We enjoy hot breakfasts at our house pretty much daily. We like pancakes, french toast, waffles, sausage links, scrambled eggs... mmmmm! But who has time to make something from scratch every morning?

I used to be a morning person, but since becoming a mom I have a bit harder time getting up and at 'em. So, we resort to cold cereal for breakfast every day... NOT!


About once a week I now spend an hour or so making enough waffles to last us about a week. Then we freeze the extra (think Eggo frozen waffles only healthy, bigger, cheaper and all around better). Sometimes I do the same with french toast or pancakes.

When breakfast rolls around, even my 6-year-old daughter knows how to get out a waffle, nuke it for one minute in the microwave, pour on syrup and enjoy!

You can make whatever your family enjoys and add in fruits like banana or blueberries. I've been "healthifying" ours by using 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 white flour. No matter how you do it, it is much cheaper and healthier than what you'll buy in the store. And making one big batch (or double or triple batch) saves time in the long run.

Works for me!

It's been a while since I've just written about life. Today is the day!

My husband is in the last days of this semester's class (he is working towards his Masters of Library Science - a requirement for his job). For whatever reason, this semester has been tougher than ever before, on him and on us. And that is saying a lot, as he's been a student most of our married life! When we were first married, we planned a "we made a through the semester and we're still happily married" date at the end of classes. Definitely feeling the need after the last few months, but even better than a date night...

In just one month we will be taking a weeklong trip to CALIFORNIA! On May 27th we will celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss (and stress)! We have never been on a plane together, so this will be a first! Our good friends John and Kate (no, not the Plus Eight ones) live in CA but will be moving soon. Now is our chance to visit while they are still there and for us to reconnect. We have very little planned for our days there, which is probably just what we need!

One other item of significance: we will soon be taking classes to learn more about foster parenting. Classes are the first in a long line of steps to take to being licensed foster parents. For now, we are trying to be obedient to where we sense God is leading us. And for years, adoption and foster parenting have been on our radar. We continue to desire more children and a bigger family, but at the same time struggle with infertility. Last year God practically gave us a bigger house with spare room and we have been asking Him from the start how to use this home for His glory, His kingdom-building purposes. We'll see where this all leads.

The Christian life has been called The Great Adventure. I am excited for what life holds - not because I know exactly where we'll be and what it will look like 2, 5 or 10 years down the road. But I know Him. I know His plans for me are good. I know He is trustworthy. And I know He is worth it - whatever it may cost me to follow Him. I will answer His call and I will follow.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

Monday again. New menu plan again. These few seconds of planning save me hours of headaches and stress as dinner time roles around each evening.

• diced ham and pasta
  
• ranch chicken strips and butter-baked potatoes
  
• zesty cheeseburger mac casserole
  
• tuna swiss pie
  
• cheesy chicken cutlets with rice
• breakfast for supper
  
• leftover buffet
  

Last weekend my niece spent the night. She is 5. My daughter is 6. They NEVER go to sleep when they should, but stay up talking, giggling, whispering, etc.

After about 30 minutes of such activities, I came up with the brilliant idea of THE QUIET GAME.

Here are the rules. "When I say "START" then the game begins. The first person to speak a word loses. To win the game, you have to be completely quiet - not even one word. I have a prize waiting for you in the morning. You can report to me in the morning who wins the game and gets the prize. If it's a tie, you both get a prize. Any questions? No? Then... START"

Not a peep out of them after that and I was overjoyed to give out two small prizes in the morning! :-)

Works for me!

I scored some big deals at WalMart last week! Everything in this picture was free, with only one exception - the fish sticks cost me $1.50. Total spent for 14 items in this picture, including tax, was $1.81. Yeah! That was 6 free kitchen sponges, 3 free packages of dental floss, 2 free packages of Tucks, and 2 free Benadryl itch-sticks. I love free!

At CVS this week I purchased 10 cans of tuna for NOTHING (thanks to Extra Care Bucks - CVS coupon that is like a gift card). I generally buy tuna at Aldi for around 39 cents a can, but free is even better!

So, just in case you needed a reminder, there are great deals out there to be found... and they can truly help you stretch your budget!

Monday means making a plan for the new week, as far as meals go. My days go smoother if I have made a plan. I can...

• set out meat to thaw in the morning for that evening's meal
• know in advance that we have all the ingredients on hand for all this week's meals (no last minute trips to the store)
• know in advance how much time I will spend each evening on the meal

• creamy baked chicken with pasta
  
• tuna cakes (made with stuffing) with some tuna I got for free this week at CVS (check out the CVS deals here)
  
• chicken cutlets with rice
• Thursday - serve meal at the rescue mission; leftovers served at home
  
• breakfast for supper (sausage links, waffles/pancakes/french toast, scrambled eggs)
  
• pita pizzas
  
• diced ham and pasta bake

Another week = time for a plan for this week's meals. Here is my plan. You are welcome to share yours!

• Tuna casserole
  
• Homemade pizza
  
• Chicken pot pie
  
• Tater tot casserole
• Friday night = dinner out with my hubby's coworkers and their families
• Crispy country chicken, potato wedges
• Leftover buffet

I know, I know. It's Tuesday. But here is my menu plan for the week - better late than never! I'm found some great new recipes that we'll be trying this week. For some reason, I'm in the mood for adventures in food! These are actually just new twists on old favorites, but they sound delicious!

• Pasta alfredo with chicken, salad on the side
  

• Asian Pork Tenderloin (new to us)(found some pork stashed in the back of the freezer that will be perfect for this)
  

• Tuna casserole (new to us)

• Taco pasta (new to us)

• Mini Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf (new to us)
  

• Tater Tot Casserole
  

• Leftover buffet

At our new place, we have not yet had a garden. The yard is actually quite a mess and needs a lot of clean up - including roots and stumps to be removed, as well as major weeds - not to mention the clay soil that makes it hard to dig in.


That was the garden at our previous house. Oh, how we hated leaving it (and are saddened to see that the new owners are letting the weeds take over the garden boxes). But here we are - would love a garden, but...

Last weekend we bit the bullet and made some space. Both my hubby and I worked for many hours weeding, digging up plants and small stumps, turning sod. Our city has compost free for the taking (if you load it yourself) so we now have some compost mixed in with the soil.

Next up, deciding what to plant and getting the seeds in the ground. Likely candidates: cucumbers, peppers, corn, beans

I love gardening for 2 main reasons: it can save money on fresh veggies (and I love sharing from the bounty of the garden with others) but it's also such a great educational opportunity with kids.

The law of sowing and reaping, the necessity of nutrients, the process of how food goes from the farm to the market, the requirement of work in order to get the desired food in the end, the miracle of life bursting forth from a tiny seed... all this and more coming from discussions taking place in the garden!

Got to love spring and planting time!

Monday again. Where did the weekend go? My husband has to work about one Saturday per month. He did this past Saturday. Whenever that is the case, the weekend flies by even faster than usual (since we have basically a one-day weekend).

Nonetheless, Monday is here and we need a plan for what we're eating for the week. So here it is:

• homemade pizza and salad
  
• creamy baked chicken over pasta
• meatball stroganoff and potato wedges
  
• tacos
  
• chicken parmesan alfredo
  
• tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
• leftover buffet :-)