Popping In…

Just popping in, these days I’m not really sure where all the time that I think I have goes, but quick a few really great things I had to share…

 

Raw cookie dough bites

These aren’t your regular cookie dough bites, they are packed with protein and super healthy! What’s not to love? I’ve seriously made 3 batches just this week! I’m addicted! They are really that good!

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup raw almonds

• 2/3 cup raw walnuts

• 2/3 cup oat flakes

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 cup raw agave nectar

• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 3 tbsp cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to a fine meal.

2. Add the agave nectar and vanilla and process to combine.

3. Next, add the cocoa nibs (or chocolate chips) and pulse just to combine.

4. Roll the cookie dough into balls (about 1 tbsp each) and place them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour to firm up. Store balls in a tightly covered container in the freezer.

1 batch makes approx. 12 cookie dough bites.

Recipe from {A Dash of Compassion}

 

Reading another awesome book! Seriously 5 stars! IIIII

She is incredible & good & makes me realize how beautiful life really is. It’s so easy to forget how good we really have it! It’s so easy to look at our neighbors and think wow… why can’t I be as skinny as her, why can’t I be a good mom like her, why can’t i… hard not to get caught up in it all right?! Nie Nie just makes you feel like YES! I can do this, I am enough! She has this grand ability to see the joy and precious little miracles in life that happen all around us, that we sometimes forget to see or look over.

I hope you are having a wonderful week! I’m determined to get this blog caught up. We had such a fun spring break! The kids are winding down the school year and I’m trying to get all organized for summer.

December. In a nutshell.

The last few months have been Crazy… with a capital C! I never imagined I could be so far behind on a to-do list. ;) I’ve never felt so much chaos but at the same time so content & happy with life. It’s full of everything I love. {and I’ve only had a couple of break down’s, a few monster stress zits, and two migraines"} ha! Really. It’s a beautiful life. I am so grateful for  my many blessings.

I guess it doesn’t help that I’d rather spend my nights sitting in front of the Christmas tree watching the twinkling lights.

I think I’ll just try to recap our month of December. On December 1st, Zach & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Love that boy SO much. He makes all my dreams come true.

It was also the day my dad had surgery. It was a day of miracles. He is doing SO great. He is cancer free right now! That feels so good to say! :) He will do 12 more rounds of chemo after Christmas. He is my hero. I don’t know that I could fight like he is fighting. Truly he is amazing. It has been hard. We have had so many tender mercies. Very grateful.

We were able to visit with Braxton’s birth mom Shanna and her sweet family for an afternoon as well.  What would I do without these sweet girls who made it possible for me to be a mom?! Love them and that is an understatement!

We made a quick trip to Dallas where we were wined and dined. Seriously. Limo, 8 star hotel, breakfast in bed, the works. Can you believe I didn’t get a single picture? ha! {that is so unlike me}

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We helped host an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. SO fun!

this cute girl got a hair cut, and it was all her idea!

 

Welcomed a new niece! Rylin Kate Davis. She is SO tiny and I am SO baby hungry. Mmm. Nothing better than a sweet little one straight from heaven! So happy for Josh & Amber!

We celebrated my mom’s 50th Birthday. She is so beautiful. Really inside and out!

She's the kind of mom, who when you become a mom, somehow gets even better. You slowly start to realize what it must have taken to have provided the childhood you were blessed with, and wonder how you're ever going to do what she did, and be what she was. With every additional year of my own my mom becomes more amazing.

We’ve had preschool parties-

I am LOVING volunteering in Miss Brooklyn’s kindergarten class once a week too. The kids make me laugh. They are so fun!

 

We’ve been caroling, visiting the Senior Citizen’s home, Pedicures & Personal Progress, Studying Christmas with the Prophets for our Young Women Christmas lesson. Awesome book btw.

 

We have had SO much fun with our Elf on the Shelf Frisbee… my kids almost don’t want Christmas to come (I said almost)… because then Frisbee will have to go back to the North Pole. CUTE! Here are just a few of the things Frisbee has been up to! We love you too Frisbee!

 

Here is our Christmas card. We wish each of you a Merry Christmas filled with the love of our Savior, peace in your hearts & all good things as 2012 approaches.

 

Today I will…

Well hello. It’s nice to meet you all again. Lucky for us I have the sweetest neighbors alive (all of them) but one in particular today that saw me out push mowing my acre + lawn and came and finished it for me with his riding lawn mower so it didn’t end up taking 3 hours and now I have a little extra time to catch up on my blog! Note to self: MUST BUY RIDING LAWN MOWER!

I have been wanting a fresh herb garden forever. So I finally got one planted, I will have Cilantro, Spearmint, Rosemary & Parsley. The cilantro has already sprouted! We also planted a garden. I’m so new to all of this, we’ve never had the space to do one.  My strawberry starts look great & I’m hoping my rhubarb start gets going too! I’ve got corn, pumpkins, peas, onions well the works! Giddy I tell you.

oh, and don't forget about my flowers... I am SO in love with the cute bird cage I picked up @ Real Deals! It makes me happy. Don't you find that it's the smallest things that make you the most happy?

I am trying this recipe tonight: 15 minute Creamy Avocado Pasta… I’ll let you know if it’s good!

(click on the picture for the recipe)

These are honestly all the books I am in the middle of right now. Sheesh, I keep telling myself to just pick one and read it start to finish!

 Our cat Yummy had baby kittens, so we have gone from 4 sweet little kittens (who were all white when they were born… did you know that if your cat has Siamese in her then they are like Dalmatians and don’t get their coloring until they get older?!) It was super fun to watch them all get different markings! 

Then there were three…

and now we have one left… does any one want a kitten? She’s potty trained and ready to go! They are seriously some of the sweetest most mellow kitties ever. I guess they would have to be to put up with my crazy kids! ;)

Getting a few projects started around the house too…

these are in my wash room. LOVE my vinyl lady! She can do anything! 

We will see if I can get a few more done to share with you in the next day or two.

Today…

I’m dying laughing over this: Awkward Family Photos and THIS.  We are actually scheduled to get family pictures on Wednesday, but we’ve had pink eye around here. Maybe our picture will make it to the hall of fame. Family full of Quasimodo's?

I absolutely love this time of year. I have a love for all things organized. And there is nothing better than the New Year to make you feel fresh & new. We started watching MONK, last night. I fear I too can be a little OCD. Is it weird that vacuum lines in the carpet make me want to do a happy dance?!

Anyway, to kick off the new year I decided I would order  these 2 books:

and I've been wanting one of these forever! It’s a Label maker. Click the picture for the best price! Can’t wait to get them in the mail!

This is just one of the many reasons I wanted a label maker. I think that the rubber-maid containers that you can get anywhere, are some of my favorite organizational tools. I have been using these bins since we were first married. Most of the bins in this picture are my kid’s outgrown clothes but the one on the top of 2 of the piles hold clothes that I find on clearance or just good deals that are 1-2 sizes up from where they are now. It’s so nice to pull out that bin when the next season hits to find that I don’t have to buy much more for them.

Well I hope you all enjoyed your holidays. We have some gigantic goals to conquer right around the corner. As in POTTY TRAINING the boy. Wish me luck.  Heaven knows I’m going to need it.

Inspire me…

Pink Bikini Summery Drinks!

sweet little window sill herb garden.

1000 Awesome Things.

This quote:

“If you  begin to eliminate perfection in all areas of your life, you’ll begin to discover the perfection in life itself.” anonymous

could be my favorite blog of all time. ♥

Fairy Bread! How cute for a little tea party!

This article on THIS blog. Awesome reminder. She’s funny too!

And…

because we haven’t had a GIVEAWAY in a while…

let’s rock one!

Post a comment and you could win, one of my all time favorite inventions evah. It’s a PURSE ORGANIZER. check IT out.

Ask my family & friends, I answer my phone ALOT more {I didn’t say all the time} but much more, since I’ve purchased one of these little gems. I’m not always digging through my purse trying to find it, & that’s why! I have one small purse organizer & one large, be sure to write in the comments which one would suit you best!

Good luck!

Happy Dance…

Okay, I think I’m getting caught up here! I also wanted to tell you about {because I can’t keep something this good to myself}, something that makes me very happy. It may be kind of WHAT. EV. to you, but if you have hard water… like we do… very hard water! Sometimes it can wreak havoc on your dishes. Just try this… no more hard water stains on your dishes! YEAH!!!

Do I sound like an info-mercial?! I seriously love this stuff though.

These little cuties:

I just bought them on Etsy right HERE & I can’t wait to pin them on a purse or jacket, or wear them in our hair! They make me happy!

Picked up two summer reads, already started this one, very educational!

Hope this one is good!

Next on my list:

On the cruise I was introduced to many new and delicious food. One thing that I really loved on the menu, was Strawberry Bisque, {it’s a cold soup}

For the recipe go here.

Super summery & refreshing!

Other things to get done this week:

Put this together so maybe, just maybe we can enjoy it for the next two days, before it is supposed to rain again! ha! :)

We are hopefully going to get our sprinkler system in the yard this week, and then planting grass after that! It’s pretty exciting to see all the progress. I think the kids might miss the piles & piles of dirt around here, but I will not! ;)

Hope you each find something this week

that makes YOU happy too!