MOVIES I'VE WATCHED: 5/24/14 - 6/29/14

Blackfish - Library movie. I checked this documentary out a month-ish ago, but never got around to watching it ... though Silas did. I ended up watching it with Devon this time around and we both liked it. It's about killer whales, specifically about one in captivity that has killed multiple people, and raises questions about keeping wild animals in captivity. It includes commentary from several people who have worked with whales, including this particular one, at amusement parks or who have witnessed attacks at parks.

Twenty Feet from Stardom - Library movie. This documentary is about backup singers, those people standing a few feet away from the popular singers, people who get no recognition, but without whom the superstars' performances and recordings would not be as good.

Saving Mr. Banks - Redbox freebie. I loved this movie, which is based on a true story, about how Walt Disney persuaded P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins books, to turn her story into a movie.

The Monuments Men - Library movie. The big boys, Tim, and I all enjoyed this movie, which is also based on a true story, about a group of art experts who were made into soldiers for the purpose of recovering art stolen by the Nazis during WWII. I'd also checked out the book, Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, from the library, but my name didn't come up on the list until a day or two after I'd watched the movie and the book, which looked interesting, was huge. I opted to read other stuff for now, but I may go back and read it later.

Waste Land - Library movie. I've watched this one before, but I had the big boys watch it with me recently. It's a neat documentary about pickers, people who pull out recyclable materials they can sell from a huge landfill in Brazil, and a photographer, Vik Muniz, who turns some of what would be considered garbage into works of art that sell for huge sums of money. I love the glimpse into the lives of people who live a radically different life than I do, watching the pickers and Muniz work through various ethical and practical issues they face, and the sense of pride in a job well done.


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6/29/14 - WORTH REPEATING

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Little by little, a little's a lot. Little is much when it's all that you've got.

~ I've known this expression since I was little, but I have no idea where it came from and can't find a source online. Maybe it's something that my mom said. I don't know.


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Hoe your own row.

~ Pam McDavid in a conversation about dealing with conflict and choosing to focus on your own issues or contribution to the problem instead of on the other person's issues


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Do the thing that God has called you to do. Don't worry about what He's asked others to accomplish or be or have. Be faithful in the work created for *you*. It's a tall enough order to be who you were meant to be without trying on the circumstances of others.

~ Heather Schwarzen


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My name may be Dawn, but I’m not a morning person.

~ Dawn Mast in Burnout, Boredom, and Blessings at That Dawned on Me


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What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.

~ Leo Tolstoy


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MENU: 6/26/14 - 7/2/14

Well, the last menu didn't go as planned. We had leftovers twice, dinner provided once, I ended up baking nine dozen banana spice cookies for Silas to take to church on his birthday, and the site where I found a new recipe wasn't working the day I went to make it.  Such is life. We did, however, try and like one recipe.

maple cluster granola - Packed with nuts and seeds, it's a tasty addition to our collection of granola recipes.


BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts (we have these at church, though we always have some dry roasted almonds, fruit, and/or cottage cheese at home or on the road first)
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, peanut butter, maple almond butter, raisins, dried cranberries, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and/or energy mix as optional toppings/yogurt, fruit, & spinach smoothies x3
* egg, potato (I bake an oven rack's worth once a week and pop them in the fridge for breakfasts), & spinach scramble x2
* morning glory muffins/cottage cheese & fruit

DINNERS

* leftovers

* tacos (seasoned meat and crockpot beans from the freezer) 

* ham & eggs on English muffins/kiwi smoothies (this got bumped because my Dad bought Papa Murphy's one night when he was in town)

* tuna lettuce wraps (which we made into a salad)/rice

* hot dogs/chips (both left over from Devon's party over the weekend)/apples

* zuke grinders  
* crockpot beans with rice/raw carrots & celery with hummus

SNACKS & DESSERTS

* produce & hummus

* nuts - pistachios & dry roasted almonds

* popcorn (kernels from the Winco bulk department & a West Bend Stir Crazy to pop them in)

* new recipe (same one from last week, assuming the site is back up)

* M&M blondies for a party (party from last week got postponed to this week)

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SILAS' BIRTHDAY, PART TWO - 2014

Silas is now in his last year as a pre-teen! He opted not to have a traditional party this year, choosing a small overnighter instead. Our schedule dictated that his guests woke up here on his actual birthday, which meant some of our birthday traditions got bumped out a day or two. He had fun and it all worked out, though.

The guys baked brownies, played games, went to the park, jumped on the trampoline, and just hung out on Wednesday.

We had stuffed French toast and fruit salad, at Silas' request, for dinner and I sent about 100 banana spice cookies with him to share with the junior high class at Bible study that night.

The next day he went out for a bagel date with Tim in the morning.

Last night I took him to get ice cream, then we chatted and laughed in the back yard while he polished it off.

Today we finally did the birthday outfit pictures.

What a fun few days!

6/26/14 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that our bigs know some nice kids.

What's something that you're thankful for?

SILAS' BIRTHDAY - 2014

Twelve years ago I was incredibly sleep-deprived. I'd slept six of the previous 82 hours and had been having contractions 5-10 minutes apart for 64 hours. My first homebirth had ended in a transport, so I was surrounded by Tim, my midwife and her two apprentices, a friend who'd shown up to take pictures a day and a half earlier and never left, a doctor I'd met 15 hours earlier, and a slew of medical staff for the end of my longest labor and delivery of my smallest baby. Silas was more than worth being completely exhausted and things not going as planned.

WHAT THE BIG BOYS HAVE BEEN UP TO LATELY

Devon's party - Devon had a few friends join him at Burlingham Park to celebrate his birthday. Here are all the kids, little Ws and Devon's friends, striking a pose in the playground.

Then he and his friends sat around eating candy while he opened gifts.

My dad posted a whole bunch of pictures of the party, which you can see here.

Flag football - Silas found out about a free flag football camp and wanted to attend. The only glitch was that he had to have a sports physical, which insurance doesn't cover and we didn't have cash to pay for. However, someone had given him money for outdoor school when he was in public school back in the fall and told him he could spend it on something else when he withdrew. He'd held onto that money since November and used it to pay for a sports physical in May. Just another random way God's provided for our needs and the fluff of life. Silas spent four afternoons running around with a bunch of other kids and had a great time. I got there early for a BBQ one afternoon and was able to watch him in action for a bit.

School concert - Devon's school had a concert in early June and it was fun to see his class perform. He, on the other hand, didn't think it was fun to find a camera aimed at him.

Oh, that picture cracks me up!

He got to drum with some of his friends for one of the songs, even though you can't see the drum in this picture, which he did think was fun.

Lawnmower - You all know that mowing the lawn is my all-time favorite household responsibility and the the only time I let anyone else do it is when I'm about eight months pregnant and hurt too much after the fact to make it be worthwhile. However ... you may want to sit down for this ... I let Silas mow the lawn recently. He was thrilled and I handled it like a mature adult, praising him for the nice job he did. Proud of me?

FOOD & FRIENDS

I get a free birthday burger from Red Robin every year and I've happily eaten the last two alone. Just me, my burger, and a book in booth all to ourselves. This year, though, I changed things up. I realized that I'd have some time to kill near a Red Robin today (we don't have one in our town), so I hopped on Facebook yesterday to see if anyone wanted to join me today. If they did, then great. If they didn't, then I'd just enjoy a book in solitude.

I ended up spending two fantastic hours with six other women and one cute baby, time filled with good food, tons of laughter, and some words of encouragement shared with those who needed them. The group was eclectic and no one knew everyone else in the group. In fact, most of the women only knew one or two other people at the table, but it turned out to be an absolutely perfect combination.

I'm so thankful for free burgers, old friends, new friends, and people who are willing to show up to a somewhat spontaneous lunch date with few familiar faces.

I'm also thankful that this is the kind of group that suggests a silly face pose.

And I'm thankful that I came home to a clean house and caramel apple cookies, a belated birthday gift from my family.

MENU: 6/19/14 - 6/25/14

We tried one new salad recipe, a watermelon and feta one, that was a flop, but I also made my own Bisquick and it worked perfectly.

homemade Bisquick - Devon asks for sausage balls for his birthday almost every year and I always buy just enough Bisquick from Winco's bulk department to make them, as I never use it for anything else. I couldn't get there this year, though, so I found a recipe and made my own. No more buying it from the store!

BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts (we have these at church, though we always have some dry roasted almonds, fruit, and/or cottage cheese at home or on the road first)
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, peanut butter, maple almond butter, raisins, dried cranberries, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and/or energy mix as optional toppings/yogurt, fruit, & spinach smoothies x3
* egg, potato (I bake an oven rack's worth once a week and pop them in the fridge for breakfasts), & spinach scramble x2
* maple cluster granola

DINNERS

* leftovers

* tacos (seasoned meat and crockpot beans from the freezer) 

* cheesy green beans/rice (this got skipped last time for an unexpected meal out with family)

* lemon garlic tilapia/rice/balsamic roasted brussels sprouts/salad with pears & cranberry vinaigrette
* Cajun sausage & beans/rice

* creamy pasta with broccoli and ham/fruit salad
* ham & eggs on English muffins/kiwi smoothies

SNACKS & DESSERTS

* produce & hummus

* nuts - pistachios & dry roasted almonds

* popcorn (kernels from the Winco bulk department & a West Bend Stir Crazy to pop them in)

* new recipe (didn't get to try it because the website was down)

* candy for a party

* M&M blondies for a party

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6/19/14 - THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that I can look back on our wedding day, which was fifteen years ago today, with fond memories.

What's something that you're thankful for?

DEVON'S BIRTHDAY, PART TWO - 2014

Devon hit the double digits this year!!  We had two fun outings on the calendar that had nothing to do with his birthday and it was his first day of summer vacation, so it was a good day for him. 

He and Tim zipped out bright and early to start the day with their traditional doughnut date.

A few hours later we headed out for ice cream and cookies at the park with some homeschooling friends. We ran into some families from Devon's school there, so all the kids just played together.

Devon and I had our traditional ice cream date and brought our treats home to eat in the yard.  

His dinner request included sausage balls, as per usual, along with popcorn and some cottage cheese with kiwis, grapes, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, and mandarins mixed in. We ran out of time and stomach space for popcorn, but he was fine with that. I know the cottage cheese looks nasty in this picture, but it tasted good and Devon liked it. That's what counts!

Four Ws, including the birthday boy, took off right after dinner for a church event that two of them were attending and two of them were helping with. Since the day was pretty busy, we took pictures in the birthday outfit after his birthday was over. Oh well.  Close enough, right?

Lots of treats, lots of friends, lots of fun!

FATHER'S DAY - 2014

Just like on Mother's Day, this is the best of a gazillion pictures. We started the ordeal off with one kid bursting into tears, then had one kid making non-stop sound effects, constantly had at least one kid looking at whichever kid was ruining the picture, had everyone laughing in several of shots ... but not looking at the camera or moving around, and finally got one where everyone has open eyes, is facing the camera, and is happy. We'll just pretend Teebs doesn't have his finger in his face.

A GRADUATION CEREMONY

Our family spent the morning at a graduation ceremony. The graduate was Tim's mom, Linda, who graduated with honors, receiving her Associates Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management: Hotel, Restaurant, Meetings Management. This is her first college degree and we're proud of her for not only pursuing this goal, but for doing it so well.

She received her diploma.

Then she took turns posing with her kids (and Minnie Mouse, who sat on her cap and made her easy to spot in a sea of red mortar boards) after the ceremony.

After the ceremony we all ate lunch and visited together for a couple of hours. We snapped a group shot after eating, then everyone headed home. 

Here is the graduate, half of her kids and their families, and some close friends.

Special morning, fun afternoon!

DEVON'S BIRTHDAY - 2014

Ten years ago a woman came to my house and gave me a bouquet of flowers from her yard. The flowers were to celebrate my birthday. The woman was my second midwife and she had come to assist in my second easiest labor and the delivery of my biggest baby. While the flowers were lovely, I have yet to receive a better birthday present than Devon. 

MENU: 6/12/14 - 6/18/14

I said on the last menu that we hadn't tried any new recipes, but I was wrong. We had, but I'd just forgotten about it already. Oops.  We actually tried one other new recipe on the last menu, but no one was impressed and we won't make it again. So here's the recipe I forgot, plus another one we made a few days ago.

* Pioneer Woman's macaroni & cheese - We've made rice cooker mac & cheese for years, but tried something new this time around. It was totally different, but everyone liked it.

* lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry sauce - I love lemon flavored foods and these were no exception. They're good with or without the syrup.

As of yesterday, I'm done packing school lunches ... which means I'm done planning lunch menus. Woohoo!!

BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts (we have these at church, though we usually have some dry roasted almonds, fruit, and/or cottage cheese at home or on the road first)
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, peanut butter, maple almond butter, raisins, dried cranberries, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and/or energy mix as optional toppings
     - yogurt, fruit, & spinach smoothies x2
     - cottage cheese & fruit x1
* egg, potato (I bake an oven rack's worth once a week and pop them in the fridge for breakfasts), & spinach scramble x2
* lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry sauce

DINNERS

* leftovers

* tacos (seasoned meat and crockpot beans from the freezer) 

* sesame honey chicken (crockpot)/rice/new recipe

* rice, kale (frozen, from a friend's garden), & eggs 
* cheesy green beans/rice
* sausage balls/popcorn/cottage cheese with blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, mandarins, kiwis, and grapes (Devon's birthday dinner)
* tortellini pesto salad

SNACKS & DESSERTS

* produce

* nuts - pistachios & dry roasted almonds

* popcorn (kernels from the Winco bulk department & a West Bend Stir Crazy to pop them in)

* caramel apple cookies (Tim and the little Ws are making these for my birthday, but not on my birthday)

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DEVON'S HOME!

I can't believe this school year is done! It's been totally different than any other school year for our family and even the planned changes didn't always go as planned, but it's been a good year. As excited as I am to have all my kids home this summer, I'm also really glad we sent some of them out in the fall. It was the right thing to do at that point in time.

Today was Devon's last day at the local charter school he's been attending all year and the other night he wrote out thank you notes to all the teachers and staff that he regularly interacted with. I loved reading those nine notes! Seeing what things stood out to him about each person was fun and I'm glad they'll each know what Devon appreciated about them.

I shared the letter I sent to the staff at Silas' school when he left at the end of November and now I want to share the one I sent to several people at Devon's school last weekend. Why? Because I think it's important to acknowledge the things that teachers and staff do well. Whether you've had nothing but positive experiences with public school, openly and regularly criticize public schools, or fall somewhere in the middle and believe all school choices have some pros and cons, the fact remains that there are countless men and women working hard, day in and day out, to educate children. Their efforts should not go unrecognized.

To (some of) the staff of WAA –

This school year is coming to an end and I want to thank each of you for making it a good year for Devon.

Our approach to school choices is “one kid and one year at a time” and until this year that meant our kids were exclusively homeschooled.  However, the 2012-13 school year was really hard for our family on multiple levels and we needed to change things up a bit. As we considered options for Devon, we knew that we’d only send him out if he could attend a small school. We applied to WAA in the spring, then sat back and waited to see what would happen. It was about a week into August when we got the phone call saying he’d been accepted and the next ten months have been exactly what our family needed.  

XXXX – I’m glad you stepped up to the plate for taking over the library next year. I've enjoyed working with you during the transition and I think you will do a great job from here on out. I’ll definitely be back to help in the fall!

XXXX - Devon always looked forward to PE, a chance to get some wiggles out and play some games. The times you awarded him Star Student of the Day were a big deal to him. I’m sure that being a traveling PE teacher, with neither a gym nor supply closet, is frustrating at times, but you do the job well.

XXXX – You are in multiple places over the course of a day, but you always have a smile on your face when I see you. I appreciate your cheerfulness.

XXXX –The fact that you do your job in a crowded room with mismatched computers and miniature chairs does not go unnoticed.  I appreciate your efforts to raise money for improvements and to do your best with the resources you have available right now.

XXXX – You are a miracle worker! If I remember correctly, Devon missed every single word on his placement test, though he told me as we walked out to the car that he thought he got all but one right. That was the one area that I was failing him academically last year and now, thanks to lots of time with you, he aces every spelling test. I'm sure parents and students in Florida will find you as wonderful as I do!

XXXX – From your cheery acceptance phone call, to the helpful visit at the office a few days later that helped me solidify our decision to send Devon to WAA, to the countless times I've seen you since then, you've had words of praise for students who are doing well, words of gratitude for staff and volunteers who are working hard, respectful words of correction to students who need to adjust their behavior, and a smile on your face.  Your duties exceed those of the average principal and I’m thankful for the hard work you put into your job.

XXXX & XXXX – As Devon’s mom, I appreciate the years you two have put into creating a library for WAA.  We’re at the public library all the time, but Devon enjoyed having another place to get books.  As an individual, I’m so glad you put out a request for volunteers back in the fall. I've loved getting to know the two of you as we've spent so many hours working, chatting, and laughing together in the library over the course of the year. Ninety-One will be lucky to get you next year.

XXXX – Devon was pretty happy about getting to play a drum for the spring concert! Thanks so much for the time you put into teaching music to the students.

XXXX – I know I wrote to you after Devon finished speech, but I want to thank you again for helping him to speak intelligibly. We love hearing the “R” sound around here these days!

XXXX – I appreciate the help you gave Devon with writing at the beginning of the year, but I've also appreciated the work you've done with other students. There were several times over the course of the year that I’d overhear you while I was working in the library and you do a great job of maintaining order, praising accomplishments, and correcting misbehavior.

XXXX – You just happened to be power washing and painting at school the day we came to visit during summer vacation, which meant Devon got to spend some time with you while I visited with XXXX.  From then until now, I've been grateful that you are the teacher Devon had this year.  You've always had very specific things to praise him for at the end of each quarter, at conferences, and when he was awarded male Student of the Quarter. You also address negative things when they come up and do so in a firm, but calm and polite, manner. Your relaxed demeanor and high expectations are a great combination. I'm glad that our paths crossed during your time at WAA and I'm sure that parents at your next school will feel the same way.

We've signed our intent to return to WAA next year, as we want to keep our options open, but we honestly don’t know what we’ll be doing in the fall yet.  A big factor in that decision is if and where Tim gets a job for next school year.  I’m glad we live in a time and place where so many options are available to families as they educate their children and, regardless of how next year looks for our family, I’m very thankful for the role you all played in Devon’s education this year. Sending him to WAA for the 2013-14 school year was definitely the right choice for this particular season of our lives!

Sincerely,

Bethany Weathersby

6/12/14 - THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for a stove, oven, fridge, and freezer.

What's something that you're thankful for?

ALLITERATIVE LUNCH

I love alliteration and I love food, so I had to chuckle when I was planning our current menu and realized one lunch was filled with alliterative foods.

Pistachios. Pepperjack. Pea pods. Pretzels.

Whether you'd enjoy this particular meal or not, you have to admit it's kinda cool that it worked out this way.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

I've been feeling a little down in the dumps lately and God seems to have decided to send some little rays of sunshine my way over the last several days.

Monday - I had an opportunity to earn some money, which is a blessing with a summer void of subbing jobs looming ahead of us.

A friend arrived in the States, along with her husband and some of their kids, to deal with the unexpected death of their son/brother. That, obviously, isn't a happy thing. However, they were able to fly in from another country because our circle of friends raised $12,000 in about 24 hours, bought their tickets, dealt with problems caused by red tape, and provided little silver linings for them in this difficult ordeal. So thankful to be part of that group!

Tuesday - Devon's school had a concert on Tuesday and two volunteers were honored at the end. Those two ladies, Sheila and Kelly, are responsible for creating a library at the school and this is their last year there, hence the recognition via a plaque with their name on it to be hung in the library. I've had the privilege of working with them as a library volunteer during the year and was thrilled to see them acknowledged. However, I was totally surprised to hear my name listed with the names of some other people who volunteered their time to the library and who were acknowledged on a second plaque. I'm pretty sure my name in a list on a plaque in a school library makes me famous. Want my autograph?

We got to watch Devon perform in the concert, including one song where he did some drumming.

We were able to share some of our bamboo with Diana, who needed some for a gardening project.

We delivered roses from our yard to Sara and Karen.

Wednesday - We had our last library check-in day, so I went in to help get all the books back on the shelf. Sheila and Kelly surprised Tawana, the other volunteer who will be taking over as the volunteer librarian, and I with some gifts. They gave me a sweet card, a plant in an awesome plant stand, a journal, and a bookmark. I love it all! They even confessed to doing a little online sleuthing to make sure I was in a house, not an apartment, and would have a place to put a plant. As many of you  know, I love online sleuthing, which sounds better than "non-creepy internet stalking", and it cracked me up that they hunted me down online to help choose a gift. Judging by how much I loved their gifts, I think I need to visit the store they discovered and did their shopping at. Garden Gallery Iron Works. Have any of my local friends been there?

I also received a bouquet from one of the teachers (as I write this I'm wondering if it was from her personally or from the school and she was just the deliverer) as I left the school that afternoon as a thank you gift for volunteering in the library. So pretty!

Naomi and I were able to deliver roses from our yard to Wendie.

I was able to deliver cookies to Devon's school for the staff to snack on.

Thursday - All 6 Ws were able to go do some work for Dave and Sheri. It was nice to be able to pay some kindness forward and be outside at the same time.

I got to send cookies to school with Tim for the staff at the school he was subbing at.

Friday - I was able to help with the last library day of the year, working with two classes as they did their end of the year project.

My dad called and we got to chat for half an hour.

We had a mellow night at home and I enjoyed staying up late with the little Ws.

Saturday - Wendi gave me two pumpkin starts from her garden. Considering that I'm having the worst gardening luck ever and mourning the awesome garden we used to have in Beaverton, I'm super thankful for her starts. Becca had been weeding out at Wendi's, so she delivered the starts and stayed to chat for a while.

Sunday -Kit handed me a big gift bag after church, an early birthday gift. I opened it up to find a beautiful prayer shawl that she had made, along with a thoughtful note. I can't wait to wrap up in it on a day that's not topping out around 80 degrees.  Thick, made with love, and in my favorite colors ... blue and green, I love it!

I recently asked if anyone had a wagon they were done with, as Silas is having a hard time carrying all the papers for his route. I really wanted one of the deep ones, but any type would have been great. A few days later Rachel asked if we still needed one and offered us the one she was done with. It's perfect! I'm thankful, but not nearly as thankful as Silas is going to be on the next delivery day!

Not only that, but she also gave me one of her shovels. With a blue handle, just to make it even better! We used to have a shovel, then my dad gave us one with some yard stuff he was getting rid of. I gave one away, as we didn't need two, then ours got accidentally gathered up with someone else's stuff and we've never been able to get it back. I borrowed a shovel from a friend last weekend and got a ton of work done, but now I have my own shovel again!!! My wind-blown hair and I tried to snuggle the shovel for the picture, but Silas, who was my photographer, thought that was a little weird. Ha! He just doesn't understand my excitement.

Then, just because she was evidently on a roll, she shoved a treat in my hands. I don't think she even knows my birthday is this week, so I think it's funny that the flavor of the candy bar is "Birthday Cake Batter".

I'm so thankful for these demonstrations of kindness that have been showed toward me, the opportunities we've had to bless other people, and the fun things that have happened over the last week. Just writing them all out in one place helps me not to wallow in the things I'm not happy about. It's all about perspective, right? I just need to keep a healthy one, spending more time focusing on the positive things and less on the negative ones.

MENU: 6/5/14 - 6/11/14

We didn't try anything new over the last week, but we've got a couple new recipes on tap for the upcoming week.

BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts (we have these at church, though we usually have some dry roasted almonds, fruit, and/or cottage cheese at home or on the road first)
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, peanut butter, maple almond butter, raisins, dried cranberries, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and/or energy mix as optional toppings
     - yogurt, fruit, & spinach smoothies x2
     - cottage cheese & fruit x1
* egg, potato, & spinach scramble x2
* nutty, fruity granola

SCHOOL DAY LUNCHES
* meat and cheese sandwiches/pea pods/red bell peppers
* pretzels/pepperjack/pea pods/pistachios (oh, yes ... it's an alliterative lunch)
* black bean dip (make a double batch & freeze half)/quesadillas/carrots
* pb&j on oatmeal pancakes/applesauce/cheddar
* Triscuits/cheddar/olive, cuke, and tomato salad/mandarins

DINNERS

* leftovers

* tacos (trying a new meat recipe (it was a flop), making our own tortillas, and using crockpot beans from the freezer) 
* black bean & couscous salad (we'll use quinoa instead)
* spicy tilapia with spinach/rice
* lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry sauce/smoothies (yogurt, strawberries, banana,  pineapple, spinach)
* garlic quinoa with parmesan/roasted brussels sprouts with pecans and gorgonzola (except we'll use almonds and feta)
* coconut chicken (crockpot)/rice/garlic roasted cauliflower

SNACKS & DESSERTS

* produce

* nuts - pistachios & dry roasted almonds

* popcorn (kernels from the Winco bulk department & a West Bend Stir Crazy to pop them in)

* Twix bar cookies (leftovers from the last menu)

(This post contains affiliate links.)