Nature witnessed

We went for a nice long walk as a family yesterday and were able to show our girls nature in one of its purest form. We have had a few weeks of on and off rain, causing green to grow everywhere as Spring has Sprung. Me and my husband were over whelmed with the beauty before us and the excitement in our daughters eyes as we witnessed seeing a weasel, sheep and goats and so much beautiful earth.

My favorite time of the year is Spring for obvious reasons, but now it is so much more to me. My daughters eyes are pure and naive to this world and as they grow each day she learns and absorbs this world like a sponge. This current weather is gorgeous and even though my husband and I are both exhausted by time he comes home, we are making an honest to god effort to get OUTSIDE with our girls and show them what God has laid down upon our earth. Such things surround our city like baby animals, sheep, horses, nature preserves, creeks, lakes, farms, and so much more. We vowed to each other last night to make the most out of our lives and the lives of our children. We vow to turn off our TV, and leave our home to witness and teach our children the wonders of this earth.

Excuses are what most humans are made of. I can't go to the park because I'm too tired of being up all night with the baby, I'm too tired from work. We can't do things with our kids because we don't have money. It's raining out, I can't go for a run. I hear and say I can't more often than I am proud of. I crave to leave excuses behind. Excuses are mountains in front of your goals, your dreams.

So, I am encouraging my family and you to go outside, put down any excuses (no matter how good they are) and witness this world before us. Show it to your little ones, or just get out doors and enjoy it yourself by yourself. Sit amongst what is here and if its not near you (run there or bike there or drive).

Here are some pictures from our walk. Enjoy what our eyes witnessed and then put down the computer. Close pinterest, tell twitter you'll be back and GET OUTSIDE! lol.

Weekend life

This weekend was lucky, relaxing and productive. To start off we were able to get my amazing Aunt to watch both kids all day Saturday and then my husband's parents wanted to babysit them on Sunday. Hence, we were kid free!!! It was amazing I will not lie. I did miss the heck out of the them, but sleeping for more than 5 hours was much needed. What we did with our time was this...

We painted. Well I taped...

And He painted...

After a rain, I got to witness this...

I had my first shamrock shake...

We watched The Hunger Games on our big screen...(Also watch the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)


Yet again another crazy sky...

And then the sun shone down upon us...

Other than that, I got to run some errands alone (amazing), and was in my pj's almost all weekend! 

This week is going to be filled with post of crafts and lovely days with my girls and hubby. I love spring break, even though I secretly feel guilt/weird that I'm not doing loads of homework. 

How to give up Starbucks but not the latte's

I am a coffee-aholic, in that I can NOT have just one cup everyday. My husband knows not to talk to me until I've have had my coffee or else he ends up talking to a very angry ZOMBIE! Hence, I have about 2-3 latte's or mocha's or several shots of espresso on a daily basis. We are not rich or even well off and could never think about affording a Starbucks habit.



When our coffee machine broke after 6 years of life it was time to spring for another one. We however are Mr. & Mrs. Cheap-o's. We refuse to spend full retail price, but we like to buy the best of the best. When we started researching coffee makers, we realized that we wanted an espresso machine so we could make those delicious Starbucks drinks we love but could not afford. We researched for 2 months, and found the top 3 espresso machine we wanted. They were very pricey and ranged from $500-1200. I know what you are thinking. I am nutts right? So lets break it down. If you buy 1 Starbucks a day for 1 year you will be spending an average of $1,514.75. Okay I will give you a second to stop hyperventilating. Even though springing for a expensive espresso machine, you still have to buy the beans, the favor's for the latte's plus the milk.

What we did to save even more money was start searching for used espresso machines on Craigslist. After a few weeks, we found one. It was on our top 3 list and was listed for $120. It was only 5 months old, and the only reason it was selling and for so cheap was because the couple broke up and the steam wand on the machine needed to be replaced (which is a $15 replacement part). When we met up with the seller (at a target! Never meet them at their home) we asked them to plug it in a target outlet to be sure it worked. We haggled them down to $100.
Because this machine was used, bought these decalsifing tablets that clean the machine and a new wand.

We started buying our espresso beans in bulk on amazon as well as our favors. Not that it matters, but we buy our milk (soy) at Winco because they are the cheapest in our area. Now our machine used about 4-5 beans per shot of espresso and we use a teaspoon of flavoring and a 1/2 a cup of milk to make our amazing lattes that taste JUST LIKE STARBUCKS! One latte at our home costs less than $0.50. Lets do some math again. Having one latte at home a day is less than $182.50 per year and if you add in the espresso machine we bought, the first year is $282.50 which is $1,232.25 less than buying one Starbucks a day.

Now I know that deals on craigslist are hit or miss, but if you do the research and find a machine you like and do find it, I encourage you to take the leap. Our machine is the best investment we have made this year. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our machine and our coffee.

If you have any questions during your espresso machine research, or any questions I will be more than happy to answer. We did a massive amount of research. I am practically an expert in the area of coffee.

(Here is a photo of my 4th Love! After of course my husband and kids)

It's a Smashbook

It's Spring Break for me, which means it's crafting time.

Today I started a Smashbook. You might ask "What's a smash book?" Well I have an answer for you. It's a notebook, sketch book, or daily planner "smashed" with anything and everything that inspires you, reminds you, or makes you smile.

My plan is to use it for inspiration and designs and things that make me happy.

Here are some photo's from my Smashbook fun (and mess)!

Like my Mother + a Letter to God

My mother has always been a strong woman, throughout her life before me and always before mine. She's has been knocked down on her feet many times in life, but stood up each and every time. Losing her mother at a young age, getting pregnant and then married just 5 months later, dealing with me as a teenager and my fathers anger. Ups and downs pass through her life consistently. She is a woman of prayer and I know that God watches out for her, but beyond that I believe she overcomes by her brutal strength. I look at her now, more than I ever have before as a role model. Now that I am a mother, I see and feel what she has gone through. Difficult days that make you feel as if you are about to drown and those good days that make you feel as if to burst you are so happy then everyday in between.

I use to say that I would never be like my mother (as a teenager), because in my mind I had it all figured out. I was a free spirit and did not want to be held down, or protected. I was lost during this time in my life and drifted far away from family, friends and all who loved me. Now that years have passed, and family and friends are most dear too me, I see just how much I am like my mother and my only hope now is that I can take on her strength.

Like my mother, I am a stay at home mother. Like my mother I was planning my wedding and found out I was pregnant a few months before the "big day". Like my mother I have passion for all things crafty. Like my mother I HAVE passion for to many things. Like my mother, I am a perfectionist and take on more than I can handle. I am this, and so much more...Like my mother.

I am proud to be this, what I am. I am proud that I am like her. And today after having a difficult morning I found myself praying for her strength or at least what strength God will give me.

Dear God, (Yes I start my prayers like a letter)

I am in pain right now father, and need to overcome this feeling of letting the people in my life down. I need more time (though since that is not an option) I am asking for strength to get through each day and striving very hard to give all my time to family and school. I want to be there for my children when they need me to cuddle, to play and not just the bare essentials. I want to  be there for my husband when he feels I am not providing enough time for him. Allow me the ability to put down the books and the cell phone so I can give him what he craves. There are far worse things that I could be complaining about and I am thankful to you for my wonderful life and the love I receive from my family. Please help me Lord, to give them more of myself. Please Lord, give me the strength that I crave.

Love your daughter,
Mandi