Bathroom Sneak Peak

Yes, I know this stuff is in our dining room but it will all find its way into the bathroom soon and VERY soon!!! It sure feels good to be getting some rooms finished around here! Cannot wait to show the final result!!!!!

Slow Day

The kids and I have been taking it easy the past few days. We've had our first rounds of the dreaded fall cold but I think we are finally on the mend! Today while we cuddled and I soaked up all the precious and tender moments (and some crazy ones too, of course!) I thought about how hard these days are and how I could have missed them. So grateful that I didn't.

I've fallen in love with a song called, Little Light by Audrey Assad. The words below are the lyrics to this song.

Look at all the angels watching you
They’re singing songs that we have never heard
Their voices ring like bells over the mountains
Oh, if only we could hear their words
God is near, little girl.

Your eyes are brilliant,deep sky blue.
Your quiet wisdom is an evening song.
The angels must be breathless at your beauty
Like the world catches its breath before the dawn.
God is near, little one.

And Jesus bends to hear you breathe;
His tender hands are holding you tonight.
His heart is ravished when you look at Him,
and oh, the endless mercy in His eyes;
God is here, little light.

Once A Month Menu Planning

My darling sister in law asked me to share how I menu plan and shop for a month at a time. I quickly emailed her back and gave her way too much information. Then, my far away friend, Miranda, texted me and asked me to share it here on the blog. So, I thought - why not!!!! I am 100% aware that this type of planning isn't for everyone. In fact, it hasn't always been for me! Our family is at a stage in life where going to the store with two young ones isn't the most effective method and we are on a budget...planning and buying ahead help us stick to it!

So - what do you do if you want to plan out your meals for a month and then do all (or most...I'll share that part in a bit) of your shopping at once?

Well, the very first thing we do is figure out our grocery budget for the month. We also figure a separate amount for our house items since we buy those monthly as well. Once we have a set budget for each, we take out about $100 (of our grocery budget) and divide the rest of our budget up between however many weeks there are in that month. That gives us about $25 a week extra for fresh fruits and veggies or milk that just don't last for a whole month in our house! The goal is to NOT use all the "extra" money...of course sometimes we have to, but it is kind of neat to know we've saved a bit each month! So - although we do the bulk and majority of our grocery shopping at the beginning of every month I might still hit up the store once a week! It's always a quick trip though!  

Before I step foot in a store, I do a lot of planning. Some people might want to run away after hearing that, but I actually really like it. :) The absolute #1 thing I do each month is look and see what is left over in the freezer or pantry from the last month. I plan meals around those ingredients first for the month! We are so fortunate to get our meat from my parents and that means lots of yummy steaks, roasts, and hamburger meat are ready for us to use! 

Knowing what we already have on hand helps me get started on the real planning. I keep a blank month calendar (you can find mine here), my recipe binder, and grocery list in front of me.

 

We follow a loose schedule around our house which makes this step even easier!!! 

As I fill in our month calendar, I look at the recipe. I write down every single thing I need to buy to make that meal happen. I also consider whether or not the month ahead has any special situations or circumstances where I might need to bring a meal or dish or dessert to a function.

Once I have all of the ingredients down on my grocery list, I look at it and break it down into what can or should be bought at Sam's. For instance, we always buy their big bags of shredded cheese. When I get home I divide them into 2 cup portions and use my Seal-A-Meal to keep them fresh. I just throw them in the freezer and then lay them out the morning before I'll need them for a meal. We also buy our chicken there since one of their 12 lb bags will last us a month (sometimes more!) Last month I bought sugar there since I knew I'd be doing a lot of fall baking!

So, now I have two separate shopping lists. One for Sam's and the other for WalMart. Why do I shop at WalMart? I really hate it there, but...they price match. And guys, I've done the coupon thing...it's not for me. I'll still use a coupon here or there, but I've found that price matching works for our family. I am lucky to get all the area grocery stores ads sent to my mailbox so I will look through them all and as I see items that I already have on my grocery list I will circle them with a dark marker! I do not do this part first because I don't want to be lured into buying something I normally wouldn't because it is on "sale"! Whether you type your master grocery list up or write it doesn't matter. What matters is that you make sure to write beside the item you need if it has a price match! I always include what store I am price matching to and the sale price. This saves SO much headache as you are checking out in WallyWorld. I still like to take the sale ads with me to the store in case the checker has any questions. I just put them behind my grocery list on my clipboard. 

        

I don't take my kids with me when I shop like this. Period. I love them but I would lose my mind. I do take my thermal reusable shopping bags and ice packs! Since I hit up at least two stores in one shopping trip I don't want any of the food I just paid good money for to go bad!

When I come home I unpack everything and divide portions up if need be. Then I get a glass of iced tea and sit on my couch and watch some good mind numbing tv! 

I hope that helped you if you are considering shopping for a month at a time! Every family is different so be sure and add your own spin to it and give it time...it takes a bit of practice to figure out how menu planning and shopping for the month work best for your family!

High Five for Friday!

Here are my top 5 moments/things from the past week in no particular order! ;)

1. Funfetti Cake Mix Dip. Y'all this stuff is ah-mazing. Life changing even. You can eat it with animal crackers, graham crackers, or just take a spoon to it. Whatev...I won't judge you. The great thing about it is that if you use low fat ingredients and have a little bit of self control it isn't all that bad for you. Unless you are cutting sugar completely. Then, just look away. Look. Away.

2. My sweet hubby is making my downstairs bathroom dreams come true. Thankful for a clearance Target rug, some old pallet boards found in our woods, and Pinterest. I can not wait to show you.

3. The weather has been pretty awesome this week. We went to the park twice. Had a great experience one day and a NOT so great experience the next. Let's just say if your child comes up behind my youngest child on the slide and instead of waiting patiently for him to push off and slide down, your child decides to place both of his (much larger) feet on my child's back and kick him down the slide I might have some stern words for your child. Beware of mama bear.

4. Trying to figure out this new bloggy stage I'm in. Super thankful for some AMAZING friends with wise and kind words. Also thankful for my sweet friend Miranda cause she's designing me a new space over here. Maybe seeing something new will inspire me again?

5. These safety pins from Ballard design are going in my laundry room. They are huge and have an awesome vintage feel. I cannot wait for them to get here!!!! Is it sad that this type of thing makes me so excited?

I'm linking up to High Five for Friday. 

Crossroads

I feel like I am at such a crossroad with social media right now. I made a commitment to stay off of FB for the month of October. I made my Twitter feed private. I have been trying to figure out how to use Instagram without it going out for the world to see.

I'm starting to feel my head clear from all the static that is the online world.

And then there is this blog of mine. Some days I am absolutely ready to close her down. Then others I think I just need to go private. I have no idea what all going private would entail....goodness knows it would probably be way over my head. 

I guess I just don't know what to do. So that might explain the randomness of my posts. I'm trying to figure out the identity of this space. 

And to the two of you who read this, if you have any thoughts/ideas/suggestions feel free to let me know. :)

On Being a "Helicopter" Mom

Y'all I got a little tiffed yesterday. I read an author say that she was not a helicopter mom. She didn't follow her kids up the slide at the playground...

Well - you see....yesterday I had done just that. Yep. I took my sweet babies to the park and I climbed and traversed that whole piece of equipment with them. I held my little man on my lap so he could go down the biggest slide like his sister. I watched over Lauren as she climbed the rock wall and cheered her on when she accomplished it. Does that make me a helicopter mom?

I don't think so. I think it makes me an involved mom.

I only have this day with my kids and if I want to get completely in their world and play on the playground equipment with them I will! I don't want these precious babies I have been entrusted with to feel as though they are a burden to me. They want me to play with them. There will be a day when they won't. They will be just fine to play without me. I don't want to miss this.

So I laughed and ran and slid and cheered. And I would do it again.

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

Dear Shawn,

Happy 31st Birthday, baby!!!! Did you ever imagine your life as a 31 year old when you were a kid? Could you have ever imagined being loved so much? I doubt it. ;)

As I sit here and think about you on this special day, I am once again reminded of how very blessed I am. I don't say that lightly. I know it deeply. Ten years ago we were just getting to know each other. I had an inkling that you were my forever love, but I had no idea how beautiful and stretching and glorious and downright hard the next ten years would be. I say that knowing I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm honored to be your wife. Honored to be the one you love and devote your heart to. Humbled to be loved so completely by you when I know that I'm not easy to love.

Have I told you lately how proud I am of you? You are 31 today and yet you are so much more mature and wise than those numbers. You've always been quietly sure of yourself. You've never needed to live a crazy or meaningless life. You know who you are in the Lord and you honor him with your life. Every single day. You are successful at whatever you put your mind to. I've watched your career grow and your work ethic shine over these ten years together and I stand beside you so proud that you are mine. You've earned your position, darling. God has blessed the work of your hands and he continues to guide you. I'm so proud of you for following and heeding him.

You are the brick and mortar to our home. You hold us together and keep us moving forward. You make wise choices and I trust our future under your careful watch. Thank you for that....I'd be in debt and homeless without you I'm sure.

One of the things I love best about you (there are so many!) is the way you interact with our babies. You make time for them even when you are flat out exhausted. You change diapers. You get up in the middle of the night. You rock, cuddle, sing, pray, and tickle our kids until they know without a doubt how very much they are loved. Every night before your head hits the pillow you go in and check on both of them. You make sure the covers are on and the room isn't too hot or cold. Do you know how beautiful that is?

I know they can't tell you exactly how much they love you, but I'm pretty sure you have a good idea that you are adored by Lauren and Easton. Your little princess thinks you hung the moon and races to the truck when you pull up every day. And the little mini-Shawn that runs around this house like a maniac? He's obsessed with you. They are so blessed to have you as their father. They don't know it right now but Lauren will look for a man like you and Easton will long to be a man like you. As a mother, I couldn't ask for anything better than that.

On your birthday, my love, I hope that you realize how much you mean to us (and to SO many others) and how much you are loved.

I'm in love with you Shawn Barry.

Yours forever,
Jen