I am not your average coffee drinker. I spent the first 32 years of my life ignoring any would be attraction to the addictive blend.  My husband has always seemed to enjoy it, but when I started to partake in the last couple of years the coffee maker has changed twice, the cups have gotten bigger and more numerous and the sweet cream is of a higher quality.

But the basic ritual is the same. Wake up, start coffee, wait impatiently for it to brew, sit down and enjoy a cup. I love the habit of it.  When I take my bigger than it needs to be cup and sit down in front of the computer my mind begins to awaken. I turn on some of my favorite music, read emails and the blogs I love to follow and sip by sip emerge myself into a new day.  Its fueled by the creativity of ingenious friends, the soothing songs the beckon me to hum along, and the warm comfort of a sweet sip. Its worth it to me to get up a little earlier than the rest of my family, just to savor the quiet moments of bliss.  And the older I get, the (hopefully) wiser I get, the more I realize just how precious these moments are.  They are essential to mom’s sanity!

Did you know that Folgers is having a Jingle Contest?  I happen to love their long time tune… “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!”  Now you know you sang that in your head right?  1,000 bonus points if you sang it out loud!

I cant imagine anything better than what they have… but there are a lot of folks out there who can!  The entries so far are quite amazing! You should definitely try to go and vote for the best Top 10 Finalist in Folgers’ Jingle Contest!

You also get to meet the Top 10! Take a look at Folgers® Jingle Contest Finalists, and listen to the tracks that earned them a spot in The Top 10. Cast your vote once every day through June 19th. You could win exciting prizes, like free Folgers Coffee, iTunes® gift cards, signed CDs from Gavin DeGraw, and even a $10,000 Grand Prize just for voting!

Vote Now: http://www.folgerscoffee.com/folgers-jingle/vote. Before you vote, follow the Road to the Jingle on Facebook to see how they traveled the U.S. to track down the Top 10 contestants!

Remember, you can vote once a day through June 19th! Click here for official rules.

So now that we have established how much I love my morning ritual… I would love to know, what is yours?

I havent really known what to say.

Its been an emotional roller coaster to say the least.  I was an wreck before and during his ablation procedure… but after having researched it and nurses and doctors explaining it, it seemed like no-fail.

When I spoke with the doctor right after the procedure, it was such good news.  ”He’s a great candidate for this.”  ”His heart, aside from the AFib, is very healthy.”  Even after, the news was encouraging.  ”It was a success.”

Chad stayed in the hospital overnight and it was rough.  Coming home was rough.  The next seven days were rough.  Recovery was not easy for him and it was hard to see, much less understand.

A week later when he went back for a check-up and EKG, we got the news that we feared.

He is back in AFib.

If we continue to listen to doctors thats kinda normal.  I mean, the ideal scenario presented to us was that they find the connection that was causing the problem and that Chad would never deal with AFib again.  That didnt happen.  But now they are saying that some AFib is normal.  But how much?

They propose chemical cardio versions and actual cardio versions and maybe even more ablations.  More drugs more procedures more of the same stuff that keeps failing.

Its hard seeing Chad like this, knowing that his body is not working like it should and that the side effects are hurting him.

Its hard facing a future of what-ifs, maybes, and kindas.

So many have reached out and shared their own experiences with AFib and I appreciate that.  Its good hearing about and understanding how others cope.

I think we are just in a state of unknown.  We dont know where to go or what to believe about it anymore.

We do have tremendous faith in God and in His plan for us.  We are forging ahead in spite of the “unknown” and making some pretty big steps in the direction of Hope.  Big changes and big plans and big dreams that it may seem funny to follow, but the alternative is just not an option.

And with all the events of late, its good to put things into perspective… into the right perspective that is.

This quote sums things up for me.

Sending love and blessings to all those who are dealing with trials today.

Something that I am really coming to understand in my old age is that I cant.

I just cannot do everything on my own. I need help, I need support, I need friends and family and resources that are designed to make life easier.

One of my biggest struggles of late has been grocery shopping. It may sound harmless and mundane to most; the simplistic task of making a list, finding a store that sells those items, and then going to purchase them.

List, store, buy, go home. Easy peasy.

Only… not so much. This is usually how grocery store shopping goes in my house:

Monday-Decide that I must go grocery shopping, start thinking about what I need to get. Day gets busy and by the time hubby gets home and we finish dinner I am exhausted. No grocery store today.

Tuesday-Running low on supplies… need to ransack the freezer for dinner. Plan on going to the store in the afternoon, smallest child ends up taking nap at a weird time and can’t make it. Too exhausted by the time dinner is over. Must go tomorrow.

Wednesday- Kids have activities at night, must go to store this afternoon! Schooling takes longer than expected, one child seems to have a runny nose and sniffles. Yuck, germs. My ankles have increased in size two fold (thank you very much 8th month of pregnancy), and I can’t find a pair of shoes that fit me. Skip store. Have hubby pick up dinner on his way home.

Thursday-Completely out of milk and bread. Consider watering down some heavy cream for cereal. Make bread from scratch and pretend it was my plan all along. Dinner is left overs, and I declare it “clean out the fridge day”, only don’t actually clean the fridge. Hubby is out of town, so at 8:00om at night I put all kids into car in their jammies and run to convenience store for tiny sized totally overpriced milk so we can have breakfast in the morning.

Friday-I will make it to the store today! Absolutely must do anything in my power to avoid grocery shopping on a Saturday. Kids are starting to get tired and run-down (not to mention cranky!) … must get them some fresh and healthy food! Desperate for good food we venture out to the nearest Super Store. The selection is sub-par. Fruits and veggies are wilted and picked over. Meat selection is near expiration. My feet start hurting and I get distracted in the cookie aisle. We go home with 1 gallon milk, four packages of Oreo’s, and some diapers.

Saturday- Family is planning a revolt. They want good food! I finally make up a list and head to the store. Parking lot is full and I walk 100 yards in the rain. Store is a mad house. Everything is picked over and I trip on stock boy trying to replenish the banana’s. They are out of coupon books so I have to pay full price for everything. Checkout lines are three deep and the baby is kicking me in the bladder.

Sunday- We are out of milk as I forgot to buy more yesterday.

Remember when I said that I need to utilize resources that are designed to make my life easier? I have finally found something that can eliminate the Grocery Store Stress from my life. Its called FreshDirect and its a service that actually delivers high quality, locally sourced groceries right to my door.

Here is a fantastic video that shows the lengths FreshDirect goes to  buy the best food from local farmers. A lot of stores say they buy local, but the difference is that FreshDirect actually does it.

Something that I am passionate about is feeding my kids good food. I want them to be healthy, happy, and have all the benefits that a good diet offers. This company does too. How amazing is that?

But I have one more thing to tell you.

Seeing as we are a family of six (soon to be seven!) you can imagine how huge my grocery bills can be. Buying fresh produce at the grocery store (and if I want truly fresh I usually need to buy organic) can cost me hundreds of dollars a month. Not only does FreshDirect make ordering and delivering easy, but they offer competitive pricing. Excellent quality fresh food that is priced right? I seriously can’t think of anything that brings me more joy.

Well. If they would deliver it, unpack it, then run me a hot bath I might like that more. But that might get weird.

I want so badly for you the experience the amazing-ness that is FreshDirect that I am going to offer one reader a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

If you win you will have access to:

• The highest quality locally grown fresh produce
• A beautifully designed web site that offers near perfect order fulfillment
• Freshly prepared meals from famous chefs
• Amazing customer service

To enter you simply need to tell me, “What are your grocery shopping tricks and tips to finding the freshest quality food?”

I hope you will check out their site and commitment to quality. And be sure to check out their fresh baked artisan breads and pastries!

Visit FreshDirect.com to learn more about their star rated produce and reference their seasonal guide for fruit so that you know what is fresh and in season, the great lengths they go through to source the very best food, and how customizable your order can be from deli slices and dietary needs to how and when you want your delivery!

Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment telling me ”What are your grocery shopping tricks and tips to finding the freshest quality food?”
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post ( http://iambaker.net/fresh-direct/ )
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/6/13 -5/15/13.

Tentative.  Nervous.

Cautiously Hopeful.

As I type this Chad is having an ablation.

Technically not a surgery, but an invasive procedure none the less.  They are going in and going to try and get rid of any unnecessary tissue in Chad’s heart.  It can be a long and difficult procedure, taking as long as 6 hours.  Chad will be out the entire time, and will not awake again until he is in recovery tonight.  He will most likely remember nothing.

We have such great hope that this procedure will end Chad’s Atrial Fibrillation!  We are finally (thanks to some encouraging and supportive friends!) comfortable praying for complete healing.

We have great hope that everything will go well and that they will not find any clots.  That the stress of this condition will be over and my husband will be healthy again.

We have been surrounded by caring friends and family, offering countless prayers.  Since we have great faith in the fact that prayer changes things, this means the world to us.

Hopefully my next post will have the headline… SUCCESS!  Prayers Answered!

I have kids!  Lots of them!  And I sorta totally love them.  So this beautiful magazine is exactly what I  needed!

This special issue includes: DIY Science Projects at Home, An Over the Rainbow Party, Circus Paper Crafts, Kid Approved Food, ABC’s, An interview with dollmaker, Mimi Kirchner, kid fashions and much much more!

I was lucky enough to pour over a copy of it and I have to tell you… it is truly a work of art.  The photography is stunning and the pages are full of inspiring and beautiful ideas!  Its eye candy for mom and kids alike!

Check out some of these awesome sneak peaks…

These are Circus inspired toppers… perfect for a fun gift for kids at a Circus Party, cupcake toppers, or even Christmas ornaments!

Seriously… have you ever seen such cute cupcakes?  This article is about incorporating old ABC books into easy and fun party projects!

How about Science class with Professor Figgy?  He is famous for his unique and educational science kits that combine the wonders of science with the fun of crafting!  Sounds like some fun learning!

 Guess what?  One reader is going to WIN a free copy of this beautiful, fun & educational magazine!  The amount of knowledge and ideas and joy shared in it are truly priceless!

 To enter for a chance to win a copy of Sweet Paul Magazine Kids Issue, simply tell me…

How many kids do you have?

For two additional entries you can follow Sweet Paul on twitter and facebook.  Please leave a separate comment telling me so!

This giveaway is open globally.  You must be 18 years old to enter.  See Official Rules Here.

Good luck!

As someone who has a full fledged addiction to carbs, dairy and sugar, this has been a challenge to say the least.

Having a smoothie for breakfast has been the norm lately, but I really found myself missing the milk or cream I would add to make it silky and smooth.

So this morning I just happened to spot an aging avocado on my counter and thought… why not?  Of course, once I finished my smoothie and google “blueberry avocado smoothie” I realized I was the last person in the world to figure this out.

Whoops, my bad. (Say that in your best “Clueless” voice)

But, after some further inspection, I think the jumbled mass of ingredients I assembled is in fact not something I have seen on the internet before.

Love that you can see little green flecks of veggie in there!

This smoothie achieved everything I had hoped it would.  A thick yet smooth consistency, an abundance of healthy ingredients, and a satisfying great flavor.

I just might make it one more day without cake.

 Image on the left:

Quick and Easy Childrens Book Storage from Domestic Simplicity

Image on the right:

Storage Solution: Childrens Books from On the Banks of Squaw Creek

Both if these creative mama’s used Ikea Spice Racks ($4) to create a fun and accessible place for books.

Image from Whatever, Other Photos 

I am a sucker for vintage looking wire baskets.  Love the idea of this for easy accessibility.. daily reading assignments… or books on the reading list.  Plus Meg from Whatever makes everything look beautiful… wonder if she could just come over and design my homeschool room for me???

Image from Country-Days (from the Editor of Country Homes), Beautiful Book Storage

Ok, ok.  So there is no way this would ever happen in our cookie cutter home… but wow.  A girl can dream right?

Image from Land of Nod, Grey Open Book Bin 

On the floor open book storage is great for little ones!

Image from Best Priced Toys, Four Sided Library Display

The possibilities this piece has are vast!  I can see options for each child, being able to prioritize reading, and general design prettiness!

Image from Cargo Collective, IKEA Expedit Bookshelf

Love how versatile these bookshelves from IKEA are… you can so easily make “hidden” storage.  I know that I often have many tall workbooks, so having a way to store hardcover books along side workbooks is a great!

Image from The Decluttering Project, Decluttering Books

While I adore all the solutions above, being practical is what works best.  Never underestimate the beauty of a stack of books on a desk.  Or side table.  Or on top of a shelf or the floor.  Use what you have to make functional beauty!

Thinking about what I have to do, what I have said, what I need to say, who I need to talk to, where I need to go, what must be done, who said what about me, why so-and-so didnt email me back, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Then I stumble across a quote like this, and get a little “SNAP OUT OF IT” moment.

Its true.   No matter what gifts they have.  No matter how much money they have.  No matter how beautiful.

No matter how perfect their life looks to you.

We all face trials and we all need each other.

Today, I choose kindness.

On those days its really important that I  intentionally seek out blessings.

Like when I walked in to check on Eddie during his nap time, and found his snuggled up with a book.  Maybe this young child of mine is developing a love of reading!  Now that is a blessing! (and an encouragement for this homeschooling mama!)

Or just recently, when after dealing with a disobedient, defiant child, they returned a few minutes later with this:

Talk about humbling a mama’s heart.  Did you see that he even included the new baby in there?

Nothing breaks a hard heart like an act of pure love.

Ever have a moment when Facebook comes to the rescue?  I was looking for a distraction… a moment where my brain could turn off and stop obsessing for mommy guilt and a dirty house and being too fat and gossip and lies and injustice.

So I logged into facebook of course.  And saw this:

Um….. da.

Banging head against wall when I tell my kids the same rules over and over and over again… only to have them disobey over and over and over again.

Why not try something new?  Seems too easy.  But its not.  Its just that simple.

I just want to encourage you to seek out blessings today, in every shape and form!

Kids and crafts are a no brainer.  But finding fun, easy, significant, and cheap crafts can be harder than you would think!  I have been scouring the internet and finally found five perfect kids crafts!

Easter Placemats

Image and Instructions found squidoo.com

Addition Instructions and Options:

Weave a Paper Placemat from education.com

Zig Zag Weave Placemat from Origiami Resource Center

Handprint Lilies from Spoonful.com courtesy of Disney

Beautiful flowers with only a paper, pencil, straw and pipe cleaner.  You could have different color paper and pipe cleaners to make a really colorful bouquet!

Other versions and addition instructions:

Thrifty Fun Handprint Lily

Enchanted Learning Handprint Flowers

Easter Sun Catchers

I adore this fun project from mommyapolis!

She uses contact paper for a beautiful seamless perfect finish.

You can also use wax paper like they did here at about.com.

Or like these Wax Paper Sun Catchers from clumsycrafter.com.

Masking Tape Art

Sunhatsandwellieboots.com shares this fun masking tape and canvas Easter art project.

I love applesandabcs.blogspot.com‘s take on it, using construction paper and painters tape.

Imagine how creative your kids can get with this… you can use finger paint or crayons or watercolors or markers!

Easter Cookies!  Yum and Fun!

Recipe here: Best Ever Sugar Cookies

More ideas here: Vintage Easter Cookies

Check out these pages for more great Easter Activities!

Easter Coloring Pages

Easter Coloring Pages Religious

Art Class Ideas: Religious Art Projects

Easter Crafts