Determination

I am joining again on an online Bible study through Proverbs 31 Ministries.  This study is based on Lysa TerKeurst's Made to Crave book.  They are having a blog hop each week to help women join together through the process.

This week I chose to write about the word of the week, "Determination".  This word has helped me and is helping me in so many ways.  When I hear this word, I think of this scripture:

Source: http://weheartit.com/entry/11801837

When times get rough, I know that God is by my side and helping me to keep going.  With His help, I can do anything.  Determination gives me hope for the future.  I know that God has a plan for my life, and if I choose to follow His will for my life that I will be able to be successful.  I do not expect to be perfect or have a perfect life, but I know that God will give me what I need to get through anything.

This year, I am determined to grow closer to God.  With His help, I will be able to succeed in finding a good balance between work, home, and friends.  For with Him, I can do anything!

Elizabeth

Photography - Week 3

This past week was a little challenging to get some pictures, because Adelaide has been sick.  However, I was able to snap a few shots on Sunday.

"Repeat"

We always take "repeat" pictures of Adelaide every month.

This picture was taken a few days later than her actual 7 month birthday due to her being sick.

"Home Sweet Home"

Adelaide was glad to be "Home Sweet Home" after church on Sunday!

Elizabeth

Menu Monday

It's the last week of January!  We have made it so far with our one grocery trip.  As far as I can remember, we have only bought 1 extra gallon of milk, tortillas (Kevin wanted on the weekend with the ham.), a can of potatoes (for the roast), and food for Adelaide.  I think that's pretty good.

This week I am going to start on planning for the month of February.  This will be a little more challenging to plan for early, because there are some special events like birthdays, Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day that may require a little more.  I am hoping that I won't spend as much when I go to the grocery store since we have some things left over.  We will see how that goes.

Look Back at New Things on Last Week's Menu

Monday: Crockpot Pot Roast - This was not my favorite recipe for a roast.  I am going to try something different next time, but we did eat it that night.  However, we threw the rest away. :(

Thursday: Tortellini Sausage Soup - I really liked this soup, but of course I like anything with tortellini.  The carrots didn't cook enough so I may not put them in next time, but it was still good.

We ate out Saturday morning for breakfast, and of course our normal Sunday lunch at Dairy Cream.  However, we still have leftovers that we can eat on this upcoming week.  

This Week's Menu

Monday: 

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Garlic Bread

I have a Thirty-One party to host this night so I wanted something that wouldn't require a lot of time in the kitchen.  I think this will work great.  You cook everything except the noodles in the crockpot for 7 hours, and then just cook the noodles when you are ready to serve.  I hope it is as good as it looks.

Tuesday:

Leftovers

Since have leftovers from last week and I am pretty sure that we will have leftovers from Monday night's meal, I plan on doing leftovers early this week.  This will allow me not to be rushed to Bible Study.

Wednesday:

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans

Rolls

I have cooked this pork tenderloin a few times, and it is really good.  (Bunco Ladies, this is what I cooked the last time Bunco was at my house.)  

Thursday: 

Baked Sausage and Tortellini

Garlic Bread

I try not to do pasta two times in a week, but I am this week.  We have had this recipe before, and it's really good.  You don't necessarily have to bake it if you are short on time, but baking it really makes it good.

Friday:

Ultimate Nachos

I am always looking for something fun and different for Friday nights.  I really don't like cooking on Friday nights so this spices things up.  I believe the recipe I have for this did not come from the internet.  I think it might have came on a Velveeta box, but I am not sure.  

I hope you see something that you can use this week!  Check back next weekend to see how menu planning for February goes as well as the ultimate grocery trip.

Elizabeth

A Raging Battle

I am joining again on an online Bible study through Proverbs 31 Ministries.  This study is based on Lysa TerKeurst's Made to Crave book.  They are having a blog hop each week to help women join together through the process.

This week I chose to write about "A Raging Battle".  Our prompt stated, "Food isn't the only thing that tempts to destroy our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.  What other things do you currently crave more than God?".

Mine may sound crazy.  I touched on it in my post titled "One Little Word".  I have been so overwhelmed with trying not to fail in everything I do that I have craved success more than God.  However in this craving success, I have let my family, friends, and mostly God down.  

Through my work, I have not allowed much time for God.  I quit going to church on Sunday and Wednesday nights, because I was overwhelmed creating these amazing lesson plans for school.  I quit using my musical talents at church, because I did not have time to practice due to long hours at work.  I quit having alone time with God in the mornings, because I would check my e-mails first thing and run out of time for Him.  The list could go on and on.

I want to let my light "SHINE" in 2014 by putting God first in every avenue of my life.  I know when I do this that everything else will fall into place.  I know it is important to be a good teacher, but my relationship with God should come first.  I want my students to be able to see the love of God through me, because I may be the only person that they see this from.

Photo credits to http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/e5/0a/27/e50a279e504088293bd12f362d3e2779.jpg

What do you currently crave more than God?

Elizabeth

Photography - Week 2

I am really loving that I am challenging myself to use my camera in manual mode.  It is definitely helping me learn.  I can't wait until the weather is a little nicer, and I can get outside to get some good shots.  Here is a look at this week's topics:

"Mismatched"

 Church girl and duck hunter enjoy spending some time together.

"Surprise"

Surprise!  Adelaide is trying to crawl.  Look out!

Elizabeth

Menu Monday

Menu Monday has really kept me accountable for cooking every night.  Not only are we able to get home cooked meals, but we are also adding some new favorites to our Family Recipe book.  My recipe book will definitely have to be updated after this month.

Look Back at New Things on Last Week's Menu

Tuesday: Parmesan Chicken Bake - I really enjoyed the chicken.  I ate it one time on it's own with a side salad.  During another meal, I cut it up and put it on my salad.  This will definitely be kept on our go to list, because it was easy to do.

Wednesday: Crockpot Ham - Another keeper for the books!  This was so easy to make.  I put it on before I went to work.  I have a crockpot where you set the cook time, and when the time is done it clicks over to keep warm.  So this worked perfectly for this.  Since there is only two of us, we had plenty left over.  Kevin made ham roll-ups Saturday night for dinner which worked out perfectly.

Friday: Hamburger Casserole - Too many good recipes for one week.  We had to have a failure.  This recipe is definitely not our favorite.  It was very bland and seemed to lack something.  I am just not sure what it is.  I probably won't do this again.

The good thing is that we had enough leftovers for the week.  We even have some more leftovers in our fridge right now.  The only day I ate out was on Sunday.  I am so proud of our family for not eating fast food very much anymore.  We are definitely saving money this way!

This Week's Menu

Monday: 

Crockpot Pot Roast

Yeast Rolls

I wanted something easy for today so I threw a roast in the crockpot.  I am looking forward to dinner tonight, and I know there will be some leftover.

Tuesday:

Chicken Lasagna

Years ago I found a chicken lasagna recipe that I absolutely loved.  We have this at least once every other month or so.  I can't find the exact recipe online, but if you would like the recipe just let me know.  This is definitely a great twist to the traditional lasagna and great for someone who doesn't like spaghetti sauce.

You can actually make this the night before if your schedule is too busy when you want it.  This is what I am going to do since I have Bible Study.  All I will have to do is pop it in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Wednesday:

Leftovers

Since we already have leftovers in the fridge from last week, and I know how much the chicken lasagna makes.  I know we will have enough in the fridge to have leftovers this night.  

Thursday:

Tortellini Sausage Soup

Cheddar Biscuits

It is suppose to get really cold again so that always calls for a bowl of soup.  Since Kevin is picky with what he eats together, I thought I would try this recipe.  I love tortellini, and this recipe seems like something our family will love.  I hope it tastes as good as it looks.  

Friday:

Elizabeth's Delight

I know you are thinking what is this, but this is my favorite from growing up.  My dad would fix this for my birthday every year, and we just named it over the years "Elizabeth's Delight".   It consists of ground beef patted into round patties covered in Worcestershire sauce.  The ground beef is cooked in the oven until done.  Once completed, you add chili on top with your favorite toppings.  Mine are sour cream, shredded cheese, and bacon bits.  This is so easy to do and a family favorite. :)

I hope you see something that you can use this week!

Elizabeth

My Favorite Scripture

I am so excited to be joining in on an online Bible study through Proverbs 31 Ministries.  This study is based on Lysa TerKeurst's Made to Crave book.  They are having a blog hop each week to help women join together through the process.

This week one of our choices was to blog about our favorite scripture.  I have a hard time finding one favorite, because so many are special in my life.  I have narrowed it down to two.  My first favorite scripture is

Photo Source: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/c1/3e/96/c13e96e5f320f00c54a4183d4734bfd5.jpg

God has a plan for us!  He knows what is going to happen before we do.  If we give everything to Him, he will guide and direct our paths.  This gives me hope for the future.  God already knows what is going to happen in my life from my weigh loss journey to my career path.  I just have to trust in him to lead me in the right direction.  I am not able to be successful on my own, but with God's help I can do all things.  This leads to my second favorite verse:

Photo Credit: http://www.etsy.com/listing/116074901/i-can-do-everything-through-christ-who

When times get rough, I just need to trust in Christ.  He will be enough to help me get through it!

What is your favorite scripture?

Elizabeth

Photography - Week 1

Last week, I started two photo challenges.  I took a photography class a year ago, but I have not used my camera in manual mode very much since.  I LOVE photography!  So, as part of my goal to "shine" this year I wanted to get better with my photography skills.  I want to capture all the precious memories in our lives especially with Adelaide.  This is why I chose to do the challenges.

The challenges consists of taking a picture a week based on a word.  The goal is to get photographers to use their cameras in manual mode and learn tricks from just using their camera and learning from others' pictures.  Since I am actually doing two challenges, I have two words per week.  Here are my submissions for the first week of challenges:

Disclaimer - I am a beginner, amateur photographer so I have a lot to learn!

"Balance"

While Adelaide is trying to learn to balance by standing, I am trying to find a balance in my life between being a wife, mother, teacher, and so much more!

"Fresh"

Adelaide with fresh tears while fighting sleep.

Elizabeth

Menu Monday

Thank you to everyone who has commented about how this has influenced you to plan ahead!  I don't claim to know it all, and I definitely do not do everything right.  I just want to write to help others and to express myself!

Look Back at New Things on Last Week's Menu
Monday - Lasagna Soup - I added extra egg noodles so it really didn't seem much like a soup.  However, I thought it was pretty good like that.

Wednesday - Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin - This didn't turn out well, because I made a blunder.  I set the crockpot to 9 hours which was too long.  I was able to salvage some of the tenderloin, but did not have enough sauce to make any to pour over.  Kevin and a coworker did say it smelled really good when they came to the house at lunchtime, but it didn't smell good when I got home.  I will try this again another month. :)

We had enough leftovers for Thursday night, and the old recipes on Tuesday and Friday worked at well.  I am very proud of myself, because I only ate out one time this week.  That was Sunday for lunch after church.  We hit up Dairy Queen.  I think this is pretty good.

This Week's Menu

Monday: 

Spaghetti

Garlic Bread

We love spaghetti at my house especially with meatballs.  Spaghetti is great, because it tastes better as a leftover. This is definitely a staple meal that will probably be on the list of meals every month.

Tuesday:

Parmesan Chicken Bake

Side Salad

I won't have much time between piano and having to leave for Bible Study, but I figured I could squeeze this in.  I am hoping to prep the Parmesan Chicken the night before so all I have to do is put it in the oven.  It could be cooking while I teach piano. :)  

Wednesday:

Crockpot Ham

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

Peas

Sister Schubert Rolls

I love ham, but I usually only get it around the holidays.  I am hoping this recipe will be good.  I have a bag of potatoes that I want to use so I plan on making this casserole.

Thursday:

Leftovers

I think with all the cooking done Monday - Wednesday that there should be plenty of leftovers by this night.  It's going to be eat whatever you can find kind of night.

Friday:

Hamburger Casserole

Since I am trying to do more fun meals on Friday, I think this sounds like a good spin off of the old fashioned hamburger. I am hoping it is a keeper!

I hope you see something that you can use this week!

Elizabeth

Menu Monday

It's Monday, and it's cold!!!  As promised, here is our menu for the week.  I only schedule dinners, because it involves Kevin and I.  For breakfast and lunch, we are each on our own.  Breakfast typically something quick and easy like cereal, pop tarts, eggs, or fruit.  I always take leftovers for lunch, and Kevin typically eats out with his weekly allowance (more on that in a later post).

What's for dinner always depends on our schedule for that afternoon and night.  Therefore, I wait until Sunday to figure it out, because Sundays are when I sit down and make sure I have everything written down in my planner for the week.  Sometimes, I may not be home or Kevin may not be home at dinner time.  Other times, I may be coming in late and cannot cook anything that takes a lot of time.  This is why in my recipe book, I have put how long it takes to prep and cook each meal.  Therefore, I will know what I will have time for each night.  So here it is:

Monday: 

Lasagna Soup

Cheddar Biscuits

It's cold so that calls for a bowl of soup!

We bought the Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit mix from Sam's awhile back and have only used it once so I want to try to use it this month.

Tuesday:

Jude's Chicken Casserole

I am starting The Daniel Plan Bible Study with a group of girls on this night.  So I am sure that most of my recipes will not be approved.  However, I am not going to make major changes until at the end of the month when I schedule my meals for February.  I can though start cutting back. :)

Since I won't have much time between piano and leaving for the study, I will cook my chicken before, either on Monday night or Tuesday morning.  Then all I will have to do is mix it all together and put it in the oven.

Wednesday:

Crockpot Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

Cream Style Corn

Green Beans

Hawaiian Bread

I bought a pork tenderloin pack that holds two.  I will put the other half in a freezer for a later meal.  

The pork tenderloin will be put on in the morning before work.  I will put the vegetables on in between piano lessons so I can have this ready around 6.

Thursday: 

Leftovers

I have a meeting this night so it will be eat at your own time, whatever you can find. :)

Friday:

Chicken Roll-Ups

Mac-N-Cheese

We typically eat out on Friday's.  I am trying to get away from this and have fun meals on Fridays.  This is part of my financial plan/budget (more info to come in a later post).

Chicken Roll-Ups consist of frozen chicken tenders and cheese slices wrapped in crescent rolls.

*Disclaimer - Our family does not eat the healthiest!  We love cheese and pasta.  I have to make sure to space it out.

The Lasagna Soup and Crockpot Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin are new recipes to try.  I will let you know how they go.  I hope you have found some meals that will work for your family!

Elizabeth

Shine!

I was not planning on writing anything today, but I felt called to write this tonight.  One of my goals for 2014 was to maintain my blog with happenings in our family and things that might help others.  I definitely don't have everything together, and I fail in so many ways (my number one fear).  However, I want to learn from my mistakes, and this is a way for me to be accountable this year.

If you have read my other post, you know my One Little Word for 2014 is "shine".  I have really been praying about my word.  Today, it was like God was reassuring me of my word.  My daily devotion was titled, "Let Your Light Shine", and then on the church bulletin the verse was 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Photo credit http://www.pinterest.com/pin/563724078327563155/

This afternoon, I sat down and read blogs that I follow.  On one of the teacher blogs, the teacher wrote about seeing this music video during their church service.

This really touched home.  I would have to agree with the teacher blogger that if I was featured on the video that my mug shot word would be "worry".  I worry about everything!  Kevin always says that I am my worst enemy.  I think this all results from my fear of failure.  However, I am really giving this to the Lord, shining from day-to-day, and trusting Him to make beautiful things out of my life.

What would your mugshot say?

Know that no matter what your mugshot would say that God loves you!

Photo credit: http://media-cache-cd0.pinimg.com/originals/37/f3/76/37f37603544cb45a39a4abc415b5a972.jpg

Once a Month Grocery Shopping

You know when your refrigerator looks like this…..

… that it is time to go grocery shopping!  However, I detest going to the grocery store.  It takes too long.  I can't find what I need.  I spend too much money. The list could go on and on.  Therefore, I started doing a BIG trip once a month.  This helped so much not only with time but also with money.  Unfortunately when Adelaide was born, I did not do as well keeping up with this.  In order to have more time and money in 2014, I decided that I am going to start back doing this with a few changes in hopes to make it better for our family.  Here is what I am doing:

I sat down this morning, and I planned 20 main course meals.  The meals range from newbies that I have found on the internet to our family classics, from quick preparation crock-pot meals to ones that will take a little longer, from Italian to Southern cooking, from beef to chicken, and the list could go on and on.  I wrote down the name of the recipe, where I could find it, and what ingredients I needed to make it.  Then, I decided if I needed a side dish to go with it.  You know you have some meals that are fine without anything, but there are others that need some veggies or bread to make it complete.  I wrote down EVERYTHING!

Then I took my list and wrote a shopping list by category.  My categories were arranged by where I would find it in the grocery store such as Produce, Dairy, Frozen Foods, etc.  I wrote down not only the ingredient but also how much I needed of that ingredient.  I wrote down EVERYTHING even if I thought I had it in my kitchen.  I did not want to think I had something and not know for sure.  I took my complete list to the kitchen and checked to see what I already had.  If I had enough of something, then I marked it off.  By doing this, I was able to eliminate buying extra, and I was able to think of some other things we needed.

After I got my shopping list finalized, I sat back down and went through my coupons.  I marked on my list what I had a coupon for, what brand the coupon was for, and how much I had to buy to get that coupon.  This allows me not to have to scramble through coupons during my grocery visit which allows the trip to be a little shorter.  If I found a coupon of something that was not on my list but that I thought we would use this month, I wrote the product down on my shopping list in the appropriate category.  I designated a coupon with a C on my list.  Then, I was ready to go!

Since, I only shop once a month.  I go to Jackson to get everything.  My first stop was Sam's.  I stock up on paper products, dog food, meats, fruits, and random other things here.  I love Sam's meats!  I buy bags of frozen chicken breasts, because a lot of my recipes call for chicken. I also buy a 10 lb roll of ground beef, cut it in 1 lb segments, and freeze it so I can pull out what I need when I need it.  We do this also with a tray of steaks.  It makes life so much easier.  Anything I got at Sam's was marked off of my shopping list.

After leaving Sam's, I went to Kroger.  Since my list is arranged by sections of the grocery store, I am able to go through each section, get what I need, and make sure I don't forget anything.  I make sure to cross the item off my list when it is put in my buggy.  There are times when I have something on my list that I can't find.  Most of the times these are things that I added I had a coupon for, but that I don't really need.  When this happens, I put a box around it on my list so I know to pull it out from my coupon stash.  When I get through shopping, I pull my cart off to the side, get my coupons together, and check-out.

Try pushing this through this store.  This was on the cart at Kroger.  The one at Sam's had the 50lb. bag of dog food on the bottom.  Yes, tons of people stare at me like I am crazy, and I have had tons of people ask me questions about having so much.

Eventually, the back of my vehicle looks like this or sometimes worse…

At least this time I had some help unloading when I got home. :)  Now my refrigerator looks like this...

and I have enough stuff to make 20 meals plus. No, I won't be cooking everyday.  I know that I will have leftovers for some days and some days we may eat out (hopefully less often than we have been).  Yes, Kevin or I may have to run to the store in the middle of the month to grab a gallon of milk or something extra, but we should not have to spend more than a few bucks.

My goal is to sit down every Sunday and plan out the meals for the week.  This should not take too long since I have a master list for the month.  I think that I will not get to all 20 meals this month so I will just move the leftover meals to February's list.  This will help with the cost of February's grocery trip.

Check back Monday.  I plan on posting our week's menu.  Maybe you can get some good ideas of something that will work for your family!

Elizabeth