Welcome, December!

I cannot believe it's December 1st, but I'm so glad it is! 

It's officially the Christmas season in our home, and I love seeing how excited our kids get during the holiday season. 

Today our elves returned. Q.E. and Lucy came back and brought a note and ornaments for the kids. Sam the reindeer is also here & will get to be held by all 3 kids throughout the next several weeks. 

The elves brought an ornament for each kid. These are very special & relate back to something the kids are interested in. 

Michael received a Nintendo NES game system ornament. 

Avery received Clara holding a Nutcracker. 

Noah received a festive armored police vest. 

They love their ornaments, and I love their sweet pure joy. It's the most wonderful time of the year! 

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Backpack Nook

With all three kids in school, we have LOTS of school things to keep track of-- backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes, jackets, etc. 

We have a little cushioned shoe bench by the front door with some shoes cubbies underneath. We initially stored the backpacks on the shoe bench but they took up the whole bench and eliminated a space to sit while putting on shoes! Also, the amount of shoes we have is ridiculous and they all serve a different purpose (school, outside play, sandals). The school appropriate shoes would get lost in the other shoes and would cause a scramble in the morning.  

So... enter internet scrolling and seeing inspiration about using a 9-opening cubby system as a backpack hub. Basically, this lady took a 9 opening cubby and only created 3 cubes and 3 longer rectangular areas. I thought this was a great idea so I took a screenshot and sent it to Aaron. I immediately ordered my preferred finish of a cubby system from Target along with 3 fabric cubes. I figured it would be super simple to assemble and then voila easy peasy it would be ready to use! 

Not so. 

I wanted to be able to put this together by myself but found out that the alignment of the boards would not allow me to do what I needed the board manipulation to do. I only wanted 3 cube-like openings and then 3 long rectangular openings. The system alignment wasn't separated out to do this though. Aaron, being an engineer, figured out how to make it work and he helped me build it so it would function as I wanted. He's the best. We ended up having to tip the structure on its side to get it to line up the way I wanted. But it totally worked and it's an amazing little storage area! 

Now we can use our shoe bench as a place to put on shoes and can use the backpack nook to store the backpacks and accessories! School shoes fit in the fabric cubbies under the backpack section. This is working out really well and has streamlined our morning routine. 

Each kid has their own section. 

Their specific cubby is below their backpack. 

It's super convenient to store school shoes here for easy access in the morning!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Homemade Chicken Broth

Lately in my house, the Crockpot is the real MVP. Last week, we used the Crockpot four times for meals, and on Saturday I used it to make chicken broth! 

I buy chicken broth on a fairly regular basis and had never ventured to make my own. However, I heard my mom say she uses the bones from a rotisserie chicken to make broth and I thought that was such a great idea! I had a rotisserie chicken that I used as the meat for poppyseed chicken casserole on Friday, and I was careful to keep the bones and carcass for making broth. 

On Saturday afternoon, I put the chicken bones & carcass in the Crockpot and added two beef boullion cubes. I covered the chicken with 6 cups of water and turned the heat to low for 4 hours. After time was up, I let the broth cool a bit. 

I used a mesh strainer, a stainless steel funnel, and a pot to navigate the movement of chicken pieces from the Crockpot. I was able to fill two 16 ounces Mason jars and part of a takeout container. I let those cool on the counter before adding the lids. I am pretty pumped to get 5 cups of broth! I stuck one jar in the fridge and the other two containers in the freezer. This was so super easy that I'll definitely do it again. 

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Hello, November!

Welcome, November!

We had a sweet little journey to trick or treat last night. We got an early start so that we'd be done by dark, and we were pretty successful! 

We started at my Nana's house and then continued on towards a church member's house who was so sweet to ask us to come by. We made our way to two out of three grandparents' homes (the third was at an event) and wandered around my parents' neighborhood for a bit. We ended our trip by heading to another church member's home before getting some pizza and heading home. 

It was a sweet little adventure & I'm so grateful for these moments when all of my children want to participate in an event. 

This year, we had a ninja, Rapunzel from Tangled (notice the frying pan and Pascal!), and Sonic the Hedgehog. What a fun crew!

They each have a full pumpkin bucket of treats like cheese puffs, pretzels, and candy. The memories together are just the best! 

Today we welcome in November with very chilly weather. I added just a couple extra garlands to increase the Thanksgiving vibe in our home. On a side note: Michael & I cannot wait to start decorating for Christmas but we'll give Thanksgiving its moment as well. 

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

October Happenings

Happy Halloween! 

We find ourselves at another Halloween! This one is extra special because it's our first one in our new house! We are excited to finish school today and get ready to trivk or treat at our usual spots. Tonight I'll be in the company of a ninja, Sonic the hedgehog, and Rapunzel (affectionately called "Tangled" by Avery). The temperature here is dropping by about 20 degrees during the course of the day so we'll be bundled up while we go on our adventure. 

We've had a busy month (evidenced by my lack of posting). Aaron & I celebrated 14 years of marriage! We had a nice dinner out (and realized we've vastly improved on our cooking abilities and probably don't need to return to that restaurant) and he bought me some On Cloud shoes that he knew I'd never buy for myself. I wear them nearly everyday. :) 

Avery & Noah both had picnics at school that I was able to attend on my lunch breaks which I was super thankful for! I was also able to attend their Fall Fun Day last week which was a blast. I am loving the chance to attend some of their school functions. 

Michael is doing well academically as he navigates middle school and all of the excitement it brings. 

Aaron & Noah built a legitimate dog house for our puppy girls. We are happy to have a secure place for them that they can grow into when they need some outside shelter. 

I'll keep you posted on our costume festivities!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Why it Takes Me an Hour to Change the Sheets

Just kidding. It's probably really more like 20 minutes to change the sheets in all 3 kids' rooms. But why so long, still?! 

Because they stuff their beds to the brim with blankets, stuffed animals, pillows, toys, random craft supplies, you get the idea. 

Today, I went to change the sheets for all the beds in the house. I've found that it's easier to change the kids' beds if I make a pile of what came from their bed. Then I can replace the pile onto their bed after I put on fresh sheets. Now this pile does include pillows and their actual blanket but it also includes SO much more! Take a peek. 

Avery's:

Noah's (I piled everything from top bunk onto the bottom bunk): 

Michael's: 

All three! I do not understand why all of them feel as though they need to have so. many. objects in the bed, but they do, so here we are. 

After making the possession piles, I washed all the sheets and put a different set on Noah's top bunk & Avery's bed. They have spare sets but Michael doesn't, so his bed was last to be made today. 

Here's how neatly everything fits after changing sheets, making the bed, and replacing the piles. 

Avery's: 

Noah's: 

Michael's (also with a washed bed skirt): 

And now my children are ready for a night of being nearly squished out of their beds by toys, stuffed animals, pillows, extra blankets, and zipper pouches. But at least they'll have clean sheets!

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Photo Round Up Fall 2023

Our lives get really busy between mid-August to late September when we have 5 birthdays for family (Michael, Avery, Aaron & 2 grandparents!). Time gets away from me & suddenly I realize it's the end of the month & I've hardly posted. Here's a round up of some pictures to represent some things we've done lately. 

Lego house creations:

Zuzu falling asleep on coffee table: 

Making cake with modeling clay: 

Playing Sorry while I finished up work one day:

Picking grapes on a walk. 

Being a part of the 100 (blood sugar) club! 

Dot Day at school! We got to go watch a presentation in Avery's class!

 

We got to go to Noah's class on Dot Day too!

Make your mark! 

Noah made a McDonald's in minecraft:

Michael dressed as a tacky tourist for homecoming week! 

I made mini pumpkin cream pies! 

Aaron requested steak & Caesar pasta salad for his birthday dinner. We made chimmichurri to go on the steak. 

We played KingDomino the other evening.

I've waited SUCH a long time for this creamer to go on sale so I could try it & it was a fun surprise to find it BOGO at Publix this week!

Watching Aaron be a dad is super fun! 

We've stayed pretty busy with school work (for kids & for me!). Both puppies were spayed last week and are begrudgingly in the healing process. I'm officially out of trainee status at work. Aaron is back from all of his late summer trips & we're glad to be together enjoying our first fall in our home. 

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba