Life in the Fast Lane

Our summer so far....

2009-07-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

We went on vacation to Florida with some amazing people. I'm so blessed God has placed them in my life. Love you guys!

I got a new sister inlaw, and my girl's were flower girls. Lily's 3rd wedding and Sadie's first!

We watched Daddy play softball every Monday.

Brad also got a promotion at work! We are so proud of him.

Got to swim in our kiddie pool for a couple days before the dog chewed it up. :(

We've gone swimming ALOT!

Played in the rain. After the hail storm! Lily went around picking up the hail and eating it. EWWW!

We did acrobats in the living room. These girls can jump!

We still have my sister's wedding coming up on August 7th that we are looking forward to.

Sadie's BD on August 15th. The BIG 3!!

Lily starts school on August 17th. She is getting very excited, it will be very bittersweet for me! She is growing up way to fast.

And at the end of this year we are going on a cruise with my inlaws and the girls! We are super excited. I can't wait for the girls to see the ocean!

6.10.09

2009-06-10T05:49:00.000-07:00

WOW!! It's been forever since I've posted anything. We are enjoying our summer around here so that means lots of activities and playing. I wanted to share a few layouts that I did this last week. Hope everyone is having a great summer!!

Anna Maria Island

2009-04-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we leave for Anna Maria Island in Florida. Our plane leaves bright and early at 5:40, not 6:40 like I had originally thought! We will board our plane with our friends Casey and Jessica, and Chris and Erryn. We will fly into tampa and then drive to the island. We are all looking forward to spending a week kid free relaxing and being kids ourselves! We couldn't have done this without the help of our family and friends. Thanks guys for watching our kiddos so we can go!!

We are staying in this duplex. Doesn't it look so fun! Sunday we will run in a 5k to support the Children's Academy of Southwest Florida. The rest of the week we will lay on the beach, go shopping, play games, swim in our heated pool, the guys are going to a baseball game in tampa, go on a catamaran snorkeling trip, sleep, eat, and all that fun stuff! We are sooooo excited! Here are some pictures of the island, doesn't it look lik paradise!

4.27.09

2009-04-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Outside my window....have the window open, nice breeze I love it!

I am thankful for...completing the relay at the OKC Memorial Marathon yesterday, it felt great!

From the kitchen...
Making some banana muffins, peanut butter balls, and whatever else I come up with today
Mon-Jambalaya
Tue-Chicken pot pie
Wed-Sandwiches
Thur-Grilled chicken, baked potatoes

I am reading...the power of a praying wife

I am hoping...that my kid's behave while we are out of town

I am creating...Hoping to finish a project I've been planning for the girls room

I am hearing...bird's chirping out the window

Around the house...Laundry, cleaning, packing us and the girls for a week

One of my favorite things...finding dishes put in the wrong places in my kitchen, this mean my husband has been doing the dishes =)

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Mon-Watching the gray's kid's, getting my baby fix, maybe softball if it doesn't get rained out
Tue-Packing for my trip, cleaning house, and taking my car to get some work done
Wed-Working, lifegroup
Thur-Finish packing
Fri-Lovin on my kid's before we leave for our trip, one hair appt., and taking the kiddos to my parent's at bedtime
Sat-Flight leaves at 6:40am for FLORIDA!!!
Sun-Running in a 5k in florida, a great way to start our vacation!!

My photo to share....

The only picture I got on my camera of yesterday. I'll have to post some more when Erryn sends me some. This is us right before our relay.

My Burden

2009-04-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

A while back Craig did a message on Godly burdens, actually it could have been a couple of years backs. For the life of me I can't think of what it was called but he talked about our personal Godly burdens. This has stuck with me all this time and I think about it often. My personal burden is hurting people. I have such a heavy heart for those going through troubled times, a broken marriage, losing a child, or dealing with a sickness. I often lose sleep over things like these. Lately it seems that there is something like this always going on for people around me. My problem is I don't know how to deal with my burden other than praying for these people. I always want to do MORE.

What is your Godly burden?

How do you deal with your burden?

Curtain project

2009-04-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

A quick and easy project I did for my girls room. It was super easy except I suggest measuring before you get your supplies. I ended up making two trips to hobby lobby before it was complete. =) I started with two plain black panels. I love the black because it keeps the light out of the girls room while they sleep. But I wanted to make it a tad more girly.

I started by picking a print fabric that matched the colors of their room. I wanted trim to hang down onto the black part of the curtain. I picked this plastic circle and bead trim.

You can sew the fabric and trim directly onto the panels. Or if your lazy like me just iron the rough edges of the fabric down and hot glue to the panel. Repeat by hot glueing the trim the the print fabric. That's it, it's super quick and you get a unique look that can't be found in the stores.

My plan of action

2009-04-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

My last post got me to thinking about what steps I need to take to follow through with my realization. So I've decided to make a list of the things I need to change so I don't fall right back into the same habits. I would love for whoever else that struggles with this to do the same.

1. Develop a stronger relationship with Jesus

2. Go to scripture when I feel Satan attacking me(I would love for anybody that comes across scriptures about self-image to send them my way)

3. Stop letting the number on the scale dictate the way I feel about my body

4. Eat healthy so I can take care of my temple God has given me(at all times)

5. Do not and I mean NEVER say anything negative about my body.

6. Accept compliments(especially from my husband)

That's all I've got for now, I will keep writing them out as I think of them. If you have a list you can leave a comment or e-mail it to me at aliruhman@yahoo.com

Lessons From Children

2009-04-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

I had one of those moments today that made me feel like I failed as a mom. Over the weekend Lily said something to someone that wasn't very nice. Today as I was telling Brad about it he said, you know where she learned that? I was like where? DUH from you, he said! In that moment when he said that, I could just feel my heart sink I didn't even realize that she was picking this up from me. It was just little comments that I make almost daily that she has heard me say.

Are you wondering what she said? I'm not going to tell you exactly what she said but I have taught her through my bad self image the word FAT. How awful is it that already at the age four I have started teaching her a bad self image. Because pretty soon she is going to start looking at herself and saying those same things I say. After having my eyes WIDE open today I am no longer going to say those things about myself. I want more for my children, I want them to know that they are beautiful in Jesus's eyes and it doesn't matter what their outside apperances are. I want them to go through life knowing that they are beautiful inside and out.

So please pray for me as I try and change my whole outlook on myself, I know that God can work on my heart in this area. I also challenge anyone else who struggles with this especially if you have little ears listening to everything you say. Watch what comes out of your mouth because they pick up on everything! Let's try and speak positive words into our children's life so they grow up knowing the truth.

1 Peter 3:3-4 (New Living Translation)
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

"Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly."

~ St. Francis De Sales

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."

~ Unknown Author

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-04-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

Exactly six years ago today I married my best friend. I can't imagine what life would be like if I hadn't. I'm one lucky girl. Not only do I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend, I got two beautiful little girls in the last six years. Thanks baby for a great six years and many more to come! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

2009-03-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Outside my window...looks like it will be another pretty day

I am thinking...all I want to accomplish this week

I am thankful for...my weekend with my family, sad when they are over

From the kitchen...
Mon-Jambalaya
Tue-Pork chops
Wed-Sandwiches & Soup
Thur-Chicken Meatloaf
Fri-Tacos
Sat-Hot Dogs
Sun-Creamy beef noodle casserole

I am reading...Biggest loser fitness program

I am hoping...to lose 10lbs before my vacation in May

I am creating...actually got a layout done this weekend, need to do alot more!

I am hearing...quiet, the girls are sleepy this morning

Around the house...organizing office, hall closet, and sorting through girls winter clothes.

One of my favorite things...Coffee, which i've switched out for green tea this morning. Trying to cut some calories from my creamer :(

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Mon-all my family girls coming over for lunch, work later this afternoon
Tue-Watching some friends kiddos
Wed-Work, and maybe lifegroup(No childcare this week)
Fri-Taking the day off, having a Lily and Mommy day
Sat-Family day
Sun-Abbi's wedding shower

Decorating dilemma

2009-03-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm not much of a decorater. As you can see we have this entertainment center that houses our tv. I have no idea what to put in it. You see I don't want to put our monsterous dvd collection in there because it has glass doors and I think that would look tacky. I also don't want to put all our books in there for the same reason. So my question to all you would be what would you do with this?

Also as you can see in the first picture the wall above looks very bare. I'm scared to hang anything on my walls for fear of it looking stupid and having nail holes everywhere. I was originally thinking a clock but now i'm not sure. I think it would have to be a pretty good sized one. Anybody have any ideas? Please help!!

Silly Sadie

2009-03-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

Remember me telling you yesterday how Sadie is my comedian? Well yesterday after a rough day of discipline, both girls had to get spankings. Lily went first and when it was Sadie's turn she came up to me and said "I like spankings", then I proceed to give her a spanking and she says "oooohhh that tickles". I gave her 4 spankings and each time she said "that tickles". I tried so hard to keep a straight face and give her my best lecture but I just couldn't. All four of us were laughing so I think they might have missed the whole point of the spankings! These picture truly express her personality and her silliness!!

3.10.09

2009-03-10T07:06:00.001-07:00

Here is what we've been up to lately.
The girls love riding their scooters around in the driveway. On this particular day Sadie had just woken up so was not in picture taking mood. :)
On Sunday they wanted to ride the scooters to the park, we ended up carrying them most of the way!

This is the day Nana brought them their house warming present. New comforters and pillows! They were so proud of their new bed! I think they were even more excited that Nana climb to the top bunk with them.

This is a fabric I found online the fabric designers name is Patty Young. Check out her blog here and all the cute stuff she makes. I love all the cute little dresses. I had four small canvas's and decided to cover them in her fabric. They turned out really cute, and of course Lily had to be in the picture. :)

Here is some cute pictures I took of the girls this week. I have a frame that needed some picture so these are some that I'm using. Except the ones I printed are in black and white.

The picture on the bottom is about the only good one I got of Sadie. The top one is how most of them turned out! She is my comedian.

I got the sweetest pictures of Lily. She is growing up so fast and her sweet little personality is shining through.

I just love sweet sister pictures. Most of them they were being silly but that's how they act most of the time! I'm just glad they love each other so much.

That's about it for now. I'm over here today Christi's 2 Cents go check it out!!

I'm still here sorta....

2009-03-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

We got moved into the new house a couple of weeks ago. I'll post pics soon! I'm just taking a break for awhile until I feel like life is more normal.(Is there ever such a thing?)

2.10.09

2009-02-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

A day late but that's Ok!!

Outside my window...It looks cloudy hope it doesn't rain!

I am thinking...about taking a break from packing today and get out of the house to do
something fun for a bit

I am thankful...for all my wonderful friends and family who made my birthday special yesterday

From the kitchen...trying to use up all the food I have around here so I don't have to move alot of it. It should be interesting!

I am reading...yet again nothing....

I am hoping...this week goes by fast I am anxious to move into our new house

I am creating...notta

I am hearing...the girls watching backyardigans and quietly talking about which ones are there
favorites

Around the house...boxes boxes boxes

One of my favorite things...cuddling with my sweet girls

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Mon-we had a wonderful dinner at mom's and dad's
Tue-need to get out of the house
Wed-Work, lifegroup
Thur-finish up packing
Fri-close on our house 9am
Sat-big moving day
Sun-unpacking and a birthday party for two precious little friends of the girls

Please join in with Peggy and others here.

2.2.09

2009-02-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

Outside my window...No sun. I'm ready for some sun!

I am thinking...about so much, my mind is on overload right now

I am thankful for...no ice or snow

From the kitchen...

Mon. Roast/carrots/pot., broccoli
Tue. Chicken and broccoli casserole, salad
Wed. Potatoe soup, Cheese toast
Thur. Tamale pie, zuchinni
Fri. Tilapia, Turkey brats(for Brad) Sweet potatoes.
Sat. Taco soup
Sun. Grilled chicken, zuchinni sticks

I am reading...right now just my bible, I just can't seem to focus on any books right now

I am hoping...my girls won't be cranky today!

I am creating...I got 1 1/2 pages finished over the weekend. Also need to finish up a hat and flower that someone ordered.

I am hearing...Letter Factory, Great DVD

Around the house...Finishing up packing. It's looking pretty bare around here. I miss the homey feeling.

One of my favorite things...sleep, i just love to sleep

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Mon. Sanding and painting some furniture, work
Tue. Grocery store, packing
Wed. Work, Lifegroup
Thur. Packing
Fri. Work
Sat. Church
Sun. Nothing yet

Please join in with Peggy and others here.

1.26.09

2009-01-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

Outside my window...Cold and not sunny at all

I am thinking...How much I need to get done in the next two weeks

I am thankful for...fresh hot coffee this morning

From the kitchen...Brad made our menu this week, can you tell? haha
Monday - Steak, mashed sweet pot., yellow squash
Tuesday - Pork chops, salad
Wednesday - Brat's,baked potatoes
Thursday - Brocolli/chicken casserole, fruit
Friday - Taco Chili
Saturday - eggs, sausage, and fruit
Sunday - Roast, carrots, potatoes

I am reading...Nothing I just can't get into anything. I'm going to try and make myself sit down and read a couple more chapters in Rich Dad Poor Dad this week.

I am hoping...to run my errands today without freezing to death

I am creating...Nothing, but get to scrapbook at my friend Nichole's on Friday!! Yay so excited.

I am hearing...Mickey mouse clubhouse the girls are watching

Around the house...Packing, packing, packing and more packing. My house looks very bare.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Monday - tons of errands, grocery store, bank, etc.....
Tuesday - Packing and hopefully attending Parenting Q & A
Wednesday-Busy day at work and lifegroup
Thursday- Packing, parent's house to talk about rich dad poor dad.(which I need to read)
Saturday - Work, church
Sunday - I think it's the super bowl, am I right?

Join in at Peggy's blog.

Shopping

2009-01-23T06:09:00.000-08:00

Since the weather was so nice yesterday my girls spent alot of time outside. They decided to get there grocery carts, purses, and babies and go shopping. The funny part of this story is something Lily said(I'll come back to that).

There is a joke in my family that Lily reminds us of my sister Anna and Sadie reminds us of Katie. If you knew my sister's when they were younger or my daughter's you will probably see the resemblance. See Anna was always a bit dramatic, very girly and always into princesses. Katie on the other hand was more of a tom boy that was always getting into mischief. The best way to describe her was a pest. This describes my girl's to a T.

So anyway back to the funny part. After I took their pictures because they are just stinkin cute. Lily say's to Sadie " I'm Aunt Anna and your Aunt Kate-Kate. So off went Aunt Anna and Aunt Kate-Kate with their babies and purses to go shopping!

Fried Rice

2009-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Beef or Ground Turkey Fried Rice

3 Scallions

2 garlic cloves

1/2 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey

1 tsp. chinese five spice

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. red pepper

10 oz. frozen mixed veggies

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 TB Soy sauce

cook ground beef or ground turkey. add scallions and garlic and cook until soft. add seasoning, and veggies. cook until veggies are tender. Add rice and soy sauce and cook until heated through.

1 1/4 cup serving = 4 WW points

This is a super easy recipe that can be cooked really fast if you cook your brown rice ahead of time. I usually double the recipe so we have leftovers for lunch.

My Night Owl

2009-01-21T05:26:00.000-08:00

My Sadie is a night owl. We have the hardest time getting her to go to bed. It takes her anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours to fall asleep. She did not get this from me! We have been trying different things to see what works with her and have not found anything yet. The other night we put her down around 8:30, by 10 it had gotten really quiet so we thought she had finally gone to sleep. Just a few minutes later she appeared in the doorway wearing her bikini swimsuit(pictured below) and said (" I'm going swimming at Mimi's"). We tried with everything in us to keep a straight face and let her know that we were dissapointed that she wasn't obeying us. But just look at her! She is so stinkin cute that we just started cracking up and of course I had to take a picture.

The point of this post is to not only show you how adorable my little night owl is, but to also get some advice from other parent's out there. Have you dealt with a night owl like Sadie? How do you get them to go to sleep?

1.19.09

2009-01-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Outside my window...Not bad out...the girls already jumped on the trampoline this morning.

I am thinking...How excited I am to move into our new house. We close on Feb. 17th!!

I am thankful for...My hubby and all the hard work he put into going to school with two kids and getting a great job.

From the kitchen...

Monday: BBQ chicken pizza/Salad
Tuesday: Burgers/sweet pot./Zuchinni
Wednesday: Sandwiches/Soup
Thursday: Sausage Breakfast casserole
Friday: Going to the moore's bringing enchilada's
Saturday: Steak/Mashed sweet pot./green beans
Sunday: Creamy beef noodle casserole/ yellow squash

I am reading...A time to embrace....still haven't gotten very far. Rich dad poor dad. I just haven't been motivated to read or had time.

I am hoping... House inspection goes well

I am creating...Nothing...need to scrapbook bad!!!

I am hearing...Never let go by David Crowder on itunes. Love this song so much!

Around the house...Need to shampoo the carpet

One of my favorite things...Homemade granola with yogurt and blueberries

A few plans for the week...

Monday: Work
Tuesday: Grocery store, house inspection
Wednesday: Work, lifegroup
Thursday: Nothing
Friday: Work, Moore's house to plan our beach vacation!!
Saturday: All day homebuyers class for a grant, church
Sunday: Nothing

If you would like to join in on the FUN, visit Peggy's Daybook!

1.12.09

2009-01-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Outside my window...Sunny and cold

I am thinking...about how we might make a offer on a house today. a little nervous/excited!

I am thankful for...my sweet friends. We threw a baby shower for one of our friends yesterday I just love all those girls!

From the kitchen...Today I'm trying to make a two week menu instead of just one week. We'll see how that goes. This is what I have so far.

Monday: Chicken Stew
Tuesday: Ground turkey fried rice, edamame
Wednesday: Sandwiches & soup
and that's all I have so far. Looks like I need to get to work!

I am reading...a time to embrace by karen kingsbury only have read a couple of chapters so far. Also reading "Rich Dad Poor Dad" a book that my whole family is reading and then discussing. I have only read one chapter in that book also, Brad has been hogging it.

I am hoping...For a busy week at work

I am creating...Nothing!

I am hearing...My girls singing

Around the house...Trying to touch up paint around the house but it's not coming out like I would have hoped. I'm not sure what to do about that.

One of my favorite things...a clean and organized house

A few plans for the rest of this week....

Monday: Meeting with our realtor
Tuesday:Grocery store
Wednesday: Work and lifegroup
Thursday: Nothing yet
Friday: Work
Saturday: Work, Miss Briley's 3rd BD party, and church
Sunday: Nothing yet

Here is my photo to share this week. Lily at her 4th birthday party at Incredible pizza! Abbi made her princess cake and she just loved it!

To join in on the fun every Monday, visit Peggy's Daybook Blog.

Proud Momma

2009-01-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

Lily wrote her name this morning for the first time ever! I'm so proud of her. She thinks she is so big now that she is four year old!

Ruhman family update

2009-01-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a happy new year. We have had so much fun with Brad's time off but am ready to get back into the swing of things. We have had so much going on in the last few weeks I haven't read any one's blog or posted anything on mine.

Tomorrow my sweet baby girl turns four! I can't believe she is growing up so fast. Here is a sweet little picture when she was just a few days old. She came out with a head full of dark hair and dark skin. Not exactly what I thought she would look like but she was a beautiful baby.

We have recently started house hunting which has been exciting and scary all at once. We probally saw around eight houses on Tuesday and I can't hardly remember all of them. But only one house really stuck out to me so we are going to go look at it again sometime this weekend or next week.

Brad had his end of the year salary adminstration and we are so blessed he got a raise and he still has his job. It wasn't much but we are just relieved he got something and most importantly still has a job.

We both are so thankful for what God has blessed us with in 2008 we have learned so many life lessons and grown in our relationships with God and each other. We are looking forward to what God has in store for our family in 2009.

12.22.08

2008-12-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

Outside my window...COLD well I haven't actually been outside but I just know it's cold!

I am thinking....How I have two more days to get everything finished for Christmas, and how I'm excited for Christmas(I'm still just a kid at heart)

I am thankful for....Traditions, I love this time of year to follow previous traditions and make new ones with my growing family

From the kitchen...Lots and lots of baking this week. I'm making:

Peppermint bark

Saltine chocolate toffee

Puppy chow(for Brad's work)

Mexican Wedding cookies

Cheese bread and cinnamon rolls with my Mom(I'm especially excited for this)

I'm also making a seven layer salad and green bean casserole for Christmas day.

And of course I can't forget I have to feed my family tonight and tomorrow I'm making:

Mon: Taco Chili

Tue: Homeade chicken noodle soup

I am reading...Nothing, I need to get to the library

I am hoping...to get lots accomplished today

I am creating...Nothing at the moment. I am hoping to do some scrapbooking over the weekend

I am hearing....quiet, it's nice. I guess my kiddos are really tired this morning so they are quietly watching Alladin in the other room

Around the house...Cleaning bathrooms today-uck my least favorite thing to do.

One of my favorite things...Cheese bread and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. We always did this growing up and my mom still makes us grown kids extra for our families. I'm excited this year to actually learn how to make them.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Mon: Cleaning, baking, wrapping gifts

Tue: Cleaning, baking, wrapping gifts

Wed: Christmas with my side of the fam. will be a fun and loud time with lots of laughter, eating, opening gifts, playing games and a new dirty santa game

Thur: Christmas morning opening gifts with my girls.
Going to his parents and opening gifts with them.
Then to his Aunt's to eat lunch.

Fri: Rest and Relaxation Brad is on vacation for 12 days! YAY!!!!

Sat: Rest and relaxation

Sun: Rest and relaxation

I never posted about our baby Jesus craft so here is what we did.

Thunder Game

2008-12-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

Monday night we took Lily and our nephew Kaden to the Oklahoma Thunder game. We stayed until half-time even though they think we stayed for the whole game!(I know we are mean) They had so much fun watching the game, eating cotton candy, and drinking pepsi. Let's just say a combination of those things made them very VERY hyper!(as you'll see in the video at the end)

12.8.08

2008-12-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

Outside my window....Very windy, hopefully no more wildfires

I am thinking...how much I need to do before christmas

I am thankful for...my sweet family

From the kitchen...
Mon:Chicken Enchilada casserole
Tue: Chicken philly cheesesteaks
Wed: Leftovers or sandwiches
Thu: Roast
Fri: Skillet turkey meatloaf
Sat: Christmas Party with lifegroup
Sun: Spagetti

I am reading...Just finished Mistaken Identity. Very good, very interesting.

I am hoping...for work to pick up this week

I am creating...Just picked up my christmas cards. Love the way they turned out

Around the house...Still working on organizing kitchen cabinets

One of my favorite things...giggles from my girls

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Mon: Grocery store and OKC Thunder game
Tue: crafts with kiddos
Wed: Work and micro-mission at "all things baby" with lifegroup
Thu: I never have anything on Thursdays!
Fri: Work
Sat: Christmas party at the Moore's
Sun: Nothing yet

Here is one of our christmas card pic my sister Katie took of us. I'm very pleased with the way they turned out!

Please join others at The Simple Woman's Daybook

Christmas Tree

2008-12-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

The girls had so much fun decorating the Christmas tree this week. They got to go to Hobby Lobby and pick out ornaments just for them. Of course they picked pink ones!

Wal Mart Gift Card

2008-12-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

Wanna win a $100 giftcard to Wal Mart? Check out Centsiblesawyer for details!! Who couldn't use $100 to Walmart?!?!

Handprint Christmas Tree

2008-12-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

Now that my girl's are older it is alot easier to do craft's with them.(most days!) This year I really wanted to get them in the christmas spirit by doing crafts each week. This week it's all about the christmas tree. Today we made handprint christmas tree's. I just traced their hands, cut them out and glued them together. Then they put stickers and colored red ornaments on them.

They were so proud of their creations!

Next week we will talk about baby Jesus and do some crafts about Jesus's birth.

Any suggestions for the craft?

For Today 12.1.08....

2008-12-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

I always love reading Amy's daybook post's so I thought I would join in on the fun.

Outside my window...windy and cold

I am thinking...how I need to go fold laundry

I am thankful for...being so blessed by God

From the kitchen... banana bread, and making chicken stir-fry for dinner

I am creating...currently painting a mirror for my living room

I am reading...NOTHING.....any suggestions?

I am hoping...for obedience in my girls this week!

I am hearing...spongebob

Around the house...working on cleaning out my kitchen cabinets and organizing a craft cabinet for the girls

One of my favorite things...coffee while I read my bible in the mornings

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Mon: grocery shopping
Tue: working on some christmas crafts with the girls
Wed: work and lifegroup
Thur: ??
Fri: work and Brad works late
Sat: work and church
Sun: try and get some scrapbooking done

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...I never did share any halloween pics of my beautiful princesses so here they are.....

to participate in a blog like this one visit the simple woman's daybook here.

More scrapbooking!

2008-11-24T08:02:00.001-08:00

After my last post it got me thinking of the scrapbook pages I did of Lily and Addisyn when they were babies. Lily was probably around 1 month and Addisyn around 3 months. They were so cute and chubby! I hope as they grow up they will still be best buddies!

Scrapbooking

2008-11-24T07:48:00.001-08:00

I finally managed to get some scrapbooking done on Sunday. I'm trying to get caught up on my pages before the holidays. I only got two done but it's a start! The first one is of the girls at Frontier City when we were at Lifestock. The second is of Lily and her sweet friend Addisyn being silly. They have been best buds since Lily was born. They are about 3 month apart. I still remember when they were just babies laying on the floor together. They look so grown up in those pictures.

Baking Day Update

2008-11-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

This was really fun, I'm going to start trying to do this more often. It's actually not that hard to make multiple things at once. I got everything made that I planned except the blueberry muffins. I'll save those for Sunday since I have to work tomorrow and Saturday.

strawberry breakfast muffins

My girls thought they were really good.

(Lily will eat anything that's pink!)

the scones were probably the hardest since I've

never tried scones before. They were a little

messy but I think turned out pretty good.

(I haven't tried them yet!)

Veggie soup I added some beans for some protein

I'm freezing the soup in Tupperware. I froze half
and saved half so we could eat it this week.

I had a pineapple I needed to cut up.

Storing it in a Ziploc. We'll eat this tomorrow
with our omelets.

I'm taking this Jello/fruit thing(I don't have a name for it!)
to family birthday's tonight.

This is everything I got accomplished. The
girl's had pancakes for lunch!

I'm going to freeze the muffins, scones, and pancakes.

What's the best way to package them so they stay fresh?

Any ideas?

Baking Day

2008-11-18T12:58:00.000-08:00

I'm joining in on the baking fun with moneysavingmom. I love to bake but have not taken the time to do so lately. On Thursday I will be making.......

Classic Scones
Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
Veggie Soup
Cream of Wheat Pancakes
Breakfast Strawberry Muffins

Most of these I will be freezing for later use. Let me know if you would like to try any of these recipes and I can e-mail them right over! Check back on Thursday for an update on what I actually got accomplished and some pictures!!

The Bod Squad

2008-11-10T10:34:00.001-08:00

My soon to be sister in-law Abbi has started a new blog called the bod squad which I am lucky enough to be part of. This is exactly what I've been needing to keep me accountable with my healthy eating as I try and lose the last 10 pounds. While we hope to achieve our goals through this blog it is also our hope to inspire and encourage others who are on this same journey as we are. Won't you please join us in this new little adventure.

Soles4Souls

2008-11-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

Check out this blog for an amazing ministry called soles4souls. They are trying to reach a goal of 50,000 pairs of shoes in 50 days. You can donate $5 for two pairs of shoes for someone that is not as fortunate as we are.

Happy Birthday Brad!!

2008-11-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

He turned the big 25 today! Happy birthay babe, We love you!!!

Here is what he got for his birthday, actually

Lily says she got it for him.

Halloween 2007

2008-10-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe how fast a year goes by. My girls are just growing up to fast.

Last year Sadie was my punk rocker with purple hair, and Lily was a cute little bunny.

They had so much fun Trick or Treating for the first time. It was actually my first time to trick or treat also!

Storybook Forest

2008-10-29T06:46:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at the Storybook Forest in Arcadia with our lifegroup last night.

We went through the trail with all the storybook characters, played games, and had a hayride.

Lily, Briley, and Sadie All of the kiddos getting ready to go through the trails.

Princess Rapunzel

The whole gang

All of the kiddos and mom's sitting on the shoe
This was Sadie's favorite part!
Humpty Dumpty

Rock a bye baby(this was one of the girls favorites)
This was Lily's favorite she is still talking about it today

Sadie went up to sleeping beauty and gave her a kiss

Calling all Princesses

2008-10-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

I'm running a Halloween special for $10 to get your pretty little princesses hair done on halloween. I'll be working most of the day so call me to book your appt. 808-4256. The following pictures are examples of Belle's and Cinderella's hair.

How To Speak Chinese

2008-10-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

I always knew deep down when Lily was a baby that she knew how to speak chinese, but it has become even more apparent to me that she really does know how. For proof check out the video below. It's so adorable!!

Girls Rock!

2008-10-16T05:51:00.000-07:00

I just love having little girls to dress up and fix their hair. It's so much fun! Lately Lily has really been into dressing up in all her costumes and her "princess ballerina"(as she calls it) is her favorite by far right now. Of course since I am a hairstylist I had to make sure she had "princess ballerina" hair!

Question Of The Week

2008-10-14T11:42:00.001-07:00

What do you do with your child's craft projects?

Here is my dilema, Lily loves to color and do

any kind of craft. On any given day she could

color up to 5 pages. Where on earth do you

keep all of those pages?!?! I've tried tossing out

some of them here and there but she found some

in the trash and was very upset with me. I felt

like a horrible mother!!

You got any advice?

Should I feel bad if I don't want to keep them ALL?

Pictures by Abi Martin

2008-10-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Just had to share with you guys some adorable pictures of my family. There are a ton of them so here is just a preview! Enjoy! Check out Abi here.

A Day at the Zoo

2008-10-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day at the zoo with our friends. It was a bit cold at first but warmed up and was really nice despite the wind. Gotta love the Oklahoma wind!

Brinley, Lily, and Sadie(Oh and Calin hiding over there!)

Buffy and her adorable girls

Sharing snacks

Sadie playing on the playground

Chic Clips

2008-10-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

I've been making these adorable flower clips for my girls hair and have decided to sale them in my salon. I'm also selling beanie hats for $14.00(with one flower included) that you can attach the flowers onto. The hats can be made in white, black, navy blue, pink, and brown. Here is a sneak peek.

here is a brown hat with pink flower

here is the same hat but with a fabric flower

fabric flowers can be custom made with your choice of fabric

fabric flowers can either be a pin or clip

Guilt Free Cupcakes

2008-10-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

These are really easy to make and taste wonderful, most people can't even tell they are guilt free!

1 Box cake mix(any flavor)

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

2 egg whites

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup chocolate or butterscotch chips

Mix everything together. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min. 24 cupcakes equals 2 ww points.

I have made these with a french vanilla cake mix
with chocolate chips, and also a chocolate cake mix
with butterscotch chips.

Daddy's Little Princesses

2008-09-30T09:49:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend we stopped in at a walgreens and I sent Brad in to get some chips and some pop to go with our sandwiches for the evening. Needless to say he came out with more than I asked for including these princess shirts for his princesses.

He said he just couldn't help himself when he saw them! He does this cute little thing with the girls when he asks them who's my princess, they say "ME". It's sooooo cute! So here are some cute pictures I got of them in there new princess shirts.

Panini

2008-09-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried these?

We love these at our house but I hate paying the price for convenience food.

I started making these and freezing them for a quick and easy meal. Especially good for Brad when I work on the weekends.

I use-

1 loaf french bread

Ham or Turkey(you could also use chicken)

Pepper jack or american cheese

Olives

Banana peppers

You could pretty much use whatever you like.

I put them on my george foreman grill to get the grilled look.

I then wrap them in foil and write on the outside. I also wrote how many points they were since we are doing weight watchers.

Then pop them into the freezer for

a quick lunch or dinner.

Question Of The Week

2008-09-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

How much does your family spend on groceries a month?

Do you include toiletries in this amount?

How many mouths do you feed?

*I thought I should include what we spend*

We budget around $300 a month for groceries and toiletries

but we usually spend more like $325-350 a month.

This gets us meals for seven days a week including Brad's lunches. He goes out to eat once a week at work, and we usually eat out 1-2 times a month as a family.

What will you choose today?

2008-09-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed the way we act may rub off on another person?

I've been noticing it lately with my girls. Like this morning Sadie was crying because she wanted coke(like she ever gets coke for breakfast!) it wasn't until Lily said I'll have juice did she say I want juice too and was all of the sudden happy. It's amazing when one of my kids acts the right way it(usually) rubs off on the other one to start acting better.

So I challenge all of us to be more aware of our attitudes and how we affect others with the way we act. You never know who we might be affecting with a good attitude, or even worst a bad attitude.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5

~Ali

Zig-zag ponies

2008-09-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

I recently fell in love with this website. I've gotten tons of ideas for my girlies hair and have been trying them out. Well at least on Lily. Sadie doesn't have much to work with! Poor thing! Here is one I did on Lily recently.

Spicy Chicken Tacos

2008-09-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

This was one of our favorite recipes that we tried last week.

*Warning this is extremely spicy*

Ingredients

3 chicken breast shredded
2 cups chicken broth
2 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons or more(if you like it spicy) of the adobo sauce
Tortillas
Sour cream
Cheese

Put the chicken in a skillet with 2 cups chicken broth, bring to a boil and simmer with lid on until chicken is cooked through. Let cool slightly and then shred. Put chicken back into skillet with one cup of reserved broth. Add peppers and sauce, simmer until heated through.

We used whole wheat tortillas spread with a little sour cream and sprinkled with cheese. These were really good but be sure you have a big cup of water because they were spicy!!

Question of the Week

2008-09-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm curious on alot of questions so I'm going to start posting a question of the week. I hope to get some feed back from you guys! So......

Do you let your kids choose what they wear and how they wear their hair, or do you choose for them?

I'm going through this right now with my three year old. She wants to wear a dress all the time and nothing else. She won't ever wear what I want her to wear. She also is very picky on how I fix her hair. So let's hear about what you do with your kids. Is this a battle we should even fight?

Ali

Scrapbooking Weekend

2008-09-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

I had a great night on Saturday scrapbooking with some friends. I stayed up WAY to late but had a blast. Here is what I got accomplished.

Luke

2008-09-12T06:33:00.001-07:00

Have you ever read God's word and just stopped and realized that the writer of whatever it is you were reading was extremely skilled? This is how I feel about Luke. My favorite book that he wrote is Acts. He is such an intelligent writer yet he breaks it down to make the most basic of Christ followers understand the stories that he is telling. He brings you into God's word and makes you feel like you are there. For me he helped start my fire for Christ again. If you are in a drought in your walk consider reading the book of Luke or Acts.

Is there a writer that helped you reconnect with God? What's your story?

Brad

Us

2008-09-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

We are a young family who realizes how fast life can pass us by. We love to spend time together as a family and grow in family fellowship. We have a multitude of interests as a family and as individuals. We hope to share our stories and tips and inspire you to implement some of our ideals. We are a family driven by God and we hope that shows through in our writing. Enjoy!!