Two Week Menu

After reading a blog post about a family of six's monthly food budget, I thought that I would try to transition to two week menu, instead of of my one week goal.  Check out the post here (thanks to Marne for posting it on her Pinterest board - I am loving Pinterest - you have to check it out if you don't know what it is.  Click on the button on the right to see what I have pinned on my boards!)

On My Menu:
 1-Spaghetti, veggie, salad, garlic pull-apart-bread
 2-Homemade pizza, fruit smoothie and veggie tray
 3-Chicken Tortilla soup, 7 layer dip & chips, bread?
 4-Brown Rice with hamburger gravy, veggie, salad
 5-Spicy Honey Chicken, baked potato with toppings, garlic Parmesan edamame, veggie
 6-Costa Vida Salad with the works
 7-Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps,  Baked Zucchini Sticks w/dip,
 8-Quinoa Burger, tater tots, smoothie, Sesame Noodle Salad
 9-Zucchini, corn, and bacon Fusilli with basil pesto, rosemary olive oil bread, veggie
10-Chicken Tostadas with homemade refried beans
11-Kung Pao Chicken and Fried Rice , veggie
12- Tacos and fruit

Other:
Homemade bagels

Movie Night & Friends

 We had a lot of fun with other ward friends eating fattening food, visiting, and watching a movie (I didn't see any of it, because I was too busy visiting other friends).

 Josh is stirring the ice-cream chilled with liquid nitrogen.  We enjoyed three flavors: M&M, peanut butter cup, and cookie dough!

 Josh is mixing the ice-cream.  Thank you Jennifer and Brent for a fun night!

 The girls are enjoying a big bowl of ice-cream!

Here is Cinderella - isn't she a doll with those big blue eyes?  She calls me Sister Cinderella.

Today: The Courage to Love

Restoring Courage: The Courage to Love

Sunday, Aug 21, 2011 at 3:47 AM EDT
Restoring Courage: The Courage to Love
Sunday, August 21, 2011

• GBTV Broadcast Times:
  • LIVE:  30 minute pre-show begins at 12:30pm ET followed by the event at 1:00pm ET
  • PRIMETIME REBROADCAST: 7:30pm ET

On August 21, 2011, Glenn Beck will be joined by Pastor John Hagee, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, esteemed historian David Barton, and other religious leaders in a program at the extraordinary Roman amphitheater in Caesarea, Israel. With the stories of Ruth and Esther at its foundation, the event will inspire its audiences to display loyalty, courage and love as they stand up for Israel and the Jewish people Also joining Glenn on stage will be Dr. Mike Evans, award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author who has sold over 23 million books. Dr. Evans will share a very personal story of faith and coming to understand what the courage to love truly means. Scheduled to perform is Grammy nominated Vernessa Mitchell, who will be joined by Israeli singers and musicians to enhance this powerful event.

Celebrating 400 Years of the KJV Bible

“May we feast continuously on the words of Christ that will tell us all things we should do.”

 Elder D. Todd Christofferson

You can also read, watch, or listen to Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s April 2010 general conference address, “The Blessing of Scripture,” which is excerpted in this video.

Never Have a Clean Kitchen!

This morning I cleaned up the kitchen.  But as soon as it was perfectly clean, it gave me the energy and desire to bake!  So my tidy kitchen, soon became messy again.  But my efforts yielded: 3 dozen delicious copy-cat cinnabon cinnamon rolls, 4 dozen dinner rolls, 3 dozen pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and a double batch of (healthier) chocolate chip cookie dough that I frozen in three containers that will make two dozen cookies each!

Farm Update

 Bacon & Ham - they are getting big!

 Junior - the newest arrival!

 Chickens galore, 15 in all!

Vivian climbs into the pasture 

 They are getting ready for bed.

 Poor Jack gets babied by the girls.

 The six fainting goats - about a week new to us.

 Jack gets dressed up in a Build-a-Bear outfit!

My garden is producing!  Lots of red potatoes (this is my first dig) that are waiting, plus 100's of tomatoes, and more.

A New Arrival: Junior

Wednesday night Paul and I went to visit a neighbor.  Little did I know that I was being tricked into going over there to see a baby goat that Paul wanted to buy!  We came home empty handed and talked about this.  But I was surprised to see Paul bringing the goat home this morning at 5:45 am in the van.  Did I miss the end of our conversation?  Paul assures me that I said "yes" to this, but I can't seem to remember that!

So now we have a 7th goat.  This one was a quadruplet and bottle fed, so he is extremely friendly.  He actually loves company and cries when we put him back inside the gated pasture.  The girls love him up before and after school.  For now his name is Junior.

As soon as you are out of his sight he cries!

Corbin Starts Cross Country

I saw that Corbin got a hold of my camera and took a picture of his new running shoes, they are even in his school colors!  I have to give my hat to Corbin for his desire to do this.  It just seems like torture to me! 

Trimmed the Bushes

These ugly bushes have been bugging me for months!  So finally I took action and trimmed them myself.  It was fun to watch them transform into something beautiful.  I am hoping to shape up the yard this fall (when it is cooler).  I missed all the great nursery sales at Shopko, etc.  Now I am waiting for some more clearance sales on perennials.  Let me know if you see the sales!

I was so pleased that I couldn't wait to take a picture before I cleaned up the mess!  Next the front porch needs painted.

First Day of School

 In 7th

In 4th

 In 2nd

School is back in session!  It will feel good getting back into a routine and schedule - yes, it's up at 5:30 am again.  It is packing the cold lunches that just about kills me!  Now I am just waiting for Corbin to begin school on the 25th.  He keeps me busy with his cross country practice and errands.

Menu Monday

Now that school has started, I better have a plan!


Monday - Fabulous Fettuccine, carrots/cucumbers with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, rosemary bread with oil and vinegar
Tuesday - dinner at ward party (but I have gotta bring something to share)
Wednesday - Holiday Chicken Salad on homemade rolls, fruit smoothie, veggie tray
Thursday - Hamburger gravy with brown rice, corn, salad
Friday - pizza (maybe a BLT pizza, veggie, and fruit smoothie

Just Introduced to Pinterest

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.  Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.


I learned about this from a friend at church that works with me on the Enrichment Board.  After joining I realized that I had a sister and two sister-in-laws that have not shared this with me!  What?  You guys are keeping me out of the scoop.

You can click on the button in the right hand column to see what I have collected on my boards (I'm just beginning).  It is a great tool for archiving all those cool things you find on-line!

I can send you an invite if you want to start your own board, I found that is the easiest way to join.