Menu Plan

Tuesday-
B-banana nut muffins, orange slices
L-turkey and cheese sandwiches
D-one skillet stroganoff with ground turkey, mixed veggies, rolls
to do- put pork roast in crock pot to cook on low overnight

Wednesday-
B-oatmeal, bananas
L-ham and cheese sandwiches, orange slices
D- pork bbq, rolls, veggie

Thursday-
B-cereal, milk, bananas
L-beans and cornbread, make extra beans for chili
D-baked chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed veggies
prepare stock pot for soup

Friday-
B-oatmeal, eggs
L-chicken and rice soup, bread
D- calzones with ricotta, ham, and broccoli, with homemade pizza sauce
to do-thaw chicken

Saturday-
Brunch-pancakes with all the fixins, orange slices
D-baked chicken, fettuccine alfredo, brussell sprouts
desert-lemon bliss cake
thaw ground turkey and beans, set out crock pot
Sunday- B-oatmeal
D-chili, chips, and cheese
snack after church-cereal with milk and desert

This Week...In Pictures

Afternoon tea...Celestial Seasonings Coconut Chai with cream and a little sugar!

The girls are enjoying their new hot sticks that Abigail got for Christmas!

Lily knocked on the bathroom door to Jacob after his shower stopped

and asked, " Are you curling (emphasis on"rl") you hayah (hair)?"

funny, funny little girl!

Josie and Dee Dee

"What?! Us?! That wasn't us you heard barking at the neighbors who might possibly

have been coming or going or doing nothing to make us bark at them?!

Our "new to us" furniture.

Lemon Bliss Cake

Jacob and Josie

Abigail and Rose

This Weeks Savings

CVS

started with $19 Extra Care Bucks

spent $0.69

ended with $12 Extra Care Bucks

Food Lion

8 pounds of oranges

(2) 5lb. bags of potatoes

1 bunch of bananas

1 pack of hot dog buns

1 pack of hamburger buns

1 loaf bread

1 pork roast

1 package deli turkey

3 pounds black forest ham

1 pound chicken patties

1 1/4 lbs. ground turkey

total after sales and food lion printable coupons $27.58

Kroger

6 boxes of Kellogg's cereal

4 packs of toilet paper

2 gallons of milk (free with cereal purchase)

1 Sunday paper

total...$15.23

Grand Totals

Total before coupons....$119.05

Total out of pocket.........$42.81

Saved..............................$76.24 or 64%

Go to Money Saving Mom and Southern Savers for the links to great coupons at all these stores!

Goals for 2009

Instead of New Year's resolutions, I have made some written goals for myself. There is something very motivating about writing a list of goals and sharing it with others! Some of these things have already been started! There are long term and short term goals. I hope to finish even the long term goals before the holidays, knowing that I won't be motivated to organize when I really want to bake or decorate!

Personal Goals

• Read from the Bible everyday
• Keep a prayer and praise journal
• Read a book every month
• Continue learning to crochet, complete a project each month, if I get tired of crochet, I may try knitting

Long Term Goals

• Clean up my bedroom (started) organize my closet, organize my clothes,organize baby clothes, spot clean carpet, put up curtain rods and curtains, organize linen closet and stockpile from all the CVS shopping
• Organize school room, get rid of excess, organize what we need
• Paint the living room (if I can decide on a color...these decisions are torture for me...any suggestions are welcomed) and trim, possibly add crown molding

Short Term Goals

• sell/donate excess clothing (started)
• I still want a clothes line
• back up my picture files on the computer (Can you believe I still haven't done this?)
• organize coupons(started)
• set up my files beside my desk. This will hopefully allow me to keep my desk clean. I need a system better than my current "make a pile system"

I will post on my progress! Happy New Year!

A 3 Year Old to Her Big Brother

Lily says with great exitement, "Mama, I'm gonna help Jacob skin his bunny rabbit!?"

And after that was done....

Lily asks, "Can we skin the deer now?"

And so are the days of our lives.....

Count Your Blessings....

Name them one by one. I could not sleep last night. So I started praying and thinking and praying some more. I learned early on in motherhood to try to saver the rocking and walking and night time comforting that goes into gassy, teething, or sick babies. I started a habit of quiet prayer during these times. Prayer can quickly turn a resentful spirit into a thankful spirit.

I cannot blame my sleepless night on Rose, it was just one of those nights. Thinking of the New Year left me reflecting on this past year. There were many challenges and many blessings. I started the New Year with a baby. It doesn't get any better than that! Soon to follow was a new nephew! Thank God for children!

I began to think about how my kids have grown this past year. Of course physically they grew more than I care to count! But they have matured and the four oldest have become such a blessing. There is a point with kids that all the nurturing and pouring in of time and energy and training is rewarded. They know how to do pretty much everything I can do around the house. They know how to take care of one another. We may very well fall short when it comes to text books, but these kids love the Lord, have a genuine desire to grow in the Word, and they know how to take care of each other. I am so very proud of them.

I won't spell out all of the challenges this year has brought my way, but I do want to give God praise for bringing me through every one of them. One thing I praise Him for is protection. I see it everyday. He protected Wendy from serious injury when she took a big fall a couple of months ago. He has provided great healing for her little mouth. She prayed that God would bring her teeth down, and praise God her prayer was answered!

I am also so thankful as we prepare to celebrate Rose's first birthday that I was able to successfully nurse her without supplementing. I had some unique challenges that I have not had to deal with ever before. I know God allowed this and I am so thankful that our prayers were answered and He continues to supply all of our needs.

But even the very hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

Happy New Year

Count your blessings......

Cute Therapy

Merry Christmas!

picture credits: Abigail , Anna, and Jacob