Author: Katy Flint

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#FitFriday on Saturday…or Sunday- Taking Care of Me!

— Katy Flint4 Comments

Friday was one of those days…I was irritable (moody, if you will), exhausted physically & mentally, overwhelmed after being gone all night before with the #NorthIowaBloggers (more on that later), overwhelmed by a lot of things at work, and just “down” in general.

Then, I realized that I didn’t have my #FitFriday post written.  I knew what I wanted to write about, but didn’t have the time this week to write it.  I started to feel even more down.  I felt like I was failing.  Failing at balancing everything that I do.  What do I “do”?  On a daily and weekly basis I am a wife, step-mom, friend, daughter, City Clerk, Jamberry Nails consultant, Facebook marketer for a small business, volunteer for my local chamber, and blogger.  Yes, I get myself into all of these things (well, being a daughter wasn’t really my doing, but it’s a good things, so I’ll go with it), but I love them all.  I love all of the things that I do, which is why I do them.  But, this week…everything has caught up with me.  I am struggling to find the balance in everything and make everyone around me happy as well as myself.

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Share Your World 2015, Week 3

— Katy Flint4 Comments

Last week were great questions from Cee of Cee’s Photography and this week doesn’t disappoint either!

Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest? This is so hard!  I wouldn’t even know where to begin to decide who, but I do know that I would want it to be someone out of the ordinary…a war vet, someone who survived the Holocaust….something like that!

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Lois D’s Taco Casserole: Midweek meal

— Katy Flint2 Comments

taco casseroleI love having everything planned and in the house for suppers!  And Lois D’s Taco Casserole is one that is perfect for having in the freezer or to make it quick after work. 

The Recipe

This taco casserole recipe comes from my 4th grade teacher, Lois D. When I was in 8th grade my mom had some major surgeries and our friends from church arranged lots of meals to be delivered! Lois D went to our church and brought this casserole over along with the most amazing ice cream dessert! It’s been a favorite of mine ever since and I think your family will like it too!

Meal Planning

It’s also one of those that makes meal planning so easy!  My version of meal planning is slightly different than others.  Over the weekend, I make a list of 5-7 meals I could make the next week.  It is typically based on what can be made with what we have in the house, but I do gather additional items if necessary!  Then, the night before I ask T which one of those meals he’s hungry for and that’s what we go with!  

 

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Construction: Building Character & Memories

— Katy Flint3 Comments

What did you do this past Saturday? Sat around in your sweats? Went shopping? Had coffee with your girlfriends? Not I…to any of those! Nope, I was up and at ’em on a cold, windy, damp Saturday morning to go “do construction” with my dad, brother, & T. “Do construction”, you say? Yup! In this situation we began the process to insulate and finish a portion of a machine shed to make it an office for our customer. This included lining the walls with insulating foam and cutting and installing perlins (the stringers that go from rafter to rafter) and studs to add more insulation and then finally we will install steel as the finishing touch (another day).

I was 10 when my dad started me working consturction jobs with him. He owns his own moonlighting construction company and we do projects here and there. When I was 10, my dad put me on a roof with him and started teaching me how to shingle! I know right? Shingling to start? He’s glad I stuck with him all these years.  In the last 23 years I’ve learned how to construct buildings, hang steel, replace windows, remodel kitchens & bathrooms, finish wood projects (we made a bed one winter for me out of repurposed barn wood), shingle, and frame out buildings.  I can use a circular saw, drill gun, and air nailer.

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Recipes

Easy Bar Recipe & A Mom’s Cheat Sheet for Feeding a Crowd

— Katy Flint7 Comments

Alright ladies, we’ve all been there before, right? You get the note or phone call that tells you the good news: You’ve been volunteered to bring snacks or treats for the next 4H club meeting (or girl scouts, an event at school, etc). YAY! The world rejoices that you get to add this to your long list of “to dos” this week. Oh wait, maybe the rest of the world rejoices while mom’s around the world grumble! Well ladies, I have a short-cut, a cheat sheet, that will make you look like you slaved for hours in the kitchen!

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#FitFriday – Upper Body Toning

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Remember once before I said that I would rather run everyday than do any cross training or weight lifting? (If you haven’t read that post, you can find it HERE.) But, I’ve been dedicated the last several months to toning the parts of me that aren’t toned.  Being someone who has been a runner since 2007, my legs are about as toned as they can be.  They are the one part of me that I have always been pleased with (or at least since I started running).  However, because of my dislike for any other sort of exercise other parts of my body have suffered.  So, that brings us to this fall when I decided to change that.  While body image is something that I’ve always struggled with I decided this year that I wanted to love ALL of me!

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My Parents: World’s Greatest Grandparents

— Katy Flint6 Comments

R & M have the greatest grandparents! My parents are the greatest grandparents.  Why yes, I might be a little biased, but aren’t we all really?  Why do I say that my parents are the greatest parents & grandparents?  They love me, they love T, and they love our boys! It’s that simple! In marriages, people say love is a verb and we have to act our love for our spouse, which is true, but it’s also true in all relationships!  And my parents are some of the best at showing us just how much they love R & M.

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Recipes

Meal Planning – Smothered Ribeye Steak

— Katy Flint4 Comments

Last weekend I was feeling adventurous. I wanted to try my hand at a few things and test some things out. I had thawed out some ribeye steaks and bought baby red potatoes at the store because those are a favorite of T’s. My goal was to recreate a summer-time meal of steak and roasted potatoes. I looked through my recipe box and decided to combine a couple different things to come up with a marinade of sorts for the steak.  Here is what I came up with!

The way our life works, sometimes I have the time to play with recipes, create recipes, cook, and baked.  Sometimes, I’m merely surviving.  Thankfully, there are always times here and there between our busy schedules that allow me to let this part of my creative brain run wild!

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How Iowa Conquered the World: Review & Real Life Application

— Katy Flint4 Comments

I received “How Iowa Conquered the World” to facilitate my review, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and they are honest.  

Here’s something you may not know about me: I LOVE history! I actually have a double major in secondary education along with American & World History. I taught high school social studies for 2 years after college…teaching wasn’t for me, but I still love history!  When I got the opportunity to read and review Michael Rank’s new book, How Iowa Conquered the World, I couldn’t turn it down.

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