Set Apart - Women's Conference

I was blessed to be able to attend the Set Apart Women's Conference again this year at the University of Northwestern - St. Paul.  I have gone for many years and it is always such a refreshing time with God and Girlfriends!

This year's theme was Deeply Rooted - from Colossians 2:7. 

Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.  Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Such a wonderful truth!

My takeaway this year from the conference was "rest".  Not only physically to rest, but to rest in the goodness of God and all he has done for me.  Over and over again - in every breakout session - this theme would be raised again.  And it felt like it was just for me.

Now if I could only find a few more of these conferences to attend with my girlfriends this year!  We had such a good time and not even an impending ice and snow storm stopped us from enjoying all that the conference had to offer! 

September 29, 2015

Relaxation Room at Spa.  Spent too much time here - appointment was an hour late...
Was not relaxed anymore by the time it was my turn.

September 28, 2015

Waiting for my haircut last week  - checking out the cool woodwork in a century old house turned spa.

September 13, 2015

Exhaustion set in at the office this past week.
Time to formulate a plan...

A Wedding - Bryce and Leah Hanson

Introducing the Happy Couple as Husband and Wife



We were blessed to be a part of a wonderful wedding this past weekend.  My brother, Bryce married the lovely Leah on Saturday, September 27 at our church.  It was a beautiful day (almost 80 degrees!) for a late September afternoon and we were so happy to be part of the ceremony!


William was one of the groomsmen, Elizabeth was the flower girl and Edward was the ring bearer.  They all did a wonderful job!

September 27, 2014

The ring bearer and flower girl.  They kept asking if it was time for cake yet!

Edward and Elizabeth were so excited to do their part in the ceremony, right up until it was time to actually DO the job of walking down the isle - but luckily, the personal attendant was able to bribe them with cake and they happily walked down the isle.  They were so cute.  My heart just exploded with pride and happiness for my children!  Not to mention that I am usually very emotional at weddings anyways, but since I have known the groom since before I can remember, it was even more so than normal!

Our family.

We were able to snap a couple family portraits after the ceremony during picture taking time and the one above is one of my favorites.  We were all dressed up so nice and since that rarely happens, I knew we had to get a photo of it!


William and Elizabeth sat at the head table during the ceremony and I was able to get a cute photo of the two of them as well.  It was really dark, but using Instagram, I was able to make it a little lighter so you could see their faces.  I love it.

William and Elizabeth at the Head Table.

A Wonderful Mother's Day Weekend.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.

Was able to go out for breakfast on Saturday morning and then hit the co-op for some groceries.  It was customer appreciation day, so I received an extra 10% off my purchase (always grateful for discounts!) and they had free samples as well for customers.  Tried a new coffee that we will purchase next time we need some.

I was able to work out in the garden on Saturday afternoon, planting seeds and starting to harden off my plants that will need to go out in a week or so.  It felt good to get out into the dirt.  The spinach and peas I planted a couple weeks ago are starting to come up now, so it will be fun to see how they take off now that it is starting to warm up more during the day.

Sunday morning started off with homemade puffy oven pancakes and bacon, made by William for us prior to leaving for church services.  It tasted so good with a little butter and strawberry jam.  Mother's Day cards and gifts were presented - all beautiful cards and a wonderful mothers necklace that has each child's birthstone on it.  I was so surprised by the gesture - I really wanted a necklace, and it was wonderful to be surprised by the gift.  I cried.  A lot.  William outdid himself on this one.

Church was wonderful and everyone was in such a good mood.  Headed home and put the kids down for quiet time/nap time and I went to the Drive Inn to get sandwiches for lunch for William and I.   Huge burgers and chicken sandwiches along with chili-cheese fries.  A great treat. Yum.

Susan came up for the afternoon to spend time with us and we played outside, watched the movie Frozen (she brought it as a gift for Elizabeth) and grilled out for dinner.  Then headed for an ice cream cone before she left.  It was nice to see her again and now that she is back living in Minnesota, it will be great to see her on a more regular basis.  Plus, the kids have an absolute blast playing with her - I think she may have had a good time too!

After putting the kids to bed, Willoam and I watched some of the hockey game together before I headed to bed.  It felt like a good and productive weekend.  Just wish it could have been about 4 days longer!!!

Easter Sunday 2014

What a wonderful Easter Sunday we had this year!

We spent the morning at church having breakfast there with everyone, then after service, we headed to the city to have dinner with family.  The best part was that it was about 75 degrees in the shade and the sun felt wonderful!  The kids ate too much candy and I ate too much of everything else!  We played outside and everyone had such a wonderful time chatting and relaxing with each other.

By the time we were ready to leave, Libby fell asleep before we even hit the freeway (like two miles away) and slept most of the way home.  Eddie was wide awake and entertained us with his talking and his toes the whole ride home. 

When we got home we were able to open up the windows and turn off the furnace!  I loved having the fresh air in the house and we even turned on the ceiling fans in our bedrooms to help us sleep as it was a bit stuffy upstairs.  A blessed Easter Sunday for sure!

Eddie's First Twins Game!

We headed into Minneapolis after church yesterday to take in a chilly (okay, downright cold) Twins game.  Even better, we made it to the end of the game, and the Twins won - sweeping the series against the Royals!!!  I told William I would have been happy making it through the 5th inning, but the kids were doing pretty good (with the help of an iphone or two and the LeapPad) so we were able to stay for the whole game.  Libby didn't want to leave when it was time to go - she was having such a fun time. 

 

Needless to say, both kids slept on the way home!  Eddie's first Twins game was a success!

William and Eddie at the game on Sunday!

Having fun at the game!

Schulze Family - April 13, 2014.

GOALS for this week.

I am a slacker lately.
I am going to set 4 goals for the week and see if I can make them happen.

1) Finish Loan Application for getting pre-approved for mortgage.  This needs to happen.  ASAP.

2) Dream of when my back yard looks like this...  Cause reality is really harsh at the moment.  And it is depressing.

 

 3) Hire a cleaning lady to help me out every other week until this house sells.  At this point in time, it is worth me spending the money to hire someone to help.

4)  Spend one on one time with each kid this week.  They are growing up so fast.  I know I struggle with wanting to get everything done, but spending time with them needs to be a priority.  Really. 

I mean, Eddie will be two years old in two months.  He can count to 10 and sometimes 15 or so.  He loves to sing (mostly a mis-mashed combination of "On Top of Spaghetti and Jesus Loves Me", but that is another story...)  I think some time playing blocks would be a good start.  Then maybe we can make a batch of muffins together.  He still loves "cooking". 

Libby will start SCHOOL this fall.  And turn 5 years old.  And take over the world with her bossiness.  Oh, wait.  That last one isn't technically true, but somedays it feels like it is going to happen!  I will take her grocery shopping with me.  She loves it and I actually do really love to have her come with me.  It is like our girl time with each other and she is almost always the sweetest little girl when we go together. 



Remember when Baby Eddie was a baby and had cheeks like this?  Oh my. 

Remember with Elizabeth was little?  The cuteness just doesn't stop with her!!!  Neither does the funny faces!

If I get anything else done past those four things, it is a bonus for the week!

I would like to add a number 5) Watch a Twins game on TV while relaxing with a beverage - but I will have to take a look at the schedule and see if I can make that happen...  I am sure I can fit in at least a few innings!

Bath Time

Bath Time Snuggle Bugs!

Art Time!!!

 

I was brave this past weekend and let both the kids paint at the kitchen table.  It was Eddie's first time painting and he really seemed to like it - especially the painting on his face, the table, the chair, etc...

 

We taped down his paper and his paint palette so we could try and avoid more mess, but he was really good about figuring out how to make the messes on his own!  Even with throwing a white t-shirt over him, he still got paint on his clothing, but since it was washable paint, I didn't worry too much.  After all, what fun is painting if you don't get a little of it on yourself! 

 

Their paintings turned out great and I can't wait to get them matted and put on our walls. 

 

Elizabeth is just like me - notice how she is standing on her chair, not sitting?  I was the exact same way in elementary school - eventually the teachers just put my in the back row and let me stand through class.  I fear in today's society, she will be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and they will try to put her on medication.  When in all reality, she is a little girl who has been cooped up and forced to stay inside all day and she just needs to move her body!

 

Making Simple Freezer Meals

I took some time this weekend to make a few meals for the freezer.  We have been so busy lately during the week that once I get home from work, trying to make something healthy doesn't always seem possible with the limited time frame we have to work with. 

 

 

 So I made a few meals for the freezer to get us through the next few weeks!

 

- Chicken Salsa Pockets (Cooked Chicken, Salsa & Cheese wrapped in a Pizza Crust)

- Beef Taquitos (Beef, Beans, Rice, Salsa, Sour Cream & Cheese)

- Bean and Cheese Burritos (Refried Beans, Cheese & Salsa)

- Cooked Chicken Breasts (To use on Salads or in Casseroles)

 

I love having these quick things in my freezer to pull out and throw in the oven.  Even easier for me than ordering take out or a pizza (at least in the area where I live!). 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding on the Beach

Our reason for going to Mexico this past week was to attend the wedding of a very good friend of ours.  William has known Joel since they were very young as they grew up in the Boy Scout program together, even though Joel is a few years younger than William.

It was a beautiful (and very short!) ceremony with some of the best vows I have heard in a long time that were crafted by the officiant (a freind of the couple).  They promised to love each other even when they don't like each other and to be patient even when the other is taking their sweet time.  And I really don't know if there was a dry eye on the entire beach when Sarah walked down the isle and Joel saw her for the first time.  I know I was tearing up!

Our group before the wedding ceremony - Jill, Chris, Amanda, William, Lori & Josh

The groom and bride

A beautiful site for a wedding

The ceremony site

It was such a wonderful blessing to be asked to be a part of Joel and Sarah's special day in Mexico.  My first destination wedding was a hit!  I hope there is another one in my future!

Tulum, Mexico - Mayan Ruins

While vacationing in Mexico this past week, our group of six friends headed to the Mayan Ruins in Tulum.  They were breathtaking and one can only imagine how beautiful they would have been when they were covered in stucco and painted beautiful, bright colors like they were when the Mayans resided there.

I really enjoyed the afternoon wandering around and imagining what it would have been like for the residents of that city.   It is estimated that between 1000 and 1600 people lived within the walled city during its height (the 13th to 15th Centuries).  Defence must have been extremely important to the Mayans as the walls that are around the city would have taken extreme time and energy to build.  It was amazing to walk through them knowing they were built so long ago!



Plants growing out of the stones of one of the palaces



The Great Palace




The Cenote where they would have had access to fresh water.

The Castle

Stairs leading to a foundation

Another Palace

Overlooking the grounds

The Sickness (That Does Not Seem To Go Away)

Poor Eddie has had an intestinal flu for 7 days now.  Little guy has had a rough time!  Other kids in our area have had the same thing and theirs lasted about 8 days, so we should be on the mend soon.

Found him sleeping on the couch like this when I arrived home from work last night.

 

Poor little guy.  I just want to cuddle and kiss him.  (And make him all better)

Everyday Life

We have been making it through each day, one at a time at our house.  Trying to figure out how to react to behavior issues and still show lots of love to our kids.  I would be lying if I said all is good, but we are blessed immensely to have our children, even when they are pushing the boundaries (as all children do)!

Some photos of last night, when it was a better than average evening!  So thankful!

By the time I took pictures last night the kids were both bathed and dressed for bed.  After one episode of Daniel Tiger on PBS, it was off to bed.

Heart Melting Happiness

Oh how happy this makes my heart.

She has been such a Momma's girl lately that this scene rarely happens.

I bet his heart is even happier!

Girls Weekend!

 

Had a great time this weekend with some girlfriends in the woods!  Great to get away and relax. Thanks to all who helped care for my kids while I was gone.  

Back to reality today!

Labor Day Weekend

Kids enjoying the beach yesterday.  Today we are in long pants and sweatshirts.

Enjoying the sun and water courtesy of a neighbor who likes to share his toys.

Relaxing around the campfire this morning.

Three generations of Schulze men.