Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup

So yummy

found @afarmgirldabbles

So, so, so very

TASTY!

Everyone in the house loved it

Perfect for a rainy day

Thanks Farm Girl :)

Breast and Ovarian Cancer Screening

I know, it's been way too long...But, I have taken off one of my hats and am now free-er to work on my business plan for the cupcakery and blog! (well, after doing laundry, cooking, hanging with my family-not necessarily in that order)

So what better way to get back into it than to tell you about a super fabulous giveaway from Just Ask. I am really excited about the possibility of winning an amazing camera. But, I'm entering for more than just that possibility. My cousin Katie died from cancer last year. I don't know if it would have made a difference if her cancer was detected earlier. I don't know if it would make a difference for any of us. But, isn't it worth checking out? I am sure you know someone who has or has had cancer.  I want to encourage you to educate yourself and consider early cancer screening. It could save your life or the life of someone you love.

So educate yourself. And in the process, enter for your chance to win a camera to document all of the special moments you share with your loved ones. Read below:

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

15 Things on My Bucket List

1~Work alongside my husband and children serving children and families who are less fortunate. Specifically, I would like to be able to join with WIGU, the charity our church created to "empower children in extreme poverty."

2~Open a bakery selling my super yummy cupcakes as well as self serve frozen yogurt :)

3~Learn to speak Spanish fluently and then go back and visit Spain again.

4~Become a better photographer and document life as it happens.

5~(Related to number 4) Learn how to use Photoshop.

6~Travel to Italy with my husband and kiss under the Bridge of Sighs. Ahhhh

7~Take a cross country vacation with my family in an RV.

8~Cook with a famous chef, like Emeril or Giada.

9~Surf a wave in Hawaii with Daniel.

10~Skydive with my lil' Katelyn.

11~Spend a weekend with Emily just hanging out; just the two of us.

12~Walk in some of the same places that Jesus walked.

13~Train for and run a half marathon (and finish).

14~Ride a Harley and feel the wind blowing my hair out of the bottom of my helmet.

15~Try at least 20 of the ideas/recipes I have pinned to Pinterest!

Summer 2011 Fun

We have been spending much of our time on the lake this year.  

Daniel loves to tube and always has a smile on his face! 

Katelyn's a bit more serious on the boat :) 

I can't believe my first born is almost 12! (beautiful girl too) 

Momma skiing 

Katelyn got a good ride on the wakeboard and left me hanging by the shore waiting for a pick up :) 

Cutest flag guy ever!!! 

Emily's first time up on the skis!!!! Way to go! 

The kids are so impressed when Matt skis (me too :) )

The lake is about 99% full here and completely covering the bathroom at Island Park Campground. 

Here's a shot from the dam, again showing how much water there is this year!

We are so blessed to have a boat and a lake so close by that we can just head up a for a few hours of fun whenever we want. Good, clean family fun :)

Summer List progress

Well I have "sorta" made some progress on my Summer To Do List:

This wreath came out great (the picture is a bit bright though)

And... when I saw Target had these window coverings back in stock, well I decided not to make my own and buy these. They are a bit short so I think I will buy another panel and take it apart to add one more ruffle to each panel.

At some point I hope to get to the other projects, but we've been busy with Marlins, boating, baking and such! Stay tuned for those pictures :)

Summer "To Do" List

Here are some inspired ideas I would like to accomplish this summer. Click on the Title to follow the link for the Creative Gal and her tutoial. Be sure to comment on her blog and thank her for sharing.

1) Faux Scroll work (to adorn my living room walls)
2) Faux Wainscoting (for my stairway walls)
3) Patriotic Wreath (to hang on the front door, of course!)
4) Curtains (for master bedroom) using a shower curtain tutorial

What's on your "Summer To Do List?"

Ladies' Night Out!

 Almost every month one of my friends has a birthday or other reason to celebrate! This month we celebrated Denise's birthday by all attending "Ladie's Night Out" hosted by the Reedley Downtown Association. It was so much fun; but then again, any night out with my best friends is always filled with lots of fun and many, many laughs! Love you all very much GIRLS!

 Shinn Photo takes AmaZiNg Photos! Don't you agree?

Happy Birthday Toast! Photos by Ashley Testa-Burk, Reedley Exponent

Date Your Mate

After a 2 month blogging hiatus I am back!  My super fabulous, beautiful on the inside and out, amazingly creative, sister-in-law, Erin (Burns, that is), asked me to share for “Date Your Mate Fridays.”   To read about the basics, CLICK HERE but be sure to come back J

I LOVED the Date Your Mate Fridays and looked forward to seeing what super fun, creative, silly or romantic ideas would be posted. I can honestly say that my husband Matt and I do “Date.” But like many couples, could probably date more often. I love Matt dearly, but let’s get real…Life happens. I am not always “in love” and goo, goo, gah, gah over him. It takes work. But, the “work” is so worth it and has made us more deeply love than when we first met. So, here is what WE think about Dating Your Mate (Broken done into organized lists-because that’s just how I am. I love lists and post-its!)

DONE IT… (Ideas we have done at least once)
~Shared a romantic dinner in the place we met (Booth #2 at Kelley’s)
~Taken the boat out for a sunset cruise on the river.
~Gone out of town. Alone. No kids.
~Hidden in the garage (curled up in the back seat of our boat with a blanket and the lights off). This is a super hilarious story I will have to share another time.
~Gone for a drive with no destination in mind.

DO IT… (Things we do regularly to stay connected)
~Volunteer/Serve together at church. I know you may be asking how this “fits” into a date night, so I will explain. On Wednesday nights the kids go to Kidzspace at our church. Our family and another family serve the kids dinner every week. Then when they head off to their classes, we eat together and spend time alone before it’s time to clean up and pick up our children. It’s been a huge blessing that’s really drawn us closer to God and to each other.
~Meet with other couples to share God’s Word, discuss a book, play games, eat good food, build friendships, and share lots of laughter. I guess you could say this is a “group date.”
~Relax in our Jacuzzi tub together. Sometimes we jump in at the end of a long day to “catch up” with each other. Other times, we just start the day off with a relaxing Jacuzzi and simply enjoy each other’s company.
~Cuddle on the lounge in the backyard and star gaze (although the dog I recently rescued now thinks the lounge is his bed).
 ~Garden together. We both appreciate a beautiful garden, so we work at it together.
~Take our children to Matt’s parents for the evening and then have a date night at home alone.
~Cook together during the summer.
~Run errands together. Yes, I know that doesn’t sound “romantic” and it’s not really. But, we call it a “date” and look forward to time to talk, have lunch and get things done without having to worry about anyone else but ourselves for awhile.
~Flirt with each other: in person, through love notes, and texting. After all, we flirted when we were first “courting” each other so why stop just because we are married?

DESIRE TO DO IT… (some things we would like to put in the DONE list)
~A Roll of quarters date-Each of us gets a roll of quarters and together we brainstorm what we can do using only our rolls of quarters on our next date.
~An old fashioned picnic, with a blanket, bottle of wine, cheese, crackers, salami and o.k. even the ants!
~ A let’s be kids again” date where we do lots of fun and silly kids stuff, like roller skating, laser tag, ice cream for dinner, etc.
~(Matt says) A car show date where we jump in our 57 wagon (of course after it is finished being restored) and head out to a car show, preferably out of town J
~An auction. We both love old stuff and would like to go to an antique auction just for the fun of it.
~A letter of the alphabet date where everything we eat and do starts with a particular letter of the alphabet.

There are so many things you can do with your spouse for a date night. Be creative. Think out of the box. It can be any time of day, fancy or casual, an hour or a day, practical or foolish, planned or impromptu… it really doesn’t matter. What matters most is taking the time to create “moments” and show each other love so when the business of life happens you have strength to power through until your next date night.