December - the most wonderful time of year! The lights and Christmas Songs plus all of the extra special things that go on - it is all so much fun!
We still have to eat though :-) So, with that in mind, here is the plan for the coming week!
Friday - It's time for our town's Christmas Parade so we have to grab a quick bite to eat before heading downtown. We keep it simple - Chicken Nuggets and and Corn Dogs!
Saturday - Josh has requested homemade pizza - I made it before Thanksgiving and it is his new favorite meal (He loves pizza - but the homemade is his second favorite. What is his first, you ask? Speedway. Yes, pizza from Speedway!)
Sunday - We have leftovers - Leftovers sent home from a funeral; Plus Pulled Pork BBQ leftovers and homemade applesauce. Sometimes we just have to stop and eat whats in the fridge!
Monday - Hot Dogs and Mac and Cheese. Simple on a busy night.
Tuesday - Ham and Cheese Quiche, Lemon Bread and Fruit (A carry over from last week!)
Wednesday - Frozen Pizza - it's AWANA night!
Thursday - I am attending a Christmas Tea with a friend of mine so the boys are on their own with Darryl :-) I might just have some Frozen Lasagna for them to cook and eat :-)
Friday, December 6, 2019
Monday, December 2, 2019
December Goals
Wow. It is December! It won't be long and I'll be looking back at my 2019 year long goals to see how I did! I feel like this year just started. Well, except January last about 345 days all on its own HA!
I do actually set some goals for December but I also try to just enjoy the season too. I look for as many free Christmas related activities as possible and we try to enjoy the season too. I don't fret too much about cleaning projects and watch as many Halmark Christmas movies as my family will tolerate :-) As the month progresses I start to focus on goals for 2020 and reflect on the past year too.
Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish this month!
1. Scrapbook January 2019 completely.
2. Do Christmas activities each week with the boys - I've searched pinterest for fun, easy ideas and now I just have to follow through.
3. Write my 2020 goals.
4. End December current on school work. When we come back after Christmas break we will have about 2 1/2 weeks left in the semester to wrap things up.
5. Have all Christmas gifts wrapped by December 21st. Why? Nate's birthday is the 22nd and then we are onto Christmas week and I want zero stress.
6. Finances - this goal stays the same . . .trying to just track everything all month. It does help curb extra spending when I have to write it down!
7. Take care of that random black bin in the bathroom from last month HA!
8. Get our Christmas tree and decorate it!
9. Make some Christmas cookies - ideally I'd like to make a couple of new cookie recipes - true Christmas style cookies but even just to make some cookies might be nice!
10. Celebrate Nate's birthday - the plan is already in place, now just to enjoy his day.
11. Practice my song for our Christmas Eve Service.
12. Make one of the White Hanger Snowflakes that are the rage of the Internet right now. I'm hoping that if they as easy to make they appear that I can make several to use as outdoor decor next year.
13. Hang up Nate's race track on the wall downstairs. We took it out of his room and just need to hang it downstairs where there is more room!
14. Work on my song for when I sing in January. The more I practice, the less nervous I am :-)
15. Focus on Flylady's "Home Blessing Hour" each week - not deep cleaning, not special projects, just doing some Home Blessing each week so the house looks nice :-)
16. Take my dog to get his nails clipped.
17. Mail my Christmas Cards.
18. Repair the boys Milk Jug Snowmen - it is a project we made several years ago and a few of the pieces have fallen off so I need to repair them!
19. Well, I usually try to do 19 goals but I have nothing for number 19!! Imagine that! Oh well, I can handle 18 :-)
I do actually set some goals for December but I also try to just enjoy the season too. I look for as many free Christmas related activities as possible and we try to enjoy the season too. I don't fret too much about cleaning projects and watch as many Halmark Christmas movies as my family will tolerate :-) As the month progresses I start to focus on goals for 2020 and reflect on the past year too.
Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish this month!
1. Scrapbook January 2019 completely.
2. Do Christmas activities each week with the boys - I've searched pinterest for fun, easy ideas and now I just have to follow through.
3. Write my 2020 goals.
4. End December current on school work. When we come back after Christmas break we will have about 2 1/2 weeks left in the semester to wrap things up.
5. Have all Christmas gifts wrapped by December 21st. Why? Nate's birthday is the 22nd and then we are onto Christmas week and I want zero stress.
6. Finances - this goal stays the same . . .trying to just track everything all month. It does help curb extra spending when I have to write it down!
7. Take care of that random black bin in the bathroom from last month HA!
8. Get our Christmas tree and decorate it!
9. Make some Christmas cookies - ideally I'd like to make a couple of new cookie recipes - true Christmas style cookies but even just to make some cookies might be nice!
10. Celebrate Nate's birthday - the plan is already in place, now just to enjoy his day.
11. Practice my song for our Christmas Eve Service.
12. Make one of the White Hanger Snowflakes that are the rage of the Internet right now. I'm hoping that if they as easy to make they appear that I can make several to use as outdoor decor next year.
13. Hang up Nate's race track on the wall downstairs. We took it out of his room and just need to hang it downstairs where there is more room!
14. Work on my song for when I sing in January. The more I practice, the less nervous I am :-)
15. Focus on Flylady's "Home Blessing Hour" each week - not deep cleaning, not special projects, just doing some Home Blessing each week so the house looks nice :-)
16. Take my dog to get his nails clipped.
17. Mail my Christmas Cards.
18. Repair the boys Milk Jug Snowmen - it is a project we made several years ago and a few of the pieces have fallen off so I need to repair them!
19. Well, I usually try to do 19 goals but I have nothing for number 19!! Imagine that! Oh well, I can handle 18 :-)
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Weekly Worship - Christmas Style - Kari Jobe - Adore Him
I love Christmas Music - probably because we only listen to it a few months out of the year. I enjoy how this song mixes new words with an old Christmas Hymn. Familiarity yet a uniqueness too.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Our week in photos #44
Here is a look back at our week!
Saturday - We had a busy day! It started out with Christmas Program Practice and then the boys and I worked for a few hours to get all of our Christmas Decorations up outside while the weather was decent! I'm pretty happy with what we did this year.
Sunday - Church and then the annual Thanksgiving Banquet at Church.
Monday - This was an all out school day. It did include a quick field trip to a local food truck for "research" as Josh has to design a food truck for his semester Math project this year.
Tuesday - The boys hung out with my mom all day - she took them to do some Christmas shopping plus they had piano lessons and Josh had a Haircut!!
Wednesday - We hung out with our friends who had the day off school. Nate went to my mom's to help her cook and to hang out for the night. She sent me this awesome photos.
Thursday - Thanksgiving!
Friday - The boys headed to a birthday party while my mom and I went out and did some shopping!
Saturday - We had a busy day! It started out with Christmas Program Practice and then the boys and I worked for a few hours to get all of our Christmas Decorations up outside while the weather was decent! I'm pretty happy with what we did this year.
Sunday - Church and then the annual Thanksgiving Banquet at Church.
Monday - This was an all out school day. It did include a quick field trip to a local food truck for "research" as Josh has to design a food truck for his semester Math project this year.
Tuesday - The boys hung out with my mom all day - she took them to do some Christmas shopping plus they had piano lessons and Josh had a Haircut!!
Wednesday - We hung out with our friends who had the day off school. Nate went to my mom's to help her cook and to hang out for the night. She sent me this awesome photos.
Friday - The boys headed to a birthday party while my mom and I went out and did some shopping!
Friday, November 29, 2019
Weekly Menu
Now it's that between Thanksgiving and Christmas where we do some fun things but try to spend as little money as possible HA! That fine balance of doing Christmas shopping and being intentional with it all while still keeping up with life's responsibilities! That means sticking to a menu and our food budget is pretty important this month too! I'll be honest, I've been a little "lazy" the past few weeks with our eating out budget . . .we've stopped a few times for lunch or grabbed dinner because it was easy. This month I have to be tough! HA! It doesn't meant we won't eat out - just that we need to NOT eat out when it isn't planned!
So, with all of that said, here's the plan for the coming week:
Friday - Tonight the boys are at a friends house for a birthday party so Darryl and I get a "free" date night.
Saturday - My mom offered to make dinner with Thanksgiving Leftovers so we won't turn her down!
Sunday - I'm hopeful we will still benefit from those Leftovers creations of my mom today :-)
Monday - Back to reality of cooking HA! Tonight will be Tacos to keep it easy (And to make it easier - I had plenty of leftovers last Monday so I froze them to use tonight!)
Tuesday - Pulled Pork BBQ, Homemade Applesauce, and Biscuits. This is also a benefit of leftovers from last week - a week ago I made a pork loin. I froze the leftovers for dinner tonight. I had planned to make applesauce last week but it didn't happen so I kept the apples to do it this week. I love simple meals
Wednesday - The boys are back to AWANA this week so Frozen Pizza it is!
Thursday - Ham and Cheese Quiche, Lemon Bread, and Fruit. Guess what? Leftovers! I had some diced Ham I used in another recipe a few weeks ago that I froze plus I have a pie crust in the freezer so it's easy to make the quiche and the bread is from a box mix.
I love it when I can use items in my freezer to keep our grocery bill lower and also make some amazing meals! (When we have good food to eat - it is easier to eat at home!)
So, with all of that said, here's the plan for the coming week:
Friday - Tonight the boys are at a friends house for a birthday party so Darryl and I get a "free" date night.
Saturday - My mom offered to make dinner with Thanksgiving Leftovers so we won't turn her down!
Sunday - I'm hopeful we will still benefit from those Leftovers creations of my mom today :-)
Monday - Back to reality of cooking HA! Tonight will be Tacos to keep it easy (And to make it easier - I had plenty of leftovers last Monday so I froze them to use tonight!)
Tuesday - Pulled Pork BBQ, Homemade Applesauce, and Biscuits. This is also a benefit of leftovers from last week - a week ago I made a pork loin. I froze the leftovers for dinner tonight. I had planned to make applesauce last week but it didn't happen so I kept the apples to do it this week. I love simple meals
Wednesday - The boys are back to AWANA this week so Frozen Pizza it is!
Thursday - Ham and Cheese Quiche, Lemon Bread, and Fruit. Guess what? Leftovers! I had some diced Ham I used in another recipe a few weeks ago that I froze plus I have a pie crust in the freezer so it's easy to make the quiche and the bread is from a box mix.
I love it when I can use items in my freezer to keep our grocery bill lower and also make some amazing meals! (When we have good food to eat - it is easier to eat at home!)
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Recap of November Goals
I know that November isn't quite over but I thought I would post my recap now since I don't think I'll get much else done before Saturday :-) I didn't accomplish as much as I hope to but looking back I know we focused on school a lot and school is also taking more time out of our day. Weekends have been busy which means I've had less time to tackle some of my projects.
1. Finances - I've said it many times - we live on a very tight budget. Yes, this is a choice because it is important to both Darryl and I that I stay home with the boys. The Lord has always provided - sometimes in mysterious ways (anonymous gifts through the mail that I receive every once in awhile - just a $20.00 bill - but it is always a blessing) but he does provide. This past year I have tried to make it a priority, almost my job, to be intentional with our spending. I've failed miserably at times but a few months along the way, I've succeeded. Amazingly, the harder I work at this "job" the more stress free and joyful our lives our because we aren't overwhelmed by finances. All of that to say my goal this month is to track. every. single. thing. This time of year with Christmas and another birthday always gets financially stressful. I want to alleviate that as much as possible by not spending on unnecessary items. This was a 50/50 success. I started out strong but then fizzled out about half way through for no reason other then I tend to forget to write things down!
2. Cleaning - At this point, I've "deep cleaned" every room. Which really just means that I've taken time to intentionally clean each one and get rid of what doesn't belong. The main goal this month is to set up a routine of keeping everything clean. I love Flylady ideas of cleaning - I just need to own it. Each week I started out with the goal to follow the zone lists but I just did not get through it at all!
3. Scrapbooking - My main goal this month is to finish November 2014 and December 2014 I have no goals of ordering any supplies or photos. Why? Go back to #1 listed above. I have plenty of supplies to use; I can make a list of things (stickers) that I want to add in and purchase them a little later. Generally though, I have plenty of what I need! November 2014 is done (I had some great scrapbooking time on November 2nd!!! which actually allowed me to finish November photos!) I'm about 1/2 way through December 2014 and this is the one thing I might finish by Saturday if I get a chance!
4. Family Fun - I will be looking for some family fun activities to do. Inexpensive but fun! We went to a Wedding which was fun. The boys participated in Library activities and we had our Presentation Night!
5. Purchase all of Nate's birthday presents by mid-month. Done!! yeah!
6. Finalize what we hope to purchase the boys for gifts for Christmas and start saving for those items. Also make a list of other gift buying - you know, the ones that surprise you a week before Christmas - and start purchasing those items as well. The list is done and I've started buying things that are on sale.
7. Decorate for Christmas. My mom is hosting Thanksgiving this year so I feel like I can get our decorations for Christmas out the week of Thanksgiving. I want to be intentional with our decorations. Put out what I love, get rid of what I don't love or have room for and make it easier to put things away in January. Done!
8. Decorate outside for Christmas. I like to do this in November before it gets REALLY cold. Done!
9. Finish November schooling current! I've been really striving this year to stay current and not get a few days behind on lessons. Barely . .well technically I think there are like 2 lessons left but I'll let that slide.
10. Register for our winter semester at Agape. This technically happens the first week of December but I need to plan for it and set a little money aside to pay for it so the planning happens now. Classes are picked and we are ready to register!
11. Write our Christmas Letter, take a family photo, and make our photo cards. Last year, I figure out it is super cheap to turn a "photo" into a collage photo and use it as our Christmas card and it only costs a few dollars. It's the perfect solution to get it done at the right price. I also have stamps already so this year, doing one of my favorite things, is well within our budget! I forgot about this one - this will be done this weekend because I want to get our cards sent out the first week in December.
12. Find a few Christmas projects to do with the boys. I love projects but the last few years I haven't planned well. I'd like to find something that they can make and enjoy! I have the list made - now to just do it!
13. I know I listed cleaning above but the basement is always its own category. Now the basement is cleaned and organized so now, I want to go deeper though. For example I have two HUGE bins full of baby clothes from the boys. I got rid of a lot, but kept even more because of memories :-) I feel like I am far enough removed from them now that I can re-sort them and keep only the super special ones and donate or sell the rest. Ultimately, I want to create a bin for each of the boys of things that I find special. That way I can add things like sports shirts, birthday shirts, etc. as the grow older. So, this month, I want to go through those two bins specifically and clean off my drafting table (it was my dads). The drafting table makes a great place to wrap gifts - but it is never, ever cleaned off! I don't think I went into the basement other then to wash clothes HA!
14. Pick out the photos of the boys for my wall. This might also mean taking a photo as well. I worked in October on getting "the" photo but have really struggled this fall with great photos! Still in the works.
15. Clean out the big black rolling cart stored in my bathroom currently! It ultimately needs to go to the basement but first I need to clean it out :-) Nope!
16. Plan out our December intentionally. Things like our photo with Santa, our Christmas tree, seeing Christmas lights, the annual parade, and making Christmas Cookies (which I think my mom wants to do, or at least help do, this year) are all fun things! Done!
17. Order my Christmas soundtrack and practice it; plus pick out the next song I'd like to sing. Done!
18. Get the dog's nails cut :-) Nope!
19. Clean up the yard - put away the stuff like the hose, summer decor, ect. This has to get done before it's buried in snow! We will also have to move the pop-up camper but we are watching the weather for that - when they are forcasting inches of snow on the near frozen ground, we will move it to the side of our garage. Until then, it sits in the driveway :-) Everything is done but the moving the pop-up. We did get a snowstorm but then it melted and we've had rain so we haven't needed to really move it yet. I'm watching the future forecast and when it looks we are getting a good snow, we will move it!
2. Cleaning - At this point, I've "deep cleaned" every room. Which really just means that I've taken time to intentionally clean each one and get rid of what doesn't belong. The main goal this month is to set up a routine of keeping everything clean. I love Flylady ideas of cleaning - I just need to own it. Each week I started out with the goal to follow the zone lists but I just did not get through it at all!
3. Scrapbooking - My main goal this month is to finish November 2014 and December 2014 I have no goals of ordering any supplies or photos. Why? Go back to #1 listed above. I have plenty of supplies to use; I can make a list of things (stickers) that I want to add in and purchase them a little later. Generally though, I have plenty of what I need! November 2014 is done (I had some great scrapbooking time on November 2nd!!! which actually allowed me to finish November photos!) I'm about 1/2 way through December 2014 and this is the one thing I might finish by Saturday if I get a chance!
4. Family Fun - I will be looking for some family fun activities to do. Inexpensive but fun! We went to a Wedding which was fun. The boys participated in Library activities and we had our Presentation Night!
5. Purchase all of Nate's birthday presents by mid-month. Done!! yeah!
6. Finalize what we hope to purchase the boys for gifts for Christmas and start saving for those items. Also make a list of other gift buying - you know, the ones that surprise you a week before Christmas - and start purchasing those items as well. The list is done and I've started buying things that are on sale.
7. Decorate for Christmas. My mom is hosting Thanksgiving this year so I feel like I can get our decorations for Christmas out the week of Thanksgiving. I want to be intentional with our decorations. Put out what I love, get rid of what I don't love or have room for and make it easier to put things away in January. Done!
8. Decorate outside for Christmas. I like to do this in November before it gets REALLY cold. Done!
9. Finish November schooling current! I've been really striving this year to stay current and not get a few days behind on lessons. Barely . .well technically I think there are like 2 lessons left but I'll let that slide.
10. Register for our winter semester at Agape. This technically happens the first week of December but I need to plan for it and set a little money aside to pay for it so the planning happens now. Classes are picked and we are ready to register!
11. Write our Christmas Letter, take a family photo, and make our photo cards. Last year, I figure out it is super cheap to turn a "photo" into a collage photo and use it as our Christmas card and it only costs a few dollars. It's the perfect solution to get it done at the right price. I also have stamps already so this year, doing one of my favorite things, is well within our budget! I forgot about this one - this will be done this weekend because I want to get our cards sent out the first week in December.
12. Find a few Christmas projects to do with the boys. I love projects but the last few years I haven't planned well. I'd like to find something that they can make and enjoy! I have the list made - now to just do it!
13. I know I listed cleaning above but the basement is always its own category. Now the basement is cleaned and organized so now, I want to go deeper though. For example I have two HUGE bins full of baby clothes from the boys. I got rid of a lot, but kept even more because of memories :-) I feel like I am far enough removed from them now that I can re-sort them and keep only the super special ones and donate or sell the rest. Ultimately, I want to create a bin for each of the boys of things that I find special. That way I can add things like sports shirts, birthday shirts, etc. as the grow older. So, this month, I want to go through those two bins specifically and clean off my drafting table (it was my dads). The drafting table makes a great place to wrap gifts - but it is never, ever cleaned off! I don't think I went into the basement other then to wash clothes HA!
14. Pick out the photos of the boys for my wall. This might also mean taking a photo as well. I worked in October on getting "the" photo but have really struggled this fall with great photos! Still in the works.
15. Clean out the big black rolling cart stored in my bathroom currently! It ultimately needs to go to the basement but first I need to clean it out :-) Nope!
16. Plan out our December intentionally. Things like our photo with Santa, our Christmas tree, seeing Christmas lights, the annual parade, and making Christmas Cookies (which I think my mom wants to do, or at least help do, this year) are all fun things! Done!
17. Order my Christmas soundtrack and practice it; plus pick out the next song I'd like to sing. Done!
18. Get the dog's nails cut :-) Nope!
19. Clean up the yard - put away the stuff like the hose, summer decor, ect. This has to get done before it's buried in snow! We will also have to move the pop-up camper but we are watching the weather for that - when they are forcasting inches of snow on the near frozen ground, we will move it to the side of our garage. Until then, it sits in the driveway :-) Everything is done but the moving the pop-up. We did get a snowstorm but then it melted and we've had rain so we haven't needed to really move it yet. I'm watching the future forecast and when it looks we are getting a good snow, we will move it!
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Weekly Worship -- Shane & Shane: He Will Hold Me Fast
Shane and Shane puts out some good songs and this one doesn't disappoint. A friend of mine shared this sometime this past week and I really enjoyed listening to it. I hope you do as well.
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