Life Changes

It has been so long since I updated my blog.

In April we sold out little home. It happened so fast (like literally 4 days fast), We put it up for sell on a Monday and had an offer by Thursday, It is amazing how attached we had become to that house in 7 years and how many wonderful memories we had shared in it. We loved it but needed a change.It was VERY bittersweet to move. We were very blessed to buy a home within 2 minutes if our old home. We even got to stay in our same ward, which we absolutely LOVE and each week we feel more and more at home! (Pictures to come at a later date.....)

In May Emily had her last day of Kindergarten. It was a SAD day in the Willoughby home.  She didn't realize that she wasn't going to see some of her friends ever again or her teacher and I didn't realize how hard it would be to entertain her all Summer long. She loves to learn and is so active. She sailed right through Kindergarten and can't wait until 1st grade starts, She is sure her Kindergarten teacher will be there to help her through her first day...

About a month ago my Mom told me about a blog she liked to read. The blogger is a lady in my Mom's ward who is just an amazing Mom. She inspired me......so in an attempt to entertain my kids this summer I followed this blogger's example, I started doing summer school. I set up a little classroom in our spare room (really nothing fancy, believe me) and we try to do school 2-3 days a week. My kids really love it and have already learned so much!!

Also in an attempt to be a better Mom, Accountant, Wife, Cook, etc., etc. I started following the advise of this blogger Blissful and Domestic . She is amazing, informational and inspiring!! One of the main things she talks about is being frugal and living within your means.

So from now on I will post my menus each week and what my plans are for home-school. Maybe this will help keep me on track better.....we shall see!!

Monday Menus:
Monday : Taco Salads
Tuesday: Baked Shrimp, Rice, Mixed Veggies
Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas, leftover Rice
Thursday: Taco Soup (w/o meat-recipe below), tortilla chip
Friday: Chicken Salad with avocado dressing
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Homemade Pizza

Taco Soup Recipe:
1 lb. ground beef (I omit to keep it vegetarian)
1 small onion
1 -28 oz. can tomatoes
2- 15 oz. can kidney beans (un-drained)
1- 17 oz. can corn (un-drained)
1/2-1  package taco seasoning (I usually use the whole pkg)
1 can  green chilli's
1 Large can of Pork and Beans
(if you prefer it thinner add 2 C. water-I like mine thick)

Brown ground beef and saute onions and stir in seasoning. Add remaining ingredients, Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve with chips, sour cream, cheese, and olives.

Home-school

This week we are focusing on the letters H and I.
The book for the week is Horton Hears a Who
Crafts: We are here, What would you say, Ice Cream
Worksheets: Letter I

Have a great week!!!!

WE ARE SELLING OUR HOUSE!!

Please click the link below to see our home that we are selling!!!!

http://387collinsstblackfootid.blogspot.com/

Please tell anyone and everyone!!!!!!

When you least expect it....

Have you ever had those days when you are sick (literally), tired, out of patience and just plain having a "stuck-in-a-rut" type of day?? That is was my day. It started late because I slept in because I have caught a cold, Nathan was having "clinging" moments and my "independent" daughter decided to go the grounds with me over EVERY little thing. I ended up sending Emily to school while both of us were in tears. It stunk!! While Emily and I were battling it out Caleb said "Guys we should just pray..." I brushed him aside and kept up with the lecture on Emily. After she left I thought a lot about the solution. I could come up with a million things to do, some of them good, some of them not so good. Nothing really struck me as "Ahhhhh words" coming down from heaven like. I got the boys down for naps/quiet time and decided to plan my YW lesson for Sunday. I truly believe we are blessed when we least expect it. This is what I came across and it is seriously JUST WHAT I NEEDED. In hindsight I should have taken the advise from my 3 year old son in the beginning and avoided a awful morning!

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/mormon-messages?lang=eng&id=2010-06-13-motherhood-an-eternal-partnership-with-god#2010-06-13-motherhood-an-eternal-partnership-with-god

Raising a Family

So last night I was in a meeting with my Bishop and he was giving our YW Presidency a little advise on training the Young Women to be future leaders. He said a lot of great things and helped us understand the whys, whats, and hows of being a Leader. He told that when he was a young father, him and his wife had just bought a new home and decided to put in a new sidewalk. While he was trying to put in this sidewalk his young son wanted to help and was being more of a hindrance than a help. My Bishop expressed how frustrated he was because it was taking so much time and effort to have his son help. But then he said after awhile he remembered that "He wasn't putting in a sidewalk, he was raising a family"!
     This really stuck out to me!! I thought of how many times I try to clean, cook, or work in general and I have little "helpers". It was a good reminder that I am raising a family and the time I spend with them now will influence the kind of person they are when they grow up.

Caleb LOVES to cook and I usually let him, it does take more time but I know it is something he enjoys. He also loves to vacuum, it is so much easier and faster to do it myself though!!

Emily LOVES to clean to toilet (funny huh) and I usually do it myself because I know how to keep my hands away from it and clean it properly. I really should let her do it!!! Emily also loves to help with Nathan, it is her "Mommy instincts" kicking in. Sometimes I let her, sometimes I don't. 

So it looks as if I have some thing to work on!! There is a quote that says "A lazy mother picks up after her children." I guess it is easier to do it myself than to have them learn. I think I need to stop thinking about myself and remember I AM raising a family and I want them to grow up and be productive, happy, effective adults!

Speaking of family, here are some of our family pictures we got taken on Oct. 22:

Darth, Belle and Hot Dog yumminess....

Yes I said YUMMY! Aren't these 3 so dang cute you could almost eat them right up? I think so! We had a fun Halloween filled with lots of Grandmas, candy and wind blowing through our hair.

Emily decided she wanted to be a Southern Belle. She has the attitude of one and knows how to pose well as one. She had me curl her hair in ringlets and before school she got to put on make-up, even mascara! I think she was the cutest one in the spook parade at school. but I am also biased! She loved getting to twirl in her hoop dress.

Caleb, with no persuasion wanted to be Darth Vader. He loves "Stah Wo's" so much and can make a mean Darth Vader noise. He was so excited about his mask that actually made the Darth noise, but didn't wear it most of the time because it hurt his face and smooshed in his eyes...poor little Darth! He made a very "mean" looking Darth and was so proud when he was told how scary he was. He is a funny little thing!!

Nathan was my little Hot Dog! I was excited about his outfit because I had bought it on clearance last year. I really wanted Ben to dress up with me and be  Ketchup and Mustard bottles, he didn't fancy the idea...It was a good thing because Nathan's Hot Dog was VERY snug!! He only was in it for 30 minutes or less.

We had a fun Halloween and visited 4 different Grandmas. They spoil my kids a lot and my kids LOVE IT!!! I am so glad we have our family around!

Here is also our cute pumpkins this year, they made me laugh!

Now onto Thanksgiving!!!

My 3 little ducklings

All so different, but oh SO cute!!!

Just Because

I love my Husband!!

Polish food anyone???

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and decided to try it out. I am SO glad I did because it was delish!! I will be making this again and again!! I found it in the World Wide Cookbook "Secret Recipes". I changed it a bit to be less calories and it was still so yummy!


Halushki (not my picture, but the best one I could find):

1  16-oz box of bow tie pasta
1 head of cabbage, chopped
1 large onion, finely diced
1/4-1/2 cup of butter (Original recipes calls for 1 c.)
2 kielbasa sausages, diced (I used turkey kielbasa sausage. It calls for one but I didn't think there was enough to go around)
salt
pepper
lemon pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Cook cabbage and onion in butter over medium-high heat for 25-30 minutes. Dice sausage and cook in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the pasta and the sausage to the cabbage/onion mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a little lemon pepper on top!

Enjoy!

Makes me want to take a back road

Ever since we went camping in September Ben and I have both been itching to get back to the mountains. I love the fresh air, the smell of the trees, the beautiful morning sunsets, and the dirt...yes the dirt. I love the simplicity of being together with my little family spending time making memories! Ben and I both love the song Take a Back Road by Rodney Atkins. It is to the "T" of how we feel sometimes. Today Ben called from work and said he wanted to go camping or something when I asked him "how come??" he said "I dunno just feel like taking a back road..." How cute!

So tomorrow we may be somewhere along here....

 

 

So we are off to find our little BACK ROAD........

Feels like home to me.....

I just have to say . . . I LOVE FALL!! It is my Mom's favorite season and she always had a way of making our home smell good and feel so cozy! I stopped "Home" the other day (in an attempt to avoid the massive amount of snow falling, when if I would have just headed to Blackfoot I could have avoided it all together...) When I walked in her house it smelled like fall, it looked like Fall and it was warm and cozy just like fall! LOVED IT! I am excited for the Holidays that come with Fall. I am more than half way done shopping for Christmas, so I am going to sit back and relax and enjoy my family.

In September my whole family went camping. It was a lot of fun despite allergies, rain, bee stings and crazy RV sleeping situations! My kids loved camping. Thanks to a good friend we had a warm place to sleep and a very fun bunk bed for my kids to play in. The kids literally spent HOURS playing in the RV. We also built a teepee for the kids and they played HOURS in that too. It is fun to have some down time and late night fire talks. My Dad rocks the skillet over the fire, he really made some wonderful meals.

On October 1st Ben and I celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary! Holy Smokes....7 years! We have accomplished SO many things and have enjoyed almost every minute of it! We went to Red Lobster for SHRIMP FEST and then to Kiwi Loco. After,  we went and hit a few stores and didn't hardly leave each other's side. Pure joy! I love Ben!!! He not only exemplifies the kind of man I have always wanted, he exemplifies the father I wanted for my children and the kind of person I am so lucky to wake up to and go to sleep with! He is such a good man and I know I could not have chosen a better eternal companion!! 
 

Our Crazy little family.....

Had so much fun carving this.....

Just as an end note:

I also LOVE my kids and the constantly make me giggle. Here are some giggles to share. Man I adore these 3 little people!!!

 

P.S. I took some pictures on top of the Conference Center in September I love how they turned out...I think there is a lot of symbolism in the water fountains around the Temple. This fountain happens to be directly OVER the top of the pulpit and it's water flow directly toward the Temple. Living Waters are so essential for us to understand our Temple covenants. I loved being surrounded by Living Water!