Faith, Family, Food, & Fun

Goodbye Webkinz

2011-09-27T15:19:00.002-07:00

Today was the third strike for Webkinz.
My kids have really enjoyed taking care of their pets
and playing games in a nice, kid-friendly environment.
Or so I thought.

The first strike came a few months ago
when my son approached me
and asked me if there was a bad word
that sounded like "dam".
Um...
When I inquired further why he was asking,
he told me he had heard it on Webkinz in a joke.
I reviewed the Webkinz video that contained the joke
and was shocked to see that he was indeed correct.
The joke says: What did the fish say when he swam into a wall?
The answer is the aforementioned word in question.
Really?!?!
I didn't think my kids would be learning bad words on Webkinz!

The second strike was a month or so ago
with a maternity ad which had a woman in a bra!

And today my daughter let me know that
there was another ad on there this afternoon
with a woman in a bra.

I've read that Webkinz edited the video with the joke
and that you can inform them about
inappropriate content in their ads,
but isn't that their job?
After all, they are the ones making the money
on the animals and the ads combined.
If they say they're providing a kid-friendly environment,
shouldn't they make sure that is true?
Shouldn't they be the ones who are making sure
that their ads are aimed at the right target audience?

They don't care about my kids.
They care about money, but they won't get any more from us.

For my family, I can no longer risk being surprised
by what we might stumble upon on Webkinz.
And with that, we bid Webkinz,
"Adieu!"

What I'm Busy Doing

2011-07-07T14:22:00.002-07:00

I'm busy with life and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. The main things that I am concentrating my time and attention on right now are growing in my faith, raising my children, homeschooling, keeping house, couponing, saving money, and eating healthy.

In efforts to carve more time out of my day, I have been eyeing the possibility of doing once-a-month-cooking. I'm getting closer to making that a reality and my mom is going to do it with me. I've read that having a partner makes it more enjoyable and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather do it with. =)

The main website I have been looking at is Once a Month Mom. There are a few different styles of menus to choose from and although I can't see myself using all of the recipes in one menu, there are some great ideas. The whole foods menu appeals to me the most, as it has the least amount of processed foods and is more made-from-scratch cooking, which is more my style. There is a new menu each month and it is definitely a great tool to check out.

Right now I'm in the process of using up the food I have in my freezer and I'm not buying meat right now. When you do this monthly cooking, you want to use fresh as much as possible. I'm getting closer to having the room in my freezer that I will need to store the food I end up cooking.

At any rate, I'm at least going to give this a try and see if it gives me a little more time during the day. I'm hoping that it does, but I won't know until I do it. If anything, it will give my mom and I something to do together and make some memories. =)

Have you ever tried once-a-month-cooking? Do you have any tips or suggestions?

Drugstore Coupon Shopping Notes 5/22

2011-05-27T10:50:00.003-07:00

I just got back from my trip to Walgreens and CVS and I had a few notes to share with any one else who is doing this whole coupon adventure.
First of all, I did extremely well in spite of some hiccups.

I ended up spending a total of: $38.45 OOP
I received back $40 in Register Rewards from Walgreen's.
I think that's pretty awesome! =)
Here's some things I found out today that are mentionable:
1. The BOGO Suave Body Wash coupon that a whole bunch of matchup lists said would be in the 5/22 Red Plum Unilever insert... NOT in mine. It's possible that this is a coupon in other states, but I had 4 copies of the paper and I went through that insert 5-6 times (trust me, I was desperate to find it) and it wasn't in there. Anyhoo, if you happen to live in AZ and actually found it, would you please let me know where exactly? I would love to know if I'm blind for real! =P
2. The $2 off any Revlon Color Cosmetic coupon DID NOT work on the nail polish at CVS. So, I politely (and calmly) asked the cashier to take those off of my order... I hope my embarrassment wasn't too noticeable. ;-) It's possible this might work at a different location, but I thought I should let you know about my experience.
3. I had $3 off of Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation that I got HERE and I had 2 of these coupons. At my CVS, these were 75% and so when they rang up, they OWED ME $1.50ish! I used this overage and another coupon to buy some Cover Girl eye shadow. Anyways, with this coupon, it seems like you can get a pretty good deal on this makeup. I am getting close to empty on the stuff I'm using right now, so this was great for me!
4. I have read Arizona Walgreen's coupon policy, but it didn't mention how many transactions a customer is limited to. That said, when I went to checkout today and told the cashier I would have 4 separate transactions and that I would be happy to get back in line for each one, she informed me that she is only supposed to do 2 transactions. She was very nice and it wasn't a heated discussion or anything. She did say she would go ahead (even though I told her it was okay not to). At the end, I did ask her about that and she said they're not supposed to, but it depends on how busy they are and what time of the day it is and if you let them know you have more than 2, it's okay. Okay, I thought I did that when I checked out... hmm? That's not very clear, but I think I will keep it to 2 transactions next time.
5. The Complete Contact Solution deal and the Scunci Hair Elastics are an awesome deal at Walgreen's this week. They end up being FREE with rewards you get back, but make sure you go back and spend your rewards on another great deal during the week or next week (before the reward expires) or the contact solution and hair bands don't end up being free.
6. Even though I've done hardly any shopping at CVS, I scanned my CVS card at the kiosk in the store and a coupon for a free bag tag printed up, so definitely take the extra couple of minutes to scan your card... you might get something good!
7. Finally, here's the matchup lists I used for my shopping this week. Both of them are from The Coupon Counselor. <---- thank you! =)
CVS coupon matchups and deals
Walgreens coupon matchups and deals
So those are my shopping notes from my drugstore shopping today! How did you do?

linked up with Living Well Spending Less

Saved From the Garbage Muffins

2011-05-23T10:44:00.010-07:00

Okay, that's not the REAL name of these muffins, but I was trying to get your attention.
But seriously, the whole reason why I made these muffins was to save certain ingredients from the garbage can!
Over the past few days, I have been cleaning food out of my refrigerator and instead of throwing food away, I've been coming up with a way to use it. I've come up with some pretty yummy eats doing this and the great thing is that I'm not throwing food away, so I'm saving money! Cha-ching! =)

Here's what I wanted to use up:

Okay, let's see... we've got some applesauce, a couple of overripe bananas, a zucchini that's almost rotten, and a bit of crushed pineapple.

Here's what I came up with and they turned out delicious!!

The recipe is loosely based on THIS ONE from allrecipes (which is delicious, btw), but you will see that my version is an entirely new creation! TONS less oil, less sugar, and more yummy, nutritious ingredients. I would have loved to have used a combination of whole wheat flour and white, but I had no whole wheat flour on hand... boo! =( That would have increased the nutritional value of these muffins a bit. Feel free to try it with whole wheat flour and add whatever you want! I also think I could have gotten away with less sugar. I will probably try a bit less next time. I think these would be fantastic with nuts, but I planned on letting Baby Girl have some, so I left those out. Enjoy!

Better-For-You Zucchini Banana Muffins
Click here for a printable version
Makes approximately 18 regular-size muffins or 3 dozen mini muffins

Ingredients:

2 bananas, mashed
⅓ C. unsweetened applesauce
⅛ C. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
¾ C. sugar
1-1/2 C. flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
⅛ tsp. baking soda
½ TBS. ground cinnamon
1 zucchini, grated
⅓ C. crushed pineapple
½ C. raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease muffin pan or line with muffin liners. (Note: I had much better success without the liners. I just gave each muffin cup a light grease and they came out easily. The ones in the paper liners stuck really bad to the paper and the muffins didn’t come out too nicely from the paper. FYI!)

2. Combine the first five ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl. Mix until well combined. Add the sugar and mix until combined.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Mix to combine.

4. While stirring, add flour mixture to wet mixture until ingredients are well combined.

5. Add in the zucchini, pineapple, raisins, and any other chunkier ingredients at this time. Stir to combine and distribute fruit evenly throughout batter.

6. Distribute among muffin cups and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve piping hot out of the oven or cold. They’re good either way!

Here's the skinny on these muffins according to caloriecount: 1 serving/1 regular-size muffin: 109 calories, 2.1 grams fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 13.4 grams sugar, 1.8 grams protein.

Linked up with

Make Something Mondays

Muffin Monday

Just Something I Whipped Up

Melt in Your Mouth Monday

Your Recipe, My Kitchen

Mangia Mondays

Wise Shopping Trip Results 5/12

2011-05-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share my shopping results with you from yesterday's trip. It's not too late to get in on the deals and it's kind of fun and challenging to save money. I even made a video of my shopping trip which is at the bottom of this post. It was fun to do.

I will mention that wise shopping isn't just using coupons. It's shopping the store deals and when possible, matching up that great deal with a coupon. I really didn't use a whole lot of coupons on this last shopping trip (about a dozen), but I still saved 78%.

Here's the goods:

$110.34 worth of groceries for $24.02!!

Here's the run down:

Walgreen's

Total: $19.61

Savings: $20.54

Rebate & Reward: $19.00

This shopping trip ended up costing $0.61!!

Check out the matchup list for Walgreen's HERE.
Deals for Walgreen's end Saturday!

Basha's

Total: $8.67

Savings: $13.57
Check out the matchup list for Bashas' HERE.

Fry's

Total: $4.38

Savings: $12.98
View the matchup list for Fry's HERE.

Albertson's

Total: $10.36

Savings: $20.23

View the matchup list for Albertson's HERE.

My silly video!!

Hope you enjoyed today's post!

Grocery Deals for 5/11 - 5/17

2011-05-11T23:35:00.000-07:00

Here's some links where you can go to see what's on sale this week here in AZ. Follow the links to find the lists for the deals.

Fry's - Go HERE

Bashas' - Go HERE

Albertson's - Go HERE

Safeway - Go HERE

A friend of mine also told me about this site: GrocerySmarts

This Week's Menu

2011-05-09T09:00:00.012-07:00

This is what is going to be on our plates this week.

Weekly menu planning is a great way to save money.

You not only use up what you have,

but you don't make as many trips to the grocery store

where you inevitably buy items you

weren't originally planning on buying.

Those extra shopping trips add up!

Monday

Chicken & Veggie Stir-fry

(my way of cleaning out the vegetable bin)

Leftover Mongolian Beef

Fried Rice

Tuesday

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Wednesday

Grilled Salmon

Rice Pilaf

Sweet Potato Oven-baked Fries

Thursday

Skillet Beef & Noodles

Carrots w/ Garlic

Friday

Leftovers

Saturday/Sunday

More Leftovers!! :D

What's on your menu this week?

Linked up with:

AND

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sunday Paper Coupon Preview

2011-05-07T16:11:00.002-07:00

I found this link recently and it gives you a preview of the coupons that are going to be in the Sunday paper. This is great for deciding if you need to get multiple copies of the paper or not. This week's coupons contain coupons for a couple of things I would buy, namely the Mountain High yogurt and Tide detergent. So, I will probably pick up a couple of extra copies of Sunday's paper. Isn't that nice to know ahead of time without having to look through the paper yourself?

Here's the link: http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/ Make sure you click the "read more" button at the bottom of the post for this week to see the complete list!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers! =)

Coupon Adventures

2011-05-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

I've been an amateur coupon user for a few years.
"Oh, I use that." snip
"Maybe this will go on sale." snip

My husband and I watched some youtube videos
a few weeks ago and decided to give this whole coupon thing
a trial of a few months and see if it's worth the time and effort.
There are many youtube videos out there about couponing,
but I have really appreciated this series by Living Well Spending Less:
Extreme Couponing for Normal People

(click above for the first episode and the others are on the side bar)

Yes, normal people! That's what we are!
Well, we have friends and family that would beg to differ...
but you know what I mean.
We're not going to be using underneath our children's beds
to store extra items.
And we're not going to buy things we aren't going to use.
That kind of normal.
Anyhoo... this intro to what I really want to share with you
is taking a long time because I'm rambling too much.

Living Well Spending Less also has an awesome
step-by-step guide to help you start couponing
that we found very helpful.
Here's the link to that: How to Start Extreme Couponing.
I'm not sure how comfortable I am with the label "extreme",
but that's what I'm doing and I guess that means I'm extreme.
If you decide to jump in and be extreme like myself (and others)
and you decide to follow her step-by-step guide,
please follow her suggestions when putting together
your first shopping list.
I thought I knew how to "coupon" and I went
too extreme (you might say) with my first trip
and I was so exhausted and burnt out just making the lists.
I almost gave up then and there!
So don't overwhelm yourself.
Take baby steps.
Start with a very small list.
Start with ONE store.

I'm only on my 3rd week and it was much easier this week.
I was so excited with my trip to Fry's today.
I spent $15.46 and saved... are you ready...
$39.89!!!!!! That is a 72% savings.
Yes, I'm pretty excited about that.
I spent about an hour getting my list
and coupons together.
I would say $40 for an hour is pretty good. =)

Before I decided to give this a try
I was doing a pretty good job of shopping smart
and saving money when I went,
but my percentage was usually anywhere between 35-45%.
The past few times I have gone shopping, my percentage has
been in the 50%-60%.

I definitely have more to say about all this,
but I don't have the time at the moment.
I just wanted to share my results with you thus far
and also share the list for Fry's this week (5/4-5/10).
Deals & Coupon Match-ups @ Frys

Hope you're enjoying your week!

Yummies!

2011-03-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here feeling a little under the weather.

You can call it a cold and so can I,

because that's what it is.

So while I've been sitting here,

I've been doing a little blog-surfing

on foodie blogs.

Here's some posts you might like!

BBQ Chicken Enchiladas @ Feels Like Home

Mexican Ground Turkey Quinoa Skillet @ Debbie Does Dinner Healthy

Hearty Whole Grain Waffles @ Hallee the Homemaker

Stay healthy!

Homeschool Musings

2011-03-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

My two oldest and I have been busy

with our 50 states unit study for several months now.

I don't know if this is a problem or not

(at least not yet),

but it is feeling a bit dry.

I can't think of another word to describe the feeling.

And the thought of enduring many, many more months

of this dryness is a little concerning to me.

I want to give my kids the best

home educated experience that I can,

and somehow I feel like I'm missing the mark with this study.

But then on the other hand, the thought

of abandoning the study when we've come so far

(about 1/3 of the way)

is hard for me to justify,

especially when I want to teach my kids

good character qualities like

persevering and not giving up!

What to do?

While we leave me, myself, and I to ponder that question,

here is a great link that I found today:

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/

And no, this did not help me at all with

being content with what I teaching at the moment.

Look at all these topics and such creative ways of teaching!

I'm drooling... in a way that only a teacher can.

(Teachers out there, you know what I'm talking about).

Sitting here, contemplating the matter at hand,

God's Will & Testament

2011-03-09T09:22:00.005-07:00

I have never read the Bible all the way through!

There... I said it.

You would think that since this book

is at the very core of my faith,

I would have bothered to have read it

all the way through at least once.

I guess I didn't really think it was

I M P O R T A N T.

I mean, that is the most logical

conclusion to come to, right?

R I G H T.

And that is the truth,

because if it wasn't the truth,

than I would have read it through in its entirety already,

and many more times over.

I have gone so many years not knowing what

the Bible says.

And that is really sad,

because it is the testament and will

of my Father, God Almighty.

This book tells me what is mine.

It tells me what He has left for me.

It tells me the truth about my Father,

about His Son, His Spirit, about life, about death,

about what really matters.

If you had a really rich father,

would you think that his last will and testament

wasn't important enough to read?

Would you rely on other people

to tell you once a week what the will says

without checking it out for yourself?

(All the while living in a one-room shack

with a leaky roof, infested with cockroaches and mice...

Starving, with nothing, being a slave to a master

who abuses you, I might add.)

What?! That's crazy talk!!

I know, and yet, that is how I've treated God's Word to me.

A few years ago, I began to really read

my Father's will and testimony.

Not to be religious

(who else is tired of doing that?),

but because I wanted to really know

W H A T I T S A I D.

I have found out some things that no one...

NO ONE,

told me in church all those years I went on Sunday.

Things that I should have known.

Things that would have helped me.

Things that have changed my life.

Who should I blame?

Who should I blame for cheating

me out of years of enjoying the riches of Christ?

Who should I blame for unnecessary

spiritual poverty?

Who should I blame for the counterfeit faith

that I was satisfied with?

Who should I blame?

M Y S E L F.

Truly, I was a fool.

So how do I end this reflection?

Find out for yourself what God's will is!

Read the testament that He left for you.

There is an inheritance beyond imagination

for anyone who has become a son of God.

How do you become a son of God?

Email me... I'd love to chat with you about it.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts.

Have a blessed day!

Cupcake Cake

2011-01-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter turned 10 this month!

It's amazing how quickly 10 years flew by.

We planned a birthday party with kids,

party favors, games, hot dogs, cake...

hold on there... not just any cake!

A cupcake cake.

Have you seen these at the grocery store?

They're really cute, but I just can't

bring myself to pay all that money

for cupcakes that are mediocre

with icing that is just as mediocre

(probably even more so).

It's not that I'm a snob

(at least I don't think I am),

but I just love yummy food

and those store-bought cupcakes

just aren't that yummy to me.

Besides, my daughter wanted carrot cake cupcakes...

I'm not sure the grocery store could pull that off.

So we went to work making carrot cake cupcakes

using an old recipe from a Russian cookbook

that my grandma gave my mom

(seriously, those ladies knew how to bake/cook).

It's an amazing recipe and along with cream cheese

frosting on top... well, it's just super amazing!

I arranged the cupcakes on a piece of foam board,

iced the cupcakes and decorated them.

Decorated the foam board.

I'll admit, I was in a little rush when I put this together

and it didn't come out the greatest,

but my daughter loved it and was very pleased

and that's what really matters, right?

So I'm glad we tried something new

and had some fun with it.

How about you?

Have you tried anything new lately?

Our Christmas Dessert: Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream & Hot Fudge Sauce

2010-12-27T10:00:00.008-07:00

My husband bought me an ice cream maker a couple of years ago for my birthday. I made a few batches, wasn't super impressed, and it's been sitting up in my closet. My daughter, Kayla, kept telling me we should make ice cream again sometime. Earlier this month, I decided just to go for it and do it! We made Peppermint Ice Cream and the results were so good that we decided to make the ice cream (except a double batch) for our Christmas dessert this year! It was so nice having such good results with such a simple and easy recipe. It has made me want to try making ice cream more often. =)

The thing I liked about this recipe was that it didn't require cooking the base before freezing in the ice cream maker and the results still yielded nice and creamy ice cream. This recipe is so simple. The hardest part, IMO, is crushing the peppermint candies! We did it with a hammer. In the future I would like to explore other possible ways of crushing the peppermint candies.

Easy Creamy Peppermint Ice Cream
Adapted from THIS RECIPE found at
www.serving-ice-cream.com
Printable version HERE

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. peppermint extract
2/3 cup crushed peppermint candies

1. Whisk milk, half-and-half, and sugar together until sugar is completely dissolved.

2. Add whipping cream, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract and mix with whisk until well combined. At this point, mixture can be stored in refrigerator for several hours if desired.

3. Pour into ice cream maker bowl/cannister. Churn ice cream for approximately 20-25 minutes or according to manufacturer's directions. At this point, mixture should be in a semi-frozen state. Add the crushed peppermint candies at this point (if you add them at the beginning, the candies will sink to the bottom).

4. Churn mixture with candies an additional 5-10 minutes or until you have achieved desired consistency. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe storage container and freeze to set ice cream.

We topped our Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream with this super yummy (and easy) Hot Fudge Sauce from allrecipes.

Simple & Delicious Hot Fudge Sauce
Adapted from THIS RECIPE
from allrecipes.com
Printable version HERE!

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
4 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup brown sugar
dash or two of salt (approx. 1/16 tsp.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate squares, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium low heat until chocolate and sugar is melted, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in vanilla. Remove from heat.

3. Serve warm over ice cream or dessert of choice. Store fudge sauce in refrigerator.

4. To reheat, place desired amount in microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals until sauce has reached desired temperature. A small amount of water can be mixed in if consistency is too thick.

Notes: This sauce was really good, don't get me wrong! But I think the next time I try it, I would like to add another ounce or two of chocolate to get a richer chocolate flavor. I may add a bit more vanilla as well.

This was definitely a departure from our usual Christmas desserts, but it was fun to try something new.

What did you enjoy for dessert on Christmas Day?

Linked up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, It's a Blog Party Delicious Dishes, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesdays, Delectable Tuesday, & Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T07:00:00.001-07:00

I wanted to pop in to say Merry Christmas!

I made this card for my parents and brother

and thought I would share it with you.

I had fun designing it and putting it together.

I've been playing around with a stamping technique

called "Embossed Resist".

I used this technique on the snowflakes.

You can see that I embossed them

with clear embossing powder on white cardstock

and then sponged over them with light blue ink.

It creates a fun effect!

I colored my snowmen with inks and a blender pen.

I feel like such an artist with the results I get doing that!

I trimmed some white cardstock to resemble snow drifts

and set my snowmen over the cardstock

and set a snow layer over them on the bottom.

I had some fun with the ribbon.

I felt like doing something different,

so I did! =)

I just couldn't bring myself to put the greeting on the front,

so I just stamped the inside.

I hope you have a wonderful day enjoying your families

and those close to you.

May the reminder of Christ's birth

and why He humbled Himself

and came to this earth

be ever present with you today and in the New Year.

My mom wrote a wonderful post on the blog

that I co-author with her about "the rest of the story".

You can see her post HERE on Two Happy Stampers' blog.

Vacation Project

2010-12-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

My husband likes to take a good chunk

of his vacation off during this time of year.

This year was no exception.

He has nearly 2 weeks off (including the weekends)

and it will so nice to have him home for all those days!

This year he has a special home improvement

project he will be working on.

When we moved into our home nearly 10 years ago,

we eyed the half-wall between the living room

and hallway as a possible place for storage in the future.

10 years later, we now have 3 children, we are homeschooling,

and our house with less than 1400 sq. feet is nice and cozy.

That extra storage area idea is now becoming a reality

and it will be great to have a little more storage space.

I thought I would share some pictures of what he started today.

My brother helped out with the work today,

which my husband was very grateful for.

Thanks, Dan! =)

BEFORE

Here's our hallway and the half-wall.

You can see where Gary cut a little hole

in the wall to scope out the inside.

AFTER

Here's what the hallway looked like

after Gary and Daniel started cutting.

It's a mess right now, but I'm looking

forward to the end result! =)

Anyway, that's what's going on here today.

I'll post more pictures as we go along! =)

Rejoice!

Random-ness

2010-11-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

I read THIS POST on David Wilkerson's blog

and wanted to share it with you.

It's titled:

Putting Limits on God's Power

Very good encouragement

not just to think about,

but to apply and act on.

Right now, God is showing and teaching me

how to practice delighting in Him.

I really stink at it.

I'm serious.

But He is such a good and patient teacher.

He doesn't give up on me

and He's not letting me give up either.

Which reminds me...

I can't give up on other people, either.

Okay, so this post is a little random,

but it's what's on my heart as I'm writing.

Have a blessed day,

A Decorating Tip

2010-10-02T15:47:00.001-07:00

People that know me well are probably shocked with this title.

A decorating tip? From Adriel?

I'll be honest, I'm not very big on decorating

and my home is pretty humble.

It's not because I don't want to decorate.

It has more to do with that (a lot of times)

annoying thing we call "money".

I have this thought in the back of my mind

that it's somewhat wasteful to spend money on something

that is just going to sit and look pretty.

Am I alone?

At the same time, there's a part of me

that wants to have pretty things.

I think I'm just weird.

Okay, so enough about my issues

with home decorating.

I told you about a decorating tip

and I'm not going to let you down!

I came across this article today about fall trends

written by Elaine Williamson.

She lists eight fall trends and #6 got my attention:

"Pillow talk. Today's pillow designs offer an array

of textures, colors, shapes, sizes and accents,

and can completely transform a room's aesthetic.

Accordingly, pillows have become the ultimate interior design accessory.

Choose an assortment of pillows for the spring and summer,

and another set for the fall and winter.

This is an easy, budget-friendly way to transition a room

from one season to the next."

Okay, I think even home decorating handicapped little old me

can handle something like that!

Plus, she mentioned "budget-friendly".

I think some decorating might be in my future!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Goodbye August, Hello September!

2010-09-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

In a way it's hard to believe that September is already here,

but in another way it seems that August was a very long month.

Life seems to be going by fast...

i n s l o w m o t i o n.

That doesn't make very much sense,

but it's a feeling that is hard to explain.

Here's my month of August highlights!

We went to a Diamondbacks game.

The kids earned free tickets through

our library's summer reading program.

My brother came along with us. =)

Jacob celebrated his 8th birthday.

He made his own pinata with the help

of his sister and neighbors.

We ended up having a kid party,

a family party, and a party with the families we fellowship with.

I don't know how all that happened,

but it did, and that's all that matters. ;-)

The kids and I continued our 50 state unit study.

We covered Arkansas, Arizona, and California.

We spent lots of time in the kitchen making

a recipe for each of the states we studied.

Allison took her first dip in the pool!

I wasn't sure if we'd do that this year,

but it seemed like the right moment last week

and it's always cute to see a baby in the pool with a diaper. =)

I was able to spend some time crafting this month!

Here's one of the cards I made. =)

What was one of your highlights from last month?

Recipe for Beef & Spinach Shells w/ Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce

2010-08-31T08:30:00.007-07:00

Wow! What a title, huh?

A tad bit on the long side,

but it could honestly be longer.

No kidding.

So I tried out my idea for this dish tonight.

I liked the flavor a lot,

but my original sauce was too heavy.

I revised the recipe based on my first impressions

and here's what I've got!

If you give it a go, let me know what you think! =)

Beef & Spinach Shells w/ Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce

Makes 10 stuffed shells or 4 servings

Beef Mixture:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C. packed spinach, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thawed and squeezed dry)
4 oz. cream cheese (regular or reduced-fat), softened
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 C. shredded Italian cheese blend

Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce:
1 8 oz. can Roasted Garlic flavor tomato sauce
1 8 oz. can Basil, Garlic, & Oregano flavor tomato sauce
1/2 C. packed fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/2 C. shredded Italian cheese blend
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz. cream cheese (regular or reduced-fat), softened
1/2 TBS. sugar

Additional Ingredients:
10 large pasta shells
1 C. shredded Italian cheese blend

1. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook large pasta shells according to box directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and keep in pot with a small amount of cold water to keep noodles from sticking together; set aside until ready to stuff.

2. Brown ground beef in medium skillet; drain fat. Add in onion, garlic, and spinach. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir in cream cheese, salt, and pepper, combining well. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before stirring in the Italian cheese.

3. In a small saucepan, heat both cans of tomato sauce over medium-high heat. When heated through, stir in the Italian cheese blend and grated Parmesan cheese until melted. Add the cream cheese, blending it into the sauce mixture (a whisk or a hand blender may be helpful). Add the basil and sugar, stirring to combine. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375. In a medium baking dish, place a small amount of sauce in bottom. Drain pasta shells and stuff with beef mixture. Arrange shells seam-side up in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle the top with 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend. Bake for 20 minutes, then place under broiler and broil top until cheese is slightly browned. Serve with a nice green salad and garlic bread!

Enjoy!

Linked up with:

Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff

Tuesday Night Supper Club @ Fudge Ripple

Tasty Tuesdays @ A Beautiful Mess

This Week's Menu in Adriel's Kitchen

2010-08-29T23:09:00.002-07:00

Here's what's going to be on our plates this week!

Monday

Beef & Spinach Stuffed Shells w/ Creamy Tomato Sauce

(This is an idea in my brain...

I'll let you know how it goes.)

Salad

Garlic Bread

Tuesday

Roasted/Baked Chicken Breasts

(This is another idea... stay-tuned!)

Garlic Rosemary Red Potatoes

Fresh Sauteed Green Beans

Wednesday

Chicken & Steak Fajtas

(I've got yet another idea for a marinade!)

Mexican Rice

Refried Beans

Fresh melons

Thursday

Mongolian Beef

Red Curry Chicken & Green Beans

Friday

Leftovers

Linked up with:

Yummies I'd Like to Try

2010-08-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm still in the process of getting life organized,

but I have made some progress.

We've been tracking along with school,

the house has been staying fairly clean

(a couple rooms are a work in progress),

most of our meals have been cooked at home,

and we've still managed to fit in some free time!

Right now I'm just maintaining necessary meals and such,

but here's a few yummies that I hope to try soon!

Safe to Serve Raw Cookie Dough

from My Computer is My Canvas

Okay, YUM! Must try this dipped in chocolate!!

Iced Spice Cookies

from Scrambled Hen Fruit

Are these cute or what?!

I've been wanting to do some cut outs with the kids

and this dough looks really yummy.

I don't know if I'll be brave enough to try the icing

(it looks a little too complicated and time-consuming at the moment),

but we'll see.

Peaches and Cream Amish Bread

from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

I've got starter in my freezer!

I've never thought of making it this way, almost like a cake.

It looks super yummy!

Super Chewy Donuts from Super Bananas!

I've wanted to try making donuts for a long time! Yummy!!

Clouds in the Sky

2010-08-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Right now I am sitting at my kitchen table

looking outside and noting the cloudiness.

The kids were planning on swimming today,

but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Clouds during the summer here usually mean

T H U N D E R S T O R M S

(and I have heard some thunder).

Not too smart to swim in.

They have done a great job with school today.

Too bad I can't reward them with swimming.

They worked so hard to get done in time to go.

Sometimes life doesn't always go as we planned.

They're having really good attitudes about not going

and it is encouraging to see them honoring God

and pleasing Him even in the middle of disappointment.

My husband and I got some news today that didn't seem so great,

but I listened to my husband respond in a calm, controlled manner.

I saw him glance at the clouds and turn his gaze back to the Son,

and he spoke words of faith that I wasn't expecting to hear.

As a family, I see the Lord gaining ground in each of our hearts

one step at a time, little by little.

Thank you, Father.

Banana Coconut Bran Muffins

2010-08-25T08:30:00.004-07:00

I had some overly, and I mean

OVERLY,

ripe bananas sitting in my fruit dish yesterday.

They were either going to get thrown away

or they were going to be used for baking.

Now, I haven't been the most ambitious person lately,

but I didn't want to waste those bananas

(although now that I'm writing this, I realize I could've just put them in the freezer).

I threw these together and they were yum, yum, yummy!

Thought I would share them with you.

Banana Coconut Bran Muffins
Makes approximately 2 dozen muffins

Recipe notes from Adriel: I used cooking oil in this recipe, but if I had had plain yogurt, I probably would've used that instead. Also, I made part of my batch without the chocolate chips and part with. Both are good and depending on my mood, I like it either way. Obviously, the chocolate chips make this more "dessert-y", but that's okay once in awhile! This would be good with nuts in it, too, but I didn't add them today. Maybe another time. Enjoy! =)

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup flaked coconut
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips *optional*

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Mix in the brown sugar.

3. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (except for chocolate chips). Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir together until combined. Mix in chocolate chips or any other additional mix-ins and stir to combine.

4. Spoon or pour batter into greased or lined muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

What I liked about these is that they were good WITHOUT butter on them!

That's a big deal for me, because I almost

never, hardly ever, can eat muffins without butter.

This makes them healthier for me

(and for anyone else who has the same ~~problem~~ keen sense of taste). ;-)
In addition, my daughter liked them a lot, too!
Kid-friendly!! Woohoo!!

Have a great day! =)

Linked up with:

Real Food Wednesday

Works for Me Wednesday

Trendy Treehouse Creative Share

Show Us What You're Working With

Reminded Again

2010-08-23T09:00:00.001-07:00

I had a hard time coming up with a title for my post today.

All the words I thought of just didn't seem to come close

to what is on my heart, but this title will just have to do.

A few days ago I was going through my texts on my phone,

because my text box was getting full and I needed to delete some.

In doing so, I ran across some texts from my husband from last year,

shortly after I had found out I was pregnant again.

They reminded me of something I had completely forgotten about,

but they took me back to that time and reminded me to thank the Lord.

We were pleasantly surprised when we found out

we were going to have another child.

It was just exciting!

But a short time after finding out,

there was a day when I had a decent amount of bleeding

and I thought I was losing the baby.

Thus the texts...

I don't remember all the details...

I think we prayed on the phone, but I'm not completely sure.

I do remember that the bleeding stopped that day

and here we are, several months later with a new baby. =)

It's always good to remember to return to the Lord to thank Him.

I'm just thankful for the reminder, because I forget so easily.

Bless Jehovah, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits.

Psalm 103:2

Crunch 'n Munch Jacob style

2010-08-13T10:00:00.001-07:00

I was typing yesterday's post and eyed my son

eating his Crunch 'n Munch.

Instead of chuckling to myself

and enjoying the moment all alone,

I grabbed the camera and snapped this shot.

He was eating the last of the Crunch 'n Munch

and wasn't going to let those tasty crumbs go to waste.

He caught on to me, though,

and realized I was taking pictures of him.

Then I got a few more...

After our photo shoot, he took another bite/lick

(whatever you want to call it)

and said loudly,

"Can someone get me a drink of water?!

It tastes like a stinky nut!"

He then proceeded to run to the kitchen sink

and try and rinse his mouth out.

It was humorous

and because he wasn't dying or anything,

I just sat in my seat and observed the moment.

So thank you, Crunch 'n Munch,

for adding a little humor to my

otherwise ordinary lunch time.

It was worth the $1 I spent on you. =)

Today...

2010-08-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm working on some new schedules for life!

I told my mom the other day

that I need to take a whole month off

to re-organize my life.

Well, not really, but that's what it feels like.

Nursing a baby is practically equivalent

to a full-time job... time-wise, that is.

But now that we're approaching

3-months old, I'm anticipating feedings

not taking quite so long?

(Yes, that's a hopeful statement in question!)

The thing is, a baby's schedule

changes every week or so.

My schedule is going to have to be flexible,

but I definitely need something

to help me know where I'm going in a day..

Do you know what I mean?

In addition, my kids need a schedule

for their day as well

to see where they are going

throughout the day

and to make sure we stay on task

to get done what needs to be done.

Since I can't be as involved minute-by-minute

right now, it's important that they have

a schedule that tells them what is expected

and to give them some basic

time management skills.

This will be good for them in the long run

on becoming more responsible in their time.

I don't want to wait until

I'm absolutely desperate before

I put an action plan into place.

So I'm starting now and will

hopefully get these schedules done...

right now I'm having a problem with Excel

not doing what I want it to do.

Fortunately, I have a techy husband

who will be able to help me later. =)

Do you have any tips on organizing

that you can share with me?

I'm open to suggestions! =)

Sweeter Than Chocolate Bible Study

2010-08-11T10:00:00.003-07:00

Quite a name for a Bible study, no?

I think the name is great!

Especially since I LOVE chocolate!

I've done a few studies through Precept Ministries

on various topics/books of the Bible.

I always get so much out of them

just by reading the word of God!

I know that sounds simplistic,

but it's true and these studies

really let the word teach the word.

You don't have people putting their opinions in

and manipulating the words to prove their point of view.

They actually have a Bible study series for children

called, "Discover 4 Yourself".

I have done 2 of them with my kids.

We just finished the study on James titled,

"Boy, Have I Got Problems".

But back to Sweeter Than Chocolate...

I just ordered 2 of these studies -

One for me, one for my mom.

My mom really likes doing these Bible studies

and I thought it would make a great gift

for her birthday coming up.

(Don't worry about her knowing, she already does.)

Precept is going to be starting an online Bible study

for the Sweeter than Chocolate Psalm 119

Bible study this fall!

I was excited to see this,

because they did an online Bible study

for the Sweeter Than Chocolate Hebrews 11

during the summer and I wished I had known

in time to order the book and everything.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to starting this study

and getting to do it with my mom.

She's more than just my mom,

she is a very special friend

and I love her very much.

For now, I've got the free study guide

for Jeremiah Pt. 2 that I need to finish.

If you're looking for something

to help you study God's word more in depth,

visit Precepts for Life HERE

and you'll find links for listening/watching

Kay Arthur and free study guides on

a number of books of the Bible

and topics that you can download.

This is a great place to start if you're

not sure this type of Bible study is

something you want to spend money on.

However, the money you spend is well worth it!

What you get is

Sweeter Than Chocolate!

Enjoy your day! =)

50 States Unit Study + Recipe

2010-08-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

You may remember THIS POST
where I was trying to decide

if I should take the plunge

and do a 50 States unit study

with my kids or not.

I decided to go for it

and we've been enjoying our study so far.

We are doing the states in alphabetical order,

trying to study one state per week.

We have to take a little longer

for a state a couple of times,

but we've been doing pretty good staying with it.

One of the activities that we do for each state

is choose a recipe that has something

to do with that state

(using an ingredient grown in the state or a traditional recipe from that state),

and we make it together.

I take pictures as we go through it step-by-step

and then I print up the pictures

and the kids write about how we made it.

This goes into their 50 states notebook,

along with a copy of the recipe.

We're a little behind making a recipe for Arkansas

(which we studied last week).

I was planning on making a rice dish of some kind

since rice is one of the major crops grown there,
but Kayla wanted to make

Tater Tot Casserole

(a recipe from the Duggar family),

because the Duggars are from Arkansas. LOL!

I thought that was pretty cute

and since we haven't yet tried Tater Tot Casserole,

I think I will oblige her. =)

Today I'm sharing what we made for Alabama...

Blackberry Swirl Cake

Ingredients:

1 box Yellow Cake Mix

12 oz. fresh blackberries

1/3 C. sugar

2 TBS. flour

1. Prepare cake mix according to box directions. Pour cake batter into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.

2. Mash blackberries with sugar, leaving some larger pieces of berries. Mix in flour. Place spoonfuls of berry mixture in a varied pattern on top of cake batter. Run a knife back and forth, up and down to “swirl” in berry mixture with cake batter.

3. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Yummy fresh blackberries!

My two personal chefs. =)

Finished masterpiece!

What kinds of activities do you like to include
in your homeschooling to make learning fun?

I'd love to hear your ideas!

Treasure

2010-06-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

If you treasure something, it brings you joy.

Treasure doesn't make you feel resentful or obligated.

Treasure causes excitement and anticipation, not boredom.

You will do what you need to do to protect treasure,

even guarding it with your life.

Treasure is special to you, even priceless.

Other things pale in comparison.

"Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee."

Psalm 119:11

God's word and His laws and statutes are a treasure...

to be a source of joy...

to be protected...

to be sought after...

to be treasured.

Makes me rethink how I think about God's word at times.

Treasured...

what a wonderful word to describe

how my attitude toward His word should be.

3 Weeks!

2010-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here is why I have not posted in awhile...

Pretty cute reason, huh? =)

Today, she is 3 weeks old.

One week ago, I didn't think I would make it.

One week ago, I was an emotional wreck.

One week ago, I was too exhausted to do almost anything.

One week ago, I was ready to throw in the towel on nursing.

One week ago, I wondered if life would ever feel normal again.

This week, nursing isn't as daunting (or painful).

This week, I can tell my body is adjusting to less sleep.

This week, taking care of Allison is more enjoyable.

This week, we're all settling into a routine of sorts.

This week, the new normal is starting to feel, well,

NORMAL!

I know time has improved things a bit,

but I also know people have been praying
for me and my family

and I know that the Lord is the big reason

that this week is 10 times better!

He is the glory and lifter of my head. =)

"But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the One who lifts my head."

Psalm 3:3

Enjoy your week! =)

Recipes I'd Like to Try...

2010-05-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing on some food blogs
and found some recipes I'd like to try sometime sooner (or later)...
I thought I'd share them on here. =)

Buttery Blonde Banana Bread

Mmmmm... this looks really good!

Best Banana Bread

The sugar crust is mighty appealing!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Oh, these just sounds so good right now!

These all have one thing in common: Bananas!
I need to check my freezer for frozen bananas!

Make something sweet this week! =)

School Planning

2010-04-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

Life has just swallowed up my time!

One of the things in life that has me occupied

is homeschooling my kids...

staying on top of planning school...

staying on top of keeping things organized

(which isn't my strong point).

I have been encouraged the past couple of weeks

to see the kids apply themselves

and look at their weekly plans independently...

and do a good majority of their school independently.

That is one of the main the goals.

To create independent learners.

Kids who can find the answers for themselves.

Kids who can figure out how to learn on their own.

They're still learning how to do this,

but I saw us take some major steps

toward this goal the past couple of weeks.

I'm seeing progress!

Yes!

As we're coming to the end of our unit study,

Attentiveness...

where we have learned about

ears and hearing,

eyes and sight,

traps and animals,

and birds

(yes, they all have something in common with attentiveness),

I am planning a new unit study.

I am mulling around the idea of doing

a unit study on the 50 states.

Quite an endeavor, no?

This would take a year if you studied one state per week.

And even with this, I'm asking myself,

"Is one week per state enough time?"

Hmmm...

I don't have a whole lot of time to contemplate the idea...

I'm expecting a new baby the beginning of June

and I would like to have a general idea

about the direction for school decided and planned by then.

To keep our momentum going.

To continue making progress

toward independent learning and thinking.

Here's a wonderful site I found with TONS of info...

http://www.squidoo.com/50statesnotebook

almost too much info...

an overwhelming amount of info...

on doing a 50 states unit study.

So much work is already done,

but putting it all together

and taking the pieces you like

and putting them together

with other pieces you like...

it takes a decent amount of organization...

Do I dare try?

It's somewhat daunting,

but I think I will be persuaded to pursue it.

Why?

I'm thinking my kids would have a blast!
I'm thinking they would love to do a unit study like this.

I'm thinking they would learn a lot and enjoy it.

I'm thinking if I start now,
I may be able to pull the whole plan together

just in time for baby #3.

Besides, aren't these kids worth it?

Yes, they are!

My Plans for the Day

2010-04-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Today is going to be a day of bread-making, laundry and who knows what else!

With two kids under 10, there always seems to be something unexpected. ;-)

I'm thinking of photographing my French bread-making...

the bread turned out awesome the last time I made it.

Probably if I decided on photographing it, it would end up turning out weird.

Things like this happen to me sometimes.

I don't know why.

I'm also thinking of heading to my local grocery store which has strawberries on sale until tomorrow for $1 lb. and trying out THIS FREEZER JAM RECIPE.

It may not happen today... it might.

Who knows?

Enjoy your day! Remember that whatever the day brings, God is in control! =)

Scottsdale Day Trip

2010-03-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

The kids both finished their math books last week and we usually like to celebrate this milestone by taking them out for a treat. One of the kids' favorite places to go for things like this is Streamers, but they closed several months ago.

So sad.

Anyway, Kayla said she wished they were open and so I went online to see if there were any other old-fashioned ice cream parlors around town. I found this place called the Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale.

We've taken the kids to Scottsdale on another occasion for a free trolley ride around Old Town Scottsdale, and so we thought we would do that again and treat them at the Sugar Bowl. The weather was beautiful and it made for a nice time together.

Here's some pics of the day:

I've never seen a limo like this one... only in Scottsdale:

The free trolley! If you ever visit Scottsdale, this is a fun thing to do. Here's some info about it if you're interested.

Cute Sugar Bowl napkin.

Cute kids at Sugar Bowl. ;-)

Each of the kids ordered a Desireme Banana Split!

That was our fun day trip! =)

Brave or Crazy?

2010-03-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

You decide.

Let me tell you what I did yesterday...

Are you ready?

Okay, I cut my own hair! Aaaaah!

I watched a YouTube video. Yes, seriously. It was actually this video HERE.

Maybe the method is all wrong...

But I was pleased with the results...

And I haven't been pleased the last couple of times I've had my hair professionally cut.

My husband thought I had gone and had it professionally cut, it looked that good.

The question is, would I do it again?

Absolutely!! I really would!

How about you? Have you done anything brave (or crazy) recently?

BTW, yes, I took all these pictures of myself just because I'm weird. I love that reason! =)

Pinch Me! I'm Tempted to Sew!

2010-03-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

You read that right!

And if you know me, that's rare.

I'm thinking that this tutorial might tempt me to get my sewing machine out.

In case you're wondering what could tempt me to do that,

you can check it out HERE for yourself.

You may even be tempted to make one, too!

Enjoy your day!

Thoughts from James

2010-03-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Just a little tidbit to share from what I read this morning while I was reading James. I was struck with the simplicity of this verse:

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises."

James 5:13

Either way, whether things are going wonderfully or going terribly, the focus should remain the same - on the Lord. The suffering should turn us to God to pray. The happiness should turn us to God to praise Him.

Hoping you have a day today that is focused on the One and Only who truly matters in this life that is merely a vapor. May we find our minds fixed on Jesus today.

The Beginning...

2010-03-22T15:55:00.001-07:00

Today marks the first post for my new blog: Faith, Family, Food, & Fun. I have another blog that I share with my mom where I post about card making, stamping, and papercrafting, but sometimes I have other things I want to share that, frankly, don't belong there. Soooo, meet my new blog! I'm looking forward to sharing little bits of this and little bits of that about life.

I'll be back soon!