No excuses!

Whoa! I've been M.I.A. for a long time now - almost a month and a half! Things have been a little crazy around here. I thought when we moved to this small(er) town we would be less busy. That certainly has not been the case. Hopefully one of these days things will slow down a bit.

Meanwhile, to help me out a little bit, I decided to give 5 Dinners-in-1 Hour a shot! What can it hurt, right? I have been pretty good at sitting down every Sunday and making a menu for the week, but this way - all the work will be done for me! I'm super excited about it!

How it works:

Michelle (the creator of 5 Meals) has created a plan to cook all 5 dinners for the week in just ONE hour. This is perfect for any family on the go! All the menu plans have family friendly meals that feed 4-6 people and no, they are not all casseroles.

The meals are fresh, not frozen. They keep in your refrigerator until ready to heat and eat!

You could spend one hour on a Saturday or Sunday preparing 5 meals for your busy week!!





Not only does the fact that you can make 5 dinners in one hour sound incredible, but nothing is better than coming home from work and having your dinner already prepared before you run off to that kiddo's sporting event or music lesson. It saves money on eating out and causes so much less stress in trying to find time to feed your family on a busy work/school night! This is such music to this mom's ears I tell you!!!

PLUS - right now you can get 20% off! Subscribe here and use the coupon code "NEW12" to get 20% off subscriptions. Could it get any better?!

You can find all the rest of the details right here on Michelle's blog.

My silly, silly girl!

I, like any woman, LOVE getting all dressed up! I don't know about you, but I feel my prettiest when my hair and makeup are all done. A few weeks ago we went to a Scholarship Auction for my work - it was a fun night....and an excuse to get dressed up all fancy and have an adult night out. :) When we got home Kaitlyn was still up, even though it was well past her bedtime. I didn't mind much, because I like being the one to read her bedtime stories, say the bedtime prayer, and get her to settle down and go to sleep. But this night, she was ready to take some silly pictures! It doesn't matter how fancy your dress is, you're never too fancy to make a silly face with your silly daughter!



This was right after I got home from the event. She just loves making silly faces.

It was such a beautiful night outside the evening of Mother's Day, so we played outside before dinner time. Kaitlyn rode her scooter, while I sat and just admired how adorable she is. Even in her mismatched clothes - that she picked out herself, btw. :)

Kaitlyn's favorite book is Fluffy and Baron by Laura Rankin. It's such a great book about a German Shepherd the befriends a duck. There is a sad part in the book that always causes Kaitlyn to cry, yet it's still her favorite.

Even after reading the book hundreds of times, we still get the tears. She's so adorable. I'm not biased at all. Okay, maybe a little bit.

Between her and my wonderful husband, I am one lucky mom! On Mother's Day, I woke up to a delicious breakfast, then after taking it easy and laying around the house for a little while, we headed to my favorite place - the mall! They both made sure I was happy and having a great day! With the two of them around, how could you not?! They're so great, and I'm so blessed!

Lynsey 

A Challenge...

I briefly freaked out when I realized it's almost mid-May and bathing suit season is getting closer and closer! So, mid-freak out, I ran over to Beachbody and purchased the Brazil Butt Lift Workout. I have heard so much about it, so I wanted to give it a try. I'm excited!

It's my goal to look like this:

Oh, Carrie. I love her and hate her at the same time.

I would even settle for looking like this:

Grrr, I don't like her either. ;)

I've never done a very good job sticking to my workout routine - so I'm challenging myself to be different this time. I'm also challenging myself to eat healthier. I LOVE food, so this will be difficult for me! But, I'm determined to make a change.

I didn't feel it was fair for me to be the only person in our house with a challenge, so I gave my husband one. The big 3-0 is coming up for me (in July) - so I told him I wanted this cake for my birthday:

The bakery that made our wedding cake made this cake. I. Am. In. LOVE!!

You can find them at Amy Cakes

Then I saw this!!

Holy cow! Are you kidding me?! So, I told my husband the only thing that would make this AWESOME leopard print cake even more awesome - was if it was Louis Vuitton on the outside!! I didn't even have to tell him, he already knew what I was thinking. He knows me so well. :)

Do you like how my first two pictures were about working out and eating healthier, then I followed it up with two pictures of cakes?! Do you see now how my workout/diet plan usually goes? It will be different this time - with the exception of my 30th birthday - I get that day off.

I am also going to try to live my life with this motto:

I love this! I need to frame it and hang it up in my house....

......along with this!

This is one of my favorites. It's so important to remember, but sometimes it is so easy to give up! I'm going to do better this time, and not give up so easily.



Lynsey

Class of 2024?!?!

Yesterday I was sitting at my daughter's Kindergarten Graduation when they announced "Give a big round of applause for the Class of 2024!" At first I started laughing, that seems so far away! But then I started thinking - wait, that's only 12 years away. I graduated from high school 12 years ago - and that time has flown by so quickly! I don't even want to think about how quick the next 12 years are going to go by!

I'm so proud of my little girl. She learned to read this year, and has loved every minute of it! I can often times find her off in her playroom or in her bedroom with a stack of books, just reading away.

Almost a first grader!

Grandma made the trip from Oklahoma City!!

I love my little family!

This was the picture they had for the slideshow in her graduation - next to a picture of her in a cap and gown. Were they trying to make all the moms cry?!?! ;) This picture was from when Kaitlyn was a little over 18 months old, I still love it so much!

Here is Kaitlyn on the first day of swim lessons! She was so excited - can you tell??

I look at these pictures and I'm reminded, yet again, how fast the time really has gone by. It's sad and exciting at the same time! I can't wait to see what's ahead, but I also miss these excited smiles when faced with new adventures.

Okay, enough of my little pity party! Please, moms, tell me this is normal?! I don't want my daughter to grow up, yet I do. I want to see her getting ready for the prom, but then again I want her to stay 6 years old. I've come to the conclusion that motherhood is most definitely not for wimps!



I have a problem...

I'll admit it....I have a problem! They say admitting it is the first step to recovery from any addiction. I am fully addicted to Pinterest. And diet coke. But, truthfully, I don't want to recover. From either. :) I could look around on Pinterest all day - planning all kinds of fun crafts to do! In fact, that's what I did before I started working.

This was my first project....and my first adventure with painting furniture. I thought it turned out pretty good - I kinda love it! This is one of two plant stands I bought. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them once I got them home...I just knew it could be beautiful.

Before

My dad asked me why in the world I would paint over such beautiful wood. We have different ideas of what looks good.

After

This is not a very good picture - it was taken with my antique phone. It definitely looks much better in person, but I'll post a better picture soon. I painted it this turquoise color, then antiqued it with a glaze. It's so pretty.

Since doing this small table - that we now use as a nightstand - I have bought several other (larger) pieces of furniture to paint! One for the entryway and another to put our TV on in the living room. Hopefully one day soon I'll get around to painting those, too.

What are some of your favorite projects from Pinterest?!

Lynsey

Menu Monday - just a day late!

Here is this week's menu for my family. I have found it saves time, money, and headaches if you plan your meals ahead of time. I make time on Sunday's to sit down and plan dinner for the upcoming week, then send my husband off to the grocery store. This is what we're having this week:

Dinners:

• Monday - White Chicken Chili - this is so good, and it makes enough to have leftovers!
• Tuesday - Homemade Chicken Taquitos - I got this recipe from a friend of mine. Can't wait to try it!
• Wednesday - Crockpot Italian Pork Chop Dinner
• Thursday - Baked Chicken Spaghetti
• Friday - Creamy Chicken and Rice - a classic that's always good!
• Saturday - Cinco de Mayo!! We have company coming in from out of town, so we'll be going out to eat!
• Sunday - Spaghetti Pie

I know, I know there are two recipes that are spaghetti-type dishes, but I have a ton of spaghetti noodles, so I might as well start using them! Also, four of these recipes I have never made before - I'll let you know how they turn out!

I found this adorable menu planner/grocery list from Kamley Lane.

One of these days I'll give freezer cooking a try! Until then, this plan seems to work just fine for us! We've saved time and money by not going through a drive-thru somewhere or making daily trips to the grocery store.

If you still are not convinced that menu planning will cut down your budget, then I challenge you to give it a try for one week! You won't regret it!! What are you having for dinner this week??

P.S. I don't know what I'd do without my crockpot! Three of these recipes use the crockpot - I love that thing!

Lynsey

My bug...

This.... This is my bug. My little Kaity Bug. I also call her KoKo, and more recently, due to her request - she is called Kaite. Yes, she has requested that everyone calls her Kaite (Pronounced - Kate). Spelled K-A-I-T-E, per her request. It's hard to believe this picture was taken over two years ago! I love this little girl more than life itself! I mean, look at that smile. And those big eyes! Oh, and don't forget the curly blonde hair. The pigtails seem to make it even more irresistible! I want to remember those pigtails and that cute, cheeky little smile forever.

This is her now. So grown up. Six going on twenty-six! She can hold conversations with an adult like you wouldn't believe. But she is still the sweetest, funniest, most thoughtful human being I know.

Being with her is the highlight of my day - even when she is in one of her rare moods. I have to remind myself who she came from. :) Look at that face....that goofy little face. How could you not love that?! So, everything I do is for her. Always has been, always will be.