Beach Vacation-3

 On our way to the beach with Andy's parents, we had some time to kill so we stopped at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. We toured the gift shop and museum.

 After the museum, we got permission from security to go up to the racetrack. We were not allowed inside of course, but were allowed to go up to the catch fence and look around.

 A view of the "Darlington Stripe".

 Andy's parents.

 Andy and his dad.

The tunnel.

This is the last of our vacation pictures! Hope you enjoyed seeing them!

This Week's Meal Plan

With buying a house, moving, vacation and an incredibly full schedule this summer, my routines, menu planning and  planning in general have fallen by the wayside. This week's menu plan is an attempt to get back into the swing of things. Being organized keeps our home, life and finances flowing much more efficiently!

We've been making good use of our local farmer's market this summer, seeing it more as a grocery stop rather than a novelty. I don't necessarily think I save that much money over buying produce at the grocery store overall but we are buying local and getting much better quality food, much of it being unsprayed and heirloom varieties for the price of conventional produce. We hope to be able to grow more of our own produce in the future--a fall garden is in the beginning stages right  now-- but until then, getting to know local farmers is a good thing!

After a couple of months of being more relaxed in our low-grain eating style, we've eased back into it and can tell a positive difference in how we feel. One of the disadvantages of eating a healthier diet, we've found,  is that our bodies can tell right away if we're not eating right! I guess it would be an advantage too, because if we know we're not going to feel well, maybe we are more apt to make wise food choices.

Monday
B- Scrambled eggs
L- Leftover buffet
Snack- Watermelon, dark chocolate
D- Sausage, zucchini, pepper and mushroom stir fry, rice

Tuesday
B- Scrambled eggs, avocado slices
L- Leftover fish, cottage cheese, raw veggies
Snack- Watermelon
D- Crockpot chicken, sauteed green beans, baked sweet potatoes-- Using the rest of the chicken for several more meals this week!

Wednesday
B- Sunday hash and poached eggs--we love this!
L- Chick-fil-a Appreciation Day--Excited to show our support for this company that publicly stands for God's principles! We enjoy their grilled chicken salads, too.
Snack- Kiwi, yogurt with honey
D- Chicken Salad on greens, deviled eggs, raw veggies

Thursday
B- Scrambled eggs
L- Roast beef and cheese lettuce wraps, raw veggies
Snack- Bananas and peanut butter
D-Chicken gravy over rice, broccoli

Friday
B- Scrambled eggs
L- Leftovers or salmon patties
Snack- Smoothie
D- Stuffed jalapenos with bacon and rice (fresh peppers from farmers market!), veggie plate or salad, cheese slices, rice chips

Saturday
B- Crustless quiche with eggs, cheese and leftover veggies
L- Packed lunches
Snack- Nuts, dried fruit
D- Hot dogs, pickles, veggie

What are you eating this week?

**This post is part of Menu Plan Monday!

Beach Vacation-2

 We all went to the aquarium at Fort Fisher one day. It was a shorter drive plus more fun to take the ferry so that's what we did!

Beach Vacation-1

Last week was spent at the beach with Andy's family. This was the first time we all vacationed together and we all had a lot of fun. There were 15 of us all together--8 adults and 7 children ranging from 11 years to 15 months. What a crazy beach house!

This batch of photos is from the beach we stayed at.

Laundry Tip

We use a good amount of Shout for pre-wash stain treatment. I always used to keep it in the laundry room with all the other laundry supplies.

One day, I had the bright idea to keep a bottle of Shout in our bathroom which is near the hamper. Now we can easily spray the stains right away when changing clothes.

Saves a lot of steps and I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier!

Crayon Muffins

Setting art supplies on the deck so the children could draw while playing outside= Smart.

Forgetting about container of crayons on a 100 degree day= Oops!

Fortunately they weren't completely melted by the time I discovered them (although close) so I let them harden back up and decided to turn the  misshapen crayons into crayon muffins or as we fondly are calling them,  "round crayons".

I followed these instructions and used a mini muffin pan that I have just for fun non-edible activities such as this one.

Super easy and something fun and a little different for the children to enjoy--inside!

Our New Ride

After years of thriving as a one car family, we've once again added a second vehicle.

We opted for a van this time as we could use something bigger--we haul a lot of stuff around for business and personal use, have a large dog and often have kids here with us. We had our eyes on  crossover type vehicles such as the Chrysler Pacifica for a long time and even looked at a station wagon or two but in the end went with a van that we were able to get at an amazing price!

I think we'll really like it!  And we were able to pay cash this time around.

Thank you, Lord!

Whose Cup Is It?

What do you do when you have a couple extra kids in the house and you can't keep the cups straight?

Using a Sharpie, write each child's name on a wide rubber band (saved from produce) and slip them onto the cups.

Problem solved. And the rubber band provides a grip too which is sometimes helpful for little ones!

I can't take credit for this since I saw it on a blog somewhere years ago. Definitely a useful little thing!

Patriotic Fruit

Real and nutritious food can be fun too!

**Patriotic Fruit Salad--I just used watermelon and blueberries.

I don't have a picture to share but the little ones and I made these pretzel and M&M treats today. Not anything close to nutritious or real food but a fun treat to make together and share with all the families!

**Both ideas courtesy of Pinterest!

Happy birthday, America!

How Not To Be A Good Host

We've been dog-sitting for a friend this week and while the two are getting along quite well, our dog Rock is guest posting today to teach us what a good host does NOT do!

1. Follow your guest everywhere even after you've been properly introduced. If your guest fails to notice you right behind him, move up and get in his face. He'll notice you then. And growl.


2. Eat your guest's food. Just push yourself over to your guest's bowl and help yourself. And while you're at it, why not drink his water too! But snap your guest's ear off if he goes near your bowl.


3. Sleep on your guest's bed. Even though your bed is only 2 feet away. Every guest feels right at home when he has to sleep on the floor in spite of bringing his own bed!

The End

 In spite of Rock's manners, a good time was had by all! The kids especially loved playing with Mason who is a champion Fetch player!

Sucker

I keep saying that I won't buy any more fabric until I use more of what I have. But then, I just can't resist a 50 cent bag of scrap fabrics.

Sucker.

Look at all the great stuff!

Think a scrap busting challenge may be in my near future!

Settling In

We moved into our new home last weekend.

Every day finds us a little more settled and a few more boxes unpacked.

My sister came on Monday and helped me get the kitchen and living room up and running, including some things on the walls already. Her help was greatly appreciated!

We are loving our new quiet neighborhood. Most folks have lived here for many years and are very friendly. We attended a cookout across the street soon after we closed on the house which allowed us to meet a few of the neighbors. Several have stopped by to welcome us to the neighborhood and one even brought over a plate of cookies!

We are also enjoying the extra space we've acquired. While the house is not huge (1450 sq.ft.), it is much bigger than what we've lived in in all our married life and is laid out well with a large eat-in kitchen and roomy living room. Having 2 bathrooms is also a perk and it's especially nice to have an extra for the little ones and guests.

Our lot is just over a half acre and includes a large fully fenced backyard. Rock is enjoying it so much and the children will too. We hope to begin gardening soon and as we learn, little by little, hopefully we will be able to grow more of our own fruits and veggies.

We are so grateful to God for leading us through the house buying process. We could truly see His hand each step of the way! And we pray that this home will be a place of rest and peace for those He brings our way.

Homeowners

Coming soon:

Mary Ann's "new" House!

Window Art With Foam and Water

Recently, I picked up a package of foam craft sheets for 50 cents thinking that surely we could use them for some summer crafting fun.

Then I saw this at Playing House and it just happened to be on a rainy day when we couldn't do the original outside activity I'd planned.

Out came the foam and scissors (for me and 6 yr.old) and paintbrushes and little cups of water for everyone. A couple old bath towels were placed on the floor in front of the window which turned out to be a good thing!

Big Brother and I cut out shapes and Toddler Girl painted on the window with her paintbrush and water. I think she would've been happy with just that as she really didn't do that much with the foam shapes. But Big Brother enjoyed making scenes and making elaborate foam drawings of shooting stars and Venus Fly traps. Seriously.

Sky, shooting star, Venus Fly Trap, grass

At any rate, this was definitely a hit and we'll be doing it again soon!

Crockpot Sweet Potatoes

I made a crockpot full of sweet potatoes to take to Sunday's fellowship.

This is something I take frequently. It's healthful and delicious plus easy and cost-effective!

Crockpot Sweet Potatoes


Idea adapted from here.

Wash the sweet potatoes and prick each one with a fork or knife. Wrap in foil--at home I skip this step but they do get kind of gooey and messy so when I take them to a potluck, I wrap them. Pile in crockpot and cook on high for around 6 hours.  Your crockpot may vary so try it once and see how it turns out!

Serve with butter. Some folks also like cinnamon, brown sugar, cinnamon-sugar and/or marshmallows. I'm boring and really like a plain buttered sweet potato with salt and pepper the best! But do what you like!

**I usually use smallish sweet potatoes like those in the 3 pound bags from Aldi. Or I cut larger ones in half so they are closer to single serving size and also go further than just a few big ones! **

Trash-Picked Treasures: Child's Chair

Hit the trash-picking jackpot this morning when I spied this antique child's chair along the curb!

Needs a paint job and sports some signs of age but is sturdy and has a lot of life left to live.

The children took turns sitting in it and it's the perfect size for each one.

Hot Dog Saturday and Sweet Potato Fries

Recently, our Saturday dinner standby is hot dogs!

It is so nice to know exactly what to make each week.  Maybe not the healthiest option, although we typically use nitrate/nitrite free chicken hot dogs from Trader Joe's which make them somewhat better for us. But it's quick and easy and works for our current season. Having hot dogs on the menu regularly means one less meal to think about!

We eat our hot dogs bunless in keeping with our lower grain diet and serve with pickles and some kind of vegetables or salad. Tonight we had sweet potato fries. They are so yummy and make us feel like we are eating junk food, but really they are quite good for us!

Sweet Potato Fries

I first had these at my friend Abbie's house and she graciously shared her simple method for making them. 

Sweet potatoes-1 medium size potato per person

Olive oil

Sea salt

Peel and thinly slice sweet potatoes. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Bake them at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes then flip them over and cook 8 to 10 minutes more or until slightly browned and crispy.  

The thin slices will cook faster.  Watch the pan and try to get them crispy but not burnt.  They will crisp up more once removed from pan too so don't overcook!

  

Do you have a favorite weekend meal?

Green Beans With Bacon And Mushrooms

I discovered this recipe for green beans a few years ago in Southern Living magazine. We love it and eat it often! Of course, green beans are one of our favorite vegetables!

Depending on what I have on hand, sometimes I make it without the bacon or mushrooms. But I always include the green beans! :-) It is especially good with both the bacon and mushrooms!

I'll share my adaptation of the recipe with you today.

Green Beans With Bacon and Mushrooms

1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen
3-4 slices bacon, nitrate and nitrite free if possible
About a cup of sliced mushrooms--I have used different varieties and all are good, although we especially like Baby Bellas.
1/4 cup diced onion
Salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp, reserving some of the bacon grease. Crumble cooked bacon.

Meanwhile, steam the green beans until crisp-tender.

Using reserved bacon grease, saute onions and mushrooms in skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When soft, add green beans and bacon, stirring to combine. Let cook together for a few minutes until everything is hot. Add salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

**Sometimes I'll cook the beans and bacon ahead of time and then add everything together right before serving. This works really well for a company meal!

Enjoy!