Meat on a stick!

 So this past weekend I decided to do something different for dinner and create a board of all diced up and prepared shishkabob fixings and have a "make your own stick" night!      

Looking for little ways to involes the kids with cooking/preparing foods,  but also creating fun memories with my kids ,  especially something as simple as dinner prep,  something I have to do anyways!

  They loved it.   They were excited for all the options and each loaded several sticks to enjoy,   I had halved mushrooms,   sliced peppers,   red onions,  cherry tomatoes,  sliced zuccininni,   and marinated steak bites.   

  They kids were very happy to eat their own stick and enjoyed the experience!   

 

We have a state qualifier!!!

We are so proud!   He did amazing all day.  

 He took 3rd in shot put and qualified for states! 

 He ran the 4x200 with 3 buddies,  they took 3rd and qualified for states!   

 He ran the 200 dash and came short of qualifying but took 7th place!  

 He ran the 1600 just for kicks to see how'd he'd like running a mile.  Did not qualify but did not give up and tried his hardest and made it in just over 7 minutes!   NOT bad for his first long distance run!  

 And he ran the 4x100 with some friends and together they took 3rd and qualified for states! 

  This boy loves to run!!!    

 Video posted is my favorite video https://drive.google.com/file/d/16o0-3Awdxohtg8bp2aa3yEelF11ODaPQ/view?usp=drivesdk of the season!    You can see Ben in the burgundy track suit,   he starts out strong and by the end of the video you see him far ahead of all the others and his team mates screaming his name!    It's so exciting to see him do so well !

Ooop's

 I did it again!   

  

We are so in love!      

Teacher aprieciation week!

If you know anything about me,   you know I am very practical.   I don't like excess "stuff" and clutter.   It causes me to feel anxious,  and unorganized.   

 

So,  When it comes to gift-giving,   I tend to have the same feelings.   I like to give gifts that are sensible,   something people will use,  and not a dust collector or something people feel obligated to hang onto but secretly have zero use for.  

Especially a teacher,    after years of teaching a bunch of students,  they have to get overwhelmed by the amount of thoughtful yet "what do I do with this" gifts.

So for teacher appreciation week this year,  I tried to think outside the box,  but be cost-effective as between my two kids there are 8-10 teachers and aids total!     I didn't have to give a gift to each teacher, and it probably wasn't expected,  but I figured if I could make it affordable,  we could easily give something to each person.  

So Google was my friend and had some GREAT ideas!     After a quick trip to the dollar store,  a few supplies and about an hour later,  I had adorable little gifts that were usable, and nothing that would go to waste,  but at the same time were super cute,  memorable and fun!   Every teacher can use pencils, highlighters and gum!

I was super happy with how everything turned out!     There was nothing mind-blowing about any of it,    but each teacher was remembered and acknowledged,     

We handed these out, and then treated them all too pizza on the last day of the week!   It was perfect!  

 

Student of the week!

Brooklynn is the star this week!   Her teachers sent us home with a poster to fill out and this week she gets to do an "all about me" presentation to her class,  along with her first show a tell!  

I think she did a great job!    It was a bit out of my zone of things I enjoy (confession,  I HATE anything crafty), but we made it happen together.    She needed a little help with some of the areas,   but she very much took this project on like a pro. and it was a good time for us,     It exercised our doing something together beyond just cooking and usual daily chores,    In the end, I enjoyed it and I know Brooklynn thinks its awesome!

 

Signing in church!

 How it delights me to see my daughter and her classmates singing beautifully to our creator!   I imagine it is music to his ears!

Planting time!

Its a busy time of year here in our neck of the woods,  a time when we get our gardens in and look forward to a plentiful harvest!

 This year we planted a bit more hoping to have extra to put away for winter.   With the food prices going up,     canning and freezing (especially our own grown harvest) is the major goal for this year.    

Distracted by a very important worm!  lol

We planted snow peas,   tomatoes,    green beans,   peppers,    lettuce,   beets, and zucchini,   and plan to do onions and a second planting of lettuce and green beans later in the season.  

As we were out there planting I prayed,  that the Lord would bless our efforts,  that he would allow it all to grow and give us a wonderful harvest.   

I felt at peace as I prayed,  knowing that my God always provides, and Biblically,  I was teaching my children good.

The Bible reminds us not to be lazy during the planting season,  for in harvest time there will be none.   It feels good to show my children the benefits of working with their hands and being productive.    And gardening,  tho "boring" and hard work Is a lifelong skill.

Track season

 It's upon us.   

   5 nights a week practices.   Rain or shine,   wind or rain.    Ben Has faithfully gone to every single one.    Sometimes begrudgingly,   but most of the time with great enthusiasm,    and yesterday was the first track meet of the year.

 And Ben ROCKED IT!

  He ran the 100 yard dash,    took first in his heat!

  He ran 200 yard dash and also took first in his heat  

 He qualified for the finals in both rounds!

 And In the end he took 5th and 6th place over all!

He ran the 4x100 with a few buddies from school and together they took second place!!

 And he went out for shot put ,   and took 1st place in the whole thing,  throwing his record at 25 feet 7 inches! 

  He came home soooo excited and pumped!  

   As a momma I was so proud of him!    ♡♡      

Homemade laundry soap.

   Now before you form an opinion,   Please know,  that Matt and I were skeptical.      VERY

    But after looking into it and reading up on all the pros and cons,  the pros FAR outweighed the cons,   and I told Matt to just let me TRY.   

  After sharing with him my findings,  and hearing my case on cost,   chemicals,  and more,     He Reluctantly agreed.  

 He teased me quite a bit as I made up my first batch,   and I told him I would give it some time to set,  as I had some store-bought laundry soap to use up first before I took the full leap.  

  After a week or two,  I started using the homemade detergent and a cup of white vinegar as my softener in each load,   I did NOT tell Matt when I started using the homemade soap,   I wanted to see if he would notice a difference,  good or bad,   and wanted true reactions/ thoughts. 

  A week or two goes by, and nothing is said by anyone,     BUT  I noticed,   how soft and fresh my clothes seemed,     I was truly quite pleased.

  Then out of the clear blue,   Matt sends me a text one afternoon while at work,  saying how much he liked the new laundry soap,  how clean,   good smelling, and fresh all of his clothes seemed!

  I WAS ECSTATIC!!!        Not only was I one step closer to going chemical-free in my home, but I was also saving TONS of money each month (well, let's be real,  as much laundry as we wash,   Im saving money EVERY DAY) AND my husband is on board and even encouraging me!  

  So,  Before sharing this with you,  I wanted to make sure it was real.    I wanted to give it an honest amount of time and give a fair assessment.       As of now,  We have been using the homemade with vinegar for at least a month.  or more.     

   And I highly recommend it.       

  It's so easy to do,   makes 5 gallons at a time,  Ends up being less than .01 cent a load (SERIOUS!  you read that right!), and is such an easy way to rid your household of chemicals.     *Cause remember,    not everything is about what goes in the body,    what goes ON the body is truly just as important!  

  There's lots of good "How To's" out there but this one is what I choose,    Homemade laundry soap.    

   

National Day of Prayer

Today,  I would ask you all,  to stop for even a minute and cry out to our Father in Heaven about all that is on your hearts,   

  Pray for our Nation,   our President,  Leaders, and all those in authority.   

  Pray for our Missionaries,    Here and abroad

  Pray for saftly and provisions for your family 

  Pray that he would give courage when you have a moment to witness of his love and Salvation

  Pray for laws,   That he would be glorified

  Pray for a revival

  Pray that Christians would be strong and rid their lives of sin.

  Pray that the Holy Spirit would convict

  Pray for these next generations,   they would see their need for a savior and not be swallowed up in worldly desires and agendas.

  And thank him for this law that was put in place many many years ago,  and thank him for our religious freedoms!       How they are not to me taken for granted and are to be treasured and fought for!  

  And take comfort that when you pray today,   you are joining with thousands,  and possibly millions of believers across the USA in doing so.   

   

 

Hamburger buns.

 So the beginning of this year,   I made myself one goal.   

  Well.... several,   but one being,   I would NOT buy any store-bought bread or buns all year!   MY goal was to take the time and effort this year and challenge myself to fresh bread every week.      In doing so,  I would cut on grocery costs,    better my baking skills,  and always ensure I was feeding my family homemade and if possible,  organic breads.  And come on,  who doesn't LOVE the smell of fresh bread out of the oven,  no to mention the amazing taste of warm bread.

  The loaves of bread have been pretty easy,  I'm getting a hang of the kneading process and my loaves have been on average really good.     but hamburger buns,  well that's a different story.      The texture is different,   the recipes and kneading process is different and a whole new challenge.   

  but can I say,   I've rocked it with this recipe I found!!!!

  Oh my gosh,    I've made them several times in a row and I can't fail these!   They are soft,  fluffy,   and cut open to perfection EVERY TIME!     They are so good and make an amazing hamburger.     Matt raves on how good they are!

  And they are so easy,    I TRULY don't even see myself buying buns again!    I can make them in a couple hours (rising time) but only take a few minutes of actual work.

   

Retirements.

They are meant to be celebrated!

A neighbor of mine retired from her work recently,    and even though she is more of an acquaintance than a friend,  I wanted her to know that I shared in her joy and accomplishment,    I want to always spread kindness and be a persons smile of the day,    Even if I don't get to say a word,   I want to shine with the love of Christ.  

So when I heard of her big day,  I told matt that in a small way I wanted to acknowledge HER.

So, Matt went out and got a bottle of wine,  I picked out a card,  and we got a fun balloon from the local shop,   something very small,  but meaningful,

I walked to her house,  and left it on her front porch,  cause I know those special surprises are WAY fun.  

It made me smile inside,    and later I got a text from her saying how yummy the wine was and thank you so much.  

It doesn't take a lot to spread joy and kindness and put a smile on someone's face,   But if we all made a tiny bit of effort,   imagine the impact we could make.    As believers, It's our job to show Jesus to everyone,  in any way possible.

And I know,  in today's world,  We could always use extra smiles and knowing that we are loved and thought of.