Weekly Menu - It is Easter!

Easter to me always signifies spring.  New grown, new life, and the reminder of what Jesus did for each of us as He was crucified and rose again - so new life.  This year I am hosting Easter dinner which will be fun too! 

Friday - Pork Roast, Rice, and Green Beans (this got bumped to today because we had Ice Cream for dinner one night last week HA) 

Saturday - We are celebrating Easter with Darryl's family today. 

Sunday - It is Easter!  So dinner will be - Ham, Cheesy Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Smothered Green Beans, Deviled Eggs, and maybe a fruit salad.  My mom is planning to make dessert. 

Monday - Since we will have leftover ham it is a good time to Ham and Scalloped potatoes and asparagus. 

Tuesday - It is "Taco Tuesday" so I think it calls for Nachos and Salad. 

Wednesday - It is youth group night - there are only a few more weeks left and then I will once again have to plan dinner every. single. Wednesday. night. HA!  

Thursday - Now that Nate is attending TKD on Thursday and I stay the whole time (it is a little further away than the Monday night class and isn't as long so it isn't worth it to come home.) I have to be strategic with dinner.  I either need to eat before hand or have food ready for Darryl and Josh and then eat when I get back home.  So, this week I'm planning Baked Ziti and Garlic Bread.  It is something easy to warm back up when I get home. (Plus leftovers are fabulous on Friday for lunch!!) 

A few of my favorite things

 It has been a very (very) long time since I have done a post about some of my current favorite things.  With that in mind I figured it was time - enjoy! 

I was a little late to the game on this one but this is one of my favorite Apps.  It is the app for our local library so I can "check" books out and read them on my Kindle all from the comfort of my couch.  I've been able to find many of the books I want to read which helps save some money.  I can put books on "hold" if they aren't currently available and, when they do come available, get a notification that I can now check out that book.  It is not perfect - I find sometimes Christian Fiction is not always as easily available.  

This is another favorite App.  FreePrints is exactly that - you can order printed photos for free.  Each month I can order 85 photos at no cost other than shipping which is also much more affordable than other photo sites.  I chose to have mine delivered in a simple box so each month as its own storage box and I also get the date printed on the back.  If I order over 85 prints then I pay a small amount for each print.  On average it costs between $10.00-$15.00 each month to get all of the photos.  Yes, I order them monthly so I am always caught up. 

I've always been a fan of the different Milano cookies but these Lemon White Chocolate cookies are just plain amazing. 

The piano might seem like an odd choice but work with me on this one.  This is one of my favorite things because 1) since we had it fixed and tuned it plays better than it ever has before.  I never "loved" practicing/playing it because it had a very hard touch making it almost difficult to play.  Now, though, it plays so smoothly.  I didn't realize that this specific name brand has one "flaw" and that is that it needs to be oiled periodically or the strings that run in between the hammers get super tight.  2) I love hearing my boys play the piano.  

There are two things in this photo.  I love this bunny decoration I picked up at the Dollar Tree for Easter.  She's just too adorable.  Then, those big, white plumes are something I saw recently at Hobby Lobby and I just couldn't pass them up.  I wouldn't mind picking up a few more but for now, these two will do. 

Speaking of Hobby Lobby, I saw this the other day and just loved it.  This is what I teach in my Joyful class each semester and it is what I chose to live by too.  So now it sits in my kitchen window as a great reminder of how to live each day. 

Finally, the Sea Salt Caramels are just amazing.  I am not a big Aldi fan but these treats are one thing that I absolutely love.  

God Be The Glory (with Lyrics) - We Are Messengers

I think this one will appeal to a bigger audience than last weeks song HA!  I will enjoy this song - it is more upbeat and has a good message.  We are actually going to see this group in concert in just a few weeks.  I'm looking forward to it! 

Our weekly snapshot

 This past week was the rest of our spring break activities.  We still did school as last week was the "official" week but we had some fun things planned too.  

Our weekend started off on a little bit of a slow start.  Josh woke up on Saturday with a very sore throat so I took him to the clinic and he tested positive for strep.  Thankfully we actually had a pretty quiet weekend planned.  

Monday was our quietest day of the week.  We did a normal school day and then Nate went to TKD where they did a special "spring break" night - breaking boards and doing simple competitions. 

The black belts take turns doing the short devotional each week and it was Nate's turn!  He does a great job writing and presenting what he wants to share. 

Tuesday we had a meet up with our Co-Op group at a place called Frederick Meijer Gardens.  This time of year the have butterflies.  

Josh and Nate and a couple of friends that showed up as well. 

Despite being chilly they also wanted to explore outside.  They spent a lot of time in the Children's Garden area where there are trails and a log cabin before heading out to see the famous HUGE horse and a few other art pieces. 

We ended our day by getting lunch at McDonalds/Chick-Fil-A.  

This week we did not have piano or youth group on Wednesday due to the local schools having spring break so we took advantage of the afternoon "off" and saw a movie the teens wanted to see. Thankfully it was showing in our local theater. 

Yes, we saw the Minecraft movie.  I laughed at the stupidity of it and all of the 80's references.  My teens laughed and groaned at the Minecraft references.  I would say we all enjoyed it and all agreed it was dumb HA! (Which we already knew it would be!) 

Thursday brought about State Testing for Nate (a requirement of his on-line school).  While he was testing I treated myself to a coffee. 

Thursday also brought TKD again.  There are now two classes each week.  Nate generally attends both.  The main reason is that he has to have a certain number of classes before he can test for his next black belt.  He would like to test sooner rather than later so he is trying to get in more classes. 

Finally on Friday we had a field trip to the Bowling Alley with our Co-Op.  This is an annual - and much anticipated - activity.  The teens especially all love hanging out together.  Friends, Food, and Fun - what a great way to end a week!

Weekly Menu

 Welcome to another week of April.  We have a couple more activities planned today and tomorrow and then next week is more about just school and regular activities.  

Friday - Turkey breast, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberries. 

Saturday - Normally we have dinner at my mom's but today we are all going to see an Easter Movie mid-afternoon in town at our old theatre. I thought it would be fun to do something a little different. 

Sunday - Frozen pizza 

Monday - Meatball Soup and Crescent Rolls

Tuesday - Amish Breakfast Casserole and Banana Bread

Wednesday - Youth Group is back on this week! 

Thursday - pork roast, rice, and green beans 

April Goals

 This year seems to be zooming by!  March flew by - I think the crazy weather helped as some days it was pushing 80 and some days it was pushing 20 HA!  I mentioned in my March update that March still brought some challenges but also shared the good things.  April brings one less thing - our Friday Co-Op is done until fall.  We do miss it a lot when we aren't meeting every week but now we also look forward to the meet-ups and field trips that come up each month.  For me it also signals the beginning of the "wind down to summer" where things slowly start to come to an end and we get to enjoy the "lazy days of summer".  But, I'm getting ahead of myself because, well, it is only April !  

Here's my plan for April:  

1. Start fresh with the Declutter 365 for April.  Complete all of the April tasks then go back to Jan-March and finish up items from those months (Not every item on every day pertains to my home so it gives me time to "maybe" catch up.). Then also work towards the Flylady Declutter plan with doing daily missions and spending 15 minutes a day in the weekly zone decluttering and/or deep cleaning. (If decluttering is done, then deep clean) 

2. Deep clean the Laundry Room.  

3. Deep clean the garage (hoping for more consistent decent weather to empty it, clean it, and organize it for summer) 

4. Finish the odds and ends in Josh's room.  (We had busy weekends in March - April looks a little more open!) 

5. Clean up the yard - get rid of junk that accumulates thanks to the winds of winter, clean up flower bed, spray weed killer where needed, and set up the yard ornaments. 

6. Replace lightbulbs 

7. Go on a Date with Darryl (this is an every month goal!) 

8. Plan a family activity (the goal is once a quarter so I will put it in my goals each quarter until it is done) 

9. Read at least 6 books this month

10. DO my daily Bible Study.

11. Scrapbook :-)  

12. Clean out my file cabinet

13. Clean out our firebox

14. Clean out all of my music and organize it

15. Wrap up all things related to my co-op this semester - this includes putting everything away in the right place, organize all of my supplies that are in various places, and gather anything I won't use and donate it.  Figure out the Google work space access so I can upload documents for anyone on the Leadership Team to use/print/see. 

16. Learn one piano solo.

17. Learn a song to sing in church. 

18. Update my home for spring/Easter (I'd like to have spring things that will stay up through May and a few Easter decor items. )

19. Buy and hang new curtains in my living room. 

20. Visit Boulder Ridge Zoo with Josh, Nate, and my mom. 

21.  Attend various field trips/meet-ups such as our Bowling Field Trip, the teen brunch, the Butterfly Exhibit, and see the latest Paddington Movie :-)  Also, plan a teen game night for our Co-op in May.  

22. Schedule my guys wellness check-ups. 

23. Go through my guys clothes for summer;  make a plan to purchase all that they need in the coming weeks.  (shorts, shirts, dress clothes, shoes - thinking about camps this summer and what they need) 

24. Deep clean the dining room - move "everything out" (as much as we can) and clean; wipe down baseboards, wipe down walls, touch up paint, rearrange, wash curtains, wash the rug (or maybe get a new one!).  Possibly get a new clock (I love clocks). 

25. Accomplish at least half of this months goals HA! 

Weekly Song - Forrest Frank & Connor Price - UP! (Lyrics)

So, I asked Nate what his favorite Forrest Frank song was because that is who he saw in concert this past week and he picked this one.  Forrest Frank is a rapper (not all of his songs are rap).  So, if you don't like rap, maybe don't listen to this weeks song HA!  It is a very fun song - and just remember, when you are down, God is there to hold you UP!  This song probably appeals to Nate's crowd more than mine (I'm old LOL )