Week in Review: September 21-28, 2015 | DITL Vlog & Weekly 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. So here is the most recent day in the life vlog from this past weekend. Hope you enjoy! 

And here is the day in the life vlog from the beginning of the week! I have already posted this but I like to share it again in the week in review post because both vlogs were from the same week.

This past week:

In our area it rained a lot last week. I did my best to fight through being lazy with a hot cup of tea watching it rain and actually got busy around the house. I cleaned up a lot and also tried to get a lot of desk work in which included everything from paying bills, answering emails, responding to comments, and editing and uploading videos. I stayed on schedule pretty well with the videos even with the power outages, less daylight, and more things to do. Once I got all the the main desk work done, I played around with some of the stickers I shared in my latest etsy haul and got planning for October. Can you believe how fast the months are passing by? I sure can't. Christmas will be here before we know it. Anyway, I had some fun planning and figured out what the upcoming weeks have for us. 

The days here have been cooling off with all that rain and having the back doors open has been more comfortable. Don't get me wrong, I leave it open all times of the year....less in the winter but I need fresh air. And so do the kitty cats. They love it when the doors and or windows open. 

By time Wednesday rolled around I had finally made a decision. I have not been feeling my best for a few reasons but I decided to make some changes to get healthier. I strapped on my fitbit that I had not broken out of the package yet. I got that all working and started walking more. I just went out to the garage and got on that treadmill that I haven't really been friends with. I hooked up the fitbit app that shows me exactly where I am at with many different things but mainly my steps and miles. It was hard the first few days. But I just kept going. I also decided it was time to end the soft drinks in our house. The boys are not so happy about it either. I basically dumped a 12 pack of Mountain Dew down the sink and haven't looked back → That happened last Thursday. ← So we are all doing really well! I have been drinking a lot of plain water and trying to get use to it but sometimes I have been mixing up some different fruit blends just to make it taste a little better. It's helped! 

Here are some of my most recent fitbit stats. You can click on the photo see it enlarged. I am including these just to share how far I have went and my progress. If you have a fitbit and want to join up with me you can find me under my email | mrskishajaggers@gmail.com | or I am simply listed under Kisha Jaggers. It's fun to encourage each other and compete in little challenges. It's very motavting for me to look down at wrist or over at my phone to see my progress while I am actually walking on the treadmill. I am trying to build up my endurance and I will be adding in a few other exercises a long the way. I am not coming off all sugar and carbs. It just will not happen but I am trying to cut back some. And maybe you will see some of those changes happening in upcoming food hauls. :)

Over the weekend, I actually brought the treadmill in the house. I just placed in the living room. At first it was looking at the wall and I was looking to my left to see the tv but that really got on my nerves and started bothering my neck after a few minutes. So I moved it again and got it right in front of the tv which Scott is not too fond of. I might end up having the cable guy come out and put a jack in the dining room and put a tv in there and workout in that room without obstructing the tv with the giant treadmill but for right now it is staying. I had to place the tv up on the desk until I figure out if I want to buy a mount or not. It's fine to me though and can stay up there for all I care. I can see it when walking and Scott and I can see it sitting in the living room. If you are sitting on the big couch it's a bit harder but hey...it's our house and it's ok for now. 

Sunday Scott had some errands to run and I got back on the treadmill and decided I would walk until the pope started Mass. And that's exactly what I did. I actually watched the pope all week and found him so inspiring and humble. I found his messages lifting and he makes me want to be a better person. It was beautiful to watch. And the boys just had to deal with that too. It's strange around here. We all believe different things. I was raised a Baptist and then before I started Catholic I was baptized there. Scott is a Mormon and my children including Laura have been raised mostly out of the church but are very spiritual. We have many things in common. We believe in God, We believe in love and forgiveness, we trust in a high power to help us in life as well as death, we believe in miracles and we believe in prayer. The details don't always matter....the bigger picture matters the most to us. I want to raise healthy kind citizens that can take care of themselves and then help their communities and raise their own families. I just want to know they will all be able to stand strong on their own feet before I leave this world. It's only wish. 

This week's to dos:

:: Get in my 5 miles today and everyday this week. 

:: Go grocery shopping tonight and share haul tomorrow. { And it's getting late! } 

:: Work in planner

:: Have Scott fill the bird feeder

:: Switch purses

:: Pick up Jackson's glasses from being repaired. 

:: Still need to update chalkboard walls. 

:: Dump photos and videos from phone

:: Water indoor plants

:: Turn in Jackson's field trip form

:: Brush out cats and brush Cooper out

:: Get to bed earlier

:: No Mt Dew or Cokes 

:: Toss out old grill....it's time. 

:: Clean vents and ceiling fans

:: Call about firewood...a job I keep putting off with all the rain. 

:: Still gotta run to the post office soon. 

:: Spend tomorrow zone cleaning

:: Return phone calls that I missed today. I have had to keep the phone on vibrate to get more done and finish this blog post. 

:: Buy more sports bras

:: Get new blog book together. 

:: Look for new house. I am just going to have to make it a priority if I want to move. 

:: Send money with Jackson this week for the book fair. 

:: Make more blueberry muffins for the boys....and I might have to have 1 too! 

:: 

Here's some inspiration to take with you through your week:

Thank you guys for stopping by. I have been busy all day and I feel like I am about to fall over. I have a couple of miles left to get in if I plan on meeting my 5 mile goal and I will make it. I am counting every step!! I thought about skipping the grocery store and making something easy tonight and going tomorrow which probably will happen but that means I am back on the treadmill for a while! :/ I haven't drank a soda of any kind in days and it really hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe the harder days are yet to come and I am just naive...but so far so good! How's your Monday been going? I would love to talk to you either in the comments on the video or on here. I would also love it if you wanted to follow along on fitbit. It's been a very fun encouraging community to join up with and I am really enjoying it! It's amazing what this little tool around my wrist can do! I'll talk to you soon. xx

K Jaggers

Week in Review w/ Day in the Life Vlog & Weekly To Do's!

Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful night. I have been busy like a bee around the house today trying to prepare for our trip. There is so much to do but I am doing my best. Right now, I have a few minutes share our latest Day in the Life Video. This video follows the first day in the life vlog that went up already sharing our week and this one shares our weekend. Hope you enjoy!

The week on a whole, was rather good. We honestly are just starting to get back into the groove of things after the last week before so emotional. Nothing is really normal for us right now. Summer is here. The kids schedules are different, Scott is even working later, dinners are later too. I am still trying to figure it all out but soon we will be on vacation and the schedule will be completely different again! The beginning of the week was busy as always. I finally was a able to go get my hair done which it desperately needed.

I let her put some darker low lights in my hair and I am just not too sure about it. I might have her lighten them up next time but overall I was much happier having it done for me instead of doing it myself. Gone are the days when I color in the bathroom at home. I am so tired of messing my hair up so I will just sit there forever and let them do it for me. It's worth every penny to not have to worry about it.

Speaking of pennies, I got the bills paid which took forever and a lot of our money. I really need to start trying to cut back on things to not have such high bills every month. But I am thankful just to be able to pay them. :) I also worked in my planner a lot trying to figure out how everything is going to happen. Planning is a big part of my day to day life. I really need a schedule to maximize my time. Otherwise I am scattered brained and not accomplish near as much. And with everything going on right now, I would be a disorganized mess with a plan!

Once the weekend arrived it became kinda bitter sweet. Jackson likes to spend the summers at his dads house doing all the boy things he loves to do. Fish, hunt, and all kinds of other things that they love doing together. I like getting the break but I am already finding the house so empty and strange. Scott and I didn't really know what to do with ourselves after we got back home. It was strange to say the least. I wanted to pick up the phone 100x just to check on them but I tried to not be the overbearing mom. My ex husband can handle things and I know the kids will be fine and have a wonderful time. I just miss them....already!

I really want to figure out a big kid vacation where we take all the kids together. Maybe another Myrtle Beach Vacation. Idk.. and it's never easy getting our oldest daughter because she has her own family to care for. If I could, I would just swing in and pick her up too! But as the kids get older, their lives become more their own and I am trying to adjust. Brittany loves to cheer. She deep into it and Jackson has his own likes. Same for Zane and Laura...Jordan too. All the kids a growing up and figuring out who they are. It's a challenge for us a parents too. I just want them to grow up safe, happy, into productive adults. I want them all to make a difference in this world. They have certainly made a difference in my life more than anything else. ♥ So now we are kid free and not sure what to do. I feel like I'm kinda lost but I have just kept busy today. I filmed a video and I have some shopping to do later tonight...and a busy schedule for the coming days. I am working on a new 2015 Travel Series for my youtube channel and have already published this 1st video...

and there will be many following. Including another one tomorrow which is a luggage video which I am super excited to share. There will be packing videos and lots of new travel stuff. Plus when we get back home we will have a ton of travel vlogs that will just go up day by day until they are all uploaded. THEN....we will get back on schedule with our normal videos. Also this and next week we will have other new videos up besides travel that I hope you will come back and check out.

To Do's:

:: Exchange certain items at the store for a better size.
:: Pre Board for cruise tonight or tomorrow.
:: Get house cleaned up. I hate coming home to a dirty house. It's pretty clean right now so it shouldn't be a big deal.
:: Stop the mail...asap.
:: Check PO Box
:: Shop for animals.
:: Clean up DVR's.
:: Get my moms gifts together.
:: Pick up dresses on Friday from sewing lady.
:: Pre Record as many videos for next week as possible.
:: Clean out frig.
:: Whiten teeth....which I hate hate hate doing.
:: Update Chalkboard Walls
:: Delete old files on laptop.
:: Brush out Cats and have Scott bathe Cooper.
:: Gather up boxes for Scott to get rid of.
:: Get nails done.
:: Water all the plants and cut off dead leaves.
:: Make a few minutes each day to get on the treadmill. Totally off schedule in that area too.
:: Clean jewelry before we leave.
:: File away loose papers
:: Quick clean my car out.

I have so much to do this week. I know there is a ton that I am leaving off that list. And really, things have been changing daily around here. So I am sure each day will be packed full of different tasks to do before leaving. However, Saturday evening is going to come fast and I am getting more and more excited about our vacation. I think its going to be a lot of fun!

Here's some inspiration to take a long with you through out the week!

So sorry this post is going up later in the night. I told you that I was busy today. And I doubt tomorrow will be any different! I am working hard to make sure there will be videos up while I am gone. I am not sure if I will be able to share them on the blog until I get back so subscribe to my youtube channel so you can see the new videos at each night at 12am. :)

 

Week in Review: March 27 - 29, 2015 | Vlog & 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 this past week I posted two day in the life vlogs. The beginning of the week is the bottom video and the top video is the most current day in the life vlog. It was pretty much a weekend at home but home is where I am happiest! :)

Here's part 1 ↓

Here's what's went on around here the past few days:

Saturday my Brittany Belle had a cheerleading banquet. She spent the night with her friends to get ready the next day. All the girls were excited about getting dressed up to see who got what awards. Brittany is the shortest of the bunch in the pink dress. ♥

She also got the Cheerleader of the year award which was totally amazing. I am so very proud of the young lady she is. Smart, strong, kind, and even athletic. I don't know where the sports and such came from but she enjoys it and is doing so good. Her father and I both love her so much. Its great that she is so active and also making a ton of friends along the way.

Also on Saturday I finally ran to the post office. It's not close to us so sometimes I wait a little long in between visits. But I received some beautiful birthday cards and stickers from some amazing subscribers/friends. 

I received a letter from a 67 year old subscriber whom wrote me the most beautiful letter. I sat there and read it line by line. It was kinda and it really touched my heart. For a while now, I have been considering leaving youtube. But it's friends like her and all of you guys that has been keeping me there. I love you guys. Thank you for thinking of me and sharing your lives too. I don't know where this youtube life is going to go but I am so blessed because the friends I have made a long the way.

It was a slow start around here yesterday. I did my best to ignore all the sleeping animals and people. I mean it's hard to get motivated when the entire house is quiet. I didn't mind Scott sleeping because I know he works hard long hours and needed the rest. Jackson too for that matter. But I am sure he will get plenty of rest next week when he is on spring break. But Sunday seemed to be family rest day around here.

I didn't let it stop me though. I worked upstairs for a couple of hours and got it cleaned up. I love getting as much of the weekly cleaning done over the weekend to make my Monday's easier. All I have to do up there today is change the bedding and vacuum which makes me VERY HAPPY! I also picked up a lot on the first floor and even made some time in the evening to get on the treadmill. I do not enjoy it at all but I am feeling a little better because of the exercise. I know I am sleeping better and I think it's making my joints and muscles feel a little better. I haven't been snap crackling and popping as much going down the stairs. That's the main reason for the walking. Sure, loosing a few pounds would certainly be nice and probably helpful but I just want my body to feel better.

As Sunday night wore on, I kinda lost my patience with my husband. It's not always easy. Sometimes I feel like banging my head against the wall. I know that patience and forgiveness is something I have to work on with him. After so much time together, I feel like I know pretty much everything about him and having patience at this point is hard. But it's something I need to work on. I am reminded with the quote below that as I get older I should have more patience that will help me forgive. Marriage is ever changing and requires so much work that I never expected.

But you live and you learn. You fight for what's right and what you love and everything else should fall into place. I want a life with no problems...happiness all the time but if that was the case,  how would I grow? It's the challenges and problems that really teaches us and builds character. So here's to a new week of fresh starts...new days...new experiences and new lessons.♥

This weeks to do’s

• Try to work on having more patience....something that is so hard to grasp sometimes. 
• Keep getting to bed earlier and earlier...it's been working here lately. 
• Go through my makeup and declutter. A job I have the hardest time with. 
• Figure out what cruise excursions I want to go on. 
• Get nail fixed...it broke and my nails never break...NOT HAPPY.
• Check in on mom sometime. She's been to quiet lately!
• Write mommy bucket list. 
• Wake up!! I am sleepy today. More coffee please. 
• Change out wallets. 
• Send Trina information so she can help me with a problem. Thank you Trina! ♥ She's seriously like the Olivia Pope of the family! 
• Put flea meds on the animals before those little bugs try to invade us and our home. 
• Declutter the spare bedroom more. 
• Plan our Easter dinner. 
• Try a recipe out of the Clean Slate Cookbook. :)
• Groom Romeo...he always looks like a hot mess. 
• Make dinner reservations for our wedding anniversary. 
• Clean up DVR
• Clean up the back deck on a warm day.
• Make and film Easter bread recipe. 
• Get courage to start Chantrix again. It tears my body up but I know it will help in the long run. 
• Take more time to read. 
• Stay away from the cake...I have eaten enough already.
• Try to clean more windows this week so the sun can really shine through.
• Spend less time on the Daily Mail.
• Walk on the treadmill more. 
• Menu plan for April. 

I hope you guys are having a wonderful week. Today I am keeping busy around the house and enjoying the sun shinning through the windows. Here's some inspiration to take along with you as we go through this new week. 

 Thanks so much for stopping by. If you are new here, I'd love it you took a second to subscribe!

 

Sunday Inspiration

Happy Sunday friends! I hope you are having a wonderful afternoon. I am hanging out with Scott and Jackson today but I thought I would take a few minutes to write a Sunday Inspiration blog post.  It's just a time when I can look back and concentrate on the miracles, challenges, and happenings that God has put into my life. Hope you enjoy. ♥

Scott and I have a beautiful family. We have healthy loving kids who are doing their best to figure out who they are along with trying to navigate through all the paths this life gives all of us. However the younger kids are giving us a run for our money this year. Thanks to this wonderful internet, they have been subjected to things they should never have to see. I think as parents is our job to stay ahead of technology to protect them. But what happens when they are around other children at school, sleep overs, and even at home sometimes when other parents don't do the same? Well let me tell you that is something we have been running into here lately and it's caused us some trouble in our family with our kids. We had our family trip down south that was stressful enough on its own, only to come home and have to deal with internet issues on the other kids.

I won't say that it's life altering or anything but happened to kids being kids? Why is everything starting so fast for them now? I guess it's all the access to the internet and just the changing times. This is really uncharted waters for us. We have a 25 year old who married with her family. My oldest son lives with his grandparents and is pretty immature but still older and then we have two 12 year old boys and a 13 year old daughter. The oldest two are past this point but we are still running as fast as we can to stay ahead of the little kids. Then we think we are ahead of the game only to realize that the kids at school who's parents are not monitoring showing other kids. It amazes me how much fast children destroy everything we are doing. I have felt pretty defeated here lately but I have been praying more for grace, understanding, and patience. Sadly, we are not the only influences in our kids lives. But during these times, I realize that I am not going to stop doing my part in protecting our children.

It's hard for me to accept that we are finally at the point where the outside influences are coming into their lives. We have controlled the tv, internet and phones for a while now..and we have even controlled their friends to a big degree but we are coming to the point where we can only hope our influence is the best and most constant. Our hope is that God's influence trumps all. From our prayers to theirs, we want them to take the path that God has laid out for each of them. I know that will bring trials and tribulations along the way but in the end, I hope they are happy healthy kind people. That's my hope for all of our kids. I have come to think that the influences that I don't like will come and go through their entire lives. If they keep their faith strong, they will be able to just kinda pass through those times moving on to something better. It's been a challenge with all the kids here lately. I have been reading a new parenting book which I will come back and discuss at another time. I have a wonderful support system who I call upon in good times as well as bad to give me their fresh insight into whatever situation is going on. I can't even begin to tell you how important they are in my life and the kids lives too. It takes a village and I need all their support. 

Life is a bunch of challenges and parenting is the hardest job on the planet. Each day there is something new happening or changing. And as scary as it is, I have to just go with the flow and keep an open heart with a lot of forgiveness to get through it all. We have to let the kids be themselves and grow up but in the right time. Just because some of their friends are doing things/seeing things or saying things does not mean our children will follow suit. We will remain strong in our faith and convictions and let God lead the way. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope your Sunday is going well. I am hanging out with Scott and Jackson and have a food haul coming up in a bit! Stay tuned. 

Day in the Life: Week in Review Vlog & Corresponding Blog Post Nov 17-24, 2014 | Pre Thanksgiving |

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 weekend. I also vlogged a little each day which you can see in the video below. I have been trying to move all my video's to my main channel including the vlogs but for right now I am uploading them to both channels. I think that is the best way to do it right now but eventually they will probably all move to my housewife life main youtube channel. I hope you don't mind but I have been trying to figure out a way to make everyone happy. I don't expect you to watch them twice but now you will be able to find my vlogs on both channels. ↓Here it is↓ Hope you enjoy! 

This Past Week: 

It was a pretty uneventful week.  I sure can't say that is a bad thing because I would rather have a slow easy week opposed to a crazy week. I stuck to my planner as much as possible and through the week, I was able to get things done. Monday night I was a little grumpy and Scott was driving me crazy. We ended up bitching back and forth but the next day I woke up to some amazing chocolate strawberries. That my friends is how an apology is done! :) It was super thoughtful and it started off the day much better than the way it ended the night before. I ran a few errands this week...but not too many. I don't like going out in the cold. Instead I stayed home and baked. Scott had his Thanksgiving at work last Friday so I baked mini pumpkin pies and some Rolo Delights that were a hit at his work. They are super easy to make and if you need to make something for your dinner or a dinner you are going to, check out the recipe! 

As I moved through the week, I worked a lot around the house trying to get it ready for the holidays. I still haven't taken down the pumpkins and fall decor yet. I just don't do Thanksgiving with Christmas trees in the background. Nope. Instead, the day after or during the weekend, I will be making the switch. I have been busy cleaning closets, getting rid of clutter, and taking everything that does not belong on the 1st floor right on upstairs. And its crazy how much stuff we have downstairs that has no business there. Today I am going to focus most of my time on the 2nd floor cleaning and organizing it more. Yesterday I woke up to the rain and went to bed with rain. It cold and wet the entire day. I took the time to do a quick pickup of our pantry while the boys napped and played video games. I am glad I got that job done. I seriously don't know how 3 of us can destroy that little room so fast! I really need to totally reorganize it again but right now its at least picked up enough that I can get through Thanksgiving and hopefully find everything I need. 

The rest of our evening we kept our toes warm by the fireplace, enjoying lots of hot cocoa just enjoying a night in. Once the boys were in bed, I finally finished my cleaning by mopping the kitchen floor. I like to do it while they are sleeping so no one walks on it but that sure doesn't stop the cats. When the light hits the floor a certain way, you can actually see little paw prints. Its funny because my car has the same little paw prints from leaving the garage door open and the strays walking all over hood. I guess paw prints are just part of our life. We love cats and I don't think there is a cat on the planet who can top Romeo. He is just the king of this house and he is so laid back. He's getting huge so he might have to go on a diet like our dog Cooper but he's big and beautiful. 

I seriously want to find a crown to prance around in. Around the first of the year we are having some professional pictures taken of him. The family has agreed that a large picture of Romeo above the fireplace would be perfect. We were going to have a big family picture put up there but they voted for Romeo! He's the Jaggers family mascot. ♥

Here's some things I need to get done this week..

• Finish cleaning the 2nd floor today. 
• Start Vlogging Daily for Vlogidays! Stay tuned and if you haven't already, subscribe to our Glam Gossip Vlog Channel so you don't miss any new videos.
• Clip coupons and work on Thanksgiving grocery list. 
• Also need to get frig cleaned out before I go shopping.
• Get boxes together for the Post Office. 
• Fast clean up of my closet while putting up laundry. 
• Finally start a new book after Thanksgiving. 
• Get mail out of the car and sort. 
• 3pm Video Editing Online class today. I don't particularly enjoy it but I am learning so much. Hopefully you can see how I am starting to add changes to my videos. I still have a long way to go though.
• Do something kind for someone today. Check out my Sunday Inspiration Blog Post to see what I am talking about. I would love it if you joined up. 
• Go through emails...tons and tons of emails to respond to. 
• Pre Record Videos for when we have family here. I think I have 4 to get done before Thursday. I can edit while they are here but I need to film first. 
•  Paint toe nails or go get a pedicure. One or the other need to happen this week. 
• Get Cobwebs down today before vacuuming. 
• Make these adorable Pumpkin Bread Rolls Wednesday.
• Look for Hotels in Louisville for Christmas. 
• Order more printer ink. 
• Clean chalkboards TODAY. And it's a job I don't really enjoy.
• Change all the bedding. 
• 
  

Here's some inspiration to take with you this week:

Have a beautiful and blessed week. I hope you guys have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I think everything will go as planned with my normal blog post and videos the entire week. Plus we are starting Vlogidays TODAY....come back!

Sunday Inspiration ♥

 Hello friends. I hope you are having a beautiful Sunday evening. I am here a little later today with my Sunday Inspiration post. Its been raining all day long and it's been totally hard finding any motivation to do anything. Its been dark all day long and the boys have been napping and lazy most of the day.. Me too. Can you believe this is the last Sunday before Thanksgiving. This time next week, we will be through the holiday and moving on into Christmas. It's amazing to me how fast time is passing.

There are so many of us who are going to be having Thanksgiving with our families in just a few days. The grand tables with all the delicious foods, football games going on it the background, family being together and visiting each other. I also hope in that time you will make it a tradition to look at the day, the month, the year, and share what you are thankful for. I think it always means so much to actually speak it. Words have power. When you speak positive you attract more positive circumstances in your life. Plus it means a lot when you're told that your important and someone is thankful for you. I am not always the best at showing my true feelings but all of us can come out of our shell to be kind to someone else. How about just for this week, at least one time a day, you do something kind for someone else. Random acts of kindness for the week of Thanksgiving. Leave a special note for someone at work, do something extra special for your husband and kids, help a homeless person, leave an extra tip for service.....you get the idea. Lets spread the love this upcoming week. Maybe I will come back and share my 7 acts of kindness in a blog post later next week. If you want to share too, come back and leave your link daily or whenever on this blog post.  I would love it if all of you guys reading this post participated. Make a difference in someones life this week.


I have been doing a lot of praying this week. I have a friend who is not well and being treated at the Cancer Institute of America. Another girlfriend was traveling all last week and now sick herself, and so many other prayers going up to God himself. I have heard others say they don't pray for little things..only important things. I pray about everything I need to pray about and some days that might just be praying that he will grant me a favor and help me find my car keys. I simply ask God for his help. It is in these little prayers/miracles I see God the most. He's on like On Demand...available to all of us anytime. Even for the littlest of prayers answered, I am always grateful and I am always thankful. And I always say Thank you to God for his help. I have even asked God for help when trying to find a parking space on a day my ankle and knee was killing me. In a crowded store, right there after my prayer went up, a car moved out of the front line giving me the best possible spot short of Handicap. Could this be just be a coincidence....maybe but I believe it is God working his miracles even in the smallest of ways when I call upon his love and help. I say trust in prayer and trust in God. Prayer alone has seriously changed my life more than anything else. I hope you have a beautiful and blessed week. Come back and let me know your acts of kindness this week. ♥

Weekend in Review - Oct 3-6, 2014 w/ Day in the Life Vlog! - Trying to find Normality -

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 weekend. I also vlogged a little each day which you can see in the video below. I have been trying to move all my video's to my main channel including the vlogs but for right now I am uploading them to both channels. I think that is the best way to do it right now but eventually they will probably all move to my housewife life main youtube channel. I hope you don't mind but I have been trying to figure out a way to make everyone happy. I don't expect you to watch them twice but now you will be able to find my vlogs on both channels. This week however, I just did a simple weekend vlog....↓Here it is↓ Hope you enjoy! More pictures and info below! 


This Past Week: October is a great and busy month for us. We start out in the first week with Laura's Birthday! She is adorable and I swear she's totally my child! She just turned 25 and is learning and growing everyday. She is a married mom of 2.....soon to be 3 and we couldn't be prouder. She just started blogging.....if you want to check her out more, click right here! :) She lost her grandfather today and could use some pick me ups if you can stop by and leave her a comment. 

Speaking of daughters my little Brittany Belle is practicing hard for her cheer-leading competitions. I am also very proud of her good grades, cheer-leading and growing into a lovely young lady. I put a little ♥ by her in the pictures below so you would know which she is! 

I hate our family being so spread out. I really do. I wish I could gather them all up and move to Florida or Hawaii. No joke. That would totally make me happy. I doubt I would ever move back up north but I would love for all of us to be together. I really want my older son to get to know the rest of  the kids but he's still not ready. Hopefully in the future we will have everyone together in spot at the same time.

 Jackson this past week did pretty well. He is super hyper and when he doesn't take his medication he can wear you out pretty fast. But his progress report was pretty good and hes trying to do more and more to help around the house. He even vacuumed the 2nd floor this past weekend! Wooooooo-hooooooo! I love the help! He is also celebrating his 12th birthday this month on the 23rd...and specifically asked for no party. :)

This past week, I have worked hard to be more of a team player with my family. Its not something that comes easy for me but I think that's a big part of our problem. I grew up with all independent strong willed, loud, women and I don't surrender easy. I feel like I wear the pants most of the time and I think its time I try to let Scott take the lead more. I am trying to see us as a team and not the opposites that we are. We love each other and I think we are both committed to keeping our marriage, home, and family together. Even on the hard days, if I approach it with grace and not fear, I think I will feel better about myself and my marriage. So baby steps. 

• Start following new schedule......and stick to it! 
• Meditate daily.
• Call Laura and check in on her. 
• Finish putting out the fall decorations. 
• Put up the pile of laundry waiting on me. 
• Round up September Favorites 
• Continue Coopers Workouts and diet regime. 
• Take less phone calls.....Today is a test day with that new schedule. I noticed I have fallen off due to phone calls. No joke. I seriously need to answer the phone less..and make less calls myself. 
• Menu Plan for next week
• Answer Emails & YT Comments.....sorry I am so behind with answering back! I'm trying.
• Trim back basil...it grows faster than I can get it used!
• Call Houseparty.com and try to get something fixed.
• Clean 1st floor windows
• Tell Scott and Jackson a new reason I love them everyday. ♥
• Do updates on computer....BTW....I took the newest computer back, you know my 2nd laptop in a week and I am back on my beloved Sony Vaio. I just wasn't happy with either. 
• Clean the ceiling fans. 
• Go check the PO Box before they get mad at me for the piled up mail waiting on us to pick up.
• Pull recipes from old magazines before burning them in the bonfire this coming weekend. 
• Finish my newest Kabbalah Book
• Film everyday this week!
• Get big load of firewood. I found ablaze in our area that is very reasonable and came in the evening hours and even stacked it for us. We did help....but we didn't have to. He was super nice and its about time to call him again. 
• Order some more cute post it notes.....super cheap and super cute! 
• Call and make Cooper a Vet appointment for a check up later this week.
• Pre make Jackson's breakfast for this week....TODAY. → Going to film...stay tuned.
• Send pictures to get printed out. I love we can do that online now and just pick up the pictures later!
• Empty out the ton of change floating around in the bottom of my purse....and I wonder why its always so heavy. I probably have $25 in there. 
• Update Videos on Pinterest Boards
• Make Cupcakes

* Just a side note....Your comments on this video were some of the best most heartwarming comments ever. I have read them more than once and feel so inspired by your love and support. Thank you guys so much.  Here's some inspiration to take along the week with you....

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Sunday Inspiration

Happy Sunday friends. I hope you are having a great day. Its a slow start for me today but what's new about that? Scott and Jackson headed out to try out a new church. As I said before we keep trying to find the right church for our family. Scott is taking the lead and trying out different churches until he finds one he likes. Once that has happened, I will be going too. I just get tired bouncing church to church waiting on him to find one that he likes. So maybe today will be the day when he finds the right one. We come from very different spiritual paths. For me I was raised Baptist 1/2 the time and other half of the time, I was raised Catholic. I have only been baptized in the Catholic church but Scott was raised in the Methodist church. Since he doesn't want to become Catholic, I am letting him take the lead in finding our family the right church. Once he finds it, I am sure our lives will get even more busier than it already is! But we really do need to find one. And for those of you who think I should be going to test out the churches with him....don't worry. I will be going in time. 

So this past week. I have not felt so spirtiual myself.  I have felt behind and tired almost everyday. But in my exhausted state, I have been turning off the tv at night before I am ready to fall asleep....→ bringing me to a small calm space in time where I can pray more. ← So maybe all that exhaustion is still bringing me around in a full circle right back to God. I think everything brings us back to God. 

I have felt lost for weeks now. I just haven't been able to get on any kind of schedule, some days I feel neglected by my family and I am sure they would say the exact same on certain days. I feel lost about where I really want to live and when we will get there. I know my husband has felt lost too about where his work life is going. I think Jackson feels lost at times because not having both his birth parents in the same house. We are all lost around here. But we really are trying to let God guide us. I think with our busy lives that we all have in this home, we are all suffering from some kind of disconnection when more than anything we want to connect with God, each other, nature, all of it. And I think all of us wonders how our lives got so big, busy and loud. I know that if I/we are wondering off the beaten path and lost...God will find us and get us right back to where we need to be. When I was younger there was a lot more family time than what there is now. I know what I am striving for but have yet to reached it. But that does not mean give up. Instead, it means work harder for life we want. Scott and I have a dream for our family. And just because there are some road blocks that doesn't stop us from continuing to build that dream. It might slow us down but we continue to build upon the dream. I am not going to get into the dream itself because that would require a totally different long blog post but every family should have a plan, goal, dream....whatever you want to call it. And if you are as lost as I am right now...just know God will find you and lift you up. 

Have a beautiful and blessed Sunday.

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