Outdoors

John and I are very blessed to own an amazingly beautiful section of this beautiful earth that God created. This weekend we were able to get out and enjoy some of our land, just the two of us. Here are some pics from our walk and 4 wheeler ride.

There is the most peaceful little creek that runs through the back of our property.

Cruising a gravel road behind our house.

I love his hat on backwards :)

On our way back home.

When is the last time you spent some time enjoying nature?

Weekend Love

Here are some pics of things that we enjoyed this weekend...

New threads for the kiddos...

Probably the most amazing little girl shoes of all time....

Cooking like mama....

Some mommy and daddy time...

Yummy yummy dessert....

.

What did you enjoy this weekend? I would love to hear!

Inpromptu Family Night

Here is our evening in pics. We made an impromptu trip out to eat and to Cabela's (again :)). This time of year Cabela's tends to become a weekly visit!


Jag and Daddy tracing each others hands...precious!

Cool guy.

He decided that he didn't like the crocodile and wanted to leave.

My baby is walking!!!!

We always leave a horrible mess at a restaurant...good thing we tip well!!!

That boy is rotten!

Love :)

My girl isn't too photogenic at the moment could be because she is trying to get a bazillion teeth in right now!

Thank you Jagger for the surprise pic of mommy and the Cabela's worker man

Deep in discussion

Everyone is tired and grumpy this morning but we had fun last night. Have you taken any unplanned trips lately??



Quilts

I am very lucky to have an amazing talented grandmother who is IMMENSELY talented at crafting and sewing. Some of the most precious possessions that I own are quilts that she has made for me and my family.

This is the quilt that my grandma gave to me as an adult. On the back of each quilt she writes who she made it for and the date. This handwritten square is so precious to me.

Each and every one of these quilts are 100% hand stitched. She has such a gift. This is Jagger's quilt.

This is Johnie's quilt, notice she spelled her name wrong :)

This is the quilt she gave me as a teen. The handwriting on this one is very faded but it is dated 1995.

This is the first quilt that my grandma ever made. I am not sure how old it is but it is very worn and ripped in many places. I know that she had this on her bed for many years before giving it away. The solid blocks are patches.

This is one that she gave my mom many years ago. Some how it lives with me, I'm not sure how I pulled that off...but I'll certainly keep it!!!

This is another beautiful quilt that I have hanging in our bedroom. This is John's quilt that was on his bed when he was a small boy. I am not sure who made it for him but it is absolutely beautiful. Very treasured.

And just for fun here's a peek at the kiddos...We am so blessed!!!

What are some of your most prized possessions?

Organization

I wanted to do a post on something that I am trying out currently in our home. This is something that I created that I have been trying to follow. The intent of creating this was during a daydream of being a stay at home mommy and trying to organize my days. I have decided that even though that may never be a reality I still need to try to focus on organizing my thoughts and goals for a week. I ofter think of everything that I need to get done and overwhelm myself and then end up not achieving anything.

I created this doc to help me through the week.

There are weekly cleaning goals on this sheet. Of coarse on a daily basis I pick up, do laundry and do dishes. Monthly I try to wash windows and clean the pantry.

Appointments for the week can include doctors appointments, birthday parties on the weekends, my weekly bible study or anything else that I would have on a regular calendar. Sometimes I have to work late at work so that would be included here also.

Daily activities has really turned into a to do list. This is where I put anything down that I need to get accomplished that day. If I am planning on cooking a roast on Wednesday then on Tuesday I will put "get roast out of the freezer." I know that probably seems unnecessary but it really helps me to achieve my weekly goal without the stress of forgetting things.

Each day has a line for what we will have for dinner. Of coarse this doesn't always work out, some days get pushed back because we end up going out to eat or eating leftovers but I always have ideas and the items that I need to make at least 5 meals on hand. The weekends are free bees. Allot of times John will cook on the weekend so they don't get included on my list.

I have added on the right side a spot for a grocery list. On Sunday when I fill out my meals for the week I put everything I need for those meals on that list. I either go full blown grocery shopping on the weekend or I stop by the store on the way home from work. Having this list keeps me from wandering around the grocery store aimlessly. It also keeps me from getting home to make something and missing one ingredient, I REALLY hate that.

The spot for my weekly goals include things that I want to achieve with my blog that week. You could have anything in this section. This is the area that focuses on mommy. Anything that you are working on or wanting to learn would go in this section. It is very important alongside the cleaning, cooking, appointments and grocery list that I have some goals for myself as well or they would always be on the back burner. On my list this week I have to make 5 posts this week, talk to 3 new people about my blog and order business cards. They are small things but they all add up to make big changes.

I often sit and think "if only" or "when this happens, then...", I am constantly making excuses and dreaming of being a better planner and being more organized and involved in the week. Well this is my attempt at no more excuses. I am a VERY visual person and I am an absolute list maker....this works for me.

How do you keep your week straight? I would love to hear!

DIY

I have been wanting to do this for awhile. I would describe this project as a cross between this and this. If you know me at all you know that I use all materials that I already have. I will alter a few things in the future but overall I am very pleased with the outcome.

This is a stack of wood that I rescued from our neighbors barn. You could use any wood really, you just want it to be thin so it lays well again the wall.

I measured in two inches on each end of boards.

These are staples that I found in my husbands shop. They were not ideal however they were free, which makes them pretty darn close to ideal. In the future I will use regular heavy duty staples.

                        

I hammed three staples in to connect each board together. This was done on both ends of each board. I used 1 inch stencils and traced my letters out with pencil. I painted each letter in with white paint. I think next time I need to use a smalled brush to keep the lines more crisp. 

Here's the finished product. I was pretty pleased. I love the simplicity of the piece and I also love how important those words are to us.

What do you think? Have you created anything lately???