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.

Easy Mexican Style Sauce

Do you ever find yourself browsing through your pantry, trying to figure out what to cook for supper?? That was me last night. I didn't want to make a dreaded trip to the grocery store, so I knew I'd need to be creative. I knew that I had some brown rice on hand, and that was enough to get the ideas churning. I ended up creating a delicious Mexican-style sauce to pour over the rice, and it was all from ingredients that I already had in stock!

Ingredients:

(1) Small whole chicken - cooked and deboned

(3) 8-oz. jars of Pace Picante sauce (I used Medium, but choose intensity according to your own personal preference)

(2) 15-oz. cans of tomato sauce

(1) 15.25-oz. can of corn, drained (Regular, or Mexican style)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan, and stir to mix well

Cook, uncovered, on medium-high heat until boiling (stirring occasionally) 

Once boiling, reduce heat and cover.

Let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally

After the cooking is done, you're all set! Pour over brown rice, and enjoy!

So Much "LIFE"

Where do I even begin?? I know it's been a long time since I've posted any updates....isn't it funny how life happens sometimes?

There are so many things that have happened, that each would need its own blog post. I can give a brief rundown though.

It's been a little over 2 years since Gail had her open heart surgery. It's amazing to see how she's thriving and growing now! I'm amazed with each and every passing day. She just finished kindergarten, and is preparing for First grade. Thanks to lovely Imelda, and the flooding that ensued (and also Covid), her kindergarten year was definitely not average.

So what's happened since my last post?

• Gail's open heart surgery, which went very smoothly.
• I re-entered the workforce (This is the primary reason I haven't updated in so long).
• My husband suffered from a work injury.
• Imelda came through and flooded our home (Which we're still very slowly repairing).
• My husband was hospitalized this past January, and was diagnosed with End Stage Liver Disease (It's been a rough road with this one).
• COVID.....Need I say more?? This lead to the juggling of working to support our family, and playing "teacher" when I wasn't at work. I still have no clue how this upcoming school year will play out...we're all just sort of winging it right now.
• There's another big development, but the details aren't finalized just yet, so I will post about this one once everything is said and done...but it will be a goal I've been working towards for a while that my family will truly benefit from!

I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that I'm optimistic about what lies ahead for myself and my family. I've learned that life gets rough sometimes, but you just have to take things as they come, and you have to keep on keeping positive....no matter what. 

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!

Tools4Wisdom Yearly Planner

So for a while now, I've been telling myself that I really need to get a planner to keep things more organized. I have 3 kids, and so schedules tend to get very busy! We have ADHD checkups every 3 months for my older 2 daughters, dental checkups every 6 months for all of the girls, and checkups with many specialists for my youngest (she sees several specialists due to congenital heart defects and Heterotaxy Syndrome). Let's not forget all of the important dates for different school functions, field trips, etc.! With all of the girls' things, as well as my own and my husband's, it really was time to finally break down and get a planner so that I can properly keep up with everything.

Needless to say, I was very happy for the opportunity to try this Tools4Wisdom planner for a discounted rate! I love the inspirational quote on its cover, and that it's hardcover and sturdy. As you'll see in the pictures below, there is plenty of writing space in this planner, which greatly helps for everyday reminders as well as with setting daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. It even comes with two pages of stickers to help with marking those important dates and goals that are reached.

I really do love the design for this planner (which you can get here). I can't wait to see what other inspirational designs are up ahead for future planners from Tools4Wisdom, and I certainly hope they keep the effective layout! I'm kicking myself for not knowing about their planners sooner!

Just A Little Sunday Morning Update

It seems it's been a while since I've posted anything, so I figured that now's as good a time as any! I, honest to goodness, woke up at 3 a.m. this morning, and have been patiently waiting on the Sunday paper to arrive (which it hasn't yet).

My absence has been due to a few things. For starters? There was a 2-3 week period there where I hadn't received the paper at all. I live in a rural area, so it's not always a guarantee that there will be someone available to deliver the paper!

Alas....the paper was delivered last weekend, but life happens. Last Friday, I had a wisdom tooth and another tooth extracted. I won't lie when I say that the pain felt afterwards lasted much longer than expected! I was still very much in a deep recovery mode when Sunday morning rolled around! Honestly, the pain stayed in a crippling state until Wednesday morning. Y'all have no idea how happy I am to be a functioning human being again after that experience!

There are, of course, more updates to give. I figure I'll post those throughout the coming week. There are some pretty big things happening for our family right now, and we're in a busy season.

For now? I'm hopping off to down some more coffee. Here's to hoping you all have a wonderful and blessed Sunday!

My Sincere Apologies

I am truly sorry that I have not posted the Houston Chronicle's inserts. This is the second week in a row that the newspaper has not been delivered to my home. As soon as they start delivering again, I will be back to posting the inserts.

Here's to hoping you all have a lovely Sunday!