Author: Tammy Litke

Did you all get a glimpse of the backyard of the home we just bought?  Go check it out and then come back…  okay, now you know why I’ll have the desire to spend time outside this summer once we get down there!  That huge deck comes with a BUT though, and here it is ….BUT I have to watch my wallet when it comes to decorating and entertaining out there because we ended up buying at the top of our price range.  I’m also feeling a little overwhelmed with getting an outdoor space that large ready to entertain because we’ve been living in a condo for the last 7 years, where our “outdoor space” was a small balcony off our living area.

Before I let yet another day go by without posting, maybe I should tell you why my blog will have a few empty days in the coming months….we FINALLY sold our home! 

This has been such a whirlwind of a week.  Tired of seeing homes in the Dallas suburbs get snatched up from under us, we decided to do something REALLY crazy.  On May 22nd we put an offer on a house with only seeing pictures of it on the internet.  I KNOW RIGHT?! 

For many of us, the anticipation of summer conjures images of grilling outdoors and fresh produce.  But the beginning of the vacation season is not the ideal time to derail your diet with high-calorie dressings. 

This summer, incorporate NECTRESSE™ Natural No Calorie Sweetener into your summer menu to cut back on sugar, calories and guilt.  NECTRESSE, made from monk fruit extract, is perfect for sweetening your favorite beverages, savory sauces and dressings, homemade jams, desserts and so much more.

In celebration of our nation’s brave soldiers who have returned from service and are making a difference in their communities, Procter & Gamble® has teamed up with Dollar General to honor our military as Every Day Heroes in June.  Just as our military families have made a commitment to our country, Dollar General is committed to delivering valuable savings on America’s favorite brands every day.

The other day I shared the Toca Kitchen Monsters app that I found to download, and then it occured to me that you might be wondering how I find free or discounted apps to download.  The iTunes App store is FULL of apps, and being able to try out apps for free or 99₵ is great.  It allows you to find developers you like so that you don’t mind paying for other apps that they make, it lets you download apps for your kids without breaking your budget and, at least in my case, it also lets me consolidate a number of things into one app where previously I may have had two or three apps to do the same things.

June is National Safety Month and the Master Lock Storage Security Key Holder (mrsp $40.48) solves the problem of when someone needs access to your home, but you aren’t around to let him or her in.

When I have find myself with some free time (which isn’t often!), one of the things I really like to do is peruse the iTunes app store to find new apps to download.  While for myself, I mostly look for productivity apps, I also do look for the odd game here and there.  But when I know that I’ll be with some younger kids for a period of time, I look for some apps for them to download.  Of course in those cases it’s also nice if the apps happen to be low cost!

This recipe can get a little ‘sticky’ but if you like sweets and coconut, it will be hard to eat just one!

Everyone’s idea of success is different.  For some success simply might be little goals that are achieved.  Others might not deem themselves successful unless they’ve moved mountains.  But everyone has probably gotten to their ideal of successful the same way and that’s with passion.  You notice it when you talk to them about their goals and dreams, the successful ones can’t stop talking about what it is they love about what they do.  I find it’s even true with myself, when I’m passionate I can’t stop talking about it and that’s when I feel most successful at what I’ve accomplished.

Being homeschoolers we eat lunch at home every day, and with school being out soon I thought I’d share one of our favorite lunches, a twist on the regular grilled cheese – but it’s still quick and simple to make…and kids love it!