Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn

This book is a definite must read from me to you.  I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the book.  Maybe my review below will give you an idea.


Robin's an amazing artist. Painting pictures with her words that make me feel like I am right there being part of the story. Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes tells the story of pen pals Summer and Noelle. They have been pen pals since childhood but had never met face to face. Summer's sudden medical diagnosis of an abnormal mammogram sends her sideways. After talking to her husband they decide a week of denial and fulfilling a lifetime dream of meeting Noelle face to face can become a reality and Summer is off to Holland. Dinner the first night of her visit set the tone for her visit. Calm, peaceful and honoring. Nothing was rushed or forced.

Summer's basic nature to control her environment is challenged in a variety of mishaps that kept me in stitches. An unplanned dip in the chilly North Sea where a rascally seagull stole her sock and she had to slosh back across town to the car in her sandy, wet apparel was one of the highlights that kept me laughing.

Noelle was so gracious and amiable and let Summer just be Summer. I love the depth of the friendship as Noelle kindly and gently reprimands Summer for her need to control instead of just going with situations and trusting.

God's presence was clearly felt in the clarity and insight each woman experienced on her road to restoration and faith.

I now very much want to make a trip to Holland in the spring to experience the bulbs in bloom and the colorful wooden shoes and the Delft tiles and of course pannenkoeken. She's right, it is fun to say.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have.


 
http://www.amazon.com/Sisterchicks-Wooden-Shoes-8/dp/1601420099/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428349873&sr=1-1&keywords=sisterchicks+in+wooden+shoes


PS. As a note, I received the book for free to review.  All opinions are completely my own.  I attached the link in support of the book not for any monetary reward.  No affiliate links.

Believing in myself

Have you ever gotten to that point in you life where you know you are capable of so much more than you've done or hoped for?  That feeling that you've been holding yourself back from better things?

That's the feeling I've been feeling.  I always start with great aspirations only to fizzle out soon after starting.  I make huge goals then quickly forget them and go back to my same old routines.  I've allowed myself to get stuck in this pattern with my life.

It's time to change things up and start living my dreams instead of just setting them on a shelf for me to follow someday.  Over the next few days I am going to be writing my goals list for next year, not resolutions but actual goals that have a timeline and are measurable and that stretch me to be who I know I am and to do more than I currently think I am capable of.  Some of the goals have been dreams for a long time.  Some of them are relatively new.  All of them are going to require discipline and self control and focus.

I am nervous and excited and can't wait to see how things turn out.

Hope you'll join me for the journey.

Goals for the last week of 2013

Personal:

Write 3 blog posts

Finish reading Say Goodbye to Survival Mode and write review and blog post about it.

Voice Practice for 2 1/2 hrs

Mail letters and packages, yes, I am later getting a couple Christmas gifts out but I have very understanding loved ones.  Whew!

Parenting:

Finish reading Spirit Animals to lil man.  Start reading Artimis Foul to him.

Have one on one time with the oldest lil.

Health:

Walk at least 2 miles 4 days.

Drink 80 oz water daily

Relational:

Write 3 letters (and mail them) to friends.

Call my Aunt to encourage and catch up.

Crafty:

Finish the scarf I'm working on and make another as well.

Merry Christmas to one and all.

As I sit here at 2:30 in the afternoon still in my pj's, I reflect on what Christmas really means to me.

Christmas is...the reason for my hope and joy.  It astounds me that Jesus stepped out of Heaven to come to this world to endure all He did for me and all of humanity.

My life doesn't look like I want it to but I have a peace that God will bring me to the place HE wants me to be and that gives me a great joy.  I know as long as I stay focused on Jesus and not get distracted by all the stuff that comes at me, I will be okay in the end.  There's been a lot to get me discouraged and knock me off course but being anchored in Jesus, the perfecter of my faith, I am able to stay the course and keep smiling when circumstantially I should be crying.

Thank you God for sending Jesus to be my salvation and my director.  Help me to remember to come to you when life gets complicated and I start to panic because my problems seem larger than my hope.  You are bigger than anything I can come up against.

Ever have one of those days where you just want to run away but your responsible side keeps you grounded in place?  Well that was my today.  It was the perfect storm of not enough sleep, not enough coffee and too much stress.  Work, home, commuting all just added up.  But thru it all, even with tears in my eyes and a quivering lower lip, I made it and not only did I make it, I managed to do it while giving God the glory and praising His mighty and matchless name.  I'm not gonna lie, it was hard and I wanted to pout and be reactive and fuss and whine (okay, I may have done some of all of those things), but I looked to God and He kept me afloat and now I can just give thanks and pray that tomorrow is a little easier. 

Hope you are blessed in your day!

This year has been a year or stretching and growing and overcoming.  And the best part? It's only half over.  I don't know where I will end up by the end of the year but as long as I'm with God and He's directing my steps I know I will be in a good place. 

At the beginning of the year, I got Isaiah 41:10 tattooed on my forearm.  God has been working with me for a long time about fear and anxiety.  He said enough is enough and told me the scripture to get to serve as a reminder for the rest of my days. 

I still wrestle with fear from time to time and don't like to step out of my comfort zone but when I do He has been faithful by being there with me and meeting me where I'm at. 

In March, I went on a women's leadership retreat.  Although I knew many of the women there, I went alone and almost chickened out but God spoke to me as He so often does..."You could do that but do you really want to miss out?" and of course He likes to use lines I use on my children right back at me, keeping me humble by reminding me that many of my kids traits come from me.  "Do you really think I would make you go it alone?  Or that I have bad things in store for you?"  Sometimes I need those reminders.  So I went to the retreat.  I spent Friday night on the verge of tears and barely slept and then Saturday morning I knew God had something for me when a tissue box was dropped on the floor next to my seat.  Sure enough!  I couldnt tell you what that session was about but I can tell you God addressed my identity and where I have held to misconception and other peoples disappointments as a reflection of my true worth.  As if that wasn't enough of a growing experience I received a word from Him while I was walking on the beach.  I shared with one of the women there that I trust much and she later asked me to share with the entire group.  Then I received a request that would take me out of my way and mess with my plans for heading home but I said yes.  I'm glad I did.  It was a nice trip home and a time of blessing.  I got to deepen a friendship that afternoon. 

And that only carries us up to date thru March.  Let's jump ahead a smidgen and share my current stretching.

I asked God for a list of things I could do to increase my income (trying to save for some lofty goals) and He gave me quite an interesting list.  At the top of the list was write.  You have no idea how excited this made me.  I have dreamed of writing and writing stuff that matters since I was a little girl of 5 years old getting my first dictionary for my birthday.  For those that are wondering, yes, I still have that dictionary.  But I digress.  Other things included selling jewelry that I design.  The last one came out of left field, never been a thought ever so I know it had to be God...voiceovers for commericials and audio books etc.  I'm still looking into that one.  Who knows where it will lead but I am excited at the possibilities. 

Well that just about catches you up with my world and my walk.  God is good and He is faithful and He will lead me too good places.  Those places may not always be easy but they are necessary for my growth and refining so I will keep my eyes on Him and hold his hand and when His hand isn't available I will hold the hem of his garment. 

Thanks for being here.  Come back soon.  It won't be so long til my next post.

April Goals

As we roll into a new month I am thinking about what is MOST important to me. Family? Absolutely!  God?  But of course!  My job?  Not as much as it once was.  My health?  Yep.  My home?  Yes, I want to make my home a comfortable and inviting place for my family and our friends to enjoy spending their time.


Are any of these categories where I want them to be?  Not even close.  So what am I going to do about it?  Set my 3 in 30 goals to reflect who  I want to be.  So here they are.


Goal #1)  Simplify my home.  This month I am going to get rid of 2 bags/boxes of stuff a week.  This could come from my bedroom, my garage, my craft room that still needs to be finished being purged, my kitchen or the bath room.  Removing clutter will provide peace and calmness in our home.  


Goal #2)  Continue weight loss with healthy eating and exercise.  The only way I can be my best for everyone is to take care of myself by making sure I am providing my body what it really needs and removing the garbage it doesn't.  As of March 31st, my weight is 219#.  I lost 6 pounds in March.  I am working to be under 200 by April 30th. It is kind of unnerving to put my weight out there for all to see, but I am going out on a limb and hoping for your prayers and support.  


Goal #3)  This one is a bit more complex than the first 2...It's all about relationships.  I want to make April the jumping off point for becoming the women I know God desires me to be.  I say people mean the world to me but I don't show it as often as I should.  I want to be a woman of active love.  I want to serve gracefully.  I want to love without limits.  I want to put my time and energy into letting the people around me know that they have my attention and my love and I will do anything and everything to keep my promises to them. 


With that said, I'm off to start doing what I need to do to make those goals happen.  I look forward to sharing with you how things are going and to hear how you're doing on your goals. 

Time for Change

Wow!  As I typed that title, I thought of political promised and all the campaign promises we are subjected to.  I would love to have a politician run and win by being honest and saying what they are really about without dancing around unpopular topics AND most importantly by not slamming their competition but focusing on their strengths.

That was so off topic from what I got on here to talk about but today is a day of saying what comes to mind.  LOL!!

What was I going to talk about?  I will have to remember and come back.

Have a wonderful day!

Desires

God has given me some pretty crazy ideas lately.  Stretching me WAY outside my comfort zone.  If you know me you would not typically categorize me as extremely outgoing or as a public speaker.  I am kind of an observer rather than an instigator.  I stay in the background rather than jump into the forefront.  When I volunteer, I do things like holding babies and playing with toddlers.

I'm an idea person but don't go out and try to draw people into doing things I'd like to see done.

One thing God has spoken to me about is mentoring, both being mentored and being a mentor.  My excuse is the standard excuse I use for just about everything...I don't have time.  I have time to sit and watch tv for an hour a night.  I have time to play on FB or pinterest.  Why do I make time for those but not for growing in relationships and growing my walk with Christ by learning from others?  Hmmm...

Another things God has spoken to me about is prayer and worship.  In my former church I was blessed to be part of women ministries and to plan events.  The event I was most passionate about was our evenings of prayer and worship.  We would have a nice soup dinner and then have corporate prayer and individual or small group prayer.  It was always well attended and we saw many answers to prayer come out of those times.  Now that we are at a large church I don't even know where to get hooked in, which is really strange since my husband is on staff at the church.

So much be praying about. God's going to have to help me to rearrange my time to better manage what I need to do.  I feel like I am balancing so many things right now and they all seem so very important.  How do I take time from one to do another?

Please be praying with/for me.  I have the storybooks I am writing that are a gift from God.  I am tutoring my son in reading, trying to get him up to his grade level.  We are stuck at the moment but God is giving me glimpses of hope when I feel most hopeless, such as my son just randomly reading something.  Tonight he was reading the things that popped up on the TV or signs in the store.  It was nice because it wasn't forced, it just happened which tells me what we're working on is sinking in.  THANKS GOD, I needed that!

I am still trying to get an outlet to sell my earrings and necklaces.  I have a couple ideas and would love to get out there and try.  The problem is overcoming shyness and walking into a spirit of boldness.  God gave me this enjoyment for a reason. I can't believe He would do it just so I could have 100's of earrings or my friends and family have a ton of earrings too.  I'm sure they would probably like me to give them something other than homemade jewelry once in a while.

And of course I am a wife and mom and employee and daughter and granddaughter and auntie and great auntie and friend.  All of these relationships take time and energy and are important.  I want everyone in my life to feel important and loved.  If you are a part of my life, I do truly value you.

I would covet your prayers as I walk out the life God has shown me he wants for me.

Saturday

I love Saturdays!  They hold so much potential.  There is so much I can do.  Do I clean house?  Do I go adventuring?  Do I craft?  Do I cook?  Do I organize?  What to choose?

This Saturday I determined last night that I was not getting out of bed until 10am.  Not to say I was going to sleep in but I was staying in between the covers until 10am.  LOL!  I was so determined.  But even with my steadfast determination, I couldn't do it.  I got up at 8am and let the dogs out then right back into bed I went.  At 9am I got up to brush my teeth and my hair then climbed right back into bed to read for a while.  At 9:30am, little one came in to tell my love was watching Bath Crashers,  my favorite show. Needless to say I got up and came into the living room to watch TV with my fellas.

After I got my fill of home improvement jealousy I finally got up and got some chores done.  5 loads of laundry were folded.  Little ones clothes were gone thru and separated.  Got get the castoffs ready for consignment.  Found that all he needs is shorts and sweats to carry him thru til next fall.  That made me very happy.

I have lots more projects to do but for now we are all sitting around watching the new version of Footloose.

Pretty good day.  Good fun.

God is so good

It is so fun seeing God's hand moving in my life and the lives around me.  Last weekend I stepped out of my comfort zone and God met me right there and I had a blast!

That fun and excitement has carried over into my crazy hectic week.  I saw the opposition of the enemy and laughed.  "If God is for me who can stand against?"  It seemed as if the curtain was drawn back and I got to see the battle that goes on in the spiritual world more defined than usual.  I mean I know there's a battle but to see the enemy fighting so hard and not be shaken by it is a pretty cool deal.

Knowing that God allows my testing, not that He tests me but that He gives his permission as He did in with Job.  Thank you God for not allowing Job sized tests in my life at this time.  Thanks that you gave me the faith to stand firm in the midst of chaos and confusion and at times intense pain and discomfort.

I feel so blessed to have had the week that I've had and to still be positive and upbeat.  Don't get me wrong, the stress did take it's toll on me.  When I finally walked in the door at home at the end of the workday I was DONE.  All I wanted to do was sit on the couch and veg.  That wasn't so much a win.  I didn't blog.  I didn't write.  I didn't read.  I vegged on FB and Pinterest and watching stupid stuff on TV.  My dished got done but that was about it.  I have a huge stack of laundry that needs to be folded and since I didn't do it when I needed to a good portion of it needs to be ironed too.  The cost of procrastination.

Today was all I could do to make it thru the day.  But I did. I worked my WHOLE workday even though I really wanted to leave early because of all the negative and being in so much pain.  I survived.  Not only did I survive, I came home and vegged for a while then got up and made playdough with my littlest love and then read for almost an hour.  I love reading!  The laundry is still piled up but I am going to finish this post and go to bed.

I just wanted to share how incredibly blessed I have been this week to have God's calming presence in my life and helping me through the stuff I had to deal with at work.  I can't wait for tomorrow morning and a fresh day to spend with my family working and playing.  The balance will be so nice.

Hope you have an amazingly blessed weekend!

Excitement abounds!

I'm so excited.  For years and years I have dreamed of writing a book.  It seems like it's been a lifetime in the making.  

Today I took the first steps in making this dream a reality.  I am writing a children's book.  I am in the process of drafting the story then have to find an illustrator to make it come to life to help.  Right now I have 3 themes in mind and I am sure there are many more stories that can come from it.  I love the characters and the lessons that are coming out.  

This doesn't exactly match my dream of writing the great American novel but it's what God has laid on my heart to do so I will be faithful to put to paper what he gives me.

I was so excited that I couldn't wait to share the direction God has pointed me to.  I am bouncing off the walls with joy.  Being right where I know God wants me to be doing what He wants me to do gives such a peace and contentment and joy.  

February 2012 goals update

Hi.

I took a break from blogging last week but I'm back now.  Last week was not a good pain management/energy week which meant my productivity was in the tank too.  It happens from time to time. 

So, looking back at my goals for the month...

The BIGGIE...Goal #2 (I'm still working on order for now we'll just focus on the tasks not the order of them...LOL!)
Cleaning out the "junk room" of my house.  So far we have made 1 run to donate to Salvation Army.  The things my son will do to borrow my car.  I can get from one end of the room to the other.  This weekend, I plan on bringing my sewing machine and a couple projects out of it to reduce the amount of material I have stockpiles in there.  I have 2 birthday gifts to make and a bat costume for my little man's school play.  In addition pinterest has inspired me to make a couple little things that will use up some of the random fabric.  Needless to say, I have a long way to go still but am making some headway.  It should be done by the end of the month. 

Goal #1, of opening my Etsy store is not moving forward as I had hoped.  I am determined I am going to get the pictures taken and posted this weekend.  Determined I say.  I would love to start selling what I have on hand so I have a good excuse to make more.  I really want to have a little money coming in for my "goals" fund.  My big, long term goals include paying cash for a newer car for my prince charming, paying cash for new furniture, paying cash for a nice family vacation.  Obviously those are some pretty big goals to place all the pressure on a little Etsy store, but Etsy success sure would help me get going in the right direction.

Goal # 3, encouraging others.  Well, I have been trying to reach out to those around me and encourage them towards their own goals.  My love and I have been sending each other sweet emails during the week when we are both at work.  It's nice to get that little "I'm thinking of you." while you're plugging away at the desk.  Next week I am going to put little notes in my little one's lunch box.  When I was doing this before he really liked it.  Maybe I can find a way to work the weekly spelling words or the sight words we'll be working on into the notes.  Hmm...now that has me thinking, but that will have to wait for a different blog post.  I have been trying to text and email and facebook (FB) chat with friends and family that I don't regularly talk to.  We keep up with each other on FB but rarely connect beyond that, whether it's time or distance.  If someone's my friend on FB it's because I like them so I want to connect with them. 

I hope you're all having a productive week and striving to reach your goals.  Share your links in comments so I can come over and show some love back.

What a day

Hi all.
I hope you are having day filled with immense blessing and joy! 

My day did not start that way.  Little #2 was grumbly and angry with me after I woke him up to get ready for school.  I left my lunch at home.  Random woman in school parking lot hit my parked car while pulling out and was grumbly with me about it.  All of this before my first cup of coffee.  Ugh!

But...there is a significant but...none of this random problematic stuff has negatively impacted me.  Was I hurt that my sweet little boy was so icky first thing? Yep, you bet.  Was I kicking myself that I left my lunch at home?  Well, ya!  It seems like I have food with me and I'm not hungry but when I don't have my food I am ravenous by 9:30am.  So not fair!  And the parking lot accident that made me not be able to walk my beloved boy to class?  Well she was angry and a bit hostile.  I honked and tried to get her to stop moving.  She didn't stop and rubbed her bumper down the side of my car.  Damage is barely visible.  It should rub out pretty easily.  The part that got me upset over the whole order was her attitude, not apologizing, demanding I write down all my info for her in addition to taking down all hers.  There is no need for it because the damage is less than either of our deductibles (we both have older cars).  But even that didn't put a long term damper on my day.  She was in a bad mood, we all have them.  Accidents happen.  That there wasn't any really damage was a huge blessing. 

Work has it's own special issues but they are no more or no less than usual. 

Today I am choosing to smile in spite of the stuff that comes at me.  The stuff doesn't define my day but my response to the stuff does.  We all have bad days and stinky attitudes but I am trying to be more aware of mine and change it.  I want my attitude to be a reflection of the joy I want in my life.  To have more joy you have to have more praise (less grumbling) and a thankful heart.

That being said, I am very thankful for today.  My sweet boy started heading into the school and comes running back to give me a big hug and kiss.  As I said the damage to the car was minimal.  My coffee, when I finally drank it was fabulous!  Thinking about my coffee I have to be thankful for my husbands sweet friends who gave us a Starbucks home espresso machine.  That thing has been such a blessing in our lives over the years.  I only wish Ken were still alive for us to thank him again for giving us such a special gift. And I am thankful for my job, with all it entails I really enjoy it.  I am thankful for my little space on the blogosphere and for each person that follows it and comments.  God is good to me.  He is kind and compassionate and I want to be more like him. 

Praying for your blessings and for thankful hearts for you.

Finding Joy in the trials

The past few days I haven't been feeling well in the afternoons so I have skipped my workouts and just gone home to lounge on the couch in pain.  This is much to Thing 2's dismay.  He loves gym time.  He gets to play with other kids, new kids.  He works on his social skills and is very happy there.  I love taking him and giving him that time while I work out my issues on the eliptical and treadmill. 

Yesterday, we went home and worked on his reading.  I pulled books from the secret stash and gave him two to read to me.  We cuddled up on the couch and he read.  One of the books he was having a hard time getting into.  It's no fun reading a book you're not into so I found ways to get him excited about it.  There were different animals doing different behaviors so he got to get up and model the different behaviors for me.  We had such a giggle-fest as he waddled and hopped and oinked around the living room. 

So while I didn't feel good and just wanted to lay around, I am so glad I spent the time working with my littlest love.  We both got good out of it.  Seeing him enjoy reading and using inflection and reading bigger words than he has been used to reading was an answer to this mama's prayers.  I love seeing God's answer to prayer.  God is so good at providing material to fill my "blessings book". 

My heart is overflowing with happiness for my eyes being opened to the opportunities God provides for relationship and fun and joy, even if it messes with my plans and schedule. 

Thing 2's reading update

I am very happy with Billy's reading this week.  He's done really well reading to me.  He gets frustrated and is learning to back up and regroup and try again.  I am so proud.  We've also worked on the spelling words for his group and the 2 groups above his.  He did a great job.  We have been reading each night and he's recognizing bigger words and getting better each time.
Last week one of his teachers told him he reads like a robot. He wasn't happy that the teacher said that.  This week he has improved on inflection and tone moderation.  The words he recognizes quickly and easily get the privilege of having tone and pitch.  It is so cute to hear.
Any ways, I just wanted to share that we're making some progress and I am happy at the difference I am seeing so far this week.
Hope you're having a great week!

Challenges

As a parent I am very protective over my children and would do anything for them.  I celebrate with them in their accomplishments and mourn with them in their struggles.

My little love (affectionately called Thing 2) has been struggling in reading at school.  He is showing improvement at home but at school he has been moved back in the reading group and spelling group at school.  This doesn't sit well with me since he's been in a special group that is supposed to help improve his reading.  We worked hard on it.

I should stop here and point out I LOVE his school.  I love his teacher.  I think the staff of the school is amazing.  And his class is filled with good kids.  Taking him out of the school and quitting my job to provide his education at home is not an option.

God provided us with another option this morning.  I pulled him out of his reading tutorial group this afternoon.  We had been putting so much time into the tutoring and it just wasn't working.  So now I am his reading tutor.  We have a program we are going to be working from.

I am going to be spending a lot of time on my knees because I have to learn to teach from the only one that can teach me.  God is going to have to show me how to help little love grow and blossom in the area he has been struggling with.  I can't do it in my own strength.  I need wisdom.

I am nervous and excited all at the same time.  Any of my homeschooling friends/followers that have advice please share.

February goals

My February goals are very simple and complex all at the same time.

Goal #1:  Open an Etsy store and sell some of my handmade jewelry.  I keep spending money hand over fist on this hobby.  It's time to see if I can make anything with it.  Right now I am at the stage where I have to thing of a cute and clever name and then take pictures of all my beautiful baubles and post them and figure out pricing.  Not a HUGE amount to do, but enough to be slightly daunting.

Goal #2:  Clean out (gut) my craft room.  Completely.  This may need the help of friend who have the patience of saints and are really good at organizing.  This room is completely unusable and looks like a scene out of hoarders.  I have craft stuff and books and a file cabinet and more books and games and puzzles and basically a ton of stuff I need to either commit to using within a set amount of time or discarding or donating.  Either way, somethings got to be done with all the stuff in there.

Those are the only goals I am setting for myself this month. Goal # 2 will take my time and energy (both physical and emotional) so I don't want to over commit myself and end up disappointed.  There are a ton of things I would like to put down here for goals but I am going to exercise self control.  If I get a lot of reading done, WONDERFUL.  If the laundry is kept up with and the dishes are always done, COOL.

Oh, you know there is 1 other goal to add to my list.

Goal #3:  Be an encourager.  Don't be idle in telling people when they do a good job.  Don't let people wonder if they are on the right track.  Sometimes people think "atta boys" are just empty (phony) praise.  Of course I'm not just talking about giving praise when the boys get their socks in the laundry without me nagging them to get them picked up, but that's great too.  I'm talking about the people in my life that are walking thru some big, scary stuff and need someone to remind them that it's okay because they're not alone.  My job is to come alongside them and support them.  Sometimes that can be emotional and prayer support.  Sometimes it might be taking a single mom's kids while she works.  Sometimes it might mean paying for someones tank of gas or groceries.  I want to be open and willing to hear the voice of God and respond.  Sometimes that is hard when you have a budget to follow but that's details for God to work out if He calls me to help someone financially.  He is my provider and He can use what He's handed to me to help others.

Now my goals are there for all the world to see.  Hold me accountable.  Ask me how I'm doing.  Challenge me.  Help me grow into all He wants me to be.

Yummer nummers!!!

I LOVE granola bars.  LOVE THEM!!!  Would eat them all day long if I could.  But alas, they are pretty expensive so I am spared from being tempted.  I should mention that it isn't the Quaker granola bars that you can buy a box of 10 for $1.50 with coupons.  No, I love LARA Bars.  They are pretty pricey but so good.  And good for you.  They only have a handful of ingredients all of which I can pronounce and can pick up at the grocery store.  No specialty stores required.  LOVE that!!!

The alternate name of this post could be things I LOVE.

So, I bet you're anxious to get to the recipe I used.  So, here ya go!

1/2 cup cashews
handful of chocolate chips
1 cup dates

Line a 8x8 baking dish with plastic wrap before you start getting your hands dirty.

Put your nuts and chocolate chips in your food processor (I used my magic bullet).  Grind them up but don't make them dust.  Empty the food processor into a medium size bowl.

Don't rinse out the processor.  Put dates in and grind them up.  (Here is where I made a mistake. I used dried dates and didn't add any liquid.  Don't do that.  If you use dried dates add apple juice or water.)  Once they are ground up put them in the bowl with the ground nuts and use your hands to mix them.  If they are not sticking, add more ground date.

When everything is combined put them into the baking dish and flatten them out.  Put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm them up then cut them into 3 pieces.  Store them in snack bags in the fridge.

There are so many variations you can do.  I have some powdered chocolate peanut butter that I am thinking about adding to my next batch.  I am excited to make my next batch and see what mixtures I can come up with.

Share with me your varieties.  I want to hear how you like them.

Easy squeezy!

3 in 30 challenge week 2 update

This has been such a fun filled week!  I am excited about where I'm heading. 

Last week, I think I mentioned that I had to do a little change to my savings goal (Goal # 3)  to get my husband's vision and mine to match up a little closer.  My overarching savings goal is VACATION.  I want to go to sunny and warm California with our little guy for a fun filled week of LegoLand, San Diego Zoo, Knott's Berry Farm, and time on the beach and in a pool.  Hubby wants a new car.  In all fairness, his car is a dinosaur but it reliable and we just spent a few hundred dollars making it run well and safe so I think he's good for a few more months.  I really wanted to do car buying the Dave Ramsey way but he really wants a nice ride.  Since he's put up with this car for so long I want to get him what he wants. 

Goal # 1 was go give up soda.  I am doing really well on this challenge.  I did have a diet cherry limeade from Sonic last weekend but don't classify that as a soda.  Still struggling to get enough water but am getting better. 

Goal #2...getting to the gym and running.  I have been 3 days so far this week.  I took tuesday off so I could go to the blazer game with a girlfriend.  My plan is to go tonight because if I don't then I get to go in the morning.  I really like lazy mornings at home but I am going to do what it takes to make this goal.  I still haven't started running but found a program I want to do.  I'll report that progress next week.

So that's where I am.

Hope you are having a successful time at meeting your goals.