How hard is it?

How much do you plan your meals for the week?

Because we're on a budget, I try to plan my meals, starting first with the sale flyer from the grocery store, then by what I have in the pantry, or the freezer, and then, by our schedule for the week.

It is sometimes extremely HARD.

Sometimes we're so busy, finding time to even make a quality meal is ridiculous!  I don't want to just rely on cereal or sandwiches all the time.  Everyone gets tired of that.

This week is somewhat better as far as events go.  Only 3 nights out of the 5 we have something going.

So, I decided to share with you some things I've tried and we're having again this week, and two new things I'm going to attempt to make.


Tonight, we had Grace's sports banquet, so I made my Corn Chowder soup last night (to warm up), and these hot ham and cheese sandwiches tonight.

They were good.

Usually I just make ham and cheese sandwiches and wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven...these had a sauce to die for.  The recipe is here.


On Sunday for Superbowl Sunday, since we usually go low key on our meals (and after Grace and I get back from a baby shower...) I want to try these homemade pretzels.  I've never made homemade pretzels before, but this recipe seems quite easy.

recipe here.


We've had this honey crockpot chicken before...(recipe here) and it's delicious.

I want to try this creamy tomato tortellini soup just because it combines all the things I love...tortellini and tomato soup!  This will be on next week's menu, cause I ran out of room on this weeks.

Doesn't it look delicious?  Recipe here.

I don't know, maybe I'm making the meal planning thing too hard...maybe you have a better way.  Share with me please.

Help me out.

Thinking of new and different things all the time is wearing me out.

Sure, we have our standbys.  We usually have tacos quite often, or a roast in the crockpot, or breakfast at night, or even pizza.

I use Pinterest.com to break up the monotony of my menu.  I'm also trying to cook in a healthful way without a bunch of preservatives.

I still need help.  I still need your knowledge and your great recipes.

Point me in the right direction.

I'm begging you.  

New things...and a repeat.

I want to thank all of you for the great response I had to my Etsy shop in the last 6 months.

I didn't know how it would go, opening a shop, putting my crafts OUT THERE.

But it went surprisingly well, and January 2013 has already proved good too.

So, I added some more things this morning, in between yelling at the kids to hurry up and watch for the bus.  A two-hour delay doesn't mean we have all the time in the world!

Oh, and between reasoning with Grace that wearing shorts to the high school, without a pair of sweats over them totally defeats the purpose of our 2-hour delay based on frigid cold temperatures.  Please, do I LOOK stupid?

So, back to the new items.

I tried something new, and added a favorite.

It seems like everytime I make a framed/embellished bulletin board, it goes within the week I list it.

I'm not complaining...so I added another one.

Then, I decided to use my trusty chalkboard paint, and mix it up a little, and add it to some jelly jars/turned candle holders.

They have a great star detail at the top and I added some twine as well, and painted (with removable chalk paint) numbers on the front.  They come with two candles (inside.)

I also have some other glass candle holders covered with burlap ribbon.

But my newest, and scariest addition to the store...jewelry.

I make some of my own, and of course I wear my own, but to have someone else buy it...that makes me nervous. Will they like it as much as I do?  Will it hold up?

I think this piece is really cute, and if it doesn't sell, will become my own.

Simple, but great.

Come, take a tour of what is in the shop.  Maybe you'll find something you can't live without!

Trying something new

How often do we try something new?

Something that might scare us a little...something we weren't planning on.

For me, it was a new job this year.

For Grace, it was a new sport.  One she never contemplated doing.

You know, the first year of junior high is bad enough.  New building, new kids, new teachers, harder subjects.  It's rough.

Then you throw sports into the mix.  The competition, the tryouts, the disappointment.

Up until this point, Grace has played softball, basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics.

So, when Junior High volleyball tryouts came around, she just took it as second nature that she would be on the team.  I mean, she played for two years, and was on a traveling team, WHY wouldn't she make it.

Add other girls from the two other elementary's that join into our Junior High, and only a team of 13 girls, and someone is gonna be heartbroken.

Unfortunately, Grace wasn't picked.  The competition is THAT good, and our High School boasts a State competing team almost every year.

She was heartbroken, but not quite down for the count.

She missed the first round of cheerleading tryouts, due to volleyball tryouts, but made it for the winter season, boys basketball.

She tried out, and made the squad, and now it's become her favorite.

AND, she's GOOD at it.

She's made new friends, and come out of her shell a little bit.

She tried something new, and succeeded, and decided that along with track this spring, Cheer will be her sport.

I'm proud of her, and we tell her that weekly when another game comes around.

Good for you Grace!  Season well done!