Around Here Lately...

Phew... we had a very productive weekend here at the Heckman household.

We completed a couple of projects that have been on my "To Do" list for - I'm not kidding - probably two years!

It feels so good to get a couple of things marked off the list, and it inspires me to get moving on some other fun projects around the house.

First off, and most importantly, we made huge progress on converting Payton's room into a joint room for both boys.

Some people have suggested that they are too old to share a room, but they both really wanted to give it a try and we desperately need the 3rd bedroom converted into an office for Brian, so we're going to give it a shot.

The good thing is, we're holding on to the trundle daybed that is currently Parker's bed, so if things don't go as smoothly as we hope, we can always give them separate rooms again down the road.

But for now... we finally painted Payton's room, which I've been wanting to do for years. It was still the baby blue color that we painted it when he wasn't even born yet. It was perfect for a nursery, but way too baby-ish for a 10-year old.

After much research on Houzz and Pinterest, I decided on a gray & white paint palette, with dark brown espresso furniture and white bed linens with accents of orange. It may sound strange, but trust me, it's going to be SO sharp!

Here's a little sneak peek of the paint:

We did one wall in stripes, which I love. I wanted to do more, but Brian felt it would be too busy. So, I told him for now, we'd keep it at one wall, but if I change my mind, he has to help me measure out the stripes for the other walls. :)

We also finally decided on bunk beds, which has been a never-ending discussion for over a year now. I wanted dark wood, a twin over a full, beds that could be separated into single beds (should we so choose to do so), and sturdy enough for both boys to lay on the top bunk if they want.

I am thrilled with our final choice, and can't wait to have them delivered later this week!

And since we were on a roll with home improvement projects, I also had Brian install window sheers in the family room.

I am not in love with our blinds that are currently in there, but until we have the cash to buy plantation shutters, I am just looking for a way to "conceal" them a bit. Again, after much research on Pinterest, I thought these breezy sheers added just the right amount of texture and coverage for these windows.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

And since we saved so much money painting the boys' room ourselves, I treated myself to a little online shoe shopping! Check out these gorgeous calf-hair heels!

I know the heel looks high, but they are SO comfortable! And you'll never guess the price!

I scored these beauties for just $42! Come on now, that's amazing! Click here if you'd like do a little shoe shopping of your own. I also love these gorgeous ones, but they're closer to $100, which is still a great price for a pair of Vince Camuto heels:

And a couple more cute pictures to end this random post...

Parker has learned how to "pump" his legs on the big-boy swings, thus not needing mommy to push him anymore. It makes me very proud, but kinda sad at the same time. He's growing up so quickly these days. :(

Good thing he still likes to wear costumes to the park and be silly even when it's just a random Tuesday. Gotta love the free spirit of children!

That's it for today. I have lots of great posts brewing backstage including a new recipe for Slow Cooker boneless pork chops, and the next installment of my "Marriage & Family" series where I'll be talking about marriage counseling. In the meantime... this was just too funny not to share...

Recipe:Italian Herb Baked Meatballs

My little family loves spaghetti and meatballs.

I've made them a lot of different ways, using a lot of different recipes (and occasionally I buy the pre-made ones at Publix because I'm feelin' lazy). 

My guys can usually tell the difference between meatballs made with beef versus ground chicken or turkey. I think it's a consistency thing, although I agree that they do taste different. I don't know that I personally have a preference, but my boys love them some beef!

So, in a compromise, I told Brian I would make meatballs with ground beef once in a while, but that it would have to be organic, grass-fed ground beef, which is $7.99/lb.

For those of you who do not buy organic meat, you can pick your jaw up off the ground now. :) Yes, I know it's about 3x the price of "store brand" ground beef, but after watching the movie, "Food, Inc." I just can't buy it and squish it between my fingers knowing how it was farmed.

Okay, I'm stepping down off my soapbox now...

SO... all of that being said, my favorite brand of organic grass-fed beef was on sale at Publix last week so I made my men some real-deal meatballs. And if I'm gonna spend that kind of money on the meat, you better believe I want the recipe to be amazing.

I did some research and found a recipe that had raving reviews from hundreds of people. But it was a new way of cooking meatballs, which I had never tried before... baking them!

I realize a lot of people have been doing this for years, but I've always cooked them in a skillet. I love the way they taste, but man oh man... the grease! I hate it! It makes such a big mess, I would just rather make something else.

But baking the meatballs (on parchment paper no less) left very little clean up and the meatballs turned out fantastic! So, I adapted the recipe a little bit to my taste and it turned out fantastic!

Here's my new "go-to" meatball recipe:

Italian Herb Baked Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup FRESH grated Parmesan (plus additional for topping)
• 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

*If you do not have fresh herbs, you could sub dried herbs instead.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat egg and then add all remaining ingredients. Gently combine, but do not over mix or this will result in tough meatballs.

3. Roll approx. 2-3 Tbsp. sized balls and place on lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Serve over whole wheat thin spaghetti and top with your favorite spaghetti sauce. And of course some additional shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped basil if you're feelin' fancy.

You could make these meatballs ahead of time and put them in the crock pot with your favorite spaghetti sauce and let them marinate and soften for a few hours. Then cook your spaghetti right before you're ready to eat and, voila! super easy meal prep.

Eliminating that greasy mess has been a total game-changer for me. I hope you will try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Marriage & Family: Creating Harmony in the Home - CHORES

This post is the second in the series "Marriage & Family: Creating Harmony in the Home." Today, I'm focusing on chores. Next week, I am addressing Marriage; the high's, the low's, and why no one should be embarrassed of Marriage Counseling.

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I believe chores are good for kids.

It teaches them that there's a lot of work that has to get done around the house, and helping out is just part of living under the same roof.

When I was growing up I can remember picking up dead oranges from under our orange trees, helping to weed the gardens, and then later as I got older, mowing the lawn.

This was the only way I was given "spending money" as a child. So even though I detested those chores, I did them so that I could ride my bike up to Rexall Drugstore, buy a tube of bubble gum flavored Lip Smackers, and a Teen Beat magazine - and possibly if I had earned enough that week - a Baskin Robbins ice cream cone next door.

I'm sure I didn't always face the chores with a smile from ear-to-ear, but I knew that I had to do them. No exception. No arguing. I just did them.

Now, my kids on the other hand... well... that's been a different story.

Sometimes, Payton will help collect the trash around the house without complaining. But when I would ask him to change the bunny's cage... whoh... you'd think I'd ask him to mop the entire house with his tongue.

Somehow, we let our 10-year old, become TEN YEARS OLD without a set chore list that he was expected to do every. single. week.

But, that's changed.

I want our kids to grow up being helpful, not lazy; feeling gracious, not spoiled; appreciative, not entitled.

So I did some research and I found a great online resource that inspired our new chore lists.

You can visit Simply Kierste's awesome blog for a great list of age-appropriate chores for kids. It goes from 2 years old all the way up 15 and older. Of course some of her ideas didn't fit our family, but I'm sure the same will go for you when you see Payton's chore list.

Just consider both of them guidelines to help kick-start some ideas.

Okay, so with all of that said, here is Payton's new Chore Chart (the actual printed version is much cuter with fonts and colors, but I couldn't figure out how to embed the Word document):

Payton's Chore Chart

Every day:

• ·         Make bed
• ·         Put away clean clothes
• ·         Tidy up room – e.g. NOTHING on the floor
• ·         Wash breakfast & dinner dishes and put in dishwasher
• ·         Empty lunchbox, place dirty containers in dishwasher
• ·         Put all homework materials away and hang up backpack
• ·         Practice guitar 15 minutes

Tuesday & Friday mornings:

• ·         Collect trash from all trashcans into kitchen trash and then take to outside garbage bin
• ·         Replace garbage bag in kitchen

When asked:

• ·         Set table for dinner
• ·         Help unload dishwasher
• ·         Collect dirty laundry from all laundry bins and bring to laundry room
• ·         Take garage garbage bins down to driveway

* If all of these chores are being done on a consistent basis, you can earn 45 minutes of daily computer time.

* Should you have a bad attitude about completing any of your chores, you immediately lose your computer time for that day (or the following day if you’ve already been playing).

* If you want to earn additional computer time (more than 45 minutes) you can do the following:

• ·         Play with Parker (his choice of non-electronic game) for 20 minutes
• ·         Read to Parker for 15 minutes
• ·         Clean the wood floors with spray and dry mop
• ·         Clean toilets and sink areas in BOTH bathrooms (if needed) 

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As I said, some of these may work for your family, and some may not. It's just an example to help give you an idea of what we're doing.

So far, Payton seems very open to it. And to be completely honest, the hardest part has been remembering to let Payton do these chores and not do them myself! Seriously! I am so used to going around and collecting all the garbage on Tuesday mornings, that I just do it without thinking. I have to remind myself that it's now his chore. It's quite freeing actually.

And I know that by having him help out around the house he has a greater appreciation of what I do all day long (which is not sit on the couch eating bon-bons by the way). ;)

Gracious, not spoiled; appreciative, not entitled; helpful, not lazy. That's our goal.

I hope this helps you create some new responsibilities for your own kiddos, and if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I love hearing from ya!

Friday Favs

Happy Friday friends!

I hope you have some fun plans for the upcoming weekend.

We have a few things planned here and there, but are intentionally leaving some of the weekend open for some down-time. Gotta recharge the batteries at some point, right?

I wanted to pop in today to share a few of my favorite things that I'm enjoying right now. All of which happen to be perfect for Spring and Summer.

First up, is the most perfect pale pink shade of nail polish I've ever used.

Essie's "Limo Scene"

 

I purchased mine at Target, but you can buy it at most beauty supply and drug stores. Essie is a little more expensive than Maybeline or Covergirl, but as with most things, you get what you pay for. Essie lasts longer, goes on smoother, and requires less coats. This shade of pale pink it perfect for Spring!

Next up, is this new bronzer/blush that I just ordered from Sephora.

Tarte's "Park Avenue Princess Pink Bronze"

Not only does the packaging and blush look gorgeous, it actually looks even better on your skin! It mixes all the beautiful shades together and creates the most perfect blend of blush & bronzer. I know this will carry me through the entire summer. 

Plus, tarte blush is made with amazonian clay, which makes it last ALL day. I'm not kidding. This stuff is amazing.

Moving on to clothes...

Ann Taylor Loft is really hitting it out of the park this season.

I recently ordered a few things online when they were having their 50% off sale + free shipping, and I love everything. Currently, the whole site is 40% off, so go get you some new threads for summer!

The "Rivera" shorts collection are the perfect length and the material is stiff enough that they look freshly ironed, even when they're not. So you look very put together even if you don't have time to iron or dry clean.  They come in so many different colors and prints - I may just have to order another pair while everything is on sale. :)

I had a lot of questions/comments on Instagram this week when I posted a picture of me wearing these Kenneth Cole wedges:

I bought mine at Marshalls, but you can buy them online here. They are SO comfortable, I don't even notice that I'm wearing a higher heel.

And just in case you've missed the big announcement... Lilly Pulitzer is starting a new line at Target! The collection comes out this Sunday, April 19. I may be one of those crazy people waiting in line for the doors to open this Sunday. I just can't wait to feel the quality of the items with the own two hands. I hoping to score a few great deals like these:

Gold Pineapple Sandals, $30

Strapless Maxi Dress, $34

Canvas Shopping Tote, $15

I could list about 100 other items that I am in love with, but I will spare you. Just be prepared to see me in a lot of Lilly this summer.

I ordered this candle from Nordstrom recently after someone recommended it on Instagram. Random, eh? I've rarely ordered a candle without smelling it first, but I'm glad I did, because it's amazing!

It truly smells like Spring in a jar: citrusy, but floral, but not too overwhelming... it's so good. And I love it when a candle still looks pretty just sitting on your counter when it's not lit.

And last but not least, I have to sneak in a couple food items.

We've been entertaining a lot lately since the weather has been so nice and we're spending lots of time on our patio. These little Sargento "Tastings" cheeses have become a staple on my charcuterie platters (and yes, I did just use the word "charcuterie in a sentence, ha! ha!).

They are the perfect size to set out a few different types of cheese for a happy hour. My favorite is the Havarti, but the Bruschetta is delicious too. 

And my latest cracker obsession are these Rosemary crisps from 34 Degrees:

They are a little pricey, so I buy them when they go on sale. They sell them in the deli area at our Publix, but I know you can also get them at Fresh Market and Whole Foods. Trust me, you want to give these a try for your next dinner party. They are so light and crispy... and addictive!

Okay, that's it for my Friday Favs. I hope you'll give some of them a try and let me know what you think.

And don't forget to come back on Monday for the next installment of my "Marriage & Family: Creating Harmony in the Home" series. I'll be sharing our thoughts on "Chores for Kids." 

Have a great weekend everybody!

Scenes from the Weekend & An Updated Recipe

Thank you so much for all of your positive and encouraging comments and emails regarding my last post about some of the behavior challenges we're facing with our children right now. It's so nice to be able to share not only the fun things on this blog, but also the difficult things, and know that there will be people who will encourage us along the way. So, thank you!

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This past weekend was mostly spent around the house, which is rare, and yet so good. 

Friday evening Brian was still in Texas for a work trip, so the boys and I went to our friend's new house for an evening of swimming & pizza. The kids had a ball and I loved seeing her gorgeous new home.

I woke up to Brian climbing into bed around 1 a.m. and it felt so good to reach over and grab his hand, knowing he was home. I don't sleep well when he's out of town, so it's a good thing he rarely travels.

Saturday morning, we split up and Brian took Payton to serve with our church's "Second Saturday" community service project; and Parker and I went downtown to participate in a charity 5K walk for our good friend who has Juvenile Diabetes.

All of us walking under a major roadway in downtown Tampa. It was so weird to be walking on these streets!

Parker and I walking along beautiful Bayshore Blvd.

We all had wonderful experiences and as they say, it really does feel good, when you do good for others. 

After some seriously-needed showers, the whole fam went out to a late lunch at one of our favorite water-side restaurants. This gorgeous bird - lovingly named "Fred" by the restaurant employees - sat next to our table and patiently watched until Parker inevitably dropped a sweet potato fry on the ground. To which Fred quickly gulped down his throat.

The rest of the weekend we took it pretty easy and just enjoyed lounging around the house watching the Masters and taking it easy. Sunday afternoon we got our giant inflatable pool out for the kids. Parker in particular gets so excited about this pool. And I have to admit, it is pretty fun to have!

Last but not least, I wanted to share an updated recipe with you.

I've posted this Italian Chicken Recipe before, but this time, I updated it and made it a Greek version. It was so delicious and SUPER easy.

Baked Greek Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• Jar of pitted kalamata olives
• Container of crumbled feta cheese (I used the tomato/basil version)
• Greek salad dressing (I made my own using Ina Garten's recipe, found here)
• Oregano

Directions:

1. Spray casseroled dish with non-stick cooking spray and place raw chicken in dish. Pour Greek dressing over chicken.
2. Dump can of tomatoes over the chicken, then sprinkle with feta cheese, olives and oregano.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Let me tell you... despite the recipe being SO easy... it explodes with flavor! If you like Greek salads, you will love this dish. Sadly, I had to scrape off most of the toppings for my children, but they still said the flavor was delicious. :) I served it with rice, but I bet it would be great with Cous Cous too.

That's all for today. I hope you'll return later this week when I re-visit my new series, "Marriage & Family: Creating Harmony in the Home," when I'll be addressing age-appropriate chores.

Have a great week everyone... go out and be fabulous! ;)

Marriage & Family: Creating Harmony In The Home

This is the first installment in a new series titled "Marriage & Family: Creating Harmony In The Home", which will address some new strategies we are implementing in our household to help create a more organized, grateful, happy environment for both our family and our marriage.

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"I just think both of our kids are at difficult ages right now, wouldn't you agree?" said my husband recently.

"Yes. I do agree, indeed."

We've been having a lot of these discussions lately in our house.

Our kids have pretty much always been "easy" kids in the grand scheme of things.

We are extremely blessed that they fall in the "healthy" classification of medical standards for the most part. Yes, we deal with some serious eczema sometimes and most recently some tricky ear infections, but nothing some common medications can't treat.

They are also very bright kids. And most importantly, they are Christ-following, loving boys, that have sweet, tender hearts.

But recently... we've had our hands full.

Temper tantrums from our 4-year old that could rival the most epic of meltdowns. We now call him our "Strong-Willed Child."

And laziness and ungratefulness from our 10-year old that make me want to pull my hair out by the handful. The pre-teen years are upon us and the attitude needs to be taken care of now before the real-deal teenage years hit.

I love my children with every ounce of my being. But when they are being disrespectful, disagreeable, dishonest, or any of the other negative "dis" words you can think of... I am not the best mom I can be. I snap at them, I raise my voice at them, I throw out empty threats like, "If you don't come brush your teeth right now, you won't have any sweets for a WEEK!" It's just not pretty.

But what we recently discovered is that not only is their behavior impacting the way our family is functioning, it's impacting our marriage.

Brian and I got into a heated discussion about the kids and their poor behavior and how "this irritates me" and "he keeps doing this" and "why does he feel he's entitled to so-and-so" and it didn't end on a happy note. We didn't get anything resolved and we both ended up mad.

So, what's the solution (in addition to a LOT of prayer)?

Well, we're starting small and making some changes that I believe will make a difference in our household. If nothing else, they are changes that will make me a happier mom, and make our kids more appreciative and grateful... which I think will in turn, change their behaviors.

And just in case you may be dealing with a little of this in your own household, I wanted to share our experiences with you in hopes of helping out other families along the way.

First up...a morning "Checklist."

Last year, Brian read a book titled "The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right" by Atul Gawande. Ever since then he has implemented numerous - highly effective - checklists in his business. It has made a huge difference in the efficiency and accuracy of how things run in his office.
So, he suggested that we implement the same strategy in our home.

Often times in the morning, we would start the day off on a bad note when Payton would finish breakfast and then lounge around, play with Parker, or sneak off to play on electronics (even though he's not supposed to before school) only to discover 2 minutes before heading out the door that his reading log wasn't filled in, or his bed wasn't made, or he had dirty clothes on his floor, etc., etc. which would send us all into a tailspin.

Not the way I'd like to start our day.

So now, he has a "Morning Checklist" laminated and stuck to his bedroom wall for him to make sure he completes every single item on the list before he can do anything else. And let me tell you, it's made such a difference!

I can simply say, "Have you completed everything on your list? Go check."

And that's it.

Not a million reminders. Followed by nagging. Followed my raised voices. Followed by attitude and eye-rolling (my least favorite, by the way).

Now, I realize that every household is different, and what works for us, may not work for you. Your child's morning checklist might look very different from mine.

However, if your first reaction is to say, "My child would never clean up their room every morning!" maybe that's because you've never set that expectation for him/her. All of our kids are capable of doing these things. We just have to set those expectations and encourage them that they can do it.

Trust me, putting some of the work back on them (especially when they're 10 years old) is plenty fair and is very healthy for them. It teaches them responsibility and accountability.

That being said, here is Payton's "Morning Checklist":

I wish I could be a fly on the wall... or in your brain right now to know what you're thinking.

But trust me... you're kids CAN do this, if they aren't already doing so.

We get Payton out of bed at 6:45 a.m. and he doesn't leave until 7:30 a.m. so in 45 minutes he has plenty of time to do all of this.

Of course this is just one strategy that we are implementing right now to help create harmony in our home.

Wanna know the rest?

Well... you'll have to tune in next time!

Sorry for the cliffhanger ending, but this post is already long enough and it's going to take me some time to right up the next one as well.

I can give you this hint though... it's a chore list. And it's a good one!

I have an awesome online resource for age-appropriate chores for every age. It's really helpful, so make sure you come back for the next installment of this post series.

In the meantime, sit down and create a little "morning checklist" for your kids or yourself and see if it makes your weekdays run a little smoother. I bet you it will!

Easter Weekend Recap

We did things a little different this year for Easter.
I'm still not sure how I feel about it to be honest.
We attended our Easter church service on Friday night instead of Sunday.
It was an incredible service, and I like the idea of attending church on Good Friday, but I don't think I like not attending service on Easter.
We were still at church on Sunday, but Brian and I were both serving in different areas instead of sitting in the church service together.

Also, this is the first time we haven't spent Easter day with our extended family.
Sometimes it's one set of parents, sometimes it's both sets of parents, but we've never spent it without any of them (I know, we're spoiled).
I thought that by making brunch reservations at our favorite restaurant, it would make up for not having an Easter meal with our extended family.
But I think I was wrong.
It just didn't feel like Easter.
Yes, we had an egg hunt for the kids. Yes, we physically went to our church and spent time with all of friends at church, but the day just seemed off.

Brian took the boys golfing in the afternoon and I thought I would enjoy some quiet time in the house. But again... it just felt wrong. I thought, "What am I doing sitting on the couch by myself on Easter afternoon? We should be with family... or at least together... not me at the house and Brian and the kids out golfing.

When they returned from golfing, the boys were overheated, overtired, and just plain cranky (as was their father). Everyone went in their own direction for about an hour.

In the end, we all reconvened and play board games, went for a long family walk around the neighborhood, and spent a nice evening together. But I learned a lot of lessons this weekend.

1. I always want to be surrounded by our family on holidays whenever possible. Even if that means driving a couple of hours in the car. I'm just a "gotta be with family on holidays" kinda gal.

2. Holidays are precious. Treat them that way. Don't waste away your time doing things that don't matter, or that you'll regret when you look back. I don't have one single picture of me with anyone from the entire weekend because I was too busy doing other things. I hate that.

3. Spend more time in prayer and reflection on holy holidays. Looking back at this Easter Sunday, I totally failed at this. But recognizing it and learning from it is a very valuable lesson to me.

So, I blog all of this to remind myself of what's important.
I want to be able to look back at this post and say, "That's right. I want to do things differently next time."
And so as not to end on a "down-er" note, let me share some of our truly wonderful, fun moments from the weekend...

Our Friday night church service was just awesome. They did this amazing song where it was mostly just guys banging on the bongo drums with drum sticks while people were painting the word "King" on large boards. There were black lights and our Worship Pastor and his wife sang an incredibly powerful song. It was so moving.

Saturday morning, my parents came to visit. We had such a fun time dying eggs with the kids, relaxing on the back porch and just enjoying each other's company. I am so very glad they made the trip over for the day.

Saturday evening we hung out with our dear neighbors. The kids swam (Parker is becoming quite the little fish!), while the adults sat in the hot tub and relaxed. As we were leaving they lit a bonfire so the kids could roast a quick marshmallow.

Sunday morning came very early at our house.
Parker was up at 5ish wanting to see if the Easter bunny had come. I convinced him to say in bed till 6, but that was it.
Our egg hunt happened in the dark. :)

It was so cute watching Parker run behind Payton looking for eggs. They were really sweet. Then they had to hunt for their Easter baskets. That rascally rabbit is good at hiding things!

A little while later, we headed off to church. The boys looked very handsome if I do say so myself!

And then, as mentioned, we went out for brunch after church. All of our meals were incredible, but I think I won "best order" by getting the cheddar shrimp & grits with chorizo, crumbled bacon and a maple glaze. Oh my. It was AH-mazing.

Overall, it was a lovely weekend, and I am so glad that we got to see my parents. But I wish we would have also driven over to see Brian's parents and spend some time with all of us together.

Life is a constant stream of learning, and this Easter, I learned a lot. About myself, about what I want holidays to look like for our family, and how I can make that happen in the future.
I may be almost 40, but I've still got a lot to learn.
So thankful for a wonderful family that loves us and a King of Kings that loved us enough to give us his only son. Amen to that! :)

Easter Tid Bits

Easter Sunday is upon us.
It's one of our most important holidays of the year and we have spent weeks preparing our hearts and minds to commemorate Jesus' horrific crucifixion and the amazing miracle of his resurrection.
Our kids know that Easter is far more than bunnies and egg hunts and I am so proud of the way they respect the true meaning behind the holiday.
All of that being said, I also love the tie-in of Easter being a time of rebirth and renewal, which is also the start of the Spring season. My lilies are blooming for the first time, there are gorgeous birds on our bird feeders every morning, and I just want to open up the french doors and let the fresh air in all day long.
This weekend we will be attending Easter services at our church on Friday evening, which we've never done before. We'll be serving at church on Sunday, so we'll still be dressing up the boys in their new Easter outfits (matching of course - insert the gag sound from my husband), and then going out to one of our favorite restaurants for brunch after ward.
And of course one tradition that we're all looking forward to is dyeing eggs.
Every year, my parents have come over on Easter weekend and my mom dyes eggs with the boys.

Sweet Payton, age 3.

One little trick that I recently learned about eggs is, that if you want hard-boiled eggs, you don't necessarily have to boil them! You can bake them instead. It's SO easy, and it makes perfectly hard-boiled eggs every single time.

Simply place the raw eggs in a muffin pan, bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees and then plunge into an ice bath for 10 minutes. Perfect eggs every single time, and they don't crack, which can often happen during the boiling method.

So since this post is titled "Easter Tid Bits" here are some extra random photos for your enjoyment...

Parker had his Easter party at school this week. We hid over 100 eggs on the playground and it took them about 4 minutes to find them all. Just look at their excitement!

Parker and his sweet friend, Riley. We carpool together and their conversations always crack me up.

I was browsing Pinterest this week and came across these fun Easter pins in case you're looking for some last-minute ideas.

These gorgeous blackberry & brie tarts not only sound like they would taste incredible, but they're only 4 ingredients! Gotta love an easy and impressive appetizer. Recipe here.

Personally, I'm not a fan of hard-boiled eggs, but I know everyone will be looking for ways to use up those Easter eggs post-holiday. This version with crumbled bacon and jalapenos looks like it would be a fun twist on the traditional. Recipe here.

How beautiful is this drink? It's called the "Charleston Pink Lady" and I may just have to go buy grenadine to make one of these beauties. Recipe here.

And these would be fun to hand out as favors if you were hosting a lot of kids for Easter brunch. So simple! They're just powdered sugar donut holes inside a bag with a free printable stapled on top. Easy, peasy! Link here.

Okay, that's it for me today. I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter weekend surrounded by people you love. And on Sunday, I hope you'll take time to thank God for sacrificing his one and only son so that our sins could be forgiven. That my friends, is the best gift of all.