Cleaning House...

The next 2 weeks the boys and I are dedicating our time to cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of whole lotta junk.  I have a friend who is collecting garage sale items to help raise money for a young woman, mother who has breast cancer.  So we have a mission...  I LOVE to donate than rather hassling with organizing a garage sale.  It's something so small that we can do to serve others.  After all, someone's junk is someone's treasure.

Things to do to get us motivating...

Have a plan set for each day ~ meaning delegate tasks to each person the night ahead.  Don't waste time planning a week in advance because things happen and this can cause frustration.

Always have an incentive for children at the end of a hard work day.  We like to have movie night or game night.

Plan a simple crock pot dinner

Always listen to encouraging music

Praise your children for helping

Happy cleaning!

Yummy Veggies

I love going to Sunflower Market and picking up organic produce that we can't get at our local grocer.  My forte is making a veggie dish that my family will actually eat.  I am blessed that we really only have 1 picky eater out of 6 blessings.  Actually I have zero tolerances for the picky one.  He just starves...  Just kidding...

The two recipes that we tried this past week are ...

Swiss Chard with Almonds and Raisins

 I loved this and so did my dh.  I served this with Tilapia and rice.  I made it a little zippy, too.  Big hit!  Only 3 points!  Well worth the points!

The second yummy dish we tried was Roasted Beets with Ginger.  I doubled the recipe and the crew gobbled it up.  It had a wonderful sweet and sour type glaze covering the beets.  Even the dogs liked it!  3 points well eaten!

Do you have any favorite veggie dishes that your family raves?

My dh is....

so sweet and creative.  

 (note: the wedding cake fairy must have mysteriously poked their finger in the cake by accident???)

Tonight I am hosting Moms Night Out at my house for our homeschool coop.  Everyone is asked to bring their wedding photos and a salad or finger food to share.  My dh made us this beautiful wedding cake to indulge in.  He has never made a decorated cake before, but volunteered to treat our group tonight.  I can't wait to taste it!  Also, I 'm anxious to view everyone's photos and hear "their" stories. God has softened my dh and my hearts completely since the day we said "I do." 

What a blessing it will be to share this evening with my sisters in Christ.

Stay tuned for pictures of our fun-filled evening!

When it snows...

it snows down south in the country of Texas!

2011 SNOW BLIZZARD

Our cozy home taken from across the street

Taken on our back porch

About 5 inches and it still is lightly coming down

It's so cold...the armadillo is frozen.  lol

Due to all the children recovering from head colds, mean mommy refuses any play outside.

Adiding Mom....

I have dealt with perfectionist blues for years as a mother with children.  I am much better than what I used to be a decade ago.  But still need improvement.  The area I strive to be perfect is in the cleanliness and order of my home.  I GET MY PANTIES IN A WAD when my house is not looking acceptable in my eyes.  You know that saying....If mama aint happy, no ones happy!  That is my 'reality' motto...AND I so don't want to live out that selfish motto any longer!  Living with 6 children and a dh in one home does not equal a perfect looking home.  I found this chart that I am printing out and placing all over the house to encourage me when my house isn't looking like a model home.

Super Mom	Abiding Mom
Does	Is (Psalm 46:10)
Tries to impress others	Pleases the Lord (Eph. 5:10, Proverbs 29:25)
Is controlled by an agenda (curriculum, schedule, etc)	Is controlled by the Holy Spirit: (Gal. 5:22-26) (Uses curriculum & schedules as tools for orderliness so she's more free to follow the spirit)
Her self worth is found in her accomplishments (clean house, perfect kids, the perfect bulletin boards, etc.)	Her self worth is found in an accurate view of who she is in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:10)
Her peace is found in the “perfect” environment	Her peace is found in Jesus in the midst of any storm (Is 26:3)
She is discouraged by failure	Failure reminds her that God's strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
She expects perfection from herself and others	She practices grace with herself and others (Eph 4:32)
She teaches her kids to be good	She teaches her kids to be Godly (Proverbs 22:6)
She is frustrated with her lack of spiritual fruit	She abides in Christ and bears much fruit (John 15:5)
She does things with her children	She builds a relationship with her children (Deut 6:6-7)
Her perspective is based on what is seen	Her perspective is based on what is unseen (Col 3:2)
She chooses quantity of activities	She chooses the most excellent Way (I Cor 13

Thanks to Abiding Mom for putting together this constant reminder that I can have freedom and joy in Him alone, not by being a super mom with a model home.  It's all in my attitude.

Click here for a printable for your home.

I want to be an ABIDING MOM, what about you?

Just Walk....

I absolutely have no excuse to not walk these days.  I have the ideal scenario.  Despite the ice on the ground, I was able to get my intense 1 mile walk in by just popping in my dvd.  My dh works from home and is willing to man the chaos of the morning while I go in the bedroom and do my 'thing"

I will admit, I despise exercising, it's not fun for me, nor do I feel this gust of energy after wards.  Never have, probably never will.  However, I want to lose weight and be able to see my grandchildren someday.  I have set a very doable goal for myself.  For the month of January, my goal was to walk 1 mile 3 days per week.  I exceeded that goal, except I missed one day.  Oh well...try harder this current month.  Not going to throw in the ringer for missing one day.  Each month I succeed my goal, my reward will be a new video or some sort of work out attire.   Since I almost reached my goal, I got a new video.  This is a much more intense 1 mile workout than the 1 mile one I was currently doing here.  I enjoyed that dvd due to the weights that was included with the dvd.  However, I used my own personal music selection or talking audio during my walk.

I have lost about 5 lbs which isn't saying much since I have gained weight over the holidays.  But the key is....to move forward and focus on my goal.

Do you have any workout videos that you rely on?

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ January 30, 2011

FOR TODAY....January 30,2011

Outside my window..the sun is diligently trying to overcome the clouds

I am thinking...my children are such blessings to me even when they are sick

I am thankful for...  the privilege to take care of my sick children

From the learning rooms...we are working on Wisdom Book 1, and spending time learning the human eye.

From the kitchen...juicy roast simmering in my beloved crock pot

I am wearing...black sweats and red shirt

I am creating...dishcloths

I am going...to participate in our homeschool coop registration tomorrow

I am reading... the interesting Dr.Frau

I am hoping...that my oldest ds and dh doesn't get the yucks

I am hearing...my children consistently tell me they aren't sick anymore after I dose them with fever reducers

Around the house...unfortunately I have been in my house too much due to all the illness.  I want OUT of the house

One of my favorite things...I love when my electric blanket is cracked up when getting into bed.

A few plans for the rest of the week....getting back into our cleaning routine and getting ready for Cowboys party

Here is a song I am sharing...

Visit more homemakers daybook here.

Antipasto Dip

My mom made this for Thanksgiving.  It was a huge hit!   It made a ton.  We ate it over a course of 3 days.

Lois's ANTIPASTO DIP
 
In food processor, pulse:   
2-3 cloves garlic
1 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 1/4 cup pimento stuffed green oives
1/4 cup olive oil
6 or more tbls's red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
 
I pulsed separately:
1 cup genoa salami
1 cup ham
1 cup pepperoni
1 cup provolone or mozzerella (or combo of both)
 
Add the meat & cheese to olive mixture.
*note:  you will probably need to add more red wine vinegar & olive oil when you serve.  Serve with sturdy crackers or Italian bread slices.
 

WFMW ~ Pumpkin Dip

Last week, I shared with you our favorite Pumpkin Pudding.  This week I thought I would treat you to our Pumpkin Dip which is just perfect for this time of year.  I always bring it to some sort of gathering during this beautiful season.

Easy Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese — at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 can (15 ounce size) pumpkin, canned
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Place cream  and powdered sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger. Beat until well combined.

Pour the dip into an airtight container, cover and chill for at least 8 hours before serving.

This is divine dipped in apples, Graham sticks, or Ginger Snaps!

For more wFMw Click here,

WFMW ~ chopped onion

I don't know about you, but I despise chopping onions. It entails two of my least favorite things to do...Crying and cleaning up messes. I detest it so much that I used to just sprinkle a bottle of minced onion when a recipe called for chopped onion. Now we all know nothing taste as good as a fresh chopped onion, especially when browning ground beef. So I now have an easy system.....

Every time I get out my food processor, I chop several onions and put them in a snack baggie measuring approximately 1/2 cup in each baggie. Then I freeze the finely chopped onions. This saves so much time and clean up. Just pop out a bag and let defrost or pop in microwave.

Works for me. See what works for others here.

 Do you have any kitchen tips that works for you? 

Summer Squash Harvest

We had an abundance of yellow squash and zucchini that we picked today from our garden.  I sliced and blanched them so I can preserve them in the extra freezer for later use.  It's just something fulfilling about grabbing a batch of veggies out of your freezer that didn't come from Walmart, but your very own back yard.  My dh and ds12 are the gardeners around here.  I am so thankful for them both for working their tails off in this Texas heat.  Mackenzie checks and picks the goods each morning after tending to the goats. I'm just the chef.

Our favorite recipe that I like to prepare for our gang is....

Summer Squash Bake

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 hard cooked eggs, chopped
• 3 summer squash, diced, about 3 cups
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup soft bread crumbs tossed with 1 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:

In a saucepan, sauté onion in butter. In a large bowl, combine onions and butter with summer squash and chopped hard cooked eggs. Place squash mixture in a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Mix beaten eggs with half-and-half; pour over squash in casserole. Sprinkle top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
serves 6.


We also like to stir fry in in olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese on top.  Easy and yummy!

What's your favorite summer squash recipe?                                                   

Schoolhouse Planner

BEE all you can Be!

BEEing Queen Bee is easy with the School House Planner!

Don't lose your stinger this year....  The Schoolhouse Planner will allow you to..

*BEE reminded of important dates, contacts, and information

*BEE organized each week, month, and year

*BEE a goal setter

*BEE queen of the kitchen

*BEE informed

*BEE ready for preschool through high school

*BEE wrapped up at the end of the year

You will BEE the queen bee you always planned to BEE with this all in one MASTER PLANNER.  Sneak a peek here.

Over 600 pages! Also, The Schoolhouse Planner gives you plenty of options to meet your needs with forms in several formats. Just add the customizable aspect of typing information right into the form and hundreds of additional pages are possible! And your pages will be your pages! Click here to read more.

This is all you need to BEE Queen Bee.   

Now get BEEsy building your hive this year by ordering your Schoolhouse Planner here.

Now Bee a BEEsy Body and look at what all you get if you order by August 15...

I received a free Schoolhouse Planner for the purpose of writing an ad for a contest. No other compensation was given.

WFMW ~sparkly bathroom counter

I love these little doo hickies!  I keep them underneath my bathroom sink and briefly wipe down my bathroom counter after I get beautiful.  It completely eliminates any hair spray residue due to the unique scrubbie side of the wipe.  My bathroom counter always looks sparkly clean, too.  Quick and simple.  

Do you have any household product that makes your life simpler ?

See what works for others, here.

WFMW ~ Freedom Cake

Ok ~ maybe it's not famous, but it is famous at my house. I have been making this for years. And actually I make it on Memorial Day, too.

Here it is..... The Famous Freedom Cake

You will need the following....

white box cake
cool whip
red jello (any flavor as long as it is red)
red/blue sugar crystals (these 2 lil' suckers will last you a lifetime)

1. Bake cake as directed on the box
2. After taking out of oven, poke holes in the cake with an end of a wooden spoon
3. Prepare jello
4. Pour jello all over the cake
5. Refrigerate for a few hours or until the jello sets
6. Spread cool whip on cake, sprinkle with the red and blue sugar crystals

This cake must be refrigerated. Now you can be healthy and creative and put strawberries and blueberries and make a flag if you want. Feel FREE to decorate as you wish.

Have a fun and safe Independence day! For other WFMW visit here.

Menu Plan Monday ~ June 28

Monday ~ Chicken Stir Fry and Salad

Tuesday ~ Beef and Bean Casserole with homemade guacamole with tortilla chips

Wednesday ~ Hot Turkey Sandwiches, green beans, and fruit

Thursday ~ Stuffed Shells, Salad, and garlic rolls

Friday ~ Easy Chicken Pot Pie (using turkey instead) and green salad

Check out what's cookin' in others kitchen at We are that family.

Simple Woman's daybook ~ June 22

"The Princess"

FOR TODAY...Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Outside my window...beautiful sunny day with a dreamy blue sky, smothering hot, but magnificent

I am thinking...that I must tend to our laundry

I am thankful for...that my dh is able to work from home and is employed

From the learning rooms... taking a break

From the kitchen...must grind wheat and make bread, preparing for a Thanksgiving feast. We all love the turkey dinner, so why not be thankful and enjoy the meal we all love

I am wearing... don't tell...Still in my pj's

I am creating... our 3rd annual Christmas afghan

I am going...to pray that the Holy Spirit reveals His will for our lives

I am reading... The Hidden Art of Homemaking

I am hoping... that He will reveal His current plan for our lives in a clear vision

I am hearing... my dh sing praise and worship music while he works

Around the house... tidy things up and organize

One of my favorite things... is to crochet with praise and worship music


A few plans for the rest of the week: property searching, church, babysit my 2 lil' nieces Thursday and Friday. It's their first slumber without Mommy, take lil' one to the dentist, attend baby shower, and attend coop brainstorming brunch

Click here to see what's happening in a few other busy homemakers here.