Family of Four

An Indie - Woodland Baby Shower

2015-02-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a Indie-woodland themed shower for my little sister.

She is expecting her first baby and she is having a boy…baby Reuben.

I am so excited for her and can't wait to be an Aunt to my first nephew!!

This was my inpiration for the shower…

I knew this theme would fit perfect with my sister's style.

the shower was held at a family friends house. I was in charge of coming up with all the decorating ideas.

the table turned out even better than I imagined it. Everyone did such an amazing job making sure my sister had the best baby shower.

Everyone did such an amazing job putting her shower together. This was something I have been looking forward to doing one day and was so honored to be able to.
Now counting down the days to meet my sweet nephew!

Spring Break // hike to Rainbow Falls

2014-03-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

we went to the smokies for spring break. our plan was to get out and explore the park as much as we could. we hiked to three different waterfalls while there. our first hike was rainbow falls. it was a very foggy and muddy day. the pictures show you a little glimpse of how beautiful it was, but they do not do it justice. i love that our kids are at the perfect age where we can start sharing things like this with them and hopefully they will want to do the same with theirs one day.

{ Valentine's Day Cards }

2014-02-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

This is A's V-day cards from last year that I failed to share. I have seen these done before and always thought it was such a cute idea. So we gave it a try and I think they turned out perfect!

Sparkle and Shine party...

2014-01-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

My girl had a very sparkly, shiny, glittery party for her Ninth birthday.

It was so much fun putting together!

However, I think I'm going to be seeing glitter for weeks!

The cake was amazing! It was a fresh strawberry cake with butter cream icing.

I had some of Avery's favorite appetizers and sparkling grape juice served in my champagne glasses. The girls loved it... almost a little too much! ; )
Then they got to sprinkle their own cupcakes at the "Sparkle Bar".

Each girl made their own sparkly crown out of pipe cleaners then they made a glittery canvas with their initial. I think they all turned out so cute!

After food and crafts the girls got to have a Sparkle dance.....

This party turned out so cute and the girls had a great time! I could not have pulled all this off without the help of my sister and my mom. So Thank you!!

Christmas 2013: Around the house....

2013-12-23T07:12:00.001-08:00

I can't believe Christmas is only two days away! My favorite time of the year! So before it comes and goes... I wanted to share our home for Christmas....

Our first hand picked and cut real tree. It's not the perfect shape, but it sure does smell good! It fills the whole house with that wonderful pine smell. Love it!

I always want to change my color scheme every year, but I can't seem to give up the red. I just love how it looks around Christmas time. It would not feel right without it. So it stays the same...for now.

I was given the silver goblets by my mother-in-law and wanted to put them to use. I decided to use them as my center piece for our dinning room table. I really like how it turned out. I still want to add some glittering stars on them and branches, but at this point I will probably leave it as is.

This is our little candy cane tree. Avery had fun decorating it. I wanted to put it in my galvanized tub, but it would not fit so I added some burlap and a bow instead.

Now that I have a hot chocolate station set up, we have not been able to keep enough of it in the house. I am on hot cocoa runs non stop!

Well there is a peek into our house around Christmas time... including Pilot : )

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Holidays!

Oh Christmas Tree.....

2013-12-02T08:53:00.002-08:00

We get a real tree every year. Normally we'll just run up to Lowe's and grab one, but this year I wanted the kids to experience something a little different. We decided to go find a tree farm and select and cut down our own tree.

It may not be the "perfect" tree, but who say's a tree has to be perfect anyway. The memories we made and fun we had in being able to cut it down... that was perfect.

My boy thought he was big stuff getting to help cut tree down. He didn't want to put that saw down.

While we waited for our tree to be ready to take home we sipped on some complimentary hot cocoa and cider. They even had a little fire going to roast marshmallows.

Here is the link to where we got our tree if your interested TREELAND

Have a great week!! ~Amanda

Fall break with my two....

2013-11-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

zoo

pumpkin farm

spooky trail

corn maze

hayrides

that's some fall fun!

Beach Vacation....

2013-10-18T14:21:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at the beach. It always goes by way too fast. We took our dog, pilot with us for the first time. He did great. I hate that we didn't get any good family pictures this time. As you can see it was a little too dark. We just did not want to leave the beach for anything. I am already planning our next trip hopefully in the Spring. We are on our last day of Fall break here. Now time to get ready for some colder weather and Halloween.

Another camping trip....

2013-08-21T10:52:00.004-07:00

we stayed at defeated creek campground in carthage, tn. it was only 1hr away. i love that we were right on the lake and had beautiful views. everyone there was very friendly. we were right next to the playground which the kids really enjoyed. they also had a beach area for the kids to swim and make sandcastles. the trails would probably be better in the fall when some of the shrubs and brush is gone (and the snakes). we didn't go too far because it was so overgrown. overall the trip was great and we will definitely go back. i love that this is something we do as a family to get away from the fast pace life of work and school. i love that i can't use my phone when we are there. i love that we let the kids bring their ipod and ds and they didn't even use it. and i love that it is time spent together, not in separate rooms but all four of us together in one little camper ; )

Summer Fun 2013....

2013-07-31T11:52:00.001-07:00

this was for my birthday. Eddie surprised with a canoeing day out on the lake. It was the best day!!!

Dawson played on his first travel team this summer. It was a good year. I love watching my boy play baseball.

both kids had several sleepovers this Summer. They get so excited when they have their friends over....

Sweet treats is a must for a good Summer ; )

you can't end your Summer without seeing a drive-in movie either....

this was probably Avery's favorite night of the whole Summer... Kids Karaoke night. If you know my Avery, you know she LOVES to sing.

Well that is just a quick glimpse into what our Summer looked like. I am Sad to see it end so soon. I love having my kids home..... on fun days, lazy days, board days, any day. I like knowing that they are safe, here with me.

Now it is time to mentally prepare myself and get ready for a new school year!

Verse: Proverbs 22:6

Camping trip...in pictures

2013-07-19T09:38:00.003-07:00

We camped at Fall Creek Falls. We love it there. This was the first time we have seen the waterfall this full. It was massive. You couldn't hike down to it without getting soaked. Our first camping experience in our new pop up was a learning one. We made some mistakes and had some mishaps, but overall it was fun. Our next trip will only get easier. I'm looking forward to many, many more camping trips with my family.

Our Camper....

2013-06-27T06:27:00.001-07:00

We got a camper!!! It needs a little TLC and I can't wait to get started on it. I am planning on recovering the cushions and replacing all the curtains, knobs, and flooring. Eventually I want to paint the cabinets, but I will have to wait on that as we will be going camping in it in two weeks. Not sure if I can get all that done before we leave.

Of course I will keep you all updated along the way. You will be sick of seeing my camper before it's all over with ; ) ha!

Insta-Friday....

2013-06-07T08:49:00.001-07:00

lunch and a sweet treat before the race at : burger-up and las-Paletas

ready for their race....

my beautiful princess ready for the daddy daughter dance

farm day field trip with my girl

a fun night out celebrating a sweet friends birthday: jeni's splendid ice cream

making smores using our new fire pit....

Memorial Day celebration with our family....

my baby boy graduated from elementary school...

last day of school for these two and last day to be at the same school until high school...

trying out a new treat from my pins

me and little girl on our way to the movies to see epic...

Hope everyone is enjoying their Summer so far. The kids are doing a daily Summer jar and a weekly Summer jar this year. Today they pulled "visit a new park" next week they will get to pull from the weekly jar and that will be something "big"we get to do sometime during the week.

It's my Birthday weekend....I will be ((( 33 )))!! Going to spend it watching my boy play baseball and hoping to have a nice relaxing day by the pool with my family..... next week we're off to camp.

linking up at: liferearranged

Our trip to Chattanooga...

2013-03-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

We all took a little weekend getaway during the kids Spring break to Chattanooga. While we were there we stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and we went to Ruby Falls, Railroad incline, and Rock City.

We went to Rock City during Shamrock day. They had fun activities for the kids, Irish food, drinks, and music.

Now we are back to school! I can't believe how fast this year has flown by. I'm trying not to think about Dawson starting Middle school and Avery being in 3rd grade!!

I am looking forward for the Summer though. It has been so cold here I am ready for some warm weather!

Wordless Wednesday: Valentine's Day decor

2013-02-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

You may remember this from last year, but I wanted to share again. Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday: Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

2013-02-12T11:35:00.001-08:00

This soup is so good and so easy. I found the recipe HERE. I have made this several times and it seems to just get better and better each time. I love being able to throw everything in the crock pot and serve a meal with little or no mess. With this soup all you need is your topping of choice....and your good to go!

I will include the recipe for your convenience:

1 bag of frozen hash browns (I used shredded)
3 cans of chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken
1 block of cream cheese (regular)
1 small onion (chopped)
salt and pepper

put everything in crock pot except cream cheese and cook 4-6 hr on high. Mix cream cheese in about 1 hour before serving. Cook until thoroughly melted. Serve with you favorite toppings. I loaded mine up like I would a loaded baked potato.

WW: Kids Valentine Craft...

2013-02-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

One day last week the kids were out of school so we had a craft day.

We made cute little Valentine Robots.

don't they look so happy to be getting their picture taken???

Happy Wednesday!

Friday photo dump...

2013-01-18T06:33:00.000-08:00

doing a photo dump today from my instagram...

If you already follow me you have probably already seen these.

If you don't you need to : )

@amandapersinger

top left:

starting my resolution to add lots of fresh/raw fruit and veggies in my diet
my future song writer. this one is titled: what would I do without you
homemade dressing from avocado, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, and evoo
geting ready to start training again
my super bear
crockpot freezer meals for our meal swap moms
after school snack: homemade cheese sticks
ready for summer (it was 70 degrees that day)
my colorful fridge artwork

Happy Friday!

The Smokies and New Years....

2013-01-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we packed up and headed to Gatlinburg like we did LAST YEAR.

We had high expectations to do all this stuff that we didn't get to do last year.

Unfortunately, as soon as we got there my sweet girl got a horrible stomach bug.

It lasted the whole trip... and some!

Despiste her being sick we made the most of it and had a good time.

Our view at the cabin was amazing.

My favorite part was going to the park.

I could have spent the entire trip in there.

I can't wait to go back in the spring so we can do just that.

Then on New Years Eve we celebrated at our house just the four of us.

Avery still wasn't fully recovered from being sick and I felt like I was starting to get it (which I did)

Avery always likes to decorate the house anytime we have a party or celebration.

So we did a little decorating and I got everything ready for us.

food, drinks, games, just dance

Then I passed out.... before the New Year.

Oh well.

Hopefully that will be the last of any illnesses for the rest of this year.

I wish everyone a happy, healthy 2013!

Our Christmas (in pictures)....

2013-01-04T11:00:00.001-08:00

blurry picture...

but love still the same....

look at that face....

full of excitement....

full of joy....

pilot didn't get left out....

he loves his penguin...

christmas eve tradition...

orbeez , orbeez....

that's all she wanted was orbeez....

ummm...

i hope we don't regret this one...

every year we have big breakfast on christmas morning....

this year i made my first egg quiche...

after christmas we took off to the smoky mountains....

i'll share that next....

2012-12-25T12:19:00.000-08:00

Thank God for his Son - a gift too wonderful for words!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Baking Party...

2012-12-21T08:50:00.001-08:00

My baby girl is eight!! It's bitter sweet. I think every mom wishes they would stay little forever and I am no exception.

She is growing into such a beautiful little girl.....full of imagination.

This year she wanted a baking party.

Here they are in their aprons and chef hats.

I had everything set up in "stations". When the girls arrived they got their aprons and decorated their chef hats (that I got for free from the meat department at my local grocery store).
The aprons were made with the help of my MIL and my sister.
My sister and I sewed the ruffle on the bottom and my MIL embroiderd each girls initial on.

The next station was cupcake decorating. They iced and decorated their own cupcakes. This was Avery's favorite part.
I had to cut out a few things I planned on doing, but overall I was pleased with the way it turned out.

Avery and her friends had fun and that is what's most important.

I could not have pulled this off without the help of my sister....thank you!!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!

i.e. : not the best quality of pictures due to lighting

Christmas 2012: Miniature Gingerbread house

2012-12-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

We started with a pre-made gingerbread kit.
Which did not turn out so well. So we made our own with graham crackers.
I think they are so cute and it was so much fun to make.
No more pre-made for us.

I assembled the house for them and they did all the decorating.

Now we have a cute little gingerbread village...

I used instructions HERE

Christmas tour....Dinning room

2012-12-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

It feels like Christmas around here....

now all we need is some snow....

I would love to have one good snow.... and that's all (preferably on Christmas day)

There's nothing better than a White Christmas!

Ok on to Christmas decorating....
The dinning room was the first to be done. I really like how it turned out. Even if it hadn't changed much from last year.

I love my Johnson Bros plate and wish I had the whole collection. I only have the one plate that sits pretty displayed on my hutch. Also, I have two coffee cups that come out around Christmas time.

One of the new things I added this year is my lovely plaid table cloth I found at GW. I have it draped down the center of my table and used my white enamel basin filled with poinsettia's as my center piece

Nothing fancy just classic and simple....the way I like it. I try not to spend to much on decorating by using natural elements like pinecones and greenery from my yard and gathering things from around my house that I can tie into Christmas.

And of course I can't leave with out a picture of our best decoration in the house...Mr. Pilot.

Happy Friday!!

linked up @whipperberry

{Thanksgiving}

2012-11-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

every year eddie and i run in a race on thanksgiving day.

we both ran it in our best times ever.

i was very proud of that.

we celebrated with mimosa's.

i made a chocolate pecan pie from a martha stewart recipe.

it was really good but i did not realize how expensive it was going

to be to make it.

i made avery a skirt and matching hair clip

unfortunately i forgot my camera and did not get any pictures

other than the ones from the phone.

that seems to be all i am using these days anyway.

we pulled out all our christmas the day after thanksgiving to decorate.

we do it every year.

i am almost done. i pretty much kept it the same as last year.

red, silver, and gold.

well that's all for now.