Baseball Has Begun

This month has been a little crazy at our house. We started off the month with spring break, buying a new to us car, our computer crashing, we threw in some baseball practice and then we also threw in a new work schedule for Brad.

Because of the computer issue I haven't been able to blog. Between all that has been going on, I've also needed to download all my old programs onto my new computer. It took 4 days to get my old printer downloaded and compatible with my new computer. Thankfully it worked so I didn't have to buy a new one. Then I needed to get my Checking Account back up and running. Today I finally got my Photoshop loaded so that I can download my pictures.

I feel like I get to start from scratch so I should take my time and figure out a better organization system. I think I've already ruined that idea. Oh well.

But as I mentioned........we threw in a baseball practice schedule this month as well. This is our first year with Little League. Joshua has been so excited and loves going to practice. Isaac decided he didn't want to play this year. Maybe next year for him.

This past Saturday was opening day. The day started with a parade. But thankfully Joshua decided it was better to stay in our warm house, so we actually skipped that. His first game was at 5:30 and we bundled up, brought our blankets and endured the cold. Only for my son will I sit out in the cold temperatures. In case you don't know, I'm not a fan of the cold.

Here are some pictures of the momentous occasion!

First time at bat. Struck out. Second time at bat....line drive straight to the pitcher's mitt who actually caught it. Bummer!

It's fun to watch him just because of his excitement for the sport. I'm excited to see how he progresses this year as he gains confidence.

A Few Recipes

I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of the food I made for Easter dinner but I thought I would share a the links to a few of the recipes I made.

These recipes would be great for Spring entertaining or for Mother's Day which is coming up soon.

I've made this fruit salsa recipe a couple times now. Serve it with the homemade cinnamon chips or it is equally delicious with graham crackers! I omit the raspberries and throw the rest of the fruit in the food processor to chop it. It isn't as pretty but it sure is easier than chopping by hand. I used 1 Tbsp of brown sugar and 1 Tbsp of white sugar and for the fruit preserves just throw in a little Strawberry Jam. I guarantee everyone will love it!

We aren't huge fans of ham around here but I made one for Easter. Normally I am one that goes for the cheapest thing but decided that if I was going to make a ham, I was going to buy a good one. I got a great deal on one and made this delicious Brown-Sugar-Glaze. It was delicious! I just brushed it on about every half an hour as it baked. My only complaint would be that it has 4 sprigs of mint. I had to spend $3 on the mint and now I have no idea what I'll do with the rest of it. I might just make it without the mint next time. I have tons of leftover ham, so now I just have to find some good recipes to use it in. If you have any, please share.

I love making cakes! This Strawberry Cake was amazing! Everyone loved it and it is the perfect cake for this spring! It uses fresh strawberries in the cake and in the homemade buttercream icing.

If you follow me on Pinterest, you can also find all of these recipes on my board.

Spring Break In a Nutshell

Last week was spring break over here and I had planned a couple days of activities and hoped to have a nice relaxing fun week with my kids.

Well.......that didn't really happen.

Brad was supposed to move to the day shift last week for the next 4 months. Well.....it was decided that he would stay on the afternoon shift for one more week. No, it was not his decision!

Since Joshua was starting Little League practice this week as well, this change in schedule meant that I would be taking care of baseball practice.

Also, since the change in schedule and since Brad's parents were coming back from Florida and needed their car back, we decided it was probably a good week to really step up the car search.

On Monday we spent the morning driving to every local dealership and had absolutely no luck. Even though I had been searching for a month for a vehicle online, we now knew that we were going to have to drive a little farther to get a car.

At night we went to Texas Roadhouse for supper. Brad had taken half the day off so that he could take Joshua to his first Little League practice. This dinner was a celebration of good report cards and was supposed to be the celebration of Brad going to days, so that was just a little premature. Then it was time to start Little League.

Tuesday, I took the kids to Lincoln Park Zoo with some friends.

Wednesday was a day to actually be home and prepare for what was to happen on Thursday. Then another baseball practice and Burger King in the car on our way to church for our last AWANA night. Alex told me that this was the best supper ever. Why do I even try?

On Thursday, we headed out to Wheeling, IL to test drive a Ford Expedition that I had found online. We were pretty sure we were going to buy it, so I had to have everything in order so that we could make the trip as quick as possible and bring the vehicle home with us. We left at 7:30 am and got home about 45 minutes before Brad had to leave for work. (There will be more on the car in another post.)

Friday morning was spent at my sister's house so that the kids could play and then the afternoon was spent at a friend's house so the kids could play.

Saturday was a day spent grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning to prepare for our Easter guests, Brad's family. Unfortunately in the morning as I was sending an email, my computer screen went blank and I noticed a small flame and smoke.

Yep, that was the end of my computer.

I am very thankful for my Kindle Fire since all but one of my recipes was saved on Pinterest, otherwise I'm not sure what my guests would have eaten on Sunday.

Monday the kids still had off but I spent my morning computer shopping. I do now have a new computer but I am still in the process of adding all of my programs to it. I had edited all of my photos from the zoo the day before the computer died. So as soon as I get Photoshop back on my computer I will have some more interesting posts about our week. Or who knows, maybe they won't be interesting. But at least they will have pretty pictures.

Now that I'm done typing all about our week, I feel that it looks very boring but believe me....it was anything but boring. I enjoyed having the kids home all week and they enjoyed being home but we are glad to be back into the swing of things and back to our school schedule.

There are good birds and then there are just plain crazy birds!

These are the good birds. They come every year and swim on top of our pool cover. They are nice. They are quiet. They hang out for a little while and then go away. We enjoy their presence. The kids named them Brad and Melissa.

Then there is this bird. 

Last Thursday she was flying around with her mate. I pointed them out to the kids and we all admired the 2 cardinals.

Then she took a turn for the crazy.

 

She repeatedly rammed herself into our sliding glass door. That was Thursday morning. 

I left for work, came home in the afternoon and there she was, at it again. 

Friday morning she was back. Now I first wanted to assume that she was being a submissive wife. Her husband told her to do it. She listened. After she did all the hard work of breaking through he was just going to follow her in.

But then I noticed that HE was no longer with her. He knew she was crazy too. 

It has now been 5 days and she still hasn't given up. Although, I did see HIM again today. 

 

She has pooped all over my railing and deck and has messed up my windows. 

Hopefully one of these days she will just give up. Until then, I will listen to Crazy Bird hit my window repeatedly throughout the day. (And just so you know, closing the curtain doesn't help.)

Thanks for Your Opinion and Pinterest Inspiration

Back in January I asked all of you for your opinion on my family photos.

Thanks to all who commented on the post and also commented on Facebook. It was pretty split between pictures 1 and 2. But one brilliant person (thanks Rachael) suggested doing a collage.

So that is exactly what I did. I ended up putting it at the end of my hallway. I ordered picture #1 for the canvas and pictures 2 and 3 for my frame. Plus I added one of just the kids.

It took me forever to hang these and I still think the bottom one is crooked. Which is driving me nuts! 

 

 

I've also been inspired by Pinterest lately. They have some great ideas and it's barely cost me anything. The first two updates only cost me a quart of chalkboard paint. 

First, I added it behind my stove. Each Sunday I update it with a new verse for the week.

 

Ever since we finished our kitchen 3 1/2 years ago, I've wanted to add chalkboard paint to the outside of my pantry doors. My husband told me "No." Then I saw an idea on Pinterest to paint the inside of your pantry doors. For this I got a "Yes." So one side is my "To Do" list and the other side is our family prayer list. 

  

My kids love to draw and love to color. They were always hanging their artwork on the fridge. It was messy and there were magnets everywhere.

After looking on Pinterest at all kinds of different ways to display your children's creations, I remembered that I had an old curtain rod in the basement with clips to hang curtains from. I have an area in the kitchen which is kind of dead space. It was the perfect place to display their colorful creations!

 

Some Days I Just Want To Throw In The Towel

If you know me or if you've been coming here for any amount of time you probably know this one thing about me. Stewardship of money and time is a topic high on my list. Especially when it comes to money. I'm an avid budgeter, couponer, and sale shopper. 

But some days I've just had enough! I mean why keep going. It's seems we just keep working and working. I keep trying to cut the budget and save money in so many different ways but it doesn't seem to matter. The money just keeps flowing out. 

The garage door breaks, the car dies, the boys need a new fan for their bedroom, this kid needs to go to the Dr., this house project needs to get done, I need to buy a gift for this, the girls need more shirts (or maybe someone just needs to do laundry more often). The list never ends. It's big things, it's little things. But it just seems we can never get ahead.

Some days I just want to take that budget and chuck it in the garbage!

As I look around at others it seems everyone is driving new cars, living in big houses, buying whatever they want, eating out all the time, have the latest fashions, going on vacation....... They all seem to be happy, so why does it matter. Why are we spinning our wheels when we can be living the American dream and have all the "stuff" too.

Then after I'm done with all the drama and having my little pity-party, I come to my senses. 

I remind myself that I've never missed a meal. I never missed paying a bill. My husband has a job. I have a job. We have money in savings. We are truly blessed.

And more importantly, God CALLS me as His child to keep going. To keep living within our means. To keep trying to be a good steward of what He has entrusted us with.

Today, I was reminded that when I let the frustration of material things rule me I am not focusing on the right things. I am focusing on the earthly, not the eternal. I'm not building up treasures above, I'm building up treasures here on this earth. When I get frustrated about material possessions, I am letting them rule over me.

I was also reminded of my sin. My sins of discontentment, worry, anxiety, selfishness, and unthankfulness. Wow, that's a lot of sin! I was reminded that I am not trusting God. I may see the immediate but He sees the future and I need to trust Him in that. He has promised to take care of us and I need to rest in that.

Control. It is another issue when I get consumed with money. They are issues that I can't control and I want to. Another reminder that GOD is in control of my finances not me.

So, yes, I love budgeting. I love couponing. I love sale shopping. And yes, there are difficult days. Not every day is roses but I will continue to seek God in all of it. I'm sure there will be more days filled with frustration and worry ahead and those are days that I will once again have to get down on my knees and ask the Lord for forgiveness.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:19-33

Early Signs of Spring - 1000 Gifts

My List Continues 611 ~ 619

Unseasonably warm weather.

Fresh air coming through the windows.

Early signs of Spring found in the back yard.

 

Listening to the kids recite scripture.

Spray paint on my hand.

Checking on the girls at night and finding them cuddled up together in the same bed and each holding the doll I gave them when they were one.

Family pictures in the mail.

Bouncing Basketballs.

That I found the pen BEFORE it made it in the dryer with the clothes!