Two More Days...But Who's Counting?

Only two more days.

Till what, you ask?

Till the end of the month.

So what? Am I really all that excited about March and decorating for St. Patrick's Day?

Well, yes, but that's not what I'm counting down to.

March 1 will mark exactly one month since I've stepped foot inside a Target store.

Can I get some applause???

It has been hard...and yet not hard.

At first, I wanted to go there a couple times a week because I just wanted to see what was new in the Dollar section. Then I would see something in the weekly ad that caught my attention and I wanted to go buy it. Then I'd just want to go there because I was bored and had nothing planned for Parker that day and just wanted to walk around and let him play in the toy aisle.

But as the month went on, I stopped looking at the weekly ad in the newspaper. And then I got out of the habit of going there. And now, I can truly say, I don't miss it.

NOT! I'd be totally lying if I said that.

Truth is, I wanted to go a month without going to Target, not because it's Target. But to prove to myself that I could spend less, and stop impulsive purchasing.

And on that end of things, I've totally succeeded.

But I still miss Target. I'm not gonna lie. And I may just go there on Saturday morning and get a Starbucks and walk aimlessly up and down the wide clean aisles just because I can.

No, I won't do that. But it's nice knowing that I achieved a goal and that I really can live without Target. (First world problems, right?)

And speaking of my goals this year...I thought I'd give you a brief update.

1. Reading more. I finished my second book of the year and have already started my third! I also had a friend give me another book by one of my favorite authors, so I have my next one already lined up as well. I'm telling you, three books is more than I read in 2013. Pathetic? Yes. But at least I'm doing something about it.

2. Spending Less. I already covered this...

3. More Spiritual. I've had early morning quiet meditation time twice a week all month. It's be truly amazing. I am looking forward to it now. I am also the speaker next week at my women's bible study. I'll be leading a discussion to about 70 women about the 4th chapter of Ephesians. It's been really great to write out my discussion and my study questions for the ladies. I've really felt God working through me during the process, and that is just incredible.

4. Be More Appreciative. This one has probably been my hardest one to be consistent with. Because it's not a physical act, or something I can "check off" my to-do list. It's just an overall mental change.
I have found myself pausing before I eat lunch to take a deep breath, look around at my house, my lunch, my sleeping child on the baby monitor...and saying "Thank you God. Thank you for all of these blessings. Thank you for all the little things." I feel like that's progress.
Although if I am truly honest with y'all, I have not done so great about being more appreciative of my husband. I am trying. I have made some changes. I have been making a concerted effort to speak his love language (physical touch), and tell him how I appreciate all that he does.
But I know I could do more.
And I want to do more.
I want him to know that he is the love of my life.
I want him to feel that. And not feel taken for granted.

So, I will continue to work towards my goals.

I will take it one step at a time.

I will applaud my successes and remind myself of where I'm lacking.

We're embarking on the 3rd month of 2014. What goals are you working toward?

Whatever it is...I know you can do it.

 

Weekending & Menu for the Week

Hi-dee-ho everyone! Hope your week is starting off on a good foot.

I dragged myself to the gym this morning despite every muscle in my body that wanted to stay in bed and sleep another hour or two. But as always, I am so glad I went.

In fact, this morning, not only did I get a great physical workout, I also struck up a conversation with another gym member about her struggles with infertility and how she is debating now that she's in her 40's if she wants to try IVF again, or move forward with adoption.

I always know that when these conversations come up - and they come up a lot more than you'd think - it's God saying, "Stacy, use your story. Help this woman. Encourage her. Love her. Give her strength by sharing what you went through."

So I did.

And I could see tears in her eyes as she opened up and was filled with relief that someone else understood her struggles.

Believe me people, God does not waste a hurt.

Whatever struggles you've been through in your past - or are currently going through - don't hide them. Don't shove them deep down in your thought closet. Share them. Give your road map to someone else who needs some good directions.

I promise you this...you won't ever regret helping someone else through a struggle that you've been through yourself.

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Now on to much more unimportant topics...

Weekending.

We had such a fun weekend. We went out with a group of our neighbors on their boat and sailed over to St. Petersburg where we exited the boat and went on a "Peddle Pub Tour." So. Much. Fun.

Starting off the evening with a sunset sail is just about the most perfect thing I can think of.

 Of course everyone brought yummy food...

And our neighbors who own the boat, prepared little "Emergency Bags" for each of us to take on the Peddle Pub Tour. Complete with snacks, water, and of course...glow sticks.

This picture of our friend Mike photo-bombing us may be my favorite of the night:

We walked several blocks and then arrived at our destination!

 Basically a Peddle Pub is an enormous bike built for like 15 people. There's no motor, so you are seriously getting a workout during your "tour." I was very thankful that there were two people on the tour with us who have completed Ironman competitions. :)

The girls

Think the sun was in my eyes??

 The boys

In other cities, they have a keg of beer on the front and serve you while you're peddling around, but St. Pete hasn't given them an alcohol license yet, so it was a "dry" Peddle Pub. The "Pub" part of the tour was that we went around to 4 breweries in downtown St. Pete. We had a super fun night with all of our neighbors and definitely got a great workout too! My tush is still sore!
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As for this week's menu, I apologize for posting it a day late. We had some friends over for dinner last night, so my Sunday night blogging got the boot.

This week is going to be some "oldies but goodies" because it's a very busy week and Brian is traveling again, so there's no need for fanciness in the kitchen.

Monday:
Leftovers from Sunday (grilled steak, asparagus and red peppers with sauteed artichoke hearts).
I also made these potatoes with the steaks (minus the sour cream). Super easy and very yummy! Kinda fun to spice up the traditional baked potato every once in a while.

Tuesday:
Fettuccine Alfredo with sauteed chicken breasts that I will cut into strips.

Wednesday:
Mini Cuban Sammies

Thursday:
Crockpot Mushroom Meatballs


Well, the baby's up from his nap, Payton is now home from school and giving me a terrible time about re-doing some old homework, so I'll say goodbye for now. Have a great week friends!

Camping...

We went camping last weekend with Payton's Cub Scout Pack.

Not exactly the camping that one thinks of when they think of the Cub Scouts. It did not involve rubbing sticks together to start a fire, nor was there any clearing of land to set up musty tents held together with rope. In fact, I don't even remember a single mosquito...or insect at all for that matter.

No, instead, we went "camping" at Disney's Fort Wilderness.

And since we had some time constraints due to swapping out Parker with my parents, we didn't even set up a tent at all. Disney did it for us. Seriously.

We showed up, walked into our campground site and there were several tents (and cots) set up by Disney just waiting for those with reservations. Of course a lot of people brought their own tents, but hey...don't knock the tent reservation till ya try it (it was particularly nice when we were leaving and we just packed up our two backpacks and got into the car - no tear down!).

Of course all the fun began when the sun went down. The kids ran around like children who had been given nothing but junk food, hotdogs and sugar all day... oh wait, that is all they had been given.

We celebrated a fellow Scout's birthday during the camp out.

But seriously, it was so great to just let them run and run to their heart's content. They would occasionally stop back by our bonfire to grab a handful of snacks or some water, but for the most part they went full speed ahead until they collapsed of exhaustion around 10:30 p.m.

My super fun fellow Scout-Moms and I enjoying the bonfire

And then once the sun started to peek its way up into the morning sky, the kids were back outside the tents running around and starting their games all over. Just boys bein' boys. It was awesome.

We did explore the grounds a bit with just the 3 of us, which was really nice. They have just about everything on site; a little shop that sold all of the essentials (kinda like a mini 7-11) plus all the overpriced Disney crap souvenirs you can imagine. Lots of walking trails through the woods. Fishing docks, archery, and much more.

After getting some coffee and a few trinkets at the shop, we sat outside in the rocking chairs and enjoyed the cool morning watching people ride by in their golf carts or walk by on one of the trails.

There's a beautiful creek that runs through the property with picnic benches dotting it's edge.

But once the sun peeked out and the boys caught site of the heated pool, it was "game on!" They swam and swam for hours, only stopping to refuel with lunch and to warm up with a quick rest on the pool lounge chairs.

About half way through the day, Payton mentioned yet another pool - a bigger, better pool - at the Fort Wilderness Lodge. Well, it only took about 3 seconds for all the boys to start begging their parents to "Can we please go to the Lodge pool!" So, a short time later, we arrived at the Wilderness Lodge.

Just look at that massive fire place and all of those rocking chairs!

Stunning lobby area

Payton in the pool

Sadly, I didn't get many pictures here because my phone battery was almost dead and we were waiting for my parents to call to tell us that Parker was up from his nap and ready to come meet us. But this pool area was amazing. There was a geyser that would randomly erupt and shoot water hundreds of feet into the air. The pool was huge and had a great slide. There was a wonderful pool bar and more seating than I can ever imagine they use. Then there was a whole separate beach area where you could rent kayaks and fish.

I would definitely put Wilderness Lodge on my "places to stay" list.

But like all excursions, it had to come to an end. So we packed up our camper SUV and headed to Downtown Disney to meet my parents and Parker. After fighting the outrageous crowds, we got back into our respective cars and headed home. Happy. Full of great memories. And EXHAUSTED.

Sadly, we didn't get 20 minutes down the road before our car broke down. Fortunately, we were able to safely exit the highway. Unfortunately, the car was not driveable and had to be towed 80 miles home (at $5 per mile!). 

Of course the boys thought riding in the tow truck was awesome, and just another adventure to tack on to an already fun-filled weekend.

Don't let the smile fool ya...I was not happy.

But our poor car is still in the shop getting over a $1,000 worth of work done to it. As I told my parents, I guess I'll be driving this car till I die. Oh well, whadda ya gonna do?

Overall though, my memories of our first family camping trip will be wonderful ones, and I am so glad I went this year. Now next year, I have to figure out how to get a room at the Wilderness Lodge while the boys camp outside. :)

This Week's Menu & A New Recipe!

Well, I survived.

We got back late last night from my first camping trip, and I must say... it was really fun.

In fact, it was so fun, on the way home, we were already planning our next trip, when all of the sudden warning lights started flashing on the car dashboard and before we knew it, we pulled off and the car died. I'm not talking a dead battery. I'm talking "dead car." As in, "had to pay $350 to have it towed 80 miles home" kinda dead car.

So, the camping trip turned out to be the easy part of the weekend. Getting home, well, that was the real test of endurance and patience.

Thank God we all got home safe and sound and we weren't in some terrible accident. Cars can be fixed, and life will move on - even if our bank account is a bit bruised when it's all said and done.

I will post some fun pictures of our camping excursion later this week, but today, I wanted to get my menu posted.

But before I post this week's menu, I wanted to let you know that the Crock Pot Beef Stew with Red Wine that I posted last week was a huge hit! Even Parker who balks at anything with meat or chicken in it, really liked it. Brian raved about it, so I think it will become a new regular on the rotation.

As for this week, Brian is traveling some and we have our typical nightly obligations of golf lessons and Bible study, so the recipes continue to be quick and easy. Oh, and I'm trying a new recipe this week, courtesy of The Pioneer Woman.

Monday:
Chicken, black bean & jack cheese quesadillas

Tuesday:
{Dining out}

Wednesday:
Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Broccoli
Here is a link to this recipe. I've never tried it before, so I'll report back and let you know how the boys like it. It sounds like it will be pretty fool-proof!

Thursday:
Super Simple Salmon
Roasted asparagus
Couscous

Friday:
Double Cheeseburger Rounds

Please leave me a comment with any questions or notes about recipes you've tried and liked, or had issues with. Also, if you have any "go-to" recipes you'd like to share, please do! I'd love to hear from ya!

Teacher Valentines Gifts

Let's hear it for teachers! I honestly don't know how they do it.

They give their all, encouraging kids day in and day out, while doing their best to stay within the strict guidelines of teaching and testing that is required these days. They get asked the same questions over and over and over and somehow manage to give calm, reassuring answers even after the 10th time.

A lot of teachers spend more time with our kids than we do. They build up their self esteem. They help them navigate the rough waters of making new friends and dealing with hurt egos when some kid decides to be the class bully. They hug our kids when they fall down at recess. And maybe the hardest part of their job...they deal with us parents. :)

I am so appreciative of my boys' teachers. And so I wanted to make them something special for Valentines Day to show how much we love them.

First, I printed off this awesome free printable from Tatortots and Jello.












Then, Payton & I "made" some Valentine's cookies. (Really, it was the pre-made sugar cookie dough that I rolled out and cut into shapes.) But we did decorate them by hand.

 

Put a few of the cookies in a Valentine's bag (I also attached a Chick-fil-A gift card, because what says "Love" like Chick-fil-A???):

Then pack it up in a pretty gift bag and stick the printable on front...Voila!

Any teacher would love to receive a yummy treat like this!

One more thing before I go...

I had to share Payton's class Valentine's exchange mailbox this year.

Boy, we are SO far past puffy heart stickers and markers at this age...

He even attached a rainbow loom ornament to the top:

At least they're still exchanging Valentines. :)

Hope your Friday is full of fun & sweet surprises!

This Week's Menu

Happy Monday everyone!

I'm happy because I've officially said goodbye to my cold. Halleluiah! You never realize quite how good it feels to wake up feeling healthy until you suffer through a yucky cold or illness. I am ready to tackle this week head-on, starting with my crazy gym class this morning.

As for this week's menu, it's a lot of "easy prep" meals because we have a lot going on this week (do I say that every week? I feel like I do). We have golf two afternoons this week, play dates the two other dates and a fun little adventure planned for Friday. So, not a lot of time for fancy cooking, that's for sure.

Here's what I've got planned:

Monday: Soft Tacos with Mexican rice
This is just ground chuck or ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning (I make my own - it tastes better, promise!), with chunky salsa, fresh avocado, cilantro, fresh-grated pepper-jack cheese and Mexican rice served with small flour tortillas that have been slightly browned on both sides in a pan.

Tuesday: Ritzy chicken, Broccoli & 7-Up Biscuits
I've shared my Ritzy chicken recipe several times and although it seems repetitive, both kids ask for it every single week. So I try to only serve it every other week or every 3 weeks. But this week, it's makin' a comeback!
Here is the link to my favorite recipe for the 7-Up biscuits. If you've never made these, watch out...they're so easy and so addictive.

Wednesday: Beef Stew with Red Wine & Crescent Rolls
Here's the link to this Crock Pot recipe. It sounds very rich and warm, which will be good because Wednesday is supposed to be chilly and rainy bringing in yet another cold front. The recipe suggests serving it over egg noodles, so I am going to do that since I have 1/2 a bag leftover from last week. Keep in mind, one of the comments left by a reader said the stew only took 6 hours to cook and was very thick, so I'm going to alter the recipe a bit and cook it for less time.

Thursday: Leftovers
I have a feeling that between the Ritzy Chicken and the Stew, we're going to have plenty of leftovers. And I want to clean out the fridge before our little adventure on Friday (I'll share more later).

That's it for this week. This weekend's menu is already taken care of, which is both relieving and exciting.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Boys' Birthdays - Part 1 (and an update)

This week has been filled with many wonderful "Wow, I am so grateful for my family" moments.

It has also been filled with cold meds, Advil, naps (for me), early bedtimes (again, for me), and more Kleenex than I care to count.

We've celebrated both boys' birthdays this week...all week. It's been a non-stop birthday extravaganza around here. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrase, "But it's my birthday!" Let's just say a lot of rules went out the window this week. Half in part because I've been battling a cold which led to laryngitis and almost the complete loss of my voice.

But, let's focus on the fun things that occurred...

We kicked off the week on Monday with a small birthday dinner for Payton with our neighbors. We allowed him to go ahead an open his ONE gift. Yep, he got one gift from us this year. Are you ready to start judging me and throw stones? Because here's the gift...

All joking aside, I love this picture. Look at Parker's expression! Priceless!

We gave him an iPhone.

Yes, I hear your gasps.
Your "What? He's only 9! Why does he need a phone?!?" comments.
It's okay. I've come to grips with the fact that most people won't agree with our decision. And I'm working on accepting the disapproving motherly looks (I'm not great at accepting disapproval).

But, here's how we came to our decision:
1. No one in our household has an iPad or iTouch.
2. We do not have a land line for our house, so we've always used a 3rd cell phone to leave at the house with babysitters, or for Payton to use when he rides his bike to friend's houses that are out of our circle.
3. When we recently switched cell phone carriers, they replaced all 3 lines with 3 new iPhones. FREE! So, we've had this iPhone sitting in a box in our bedroom for a month now.
4. He's been begging for an iPad, but seems to be getting along just fine with his Kindle, so really he just wants an Apple product to be able to play all of the additional games/apps that his friends use on their Apple products.
5. I could go on and on with other reason, but I'm guessing you really don't care...

Did I mention I'm not good with disapproval? Guess I just wanted to justify our decision.

What it comes down to is that Payton is a really great kid. A trustworthy, hardworking, faithful kid. Oh, and we made him sign a 2-page cell phone contract, so just in case he goes awry, he loses all access to the cell phone.

Phew...okay, now that that's all out of the way, I can continue...

We had a really fun time celebrating Payton that evening and then of course the next morning on his actual birthday.

Cupcakes for all!

 Donuts for breakfast on your birthday? You betcha!

Parker & I joined him for lunch at school...which is Parker's most favorite thing to do (I think it has something to do with him being able to use a lunchbox.) :)

I love this picture. They were having such a sweet conversation.

Sadly, that evening we did not spend the night out at a fun restaurant celebrating his special day. Instead we spent it at team practice for his school's "Battle of the Books" team. It's quite an intense competition in 3rd grade. I won't go into all the details, but they have to read & memorize every detail about 8 chapter books. Then they test on the books, then try out for the team. The competition itself was very serious. No photos. No filming. No clapping. It had to be complete silence until the end of each round. They had judges from other schools so it wasn't biased... I'm telling ya... they take this thing seriously.

So, even though Payton's team didn't win, they did come in 2nd out of 5 teams, so we were very proud of him. Not only for making the team, but for giving it his best!

The next day was Parker's birthday celebration at his preschool. I brought in juice boxes, cookies and cheese (because that's how preschoolers celebrate) and read books to his class. It was so sweet to see the excitement in his face.

This is the sign outside his classroom

And then today (Friday) we celebrated Parker's actual birthday. Starting the day off with presents and the birthday breakfast of champions...donuts!

I'm fairly sure his favorite gift was a roll of Bubble Gum "tape."

 

I'm not sure what's in store for this evening, but we're going to try to make it fun for the birthday boy. And then the "big guns" come in tomorrow. You know...the grandparents! The boys are out of their minds with excitement. It's like a mini Christmas.

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Before I go pass out on my bed for a few minutes, I wanted to update you on three quick things:

1. I'm already half-way through my new Jennifer Weiner book, and I'm loving it!
2. I didn't go to Target at all this week! (One week down, three to go.)
3. I had two days of really good meditation/quiet time this week. It felt SO good to be in the word just letting His truth fall over me like a warm waterfall.

Okay, that's all I got for today. I hope you have a fantastic weekend! I am happy to be celebrating my little boys this weekend and saying goodbye to this stinky cold. Yahoo for healthy bodies!

The "No Menu" Menu For The Week

Hey y'all! Popping in quickly to say sorry that there will likely not be much of anything posted this week...especially a set menu.

You see this week, my first born son turns 9 years old.

And then my "baby" turns 3 years old.

WHAT?!?! Somebody stop time for a moment, please.

They are 6 years and 3 days apart, so the first week in February is a bit of a circus around here...not that I would have it any other way.

As you know, I love to celebrate holidays and birthdays are a no exception.

But as life usually does, it happens to be a week full of other obligations as well. Battle Book practice for Payton one night, golf on two evenings, my Bible study starts this week...oh, and did I mention both sets of grandparents will be in town on Saturday? It's a week filled with fun, celebrations, new beginnings, and excitement.

So please forgive my absence here on the ol blog. I'll be back next week with lots of photos and stories to share.

Until then, have a fabulous week!

Baby boy's 1st birthday and Payton's 7th.

Parker's 2nd birthday and Payton's 8th.