Swiss Steak

I hit the jackpot. I made this meal and Mike absolutely loved it. I didn't even have to ask him if this was a do again recipe (that is how I judge how he likes a meal because he has a hard time telling me he doesn't like something I made for him) Here is my version of this Swiss Steak recipe.

Swiss Steak

4 pieces of cubed steak
2 cans of Golden Mushroom soup
flour (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic)
2 stalks of celery
1 onion

Chop the celery and onion and put it in the crockpot. Place each piece of cubed steak in the seasoned flour and coat both sides well with flour. Brown each side in a skillet with oil. Once both sides of meat are browned place in crockpot on top of veggies. Place 2 cans of Golden Mushroom soup on top of browned meat. Add some milk to the soup can to make sure to get all the yummy soup out. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours - checking to make sure it has enough liquid so the food doesn't burn.

I made mashed potatoes to go with the Swiss Steaks and like I said before Mike really liked this meal. Next time I make this I will also add some mushrooms.

Bloggy Giveaway

There are over 1300 bloggers giving things away and I just felt left out. So I decided better late than never.
I will be giving away 10 handmade greeting cards. I'll make this really simple for you, just leave me a comment...that is all you have to do to get an entry into my giveaway. If you blog about it, come back here and put another comment.
This is open to everyone, so feel to leave a comment, check out my blog, or checkout my card website http://www.zizziecards.com/.
This contest ends on Sunday at midnight and I will announce a winner on Monday February 2nd.
Have a GREAT week everyone and thanks for stopping by.

WFMW ~ Shout Out Stains

I had this really nice shirt that my sister bought for me and I decided to wear it one day. It just so happens that same day I dripped olive oil on my shirt. I was so upset but there wasn't much I could do about it at the time. So when I got home I washed my shirt but the oil stain didn't come out. I decided I would keep the shirt and wear it around the house since this was a brand new shirt. A few months went by and I forgot all about the stain and I decided to wear it. Once I saw the stain I changed shirts and put my oil stained shirt in a pile to take to my Mom's house. Mom's always know how to get stains out, right? So the day came for me to go visit my Mom and I took the shirt with me. Just like thought, my Mom had the answer. My Aunt Judy shared this very wonderful secret with her and I will never forget it. The secret is Shout Gel Advanced. This stain remover is made specifically for set in stains. I sprayed the oil stained shirt with this gel and I let it sit for 3 days. I washed it and dried it and the oil spot was gone. I was and obviously still am VERY happy.
I have used this on my cloth napkins and table cloth that get those spaghetti stains on them and it worked great.
If you want to avoid buying new clothes every time they get stained, get yourself a bottle of this wonderful stuff. So that is my tip for WFMW, check out Rocks in My Dryer for more.

Created to be His Help Meet ~ 1

As I read through the Created to be His Help Meet book by Debi Pearl I am going to blog some notes so I can refer back to them.

Intro

• Regardless of what kind of person you have been in the past with instructions from God's Word, you can become a heavenly-gift bride. You can still be your man's dream come true, and in the process your dreams will come true also.
• You do have a choice in how your life plays out.
• Each day is a decision, each hour a challenge, and each response starts you toward either the quicksands of divorce or the solid ground of being blessed "heirs together of the grace of life.
• If you will turn to God, asking him to open your eyes to his instruction for wives, he will open his Word to you.

Chapter 1

• A wise woman doesn't take anything for granted. She is thankful to be loved and seeks to make herself more lovely.
• I had spent years scratching my head and wondering why he would not take a position of leadership in the home. I did not realize that I controlled many situations because I feared my husband would not handle them correctly.
• How blind I was to my own faults.
• Every man I know is a bonafide sinner. And, considering that you, too, are a selfish, fallen creature, it will take real effort to make a heavenly marriage.
• A good marriage, just like anything worth while, takes doing the right things every day...every hour...every moment.
• Proverbs 18:22 ~ Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.
• You are inferior to none as long as you function within your created nature, for no man can do your job, and no man is complete without his wife.
• Do you wake each morning ready to make your husband happy and blessed, to serve him to the best of your ability - to be his helper!
• When you honor your husband, you honor God. When you obey your husband, you obey God. The degree to which you reverence your husband is the degree to which you reverence your Creator. As we serve our husbands, we serve God. But in the same way, when you dishonor your husband, you dishonor God.
• 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 ~ For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
• It is not a question of whether or not you can do a better job than he; it is a matter of doing what you were "designed" to do.
• It is far better that the job be done poorly by your husband than to be done well by you.
• A perfect help meet is one who does not require a list of chores, as would a child. Her readiness to please motivates her to look around and see the things she knows her husband would like to see done. She would not use lame excuses to avoid these jobs. A man would know he had a fine woman if she were this kind of helper.
• Provers 12:4 ~ A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband
• It is our job to learn how we can help our husbands in every way possible.

Time to Consider

• Think of ways you can be a helper to your husband. Start today.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of 01/25

Breakfast:

• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Breakfast Cookies
• Sourdough Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Fruit:

• Apple
• Orange
• Pineapple
• Peach
• Apple Sauce

Lunch:

• Spinach Rice Casserole
• Swiss Steak
• Sheppard's Pie
• Chicken and Rice
• Chicken Tortilla Soup

Veggies:

• Celery
• Mixed Veggies
• Steamed Broccoli
• Peas
• Corn

Dinner:

• Chicken Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing
• Chips, Salsa and Guacamole
• Pizza
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
• Baked Legume Casserole

Project 365 ~ Week 4

I was reading The Homespun Heart blog this week and she mentioned in her post Restoring Order how she use to always have cookie dough and cooked/diced chicken in her freezer. I thought that would be a great idea for when we have unexpected company or if I want to make a little treat for Mike or am running behind on making a meal. So this week I made Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookie dough and put it in the freezer. I formed them into logs and I double wrapped them in plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn. Next week I will work on cooking some chicken and putting it in the freezer.
I am so happy to have a Bosch again. This mixer makes things so much easier for me when I am making bread. My Mom gave this to me since she got a Zojirushi bread maker for Christmas. The Bosch is much larger than my Kitchen Aid mixer so I can mix up 4 loaves of bread in one batch. So Tuesday I made 3 loaves of bread and some Monkey Bread as a special treat.
I pulled out my big cup to remind myself I need to drink more water. My goal is to finish this in one day. Since I pulled it out on Wednesday I have been able to stick to that plan.
Last week a family at our church lost their Mother/Grandmother so I made this card to send to them.
I went to collect the eggs and I found this really little egg. We've never gotten one so small before.

I got my wheat delivered to me on Friday. Saturday we bought bay leaves which I am told will kill any and all bugs that may be in the wheat. I have air tight containers that I store the wheat in because it is much better protected from mice and weather than a paper bag would be. So Saturday I got all the wheat put into the nice and clean containers and closed them up with gamma lids. This wheat should last us about a year (I think)

And last but definitely not least, here is a picture of my handsome husband ready to go to church.

I've come to realize...

My sister did this post and invited all her readers to join in on the fun... so here is mine.


1. I've come to realize that my hair... is perfect just the way God made it - no need to color, perm, straighten or highlight it.
2. I've come to realize that my family... will always be there for me, no matter what.
3. I've come to realize that my job... as a helpmeet to my husband is what God created me for.
4. I've come to realize that when I'm... overwhelmed with the worldly things around me I have taken my eyes off Christ.
5. I've come to realize that I need... to do more in depth study of the Bible.
6. I've come to realize that I have lost... all sense of time since being home. I can never remember what day it is.
7. I've come to realize that I hate it when... a meal I try making doesn't turn out.
8. I've come to realize that if I'm happy… in life it will rub off on those around me.
9. I've come to realize that money... buys things but things don't bring happiness. Contentment brings happiness!
10. I've come to realize that people... are not perfect because we are all sinners.
11. I've come to realize that I'll always... be a slow reader but atleast now I enjoy reading.
12. I've come to realize that my husband.... is a blessing from God to me.
13. I've come to realize that my mom... is the BEST mom any person could ever have!
14. I've come to realize that my cell phone... is not the latest and greatest but it works great for me.
15. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning... I had a list of projects I have started and needed to finish.
16. I've come to realize last night before I went to sleep... that I have lived a sheltered life and I praise God for that.
17. I've come to realize right now I'm thinking about... what things I need to get accomplished tomorrow.
18. I've come to realize that when I get on facebook…. I get to see many faces from my past.
19. I've come to realize that today... is a gift from God.
20. I've come to realize that tonight... is going to be movie night for me and Mike.
21. I've come to realize that tomorrow... is never a guarantee.
22. I've come to realize that I really want to... be a better reflection of Christ.
23. I've come to realize that life... is full of choices and I need to make sure I make the right choices in my life.
24. I've come to realize that my friends... are blessings.
25. I've come to realize this year... is going to be a challenging year but God is with me every moment.

Help Misha Project

Back in October I posted about a great need to raise money for Misha's adoption. It's been such an encouragement to watch the total go up little by little as many different people found it in their hearts to give money to help Misha. Today the ChipIn! calculator hit 101% of the goal reached. Praise the Lord all the funds needed have been donated.

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Coins Anyone?

On New Years day every year Mike's tradition is to organize all of our papers, receipts, check copies and such and put them all in one box so we can store it for the next 7 years. I normally take the old paperwork from 7 years ago and I shred everything. This year I went to find the box marked 2001 and I found a box marked 2000. When I opened it I was so surprised to find these coin books and many other books that belong to my Dad. I guess when they moved a few years ago they used an old box of ours but didn't mark it so we ended up with it. I think Dad has been looking for these books for a while so he will be happy to know I found them. I am not sure when we will be able to see Dad and Mom so I decided I would try and complete as much of the books as I could.

So pull out your quarters and pennies and see if you have any that I'm missing.

State Quarters
Updated 12/9 - We have completed all the books with state quarters... thanks everyone!

Pennies
If for some reason you have any really old pennies laying around the house I need most pennies from 1909 to 1974

Here is a list of the more recent years that I am missing
1990D
1992D
1994D
1997D
1998D
2002D
2004D
2006D

Project 365

Here is another one of my Christmas gifts :-) This griddle is wonderful. I made sourdough pancakes and they were delicious.
Tuesday night started our Ladies Bible study at church. We took a break over the holidays and this week was our first week back. This is the book we are starting to go through Created to be his Help Meet by Debi Pearl. I've already read this book once but I'm very excited to be going through it again.
Wednesday the Adult Ensemble group at church started practicing for Resurrection Sunday. We will be singing 4 songs. We started learning 2 new songs ~ Every Knee Shall Bow by Brigette Shevy and The Power of the Cross by Keith Getty, Stuart Townend and Richard Nichols. They are both very beautiful songs.

I made a new Mac N Cheese recipe this week and it turned out so yummy.

This week I finally got some wedding invitation samples created for a friend who is getting married in May. Now I will wait and see if she decides to go with my handmade invitations or a traditional invite.
We got some snow last night. It was so funny to watch Betsy outside. Here you can see her 2 paw prints and then a long strip of missing snow... that was her licking the snow. On her way back to the house she would step, step and slide... it was too cute!

Sourdough Pancakes

Things can't get much easier than this recipe for sourdough pancakes. I found this at Lynn's Kitchen Adventure blog and I am going to go back and do some more searching through her recipes to find some other yummy, quick and simple recipes.

Sourdough Pancakes

Mix together the night before:
2 cups flour [I used hard white wheat]
2 cups water
1 tablespoon of yeast
Let sit overnight on the counter in a glass, plastic, or stoneware bowl. Anything but metal will work.

In the morning add:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Beat well into batter and then add 2 tablespoons of melted butter or oil.
Cook on a griddle or pan.

Fridays Fave Five

1. Cool Weather - I love the coolness of winter time. Of course I don't live so far north that winters are severe. This week has been so beautiful outside. The sun has been out every day shining bright and the air has been nice and cool.

2. Recipes - I have enjoyed trying recipes from other bloggers and I got so inspired about gathering recipes that I volunteered to make a book filled with recipes gathered from the ladies at my church. I just received a notebook full of recipes from my Pastor's wife. Next week I will start on getting them all typed into my computer.

3. No Greater Joy - Michael and Debi Pearl put out a magazine called No Greater Joy. It's filled with tons of great stuff, everything from parenting to marital advice. I read an article called The Jezebel Profile and one of the many sentences I highlighted in this article said "You cannot change 100% of the marriage, but you can change 50% of it, and that may improve your marriage by 200%."

4. Help Misha - My friend's parents are wanting to adopt a 15 year old boy from Russia and last year they set up this "Chip In" widget so those people interested in helping out financially could do so. I woke up this morning and the percentage is up to 83%. I am praising the Lord and I just cant wait to see it reach 100%.

5. Email - I just love the fact that I can keep in contact with so many friends and family all over the world by a simple email. I love my email, my quick and simple way of keeping in touch.

Go to Living to tell the Story to read more Fridays Fave Five.

Banana Pineapple Bread

As promised here is the recipe for the delicious Banana Pineapple bread I made this past week. I found this bread recipe at Tammy's Recipes site.

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients:
3 cups flour [I used soft white wheat]

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil [I used apple sauce instead]

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)

1 cup crushed pineapple (with the excess liquid drained; this is almost the amount in a 15-ounce can of pineapple)

Instructions:
1. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In another mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, beating until well mixed.
3. Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Don't over-beat.
4. Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans (use smaller loaf pans -- 6x3-inch, or use several mini loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until loaves test done.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 60+ minutes

Works For Me Wednesday ~ Command Hooks

I'm hooked on these 3M Command hooks!

These hooks are so useful and very versatile. They can go many places that you wouldn't want to pound a nail into. I have never put something on one of the hooks that it didn't hold. Another awesome feature to the Command hook is if you change your mind and don't want the hook in that specific location the glue strip comes off without damaging the surface it's stuck to.

I have them all over the house:

• inside my kitchen cabinet to hang my pot holders
• on the back of the bathroom door to hang my towels
• on the fridge to hang my apron
• on the front door to hang my wreath
• in my craft room to hang my scissors, templates and hand punches

and I look forward to seeing how many more ways I can use them as I get each room in my house organized this year.

Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more creative Works for Me Wednesday posts.

Organization Process

I was reading a post from I'm an Organizing Junkie that I wanted to share because I think it is great and I want to refer back to it often as I tackle jobs around the house. Here is a link to her complete post in case you are interested in reading her entire article.

I have created a simple acronym to allow you to break down your organizing project into simple, straightforward steps that will help you achieve optimal organizing results. The acronym is appropriately called PROCESS because organizing is not a means to an end but an ongoing process.

Here are my PROCESS steps:

Plan of attack – plan your project - which area(s) do you want to address - make a list - evaluate present system, what is working, what isn’t working, devise new system - determine budget - develop timeline

Remove items – start from a clean slate - empty the space completely - remove then sort & purge

Organize into piles – donate/toss/sell/keep/relocate - sort like with like - purge excess - the more you purge the less you have to find a home

Containerize – find storage solutions - containers establish limits and boundaries - designate a space for items being kept - consolidate

Evaluate plan – how is your system working for you - are you able to work your system? What needs to be modified? A good system should be easy to maintain

Solve/simplify anything that isn’t working for you - revise accordingly

Smile, relax and enjoy your hard work!

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of 01/11

I always have a hard time making exactly what I have listed for a specific day on my menu. I don't know why but I just do. So instead of breaking it down to exactly what I will make each day and listing that out, I will just list 5 or 6 items under each section. Then I can select from that list what I feel like making for the day.

Breakfast:
Grits
Amish Baked Oatmeal
Cereal
Pancakes
Scrambled Eggs

Fruit:
Apple
Tangerine
Peach
Pineapple

Lunch:
Crockpot Pizza Beans and Mashed Potatoes
Chicken and Stuffing Bake
Mac N Cheese
Cheddar Cheese Broccoli Soup
Chicken Fajitas with homemade tortillas

Dinner:
Sandwiches (Tuna Salad, Egg Salad, PB&J)

Project 365 ~ First Full Week

I pulled out the waffle maker I got for Christmas and used it for the first time on Monday. These waffles were made with freshly milled hard red wheat flour. They were yummy. I am still trying to figure out just how much mixture to put in the waffle maker to make sure if fills every square but doesn't overflow. I will continue to practice until I get it just right. In the meantime the waffles may look alittle funny but they still taste great. Tuesday I had a friend from church over to show me how to take better pictures of my cards. We had a great time and I learned alot. Here is one of the many pictures she took.Wednesday I went to Walgreens and took advantage of a great sale. They had Ben&Jerry's ice cream 2 for $6 and I had $3 coupons for each one. The Garnier Fructis shampoo was also on sale. I used a Walgreens coupon along with a manufacturer coupon to get those for free also. I paid $1.76 for everything in the picture below. I love finding deals like this!Betsy loves her rawhide bones. She can eat one up in alittle over an hour. When we sit down to watch a movie she gets her treat. What can I say, it keeps her busy and happy so we can actually watch the movie and not be bugged by a dog who wants lots of attention and loving.Restaurant.com had a great offer the end of last year and I was able to buy a $25 gift certificate for around $2.50. I bought 10 different gift certificates to restaurants around our area. We used the first one at The Oar House in Dahlonega. We had a delicious sit down meal for the price of a fast food meal. I can't wait to try the other restaurants and I will keep my eyes open for some more deals at Restaurant.com Saturday Mike enjoyed a skeet shooting outing with a young man from our church. This was the first time he used his shot gun that he bought last month. He had a wonderful time filled with lots of manly bonding.
Even Betsy makes Sunday her day of rest. :-)

Obedience

The first verse of this song is common but a few years ago I found out there was a second verse. I recently found that old piece of paper with that second verse on it so I thought I would log it in my blog so I could keep it forever. I think this is a great song to teach children but it is also a good reminder to us all.

Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.
Doing exactly what the Lord commands; doing it happily
Action is the key - do it immediately
Joy you will receive
Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

We want to live pure, we want to live clean, we want to do our best;
Sweetly submitting to authority, leaving to God the rest.
Walking in the light, keeping our attitude right,
On the narrow way;
For if we believe the Word we receive, we always will obey.

Chorus: Let's spell it O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E, Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

Fridays Fave Five ~ My First One

I recently found this blog called Living to Tell the Story. I love this idea of Fridays Fave Five so I'm joining this week, not sure if I'll be able to complete this every Friday but I'll try.

1. Phone Calls ~ I got a call from my sister this week asking me to go on a trip with her in May to a friends wedding in Indiana. I am really excited. I enjoy spending time with my sister and it'll be great to see our friend who I haven't seen in years!

2. Projects ~ I finally made it down to the basement and started getting things cleaned and organized. The project is huge and will take me a while but it felt wonderful getting started.

3. Bond with a fellow Sister in Christ ~ I had the great pleasure of spending the day with a friend from church. It's so wonderful to have a bond, to be able to talk about spiritual things: what God is doing, sharing life challenges, encouraging each other.

4. Freshly milled soft white wheat flour ~ I haven't used my soft white wheat in a long time. I tried this new Banana Pineapple bread recipe this week. It tasted soooo yummy. I'll share the recipe with you sometime soon.

5. Days off and free movies ~ Mike had the day off and we were able to spend it together. It was a great day. We got much accomplished and even got to watch a movie for free :-) Marley & Me was a wonderful but sad movie. I didn't realize it would be so sad.

If you would like to read more Fridays Fave Five posts, check out Living to Tell the Story blog. You might even want to join in on the fun!

Cash4Books

I recently heard about this cool site that actually gives you cash for your old used books.
All you need to do is:

• Go around the house and look for books you no longer need
• Go to cash4books.net and type in the ISBN # from the back of your book
• Find out just how much money you get for your book
• They even pay for your shipping so go right now and find those books

It's that easy ~ Really it is!

I just did this the other day and got $31.19 for old school books Mike used 2 years ago in some college classes he took. Go check this out for yourself.

Pasta and Tuna

This past week Publix had a buy one get one free sale on pasta and tuna fish. I didn't have any coupons but the price was still good so I bought some things to stock up.

Eight boxes of pasta at 70 cents each and two 4 packs of canned tuna. There items will go in my 90 day supply because they are great non perishable foods. The expiration date on them is 2011. Can you believe it?

What items have you been stocking up?

Scattergories Meme

Here are the rules for this fun Scattergories Meme:

• Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following questions.
• They have to be real places, names, things. nothing made up!
• You can’t use your name for the boy/girl name question.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

What is your name? Elizabeth

1. A 5 Letter Word: Egypt
2. A Boys Name: Ethan
3. A Girls Name: Esther
4. An Occupation: Engineer
5. A Color: Eggplant
6. Something you wear: Ear muffs
7. A Beverage: Egg nog
8. A Food: Eclairs
9. Something found in the bathroom: Eye shadow
10. A place: England
11. A Reason for being late: Engine trouble
12. Something you shout: Ew!

Anyone interested in participating can be considered tagged by me.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of 01/04

Monday
Morning ~ Cereal and Fruit
Lunch ~ Grilled Chicken and Sweet Potato Casserole
Dinner ~ Pigs in a Blanket; Carrots and Dip

Tuesday
Morning ~ Grits and Fruit
Lunch ~ Pasta and Garbanzo Soup
Dinner ~ Sweet Bologna, Cheese and Crackers; Carrot & Raisin Salad

Wednesday
Morning ~ Cereal and Fruit
Lunch ~ Chicken and Stuffing Casserole Bake
Dinner ~ Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Veggies

Thursday
Morning ~ Amish Baked Oatmeal and Fruit
Lunch ~ Crockpot Pizza Beans and Cornbread
Dinner ~ Sandwiches

Friday
Morning ~ Leftovers
Lunch ~ Leftovers
Dinner ~ Home Made Pizza

The Start of Project 365

I saw this the other day but thought it would be too much to worry about but after seeing Aunt Kim and Aunt Rita's blog I decided I will try. I don't promise I will be perfect but I do enjoy taking pictures, so why not share them.

Here are my pics for this week. Enjoy!

I made this sign for a family at our church that just moved into a house.

Here is Betsy giving me those puppy eyes to take her outside to play. Don't you just love that face?

I made this special birthday card for a young man at our church who recently started working at Chick-Fil-A.

Here is one of my closets in my craft room. Although I am still not done organizing the room, little by little it is coming together.

Wordless Book Song

My heart was black with sin until the Savior came in

His precious blood I know has washed me whiter than snow

And in God’s word I’m told I'll walk the streets of gold

To grow in Christ each day I'll read my Bible and pray.

------------------------------------------------------------------

After reading the Happy Birthday Jesus post from the Homespun Heart blog, I started thinking about the Wordless book and the song that goes with it. I was telling Mike about the book/song and he didn't know what I was talking about. This made me realize that there must be others who also don't know about the Wordless book so I wanted to blog about it. I also wanted to have it as a reminder and never forget the words to this great evangelism song!

Getting Started

A few days ago I read about stocking a 90 day supply of food "just in case" of a number of situations that could take place in our lives. I don't want to go crazy with the idea but I do want to get some ingredients for meals that I can make. I also want to keep things organized and well stocked. Of course I don't have the money to just go out and buy a 90 day supply of food all at once but I got off to a good start last week. Publix had a great sale on spaghetti sauce and chicken broth. I was able to buy 5 big 32 oz cartons of chicken broth for 40 cents each and 10 jars of spaghetti sauce for 80 cents each. So I am off to a great start. I am going to make up some recipe cards for the meals I can make with the items I will be stocking.

Do you have any good meal ideas that you can share with me? I would love to hear from you.

Two Rakes and a Tarp

Our first project of the year is now complete and the yard looks wonderful.

We slept in on New Years day as much as we could. Mike had to join a conference call because he is on call this week. All went well on the call and we were able to get outside by 10:30 to start raking.

Mike and I make a great team. We raked all the leaves in a section onto a tarp then carried the tarp and dumped the leaves in a designated area of the yard. We live on an acre lot and some of it has grass growing (or trying to grow) and the rest we have decided to keep "all natural". So leaves, branches and anything else goes in the natural area.

After that project was done we cleaned out the chicken run and made the chickens good and happy. You know, happy chickens lay more eggs :-)

Thank you Lord for giving us a beautiful, sunny and cool day yesterday to get our first project complete. Thank you also for giving us rain today because we so greatly need it.

Hope everyone had a fantastic first day of the year.

My Goals for 2009

For me the new year has always been a time to make a resolution to lose weight. Although I always started strong, it never lasted. This year I want to do things differently.

I am setting goals of things to accomplish by next year.

Family Goals:

• Read through the Bible as a couple
• Participate in the walk to support Whispering Hope Crisis Pregnancy Center

Homemaking Goals:

• Bake homemade wheat bread more often
• Plant atleast 2 fruit or nut trees in our yard
• Complete one special deep cleaning/organizing project a month

Financial Goals:

• Open a Roth IRA for me and Mike
• Put atleast $250 in each of our IRAs
• Pay off the truck in 2009 (Mike has been doing an excellent job on doubling up on payments but if we buckle down on our spending we can pay it off this year ~ I know we can)
• Make one extra payment this year on our mortgage.

Personal Goals:

• Eat more fruits and veggies
• Drink more water
• Make healthier choices
• Stop saying What?, Huh? and Yeah!

Spiritual Goals:

• Read a chapter from the Bible each day ~ this will allow me to meditate more on what I read.
• Each month do something for someone to show my love for them
• Increase my time in prayer
• Pray more specifically

Books to Read:

• Bible (of course)
• Created to be his HelpMeet by Mike and Debbie Pearl
• The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
• Putting On a Gentle & Quiet Spirit by Elizabeth George
• The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick
• Confessions of a Happily Organized Family by Deniece Schofield
• Fancy Pants by Cathy Marie Hake