needs to work on, she probably already feels upset about every shot she missed ... what she really needs to hear is that I'm proud of her and that I love seeing her do what she loves. It made me cry when I read the article! I tend to want to 'fix things' and don't take the time to just tell them how much I love being their Mom. I plan to take this to heart and make sure instead of picking apart and analyzing, I am purposeful about complimenting and letting them know how much I really love being the one who gets to take them to all their events and just watch them do their stuff.

 

And finally ... tomorrow is a BIG day for New England so ...

GO PATRIOT'S!!!!!

 

 

{PS. I realize most of this was about Hope ... next week I will share more about how Joy is doing in HER activities and such.} =)

Taking care of myself this year

so I am sort of lazy when it comes to all sorts of things that relate to taking care of myself.

I forget to floss ALL.THE.TIME.

I don’t wash my makeup off at night, way too often.

I loathe exercise.

I love krispy kremes  

 

there are just so many unhealthy habits that I want NEED to break and work on this year.

it’s so easy to tell my kids they need to take care of their teeth or skin or bodies, so why don’t I follow my own advice?!

 

another thing I neglect is the way I look. don’t get me wrong, I DO like to dress up, put on makeup and look nice – but I just don’t make it a priority on a regular basis!

at home I’m happy in my sweat pants and slippers, ya know?

 

so this year I’ve decided I need to set a better example for my girls. I’m not saying I have to be vain or put beauty above all else. but I do need to take care of the body I’ve been given and that means even the little things like teeth and hair and such.

 

one thing I’m so bad about is scheduling regular haircuts. I’ll get a cute cut and then won’t make another appointment for MONTHS to the point that I look like a shaggy dog cause my cute cut has grown out all funky. my hair has had that shaggy feel for the past couple of weeks so today I made the time to go get a cut … and it feels SO much better!

 

BEFORE

AFTER

BEING SILLY  

 

 

 

 

 

it’s definitely not a BIG change, but all that yucky bulk is gone and it looks and FEELS so much better!

 

another change this week is that I’m back to exercising again and back to using the myfitnesspal app. I got an iphone for Christmas {for the first time, yay me!} and having the app right on my phone is AWESOME and so easy for tracking my food and exercise.

I will be back to share more about all that soon.

but for now, have a wonderful day friends!

Easy and Inexpensive Winter Décor

whoa! it's January y’all! where has the time gone?

my girlies are back in school, back to sports and church programs and band concerts and all the stuff that keeps us busy. I’ve been working a little part time and trying to keep up with this crazy house. so I took down all my Christmas décor and it was so sad, I kept thinking I wish I could keep this tree up year round! but I wanted to share with you how I kept things a little festive around here for just a tiny amount of money.

 

first, I began by putting away ALL the Christmas décor, then I hit up walmart a couple days after Christmas and they already had so much stuff 50-70% off! I picked up the stuff in the picture below for just $4.15!! that’s 12 white votive candles, a large white snowflake, glittery silver garland and a package of cute blue, silver and white snowflakes … all which fit perfectly with the wintery theme I wanted to keep going in my home!

 

I had bought these wooden snowflakes earlier in December for about a buck each and just used some pretty blue paint to lightly brush over the wood  - I didn’t even make sure it was perfectly covered because it looked better that way.

 

then I added a top coat of clear glitter paint …. so simple!

 

 

next I found this print on pinterest and printed it out on my home computer … and since it looked a little blah …

I took some scrapbook markers in various shades of blue and colored it in a bit. much better!

nothing says winter décor like a good ol’ snowstorm just a few days after Christmas!!

 

 

and here is how it all comes together … this is a coat rack/shelf in our living room … I used old mason jars filled with epsom salts to look like snow, then placed one of those white votives in each one. also I pulled any white or blue décor items I had around the house to keep the color theme going. {not counting the coats, that’s purely coincidence!}

 

I had a basketful of pinecones from Christmastime so I kept those out for my winter theme, I used them all over the house to keep the theme going – amazing how something so simple from nature can look so neat!

 

on the left of the shelf is my hubby’s little Patriot’s gnome … he got it for Christmas and I am pretty sure he’ll stay there until our team {hopefully!} wins the super bowl!

an up close of the mason jars and glittered snowflake …

 

the next area of my living room is the fireplace wall. I added the glittery garland over the mirror with the little snowflakes hanging down from it. the mantle also has more pinecones, mason jars and blue or white things.

 

a better view of the mantle …

 

and the mirror …

 

I haven’t even burned my candles yet cause they look so pretty! but I will, I promise, cause I bet they’ll look so pretty in those jars!

 

I love the blue colored pinecones on the left – I can’t remember where I found them but have had them for years.

 

 

burlap, pinecones, epsom salts, candles, so simple yet pretty!!!

 

on the skinny wall to the left I have these 3 wall pockets hanging – I wanted to put something wintery in them but didn’t want to go out and buy anything, so I simply set more pinecones on the top.

in my little bathroom I have 2 shelves above the toilet which I tend to decorate for the seasons as well. I have a mix of things here from colored glass jars to pinecones to little signs and various decorations. I honestly didn’t intend to put that mix of things together but for some reason I think it works and I like it.

 

and my last cheap décor to share is to simply have your kids help you make some beautiful snowflakes for the windows! we made these over Christmastime and have kept them up for January. they look pretty during the day with the sun shining in and even prettier at night with the black sky behind them. pinterest has TONS of tutorials if you feel a little intimidated about making your own patterns like we did. =)

 

 

and so, until next month when I’ll bring out my Valentine’s day décor … we will have the winter décor and enjoy a little bit of cheer that it brings us.

until next time, have a great day friends!