My Sweet Abby is 7...

Tonight, I kissed my 6 year old princess good night, for the last time! Tomorrow morning I will kiss my brand new 7 year old princess. I feel crazy every time one of my kiddos has a birthday. I am so excited to see how they will learn and change this next year, but I am so sad that they have to grow and change.

Abby has always been my most unique kiddo. There was more than an entire year of her life when she would not answer to any name other than Minnie Mouse. It wasn't worth it to convince her that she was being crazy, and yes, she was old enough to know better. She finds something that she loves and gives her whole heart and soul to it. She is so special.

For Abby's birthday this year she chose to take the whole family bowling and then out to dinner. She didn't want a party, just family time. I will admit, I am pretty excited that she chose us. She didn't ask if a friend could come, she didn't ask for a present, just time with us. I am so proud to be her mommy.

As a surprise, I switched snack days for basket ball so that I could bring cupcakes for her team. When I told her this evening how lucky she was that her actual birthday landed on her basketball day, she was thrilled!

Of course her request was pink cupcakes with pink frosting. How could I say no to that? Who am I kidding? I would NEVER say no to that!

Our evening was spent whipping up some pink vanilla cupcakes with  pink buttercream frosting, while Abby watched my every move and danced around with delight. Before I could frost them for her it was bed time, and I explained that she will have to wait until morning to see them. She was a little disappointed until I snuck into her room with a little piece of frosted cake for her.

I only wish that I could bottle up her brand of crazy because it is amazing. I hope that she never changes.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Yesterday I made a mistake. I mentioned, in front of the kids, my desire to make cinnamon rolls.

When the kids got up this morning they fully expected that there would be pans of fresh cinnamon rolls ready for them. I felt bad... really bad...

To make up for my mistake I decided to make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes!!

I used a simple pancake recipe that I have used for years, its very basic, no frills, just flour, milk, baking powder etc... I dressed it up by adding a little extra sugar and a ton of cinnamon. Enough cinnamon to change the color of the batter (I added two heaping tablespoons of cinnamon, which was perfect for the volume it takes to make enough pancakes for 6 kiddos).

I decided to make silver dollar sized pancakes or as the kids say,"dippy" sized, because they are cute (the kids and the pancakes). I use my handy dandy cookie scoop for nearly everything, no sense in stopping now! 

Now all of the pancakes will be uniform in size, and cook time. I am still a rookie at cooking on the cast-iron insert on my stove, so uniformity pleases my perfectionism and my inexperience. (Confession: I burned the first batch, don't tell anyone.)

The part that makes these "Cinnamon Roll Pancakes" isn't only the cinnamon, it's the frosting. Yes, I said FROSTING. I used the same maple flavored frosting recipe that I use in my favorite super old cinnamon roll recipe from Pioneer Woman (Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls).  I wanted to make the frosting taste the same but thinner and more syrup like. To make the perfect pancake frosting I, doubled the butter, used salted butter, and omitted the salt. The frosting texture was perfect for pouring, but the kiddos really wanted to dip!

So each of the kiddos got their own ramekin of frosting to dip to their hearts content. 

After breakfast, I got the seal of approval from the kiddos that these are a "make again," but I was not forgiven for the lack of actual cinnamon rolls, and those are expected at some point this week. That's what I get for thinking I was off the hook! 

Making Do...

What is making do?


If you google "making do," the Internet will tell you it means "to manage with the limited or inadequate means available"... 

What does making do mean to us? 

Making do: means finally talking about your financial struggle to our friends... 

Making do: means it feels better when you say it out loud...

Making do: means that the generous and amazing people in your life will come through for you... 

Making do: means making it because people prayed for you... 

Making do: means knowing, even when you are unsure,  He will provide...

Because of my faithful and loving friends, through this financial transition, we have been able to eat, pay bills and plant our garden! 


Making do: means we have it all!

Making do: means we are so very blessed...

Making do: means a picnic, in the back yard... 

Making do: means flowers in muddy water from an underwear clad toddler... 





I will continue to look forward to challenges in the future, because we can make do...

A dear friend shared the following scripture with me, at the perfect moment... I could not possibly be more thankful for her... 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
We are so utterly thankful, so incredibly blessed and undeniably humbled by this experience... Our hope is that those who are in our corner, know how much we love and appreciate them! 

Super Cute Crate Buffett

I have been planning and dreaming about making something amazing out of my little, old, junky crates for years! I imagined a darling buffet in my kitchen! I have used them to store things and even prop things up all this time. 

One Sunday after church, the girls and I set off on an expedition to collect all of my random crates!

To create my buffet, I gathered some two inch screws (Similar to these), some stain (Minwax Red Mahogany) that matched my table and some white spray paint (Love this brand) that I had on hand that almost matched my table. The only thing I had to go look for was the wood I planned to use for the top. I purchased two 1x6x6  nice quality boards at Lowes to act as the counter top for my buffet.

All of the crates are slightly different sizes and are all made out of different kinds of wood. I had to rearrange them and set them up several times to make an almost level platform for my 1x 6's.

There were spaces that needed to be filled to make the top level, so I had to break one of the extra crates a part and stick the pieces in the spaces. Once I had all of the crates placed exactly how I wanted them, I started to screw it all together.

I was a little over zealous on the first one... I was excited, what can I say? The wood split and I am pretty sure I might have shed a tear.

After this moment of horror, I simply started screwing the screws in on the second slat in from the front, and last slat, so they cannot be seen as easily from the front, just incase they split again. You live and you learn right?

After I fastened all of the crates together, I painted the entire structure. As I swept the paint over the crates I realized that they were going to absorb the paint like a sponge. In my vision of this project I imagined a thickly painted heirloom white piece of furniture with a satin finish. I used the who full cans of spray paint that I had in no time. I was exceptionally disappointed in the fact that it looked a little beachy and almost shabby chic.

I made a decision to press on and complete this project, so I fastened the top boards to the structure and made sure the whole thing was still level. Then I stained the wood pieces to match my table as planned.

After the paint and stain was dry and placed in my dining room to took my breath away! It was actually perfect!

The subtle colors of the wood coming through the paint and the texture was truly beautiful. It matched my style exactly. My husband actually fell in love with it right away and said it is new favorite piece of furniture!

Getting Organized, Baby and Backyard!!

We are still no more organized than when we moved in, our sixth child, EllieMay, is 5 weeks old today and the backyard is coming along surprisingly well! Homeschooling is starting to pick back up again, after an embarrassingly long break, feel free to judge me... And I couldn't stand to go another day without a blog post!

Moving from a huge house to a home about half the size has really put a cramp in my pack rat style.

Aside from having an overabundance of things I genuinely do not need, I don't have the time nor desire to clean, purge and organize it these days! I kept telling myself, "after the baby comes you will have the energy..." We all know that was a lie.

Now baby is here, she is a bundle of sweetness wrapped in sleepless nights and baby poop. I couldn't be happier with her, except for the fact that she is too cute not to hold, and you cannot get anything done while holding a sleeping newborn! Also, the kids all adore her... Which is hard, because she is mine and I don't want to share... But that is a whole other issue!

Needless to say, we are inching along slowly on all of our goals... My honey and his father put up the fence for my garden area, we will very likely build our garden boxes in the next week, then work on the chicken coop. We have 5 baby chicks already! More on that later.

The kids are seriously in love with our huge yard, and are taking full advantage! I love seeing them get creative and building the clubhouse of their dreams!!

The garage is still an example of complete insanity. No, I will not post a pic! I have the desire to want to organize and clean out there... Neither desire nor want are strong enough to motivate me... I decided today that I will do my best to follow the 15 in 15 Home Organizing Plan (Link To Organizing Plan), and apply it to the garage. In theory, it should be helpful to follow some kind of plan... I make no promises...

The New Chore List!

Moving to a new house means a new Chore List!! Also, since this house is substantially smaller than our last, we have to stay a little more on top of things.

I can't lie, we are all pretty excited about chores. Yes, we are crazy.

I have always had a strange philosophy about chores. I believe that chores are a privilege. You still have to do them, whether you want to or not, but they are a privilege. We call our chores our "home blessings" and the kids get to take ownership of our home by blessing it with well completed chores.

There are the daily expectations that are not considered chores. Making your bed every morning, picking up your room before bed and general picking up after yourself. We try to encourage this as soon as they can walk, make it a habit and constantly praise them for a job well done.

The kids know whats going on, they realize that I am glorifying dog poop duty, but it still works. When kids complete even the simplest of chore we make sure that they know that they have just done a service for our family and home. Part of their membership to our home is completing their assigned task, joyful and timely.

I can admit that there are days that I am not honestly in the mood to be the chore cheer leader, and I joyfully hand this task off to another family member. Giving the kids the opportunity to cheer each other on has turned out to be a valuable training tool. I can see the kids reacting positively to each other and using encouraging words in other parts of their lives. It's a wonderful feeling to see the hard work in training come to life...

The August Chore List:

• Daily
• Kitchen .................. Mason 
• Sweep/mop .......... Chase
• Vacuum ................. Gabby
• Dust ........................ Abby
• Dogs Needs .......... Chase
• Cats Needs ........... Mason
• Bathroom .............. Gabby
• Weekly
• Windows ........................... Gabby
• Sanitize Door Knobs ...... Abby
• Baseboards ....................... Tanner

The chores are split between the kiddos depending on age, in my house you must be at least 8/9 to be allowed to clean the kitchen and you must be little to clean baseboards. Each kiddo receives their assigned chore and must complete that chore every day/week for that entire month.

My kids seem to appreciate that they can truly own that chore for the month. The kitchen person has a much larger job, but the vacuum and sweep/mop person has to keep track of their floor. If there is a muddy mess the person responsible for that space must make sure that their chore is complete before bed time.

When the switch happens and one kiddo has to hand their chore over to the next kiddo, there is always a sense of passing the torch with pride.

We haven't actually moved yet, but the kids already know what their next months chores are and they cannot wait to bless our new home!

How to move like a BOSS!

Moving is never really fun. Moving isn't even fun for someone who likes things done in an orderly fashion. Even if you are making the best move of your life. Moving is HARD.

Over the past 13 years of my married life I have moved 9 times, and we are working on our 10th move! We truly thought the last move was going to be our last, but it looks like the 10th time is the charm! We are finally buying our forever home and to do things right the last time, I have put together a list of what I have learned about moving.

Mommy's Packing Buddy :)

What you will need to get started: a note-book, pen or pencil, a marker (or 5) and a little time to focus. When you start packing you will need boxes of all shapes and sizes, packing tape and maybe more markers :)

Make a list of every room and closet in your house: Seriously get out your handy-dandy note-book and make a list. For example: M's room, C's room boys bathroom, laundry room, hall closet, linen closet... etc. This list gives you a better idea of the number of places you need to focus on individually. Really break it down so you can check rooms off your list and feel triumphant! Yes, before you ask, I am absolutely one of those people who writes things on my to do list that I have already completed, just so I can cross them off. :)

Rewrite or number your list in the order of rooms that can be completely packed first: The idea is, if you can wrap each room one at a time, you can close that door and not reenter that room until you are on your final walk through. This is especially helpful if you are still living in the home. When I start actually packing boxes I will start with my craft room, then the upstairs bathroom, then the media room up stairs, and so on. If I have time I will purge a little, toss trash or donate/sell items that someone else can use. Once packed, clean windows and sills, then vacuum. Shut that door and no one is allowed in that area from this point forward.

Clear out a space for your packed and ready boxes: One of the most helpful things I have ever done when packing is having a spot to stack the sealed boxes. The garage is a good place, if that's not an option, a corner of the house some where, maybe even the first room packed on your list. Moving the boxes out of the way and clearing your space gives you a better idea of whats left. It also helps you to see the progress so far. Nothing helps me stay inspired or encouraged more than having visual confirmation of my hard work.

After you have a plan in place start collecting boxes: You will need all kinds of boxes. Different sizes, thicknesses and levels of sturdiness. Start with the room you can completely pack first and clearly label your boxes with your marker!

Stay motivated and stick to your plan: Your plan is there to help you not only pack up quickly and efficiently, but to make the moving process and unpacking easier as well. If you pack, seal and label boxes as you go, when your friends help you unload the truck, they will know what room to stack your boxes in. If all the "craft room" boxes are in the craft room, unpacking will be a breeze!

No matter the number of times you have moved, packing is HARD. You always start out with good intentions and end up scrambling around trying to make sure you get everything you missed.

I always pack the kitchen last, because I don't want to live like I'm camping in my house. Also, I always pack the glass plates or china last. Since I place all the boxes out in the garage, I don't want my beautiful wedding china on the bottom of the stack out in the garage to be broken. I will pack all of my super fragile stuff the very last day and place them in my car. I don't always have newspaper, but I always have towels! Packing breakables in towels is efficient and free!

Good luck on your adventures in moving!

A few helpful links:
Sharpie Markers!! (Best Markers Ever)