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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Baking Night

Ok, so I read a couple of posts lately about setting aside a baking day to prepare food for freezing so the kids could heat and eat easily. Well, I did my shopping last night and was ready to bake. I love to bake so for me is truely isn't a chore but a joy. My DH was at church and my kids were otherwise occupied so I got a lot done. See my progress below:




Chocolate Chip Pancakes




Oatmeal cookies without oatmeal (I substituted special K cereal)




Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

You should hear my kids tonight. They are so excited about morning and are telling me they are going to have a continental breakfast - one of everything!

Enjoy your baking time :)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Menu Plan Monday

Ok, I am going to try to keep up with this as it is very popular in the bloggy world and a very good idea I might add! I am still having trouble keeping my grocery budget down but am working on it. I don't need to get much for my dinners this week but I find I need to purchase a lot for breakfast and the kids lunches. I am hoping to try making snacks from scratch and weighing if the savings is worth the time.

My DH gets paid on Tuesday's so my menu goes from Tuesday to Monday:

Tuesday - Tuna Melts, Potato Wedges & Fruit
Wednesday - Smothered Pork Chops, Sweet Potatoes & Corn
Thursday - Ravoli, Salad & Bread
Friday - Crockpot Pork Roast, Rice & Broccli
Saturday - Sloppy Joe's, Mac N Cheese & Beans
Sunday - Oven Baked Drum Sticks, Potato Patties & Corn on the Cob
Monday - Burrito Casserole (new)

I tried to come up with 7 days of different breakfasts and here they are:
Muffins
Pancakes
Microwave Omelets
Cereal
Cinnamon Sugar Toast & Fruit
Egg and Cheese Sandwich
Cinnamon Rolls

I also tried to come up with some lunch box snacks:

Granola Bars
Cookies
Chips
Crackers & Cheese
Dried Cereal
Fruit Roll-Ups/Snacks
Veggies (carrots)
Fruit (apples, grapes)
Applesauce
Yogurt

Well, this is what I've come up with for this week. See you again next week (hopefully)

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Reflection

I was unsure what I should post today and then I read the entry over at http://undergraceovercoffee.typepad.com/andrea/ and realized this is what I should talk about.

My walk with God has been less than productive over the past few months and I don't like it!! Discipline from God is necessary but very unpleasant. I thank Him for a wonderful husband who loves me dispite how I treat him and our boys. I want to feel fulfilled again, to experience joy and to be able to live out my faith with great enthusiasm. But I feel uncontent and unhappy. I know my major battle is selfishness and this is a hard one to break. I have recently decided to drop out of my weekly women's group because the subject matter made me feel worse than I already do on my own. Withdrawal is my specialty and I'm not sure this was my best decision.

On a positive note, I prayed desperately for godly women to come into my life so I would have someone to talk to and He has answered my prayer. I am SO thankful for these women who listen to me and are available even if I just need to know they are there! They will help me get through this season, even if they don't know how important they are to my journey!

So what is my plan? Well, I want to find a good Bible study to dig into God's Word. I love God's Word and learning from it. I plan on making sure I wake up early enough to spend time with God in the mornings. I plan on attending church every Sunday and really surrendering myself to Jesus in worship. It's not perfect, but it's a start. Ultimately, I would like to get back into a women's group for accountability and support and increase my prayer life as it has become almost null and void. I want Jesus to know how much I truely love Him and how thankful I am for all He has done for me and my family!

Thanks for listening! I hope to update my blog in the future with praise for battles won and prayer for those I face.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Snow in January

It finally snowed! My DH should be happy since he is jealous of the amount of snow South Louisiana received last month (that is where we moved from) but this doesn't even compare! It wasn't much snow, but it was pretty. It wasn't cold enough for the snow to accumulate, much to the dismay of the boys who were ready to go and buy a sled.







You can "almost" see the snow flakes!!!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

What I love to do....

I was so excited to be able to do what I love to do on my day off yesterday - sew. I love to sew and my dream would be to make a living doing it! But I am satisfied by being able to endulge once in a while. I wanted to show you what I "created" yesterday!





This bag has a denim bottom with two large black pockets.





This bag has a black bottom, straps and two large pockets inside.

Just to let you know, if you are interested in a handbag like this, I can custom make one for you! The cost is $20 and it will include a magnetic closure.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Skateboarder

Well, today is a day off, yay! It's a holiday, but to the kids, it's just another reason to not have to go to school. #1 is at a friends house and #2 has a friend over. #2 and his friend are the skateboarding type so I thought this would be a perfect time to tell you about our experience in Louisiana. We visited the local skate park in Lafayette (the boys really wanted to go) and it is unlike our Chattanooga park. For one, it's indoors (which is a must since Louisiana is so stankin humid) and it has different ramps and things. There are three extra large steps that #2 could jump easily and then there were 9 regular steps that he was contemplating jumping. As his mother who supports his ambition to want to go pro, I told him I knew that he could do it! There were some kids listening to me trying to pump him up and they couldn't believe I actually wanted him to try this. Well, it took him a while to psyche himself up but he did try it!!



#2 is the blur that you see in this picture in the striped shirt. Ok, this may not look high, but it was! He tried to land it three times but kept falling on one arm and I was afraid he was going to break it so at that point I needed to convince him to stop. His Dad had to help me but we convinced him to stop. I was so proud and so was he! He wants us to blow up this picture for him! I will keep up with the legacy that #2 will leave on the skateboarding world! We are very proud!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

DH's Birthday

Well I must say that DH had quite a Birthday this year! We traveled back home to Louisiana the first week of January and his Birthday fell in this week. We spend his Birthday day with his entire family (minus one brother). Then I was able to organize a dinner with several of our friends at a restaurant. There were 6 couples and close to 15 children. It was crazy but so much fun!



He needed help blowing out ALL those candles. Heehee!



This was a GAG gift that turned out bad. Our friends don't know DH that well and he sprayed this awful cologne ALL night! I had to eventually take it away!



DH's helper to open his presents!

Well, after that party I organized one with our friends here at home in Tennessee.



He looks sad, but really he IS having a good time :) Good food and good friends, who could ask for more? I think he was truely blessed.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

101 things in 1001 days

Ok, I heard about this while reading New Years Resolutions on "The Happy Housewife" blog and proceeded to read all the blogs that were linked. I thought this was a pretty cool idea but it really seems daunting when you think about it. When I sat down to actually list my "101 things" it really wasn't that bad. Now, I'm not sure they will all get accomplished, but I loved the idea so here is my list (in NO random order):

1. Family Game Night once per month
2. Purchase less pre-packaged foods
3. Rely on my Creator for more things instead of trying to handle them myself
4. Spend more time with my boys doing things THEY like to do
5. Grow our own herbs
6. Preserve our own veggies and fruits
7. Make things from scratch
8. Cook more healthy, nuturious meals
9. Have the boys assist in the kitchen and (future) garden
10. Operate on cash only basis
11. Pay off debt
12. Keep my home "company" ready
13. Spend time in daily personal/quiet/prayer time
14. Exercise 3 times per week
15. Make and write in journals for each of the boys
16. Spend more time in the Word
17. Communicate better with DH by not clamming up when I feel challenged
18. Spend more time outdoors, no matter the weather
19. Spend more time reading aloud to the boys
20. Focus on being consistant, compassionate and in-control
21. Have a date night at least once per month with DH
22. Have one on one time with one son per month - 3 month process
23. Eat out only once per month
24. Work with boys on giving, spending & saving money
25. Set a chore chart with the boys and follow it
26. Teach #1 and #2 to clean the bathrooms
27. Tithe consistently, not just when we have the money
28. Save enough money to live on for 3 months
29. Turn to God with every blessing and issue in my life. Learn to place my burdens on HIS shouldners. Pray without ceasing
30. Let my boys know they are a priority in my life
31. Let DH know he is a priority in my life
32. Do a TV Fast
33. Open savings accounts for the boys
34. Pray for DH daily
35. Buy groceries on a cash basis only weekly
36. Get an amazing camera
37. By a DVD player for mini-van
38. Read through the Bible as a couple
39. Bake homemade bread more often
40. Eat more fruits and veggies
41. Drink more water
42. Each month, do something for someone to show my love for them
43. Increase my time in prayer and pray more specifically
44. Laugh more
45. Be a blessing to others when I see a need and have the resource to fill it
46. Learn to can food
47. Start a simple garden
48. Save a $1000 emergency fund
49. Find more ways to earn money
50. Keep the house cleaner and more organized for DH
51. Tweak our budget to pay ourselves first
52. Meal plan EVERY week
53. Learn how to cook "freezer" meals
54. Celebrate another year of marriage with DH
55. Be a better wife
56. Be a better homemaker
57. Pray about my goals and ask God for help
58. Read 12 books per year(one per month)
59. Have coffee and prayer with DH once per week before boys wake up
60. Plan 4 weekend outings with the family per year
61. Have a family picture taken
62. Make an apron
63. Have a family from church over once per month
64. Learn to live within our means
65. Keep up with a savings account
66. Go through old clothes and use fabric to make new things
67. Complain less
68. Love more
69. Count my blessings
70. Pray for my boys everyday
71. Memorize a Bible verse every month
72. Camp in the backyard with the boys
73. Make and deliver homemade Christmas gifts to all my neighbors
74. Have a couple's game night 4 times per year
75. Go on a short-term missions trip
76. Keep up with garden for an entire growing season
77. Spend time scrapbooking with friends
78. Take a trip to California to visit family
79. Stop comparing myself to others
80. Be more patient with my boys
81. Be more grateful for what I have
82. Write in my journal daily
83. Give more
84. Praise more
85. Watch less TV
86. Take dancing lessons with DH
87. Explore home state stay-cations for weekend getaways
88. Show DH how much I appreciate him
89. Work on sewing projects once per month
90. Challenge my boys to read more
91. Determine a decent amount of time for the boys to spend on electronice
92. Take a walk - when the weather is nice - at least once per week
93. Send out Christmas cards by December 1st
94. Keep a well stocked pantry
95. Spend quaily time with DH daily
96. Be more intentional in training the boys and teaching them the things they need to know
97. Use my crockpot at least once per week
98. Buy furniture for the patio
99. Spend more time with my sister
100. Take a weekend trip with DH once per year
101. Buy a bed for #1

Thanks to all those bloggers whom I borrowed ideas from. I will TRY to stay on top of this list and accomplish as much as I can.

Christmas 2008.2

Ok, I just downloaded my Christmas pictures so I am posting more than one entry about Christmas. Here is our annual Christmas Eve PJ pictures:


Aren't they cute?



Christmas 2008

I know I'm late but since I am new to the blogging world, I figured it's ok. Here is my Christmas experience. This is the first year we have ever done "Santa". You see, DH and I decided when we had kids that we weren't going to do "Santa" but instead focus on Jesus. Therefore, my older boys never set out cookies for Santa, never wrote Santa letters and never received any gifts from Santa on Christmas Day. Then came along #3 and since he is only 5 years old and taught about Santa in Kindergarten, we thought about it again. We decided as long as he understood the TRUE meaning of Christmas, it wouldn't hurt. So here is what he left out for Santa on Christmas Eve:



And this is what Santa left for him:



I told DH that he is lucky #3 doesn't know his handwriting yet cause, this is totally DH's handwriting. It was fun and if #3 wants to do this again next year, I think it will be ok!

Hello Blog World

Hello Blogging world! I have decided to join and am excited! I am an avid blog follower and start each day with the words of wisdom I read from so many women that inspire me. I hope I can be a welcome addition to this community and I pray that it will help me to grow as well.