Fidget Spinners

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A week ago I had no idea what a Fidget Spinner even was.  And now, they are EVERYWHERE. Seriously. We were eating dinner at a Mexican restaurant the other night, and looked around and 5 different kids were all holding and spinning these things.

So anyway, Kate came home from school last week and kept telling Kevin and me about these fidget spinner things that her friend Kahlil had, and asked if she could get one.  I had no idea what they were but she said they sold them at her school store. So, I told her to find out how much they cost and we would see.

Well, of course she forgot to check on the price (and I kinda doubt they actually sold these things AT SCHOOL), but a week later she was still wanting one.  Kevin promised to buy her one off of Amazon, but then couldn't get the transaction to go through on his phone, so he gave up. We had no idea where to buy one in person but we figured this would be the kind of thing that the mall would be selling at a kiosk in the middle.  And you know what?  We were right!

So this kid took her allowance money and bought herself a multicolored cheetah print fidget spinner.  And then we had to buy Karsten one too, because in Kevin's own words, "even if Kate got an amputation, Karsten would have to have one too."  Karsten is definitely a little copycat.

If you DON'T know about the fidget spinner craze, here are some links to a few. Kate's school allows kids to have them at recess, but otherwise they need to stay in their book bags. Tons of schools in our area are just flat-out banning them. That's how big they are. Craziness.  (Though I will say, they are kind of entertaining to play with for a few minutes.)

Sunday Meal Planning- 1

I'm kind of a creature of habit and Sunday afternoons are typically my meal planning and grocery shopping days.  Am I alone in this?  If I don't plan it, it won't happen. And there is definitely not enough time in my day to try to go to the grocery store and pick up food for dinner on a weeknight.

I mentioned in a previous post that life has been a little chaotic/busy/CRAZY lately.  So while we usually save our eating out for weekends, I've been picking up a pizza on my way home from work more often than I'd like.

In an effort to maybe give myself a bit more accountability, I'm listing some of the meals planned for this week. All of these are relatively easy to make and my kids like at least PART of the meal. (i.e. - Kate loves shrimp and salad, but she'll skip the grits).  Such is the life when you live with a picky eater.  We definitely don't cater to her or we'd be eating chicken strips every meal, but I try to have at least a few choices that she likes.

I'm linking to the original recipes (if there is one) in the title.  So, here's what's up for this week:

Ham Stromboli 
I made this one for our small group tonight, and we have it occasionally for dinners during the week. Super easy and quick to make.  I have had a hard time finding the french loaf dough in my local grocery store the last few months, but WalMart always seems to come through. They have everything.

Shrimp and Grits, with Salad
I kind of made this one up, knowing what is already in there. I'll make cheese grits and then top it with bacon and shrimp (sprinkled with Tony's Seasoning, and sautéed in butter).  I like to add sautéed onions or chives too but the kids don't love those, so that often gets left off.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo over Orzo Pasta
I stumbled across this recipe in the last 6 months and decided to give it a try. I figured it would be a bomb (in a bad way) because my kids are weird and don't like pasta.  For someone like me who loves Italian food, this is a major disappointment. I mean what kid doesn't like Mac & Cheese???  Anyway, I figured I would make this and serve it over orzo since that's one of the few pasta's I have never given them.  By some small miracle, they didn't hate it!  I won't say it is their favorite meal, but it lets me eat pasta every now and then.  (I use Prego's Homestyle Alfredo and really like it. You definitely have to find an alfredo that you love, because that's what makes the dish.)

Meatloaf Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
With a Pioneer Woman recipe, you can't go wrong.  This recipe is a make-ahead one for me. I will double or triple the recipe and make a big batch of meatballs on a Saturday.  Then I'll save out some to cook and freeze the rest.  We like the Meatloaf Meatballs better than typical meatloaf.

Pulled Pork BBQ, Baked Beans, Corn on the Cobb, and Chips
Kevin likes to buy Boston Butt when it is on sale, and then freeze them. He'll smoke one on the grill all day on a Saturday and then we'll save it for a different night. Yumm!  This is one of my favorites.

First Lake Day of 2017

I've been doing some major catching up on the blog lately, and I still have quite a few more to go. Before I get too much further behind, I needed to share some pictures from a couple of weekends ago.  We spent Friday and Saturday at my parent's lake house, and it was warm enough for us to put on bathing suits and get out on the pontoon boat for the first time this year.  But first, this view...

One of the prettiest places I know! 

I did a horrible job of taking pictures, but did get a few from our Friday evening boat ride and then a few more when we went out during the day on Saturday.  On Friday, Kate drove us around. 

Saturday started off warm, and we took the kids over to a nearby beach to "swim". The water was freezing, but that didn't stop them...

Stearns Puddle Jumper Cancun Octopus Life Jacket

Karsten must be going through a growth spurt right now because she's been eating like CRAZY lately. This little kid ate 3 sandwiches and wanted more... not to mention the applesauce, cookies, and blueberries that she'd eaten.  Where she puts all that food, I have no idea. 

I couldn't grab a picture of Kate because she spent the day in the 20 degree water.  I exaggerate but I honestly don't know how she stood it.  I got in the water up to my knees, but couldn't take a step further.  It surely didn't bother Kate though. She is a little fish and loves the water, no matter the temperature!

Gymnastics Girls

Since August, Kate has taken gymnastics on Tuesday evenings. She LOVES it and I have to say, I'm impressed with how much she has learned in this short period of time. This is definitely one of those sports I can see us sticking with for a long period of time.  

 

Karsten is still too young to attend a class, but because Kevin often has church meetings on Tuesday nights, she sometimes has to tag along and watch big sister do her thing.  When she goes, she is SO jealous and anxious to get out there on her own.

 

A friend gave her a hand-me-down leotard and so Karsten had to wear it last Tuesday when we went to gymnastics.  Here are the girls before we headed off to the gym...

 

And in case you were wondering why Karsten looks less than impressed in these pictures, it's because of this....

 

 

Kevin was on our roof, blowing off the leaves and sticks that had fallen during a storm.  Karsten couldn't care less that he was on the roof, but she HATES the blower.  She is terrified of it, and terrified of Kevin when he is wearing it. 

The things we are scared of as kids!  This has been a pretty long-standing fear with her though, and we are going on a solid year of this. We even have an electric blower at church that is used to clean off the sidewalks, and when she see it, she immediately says "We're not gonna turn the blower on." Wonder how much longer this fear will last?

Sister, Sister

These two girls were meant to be sisters, and only God could orchestrate their stories to bring them together in one family.

I'm so thankful that they have each other.  They love each other fiercely, and look out for one another. Anytime Karsten gets something (like a toy or a snack) she always asks for another, because "I need one for Kate."  Kate is her favorite person in the whole world, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

We had THE HARDEST TIME keeping Kate out of Karsten's face when Karsten was a baby. She would love to touch Karsten's nose and lips and cheeks.  Even now, Kate can't seem to stay away. When I ask to take their picture, it's not enough for Kate to stand beside her little sister. She has to bend down and put her face right up against Karsten's, because she loves her that much. 

Since I have had the privilege of growing up with a sister, I know just how special it is. I pray these two grow up to be best friends, to share their secrets, and to support one another.  I pray that they realize what a blessing that it is that they have each other.

I recently saw a quote from Elizabeth Barrett Browning that perfectly sums up my opinion of these two little girls.

"God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame."

JOY

This time of year is always a little overwhelming.

Work is crazy. Tax CPA's have a traditional busy season that typically ends with the April 15th tax return due date, but it seems like that doesn't really mean anything anymore.  It never slows down and there's always at least some level of craziness! Such is life. 

It's the end of the school year, and even though Kate's only in Kindergarten and probably doesn't even really know that summer break is near, we are all reaching that point where the extended break is needed. We're completely over homework and behavior charts and reading logs and permission slips and sandals that have to have backs on them and... I could go on but I think you get the point. So yeah, school is crazy. 

Home life is crazy too.  The girls started swim lessons, which takes up yet another week night. Pretty soon they'll all be full with something.  It's finally starting to warm up, which means grass is growing (and needing to be mowed) and all of the outdoor projects on our "to do" list are getting into full swing. So far we've planted flowers, put down new stone borders around our entire house, and painted the storage building, which just puts a small dent in all of our projects. There's always something. 

The other day I saw someone share this picture and I really need to find where it's from because I need it hanging somewhere in our house: 

I mean really, how true is this? It's all about perspective and knowing that sometimes you WILL be buried in work, in responsibilities, in chores, in project, in WHATEVER.  But God can help you through it and use those situations to make you ready for something even bigger. 

Friday evening the girls and I ran over to Papa John's to pick up a pizza for dinner while Kevin was mowing the grass.  It was 70 degrees outside, the sun was down, and we rode home with the windows down and the music turned up.  From the back seat I hear Kate and Karsten singing along at the top of their lungs to the song "Joy" by Johnny Diaz. 

I've got JOY down in my soul,
I'm gonna take it everywhere I go,
not gonna worry 'bout what I don't know.
I'll be alright as long as I've got
JOY here in my heart,
wavin' like a torch fightin' off the dark,
in the jet black night I'm gonna see the stars,
I'll be alright as long as I've got JOY!

As I listened to them singing, I couldn't help but be filled with thankfulness for the JOY that comes in the peace of knowing Jesus as my Savior and Lord.  Yes, life is crazy. But thankfully my peace doesn't come from this life and from this world.  Instead it comes from the One who created it all. 

Easter 2017

Easter!  My girls were so excited for Easter (Kate especially).  We started the day off with our church family, and I was thankful that my parents joined us for the service.  After church, we came back to our house and my sister and brother-in-law joined us after their church service.  They actually beat us to our house and hid eggs around the yard for the kids to go find. 

Also while we were at church, the Easter bunny visited our house.  I know those of you with small kids understand the struggle of getting a family ready to go somewhere in the mornings.  Sunday mornings are always a rush for us to get everyone ready and out of the door on time.  Add in the fact that Kevin needs extra time to study (so the kids need to be somewhat quiet for a bit), and the fact that we get to church 30-45 minutes before it starts, and.... things get REAL hard.  

So, the last few years, we've tried to ease some of the rush and our Easter bunny has visited our house while we are at church. (i.e. - we load up into the car, and mama runs back inside to get something I "forgot", and put the baskets on our fireplace hearth.)  Not sure we can pull this off much longer but it's been nice while it's lasted.  The other plus, is that we all get to see the excitement of the kids actually seeing their baskets for the first time. 

And of course, we had to get a few Easter pictures...  

As thankful as I am to spend time with family, I'm even more thankful for the significance of this day - Resurrection Sunday.  No matter how good we are, no matter how hard we try, and no matter how bad we want it, we cannot be perfect enough on our own to earn salvation and be "made right" with God.  It is only through the perfect, sinless sacrifice that Jesus willingly offered to us through his death and resurrection can we be made clean. It is only through Jesus that our sins, failures, and shortcomings can be forgiven. 

And for that, I am most thankful.