Helpful Kitchen Tools

This is a super random post of some kitchen tools and/or items that have proven to be successful for us in the last few years, so I thought I'd share! 

First up is parchment paper! I LOVE parchment paper and use it every single day. I never ever worry about things sticking because it just doesn't happen! I use parchment paper for baking cookies and heating up biscuits, etc. Any time I have to bake something in the oven, you can bet I'm using parchment paper. I love getting it at Costco just for the sheer amount & low price, but when Costco is being weird and not stocking it, I use any store brand. 

Second is my favorite cookie sheet of all time. It's an "air cookie sheet" so it's very lightweight and apparently the air circulates between the bottom of the cookie sheet & the actual surface that the food item sits on. I'm not sure how it does what it does but it doesn't matter to me. I love it, and spread out a sheet of parchment on it and bake to my heart's content. 

Next  is "his" and "hers" can openers. Aaron uses the simple one on the left,  and I use the ergonomic one on the right. I'll use his for the "church key" pokey-ness when necessary for can aeration but I only use the plastic can opener to open cans because I simply can't get his to actually open cans. Likewise, he can't get mine to open cans. We discovered early on in our marriage that two can openers were an okay necessity. 

Get a good electronic thermometer. This is the only way I don't murder chicken upon cooking it. And also the reason why we don't end up with chicken tartare.

A sturdy kitchen spoon & a good silicone spatula are also kitchen necessities. Both of these are Target finds.

We recently bought a set of silicone coated tongs and added them to our worn out collection. We keep these in easy reach. 

Finally, find something in a color that makes you happy. Cooking things in this little pan brings me joy... and that's a necessity too!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Winter Photos

I've slacked off on posting much this month. We had a lot going on with the boys returning to traditional school, and Michael's appointment, and my minor foot procedure. February- though short- sometimes seems to take a while to get through & I'm not mad that March (and Spring!) is on the horizon! We have some fun things planned in March & it's also the final full month of our third quarter of school which means I can see the end of this lengthy school year in sight! March is almost April which is almost May which is when most of my students will finish the year (and only a few will have to return in June for exams). Let's go!  So here's a random photo collection from the winter. 

 Our snow "dusting."

Pretend purple hair. 

A 100 year old for the 100th day of school. 

Happy boys after school. 

My view after exiting the bathroom one evening.

A pretty winter sunrise. 

All 3 kiddos enjoying a bedtime snack. 

A birthday party for her doll. 

Playing outside before church. 

Sporting a princess jacket. 

A quick room rearrange for all kiddos. 

Crazy slide hair!

A Saturday Mario. 

An Elsa braid. 

And that just about sums up this season in our lives!

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Valentine's Day

This year for Valentine's Day, I started collecting items in late December so that I'd be prepared and wouldn't feel rushed as the date got closer.  This was beneficial, but also led to me over-buying since I'd forget that I already had a treat prepared and I'd see something else great and buy it.  So this year, my kids lucked out and received a little box of chocolates, a book, and a toy (usually it's just candy & either a book or a toy but not both).

In December, Aaron and I had to go to Costco for a tire rotation, and Costco has such an awesome book selection at super low prices.  Michael was eagerly waiting for the release of a new book spin-off series from one of his favorite authors, and I saw the book that day and loved the fact that it was nearly half of what I'd spend at Target!  I grabbed it and held onto it because Christmas was just the week prior and I didn't want to just give it to him out of the blue.  I didn't necessarily intend for it to sit on Aaron's bookshelf until nearly Valentine's Day, but it did.... so I quickly found two other books (one for Noah, one for Avery) at Publix one random Saturday.  

When browsing the aisles of Target, I saw a little box of chocolates with a unicorn on the cover which sealed the deal that I'd get that one for Avery.  I picked up a dinosaur one and a space shuttle one for the boys.  Everyone was pleased with these when they woke up on Valentine's Day!

I wanted to get Avery a "Bo Peep" doll from Toy Story 4 after she so loved playing with her cousin's doll in the fall.  I found this one on Amazon and ordered it in late January.  

The boys love to watch this one particular YouTube family, and this family has become so popular that they periodically release a new toy here and there.  The boys have been singing this silly ditty about an elevator and when I saw on the Target app that this YouTube family released a toy about this ditty, I grabbed two for a "drive up" order.  The Target associate who picked the order was phenomenal and chose a blue one and a green one which is so perfect so that my boys know whose is whose.  These toys both have a music box and glow sticks, which is so fun!

I took this photo around 9:30 the night before Valentine's Day because that's how long it took my kids to fall asleep that night! The felt hearts were a Target Dollar Spot find years ago (before I even knew we'd have a girl one day!). 

All three kids loved their gifts!  The chocolates were gone almost immediately.  The books are getting lots of mileage on them and the toys have been played with daily.  This was a successful holiday and it was so fun to gather up exciting things as I found them and not feel rushed.  

 

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba 

Waiting Room Fun Bag

 I saw this idea on Andrea's blog a couple weeks ago when she was talking about Valentine's Day gift for kids. I already had my Valentine's gifts ready, but I thought this idea of a "waiting room" bag was super smart! I added it to my Amazon cart and planned to stick it in the "save for later" section, but Aaron ended up making some Amazon purchases that day & this was in the cart so it was included (accidentally) with the purchases!

As soon as it arrived, I filled it with some fun things that would be sure to entertain kiddos the next time we had to go to a waiting room or car ride. I grabbed a few pencils and a spare notepad, a deck of cards, some plus-plus blocks, and a few fidget items. I immediately stuck it in the glove box of the car because I knew we'd be heading to a city for Michael's endocrinology appointment shortly after this arrived.  

Monday of last week was that day, and Michael was so surprised by having something new & different to play with while waiting for the doctor. (In fact, the doctor played with the plus-plus blocks too when he entered the room!) It's so funny to me how kids latch on to something different than they're used to, even if they've seen all the things before. I used to bring a big bag of toys with me when babysitting. The kids I'd babysit for loved this "bag of tricks" and it's so fun to see my own kids react similarly. :)

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Favorite Outfit Combo

For Christmas, I received a Loft gift card (which is valid at Loft stores in person & online, as well as on Loft Outlet online). I browsed both websites since my nearest Loft store is about 35 minutes away. I made a pretend cart in both sites and compared the savings I could get at each place. I decided to go with Loft Outlet and grabbed a few classic pieces that I'll show in a future post (a ballet neckline polka dot dress, a linen skirt, etc.) as well as a couple of 'out of the norm' pieces that I wanted to try. 

One piece was a black long sleeve sweater with faux pearl buttons on the wrists. I only have one other long sleeve sweater (from 10 years ago) so I figured it was probably prudent to have a cozy long sleeve option for these winter days. I wasn't sure how the pearl buttons would affect my opinion of the sweater but I really like it!

The other thing I chose outside of my comfort zone was a pair of cheetah print pants. I thought they'd go well with the black sweater, and bring some pep to my pants options. I've worn the outfit a couple of times already and it's very comfortable.

The pants are super comfy with a little bit of stretch.  They have a normal zipper and slide-clip closure and fit true to size. I ordered a petite length & they stop right at my ankles. 

The solid black sweater calms down the cheetah print of the pants. I wore bold black fabric rainbow tassel earrings with the outfit once but have since settled on wearing pearl studs to accent the sweater sleeves. 

The first time I wore this outfit to school, I paired them with my black & gold snakeskin flats but since then I've put them with my new running shoes. 

Over the Christmas break, I realized that I was having some issues with one of my big toes. I saw a podiatrist in January and he diagnosed me with extremely flat feet and slight bunions. He says because my ankles turn inward so much when I stand, my big toes actually cannot move and end up getting smashed against the top of my shoes. This in turn causes trauma on my toenails, leading to bleeding & bruising and nail separation. Actually, soon I will have to return to the podiatrist in order to get a toenail removed due to so much trauma. At this initial appointment, he told me to invest in some good running shoes and he gave me some medical quality orthotic inserts to put into the running shoes. 

I had to work up to wearing the inserts for 8 hours a day. As my foot reshapes itself so that my ankles straighten, my toes will begin to flex again as I walk (which they're supposed to do) and I won't have future toenail trauma. During this process, my feet (one in particular) constantly hurts on its underside as the insert is pushing my muscles into a proper arch. I know this will eventually get better though! 

Since I had to pick out a pair of running shoes & spend more money than I typically spend on shoes, I wanted something that was neutral enough to wear with lots of outfits but also something that had some personality. I narrowed it down to an Adidas pair from Nordstrom online & an Asics pair from Amazon. I went with the Asics pair (they were a bit cheaper & my mother in law recommended the brand). I chose a black pair with rose gold accents. I happened to have them on one day when I was wearing the same outfit as above. 

I pulled the hem of the pants up slightly to show the whole shoe in the photo. 

This is the outside edge of the shoe. 

Here's the inner edge.  

I've worn these shoes each day since I received them and I really like the color combo. The rose gold acts as a sensible pop of color which keeps the shoes "work wear appropriate." Maybe this spring I'll find a lighter color combo to accentuate the brighter spring wardrobe colors. 

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

 

Transitions

 In our county this school year, we have the option for students to attend school in-person the traditional way, or to complete their assignments online virtually.  Students can switch their option to attend traditional or virtual school at the beginning of each nine-week period.  Since we started school later than normal (on September 8th), we just completed the second nine weeks on Friday.  Therefore, tomorrow we start our third quarter. 

Now, in my school (the high school), we allow students to become virtual at any point they want to.  This gets them out of the crowded classrooms and allows the remaining students to spread out a bit more to lessen the chances of quarantining, etc.  However, if a high school student was virtual, he or she can only return to the traditional setting at the beginning of a nine-week period or if the student is failing and the principal makes the student return to traditional learning.  I teach the virtual and traditional students so if a traditional student became a virtual student in the middle of any given week, I am still going to be their teacher and I will handle all of their lessons online.  It seemed overwhelming at the beginning of the school year, but I feel very comfortable with it now.  It also makes for an easy transition if or when that student returns to the traditional setting (ie, I already know where they'd sit in the classroom, I already have their grades, etc.).  

At my sons' school (the elementary school), students have to choose the virtual or traditional path and have to remain that way until the nine weeks ends. This is because at their school, some teachers teach the traditional students and some teach the virtual students.  Since the beginning of the school year, my sons have utilized the virtual option.  My mother-in-law watches them during the day and conducts their school work with them and makes sure that they attend their Zoom meetings, etc.  At this halfway point in the school year, though, we have made the decision to switch them back to traditional learning. 

A number of things went into our decision.  I do feel as though they need the interactions with their peers.  It's nice to have all three kids around each other during the day, and they can get along well together but I think there's something special about getting to hang around people in one's own age group.  I think my third grader needs to run around with third grade friends at PE, and my first grader needs to make some first grade friends, etc.  My husband and I have paid attention to the Covid cases in our area and are seeing the decline in the Christmas spike, so we feel safe in sending them back to the traditional school setting.  Also, Avery is in the middle of potty training and has kind of had to fit her own schedule into the Zoom call and academic schedule of her brothers.  I think by sending them back to school, she will get more one-on-one attention and this will aid in her potty training efforts.  I also want to relieve my mother-in-law of some of the stress that comes with being the designated adult in charge of the virtual learning of two children.  Although she says she enjoyed re-learning their topics, I do feel as though it put a lot of extra pressure on her. 

I feel very much at peace with our decision and I do hope that it works out as well as I'd like.  Last week, I engaged in a multi-day and several hour communication ordeal in trying to get Michael's medical plan sent to the school in order for him to even be able to attend.  I also had to buy a few extra school supplies to supplement the supplies they needed while virtual learning. Just this morning, I finished up assembling their backpacks and their textbooks and all of the medical supplies for the nurses and teachers. I ordered some plastic water bottles (since the water fountains are turned off), and some mask-lanyards from Amazon in order to assist with the mask wearing at school and the hopes of not losing (too many) masks. :)  This is the world we live in now and I guess I need to fully embrace it.  I am at peace and I am content and confident.  I can't help but feel anything else other than this is God's will and He will bless it. 

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Hitting My Stride

It's taken me many years to get here and I know that I'm not finished yet.  By that I mean that it's taken me quite a while to fully understand myself and know what things I'm comfortable doing and what things I can pass on and learn to be okay with.  I don't have to do all things and participate in all things in order to be my best self.  Some things are worth passing on and other things are worth pursuing and I'm finally reaching the point where I am understanding which side of the line I fall on when it comes to certain things. Some of these things are miniscule and superficial.  Other things are more important and visible. 

Superficially, let's take shoes for instance.  I like the idea of pointy toe shoes and wedge booties. However, I have really come to understand myself enough to know that these shoe types don't work with me, and if they don't work with me then they work against me and I don't have time for that.  For example, I LOVE the look of these booties.  But I know that I will perpetually struggle to find the right outfit to wear them with which means they'll sit in my closet unworn for years until I'm ready to part with them.  

I also like the idea of the hidden wedge bootie, but a 4" heel is really just too much for me, and now I know this and can live with the fact that I wouldn't feel comfortable enough to wear these outside the house. 

I am much more comfortable in flats and will happily wear a pair of flats or pretty flip flops every single day since I know that it's right up my alley and fits my personal style. 

Moving on to clothes. 

I also love the idea of a flippy skirt, but I know that I'd never actually wear it because I'd struggle to find the right top and would feel like I exhausted the outfit after one wear.  How often can you wear a patterned flippy skirt before it becomes too noticeable?  Once a week?  Twice a month?  See??? This struggle of trying to figure out when to wear an outfit bears a load of stress I don't want to hang onto. 

Also... rompers and jumpsuits. I love the look of them, but as someone with a long torso, there's no guaranteeing that the midsection of the outfit would be long enough.  This renders them too much of a risk to pursue.   

These are just random items that came to mind.  These are things I would've bought in the past and then kicked myself for because I would find that I never felt comfortable enough to wear them.  I don't think this comes from insecurity; I think it comes from knowing more about my personal style. 

I have honed my personal decor style over time as well, and when I make a purchase that falls into this style, I don't feel bothered by it at all.  Rather I feel excited and at peace.  That's how I felt when I bought this comforter set yesterday.  Number one, it was half off so there's something to be said about jumping on a sale when I see it.  Number two, it fit in perfectly with an aesthetic I've been dreaming of for a guest room.  In our beach cottage that was destroyed by Hurricane Michael, we had a bedroom called the Dot Room.  This room used to have curtains that had dots all over them, and a fun brightly colored bedframe and blanket.  It's my dream to create a guest room in a future beach house that pays homage to the Dot Room.  When I saw this comforter set while browsing Target yesterday, I jumped at the chance to kick start the design aesthetic of this room by grabbing this blanket set and holding onto it until time to use.  

I also have learned more about who I am over the 2020 year.  I gave up social media in the summertime.  I haven't been on Instagram since June and I haven't logged onto Facebook since late summer or early fall (I can't remember exactly when I stopped logging in but it's been months and months).  Giving up social media and the strain that it caused was SO FREEING.  It's pretty common sense to think that my opinion isn't necessarily going to be the magical sway that someone else needs in order to change their own opinion.  Reading someone differing opinion doesn't make me change my opinion to fall in line with theirs.  Therefore, spending time reading through emotionally hazardous posts does nothing except rob my time and my well-being.  Sure there are bright spots of social media like keeping up with family members and offering words of encouragement (and receiving words of encouragement).  However, there are other avenues to pursue those bright spots and it doesn't have to be focused around mainstream media. 

A long time ago, I gave up trying to fit inside the typical mold of what a person of a certain age should watch on TV etc.  So many of the coworkers and peers around me were entranced in prime time TV and I felt like I needed to watch the shows too but eventually decided that keeping up with so many shows on such a strict schedule and filling my mind with the non-peaceful storylines was becoming too much.  Getting rid of cable helped with this.  But even after that, I had to make myself filter the shows I'd watch on streaming services because so many of them are filled with story lines of chaos and deceit and ill gotten gain and terror. It's not worth it to spend my time on those things.  Instead, I choose to watch shows that I know will end well. This means watching a lot of the same shows over and over and honestly, I really don't mind doing that.   

I've also honed my parenting style (for this current season that I'm in).  When I feel peace about something, I know it.  When I feel like I'm pressuring myself to do exactly what other parents of similarly aged children are doing, I know to resist the urge to "keep up with the Joneses" and return to my own parenting style.  This helps tremendously with keeping a clear mind and being able to see directly in front of me instead of veering off my path by trying to look all around me at what others are doing.  

I know I still have a long way to go and the truth is, there's probably no real end to learning about oneself.  However, I am amazed at how much better I feel as a person when I follow the path that I feel God has put me on, and when I stick to what I know rather than trying to buy & become someone I'm not. 

This was a very random post, but I guess it was what my heart needed to write. 

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba