I started reading Our Boys by Joe Drape  a couple years ago but never finished.  I came across it again recently and since I have been spending extra time in the car waiting in car line and other places I thought it would be a great book to pick back up. Our Boys is not the typical book I read but since it is about a town near where I grew up and where my parents are currently living I decided it would be a fun one to read.  It is a neat story about a small town High School football team in Smith Center, Kansas.  How does a team from a small rural area set a national record with the longest high school winning streak?

I have to smile when I read the authors descriptions of the town and the local businesses because I have visited many of them.  Even some of my extended family members are in the book.  I think it is neat that the author moved his family from New York City to Smith Center, Kansas to live while he was writing this book.  The author, his wife and child were able to experience the town and its unique culture first hand.  The story is about a local High School football team and their record setting perfect season.

My favorite quote from the book was from Coach Barta:

Life is not about winning or losing; it’s about competing. It’s about working hard and getting a little bit better each day.

While the story is inspiring and encouraging I have seen and heard tidbits about the Smith Center High School Football team from a variety of different perspectives.  I did not go to school in Smith Center, however, my parents, brothers, and several other family members have graduated from Smith Center.  Some of them very involved in sports and others not.  It is interesting hearing their insights regarding the High School Football team.

If you have kids that love sports especially football this is a great story to read.  It is about how a small community can come together, encourage their children, work hard, and be successful both on and off the field.  None of the people mentioned in the book are perfect but by working together they did manage to accomplish some amazing records.  Another piece that fascinates me is how much of an impact not only the community and parents had on the team but the coaches.  It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do in life everyone has the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

Groceries from Walgreens, Kmart & Ingles

I was able to make a quite trip to the grocery store the early half of the week and pick up a few deals.  Then I went back later in the week to get a couple more items and ended up going over our weekly budget.  I need to clean out our pantry, fridge and freezer and coordinating the meals around what we already have in the house.    Here is our $40 for 4 grocery budget for this week.

Walgreens Groceries:

• $2.99 at Walgreens for 1 (24 pack) Water and 4 boxes Sugar Free Jello.

KMart Groceries:

• $2.00 at Walgreens for 2 bags Festive Red & Blue Chips (clearance)

Ingles Groceries:

• $23.65 at Ingles for 2 cans Enchilada Sauce, 2 bags Laura Lynn Bread (sale), 2 gallons Milk (sale), 1 package Lenders Bagels, 1 package Eckrich Polish Sausage (sale), Pork Roast (marked down), Crab Dip (marked down), 1 package Peaches & Apples (marked down), 1 Sweet Onion, and 1 bag Lettuce (marked down).

Groceries from Walmart & Walgreens

Walmart Groceries:

• $21.82 at Walmart for 2 cans Black Beans, 2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Chilies, 1 can Refried Black Beans, 1 jar Kosher Baby Dill Pickles, 1 container Mixed Berry Cream Cheese, 1 container Regular Cream Cheese, 1 bag Blueberry Bagels, 4 boxes Coke (12 packs, priced matched for $2.75 each) My husband likes to have an occasional soda so I like to restock when I can get 12 packs for under $3 that way we have some on hand for the evenings and weekends when he is home.

Walgreens Groceries:

• $2.99 at Walgreens for 1 gallon Milk.

This week I spent $53.45  on groceries.   I went over budget again this week.  Some of the items that I picked up this week will last us for a few weeks which will help with next weeks grocery trips.   The remaining amount in our grocery budget for next week is pretty low so I need to make sure to stay under budget and only purchase those items that we really need as well as eat items from our stock pile.   Hopefully next week we can come under budget and September will be a better month for us!

It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!   As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

Our family had cooked up a bunch of chicken breasts earlier in the week so I came up with this easy Chicken Taco Casserole for dinner to help use up the last of the chicken .  The best part is you can make it ahead of time than just pop it into the oven and you’ll be ready to eat in about 30 minutes.  I typically make a whole 9 x 13 casserole dish of the Chicken Taco Casserole that way we have plenty of leftovers for lunches or can eat the leftovers on a night when the schedule is too tight to make another dish.  I make a Beef Taco Lasagna that has similar ingredients that our family enjoys as well.

Chicken Taco Casserole:

• 1 pound Chicken Breasts (sliced)
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 package Taco Seasoning
• 2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
• 1 can Corn
• 1 can Black Beans
• 6 to 12 Flour or Corn Soft Taco Shells
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (or mixed cheese)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom of a 9 x 13 pyrex casserole dish. Slice the chicken breasts into stripes, add the olive oil to a pan and heat on medium for 1 minute before adding the chicken.  Add chicken and cook thoroughly.  Add the taco seasoning to the chicken and stir occasionally.   Stir in the tomatoes, corn, and black beans.  Cook on simmer for 5 minutes. Put a layer of flour or corn soft tacos on the bottom of the pyrex dish.  Next pour the taco chicken mixture into the pan and spread evenly.  Top with another layer of flour or corn tacos and sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Serve with your favorite taco toppings:  sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and more!

Beth Moore in Charleston, SC

I was able to go on a girls weekend away recently.  After meeting up with my sweet friend Ashley with Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life and a couple other great people from her church we headed to Charleston for a Beth Moore Conference.   The majority of our weekend was spent at a Beth Moore conference, but we squeeze in some fellowship, delicious food, and a few hours of sleep.

Spending a weekend relaxing with friends and being fed the word was wonderful and refreshing.  Although, I had mixed feelings after leaving the conference because there were so many areas that God had touched in my heart over the weekend that I knew it would take me several weeks (maybe months) to process and work through everything.  Here are the main points that I took away from the conference with Beth Moore, hopefully they can be an encouragement to you as well.

• We are here to become more honest versions of ourselves.  (God continues to work in my heart.)
• We cannot walk in our full birthright as part fraud. (Am I telling the truth ALL the time?)
• We’ve got to stick a “with” back in the way we work with people. (working with people not working people)
• It’s time to go face down & face up. (How much time have I spent in prayer today?)
• Children of faith cannot wrestle with people without wrestling with God. (Many times God uses people to help me grow. We have an obligation to treat people like God wants us to.)
• God can use a crippling defeat to bring about our greatest victory. (I cannot come up with a plan better then the one God has for me.)
• God can bring a shocking peace to our fiercest wars. (I have enough, God has richly blessed me.)
• We’ve grasped the blessing when we keep trying to give it away. (The more selfish I am makes it more obvious that I do not know rich God’s blessings.)

Praise and worship team led by Travis Cottrell

I am thankful for the awesome opportunity to get away for a weekend.  It was great spending time with friends, worshiping and learning more about my Savior.   God continues to work in my life and heart even after attending the conference.  I am grateful for my sweet husband for taking care of the kids so I could get away for a weekend.   The girls had a wonderful time with Daddy while I was gone.  I even came home to a special surprise…..I will have to share that with you soon.  Thanks Jacob! XOXO

You can receive another 10 free points from Pampers with a new Gifts to Grow code!

This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

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For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!