Yard Sale Treasures

I've been out and about at yard sales the past few weeks, but it's been slim pickings around here. Fortunately I finally had some luck this weekend! I found a lamp for my new sewing and crafting space. I saw it when I pulled up to the sale. I thought some other ladies were going to snatch it up, but I got there first. It set me back a whole $2! I couldn't believe it! I bought another lamp very similar at Home Goods a couple of years ago and unfortunately I paid A LOT more than that. I was super happy with my find! I can't wait to see it when we finish painting the furniture black.

The next sale I went to had a little paper back book I have been on the lookout for since last summer. I was so excited and it only cost 25 cents! Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is pretty good so far, I like the author's writing style.

Well, that was it for me this weekend. I am hoping to find some baskets and accessories for my new sewing space during my next yard sale adventures! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Head on over to Rhoda's at Southern Hospitality for Thrifty Treasures. I love seeing what everyone else found during their adventures!

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 6-27-10

I am so glad we're back into a regular routine! Traveling kind of throws me for a loop for a while. I am hoping to keep the boys on a better schedule the rest of summer, we kind of forget about bed times around here when we are first on break. Since we'll be getting up at our usual times I am hoping we'll be able to hit the park every morning before it gets too hot!

This week K and I are also trying to get my sewing and crafting space all set up in the old formal living room of the house. It has been relatively empty since we bought the house, so we decided to put it to good use. I have already been working in it, but I want to tie it all together with "matching" furniture. We have a bunch of furniture to paint and to arrange. I am so excited to have a creative space again! I think it really makes my heart sing! Anyway, that's what we're hoping to accomplish this week.

Here is what we have planned to eat for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit, Scones, Scrambled Omelets

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars

Dinners:

Sunday- Tri Tip, Grilled Zucchini, Rice Pilaf

Monday- Roasted Chicken, Red Potatoes, Salad
(use the bones to make broth)

Tuesday- Fajitas, Refried Beans, Spanish Rice, Salad

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Easy Ginger Beef, Steamed Rice, Sugar Snap Peas

Friday- Pizza, Salad, Root Beer, Homemade Ice Cream

Saturday-Salad Bar


Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.


Until next time,

A Few of My Favorite Things

This week has been fun for me because I have been sewing and baking. Anyone that knows me knows those are two of my favorite things to do! Nothing makes me happier than seeing a big old stack of beautiful fabrics or a big batch of cookies cooling on the racks. Pure bliss I tell you!

Summer is my favorite time of the year because the days are pretty much mine to do with as I see fit. We purposefully don't plan a lot, so we can just hang out and do our things. It is our time to giggle, build, veg out, create, and play. Exactly how summers should be!


I am getting ready to open up an Etsy shop to sell some of my creations, so keep an eye out for that! K has been having fun taking pictures of me in the finished aprons. He acts like it's a fashion photo shoot. All I know is it makes me laugh hysterically!

Enjoying the summer with my family is definitely a finer thing in life! Head on over to Amy's Finer Things to see what everyone else is celebrating this week. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Until next time,

California Dreamin'

We had a wonderful little trip (minus the crazy traffic..rruugh) to San Diego last weekend. We have some friends that live there, so we headed down for a little get together and some beach time! The boys are all fish, I mean they LOVE the water so hitting the beach was awesome with them!! The weather was great and the water was wonderful.

I loved seeing them so excited about learning how to so something new. The little boys hit the waves with a boogie board while Z and K had surf boards. Z never got up, but the smile on his face showed me he had a great time anyway. K got up, but I missed it! I was so bummed. So indulge me as I line the rest of this post with pictures of my beach bums!

Z the surfer dude!


L loving the sand!


N waiting to get back in the water!


Z heading out to try to catch a wave!


L riding in a wave!


Look at N's smile!


The builders


Oh man, K's almost up!

The reason I love my camera!
Catching K in this series was awesome!

I am so grateful to have friends that live in beautiful places! We are hoping to head back one more time before summer is over. It gives me extra incentive to be very mindful of our budget, so we can save up to go back!

We did have one casualty this trip...K's wedding ring is now in the Pacific Ocean somewhere! He never took it off, so we didn't even think about him taking it off before they all got in the water. He is so bummed, he said he wanted to see how it would look when we're ninety! Oh well, life happens. Hopefully today we'll be able to go back to the jewelers and get another band for him! All in all, we had a great trip even if traffic and missing rings happened! I can't wait to go back!!

Until next time,


I'm linking this post to Gratituesday!

Menu Plan for the Week 6-20-10

Wow! We had a crazy, busy, whirlwind weekend! We headed down to beautiful San Diego to see some friends, hit the sand, and do some shopping. The boys had a blast at the beach! I know if we lived closer to the ocean they would be in it EVERY day. I can't believe how well they took to boogie boarding! K and Z even tried surfing, it was a blast!

Anyway, we are back and ready to recover from all that crazy traffic and enjoy the rest of our summer break!

Here is what we have planned for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit, Scones, Scrambled Omelets

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars, Oven Fried Zucchini (Now I get to use squash from our garden for these!)

Dinners:
Sunday- Sandwiches on the road

Monday- Hamburgers, Home Fries, Salad

Tuesday- Beef Kabobs~ Onions, Squash, Bell Peppers

Wednesday- Tacquitos, Refried Beans, Spanish Rice, Salad

Thursday- BBQ Chicken and Steak, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Friday- Pizza, Salad, Root Beer, Homemade Ice Cream

Saturday-Salad Bar


Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.


Until next time,

Garden Harvest Time!

There is nothing finer in life than heading out to your own garden and bringing in goodness to feed your family!
This is what we brought in today.

There are so many reasons backyard gardens are great! My favorite reason is growing our own food, our own way! No chemicals, no craziness, just nature working it's magic to bring forth nourishment. Our family worked together to make this garden happen and now we are reaping its rewards. Love. It.

The second biggest reason is the savings to your grocery bill. I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to save. My garden has taken some of the weight off of my farmer's market budget. For example, right now I don't have to buy peas, lettuce, squash, or red potatoes. I have them in my own yard! Yippee!! The initial work is definitely worth the savings we're seeing now.

I am really looking forward to all of the veggies and fruit we're going to be getting the rest of the summer! How are your gardens coming along? Anyone else in harvest mode?
Until next time,

This post is linked to Finer Things Friday and Frugal Fridays

Manic Monday

Yesterday began with me tackling our back porch. I was cruising along having fun getting it all cleaned up and ready to enjoy again. The poor porch has been neglected for way too long. Anyway, I was interrupted by a ringing phone. It was a rude lady from our mortgage company. After going back and forth with her I had had enough and handed her off to K. He gave back what she had been giving to me. I was really upset and annoyed by her attitude, but I decided I was going to let some call center grouch ruin my day. I was able to chill out and moved on with my day.

Then, K decided to be a sweetie and wash my filthy Explorer. I have a hard time washing it during the school year because I commute through farmers' fields and it gets covered in dust almost immediately. K said I should be able to drive a clean car even if it is only for the summer months! Well, he got to work and then comes in the house. "I just broke your windshield." Oh my goodness, how in the world does that happen? I guess there was a chip that we didn't know about that split. I was pretty annoyed for the second time, but it was done and it was no one's fault. Life goes on.

Now to the good stuff! K had given his phone number to an older man one day last year when he was in Lowe's after helping him find the parts he needed for his sprinklers. He told Dr. R if he needed any help with his sprinklers or pipes to give him a call. He never called, but that was okay. Well, yesterday our phone rings and it's Dr. R asking K if he could come by his house to see about fixing a leaky system. It made our day! The idea of turning our yucky day into helping out an elderly man was enough to put smiles on our faces. K was able to diagnose the problem and run to get the replacement parts to make the repair. I got the chance to help K and visit with a wise man for a few hours. He was fun to talk to and had a lot in common with my dad. It was a great way to spend the afternoon!

Since we were both in much better spirits by the evening I asked K if he thought it would be okay to take the boys to Costco for frozen yogurts. He liked the idea since we needed to pick something up there anyway. So we had our dessert for dinner night and it only set us back $7.36! You've gotta love anyplace that can give a family of five anything for that price!

Our crazy day ended on a super note when one of our good friends send me a text. It read "She said YES!!!" I was so excited for them! I know they are going to have a great marriage!

As my title says it was a manic Monday around here! I am so glad the crazy morning was washed away by good things the rest of the day!

Today I am grateful for those annoyances that remind us everyday to cherish the good times even more! Head on over to Laura's at Heavenly Homemakers for more Gratiuesday!

Until next time,

Summer Idea List

Over at whatever Meg's family comes up with a list of activities for their summer days. I loved the idea of making one for my family, so I came up with some ideas for us and then asked the boys for their input. Well, we got our list written up this weekend and posted it right on the wall for everyone to see. Since it's been up we've already come up with a few more ideas to add. I can't believe we forgot the BEACH! L also wanted us to add a movie marathon day. He's too cute!

Here's what we came up with for our Summer Ideas!

Thank you Meg for sharing such a neat idea! You Rock!

Her blog is beautiful and so are her stories, you should definitely go visit! I love seeing her photography. Seriously, if we lived closer to Kansas I would be calling her to photograph my family. Her house is such a real place that just screams of comfort and welcomeness (I know it's not a word, but work with me here.)!

Well enough about me go see her site!

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 6-13-10

We are officially in summer mode now! I am so happy that we are all on break! I like a carefree summer, so the only thing I usually plan ahead of time is our trip to the dentist. I know, mean mom, but getting us all in on the same day is worth using part of one vacation day.

We had a great visit with Auntie J and Little B on Saturday. My sister and I love hanging out and running errands together. Little B used to be a terror monster, but he is almost 6 and behaving so much better. It was a lot of fun having them spend the day with us! I wish they lived a bit closer, so we could see each other more often!

The boys and I made our "Summer Ideas" list today, so we can have some ideas to choose from when we're bored. I'll share more about the list and my inspiration for making one later this week. As for plans this week, I am hoping for some play time and some project time. I've got some room revamps I want to get started on pretty quick and some baking to do for the monkeys. Hopefully we'll be able to keep busy and out of trouble!

Here is what we have planned for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit, Scones, Scrambled Omelets

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars, Oven Fried Zucchini (these are soooo good, you must try them!)

Dinners:
Sunday- Tri Tip, Rice Pilaf, Garden Salad, Sugar Snap Peas, Bread Sticks

Monday- Keilbasa, Ranch Potatoes, Salad

Tuesday- Easy Ginger Beef, Rice Noodles, Salad

Wednesday- BBQ Chicken and Steak, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Thursday- Tangerine Beef, Steamed Rice, Sugar Snap Peas

Friday- Pizza, Salad, Root Beer, Homemade Ice Cream

Saturday-Salad Bar


Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.


Until next time,

Growing Up

Yesterday marked the end of Z's stint as an elementary student. That's right he's moving on up to middle school. Did you hear that?!? MIDDLE SCHOOL...how did this happen? I swear he just started kindergarten like five minutes ago! Well life is happening and what a ride it's been! This happy little kid has turned into an opinionated (no idea where he gets that from...ehem), brilliant, funny, and pretty cool kid.

Z's first day of kindergarten

My favorite part about my big guy...he still likes to hug his mama in PUBLIC! I kid you not, this almost teenager still likes his mom and dad! I guess we must be doing things right around this crazy house! Anyway I just have to say being able to witness this kid growing into a pretty amazing man is definitely a finer thing in life!

Z's last day of sixth grade. Don't you love the tie!
I know his hair is too long, but we figure if that's the one crazy thing
he wants to do we're pretty lucky!

My boys are the joy of my life and seeing all three of them changing and growing makes my heart so proud! L and N have grown up a lot this year too. Their great personalities, loving hearts, and smarts make my life pretty sweet!

My fellas

I hope you all have a great weekend! We're officially on break now, so we have a whole lot of nothing planned! Gotta love summer!

Until next time,


This post is linked to Finer Things Friday.

Menu PLan for the Week 6-6-10

I survived my last week of school! Now we have to get through the boys' last week and summer will be officially on! K and I have some projects to tackle during the boys' school days, so we'll see how much we can accomplish. I am hoping a lot, so we can spend the rest of the summer having fun!


Here is what we have planned for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars


Dinners:
Sunday- Homemade Chinese~ Mongolian Beef, Lemon Chicken, Sugar Snap Peas, Steamed Rice

Monday- Sub Sandwiches~ Ham, Roast Beef, Turkey, Lettuce, Spinach, Pickles, Peppers

Tuesday- Lemon Chicken Grill, Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Tacos, Refried Beans, Spanish Rice, Salad

Friday- Pizza, Salad, Root Beer, Homemade Ice Cream

Saturday-Salad Bar


Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.


Until next time,

Raw Milk 101

We are just getting into trying raw milk for our family. It has taken me quite a while to get K to agree try it out, so I will be letting you know how it goes! We are fortunate enough to live down the road, well down the freeway, from Organic Pastures right here in the central valley. They put together a little video to let you know just how their products get from the "Grass to the Glass". I love how passionate they are about their business!



I wanted to share in case any one out there reading is in California. Organic Pastures has booths at farmer's markets and is available in several store locations.

In full disclosure I just wanted you to know I haven't received any compensation or products for writing this post, I just thought it was an interesting video and wanted to share!

Until next time,

School's Out for Summer!

After having an interesting school year I am pretty happy to see my summer vacation finally here! At 12:30pm our kids and staff will be doing the happy dance inside and out!

I love teaching and my students have learned so much, but our breaks are my time to regroup, refocus, and recharge for the next group of kids. I think I can safely speak for most teachers by saying... summer vacation is definitely a finer thing in life!

I guess the look on my face shows how much I am looking forward to just being mom for the next couple of months! Head on over to Amy's for Finer Things Friday to see what everyone else is doing the happy dance about!

Until next time,