I know many of you are looking for a way to help those affected by the tornadoes today.

I just got news of the Kerr family who will be returning home on July 1st to Nothing. Nothing but rubble. Their house was demolished while they were away on a long-awaited cruise. They have nothing but what they had with them.

They desperately need your help!

A family member of theirs {whom I know personally} has offered to collect items for them, {the address is available on the wish list} so, I have created an amazon wish list to attempt to send aid their way.

These are just examples of things I'm sure they will need. Feel free to send other items {or brands} as well. The family consists of a husband, wife, and teenage daughter. I will let you know as soon as I get clothing sizes!!!!

Watch more Rothacher Family videos on our YouTube Channel!

brought to you because My Husband Rocks  

The other day I had sliced open a cantaloupe for my daughters' snack. After the melon was empty I was reminded of some kind of cute snack I'd seen on Pinterest or some other place that clever people post creative ideas. A melon filled with jello.

Cool. Maybe I had jello! nope. I had no jello. I did however have cheap popsicle...yep. I tried it.

I cut open about 10 unfrozen popsicle, I chose orange...because no one likes that flavor in our house. I pored them into 1/2 of the empty melon. I covered it in plastic wrap and set it in a flat-bottomed bowl and placed it in the deep freeze.

And here are pics of my kids eating it.

Or at least trying to. It was kinda a flop. It tasted okay and was kind of like a slushy. But then I tried to slice up the cantaloupe it was wicked hard & I had to call on the strength of the hubs.

I was envisioning the kids eating it like watermelon or something but it was more like a slushy mess on a plate that required a spoon.

What was your newest inventive food? Did it Flop or Fly?

To learn more about "bread-ties" and what they have to do with preschool finances, budgeting, and developing responsibility in your preschooler, click over to the Homemaker's Challenge where I'm sharing how we are trying to teach our kids about finances.

I was maybe 6th grade with immature blonde hair on my pasty legs but with a self-perceived maturity level of a college women. I looked straight into my mamma's eyes and said, "I am Going to start shaving!" Pretty gutsy huh? A 10 or 11-year-old speaking to her mother with such gusto. Such confidence. Such...wisdom?

Bwahahahaha

This had been a long heated discussion among my mom and I. I was determined to hack those precious baby hairs down. I mean, ALL my friends were! She was determined to teach me true beauty, healthy hygiene, and responsibility. You are too young and you don't  need to shave, she would say, If you start shaving, there's no going back.

This boost of confidence that came that evening, came as I watched my mamma answer a phone call from one of her good friends. I knew she would chatting a while and I would have at least some leeway in the normal expectations she had for me. And Thus...the razor! The glare. The smirk. The postponed lecture. The razor burn.

I tell you this silly story of disobedience to explain why my boss has the "Phone Free Work Zone" rule. I thought you were a stay-at-home-mom you might be asking, making you your own boss? That would be correct. I have chosen to work during the day without using my phone. I don't think that's an extreme rule. I mean, most places of employment don't allow cell phones to be used during work hours, why should SAHM be any different?

There have always been jokes about kids getting away with murder when mommy's on the phone but its only funny because there's some truth in it. When people are on the phone, those who are actually with them kinda get the shaft. If you have a teen, you know this often goes with texting as well. Its just a natural thing to pay attention to the electronic. I don't know why. So rather than try and figure out how to constantly tell my friend, "Excuse me while I go beat my child" or "Sorry, I need to go make lunch" or "___ pass poop...again" I just don't use my phone while my kids need me...which is like all the time right now.

Don't get me wrong, I have exceptions every-once-in-a-while when I have to make appointments, when my kids are napping, or my hubby is home. But for the most part friends, this is why I don't answer the phone during the day. Text replies are super delayed. And the habit all day make my phone easily forgotten when I'm "off work" {L.O.L.} Some times I may miss awesome lunch invites or time-pertinent questions but I'd rather miss those than these moments with my kids. Its hard some days but I think its totally worth it.

Disclaimer: I do partake in online work through out the day. I have found that texting, typing, and such can always be saved or dropped much easier than phone calls.

Sorry friends, family, and other random peeps who call me. You're gonna get the voicemail 90+% of the time. Texters...yep, delayed responses. Facebook messagers and emailers- I promise I check my inbox daily...most of the time. Thanks for your understanding.

Any other mom's have a "Phone Free Work Zone"? Thinking of starting one? Think I'm completely crazy?

At this point I was just trying not to spit my Dr Pepper all over my purple laptop. That's a phrase I never saw coming out of my husbands mouth.

You can read a tiny bit more about our story over at the Arkansas Ministers' Wives blog. Actually, I'll be contributing monthly and you can find my posts every 2nd Friday. This blog is full of encouraging posts from lots of other ministers' wives who live right here in Arkansas.

God has blessed us...beyond expectation.

I think when we leave room for God to show up, He does.

~Kristen Welch

Through much humility, God has bless much! And although there is blessing, there are still the simple #thirdworldproblems and woes. Living in this amazing 'borrowed' home, I feel like I am waiting for something. Waiting for the next ____. I don't know why. I'm having trouble living in the now. Living in the borrowed.

Today, I wanna share the things I am doing to make the borrowed feel permanent because I bet there are lots of you feeling the same way.

1. UNPACK!
   I know there are tons out there who moved in about 5 years ago and still can't find that casserole dish. It will be worth it! Try and unpack the boxes as soon as they come into the house. There are lots of benefits:
   You'll know where things are.
   You can get rid of excess when it doesn't fit.
   You will feel at home!
2. Hang pictures!
   I know lots of rentals don't allow or highly discourage putting holes in the wall but in my opinion, decorating makes it your space. Invest in those removable hooks!
3. Use throw pillows!
   You may not be a throw pillow kind of person but adding simple accents like this again make this your space. It makes it comfortable. And things like throw pillows are easily replaced when your taste changes or they get worn out.
4. Get good sheets!
   Matt and I recently spent good money {for our budget even though they were like 50% off} on a fancy set of 600-thread-count sheets. Not only does this add to the style of your home but what makes you feel more at-home than comfort?!? Nice sheets should be comfortable so you are getting a great night's sleep. Sleep makes everything better.
5. Smell it up!
   My hubs can't smell. No, not like, he has a low sense of smell. He can't smell Anything! "Everything smells like home" to him. For years, I felt selfish buying perfume, air freshener, or candles because I was the only one benefiting. Over those years, I noticed one of the first things I noticed when I went into someone elses house was the nice smell. That smell was one more thing I associated with that family. My house...had begun smelling like dish/laundry soap, diapers, shampoo. I wanted our smell to be...well, not diapers. Don't get me wrong, I'm still buying candles dirt cheap but I don't feel awful getting them now.

There are few things that make a girl feel comfy like a yummy candle lit in the dark while snuggling with that throw pillow & blanket.

What makes your rental feel like home?

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I never thought I'd be THAT mom...the one that doesn't shower daily. Or at least who wishes she did but it's kinda hit or miss. Yeah. I am now her. I have learned some tricks to taking a quick and efficient shower.

12 Steps to Help MOM Get Ready FAST

1. Have all necessary items IN the shower.
   I always make sure I have body wash, wash cloth/luffa, shampoo, conditioner, make-up remover, razor, etc before showering. Really, I just never take the stuff our or replace it if needed when I get out.
   Some times I even set out hair stuff {ie Plug in but turn off straightener and hair drier, brush, make-up bag, lotion, and even the Deo (because sometimes...lets be honest...I forget lol)}
2. Have all Clothing Laid out and ready in the bathroom.
   I never knew how much time this could save me. I pick out what I'm going to wear the night before and have it in a pile on the bathroom counter. I'm talking under garments, socks if applicable, top, bottoms, earrings, hair stuff, etc. Wearing mainly t-shirts helps this process as well. If its something nicer, I'll leave it on the hanger & hook it on the back of the door {knob or towel hook}.
3. Have Towel over the shower door or rail.
   I love having my towel hanging over the shower door/rail even if there's a nearby hook. I use the towel to wipe my eyes after those slashes from soap when in a rush.
4. Set a timer.
   I haven't done this often but if you tend to take a long shower this can help you be aware of how long you take. After a while, a 10 minute shower will just be habit.
5. Rinse Hair Twice as long as you Wash it.
   This may sound silly and I laugh every time I'm in the shower and remember this tidbit...because it came from 6th grade! You know, when they give you the "You Stink, Use Deo for Your BO" conversation. Yeah, they had cute high school girls come talk to us and one of the things they mentioned was a general rule to make sure you get all the shampoo out is to rinse twice as long. If you message in the shampoo for 30 seconds, rinse for 1 minute.
   I know the whole point of this post is to take a FAST shower but it won't be worth it if your hair looks nasty just a few hours later.
6. Wash Body with Warm Water {1st}
   I prefer taking a shower first thing in the morning {even though this doesn't always happen} because it helps get the stiffness out of my body before starting the day. Warm water helps this!
7. Shave while washing your body.
   Using warm water and body wash is a quick way to shave every day. I know it can be bothersome and some days there's just no time for that but I love the feeling of shaved legs.
8. Remove make-up/Wash Face.
   Using your face-wash/make-up remover, clean your face using slightly warm water. You don't want to dry out your skin and your face is very sensitive.
9. Wash Hair with nearly Cold Water {2nd}
   After you've 'relaxed', washed, and shaved, its time to move on to hair. Scrub in your shampoo still using semi-warm water and then when you are ready to rinse, switch the water over to as cold as you can stand! Rinsing your hair with cold water will cut down on dandruff that comes from dry scalp and it also makes your hair really shiny {thanks for the tip mom}.
10. Don't turn back up the water temperature.
    Now that your hair looks fab, do not let the temptation to crank back up the water temp. You are ready to JUMP out of the shower...because you are cold. LOL
11. Dry off IN the shower.
    I know this isn't easy, especially if you have a small shower but this too will be beneficial. It will make you move quickly {so you can bundle after that cold rinse} and it won't soak your rug
12. Don't leave the bathroom until you are READY for the day.
    Another thing I'm still not good at but have noticed helps speed along with read-for-the-day process is finishing getting ready for the day. Get completely Dressed, Do make-up, Dry & Fix hair

Did you "Get Ready" today? I DID!!!

Anyone else have some helpful hints for shower or getting ready fast?

The past month we've been watching our dive-bombing friend, "Mamma Mockingbird" build a nest...right outside our back door...right there in the corner. Its a beautiful nest! I love taking pictures of it and being grossed out by admiring the unique materials she chose to use.

Shortly after training my girls to stomp across the deck as we approached the back door in the evenings, we found a tiny piece of a shell. WHAT!?! Yep, she had a baby up there now. So Cool!

I ran into the house the morning I found the shell and began our "homeschool spring science observation lesson". LOL Yeah, I don't so much plan these things...just pretend I'm clever like that. I first showed my husband the awesome find...he was less than impressed but a little more than eeked-out that I was so excited about it. I showed the kids who tried to mimic my enthusiasm. They were slightly confused.

I did convince the hubs to climb on a chair and take pictures for me. That was quite entertaining for me! He was slightly nervous about "mamma mockingbird" dive-bombing him as he snapped away with his phone. He could hear her chirping up a storm from the tree just a couple yards away. He may or may not have called me out there to "watch his back" and I may or may not have used bright colored paddles as a deterrent to her possible sneak attack.

Maybe this wasn't the best idea...GROSS! We didn't let the kids look in the nest for days...you can see why. We didn't want them to have nightmares! After they become slightly fluffy and a little larger/easier to see, we let each kids take a turn "observing them". Again with the mirrored excitement. With rules like, talk quietly and don't tough, there's little to be enthused about.flip flop pic courtesy of the Iz

We've been "observing" these babies for about 18 days now. They are still not adorable but MUCH better than the first site of pink-skin-lumps. I think we have discovered 5...although they all look conjoined and we still have a hard time identifying 5 beaks at any given time. The kids have learned to love seeing new pictures and even being lifted up to "check on the baby birds".

Our current fear...That Stare. lol No, really its that they aren't going to be pushed out of the nest by their mamma but that one of them {probably the one on the bottom of the stack} will breath wrong and they'll all tumble out. All I hear in my head is the song,

"There were 5 in the nest bed
and the little one said,
Roll Over.
Roll Over.
They all rolled over
and one fell out.
There were 4 in the bed
and the little one said..."

Anyways...I'll update you when they take flight. But until then, I'll leave you with this "meme"!

Happy spring observing!

I've got something beyond simple today for Thoughtful Thursday- TOAST.

Yep, as easy as "stick the bread into the toaster" may seem, my high-school-aged cousin {out of the mouth of babes} opened my eyes to the yumminess that Is 1/2 toast...as I like to call it.

1/2 toast is when your bread is only toasted on one side. This creates less crummage while still getting the crunch my family like for their PB&Js. Here's how ya do it...read for this...are you ready...really, are you ready?

Put 2 pieces of bread in 1 toaster slot. ShuBAM--> 1/2 TOAST!