A week of silence!!!

Will not be around this week, because my girlies are here visiting me.... My nieces H - 11, T - 9, & R - 2 are all here for a visit. We are planning an all day adventure to Stone Mountain Monday & White Water Park on Wednesday the back to Grandma's House on the 4th for swimming & Firework fun!!!

Lots of pictures later!!!

Please have a safe 4th!!!

Look what I just got in the mail....

Please visit Hazel @ Just Add Dots

Today I received my keychain that I had ordered with my children's name on it. Hazel's set up is so nice ... you have many hairstyles, & colors to choose from to make the faces look so much like your children. I pasted a picture from her site at the top because my picture just did not do justice to her beautiful work. PLEASE visit her Etsy store and see all the beautiful items she has available.

Thank you Hazel for my beautiful keychain I love it!!!

A Surprise - Wake Up

This was not this morning, but I did want to share what my husband and I found asleep in the dinning room floor a few days ago.....

JA had his stuffed animals and most of the covers off his bed. We have been having issues with him getting up and trying to get in our bed. We usually take him back to his (we did the child sleeping with us until she was 5 bit with ALI - I don't plan to repeat that) bed and tuck him back in. I guess he new he would have a better chance in the dinning room! Sweet Dreams Little Man!!

A Perfect Summer Day

Begins with a beautiful sky...


For me I need my latest Paula Deen book & a big ol glass of sweet tea...

These two needed a dip in our pool...

After a quick change a little trampoline time...
Her smile says it all ....A Perfect Summer Day!!!
Happy WW!!

TightWad Tuesday

How to save at a theme park:

• Coupons - the local theme parks here usually have coupons on the coke cans or in local grocery stores. Making the entrance fee a little less.
• Buy the Park's Refillable Cup - the theme park that we visit about twice a week allows us to bring in our refillable cup each time so we only paid $14 - $3 coupon = $11 total and our drinks are refilled for $.99 each time. The day you purchase your cup the park we visit offers a bracelet and you get free refills that day only!
• Pack a Lunch - often theme parks will have picnic tables in there parking lots for those who pack a lunch. Ours does not, but we bring our chairs get under the trees and enjoy our lunch. This does require forward thought...I like to make all sandwiches at home, those are packed with chips or snacks. We pick up a bag of ice for the cooler, I pack disposable cups & drinks and we have a nice lunch then return to the park.
• Buy a parking pass if you have a seasons pass or plan on making more than one trip to the park during a season. The park we visit it is $10 to park once. The parking pass is $30. We have already been enough to more than pay for this one.

I hope these ideas help. I know we use them to save money every season!!

Have a great summer!!!

Menu Planning Monday

Monday - Chicken Nuggets & French Fries

Tuesday - Baked Penne Pasta Casserole

Wednesday - Taco Casserole

Thursday - Lemon Pepper Chicken

Friday - Homemade Pizza using this pizza crust recipe

Saturday - BBQ Chicken

Sunday - Eat Out ... we will be picking up my 3 nieces today, for a week long visit, so we will probably either eat with my in laws or eat on the road.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!

Kid Comments

I just scrubbed my carpet in the dining room. I noticed my 9 yr old in there and asked is the carpet wet?

ALI: not that wet

MOM: if it's wet ... stay off until it dries

ALI: its almost dry mom....you know like the ground after it has rained hard for 2-3 days straight

MOM: ok ALI ..... laughing

Happy Friday!!

Great Site Alert!!

I just found a great site here at Mom's Crafty Life. I happened upon this site while visiting another blog that I enjoy. They are doing a give away so visit and pass the word along.

This is a really neat site there are some of my favortie things going on here like...crafts, recipes, menu planning, organizing....and a topic like weight loss ...something I should be intrested in, but I am going to work on that! :O) Anyway pop on over an visit the site!!

Have a great Thursday y'all!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Dad's new toy...I mean way to save gas...
He looks awful happy with his gas saver huh?

Boy's enjoying the toy!! Which one is the kid?

Banana Nut Bread

This is a recipe that I borrowed from Monica @ the homespun heart . The only thing I changed was that I placed it in 3 smaller pans and it still cooked up wonderfully for me. Thank you Monica!!!


3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. oil
4 eggs
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. mashed banana
walnuts

I dump all the ingredients in my Kitchen Aid and mix it together, adding the nuts last. Divide batter into two loaf pans prepared with cooking spray.

Bake about 55 minutes at 350. ( I used 3 smaller pans so I only baked the bread for about 40 minutes @ 350 )

I am new to baking bread and wanted a recipe that was tried and true. I so enjoy reading Monica's blog and when I saw her recipe that she uses with her family, I thought I would try it ....& I had GREAT results and my family loved it. One loaf was eaten that night, and the next was consumed with breakfast the next day. I had only one loaf to freeze...maybe its time to make another batch...whatch think?

Menu Planning Monday

I did not have a very good week sticking to my menu so there are a couple carry overs from last week..sorry!! This week I am going to try to plan my breakfast out as well!!

Monday

Breakfast - Pancakes

Lunch - PBJ sandwiches @ water park

Dinner - Paprika Parmesan Chicken

Tuesday

Breakfast - Cereal

Lunch - Salads

Dinner - Hamburgers & French Fries

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cinnamon Rolls

Lunch - PBJ Sandwiches (again @ water park)

Dinner - Spaghetti & The Best Cheesy Biscuits

Thursday

Breakfast - Cereal

Lunch - Chicken Pot Pie

Dinner - Honey Mustard Chicken

Friday

Breakfast - Blueberry Muffins

Lunch - Chicken Nuggets

Dinner - Baked Chicken & Rice

I have only planned thru the week...I think we will pot luck the weekend and clean out the fridge! Have a great week!!

Happy Father's Day

To one of the hardest working, truly compassionate, loving father's I know...

You rise daily at 6:00 am to head in to work so that you can get in 12 hours and still make it home for supper every night. You have watched your share of princess movies with the girls growing up, and try hard to convince JA he is not Mulan. Your always ready to tickle, chase, or talk with our children. You show our children how a father loves his family, and I only pray that our girls grow up to find a man like their daddy and that JA grows up to be just like his daddy! We are all so lucky that GOD gave you to us.

Happy Father's day!! I hope you enjoy your day today!! We love you!!
Lisa, LU, ALI, & JA

Graphics and Myspace Layouts at pYzam.com

Make Up Day

Today is makeup day for all the stuff I did not do this week.

Today's ToDo List:

• Vacuum
• Dust everything
• Windex Large mirror (due to lots of little hand prints) & tv
• Make Laundry Detergent
• Mix up Dishwasher Detergent
• General Pick UP

Then after all this cleaning I am cooking ahead for tomorrows lunch:

• All the steps for twice baked potatoes except the last baking
• Making the Lemon Bar Dessert
• Mix Up the Meatloaf

I am cooking as much ahead as I can, because after church we are all always hungry which is why we usually eat out on Sundays, but with this being Father's Day Sunday, my hubby request Meatloaf and his other favorite fixings. I will share the recipes next week....just no time today!

Have a great weekend!!

Homemade Christmas Gifts Part II

The second gift idea I found was Peppermint Bath Salts.

Material Needed:

12 tall jelly (12-ounce) canning jars with lid and rings
2 4-pound cartons Epsom Salts (approximately 16 cups)4 pounds sea salt or Kosher salt (approximately 6 cups)1/2 teaspoon glycerin, divided12 to 15 drops peppermint essential oil12 to 15 drops red food color
3 pieces cardstock (for tags)

I broke the recipe down and only made 1 jar to test. I only had quart jars so that is what I used. I will use a smaller jelly jar for the actual gift giving, but you can get the idea. Also I did not have enough red food coloring so I used green. I plan on giving this gift to my nieces & a couple of ALI's friends with a loofah ..not sure how to spell that.

Directions:
Wash, rinse and dry canning jars.
Empty one carton Epsom Salts into large mixing bowl or batter bowl. Add 3 cups sea salt, stir well. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon glycerin and 6 to 8 drops essential oil. Mix well.
In second large mixing bowl, empty one carton Epsom Salts, and add 3 cups sea salt. Stir well. Add 1/4 teaspoon glycerin, 6 to 8 drops essential oil, and food color. Stir until completely blended. Color should be even.
Tip: use a heavy-duty stand mixer (such as Kitchenaid-brand) to mix bath salts easily. Set mixer to lowest setting and mix until color is even--but don't try this with hand mixers or smaller stand mixers!
Holding canning jars at an angle, layer salts in jars, alternating white and colored mixtures.
These 2 gift ideas we have tried out. I can honestly say both were easy to put together and worked out great. The cookies from part I were yummy...and the bath salts were fun and we all smell like peppermint! This site here has other ideas for gifts in a jar, but we have only tested the 2 I mentioned. I will be testing others as time permits. Happy Christmas Planning!!!

Homemade Christmas Gifts Part I

This year my DH & I are planning to give as many homemade gifts as possible to our family and friends.

I do not like to give anything that I have not tested before hand so in this quest...I have worked on 2 gift ideas that I have made, packaged, and tested. These are both gifts in a jar for easy gifting.

1. M&M Cookies in a Jar
Ingredients for 1 Jar - Ingredients for 12 Jars here
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups M&M-brand chocolate candies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder





Instructions:
Mix together flour, soda and baking powder. Layer sugar, M&M-brand candies and flour mixture in quart-size canning jars. Pack firmly.





Recipe Instructions (include on gift tag):
Empty jar of cookie mix into mixing bowl; blend thoroughly.
Add 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened, 1 beaten egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until completely blended.
Roll into 1-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until edges are lightly browned, about 12 to 14 minutes.
Cool on cookie sheet for five minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.





We followed the very simple directions and made very delicious cookies that were enjoyed by all in our family. They instantly went on our list of gifts to give. I have some SIL that will be getting these yummy treats. I the pictures I have not decorated the jars. I plan on adding fabric and ribbon to the top before giving.

Wordless Wednesday

Outdoor findings and my monkeys that enjoy them!





This deer was one of 6 right behind our house but it was too dark to get a good picture!

Two of my monkeys....always playing!

TightWad Tuesday

My Tip for today is for Dishwasher Detergent.

With the rising cost of groceries we are always looking for ways to cut back on items we use everyday. I have been making my own laundry detergent for a while and it works great. So next I turned my thoughts to the dishwasher.

I have not come up with nor have I found a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent, but I have come up with a way to stretch the usage of a box of powder.

What I am using:

• 2.8 - 3 lb box of dishwasher detergent (I use the Great Value brand from Walmart)
• 3 cups baking soda
• 2 cups borax

Combine all together in a large bowl w/ whisk. Make sure all are evenly mixed and put in an airtight container until needed. I put about 1/4 cup in each time I use the dishwasher. The small box mixed this way usually last us about a month and we use the dishwasher regularly at least 2 times a day.

Another tip regarding the dishwasher is to use vinegar in the Jet Dry reservoir. I bought 5 gallons of vinegar for $2.39 at Costco a couple of weeks ago to use for various things. This was less that one application of Jet Dry and it will last for a long long long time!!

Homeschool Calendar & Planning

This week I started planning for 4th grade. OMGoodness... I can not believe my little ALI is starting 4th grade and that I am the one teaching her. When she started school that was not the plan, but here we are. I think we both are enjoying it and we are starting our first full year on this journey together.

I have accomplished planning out 8 flexible weeks of spelling and language. I say flexible because face it sometimes we move slowly and sometimes we move like lightening so we need a little flex. I have begun looking at the history we will use but have not planned to much yet.

Our calendar is something else that I have been trying to finalize. ALI and I have talked about starting about 2 weeks before LU goes back to school so that we will have more flex time in the year and still get out about the same time. I went here to Donna Young's Homeschooling Resources for my calendar. Printed off lots of great resources and got to work on marking holidays, birthdays, preplanned flex days that we wanted to take off and then started counting to make sure we met the 180 days required by our lovely school board. We were over by 5 days, so I am keeping those just in case :O). So for now we are set to begin July 21 and end Mid May next year.

With our calendar down and a good start to planning I started looking into things to keep JA busy. One idea for JA is Activity Bags for preschoolers. I received the books this week and can not wait to start putting the bags together.

Well that's all I have so far...and I am off to the enjoy the sunshine at White Water today!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

Monday Meanderings & Menu Planning

Must DO's

• Scrub Carpets
• Break out the White Water Season Passes - going Monday & Wednesday
• Pull weeds in the front
• Return movies & books to library
• Plan a little more for next year
• Contact school board for new intent to homeschool forms.
• Play in the sun with the kids!!

• Monday - Lemon Pepper Chicken
• Tuesday - Quesadillas
• Wednesday - Chicken Nuggets & Fries
• Thursday - Paprika Chicken
• Friday - Chicken & Rice
• Saturday - Pot Luck Night
• Sunday - Meatloaf - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

We always have to have meatloaf on Father's Day and DH Birthday, because it is my DH favorite meal.

Y'all have a great week and treat those special daddy's to a wonderful day Sunday!

Christmas in June

I know it's like 95 degrees out there, but I feel like it is Christmas. My Darling Hubby bought me after some gentle hint dropping a new mixer...

the Kitchen Aid Professional 600 Mixer - Licorice, and I promise to use it! I plan on making lots and lots of bread. I tried it out tonight on brownies. I know not too in depth, but I need to pick up a few things before making the bread :O) ..... So Merry Christmas to me and THANK YOU HONEY to my DH.

Which TV Mom Are You?

My Result: June Cleaver

You are June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver. You might not wear pearls while you do your housework, but you probably like the idea of being a traditional type of mom who bakes special treats for your kids when they come home from school and who sits down to dinner with them at night. You think of thoughtful ways to show your kids you care — like making elaborate Halloween costumes or whipping up chicken noodle soup for sore throats — and you work hard to stay involved in their lives.


Of course, you teach your children right from wrong and always hold them to strict standards, though you may prefer that someone else in the household do the actual disciplining. That's just because you are so devoted to your little ones, you can't stand the thought of missing out on any time with them behind angry doors or pouting faces.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=tvmomogt&c=50652

TightWad Tuesday

My tip for today is once a month grocery shopping!

I know that it is something that can only be done if you have the room. We started off last month with everything stacked to the ceiling, but finished the month off and actually saved money. I did spend all of my grocery budget of $580 for a family of 5, but what I did not have were all the extra trips to the store. I planned a menu for the month and stuck to it. I only had to run to the store to replenish the milk and that was all I bought. By doing this I eliminated the extra $30-$40 dollars above the budget grocery trips that we had each pay check. So we saved $60-$80 dollars last month. When JON and I did our budget this weekend we could see the difference and are looking forward to next month.

Side note...I bought several bulk items at Costco. I love Costco and I know that it is not always a savings ... you must watch, but we get alot of really good deals!!!

Monday Meanderings

Must Do's:

• This week is Vacation Bible School!!!
  
• Scrub Carpets
  
• Weed front landscaping
  
• Start planning for 4th grade (all books have arrived :O) yeah)


• Enjoy the outside with kiddos!!

Home Schooling:

We currently are on our summer break until the end of July! Enjoying summer :O)

Menu Planning Monday:

• Monday - Chicken Nuggets & Fries
• Tuesday - Cheese Ravioli with Spicy Spaghetti Sauce & Cheesy Biscuits
• Wednesday - BBQ Chicken, Early Peas, & Mashed Potatoes
• Thursday - Breakfast for Dinner (sausage, eggs, & biscuits)
• Friday - Homemade Pizza's
• Saturday - Baked Potatoes & Salads
• Sunday - Taco's