Menu Plan Monday

A wonderful weekend filled with many activities…Friday evening, my husband and I enjoyed a “date night” out to kick off his birthday celebration…just the two (well, technically three) of us. We enjoyed a very filling meal locally, then drove along the beach…stopped and walked (something we haven’t done in a while) with white sand between our toes, the salty wind blowing and the gentle rolling of the (too cool for me) waves along the coastline. We continued our drive along the beach for a while then stopped for a little shopping (birthday gifts from the youngest to be opened by dad on Saturday) and ended our evening enjoying sweet treats from Cracker Barrel ~ coca-cola cake…yum!

Saturday we spent together as a family (with Zach not having to work until later that afternoon), doing things locally...with cake and presents in the afternoon and a simple grilled dinner with swimming in the evening. A good day as we celebrated my husband.  A day spent relaxing, refreshing and enjoying being together…

Sunday we were invited to an afternoon cook-out and to attend church with friends prior to that. The day was filled with a sweet time of worship, a sound message as the Word was taught and an afternoon of fellowship around a shared meal, outdoor games and varied conversations…faith, politics, education, children…all seasoned with grace.  Children enjoyed playing with old friends and meeting new ones ~ such simplicity in the relationships of children...we can learn much from them.

Memorial Day gave our family additional time to remember all who have served our country, by laying down their lives protecting the freedoms so graciously embraced by each of us now.  We prayed for those currently serving our country and protecting our freedoms…one man in particular, leaving his wife and child behind as he faithfully protects our freedoms. Additionally, this day will mark the blessing of new life as his wife gave birth to their second child…bearing the name of our free country.  Precious blessing, thanksgiving and praises are being lifted up!

This week we look forward to spending time with a dear friend visiting from out-of-state. Our prayer is that it would be a time of refreshment, encouragement and support as this is her first trip since her husband went to be with the Lord 3 months ago. The week will be flexible to accommodate time with her and meals will be kept somewhat simple as we seek to take this week to relax during what is the beginning of our summer break.

Monday: leftovers

Tuesday: Cheesy beef n’ rice casserole, corn-on-the-cob, biscuits {errands to library, p/u items from a friend and minor shopping trip to health food store & Wal*Mart}

A versatile recipe...use beef, sausage or venison...I also add yellow squash to ours for flavor, color and nutrients.  Check our my step by step photo tutorial post here.

Wednesday: EASY Baked BBQ chicken{...for oven version, follow same recipe except bake at 350 degrees covered for 1 1/2-2 hours...I use a stoneware baker which bakes to tender delight!}, potatoes, garden salad {with some lettuce from our garden and maybe shredded radish, too}, whole wheat rolls

Thursday: Tomato gravy pork chops, yellow rice, mixed veggies, applesauce

Friday: Broccoli-ham Hot Dish {new recipe}, sliced wheat bread with butter and fruit side
Saturday: Zesty Chicken Wings {new recipe} and Party Chicken Wings {new recipe}, veggie sticks, pasta salad and/or fruit bowl, chips, etc. {Fellowship get-together, Lord willing…}

Sunday: SIMPLE Sunday ~ leftovers, sandwiches, etc.

May each of you be blessed as you gather around your meal table this week ~

To read other Menu Plans, click here…thanks for hosting each week, Laura!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY...Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Outside my window...{if you look out the front window, spring green everywhere ~ trees, grass, flowers ~ jasmine in bloom, rose bush offering large red fragrance, magnolias fill the air BUT out the back…oh my, still a construction zone ~ DIRT (can’t wait until trees are down, fence is finished and sod can be laid!), both sides of the fencing done…lovely white border, garden boxes are really filling out with fruits and veggies, orange blossoms fading into tiny green round oranges, BUT oh that back yard! Holding on to the vision of final results…}

I am thinking...I seem to lose motivation around this time of year regarding current year school and want to always jump into the next year’s planning; watching how the children are drawn toward the beautiful weather and need prodding to keep focused...but knowing this is their tendency, I do fit in lunches at the park or additional outside time during the day to help provide more focused afternoons {last week we met my husband for lunch at a quiet park and witnessed several learning opportunities...a hummingbird, a Carolina wren's nest, and the icing on the cake was a raccoon scavenging a dumpster for lunch}
I am thankful for...a week off from normal school schedules as Resurrection Day marks the first day of our Easter break.

I am praying for…a friend and her family's soon departure to minister to her oldest daughter across the ocean opposite, another friend...in marking the end to one season of life while embracing a new opportunity to assist her husband with business, my mom…changes and that each day would be one she embraces as a gift, endurance for myself and new energy to work on tasks that have been pushed to the side

From the learning rooms...Easter break! {although this week will be a break from ‘normal’ routine, we will still work on preparing for portfolios…yearbook scrapbooks, gathering samples, finishing up writing assignments, etc.}

From the kitchen...leftovers from dinner last night: smoked ham, baked macaroni n’ cheese, salad, corn-on-the-cob, cranberry sauce and bread {Resurrection Sunday dinner was postponed to Monday which coincided with Austin’s 15th birthday…so we enjoyed a nice sit-down meal with friends after Orchestra and embraced the two days together}

What is a party without cake & ice-cream?  He wanted to make his own cake...so lots of vanilla icing and candy sprinkles it was!  {Notice the two candle blowers...K & Graham blew as soon as we stopped singing and Austin was the accommodating big brother...}

I am creating...notes of gratitude and encouragement to send to a few friends and loved ones today

I am going...to take one to football practice this evening {will provide me an hour or so to catch up on some grading…as well as, watch him practice and prepare for the championship game this Saturday!}

Last playoff game, this past Saturday...Logan was so excited to intercept this pass and return for a touchdown...the team was cheering him on all the way & they won a nail-biting game...now for the Championship Game this Saturday!

I continue reading...the Bible, Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening and My Utmost for His Highest

I am hearing...the washer spinning, pages turning in a workbook, the hum of a fan…what’s missing? I need to put on some Christian music ~ maybe one of my favorites to set the tone of today.

Around the house...order in some areas, disorder in others…a few paper piles to tackle that has been pushed off for quite some time.

One of my favorite things…seeing anticipation in my children

Anticipating the empty tomb...Resurrection Rolls baking after all the children prepared them Resurrection Day morning ~ Zach did our reading as each child helped in preparing the "body" {marshmallow}, click here for the recipe.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing…

Sunrise Birthday Tradition...15 years ~ a beautiful array of light beginning another day of life

Blessings this week ~

For other daybooks or to learn how to participate click here.

Menu Plan Monday ~ April 18, 2011

Well, Logan’s flag team (Seed #2) won their game on Saturday…a very happy young man with QB time and receiving a touchdown pass! The boys all played well and had a good time, so moving on to the next round on Saturday. A couple more practices this week to keep them on their toes and ready for game time!

A beautiful {warm} day for football...final score ~ WIN!

The fence project is moving along…one step at a time. We are waiting to hear back from a couple tree companies for removing pines on the easement area near the fence line of our property, as well as a large pine in the front (if they are going to come for that, mine as well have them take down another one while they are here. My husband and sons starting on removing other trees on the property line and one near our home last week. All the dismantling, relocating and yard prep is as far as we can go at this point. My goal (spoken and hopefully) is that we can actually have the trees removed and fence up by the end of this month, with city inspection following that. Just moving slowly but steady in that direction… :-) {As I type this, another company arrived to provide a quote for tree removal…}

So what's for dinner?

Monday: Easy Salisbury steaks, leftover red potatoes with green beans, biscuits, applesauce {Youth Orchestra this afternoon…most of the day spent on tree cutting and branch clean-up}

Tuesday: Beef tips n’ gravy, buttered egg noodles, steamed broccoli {Football practice tonight}

Extra tender, fall apart sirolin goodness basked in beef gravy and served over pasta

Wednesday: Baked ziti, Texas toast, sliced pears {Youth Orchestra…}

Thursday: Soup n’ sandwich ½’s {Longer football practice so a very simple dinner for this night}

Homemade {and easy} chicken and pasta soup...

Friday: Whole herb baked chickens, rice, mixed veggies, fruit side

Saturday: Baked fish, corn, baked beans, millet muffins {using the Basic Muffin recipe}

Yummy sweet and crunchy millet muffins...similar to a sweet corn-type muffin in taste, but better.  ;-)

Sunday: Resurrection Rolls for breakfast {family tradition} Lunch out…probably with Resurrection Egg Hunt in the afternoon {family tradition} Resurrection Sunday dinner ~ baked ham, baked macaroni n’ cheese, glazed carrots, steamed broccoli, whole wheat rolls, Fritz’s eggs {Typical family tradition meal for celebrating our Risen Savior}

Last year's Resurrection Rolls in the making...crescent rolls, marshmallows, melted butter & cinnamon sugar are all you'll need to make them with a story behind the "empty tomb" here.

What traditions do you have for Resurrection Sunday? To read more about some of the things we do, click here.  Don't forget to comment (either here or there), as it’s always fun to learn about what other families do ~ even gleaning and adopting new traditions along the way. :-)


Blessings to you as you gather around your meal table this week ~

To read other Menu Plans, click here…thanks for hosting each week, Laura!

Resurrection Sunday Traditions

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:  that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures...

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Resurrection Sunday is a cause for great rejoicing, as Christ was raised from the dead, conquering death.  In addition to joining with other brothers and sisters in Christ to celebrate His resurrection, we celebrate as a family with traditions carved out over time.

The morning begins with a reading of the Word, the account of Christ's crucifixion, death, burial and His resurrection {usually Luke 23 through Luke 24:12 or sometimes we utilize the account in Matthew, as listed below}.  The children's father may read some or all of these passages {or sometimes the passages are shared in reading with the children}, as Resurrection Rolls are baking.

Last year's Resurrection Rolls after baking...the sweet truth of an empty tomb.  :-)

Resurrection Rolls are a "sweet" picture of the empty tomb which we incorporate into our breakfast menu.  The children all help to prepare them from the youngest to the oldest and we discuss what each of the ingredients represent.  Click here for the recipe and accompanying story to use while making them.

Another family tradition we do to celebrate (& remember the importance of ) Resurrection Sunday is by hiding Resurrection eggs for the children.  Each plastic egg contains an item that represents one element of the account of Christ's crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection.  After the children find the eggs we gather and each child opens their egg and explains what they can about the item inside and how it relates to Christ.  We aide little ones as needed.  This activity is usually done several times during the day.  You can easily make your own eggs using the idea as listed here or purchase eggs already put together from companies such as ShopFamilyLife.

We try to read various books (in addition to Scripture) during the week leading up to Resurrection Sunday and watch related videos to further encourage our children at the celebration to soon take place.  Some books and movies we have enjoyed are:

• The Very First Lord's Supper from Arch Books
• The Day Jesus Died from Arch Books
• The Story of the Empty Tomb from Arch Books
• Mary's Easter Story from Arch Books
• The Very First Easter (The Gold Medallion Book Award)...for the illustrations
• The Gospel of John DVD (the crucifixion scene is intense...)
• He is Risen DVD by NEST Family Entertainment
• Greatest Heroes Legends of the Bible:  The Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection DVD
• Ben-Hur DVD (a family movie we enjoy throughout the year...classic movie)

I'd love for you to share your family traditions for celebrating Resurrection Day, by leaving a comment. 

Blessings in Him ~

Whole Wheat Bread...

Today is the day to bake much over due homemade bread!  Family cheers, as it has been far too long since loaves of bread and rolls have been placed in our oven.

We have been grinding wheat and baking for many years now, although of late have been more faithful with muffin making than bread baking.  :-)

The recipe we have used and tweaked is from BreadBeckers red cookbook, whom we purchase our wheat and other co-op items from.  The Slightly Sweet But Very Simple Whole Wheat Bread recipe is what our family prefers with variations of seasonings added to suite our taste at the moment (sometimes adding dill weed or whole millet or dried onion or different crust toppings like oatmeal).

I do not run short on kitchen helpers and today Alyssa desired to assist (looking forward to the day she does it all on her own).

The recipe (taken from the BreadBeckers red cookbook 2005) and tweaked:

2 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup olive oil (mild)
1/2 cup honey
4 tsp. instant yeast
1 egg (optional)...today we did
7 cups freshly milled (hard white wheat) flour
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. rice bran extract

Combine water, honey and oil...blend.  The next we do in stages:  add 3 cups of flour, mix/knead; add 4 tsp. yeast, mix/knead; add 2 cups of flour, mix/knead; add egg, mix/knead; add 2 tsp. salt, mix/knead; add 2 cups of flour, mix/knead; finally add rice bran extract, mix/knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).  Cover and place in a warm area to allow to rise until double (about 45 minutes).  Shape into loaves and/or rolls.  Place into lightly sprayed stoneware (my preference) pans, cover and allow to rise again until double (about 30 minutes).  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes for loaves, slightly less for rolls or mini loaves.  Makes two 1 1/2 pound loaves.

There is nothing like having our home filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread!  May you find time and pleasure in your bread making endeavours, as well as the joy of training your children in the kitchen.

Blessings in Him (the Bread of Life) ~

I have linked up with 4 Moms Bread Making Link Up this week...check out what other women consider their favorite bread recipe.