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May 30, 2013

Turtle, Turtle

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We had a visitor in our yard last Thursday! It was a turtle! I’ve never seen a turtle in our yard before. I’ve seen deer, rabbit, turkeys, and mice, but never a turtle.
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Dobby is the one who spotted it. Poor thing had crawled under a pile of grass beside the porch to get away from Dobby lol! He kept trying to stick his nose inside the shell and the turtle kept head butting him.
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Then Dobby would run around the turtle barking. I wish I would have videoed it! I was cracking up. I guess Dobby had never encountered a turtle before. I finally had to put Dobby in the house and I guess the little turtle made its way to wherever it was heading because I haven’t seen him since.
You never know what you are going to encounter while living in the country!
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P.S. – Saturday afternoon I almost stepped on a snake. It was the first one I’ve seen since the two years of living here. Rude.
P.S.S – I almost hyperventilated after going into murder mode. But the darn thing slithered under the house before I could decapitate it with the hedge trimmers. #mommadontplay

May 28, 2013

Summer Fun: Messy Painting


Rule #1: My children are NEVER EVER allowed to paint inside my house. Ever. You’ll see why.
But since they love to paint so much, I decided to just let them have at it…outside of course.
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We used cars to paint with, too. But they mostly just liked using their hands.
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Obviously, Tucker got a little carried away. But they both had so much fun.
Cost: $5 (for the paint). I had bought the paint at WalMart a couple of months ago for a school project and I already had the construction paper, so technically this activity was “free” since I didn’t have to run out and buy anything.
The paint washed right off of them and their clothes, so that’s good. haha!

Test Subject :: Self Conscience :: Weekend Update

 

I love that my best friend has an awesome camera. I also love that she sometimes needs me for “test” subjects. 372

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Although I love these pictures, I’m still self conscience. I think I always will be, because even before kids, when I was a LOT smaller, I was STILL self-conscience. Eh. Stupid girly hormones.

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Now onto what we did this weekend!

Both kids were gone pretty much all weekend to the river with family. I didn’t know what to do with myself.

Friday, Doug and I went to see Fast and Furious 6. I can just about sum up the movie in one word:
ohmygoddidthatjusthappenI’mfreakingoutlookatthatbodyilovepaulwalkerahhhletti!

If you haven’t seen it yet, go. Right now.
I’ve been to the last 3 or 4 opening weekends of F&F. Vin Diesel. The end.

I had about an hour before the movie started, so I went to Goodwill and was super excited with my purchases!
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I got these dresses, along with a tunic, for $7.99 each. I got the gold wedges for $5.99 and a skirt for $4.99. THEN I used my student I.D and got 10% off my total! I spent $30. Happy, happy, happy!

Saturday, was my high school best friend’s wedding! It was beautiful and so was she!!

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That night, Raven, Jason, Doug and I tried to buy out Taco Bell.
I’m pretty sure we paid for it the next day.

Sunday, Doug and I slept until 12:30 and it was wonderful.
Then we decided to go to lunch at our favorite little restaurant, Wall Street Grill. It was delish.
We came home and I made a HOMEMADE batch of lemonade, thanks to Paula Deen’s recipe.
It tasted like baby unicorns from heaven hand squeezed the lemons.

Monday, we did absolutely NOTHING. Until the kids came home, of course.

So how was your weekend?

May 24, 2013

Summer Fun: Homemade Chalk Paint


Since Kenzie and I are out on summer break (praise God, Hallelurjer.) things gets a little hectic around here. Most of the time the kids play fine by themselves or sit down and watch Netflix, but sometimes they get antsy and “need” me to give them something to do. I tried to get them to vacuum and do laundry and dishes, but that’s not what they had in mind….
So I’ve made a little summer “to-do” list of activities and crafts. It’s nothing fancy, but the kids love “out-of-the-box” stuff. And since we are on a tight budget, a lot of the activities are free!

Here’s one activity that we’ve done twice now.

Homemade Chalk Paint
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 All you need is corn starch, water, and food coloring! I really didn’t have a ratio of corn starch to water. I just added enough water to make it a liquid, but not too runny. I also didn’t have any paintbrushes so the kids just used plastic spoons haha. 
Hey, whatever works right? :)
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It was so cool! When you let the chalk paint set on the ground, it becomes a solid! The kids just thought this was amazing.
Total cost? FREE.
It kept them busy for over an hour. The paint also washed right up after it rained.
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We even used some nature to paint with. All the kids idea!

May 23, 2013

The first graduation.

Kenzie Lane has graduated Preschool! It’s hard to believe that almost a year ago Doug and I walked her into her classroom for her first day of school and I came home and watched the clock until it was time to pick her up. Heck, it seems like just yesterday I was falling asleep with her in our rocking chair during a middle of the night feeding. Time really does fly by when you have kids.
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw this pic:
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Left: 1st day of PreK. Right: Last day of PreK.
See how excited she looked on day one? She loved school from the beginning. She loves learning. And she’s so smart, ya’ll.
But don’t get me wrong, she’s super happy to be on summer break now haha!
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Introducing, the class of 2026!
2026 people.
That seems like light years away.
I will be 37 years old.
Woah.

May 22, 2013

Our Summer Bucket List

WOOOHOOOO!! It’s finally summer. I’ve been looking forward to summer break since January. And what kid (and college student) doesn’t love a whole two months of no school?! I know I do.
I decided to make a list of things I want to do with the kids while we have lots of time on our hands. I’m a list person. I make lists of everything. I also like schedules. I’m not some super strict mom where every minute is detailed but I do like to do things around the same time each day. It benefits the kids, too. And my kids are the type that gets bored of doing the same thing each day (but what kids isn’t?!). So that’s where our summer bucket list comes in!
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Activities
1. Swimming. Duh. And it helps that we have 3 family members who own pools:)
2. Play in the sprinklers. We do this at our house. We have about three different types. It’s great to cool off on a hot day. And Dobby loves the sprinklers just as much as the kids haha!
3. Library visits. Our local library has a Summer Reading Program in June on Wednesdays. We will definitely be attending that. And it’s FREE! We will probably go weekly or bi-weekly to get new books, too.
4. Play at the park. This will be reserved on the “not so hot” days. This will ensure that my kids don’t melt along with the playground equipment.
5. Chuck E. Cheese. This might happen once or twice this summer. It can be pretty pricey, but the kids love it. And we will definitely NOT go on a weekend. Have you been to Chuck E. Cheese on a Saturday afternoon? Never. Again.
6. Disney Movie Day (or night). Probably once a week, we will pick a Disney movie to watch and have a craft & snack to go along with it. (I will probably enjoy this too haha!).
7. Nature Hunt. This will give the kids something to do outside since we don’t have a swingset anymore. Plus, they will be learning AND having fun! Double win!
8. Zoo. We haven’t been to the zoo in almost three years! Tucker was only 2 months old so of course he doesn’t remember anything about it.
9. Mommy/Daughter date.
10. Mommy/Son date.
11. Daddy/Daughter date.
12. Daddy/Son date.
13. Local Minor League baseball game. The Jackson Generals usually has a couple of fireworks shows each season, along with hilarious half-time (is there half-time in baseball??? I have no clue…and my husband is going to kill me for that LOL!) shows. Bonus: we get FREE season tickets each year. Boom.
14. Glow in the dark bubbles. Saw this on Pinterest, duh, and I’m hoping it works! I know the kids will just love this!
15. Write a letter to a Disney character. I’m thinking we can do this around the kids birthdays.
16. Visit the Children’s Museum in Memphis.17. Ice cream trips! Baskin Robbins has a $1 scoop night on Tuesdays.
18. Paint war! Put them in play clothes (or one of Daddy’s white tees) and let the squirt paint on each other.
19. Glow in the dark bath paint. Tucker loved the bathtub paint we made him, so I’m sure making it glow in the dark will be the icing on the cake.
20. Safari Park. Yes, we have a safari park in West Tennessee:)
21. Fishing. Doug has been wanting to take the kids for awhile now. And I'm like a pro at fishing. Not so much baiting or taking the fish off....but I can sure catch them!
22. Superman Festival! Visit the annual Superman Festival in Metropolis, IL.

Crafts
1. Painting outside. I really wish the kids hadn’t BROKE the easel we had. But they can just paint on the ground. They won’t care.
2. Flubber! I’m sure this will entertain them forever.
3. Giant bubbles. I want to see if this really works.
4. Chalk Paint. 5. Cloud dough. I’ve been wanting to do this forever. I know they will just love it.
6. Make a bird feeder. We love watching the birds! Well, I do the most. I swear, I’m a little old lady trapped in a 24 year old body.
7. Popsicle stick puzzles. This could be a rainy day activity.
8. Foam dough. Shaving cream + corn starch.


*I'm sure I will be adding to these lists throughout the summer*
 
Are you doing anything fun for the summer? I would love to hear your ideas! 

And be sure to be on the lookout for the posts about our summer fun activities!

May 21, 2013

Mother’s Day recap

 

I know, I know. I’m behind on this post. Better late than never, eh?

This Mother’s Day was so special to me. My kids actually understood that the day was all about Mommy and I woke up to “Happy Mother’s Day” “I love you” all that morning! Precious, I tell ya. I got them ready for church and of course had to take pictures.

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I am so blessed to have beautiful, smart, funny children. Yes, they drive me crazy 80% of the time, but I would still do anything for them and I love them more than life itself!

Doug took them with him that afternoon so I went with my Mom to eat lunch at my Uncle’s with the rest of the family. It was nice to spend some one on one time with my Mom. She even got ME a gift!

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Aren’t these coasters just adorable? She also got me a beach/pool bag, which I LOVE.

After all the family gathering/eating was over, I came home to a CLEAN house. Doug cleaned up the whole house. He vacuumed and everything. He’s a keeper.

Then the kids gave me their gift:

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They made me garden stones with their precious handprints! They even decorated it themselves. I love them so much! And of course, my husband for coming up with the idea. I think homemade gifts are just the absolute best. I will cherish these forever!

I’d say my Mother’s Day was a success, don’t you think so?

May 5, 2013

Strawberry Yogurt Holy Goodness of the Earth Bundt Cake.

 Yeah, it was THAT good.
At least I thought so. Maybe it was because I made it myself from scratch and got to use my bundt pan for the first time.
And the fact that I probably ate HALF of that sinfully delicious masterpiece by myself.
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Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain Greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.
  2. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
  3. Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
  4. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  5. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
  6. Eat your heart out. And your self-esteem.  

This recipe was originally found here.


Tennessee Honey

May 2, 2013

It's O-V-E-R!!

That's right. You heard me. It's OVER! If I had to go any longer, I would have reached my breaking point and died.

I have REACHED summer break, you guys.
 

I have one super easy final to take Monday night, and THEN I will be officially out for the summer.
Thank the Lord, Hallalurjer.

This semester has kicked my butt. And next semester will be worse...I can taste it.
So....that's why I've been absent.
Again.

I really suck at blogging.
BUTTTTTTT, I do have a life ya know.
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Anyways.

I will have more interesting posts later to come.
Or just some regular posts.

You know the bizz-nizz.
 
 

Tennessee Honey