5 Inspiring Quotes For This Week

Typically, this time of year I'd be cleaning up our yard and thinking of all the wonderful things to plant. DOing the raking, the digging and the hoeing are things I truly love to do, and there is nothing quite like putting in a hard day's work and relaxing in the cool of a Spring evening. 

But lately here (and I hear, around where you may live too!) it's been a crazy Spring for the weather! Ice storms, winter snow, and freezing rain have all been falling and it's starting to get everyone a little bit down! Just this week I spent almost every day at the park with my kids, only to see that we're supposed to get 15 centimeters of snow tonight! Blah!!

But eventually, we know that winter will end and bring in the "dog days of summer" as they say. We'll be complaining about the heat then, but also enjoying running outside without spending an hour getting dressed in snow gear first ;) So for this week's quotes I wanted to focus on themes of caring and happiness. 

So here are 5 inspirational quotes for this week, for parenting, fitness, difficult times, work, and your morning! I actually wrote the parenting quote for this week, which had me thinking about my kids, but could reach out to anyone in any walk of life, so I hope you enjoy it! Enjoy and I hope you feel encouraged above all 💕

For Parents: A smile can last a lifetime, A touch can reach to the heart, A word can change them both, Choose kindly!

-Debbie Jean

Fitspo Fitness Inspiration: Do nothing and stay the same, or make a change and get even better. -Unknown (know who said this originally? comment below and let me know!)

Getting through a rough time: In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity - Albert Einstein

Getting Through Your Work Week: "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work" - Stephen King

To cheer up your morning: You'll never have this day again. Make it count! -unknown (know who said this originally? Let me know in the comments below!)

Cheer up, buttercup! If you're reading this then you're alive!

5 Inspirational Quotes To Get You Through The Week

Getting through the week can seem like a long haul sometimes! Spring is taking its sweet time to come to us here this year so that makes time feel extra slow! And while we try to get out and enjoy the week anyway, sometimes we need a little push!

I’ve always believed in the power of words. It’s the reason I love to write! Words can build you up or break you down, get you there faster or run you over. That’s why I love reading inspirational quotes. And why I’ve decided to make this kind of post a regular thing!

So here are 5 great quotes to get you through the week - in the morning, parenting, work, your workouts and difficult times. Please feel free to share, pin or post them  on your own blog - anywhere you’d love to spread a little happiness. Hope you enjoy!

To Get Through Your Morning

Every day we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

-Buddha

For Parenting

To be in your children's memories tommorow, you have to be in their lives today.

-Barbara Johnson

To Get You Through Your Workout

Do something today your future self will thank you for tomorrow.

-Unknown

To Get Through The Workweek

Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

-Earl Nightingale

To Get Through A Difficult Time

What the caterpillar calls the end, the master calls a butterfly

-Richard Bach

Enjoy your week!

The Promise by Susan Lantz Simpson: A Book Review

Psst! I received a free copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley.

Book Synopsis

In the beautiful spring warmth of Southern Maryland’s Amish country, love always finds a way to bloom . . .

 
Like most Amish young women, Phoebe Yoder has dreams—but not of a courtship—at least not yet. She dreams of caring for the tender-hearted alpacas at her Englischer neighbor’s farm and learning the business herself. But that longing falls away the moment her baby sister goes missing. In that horrifying instant, desperate for her sister’s safe return, she whispers a promise to Gott: she will give up her dreams and marry Micah Graber, a man she doesn’t love, but who is determined to make her his wife.
 
Benjamin Miller hasn’t been back in Southern Maryland for long before he meets Phoebe and begins to imagine what a fine life they could build together—beginning with an alpaca farm of their own. But he can see that Phoebe’s brash vow is all she will consider, no matter what her heart wants. As Ben falls for her gentle manner and sweet, sad eyes, he comes to understand his daunting task: to convince Phoebe that together, they can make a new promise that will never be broken . . .

My Thoughts

Seeing as how Susan Lantz Simpson was a new author to me, I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book. I tend to stick to my favorite authors when it comes to Amish fiction. All too often I’ve read books where the authors clearly don’t research the Amish at all, or just barely, and the result is pretty horrible. Given that, I must say that I was seriously impressed with the writing - and couldn’t put the darn book down!

Simpson obviously knows her stuff and writes a captivating story. There are a few different characters and quite a few details going on in this story, which I love, and she manages to keep all the stories going and straight. I love her descriptions of her characters and how she understands the intricacies of the Amish community.

That being said, I must say that about 70 percent through the book I started to get a little frustrated with the main character, and when you read this book you’ll see why. But hold out until the end, because it’s worth the emotional roller coaster of a ride! I also wish the character of Belinda would have been explained and shown a bit more.

Overall, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and definitely plant to pick up Susan Lantz Simpson’s books. She has definitely made it onto my “go-to” list of Amish fiction authors.

Grab A Copy For Yourself Here!

Free Printable Planner Agenda For April 2018

One of my favorite things to do on a  Sunday is planning my week out! I have a slight to-do list and agenda obsession and can't get on with my day without writing a few simple goals down.

I modeled this printable planner after how I like to make my to-do list. It's divided into 3 sections which you can use however you like. I like to divide my day into morning/afternoon/evening. You don't have to divide it all - just make a list of what needs to get done. It has plenty of space for writing down everything you need to be done in your day - cause I know we're all busy!

It's made big enough to put on your desk, fridge or wall, so you can easily see it. You could even slip it into a binder. You could also either print out a few copies for each week of April or laminate it in a sheet protector and use dry-erase markers on it. Plus it has a handy little calendar at the top corner so you can keep track of the date.

I really hope you get some good use out of this printable! If you'd like anything on it to be different, I am totally open to feedback too :) Just leave a comment down below. I am planning to release a calendar every month, so I just might take on your ideas!
Get Your Free Planner At The Link Below↧

Get Your Free Printable April 2018 Planner Here

Pin it for later^

A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard: An Amish Fiction Book Review

Charlotte Hubbard is one of my favorite Amish fic writers. Her stories, characters, and settings seem to just pull you into another world. There is just something about the way she describes things that really sets up a great scene. 

Psst - I received a free copy of this book for being a member of Netgalley.com - Join free here!

A Mother's Gift is a wonderful story about many different mothers. The main character, Leah, falls desperately in love with a widower named Jude. Leah's own mother fears for Leah's marriage since she will be taking on a  houseful of kids and a persnickety mother-in-law. Leah herself becoming a mother is no simple task - she scares Jude's youngest son, still hurting over the loss of his own mother, and she can't find any way to get Jude's troubled teen daughters to like her either. Jude's own mother is another mom in this story, one who highly disapproves of Leah's way of managing a household, always comparing it to his previous wife's. But Jude's departed wife held secrets of her own that threaten the family even after she's gone. 

All in all, it's the story of how a mother's love can change people. For better or for worse. You're going to love how invested you'll quickly become in this story - I know I was! This book actually comes out today and I hope you enjoy the story as much I did. 

Get This Book On Amazon Here In Kindle or Paperback Editions

Free Easter Egg Hunt Printable

Easter is really early this year, and I can't believe it's just a couple weeks away now! Have you started your shopping yet? Because we haven't😅

One of the traditions we love most on Easter (and you might too!) is having an egg hunt. Since we have a teen and two younger kids, we usually hide some eggs in pretty obvious places and make sure some are really well hidden. And of course, we need to be sure there's none within the dog's reach!

I designed this egg hunt note to use Easter morning, and it can be used in quite a few fun ways!
First off, you can sign it either from yourself or the Easter Bunny. I made an example of each below

Then you can either tie it to their filled basket, leave it an empty egg hunt basket for them to find, or use it any way you'd like! Then just put in how many eggs they need to find and where the hunt will begin and end.

Download The FREE Printable Here

Please feel free to print and share this printable with your family and friends too! If you'd like to share it online, please link to this page, not the file is all I ask :)

Enjoy!

DIY Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

There is this absolutely wonderful teeny-tiny little box of cheese that my husband and I LURVE to buy once in a while. It's a pretty fancy kind, comes in beautiful packaging and is so NOT in our budget!

So when I had a little spare cream cheese one night before dinner (a very rare thing in our house), I decided to try my hand at copying that wonderful fancy-pants cheese.

There were a few things I knew I'd need to get down to make it right - the texture, which was light and airy, the taste which was a strong, perfect garlic with sweet herbs, and the look, because who doesn't want something pretty on their table!

And I got it! Seriously, on my first try, that first bite was perfection! The family agreed so too. Although the original cheese isn't made with packaged cream cheese, this version comes pretty darn close in flavor and texture!

And now I'm sharing my little recipe with you! It's super simple, really quick and sooo good on a nice baguette! It adds that nice extra touch to dinner when you're eating something light too. In fact, I think I could seriously just eat this for dinner!

Garlic Herb Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt 
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp dill
• 1/4 tsp parsley flakes
• 1/4 tsp thyme

Instructions:

Whip up all the ingredients together, being sure to mix them really well. If you have a hand mixer, you can beat it for a minute to get that nice, lightly whipped texture. Serve it in a nice little dish. Then just fancy it up with a sprinkle of extra parsley on top! 

You might also find you like less garlic in it, or more! Experiment and see how it comes out best. Either way, you'll be spending just 1/8th of what a wheel of that already-made cheese costs. 

Enjoy!