Friday, May 31, 2013

A First For Us...

Hey everyone, we are excited to announce:
We just did our very first guest post! Isn't that awesome?!?! It was very fun but it almost felt like we were breaking into someone else's blog!
Hannah's blog, that is...

 
 We wanted to do something that a lot of our readers would be interested in. And thrifty shopping is certainly something I think we all love, right? I mean, who doesn't love to save money?
 
So go check it out and
 see how we save some bucks!
10 Tips for Thrifty Shopping  

Let us know what you think and if anything stood out to you!

Blessings, 
Layla&Hagen

Friday, May 24, 2013

Video Friday {No.5}

               
It's Friday, and your long promised beach video is finally being posted! Can you believe it?!?
I have to admit I am no videographer... Photography is more my thing, so... yeah...
                


                  

 So, what do you think?

Not to long ago I wrote a poem about the beach and I thought I ought to post it. It matches...

Nautical Peace

Upon the shore I walk,
the gentle breeze with me it talks.
The moist sand between my toes,
I'll never know from whence it comes or goes.
The sound of waves crash in my ears,
the noise, my mind it clears.
More than seldom a shell is found,
just waiting there upon the ground.
The bright sun shines upon my skin,
it soothes me from within. 
As I watch the ocean,
I see its rapid motion.
But suddenly, I notice the sun has just now set.
I realize that night and I have met.
As I walk away, I watch the moon slowly rise,
and it shines upon the tides.
I bid the waves farewell, but just for tonight.
I soon shall return at mornings first light.

Well, how was that? Obviously, poems aren't one of my strengths, but it'll do. ;)

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post!
It feels good to post a video again! 
Blessings, Hagen 
         

Thursday, May 23, 2013

A Step Back in History

When I walk into a museum, I feel a wave of enchantment, mystery and a twinge of excitement come over me. I feel as though I have stepped into a new world and am walking through each era, discovering new facts. I love seeing old artifacts, reading about how people from the past lived, learning about their ingenuity and techniques

Today we took a trip to the local museum. Gabe wanted to  document the trip by taking pictures, but the museum wouldn't allow taking pictures unless it was for a school project. Of course we could count it as a school project, even a trip to the store can be field trip!


 We started with learning about the local indian tribe, the Karankawa's.

The Karankawan Indians lived in small bands made up of about 40-50 people. They lived close to the ocean and were good fishermen. They would rub fish oil on their bodies in summer to repel the mosquitoes, but the smell also kept other Indian tribes away! In 1680, there was an estimated amount of 8,000 Karankawans, but by the year 1840, the tribe had been wiped out.
 
 
Next, we learned about the Abner Jackson Plantation. Abner Jackson owned most of the land in the area, and had three large plantations. His plantations supplied sugar and cotton.

 Matilda found it interesting how the slaves made their own bricks.
 
This is a painting of the Abner Jackson Plantation, before it was destroyed by a hurricane in the year 1900. 

Hagen is a marble collector, so she enjoyed these marbles that were found when the old plantation was excavated.

Next up was the DOW Chemical plant. We knew a little about it, because there are huge plants by the ocean, but we learned more about Herbert H. Dow and his company.

The first magnesium ingot was poured on Jan. 21, 1941. It was the first magnesium ever extracted from sea water.

People came to work in the new plants.
 I love this picture from the 50's of a family and their camper!
 
 There was also a small exhibit on hats from the 50's.

 And lastly, we learned about a local dentist who designed and built this plane using epoxy resin. Later, he donated it to the museum.


 We enjoyed our visit to the museum, there is always more to learn! By the way, Gabe took most of these pictures. He's getting pretty good!

Have a good night, and stop by for tomorrows post!
Blessings,

Layla & Hagen 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Recipe~ Soaked Oatmeal

Hello! 
I honestly have to admit that I don't particularly like to pose and have my pictures taken... So we won't be doing a fashion post today (because of the lack of pictures). How about a recipe instead? 

Here's a yummy and easy breakfast recipe that doesn't involve much prepping, and is great if you want a quick, healthy breakfast. It only takes about 10 minutes to cook!



What You Need:
2 cups oats
4 cups water
3 apples, peeled and chopped
3 tsp cinnamon, separated
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp powdered ginger 
butter
honey
    
 What To Do:
1. The night before, pour 2 cups of oats in a large bowl and cover with water. Cover bowl with a towel and let sit over night. In the morning, drain and rinse your soaked oats.
2. Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil and add in the oats.
3. Bring oats down to a simmer, and let cook for about 7 minutes, or until they become the consistency you prefer. Mix in 2 tsp cinnamon.
4. While your oats are cooking, put your chopped apples in a small pan with a chunk of butter, remaining cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. 
5. Put a lid over the apples and let them simmer for a few minutes, until they are soft and bubbly.
6. To serve, top the oatmeal with a chunk of butter, a scoop of apples, and a drizzle of honey.



Can you see all that melted butter and honey? Yum!
I love oatmeal, do you? Mom has a hard time getting it down, so I try to spice it up for her!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I would love to know if you tried it, or what kind of variation you did! 

Have a good night!
 <3 Layla 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

I ♥ Thursday {No. 9} ~ Book Favorites

A few weeks ago, we had a reader ask what our favorite books are. We decided to share them with you today for I ♥ Thursday, because we really love these books!



Hagen's


 
Aww, good o'l Huck' and Tom... I love these books! I am sure you all know they both are by Mark Twain. They are so lively and full of adventure!


The Fellowship of the Ring is wonderfully written.
Once I got started on it, it was hard for me to put it down! I have yet to read the rest of the series and I can't wait!

 
The Chronicles of Narnia is absolutely beautiful!
The words of C.S. Lewis are so strong and express love and courage.


 
A Tale of Two Cities, another great classic.
 
 I just recently read Redwall and though it may not be as advanced as some of the books I read, it still captivated me.


 

Okay, so obviously I like mice books...
And adventure books... And I love Richard Peck...
 

Another great book by Richard Peck.


I am sure you have heard of this and probably watched the movie, but the movie doesn't do it justice! ;)

 
I really like Kate DiCamillo, 
but I have only read a couple of her books....


Layla's



 
I'm sure you have heard of Treasure Island, but it really is my favorite pirate book, full of scally wags and mutiny! Arrrgh!
 Macbeth, a Shakespearean novel.

A science experiment gone wrong...
 

 
What can I say, Agatha Christie an awesome mystery writer!    
 
I love each of the Hermux Tantamoq Adventures. They are full of action and mystery, with a bit of humor mixed in.
#1 Time Stops for No Mouse

 
#2 The Sands of Time

 
#3 No Time Like Show Time

#4 A Time To Smell The Roses


A Series of Unfortunate Events.
This series is pretty old, I read it through elementary school, but I would love to re-read it! It's on the darker side, but if you want an intense thriller/action series, this is the one for you!

I love all of Brian Selznick's books, his illustrations really make his books come to life. You might recognize this book, it was the inspiration for the movie Hugo.


I hope you enjoyed seeing each of our Top 10 Favorite Books! Have you read any of these books, or know the authors?

Have a blessed Thursday,
Layla&Hagen  

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

What She Wore Wednesday~ Sunday Best

Hello Lovelies! 
A quick apology: I intended for this post to be up already, but apparently the internet thought otherwise. ;)
 
Tonight's post features outfits from a few weeks ago, which we wore to church. 

Hagen wore a blue floral shirt, striped skirt and black bow flats.  
 I love how she hiked up her skirt to make it high-waisted! I think it suites her. You can't really see the pattern of her shirt very well in this picture.


If you look closely, you can see the flowers on her shirt. I love the floral and stripe pattern play!


This is a lovely shot of her, don't you think?
~What She Wore~
shirt- from a friend $0
tank- walmart $3
skirt- made by her $0
shoes- from a friend $0
hair clip- homemade $0  

Only 3 bucks? That makes this outfit even cuter!



I tried my hand at the boho style. I wore a simple black dress, strappy sandals, and a headband.
I tend to twiddle my fingers when I am having my picture taken...

 Oh yes, how could I forget, I also wore my favorite feather earring which Hagen made from our own duck!

Look out, this boho hobo needs a ride!
~What She Wore~
dress- Ross $7
shoes- walmart $10
headband- made by me $0
earring- Christmas gift $0

Well, 17 bucks isn't too bad, right?
 
I hope you enjoyed seeing these outfits as much as we enjoyed wearing them!
Blessings,
Layla  

Thursday, May 2, 2013

National Day of Prayer

As you may know, today is the National Day of Prayer. I thought I would write down a few prayer requests, for our country and our family.


  • Pray for our country's leaders, that the Lord would provide strong, Christian leaders in office.
  • Pray that Godly leaders would be raised up in the next generation, and for generations to come, that they would take seriously their role.
  • Pray for the state of our country, that there would be a revival, and many would come to know Jesus.
  • Pray that the Lord would strengthen Christians, that we would step out of our comfort zones and spread the good news to all creation and to the ends of the earth.    
  • Pray that the murder of innocent children would be abolished.
  • Pray for my new friend, Leah, who is in Thailand doing mission work.
  • Pray for the persecuted Christian around the world, that they would be strengthened and encouraged.
  • Pray for our soldiers and their families, giving thanks for their service, for being willing to give up their lives for our safety and freedom.
  • Pray for the families involved in the West, TX plant explosion, that God would provide all their needs.
  • Pray that the family and marriage would be protected.
  • Pray that homeschooling would be protected, that parents would keep their right to disciple their children.
  •  Thank the Lord that we live in a country where we can read the Bible and the Lord freely.
  • Pray that all things we do would be to God's glory.
  • Pray that the Lord would guide our family, that He would make each step clear.
  • Please pray for our family, as we learn to adjust to RV living.


Thank you for teaming up with us and being prayer warriors! This is only 15 things to be praying about, I know the list could be endless!

  Personally, my prayer life needs to be strengthened. So, if you have any prayer requests, I would love to add them to my daily prayers. You can find our e-mail on our Contact page.

May GOD bless you,
Layla