7 Quick Takes Friday (4)

One
We decided to go on that hike at the near by nature preserve. As it turns out, almost 3 year olds aren't super crazy about hikes.. Thankfully the nature preserve also had some animals and an old town that was built up to look like the 1800's. It was pretty neat to look around.

Two
And if you were wondering what a shed that animals gave birth in during the 1800's.. look no further.

Three
The husband has a week and 1/2 break from work. He resigned from it old job and doesn't start his new one until next week. So he has been a stay at home dad for the week.

Four
We had an extremely rare opportunity this morning. I got out of school early, and my daughter was in preschool. So we had a mid morning date. We went to the library and looked for dvds and books. Then we went to the park and played basketball in the rain. When it started to rain too hard we headed for the gazebo, where I did a beautiful rendition of "I am 16 going on 17". It was like we stepped into the Sound of Music.

Five
I finally got some fall decorating complete.

Six
We are almost set up to do a showing of a house for next week. Fingers crossed, we like the house and put down a deposit!

Seven
Happy weekend! Ours is jam packed with my best friends birthday, my daughter's birthday and we are going to a football game on Sunday!

Head back over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

Happy Fall

Some fall decorating finally got done! Although I am not overly proud of my cake stand display..

My biggest project was a wreath I made.

I bought 3 little wreaths from the Dollar Tree for $1 each.

Then I took them apart and twisted them together to create one larger wreath.

A friend of mine's mom worked at a furniture store that was closing down. So she gave us a lot of fabric samples for free.

I cut out 1 small flower and one slightly bigger one, along with a smaller circle. Then glued them all together.

Then we bought a wooden letter for $1.50 at Hobby Lobby.

What have you done to decorate for fall?

A Three Year Adventure

This Sunday my little girl is turning 3! I think I am in complete shock that she is that old. Looking back at the past 3 years, I have to laugh at myself. Especially in the first year of her life. I feel like I finally have gotten in the groove of being a mom. Ha! A little late, I know!

I think, I was a little on the crazy side for a while. For the first few months, she didn't really sleep. (You know, like most babies) But nothing really prepared me for what life with no sleep was like. I remember rocking a screaming baby (who refused to nurse) at 3 am, with head phones in my ears. Oh and did I mention I was singing Brittney Spears', "Hit Me Baby, One More Time" to her? Not exactly the most award winning lullaby, but it sure did calm her down :)

Then there were the days where we would go to Mass and she would cry through most of it. We would get in the car and I would be completely convinced that the entire congregation heard her and thought I was the worlds worst mother. A little sleep later, it occurs to me that most people know that babies cry.

I think I had the most fun when she would lay down for her tummy time and I would turn on "head, shoulders, knees and toes" and do all the motions for her (and maybe sing a little). She wouldn't be able to keep herself up on her arms she was laughing so hard.

My least favorite memory of her first 3 years is the day she said her first sentence. Now let me explain... We had just moved into our apartment, that we live in now. Prior to that we had been living with my parents. We had been there about three days and every time we drove up to the apartment complex she would burst into tears. Then one day we were in the car and it was time to get out, so I could get dinner started. She stared me straight in the eyes and screamed "No". So calmly told her again that it was time to get out of the car. Tears streamed down her face, she gave me the meanest look she could and she said, "New house yucky"!

I love these new preschool years. She talks to me now. She has ideas about how to do things. She really loves when things match. Like the time she came to the realization that her "yellow hair" matched her "yellow pee pees in the potty". Those are the kinds of things I usually think of, when I think of matching...

 She tells me she loves me, and means it. When she isn't in the mood to talk she simple states, "I'm just grumpy, no want to talk right now". I love her brutal honesty. Now when she is getting ready to go to sleep she whispers in my ear, "rub my back", and of course I do.

I can't wait to celebrate with her and see what the next 3 years have to offer!

7 Quick Takes Friday (3)

Number One
The husband got a new job! We couldn't be more excited. We have been hoping and praying for this for a while. So we celebrated with a cake. (Purple, per request of my daughter)

Number Two
We have been talking to a realtor about renting a house in a few months. I am thrilled with the idea of moving into a house, not that I don't love the mold that has conveniently started to grow in our apartment...

Number Three
While I was in the kitchen making soup (pretending it was cold outside), my daughter was in the living room nicely playing. I turn around to see she has taken all of her stuffed animals out and was conducting a circle time. Her animals were working on learning their letters.

Number Four
Each animal got an individual blankie to hold onto for nap time, which would be held after circle time. Except blue puppy, "because sometimes friends' mommies forget to bring a blankie, then friends are so sad and cold".  Ahh I hope I am never that mommy! Although I have forgotten to send a change of clothes many a times...

Number Five
We have nothing planned for this weekend. Yay! We are thinking about going on mini hike at a near by nature preserve. We have to take advantage of the gorgeous weather we have been having!

Number Six
Speaking of great weather I have been working on decorating for fall. I have started a wreath and a centerpiece for the time. Neither of which have been completed. Shocking.

Number Seven
Have a great weekend! Do you have any exciting plans for the weekend? I'd love to hear about them.

Head back over to Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes Friday.

Biblical Wisdom for Personal Finance

I find money frustrating, and I always have. With money, comes greed. Yet it is impossible to live in civilized society without money. I spend probably a little too much time thinking about money, trying to make the best use of what we have. I have searched countlessly for advice on the topic of personal finance. Then I though, what better place to look then the Bible? Here is what it says about money: 

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important that they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan?"

-Matthew 6: 25-27

Wow! I couldn't think of a more powerful quote. While, it doesn't mention money specifically, it does bring up material possessions. It is so important that we put our trust in God, in everything. This applies to even our finances. God will provide for us, if we trust in Him. This can be so hard for me to do in my own life, because I always want to budget down to the cent. If we find ourselves with an unexpected situation like a flat tire, I find myself worrying the whole rest of the month about money. I need to remind myself that God says not to worry, and trust in Him. He will take care of us!

"Rely not on your wealth; say not: 'I have the power'."- Sirach 5:1

We again are reminded to trust in the Lord, and not in our wealth. Money gives us the illusion of power. But really, we have nothing without God. 

"Barter not a friend for money, nor a dear brother for the hold of Ophir."- Sirach 7:18

This is one of those quotes I wish I would have read long before I came across it. We shouldn't lend our family and friends money! This is hard for some people to hear, but it really is true. Lending family and friends money puts a barrier in between you and the other person. It can cause a lot of harm in your relationship. Now this doesn't mean that you shouldn't help out someone close to you who needs help. But maybe it means that you should help them out, without expecting return payment. 

"One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. A man's riches serve as ransom for his life, but the poor man heeds no rebuke." - Proverbs 13: 7-8

What does this mean? It means we should live within our means. We shouldn't buy a home we can't comfortably afford, we shouldn't max out credit cards to give others the false illusion that we have money. We end up tied to our belongings and they really can't and won't serve us. On the flip side, if we have been blessed with wealth, we shouldn't flaunt it. It might be tempting to spend it all on really nice things, but we are told not to. We will find a much greater wealth in giving to others and finding joy in people and Christ, rather than stuff. 

"Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts."- James 5:4

We should be generous with the money we do have! If we go out to eat and the waiter serves us well, we should tip them well. If we have a hard working babysitter that lovingly watches our children, we should pay them well. If we are in a position of management we should pay our employees well. 

What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned in your own life about personal finance?

Garlic and Tomato Pasta

I came up with this recipe after seeing some pasta on TV, that I wanted to replicate. I pretty much just used ingredients I already had around the house and it turned out great!

Recipe: 

• 12 oz penne pasta
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1, 15 oz can died tomatoes
• 1, 6 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Shredded parmesan for sprinkling

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to directions
• In large pot or deep skillet add olive oil, garlic, pepper and onion- cook over med heat until veggies are tender
• Add in all other ingredients except parmesan and pasta, stir to make a sauce
• Add in pasta and cook until heated through
• Serve and sprinkle parmesan on top!

A Lions World: A Preschool Activity

I was given the challenge of creating a therapy session at school, so naturally I tried it out on my daughter to see how it went. She is obsessed with lions, so I decided to take that theme and run with it! Really. She often roars and shouts, "I'm a lion, I'm so scary!"

So today, we were lions!

We used our imaginations (an important preschool/ life skill).

We created lion masks.

We colored, then cut- both important fine motor (finger) skills.

And lived in this lion den for the day.

We had to think really hard to plan out how to make the fort. Then there were the decisions of how big to make the fort, what it would be made out of, and what would go in it. We picked a whole bunch of items with different textures- great for sensory.

 Then for added fun we read lion books, and watched The Lion King (but not the scary parts, of course).
Now I'll send you back to Passionate and Creative Homemaking!

I have decided that I think I could enjoy being 3 again!

Now I'll send you back over to Crayon Freckles