Simply Renee

Menu Plan Monday - one day late

2012-01-10T10:57:00.003-06:00

Menu planning is back on for this week after taking last week off:

Breakfast options:
cereal
cinnamon toast and yogurt
biscuits, sausage, and eggs
breakfast burritos
waffles
pancakes

Lunch options:
leftovers
paninis
sausage links on buns
buffalo tenders, celery, ranch, carrots
taco salad
egg salad, crackers, grapes
Hawaiian chicken slaw, fruit

Dinner options:
Spaghetti with wheat pasta, roasted green beans, rolls
Asian crockpot pork chops, roasted cabbage, coconut rice
Turkey stroganoff, corn on cob, egg noodles
Black bean tostados, spanish rice
Indian butter chicken, naan, roasted snow peas, basmati rice
Baked potato bar with shredded bbq chicken

Project Life 2012

2012-01-10T10:12:00.006-06:00

I am FINALLY doing something scrappy again. I took the plunge and decided that if I wasn't going to actually create scrapbook PAGES on a regular basis that I needed to at least print photos and get into an album. And then everyone kept posting about Project Life...mainly Ali Edwards...and I decided THAT was what I was going to do. So I am...

And it's perfect for our life right now.

Perfect.

I scrapbooked Saturday (regular pages) and quickly remembered why I no longer do this on a regular basis. It consumes my day. I get quickly wrapped up in the process and before you know it, there's no supper, no chores completed, no papers graded, no kids whipped into shape (lol), no laundry (oh, for SHAME!...maybe I should scrapbook more often since I DESPISE laundry?), and then it's 11:00 and Thomas is calling me to actually come to bed. See - it's a time sucker for me. And my life hasn't afforded time-suckers as of the last several years.

But - Project Life...this is doable. A midst real life doable.

Here's a few pages from my first week of Project Life. I am using a lot of Instagram photos because #1. my iPhone is conveniently beside me almost all day #2. I can get a candid shot more quickly with my iPhone because the boys don't scream and run if they can't see it, lol! I had not received my official PL page protectors when I completed the title page and first week, but I decided to just go with the flow and use what I had. I don't want to make it harder than what it should be and I have a TON of product that needs used. The first week is mostly photos collaged together on 4x6 prints and one card of journaling. Super simple...and done. WOOHOO!

Front of album:

Close-up of album cover:

First page - title page:

Backside of first page - this is MY project life album, and I used a photo I loved of the kids and then included small photos from the first week with a bit of extra journaling on this page as well. Not your typical page set-up, but it's MINE and I'm okay with it:

First week:

And pre-planning for next week so I can make sure I'm taking the appropriately positioned photos. I didn't get protector A mainly because it was out of stock, but I do NOT take a ton of horizontal photos. Most of photos are vertical, since most of my subjects are people...just a preference of mine. I think I might be able to make it work without style A, but we'll see...

Anyhoo - this was the first week and I enjoyed it. I think it'll work.

Whew - what a whirlwind

2011-12-24T11:09:00.003-06:00

What a WHIRLWIND these last 3 months of 2011 have been. SO much going on that I've scarcely had time to sit down and just enjoy life. So - I'm planning next week THIS week so that I can enjoy every moment of just having NOTHING to do!

Thomas and I realized the other day that our children have never fully gotten to immerse themselves in old-school meals like we had as children. Their momma enjoys cooking (for shame, huh?!) and as a result there's just not a ton of rotating meals like my mom used to make for us. So - this is the plan for next week in honor of the last week of 2011:

"Ringing out the old"

Dijon Chicken, green bean bundles, old school dressing, cranberry sauce, rolls
Coq au Vin, pasta, asparagus
Tuna Casserole, salad
Porcupines, mashed potatoes, corn
Beef stroganoff (trying to duplicate the Hamburger Helper version, if possible), egg noodles
Grilled Mustard pork chops, mac-n-cheese
Deer steaks, black-eyed-peas, baked potatoes

All of this is subject to change, though - depending on my state of relaxation. We wouldn't want to impede that, huh?!

Hope this next year finds a bit more time for 'down-time'!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-10-17T11:47:00.003-05:00

I've GOT to cook everyday this week. Too much $$ spent last week on out to eat since there were a TON of away from home activities in the evenings and we were gone Thursday-Saturday.

This week's plan:

Breakfast options:Sausage & Cheese biscuits
Bagel/Egg/Cheese sandwiches
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Muffins with yogurt
Breakfast burritos
Cereal
Pancakes/Bacon/Eggs

Lunch options:Leftovers
Chicken Fried Rice
Beef taquitos
Steak hoagies
PB&J banana roll-ups
Ramen & egg rolls

Dinners:BBQ Chicken Sandwiches/baked beans/salad
Shredded chipotle beef tacos, corn, chips & guacamole salsa (tried both links previously and LOVE LOVE LOVE!)
Chicken tortilla soup, sopapillas
Mongolian beef, coconut rice, roasted snow peas, egg rolls
Penne Pasta with tomato cream sauce, Angel chicken, roasted green beans, breadsticks Tomato Basil Soup & Grilled Cheese

Menu Plan Monday

2011-10-03T12:38:00.003-05:00

Thomas and I have been on a Daniel Fast for the last 2 weeks. We have 7 more days to go. However; I still have to cook for the fam, so I've still been menu-planning, but just more modified to fit the smaller needs.

Here's the plan, Stan (any Stan's out there reading?). I'm trying something new to help aid some rotation of flavors during the week.

Monday - Meatless/Soups
Tuesday - Mexican
Wednesday - Crockpot
Thursday - Asian
Friday - Italian/Pasta
Saturday - Leftover buffet
Sunday - American/Southern

We LOVE to try new meals (if you haven't noticed) and sometimes get stuck in a rut flavor/palette wise. We love to experiment and often don't rotate meals back through even if we love them. That's a shame, huh?

So - this should help us get through our lists of MUST trys more quickly.

(on a side note: If you've NOT tried Pinterest, just don't! It's addictive. But if you really don't want to listen to my advice, here's the link(s) to my food pins. YUMMMYYYY!)

Healthier food options
Just plain YUMMY!
Some great breakfast ideas
Gluten free recipes or easily altered to fit the bill
Crockpot WONDERS (I LOVE my crockpot!)
Great Freezable meal ideas
Just plain BAD for ya desserts
Cookies - cause I ALWAYS need more recipes to add to my 3 ring binder FULL of just cookie recipes, lol!

As you can see from these links - I've got WAY more pins for food than I do time, so I HAVE to have a plan to get all of these cooked, lol! (and I WOULD stop pinning more, but where's the fun in that?!?!)

ALL of that being said - here's this weeks plan:

Breakfast options
oatmeal
cinnamon/cheese toasts
sausage and cheese biscuits
hashbrown scramble
cereal
pancakes and bacon

Lunch options
kosher hot dogs and homemade fries
chicken patty burgers and broccoli ramen salad
cheese quesadillas with toppings
pizza pocket rolls
ramen noodles and miso soup
leftovers

Dinners
Split Pea Soup, cornbread muffins, potato crisps
Shredded Beef nachos/tostados with the fixins/guacamole salsa
Hawaiian Chicken, rice, corn on cob
Easy Weeknight Thai Stir fry/rice
Baked Pesto Chicken, angel hair pasta and herbs, garlic green beans, breadsticks
Tomato Basil Soup, grilled cheese sammies

For Wednesday night Growth Group - Mississippi Sin, chocolate sheet cake

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-29T14:49:00.003-05:00

Breakfast choices:
cereal
applesauce muffins
pancakes
sausage and biscuits
egg n baskets
buttermilk cinnamon rolls

Lunch choices:
pimento cheese/grapes
french dip sammies/pasta salad
bean burritos/chips/salsa
leftovers
pb&j's/grapes
indian lentils/naan

Dinner choices:spaghetti/corn on cob/mashed potatoes
chicken marsala/bow tie pasta/broccoli
chicken lettuce wraps/egg rolls
indian butter chicken/rice/bok choy
homemade pizzas
beef & veggie soup

To Be Educated (the poem)

2011-08-23T15:14:00.003-05:00

If I learn my ABC's, can read 600 words per minute, and can write with perfect penmanship, but have not been shown how to communicate with the Designer of all language, I have not been educated.

If I can deliver an eloquent speech and persuade you with my stunning logic, but have not been instructed in God's wisdom, I have not been educated.

If I have read Shakespeare and John Locke and can discuss their writings with keen insight but have not read the greatest of all books, the Bible, and have no knowledge of it's personal importance, I have not been educated.

If I have memorized addition facts, multiplication tables, and chemical formulas, but have never been disciplined to hide God's Word in my heart, I have not been educated.

If I can explain the law of gravity and Einstein's theory of relativity, but have never been instructed in the unchangeable laws of the One who orders our universe, I have not been educated.

If I can classify animals by their family, genus and species, and can write a lengthy scientific paper that wins an award, but have not been introduced to the Maker's purpose for all creation, I have not been educated.

If I can recite the Gettysburg Address and the Preamble to the Constitution, but have not been informed of the hand of God in the history of our country, I have not been educated.

If I can play the piano, the violin, six other instruments, and can write music that moves men to tears, but have not been taught to listen to the Director of the universe and worship Him, I have not been educated.

If I can run cross-country races, star in basketball and do 100 push-ups without stopping, but have never been shown how to bend my spirit to do God's will, I have not been educated.

If I can identify a Picasso, describe the style of da Vinci, and even paint a portrait that earns an A+, but have not learned that all harmony and beauty comes from a relationship with God, I have not been educated.

If I graduate with a perfect 4.0 and am accepted at the best university with a full scholarship, but have not been guided into a career of God's choosing for me, I have not been educated.

If I become a good citizen, voting at each election and fighting for what is moral and right, but have not been told of the sinfulness of man and his hopelessness without Christ, I have not been educated.

However, if one day I see the world as God sees it, and come to know Him, Whom to know is life eternal, and glorify God by fulfilling His purpose for me, THEN, I have been educated!

By Carolyn Caines, Supervisor Columbia Heights Christian Academy

If raising Godly children is the home's highest priority, then how are YOU doing on the homework assignment that God has entrusted you with? Grade yourself today!

I grade myself daily - I don't always measure up to the high standard by which I try to line up to, but I do know this one thing, I'm on a right course. I will continue to strive daily to the mark that God has placed on me for this time in my life. I am my children's teacher. I have been since their birth. It's now my job to fill them with enough knowledge, both physical and spiritual, to make them succesful, GODLY men and women for the future. I pray I do it well.

To be educated...

2011-08-23T15:00:00.003-05:00

If you've ever spoken with me at length about our reasons for homeschooling, you know them. I'm very open with my opinions and the reasons that dictated our choice into this arena last year. I am highly pleased with our choice still.

Is it hard? Why, yes it is! It's difficult to stay focused on the task at hand and know that regardless of the little outbursts and breakdowns in the day there REALLY is a purpose to it all. It's especially difficult to stay focused when the kids aren't focused at all. The end of the school year was rough, but we pulled through.

The difference for me was the research I did going into this new avenue. I knew it wasn't going to be a bed of roses. NOT AT ALL. I've encountered MANY a thorn. Many...but the thorns haven't outweighed the beauty of the rose for me. I'm glad I made the choice I made and I'm glad that I stuck with it.

III John 4 states this (although it's talking about spiritual children, I still greatly relate) I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.

Mark 8:36 states this: And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

Thomas and I are VERY passionate about the spiritual side of life. It's the basis on which multitude decisions are made in our household. If it's pleasing to God - do it! If it's not, don't - and then delve a bit deeper and figure out why you're wanting to do it at all.

When it came to this decision, we definitely didn't take it lightly. We prayed and considered and weighed all of our options and everything pointed in favor of homeschooling.

In my opinion, there is more to educating than simply filling our heads with knowledge. We must know how to USE the knowledge that we are given and also how to DEVELOP ourselves using that same knowledge. It's one thing to know something. It's another thing all together to DO something.

(and my kids were 'doing' something - just wasn't sure it's what they needed to be doing at times!)

I found this a little poem that I'll type up tomorrow and share - it's rather lengthy. It definitely goes along with my viewpoint. My viewpoint is exactly that, too, mine. It's not yours. It doesn't have to be yours. I'll never shove my point of view on anyone. I'll give a persuasive arguement to my viewpoint's cause, but I'll leave you to decide for yourself. Hopefully, when the time comes for you to make educational decisions for your family, you'll spend some time studying and determining with God's input what is perfect for your family!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-22T16:05:00.002-05:00

Menu Plan for the week of 8/22/11 - 8/28/11

Breakfast choices:
Bagel egg & cheese sandwiches
Cinnamon toast
Crepes with yogurt/fruit/granola
Cereal
Sausage and cheese biscuits
Applesauce muffins
Buttermilk cinnamon rolls
Waffles and fruit

Lunch choices:
Leftovers
Cucumber salad
PB&J sammies with fruit
Bean burritos
Corn Dogs
Ramen
Pimento Cheese

Dinners

Monday - Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells, Corn on Cob, rolls
Tuesday - Meatloaf, Mashed potatoes, peas
Wednesday - Shredded Beef Tacos, spanish rice, beans
Thursday - Tilapia, wild rice, salad, and homemade ranch
Friday - Baked Spaghetti, salad, rolls, green beans
Saturday - Chicken fried rice OR Chicken Lettuce wraps
Sunday - Shredded BBQ pork, baked beans, mac-n-cheese

Menu Plan Monday - a bit early

2011-08-13T12:33:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to get a head start on next week since it's looking to be fairly busy for me.

Here's the tentative menu plan:

Breakfast
(several options)
buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake
french toast sticks
bacon/egg/toast cups
sausage & cheese biscuits
monkey bread muffins
savory cheddar scones
cinnamon/cheese/plain toast
german pancakes with fresh fruit

Lunch
leftovers
grilled paninis
soup/crackers/cheese
chicken salad
ramen noodles
corn dogs

Dinner
Roasted Chicken/potatoes & carrots/salad/cornbread
Marsala Chicken/pasta or mashed potatoes/roasted pea pods
Chicken Lettuce Wraps/egg rolls
Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom pasta bake/roasted green beans and red peppers
Pesto chicken pasta, salad, corn

(looking at the menu now - it feels chicken and cheesy/pasta heavy. Will probably make some adaptations based on a freezer look-through. I know I have some beef and possibly pork/turkey that needs cooked. Will make changes later, though - I know I have everything for all of this. I'm thinking there will be another Asian night and/or Spanish cooking night)

(some possible alternatives (all slow-cooker, which needs to be my friend this week):
Chicken Tiki Marsala
Shredded beef tacos
slow cooker Thai peanut pork

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-01T08:45:00.009-05:00

Love my menu-planning. Makes my life so much easier, and since I'm a list person already (not sure I always get things on my list DONE, but I do MAKE them, lol!) it fulfills that list need of mine.

Here's this weeks plan (gonna just separate into categories as I typically change things up in the week as needed, much to Zachary's dismay! He's a very STRUCTURED and ordered list completer...vs my RANDOM and incomplete list taking, lol!

Breakfast:

Breakfast Burritos (made ahead)
Cream Scones with fruit
Sausage/Egg/Cheese biscuits
Cinnamon Toast
Super Power Muffins
Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls
German Pancake

Lunch

Fruit Salad c Sandwiches
Shredded chicken tacos
Chicken patty burgers and Cucumber Salad
Leftovers
PB&Banana roll-ups, fruit
Bratwurst/Sauerkraut/Onions Dogs

Dinner

BBQ Chicken, Salad, Cheesy Biscuits, Ranch Crockpot Potatoes, Lemon Blueberry Bars
Chicken Piccata with capers & mushrooms, spinach salad, angel hair pasta
White Chicken Enchiladas, spanish rice, refried beans
Mongolian Beef, rice, egg rolls - Brandon's meal to cook!
Brown Sugar & Balsamic glazed pork loin, roasted cabbage, wild rice, Lemon Ice-box pie with strawberries & bananas

Menu Plan Monday

2011-07-25T10:45:00.004-05:00

Here's the plan, Stan...

Monday:

Muffins
Leftovers
Fend for yourself (Thomas and I will gone looking at houses)

Tuesday:

English Muffins/Jam
Sandwiches
Baked Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice

Wednesday:

Egg Beaters Omelet/Hashbrowns
Pepperoni Won-ton Bites
Rotisserie Chicken/Broccoli Salad/Balsamic Potatoes

Thursday:

Oatmeal/Bananas
Rice & Bean Burritos
Crockpot BBQ Chicken, Roasted Cabbage, Cheddar Biscuits, Lemon Blueberry Bars

Friday:

Hashbrown Egg Cups
Asian Slaw
Homemade Pizza/Watermelon

Saturday:

German Pancake
Leftovers
Pesto Chicken Cheese Shells, Spinach Salad,

Sunday:

Sausage & Cheese Biscuits
PBJ's before service
Out-To-Eat

Operation Detox and Meal Plan Monday

2011-06-06T11:28:00.007-05:00

I'm in a full body detox right now. Watching what goes in and working on getting toxins out. I'm hoping that this little thing I'm doing will make marked improvements in my well-being and feeling. Haven't felt the best lately. Let's just say gaining 8 pounds in 2 weeks WHILE EXERCISING AND DIETING will do something like that! (you just gotta laugh rather than cry, right? Obviously SOMETHING is going on with my body, but since I can't see my new doctor until July 26th, something must be done NOW!)

So - while detoxing, I'll be eating a bit of what I fix the family but not everything.

Here's the menu plan for this week (all bread items are gluten-free, if I'm eating):

Breakfast:
Biscuit Sandwiches
Crepes/fruit/yogurt
Oatmeal/toast
Super Power Muffins (going to attempt a gluten-free version)
Waffles/berries/fresh cream. Here's another waffle recipe I might try.

Lunches:
Homemade Demo's Soup (leftovers)
Grilled burgers/sweet potato fries
Taco salad
Ramen/egg rolls/egg drop soup
Paninis/celery/fruit

Dinners:
Tilapia/Creamy Risotto/Squash/Salad w/ lettuce from the garden!
Black beans/chicken sausage/rice/chow chow/corn
Grilled Italian Chicken/Salad/Roasted red potatoes/green beans
"Fried" rice/Asian beef/Roasted snow peas/grilled honey-glazed carrots
Chicken Picatta (gluten-free version)/pasta/corn on cob
Black bean tacos/spanish rice

Menu Plan Monday

2011-05-09T10:26:00.004-05:00

Breakfast:
smoothies
cinnamon toast
cereal
yogurt parfaits
oatmeal
pancakes, bacon
egg & cheese biscuits

Lunches
leftovers
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit
ramen with Asian meatballs
Mexican hot-dogs
hamburgers, mac n cheese

Dinner
Chicken/asparagus/stuffing
Black bean enchiladas/Spanish rice
Thai chicken/rice noodles/roasted sweet potatoes
Ham & potato Frittata/salad
Chicken parmigiana/green beans/rolls
Tomato soup/grilled cheese

Gluten-Free Banana Walnut muffins

2011-05-05T10:01:00.002-05:00

I've been experimenting with a gluten-free diet to see if it will resolve some of my woes. So far, I've not seen much improvement, but I'm not giving up yet! For our basic meals, I've just made substitutions and we've been okay with that. Rice noodles for pasta, gluten-free flour for breaded items (the few times I do that a year, lol!), and rice. I've just chosen not to eat the bread items when/if I add them to the meal.

I had bananas that needed used, so I decided to try a muffin recipe this morning. I really was a bit aprehensive to 'experiment' with a normal recipe because gluten-free flours are rather expensive. I'm glad I did, though.

Here's the recipe:
1/2 cup melted butter
3 mashed (very ripe) bananas
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups Bob Mill's All-purpose gluten-free flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan OR muffin tin (will make 18 muffins). Combine all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt) and set aside. Beat butter, bananas, eggs, and yogurt/sour cream until smooth. Add vanilla and beat for about 1 minute. Slowly add dry ingredients until well blended. Add nuts. Pour into a greased loaf pan or scoop into muffin tins, filling them at least 3/4 full. Bake 45-60 minutes for loaf pan or 20-25 minutes for muffin tin.

The bread doesn't rise much, so feel free to fill up your tins. This does produce a very moist and heavy bread. The riper the banana the less you'll taste the difference of the flour. My family didn't even notice that these were gluten-free...that's a GOOD thing! Let me know if you try them out and enjoy them!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-05-02T10:16:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:

cereal
sausage & cheese bagel thins
breakfast casserole
cinnamon toast & oatmeal
waffles & fruit
yogurt/granola/fruit parfaits

Lunch:
leftovers
grilled paninis
hot dogs
ramen noodles and egg rolls
taquitos and cheese nachos

Dinner:
Ranch Style chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
Sloppy Joes, baked beans, corn on the cob
Refried black beans, soft tacos, spanish rice
Beef tips, wild rice, and asparagus
*Friday and Saturday are up in the air because of possible plans to go to Alabama and help with clean-up
Turkey/dressing/roasted veggies

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-25T09:49:00.002-05:00

Breakfast choices:
Cereal
Yogurt/granola/fruit/toast
Egg basket toasts
Oatmeal
Waffles
Smoothies

Lunch Choices:
Sandwiches/oranges
Ramen/egg rolls
Grilled Cheese/soup
Raviolis
Bean Burritos/nachos

Dinner Choices
Chicken with capers/bacon/corn/wild rice pilaf
Tenderloin on rolls/potato salad
BBQ chicken/baked beans
Ham & Potato casserole
Black Beans/spanish rice
Turkey breast/stuffing/green beans

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-18T09:58:00.006-05:00

Continuing with another week - helps me to have it here:

Breakfast

yogurt/granola/strawberry parfaits
cereal
oatmeal
egg baskets
waffles
breakfast burritos

Lunch

grilled sandwiches/carrot sticks
tuna salad/crackers/oranges
ramen noodles/egg rolls
corn dogs
chicken & black bean tacos
hamburgers grilled indoors

Dinner

Fried Rice with ground beef
Lemon Piccata chicken/asparagus (didn't get to this last week)
Baked Spaghetti (from freezer - doing a cleanse for me)
Tilapia/wild rice/asparagus
Beef hotdogs with the fixin's (no bun for me)
Crockpot Dish (to be decided - must check freezer)

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-12T11:03:00.007-05:00

a bit late, lol...

Breakfasts:
Blackberry muffins
Cereal
Egg/cheese/ham bagel sandwiches
Cinnamon toast & Smoothies
Breakfast Burritos
Pancakes

Lunches:
Ramen Noodles
Black Bean & Chicken Tacos
Grilled Pimento Cheese Paninis
Taco Soup
Leftovers
Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Dinners:
Monday - self-serve night. Everyone had their own plans tonight.
Tuesday - Baked Potatoes, Feta/Apple/Walnut salad
Wednesday - Indian Tomato Cream Chicken, basmati rice
Thursday - Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Glaze, asparagus, roasted sweet potatoes, wild rice
Friday - Lemon Picatta Chicken, mashed potatoes, peas
Saturday - Baked Stuffed Shells, green beans
Sunday - Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Saurkraut

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Glaze

2011-04-12T10:51:00.002-05:00

This is a great recipe if you like pork tenderloin:

Main Ingredients
2 Tenderloins, 1 1/2-2 lbs total
1 can unsweetened tart cherries
POM - pomegranate juice
4 tsps cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp mustard

Dry Rub Ingredients
(dry rub for pork tenderloin is optional)
1 Tbs Chili Powder
1 Tbs Cumin
1 Tbs Cinnamon
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp pepper

Mix seasoning for dry rub and rub onto washed and dried tenderloins.

Preheat oven to 425. Sear tenderloins in iron skillet until lightly browned on all sides. Roast in oven for 20-15 minutes.

While pork is cooking in oven, prepare glaze. Drain cherries, reserving all of the liquid. Add enough POM to cherry liquid to make one cup. Combine cornstarch and 2 Tbs of liquid in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and mix into remaining liquid. Mix cherries, brown sugar, cranberries, and cherry liquid in small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens; stir in mustard. Pour glaze evenly over tenderloins during last 10 minutes of roasting time.

Slice tenderloins into medallions and serve with steamed asparagus/salad and a wild-rice mixture. YUMMY!

My healer

2011-01-18T16:55:00.002-06:00

Healing

It occurs on many levels. Our minds immediately move to physical healing, but I know a God that heals spirits...souls.

God heals the broken hearts. Lifts the burdened minds. Picks up the heavy weights that are killing us all while we struggle to lift them off our tired and aching soul.

He can wipe slates clean with a swift swipe of His magnificent and masterful hand.

In my weakness...He gives strength.
In my darkest hour...He is light.
a light the clearly shows the way out
a light the peaks out from underneath the heaviness of life's darkest blankets that seemingly suffocate the life out of our hurting souls.

In our farthest moments away from Him...He's still there.

at the mere mention of His beautiful name.

Jesus.

darkness flees
hope is breathed in
peace is encountered
tears are wiped off glistening cheeks
sobbing shoulders are lifted as life's burdens are traded for HIS yoke.

This one thing I know...and I've discovered through many tests...many trials.

There is a great physician that wants to do more than just heal my temporal body. He wants to heal my SOUL.

When you are tired of trying to work it out on your own.

Seek HIM.
The master physician of more than our physical ailments.
The healer of our soul's weaknesses.
The bearer of life's overwhelming infirmities.

Our bodies are just temporal placeholders in a universal belonging to Him.

Let the tugging on your heart strings not resist. Heed the call...follow that gentle tug that is calling you to your knees. Let it lead you. Back to the only arms that will EVER sustain you.

Whisper HIS name:

Jesus...
Jesus.
Jesus

Find Him.
Know Him.
The only healer of not just bodies, but most importantly to him...our souls

Christmas brunch recipes

2010-12-21T12:35:00.004-06:00

I have someone wanting a few recipes for brunch. Here's a couple that I've tried over the years and really enjoyed:

Breakfast Casserole:

Cubed French bread (about one loaf)
2 lbs of browned sausage
12 eggs
2 Tbs of worcestershire
2 Tbs mustard
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 cup of Half & Half
1 bag of swiss cheese
1/4 inch of Velveeta squares

Place bread cubes in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole pan. Pour sausage over the top of the bread. Mix all other ingredients and pour over the top of sausage and bread. Spread swiss cheese over top of ingredients. Thinly slice velveeta cheese into 1/4 inch slices and place on top of swiss cheese. Cover with foil and bake @ 350 for 30 minutes or until liquid is gone. Uncover and bake for 10 min or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Sweet & Savory Pigs in a Blanket

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 Tbs brown sugar
3 Tbs honey
1/3 tsp mustard
1 can crescent rolls
package of L'il Smokies

Mix butter, walnuts, sugar, honey, & mustard together. Put in the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Cut crescent rolls into thirds. Roll smokie sausage with 1/3 of crescent rolls and place on top of mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes.

Baked French Toast

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbs corn syrup
1 loaf french bread sliced about 1 inch think
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Place brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a saucepan. Heat until melted and combined. It will be like a thick syrup. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Place bread slices on top of syrup mixture. Mix together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour over bread. Place in fridge for a few hours or overnight. (can be covered and frozen at this point) Bake covered with foil for about 40 minutes at 350. Uncover and cook for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned.

Here's another one that can easily be made into a breakfast dish by simply adding browned sausage. (I usually use Ritz crackers instead, though - just makes it a bit better, in my opinion, lol!)

Hope you enjoy them! Let me know if you tried them and liked them! Have a WONDERFUL Christmas!

Joy Restored

2010-11-09T11:44:00.004-06:00

I've been doing a study on joy and have stumbled upon some interesting scriptures/readings in the Word.

The first reading is found in Hosea 2:15 which states this:

And I will give her her vineyards from thence, & the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

I immediately begin to study Achor and was very intrigued by what I discovered (from a story that I know very well, but had related to it quite differently).

Joshua 6:18, 7:26, 15:7

Joshua led the Israelites into a victory over Jericho. They were instructed to destroy everything in the city except for Rahab and all that were in her house. However, Aachan (from the tribe of Judah) decided to take it upon himself to save a few things that he felt were valuable and took of the accursed things. In doing so, the Lord's anger came against the Israelites and immediately following a miraculous defeat of the city of Jericho, they lost to the city of Ai. (They thought they could easily defeat the 'few' of the city and only sent out about 3,000 men to battle with them) Joshua begin to cry to God and question their fate. The Lord quickly informed him of the trespass that was in their midst. He told them to sanctify themselves. When they came before Joshua, Achan's trespass was discovered. He confessed that he had taken of the accursed and hid it under his tent.

The Israelites collected all of the hidden items and took Achan and all of his possessions, along with his family and brought them to the valley of Achor. There they were stoned and burned along with his possessions. The Lord then turned from the fierceness of his anger, and the name of the place became Achor (trouble), unto this day.

The Israelites were led (Hosea 2:14 - Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.) to the wilderness, which in essence is the resemblance of wandering in a dry and desolate place, void of hope, joy, or peace. Hosea then spoke of giving her vineyards and turning the Valley of Achor into a door of hope.

WOW - God turned the Valley of TROUBLE into a door of HOPE. What was meant to forever be known as a place of destruction became the opening through which hope could enter.

I find it even more interesting that in Joshua 15:7 it tells us that one of the borders of Judah (praise) is established by the Valley of Achor (trouble). So, does trouble define our praise? I definitely think that there is truth in this:

Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called the PLANTING of the Lord, that he may be glorified!

Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is LIFE: weeping may endure for a night, but JOY cometh in the morning.

When you're actually IN the valley of Achor, it can be so very difficult to see past the trouble you're enduring. It can be even MORE difficult to see any JOY in those experiences, much less see hope that could result from the troubles that inflict and surround you. BUT, there IS a God who LOVES us and provides HOPE in impossible circumstances and PEACE where there seems to be NO peace, and JOY when all laughter is gone.

John 16:22-23 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again & your heart will rejoice, & and your joy NO ONE will take from you...ask and you will receive that your joy MAY BE FULL.

John 15:9-16
...abide in my love. These things have I spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. You did not choose me, but I chose you & appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you ask the Father in my name He may give you.

My prayer for you is that in the midst of troubles that may seem to bury you and almost destroy you, you find a restoration of joy...a door of HOPE. Leave the old things buried in your past in that valley of trouble. From this turning point, open the door to HOPE. Let the song of your youth, the song of deliverance be restored (Miriam's/Moses song of deliverance when passing over the Red Sea - see Ex. 15:1-21 & Rev. 15:3-4) as in the day when you first came up out of your own personal Egypt.

Other scripture references:
Neh 8:10
Ps 16:11
Ps 43:4-5
Gal 5:22
1 Peter 1:7-8
Jude 24

Honesty and Transparency

2010-09-01T15:36:00.002-05:00

These two things have always been seen on my personal blog. I have the tendency to be very honest & too transparent at times!

Anyhoo - this post entails the honest and tranparent admission to lack of discipline. (thus the need for MULTIPLE avenues to try to gain the aforementioned LACK of discipline!)

I have recently been suffering (okay, not recently, but rather annually!) the lack of discipline in getting my children to stay on top of their chores.

I've tried a TON of techniques.

I've tried Fly Lady for kids - they look at me like I've lost my mind when I pull out their morning/afternoon/evening routine sheets.
I've tried an online chore checklist that will accumulate points for each of their chores.
I've tried a personal 'laminated' checklist that has lists of things to do for each of the kids on a daily basis that they check off - more along the lines of a FlyLady mentality.
I've tried paying them for a certain amount of chores completed in varying levels.
I've tried nagging/hounding/yelling/griping - which REALLY has worked successfully for me,lol...(thus the need to have a post on my blog about the lack of chore lists working for the kiddos!)

Anyhoo - I'm going to try ONE MORE THING:

This

I'm not going to do it as elementary as this, but rather I'm going to let the kids take ownership (which I've done before) of the 5 chores to be completed in the morning (with the essentials covered, of course!) and the ones to be completed by their bedtimes. HOPEFULLY this will eliminate some issues around here AS LONG AS I HAVE THE DISCIPLINE TO FOLLOW UP ON THEIR CHORES!

This where the problem truly lies...me.

Ugh...now if I could just schedule or add a magic wave of discipline to my to-do lists that I so love!

Yesterday

2010-07-22T09:58:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a freak out day.

I'm homeschooling...

Meaning I AM HOMESCHOOLING!

Seriously - freaked out.

I got Brandon's Literature package in the mail yesterday. Opened it. Freaked out FOR HIM! Seriously. The amount of QUALITY literature he has to read in one year is more than most kids will read in the entire 4 years of high school. SERIOUSLY. I have a picture to prove it.

(will post later because I simply do not have the time to play around with anything other than school stuff)

I freaked out because I couldn't wrap my head around how to fit it all in the day.

Then my husband came through for me (after I freaked out to him crying in a corner in a fetal position) and made me a nifty little excel sheet to keep track of all 3 of their schedules for a day at a glance. It's printable, which suits the paper organization need for me just fine. It's reproducible, which will help me do this week to week. It's containable, which will help me at the end of the year when I have to show what they've done all year. It's free...which helps my budget a bit more. It's a stress-reliever for me, AFTER we fixed the time slots which had me FREAKED OUT that we would NEVER fit it all in in a day, but alas, we had the time allotted wrong...whew!

Now I must figure out their math - seriously. It's been a major decision and almost an impossible one to make.

I think I've almost got it narrowed down. Almost.

I'll do a post on which curriculum we chose later...too busy to post that now.

And this...all random. Not freaking out as much.

Okay, maybe just a bit?

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-12T14:13:00.004-05:00

Keeping it simple/quick/light this week

Mon:
breakfast - banana & chocolate chip muffins
lunch - leftovers
dinner - paninis, salad with cucumbers & tomatoes, homemade ranch dressing

Tue:
breakfast - cinnamon rolls (from freezer cooking)
lunch - cold cut pita sandwiches, cucumbers & ranch dressing
dinner - pork & peach crockpot dinner, salad, crescent rolls

Wed:
breakfast - oatmeal
lunch - mini pizzas, salad
dinner - carne asada (from freezer cooking) tostados with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and spanish rice

Thurs:
breakfast - cereal
lunch - pasta salad (pasta, tomatoes, cubed ham, cheese, dressing)
dinner - leftovers

Fri:
breakfast - sausage & cheese biscuits (from freezer cooking)
lunch - leftovers or fix your own thing
dinner - something quick

Sat-Mon - out of town!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-06T06:21:00.002-05:00

okay - so it's not Monday anymore...really? (I'm a day late because we had a family day yesterday - super fun, lol!)

Breakfast items
omelets
bagels
cereal
oatmeal/fruit
smoothies/muffins
pancakes/sausage sticks

Lunch items
Bobbie's Dairy Dip
Sandwiches
Ramen Noodles (yes, we have a plethora of these from Sam's!)
Leftovers
Beef & Rice Burritos
Salads with all the toppings

Dinner Items
Steak/Potatoes/Baked Beans/Homemade crescent rolls
Creamy Chicken & Biscuits/Broccoli/Salad
Butternut Squash Ravioli/Cream sauce/Salad/Corn on the cob
Spaghetti/Green Beans/Garlic Bread
Mystery Dinner (meaning I HAVE NO CLUE, lol - because it's 6:30 in the morning and I shouldn't BE UP!)
I THINK we're going out of town Saturday-Monday, so I won't plan for those days!

Freezer mishaps

2010-06-29T12:19:00.003-05:00

Well, 4th times a charm, right? After almost a YEAR with no freezer door left cracked all night mishaps, I awoke to one this morning. Let me just say this: THANK GOODNESS all the meats were still frozen! I just have things that were in smaller portions to deal with. BUT, that is better than the last time when I had to give a ham to my neighbor that had thawed in my 'freezer turned fridge'. UGH!

ANYHOO - redo of menu plans for this week. I just tossed all leftovers and other things that were going to be 'remade' into new meals this week down the drain since I'd rather waste those than waste items that are new to the menu table this week.

Here's the NEW plan (including snacks/desserts!)

Tuesday:
breakfast - waffles
lunch - pizza bites
dinner - asian chicken stir-fry, rice, Kabuto left-overs
dessert - strawberry shortcakes

Wednesday:
breakfast - biscuits/gravy
lunch - shredded beef tostados
dinner - bbq pork sandwiches, baked beans, mac n cheese

Thursday:
breakfast - cinnamon butterhorns with icing drizzle
lunch - beef & rice burritos
dinner - pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls (company is coming over - can't feed them an assortment)

Friday:
breakfast - sausage/cheese/egg biscuits
lunch - leftovers, cucumber salad
dinner - Creamy chicken & biscuit bake, veggie packets

Saturday:
breakfast - CEREAL (in all caps, because I'll be tired of cooking by this point!)
lunch - chicken enchiladas (smaller portion for the kids or lunch size)
dinner - steak, potatoes, broccoli & cheese, butterhorns

Sunday:
brunch - kids choice
dinner - leftovers!!!! (and butterhorns)

Put your blinders on!

2010-06-28T09:58:00.006-05:00

This phrase was mentioned in yesterday's sermon and I immediately thought of the horses I'd seen that had blinders covering their peripheral vision. I noted to myself to study this out a bit more. Here's a few thoughts on the matter:

Blindfolds are sometimes put on horses as a method of restraint. By preventing the horse from seeing everything in it's peripheral vision, the guide can better control the horses focus and keep it on target. Basically, blinders are used to keep the horse focused on what is in front of it. Since the horse can't see everything in it's peripheral vision, it keeps the horse from becoming distracted or scared. Blinders are typically used in situations where there may a lot of distractions.

Put your blinders on...

Spiritually, that phrase has multiple meanings, but for me the most pertinent meaning is that as christian women, mothers, and wives, we've got to be willing to put our blinders on and keep them on. It's SO very easy to be distracted by the little things in our lives and lose focus on the goal God has for our lives.

As a woman we have responsibilities that continually pop up. For me, the distractions are in my immediate surroundings, making them much harder to avoid. I can be so easily be distracted by the things that I HAVE to do. This, in turn, causes me to forgo the things that I SHOULD do, such as prayer, Bible reading, devotion, and study. My mind immediately starts turning on my to-do lists the second I wake up.

If I'm not careful, I'm quickly distracted by the lists and then fail to get to my spiritual to-do lists. I've got to remember daily to put my blinders on and let God be my guide. If I start my day by submitting my ways to Him, my day ALWAYS turns out better. ALWAYS. Really...ALWAYS!

Proverbs 3:6 - In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I've got to start my day out by acknowledging God and allowing him to direct my paths. I know this, yet I easily find myself distracted. I've got to remember those blinders.

It's also so very easy to forget to put the blinders on as mothers. Kids can so quickly way-lay the best intentions. I know mine do! I can determine to teach certain things, respond certain ways, plan certain things, yet they can interject just a bit of attitude or resistance and all my best laid plans are out the window! I know that the majority of the parenting during the day is on me. I know this, yet there are so many times when this fact just frustrates me! I get tired. Tired of handling it all and I get so distracted by their antics and ways. I forget to look at the bigger picture of what I'm doing. I fail to remember WHY I chose to take on this life...one filled with housework and kids and cooking and etc... I chose this because I knew that I could make a huge impact on my kids lives by being there.

By allowing distractions to overtake the main purpose and goal, I feel that I've allowed moments to slip by. Moments that should have been spent doing something other than being frustrated. Although there are moments of regret, it's my job to look beyond the past, see our future, put my blinders back on, and determine to not let future distractions rule our outcome as a family. It's my job, as KEEPER of the home, to make certain that my children are directed by God, raised Godly, taught a good moral value system, and loved daily by parents who pray and care for them to the best of their ability.

Will they be perfect? NO! I'm not...so I certainly can't expect them to be! However; I can use the imperfections I encounter along this parenting path to show me areas that I need to focus on. I can simply REFUSE to be distracted by those areas and instead, FOCUS on those areas and work to correct the actions and direct them to a Godly path.

Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I've got to stop letting the little frustrations impede the goals I have in my parenting. I've got to be better at focusing on the goal of teaching my children GOD'S ways and not the worlds ways! I've got to remember those blinders.

I've also got to be very diligent in putting my blinders on as a wife. How many times have I allowed the little things to overwhelm the loving feelings I should have toward my husband? It's so very easy to get so caught up in the arguments and debates that I fail to remember the very things I LOVE about my husband.

Should certain issues be addressed? YES! Most certainly. You can't ignore problems or allow issues to become unresolved! However; as Godly wives, we can NOT allow problems to dictate the success of our marriages. It's so easy to take the blinders off and allow our focus to dwell on the issues that have made our marriages such a huge PROBLEM in our life. When we do this, we spend so much energy on the bad in our marriage, that we fail to recall the good! It's not God's desire that our marriages fail, yet so many times I see marriages crumble because they've not given adequate time to focus on their marriage through GOD'S eyes.

When the blinders are taken off in regards to marriage, love applied principles quickly fade into the background...getting trampled on by issues that are surrounded with animosity and feelings of ill-will.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

God desires for us to continually place our love guided blinders on when it comes to our marriages. When you're looking at the goal that HE has for your marriage, which is a marriage that is fulfilled by the two parties Godly commitment to love one another, you can't really look at your issues with malice. You'll instead look at your problems with love and immediately be chastened to address and fix the issues with LOVE and not hatred! I've got to be better at putting my God placed blinders on when it comes to my marriage. I've got to remember those blinders.

I desire for my life to stay on target with God's plans for it. Jeremiah 29:11 states this: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. We sometimes stop there and focus on that scripture, but if we read further down to verse 12, we're quickly reminded of the next step: Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

God desires for our spiritual blinders to be placed in such a way that we don't lose our focus on HIM. He is the goal that I have for my life, my family, and my marriage. I can't afford to let the little things rise up in these areas. I can't afford to lose sight of GOD! He's got to stay priority. I've got to remember to DAILY PUT my blinders on.

Ephesians 6:11 - Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

We've got to keep our blinders on and our resistance high!

Hebrews 12:2 - Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;

A great link to basic menu-planning

2010-06-28T09:54:00.003-05:00

Here's a great link to one of the blogs from my Google Reader (which, if you peruse blogs on a frequent basis, you really should subscribe to the feed via Google Reader...super easy to do and even easier to catch up on the latest news...or not, if you choose to mark all as read, lol!)

Meal Planning for Wimps - You Can SO do this!

Life as Mom is a great site for meal planning ideas, batch cooking concepts, recipes, etc. She always posts a ton of wonderful tips/ideas as well as resources. Check her out!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-06-27T20:43:00.002-05:00

Here's the plan for this week (which is a very busy busy busy week for me)

Breakfast:
Smoothies & muffins
Fruit Crepes
Toast with sausage gravy
Cereal
Giant Breakfast cookies
Egg in a basket toasts

Lunch:
Ramen Noodles
Grilled cheese/tomato soup
Chinese restaurant Leftovers
Beef & Rice burritos
Mini pizzas

Dinner:
Shredded salsa verde pork quesadillas, salad
Chicken & pesto pasta, tomatoes, salad
Spaghetti, green beans, garlic bread
Grilled chicken, mac & cheese, broccoli
Creamy chicken & rice, salad, rolls

Some great links that have caught my eye

2010-06-26T10:37:00.002-05:00

and I don't want to forget to try these things out!

Homekeeping binder

Homeschool statistics

Be present in everyday moments

Brain dumping (and can be compiled into brain mapping - something I used to teach youth to do)

Summer picture ideas

Restore the fight within me, O Lord!

2010-06-25T09:19:00.004-05:00

At the ladies prayer/fellowship meeting last night, we were admonished to pray for the families that are under attack. I am well aware of Satan's devices that creep in seemingly unaware to destroy families. It's not God's will for our families to break apart. Yet, so often they do.

Why?

I know for me, through 17 years of marriage (will be 18 in November) that we've encountered a MULTITUDE of times when both of us really didn't have much fight in us left. We had 'fought' it all out on each other. We were emotionally drained from the external pressures of our marital conflicts. We were physically drained from work issues, parenting issues, house issues. We were spiritually drained from trying to remain close to God yet not feeling close to each other. We had lost our 'fight'.

I know that's transparent, but the reality is this: At some point, EVERY marriage faces this. The end result is a direct result of what you DO at that point.

How do you get the fight back?

For me the answer was as simple as this. I had to STOP LOOKING AT MY SPOUSE! When all you can see is the problems in your marriage caused by the other partner, then you've GOT to look away. Marriage is a 2-way street. There is no 'one cause' to the issues that marriages deal with. Are some issues brought on by one person more than the other? Yes...however; ultimately, a marriage is BOTH parties responsibilities. You joined together at the moment of 'I Do' in a commitment to each other. You joined before God and man to agree to be with this man or this woman for the rest of your life.

That, my friend, is a bit daunting.

I don't think many of us really sit down and dwell on the FOREVER part when we first fall in love. At the beginning you feel like I'm SO in love that surely NOTHING will take this feeling away. About 2-3 months into the marriage, reality steps in and you think..."wow!" Forever? Yes, forever!

So...back to examining me. Since I agreed to the forever part of my pact of marriage with Thomas, then I must agree to examine MYSELF when problems arise. That's a really hard thing to do. ESPECIALLY when you think your spouse is the one that's more wrong than you are. Yet, it's what we're instructed to do biblically.

II Corinthians 13:5 tells us to "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves..."

Oftentimes - no, ALL THE TIME - in my moments of self-examination I realize the little things that have crept in to destroy the good in me.

Song of Solomon 2:15 states this: "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes."

I found this online and immediately felt it applicable to this post:

"Foxes sometimes in search of food would enter into the grape orchards and devour the grapes and spoil the crop. However, the little foxes were too small to reach the grape bunches so they would chew on the vines and it would kill the whole vine. Instead of the farmer just losing his crop, he would lose his vine which was more disastrous. Spiritually some things we do or allow that we might think are little or insignificant can also be disastrous for us."

How often do the little attitudes creep in and catch us unaware. How often does unforgiveness over the BIG situation in our marriage grab hold of our attitude? How often does bitterness over the HURTS in our marriage grab hold of our attitude? How often does anger over the INJUSTICES in our marriage grab hold of our attitude? Are you keenly aware of these attitudes and other seemingly miniscule attitudes that are in you?

In times of marital distress it's SO VERY DIFFICULT to examine ourselves. It really is. It's so hard to look past the offensive party and truly give credence to our own actions. Yet, it's necessary. God instructed so wisely in Matthew 7:3 (NIV):

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

It amazes me that when I TRULY submit my attitudes and thoughts to the Lord, I am keenly aware of the beams poking out of my vision that obstruct me from seeing the good in anyone else.

We are continually instructed throughout the Bible to submit our ways to the Lord. It is truly in this manner that God works on us.

Psalm 25:4-5
Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on theee do I wait all the day.

In times of marital distress, God is oftentimes that ONLY salvation that your marriage can cling to. God desires for us to be dependent upon Him. He desires to be our Father and our strength, yet through our inconsistent ways, we fail to acknowledge our dependence upon Him. In doing so, we take ourselves out of the accountability mode and become self-dependent and self-sufficient. When this happens, we stop examining ourselves and start looking at others and their faults. Through submission to God, he can truly begin the process of working through us to dissolve some of our marital conflicts.

In a world where the norm is to give up, God wants us to FIGHT for our marriages. It's not His desire that the foundation of our homes crumble into disarray. It's not His desire that our marriages fail or that our homes become devoured by the status quo.

It's God's desire that we seek our marriage's salvation through him. It's His desire that we place our marriages back on the Potter's wheel and ask him to restore not only US but restore the love, the peace, and joy that a good marriage provides. It's vitally important, as women of God, that we take responsibility for the prayer and keeping of our famlies.

Let's not be ignorant of the devices that would cause our marriages to fail and our families to fall apart. Let's ask God to restore US to the fullness of our faith and allow us to be the glue that holds our marriages together. We can't afford to let our families become a statistic. Let's fight back!

(some additional scriptures to encourage you through this process)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5&6

Come unto me, ye who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. - Psalm 37:3-5

A recent decision

2010-06-24T11:44:00.005-05:00

has led to much change in the Camacho household.

We are now a home school family.

Now before you get all in a tizzy, let me explain. With Thomas' loss of job last year came a decrease in pay (of sorts). He gets about the same base pay, but no bonus. That means that the money we had to pay for private school is no longer really there.

We knew that it was going to be difficult this last year to continue their schooling at the rate it was going to cost us. But, we travailed! We stuck with it. It was VERY difficult, but in the long run, was worth it. In reality we knew that we were more than likely not going to be able to sustain the restrictive living that we have endured this last year. (major restrictive, folks...not impossible, just frustrating at time) So, going into this year we knew we were either going to have to move to a better school district (which we should have just done in the first place, ugh!) OR take Kaitlyn & Zachary out & homeschool them...keeping Brandon in private OR homeschool all three. At the end of the school year, we decided on option 3...homeschooling all three.

In the current house market we felt it was going to be too difficult to get the house on the market, get it sold, and get moved before August of this year. (plus, we'd end up losing money on the value of the home simply because prices have dropped considerably!) We could have chosen to just homeschool Kaitlyn & Zachary, but really, after studying even MORE into homeschooling (this isn't a rash decision...MUCH studying, praying, and debating has went into this decision) we decided that the best thing for our family, based on our current needs, is to homeschool all three.

This is a decision that should have been made years ago...before some things occurred that got us to this place, but hindsight is ALWAYS better and I can't go back and repair. I can only go forward and pray that the steps we take NOW will positively affect their futures.

I won't get all hokey on you with our decisions to homeschool. There are several variables that went into play. First, we have a daughter that struggles a bit in some areas since she went into a private school setting from a public school setting with some areas already declining. The emphasis on repairing her learning at that point wasn't fully addressed. Therefore, we have some catch-up to do. It's VERYYYYY possible to catch her up quickly through homeschooling, whereas catching her up IN school means holding her back OR having her endure being pulled for special classes, which is NOT what she needs. She's NOT slow...just didn't learn some pivotal basics that were necessary for further growth in her grade levels.

We also have 2 sons that are smarter than average. Not genius, just above average. However; I have an oldest son that can easily be classified as a lazy 'gifted' student. I also have another son that is quickly falling into that same category. It's sad to see their TCAP & SAT scores and know that their grades do NOT reflect their abilities. I know that it's not the teachers fault. A teacher can only work with what the student gives her to work with. They have MULTIPLE students throughout the day once kids reach upper level schooling. They simply do not have the TIME to devote to developing the 'lazy' student. Most of the time, they mentally write off that student as wasteful. Sad, but true...However; I DO have the time to devote to getting them out of this rut they're in.

I've researched a TON of material for homeschool. What I thought was difficult, time intensive, and less 'knowledge' base for the student is simply not the case. In fact, the statistics are in the favor of a homeschooled child. A homeschooler advances at their pace, not a classes pace. Statistics show that a homeschooled student not only shows to be on pace with their schooled peers, but in a LOT of categories, they show to be advanced. There are a lot of factors that play into this, but let me just tell you...I've been impressed by what I've studied.

In fact, Brandon's curriculum is much harder than what he would be receiving in his private school setting. It's definitely very challenging and something he's looking forward to doing.

On a more spiritual note...this decision has weighed heavy on my heart for some time now. I've given it much thought through some difficult situations that we've faced due to public school environment and yes, even PRIVATE school environment. We simply can not control what other parents allow their children to do/act/participate in. It's increasingly difficult to guide a child into correct ways when your time is limited by school, extra curricular activities, social interaction with peers, homework, chores, family duties. We provided multiple opportunities for interaction on a spiritual and family level, yet we apparently haven't done enough...

Therefore, on a spiritual level for our children, this is definitely a good decision for US. This is not a derogatory post to those who do NOT homeschool. This is not even intended to try to get others to homeschool. Not everyone agrees or will see our viewpoint on this matter. However; we do feel that this is a needed decision for us.

On a final note, I'll leave you with some portions that I've highlighted in a book I read while studying up on the matter. These spoke to me (from The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell):

"Ultimately, though, my greatest enthusiasm comes from observing the quality of family life I see among homeschoolers. It is a powerful opportunity to integrate our children's spiritual, intellectual, and character development in a natural and nurturing setting. It's a proactive stand against a disintegrating culture that splinters families apart and exalts self-absorbed individualism."

"Like manna in the desert, homeschooling is a defense against the relentless and pernicious assault upon traditional family life. ...Crime, drug abuse, and teenage suicide can overwhelm many of us with fear for our kids. Homeschooling is a tactical step to insulate them from these harsher realities. But that's not the whole picture..God is more than protecting; He is preparing. At its fullest potential, homeschooling affords us the concentrated time we need to cultivate our children's talents and hone their skills, plus instill in them a passion for impacting their generation with the gospel."

"If we teach our children that sex before marriage is wrong, that parents have the right and responsibility before God to hold authority in their lives, or that the Bible is inerrant and absolute, but we simultaneously place them in an environment every day that does not support these believes, we've seriously eroded the chances that these values will be embraced."

"Homeschooling does not guarantee a child's salvation. Only the grace of God does. But it's an option with impressive results."

"Homeschooling gives us the potential to stay on top of the condition of our child's heart daily. Within the dynamics of one-on-one instructions, we are acutely aware of the bad attitudes or actions that erupt. And we can close our books and deal with the more important issues at hand."

"If we do not slow down the program to allow kids to delve deeply into the material and interact with it in a variety of contexts, it cannot be transferred from short-term to long-term memory."

"Homeschooling affords you the time you need to set and achieve high academic standards. No grading on a curve is necessary."

I'm sure you'll hear more on the subject from me in the future. In fact, I'm positive about it. :)

Coupon Resources & Tips

2010-06-24T10:53:00.003-05:00

Links & Online Resources

Southern Savers This is NOT a local couponer; however, in my experience, I have found her price lists to be accurate most of the time. She also has a wonderful feature where you can print your shopping list based on sale items combined with the coupons you have. This makes my compiling and list making time MUCH easier and less time consuming.

Faithful Provisions This IS a local couponer. She hosts several workshops throughout the area on a frequent basis. She also provides weekly tips through one of the local TV channels. She lists shorter shopping lists with coupon and sale items. She also posts recipes for those of you who like to try new things on occasion. You can also find several templates on her blog for meal planning, freezer inventory, etc…

Money Saving Mom A good source for not only online printable coupons, but non-grocery items as well. (ex: Staples, Kohls, Children’s Place, etc). She also has a list of freebies. You can follow the links she provides to get a ton of freebies through the mail which are usually accompanied by additional coupons! She also has a good recipe section.

Stretching A Buck A good resource for your drug-store sales & coupon match-ups as well as Target sales/printable links.

Centsible Savings A good resource with additional drug-store match-ups as well as a quick tutorial on the ins/outs of drugstore couponing…which can be a bit trickier at first, but definitely worth it if you do it right!

Coupons.com My favorite resource for online coupon printing other than direct links to manufacturers printables (bricks coupons). Remember to hit the backspace to be able to print your coupons twice!

SmartSource.com Another online coupon printable resource. You can also print twice, but it doesn’t ALWAYS allow you to. These coupons sometimes have a harder time being read by the scanners at my local grocery stores. They usually have to enter these coupon amounts in. They still accept them, just a bit more time-consuming at the check-out.

RedPlum.com Much like SmartSource coupons

Reminders & Tips

-Shop what's on SALE You just won't ever be able to take full advantage of your coupons unless you combine your coupons WITH a sale price. (The exception being Triple or Super Double Coupon days at Harris Teeter. I used several coupons that tripled on non-sale items to make the item much less than it would have been otherwise. In a lot of my cases, the items were FREE!)

-Make a List Never shop without a list and specific meals in mind. This immediately makes your shopping WAY more budget friendly.

-Sort and Gather When I make my shopping lists, I gather all the coupons for that list and bundle them together. I put my list AND coupons in a labeled envelope. For each item that I put in the grocery cart, I'll pull that coupon out and paperclip it to the outside of the envelope. Just keeps my shopping more organized for me.

-Bring all coupons with you if possible The reason - occasionally you'll find an item like I found last week on clearance. I found deodorant that was on clearance (my fav brand - Secret) at $2.44 for 2. I had 2 coupons for $1.00 off one. The items ALSO had pull coupons that were for .50/1 (off of one)that could ONLY be redeemed at Publix (stated Publix on the coupon - making it a store coupon only). These coupons combined made the items free. I wouldn't have been able to get that deal if I had not had all of my coupons with me.

-Read your coupons carefully Be aware of exactly what item the coupon is for and how many items the amount off is for. Looks (or the image) can be deceiving! You can’t always judge a coupon by the picture that is on it. Sometimes the coupon will show a picture with the most expensive item that is made by that brand, but the coupon itself will state something like this: “$1.00 any ONE XYZ brand item” That means that you can get $1.00 off any ONE of a item made by that brand, not just the one pictured. Also , the coupon might have multiple items shown on the picture but the amount off will only be for ONE item, not THREE items. Just read your coupons and be prepared to defend them, if necessary.

-Get multiples of coupons, if possible Since we’re a larger family, I tend to buy more than one paper (can purchase for $1 at Kroger on Mondays) as well as beg for my mom’s insert. This allows me to stockpile a bit easier. You can also purchase additional coupons via eBay very cheaply since you’re really only paying shipping fee. This is helpful for those really good deals that you might want more of!

-Know your store coupon policies. I have printed the store coupon policies and should I have any questions, I can always refer to them. Publix will accept competitors coupons (ex: Krogers/Harris Teeter/ or other close-by grocery store). You can also use STORE coupons and MANUFACTURER coupons together to make for better deals. (a competitor coupon reads like a store coupon) Also, don’t forget to get a loyalty scan card if there is one available. Not only will you get the lowest prices that the store offers, but you’ll also get coupons in the mail usually based on what you frequently buy.

-Don’t forget about stacking coupons. Most grocery stores will allow you to ‘stack’ coupons, meaning you can use a manufacturer coupons AND a store coupon on the SAME ITEM. This is a GREAT way to increase your savings significantly. In fact, you’ll find that this is the best way to get things for pennies on the dollar!

-Know their sale policies. For example, at Publix they constantly have items that are Buy One Get One free (BOGO). You do NOT have to buy BOTH items to get the deal. So, basically, when you're purchasing ONE item only, you're getting it for 50% off. Scenario example: Land O Lakes Butter is BOGO this week for 4.00. That means that the original per item price is $4.00 (which is probably their HIGH price on that item) If I'm ONLY purchasing one (which you should at least have ONE coupon for that item if you've clipped coupons from the newspaper this month) then that ONE lb of butter will be $2.00. I have a $1.00/1 coupon for that item making it $1.00 for each lb of butter. That is a MUCH better price than the high price of $4.00, right?

-Don’t forget to ask for a rain check. If something is on sale and is no longer available simply ask for a rain check. Most stores will honor their sales prices later on as long as you have a rain check. This will allow you to utilize your coupons at a later date should they be out of the specific item you were wanting.

-Stockpile. When you find a good deal like the one listed above, get several of that item if you have SEVERAL (see the above tip) coupons for that item. More than likely that deal won't come back around before that coupon expires, and more than likely it'll be several months before we see that deal again. So - get it now while you can get it for a cheaper price. I've cleared shelves in my utility closet for my 'stockpiling'. If I have extras, they go in there. And it's getting quite full and that makes me happy. I also have figured out what freezes well by following the guides listed here: (http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze.html) You would be surprised at what you can freeze! AND since this list tells me that I can freeze butter, I'm going to freeze my extras, because I DO have extra coupons and won't need that butter for a little bit.

-Plan your meals according to what you have on hand. I am a firm believer in meal planning. I'm living proof that it works. I also ALWAYS have something in the freezer or pantry that can quickly be put together, because let's face it...not every night in the Camacho household is a gourmet meal night. In fact...most aren't. And there are always those days that what's on the menu doesn't appeal to someone and having something quick to put together definitely helps for those nights when I just simply DO NOT feel like cooking what's been planned. And that DOES happen! And I don't feel bad about serving them frozen meals on occasion because I know that for the most part they get home-cooked meals the majority of the time.

-Sam's or Costco membership? Use it! I buy my ground beef, boneless chicken breasts, milk, butter, heavy whipping cream and half n half there most of the time. (Unless the beef/chicken is a fantastic sales price) I also buy bulk onions, garlic, and potatoes there. I've just found that for the most part those prices are better than the sales prices. I know that RARELY does milk prices beat the $2.19/gallon that Sam's ALWAYS has. And we go through the milk. Since I don't have a refrigerator in the garage for extras, I have to continually buy milk...so I can't always wait for the best prices (like Target's milk is 2.09/gallon this week...or something like that?) We are a larger family though...and with me cooking EVERY meal we eat, we use a LOT of the staple items and will go through the potatoes and onions before they'll go bad. If you are a smaller family, definitely continue browsing your sale papers and comparing prices. The websites I’ve listed have useful weekly posts that list the ‘need it now’ prices as well as the lowest prices on the basics. You'll learn what a good price is and what an okay price is quickly. For instance...5lb bag of potatoes was a $1.99 @ Publix a few weeks ago...that beats the price listed in the 'sale' paper this week of $2.50/5 lb bag. Just shows that you CAN NOT always think that what are on sale for produce and meat items (with no coupons available unless you check out Food Lions online printables) isn't always the lowest price they'll have. So, know your store prices and frequent sales.

-Don't feel silly or cheap about using coupons. As women, we are the 'keepers' of our home. For me, when Thomas got laid off, I know that I immediately prayed that God would let me help in some way. I stumbled upon the couponing sites (don't even remember how, so it had to have been God) and I've been a believer since the first trip. I truly believe that what I'm doing might not BRING money in, but what I'm doing SAVES more money than I could make with my current skill level since I've not worked in 10+ years. Proverbs 31:27 (the Virtuous Woman passage) states this: She looketh well to the ways of her household... I firmly believe that taking the time to do this is me 'looking well to the ways of my household'. What better thing for me to do, right? This is my part for my families budgeting that I can definitely contribute to!

-Use your freezer When you're cooking larger meals like casseroles, think ahead...do you eat your leftovers? If not, consider halving the dish into smaller containers and freezing a portion for a later meal when you don't have time to cook like that. Freeze veggie leftovers in smaller portions for vegetable soups. Brown your hamburger meat before freezing for quick meal prep when you're running low on timem. If you make homemade sauce (and you REALLY should try it sometime), use just what you need and freeze the remainder into several portions for lasagna, spaghetti, stuffed shells, etc... If you’re interested in some great freezable recipes/items, you can email me at ercamacho@comcast.net and I’ll send you links to SEVERAL recipes that we duplicate each month.

-Plant some herbs I use fresh herbs frequently. They really change the way your food tastes and just add a touch of freshness to homemade cooking. If you have them available right outside your door, you're more likely to use them, plus you’ll appreciate having them at little cost when you see how much the real deal costs at the grocery store! When all my herbs are in full growth, I'll pull some chives, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley for almost everything I cook. If I'm making rolls...I'll brush the tops with butter and finely mince a selection of herbs and sprinkle on the top with a bit of parmesan cheese. This makes them so much better. I will add just a bit to my meats while they're browning. I'll add them to my onions and garlic while they're sautéing. I definitely like my herbs. I also try to grow some of our go-to summer veggies like tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce.

-When possible, cook from scratch Not only is cooking from scratch (meaning no processed items or limited pre-made items) better for you, most of the time it’s just simply cheaper. If you think that couponing is too time consuming for you, try incorporating little things like cooking fresh sauces, making your own bread, and getting away from store made convenience items. It might be easier for you to go with store made convenience food (like pre-chopped onions/bell peppers) but you’re definitely being charged extra for that convenience. It just takes a bit of your time to chop up your own veggie mixes and freeze them in little freezer baggies that thaw VERY quickly in a bowl of warm water. I do this almost EVERY time I chop onions so that I can have some for later in the week or month.

So - I hope you enjoy some of my frugal tips and that they help you. If you have any questions, definitely email me or give me a yell. I'll help you any way I can if you want to add a bit of frugality to your family!

Why I coupon & some basics to help you get started

2010-06-24T10:45:00.005-05:00

Why I coupon:

As women, we are the 'keepers' of our home. When Thomas got laid off in January of 2009, I immediately prayed that God would let me help in some way. I stumbled upon the couponing sites (don't even remember how, so it had to have been God) and I've been a believer since the first trip. I truly believe that what I'm doing might not BRING money in, but what I'm doing SAVES more money than I could make with my current skill level since I've not worked in 10+ years. Proverbs 31:27 (the Virtuous Woman passage) states this: She looketh well to the ways of her household... I firmly believe that taking the time to do this is me 'looking well to the ways of my household'. What better thing for me to do, right? This is my part for my families budgeting that I can definitely contribute to!

My First Experience Couponing:

I was a bit timid to step out that first time, but I knew that if others could do, then I could to! I was determined to save money for my family and to make the most of the money we had left due to Thomas’ unemployment. I followed the plan to the penny. I didn’t waiver. I collected coupons for a few weeks. I followed the blogs that I’d stumbled upon. I then decided to make my list and jump into it. After a few successful trips, I decided that it was DEFINITELY going to be worth my time and effort to continue couponing. In fact, within a month after starting to coupon, I lowered my monthly food budget from somewhere in the $1,000.00 range (which included household items, as well as out to eat expenses) to around $400.00/month for EVERYTHING that we needed to function as a household. (see June Expense report)

Types of Coupons:

There are two basic coupons available to you in a variety of places. Manufacturer coupons are those coupons that are released for specific brands BY those specific companies. These coupons are usually found in the newspapers circulars, magazines, online coupon printing sources, in the stores at various locations such as on the items or in coupon pull-boxes, or directly from the manufacturer (online and via mail). Store coupons are coupons released by specific stores (ex: Target, Kroger, Publix) These coupons are usually found either in the store circulars, at their website, OR at the store in various locations.

Printable Coupons:

Printable coupons are located at one of the printable websites that I’ve listed for you in your resource sheet OR via printable PDFs or Bricks coupon printables on their websites. You can use printable coupons just as you would use regular coupons. However; there are some exceptions to that rule. Some stores limit the amount of printable coupons they’ll allow in one transaction. There are even a few stores that simply will not take printable coupons for fear that they are fraudulent. Check your store policy to verify whether or not a store will accept them prior to trying to redeem them. As always, if a cashier tells you something other than what is listed in their store policy, definitely ask to speak with a manager. Sometimes you could easily clear something up with that cashier and make shopping with coupons easier for the next person who encounters that same cashier.

Where to get your coupons:

You can find coupons in a variety of places. The most common is your local newspaper. There are usually Smart Source, Red Plum, and/or Procter & Gamble inserts every week, excluding major holidays. You can also find coupons in a variety of magazines, the most popular being All You (exclusive to Wal-Mart). You can also find seasonal coupon booklets in various locations at stores. You can find coupons on shelves (pull-off coupons), on specific items, and even on the back of your receipts or with your receipt printouts. Don’t forget to check your mail for a variety of coupons as well.

Doubling coupons:

There are several stores that will double the face value of a coupon. Publix and Kroger will double the value of any coupon up to .50 everyday. Harris Teeter doubles the value up the .99 every day. There are special occasions where HT will triple the value or even double the value up to 1.99. That makes for some great deals! Remember, always check your stores policy. It’s a good idea to print their policy and have it with you should you ever encounter a problem.

Organize your coupons:

You can organize your coupons in several ways. I’ve tried them all! You can start small and use the basic coupon envelope system that is small enough to fit in your purse. This is great for me for small trips or when I do not want to keep up with a lot of coupons. You can also use a 3-ring binder and clip all your coupons (or just the ones you want) and sort into specific categories into a file system. You can also store entire inserts and sort by date. This works great for me at this time simply because it takes less time for me AND most of the resources I use list the specific insert date when they compile the coupon match-ups. When I’m going to get my list together, I pull the specific insert and then file into a smaller envelope that can go into my purse for the actual shopping trip. I do miss out on a few deals on clearance items by using this method, but for the most part, the time saved has reconciled that savings for me, now that I’ve tried all methods and realized what I actually have time for.

Use the resources available to you:

In the resource guide you’ll see a listing of several websites. I use these websites to find the deals that I’m interested in cashing in on. I don’t try to come up with the match-ups myself when there are SO MANY online resources available to me at my fingertips. I’m not about to try to reinvent the wheel. I simply don’t have time for that! So, I make do with what they’ve come up with. I might miss a few deals here and there, but ultimately I save enough that it makes up for any losses in the long run!

How To Basics:

To start, begin by checking your local sales papers & ads. Have your coupons handy so that you can pull your coupons as you see items that you want to purchase. Remember, ONLY USE COUPONS on items that are ON SALE, if at all possible! Begin making a shopping list showing not only item & sales prices (for checking prices at the stores) but listing coupon match-ups to make sure that you remember to pull that coupon out for redemption. The first several times I went shopping with coupons, I created very detailed lists in a spiral notebook. They looked something like this:

Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix ($1.25/each) - .50/1 (doubled to $1.00/1) = .25 each OOP
Sargento Shredded Cheese ($2.00/each) - .50/1 (doubled to $1.00/1) = 1.00 each OOP
Ritz Crackers (BOGO @ $3.79 = $1.39/each) - $1/2 = .89 each OOP
Schick Hydro Razor ($5.99/each) - $1.00/1 Green Adv Flyer Coupon AND $5.00/1 = FREE

This helped me not only KNOW the price I was paying, but helped me remember to pull the coupons for each item after placing in my cart AS WELL AS helping me verify sales prices that were listed in the ads. It made me feel more confident at the register when it came time to hand in my coupons. I didn’t fret as much when everything was listed out in detail. I know longer have to do that, but with time my confidence grew. Remember, carry a calculator with you for deals that you might notice once you get to the store. My calculator helped me find out unit price points. That can help you save more by either buying more or less quantities depending on the base unit price point once a coupon is added to the unit price. Bigger quantity doesn’t ALWAYS mean better price. Get out your calculator and use your 5th grade math skills!  Also, don’t feel like you have to use your coupons right away. Sales generally circulate back through every 2-4 weeks. More than likely, an item will be on sale again within that time period. Don’t use your coupon unless you know it’s a bottom dollar price OR you absolutely need the item. If I need something right away, I tend to just purchase the cheapest item possible which is usually generic items even when compared to other items with coupons. (However; generic pricing doesn’t always beat out sales prices combined with coupons! This is where stocking up on things that you frequently use comes into play.)

Stockpiling:

Once you’ve started couponing, you’ll quickly realize that if you have multiples of coupons you could quickly build up a stock of some of your most used items. For example, if you have a good coupon on rice and you wait to use the coupon when that item is on sale, you would want to stock –up on that item if the price is right. The trick is to start building your stock-pile slowly. Set aside a bit of your grocery budget and specifically plan to use it solely on stockpile building. Know your rock bottom price points. If you can purchase an item that you frequently use at its rock bottom price, then buy as many of that item as you can see yourself using in the future. Even if you don’t use it all, you’ll have the extra items on hand to donate to those who WILL be able to use it. I was able to help out local food pantries SEVERAL times this year simply because I had the extra in my stockpile. (see here for a picture of extras that I purchase for my stockpiling)

Make a plan BEFORE you go shopping:

Before you start to compile your shopping list, have an idea of what you need and plan on cooking that week. I plan our week’s menu every Monday morning. (I’ve even done monthly menu plans) This helps me not only stay on track of what I have planned to cook every day, but lets me know whether or not I have all the items necessary to make those meals. Some weeks I cook solely based on what I have in my pantry/freezer. Other weeks, I’ll plan for a special meal and need to purchase a few extra things. By making a list, I can easily gather coupons for the items I need and help myself save money by not only shopping with a plan, but shopping with COUPONS to support that plan. I also have items stored up in my freezer. When I make a casserole, I will simply half the casserole. We’ll eat one half and I’ll freeze the other half as long as it’s freezable. I also have baking days and freezer cooking days during the month. This helps me save time later when I’m compiling my menu plan as well as when I’m cooking. I can cook several meals in a few hours a month vs. cooking every day.

Don’t be fooled by sales gimmicks:

Just because an item is listed as ‘on sale’ doesn’t mean it’s at its actual lowest price point. There are resources online that will help you determine the lowest prices on certain items in your area. Also, be aware of the wording of certain gimmicks. Just because an item is on sale with the term “buy one, get one free” doesn’t mean you have to buy TWO of that item. For example, at Publix, BOGO means that basically the items are 50% off. So if Kellogg’s cereal is BOGO for $3.99 this week then each box of cereal will cost approximately $1.99. If you have a coupon for $1.00 a box of cereal, you can get a box of cereal for $1.00. That’s a great stockpile price, by the way! Also, if something is listed in a $10/10 sale, you do NOT have to buy 10 items to get the $1.00 price, unless it specifically states. Read your sales fine print to determine what it really means!

Taking it to the next level:

There are multitudes of ways to save. I’ve just mentioned a few basic ways to get your started with couponing. As with anything, start small. Start with the basics. The more experienced you become, the more comfortable you’ll become at trying to save even more money. When you get ready, utilize your available resources. Get online. Check out the drugstore savings and techniques to maximize your savings at those stores. It can be a bit trickier to combine sales to reach your optimal savings point, but you can REALLY save the money at CVS, Walgreens, & Rite-aid if you coupon correctly.

What works for me now:

I have made a conscious decision in the last year to eliminate some of the processed food that our family was eating. This has cut back on the MAJOR couponing that I was doing, simply because we are not consuming the same types of food as before. However; I still save considerably on household items, as well as pantry staples. I am making a streamlined effort to cook as much as possible from scratch, eliminating the need to have huge stockpiles of boxed muffins and assorted snacks. However, because I’m still utilizing coupons on staple items, I’m still consistently seeing savings across the board.

You CAN do this:

Let me finish by saying this. If I can save money using coupons, ANYONE can save money using coupons. I was always the skeptical one. I tried using coupons when we were broker than broke and it seemed I always ended up spending more because in my mind, I could get the generic brand for so much less. However; once I learned the correct way to maximize my coupon savings then I quickly realized that what I was doing before was SO wrong. I had been wasting my time before; however, with a little bit of streamlined effort on my part, I could provide substantial savings for my family. In the long run, just a bit of time spent each week helped me contribute significantly to our families decreasing budget and allowed us to get the most for our money. This hasn’t stopped simply because Thomas is working again. In fact, I feel guilty now if I DO NOT take the time to gather coupons before going shopping. I’m proof that it is WORTH it.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-06-21T15:52:00.002-05:00

My menu is going to be fairly easy this week since I really don't feel like doing much 'serious' cooking, lol!

Breakfast:

english muffins/strawberry freezer jam
cereal w/ fruit
fruit smoothies w/ granola
waffles w/ peach topping
muffins & fruit
egg toast scramblers

Lunch:

sandwiches/fruit
chicken salad lettuce wraps
ramen noodles
mini-pizzas
leftovers

Dinners:

Mon - Sloppy joes, baked beans, corn
Tues - Mexican chicken, salad
Wed - Baked potatoes, squash, salad, garlic bread
Thur - Grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
Fri - Chicken enchiladas for kids (we have a meeting)
Sat - Ravioli with alfredo sauce, veggies, salad
Sun - out to eat

Menu Plan Monday

2010-06-07T13:31:00.002-05:00

Here's the plan, Stan:

Monday:
breakfast - strawberry/banana muffins
lunch - tuna salad on rolls with lettuce, orange
dinner - ravioli, alfredo sauce, salad, garlic bread

Tuesday:
breakfast - baked apple oatmeal
lunch - philly cheese steaks
dinner - chicken & black bean nachos/spanish rice (with lettuce/tomato/sour cream toppings)

Wednesday:
breakfast - biscuits/strawberry jam
lunch - ham/cheese/crackers/fruit
dinner - asian chicken, veggies, noodles

Thursday:
breakfast - breakfast burritos
lunch - sandwiches/veggie chips/fruit
dinner - salsa verde shredded pork tacos/refried beans/salad

Friday:
breakfast - smoothies
lunch - burritos w/toppings
dinner - pork tenderloin/green beans/rolls

Saturday:
breakfast - french toast sticks/banana topping
lunch - out
dinner - enchiladas/salad

Sunday:
breakfast - pancakes/bacon/eggs
lunch - (none, late breakfast)
dinner - meatloaf/mashed potatoes/corn/salad

Menu Plan Monday

2010-05-31T10:23:00.003-05:00

Today is the first FULL week of Summer, so that means full days worth of meals to be planned and accounted for. So, thus begins an increased chore list, lol!

Here's the plan, Stan!

Monday
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Sandwiches (made bread Saturday), chips, fruit
Dinner - Marinated chicken (from Mays freezer cooking), sweet potatoes, salad, rolls (made Saturday)

Tuesday
Breakfast - cinnamon rolls (from Mays freezer cooking)
Lunch - burritos with lettuce/tomatoes/sour cream topping (from freezer cooking)
Dinner - Hamburgers (from freezer cooking), Oven roasted fries, hamburger buns, green beans (left-overs from Sunday)

Wednesday
Breakfast - smoothies (from frozen fruits)
Lunch - Hot pockets (cooking fresh and freezing more), fruit, veggie chips
Dinner - Taco salad with shredded beef (in freezer), rice

Thursday
Breakfast - breakfast burritos (frozen from last week extras)
Lunch - Ramen noodles with stir fry veggies (Brandon's creation)
Dinner - Shrimp scampi, noodles, salad, rolls

Friday
Breakfast - muffins (from Mays freezer cooking)
Lunch - mini pizzas (from Mays freezer cooking)
Dinner - Steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli, rolls

Saturday
Breakfast - pancakes (cooking extra to freeze for later)
Lunch - leftovers (YIPPPPEEE!)
Dinner - spaghetti, leftover veggies, leftover breads

Sunday
Breakfast - yogurt, granola, fruit
Lunch - out
Dinner - out

Menu Plan Monday

2010-05-17T08:31:00.005-05:00

I planned an entire month's worth of menus and it's REALLY helped me by allowing me to pick/choose from what I 'feel' like cooking that week. And by making sure we have a good variety of meals going on.

Here's the plan this week for dinners:

Mon: Marinated Chicken/sweet potatoes/salad/wheat rolls
Tue: Meatloaf/mashed potatoes/strawberry & spinach salad/wheat rolls
Wed: Fish tacos/mango salsa/coleslaw/potato wedges
Thurs: Shepherd's Pie, salad
Fri: Country Style pork ribs/beans/rice/salad
Sat: Leftovers OR quesadillas (they choose)
Sun: Beef tips/rotini pasta & veggies

Breakfast items:
Pancake/sausage sticks
Smoothies
Banana Nut bread & strawberries
Breakfast burritos
Yogurt/granola/fruit
Pancakes with cinnamon apple topping

My mouse is REALLY acting up and won't highlight to allow me to add links for the recipes. I'll add them in later.

Menu Plan for the week

2010-04-25T19:48:00.004-05:00

Not posting on Monday, because the last several weeks have been just a BIT hectic and not allowed for much down time. ANYHOO - here's the plan, with links for those that like to try some new recipes.

Breakfasts:
Breakfast Burritos
Chock Full o Healthy Muffins/Fruit
Smoothies/Toast
Pancake & Sausage sticks
Mini Quiches

Dinners:
Spaghetti/green beans/butterhorns
Porcupines/sweet potato casserole/salad with homemade croutons
Corn Dog Muffins/ranch potato wedges/carrot & raisin salad
Chicken & black bean nachos (with all the toppings)
Asian Stirfry
Lipton Onion burgers/mac & cheese/salad or other veggie
Fish tacos/coleslaw/tator tots
OR
Beef & rice burritos/corn/chips & salsa

Desserts (IF I deem worth it, lol)
Mini Apple Pies (SOOOOO good and just pop out of the freezer and into the oven)
Mini Blinis

The refining process

2010-04-12T10:35:00.004-05:00

This is something that I've been meaning to study out for some time now. I keep being drawn to certain scriptures that infer the refining process that produced pure gold/silver. I was interested in studying out the processes that created the most valuable golds & silvers. What I've found is very interesting.

All gold as found contains silver even up to about 40% in some cases. Money was invented about this time, and when they minted gold coins, a high standard of purity was needed. So to remove the silver debasing the gold the metalsmiths placed fine gold particles and lumps hammered into foil in layers with common sea salt in a clay pot, sealed it with a clay lid, and placed it in a furnace;controlling the temperature carefully to around 800C. Any lower, and it doesn't work, and if the gold melts it doesn't work either. At the end of about 5 days the pot is broken open and the pure gold removed.

What occurs is that chlorine gas is produced from reactions with the salt and moisture in the pot, and from iron catalysts in the clay of the pot. The chlorine goes for the silver and converts it to silver chloride but gold is inert to it. This silver chloride is fairly liquid at 800C and finds it's way through pores in the pot and volatilises. Thus the silver is nearly all removed, down to about 2%, so considerably purifying the gold. Which of course would still contain small amounts of copper, platinum and traces of other metals. But it was a remarkable bit of chemistry for the times. (information from here)

I find it interesting to note that they would also qualifying the levels of the standards of gold by the times it was refined, referring to it as fine gold, gold doubly refined, or gold of three times. (reference here)

The times that this process is mentioned in the bible, God always points to the end result of gold being worth the process in direct reference to our own lives.

In Numbers 31 we learn about the Israelites defeating the Midianites. They were specifically intructed to destroy everything, yet they kept the woman and children, the spoil of the cattle, all of their flocks, and all their goods instead of following God's requirements to a tee. As a result, they suffered the consequences of their disobedience. They had to kill every male child and every woman that had known a man. They also had to remain without shelter of camp for 7 days and go through a purifying process during that time.

Numbers 31:22-23 stated that they only 'spoil' that could be kept had to withstand refinement by fire. All the metals had to be refined again. Only what made it through the fire could be kept.

I find this process interesting when applied in a spiritual way. God provided the Israelites not only safe-keeping, but their existance as it was then. The same exists for us. We are what we are because of what God has given and done for us.

Romans 12:1-2 states this:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We are instructed to present our lives as a sacrifice, getting out the unacceptable and only presenting what is good & perfect & pleasing to God. How many times have we told God that we 'present ourselves' sacrificially, but yet we hold back one part that SURELY He wouldn't require of us. Surely he wasn't talking about that part, right?

Yet, time and again, the refining process takes place in our lives. We are shown the impurities and instructed to get rid of them. The process is hard and sometimes long. The process is intended to separate the pure from the impure. The process is intended to produce a pure and refined life that is highly valued in the eyes of God. Yet, there is resistance.

Job was a man of many afflictions. The bible describes his afflictions as part of the refining process in this scripture: Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

And he did...he not only made it through the test of his faith, but he came out REFINED and as a result he was blessed with portions above what he had previously.

I Peter 1:7 lets us know this: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: This scripture directly follows verse 6 which tells us to rejoice through the seasons of heaviness & manifold temptations. Ironic that a season such as that produces a faith that is FAR MORE PRECIOUS that gold that has went through the refining fire.

Yet, still...we question. It's human nature. It's also human nature to withhold certain parts of our security blankets when asked to give it up for the greater purpose.

But, there IS a reward. II Corinthians 4: 16-17 states this: For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is BUT FOR A MOMENT, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

SO, I tell you this, hold tight to your faith in the midst of afflictions. Though they may be many, and though they may seem hard...there is a reward to those that survive the refining process.

I Peter 4:12-13 tells us this:
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Now in the midst of your trial of faith, rejoice. Let praise fill your lips and heart. Recall the verses that speak of 'praising God at ALL times', 'His praise shall continually fill my mouth'...and let the praise in the midst of your situation come forth.

Let the refining process do it's work, so that you may come out on the other side of this test shining as PURE GOLD that has proven to God that you're faith is not only strong, it's beautiful!

Hold on...

2010-03-12T08:44:00.003-06:00

In stillness, God speaks to me. Oftentimes through songs that I listen to, or messages preached...tidbits, here and there throughout my day.

I was reminded this morning of God's promise, yet again, that he would NEVER leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.) (note: we oftentimes quote that last part, but ignore the first portion of the scripture that instructs us to BE CONTENT with what we have...wow, what an eye-opener and wonderful sidenote!)

He would be with us...reminding us in gentle ways, that he's still there...listening, waiting, holding out his hand.

And sometimes, it's SO VERY HARD to find God's hand. But, it's there...waiting. Waiting for us to reach up...grasp hold, climb onto our Father's lap and just be still.

As this thought came to me this morning, I mentally saw pictures I've taken through the years of my children holding to their father's hands. It was always in a moments of chaos or fear. Like a public place with many people surrounding them...much taller than them...crowding in on their small frames. And they would look up, draw close, and reach for Thomas' hand. As they grew taller these moments faded. Now, it's a rare thing for them to reach for our hands, but occassionally, I'll reach for theirs. Just to reassure them that I'm there.

Other times they would reach for Thomas' hand when they were lacking security, became scared, or needed help with something. They'd stumble, and reach for a hand. I remember him holding onto to little fingers grasping his index fingers while he taught them to walk...walk steadily, and then he'd gently let go when he felt them gain security in their steps.

I recall Kaitlyn teetering on a balance beam and reaching for his hand to steady herself. Grasping quickly and not doubting for one SECOND that his hand would be right there...to help her make it to the other side.

God has asked me to be like this. To view him as a HEAVENLY FATHER. The one that I seek for. The hand I look for. He's asked us to, in fact, instructed us to become as children order to obtain Heaven. (Matthew 18:3)

Sometimes in our lives, there's many more 'holding on' to God opportunities than there are being self-sufficient. But, that's what he wants...it's what he desires from us. He desires to be the center of our lives. Just like our parents were to us. Just like we are to our own children.

In Matthew 14:25-33, there is a story that truly exemplifies this philosphy of God being there, reaching for us, bringing peace and stillness to our otherwise tumultuous life.

We see the disciples in the midst of a storm, in a boat in the middle of the sea,...and we see Jesus walking towards them, unrecognizable at first, but quickly calming their fears. Peter steps out, compelled to Jesus, takes a few steps and then quickly falters and begins to sink. His first instinct was to reach for Jesus. He cried 'save me!'. And IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out his hand and questioned his doubt...rebuked him for his small faith. They stepped into the safety of the boat and the storm ceased. (things to note: Jesus was right there. He immediately helped. He didn't like to be questioned or doubted. He was the safety net before they even reached the boat. He calmed the storm with his very presence.)

The next step is very important. As soon as they stepped in the boat, all that were in the ship came and worshipped him, realizing that he truly was the manifestation of God himself!

Psalm 46:10-11 implores us to 'Be still, and KNOW THAT I AM GOD: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the GOd of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.'

That's a hard thing to do...especially when you're feeling like you're falling and stumbling around. Faltering in your situation. But, he still desires for us to be still, hold on, wait on him, and REACH for his hand with a child-like faith and know that not only is he our refuge, but he's to be EXALTED. We're not to question that but rather maintain a faith as a child.

A faith that doesn't question God's existence or presence in the midst of turmoil, doesn't question the safety net, doesn't seek after it's own answers, but rather trusts that God has the answers. And while trusting, with FAITH...believing, reaches for their Father.

Reaches out...grasping for His hand.

And holds on...

Isaiah 41:13 - For I the Lord thy God will hold they right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Just clay...

2010-03-02T09:54:00.002-06:00

In the midst of life's battles (and if you can't tell by now, I'm dealing with MYSELF lately. I'm feeling a change in myself, and I'm LEARNING how to stop fighting it and just go with it...hard at times) we all need to be reminded of God's sovereignity.

He is Holy. Only He is Holy. He reigns sovereignly.

There is one key, though...we must ALLOW him the authority in our lives to reign. He is truly a King that desires for us to submit our ways to him.

I'm reminded YET AGAIN of this today while studying. My eyes were drawn to these scriptures found in Isaiah.

Is. 29:16 - Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

(NLT)16 How foolish can you be?
He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!
Should the created thing say of the one who made it,
“He didn’t make me”?
Does a jar ever say,
“The potter who made me is stupid”?

In our actions of allowing various emotions such as doubt, fear, despair, despondency to rule our thought patterns or our days we ARE TELLING OUR MASTER that we are questioning His plan in our lives.

Who are we to question what happens? We shouldn't. Ever. He knows the beginning from the end. He has a plan...in all things. He's faithful to complete that which has begun in us. Yet, time and again, through our lack of faith...we question.

Our concern over our future is that tie to doubt that interferes with His master plan. Have you ever finished reading the entire chapters in Isaiah where he talks about the disobedience and the result of not allowing him to have complete control over the 'clay'? The end is not good...not good at all, folks.

Yet, we continue, through our carnal thoughts, to try to keep some sense of what we feel is 'control' in the situations we are facing. We FAIL TO COMPLETELY surrender our wills, because after all, we as humans are VERY WILLFUL minded creatures. It's a blessing and a curse all at the same time.

I truly believe that when we learn the ultimate act of surrendering to the Potter's Hands entirely, that our futures will be blessed...truly guided by a purpose that only HE knows.

Is. 45:9 (NLT)What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’

How many times have our circumstances ended sorrowfully? Have we ever thought that perhaps, just perhaps, it was our own fault? Were we holding on too tightly to the cords that were binding us? Did we ALLOW our circumstances to control us OR did we allow GOD to control the circumstances?

I find it ironic that towards the end of Isaiah, after the act of the clay in the potter's hand is mentioned three times, it ends with the writer realizing that we are all clay in God's hands.

Is: 64:8 (NLT) And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of questioning God's intent and purpose for my life. I've messed up enough by trying to 'figure it out' along the way.

Have you ever watched a potter creating a vessel out of clay? It's messy...it's invasive and tumultuous (looking from the clay's perspective), but yet, in the end...what starts out as just a lump, is fashioned into a work of art that only the hands that formed it saw in the beginning. Amazing, huh?

If we are likened to clay, then we've got to realize that it's high time to make ourselves pliable, moldable, flexible to God's AMAZING plan for us. Stop questioning. Stop wondering. Stop worrying. God is looking at this lump of clay. He's placing it on a potter's wheel. He's gonna get a bit messy with it, but in the end, what started as a mere lump, is going to be a beautifully fashioned vessel designed to function in a way that only it can function.

Stop trying to hold onto that shred of control and just become clay.

Trust that God TRULY DOES KNOW the beginning from the end and simply allow yourself to be what you should have been awhile ago.

....just clay.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-01T11:30:00.003-06:00

I'm not going to assign these meals to dates as I've changed things around the last 2 weeks...so here we go.

Dinner items for this week:

Spinach quiche & salad
Chicken parmigiana sandwiches, coleslaw
meatballs, pasta, veggies
mac & cheese, steamed broccoli
sausage, rice, veggies
leftovers!

Happy Happy BIRTHDAY to my baby boy!

2010-02-24T17:04:00.003-06:00

ugh - can't say that much longer - holding onto it as long as possible

FIFTEEN!

How can this be?

SERIOUSLY? It's been 15 years since I became a mother? I haven't learned enough or gotten more experienced at this parenting thing...I need more time! AND it's swiftly running out...

UGH...can't handle it...

BUT, I can hold onto it just awhile longer and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRANDON!

agreeable?

2010-02-24T17:00:00.005-06:00

Yep - I've reached that age where with 3 kids I'm left with ONE daughter that will agree to let me take pictures, and then it's only with her lips closed! No teeth showing for her! :)

But, I love that she still lets me get my camera out when I see good light and shoot away. She doesn't complain and just keeps on smiling, the entire time. LOVE IT!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-22T09:31:00.006-06:00

Monday: Honey Roasted Pork Loin, salad, rolls
Tuesday: Spinach & Bacon Cheese quiche, soup, salad
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Enchiladas
Thursday: Spaghetti/meatballs, green beans, rolls
Friday: Hamburgers, crockpot mac-n-cheese(add velveeta cheese to the mix, too), cole slaw
Saturday: leftovers

Perfect love

2010-02-22T09:10:00.003-06:00

...casteth out all fear.

I fear, sometimes...

I fear the unknown, the future that might seem bleak and dreary today.

I fear what my kids will turn out to be - will they make it successfully through school with minimal scarring from my limited parenting skills?

I fear our money situation...it's tight.

I fear what the next 5 months hold for us and the decisions that must be made.

And sometimes, that fear gets the better of me.

Sometimes I REACT to that fear and respond in ways that are so not becoming of a Christian woman. I react to my family negatively. I respond to my husband angrily. I treat others horribly.

BUT, the reality is this:

I've NOTHING to fear. NOTHING.

1 John 4:16-19
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
We love him, because he first loved us.

I have learned more about love this last month and a half than I've ever truly grasped. Yesterday's sermon was about love that NEVER GIVES UP - doesn't lose hope - holds onto faith...believes.

I Corinthians 13:7 (NLT)7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Towards the end of that chapter is a verse that truly sticks out as somewhat 'odd' in the midst of multiple scriptures about love. However; when truly examined, I realize that verse 11 (NLT - 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. )is a direct reference to my maturity level in God.

Am I TRULY following love's commands? Am I truly personifying the person that God would have me to be?

I want to have a mature LOVE through God that surpasses all my fears and unrealistic expectations (life isn't perfect - sometimes we HAVE to endure, go through, hope to the end...suffer the rain that falls on the just and unjust alike...and not look at as punishment, but rather perfecting times)

I want to be able to show my family a motherly/wifely/Godly love that helps the situations that we face instead of hinders their growth through those circumstances.

And in order to do that I must learn that the love that God would have us embody casteth out ALL fear! I can't react to my circumstances. I MUST rise above them and endure, believe, hope, and trust that God holds all my needs in the palm of His hand. He will NEVER leave me or forsake me. He will provide the answers.

They might not come in MY time, but they ALWAYS arrive JUST IN TIME!

God is always in control as long as I allow Him to have His way in my life. I'm trusting today that God will continue to work through the circumstances I am facing and provide an answer that will be sufficient for us in the end!

(FYI-I post these posts as my spiritual journal of sorts that helps me sort through my thoughts and feelings later on. TRULY helps me out to look back and read encouraging words later on...and typing is SO much easier than writing and getting hand cramps, lol!)

Frustrated?

2010-02-18T10:57:00.004-06:00

sometimes we ALL have our moments of frustration and 'overwhelming' feelings. I have been there more times this last 14 months than I care to recall, but I do know that there is ONE SOLUTION I have found.

God.

Simply put, He has truly sustained me and provided me relief in the midst of tumultous times and events. He is my only source of strength and hope.

In the midst of certain trials, it's hard to step away and focus on the bigger picture...and see that you are surrounded by his lovings arms no matter what you're going through. He said that he would NEVER leave us or forsake us; yet somehow, we get caught up in the moments and allow despair or dismay from our circumstances take over the reality of God's promises.

We lose sight of the simple truths that have been given us.

That's why it's so very vital to stay captured by God's word. His word is a sustaining force and will lead you (a lamp unto your feet) if you seek it's direction and guiding power.

That's the problem in frustrating times. We get so wrapped up in our own selfish needs/desires/problems, that we fail to focus on what can be gained from the experience.

It's so very easy for me personally to dwell in the negative. It's in my nature. It takes Godly strength to pull myself out of the hole sometimes. It's easier sometimes to wallow, but the reality is...we get NOTHING from wallowing except filth and more misery. Nothing good comes from negative speech patterns and actions. Nothing.

However, there are multiple instances in God's word that directs us to speak and dwell on these things:

Phillippians 4:8 tells us this: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things

There is nothing NEGATIVE allowed in that type of thinking. In fact, I have found (like the lesson spoke about last night in Growth Groups) that when we focus on OTHERS and other's situations, somehow our own needs/wants/problems seem to miraculously diminish.

It's an amazing thing! Have the problems solved themselves instantly? No! However, our perspective and outlook has switched focus, allowing our mind to absorb into something else. It's truly an amazing thing.

Through my rather long personal trial I have learned to be sustained through God. Have I always been successful in my endeavors to remain positive and focused on the GOOD things that I have been blessed with? NO! We all fall and fail and yet, with God's strength, we can arise victoriously through our battles.

I've heard it said multiple times that trials build our character. It's a hard thing to understand but hindsight always supports this statement. For EVERY mountain God has brought me over there has been a lesson learned...a value gained...a new perspective and outlook on life. I'm THANKFUL for my circumstances.

I will bless the Lord at ALL times (good and bad). His praise shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth. From the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same.

Do we have to sometimes force ourselves to speak those words audibly? Yes...and let me tell you...when I have audibly spoken them (even when by myself) somehow there is a peace that overtakes me, surrounds my circumstances and hides them for a moment. I can feel God's word wrap around me, envelop me, and change my perspective.

Our frustrations rise their ugly heads and overshadow God's promises when we try to take them on ourselves. We're not meant to handle everything on our own. God wants us to be a dwelling place for his presence. And where His presence is, there is Liberty. You can't be bound by your problems and frustrations when you allow His awesome presence to fill your earthly temple.

There is a song I was listening to this morning that truly reminded me of this.

Take Rest in Me
Oh Holy Spirit
Take rest in me
Make me your temple
Restore my soul
My heart is Yours, Lord
This I decree
Oh Holy Spirit
Take rest in me
Oh Holy Spirit
Take rest in me

Oh, take rest
Oh, take rest
Rest

It's a very simple song, but the lyrics, when applied, can transform your mindset and set your frustrations free, if but for a moment.

And we all need a LOT more of these moments in frustrating and overwhelming times.

Baking day planning

2010-02-16T12:10:00.003-06:00

I'm planning a baking day for Wednesday and possibly Thursday. Here's the plan, Stan!

Pita Pockets
Super Power Muffins
Banana Bread/muffins (my mom's recipe)
Cinnamon rolls
English muffins
Tortillas

The pita pockets are SUPER easy to make and we LOVE them, so I really should make them more often. The Super power muffins are another FAVORITE and use up bananas, which we always have extra of. I always need cinnamon rolls and am just tired of purchasing the canned ones, so I'm going to start making extra batches of the recipe and freeze the extras for later.

In the spirit of SPRING

2010-02-16T11:56:00.002-06:00

or at least getting in the MOOD for Spring to arrive because I'm tired of the snow already (although I'm BEYOND thankful that I don't live in the upper states where they have received 30+ inches of snow in the last month...UGH!)

I'm putting together a list of spring cleaning things/reorganization things to accomplish the next few weeks.

One of which is resort my freezer/pantry items and inventory it. Through the multiple baking days/cooking days/break days they have gotten a bit unorganized, which makes it rather painful to cook later on because you have to waste time finding things that you need.

So - I found this blog online today and she had a ton of great organizational tips, as well as bread making videos (which I'm starting to really enjoy doing more of) as well as food storage tips (creating more of a 'bulk' food storage system, which I'm seriously considering doing since I'm using less 'pre-made' food and more 'home-made' food items) I believe that I can reorganize a few areas in my home to accomodate this type of storage/purchasing which would REALLY save us in our food budgeting later on.

It DOES require more effort on my part, but really, when you think about it, I AM a Stay At Home Mom and to me, it was a choice that I made 12 years ago and that I've ENJOYED. There have been several times this last year that Thomas and I have discussed me working again, but ultimately, our lifestyle has adapated to me being at home and quite frankly, the thought of working an outside job scares the bejeebees (ha) out of me. I'd rather do ALL I CAN DO to save money by STAYING AT HOME and making the most of it.

I'm really tired of dwelling on the things I can't do. I'm a person that doesn't enjoy 'shopping' unless I know I have something to get OR I know that I've got a few extra dollars to spend. This last year hasn't allotted for much of that at all, so reality has hit hard. I've spent an awful lot of time staying at home. Literally. And the reality is that a person can only handle so many days of that before going a bit nutso (and we all know that I was almost there beforehand, lol!)

ANYHOO - not to dwell on the negative, but I'm determining a mind-shift is in order. I need to get back to the place where I have something that inspires me and makes my 'staying at home' feel a bit less like being 'stuck at home' and more like being a productive 'SAHM'. Gotta have a plan...so here it is for the next few weeks:

1. clean and inventory the freezer
2. clean and inventory the pantries
3. clean and inventory the fridge/freezer in the house
4. clean and reorganize all cabinets (make them more bulk cooking friendly)
5. plan a baking day per week (where all the bread is made for that week's menu)
6. look into buying more 'bulk' items such as rice/flour/sugar and figuring out storage for them
7. create a binder for my printed recipes (which are literally EVERYWHERE at this point - remember, I've been 'cooking' most meals for over a year now!)
8. plan a month's worth of menus
9. eat from pantry/freezer for as long as possible to prepare for Spring restocks
10. reorganize coupons

I think that's enough to keep me occupied for a bit. Hopefully, by the end of it all, I'll start feeling more productive and less 'stuck'. That would be a GOOD thing!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-15T17:26:00.002-06:00

So didn't want to cook last week - and dont' wanna do it this week, either...but, alas...since I AM a SAHM, my job DOES entail cooking for the family...so here we go with a plan:

Monday: Grilled cheese/soup
Tuesday: Roast, potatoes, carrots, butter rolls
Wednesday: leftovers (Kaitlyn and I are selling Girl Scout cookies at Opry Mills)
Thursday: Spaghetti/meatballs/homemade sauce
Friday: Sausage, saukraut
Saturday: Pork Tenderloin/salad

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-08T10:54:00.002-06:00

So, I'm seriously NOT wanting to cook at all this week. I would love to be able to splurge and go out EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK, but alas, those cards are NOT in my favor. SO - I've gotta come up with SOMETHING to feed this family who does NOT eat my stinkin' leftovers! UGH...urgghhhh....roar. Are you feeling the love from the person who ate the leftovers EVERY DAY last week for lunch as well as a supper? Yep - much love.

Monday: Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
Tuesday: Crockpot Philly Cheese steaks, homemade hoagie buns, sweet potato fries
Wednesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
Thursday: Meatball subs, salad
Friday: Crockpot scalloped potatoes & ham
Saturday: leftovers (they HAVE to eat them this time)

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-01T18:00:00.002-06:00

Monday: 5 can soup, garlic muffins
Tuesday: Chili mac, corn bread muffins
Wednesday: Creamy Chicken, egg noodles, peas
Thursday: Baked potato soup
Friday: Crockpot Philly Cheese steaks, homemade hoagie buns, sweet potato fries
Saturday: Meatloaf, corn, buttery bread machine rolls
Sunday: Meatball subs, chips & green onion dip

Acceptance

2010-01-25T08:30:00.004-06:00

I've been in much thought since yesterday's sermon. We're doing 40 days of Love series in our Growth groups that continues into sermons in a much expounded way. It's good...REALLY good. Promotes a thought pattern in me that I've not truly examined in depth for some time.

Yesterday's message brought up something in me that I've struggled with for years. Acceptance.

Acceptance according to the dictionary is this:

–noun 1. the act of taking or receiving something offered.
2. favorable reception; approval; favor.
3. the act of assenting or believing: acceptance of a theory.
4. the fact or state of being accepted or acceptable.
5. acceptation (def. 1).
6. Commerce. a. an engagement to pay an order, draft, or bill of exchange when it becomes due, as by the person on whom it is drawn.
b. an order, draft, etc., that a person or bank has accepted as calling for payment and has thus promised to pay.

The act of 'acceptance' in our lives is something that goes back to early childhood. We learn at a very early age that what we do or don't do either gains approval or dispproval. We learn the reward system; negative based on poor actions, positive rewards based upon correct behaviors. We learn to push the limits of our 'acceptance' at times when we simply become tired of trying to get it all right or thinking about it in general.

As we grow into childhood and early teen years, the acceptance factors become more peer based. We base our acceptance levels on our friends approval, on our social status, on our material things, on our parents love, on our grades, on our sports...and list goes on and on.

In the development years of adolescence is when harsh realities set in. We learn that people don't always accept you no matter WHAT you do. We deal with the battles of fitting in, looking right, meeting up to certain standards, peer pressures, and the moral battles of good/bad.

Our sense of acceptance becomes warped because for all these years we've based 'acceptance' on what OTHERS think of us. Unfortunately, we fall short of that goal more times than not. We fail. We fall. We get back up. Yet, when we get back up, that's not always the part that others see or remember.

We live in a society that is 'merit' based. You are judged by your last mishap or action regardless of the outcome or turnaround. We judge others by their actions that affected our lives, be it good or bad. Therefore, because we judge OTHERS that way, surely they look at us the same. Right? Our mind tells us that is surely the case.

However; somewhere along the lines of our warped developments we forget to place focus on the approval source we truly need. God. We surround ourselves with a lowered sense of esteem due to others perspective and therefore fail to look at our selves ever through God's eyes.

Oh, how He loves us. Unconditionally. Without a merit clause added in. Without strings attached. He loves us in the purest sense of the word.

John 3:16 is such a familiar passage of scripture to so many of us. "For God SO LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." We memorize, learn, remember this scripture, but yet at the same time we fail to truly grasp the all-encompassing love that is represented in it. He loved the WORLD...and gave himself as the ultimate sacrifice and atonement of our sorry, low-down sinful nature. He knew we would fail, that we would fall, that we would 'crucify him again' with our actions of basic humanity, yet he GAVE...love to us. Pure, all-encompassing love. Surpassing our faults kind of love.

The very next scripture is one that is often left out, but needs to be pointed out. Verse 17: "for God sent not his Son into the world to CONDEMN the world; but that the world through him might be saved." Condemnation is NOT of God. He is a gentle convictor of the heart, not a condemnor of the soul. That, apparently, is our job at times - or so we think?

The key verse that stuck out to me yesterday was this one. Romans 15:7 "Wherefore receive ye on another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God."

In John 15:12 we read this: "This is my commandment, That ye LOVE ONE ANOTHER, as I have loved you."

Acceptance...let's go back to that. Rather than view from our personal struggles to gain acceptance, let's examine how we've accepted others through our lifetimes. Examine ourselves without excuses. That's the key here - don't give yourself any excuse out. No notes allowed for this exam...you gotta look at yourself for what you truly are.

Have we 'received' others the way that God received us? Have we LOVED others the way that God has loved us? Without restrictions, barriers, limitations, judgement? Have we truly taken the time to view that person that bothers us the most with God's eyes? Do we simply let the fact that there are things about their nature that we think are justifiable reasons for us to NOT accept them get in the way of loving them?

We are human...prone to failure and mistakes. There is none perfect...not one. But yet, we think that just because we're 'Christian' or claim to be, that we automatically get handed the right to judge key. Righteous indignation is what the world calls it - and it gets the better of us time and again. It gives Christianity a bad name. We fail to see that by our very action of dispproval, we allow the very essence of what God came to do (to save and not condemn) fade into the background of our existence. We get caught up logistics and people watching and forget to "soul-watch" ourselves.

I'm not trying to be harsh in my delivery of my thoughts. I'm simply expressing them the way that God spoke them to me yesterday.

God LOVES me. He does. Does this mean that I've been right all the time? That I deserve that love? NO! In my 'non-accepting' eyes I will NEVER deserve that love. (non-accepting here means that because I've lived through years of struggling to be accepted without conditions I've failed to accept myself for what I am and have FAILED to see myself through God's eyes)

Somewhere through the years, the labels and conditions that have been placed on me in order to gain approval has been unknowingly passed along to others by me. (example, if Thomas 'loves' me, he'll do this...if they 'love' me, they'll say this...if this person 'likes' me, this will occur) All along, while seeking acceptance, I've failed to ACCEPT OTHERS.

I've failed to put God's nature into my own. I've failed to let God's perspective be my own. Instead of praying to see a certain situation through God's eyes, I've prayed that the person that caused the situation be 'fixed', because SURELY they're the reason for the problem, right?

In essence, I've failed to accept and LOVE others the way that God has unconditionally loved me. I've put conditions and clauses and addendums where there should be NONE. I've put barriers where there should be open arms. I've built walls, where there should be doors. And as a result, I've become LESS of what I should be and more of what I shouldn't be.

I am going to fix this. I'm going to LOVE the way that I'm intended to love as a Christian...without 'acceptance' clauses.

Are you?

My prayer today: Change my heart, Lord. Let me truly gain your perspective. I'm tired of judging. I'm tired of BEING judged. Let me grasp hold of the way you love and show others unconditional love and not 'merit' based love. Let me see through your eyes the way you see me...beautiful. Let me realize that although I see MYSELF as unacceptable, STILL YOU GAVE so that I might be saved...simply because you knew that despite my rotten humanity, I was worth saving. Let me see the value in others and not view their humanity like I naturally tend to do. Give me a long-suffering love and a charity/love that wins the lost to you. Let me be sanctified by your word today.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-01-25T08:00:00.003-06:00

Still menu planning and it helps me SOOOOO much. First of all, if you're new to menu planning, it really is a time saver in the long run. AND it allows you to utilize your groceries better, thus saving you money in the long run simply by COOKING the food you purchase. (funny concept, I know, but really is true if you've ever purchased produce/meat and left in fridge to ruin)

ANYHOO - here's the plan for this week. I'm attempting to clean out the fridge/freezer/pantry so we'll be utilizing as much from those areas as possible with minimal purchases. I think I can do it without buying anything but milk and 'coupon' stockpile items. (which allows me to do this in the future as well)

Mon: Vegetable soup, corn muffins
Tues: Grilled pimento cheeses with tomato soup & cheez-its
Wed: Lasagna roll-ups (from freezer, doubled portion last time), wheat dinner rolls
Thurs: Taco Cups (leftover sloppy joe meat plus extra added in with a dash of taco seasoning), corn
Fri: Pantry challenge (look for items in pantry and find recipe) - Chicken and wild rice casserole
Sat: Crockpot challenge (look for items in freezer and find recipe) - Roasted Sticky Chicken (yes, we will be 'chickened' out, but will have leftovers from this for chicken pillows OR this for Monday)
Sun: Cinnamon rolls, leftovers

Menu Plan Monday

2010-01-18T10:42:00.003-06:00

Finished off last's week menu fairly well. Stayed on track until Saturday when Thomas decided he wanted pizza from Costco for supper instead of leftovers, lol!

ANYHOO:

Here's the plan

Mon: Shrimp Creole, rice, salad
Tues: Spaghetti, green beans, rolls
Wed: Sausage gravy, biscuits, quiche
Thurs: Chicken pillows, peas, salad
Fri: Crockpot sloppy joes, bbq beans
Sat: not home
Sun: cinnamon rolls (from freezer)

Meal Plan Monday

2010-01-11T08:17:00.003-06:00

Here's the menu for the week in the Camacho household:

Monday: Shepherd's Pie (didn't make it Saturday night since we went to a friend's house)

Tuesday: Grilled chicken, steamed broccoli/cheese sauce, wheat dinner rolls

Wednesday: Crescent chicken roll-ups, salad, wheat dinner rolls

Thursday: Velveeta chicken spaghetti, green beans

Friday: Turkey chili pies, salad

Saturday: Chili hot dogs

Sunday: Bread machine cinnamon rolls

Breakfast ideas:
cereal
muffins (from freezer, remove night before, although the Super Power muffins never made to freezer)
sausage n biscuits
fruit smoothies
egg in baskets

It's still snowing

2010-01-09T13:33:00.002-06:00

flurries, that is.

As cold as it is, you'd think it would just drop buckets of snow. Which in the case of Nashville, would probably be a VERY bad thing indeed! just the bit that we've had has halted most traffic. Crazy!

Anyhoo - I've enjoyed my cooking this week. Although I've cooked most every meal (that's including breakfast and lunches) I've still enjoyed myself. Forgot how much meal-planning actually helps not only keep me on track, but inspires me to try out new recipes and get in the kitchen a bit more.

Saturday's menu always consists of left-overs that I try to tweak a bit to make them actually EAT them, lol.

Today I made shepherd's pie with the leftover roast. EASY - just layer roast in the bottom of a pan. Cover with a can of drained corn. Cover that with mashed potatoes (made fresh this morning) and top with cheddar cheese. I'll bake for about 40 minutes or until it's bubbly and browned slightly. The kids like this fairly well and it's a great way for me to get the roast used up since usually only Thomas and I will eat if for leftovers (errrrhhhmmm...mostly me?)

I also made up a side-dish that we can eat on for a few days using some more of the broccoli that I purchased in bulk from Sam's. So much cheaper to do that than to purchase in smaller quantities. Plus, I can get a LOT of different uses for the one large package that will last me around a week. I made the broccoli cheese soup earlier this week. Made Nutty Broccoli Salad today. I'll serve the rest of it steamed with a bit of cheese sauce (for the kids) for a meal on next week's menu.

Here's a few of the recipes I made this week that some have asked for:

Lasagna Roll-ups

1 lb hamburger meat
1/2 onion (or more, if desired) chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic (or garlic powder, if you prefer)
salt & pepper to taste
8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1 pkg of thawed spinach (well-drained)
lasagna noodles
2 cans of spaghetti sauce
1 package of mozarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan OR 2 8 inch square pans. Cook lasagna noodles per package directions. Drain and slightly cool. Brown hamburger meat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add seasonings. Transfer to mixing bowl along with cream cheese and spinach. Mix well. Add a bit of the mixture to the length of the cooked lasagna noodle and roll-up. Cover the bottom of the pan with portion of the sauce. Place rolled noodles into pan. Cover with sauce. Cover with cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

*The meat mixture can be added to any large noodle such as shells, manicotti for a bit of variety.

Here's another recipe that I found online and then tweaked to my taste.
Cheesy Broccoli Soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans chicken broth
8 oz velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4-6 oz cream cheese
1 cup half/half milk
3-4 cups broccoli crowns, chopped roughly
1/2 - 1 tbsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Mix soup, broth, and milk until warm in a large heavy stock-pot over med-low heat. Add cheese, stirring until melted and slightly thickened. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Add broccoli crowns and cook for approximately 20-30 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

Anyhoo - enjoy!

And you're staying warm wherever you are!

Today was a snow day...

2010-01-07T18:49:00.008-06:00

and tomorrow is, too! Yay for us! Yay for me...yay....yippee....yahooo...woooo...

We started out with NO snow and about 12:00 the boys had enough on the sidewalks to build their little bitty snowman complete with buttons stolen from my office, lol! (not sure where they're at now, though!)

The 'snow' then consisted of many boys running in and out and making the mess at the front door that I SO love:

You know - the coats, shoes, hats, snow melt spots, and whiney dogs waiting for opportunities to escape to the snow-covered grounds that look so very lovely from the inside of the house but not so much once they get out there.

And I escaped...by baking. A LOT OF MUFFINS. Yummy muffins.

Muffins like Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins.

And Super Power Muffins

And Banana crumb muffins.

And then after trying to hide out for the rest of the day in my office, I edited some pictures...

Like this one of Kaitlyn:

And then I did another 2 loads of laundry.
And cooked Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Buttermilk biscuits (along with some cinnamon biscuits for the caramel fried apples.

And then at around 7:30 I decided that enough was enough and watched a T.V. show with Thomas (which I don't remember anything from because I fell asleep about 10 minutes into it).

Yep...it's been one of those days.

And apparently tomorrow is promising to look the same!

It's time for a foundation check...

2010-01-05T09:19:00.001-06:00

I started reading through the New Testament in 30 days yesterday. Yesterday's reading was found in Matthew 1-12. The Sermon on the Mount takes place during this reading. One of the things I love about reading large portions of the Bible at a time is that you get a true 'feel' for the text. It seems to flow together and blend seamlessly. I love that!

Yesterday was no exception. I found myself stopping after reading through the entire Sermon on the Mount (which, btw, is much different than sermon's we're used to hearing today - but that's another topic alltogether, lol!). I jotted notes and came at one point last night while waking for the umpteenth time, I had rather profound thoughts on that reading (which of course, I can't recall at this point - but they were PROFOUND - just trust me!).

Here's a few things that I noticed about the text yesterday:

The sermon ends with Matthew 7:24-28 talking about building a home on either rock (a firm foundation) or sand (shaky/crumbling foundation). The key phrase that stuck out at me was this one in verse 26: But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them , will be like a foolish man whobuilt his house on the sand.

I then immediately thought back to the previous chapters that I had read and decided perhaps I needed a foundation check.

Starting at the beginning of the sermon he directs your attention to the Beatitudes; which talks about the TYPE of person (or our character) we are. Poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hunger & thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness' sake.

We are then instructed to be the Salt & Light of the world. Letting our light shine before men that they may see our good works and then glorify our Father in heaven.

We are then told that the Law is still necessary and in fact, even more so since he came to FULFILL the law, not destroy it. And to further show this, Jesus goes on to state that sins such as murder and adultery are conceived and birthed in the heart rather than at the time of acting upon it.

He instructs us that marriage is a sacred and a BINDING contract that should be viewed without an 'opt out' clause (except for in the case of infedelity - and then there is no remarriage allowed, according to the Word).

He says instead of 'swearing' an oath, to simply let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No.

Jesus instructs us to, in essence, go the second mile for those that are our enemies. Turn your cheek. Give your coat. Lend money. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.

Don't simply do good to 'shine' before men, but do good because you know it pleases your Father who sees all in secret anyway!

He teaches us how to pray, and therefore instructs us TO pray (and not to be seen and heard for our eloquent or many words).

He teaches us how to fast, and therefore instructs us TO fast (and not to be seen and known for our misery upon doing so).

He lets us know that earthly gain means nothing. Our treasure should be found in Heaven. And then he clarifies it even further by telling us that the lamp of the body is the eye, and that we should be filled with light (good) and not darkness (evil). And even further clarifies those statements by telling us you can't serve two masters. You must make a choice to serve either God or mammon (wordly gain/money/possesions).

Here's a good one: Do Not Worry. He assures us that we are more precious to Him than any other thing. Therefore, why should we EVER worry. The day alone provides enough trouble for you to deal with. Focus on making it through today with His help and let tomorrow be in God's care.

Do not judge! If you are a judge, then you're forgetting about the plank i your own eye...ouch!

Keep asking, seeking, & knocking. Again - He assures us that we are special to Him and therefore our needs are just as important to Him as they are to us; however, we MUST take action for our needs! Ask, seek, knock...action verbs!

He instructed us that the pathway to Heaven is narrow and few find it, and the pathway to Hell is great and man go in by it.

He instructed us to know prophets not by how eloquently they speak, or how they make you feel, but rather their fruit.

He let us know that many will expect to make Heaven their final destination, but will be shocked when he says to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! (or work iniquity)".

This is where he instructs us to build our foundation on a firm and unshakable surface...the rock (who is referenced in the Bible SEVERAL times as being Jesus himself!). He lets us know that when our 'house/home' (our personal tabernacle/body) is built upon the rock (Jesus and his teachings), the wind's and rains, and floods that decend won't harm you or cause you to fall.

So, today, do a foundation check. If you've been feeling the impact of some rain in your life (and not just the rain that falls on the just and the unjust alike...but torrential rain that has caused your roof to leak, figuratively speaking), perhaps it's time for you to evaluate the areas in your life that has caused some foundation damage.

I remember vividly, while growing up in Central Texas, how the severe summers would effect our home's foundation. The earth would literally pull away from the concrete foundation and dry & shrink back INCHES from the foundation. I remember dad laying a hose around the house and watering the earth around the house.

Take that same 'concept' and apply it spiritually. Have you watered your foundation lately? Severe draughts or periods of time where you go without a spiritual encounter with God can cause your foundation to crack. You don't necessarily notice the damage right away, but come winter you'll see the crack effecting the walls. It will start with just a slight shift of the foundation running up the line of the wall and causing a crack to form in the sheetrock. Before you know it, you've got a wall that's in need of some major repair because you simply didn't tend to the foundation when you should have.

Check your foundation...check it for cracks...for strength...for weaknesses. Use the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount to be your 'guideline' for your checklist today.

I did that yesterday and I've got a few cracks to fill.......

Menu Plan Monday

2010-01-04T19:45:00.003-06:00

Started the meal planning again for this year since it REALLY does help me stay on track!

Mon: Italian Chicken, Spaghetti noodles/sauce, green beans, and rolls
Tues: Roast, potatoes, carrots, rolls
Wed: Lasagna roll-ups, salad, 5 grain bread
Thurs: 3 cheese broccoli soup, wheat rolls
Fri: Shepherd's Pie
Sat: Marlboro Man Sandwiches, sweet potatoe casserole, homemade hoagie buns
Sun: Jelly cinnamon biscuits (breakfast)

Calendar for 2010

2010-01-04T11:45:00.014-06:00

I downloaded a template from one of the photography blogs I visit: Shutter Sisters

And created this:

It's a new year, a new season

2010-01-04T10:43:00.002-06:00

Many reasons for my lack of involvement in my blog, but none of that matters at this point. It's a NEW season and a new start.

I've enjoyed the One Little Word project inspired by Ali Edwards and will continue with that again this year (even though I didn't officially continue my focus last year...)

This year's word is: Simplify

If I learned ANYTHING last year, I learned that I am able to live on MUCH less and with MUCH less than I have before. So this year, it's fitting for me to continue that theme. I want to simplify my life. I make things so difficult sometimes by my desire to fill up my life with things that just ultimately clutter it.

I'm going to simplify. I will simplify my needs, my desires, my walk with God (back to the basics, y'all!), my family structure, my home, my/our budget & finances. I think it's a good thing to get rid of some things that haven't really helped us grow or be any more than what we were before.

In my simplification I hope to add MUCH to my quality of life.

Timothy says it all in Chapter 6:

1 Timothy 6
King James Bible

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. 2 And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

------------------
I plan to learn contentment through SIMPLIFY'ing' my life. It's my prayer that this really gets ahold of me this year!

Been MIA

2009-09-24T08:44:00.004-05:00

and there's a reason...

I've been working on a photography website for a bit now.
This is something I've wanted to do for years, but just never stepped out or pushed myself beyond the THINKING about it part.

However; with the encouragement of a few, I'm stepping into it. I'm going to make a go of this and push myself to do this for myself! I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm wondering what the future holds for it, but most of all I'm proud of myself for finally committing to do something I'm quite passionate about.

So, without further ado, here's the website:

Simply Renee Photography

On a side note: If you live in the area and would like to schedule a session for me to capture YOUR moments, please call or email me. The contact info is on the website. I will give you a 25% discount code for any order placed for all sessions booked through the end of the year. I want to build my portfolio, so this is my way of saying, COME MY WAY, lol!

August Expense

2009-09-01T10:39:00.002-05:00

I went over budget (which was increased to $400 this month because I needed to stockpile basics; like toilet paper, paper towels, frozen goods, cereal) by $53.97. BUT I got SO MUCH STUFF that I don't feel bad about it at all. My pantries and storage cabinets are full again with everything that we need, so my next month's budget should go back down to $300 and easily be met. We'll see. I'm trying to maintain the 'budget' attitude even though Thomas is working again. I'm hoping it'll help us stay on track and focused with our savings again.

I hope to be able to update this blog and my photo blog soon. I'm so overwhelmed with my unorganized office and I think it's needing my attention for a bit...

I might make it back out in a week? !!!! HA!

August has been full

2009-08-22T11:46:00.002-05:00

thus the reasons for minimal posts. I'm trying to get back in the swing of routine, while taking care of several little 'fires' and projects for church, 7Gypsies, and another assignment for a magazine. I'm enjoying have a bit of creative work. Brings out a side of me that lays dormant and unappreciated. I need to visit that side more often.

My creative efforts fulfill me. I need to embrace it more often.

I'm getting the urge to 'purge' my office and reorganize it. I've been looking at a few scrapbook rooms lately and have been inspired to clean and minimalize. I need that. I function better with minimality (is that a word?). I need to do that soon!

I also have several decor ideas floating around in my head for upstairs. Since being in the house, I've yet to put 'my' touch on the rooms upstairs. The downstairs is constantly being fiddled with and moved around (and I'm getting in the mood to redo AGAIN with the fall showing it's head this morning with the cooler temps and breezy winds...brings out my 'autumn' mood!

I'm grateful this month for many things. The kids health. The kids have been a little sick this month, and it makes me realize how HEALTHY my kids are. Brandon is the only one that's every been on antibiotics, and that was just once. Seriously...that is pretty amazing since I have three kids. They've never been sick enough that I felt like it was more than just a viral infection that needed to work itself out. They're RARELY sick. Like once a year? Twice a year? I think that's a blessing and I'm grateful for that today.

I'm grateful this month for my family. I've reconnected with many family members on facebook the last several months and I got a chance this past weekend to see several of them in person. It did something wonderful to my heart. Really. Can't explain, other than every time I think about the weekend, I tear up. I actually cried several tears of happiness Monday after returning from the whirlwind weekend.

I'm grateful this month for my friends. I don't get to spend enough time with them, but I'm thankful that God has given me some special friends in my lifetime. I got to reconnect with one of my best friends growing up over the weekend. It was amazing. I burst into tears as soon as I hugged her. Seriously - and she just laughed because she remembered how often I cried at the stupidest, silliest things! I'm a crier...ask Thomas. Remember the cotton commercials...weeped everytime I saw the old couple holding hands jumping up and down on their bed. Got me EVERY TIME!

I'm grateful this month for my husband's new job. It might not be exactly what we thought we would get, but it's what we need right now. It's allowing us to build up our reserve/savings again and getting us back on track. It came JUST IN TIME for school to start and the worry of having to put the kids back into public school didn't become reality. I'm BEYOND thankful for that.

I'm grateful this month for couponing. I realize that a year ago at this time, I really had no concept of the saving that I now provide for my family. I haven't had to do much shopping the last 2 months...in fact, have spent less than $700.00 on groceries and household expense during June and July. My stockpiled groceries was more than adequate for not only my family, but a few others. I'm thankful for God allowing me to stumble upon this process that has not only effected my family, but several others in the church that are seeing the 'money savings light'.

I'm grateful this month for travel. Traveled to El Dorado last weekend and this next week I'll go with Thomas to travel to Austin/San Marcus on his business trip. I get to see my sister and my best friend from school. Really - the amount of reconnections this month is overwhelming. My heart will surely bust from joy at the end of this month.

I'm grateful for school and routine. Hear me out. My family is large and the reality is when we're all stuck in the house like we were this summer, it's difficult. We were unable to get out much up to this point simply because of finances. We couldn't afford to spend the extra to really do anything substantial. They got to go to their camps, but that was about it. Other than that, we enjoyed each other's company A WHOLE LOT this summer. I LOVE them, but I love the routine that school provides. They do too. Routine gives me a sense of relief. Can't explain it, but by the end of this summer I started feeling discombobulated. Seriously...couldn't seem to get my focus on anything. I'm slowly reestablishing that control in my life and it helps me function. I like it.

I'm grateful for insurance. Insurance that came just in time. LITERALLY days before we needed it. 2 days after we got insurance, Thomas' last bottle of insulin (costing $110, I think?, per bottle) was finished. Seriously? God's timing is ALWAYS right on time and it just happened to be that the job he got allowed his insurance to start the DAY he started...not a month afterwards, like usual. Seriously? God is ALWAYS showing in the little things that's He's in COMPLETE control of our lives if we allow Him to be. Amazes me everytime.

I'm grateful for my mom and dad. They've had a few health problems through the years, but nothing to this point that's been major requiring surgery. My aunt just had triple bypass, which was the reason we went to El Dorado. I'm grateful that nothing like that's happened to my mom or dad. They're getting older, but they're still, for the most part, in good health. I'm thankful for that!

So - that's been my thoughts this month so far. I'm full of thankfulness and gratitude for the blessings that are given to me. I'm thankful for my life and all that's in it that makes it a full life. I'm thankful for the relationships I have with others. I'm thankful for reconnections and technology that's allowed some of those things to transpire easily.

And I can't wait to see how this month finishes out!

Back in the MPM saddle again

2009-08-03T15:57:00.002-05:00

The last 2 weeks have been INCREDIBLY busy and full with little time to think much less prepare supper every night. We had simple suppers on the nights I did cook, but some nights just had enough time to grab something quick, or eat cereal or something like that later that evening.

Here's the plan for this week (suppers only because the kids are handling breakfasts and lunches on their own time when they get around to eating, lol!):

Monday - Pasta salad with ham & peas, cheesy garlic pull-aparts, fruit salad
Tuesday - Steak & veggie kabobs on the grill, corn on cob, yeast rolls, watermelon
Wednesday - Chicken stir-fry and rice
Thursday - Skillet Hamburgers with onions, roast potatoes, baked beans
Friday - Spinach stuffed meatloaf
Saturday - Hot wings, fries
Sunday - out to eat

July expense report

2009-08-03T11:19:00.003-05:00

Here's my July Expense report. I budgeted $300.00 again this month. And I came MIGHTY close to reaching that goal. I was a little over because of a special purchase that Thomas requested on July 17 (without coupons...ugh!). If we hadn't got that, I would have been under for the month.

Still eating from my stockpile that really needs to be depleted more before I try filling it up again. It's working for us. I can quickly put together a meal without much thought from my pantry...which for the last few weeks has been great...MUCH going on around here...!

Thomas and I haven't had a chance to sit down and discuss an 'out-to-eat' budget. We need to do that ASAP. There were several little meals here and there because we simply were not home a lot the last couple weeks due to things going on at church. But, next month will be MUCH better with the kids starting school and life getting back to a normal routine once again. YIPEEE!

I was going to include school shopping and pet supplies in this budget, but decided those are probably better kept seperate as they vary each month and hard to budget. BUT I DO STILL COUPON shop for those things, too...... CAN NOT BELIEVE how much I've saved on school supplies this year! Can't believe I used to purchase this stuff at full price...seriously! ANYHOO...have a great week!

Remember this face?

2009-07-28T13:26:00.003-05:00

Followed this tutorial to add the border to this picture...love this face!

7Gypsies projects

2009-07-28T12:56:00.030-05:00

They were finished early and sent in on time (so I thought) only for me to realize once getting to the UPS store that they (the ones near me) no longer offer the shipping labels to those using accounts. CRAZY!!!! Drove to the main hub only to find out that it changed it's hours for 4-8 TO 2-6...and we got there at 6:45. UGH. UGH....UGH. Ended up getting them shipped out the next day but golly - that was a mess...

ANYHOO - here's a link to the gallery where we'll be posting projects periodically as requested:

7Gypsies Gypsy Girl Gallery

Here's my projects for this show:

Victoria Papers on canvas -

Artist Tray -

Victoria bird stamp 3-d project -

Barcelona banner project -

(thanks to Cally for the inspiration for the photo danglies portion of the banner - here)
Home album using Gypsy collection -

I had fun creating these projects and it felt good to spend a bit of time being creative and getting some ideas out of my head and completed. Can't wait to have more time to get in the craft room again!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-06T13:10:00.002-05:00

Getting back on track after a week of vacation last week. Just listing the dinners since the kids are eating out of the freezer/pantry/fridge for breakfast and lunches on their own schedules!

Monday: Grilled chicken, pasta with veggies, rolls
Tuesday: Marlboro Man sandwiches, homemade hoagie buns, mac n cheese
Wednesday: Grilled hot dogs, pasta salad
Thursday: Santa Fe Enchiladas with fiesta rice
Friday: Manwiches, potatoes
Saturday: Fish fillets, corn on cob, tomatoes
Sunday: BBQ Pork Roast, baked beans, rolls

June Expense

2009-07-04T08:55:00.004-05:00

My tally's for the month of June:

I ended up being $32.24 over my self-appointed $300 budget. I STILL think that's pretty stinkin' good, although I didn't quite make it since Harris Teeter had to throw in a Super Doubles sale for coupons under $2.00. Made it impossible to resist using some of the ones I wouldn't normally use because of the price of the items. (Okay - and well - Publix had a few extra things on sale like Velveeta that I felt I REALLY needed to get, lol!)

But - all in all - good!

Emergency preparedness

2009-06-26T11:48:00.003-05:00

For those of you who attended the ladie's meeting, here's a list that you might find helpful!

Emergency Pantry list

There's a few items that I need to have for just in case times...

making a list

2009-06-23T19:42:00.002-05:00

that's been on several of my visited blogs today:

Outside my window… There's a water sprinkler watering the heck out of the front yard.

I am thinking… about how uncomfortable I'm getting in this shell I call a body again.

I am thankful for… my family, my garden/flowers, and this place I call home.

From the kitchen… yells AT the boys while they fight and spend ONE HOUR cleaning it after the supper.

I am wearing… pajama bottoms and top.

I am creating… editing daily photos

I am going… to move the sprinkler to the backyard in a minute.

I am reading… White Coleander

I am hoping… that direction comes soon.

I am hearing… the sound of Olivia as she licks every square inch of my office floor for the umpteenth time this week.

Around the house… are the kids settling into their evening routines of continual and perpetual fighting.

One of my favorite things… 10 minutes of golden silence!

A few plans for the rest of the week… laundry, cooking, cleaning, watering, gardening, parenting, wishing, dreaming...

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-22T15:58:00.003-05:00

Have to stick to it this week. Did good the first of last week, but not so good the latter part.

Monday:
breakfast - eggs, bacon, sweet rolls
lunch - chicken salad, crackers
dinner - sausage/squash casserole, rice, cucumber salad

Tuesday:
breakfast - cereal
lunch - chicken salad lettuce wraps with tomatoes
dinner - paprika chicken with sour cream sauce, pasta, zucchini

Wednesday:
breakfast - pancakes with peaches
lunch - sandwiches
dinner -turkey stuffed meatloaf, green beans, mashed potatoes

Thursday:
breakfast - eggs in baskets, cantalope
lunch - fruit salad, ham roll-ups
dinner - Marlboro man steak sandwiches, fried potatoes, corn on cob, homemade hoagie buns, pound cake trifle

Friday:
breakfast - cereal
lunch - quesadillas, salad
dinner - cajun chicken alfredo, salad, yeast rolls, tomatoes

Saturday:
breakfast - french breakfast puffs, strawberries
lunch - leftovers
dinner - mexican chicken, salad, spanish rice

Sunday:
breakfast - breakfast delightslunch - taking kids to camp (drive-through)
dinner - something quick, light, and easy since it'll be just Thomas & I

This is completely insane

2009-06-18T09:58:00.002-05:00

seriously?

PETA

Are they stupid? Does this mean that if 10,000 mosquitos infested with Malaria lands on their bodies that they wouldn't get them off? Does this mean that if they're in Central Texas in the middle of the summer and they accidentally fall into a BLAZING bundle of fire ants, they wouldn't stop, drop, roll, and KILL those suckers? Does this mean that if they were conversing through an Australian outback and came upon a swarm of pesky gnats, they wouldn't swat and swing at a few themselves?

Do they just LOOK for something to gripe at? Are they INSANE? COME ON!

Okay - off soapbox now!

More photos

2009-06-17T14:18:00.009-05:00

From April 2009

From March 2009:

Various photos

2009-06-16T16:06:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a rather boring day so I spent it doing something I like to do (while escaping from the noise of the kids). I edited several photos from the month of June so far.

Enter to win

2009-06-16T15:46:00.000-05:00

Visit this blog to enter to win Pretzel Chips

Not a great week this week in the coupon world

2009-06-15T20:41:00.003-05:00

for the locals...not much worth shopping for me. So, I'm staying at home. I went today to finish some little things. They were out a few things that I got rain checks on. Needed eggs and the kids LOVED the YoCrunch yogurts, so I bought 12 more @ .23/ea. Seeing as all 6 were gone that I bought Thursday, I'd say I'm fine to buy 12. Zachary LOVES his yogurt and especially in the summertime. He's been known to eat 2 at a sitting up to twice a day.

I've cut my grocery budget for the month back to $300 and I'm striving hard to get to that goal. My pantries are WELL stocked, so I don't think that should be an issue. I even cooked for the surprise birthday party after church Sunday night out of my pantry. AND...it was good. Strawberry Pretzel Crunch

I didn't have strawberry jell-o, though...but cherry worked just fine...fyi (in case that's all YOU have in your pantry, too)

My meal planning for this week is strictly from the pantry/freezer, with the exception of the eggs that had to be purchased today. I needed bread, but thought I'd break out the bread maker for as little bread as we've been eating lately. Even gonna make the hoagie buns instead of buying them since I have the yeast to do so.

I have about $72.00 left for the month. I know that seems like just a little and that I might not make it, but folks...if you didn't know this about me, know it now...I'm STUBBORN. And with only the basics needed, I'm DETERMINED to make it...and unless there's just something MAJOR to buy (and only on a REALLY great deal like Ritz crackers @ .89/each again) I won't buy it. Not even planning on going 'tripling' unless for free stuff. Seriously. I can do this.

I can.
I will.
Watch me.

:)

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-15T10:35:00.003-05:00

I didn't menu plan specifically last week and I could tell. We had a couple days of no kids, or only one kid so in my mind, planning wasn't as important. I was wrong.

So no excuses this week - I'm planning!

AND because I have some FRESH veggies from my garden harvested this morning, I'm super excited to try some new recipes out!

Monday:
breakfast - frozen items
lunch - leftover spaghetti sauce with angel hair pasta, garlic 'hot dog bun' bread (HA!)
dinner - honey mustard chicken tenders, bacon balsamic glazed sugar snap peas, mashed potatoes, rustic peach tart

Tuesday:
breakfast - french toast (from freezer)
lunch - roast chicken, green beans & tomatoes
dinner - surprise birthday party!

Wednesday:
breakfast - pancakes (frozen)
lunch - chicken salad, cherries, chips
dinner - pasta tossed with shrimp and sugar snap peas

Thursday:
breakfast - cereal
lunch - ham & cheese roll-ups, cherries, yogurt
dinner - Marlboro man steak sandwiches, fried potatoes, corn on cob, homemade hoagie buns, pound cake trifle

Friday:
breakfast - muffins, strawberries
lunch - quesadillas, salad
dinner - cajun chicken alfredo, salad, yeast rolls, tomatoes

Saturday:
breakfast - Barbara Mobleys - YUM!
lunch - leftovers
dinner - ?

Sunday:
breakfast - cinnamon twists
lunch - chicken & dressing casserole (put together the night before), veggie, cookies
dinner - chicken stir fry

OH, and FYI - I'm STILL eating from my pantry/freezer. Seriously... Not shopping much this week because it's not a great week sale wise. Gotta get a few basics, though.

May expense wrap-up

2009-06-01T12:32:00.004-05:00

It was my first month keeping OFFICIAL track of all of my receipts and making sure I stayed on track with the $400-$450 budget. Thomas has said I could do whatever I felt like I need to do as far as the food budget goes. Towards the end of the month the stupid triples came again, lol. With all the good deals, I couldn't help but spending the extra $50 and stockpiling on a LOT of good items. There were also the GREAT Kraft coupons that made for a bit extra spending this month.

I'm considering lowering my food budget for next month to $300-$350 and seeing what happens. I think that can easily happen. We'll see, though...as the month progresses that might change! :)

Here's the expense and savings for May:

72% savings overall isn't bad.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-01T09:30:00.002-05:00

We're STILL eating from the pantry/freezer. LOVING it!

Here's the plan this week:

Monday
Breakfast - cinnamon rolls
Lunch - sandwiches, pasta salad
Dinner - grilled chicken salads, honey butter rolls

Tuesday
Breakfast - waffles
Lunch - pizza pockets
Dinner - grilled hamburgers, sweet potato fries, corn on cob

Wednesday
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - tuna sandwiches, chips/dip
Dinner - shrimp creole

Thursday
Breakfast - cinnamon toast
Lunch - ravioli
Dinner- sausage & rice casserole, salad

Friday
Breakfast - egg toast
Lunch - leftovers
Dinner - grilled pork chops, au gratin potatoes, broccoli

Saturday
Breakfast - pancakes, eggs, bacon
Lunch - crescent cheese hot dogs, baked beans
Dinner - spaghetti, salad, green beans

Frugal Meals (or Tasty Thrifty Thursdays a day late)

2009-05-22T08:52:00.003-05:00

This has been the week of EASY & Frugal meals for us. Here's a few that we've had:

Monday: Ravioli with cream sauce and fruit salad

Ravioli - $2.00 (from freezer stockpile and thawed in fridge)
Cream - $1.25 for entire container (so probably .50 worth)
Grated Parmesan Cheese - $1.00
Butter - FREE
Bananas - .50
Strawberries - 1.66
Almonds - .25 (or around that)
Ready Whip - FREE
TOTAL COST - $5.91

Tuesday: Pulled Chicken Sandwiches/pasta salad

Chicken - ? leftovers (maybe around $1.00 worth?)
BBQ Sauce - FREE
Buns - clearanced @ .75 for 8
Pasta - FREE
Salad Dressing - .30
TOTAL COST - $.95 - $2.00

Wednesday: Ham & Cheese Roll-ups, pineapple, chips

Ham - FREE
Cheese - $1.00
Wheat Flatbread - $1.25
Honey Mustart - FREE
Mayo - FREE
Ranch dressing (for dipping) - FREE
Pineapple - $1.25
Chips - $2.00 (entire bag)
TOTAL COST - $5.50 (and that's without using entire packages)

Thursday: Hot Dog & Cheese Crescent Rollups, Mac-n-cheese

Hot Dogs - $.50
Cheese - $.79
Crescent rolls - $.75
Mac-n-cheese - $.25
TOTAL COST - $2.29

Friday: Sweet & Tangy Sausage, hashbrowns, eggs

Sausage Link - $1.50
Pancake Syrup - $1.19
Hot Sauce - FREE
Hashbrowns - FREE (shredded from potatoes that were given to me and frozen)
Eggs - $.99
TOTAL COST - $3.68

Saturday: Homemade Pepperoni Pizzas, Salad

Pizza Dough - from scratch, around $1.00/ea roll
Pepperonis - $1.50
Pizza/marinara Sauce - $1.00
Salad - $1.50
Salad Dressing - FREE
TOTAL COST - $3.50

I think that's pretty good for us...

Check this out

2009-05-21T17:04:00.001-05:00

THIS was too good NOT to take a picture of!

Menu Planning and how it helps!

2009-05-20T15:59:00.005-05:00

I menu plan - I have for a long time now, but even more so now that I'm on a tight food budget. It's imperative to me that I not only KNOW what I have to fix that week, but that I don't have to make a middle of the week run without coupons to get items to make the things I want us to eat.

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that I tend to be a natural born procrastinator. HA! - that's saying it mildly. I just tend to put things off if it's not written down in stone.

That's another reason why menu planning is imperative to me!

If I don't know what I'm going to be fixing the day before it gets time to fix it, then more than likely, we'll just eat something thrown together OR before we would just go get something to eat out. We can't do that any longer, so it's vital that I know what we're going to eat for the week so that I can make certain I'm prepared.

For me, that means making a menu based upon our likes and what meals we'll need (which is all of them, lol!). I like to have a variety of easy, peasy meals as well as those that take a bit more time to prepare. I don't want to ALWAYS have something that takes 15 minutes to make, but I do need those meals as well since I do cook/prepare every meal that we eat. There have to be several easy things in the mix, otherwise I'd get overwhelmed and if not for the budget restraints, I'd run and grab bites to eat more frequently.

Menu planning for me starts with knowing what I have. I have a good idea of what's in my pantry/fridge/freezer at all times. It's organized (for the most part) and things are visible. Since I do all the shopping and am good at remembering what I purchase, then it's easier for me to make a list of things to cook.

I also have a good repetoire of menu items to choose from. I cook a lot. I have a lot of meals that we like. Having a lot of menu items to choose from allows for a lot more versatility in our menu planning. I also don't allow my kids to be picky. Seriously - they're just not allowed to. I can't afford to, plus, since I am cooking for 5 or preparing for 5 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; I simply do NOT have time for them to be picky. They don't have the choice, period. And that's not that they don't try. They do...Kaitlyn, especially. But the requirements are there. They have to eat 50% of what's on their plate regardless. My thought is this. I spent the time fixing it, so they should respect me enough to eat it...whether they like it or not. I'm not fixing them something else to eat. If they don't eat what the FAMILY eats, then they don't eat. And yes, that has happened. Did they starve? NO! Were they hungry? YES! Did the eat the next meal I fixed for them? YES! This is the one area where I'm a big stickler on the rule. ALSO - in order to get a dessert, they HAVE to eat several bites of the vegetables EVEN IF THEY DO NOT LIKE THEM. That includes peas for Brandon, squash for Kaitlyn, and hmmm...not sure what veggie Zach doesn't like, lol...but he still has to eat several bites in order ot get dessert if it's prepared for the night. Just the rule. I just look back to when children didn't have the options we have and look at the family meal times. They were sit-down, eat your food family meals. Did they complain, yes...but, they ate what was given them because they knew there was no other option available. And I truly think that's the problem with my kids if they KNOW there is an option, they'll for sure try to have that option every time. Therefore, they simply don't have the option...thus the aide of having a menu plan saves us a lot of complaining in that arena...no options...just what I have planned to cook, lol!

ANYHOO - off my soapbox. Back to menu-planning.

I have a list of menu items that rotate from week to week. My breakfast items rotate and are flexible, but available. My lunch items rotate, and are flexible as well. My dinner options are a bit more set-in stone, but I do allow for flexibility in that if I forget to thaw meat one night, there is a meal on the menu that can be quickly prepared to make up for my lack of preparation due to procrastination. This can only happen 1-2 times per week, though...not EVERY NIGHT! So, I have to look in the morning to see what's on the menu so I can make sure I pull out whatever needs thawed ASAP...or put in the crockpot.

I also try to prepare stuff the night before, if possible. This is especially true on our Sunday meals. I try to plan ahead and do things that can either be quickly prepared or cooked in the crock-pot for that specific reason.

Menu planning saves me a ton of time and stress in the long run. It took me a bit to get in the habit of doing it all the time, but now it's second nature. I know on Monday what my plan is for the week and that helps me in the long run. For example, right now, I'm not fretting over tonights meal. It's 4:16 and I know what my supper will be. I went through my fridge on Monday and took into account the perishable items that needed to be cooked this week, so our menu is simply based on that...what's in the fridge. It's been an easy cooking week so far for dinners.

Monday - Refrigerated Ravioli with cream sauce, fruit salad and cinnamon biscuits
Tuesday - Shredded BBQ Chicken sandwiches, pasta salad (all leftovers)
Wednesday - Ham/Cheese rolls, salad, pineapple, chips
Thursday - Sweet Sausage, hashbrowns, eggs
Friday - Crescent Cheese Hot dogs, mac-n-cheese
Saturday - Homemade Pepperoni Pizzas, salad
Sunday - Crockpot Chicken Parmesan, salad, pasta, rolls (lunch) - grilled cheese & soup (dinner)

You can see my menus aren't gourmet cooking, but I AM cooking and making use of our purchases. And I know in advance and that helps.

Try it...it'll help. Just TRUST ME ON THIS!

Use this to possibly help you even more by creating a menu AND a grocery list at the same time!

Publix Deals 5/20-5/26

2009-05-20T09:51:00.002-05:00

Here's a list of this week's deals @ Publix (local for Nashville)
Thanks to Jenny @ Southern Savers for compiling the main list and links (price adjustments to our area)

Buy One Get One Items

Oscar Mayer Beef Franks, at $3.99
-$1/2 off Oscar Mayer Franks printable
-$1/2 off Oscar Mayer Franks SS 5/10 (makes it $1.48 ea)
-$1 off Oscar Mayer Franks Kraft Food & Family Summer 09 (I've not been able to find this one)

Curly’s Chicken or Pork with BBQ Sauce, 18 oz, at $5.69
-$1 off Curly’s product printable (makes it $1.84 ea)

New England Coffee, 9 to 12 oz bag, at $5.79
-$1 off New England Coffee printable (makes ir $1.89 ea)

Helluva Good! Dips, 12 oz, at $2
-.50/1 Helluva Dips SS 5/17 or printable (makes it FREE)

Kraft American Cheese Singles, at $2.59
-$1/2 Kraft Singles printable (makes it .79¢ ea)

Edy’s Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt, at $4.99
-$2 off Edy’s Ice Cream printable (Food Lion) (makes it .49¢ ea)
(note: limit is one print per person per day)

Popsicle Ice Pops, Fudgesicle or Creamsicle, at $3.99
-$1 off any Popsicle product “Family Is It’s Own Reward” Booklet (makes it .98¢ ea)

Contessa bagged Shrimp products at $6.79
-$1.50/2 Contessa products printable (makes it $2.64 ea)

Freschetta Pizza, at $5.99
-$1 off Freschetta Pizza SS 3/01 (makes it $1.99 ea)
-$1.50 off Freschetta printable (print limit reached)

Farm Rich Value Pack Snacks at $7.69
-.75/1 Farm Rich Product printable (makes it $3.09 ea)
-$1 off any Farm Rich product Feb. Hallmark, Family Circle, or Woman’s Day Mags.

Cole’s Garlic Bread, at $2.79
-.50/1 Cole’s Bread printable (makes it .39¢ ea)

Aunt Jemima Syrup, 24 oz, at $3.79
-$1/2 Aunt Jemima Syrup or Mix printable or RP 5/03 (makes it $1.39 ea)

Aunt Jemima Breakfast Entrees, at $1.79
-$1/2 Aunt Jemima Entrees SS 5/03 (makes it .39¢ ea)

Kraft Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip Dressing, 32 oz, at $4.35
-$1 off Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip printable or SS 4/26 (makes it $1.17 ea)

Kraft or Seven Seas Dressing or Good Season, at $2.99
-$1 off Kraft Dressing printable
-$1.50 off Kraft Dressing SS 5/10 (makes it FREE)
-$1/2 Kraft Light or Fat Free Dressings printable

Kraft Barbecue Sauce, at $1.39
-.75/1 Kraft BBQ Sauce SS 5/03 (makes it FREE)
-$1/2 Kraft BBQ Sauce SS 5/03 (makes it .89/ea)
-$1 off Kraft BBQ Sauce printable (makes it FREE plus overage)

A.1. Steak Sauce, 10 oz, at $4.19
-$1 off any A.1. printable (makes it $1.09/ea)
-$2 off any A.1. SS 5/10 (makes it $.09/ea)
-$1 off Meat wyb A.1. tearpad (I can't locate this one in my store)

Kellogg’s Pop Tarts, 8-ct, at $2.39
-$1/2 Pop Tarts RP 4/05 (makes it .69¢ ea)
-$1 off Pop Tarts with Fiber coupon on select boxes
(these were raided during last sale by peelie stealers so don’t expect to find it)

Mueller’s Pasta, 12 to 16 oz, at $1.49
-.55/2 Mueller’s Noodles SS 3/01 (makes it $.47/ea)
-$1/3 Muller’s Pasta printable (makes it .41¢ ea)

Ragu Pasta Sauce, at $2.19
-.75/2 off Ragu Sauce RP 5/17
-.30/1 off Ragu Sauce RP 5/17, 4/05 (makes it .49¢ ea)
-.75/1 Ragu Sauce “Family is It’s Own Reward” Booklet (makes it .34¢ ea)

Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix, at $2.59
-$1/2 BCBrownies SS 5/10 or Dinner Made Easy Booklet
-.50/2 BC Brownies SS 5/10 printable (makes it .79¢ ea)
-$1 off Publix Ice Cream wyb (2) BC Brownie Mixes coupon on select products

Nabisco Baked Snack Crackers or Wheat Crackers, at $3.39
-$1 off Wheat Thins printable (makes it .69¢ ea)
Free Wheat Thins wyb any Ritz Crackers SS 5/17
B1G1 Wheat Thins Artisan Crackers SS 3/15
(other areas - Buy (2) Wheat Thins and (1) Ritz Cracker use B1G1 Artisan, B1G1 wyb
Ritz and $1 off Ritz)

Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn, at $4.89
-$1/2 Orville Redenbacher’s Natural Gourmet Popping Corn SS 5/17
-.50/1 Orville Redenbacher’s Natural Gourmet Popping Corn SS 5/17, 4/19
-$1 off Orville Popcorn May All You Mag. (either coupon makes it $1.44 ea)

Lay’s Potato Chips, at $3.99
-$2 off Baked Lay’s wyb 2 bags of Lay’s Chips tearpad found at Kroger

Bagels, 4ct from bakery, at $1.59
-$1 off Bakery item Publix Baby Club (makes it FREE plus overage)

Purina Tidy Cats Cat Litter or Box Filler, at $6.99
-$1 off Tidy Cats SS 4/26 or printable (makes it $2.49 ea)

Pedigree Denta Stix or Jumbone, at $3.79
-$2.50 off Denta Stix RP 4/19 or printable(makes it Free plus overage)
-$1 off Jumbone Treats RP 3/08 or in store dispenser

Dixie Plates or Bowls, 20 to 48 ct, at $2.99
-.50/1 or $1/2 Dixie Plates RP 5/10 (makes it .49¢ to .99¢ ea)
-.35/1 or $1/2 Dixie Plates RP 3/15
Free Dixie Napkins wyb (2) Dixie Plates May All You Mag.

Blackberries, 12 oz, at $4.99
Bush’s Best Baked Beans at $1.99
Green Giant Canned Vegetables, at $1.29
Near East Rice Pilaf or Couscous, at $2.19
Lender’s Bagels, 6 ct, at $2.09
Quaker Instant Grits, at $2.79
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Snack Crackers at $2.19
Kraft Cheez Whiz Dip or Spread, at $3.89
Stouffer’s French Bread Pizza 2 ct, at $3.19
Iced or Green Deli Tea, 1 gallon, at $2.39
Mr & Mrs. T Drink Mix, 64 oz, at $6.99
M&M’s Chocolate Candies, Big Party or Large Bag, at $4.69
Medium Shrimp Ring, at $11.99
Carbona Clean It! Foaming Cleaner, at $3.79
Publix Acid Reducer Ranitidine Tablets, 150 mg, 24-ct box at $7.99

Other Deals

Boston Butt Roast $1.79 lb
Sweet Corn .25¢ ea
Cherries $3.99 lb
Vine Ripened Tomatoes .99¢ lb
Red or White Potatoes, 5-lb bag $2.99
Cucumbers .50¢ ea
Vidalia Onions 3 lb bag, $1.99 ea (.67¢ lb)
Valencia Oranges , 4 lb bag, $1.99 ea

Coca-Cola Products 12pk cans Buy 3 Get 1 Free at $3.66 ea

Publix Light Bulbs, 4 ct, .99¢ ea

Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage $2.50 ea
-.55/1 of $1/2 Hillshire Sausage RP 4/19 (makes it $1.95 -$2 ea)

Fried Chicken, 8 piece $5.99 ea
-$3 off Fried Chicken wyb (2) Deli Sides printable (Food Lion)

Deli Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad or Beans, 16 oz, $1.50 ea

Breakstone’s Sour Cream, R16ox, $1.25 ea
-$1/2 Breakstones product printable

Daisy Sour Cream .99 cents ea
-.50/1 Daisy Sour Cream SS 4/05 (makes it FREE)

Nestle Coffee-mate Coffee Creamer, 16 oz $2.50 ea
-$1 off Coffee-Mate printable
-$1.50/2 Coffee-Mate printable

Claussen Pickles or Sauerkraut, $2 ea
-$1/2 Claussen products SS 5/10 printable
-.75/1 off Claussen product SS 5/10

Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookies, $2.50 ea
-$1/2 Pillsbury Ready to Bake SS 4/05, 3/15
-$1/3; Pillsbury Ready to Bake SS 4/05, 3/15
-.35/1 Pillsbury Ready to Bake SS 4/26

Mahatma Rice $1.19 ea
-.50/1 off any Mahatma or Watermaid Rice RP 3/01, 4/26 (makes it .19¢ ea)

Sargento Sliced Cheese or Deli Style, $2.50 ea
-.50/1 Sargento Deli Style Sliced Cheese SS 4/19

Philadelphia Cream Cheese $1.25 ea
-$1/2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese printable
-.75/1 Philadelphia Spread specific flavors (store coupon) printable
-.55/1 Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cheese Loves Company Booklet

Dannon Yogurt, .50¢ ea
-.60/6 Dannon Yogurts SS 5/03
Buy 6, Get 1 Free Dannon Yogurt in store dispenser
(buy 7, use both coupons makes it .34¢ ea)

DiGiorno Pizza, Flatbread For One or California Pizza for One, $2.50 ea
-$1 off DiGiornio Flatbread Melts Kraft Food & Family Mag. or printable
-.75/1 off DiGiorno Melts SS 5/17
-$1.50 off DiGiornio Melts SS 5/17 or printable

Eggo Waffles $1.39 ea
-.75/1 Eggo’s product RP 4/05 (makes it .64 cents ea)
-$1/2 Eggo Products RP 4/05

Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine, $1.99 ea
-$1/4 Lean Cuisine SS 5/03

Contessa Dinners, $4.99 ea
-$1.50/2 off Contessa Meals printable
-$2 off Contessa Meals in store dispenser

Nabisco Classics Cookies, $1.99 ea
-.75/1 Nabisco Classics Cookies tearpad in stores

Kellogg’s Cereal: Froot Loops, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Smacks, or Rice Krispies, $1.99
Free Milk wyb (3) Boxes of Kellogg’s Cereal in ad coupon
-$1 off Kellogg’s Food Lion Racing Winner’s Circle insert 5/03
-$1 off Kellogg’s Cereal printable (print limit reached)

Gatorade, G2 or Gatorade Tiger, 8 pk $5 ea
-$1/2 Gatorade 8 pk coupon on select products

V8 100% Vegetable Juice or V8 Fusion, $2.50 ea
-$1 off V8 printable
-$2 off V8 Fusion printable (makes it .50¢ ea)

Ocean Spray Cocktail or Juice Drink 64 oz $1.99
-$1 off Ocean Spray Super Fruits Juice printable

Planters Cashews or Mixed Nuts, 9.25 to 11.5 oz can, $2.50 ea
-$1 off any Planters product printable

Carnation Bouquet $4.99 ea
-$2 off Fresh Flowers wyb any Diet Coke product Yellow Advantage Buy Flyer
(tip: Diet Coke can be any size or type)

Carefree Pantyliner, 46 to 60 ct or Stayfree Maxi or Ultra Thin Pads, 16 to 24 ct $1.99 ea
-$1.50 off any Carefree product 34ct or higher printable
-$1/2 Carfree products RP 4/26
-$2/2 Stayfree any product RP 4/26 or June Redbook or Family Circle Magazines

Dial Bar Soap or Coast, 3 pk, $1.25 ea
-.35/1 Dial Soap SS 5/17, 3/08

Axe Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant, Body Spray, or Axe Shower Gel, $3.50 ea
-$1 off Axe product RP 4/05

Free Style Light or Freedom Light $9.99 ea
-$9.99 off any Free style Glucometer SS 5/17, 1/04 (makes it FREE)

Tide 2X Ultra Laundry Detergent, 50 oz, $5.99 ea
-.35/1 off any Tide Detergent PG 5/03
-$1 off Tide $120 Savings Rebate Booklet

Downy Ultra Fabric Softener, 62 to 77 oz, $7.49 ea
-.25/1 Downy Fabric Softener PG 5/03
-$1 off any Downy $120 Savings Rebate Booklet

Sparkle Paper Towels, 6 or 8 rolls, $5.49 ea
-.50/1 off Sparkle Towels RP 5/03

Angel Soft Bathroom Tissue, 12 or 24 roll, $5.49 ea
-.50/1 Angel Soft 4pk or larger RP 4/19 or printable

Clorox 2 Booster or 2X Ultra, 33 oz, $3.99 ea
-$1.50 off any Clorox 2 product printable

Glad Tall Kitchen Bags or Trash Bags, 25 to 80 ct $5.49
-$1 off Glad ForceFlex Trash Bags printable
-$1 off Glad Odor Shield Bags printable

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

2009-05-15T12:45:00.003-05:00

I had strawberries I'd purchased at Sam's and thought I'd make a strawberry tart with them that was in a recent Woman's Day magazine...instead...

I stumbled upon this recipe.

It's good, folks.

It's rich, but it's good!

And it's worth trying the recipe out. :)

May Savings so far

2009-05-14T13:56:00.006-05:00

I haven't officially figured out the % savings that Kroger shows on their receipt. I got close by adding in 2%, but felt like that was cheating a bit since I knew I was having to add to get it close. Although, I do think they're accounting for tax at some point. BUT, since everyone's tax is different, I thought this would be the easiest to share.

I have some plans up my sleeve. I'm going to share this as a downloadable file soon...and perhaps some other stuff. But still just in the thinking stage right now.

BUT, thought you might like to see what my savings has been like so far.

If you're interested in the EXCEL file for immediate use...contact me via email!

FYI - OOP means Out of Pocket Expense OR what I actually PAID.

I also wanted to state that I have a goal of saving at least 50% in mind each time I go shopping. The only time I saved less was at the first Harris Teeter trip at the top where I bought a thing of Miracle Whip for FULL PRICE because I thought I needed it while not REALIZING I already had some in the hall pantry not put on the shelves. Shows you that organization of your pantry is essential is higher savings land!

AND the other one was the other day at Publix when I printed Lunchable coupons and headed to the grocery before they went off sale so that Kaitlyn and Zachary could have them for their field day on Friday. They'd been asking for them. Although they weren't a GREAT price (under $1) they were okay. Just took my % of savings down a bit! OH, well...I'm okay with that because I DID stick to my one rule of only using my coupons on what's on sale!

Edited to add this: Updated the file JPG. Thomas has redone the % and created a new formula for me to use that is more accurate for the total % savings. He also stated that in reality, your savings should show an even LARGER % because right now it's not reflecting the tax that you save on not paying full price for the groceries. ANYHOO - for the nerds out there...this is more accurate now! AND it also upped my percentage @ Harris Teeter to 50% which leaves only one that fell below the 50% mark.

I'm gonna be thinking Arby's on Wednesdays!

2009-05-14T09:11:00.002-05:00

And I'm thinking I'll LOVE Arby's on Wednesdays during this summer when/if we get a chance to get there...

Because of this post I found at Faithful Provisions!

Here's the break-down per Kelly!

Arby’s is offering something FREE ever Wednesday for the whole summer. There is no coupon necessary for these deals as long as your local Arby’s is participating. No more just “free” items, but most weeks are pretty good with a free sandwich with only the purchase of a drink.

Here is the Calendar:

May 13th - Free Roastburger with and soft drink purchase
May 20th - Free Chocolate Malt Swirl shake with and sandwich purchase
May 27th - Free Regular Roast Beef sandwich with any soft drink purchase

June 3rd - Free FruiTea with any sandwich purchase
June 10th - Free Roast Chicken club with any soft drink purchase
June 17th - Free Regular Sidekicker with any sandwich purchase
June 24th -Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase

July 1st - Free Regular Beef ‘n Cheddar with any soft drink purchase
July 8th - Free Orange Cream Swirl shake with any sandwich purchase
July 15th - Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase
July 22nd - Free Roastburger with any soft drink purchase
July 29th - Free FruiTea with any sandwich purchase

August 5th - Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase
August 12th - Free Roast Chicken Club with any soft drink purchase
August 19th - Free FruiTea with any sandwich purchase
August 26th - Free Regular Beef ‘n Cheddar with any soft drink purchase

ENJOY!

UPromise - using coupon savings as college savings

2009-05-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

Here's something I read this morning that the coupon freak in me loved!

UPromise

I know that the Publix in our area does this as I picked something up the other day and have just now gotten around to looking at it.

Here's to saving for college! B, you just might not have to pay for at LEAST $1,000 worth of your college by the time you graduate, but, hey! Don't gripe! :)

Feel good about saving...and...

2009-05-14T08:07:00.004-05:00

don't fret when the coupons expired and you haven't been able to use them. THIS IS MY NEWEST MOTTO IN LIFE, lol!

If you coupon and you're like me...you get kinda nervous inside when a coupon is reaching it's expiration date and you haven't found a GREAT deal to use it on. I think the term for people like me is this:

Coupon Freak - one who obsesses over possible savings at various stores on a daily basis and will go to various lengths to purchase multiple items if they are $1.00 or less (or there about).

I'm willing to admit this. Really...who cares at this point when I'm on AVERAGE saving at LEAST 65-75% on my grocery bills...AND because I've created such an awesome stockpile I'm not being FORCED TO SHOP AND PURCHASE ITEMS UNLESS THEY ARE ON SALE. AND now that I've found a much better coupon system, it's SO MUCH easier and less time consuming not only at the store, but prior to the store when I'm making my lists. (MORE INFO to come on my revolutionized coupon organization system)

That IN ALL CAPS and bold statement is key to me. I only purchase items if they are on sale AND I have a coupon. Ask Thomas. Oreos were on sale the other day. But, I've yet to snag an oreo coupon. Thomas begged. Thomas pleaded. Renee insisted..."I don't have a coupon". and insisted. Thomas begged. Thomas pleaded. Renee caved. And those Oreos are GOLD. PURE GOLD. Purchased a month ago, yet STILL not finished because they were hidden and are only brought out when the kids aren't around and can't see you remove them from their strategic hiding place on the 3rd shelf above the coffee that they NEVER go to. See...pure GOLD!

AND, that, my friends, is what saving EVERY TIME YOU SHOP will do for you!

BUT - back to my main point of this post.

I will admit...yesterday, for instance...I was going to purchase a thing of Success Rice for .50. Looked at the date and to my utter dismay, it had expired 5/9/09. I almost got teary, lol. (NOT REALLY...but I DID get disappointed) I stuffed the expired nugget of gold into my pocket in disdane and walked on...after I put the box of rice BACK on the shelf.

IF I HAD KNOWN months ago, the stacks of coupons that I sort out for expired ones every 1st and 15th of month (serious inches of stackes, folks!) would have been sent to this program.

Overseas Coupon Program

I do believe that some of my early coupon shopping days impulse/gotta buy this now/the coupon is going to expire/but it's not at it's lowest price purchases wouldn't have been made! I probably wouldn't have SOME items in my stockpile, but I think (if you've seen just this portion of my stockpile) that would have been more than fine! My mom might not have gotten that .94 box of Post Trail Mix that I'm thinking they'll enjoy, but HEY...I would have been able to resist the urge to cave into that 'gotta use this coupon before it expires' thinking!

And maybe now...if you're a coupon freak like me (See...I'm embracing it!) YOU, TOO, can enjoying your couponing with just a little bit less anxiety when you see the dreaded expiration date quickly approaching!

Aren't I just the help? Nothing like aiding you closer to being able to label yourself a 'coupon freak', too!

If you don't do coupons

2009-05-13T14:05:00.002-05:00

you really should STILL print these...

There are so MANY COMMON purchase items within these printables, that you'll for sure save a little money the next time you shop even if you DO NOT do couponing like I do!

Remember - at each site, hit the backspace button to print them one more time. Definitely worth it...especially for the ones like cream cheese, bologna (that you can get with THIS COUPON for .49 this week!), hot dogs (that you can get for $1.00/pack this week with these coupons), Kraft cheese (any type of cheese including the more expensive Cracker Barrel brand that I use to make pimento cheese), bacon, velveeta (for multiple recipes that are available online)...

come on - you should DEFINITELY be printing these out. At least a set of two, but most CERTAINLY a coupon for each member of your family to save you a bit more when it comes time for you to use that item again and you already have it!

Remember - cheese freezes, bologna freezes, hot dogs freeze, velveeta freezes...just think about summer coming up and grilling out.

Have I convinced you to print these coupons yet?

YOU REALLY SHOULD!

My Kroger deals for today

2009-05-04T16:31:00.004-05:00

and the amazing totals below:

1st store
1 Tropicana 50 - 3.00/ea (less 1.00 coupon)
3 Kraft BBQ Sauce - 1.49/ea (less .50 coupon)
2 French's Mustards (Honey & Spicy Honey) - $1.49/ea (less .50 coupon)
2 French's Worcestershire Sauce - $1.49/ea (less .50 coupon)
2 Healthy Ones lunchmeats - $2.99/ea (less .55 coupon)
2 Sure deodorant - $1.99/ea (less .75 coupon)
1 Betty Crocker Warm Delights - $1.89/ea (less .50 coupons & .50 e-card coupon)
3 Hormel Compleats - $1.99/ea (less .75 coupon)
2 Grill Mates Marinade packets - $1.29/ea (less .50 coupon)
1 Grill Mates Spice jar - $1.49 (less .50 coupon)
1 Nature's Price Honey Wheat bread - $2.00 (less .55 coupon)

Total price - $47.18
Total coupons - $41.78 (90% savings)
Total OOP - $5.40

2nd store
2 Colgate Toothpaste - $1.50/ea (less .75 coupon)
1 Kotex Tampons - $3.08/ea (less .75 coupon)
1 Earth Grains Wheatberry Bread - $2.50 (less .55 coupon PLUS 1.00 Kroger coupon)
4 Sure deodorants - $1.99/ea (less .75 coupon)
4 Mentos Gum - $1.00/ea (less .55 coupon)
1 Keeblers Pecan Sandies - $2.50/ea (less .55 coupon)
1 Franks Red Hot Sauce - $1.15/ea (less .50 coupon)
1 Kraft BBQ Sauce - $1.49 (less .50 coupon)
Bananas - $1.53
3 I can't believe it's not butter baking sticks - $2.39/ea (less .75 coupon)

Total price - $42.86
Total coupons - $39.91 (95% savings)
Total OOP - $2.95

WOOHOO for me!

another printable you must print

2009-05-04T15:47:00.001-05:00

Before shopping Kroger triple coupons deals:

.75 Wishbone Dressing

For SURE free items @ Kroger this week

2009-05-04T15:38:00.003-05:00

if you bought the Sunday paper, you can for certain get the following items free:

-McCormick Grill Mates Blend spice jar OR marinade packet (.50/1 coupon)
-Kraft BBQ sauce (.75/1 coupon)
-Sure Anti-persipirant & Deodorant (.75/1 coupon)
-Mentos Gum (at register) (.55/1 coupon)

and that is JUST with this week's paper should you not be a normal 'couponer'. And those are EASY clips and saves...so you REALLY should try it out and see the 'saving's light', as I'm calling it! :)

Printable links

2009-05-04T10:46:00.002-05:00

Go HERE for more printables that will definitely get you some free things at Krogers until the 9th.

Coupons to Print

2009-05-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

Betty Crocker
Philly Cream Cheese
Kraft Shells & Cheese