Surviving Storms

Despite all the worry about Frankenstorm, our area was told over and over that we would experience some wind gusts and a lot of rain. Some snow might fall, but the ground was too warm for any accumulation, so there was no need to worry. 

Imagine my surprise when I woke up to this on Tuesday morning!

Yep, SNOW! Lots of it! I think we actually accumulated somewhere between 5 and 8 inches. These weather men, do they really know what they are doing? I mean seriously. I could get on the news every evening and guess what the weather is going to be. More than half of the time they are wrong--as in this case. It was good thing I had gone grocery shopping on Monday evening or else all we would have had was nutella, butter, and a half-rotten banana. 

School was cancelled for me and the Hubs' office was closed! So, we hunkered down for a day inside--then the power went out. Honestly, I couldn't have cared less! I loved spending the day disconnected with my family. We have a fire place and gas stove, so we kept warm and didn't go hungry. It was a wonderful day.

Now, who wouldn't love having this cozy view for the majority of the day? 

See what I mean--it was amazing! 

PS--the power came back on that evening

I got another surprise, or as I like to call it "hug from Father, God" this morning when school was cancelled again due to power outages! Another day at home with my girl! It was lovely. We went to lunch with a friend, got a latte, and went shopping. 

I do pray for the ones who are still without power and even more for the ones up north whose homes have been destroyed. And I thank God for his multiple blessings on my family over the last few days. We have seen him bless and give gifts that were totally unexpected and undeserved--but totally LOVED and WELCOMED! 

We survived this week's storms...more than survived. We thrived through these storms with blessings from our Heavenly Father. 

May His blessings fall on you this Reformation Day evening! 

Life Lately

Hey there! 

Today I am linking up with Life on Leroy for her Life Lately Link Up!

To be honest, life has been so hectic and crazy lately that few photos have been taken! With student teaching in full swing and approaching the end, fall holidays coming quickly, and normal housework I have been so swamped that I haven't had a chance to do much of anything other than the things that NEED done! 

Here's a small peek into the few things we have done for fun! 

The Capitol Market (basically a farmer's market, only better) has their

annual Great Pumpkin Party. E got to paint a pumpkin, blow bubbles, 

and get her face painted. She loved being a kitty--kept saying, 

"MEOW"!

Despite not having much time, we always find time for family walks (weather permitting). 

E is ready in her tights, tunic, jean jacket, and floppy hat--yes, she dresses better than her Mama :)

We've also carved pumpkins but those photos are on another memory card! This week is supposed to be trick or treat but the weather here is really cold, windy, and rainy because of the hurricane. There has been talk of cancelling or postponing trick or treat...so we'll see! 

Also, lately I have pondered ways to help my family earn a small amount of extra income without having to leave my little lady. Check out the "My Menu" tab at the top for more details on my newly designed menu planning services. 

Have a blessed Monday!

Ready...Set...Launch!

You might notice a new tab at the top of my page labeled "My Meals" Menu Planning.

That is because "My Meals" has just officially launched! (WooHoo!)

"My Meals" is a new venture for our family spawned by my gifts of planning and organization, as well as a need for families in our busy society. 

For a few years now I have been planning our families meals every two weeks. I sit down, pour through recipes, decide what we are going to eat, make a grocery list, and shop. It has saved us hundreds of dollars simply planning what we are going to have for dinner. There is no guessing when 5:00 rolls around. There are no spur of the moment trips to the grocery store that end up costing more than planned (because I can never just get what I need--there is always an impulse buy).  

My desire is to use my gifts to serve you and your family while also serving my own. 

Check out the "My Meals" page for more detailed information! 

Favorites

This Friday's Blanks are all about FAVORITES!

That's exciting because who doesn't like to talk about all of their favorite things?!?

1.  My favorite feeling in all the world is   being cuddled up & warm under a blanket with people I love! Also, a HOT shower--I just love to be warm :)  .

2.  My favorite smell is  newborn baby (if you've never experienced that there is nothing like it!), fresh brewed coffee in the morning, the crisp smell of autumn   .

3.  My favorite taste is   chocolate and peanut butter--nothing beats that combination!

4. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen was    Hubs holding our baby girl for the first time--so sweet and tender.

5. The best sound ever is   laughter. Doesn't really matter if it is an adult, baby, or somewhere in between. Laughter is contagious and lovely!

6. A smell that reminds me of my childhood is  lemony clean kitchen. I have several memories of coming home from school during the spring to windows open and a freshly mopped kitchen floor. It just smelled wonderful and felt clean!

7.  My favorite of all the senses is  sense of smell. Smells bring back vivid images for me. Sometimes I get a whiff of something that takes me back to the time I spent overseas. Other times it is more simple--like a memory of being home. Either way, smell is something that reminds me of good memories.

May your weekend be filled with many of your favorite things of this season. 

A Reminder

More for me than for you. 

While our family's goal is to live simply with less, it can be difficult to do in our culture of more is better.

This article was an inspiring reminder to me this morning. 

Why live with less? 

So we can live and love more!

I've been feeling overwhelmed lately with our busy schedules and messy house. Could it be because we have acquired too much? Honestly, yes! While many of you may think we don't have much, I am beginning to feel like we do. It is definitely more than we had before we moved. With a bigger house comes bigger and more things to fill it. Thankfully we won't be in this place too long so I have to keep that in mind when considering what to buy. 

So, today I am reigniting my passion to live more with less. 

Let the cleaning, sorting, tossing, donating, and organizing begin! 

Happy Thursday, lovelies. 

its that time again...

Yep! Once again, it is time for some Friday blanks! This is one of the many things I love about Fridays!

1.  One thing I plan on doing to relax this weekend is    ????? Honestly, its a crazy busy weekend! Hubs has Academy tonight while I bake 4 pies (with a friend...total we will make 8 pies) for a wedding reception. Tomorrow Hubs will be gone all day for Academy and he is part of the wedding party. Basically I won't see him until Sunday. If you have a toddler you know that unless someone else is watching them, relaxation doesn't really exist. We'll enjoy our busy days though  .

2.  A big pet peeve of mine is   negative people! I mean, honestly, is life really that bad? Are the things you are complaining about really that important? AND if you can't change it, why complain about it.? Okay, I'll get off my soap box now---moving on....  .

3.  I am really loving   the cool weather we are experiencing and wearing scarves--yes, I love scarves!

4. The rain is   my daughters favorite thing! Every time it rains she wants to go play in it--which we only sometimes let her do.

5. My favorite girly indulgence is  nail polish. I love getting newer/trendy colors. It is about the only thing that is trendy that I can afford! Ha!.

6. A song I always get stuck in my head is  The one that "My Pal Violet" sings to Little E over and over again! "I'd like a giraffe, please, its my favorite animal. I'd like it to be green please..." you get it! .

7.  The best cure for stress is  cuddling by the fire in the evening with Hubs and a big blanket. Popcorn and Oreos aren't to shabby either .

Once again

...we've made it to another Friday! Another weekend! Another couple of days to spend with family and friends. Another bit of relaxation amongst the busy-ness that seems to almost consume this life. 

{Cause sometimes I get fancy with PicMonkey}

1.  My favorite flower is    gerber daisies are my all-time favorite, but I am falling more in love with tulips  .

2.  You should never talk about  politics. At least not with me. I really don't have any idea what is going on politically. I get informed close to voting time and that is about it.   .

3.  My favorite discovery as of late is   our fire place! It finally got cold enough for us to use it the other night...since this is the first Fall/Winter in this house, I'm sure we'll use the fireplace a lot!

4. This fall you will probably find me wearing     jeans, scarves, and layers. I usually don't wear just one top--typically it is a t-shirt with a cardigan or some other shirt over top. There's something fun about layers, especially in the fall! I think I wear too many scarves sometimes. Maybe I should find a new accessory---or not!

5. I wish I were   going to be home with my girl today! Alas, student teaching continues and keeps me away from her most of the time. On the really bright side of things--I'm over half way finished! .

6. My favorite TV show currently is    NCIS. Honestly I didn't think this would ever be y favorite, but since we don't have a TV and watch shows on the computer its either NCIS with the Hubs or Doc McStuffin with Little Lady...I'm sure you'd pick NCIS too :) 

7.  This weekend I want to  relax, enjoy fall, prepare for next week, go for a run and maybe even do some baking! .

There ya have it, girls! 

Enjoy this lovely fall weekend--however you are spending it!

parades,baby showers and blanks

Happy Friday Chick-a-dees! 

I'm so excited for this weekend! 

Tonight we are taking Little E over to the next little town for their Homecoming Parade. Hubs took her to the one in our town and she loved it! Considering this place is small, the next town is just a 5 minute drive away so we decided to make that part of our weekly Friday Family Night. 

Tomorrow I am hosting a baby shower for a friend of ours. I'm really looking forward to it (and to sharing all the photos with you). We're going for a vintage chic theme...we'll see how well we pull it off! 

After the shower we are taking a little road trip to ....

CHICAGO! 

I know--its a long drive from here just for a one night stay, but our cousin and dear friend is here in the States after 2 years of being in Africa (we spent 6 months with them 2 years ago) and she's only here for a week! Do you think I'd let an opportunity slip by? Its a long drive but totally worth it! She gets to meet Little E for the first time! 

Busy weekend ahead--may we all enjoy each of our weekends to the fullest! 

Now, time for the blanks :)

1.  The last thing I ate was    apple pie and ice cream last night after dinner. We had some lovely friends over and she brought dessert!

2.  The last time I went to the beach was  way too long ago! Our actual beach vacation was in May, but we visited the beach once while in FL visiting Papa Call in June  .

3.  My last vacation was   May--the beach. June was a trip to see my dad and go to TGC Women's Conference...it honestly wasn't much of a vacation.

4. The last place I drove was     home from picking up Little E after my day at school.

5. The last song I listened to was   whatever played on V100 last before I got out of the car .

6. The last thing I watched on TV was   NCIS--need I say more?

7.  The last time I said "I love you" was  last night when we crawled into bed .