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September 2017 I wrote

“After a blissful free summer, sometimes school and fall can hit you like a slap in the face. School, homework, practice, holidays right around the corner, and the days getting shorter. But… I guess it is good to have a reality check and get back into the swing of things. I think this time of year is the perfect time to set some intentions, try new things, reorganize your priorities, and get after it!

Keep an organized Calendar. Whatever it is, phone, planner, chalkboard, be consistent. And make sure you add new things when they come up.

Choose one new thing that challenges your mind. Try something new. A class, book, hobby, writing, job, side biz… Whatever it is, challenge yourself to broad your horizons, even if its just a little bit. Just don’t be afraid.

Keep the most important things the priority. Set your intentions. Know yourself. Do the most important things first. Life tends to just roll right through if you aren’t intentional with your time.

Choose a time of the week. Chose a time of the week where you are going to get organized, plan out the week, make lists, set goals, and get after life.

Don’t be afraid to try new systems. Don’t get stuck in the old ways. If you want to try something new like meal planning or a new grocery list app or a new online ordering system, do it. If it works for you, great, if not, stop. But you will never know if you don’t try.

It is okay to say no. You do not have to do everything. Say no, and don’t feel guilty about it. You can only handle so much.

Get rid of a few things. Look at your …

We love to CELEBRATE! People, things, events…you name it, we like to celebrate it! Especially if there’s a theme and costumes 🙂 Most recently, we celebrated our newest ONE year old of the family, Hezekiah, with a San Francisco Giants theme party. Our ROOKIE OF THE YEAR I made their shirts using my Silhouette Cameo and Silhouette Heat Transfers.
Sophie’s Shirt: “The Greats”

KRUK & KUIP…WILLIE & WILLIE…BUM & BUSTER…HEZI & SOPHIE
<– We had a last minute purchase (one of my favorite things from the party) and had buttons made with Hezi on them (You can see them in the picture to the left). We used MPix.com for the first time and were very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the pins and some photos that we got!

Costco is another great place to get pictures printed – no shipping costs when you pick them up at your local warehouse and can usually be printed in one day!

We used as many Giants puns and sayings as we could think of that would go with our party! We rounded up all of our paraphernalia and game promo items for our decor! The wall decals were made with Silhouette Vinyl. I have started the tradition of putting out a “Birthday Book” for party guests to write a message in and am hoping to continue this to give them after their 18th birthday.

The baseball field veggie tray (made by Mom – “the implementer”; I’m more of the idea person and then she makes it a reality 😀 including all of the items with fabric – garland, table runner, high chair skirt, Hezi’s pants and Sophie’s skirt, fabric gates) turned out amazing and made the food table so fun! We used ramekins filled with hummus for the bases, veggies …

This was our family’s first time doing the switch witch so I wanted to share our experience with you. While trick or treating friends told us the story of the Switch Witch. That she needs candy to build her house so she will come to your home (if you invite her) to take your candy and leave a toy in its place.

If you like to get really into the magic of storytelling there is a cute book and gift set I found on Amazon here.

We like to do things a little more low key, and we also decided to do this pretty last minute so we did not read the book. We stayed out trick-or-treating late and did not do the switch on Halloween night. As my wonderful, smart friend told her kids, “The Switch Witch can’t come on Halloween night because then the late trick-or-treaters would see her!!” LOVE!! So in our house we are going to stick with the tradition that the Switch Witch visits on November 1st. (Mom win!)

So the day after Halloween we decided that each of us would keep 10 pieces of candy. (Oh yes, Mom and Dad get to keep some too!!). The idea is the more candy you give the better toy you get. If you want or need to do that. My girls didn’t need to be persuaded. They were excited!

I would like to say that through this whole process the kids were completely on board with this idea. This is a voluntary thing. I didn’t make the kids give up their candy or put any limit on how much trick-or-treating they could do. I completely understand this won’t work for every kid or every family. This is our experience.

Next you have to leave the Switch …

This weekend we celebrate a truly amazing woman, our MOM!!!

She is a one-of-a-kind mom, wife, friend, Gammie, cheerleader, crafter, creator, prayer warrior…the list goes on and on. Here are a few words from your favorite girls (your daughters) to you, on your birthday, Mom.

Mom is the picture of what you think a mom should be. She is selfless, enthusiastic, energetic, involved, loving, compassionate, generous, and an amazing prayer warrior. She can do just about anything from sewing to teaching to hiking to organizing! She is such an amazing example of who I want to be as a mom and I am so thankful for who she is and so lucky she is my mom and my kids Grammie.

-Bethany

Happy birthday Mom. We love you more than words can express. Thank you for your devotion to us and our families. You are the best. We hope you have an even more incredible year than this last one. 

-Jess

The words that come to mind when I think about our mom is selfless, planner, go getter, faithful, friend, reminder of Truth, helper, learner, wise, and best mom & Gammie ever!

-Bekah

Mom, I love your adventurous spirit. You are always seeking adventure and the BEST in others. Your energy is infectious and you make everyone feel like they are loved. I am so blessed to be your daughter and have my girls grow up with you as their Gammie!

-Rachel

 …

I received an email today that seemed so relevant with the topic of GROWTH we are talking about this month. It was from Jordan Lee Dooley, an author, speaker and founder of SoulScripts. I follow her on instagram and she gives such encouragement and speaks Truth through her life experiences and through her joy for life.

Speaking of joy for life ^^^ 😀

I thought her email was pretty spot on with how we can grow away from jealousy so I wanted to share it with all of you…It is entitled “my #1 tip to overcoming jealousy”…

“If you’re anything like me, i can bet that you probbbbbably struggle with comparison from time to time.

okay, okay, let’s be honest here.

if you’re anything like me, you probably struggle with it a lot of the time.

but what is comparison, really? where does it come from?

i think so much of comparisons is rooted in jealousy.

ick.

i hate that word.

but recently i’ve been putting a little trick into practice and i want to share it with you.

cool? okay, cool.

so here’s my #1 tip for anyone struggling with JEALOUSY:

consider what you are jealous of in your friend or acquaintance. Is it her family? Her hair? Her success?

Identify the root of the issue. And, then, replace it with something about her that brings you joy. Is it the advice she gives? Her creative ideas? The way you guys can laugh like crazy together?

When I begin to envy my friends in any way, I try not to wallow in that feeling but instead remove the jealous thoughts and replace them with joyful truths.

i also try to remember that if i were to trade that one thing I’m jealous of, I’d also have to vie …