tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51150154237479929642024-11-01T03:23:17.399-05:00Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-51250648145842602592010-02-11T13:03:00.001-06:002010-02-11T13:14:37.237-06:00

Just checking in here on the blog scene! I am alive! :-) It's been a little while since I posted...I've just been busy with life!This week we get to celebrate Luke's 3rd birthday!! The party itself will happen after the fact, but we'll be heading to Grandpa and Grandma's farm for the day - something the birthday boy has been hoping to do for awhile!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-51547130666108302372010-01-26T16:51:00.002-06:002010-01-26T16:55:18.764-06:00

MITs of the day:Dinner preparationsPrepare for leading Bible study tomorrow/email my groupFold and put away laundry!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-30251148027863241542010-01-18T14:10:00.001-06:002010-01-18T14:12:41.405-06:00

I'm currently listening to and being encouraged by this audio file by Carolyn Mahaney! If you're a mom to little ones you'll want to check it out.

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-33037941294643166972010-01-06T15:14:00.006-06:002010-01-06T15:31:51.899-06:00

Here are a few glimpses of our Christmas season:

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-13174257623208625542009-12-23T14:02:00.003-06:002009-12-23T14:09:06.295-06:00

Blessings and Merry Christmas!Last night we made and decorated sugar cookies using America's Test Kitchen's recipe. It was very yummy but also very tedious! But hey...it was worth it! You know it's good when it calls for 2 sticks of butter. We doubled the recipe and ended up with enough to give some away and some to enjoy for ourselves. Chilling the dough is definitely a huge help when

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-134433513157370192009-12-11T14:57:00.000-06:002009-12-11T15:10:44.213-06:00

- Meredeth's creativity always inspires..what a beautiful party!- A reminder to get started planning for and making food gifts for Christmas!- A neat snowflake craft (best for older kids..borax is toxic!) - Handmade holiday master list!- More handmade fun!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-11673276226234903122009-12-03T15:21:00.003-06:002009-12-03T15:32:05.905-06:00

Today we've been busy - we delivered taco soup (so good and so easy!) to a friend who had a baby recently and then enjoyed a fun playdate with some other friends.We've accomplished a few odd jobs as well...cleaning the tea kettle, sanitizing cutting boards and the dish drainer. Isn't it amazing how those little things tend to never get accomplished? After spending what seemed like forever

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-30606919257624880742009-11-21T21:17:00.000-06:002009-11-21T21:39:29.860-06:00

Need an easy entertainment option for a bored toddler?Grab a squirt bottle, fill it, and turn them loose on the yard! It works for me!Luke can spend over half an hour just wandering the yard squirting things. It's great fun for him and gives me a chance to work on something or just sit and read a book for a little while!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-36084346595481502022009-11-10T17:54:00.000-06:002009-11-10T17:54:08.326-06:00

We had a wonderful time hosting a fall party for our adult sunday school class recently. Families were invited to bring children along for a fun fall event! We were hoping for good weather and God helped out with a perfectly beautiful and sunny afternoon! One of the few we had all October! I'll share more about where I got my ideas from later, but here are some pics to start with!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-25545492307687355042009-10-31T15:23:00.006-05:002009-10-31T15:28:29.636-05:00

Well between an almost 8 month old baby and a 2.5 year old toddler (who's desperately trying to give up his naps!) I'm finding it hard to find the time to blog lately! Add the fact that this Mom is ready to head to bed by 9:00 most nights and it becomes almost impossible!!But anyway - I stole a few moments away and thought I'd share some pictures of our recent camping trip! Most of the weekend

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-70527289279247943482009-10-22T13:36:00.003-05:002009-10-22T13:38:56.183-05:00

I'm planning on fall party for my church group! I am so excited to be hosting...I'm finding inspiration from Monica's lovely Harvest Parties and a little from Martha herself. Pictures to come later!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-89028632896657704062009-10-16T07:22:00.001-05:002009-10-16T07:24:30.865-05:00

Are we crazy?We're leaving for a camping trip today....the only reason I can say that we aren't crazy, is that we are borrowing a pop up camper. That should get us through the forecasted snow right?!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-60282731907023641282009-10-07T14:19:00.003-05:002009-10-07T14:24:51.127-05:00

My two year old has outdone me artistically. I didn't realize it would happen quiet so soon. I thought his latest drawing was absolutely amazing. He is obsessed with cranes (boom arms as he calls them with technical precision) so that is what he loves to draw. I could not believe my eyes when he showed me this "huge boom arm!" He said it is "picking up logs." His best yet!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-92033922386456397912009-10-04T22:20:00.000-05:002009-10-04T22:34:43.181-05:00

This weekend I went out for a girls afternoon with my sister-in-laws, mother-in-law, and grandmother-in-law (known to all as Nina!) We went and watched Julie and Julia. Ok..I'll admit right now I don't know if I have that movie title right. Is it Julie and Julia or is it Julia and Julie? I am just not the kind of person who stays up to date with current movies! For the most part we enjoyed

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-23522543774194443152009-09-24T13:06:00.008-05:002009-09-24T13:32:42.953-05:00

Home again, Home again - jiggity jig.We returned home last night from our wonderful vacation! We had a great time visiting family and friends! We drove from Chicago to Coloardo..whoohoo we know we are kinda crazy but it was fun and we all lived through the drive! In fact, I feel quite proud that I (sort of) taught myself to knit while we drove. It was our 3rd trek out there with kids and

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-20000156385543236772009-09-13T12:50:00.003-05:002009-09-13T12:53:15.181-05:00

Hey All -We are leaving for a week and a half vacation tonight!! I'm in the midst of trying to pack (I am such a procrastinator when it comes to packing!) and managing the kids while Mark is at a work conference this weekend. We will be spending time with family and friends in Illinois, Nebraska, and Colorado! Can't wait! I"l be back in a couple of weeks!

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-6948004034655293402009-09-09T21:40:00.003-05:002009-09-09T22:10:19.479-05:00

- Look at these fun cupcakes! Actually take a look at all of these recipes! - Time capusles in a tube - cute!- I've been shredding zucchini in my spare time and looking for good zucchini bread recipes, here's one I want to try, thanks to Carrie.. :) - Parent Hacks discuss getting toddlers to spit after brushing their teeth - a timely post as Luke has his very first dentist appointment

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-55842800153556351722009-09-03T13:51:00.005-05:002009-09-03T14:05:08.228-05:00

Look who I caught rolling herself under the coffee table?!Aubrey is getting so big - she is already 6 months old! She is a delightful little girl - always sweet and cheerful. Underneath the rolypoly little girl is the newly acquired garage sale rug! I love how it looks in our living room and I love that I was able to get it significantly cheaper than I would have new! It's huge and makes our

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-15511443891605989262009-08-28T09:35:00.003-05:002009-08-28T09:36:54.861-05:00

Not much time to post here - we're headed out to Grandpa's farm this afternoon and still have much packing to do!We'll be spending some time with family and seeing a cousin get married tomorrow!In between packing we're hitting our neighbor's garage sale..thinking about purchasing a big rug...hmmm.

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-69085434007289696292009-08-18T06:00:00.001-05:002009-08-18T06:00:03.966-05:00

When we go camping I like to make up a big batch of this pancake mix and take it along. It's great because it uses dry milk so all you need to add at the campsite is water! I can't recall where I found this recipe but thank you to whomever shared it!8 cups flour1.5 cups dry milk3/4 cup sugar 2 tsp. salt2 tbsp baking powder Mix and store. Mix 1 cup of dry mix with about 1/2 cup water &

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-87786997939336068082009-08-17T13:18:00.002-05:002009-08-17T13:22:39.625-05:00

Welp...we did it! Yep...I am now a mini van driving mama. Whoah!I think it bothered my husband more than me. Though we frowned at having to spend money on a new (to us!) vehicle, we are looking at it as an investment in our family! And that, I think is a worthy cause. This past weekend we used it to go camping for the first time and it was so great to easily pack all the kids things and have

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-80814410469651941282009-08-07T10:04:00.012-05:002009-08-07T10:32:03.121-05:00

In my humble opinion, a requirement for a good children's book means that both kids and parents enjoy the book! There is so much fluff out there that I'd rather spend my time and my little one's time on the really good books and ignore the fluff!One of the great ones we've been enjoying lately is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.If you haven't enjoyed this one yet, it is definitely worth checking

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-59201375123068838292009-07-30T13:16:00.004-05:002009-07-30T13:27:17.418-05:00

Several months back I read about these brownies in a mug in the Chicago Tribune. I thought it would be fun to try them, but never got around to it. Well last night I had a taste for chocolate but didn't feel like putting any real effort into baking, then I remembered the recipe and was happy to find it online!Let me tell you this is dangerous - to be able to make yourself an individual brownie

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-84781132742909926922009-07-23T14:46:00.005-05:002009-07-23T15:02:45.037-05:00

For Mark's birthday we gave him a homemade certificate for a Wendella boat tour of Chicago! He had the option of taking the kids or having a babysitter...from the pic you can tell he chose to bring them with! We all had a great time. Little construction enthusiasts will love the views they get of the big city under construction. You can see a lot of that from the river!Packing a lunch saved

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115015423747992964.post-66257901661377340632009-07-17T13:01:00.001-05:002009-07-17T13:32:24.982-05:00

- Could Amy please come clean out my fridge?! Really smart tips for cleaning the fridge!- I'm on a homemade kick lately - maybe homemade chocolate syrup should be next on my list?- Warm weather splashing for baby in the high chair - very creative!- I love this series - yes, you can make a reversible tote bag!- A good take on kids and chores.- Ok...I'm getting the hint, it's high time to hang

Jamie - Family Focused Funhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12621146993115530609noreply@blogger.com0