July 16-22 // Oh Hey Friday Link-Up

It's that time of the week, TGIF! Even though I am a stay at home mom I still thoroughly enjoy Friday's and the weekend because it means that the hubby is home and I have back-up and support, and another adult to converse with. This week has been full of adjusting to being back home after being in Florida for a week with my whole extended family. 

Was finally able to get the kids to the see the ocean!

1. I like ice cream, like A LOT! 

So much so that I apparently needed to have 3 separate servings of it yesterday. Yup, you read that right, 3 times yesterday I had ice cream; after lunch, after dinner, and then at 10:30 pm when all the kids and the hubby had gone to bed and watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey just didn't seem right without a bowl of ice cream in my hands. The only thing that I can say about my obsession, was at least the first 2 servings were a low-er calorie brand, however when I originally bought them they were supposed to satisfy my ice cream craving and NOT to be eaten twice in one day.

2. God blesses us with the people we need in our life, when we need them, even if we didn't know we needed them. 

My son started summer school this week. He wasn't overly thrilled, but when he got there and met the teacher, and knew another boy, in his class I think he felt a lot better. I felt 1000 times better when I found out that his teacher was a teacher at his middle school next year and also one of the Special Education teachers, not to mention SO nice and helpful. For those that don't know, about 2 years ago our son was diagnosed with Asperger's, a form of high-functioning Autism. We have struggled over the past few years trying to get him services. He has a 504 currently, but we have been pushing for an IEP (which was denied last year, more on that another time) because he has been struggling more and more not just academically, but socially. Well, I never thought that hearing, "I worry that if he doesn't have an IEP that he will fail" would feel so good. Having people on our side, when you feel like it is you against the world trying to get help so your child can live up to his full potential, is invaluable. This teacher fell in love with my sweet, caring, intelligent boy and realized that he has every capability to do great things, but learns and expresses things differently than the school system requires. The best thing...she wants to help in any way that she can! 

3. Sometimes you just need a lazy day and you need to give yourself permission to have it. 

Isn't this self-explanatory? It's not so much that I need to explain that everyone needs a rest day, it's that as a mother and wife I need to be able to give myself the grace I need to say just relax and take a recharge day, it's okay. I think many women have trouble doing this...we feel that we need to go, go, go. Serve, serve, and serve, so much so that we forget to SERVE OURSELVES!

4. I am OUT OF SHAPE!

I started the 21 Day Fix by Beachbody yesterday and I am SORE today! I knew that I needed some work in the health department, but my thighs and butt are screaming today. I had to stop several times during the 30 minutes, but I finished and am so proud of myself. I did take a 20 minute bike ride last night with my 4 year old and that was hard…I may have remember how to ride a bike, but actually doing it was harder than I expected! All I can say is thank goodness that today is Upper Body, because I’m not sure my legs can take much more.

Yes, those are my feet, I had to lay down for a bit
after so I wouldn't pass out!

5. Follow through is NOT my strong suit, but I'm working on it.

There are just too many examples of this than I care to share. I am a people pleaser and I tend to say things that I have every intention of doing or completing, however not always in the time that one would expect or need. I tend to be a procrastinator, because the only things that tends to light a fire under my butt is the pressure of something needing to be done RIGHT NOW. Currently I am trying to complete things for Girl Scout camp coming up (next weekend). So, I have started making sure that I write everything in my planner over the last few months and have had pretty good results and follow through with that. I am still working on using it to my full advantage, but it’s a work in progress. I plan on doing a blog post on the planner I use and how it’s working for me soon, so stay tuned.

What were your 5 things from this week? Join me and link up with the FARMER'S wife for Oh Hey Friday.

Also linked up with, Andrea from Momfessionals.

Yummy Strawberry Lemonade Cookies // Recipes

Last year when we went on our Girl Scout Camping weekend all of the mom's (and 1 dad) were in charge of coming up with 1 craft and 1 meal for the weekend (they all had 1-2 partners to help). One of the moms made these cookies and I swear I had like 6 in 1 sitting, they were so good! So, I had to recreate them when I got home.

 

If you have never had these you are missing out...as long as someone else makes them for you. No really, they are worth the trouble, plus I have a tip for you.

It also is a huge help if you have a little helper to mix in the ingredients and lick the spatula for you. 

 

First, I mixed both cake batters, using the directions listed on the back of the box. Then I put them in the freezer for a bit to make them firm and easier to roll.

 

After about 30 minutes, I took them out and used a spoon to take about 1 tablespoon of each and roll them into a ball, combining them only slightly. Now, this is where it gets messy, really messy! And where my tip comes in. I was only a few balls in and my hands were a mess and it was not getting any better, because the batter starts to get softer. So, fortunately my smarty pants husband suggested that I spray my hands with Pam. It worked perfectly. It was still messy, but not even as close as it was.

 

After rolling the 2 doughs together into a ball I dipped them into 1 cup Powdered Sugar and then placed them on a baking sheet lined with tin foil (you can use parchment paper if you have that) and flattened them with a fork a little.

 

I then baked them in a preheated 375* oven for about 10 minutes or until they are slightly golden.

 

 

As you can see they were a big hit and didn't last very long!! Hope you enjoy them as much as my family did!

Here is a similar recipe from tablespoon.com, however I don't do the icing, so that is optional.

5 Goals for My Week // January 23-29

The beginning of my 2016 has been somewhat lazy...am I the only one, please say no.

I don't want this year to be the same as last year, so I decided that this week has got to be the week I have a plan and what better way then to set some goals. I set some goals for this year, but so far, have not stuck to any of them. However, it is never too late to start.

#1 Work out every day

A few months back I got the 21 day fix DVD's and I absolutely love them. I got through almost all the 21 days and lost almost 10 pounds. So, I am going to start up again. I know that it's something that I can do, since it's only 30 minutes a day. Totally doable!

#2 Finish cleaning out the basement

Oh, this one. This is a doozy. If you saw my basement you would know. I will try and be brave and post a picture or two on Instagram. I have my work space down there and we also have storage down there, but lately it has become just a place to dump anything and everything that we don't want upstairs. It needs to be wrangled.

#3 Do something from my 40 Before 40 List

I definitely don't want to wait till I turn 39 to start my list, so I'm going to try and cross something off my list this week. I'm not sure what it will be yet, but I will definitely post about it when I do.

#4 Clean out my littlest's closet and drawers

My youngest just turned 4 and got a ton of toys and clothes, so it is definitely time to clean out her stuff. She still has some stuff from the summer in her closet and her drawers are overflowing with pajamas.

This last one is part of my finance goals for the coming year. I will touch on those in a post later in the week.

#5 Find a way to make $100

With cleaning out the basement I know that I have a bunch of stuff that can be sold. So, even if I make very little on each item I think that it is doable. I use to sell Thirty-One and I have a bunch of stuff that has never been used or only for display that I plan on selling. If you're not a creeper you can request to be added to my group, For Sale by Nicole, and see what I have.

I definitely think that these goals are achievable. I am planning on posting them on the refrigerator. Do you set goals for the week?

My First Scope

Wow! That's all I can say.

It was such a good time. It was awesome meeting other ladies that are similar to me and then getting to share with them a little about me.

I was nervous, that I was. Things didn't go as planned before that. My little baby has had the nasty cough that is going around and when she said "Mommy I want to lay in bed with you", even if you were planning on getting gussied up and setting up a nice little spot in your craft room to do your scope, you stop everything, and you lay in bed and cuddle until you she falls asleep. Then you run downstairs, so you don't disturb the other people sleeping in the house, in your PJ's to do your turn.

I'm so glad that I had a chance to conquer my fear. I am hoping to do more of that in the future especially with my 40 before 40. If you missed that post you can go here and see what I am hoping to get done in the net 5 years.

I did learn to have a plan and write it down. I'll do that next time, because now I know that I can do a next time. If you missed my periscope, this time, you can catch it for the next 24 hours on the Periscope app or you can watch it here after that.

If you Scope leave me your handle in the comments and I would love to follow and support you!

40 Before 40

This last Monday was a big day for me. I turned the BIG 3-5! I know, it's not a big birthday, like 21 or 40 or even 30, but for me it feels like it. I felt like with this birthday making me closer to 40 then 30 it was time for me to start making some goals.

I decided to try and go for 40 things to try and get done before I turn 40. I wasn't even sure that I could come up with 40 things that I wanted to do, but once I started and looked on the internet for some inspiration I realized there are a lot of things on my "to-do" lists.

As I get things done I will cross them off on a Master List here. I will also be posting on my journey as I accomplish things, and will link them to the Master List.

1.  Become debt free
2.  Go back to school/Choose a career
3.  Take Dave Ramsey's class
4.  Run a 5k
5.  Visit New York City
6.  Learn to golf
7.  Put together a recipe binder of favorite recipes
8.  Volunteer at a homeless shelter or food pantry/soup kitchen
9.  Learn a new language
10.  Get in shape
11.  Go wine tasting
12.  Get a 2nd tattoo
13.  Learn to knit/crochet
14.  Learn to use a sewing machine
15.  See a Broadway show
16.  See a financial adviser
17.  Set up a will
18.  Read 50 books (average 10/year)
19.  Have the house professionally cleaned
20.  Make homemade bread
21.  Read the entire Bible
22.  Read Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey
23.  Create a garden
24.  Go at least 48 hours without phone/social media
25.  Have a fancy dinner party
26.  Visit the Grand Canyon
27.  Go on a girls weekend
28.  Finish 1 scrapbook for each child
29.  Write a letter to my 60 year old self
30.  Go to church on Christmas Eve
31.  Eat a homemade dinner every night for a month
32.  Learn to play the piano
33.  Go camping as a family
34.  Pay for someone's order in drive-thru
35.  Make my bed everyday for a month
36.  Go ice skating and/or roller skating with the kids
37.  Start giving blood again
38.  Work on making my blog successful
39.  Have a successful Etsy shop
40.  COMPLETE 40 BEFORE 40 LIST

So, what do you think? Have you or anyone you know ever made a "Bucket List" before? What was on it?

Linked up with I Heart Nap Time