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!" ;-)
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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