Menus

Yesterday I spent all day catching up with our finances that had been neglected for a few months.  Today I was supposed to do returns/exchanges, but it's snowing, of course, so now I'm on to cleaning and organizing the house before I have to get back to lesson planning. 

I wanted to share this 6 Week Menu Rotation that I came up with for the fall and winter months.  I'm hoping it will make menu planning, shopping, and cooking go more smoothly and free up some time as well as keep me out of McDonald's.  I left Sundays blank cause we usually eat out and then do leftovers, plus there's usually at least one day in the week that something comes up and your menu for that day isn't needed.

I did something similar with some girlfriends in GA a few years ago - we all contributed 2 months worth of meals and recipes and had a whole year of menus by the end of January.  It was fun to try all the new recipes, but I think this will be a step easier for me since I'm familiar with the recipes and know that my family will eat them.

Snowman Ornament

The boys made these cute snowman ornaments out of their handprints this year.  I helped Elliott's classmates make them as parent gifts also, and they were all incredibly creative with it and had the best time making them. 

What you will need:

white acrylic paint

paint pens

shatterproof ornaments big enough for your child's hand

ribbon

foam paintbrushes

paper plate

hand wipes/wet paper towels

What you do:

1.  Paint your child's hand with the white paint

2.  Help your child carefully grab the ornament while the paint is still wet

3.  Carefully press the child's fingers into the ornament to make sure the handprint is as solid white as possible.

4.  Let the handprint dry for 20-30 minutes.

5.  When dry, let your child use the paint markers to paint faces, scarves, hats, arms, buttons, etc. on the snowmen.

6.  Let the decorations dry and then use a black paint marker to write the child's name and the year in the "palm" of the handprint.

7.  Thread ribbon through the top of the ornament to hang on the tree.

Elliott's teacher and I also attached small circle-punched copies of the kids' school pictures to the ribbon so that their parents would see that precious first-grade face each year when they get the ornaments out.  They turned out really cute!

Memory Verse

Well, I haven't exactly kept up with my plan to memorize a verse every week, but I'm okay with it.  After my day today (see the post below), this verse so jumped at me and I had to choose it to be "the one" this week.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Well, that definitely resonates with me tonight as I'm reflecting (and laughing with Brian) about my day today.  I find it funny that I still try to "plan" things in my life, thinking that if I plan and organize very carefully that things will go just as I envision.  Ha!  So I love this verse.  God gives us freedom in our choices - knows what we're going to choose, but we get to choose it anyway.  Yet the whole time he has unexpected turns and surprises planned for us, letting us learn and experience what He knows that we NEED to experience and we are often left standing with our mouths wide open wondering what just happened to our nice thought-out plans.  What is really exciting to me about this is when I look back and sometimes get to see how all of the bumps and unexpected turns and surprises were woven together for a purpose that never entered my mind but was God's purpose in me "planning" in the first place. 

So I want to memorize this one and recall it during both the small and the big bumps that I know are going to be in my road at some point and remember who is really in charge!

Plans

Today was one of those days that I had PLANNED to go one way and the day, of course, fell apart.

Let's just say that these.....

are extremely important if you don't want to be stranded at your son's school in your pajamas and slippers (because you're dressed that way for preschool/kdg class parties) trying to avoid any eye contact with anyone out of sheer embarrassment.

Unbelievably, my pajama-clad self got a phone call at work from the school nurse and had to go BACK to Elliott's school to pick him up early just a few hours later.  I'm sure the receptionists were getting some good laughs over me today!

warm florida sunshine.....

in a box!

As I drove up to the house today in my warm fuzzy boots, down parka and static electricity filled hair, I noticed 2 packages on the porch.  Ethan brought them in the house and declared that the one with pictures of oranges on the outside was full of wood cause it was so heavy.  Fortunately he was wrong.  Brian's parents must have felt sorry for us and our extremely cold weather and sent us some genuine Florida sunshine!!

Thank you Mom and Dad!!

Wild Lights

Well, huge flakes are actually coming down outside my window tonight.  Second time it has snowed already this season, yet thankfully not enough to stick and accumulate (much to the boys' dismay!).

Last night we went to the Wild Lights at the Zoo.  We always seem to choose the coldest days to do these things, but this was the only night we could do it - can you believe that?  Already every weekend night is filled with plans until January!

Anyway, it was fun and we even got to meet up with a friend and her family and also a neighbor.  Of course, the only animals we saw were the penguins and puffins (and they still have no sense of smell - whew!!)  Fun night though.

Thankful #6 and #7

Yes, I'm running behind, but it doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about it.

#6

{for cute flannel pajamas and cozy slippers to keep me warm while sitting in front of the Christmas tree}

#7

{for after-Christmas sales last year that allowed me to get a deal on this first part of the Willow Tree Nativity set that I love.  It's sweet and simple and sits on our dining room table}