Winter Beauty

We will always appreciate the time we have lived here in the PA mountains!

We are renting a place, right in front of a creek & we can enjoy all the seasons & changes that we see with the creek.

Currently, it is rushing from all the rain we got yesterday.

In the summer, it's barely a trickle, but it fills up a nice water hole for swimming.

Last week, when the temps were barely getting out of the single digits, it froze pretty thick that Clint & the kids were playing on it. Me, I'd rather stay inside when it's that cold out.

Clint took some beautiful pictures that I want to share...

They probably were the coolest pictures I've ever seen that were taken with a cheap-o digital camera that's about 5 years old! 

Pretty cool, huh?! We think so too :)

Now it's off to start planning a mini-birthday celebration for my big 3 year-old this weekend! :)

Almost Friday - But It's Our Friday

Friday is here in our household. But to the rest of the world, it's still Thursday!

Our weekend consists of 6 days - will be 6 much needed days off for Clint.

Working in single digits is no fun apparently.

I'm so blessed to be able to be home & not have to go anywhere in this frigid weather.

We've had days on end with really cold weather, teamed up with lake effect snow flurries.

Let's just say the kids & I have hardly gone anywhere this past week.

For more reasons than the bitterly freezing weather though...

The kids & I have been struggling with this nasty cold that is just taking it's good ol' time passing through our household. (Thanks a lot you not-so-fun virus!)

So I don't even need to say that we've been having lots of snuggle time.

The nights have been quite an adventure... it's been several in a row, where these 2 are up - coughing, sneezing, fussing & just don't want to go back to bed. We are all going to sleep well once this passes!

Lately, we've been enjoying lots of smoothies. It seems to help soothe the kids' scratchy throats. Not that the weather is necessarily "smoothie weather", but we love them no matter what season it is!

So thankful for these 2 cuties, even if they are super snotty & coughy lately.

Have a great Thursday! I hope you all are staying healthy & warm! :)

If we were having coffee together this morning...

I'd tell you "Good Morning!"

I'd tell you that my coffee is delicious. How is yours?

I'd tell you that I have to drink my coffee with creamer. I haven't got used to drinking coffee without all the bad-for-you sweeteners.

I'd tell you that I hadn't been drinking coffee for a while and when I wanted to start again, my coffee pot was broken. My good friend Tonya brought me up one of her old coffee pots that still work. She's the best! And now, I can join in on this Saturday morning coffee blog hop! :)

I'd tell you that having an adult coffee date is a lot of fun. A date away from the kids is long overdue. I'm hoping that Clint & I can manage to make that happen sometime in the next couple weeks.

I'd tell you that we have lots of snow on the way in our part of the country. I will enjoy it, since I really can't control it!

I'd tell you that it's way too windy outside for my liking. I hate the wind - it gives me earaches. Clint teases me about it, but I just can't help it. I'd also tell you that it's supposed to get frigid cold the next few days.

I'd tell you that I'm dreaming of living in a warmer place!

I'd tell you that I want to stay in my jammy pants, over sized long-sleeve, & my cozy socks all day. I probably can't, because I should really venture out to Walmart to stock up on a few items that we are running low on.

I'd tell you that my belly is getting bigger & bigger. I wish we were together this morning, because I could see  my belly moving, from this little girl wiggling around inside!

I'd tell you that it really doesn't feel like Saturday because Clint is working, but that's alright! We always enjoy & don't take for granted the time we do have with him!

I'd tell you overall we are doing well. The kids & me might be coming down with a nasty cold, but we can't escape that. I'd tell you that although it's cold & windy, we do have beautiful sunshine & for that I'm grateful!

After all that, I'd then tell you I'm sick of talking about me & I'd ask about you!!!

I'd ask how you've been feeling? What's new?

I'd ask what your Saturday plans are?

I'd tell you that I wish we were on our way to do something crazy, fun together!

I'd tell you that I'm loving this quote that I pinned on >MY PINTEREST<.

I'd tell you that I hope you find it encouraging too!

I'd then tell you that I hate to cut this coffee date short, but I better get breakfast started for my wonderful littles.

I'd tell you to enjoy your Saturday & I will too! :)

Friday, Friday!

How is everyone on this lovely Friday? :)

I figured I'd share a bit into our world lately, just for fun.

This past week, we had some visitors up.

Carly & Rogue's friends (and their Mommy & Daddy) came up for an overnight visit.

We all always love getting together. The kids have a way lot of fun & we adults enjoy visiting and keeping up after the kids. They had lots of fun playing in the freshly dumped snow! I managed to snap this picture of them - lollis & all...

Karin, Carly, Sierra, Grant, Rogue, Leah & Jackson

It was a fun way to end our long weekend (Clint's days off of work).

And Thursday night, as I was making...

THIS:

Confetti Chicken

AND THIS:

Snickerdoodle Brownies

My 2 little children decided to do...THIS

Haha, I just HAD to get a picture of it. I had asked Carly to put my new magazine in the living room & when I peeked in, it was about halfway ripped apart. It wasn't one of my favorites, so I let them carry on. They were playing nicely together & we really wanted to get dinner finished.

I pinned each of these recipes on Pinterest. You can visit my Pinterest page >HERE<. 

The recipes can be found at each of these links:

Confetti Chicken

Snickerdoodle Brownies

The confetti chicken was a hit! Clint loved it & so did the kids. They love anything with noodles in it.

I didn't follow the recipe exactly. It's not very often that I do follow a recipe exactly. I'm sort of a dumper...with most recipes!

How about you - do you always follow recipes to the T?

Or are you a dumper like me?

Happy Friday! :)

This was the kids helping us make scrambled eggs the other morning!

Crochetbyshea Etsy Shop!

Crochetbyshea <<< {Click here to get to the shop.}

I wanted to do a post to advertise a super cute Etsy shop that has newly opened!

My friend Chrissy, crochets these adorable headbands & scarves - for girls & women!

I had her make me a few for Christmas gifts this year & they were a hit :)

They are absolutely well-made and are so stylish.

Grab one for you or a friend - I can promise they will be loved!

Shopping homemade gifts is a great way to save $ during the holidays, birthdays, or a just because gift. Homemade & DIY is also a great way to decorate! I've found that I don't have the time to make nearly all the things I'd like to. So finding a friend or family member that has a special talent & can make something beautiful, is a great route to go. Most of the time, someone you know will more than likely make you something cheaper than someone you don't know! So bargain & trade with whatever talent you have (even if it's offering babysitting her kids for an afternoon or night!) to "purchase" those unique homemade items. This is a money saver to me especially for personal items or gift items!

Link Ups:

Almost Friday, Thursday Blog Hop! 

Thrifty Thursday

Help Get Idaho Christian Pastor Saeed Abedini Home

Saeed has been detained by the Iranian government for his faith.

Please follow THIS LINK to get to the petition to try to get this pastor home.

HERE is an article in the Jerusalem Post about it.

PLEASE SIGN!!!

Hello Monday - A Monday Adventure

I'm linking up with Lisa Leonard for Hello Monday!

Hello Monday. You came & went so fast, but thanks for a wonderful day!

So Sunday night Clint & I were talking about what we'd like to do on his next couple days off. For those of you that don't know, my husband has a work schedule of 8 days on & 6 days off. It's nice in many, many ways. We do have to be careful of spending though, on his days off.

We decided to take a little adventure up to Watkins Glen in NY on one of the finger lakes. We've never been up that way, so we thought it'd be fun. We heard a lot about different things up there & couldn't wait to get a look for ourselves.

The weather was a chilly 40ish degrees. It was windy too. And I hate wind. But we did have the sunshine & that made it beautiful!

We drove to the south side of Seneca Lake, which is Watkins Glen.

 We went to the state park there & saw the AMAZING gorge. Apparently, there's thousands of miles of trails running through here - clear out to the Dakotas! We weren't able to walk far because of ice being on the trails. But we did get a super cool shot of the water rushing through the gorge.

The kids wanted to play on the playground at the state park, so we took a little break & let them have fun! I snapped some cute photos!

We enjoyed a packed lunch under a pavilion before we were on our way to adventure again.

We then took a nice scenic drive around Seneca Lake & around the other side, while the kids napped, before we headed home!

We had a super fun day. It's fun to break up the same old of being at home & go out to explore the area that we live in! And when you can just take a day trip to do so, that makes it easier & more spontaneous! :)

 We really can't wait until the weather warms up to go up again. We have lots more to see, do, & explore! There's lots of waterfalls in the area, big & small that we want to see. We want to go swimming & do more hiking!

Anyone been to Watkins Glen or the Finger Lakes before?

We would love to hear some touring advice on what to see & do the next time we go up!

Thursday Blog Hop & Get To Know Me!

I'm linking up here for the "Almost Friday Thursday Blog Hop!"
I lacked a good post for today, so I saw this ABC, get to know me post at Living For His Glory. I'm a new follower of Mariel's blog & it's super cute! Check it out. She also hosts today's blog hop!
Today is basically our Friday, since Clint starts his 6 days off tomorrow. We love this schedule...it's like a mini vacation every other week...without spending much money! :)

A. Age:  23!!!

B. Bed size: A queen mattress. We wouldn't like or have the room for anything bigger!

C. Chore you hate: Folding & putting away the laundry. I don't mind washing it all, I despise folding it. Hence, the 2 loads of clean laundry that have been in my room for 2 days now!!

D. Dogs: Zip zero & we're ok with that for now. We'd like to get a small dog, hypo-allergenic, sometime for the kiddos. Then, when we have a house, we'll get a dog that stays on the porch & is never inside. Big dogs inside make houses so gross (just my opinion!)

E. Essential start to your day: Nothing lately...well a potty stop for sure with this growing belly of mine ;) I was trying to get into drinking some 1/2 caffeinated coffee in the morning until my coffee pot broke. I'll be getting a new one soon though!

F. Favorite color: Probably pink, but I like to wear a lot of browns & neutrals.

G. Gold or Silver: White Gold, no doubt about it!

H. Height: 5'6" ish

I. Instruments you play: played: Piano & the flute. I'd love to start playing piano again so I can teach my kids when they get a little bigger!

J. Job Title: Stay-at-home Momma! And the best paying one there is :)

K. Kids: 2 1/2. We've got one brewing away right now, that's due in May :)
Carly, she's less than a month shy of 3

Rogue, he's 1 1/2

Yes, they are 15 months apart. They basically look like twins! 

L. Live: PA Mountains. We moved here a year ago for Clint's new job. We enjoy it here & will always cherish the time we spent here, but we're pretty certain we don't want to end up here the rest of our lives. Sometimes the mountains make me feel claustrophobic ;)
We'll be patient & see where our lives lead us!

M. Married: Yes, to my best friend! I can't believe it's coming on 4 years this July!

N. Nicknames: Bern, Babe...that's about it

O. Overnight hospital stays: Just when I had my 2 little babes!

P. Pet peeve: An almost full dvr, email inbox, or text message inbox. I delete stuff often to keep it open. 

Q. Quote:..Verse: Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved!" :)

R. Righty or Lefty: A righty, like most!

S. Siblings: 3...an older brother, a younger sister, & a younger half-brother

T. Time you wake up: When Rogue comes to wake me up...usually around 7:45-8 each morning. Sometimes the kids sleep in & it's glorious!

U. University attended: Millersville for one summer's worth of classes. I then went to a smaller college for a year & then community college for a year. I hated school. 

V. Vegetables you dislike: Brusselsprouts

W. What makes you run late: Haha, children. Or the scrambling to get myself ready, because I was fussing with the kids first!

X. X-rays you've had: On my wrist after I broke it in Maine...trying to snowboard!

Y. Yummy food: Everything & anything...depends what I'm in the mood for. I love seafood...it's prob my ultimate favorite. But I love some good Chinese food. And also a good hearty, grilled steak!!!

Z. Zoo animal favorite: I haven't been to the zoo since...school years. I'll prob get to go on a field trip or something with the kids once they get in school. I asked Carly her favorite zoo animal & she said an elephant. Mine would probably be a lion!

Hope you enjoyed this little get to know me!
Enjoy your Thursday!

New Layout & Some Pics

Here is my "Random Wednesday" post!

So, I tried to freshen things up a bit with a new layout.

I am super proud of the header that I spent a few hours on this morning :)
It was well worth the time!

I hope to keep up more with this little blog of mine, and maybe it could blossom into more than just

 random-ness that I feel no one ever reads ;)

Here are a couple silly pics of the kids to leave you with!

Check back often & even follow along to see my more frequent updates!

Happy Wednesday Friends :)

Rocking Mommy & Daddy's boots before breakfast 

Hanging out in the new tent!

Miss sassy pants

Handsome big boy