A Nice Surprise!

I had to run over to pick up some paperwork for our lighting that our designer left at the new house.  The kids and I went inside since they haven't been there for a while.  I heard squeals of delight as they turned the corner - CABINETS!!!  Actually I think Sis called them "boxes" but that's essentially what they are, right?  

What a relief to see them sitting in the house.  The kitchen cabinets are in the front office and the bathroom cabinets are all sitting in the rooms waiting to be installed.  Laundry cabinets are ready as well!  Finally feels like we're moving forward and making progress.  Wonder how long they will sit there now...

The view in the office

 The kitchen in it's current state

The mantle in the family room.  It will be painted white and have tile on the floor as well as between the wood and the actual unit.  

The other surprise was stepping outside and seeing the pool pump and heat pump for the pool.

Let The TOOTH Be Told!

My kids and I all headed to the dentist yesterday.  It's been a while since our last appt. and I wasn't sure what to expect.  I know Sis isn't crazy about brushing her teeth but Bubba does a pretty good job.  

Sis (thankfully) had a clean bill of health!  I was bracing for the news of cavities because I know how much she doesn't like to brush.  Whew!  Then was Bubba's turn.  I love being able to see their x-rays immediately.  By looking at his film, we could see that he has all his adult teeth except his two back molars.  The dentist took one look at Bubba's mouth and was shocked that he had lost so many of his baby teeth already.  She said that he has the mouth of a 12 or 13 year old!  When we looked at Sis' film, it's going to be awhile yet for her first tooth fairy visit.  She also said he's lucky and all his teeth have come in straight and he doesn't have an overbite...Sis isn't going to be as lucky.  She's like momma and will probably need braces.  At least we won't need to pay for both kids!

Bite Sized Apple Crisp

I wanted to make some baked oatmeal with apples in muffin pans so that we could pull them out of the freezer for quick snacks or breakfast.  I found a muffin recipe - probably could have just used my baked oatmeal recipe and altered the time, but this one is rather yummy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. old fashioned oats (gf for us)
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour, sifted (gf flour substitute for us)
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce (organic cinnamon for us)
3 T canola oil (sunflower oil for us)
1 egg white
1 T 100% pure maple syrup
1 apple, peeled and diced

Topping:
1/4 c old fashioned oats (gf for us)
1 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 T melted butter

Preheat over to 400.  Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in small bowl.  Mix both together.  Fill muffin tins with mixture.  I used paper liners and a mini muffin pan.  Mix topping and spoon on top of muffins.  I could have used a second batch of the topping - not enough for all my mini muffins.  Bake regular sized muffins for 16-18 minutes.  I baked my 2 trays of minis for about 10 minutes - or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

I make my apple crisp with oatmeal & flour so this reminded Riley of dessert rather than breakfast and he thought it was an extra special treat!

**UPDATE**  I made these again tonight because 1/2 of my batch from yesterday was already gone!  I made regular sized muffins and they are even yummier (is that a word?) than the bite sized!  We are trying to move away from cereals/processed breakfasts but it's a lot more work for me and we don't have the freezer space so I can make a bunch of things at once and pull them out when we need them for lunches or breakfasts...Soon though!

Jewelry Making

Most of you know that I enjoy making jewelry.  For Kendall, mom's jewelry making skills paid off for her!  I noticed that the AGD website offers jewelry for Saige and it's in a package with a bracelet, necklace, earrings and a purse for $28 (plus shipping).  There's no way I'm paying that much for jewelry that my darling daughter might happen to break or lose so we headed out to the bead store and made our own!  

We have the best accessorized AGDs in town now!  I also made a number of other necklaces and earrings for her dolls.  If she loses them or breaks them, I can fix them or replace them easily and inexpensively.  I have one very happy little girl!  Score one for Mom!

Beach House Update - Upstairs Interior

Our builder is standing firm on his finish date of mid-April but I can't help but start to get anxious...This cramped apt feels like the walls are closing in and I still have 4 months to survive!  I think I can...I think I can...

I went over to the house for a bit by myself.  It was a peaceful time to plan, dream, imagine...

I also took some panorama shots with my phone - it's so hard to get good interior pics without our lights installed.  Everything is dark, even in the middle of the day.  FYI - If you click on the picture, it will enlarge and make it easier to see!

Here you can see they finally took down the scaffolding from the front of the house.  They need to finish the upstairs front porch railing.

Here is Riley's room in panorama.  His closet and bathroom are before you actually "enter" his room.  The bathroom is behind the wall on the right of the picture and his closet window is the one pictured above on the front porch.    The door to the left goes out to the front porch.

This is the window seat in his room.  He's excited to be able to sit here and read books.  I'm going to have to make him a cushion for it once his new bedding gets decided on for his dirt bike themed room.

This is a peek into Kendall's room.  She has double doors that lead out to the front porch.  I think that will make her room feel so bright and she's going to love it.  We've been planning a beach/surfer girl theme like her nursery.  She's very excited!  Her closet is to the right and her bathroom is the door on the far left of the picture.  Her room is probably slightly smaller than Riley's and she's got the most furniture, but I've always felt this room spoke her name.

This is our master bedroom.  We've been fortunate to have had rather large master bedrooms in the past and this is no exception.  I'm standing in the doorway and the 3 windows in the back overlook the backyard/driveway/garage/pool area.

 

I know this is going to sound silly, but I'm so excited about the way this master bath is turning out.  I can't wait to see the cabinet, granite, tub and fixtures installed!  I requested the board & batten in this room.  I'm thinking of a light sea glass color for the walls.  My big stand alone tub will go in front of that big double window with a beautiful light fixture above it!  The toilet is on the far right, the closet straight ahead and the shower is to the right of the windows.  

The master bath shower...The floor of the shower (as well as both kids) have an awesome pebble tile.  It has a real "beachy" feel to it.  There will be 3 adjustable body sprayers with a shower head above it.  On the right will be our adjustable hand held shower head.  I can't wait to actually USE it!  Although, what I'm really looking forward to is taking a long, hot tubby - something I've not done since we moved from Utah...

This is an attempt to show our closet.  We've had built in shelving before, and I highly recommend it over those wire Closet Maid shelving systems, but this was custom.  We got to decide what and where everything got built in all of our closets.  What a treat!  We'll be putting in a few double bar racks and saving a small section for my long dresses, etc.  We even have shoe racks!  I feel so lucky!

This is my attempt to showcase the upstairs hallway.  The far right of the picture is coming up the stairs.  It will be getting a rail at some point.  The paneling from the downstairs continues up through the staircase.  The hallway in the middle of the picture goes to the laundry and Riley's room.  Kendall's room is the doorway to the left.  Directly across from her room is the guest room/craft room.  This room also has it's own bathroom.  My mom sounded excited to not have to share a bathroom with my kids during her visits anymore!  I am standing in front of my doorway and the hall linen closet.  

I spent the better part of today online picking out the bathroom hardware - towel bars, toilet paper holders, etc.  I also nailed down our door knobs and worked on some paint ideas for our master bedroom and bathroom.  Our lighting was ordered last week so that should be coming in and installed soon.  The carpenter was starting on the fireplace mantel today and is looking to start our mudroom bench and building a door behind our stairs for storage. 

I am praying daily for patience as we wait for our new home to be completed.  I think once the kids head back to school tomorrow, it will be much easier to keep myself busy and occupied so that it doesn't overwhelm me living here.  I keep reminding myself how blessed we are to be able to afford this dream house and that this is going to be so appreciated by every member of our family after spending over a year in this apt. It will completely be worth the very long wait.

A Sunday Day Trip

When we left church Sunday morning, the SUN was shining and it was turning out to be a beautiful day.  Determined not to waste it, we hopped in the truck and headed south to St. Augustine.  Andy had never done any type of historical tour of the Nation's Oldest City so we decided to take the trolley tour so he could learn what Riley and I learned during his field trip.  Everyone enjoyed taking the trolley ride during the day and Andy got to see a lot of different parts of the city that he didn't know much about before.  

When Riley and I went to St. Augustine for his field trip to the Fort, the government was in the middle of their shut down so we were unable to enter the fort.  He and Kendall both begged to go in the fort so I took them inside.  It is part of the National Parks so the kids got to earn a Jr Ranger badge.  They were so excited!  Riley was excited to see the cannons and see the men dressed in uniform as they shot the cannon into the bay/intracoastal.  

Showing off their latest Jr Ranger badges!

We walked around St. George St. with the kids and they had a great time people watching and eating ice cream and popsicles.  Kendall thought her Hyppo pop was delicious!  We also ate dinner at Scarlett O'Hara's.  Our waiter was discussing how grits are an acquired taste with Andy when we realized we are all from PA Dutch country.  Andy told him we are yankees and he said he was too (from Pennsylvania) - we asked where he was from...Reading!  Small world!  

All in all it was a fabulous day.  We are so grateful that St. Augustine is less than an hour away and that it's a great place for us to explore.  We use to go when we lived here before, but Riley was in preschool and Kendall was just a baby so we didn't get to explore as much as we can now.  

Both kids have a good understanding of the First Coast's history between school field trips and our family trips to St. Augustine and Fort Caroline.  A lot of it overlaps - the Spanish Catholics in St. Augustine and the French Huguenots in Jax at Fort Caroline and the bloody battle between them.  Both interacted with the Timucua Indians and the Spanish in St. Augustine actually celebrated the FIRST Thanksgiving with the Timucuan tribe in September back in 1565 (although some claim that the French celebrated Thanksgiving with the Timucuans earlier that year in Jax)!  

Date Night!

We tried at the last minute to arrange a babysitter so we could go out on a date.  No luck, but not surprised.  So, instead of Andy and I going on a date, we decided to go on a Double Date - or a Family Date!

We've been wanting to take the kids to The Melting Pot for awhile now, so Saturday night seemed like a great opportunity!  We all got dressed up, the boys opened the doors for the girls, used our best manners, etc.  

The Melting Pot with our kids was a HUGE success.  They had a great time with the cheese fondue, cooking their meats and of course, DESSERT!  

 Me and my handsome date!

Andy and his beautiful date - she got jealous when he told me that I looked beautiful as well.  

Trying the cheese fondue

Chocolate fondue - with strawberries was her favorite!

We had a great time on our family date and the kids were so well behaved.  They really enjoyed it and it was a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate how a boy should treat a girl on a date.  Riley and I even held hands under the table for a little bit!  We created such sweet memories and I know I will treasure them!

Rainy Day Fun

When it rains here (and it feels like that's all it's done since we moved here), I don't have lots of options to entertain my munchkins that doesn't break the bank.  With living in such cramped quarters, we try to get out of our apt as much as we can, but when it rains, our options decrease drastically.  

Over Christmas break I took the kids bowling.  We don't do that often because sadly, bowling isn't cheap!  For the 3 of us to bowl 3 games, I spent about $30!  At least we had a ton of fun while we were doing it!  

Sissy had so much fun but it wasn't easy for her with an 8 lb ball!

She had to push the ball down the lane - thank goodness for the bumpers!

 Bubba did a great job and improved each and every game.  

I was so proud of him!

 Once we got her a ramp, she started scoring lots of points!

We also spent an afternoon at Adventure Landing the other day.  The kids love the arcade there.  They had a deal for tokens so I splurged.  They managed to take their time for once.  There is this one super easy game - you press a button and try to get the lights to stop at a certain spot on the screen.  If you are lucky enough to get the BONUS it pumps out 75 tickets!  Sissy got it, Bubba got it and even Mom got it!  

Zoo Lights!

After the rain let up, we decided to take the kids to the zoo for their Zoo Lights festivities.  It was our first time to go at the zoo here - we had taken the kids to zoo lights at the Hogle Zoo in Utah.  We had such a great time.  The kids were thrilled to see the animals at night and take in all the lights.

The blue lights are our favorite

Checking out Santa's swamp sleigh - there was a big fan on the back so he can get around in Florida!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

I realized that I shared what my kids got for Christmas but left out some of my favorite things!  I must have been really good this year because I feel like I scored big time!

I've been wanting this since my friend in Utah shared it with me.  She got one for Mother's Day and loved it.  I knew Andy wouldn't let me splurge on it without a special occasion so when it was Christmas and I still wanted it,he got it for me!

Breville Tea Maker

This thing is awesome!  I put the tea in the basket and it will heat the water, lower the basket for the correct amount of time, then raise the basket so the tea doesn't get too strong and will keep the tea warm for 1 hr.  I can also heat water with it for my Crio Bru and reheat the tea if it sits for more than a hr.  It has an autostart button so I can have it ready when I wake like all my coffee drinker friends!  You can customize brewing or use the preset buttons.  It's amazing!!!!  There is nothing more frustrating than brewing some yummy tea and then get distracted by the kids and realize it's been steeping for the past 20 minutes and you have to start all over!  

The other gift I received is one you wouldn't think someone would get so excited about...a toothbrush.  But this isn't just any toothbrush.  This is the Mac Daddy of toothbrushes!  

It's a Phillips Sonicare toothbrush. They are expensive as far as toothbrushes go, but my teeth have NEVER felt cleaner expect for when I leave the dentist's office.  Andy didn't have to ask about this gift - he actually surprised me by listening to what I had been saying.  I had asked him about his, tried it and liked it, but didn't want to spend that much money on a toothbrush.  I understood why he splurged on one - he's had a terrible time this year with dental care.  He's had some issues with crowns, etc.  I was incredibly surprised by this and continue to thank him for such a great gift.

As you can tell, I'm not your typical girl.  I don't ask for shiny things or extravagant things...Just some nice, practical things that make my life easier!

What A Year It's Been (From my kids' perspective)

We've been having the kids reflect on each year for a while now.  We have them fill out a paper similar to this one so we can record their perspective.  Here are this year's reactions to 2013 and their hopes for 2014.

I love that Kendall's favorite memory was spending so much time with her Nanny and Pappy.  She saw them at our house in Utah for Christmas 2012, then again in June here in Florida and then went to Kiawah with them for a few days, she spent a week with them in July over her birthday, saw them for the PSU game in October, at Kiawah for Thanksgiving and at their house for Christmas.  She struggled a bit choosing between swimming and crafting for her favorite activity but she didn't want to write down both.  Good thing we're splurging on the heat pump for our new pool since it's her favorite thing to do!  She really loves her Daddy being home every night since we moved to Florida.  It's done all of us good to be together every night.  

Gotta love their honest responses!  I love that Riley's hardest thing was Math and not moving from Utah to Florida!  I wasn't sure what he was going to say.  I'm also thrilled that he favorite memory was getting baptized.  What a joy that is to my heart.  

Here's to a great 2014!  Hoping the changes that are coming this year go smoothly and we create more memories together to treasure as a family!

Play Date With The Gators & Crocs

Yesterday Ra and I headed to St. Augustine to the Alligator Farm with his 2 best buds from school.  It's ironic how well us moms get along as well - we are all teachers (except I'm the one who has taken early retirement and they have both started later on in life).  He had a fantastic time - his first and my first since I was a kid on vacation with my family!  The boys really enjoyed feeding the over 200 gators in the swamp and checking out the prehistoric gator skulls as well as the snakes and other reptiles.

We got to watch feeding time.

Ra and his buddies being silly!

One of the moms joining in on the silly fun!

FYI:  If you have a membership to the Jacksonville Zoo, you can get 50% off your entrance to the Alligator Farm for up to 6 people!  What a great deal!

  

I'm Thankful I Married A "Planner"

It came to my attention earlier this month that I really am a lucky woman.  I have a wonderful husband who has taken the time and budgeted to plan for our future.  I had a recent conversation with someone who is married and has a family.  We got on the subject of life insurance and I asked if he had life insurance.  His response was "no."  Then he went on to say that his wife and family would just live off the government if something happened to him.  I was appalled that this would even be a plan B for anyone.  So because this person makes a choice NOT to purchase life insurance and make a tragic time easier for his family, he would allow us (the taxpayers) to pay for his family to survive.  I was in shock.  

But I guess it shouldn't surprise me though in this day and age of entitlement.  I'm so thankful for my husband who has planned and has prepared for my future so I don't have to struggle or depend on anyone else.  What a gift that life insurance policy will be from him if something were to ever happen to him - to know he loved me enough while he was living, to be concerned for our future, to not have to worry about how the mortgage and college tuitions will be paid.  After our first child was born, we immediately created our wills so that no one would argue or fight over who would take care of our children.  I'm so glad that Dave Ramsey has influenced our finances and my husband has taken it upon himself to have policies for both of us.  What a comfort that will be in the event of an untimely death.  If you don't know much about life insurance or estate planning, check out this article from Dave Ramsey: Parents Who Fail To Plan

Maybe it can be a New Year's Resolution that you can actually keep?

Lessons Learned in 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Each year on New Year's we have the kids reflect on the past year and think about what they want from the new year.  We try to have them set goals, to reflect on lessons learned over the year, to see how much they've grown in 12 months, etc.

This year I've decided to do that as well.  A lot has happened in 12 months:

*Andy started a new job.
*Andy moved to Jax in January and I spent 4 months trying to sell our house and raise our kids alone.  
*We packed up our house and moved the kids across the country for the second time.
*Said "See you later!" to a lot of incredible people.
*Both kids started new schools.
*We all made new friends.
*We are in a long temporary living situation with most of our stuff in storage.
*We spent a week in Oregon without our kids - first time we'd been away from the kids overnight in over 5 years.
*Kendall started KDG at a new school, only knowing 2 people from preschool.
*Riley made a new best buddy who's family we adore.
*The kids earned Disney passes and have visited the "mouse" a lot in a few months.
*Kendall has a new BFF who will most likely end up being a life long friend.
*We are building our 4th house (in a row).
*We reconnected with dear friends here in Jax.
*Andy bought a new truck.
*Riley got baptized!
*Went to a NFL (Jaguars vs. Eagles) football game.
*We've traveled, A LOT!  Portland, Oregon, Kiawah Island, SC, Morganton, North Carolina, Las Vegas, Nevada, State College, PA, Hershey, PA, Lancaster, PA, and Orlando, Fl  
*We went to our second Monster Energy Cup Supercross in Vegas
*We met my parents at the Penn State vs. Michigan football game
*Kids learned to surf at Gromfest
*Riley got a new/bigger dirt bike
*Kendall got a dirt bike
*Kids earned passes to Adventure Landing Waterpark
*We visited Legoland for Riley's birthday
*We attended lots of festivals and holiday related festivies
*We skied A LOT (and with a lot of friends)
*Andy took Kendall to her second Daddy/Daughter dance at church
*We all survived a full year without our dear sweet Penton 

Reflections on the lessons learned in 2013:

I am stronger than I ever knew.

I am capable of more than I realized.

My kids are my rock when I feel uncertain and anxious.

Family isn't who you share DNA with but who you choose to let in and trust with your heart.  A part of my heart will always be in Utah with our family there.

People who are insecure can be the loudest people in the room.  They have a tendency to overcompensate for their lack of true confidence in who they are and feel the need to brag or become jealous when someone else has the spotlight.  It's often best for me to just walk away.

Some people need to step all over your feelings to in order to feel better about themselves.  Those same people will teach their children to behave likewise and it shouldn't surprise you when their child does the same to your child.

It will always break my heart to see my children's hearts break.

Whenever I start to feel alone, I need to get on my knees.  Jesus is always with me, no matter what.

It's okay to stand up for what you believe, even when everyone else around you believes you are wrong.  There is nothing wrong with being an "outcast."

Sometimes you need to bite your tongue even if it feels like you are going to bite right through it.

Busyness can be a dangerous thing when it comes to preserving relationships.

You need to live your life intentionally.

I will speak up for those I love and respect when someone talks negatively about them in my presence.  

Church needs to always be a priority for our family.  It keeps us all grounded in the Word.

My bible needs to be read often.

Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons.

My mom has been and always will be my "go to" person.  I trust her with my heart and know she will always be my biggest fan while telling me the truth no matter how difficult that may be.

My daughter continues to make me laugh on a daily basis with her witty remarks while my son challenges me and helps me to grow in areas where I'm weak.  

Tuition for a good Christian school is the best money we've ever spent. Our kids love Jesus and have a solid understanding of God's love for humanity.

Don't take people or opportunities for granted.  Don't put off what you can do now because you don't know what your future holds.

Lessons learned will always be a valuable experience, no matter how painful.

Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year!