Some Of My Bullet Journal

After wanting something cuter than my old faithful spiral notebook, I tried the Happy Planner.  And while it sure does look happy and bright, it just wasn't a good fit.  Then I stumbled across the Bullet Journal system on YouTube and I KNEW IT!!  

It's perfect for me.  So much freedom.  

I splurged and bought the Leuchtturm 1917.  I don't even pretend to know how to pronounce that.  But it lies flat and has dotted pages.  I love the dotted pages.  It also has 2 ribbon markers but both of those are usually just in my way.  

This weekend I added the monogram.  And my baby added the scribbles.  sigh....

Here's a couple of my favorite trackers...

My kid's color chart for behavior.  They keep careful track of this one!  

My books for my reading challenge.  Still plugging along on that one but kinda slow right now.  Have I mentioned we just had a wedding?  No?  It's coming soon.  Still cleaning up and re-grouping...

This is my absolute favorite because vacation was just about my most absolute favorite thing of all time ever.  I have 3 more pages of it I'm working on.  

And here's my latest spread to organize my Flylady cleaning schedule that I'm not at all keeping up with right now.  But I'm trying and this week I'm working in the bathrooms.  The boys and girls are switching bathrooms so they are both getting complete overhauls.



And lest you think I put that much work into just my daily to-do lists, I'll show you what most of the pages look like.  Super simple.  But still so much freedom to be fancy or not.  No pre-designed squares to fit my life into.  Just blank pages to brainstorm, list, and record.  I'm loving it! 

#taggtrip2017

#taggtrip2017 was a BLAST!!

We've been saving money all year for this big trip and all the kids asked for vacation money for Christmas.  We planned and prepped and got respite care for the older foster kiddos.  This was our first big family vacation and everyone was super excited. 

We hit the road for Destin early Saturday morning and drove straight through.  We found our condos and settled in and unpacked and re-united with Daddy since he'd been gone on business for a week and met us there.  

Next morning we hit the beach!!  It was just across the street and easy to go back and forth.  Look how pretty the sand is. 

Sand castle building is kinda hard. 

The waves were crazy the whole time.  But my kids thought it made it more fun. 

It was a week of shell hunting, ocean play, sand building, swimming, shopping, relaxing, and sleeping in.  Our condo had a pool and most of the time we went back and forth between the pool and the ocean. 

As an early anniversary present our kids bought us a deep sea fishing trip.  SOOO FUN!!  I baited my own hook and caught 2 fish at the same time TWICE!  We caught a lot of fish that day and G'ma has them ready to cook up for us soon.  

We had 2 condos that were absolutely perfect.  Clean and spacious with everything we needed. 

We definitely want to go back there next year. 

I can't wait!

Cleaning Up

I'm back!

I've missed you Blog!  I'm happy to dust off the keyboard and record life again.  

Tonight was our ladies' night a church.  I look forward to these so much!  The theme was spring cleaning and we had an awesome devo about cleaning up our hearts.  Afterward we tried our hand at homemade cleaners which is right up my alley.

Here's a small sample of the fun...

Shower cleaner -

Equal parts blue dawn and vinegar

Y'all.  I can't even tell you how much I love this combo.  I've been using this for a couple of years and it is the BEST.  It gets all the grime and scum and crud off the tub and shower.  And it also works wonders on a greasy stove top. 

Disinfectant - 

Equal parts alcohol and water 

This is new for me.  I don't know why I've never used alcohol for cleaning before. 

Glass cleaner - 

Equal parts vinegar and water 

This is also good for kitchen counters.  And I love the smell of vinegar. 

Scouring Powder- 

1 C baking soda, 1/2 C salt, 1/2 C Borax

This is new for me too and I can't wait to try it. 

Tomorrow is cleaning day so this is just in time! 

All The New Books

My library is doing the funnest thing.   There was a whole display set up with a 2017 reading challenge and several books that would fall into the various categories.  

When I first saw the long list I was like AS IF.  Because who has that much reading time??  (I want to be them.)  But then I decided that each book I read might fall into multiple categories and that would make it doable.  So a grabbed a few copies and started planning......

Here's what I've done so far: 

A Series Of Unfortunate Events #1 

Categories:  A Book Recommended By A Librarian and The First Book In a Series You Haven't Read Before 

Our librarian recommended this when I was looking for a new read aloud.  The kids loved this book way more than I did.  It was ok.   Just not something I fell in love with.  

They liked it so much, I read the 2nd one as well. It fit A Book With An Eccentric Character.  Now the kids are reading them again and watching the Netflix episodes.  

Don't judge.  

This fit several categories and my babies loved it.  That means it counts!!  

A Book With A Cat On The Cover, A Book Involving A Mythical Creature, and A Book With Pictures

Cha-Ching!!  

Best book of the year so far!  Totally a freebie since it didn't fit any category and OH so good.  I put this one off because I thought it was mostly about making good decisions.  And not that I couldn't use help in that department but still something I might typically let sit.  Well well.  It's less about making good decisions and more about living your best life now.  I highlighted the whole thing.  

Christian came into my room and looked over my list.  We were discussing the categories that would be more challenging like : A Steampunk Novel (what even?) and An Espionage Thriller 

He promised he had just the book that would fit An Espionage Thriller, A Novel Set During Wartime, and A Book About A Difficult Topic.   The Auschwitz Escape was fantastic!  I finished it in 4 days. 

My baby is almost 10.  I've read this series aloud multiple times in his 10 years but I wanted to do it at least once more before he outgrows it.  It fits A Book You Loved As A Child (so maybe he won't out grow it after all) and A Book Set In The Wilderness 

Every time I read it I learn something new.  I'm pretty sure I was born about 100 years too late.  I would've been a good Ma Ingalls.  

This is my current book written by my great friend, Shannon.  I'm only on chapter 3 but loving every word.  I love reading her stories and getting to know her a little better on each page.  It fits A Book Written By Someone You Admire and how I do admire her! She's one of my favorite people in the world.  

And just look at this awesome bookmark Nathan made for me.  

The back is my favorite! 

The Blessing House

For a long time now we've been discussing different ideas for another stream of income.  

I've been kind of interested in rental houses but never actually looked into it.  UNTIL NOW!!  

This foreclosure became available in my neighborhood and I jumped on it.  I couldn't believe the price.  And when I walked through it, I was in love.  It's in great shape, in a fantastic location, and an incredible price.  It's the perfect first rental.  

We closed last Friday! 

It has 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, a covered carport with storage, a floored attic, and a storage shed. 

And this very fancy toilet with the flusher on the top.  I mean! 

We do have some work to do before it's ready to rent but it's not too much.  Besides I have very awesome crew that works for food. 

First thing was to scrape the damaged popcorn ceiling in the kitchen.   Let me just say this is NOT as easy as YouTube makes it look.  Especially if it's been painted.  And it's old.  We toyed with scraping the whole house.  But no.  

We also have some painting.  And let me just stop here to say that with divorce on the rise, you should be married at least 20 years before attempting a project like this together.  

Just sayin.    

So it's been a few days of scraping, painting, cleaning, and fixing.  We aren't done but getting closer.  And the best news is that I already have a potential tenant! 

I'm calling this our blessing house because my prayer is that it will be a blessing to us and to everyone who lives here.  

Old And New Sports Fun

I have watched countless numbers of Christian's soccer games.  He started playing at four and then traveled competitively at seven.  He retired after moving back from Colorado sometime in his teen years.  And I loved every single game of it!!  

Then he started refereeing games.  And that was fun too.  A different way to use his skills and knowledge.  Now he owns his own soccer league that he runs twice a year and faithfully follows his Colorado Rapids.  

Recently he joined a men's soccer league in town.  It's men of all ages and backgrounds and abilities. I've been skipping my regularly scheduled Sunday afternoon nap to cheer him on.   

Excuse the iPhone pics.

It's still just as much fun to watch him.  

And sometimes he even gets to play with his old childhood team mates.  I love seeing how these boys have grown and changed! 

And because nobody wants to play keeper, he brings his little brother along and I get to watch two sons on the same field.  

He does a pretty good job playing up on a men's league.  

In other sports related news, Nathan made the school archery team!



He got a new bow for Christmas and loves it.



He had his first tournament last weekend.  He was so nervous and excited.  I was too.  It was super fun to watch.



This weekend he has another one.  The last one of the season.  I'm so looking forward to it!! 

What's Up With The Babies?

Tonight I was home alone with 3 toddlers.  It reminded me of my early mommy days, though my bios were not that close in age.  Still.  You basically just read and play and sing until bedtime.  Then you do the dishes.  Back in the day the dishes situation wasn't the deal it is today.

UPS came today and delivered a box that had those air filled plastic pockets that is different from tiny bubble wrap....you know what I'm talking about?  Well that kept Blue Eyes busy in the hallway for a full 20 minutes stomping on it and laughing at the top of his lungs.  He didn't care that his siblings were eating or that there cookies involved because stomping and destroying something will win every time.

Meanwhile, the other two were happy eating the dinner that flopped.  Which is one of the greatest things about babies.  They don't know the difference.  And the rest of the family will be tickled that they won't have so many leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Blue Eyes has finally decided that using the potty is something he can do.  At least during the day and at home.  Nighttime is another issue.  But it seems to be my issue because he couldn't care less.  And school is hit and miss.  Sometimes he comes home in the same clothes.  Sometimes he comes home in the extra clothes from his back pack with a black plastic baggie tied to the handle.  And now and then...well he comes home in somebody else's clothes.  I haven't pushed it much because frankly we fight over just about everything and I'm trying to pick my battles.

This morning's fight was brushing his teeth.  He pursed his lips as tight as he could and shook his head no.  But he forgot that he had new toothpaste until his little siblings all "got" to brush their teeth.  He changed his mind...but it was too late.  Tonight he brushed his teeth happily.

My husband and I were discussing dreams this week.  Two years ago I was counting down the days until our home could be opened for foster care.  Blue Eyes is my dream come true.  He is also one of my greatest challenges.

His case is dragging on forever.  March is the next court hearing.  Anything could happen.  Or not.

Little Pumba turned two right before Christmas.  He is just a big hunk of love.  He is sweet and cuddly and so very mild mannered.  As an only baby, he'd be a dream child.  He rarely ever throws a fit and when he does it is pouting and whining.  No tantrums from him.  He is the king of unnecessary noise and knows every animal sound plus all the ones he's made up.  Unlike the other two, he has a lot of family that loves him.  But, and this is a big but...they won't do what is necessary to get him home.  So he has visits every week.  He has to get into a car with a different DHS transporter every time and drive an hour to visit different family members.  He always wakes up crying in the night after a visit.  He is certainly a resilient little boy,

Babyest had the big court hearing this week.  His mom didn't come and there was no defense.  It was over quickly and as of now he is not legally related to anybody.  Today I got a call that we have been assigned an adoption specialist.  I had no idea it would happen so soon....so HAPPY DAY for us.  We've been discussing new names for him.  We want to honor his first family by including some of his original name in his new name.

This guy is such a rascal.  He's playful and an adorable trouble maker.  I never thought I'd be starting over as someone's mommy at the same time I have a grand baby.  But I also can't imagine living the rest of our lives without him.   His pictures are coming up all over my Time Hop from last year when he was visiting.  That was such an uncertain time and we were so happy for any time we could spend with him.  I'm thankful that's over and I'll be even more thankful when he finally shares our last name.

I wish I could post pictures.  They are all beautiful.  They are all so loved.  And tonight I'm glad they are all in bed!

My Happy Planner

Did y'all make grand organizational plans for 2017?

I didn't.  But I love all the calendars and markers and fancy charts and lovelies all over the store.  And the containers!!  Be still my heart.  All the storage containers to contain all the stuff?  Yes please.

A few months into the fall I started getting bored with my spiral notebook and starting looking into what all the planner hype was about.  There are so many!  And they can be pretty pricey.  So my spiral started looking a little cuter that day.

But then Meg started talking about it too and my librarian.  And OH THE PEER PRESSURE ALREADY.

So I looked again.
And found a coupon.

I must say I heart my Happy Planner.

I love the bright colors.  It pairs so nicely with all pens and markers. 

These divider pages are adorable.  So artsy. 

Here's a peek.  The monthly spread is my favorite feature (which comes with pretty much every planner in the store).  It keeps me from having to check the kitchen calendar for everything.  And it's something that my spiral doesn't have.  

The tabbed pages are nice and thick.   I used one of the older month's tabs to make a new one for charts.  Now my kids can quickly check what chores they have this week, what color they are on, and what school is next.  This is also something that works better here than in my spiral.  

I

And here's the part I wasn't sure about.  The daily pages.  I need a whole sheet for everything daily.  Not just a morning/afternoon/evening square.  So a lot of those pages are pretty much useless to me.  But I figured out a way to use some of them by penciling in a grid and using it to keep track of my kids colors (behavior system), school, and chores.



Still trying to figure it out and decide what is worth the trouble or not.  Maybe there's another way to use the daily pages that'll work better.  Or maybe I should just toss them?  In any case, they don't work well as real daily pages for me because I like the freedom of a whole page of lined nothingness for that business.

These Currently pages are so much fun! 

It's one of my favorite features and the only thing I save from month to month.  

I also love how sturdy this planner is with the heavier weight paper.  And everything in it is interchangeable.  You can buy refill pages on Amazon or in the craft stores as well as other custom kits like cleaning/menuing/school pages.  

I still use my spiral for my daily planning/menuing/sermon notes/phone numbers...anything everyday.  But my Happy Planner is just so Happy! 

One Month Of Loveliness

Happy ONE MONTH birthday to my sweetie pie!!  

I stole this from Meg's instagram and it's my very favorite picture of all time.  She is already a master of selfies! 

I love you Meg and Brycen!! 

Library Day

Today and tomorrow are our last official days of break.  It has been so nice to step out of routine for awhile.  I'm both ready and not-so-ready to jump back into it.  

We made a library run today for the first time in about 2 weeks.  I used that time to look at some books I might want to read this year.  I'm still working on my 2017 reading list.  

I've heard so many good things about this book.  Plus the librarian considers it a must read.  I need to read this one before the movie comes out.  Maybe I'll even see it in the theater as my finished-a-book prize.  

  My kids are crazy about this place.

And have no trouble making themselves right at home. 

Happy 2017!

Honey had a 4 day weekend and gave me the greatest gift ever.  A whole day off!!! As in, no mom responsibilities for the whole entire day.  I went to my Dad's (empty) house and ate my way through his refrigerator.  Actually I pretty much just lived on homemade jerky and olives.

I took my computer and my planners and all my books.  I read, and thought, and prayed, and planned.  All.  Day.  Long.

And I was so grateful y'all.
Because nothing gets me thinking quite as much as a new beginning.  A brand new start.  And I'm very much in favor of a new year of life.  Except for the birth of our precious Brycen, 2016 was not my favorite.

But that is over.  And now there is a brand new year ahead with all kinds of possibilities!

Here are 4 goals for 2017 that I want to work on....

1.  Prioritize family relationships.
I've been lazy.  And overwhelmed.  Three toddlers and three teenagers had me barely keeping my head above water.  But this year I want to be more intentional with my immediate and extended family relationships.

2.  Memorize Isaiah 43.
There is so much good here.  Over the years, I have underlined key passages throughout the chapter and I'd like to pull it all together and memorize all those good promises.

3.  Stay on track with my Monday night Bible study.
The studies are long.  And Monday is a soccer night.  It was too easy to excuse myself for not keeping up and not showing up.  But these people are important to me, sharpen me, and encourage me.  It's worth it to figure out child care and be intentional.

4.  Be emotionally independent.
I've noticed that my emotions are very controlled by how other people in my space are feeling/acting. Have we talked about toddlers and teenagers?   I want to be a thermostat instead of a thermometer.

Of course I have lots of new ideas and plans for school.  But I figure these four main personal goals will be enough to keep me busy all year!

Welcome Brycen Claire!!

The wait is finally over!
Our precious baby girl is HERE.

And we are so in love.




As I mentioned, Meg went into labor during Herb's funeral.  (He would've loved the timing.)
After a very long labor and a not-so-long delivery, Miss Brycen Claire entered the world and stole our hearts.

Laney, Laura, and I were all in the delivery room (such a gift!!) and got to be among the first to welcome her to the family.

She is absolutely perfect.
And gorgeous.
And wonderful.

We are just a little bit crazy about her!





I could stare at her all day.