Spring Break

"Hello reality."

That's the text I sent to a friend last night after starting my third load of laundry and cleaning up the second spill on the kitchen floor. You see, I had not been living in reality for about 4 days, since we had been on vacation at our friend's river house up in North Florida.

Four days of disconnecting from the day-to-day grind. Four days to play together as a family. Four days to eat whatever crap we wanted and not feel guilty about it. Boating, hide-n-seek, dock picnics, ghost stories & s'mores by campfire... it was truly a great vacation.

So kick back, grab a drink, and re-live this Spring Break through pictures while I capture it all in my virtual scrapbook.

Early morning coffee with my little bud. The view from this room (see picture below) is something out of a painting. Nothing but water and forest.

Days up at the river are not spend on computers or in front of the TV. 

They are spent climbing trees...

 ...swinging on porch swings watching people fish off the dock...

and boating. Oh how my kids love to go boating!

 

Payton had gone swimming which is why he's in a jacket.

 

 Did I mention that I love to go out on the boat too? Love, love, love.

In the evenings, we would go out for a short ride to see what animals we could see hanging out on the banks of the river.

We saw several gators, more birds that you can imagine and lots of turtles too.

 

One day, the guys decided to do a crab boil.

It was mildly hysterical to watch my Midwestern husband try to wrangle the live crabs while our friend would grab the little suckers and rip their shells right off!

They were clinging on to each other for dear life!

They were blue crabs, so their shells were an amazing shade of blue... until you cook them and they turn bright red.

 They were delicious right out of the boiled water dipped in butter.

But they were even more heavenly the next night when our friend made them into crab oscar and topped our filets with them. OH MAN! SO GOOD!

Our "adults only" dinner.

One afternoon we set up a picnic on the dock of the house we stayed in and got to enjoy a little downtime with just our family. It was really special. I'll always remember that time.

I also had to show a quick picture of the house next door to where we stayed. The people who live there are retired and enjoy just "puttering" around in their yard.

It was the most colorful, amazing garden I've ever seen! Complete with a pumpkin patch!

This picture doesn't do justice to the vivid colors and wide range of flowers and plants they have. It was like visiting a botanical garden.

The last night there, the guys built a fire in the fire pit and we roasted s'mores while Brian told ghost stories to the kids. It was a perfect night.

He's a good story teller. The kids were riveted!

It was a wonderful way to spend the first half of our Spring Break. We are so grateful to our friends for hosting us and allowing us to stay in their house. They are amazing friends and we are so blessed to have them in our lives.

I hope everyone else is having a great start to their week as well!

Happy Spring Break!

My Week - Through Instagram

I'm obsessed with Instagram. I love it so much more than Facebook. I just wish more of my friends and family were on there so I could keep up with them through pictures (hint, hint).

If you're not already familiar with Instagram, it's a Free photo editing app available on all smart phones. You simply take a picture, edit it, upload it and it is shared with your selected group of "followers." I like that you can choose who sees your photos, unlike Facebook, which puts them out for the whole world to see.

Beyond being able to share photos, it's a really great way to turn a crappy picture into a beautifully edited one. (I hope I'm convincing some of you to download the app right now!)

So, here are some random pictures that I've taken this week using Instagram...

Parker is in love with this hoodie he got for his birthday from his grandparents. He wants to wear it everyday, and he has to have the hood up when he wears it.

It's just too adorable!

Sometimes I just share random things I'm doing on Instagram. This photo happened to be taken when I was looking through the new Boden catalog. I found something I wanted on just about every page.

Love their style...too bad it's a little out of my price range.

I took this picture yesterday afternoon in the front yard. 

These flowers are so vibrant against the green bushes; and our hedges are blooming right now with all the little white flowers that smell so good!

Plus it was so beautiful out yesterday with the sun shining and blue skies.

 I took this photo at our neighbor's house. Their daughter was playing electric guitar for Parker and he was loving it!

I got down some Easter decorations this week and Parker has been playing with the resurrection eggs every chance he gets. I have to keep a close eye on him when he has them though because I'm afraid he's going to lose one of the little pieces inside the eggs. 

I'm excited to do these eggs again with Payton this year. He is really at the perfect age to "get" the meaning behind them.

Okay, so that's my pitch for Instagram.

If you do decide to start using the app, please look me up so I can follow you!

My username is simply, stacyheckman

Have a great weekend everyone!

The "W" Word

Hello, my name is Stacy, and I am a "worrier."

I've tried meditation, distraction, breathing exercises, focusing on the positive things in life.
But, I still worry.

I've asked God to help eliminate worry from my mental hamster wheel about a gazillion times.
I've recited Philippians 4:6-7 ("Do not be anxious about anything...") so many times, I might as well have it tattooed on my forehead.
But, I still worry.

I struggle with it, even though I know in my head that worrying doesn't change one. single. thing.

It can be about small things, like whether or not I kissed Payton goodbye before he left for school.
Or, it can be big things, like wondering if we'll have saved enough to pay for our kids' college someday... or if our kids will get into the college they want... or if they'll choose a school far away and I'll rarely get to see them... or God forbid, they go to FSU! (Just kidding... I'd love for my kids to go to school anywhere in Florida.)

But you can see how that train of thought led to many additional worries.
I don't want to "empty today of its strength" as the quote says above.
I want to treasure the good things that happen each and every day.

We all have things we struggle with. Worrying is what I struggle with most. But I am bound and determined to change it. I don't want my kids to grow up being worriers too because they learned the behavior from me. I want them to be strong and confident in their decisions and actions like they are right now.

In the middle of lunch yesterday, my 8-year old asked his friend, "Do you believe in Jesus?"

He had no fear. No worry. No anxiety of rejection or being laughed at. He just spoke his precious, God-loving thoughts to his friend.

The conversation that ensued led to a wonderful bedtime prayer last night for his friend to believe in God.

I think I can take a lesson from my 8-year old... do not worry; rather embrace this life that we've been given and just watch the bountiful blessings that occur.

Cleaning with Vinegar & Consignment Shops

How'd you like that for a post title???

Two things with absolutely no tie-in or relation.

But, they're both great topics and both are top-of-mind since I've been doing both this week.

So, let's start with cleaning (the bad) and then move on to shopping (the good!).

Cleaning with vinegar. Not something I would think to do. Maybe you know this trick, but it's new to me so bare with me while I share my excitement.

I read about using vinegar to get rid of hard water stains. I've tried a lot of products to get rid of the hard water stains on my kitchen sink and refrigerator water tray. Some of them work after lots of elbow grease, and some don't work at all.

Let me tell you... vinegar does the trick!

Just soak some paper towels in white vinegar and wrap them, or lay them on the hard water stain/build-up and leave it for 30-60 minutes. A light scrub with an old toothbrush, and you have excellent results!

I apologize for the cruddy pictures (pun intended). I desperately need to get a good camera for my blog pictures. But trust me, it made a world of difference and I barely had to do anything!

Give it a try around your house if you have hard water and let me know how it works. I was pleasantly surprised!

Okay, now on to a fun topic... shopping!

I love to shop. Seriously. It doesn't matter if it's Target or Nordstrom; Lowes or Sephora... I love to shop. Problem is, shopping costs money if you want to actually buy something.

One way that I have found to save some serious money is to visit our local Goodwill and consignment shops. We have a very clean, new Goodwill near us and it's amazing what people donate! I consistently see name brand products every time I go in there. If you have a good local thrift shop near you, I suggest you check it out. You might just be surprised what you find.

I also love consignment shops. We have a couple great children's consignment shops here in Tampa. One of them is pretty close so I went by yesterday to see if I could find some bathing suits for the boys and some new athletic clothing for Payton (his favorite type of clothing to wear these days).

Check out what I got...

For Parker, I found brand new Carter's footed pajamas, an adorable Baby Gap sweater (for Easter maybe??), two pairs of swim trunks and a matching swim shirt! And guess what... I didn't pay more than $2.50 for any one of them! JACK POT!

For Payton, I found a few pairs of athletic shorts and pants (one with a Gator on it - double score!) and a swim suit. The most expensive item for Payton were the Gator pants... they were a whopping $5. YAY for good deals!!!

Now, don't get me wrong, I still love buying the boys new clothing when I find good deals at Target or the mall, but for two kids who are growing like weeds and need bigger clothes every time I turn around, I have no qualms with buying previously-loved clothing for a 1/4 of the price!

Okay, so that's my random post for the week. Hope you try out cleaning with vinegar or shopping at a thrift or consignment shop sometime soon. Stay tuned for more random ramblings. :)

Weekending

This weekend was a time to kick back and enjoy a few days with great friends and family.

Friday we actually didn't do anything... which was perfect. The boys were exhausted from a long day of playing with their friends...

(These are pictures of Parker & his pal Amelia watching TV together - how cute are they??)

 ...and Brian and I were ready to sit on the couch and chill. 

And by chill, I mean, MAN was it chilly this weekend!

I'm talkin' footed pajama's and space-heater-fireplace kinda night.

After a good night's rest, we were all ready for an action-packed Saturday.

Brian took the boys out for breakfast up at the Village while I got ready, tidied up the house, and prepared for our company to arrive.

By 12 o'clock our house was bustling with a whole bunch of Chicago-ans!

We had Brian's parents and grandfather over from Bradenton to hang out with Brian's best friend from childhood, Brett, and his wife Krystyna, who were in town from Illinois.

Parker loves it when Grandma & Grandpa read to him.

Brian & his grandfather. These two are quite a pair!

 We enjoyed so many laughs and stories from their childhood. It was so great catching up with them and spending time with our family.

Later that evening, we had a sitter come over and we headed back up to the Village for drinks and dinner with Brett & Krystyna. As you can imagine, we had so much fun!

Brian & Brett

Isn't Krystyna a cutie pie?? Brett did good! :)

 

The next morning, Brian headed out very early to set up at church, so I took the boys out to McDonald's for breakfast. They were so happy!

After church we met up with Brett & Krystyna again to go out to lunch at the world-famous Taco Bus. 

Wow... that place does not disappoint. So simple, yet so. darn. good.

Unfortunately, I think all of the weekend's fun took a toll on my little guy. He ended up not feeling so well and wanted to sleep and cuddle all afternoon on Sunday...

...which was just fine by me.

We capped off the visit with our friends by BBQing last night and watching the Bulls game on TV. 

It was the perfect ending to a really fun weekend.

Now this week will be spent getting ready for Spring Break - the fun never ends! :)

Easy Chevron Print - FREE

Hi there! Dropping in quickly today to share an easy decorative craft idea.

As you probably have noticed, chevron prints are all the rage right now. I see the design on everything from rugs to skirts, and pillows to headbands. It's everywhere!

I was looking for a print to put in an empty picture frame I had, and I thought adding a touch of chevron to the kitchen area would be fun for Spring.

A quick Google search and a couple minutes later, I had this:

I promise you, I am not a wizard at creating art, or using art programs on my computer, so I guarantee you, this is SUPER easy to do.

First, Google "Chevron backgrounds."

A huge choice of colors, sizes, etc. will appear in Google Images. Choose the one you like and right click on it to save it to your computer.

Then open the image in Picasa (if you don't have Picasa, it's a free photo-editing program from Google and very easy to download).

Once you have the image opened in Picasa, click the "Text" button on the left hand side.

Type a letter, monogram, phrase, last name, whatever you'd like on the image (I used Bookman Old Style font), and adjust the size to how large you want it.

Then save your image and print off whatever size you'd like to display.

It's that easy!

 I hope I've inspired you to add some fun chevron to your Spring decor.

Happy weekending everyone!

Chicken Parisienne - A Recipe

This week has been busy, but in a fun way. I've had the opportunity to watch several of my friends' kiddos throughout the week, which I love. It not only gives my kids an automatic playmate, it actually gives me a break too. I always say, having other kids over is like subtraction by addition. Does that make any sense?

Anywho... the point I'm trying to make is that by being busy all week, I've been relying on the Crock Pot almost every night. No wait, I just looked at my menu, and I have in fact used it every single night. And one of my "go to" Crock Pot recipes is one that I can't believe I've never shared on this blog before! It's been a favorite in my family since I was a child.

When I got married, my Mom gave me this Crock Pot recipe book, that I believe came with her first Crock Pot. Just look at this vintage beauty!

I just opened up the front cover to see if there was a copyright date (which, sadly, there isn't) but there is an introductory letter on the inside front cover from the woman who worked in the test kitchen developing the recipes for this booklet. And her first sentence says, "In all my years of experience I have never enjoyed such interesting and rewarding months as those spent testing this revolutionary slow cooker!" Ha! Ha! Ha! I love that they called the slow cooker "revolutionary." I guess that shows just how "vintage" this cookbook might be. :)

But I digress...

No matter the print date, this book is choc full of great recipes and one that my mom frequently made when we were growing up is called "Chicken Parisienne." You'll feel oh-so-Parisienne making it. Just kidding. I have no idea why it's called that. I think it's just a fun name.

Here's the recipe:

1. Spray your Crock Pot with cooking spray and place 3-5 chicken breasts inside. Liberally sprinkle with salt & pepper.

2. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of sour cream with a 1/4 cup flour until smooth.

** It is very important that you mix these 2 ingredients together first, otherwise you'll have all sorts of flour clumps and you don't want that. Ew. ***

3. Then add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and 1/2 cup white wine to the bowl and mix until incorporated. 

*They also listed an optional ingredient of (1) 4oz. can of sliced mushrooms, which I bet would be delicious, but my family won't eat mushrooms, so I omit this ingredient.

4. Dump soup mixture over chicken in Crock Pot. 

 5. Then liberally sprinkle the entire thing with Paprika.

6. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours. And voila! Chicken Parisienne!

I usually serve it over whole grain brown rice and spoon the delicious sauce that it makes over the top.Yum-O!

Give it a try, I bet you your family will love it!! Here's a rundown of the recipe again:

Chicken Parisienne

Ingredients:

3-5 chicken breasts

1 can cream mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup white wine

1 4oz. can sliced mushrooms - optional

Salt & pepper

Paprika

Directions:

1. Spray Crock Pot with cooking spray. Place chicken in Crock Pot and sprinkle liberally with salt & pepper.

2. Mix together sour cream & flour until smooth.

3. Add cream chicken soup and white wine and stir until incorporated. Add mushrooms if using.

4. Pour soup mixture over chicken and sprinkle liberally with Paprika.

5. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.