The Ever Evolving Smith

Tonight I tried out a recipe I found on Pinterest for the kids, through Mama Knows Gluten Free. There have been so many good things we’ve made over these past (nearly) 3 years of all-thing-allergen-free-journey. I’m still learning, regularly!! This, pictured and still cooking, is her Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins. With our kiddo, he is now a gluten/wheat, egg, soy, and dairy free eater due to his medical condition called EOE (Eosinophilic Esophagitis,) and another called FPIES (Food-Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome.) With that, I substituted the dairy with coconut milk, the eggs with applesauce, and the butter with the Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread we normally use. In spite of the scary health circumstances for our Tyler, I am grateful for the things we have learned. Outside of the “clean eating” aspect, I have learned you can make those yummy things you’ve always had, IF you are willing to allow the time (anything baked typically takes longer), plus some tria...

So, I saw a friend on Facebook post about Blue Bell’s Banana Pudding and said, “just take my money!” We laughed. You see, growing up, banana pudding was something my great-grandmother on my mom’s side of the family would make. We were privileged to have it at family events, and it was my favorite! Well, mine and my grandfather Boppy’s favorite. So you know, my Boppy AKA Lindsey Jack, was her son in law. They were what’d you call, “good people.” ❤️ There was just something special about how Grandmother White made that treat! When she passed away in 1999, it wasn’t something we had any longer at family events. Between missing her, not exactly sure what she did to make it “her way,” and that space of time after someone passes away where it just seems “wrong” to bring something back, we let it go. That was, until about two years ago, when my sister Jessica decided to make it and bring it to Thanksgiving at our house. It was like heaven! I told her from that day forward, her banana pudd...

We all know Amazon can be a wonderful tool. It is a never-ending wealth of products. Today I am sharing one of my FAVORITE finds! It is the Obaska Magnetic Car Mount ( link -  Obaska Magnetic Car Mount  ). I should have bought one years ago, really. If you are like me, you spend a lot of your time as a parent driving around. I didn't put it on the dashboard because of the Texas heat, rather, I added this little gadget next to my radio in my car. It works like a charm and stays put! This way, I know where my phone is, it's great for directions, and I am hands free in the event I need to take a call. Plus, it just looks cool! It comes with two different sizes of magnetic pieces to attach to your phone. I have a pop-socket on the back of my phone, so I chose the smaller of the two. I bought one for my husband's vehicle too, and he uses the larger one. (If you are going to put it under your phone case like he did, I would attach the bigger one). Once I figured out where I w...

Short and Sweet - Something to make you giggle. 😝 I remember when our boys were little and they started to help with chores. One time in particular, I remember Luke (our youngest) was SO proud of how many towels, hand towels, and wash clothes he “folded.” I showed him how I folded and he watched me, then did his interpretation of that fold.  🥰 It was technically folded, but it obviously didn’t turn out quite the same as mom’s way 💁‍♀️, but you better believe I praised him, clapped for him, told him how great HE was, & thanked him for helping!! 📣 When you include a child, teach a child, inspire growth in a child, they will do well in life.  Also though - You better know I waited until I got to the linen shelf before I re-folded the towels so he wouldn’t see it. 😂 They still have to actually go in the closet. 🤷‍♀️❤️ Borroewed picture below! ❤️ Until next time ~ Nikki Smith

Truth: I debated on sharing this. Some will love and applaud my honesty. Others may unfollow BECAUSE I am honest. The topic is likely not what you think as you start to read. So here it goes! Life includes it all, both the highlight reel and the down & out. I find it’s best to avoid making assumptions about people based what you see on social media. Life is beautiful, AND life is hard as ever - on some days. People share what they want to see. The backstory: Saturday was a beautiful day. Our family went to the Fair and we enjoyed each other’s company. Sunday was a beautiful day too, except for one-little-thing. Sunday included much, much physical pain. After we got home late Saturday night, once I got still, my body did what it seems to like to do. It delivered blows to every joint that felt like they were exploding, held muscles in writhing spasms, and made every part of my being feel like it couldn’t move. I’m not talking about the regular “worked and worn out” pain w...

On Saturday, my family+ went to the State Fair of Texas! First off, let me say this: All•The•People. I told my husband Will this is what cattle must feel like! Back by the animals, the “roadway” was narrow to begin with, then they added vendor booths and people. Packed like sardines! It’s the last weekend of the Fair, so I guess it is what it is.  Second: Now let me talk about These•Youngins’. ❤️ We took Tyler our oldest son, his girlfriend Bailey, our son Luke, and our nephew Bryce. They were absolute TROOPERS walking so much. We definitely got our steps in for the day. You really forget just how big that place is! Now, there are times these teenagers start acting up like three-nagers and make us want to pull our hair out to the root, but there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for any one of them. We wanted them to make fun memories to last a lifetime. You know, in between the bickering, dirty looks, and the sassy mouths. I guess I am sort of kidding. We quickly attempted to re-create t...

So I found this cool tool on Amazon for our backs - a Posture Corrector! I wasn't sure what to expect as I had not ever tried one before. My husband Will doesn't know it yet (HA!) but he is the focus of the blog today!  I actually bought it for our youngest son, Luke who is 13, when our chiropractor told us his back is starting to look like Will's does. When my husband was a kid, he had borderline and un-diagnosed scoliosis. At the age of just 24, he was told he had the back of a 90 year old man! Well, Luke happens to be a carbon copy of my husband, so naturally, his back is having similar issues. Thankfully, we are armed with more information these days and can help our boys help themselves. After some researching online, I picked one off Amazon that was affordable, would fit my husband's 48-inch shoulders, and logical to use. If it is difficult to use, you know no one would use it! Well, in the times using it over the past couple of weeks, I can see an AM...