Family Outings: Fall Festivals & Fun Activities
A little behind in posting these pictures but I figure it’s better late than never, right!? Since a couple of our family members have requested these pictures here we go…..
One happy and one scary pumpkin on the front porch In celebration of Fall Festivals, events, and activities we had the girls do a pumpkin this year. Brina wanted a happy pumpkin and Karlie wanted a scary pumpkin. They did the outlines for their pumpkins and Daddy cut out the pieces. They were both quite pleased with their pumpkins.
One Blue Crayon and One Violet Crayon The girls dressed up this year as crayons! They were super excited to wear their crayon costumes that we picked up on clearance last year.
Goody cups for the girls class at school. The girls helped pack the goody cups for their teacher and friends in their classroom! Besides stickers, pencils, glow in the dark silly bands we included a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Candy Corn Cupcakes for the girls class We made candy corn cupcakes for the girls class at school. They were so excited to take them and share with their friends at lunch.
Karlie and Brina carrying their goody basket into school They were thrilled to carry the goody basket into school. Several other students stopped to express their delight in the cool basket on their way to class, I think that alone made the girls day!
Two little crayons and Daddy getting into the teacup This was the first ride the girls went on at the Fall Festival. So thankful Jake was willing to ride with them, last year I went on it and almost threw up from the spinning!
Hold onto your hats little crayons! It made me dizzy just watching them spinning in circles but they had a blast!
Fun fall festival rides Our two crayons are in the blue one. They loved this ride last year too.
Having fun They loved looking out of their “cage” as they called it over the rest of the Fall Festival. When they got off they told us everything that they saw on the ride and what activities they wanted to do.
Ready to fly on the bug Two little crayons going for another spinning ride on the little bug, too cute!
Bug in flight It was hard getting a picture when both of them were looking at me. The bug got cut off on this one but at least both girls are looking my direction! 🙂
All buckled in...now ready to swing and spin Daddy was such a sport and went with the girls again on this spinning ride. Everyone is all buckled in and ready to SWING!
There they are swinging It looks pretty innocent doesn’t it but if your stomach does flip-flops while going in circles…..
Checking out all the equipment in the medical helicopter They had a emergency helicopter there so you could show your kids. Pretty neat seeing on the devices they put into it.
Two little crayons coming down the slide They had a blast jumping on bouncy castles, racing through bounce house mazes, and zipping down the slides.
Two cute crayons next to a giant black cat The cat was having problems staying up but I snapped a quick picture with them in front of it. They thought it was so funny seeing a giant black cat.
Family Outings: All Star Greenville Drive Baseball Game
Karlie and Brina in their Greenville Drive All Stars Shirts Karlie and Brina received their Greenville Drive All Star TShirts for completing the reading program through the library. They were super excited to get the free Tshirts, to walk in the parade, and to get free tickets to a Greenville Drive baseball game!
Brina and Karlie walking in the "All Star" parade before the Greenville Drive game The girls were loving the “parade” around the field before the Greenville Drive game. They were amazed at all the dents in the scoreboard from all the baseballs hitting it. I think it surprised them that the balls would hit it so hard. The shirts were really big (one size fits all) so they had a hard time figuring out how to wear them without them being a dress, in this picture Brina is just holding hers up and Karlie has her tied up.
Watching the Greenville Drive play baseball! The girls loved watching the Greenville Drive baseball games. They really started getting into the games, really cute. It was a great activity with the family and we had extended family join us for this game (Luke, Kristen, and Hudson) as well making it even more fun!
Hanging out at the game with Daddy Thanks Daddy for getting us great seats! The girls got free tickets for finishing the reading program and Daddy was able to get the rest of us seats through work! We had a blast even though the Greenville Drive didn’t win that night!
Song: “Life of Praise” by Casting Crowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgZEgr9yHds&feature=related
We are blessed. There is so much to be thankful for in our lives, however, how often do I stop to really praise the one who holds the world in his hands. Do I “live a life of praise”? During this Thanksgiving season take some extra time to think about the multitude of blessings you have in your life and give Him praise. Hopefully we continue to sing His praises throughout the year as we see the countless gifts of love we have been given. Here are a few lines of the song that were a great reminder to me:
I will love You, Lord always
Not just for the things You’ve done for me
And I will praise You all my days
Not just for the change You’ve made in me
But I’ll praise You for You are holy, Lord
And I’ll lift my hands, but You are worthy of so much moreFor You are awesome, God of the Nations,
Lion of Judah, Rock of the Ages, Alpha, Omega
You’re worthy of all praise
More than these hands I’ll raise
I’ll live a life of praise
I’ll live a life of praiseWhat’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
This week is busy with birthdays and Thanksgiving! We are looking forward to some extra time with family. Our regular menu will be through Wednesday this week since Thursday is Thanksgiving Day! Hope you have an amazing week with your family as well. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef Entree): Taco Lasagna, Fresh Salad
- Tuesday (Seafood or Pork Entree): Shrimp and Pasta, Fresh Vegetables
- Wednesday (Chicken Entree): Mushroom Spinach Chicken, Wild Rice, Fresh Fruit Salad
- Thursday (Pasta or Vegetarian Entree): Thanksgiving Dinner
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef entree, Tuesday a seafood or pork entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was packed full of a lot of extra activities, appointments, refinance closing, and travel some of the events were on the calendar and others we squeezed in because it was necessary. The biggest blessing was being able to cross off our Refinance Closing. The paperwork was submitted back in September and several of the documents re-submitted over the last couple of months because the lender couldn’t find the paperwork we gave them or one person didn’t give the next person the right information and so forth. Now we can breathe a little sigh of relief to get that completed.
Even though I didn’t get everything done the good news is I am at least taking small steps in the right direction. This week will not be a huge goal driven week because of the Thanksgiving Holiday. My biggest “goal” is to spend quality time with my family. Hopefully, as we spend time together I will get some necessary items accomplished but if not that is okay too because life needs to be fun every once in awhile, right!? Jake and I have several joint projects that we are hoping to work on over the next few weeks and the girls want to put up the tree. Some of my goals will be on “hold” during this week, you’ll see it pick back up again after Thanksgiving! 🙂
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everydayHave the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed) – really need to do better on this one, we spent extra time before bed one night talking on the phone to Daddy since he was traveling this week instead.
- Get the girls passport pictures taken – did not get their pictures done
- Finish filing the last several weeks of coupons in my File Folder and Binder – didn’t get this done, other priorities popped up
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – did much better (4 days) but missed one day so can’t cross this one off
- Finish reading The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine who has a blog called Money Saving Mom (VERY excited about the opportunity to preview this book by a blogger I have been following for years and thankful to be featured on her blog weekly with the Save A Lot Deals!) – still reading other activities took priority this week
Listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday through Thursday – I was really bad at the beginning of the week getting to bed on time because I was trying to finish a project but I paid for it the next day.
Home Management Goals
Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the houseDinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – Jake was traveling this week so I had to move my laundry day up 2 days to help with packing and since we were only home for a couple hours that day I wasn’t able to get it done in 1 day, it took me 2 days this week.
- File the receipts for the last couple of months and organize the table in the office. – still waiting to be done
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk – it was a wild week with Jake being gone, long doctor appointments, phone calls, refinance, and I didn’t do this really important task and now feel the side effects of it
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Research ways to create more residual income – didn’t get to it
- Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012 – I did write down a couple thoughts but didn’t get really in depth in this one so don’t feel right about crossing it off
Ministry Goals
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others. – wasn’t able to do this one.
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch– I got to have lunch with Jake and his co-workers while supporting a local charity!
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4Close on our Refinance – Our plan is to go from the 30 year mortgage that we have been paying off to a 10 year mortgage with a lower interest rate.Sooooo THRILLED to have this one done! 🙂 We knocked 11 years off what we were currently paying by switching to a 10 year and the best part is we are now paying about $20 less every month with the new mortgage!
- Pay off remaining debt – almost there
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – on hold until the debt is paid off
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
- Spend extra time with my family over the Thanksgiving Holiday
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Tuesday
Home Management Goals
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Wednesday)
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Put up the Christmas Tree
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Pay off remaining debt
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Fresh & Healthy: Fall Harvest – Community Supported Agriculture (Week 7 & 8)
We are enjoying our Fall Harvest with our Local Farm with Community Supported Agriculture program. With the Thanksgiving Holiday being on Thursday we decided it would be better not to have to juggle picking up produce in between all the family Holiday fun so we received a full share this week. We are now getting close to the end of our fall harvest only two more weeks left. The Fall harvest is 10 weeks long through our farm. We are thrilled to get the produce and fresh eggs. Our family is doing a half share again for this harvest.
Fall Harvest Week 7 & 8 of Fresh Goodies from our CSA!
Fresh goodies from our Local CSA Farm! Items in our Basket this Week:
- 1 large Green Cabbage
- 1 bag Snow Peas (LOVE them)
- 5 Beets
- 2 Brown Potatoes
- 4 Sweet Potatoes
- 2 Spaghetti Squash
- 2 Yellow Onions
- 2 Yellow Carrots
- 1 Dozen Fresh Eggs
I am looking forward to eating these goodies this week! Thanks everyone for the delicious Recipes! To find out how you can be a part of a local CSA check out this post – Fresh & Healthy: Community Supported FarmsBook: “The Five Love Languages of Children” by Gary Chapman
When Jake and I went to marriage counseling over 11 years ago we were encouraged to read “The Five Love Languages” for married couples by Gary Chapman. Several years ago I read The Five Love Languages of Children and decided to read it again recently. I tend to read several books at once so I started this one again a couple weeks ago as a refresher. As the girls get older I want to continue finding ways to both encourage them and show them that I love them. The Five Love Languages are the same ones that are discussed in Chapman’s other book but he applies it to raising children. The following are the five languages with examples (some examples are from the book, others are ones I came up with).
- Quality Time – Spend one on one time with each child, go on Mother Daughter Date Night, work together on a project
- Words of Affirmation – encourage them through words, praise them for a job well done, put a “love you” note in their lunch box
- Gifts – give gifts as an act of love, cherish the gifts or pieces of artwork they give you, buy a box of their favorite cereal and give it to them as a “I was thinking of you” gift
- Acts of Service – doing something for them, making them lunch, picking up their room
- Physical Touch – a hug, pat on the back, walking and holding their hands
One thing that I like about the book is it encourages parents to not only focus on their child’s primary love language (which can change throughout life) but to make sure to show love through all five love languages so their emotional love tank is full. After reading through most of the book again I went to a parent event at the girls school and the speaker talked about the principles taught in this book. I was thrilled to hear such an amazing message was being presented to the parents of students in the public school. I hope and pray the girls know how much a truly love them. I am willing to go the extra mile to find ways to be a better Mom to them. If you are looking for a book to read on raising children this one would be a great one to check out.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
The week packed full to the point of over flowing on most days. I was trying to mainly just keep my head above water most days this week. Thankfully I was able to find some deals early in the week and was able to stock up on some items for upcoming Holiday celebrations. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Ingles Ingles Groceries:
- $32.88 at Ingles for 1 bag Laura Lynn Bread, 3 bags Laura Lynn Shredded Cheese, 4 blocks Laura Lynn Sharp Cheddar, 1 box Go Gurt Yogurt Tubes (8 count), 1 bag Laura Lynn Splenda Sweetener, 1 can Canola Cooking Spray, 1 bag Laura Lynn Mini Marshmallows, 4 boxes Blue Bonnet Margarine, 2 bags Idahoan Bake Potatoes, 1 can Heavy Whip Cream, 2 containers Planters Creamy Peanut Butter, 2 boxes Laura Lynn Cream Cheese, 1 bag Celery, 1 can Laura Lynn Pumpkin, 1 bag All Purpose Flour, 1 bag Dixie Granulated Sugar, 1 box Powdered Sugar, 1 box Brown Sugar, 1 box Pilsbury Funfetti Cake Mix, 1 container Cool Whip, 2 cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Chili Peppers, 1 bag Red Delicious Apples, and 1 Yellow Sweet Onion. (Everything I bought this week at Ingles was on sale, marked down, or on clearance including the diary and produce! I used several coupons to help bring down the total on this shopping trip and it was still a little higher than I like it to be, but with all the Holiday Celebrations we needed to stock up on some items.)
Groceries from Walgreens Walgreens Groceries:
- $3.93 at Wlagreens for 2 packs Austin Peanut Butter Crackers (8 count), 1 pack Austin Cheddar Cheese Crackers (8 count), 1 jar Lindsey Green Olives, 2 gallons Milk, 1 can Wasabi Almonds, 1 can Butter Toffee Peanuts, and 1 can Peanuts. (I used a $3 off 10 coupon since it was a new location, a couple Register Rewards, and coupons to help pay for these items).
This week I spent $36.81 on groceries. Even though I only a little under on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on several items. The items at the new Walgreens new us were pretty good it was worth it to stock up the pantry at those prices. I hope that next week is better week and we can come under budget!
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.
Recipe: Beef Enchiladas
It has been a long time since I have made enchiladas, but a few weeks ago I picked up some Corn Tortillas on clearance for $0.50 and as I was looking for a good recipe to use them with when enchiladas came to mind. In the past I have used regular flour tortillas to make enchiladas so this was a new one for me. The recipe I am sharing is adapted from Rockin Robin’s Cooking Mexican Recipes. I didn’t make the sauce from scratch as they suggested (mine came from cans we already had in the pantry). I added extra hamburger to our recipe and I used a mix of cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, and swiss) because much to my surprise our shredded cheese was running low. The recipe turned out delicious! I made half for us to eat for dinner and froze the other half for a busy day later in the month or to share with someone. The girls had two helpings and LOVED the enchiladas! Brina was a huge help in putting them together, thankful for my little kitchen helper.
Beef Enchilada Recipe:
- 2 pounds Ground Hamburger
- 1/4 cup chopped Sweet Onion
- 2 cans Enchilada Sauce
- 12 Corn Tortillas
- 12 oz shredded Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss Cheese (you can use a combination or just one type)
1. Cook your ground hamburger with chopped onions and seasonings of your choice (I cooked our hamburger in the crockpot during the day while we were at work and school. I did add the onions with a touch of taste seasoning and garlic to the ground hamburger.) Once your hamburger is cooked drain the oil and set aside.
2. Put the cans of Enchilada Sauce in a sauce pan and set on simmer so it is warm (make sure the pan you chose is large enough to put a corn tortilla in it with the sauce.)
3. Preheat a deep fryer to 350 degrees or put about 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan and heat. Once the oil is hot submerge one corn tortilla in the oil for 10 to 30 seconds until it starts to bubble. (Make sure to take it out once it starts bubbling because it could get too hard and you will not be able to roll your enchilada).
4. Remove the corn tortilla from the oil let it drip for a few seconds then put it into the enchilada sauce, flip it over to coat both sides. Add the hamburger in the middle of the corn tortilla and roll. Put it immediately into the baking dish. Continue until all enchiladas are done.
5. Cover the rolled enchiladas with remaining sauce and cover with shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Enchilada's covered in cheese Our family enjoys cheese! Brina had fun helping “spread” the cheese over the enchilada’s!
One batch of enchiladas for dinner the other went into the freezer for a busy day later this month or to share with someone else. I enjoy being able to stock the deep freezer with some good meals whenever possible. If I have the items necessary I will often make a double batch or split the recipe for dinner by making half for dinner and freezing the other half for a busy day in the future. Our church makes meals for families with newborns or when family members are in the hospital or have surgery. It helps having a few extra homemade meals in the freezer available to share with those around us.
Amazon.com: 4-for-3 Book Promotion includes Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station Books
Amazon is running a 4-for-3 Promotion! This is a great sale to stock up on some items for your family or purchase a few gifts for the Holidays! Buy Three Books, Get the Fourth Free on any four eligible books under $10 in our 4-for-3 Books Store and we’ll give you the lowest-price book free at checkout. Stock up and save on the titles you love.
Amazon has the Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station Books are included in their 4-for-3 Promotion! When you buy four different books, you only pay for the price of three. They have a lot of books included in this deal so not all of them need to be the Imagination Station books. If you do buy 4 Imagination Station books the total will be $14.97 (or $3.74 each). Shipping is free with an Amazon Mom account or when you spend $25 on qualified items. To bring your total down even more use your Swagbucks Amazon Gift Cards to get gifts for the kids on your list for the upcoming Holidays!
Our family loves reading. Anyone that has been to our house knows we enjoy books from the kids on up. One of the girls favorite activities is to have Dad or Mom read them a story. A lot of times during the day we will read picture or smaller books and at night we read from a chapter book. These books are great and it gives us an opportunity to get a couple for Christmas at a great price especially once you apply those Swagbuck Amazon Gift Cards if you haven’t already done so you can sign up today and start earning, for more information on how to get started go to Swagbucks: Earning a Little Extra!
Thanks Money Saving Mom!
