Home Sweet Simple Home
14 more days
We have 14 more days until school starts.
The unofficial end of summer.
We are eager and excited about this upcoming school year.
And at the same time we are also eager to squeeze out every last little shining bit of summer vacation.
Last evening the children held an impromptu softball game in the back yard. My three plus their dear friend and his dad from across the street. One base was a sand pail, another my foam gardening kneeling pad, and yet another the squashed-flat bottom basin to a plastic flower pot. The two dads played the field as the kiddos took turns batting and running the bases. I weeded the garden as I watched and listened and soaked in the moment.
The children were all barefoot and filthy.
And laughing like hyenas.
It is in these moments that family is built- the ease of being together. The joy of living in the moment. The simple familiar-ness of it all.
Oh, such sweet contentment.
Reticent
Surprisingly (to me) I have been reticent on my blog as of late.Why?
It’s not as if I don’t have things flitting through my mind or pithy words to say.
Or is it?
Yes, the past two weeks have been quite busy and often my time on the computer has been limited to work, work, work.
But still-
I’ve made time before . . . .
What stops me?
Ah, I know.
The fact that I have put a self-imposed block on posts dealing with my job. I want to talk it out (because that is how I think it out too-- out loud) but I can’t. I’m not as anonymous as I would like to be.
It is what it is.
It is a struggle not to write about.
It’s taken me forever to compose this post because I have to keep editing so as to continue to not talk about it.
Which therefore makes this a post about nothing, pretty much.
School is starting soon and while it excites and thrills me, I am wondering how I am going to keep all my plates spinning in the air without any crashing to the ground and splintering into many bits and pieces. Lately my job has been demanding more of my time than 20 hours and with the heartaches its been producing the job is on my mind even when I’m not “working”.
This can not continue.
I am aware that something needs to change.
Something needs to give.
I’m praying about it.
And continue to not have peace about it. And so if I don’t have peace I must wait.
Recipe turns into a 2 dish meal
Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
2 green peppers, chopped
1 onion, minced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
Place chicken in crockpot, top with all remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
Cost breakdown: $4.44 for chicken breast ( approx. 74 cents/breast), $1 for cheap jar of spaghetti sauce, peppers and onions from the garden. Garlic- do not have an approximation for this one.
Total cost: $5.44
The cacciatore could be served over spaghetti noodles but we prefer it as is for the first meal; served with a nice crisp salad and some homemade bread. The leftovers can be used to make chicken spaghetti- just shred the chicken in the sauce and reheat then pour over cooked noodles.
In our house this is a two dish meal (until the kids get a bit bigger and start eating more!). In order to make it stretch a bit more the 2nd meal, I have added about a ½ cup (or more if needed) of pizza sauce and sliced mushrooms. So for the 2nd meal calculations- add noodles (50 cents), 1 cup pizza sauce (50 cents) and sliced mushrooms (40 cents) for a total of $1.40.
And with prices creeping up and up and up this is a very good thing.
What we're eating
Menu with Daily Costs
Notes: Prices continue to rise. I’ve noticed price jumps on some of our favorite foodie items of 20+ cents in the space of a week. Makes you re-evaluate if the box of cheese crackers you use to purchase for $1.00 is worth $1.29. I’m thinking this is not going to be a weekly item any longer as well as some other things. Thank goodness for the free bread and English muffins.
From the Garden: lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes as well as onions. Friends have shared peppers, different varieties of tomatoes and squash.
Monday
B: French toast and side dish of nectarines
L: chicken nuggets, cottage cheese, chips
D: Salmagundi
Dessert: Root Beer floats
Daily Cost: $11.20
Tuesday
B: Fruit smoothies & English Muffins
L: Nachos
D: BLTs
Dessert: (campfire) camp pies
Daily Cost: $8.52
Wednesday
B: Choice: yogurt or cereal
L: English Muffin Pizzas
D: Chicken Crescent squares, salad
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $6.79
Thursday
B: Mama’s cheesy scrambled eggs & toast
L: spaghetti O’s w/hotdogs, cheese crackers
D: Wedding Rehearsal dinner
Daily Cost: $4.94
Friday – Nephew’s Wedding
B: Breakfast Pizzas (yesterday’s leftover scrambled eggs on English Muffins)
L: Diner Dinner (choice of leftovers)
D: @ Wedding reception
Daily Cost: $0
Saturday
B: Daddy cook (eggs, bacon, toast)
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: Dinner Party @ friends home
Daily Cost: $3.00
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Slowcooker Chicken Cacciatore and salad
D: Youth Group Cook-out
Daily Cost: $6.09
Weekly Total: $40.54
~~ Don’t forget to check out the yummy menu ideas every Monday over at The Organizing Junkie’s blog. You just might find your next favorite family recipe!
Committing my Day
I am here.And there.
And everywhere.
I realize my postings have been quite sporadic.
We’ve got the dentist this morning and we are all rushing around to get ready for that. It’s just for Mr. Conductor but we’re grabbing math and spelling books for the girls (we continue with both all thru the summer).
My menu and Simple Woman’s Daybook will be posted later today.
God is good.
It’s a glorious day.
Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you. Psalm 37:5
Whats going on
Well, it’s the middle of the week and so far I’ve been able to stick to my driving plan for the week. Plus the price of gas was $3.75 when I filled up on Monday so I’m saving a bit more than I had calculated on. A good thing.Mr. Steady had to move up his massage therapy and so that is a cost I wasn’t planning on this week.
I’m also very excited to announce that this week we will be sending off the final payment on a debt settlement. Leaving us with only ONE account left to settle. I have sent a settlement offer letter to this last one and continue to wait (a bit anxiously) for them to respond. I continue to pray and put it in God’s more-than-capable hands.
The end of this chaos seems so near and yet so far away if we can’t settle this account for a “reasonable” amount. I am determined not to worry.
How do I do that?
By reminding myself daily (sometimes minute by minute) of all the ways God has provided for us time and time again. How He has made a way for us in the midst of the chaos. And more simply- How He has continually supplied our needs again and again and again.
And again.
I do believe He will continue to make a way for us.
We are also currently ahead of our plan on having a “full” emergency fund- much to Mr. Steady’s surprise and delight.
God is so good.
Don't overlook the obvious
While I haven’t made note of it here- my hospitality adventures continue in small ways. But the small ways count just as much as the bigger ones.
I sent a post card to my mother-in-law thanking her for all the little articles she cuts out of the newspapers and saves for me. I have found that its not the articles that matter (sometimes, I admit, I don’t even read them) it’s the fact that while she is doing a normal every day thing (like reading the paper) she thinks of me. And in thinking of me, she takes it a step farther and cuts out the article and sets it aside- just for me.
And so it doesn’t seem like much but it is. [I am one of 7 daughters-in-law.]
The least I could do was to pen a few words of thanks on a lovely little postcard and pop it in the mail.
Watching the miles
I will be taking my children into Little Busy Town for
This will be [approximately] an additional 136 miles in driving this week.
Our car averages about 25 miles to the gallon for this length of trip and gas is hovering around $3.85 right now.
So it will be an additional $21.00 in gas.
To some it may not seem like much but our weekly gas budget for my car is $40.00. That’s half my budget.
So how will I make this work? By cutting back the rest of my schedule and doing extra odds and ends such as . . . . .
Taking numerous boxes and bags of STUFF to Goodwill. We have been unable to take this accumulation (all on my front porch right now) on previous trips into town because of carting different loads of stuff with us (like pool toys and such). I calculate that it will take at least two car trips to take everything to Goodwill.
Also- I will do my errand running while the children are at VBS. I will still need to make a trip to Aldi’s as its location is in an opposite direction.
Another idea is to pack up my school planning “stuff” and utilize a table at the local library while the kids are VBSing.
Plus there is a book store in town with a gi-normous used book section where I can while away some time . . . .
The way I’m calculating things- I will only be making 2.5 trips in the car to locations other than Little Busy Town and VBS.
1 trip to Aldi’s.
1 trip to sister-in-law’s for homeschool group summer fun and what I consider
.5 trip from VBS location to my own church for a board meeting and then back to VBS.
By my calculations these other trips will total around $10 in gas which should bring me in just under budget.
It is my plan to do everything I can not to do any — at all— additional driving.
Week of Summer eating
Menu with Daily Costs
Notes: This week the children will be attending VBS at their friends’ church in the evenings from 6 to 8:30 pm. So it’s early supper but snacks will be provided during VBS. I’m not scheduling any desserts but we may have some ice cream this week if it calls to us.
From the Garden: we’ve got lettuce, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes as well as onions.
Monday
B: H’made Honey oatmeal bread (thick sliced) w/ blueberry honey spread along with grapes and banana slices
L: Pizza grilled cheese, chips & pickle spears
D: Corn chowder and biscuits
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $4.83
Tuesday –Maiden has friends overnite
B: Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins, jam & apple slices
L: Picnic Lunch
D: Ranch chicken, potatoes, salad
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $11.12
Wednesday
B: Lil Boy Blue Breakfast Cake
L: Corn chowder cups & biscuit sandwiches
D: Maiden’s mac-n-cheese, sausage, mixed veggies
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $10.45
Thursday
B: Choice: yogurt or cereal and toasted English Muffins
L: chicken quesadillas
D: Chicken crescent squares, salad
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $8.56
Friday
B: Toad in a hole
L: nachos
D: @ VBS program
Daily Cost: $2.87
Saturday
B: Waffles, fruit & sausage
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: Leftover Smorgasbord
Daily Cost: $3.24
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Crockpot Cowboy stew & biscuits [Recipe is coming soon]
D: lunch leftovers
Daily Cost: $6.70
Weekly Total: $47.77
~~ Don’t forget to check out the yummy menu ideas every Monday over at The Organizing Junkie’s blog. You just might find your next favorite family recipe!
Daybook entry #8
Please visit Peggy, the host of the Simple Woman’s Daybook and others here.
The Simple Woman’s Daybook
FOR TODAY~ August 11th
Outside my Window... I see sun-dappled shade, birds balancing on the flowering apple mint in the garden. Dragonflies and butterflies are enjoying it too. It’s very cool out this morning. We all seem to be moving a bit slower.
I am thinking... that summer is almost over and I need to put the final spit and polish on the school schedules.
I am thankful for... the Lord’s provisions. He has always made a way for us. We have not had a need that He has not met. I need to remember that!
From the kitchen... Homemade honey oatmeal bread- oh the smell is divine. The bread with a blueberry honey spread and fresh fruit is today’s breakfast. Maiden will be cooking up her family-famous pizza grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and we’ll be enjoying corn chowder and biscuits for dinner. [click here for weekly menu plan].
I am creating... lists upon lists. Grocery lists, to do lists, school lists, clothing needs lists. I’m also putting together a couple of projects for Maiden and two of her girlfriends for later in the week.
I am going... to Aldi’s! We’ve managed to stretch our major grocery shopping (always at Aldi’s) to once every 3 weeks but this time it’s been 4 weeks (due to the camping trip we stretched a bit more). Tonight is VBS.
I am wearing... Royal blue T with big grinning fish on it that says “God is good”, blue jean capris and a sweatshirt jacket.
I am reading... I’ll be starting the Twilight series that the kids in my youth group have all been yapping about so that I know what they are yapping about. I’m also flipping thru and marking a few Gooseberry Patch books for gift-giving and new recipes to try.
I am hoping... to be able to stretch my dollars at Aldi’s in order to get everything on my list.
I am hearing... the children eating breakfast and getting dressed. The neighbor sawing on something. The rumble of a train going through.
Around the house... I’ve got school books and schedules spread out all over my dining room table. With the kids at VBS every night this week it is my plan to get this taken care of once and for all. The house is pretty tidy but I need to go thru with the big duster and tackle those spider webs that creep up out of nowhere and multiply.
One of my favorite things... a weeded garden.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... VBS, school final-stage planning, work on planning for homeschool group and MOPS group also.
How Wonderful to be thought of
When blessings come home to roost.The new neighbor ladies (see here) just stopped by to drop off some fresh (as in made today) English Muffins (plain and cinnamon raisin) and a loaf of whole wheat bread. They explained that they sometimes work at a local bakery on weekends and that these were “seconds” and seeings how they had noticed we had young children and we shared homemade bread with them they wanted to share with us.
God is so good.
VBS, life lessons & Rock Steady Man
VBS has come and gone.
Almost.
We still have the program Sunday morning.
Followed by the picnic.
But for the most part- It’s over.
We had some rough patches and my oldest learned another life lesson after choosing to pass along information (i.e. gossip).
It was a difficult for me to step back and let her learn this life lesson as a couple of adults blew it way out of proportion in an extremely public way but Mr. Steady remained rock-steady and took care of the situation. I was able to squish the automatic momma reaction of “protect your child no matter what”.
By God’s grace alone.
I am proud of my Mr. Steady and how he handled the situation- he did so much better than I would have done. I am ever so glad that I quelled the momma bear instinct and walked away- allowing my husband, who was already handling it continue to handle it.
Bottomline- I would rather my daughter learn at 11 what can happen when we “innocently” spread gossip than let her grow up thinking such “small” things were acceptable and/or to continue with such talk. And while we were all unprepared for the lengths that two other mommas took it- we were able to use it all as teaching moments and Life Lessons. Maiden was able to see that what she saw as a small thing quickly mushroomed into something big, nasty and ugly and hurt others.
However- Mr. Steady made sure to point out to Maiden that the gossip she spread did not cause those two mommas to launch a verbal attack right in the church lobby- our 11 year old was not responsible for those adults’ decisions. They are.
As far as teaching moments and life lessons go- this played out real big. We could have set no better stage than the one that played out in front of us. It as difficult and painful to experience but it was such a big thing that I imagine it will be burned in Maiden’s brain and psyche for all time. It has spawned some great discussions for us as a family. We have discussed about how to “properly” rebuke a brother or sister in Christ, how to handle ourselves in heated situations, how pride can get in the way of making matters right and various ways to stop gossip in its tracks.
Of course it was a reality check for me also. To make sure that I continually set a good example for my children and that I make a point not to gossip or share information either.
Mr. Steady has continued to take charge of the situation even going so far as to speak with one momma on the phone when she wanted to “have a talk” with me. He knew that she wanted to “hash it out” and that her words would be hurtful and that possible gossip would spew forth. He also knew that I truly was ill at ease about speaking with her.
I am so very thankful that God led me to step back and allow my husband to take the situation in hand. His kind firmness was refreshing to see as well as an eye-opener for me in better ways to handle volatile situations.
Once again I am profoundly thankful that the Lord saw fit to bless me with a Mr. Steady.
For understanding: The gossip: Maiden shared with a friend that another friend had called him a "girlie". Simply put- Maiden should never have shared that information and should have put more thought into how hurtful that young man found those words.
Getting my act together
Ah, the middle of the week.A bright shiny new day.
A good night’s sleep and time spent in prayer can change one’s perspective.
My day has had a better flow to it.
It looks like I even have a bit of time to curl up with a book for an hour or so this afternoon.
And some new tea from a dear friend to try out.
And a special dinner planned with Mr. Steady.
Tomorrow Mr. Steady will have the day off and we will have a family field trip together with my brother and his little family.
Sounds like a nice way to cure what’s been ailing me.
I realize that I haven’t had any downtime since coming back from a 3 day camping trip with teen-agers.
I know better. It has always been my practice to take at least one complete day off from work after doing such things.
And I didn’t.
And hit my proverbial brick wall.
Slam.
And so I took a bit of a lazy day today and tomorrow it will be Family Day!
The cure for what ails you- FAMILY.
And
Time Together.
Simple continuation -but- Will I make it?
We only have two days of VBS under our belts and it doesn’t look good.What is it about VBS week?
We all feel irritable and sleep deprived.
Wrung-out and hung-out.
Why is that?
Why is it that bible school week tends to bring out the worst in us at home? Why haven’t I yet figured out a way to combat this?
I have let the children sleep in and it still continues, I’ve kept them to our normal daily schedule and it continues.
It simply continues.
Let's call it a day
Whew!What a day it has been.
Have you ever had a day where it seems like you are constantly in the middle of doing something, constantly being interrupted and starting something else without ever first finishing what you started first?!
That’s me today.
I don’t feel like I’ve crossed much off my To Do list and yet I haven’t had a chance to sit and catch my breath all day.
Where did the day go? What did I accomplish?
I am already having to revise the coming homeschool schedule due to the unique opportunity Maiden has to go on a short trip with her Grampa and Gramma. So that is taking up time doing something that I already thought was done- which leads to that sense of not accomplishing much. But I am reminded that homeschooling is about the unique opportunities and the flexible scheduling. I am trying, really trying, to be more flexible and more open to what each day brings.
I was asked about those yummy blueberry cheesecake muffins. Dear readers, I wish I had a recipe to share with you- those yummy muffins are out of a package. Gasp! I knew I would be very short on time with the camping trip and softball tournament back to back so I picked up this yummy mix at the grocery store for 88 cents (just add milk and done in 12 minutes). One package made us 9 muffins. We didn’t all eat muffins on Saturday morning so we had 4 muffins left over for this morning. And so this morning we enjoyed blueberry cheesecake muffins with sliced bananas and grapes (leftover from Saturday’s picnic)- that is the girls and I did- Mr. Conductor had cereal (his breakfast obsession).
The rain has gone and it is not as cool as I had hoped- that August muggy-ness is upon us. But the garden will not need watering tonight.
I look out there right now and see that I need to trim the flowers off the oregano and apple mint. The bees are having quite the party in my apple mint today. Mr. Steady has offered to weed-wack the thyme as it is looking a bit scraggly as the blooms die and is much much too big an area for me to want to clip with pruning shears. And so I will take him up on his offer.
My bible study for tomorrow has been postponed because our schedules are all so full and we (children included) are feeling a bit tired and run down/wrung-out. I’ll see everyone at VBS and yes, I’ll miss having the study this week but I’m thankful I don’t have to juggle that in my schedule.
Menu for 2 mostly- its VBS week
Menu with Daily Costs
Notes: The children will be eating at VBS most of the week- so it’ll be just Mr. Steady and I for suppers for a few nights.
From the Garden: we’ve got lettuce.
Monday
B: Blueberry cheesecake muffins
L: Leftover chicken & noodles, h’made bread
D: BBQ grilled chicken, baked potatoes, corn on cob
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $6.11
Tuesday
B: French Toast w/apple topping
L: English Muffin Pizzas
D: @ church- VBS
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $3.13
Wednesday
B: choice: cereal/yogurt
L: Bologna burgers, chips & dip
D: Grilled steak, potatoes, cheddar & chive biscuits, salad
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $9.61
Thursday –Trip to Air Zoo
B: Iced Cinnamon rolls & fruit
L: Out to Lunch w/family (dine-out envelope)
D: Dinner out (gift certificate)
Daily Cost: $3.55
Friday
B: Yogurt Parfaits
L: Ham & cheese on Cheddar chive biscuits, chips, pickle spears
D: @ a birthday party
Daily Cost: $2.48
Saturday
B: choice: muffins & fruit or cereal
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: Leftover Smorgasbord
Daily Cost: $1.25
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: VBS Picnic @ church: bring brownies & salad
D: leftovers
Daily Cost: $5.35
Weekly Total: $31.48
~~ Don’t forget to check out the yummy menu ideas every Monday over at The Organizing Junkie’s blog. You just might find your next favorite family recipe!
Daybook #7
The Simple Woman’s Daybook
FOR TODAY~ August 4th
Outside my Window... the sky is rapidly darkening, the air is thick. I hear thunder rumbling. A storm is coming. The rain is needed.
I am thinking... Thank you Lord for the rain. I love rainy stay-at-home days.
I am thankful for... the rain, the shelter of our home, the cool gusts of air the storm brings. And for the new-to-me keyboard from a friend to replace the toasted one.
From the kitchen... Leftover blueberry cheesecake muffins from the weekend and bananas for breakfast. Leftover chicken-n-noodles & sliced h’made bread for lunch followed by BBQ chicken, baked potatoes & corn on the cob for dinner.
I am creating... VBS picnic hand-outs for
I am going... to stay at home for the day and enjoy the storm then this evening I’ll be taking the children to
I am wearing... olive capri pants & pink shirt- my hair is down as I have a bad patch of sunburn on my neck and up into my hair line from where we missed putting sunscreen on Saturday.
I am reading... rereading Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola.
I am hoping... for a good soaking rain, a productive day and week, well behaved children, cooler weather to follow this rain and God’s guidance in all things.
I am hearing... rumbling and grumbling thunder, the snapping crack of lightening and the children talking on the porch as they watch the storm.
Around the house... a bit of laundry to do and some picking up and putting away from our adventures last week.
One of my favorite things... thunder storms.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... VBS all week, school scheduling, ladies bible study, visiting the Air Zoo with the family, celebrating my nephew’s 4th birthday.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you.... My nephew and Mr. Conductor tubing- by themselves, for the very first time.
Getting back on track
And so here I am attempting to get my day back on track.Laundry is done.
Mr. Steady’s softball uniform is clean, nicely folded and waiting for him on the dining table.
The dining table is clean.
The kids clothes for tomorrow are sitting on the piano bench along with their swim gear.
Backpacks are packed and sitting in a neat row next to the door.
Library videos are in my bag ready to be dropped off.
Two of the four of us have eaten lunch.
Essential info for the camping trip is in a labeled folder on my clean desk (which would probably have not been cleaned off if it hadn’t been for the coffee disaster).
Two loaves of bread are ready to take to friends.
I am going to make honey butter to go with the bread.
The fruit salad is ready for tonight.
Extra clothes are packed for this evening.
We are suppose to be leaving for our friends’ home soon (a visit and supper together before the ball game).
And yet-
The only things not on track or ready are my mind and my heart.
I feel unsettled and on edge.
I need to do what I should have done in the first place- the only way to get my day back on track, really on track, is to get on my knees.
Keyboards and blow ups
It has been a most unbelievable morning.
I spilled coffee.
On my keyboard.
It is fried.
I tried to clean it up and use it and while it still “worked” it would type 3 letters for every one keystroke I made.
I asked the children for the ancient keyboard that we have kept on hand.
They could not find it.
One admitted to having played with it but did not know where to locate it.
Mama blew like
And it’s even worse.
In the midst of my tirade I had no idea that one of our neighbors was knocking on the front door.
And the windows were open.
I didn’t see her until she turned around and walked away.
Oh, Lord, am I ashamed.
I also reduced a child to a heap of tears.
Even more ashamed.
I have apologized- both to my child and to the neighbor.
Obviously this is not how I planned for my day to go.
Summer Eating Weekly menu plan
Notes: Thank the Lord for a cheap week. We’ll be off camping with some of my youth group for part of the week and eating up leftovers at other times. I am thankful for things being a little bit cheaper.
From the Garden: we’ve got lettuce, a few cukes on the vine (too small yet) and some tomatoes. Since we’ll be gone part of the week- we’ll be sharing some lettuce with friends.
Monday
B: choice: cereal/yogurt
L: with family
D: One Pot Salsa Beef Skillet, corn on the cob, flax seed bread
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $7.75
Tuesday – Ball Game Nite
B: French toast
L: Chicken sandwiches, cottage cheese, chips
D: w/friends: bringing: fruit salad
Dessert: fruit salad
Daily Cost: $8.70
Wednesday –
B: Daddy Cook (egg, bacon, toast etc.)
L: Diner Dinner
D: Gone Camping
Daily Cost: $3.00
Thursday
Gone Camping
Daily Cost: $0
Friday
Gone Camping
D: Pizza
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $6.75
Saturday – Softball Tournament
B: Choice: yogurt, cereal, muffins, toast
L: Picnic: sandwiches, macaroni salad, chips, cookies
D: Leftover Smorgasbord
Daily Cost: $5.60
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: VBS dinner @ church
Daily Cost: $1.25
Weekly Total: $33.05
~~ Don’t forget to check out the yummy menu ideas every Monday over at The Organizing Junkie’s blog. You just might find your next favorite family recipe!
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-Bilbo Baggins
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My Husband (DH)-Mr. Steady
My rock and biggest supporter. The glue that keeps the family sane. He is like deep, deep water- it takes a lot to see a ripple.
DD11- Our Maiden in Waiting- By the world's standard she's a 'tween'. By ours and the Lord's- this is the time of her years of preparation. She is eagerly learning what it means to keep a home and daily becomes more and more of a helper to her Mama.
DD8- Sassafras My Sassy middle child. She holds her own so sweetly and has such an empathetic heart. While real Sassafras is used for flavoring- She is that added spice of flavor to our family.
DS4- Mr. Conductor- The train aficionado in the family. He likes to think he's in charge and often is! He's also the biggest Oreo fiend in the family.
Recent Entries
14 more daysReticent
Recipe turns into a 2 dish meal
What we're eating
Committing my Day
Friends Here on the Homestead
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tnschaffer
Dalyn
FaithfulAcres
livin4Him6
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