MENU PLAN MONDAY

This website is a great resource of menu ideas. It has links to people who post their menus for each week! I am trying to do this at home this year, so when I can, I will post it here with a recipe or two. Have a great week!


Monday: Walleye lightly breaded and lightly fried, steamed broccoli, rolls, jello

Tuesday: Dinner Out (Every Tuesday is :)

Weds: Italian Baked Shells, salad, bread

Thursday: Chicken Ceasar Salad, canned soup, bread

Friday: Date with hubby (hopefully)

Saturday: Fruit crepes with yogurt and cream cheese for breakfast, camping at night...hot dogs and smores:)

Sunday: Crescent Chicken Squares and Orange Mousse jello, salad

Italian Baked Shells Recipe - super easy
1 box shells
1.5 jars of spaghettis sauce
1 16 oz container of cottage cheese
2 c. mozzarella cheese
2 c. cheddar cheese
Parmesan Cheese

1. Boil shells and drain in cold water.
2. Mix cheeses and stuff shells.
3. Cover bottom of casserole dish with a little sauce and place shells in dish. Cover shells with sauce.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 30-45 min. at 325 degrees.

Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
Marinate 1-1.5 pounds of chicken in Italian Dressing or Garlic Expressions or some type of marinade.

Mix:
2 bags of romaine lettuce
8 oz. cooked penne pasta
some croûtons
some grape tomatoes cut in half
1/2 c. Asiago or Parmesan cheese

Dressing is 1/2 bottle of Ceasar Dressing and 3-4 T. of red wine vinegar.

One of those days

I knew yesterday was going to be one of those days - because it started out with me doing the laundry...more specifically A LOAD OF TOWELS. Some women may know what I mean by that (I know my good friend Colleen will:). That means that I have neglected the laundry for so long that the only way to make it look like there is less laundry is to do a load of towels. Towels are bulky and towels are easy to fold and put away.

Yes - the day got worse...BUT I wanted to share an awesome quote with you. I am not sure who said it but here goes:

"The deeper and darker the valley, the higher and more glorious the mountaintop."

Praying with you today that you will seek the mountaintop and focus there instead of your troubles today! and Praising God that He is with you every step of the way!

Thank you Lord

I woke up to my alarm at 5:58am this morning. I have a print project I need to start and finish:) today. Without consciously making myself be thankful, my mind just started thanking God as I made my way downstairs (or maybe it was the Holy Spirit's prompting).

Thank you God for a mind to imagine.
Thank you Lord for hands to create.
Thank you Lord for legs to walk.
Thank you Lord for water to drink. (I am not a coffee drinker normally)
Thank you Lord for quiet mornings and sleeping children.
Thank you Lord for my own room to work in and be inspired by....

Honestly, it just kept going. We have so many blessings and I am thankful that God brought them to the forefront of my mind today.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

More fun than I thought...

I dread my kids growing older. I think all moms have a tad bit of that feeling in them. The dread that they won't need us or want us anymore. They won't think we are amazing and booteeful (as Meg calls me) and so smart. At least I don't know many teenagers who think their parents are "all that." Kat is five now and she is really able to do some fun things. I didn't think about this part of growing up. In the last two weekends, she has gone waverunning with us - she loved it and screamed and laughed the whole time! She rode several miles with us on a tandem bike - which I need to post pictures of. We rode to get ice cream and to the park last weekend and took both girls on a long path today and to a ropes course park - which they both climbed to the top or close to it. We got a seat for Meg (3 years old) and a ride and pedal behind for Kat and it is so worth it. She went bumper bowling last week too. Next week, I am taking her rock climbing. I like this stage. She still likes us and thinks we know everything, but she is more independent (not too independent though:)

Praying that you can enjoy whatever stage it is that you are in.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa

We just took a days drive to visit Grandma and Grandpa - visited Sesame Place - stayed two days with them visiting them in the nursing home/independent living home - and drove home a day. It wasn't easy per se...but was good. We don't do long drives that often, but God allowed us to have a wonderful car trip. I get really anxious in the car and He provided wonderful weather, pain management for my husband's back ,and wonderful behavior from the kids. We got lost many times but were able to work through it and learn patience.

Sesame Place was hot and crowded, but ultimately we enjoyed ourselves...probably could have spent $200 in a better way, but enjoyed more time together. The best 15 seconds was on the big water slide when my three year old screamed out "This is fun daddy!"

We visited Grandma in the nursing care facility. (Which by the way, is wonderful...great meals, very patient and gentle staff...) Initially her speech was slurred and she was very thin and frail...but she had two really good alert days with us. She took three walks in PT at one point and worked hard. She is a real trooper...not sure that I would want to push through the pain at 86 years old. She hadn't eaten in 5 days - and ate a few meals while we were there. Her stomach is too sensitive to pain medication, so she is off all of it (Can you imagine have a broken hip just repaired, a broken vertebrae, and knee that needs to be replaces and lots of arthritis and having no pain medication?) She needs help getting dressed and going to the restroom but she really tried to keep a good attitude. She wanted the girls to see her at her best.

Watching her and my Grandpa interact at this point in their life was breathtaking. Grandpa is staying downstairs in the Independent Living area of the facility while she is upstairs with the long term nursing care or rehabilitation. He visits her frequently in his scooter. When he leaves, he uses a lot of energy to move off the scooter, carry his oxygen, balance with his artificial leg, reach across her bed to kiss her and then tell her he loves her. They have been married 60 years. Those times were real tear jerkers.

When we left, my 5 year old prayed for her and Grandpa. I held Grandma in my hands, kissed her cheek and told her I loved her and we were proud of her. I do and we are. I covered her up in her bed and wondered if after we left, she would slip away to heaven in her sleep. She didn't - but had to be on oxygen for some of the day - first time for that.

Getting old isn't easy. There is only so much we can control. Our body breaking down is inevitable. I am praying that you can know the peace of God and have hope through Him and what He did for you on the cross when you reach that point in your life. I am praying for peace for Grandma and Grandpa and salvation for Grandpa.

Here are just a few pictures from the few days we were gone:
Nanny and Kat doing OT together...

Poppy and Meg on the scooter:

Kat and Abby Cadaby:

My Baby

fell on her face! Yikes!

1955 Article - SO FUNNY!

This is SO FUNNY! IT was an actual article posted in Good Housekeeping. Click on the article to see more clearly and large enough to read. My how times have changed:).