Home Sweet Simple Home

Changes in the plan- its okay.

Remember when I said my menu plan was more of a set of guidelines?
We didn’t have the monkey bread on Monday as some family members were having issues at the dinner table and we decided it would be best to all go to bed early.
Yesterday evening we had an impromptu trip to Menards for some replacement pipes and fittings for the kitchen sink.
I should probably add here that yesterday, on my list of Things I Hadn’t Planned On Doing (remember this?) was scrubbing ¾ of the kitchen floor.
On my hands and knees.
Why only ¾? Because Flylady says that housework- even when done incorrectly (or in my case not completely) still blesses your family.
Huh?
Well, we’ve got skiffs of snow, layers of mud and leaves and 3 kids who are constantly tramping in afore mentioned bits of nature. And with more snow on the way- I quickly decided that the high traffic door to door path in the kitchen could stay as is.  My wrists and knees muttering protests helped to ease my conscience greatly.
Anyhoo, I quickly decided to make the most of trip by trying to do next week’s shopping since Aldi’s is just down the road. This is still a pantry week but being ever frugal-minded . . . . not to mention I’ve now checked off something from next week’s To Do List . . . .
This of course would all be taking place during evening dining time. No quick Mickey-D’s stop for us though- I’m sticking to my pantry budget week.
I quickly put together mini-sandwiches with leftover chicken salad and other lunch meats we always keep on hand, tossed some Clementine oranges in the bag, napkins, plates (just in case) and a still-warm-just-sliced loaf of chocolate cherry friendship bread. Voila.
Light dinner on the road.
I also grabbed the current family read-aloud: The Fighting Ground by Avi- very intense and riveting.
We whipped through Aldi’s in record time- the kids have the loading and unloading and packaging routine down pat. It was fun to watch Mr. Steady marvel at them. As for Menards, Mr. Steady looked for the things on his list- when a man goes to a store like that- he’s always got more things on his list than the thing that necessitated the going to the store in the first place—anyway- the kiddos and I enjoyed the Christmas displays- the trees plus the little ceramic villages.
This then lead to the kidlets asking for a Christmas movie for watching after we got home. Mickey’s Christmas Carol.
And so while it wasn’t the dinner or the evening I had envisioned for us- it was still quality family time.
And that’s what matters most.
Well, that and sticking to the pantry budget.

TACKY or frugal smarts?

Tackiness vs. simplicity
poor etiquette vs. saving $$ and a tree or two
We send out quite a few Christmas cards each year. Last year I was able to save some pennies by making Christmas postcards to send out- saved by making them myself and saved on postage.
This year the budget is even tighter.
So------ I’m thinking of sending Christmas greetings via e-cards through Dayspring.
I must ask- Is this a big no-no on the etiquette scale?
Will I be vilified?
Of course, I can’t do all my cards this way as there are still some people on my list that don’t have email but I could cut my list way down.
By my calculations, I could save myself $20 easily.
I don’t know about you but $20 is a lot of cash here—in fact, that’s half the weekly grocery budget!

photo- last year's postcard Christmas cards.

Giving 3 days straight

The MIX

MPM- more of a guideline

Menu with Daily Costs

Notes: My menu is really more of a set of guidelines- what I’m prepared to prepare. Sometimes life gets in the way and meals get switched or we find ourselves helping out at my parents’ place and eating supper with them. Often I will carry over a meal to the next week if we didn’t get to it- since I have the ingredients on hand. With the holidays coming we have declared this week to be a pantry week- meaning we will be eating from the pantry and freezer and only purchasing staples like milk and eggs this week.

Monday
B: Oatmeal with your choice of topping
L: ravioli, bread and butter, cubed cheese
D: Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, dill pickles
Dessert: iced monkey bread
Daily Cost: $7.92
Tuesday
B: Mama’s cheesy scrambled eggs, toast
L: Homeschool group lunch: Bring: cranberry Jell-o jigglers
D: Maiden cook: skillet lasagna, garlic bread
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $7.56
Wednesday
B: Choice: cereal or yogurt
L: chicken noodle soup & mini sandwich triangles
D: Peppy Macaroni
Dessert: Twinkie Cake
Daily Cost: $11.12
Thursday
B: Toad in the Hole
L: Nachos
D: One Dish Chicken bake, steamed veggies
Dessert: leftover Twinkie cake
Daily Cost: $7.64
Friday – Family Movie Nite
B: Oatmeal with your choice of topping, toast
L: Diner Dinner
D: Cheeseburger Casserole
Dessert: is there any Twinkie cake left?
Daily Cost: $5.14
Saturday
B: Daddy cook (eggs, bacon, toast etc.)
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: Leftover Smorgasbord
Daily Cost: $3.00
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Harvest dinner @ church: bring greens salad
D: @ my parents
Daily Cost: $5.25
Weekly Total: $47.63
~~ 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!

To Do vs. To Done

Homespun to homemade- foodie gift

Friendship Bread
Recently my sister shared a friendship bread starter with me and I’ve quickly gotten to the point where there is no one left to share starter with. Friends don’t make eye contact when they see those baggies . . . . . .
So when it was baking day I decided to make a double batch of bread. I measured and calculated and found that after I divided the starter into the four bags I needed two of the bags for the double batch. So that only left me with two bags of starter (one I was able to give away- doubt I’ll be so lucky next time). We had some small sized aluminum bread pans from a previous project so the kids and I made three regular sized loaves and four mini loaves. Since it is friendship bread we gave away two mini-loaves and one regular loaf. We froze the rest.
We plan on doing the same thing when it’s baking day again (and then I believe I will freeze the starter and give myself a break for awhile . . . .). These little loaves will then be dressed up with ribbons and tags and given away at Christmas.
I believe the trick to making this a one-of-a-kind gift is the little additions you make to the friendship bread.
Here’s some that we’ve tried:
dried cherries
dried cranberries
raisins
chocolate chips
butterscotch chips
Chocolate and peanut butter chips.
We find the bread to be very delicious- it doesn’t last long around here.
So what does it come out to in cost? Calculating is a bit difficult since what you pour in also makes the starters (that you are suppose to give away) but by my calculations it costs $4.16 to make a double batch which will yield 2 regular sized loaves and six mini-loaves. This comes out to just over $1.00 for each regular loaf and 50 cents for each mini-loaf.
We’ll wrap the bread good and tight and store it in the freezer until closer to Christmas.
Dressing it up with ribbon from our ribbon stash and tags made from scrapbooking scraps . . . . . voila!
Who will we give these gifts to?
The Neighbors
Sunday School Teachers (along with small packages of trail mix)
Extended Family
And who knows?
By my calculations I’ll need 7 to 8 mini-loaves and 3-4 regular loaves. So if I make 2 double batches between now and Christmas that will yield a dozen mini-loaves and four regular loaves. That is a little bit more than I need but I’m sure I could find someone else to give to . . . . .
So- calculating some more- two more double batches will cost me $8.32.
I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.

Putting my own spin on it

Homespun Holidays
This theme has been floating around the web for awhile.
I like it.
It suits me.
So what will we be doing for the holidays this year?
Each year I wish to simplify a bit more than the year before.
I doubt the holidays will ever be as simple as I would like them to be but I’m okay with that.
There is nothing simple about having approximately 25 people in your house on Christmas Day.
One thing that can work against simplification for me— the tightwad budget. Sometime’s its more simple to purchase already made, precooked and pre-whatever, but this year that is not in the budget.
Yet- I am determined to work within my budget without chaos.
Last year my siblings and I all agreed that we did not need to continue a gift exchange- instead we make each other a little something handmade and by no means expensive. I have a wonderful sweet trail mix that I make and it is so well received that it has become the standard homemade gift- it’s so expected that everyone would be disappointed not to get their trail mix. I love it when a gift works itself out that way. I plan on doubling my recipe this year and packaging it up in smaller amounts to share with those “extra” people on our list- Sunday School teachers and such. Even with doubling the recipe, I have budgeted $25 for the mix- including the packaging. I’ve got some cellophane bags here at home that I’ve had for years--- which will be great for the smaller individual serving size packages- tied with festive ribbon and a tag. I’m on the hunt for cheap containers- I’ll be stopping by Goodwill to see if I can find some 25 cent tins or some such steal of a deal.
In our immediate family- Mr. Steady, the kiddos and I- we have a very special gift giving strategy.
For Mr. Steady’s family- the grandchildren all draw names between each other.  His family is large and this works for us. Mr. Steady and his siblings usually pool money together to purchase something his parents’ need- one year it was new carpet, other times it’s been needed home repairs (a roof, insulation etc.), a recliner, a set of dentures, paying for a fill-up of their propane tank . . . . . things they need but can’t or won’t purchase for themselves. Sometimes the money needed is a bit more than we budget for Christmas so we’ve learned to make it a year’s worth of giving- rolling into it what we would pay for gifts for each of their birthdays and their anniversary- thank goodness they don’t mind that we need to do it this way.

Of course, things never go as smoothly as we plan- either someone we didn’t expect gives us a gift and we feel a need to reciprocate or I misplace something I had purchased earlier in the year or fillintheblank. . . . . it’s Murphy’s Law you know.
But this year there is no stretch in the budget- no extra padding to cover a little extra here and a little more extra there. There is comfort in the fact that we are not the only ones facing the ever tightened budget belts.
There is also a bit of challenge in it. A challenge to myself to be extra careful and mindful.
I do like a challenge.

MPM: a week of delightful dishes

Notes: I didn’t get a chance to post my menu last week- lots going on with mine and Mr. Steady’s back to back birthdays and such. On Friday Maiden and I will be traveling to a women’s conference, Sassafras will be staying the nite w/ Nana and Pawpaw—Mr. Steady and Mr. Conductor will be having guys night.

Monday – Movie Nite- Fireproof!
B: Friendship bread, apple slices
L: Sunday leftovers
D: w/friends- bringing: Maiden’s crockpot mac-n-cheese
Dessert: w/friends
Daily Cost: $6.65
Tuesday
B: @ MOPS meeting
L: Homeschool group lunch: Bring: salad
D: Crockpot Cowboy Stew, biscuits
Dessert: brownies (birthday treat from the weekend)
Daily Cost: $9.88
Wednesday
B: Choice: cereal or yogurt
L: Polka Dots
D: Chicken and veggie alfredo, h’made bread
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $8.87
Thursday
B: French Toast
L: Chicken sandwiches, chips, cubed cheese
D: Peppy Macaroni
Dessert: warm tapioca pudding
Daily Cost: $9.11
Friday – Guys Nite
B: caramel apple oatmeal, toast
L: Diner Dinner
D: Pigs in a blanket
Dessert: milk shakes
Daily Cost: $6.43
Saturday
B: Boys cook together
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: Leftover Smorgasbord
Daily Cost: $1.75
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Crockpot: Chicken Cacciatore, h’made pickles, h’made bread
D: Lunch Leftovers
Daily Cost: $5.98
Weekly Total: $48.67
~~ 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!

The Guilt and the Gimmies

We’re going to be super cheap, super frugal and super-D-duper tightwads this year for the holidays.
Amazingly enough the icky economy is helpful. I find that I am not so scared to say No.
“No, I can’t donate to your worthy cause- I am my own worthy cause this year.”
No is hard for me. I feel like a heel when I don’t have the bit of cash needed to give to the local mission for holiday dinners or to the sheriff’s department for the special fundraiser. Or to the kids in my youth group selling cheap wrapping paper, icky cheese balls and cookie dough so overpriced I could make 12 dozen for the same price as their 2 dozen.
No, I’m sorry I can’t donate, we’re really having to pinch our budget and just don’t have the extra money.
You know, you don’t even have to explain that much- No should mean NO.
Period.
My Grampa was once an insurance salesman (one of his many interesting jobs he had in his lifetime) and he said the key was to make a person say NO seven times before you give up because people usually can’t hold out that long.
I’ve kept that in mind- I don’t want to get to seven- mostly we find that “No, I’m sorry, I can’t at this time,” seems to be enough but other times it isn’t. It makes me uncomfortable when they go into that “Don’t you have an extra $5 a week you could spare to give us $20 a month? Surely you can do that?! Don’t you realize these people/worthy organization need your help?”
It boils down to this: guilt.
Guilt over the phone from people I don’t know and will probably never meet.
Here’s another way of looking at it . . . . .
My money is not mine.
Everything I have belongs to God. My money is God’s money and I should really be praying about how I spend it- all of it. Not just my tithe but each and every single little cent.
I’ve decided to quit feeling guilty when I have to tell so-and-so on the phone NO. I’ve learned to pray about the money and goods we are able to give and ask that God would multiply it- thinking loaves and fishes, loaves and fishes. Just because it’s a little from me doesn’t mean God can’t do great things with it.
Loaves and fishes.
With my new reduction in pay we have even less to stretch around here.
Here’s something else I’m not really sure of- whose cause is needier? How much of the money that I’m giving to xyz organization really goes where it’s needed and how much goes towards administrative fees and overhead?
In the past, I’ve found out that only about 20 cents of every dollar we gave went to the actual cause. That’s not good enough for me and so I’ve learned to do a bit of investigating rather than just hand my money over in the midst of a feel-good moment.
I learned a long time ago that giving isn’t just a holiday thing- it’s a year-round thing. Need doesn’t just creep up around the holidays- it’s every day. I’ve thought about the different things we do as a family and though it’s just a drop in the bucket- each drop helps fill the bucket up and it would be that much less without my little drops.
I’m learning to fight the guilt. I can’t help everywhere I would like to but the little I do matters to someone somewhere.
Even though we give to different needs over the course of the year, we still have definite things we do around the holidays.
So what will we be doing this year?
We’ve got a bag of Christmas dresses, two other bags of nice clothes, a bag of gently used winter coats & snow pants and respectable toys going to the local free store (people come in and pick up anything they want for free- really!) which excites the kids- thinking they are really truly doing something to make another kid’s day.
We’ve got a box we are filling up bit by bit for the local food bank. We buy 2-3 “extra” items when we are at the store each trip and add them to the box.
We are purchasing items for the crisis care kits at our church and for personal care kits for the local domestic assault shelter. The kids think it’s awesome what $20 can buy you at the dollar store.
And that’s about it. Of course we’ll enjoy putting change in the bell-ringers’ red buckets throughout the season too . . . . .
NO will probably always be hard for me to say but I am determined to remind myself of what we are saying YES to this year- to think of the people we are helping and pray that God will stretch our contributions.
Say it with me-
Loaves and Fishes.
Loaves and Fishes.

Just enough to get by, Please

This funny little story was sent to me and I felt the need to share . . . . . Which would you rather have?

One day an investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The fisherman replied, "Only a little while."
The banker then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The banker then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a nap with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I play guitar and sing with my friends. I have a full and busy life."
The banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to a big city where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
To which the banker replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then?"
The banker laughed and said that's the best part.  "When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions...Then what?"
The banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a nap with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play your guitar and sing with your friends."

If you are not content with what you have, you'll never be content with what you want.

I won't try and do His thinking for Him

The days have been busy here.
Parties and birthdays and such.
My birthday was Monday and I completely took the day off. Took the day off from all youth ministry work (not even getting online to check email- I resisted) and from all school work.
In case you, dear reader, are not aware, that is a big gi-normous deal.
Instead we went on a field trip- a hike.
Mr. Steady baked me the most scrumptious pumpkin chocolate chip cake with cream cheese icing.
Which we also ate yesterday- for his birthday.
We kept the fun low-key and just us. Which was very nice.
We will celebrate with the some more of the family this weekend.
We also had some other news that wasn’t the bestest but we believe that God’s hand is in it all.
The news was a financial downer but was not about wrapping up our last credit card debt. We have been waiting to hear from this last company for three months. And we continue to wait. Yes, we have contacted them- sent certified letters- still no word back. We are in prayer about it and feel God is in charge of it. I am determined not to try to out think God and try and step in to do His job for him or to speed up the process.
God has reminded me about Abraham. God told Abraham that from him He would make a mighty nation- that He would give him a son. Abraham believed God would do this but after 10 years of waiting and him and Sarah getting older and older they decided to take matters into their own hands- trying to “take matters into their own hands and speed up the process” as it were, and so Sarah gave Hagar . . . . and Ishmael was born. But this wasn’t God’s plan.  Abraham and Sarah then waited another 5 years- then Isaac was born.
I believe God has reminded me of this story from the Bible to remind me to continue to be patient and remain on His time table- not to try and force the issue to speed up the process. Yes, I have days when the thought of this last debt needing to be settled weighs on my mind and begins to eat at my gut but I assure myself that God is in control. His ways are far better than mine.
I know God will make a way for me-  there has never been a need He has not met. When I was given the news that affected our finances last evening I did not worry. In fact I felt perfectly at peace with the situation. I know that peace came from God.
I know God will provide.
How do I know?
I just do.
It is the peace I feel in my heart.
Mr. Steady and I have been praying for God to provide and to give us direction with some areas that we are feeling restless in. We believe that God is beginning to move.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

Humble and Dazzled

I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. May my thoughts please him; I am happy in the Lord. Psalms 104:33, 34

No matter what I will praise God.
We serve an absolutely amazing and incredible Lord.
Monday I spent my birthday hiking at a nature preserve with my children and mom. It was a gorgeous day- I couldn’t help but marvel at beauty and symmetry of God’s handiwork. The God that created all that changing beauty created me. On one hand it is so humbling and on the other it is dazzling. Dazzling to know that God thinks so much of me- that He spent time creating me and holds a deep vested interest in my life. Humble because I am so small compared to the universe.
And yet-
I am an integral part of it all. God wants to use me. God has plans for me.
What a gift.
What a responsibility.
There are days I do not feel up to the task.
I am glad that God knows I will have those days and holds me up in His strong arms.
I am equal to the task that God has placed before me when I remember that it is not by my strength that I go forth- but by His.
And His strength never weakens.
Ever.
Good to know.

photo: a scene from my birthday hike

What today is to me

Happy Halloween . . . . . Happy Reformation Day!
I have been asked if/why we celebrate Halloween here.
We do.
In our own way.
First, I plan fun food for the day- or pick a regular meal and give it a silly name- like when the kids dubbed spaghetti O’s Eyeball Stew and cut buttered bread into bone shapes. I’ve been known to tint the milk green or orange- I’ve even tinted the oatmeal too.
Today was also a school day- just your normal every day homeschool day for the girls. Maiden was a bit bummed at first until I remaindered her we’re going on a birthday field trip on Monday so we need to stay on track school-wise. We had a quick understanding after that. Mr. Conductor had some pumpkin and harvest fun since we are wrapping up his farm unit. We had a pumpkin race (holding a soft sculpt pumpkin between your knees and racing across the living room), harvested the corn (that was Mr. C running his combine thru the room and making noises) and put up some straw bales (tossing pillows onto the couch) read fall/harvest/Halloween books, plus lots of other neat-o fun stuff.
So today is more a celebration of the harvest than the spookfest. Although there was some hilarious dancing around at lunch time to Monster Mash.
This afternoon we watched an old taped Halloween Special from the Cincinnati Pops (an endearing family favorite here).
We’ll dress the kiddos up in their homemade costumes and get the out of Dodge before the swarms come into town for the tricks and treats. We make a couple of stops where we are expected each year and end up at my parents home for a yummy dinner, family fun and The Great Pumpkin.
We don’t scare and we don’t trick.
The kids costumes are tasteful and homemade/put-together.
We don’t door-to-door trick-or-treat. We go to 3 homes of people we know and love.
As a child, I loved Halloween for two reasons- dress up and chocolate.
That’s what Mr. Steady and I share with our kids.
We have talked together that this is also Reformation Day (Maiden understands that best after studying it in school last year) and has discussed having a Reformation Day celebration some year.
This year we studied a bit about Halloween in Colonial times since that’s the time period we are studying in school. The kids are amazed at what people believed and how superstitious they were- good family discussion.
We celebrate in a way that works for our family.

Visiting the Cemetery with my youth group

I have been asked if I would elaborate on the Cemetery headstone hunt and devotions I do with my youth group.
I have to say this is one of the most fun and anticipated activities I do with them.
There is a small old cemetery about a mile from our church with stones dating back to the mid-1800s. This cemetery is perfect to use because of it’s small size and old age- in the seven years I’ve been doing this only two new graves have been added and neither was so recent as to be “fresh”.
The headstone hunt is a sheet of questions I made after visiting the cemetery on my own and taking notes. I looked for interestingly shaped stones, carvings etc. plus names that may be associated with people we know. I then made questions from my notes- keeping the headstone hunt to approx. 10-15 questions.
Examples: What are the first names of the couple with the last name Curtis and middle initials I. and E.? (Answer: They had fun first names- Philo and Phylena- no I’m not making that up.)
How many years were they married? (Answer: 36 years- their marriage date was listed and the youth had to do a bit of mathematics using the first person’s date of passing to figure it out.)
I make the headstone hunt fun yet thought-provoking, such as having them copy the carving on the stone of a 20 year old young woman: “She's gone. So young, so fair, but happy with loved ones over there.” The stone is old, the words are fading and they find they have to trace the words with their fingers or do a rubbing to make it come out clearly. For some of these kids just touching a stone is a big thing.
We go to the cemetery in the evening and dusk begins to settle in while we are there. Everyone is supplied with flashlights and often we end the hunt by their light. If the weather isn’t too cold we stay in the cemetery for our devotional time and I have to say I prefer this as it adds to the impact of my message.
I write a new devotional every year but the theme is the same, death, dying and/or fear. I’ve shared how Jesus took the sting of death away from us. I’ve shared about the death and resurrection of Christ and of Lazarus. I’ve shared about what it means to die to self. This year I spoke on fear and that the only fear we should have as Christians is the fear of the Lord. The discussion is always good- especially when we’re all sitting on the cold ground in a dark cemetery.
One of the first years I did this hunt, we were settling into our devotion time and I watched as one of the boys slunk back a few rows behind us. I knew what he was up to but went talking and kept an eye on him. The joke was on him when he tripped on the uneven ground and found himself face down in the oldest section of the cemetery- where the ground has shifted and settled and in some spots has sunk down an inch or two (due to the older graves not having vaults etc.). He let out a howl. By this time everyone had noticed he had wandered off and we all heard him trip so nobody freaked out when he yelled. When he came back to the group he listened with most rapt attention to our discussion of Jesus taking the sting and fear of death away for all Christians.
That teen is in his 20s now and that night is one he still lists as one of his most fun and life changing experiences in youth group.
I do not want to fail to mention that I am very careful not to let any of my more adventurous youth wander off and no one sneaks scary masks and other such folly with them. I’m not out to make these kids pee-your-pants scared. My goal is the opposite- to take that innate fear and shift it to the joy of knowing that the earth will not hold us- instead God does. In the palm of His Hand.
They each have the opportunity to trade fear for Forever with the One who made and loves them.

Goings on and such

You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence. Psalm 16:11

itty bitty bit of linkage

I just have to share this beautiful post.
It's from my sister.
How great He is.
Indeed.

Daybook entry 16 from Monday

Of note: Having trouble online with posting and such. This was suppose to go up Monday morning but couldn't make it work.
Hoping it works today . . . . .

Please visit Peggy, the host of the Simple Woman’s Daybook and others here.

 FOR TODAY~ October 27^th  

Outside my Window... cold, wet and icky. It is a bleak looking morning. Makes me wish I could crawl back under the covers and stay there with a good book for awhile longer.

I am thinking... of all the fun we have planned for later today.

 From the learning room... Early American Colonies for the girls and wrapping up our last week of “On the Farm” for Mr. Conductor. We’re doing some fall projects and “harvesting” for this last week. We’ve also planned a fun farm obstacle course that I hope to share at some point.

I am thankful for… flannel and polar fleece.

From the kitchen... YUM is word of the day! Pumpkin waffles for breakfast, soup in pumpkins for lunch and pumpkin chili for supper. Plus we’re making our very first batch of friendship bread today. [weekly menu here]

I am creating... friendship bread and a Thanksgiving banner.

I am going... to return books to the library and movies to the rental store. And I do believe I’m going to take a nap on this icky day.

I am wearing... nicely broken in blue jeans, thick socks, brown tee and zip up polar fleece jacket.

I am reading... Brisingr and a few fall magazines, school books and a couple others.

I am hoping... to check off most of my To-Do list and find some “me” time.

I am hearing... the rain. The cold, cold rain.

Around the house... school, laundry, baking bread, pumpkin carving . . . .

One of my favorite things... sleeping in.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Today is pumpkin day- lots of pumpkin food and family pumpkin carving this evening. Tomorrow is homeschool group and my MOPS steering team meeting and moms’ movie nite. Wednesday I’m spending some time with a couple of teens in my youth group. Thursday is family nite and Friday is Halloween- dressing up and visiting the grandparents, eating candy and good food at my parents plus a fun fall gator ride. Saturday is BIRTHDAY DATE NITE! Yahoo!

MPM: Fall menu- pumpkins!

Notes: We made our last stop at the local farmers market, purchasing 3 large bags of onions (buy 2 get one free) and a few tomatoes.

Monday –Pumpkin Carving Nite
B: Pumpkin Waffles, fruit cups
L: Soup in Jack-be-little pumpkins w/cheese crackers
D: Pumpkin chili and h’made bread
Dessert: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
Daily Cost: $10.39
Tuesday
B: Pumpkin waffles (leftovers)
L: Homeschool group lunch: Bring: Spoonbread
D: Sloppy Joes,  chips, pickle spears
Dessert: leftover cake
Daily Cost: $5.43
Wednesday
B: Choice: yogurt or cereal
L: Creamy beef sandwiches, chips, pickle spears
D: Chicken-n-noodles, h’made bread, h’made pickles
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $6.85
Thursday
B: Cinnamon French Toast Sticks with Cider syrup
L: Diner Dinner
D: Daddy Donalds- burgers, fries (all h’made)
Dessert: Milk Shakes
Daily Cost: $8.28
Friday
B: French Toast sticks with cider syrup (leftovers)
L: Jack-o-lantern mini pizzas
D: Mystery dinner at my parents home: bringing chips & buns
Dessert: Halloween candy of course!
Daily Cost: $6.55
Saturday
B: Daddy Cook (eggs, toast, bacon etc)
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: Leftover Smorgasbord
Daily Cost: $3.00
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Church Potluck bringing: creamy pasta salad
D: Church dinner
Daily Cost: $4.25
Weekly Total: $44.75
~~ 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!

Where my mind has wandered to go