Weekend Links

How to Save Money on Children's Clothing

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Granola Bars

How to Make the Most Out of a Homeschool Convention

DIY: Eczema Salve

Armoire Closet turned Computer Cabinet

3 Overnight Oatmeal Ideas

Strawberry Orange Sorbet

We live in a crazy part of California that is absolutely stunning and we love where we live.  But one of the drawbacks to where we live is that it's already in the high 90's.  So summer comes fast and it lasts long.  

And what's one of our favorite family treats?  Homemade Ice Cream.  I love experimenting with new flavors as the summer marches on and I couldn't wait to make this refreshing combination.  It's sweet and light.  And a great flavor to usher in the season.

Strawberry Orange Sorbet

*Originally from Delicious Shots

4 c. strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 c. water

1 c. orange juice (approx one large orange)

1/2 c. sugar

1. Place water, orange juice, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Boil until sugar dissolves.

2. Add strawberries and return to a boil.  Boil for about 8-10 min.

3. Allow to come to room temperature and puree.  Chill.

4. Freeze in ice cream freezer according to directions.

5. Enjoy!

10 Things This Week

Here's how I did on my goals this week:

Marriage and Parenting:

*Finish reading Ralph S Mouse with kids/ start Boxcar Children (we started a different one)

*Do a book craft with kids

*Write a love letter to hubby

Blogging:

*Start new review book

*Finish May's book for book club

*Mail out prize

Homemaking Goals:

*Work on jewelry organization

Personal Goals:

*Exercise 4-5 days

*Get 8 hrs of sleep each night (sort of; I had sick kids and tried; also why I didn't workout)

*Finish financial application (need a page I didn't know about)

Here's my goals this week:

Marriage and Parenting:

*Read 5 chapters in Little Women

*Do a book craft with kids

*Schedule May dates

Blogging:

*Finish review book

*Start a second book

Homemaking Goals:

*Work on dinner conversation questions

*Work on a brownie recipe

Personal Goals:

*Exercise 4-5 days

*Get 8 hrs of sleep each night

*Finish financial application

What are your goals this week?

2013 Scrapbooking Retreat

Every year my mom and I try to get away and spend a weekend scrapbooking together.  It's a great opportunity for us to catch up, get some work down, and just have a fun girls' weekend.  We always have a great time together.  It's a wonderful break from the kids andjust a whole lot of fun.

This past January we spent a weekend in Napa, scrapping our time away.  It was a weekend full of laughter, good food, great memories, and scrapping months of photos.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and settled in.  It was hosted at a nice hotel and we had a large table to work at and spread all our photos out.

I'm such a night person that it didn't take much to keep me up most of the night, despite being tired from taking care of three kids.  I got in the zone right away and spread out my photos.  I was on a mission!

It's so much fun for me to work on photos of our family.  It's one of those acts of love that I do for my loved ones.  And for me, it's just a chance to create something beautiful.

My mom and I had two tables together.  That's always fun 'cause it gives us a lot of time to talk and we use each other's ideas.  It's not uncommon for us to be scrapbooking photos from the same family event and come up with completely different layouts.  Plus, if I get stuck, I have someone to bounce ideas off of.  Or go on a coffee run with.

When my in-laws found out what we were doing, they signed up too and were in a room next to us.  It was fun to take a break, stretch my legs, and go see what they were working on too.

One of the mornings we were there, we drug ourselves out of bed after a long night to go get manicures and pedicures.  It was so relaxing to sit down without someone asking for a snack.  :-)

This is my mom and I taking a break to have our pedicures.  We were so relaxed; we almost went back to bed.

While we were there, we ate a lot of good food too.  There was a restauarant in the hotel that served some yummy lunches.  This was the house chopped salad that was refreshing and so yummy.

And these Lettuce Wraps were incredible.  I've had it on my list to try and recreate them soon.  So good!

 

There was games and prizes all throughout the weekend, including a layout contest.

This is the page I entered of my sweet baby girl, Lydia.

And I got second place!

All in all, we had so much fun.  I look forward to this weekend all year long and it was fantastic.  We have a lot of fun just being together and doing something we enjoy.  Packing up on Sunday was bitter sweet.  I missed my babies, but had such a great time.  I can't wait till our weekend away next year.