Weekly Menu

** I've completed the updates of my recipe links shown in the tabs at the top of the page.  I will try to link to the recipes that are listed in the weekly menu.  (And I will also find some that should be listed but aren't and can do posts for those as well!)

Time for another week of a menu!  I don't have too much to add this week since we stayed right on track for the week.

Saturday - Today I am taking a day out.  I was given a gift to go to some shopping and this is the day.  I'll leave dinner for the boys - probably mac and cheese.

Sunday - Today is a potluck at church and, well, my boys LOVE to eat at church.  I will be taking Chicken Fruit Salad and Turtle Cake.

Monday - Country Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Beans and Rolls

Tuesday - Hamburgers and Fries.  We need to get a little more grilling in before the "season" is done.

Wednesday - Amish baked chicken (a new recipe), buttered noodles, green beans, and rolls

Thursday - Soccer!  This will be the last week; We will eat out once the game is done.

Friday - Tacos!

My Brother Ken

My brother Ken celebrates his birthday tomorrow so I've been thinking about him a lot lately.

Ken is my youngest brother but he is almost 4 years older than me.  We were the two that lived at home together the longest so our relationship is different than that of my oldest two brothers.  Ken was my best friend, my protector and my encourager through so many years.  There was a point when we were riding the bus that some kids were picking on me . .. Ken slammed the kid against the window and told him to leave me alone.  I wasn't picked on again.  Summer camp was not my favorite thing but Ken was on staff at a little place called Northland and convinced me to spend a week at camp.  It was amazing.  Sure, I loved camp but more than that, I loved being "Ken's little sister" because everyone loved him.  Over the next several summers I spent WEEKS at camp thanks to Ken.  I then followed him to Northland for college and the best part?  He was on staff at the college.  I loved having him there and knowing that he was there for me.

We seemed to end up in the same places for awhile - my first teaching job put me not far from his home which gave me a place to go.  When I was let go from my first teaching job, he was the one that was there to help me pack my room and stand beside me through some tough days.  He was also the one that helped me get into a new teaching position.  There was a time I was so unbelievably sick with the stomach flu I couldn't move off the couch so my sister-in-law sent him to my house with Sprite and Soda Crackers to check on me.  I could keep going about that relationship and how protective he has always been of me but, I'll move on.

Instead I want to tell you about him.  Ken is a preacher.  Some people are teachers . . but Ken, he is a preacher.  I've told him so many times that I TRY to make my mind wander while he is preaching but I can't, he always drags me back into his message and always seems to reach right into my heart and make me desire change.  He is funny and caring and kind.  He has a passion for "his" church; for "his" people and for "his" programs.  He desires to see God glorified in all he does and in his life.  I value him and respect him and yes, I am so beyond proud of who he is and who he has become.  I am blessed beyond measure to be able to call him not only my brother, but also my friend.

Recently I apologized to him.  Why?  Because I wasn't praying for him.  It was kind of a kick in the gut because I realized that what he needed more than anything was me, his sister, praying for him daily.  I committed to pray for him and his family every day.  Isn't that what we should all be doing?  Taking time to pray for those we love and care about most.

So, Happy Birthday (tomorrow) Ken!  Thanks for being that example to so many people including me, your FAVORITE sister!!!

Updating the Recipe Tabs on this Blog

I'm working this week on updating the recipe tabs on the top of the blog so that you, if you feel like it, can actually find the recipes I post.  It will also allow me to link recipes to the weekly menu for easy access.

So for now, "What we are eating" is under construction :-)

As I go through all of my recipe posts, I'm only linking the ones we actually still eat.  I've found some that I made a second time and we didn't love so those will quietly go away.  I try to keep the links up for the things we love!  I'm made it through April 2012 (working backwards) so I have most of the recipes linked and plan to finish it up by next Wednesday!

Teaching Tuesdays - Week 5

This past week was officially week five of homeschooling but it went just a little differently.

Yep, those are my two crazy boys but they weren't at home!  They went to Papa and Nana's for an unplanned few days.  My parents were at my house a week ago Saturday to help do a few things and, more importantly, bring me a piano and a chair and ottoman.  As the day went on, Josh kept asking if they could go home with Papa and Nana.  I finally told him to talk to Nana and, of course she agreed ;-)

There were some great things . .. learning experiences . . .that happened:

1) It was raining all the way home so the boys helped Papa drive.  They told him when to turn on his windshield wipers, when to turn them off and even told him he should pull off the road (which he didn't).  I think my dad LOVED it HA!

2) They got to travel to their Uncle Kel's house to pick up their cousin.  I think unexpected extra family time is fabulous.  The boys love their Uncle Kel so seeing him is always a big bonus!

3) The boys planted some Crocus bulbs in our "crop circle".  I took down the pool while they were gone so now we have a perfectly round circle of dirt in the yard.  They wanted to plant seeds (and they did . . sunflower and . . well, peanut . .seeds.  What?  all I had was peanuts in the house HA!) so I bought them some blubs that will come up early in the spring before we put the pool up again.

My original plan was to do some school on Thursday and Friday but, honestly, on Thursday the boys played and played and PLAYED so I let them, play.  Then we normally don't have school on Friday anyway.  I looked at where we were in my year plan and we are more than on schedule plus I had planned for this next week to be a "free week" and now we'll have class! 

Some Simple Fall Decorations to make

I've been trying to figure out recently why I don't get nearly the same amount of things done that I used to get done.  I finally figured  it out.  My kids don't take naps.  There was a fairly short period of time where both boys went down for a two hour nap (at LEAST that long) at the exact same time which meant I had two hours to work on crafts, scrapbook, work in the yard or, well, just sit outside and read (and get a tan!).  Now that just doesn't happen.  They boys are almost to a stage now where I can work on crafts and they don't try to take over . .. almost but not quite.  :-) 

So, for this first installment of "Make it Monday" I thought I would share two very simple Fall Crafts I made several years ago.  They are still two of my favorite decorations to put out at this time of they year so even though they are simple, I still love them!

 The mason jar Jack-o-Lantern's are so adorable and so easy to make!  All you need is a few canning jars of varying sizes, some spray paint, Ribbon or Raffia, and Glad "Stick and Seal".

Very simply, cut out the shapes you need from the press and seal and stick them onto the mason jars.  Use spray paint to paint the entire outside of the jar.  Once dry, remove the press and seal pieces.  Tie ribbon or raffia around the neck of the jar.  Feel free to add tealights or electric candles inside the jar for added effect. 

The wood block pumpkins are beyond easy.  Just cut some 2x4 (or any wood in the scrap pile that is thick enough to stand up on its own).  Spray paint the wood orange, cut off some small tree limbs and hot glue to the top of the wood and add some raffia for something extra.  Super cute and so very easy!

Things my kids say

* Recently, when the boys were at my parents, Josh told Nana that he and Nate were now married.  She asked him what that meant and he said that it just meant that they can live together now.  Where do they get this stuff?

* Again, my mom was talking to the boys and told them that Darryl was going back to work.  Josh was all excited because "Now that Dad is going back to work we can buy stuff again."  Out of the mouth of babes . . .I've been going through shopping withdrawal!. 

* The other day I heard a drawer full of legos hit the bedroom floor followed by, "I didn't expect that happen!" (said by Nate)  The good news is that the boys then played for hours with all of the Legos!

* If you know the tune to Jesus Loves Me, sing it to these words. "Jesus Loves me and I know, God still sees us all the time, Nation wide is on your side and the cat is running fast.  Give me a zinger in this game so I can beat dad once again and God does good things even when I still ask why."  LOLOL  Those are just random things Josh has been signing to that tune ALL DAY LONG!!! (At one point he asked me if I liked his singing and of course, I said yes!)

* One of the things Josh told me when they came home this week was that he told Papa and Nana that he would always obey and would stop asking me "WHY" when I told him to do something.  Well, on Thursday of this past week I asked him to do something and said, "Why?".  Nate (also known as the Holy Spirit a times to all of us . . .. hehehehe) pipes up with, "Josh you told Pap and Nana you would not ask mom Why anymore."  Do you know what Josh did?  He got a piece of paper and made a "No Why" sign - he wrote the word "Why" on the paper and then put a circle with a line through it over top of the word.  He said he would carry it with him so he wouldn't forget :-)

Family Fun - It's Soccer Season

We signed the boys up for Fall Soccer since they enjoyed it last season.  Josh enjoys soccer and is very competitive but he is extremely excited about playing T-Ball in the spring.  Nate enjoys the "idea" of soccer but it isn't his favorite thing in the world.

 Our first week of soccer was interrupted by a Thunderstorm.  We were all sent to our vehicles for 20 minutes until it passed.

 Did someone say football? 

 Nate is playing much better this time around - he actually ran after the ball instead of picking flowers :-)

They both got to throw the ball in at some point.

The second week was COLD!  My parents were able to attend the game which thrilled the boys.  Nana was their biggest cheerleader that's for sure!

The past two weeks have been beautiful.  The perfect weather for soccer - not too hot and not too cold!  We still have two more weeks left and so far (even though they don't keep score . . .) the Earthquakes have won every game :-)  (The parents keep score HA!)