New Year, New Goals

 Hello, 2022.

I've spent a lot of time reflecting on what I want to accomplish this year. I have some goals in mind, so I took the time to write them down as a way to hold myself accountable, and to make sure that I make an active effort into achieving them. Some of my goals are personal goals, whereas other goals pertain to my career. Today I'll tell you about my personal goals!

• Less Screen Time: I spend far more time than I should, mindlessly browsing social media throughout the day. I don't accomplish near as much as I could without the screen time. I'm doing well with this goal so far. I also find that I have much less anxiety since I've started paying less attention to social media and all of the negativity that I see on social apps and websites. I call this one a win!
• Stick to a Daily Routine: I'm not the type of person who can get through the day without one. If I don't have a written list of daily goals, they won't get done. I usually have several thought processes flowing through my mind, so it's hard to keep focused on a specific task if there isn't a written list in front of me. 
• Stay Organized With a Planner: These days, there is always something to remember; doctor appointments; extracurriculars for the kids; family events, etc. With a Planner, it will be much easier to remember what needs to be done and when. 
• Library Once a Week: I love to read. It's something that I don't get to do often enough. I started out strong last year, but then I got into a reading rut. I want to change that this year. My plan is to start going to the library at least once a week. I plan to bring the girls with me to help encourage their reading as well!
• Blog/Write More: I use to spend a lot of time writing, and I feel like I don't write nearly enough anymore. In 2022, I want to aim for at least one blog post a week. 

There are other goals, of course, but these are the important ones for me. There are big things happening behind the scenes, and all of the small goals are a means to get to the big ones. I'm so excited to see what 2022 has in store for me and my family!

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.

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!