Sparks will Fly 4th of July BBQ Planner

We are planning a 4th of July BBQ on Friday. 

After the recent weeks of fun plans as well as working hard at our day jobs as well as our house refresh projects, I created a planner to keep my thoughts and planning organized for our event. 
I thought I would share this planner in the hopes that it would help some one else stay organized this Summer Holiday! 

Planning an Event I start out with a few favorite questions: 

Who: Who are we inviting? Who is attending?

What: What kind of event? What is the Schedule of the Event? What are we Eating? What Activities? 

Where: Where will the event be held?

When: What date is the event? What time is the Event?

Why: Why are we having this event?

Do you feel like you are back in Junior High? Those 5 W's add such simplicity to organizing thoughts.

Links to Recipe's for our BBQ: 

Salsa 

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

Grilled Steak Kabobs

Lemon Ice

Once I have the basic's identified I document the list of tasks that need to be accomplished to get us to  a super successful event!  This is a look of the Week prior to our BBQ. The list of tasks is a living document that changes as plans change. Like when your Carpet installer gets the date wrong and you have to move everything up a day in preparation. Included in the list are any daily to-do's or plans from our calendar that would impact the time available for us to prepare, like work or race car driving.

Finally I make my shopping list. Starting with the activities planned to the menu, I walk each planned item for what needs to purchased, and where to purchased at.  

I print the Planner pages out and keep them on my favorite clip board (Yeah its pink and monogrammed). Ryan and I review the list and distribute the tasks until we get everything completed. 

Wishing you a wonderful 4th of July full of Yummy BBQ and Lots of Sparklers!!! Thanks for stopping by!

A Girl with a Cat Face

This was in July of 1985, I was 6 years old.

Don’t you just love the dress I’m wearing? Something about seersucker and lace, that just makes me smile!

I have no idea why I have a cat face? Am I trying to make cat “ears” with my hands?  Who knows?? What I do know is that growing up I had some amazing summers which included swimming a lot, playing even more, and enjoying family.

I now find myself in a whole new “Tween” stage of life, too old for a summer break but young enough to miss one.  Old enough to have a busy calendar, but young enough to miss the family that is too far away by miles or the other side of heaven.  As we start this summer off I am passionately planning to find more time for floating in the water and loving the ones I share life with!

A Girl with a Gun

Welcome to Throwback Thursday if you are visiting from The Mom Creative 

Oh how this picture makes me smile!!!

Oh my letterman Jacket, such a symbol of my high school years. I lettered in Band. I am totally okay with that!! 

Oh My Last Name, or well my Maiden Name. I am so very proud to have been born to our Taylor Clan!  I also cherish my nick name “Scooter bug” given to me by my Dad, and that it has travelled with me into my Married years! 

This picture was taken in the desert surrounding the Calico Ghost Town  where we camp, play, and where we make wonderful memories year after year over the New Year Holiday. One of our favorite activities out in the desert is shooting lead into the dirt! Its great fun! 

Dad on a Boat

Welcome if you are stopping in from The Mom Creative!! I'm glad you are here! 

This is my Dad and I on a Boat.

A fishing boat in Hawaii, I was 13. I thought pink gecko tank tops and permed long bangs were fashionable.

This vacation was spent with my parents, and my Aunt and Uncle. We chartered a small fishing boat to snorkel on; it felt a bit like the Minnow.  We saw all sorts of amazing sea creatures and enjoyed the adventure together.  I can remember my Dad diving down to swim with sea turtles, and not understanding the tricks that clear blue water can play on depth perception. I can still feel the fear of sliding into the water knowing that I was going to break off a piece of coral (It was actually so much further down than I could comprehend).  Even when I didn’t trust his advice, my Dad stayed near and coaxed me through my fears. You see that’s what you do when you love someone, or at least that’s one way my Dad loves me.

This is my Dad and I on a Boat.

A fishing boat in Maine, I was 24. I thought that Pink hats and Pea coats were fashionable.

This vacation was spent with just the Taylor Trio (My Mom, Dad, and I). We chartered a small fishing boat to visit Puffins. Puffins are a sea bird, and also my Mom’s favorite animal.  These silly little birds call a little island off the coast of Maine home, and we were just crazy enough to go visit them. You see that’s what you do when you love someone, or at least that’s one way my Dad loves her. We arrived at the island and proceeded up mossy rocks and ropes (yes I slipped and fell, and anyone who knows me won’t be surprised) and spent our time listening to Puffins land on our blind, watching them waddle around, and hugged my Mom as her dreams came true! It was kind of magical!

These are just two, of many times that I have shared sweet time with my Dad on a Boat.  Water Skiing, House Boating, Whale Watching, Cruising, Fishing, oh and that time on the wave runner (let’s not talk about that, OUCH) are some of my favorite memories with him. 

There is something truly amazing about being the Daughter of this Man! He is skilled at loving us! He is a protector of my tender heart, and a wonderful example of a husband.  He is a lover of my Jesus, and lives his faith in all that he does! 

I am blessed to be his!  

Love you Dad!

Scooterbug

Lets Visit Wolves

I can't explain why I am so attracted to these creatures but I was so thrilled for the opportunity to spend a few hours with them. 

I was even more excited to share the experience with Ryan and my Parents.

It was quite amazing! 

Thank you Wolf Mountain for all of your care and love for these amazing Wolves!!! I am forever changed by their stories and eyes. 

Loving that Man - Incident with Chicken

Welcome to Loving that Man, a series of posts with musings, tips, and tricks to loving that special man in your life.

I woke up early to get my day started with the following plan:

1.   Watch “The Originals” on my DVR. (I have a bit of a bad vampire TV show obsession)

2. Get showered and dressed

3. Wake up Ryan.

4. Make our Lunches

5. Start our Dinner in a crock pot

It was a great plan!!

I was on track, checking each of my boxes until I pulled the chicken out of the freezer.

After unwrapping said chicken I noticed that the yellow spongy meat plate was not budging from the frozen chicken breasts. As I struggled, begged, and rinsed the meat to release the packaging, the chicken slipped out of my hands into the sink splashing all sorts of dirty soapy water around. It then jettisoned out of the sink and across the kitchen floor landing right in front of our dogs that were in audience.   

Needless to say there were three chicken breasts unfreezing in our trash can as I raced off to the office.

Note to everyone, buy chicken breasts in individually packed bags, or freeze chicken in bags.

Proverbs 31:15 - She gets up while it is still night; She provides food for her family 

The mornings come quickly at our house these days. For the last few months our schedules have been packed so full of fun, house refreshing (painting and what not), and work that my days seem to run together. It’s hard to find the discipline to stop and take care of the little mundane things. However, if I don’t I end up running from the Organized Chaos Death Squad, known as the OCDS. You know that squad of little gremlins that creates waist high piles of laundry, the one who whispers that it is perfectly reasonable to drive thru the nearest fast food restaurant for dinner because the meat is still in the freezer, or my personal favorite that moment when you realize that every bowl, spoon, and cup is either in the sink or laying around the house and you mysteriously feel okay about it. When I am seduced by this chaos, my world begins to fall apart.

Ryan has three pet peeves around our home: no clean clothes, dirty dishes and wasted food. Who can blame him? They are my pet peeves as well.  To avoid these things from happening I've made some changes to my routine that I wanted to share in hopes of helping other women avoid the OCDS and increase the happy man quotient!!!

1.   Laundry – Do a load a Night/Day. If I keep our laundry caught up this way, we don’t get into the “wash what we need” cycle. That cycle is costly to my wallet, water, and Ryan’s sanity.  This is a new routine for me, and I sometimes fail at it. I find that if I do a load at night and get in the dryer before bed, I can fold it the following morning. (For Transparency - Putting away clean laundry is a whole different story. I just hate that part, luckily Ryan doesn't mind it too much)

2. Dirty Dishes – When I am cooking dinner I am trying my best to:

a. Wash as you go – If you have a pot/pan/dish that you are done with wash it up when you have a free moment and put it in the dish washer.

b. Clean up ingredients as you are done with them. I try to put extra ingredients away as I am cooking so they aren't out on the counters when the meal is over.

c.  Fill up one side of the sink – for dishes that need to soak. As Ryan pointed out to me it’s better to fill up the side without the garbage disposal. You might need it!

d.Do the dishes after every meal. We get into a “Rinse so they don’t stink” cycle at times. Then you end up with multiple loads of dishes and nobody wants to do that!

3. Dinner – Meal Planning and Daily scheduling. On Saturday or Sunday I sit down and review our week. I note the evenings when we have plans and will need to eat out, and then plan dinners accordingly.  Freezing my meats for the meals is helpful on not wasting food, as long as I remember to defrost the meat in a timely fashion. I am really successful with this when I review my weekly calendar before bed so that I am prepared for the next day! I love my Erin Condren Life Planner right now for keeping our calendar and plans in sync.

Any suggestions to share on ways of maintaining a happy home that directly impact your special man, I’d love to hear them!

The Simple Woman's Day Book 5/6/14

Welcome if you are joining in from The Simple Woman's Daybook May Edition, I’m so glad you’re here!

FOR TODAY… May 6, 2014

Outside my window...66 degrees and a little cloudy. I just got the car washed, hoping those clouds aren't bringing rain with them.

I am thinking...about losing our loved ones. Yesterday Ryan was hit with two loses at work, a co-worker's sister, and another co-worker's husband. In the evening we learned that we lost a family member as well to cancer. These days are hard, and their loss makes everyone hurt. It also brings unresolved relationships to the front of our hearts, and places a sense of urgency on finding resolution.

In the kitchen...bringing healthy lunches to work, and home cooked meals for dinner. I went to the The Queen Bee Market last weekend and picked up 5 slow cooker/crock pot mixes to try from Whatcha Got Cookin!! We are trying the Ranch Bacon Chicken over Baked Potatoes this week!

I am wearing... my The Adopt Shoppe necklace that I got at the marketplace last weekend. I am super thrilled to be wearing it! Such a blessing!

I am creating...Photo books for this year. I am using Artifact Uprising and preparing a soft cover book each month for our coffee table!

I am reading...The Nesting Place, and I am so very consumed. I read it in less than 3 days. I am completely obsessed with planning for our home, taking some of her suggestions and breathing reality into it! This is a book that speaks to my heart in so many ways! Go get it, it will bless you!

I am hoping...that my Parents return safely home from their Trip to Israel. They left last night about 9:30 on the first leg of flights, and are now somewhere between Canada and Washington State. They get here at LAX around 4. I can’t wait to squeeze their necks.

I am looking forward to... Mother’s Day with my Mom on Sunday.  Have I mentioned that she left me for the Promised Land...oh..you can read about it here.

Around the house...Continued work on our Bedroom Refresh. We have painting to finish, and lighting to hang.  We are hoping to start our final upstairs bedroom next weekend as well!

I am pondering...about how I can be a better wife to Ryan. I am working really hard on quieting my spirit so that I don’t respond in harsh ways. God is so faithful in this.

A favorite quote for today...

A few plans for the rest of the week: Tonight – Pick up my Mom and Dad, Friday – Massage and Facials Date Night, Saturday – Painting and share some time with our Friends, Sunday – Mother’s Day with my Momma!

A peek into my day...

We celebrated one of our dearest friends birthdays at the beach last Sunday! 

There is something about being at the beach with this man that equals heaven on earth for this girl!