The weather is finally a little warmer, the time has changed, and birds wake me up in the morning with their incessant chirping.  Spring fever has hit!  I feel the need to brighten/freshen up some things around our house, so I’ve made a wish-list for all things SPRING!  Enjoy 🙂

These cheerful indoor/outdoor pillows.  These have been on my list for months, and right now they are on sale! YAY!

A metal initial for our door.  I have one of these painted red and green that I use on my Christmas tree, but I would love a new one to paint either yellow or turquoise for my front door.  (They are super easy to spray paint any color you choose!)

Orion Convection Cooker.  Actually, we already have this and can’t wait to start using it.  Brisket, ribs, tri-tip….mmmm!

Spring shoes for my girls, like these Toms-look-alikes in gray zebra.  The girls love this brand of shoe–they say they are super comfy!!

What’s on your spring wish-list?

Yes, I know we are a solid week (plus a few days) into March already. But ya’ll! This week, we have had 8 inches of snow, 1/4 inch of ice, and 70 degree days in between. Welcome to Alabama. Whew!  Between the weather and sicknesses, I have had all three kids home with me every single day for the past two weeks except for 2. And in case you aren’t aware, nothing productive happens when you are taking care of three kids!

I am allowing myself a lot of grace with these goals.

So, here’s my plan for March:

1. Daily bible study.  I’ve been making my way through Luke and plan to start 1 and 2 Timothy next.
2. Complete the remaining book pages and submit for publication.  I am in charge of the yearbook at school and the final deadline is March 16, so there is no wiggle room with this one.
3. Dinners at the table at least three nights a week.
4. Do yoga every day, even if it’s only for 15 minutes.  I lost all muscle and flexibility when I was pregnant, so it’s time I start working on that.  Plus, yoga is super relaxing.
5. Clean out and organize my closet.
6. Switch out the girls seasonal clothes.  (Hopefully we are past our cold weather and I can pull out the spring outfits!)
7. No eating out until Spring Break.  We have a trip planned at the end of March, so I know we’ll be eating out then.  I’m also allowing exceptions for girls’ date days.  We already have ‘dates’ planned with both girls, so those days won’t count either.

And that’s it.  While 2015 has been a super awesome year for us, it hasn’t been very productive.  We’ve welcomed Jase and spent a few weeks adjusting to life with newborn.  In the first six weeks of his life, every one of us (except him!) had the flu, both girls had strep throat, and Libby had a horrible fever virus that had her feeling worse than when she had the flu. We’ve had 8,754 snow days.  I am so ready to get routines going and things accomplished.

What goals do you have for the remainder of March?

Today, just for fun, I thought I’d share with you a few of my favorite things right now.

For baby:

Microfleece Swaddle Sleeper by HALO.

FisherPrice Rocking Sleeper.

For the girls:

Washable Watercolors and these brushes.  This drawing pad is the best, too.

Apple TV to watch all the shows.  On repeat, ’cause thats how my girls roll.

For me:

This Sparkling White Grape Juice.  They served it during our celebratory meal at the hospital and now I am addicted.  (FYI I accidentally bought apple instead of white grape the other day. It was a travesty.)

Home Is Where My People Are by Sophie Hudson.  This book, ya’ll.  It keeps me giggling!

this Ellie Holcomb cd.  Just beautiful.

Now tell me–what is your favorite thing right now? 

 

 

 

What I’m Reading:

If You Were In My House Today–I love real posts like these.  In this internet/social media age, we often come across as perfect to others who don’t know us so well.  And this post? Well it just sets the record straight.  Oh, and that promissory note thing? Lets just say my I.O.U. to the girls is bigger than I care to share….

The Grit and the Glory– If you don’t read anything else this week, read this.  Even when we can’t see God’s plan in things, we can rest assured that He is there.

How To Take Care of Yourself When Your Job is Taking Care of Others— As moms, we spend the majority of our time taking care of our people and neglecting ourselves.  How many times have we given the last bite of our food to one of our kids, or passed up our ‘me’ time to do something with them?  We can’t take care of our people if we ourselves aren’t taken care of first.

I just purchased The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner and plan to join in on the Bloom study of it. The study begins March 2, so you still have plenty of time to get your book and join in.  Personally, I’ve never participated in a Bloom study before, but I’ve heard wonderful things and am super excited about diving into this book!  Get more info and find the reading schedule here.  Also, if you are joining in, please let me know in the comments! 🙂

I don’t cook a lot, but one of my favorite things to cook (and eat!) is this taco casserole. It’s super yummy and something the whole family will actually eat. I got the recipe from a teacher friend a few years ago and have tweaked it to the way we like it (i.e.: taken out all the things we didn’t like!). Bonus: like chili, it’s tastes even better when it’s super cold out, like today!

You’ll need:

1 pound ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 can chopped green chilies
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips

salsa
shredded lettuce
sour cream

Start by browning the ground beef. Drain well. Combine drained beef with soups, milk, and green chilies. Heat well. In a 9 by 13 casserole dish, layer meat mixture, 1 cup of cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. Repeat.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Optional: top with salsa, shredded lettuce, and sour cream.

What is your favorite recipe? Share with me in the comments!

I’ve had a lot of time over the past few weeks to browse the internet.  When you’re lying on your left side, browsing the internet is about the only thing you can do.  It’s also the way I stay awake during all these middle-of-the-night feedings now.  With all this browsing, I’ve found quite a few thought-provoking things I thought I’d share.  So grab a cup of coffee, prop your feet up, and read away.

Burn the Candles– Guys, this is our time.  We don’t get these days back.  Stop saving the good dishes, the good towels, the candles, the post-its notes (<–my friend Carrie saves all her cute post-its instead of writing on them).  Let’s use them up and make our people feel special.  We are worth the good stuff.

You’re Still in Process…— “You’re in the middle of the beautiful process of becoming.”  There are many things I am good at, but decorating my home is not one of them.  My mom and grandmother know exactly how high photos should be hung, which piece of furniture should go where, and how many knick-knacks should go on each shelf.  Not me.  Which may be what caught my ear in this post by Holly.  I don’t have to be the best at everything.  I don’t even have to be the best at anything.  I am in process.

A Complicated Peace— Much like Sarah, I too have full intentions of making myself a fool over this sweet new addition to our family.  He is my later-baby, my cry-of-the-heart baby, my last baby.  And while I have felt nothing but the greatest, greatest joy over him, my pregnancy and his birth are an altar for encountering God.  Because he is nothing short of a miracle.

Why I Think Jesus Would Be On Facebook–Yes.  Just, yes.

 

Have you read anything interesting lately you’d like to share?