Weekly Menu

 As we settle into 2025 I'm trying to continue to be intentional with meal planning to make sure that I am using our budget as wisely as possible and stretching it as far as I can.  I really love doing my shopping online and ordering groceries each week.  The system is not perfect but it sure is a great way to budget as I can see exactly what I'm spending and remove/add/change items to stay within the budget.  I also run into thinking I added an item to my cart but when I get my groceries home, it is "missing". (Not really, I just didn't order it).  Overall though, it really is great!  

Here's the plan for the coming week - the first week of February! 

Friday - We are taking Josh and Nate off to winter retreat so it will just be quick food before we leave - Tacos!  

Saturday - All of a sudden (as winter retreat was just scheduled LAST week!) Darryl and I have no kids HA!  IF there is a good movie showing - we will use a Christmas gift from Darryl's sister to see a movie.  If not, I'm not sure what we will do.  :-) 

Sunday - Josh and Nate return mid afternoon and then Darryl,  Josh, and Nate are attending a Chili Cook-off Men's Conference in the evening.  I'm not really sure what we will do for lunch - the guys will be hungry after the retreat so we may take advantage of a gift card and get taco Bell or Pizza on the way home. 

Monday - Creamy Tortellini Soup (a carry over from last week)

Tuesday - Shrimp and Grits and Corn Bread (I usually only buy shrimp when it is on sale for buy one bag/get one free which means we get to enjoy Shrimp and Grits a few times in a row!) 

Wednesday - It is youth group night so Darryl and I might grab something for dinner. 

Thursday - Spaghetti Carbonara and French Bread (another carry over from last week) 

Weekly Song - Phil Wickham - Song In My Soul (Official Lyric Video) ft. Hollyn

It's time for a good worship song!  The last few songs I've shared have been fairly new releases but this one is not!  It is several years old but just recently popped up again and I just really enjoyed it.  It is easy to sing along with and brings me joy. 

Our weekly snapshot

 We had a pretty quiet week because of the bitter cold and snow.  I personally enjoyed days of staying home but I think my guys were glad when we could venture out again! 

On Saturday we finally enjoyed Christmas with Darryl’s family.  Josh snd Nate both got Lions sweatshirts. 

On Sunday Joshua and Nate went to Winter Jam (a huge Christian Concert) with our youth group. 

Joshua used is blood testing kit he got for Christmas to find out what type of blood he has.  

Finally we had our co-op and they had to build towers ….. without talking😊

Weekly Menu

 This past week we dealt with arctic temps - it was crazy!  On Wednesday morning when Darryl left for work it was -4 with a feels like of -27.  Thankfully it is going to slowly start to warm up and we are supposed to be above zero finally HA!  Because of the brutal cold everything extra we do was cancelled so we (well, the boys and I, Darryl still worked!) have enjoyed just being at home.  Joshua still had school to do while Nate had finished his first semester classes last week.  We also ate at home and all together every night this week instead of running different directions most nights!  

Here's the meal plan for the coming week

Friday - Spaghetti and garlic bread. (This is great for busy nights because I can make it the day before and just reheat it!) 

Saturday -One last party!  Nate's birthday get together is done.  We don't do big parties every year but they always get to have a few friends over if they want.  This year Nate decided to not do an over nighter (he actually does not love them - he loves his sleep HA) but rather he wanted to have a few friends over for the afternoon to hang out, play games, and have dinner.  So, that is what we are doing today!   

Sunday - Chili with Fritos

Monday - Chicken Tortellini Soup 

Tuesday -  Amish Breakfast Casserole and banana Bread 

Wednesday - Youth Group - Leftovers

Thursday - Spaghetti Carbonara and French Bread

Joyful Week 1 - Co-Op Class

 While I know this doesn't interest everyone, I like to share my co-op class lesson plans and ideas along the way because I search for ideas every semester and I wish that someone would share more!!  Especially teen classes.  So many teen classes are heavily educational and/or for credit.  That is not what I enjoy teaching - I focus more on relationships with our teens.  We spend 4 days focused hard on school for the sole purpose of being able to enjoy our Friday Co-Op, hang out with friends, and build relationships. 

I started teaching my Joyful class several years ago for the sole reason that Joshua asked for a "just teens" class so he didn't have to take all three hours with younger kids.  Well, teaching teens was not high on my to-do list!  I created this concept because I was already focused on the idea that we need to find joy in all aspects of our life.  When I first offered the class I had 5 students.  By the end of the first semester I was asked to offer it again . .. and then again. . .and again!  Each semester is fairly unique except we do "Breakfast and Bingo" every semester.  My class now fills up (15 students) and the idea of teaching it two hours so that more teens can participate has been brought up.  For now, though, I enjoy my one class.  

Week one of our semester started last Friday and here is my lesson plan: 

1) This semester I am sharing a short devotional around the idea of why we memorize scripture.  I'm taking my thoughts from HERE.  There are 10 Biblical reasons to memorize scripture so I'm sharing one each week. 

2) We then do our Joyful Bucket.  Each student has to name one thing that brought them joy throughout the week.  Sometimes this is hard.  I try to help them understand that their item doesn't have to be a "thing" - something they did or experienced - but rather even something simple they saw that brought them true joy. They also get to chose something out of our treat bucket. 

3) We review our scripture memorization.  We spend the semester memorizing scripture that we then share at presentation night. 

4) Our activities!  We did two activities this week.  First up we played a simple ice breaker game called "Human Taco". 

The basic overview is that each person received a paper with part of a taco listed on it.  They then had to find four other people with the different parts of a taco to make theirs complete.  We played two rounds and it went pretty quickly.  They laughed, it was was fun.  It would have been better in a larger space so I could have sent them to different corners making it hard to find people.  The game can be found HERE

Our second game was The Toilet Paper Game: 

The basic overview is that you pass around a roll of TP and each person takes "as much as you think you will need.".  Some took 1 piece and some took upwards of 20 pieces.  Once everyone has their pieces they are informed that they must share one fact about themselves for each piece!  Boy, we got some laughs.  I think those that took 1 wished they had take a few more and those that took over 20 (yes there were a couple of those) wished they had taken a few less!  One of the girls took 25 pieces and when she was done everyone said, "After that, we still didn't learn one new thing about you" HA!  I would recommend this game to any group.  It really was fun and you can find complete instructions HERE. 

Both of these games would make great activities for a youth group.  The Taco game would be great with a larger group too - the more people; the more crazy the search would become! 

Weekly Song - Jeremy Camp - Again (Official Lyric Video)

  

Another great new song!  A great reminder that God is our redeemer - he can pick you up from anywhere and help rebuild what is broken!  I think even when we aren't at a low point, a song that reminds us of what God CAN do is great.  I'm thankful for all of the blessings God gives me each an every day. 

Our Weekly Snapshot

 I told myself last week that I was going to work on taking even just one photo a day for a glimpse into our week but I almost forgot to take any!  Despite that, here's a quick glance into a few things we did this past week. 

Last Saturday we enjoyed dinner at my mom's house and played a game Nate got for Christmas.  We had lots of laughs and look forward to playing this game again! 

On Thursday we headed to the doctors as Nate had an appointment.  Always creative, these two turned a crumpled up Kleenex into a football.  They even figured out how to actually throw it so it would go the distance!  Nate is fine - he has been battling a cough for about 12 weeks; he had bronchitis back in November and could not shake the cough.  Come to find out it is related to his asthma and the fact that his lungs are inflamed.  He's on a high dose of steroids to hopefully relieve that and get rid of the cough! 

Our sweet pooch Dash in his favorite place - under the fuzzy blanket :-)  I love that I caught his cute tongue :-)   We love this little guy and I think he loves us too! 

Our Co-Op started today.  It was a really great day and we all enjoyed our classes.  The photo above is from Joshua and Nate's afternoon class which is a Teen Game Challenge.  The photo below is of my Joyful class.  I have 15 teenagers in my class and it is awesome.  We are loud and rowdy but it sure is fun! 

That's a quick snapshot of our week!  Now on to a great weekend! 

Weekly Menu

This is also the week our Co-Op begins again so Friday's are long, tiring, but very fun days.  We were given some amazing gift cards for Christmas so I do plan to enjoy them a few times on Fridays for the sole purpose of not having to cook!  

Here's the plan for the coming week.  

Friday - Super simple dinner - Pot Pies.  They taste great, are filling, and all I have to do is pop them in the oven.  

Saturday - We have Darryl's family Christmas party today so that is where we will be for dinner.  

Sunday - Joshua and Nate are heading out on a youth activity after church.  They did this last year as well; we ordered pizza after church to eat lunch before they headed out.  I'm assuming we will do the same thing again this year. 

Monday - Beef and Pasta Soup and rolls

Tuesday - Homemade Spaghetti and Garlic Bread 

Wednesday - Youth Group - Soup and Bread

Thursday - Amish Breakfast Casserole and Banana Bread

2025 Goals - January

 

It's been a year or so since I've shared my monthly goals.  Don't get me wrong, I still had them.  I just didn't share them 😀  This year I worked hard on writing my "25 for 2025" goals for the accountability group that I am part of with some friends and then took that list to create my January plan. 

A couple of things to understand about writing goals - just because you write a goal doesn't mean it will happen.  Why?  Because life and time don't always go as planned.  A goal might seem important at the 1st of the month but then things shift even a week into the month and you realize you need to do something else instead or first.  As a goal oriented person, I am perfectly fine when I don't accomplish all of my goals because what goals do for me is give me direction.  That list helps me focus on specific things instead of wondering what I should be doing.  Of course accomplishing goals feels GREAT!  It is such an awesome feeling to check something off of the list!  I will come back at the beginning of February and let you know how I did. (I bet you can't wait).  

Any, here is my list for January!  

1. Follow the declutter 365 plan for January and do every task that applies to me. 
2. Follow Flylady weekly plan for decluttering then cleaning each room - 15 minutes at a time.
3. Pick a room cleaning - 15 minutes decluttering
1. January's room is the bathroom 
4. Spend 15-20 minutes a day cleaning the basement - this months goal is the laundry room side
5. Finish all of the odds and end in Josh's room (hang things, paint closet) 
6. Finish things in Nate's room (hanging things and fixing a drawer)
7. Replaced burned out lightbulbs inside and outside
8. Go on a date with Darryl
9. Read!  As many books as possible but at least the 2 for my book clubs
10. Do my daily Bible study, prayer journal and word study
11. Scrapbook 
1. Finish 2017 and 2018
2. Upload 2024 photos to Snapfish
3. On January 31st upload to Snapfish, order and then scrapbook 1/2025 by the end of February
4. Order large prints for my wall
5. Do virtual scrapbooking weekend
12. Co-Op
1. Plan Joyful weeks 1-4 and make a sub plan
13. Go through my music books and pick one song to practice
14. Update some seasonal items 
15. Write my blogs each week
16. Finish taxes
17. Plan Darryl's birthday (February)
18. Plan Valentine's Day
19. Plan February goals/activities by the end of January
20. Finances - continue to work on tracking everything and limit spending
21. Computer clean -up - Go through every file on my computer and clean things out.
22. Update Josh's gradebook by January 31st
23. Host Nate's birthday party (1/25)

Weekly Song - Consumed By Fire - What If (Official Lyric Video)

This is another fairly new song.  A friend of mine shared it and I just really enjoyed it.  I love a song that offers encouragement in the lyrics and is just a great song to listen to.  Enjoy! 

Our Weekly Snapshot

 Throughout the summer I usually do a weekly post about our "adventure's" (or lack there of HA!).  As we enter 2025 I'm hoping to spend a little more time with my little blog - it's really just a fun past time for me and after several years of not having extra time to write I feel like I have a little more time.  Hopefully I can be consistent in what I'm posting . .. but life also gets busy sometimes so we shall see!  Anyway, this post is just going to be a snapshot of our week.  

So, here is the first installment of "Our Weekly Snapshot"

Sunday - January 5

The Detroit Lions won their game and are 1st place in their division with a bye for week 1!  yes! 

Tuesday, January 7

We had an awesome field trip to "Our Daily Bread" with our Co-Op.  We were able to tour the whole facility and learn about everything they do beyond just printing "Our Daily Bread" devotionals. 

Then we enjoyed lunch at Chick-Fil-A with my mom.  It was super yummy and we laughed a lot. 

Friday, January 10

We received our first real snow of 2025 and had to shovel the driveway.  It was quick and easy though thankfully. 

Weekly Menu

 All the Christmas decorations are put away and we now settle into the cold, dark days of winter.  I don't really mind them, honestly, as we try to tuck in and get school work and projects done.  It just means making sure meals are planned and groceries are on hand just in case the weather turns nasty! 

Here's the plan for the coming week:

Friday - French Toast Sticks, Bacon and Sausage 

Saturday -We are heading to my mom's for dinner.  

Sunday - Meatballs and French fries 

Monday - Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup and Crescents

Tuesday - Grammy's (not mine HA!) Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Corn

Wednesday - Youth Group Night! Pot Pies for Darryl and I

Thursday - Shrimp and Grits and Corn Bread

Word of the Year

 Every year for the past several (I don't remember how many) I have picked a word or phrase of the year.  The idea behind this is to find a focus (the word) and then try to shape goals, reading, etc. around that word.  I've picked words in the past such as simplify, discipline, and expectations.  Some years I really struggle with picking a word and other years it just pops into my brain.  This years word did just that - it was mid-November and it just hit me that my word for 2025 should be: 

It's such a simple word yet it has such incredible meaning. To worship something is to prize it above everything else; an expression of reverence or adoration of God. That is where I want my focus to be this coming year.  I want to learn more about the act of Worship; learn about ways I can worship; make the time to worship God through what I read, prayer, and even what I watch.  Basically, I want my main focus to be on God and His word; to grow in my walk with God.  Why?  Simply because it brings peace and joy to my life and it sets an example to my teens.  Hopefully it will also be something that my guys learn from as well and have a desire to increase in their own life. 

I spent some time in December finding some things to help me in this journey.  I have done some searching for books on Worship and have a whole wish list full of options.  The first book I plan to read is by Ruth Chou Simons called "Beholding and Becoming; The Act of Everyday Worship".  (The second one on the list is called "How Great is Our God; Living a Worship Led Life in a Me-Driven World).  I'm excited about both of these books!  I also have several devotional books already lined up because I picked up this past year and barely started them - which is part of my Worship Goal - to spend more time studying God's word.  I have some Bible reading goals.  

A few other things I plan to start the year with is less TV and more WCSG (our local Christian Radio Station).  We actually already listen to WCSG throughout the school day but I am the main TV watcher in our house.  I'm finding that even shows I enjoy on HGTV and Food Network are including more things I don't enjoy or agree with.  We've talked as a family of possibly turning off the cable after the super bowl (we do love our football) and then using the time between Football and Baseball season to figure out a less expensive way to watch TV.  By doing this I hope to have more time for reading and Bible study but also for listening to worship music. Another thing on my list is to work on taking sermon notes so I can review the truths from the message.  I used to take notes on every message but lost that when I had kids who I had to keep busy too.  I found a neat planner that includes a place for sermon notes that I plan to check out.  (I love a multi-use planner!) I plan to start a prayer log/journal.  I want to be able to look back at the end of the year and see the evidence of how God has answered prayers. Finally, I have a short list of Podcasts I am interested in listening too.  I have never gotten into Podcasts but I just feel like it will be another way to learn and to worship.  

Some years I try to build my yearly goals and plans around my word of the year but this word doesn't necessarily lead that direction with a few exceptions.  I would like create a place for my worship - Bible Study and reading - a corner or nook where I can have my things set up and ready to use.  In a small house, those places are hard to find so I might have to get creative!  Another part of this is to attend concerts when we can - we love the free summer concerts.  Beyond that, it is hard to go due to the expense but I'm hoping that maybe we (or Nate and I as we love them most) can attend one or two.  

So how will I measure "success"?  There are tangible ways such as counting the books I read or tracking how many Bible Studies I finish.  Beyond that though I think it will be more looking at growth and what becomes important to me throughout this next year.  I plan to share my journey throughout the year when I can (I don't have as much time to blog as I used to - homeschooling two high schoolers takes a lot of brain power HA!).  

I'll share more in another post but I'm also hoping to get more into my goal planning this year.  I'd like to get back to sharing more of that as well.  

Weekly Song - Casting Crowns - Crazy People (Official Lyric Video)

Welcome to a new year and more music!  Did you know I love music? HA!  Well I do.  I love great Christian music and am so thankful for our local Christian radio station WCSG as they share both new and old songs.  This weeks song is a few years old but I heard it recently and was reminded of how great it really is - because aren't we all a little bit crazy? :-)  

Weekly Menu - 2025

 This is our first full week back into our routine which includes planning meals.  I'm still following the basic schedule I set up a few months ago (Crockpot on Sundays, Soup on Mondays, etc.) and it seems to work out fairly well.  I'm also still planning the entire months menu at the start of the month so I can watch for sales and such.  Joshua has also expressed interest in planning a week or two of meals so that may happen later this month.  We shall see! 

Here's are plan for the coming week:

Friday - Joshua and Nate are at my mom's so Darryl and I will enjoy dinner together.  I'm not planning to cook but I am unsure what we will do - we try to keep it as inexpensive as possible so it might just be Little Caesar's Pizza :-) 

Saturday - Some story different day HA!  BUT depending on Darryl's schedule we may use a gift card to see a movie and then get something to eat.  

Sunday - crockpot chicken and stuffing and salad

Monday - Meatball Soup and Rolls.  This was scheduled for last week but we ended up having leftover pulled pork instead of the soup. 

Tuesday - Tacos or Nachos or Rolled Tacos - so obviously something with tacos!  I'm just not sure yet which direction will go.  We really love the nachos so I'm leaning that direction. 

Wednesday - Youth Group returns.  Darryl and I enjoy soup and rolls so we will probably have that - most likely Chicken Noodle. 

Thursday - Baked Pork Chops, "Souper" Rice, and Green Beans

Traditions - New Year's Eve and Day

 Happy New Years!  It is 2025 and that is just crazy!  Who remembers Y2K and all the fear?  Yet here we are 25 years later and that is just hard to believe.  I thought I would share one last "traditions" post around what we do for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.  

Our New Year's Eve plans are normally pretty simple.  When both Darryl and I worked full time we both always worked on New Year's Eve and then enjoyed a quiet evening at home.  We did start some traditions that we still do today though.  We usually had soup for an early dinner as we would both be home by about 3:30p.  I would make two different soups (and then we would eat leftovers the rest of the week HA!) that we could enjoy.  Then, later in the evening we would enjoy all kinds of New Year's Eve snacks.  It is always fun to "graze" throughout the evening when you are staying up until mid-night!  With kids and job changes (so schedule changes) we have altered things some.  More recently our traditions are to enjoy lots of great snacks for dinner with my mom at our house.  I make all of our traditional snacks and we just enjoy them together.  My mom likes to head home early and then we just hang out together - watch TV, play games, and countdown to midnight.  Some years we set off a few minor fireworks.  

Our New Year's Day traditions are even less exciting HA!  Honestly, we don't really have anything specific.  We all enjoy sleeping in that's for sure!  I will usually make brunch and then we enjoy heading to my mom's for an early dinner.  It is nice to gather together on the first day of the year and enjoy family.  Beyond that, we just enjoy the day.  Some years we take down the tree (and some years I keep it up for another week), or spend time outside (when the weather is unseasonably warm) or go shopping with Christmas money but other years we just enjoy the quiet of the day before all the "things" pick up again and it gets busy again.  

This year will be different (a good different) because my brother and sister-in-law will be in town so we are celebrating New Year's Eve with them at my mom's house with snacks and games and then New Year's Day with a great ham dinner that my mom is making.