Menu Plan-June 10

I realized last night that I never posted our menu for the week. We had a fairly busy but relaxing weekend and then Vacation Bible School started Sunday evening at our church so posting my menu plan totally slipped my mind! So I'll just post it now. :)

Sunday- lunch: on your own (Seeing "Mamma Mia" at the Orpheum Theater with my mom and sister)
              dinner: on your own (VBS starts tonight and goes on for the next four nights)

Monday- bbq chicken pizza (freezer meal)

Tuesday- not sure, maybe just some breakfasts from the freezer

Wednesday- taco's with homemade corn tortilla's (taco meat-freezer meal)

Thursday- smothered aussie chicken, brown rice and veggies (chicken-freezer meal)

Friday- pizza (freezer meal)

Saturday- dinner at my parents for Mother's Day and Father's Day (My mom was sick on Mother's Day so we're celebrating both!)- steak, twice baked potatoes, salad and probably a homemade ice cream dessert, made by me.

Some Days...

Some Days...

I don't want to get out of bed.
I want to take a long, hot shower without the interruption of babies needing my attention.
I wish the laundry would just quit; I think it multiplies while we sleep.
I wish the kitchen would clean itself as there are always dirty dishes to clean.
I wish our house were one to two rooms bigger.


But then I remember I'm thankful for my little blessings...

I'm thankful I have two healthy girls who want to play with me and snuggle, as this won't always be the case.
I'm thankful I have a place where I can take hot showers at the end of my exhausting day.
I'm thankful I have more than one outfit to wear as many people just have one or maybe a scrap of cloth that somewhat covers them.
I have more food in my pantry, fridge and freezers right now than some people probably eat in a year.
I'm thankful for the house we have. Everyone has their own bed. We have warm blankets and fans to cool us off. We a big back yard to run around in. We live in a quiet cove where we can run up and down the sidewalks. We have nice neighbors who look out for us.

Some days it really is hard to get out of bed. I remember the life before we had children, how quiet, laid back and easy life was. Now we have kids who yell, "Mommy" because they want one more snuggle before bed or wake up in the middle of the night because of a bad dream. But that word, "Mommy" is a wonderful sound to me. I know some women will never hear those words because they are unable to have kids. I am thankful for my girls.

We have babies who can't feed or dress themselves and who need attention a lot during the day. Some day they'll be able to dress and feed themselves and won't want any help from me. They'll be content playing in their room or with their friends and won't want me around. I'm thankful for the short time I have them because it's flying by. I want to enjoy every minute I have with them even if they fuss for the two hours before bed.

I'm thankful for the good times and the hard times.
It means I'm doing something right.


Currently reading Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis.

Discernment and Insight

Proverbs 16:21-22 (NIV)
21 The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.
22 Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools.

One of the general themes in Proverbs is to live a righteous life. Many verses detail the advantages of living such a life - Proverbs 11:5-6 for example.

As I read these verses, I really thought about those two qualities: discernment and understanding (or insight as the HCSB translates it). What is discernment? What is insight? And how do these two help in living a righteous life?

Discernment: As I think about discernment, I think about the ability to look at a situation both at and beyond the surface to make the right decision. A discerning heart has the ability to know what to say or do in that situation. Not only does a discerning person know what to say/do, he also knows when and how to say/do it. When this person speaks, people listen, because his words are measured to reflect what he wants to say and what the Bible says. Correction and instruction are most successful when the words are chosen carefully and said with the correct feeling or emotion given the situation and person. The wise in heart have this discernment, and as such, others will listen to the words they speak. The wise person has influence because he can communicate effectively and bring others along.

Insight/Understanding: Insight, to me, is having additional knowledge beyond what is basically known. Why are color commentators for sports (generally) ex-players? They have insight. They have knowledge of the sport beyond what the average person knows. To have insight is to have more knowledge or experience. To have that extra bit of information makes a big difference. Why is it a fountain of life for those who have it? Because extra knowledge gives you an edge. In the context of the spiritual life, having insight guards us from making bad decisions. You gain insight by gaining more knowledge, which for us comes from more time spent with God. Insight is our fountain of life because we have the spiritual knowledge to avoid the pitfalls of life that the fool falls into over and over.

That leads to some questions to chew on. Do I possess a discerning spirit? Does my fountain of life flow from understanding? Do I value discernment and understanding? Do I recognize that to live a righteous life and be transformed I must possess discernment and insight? In what areas of my life am I weak in discernment and insight? Am I working to strengthen those areas under the Word of God?
Have a great day! 

-D

Around the World in 80 Days [Book Review]

Once again the time has come for me to tickle the keys of the keyboard with another book review. Clearly the Kindle has been a most excellent purchase, as I have already read 3 books on it in just over a month. Had this wonderful device been around during my high school days, I may have read more books and less Cliff's Notes, but I digress. The book I just finished reading was Jules Verne's classic Around the World in 80 Days (Kindle link).


In short, this was a great read. Verne tells the story of Phileas Fogg, a man of wealth, regularity, and calm demeanor... until his friends at the Reform Club begin arguing whether or not one can truly travel around the world in 80 days, as an article in the local newspaper suggests. Fogg takes the challenge and embarks on his journey with newly-hired valet Passepartout, a small bag of clothes, and some money. What follows is a whirlwind tour of the globe. Does Fogg complete the challenge? Will he be distracted by the sights along the way? And what complications will inevitably arise? This book is a fast read. The chapters are short (there are about 30 of them for a 150-page book), and the details of events mean you are right there with Fogg on his adventure. As you read, you'll notice the defining traits of each character and how, despite their differing personalities, Fogg and Passepartout make their journey around the world together. With the setting in the late 1800s, you already see how travel was "back in the day" and how different it is now.


There's really no reason not to read this book. It will keep you entertained throughout and should be on everyone's must-read list. And as always...

-D

Menu Plan-June 3

June 3-June 9

Happy Sunday evening y'all. It's a touch late for me to be up and blogging but hey so is the life of this mommy of 2!
I'm sitting in the quiet, watching a little TV (which is highly unusual) and listening to the storm coming through and hoping it doesn't get bad like my man says it could.

We've started our June Challenge of NO eating out. We're just 3 days in, but so far so good. It may be harder than we think but it'll be worth it in the end.

I went to the Farmer's Market this weekend and bought some yummy foods. I bought about 15 pounds of peaches (made baby food for Naomi, a peach-blueberry cobbler, ate quite a few and making another cobbler for Wednesday night dinner at church), 2 pounds of lima beans, 2 pounds of green beans and 2 pounds of new potatoes. I think I could spend half our budget there a month. It's all so delicious!

This week on our menu is quite a bit of food from the freezer. I'm already making plans for more freezer cooking in the second half of the month. I've written down about 3 food items to make. My goal will be to put in one thing a day, that's so manageable for me! So here's what we're eating this week...

Sunday- french bread pizza's (from the freezer)

Monday- chicken and dumplings and lima beans (from the Farmer's Market)

Tuesday- spaghetti and homemade breadsticks 

Wednesday- dinner at church; hamburgers and hotdogs (I'm making desserts and we'll eat for free, good trade!)

Thursday- english muffin pizza's; small group is tonight!

Friday- cinnamon roll toast (I have some french bread pizza in the freezer, perfect!) and bacon

Saturday- grilled chicken, macaroni and cheese {new} and vegetable

Are you making anything new at your house this week?

Fire Up the Podcasting Machine

Where I work, we are allowed to wear headphones. This is a good thing, because I'm not keen on hearing all of us typing on our keyboards or listening in on any phone calls. While I do listen to music, most days I am listening to or watching podcasts. They help break up the day, and along the way I do learn a thing or two. So what do I listen to? I'm glad you asked...

Weather Brains - Even if you're just a casual observer of the weather, this is a great podcast. Great interviews with people in weather, banter between the hosts, weather terms explained, and "picks of the week" make this a must-listen for me every week.

iPad Today - Part of Leo Laporte's TWiT network, this video netcast looks at all things iPad. Each week focuses on a theme and features apps related to that theme. Leo and Sarah do a great job explaining why the iPad would be a good fit for you and what apps are best for you.

Catalyst Podcast - Another great listen with interviews from influential people and pastors. The interviews offer some insight into the lives of leaders and what you can take away from how they lead and live their lives.

The Dice Tower - A podcast all about board games. The Dice Tower reviews games, covers board game news, and offers up top ten lists of various games, game components, designers, etc. Definitely worth the time to listen.

Those are the main ones I listen to, but enough about what I think. What are some podcasts you would recommend? Leave a comment and let us know. I'm always on the lookout for new things to listen to at work, on the way home, or before I fall asleep.

Have a great day!

-D

June Challenge: No Eating Out

Who doesn't love a good burger and fries and maybe a frosty too?

Baskin Robbins Chocolate Fudge ice cream is my favorite!

A Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard from Dairy Queen is Daniel's favorite!

Starting today, our family is taking on the challenge to NOT eat out for the whole month of June, unless someone else wants to buy us dinner. ;)

Our goal? To see how much we eat out, how much money we save and what of that money can go toward our growing grocery budget needs. 

While we do know how much money we spend on eating out (I just calculated from our debit card for the month of May and it was around $50. Eek!), having that money at the end of the month will show us we're doing it too much. It's not the dinner that's been getting us, it's the ice cream!

I menu plan each week and very rarely stray from it but come Friday and Saturday we crave delicious ice cream! So we'll gather our little family, ride a mile down the road and pick up a sweet treat. Now that Nyla is eating a little ice cream she's been getting a scoop of her own. Well that's almost $2 for one tiny kids scoop! Eight dollars later the 3 of us have some ice cream. This is not a good habit to be in, especially when I can make a quart of ice cream for 

Sunday afternoons have been getting us too. I didn't have anything planned for lunch on Sunday's since it is a day of rest. But it was getting to the point where we were hungry, nothing looked good so I'd make a trip to Wendy's or McDonald's. This hasn't been a good idea, obviously. So I made some frozen pizza's and that's been on the menu for Sunday's after church. And it's worked out great! It's not leftovers that we're sick of and it takes less than 20 minutes to bake and then we devour it. :)

How are we going to break the habits of going out? It won't be easy. But we've upped our grocery budget from $220 to $250 for the month of June (and future months) and I'll make ice cream each week if we want. I have a wonderful ice cream maker, delicious recipes and Pinterest always has new and exciting things to try. I'll also try my hand at some restaurant knock-off's if we have a craving for one of our favorite places. 

The goal of this isn't to never eat out again, it's an experiment and it's to help us see that we need to cut down on our spending habits. And eating out is the perfect example of cutting down on spending habits. We all say, "I don't have enough money." But how often do we eat out? And by the time it's all over we've spent at least $10 on the meal, per person and does that even include tip at a sit-down place? We need to adjust our thinking and adjust our spending. We can cook just as many great meals at home as we get in a restaurant. And at more than half the price, at least!

I'll update each week along with our weekly menu plan and tell you how it's going. This is a great challenge for us, not because we eat out a lot but we need to see how much we spend.

Do you have any challenges for June? If so, what are they?