Week in Review: DITL Vlog(s) | Packing, Easter & Fondue! ) Weekly to Do's

Hello friends! Happy Monday to you all. I really love a fresh week. It makes me feel good to know that we have a fresh new start. On most Monday's I post a week in review going over some of the things that went on around here. I normally share a vlog and even more photos and ramblings about life lately. This week I am sharing 2 vlogs.  The first one, I already shared but in case you haven't watched it yet, here it is. 

I noticed I had a lot of footage so I thought I would share it on Friday and share a new vlog from this weekend today! Grab some tea or coffee, sit back and hang out with us. :)

Here's a little more about how our week went...

 Around here life has been rather strange. Scott is working in Indiana and we are here trying to pack up the house. Many have wondered how I am coping. Well....it's not easy. I have never really been away from Scott for this kind of time ever. Sometimes I look back and think that we might never be as happy as we once were, but on more positive days I think about how much we've grown since the beginning, about the chances we've been given, and how I would choose this life with him and our kids over and over and over again. I can't explain what has held us together for so many years except love but I think it's what is helping me get through this weird kinda tough time. I am trying my best to stay busy. There is plenty around here to do. Moving from one state to another is no easy task. I spend most of my time packing and or cleaning. I haven't even made much time to film. It's no secret that I am so ready to move but it's a bit sad too in a way. I have loved this state. I feel like I am entering the gates of hell moving back to the area I have sworn off for years. But I am trying to change those feelings. I am trying to remind myself everyday that we are doing this for our kids and our family. It's not just about me. And rather I like it or not....it's home. Many have also asked why Scott had to leave so quick. He actually stayed longer than he should have trying not to leave the dealership hanging. But they wanted him to start right away. Being this is a new area of work for him, we thought it best that he get up there....learn the ropes and find us a new home. I don't want to move the boys if something doesn't work out. We need Scott's income and it's important for that to be a stable area in our lives. It's hard not being together. I miss him a lot and I know the boys do as well. But we are working together to make this happen. It's been boxes, tape, bubble wrap, packing paper and 80's music around here for days. I am on morning shift with the kids now and I am trying my best to be nice in the mornings....normally I am a grump when I wake up. I have been trying to get enough sleep and again...I am prepping as much as I can at night to make the mornings go easier. I have always done the prep work at night even when Scott was taking them. That's nothing new. However, the mounds of boxes around here is really new....a little exciting and a little scary all at the same time!

Scott wasn't able to be here for my birthday and the same for Easter. He actually offered to drive here for a day but that's too many miles for such a short trip. We told him to stay put and we celebrated Easter in our own unique way.  We all slept in and had a wonderful time later in the evening at the Melting Pot. Its a fun little experience for the kids and I love it too. In a way it was kinda a birthday dinner too. It was a great time and thankfully due to the Easter special we didn't have to spend a fortune. We face timed with Brittany while we were there and we all talked to Scott as well. We don't want to leave anyone out even when they are not physically there with us. All through out dinner we talked about what Easter meant and why it is such an important day. Its always interesting hearing how the kids put it! It was a delicious dinner and lovely time with both of the boys. ♥

We were actually running a little late but I really wanted a quick photo before we left. We sat up the tripod...added the camera....set the timer and this was the first and only photo taken before we left! Cooper sure looks cute in that picture. He knows how to pose for sure! I wish the hair wasn't in my eye but it is what it is! :)

After dinner we all came home and totally vegged out the rest of the evening. There was no packing...no loudness...we all just found someplace warm and cozy and relaxed while it rained. Our bellies were full and I don't think any of us wanted to do anything. It was a nice way to end the weekend. So here with are...back with lots of things to do this next week. Here's a few of my to do's.

:: Do a quick clean up of the house. 

:: Film a couple of videos later in the day if possible. 

:: Put phone down more and focus more. 

:: Go through to do list in planner and see what I can work on next. 

:: Finish packing up most of the kitchen in the next few days. 

:: Get to bed early so mornings are easier. 

:: Tackle my overflowing inbox. 

:: Try to be more understanding of Scott and everything that he has on his plate. 

:: Pre-make some breakfast items for this last week before the kids get out for spring break. 

:: Delete old photos from laptop
:: Make some peanut butter cookies. YUM!

:: Brush out kitty cats this week....Cooper too. 

:: Call Dentist and make Jackson an appointment. 

:: Clean jewelry
:: Work in planner for a while today.

:: Buy more boxes and packing tape. 

:: Wash all dishrags, pot holders and kitchen towels waiting on me. 

:: Clean up DVR

:: Bring 2nd floor boxes to the 1st floor. A task that got pushed off a few extra days. 

:: Forget color polish of any kind...do nails with clear polish only. 

:: Make just one folder for important papers that I might need throughout the move. File the rest away. 

:: Soak and clean pet dishes.
:: Make a little more time to enjoy a good book.
:: Send thank you cards out for birthday gifts.
:: Help Scott look for houses online. 

Here's some inspiration to take along with you throughout the week:

Thank you guys so much for stopping by. I know that I have been slacking off with blog post. I plan on doing better. There is a lot going on right now and I do have to prioritize. But I miss being here so I am really going to try to do better. Even through busy times. I hope you guys had a great Easter. I would love to hear about it if feel like sharing! Have a great week. xx

Week in Review | Egg-cellent Easter! | April 3 -5, 2015 w/ Vlogs & To Do's

Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful Monday. As many of you know... I post a week in review recapping what happened over the week & weekend. Its something that I have been doing off and on for years. Its just a simple way to give you guys a glimpse into our week. I have changed up the vlogging schedule where I will be uploading a Day in the life vlog Monday...as always and then another on Thursday. Monday's vlog will cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the previous week and Thursdays vlog will be for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Actually I might be adding more vlogs in during the week...depending on how much I vlog.

* So I should start this blog post out with letting you know that I had some terrible computer and video editing issues over the past day or so. Yesterday was non stop with calls to tech support, uninstalling and re installing.. it was truly mind numbing and exhausting troubleshooting problems all day. But we seem to be back up and running...so I am playing catch up! :) I'm just thankful for it working

So the beginning of the week came with its own challenges. I don't know what is going on but we had lots of internet, tv and even phone issues. I really tried my best to go along with it and got caught up with things around the house and even did a lot of reading. But I have to admit, it was nice to get everything fixed. Here's what went on around here during the beginning of the week: 

I have been noticing that the vlogs can be really long and I thought I would break them up this past week and give you another vlog on Sunday. However, that didn't work out as expected but finally it went live late last night. F-I-N-A--L- L-Y! 

The end of the week was about trying to catch up on videos, get the house together, shop for Easter groceries. → Check out that haul here ← and getting things for Easter Day. Easter is such a lovely time. I love the spring holiday when we can all get with our family and friends, enjoy a wonderful dinner along with a few sweet treats! It was a beautiful day and all the kids were outside playing while all our neighbors were out in their yards working. I had a kinda weird experience in the evening but I skip over that and just say that over all, it was a lovely day with my family. We actually ate a little earlier so I didn't have to be in the kitchen late. It paid off because once the sun set, we all got sleepy with our full bellies! I was sound asleep by midnight. Here's more from our weekend...

This week:

It's a special week for Scott and myself this week. Yesterday { Monday 4.6 } is our wedding anniversary. After 7 years of dating, I finally said yes and married by best friend. At this point we have been married 4 years but together 11. It's not always been easy and I wasn't sure we would get through some of the problems in the past but we have fought through. He's still so beautiful to me and I feel very lucky to have him in my life. That doesn't mean that it's a walk in the park. Marriage is hard and requires a lot of self sacrifice and a lot of love to make it through the harder times. I feel that Scott and myself built a good foundation that has held strong through out the years. He is the love of my life and I am very grateful for our relationship. I know that life is more dull, I don't smile as much, and I know I would feel lost without him. And I am pretty sure he feels the same way. So here's to 4 full years of marriage and to many more. ♥ Oh.. and we are not quite ready to celebrate until the weekend. Scott worked a lot of hours at the dealership yesterday and we thought we would both feel more like ourselves when we could get some rest first and then celebrate. :)

We have a ton of changes coming up. One of the biggest is I have decided to let go of the adorable Volkswagen Bettle and I am moving into a newer better Mini Cooper Clubman. It wasn't a easy decision but the truth is.. the Mini Cooper drives so much better. So I gave the ok and I will probably have the car by the mid to end of the week. It's kinda exciting but I am going to miss the bug. We also have a big trip to Louisiana planned again for next week. However, we just didn't want to take Jackson to just sit in the hotel. BUT...he is going to go hang out with his dad and sister for a week..which should be nice. I am not happy about pulling him out of school but he would have had to miss to go down south.. so we will deal with it. I know he is excited and I am thankful that he is not going to be stuck with us doing un fun things. So it worked out. 

This weeks to do’s

• Get new ID. Mine is expired and it's wayyyyyyy past time. Gosh.. I HATE the DMV. They always turn me away so I give up and never go back . But I need it so gotta try again. 
• Check PO Box
• Get plates and tupperware back from neighbors. I think they wanted to keep them.. Nope! We don't give away our dishes. 
• Send my sister a congratulations card for her new job promotion she just got!!! 
• Continue walking on the treadmill. 
• Work in planner.. Desperately need to take time to figure things out. 
• Make on last payment on our cruise! 
• Enjoy the rainy days we have coming up with a hot glass of tea and good book. 
• Make dinner reservations at the Melting Pot. 
• Clean up files on computer. 
• Call not so nice lady and make an appointment for our trip down south. 
• Clean up Coopers dog bowls. It only takes 2 nights for them to get dirty and crusty. YUCK!
• Pray for more patience and understanding.
• As soon as Hilary announces she is running by posters, shirts...all of it. I am seriously putting posters up in the top windows of the house. Too bad for anyone who doesn't like it.. Sorry Scott. It's happening. BTW. I have been approached to make some political commercials!!! HAHAHAHAHA! Yesssssssssssssss!
• Pamper my nails a little more. They still are so sore. 
• Buy cameras to monitor the front and back of house. Yep...it's happening. 
• Clean out frig before grocery shopping on Wednesday.  Also need to work on grocery list. 
• Make more time to play games with Jackson. The xbox is out but I am sure we can find a board game we both like. 
• Stay away from cake for at least a week. The walking is never going to help if I don't control my sweet tooth.
• Give ivy plants a shower. 
• Buy some flowers for the yard. 
• Find the laptop of my dreams to buy! 
• Clean up desk...which never ever stays cleaned up!
• Make time for some of my favorite youtubers. I have not been watching as much and I miss them! 
• Call Marjorie about Jackson. 

Here is some inspiration to take with you through the week!

 So I know this is going live a day late which does push my other videos around but right now the computer is working and I couldn't be more happier about it. I spent forever trying to get my video editor software working and actually asked God to send me a tech support angel to work their magic. Oddly enough, I got on the phone with a guy in Canada who was kinda like the tech angel. He worked on the laptop with remote access for over 3 hours and not only helped me but was so nice to teach me a few new things too. So Monday was spent at my desk in frustration. Late late last night I finally got things fixed. I was able to snuggle up and forget about all the tech troubles and got some sleep. Scott is home today so we are just going to hang out and shaperone the preteens hanging out on the 2nd floor! :) It's spring break here. I hope you guys had a lovely week and a even better Easter. ♥Thanks so much for stopping by. If you are new here, I'd love it you took a second to subscribe!

 

Delicious Italian Braided Easter Bread Recipe! | Video & In Depth Blog Post |

Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I thought now would be a great time to share this delicious Easter bread recipe! Now I know Easter is right around the corner but this can be made the day before or even the morning of Easter you could start this and serve it fresh out of oven at dinner! So there is time!! I think it's perfect for any Easter table or even a great hostess gift if you are eating somewhere other than home. This is a sweet bread just like brioche and kids love it! I did use my bread machine to make the dough easier but below I share how you could do it with either a mixer or completely by hand.  The video shows you everything and the step by step written out recipe and instructions are below!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1⁄4 cup water, - 110degrees

2⁄3 cup milk, - 110dregrees

3⁄4 cup softened butter

2⁄3 cup granulated sugar

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

juice of one lemons or 1 teaspoon butter flavoring, as desired

2 eggs, beaten

5 cups unbleached flour

2 1⁄4 teaspoons yeast

colored raw egg
Egg wash
Sprinkles or colored sugar

For this recipe you will need some died raw eggs. Don't worry! They cook in the oven as the bread is baking. Just dye them as you would die hard boiled eggs but be careful because they will break! I like to let the color sit for a while and then easily transfer them to a plate to let them dry. 

For the bread machine method add in the ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed above. Then turn it on it's dough setting and let it do it's thing. It should take close to 2 hours to complete the cycle. 

For the other method: 

In a small saucepan, warm the milk and butter together, just till butter melts.    In a large mixer bowl, combine yeast, salt, eggs and sugar.  Add the warm (not hot - it will kill the yeast) milk and butter. Add about half the flour and beat until smooth with dough hook.   Slowly add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough.    Knead until smooth with either dough hook attachment or turn out on floured board and knead.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. 

Punch dough down, cut into 12 pieces.  Roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 12 - 14 inches long. Then pinch the one of the ends and twist together. Then take the two piece and braid them.. just taking them over one another as I demonstrated in the video above. Loop the braid into a circle and pinch and twist the two ends together. Continue until you have 6 braided bread rounds.

Place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or Silpats.  Cover and let rise until double, which should take about an hour. I like to put the baking sheets the stove with the oven on low and door cracked

Once they have risen,  brush each braided bread round with beaten egg wash.  Put on the sprinkles or sugar.   In the middle of each bread ring, gently place an Easter egg. Try to make sure the dough is touching the sides of the bread dough. 

Make sure you are using parchment paper or silpats so your braided bread rounds don't stick. I like to have the two oven racks at the top of the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Your home will fill up with an amazing aroma while they bake. Cool and if you are serving immediately, you can eat the egg. However if you make these early, skip the eating the egg...just in case! 

The bread is amazingly sweet and delicious. This is a recipe that is fun to make with your kids because they can help die the eggs and roll out the dough. I think it's a great tradition that you can start too! Let me know if you have any questions.

Also if you want to see more....I made an adorable Easter Display last year that was super easy.

If you are new here, I would love it if you took a second to get subscribed!

 

Cee ya tomrorow!

Weekly Food Haul & Prepping for Easter | Video |

Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful Friday! It's a beautiful day here and I am enjoying a house with a spring breeze flowing through. We have all the windows open and its so beautiful. Anyway, :) I am back sharing our latest food and household shopping haul. I share our Menu for the next few days and also included is how I plan on celebrating the Easter holiday with my family. I share a couple of my Easter basket tips too. Hope you enjoy! 

As you could see, I didn't get a ton but just enough things to get us through the weekend until I can get back to the store next week. And for us, the family Easter basket works well. I think it saves money and time but it's still away of celebrating. Today I am baking some delicious Easter bread that I will be sharing in a video tomorrow. :) Actually it should be up around midnight. I posted a picture on instagram @kjaggers with the list of ingredients you will need to have on hand if you want to make it tomorrow or even on Easter morning for dinner later that evening. I can't wait to share it with you! If you are new here, I would love it if you took a second to get subscribed!

 

Cee ya tomrorow!

Happy Weekend! xx