Boys Boys

Last week, I started doing the ionic foot baths at my acupuncturists office.  Hoping this detox will help with my skin issues.

After 30 minutes, the water is so gross!

They have this sign on the wall in the room I was in. Made me laugh.

Found this Clif Bar the other day at the store.  So good!

Last weekend was rainy and yuck outside.  Every once in a while, I start collecting boxes and then on days like this.......

I dump them on the floor and give the boys scissors and tape and let them start creating. They love it.

Hudson is still in cross country. I wasn't feeling great this day so I followed him around the neighborhood in my car.

My little Cooper is so creative!  He has a fingerprint art book and the other day I found this General Grievous guy in the kitchen.

When my dad was in town, he bought the boys a Lego kit.  Cooper was so excited to make it!  Getting a little help from Shawn.

All done.

We are finally at the point where we can get our floors fixed.  We got some bids this week and will be making some selections next week and get the ball rolling.  I am so ready to have normal floors again- without this huge hole in my tile.  We plan to update our master bath as well.  Lots of updates coming up!

Praying Parent

I mentioned that a week or so ago, I made beef broth for the first time.  I don't make a ton of things that call for beef broth but since we got the bones for free......I wanted to make it and then find something to do with it.  I found this awesome recipe for Pasta e Fagioli soup and it called for plenty of broth.  Yall, my family went nuts.  It had the deepest beef flavoring and I give full credit to the broth (even tho I am confident this is an awesome recipe)  So, if you are tempted to try your hand at making your own broth then please do it!  Its so easy!

My dad came in town for several days and spent some time with us.

Went to a birthday lunch on Monday for a sweet friend.....and she picked sushi.  I am not a sushi lover.  I ordered California rolls (rolled tight and cut thin) and I managed to eat quite a bit of it.  I have heard from many that this is an acquired taste.  Hmmmm....

I just finished my first chapter for the Bible study I'm in right now.  Wow, wow, wow.  This has me so fired up about praying for my boys.

Have you seen this movie yet?  We took the boys and my dad to see it on Sunday and it was really good. I believe in the power of prayer!

Run Hudson Run

I've mentioned some of my skin/eczema issues on here and a friend told me about these bean "pasta" noodles so when I found them at Sprouts the other day, I was curious to try them out.  I had some homemade marinara sauce in the freezer from a meal I made a few weeks ago, so I defrosted that and made this for lunch.

Here are the nutritional facts.....

It doesn't look amazing but it tasted pretty good.  It was a bit chewier than regular pasta but it still made me feel that I was eating regular pasta.

At Hudson's new school, he had to start athletics......and if you know us in real life then you know that Hudson doesn't have an athletic bone in his body.  Bless his heart.  In the past, we have tried soccer, karate, golf.....he hasn't been interested in any of it.  He's at the age where I feel he needs this if nothing more than for his overall health.  His choices this semester were football or cross country.  Since he is not a contact sports kid, we felt cross country was the way to go.  He does not love running.  He is not great at running.  Yet.  I feel he could be wonderful if he really put his heart and mind to it.  He has long legs....and a runners build.  The first few weeks have been a big adjustment for him- running a couple miles ever day....but I pray he gets there.  I pray he learns to love it.

He had his first meet on Wednesday.  We told him that we didn't care if he finished first or last......we just wanted him to finish.

He definitely wasn't first and thankfully not very last.....

Love my boy!

I'm really excited to be starting this Bible study with some friends.  One of my friends has hosted a Bible study for several years but I could never participate because it always fell on a Thursday and I had preschool.  Now that I'm not teaching, I am actually able to go and this time we are reading the book called Power of a Praying Parent.  Good grief.....I feel that I need this in such a huge way.  I want to be better at praying specifically for Hudson and Cooper.

I've never been a big energy drink person but I'm excited to try Young Living's new drink called Zyng.  Yesterday, I grabbed one on my way out the door to get the boys from school.  The afternoon slump had set in and I was fighting the urge to nod off in the car while I waited.  I drank this and it was so refreshing!  I loved that it didn't make me jittery and it wasn't too much.  No crashes afterwards.  

Here is just a little comparison for those of you that do drink energy drinks:

I also got this book the other day and am excited to read it.  Young Living grows Einkorn....and its great for those with gluten/wheat sensitivities. We ate some of the spaghetti a few weeks ago and it was good.  I just got the Einkorn flour and waffle mix.

Happy Friday!

September Promotion

I love offering incentives for my friends that order a starter kit from me.  There are just so many awesome things that I want you to try.....so I like to switch it up a bit each month.

In the month of September....if you purchase this premium starter kit from me:

(and look at everything you get!!)

......you have TWO choices.

#1.  This combo pack.  I include this black travel bag that will hold all of your oils.  This allows you to keep them tucked in a drawer until needed each day or it allows you to take them in your purse or bag so that you are never without them.  I am also including an empty roller bottle (so you can fill it with your favorite blend), a premade/ready to use Fall room spray (recipe listed below), an empty bottle to hold your favorite carrier oil, and an empty nasal sprayer.  (I will also include a nasal spray recipe that includes oils from this starter kit.  It will help with maintaining a healthy respiratory system)

Friends.....this room spray smells awesome.  Perfectly safe and healthy for your sweet family.

#2.  The other option is $25 cash back to cover your tax and shipping costs.  This will be mailed to you when I send the reference guide book.

As always.....I send you a reference guide book so that you know exactly how to use these awesome oils.  I have a private FB group that you will be added to as well.  Our team is amazingly supportive and helpful and I'm confident it will be a life changing resource for you!

I know that some of you are skeptical.  And that's okay.  Sweet boy was too......and now I think it's safe to say that he loves them more than I do.

And I hear people say they don't have the money......but then I see them post about a new bag they just bought or how they got a manicure and pedicure the other day ($45+)  This is honestly the best money I've ever spent on my family's health.  This kit will support all of your body systems and your immunity will never be stronger.  Now is the perfect time to give them a try.

To order, go to www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/start

Click on “Register Now”
“Member" is already pre-selected so that you receive 24% wholesale pricing. (Starter Kits are only available for Members.)
Select “I was referred by a Young Living member, and I have his or her member number.”
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Select USA & English, Click next.
Fill in your personal information, Agree to terms. Click Agree & Continue.
Be sure the “Premium Starter Kit” is selected and scroll down to click on“Enrollment Checkout”, unless you want to add items to your cart. If you wish to add items, click “add to cart.”)
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Once you have ordered, send me an email so that I know which promotion you want.

Labor Day Weekend

I love when my boys pull random things out (boxes, recycle items, etc....) and get creative.  I was in the kitchen and heard them laughing and playing so nicely together.  Hudson wouldn't let me take any more pics but they created some neat things this day.

On Sunday......I started craving fall and cooler temps and pumpkins.  I made these cookies and like before, they do not disappoint.  They are light and fluffy....not too sweet or rich.  They were just what I had been craving.

Sometimes I just need some "smell good" all over my house.  If you have read this blog for long then you know that we ditched the candles and Scentsy burners and plug-ins a couple of years ago when we realized they were majorly messing with Cooper's allergies. I love making sprays like this because they smell SOOO good but contain zero chemicals.

On Monday, we packed up and headed to my sister's house for a pool day and hanging out with family.  I made this yummy guacamole! It's so good!

Oh my word.  Have you played the game Bean Boozled?  You can find it on Amazon, at Walmart or many drug stores.  Basically you spin a spinner and chose the color jellybean that matches your color on the spinner.  Your jelly bean will either taste like coconut or baby wipes.....lime or lawn clippings,.......licorice or skunk.  We played it as a group and got SO tickled by the reactions.  These jellybeans were seriously so gross and tasted just like what it said.  Dog food, rotten cheese, barf.....yep.  Just like it! 

On Saturday when we went to Shawn's sister's house......they gave me a HUGE bag of organic beef bones.  I have only made chicken broth but now I had the bones to try my hand at the beef broth.

After you let it cook on low for 24 hours in your crockpot, you strain the juice from the bones and veggies......  I scoop the juice out and then strain it over a larger glass Pyrex bowl.

Your strainer will catch all of this......and you just toss it out.

I got some yummy beef broth.....now to find some good recipes that call for it!  Stay tuned. :)

Date with Cooper and Other Happenings....

Hudson had a friend come over after school so I figured it would be a perfect night for Cooper and I to have our 1-on-1 date.  First stop.....he wanted to go to Target to spend some allowance money he's been saving.  Hmmm.....all the choices!

He requested Mexican food so we went to eat at Fresco's.

At school, he somehow earned a coupon for 2 free Krispy Kreme donuts......so this was on his list as well.

I had a great time catching up with my sweet boy......now he's excited to get home and put these together.

Saturday, we headed over to Shawn's sister's house.  She lives out in the country but has a great backyard.  Fun time swimming with cousins.

The other day I popped into Bed Bath and Beyond.  I decided to get a Veggetti (it somehow feels so wrong saying this name??) and am excited to give it a try.

Oh my goodness.....have you had these?  I get them from Costco and they are a-mazing!

See, no crazy ingredients that you can't pronounce.  It's actually possible to snack without compromising your health.

The other day, I pulled Hudson's Bible verse off the bathroom mirror and a sticky residue was left behind.  I tried to scratch it off with my fingernail but it wouldn't budge.  2-3 drops of my Young Living lemon oil and it was completely gone.  Love how versatile they are!

I know I declared myself "coffee free" but this creamer sounds so good it just might get me to come back.  I've always said its not the coffee but the yucky creamer that I'm trying to avoid.  I hope to make this soon and see if it's good.  I'm so excited we are getting into the fall season!

I had lunch with my sweet friend, Wendy, this week.  Wendy and I met right after I graduated from college. I did my student teaching in the Fall of 1998 and got my first job in January 1999 (I started mid year) and Wendy was on my 2nd grade team.  We hit it off immediately and became fast friends.  She was in my wedding to Jason in 2000 and we've thankfully stayed friends ever since.

On Monday, I was preheating my oven when all of a sudden a huge fireball sparked inside and made a cracking sound.  The coil had cracked and was pretty much done.  We thought about having it fixed but in the end we decided to just get a new one.  This oven is 15 years old and since we plan to sell next year.....we just felt it would be better to replace the whole thing.

Got the new one delivered on Friday.  Needless to say....my weekly menu plan was messed up because I could only use my stove top.  I'll have some repeat recipes this week to make up for the ones I didn't get to.