Menu Planning

One of my goals for our new home was to be all around more organized- from the laundry, the paper, even the cooking.  One thing I wanted to try was menu planning. 

I sat down last week and made a list of all the meals we eat regularly and enjoy.  I came up with almost 40 of them and I am sure I missed a few. I also went through some recipes and picked out a few I wanted to try. 

I sat down Sunday and chose seven meals from my list. After heading to the grocery store, I was ready to put my meal plan into action.

Sunday- Hamburger Casserole (made another to freeze)
Monday- Tacos
Tuesday- Shrimp Salad
Wednesday-BLTs
Thursday- Baked Corn Flake Chicken
Friday- Sauer Kraut and Weenies
Saturday- Pork Steaks

Today (Tuesday), my parents are coming over so I am also warming up our leftover hamburger casserole and tacos.  I had planned on Wednesday being “leftover” night, but we will have BLTs instead.

I will share recipes soon.

Still Alive.

 

Just a small sample of what we’ve been up to.

Moved.

Since we closed on our house in August, I have looked forward to moving into it and decorating.  After six months of remodeling, we have finally moved.  I do not have the Internet hooked up yet, so it will probably be a week or so before I am back to posting regularly.

Stay tuned, because I have a TON of projects to share with you guys!  We have worked so hard on making our house a home and I can’t wait to share it all.

Children’s Book Wreath

Okay, you have probably saw this all over, but I am going to show you mine anyways.  I usually see DIY projects and think “oh, I love that!  I should make one of my own.” and then, I look around and realize I am lacking one of the supplies, etc, etc.  But this one?  I had everything needed, so it cost me nada.  Gotta love free!

I started with some cardboard.  I used a large bowl to make my circle and then cut it out with a utility knife.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, because you are going to cover it all up anyways.

Then, I started ripping the pages out of my book.  Pretty easy, huh?  Next, roll them from corner to corner.  I started with “fatter” rolls and did an entire layer of those.  For the top layer, I rolled my pages a lot tighter, so they are much smaller.  Just roll them up, then put a dab of hot glue to keep it in place.  I only burned three fingers during the entire process.  The layers gave the wreath more fluff and it just looks pretty.  You can do it however you like.  That’s the beauty of it.

I know a lot of people use books that only have text, but I wanted one with some photos for a bit of color.  I used a very old children’s book, as I had planned to put this in Bryson’s room.  I like it so much that it will probably end up in my living room though.

The glasses were a last minute touch.  I put the wreath up and my dad made the comment that “some glasses would look really neat in the middle” and I remembered that I had a pair of my great-grandmother’s.  They add personal touch that I love.

I am linking up to these fabulous parties that you should definitely go check out.. NOW!

and all I can ask is “Why?”

About 70 miles down the road, a mother sent her son to school yesterday.  She sent him to receive an education.  What he received was a fatal gunshot wound to the head.  This mother will never hold her baby again.  He was fourteen years old.

My mind has raced since about 3PM yesterday when it came across  the radio.  I can’t think of anything else.  It was the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep last night and the first thing that crossed my mind this morning.

I cannot imagine this mother’s pain.  I cannot imagine the trauma those students that witnessed the shooting are dealing with now.  I cannot imagine how the parents of the shooter must feel. 

Our babies and killing our babies.  WHY?!?

They keep saying this was an isolated incident and that our schools are safe.  Oh yeah?  Tell that to Todd Brown’s mother.  One isolated incident is one too many.  One grieving mother is one too many. 

What are we, as a society, doing wrong?  I can think of a list of things, but this isn’t the time or place.  I will say that now, more than ever, I am determined to stay at home with  my son for the first 5 years of his life, to give him as much love and guidance as possible, to be a good role-model, to show him respect and how to show respect. 

I just don’t know.  I am so scared for the world that my son will grow up in, but I know that if I do my part, that is all I can do. 

My prayers are going out to all students at Discovery Middle School, to all families mourning, to the victims family, and to the shooter’s family. 

January Update – Free Money

January has wrapped up, so I thought I would share my survey and Swagbucks earnings for the month.

Cashed out:
$12.35 check from HCD Surveys
$5 check from Survey Spot
$5 Amazon gift card from Swagbucks 
$18.80 Amazon gift card from Opinion Outpost

Earned: (not yet cashed out)
$8 from Valued Opinions
$1.50 from HCD Surveys
$5 from Swagbucks
$2.50 from Opinion Outpost
$1 from Survey Savvy
$.50 from Survey Spot

I spent $34.79 from my Amazon account during the month of January, all of which was gift cards left over from previous earnings..  As of right now, I have $39.01 sitting in my Amazon account.

So, if I average a cash out of $39 per month, I will have $468 in free money by the end of the year.  I will be sharing a few of my favorite companies and companies I would not recommend in a future post.

Simple Pleasures

Inspired by a post that Kelly typed up, I thought I would share a few of my simple pleasures.  These are things that put a smile on my face when I am ready to absolutely pull. my. hair. out.  That happened to be Monday for me this week!  :)

This smile.

This necklace.

Laying in bed with my husband an and my son.  Seriously, that is the best feeling in the world.  We usually just pile in bed and play.

Receiving a complement.  All of my best friends are guys, so receiving complements from them is very rare.  One told me that I “have the best personality for a girl” and I will never forget it.  That was probably about three months ago and every single time I think of it, I smile.

Being caught up on the laundry.  Okay, even semi- caught up will work for me.

A fresh coat of paint.

Excuse the blue tape and that the light is
missing the shades and is hanging wonky.  :)

Getting a good deal.

Getting mail. 

Sending cards.  I have sent more cards in the almost 14 months that Bryson has been with us than I did in the 19 years before him.  Valentines, Christmas, Birthday, and I hope to add Easter this year. 

Listening to hubby and Bry playing during bath-time.

My lists goes on and on.  So, what are a few of your simple pleasures?

Save up to $600 per year with generic formula!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you probably know I am cheap thrifty.  I consider it my job to save money on our family necessities, but I am not willing to skimp on quality. 

While we all know breast is best, it isn’t always possible and many choose to formula feed.  Bryson started on exclusively formula at around three months old.  At the time, I thought that I had to buy the expensive stuff- I really thought that!  It didn’t take me long to start researching and to learn the true facts.  What I found during my research has now been clarified by the courts.

PBM filed a lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co, the makers of Enfamil, and won a $13.5 million dollar settlement.  PBM makes many generic, store brand infant formula products and those products have been found to be nutritionally equivalent to and have the same developmental benefits as the more expensive, national brand sof formula.

All U.S. infant formulas are held to the exact same standards of the FDA.  So, why pay more for the national brands?  Generic, store brands sell for 50% less and that could add up to a savings of $600 per year.

We have personally use the Walmart brand and have never had a problem.  A lot of times, you can sign up for free samples of these generic brands and even receive high value coupons.