MENU: 5/8/14 - 5/14/14

I have one fantastic recipe to share with you, then I'll post our next menu.

* maple almond butter - We make our own almond butter pretty regularly, but I knew I had to try this when Shari posted it on Facebook a while back. It's delicious! We'll still make plain almond butter most of the time, but this is a tasty way to kick it up a notch.

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, 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
* almond coconut granola

SCHOOL DAY LUNCHES
* meat & cheese sandwich on English muffin/carrots/yellow bell pepper
* crockpot beans (from the freezer) & rice/tomatoes/olives
* quesadillas/black bean dip (from the freezer)/orange bell pepper
* pb&j/cukes/apples
* poppyseed and banana muffins/orange bell peppers/pistachios/

DINNERS

* leftovers

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

* Cuban black beans and coconut rice/roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar
* bbq chicken pizza on homemade crust/apple and cranberry green salad
* buffalo slaw/rice
* new recipe/rosemary parmesan brussels sprouts
* honey lime chicken enchiladas/crockpot beans/salad with pears and cranberry vinaigrette

SNACKS & DESSERTS

* produce

* nuts - pistachios & dry roasted almonds

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

* apple pie (homemade filling from a friend and a homemade crust) with vanilla ice cream

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5/8/14 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that some of our rose bushes are in bloom.

What is one thing that you're thankful for?

SIBS IN THE SUNSHINE

We had some great weather last week, which meant we spent a lot of time outside. Loved it!

Devon came home from school one day, promptly changed his clothes, then headed out to the back yard to dig into a new library book for over an hour.

We had a random "eat when you want" dinner one night and Devon and Naomi joined me on the front lawn for a bowl of soup. I went in when I was done, but they stayed out long enough that it was cooling down outside. I looked out the kitchen window to see them both wrapped up in blankets and just chatting together.

After seeing the middles in the front, I decided to take a peek at the end caps in the back. Rather than warming up with blankets, Silas and Teebs were getting their blood pumping together on the trampoline.

One morning we went out back pretty early in the morning and got yard work, school work, and laundry done in the warm sun. Naomi spent some of the time working on math and Silas did a science experiment.

BOOKS I FINISHED - APRIL 2014

Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions, written by Lysa TerKeurst

Non-fiction. This is one of two books that Irene gave me and I loved it. I like the author's writing style, the topic was relevant to my life, and there's a nice balance between scripture and real life application.

p.16 - Yes, but I must remember God gave me emotions so I could experience life, not destroy it. 

p.67 - I have to remember that giving honor reveals more about my character than the character of the other person.

p.72 - Remember, feelings are indicators, not dictators. They can indicate there is a situation I need to deal with, but they shouldn't dictate how I react. I have a choice.

p.93 - Am I trying to prove or improve? In other words, is my desire in this conflict to prove that I am right, or is my desire to improve the relationship?

p.111 - Yes, keeping my eyes and my mouth focused on Jesus is a crucial part of my unglued procedure manual.

p.120 - Here's a little sermon I've been preaching to myself: Let your gentleness be evident to all. the "your" part means I do have some. Regardless of the stress I'm under, I am capable of displaying God's gentleness because the Holy Spirit is in me.

p.121 - The more my heart is parked in a place of thanksgiving and rejoicing, the less room I have for grumpiness. The more I rejoice, the more I keep things in perspective. The more I keep things in perspective, the gentler I become. If I want the gentleness inside me to be unleashed, I have to break away from my everyday routine. I have to go where perspective awaits me.

p.154 - The Sabbath isn't just a time to be observed; it's a time to be preserved. The observer remembers to rest. The preserver rests to remember - remember that it's all about God.


Little Pear, written and illustrated by Eleanor Frances Lattimore

School for Naomi. The fictional story of a mischievous five year old boy who lives in a small Chinese village. Three of our kids have enjoyed this book now.


Lena, written by Margaret Jensen

Non-fiction. The author shares the story of her friend and co-worker, Lena, encouraging her through a difficult time in her life. Lena sounds like a great friend, but the book wasn't my favorite.


Follow My Leader, written by James B. Garfield and illustrated by Robert Greiner

School for Naomi. The fictional story of a boy who is blinded in an accident and how he adjusts to his new reality with the help of family, friends, and a guide dog. Another favorite of the little Ws.



THE BOOK I BAILED ON

Why Johnny Can't Tell Right From Wrong: Moral Illiteracy and the Case For Character Education (it seems the book was given a new title at some point - Why Johnny Can't Tell Right From Wrong: And What We Can Do About It), written by William Kilpatrick

I think this topic is interesting, but I just couldn't keep going. I read through page 95, four of fourteen main chapters, then quit. It was just too heavy for my brain this month. Sometimes I enjoy the heavier non-fiction books and other times I'm just not in the mood. I'll probably check it out another time and finish it up, partly to see what the rest says and definitely because there's an amazing book list in the fifteenth chapter that I want to utilize.

p.75 - It is also true that actual behavior tends to fall below the cultural ideal. What this means in practice, however, is that the higher the cultural standard is set, the farther actual behavior rises to meet it. In turn, the lower the culture sets it standard, the farther below it actual behavior will sink.

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MENU: 5/1/14 - 5/7/14

Silas created a new soup recipe for lunch over the weekend, but he still hasn't typed it up for me to share. So, nothing new to share this time around. There's nothing new on this menu either, but I'm hoping to have the soup recipe and another recipe we've been playing with up and ready to share next week. (Sorry for the overuse of the words "new" and "share".)

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, 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
* cranberry granola as cold cereal

SCHOOL DAY LUNCHES
* pbj&b on oatmeal pancakes (from the freezer)/apples/cheddar
* Triscuits/green hummus (from the freezer)/applesauce/oranges
* meat & cheese sandwich/oranges/pea pods
* crockpot beans & rice/tomatoes/olives
* coconut almond muffins/pea pods/carrots/dry roasted almonds

DINNERS

* leftovers

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

* Mediterranean black bean salad (taking to potluck)
* zesty chicken (crockpot, we ended up skipping this last time)/rice/orange & raisin green salad
* spaghetti salad (except we'll use some sort of shaped pasta)
* rice, kale, and eggs
* Silas' chicken/rice/roasted cabbage with lemon

SNACKS & DESSERTS

* produce

* nuts - pistachios & dry roasted almonds

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

* Little Debbie doughnuts (I never buy stuff like this, but they were a freebie from couponing and the kids are excited.) 

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5/1/14 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the variety of weather that comes in spring.

What's something that you're thankful for?

BREAKING POINT

I broke a plate in the middle of November.

I don't remember the details of what triggered my actions that day, but I remember exactly where I was standing when that plate hit the table. I remember being surprised that I'd slammed it with enough force to split the plate in two. I remember the look on the faces of the other Ws who were in the room. I remember thinking that I felt like that plate - falling apart under the strain of things outside of my control.

I remember someone quietly picking up the two pieces of the plate and walking to the garage. I remember everyone else dispersing to various rooms in the house. I remember the plate coming back in the house, put back together with gorilla glue. I remember thinking it was ridiculous to try and save the plate.

I remember the realization that three huge areas of stress in my life were impacting me even more than I realized. I remember knowing that something had to change soon. I remember the clarity that I had about what the next step forward was going to be.

I hit a breaking point that day, both literally and figuratively.

I'm thankful for the people who let me bawl my eyes out and share really hard stuff during that season of life. I'm thankful for the way they continue to check in on things from time to time. I'm thankful for this line from Hungry, by Kutless - Broken I run to you, for your arms are open wide, I am weary, but I know your touch restores my life - that encouraged me spiritually when things were so hard, even if it did make me cry every. single. time. I heard or sang it.

I'm thankful that things are so much better now.

I'm thankful the plate was glued back together. I'm thankful we reach the bottom of our plate stash sometimes and get to use it. I'm thankful for the tangible reminder that that being broken doesn't mean being useless.