Hurricane Harvey Headache

In light of the hurricane, as you may have noticed, I am not active around here but I just want to give you a quick update.

The rain stopped today and we saw the sun around 7 tonight. It was glorious! The Mr. and I have reflected on how blessed we have been during this storm and how the Lord has provided and protected us. We do NOT take it for granted! The waters have gone down on our street and we were able to get to the grocery story for some basics. The stores don't have much but I imagine as the water begins to decrease in other areas delivery trucks will be able to get through to get food back into the city. Our city is pretty much closed & on mandatory curfews through next Tuesday, so we're praying that the waters will continue to decrease. I can't thank you enough for reaching out to us, and covering us in prayer. We were *very* fortunate, while others, right next door to us, were not. It was truly by His grace that the waters moved past our home. I genuinely thank you for covering our family in prayers. I ask you to continue lifting up our city as it continues to flood, and that those who do not know the Father will become believers.

I will be back next week with the regular LWTH schedule!  Much love to all of you, and stay dry!

Is This Thing On?

September for me has always been like "New Years".  A time to reflect on how the first part of the year went and how to finish out the year strong.  So I'd like to hear from YOU!  I'm trying to gather some information about what you do or don't like about Life with the Hawleys.  So I've created this anonymous survey and I would really appreciate it if you would give me some feedback. Thanks!!!

Do You Think They’re Related?

Any time, every time, I get a chance to put pictures of these babies next to each other I do it! And if they’re both wearing the same outfit....well I just get so giddy.  Thank goodness they tolerate me well, at least for now.

Here is Dutch in this onesie at about a year 

and then Ellis in the exact same onesie at a little over a year.  

So what do you think: do they look related??

Christmas in July...in August

My bestie & I love Christmas, like LOVE LOVE LOVE it!  If it were Christmas all year long we would be happy campers.  Last year we had our first Christmas in July" party.  We had a blast last year & knew that we wanted to make this an annual thing.  This summer was cra-zy packed so we were really looking forward to this celebration.  We decided that to a certain extent Christmas in July is much more enjoyable than Christmas: it's relaxing & not rushed.  Also, when you live in the south & summers are brutally hot so you're stuck inside trying not to burn up, this is a fun way to have fun inside.  This is what our party includes:

Wore our jammies

Had quiche & coffee for breakfast

Listened to Christmas music

Read Christmas books

Decorated (and of course ate) Christmas cookies

Did a Christmas craft; built a nativity scene

Exchanged Christmas gifts (everyone gets 1 small gift)

Had a visit from Sheldon (our Elf on the Shelf)

Drank hot cocoa

And just played!!!

So after our Christmas party, it's officially Christmas time... at least in my mind ;-) 

Have you ever had a Christmas in July party? What do you do at yours?

Pretend You’re Fancy Chicken

You know those moments in life where you feel like a rock star; like you’ve made it and you’ve got this life thing under control? Yeah I have absolutely NO idea what that feels like hahaha But this dish, when I serve it, I imagine myself dropping the mic at the dinner table.  This one is a winner.  Everyone likes it. And it looks like a lot of effort when in reality there is no prep, no chopping, and not extra dishes.  If you need a “drop the mic” moment at the dinner table, try this one!
Ingredients:
8 stripes of good thick bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces (I cut mine with scissors)
8 chicken thighs, bone-in
sea salt
ground pepper
2-15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, un-drained
Italian parsley, roughly chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cook bacon until crispy in a cast iron skillet (I use a 15-inch skillet).  Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel to drain.
2. Place chicken in the hot cast iron skillet with the bacon grease.  Season with sea salt & pepper.  Put in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas (with the juice) to the skillet and top with the crispy bacon.  Roast for 20-25 more minutes.  Add the parsley before serving.
4. Enjoy!

I Just Can't Stop

The Holy Spirit has encircled my heart with this song lately, and I just wanted to share it with you.  I'm grateful that the words of this melody are playing over & over again lately.  I need to hear it and remind myself.  I hope that this song rolls through your heart as it has for me.

Your glory lights the stars and rising sun

Your power raises mountains like the dawn

How could I not worship

How could I not worship

You knew my name before my life began

My very days were carved by your own hand

How could I not worship

How could I not worship

You are my God

You've rescued my heart

And I can barely breath when I see

How great you are

You are my king

and none can compare

You took the crown of thorns

that no one else could wear

I just can't stop my hallelujahs

I just can't stop my hallelujahs

There's nothing in my heart that I won't give

And it's by Your grace

that I know what mercy is

How could I not worship

How could I not worship

You are my God

You've rescued my heart

And I can barely breath when I see

How great you are

You are my king

And none can compare

You took the crown of thorns

That no one else could wear

I just can't stop my hallelujahs

I just can't stop my hallelujahs

All splendor, all glory, all praise be yours Lord

All blessing, all honor, all praise be yours

All splendor, all glory, be yours Lord

All blessing, all honor, all praise be yours

All splendor, All glory, All praise be yours Lord

All blessing, All honor, All praise be yours

You are my God

You've rescued my heart

And I can barely breath

When I see how great you are

You are my King

And none can compare

You took the crown of thorns

That no one else could wear

I just can't stop my hallelujah's

I just can't stop my hallelujah's

I just can't stop my hallelujah's

I just can't stop my hallelujah's

Salt Tray Learning {FREE Download!}

I wish I could bottle the giggles that I get with this activity for you to hear.  Completely infectious!  I lean in the Montessori direction for academic instruction with my kids, so I love that this activity is not only versatile but encourages independence, exploration, & self-correction.  Today I’m sharing it with you and have a FREE download for you!!!!
Montessori suggests using sand trays with children, but I don’t know if you’ve looked into this or not, but those Montessori sand trays are ridiculously expensive.  This mama don’t play that game! Instead I found this super reasonably-priced tray and use table salt instead of sand. Soooooo much better!  I made these cards to use with the tray and have them for you for FREE!!!!
These cards are great for kids to use to practice writing their letters, numbers, shapes, and even just tracing.  I used this at Vacation Bible School this year to let children create pictures to illustrate our bible story.  You could easily incorporate this into your home classroom!!! 
So fun right?  Check out these FREE cards and let me know what you think.

What cool ideas or Montessori activities are you using with your kiddos lately?

Not Alone

There are so many times when we just don't know what to say so we say nothing OR we stick our foot in our mouth and unintentionally hurt others.  I know it's been a while since I've discussed our loss & our season of infertility, but that doesn't mean that it is out of my mind.  I think of it on a daily basis & I miss my sweet baby that has already gone to heaven.  It is a part of my life forever and while I still struggle with it, even with 2 earthly children, it doesn't hold me back as much anymore. (More on our infertility journey here)

Before infertility, it never occurred to me that people may be smiling on the outside but dealing with a painful, soul-crushing loss on the inside until I was one of those people. I am now hyper aware of other’s feelings and forgiving of people’s shortcomings because I realize that they may be fighting a silent battle too.  Just like I was putting on that fake smile, many others do that as well, offer them grace and mercy.

In the past, I always wanted to stop and fix pain, rather than hug people and to tell them it was ok that they were hurting. Now, when people experience pain I tell them that they hurt because what happened mattered. Having experienced pain that seemed so meaningless and feeling “dumb” for being sad for what could have been but never was, I can understand that sometimes pain just needs to sit because it represents what was important to us but is now gone.

I saw this video and I just have to share it with you.  I know this is a commercial, but it is the sweetest illustration of just being present for someone else.  In a world filled with hurt that you may or may not understand, you just need to sit there.  And just be.

 

Monat for the Skeptic

I will be the FIRST to admit that whenever something new rolls around I am the absolute biggest skeptic.  Blame it on the neuroscientist part of my life ;-)  However, being the biggest skeptic made me the perfect gal for the job!  Sit back, let me tell you my hair story!
You see Monat is an all natural hair system that refuses all toxic ingredients.  For several years now I have only used 100% all natural shampoo & conditioner.  I don’t color my hair.  I don’t use hair products. I don’t use heat on my hair.  So if I were to try Monat I would be the perfect control, because if there were changes in hair that is already pretty healthy, imagine how much more change is possible with damaged hair???? See where I’m going with this? I was the perfect head of hair to try this..... I keep saying “perfect”.... let me just say it. I know I’m not perfect, but let me pretend for a few more minutes ;-)

Before starting Monat I had lots of fly-aways around my face from all of my post-partum hair loss, but that was my biggest hair flaw that I was hopeful would be corrected.  I have been using Monat exclusively since April 30th 2017 and let me tell you what I’ve learned:

++PRO++

Just looking at the product I LOVE the design of the bottle.  Monat has created such an effortless twist top to open their shampoo & conditioner.  I know this might sound minor, but it is so helpful in the shower.  When you open the products they smell so good! It’s a relaxing subtle scent that wont suffocate you.  Some shampoos smell way too strong.  After washing you get a really nice squeaky feeling.  I don’t know about you, but if you use natural hair products you will often feel like you can never tell if you got out all of your shampoo or conditioner; that drives me bonkers!  I look forward to clean hair and I want it to squeak when it’s done, & Monat gets my hair squeaky clean.

--CON--

There is a “detox period” when you first start with the product line.  For me I saw some hair loss at the beginning, which worried me a little bit, but it tapered off.  I also noticed that my hair began to get a lot of tangles and frizzy.  Not going to lie, I was initially starting to rethink this product.  The skeptic part of me was in full force.  I think I was driving my husband insane asking him everyday if he noticed anything different with my hair.  I was reassured that this was a typical result and it would be fine.  Sure enough the detox phase ended and all of those “side effects” went away.  For me, it took about a month and a half for my hair to adjust, so if you have really battered hair it may or may not take the same length of time. 

++PRO++

Monat has a lot of options as to what kind of issue you would like to work on with your hair (i.e. hair growth, volume, etc.).  I started with the Renew Shampoo & Restore Leave-In Conditioner, and later switched to the Intense Repair Shampoo & Conditioner.  I think because my hair is just so long it tangles easily and I can’t go without conditioner.

++PRO++

You might see this as a con at first, but only because it is a little confusing.  This shampoo doesn’t get sudsy.  Because of the absence of toxic chemicals you wont get the bubbles you typically expect with shampoo.  Once you just get over that expectation it’s totally fine.  In addition, and this is GOOD folks, this shampoo doesn’t require much.  About a quarter-sized dollop is sufficient for an entire head of hair (even my really long hair).  In almost 4 months I have only used 2 bottles of shampoo.

--CON--

These hair products do cost a little more than your average hair product, but they also last a lot longer.  I also only have to wash my hair every two days, so that also helps the product last longer.

++PRO++

There is an intense replenishing masque, which is basically a super intense conditioner.  If you watch any You Tube videos about it, people RAVE about this product.  I like it & used it probably once every 2 weeks (a single tub lasted me 4 months).  From all the videos I watched, I feel like this was the product to make my hair “feel like butter”.  While it’s good & effective, it’s not my favorite.....I like the Blow Out Cream best

++PRO++

I have never liked a hair product more than I like this one.  It smells so heavenly, but makes my hair softer and lighter than it has ever been.  I no longer have any flyaways and my hair doesn't even frizz (even when it is over 108 degrees + humidity in Houston!).  I have noticed that if I let my hair air dry it isn’t as soft as it is when I dry my hair and use this product.  Oh AND get this, my hair dries faster now!!! This is a big deal, especially for people with long hair in the summer.

My hair is so silky now and I like to run my fingers through it lol I don’t care how weird that sounds.  My hair just feels so rich, full, and healthy.  Look how much my hair changed in just a couple months (and also I apparently have a thing for cream shirts)

If you are at all interested in this product, I fully endorse it & encourage you to try it.  Click here to learn more and get connected with an epic representative.  I have quickly switch from skeptic to fanatic :-)

Obligatory Blogger Disclaimer: While I was compensated with products to sample, all comments & opinions are 100% mine.

Colorful Noodle Letters

We are ALL things letters right now!  Letters are everywhere and in everything around Chateau Hawley.  Creating the letters I’m sharing with you today turned out to be a great, fun Saturday morning science project and then a fun game in our classroom.
Supplies:
Dry Noodles
4 Sandwich baggies with zipper closure
Rubbing alcohol
Food coloring
cookie sheet
wax paper
“Grabbers”
Directions:
1. Separate dry noodles into plastic bags.  Then to each bag add 1/2 tsp rubbing alcohol & 4-5 drops of food coloring.  Seal & shake the bag to make sure all of the noodles are coated.
2. On a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, pour out the noodles to dry. I let my noodles dry over night.
3. When noodles are dry and ready to enter the classroom, you can use these tools to help with fine motor skills and letter recognition. “Can you find the letter ‘A’ and pick it up with the forceps?”  Later you can use these same letters to spell words. 
How fun is this?!?!? Super easy, cheap, & versatile....all my favorites!

Succotash For All Your Summer Needs

I feel like you can’t get out of the summer without making Succotash.  I remember having this all the time at family functions when I was younger.  My Aunt Debbie would make it & my mouth would water every time I saw it on the pot luck table.  In fact my mouth still waters when I see it. Ha!  This is the perfect side dish for grilling out or picnics at the pool. Someone please make this at your next pot luck and send me some :-)


Ingredients:
16 oz bag of frozen butter beans--or baby lima beans depending on your regional dialect ;-)
15 oz frozen sweet yellow corn
1 tsp ground pepper
2 strips of good thick bacon
3-4 cups water (maybe more if you need it later- you be the judge)
3 tbs unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Dump everything into a stock pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low & simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. Enjoy!

Zucchini Boats

Apparently when I posted this picture on Instagram & Facebook, I captured your attention.  I certainly wouldn't call myself the best chef; oh no, not by any stretch of the imagination.  But occasionally I'm not too shabby.  Like this recipe I'm sharing with you today. It looks, and sounds, a lot fancier than it is. This is a fairly quick recipe that you can whip up in about 35-40 minutes, and it looks and tastes great!  Try it & tell me what you think!
Ingredients:
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3/4 oz parmesan cheese, shaved
2 tbs EVOO
sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbs grass-fed butter
1/2 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch of chili flakes (optional)
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 lb ground Italian sausage, I've used both mild & hot and both are great
5-8 zucchinis
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 oz mozzarella cheese ( I just used sliced cheese)
2 tbs fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together tomatoes, parmesan cheese, EVOO, sea salt & pepper.
2. In a skillet (I use cast iron) over medium heat, melt butter, and then add onions & cook until translucent (about 3-5 minutes).  Then stir in the garlic, paprika, cayenne, (chili flakes- optional), oregano, & thyme.
3. Add sausage to the onions & spices, and cook until browned.  Then remove everything from the skillet and add it to the tomato mixture.  Check to see if you need more salt or pepper.
4. Cut each zucchini in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh.  Do not throw the flesh away, but instead add it to the tomato mixture. Place the empty zucchinis into a baking dish and add the chicken stock to the bottom. Begin to fill the zucchinis with the sausage/tomato/zucchini mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.
5. Top zucchini boats with mozzarella cheese & parsley, & return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes depending on how brown & bubbly you like the cheese. Then remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
6. Enjoy!