Some things I have found lately..

What little time I have had on the computer here lately has been spent doing school stuff and research for a friend. But I have had a few extra minutes with sick kids piled up on the couch and resting. So here are some things I have found that I have started trying to do but not neccesarily posting about as I just dont have the time.

I will be putting a button on my sidebar too. I think this is a great idea. Praying for your kids seven times a day seven days a week.

The Love Dare! This is a wonderful thing to do. Paul and I plan on seeing the movie this weekend if possible (babysitters...) and we are going to take Jack and Amber and then we plan on doing the 40 day challenge. We are even thinking about getting the Couples Kit to do...

Making Your Home a Haven! I love this. I have been working on my home, not in the exact order she has because I didnt find this before yesterday but it is a really neat plan. Please go over and take a look.

My sister has a daybook. The idea was from the Simple womans daybook..but altered to fit her needs. I have been doing this and tweaking it as I go....I havent been poting it but I have been doing it.

And my all time favorite recipe that I tried this week! Autumn Chowder from Heritage Schoolhouse. Oh you must try this...it is delicious..everyone in our house loved it.

Blessings to all..

Crystal

Menu

Our week last week was so crazy. We actually did have half of the stuff that I had planned but not the other half. Just imagine, half the week with teenagers in and out and the other half...calm...lol. But it was great. Loved it.

So this week, we are still working on getting some of that food made. We have a trip planned for Wednesday and of course hunting whenever we can go. I refuse to go hunting if I dont have something planned for Supper that Paul can just put on plates for the kids. I dont like him having to cook for them. So on nights that I go hunting, I try to have one dish meals or soemthing simple. Remember also that I buy and plan for two weeks so I always start with Sunday and end with a Saturday.

I am still using recipes off of Razzle Dazzle. My sis recommended it and I love it.

Sunday--we ate out because we worked at Church and bought groceries

Monday-- Cassarole (recipe below.)

Tuesday--Pork Chops in Gravy over rice

Wednesday--Trip...eat on the road.

Thursday--Crockpot Tamale Cassarole.

Friday--Frito Chili Pie (Chili cooked in Crockpot)

Saturday--Chicken Noodle Soup (Chicken cooked in Crockpot)

Sunday-- Spaghetti (Sauce cooked in Crockpot)

Monday--Crockpot Chicken and Velveeta Cassarole

Tuesday--Soup (In Crockpot) (made with leftover grilled backstrap and whatever else I find :) )

Wednesday--Eight Layer Cassarole

Thursday--Omelettes

Friday--Homemade Pizza or Crockpot Pizza (recipe link to come later.)

Saturday--Crockpot Swiss steak


Recipe-- The cassarole I am making tonight is just a simple one. I take 1lb of ground beef, 2 boxes of Mac and Cheese and 1 can of rotel. Cook the beef (add any spices you want). Cook the Mac and cheese according to package directions Mix in 1 can rotel with about half of the juice. Mix with beef, put in cassarole dish and sprinkle with bacon bits. (My husband likes the bacon bits...) I bake this for about 10 minutes on 350. Sometimes I will add just tomatoes and onions instead of rotel. There is different variations that I have seen. But it is a hit whenever I make it and it feeds all of us so. :)

I am hoping that there arent too many changes to my menu this week. It gets hectic around here sometimes. Can you tell I love my Crockpot? :)

Blessings
crystal

Menu

I said our menu was likely to change. It did. But that is okay, I was able to rearrange and not buy anything extra. Most of my Crockpot recipes are coming from Razzle Dazzle Recipes .


So Here is our new Menu for this week.

Sunday--WE had leftovers and if you wanted it cook it night...lol

Monday--Backstrap got moved to this night cause Jack wanted it for his Birthday...so he is supposed to grilll...but it is raining so..

Tuesday--Shephards Pie

Wednesday--Crockpot Tamale Cassarole(Bible Study)

Thursday--Beans and Cornbread and Fried Potatoes

Friday--Chili (probably frito chili pie...)

Saturday--Pork chops in Gravy/Mashed Potatoes.

The Eight Layer Cassarole was a Hit! and so was the Swiss Steak in the Crockpot. I used my Crockpot 5 out of the 7 days last week either for the main dish or for a side dish. I love it. I went to look at new crock pots and couldnt find one that I just really wanted. So I will wait.

There will be a Birthday Post on here for Jack later. He is 18 today! His day started out bad though....he spent the night with his granny last night and his stereo got stolen out of his truck. So please pray his day gets better.

Blessings
Crystal

Menu

Our menu this week is all mixed up. I am trying a few new recipes, we are finishing up using summer stuff out of the freezer and of course we have to throw in breakfast a couple of nights.

Monday-Steaks on the Grill, Baked Potatoes

Tuesday- Spaghetti and Meatballs, green beans, garlic cheese bread

Wednesday- Crockpot Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes, sweet peas.

Thursday- Backstrap (either fried or on the grill) Fried Potatoes, Corn

Friday--Chicken Noodle Soup (If I go hunting, they will have oatmeal :) )

Saturday-Bar-B-Que on a bun, potatoe salad

Sunday-Crockpot Tamale Cassarole , Chips and Salsa ( I will be omitting the pork from this recipe..)

Monday- Meat Loaf Mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans

Tuesday-Pinto Beans, Cornbread, Fried Potatos

Wednesday - (Bible Study) Eight Layer Cassarole

Thursday- Grilled Cheese and French Fries

Friday--Breakfast, Sausage, Eggs, Biscuits, Gravy

Saturday--Pork Chops in Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Blackeyed peas, green beans.

I usually go buy groceries every two weeks on Saturday so Sunday starts all over again. Of course our menu is likely to change if my dear hubby decides he wants something, I try to fix it for him.

Picutres and Menu

Okay, I had a slide show up here and it keeps messing up so I will try to get the pictures posted later today. Right now, I am off to get lunch prep going and get school started and then we have an appointment that we have to be at at 11:00 and then some errands to run. I have Chili in the CrockPot for supper and will pick up some Fritos for Frito Chili Pie.


Our Menu has been consisting of whatever we can fix cheap. Mostly, just eating what is in the freezer and pantry.

Monday--(we had a Mexican Dish that Aunt Ducky sent over and Refried Beans...I cooked 2 lbs of beans in the crockpot and divided them. Refried Beans, Chili and 1Gallon still in the freezer for later. )

Tuesday-- Frito Chili Pie

Wednesday-- Bar-B-Que Roast, Potatoe Salad, Green Beans

Thursday--Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Blackeyed Peas

Friday--(I am having a Wisdom Tooth Pulled maybe....) Grilled Cheese, Potatoe Cakes

Saturday-- Beef Pot Pie or Shephards Pie (with leftover roast)

Sunday--Leftovers

Monday--Breakfast either biscuits and gravy or pancakes

Tuesday--Ckicken Noodle Soup

Wednesday--Hamburger Steak Supreme

Thursday--Chicken pot pie

Friday-- Steak on the Grill (if not raining) Potatoes, Corn on the Cob (last summer meal)

Saturday--(quick night) Fish Sticks and French Fries

Sunday Breakfast---Oatmeal or Malt O Meal ( I know weird arent we....lol)

I will try to share some recipes later. But for right now, I have to go get some stuff ready. My alarm hasnt been going off in the mornings so I am running an hour behind.

Many Blessings
Crystal

Menu and other things.

Our menu for this week is mostly just simple food that we can fix out of what we have in our pantry and freezer. I had $100 dollars to buy groceries and household stuff for two weeks and gas to go to Church and back on. But not looking at the negative, We are looking at the POSITIVE things about all this. We are not starving, we were and will be able to go to Church, we were able to be with our friends husband while she was in Surgery Friday, (which by the way, she came through great and her husband was able to get a weeks paid vacation to stay home and help her recover. We are praying for you Kristy. ) and we hae been pretty fortunate in that Paul did get to work an extra day last week so that will help on next weeks pay check.

So on to our menu.

Monday-- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup/cornbread.

Tuesday--Hamburger Gravy w/toast Green beans and carrotts

Wednesday--Sausage, eggs, fried potatoes (This is Pauls night because I am having one side of wisdom teeth pulled wednesday morning.)
Thursday--Grilled Backstrap (yes off of a deer from last year!) loaded baked potatoes, salad.

Friday--Spaghetti
Saturday-- Leftovers and Grilled Cheese.
Sunday--Chefs Salad

We are also trying to not heat up our house to keep our electric bill down. It is tough but we are getting through it. I have been doing laundry all at night so I dont have to heat up the house with the dryer. (I will be getting a clothes line before summer is over...but in this humidity, it takes forever for clothes to dry.) We have been using the crockpot alot or having salads or something that we can grill or cooks really really quick. We are learning to like reheating foods in the microwave. I will cook something early in the morning or late at night while I am waiting on laundry and we will reheat it for supper. We are also doing all of our baking at night.

It isnt too bad though. It cools down in here about 6:00 to a comfortable level and we are able to start laundry and baking and the dishwasher.

A little explanation....we live in a double wide trailer in the middle of 1 acre that has absolutely no trees...no shade. So being a trailor, it isnt like most houses that have lots of insulation in the roof...It soaks up heat and makes it like a greenhouse in here in the middle of the day. Last year, we did okay, it stayed pretty cool in here....this year, I think our central air conditioning unit is going out because it just cant keep up. At about 2:30 everyday, it gets up to about 80 in here according to the thermostat. That is usually the time that we are all sitting around doing nothing. We may be reading or I may be doing some crochet or hand sewing. Then about 4:30, we get supper going and we eat by 5:30 so that we can do clean up and get laundry going and the kids can go outside to play when it is cool. We are doing good today though, it is 12:30 and it is only 73 in here so it may not hit 80 today. lol...

My plans for today include sewing curtains for my patio door in my dining room, I think if I get some curtains on them, it will help. And also if I get that done, I need to go through my material tote and see what kind of craft I can come up with for Kylie to do. She has been wanting to sew so we are going to start small.

This week is proving kinda busy and I just got a call from hubby. His boss may go on vacation next week so he may get to work all week...What a blessing. The Lord is taking very good care of us!

Many Blessings and Praises in His Name!
Crystal

Menu for the week

This weeks menu is still out of our pantry and freezer. I spent a whole total of $93 on what few groceries that I had to have this week, diapers, and household stuff...oh yeah. I also bought some things for our Church Camp coming up next week. I thought I did pretty good. The groceries that I bought would normally last me through two weeks of meals. So less than $100 for groceries and household items for two weeks....YAY!!

MENU

Breakfast: Cold Cereal (Wic), Pancakes, Cinamon Toast (on homemade wheat bread), Bread Pudding (with sourdough bread bought at half price). Fruit

Lunch:
Sunday: Corndogs and French Fries
Monday: Baked Potatoes w/chili and cheese
Tuesday: Hamburger Patties with Rice and Brown Gravy and Veggies
Wednesday: Eggs and Smoked Sausage (I have a dentist appointment so this is simple for paul to fix.)
Thursday:Rice and Veggies
Friday: McDonalds Dollar Cheeseburgers and McChicken Sandwiches.

Supper:
Sunday: Frito Chili Pie
Monday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup/Homemade Wheat Bread Toast
Tuesday: Lasagna/Homemade Garlic Bread(made with my homemade wheat bread
Wednesday: Leftovers or Nachos
Thursday: Porkchops, Fried Potatoes, Green Beans and Carrotts
Friday: Pizza or on the road to Church Camp.

Have a Blessed Week! Mine sure is going to be busy.

Love and Prayers
Crystal

This weeks menu

I'm not linking up this week but I am going to try to in the future.

This week is kinda simple. We are getting shorter and shorter on money so our meals are simpler and simpler. That and I wanted a break from cooking so much.

Monday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Tuesday: Leftover Soup, Grilled Cheese, Steamed Squash (may not sound like it goes together but the girls wanted sqaush so we are having it...lol)

Wednesday: Pancakes, Bacon.

Thurday: Quesadillas.

Friday: Fried Potatoes, Pinto Beans (with Smoked Sausage) Corn Bread.

I made a Hersheys Chocolate Cake last night and that will be our desert all week.

For breakfast, the kids and I are choosing between, Eggs, Toast(with or without Peanut Butter), Oatmeal, Cold Cereal (we get it on Wic so it dont cost anything. ) and dont tell anyone but this morning, we had pudding...lol.

For our lunches, we are having baked potatoes, rice and veggies, rollups (corn tortilla, cheese, meat if we have any, and veggies....heated and rolled up..yummm) and leftovers.

This is it for this week. I am trying to come up with some creative stuff for the next two weeks. We get paid every two weeks and so I buy my groceries on a two week menu. I try to only go to the store once.

Crystal

Weekly Happenings and Menu

I am hoping to get back to posting this week on a daily basis. I hope to do more of the stuff that I have been wanting to participate in like Thankful Thursdays and stuff. But that will require me to get a good nights sleep so I can get up earlier in the morning because I will only be posting first thing in the morning unless something just happens that I cant resist posting about throughout the days.

I have to take Kylie for her four year checkup and Jason for his six month checkup Monday. The rest of the week, I am going to try and stay home and keep our schedule going.. They have been doing okay except for at night since Paul has been working late, they have been staying up waiting on daddy to get home so they havent been getting much sleep.

We have been working on the inside of our new church building the past two sundays...they now have the floor down and are going to start wiring and plumbing it next week. The next few sundays until we get it done will be spent there so we will be having sandwiches most sundays.

My menu planning usually runs two weeks because we get paid every two weeks. I am going to try to stick to it as much as I can but some days may get switched around due to whatever happens in out house. The list is backwards though.. the sunday that is at the top of my list is actually the sunday after next (in two weeks) I didnt feel like switching it back around tonight I am tired after today and I didnt even do that much, I mostly sat around and held Jason and watched kids play while the men worked.

I am hoping to also put up some notes on some books that I have been reading and some the Bible Reading tract that I am following. I may or may not get that done though.

I need to go get some laundry started and get my dishes in the dishwasher and get baths before bedtime so....I will try to post something in the morning.

Love and Prayers
Crystal

Kylie, and menu

First of all, Kylie is okay. She has a bad bladder infection. She did have to have blood work and an abdominal ct scan because the urinalysis wasnt showing that bad of an infection and they wanted to rule out apendicitis....because she was running 104 temp.. It is unusual to run that high of a temp with a bladder infection. So. It was a fun 3 hours at the doctors office.

THANK YOU GRANNY for watching Alaina and Jason. It was so much less stressful to not have to keep up with them and do this stuff.

THANK YOU AUNT DUCKY for the food. (my sweet sister n law (sister) fed us last night because she is so sweet.....

So onto my menu....

I had a roast in the crockpot yesterday. I am going to shred it and make Bar b Que out of it for Bible study tommorow night. It is sandwich night so I am taking Bar b Que sandwiches.


Tonight we are having Grilled Steak and Heart stopping potatoes and green beans.

Thursday night, we are having Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed potatoes, gravy, fried squash, brownies.

Friday-Pizza from Wal-Mart.(The girls love those 9.00 Meat lovers Pizzas you get in the deli and it only takes one to feed all of us. )

Saturday (may be on our way to see my family so dont know ) if we arent we will have Pork Loin, Salad, Garlic Bread, and some other vegetable.

Sunday (if not seeing my family) we will have Salad for lunch (cause it is quick and easy and we can take a nap afterwards) and Eggs, Sausage, Biscuits and Gravy for supper.

Not bad. I got most of the meat on the angel food program. The Chicken Fried Steak package has enough in it for probably 2 meals, the pork loin is enough for 2 meals, I also got a turkey roast, meatballs, and lots of other goodies.

Thank you to everyone who wished Kylie well. I am so glad it was just a bladder infection. I hate it when they are sick and there is nothing you can do to comfort them.

For the rest of today, we are going to go see granny, go to the library, come home take naps, do laundry, pick up the house (it is pretty much clean, all we really have to do anymore is pick up and deep clean. ) For this week, I will be workin on the office and doing inventory for the business. Next week, it will be the kitchen.

Love and Prayers
Crystal

Weight loss kids menu

Okay to start with, I dont have time today. My kids are sick and cranky and my husband is working late yet again and i am tired. I have lost 4 lbs this week. I know that is more than I had hoped for but it came off so I am not complaining. So.......................................

220
-160
------
60
- 4
-----
56

I only have 56 more lbs to lose but on the bright side I did lose 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, if you notice my menu missing this week It is because we dont have one......lol WE are winging it. I started one but with two sick kids, it is rough..

Kids......Alaina has an ear infection in both ears.....Jason has Bronchitis and almost an ear infection,, she is glad we caught it... I have to take them back next wednesday and if they run any fever at all Thursday night or Friday morning, I am to take them back in. She doesnt want them going the weekend with fever.

We really have a great doctor. she has raised 4 of her own kids and has a grandbaby so she is pretty wise to all the tricks they can pull when they dont feel good...Hey anybody that can get my stubborn two year old to open her mouth is doing good....

Love and Prayers.

ps...Julie is back sometimes if you want to catch up with her. She says she is feeling better. About as good as you can feel with sleep deprivation. I know how you feel Julie. I am still there some weeks. Love Ya though....

Several post all rolled into one.

I am going to try and post several things that I have been wanting to post about in this one. We will see how far I get. My internet is acting up tonight and my kids are all cranky.

• In my post on appreciative husbands the other day, I mentioned about not being taught how to be submissive in some things. MOM, THIS IS NOT ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!!

I read an article a while back about being a cranky wife. It explained alot of what I had been missing in my studying of my life. I will try and link to it later. It explained that if we do not study or realize that there is a different way of life then we go on in the same patterns that our mothers or our role models did. I realized that my mom not being submissive in all things and having a rebellious nature that wasnt always quieted when it should have been came partly from her mom and grandmother. If any of you reading this knew my great grandmother, you would realize that mostly it came from her.... She was very vocal and very rebellious. I believe that my mother tried her best and did her best according to what she was taught and not ever realizing that it was not all correct, never studied to be any different. I dont fault her or blame her for this, I have a choice now that I realize this that I can either continue in this rut or I can study the correct way to be. I have been working on this alot. So far, Paul says I do okay. Some days he gives me this look that says I need to go read my Bible some more. So I do......

I love you Mom. You are the best mom anyone could ask for. Like I said, I do not fault or blame you for this. I am so glad that you are my mom......

• I have also been wanting to post on my progress with the kids and homeschooling.......We are not progressing......Between Jason's birth, getting him on a schedule, going to see Julie when she had the baby, then I had a really bad sinus infection that had me literally exausted....and now Jason is teething....yes i know he is only 2 1/2 months old, but he is teething so some days are really really trying.....and now Alaina's allergies are really making her cranky. So we are not doing so well....I have been working some with them and we are going to start in earnest with Kylie in August .
• I have been trying to get back on my schedule of cleaning house. It is frustrating. I cannot handle having to do laundry every day. I absolutely cannot. I refuse. But now I need to figure out how to get a handle on it and only have to do a load of Jasons clothes and baby wipes every other day.
• I am going to put a link in my sidebar for my menu every week. Not only will this let you know what I am fixing but it will remind me on days when I forget to open my binder and get on here.
• My sister loaned me a book on nutritional healing. It is really pretty interesting. I am learning alot from it....
• Kylie learned(is that even a word?) how to say part of a prayer....."God is Good, God is Great, Thank him for our food. AMEN" not exactly the right words but she is learning and I am very proud of her. She is trying so hard to make us proud and I cant figure out how to get across to her that I am proud of her already and she doesnt have to make us proud. How do I do this?

I guess that is all for now. I dont really have a whole lot more to say. I need to update my reading list but will wait until I order some of the books that I checked out from the library. They are really interesting.

Love and Prayers.

Menu for this week

Sunday
Crockpot Enchilada

Monday
Spaghetti
French Bread
Brownies

Tuesday
Egss & Sausage (paul has school)

Wednesday
Steak
Mashed Potatoes / gravy

Thursday
Grilled Cheese

Friday
Pizza

Saturday
no idea because we will be selling tshirts at a festival.

Sunday
Eat out or have dinner with pauls mom

Menu This Week

I thought I would post my menu for this weeks dinner.


Sunday
Had picnic lunch at Church
Fish sticks and tator tots.

Monday
Pork Tenderloin ( roast flavor. They have these at Wal-Mart for 5.00. not bad and they are delicious)
Deep Fried Ravioli ( Bought a huge bag of Cheese ravioli at sams and we are going to deep fry some of them) With Spaghetti sauce.
Green Beans

Tuesday
Sloppy Joes

Wednesday
Crockpot Enchilada

Thurday
Leftovers

Friday
Chili (going to hunting lease so Paul can go hunting Saturday morning and then we are going to work on the camp trailer.

Saturday
Fish Sticks
Tator Tots
We will be coming in from lease so we will need something quick and easy.

Sunday
Italian Pork Chops
Salad
Mashed Potatoes.
Or we will eat out and go buy groceries.