Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Chili Mac ~ Real Food Dollar Menu

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I have a love-hate relationship with leftovers.

Most of the time, I really do love them. On the days I have way too many items on my to-do list and just don’t have time to cook – it’s great to just pull out leftovers to warm up and eat. But on the other hand, having a fridge full of little tid-bits of this and that? It makes my fridge look cluttered, which kinda makes me feel annoyed.

This, my friends, is what we call a “first world problem.” Too many leftovers? So much food in my fridge that I can’t find what I’m looking for? So many people around the world long to have the “problems” I have.

When I have to slide all sorts of bowls and jars around in my fridge, just to find the peanut butter stuffed way in the back? It’s a waste of a good thirty seconds of my life.

Ooh, and you know what’s really annoying? When I make enough peas for each of us to have a nice serving. And then the last person leaves about 13 peas in the pan. Why? Just take the rest of the peas, for goodness sake! I do not want to find a little container for 13 leftover peas, and then put them into the fridge so that I can slide them all around when I’m looking for peanut butter. Likely, they’ll become forgotten and fuzzy because really? Who wants to take the time to re-heat 13 peas?

Oh to have the luxury of complaining about “all” the food in my refrigerator. I truly am thankful for all of the food on my shelves – even the container of 13 forgotten peas. I promise to always be grateful for the cluttery tid-bits.

(But really, if you are the last one to serve yourself at my house, and there are a few peas floating at the bottom of the pan, please, for the love of my sanity as I search for peanut butter, just put them on your plate and eat them already.)

And now for a real food recipe that costs a very small amount of money and uses up some of the leftovers that are taking up space in your fridge.

Chili MacYum

6 cups (give or take) leftover chili
2 cups water
4 cups whole wheat or rice pasta (any shape)
Sea salt to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pot, bring chili and water to a boil. Add uncooked pasta. Cover and cook on medium heat until pasta is tender. Sprinkle in salt, according to your taste. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese sprinkled on top.

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Estimated cost of this meal? About 65¢ per person. And that includes the peas. All of them – even the last 13.

*I calculated my cost based on the food sources and prices I have available to me. Most of the ingredients I use are organic. Your cost may be slightly more or less depending on where you find your ingredients.

If you are sick of chili, and don’t want to eat your leftovers immediately – simply spread this Chili Mac mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish, top with cheese, cover, and freeze. Reheat another day.

I am happy to report that the day recently when I served Chili Mac, there were no leftover peas. But just in case, maybe I should come up with a recipe that uses 13 peas…

Looking for more meals on our Real Food Dollar Menu? Here are the recipes I’ve shared so far:

Stay tuned for many more recipes and ideas for our Real Food Dollar Menu!

Are you a fan of leftovers? Do you sometimes find a few straggly uneaten peas in the pan? 

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The Boy With the Glasses

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We were blessed several weeks ago to spend a few days with some of our good friends that we hadn’t seen for two years. They are a family with two sons (ages 7 and 11) and a daughter (age 5). As the time for our visit approached, their little girl kept asking her mom questions about our family – specifically about our boys.

“How many boys does that lady have?” “How old are the boys?” “Doesn’t she have any little girls for me to play with?” “Do you think that lady is sad because she only has boys and doesn’t have any little girls like me?”

And my personal favorite, which was likely said with a sigh:  “Does that lady have to bring all four of her boys to our house??”

It would seem that our upcoming visit wasn’t very appealing to a five year old girl. Understandably so. What would four big boys have to offer a five year old little girl? There would certainly be no one to play dolls, or house, or kitchen…

Thankfully, she welcomed us in anyway, playing “little hostess” to our overwhelmingly male family. 

It wasn’t long before her mom noticed that her little girl was rather enjoying herself. She was all smiles, putting herself right in the mix of all of the boys without hesitation. And then, the whispers began:  “Mom, these boys are all sooooo nice.” “Mom, I like all of these boys – but especially the boy with the glasses.” “Mom, what is the name of the boy with the glasses?” (Justus)  “Oh yeah, Justus. I like him. He’s really nice.”

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And so it went during our visit. “The Boy With the Glasses”  aka Justus, didn’t quite know what to think about the situation. What is a 13 year old boy to do with a 5 year old little girl who has an apparent crush on him? He just continued to be sweet…and to mind his own business as much as possible. ;)

At meal time we began to hear:  “I’m going to sit by The Boy With the Glasses.” While watching a movie:  “I’m taking popcorn to The Boy With the Glasses.” On the way to church:  “Can I ride in the van with The Boy With the Glasses?”

By the time we loaded up and headed back to Nebraska, we had made plans for their family to come visit us this summer. Holding onto the hope that she would see The Boy With the Glasses in a few short months, the little girl waved cheerfully as we pulled away. 

Fastforward several months. 

As our family sat at a basketball game recently, I pointed out a banner on a far away wall. My boys all looked over, read it, and chuckled. That is, all except for Elias. His reply was, “Hmm, are there words on it? I can’t read it.” Many questions followed, and it was determined that we needed to make an eye doctor appointment for him.

It was after this appointment that I called my friend to let her know (or rather to warn her) that when they came for a visit this summer, there would be not one, but two Boys with Glasses.

elias

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Look out Coppinger household (and five year old girls). There’s a new kid in town. 

We’ve been having fun this week talking about when I got my first pair of glasses (I was right around Elias’ age!). Do you have glasses/contacts? How old were you when you realized you needed them?

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My Proof Copy of “Oh, For Real” Came Today! (Guess What That Means?!)

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I warned the guy at the printing company:  “I’m probably going to cry when I come pick up the first book. Is that okay?” He was nice enough to say that he wouldn’t blame me if I did. When he emailed this morning to let us know he had a proof copy ready for us to come look at, I almost flipped! (But I didn’t cry. Aren’t you proud?)

We hurried and got the boys going on their school work, then Matt and I headed to the printer to take a look. When we got there, they handed the book to me, and once again, I didn’t cry. (Shocking!)  Instead, all I could do is smile non-stop. We looked through it page by page, discussing with them any changes that needed to be made, which thankfully, were very few. 

I am so happy to share that this book, in its professionally printed and spiral bound form, is everything I pictured it and desired it to be – only better! We brought it home, and I continued to look over it – loving how convenient and helpful it is going to be to have in the kitchen with me.

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I needed an excuse to use it right away. :)  Thankfully, I had some black bananas that needed to be put to good use. Banana Muffins it is!

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I love that the book will open up and sit flat on my kitchen counter while I’m reading a recipe. I love that as I’m reading it I can flip pages back and hold it easily. I love that is such high quality. And I love that it will soon be ready to ship to you! 

Here’s the plan:  We leave for Kansas City, Branson, and Springfield on Thursday morning. There will be a few printed copies ready for us to pick and up and take with us on the road to have available at our Meet and Greet events. Then, when we get home from our travels, we should be able to pick up the remaining printed copies and mail them out on Wednesday (the 20th) to all those who have pre-ordered!

So, the sooner you order, the sooner you’ll receive your book. Our goal is to have envelopes ready for those who have pre-ordered so that your copies can go out next week as soon as we pick up the books. Don’t forget that you’ll receive a $10 pre-order bonus if you purchase before March 19!

Click here to learn more about
Oh, For Real: Real Food, Real Family, Real Easy.

As for me, I’ll be getting envelopes ready for shipment, preparing for our trip, and thanking God that He made all of this happen. He is so good!

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Gratituesday: Our Homeschool Basketball Team

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Every year, it keeps getting better!

As you probably know, we are a soccer family. All of our boys play soccer, Matt coaches soccer, Asa and Justus referee soccer…we love soccer! When Asa was invited to play on a homeschool basketball team three years ago, we timidly stepped in. Did we want to take part in yet another activity? Would this eat up too much of our time?

The truth is, it does eat up a lot of our time between November and March. But do we regret our decision to become involved? Not even a little bit.

Asa has formed some incredible friendships with the players on the team. These are kids from all over central Nebraska. We most likely would not have met most of them if it wasn’t for basketball. 

In addition, all of our younger boys have become friends with the team’s younger siblings, playing together on the bleachers during games. They have so much fun!

The best part for me? Growing closer to the other team moms. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the friendships I have made because of this basketball team. 

We ended our season over the weekend when we went to Topeka, KS for a big tournament. Over 60 teams were there. It was one busy place! 

My favorite part of the tournament is always the large assembly on Friday afternoon where all of the teams and families come together between games. There is a little friendly court competition, then we have a short devotional time together. All of these teams may be competing for the first place trophies, but when we are all together in the gym, we know that we are all really on the same team, striving toward the same goal. It’s awesome!

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Our team did great this year, with both our girls and our boys winning first place in each of their divisions!

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Asa is #35, front left. You can’t tell in this picture, but he is now six feet tall. Wowza.

I’m so proud of these kids, and so grateful for their great attitudes and friendship with my sons. Go Falcons! (And thanks for bringing your moms along. I am so blessed by each of them.)

tournament_3

Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for! Please read through the Gratituesday Guidelines so that you understand what kinds of posts you can link up to share here. Posts that are linked but do not fit our Gratituesday theme will be deleted.

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Menu Plan for the Week

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We’ve got a big week coming up!

My dad and his wife Tacy planned a trip to Branson for all of us “kids” and our families – so all 21 of us are heading there at the end of the week. On the way, our family will be stopping in Kansas City to meet some of you, then we’ll meet more of you in Branson the next day! On the way home, we’ll hit Springfield to meet even more of you. Hope those who live in those areas can come!

I’m thankful that for the most part, we’ll be eating home-cooked meals (I guess that would technically be “lodge-cooked meals”) while in Branson. Each of our families are taking turns preparing a meal for the entire group. This is so much better than eating out all week – and everyone in the family is a great cook! 

We’re also all planning to take along some desserts and snacks. I started baking Chocolate Chip Cookies today to take along, plus I plan to make some Chewy Granola Bars, Giant Breakfast Cookies, and a bunch of fruit. Our time away should be lots of fun!

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Here’s what our menu looks like for this week – at least what I know of it. :)

Sunday, March 10
Oatmeal, fruit
Chili Mac, peas
Huddle at friends’ house

Monday, March 11
Honey cinnamon  muffins, scrambled eggs, grapes
Alfredo with pasta, steamed broccoli and carrots
Turkey sausage and red bean stew, cornbread

Tuesday, March 12
Quick mix biscuits, creamy orange coolers
BLTs, ranch potato wedges, baby carrots
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad, green beans

Wednesday, March 13
Easy breakfast casserole, oranges
Leftovers
Pizza boats, peas

Thursday, March 14
Scrambled egg sandwiches, applesauce
Sandwiches, baby carrots, peaches  (on our way to the KC Meet and Greet!)
Dinner at our friends’ house

Friday, March 15
Giant breakfast cookies, apples
Lunch out with family (on our way to the Branson Meet and Greet!)
I’m not sure… :)

Saturday, March 16
Scrambled eggs, toast, fruit
Bbq meatballs (cooked by another family member)
Frito Chili Pie (cooked by another family member)

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Whole Wheat Quick Mix Biscuits

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Here’s another promised Whole Wheat Quick Mix recipe! When you have the Quick Mix put together and ready to go, it is so easy to throw these biscuits into the oven. And if you want, you can make Sausage Gravy to go with them. My family cheers when I make gravy for our biscuits!

Whole Wheat Quick Mix BiscuitsYum

2 cups Whole Wheat Quick Mix
2/3 cup milk

Mix ingredients together, adding additional whole wheat flour if necessary to form a nice bisuit dough that will roll out well.

Press or roll dough onto a well-floured surface. Cut with a biscuit cutter or round glass to shape biscuits. Place biscuits onto a baking stone or a well-buttered baking pan. Bake in a 450° oven for 10-12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Makes 10 small biscuits.

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Here are other recipes you can make with Whole Wheat Quick Mix:

More Quick Mix Recipes found in the Oh For Real book:

  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Easy Fruit Cobbler
  • Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits (like those you get at Red Lobster!)
  • More!

Have you ordered a copy of Oh, For Real: Real Food, Real Family, Real Easy yet? You’ll find all these recipes in the book – plus many more recipes and tips that will make your life easier as you work to feed your family a diet of real, whole foods!

I’m curious:  What’s your favorite way to eat a biscuit? Dripping with butter and honey? With gravy poured all over them? Slathered with jelly? Can you guess my favorite way to eat a biscuit?!  :)

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How to Handle a Defiant Child

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strong_willed

I received this email a few weeks ago:

Hi Laura,
I have a 4 year old who is by nature defiant. I say turn right and he says “no, left.” Everything is a battle from putting on the seat belt to especially bedtime routine. I have other children who are obedient and well-mannered so I know it is his temperment. I am a supernanny queen and do 800 millon consequences to his bad behavior. I am very consistent with following through. It is starting to escalate and affecting me in the home. I’ve started to feel like a failure and started feeling apathetic towards the rest of my responsibilities. Where is the joy? I’m wondering if you had any wisdom on guiding a boys heart?

Well, I will never claim to be a parenting expert, but I do have a few years of experience dealing with strong-willed boys. Here’s what I emailed back:

Rest assured, you are not a failure! Out of four of our boys, three of them were (are) very stubborn and strong-willed. Here are three points I’d like to share:
 
1. Don’t forget that you are the parent. Don’t feel bad or guilty about insisting on obedience. You win the battle, no matter what – even when it’s hard and exhausting. If you win now when he’s four, you’ll find it much easier to win when he’s bigger. My two most stubborn preschoolers are now my calm, mild mannered teenagers. (We’re still working on the 11 year old, who didn’t become strong-willed until he turned 7. Sheesh! We’re getting there, though.)
 
2. We have worked with our boys to help them understand this strong will that they have. Having a strong will isn’t a bad thing – not at all. But when one of our sons uses it for ugliness or to defy us – that is bad. We’ve explained that God gave him his strong will (kind of like his very own super power!) to use for good, to stand up for what is right, to be a leader – and helped him understand that he has to be careful to use that super power for God’s glory – not to get his way. If nothing else, maybe this idea will help you as the parent (if it’s too difficult a concept for your 4 year old). A strong will really is a good thing when used properly. Oh, but it’s exhausting sometimes when you’re in the heat of the battle with a child! (Undoubtedly, it’s best to have the full conversation during a calm time, so that you can give quick cues like, “Use your super power for God’s glory!” for the moments your child is struggling to obey.)
 
3. Obviously, do everything out of love. But when your child is being defiant, don’t feel like you need to coddle, reason with, explain yourself, or ask him “how this makes him feel” (at least generally speaking). I did too much of that, wondering where I had gone wrong to make him behave that way. Therefore, I felt like we needed to discuss his feelings in depth each time he was defying us. Finally, I just realized that the stinker was being downright naughty, just wanted his way, and needed discipline – not discussion. I saved a lot of energy once I realized that – and went straight to consequences because ultimately, that is what he was asking for and needed. Discussion took place later, if necessary. It worked so much better!
 
And then, any time he is being sweet and kind, praise him and enjoy that time with him. Those happy times will come more and more often, I promise!
 
What have been your experiences with defiant children? What advice would you give to parents dealing with strong-willed kids?
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Oh, For Real: Real Food, Real Family, Real Easy

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ForRealBookCover6

This eCookbook the resource so many of us (including me!) have been needing for so long!

Because this kitchen resource is designed to be your “go-to” book, it is filled with pictures, tutorials, information, and of course – lots of recipes. It isn’t fancy. It isn’t overwhelming. It’s just me sharing “how I do it” when it comes to feeding my family a healthy diet on a limited budget and with limited time.

This book includes my most treasured recipes that I use all the time. I’ve shared many of them through the years on my blog, but to have them all together in one handy book? This is so helpful! These are the recipes that help me feed my family healthy food without breaking my neck in the kitchen. These are the recipes that keep my freezer stocked with ready-to-grab meals and snacks. These are the recipes my family loves. (Even the family members who are picky!)

In addition to all the recipes and helpful information we’ve organized in the book, you will find “Real Quick Tips” sprinkled all throughout, which will provide you with simple ideas for getting ahead and saving time in the kitchen.

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Each time you see the “Freezer Friendly” button in the book, you can learn with a quick glance how to prepare that particular recipe for the freezer, and how to reheat it when you are ready to serve it.

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What will you find in Oh, For Real?

  • Over 115 healthy, real food breakfast, lunch, supper, casserole, slow cooker, and snack recipes that will save you time, money and sanity
  • Versatile mixes and whole grain dough recipes that offer loads of healthy recipe options with little to no effort
  • Freezer cooking ideas and instructions to help you actually get ahead in the kitchen
  • Last minute (healthy) meal ideas, because for real, you don’t have to resort to ordering pizza in a pinch
  • More information about my family and me than you ever really needed to know. We are real.  :)

Care to take a little peek inside? Click here for a preview.

This is not an eBook you will read once and stuff on your shelf, never to be read again. This is more than a cookbook. Oh, For Real is your real food resource – the book you will reference over and over as you develop and/or maintain your healthy, whole foods kitchen.

Get yours here!

Our Heavenly Homemaker’s Club Members have access to this amazing resource plus ALL of our eBooks, eCurriculum, printables, and so much more – for one very low price! Join us here!

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Gratituesday: Almost Finished!!!!!!!!!!!! (And My For Real Confessions)

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I have the best editors, the best designer, the best friends, and the best family ever. My new book is almost finished – only because of the wonderful people in my life who have encouraged me, helped me, and spent countless hours working with me. My book would be pitiful without them, and that’s no exaggeration.

And let’s just be real, because that’s what we do around here, and because that’s what this book is all about:  The real me – when under pressure, when feeling the stress of a deadline, when seeing the light at the end of a tunnel too many miles away, when short on sleep – is not pretty. Sometimes I didn’t even like being around myself. (And unfortunately, I have found that getting away from myself has been extremely difficult.)

Let’s not even talk about what my house looks like. Okay, fine – let’s do talk about it. Can I admit to you that aside from basic laundry and dishes, I haven’t cleaned anything in my house for several weeks? (Eek!)  The boys have kept up with their bathroom, bedroom, and living room chores, so that has helped tremendously. But do not ask to see my desk, my bedroom, or the kitchen floor. I could write my name in the dust on the piano (and on the hardwood floor in our office). It’s scary.

But hey – the book is almost finished. ;)  Maybe I’ll celebrate by having a party with my mop bucket. 

Messy self and messy house aside – I have to share how thankful I am for all of your encouragement about this book. Your enthusiasm as you wait for its arrival has kept me going. My family has been awesome and then some. When I’ve told the kids, “Just go warm up leftovers again.” – they haven’t complained. I can’t even begin to tell you how much Matt has done to make this book happen. I am so thankful for him!

Now that we’re so close to being finished, I am so excited that I still might not sleep! When a project this big comes together – it’s hard not to jump and scream throughout the house. Shucks, I should really use that energy to wash the butter splatters off the mirror in my kitchen. 

God is good. He has made this book come together. It doesn’t get any more real than that.

Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for! Please read through the Gratituesday Guidelines so that you understand what kinds of posts you can link up to share here. Posts that are linked but do not fit our Gratituesday theme will be deleted.

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday, please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

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How I Think: My Nutrition and Health Views (Sneak peek into my new Oh, For Real book)

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Over the past two weeks, I’ve shared some of the new recipes you’ll find in my upcoming new book, Oh, For Real!  Today, I thought it would be fun to share a small portion of the other information in the book. I can’t share my tried and true real food recipes without first explaining my nutrition views, right? Here’s what you’ll find on page 7 of Oh, For Real! By the way, the book is almost finished and you’ll be able to pre-order in just a few days. We are so excited!! 

You can choose to agree or disagree with me and we can still be friends, I promise. I mean…I might gag a little if you offer me some margarine, but really, I will love you just the same. And if you continue to read, you will find all kinds of wonderful (if I do humbly say so myself), family-friendly recipes and tips for making your kitchen life easier. Recipes that are healthy and make your life easier? Yeah, for real!

How I Think (My nutrition and health views)

For real, people. Eating a healthy diet is not that complicated.

There is contradicting information all over the place that will make our heads spin. I’ve decided to avoid telling you the “health food” information that I completely disagree with, and instead tell you what I, after much research and study, believe to be good and true. (And I am completely convinced that I am right.)

I believe that healthy food is real food. I consider “real food” to be…

…the food that grows in fields and on trees.
…the food that comes from animals.
…the food that we can recognize.

I am absolutely all in when it comes to food in its real, true form. That means that my family cooks with and regularly enjoys real butter, real cream, real meat, real fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and real eggs. For real. We don’t hold back.

Why? Because we know what these foods are made of and where they came from. They didn’t originate in a factory and find themselves sold in a box or a tub. They have been around since the beginning of time. They spoil if left uneaten.

Processed food may remain in its unspoiled state for years on end. That is why, when your toddler drops an animal cracker or a half of an uneaten fast food French fry under a seat in your minivan, and you don’t find it until she is in middle school – both the elephant and the fry will look the same as they did eight years ago when she dropped them.

Real foods are nutrition packed. They are delicious. They are whole. They are real. I have felt so much better physically since giving up processed foods, and instead, filling up on real, whole foods. I believe this is because I am eating foods that my body recognizes. Along with this, I am filling my body with nutrients. Food isn’t just to be eaten to fill a hole. Food is nourishment. Simple as that….

More information about Oh, For Real! to come. Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm as we finish this project and have it ready to share with you. I’ve loved hearing how excited you are. You are all awesome!

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