Things that make me happy...

I haven't posted in a while. Mostly because Facebook and Pinterest are my online obsessions now, and well, blogger is actually difficult to use since they changed everything. But I decided it was time for a post....things that make me happy. Haven't done one of those in a while! ;)

So here goes...a list of things that make my heart sing with joy...

-the light dusting of freckles across the bridge of my daughter's nose
-secret inside jokes between josh and i
-perfect 60 degree sunshine filled days
-when Reagan's friends greet me with "Hi, Reagan's Mom!!"
-emails from REAL people!
-lemon infused organic olive oil
-homeschool curriculum catalogs
-pretty purple, yellow and orange pansies that seem to multiply overnight.
-a good night's sleep and waking up without feeling tired
-cheap books
-having God touch your heart and break it open to the needs of others
-finding out you're useful


those are just a few of the things i'm happy and thankful for today.

Going healthy....

Some things I've noticed since we've been trying to eat healthier/go organic.

#1--I FEEL better when I stick to the healthy eating plan (notice: NOT DIET). I feel like crap when life gets busy and we frequent the fast food drive through.

#2--Eating healthy takes TIME. Meal planning, shopping and preparation all take time. This is definitely something I need to work on. I need to get some good healthy freezer meals put up for when I am completely out of time.

#3--I've been conditioned. I feel horrible for spending 1 hour of actual work making a meal. I've been brought up in a society where the faster we can throw dinner together, the better mom and wife we are. Oddly enough, I don't feel bad about spending that amount of time on facebook..just more guilty in that case. Obviously my priorities need some SERIOUS changing.

#4--Organic bananas don't ripen quickly. Make sure you take this into account when you buy them. They stay green for a looooooooooooooooooooooooooong time (unless you throw them in a sack with an apple..even then, they don't ripen quickly).

#5--Organic bread, on the other hand, goes stale very fast! It's better to make your own, but then again--see #2.

#6--It's hard to have shelf-stable snack food that is organic...at least I've found that to be true. Working on seeking more snack/kid friendly options.

#7--There aren't many organic, whole milk options I can drink. They all seem to taste 'funny'. This is after a life-time of drinking watered down skim non-organic milk. The only milk I truly LOVE and could drink constantly because it's just that good, is Kroger brand organic milk--Simply Truth Whole. It's fantastic.

#8--Sometimes organic is over-rated. SERIOUSLY over-rated. I would much rather have the words 'chemical-free' on my food than 'organic'. This is where my new favorite flour comes into play: Wheat Montana Hard White Wheat. SO GOOD.

#9--Sometimes 'natural' doesn't mean natural. Check labels. Check sources.

#10--Sometimes you just have to let go. If you can't find organic or vegetarian fed chicken thighs and that is what the recipe calls for and you don't want to sub chicken legs--then, just get the Tyson chicken thighs. Try not to do it too often, though.

#11--Sometimes that organic label really ticks me off. I'd almost rather buy Laura's grain fed beef than the organic beef at my local Kroger. The cost of that little sticker is outrageous.

#12--I still have no idea if organic is better than local or local is better than organic. Can't I just have local chemical-free? I really need my own garden.

I think that's it for now....I'm sure more is to come later......

Spring! Spring! Spring! sang the Robin.

Anyone want to guess what book that line's from? Oh, come on--it's easy...and old one that all of us are sure to have read!

Takers? Anyone?

Ok, I'll tell you. Home for a Bunny. One of our favorites. Which reminds me that I need to dig it out and read it to Reagan tonight since it's...say it with me people "THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING"...WOOHOOO!

Did I mention we've been trying to sell our house since the fall? Yep, hasn't sold yet. And we fired our realtor..and now we're meeting with a new one. I really hope it sells soon. I'd love to find a new house and get settled BEFORE another winter hits..not this winter was bad by any means..but it's just so much easier to move in the Spring or Summer.

Just so you know, I'm going to completely change the subject here--this is a totally random post. Have you seen Amazon lately? I'm not really digging the new layout. It's....different. I hate change.

Which is weird since I'm usually the one pushing for it in our household. ...which leads me to....

We're still pursuing adoption, but now through the Foster Care system. We met with our Social Worker and OUCH--the amount of paperwork required is staggering. We didn't have to complete nearly as much for our adoption home study. It's going to take at least a month or two to complete everything.

So, if anyone is even still reading this blog, please say a prayer for us.

I think that's it for now. :)

March Menu

We're really really trying to be healthy...as many organics as possible (and chemical free when I can find them!) No processed, made from scratch, real WHOLE food. So this is the menu plan for March. It took 3 hours to put it together, then printing out the recipes, then the grocery list. Then another 2+ hours for shopping and putting away. It was EXHAUSTING.

BUT--I'm hoping in a few months I'll have a steady list of repeat, good healthy food that my family actually likes and I'll be able to whip up the menu and the grocery list fairly quickly.

NOW--if only grocery shopping were so easy!

March Menu Plan
Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken, fettuccine, sauteed kale-THIS WAS A FLOP!
Chicken picata, pasta, vegetable or salad
Classic Tomato Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches
Chicken Nuggets with mac and cheese and vegetable
Cabbage beef stew
Tacos with Mexican rice
Spaghetti with bread and vegetable/salad
Chicken Pot Pie
Italian Pasta Bake, vegetable
Bean and cheese burritos, salad
Sloppy Joes Cornbread Casserole, vegetable/coleslaw?
Crockpot bbq chicken with buns (homemade-look for recipe) and carrot fries
Crockpot Orange Chicken, rice, vegetable
Italian Baked Spaghetti Squash, vegetable, bread
Roast Salmon and pasta
Cauliflower soup with bread
Meatloaf with cauliflower herb mash
Cabbage beef soup with bread
Lemon Garlic Tilapia with pasta/potatoes with vegetable
Collin’s Lentil Soup with bread
Granny’s Beef, Potato, and Onion Casserole
Farmhouse Chicken with salad/vegetable
Fried Chicken Legs with pasta/potatoes and vegetable
Bacon wrapped bbq chicken, potatoes, vegetable
San Fran Slow Cooker Chops, rice and vegetable
BBQ Chicken, bacon-y bok choy, pasta----THIS WAS GREAT!

Breakfasts:
Personal Sized Baked Oatmeal Cups with individual toppings
Apple Pie Breakfast
Eggs and Toast
Fruit/Yogurt
Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Desserts:
Chocolate Banana Ice Cream---THIS WAS BETTER SUITED TO A SMOOTHIE!
Cookies
Cranberry Bars


Snacks:
Peanut butter balls
Bread-homemade
Nut Buttery Popcorn
Fruit


Lunches:
Cheesy Rice and Bean Burritos
Sandwiches-peanut butter, tuna, egg
Grilled tuna quesadillas
Split Pea Soup

Drinks:
Tea
Milk
Water

If anyone is interested in a recipe, let me know and I'll find the link!

Overheard in our house lately

Mommy: We're going to Starbucks to pick up a snack really quickly.
Reagan: Can I get a bumpy road cake pop?!
-----------------------------
Reagan (while crafting): Now I get to glue baby Jesus's head on!! (?!)

Christmas Gifts

Since I put Reagan in preschool two days a week this year (yes, we still homeschool--three days a week!), I needed to make teacher's gifts and classmate goody bags. After scouring pinterest for some ideas, I settled on these two--Hats and Cupcake Socks.

I put my own twist on both and wa-lah! The results are below! I have to say I had a blast and the gifts were simple and inexpensive to make. Breakdown is below:

2 pack of socks (each teacher gets a two pack!):$3.17 (60% off clearance sale at JoAnn's)
1 pail: $1.19 (60% off clearance at JoAnn's)
Cellophane paper, red pompom on hand (I picked up the cute checkered ribbon at JoAnn's as well for 60% off--but it's the same pattern they've had for years..I stock up every year after Christmas usually!)

Total cost for each teacher's gift: UNDER $5!

Hats: $1 each at the Target Dollar spot
Cocoa: $1.00 for 10/packs
Marshmallows: $2.50/bag (I only used half the bag that I had purchased for our own use at home!)

Cost per classmate: approx $1.21 (made 12 goody bags)

LOVED MAKING THESE!!

Thankfulness Challenge Day 6

Thankful for the wisdom of others and that they can pass on that wisdom to us freely.

Thankfulness Challenge Day 5

Thankful for books :) I just love books! And thankful for a country where they are soooo plentiful! More than I could ever hope to read....

Thankfulness Challenge Day 4

Thankful that we're able to provide for our family...there are so many who can't :(

Thankfulness Challenge Day 3

Today I'm thankful for the continued nice weather we've had throughout the fall and the fact that we've stayed safe throughout all of the storms and 'freak' weather that we've had throughout the US this year.