tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41264905097175423282026-06-12T18:55:17.156-04:00Simple. Life. Simply Life.Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.comBlogger655125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-62076030686602766422024-12-22T10:41:00.002-05:002024-12-24T09:42:39.576-05:00

What a year we had.  We are still loving our North Carolina life and can't wait so see what 2025 brings.  Best wishes to you and yours.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-32859526370739239582021-03-10T09:00:00.017-05:002021-03-10T09:24:03.635-05:00

Without further ado - here are all of the before, during and after pictures of our Coachmen Catalina.After two months of pouring our blood, sweat and tears into it we are so proud of the final result.  Check it out!KITCHEN:BeforeDuringAfter"MASTER" BEDROOMBeforeDuringAfterBUNK ROOM:BeforeDuringAfterLiving AreaBeforeDuringAfterBATHROOMBeforeAwningBeforeDuringAfter

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-13900960635128918842021-03-10T07:00:00.035-05:002021-03-10T08:19:43.410-05:00

Well, she's finished.  So many of you have been with us on this unexpectedly longer than we thought adventure of remodeling our second camper, and  many of you have so many questions about it.  If you want to know more...read on. If you just want to see the pretty stuff, that will be in part 2!As most of you know we are relatively new to the camping world.  We

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-12919866546039728872020-05-05T11:14:00.000-04:002020-05-05T13:31:22.766-04:00

Sooooo, we did a thing.  We went from bland to bold, ordinary to extraordinary, expected to unexpected...and I love it. Keep reading to hear all the details on our exterior makeover. Before I start explaining this whole process, let me just preface this by saying that painting our exterior wasn't even in the top 5 things on our "House To-Do List"...maybe not even in the top 10.

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-32947084944803418652020-05-01T16:39:00.004-04:002020-05-01T16:44:21.199-04:00

Quarantine living has changed all of us in many ways, but what I didn't realize is how not only our needs have changed, but also maybe our wants.   I can tell you that half of these items would never have been on my Mother's Day wish list before this whole "stay at home order" was put in place.  Now I am interested in all kinds of things that I might not have been. 

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-38949010878543758572020-04-27T15:43:00.001-04:002020-04-27T15:54:28.113-04:00

Yes, you heard me...sponge painting.  Keep reading to see what free upgrade we made to our laundry room over the weekend! Before you get worried...let's be clear.  I don't mean this type of 1980s sponge painting.   That, my friends, is like my worst nightmare. Now that I have all this time on my hands (kind of) and there are no sports to watch, I am glued to

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-16223334864232206892020-04-21T14:35:00.003-04:002020-04-21T14:57:08.253-04:00

As a teacher I have said for many years that children in this day and age have a tough time with silence.   With the availability of visual and auditory stimulation everywhere we look in our lives, silence makes children uncomfortable and kids nowadays actually have to practice being bored.   As digital natives, this is a hard concept for many of them. I have

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-87519236429506649182020-04-20T16:54:00.003-04:002020-04-21T14:48:06.599-04:00

I LOVE fireplaces.  Love them.  I grew up with one in my house in Florida and two out of three of our houses we have owned as adults have had them.  I love the coziness, the mantle decor, the whole shebang.   Having already done a fireplace makeover in our last house, we aren't new to changing the look of them, but ever since we moved into our new house this

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-17957395300570926472020-04-16T14:54:00.002-04:002020-04-16T14:55:26.382-04:00

It has definitely been a time of uncharted territory (kind of) over here for a hot minute.  Many days it just feels like summer in our house.  I am used to being off with my two kids and having summer learning packets that I prepare every year to prevent the dreaded "summer slide".  So in all actuality this quarantine thing is kind of the same thing...kind of. However, as

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-32561182015147902152020-03-19T09:55:00.000-04:002020-03-19T09:55:51.794-04:00

Although this is definitely not how I thought we would be spending the beginning of spring, we can actually knock a lot of these items off of our list while we are social distancing! And, in looking back at winter, it's fun to see all of the adventures we went on without worry, which seems so foreign to us all now.  So, as winter is winding down and a new bucket

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-61743888508823593862020-03-10T10:49:00.002-04:002020-03-10T10:50:40.606-04:00

  Needless to say, we have totally embraced the proximity to ski resorts and have loved trying out new slopes.  I have had many people ask me recently, "So which one did you like the best?".  Read on to hear my thoughts...it's not as clear cut as you would think! This review is solely based on my (our) personal opinions and is a reflection of one day/night experience at

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-20866123938098577632020-03-09T10:46:00.002-04:002020-03-09T10:46:30.424-04:00

No sports, awesome weather and reduced pricing??? Yep - we headed to the mountains this weekend for our last ski session of the season and had a blast.  Keep reading to see what we were up to! Have I mentioned that it is amazing to be 1.5-2 hours away from the mountains?  We have loved having them and all that they offer at our fingertips and see lots and lots of skiing in our

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-24252686798872108902020-03-03T10:49:00.002-05:002020-03-03T11:07:39.569-05:00

Since mentioning that I had tried Aldi for the first time, many people have asked, "So, how did you like it?".  Read on to hear my thoughts! In a nutshell - I am hooked. I don't know why I waited so long to try it out before, but I am loving it.  However, I can see why it maybe wouldn't work for everyone, but what does? The first question I get when I start talking about

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-70525039322612657822020-03-02T10:45:00.003-05:002020-03-02T12:39:14.726-05:00

We turned 3 days into a whirl wind trip back to Flo-rida packed full of visits and activities and we still didn't see a lot of our friends.   If we missed you this trip, we will certainly be back soon! We hadn't really planned on taking a trip back to the motherland until summertime, but things sort of fell into place and we jumped at the chance to visit the fam and a

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-63537480831690714452020-02-24T13:09:00.001-05:002020-02-24T13:09:22.537-05:00

Tired bodies and happy hearts.  What a great weekend of hiking and exploring with the whole fam - even the dog! The cooler weather in NC so far has been such a nice change from Florida, but also quite a bit rainy.  As I was checking the weather for this past weekend and I saw it was going to be 55 degrees and sunny, my first thought was "We have to go explore somewhere

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-15722080672728708452020-02-21T12:13:00.001-05:002020-02-21T12:13:05.768-05:00

Snow day = soup day.  At least my first one did!  Luckily I already had a new soup planned for this week's menu and it just so happened that when we were sent home yesterday for an early weather dismissal the first thing I did was get it in the crock pot.  The result - so good.  I ate it so fast that I didn't even snap a picture! I found this recipe on Skinnytaste and

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-72834009983111038962020-02-19T09:01:00.004-05:002020-02-19T09:01:23.553-05:00

If you love a challenge AND finding great deals - keep reading.  If buying second hand clothing and accessories creeps you out, this post will be a hard pass. Some of my best memories in college are my volleyball teammates and me going to the thrift store to find outfits for whatever themed party was coming up and/or Halloween costumes.  I remember being amazed at what we

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-88343167155079046572020-02-18T10:05:00.002-05:002020-02-18T10:05:25.343-05:00

It was a quick long weekend, but just what the doctor ordered.  Read on to see what we were up to with some of our favorite people! Any excuse to head to the mountains and we are in.  When our friends invited us to come hang with them during their winter break in Blowing Rock/Boone for a day or two we took them up on it.  After basketball on Saturday we packed the car,

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-377875420341305232020-02-14T09:15:00.002-05:002020-02-14T09:15:52.536-05:00

Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day!   I have a super easy, but very fun Valentine's Day recipe.  In all actuality I should have posted this earlier in the week so you all had time to get everything you need for this easy recipe to have ready for Valentine's Day morning.   *Spoiler alert - it's really only one ingredient...a tube of store bought cinnamon rolls!

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-2246809563121549712020-02-10T08:47:00.001-05:002020-02-10T12:58:06.841-05:00

Our weekend turned out a little bit differently than what we thought, but it was still a good one! Mike was originally going to participate in the Frigid  Polar Plunge and Trail Run 5k on Saturday at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, but because of the crazy storms that brought lots of rain to our area the "plunge" part of the race was cancelled due to rising river waters.&nbsp

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-72641719040992684002020-02-05T10:41:00.001-05:002020-02-05T10:41:25.556-05:00

If you are looking for an easy, no bake snack option for your household - look no further! My kids love to not only eat these, but they also love to help me make them.  We make a batch almost every week and they are a hit every single time. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll into balls and put in fridge or freezer for 1-2 hours. Try not to eat them all

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-8378177519329084802020-02-04T09:53:00.000-05:002020-02-04T10:46:04.337-05:00

Happy 7th birthday to our boy. The one that made us parents, taught us how to love outside of our bodies, challenges us and makes us laugh everyday. We are so lucky to be your parents and are forever on your side.  Music:  Forever On Your Side by NEEDTOBREATHE featuring Johnnyswim

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-33545225735875625842020-02-03T13:01:00.005-05:002020-02-05T13:28:08.021-05:00

No Super Bowl, no problem!   It is no secret that we are a sports loving family, but when the Packers didn't make the big game and we found $10 ski tickets - it was a no brainer to pass on watching football and head north! Ninety five percent of the time I am a very structured, routine oriented person/mom.  School night bedtimes are usually a non-negotiable and we

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-33707607453061908272020-01-31T09:51:00.002-05:002020-01-31T09:55:15.933-05:00

Our snack plate policy is going still going strong and has even helped my snacking habits in the process.  Keep reading for more snacking ideas! As we finish week three of our after school snack plates I am happy with how it has been going.  I have made an effort while planning my weekly menu to keep in mind some healthy snacks to have on hand, and although some of the snack

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126490509717542328.post-88585759734678926942020-01-28T10:31:00.005-05:002020-01-28T10:31:44.534-05:00

I scream, you scream, we all scream for...POPCORN! We love popcorn at our house, and when homemade, can be a very healthy snack.  If you are of the stove top method and it works for you, keep going. With two little ones who are always ready for a snack, this quicker Instant Pot version of our favorite stove top popcorn saves us a few precious minutes and tastes delicious.

Lane Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825666461618295384noreply@blogger.com0