Day in the Life Vlog: Week in Review February 16 - 22, 2015 & 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.

Here's whats been going on this past week:

This past week started off with winter at it's finest. I don't get it. Aren't we suppose to be moving into spring!? Well, Monday the snow blew in to South Carolina and while we didn't get near as much as so many of you guys, we got enough to shut the town down. I was actually out shopping when I looked through the department store windows and saw snow flying around. Scott was calling non stop asking me to pick up the pace with the shopping and get home. He's a typical husband who doesn't want his wife out driving on snowy icy roads. So I did just as he asked and got home. It was barely covering the porch at that time but as the night fell, it picked up and we got a nice little dump of snow in our neighborhood. The happiest one in the house about it was our Super Cooper. He pranced right out the door and playing out in the yard for a while. I have to admit...I might like the no snow area but just for a couple of days, we had a winter wonderland. 

Tuesday morning the neighborhood kids were out sledding and giggling. It was worth it. I spent Tuesday cleaning and packing to get ready for our trip. I stuck to my mighty to do list and got it done. Jackson was out of school and actually helped around the house which I totally appreciated. We had a lot to get done in a short amount of time. By time I hit the bed on Tuesday, I was exhausted. I had everything mostly packed but still a few things to finish up in the morning before we had to leave. 

Morning came wayyyy to fast. I was kinda grumpy and I moving at a snails pace. Scott was being the cheerleader trying to pep us up to get things finished up so we could leave. It was lunch time before we were on the road. The major highways were not so bad but the ice on the trees looked so beautiful. We all settled in for an 11 hour trip one way. Scott did the driving while Jackson and I kept busy with the electronics.

I was happy that I could actually plug my laptop into an outlet in the car...yep! I love that... and then I hooked up my phone to it and got perfect internet while driving down the highway. It's called tethering and it allowed me to work for many hours. However, I blew through our data and actually had to call and up the plan from the car. Opps. It really helped pass time and it was so fun doing the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Scott. How often does that happen!? It was worth it. 

We arrived at the hotel around 830pm. We picked the Holiday Inn this time and it was pretty nice. It was a bit smaller than the last room we had but we didn't need a full kitchen. The hotel is new and really comfortable. We were in there only long enough to clean up before we were off to Buffalo Wild Wings for a quick easy dinner. With our full bellies we headed back to the room for some sleep for the early morning that was going to show up wayyyyyy too soon. 

Scott and I actually woke up in pretty good moods and managed to get ready without even waking Jackson up. Guess he was super tired too. It was a long day of appointments but we just went with the flow of things and didn't stop until we finished everything. Jackson stayed in the hotel and during a break we grabbed him some lunch and dropped it off before speeding away to the next place we had to go. We ended the night with a quick dinner at Applebees. Mashell, a sweet online friend sent us a gift certificate for dinner on our trip. It was so sweet, kind and touching. These trips have been really expensive but we are getting by with the grace of God. And we are very thankful for the love and support from our family and friends. I wish I could update you guys on what happened but I just can't. Even still we need your prayers and faith that everything will work out. 

Friday morning we were back in the car heading home. I can't even begin to explain how uncomfortable 11 hour car rides are for me at this point. We thought about flying but it would cost more with the tickets and rental car so Scott prefers to drive it but once night sets in.....its so hard. But Scott drove the entire way home even though I was asking over and over if he needed help but I think he was on a mission to get us home. We had 2 wrecks we had to wait on and lots of traffic in the Atlanta area. We arrived back at the house around 10pm,

When we walked in all the cats kinda looked scared but Cooper was jumping all around super happy to see us. It was long before the kitty cat tales went up and they came alive. Speaking of the cats, we are starting the process of Romeo being a therapy kitty cat. He is so laid back and would be so great to take in hospitals or what have you to pick up kids and adults spirits. So were doing it!

Once we got in and settled we all kinda split up and had some alone time. After being in the car and hotel together for 4 days, we needed the break. One thing that I actually missed that night was Scott in the bed. We slept together every night on our travels and it was rather nice. I think we might just switch things around and start sleeping together again. We do here some but its so much easier to go to bed on our own that we have been kinda lazy about it. However, I kinda liked it and might just get a new king bed to cozy up in. :)

The weekend started with us back home and I got busy doing all the housewife life duties that I have which included grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry and then on Saturday I tackled our insane plastics cabinet. Its been driving me crazy so I got rid of a lot of the pieces without lids and such and moved it all to a top cabinet. It's easier for my family to keep it organized if it's a cabinet on top. The bottom cabinets they seem to just toss things in because they don't want to bend down. Honest to God I am still figuring our family out. I guess learning about each other and learning how to make things work for us is never ending. ♥

Sunday showed up and it was just a lazy day for the most part. We all just hung out and relaxed until Scott and I jumped in the car and took off to run errands. I totally feels like we have been living in the car lately. Once we got home, Scott actually cooked his own fish dinner, Jackson and I had dinners that we liked so it was super easy. We watched the Oscars for as long as could handle it and then found other things to watch. It's just sooooooo long. I ended the night with dying my hair, editing videos and talking to one of my best friends.

And here we are! Lots going on this week.. here's some of my to do's. :)

This weeks to do’s

• Do weekly cleaning today......and tomorrow. I have just had too much online work here lately. 
• Write out thank you notes and mail. 
• Work in planner. 
• Keep up with Yoga routine. 
• Get to bed earlier.... and shut the computer sooner too. 
• Clean the oven. 
• Get nails done. 
• Call Dr. re Jackson. 
• Try to keep up with videos... PRERECORDS as much as possible. 
• Have more patience with Scott and Jackson. 
• Work on Trader Joes grocery list. 
• Spend 1 hour in my closet this week picking it up and organizing. 
• Start a new book. 
• Remember to put Cooper on the treadmill every other day. 
• Clean out Jackson's backpack. 
• Drink more tea than coffee...wish me luck! 
• Find new daily devotional book and order. 
• Reply to emails. 
• Check PO Box
• Clean up spare bedroom. 
• Budget for cruise
• Work on information pack for Louisiana. 
• Wash bedding. 
• Run to dollar store and get more dishwasher soap. I totally forgot it at the store. 
• Go to the Drivers Licensee Branch to get a new one. I hate that errand. Hopefully I can get Scott to go with me! 
• Test out a new bread machine recipe. 
• Clean more windows. There are so many windows in this house....it takes forever to get them all clean. 
• Use fireplace more. February's electric bill was a bit high. 

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

I hope you are having a beautiful Monday! I have a busy to do list just for today and I am running behind. I am going to be working into the evening to catch up. It's trying to warm up around here and melting most of the snow. I am so ready for spring. Thanks so much for stopping by!   If you are new here, I'd love it if you took a few seconds and subscribed so you don't miss anything. :)

 

Week in Review: Day in the Life Vlog February 13 - 16, 2015 & 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.

Here's whats been going on this past week:

This past weekend it was really nice being able to spend time with Scott and Jackson. Friday was pretty uneventful. I ended up staying home most of the day, just working around the house. I did run a quick errand to the Dollar Tree & Dollar General to pick up a few things to organize our pantry with. I found the cutest jars at the Dollar General too! It's been a on going process finding a organizational method that actually holds up to my family rummaging through the shelves. After I got home, I stayed busy most of the evening trying to sort everything out and move it to the appropriate places in the pantry.  By time I was done, I was tired and grumpy but our kitchen pantry looked great! Now we are testing out the new system to see if it really works for our family before I share it with you guys!

Saturday popped up super fast. I have been working harder on getting to sleep at a decent hour but I woke up kinda tired and grumpy. I had to quickly shake it off and put a smile on my face for Valentines day! It was freezing here...but thankfully no snow. Jackson hung out most of the day playing with one of his friends and I worked on laundry, planning, computer stuff....most of the day. I did take a break to go the store to pick up a few things we needed to make our Raspberry White Chocolate Oatmeal. I knew we would all be home together on Sunday and I wanted to jump ahead and work on breakfast because I hate cooking in the morning. Once I was back home the door bell rang and some beautiful roses were delivered from Mr. Jaggers.

I had to move them up to the fireplace mantel because our kitty cat Romeo loves to smell and eat all flowers. He actually had a few bites of babies breath and got sick...so the flowers went up to a high place where he doesn't normally jump. Its seriously like a obsession for him. We have to put all fresh flowers up or he will try to eat them petal by petal. 

Some years we buy more for each other but we went just for the classics for this Valentines Day. I got the boys candy and cards. I got flowers and candy and a dinner out. Actually, we were planning on going out to a family style Valentines dinner because we didn't want to leave Jackson out. However, the weather was turning to super windy and cold instead of just freezing temperatures. The family vote was to order some take out and eat dinner in our warm comforting home instead. Normally, I would have been so upset that we were just going to stay in but I was pretty thankful to be home Saturday night. I didn't feel well and I certainly didn't want to go out and bare the cold weather for a steak. Applebees ended up cooking our dinner and Scott picked it up on his way home. I can't believe I am saying this but it was perfect for this years Valentine dinner. :) However, it wasn't such a easy day for my 13 year old daughter. She really is a good girl who makes straight A's..pretty...happy but still she is 13 and she just doesn't understand that she has so much life in front of her. She made some bad decisions on Valentines day which has landed her grounded without a phone. There's a boy..it always turns out to be a boy doesn't it!? 

Sunday came around and we all slept in so well. I think we all needed some extra time in the bed. Sleep can work for you or even against you at times but we all woke up feeling happy and relaxed that we got to really sleep in. I didn't know it when I woke up but I would need all my rest to get through Sunday. Scott and Jackson took off to run some errands giving me some quiet time to write my Sunday Inspiration blog post...which is about what else, the kids. :) Once they came home Scott and I got in front of the camera and recorded a new video for Try the World monthly subscription box. I was so excited to get this box in and try out some of the yummy treats! Stay tuned for that video coming tomorrow. I love it when husby gets in front of the camera with me...he's so fun! As we moved into the evening, I spent hours on the phone with ATT trying to figure out how we could give my daughter her phone back with only allowing her to call or text a few select people. They gave me tons of detail of how we could make the phone work how we want and it took hours but now we are really spying on our daughter. But she asked for it with her behavior and we as her family have to keep her safe. She is not the happiest right now and to be honest, neither are we but we are thankful she is home, safe, and being watched to the fullest. 

This is going to be such a busy week for us. We have another trip to Louisiana this week which is actually going to be a longer trip than before. It's going to be exhausting but we going to be able to see our other son which makes it totally worth it. But there's still a ton to do before we have to leave. 

This weeks to do’s

• Go shopping today for new court clothes and shoes for Zane. I don't really want to go shopping today but it has to be done. 
• Pre Record videos today, tonight or tomorrow and do my best to get them edited and uploaded before we leave on Wednesday. 
• Pray more. 
• Get things ready for the housesitter...but gotta call her first and make sure she can watch the animals. 
• Call the Dr. today about Jackson's scripts. 
• Find a gift for my ex husbands birthday from Jackson. We forgot. :(
• Quick clean up of my closet. It always gets so messy so fast. 
• Make more fun time with Jackson. 
• Work on weekly cleaning today. I am just going to do a hit or miss cleaning and work on it more tomorrow and even Wednesday morning before we leave. 
• Make peach cobbler for house sitter. 
• Be more patient and understanding.
• Call and confirm hotel. 
• Have Scott take the trash to the dump before we leave. 
• Food prep a meal for the night we are returning home. 
• Try to work on some thank you notes. It might be put off till the weekend though. 
• Check PO Box
• Put flea meds on animals. 
• Work on laundry....lots to fold and put away. 
• Work on paperwork for court. 
• Respond to emails...send email to lawyer in Indiana. 
• Do more yoga. 
• Brush out Cooper
• Clean up DVR before we leave so we have all our shows when we return home. 
• Clean out purse
• Give myself a manicure and paint my nails. 
• Clean patio door. 
• Post more pictures on instagram. 

Here's something to take with you throughout the week..

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you are having a beautiful Monday! I am going to get up and go shopping. It's nothing I really want to do but I need to. Thankfully, I am sticking to some stores close to home. I hope you are having a beautiful and blessed Monday. Stay warm!  If you are new here, I'd love it if you took a few seconds and subscribed so you don't miss anything! 

 

Week in Review | January 29 - February , 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. 

Here's how things went around here the last few days:

This past week has been full of a lot of everyday stuff.  I tend to spend a lot of time at my desk sorting through emails, writing blog posts and editing videos. I am also always answering comments and engaging with you guys each day. I could seriously be at the computer for a week straight and I probably wouldn't be caught up. But I am just doing one thing at a time and oddly enough, I have been getting more done than what I even expected.

In my other " spare time " I have been doing my best to keep caught up on laundry and cleaning. I have been doing a massive amount of decluttering which really does make the weekly cleaning easier. I have just got rid of so much stuff. I honestly haven't been donating much. Instead, I have Scott haul it right off to the dump. Goodbye. I don't have to think about it from that point on. And that's exactly what is about to happen in the garage. I can't wait to get out there and get rid of so much stuff. I just want it gone.

Over the weekend my main job was heading out to the grocery store and getting the things we needed. I tried hard to stay in budget and only went up by a few dollars. If you haven't checked out the haul yet, you can click right here to see it!

Saturday night the boys were asleep so early. I ended up watching a really good movie ↓ with Nicole kidman that kept me watching like nothing else. 

It's not a movie to watch with the kids. But it's good..it flipped me out a bunch of times. If you need a more adult movie for movie night... don't miss this one! 

Sunday rolled around and we had a quiet day. Scott was not feeling very good so he laid around a lot and Jackson played xbox. Once the super bowl started, I headed upstairs with a delicious cup of tea and made my favorites videos. 

Once half time rolled around, I was back downstairs watching with my husband. I could really care less but I enjoyed watching Katy Perry. :) There have been years when our house was filled up with a bunch boys screaming and shouting but having it calm last night was a bit of a blessing. I actually fell to sleep early and woke up feeling pretty good today! ;) Sleep does a body well.

This weeks to do’s

• Clean garage...and it's at the top of the list so lets hope I get it done this week.
• Get Jackson's field trip money and form together. 
• Go have nails done...they really need it. 
• Purge clothes from closet that I don't want any longer. 
• Continue to go to bed earlier. Just shut the laptop and go to bed at a reasonable hour. 
• Still need to bathe the cats. Just waiting on a really warm day so they don't freeze. 
• Clean out first floor desk
• Be more forgiving. 
• Set up new cell phones that will start working in 2 days! Gotta get that job done soon. 
• Go to bed earlier
• Continue to organize the pantry. Its a big job and I am still trying to figure out how I want it. What a slow process. 
• Have Jackson find the scripture from the chalkboard into this bible and update main chalkboard wall. 
• Figure out Valentines Day dinner and gifts. ♥
• Stop forgetting morning prayer. 
• Wash bedding Tuesday...which means I have to catch up all our laundry today. Yikes!
• Work on grocery list. 
• Clean out purse..actually looking for a new purse at the moment but the one I am currently using needs cleaned out. 
• Remember to work Cooper out on the treadmill to help with getting rid of the energy. 
• Clear up space on the laptop.
• Try to prep some food for dinners this week. 
• Meal plan for February. 
• Sit down and work in family calendar. 
• Clean out the 31 Bag I use daily. It's plum full! 

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

I am sorry that I didn't get a Sunday Inspiration blog post up. I was just enjoying the day with the boys and time passed so fast. I really feel blessed in so many ways. I have such a beautiful family with smart caring children, a husband who I know loves me.  I have a wonderful mom and sisters and I have you guys. Even through all the ups and downs, you have been there to lift us up and put us in your prayers. I know how important all that is. I take nothing for granted. The older I get, the more I understand the importance of everything that surrounds me. My faith in God is as strong as ever and I know that no matter what happens in this life, it will be ok. Thank you guys for all your love and support.

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Day in the Life Vlog: January 23-26, 2015 | I love my Family! | * with 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. 

Here's what went on around here this past week:

Today has already been a busy day for me. I have ran some errands and went to an appointment, kinda picked up the 2nd floor, and devoured a pot of coffee. Actually, I just made a new pot and enjoying another cup right now. So this vlog is a bit long...so if you need to escape some Monday Madness....come spend an hour with us!

At the beginning of the week, there was a lot of planning. I had to get my head together for the busy week that laid ahead. It's amazing the amount of work I do online and in my planners. I never feel caught up but I had a good game plan for us put together. As the days got a little warmer, the nights still have been so cold. Warm fires, hot tea and cozy socks have totally been keeping me and the boys through the winter nights. I am so ready for spring. Speaking of tea, I have been in looooove with the Mighty Leaf tea in Organic Spring Jasmine. Its one of the best teas I have ever tasted. Its a must try if you love tea! Another thing that happened at the beginning of the week was one of our fish...the black one is having some issues. I am not sure what is going on with him but I think he is dying. I bought a lot of stuff to help him but I have noticed much of a difference yet. I think he might be dying. Idk.

Before I knew it, I was dragging out the suitcases and getting us packed up for our Louisiana trip. It wasn't a vacation or anything. We have some issues going on with our son and had to go down to a court hearing. We drove 10 hours one way down there and finally flopped in a hotel bed on Wednesday night and quickly fell asleep. The next morning we got up and headed to the court house. I can't really speak of the details but I will say things went better from expected. We were able to see him and hold him. It was so much better than expected. Right after the hearing we were back in the car and heading home. I love Atlanta at night. Its such a big city that goes on and on. It's quiet a beautiful city. We were so thankful when we got into town and then even more grateful when we saw our house. I am not a fan of living here but it sure felt good to be home. Cooper was so happy.. all the kitty cats were smelling all our stuff and purring non stop. It was a big love fest and then we all settled into our beds ( it was after midnight ) and we just needed to relax in our own spaces for a while. After all, being cooped up in a car for 2 days is always harder than what it sounds. If you want to see the vlog from the trip... it's right here. Friday it started raining and never stopped. Scott went to work and Jackson had school but I took the day to catch up on computer work while it poured down. The rain certainly did nothing in terms of motivation.

Saturday I got myself together, got a list of the things we really needed and headed out. I really am trying to be more simplistic and not buy as much. It's not easy though. I was thinking about clutter and how I have been doing my best to get rid of things but then I had a light bulb moment...it's ok to keep stuff....just not in the hoarder kind of way. I mean, it has taken me 39 years to gather the stuff up that I like and love. So instead of tossing a lot of it out, I might just have to reorganize it better. :) But I am still all for decluttering....but just sensible.

Sunday came around and we all just had the most lazy, relaxing family day. It's nice when we are all here together. Sometimes it is hard though being the only girl in the house! But we had a great time just hanging out...playing games, watching movies, talking and having a nice dinner together. Scott works so late most week nights that we don't get to have a sit down dinner together. During the school year, I have to make sure Jackson has dinner earlier than 8:30 so...last night we were all able to sit down and eat together. I loved it with the exception of how slow my pickey eater eats. Where it takes us about 20 minutes to eat dinner, little Jackson normally takes double that. As the night came upon us, I so enjoyed Downton Abbey in front of a warm crackling fire. It was the perfect way to end the weekend!

This weeks to do’s

• Start cleaning as soon as I finish this blog post. 
• Work on papers for social worker
• Kiss the boys more. 
• Mail Brittany's new phone...shes waiting. 
• Pray more. 
• Write thank you notes for gifts that came through the PO Box....actually need to probably buy some new thank you cards first! 
• Bath all the kitty cats...they really need it. 
• Call and check on Grandma. 
• Go get hair cut before I start chopping it off on my own. 
• Update pinterest. 
• Put Cooper on the treadmill more. 
• Bring in firewood for the cold week ahead. 
• Clean up DVR's... a TON of great shows are coming on this week! When your a stay at home wife and mom sometimes the simplest of things are cause for excitement! 
• Work on replying to emails and comments each day. 
• Take a drink of water every 90 minutes. Just something I am working on to get more water in me. 
• Put up laundry....story of my life! 
• Balance the check book... a job I hate. 
• Sit up straight more...I think its better for my back. 
• Clean out under the couch cushions. 
• Try for 8 hours of sleep at night. 
• Check in on my sister in law and see what she has been up to! 
• De-clutter closet. Time to change up my clothes...my body is not the same as it us to be and I just have to accept it! 
• Look for a new puff quilt for the master bedroom. 
• Finish some blog maintenance. 
• Buy the ring I have been wanting. 
• Start the daily challenges back up on Instagram. I took off a few days but got to get back at it! Do you follow!? → If not You totally should!  
• Drink less coffee and more tea. 
• Check PO Box
• Organize Jackson's backpack... its a total mess! 

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

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are having an amazing Monday. I have some more cleaning to do today...and I also have a bunch of emails and comments that I need to try to get to sometime this evening. Just a typical busy Monday. I'll be back later this evening with another video...stay tuned!

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Day in the Life Vlog | January 17-19, 2015 | & 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. 

Here's what went on around here this past week:

The past few days I have pretty much kept busy at home. I actually love being home. Most days I can can stay busy with little to no effort. Everyday life just takes over and time fly's by.

Today I am actually running behind with everything. Jackson and I both slept in and I have yet to start my weekly cleaning. Good thing Scott won't be home until around 8pm tonight. Once I get this blog post done, I have a lot to do. :) Grab some coffee and a snack and enjoy 35 minutes with our family!

We have to be in court regarding Zane this week and I have been trying to prepare things for our trip. I am not sure we are even going to get to speak with him but I wanted to print out a couple pictures that I love, put a note on the back and maybe give it to him or the social workers. Whatever I can do. So I got the pictures done and I got the note written. I am just not looking forward to this trip. I know it will be super uncomfortable and sad. But its something we have to do. We need to be there for him. 

On Sunday Scott and Jackson went fishing. It was a bit windy and they didn't catch anything but both had a great time. It's nice when they get out and actually do boy things. Things I don't really enjoy doing. I stayed home...cleaned, did laundry and worked on the computer. I was happy to see that the weather will be warming up this week. Who knows if it will last or not but I hope it just keeps getting warmer and warmer! I need fresh air, sunshine, birds chirping. Come on spring! 

Scott came home and enjoyed the Kentucky game while laying in the bed with wild kingdom. Yea, no thanks. I hate animals in the bed. Jackson stayed busy on xbox all evening and I finally relaxed the night away in a long hot bath and some youtube videos. 

Also, while Scott was watching the game, I worked on getting a new tea video and giveaway.

Your Tea sent me the 14 Tiny Teatox to try out and are also hosting a giveaway. If you want to get entered or see how this tea helped me, click here! I am hoping to get a new updated everyday tea time video up by the end of the month of next month showing you some of my current favorites. I had to get this up because they sent it to me in early December. I had so much going on that I waited to test it out but it was worth the wait!  I also having another giveaway going on after this one ends.

Lots of things going on this week...here's my to do's. :)

• Hurry through weekly cleaning this evening. 
• Pre record videos for when we are traveling. Also going to try to get some blog posts done early too. 
• Look for new laptop
• Work on pantry inventory list. 
• Talk to the housesitter about when we need her. 
• Figure out what to pack for court in Louisiana
• Mail Brittany's new phone. 
• Clean up desk. 
• Email cruise info to Marjorie & Keith
• Chalkboard walls. 
• Maybe buy circus tickets. Not sure going is the right thing to do but Jackson really wants to go. 
• Get a hold of our oldest daughter. I know she has her hands full but I want to check in on her! I just ordered the baby this adorable gift.
• Still need to get my hair trimmed. 
• Work in garage a couple hours tomorrow.
• Send Jackson out to check the mail! :)
• Clean out frig before we leave. 
• Call Jackson's school tomorrow to let them know what days he will be missing. 
• Update family chalkboard wall. 
• work on filling out some home keeping book pages. 
• Get Ulta shopping list together. I am going to be buying some serious makeup. 
• Confirm hotel. 
• Clean litter boxes
• Respond to instagram comments. Do you follow!? You totally should!  
• Clean oven.
• Stop stop stop buying movies on amazon instant video. Its another new obsession of mine. I love being able to buy them instead of just being able to rent them on demand. 
• Clean up the laundry room. Its a total mess. 
• Look for free samples to share....I have gotten a little behind with this. 
• Try to curse less. Really really trying. My mom even said... " It's ok honey.. your upset. "
• Answer emails, comments, and facebook messages.  Also still need to update Pinterest.
• Get dinner thawing out otherwise it will be pancakes and bacon. 
• Get Jackson to fold towels. 
• Brush out Cooper

Here's some inspiration to take along with you through the week. ♥

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are having an amazing Monday. I am anxious for what is to come this week but I am really trying to let God take over and let it be. It's hard but some things are out of our control no matter how much we want it the other way.  So the beginning of the week is all about cleaning things up and packing.... in the middle we will be making a 11 hour drive one way, go to court and drive home and the end of the week should be us resting and recouping from the trip. I will be vlogging a little more probably with traveling and will share them when we get back.

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Checkin' in! :)

Happy Saturday friends! I hope you are having a great weekend. I  have been at the desk today working working working. . I still have a lot of boxes to check off.  I don't really have any plans outside the house today. I have been at the desk since I crawled out of bed. I swear, I could be glued to this laptop for a week and probably never get everything done that I need to do. But I am doing my best to simply, declutter, and organize even on the computer. I think if I could get the emails under control, that would be good enough. I made some additional folders to sort the mail for me and hopefully it will help me stay on top of things better. We'll see.

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I got a lot done along with running a bunch of errands. It's so easy for me to get distracted. A lot of times I will start one thing, see something else that needs done and it goes on and on. However, yesterday I stuck with just one task at a time. I almost strayed a few times but I remember the importance of not getting distracted and didn't allow myself to wonder off on random things. It helped a lot too. I had a ton of mail to deal with...which can be overwhelming but I sorted it all out and went through it one envelope at a time. I still have a lot of replies to do but at least its not in a larges stack on my desk. My new home keeping book has been working wonders on keeping the clutter down. I can't wait to show it to you guys but I wanted to use it for a month or so to make sure it really is working for our family. Stay tuned!

I really need to be getting up to do other stuff too.  I have a ton of things on my to do list.↓ But my motivation is lost and I can't find it. I had the thought to get my hair cut but that sure isn't happen this evening so maybe tomorrow or Monday. I still want to try to get a lot done tonight. My husband always says I am the most busy person who does not work outside the home that he knows. Ha! I am not feeling that way today but it's still kinda early for me. Scott won't be home for a while so its all good! Plus I stay up late anyway. Here's basically a copy of this weekends to do list that is in our home keeping book. I'm serious... I really can't wait to share it with you! :)

Do you have any interesting plans for this weekend? I find this time of year so confining. I wish we could open up the windows, grill out and enjoy some sunshine. But right now its cozy nights in and lots of tv, board games, and housework. Also I have a new vlog saving right now. I will be going live tonight sometime so be sure to check back. If you are new here, I would love it if you subscribed so you don't miss any new videos!

I will be back later tonight with a new vlog. xx

Catching Up & DITL Vlog: Your my Village January 8, 2015

Hello everyone. I hope you are having a great Saturday. My day started around 9am and by 10am I was wondering the isles of Walmart. Last night my laptop charger started sparking and smoking....yea, not good. So I got a new one today and picked up Jackson a hard Lego kit and now we are both doing what we want and kinda having a lazy Saturday. 

Things have been pretty stressful for us because of Zane. We got some bad news on Thursday which still heavy on our hearts and in our heads. I planned on sharing Thursdays vlog on Monday.. with the other DITL footage but it was too long for that. So now it's in it's own vlog. Here's how Thursday went. 

I was fine at the start of the day but getting that news while I was shopping changed everything. I kinda was shock all night long over it. I just wanted to distance myself as far away from it as possible. My heart can't take being broke over and over. All night I was flipping out. I barely slept and I prayed. Friday I realized that I cannot be afraid of getting hurt. I have to think about him and not myself. Most of yesterday I was convinced that I even needed to go to the hearing. But I am going. He needs to see both of us there. 

I am still kinda upset but it's out my control. I think that's the most sicking part. I also think his mom should be in jail for what has happened to those kids. That's a whole other story that I shouldn't go into here but its about as messed up as it could be. 

Also yesterday I stayed so busy. I ran all all over and didn't have much extra time. It was good to keep busy. It helped clear my head a little and did me well. But being gone all day kinda made me run behind on other things Here's some of my weekend to do's: 

• Get double daily challenge up. Yesterday I was super busy and I didn't have a chance to get a #kjdailychallenge up on instagram so we are going to make up for it today. 
• Work on home keeping book. It's kinda my new obsession. And I also need to get to the new way I am using my planners. 
• Bring in more firewood. We had a bunch dropped off last night. I pray it really helps keep the bills down. 
• Toss laundry. I seem to do it all the time and never feel caught up! 
• Find something to eat. My stomach is growling. 
• Get steaks thawed out for dinner. Steak sandwiches and fries for dinner tonight. 
• Answer youtube comments. 
• Get some more holiday cards replied to. I still have a bunch to do and want to finish them all up this week. Gotta get busy! I loved your cards so much. Thank you if you sent one in. 
• Pray more. I thought I was praying enough but now I'm not so sure. 
• Seriously need to clean up the DVR's today. Most of them are full and soon things will be deleted that we don't want to see go. Gotta get rid of all the weekly shows. 
• Spend time with Jackson doing something special. I am thinking of going and painting ceramics again. :) Sounds fun. 
• Get chalkboard wall updated by Monday. 
• Do some food prep for the upcoming week. 
• Get back on routine. Isn't it crazy how just one unexpected thing can throw everything off. 
• Try to drink more water. 
• Re organize frig. Its super full and not really working for me right now. I can't find anything. 
• Change air filters on both floors. 
• Get a jump start on next weeks videos and blog posts.

I hope you guys are having a wonderful weekend. It another cold day and I have had a fire going since morning. It's technically a little warmer but I am still freezing. I don't even want to open the blinds or curtains in fear of it getting colder. Tonight is just a night in. Nothing exciting but I don't mind. Scott will home in a couple of hours which is good... I'm kinda missing him right now. He's had a super busy day so we haven't had a lot of time to chat on the phone. Im sorry that this post didn't go live yesterday. The charger blowing up kinda changed the plans around. I will be back a little later this evening with a large haul. xx