Teaching Our Children to be Kind

Tonight at church there was a little girl there that is in Charlee's class at school. She was crying and saying that she didn't want to be at church because she was scared. I sat her on my lap and cuddled her. Quickly the tears faded and she was full of giggles but before all was well my sweet, sweet daughter came over to us. She noticed that her friend was upset and she came to the rescue. Charlee gave the little girl a bracelet that meant a lot to Charlee. She gave up something special just to see JJ smile. At that point I was choking back tears of my own. 

Fast forward to the end of the night when everyone who said their verses goes to to the front of the church and gets a prize. Andlee said her verses this week so she proudly bounced up to the front to get her candy. Before she even got back to her seat she was handing out that candy to everyone that she passed. A limited amount of candy but that didn't stop her from sharing it. In fact, it was her first instinct to share it.

I often feel like I fail as a mom. I second guess myself and when my kids are fighting I seriously wonder where I went wrong but moments like tonight remind me that I must be doing something right to have such giving, kind hearted kids. I am so proud of them. It's unreal. I'm always telling them that if you can be anything at all, be kind but kindness is something that is taught through actions not just words. We are the example for our children. Not only the way that we act but also the way that we make them feel. When we validate their worth and give confidence we teach them how to be secure human beings. When we show them love and kindness we instill in them how they should treat others. If you want to know what kind of person/parent that you are I truly believe that it reflects greatly in your children so be a good example. Remember that their little eyes and ears are ALWAYS on you. Our children are the next generation and we can raise them to be the change in the world. 

Our Official Floor Plan for the New House

 

Today we received our contractors final floor plan draw up of our new home. It was one thing to see my own personal sketch on paper but to see it as an official, completely unique to our desires floor plan was a huge thrill for us. After seeing it all drawn up professionally I did decide to swap the downstairs bathroom and Andee's room so that the bathroom met our master but other than that this is exactly what our home will be laid out like. This process is already so much fun and I seriously can't wait to enjoy every single step. From pushing dirt to build on to picking out paint colors and flooring. I almost don't want to push for that '4 month move in date' that the contractor promises because this is such a once in a lifetime experience. I don't want to rush it away. We get so pumped when we talk about it/plan for it. I've always said that my dream come true was to live completely secluded in a Colorado Mountains type of log cabin with a stunning view and that's exactly what I'm getting. I could cry imagining myself and my family sitting in our living room, infront of the fire place and watching the snow fall on the hills out of our giant wall of windows. Ahhh. Our own cozy little slice of HEAVEN! Don't judge me but I've already started shopping for new Christmas decor for the 2017 holiday home tour next year. 

Thankfully Brian's taste is just like mine for the most part so we haven't had any big disagreements on things. He's just as excited as I am about the new house. Actually, I think he's more excited because we will have a creek running through our back yard and lots of land full of wild game so the location is a giggers/hunters dream come true all in itself. Oh the fun times to be had all around on our future homestead. 

We are down sizing from 3000 sq ft to just over 2300 sq ft but we have a lot of wasted space in our current home. We actually have 2 kitchens and a large storage room which is totally not needed. Plus I wanted that 'Wow!' factor in our new home which meant less square footage and more extravagant details. It is definitely a quality over quantity thing. We are still getting 5 bedrooms so that our family to grow and that was the most important thing to me. Five bedrooms big enough for a full size bed or two twin beds and a dresser in each room. Brian was originally against down sizing but he finally realized how much we are upgrading as far as the style and details of the home go. We can get everything that we need in a smaller space. We aren't divas over here ha. Our dream home is a shack to someone else and we are JUST FINE with that. Less house for momma to clean and it will be 100% paid for up front. You can't beat that. 

After a lot of researching how to get started and learning how to edit videos I've decided to start vlogging our journey. My first 'new home' vlog post will be the day that we take our builder to the actual site where the house will be built. I will probably do a few practice vlogs before then though so stay tuned for all of that fun stuff ha. 

Dinner Plans: Oct 23rd-29th

Sunday October 23rd:

~Movie Night~ Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Doritos, & Popcorn

Monday October 24th:

Spicy Chicken Penne:

•1 block of Velveeta Cheese

•1 can of mild rotel

•4 boneless chicken breasts

•1/2 cup of milk

•1 bag of penne noodles

•salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the chicken up into small (fajita sized) pieces and grill them. 

2. Melt the cheese. I use the microwave and add the milk in towards the end to make the cheese creamier. 

3. Cook the pasta noodles

4. Mix together the cooked chicken, cooked penne, rotel, melted cheese, salt, and pepper. 

Tuesday October 25th:

Roast, Brown Gravy, & Rolls

-Pork Roast

-Baby carrots 

-Peeled potatoes

-Diced celery 

-Corn

1. Add ingredients to a crock pot with a little water 

2. Cook on low for 6 hours 

3. Serve with gravy and hot rolls 

Wednesday October 26th:

Church/Take Out Night

Thursday October 27th:

~Grey's Night~

Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, & Rolls

-5 tenderized round steak 

-2 cups of flour

-2 cups of milk

-2 eggs

-salt and pepper to taste

-oil 

1. Add milk & eggs together and mix them up in a bowl. 

2. Add salt and pepper to the flour in a separate bowl.

3. Dip the steaks into the egg/milk mix then into the flour. I double bread them so repeat this step twice. 

4. Cook them in oil in a skillet. 

5. Serve with sides. 

Friday October 28th:

Pork Chops, Loaded Baked Potatoes, Sautéed Mushrooms, & Butter Asparagus 

I bread my pork chops and cook them exactly like I do my chicken fried steak. That process is listed above.

Sautéed Mushrooms:

-8 oz package of fresh mushrooms 

-2 tablespoons of butter

-2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce 

1. Cut mushrooms in half 

2. Melt butter in skillet

3. Sauté mushrooms until brown but do not over cook

4. Add in worcestershire sauce

Saturday October 29th:

Pumpkin Patch Day with Family so we will be eating out 

We Have The BEST Family & Friends

Before I get into today's blog post I just wanted to to apologize for being MIA this week as well as for not getting up our meal plans. To be honest with you between kidney stones, our home inspection, and packing up/moving out a ton of stuff we had take out all week or ate dinner at our parents houses so there ended up being no dinner plans to share. Things have calmed down some so tomorrow I will post next weeks plans and get back on schedule. 

I've always known that we had the most incredible friends and family but this whole moving process has reminded me just how deep that runs. My mom and aunt spent all week helping me pack up things and take them to where they belonged (trash, donate, storage, ect). Our friends helped us move some spare furniture and empty out the shop. Another friend hired us as a gift a professional carpet cleaner to come in and clean our carpets because she knew that I was paranoid about that. Brian's grandpa helped him repair all of the little things that needed fixed around the house. We had tile that needed replaced in Hudson's bath room and we had a leaking outdoor faucet. We haven't even moved yet and I already know that it's going to be a million times easier when we do thanks to our loved ones. I've dreaded this whole moving process and now I don't dread what's left to do at all. Sure it's been stressful and very tiring but I look around and see just how much we are cared for. It makes me tear up even thinking about it. I can't praise God enough for how blessed we are. 

And to all of you that have helped us I know that I've told you this a million times but I want to say it again, THANK YOU from the bottom on my heart. We love you and appreciate you more than you'll ever know. 

Weekend TRIPS to the ER

This weekend we had our bonus babies and I was so excited about that all week long prior to them getting here. I hadn't seen them in 2 weeks. Friday night (the same night that we got the boys) I woke up 10 plus times with a horrible back ache. I thought it was the way that I was sleeping so I tossed and turned trying to get comfortable. At 4:30 am on Saturday morning I woke up for the final time in more pain than I have EVER felt! Yes, ever! I've had babies all natural without any medicine and still nothing compared to this pain. It was an intense pain in my back under my ribs. I was throwing up, sweating, and shaking. I called my husband whom had already been up and out of the house to run feed at the chicken houses. He dropped everything and rushed home. He knows that if I'm crying over physical pain, it's serious. Long story short my mom takes me to the hospital and it turns out that I have kidney stones. They gave me an antibiotic shot and pills plus some pain medicine. I went home, cuddled the kids, enjoyed some relaxing, and as I'm putting the baby down for a nap I stepped on a rusty tack in the hall. (Thank God that it was me rather than one of the kids!) Well here we go again back to the ER because I haven't had a tetanus shot in forever. On top of feeling like death and making TWO trips to the hospital in 1 day, I also have a million things to do at our house before Wednesday. The home inspection is that day and I want to pack up a lot more stuff before the inspector comes so that he can easily access everything that he needs to. I hate that I didn't get to fully enjoy my weekend with the boys but I'm very thankful for the time that we did have together and we will be keeping them again soon. 

Let's pray that the next 3 days are productive and that the pain medicine helps a momma out so that I can get everything on my check list done.

Note: I'm going to be late posting my meal plans for next week so bare with me.  

Speaking of meals I want to give a shout to my hubby for making dinner the past 2 nights. He's the best. 

A Little Update on Life:

I haven't post much over the last month because we've had a lot going on in life. With selling our home and an unexpected tragedy it's just been a really hard time for us. Sadness and stress has been overwhelming. I've been so emotional about leaving our home, the place that has built our family from the ground up. On top of that I've been in the grieving process of a loss. I've spent a lot of time tired and in tears feeling like I am drowning. It's been a struggle. God bless my amazing husband. He has always been the crutch that supports me when I'm broken. His love for me blows my mind. In ordinary simple life you often miss just how deep a love is because the hard times are what brings the deepest of passion out. He's so protective over me. Not only over my physical being but also over my soul and heart. I'm a 110% confident in saying that he is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. 

Things are getting better and my excitement about the future is returning. We've met with our contractor and got a lot of the house stuff planned out. We've packed up the kids rooms and most of the closets. We made an offer on the land that we want and after a week of waiting for his response the seller accepted that offer. It has a creek running through the entire 150 acres and the views are stunning. 

We've made an appointment with a reproductive specialist to find out why we are having miscarriages and to find out what we can do to stop them. I have so much faith in God's plan and His timing. He has NEVER failed me and He ALWAYS blesses me so much more than I ever imagined that He would. I could easily be bitter and jealous but I am not. I am BLESSED and I am THANKFUL for everything that I do have. Healthy and happy children who are full of joy and life.

Healthy and happy families whom we a lucky enough to see all of the time. A loving and protective husband that cares so deeply for me that he'd do anything to make me not hurt. A dream house soon to be built that our children and us will have our hands in throughout the entire process. Questions about future babies soon to be answered so that we can grow our family one way or another. All debts soon to be non existent. Trips to NYC & Disney World coming in December and April. Lots and lots of things to be grateful for and excited about. I refuse to let Satan over come me. I refuse to be his victim. 

If you're struggling in life or things aren't going as you planned them to go please don't give up. Stay strong in your faith and in your prayers. Know that God has your back and that everything will work out exactly as it should. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy but with the Lord on our side we will always win. 

 

 

Dinner Plans: Oct 9th-15th

Sunday, October 9th:

~Movie Night~ 

Grilled cheese, Doritos, and popcorn 

Monday, October 10th:

~Mexican Night~

Fajitas, refried beans, Mexican style rice, homemade salsa, and chips

I do store bought thin chips, canned refried beans, and a package of Mexican style rice 

Fajitas:

-1 bag of pre cooked chopped grilled chicken 

-1 package of fajita seasoning

-1 large chopped onion

-1 large chopped bell pepper

-1 large chopped tomato

1. Fried all ingredients in a skillet

2. Serve in tortilla over rice and beans

Salsa:

-2 diced tomatoes

-1 diced red onion

-1 diced jalapeño 

-Cilantro to taste

-Salt to taste

-Cummin to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve with chips

Tuesday, October 11th:

Parmesan garlic herb salmon, garlic mashed potatoes, buttery asparagus, and rolls

Parmesan garlic herb salmon:

-1 1/2 lb salmon

-3 garlic cloves

-2 tbsp fresh parsley 

-1 tbsp lemon juice

-1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning 

-1/2 tbsp salt

-1/4 Pepper 

-3 tbsp butter

-3 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese

-foil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Season salmon with all the ingredients on top of foil 

3. Wrap foil around salmon and place on a cookie sheet

4. Bake for 10 mins

5. Serve with creamy garlic mashed potatoes and buttery asparagus 

Wednesday, October 12th:

~Church/Take Out Night~

Thursday, October 13th:

Three cheese chicken & broccoli Alfredo with garlic bread

-2 cups of diced chicken

-2 cups of broccoli 

-1 tsp of garlic cloves

-1 lb of penne pasta

-salt and pepper to taste

-1/2 cup of butter

-4 oz of cream cheese

-1 pint of heavy whipping cream 

-1 cup of mozzarella

-1 cup of grated Parmesan 

1. Cook noodles

2. While penne is cooking make 3 cheese Alfredo sauce by melting the cheeses, whipped cream, butter, and seasonings.

3. When pasta is cooked add the cheese sauce to the pasta and stir it up. 

4. Toss in cooked chicken and broccoli and mix it all together. 

Friday, October 14th:

Hamburger steak, brown mushroom gravy, corn, and mashed potatoes

Hamburger Steak:

•2 lbs of hamburger meat

•2 eggs

•10-15 saltine crackers

•salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix/knead all of the ingredients together

2. Make patties with it

3. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20 mins or so. I honestly don't use a timer when I cook most of the time. I just check my food until it looks done. 

For the gravy I use a brown gravy mix and small can of chopped mushrooms. I make the gravy then add the mushrooms to it. 

Saturday, October 15th:

Deer chili and cornbread 

-2 lbs of grounded deer meat

-2 cans of chili beans

-2 cans of chili seasoned diced tomatoes

-1 can of tomato juice

-2 packages of chili seasoning 

1. Brown deer meat in a skillet

2. Add in remaining ingredients 

3. Cook on low to medium heat for 5-10 mins

4. Serve with cornbread 

Halloween Snack for School

 

You know you're one of 'those moms' when you're up until midnight drawing ghost and pumpkin faces on 50 plastic snack bags for your daughters to take to school the next day. 

A lot of moms roll their eyes at moms like me who do these types of things. I'm honestly not sure why they feel that way. Maybe it's because they think we are just showing off or maybe it's because they don't have the time to do extra things like that so they think it's dumb to waste time on it. Either way I respectful flip my hair at those of you who feel that way ha. I do it because I thoroughly enjoy doing it. I do it because my kids get so excited when they see all of the little things that I've went out of my way to do for them. I do it because it makes me feel good about myself as a mother. Most of all I do it because my mom did it and I will never forget the way that it made my brother and I feel. The fact that she went so far out of her way to do stuff like this for us was incredible. If you're a mom like me who simply just loves to do the fun little extras, you go girl. Do you and own that shit. If you're a mom who rolls your eyes at moms like me, stop being judgey. I don't judge you for not doing it so return the favor. We all mom how we want to and our kids are all loving what we do for them no matter what. 

Fall is HERE!

Fall is here and I couldn't be happier. I absolutely love Fall. It's my favorite season as far as temperature and scenery goes. The breezy air and stunning blend of oranges, reds, and yellows on the trees are perfection. Not only that but I also adore all of the extras associated with the season. Football, hunting, gigging, roasting marshmallows & hot dogs on the fire at the lake, constantly living with the windows open in the house, the fashion, Halloween movies like Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown, and let's not forget the cozy fall foods as well as yummy fall scents. Our home smells like Pumpkin Spice & Mulled Cider candles all day, every day for 3 months of the year ha. It's simply safe to say that I'm obsessed with all things Fall and I know that I can't be the only one 🎃🍁🍂 

Dinner Plans: Oct 2nd-Oct 8th

Sunday, October 2nd:

~Traditional Movie Night~

Grilled cheese sandwiches, popcorn, & Doritos

Monday, October 3rd: 

Shake-N-Bake Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Gravy, & Corn

-4 Boneless Chicken Breasts

-1 Box of Shake-N-Bake Mix

-2 eggs

-1 cup of milk

1. Soak the chicken in milk and egg mix

2. Bread it with the Shake-N-Bake 

3. Place breaded chicken on greased cookie sheet

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20ish minutes or until chicken is cooked

Tuesday, October 4th:

~Breakfast Night~

Bacon, Eggs, French Toast, & Sausage

French Toast:

-Thick Texas Toast

-3-4 Eggs

-2 tbsp of Cinnamon

-Butter

1. Mix eggs & cinnamon together 

2. Lightly coat bread in egg mix

3. Cook on a griddle on medium heat

4. Serve with syrup of your choice 

Wednesday, October 5th:

~Church/Take Out Night~

Thursday, October 6th:

~Grey's Night~

Meat Loaf, Mashed Poatoes, Brown Gravy, & Green Beans 

Meat Loaf:

-4 slices of bread

-3 lbs of hamburger meat

-1 large onion 

-1 cup of brown sugar

-1 cup of ketchup

-2 eggs

-salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients together

2. Place them in greased bread pan. This recipe makes 2 pans. 

3. Create a ketchup and brown sugar syrup to coat all over the top of the meat loaf. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Friday, October 7th:

~Grilling Night~ 

Hamburgers & Hot Dogs with Chips

Saturday, October 8th:

~Crock Pot & Harry Potter Marathon Day~

Roast, Brown Gravy, & Rolls

-Pork Roast

-Baby carrots 

-Peeled potatoes

-Diced celery 

-Corn

1. Add ingredients to a crock pot with a little water 

2. Cook on low for 6 hours 

3. Serve with gravy and hot rolls