Weekly Menu

This menu is for the week just ending.

Monday - Traveling (Kids ate at McDonalds for supper)

Tuesday - Beef and Bean Burritos with Pico de Gallo

Wednesday - Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and Bagels

Thursday - Meatloaf, Scalloped Potatoes, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad

Friday - Chicken Enchiladas with Pico de Gallo and Mexican Rice

Saturday - Mexican Fiesta Chicken Chef Salad

Sunday - Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Cottage Cheese, Rolls

3 in 30 - February Goals - Second Week Check-In

It is hard to believe that February is about half over.  I have been working on three goals this month.  Two of which I hope to continue in the months ahead.  Below is an update on the progress I have made this week.


Weight Loss
I am so happy with my progress this week in regards to losing 5 pounds this month.  We were gone this past Thursday through late Monday night visiting family and I was still able to lose 1 pound this week. This week I walked 1 mile on Tuesday, 1.5 miles on Wednesday, 1.5 miles on Thursday, and 1 mile on Friday with Leslie Sansone's Walk Off 10 Pounds DVD.  I am down 2.5 pounds for the month with 2.5 pounds to go this month.  :)

Purposeful Reading
This week I have read to the girls Tuesday through Friday and plan to read on Saturday.  I have read The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio, Corduroy by Don Freeman (an old favorite), A Light Kindled (The True Story of Priscilla Mullins) by Tracy M Leininger - Chapter 1 on Thursday, Chapters 2, 3, and 4 on Friday, and plan to read Chapters 5, 6, and 7 on Saturday.

Organization of Recipes
I have sorted through quite a few recipes and put them into sheet protectors.  This is going to take some time, but I am pleased with the progress that I have made thus far.

3 in 30 - February Goals - Week One Check-In

My 3 goals for the month of February are:

Goal #1 - Lose 5 pounds
I used Leslie Sansone's Walk Off 10 Pounds DVD and walked one mile four different days this week. I was down 1.5 pounds by Thursday! Only 3.5 more to go this month!

Goal #2 - Read to my girls 5 days out of the week
On Tuesday, I read three books to the girls.  We read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, Jamberry by Bruce Degen, and The Ugly Duckling as retold by Lillian Moore

On Thursday, I read two books -Jennie's Hat by Ezra Jack Keats and Have You Seen Louie? by Muriel A. Munro

On Friday, I read one book - The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

On Saturday, I read one book - The Store-Bought Doll  by Lois Meyer (Little Golden Book)

On Sunday, I read one book - The Shoelace Box  by Elizabeth Winthrop (Little Golden Book)

Goal #3 - Organize my Recipes

Oops! I have not started working on my recipes.

3 in 30 - Goals for February

In mid-January, I came across a blog post talking about making goals reality, three at a time, and I have decided that I am going to participate in the month of February.

The three goals that I have set for this month are:

Weight Loss - My first goal for the month of February is to lose 5 pounds.  I will try to achieve this goal by making better food choices, eating smaller portions, and exercising.

Organization of  Recipes - I have many recipe cards and printed out copies of recipes that are not organized in a way that I can quickly access what I need. So my second goal is to organize all my recipes.  I plan to achieve this goal by putting all my recipes in binders.

Purposeful Reading - My final goal is to read a book to my two girls at least five days out of the week. When my three boys were younger, I read to them a lot.  But with the busyness of homeschooling five children, I have not read much at all to my younger two. We will try to rectify that this month and in so doing hope that it becomes a habit that will continue for the rest of the year.

Weekly Menu

An easy week, as far as cooking goes, provided the weather cooperates!

Monday - Leftover Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Noodles, Stuffing, Green Beans, and Fruit Salad.

Tuesday - Taco Soup

Wednesday -Breakfast Burritos

Thursday - McDonalds - Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad

Friday - Eat Out -  Mexican (El Pueblito)

Saturday - Supper w/ Family (Thank you, Vicki and Paul)

Sunday - Baked Potatoes and/or Baked Sweet Potatoes, Ham, Green Beans, Jello Salad, Broccoli Salad, Rolls, Blackberry Cobbler, and Coconut Macaroon Pie @ my In-Laws

Mexican Chow Mein

Mexican Chow Mein is a great way to use leftover Chili.  Although there have been times that I make Chili  for the sole purpose of having Mexican Chow Mein.

The following things are layered on one's plate in the order given:

Crushed Tortilla Chips
Cooked Rice (Brown or White)
Chili
Shredded Cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Diced Onions
Sour Cream
Salsa


Chili Recipe (Optional)

 1 1/2 lb Ground Beef, browned (I season mine with salt, pepper, minced onions, basil, oregano, parsley, and garlic powder when I brown it)
5 (15 oz) cans Chili Beans (Hot) - I use Kroger brand
1 can (26 oz.) Hunts Zesty and Spicy Spaghetti Sauce
2 (14.5 oz.) cans Tomatoes w/ Jalapeños

Mix everything together in a large stock pot and bring to boil over medium heat.  Turn down heat, cover pan, and simmer for an hour.  Stir often.

The Week's Menu!

The following is my menu plan for the week (subject to change).

Monday Dinner - Mexican Chow Mein

Tuesday Dinner - Chicken Fajitas, Black Beans, Chips, Salsa

Wednesday Dinner - Leftover Ham, Hash Brown Casserole, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, & Rolls

Thursday Dinner - Breakfast Burritos

Friday Dinner - Spaghetti, Corn, Salad, Garlic Bread Sticks

Saturday Dinner - Penne Pasta

Sunday Dinner - Turkey Breast, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Green Beans, Squash, Salad,

Christmas Tree - 2010

We put the ribbon and ornaments on our tree today!

GBS Homecoming 2010

I had the privilege of attending GBS Homecoming for the first time in sixteen years!   There have been many positive changes made since that time!  The Homecoming Task Force did an outstanding job!  The Passing  the Torch service last evening was quite moving and Bro. Wolf was honored in a very meaningful way.  He has touched many lives for Christ. I feel blessed to have been able to sit under the ministry of both Bro. and Sis. Wolf.

Alumni Symphonic Wind and String Ensemble setting up before the evening service. I thought they did a beautiful job playing!



Administration Building

Knapp Memorial Building with the Revivalist Memorial Building (better known as the Girls Dorm) in the background.

Music Hall

The place we called "home" for 10 years!

The front entrance to the place we called "home" for 10 years!  It was here on this porch overlooking the Cincinnati Skyline that I agreed to marry Jeff in January 1995!

I love the changes that have been made to this old home.  I enjoyed many visits here with the Chip Marshall family.

Homecoming Activities! Fun Times available this year for the little ones!

The Fountain!

Bro. Avery presenting Bro. Williams with the Alumnus of the Year Award.  Congratulations!

Beautiful Fall Foliage found between the parking lot and our old "home".

Update

We are still here.  I have had problems with uploading pictures from my camera to my computer, so I haven't blogged.  I think everything has been resolved in regards to uploading pictures, so now I need to try and find time in my day to blog.

We have had a busy summer.  We started off June with Family Camp and then it was on to Youth Camp the end of June and first of July.  Next came Kids' Camp immediately followed by two Vacation Bible Schools.

The last week of July found us with company.  My sister Jodi and her five children visited with us from Monday through Wednesday and then Grandma (my Mom) came to visit on Wednesday through Friday.  While Grandma was here, we visited Conner Prairie.  My sister Holly and three of her five children enjoyed Conner Prairie with us.   Thursday found us visiting the home of Levi Coffin, a Quaker, who helped to free 2,000 slaves via the Underground Railroad.  On Friday Mom got ready to head home and we traveled with her as far as Geneva, Indiana and visited Limberlost State Historic Site, the home of Gene Stratton-Porter author of Freckles, The Girl of the Limberlost and many more.  We had a terrific guide and enjoyed learning many things about Mrs. Porter and nature.

Since coming home from Limberlost, Samuel has read both Freckles and The Girl of the Limberlost.  He is now wanting me to purchase Laddie: A True Blue Story.  These books have been read and loved by many in my family over the years.  I remember many of the original and/or older editions encased behind glass on shelves in my grandparents' dining room.  They were carefully borrowed, read, and returned to their rightful place.  So it thrilled my heart to see my son develop an interest in reading these books that have held a place dear to the heart in our family.

We shall have completed our second week of school come the end of the day.  These two weeks have been extremely busy and we are looking forward to a field trip one day next week to a Discover Nature Program.

Until next time,

Julissa's First Day of Kindergarten

This is Julissa on her first day of Kindergarten on August 2, 2010. It is hard to believe that my baby is in Kindergarten.

Limberlost

Here is a post I found in the draft section of blogger from July of 2010.  I am not sure why it was never published, but thought I would go ahead and share it with you all now!

We visited Limberlost, the home of Gene Stratton Porter, with my Mom at the end of July, 2010.  My kids enjoyed the visit so much that we went back the next month for a special nature event for homeschoolers. After coming home from our visit to Limberlost, Samuel read The Girl of the Limberlost and Freckles both written by Gene Stratton Porter.  Below are a few pictures from our time there.



Limberlost Cabin

The Conservatory from the outside

An old wagon

The bunkhouse

The Smokehouse

Curtis looking inside the well.

Julissa standing outside the entrance to a hideout beneath the porch.

The boys brave enough to enter the hideout amidst cobwebs and spiders.

Mom and five of her 17 grandkids standing beside or sitting on the well.

Gene Stratton-Porter's art case.

A painting done by Gene Stratton Porter

The pump organ at Limberlost.

Sleep Lines!

Alex woke up this morning with interesting sleep lines running down his face.

Beauty!

An Orange Day Lily that I snapped a shot of when I was out shooting the flooding creek behind our home.