30 Days of Intentional Kindness

I am so excited to team up with Jenae from I Can Teach My Child for her awesome 30 Days of Intentional Acts of Kindness with Your Kids Challenge!!! The month of November can get extremely hectic (and IS for us with us moving) but I don't want that to get in the way of us taking time to model and teach our kiddos about being kind! I am so excited to get started (even though we are a couple of days late...we'll just tack on a few at the end, haha) so here are a few of my ideas!!!

1. Write to our sponsor child, Leo.
2. Pack one (maybe two) Operation Christmas Child boxes.
3. Bake banana bread (or some sweet treat) and take to our new neighbors.
4. Leave a "Welcome Home" gift at our old house for the new occupants.
5. Write handwritten notes of encouragement and include pictures created by the kiddos.
6. Leave a thank you note/gift for our new mailman.
7. Take a meal to a friend in need.

Do you have any great ideas? I am really praying that this month will open my eyes and help me be more thankful and more generous! I am praying that these intentional acts of kindness will help replace my old ugly selfish desires with putting others first! I am excited to start!!!

I LOVE FALL!!!

Today was one of the most beautiful Fall days we have had so far. The leaves have been falling all day and the weather is gorgeous.

I took the kiddos outside today for a little while to explore and play in the leaves. We've been reading Fall books over and over and over and Lauren couldn't wait to get outside and kick those leaves!!!

I love his little chubby hands on those leaves!

It is kind of sad to think this is the last year those kiddos will ever play in the leaves in this yard. Thankfully there are lots of beautiful trees at the new house. :)

Worst Mama Ever

If you are wondering where our pictures are from Halloween this year....you won't find them. Because we didn't dress up. I didn't even buy the kids costumes. We didn't trick or treat. We didn't even have candy to pass out.

Yep. I get the award.

I hate that I feel so guilty about it. But I do. The kids were sick anyway. But they won't have pictures from this Halloween. They don't even know that their mama dropped the ball this year. But I do. I. DO.

My parents had a hay ride. We didn't go. I hate that. I wish we would have.

Next year, right? I mean this year is just absolutely too stinking crazy for words. We are literally living between houses. Packing and cleaning. Packing and moving. Packing and being super exhausted.

But, still...no trick or treating. Ugh.

I'm sorry kiddos. I'll make it up to you. Pinky promise.

THE HOUSE!

Oh my goodness!

We sold our house today. We bought a new house today. We are renters today. We are home owners today. Confused? :)

The people who bought our home from us are graciously allowing us to rent from them for the next week while we get moved into our new house. We are so excited because this is giving us time to paint the kids' rooms (Lauren wants purple, oh dear) and do a few minor repairs and clean! clean! clean! before we move in!!!

And, about that new house....

we. love. it. 

:)

Ain't She Purty?

Like the new blog look? Squeal!!!!!

Me! Too!

A HUGE thanks to Molly at Life Made Lovely Designs. I think she made this blog pretty stinkin' lovely, don't you? :)

Also, this company and sweet Molly were SUPER easy to work with. I literally emailed them yesterday and have a blog up TODAY! WOW!!!! Molly took my ideas and just ran with them...totally and exactly and perfectly what I had wanted but had no idea how to do!!!! LOVE IT!!!!

Peanut Butter Cookies

So when I was pregnant with Easton I started craving peanut butter on everything and in everything and almost every day. I'd always liked peanut butter but never just had to have it until then. The obsession has continued on even though I'm not pregnant anymore. I am. not. pregnant. :)

My Aunt Juju taught me how to make the most simple and delectable peanut butter cookies I've ever had and today I am gonna share them with you. Be warned, they are dangerous. Because of their extremely short ingredient list and the ease of making them they can be made up at almost any time. Even at 9 pm right before bed when all you really need in the world is just a peanut butter cookie.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together (I use my KitchenAid mixer because I use it for everything and I am too lazy to do it by hand.)

Use a cookie scoop (or teaspoon) to form your cookies.

If you are feeling extra feisty (or hormonal or tired or....) dump a handfull of chocolate chips in there and mix it around good....nothing goes better together than peanut butter and chocolate. Seriously.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. I like mine to come out still a little soft because they do set up some after they are out.

Seriously SO GOOD and SO EASY!!!!!!

Mamas and Movies

Yesterday was a great day. Shawn and I got up and got the kids and ourselves ready for church. Our good friend Stephen is our Sunday School teacher and we have been learning so much!

I thought Lauren looked so darn cute but she refused to smile for the camera. Oh well, real life, right?

Easton looked handsome too!

When we got home my mom was here ready to take me out to a movie! A movie!!! The two of us!!! We were talking on the way there that we couldn't even remember the last time we had gone to a movie together. It was definitely before Lauren was born! It was time!

We were so excited before the movie that we had to stop and take a picture! I think we look a lot alike in this photo. :)

We met up with my awesome sister-in-law, Victoria and her mama, Pam. It was a lot of fun to hang out with them!!! We went to see The Help and it was so good!

Later on we met my dad at Lowe's and looked around for a bit.

Easton loves to ride in the cart. Thankfully they make these great cart covers, because otherwise...yuck!

I love this picture of my dad and Lauren because she was going in for a kiss. Ha! She sure loves her Big Papa!!!

It was such a great day and such a WONDERFUL break from all the packing and house stuff! :)