Our Adventures In Mississippi

 It's been over a year since my last blog post. As always, life has been busy. Here lately, I feel like I'm always on the go, and never able to truly relax.

It has occurred to me that I've yet to write about our family's relaxing adventure over the summer. In July, we went to Mississippi! We rented an Airbnb, and we got away from it all!

When we started our quest for the perfect Airbnb, we weren't sure yet where we wanted to go. What we did know is that we wanted to go somewhere quiet. We wanted the scenery of the woods and nature; somewhere where we could find peace and serenity.

We've never booked an Airbnb before, so the whole process was new for us. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that the Airbnb app had an Outdoors Destinations category. It's where we found this gem! We browsed several other listings, but this is the one that won us over. Who wouldn't want a quiet secluded getaway on 125 wooded acres!? Let's not forget the lake, also!

In total, we spent a week at the cabin. Much of our time was spent down by the water. The girls and I spent lots of time just swimming, relaxing, and playing. It was a peaceful and carefree time for us all! From the moment the sun came up, my youngest would be asking if it was okay for her to go swimming yet. Of course! To relax was the whole purpose of why we were there! Let's not forget fishing. We did a lot of fishing too that week (although none of us actually caught anything). The weather was overcast and rainy some of the time, but we didn't let it stop us from enjoying our time by the water. 

Our evenings were spent indoors watching movies and eating family meals. We actually stopped at the grocery store on our way in and stocked up on groceries, so that we wouldn't have to spend a whole lot on eating out. This, I believe, helped to enhance our relaxing getaway! It really was peaceful. Also, it was super relaxing on the porch. To wake in the morning, and enjoy a good cup of coffee on the porch along with the beautiful view of the lake? There are no words to describe the experience. 

Closer to the end of our stay, we utilized the firepit, and we let the girls roast marshmallows! It took us a while to get the fire going. Many of the sticks and branches we found were damp from the rain we'd had that week. Once we got the fire going, it was time for the fun. It was nice to be able to give the girls a campfire experience where they could roast their marshmallows and make s'mores. It isn't something we get to do very often, and it was a wonderful way to add good family memories to our collection. It's the little things that mean the most. 

There are plenty of other experiences we had that I haven't written about, but that's okay. Altogether, our trip to Mississippi was a wonderful time for us. It's such a beautiful state! We saw gorgeous scenery, celebrated Richard's birthday, discovered an awesome little ice cream shop, and made unforgettable memories. We all can't wait to go back!

New Happenings & More

 Hello, readers! I'm back with some more updates in my life (I'm super proud of myself for not disappearing for so long this time!).

Life has been pretty okay lately. I finally have some updates about the big things happening behind the scenes. At the time of my last post, I didn't want to reveal too much because things can change, and so they did. After putting in a little over two years of hard work and dedication, I received a promotion at work! Initially, the company I work for was acquiring a new store, and I was to become the manager. Things didn't quite fall into place like they were supposed to, however, I can't complain with how things did play out. I'm now a floating manager, and I work between two different stores. I'm loving it! Working between two locations not only changes the scenery a little, but I'm learning new skills along the way as well. I love the challenge of it all. 

One great perk to my new schedule is that I'm able to have more time with my family. We're all developing new routines, and it's working quite well for us.

My oldest daughter is now in 7th grade, and last year she joined band. She started in beginner's band, and this year has been promoted to "Gold" band, which is the highest you can go at her middle school. I'm super proud of her! 

Maddie has always done her own thing. She's got a fun-loving and spunky personality, and she loves to stand out from the crowd. So, it's only natural that she would choose the tuba as her band instrument! Yes, that is a blue tuba she's got. Blue and gold are her school's colors, and the band department recently received some new instruments. 

Thursday night was her first official band performance at the middle school football game, and I'm so happy that I was able to take off of work to be there! I stood by the fence the whole time (and she, equally, pretended that she didn't see me there....but that goes with her spunky personality).

All in all, I really can't complain about my life! I'm thankful for all of the blessings, and grateful to finally be getting more time with my family. I still have more goals I'm working on (my mind is always flowing with ideas), but I'm learning to go with the flow while enjoying all of the little moments in between.

Prepping for Summer

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Life has been crazy busy lately! I believe my last post was back in March.

With everything that's coming within the next few months (as well as everything that's happened over the past few months), I've been actively taking steps to be as stress free as possible. This is why you haven't seen any of the Sunday Coupon posts in recent months.

Last month, we got the call that we've been waiting for. The surgical department at Texas Children's called us with the official date for Gail's open heart surgery. We've known the call was coming since back in December, and we'd met with the surgeon back in February or March (It's all sort of been a blur).

Gail's surgery is scheduled for July 13, which just so happens to be her daddy's birthday!

As part of the process on getting her ready for surgery, we had to get her dental clearance. So, we got that done on the 16th over at Texas Children's. Because of Gail's heart, she needed to have her dental work done in the hospital where they could have the CV anesthesia specialist in the OR with her.

All in all? She did very well! She was also happy to wake up and find that she had silver teeth, ha!

Aside from getting things ready for Gail's surgery, we're also getting ready for Maddie and Kay's summer vacation. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by!! We're in the midst of all those "end of the year" activities. We've had book fairs, field trips, STAAR testing...and we're gearing up for Field Day, and more field trips! Did I mention that Maddie and Kay also have birthdays coming up in June!?!?

Life has been a whirlwind, but I'm learning to roll with the flow. I know it won't always be so crazy, so I'm remembering to just breathe and enjoy the moments!

Returning to a Normal Routine

It has been a while since I've really had time to sit down and write a good post! Life's been crazy busy. First? There was summer vacation. I don't think it needs to be said about just how busy it can be with 3 kids home all at the same time! Second? We did go through an extended summer vacation, thanks to the flooding effects from Hurricane Harvey.

Things are starting to resemble "normal" again, which I'm so thankful for! My older 2 daughters finally started back to school on September 18. My 2nd grader is really having fun! She's really soared with her reading skills, and is loving the challenge of racking up AR points! She's also having fun with math 😊

My 4th grader still loves reading and math, but she's starting to realize how much extra time she needs to devote to her studies. I'd warned her that 4th grade would be a little harder than K-3, and she's seeing that now.

Before they officially started back to school, we made a point of having a nice, peaceful, day of fishing.

The girls had been bugging us all summer for it, so we took them during their last weekend of vacation. We didn't catch any fish, but we still had a great time! We got to make some fun memories, and the kids got to swim!

I really love that Gail is finally old enough to be able to enjoy these activities with her older sisters. She had a fishing pole in her hand right along with the other two (though not in this particular picture). It was so great to just be able to sit back and relax after everything our community went through!

I'm still an active Avon representative, even though I haven't posted any of those deals lately. I sort of took a break when Harvey came rolling through, but I'm ready to get back in the game!

While my division is technically in Campaign 22 already, the deals in the flyer here are still active! I love that Avon supports these causes. My husband thinks I don't need anymore makeup bags....but what he doesn't know won't hurt, right?? Haha! Actually, he's learned at this point to not fight me on my beauty and jewelry products 😉

If you like to support either of these causes, you can click here to shop for Avon's Breast Cancer Crusade items, and here to shop for their Speak Out Against Domestic Violence items. They're both great causes!

My goal from here forward is to make a point of making at least ONE (possibly more) weekly post about my family's adventures. With the school year here again, I'm hoping that will make it easy to squash the Writer's Block that tends to hit me a lot! I can say, however, that there will be a book fair and some reading adventures to write about soon, so I'm super excited for that!! 😊

I also bought my older two daughters a "Learn to Cook" cookbook shortly before Harvey swept through. They're both capable of reading it themselves and following the directions, so I'm going to let them try their hands at some of the cooking around here. I will be sure to share some of those adventures with y'all as well!

Here's to hoping you all have a wonderful week! 😀

Another Summer Update

It's been a few weeks since I've written a general update about life, and our family's adventures! We've had a strange combination of "busy" and "lazy" going on at our house (that's what I love so much about summer vacation).

The girls finished off their summer track season a few weeks ago!! They didn't place in their final meet, but did great at the previous one! Maddie got 5th place for her division in the softball throw, and Kay got 3rd place in her division for the same event. They were both super happy when they found out the results!!

While they may not have placed in all of their meets, they had fun during track season, and that's what really matters. I love that they were able to start learning some of the essential track skills for when they get older. I also love that the summer track season gave them the opportunity to build stronger bonds with their friends (even if they didn't like how hot it was outside....none of us did for that matter).

They're sad that the season is over, but they're ready for their next set of adventures (we are still deciding on what those will be). I love seeing them bloom with each new set of endeavors they take on! It's so amazing to be able to see them grow, and to see them each blossom into their personalities, who they are, what they like. The possibilities are endless with these two, and I'm truly blessed to be their mama!!

Life has been busy for me also. Back in April (I think), I made the decision to start my own home business, and signed up to become an Avon Representative.

I've been a fan of Avon since I was around 12, and I was tired of never being able to find a local rep, so I figured why not become one!? Not only do I get to offer people great quality products at an affordable price, but I get to splurge for myself also with the representative discount 😉

I could have chosen one of the numerous "popular" direct sales companies that I see plastered all over social media all the time, but Avon is what was in my heart to do. I see so many companies, and while I would love to try their products, the price tags aren't always suited for the working class who live paycheck to paycheck. Avon offers great products that don't break the bank, so that was a huge motivating factor for me. I am truly enjoying the journey so far (even though my house is drowning in Avon products these days)!!

So now you know a little of what our family's been up to in recent weeks! I'm hoping my next update will have more fun adventures packed into it! For now though? It's Avon order day, so I'm hopping off of here to get back to business. I hope you all are enjoying your summer so far! 😊

Our Simple but Busy July 4th

How was everyone's July 4!? Ours was good, but busy!! After starting my day with laundry & cleaning, some friends of ours invited us to a BBQ lunch. We ate (a lot) and enjoyed ourselves for a few hours while the kids all played.

Upon arriving home, we were greeted with 2 big bags of girls' clothes sitting by our front door. This, of course, led to me calling my neighbors to figure out the mystery of who brought them to us. Not that I'm complaining...it's a blessing! The clothes were just the right sizes for our youngest daughter and our oldest. I am NEVER one to turn down free clothes for the kids! They grow so fast, and clothes can be expensive!! So needless to say, I spent the next 2-3 hours washing, drying, and folding the "new" clothes (This also gave me the perfect excuse for purging the closets of all the excess).

Fast-forward a few more hours. Some more friends invited us over for more food & to watch the local firework show that one of the town residents puts on every year.

The pictures don't do justice to just how beautiful the show was! It's something the girls always look forward to, and it melts my hearts to see the excitement on their faces!

It was a fairly simple day for us with no extravagant plans. It's the memories made that matter the most!

Not My Typical Sunday Morning...

It's true...this has NOT been like my Sundays usually are. On the typical Sunday, my alarm goes off at 3:00 a.m. It's the magical time that I wake, start a pot of coffee, and go to grab my newspaper from the front yard. That did not happen this morning, hence the lack of my usual "Houston Chronicle Coupons" posts. The reason? Life happens.

Life Back On the Grid??

It feels GREAT to have internet access again!!! My husband and I were finally able to purchase a new computer, so I'll be able to blog more. This makes me HAPPY!!!

Being without a computer since August, it's almost like our little family has been living off the grid. Checking social media, emails, etc. isn't very tempting when you've got only your cell phone to work with (in my own experience, anyways).

So much has happened since my last post!

My oldest daughter was diagnosed with ADHD several months ago. The result has been that we've completely changed how we work with her on her school work, etc. Since starting her with treatment, she has absolutely excelled in school! She's ahead of her grade level on reading now, and was recently awarded the Star Student award. Words can't describe how proud I am of her for how far she's come this school year!!!

Last Week's Adventures!

I know, I know...I'm late on posting about last week's adventures!! Life happens....and so do massive, crippling, toothaches (more on that at another time). Anyways, the pain has subsided, so it's time to finally get around to posting!

For the most part, things were fairly quiet last week. I didn't feel like running to the grocery store, so I got creative with things that we already had on-hand in our food supply. I try to bake at least one treat a week for our family. It's cheap to bake from scratch, and I love to keep our taste buds satisfied!

Digging through our pantry & fridge, I found two of my favorite ingredients: white chocolate chips, and cream cheese! Naturally, I got on Pinterest to see if there were any delicious recipes with a combination of the two. Our treat for the week ended up being white chocolate cream cheese cookies! Granted, you couldn't really taste the cream cheese in them (I couldn't, anyways), but they did have a more chewy texture than the white chocolate cookies I usually make, so that's a plus! I'll definitely be reusing this recipe in the future!