Weekly Menu

 And here it is October.  How did that happen?  I'm not really ready for the rush of holidays/birthdays truth be told.  I like to try and remember to breath, step back, and not over commit over the coming months.  I was just telling my guys how much I look forward to the cold days of winter where we get to snuggle in at home, do school, and just be together.  I love watching the snow fall outside and know that we get to hang out together.  I know, I'm crazy. HA!  

Here's the plan for this week

Friday -  Enchiladas and Salad

Saturday - I have a Choir Banquet that Darryl and I going to go to while my guys will eat at home.

Sunday - A potluck at church.  

Monday - Amish Baked Chicken, Amish Noodles, and Green Beans

Tuesday - Tacos - Tuesday nights are busy with lessons so I try to keep dinner simple and easy. 

Wednesday - Pork Chops, Cheesy Potatoes and Asparagus

Thursday - Beef, Tomato and Pasta soup along with French Bread

North Point Worship - "This Is My Song" (Radio Version) [Official Audio ...

Our Week in Photos

 What a busy week!  From a birthday party and a music competition to my brother being here and Friday School.  It was a great week!

On Friday of last week Nate headed to a friends house for a birthday campout.  This is a great group of friends that I'm glad he gets to hang out with sometimes. 

Saturday Joshua was a finalist in the Ionia Has Talent Competition.  We had to haul his drums downtown and set them up so he could play in front of quite the crowd!  I was so proud of him because he 1) decided to do this which was outside of his comfort zone and 2) He ended up coming in third!  

On Sunday Nate got baptized!  This is something he has talked about for quite awhile and it was finally time.  Darryl had the privilege to actually baptize him next to Pastor Steve. 

Monday was a day of meetings for our co-op as we prep for the start of the semester and then I had choir practice.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we focused on school.  Dash loves school days when he can snuggle in with his people. 

Thursday night my mom and my oldest brother, Kel, came over for dinner!  We enjoyed great fellowship and even fit in a game!  

On Friday we started our day with our Co-op.  

We had a great first Joyful class with the teens!  So much fun! 

Joshua is taking a Dotz Art class that my mom is teaching. 

And Nate loves PE class :-) 

We ended the night at my mom's for an amazing dinner followed by a great game of Five Crowns.  

What a busy week! 

Weekly Menu

 The start of the school year always is like a train running off it's tracks and this year has not been any different HA!  It's not really a bad thing - it's just the change from the relaxation of summer to the constant motion of school and lessons and youth group and activities.  It takes a month to get into a good groove and figure out what works and what doesn't.  We are "almost" there.  September always seems full of extra stuff to so I keep looking forward to mid-October when things slow down just a little.  What does that have to do with the menu?? Absolutely nothing HA!  

This next week Nate will be gone for part of the week as he wanted to head to Darryl's moms for a few days.  Otherwise we have a pretty typical week! 

Friday - Well,, this is not typical, we are going to my mom's for dinner as my brother Kel is in town.  It will be nice since this is also our first day of our Homeschool Co-Op.  (I won't have to cook!)

Saturday - I have a concert this evening and we are being provided with a pizza dinner between rehearsal and the concert.  I'm leaving Taco fixings for my guys before they head to the concert to see me :-) 

Sunday - We are taking Nate to my mother-in-laws after church.  As of now I'm not sure if we are grabbing something to eat on the way or eating at her house and I don't think I'll have that answer until Saturday night! 

Monday - Creamy Chicken And Gnocchi, Cheesy Corn Cakes, and a Salad

Tuesday - Sausage Gravy and Biscuits, Cheesy Potatoes (Joshua has been begging for these), and Asparagus

Wednesday - My guys have youth group tonight so they eat dinner there.  Darryl will have left overs and I usually grab a sub or something while waiting for them to get done. 

Thursday - We will be gone on a field trip today so I will get a soup going in the crock pot so it's ready when we get home.  Beef, Tomato and Acini di Pepe Soup and French Bread

Gearing up for our Co-Op

 We celebrated the start of our Co-Op year with an open house this part Friday and are excited for our semester to start this coming Friday.  I have a feeling that my blog posts might slow down again as we start to shoulder deep into school and other activities.  I set a goal at the beginning of the summer on what I wanted to accomplish with my writing and I stayed on track!  It's something I normally enjoy so I hope to keep up a little better during the school year then last year! 

Anyway, I digress.  What will our co-op look like for us this year?  

Phil Wickham - Hymn Of Heaven (Official Lyric Video)

Our Week in Photos

 What a week!!  It was a great weekend with my brothers followed by a crazy busy week! 

I'll actually start with last Friday since I didn't get to post some photos last week. 

Two of my brothers, Kel and Ken, arrived at my mom's at about 8:00 on Friday evening.  We headed into town to get some dinner and wait for my brother, Jeff, to fly in from Texas.  Jeff's plane was late but we made the best of it :-) 

We enjoyed a great dinner at a BBQ place and laughed a lot.  It's been a long time since we've been together like this! 

Finally we were all back together at my mom's!  My brothers are pretty great and this is just the beginning. 

Of course we had some fun with signs for my brother Jeff.  (They say "We are here for Jeff.  Welcome Home from Rehab) LOL  Oh my goodness the fabulous and hilarious comments we received from people getting off the plane made them 100% worth it.  Jeff tried to avoid us but we didn't let him :-) 

On Saturday we started our day at Sozo's for coffee and pastries.  It was nice to take Jeff there since Kel and Ken have both visited before and we talk about it sometimes on Zoom.  Now we all know what we are talking about! 

After we finished our coffee we went on a "Tour" of town and stopped at Meijer to do some shopping.  

After our tour we went out to lunch at Olivera's for pizza.  This was such a great moment of the weekend to be together at a restaurant with just my mom and brothers.  This has not happened in . .. well, I'm not sure when the last time was that it was just us.  

After lunch, we headed back to my mom's where some people (everyone but me!) ended up taking naps.  Once the old people finished their naps (HA!) we played Five Crowns and enjoyed snacks.  It was a really fun evening! 

Now, while I was enjoying time with family, Joshua and Nate headed off to a friends 16th Birthday Party and they had an absolute blast!  

Sunday was another great day.  It was such a treat to have my brothers attend our church and be able to see where we attend and hear our pastor. 

It also allowed for us to get some updated photos :-) 

We ended the weekend with some incredible steaks (cooked by Ken) and a Lions game.  Yes, we all have matching T-shirts thanks to Ken :-)  And we even enjoyed seeing the Lions almost win.  Then, it was time to take Jeff to the airport.  It's always hard to see a fun weekend end.  Kel, Ken, my mom and I headed back to her house to watch some more football and we played one last game of Five Crowns before I said good bye and headed home.  Kel and Ken headed out early Monday morning for home.  

Monday was a catch-up day for us.  Groceries, cleaning up, some school, taking care of some things for Darryl's dad, and then I had choir practice.  Whew!!  

Tuesday we managed to have a good day of school and Josh had drum lessons.  Darryl ended up not getting home until after 8:00 because he had to help his dad with some things.  

Wednesday was a little crazy.  We did school; went to piano lessons; and Joshua and Nate had youth group.  Darryl worked later then normal again so we "met in the middle" after 6:00 to switch cars for the evening.  

Thursday we managed to get more school done before Joshua and Nate headed out on a youth activity working at a Community Dinner.  The youth group is focusing on service projects this year which I think is such a great opportunity! 

Nate and his friend Ty were greeters.  

Josh and Garrett helped serve the food.  I think they all had fun! 

Finally, it's Friday!  We had our open house for our Co-Op.  

So, yes, it was a crazy busy week.  More busy then I really like but I also know that about mid-October this will slow down and we will slip in to "winter mode" where we stay home more and do much fewer things!  We will enjoy the busyness of September while the weather is fabulous! 

Weekly Menu

Last week kind of blew up.  It was crazy.  Nothing bad by any means just all of sudden it was full of things that weren't planned on Monday morning but were by Monday night HA!  The beginning of the school year is always like this though - we go from doing nothing to being busy every day!  

Friday - Nate is at a birthday campout tonight; Darryl, Josh and I will get something to eat, I promise!  

Saturday - Joshua is playing in a talent show in the afternoon so by the time that is done and we pack up his drums we are just going to eat at home :-)  I am not 100% sure what we will eat maybe just chicken and rice.  

Sunday - I think we will end up getting McDonald's or something after Baptism on Sunday.  Nate is getting Baptized and the grandparents are all coming so my guess is we will eat out after.  

Monday - BBQ Cups, Homemade Mac and Cheese and Green Beans

Tuesday -Olive Garden Zuppa Tuscana Soup and Rolls 

Wednesday - Amish Baked Chicken, Hot Buttered Noodles, and a veggie

Thursday - My brother will be in town and is eating dinner at our house.  I haven't nailed down what I'm making.  My mom suggested the Crock Pot Fajita's that we all love so that is a possibility :-) 

Back to School - 7th and 8th grade

 Week 1 is under our belts and we are ready for another great year.  

We start each day together with Bible.  It's actually a fun way to start our day as we get to laugh together and learn before each of my guys goes to their own studies. 

Nate

Joshua

This week I only snapped photos while doing Bible. 

Dash isn't so sure about this new set up - we never did school at the table before and he is missing his snuggles!  Don't worry once we are done with Bible both guys head to a couch and work on their work. 

Music lessons are also beginning.  Joshua started drums last week and piano starts this week.  Guitar will start again in October!  

Our first week was a success.  We've slipped quickly into a pretty good routine and both guys figured out pretty quickly that it is too their advantage to work more independently to get work done instead of always waiting for me! 

Now, on to week 2! 

No Matter What (Lyric Video) - Jordan St. Cyr [Official Video]

Weekly Menu

This week includes a visit with my brothers!  I'm super excited even if we are all together for only two days!  It's been like 4-5 years since we've all been in one room :-) 

Friday - My brothers all arrive today. Dinner will be a quick homemade pizza and salad 

Saturday - Sunday - My brothers, mom and I are hanging out and doing stuff - like getting coffee and breakfast treats at Sozo's, going out to dinner, playing games and cooking steaks on the grill.  My young guys have a birthday party to head to in the later afternoon and Darryl will be on his own and then they will all  join us for Steaks on Sunday. 

Monday - Pork Tenderloin in Creamy Mushroom Sauce and Pasta Dinner and Cheesecake Factory Brown Bred

Tuesday - Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup and Rolss

Wednesday - Tonight youth group resumes.  They get served dinner.  Darryl and I are on our own.  Darryl usually has leftovers and I usually grab a sub or something while I wait in town for the guys to be done at youth group. 

Thursday - Sticky BBQ-Glazed Pork Tenderloin, Diced Fried Potatoes, Corn and Crescent Rolls

I really love as we slip into Fall and I can cook more recipes that warm up the house and make it smell amazing while we do school.  It also makes me want to search out some new recipes to try (which I have several this week).  

Weary Traveler

 I've shared the link to the song Weary Traveler more than once (and will again at the end of this post) and I do so because the song speaks to me so much . 

Isn't it easy to get weary?  I don't mean tired; I mean soul weary.  Where things weigh you down; you get trapped in the craziness of life and responsibilities.  You get discouraged by jobs and finances and expectations.  It can all be overbearing at times, can't it? 

As I'm facing another school year, I feel that weariness begin to creep in already because I know what homeschool takes; what it requires.  Don't get me wrong - I love homeschooling my guys.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity and privilage to do so despite the sacrifices we have to make to have it happen.  That doesn't mean it doesn't make me weary.  

Is being weary a bad thing?  I don't believe it is.  I actually believe it is the opposite.  (See, this is not a negitive post!) I think being weary is a good thing; it causes us to focus on God and what he supplies. 

Matthew West - How Good of God (Lyrics)

A new Matthew West song is always a good thing! 

Our Week in Photos

 Summer is officially winding down as this is our last week without school.  We, again, are enjoying this last peaceful week before things start to pick up and life gets busy.  I joked recently that Nate has a busier social calendar then I do . .. and I wasn't joking!!!  Here's a look back at our week: 

On Saturday my mom and I headed out to meet friends.  Our friend Dee (in the front seat) married David recently, who owns an apple orchard.  We met our other friend Candy to see the orchard, get a great tour and have lunch.  It was such a fun day catching up with long time friends! 

On Sunday, after church, our family headed to my father-in-laws to celebrate his birthday with the rest of the family.  It was a nice visit and we got some good pictures.  He's 82 and we are thankful he enjoys celebrating :-) 

Darryl, his sister Kelly and their dad

Darryl's dad with the grand kids, and great grand kids.  

Monday was a hot and stormy day!  

I didn't think to snap a photo of the sky but a friend did - the sky was angry and brought along some huge wind gusts!  Thankfully we were fine and never lost power but . . .

There were trees down on Main Street (photo taken from Facebook) and lots of other people without power with tons of tree damage! 

Weekly Menu - and just like that it is the "end" of summer

 It is Labor Day weekend!  Whew!  Craziness.  I always take a deep breath as we pass Labor Day because (most years) September - December go by in a blink of an eye (or two shakes of a lambs tail HA).  

Friday - Waffles, Sausage/Bacon, and eggs . .. and maybe some grits if I feel like making them.  (A little "Waffle House" at home) 

Saturday -   We are heading to my mom's for our normal Saturday night dinner 

Sunday - \Chicken Crescent Braid and Salad.  I can have the braid filling made ahead of time making this an easy meal to pull together after church. 

Monday - Labor Day!  We are having a cook out at my mom's to celebrate today! 

Tuesday - Tacos -  a super easy meal for a super busy day!   

Wednesday - Pasta Carbanara, French bread, and salad

Thursday - Chili Five Ways!  (With Spaghetti, cheese, onion, sour cream  . .. and well, I guess that's 4 ways HA!)  Tonight is the opening night of football so "football food" seems fitting!