Menu Plan...Thursday???

With being gone for the weekend and having guests the weekend before, I've been really lax about the menu plan. I've written one up or followed one in my head; I just haven't taken the time to post it here.

Here is this week's simple dinner plan. I cooked up a roast beef in the crockpot on Tuesday. I used a new recipe for a marinade and it was super yummy! So for the next few days, we're having "Rubber Roast Beef". How far can a hunk of meat stretch??

Tuesday- crock pot roast beef, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots

Wednesday-beef and noodles, steamed peas and corn

Thursday-Shepherd's Pie using leftover potatoes, meat and veggies, bread and butter, baked apples(?)

Friday- crock pot beef vegetable soup, corn muffins

Saturday-pancakes, sausage or bacon

Lunches this week are roast beef leftovers and ham sandwiches.

Breakfasts are a combination of the usuals-toast, scrambled eggs, cold cereal, apple slices and oatmeal.

Our Weekend

For our anniversary, we spent the weekend at a cottage in Western North Carolina. I don't think the leaves were at their peak for color but it was still quite beautiful.

We stayed in the same place where we went last year. Maybe we'll go again next year, too! We do really like it there. The picture above is the view of the lake and woods from the cottage. The cottage is on private property next to our hosts' home. The cottage is divided into two private suites which include a small kitchen and living and dining areas. It is private and so quiet but within easy driving distance of various attractions.

We are not big into tourist traps or extreme sports so we like the quiet of a more rural area. We were able to go to the fall festival at the John C. Campbell Folk School. It was so cool! What a neat place. Many many craft booths and demonstrations. There were handmade baskets, wooden bowls,quilts, paintings, soaps, honey and beeswax candles, pottery, wood carving, etc. So many wonderful things to see! We spent a good 3-4 hours there just walking around checking everything out.

We had such a nice time just spending quiet time away from our normal schedules. I read several books while my husband enjoyed the wonders of more than basic cable.:-)

On our way home on Monday, we stopped in Hendersonville, North Carolina and bought apples. I got four big bags of seconds for $3 a bag which will be used primarily for applesauce and maybe some apple butter. Then we got two regular bags of apples for eating at $6 a bag. So guess what I'll be doing this weekend? :-) I also got 3 cute pumpkins. Right now they are serving as decorations for my mantle; next they will be cooked and put into yummy baked goods!

I've been playing catch-up from a couple of hectic weeks. Soon this blog will be back to regular programming, I hope!

I've Been Tagged And Awarded!

My friend Gail has been busy awarding and tagging me (and others!) the past couple of weeks. Thanks, Gail!

First off, she awarded me the BFF(Blogging Friends Forever) award. Now doesn't that sound like junior high!;-)

The Blogging Friends Forever Rules are:
1. Pass along to five people and five people only.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new, or recently new to your blog, or live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the 'Blogging Friends Forever' award.

I'm having a hard time thinking of 5 dedicated followers of this blog(who comment so I know they're here!) who haven't done this one already. I pick Kathryn, Monica, Arlene and DarcyLee and you!

Next, she tagged me to tell 6 random quirks about myself.
For this one, I'm tagging anyone who wants to do this!

Ummm, random quirks. I think I've done this one at least once before but I'll list some stuff again! I have enough quirks to go around.
1) I love tissues. I often have one in my hand. My husband teases me about the wadded tissues under my pillow at night, too. I guess tissues are my security.:-)

2)When driving, I'll all of a sudden panic that I've left my keys at home. Duh! You're driving right? You had to have your keys!

3)I'll ask my husband if he's had enough to eat before he's hardly had time to take a bite.

4)I like to keep the remotes in the T.V. cabinet. Instead of where we are sitting like normal people would do.

5)I love sour and tart flavors. Plain yogurt, Sour Patch Kids, lemons, etc.

6) I'm notorious for grabbing the car door handle just as my husband hits the unlock button. Then the door doesn't unlock! I think that "Quick Draw" is what he calls me.

Please share your quirks(family friendly please!) with the rest of us!

I Still Do

Today we celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary, sweetie!

If you'd like to see more wedding photos, go here. Enjoy!

Fall Cleaning

With the cooler weather came a small burst of energy and a desire to spruce things up around the house!

I didn't get much spring cleaning done this year so the house has been in dire need of a little deeper cleaning. I don't know if I'll get a whole "fall cleaning " done or not. Regardless of that, I've been pulling furniture and appliances out and cleaning behind them. A little extra scrubbing, dusting and decluttering goes a long way!

My childcare kids have changed to part-time in the last couple of months so I now have an extra day free each week. I sometimes need to run errands on that day but I'm trying to simplify errand running so I can stay home most weeks and work on projects here.

I was feeling quite energetic this weekend so I was able to get a number of things accomplished:

-cleaned out the trashcans(long overdue!)

-dusted the ceiling fans

-deep-cleaned the bathroom

-rearranged the living room and dusted and cleaned behind furniture

-straightened bookshelves

-swapped some pieces of furniture between several rooms for a new look and hopefully better use

-sorted toys and packed up the ones that aren't being played with- I try to keep the toys to a minimum; I've found they only play with certain favorites. Between outside play and planned activities, they are never bored!

-rearranged part of the bedroom-dusted, scrubbed and washed linens

-pulled tomato plants out of the garden; hope to plant some fall seeds today!

-organized kid's art supplies in plastic totes; I finally found a place in the dining room to store them. It will be so nice to have everything close by when we want to use them!

-washed down all chairs including the booster seats(gross!)

Am I the only one who itches to get everything cleaned and ready for cooler weather as soon as fall hits?

Futon Blessings

Remember this futon? We didn't end up getting it after all. We would've had to drive several hours to pick it up plus it needed some repairs. We weren't sure it would be worth the gas money. So we kept thinking about buying a futon to double as a couch and spare bed for guests.

We were planning to buy a futon this past Saturday. We'd found a really nice one and had the money in hand to purchase it. Saturday morning, Andy left early to take the car in for maintenance. As soon as he left, the phone rang. It was a friend from our church. "I have the futon loaded up", he said, and I'll be at your house in 20 minutes." What?!? I remember talking about buying a futon and he mentioned that he had an extra. But then we never heard anything back from him about it.

So our friend brought us a futon! We did end up purchasing a new thicker mattress for it to make it more comfortable, but it was nice not to have to purchase the whole thing. It looks quite nice and has doubled the seating area in our living room.

Andy's parents are coming this weekend so we got this just in time!

What a blessing!

I'll Pray For You

How many times have you told someone,"I'll pray for you"?

And how many times have you forgotten?

I know I've forgotten to pray for specific requests often. After I promised that I would.

I've been thinking on this a lot recently. A friend of ours said that she never promises to pray for someone anymore because she will almost always forget! The best way she said is to pray for them right then and there.

Next, she tells them that she will continue to lift them up in prayer as the Holy Spirit reminds her. How freeing is that?!? I'm not talking about avoidance here, just to be clear, but rather having a pure heart that is in tune to hearing the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

I know it also helps me to have a list of prayer requests in my notebook that I can quickly jot down when they come to mind or are spoken. For this to be effective, however, you need to be sure and open your notebook or have your list nearby during your prayer time!

Whenever someone pops into my mind(especially someone I haven't seen or even thought of in a long while), I try to make a point to pray for them at that moment. I know the Holy Spirit is reminding and prompting me to pray in those times.

At one time, we used a prayer jar which really was a teapot filled with slips of paper with friends and family members names. Each morning we would pull a name out of the jar and pray for that person/family. We loved this but somehow that ritual got thrown by the wayside and we don't do it anymore. I realize that I do want to bring that back. I'll have to talk to my husband about that today!

I have a lot of room to grow in the area of intercessory prayer. It is so important but something that we or at least I tend to rush through!

"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way." 1 Samuel 12:23

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3

Please share your thoughts on prayer!

Works For Me Wednesday: Extra Books = Extra Bucks

I listed a stack of books on Half.com last week and I've already sold four of them. Yeah!

Half.com is a part of eBay. To sell books, after creating an account, you just type in the ISBN number and follow instructions for writing a description and picking a price. Once it's up for sale, you just wait until you get an email stating that you've made a sale. All you have to do then is ship the book(s). Half.com pays you directly according to their pay schedule.

I've sold books this way off and on for years, starting in college. I would buy the books I needed this way; there are often much better prices than the campus bookstore! Then after a semester or two, I'd sell them again to make money to purchase the next semester's textbooks.

Ok, so I'm not making hundreds of dollars each month by selling books this way.(You could if you had lots of popular items to sell, I guess!) But every little bit counts. This would be a great way to make a little extra Christmas money or to help pay for a weekend away. This can be a great avenue to bumping your savings account up a bit too.

I make some extra money for only about 15 minutes of my time, declutter my bookshelves and let someone else enjoy a great book at an excellent price!

That works for me!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: When Life Gives You Basil...

...Make pesto!

My two basil plants have really produced this year. I've snipped it liberally into many different dishes. I've made chicken pasta salad with basil-walnut mayo. We've eaten pesto on pasta, pizza and even mixed into eggs. Yum!

I've wanted to try freezing some of my bounty and had heard that pesto freezes well. So one day last week, I whirred up a big batch in my food processor. What looked like a whole lot of basil turned out to be only 3 recipes/bowls of pesto!

I usually just add basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, walnuts and olive oil to taste when I make pesto. This time, I followed the recipe in my Joy of Cooking. I decreased the amount of oil that was called for. It still was pretty oily after it set a couple of days in the fridge since the recipe stated to cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil in addition to the oil in the recipe. Next time, I'll decrease the oil in the recipe even more to account for the oil that's put on top.I put the pesto on pizza and it was very oily into the crust but mixed with pasta, I probably wouldn't have noticed it as much. So all I can say is try it for yourself and see how you like it!

Other than the amount of olive oil, this pesto recipe has a delicious flavor.
Pesto from Joy of Cooking

In a food processor, mix 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts or almonds(I use walnuts).
Puree then add about 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. When really thick add 3/4 cup olive oil(I used only 1/2 cup and will decrease it further next time), adding slowly and letting the food processor mix it in until a good consistency. Pour a film of olive oil over the top and cover to refrigerate or freeze.

Enjoy!


For more kitchen tips, please visit Tammy's Recipes.

Menu Plan Monday

I planned this week's menu completely off what I had on hand. Even though it was time to grocery shop this weekend, I opted to buy extras to stock my somewhat depleted pantry and freezer instead. I did buy fresh salad greens, veggies and some fruit for this week though. Otherwise, I used this opportunity to buy a few extras to store away and use up a few things hiding in the back of my freezer!

This is a simple simple meal plan week. I am running pretty low on meat; I bought a little this weekend to tide us over until the big grocery trip at the beginning of October. So it's not a very meat-heavy menu; but should fill us up all the same!

Breakfasts(served with fruit)
-waffles(2x)
-eggs and toast(2x)
-baked oatmeal(2x)
-pumpkin bread; smoothies (1x)

Lunches(any combination of the following usually served with a piece of fruit and veggies)
-leftovers
-split pea soup(frozen from dinner leftovers last week)
-salad
-hard-boiled eggs

Dinners(usually served with steamed veggies or a salad)
1)popcorn/fruit
2)church leadership meeting-I usually take something to share-not sure what though!
3)three bean chili chowder; corn muffins
4)turkey salad sandwiches(maybe pita bread if I can get some made)
5)one dish chicken and rice(I saute some onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic in a little oil. Then add some cooked and chopped chicken. Add water/chicken broth and uncooked rice. Cook altogether following rice instructions. We love this easy meal!)
6)tuna pasta salad
7)grits with cheese; sausage; fruit smoothies

Happy menu planning! Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu plans.

Living Simply Saturdays-Easy Weekend Meals

I'm excited to be able to join in with Stephanie's new carnival-Living Simply Saturdays!

Like a lot of ladies in the blog-o-sphere lately,the topic of simplifying has been in my heart, mind and home. I really have no desire to live such a hectic life in order to keep up with the Jones'. My husband and I have always enjoyed a more simple life,but I still find the "more more" mentality creeping in when I'm not looking! As a result, I find myself constantly praying and asking God to help us restructure our lives to be in tune with His and to simplify our lives so that we can better focus on Him and relationships with people.

One little way I've been simplifying our lives recently is to have really easy meals on the weekends. This allows more time for us to work on projects and do stuff together on Saturdays and just relax and be together on Sundays.

My husband likes it when I take it easier on the weekends. He says, "I have 2 days off. Why shouldn't you have a little break as well?" I love that considerate man! :-)

On Saturdays we usually eat leftovers for lunch and occasionally we will eat out for breakfast/brunch. Then for dinner we have something simple like breakfast foods or hot dogs or a homemade pizza that's been frozen and just needs to be baked.

Sundays is our day to meet and fellowship with other believers. We are part of a Home Fellowship where we all share in a potluck-style meal for lunch. I often take something that's in the crock pot or something pretty easy that I've been able to make on Saturday or even Friday if possible.

On Sunday nights, we're usually not too terribly hungry because we've had a large noon meal. I've started making grilled cheese, salads, sandwiches or wraps, tortilla chips and veggies with hummus or sometimes just popcorn with some cheese and fruit.

Growing up, our usual Sunday night fare was popcorn with home-canned grape juice and sliced apples. We children would be able to fix it ourselves while Mom and Dad rested. Now I see the beauty of the simplicity of such a simple meal on a day when not much physical work is done. Quick to prepare and requires minimal clean-up.

Now, some weeks, I may feel like making something to eat on the weekends that requires a bit more time in the kitchen.This fall will find us keeping up with the Redskins and eating snacks in front of the T.V. For the most part, I'm quite content to enjoy simplifying weekend meals for time spent doing other tasks or occasionally simply doing nothing at all.

For more simple posts, please visit Keeper Of The Home.

Menu Plan Mondays

Another week, another week of menus!

Last week was busy, but fairly uneventful so my menu plan sailed right along as it was supposed to. The only change was swapping Saturday's hot dogs to Sunday(yesterday). We worked with another church this past weekend by helping with music. They graciously provided pizza for all of us after set-up on Saturday evening.

I make a menu to have a plan for the week. The plan isn't set in stone but rather acts as a guide so we know what we're eating each day. Often, I will swap meals out onto different days depending on schedules.Occasionally, I'll fix something totally different or try a new recipe if I'm in the mood. I still keep to my menu pretty much and it's much better than not having a plan at all!

Another advantage to having a plan is being able to look forward to certain meals. We love to eat so being able to look ahead to what we're having for the next meal is a highlight!:-)

After a busy weekend, I just scribbled out a quick menu this morning! I'm still in a menu plan writers block of sorts, so I just wrote down the first things that came to my mind based on what I've got in the pantry and freezer. It's simple and it works!

Sunday
B-waffles, cottage cheese
L-eat out at our favorite Chinese restaurant with friends
D-hot dogs, buns, pretzels and dip, chocolate cookies

Monday
To do: thaw chicken for tomorrow, make large batch of pancake batter
B-toast, yogurt,apple slices
L-leftover hot dogs
D-church leadership meeting

Tuesday
B-pancakes
L-not sure yet!
D-chicken and tomato risotto, salad

Wednesday
To do: thaw chicken and Spanish rice for tomorrow
B-grits, cheese, apple slices
L-leftovers
D-split pea soup, homemade bread

Thursday
To do: menu plan for next week, make grocery list
B-eggs, toast
L-leftovers
D-chicken fajitas, Spanish rice(frozen)

Friday
B-pancakes
L-leftovers
D-salmon patties, homemade bread, steamed veggies

Saturday
To do: grocery shop, fix food for tomorrow
B-toast, fruit
L-leftovers
D-birthday party

For more menu plan fun, please visit Organizing Junkie!

Recycled Magazine Gift Bows

When I saw this tutorial online via Tip Nut, I knew I would have to try making some of these bows!

What a great way to use magazine pages instead of simply throwing the magazines into the recycling bin! These are really fast and easy to do. I've found it is a wonderful craft to work on while watching TV in the evening.

It's pretty addicting, so watch out!

Works For Me Wednesday-The Backwards Edition!

Today is a Backwards Edition of Works For Me Wednesday. This means instead of me telling you all about my latest bright idea; you get to give me advice and answers to one of my questions. I know you're excited about that!

I'm planning to purchase a grain mill before long. I have my eye on the Nutri-mill about which I've read some good reviews. I don't have my heart set on this one however, and I'm continuing to compare between brands and types of electric mills.

If you have or have had a grain mill or know someone who does, tell me about it.

What kind of grain mill do you have? Would you recommend it to a grain mill newbie?:-) What features do you like/dislike? Please tell!

Thanks!

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Drying Salad Greens

Maybe I'm the last one to actually try this... But this past weekend, I finally took to heart what I've read in oodles of articles and household hints books and tried spinning my lettuce leaves in the washing machine to get them dry.

It worked wonderfully.

If you're like me and don't own a salad spinner, here's how you do it. After washing lettuce, put salad greens in a large bag. I used a clean pillowcase and knotted it closed at the top. Place bag of greens in the washer and set to the final spin. Let spin. It's good to stand nearby so you don't forget about the lettuce. Also so your husband can come talk to you and, with raised eyebrow, see you remove lettuce from a pillowcase.:-)

I've always dreaded buying the lettuce that wasn't pre-washed and cut. Now I know it can be done in only a few minutes without lettuce laying on the kitchen counters being hand-blotted dry!

For more kitchen tips, please visit Tammy's blog!

Menu Plan Mondays

Happy September and Labor Day!

Last week's menu went pretty much as planned. As usual, I swapped a meal out here and there. Sometimes that just happens!

On Wednesday, I really felt like trying a new recipe, so I made a Western Beef Casserole from the What Would Jesus Eat? cookbook. This was a concoction of ground beef(I used turkey), cooked beans, rice, tomatoes and cheese on top. It was good although not that great in my opinion. It could've used a whole lot more spices even though I added more than what the recipe called for. It made a big pan so we ate it for lunches most of the rest of the week. We found that it was quite tasty with some salsa and sour cream on top and would be good in burritos.

My neighbor gave me 4 eggplants from her garden as well as some tomatoes and pears they grew. How sweet of her! For Saturday night, I sliced the smallest eggplant and fried it until browned. Then I layered eggplant, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese on sub rolls. I broiled them until melted and bubbly, then put the also browned sub roll tops on. Yummy Eggplant Subs! Very simple and extremely tasty!

For this week, I'm using up the rest of the eggplant. I'm focusing on keeping the menu pretty simple too. I was feeling a bit of "menu plan block" so I just started filling things in. That's when it's helpful to have the ingredients for your favorite meals on hand! My husband is so easy to please, that he is happy with about anything I plan (and cook). As long as there's some meat and a little variety, he's a happy camper.

Have a great week!

Sunday
B-Breakfast potluck with our house church fellowship. I made orange ginger scones and a basket of hard-boiled eggs to share.
D-wraps with cream cheese and olive spread and various veggies

Monday
To do: salad prep, thaw ground beef for tomorrow, bake cookies, make pesto to freeze
B-egg burritos, apple slices
L-leftover sausage gravy and biscuits, bananas, carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes
D-Dinner with friends. I'm taking a salad.

Tuesday
To do: make a pot of spaghetti sauce for tonight's casserole and to freeze
B-leftover scones, fruit and yogurt smoothies
L-egg salad on croissants
D-Cheesy Eggplant Bake(I'm making this up as I go!), salad

Wednesday
To do: mix dry ingredients for muffins(make 4 batches of mix for easy prep later), assemble soup, thaw chicken for tomorrow.
B-grits, cheese,apple slices
L-leftovers
D-turkey rice soup(using turkey, rice and broth from the freezer), corn muffins

Thursday
To do: make tabouli, make spice mix for chicken, cut chicken in chunks
B-waffles, fruit
L-leftovers
D-Israeli Spice chicken chunks, tabouli, steamed veggies

Friday
To do:make pizza crusts(freeze one), bake bread
B-omelets, toast, fruit
L-leftovers
D-pesto pizza, fresh veggie sticks with dip

Saturday
B-cereal, milk, fruit
L-leftovers
D-hot dogs, pretzels, fresh veggie sticks with dip

For more inspiration, please visit Menu Planning Mondays!

Orange Ginger Scones

This is one of our favorite Sunday breakfast recipes. This scone is mild tasting and would go well with a cup of tea. I first made these scones as a newlywed and was delighted with their success.

Later on, I was whining to my mom about how I couldn't make good biscuits. Her reply was this, "If you can make scones, you can make biscuits. A scone is really a glorified biscuit." She gave me pointers on following her biscuit recipe and with some trial and error, I have had pretty good success with those too.

I tell you all that to say that even if you've never made biscuits or scones, these are perfect for a beginner to make!

Orange Ginger Scones from Taste of Home
2 cups flour(I have used half whole wheat pastry flour with good results.)
4 T. sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel(I also sometimes put in a spoonful of orange juice concentrate.)

Combine flour, 2 T. sugar, baking powder, ginger, salt, and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Combine egg, sour cream, and orange peel; add to crumb mixture and stir until soft dough forms. Turn onto a floured surface;knead 5-6 times. Divide dough in half. Pat each portion into a 7 inch circle; cut each into 6 wedges.

Separate wedges and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 1 dozen scones.

Enjoy!

Haven Swap!

I was happy to be able to participate in Carrie and Monica's latest swap. It was really fun to find gifts that worked into the "haven" theme.

My swap partner was Gail. I had never read her blog or even heard of her before we were assigned as partners. What a sweet lady she is! It was interesting to email back and forth with Gail and learn more about her family. Since I am from Oregon, it was great to talk to another fellow West Coaster!

Gail and her family recently moved to Boise, so my main goal in packing her box was to pick out things that would help them to feel at home in their new home!

Gail loves color and we both love Mary Engelbreit, so I was able to create a colorful box for her.

Here's what I came up:
-a jar of M&M's
-a homemade apron in bright colors
-a bag of our favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
-a Mary Engelbreit magnetic memo pad
-a Mary Engelbreit magnet
-Walnut Whip hand soap
-a CD of "Havenly Music"-a mix of some of our favorite praise tunes
-a handful of miniature pumpkins and acorns for fall decorating

I made little tags for each gift with sayings and verses about home and family on each one.

I was so excited to get my box from Gail as well. She gathered some wonderful gifts for me. Thank you, Gail!



Here's the contents of my box:
-a new issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion-I've loved reading this again!
-a set of Mary Engelbreit note cards which will be perfect for framing!
-a bar of sandalwood soap
-a spice-scented potpourri tart
-a little Home Sweet Home sign
-a relaxing classical CD(not pictured-already in the CD player!)
-a beaded keychain
-a small round Mary Engelbreit box-I love these for storing little things.
-a bottle of Coconut Lime foot scrub
-a picture frame

Thanks Carrie and Monica for hosting another swap. I always enjoy the sense of community that I get from getting to know and swapping with another sweet lady from the blog-o-sphere!

To view more contents of swap boxes, visit Carrie's blog!

Homemade Watercolors

Amy from the Mom Advice blog posts links to fun crafts and do-it-yourself projects each week in Amy's Notebook. Recently she had asked us to join in with Notebook Experiments by picking a project to do and then linking back with pictures and specifics.

This week, we made homemade watercolor paints (Dim Sum, Bagels and Crawfish) which were featured in last week's Notebook(8/21/08).

I love making my own art supplies like play dough and finger paints so these quickly caught my eye! The next drawing point was that they could be made in minutes and used right away. No cooking and cooling periods. When you take care of two 2 year olds, immediate gratification is of utmost importance!

I had all the supplies on hand-another plus.(Please see the original post for a complete instructions.) I set out the ingredients and we got right to scooping and counting! The baking soda and vinegar combination was very cool-the fizzing really fascinated the boys!

The boys helped with the stirring by using these small Pampered Chef spoons-the perfect size for little ones! Just like the instructions, I divided the paints into recycled applesauce cups, since that's what I had on hand. I stirred the food coloring into each one and viola! We had paint!


We had so much fun with these. It was a short enough project that could easily be completed with antsy little ones. The leftover paints are hardened up now to use again soon. And their very wet paintings dried up really nice into beautiful pastel colors. This recipe is going into my toddler activities book to be used over and over again!

(I had a picture of all 6 colors of paint in their cute little applesauce cups, but it refuses to load for me! Oh well... enjoy the pictures of the littles having a grand time painting!)


Click here to read about more fun experiments or join in the fun!

Works For Me Wednesday:Tips For Organizing A Small Home

My house is cozy and cute...and small. Evidently in the 1950's, built-in storage wasn't a huge necessity either.:-)

Today I'm sharing a few organizing tips that work for me.

1)Limit the stuff. We've all heard it before-declutter, declutter, declutter! But it works. The less you have to store,the less room you need to store it in. What a great concept! For a while, I thought that if my organizing skills were better, I'd have more space for things. Now I'm realizing that I have to limit the cookbooks because I only have so much space on the shelves. My husband and I share a dresser for our clothes. The two closets in our house are teeny tiny and so is our bedroom. Using one dresser forces us to keep only the clothes we will wear. Decluttering is an ongoing process. Just when I think my house is decluttered and all unnecessary items have been purged, it seems that I find enough to load another Goodwill box! A small space with extra stuff looks a lot more cluttered than a larger room so it is helpful to keep belongings pared down.

2) Be reasonable. Know what you can realistically do in this season of life. If you have kids, there will be toys. The laundry will overflow some days. Some weeks, it may seem as though the kitchen was never cleaned! Life happens and it will be ok. Having a perfectly organized and clean house isn't the most important thing. It is important,however, that we continue to work at doing little tasks each day to help us stay on top of things in creating a sanctuary for our families.

3) Be intentional. Discipline yourself to do certain tasks each day. This takes time to learn and make it a habit but it is so rewarding as you see your home staying a bit neater and better organized. I try to sort and shred junk mail as soon as it gets here. It doesn't always happen but it sure keeps the paper clutter down to tackle it right away! My daily "home maintenance" routine includes running through the house and putting things away, emptying and refilling the dishwasher, a quick vacuum and sweep and just making sure the house is generally neat. Being intentional about keeping the little things done really helps to keep the house in good order.

4)Use multi-tasking pieces of furniture. We have an old dresser in the living room that serves as an end table as well as a linen closet. A row of three "put together" bookshelves looks great for the books as well as toy storage. We were given a very nice TV armoire that has built-in storage. It takes the same amount of floor space as our previous little TV stand-the armoire is just taller and contains a lot more storage! For awhile we used a yard sale wicker trunk for a coffee table which looked great and also held extra quilts. We don't have one but I really like the ottomans that have storage inside. There are so many creative options to create more storage and use less space!

5)Choose useful decorative items. This may be a personal preference but I love having useful items that also look great as decorations. It eliminates the need for lots of knick knacks and is less cluttery-looking. I have a few small serving plates that are pretty set on those little stand as decoration. Nice pottery bowls can be set out in the open. My collection of vases(which I enjoy using) are grouped together on top of the bookshelves. I store lots of things in cute baskets. The baskets look really nice and hide many things that I would otherwise have no room for. I keep my Bible study materials in a lidded wicker basket on the coffee table. Paper products are in an old picnic basket and extra throw blankets are rolled up in another large basket. I especially like square or rectangular baskets for the way they fit together on shelves. I have also covered boxes with fabric to make my own baskets when I didn't have any on hand.

6)Think outside the box. I already gave some ideas for using dressers as end tables and such. With a small space, you will often need to put things in unconventional places. I don't have a pantry but I do have a larger-than-average laundry room with room for a few shelves for food items. We have a free standing cupboard there too, that works for storing my baking pans, crock pot and other miscellaneous kitchen items. There is just not enough room in the kitchen! Extra canned foods can be stored under the beds. Our couch is across a corner in the living room and I store a few awkward items back there. My gift wrap box is stored under the bed. My gift box is in the closet. Hooks on the closet and bedroom doors provide a place for my purse and tote bags(some of which are storing other items!) A tablecloth over a small table gives space for telephone books in the dining room and Kleenex, light bulbs and extra cleaning supplies in the bedroom.

7) Be thankful for what you have! Be content with where God has you right now and resolve to use your creativity to make it the best that you know how. I am always changing things around and wondering why I hadn't thought of these possibilities earlier. I often tell my husband that as soon as I get everything how I like it, we will move! Then I'll have to start over.:-)

Please share your creative organizing and storage ideas with the rest of us!

For more creative and fun Works For Me Wednesday posts, please visit Rocks In My Dryer!

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays-Fresh Peach Pie

Today for Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, I'm sharing my recipe for Peach Pie.

Peaches are still in season here, so I try to buy a bag of South Carolina peaches every time I get groceries. I've frozen some and we've eaten a lot fresh and in smoothies. I try to make a peach pie at least once during peach season. This makes my husband very happy!

I didn't have enough pie dough left to make a full double crust pie, so I used a heart cookie cutter to cut shapes to put on top. My 2 year old helper got a kick out of cutting the hearts for me.

Fresh Peach Pie

For one pie, you will need:
4 cups sliced fresh peaches
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 unbaked pie crust(enough for double crust)

Mix cornstarch and sugar together. Add to sliced peaches. Stir in lemon juice. Pour peach mixture into unbaked pie crust. Top with another piece of dough. If desired,brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 60-70 minutes.


Thanks to Tammy for hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday! What's on the menu for the week?

We had lots of leftovers in the fridge last week. So many that I heated up leftovers for Wednesday night's dinner instead of making the stir fry that was on the menu. The stir fry is reappearing this week!

The meat pie/pot pie that I made with leftovers was a hit! I chopped the leftover corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and added some frozen peas and chopped onions. I made a gravy using the meat juices and mixed that in. All of this was poured into a pie shell and topped with more pie crust. Yummy. Carby. But yummy!

My basil plants have been producing wildly. I need to make a bunch of pesto to freeze. Until then, I've been sneaking it into a lot of our foods. It is so fragrant! There is nothing quite like having fresh herbs to use as you wish.

Onto this week:
You will notice that my waffle obsession is back. There are still several boxes in the freezer! I know frozen waffles aren't as healthy but they were free!

Sunday
To do: thaw ground beef
B-cold cereal, milk
L-Potluck with our house church. I made pinto beans and rice with salsa, sour cream and cheese, Andy's birthday cake.
D-popcorn, leftover birthday cake

Monday
To do: prepare meatloaf, slice carrots
B-waffles,fruit
L-leftovers
D-meatloaf, rice, ginger carrots

Tuesday
To do: prepare quiche
B-cheese toast,fruit
L-leftovers
D-crustless quiche, salad, banana-carrot muffins

Wednesday
To do: chop veggies, defrost chicken pot pie
B-waffles,fruit
L-leftovers
D-chicken & veggie stir fry with rice

Thursday
To do: write shopping list and next week's menu
B-eggs, toast
L-leftovers
D-chicken pot pie(freezer meal), steamed broccoli

Friday
To do: prepare salmon patties, do grocery shopping
B- waffles,fruit
L-leftovers
D-salmon patties, homemade bread, green beans

Saturday
To do: plan and prepare food for Sunday, get milk and eggs from dairy
B-muffins,fruit
L- leftovers
D- wraps with cream cheese and olive spread, a variety of chopped and shredded veggies

For more menu planning fun, please visit Organizing Junkie!

Cherries and Cream Roll

Andy requested this Cherries and Cream Cake Roll for his birthday this year. It is delicious and really much easier to make than it looks!

This is a Taste of Home recipe from the early 90's, I believe. I couldn't locate the recipe on their site, so I will print it for you here. If you are learning to cook or just looking for more recipes to try, I highly recommend Taste of Home. I've never made something from their magazine that we didn't like. Their recipes are always very good!

Cherries and Cream Roll

Sponge Cake:
1 cup cake flour( I use 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons regular all-purpose flour.)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons water

Grease a 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan and line with waxed paper. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt;set aside. Beat eggs at high speed until thick; add sugar and beat until smooth and lemon-colored. Blend in orange concentrate and water at low speed; add dry ingredients slowly. Do not over beat.

Pour batter in pan and bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. (Maybe just a little longer until set, but don't over bake.) Invert cake onto clean towel that has been liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll up carefully in towel and let cool.

Filling:
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 can(21 ounces) cherry pie filling or other fruit filling

Whip cream; add sugar and flavoring. Spread cooled cake with half of whipped cream and 3/4 of cherry filling. Roll up carefully. Frost with remaining whipped cream and filling. Chill.

Makes 10 -12 servings.

Sewing Crayon Pouches

I've been sewing these crayon pouches for gifts. Kids (and moms) love them!

These are so much fun to make. I've adapted the directions to fit colored pencils instead of crayons, too. Next, I want to make marker-sized ones.

Here are the directions I used to make my pouches.

Guest Post: The Purpose Of The Church

Today, I'm excited to have my husband Andy sharing a guest post! Having him contribute to my blog at times is something that we've talked about doing for awhile now. His writing style and subject content is a little different and deeper than what I normally post here. But change can be a good thing! Please read along and leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Purpose Of The Church
Does your church have a mission or vision statement? Does your church have a clearly defined purpose? With so many different churches, denominations and theologies surrounding us today, it is quite easy to find our true purpose and reason for living this life muddied. I’d like to make an attempt to clean up some of the mess. And in the true spirit of Mary Ann’s House, it is quite practical and simple.

Right off the bat let’s look at the great commission.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

A couple of points to ponder…

If all authority was given to Jesus and He is sending us out as his witnesses to make disciples, then we go with that authority, all authority! But what does it mean to “make disciples”? Well, make means “to produce; cause to exist or happen; bring about, to cause to be or become; render.” So we are to produce disciples. But what is a disciple? A disciple is a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower. Now, we can only produce what we are and what we know. So if we have not taken the time to actually be a disciple, to be a follower of Christ, how can we in turn make one?

Let’s take the time now to dig a little deeper into what it means to actually BE a disciple.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

First we must focus on the word “devoted,” zealous or ardent in attachment, loyalty, or affection. It requires absolute commitment. Devotion is not a hobby or something you do for 15 minutes in the morning. Devotion is a representation of who you are. Think of it in these terms, where you deposit your time and effort is what you are truly devoted to.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

There are Four things a disciple of Christ is to be devoted to.

1. The apostles’ teaching. But what is the apostle’s teaching? Look back at the great commission. “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” There are seven main commands of Christ to be followed here. And as an act of devotion on your part, here are the scripture references. Take the time to get to know what they are yourself, then you can pass the hope of Christ on to others.

Command #1 Luke 9:23, Acts 17:24-34
Command #2 Matthew 22:37
Command #3 John 13:34-35
Command #4 Matthew 22:39
Command #5 & 6 Matthew 28:19 (I’ve already quoted this one for you.)
Command #7 Matthew 28:20 (I’m making this way too easy, I’ve quoted this one too.)

2. The Fellowship. Now be careful here. This is not just attending church. The Greek word used here is koinônia, literally partnership. To be devoted to the fellowship is to be an active participant, not just to warm a chair or a pew. How are you partnering with your fellowship?

3. The Breaking of Bread. Put simply, there is something special that occurs when believers sit down to a meal together. There is a bonding that takes place. In addition to that, when you participate in a meal by bringing food, or setting the table or washing the dishes, you have shown devotion to those eating with you. You are literally putting into practice the afore mentioned partnership. One person is not doing all the work or shouldering all the responsibility. Mary Ann and I are fortunate as this is a regular part of our Sunday Fellowship.

4. Prayer. I’m not sure this one needs much expounding, however, here we go. This is a time commitment on your part. And the beauty of it is any time works, driving to work, making breakfast, when the kids are napping, anytime!! Now something we all to often forget is that prayer is a two way street. It involves talking and listening, especially listening. Remember God gave you two ears and one mouth and that was on purpose.

There that wasn’t so hard, was it? Now we know what it means to be a disciple. So, now we can make disciples. This simple thing is the purpose for God’s church and quite literally is the church being the church.

Thanks for allowing me to invade the blogosphere, we’ll have to do it again sometime.

/\ndy

Kitchen Tip Tuesday-3 Quick Tips

Today I'm joining in with Kitchen Tip Tuesdays to share three quick tips with you.

1) I love planning my menus a week or two at a time. After trying many different printables, menu calendars,and scraps of paper, I've discovered the easiest way to have a menu plan on my fridge. I simply print out my menu when I post it for Menu Plan Monday. I love it!

2) Leftover hot dog buns make great last-minute garlic bread. I always have at least one hot dog bun left after the hot dogs are eaten. I throw these in the freezer and then pull them out for quick garlic bread. Simply spread with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and broil until browned. Great with pasta!

3)The best time for me to pack my husband's lunch is right after dinner. He's able to reheat food at work so dinner leftovers are what he eats most days. When I fix his lunch right after dinner, I'm saving time by doing it when all the food is still out. I like having everything ready the night before- small containers of leftovers in the fridge and any non-refrigerated items, a cup,napkin and silverware already in his lunchbox. In the case that I don't have enough leftovers for his lunch the next day, this gives me enough time to come up with a back-up plan instead of scrambling early in the morning! Sometimes, I go ahead and fix myself a plate, too, to have ready for lunch the next day!


To read more Kitchen Tips, please visit Tammy's Recipes.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week's menu plan went well. We ended up making a short trip on Saturday to celebrate my nephew's 3rd birthday. I moved Saturday night's tortilla chip pie(which I had already made and in the fridge) to Sunday night.

Thursday night's spaghetti sauce and noodle dish turned out to be just that. I mixed about a half jar of spaghetti sauce that I needed to use with some cooked whole wheat rotini noodles. This was mixed with some chopped pepperoni and topped with mozzarella cheese and baked for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

We have plenty of leftovers this week to use for lunches and incorporating into the dinner plans as well. Our Sunday lunch this week with our home fellowship included a delicious pot of corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Even after sending leftovers home with different folks, we still have a huge bowl of it left. I think I'll be chopping up some of it and mixing up some pie crust to make a meat pie of sorts. I love being creative with leftovers!

Sunday
B- leftover corn muffins, peaches
L-potluck with our home fellowship-I provided some sliced melons.
D-tortilla chip pie with chips, cheese, chopped tomatoes and sour cream

Monday
To Do: make pastry for meat pie and fresh peach pie later in the week, make pancake syrup, thaw chicken breasts for tomorrow
B-toast, cheese,fresh figs
L-leftovers
D-leftover corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes made into a meat pie, salad

Tuesday
To do:cook extra chicken for Wednesday during today's dinner prep
B-waffles, bananas
L-leftovers
D-lemon herb chicken, rice, salad

Wednesday
To do:chop veggies for stir-fry, defrost spaghetti pie for tomorrow
B-cold cereal,milk,bananas
L-leftovers
D-chicken and veggie stir-fry over rice

Thursday
To do:bake peach pie if peaches are ripe enough
B-fruit smoothie, toast
L-leftovers
D-spaghetti pie(in freezer), garlic bread, salad or steamed veggies

Have you detected a pie theme yet?:-)

Friday
To do: bake muffins, bake cookies,make tuna pasta salad
B-cream of wheat, bananas
L-leftovers
D-tuna pasta salad, muffins or bread, fruit

Saturday
To do: bake birthday cake, prepare food for Sunday's potluck(not sure what just yet!)
B-waffles, canteloupe
L-leftovers
D-eat out for Andy's birthday

For more menu planning fun, visit Organizing Junkie!

Frugal Fridays: Saving For A Special Purchase

This year, I've been saving to buy a grain mill. This is a kitchen tool that I believe will be well worth its cost in terms of nutrition and should serve us well for years to come.

When it comes to small kitchen appliances though, grain mills are not cheap. I have had my eye on them for a while now and knew I simply couldn't afford to just buy one.

At the beginning of this year, I decided to start saving for it. I figured it would take at least a year or even more before I could have enough saved. But surely I would save more by starting a little grain mill fund than by just thinking about how much I wanted it!

I purposed to save a portion of my "play money" each month. (We budget for my husband and I to each have a small amount of fun money every month. We can spend this money however we please.) I also saved my birthday money and a small amount of our tax refund that was mine to do with as I wanted.

Surprisingly, my meager contributions each month started adding up and now 8 months later, I am only about 2 months away from purchasing my grain mill!

Proverbs 13:11 says "Dishonest money dwindles away but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow."

This not only applies to small purchases like a grain mill but also to larger goals such as building a savings account or saving for a house.

So if you think that you cannot save any money, take a good look at your budget and see if there is any way you might be able to save even a little bit of pocket change each month. Small amounts of money eventually add up too and before you know it, you too will have reached your goal!

For more frugal ideas, please visit Biblical Womanhood.

Thankful For What God Doesn't Give Me

I focus a lot on answered prayer, thanking God for the tangible ways He shows His love for me. This is usually by Him giving me what I have asked for or providing a specific need.

Countless times I have asked for specific things and He has graciously answered and saw fit to provide me with these things. When He answers my prayers in this way, I am overjoyed and reminded of His great love for me.

But what about all the prayers that He doesn't seem to answer? What about the things that I've prayed for that never come to pass? Even after years and years, it seems He's not even listening. Do my prayers even make it past the ceiling?

We all have circumstances in our lives that we wish were different. I am no exception. My life is not perfect. I have often wrestled with God over things that I felt were rightfully mine but either I knew He had said"No" or I felt as though He just wasn't answering my prayers.

We were blessed to be able to attend a David Meece concert this week. (I know, talk about a blast from the past!) His song, "Things You Never Gave Me" hit me right in the heart. It was just what I needed to hear.

Things You Never Gave Me from the There I Go Again album

Had a lot of dreams that never came true
Things I could have done,
But never got the chance to do
When I couldn't see the path of the storm
Your wisdom wouldn't let me go that way
And it broke my heart,but now my heart can say

Thank You for the times You said,"No".
Thank You for the doors that You closed
All the ways You never let me go
And the things You never gave me
So many times I didn't understand
And wouldn't let You take my hand
But now I want to fall at your feet
And thank You for the things
You never gave to me.

When I wanted less than what You had in mind
When I wanted more than I could handle at the time
When I needed You but turned You away
You wouldn't let me slip out of Your hand

I just didn't know, but now I understand
Looking back across the years
I can see beyond the tears
And thank You...thank You

God always answers my prayers. He just doesn't always do it my way. Sometimes He says "No". Many times He does not choose to swoop in and change my situation. Instead, He allows these things as opportunities for me to grow and depend on Him more.

Thank You, God. Thank You for being in control of my life and for choosing what is the absolute best for me. Help me to remember to thank You even when Your way is different than mine and to realize that sometimes the very best answers to prayer are when in Your wisdom, You say, "No.". Amen!


Thanks to Laura of Heavenly Homemakers for hosting Gratituesday!

Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday! I hope everyone is ready to dive into another week.

Looking back to last week's menu, the two new recipes that I tried were really good. We loved the risotto. This is the Chicken & Tomato Risotto in the newest issue(August-September) of the Taste of Home magazine. Since I like to mess with recipes, even the first time I make them, I used browned and crumbled sausage that I had on hand instead of chicken that I was out of. I also used canned mushrooms instead of fresh but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.Yum! This was awesome! While it is easy and quick to prepare, this risotto is one of those dishes that needs your full attention, instead of being left to simmer alone. I had forgotten that we had somewhere to be early when I planned this for Tuesday night so it was a bit hectic making this while I still had a fussy toddler nearby. I will definitely be making this again, though. It was so good and can be changed based on what you have in your pantry.

The second recipe- Black-eyed peas with tortillas. I was apprehensive to try this since I really don't care for the blandness of black-eyed peas. I added some salsa, cumin and chili powder to liven it up a bit since I didn't add a jalapeno pepper as the recipe suggested. I had a bit of corn and white rice in the fridge to use up so I dumped that in as well. This made a nice hearty meal served with tortillas, sour cream, cheese and more salsa. It was pretty good, we liked it and this gives me one more option when it comes to bean burritos. If I don't have one kind of legume, I can always substitute another!

Now on to this week:
Beef roast was on a good sale this week, so I'm doing an easy menu week and stretching a roast for several days. I'm looking forward to it. Yum!

I also got a bunch of waffles(8 boxes to be exact) at Harris Teeter last week which will end up being free after a mail-in certificate. So that explains the waffle kick that I am on! I prefer homemade waffles and usually freeze the extras when I make them. But free is free!

I plan to bake a large pan of rice for dinner on Tuesday then use it for the salad on Wednesday as well as a side dish on Friday. Easy peasy!

Sunday
B-waffles, fruit
L-eat out with our home fellowship group at Bob Evans
D-grilled cheese sandwiches

Monday
B-eggs, toast
L-peanut butter & honey sandwiches
D-roast with potatoes and carrots(in crock pot); salad

Tuesday
B-waffles, fruit
L-leftovers
D-beef and mushroom gravy over brown rice;salad

Wednesday
B-cottage cheese; toast
L-leftovers
D-beef pilaf salad; fresh veggies;muffins

Thursday
B-waffles;fruit
L-leftovers
D-some sort of spaghetti sauce with noodle dish(I have an open jar of sauce to use up!);salad

Friday
B-fruit smoothie;toast
L-leftovers or peanut butter and honey sandwiches
D-baked salmon;brown rice; steamed veggies

Saturday
B-cream of wheat;fruit
L-leftovers
D-tortilla chip pie/taco salad-(We love this recipe!)

That's all folks! For more menu planning fun, please visit Menu Plan Mondays!

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh cherry tomatoes from my little flowerbed garden.

"She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden." Proverbs 31:16 The Message

The Face Only A Mother Could Love

A Trip To The Billy Graham Library

While my parents were visiting last week, we took them to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC. Since Charlotte is only a short drive from our home, this was a great little day trip.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the outing. There was such a peace throughout the grounds there. Hymns played both outside and in.

It was interesting to learn more about the Grahams lives and to follow his ministry through the years. We came away with a new understanding and awe, not so much of Billy Graham the man, but what God can do with one person who is completely committed to Him.

Since Billy Graham was raised on a dairy farm in Charlotte, the site reflects that with Billy's parents farmhouse and the library which is built to look like a barn. The cafe inside is aptly named "The Dairy Bar" and is a great place to eat lunch after the tour.

We highly recommend visiting the library if you are in the Charlotte area. We can't wait to go back again!


Billy Graham's childhood home.

Beautiful gardens on the grounds.

The library. Notice the cross at the entrance. At the end of the tour, we exited through a cross also. Very powerful!

Ruth Bell Graham's grave in the prayer garden. What a wise and Godly woman she was! Her husband counted her as his most trusted adviser. The symbol on her grave is the Chinese symbol for righteousness. I really loved what she had chosen to have written on her gravestone-"End of construction-thank you for your patience."

Menu Plan Monday

I'm in the mood to try a couple of new recipes this week. Otherwise, the menu is pretty simple. I love keeping it that way!

I'm also hoping to get some baking done this week. It will be great to have more homemade bread, muffins and cookies in the freezer!

Sunday-tuna melts,pepper slices, orange slices

Monday-Baked Potato Salad, cheese slices, fresh veggies(cherry tomatoes, cucumber and carrot slices), blueberry muffins

I'm using leftover baked potatoes from Sunday's lunch for the potato salad. Cherry tomatoes are from our little garden!

Tuesday-Sausage-tomato risotto, green salad

The risotto recipe is a new one from Taste of Home's latest magazine. I'm substituting sausage for the chicken that it originally called for since that's what I have on hand. I was given a couple of boxes of arborio rice so this should be a good way to use some of it.

Wednesday-Creamed eggs over toast, green salad

Thursday- Black-eyed pea burritos on homemade tortillas with cheese, salsa and sour cream, green salad

I've trying my hand at cooking black-eyed peas. I've never been fond of them, especially plain, but Andy likes them. This burrito recipe looked interesting; I hope we like it!

Friday- broiled salmon,mashed potatoes with fresh chives, steamed broccoli-cauliflower mix

Saturday- leftovers

Breakfasts:
cream of wheat, fresh berries
fruit smoothies, blueberry muffins
banana-oat pancakes
cottage cheese, toast, fruit
eggs. toast, fruit
fruit smoothies, toast

Lunches:
leftovers
salad
cottage cheese
peanut butter and honey sandwiches
cheese quesdaillas

For more menu-planning inspiration, please visit Menu Plan Mondays!

Snowballs From My Garden

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11