The Highlights

Happy Friday!  It was a fun week over here - long weekend, apple picking, gorgeous weather and lots of baking.  Let me show you...

1 // Apple Picking

Our favorite local apple orchard - Ditzler Orchard - is booming!  Huge apple crop this year.  We headed on a little drive through the country on Sunday to pick our own Honey Crisp Apples.  They're pricey, but totally worth it.  Our favorite farmer told us that when he first bought the orchard Red Delicious Apples were the #1 apple tree planted.  Not any more!  He said they barely sell any of them and won't be growing them after this season.  We are excited to go back several more times this Fall.

The kids loved it.  Leo took it as a personal challenge when the owner told us that Honey Crisps were too big for little hands and directed us towards some Ruby Johns that were smaller.  Leo thought that was ridiculous and spent an hour eating his very own giant Honey Crisp.  He has eaten them all week long - grabs an apple out of the bowl and goes to town.  It's adorable.

If you've never gone apple picking - find a way to do it this year!  It's so much fun!  It's fast, oftentimes you get to go on a tractor ride, soon there will be fresh apple cider and it's an awesome outdoor activity when the weather cools off a bit.

2 // Apple Galette

I made my first apple galette!  I loved trying something new.  I used this recipe and added a drizzle of caramel on top.  My husband and I loved the flavor and the ease of the recipe, but agreed that we'd rather have a big slice of regular apple pie.

3 // Game Day Cookies

I'm busy making game day cookies this weekend.  I've got lots of orders with color combos to match team colors.  I have a busy weekend of building game day charcuterie box orders for Jordan Bakery Box.  I just love football season!

4 // Fall Florals

Hobby Lobby has some really pretty Fall Florals right now.  They're 40% off and I can't wait to do a Fall wreath refresh this year.  I just love those fuzzy mustard colored flower balls.  I have yet to decorate with a single pumpkin, but I'm getting the itch do it.  My kids love to help me decorate for the holidays so maybe we will work on it together this weekend.

5 // Clouds

The clouds have been SO pretty in Indiana this week!  I snapped this as Kevin was driving us down to the pool one afternoon.

6 // 17 Months

Leo turned 17 months this week.  He's such a busy guy.  He is into everything.  Climbing everything.  Eating everything.  And now he's talking more.  He points and says "ook!" all day long when he wants us to look at something.  He loves being outside and swinging on this swing.  He's a super sweet guy giving hugs, kisses and love all day long.  He still scowls at strangers and takes a minute to warm up.  He's sleeping much better - only waking up once a night and we try not to take our eyes off of him for a second because he's always into something.

7 // Pool Days

We squeezed in as many pool days as we could before the country club pool closed.  The big kids became such good swimmers this year.  Neither wears floaties of any kind any more and are really getting confident in the water.  Hooray!  Penny and Pearl loved all the beach towels.  Mom Hack: I bought us all the same beach towel this season and it was so nice to help me keep track of our towels at the pool.  Count 5 yellow striped towels and I was done vs having to remember which towel each person used that day and hunt it down.  I definitely recommend a set of family towels.

8 // Game Day food is my favorite!

I loved this 12 Layer Warm Taco Dip I shared earlier this week.  I think I'm going to do a game day charcuterie board for the Notre Dame game this weekend. 

9 // Shoes

No one loves shoes more than this guy.  He carries all of our shoes all over the house.  Wears them and plays with them all day.  He's getting better at walking in them which is hilarious to see a tiny guy tromping around in adult shoes.  He even surprised us and put on his own shoes this week.  He's a guy on a mission. 

Linking up with Momfessionals

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!  See you back here on Monday :)

Favorite Prime Purchases

I'm excited to share my Amazon favorites with you this month!  It's been a random month of lots of good purchases.  Let me show you the best things - there is something for everyone this month!

1. Pop Game chess Board Push Bubble Popper Board Game

Brand: WQFXYZ

My kids have had their eyes on these fun pop it game boards.  I found this one on super sale last week and am saving it for a gift for them this holiday season.  I figured it would be a great way for them to practice math and play a game.  You can roll dice to add, subtract and multiply.  It'll be great for younger kids - number sense and counting and math facts for the older kids.  This price is great!  This would be such a fun gift for you kids, cousins, nieces, nephews or to give away as a birthday party gift.

2. Wahl Color Pro Cordless Rechargeable Hair Clipper and Trimmer

I've owned this same Wahl brand hair clipper for 5+ years, but always had the plug in version.  I noticed the blades dulling after 5 years of using it so we upgraded to the cordless version.  I can't wait to have the freedom to not be attached to the wall when I'm cutting the boy's hair every few weeks.

3. Nordic Ware Baker's Big Baking Sheet

I have been busy baking lot of cookies for my bakery.  I wanted a bigger cookie sheet and this one had great reviews.  I love the size, the rim around the edge and it bakes so well.  I can't wait to get a couple more of them now that I know I love it.

4. Amazon Basics Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven 6 Quart

I needed a second dutch oven to bake bread in and this one caught my eye. I purchased it in green and it is GORGEOUS.  The quality is amazing and it's my new favorite.  I had purchased a Lodge one before.  I love the way it cooks but it stains badly.  This one seems like it is going to be great all around.  I love the way it bakes bread and can't wait to cook soup in it this Fall.  The price is great.  Plus there are tons of great reviews for it.

 

5. Skunk in My Bunk

This is a great rhyming book for little ears and early readers.  My kids loving pointing out the rhymes as well as adding on their own list of rhyming words.  It's so cute and fun to read together.

6. Amscan 409858 Football Molded Party Picks

I picked these up for tailgating and my charcuterie boxes this Fall.  They're cute and great quality.

7. National Geographic Mega Gemstone Dig Kit

My kids got these for Christmas last year and have had so much fun with them.  I put them away for a bit and then we did them one afternoon when it was really hot this past month.  They (ages 5 & 8) were so interested in them.  They both dug and dug until they uncovered their 15 gemstones.  The rocks were so cool.  This set comes with an informational book about each stone.  They loved identifying the gem names and reading about them.  I'd highly recommend these for kids from 5-10 - stock up on them for potential birthday gifts or Christmas.  They both agreed it was so fun that they'd happily do another one.

I snapped some pictures of the kids doing their kit.  They didn't need much help from me - just changing out their water bowls to let them keep digging.  Each kit comes with a brick full of 15 gemstones.  It comes with tools and tips to use some water to help dig.

8. Kid's Plastic Placemats

Do you see those trays pictured above?  They helped contain the mess of fun projects like this so much.  They'd be the perfect thing to gift a mom of littles or to use with your own little ones.  I purchased these plastic placemat trays when Olive was little.  We use them for everything - Play-Doh, crafts, gemstone digging and more.  They're so handy.  They're flexible enough to bend a bit and really do help contain messes so much.  I've used these for probably 6+ years and ours are still like new.

Linking up with Tanya for Prime Purchases

12 Layer Warm Taco Dip

Hey, Friends!  I hope you had a great, long weekend.  

Our was wonderful - perfect weather and tons of family time.  We kicked off college football season with a stressful Notre Dame win and a delicious taco dip dinner.  I had a different post planned for today.  Then I decided this recipe had to be shared ASAP.  Introducing my 12 Layer Warm Taco Dip:

I prepped some things ahead of time at nap time so that dinner would come together really quickly.  Brown and season your ground beef, chop veggies and saute onions and sweet peppers.  I popped everything into the fridge and then had it ready to use in my dip at dinner time.

12 Layers:

1 can Refried Beans

1lb Seasoned Taco Meat (I used ground beef)

Diced jalapenos

Sauteed onions

Sauteed sweet peppers

Purple onions

Sliced black olives

Salsa

Corn

Guacamole

Sour cream

Shredded cheddar

Toppings: Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes,green onions, salsa, and sour cream.

I used a 9x9 pan and it was a great size for our family - plenty for dinner and some leftovers.  If I was taking this to a tailgate or a party, I'd probably do a 9x13 pan.  I didn't measure anything - just used what I had on hand so make your taco dip to taste.  My husband doesn't like sour cream or guac so I just put them on my side. 

I love this recipe because it is so easy to customize!  Leave out ingredients that you don't like and add in all the taco things you love.  It's perfect for any crowd.

Pop into the oven at 350 until the cheese is all melty at around 15 minutes.Then turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes to slightly brown the cheese on top.

Serve with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa, sour cream and chips!

It was delicious fresh out of the oven and somehow it got even better for leftovers.

We'd HIGHLY recommend this warm taco dip for any game day gathering or Taco Tuesday!

Enjoy!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, Friends!  We are ready for a long weekend after a little bit of a long week.  We're in a good routine with school, everyone is happy to be going and we've found a pretty good rhythm for our days.  Yay!  The best parts of our week were:

1. Blackhawk

We met some friends for a picnic lunch at the airport this week.  Lots of planes were coming and going, but we got a surprise when this Blackhawk helicopter landed.  It was so cool.  The kids were watching it very carefully and then the pilots came over to ask if we'd want a tour of it!  YES!  We headed out to see it up close.  Leo was so excited.  He checked out every light, sat in every seat and had so much fun.  I just hated it that Fletcher wasn't there to see it!  The military pilots and military men were so nice to all of us.

We've been praying hard for all military men, women and families given all the chaos happening in and around Afghanistan recently.  The lives lost are so tragic.  This special interaction was a good reminder of all the real people making real sacrifices for our freedom every single day.

Do you follow Sarah Verardo on instagram (@sarahverardo) - she's an AMAZING mom, wife and advocate for the military.  Her husband was catastrophically wounded in war and she shares about how the recent events are impacting our veterans.  It's so eye opening and so heart breaking.  She shares things that I would have never known about otherwise.  She has been sharing tons of information on how we can help #saveourallies, tangible ways we can help, pray and shop for those in need, Veterans Crisis line contacts and so much more.  Go follow her!

2. Charcuterie Board Dinners

I tell people that I specialize in family friendly charcuterie!  They're my favorite kinds of boards to build and always a family favorite meal.  The soft pretzels were the star of the show!  I love using up all the little bits of things in the fridge and pantry to make these dinner boards.

3. Jordan Bakery Box

It was a busy baking week for me at my bakery.  I debuted several fun new things for fall - gender reveal cookies and game day cookies personalized with your team colors.  I can't wait to do some Fall baking.  Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are on the top of my list.

4. Kindergarten Exhaustion is real

Fletcher is doing SO WELL in Kindergarten.  It's week 3 for him and no tears.  He's just excited to go.  There was so many new things for him to figure out that it makes me really happy to see him settling into his routine.  Olive loves 3rd grade and says she thinks it'll be the best grade ever.

5.  Pool Days

We're trying to sneak in as many pool days a possible before the end of the season.

6. Spontaneous Coffee Date

I am not good at being spontaneous.  I like a plan and a schedule.  But this week I used a BOGO coffee coupon and surprised Kevin at his office with a coffee.  Leo napped and we chatted.  It was a good reminder that I should do things like this more often.

7. Trips to the Park

We've been meeting friends at the park and Leo is loving it.  He's getting better and better at climbing.  I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing...

8. Little Bear Coffee Co

We have the cutest little coffee shop in our town - Little Bear Coffee Co.  They've got a great patio.  It's easily the most kid friendly spot to grab food and a drink.  The kids love this construction site and the moms loved to chat.  This is going to be a regular hang out spot for us.

9. Friends

We had a busy day of meeting friends at the park and running errands.  At some point, several stops into our day, I realized Leo only had on one shoe.  I was so sad!  These cute Crocs were Fletcher's and I couldn't wait for Leo to grow into them.  He just started wearing them.  So I loaded up Leo and we back tracked to all of our stops.  No luck finding his shoe.  I was really sad and may have shed a tear or two.  Then I get a message from one of the friends I met at the park.  It said - Hey!  Leo lost a shoe.  I grabbed it for you :)  It totally made my day!  I was so thankful for this friend looking out for me and going out of her way to help out a mom who needed it.  The shoes have been reunited and I couldn't be happier.

10. Praying Mantis

We seem to have an abundance of Praying Mantis in our backyard and Fletcher is determined to befriend each one of them.  He loves them and they seem to like him back.  He got brave enough to hold them and now they're BFFs.  He even convinced Olive to join in the fun.  Look at these smiles!

I hope you've had a good week and have some fun plans for your weekend.  We're hoping for a great weekend enjoying lots of things close to home.  See you back here on Tuesday!

Linking up with Momfessionals

Reset Yourself

Do you ever need a reset?

A do over?

A fresh start?

Being home all day with the kids - even though the big kids are at school and we don't often have days where we are home all day - can be stressful.  Keeping up with a very busy 1 year old, keeping track of all the things that each kiddo needs and then the hustle and bustle of after school.  My patience runs thin, I get snippy and I just need a reset.  I'm guessing that even if you work outside of the home, life can still be stressful when you're home managing everything.

I start by putting my phone on the charger and ignoring it.  That helps me focus and be present.

Here are 6 really quick ways to change the mood for a reset:

1. Go outside for a change of scenery

Play in the backyard, go for a walk, have a picnic, go for a bike ride or just get some fresh air and sunshine.

2. Let the kids take a bath and play.

Add in some bubble bath or color tablets.  It's impossible to stay grumpy.

3. Snuggle them

It's impossible to be in a bad mood when you're snuggling with your favorite little people.  My kids have favorite movies that we enjoy snuggling and watching.

4. Surprise the kids with a fun outing

Head to the park, hike a local trail, meet up with friends or go for a bike ride.

5. Eat a snack

It's easy to have all the big feelings when you're hungry.  The same is true for your kids.

6. Exercise

Put the kids down for a nap or turn on a show for them and get in a quick workout.

All of these things are the perfect way to hit the reset button to turn your day around.

How do you hit the reset button?

The Little Things

Life feels extra stressful and heavy right now - right!?  

Everything from Back to School worries, to COVID, to political chaos, to Afghanistan, national tragedies, hurricanes, sudden deaths and several people I know going through really hard things.  It's just a lot.  I can't even begin to know where to start to fix all of those things, but I can pray for all of the people impacted and do my best to love on the people in my circles. 

I've been trying to look for the JOY in the every day moments 

and focus on the LITTLE THINGS that make me smile.

 

1 // BOGO Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee - I remembered that this was the last week to use these coupons.  I went and ordered coffee for myself - iced coffee with a shot of mocha and a splash of milk.  I got an extra one without ice and saved it for an afternoon treat.

2 // Fletcher was feeling a little sad at school drop off on Monday.  He headed into school bravely even though I know he was scared.  I had to run by the school mid morning and just happened to be waiting at the office right when he walked by for lunch.  I got to give him a big hug and a kiss in the middle of his school day.  It was so sweet!  He did a double take when he saw me.  It just made me feel so good to know that God cares about all the little details of our life like orchestrating a surprise meet up with Fletcher to brighten both of our days.

3 // Olive's teacher is really great and told her, "Everyone needs an Olive!" Those words totally made her day!  She came home beaming and it gave her a big boost of confidence.

4 // I haven't ever been thrilled with my family doctor.  I stuck with her because I don't go to the doctor very often and it just seemed like a pain to switch.  Months ago I made an appointment with a highly recommended family doctor in our area.  I had my appointment with her yesterday and LOVE her!  She's amazing - asks great questions, really listens, is helping me with some issues I've been dealing with and we bonded over similarly aged kids.  I'm so thankful to have found her!

5 // I have exercised almost every day in June, July and August.  I made a promise to myself and I have kept it!  I am feeling stronger and better about myself than I have in a while.  I made a big shift in my thinking about exercise and it's been a game changer.  Instead of thinking I needed to workout every day to lose weight; I started thinking that I needed to exercise every day to feel good.  It was me time and I wanted to make taking care of myself a priority.  I look forward to hopping on the treadmill every day.

6 // Grocery store flowers.  Kevin ran to the store and came home with these beautiful roses.  He said they just looked like flowers I'd love.  They are gorgeous!

 

What little things have brought you JOY this week?

Money Saving Monday

I have a new series I'm going to start doing on Mondays once or twice a month - 

Money Saving Monday!

I am excited to share some creative ways to save money with you.  

I'm no budgeting pro.  I'm just a mom who loves a great deal.  I love saving money in as many areas as I can to free up money in our budget for fun things.  It won't be glamorous or be filled with perfectly styled pictures, but my hope is that my tips will be helpful for you and save you money.

 

1. Mix and Match Diapers

Hear me out.  I LOVE Pampers Swaddler diapers.  They're the nicest, best, most absorbent diapers I've found.  The downside is that they are pretty pricey.  Even in bulk, they're about $0.46 a diaper for the bigger sizes.  The tiny baby Pampers are about a quarter a diaper.

Aldi diapers work pretty well for us for daytime and are only $0.18 a diaper!!  They run a little smaller than Pampers so keep that in mind.

I mix and match diapers to work for us.  I use Aldi diapers on Leo when we are home during the day.  They work great.  I switch to Pampers Swaddlers when we are going out and about for the day and always for overnight.  They're the best for longer wearing and zero leaks.

This diaper arrangement gives me the best of both worlds - great diapers, no leaks and I'm not spending nearly as much money every week on diapers.

2. Do not waste food

This one sounds simple enough, right?  But I'm serious - keep close tabs on all the produce that you buy, all the meat and all the pantry items.  Use up all those last little bits of things before they expire.  I started doing this a couple of years ago and it's amazing all the ways that those last little bits of food come in handy.  I save any leftover produce from dinner - fresh corn on the cob, diced tomatoes, a little taco meat, etc.  All the veggies go into a freezer bag and I use them for soups.  All the main dish leftovers get eaten for an easy lunch for me.  If my bananas turn brown, I slice them and freeze them for smoothies.

3. Shop Hobby Lobby's 90% off aisle as often as you can.

My store had two giant aisles of 90% off Spring/Summer items this past week.  It was packed full of great things.  I got some wall decor and several gifts for family and friends for about $.40 an item.  Items in this aisle GO QUICK.  If you see something you love, grab it right then.  Be sure to check all ceramic items for chips or cracks and stock up on anything you love for yourself or that you love for a gift.  I found these pretty animal prints.  They'll go perfectly in Leo's nursery.  They're large - maybe 10x10inch and in great condition.  They were just $1.59 each!

4. Leftover Makeovers

This is an extension of #1.  Save all those little bits of food and challenge yourself to reuse them in a new way.  We had leftover tator tots one night.  I saved them and made a breakfast scramble for lunch one day.  It was delicious!  Cook the eggs, once they're almost fully cooked add in the tots to the skillet, let that all heat up and then add in any meat and top with cheese.  So good!

I had a little bit of Taco Tuesday leftovers - a little meat, sauteed peppers and pico.  I saved it all had made a yummy taco bowl lunch the next day.

Have you seen this Premium Carved meat in stores?  It's around $5 and there have been extra coupons through Ibotta lately.  It's so good in lunches and added to dishes.

Leftover tator tots made a yummy breakfast bowl for lunch!

 

5. DIY

What things do you pay for that you could learn to do at home?

For me, it's haircuts.  I bought a nice electric razor probably 5 years ago and watched some youtube tutorials on cutting boys/mens hair.  I cut all of their hair every 3 weeks or so.  It's so fast to do it at home.  You never have to stress about making appointments or waiting at the hair salon.  Just do it when it works for you.  You'll save tons of $$.  I trim Olive's hair as needed and then Kevin trims mine in between salon visits when I just want the ends trimmed.

Home maintenance is another area we've been working on DIYing.  Recently our garage door came off the track a bit and wouldn't close.  Kevin did some googling, messed around with it and figured out how to fix it.  That saved us an after hours call to a garage door repair and was a pretty simple fix.  Any time you can ask a friend, relative or youtube for help is a win :)

 

6. Money Saving Apps

I LOVE using money saving apps.  Fetch, Ibotta and Rakuten are my favorites.  I've saved so much money and earned free gift cards with my points.  They're so easy to use - you can sync them with your accounts, snap a quick picture or log onto a website.

I've got referral codes for each one if you want to give them a try.  We both earn bonus points if you sign up for an account AND start using it.

Fetch Rewards: 

You get points for any receipts you scan and bonus points on certain grocery items.  I've earned $95 in gift cards with Fetch.

My Fetch Rewards Referral Code: C8K71

 

Ibotta Rewards:

This money saving app is one you look over before you shop.  You select your store, activate any deals on items you want to buy and then shop.  If you do grocery pick up, you just sync your account and it'll automatically scan in the receipt when it shows up in your email.  It's super easy and super rewarding.

I've earned $384.01 with this app!  It's AMAZING!

My Ibotta Referral Code: dtvtng

We will both earn $10 if you download the app and then submit your first receipt.

Rakuten:

This site was formerly known as Ebates.  It's a website you go to and look for deals advertised.  If I'm going to place an Old Navy order, order contacts at 1800Contacts or Target, I start at Rakuten and see what kind of deals they're offering.  I click on them and then check out.  I earn a % back from each shopping trip that has a current deals.  It's so easy and it's fun to see the money add up.

We've earned $278.73 with this site.

My Rakuten Referral Link: https://www.rakuten.com/r/KAJEWH?eeid=28187

I'd LOVE for you to use my referral codes if you want to give these money saving apps a try!  Message me or comment if you have any questions.

 

Happy Saving!  I hope one of these tips will save you money!