Monday, June 30, 2008

Recipe Monday -- corn fritters

Okay gals my recipe for today is corn fritters....how easy this is!

1 can corn....drained
3T flour
1 small onion diced
salt and pepper
egg

combine all of the above and fry in oil in a hot skillet until brown on both sides....that's it....yummy!

Menu for week

Our angel food came in...yahoo....I am always like a kid in a candy store when my angel food order comes in every month!
I always feel a sense of peace when my cupboard and freezer are full.
With the new yummies in the house I have made the menu for this week....

Monday - breakfast - cereal (I caught it on sale and with a purchase of three I also got a free gallon of milk), lunch - blt, dinner- it is just me and the youngest tonight so it was mac n cheese and pizza rolls

Tuesday - breakfast - pancakes and syrup, lunch - sandwiches (will still have some leftover sandwich meat from the weekend trip), dinner - ribeyes on the grill, mashed potatoes, green beans and buttered carrots

Wednesday - breakfast - cereal, lunch- leftovers, dinner - bbq chicken leg quarters, corn and greenbeans

Thursday - breakfast - egg and toast, lunch leftovers, we are leaving for camping so we will have a dinner of hotdogs when we get there and get set up

Friday - breakfast - sausage, gravy and biscuits, lunch - hot dogs, dinner - hamburgers and fries

Saturday - breakfast - pancakes and bacon, lunch - italian sausage, dinner - pork riblets, mashed potatoes, corn

Sunday - breakfast - biscuits with jelly, lunch/dinner - chicken tenders and fries

We will be back home from camping Sunday....thank God for holidays!

Blueberry Cottage making a house a home challenge Monday update

Hello ladies!

Well here is my Monday update....still no pix...ughh one day soon I will have new batts in the digital camera...I promise and then I will give you guys a tour of the homestead.

Today I opened all of the windows and let the fresh air come in. I turned off the central air as it was only about 80 degrees here in KY today.

I also put a teddy bear blanket on my couch that had been put up for awhile and an antique teddy on the corner of the couch. This is the upstairs couch that never gets sit on and since the puppy has ate it some over the past few months the cover was a necessity but putting my nice teddy blanket was a big step for me.

I am trying to pull out the good stuff that I don't use and use it everyday. After all who more to impress than your hubby and children?

Love ya'll!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Washing Soda is in!

Yahoo my case of washing soda came in! I just got finished making a double batch of laundry detergent. I also put a tiny drop of eucalyptous scent that my Nana gave me. It is a really strong scented oil so it only takes a TINY amount.
It smells so good!

I have my dryer working again since we were blessed to get our electric redone. Thank you Jesus! So I am very excited to get the laundry that has piled up after our weekend trip done and put away.

As I mentioned in my earlier blogs, we make our own laundry detergent. The recipe that we use calls for washing soda, which I could not find anywhere. So I was using baking soda....not the same thing. So I ordered some washing soda from Arm and Hammer and now I am excited to get the laundry going with this new batch of detergent.

It is a sad, sad thing when this excited me! :-)

Sunday Service to God

We go to church as a family on Sundays and the children and I go on Wednesdays if hubby has to mow. If hubby doesn't, then sometimes he will go on Wednesdays too. Now going to church doesn't save a person. Only through Jesus Christ can one be saved. But going to church does hold us accountable and help us in our daily walk with Him.

I have heard many people's excuses not to attend church regularly. There isn't enough time is the number one that I hear. You have 24 hours a day, and seven days every week. That is 168 hours every week that you have. I don't understand how a person cannot find just a couple of those 168 hours to spend in God's house.

Then comes the other excuse "I can worship God wherever I am. There is no need for me to do it in a church." True, you can worship God wherever you are. But in God's word he says that it is good to come to the house of the Lord. It is good to be a part of the body of Christ. You need to have those brothers and sisters in Christ that will stand with you and help you through your daily walk with Him. If nothing else attending church on a regular basis holds you accountable. It keeps you on track. How else are going to sit under the preachings and teachings of God's elders?

And of course there is the "I don't believe in organized religion". Who's talking about religion here? Find a church home where you feel comfortable. Make sure that the church is a Bible believing church. Make sure that the pastor of the church is a gentleman who truly knows the Bible and studies it and when you sit underneath his teachings, you can feel the spirt of God speaking to you.

There are many other excuses for not attending church on a regular basis. I just hope that whatever your excuse is, that you reach into God's Word and find out what He says about it. And then do His will concerning church attendance in your life.

Once you start attending on a regular basis you will find that it is easier and easier to make it a part of your life. Before you know it you will just go and not even think twice about it. And then one day when you are ill or cannot make it to the service you will be so upset because you will just know that there is a blessing you are missing out on!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

one of my poems

This poem was written by me shortly after I lost my five year old daughter to cancer in 2001. I missed her so much, I still do....

"I am drawn quietly to her grave to check on her.
Just as I was drawn quietly to her room when she slept.
I trim the grass around her marker,
and I dream of trimming the bangs from her forehead.
I place flowers in her vase,
and dream of placing bows in her hair.
I hold her memory dear to my heart,
as I dream of holding her in my arms."

Recipe for Day --

Okay here is the recipe I have chosen to share with you today...

Mary Jo's Bean Dip (don't let the title fool ya....this can be an entire meal for the family)
2-3 lbs ground beef
2 cans refried beans
8 oz sour cream
2 pks mexican cheese
16 oz jar of salsa
2 pkgs taco seasoning

Brown beef and stir in taco seasoning using directions on package. Set aside. In a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish spread refried beans, then sour cream, 1 package of cheese, meat mixture, salsa and then remaining cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

You can also put some lettuce and tomatoes on your plate to round out your meal when serving it for your family.

Now my frugal heart would tell you to shave your own cheddar cheese from a block because it is cheaper and if you have your own refried beans made up, of course use those, and if you canned some salsa last year from your bumper tomato crop then that is another money savings. And the last of course would be to use your own home made taco seasoning! :-)

Enjoy!

Keeping a Clean House

Your house can easily get out of hand and quickly. I know this from personal experience. If I do not stay on top of my house cleaning every day it will look mesy and dirty. It will look like I have done nothing all week. And inevitably this is when you will get company. It never fails.

I have found that by just doing a few things each day you can keep your home looking clean and inviting. Now we have four people, one cat and one dog living in our small home so it is not going to look its best except right after I do my weekend clean. But by doing a little each day it doesn't look like I have done nothing for a month! :-)

Each day when I wake up I head downstairs to load laundry. And then after getting ready and getting the kids ready, I make my bed. I use a comforter and shams so this is easy. I do a quick straighten of my room and the bathroom -- just a quick one (picking up the towels, dirty clothes, etc). Then I head to the kitchen and get breakfast ready and lunch packed. While I am doing this I straighten up the kitchen. I make sure that the counters are clean, etc.

Next I head downstairs and reload the laundry and bring up a load to put away. By this time we are needing to kick in to warp nine speed. So I make sure the kids have their shoes on and all the items that they need and as they are doing this I grab the little battery operated sweeper (love it!) and do a quick sweep of the kitchen, hall and bath (if there is enough time I sweep the living room and bedrooms). Then it is out the door we go.

When I get home from work I start cooking supper. As I cook I have a sink of warm dish water and I as I cook, I wash. I also quick clean the bath cabinet (I keep a spray bottle of bleach water handy to just quick spray and wipe), and the toilet seat. I also keep a spray bottle of alcohol and water in the shower to quick spray as we get out of the shower each time we spray it on the walls and tub of the shower. (This is a cheap version of shower spray that you buy and it does just as well)

I reload the laundry a couple of times in the evening and I try to keep picking up after the kids. I make sure that the table is cleared in the kitchen as that is the first thing people see when they come into my home. I make sure the bathroom is kept clean and straight and the mirror clean.

I only do the vacuuming and general cleaning once a week and if we are gone camping or away for the weekend I don't have the time to do that so this quick clean every day really helps.

Hopefully this will help you keep your house inviting to others.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Tuesday Happenings

Today was a rough day at work...ugh! If only I could be an SAHM. Oh how my heart longs to be a housewife and mother full time. But I am thankful to God for a good job that is close to home. I work for a great company so I am not complaining about the job....just the fact that I have to be away from home at all.

I woke up this morning at 6:30. It was the usual get myself ready and then the girls ready. The girls had scrambled eggs and homemade biscuits this morning.

I had to go to an OES meeting last night so I nabbed some leftovers for me and hubby to have for lunch today. Yummy-- and I didn't have to cook them (or pay for them). It doesn't get any beter than that!

On the way home from work I had to stop at the Family Dollar for a gallon of milk. This killed my soul since I had to pay 4.35 for a gallon! Ughhh but in our town this is all we have and it would have cost too much money to head to the grocery in the next town up. So I paid it. I also found some clothes on clearance for the girls so it wasn't a waste. I did save some money.

I got home at about 5:30 and hubby was waiting in the driveway to go to his mowing job. So it is just me and the girls. We still have leftover stroganoff so we just warmed up leftovers for supper. However hubby has requested a fried bologna, egg and cheese sandwich when he gets home. That's okay he will just have the stroganoff for lunch tomorrow. :-)

Tomorrow we will have dinner at church so I don't have to worry about cooking. I am just going to fix a simple dessert to take.

We have a pageant in a town that is about an hour and a half away on Thurs, Fri and Sat this weekend so I have to get some lunchmeat, chips and donuts and drinks to put in a cooler so we can just eat out of our hotel rooms. The oldest got sponsors to help with the cost of the hotel room and pageant fees. (a note on the pageant we are not pageant people-- but this is not a beauty pageant)

But anyway we are not going to be able to afford to eat out so here is my way to save money while we are away from home this weekend.
Thursday -- breakfast and lunch at home...we will head out in the afternoon. Dinner will be sandwiches, cokes and chips from the cooler in the room.
Friday -- donuts and milk for breakfast in room....sandwiches, chips and snack cake for lunch in room...dinner we will splurge for the kids and order pizza
Saturday -- donuts and milk for breakfast in room.....sandwich, chips and snack for lunch in room....we will be heading home so we will have dinner at home.
So the only cost for food to eat out will be Friday and we will just order a large one topping pizza so that won't be too bad at all.

We are not planning on leaving the hotel as they have a pool there so we will not have any entertainment expenses either.

So anyway back to today. I washed a sink of dishes and I am getting ready to make some no bake cookies (we are selling them tomorrow to help cover expenses for the hotel this weekend) I have to make 75 to sale and some for home, and some to take to the sitter. So I am going to be up to my elbows in no bakes. While I am doing this I also have to do about 4 loads of laundry (where it all comes from I will never know). Oh and that reminds me that I have to make a small batch of laundry detergent just to hold me over until my washing soda that I ordered comes in and then I will make a big batch.

I have already swept the floors but I need to straighten the family room. Then I have to get the kids baths and get them ready for bed. Whew....I wish I had more hours in the day!

Well see you guys tomorrow!

New Electric~

Sorry it has been a few days guys but guess what?!
We finally got our electric redone. Yah! Our house was built in 1969 so it only had a 100 amp service. We now have 200 amp. And it is all new. The box and breakers have all been replaced. Our dryer plug was replaced as it burned up and the 220 box was replaced as that burned up too. (I know...we are lucky the whole house didn't burn up) God is good!
They just finished today and the electric company is coming to inspect tomorrow.
Now we just have to get the old gas furnace and central air unit replaced with a heat and air pump.
Thanks to papaw for the loan to get these things done. It was getting pretty dangerous.
I can't believe I am so happy over an electric box......I must really be an adult now. :-)

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Organized Household

Ladies it is very important in todays hectic lifestyle that we have an organized household. Many of my blogger friends use home management binders. I don't have one of those...maybe one day but right now it just isn't necessary.

For me it is all about keeping it simple. My Nana gets mad at me sometimes because I sell perfectly good stuff in yard sales, give it to good will and even toss unwanted items in the trash. There have been times that people have given me items for Christmas and such and later it will be in my yard sale. It is not that I don't appreciate the fact that people gave me the gift. I just don't need it. I have enough items cluttering my house on my own without adding more items that I really don't need and keeping them just because someone gave them to me.

I go by the rule if it hasn't been used in the past 6 months then out it goes. And as far as nick naks unless it is something I really like and that is special to me.....out it goes. I used to collect stuff, save everything, etc. but not anymore. I realize that stuff is just stuff and it really is clutter. Everything gives off an energy and if you have a lot of stuff surrounding you then you can feel tired, out of sorts, like you are overwhelmed.

Well enough about my rantings about too much stuff. Back to being organized. Here are a few of the ways I stay organized...

Homeschool -- there is a basket in the living room by the piano that holds all of the homeschooling books and papers. There is another large basket on the other side of the piano that holds all of the kids games. When we want those items we pull them out and as soon as we are finished, they go right back.

Kitchen - I have two small pantry closets. One of them houses boxed goods, flour, sugar, etc. The other houses small appliances and large bowls that I don't want out on my counter. We took a board with silver hooks from Wal-Mart that was intended to be used as a coat hanger but we knew it would be perfect for a pot rack. So it is hanging on the wall and my good steel pots and pans are hanging on it and my others are in a large cabinet next to my stove. The rest of my kitchen cabinets hold dishes, cups, glasses, etc. On my counter in my kitchen you will find a tool turnabout next to the stove that holds all of my utensils that I use regularly (the rest are in a drawer in the kitchen). An americana lamp (I really like the glow of a lamp in the evening and find it very peaceful and homey). A rack which holds my plates and cups, a dish drain and two large bowls in a stand that hold my onions and garlic. You will also find a couple of cookbooks and the can opener and that is it. The rest of the itmes are tucked in cupboards and cabinets (and I have VERY VERY few cabinets so I you can tell I have very very little stuff).

Kids Bedrooms - There are two laundry baskets in the playroom and they hold toys. I tried to get the kids to put the kitchen toys in their kitchen and the doll stuff in the doll house, etc. After fighting and fighting about it I decided to just put the baskets in there and as long as the toys are in baskets....I don't care how they are organized. The youngest's clothes are in the playroom closet and a small dresser in there. The oldest's clothes are in her bedroom which also houses a bunkbed where they both sleep. In her room is the bookshelf and all their books are on there....this bookshelf sits on top of a chest of drawers so it isn't easily accesible to youngest who can sometimes be hard on books. In her room is also a very large desk. (Too big for her room but a special gift from grandmother so it stays). When she gets older she will appreciate the desk (and take it with her when she moves!). Oldest's games, cd's, etc. are in her desk. It is her responsibility to keep up with them. Not me.

Dining Room - I have a large closet where I keep everything that does't fit elsewhere and the large serving platters and dishes that I don't really use but The Princess Foundation uses them so I must keep them.

Bathroom - every person has their own drawer in the bathroom and all of us girls have a basket on the counter which houses all of our scrunchies. The towels and washrags are in the closet in the bathroom as well as any extra toiletries and toilet paper and paper towels.

Laundry Room - I keep my homemade detergent in a container right next to the washer, there is a trash bag handy hanging on the wall for trash that I may find in pockets, etc. We have a deep freezer in there for storing meat and extra flour. We also have shelves in there for decorations (which are all boxed by holiday), childrens clothes (which are all boxed by size) and other items that need to be stored. There is also three clothes lines hanging. One is for storing off season clothes and the other two are for hanging clothes to dry.

Family Room - Nothing is allowed to stay in this room that is not in one of the two drawers in the side tables. Enough said....this place can get messy enough with just blankets and pillows (which by the way are to be folded and placed at the end of the couch on the floor)

Rec Room - This is not a good topic for me right now as it is still gutted from the flood. But this is where all of The PRincess Foundation's stuff is and it is separated into three cabinets that we bought from Lowes. Down here also is the small pool table, football table and my desk and file cabinets.

Shoes are to be put immediately in the closet of the wearer. Coats are to be immediately hung on the coat tree in the winter...in the summer the coat tree is moved downstairs - it isn't needed and is a hindrence in the summer.

Purses are to be hung on hooks in the appropriate person's room. Wallets are to be put in the man's basket on the dresser.

Sunday school stuff is kept in same basket as homeschool and this is also where all Bibles are kept.

Kitchen cleaners are kept below the kitchen sink, bathroom cleaners are kept below the bathroom sink, etc.

Sheets - when they get off the line from drying, take all the pieces and put it in one of the pillow cases then store it in a drawer....then they are all together.

Bathtowels - each person has a clothespin with their name on it. When they get a towel out of the closet and use it they hang it up and put their clothespin on it. They are to use that towel for at least three days....after all they are clean when they use it. There is no sense wasting money washing towels that are not dirty. While they are using their towel they just put the clothespin on the shower curtain until the towel is hung back up.

Dirty Laundry - there is a main laundry basket in our bedroom that is for me and hubby and sheets, towels. There is a small one in the kid's room. Everyone is responsible for putting their own laundry in the baskets. ***another thing....most pants can be worn twice before washing....don't wash the item if it isn't dirty!

Menu - Each week the menu is placed on the fridge door. No more "what's for dinner?"

Calendar - There is a calendar which hangs in the kitchen and on it we put all activities for the month. If someone wants to know what we are doing tomorrow....they look at the calendar. If someone doesn't put their activity on the calendar....well then there is a possibility it doesn't get done. Schedule conflicts -- when usually the first activity on the calendar trumps the ones after it. But depending on the necessity of the activity one placed before may get moved....our calendar is VERY IMPORTANT!

Camping -- well that is too much for me to list here. I promise in the next few days I will do a blog just about camping and how we organize ourselves.

There is a place for everything. Find its place (put it where you would most likely be using it) and stick to it.

My MEEZ

Whew I didn't think I would ever figure out my meez. But here I am....aren't I cute? And isn't buddy just adorable.... hee hee it doesn't even look like Buddy but still its a dog and I am petting him. But notice I am in my dress with my long hair and I am serving food which is what I love to do.
Enjoy

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Fair and The Dogsie Dog Shirt

Well today the Mattingly family went to the fair....well minus dad as he was working. But me and the girls headed out to the county fair. We had a blast. For just $10 admission per person you got to ride all you wanted! How cool is that!?
Needless to say I didn't get anything done at the house. But tomorrow is Friday and that means I have two days off coming up that I can get caught up on the house.
It is okay to just say no for a day and head out with the family. It felt good to just feel free and have fun with my kids by being a kid myself. I think I had more fun on the bumper cars then they did. (It was really fun chasing my oldest with my car and "bumping" her in the rear) Hee Hee
We rode the scrambler too and that was a hoot. I hadn't rode that in years! I guess it was the first time that the youngest had rode it and she thought it was great.
Of course we ended the day with a trip to the corndog stand....boy they always smell better than they seem to taste once you get them! :-(
But I did pick up the neatest gadget while I was there. It is a body suit for your dog! My mini schnauzer still has accidents and marks the territory in the house so we have to confine him to only certain rooms. Well this suit enables him to run free around the house and if he has an accident it "catches" it and you just wash it clean. It is called the Dogsie Dog Shirt. You can check out their website at http://www.dogsie.com/
I recommend this little shirt as I am sure it will allow our little Buddy to be more of a part of the family.

Suzanne's at Blueberry Cottage Challenge

Okay gang. Although I am a few days late here is my update for the week to Suzanne at Blueberry Cottage and her challenge for us to do something each week to make our home more "homey" :-).
Well this week I decided instead of a physical change that you can see I would instead create a change you could feel. I have made it a point not to over react to situations. I have decided to keep a smile and a pleasing attitude.
My children are wonderful little girls and sometimes I expect too much out of them. After all they are just children. My husband is a great guy and sometimes in the daily "to do's" of life I forget to have that sweet spirit with him always. I think it is because we get used to these people in our life and we tend to take them for granted.
We tend to be on our best behavior with people outside of our home. Well my challenge to myself this week was to have that sweet spirit with my family as well.
I realized that maybe things get stressfull in my home because I get stressed. So I am taking hold of that stress and telling it that it isn't welcome in my home anymore. The sweet, sweet spirit will abound and I know my children and husband will appreciate it! :-)

Praying for Husbands -- We need Godly Husbands

I am very blessed to have a husband who accompanies our family to church. He was raised as a catholic so our apostolic faith church is different then what he was raised. As a child he went to mass on special days and holidays but it was not really a "way of life". He wasn't raised on Jesus more as raised on religion. He used to not accompany me to church and I would sit alone with my children. But praise be to God, he is now attending every Sunday and sometimes on Wednesdays if he doesn't have to work.

He goes with me to teach Sunday school and the kids really like himbeing there and is a big help since I teach the younger children. I am still praying that God will touch him and prick his heart. I pray that he will seek the Lord in all that he does and that he will become the spiritual head of the household. I am praying and believing that one day he will lead his family in prayer and Bible study. His best friends are all catholic and we love them very much and they are good friends to us. But a lot of the catholic religion remains with him through them and his family. He is surrounded by it on a daily basis. So I pray that God will give him the desire to seek and live according to His will. I pray that he will have that relationship and not the religion.

I found a 31 day plan for praying for our husbands. (I found this on thefamilyhomestead.com) I am going to begin praying this over him daily.I have faith and believe that my prayers will reach the very throne of God and a supernatural change will begin to take place. I thank God for all He has done already in the life of my husband and I know He will continue the work that has begun. I have listed the first seven days of this prayer below and will list them each week.

Day 1. That he might become a holy man, a man of prayer, mature in theLord, growing in his knowledge of the Lord. 1 Thess 5:23, Col 4:12, Eph1:18-19, 3:16-19, 6:18

Day 2 That he might grow in all 11 descriptions of a man who will notbe shaken as listed in Psalm 15.

Day 3 That he might be a man of contentment as seen in Prov 15:16, Phil4:11, 1 Tim 6:6-8, Heb 13:5

Day 4 That he might learn to take every thought captive, to not beconformed to the world's thinking and to think scripturally. Rom 12:2, 2Corin 10:5

Day 5 That he might daily seek God with all his heart, walking in theSpirit moment by moment, growing in his dependence upon Him. Psalm119:1-2, Prov 3:5-6

Day 6 That he would ever be captivated by my love. Prov 5:18-19

Day 7 That he would be a man of courage. Deut 31:6, 2 Chron 19:11

I ask that you join me in this prayer challenge and pray for your husbands as well. I pray that the nation will be changed through the godly husbands and fathers.

Today's Recipe Card

As promised here is a recipe from my file...
This is a favorite recipe of ours but unfortunately not one that we use often. Unless we get chuck steaks in our Angel food box we don't have it. Maybe I will find some on sale soon and then I can serve it for dinner.
Mattingly's Swiss Steak
several good size chuck steaks (the kind that have been tenderized andalready in package)
1 large green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
Dip your steaks in an egg and milk wash and then in flour seasoned withsalt and pepper. Put some oil in a skillet and get hot. Place yoursteaks in for just a minute on each side to get browned. Move steaks toan electric skillet and pour tomatoes over them. Add your diced greenpepper and onion. Set skillet to a low temp and cook steaks for about 45minutes. These will result in a very tender steak.

We serve this with mashed potatoes as my family likes to put the tomato mixture over their potatoes. This is a very yummy dinner for a Sunday.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Laundry Detergent Recipe

As you guys know I have been making my own laundry detergent. I was unable to find washing soda anywhere and have been subbing with baking soda. But I have noticed that my clothes have a bit of a "dingy" look. I have determined that this is due to not using the washing soda. So I called Arm and Hammer (Dwight and ?)- you can find their number online- you can order it directly through them! And they give you either 10% off or free shipping, your choice.

So anyway I ordered a case of washing soda. A box is 55 oz and the cost is 3.99 a box a case of 12 is 47.88. It was cheaper for me to take the free shipping so for 50.75 ( including tax ) I am getting a whole case of washing soda that should very well last me a long, long time. So I suggest that you follow the recipe and don't substitute baking soda for washing soda.

1 bar soap (ivory or fels naptha) - currently I am using Ivory since I already had several bars of that at home. You will want to grate it - just use a regular grater.
1/2 c Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 c Borax

I use it in a powdered formula but there are a lot of recipes on the web that show you how to cook it into a liquid formula if you prefer. Use 2 T of this per load. There is no need for any fabric softener when you use this. Unless you just prefer.

The cost is less than 3 cents per load.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Monday Meanderings....again

Well it was Monday all over again today....it seems like we just did this last week! :-)
As always the first day back at work for the week is hard. But I got a lot accomplished today.
At home I fixed a double pan of salisbury steak, leftover greenbeans, corn pudding, and instant potatoes. It was quite yummy. We also had leftover apple crisp from yesterday. There was enough leftover for mine and hubby's lunch and also a lunch for hubby's bff at work.
As I sit here typing my ending blog for the day my darling oldest just got out of the shower and she is dying to get on the computer. Hubby just came in and gave me a hug and a kiss goodnight. Youngest is playing paper dolls with magnetic dolls on the refrigerator. It is good to be home together. My favorite time of the day is when we are all home and spending time with each other. It does my heart good when my children are right beside me. I have worked hard during the day and our home is still going strong, their bellies are full, they are content and hubby is content. Yep, this is my favorite time of the day.
Oh I forgot to mention that our youngest boy (hee hee that would be the mini schnauzer....Buddy) has found a friend up the street. We took him walking today and he met his little beagle pup friend and they had a ball. It was so much fun to watch them play together. I was walking Buddy and the girls and daddy were riding bikes together.
Well oldest is leaning on me....looking over my shoulder...and like I said...dying for the computer so that is all for now.
Oh and PS....at a request from Nana who commented a few days back I will be posting a recipe a day tomorrow. I hope you enjoy.

Children and Chores

Today I am going to write about children and chores. I believe that children should learn responsibility by being in charge of certain duties around the house. At our home we have tried several different chore charts, token methods, etc. to get the girls to do their chores. Everything seems to work for a little while and then we get out of the groove.
The oldest's chores include making her bed, putting away her clothes, setting and cleaning off the table, helping with laundry, feeding and watering the dog, and helping to keep the house straight. She also is supposed to help gather garbage and wipe off the bathroom counters, etc.
The youngest is in charge of making her bed, cleaning her room and sweeping the floors.
Overall they do an okay job. I keep trying to be creative with chore methods to keep them motivated.
I have found that money works the best. I am going to try giving a dollar a day to each child that completes their chores for that day. If they do not complete all their chores then they do not get their dollar for that day.
Now lets talk about handling the money. Immediately they need to put 10% in their bank and 10% in their tithing envelope. The rest they can choose what they do with. They can spend it or save it for something special.
This will teach them the importance of saving and giving tithes to the church. This will instill in them at an early age that those things come off first. What is leftover is what is theirs.
What I recommend when it comes to children and chores is to find out what works best for you and your family. There is not any one way that will work for everyone. My girls have a color coded system that hangs on the wall. Morning is red, afternoon is yellow and evening is blue. Each tag has a chore on it. When the chore is completed they move the tag to the completed hook. At the end of the day we check to see that the chores are completed and then I move the tags back on the appropriate hooks.
Find what works for your family and teach your kids to be responsible.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Father's Day happenings

Today was Father's Day and just like every other holiday, we spent it running from one place to another. I fixed the family some quick and easy cinnamon rolls since time was of the essence. I had found grands biscuits on sale for 10 for 10 and the 11th free at Meijer several weeks ago and I was down to my last one so I popped open the can and flatten out each biscuit. I then topped each one with butter, lots of sugar and cinnamon. I then flip it on half to create a sort of crescent and squeeze the edges together to form a seam. I bake it as the package suggests. When it comes out of the oven I top it with a simple frosting of powdered sugar and milk. My family likes these cinnamon rolls and they are quick and easy for me.
I then started cooking Father's Day lunch and two loaves of bread to start the week. The plan today was to make lunch and take it to hubby's father who lives alone and eat lunch with him. I fixed a large meatloaf, and a big pot of green beans. I also fixed an apple crisp for dessert. We packed up these items along with stuff to make the mashed potatoes and mac n cheese there. It was a delightful meal. We all got our bellies full, cleaned up our mess and headed on to my father's house.
We spent about an hour visiting with him and then it was off to visit my mother's boyfriend. The children gave him a father's day card and some chocolate chip cookies. We again visited for about an hour, then we were on the road again. I had to get home and finalize the items needed for sunday school at 7.
We had every intention of visiting my grandfather but time fell short. So in the morning the girls and I will leave a little early and stop and visit papaw on the way to drop the youngest off at Nana's and oldest at the sitter...and me at work.
Church was good tonight and the children enjoyed making a couple of crafts for their dad. They made a banner and also a #1 dad certificate. Their lesson tonight was about Noah and obeying rules. Our pastor's wife had made a batch of sugar and chocolate chip cookies and boxed them up in small chinese take out boxes with a father's day tag on them and handed them out to all of the men in church. It has kind of become a tradition and I know the men like getting those home made cookies.
Well we made it home at about 9:30. Hubby and I were a little hungry so we ate a late snack of leftovers and the kids had a couple of nobakes. We all got ready for bed and I read the girls "Sidney and Norman... a tale of two pigs" by Phil Vischer. It is a darling story and a great read aloud for bedtime.
I was able to get some veggies at Sam's last night so I have sort of revamped the menu for this week and it is below. (Also my mom's boyfriend had a death in his family so I need to change Monday to a simple meal so we can head out to the funeral home)
Monday - Breakfast -- toast and jam, Lunch - leftovers, Dinner - salisbury steak (leftover from angel food from a previous month - I will cook up two of them), instant potatoes (with the price of potatoes...this has become cheaper for my family), and green beans (leftover from today)
Tuesday - Breakfast - scrambled eggs and toast, Lunch - leftovers, Dinner- hamburgers and hotdogs with french fries
Wednesday - Breakfast - baked oatmeal, Lunch - leftovers, Dinner - (since this is church night I need to keep it simple) hotdogs cooked in pork n beans, mac n cheese
Thursday - Breakfast - leftover oatmeal, Lunch leftovers, Dinner - Turkey and gravy, instant potatoes, baked beans (made from the leftover beans from the large can from last night)
Friday - Breakfast - scrambled eggs and toast, Lunch - sandwich - Dinner - Fish nuggets and fries
Saturday - Breakfast - sausage, eggs and biscuit, Lunch - chicken strips and fries, Dinner - pork tenderloin grilled, green beans, corn
Sunday - Breakfast - sausage and biscuit, Lunch/Dinner - garlic roasted chicken, leftover green beans, leftover corn.
So there is our dinner for this week. Yum!
Happy Father's day!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Angel food ministries food and creating menu

Here is the angel food menu for June. We will be getting this in a couple of weeks.

1.5 lb. Rib Eye Steaks (4 x 6 oz)
1.5 lb. Hamburger Patties (4 x 6 oz)
2 lb. Pork Riblets
4 lb. Individually Quick Frozen Chicken Leg Quarters
2 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders
20 oz. Supreme Pizza
1 lb. Mild Italian Sausage
2 lb. French Fries
16 oz
Sliced Carrots
16 oz. Mixed Vegetables
32 oz. Borden 2% Reduced Fat Shelf Stable Milk
6 oz. Pancake Mix
15 oz Pork and Beans
14 oz. Ketchup
7.5 oz. Macaroni & Cheese
Dozen Eggs
Dessert Item

***You get all of the above for $30. Hubby and I ordered four of these for the upcoming month. We will work our menu around these items. We will basically have the same menu each week but we will change it around so it doesn't get boring. Like one week I may make bbq chicken when it is chicken night and the next week I may make garlic brown sugar roasted chicken. Just use your imagination. But make sure that you keep your menu off these items. Make it a goal to only shop for items that you need to complete meals using your angel food.
For example...week one
Monday - Breakfast - pancakes and bacon. Lunch - Egg Salad. Dinner - Hamburger and French Fries
Tuesday - Breakfast - baked oatmeal. Lunch- PB and J. Dinner - BBQ Chicken, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes
Wednesday - Breakfast - taoast and jam. Lunch - Egg Salad. Dinner - italian sausage with green peppers and onions with potatoes
Thursday - Breakfast - scrambled eggs and toast. Lunch - leftovers. Dinner- Chicken Tender and mac n cheese and pork n beans
Friday - Breakfast - muffins. Lunch - leftovers. Dinner - Ribeye with potatoes and carrots.
Saturday - Breakfast - biscuits with sausage gravy. Lunch-Riblets with mashed potatoes and green beans
Sunday - Breakfast - toast, eggs and bacon. Lunch - leftovers from week. Dinner - supreme pizza

So that is basically what I do. Sit and figure out a menu for one week using the angel food. Then I supplement that menu with what I currently have in the cupboards, what I am growing in the garden, or what is on sale that week.

It is actually pretty easy and welcome to $50 a week groceries! ($30 for angel food and $20 to supplment). Remember to make yoru own bread, your own snacks, and everything from scratch.

Hard work is good for you!

Whew today was a hectic day. Hubby and I woke up this morning and heading out to the church for church work day. The church had to have gutters cleaned, the two buildings powerwashed, parking lot striped, sanctuary cleaned, sunday school rooms cleaned, fellowship hall cleaned, etc. We all worked very hard and pastor's wife had a lovely lunch for us. It was a good day working hard for the Lord. Afterward hubby went to help my sis move back to our hometown and I headed off to pick up the girls from their cousins bday party. Then we went to Sams. I had to pick up some veggies and flour, instant potatoes, baking soda and brown sugar. Hubby went to wal mart and got 2 gallons of milk and 2.5 dozen eggs. I should not have to return to the store for anything for the rest of this month and next month except for milk. After our trip to Sams we had another bday party to go to. This one was a sweet sixteen soc hop. It was a lot of fun. People came in costume and they served old fashioned floats.
Now we are back home, all of us. Yes our youngest finally ended her mini vacation at Nanas and she is back home with us. I just finished folding two loads of clothes that had been drying on the line in the basement. I also started a new load, changed the sheets on the beds and sprayed them down with bleach water. I scrubbed the bathrooms and gave the dog a bath. Now for the first time today I am actually sitting down! My feet ache and my eyes are very tired but I feel good. It was a good thing to work hard today.
As oldest says it is slothful to be idle and lazy.... and it is a sin. She tells me this all the time. It seems that it especially if I am resting and she needs me to do something for her. But it is true. God does not intend for us to be lazy. He gives us strength each day to do all that needs to be done. But we also need to remember that it is not good for us not to get adequate rest. God even rested and He created us to need rest. It is good to work hard but it is also good to get adequate rest.
For those of us who work outside the home, have children and work keeping the home as well, this can be difficult because there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. For that matter it is hard for SAHMs to find enough hours in the day! But we must remember that if we do not get adequate rest....our bodies will give out. So it is all about finding balance. The perfect balance between work and rest. When you find that perfect balance you will feel good about yourself.
You will know that you have done your best and worked -- listened to your body and rested as well.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Midweek Madness

Well we just completed another Wednesday in the Mattingly home. The best laid plans ....well you know the rest. Things did not go quite as planned. I had every intention by now to have the bathrooms cleaned, the carpets vacuumed, and to have gone through the two boxes of accumulated "stuff" in our bedroom. Well things just haven't worked out as planned. :-)
Today I woke up a little late at 6:30 and didn't actually get up and moving until about 6:45. After I got up and moving, I took my shower and got ready for work. The menu for breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs and toast. I ate a slice of leftover coffee cake again but the oldest thoroughly enjoyed her toast with jam and butter and a scrambled egg.
We took the day off from homeschooling today as the oldest was heading to a friends house for swimming most of the day.
Hubby had to mow two yard today so we didn't get to see him until late. When I got off at 5 I picked up the oldest from the sitter and we rode to the funeral home to visit a friend whose mother passed away. We came home and for the life of me I just couldn't bring myself to eat the planned leftover roast sandwiches. Hubby and I are both about "roasted" out so we decided to switch tomorrow's dinner with todays (see gang....just because you plan your menu, doesn't mean that you can't switch things up a bit). So as soon as the oldest and I got home we fired up the grill and fixed hamburgers and hotdogs. A great seasoning for hamburgers is Canadian Steak Seasoning. I got the idea from our Nana. It is quite tasty and I recommend it for many different meats. We get a large container of it from Sams pretty inexpensively.
We put some french fries in the fry daddy (the fries came from angelfood, of course). We had a nice dinner of hamburgers with potato buns that I got on sale for .90 a package from Meijers and hot dogs. We have plenty leftover for lunch tomorrow so I am changing the lunch menu tomorrow from PB and J to leftover hamburgers. Yum Yum.
We placed our angel food order for the month today at church. We ordered four of the regular monthly boxes. They had some great meat box specials this month too but it is not a good week financially for us. Hubby was laid off last week and with the extra expenses we have had these past couple of weeks,we have no extra money whatever. But the four regular boxes will get us through the next month. I will work on getting a post up showing the angel food menu for the month and how I will make up my menu plans.
The angel food will not come in until the last Saturday of this month so I still have to be creative with what I have in the freezer at home for the next couple of weeks. Next week's menu is as follows...
Monday - Breakfast - baked oatmeal and toast, Lunch - PB and J sandwiches, Dinner -Fish Nuggets and Fries
Tuesday - Breakfast - scrambled egg and toast, Lunch - leftover fish nuggets, Dinner -pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and green beans
Wednesday - Breakfast - sugar coated muffins, Lunch - leftover pork tenderloin, Dinner -chicken strips and fries
Thursday - Breakfast - boiled egg and muffin, Lunch - leftover chicken strips, Dinner -Salisbury Steak, buttered noodles and green beans
Friday - Breakfast - toast and jam, Lunch - leftover salisbury steak, Dinner -turkey and gravy with mashed potatoes
Saturday - Breakfast - bacon, eggs and biscuits, Lunch/Dinner -pork tenderloin with mixed vegetables
Sunday - Breakfast - leftover biscuits and sausage gravy, Lunch/Dinner -bbq chicken, cheesy potatoes, mixed veggies
This puts me only needing to get some eggs, milk, ketchup and instant potatoes at the store for next week. I should be able to get that for about $15.
Church was good tonight. Pastor talked about fasting. It was good to be reminded.
When oldest and I got home at about 9, hubby had finally gotten home. He and oldest spent some time playing ball inthe kitchen. UGHH....I was a nervous wreck that the ball was going to land in the middle of the table or in the sink of dishes. But they were having a ball.
Today I wore a brown skirt with a peach colored top. I had a white wrap in my hair today. People are starting to make comments about the wraps....Lord give me strength. God has called me to dress modestly and to be set apart for His glory. I am trying....I really am. :=)
So here it is after 11 and as I am writing this blog I am watching an old Carey Grant movie.
As I say around here from time to time "well kids let's head to bead, I am tired of this day and I am ready for a new one!" ;-)

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Tired and True

As I write the blog for tonight I can't help but think of myself as "tired and true". I am unusually tired tonight. I don't know if it is because I had a very busy day at work or if the stress of all of the problems at home are taking a toll on me.
But I am also true. I am true to my work by going every day at 9 AM and completing my work to the best of my ability. I am true to my home by trying to keep it clean and presentable. I am true to my children by giving them attention each day and teaching them. I am true to my church by teaching SS and VBS. I am true to my husband by trying to stretch each and every dollar that we bring into our home and by providing good and nutritious foods for him and our children. However I cannot do any of this without the strength and love of my Jesus. He gives me the manna I need each and every day. Lord knows that I can do nothing without Him. I love Him so and I thank him for each and every blessing He has given me.
So even though I am tired....very tired. I am true.

Today I awoke at about 6 AM. I spent a few minutes with hubby before he left for work. Then I cooked the coffee cake that the oldest and I prepared last night. It was yummy but I think I need to not cook it as long next time. I believe I will take some of the leftovers to work tomorrow to share with hubby's co-workers and my own as well.
Then it was shower time for me. Today I wore a black and red plaid skirt with a black shirt. I also wore a black head wrap. I arrived at work about 8:45 AM. It waws busy all day as I am trying to catch up on some projects, and starting others new ones.
Hubby and I had the chicken salad on homemade bread and some doritos for lunch. On my lunch break I balanced my checkbook....ughh I honestly don't know where the money will come from this month. But God knows it will come.
I came home about 5:30. A friend of ours and his young daughter came over to visit and her and our oldest swam (youngest is still taking her many vacation with her Nana). I brushed the dog and went in to fix supper. Tonight, true to my menu, we had leftover roast beef that I cut into small pieces and cooked up in some brown gravy. I then served that over noodles. I made some ranch dressing and we had a small salad on the side. I whipped up some honey butter and we enjoyed a slice of home made bread as well. It was quite tasty. I can always tell the "yummy factor" of a meal by wether or not hubby goes for seconds...he did tonight and so did the oldest! So I gues sit was pretty tasty.
I then did two loads of laundry. Since our dryer plug and 220 plug box are having serious electrical problems, hubby and I hung a second clothes line up since one just wasn't enough. The home made laundry detergent is still working well. The clothes are smelling very clean and it seems that they are coming out nice and bright. I am still looking for the washing soda though.
I had all intentions of doing more housework tonight but I was just pooped out.
I will try my best to get more work done in the next couple of days. But with church tomorrow night I am not sure how much I will accomplish.
Please pray for my familiy financially this week. We have several great needs that must be met. God is speaking to me also and I ask for you to join with me in prayer that I will be able to discern His will in my life.

Tuesday Morning and Daily plan

This morning I have just finished eating a slice of the yummy overnight coffee cake that me and oldest made last night. We enjoyed a slice together this morning and a cool glass of milk while she read some of Where The Red Fern Grows and I read some back issues of Country Mag that I bought at a yard sale. I decided to do a quick blog of what we have planned today before I head off to work.
Oldest will be heading off to sitter while I go to work. Hubby will be picking her up when he gets off today. I made some egg salad last night to serve for lunch on slices of home made bread. Hubby and I will have that for lunch along with some chips.
For dinner tonight I am going to take slices of leftover roast and warm it up with some brown gravy. I will serve it over noodles and have a quick salad. It shoudl be quick and easy and allow time for a quick dip with the family in the pool.
I didn't get my chore work done last night other than the baking and washing of dishes so I have double chores to do tonight.....ughhhh.
I pray that above all today that I walk in the peace of the Lord. I am dressed modestly today and will wear my head wrap as reminders to me throughout the day to focus on Him. At work when I am around the world I struggle to keep my focus on what matters and to keep my life in truth. I find myself trying to be something I don't like in order to fit in. I must remain steadfast and constant. I need to hop off the fence of "lukewarm" and jump right in to the life I want to lead.
I will give my upmost to do my work as if I am doing it for the Lord today. I pray that my employer and customers will be pleased with my work. And when I get home that my family will be blesed with my work at home.
Bless you guys and I hope all of you have a great day!

Monday, June 9, 2008


Outside My Window... It is late at night and dark. We live in a quiet neighborhood so all is calm.
I am thinking... I am very tired and need to close up this notebook and get to sleep.
I am thankful for... My darling children and hard working husband.
From the kitchen... For breakfast we had gravy and biscuits and for lunch we had leftover roast and macaroni. For dinner we had leftover roast, mashed potatoes, and peas. The oldest and I made an overnight coffee cake and put it in the fridge to bake in the morning for breakfast and we made egg salad for lunch tomorrow and the next couple of days.
I am wearing... an old night shirt with teddy bears on it.
I am creating... lovely girls who will be walking testimonies to my love for the Lord.
I am going... to try to devote more attention to hubby.
I am reading... I just finished cheaper by the dozen and I am unsure what I will start next.
I am hoping... for financial freedom soon.
I am hearing... my daughter whisper in my ear and give me loving kisses on my cheek.
Around the house... hubby is sleeping, oldest is curling up next to me watching
The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio, the youngest has decided to try a marathon of staying with Nana for a few days this summer, and the pets are curled upstairs sleeping.
One of my favorite things... is snuggling with the girls with no worries of distractions.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Do my best at work. Continue to strive for a frugal, simple lifestyle at home. Try to give hubby more time. Make some chocolate chip cookies for hubby and gang. Work on saving money and finding places to cut corners.

Suzanne's from Blueberry Cottage Challenge

Well my digital camera is low on batts so it will have to wait for the pix but here is my Monday challenge update from the Mattingly house!
Years ago my dad brought me back a lovely, large, round embroidered doily from Croatia. When I say large it is about 3 feet diameter. Now it is white with beautiful red roses. Needless to say I have never used it for fear it would get dirty. Well I decided to change that.
We are short on money, as always LOL. So I went to the dollar store and bought a cheap clear show curtain. I cut it to fit my table and put the doiley underneath it in the center of the table. It turned out quite charming.
And now our lovely doily from Croatia is not hiding from view but it is out for all to enjoy.

Time for pictures




I figured I would share some pix of the family with you guys. This is a pix of the girls on the beach. Aren't those the cutest little piggies you ever saw? And hubby is just scrumptous! So this is my family. And I love them all very much!

Finding Time to do it all

It is Monday and I have now been awake and active for a straight 15 hours and still going. It is like this everyday.There is never enough time in a day. How do other people do it? We ask ourselves this all the time. We place ourselves on guilt trips that are hurtful and unecessary.
We all have 24 golden boxcars each and every day. What we put in those golden boxcars will either make our train go faster and reach its goal on time, or make us derail, or make us miss our goal entirely. Rich people do not have 25 and poor people do not have 23. Everyone has 24.
I make it a point to give as much of my time as I can to making a home for my family and helping our money go further. I am unable to stay at home and be a full time homemaker so automatically 9.5 hours of my days Mon thru Fri are gone. That is a startling revelation for those who much work outside the home but still strive to do all the things that our SAHM friends do.
We must make priorities and realize that we can't do everything every day. Time wiht my family is #1. So my kids hang out with me while I bake bread, make dinner, wash clothes, etc. They watch movies while I work on the computer. They do their homework and reading while I wash dishes. We make it work by working it together.
I do not waste time talking on the telephone. I do not waste time by watching television shows. I do not waste my time by laying on the couch doing nothing. My hands are always busy.
Does that mean I never take rest time? No absolutely not, I do take time to rest. Several days a week I will curl up with the girls and watch an old movie that I know will not only bless me but my children as well by showing them good old fashioned values. I blog now and that is like a journal to me. It helps to put my thoughts down and keep me grounded.
So in closing, don't feel guilty because you are not doing it all. Just figure your priorities and work it!

Monday Meanderings and good bread!

It is the start of a new week and I just woke up from a wonderful nights sleep. Oh how I wish I could just sleep one morning without someone or something waking me up. I wonder just how long I would sleep? :-)

Yesterday the Mattingly family was a busy brood. Hubby finished moving rock around. Bless his heart it was about 94 degrees outside and the KY humidity brought the heat index up well above that. But he made it through and got the majority of what he wanted to do with it finished. While he was doing that the oldest was swimming and the youngest was visiting her mamaw. So that gave me a few moments to get the laundry reloaded several times. Our dryer isn't working. It isn't really the dryer it is the wiring in this old house. The box that the dryer plugs into has a short. So I am hanging clothes in the basement. It doesn't bother me and in fact it is a good thing because it is forcing me to have to hang dry the clothes. Since we have our air conditioning running now that will help some on the electric bill. But we do need to get an electrition out here to work on this old wiring!

Church was good last night. You could feel the holy spirit present and all were touched. It feels good to come to the house of the Lord! The children in my Sunday school class studied Moses. There homework this week is to memorize the first three of the 10 commandments and to complete on of the coloring sheets I sent home with them. If they complete this homework they will get a coupon for a free small fry from McD's.

I have some GREAT news! I finally found a good white sandwich bread recipe! Hubby was so excited to see those white, fluffy loaves come out of the oven yesterday! I am so happy to be able to save money by baking my own bread and show my family that I love them as I pull hot loaves out of the oven several times a week. I don't know if they realize how much love goes into every kneed and roll of that precious dough! I have posted the recipe below for you in case like me you were searching for a good white sandwich bread....

2 1/2 c warm water
2 1/2 t active yeast
1 T sugar
6 - 7 c all purpose flour
1 T salt
4 T butter, very soft

Combine 1/2 c water with yeast and sugar in large bowl. Let stand until foamy (about 10 min). Add remaining water, 5 c of flour and salt to yeast mixture. Mix with a spoon, adding the remainign flour a few tablespoons at atime until the dough pulls cleanly away frm the sides of the bowl. Knead butter in until dough is smooth and not sticky. Turn dough out on lightly floured surface and continue keading for a minute or two until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball and place in a large lightly oiled bowl to rise until double, about 1 and 1/2 hours. Butter two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans and set aside. Place dough on lightly floured surface and divide in two equal parts. Roll out to a 9 x12 inch rectabngle. Fold 1/3 of dough down and fold again. Pinch bottom seam to seal. Turn seam side up. Fold each end over about 1/2 inch and tuck loose ends and pinch to seal. Place seam side down in loaf pan. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise. (bread will rise over top of pan) Preheat oven to 375 and bake 36-40 min. (I baked mine at 350 because my old nag of a stove cooks a little hot and I only baked it for about 15 min)

I planned my menu for the week and my household chores. I suggest tht all moms plan their menus out at leat by the week and if you are an angel food ministries family then you will want to use that plan each week and just switch up the days so as not to get bored. This week though since our angel food ministries location decided at the last minute ( literally on the day it was due ) not to do it and we missed out on our groceries for the month, we have been using this month to clean out the cupboards and the freezer. I did manage to get to a local butcher shop and buy some meat but other than that and a few perishables from Meijer, I have been trying to use up what we have. I bought a roaster at a yard sale Friday for $5 (works okay except for temperature knob and I have no idea what temp I am cooking at! But for $5 I can deal with it. - maybe one day I will be blessed with a new roaster!) and used it to cook one large chuck roast, one small one and one small pork tenderloin. They turned out very well. I took a little water and put it in the bottom of the roaster and put the roasts on the rack. Then I cut up two large onions and put them over the roasts. I took 3 large bulbs of garlic and peeled all the cloves and put them whole into the roaster. Then I took ketchup and mixed it with quite a bit of brown sugar and spooned it over the tops of the roast. I also used some savory seasoning that I got from the local Sams and put that over the roasts. They turned out quite yummy! Well anyway here is my menu and household plan for the week....

Monday -
Breakfast - leftover sausage, biscuits and gravy
Lunch - leftover macaroni and tomatoes and roast
Dinner - Roast, peas, mashed potatoes, bread and a salad (that reminds me I need to whip up a batch of ranch dressing this morning so it will be good and thick for dinner tonight!)
***clean bathrooms and do a load of laundry. Mix up overnight coffee cake and make some egg salad. General cleaning.

Tuesday -
Breakfast - bake coffee cake and serve slices for breakfast
Lunch - egg salad sandwich, chips and a slice of cake
Dinner - salad, brown gravy with cut up roast pieces served over noodles, and bread
***do a load of laundry, clean mine and hubby's bedroom (we have accumulated about three baskets of junk that I need to go through) and general cleaning

Wednesday -
Breakfast - scrambled egg and toast
Lunch - egg salad sandwich, chips and a slice of cake
Dinner - salad (if we have enough leftover lettuce), roast beef sandwiches
*** church night

Thursday -
Breakfast - toast and jam
Lunch - peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Dinner - hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill
*** do a load of laundry, sweep and mop floors, vacuum downstairs and rugs, and general cleaning. Try to make it to Papaw's revival at his farm which is going on all week.

Friday -
Breakfast - sugar coated muffins (homemade, of course!)
Lunch - leftover hamburgers and hotdogs
Dinner - chicken strips and fries
***oldest to a friends for a sleepover bday party, finish all household chores. I am going to try to make it to Papaw's revival at his farm again tonight...

Saturday -
Breakfast - sausage, biscuits and eggs
Lunch - at church
Dinner - garlic roasted chicken, green beans and noodles with tomatoes
*** today is work day at church so we won't be back until after lunch. Then I need to make bread, make laundry detergent and fabric softener and make a batch of cookies
Also oldest has a different bday party to go to and me and youngest will tag along to this one.

Sunday-
Breakfast - bacon, homemade pancakes
Lunch/Dinner - grilled, marinated pork chops and mixed veggies
*** Church night. Make baked oatmeal for bfast tomorrow and some egg salad for lunches.

Sounds like a good menu. I will be getting low in the pantry this week so the next couple of week's menu will be interesting. I have quite a few chicken strips in the freezer so we may be having lots of those! I think there may be one more pk tenderloin down there and a package of hamburger. I know there is some frozen ground turkey and a couple of bags of chicken. So the meat won't be hard to figure out but I am down to no cans of veggies in the cupboard, no potatoes, and there may be a few small bags of veggies in the freezer. I hope one Meijer has some tossed salad on sale this week and we will have salad each night with our meal. That would be good. I am waiting on a good canned veggies sale. Then I will stock up.

Our homeschooling this week consists of several worksheets in each of the workbooks we have for the girls. The oldest also has a news story report to do, keep reading 10 pgs a day in Where The Red Fern Grows. She has spelling works again this week and she is to learn how to create an outline. The youngest will continue working on her word wall words this week and her letter writing. Each of them will also have an art project due this week.

Well I have got to sign off now and get ready for work and get the oldest up. The youngest stayed all night with Nana (a Sunday night ritual at our house). It will be a busy day at work and it will be the oldest's first day at a new sitter (the youngest's teacher). Much prayer will be put into this day.

God bless and talk to you soon!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Update over past several days

Hello! I have been so busy the last few days that I have not had the opportunity to update you guys. Well I had to go back to work Thursday after a few days off to spring clean and get some r and r with the family. Hubby remains off until Monday.
After finishing up on the spring cleaning, I did some bread baking (still not satisfied with results...ughhh). Hubby is getting really anxious for some good ole sandwich bread. If anyone has a recipe for some good white sandwich bread that would rival store bought (which he prefers) please let me know. I have thrown out more loaves of home made but not so yummy tasting bread that it is not becoming frugal for me!
I made some homemade laundry detergent and I am very satisfied with the results. I used the recipe from thefamilyhomestead.com but didn't want to do liquid so I left it in powder form. Also no where around here has Washing Soda so I used Baking Soda (I know this is not supposed to work but it did okay....I just used a little less than her recipe called for and added a little more Borax). I am going to keep looking for the washing soda though!
The girls have enjoyed this past week with mom and dad at home. We started their summer homeschool program and they are pleased with it so far. The oldest is not liking Where The Red Fern Grows quite yet but I keep telling her that she will. She knows that she has a book report and a book collage due soon so she better get to reading! :-)
It is Saturday today and Hubby and I tried to have a yard sale today. Didn't have much luck. We only made a hundred dollars but that is a hundred that we didn't have before. We are in desperate need of some money. We had to have rock delivered this week for the driveway and the oldest had to get a retainer. So we are flat broke and the house payment is due in a few days. But the Lord will provide. He always does!
We packed in what seemed to be as much stuff as we packed out. I wish it had gone better but we live kind of off the beaten path a little and at the end of a dead end street so very few people come back our neighborhood. And since it was kind of a last minute thing we didn't advertise in the paper. So we just take what we get and go on. Better luck on the next one I hope.
Well gotta go. I need to research wood furnaces and see if it is a good alternative for us from the propane furnace!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Spring Cleaning and Organizing for Summer

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow we are spring cleaning around the Mattingly house. We have so far cleaned the windows, the barn, trying to still clean the pool -- no luck yet -- still green, power washed the house, and started with the inside general cleaning. Yesterday I made two loaves of bread but I tried a new recipe and it didn't work out so well. (I hate when that happens) So now I have have to start all over. I was successful with my yeast rolls though. I will try making several loaves of bread this evening and hopefully they will turn out.
I went to Meijer today because they had a 10 for 10 and 11th free sale (I love it when they do that!) However the totinos pizza rolls were sold out before I got there...ugh!!! But I did manage to get the kids a few bags of chips at 10 for 10, two bags of lettuce for dinner tonight and some canned oranges and pineapples.
Right now hubby is resting and I am getting ready to finish cleaning the cobwebs from the corners of the house. Then it is off the kids rooms to get them cleaned up. I am hoping one day that they will keep it that way. After that I am on to giving the dog a bath. Fun Fun!
If anyone has a good faithful bread recipe for white sandwich bread I would love to have it. I have tried two different ones now and both leave much to be desired.
Oh by the way hubby and I are off for a few days. I have to go back to work Thursday but hubby is off until next Monday. I am taking vacation days and he is laid off for the week.
It feels good to be home with the family for a few days. I am working on organizing the kid's homeschooling curriculum for the summer. I have organized four weeks worth for our oldest (age 9). She will have 5 to 10 vocabulary/spelling words each week. She will have to learn to spell these words and look up the definition in the dictionary. Some of them I have taken from the first book she will be reading, Where The Red Fern Grows.
Each week she will be assigned workbook pages out of her three summer workbooks. She will also have to cut out a newspaper article, read it and mark the 5 w's and write a card on it and staple it to the article for me to check. Also each week she will have an art project to complete (usually she and her younger sister will be working art together). She is to read a minimum of 10 pages everyday in one of her summer reading books. When she completes a book she has to do a book report and a collage poster on the book. Other projects she has this summer is to know and locate the states on a map, to pick one for a report, and to know the regions. She will also be completing an autobiography this summer and writing several short stories. We will also have Bible verse memorization as a family each week. There are several science projects that her and sissy will be working on together that they will have to report to us on. As you can see she will have a busy summer. I think it is important that the learning continue through the summer.
Well I guess I better get to work. The house isn't going to clean itself and the dog isn't going to give himself a bath so off I go.
Enjoy your day!