Go Long! Go Green!

Last Day of Preschool! Bring on Pre-K!

2013-05-23T14:42:00.000-04:00

Today was Sophia's last day of 3-4's preschool! Next year she will be in Pre-K! I can't even believe how quickly the time has gone!! This time next year, I have a feeling I will be an emotional mess with the thought of her going off to Kindergarten!

Looking back at her picture from the first day of Preschool, I can't believe how much she has changed over the past year! Wow! What a difference!!

1st Day - 9/2012

Last Day - 5/2013

Looking at the two pictures ... I have GOT to do something with her hair now! It is a mess! Looked so much better back in the fall! Ha!! Ha!

Excited to go to school today, but she was VERY sad it was the last day!

Sophia had the best preschool teachers this year! I am so thankful for their amazing influence in her life! She has such a sweet relationship with both of them, and is really sad that she can't be in their class again next year! She loved playing "doctor" and taking Miss Heather to the hospital! During playtime, Sophia would always end up on Miss Heather's lap, just to talk and hang out! She and Miss Pam had a running joke that made her day ... One day Sophia wore her BUTLER cheerleading outfit and Miss Pam called her a "Bulldog!" From that day on, every day during the bathroom breaks, Sophia would ask Miss Pam "Do I look like a Bulldog?" Miss Pam would always say YES and Sophia would giggle! Miss Pam called Sophia her favorite Bulldog Princess! I am so thankful for these two ladies and am thankful for all the time, effort, and love they poured into her over the course of the school year!!

Miss Heather and Miss Pam!

Sophia and her buddy Isaiah!

Isaiah, Cooper, Sophia, and Maya -- some of her classmates!

Wow, what a fun year it has been! I can't believe she is going to be old enough to be in PRE-K! I am excited about our summer together and hope we will make so many wonderful memories!

Anyone graduate in your household?

Happy Birthday Nate!

2013-05-22T16:25:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to my WONDERFUL husband, Nate!! To a companion and a best friend anyone could ever ask for! Thanks for all the wonderful memories and we look forward to the many more to come!!

Excited Daddy is home and anxious to celebrate his birthday!

Daddy's Birthday Cake! Homemade GF Chocolate Cake with
fresh raspberry puree and homemade icing!

Daddy LOVED his cake!!

In other HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE news .... (Yes, I am screaming loudly) ....

I think Sophia is FINALLY fully night trained! She has been day potty-trained since 22 months, but unfortunately, she is such a hard sleeper, the night training has been quite stressful and taxing! We have tried everything in the book and nothing work! I finally broke down and did what I said I would never do ... We have been waking her up before we go to bed (usually about 10pm) to go to the bathroom! She is like a walking zombie heading into the dark bathroom to pee! It is hilarious! She is so out of it that she NEVER remembers us coming in the next morning! Since we have been doing this, she has been dry! Below you will see a picture of her "reward" for 10 straight nights of dry panties! :) She picked out a new Barbie at the consignment sale and she also received a trip to orange leaf! (The awesome part was the Barbie only was $3.50!) I have come to the conclusion that this poor girl cannot hold her bladder the full 12 hours she sleeps, but she can hold it 9-10 hours! So, we will take that stretch and consider it done!

Thrilled with her reward she picked out! I would love to know where the consignor got this new Barbie b/c it was definitely from 1996! But still NEW IN THE BOX! Ha!!

This morning we headed to the Children's Museum with one of my closest friends, Erin, and her two girls! We had to capitalize on the last few weeks while the big kids are still in school! The CM was pretty bare this morning, which we LOVED!! I am not ready for the summer crowd! We get spoiled during the weekday mornings in the school year!

Farmer Jackson!

Lovin' the carousel ride!

Silly girls!

Two peas in a pod!

This picture explains it all!!

Love these kiddos! Such a fun trip!

Treasure Hunting!

2013-05-17T14:03:00.000-04:00

I know I have blogged about it before, but I am seriously a GARAGE SALE addict!! I get so excited when the middle-end of May rolls around b/c it is the start of garage sale season!! It is always the thrill of the HUNT that is the most exciting! I am always looking for a good deal to make our hard-earned $'s stretch the furthest possible! Also, I am always looking for stuff the kids can use for a bit and then I can turn around and sell them at a local consignment sale for a profit! It is a way to bring in a little extra money for savings!!

$25 will buy you ... almost new wooden rocking horse (that even neigh's), Cozy Coupe, 2 pairs PJ's, girls sweater, 4 nice long sleeve shirts, hello kitty "bling" shirt, BRAND NEW bottle with all original packing, 2 brand new (in wrapping) DVD's, 3 used dvd's, princess dress up shoes, and Tonka tow truck and 2 cars!

I think I made off pretty well this morning huh? Do you like garage sale season? Or is it more work than it is worth?

It is so much fun with the kids, especially Sophia! She is always looking for a treasure! She is also learning the value of money too! :)

Playing a sweet tune ...

2013-05-13T21:19:00.002-04:00

Sophia loves playing her harmonica all throughout the house! She especially enjoys playing it first thing in the morning when this mommy is still trying to wake up!! Sophia and her Grandpa Long really enjoy playing it together! Jackson isn't quite sure what to think all the time!

Enjoy!

Singing, dancing, and twirling ...

2013-05-13T21:19:00.001-04:00

Here are a few pictures from Sophia's Spring Program at school as well as Mother's Day!!

Can you find Sophia's face? Her teacher's are on the watering can!
Oh how we LOVE Miss Heather and Miss Pam!

Yes, she is "cheesing"!

"Thank you Lord"

"Rrrr"

Aligators saying Thank you Lord!

Sweet Girl!

Mother's Day with my BLESSINGS!!

Love this girl so much even tho some days she drives me crazy!

Best one of all three of us! One day there will be a great picture ... until then ...

Love her!

You can tell these three kids were THRILLED to have their picture taken!
Sophia is the only one we can bribe with dessert for a smile! The other two could care less!

Happy Mother's Day to a WORLD CLASS MOTHER!

Mimi and her grand kids!

I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating the blessings and "Mothers" in your life!

Close to the end ...

2013-04-27T16:26:00.000-04:00

Does your backyard look like this?

Nate and I have struggled to get our grass cut for the first time this spring! (Well, I guess we can call it spring even though it still feels like winter most days!) Honestly, it has been pretty close to the end of our priority list! Most people in our neighborhood have cut their grass at least 2-3 times, and we are ready to purchase some goats and let them chow down on our "luscious greens!!" When we didn't have kids, it honestly wasn't a problem to get the grass cut or the weeds pulled. It was usually enjoyable to spend time outside together doing the yard work. When the original landscaping was put in, the main request was for it to be "low-maintenance." Two kids later, we have concluded nothing is low maintenance about our landscaping. If you have decent size mulch beds around your whole house, that in itself = high maintenance. Pulling weeds ALL THE TIME, spraying for weeds in the grass, putting down new mulch every year, and keep the large amount grass cut with a push mower ... honestly it is overwhelming!

You might be thinking ... it doesn't take THAT long to cut the yard or go pull the weeds each day? Right?

Honestly, it isn't that easy. To have a pristine weed-free yard, it seems as though other areas in life have to be sacrificed. A person only has so much time in the day -- some have much less time than others!

(Disclaimer: For some without a commute like Nate's, I totally understand it is possible to keep up with the yard work when you are home more hours in the day.)

Here are a few reasons we have come up with ...

- Nate spends at least 13-15 hours commuting to work EVERY week! That is a lot of hours in the car, not around the house doing work.

- We have two small children. Enough said? Nap time is the only quiet time in our house! The last thing I want to do is be out cutting the grass when I can be spending it relaxing my mind, reading a book, doing a Bible Study, or relaxing and connecting with my husband during those precious weekend nap time hours.

- When we wake up on a Saturday morning, the first thing in our mind is NOT yard work, rather it is spending time together as a family surrounded by exercise! We exercise as a family, that is just what we do! On beautiful days, our natural default is "how can we spend time together outside having fun?" Yard work doesn't even cross our mind! Sunday mornings are full with church and Sunday school and usually small group in the evening!

- In the evening, when Nate gets home from work, we immediately eat dinner, clean up the kitchen, play for a max of 30-60 min, then it is usually time for the kids bedtime. When we haven't seen daddy all day long, the last thing we want to do is have him go spend an hour or more cutting the grass!

- During the weekend hours, we love to relax and have fun with friends and their kids! Anything we can do to create lasting memories! Relationships baby ... that is what we are about!

When you add up all these reasons, you can see how the yard just doesn't get cut the number of times when it should. Slowly, I am starting to realize we can't be "SUPER" people. We have limited time to do the things in life that is enjoyable to us, and yard work isn't one of those! I have been a people pleaser my WHOLE life and have struggled with "What do the neighbors think of us?" "I wonder if they are complaining about our yard and the fact we have some yellow "flowers" popping up (as Sophia calls them), or why the grass is a few inches taller than theirs?" We have been blessed with such INCREDIBLE neighbors that I don't want them to be frustrated with us! Nevertheless, I have started to realize, we will just have to do the best we can do! My hope is the neighbors will look past our grass and see our heart for people and relationships! I hope they will remember the joy in our kids eyes when they see our incredible neighbors and love to go talk with them!

I don't want you to think we have weeds up to our chins and grass as tall as our preschooler! We keep it looking "OK", but it isn't pristine by any means and well-manicured! We aren't willing to sacrifice the little, yet precious family time we have to have a yard like the one in the picture above! So, there will be a few dandelions (even though we put down pre-emergent), our grass will be cut most weeks only one time, and there will probably be a few weeds in our mulch beds, but I have to remember that the time we are spending together is precious in the sight of our Lord!

When I think of trying to scale down the "things" in our life ... I am reminded about this blog post! It is amazing! Check it out! Minimalism: Addition not Subtraction. So much joy is added to your life when you cut out the "excess!" I am also reminded by a quote by Ann Voskamp in a recent blog post ... "The virus of distraction is cured by the art of subtraction."

Are we the only family that struggles with this? I know there has GOT to be at least one family out there!!

Please share your thoughts .....

White Cloud Puts Green Within Reach

2013-04-15T23:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Go Long! Go Green! My blog is very appropriately named due to my LOVE for the environment! I love doing my part to be responsible with the blessings I have been given! I cloth diaper (it really isn’t gross, PROMISE!), recycle everything that can be recycled, we are teaching our children to turn off the light switches when we aren’t in the room and to turn the water off while they brush their teeth, compost, we purchase eco-friendly household products, and we try our best to limit our trash for the week to just ONE bag!!

You could call my love to be GREEN an obsession! (Ha!) I recycle ever single coloring page of my daughter’s when she is done with them or they end up misplaced around the house! Sophia says, “Mom, why did you recycle this? I am not finished with it yet!” Ha!! She is starting to tell her friends and teachers (at the Y), “My mom recycles all my coloring pages I color here! Ughhh!” It is hilarious! Folks, we seriously go through 4+ coloring pages/day!

You can find out more HERE!

How do you help out the environment, if at all? It can be so easy to simply start by saving all your newspapers, adds, misc junk mail and recycle it in those awesome GREEN recycle boxes located EVERYWHERE! I can think of at least 4 spots within 3 miles of my house!! Regardless of how you help, I know it feels good to help!

Another way to help celebrate these moments of environmental responsibility and encourage everyone to keep “Living the Green”: The White Cloud GreenEarth product line!

White Cloud is a paper-product brand carried exclusively at Walmart. Find a Store Near You! GreenEarth is the innovative, eco-friendly line of White Cloud products (bath tissue and paper towels), made from 100 percent recycled fibers. With GreenEarth, there is no compromise and it puts green within reach. GreenEarth products maintain the highest standards of quality while still remaining affordable. All GreenEarth® products maintain a Forest Stewardship Council certification. “Living the Green” doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank or sacrificing quality.

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After reading this blog post, what one thing can you and your family do to help protect the environment?

Review and Giveaway: "Deny Yourself " by Lisa Chan

2013-04-08T14:17:00.001-04:00

New film helps women navigate an “all about me” society selflessly

"If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me." Matthew 16:24

How often have we read over this scripture without even considering what it truly means? What does it even look like (in a practical sense) to deny yourself and take up your cross?

Lisa Chan answers these questions in her second DVD of the True Beauty series. You may recall my review of her Be Still late last year. In the same video format, she examines this very question.

Here are a few thoughts from the DVD:

"We want to feel total acceptance and love from God, but we don't like talking about laying down our lives and denying ourselves to follow after Christ."

Our culture is extremely self-indulgent and has a "I want it all mentality" ... How do we live out our Christian life while all of this "self" focus is in our face?

Jesus stretched out his arms, endured the cross, and separation from God and yet we don't want to forgive someone that has really hurt us in life. Rather we want God to forgive our sins while we hold a grudge against the other.

Denying yourself gives you freedom and allows you to experience true joy in Christ.

Push through selfishness, push through fear. He came to give us the abundant life, but we must be willing to seek Him with all that we have.

MY REVIEW: I really enjoyed this second installment in the True Beauty series. Lisa has a very poetic way to share the scriptures and relate it to our life. Her DVD's bring such peace while I am watching and listening. It very calming to my "hurried" soul! She tackles a hard scripture, yet allows the listener to seek from within to answer the question for themselves. Lisa has included another personal reflection guide with her DVD. In my opinion, this reflection guide allows you to get the most out of the lessons learned in the DVD. She proposes many good questions that take soul searching and personal reflection. These are the types of questions that will force us to grow as Christians.

Here are a few good questions ... (without giving them all away!)

What message from the world have you bought into that makes the cost of following Christ seem so overwhelming?

When did you last follow Christ to the point of denying yourself?

Have you missed out on anything while you were busy following God? Was it worth the cost? Would you do it again if given the same chance?

I hope you will take the time to consider these questions and search for answers within your soul.

One final challenging thought she suggested is this, "Many want the salvation Christ offers, without the submission that comes with it." Are you one of the many?

WATCH IT:
Watch the trailer: HERE
Watch Lisa: HERE discussing God is Better
Watch Irene: HERE discussing The Simplicity of the Word

BUY IT: HERE

WIN IT: David C Cook publishers have graciously offered up a copy of the new DENY YOURSELF DVD and Reflection Guide to one Go Long! Go Green! reader. Please leave a comment below with a way that you have found you have denied yourself to follow Christ OR if you regret choosing your "self" over following Christ! Please include your name and email address in your comment.

It is encouraging to one another to see practical ways we can "deny ourselves" and follow HIM!!

This giveaway is open to ALL and will end on Sunday at April 14th at midnight. The winner will be drawn via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn. Please, no PO Boxes.

Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not monetarily compensated for this review.

WINNER: Action Bible

2013-04-02T16:44:00.001-04:00

Congrats to KELSEY! She is our winner for the ACTION BIBLE!!

Thanks for participating everyone! I hope you will check out their website and look into purchasing one! What a great resource for your kids!

A Special Day with Mama!

2013-03-26T21:26:00.000-04:00

My parents offered to take Jackson for 2 nights, so I could spend 100% of my time and energy with this sweet girl! I have tried to pack full our schedule with fun special events that will create lasting memories! I have learned that it isn't the $ spent, rather the effort I put forth to figuring out what makes this girl smile the most!!

Today we dropped Jackson off around noon and headed to Subway for a girl's lunch! I love that Sophia will eat the turkey sub JUST AS I LOVED IT: loaded with veggies, spinach, black pepper, and oregano! That girl doesn't complain and loves every bite like her mama!

We came home and read tons of stories and she took a nice long nap!!

After her nap I surprised her with an afternoon of fun! First we went to Shear Fun to have her nails painted! (Best $6 I have spent in awhile!). The girl that did her nails took lots of time and even added a top coat of silver sparkles! Sophia LOVED every minute of this!! Can you tell by the pictures?

Pretty nails!

Just before this picture, she leaned over, kissed me, and said, "I love you mommy!"
(Insert HEART MELT!)

After we left Shear Fun, we headed across the street to our new Goodwill! We love looking for treasures, plus I can't pass up the 50% off clothes rack for kids clothes!! She told me she would find a really good treasure and she sure did ... a handheld Barbie computer, batteries and all ... $2.99! Oh yeah! It has some great learning games and challenges for her age!

After leaving the Goodwill, we headed to our favorite frozen yogurt spot in Avon, Orange Leaf!! I LOVE Orange Leaf so much b/c they have 15-20 different flavors of frozen yogurt that is self-serve. You pay by the ounce. Good thing for us is that we have excellent self-control and only get about 2-3 oz each. Plus I had a $3 off coupon, so I was able to purchase our "treat" for $1.04! She enjoyed EVERY SINGLE BITE! Believe me, I did too!!

Of course this is a STOCK photo ... not our dessert!

When we got home, we had a yummy dinner followed by her favorite ... A POPCORN PARTY! We watched the first half of Monsters, Inc together while eating homemade popcorn!!

I think this little girl is having fun, what do you think?? All for a grand total spent for the day $17.06! Not too shabby huh?

Tomorrow we are headed to the Children's Museum with my sister and cousin Hannah along with the library in the evening. Thursday morning we have a play date with a good friend and then we are headed to Trader Joes and Whole Foods to stock up on our yummy treats and "clean" food!!

I forgot how easy it is with just a preschooler ... wow! Such a nice break!! :)

REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: ACTION BIBLE

2013-03-26T15:06:00.001-04:00

"People don't usually think of God like this, but God is the original action hero. Everyone is so impressed when Superman blows a car over with his breath, yet God created the whole universe with His breath. Superman may save the day with his strength, but Jesus saved the whole world with His death ... The action you read about in these 750 pages is nothing compared to the action that will occur once you put this book down. How will you answer God's call to action?" (Doug Mauss, General Editor)

With an introduction like that, don't you want to pick up a copy of "The Action Bible: God's Redemptive Plan?" The Action Bible is an excellent source for supplemental Bible story reading with your children! It contains the major stories of the Bible (215 of them) starting in Genesis and ending with Revelation.

Internationally recognized artist Sergio Cariello has created attention-holding illustrations marked by rich coloring, dramatic shading and lighting, bold and energetic designs, and emotionally charged figures. Of note, Sergio worked for Marvel and DC Comics.

I have taken a few pictures for you to get an inside view. I used the crucifixion pictures as we are getting close to our Resurrection Sunday celebration! Can you feel the emotion that must have been felt by those along the street as Jesus walked by? The look on Jesus' face in this picture takes my breath away. He knew what was ahead of him ... down that long road ...

Another shot of Jesus with the thief on the cross. The close up of the crown of thorns on his head.

MY REVIEW: The Action Bible is a comic-book style picture Bible for children ages 5-8. I would imagine that older children would also enjoy this as well! The stories are in chronological order and shown in the appropriate setting. Since I have been studying Genesis this year in BSF, I looked through intently at the pictures of Genesis and was very impressed with Sergio's illustrations. The characters ages are depicted correctly as are the emotions.

As I mentioned above, this is an excellent supplement to your child's actual Bible. As with most children's Bibles, the stories are "based on" the actual scripture verses. The author includes the specific chapters (sometimes verses) under the title. For example when Jacob's sons are reunited, "Family Reunion Based on Genesis 45-47." When the pictures are "based on" the actual Bible, one must remember it is somewhat subject to the author and illustrators interpretation. You will find commentary, extra-Biblical comments, and other information in the stories. Once again, you find this with most children's Bibles.

As one reviewer said it so clearly, "The Bible came across as a continuous historical account of God relating to man with a redemptive plan in action (rather than as disconnected morality tales about heroes of the past).

Most of you know, my little guy is only 18 months old, so he wasn't a candidate for a review for this Bible. My 4 year old daughter LOVED looking at the pictures! The first day she sat for over 45 minutes flipping through the pages! I have a friend who has two sons, ages 5 and 8, so I thought they would be the perfect candidates to review this book. Both sons were THRILLED to see The Action Bible sitting on their coffee table when they arrived home from school. They recognized it from other kids at church! They both couldn't put it down. The 5 year old was really drawn to the illustrations, however some of the content his mother had to simplify. However, the 8 year old was the perfect age to fully enjoy this book. His mother said it was the "perfect reading level and content for my 3rd grader. It was a great way to draw kids (especially little boys) into the stories of the Bible." I also had her review the devotional and she really enjoyed it. Her 3rd grader really was able to find practical application from the lesson. The lessons were perfect length and had a great learning format.

My husband and I both feel that as long as parents don't shy away from teaching the actual Bible, The Action Bible is a great supplemental overview book for kids. It teaches them how to appreciate the Bible as a whole as well as God's redemptive story that He has planned from the VERY BEGINNING of time! The Action Bible is probably the most complete and comprehensive picture Bible. It will draw them in by its "fun" nature, so as a parent you don't have to "make" them read their Bible. It helps relate true Bible stories with what they currently enjoy in life: super heros and action heros! It also will teach them that their faith is to be ACTIVE, not passive! How many adults don't realize this truth?

If you are interested in other resources, check out the devotional and the handbook. Both are incredible resources! The devotional works well with The Action Bible, but also could be used as a stand-alone resource. I think the devotional would be perfect for your 7-9 year old! The practical application is fantastic!

Also, check out their WEBPAGE and find free coloring pages, BATTLE GOLIATH (game), see samples of the artwork, as well as watch the Action Bible Trailer!

WIN IT: You have an awesome opportunity to win your OWN copy of The Action Bible.

Please leave a comment below of any memories you have reading a Children's Bible or why you think your son/daughter would enjoy this Bible. Also, please make sure to leave your EMAIL address so I can contact you if you win!

This giveaway is open to the US and will end on Monday April 1st at 8am. The winner will be drawn via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn. Please, no PO Boxes.

Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not monetarily compensated for this review.

Life is NOT an Emergency

2013-02-20T07:35:00.002-05:00

Each morning I have been trying to read through my new devotional book, One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces by Ann Voskamp. Most of you know of my love for Ann's powerful writing! She has been given an incredible gift of writing and uses it for God's glory! Searching through my daily life, looking to find all of the "gifts" the Lord has given me truly has made me a much more thankful, introspective person.

Here are a few excerpts from the devotional to give you a taste of the deeper thoughts she provokes:

- How do I fully live when life is full of hurt?

- ... but to choose to live as one filling with His grace? Choosing to fill with all that He freely gives and fully live - with glory and grace and God? I know it but I don't want to: it is a CHOICE!

- A lack of doxology leads to depravity! (WOW!)

- If all the dismembering wickedness in the world begins with an act of forgetting - the the act of literally counting blessings literally re-members us to God!

- Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo - the table of thanksgiving. Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depths of my eucharisteo thanks? So then as long as thanks is possible, then joy is ALWAYS possible.

In the most recent entry I have read, she speaks of recognizing grace. Ann speaks "Calm, Haste makes waste. Life is not an emergency. Life is brief and fleeting, but it is not an emergency. Emergencies are sudden, unexpected events - but is anything under the sun unexpected to God? Stay CALM, enter the moment, give thanks! I can always give thanks because an all-powerful God has all these things - all things - always under control... Time is not running out. This day is not a sieve, losing time. With each passing minute, each passing year, there's this deepening awareness that I am filling, gaining time. We stand on the brink of eternity."

I thought this passage was INCREDIBLE! So often in life we run through it, going to the next activity, next minute, the next hour, next day all the while, we forget to enjoy life in the moment. With little kids, it is especially easy to consider life an emergency. I am always running late to get Sophia to school, to get to MOPS, to get to a class at the Y, always another dirty diaper to change, 100 chores to fit into a few hours of naptime. The daily life becomes "urgent" when in fact, it really isn't. I need not think of life as a sieve, rather life as getting fuller minute by minute I am given grace to go about our life. Ann said, " Father you are giving me more time to recognize the significance of the Story you are writing on these days. Cause me to see more of the beautiful moments you place in my life. I want to slow down and taste your goodness."

Wow, what an incredible prayer! After reading this day, I was truly convicted that I need not treat life as an emergency, rather, treat it as days FULL of ways to see God's goodness and grace!

If you are looking for a devotional that is inspiring and easy to fit into your daily life, I strongly recommend Ann's. The link is in the top paragraph!

Do you see life as an emergency? How can you join me in recognizing God's goodness and grace?

How To Enjoy Key West Frugally!

2013-02-19T15:20:00.002-05:00

Sunset at Ft Zachary Taylor State Park

Nate and I recently arrived home from 5 days, 4 nights in Key West. We had such an incredible time, it was actually quite comparable, if not better value for the money, to our honeymoon that was over 6 years ago! Thanks to social media, it was very easy to get recommendations of places to go, things to see, and activities to do! We also spent a few hours at the downtown Indianapolis library reading through travel books. We took lots of notes, researched websites, read menus, plotted locations on maps, and planned as much as we could! However, upon arrival, we felt like we didn't know how to enjoy the island "Nate and Allyson" style, so we thought we would compose a RECAP on the blog of how to be "somewhat" frugal in a very expensive area as well as fully interact with all our surroundings in the most enjoyable, economical way! I have divided the blog post in a few sections for the sake of organization!

BEST PLACE TO STAY: We stayed at The Southernmost House on the Beach (Mansion). It is located at the southern end of Duval Street. We were glad to learn the southern end of Duval is the "quiet, peaceful end" as they even have a sound ordinance that begins at 9pm! The northern end of Duval is known to be quite loud and crazy! The great thing is that Duval street is only about a mile long, so it is easy to walk from the hotel to the busy part of Duval, then head home and get a full, quiet night's sleep! This inn is a historic house that has been converted to a Bed and Breakfast. It has incredible rooms and great staff! The inn keeper is quite delightful to talk to! The breakfast was very fresh and inviting each morning! They had fresh seasonal fruit, yogurt, fresh baked French pastries, bagels, oatmeal, toast, cheese platter, and cereal! During the afternoon, they had out fresh water loaded with orange and mint leaves. They also always had a fresh fruit bowl available for snacks! The grounds of the inn are pristine and it is a gated area! It gives you a sense of privacy and security! We can't say enough about this inn! We would LOVE to go back to stay!

The view from the ocean, looking at the back of the Inn

Our amazing pool!

Our view each morning at breakfast

DINING: Before leaving for Key West, we set a goal to spend NO MORE THAN $50/day on food! You probably look at that and think, that is a piece of cake! Well, in Key West, you have to put forth a great effort not to spend that amount and that includes having a free breakfast provided by the inn. Each meal in Key West, regardless of restaurant you choose starts at around $10-12/person and that is without taxes, drinks, or tip. We found that each lunch meal averaged about $27-30 for the two of us. Dinner menu prices are much higher. What is a couple to do with such a lofty goal? You have to improvise! We had our big meals at restaurants during the lunch hour (when the food is the same, but prices are lower) and the we found a local market/grocery store and purchased Greek yogurts, organic lunch meat, and cheese to store in our fridge back at the room. Since our hotel had fresh bananas and apples available we were able to get those to compliment our dinner! I took a piece of bread from breakfast and saved it for my dinner! We figured if you ate out bfast, lunch, and dinner, it would be easy to spend over $100/day on food alone!

So, where did we eat? As we mentioned, we researched restaurants and picked 4 of them we wanted to go to down in Key West, so we planned, and looked ahead at the menus.

The Cafe: OUR FAVORITE by a mile!! We love an eclectic restaurant that offers unique and healthy menu options that we can not find at home! This is our biggest feat each time we go on vacation! We saw The Cafe listed in a few travel books and believe me, THIS DID NOT DISAPPOINT! It was incredible! Check out the menu HERE. It serves mostly vegan or vegetarian options. While meat is lacking, it certainly isn't lacking in flavor or appeal! We enjoyed it so much ate 2 out of our 4 lunches here!

I had the Cafe 'Veggie' Veggie Burger, made with legumes, carrots, broccoli, mushroom, scallions, and sunflower seeds. It was topped with fresh greens, sprouts, tomato, and feta. It was served on toasted Ciabatta bread! I ordered the garden salad on the side with their homemade orange-mango vinaigrette dressing! The garden salad was full of fresh, raw veggies, and greens!

Nate had the Classic Sprouthead sandwich, made with avocado, cucumber, Swiss lettuce, tomato, hummus, and sprouts! He enjoyed the side of marinated bean salad!

We can't say enough GREAT things about this restaurant. It is a MUST stop for anyone traveling to the area! Don't let the "vegan" label scare you off ... it is incredible food, and actually healthy for you!

Blue Heaven: Most recommended restaurant via social media! They have an incredible outside dining courtyard full of roosters running around, giant umbrella's to protect you from the sun, and live entertainment! The outside dining was worth the wait! Nate and I both had omelettes (yes, you can order bfast foods till 2pm), and they were tasty! Check out the interesting history HERE. It was a fun lunch, however, true to Key West, pricey. If you want to go to Blue Heaven, I suggest the bfast/lunch hour as the dinner prices are some of the highest in the area!

Sloppy Joes: Recommended by a few people via social media, so we tried it, but it was a huge disappointment. The menu was classic "bar food," nothing fantastic, especially for the price tag. The live musical entertainment was quite raunchy. I am not sure if it was their house band or what, but the two guitar players had TERRIBLE songs with disrespectful lyrics. We couldn't get out of there soon enough! I think we ordered, ate our food, and paid our bill within 30 minutes!

Key Lime Pie Company: We had our first piece of Key Lime pie within 2 hours of arriving on the island! We even found a GLUTEN FREE slice of Key Lime pie! It was incredible, but it was almost $5 for a SMALL slice of pie!! So tasty, worth the money b/c the slices at the restaurants aren't much bigger and double the price! If you want Key Lime Pie, they sell it by the slice here! You can taste test almost everything in the store too which is awesome!

Fausto's Food Palace: This is the nice market 1 block off Duval street where we purchased our "dinner" meals!

Dessert Cafe: We also read about an amazing dessert cafe in Key West in the travel books! They are only open from 6p-12a. Thanks to our frugal dinner option, we were able to save $ and go to the dessert cafe!

I had an awesome Carmel Creme Brulee with homemade orange shortbread!

Nate had a flourless chocoatel truffle with a scoop of raspberry sorbet!

It was so dark in the cafe! Candles were the only source of light! When you opened up your menus, they were like iPads! They were so bright! Check out the glare on Nate's face! Such a romantic atmosphere!

ATTRACTIONS/STUFF TO DO: Once again, you could drop some serious cash to go to all of the incredible attractions on the island, including the Ernest Hemingway House, Little White House, Key West Butterfly Conservatory, and all the various excursion tours. We tried to find fun, free (or economical) attractions that would allow us to experience the island without dropping big bucks!

See The Southermost Point and take a picture by the giant buoy!

The classic shot for all who vacation to Key West! This is 1 block from the hotel!

Rent Bikes: If you have the option to fly into Key West International Airport, DO IT! We took a cab from the airport to the hotel. Key West reminds me of Chicago, you have to pay to park EVERYWHERE, including your hotel! It is so much cheaper and easier to join the locals and BIKE/WALK everywhere! Seriously, we rented bikes for 3 FULL DAYS (72 hours) and paid $50. We were able to fully enjoy and embrace the island! You can rent bikes 1 block from the hotel! The island is extremely biker friendly, and you will find places to lock up your bike in front of most restaurants/shops. There is even a path where you can ride your bike around the whole island! We did that on the first day we had bikes and really enjoyed it! It ended up being about a 10 mile ride or so!

It was hard to get used to a "beach cruiser" bike compared to the awesome
road bikes we have at home! Nevertheless, they served their
purpose and allowed us to fully enjoy ourselves!

Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park and Truman Annex: Since we had bikes, we were able to bike to the Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park. It is only a mile ride from the hotel. It cost us $5 total to get in ($2.50/person). We toured the historic fort, walked along the beach, and then returned for sunset! As with our state parks, you pay the entrance fee once per day, so you can come and go throughout the day as much as you would like! We would HIGHLY recommend this attraction! The beach view is beautiful, however, pack flip-flops b/c it is pretty "rocky" and there isn't tons of shell-free sand! The locals say this is the best "ocean swimming" on the island if you would like to swim! Plus, you can see coral reefs/tropical fish so bring or rent a snorkel! (Bummed we didn't have one!)

Awesome picture Nate took of all the cannons!

Beautiful view!

Inside the Fort

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center: What a fun, FREE gem we found next to Ft. Zachary Taylor! This center is run by NOAA. Here is a little blurp from their website:

Enter the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center and take a journey into the world of the native plants and animals of the Keys, both on land and underwater. Leave with an increased awareness and appreciation of the need to protect and conserve the ecosystem of South Florida.

The Center features over 6,000 square feet of interactive and dynamic exhibits including a mock-up ofAquarius, the world's only underwater ocean laboratory.

Colorful marine artwork depicting the deep sea, coral reef, and mangrove shoreline decorates the outside wall of the Center, guiding you toward the main entrance.

Once inside, you can explore exhibits interpreting the ecology of Keys' habitats, from the upland pinelands through the hardwood hammock and beach dune. From there, you’ll travel down to the mangrove shoreline, where you can enter the sea to learn about the seagrass flats, hardbottom, coral reef, and deep-shelf communities. Stop in to the Center’s theater to catch “Reflections of the Florida Keys,” a short film on the diverse ecosystem of the Florida Keys by renowned filmmaker Bob Talbot.

Be sure to check out the Mote Marine Laboratory Living Reef exhibit, which includes a 2,500-gallon reef tank with living corals and tropical fish, a live Reef Cam, and other displays that highlight the coral reef environment.

A walk through the Aquarius exhibit offers glimpses of the beautiful marine life at the reef and shows how scientists live beneath the sea during research expeditions.

Nice bike parking!! Play "Where is Allyson" in the picture too!

They also show a 20 min FREE movie that takes you under the sea into the marine life! It was directed by the same person who directed FREE WILLY! (Remember that movie? HA!)

Garden Club: Another FREE gem on the island! We had no idea this was here until we passed it on our morning bike ride! We were warmly greeted by a "corporate refuge" from Wisconsin! We learned all the exotic plants can survive in this location b/c it NEVER has gotten below 42 degrees!! It is a popular spot for weddings! Here is a little blurp from their website:

"This secluded eden is one of Key West's most tranquil spots. The grounds feature a rare collection of native and exotic trees and plants, including blooming orchids and bromeliads. Labelling is an ongoing process. The fort structure is highlighted by vaulted ceilings, gun mounts and a conservatory. Gazebos catch the soft sea breezes and are a popular romantic backdrop for weddings. The water lily pond and waterfall offer a soothing respite from the tropical sun."

Duval Street -- AKA The Duval Crawl. Duval Street is chocked full of boutiques, restaurants gift shops, and bars. The atmosphere is fairly family friendly during the day, the night ... well, not so much! Most of the boutiques are WAY overpriced, however, make for great window shopping! It is fun to bike down Duval Street after Sunset to see all the lights, but it is nice to end at the quiet part!

Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square: Another FREE gem on the island!! "Sunset Celebration is a nightly arts festival at Mallory Square Dock in Key West, Florida. The participants of this Key West attraction consist of arts and crafts exhibitors, street performers, food carts, and of course the thousands of tourists from around the world who visit this Key West art show. Each night around two hours before sunset masses of people, both locals and tourists alike, flock to the water's edge to experience a multicultural happening and to watch the sun sink into the Gulf of Mexico."

Our favorite act was The Red Trouser Show. The show was clean, family friendly, and HILARIOUS! These guys have tons of talent! It was the first show we saw and it really raised the bar for all the other street performers! Click HERE for a great (short) video displaying their talents!

Overall, we had an incredible time in Key West! (A special THANK YOU to my parents who watched the kids for the full 5 days!) We really enjoyed ourselves and felt like we were on our 2nd honeymoon! It was a fun place to visit without kids! I don't know that I would recommend this destination for a family vacation, but it is an awesome couple destination!

Have fun while saving $!

Thankfully, when we approached Indy ... this was the view from the plane!! Welcome back to reality and life as a parent!! The fun was awesome while it lasted!!

Have you ever been to Key West? Any frugal tips for other blog readers?

Tea, Princess', and Bling ... That is how we roll!

2013-01-31T15:11:00.000-05:00

The month of January has been quite busy in the Long Household! We kicked off January with Sophia's 4th birthday party! She had a Princess Tea Party!! We have been talking about this for over 6 months now, so needless to say, she was thrilled when the actual day arrived!! She invited a few of her closest girlfriends and their mommies!

The Tea Room Menu

Ready for guests to arrive!

Thanks Pinterest! Mommy and Sophia had fun making these edible tea cups!

Her friends! One was a little shy and missing from the picture!

We set up a fun little photo booth behind the couch for pictures!

Mimi, Papa, and the 3 grandkiddos!

Grandma and Grandpa Long!

Everyone had a WONDERFUL time and the girls (and mom's) got to taste test tea, create their own homemade tiara as well as eat fun ice-cream cupcakes! Sophia still talks about how much fun she had at her birthday tea party! It was also a great excuse for me to break out a beautiful tea set that we received for a wedding gift and haven't had the chance to use!

Two weekends ago, Nate and I had the WEEKEND without KIDS! Yes, you read it correctly, WITHOUT kids (insert HEAVEN!) My parents kept the kids from Friday evening till Sunday evening! We packed those 48 hours FULL of fun stuff together!

Saturday morning we ran 5 miles, then headed downtown to the new library. We sat on the top floor of the Downtown library for 5 hours. Complete peace and quiet! It was INCREDIBLE! Below is a picture of our view! It was a beautiful sunny winter day, temps in the mid-40's. We played games, did our bible studies, read books, and just chilled out! It was very recharging!

View from Library seat!

We stayed until they closed the library, then headed back to the Bosphorus Cafe to use up our last Groupon. We both enjoyed some Turkish food and a great atmosphere! We were able to listen to a great podcast on marriage while waiting for our food!

After dinner, we headed north to Broadripple and chilled out in the Starbucks. We talked and played some games on the iTouch. We then headed over to the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse for the Butler Basketball game! It didn't start till 9pm, but we were geared up with lots of energy for this ESPN College Game Day vs. Gonzaga! As many of you have probably heard, Butler beat Gonzaga in a buzzer beater, 64-63. Our seats were incredible!

The National Anthem

Love me some DAWG!

After the game, notice the court is FULL of people!

Yes, this was amazing and we were HERE!

Here is a movie clip of the crowd storming the floor after the buzzer shot! It was amazing!!

Finally, we have been spending lots of these cold winter evenings at home ... dressing up, (well, that is Sophia), and having dance parties! What else do you do to pass those long hours b/w 4-8pm? Ugh!! Sophia and Jackson were quietly playing in her room alone -- always have to check when it is quiet ... I found Sophia had given Jackson a little of his own BLING! Don't ya love it? The perks of having an older sister!!

Please don't hate me for this in your teenage years Jackson!

Veggie-loaded soup ... YUM!

2013-01-31T14:56:00.003-05:00

The more time goes on, I am realizing that Sophia has a very mature and open-minded pallet! Her brother Jackson, NOT SO MUCH! The kid is actually quite picky, which I thought it was going to be next to impossible for a child coming out of this house to be this picky! I hope this time will pass, but it is really hard to figure out what this kid likes to eat! I have to admit, my biggest struggle is the evening meal. He eats his hot steel cut oats/millet oatmeal in the morning, mixed with a little organic applesauce. He eats 8 oz of Stoneyfield Organic Plain (yes, plain) WHOLE milk yogurt for lunch with a few crackers and fruit pieces. Dinner is so tricky! He will eat something one day, and won't touch it for the next week! I just don't get it?? He is also like a dog ... he only likes wet, sloppy meat! You think I am kidding? Nope! The kid will eat about any chili or soup, but give him ground beef or baked chicken and he spits it out! I am getting frustrated b/c he isn't eating many veggies these days (b/c I am not making baby food for a 17 month old anymore)! He only really likes roasted squash and sweet potatoes. Green beans ... gag. Peas ... gag unless they are in my Guinness Shepherd's Pie. Edamame ... sometimes gag, sometimes like. The kid will eat veggies if they are "wet" in a soup! I know, SO WEIRD!! The kid also LOVES plain black beans. He would eat 1/2 a can if I let him!

I have started to turn to more soups in order to get the kid to eat veggies and meat!

I found this recipe in my "Mothering" magazine and changed it slightly! It was SO SO YUMMY! Great way to pack lots of nutrients for a very healthy, low cal, low fat soup!

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Parmesan and Sage

2-3 lbs of squash (I used butternut b/c that is what was in the house), recipe called for acorn, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes
4 tbsp of EVOO
4 carrots, roughly chopped
2-3 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped (white part only)
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 cups of chicken broth
1/4 tsp of white pepper (I used black b/c it was all I had)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
4-5 fresh sage leaves, chop into very tiny pieces prior to adding to soup

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Roast the squash for 30-35 minutes.

Heat 2 tbsp of EVOO in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, leek, and onions, and cook 5 minutes. Add broth and cook for another 30-35 minutes (until the carrots are soft). Add squash and spices (including fresh chopped sage) and cook 5 more minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender or food processor and PUREE. Puree to your desired consistency (took me awhile to get that!)

Top with Parmesan cheese!

Yum Yum! It was a huge hit in our house for the kids!

Enjoy a warm bowl of soup on a cold day like today!

Do you have any favorite healthy soup recipes??

Praise God!

2013-01-09T14:15:00.001-05:00

I am THRILLED to write this post and share the INCREDIBLE news with all my faithful blog followers!! Jackson was discharged from Physical Therapy today! 2 weeks ago he started walking on his own, in small bits, and NOW he is walking alone about 60-75% of the time (depends on the day and his mood!)! Isn't what incredible? It only took us 16 months and 1 days, but we FINALLY arrived!! I am so thankful for our physical therapist Karen! She was truly a blessing and worked with Jackson in incredible ways! I loved getting the chance to get to know her better and hope to keep in touch!

Thank you for your prayers throughout the past months!! First Steps is an incredible program despite its crazy paperwork and time tables to get enrolled! We are thankful the State of Indiana provides this incredible service for children and their families!

Our boy is growing up!!!

Dancing and sleeping the days away!

2012-12-20T14:17:00.002-05:00

Here are a fun few pictures ....

When shopping in Kroger last week, we stumbled about the holiday Kefir's! Oh my goodness! So amazing! Sophia said "Mommy, we should buy these for my class snacks." I told her that most people probably wouldn't appreciate nor like the amazing KEFIR, but we do!! Guess we are healthy weird like that!

The cranberry creme brulee was the best!

Easy way to get in TONS of probiotics and protein!

Found Jackson sleeping like this one day! I love that the ankles are crossed and hands under his tummy!!

Last Saturday Sophia and I had the opportunity to go see our family friend, Olivia, in the Beauty and the Beast Jr Play. It was a fun girls day out! We met two of our close friends there and all the girls had a blast!

Right before the show! She was thrilled to dress up to go out!

Sophia, Saundra, Isabelle

My BEAUTY!

The Beast and Belle at the end

Don't you love Mrs Potts' costume?

Sophia and Olivia!

Sophia with the REAL Belle! She was THRILLED!

We ended our date with a little Orange Leaf! YUM!

Do you have any special dates you like to go on with your children?

Exploring Jolly Days

2012-12-20T12:31:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we were able to explore the Jolly Days exhibit at the Children's Museum! :)

Ice Fishing

Princess in her castle!

Playing cars!

My dear friend Glenda and her sweet Shiloh!

Love her!

Glenda's oldest Nia

Having a tea party with Mr Bear

Fun rides!

2 cute elves

Somehow don't think he liked his elf ears!

Where is Jackson?

The Indianapolis Children's Museum is INCREDIBLE! Highly recommend it!

Happy 6th Anniversary Sweetheart!

2012-12-19T16:44:00.005-05:00

Dec 9, 2006 ... when we pledged our love for one another and our life long commitment!

Dec 7, 2012 ... when we celebrated our 6 years of marriage!

One of the fun things we enjoy to do together as a couple is try new restaurants! We aren't talking new chair restaurants, or the newest Bob Evans ... we are talking, unique, eclectic restaurants with ethnic foods! The day before our anniversary, we found about about an awesome Turkish restaurant downtown near Eli Lilly called Bosphorus Istanbul Cafe through a Living Social deal. (Living Social is like Groupon). We paid $12 and were able to order $25 worth of food! (Of course, we couldn't stop at $25! Ha!)

The atmosphere was incredible as it was an old restored house. There were no more than probably 20 tables in the whole restaurant. The decor was native to the Turkey area. Many of our friends raved about it ... so we took the plunge and SO GLAD we did!

STARVING!!

We ordered an appetizer of Babaganush. It is broiled eggplant mixed with tahini and parsley! It was rather unique, but quite tasty!

I ordered the spinach chicken and Nate ordered the lamb kabobs!

Loved the asparagus spears in the chicken which was PERFECTLY cooked!! Amazing!

Nate's lamb was INCREDIBLE as well!! The rice, veggies, and salad were all very tasty!

Last year we celebrated with Moroccan food! Turkish food this year! Do you have any suggestions for next year? Please comment and let us know!!

How do you celebrate your anniversary?

A twist on Christmas gifts for the teachers!

2012-12-19T16:41:00.001-05:00

I felt lead to do something different for Sophia's teachers this year! Last year I made some super cute crafts thanks to a Pinterest idea. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE Pinterest, but I hoped for a more meaningful gift this year! The day I felt led to do something different, my Christ's Hope International Christmas gift guide came in the mail! I flipped through it and found out we could donate a school backpack "fully loaded" for a child in Africa! I knew that would be the perfect gift!

I wanted to find a creative way to display it, maybe something they could even hang in their room and use for a teaching lesson about the less fortunate children in Africa, many of which are struggling with HIV themselves, or a family member has the disease!

I thought it turned out quite nicely!

Here is the letter "Sophia" wrote to her teachers! She still has to write in her name below!

Have you ever done a non-traditional gift for a teacher before? If so, what?

1000 Gifts and more ....

2012-12-06T22:15:00.000-05:00

My awesome SIL purchased this for our family last Christmas! She and I share a LOVE for Ann Voskamp. If you haven't heard of Ann, you MUST check out her webpage! She is an incredible writer with a passion for the Lord! She has a best selling book that changed my whole outlook on life ... 1000 Gifts! Check out this trailer for her book! I promise, if you have a teachable heart, it WILL change your life!! It is amazing what God can do when you have a truly thankful spirit!

Ann's son made this by hand!
We also have Jesus carrying a cross for the Easter season!

What is even more awesome ... she has a FREE app for the iTouch, iPhone, or iPad and the Android! Check it out! You can start logging your gifts!!!

Wow, it's been SO "LONG!"

2012-12-06T21:57:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it has been since the middle of October since I have blogged! :( So sorry about that friends and family! I tell myself each day, "I should blog about this .... or that ..." but never get the time to sit down to do so!

Here is what I have been working on the past few days .... you probably have seen the idea on Pinterest! Gotta love me some Pinterest! Although, I have been working on my Pinterest addiction and haven't been on for at least a month! I know ... gasp now ...

My sis made one of these for Hannah, so I thought Sophia probably should have one too! We split the felt so it cost both of us probably less than $5-7 to make this!

The ornaments are all hand made (many of the ideas were Sarah's ... gotta give her credit, I just copied!) and they come off and on the tree! I can't wait till she wakes up to find it on the wall and has a chance to play with it!!

Thanks PINTEREST!

Since I haven't blogged in 2 months, here are the months in pictures ...

Trip to the Children's Museum in early November. Jax had a blast playing in the sand!

Somehow I don't think a Harley is in her future!

Jax is NOT OK being in the passengers seat!

Tea anyone?

Digger + Princess = Hum?

Fun picture from Eagle Creek while Nate and I had Jackson for the weekend! We went for a nice long run!

Halloween 2012: The tale of a dog and his Princess!

My little pumpkins!

Sophia's Preschool Picture! She is growing up so quickly!!

Hannah-banana the LadyBug, Cinderella Sophia, and Woof Jackson!

What a warm evening ... well, for the most part!

We ran into "Belle" in the neighborhood! Sophia's friend Maddy!

Sugar-high or slap-happy ... you pick!

Every dog needs a good bath!

The LOOT ... no, she didn't get to eat it all ... she got about 1/16 of it over the month,
the rest either went in my mouth or the trash!

I promise to stick with it .... blogging is my way of journaling, but somehow I am running out of time!

Susie homemaker ... Homemade Granola Bars!

2012-10-17T15:55:00.002-04:00

Lately I have felt like Little Miss Susie Homemaker ... Here are a few of my favorite projects!

Homemade Granola Bars! My friend Trina passed this recipe along and I LOVE IT! As has everyone that I have passed the recipe on to ...

YUM!

All the yummy goodness lies in the add-in's!

Homemade Granola Bars

1/2 cup + 2 T honey (don't skimp on this b/c they won't stick together well - learned the hard way)
1/2 cup brown sugar (can get away with 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup of natural peanut butter (Always AVOID using PB with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Strive to find a peanut butter that only has peanuts and salt. These by far are the healthiest and best for your body!)
2 cups oats
2 cups natural rice krispies (I like the Trader Joes Crisp Rice b/c it doesn't have BHT as a preservative).
1/4 cup flaxseeds (I use 1/8 cup flaxseeds and 1/8 cup chia seeds).
1/2 cup choc chips (love the dark choc chips from trader joes!) -- optional ingredient - well, when is chocolate really optional? Ha!
1 cup total of mix-ins (pretzils, peanuts, almond slices, other crunchy cereal).

1. Combine oats, krispies, flax/chia seeds in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Prepare mix-ins. Set aside
3. Melt brown sugar and honey on stove-top until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add in PB.
4. Mix into mixture, then add mix-ins.
5. Add the chocolate chips last so they don't melt.
6. Place in a 9x13 pan with wax paper (avoid clean up this way). Smash down really hard so they don't fall apart.
7. Place in fridge to set up for 20 min!

Seriously, these are SO easy to make and SO amazing! You MUST try them!! MUST MUST MUST!

However, I have a challenge for you ... I have yet to live up to ... try not to eat the whole pan (mostly yourself) in 3 days!

My other project has been a "twirly" skirt for Sophia. I have had THIS pinned on Pinterest for a long time. I wanted to give it a "whirl," but always ran out of time. I even bought clearanced fabric at Walmart just in case I messed up!! The blog had an AWESOME demo, pictures, and instructions! I made a few mistakes, but was able to cover them up!! Ha!! I plan to make a matching one for Hannah!

The finished project ... ready for an adorable almost 4 year old to take it for a spin!

My first serger project ... I need help figuring out the tension, but this is close enough!

Even put an elastic waistband on the top!

And you can watch her take it for a "spin" ...

Another project ... a minky blanket for Jackson. My mother-in-law found this adorable crib sheet for me, but it was too small to fit on the crib! Sad! I decided I would re-purpose it and make a blanket! I LOVE the feel of the minky fabric, but it is very hard to sew with!

Burp clothes and Taggie blankets!

Birthday apron for Sophia's friend Alivia

I can not get this picture to flip ... sorry!

Any thoughts on the next project I should tackle? I should probably look at my Pinterest board and see all the projects I have pinned!

Fall Photo shoot with the kids!

2012-10-14T20:24:00.005-04:00

We seized the day, temperature, and Sunday family time for a mini-photo shoot with the children! Nate found the spots close to home this morning during his run! I LOVE having a husband that is also an awesome photographer and awesome at photo editing! Of course he has many other awesome traits too!

Thankfully no one drove by while I was acting like a complete fool jumping up and down with Sophie the Giraffe trying to get the kids to (1) look up (2) smile (3) sit still and ALL at the same time!

Sister and Brother

My sweet boy is getting too big!

I loved this one!

Sis will be 4 years old soon!

Date Night with my LOVE!

2012-10-14T20:01:00.002-04:00

Anyone looking for frugal date night ideas? Here is one of our favorites ....

- Kids to bed early
- Set up candles at the kitchen table, turn off the lights
- Ipod hooked up to speakers ($1 garage sale find!)
- Focus on the Family Marriage podcast cued up
- Synergy Kombucha in our favorite wine glasses!
- Notecards and pens to take notes for discussion

.... for a total price of $3.90!

We spend an hour or so listening and then discussing the podcast. We are always looking for ways to grow together and make our marriage stronger!

What are some of your favorite frugal date night ideas?