It's the little things...

Like watching my kiddos be silly together.

Happy Thursday!

--Jenna

So proud.

My dear sweet talented husband has teamed up

with a friend, and a few others, to launch:

*************

From the website:

THREESIXTEES exists to connect people
who have a passion to turn the world around
with charities that already are.

And we do it with t-shirts.

Each shirt radically transforms someone's life.

It provides them with clean water.

More food.
Better health.
New shoes.

Fresh trees.

Or school books.

None of us can change the entire world by ourselves.
But each of us can change at least one person in it.

Whose life are you going to change today?

THREESIXTEES - Where heart meets sleeve.

*************

My husband Barry has many designs featured on the tees.

Here are some I LOVE:

I'm so excited and proud!!

Happy Happy Sunday!

It's the little things...

Like watching my little family enjoying the outdoors.

Happy Thursday!

--Jenna

Zany Zoo

Have you read that book, 1 Zany Zoo? My kids LOVE that book. My husband does an awesome voice for the zookeeper. Chances are, you probably haven't read it- I think it was a free in a box of Cheerios (that got passed down to us from a cousin- Thanks Aunt Julie!).. But still. Very cute. I had been wanting to take my kids to the zoo for what seems like FOREVER. Finally, FINALLY(!) we were able to go this year. We went on Barry's spring break. Nope, he's not in school, he works for a University. :)

Anywho, we all had a lot of fun, despite the weather being HOT, especially for springtime here in the good old Midwest.. But you know how wacky our weather has been this winter/spring, I'm sure. 

On to the pictures!! (In just a second..) Because- Ohmygoodness. My husband pet a shark. Yes that happened, and YES I was wayyy too chicken to do it. I had to document proof for that one!

The penguins were my absolute FAVORITE part of the trip. We spent a really good amount of time watching them dive and swim and jump out of the water. We were laughing so loud at them. They were just awesome! My daughter said "Wow" twice. Once, to the penguins. Another time, to the bats. I couldn't get a good picture of them, but there was an enormous bunch- they looked like a bunch of bananas!- all hanging upside down from the ceiling cuddling and sleeping together. They were actually kind of cute. (Never thought I'd say that about bats!)

And oh man. Lions. They are SO FREAKING LAZY!! We read that they sleep and/or rest about 20-22 hours a day. I never knew that before, but hey- you learn something new everyday. :)

Anyway, we all had a ton of fun at the Indianapolis Zoo, and if you have the chance to go- it is a great time. I even went there on my bday with my hubby before we were married. We saw a lot of younger people and couples with no kids this time around. :) Reminded me of us.

Have a great day! Thanks for letting me share.

--Jenna

Coming to terms

Very recently I've had to come to terms with some hard things. First of all, I have come to realize how idealistic I can be. Its been rough coming to this realization, but I'm glad I have. I've been trying to control EVERYTHING in my life, and I finally get it.. I can't. I was so so so against public school, for a lot of reasons, but am coming to terms with the fact that it is probably where my son will end up going in the fall. He needs speech therapy, we can't afford private school, I can't homeschool him with 2 other children (under 2 years old!) who need me. So. There it is. As hard as it has been. I've realized how worried I am that he won't pay attention in class, he'll have trouble learning and interacting, that he'll fall behind. I have to give all of these things to God. I've had to already, and will continue to have to do it. I worry A WHOLE FREAKING LOT. Its not too fun.

Oh, and I also gave up being a vegetarian. The reason? I craved meat when I first got pregnant. That had never happened to me before. My Mom said something along the lines of, there's probably a reason why you're craving it- you probably need it. I thought, "Ya know, she's probably right." So. I started eating meat again. I still eat vegetarian meals, I did the other night actually- black bean quesadillas- and it was so good! And every time I go to Jimmy Johns or Subway, I get a veggie sandwich. I think they're so very tasty. But I'm not gonna be a freak-out and uppity about what I eat anymore. Its so stupid, that's what I used to do. (How lame.) I'm not saying everyone who is a vegetarian is this way- I'm saying that I used to be this way. So I'm done with that. Moving on, thank you. :)

I'm going to be 27 in a few months, and I'm so happy to be growing up, learning more about life and myself, etc. It feels freeing. I'm not saying I'm anywhere near "wise" because I'm not. Not one bit. I have a WHOLE lot to learn. Life is a great big learning lesson. And I'm excited about that. I just wanted to share that bit of my life lately, because it feels freeing to JUST LET GO. Let go of the worry and control, let go and breathe. I have such peace in the Lord, and I am forever thankful to Him. :)

Have a great great day.

--Jenna

The Great Pumpkin Patch

The Great Pumpkin Patch is located in Central IL, just a bit outside of Arthur. I have been going there since I was about 8 years old. In the past decade, it has become more popular, and I am so happy for the family that runs it. Martha Stewart has featured them on her show, and visitors from all over the world now have visited this magical little place. My Mom and I took the kiddos last week and it was so much fun. We were blessed with a warm sunny day. They have added more mazes and displays this year, and I am so impressed with how much care and attention to detail the family makes each and every fall season. There is a snack shop (hello cider slushies), gift shop, and delicious bakery. If you are ever able to visit, you most definitely should. There are lots of Amish stores around the area too. Arcola (just a few miles east) has a cute main street with shops, an amazing restaurant- The Dutch Kitchen (try the homemade cinnamon rolls!!), and a Raggedy Ann and Andy museum. I love going down there every year, its a family tradition that I wouldn't ever want to change. :)

On to the pictures! These were all taken and edited by me. Please do not use without permission. As always, you can click on the images to expand.

Hope you enjoyed!

Do you think you'd visit if you had a chance?

Have a great day!

xo, Jenna

Hello Hello, its a Cupcake post!

I can't believe its almost been a month since I blogged! Wow. Time is flying by like craziness!

My daughter turned 1 at the beginning of the month. This past year has gone by way too insanely fast for me. Now that little gal is attempting to pull up and cruise on every piece of furniture in the house. My gosh. She needs to SLOW DOWN. Right now! :) I wanted to share the recipe I made for her birthday cupcakes. I decided to make them from scratch, and wanted them to be a little more fun than just vanilla or chocolate. No offense to vanilla or chocolate (I still love you!), just sometimes I like to mix it up a little bit.. So I made....

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes!

My brother came up to me after eating his and declared "This is the BEST cupcake I have ever eaten!". Hooray! That made me feel so good. :) I found the recipe for the cupcakes here. The only thing was I wanted to make a sweeter frosting for the top, because cream cheese didn't sound so great to me to top them with. So I used this recipe for its "lemonade" frosting. (It's just like buttercream but you add fresh squeezed lemon juice.) Um, can I just say YUM! We had a lot leftover and the hubby and I just kept sneaking licks of it out of the fridge the next week. I used it to ice some sugar cookies as well and that was really delicious too! :)

My daughters party was fun, we had family over and Barry set up a tent in our backyard. He also grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken. I became a vegetarian (again) the week before and totally forgot to get something for me to eat, so I ate a lot of chips, veggies and fruit. Haha, oh well :)

What did it for me this time (going back to being a vegetarian) was I was eating some venison and kept thinking about it being an actual deer, and it grossed me out so much that I threw it away and vowed to never eat meat AGAIN. This time its for good. :) I did it for quite awhile before (approx. 5 years) and I know I will be able to easily continue for the rest of my life. I will feel so much better health-wise and conscious-wise. I don't bash anyone who eats meat, I promise. I was telling my son about my decision and I said "I like animals, I don't want to eat them", to which he replied "I don't like animals, I want to eat them"... And I started laughing so much. I knew my husband would LOVE that he said that. :) hehehe.

But enough about all that. :) I just wanted to share another cupcake recipe because its been awhile.

Hope your weekend was great!

xo, Jenna