Menu Plan Monday

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I have been trying to plan a menu for the next week for several days.  We have a very busy week, and we are leaving for vacation on Saturday, so our meals need to be quick, easy and not have too many leftovers!

Monday:   Toasted turkey and cheese sandwiches on bakery rolls, chips, fresh veggies with light Ranch dressing

Tuesday:  Enchilada Pie (I will be adapting the recipe by using canned cooked chicken breast and cooking the casserole in the crock pot.  I hope this works!), Salad

Wednesday:  Healthy Cheddar and Bacon Quiche, salad, whole wheat mini bagels

Thursday:  Tex Mex Turkey Soup (adapted by using ground turkey), crackers/tortilla chips

Friday:  "Leftover Round-Up"

Saturday:  Vacation begins!

I do plan to do some cooking while we are on vacation.  Eating out is not my favorite thing to do...it is not healthy or economical, two things that are very important to me.  I will be taking my blender (for smoothies!), and I thought out loud about bringing my Crockpot.  The family members we are vacationing with looked at me like I was out of my mind, so I think I better leave my beloved crock at home. 

What is for dinner at your house this week?

My Favorite Personal Bible Studies

(Almost) Every morning, I have a "quiet time" with my Bible while I drink my coffee.  Growing up in church, I knew that this was something I "should" do.  Now it is something I want to do.  I began practicing this discipline about three years ago, and it has changed my life. 

But, the Bible can be daunting. 

Where do I start reading? 

What am I supposed to do?

What does it mean?

I found resources that have really helped me focus during my Bible time, and I have learned so much!

All of the studies below are suggestions based on my personal experience.

An awesome study for getting familiar with who the Bible says God is...

so basically, who God says He is.

An amazing resource for teaching you to look at each verse different ways, to help increase your understanding.

Hands down, the most life-changing time I have ever spent with God's Word was when I was doing this study.  I plan to do it again.  I think He can make it new :)

A quick daily lesson, but very reflective and challenging.  It made me take a hard look at some things in my life that were just too important.

I am currently finishing this one.  It is just so amazing.  I highly recommend it!

Can you tell that I love Kay Arthur Bible studies?  They are well-written, Biblically sound, and teach you Bible study skills that you will use for the rest of your life.

The time I have spent in private Bible study have been more formative to my faith than any church service I have attended.  Church is an important part of my life, but my church life is fueled by my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  I have found that what I know about Jesus, what I believe to be true, and what that means in my life are made very clear to me in personal Bible study time. 

I find structured Bible studies to be helpful, but you could just pick up a Bible, ask God for guidance, and go with it.

He has a way with His Word.

All images are courtesy of Amazon.com and all resources are available there.

Soooooo Thirsty!

This hot weather seems to be getting to everyone.

Nothing a tall glass of cold water can't fix!

I set my water glass on the landing of the stairs, walked away to get a book for Tiny Love, and Kitty Friend decided to help herself. 

It was a tight fit, so she decided to try the "hand-to-mouth" method instead.

I guess it is kind of a clean/hydrate combo. 

Once we were all done admiring how cute (and kinda gross) this was, I led Kitty Friend to her water bowl, where I poured her the rest of the water. 

She turned up her nose and walked away.

She thinks she is people. 

I don't know where she gets this idea :)

Thrifty Tips

If you are looking for a new hobby that will be both entertaining and lucrative while feeding your love of lists and control over a world of chaos, COUPONS are for you.

I love the couponing game.  

I love that I get to tell the Wal-Mart cashier what I want to pay for an item.

I love that I can beat "the Man" at this game.

Oh, and I love to be in control...of my grocery budget :)

While I am still a novice at the couponing thing, a friend of mine has taken me under her wing.  She has shared some awesome tips with me!

If you want more information on how to begin saving money with coupons, check out:

http://www.hip2save.com/

http://www.couponmom.com/

If you are a bibliophile (like me) and want to read up on it, I suggest:

(source)

I have been reading it, and it really is helpful!

So, here is my tip.  It is not earth-shaking or brilliant, but I am still excited.  I am easily amused, obviously. 

My family and I are leaving for vacation next week (I won't say where, but I will say tar balls), and I have been collecting provisions for a couple of months.  Using every coupon I could that didn't say "excludes travel size," I scoured the stores for mini everything.  I ended up with all of this:

Each of these items were either free or close enough. 

Score.

I capped that vacation spending faster than you can say "BP."

Thank God for Tiny Love

Tomorrow we take Tiny Love to the children's hospital for her "check up."  This is an event that takes place every two years, and it really is an all day event.  I dread it.  I brings so many memories flooding back to my mind and heart, things I would like to never have to think on again.

Maddie was diagnosed with Craniosynostosis when she was eleven months old.  I had no idea there was anything wrong with my little tiny baby, I just thought she was perfect.  A wonderful doctor who attended church with us happened to notice some abnormalities in her head shape and voiced her concerns.  I am thankful for that doctor every day. 

Looking back on her early pictures, I see now that her head shape did get worse as she got older, but I just hadn't ever heard of such a problem. 

We went to the children's hospital to see a Pediatric Plastic Surgeon.  That title made me feel guilty, before I knew what these wonderful doctors do.  They advised us that surgery was the only way to fix the problem and avoid a potentially serious situation later on.  I left that day shocked, scared, and shaken to the core.  We scheduled surgery, and I prayed and prayed and cried and called out to God on her behalf.  

And He heard me. 

Though immediately after surgery, she sure didn't look like it.

I was the most shaken I had ever been, or have ever been since.  I couldn't bear to look at her at first, and that made me feel guilty along with scared.  She battled blood loss, blood transfusions that just didn't end, and a collapsed lung.  But she was strong, and God was faithful. 

I clung to Him and tried to just keep going.

She took a step forward, she took a step back.  It felt like years, but actually it was only five days.  Yes, five days after surgery, Tiny Love went home.  She never acted like she was in pain, though her pupils showed the effects of the trauma to her head.  She never seemed to notice the wound on her head, though others looked terrified when they saw the massive amount of stitches used to close up her precious body.  She never cried in the night, though I did. 

Five days after coming home, we celebrated Christmas.

I thanked God for restoring her health and her smile, and He continued to heal her.  To communicate all the ways God used this dark time in our lives to strengthen us is beyond my power of communication. 

All I can say is, He is my Counselor, my Healer, my Good Shepherd. 

Heaven listens.

That I know for sure.

A Time for Everything

So, what have I been doing lately? 

1.  Taking care of a temporarily crippled dog.

2.  Visiting with Mom and Dad, who are home right now!

3.  Listening to this:

4.  Reading this:

5.  Cooking from this:

6.  Doing the usual laundry, dishes, etc. (ad nauseam).

We are now up to speed.  My life is so exciting.

One thing we have not been doing is homeschooling!  I guess this year our school is getting a summer vacation.  The girls have been having fun swimming, having play dates, and doing the summer reading program at our local library. 

I have been thinking about my little blog, and how much I have missed having a place to vent my thoughts, share my ideas, and generally chronicle our lives for the whole world to read (eeekkkk!), and I have come to some conclusions:

~ I am going to be more organized in the format of my blogging.  I need a list.  I just do.

Mondays:  Menu Plan Monday/recipes

Tuesday:  Simple Woman's Daybook

Wednesdays:  Random!   

Thursdays:  Homeschooling/Kids

Fridays:  Thrifty Fun

Saturday:  Random! 
Sunday:  Bible-related posts

Do you love how I actually schedule when to be random?  So?  Don't judge me. 

~ I like blogging because I miss writing.  My favorite part of college was all the papers I had to write.  I enjoyed it immensely, the way it made me think more critically, focus on one thing (being at home is a lesson in multi-tasking), and seeing the beautiful fruit of my labors (being a homemaker often feels like an exercise in futility).  I love what I do now, but this gives me a place to think, be, share, and learn.
And be random.
At the appointed time, anyway.

It's Alive...

my bloggy that is.

I FINALLY got a new computer (it is not, however, a mac...I just couldn't do it).

So, Monday I will take it in and get it all set up, and then I will be blogging my life away :)

I have a lot of things kicking around in my brain that I want to write about.  For those of you who love the "sound of my voice" (Mom), this is a positive developement.  For those of you who are more on the "show the pictures and shut it" side, not so much.  But, there will be pictures worth a thousand words as well as a thousand words. 

Let the good times roll.
Hope to see someone on Monday!