My Favorite Pinterest Pins So Far this Year

If you follow me on Pinterest you might already know that I am on there a lot. I really love that website. Some times when I am really hungry and waiting for supper to finish I will go on there and drool over the pictures of delicious meals. Or I will look at desserts and almost taste them! When I am feeling inspired I will go through crochet patterns and when I need motivation to work out I go on there, too. Did I mention I love Pinterest? I thought today I would give you a quick list of some of my favorite Pinterest pins from this year. There are a few that I really loved but didn’t add on my list because I have recently posted links to them.

1.Preschool Worksheets I have used this site a lot of times. They have a lot of great basic worksheets that are fun and easy to do for a preschooler. And, unlike a lot of websites, this one was easy to print off of.

2. This Penguin Craft is super cute and super easy to do. It doesn’t take a lot of prep and the kids can put it together, for the most part, by themselves.

3. These frozen yogurt drops are amazing. The kids LOVE them. They take about 5 minutes to make plus an hour or two in the freezer. It makes one yogurt spread out to a snack for all the kids, too, which is nice.

4. I know I said I wasn’t going to mention anything I recently linked to, but this one is worth repeating. My No-Sew baby wrap is seriously amazing. Every mother should own one.

5. Here’s a video for you. I really love this workout from Popsugar. I actually haven’t come across a workout of theirs that I don’t like. I even have their workout app on my iPad. They  make great videos and I love the woman who leads them. I highly suggest browsing their website or look for their channel on YouTube. They have something for everyone.

6. I LOVE this mittens pattern. This is a beginner’s crochet pattern. Just pay attention and follow the pattern. It isn’t hard. I can make one pair of child’s mittens in under two hours. I have made at least ten pairs of these.

7. YUM. Seriously, YUM. You will have a hard time going back to regular alfredo sauce after you make this Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce. I did add some parmesan and extra garlic powder to mine but you wouldn’t have to if you didn’t want to. It is so good.

8. Okay, last one. This recipe for baked sweet and sour chicken is amazing. Don’t change a thing. I am slightly sad thinking about this recipe. I used to make it at least twice a month until William became allergic to eggs. I have tried making it egg free but it never comes out the same 😦 I am now on the hunt for a equally yummy egg free version of this dish.

Do you follow me on Pinterest yet? Do you have a favorite, must-share Pinterest pin? Share with me 🙂

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Fall is here. Really, I don’t think summer ever came. But that’s okay, because fall is beautiful. The leaves are changing color. The sun is setting earlier (starts setting around 11 PM.) You can smell wood smoke when you take a walk. We are starting to pull out mittens again (and making some new ones) and practicing patterns for leg warmers. I love fall.

My brother in law took this photo along the Dempster Highway last weekend

And what do we do in the fall? Bake, of course! Shane loves cookies and I am slowly but surely making them tasty. That started out as just edible cookies. Then they were good cookies. Then they were “we are having guests let’s make cookies” cookies.

I used to dread making them because I was never pleased with how they came out but now that I know the secret to baking cookies I really enjoy making them! Do you know the secret? I am usually really late to information like that, so I am sure you do.

But, for those of you that don’t, the secret is to take them out of the oven when they just start to brown but are still very soft. Then let them sit on the baking sheet for five minutes outside of the oven. They come out perfect every time.

This week I made Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies from Two Peas & Their Pod. They were very much enjoyed. I admit, though, I made them with gluten so I wasn’t able to taste them for myself. I am going purely by my husband’s opinion. And he says they are very good 🙂

Got any secret cookie tips for me? Maybe you have a better oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe for me? Share with me!

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Making a Great To Do List

With only 3 weeks left until the kids and I travel I really need to start cracking down on all the things that need done before I leave. It is so hard to get motivated some days, though. I know what all needs done but I get distracted so easily by the kids or the daily chores. If you were to visit me in the morning you’d see me running around like a crazy person in the middle of at least three chores while I listen to Piano Guys on spotify. And then a child will run by claiming to be half starved so all the chores go on pause while I get them a snack. By that point I have completely forgotten about those other chores I was working on and pick up the broom to start sweeping. Some days a To Do List is just needed.

There are many benefits to making a to do list. Some days it feels like nothing got done but then I look at my list and see that I did do a lot. They help me organize my chores so that I see exact things that need done. Sometimes in my mind there are a billion things that I need to right now! I will share what I have learned in the past week about To Do Lists.

First, and most importantly, make it look good. I am way more likely to continue to pick up a list throughout the day if it is bright and colorful (can you tell I spend most my time with toddlers?) Last week I used this free printable. I really like it because it has three columns which I use for three different lists. This website also has some really neat free to do lists. If you don’t want to print one off get creative with some crayons (if you don’t have any you can come here and check under the couch cushions for some. There are usually a couple there). Whatever you choose, make sure it looks attractive to you.

Next, don’t go overboard with your list. Make it realistic. When I make lists I like to write down a handful of “freebies” like get dressed, devotions, make list, eat breakfast, etc. Things that will definitely get crossed off the list. Then I add a couple things that happen everyday like dishes, sweep, 1 load of laundry, exercise. Then I will put on some hard stuff like mopping, cleaning the bathtub, etc. But only put on one or two really time consuming tasks. There’s no point in feeling like a failure at the end of the day.

Lastly, prioritize. What needs done this morning? What needs done today? What needs done this week? I like to organize my lists like this: To Do Today, To Do this Week, To Do this Month. I always work hardest on the things that I need to do today. That’s the list with priority. But if I get something crossed off the To Do this Month list then Hey! High Five! Here’s a cool list for when you are prioritizing that way.

Here’s my pinterest board with all my favorite free printables.

Ok, I am off to make my to do list now! What are some of your favorite To Do List techniques or tips?

Pray ye therefore…

Our church was given an initiative.

Matthew 9:38 says, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

We set our alarms for 9:38 AM and 9:38 PM and when the alarm goes off, pray for God to send a man to be our Pastor. I cannot express what a blessing this has been to our family.

The first few mornings it was me explaining to the kids why we are praying and what we are praying for then I would lead in prayer. The evenings were usually Shane and I pausing the TV and taking a few moments to pray together for God to send us a Pastor.

But then the alarm went off when we had guests over. We stopped what we were doing and all prayed together. What a blessing to pray with other Christians! We have been praying with people we haven’t prayed with for a long time. Some of them we have never prayed with before. And now at 9:38 we are all bowing our heads for a common cause.

And in the mornings now the kids come running to me when they hear the alarm and they each want a turn to pray for our future Pastor. And it has grown to be more than just praying for our pastor. We pray for our families and our community.

What are you praying for? I encourage you to do a prayer initiative. Set an alarm. Pray for it everyday. You will receive a blessing.

Don’t Let Go

I won’t pretend to fully understand the Song of Solomon. I have read it through several times and even with study helps I find it a difficult book to understand. As I read it through, I try to grab whatever I can to apply to my life.

As a love letter, I find ways to apply it both to my relationship with my husband as well as my relationship with my Lord. As I came across chapter three verse four I had to stop and jot some things down in my notebook.

The verse says, “It was but a little that passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go…”

What am I willing to let go of Christ for?

I am NOT speaking of my salvation. I have mentioned before that my salvation is about what Christ has done for me on the cross. I cannot lose my salvation. God gave me my salvation when I asked forgiveness of my sins and He will not take it back.

Now, I can ask again, what am I willing to let go of Christ for? For that time I am at the restaurant and don’t want everyone to see me pray? How about for that football game that is on during church? Am I willing to let go of Christ for that music that appeals to my flesh but I know doesn’t honor the Lord?

Christ is more important than any of those things. Why are we willing to let our standards go (even just for an evening) for them? Christ gave Himself for us and yet we choose things that do not please Him.

If you are holding onto things of the world you are not holding onto Christ. You can’t have both. Stop trying. Let go of the things of the world. Hold onto Christ and don’t let Him go.