1 day left...

Our long awaited vow renewal is almost here. I am excited, nervous and excited...lol. I want this event to be a beautiful celebration of all that God has given us over these past 10 years. I want to bless our friends and family with a fun night for them just being them in our lives. Please pray that I relax and enjoy the process as well as the event. So many friends and family members have volunteered their time, talent and resources to help make this day unique and special. It is all so humbling and I am grateful for each of them.

The Lord Will Provide...

was the enduring lesson for me today. Our vow renewal is a week away. A relative offered to make outfits for our 4 youngest children and was unable to do so. We found this out less than a week ago. This put me in a major panic. If you know me, I am a planner. I do not like surprises at all. Then today more surprises cropped up in the form of a car repair bill we were not anticipating (I know, I know, we own a car, we should always be prepared for maintanence.) my alterations on my dress were higher than we budgeted and there were not 4 coordinating Christmas outfits to be found in the 4 stores I went to today. I was in tears. This was not how I wanted this to be. I wanted it to be easy and frugal. Things were not going according to plan. After bawling on the phone with Donald and having him reassure me things would be fine. I headed to the mechanics to pay his repair bill, with a heavy heart. While I was there, I kept feeling a need to stop by a local clothing store. Guess what God had placed there? A size 8 (Amarissa's size) moss green and ivory Bonnie Jean dress for way less than retail price, gotta love Christmas sales. I started crying and praising God, He cares about the little things, and this lifted a HUGE weight off my shoulders. Then I headed to Walmart and found 2 Christmas plaid shirts with the same green that was in Amarissa's dress, I bought the boys their shirts. Now all I have left is a shirt for Donald, with all of the budget changes we decided to forgo the tux and just do casual with my classy gown. I think it is perfect, I think it is more "us". So now I am going to take a deep breath and try to enjoy my last days of planning, wish me luck!

Days of Nothing Update.

Our elf Peppermint McSprinkles

We are still plugging away. However I must admit that with it being Christmas time. It stinks. I want to spend, spend, spend. However God keeps reminding me that if I were to give into that urge it would undermine what He is trying to teach us and it would hurt His provision for us during this time. So I will continue on. One thing I have noticed is our Christmas focus has radically changed. We are spending a lot of time at home, together as a family. We are playing games, watching our Christmas movies (many were unopened from last year, sad I know) and we have added an Elf, for Elf adventures. Now this was a splurge I allowed since it was radically less than the more popular Elf on a Shelf version and I had the money for her in my paypal account. We are also going to make advent ornaments this year, using stuff that we already have, so glad I save cards, tissue paper, etc. I enjoy the focus being on Christ and Family more than things and commercialism but I do worry what my children's reaction is going to be as they "compare" gifts come Christmas morning. I pray that we are able to cultivate a right heart attitude as God continues to grow us as a family during this time.

Listen Up...

Do you think it doesn't matter how/what you eat? That your children are too little for their diets to affect their long term health? Well think again. Donald and I learned Friday at our PCP's office that our children (yours too) make new fat cells more readily in early childhood than at any other time. Then it tapers off during adolescence. That gives new meaning to that "baby fat" that we all thought was so harmless. Why is this so important? Because the only way to remove fat cells from the body is liposuction, which means unless you go under the knife you are stuck with them. I think if alot of parents understood this and the fact that your children pay more attention to the foods you choose for you then the foods you choose for them. Then childhood obesity would be pretty much abolished by now. I know that this was a major AHA! moment for Donald and I. Having a family history myself of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, HB and the list goes on, I knew that I needed to do better. That is the reason I had my gastric bypass and follow a low carb, lower fat diet and exercise regularly. But what hit me the hardest was that as an adoptive mom we do not know our children's complete medical history. We aren't sure if diabetes runs in their biological family. So what better way to protect them against an unseen enemy than to limit their sugar intake. Increase whole grains, veggies, fruits, etc? So along with Donald and I eating low carb, whole complex carbs, lean protein, fruits and veggies, so are our children.

Now I know what you are thinking. You are thinking but DeAnna my child will starve, and oh the fights that will ensue. And to that I say....buck up, you are the parent. God gave that child to you and we need to be good stewards of our greatest gifts. They won't starve. It took our kids about a week to quit asking for white bread, they didn't like the idea but once they realized that "brown bread" was the new norm, they quit complaining and got on board. Our Halloween candy has been enjoyed some, but it is put away out of sight until it is the right time for them to enjoy a treat (after playtime and their meal has been enjoyed first).

Do you remember the old saying "Children follow what you do, not what you say?" Well that is completely true. Our 7 year old came to me while in the middle of playing Barbies with her sister and told me very seriously "Mama, Ken's Daddy cannot have Chinese food anymore." I asked why. Her reply is "He has to eat low carb and no sugar like you and daddy so he can be healthy and do more stuff, and I am gonna do that too". Your children are watching and learning more from your actions than you can ever imagine. Let's do right by them, give them healthy parents as well as a healthy lifestyle that will serve them well the rest of their lives.

I wonder...

I woke up very early this morning with one thought on my mind. Could Donald and I save enough money to buy a smaller, less expensive home outright and reduce our current debt? So I started perusing real estate sites and most homes that are super affordable are in terrible neighborhoods, however I think I am going to start saving my pennies in hopes that we find something safe and super affordable. The worse that could happen is that we have a chunk to put on our current mortgage, reducing that expense. I no longer want to be driven by consumerism, life is about much more than what we own. So with this new mindset I am planning on holding a yard sale to reduce the amount of things we own. We really need to simplify and this will start the saving process. Wish me luck!

Day 8

This is getting easier and easier. I find that the longer I go without spending the more intentional I am when I do have to part with my money. Yesterday I had to do a protein and small toiletry run. I stayed focused and only bought what we needed. It also dawned on me that if I don't take money with me, I can't spend it. So I made me a grocery money can and will not take money with me unless I am going to pick up things we NEED. Yesterday this kept me from blowing money on gum and a drink. I have started keeping a water bottle in my van and just filled it up at a water fountain. Saved me $1.45 and didn't take any extra effort on my part really.

Day 5 of no spending.

Today things get interesting. We are nearing the end of our Stevia reserve, dish detergent is running low and veggies are getting thin. However I am committed to not running out and buying more just because I can. In Sunday School we were talking about Daily Bread, and I do believe that lesson has prepared me for this week, it helped give me the proper perspective needed. Here in America we have more than we even realize. Even though things are running low (things we enjoy rather than need) I know we can and will make it to the end of the week with no problem. God has already met our needs over and above what we need. So I will not spend until I have to and we will be thankful for what God has provided. After all water is better than artificially colored fruit drinks and even tea sweetened with Stevia. There is nothing wrong with not spending and just enjoying what is.

Days 3 & 4

Saturday was dinner night with my sister in law and niece. I made a pork loin and ribs with seasoned green beans and bbq rice (rice made with bbq sauce and the broth from the meat). We watched the first Harry Potter and visited for Drew's upcoming birthday and to celebrate his finishing the first Harry Potter book.

Sunday was church and then home to enjoy a baked chicken, creamed spinach and baked sweet potato for lunch. Donald had a hard time, he wanted to go eat out since he is only off 2 Sundays a month. But he was a trooper and enjoyed an afternoon of lunch and football while the kiddos played outside enjoying our nice fallish weather.

Day 2...Grocery Run and Cupcake Wars

Today entailed a trip to the doctor's office to buy my protein shakes and a trip to the grocery store for milk, grits, noodles and green peas. Donald did treat us to a Sonic Unsweetened Tea (it was happy hour) while we were out running errands. So all in all a fun day.

Since the kiddos have a long weekend we did Cupcake Wars Home Version, complete with Judges Narration and every thing. The cupcake mixes and toppings were already in the pantry. We all had so much fun. How are you being frugal this weekend and still enjoying the finer things in life?

Day 1 (of our days of nothingness)

So today is our official kick-off of our indefinite days of nothing. We started the day with a breakfast of homemade pancakes and bacon. I walked the littles to school, and hung out my first load of laundry, all the while praying our forcasted rain holds off until they are dry. Tonight is movie and junk food night since the kids are out of school tomorrow. We do have cable since we get a better rate having all services bundled so we will watch a free movie from the on-demand menu. So all in all I would say we are off to a great start.

Days of nothing....planning for 2014

Well, we have been given a glimpse into 2014. And we are batting down the hatches financially. So we are starting days of nothing (you may remember my 31 days of nothing a year ago, it is that but indefinitely). I am convinced that as a family we spend way more than we need to, even though I do it frugally, it is still too much. So we are going to only spend what is absolutely necessary from now on.

Thanksgiving will either be a potluck at our home or a coffee and dessert time that evening if our family has other plans already. This is my favorite holiday because the focus is on what we already have and what is most precious to us on this earth. The people God has given us to share our lives with. Simply precious!

And we have a plan in place since CHRISTmas is coming up, we have decided to give 4 gifts for each of our children.
1. Some thing to read.
2. Some thing to wear.
3. Some thing you need.
4. Some thing you want.

This will keep spending down but will give them a good variety of gifts. After all the holidays are about celebrating the gift of Our Savior and our family, things should not be the main focus. I know this is an ambitious, crazy thing to start right before the holidays but it is a necessity for our family. So pray for us as we strive to become better stewards of what God has entrusted us with.

My after surgery regiment.

3 UpCalD Packets daily 500mg of Calcium Citrate, 500IU of Vitamin D
2 Celebrate Bariatric Multvitamin w/iron (I take one in the morning and one at night)
1 Sublingual B-12 tablet (I get these from Walmart for 1.97)

Breakfast is usually a protein shake made with Whey Protein Isolate (Unjury is my favorite) with 8oz of FF milk. Lunch and Dinner is protein and a little bit of a low carb vegetable. Not to exceed 1 cup. I also sip, sip, sip Powerade 0, Hawaiian Punch Sugar Free Drink Packs and water all through out the day to stay hydrated. The key is to get in your protein first and foremost.

My fave sources of protein:
Low Fat Cottage Cheese, Deli Meats, Poached Chicken Breast, Eggs, 1.00 Ribeyes from the dollar store, Low Fat Cheeses, Hamburger Meat (seasoned), Unjury Protein Powder.

I cannot tolerate fish at all but that would be a great source of lowfat protein if you can tolerate it.

***Make sure you take your Multi-vitamin with iron at least 2 hours apart from your calcium supplement and do not take it with any dairy products. Calcium binds iron and prevents it from absorbing so you have to separate the doses.*****

Wednesday Night's Dinner

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts (Blend mayo, parmesan and garlic in a bowl) dry chicken breasts and put on baking pan, spread mayo cheese mixture on top of each breast. Then sprinkle Italian bread crumbs on top and bake at 375* until done. I used Hellman's Recipe for the chicken.

Boil box of elbow mac and drain. Then brown 3tbsp butter in skillet, add 2 tsps of minced garlic, brown, add in 2 tbsp flour and simmer, then add in milk and broth from baked chicken and 1/2 tsp basil, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, pepper and cooked noodles, heat through.

Serve with your favorite veggie.

Autumn Stew (a DeAnna original)

Autumn Stew

3lbs of Pork Stew Meat
2 Large Sweet Potatoes, diced
1 Medium White Potato, diced
10oz Frozen Bag of Corn
1 can Fire Roasted Green Chilies
1 jar Mild Salsa
1 can Pinto Beans, drained
3/4 tsp Moroccan Seasoning
1/2 tsp Salt
1 can Chicken Stock

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high 6-8 hours. Serve with Corn Muffins.

My tiny tornado of terror.

We are barely in the door from school, the backpacks are still in midair and the fighting and whining begin. There are a multitude of mistakes this Mama has made in the eyes of her youngest. Her underwear is too small (they are perfect), her hairbow was too big, I forgot to pack her lunch (she asked to buy her lunch today) and last but not least I did not pick her up early from school and I promised her a half day at sometime. She runs to her room, slams the door and starts crying. At this moment I have a decision to make, thankfully this is no longer lost on me. I can either show her kindness and Christ's love or I can let my emotions get the better of me and raise my voice and argue with her. I lower myself to her bed, scoop her up in my arms and share with her what God's word says about how we should treat others. I ask her if I can pray with her to help her attitude and get a pouty yes. We pray, she then wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a big wet kiss on the cheek. Then she says something very surprising "Mama I am so glad you love Jesus and Love me too." I breathe a prayer of thanksgiving that this time I made the right choice and showed Christ to my children. I pray that the next time I am in this situation God allows me the presence of mind to again choose a soft answer and His love over what my flesh demands. For in this is how my children will learn to follow our Lord and point others to Him.

Family

Today Donald and I learned in a new way what family is. We have been struggling with our daughter's anxiety and our church attendance. The last time I was at church I ended up in the van with our 7 year old in tears (both of us). How was this good for our church? How was this honoring to God? I came home that day and quit church as far as I was concerned, there was no way I could do this alone and with Donald's work schedule there was not a way for me to have the support and reinforcements I needed. Fast forward to today. We met with one of our pastors with every intention of letting him know we would not be returning. We didn't have a game plan, God had been silent but we knew what we wanted, what was easiest. As we talked our Pastor listened, validated our feelings but then came alongside of us and let us know that we were not walking through this valley alone, that our church was with us no matter what we chose and for whatever we needed. He gave us a new perspective and refreshed us. As we prayed God began giving me a new vision of what He wanted from us and how He could use this valley where we were. Our church loves us even though our contribution as far as volunteering maybe small, they are willing to be our strength when we are weak. Isn't this what family is all about? Not abandoning each other when we think things are too tough? What a blessing we received today and how much lighter our load became just because we finally put aside our pride and sat down and let our brother in Christ know what was going on in our lives. We have received emails of encouragement and they have meant the world and have been a great buoy to our sagging spirits over this month.

 In our spiritual family and in our physical family we need to be sensitive to others needs, provide strength when they are weak and love on them when they feel unloveable and watch God bless! There are going to be times when you are the strong one and there are going to be times when you need the strength of others and that is okay. Just remember to show Christ's love to your family daily however you can!

Sometimes the journey is His gift!

Sometimes we are in a beautiful place without realizing it!

I have always been someone that wants certainty when God asks me to step out in Faith and start a journey. Well, we all know that this almost never happens. God's ways truly are not our ways and it is called Faith for a reason. Today God showed me that sometimes the journey is His gift, not just the outcome. It seems like I would have gotten this message loud and clear when we fostered to adopt...if I did get it I have started forgetting. Today we started on a new journey in our lives. (I will share more information as time goes on, no worries.) I started it looking for those "signs" of certainty and God prodded me to stop, to just sit back and let Him work in our lives. There is a lesson to be learned here for certain but I am not to know what that is just now and that is okay. Somehow this new journey is going to strengthen me and make me a more beautiful child of God. I will be able to minister in new ways and my walk with my Heavenly Father will be stronger if I stay focused on allowing Him to have His will and just accepting what comes. So pray for our family as we strap on our seat belts and enjoy the ride!

Leaving Mediocrity!

We do not serve a mediocre God. As Christians we are to show God and His Character to this dark sin cursed world. God is calling me out of MY mediocrity! What does it mean to be mediocre?

me·di·o·cre

ˌmēdēˈōkər/

adjective: mediocre

1. 1.

   of only moderate quality; not very good.

   "a mediocre actor"

   synonyms:

   ordinary, average, middling, middle-of-the-road, uninspired, undistinguished, indifferent, unexceptional, unexciting, unremarkable, run-of-the-mill, pedestrian, prosaic, lackluster, forgettable, amateur, amateurish; More informalOK, so-so, ‘comme ci, comme ça’, plain-vanilla, fair-to-middling, no great shakes, not up to much, bush-league "a mediocre performance"

   antonyms:

   excellent

Origin

Luke 1:49 ~ "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.

 Not very good? We serve a PERFECT God, who has limitless power and is longsuffering toward us and forgiving of our sins and shortcomings. And I have been content, yes content to hide His wonder and magnificence from those that need Him. No more! This act has caused me to be spiritually sick, to miss out on God's best blessings for my life. There is no room for bitterness, jealousy and the like in my walk with Christ or with other Christians. We all have our own unique place in this Family, He doesn't love one more or greater than the others. He died for us all and we need to rally out of our mediocrity and share Him with a lost and dying world that need Him,there is work to be done that is of the utmost importance. We are not to be sidetracked with bitterness, anger and sin. I am to stop intentionally depriving this world of their HOPE. I know that my Heavenly Father calls me to encourage and build up my brothers and sisters in Christ, to witness and share Him with the Lost and when I don't obey I am intentionally (choosing) to deprive others of Christ. That is serious. Christ gave His all for me, because He loved me and He deserves my all.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. ~2 Timothy 1:7

Psalm 28:7-8 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.  The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Isaiah 33:2 O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.

Romans 14:9   Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Will you join me on my journey to leave the state of mediocrity and travel to the land of Greatness in our Savior?

Choose Someone...

...to shower with love. Lately I have been feeling under-appreciated, unloved even. And you know what? God has sent a small army of people into my life to shower me with love and encouragement. I feel like I radiate from their love and attention. I even feel like I could conquer the world. So this started me to thinking about who can we encourage and influence in a positive way? Who can we reach out to and show them God's love in a profound way. It might be some small treat that they enjoy that no one seems to pay attention to, or a gift card to their favorite coffeehouse. Find some way to love on someone this week and watch what God can do through you!

Whatever else may be said of man, this one thing is clear: He is not what he is capable of being.

~G.K. Chesterton

Spa Birthday

The nail station.

Fruit tray and chips with salsa

Corn Dogs, Homemade Cupcakes

Facial Station

Pickles, BBQ Chips w/ Meat and Cheese Skewers (held together by pretzel sticks)

A lesson on heart attitude.

Today our youngest A was home from school with a fever and summer cold. She was such a chatty little thing but one thing that stuck out to me was she kept saying "Jack and the Bean Stalk" at the weirdest times. I dismissed it as just little girl silliness. Our oldest A took her back to do homework and then comes to me to share with me that littlest A was using "Jack and the Bean Stalk" as a stand in for a naughty phrase she is not allowed to say. While I was preparing my mom speech and praying about how to approach this with her, God promptly convicted my heart. How many times does He call me to refrain from something but I just replace it with something that I feel is more acceptable but equally as damaging? God cares about our heart attitude. When littlest A was replacing her naughty phrase with the more acceptable phrase her heart was still repeating the naughty phrase. Her heart attitude had not changed, sin was still present, just covered.

 O God, You know my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from You. —Psalm 69:5

Daniel 9:3 - And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

We are to set our faces unto the Lord, or focus on Him and spend time with Him to truly change our heart attitude. When we spend time with the Lord and His word and let it flood our home and hearts this will dictate our heart attitude and keep us focused on what is right.

 Proverbs 14:34 - Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin [is] a reproach to any people.

Counting down to birthdays 6 and 7!!!

The Birthday Girls!

We had to cancel the pool party idea since our August weather has been so crazy. So I had to come up with something just as fun but frugal. That is a tall order, but I did it. They are having a Spa Themed Birthday. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought several different scents of lotions and bottles of nail polish (ours had the 2 packs for 1.00). We will be setting up different stations for the different services offered. Our oldest has graciously offered to be our resident nail tech. I am the facialist (is that even a word?) And we will be offering hand and foot massages before the mani/pedis.  After all the pampering we will have kid friendly "fancy" foods and cupcakes. Our male guests will be treated to a Lego table with games and Lego Blocks for building. The girls are so excited to be having what they call a big girl birthday to share with their friends.

...and more love notes.

As I was working on our Journey to Joy blog I found 2 more notes under my keyboard from our littlest one. It seems that she wrote out her weekly schedule so I would know how to dress her and left me a love note too! Have I mentioned how much I love being a mom?

Love notes in the morning.

The mornings this school year are a lot more peaceful than last year. However they are still rushed with 5 children to feed, get dressed and usher out the door (well 3 go out the door, the other 2 stay home and homeschool). I often wonder if they know how much I love them, that I pray for them throughout the day and I miss them terribly when they are not here. Well this morning as I was putting on coffee and our oldest was tidying up, she turned to me with a small purple square of paper in her hand and asked if I had seen it? My heart soared. It was a love note from our youngest, what a blessing, I felt loved, needed and cherished. Take the time today to let your family know that you love them and take the time to pray for them. What a beautiful legacy it will build!

Choosing Joy

But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace and Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith 

~Galatians 5:22

It is so easy to forget why we should serve with joy. In today's world we are bombarded with the message "Take care of number 1".  Where is the concern for others? Where does compassion fit in? And if we don't watch out we will come to resent the roles others have in our lives. As a stay at home mom this is an easy trap to fall into. With homeschooling, laundry, dishes, cooking, etc there is much to do and I can soon forget that there are little people who depend on me for encouragement, spiritual guidance and love. Or that I have a husband who needs to see a smiling face after a long day at work. This is when God's Word usually whispers it's words across my heart. 

Ephesians 6:7 - With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

One of the greatest gifts we can give those we love is service with JOY. How different the attitude in my house is when I have my priorities lined up with the word of God. Jesus, Others, Yourself.

RIP Nina

Nina napping in her favorite corner after playing with Tinka.

Today is a very sad day in the little house. Our 1 1/2 yr old dwarf robo hamster Nina passed away. These little pets have brought so much unexpected joy into our home. They live(d) in a glass aquarium in our dining room where we have spent countless hours watching them run on their little wheel together and wrestle each other. One of the cutest things they do is jump up and down to get our attention when they run out of their favorite treats. Nina is survived by her sister Tinka and her humans. She will be greatly missed.

Frugal Find for our OCC Shoeboxes!

When you step out in faith God always provides!

We have started getting things ready for our Christmas Shoeboxes early this year, these were our first find! We snagged these adorable Beanie Babies at our local thrift store for .25 a piece. Just imagine what a blessing these will be to some little boy or girl!

Weekly Menu for the week of August 19.

 

Our 5 yr. old's beautiful cupcakes!

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal topped with butter, stevia and milk, Tea
Lunch: Veggie Noodle Soup, PB&J Sandwich, Water
Dinner: Hamburgers & Fries, Sweet Tea

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast, Orange Slices Milk or Tea
Lunch: Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Cucumber Slices, Juice
Dinner: Pork Chops, Steamed Broccoli, Baked Sweet Potatoes

Wednesday
Breakfast: Grits and Eggs, Milk
Lunch: PB&J Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks, Fun Size Butterfinger, Sweet Tea
Dinner: Homemade Pizza Pasta, Green Beans and Garlic Bread, Green Peach Tea

Thursday
Breakfast: Cheese Toast, Sweet Tea
Lunch: Bologna Sandwiches, Chips, Apple Slices, Milk
Dinner: Chicken, Rice, Steamed Cabbage, Sweet Tea


Friday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, Hot Tea
Lunch: Noodle Soup, Orange Slices, 1/2 PB&J Sandwich, Water
Dinner: Country Style Ribs, Cauliflower, Hot Buttered Noodles, Sweet Tea

Faux Dessert, handmade birthday surprises.

Petit Fours for 18" Dolls

I made these petit fours using small wood blocks from Michael's, white flower buttons hot glued on top then I filled in the recess with hot glue and painted the centers with light green gloss paint to look like candy. The little plate came with a food set from the Dollar Tree.

 

Petit Fours and a glass of milk.


The faux milk was made using a small disposable shot glass. I found a large pack at the Dollar Tree. You fill to desired level with Tacky Glue and let it sit and dry for 3-4 days. Mine of course are still drying but I couldn't resist sharing.

My wonderful birthday find!

Our 2 little princesses will be turning 6 and 7 here in a few weeks. It is a tall order to get everyone ready for school and celebrate 2 birthdays in the same month. So I was scrambling looking for a frugal idea. Then I found these adorable dolls online at the Target website. They were a little out of our budget at $22.99 a piece. I didn't have enough time to build up my swagbucks to help so what was I to do? I looked at other gifts but they just weren't doing it for me or for the girls. So last night while the teens and hubby were at an activity we loaded up and took off to K-Mart who also has a version of these dolls. I wanted to see if they were less expensive or possibly on sale. We get to K-Mart and they have 0 dolls in stock. So we got the wild notion to drive to Target and just look. I am so glad we did. This week Target has these beautiful dolls on sale for $18.99 putting them under my $20.00 budget. So I bought them. They also have the outfits and small playsets on sale. And I love that they are made so much like the American Girl dolls but at a much more affordable price. In fact when the girls saw them they didn't know that they weren't the AG dolls. In fact they call Kendra (the redhead) Saige. So I am one happy Mama! They are going to love their birthday gifts, not to mention all the fun we will have collecting their accessories each holiday and birthday! Remember it pays to window shop!

Weekly Menu for Week of August 19

Our Oldest Sharing Dessert with her Cousin.

 

Since I am a Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) patient I am including what I eat daily color coded in purple. I hope this helps those of you on a journey to a healthier you!


Monday
Breakfast: Cereal and Toast (my breakfast Protein Shake w/ unsweetened Almond Milk)
Lunch: Peasant Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (just eat the peasant soup)
which is 1 can of veggie beef soup, 1 can Bean and Bacon Soup with 2 Cans Beef Broth or water.
Dinner: Sloppy Joes, Pan Fried Potatoes (sloppy joe filling and bake a sweet potato)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Buttered Grits and Juice ( Breakfast Protein Oatmeal)
Lunch: Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Chips and Apple Slices (Apple Slices w/ Light and Fit Greek Yogurt)
Dinner: BBQ Chicken Leg Quarters, Mac n Cheese, Steamed Broccoli  (Chicken Leg, Steamed Broccoli w/cheese)

 Wednesday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Sugar Oatmeal and Sausage (Old Fashioned Oats, Pecans cooked in unsweetened almond milk*)
Lunch: Ramen Noodles and Orange Slices (2 slices Deli Meat, One slice cheese and 3 cucumber slices with seasoning)
Dinner: Beanie Weenies and Corn Muffins (just the beans topped with a little sauteed onion)

*A neat recipe I got from my doc is to blend 1 part old fashioned oats to 1 part unsweetened almond milk. Cook in the Microwave then add sweetner of choice and a few nuts, yummy.

Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal and Toast (Protein Shake & Unsweetened Almond Milk)
Lunch: Ham and Cheese Rollups, Cucumber Slices with Hummus
Dinner: Tangy Meatballs, Buttered Rice and Peas

Friday
Breakfast: Cheese Toast and Juice (Cottage Cheese)
Lunch: Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Chips and 1/2 Banana (Leftover Meatballs)
Dinner: Stuffed Pork Roast, Sauteed Green Beans and Onions

Saturday
Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs and Drop Biscuits
Dinner: Green Beans with Ham and Onions and Fruit for dessert
Snack: Glazed Yellow Cake

Sunday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast and Milk (Scrambled Eggs with Sauteed Onions)
Dinner: Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Snack: Stuffed Celery Sticks

With school starting back we are trying to reign in our grocery budget so some of these meals are super simple. On the weekends we make a large breakfast so we don't do lunch but serve a snack that evening before bedtime, we do the same on Sundays. This helps the budget and gives our bodies a break from heavy eating.

Honoring my first love, My Daddy!

My Dad, Mom, little sister, little brother and me.

I haven't posted in a very long time. My mind has been a big huge blank since my dad went home to be with the Lord in January, so I have not really attempted to write anything. Tonight I am ready to share what my dad meant to me. I think it would be a great way to honor him and to get me back on track.

They say that most of the time children view God in light of their earthly Father. I have to say that in my experience that is quite true. My dad was the most fun loving, kind, caring generous man I know. There were three of us kids and he loved us in our love language before the Christian world had "The 5 Love Languages". For me that meant small gifts and notes left spontaneously. My dad worked shift work and it was nothing for me to either wake up or go to bed with a little note from him or a picture or story, he was never too busy for us. We were never shooed away, he always made time for us. I remember when I was trying to decide on whether or not I should go to Bible College, my dad was working on our car and he worked silently and let me pour out my heart. When I was through he gave me his advice, but he had listened to every bit of reasoning I had, because he knew it was important to me. When I was in elementary school I was going through a rough time and felt like I had no friends and this was so painful to me. One day after school I came home and while I was doing my homework my dad brought me a present. It was a story he had written and illustrated just for me, to show me how special and important I was to God. I will never forget that.

I was not the easiest child to raise. I was born with a strong sense of the way I thought the world should run and I vehemently pitched fits to make it so, from a very small age. My poor parents....Mama did all she could to reign in my strong willed temper and still love me but I of course fought her tooth and nail. Daddy allowed me a little more freedom, later when I was grown and we were adopting and struggling to keep our sanity Daddy stopped by for lunch and told me that he always knew my strong willed nature would come in handy, God had prepared me for this. He understood me as no one else could.

Now that my daddy is at home in heaven I don't know how to really feel. He was the person I would go to (before Donald) when the world was turned upside down and didn't make sense and at the time I need His strength the most he is not here. Then God reminds me that He is my Father and He is always with me and I lean on Him.  Some days there is a gaping whole in my heart when I think of the lifetime stretching before me without my daddy and thankfully there are other days that make it seem possible that he could just pop over for lunch as he so often did, these days are strangely comforting because it brings to mind all the visits we shared through the years. I also remind myself when there is pain this isn't a bad thing it just means he was a part of my life, that he meant some thing to us and that he had a very big place in our lives. I rejoice because I know that we will see each other again and I have wonderful memories of our days together.

Why I love our PCP...

My sweetheart and I on Mother's Day 2013

I just went to see my PCP for my first appointment since my gastric bypass a year ago. I was down 200lbs and he was thrilled. He then requested that I stop telling people that I have had GB. The reason he said was others assume that having weight loss surgery is taking the easy road and the work isn't as hard. I have heard this several times. He asked me "Do you eat right?", "Exercise regularly?" then you are doing the work. You could easily choose the wrong foods and decide to be lazy. So with his advice I am no longer sharing my history unless I feel led. He is right, I am constantly aware of what I am eating, drinking and supplementing with because I care about my health and I want to be the best me. I just wish I had received his advice pre-bypass.

A New Birthday Tradition is Starting!

We love to celebrate here in The Little House. We celebrate big events like birthdays, anniversaries and we celebrate little things like helping your sister pick up her room, not sneaking your DS out past bedtime. So this year we decided to change things up a little and bought Six Flags Season Passes instead of throwing each of our 5 littles a birthday party. They love our season passes, as do we. However with our first birthday fast approaching (our son will be 13 in a few days!!!!) we decided we needed a "small celebration" that will stay with them and fill up their "love tanks".

So our birthday dish set and new tradition was created last week. I painted a dinner plate, cup and ice cream dish in a cupcake theme in gender neutral colors, and a friend is making a matching placemat. The morning of each child's birthday they will enter the dining room to see their place set with our special birthday dishes and a special breakfast made just for them, complete with candles and surrounded by small, significant gifts, wrapped and placed around their table space. Thank you pinterest for the great ideas that will hopefully help our littles feel loved and cherished on their special day!

Days 2 and 3

Day 2 was fairly uneventful. I did get to enjoy Starbucks for free since my sweetie bought me their cup that gives me free freshly brewed coffee the entire month of January, a great purchase. We bummed around the house, watched Gamecock football, played and watched movies we received as presents for Christmas. I am excited about starting this New Year off on the right foot financially, especially with all the tax changes we are seeing (Hubby's taxes doubled this coming payday and I am sure there are more to come).

Day 3 was good. I worked today. My sweetie was home with the kids, they jammed to our music collection and worked on our ever present laundry pile. Then when I got off, we loaded up the kiddos, took them to the park to play and spend some quality time together. Then it was home for baths, dinner and hopefully a movie after the kids are in bed, a few of them are still going strong!