"Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 KJV
A week ago, my grandfather passed on to be in the arms of Jesus. He lived a long and full life, it was his time to return to the One Who gave him that life.
He was an amazing man, full of vitality and creativity. I am sure that my mom got her share from him! I remember him as a soft-spoken, gentle person who loved to laugh. He always had a hug for me and my sister. And when my parents got divorced, he was a source of strength for both my mom and sister (I was married by then, so my hubby was able to be my source of strength and Grandpa knew that). When I miscarried, he prayed for comfort. When our daughter, Miss Precious, was born a year later, he rejoiced with us in God's faithfulness. Family was everything to him.
This Friday I go to attend his funeral.
He will be missed. But we rejoice in the fact that he is with the One Who loves him infinitely.
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus."
I Thessalonians 4:13-14
FIVE IN THE POTTER'S HAND
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Empty
After sending the letter to my father, I find that I am VERY attached to my email in-box. I keep checking it every hour or so. And it stares back at me...empty. My spam box mocks me with its contents. For all intents and purposes, it stands empty as well.
My mailbox at the curb is empty as well.
Empty. It is the same feeling that is echoed by my heart.
I cannot help but wonder if he has received my letter but chose to crumple it up and throw it away. Much like he has done with our relationship.
Or did he read every word that poured from my heart? Could he have been waiting for this courier of redemption?
But all I hear right now is the silence and the hollow echo of my mailbox as I shut it.
And my heart stands empty, waiting for his response...
My mailbox at the curb is empty as well.
Empty. It is the same feeling that is echoed by my heart.
I cannot help but wonder if he has received my letter but chose to crumple it up and throw it away. Much like he has done with our relationship.
Or did he read every word that poured from my heart? Could he have been waiting for this courier of redemption?
But all I hear right now is the silence and the hollow echo of my mailbox as I shut it.
And my heart stands empty, waiting for his response...
Sunday, December 28, 2008
"You've Got Mail" ...I Hope
Well, after much deliberation on my part, and a LOT of prayer, I sent off my letter to my dad. In it I told him if he wanted to communicate, we could start via email.
I am pretty sure he would have received it by now. So every day, I check my email. Hoping that there is something from him. I even check my spam.
Still nothing.
A part of me must learn to accept the fact that he might not want a relationship with me. He might just want to keep living his life the way he has and forget the messy, complicated part of being a parent.
Or maybe he is just trying to find the right words to say...
Whatever the outcome, I know that God will sustain me and that even if my earthly father abandons me, my Heavenly Father never will.
This Wednesday, the 31st, is my dad's sixty-second birthday. I gave him the only gift I could. It didn't come with a bow or very prettily wrapped. In fact there were no strings attached.
Forgiveness. I gave my dad forgiveness.
Happy Birthday Dad.
I am pretty sure he would have received it by now. So every day, I check my email. Hoping that there is something from him. I even check my spam.
Still nothing.
A part of me must learn to accept the fact that he might not want a relationship with me. He might just want to keep living his life the way he has and forget the messy, complicated part of being a parent.
Or maybe he is just trying to find the right words to say...
Whatever the outcome, I know that God will sustain me and that even if my earthly father abandons me, my Heavenly Father never will.
This Wednesday, the 31st, is my dad's sixty-second birthday. I gave him the only gift I could. It didn't come with a bow or very prettily wrapped. In fact there were no strings attached.
Forgiveness. I gave my dad forgiveness.
Happy Birthday Dad.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Girly Grins and Giggles...
Her first Christmas, that she remembers :) Wouldn't this make the most adorable Christmas card photo?
I just cannot get enough of her grin!
Her first expression upon seeing snow...
Here she is posing coyly for the camera...she reminds me so much of my little sister!
She had discovered she could reach the chocolate shake remains that her brothers left on the table just within her reach...
There is something about her eyes that draws me in...I love her so...
When I first found out I was pregnant with our third and that she was to be a girl, I could not imagine what life would be like. Up until that point, my life had been all about little boys. But I am so thankful that God graced us with her! She brings spunk, spice and little bits of sugar into our life...calorie free too! :)
Can't Wait....
In the quiet hours before dawn broke crisply over my city, I was busy creating a present for my sister and her hubby.
I can't divulge many details, because she occasionally reads my blog.
I promise to post a picture when Christmas is over and she has received her gift.
But I really surprised myself...I have talents I didn't even know about!
Can't wait to share my first artistic masterpiece!
I can't divulge many details, because she occasionally reads my blog.
I promise to post a picture when Christmas is over and she has received her gift.
But I really surprised myself...I have talents I didn't even know about!
Can't wait to share my first artistic masterpiece!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
What Is Your In-Box?
I was watching a DVD called "Designed For Success" and the speaker mentioned something about in-boxes that I have never considered before. Are you ready for this great enlightenment?
An in-box isn't supposed to be empty.
If it is empty you are out of a job!
However, an in-box isn't supposed to be a mountainous pile of paper either...
But I started to ask myself "If I don't work in the corporate world, what is my in box?"
And I discovered what the homemaker's equivalent to the in box is....the laundry pile.
It is never, EVER finished.
But rather than grumble and complain about that, I am going to remember this...if it were empty, I would be out of a job...there would be no beloved family members creating dirty laundry.
How sad would that be!
So I am going to find purpose and joy, even in the piles of dirty laundry.
Excuse me while I go process some things in my "in-box"...
An in-box isn't supposed to be empty.
If it is empty you are out of a job!
However, an in-box isn't supposed to be a mountainous pile of paper either...
But I started to ask myself "If I don't work in the corporate world, what is my in box?"
And I discovered what the homemaker's equivalent to the in box is....the laundry pile.
It is never, EVER finished.
But rather than grumble and complain about that, I am going to remember this...if it were empty, I would be out of a job...there would be no beloved family members creating dirty laundry.
How sad would that be!
So I am going to find purpose and joy, even in the piles of dirty laundry.
Excuse me while I go process some things in my "in-box"...
Random Thoughts About Snow...
Today our city is blanketed in frozen snow. We will not be going anywhere.
The kids are anxious to get outside and make snowmen.
Did I mention it is only 24 degrees outside? And with the windchill factor, it brings it down to 11 degrees!
They will probably only stay out for fifteen minutes...or less...the wind is really blowing!
Yes, I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather.
My sister who lives in Alaska is probably laughing at me right now. They are supposed to get down to zero sometime this week.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Thank You Lord for a nice, functioning wood stove! I love the smell of woodsmoke. It is something so homey and comforting.
I am off to enjoy the snow day with my kids!
The kids are anxious to get outside and make snowmen.
Did I mention it is only 24 degrees outside? And with the windchill factor, it brings it down to 11 degrees!
They will probably only stay out for fifteen minutes...or less...the wind is really blowing!
Yes, I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather.
My sister who lives in Alaska is probably laughing at me right now. They are supposed to get down to zero sometime this week.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Thank You Lord for a nice, functioning wood stove! I love the smell of woodsmoke. It is something so homey and comforting.
I am off to enjoy the snow day with my kids!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dirty Laundry
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word."
Ephesians 5:25-26
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:1
As I wrote my father a letter, this revelation came. Isn't it funny how when you are in obedience to His will, He speaks? :)
The Word that is mentioned in Ephesians is Jesus. He washes us with Himself. The Bible is Jesus in print.
I am sure many of you have figured that one out long before I did, but it was like my eyes were opened and I saw my Bible for the very first time.
The Word of God is Jesus.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."
John 1:14
Submersion in Him makes me clean. You can only be submerged if you choose to stay under. I have to make a conscious decision to stay in the Word. And it says "washing" which means that it is done more than once. As all of us know who are in charge of the laundry...washing is a continual thing that has to be done. We do not stay clean. Our clothes tend toward entropy. And just as our wardrobes do, so also do our souls.
We get dirty daily. Our lives are contaminated by the filth of our sin nature. But we don't have to leave the dirty laundry on the floor to mildew and putrify. We can take ourselves to the WORD and be cleansed.
Thank You Lord for the Word!
It is only in the Word, Jesus, that we are sanctified and made holy. We are washed and reclothed in His righteousness.
Praise the Lord for that!
Ephesians 5:25-26
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:1
As I wrote my father a letter, this revelation came. Isn't it funny how when you are in obedience to His will, He speaks? :)
The Word that is mentioned in Ephesians is Jesus. He washes us with Himself. The Bible is Jesus in print.
I am sure many of you have figured that one out long before I did, but it was like my eyes were opened and I saw my Bible for the very first time.
The Word of God is Jesus.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."
John 1:14
Submersion in Him makes me clean. You can only be submerged if you choose to stay under. I have to make a conscious decision to stay in the Word. And it says "washing" which means that it is done more than once. As all of us know who are in charge of the laundry...washing is a continual thing that has to be done. We do not stay clean. Our clothes tend toward entropy. And just as our wardrobes do, so also do our souls.
We get dirty daily. Our lives are contaminated by the filth of our sin nature. But we don't have to leave the dirty laundry on the floor to mildew and putrify. We can take ourselves to the WORD and be cleansed.
Thank You Lord for the Word!
It is only in the Word, Jesus, that we are sanctified and made holy. We are washed and reclothed in His righteousness.
Praise the Lord for that!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Teeter-Totter...
Recently I have been thinking about my estranged father, a lot. I have even dreamed about him once or twice. We haven't spoken in over three years.
He knows nothing about Miss Precious.
The whole thing is just too complicated to explain in one post. And far too lengthy to constrain to a couple of posts. So I will give you the brief version.
My father and mother got divorced when I was 25....I think. I can't remember that well.
His lifestyle was not one that I wanted to be displayed near my impressionable young boys (ages 3 and 1 at that point). So after trying to make our relationship work, and finding out it was rather one-sided, I decided to cut him loose.
Cutting someone out of your life isn't as easy as it sounds. With the severing comes the tearing of the soft parts in your heart. The fragile tissues of your soul that still hold onto hope of a better relationship. Those emotions don't relinquish their hold on your heart. Only by the flood of many scalding and anguished tears are those heartstrings weakened.
Eventually, I went many days, then months, then years without him coming to mind. After careful practice of pushing him aside, out of memory, I realized he had ceased to exist in my world.
Until now.
I don't know if it is just the familial atmosphere of Christmastime or just fond memories come to haunt the holidays, but for some reason, I have been contemplating contacting him.
I tried looking him up in the Yellow Pages. No listing. I even tried a person search. I found out that he was still living in the same city as before.
Here is where the complications arise. I am in the Yellow Pages too. He could find me if he really wanted to. He could call me. So why doesn't he?
All growing up I had to be the adult between us. I am tired of being the adult in my relationship with my father. I want to be the little girl who crawls up into his lap for a welcoming hug.
How I yearn for that hug.
And so I go back and forth between desperately longing to have him be part of my life, and stubbornly trying to close the door on that part of my life.
I am scared to open the door. Who is on the other side?
And of course, because I am a Christian, the issue of forgiveness arises.
Can you forgive someone and still not have them be a part of your life? Can you bring closure to the situation without talking to them?
Have I forgiven him already, but because I don't feel it, do I just continue to torture myself?
I don't hate him. I feel really nothing for him at all. Numbness born of many disappointments.
And how do I reintroduce him to my kids if I decide to let him be a part of our lives again? My oldest still remembers him at times. Oh, I have prayed that he would forget the man that didn't wish to be father or grandfather. But children love so easily and wholeheartedly. Which is why they have parents to protect them.
I am so conflicted!
I know who my father was. But what if he has changed? Does he get a second chance?
What if he hasn't changed? Can I deal with that all over again?
If it only affected me, I might have contacted him sooner. But because it includes my husband and children, I am reluctant to reconcile.
You may think that I bear bitterness and hatred toward him. I don't. There is much sadness wrapped up in my relationship with my father, but no bitterness. He was bitter, but I refused to allow that to contaminate my life. He pushed me away, not the other way around.
Please don't judge my actions. Only God can do that with accuracy.
So I go back and forth, on a teeter-totter of indecision.
He knows nothing about Miss Precious.
The whole thing is just too complicated to explain in one post. And far too lengthy to constrain to a couple of posts. So I will give you the brief version.
My father and mother got divorced when I was 25....I think. I can't remember that well.
His lifestyle was not one that I wanted to be displayed near my impressionable young boys (ages 3 and 1 at that point). So after trying to make our relationship work, and finding out it was rather one-sided, I decided to cut him loose.
Cutting someone out of your life isn't as easy as it sounds. With the severing comes the tearing of the soft parts in your heart. The fragile tissues of your soul that still hold onto hope of a better relationship. Those emotions don't relinquish their hold on your heart. Only by the flood of many scalding and anguished tears are those heartstrings weakened.
Eventually, I went many days, then months, then years without him coming to mind. After careful practice of pushing him aside, out of memory, I realized he had ceased to exist in my world.
Until now.
I don't know if it is just the familial atmosphere of Christmastime or just fond memories come to haunt the holidays, but for some reason, I have been contemplating contacting him.
I tried looking him up in the Yellow Pages. No listing. I even tried a person search. I found out that he was still living in the same city as before.
Here is where the complications arise. I am in the Yellow Pages too. He could find me if he really wanted to. He could call me. So why doesn't he?
All growing up I had to be the adult between us. I am tired of being the adult in my relationship with my father. I want to be the little girl who crawls up into his lap for a welcoming hug.
How I yearn for that hug.
And so I go back and forth between desperately longing to have him be part of my life, and stubbornly trying to close the door on that part of my life.
I am scared to open the door. Who is on the other side?
And of course, because I am a Christian, the issue of forgiveness arises.
Can you forgive someone and still not have them be a part of your life? Can you bring closure to the situation without talking to them?
Have I forgiven him already, but because I don't feel it, do I just continue to torture myself?
I don't hate him. I feel really nothing for him at all. Numbness born of many disappointments.
And how do I reintroduce him to my kids if I decide to let him be a part of our lives again? My oldest still remembers him at times. Oh, I have prayed that he would forget the man that didn't wish to be father or grandfather. But children love so easily and wholeheartedly. Which is why they have parents to protect them.
I am so conflicted!
I know who my father was. But what if he has changed? Does he get a second chance?
What if he hasn't changed? Can I deal with that all over again?
If it only affected me, I might have contacted him sooner. But because it includes my husband and children, I am reluctant to reconcile.
You may think that I bear bitterness and hatred toward him. I don't. There is much sadness wrapped up in my relationship with my father, but no bitterness. He was bitter, but I refused to allow that to contaminate my life. He pushed me away, not the other way around.
Please don't judge my actions. Only God can do that with accuracy.
So I go back and forth, on a teeter-totter of indecision.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!
Just for the record, can I say that Christmas is my all-time, hands-down, no-holds-barred, absolutely FAVORITE season of the whole year?
The whole world just seems to light up a little bit more...
And so does my house!
The "Joy" and "Peace" ornaments I got at Dollar Tree...this year Dollar Tree has AMAZING Christmas stuff! I went slightly berserk...
We get our tree this weekend...yay!
What is Christmas looking like at your house?
The War of Words....
Mr. Q and I played our very first game of Scrabble together.
Honestly, I didn't think he would be interested in playing at all. You see, I thought Scrabble was for people who like to read and who enjoy vocabulary words...my husband didn't really fit into that stereotype.
But he surprised me with words like "redness" (he whooped me with that one...THIRTY-FOUR points on a single word!!!).
I am so proud of him.
Although, I do recall having a twenty-six point word...something like "xenon"....
The war ended peaceably. One side did triumph over the other, but we really both won in the long run :)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
One Of These Is Not Like The Other....
Other than the adorable cutie I am posing with, what is the difference?
Before:
After:
(Okay, I have no idea what is up with the smirky grin on my face...you get a little silly when you attempt to take pictures of yourself, by yourself!)
I got new glasses! And I only paid $138.69 for them at Costco! What a bargain! Plus, they still have their polish dog meal deals for $1.50...just like I remember :)
Before:
After:
(Okay, I have no idea what is up with the smirky grin on my face...you get a little silly when you attempt to take pictures of yourself, by yourself!)
I got new glasses! And I only paid $138.69 for them at Costco! What a bargain! Plus, they still have their polish dog meal deals for $1.50...just like I remember :)
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Falling Off The Chuck Wagon...
Yes, I stuck with meal planning for six days and then totally lost track of where I was and what I should have been doing. Sigh. I am not giving up on meal planning, but I do think I will only plan one week at a time. Maybe I can break my own record and stick with meal planning for seven days!
This month all around was frustrating for me with regards to our grocery budget. Because everyone got so sick, especially Miss Precious, we spent a lot more on groceries. I know that even the best laid plans go awry and you just have to pick yourself back up and dust yourself off. But it is still so irritating! The holiday food didn't help our budget any either....I went a little berserk at Winco.
On the bright side, we have a lovely 15 lb turkey waiting for Christmas in our freezer and it only cost us $3.33 :)
December is another month, another chance to reach my goal.
I will post our final grocery totals as soon as I tally up the receipts.
It's not going to be pretty.
This month all around was frustrating for me with regards to our grocery budget. Because everyone got so sick, especially Miss Precious, we spent a lot more on groceries. I know that even the best laid plans go awry and you just have to pick yourself back up and dust yourself off. But it is still so irritating! The holiday food didn't help our budget any either....I went a little berserk at Winco.
On the bright side, we have a lovely 15 lb turkey waiting for Christmas in our freezer and it only cost us $3.33 :)
December is another month, another chance to reach my goal.
I will post our final grocery totals as soon as I tally up the receipts.
It's not going to be pretty.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Giving Thanks...
Today I am thankful for:
My place in the family of God.
El Shaddai/ Jehovah-Jireh Who meets all of our needs.
My health.
My beloved family both here in the States and abroad.
My husband who has unending patience with me.
My precious children, who bring us so much joy!
Our beautiful home.
Our quiet neighborhood.
Our friendly neighbors.
Our AWESOME church and church family.
Our faithful friends.
Two vehicles that work great!
My husband's job.
Being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom :)
Living in a free country where I can worship God in the open.
Prayer.
Praise and worship music.
Beautifully crisp, sunny days.
A loving marriage between me and Mr. Q.
Sons that have given their hearts to Christ!
Love unending from my Father above.
The atonement Jesus bought with His blood for me.
Oh, there are so many more things to be thankful for, but I haven't time to list them all!
May you have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving as you reflect on His goodness!
My place in the family of God.
El Shaddai/ Jehovah-Jireh Who meets all of our needs.
My health.
My beloved family both here in the States and abroad.
My husband who has unending patience with me.
My precious children, who bring us so much joy!
Our beautiful home.
Our quiet neighborhood.
Our friendly neighbors.
Our AWESOME church and church family.
Our faithful friends.
Two vehicles that work great!
My husband's job.
Being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom :)
Living in a free country where I can worship God in the open.
Prayer.
Praise and worship music.
Beautifully crisp, sunny days.
A loving marriage between me and Mr. Q.
Sons that have given their hearts to Christ!
Love unending from my Father above.
The atonement Jesus bought with His blood for me.
Oh, there are so many more things to be thankful for, but I haven't time to list them all!
May you have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving as you reflect on His goodness!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Not Forgotten...
We have a neighbor behind us, who is a paraplegic, and he ended up in the hospital. He was in ICU for a week and now he is recuperating in a rehabilitation center.
He was in ICU for a week and no one knew.
He kept to himself. The only time he ventured out was to buy groceries. We met him through the fence in our backyard. Our boys were noisily playing as he barbecued some steak. They are naturally very curious about people around them and so they wasted no time in befriending him. He reciprocated with sugar-free popsicles whenever he saw them outside playing.
His story is full of pain. He was in the military in Vietnam (or Korea?) when they used Agent Orange to destroy the foliage in the jungles. As he inhaled the air surrounding him, the toxic vapors seeped into his nervous system and destroyed the nerves that control the lower half of his body. He is in constant pain, and alone.
This past summer he didn't barbecue in his backyard at all. We noticed, but we got too busy and would forget to check up on him.
Then last Friday, we received a call from him. He was in a local physical rehabilitation center and wondered if we could just look after his house while he recuperated.
We were so convicted. Especially me, because he had been on my heart for the past two weeks.
We have been praying for ways to touch our neighbors' lives. Believing for opportunities to saturate them with God's love. So we jumped at this opportunity.
We went to visit him at the rehab center. We brought him some things from his home that he requested, and we also brought "The Chronicles of Narnia" as well as some fruit in a pretty blue bowl.
As we walked down the hallway to his room, I noticed there was no laughter that came from the rooms. Only the hollow echoes of the television sitcoms punctuated the silence. No one smiled. This was a place full of people that were dying in one stage or another. Laughter and joy had long since been replaced by moans of pain and suffocating loneliness.
It was overwhelming sorrow that pervaded that building.
We sat and visited with our neighbor for a while. Making small talk as we tried to get to know each other better. His eyes are so full of pain and emptiness. I can only imagine how much he longs to be loved and belong.
Those same eyes of longing followed our footsteps as we left. Those silent stares of yearning appeared in every doorway as we passed. A hint of a smile from one lady as our children smiled at her.
We drove home in silence.
My husband and I finally spoke when we arrived home. He is burdened with a desire to do something, so am I. We are still praying about exactly what we are supposed to do. But those faces we saw have been indelibly marked on our hearts.
We wondered aloud, how many of those residents have no one to visit them? How many have grandchildren they never see? How many have no that cares whether they live or die? How many simply exist but never really live?
How many wonder if God has forgotten about them too, just as society has?
Matthew 25:36
"I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."
Sometimes prison doesn't have bars on the doors...
He was in ICU for a week and no one knew.
He kept to himself. The only time he ventured out was to buy groceries. We met him through the fence in our backyard. Our boys were noisily playing as he barbecued some steak. They are naturally very curious about people around them and so they wasted no time in befriending him. He reciprocated with sugar-free popsicles whenever he saw them outside playing.
His story is full of pain. He was in the military in Vietnam (or Korea?) when they used Agent Orange to destroy the foliage in the jungles. As he inhaled the air surrounding him, the toxic vapors seeped into his nervous system and destroyed the nerves that control the lower half of his body. He is in constant pain, and alone.
This past summer he didn't barbecue in his backyard at all. We noticed, but we got too busy and would forget to check up on him.
Then last Friday, we received a call from him. He was in a local physical rehabilitation center and wondered if we could just look after his house while he recuperated.
We were so convicted. Especially me, because he had been on my heart for the past two weeks.
We have been praying for ways to touch our neighbors' lives. Believing for opportunities to saturate them with God's love. So we jumped at this opportunity.
We went to visit him at the rehab center. We brought him some things from his home that he requested, and we also brought "The Chronicles of Narnia" as well as some fruit in a pretty blue bowl.
As we walked down the hallway to his room, I noticed there was no laughter that came from the rooms. Only the hollow echoes of the television sitcoms punctuated the silence. No one smiled. This was a place full of people that were dying in one stage or another. Laughter and joy had long since been replaced by moans of pain and suffocating loneliness.
It was overwhelming sorrow that pervaded that building.
We sat and visited with our neighbor for a while. Making small talk as we tried to get to know each other better. His eyes are so full of pain and emptiness. I can only imagine how much he longs to be loved and belong.
Those same eyes of longing followed our footsteps as we left. Those silent stares of yearning appeared in every doorway as we passed. A hint of a smile from one lady as our children smiled at her.
We drove home in silence.
My husband and I finally spoke when we arrived home. He is burdened with a desire to do something, so am I. We are still praying about exactly what we are supposed to do. But those faces we saw have been indelibly marked on our hearts.
We wondered aloud, how many of those residents have no one to visit them? How many have grandchildren they never see? How many have no that cares whether they live or die? How many simply exist but never really live?
How many wonder if God has forgotten about them too, just as society has?
Matthew 25:36
"I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."
Sometimes prison doesn't have bars on the doors...
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Don't Pay Too Much For Your Poultry...
WINCO has an awesome deal going....if you spend $50 (excluding the turkey) you get a Norbest frozen turkey for $0.22 a pound! I got a 15 lb turkey for about $4 :)
Thanks to my mother and my neighbor for alerting me to this FABULOUSLY FRUGAL deal!
Thanks to my mother and my neighbor for alerting me to this FABULOUSLY FRUGAL deal!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Joy of Reading...
Miss Precious sits comfortably on her brothers' bed and holds a book between her pudgy little hands. Her big brothers enthusiastically encourage her to read to them.
She turns the page and babbles along happily...
Occasionally one of the boys takes over the "reading" of the story.
It makes my heart smile :)
She turns the page and babbles along happily...
Occasionally one of the boys takes over the "reading" of the story.
It makes my heart smile :)
How Did The Meal Plan Go: Day Six
Day 6::
Breakfast: Cold cereal. I think I forgot to eat breakfast. I was awoken rather early by a terrified Mr. Dramatic.
"There's a bee in the living room!" He was stung by a wasp a few months back, so his fear is quite understandable.
"Honey are you sure it's a bee?" Often flying insects get slapped with the all inclusive: "It's a bee!!!!"
"Yes! It is black and yellow."
Oh joy, a yellow jacket in my living room.
My adrenaline starts to flow...can't decide at this point if it is the fight or flight mechanism kicking in. Briefly I consider the idea of waiting for my husband to get home in a mere six hours. But then I come back to reality. I am the mother. Their protector. I am the Bug Killer by default when Mr. Q is not home, and wasps are included in my job description.
I tell the boys to take care of their sister, say a prayer, ask my son exactly where it was when he last saw it, mentally say another prayer "Lord, please let it not be flying around like crazy!" and courageously step outside of the safety of my bedroom door.
Bleary-eyed, and squinting through glasses that have a four year old prescription in them, I locate the offender where my son had directed me. It was on the floor laying on its side.
Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! It's dead! Mr. Dramatic had told me it was alive and moving. Oh, wait a minute....nope, it's not dead! Eeek! Acckk!
Regain my lost bug killing composure and review my choices for weapons.
Library book? Nah, bug guts on public property not a good idea.
Rolled up newspaper? Nope, doesn't have enough accuracy. There is no room for error when dealing with wasps.
Finally, I settle on my husband's flip-flop. Big enough surface area for maximum annihilation assurance, long enough that if I miss I have a chance at a getaway.
Screw up the courage that seems to be draining from my body fast in vast amounts of perspiration.
One foot slowly moves forward. Stealth is everything. The other foot. I am now approximately six inches from the now more lively wasp.
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
WHACK! Sorry, one more for good measure.
Clean up bug guts and any possible stinger left on carpet. Exclaim joyfully and jitteryishly to your kids that it is dead.
Throw remains in the woodstove just in case...
Lunch:
Hubby ate out again (I know, I slacked.), kids and I had hotdogs with cheese.
Dinner:
Ranch chicken over leftover spaghetti. I think we are all a little tired of spaghetti now. The chicken was marinated in ranch sauce prior to baking in oven. It had a nice kick to it. The boys didn't want any chicken so they had noodles with butter and parmesan cheese.
***Edited: Okay, I CANNOT believe that none of you caught my horrible grammatical faux-paux! Maybe you all are just too sweet to correct me. What I meant to say is " I was awakened rather early.." Apparently I was still half asleep when I wrote and proofread my post....LOL!
Breakfast: Cold cereal. I think I forgot to eat breakfast. I was awoken rather early by a terrified Mr. Dramatic.
"There's a bee in the living room!" He was stung by a wasp a few months back, so his fear is quite understandable.
"Honey are you sure it's a bee?" Often flying insects get slapped with the all inclusive: "It's a bee!!!!"
"Yes! It is black and yellow."
Oh joy, a yellow jacket in my living room.
My adrenaline starts to flow...can't decide at this point if it is the fight or flight mechanism kicking in. Briefly I consider the idea of waiting for my husband to get home in a mere six hours. But then I come back to reality. I am the mother. Their protector. I am the Bug Killer by default when Mr. Q is not home, and wasps are included in my job description.
I tell the boys to take care of their sister, say a prayer, ask my son exactly where it was when he last saw it, mentally say another prayer "Lord, please let it not be flying around like crazy!" and courageously step outside of the safety of my bedroom door.
Bleary-eyed, and squinting through glasses that have a four year old prescription in them, I locate the offender where my son had directed me. It was on the floor laying on its side.
Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! It's dead! Mr. Dramatic had told me it was alive and moving. Oh, wait a minute....nope, it's not dead! Eeek! Acckk!
Regain my lost bug killing composure and review my choices for weapons.
Library book? Nah, bug guts on public property not a good idea.
Rolled up newspaper? Nope, doesn't have enough accuracy. There is no room for error when dealing with wasps.
Finally, I settle on my husband's flip-flop. Big enough surface area for maximum annihilation assurance, long enough that if I miss I have a chance at a getaway.
Screw up the courage that seems to be draining from my body fast in vast amounts of perspiration.
One foot slowly moves forward. Stealth is everything. The other foot. I am now approximately six inches from the now more lively wasp.
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
WHACK! Sorry, one more for good measure.
Clean up bug guts and any possible stinger left on carpet. Exclaim joyfully and jitteryishly to your kids that it is dead.
Throw remains in the woodstove just in case...
Lunch:
Hubby ate out again (I know, I slacked.), kids and I had hotdogs with cheese.
Dinner:
Ranch chicken over leftover spaghetti. I think we are all a little tired of spaghetti now. The chicken was marinated in ranch sauce prior to baking in oven. It had a nice kick to it. The boys didn't want any chicken so they had noodles with butter and parmesan cheese.
***Edited: Okay, I CANNOT believe that none of you caught my horrible grammatical faux-paux! Maybe you all are just too sweet to correct me. What I meant to say is " I was awakened rather early.." Apparently I was still half asleep when I wrote and proofread my post....LOL!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
How Did The Meal Plan Go: Day Five
Day 5::
Breakfast: Hubby had oatmeal and the kids and I had cold cereal.
Lunch: Mr Q went out to eat for lunch. The kids ate wontons (filled with creme cheese) and apple slices. I had a ranch chicken flatbread sandwich. (Okay, I know I didn't stick to the lunch meal plan. Our neighbor brought over a bag of frozen goods that didn't fit in her freezer. It was from Schwann's! So I took advantage because I am eager to try out the stuff (read: too tired and lazy to cook lunch)!)
Dinner: Potato skins! Yummy! We all like these, but I think I will do them with red potatoes next time. We are red potatoe fanatics! The kids thought they were giant potato chips:)
Breakfast: Hubby had oatmeal and the kids and I had cold cereal.
Lunch: Mr Q went out to eat for lunch. The kids ate wontons (filled with creme cheese) and apple slices. I had a ranch chicken flatbread sandwich. (Okay, I know I didn't stick to the lunch meal plan. Our neighbor brought over a bag of frozen goods that didn't fit in her freezer. It was from Schwann's! So I took advantage because I am eager to try out the stuff (read: too tired and lazy to cook lunch)!)
Dinner: Potato skins! Yummy! We all like these, but I think I will do them with red potatoes next time. We are red potatoe fanatics! The kids thought they were giant potato chips:)
How Did The Meal Plan Go: Day Four
Day 4::
Okay, so to be completely honest, I cannot remember what we ate. I know it wasn't what was on the meal plan...lol. Since Sunday I have been in a bit of daze. I am trying to get my mind back to the tasks at hand. But it is hard to return to business as usual when God reaches down and touches your life in such a miraculous way.
Since then, I have talked to several friends and they have all told me the same thing: "Normally, I don't carry cash on me. But it just so happened that day that I had some in my wallet/ purse."
More than half of it was cash. Our congregation size that day was probably about two hundred or less.
He makes something out of nothing! He moves the hearts of His people with compassion.
He is so good!
Okay, so to be completely honest, I cannot remember what we ate. I know it wasn't what was on the meal plan...lol. Since Sunday I have been in a bit of daze. I am trying to get my mind back to the tasks at hand. But it is hard to return to business as usual when God reaches down and touches your life in such a miraculous way.
Since then, I have talked to several friends and they have all told me the same thing: "Normally, I don't carry cash on me. But it just so happened that day that I had some in my wallet/ purse."
More than half of it was cash. Our congregation size that day was probably about two hundred or less.
He makes something out of nothing! He moves the hearts of His people with compassion.
He is so good!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Twenty Minutes of Grace...
Sunday was a life-altering day for our family.
It was my second service back at church since my baby girl got so sick. I was so thankful to be able to attend the service again and worship God with my church family! Nothing could have prepared my heart for what happened though.
Pastor was teaching on faith. Specifically, if you say you have faith, put feet to it and do something! He was also teaching on being confident that God will do what He has said He will do in His Word. Every time. Without fail. I can't speak for my husband, but I started to rethink what I thought about Who He is and what He says He will do. Of course, the ER bills were on my mind too. But I knew some how He would meet that need.
Then Pastor started talking about a couple in the church (he didn't name names at this point) who had gone through some really rough times financially. He said that God told him to give to them and he held up a check, then he called up his wife and she also had money in her hand. In the next minute to my utter shock and disbelief he said "Mr and Mrs. Q will you please come up here?"
WHAT???? Did he really just say our names?!?!
But oh yes, the Pastors did call us up front. As my feet propel me forward, I am thinking "Praise God, that money will go to pay for some of the medical bills! Thank You Lord You are so faithful!"
Here is where it gets really good...
Then the Pastors invited others to add to that amount to pay for the hospital bills. (We don't have insurance because we cannot afford it on one income.)
At that point I honestly don't remember much of what was happening. I was too overwhelmed to process what was going on. I just stood there next to my Pastors crying my eyes out!
In absolute amazement I watched as a huge, long line (made up of every single one of those people in the sanctuary) began to form and stretch around the perimeter of the sanctuary! People dropped money and checks into an offering bucket FOR US. In gratitude all I could do was hug each one and cry. My husband stood there holding the bucket in shock!
People we didn't even know came forward to give.
It took twenty minutes for people to finish giving to us. In twenty minutes God met above and beyond the need. In twenty minutes we were shown just how much He cares and how much our church family loves us. In twenty minutes we were so humbled and in awe of the overflowing generosity and outpouring of love.
Every person who stood in that line was smiling. No one looked on us with pity. Oh no, it was compassion I saw in their eyes. The same compassion I imagine that those who were touched by Jesus saw when He looked at them.
We love you. It was echoed with every hug, every dollar that was placed in that bucket.
We have never been that profoundly touched. We were impacted for life by twenty minutes of His lavish blessing. Twenty minutes of His miraculous provision. Twenty minutes of being drenched in His love. Twenty minutes of tangible, irrefutable, undeniable grace.
"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 4:16
Oh, and the result? All the ER bills, as well as labs and physicians, were paid in full with some left over! Is He not amazing?
God's boundless grace and lavish love, it works for me!
It was my second service back at church since my baby girl got so sick. I was so thankful to be able to attend the service again and worship God with my church family! Nothing could have prepared my heart for what happened though.
Pastor was teaching on faith. Specifically, if you say you have faith, put feet to it and do something! He was also teaching on being confident that God will do what He has said He will do in His Word. Every time. Without fail. I can't speak for my husband, but I started to rethink what I thought about Who He is and what He says He will do. Of course, the ER bills were on my mind too. But I knew some how He would meet that need.
Then Pastor started talking about a couple in the church (he didn't name names at this point) who had gone through some really rough times financially. He said that God told him to give to them and he held up a check, then he called up his wife and she also had money in her hand. In the next minute to my utter shock and disbelief he said "Mr and Mrs. Q will you please come up here?"
WHAT???? Did he really just say our names?!?!
But oh yes, the Pastors did call us up front. As my feet propel me forward, I am thinking "Praise God, that money will go to pay for some of the medical bills! Thank You Lord You are so faithful!"
Here is where it gets really good...
Then the Pastors invited others to add to that amount to pay for the hospital bills. (We don't have insurance because we cannot afford it on one income.)
At that point I honestly don't remember much of what was happening. I was too overwhelmed to process what was going on. I just stood there next to my Pastors crying my eyes out!
In absolute amazement I watched as a huge, long line (made up of every single one of those people in the sanctuary) began to form and stretch around the perimeter of the sanctuary! People dropped money and checks into an offering bucket FOR US. In gratitude all I could do was hug each one and cry. My husband stood there holding the bucket in shock!
People we didn't even know came forward to give.
It took twenty minutes for people to finish giving to us. In twenty minutes God met above and beyond the need. In twenty minutes we were shown just how much He cares and how much our church family loves us. In twenty minutes we were so humbled and in awe of the overflowing generosity and outpouring of love.
Every person who stood in that line was smiling. No one looked on us with pity. Oh no, it was compassion I saw in their eyes. The same compassion I imagine that those who were touched by Jesus saw when He looked at them.
We love you. It was echoed with every hug, every dollar that was placed in that bucket.
We have never been that profoundly touched. We were impacted for life by twenty minutes of His lavish blessing. Twenty minutes of His miraculous provision. Twenty minutes of being drenched in His love. Twenty minutes of tangible, irrefutable, undeniable grace.
"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 4:16
Oh, and the result? All the ER bills, as well as labs and physicians, were paid in full with some left over! Is He not amazing?
God's boundless grace and lavish love, it works for me!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
How Did The Meal Plan Go: Day Three
Day 3::
Breakfast: Mr. Q made scrambled eggs for the kids and himself, I slept in.
Lunch: Kids had PB&J as well as a vanilla peanut butter pudding shake. (My simple solution for running out of bananas!) Hubby went to a memorial service and skipped lunch. I had a sandwich and a shake :)
Dinner: Another memorial service but this time at church. There was lots of yummy food there. Came home and finished it off with Cranberry Apple Cobbler.
Got some more FREE french bread from Albertsons, so I will be making spaghetti tomorrow. (Why else is there a reason to make spaghetti but as an excuse to have garlic bread?) My noodles are already cooked so I just have to whip up the sauce. It will be a nice filling, easy Sunday lunch!
Breakfast: Mr. Q made scrambled eggs for the kids and himself, I slept in.
Lunch: Kids had PB&J as well as a vanilla peanut butter pudding shake. (My simple solution for running out of bananas!) Hubby went to a memorial service and skipped lunch. I had a sandwich and a shake :)
Dinner: Another memorial service but this time at church. There was lots of yummy food there. Came home and finished it off with Cranberry Apple Cobbler.
Got some more FREE french bread from Albertsons, so I will be making spaghetti tomorrow. (Why else is there a reason to make spaghetti but as an excuse to have garlic bread?) My noodles are already cooked so I just have to whip up the sauce. It will be a nice filling, easy Sunday lunch!
Friday, November 14, 2008
How Did The Meal Plan Go: Day Two
Day 2::
Breakfast: I made pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes with the leftover pumpkin filling I had from the can. It was a 29-oz can so I still have more leftover! I think I might make some pumpkin muffins...
Lunch: My husband had leftovers consisting of a piece of chuck roast with au jus gravy. I put some french bread in there so he could dip that in it...yum! And for a nice little dessert I made Cranberry Apple Cobbler...he gobbled up the taste test last night...lol!
The kids had leftover pumpkin pancakes because I fell asleep with Miss Precious for a nap! I had been up since 5:45 so I needed it!
Dinner: Sunset Pumpkin Soup was a hit! I made garlic bread to go with it. What a great way to get some really good vegetable down the kiddos (and myself!) :)
As I have been following the meal plan, I find that I am a lot less stressed around dinner time. I just take a peek in the morning to see what we're having for the day and what I might need to prepare ahead of time for the next day. In fact, last night I made the Sunset Pumpkin Soup just because I felt like cooking! (I rarely feel like cooking for the pleasure of it...I usually do it because I don't want my family to starve...lol!) So, this meal planning might just turn me into Suzie Q Homemaker..or just regular Mrs Q Homemaker! :)
Breakfast: I made pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes with the leftover pumpkin filling I had from the can. It was a 29-oz can so I still have more leftover! I think I might make some pumpkin muffins...
Lunch: My husband had leftovers consisting of a piece of chuck roast with au jus gravy. I put some french bread in there so he could dip that in it...yum! And for a nice little dessert I made Cranberry Apple Cobbler...he gobbled up the taste test last night...lol!
The kids had leftover pumpkin pancakes because I fell asleep with Miss Precious for a nap! I had been up since 5:45 so I needed it!
Dinner: Sunset Pumpkin Soup was a hit! I made garlic bread to go with it. What a great way to get some really good vegetable down the kiddos (and myself!) :)
As I have been following the meal plan, I find that I am a lot less stressed around dinner time. I just take a peek in the morning to see what we're having for the day and what I might need to prepare ahead of time for the next day. In fact, last night I made the Sunset Pumpkin Soup just because I felt like cooking! (I rarely feel like cooking for the pleasure of it...I usually do it because I don't want my family to starve...lol!) So, this meal planning might just turn me into Suzie Q Homemaker..or just regular Mrs Q Homemaker! :)
Sunset Pumpkin Soup
(Please excuse the awful lighting and poor photography)
This soup is like eating autumn in a bowl!
It was my first try at this recipe. And it was sooooo delicious! I don't even like pumpkin in anything but pumpkin pie, and I slurped this up! My husband raved about it and my daughter sucked it down eagerly.
The best part is...it is so easy to prepare!
Recipe adapted from Recipezaar
Ingredients:
1 c. chopped onion (I substituted onion powder because the texture of onions grosses me out! I believe I put in probably a tablespoon by the end of it all. Sorry no exact measurement for this one)
1/4 c. margarine or butter
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. paprika
3 c. chicken stock (you can also use vegetable)
1 can pumpkin (14-oz)--(or in my case I had a 29-oz can so I just used half)
If you are using real onions rather than onion powder, start off by sauteing the onions in the butter. Then mix in the flour, salt, pepper, ginger, paprika and garlic. Add a cup of the chicken stock and mix all until smooth texture. Boil until it thickens. Stir in the last two cups of chicken stock and add pumpkin small bits at time. Whisk or stir it until it is smooth and creamy in texture. Let it cook a little longer until it thickens up.
Serve immediately with french bread. Enjoy! Serves approximately four to six.
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You will have leftovers because it is so filling! Freeze the soup that doesn't get eaten so you can enjoy it another day :)
Don't forget to check out the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap for other yummy ideas!
Cranberry Apple Cobbler
I found this recipe on the Bisquick website. It is so delicious and so simple!
Ingredients:
1/3 c. butter or margarine
2 1/2 c. Bisquick mix
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. milk
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 c. chunky applesauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In DEEP (ask me how I found this out...lol) baking pan melt butter in the oven. In a bowl mix the Bisquick, sugar and milk until it becomes a smooth batter. Pour the batter evenly over the butter in the pan. In another bowl, mix the cranberry sauce and applesauce and spoon mixture evenly over the batter. Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden brown on top.
When I first read the recipe, I was thinking why put the batter in first? Doesn't batter go on top? But the batter bubbles up and cooks through to the top....hence the need for a DEEP baking dish. It is sweet without being too sweet and has just enough tang from the cranberry sauce. The recipe also calls for cooking apples thinly sliced but I don't like apples cooked (something about the texture I think) so I left that off.
Serve hot with a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy! Serves approximately four to six people.
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It is a simple but elegant dessert and CHEAP too! I probably spent $5 on the whole thing :)
Ingredients:
1/3 c. butter or margarine
2 1/2 c. Bisquick mix
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. milk
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 c. chunky applesauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In DEEP (ask me how I found this out...lol) baking pan melt butter in the oven. In a bowl mix the Bisquick, sugar and milk until it becomes a smooth batter. Pour the batter evenly over the butter in the pan. In another bowl, mix the cranberry sauce and applesauce and spoon mixture evenly over the batter. Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden brown on top.
When I first read the recipe, I was thinking why put the batter in first? Doesn't batter go on top? But the batter bubbles up and cooks through to the top....hence the need for a DEEP baking dish. It is sweet without being too sweet and has just enough tang from the cranberry sauce. The recipe also calls for cooking apples thinly sliced but I don't like apples cooked (something about the texture I think) so I left that off.
Serve hot with a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy! Serves approximately four to six people.
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It is a simple but elegant dessert and CHEAP too! I probably spent $5 on the whole thing :)
Stretching My Budget
You may have noticed in my meal plan that we eat a relatively small amount of meat or poultry. We are carnivores, but we are carnivores on a strict budget. This dollar diet demands that we incorporate more meals that don't contain meat. When I first started out this frugal journey (and by no means have I yet arrived), I despaired when I realized that we wouldn't be able to have meat with every meal. What was I going to serve? I was an avowed veggie-loather and so were my children. And pasta for every meal just didn't sound appetizing. So I started off with 'vegetarianizing' my homemade chili. Normally it called for ground beef, but I just left that out. And you know what? Nobody, least of all me, missed the meat! Serve a hearty helping of the chili with some sweet cornbread and everyone was happy and full.
With that small success, I saw that it was possible to incorporate vegetables into our diet and to make them the main meal. I just needed some more recipes! When I found Recipezaar I realized that I had found my partner in taming the savage budget. What I especially love about that site is that you can search for recipes by ingredient, and then find a really good recipe by how many stars it was rated. Other times I found great recipes by perusing other blogs. And some of the meals are just tried and true ones from my childhood.
Figure out what vegetables your family will eat and work those into the meal. If they won't touch turnips, then it would be a waste of time and money to prepare a dish containing those. That being said, don't be afraid to stretch their tastebuds! Never would I have dreamed that I, and my family, would have liked anything pumpkin that wasn't a dessert. Prepare the meal creatively. Maybe steamed carrots aren't your kids' favorite, try something different like glazed carrots. Variety is the spice of life, and spices add variety! Throw in different seasonings to give it a different taste. Go exotic! Try a dish from a different country. Learning about other cultures elevates dinner to new heights. Go icognito. Even I appreciate a well-hidden vegetable! :) Added bonus, you don't have to argue with your children about eating all their dinner. Salads are simple. Adding a salad to a dinner of pasta rounds out the meal. Fancy up your salad with some chickpeas for an added veggie-punch!
I hope that some of these ideas help those of you who are in the same vegetable-tolerating-but-not-exactly-fond-of-them category that I still live in! You CAN stretch your budget dollars with vegetables even if you don't like green beans or onions :)
With that small success, I saw that it was possible to incorporate vegetables into our diet and to make them the main meal. I just needed some more recipes! When I found Recipezaar I realized that I had found my partner in taming the savage budget. What I especially love about that site is that you can search for recipes by ingredient, and then find a really good recipe by how many stars it was rated. Other times I found great recipes by perusing other blogs. And some of the meals are just tried and true ones from my childhood.
Figure out what vegetables your family will eat and work those into the meal. If they won't touch turnips, then it would be a waste of time and money to prepare a dish containing those. That being said, don't be afraid to stretch their tastebuds! Never would I have dreamed that I, and my family, would have liked anything pumpkin that wasn't a dessert. Prepare the meal creatively. Maybe steamed carrots aren't your kids' favorite, try something different like glazed carrots. Variety is the spice of life, and spices add variety! Throw in different seasonings to give it a different taste. Go exotic! Try a dish from a different country. Learning about other cultures elevates dinner to new heights. Go icognito. Even I appreciate a well-hidden vegetable! :) Added bonus, you don't have to argue with your children about eating all their dinner. Salads are simple. Adding a salad to a dinner of pasta rounds out the meal. Fancy up your salad with some chickpeas for an added veggie-punch!
I hope that some of these ideas help those of you who are in the same vegetable-tolerating-but-not-exactly-fond-of-them category that I still live in! You CAN stretch your budget dollars with vegetables even if you don't like green beans or onions :)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
How Did The Meal Plan Go: Day One
Day 1::
Breakfast: Well, Miss Precious hasn't been sleeping until LATE (like 2 am) because her sleep schedule got all screwed up when she was sick. Needless to say, I am not popping out of bed at 6am to feed everyone breakfast. Mr. Q had oatmeal and the boys had cold cereal, I forgot to eat until lunch.
Lunch: I made Mr. Q Tuna Alfredo with Garlic Bread (I make his lunch so he can eat it at work) and the kids and I had sandwiches.
Dinner: The Zesty Bean Quesadillas were squishy and I didn't like the texture much. Neither did much of anyone else. We won't be making these again.
So far so good. Tomorrow is a new item for dinner...we'll see how well the kids like it. And I am going to serve it with garlic bread because I am in LOVE with garlic bread! And because the bread was FREE from Albertsons! :)
Breakfast: Well, Miss Precious hasn't been sleeping until LATE (like 2 am) because her sleep schedule got all screwed up when she was sick. Needless to say, I am not popping out of bed at 6am to feed everyone breakfast. Mr. Q had oatmeal and the boys had cold cereal, I forgot to eat until lunch.
Lunch: I made Mr. Q Tuna Alfredo with Garlic Bread (I make his lunch so he can eat it at work) and the kids and I had sandwiches.
Dinner: The Zesty Bean Quesadillas were squishy and I didn't like the texture much. Neither did much of anyone else. We won't be making these again.
So far so good. Tomorrow is a new item for dinner...we'll see how well the kids like it. And I am going to serve it with garlic bread because I am in LOVE with garlic bread! And because the bread was FREE from Albertsons! :)
Recipes Forthcoming...
Wow. I thought that what we had for dinner was just hum-drum until you all starting clamoring for recipes! Now I feel somewhat like a culinary celebrity...lol!
(Just let me revel in that for a minute even if it was only two of you who have actually asked for recipes!)
As I am NOT the Meal Planner, I won't be posting recipes and photos for each meal. I will try to remember to photograph some of my meals though. (And when I say try, I mean it. Often there are other more pertinent things cluttering up my brain while I am cooking!)
As a teaser though, Elizabeth requested "Oven Quesadillas"...
Ingredients:
Flour tortilla
Cheese (We like to use the Mexican blend but right now we just have Cheddar)
Black beans
Sprinkle cheese on flour tortilla and add a smattering of black beans. Put on a cooking sheet (don't forget to put foil down so you don't have to spend hours scraping cooked on cheese off of the cooking sheet!) and pop in the oven, 400 degrees, for about ten minutes. Or until you see the tortilla start to bubble and crisp.
Remove from oven when done cooking and cut into pizza wedges. Serve with favorite sauce, avocados, pico de gallo, etc. We love to save the hot sauce packets from Taco Bell and drizzle that on top.
Enjoy! Makes a great snack too :)
(Just let me revel in that for a minute even if it was only two of you who have actually asked for recipes!)
As I am NOT the Meal Planner, I won't be posting recipes and photos for each meal. I will try to remember to photograph some of my meals though. (And when I say try, I mean it. Often there are other more pertinent things cluttering up my brain while I am cooking!)
As a teaser though, Elizabeth requested "Oven Quesadillas"...
Ingredients:
Flour tortilla
Cheese (We like to use the Mexican blend but right now we just have Cheddar)
Black beans
Sprinkle cheese on flour tortilla and add a smattering of black beans. Put on a cooking sheet (don't forget to put foil down so you don't have to spend hours scraping cooked on cheese off of the cooking sheet!) and pop in the oven, 400 degrees, for about ten minutes. Or until you see the tortilla start to bubble and crisp.
Remove from oven when done cooking and cut into pizza wedges. Serve with favorite sauce, avocados, pico de gallo, etc. We love to save the hot sauce packets from Taco Bell and drizzle that on top.
Enjoy! Makes a great snack too :)
Okay I Know It's A Little Late....
After reading Meal Planning 101, I have been challenged (yet once again) to create a meal plan and STICK TO IT! So here goes...
Yes, I realize the week is almost over. But, today was payday so I did all my grocery shopping tonight. I am over-budget by $3.07...which I consider amazing considering all of the extra food and medicine we bought when the plague visited our house!
Here is what we will be eating for the next two weeks...there will be a lot of potato and chicken recipes...
Day 1::
Breakfast: Oatmeal Bake
Lunch: PB&J Sandwiches with Apple Slices
Dinner: Zesty Bean Quesadillas, Mexican Rice
Day 2::
Breakfast: Cold Cereal
Lunch: Black Bean and Rice Burritos
Dinner: Sunset Pumpkin Soup with French Bread
Day 3::
Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins
Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tomato Soup
Dinner: Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce, Garlic Bread, Salad
Day 4::
Breakfast: Banana Peanut Butter Shakes
Lunch: Lunchmeat Sandwiches, Bananas
Dinner: Spicy Peanut Chicken with Rice
Day 5::
Breakfast: Oatmeal Bake
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Perogies
Day 6::
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Fried Potatoes and Cheese
Dinner: Soy Sauce Glazed Chicken with Fried Rice
Day 7::
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Fried Egg Sandwiches
Dinner: Hotdogs, Homestyle Fries
Day 8::
Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins
Lunch: Southwestern Chicken Casserole
Dinner: Ranch Chicken over Greens, Garlic Bread
Day 9::
Breakfast: Oatmeal Bake
Lunch: Lunchmeat Sandwiches, Apples
Dinner: Going to my parents house, will probably bring a dessert dish...
Day 10::
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Baked Potatoes
Day 11::
Breakfast: Cold Cereal
Lunch: Tuna on Crackers, Raisins
Dinner: Roasted Tomato Soup with Biscuits
Day 12::
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Oven Quesadillas
Dinner: Potato Skins, Fruit Salad
Day 13::
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese
Lunch: Sandwich Wraps, Bananas
Dinner: Black Beans and Rice
Day 14:
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Hardboiled Eggs, Fruit
Dinner: Going to friends' house for dinner...bringing dessert.
Whew! Okay, I haven't (up until this point) successfully planned TWO WEEKS in advance! Yay for me...lol!
Now I just have to follow what I have put up, and also hope that I haven't overestimated how much chicken I really have ;)
Yes, I realize the week is almost over. But, today was payday so I did all my grocery shopping tonight. I am over-budget by $3.07...which I consider amazing considering all of the extra food and medicine we bought when the plague visited our house!
Here is what we will be eating for the next two weeks...there will be a lot of potato and chicken recipes...
Day 1::
Breakfast: Oatmeal Bake
Lunch: PB&J Sandwiches with Apple Slices
Dinner: Zesty Bean Quesadillas, Mexican Rice
Day 2::
Breakfast: Cold Cereal
Lunch: Black Bean and Rice Burritos
Dinner: Sunset Pumpkin Soup with French Bread
Day 3::
Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins
Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tomato Soup
Dinner: Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce, Garlic Bread, Salad
Day 4::
Breakfast: Banana Peanut Butter Shakes
Lunch: Lunchmeat Sandwiches, Bananas
Dinner: Spicy Peanut Chicken with Rice
Day 5::
Breakfast: Oatmeal Bake
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Perogies
Day 6::
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Fried Potatoes and Cheese
Dinner: Soy Sauce Glazed Chicken with Fried Rice
Day 7::
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Fried Egg Sandwiches
Dinner: Hotdogs, Homestyle Fries
Day 8::
Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins
Lunch: Southwestern Chicken Casserole
Dinner: Ranch Chicken over Greens, Garlic Bread
Day 9::
Breakfast: Oatmeal Bake
Lunch: Lunchmeat Sandwiches, Apples
Dinner: Going to my parents house, will probably bring a dessert dish...
Day 10::
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Baked Potatoes
Day 11::
Breakfast: Cold Cereal
Lunch: Tuna on Crackers, Raisins
Dinner: Roasted Tomato Soup with Biscuits
Day 12::
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Oven Quesadillas
Dinner: Potato Skins, Fruit Salad
Day 13::
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese
Lunch: Sandwich Wraps, Bananas
Dinner: Black Beans and Rice
Day 14:
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Hardboiled Eggs, Fruit
Dinner: Going to friends' house for dinner...bringing dessert.
Whew! Okay, I haven't (up until this point) successfully planned TWO WEEKS in advance! Yay for me...lol!
Now I just have to follow what I have put up, and also hope that I haven't overestimated how much chicken I really have ;)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Writing is On the Wall...
Even when you think your kids don't get it or they aren't learning anything....remember, they ABSORB everything!
I found these on the walls of their bedroom today. I had nothing to do with it. They haven't copied down a scripture ever, until today...
(Mr. Dramatic penned this one, age 6)
(Mr. Independent scrawled this one out, age 4)
And this happened because I have that exact verse written on a piece of paper on the front door. They wanted a verse to adorn their bedroom wall.
Just in case you can't tell what verse it is by the writing...
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."
Psalm 37:23
I found these on the walls of their bedroom today. I had nothing to do with it. They haven't copied down a scripture ever, until today...
(Mr. Dramatic penned this one, age 6)
(Mr. Independent scrawled this one out, age 4)
And this happened because I have that exact verse written on a piece of paper on the front door. They wanted a verse to adorn their bedroom wall.
Just in case you can't tell what verse it is by the writing...
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."
Psalm 37:23
Light For My Path...
While looking through the new school curriculum we are going to try out (I'll post more on that later once we get into it---but I am very excited!), I decided on the memory verse for next week.
Yes, we memorize a verse a week. To date, my boys have memorized:
Ephesians 6:1 (very important, and useful when bringing up the subject of obedience..)
Psalm 37:23
Mark 10:27
They love memorizing Scripture and beg for a new verse every week. Well since last week was such a disaster, we didn't have one. And because the beginning of this week started off ugly, we won't have one for this week either. Call me lazy, but after all of the kids being so sick and me falling ill on Sunday, I am just plain pooped! Regular routines will resume next week.
All that to say, this will be the verse for next week:
"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
Psalm 119:105
I started thinking about what that verse meant, beyond the usual "He guides my steps" sort of thinking. And I stumbled (excuse the pun) upon this little thought...
His Word illuminates where we are right now, and where we will be going.
A regular lantern only has a certain radius of light that extends. Even a flashlight doesn't illuminate ahead of where you are walking unless you shine it there. If you focus on what is ahead while walking in the dark, you often trip over little things. (At least that has been my personal, painful experience..lol!)
In contrast, His Word, brings light to our current situations as well as illuminating the path He has for us to travel in. So keep your eyes fixed ahead and walk confidently in His Light.
Yes, we memorize a verse a week. To date, my boys have memorized:
Ephesians 6:1 (very important, and useful when bringing up the subject of obedience..)
Psalm 37:23
Mark 10:27
They love memorizing Scripture and beg for a new verse every week. Well since last week was such a disaster, we didn't have one. And because the beginning of this week started off ugly, we won't have one for this week either. Call me lazy, but after all of the kids being so sick and me falling ill on Sunday, I am just plain pooped! Regular routines will resume next week.
All that to say, this will be the verse for next week:
"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
Psalm 119:105
I started thinking about what that verse meant, beyond the usual "He guides my steps" sort of thinking. And I stumbled (excuse the pun) upon this little thought...
His Word illuminates where we are right now, and where we will be going.
A regular lantern only has a certain radius of light that extends. Even a flashlight doesn't illuminate ahead of where you are walking unless you shine it there. If you focus on what is ahead while walking in the dark, you often trip over little things. (At least that has been my personal, painful experience..lol!)
In contrast, His Word, brings light to our current situations as well as illuminating the path He has for us to travel in. So keep your eyes fixed ahead and walk confidently in His Light.
Sweet and Sour Chicken with Asian Vegetables
This dish brings me back to my childhood. As a family, we would go visit this hole in the wall Chinese restaurant called Kwang Chow. They may have not had the spiffiest exterior, but the service and food were excellent. Alas, I live too far away to eat there anymore, so I set about trying to find a sweet and sour sauce recipe that fit the bill. Nothing I have found is comparable to that tangy/sweet liquid. But I did find a sauce that is delicious in its own class.
This sauce is for those of you who like sweet and sour but can't stand the pineapple and peppers! :) (I cannot remember where I got it, but I think it was www.recipezaar.com)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients:
Chicken (again, use however much you will need for your family)
Asian vegetable mix (mine was a steal for $1 at Albertsons!)
Homemade sweet and sour sauce:
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. brown sugar plus 1 1/2 T. brown sugar
1 c. water
1/8 c. vinegar
1/4 c. ketchup
1/8-1/4 t. soy sauce
For the sauce, mix all ingredients together well and cook until sauce starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Your sauce will start to bubble up in dark patches, this is okay, it is starting to carmelize into that wonderful delicious blend of flavors! Wait until most of it has been turned darker. Stir often to prevent burning. Once most of it is a darker shade, remove it from heat and let it sit and thicken some more.
Cook up your chicken. For some color, I like to add a bit paprika.
Steam your veggies until they turn a delicious shade of vibrant green.
Don't forget your rice..cook according to directions on the box or bag. If you want my secret ingredient for rice cooking, just look back here.
Combine all ingredients on your plate, drizzle liberally with the sauce and enjoy!
(I have no idea how much sauce this makes, but it is never enough for my family. This recipe is already doubled. For bigger families you might want to quadruple to ensure everyone gets a big serving of sauce on their plate!)
For zingier sauce you can up the level of vinegar. For sweeter, decrease the level of vinegar.
One thing I really enjoy about this meal is it is so fast to put together. I think total I spent maybe 25 minutes preparing my entire dish, from start to finish. And the results are so satisfying!
Getting Back To Normal...
Whew! What a week I have had! First the boys got the flu. And then on top of that Miss Precious was very ill all this week. We had to take her to ER twice last week. First she caught the nasty flu bug that was going around. Then it morphed into a horrible mouth/tongue/throat infection. Poor little girl had awful sores all over her mouth and in her throat. She wouldn't eat or drink anything. She really scared me and Mr.Q. We did a lot of praying over her! But praise the Lord she is back to her regular happy, hungry self! :) So we thought once she had recovered that all was back to normal. The very next day (Sunday) I started throwing up. Oh joy. I had caught the flu bug that had made its way through ALL of my children. I spent the night mostly in the bathroom. It was great.
I feel much better today though. Praise the Lord it was only a 24-hour flu!
So I am looking forward to returning to our regular routines.
Because of all of this sickness, I have not been able to respond to questions that some of you have posed. Please check back tomorrow for your answers. I apologize for not responding more quickly, but life got in the way!
I feel much better today though. Praise the Lord it was only a 24-hour flu!
So I am looking forward to returning to our regular routines.
Because of all of this sickness, I have not been able to respond to questions that some of you have posed. Please check back tomorrow for your answers. I apologize for not responding more quickly, but life got in the way!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Chicken With Sweet Red Chili Sauce Glaze on Rice
Okay, so here is where I bare my culinary soul and severe lack of cooking skill...lol!
Ingredients:
Chicken, boneless/skinless, diced (I have no idea how much...use an amount you think will be adequate for your family's hungry mouths)
Sweet red chili sauce (I just bought a bottle of it at the store. I found it in the Oriental cooking section)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Rice
Chicken bouillon
For really mouth-satisfying flavor marinate your chicken in the sweet red chili sauce overnight.
Heat the frying pan over medium heat and put a little oil in it to keep the chicken from sticking and burning. Dump the chicken in and cook until almost done (10 minutes?), while it is cooking sprinkle with onion and garlic powder (disburse according to penchant for that particular seasoning, I LOVE garlic so I pile it on!). When the chicken doesn't look pink anymore, dump a bit of the sweet red chili sauce on. Again, amounts are at your discretion. If you like it with a bit of zing, pile more on. Less, for those with the more sensitive taste buds out there. Sprinkle pepper on to taste.
While chicken is cooking prepare your rice. I use plain old long-grain rice. So according to the directions on the package 1 cup water to 1 cup rice. Boil water and add rice. Now here is the secret ingredient for really yummy white rice....add a half of chicken bouillon cube to the water as it boils. As the rice cooks it will soak up that delicious flavor and you will never have bland rice again! I cannot take credit for this tip, I got it from my mom :)
Okay, so your chicken has been sizzling away for a while now. Be sure to turn it to promote even cooking. The chili sauce should be thickening a bit by now. Let it cook over a lower heat so it starts to turn into a glaze for the chicken.
When it looks done to you, dump the glazed chicken over your rice.
Enjoy with vegetable of your choice. You could even add a stirfry veggie mix to to the pan and let it soak up the red chili sauce too!
Ingredients:
Chicken, boneless/skinless, diced (I have no idea how much...use an amount you think will be adequate for your family's hungry mouths)
Sweet red chili sauce (I just bought a bottle of it at the store. I found it in the Oriental cooking section)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Rice
Chicken bouillon
For really mouth-satisfying flavor marinate your chicken in the sweet red chili sauce overnight.
Heat the frying pan over medium heat and put a little oil in it to keep the chicken from sticking and burning. Dump the chicken in and cook until almost done (10 minutes?), while it is cooking sprinkle with onion and garlic powder (disburse according to penchant for that particular seasoning, I LOVE garlic so I pile it on!). When the chicken doesn't look pink anymore, dump a bit of the sweet red chili sauce on. Again, amounts are at your discretion. If you like it with a bit of zing, pile more on. Less, for those with the more sensitive taste buds out there. Sprinkle pepper on to taste.
While chicken is cooking prepare your rice. I use plain old long-grain rice. So according to the directions on the package 1 cup water to 1 cup rice. Boil water and add rice. Now here is the secret ingredient for really yummy white rice....add a half of chicken bouillon cube to the water as it boils. As the rice cooks it will soak up that delicious flavor and you will never have bland rice again! I cannot take credit for this tip, I got it from my mom :)
Okay, so your chicken has been sizzling away for a while now. Be sure to turn it to promote even cooking. The chili sauce should be thickening a bit by now. Let it cook over a lower heat so it starts to turn into a glaze for the chicken.
When it looks done to you, dump the glazed chicken over your rice.
Enjoy with vegetable of your choice. You could even add a stirfry veggie mix to to the pan and let it soak up the red chili sauce too!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Our Gastronomic Diary for the Week
The illustrious and industrious Meal Planner, has persuaded me to post what my family eats in a week. As breakfast and lunch aren't anything special and are pretty haphazardly created, dinner will be the only meal I share here.
I have no idea what each meals costs, maybe that will be something I try out after I get meal planning down pat. And most of these dishes have no recipes. I usually just throw stuff together. Because I am so creative (read: short on time and lacking in a lengthy attention span for recipes with a large number of ingredients and steps to follow.) and I follow the FBTSOYP method of cooking. (That's Fly By The Seat Of Your Pants to all you gourmet chefs out there!) Or is that more like Iron Chef?
Whatever it is, I try to create dinners that don't go over like a lead balloon...lol! This can be an exercise in extreme creativity and patience as I have picky eaters.
I am not a vegetable fan. However, I do try to incorporate vegetables into our diet. This usually takes the form of salad, broccoli, corn, tomatoes, and black beans. Yes, we are a diverse palate over here in the FITPH household...lol. I imagine that the people who dreamed up the Food Pyramid would be appalled, but it works for us. We eat a lot of fruit to compensate.
We also don't do desserts. There is no money-saving rationale behind this, just laziness. After I have prepared dinner, all I want to do is relax. Perhaps if I were a tad more organized (something my husband tells me a lot....and he is) I could get the meal AND the dessert done at the same time. Something to try!
(And because I have been so sleep deprived as of late, I will just be telling you what we had for dinner, but not what day we ate it because all the days meld into one zombie-esque blur!)
Chicken with Sweet Red Chili Sauce Glaze on Rice
Shredded Beef Tacos with Black Beans
Chicken Quesadillas with Black Beans
Fried Potatoes and Cheese
Creamy Chicken Cheese Rice with Salad
All right, my memory is a bit fuzzier than I thought. I can't remember what we ate for the remaining two days of the week. My guess, with the way things were going this week, would be some sort of sandwich and probably scrambled eggs with cheese for the other day.
And unlike the Meal Planner, I don't have yummy looking photos of my dinner fare. Too busy taking care of my sick little baby for that.
So there it is in all its simple glory...our unadorned, un-gourmet and mostly Hispanic meal plan :)
I have no idea what each meals costs, maybe that will be something I try out after I get meal planning down pat. And most of these dishes have no recipes. I usually just throw stuff together. Because I am so creative (read: short on time and lacking in a lengthy attention span for recipes with a large number of ingredients and steps to follow.) and I follow the FBTSOYP method of cooking. (That's Fly By The Seat Of Your Pants to all you gourmet chefs out there!) Or is that more like Iron Chef?
Whatever it is, I try to create dinners that don't go over like a lead balloon...lol! This can be an exercise in extreme creativity and patience as I have picky eaters.
I am not a vegetable fan. However, I do try to incorporate vegetables into our diet. This usually takes the form of salad, broccoli, corn, tomatoes, and black beans. Yes, we are a diverse palate over here in the FITPH household...lol. I imagine that the people who dreamed up the Food Pyramid would be appalled, but it works for us. We eat a lot of fruit to compensate.
We also don't do desserts. There is no money-saving rationale behind this, just laziness. After I have prepared dinner, all I want to do is relax. Perhaps if I were a tad more organized (something my husband tells me a lot....and he is) I could get the meal AND the dessert done at the same time. Something to try!
(And because I have been so sleep deprived as of late, I will just be telling you what we had for dinner, but not what day we ate it because all the days meld into one zombie-esque blur!)
Chicken with Sweet Red Chili Sauce Glaze on Rice
Shredded Beef Tacos with Black Beans
Chicken Quesadillas with Black Beans
Fried Potatoes and Cheese
Creamy Chicken Cheese Rice with Salad
All right, my memory is a bit fuzzier than I thought. I can't remember what we ate for the remaining two days of the week. My guess, with the way things were going this week, would be some sort of sandwich and probably scrambled eggs with cheese for the other day.
And unlike the Meal Planner, I don't have yummy looking photos of my dinner fare. Too busy taking care of my sick little baby for that.
So there it is in all its simple glory...our unadorned, un-gourmet and mostly Hispanic meal plan :)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
When Life Gets In The Way...
Miss Precious has been very ill this whole week. Not too mention, her brothers had the flu as well. Three sick kiddos, not much fun. These are the kind of weeks that make you want to take a vacation from your normal career as mother! But, I signed a lifetime contract on that vocation. No sick days, no vacation, what kind of a racket did I get myself into???
I jest. Truly, I love my choice as a SAHM. It satisfies a desire that resides deep within me. My family is my life.
That being said, my life often gets in the way of my planned out life. Like my plan for a $200 grocery budget this month. This budget didn't include trips to the store for Motrin and anything that will entice my baby to eat. There is no monetary limit I can place on my baby girl's health and comfort. There is a limit to our checkbook though. And we are fast approaching this budget-barrier.
Still, God is faithful in this all. He will provide and He is healing my baby.
So please accept this apology in advance. Those of you who wait with baited breath for my end of the month totals, please don't hold your breath for this month's. I have a really good excuse though...if I you need proof, I'll show you the two ER bills we will be getting!
I jest. Truly, I love my choice as a SAHM. It satisfies a desire that resides deep within me. My family is my life.
That being said, my life often gets in the way of my planned out life. Like my plan for a $200 grocery budget this month. This budget didn't include trips to the store for Motrin and anything that will entice my baby to eat. There is no monetary limit I can place on my baby girl's health and comfort. There is a limit to our checkbook though. And we are fast approaching this budget-barrier.
Still, God is faithful in this all. He will provide and He is healing my baby.
So please accept this apology in advance. Those of you who wait with baited breath for my end of the month totals, please don't hold your breath for this month's. I have a really good excuse though...if I you need proof, I'll show you the two ER bills we will be getting!
Recovering...
Sorry I haven't been posting as of late. My baby girl got really sick. She was in ER twice this week and had to have an IV to rehydrate her. She started off with the typical vomiting flu which morphed into a mouth/tongue/throat infection. It is painful and keeps her from eating or drinking very much. I am sooo grateful that I am still able to nurse her. So far it is the only thing that she consistently wants. They gave us a medicated mouthwash to help the sores heal faster. It is a viral infection, so there aren't any antibiotics she can take.
She isn't sleeping at night because of the pain :(
I am exhausted.
I'll post more later...
She isn't sleeping at night because of the pain :(
I am exhausted.
I'll post more later...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Save and Share!
In the P&G Saver insert, that is coming out November 2nd, are coupons that if redeemed by you help to feed hungry families in need this holiday season. You can go even further by donating a meal in your name through Cascade!
Reach out to those in need, and remember what Thanksgiving is truly about... Sharing what you have with those who are in need, and giving thanks to the One Who bestows blessings on you so that you can bless others in return.
Click here for more information :)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Cry Out
Battle for The Sanctity of Marriage
This Saturday November 1st, in San Diego, California there will be a massive gathering of people who are crying out to God for His divine intervention against the legalization of homosexual marriage. On November 4th, Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment will be voted on in the state of California. It was originally titled The Marriage Protection Act, but has since been changed to the Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. If passed, this will protect traditional marriage between one man and one woman in the state of California. If it doesn't pass, homosexual marriage will be legalized in California.
Why does what happens in California matter? If gay marriage is legalized in California, same-sex couples from all other parts of our nation will flock to be legally wed and then will carry that union back to their home state. If this amendment fails, those same couples will go back to their respective states and sue the state government demanding that same-sex marriage be declared legal. What affects one part of our country, affects the whole. In the ominous words of Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, “As California goes, so goes the nation.”
What will happen if gay marriage is legalized? There have already been clashes between religious liberties and gay marriage. Just last week first graders in San Francisco witnessed the marriage of their lesbian teacher and school officials called it "a teachable moment." These godless ideals will continue to infiltrate every part of our society, unless we take a stand for the truth.
God ordained marriage, not man. And He ordained it between one man and one woman.
Genesis 1:27
"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
The Bible leaves no room for alternate interpretations of what God had in mind when He created marriage. It is only the foolish, arrogant presumption of man to think that we can redefine what has already been defined for thousands of years.
We are in a battle for the soul of our nation. This is just one battlefield of many. It is time for the Church to rise up. Who will speak for truth if we remain silent? Who will cry out against evil if we do not?
Our nation needs to return to the foundation of Biblical values that it was erected upon.
Cry out for the salvation of those who are lost. Cry out for the deliverance of those in bondage to sin. Pray for the truth to be revealed. Pray for love to be shown and demonstrated. We come not to condemn; but to show mercy, as we ourselves have been shown great mercy for our sins. We stand as beacons in darkness, shining forth the love and light of Jesus. Cry out for revival in the deadened hearts of our nation.
I will be praying on Saturday in support of the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. We must turn back the tide of immorality that has gripped our nation and turn our hearts back to God. Cry out for mercy.
2 Chronicles 7:14
"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
To hear more information about this amendment and the event at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, you can listen to the radio broadcast on Focus on the Family.
This Saturday November 1st, in San Diego, California there will be a massive gathering of people who are crying out to God for His divine intervention against the legalization of homosexual marriage. On November 4th, Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment will be voted on in the state of California. It was originally titled The Marriage Protection Act, but has since been changed to the Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. If passed, this will protect traditional marriage between one man and one woman in the state of California. If it doesn't pass, homosexual marriage will be legalized in California.
Why does what happens in California matter? If gay marriage is legalized in California, same-sex couples from all other parts of our nation will flock to be legally wed and then will carry that union back to their home state. If this amendment fails, those same couples will go back to their respective states and sue the state government demanding that same-sex marriage be declared legal. What affects one part of our country, affects the whole. In the ominous words of Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, “As California goes, so goes the nation.”
What will happen if gay marriage is legalized? There have already been clashes between religious liberties and gay marriage. Just last week first graders in San Francisco witnessed the marriage of their lesbian teacher and school officials called it "a teachable moment." These godless ideals will continue to infiltrate every part of our society, unless we take a stand for the truth.
God ordained marriage, not man. And He ordained it between one man and one woman.
Genesis 1:27
"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
The Bible leaves no room for alternate interpretations of what God had in mind when He created marriage. It is only the foolish, arrogant presumption of man to think that we can redefine what has already been defined for thousands of years.
We are in a battle for the soul of our nation. This is just one battlefield of many. It is time for the Church to rise up. Who will speak for truth if we remain silent? Who will cry out against evil if we do not?
Our nation needs to return to the foundation of Biblical values that it was erected upon.
Cry out for the salvation of those who are lost. Cry out for the deliverance of those in bondage to sin. Pray for the truth to be revealed. Pray for love to be shown and demonstrated. We come not to condemn; but to show mercy, as we ourselves have been shown great mercy for our sins. We stand as beacons in darkness, shining forth the love and light of Jesus. Cry out for revival in the deadened hearts of our nation.
I will be praying on Saturday in support of the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. We must turn back the tide of immorality that has gripped our nation and turn our hearts back to God. Cry out for mercy.
2 Chronicles 7:14
"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
To hear more information about this amendment and the event at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, you can listen to the radio broadcast on Focus on the Family.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Supermarket Steal!
After perusing the Albertsons sale flyer, I decided that I had to get in on the BOGO meat and poultry deal!
So here is the breakdown:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 7.90 lbs for $15.80 (that's $2 per lb for boneless/ skinless!)
SAVED: $15.76
Angus Chuck Roast 6.50 lbs for $18.82
SAVED $18.53
Total meat and poultry would have been $68.91 without the BOGO.
With BOGO it was only $34.62
SAVED: $34.29
I saved 50% on the meat and chicken!
The rest isn't as thrilling as that deal was, but still some good sales...
Seattle International Sourdough Rolls 2/$5
Albertsons Brand Sour Cream $1
Albertsons Brand Whipping Cream $1
Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce (the 20 oz size!) 2/ $6
La Victoria Salsa 2/$4
Land O'Frost Bistro Lunchmeat 2/$6 - MQ $1.5 (because store doubled the $1 coupon!) PLUS there was a MQ on the package for $0.45! = 2/$4.05
Fresh Express Salad 2/$5 plus MQ for free bananas up to 2 lbs!
Here is the coup de grace though...in the paper there was a Safeway coupon for $10 off any purchase of $50 or more. I brought that in hoping and praying they would honor it because it was a competitor's coupon...AND THEY DID!
So grand total for a the whole trip (drumroll please....................)
$51.15
Which is only $1.15 more than I budgeted for!
Without coupons or store sales I would have spent $111.97 for all that. So that is a savings of 46%! Not too bad considering I only had one MQ to wield!
God is soooo good to me! I prayed with Mr. Q before I went with Miss Precious in tow. Never fails, when I acknowledge Him first and ask for His favor, I get it!
Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord,Who daily loads us with benefits,The God of our salvation! Selah
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
My List....
I just realized that I still haven't cast my ballot yet...
I haven't tallied up my expenses for the months of August, September and almost October...
I haven't balanced my checkbook yet, even though the statement came last week...
I have a load of laundry that has been sitting in the dryer for two days now...
What's even worse is I have a load of laundry that has been sitting in the washer for that long too...yep, I will be redoing that load for sure!
What is on your to-do list that hasn't been done?
And lest anyone think I am a regular procrastinator (I am a recovering one), my daughter has been sick for the last three or four days. I can't remember exactly how long because day and night meld into one exhausting glob....
I haven't tallied up my expenses for the months of August, September and almost October...
I haven't balanced my checkbook yet, even though the statement came last week...
I have a load of laundry that has been sitting in the dryer for two days now...
What's even worse is I have a load of laundry that has been sitting in the washer for that long too...yep, I will be redoing that load for sure!
What is on your to-do list that hasn't been done?
And lest anyone think I am a regular procrastinator (I am a recovering one), my daughter has been sick for the last three or four days. I can't remember exactly how long because day and night meld into one exhausting glob....
Monday, October 27, 2008
Dancing With My Daughter
Today she took her first steps...
When I told my mom, she said "She the last one you have to teach how to walk." No more little toddling toes hesitantly following my steps. This is the last time that she reached for me and couldn't quite make it. Three steps. The beginning of many she will make in her life. There is a part of me that rejoices in her progress and another part of my heart that wants to freeze this moment so that she never grows up.
Ah, but that is not the reason I have children. We raise our children so that they grow up mature, ready for what God has for them to do. This readiness is spelled out in the pedestrian activities of obedience each day. Nothing exceptional, yet so intentional. We are here to prepare them for His service. We are here to equip them to share His love with an love-starved world. We are here to help them become adults whose lives are dedicated to the Lord.
So I watch as she hesitates but then courageously steps forward again. She knows I will be there to catch her if she should fall. And I will be there to encourage her when she doesn't quite make it.
So as she takes these first steps, I find myself stepping back out of the way. And thus begins the beautiful dance of growing up. Filled with joy and expectation, I move in cadence with her.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
He Said Yes!
Yipee! My hubby agreed to be Lucy and Desi! This is going to be so fun :) We'll be sure to take lots of pictures!
Going to bed now because my daughter has been sick and kept me up all night long....
Going to bed now because my daughter has been sick and kept me up all night long....
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Understudy...
Jenni asked me what I would wear to become Lucille Ball. After looking at several of her photos, I came up with this...
*She almost always wore pearls
*She almost always wore a dress or skirt, very rarely would you see her in pants...never jeans.
*She wore her hair up in curls (this will be the challenging part for little ol' straight as a stick hair me)
*She wore fake eyelashes...either that or she had eyelashes to envy!
*She always wore red, RED lipstick
So, in an effort to maintain frugality, my pearls will be coming from Dollar Tree, I will just be wearing a skirt with a black top and over that my cute apron. I am going to make an "I Love Lucy" heart to pin to my apron. Hopefully I can find some fake eyelashes for cheap, and red lipstick too!
This is all contingent on the fact that my husband agrees to this whole crazy idea! He has been working overtime and I haven't had a chance to tell him my idea yet.
But I have fallen in love with the idea of becoming the dynamic duo for a night...we might even win the costume contest...who knows!
The only problem I have with my costume is she has blue eyes and I have brown. Mr. Q's costume will fit him perfectly...he just needs to perfect a little Cuban accent to his english..."Lu-ceee you got som' 'splainin' to do!" Oh, the other thing that he wouldn't be able to do is Desi's slicked back hair...my husband can't stand his hair longer than two inches...lol. He used to have the poufy slicked back hair when I first met him, I have pictures to prove it...problem is I don't have a scanner that works :( So maybe I should find him a Cuban-looking hat? Or we can pretend Desi got drafted?
*She almost always wore pearls
*She almost always wore a dress or skirt, very rarely would you see her in pants...never jeans.
*She wore her hair up in curls (this will be the challenging part for little ol' straight as a stick hair me)
*She wore fake eyelashes...either that or she had eyelashes to envy!
*She always wore red, RED lipstick
So, in an effort to maintain frugality, my pearls will be coming from Dollar Tree, I will just be wearing a skirt with a black top and over that my cute apron. I am going to make an "I Love Lucy" heart to pin to my apron. Hopefully I can find some fake eyelashes for cheap, and red lipstick too!
This is all contingent on the fact that my husband agrees to this whole crazy idea! He has been working overtime and I haven't had a chance to tell him my idea yet.
But I have fallen in love with the idea of becoming the dynamic duo for a night...we might even win the costume contest...who knows!
The only problem I have with my costume is she has blue eyes and I have brown. Mr. Q's costume will fit him perfectly...he just needs to perfect a little Cuban accent to his english..."Lu-ceee you got som' 'splainin' to do!" Oh, the other thing that he wouldn't be able to do is Desi's slicked back hair...my husband can't stand his hair longer than two inches...lol. He used to have the poufy slicked back hair when I first met him, I have pictures to prove it...problem is I don't have a scanner that works :( So maybe I should find him a Cuban-looking hat? Or we can pretend Desi got drafted?
Trying to Find Myself...
No, I haven't lost myself...not yet anyway! Trying to find a very frugal, yet fun, costume for Mr. Q and me. The challenge is on! Our church is doing Hallelujah Night for the kids on the 31st and the theme is any period of time.
Originally I was thinking Ancient Egypt, because what girl doesn't secretly want to dress like an Egyptian queen? Plus my sheer curtains, that no longer hang over my patio door (they get replaced in wintertime by thermal lined curtains), would have made a great costume. But Mr. Q wasn't up for being Pharaoh. What guy doesn't want to rule the known world?
So Egypt went the way of the pyramids...
Then I was looking up famous couples in time...ran across these two faces...
What do you think? I have reddish hairdye and a handsome Hispanic hubby...do you think we could pull off the famous duo?
I have to wait and see what Mr. Q thinks, but "I Love Lucy" was one of his favorite TV shows too.
Now what to do for the kids....
Originally I was thinking Ancient Egypt, because what girl doesn't secretly want to dress like an Egyptian queen? Plus my sheer curtains, that no longer hang over my patio door (they get replaced in wintertime by thermal lined curtains), would have made a great costume. But Mr. Q wasn't up for being Pharaoh. What guy doesn't want to rule the known world?
So Egypt went the way of the pyramids...
Then I was looking up famous couples in time...ran across these two faces...
What do you think? I have reddish hairdye and a handsome Hispanic hubby...do you think we could pull off the famous duo?
I have to wait and see what Mr. Q thinks, but "I Love Lucy" was one of his favorite TV shows too.Now what to do for the kids....
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
In Which You Will Find Me Dancing In My Kitchen...
The Apron Queen has a fun giveaway on her blog, go check it out! Don't forget to carefully study her step-by-step instructions regarding the Secret Ingredient.
Oh, and if I win the $30 giftcard, you WILL find me dancing in my kitchen...
Oh, and if I win the $30 giftcard, you WILL find me dancing in my kitchen...
Mrs. Q's Confessions...
It is said that confession is good for the soul. I do agree with that, but it also makes for great blog material...lol!
I am not a coupon queen, just someone who enjoys saving money! I aspire to the greatness of Ellie Kay, but it will take me YEARS to get that good! (If you haven't read her book, run, don't walk, to your local library and borrow it!)
I do not know everything there is to know about being frugal. On my blog, I only post what works for us. The same might not be compatible with your family. You be the judge :)
When I created my grocery goal, we were not receiving any government aid. Now we are on the WIC program. I have chosen to keep the goal the same as a personal challenge. When I am able to achieve that, I will lower the amount to see how low we are able to go! Without the assistance, we would not be eating cheese, drinking milk or scrambling up eggs. I am so grateful for WIC! This assistance alone has saved us at least $45 this month. If you are low income, have any children under the age of five (or any on the way!) check out the link! You may qualify and it is such a blessing!
I am not a gourmet cook. Any recipes you find on my blog will be simple, no-nonsense meals. Please do not search for "cremebroche" or "tumeric"...you will not find either of those here. We at the FITPH have a simple palate. No elaborate hoops to jump through.
If a recipe has more than five steps to it, my eyes glaze over and I lose all concentration. If it has more than seven ingredients, forget it! It has to be a real taste-bud pleaser for me to go to any lengths of energy expenditure!
I am a good, albeit pedestrian cook. We are accustomed to a Mexican fare over here with the occasional meat and potatoes American meal thrown in. I use my pico de gallo seasoning more than salt. Garlic is used liberally in almost everything.
Onions make me gag. The challenging part is that Mr. Q loves onions in anything and everything. And I love the flavor they give to the food. What is a alliumiphobe (no that is not a real word..)to do? Mince! If I can't see them, they don't bug me!
I like to make up words. My family tells me that I should write them down and create a dictionary. Sample: integritous-full of integrity...doesn't it make sense? It is less laborious to say "He is so integritous." rather than "He is full of integrity." Maybe some day I will make my own dictionary.
Typing a post while holding a fussy baby takes a bit longer than I expected!
I am not a coupon queen, just someone who enjoys saving money! I aspire to the greatness of Ellie Kay, but it will take me YEARS to get that good! (If you haven't read her book, run, don't walk, to your local library and borrow it!)
I do not know everything there is to know about being frugal. On my blog, I only post what works for us. The same might not be compatible with your family. You be the judge :)
When I created my grocery goal, we were not receiving any government aid. Now we are on the WIC program. I have chosen to keep the goal the same as a personal challenge. When I am able to achieve that, I will lower the amount to see how low we are able to go! Without the assistance, we would not be eating cheese, drinking milk or scrambling up eggs. I am so grateful for WIC! This assistance alone has saved us at least $45 this month. If you are low income, have any children under the age of five (or any on the way!) check out the link! You may qualify and it is such a blessing!
I am not a gourmet cook. Any recipes you find on my blog will be simple, no-nonsense meals. Please do not search for "cremebroche" or "tumeric"...you will not find either of those here. We at the FITPH have a simple palate. No elaborate hoops to jump through.
If a recipe has more than five steps to it, my eyes glaze over and I lose all concentration. If it has more than seven ingredients, forget it! It has to be a real taste-bud pleaser for me to go to any lengths of energy expenditure!
I am a good, albeit pedestrian cook. We are accustomed to a Mexican fare over here with the occasional meat and potatoes American meal thrown in. I use my pico de gallo seasoning more than salt. Garlic is used liberally in almost everything.
Onions make me gag. The challenging part is that Mr. Q loves onions in anything and everything. And I love the flavor they give to the food. What is a alliumiphobe (no that is not a real word..)to do? Mince! If I can't see them, they don't bug me!
I like to make up words. My family tells me that I should write them down and create a dictionary. Sample: integritous-full of integrity...doesn't it make sense? It is less laborious to say "He is so integritous." rather than "He is full of integrity." Maybe some day I will make my own dictionary.
Typing a post while holding a fussy baby takes a bit longer than I expected!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tag, I'm It!
Sarah tagged me, and while I normally don't participate in tag memes, this one sounded easy :)
I am supposed to list six things I value and six things I do not value.
So, in no particular order they are...
Things I Value:
Integrity, both in myself and others.
My awesome church, I am accepted and loved.
Friendships that spur me on in my walk with Christ.
The faithfulness of my husband, and his drive to provide for us and love us.
My handsome sons and adorable daughter, who are much more than I could have ever dreamed of.
Oh, and of course, the most important of them all: Jesus! Who died on the cross for my sins, was resurrected and is alive in me today!
Things I Do Not Value:
Doing laundry. OK, I am being brutally honest here, I loathe laundry. However, until I can hire a maid to do it for me (HAHAHA) I am stuck as the designated laundry lady. Plus, there are certain people in this household who simply MUST have clean socks and underwear!
Entertainment technology. We still live in the Dark Ages over here. No iPhones, actually, no cell phones period! No Wii. No Playstation. No cable. We chose to remain unplugged from all of that. We only watch DVD's that we borrow from the library (this speaks to our frugality not our convictions about television). Our kids only watch VeggieTales and similarly approved videos. We find that the less TV we and our children watch, the more content we are with what we have.
Dishonesty. No need for further elaboration here.
Popularity contests. I place no value on how much you make, what clothes you wear, what car you drive or where you live. That is not who you are. Simply the outside trappings...er..wrappings. As someone who was judged only on my outside appearance when I was younger (weren't we all geeky when we were younger?) I understand what it feels like to be deemed "un-cool".
Bugs in my house. This includes but is not limited to: fruitflies, ants, spiders, silverfish, beetles, flies, wasps, or any other creepy things!
Watches. I do not own a watch and probably never will. I can't stand to have something on my wrist. Which also means that I don't wear bracelets either! Not owning a watch does mean that I have to rely on the kindness of strangers to tell me the time when I am out and about. Because I don't own a cell phone either...lol.
Eenie meenie miney moe...I tag Jennifer at Peaceful Living who happens to be my dear friend. We'll have to give her a little bit of a longer time frame because she is planning a friend's wedding and she is down to the deadline.
Thanks for stopping by, and thank you Sarah for the tag! I had fun :)
I am supposed to list six things I value and six things I do not value.
So, in no particular order they are...
Things I Value:
Integrity, both in myself and others.
My awesome church, I am accepted and loved.
Friendships that spur me on in my walk with Christ.
The faithfulness of my husband, and his drive to provide for us and love us.
My handsome sons and adorable daughter, who are much more than I could have ever dreamed of.
Oh, and of course, the most important of them all: Jesus! Who died on the cross for my sins, was resurrected and is alive in me today!
Things I Do Not Value:
Doing laundry. OK, I am being brutally honest here, I loathe laundry. However, until I can hire a maid to do it for me (HAHAHA) I am stuck as the designated laundry lady. Plus, there are certain people in this household who simply MUST have clean socks and underwear!
Entertainment technology. We still live in the Dark Ages over here. No iPhones, actually, no cell phones period! No Wii. No Playstation. No cable. We chose to remain unplugged from all of that. We only watch DVD's that we borrow from the library (this speaks to our frugality not our convictions about television). Our kids only watch VeggieTales and similarly approved videos. We find that the less TV we and our children watch, the more content we are with what we have.
Dishonesty. No need for further elaboration here.
Popularity contests. I place no value on how much you make, what clothes you wear, what car you drive or where you live. That is not who you are. Simply the outside trappings...er..wrappings. As someone who was judged only on my outside appearance when I was younger (weren't we all geeky when we were younger?) I understand what it feels like to be deemed "un-cool".
Bugs in my house. This includes but is not limited to: fruitflies, ants, spiders, silverfish, beetles, flies, wasps, or any other creepy things!
Watches. I do not own a watch and probably never will. I can't stand to have something on my wrist. Which also means that I don't wear bracelets either! Not owning a watch does mean that I have to rely on the kindness of strangers to tell me the time when I am out and about. Because I don't own a cell phone either...lol.
Eenie meenie miney moe...I tag Jennifer at Peaceful Living who happens to be my dear friend. We'll have to give her a little bit of a longer time frame because she is planning a friend's wedding and she is down to the deadline.
Thanks for stopping by, and thank you Sarah for the tag! I had fun :)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Aztecan Delight
What do you do if your kids don't like rice, corn, beans or tomatoes?
Make Aztecan Delight! (I chose the name because my husband's heritage is Aztecan Indian, but you could name it anything you want!)
All you need are:
1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes
Cooked rice
Little bit of beef broth for flavor
Mix up all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan until heated through and incorporated well. Roll it up in a tortilla and call it Aztecan Delight. The pickiest eaters might balk at it's innards so don't let them unroll it!
As an a nutritional side, this meal has complete protein from the beans, corn and rice. No meat needed :) You could add cheese though.
Sometimes just giving a plain old meal a fun, imaginative name makes them a little hungrier...
For more great frugal food ideas, check out Gayle's blog!
Make Aztecan Delight! (I chose the name because my husband's heritage is Aztecan Indian, but you could name it anything you want!)
All you need are:
1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes
Cooked rice
Little bit of beef broth for flavor
Mix up all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan until heated through and incorporated well. Roll it up in a tortilla and call it Aztecan Delight. The pickiest eaters might balk at it's innards so don't let them unroll it!
As an a nutritional side, this meal has complete protein from the beans, corn and rice. No meat needed :) You could add cheese though.
Sometimes just giving a plain old meal a fun, imaginative name makes them a little hungrier...
For more great frugal food ideas, check out Gayle's blog!
Under Construction-- Again...
This week I am reconstructing our Potter's Hand Elementary schedule, curriculum, activities, etc. Basically, what we had been doing wasn't working very well. Too long of days, not enough fun stuff and a mother-teacher who has no idea how much learning her kids can handle!
I expect too much of myself and of my boys. I forget that they aren't little adults, they are little kids. My dear friend, who runs a FABULOUS preschool ministry from her home, took valuable time out of her day on Saturday to give me some pointers on how to organize the time, subjects and crafts. She has a wealth of information stored in her head and she poured some of that into me :)
(As an aside note, if I didn't feel called to be homeschooling my kids I would be sending them to Peaceful Beginnings Preschool! She does amazing stuff with her students!)
Because of her encouragement, I rediscovered my passion for homeschooling. So this week, I will be asking God what He wants my boys to learn. And I will be listening very closely! :)
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."
Psalm 90:17
"And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands."
I expect too much of myself and of my boys. I forget that they aren't little adults, they are little kids. My dear friend, who runs a FABULOUS preschool ministry from her home, took valuable time out of her day on Saturday to give me some pointers on how to organize the time, subjects and crafts. She has a wealth of information stored in her head and she poured some of that into me :)
(As an aside note, if I didn't feel called to be homeschooling my kids I would be sending them to Peaceful Beginnings Preschool! She does amazing stuff with her students!)
Because of her encouragement, I rediscovered my passion for homeschooling. So this week, I will be asking God what He wants my boys to learn. And I will be listening very closely! :)
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."
Psalm 90:17
"And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands."
Friday, October 17, 2008
Will It End With You?
Normally, I do not care to involve myself in politics. With this presidential election, it is different. I was listening to Focus on the Family this morning and there was a registered nurse speaking out against abortion.
The Born Alive Infant Protection Act was passed to prevent hospital staff and doctors from leaving a viable baby, accidentally born alive after an abortion, to die of suffocation and starvation. It's basic provision was for those babies to receive immediate emergency life-saving care if they survived the abortion procedure.
One baby did survive and she speaks out against abortion today.
She survived a saline abortion. Let that sink in for a moment. A tiny, helpless two pound baby survived being burned internally and externally in uetero for eighteen hours. Does the horror of that grip you as it does me? Did you even know that babies could be born ALIVE after an abortion? Until today, I had no idea.
One nurse discovered this at the hospital that she had been working at for over a year. This ugly, inhuman side of medical practice was revealed one night after a Downs syndrome baby was aborted, lived through the procedure and was being taken to the soiled linens room to die alone. Jill Stanek was changed for life when she encountered infanticide in her place of employment. It was the unspoken horror that went on in a place that was supposed to provide care and healing to people. Babies are people too are they not?
The whole focus of our presidential race has been on economics. The abortion question has been raised but very infrequently. I personally don't care what the economic plan is that either candidate has. To me, the value placed on the lives of innocent babies far surpasses the value we place on our national debt.
A friend emailed me this:
Please vote for those who have no voice...
To verify these claims, go to BornAliveTruth.org or Jill Stanek's blog, of particular interest is the transcript of Sen. Obama's opposition regarding the Born Alive Infant Protection Act read it on pages 84-90.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
I have always held very fiercely to the belief that babies are people from the moment of conception. I have always considered abortion to be murder. Even when I was faced with an unplanned pregnancy, and the doctor told me I had "options", I declared to him that the only option was that I was keeping this baby. Just because I had chosen to have sex and that physical union resulted in a baby, does not mean that it is my choice to rid myself of the "inconvenience" of becoming a parent. I am so glad that I chose life because I never would have met Mr. Dramatic had I chosen to exercise my "right" as a woman to choose.
For those women out there who made the choice to abort their babies, I do not condemn you. My sin was no less than yours'. To God all sin is equal. It is only as humans that we try to make ourselves sound more righteous than someone else. To God all sin is equal, but His forgiveness and atonement for that sin is all encompassing. I invite you to find grace and forgiveness in Jesus. I urge you to find true, whole, holy love in my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can wash away the crimson stain of sin that marks us all. He is the only One who can love you completely and perfectly. It is only in Him that I am able to be cleansed and whole.
The Born Alive Infant Protection Act was passed to prevent hospital staff and doctors from leaving a viable baby, accidentally born alive after an abortion, to die of suffocation and starvation. It's basic provision was for those babies to receive immediate emergency life-saving care if they survived the abortion procedure.
One baby did survive and she speaks out against abortion today.
She survived a saline abortion. Let that sink in for a moment. A tiny, helpless two pound baby survived being burned internally and externally in uetero for eighteen hours. Does the horror of that grip you as it does me? Did you even know that babies could be born ALIVE after an abortion? Until today, I had no idea.
One nurse discovered this at the hospital that she had been working at for over a year. This ugly, inhuman side of medical practice was revealed one night after a Downs syndrome baby was aborted, lived through the procedure and was being taken to the soiled linens room to die alone. Jill Stanek was changed for life when she encountered infanticide in her place of employment. It was the unspoken horror that went on in a place that was supposed to provide care and healing to people. Babies are people too are they not?
The whole focus of our presidential race has been on economics. The abortion question has been raised but very infrequently. I personally don't care what the economic plan is that either candidate has. To me, the value placed on the lives of innocent babies far surpasses the value we place on our national debt.
A friend emailed me this:
Please vote for those who have no voice...
To verify these claims, go to BornAliveTruth.org or Jill Stanek's blog, of particular interest is the transcript of Sen. Obama's opposition regarding the Born Alive Infant Protection Act read it on pages 84-90.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
I have always held very fiercely to the belief that babies are people from the moment of conception. I have always considered abortion to be murder. Even when I was faced with an unplanned pregnancy, and the doctor told me I had "options", I declared to him that the only option was that I was keeping this baby. Just because I had chosen to have sex and that physical union resulted in a baby, does not mean that it is my choice to rid myself of the "inconvenience" of becoming a parent. I am so glad that I chose life because I never would have met Mr. Dramatic had I chosen to exercise my "right" as a woman to choose.
For those women out there who made the choice to abort their babies, I do not condemn you. My sin was no less than yours'. To God all sin is equal. It is only as humans that we try to make ourselves sound more righteous than someone else. To God all sin is equal, but His forgiveness and atonement for that sin is all encompassing. I invite you to find grace and forgiveness in Jesus. I urge you to find true, whole, holy love in my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can wash away the crimson stain of sin that marks us all. He is the only One who can love you completely and perfectly. It is only in Him that I am able to be cleansed and whole.
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