Bad Habits

Sometimes Bad Habits are worth the consequences...

 

 

30 by 30- July

Blog Related:::
1. Host a blog give away. I held 1 in early June to celebrate my 250th post. Yay!
2. Host a guest post
3. Keep up on blog series I have started (Happy Homemaker Monday, 2 on 2 & Pinterest Projects) So Far, So Good!

Home Related:::
4. Organize & de-clutter every room in the house month by month (Ex: May= our master bedroom, June= Cora's room, July= Living room etc.) The rooms are coming along and it feels great to be decluttering & organizing.
5. Make several different household products (hand soap, dryer sheets, different cleaners) I tested several ways to clean w vinegar here is Part 1 and Part 2 I also tried homemade Foaming Hand Soap.
6. Cook something for my freezer at least once a week I'VE ADDED: Zucchini bread, chopped rhubarb, homemade butter rolls, corn, lasagna & pieogies
7. Have a garage sale Happened in April. I made about $70
8. Add 'curb appeal' to our home (shrubs,grass, flowers, stone work etc.)
9. Plant something I've never planted in my garden. We planted strawberries! They won't produce this year but Hey gotta start sometime, right?
10. Hang an outside clothes line


Family Related:::
11. Go on a few dates w/ Kenny. Anniversary dinner, When we were home in mid-July the girls stayed w Grandma & we went to a nice dinner at the Dish.
12. Plan a Shipshewana, IN trip.
13. Plan something special for Ken's 30th birthday (September)
14. Document the year through pictures/Be more intentional w/ new camera Not doing as well as I had hoped. I am just NOT a picture taker. My iPhone is so handy, although the pictures are not the quality I want for these days w/ my precious babies.
15. Take girls to the zoo We went for Father's day. It was fun! See the picture below
16. Teach Cora the the letters of the alphabet
17. Open saving accounts for girls
18. Get back on track using coupons, price matching, staying w/i our weekly grocery budget etc. So Far, So Good
19. Go on a family vacation DONE. WE WENT TO FLORIDA FOR 11 DAYS IN MARCH!

For Me:::
20. Lose baby weight (I'll do this slowly b/c I'm nursing. I will not start a crazy diet plan. My plan is simple: eat healthy, walk & give it time!) Work in Progress- 4 lbs. to my pre-pregnancy weight!
21. Treat myself to a manicure OR pedicure. DONE. Went w/ some friends in May
22. Do something totally different with my hair
23. Do something special for my 30th birthday
24. Create & implement a daily cleaning schedule (I have seen tons of these online but none work for me. I need a personalized one)
25. Start journaling my bible reading time. Started in May w/ 1 John.  I am following Priscilla Shirer's 5 Ps of bible study.

For Others:::
26. Do something neighborly for at least 2 of my neighbors. We took Key Lime Cookies to our neighbors Jim & Rose & we also delivered a dozen sweet corn to another neighbor.
27. Get more involved in our Preschool program at church Work in Progress
28. Teach at least 1 friend how to pressure and/or water bath can (Who wants this to be them?!?!)
29. Be a bell ringer for Salvation Army during the Christmas season (I wanted to do this this past Christmas but thought of it too late & couldn't get it scheduled)
30. Act out at least 3 random acts of kindness (No plan for this- I will wait for the Holy Spirit to guide me)

Zoo on Father's Day.

MIY: Foaming Hand Soap

Over the weekend I made foaming hand soap~ Super duper simple! I love foaming soap for Cora b/c it doesn't pump as much out & it is easier for her to get it all off by herself. She helped me make it :)

You'll Need:
1 old foaming soap bottle, empty
2 tbsp. of any non-lotion, soap
water

Add 2 tbsp. of soap to the empty foaming bottle. Fill half way w/ water. Swirl the bottle around to mix. {Do not violently shake!} Add more water to fill the bottle. DONE!



Little hands testing out our new creation :)

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather:::


On my reading pile:::

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Lasagna & garlic bread
Tuesday - Veggie burgers & homemade French fries
Wednesday - Lonestar Enchiladas Spanish rice
Thursday - Swedish meatballsover egg noodles
Today's To Do list:::

• Laundry
• Close a Pampered Chef show
• Vacuum

My "project" of the week Month::: Still in Cora's room. It is impossible to keep her room neat & organized. Which is ok b/c that just means she is playing in there contently. She is still a little too young to pick up her room well & put things back in the correct places so we have an endless cycle going on. Ha!

What I plan to cook for my freezer::: I will be leaving Ken for a week while I spend some time in IN- he really appreciates it if I have a stocked freezer for him while I am away. So my plan is to make big dinners & freeze the leftovers & also make a batch of periogis!
Looking around the house::: Quite. I am up early. Both girls are still in bed, although I can hear Evie holler every now & again. I need to clean up from a lazy weekend.

Highlight of the past weekend::: The fall-like weather!

Looking forward to this week::: Leaving Friday for the Indiana state fair!

Bible verse, Devotional::: "This is love for God, to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome" -1John 5:3

From the camera:::



Corn Chowder

I apologize but I do not have exact measurements for this recipe. But that is what I love about it. I use whatever I have on hand & it always turns out wonderful. I decided to make this on Friday when it was raining & only a high of 75. I had 7 leftover ears of sweet corn in my fridge. Perfect!

Corn Chowder
1/2 lb. bacon (I've also used sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
water, aprox. 4 cups
sweet corn, 6-9 ears
milk, aprox. 4 cups
2 medium-large potatoes, cubed
corn, frozen, aprox. 3 cups
salt & pepper to taste
parsley
garlic
paprika
2 Tbsp. corn starch
Toppings:
Cheese, hot sauce, tomatoes, green onions and/or sour cream

-In a large pot, cook bacon. Set aside.
-In same pot add onion, cook until tender.
-Add water to pot
-Cut the corn kernels off the cob & set aside. In the stock pot simmer the cobs in water for about 20minutes.
-Add the corn that was cut from the cobs & milk. Simmer an additional 10minutes.
-Blend w/ an immersion blender
-Add potatoes, additional corn, S&P, parsley, garlic & paprika
-In a small prep bowl add corn starch & 2 Tbsp. of water. Whisk into the soup.
-Simmer until potatoes are tender.
-Top w/ any combination of toppings
-This freezes great too!

Make It Yourself:: Brownie Mixes

I got the inspiration for this from Money Saving Mom. What a GOOD idea, homemade brownie mix. No more boxed brownies for this household. I love having these mixes premade in my pantry b/c the prep time is cut in half when I decide we need brownies for dessert!
Today, I made 3 mixes. Too many at once might mean they go bad before I use them, as they are recommended to be used w/i 3months.

Here is what you'll need for each dry mix:
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. baking coco
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

On the bag write the wet ingredients needed for baking:
2 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
*Optional, add chocolate chips, white chips, nuts or raspberries just before baking

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

 

 

 

 

MaeMae is Growing Up!

In the past month or so Cora Mae has been wanting to pick out her own outfits, dress herself & do her own "hair style". I never imagined what a huge help this could be to me! Some days she picks out a simple dress & looks perfect. Other days her choices, well, wouldn't be what I would pick for her to wear. But either way I praise her for helping me, being Sooo big, & looking beautiful. She is always proud of own efforts & so am I!
Here are a few examples:::

Mismatched outfit, shirt on backwards, rain boots w/o socks

About 6-8 hair pins, clips/bows in her hair

Yes, I took her out in public w/ this hair! How could I not?

Here she did her own make-up

Happy Homemaker Monday

Goodness Summer is busy! Am I right? We've spent more time in IN than Peoria in the month of July! My Pampered Chef business is off to a great start but adding busyness to my schedule. But we will never be too busy to enjoy summer::: Swimming, sprinkler, parks, VBS, etc!

I know it is Tuesday but I figured better to do a HHM today than not at all!


The weather:::
























On my reading pile::: Pampered Chef catalog. HAHA...but seriously!

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Pork burgers & Sweet corn
Wednesday - Chicken cresants & broccoli
Thursday - Lamb burgers & homemade French fries
Friday - BBQ chicken pizza on the grill
Saturday - Steak fajitas
Sunday - ???

Today's To Do list:::

• Evie doc apt
• Quick stop at Walgreens
• Laundry
• Put up corn

My "project" of the week Month::: Cora's room

What I plan to add to my freezer::: CORN

Looking around the house::: Both girls are awake, in pjs & watching cartoons. Kitchen is full of dirty dishes that I left after last night's Pampered Chef show. It is really bright & sunny today!

Highlight of the past weekend::: The whole week in IN w/ family was fun. Swimming, kids, Pampered Chef show- we were busy!

Looking forward to this week::: Just being home & getting things done!

Bible verse, Devotional::: "If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done!" Ecclesiastes 11:4

From the camera::: Having fun at Gma & Gpa Stoner's over the weekend!

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather:::























On my reading pile:::

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Grilled Lamb chops & potatoes
Tuesday - Not sure. I'll have to scavenge the pantry :) 

Today's To Do list:::

• Laundry
• Vacuum
• Pay bills
• Garden

My "project" of the week Month::: We'll say Cora's room should continue into July! ;)

What I plan to cook for my freezer::: Mini muffins for Cora. I've got the zucchini thawing on the counter! Yum!

Looking around the house::: Ev is sleeping, Cora is playing in her room. I was gone all weekend & I need to get things done before we leave again for the holiday weekend!

Highlight of the past weekend::: Our quick, unexpected trip to Valpo was a lot of fun. Cora threw a fit in the van on our way home b/c she "did not wanna leave Indiana"

Looking forward to this week::: 4th of July...DUH!

Bible verse, Devotional:::

From the camera::: Cora & my niece at VBS last week!