November Goal Recap

 October seemed so long and November just seemed to fly by!!  I do feel like I had better success this month with my goals which always makes me happy!   

1. Scrapbooking - 1) Finish my nieces book (a broken record) but this time it will be done.  As I mentioned in a previous post, if I need to I'm going to change the "story" of the book so I can finish it.I had a plan but didn't accompish it.   2) Complete 2 pages a day scrapbooking (so 60 pages total) Done!   3) File all of the photos I have on hand right now and, once those are filed, order the April photos Done!  4) The Spines - my goal this month is to focus on the top shelf of my scrapbooking shelf and make sure the albums all have page protectors and decide if I'm flipping any of the album covers for others.  I did not get to this yet.  

2. Reading - 1) Just read.  There is nothing better then curling up with a book.  I have a lot on my kindle :-) Done!  2) Write my reading goal for 2021 Done!  Well, it's not written specifically but my books are organized and the photo is taken to actually write about it 

3. Cleaning - 1) The kids bedrooms.  First up is Josh's stuff.  I plan to take a weekend (or 2 if needed) and just spend hours sorting and cleaning out (with Josh's help - he says he wants to get rid of TONS of stuff so we will see!).  Once that room is done, we will work on Nate's stuff. Josh's room is 90% done - we just have the last round of sorting and organizing done.  Because Josh's room has taken longer, I won't get to Nate's room until december.  2) With holidays coming I just want to take time and just simply clean.  I'm hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas this year so making sure everything is nice and neat is key.  Done :-)  

4. Family - Very simply, Thanksgiving.  That is our focus this month.Done 

5. Homeschool - Our goal is just to continue on track.  Both kids are going to finish some, if not all, lessons by Christmas as long as we keep going.  I also want to find some supplemental things for them to do when they are done until the semester begins in January (fun but educational) Done :-) 

6. Holiday planning - 1) Decorate outside for Christmas.  I usually watch the weather and pick a "warm" weekend day to do it all even if it is the beginning of November!!  Done 2) Plan Thanksgiving - the food, the decorations, and all that fun stuff!  Done 3) Get our Grinch calendar gifts-- keeping it super simple! Done 4) Make my gift plan for the kids so I know what to order and when Done 5) Plan our December so we do what is important to us first. I'm putting finishing touches on this :-) 

7. The Basement - This is the bonus space.  If I can find time to do 20 minute sessions in the space, I will and if not, I won't. No bonus time this month :-)  

8. Piano - Just finding a way to get the kids through some lessons This has been a struggle with extra kids here who are always in live lessons with their teachers while my boys have seatwork time.  

9) Photography - Time to read my new book once section at a time and practice :-) Maybe when I'm snowed in this winter . . .. 

10) Spiritual - Complete my Thanksgiving Bible Studies I forgot I even bought one!  Geesh! 

11) Misc - 1) Clean up the yard and fill in the holes 2) Have Josh finish his artwork from last semester  3) Pick out camping dates for next year so I'm ready to reserve them on time  4) I have an idea brewing for a vacation next summer but in order for it to happen I have to plan now and begin saving so my goal is to get it all planned so I can start saving for it :-)  5) Clean out the vehicles and set up my new organizing bins in each one (for lysol, wipes, extra bags, etc) 6) Make sure my November flag is hung up :-) This is the only thing done in the list!  7 I cleaned the garage last month but there are 4 bins of "donations" that I put out there like 5 years ago HA!  While pulling them down to decide what to do with them, I found a basket and two bins I had been looking for for quite awhile so I've decided I need to go through those bins before I donate them! 

Weekly Worship -Chris Tomlin and We The Kingdom - Christmas Day (Lyric Video)

I love Christmas music!  Over the weeks between now and New Years, I'll be sharing some favorites!  

2020 Week in Photos #46

 This was a fun week with Thanksgiving included! 

Here's a look back. 

Saturday and Sunday - I finally took time to just scrapbook.  I set up my card table and enjoyed watching Little Women and doing what I enjoy - creating scrapbooks! 

Monday-Tuesday - These two days were totally school focused.  

Wednesday - No school!! My mom came over and I ran some errands.  Then, we started cooking! Nate helped with the pies; well actually he made the apple pie on his own.  

Thursday - The big day! 

Nate was my chef - he helped me make just about everything going on the table. 

Our pies!  I made two and we bought two from Grand Traverse Pie Company. 

Our snacks.  My guests were not arriving until 12:30 so I cut back on my snack choices.  

Our Thanksgiving Table. 

Of course a football game happened too. 

Our pies!  First up, Nate's caramel apple pie (which is amazing), my pumpkin pie (which Nate also made), and our two Grand Traverse Pies one which was Strawberry Rhubarb and the other was Cherry . .. well it was supposed to be Cherry.  When we cut into it, it was Apple.(and not very tasty either!)  Talk about disappointment!  Uuugg! 

Friday - Today we decorated for Christmas! 

We are enjoying a nice 4 day weekend - as we come to the end of Friday night, it is nice to know that we still have two more days before it's back to the regular business of work and school! 

Weekly Menu - The week after Thanksgiving

 I always feel like the week after Thanksgiving is the deep breath before the busyness of Christmas/December. It isn't a bad thing by any means but rather just that moment of basking in the joy of one holiday before the excitement of the next one beings. It's the time to clean out the fridge and cupboards and start planning for the treats and special meals of Christmas.  So, this coming week is simple and, hopefully easy.  

Friday - So my original plan was leftovers but I didn't really have enough leftovers for dinner (barely enough for lunch!) so we will do our normal plan and get our weekly treat out! 

Saturday - The plan is to still at at my mom's.  It's a nice opportunity for us to hang out at her house with her for a bit each week.

Sunday - I never made our Zuppa Tuscana last week so I plan to make that today!  

Monday - I planned Chicken Alfredo for a week ago but we didn't end up eating it so we will have it tonight (Part of the "clean out the fridge and cupboard plan!) 

Tuesday - French toast sticks and sausage patties 

Wednesday - Darryl is going to be at his dad's to help him after he has cataract surgery so . . .well, we might cheat and get McDonald's or something. .  

Thursday - Tonight is "clean out" not - clean out the fridge and freezer of any leftovers/single items OR I'll make spaghetti.  :-) 

Thanksgiving Dinner

 

I picked up this amazing magazine that is full of amazing recipes in hopes of some inspiration for Thanksgiving dinner.  I'm not sure why I search for recipes every time I host Thanksgiving because, quite honestly, I cook the same thing every year HA! 

What is it that I serve almost every time I host?  Well, let me share! 

The most important part of the meal is . . .the Turkey!  I have two different turkey recipes that I love to make.  One is a Puerto Rican Turkey that  my brother, Jeff, made and I just loved.  It's so unique and flavorful!  The one I'm planning to make this year, though, is a Brined Turkey from the Pioneer Woman.  I've made it a few times and I love the citrus flavor that it picks up from the brine. 

Next comes the sides which, quite honestly, are all pretty simple. 

Mashed Potatoes - I totally cheat.  We love Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes so I just buy a few packs, heat them up and serve them in a serving dish.  They are the best!  Quite a few years ago we had Thanksgiving at my parents and my brother, Ken, brought amazing homemade mashed potatoes - I cannot match those so I don't even try - I just let Bob Evans do the work HA! 

Gravy - I'm not the best gravy maker to be honest but I found a "fail proof" gravy recipe I'm going to use.  Since I use a brine on my turkey, the drippings tend to be super salty so I have to make gravy without the drippings! 

Stuffing -We are very traditional in our stuffing.  I just use a bag of diced bread cubes with seasoning and buy the "stuffing mix" cut veggies.  This year I'm putting it in the crock pot to save room in the oven. 

Sweet Potato Casserole - I was looking for the recipe on my blog and I can't find it so I must not have shared it!  I will share it this year because it is so super good! 

Green Bean Casserole - This ONE is my favorite. 

Cranberries - I'm a little sad this year because we can't get my favorite cranberries from the store in the town where my parents lived.  It was amazing.  So, I have done some research and found a recipe to make my own. 

Broccoli Salad - I like to have something cold.  This is just the standard Broccoli salad that so many make but it is super good.  

Finally, dessert.  This is about the only time all year I make pies.  We will have pumpkin pie  and I plan to try a new apple pie recipe.  We might have another one or two depending on what I feel like doing HA! 

Now, in this house hold, I have appetizers out on the table mid-morning.  I think it makes it more festive and, honestly, we had Thanksgiving at my brother Jeff's house one year and they served appetizers.  I just loved it!  Here's a few things on the list: 

Pickles and Olives

Cheese Ball and Crackers

Fruit and Dip (My favorite dip from my sister-in-law, Deb - best stuff ever) 

So yes, it should be a great day with lots of wonderful food!  

Weekly Worship - Ben Rector - The Thanksgiving Song (Official Video)

Last weeks Thanksgiving song was fun and a little silly.  This weeks song is a little more heartfelt.  This comes off of Ben Rector's Christmas Album.  

2020 Week in Photos #44 and #45

i did not get last weeks post up on Saturday (I may or may not have fallen asleep on Friday night on the couch at 8:30 . . .. ) so I'm going to combine it with this weeks!  

Week #44 - 

Saturday and Sunday - We didn't do much :-)  I ran errands, we started working on sorting and cleaning Josh's room, and we watched FooTball.  

Monday - It was a beautiful day.  Add to that, our friends did not have school after 11:00 so we took advantage of this unexpected development

and had a picnic at the park.  Funny story.  We love this park because of the shade due to the HUGE trees.  When we got there my first thought was, "We must not normally come at noon, there is no shade!"  We started eating and I was kind of annoyed by the lack of shade . . .then I looked up and realized that there was no shade because there were no leaves HA!  Oops!  

Tuesday and Wednesday were school as normal. 

Thursday - I had a leadership team meeting and went grocery shopping.  

Friday - Nate had TKD and that was it.  Our lives are pretty "stay at home" right now - Covid-19 numbers are skyrocketing here and we are doing everything we can to not get it! 

Week #45

Saturday and Sunday - We didn't do much once again :-)  Actually I did some cleaning and general pick up and we worked on Josh's room more.  We had dinner with my mom, I had zoom with my family, and Darryl and Nate worked on his science project.  I guess we did do "something".  

Monday - This was not a normal school day - this was totally 100% science day because both kids had a science project to work on.  Nate had to test out two catapults he built and Josh is still working on making a plant and animal cell.  

Tuesday- School!

Wednesday - We had a virtual field trip with our on-line school to a pig farm!  It was actually pretty cool!

They had to put a piece of paper on their head and try to draw a pig face. 

Thursday - More school

Friday - A free day!  My extra kids took the day off and my kids were done with school for the week so we got a totally free day to just do what each person wanted.  I did a whole bunch of scrapbooking!  Yeah! 

Weekly Menu- Thanksgiving Weekend

 This year has been so unique (and maybe crazy) but it is nice to have some normalcy which, in this case, is a holiday that we all enjoy.  Thankfully, we have almost always had a pretty small Thanksgiving gathering so we didn't have to make a decision, or even a choice, about what to do this year.  Instead we will share the day with my mom and Darryl's dad, as we have done for the past few years.  We enjoy snacks, the traditional dinner, Football, and, of course, dessert.  I try to keep the cooking easy the rest of the week! 

Friday - Our normal "night out".  

Saturday - Dinner at my mom's! 

Sunday - Sloppy Joes and Fries 

Monday - Chicken Alfredo, green beans and garlic bread

Tuesday - Tacos, of course! 

Wednesday - Zuppa Tuscana and Garlic Knots (I like to do something totally 100% not Thanksgiving!) 

Thursday - It's Thanksgiving!  I'll share my menu later.  :-) 

Weekly Song - Matthew West - Gobble Gobble (Official Music Video)

Here's a fun song for you this week!  There are so few Thanksgiving songs but one of my favorite Artists, Matthew West created one!  (and guess what, I have another one for next week too!) 

Weekly Menu

 There will be some repeats on this weeks list because plans changed this past week.  Sunday everyone kind of scrounged for themselves so I didn't cook what I planned and then my mom dropped off an Aldi's pizza and breadsticks as a treat so I cooked that up on Monday night.  Darryl was meeting with a friend on Tuesday night for dinner so the boys and I treated ourselves too :-).  (I mean, it's only fair that if he eats out, we get to eat out too, right? HA!)  

Here's the plan for the coming week! 

Friday - Our normal "eat out night"

Saturday - Our normal "eat at mom's" night.  I really do appreciate my mom cooking dinner once a week plus we enjoy going to her home and hanging out for a bit.  

Sunday - I don't love cooking on Sundays right now - maybe because I end up in the kitchen for hours while everyone else watches football and relaxes!  So, instead I'm trying to plan things that are either super easy or that I can make on Saturday and we just warm up on Sunday!  So, for lunch (our fooball food) I have stuff for a Taco/Nacho bar.  Then for dinner later, little crescent wrapped sausages and  I have french fries to throw in the oven.  

Monday - Chicken and Dumplings with pickles, olives and cheese and crackers

Tuesday - Chicken Noodle Soup and garlic knots

Wednesday - Stuffing Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and broccoil

Thursday - I go to the store on Thursday and I try to leave by about 4:30 (as soon as our friends leave) so I have to leave dinner for the males in the family.  There "should" be leftovers between the soup and the Meatloaf so that's the plan.  If not, there will be corn dogs and chicken nuggets!  

Guess what, it's almost Thanksgiving :-) Next weeks weekly menu post will include my Thanksgiving menu -that's just crazy! (PS - do you know that our stores don't have any turkeys yet???  I hope they actually carry them this year!) 

Caramel Apple Cobbler Dump Cake

 

I saw an easy dessert recipe on Facebook for Caramel Apple Cobbler Dump Cake.  I'll be honest, they had me at "Caramel".  Yum!  

Like any good dump cake, the top is crisp and buttery while the filling is sweet and sticky.  

So, I decided to move back a little . . .and the reality of the situation starts to appear. 

And this is realy life HA!  Oh boy is this stuff good!  I'm not a huge fan of canned apple pie filling but, the added layer of the caramel bits really added a great level of flavor.  

This would be a great recipe to take to a holiday party or potluck.  

You can find the full recipe at Instrupix. 

Micah Tyler - New Today (Official Music Video)

Here's a new song by Micah Tyler.  It's a great song for the our current days. 

2020 Weekly Photos #43

 Another great week! 

Saturday - Halloween! 

We carved our pumpkins.  I love that both Josh and Nate can now carve their own pumpkins!!  In order picture are:  Nate's, Mine, Josh's and Darryl's. These were true Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins.  Do you know what the difference is?  Well, let me tell you.  They pumpkin flesh is softer and easier to cut and they are drier without so much junk on the inside!  They were amazing! 

We met up with friends for trick-or-treating. 

Josh and Nate Halloween 2020!  Josh informed me weeks ago that he was about done with Trick-or-Treating.  Well, I told him he had to do it this year HA!  I said, "You have to go this year one last time so that we can enjoy your "last time"".  He's already said he is not going again.  

Our pumpkins all lit up!  

Sunday - Was our normal quiet day at home with food, football, and family. 

Monday-Friday - School.  Since we now have our friends here everyday doing virtual school, we stick pretty tight to our school schedule.  On one hand, it's great because we are moving through lessons and will get a nice long Christmas break since subjects will be done.  On the other hand, it means nothing extra - no spur of the moment trips to the park because the weather is amazing or unexpected days off just because.  Our friends have times throughout the day that they have to log into "school" and be present to count as attending so we are tied to home!  Pros and Cons  - and it is just for a season so it is ok.  I'm thankful I can minister in this way to my friends and be a help and encouragement to them.  So, there is a whole lot of school and quite a bit of modified football being played every afternoon. 

Nate had TKD on Friday afternoon.  Due to new Covid restrictions, they couldn't hold class inside the church.  Thankfully the weather was amazing so they still had class - just outside instead!  Not sure if this will happen again though! 

Weekly Menu

 I feel like I get a few "down weeks" before we hit the holidays full swing.  I'm not sure what that really means since I still cook every day but I guess maybe it's that I just cook our regular favorites and not all the fun food!!  

Here's the simple plan for the coming week

Friday - Our weekly eating out fun. 

Saturday - Our weekly dinner out at my mom's 

Sunday - Crescent wrapped little sausages, chicken wings, Cheese Ball and Crackers, -- we have to have football food!  :-)  Dinner will be super simple - Mac and Cheese and a Microwave Meal for Josh. 

Monday - Broccoli Cheese Soup, Rolls, and Ham 

Tuesday - Tacos, I mean it IS Tuesday! 

Wednesday - Chicken and Dumplings, cheese and crackers, pickles and olives

Thursday - Chicken Noodle Soup and Garlic Bread (Apparently it is soup week HA!) 

November Goals

 

As we come into November, I like to slow down a little and focus on the things most important.  I love the Holidays and have learned from my past mistakes that if I over plan, it's not fun.  In both November and December I try to wrap up my year long goals while taking time to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the holidays.  

Here are my goals for November.  

1. Scrapbooking - 1) Finish my nieces book (a broken record) but this time it will be done.  As I mentioned in a previous post, if I need to I'm going to change the "story" of the book so I can finish it.  2) Complete 2 pages a day scrapbooking (so 60 pages total)  3) File all of the photos I have on hand right now and, once those are filed, order the April photos 4) The Spines - my goal this month is to focus on the top shelf of my scrapbooking shelf and make sure the albums all have page protectors and decide if I'm flipping any of the album covers for others.  

2. Reading - 1) Just read.  There is nothing better then curling up with a book.  I have a lot on my kindle :-)  2) Write my reading goal for 2021

3. Cleaning - 1) The kids bedrooms.  First up is Josh's stuff.  I plan to take a weekend (or 2 if needed) and just spend hours sorting and cleaning out (with Josh's help - he says he wants to get rid of TONS of stuff so we will see!).  Once that room is done, we will work on Nate's stuff.  2) With holidays coming I just want to take time and just simply clean.  I'm hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas this year so making sure everything is nice and neat is keay.  

4. Family - Very simply, Thanksgiving.  That is our focus this month.

5. Homeschool - Our goal is just to continue on track.  Both kids are going to finish some, if not all, lessons by Christmas as long as we keep going.  I also want to find some supplemental things for them to do when they are done until the semester begins in January (fun but educational)

6. Holiday PLanning - 1) Decorate outside for Christmas.  I usually watch the weather and pick a "warm" weekend day to do it all even if it is the beginning of November!! 2) Plan Thanksgiving - the food, the decorations, and all that fun stuff!  3) Get our Grinch calendar gifts-- keeping it super simple! 4) Make my gift plan for the kids so I know what to order and when 5) Plan our December so we do what is important to us first. 

7. The Basement - This is the bonus space.  If I can find time to do 20 minute sessions in the space, I will and if not, I won't. 

8. Piano - Just finding a way to get the kids through some lessons

9) Photography - Time to read my new book once section at a time and practice :-) 

10) Spiritual - Complete my Thanksgiving Bible Studies 

11) Misc - 1) Clean up the yard and fill in the holes 2) Have Josh finish his artwork from last semester  3) Pick out camping dates for next year so I'm ready to reserve them on time  4) I have an idea brewing for a vacation next summer but in order for it to happen I have to plan now and begin saving so my goal is to get it all planned so I can start saving for it :-)  5) Clean out the vehicles and set up my new organizing bins in each one (for lysol, wipes, extra bags, etc) 6) Make sure my November flag is hung up :-)  7 I cleaned the garage last month but there are 4 bins of "donations" that I put out there like 5 years ago HA!  While pulling them down to decide what to do with them, I found a basket and two bins I had been looking for for quite awhile so I've decided I need to go through those bins before I donate them!  

Halloween Costumes

 I think it is always fun to look back through the years at Josh and Nate's Halloween Costumes!  

Josh 2009

Josh 2010

Nate 2010

Josh 2011

Nate 2011

Josh 2012

Nate 2012

Josh 2013

Nate 2013

Nate and Josh 2014

Josh 2015

Nate 2015

Josh 2016

Nate 2016

Nate and Josh 2017

Nate and Josh 2018

Josh and Nate 2019

Nate (costume #1) 2020

Nate (costume #2) 2020

Josh 2020