Merry Christmas!!!

Wanted to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I love you!

Mmm Hmm

He slept with me.

When it was bedtime and he realized that he would be away from me, his big, beautiful eyes welled up with tears. He heartbreakingly said he just couldn't be away from me. I couldn't resist.

Mama's boy.

Monday stuff

Here's the meal plan for the week:

Monday - cereal
Pork loin, mac and cheese, mustard greens
Tuesday - toast with peanut butter
Beans and rice, homemade tortillas
Wednesday - fruit and eggs
Tamales (Christmas Eve tradition)
Thursday - Pancakes, sausage, eggs
Chili cheese dogs
Friday - free for all breakfast
Steak and potato tacos

Mustard Greens -
1 lb mustard greens, torn
1 ham hock or hunk of bacon or salt pork (or salt)
2 T vinegar
water
Place mustard greens and ham into a large pot, add water till there's enough to cover when you push them down a bit, add vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour to an hour and a half.
The vinegar takes the bitterness away from the greens, and the end product is almost sweet. They are very tender and tasty.

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We live in a two bedroom home, with the girls in one room and Danny Jr tucked away in a corner of our room. It has always worked well for us all, everyone has been content with the set-up. Today, Danny and Sophia decided that it would be great for him to move into the girls' room! He helped them clean up a spot for his bed and we moved it - I am very amused and am looking forward to how this will work out.

If you ask me, Danny Sr. and I are the lucky ones! ; )

I found a good article in our local newspaper that features our soup kitchen. Find it here. I love that place.

Have a great week!

Our family's first famous artist

Olivia was born with a crayon in her hand. She has always occupied herself with all forms of art and has been interested in all the different art media. This year, we decided to enroll her in formal art lessons. This has been a great investment as she has really blossomed in her techniques. Her ability has really taken off!

Here she is at her very first art show. What a ham!!!!

Menu Plan and Soup Kitchens

My week has been wacky (in a good way) so far and have only gotten around to menu planning today. I usually make the plan before I go grocery shopping but forgot to do that this week. What's up with that??? So I am going with the flow. So here is the week's menu:

Monday - poached eggs, sausage and toast
Roast pork loin, ranch potatoes, and corn
Tuesday - oatmeal
Lentil brown rice soup with veggies and leftover pork
Wednesday - toast with peanut butter, juice
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas
Thursday - sausage and egg tacos
Pasta with chicken and cheese
Friday - French Toast
Pizza

And now for the soup kitchen. I have had the privilege of volunteering at our local soup kitchen for the last month (and now fill in a permanent slot). It is held at a location that I have felt drawn to since its opening a few years ago, but never had the chance/opportunity to serve there till now. The project is simple - to feed men, women, and children a warm and healthy lunch all week long. There are no qualifications to go there - anyone, regardless of anything, can eat lunch there. I see young and old alike, and every age in between. The project runs on donations and volunteers. Food items are always accepted and needs range from desserts, potatoes, canned goods, breads, frozen vegetables and more. Monetary donations are great, because the chef can purchase any needs beyond what has been donated. Volunteers prep, serve, and clean, and basically do whatever the head chef needs them to.

The holidays (AND all year long) are a great time to get involved in projects like these - it is a great opportunity to turn away from the consumerism that is so prevalent, more so at this time of year. It is a great way to find a deep shift in perspective, to bless those in need, and to get our own minds off of our problems. It also gives our children a good example of sharing love, time, and effort.

So, you may be thinking...what can I do to help? Well, you can visit this site, or this one. Here's another great article. You can do a Google search of soup kitchens in your home town, contact your local Salvation Army office, or even call local churches, they may have some info. You can volunteer your time, resources, food, or money. You can sign up to get Angel Food, and drive it straight over to the soup kitchen. You can invite a friend and team up (gotta add, that is a way to make this very fun!). You can tell everyone what you find out and encourage your friends and family to get involved. If you live right here in the town I live in and are interested in our local soup kitchen, leave a comment and I'll give you the info (or leave a comment anyways!).

Do you have anything to add? Ideas? Comments? I would love to hear it!

Have a wonderful week!

A Photo

I was looking for this photo to post with the entry about our anniversary, but couldn't find it anywhere! I found it today, so here it is....the picture was taken on our wedding night, and this was a Valentine's card I made for Danny two years ago.
Love Birds!
XOXOXOX

10 Years of Bliss

Thursday marked a very special milestone in our lives. Danny and I celebrated 10 years of marriage! We met under unusual circumstances (who doesn't??), dated for a few months before deciding to move in together (gasp!). I moved in with him at his grandparent's home - bless them, I wasn't the easiest person to get along with at the time! We lived there together for three years, during which we conceived and had our first baby, got married, and conceived our 2nd baby. At that point, we decided to move out and find a little rental house, which we lived in for a year before we found our gem of a home in the country. We have been here for a little over 7 years.

As all couples, we had our ups and downs, but our downs never got so low and I can't remember a time when we stayed upset with each other for over a couple of days. We always found forgiveness and love, no matter what. We have been with each other through the loss of his grandma, my dad and step-dad, a couple of beloved pets. We also gave birth to three beautiful, precious children. Danny always has been right there with me, encouraging and loving me and the kids with everything he has.

We made the decision for me to stay at home with the kids, we knew it the moment I gave birth to Olivia. I was a breastfeeding/cloth diapering/baby wearing mama, and it was great to see him advocate those causes to various friends and family members who became pregnant and had babies. That always brought a great big smile to my face! Meanwhile, as I was home keeping these kiddos, he was out there, working his tail off, making sacrifices so we could parent our children in the way we believed was right for us.

Danny has taught me so much about being peaceful and laid back (trust me on this one, I had a long way to go with that!), humble, patient, unconditionally loving, selfless, brave, and tough. He took my good and made it better and showed me how to work through the bad and get over myself when I was being a self absorbed brat (which, by the way, could be because I am an only child and he is the oldest of 9!!!).

If you can't tell, I love this man with my whole entire being! God found the absolutely most perfect man for me (and perfect woman for him???) and He led us to each other, He blessed us with an incredibly wonderful marriage, three beautiful children, a home full of love, hope, joy, and laughter. For this I am very, very thankful.

Dannyism of the Day

On the way to the farm today, Danny exclaimed, "Hey Mom! Did you hear that? I whistled!"

"No, Honey, I didn't hear it! You'll have to do it again so I can hear it this time!" I replied.

"Eh, Sorry, Mom, I only whistle once a month."

What a turkey!!!!!

Kefir Smoothies

I got it! A delicious way to drink my kefir.

8 oz home-cultured milk kefir
1 banana
1/2 c frozen fruit (I use strawberry/mango/papaya mix)
1 t honey (more or less)

blend

drink

enjoy

Menu planning and Monday stuff

With Christmas coming fast as it can, I am finding it a crazy thing to have to add stuff to my already busy schedule. I am getting some great lessons in time management! I am also learning that the world will continue to revolve if I don't get something done or if I don't make a certain function. It was quite freeing to accept that. : )

I took the handmade pledge so the gifts I will be giving, of course, will be handmade. That doesn't stop me from feeling attracted to, and tempted by, all the pretty shiny things I see when I enter a retail environment. That temptation is real, alive, and kicking. I have to stop and remind myself what this is all about. It is easy to speak about the reason we celebrate Christmas, about the birth of our Savior, about living Christmas all year round, but it is more of a challenge to practice that. That being said, just because it's a challenge doesn't mean that I am going to give up. No siree.

Along with the pledge and joining Advent Conspiracy, I made a promise to myself - a way to keep my mind off all the shiny pretty things, and that is to give more of my time in various capacities. This includes spending better quality family time, helping the art teacher at school, and other volunteer opportunities. By stepping out and sharing love with others, by being a light unto the world, I am motivated and encouraged to get my own mind off the worldly things this culture has to offer, and blessing others in the process. From my perspective, there is nothing in the world that is better than making someone smile and know that they are loved and appreciated.

My beautiful family and I are celebrating a very special landmark this week! Thursday the 11th is our 10th wedding anniversary! Woo Hoo! Ten fabulous years down, the rest of our lives to go. Oh how I love this man! I am so thankful to have found him.

So, here's our meal plan for the week. I don't know if we'll be doing anything special on Thursday or if we'll save it for the weekend. It all depends on babysitting. I'd rather save it for a non-school night, maybe Saturday.

Monday - oatmeal and bananas
Macaroni and tomato sauce with ground beef
Tuesday - French toast
Roast chicken with mashed potatoes and peas
Wednesday - cereal
Celebrating a friend's birthday after school so will eat there.
Thursday - poached eggs and toast
Steak and Crash Hot Potatoes from The Pioneer Woman
Friday - biscuits and sausage gravy
Cheeseburger macaroni

Lack of Posting Lately

Hello, everyone....sorry for the lack of posting lately. I am still alive and kicking. But for a while there, I wasn't exactly kicking. I have nursed two separate, pretty bad colds and haven't had much to blog about because I haven't done too much other than being at home, recovering. I've had sinuses so my head's been a little foggy.

I didn't even post my meal plan for the past week, so I'll just tell you what we ate: clam chowder, meat and beans, King Ranch casserole, chicken tenders with rice and veggies, and pot roast. Today, Danny and his brother Javi are picking up Subways for dinner. Yum.

I started culturing (don't know if that's the right word) kefir this week...and am forcing myself to like it. Well, to drink it, anyways. I am looking for more palatable ways to consume it, so if you have any suggestions, they are very welcome, just leave a comment. I also started brewing kombucha, it's on day 3, so we'll see how that goes - I'll let you know!

Alrighty then, catch ya next time!
: )