blessings

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As you are probably getting used to seeing on Tuesdays now, I'm hosting with Natalie, Beth Ann, and Jordan to share the blessings God has placed in our paths during the week.

{Blessing One}

Moments like these...
 

{Blessing Two}

My Momma.  I'm so blessed to have my Momma as a best friend and in our lives the way she is.  Her and and my dad are such a blessing to us in so many ways.

{Blessing Three}

It's fall y'all!

{Blessing Four}

Our Family Friday Nights we have started! We had our second this past Friday and it has quickly caught on to be a tradition.  We have a fun, yummy picnic in the living room while we watch a Disney Movie together! Two weeks ago was Peter Pan and last Friday was Tangled.  Adeline has a ball with this time together.  It blesses us tremendously!

{Blessing Five}

That these two have each other.  They are brother and sister...forget the difference in number of legs and body covering...they are siblings.  They love on each other.  They play.  The fight for window space.  They make our house a home.  And they are best friends.

What blessings has God placed in your path this past week? We would love to have you join us!

Make sure to grab the box and link-up with us today!

a little love...

 

Just a little love for your Valentine's Day eve!

I don't know?!

This is just like me....adding something else to my plate.  I'm sitting down for a minute to blog while I'm in the middle of decorating and prepping for Adeline's (gulp) FIRST birthday party tomorrow! (We are still a week from her actual birthday.  That thought helps me fight back tears a little easier.)

I snapped some quick 12 month pics tonight to finalize a few decor projects for the party.  I had to share this little gem of a picture.  It sums up our house these days.

This is Adeline's "I don't know?!" pose.  Anytime we ask a question, someone leaves, something is taken away, or we say "I don't know", she strikes this pose.

This is Boone's, "I can't believe you're making me do this again" face.  It might also be saying, "Remember when I used to run this house?!"

Love this girl to pieces!!

(And her best bud, "Buh", aka Boone.)

happy birthday to Boone!

It's our sweet pup's 3rd birthday today!

We love our sweet pup.  He's so good-natured, smart, and has definitely stepped into the "big bro" role pretty easily! 

Happy birthday, Boone!!

cuteness under the tree

Here are some photos of our "at home" Christmas photo shoot! I had way too much fun snapping pictures of this sweet girl (and her pup)!

Boone was the first to have his time in front of the tree...such a cutie!

Next was sweet Adeline's turn...

 

Both of my cuties in front of the tree...

And because I like to keep it real...here is an outtake :)

Joy to you all this Christmas!!

waiting

We're in waiting mode here in our household.  Although my due date isn't for 10 more days, we are in the mindset that Adeline could come any day!

Our bags are packed...including Boone's.

The "last minute" list is posted by the door.

The pack-n-play is up in our room.

The bouncy/vibrating seat is in the living room.

And the cabinets are stocked with gobs of easy soups and other recipes in mind.

Of course, the car-seat is installed, her room is ready, her closet is organized, the diapers and wipes are stocked, and all her laundry is completed.  I'm sure my nesting could allow me to try to get about a hundred more things "ready" before she gets here...but for now I'm propping my feet up and just waiting.

In the meantime, check out how this belly's being utilized...

Boone has found his new favorite snuggle spot.

And I've found a handy place to hold my bowl of dessert.

Come on, sweet girl.  We can't wait to meet you!!

miscellany monday

I'm linking up with Carissa on this Monday.  My brain is exhausted and miscellany is about all I can pull together! :)

 

I so miss sleeping in with this cutie every day like I did in the summer!

 

 Just when I didn't think I could love Target any more...I had a discovery...

Cup holders!! IN the Target cart!!

I have two different Targets I go to.  The one I usually go to isn't a new Target and therefore they don't have the cup holders.  The new Target I get to at times, do.  (I realize I may be way late in the game on this one.)  When I walked in and found these, I thought I might squeal from excitement.  I've said that carts need cup holders forever.  And now two of my favorite things go hand-in-hand--a cup holder and Target. Mucho love.

This is the lovely glider we found for sweet Adeline's nursery.  Yet another awesome piece found at our local antique/flea market.  I'm not only in love with the way it looks, but also the deal we got! This only cost us $39 and had recently been reupholstered! Be still my thrifty heart!

ice, ice, baby

Santa came to town early here and delivered three, yes three, snow days for us teachers this week! Crazy since I can't remember ever having a snow day before Christmas break,even as a kiddo. And even though I had mixed feelings about it, I'm celebrating that I just got a call that our third snow day will be tomorrow, which means my break has started two days early! Earlier in the week we were dealing with snow...and then last night, we got sleet and freezing rain...so our neck of the woods is like one big ice skating rink.  I thought I would have a go with my first video post to share our pup ice skating on our steep driveway!

So it's probably one of those things where we think our kid is the cutest...and you may not be as impressed.  But we love our pup and think he's something special. :)
(His 2nd birthday is Saturday, too!)

Happy early birthday, Boone!

(Seriously, it just feels like no time at all since we adopted him and brought him home looking like this...)

We have lots of celebrating to do this weekend...and I will update in a couple days or so with details!

Have a wonderful weekend!

p.s.  I'm featured over at Thankfully Thrifty today! Thanks, Ashleigh, for the shout-out!

what i'm loving wednesday

So excited to link up with the lovely Jamie @ this kind of love.  Check out her link-up.  It makes this "middle of the week" day even a bit more worth celebrating.  [The other term for Wednesday makes me cringe.  Do any of y'all feel the same way?  Or do I just need to get my mind out of the gutter?]

one.

I'm loving how my hubby looks with his new guitar.  It was a birthday/graduation gift from me.  I can't wait for him to take lessons. He's super excited.

two.

 

I'm loving these three finds from my election day shopping trip with my mom and grandma.  We shopped all the "best deal" places...TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Marshalls.  This great basket was only $14.99...it's housing shoes in our foyer.  The adorable pillow was something I could not put down.  It was on clearance for $6.50 and is now snuggled in the chair in the corner of our living room.  (Seriously, this pillow just may be something I design a little boy's rugged nursery around one day.)  And this awesome "Happy Birthday" plate was used for the first time for hubby's bday celebration this past weekend.  It's a new tradition in our bungalow...bday person gets to eat their dessert on the special plate!

three.

I'm loving that since my prof was "throwing up" (his terms exactly in his email) and canceled class Monday night, I had one extra afternoon to spend on a walk with this cute guy.  He loves going for a walk with his momma.

four.

I'm loving this recipe my friend Kendra shared with me for Oreo Ice Cream cake.  Move over Dairy Queen...this stuff is fabulous!

Ingredients:

-a half gallon of vanilla ice cream (I use one and a half 1.5 quart containers)

-2/3 container of Oreos

-1 container of cool whip (I use light)

To make:

-Let ice cream and cool whip sit out until soft

-Crush Oreos in large bowl (I prefer my potato masher)

-Slowly add in ice cream and cool whip, gradually mixing it in

-Fill a 9x13" pan with the ice cream mix

-Let freeze

I used the extra Oreos to decorate the top of Justin's cake.  It was a big hit! (And the best part is there was extra left over in our freezer.)

five.

Today was an early release day at school, meaning a couple hours without kiddos.  I love my kiddos but after conferences taking place over the last couple weeks, a break is nice.

 

six.

We rearranged our living room furniture! Love it!

Happy Wednesday to you!

the blessing box

This week is Natalie's first "Blessing Box" Tuesday over at her blog, Extraordinary Love.  I was very excited to join in!

Blessing one:

Really, my mood is a blessing right now.  With starting school tomorrow, I really wasn't sure if I would be in the "mood" to join in the blessing box this week.  However, I have been hanging onto my Savior and praying for my heart and mind to be in the right place as summer comes to an end.  Just as always, He has answered my prayers in His time and in His perfect way.

Blessing two:

The first blessing leads me to this blessing....my classroom is finally "complete" and ready for my 22 kiddos to arrive tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m.  I feel very blessed to work with wonderful people and have a job that is such a blessing.

view from the back of the room

view from our "sink room" door (it connects my classroom to the next door classroom)

view from the classroom door

Blessing three:

I feel really blessed when I get deals like this.  I feel like saving money on groceries and other necessities is a blessing from God in order to stretch our budget.

Kroger has a deal right now where if you buy $20 in school supplies (brands include: Papermate, BIC, Expo, Avery, Sharpie, Crayola, Planahead, Mead, Five Star, Carolina Pad) you get a $4 Catalina. (Coupon that prints out as money toward your next purchase.)  FYI:  The regular price is the price counted toward the $20.

Transaction 1:

Purchased 11 Crayola Crayon 24 count at $.25 each (regular price is $1.99)

Total: $2.75 and received $4 catalina

Transaction 2:

Purchased $9.98 worth of groceries

Used $4 catalina

Total: $5.98

My total spent was $8.75.  The Catalina basically made all 11 packs of crayons free and then gave me $1.25 off my groceries that I needed.  It's definitely a blessing to get paid to shop!

Blessing four:

I'm blessed to have these two in my life...they make it so joyful! They came to help me in my classroom this afternoon as I was putting finishing touches on things.  (And the McDonald's they brought was pretty nice too!)

Boone as a baby

Blessing five:

Summertime.  Need I say more?

homemade treats for your four-legged baby

Boone pretty much runs the show around here.  I never, ever thought I would be so attached to a dog.  Seriously...if you have read my blog for long at all, you know he's pretty well-loved and spoiled around here.  And I'm very much attached to my four-legged baby.  One of the things on my summer to-do list was make him homemade treats.  I don't think it was even a week into summer when I was already crossing this one off the list.

Justin bought a great book, Country Wisdom & Know-How, back in the winter.  This book is the wisdom of all your grandparents and great-grandparents combined about "living off the land".  We are constantly picking this book up and reading bits and pieces to each other.  It's amazing.  Even if you're not a "country girl", I would suggest this book if you have even a slight interest in DIY, homegrown, or homemade.  One section is all about homemade treats and remedies for your animals.  I found a great recipe for Peanut Butter Biscuits in this book (p. 56).  The great thing about the recipes is you can adapt them however you want, and everything is edible for humans....so you're not really purchasing items you won't also use to create your own meals.  (My father-in-law did attempt to try a biscuit...I wasn't here when he did...but Justin said it was a little too hard for him.  So this is just a little warning not to make these to hand out to your four-legged children and your human children.)

These treats are Boone approved...he gives them four paws up.

Ingredients:

-4 cups whole-wheat flour

-2 cups quick-cooking oats

-2 1/2 cups warm water

-1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter (no sugar or salt added)

-1/4 cup carob chips

(I didn't use the carob chips because I couldn't make it to the health food store...these are optional)

Boone already showing interest in this....

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well.

2.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it is firm.  If the dough is too sticky, add warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, while continuing to knead.  (I didn't need to add more water.)

3.  Roll the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut with the cookie cutter of your choice.  (I didn't have any on hand so I used a butter knife and measuring cups to create circles.)  Transfer biscuits to a baking sheet.

Get creative! (I did bones too.)

Boone peaking in.

4.  Bake the biscuits for 40 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the biscuits stand in the oven until hard, 1 to 2 hours.

5.  Let your puppy lick the spoon at the end.  (Okay, so I added this step.)

Hope your furry friends enjoy!