This was the number one song this week on our local radio station. I like Zach Williams music normally and this one doesn't disappoint.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Saturday, October 24, 2020
2020 weekly photos #40 and #41
I was gone last week and didn't get a chance to post my normal Saturday post so I'm going to include that in this weeks post!
Week #40 -
Saturday - We took off and got our pumpkins.
We enjoyed donuts and cider first. We may or may not have enjoyed cider right out of the jug because we had no cups HA! It did make me miss my brother, Kel, because he loves cider and donuts!
Sunday - Mostly football but we went outside for awhile and the kids played a game with Darryl on the swing.
The swing set was a "hand me down" from my brother Ken. His kids enjoyed it for years but when they moved, he passed it on to us (plus his kids had out grown it). I'm guessing it is over 20 years old and it is really starting to show its age. We aren't sure if this will be the last year for it or not - the wood is really starting to split and the safety of those swinging is sometimes in question. Who knows, Ken might have to help tear it down next summer when he visits ;-) (He can't wait to visit now LOL)
Monday-Thursday were all school focused with a little excitement of this spider showing up. The kids are convinced it is a wolf spider. I just think it's big and needs to leave me alone!
Friday - Darryl and I took off on a get away to South Haven
This staircase in our cottage was fun HA!
Saturday and Sunday - Darryl and I were enjoying time in South Haven.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were just school focused.
We may or may not have had fun with this costume.
Thursday - Josh's birthday!
Josh got to enjoy his choice for lunch which was Little Ceaser's Breadsticks and Sauce.
We celebrated with our friends - cupcakes, ice cream and gifts.
The kids played a game of football. They usually play tackle but it had rained so they had to play touch football this time.
Josh picked dinner which was KFC and then he got to pen his gifts and cards.
Followed by his favorite cake - Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Hard to believe this kid is 12 and almost as tall as me!
At least he has a ways to go to catch up with his dad!
Friday - Josh and Nate played with some of Josh's new stuff while I grocery shopped. Nate had TKD and then we went to my mom's for dinner. We continued Josh's birthday fun by going to Taco Bell for their Cinnabon Things which was just amazing HA!
What a great two weeks! We have some fun planned for this weekend too!
Friday, October 23, 2020
Weekly Menu
We are wrapping up birthday celebrations this week!
Friday - We are eating in this Friday night because we have "extra" eating out this weekend. Instead we are eating at my mom's tonight. .
Saturday - Today is "Josh's day" where we eat where he wants and do two fun activities.
Sunday - Chili and Corn Bread (it is Football Sunday after all!). For dinner I'm going to switch gears from pizza and we are going to have Sausage Balls, Ham and Cheese Crescent Breakfast Casserole, and Fruit for dinner (Sunday is the only day I plan a specific lunch and dinner since we are all home for both meals)
Monday - Pork Chops, baked potatoes, and corn
Tuesday - Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and Salad
Wednesday - Homemade Calzones and Salad
Thursday - Chilil Dogs and Fries (or maybe leftovers depending on what is in the fridge!)
Thursday, October 22, 2020
November Bible Study and Journal Ideas
November is the month of Thanksgiving. It's the month that many of us take a look at what is around us and take time to just be thankful. I have two different resources to share with you today to help amp that up a little bit.
First is "Todays 5 things Thanksgiving Journal" which is written by a friend of mine and can be found on Amazon.
The concept is simple: Read the scripture provided, meditate on it, memorize it and write it down. Write down 5 things you are thankful for each day. There is also room for additional journaling. I already have my copy and am looking forward to using it in November.
The second one can be found at Women Living Well and is one I have done most of the 11 years it has been around. It is called "Making your home a Haven. It also has a book that can be purchased on Amazon.
It is a 4 week study that begins on November 2nd and really puts the focus back on the home. Now, the study guide is not required - Courtney will post most of the info (if not all of it) on her blog each week (just click on that link above) but the book gives room for journaling and making lists of gratitude as well. I personally have not picked this one up yet - I might just tie it in with the one I already purchased that I mentioned first.
Whether you are looking for something new to use or just a way to focus on Thankfulness I think either of these studies would be a great choice.
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
A Trip to South Haven
Darryl and I recently had the opportunity to get away for a couple of days to a cute cottage in South Haven, Michigan. We enjoy South Haven alot so when this place showed up on Facebook at a great discounted rate for fall weekends, we decided to take advantage of it. We have been super conservative during this pandemic so it wasn't a quick decision but one we felt comfortable with as it would just be us staying in a well cleaned home. (Plus I sprayed the whole place down with Lysol before we moved anything inside!)
We left on a Friday at about noon and headed towards the Grand Rapids area to get our favorite Mexican food, The Adobe.
Anyway, when we finished eating, we headed off on our own little color tour, enjoying a back road drive to South Haven.
I love cows so when we came across this farm with some adorable cows I had to take photos. Darryl keep calling them and they kept looking at us!
We did see some really pretty colors along the way.
This is Crane's Orchard. I've wanted to stop here every time we visit South Haven but it has just never worked out. We stopped and picked up some donuts and Cider for the cottage. We also got a slice of pie (but I will confess, Grand Traverse Pie Company has the best pie ever)
We finally arrived at our cottage on the river.
The cottage is two stories and sits right "on" the river so the view is pretty. We spente most of our time upstairs because it had more room, the BIG TV, and a nice king size bed. (Compared to a full size downstairs)
This was the tricky part HA! This was the staircase from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor. Thankfully there was an outside staircase to the deck to bring up our luggage. But this is how we got to the kitchen!
For dinner, we ended up ordering Chinese food and enjoyed dinner at the cottage.
Saturday morning we enjoyed the cottage. I binge watched Criminal Minds (something I never do) and read a lot. Eventually hunger drove us out and we had lunch at our favorite place in South Haven, Maria's.
Now, we have not eaten inside a restaurant since March so this was a big deal. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table (but we could wait in our vehicle as they called when a table was ready). Our table was in an alcove with no one else around - it was like eating in our own dining room. The food was good and that's is really what matters!
We had a great view of the draw bridge from our cottage.
After lunch we went exploring. The waves on Lake Michigan did not disappoint. South Haven has been especially hit hard by the high lake levels so the beach is quite small compared to what it used to be. And yes, there are crazy people on the pier despite the waves washing over it (No, we were not one of the crazy people!)
We also drove by the houses all lined up across from the beach/Lake Michigan and dreamed of living in one. Talk about the perfect location!
Before heading back to the cottage, we got a treat of a Biggby Coffee! Only my second one since March!
For dinner, we weren't super hungry so we decided to order a sub from Mancino's. Now, I have great memories of grinders from there when I lived in the Detroit area but let me tell you, they were gross. HA! For real though. I took one bite of mine and threw it away. It smelled. and not in a good way. We got fries with our subs which were actually super good so I just enjoyed those.
Sunday morning we had to pack up, load up, and head out.
We had picked one place out for breakfast but the wait was an hour and a half plus, honestly it didn't look like a nice place to eat. Instead we headed to main street and tried Phoenix Street Cafe. The wait was 25 minutes and they texted us when our table was ready. We were well spaced out and the food was amazing. I mean a.m.a.z.i.n.g. We will eat there again for sure!
Then we started meandering home through some back roads, picked up a Biggby Coffee, and then hit the expressway for the last bit home
Did we enjoy our time away? We sure did! It was cool and rainy so we didn't wonder downtown through the shops or anything but we enjoyed our cottage, the view of the river and some pretty good food.
Friday, October 16, 2020
Weekly Menu
I've been sticking close to my menu each week . . .except for this past Sunday when I didn't feel like making soup. :-) Otherwise, since we are home all of the time, the weather is cooler, and it's easier to plan when we do nothing - I just follow what I plan. I'm still working really hard to only go to the store once a week and work around anything that is forgotten. This might not seem like a big deal but prior to March I was going to the store 2, 3, or 4 times a week and had even starting planning the grocery list in two parts. I would go on Thursday and Monday just so I didn't have to spend so much time in the store. I might spend extra time in the store now but once I'm done, I'm done. It saves money and probably time. Granted, now I don't have a reason to leave every evening and get a little quiet time! HA!
It's hard to believe but this week contains Josh's 12th birthday. How crazy is that? His birthday kind of kicks off the Birthday/Holiday Season that carries on through New Years Day.
Friday - Darryl and I are going away so my mom, Josh and Nate will be together.
Saturday - Josh, Nate and my mom get to have dinner together
Sunday - I need to keep it simple tonight so just some pizza's (homemade) once again.
Monday - Back to reality :-) Sometimes, after time away, it's hard to get back into the grove. To keep it easy peasy, just plain old Tacos (I know, it's not Tuesday!)
Tuesday - I think we might actually have some cooler weather so I'm going to do the Broccoil cheese soup I planned for a week or so ago along with ham and rolls
Wednesday - Stuffed Shells, Spaghetti, and Garlic knots. Josh wanted this for lunch on Thursday until he realized that Darryl won't be home so he asked if we could do this for dinner the night before his birthday. Since Stuffed Shells are a favorite, of course I said yes!
Thursday - Josh's Birthday!! He has requested KFC for dinner so that is what we will have!
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Just Life
I'm still here, if you are still reading. "This" usually happens as we start to dig deep into school. What is "this" . .. I disappear a little.
We are having a beautiful fall. Every year I wish we could take off on a color tour but it doesn't happen. We did take the long way to get our pumpkins so we could enjoy some color. I figure that is better then nothing!
It's also true that as we buckle down deep into lessons and projects that life is a little, well, boring, around here so that doesn't leave a whole lot to blog about on a daily basis. I'm working on a few ideas for the second half of the month but it just might be more quiet around here for a bit! The holidays are coming, though, so it usually picks up!
That's life for now! School, School, and more school!
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