Ranch Oyster Crackers Recipe

We spent Christmas Day at my mom's house and one of our good friends came over and brought these delicious Ranch Oyster Crackers (warning: they may be addicting). I just had to have the recipe. This has to be one of my new favorite snack crackers! My kids love em and I can't stop eating them. So with that being said, I thought I would share the recipe with you all too.



Ranch Oyster Crackers

1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 box (16 ounces) oyster crackers
1 packet (3 Tbsp or 1 ounce) Hidden Valley Original Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (this is what I use) or 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

Instructions:

Place crackers in a gallon-size Glad-Lock Zipper Storage Bag. Pour oil over crackers; seal bag and toss coat.
Add dressing mix and spice; seal bag and toss again until coated. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 250 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (I do not bake mine).

Enjoy! :)

Meal Plan Friday

Alright......I haven't posted my meal plan in several months or have been very good about keeping one with the holidays being here. Life has just been so crazy and now it's starting to settle back down and I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. It's time to get my normal routine back! :-)

Friday: New York Steaks, Sauteed Mushrooms, Salad, Garlic Bread & Homemade Cake (celebrating my little guys 1st Birthday)

Saturday: I'm Making Finger Foods & Dessert (celebrating New Years Eve with Good Friends)

Sunday: Pork Chops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Sweet Corn

Monday: Homemade Loaded Baked Potato Soup Bread Bowls

Tuesday: Fish Tacos & Homemade Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Homemade Tomato Soup

Thursday: Tri-Tip, Rice Pilaf & Peas

Friday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Saturday: Marinated Salmon, Mixed Veggies & Homemade Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Sunday: Tacos, Rice, Beans & Chips w/ Guacamole


This Weeks Make & Bakes:
Whole Wheat Bread
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (I got canned pumpkin on clearance for .80 this week)
Chocolate Zucchini Bread

And the Winners Are.........

It's time to announce the winners for the 25 Free Shutterfly Holiday Cards Giveaway!

And the winners are..............Katie, Heather & Laurie!

Congratulations girls! I will send you each a separate email with your Shutterfly codes.

Shutterfly Christmas Card Giveaway

I can't believe Christmas is just right around the corner. Seriously, where has the time gone!? Each year, I get so excited to send out Christmas cards to all our family and friends. One of my favorite photo companies is Shutterfly. I have used their services for years and I have always loved the products that I have ordered. We have a tradition each year of ordering personalized Photo Calendars for ourselves and both sets of Grandparents as an annual Christmas gift. Photo Books are also great too! Who wouldn't love seeing pictures of their Grand kids!?

Here is the Christmas card I ordered from Shutterfly last year. The print quality was amazing and I have never gotten so many comments and compliments (maybe because my boys are the cutest kids ever......ok, so I'm a little biased) on a Christmas card of all things.



Shutterfly just recently released their new Christmas cards for 2011. It's always so difficult to pick out which Christmas card I want to order because they have so many great designs to choose from. I was browsing through all the designs and here are the two I'm contemplating on ordering this year.






Now comes the fun part! Shutterfly is generously allowing me to give away a set of 25 free cards (of the winner’s choosing!) to three of my blog readers. Yay! To enter, leave a comment and I’ll choose a random winner on Friday, November 11th. So, head over to Shutterfly and start picking out your faves.

Meal Plan Monday

Alright......I can't believe we are in another week already. Seriously, where is the time going? I can't seem to catch up. I haven't done much grocery shopping lately so I'm going to plan our meals around what I have on hand in our freezer already.

Sunday: Steaks on the BBQ Grill & Salad

Monday: Bacon Sandwiches & Fresh Fruit

Tuesday: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Homemade Dipping Sauce

Wednesday: Chicken Salads (hot dogs, macaroni & cheese, mandarin organges & carrots for the kids)

Thursday: Grilled Salmon, Mixed Vegetables & Rolls

Friday: Cream of Mushroom Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Saturday: Fish Tacos

Meal Plan Monday

Sunday: Chicken Noodle Soup (we all have a little stomach bug, so we are eating light)

Monday: Grilled Chicken Salads

Tuesday: Crock Pot Roast w/ Carrots & Potatoes

Wednesday: Homemade Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Thursday: Fish Tacos w/ Homemade Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Friday: Stuffed Chicken Bacon Pizza Rolls w/ Homemade Ranch Dressing

Saturday: Grilled Salmon & Mixed Veggies

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Fall is just around the corner and I'm so excited! I love all the holiday coffee drinks and I usually try to make them at home to save money. I found this recipe on the Motherload Blog. After making it this morning, I thought it was really good, but it was a little too strong for my taste. I will make it with less coffee next time.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2 cups milk
1 cup very strong coffee (4 tablespoons coffee grounds to 1 cup of hot water)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (plus extra for dusting)
2 heaping spoonfuls of pumpkin

Directions:
Pour all the ingredients into a pot and heat over medium-high heat until the coffee is steaming hot. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream & cinnamon.

Serving Size: 2

Enjoy! :)

Meal Plan Monday

Since school has started, I haven't been the best at coupon shopping or figuring out my meal plans early, but thankfully I'm fully stocked on the items we use most often. This has given me some wiggle room to not stress out & to spend more time with my kiddos during the last couple of weeks! :)

Sunday: Ground Beef Tacos w/ Beans & Rice

Monday: Roasted Herb Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Tuesday: Fish Tacos w/ Homemade Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Wednesday: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Fresh Fruit

Thursday: BBQ Chicken Salad

Friday: Grilled Salmon, Baked Red Potato & Steamed Veggies

Saturday: Buffalo Shrimp & Cheese Quesadilla's

Meal Plan Monday a Little Late

Wow......I can't believe this week is already here. Two of my boys & myself have been sick with colds so we are just trying to get over this crud. I have been busy trying to get all our school stuff together & organized, but it seems as though it's taking me a long time to do so. I'm excited to start school with my boys this week!

Sunday: Corn Dogs & Fruit Salad

Monday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Cottage Cheese & Corn

Tuesday: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries w/ Homemade Dip & Fresh Fruit

Wednesday: Fish Tacos (kids will have fish sticks, cottage cheese, carrots & grapes)

Thursday: Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Friday: Grilled Salmon, Mixed Veggies & Corn Bread w/ Honey Butter

Saturday: Chicken Alfredo, Baked Red Potatoes & Broccoli

Foxy Returns!

About 3 years ago, my hubby and I brought home this adorable little Pomeranian puppy we named Foxy. We just fell in love with her. She was great with our kids, super sweet & one of the best dogs we have ever had. The one big problem we had with her is she kept going potty in the house. I know puppy's take awhile to potty train, but for some reason she just wouldn't stop. We gave her so many chances hoping she would change, but unfortunately she didn't. So we ended up giving her away.

That was one of the hardest choices ever, but the only thing that made it a little better is we gave her to one of our friends. The kids talked about Foxy non-stop and we got updates on how she was doing all the time. It was great to hear that they fell in Love with her just as much as we did. She ended up becoming one of their favorite dogs.

Talk about being blessed........I ended up getting an email earlier this week asking if we would be interested in taking Foxy back? They are moving overseas & they didn't have the ability to take her. I know it's one of the hardest & emotional decisions they had to make, but they knew she would have a wonderful & loving home here & she would be back with her original owners. We still loved her even though we didn't have her for a couple years. AND the best part is.........she is potty trained now! :):):)


Foxy is the same color as Tink!

Jeremiah's 1st Haircut

I have always LOVED Jeremiah's cute little curls, but he was long overdue for a haircut. Daddy gave him his 1st haircut today (mommy finally caved in & let daddy do it) and it turned out so cute!


Jeremiah was excited to get his 1st haircut (front view).


His crazy curly hair (side view).


Look at those luscious curls (other side view).


Oh.... am I going to miss his curly rat's nest in the back. :)


Mommy's cutting a lock of curls to keep for his baby book.


Jeremiah gave daddy a cute little smirk once he started cutting his hair with the Flowbee.


My cute little guy. He did a great job listening & trying to hold still.


Daddy's like a pro at this. He has gotten lots of practice from our older boys.


TA DA! Look at my handsome little guy. Now he looks a lot like his older brother Noah with his new haircut.


So cute!


The back still has some curl to it. I LOVE it! Thanks daddy for doing such an excellent job!

I'm a little sad to see Jeremiah's curls go because that ends the baby stage for me. He's getting to be such a big boy just like his brothers!

Meal Plan Monday

I finally finished doing all my grocery shopping for the next 2 weeks. All I will need is fresh fruits & veggies. I'm hoping to do some freezer cooking a few days this week too!

Sunday: Fish Tacos

Monday: Fish Stick Sandwiches & Watermelon

Tuesday: Roast w/ Carrots, Potatoes & Corn muffins w/ Honey Butter

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Thursday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Salad & Peas

Friday: Tuna Noodle Casserole

Saturday: Grilled Salmon, Rice & Green Beans

My New Chest Freezer

I am so excited to share with you my new Frigidaire Chest Freezer. One of my family members blessed me tremendously by buying this for my family. I am happy to say I got part of my garage cleaned out this week and I was finally able to plug this baby in and start using it.

This chest freezer couldn't have come at a more perfect time! Since we are a family of 6 now, we go through lots of food (4 boys......oh my) and I feel like I'm at the store a few times a week because we didn't have the storage space before.

I have so many plans on how I will be using my new best friend! :) I want to start doing a freezer cooking day twice a month so I can make many meals ahead of time and be able to freeze them so I can pull them out whenever needed. This will help me save some time and not be in the kitchen 24-7 (I always feel like I'm in the kitchen all day with the kids preparing food).



Isn't she a beauty!?!? :):):):)



I love the 4 baskets that come with the chest freezer. This will help me organize better so all the smaller food items won't go down to the bottom and get lost.

Meal Plan Monday

Wow......is it just me or is the time flying by!? I feel like I just finished my meal plan from last week and here we are again. My hubby and I want to start eating a little healthier so I am planning all our meals with either fish or chicken this week. Hopefully this will be a good start to shedding a few pounds soon! :)

Sunday: Ham Sandwiches, Fresh Fruit & Carrots w/ Ranch

Monday: Chicken Salad (Corn Dogs, Mandarin Oranges & Drinkable Yogurt for the Kiddos)

Tuesday: Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Thanks Lora for the recipe....I can't wait to try it)

Wednesday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Fish Tacos w/ Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Friday: Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

Saturday: Baked Salmon, Mixed Veggies & Corn Bread w/ Honey Butter


This Weeks Make & Bakes:
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread & Muffins
Fruit Smoothies
Banana Chips (trying my new food dehydrator)
Apple Chips

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure!

I love going to yard sales! It's so much fun and it's like I'm on the hunt for hidden treasure. The type of treasure I'm in need of or want. The great thing about buying at yard sales, is you only pay pennies on the dollar for items you would normally buy elsewhere for much much more.

Saturday turned out to be a great yard sale day for me. I found some awesome treasure for my family that I have been either wanting or needing. Check out the items I found! :)

I found this really cute 10 drawer organizer for $5.00. I will use this for organizing my crafts or for the boys school supplies. Either way........I have many ideas on how this can be used.



Pictionary Junior is a little too old for my kids right now, but we will have fun playing this game real soon! I got the Busy Bugs set by Discovery Toys to teach my boys math. This will definitely come in handy this year with school. The big activity & project book will be great to have around for great ideas & fun! I got all 3 of these items for only $1.50.



I was excited to find The Usborne First Encyclopedia Books of Space & Our World. I was wanting these, but didn't want to spend the money buying them brand new. These books have the Internet links inside. I got all 6 of these books for $1.25. What a deal!



My kids LOVE dried fruit so I was on the look out for a food dehydrator. It just so happens that the first yard sale I went to on Saturday ended up having this for only $2.00. SCORE!!!



I couldn't resist this cute Micky Mouse T-Shirt for myself. It looked brand new and it was from the Disney Store. Could you believe they only wanted .25 cents. Yes, please!!!



I like Rachael Ray and I love to cook so I thought this would be a perfect gift to myself (without feeling guilty on buying myself something that costs a lot). This cookbook looked brand new and I got it for only .25 cents. Who could pass this up!?!?



My older son has been asking me when he can learn to roller skate. Where did he get this idea from? I don't know, but I was happy to find him a pair of Blade Runner Roller Blades barely used that are adjustable from sizes 1-4. These specific brand of roller blades retail for around $70.00.... OUCH! The great thing about these is they will last several years since they are adjustable to size. That is awesome! I also found a nice baseball glove at the same place. He wanted one of these too.

I got both of these items for $5.00.



Can you believe I only spent $15.25 for all these items! What a bargain! This is the reason why I like to go to yard sales and the best part is.........I can stay within my budget! :):)

Have you gone to any yard sales lately?

Cheap Expo Dry Erase Markers- Office Max

I always love when stores have there back to school shopping because you can find some great deals! I just bought a magnetic dry erase white board for the the boys for school. I thought this would be a great way to help them memorize their memory verses for the week. So, of course I needed to go out and buy some new dry erase markers.

Office Max has many of there Expo Dry Erase Markers on sale 2/$5.00. There is a coupon they have in the store (I went to the River Park location) located by the dry erase markers for $5.00 off any 3 Expo or Sharpie products. I was so excited to find this coupon! This is what I bought to make it a fantastic deal!



I did 3 transactions! (I'm sure they let me because I had all 4 of my kids with me) :)

2 Expo Dry Erase Markers $2.50 each
Sharpie 4 pack Highlighters $1.00 (on sale this week)
I used the $5.00 off coupon
My total$ 1.08 for 3 items

I spent a total of $3.24 for everything shown in the picture above.

Now, this is my kind of deal! That's why it totally pays to shop around to get the best deal possible! :)

Oh......I thought I would mention the bigger dry erase markers I got were scented. Cherry, blueberry, apple & choco mint. I thought it would be fun to have some yummy smelling scents for the kids during school time. Hopefully they won't try to eat them. lol

Meal Plan Monday

Happy Monday Everyone! This week I'm finally getting around to posting my menu plan for the week. I haven't been so great about menu planning lately and it's been driving me nuts. We have been very busy lately and knowing what I will be making for dinner each night will help me prepare and run more smoothly. Have you started planning your meals for the week? If not, I suggest for you to try it out! :)

Sunday: Tacos w/ all the Fixings

Monday: Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

Tuesday: Sweet BBQ Turkey Tenderloin, Baked Red Potatoes & Green Beans

Wednesday: Chicken & Broccoli Casserole & Buttermilk Biscuits

Thursday: Parmesan Crusted Tiliapia, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Friday: Chicken Salad

Saturday: Pork Chops, Broccoli Au Gratin Rice & Peas

This Weeks Make & Bakes:
Banana Bread
Double Chocolate Muffins

My Book Wishlist

I have a huge list of books on my wishlist I would love to have someday, especially the ones I want to read with my boys. I'm hoping to read atleast 1 book on my list every couple of months or so. I would love to set aside more time each day to read for myself, but somedays it's difficult when you have 4 boys ages 5 and under! ;)

If you by chance have any of these books I have listed that your wanting to get rid of, please let me know. Thank you!

*Growing up in God's World- At Home, at School, at Play Book #2 - Ron & Rebekah Coriell
*Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys- Hal & Melanie Young
*Created For Work- Bob Schulz
*Beyond Boyhood- Bob Schulz
*God's Wisdom for Little Boys: Character Building Fun from Proverbs- Jim & Elizabeth George
*Sheparding a Child's Heart- Tedd Tripp (I found it at a yard sale 08/27 for .50....yeah!)
*Honey for a Child's Heart- Gladys Hunt
*The Treasure Principle- Randy Alcorn
*The Happiness Project- Gretchen Rubin
*Season's of a mother's heart- Sally Clarkson
*The busy mom's guide to wisdom- Lisa Whelchel
*A Love That Multiplies- An Up-Close View of How They Make it Work- Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar
*The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children - Sally Clarkson

Books I want to read with my boys
AIO Imagination Station Books:
1) Voyage of the Vikings (found it at Berean Book Store on special for $1.00....Woohoo!)
2) Attack at the Arena
3) Revenge of the Red Knight
4) Peril in the Palace
5) Problems in Plymouth
6) Showdown with the Shephard

7) Miller Family Storybooks (set of 5)
8) Storytime with the Millers
9) Wisdom and the Millers- Proverbs for Children
10) Prudence and the Millers
11) School Days with the Millers
12) Missionary Stories with the Millers

13) 1st or 2nd reader bible story books

A Fantastic Book: Chrissie's Shell

I took the boys to Story Time at Berean this morning. To be honest with you, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to leave the house today. It's been a rough week & the boys have been acting up a lot. After it was all said & done, I'm glad I ended up going. The boys (and I) had a great time & Jeremiah got his name drawn for a free book called "Chrissie's Shell".

Chrissie's Shell is about a little turtle with a big problem: she believes her shell is empty. She spends her days comparing herself with other animals and imagining what it would be like to be them, only to end up disappointed again and again when she finds she cannot transform herself into someone new. At last, Chrissie is ready to give up all hope she has a conversation with God. She begs him to change her into a creature like the wonderful animals she has seen, but God has something better in mind. God directs her to the pond, where Chrissie finally captures a vision of herself as God sees her. She realizes her shell is not empty after all and that God loves her just the way she is.

This books gives such a WONDERFUL message to little ones! (and us adults as well)! BE your self.. Never want to be anything or anyone else... Because we are who god MADE us to be! *(Psalm 139:14 NIV) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.*

Meal Plan Monday

I have been slacking on doing my meal plans the last couple of months because we have been so busy. I have to say........I love having a meal plan and I feel disorganized when I don't have one. I did some grocery shopping today & I figured out my meal plans for this week so I can start getting back on track!

Sunday: Pork Chops, Salad & Corn on the Cobb

Monday: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Cantaloupe

Tuesday: Tacos w/ all the Fixings

Wednesday: Salmon & Mixed Veggies

Thursday: Grilled Chicken Tenders, Baked Potato & Broccoli

Friday: Eating Out- Heading Out of Town

Saturday: Visiting My In-Laws :)

I Hit The Jackpot at Savemart Today!

I went into Savemart this afternoon to pick up a few items and as I was walking up to the registers to checkout, I found a shopping cart full of Huggies & Pampers Diapers that just got marked down on clearance. I was so excited because I knew I had some good mfg. coupons in my coupon binder I have been saving. I bought:

2 big boxes of Pampers- $10.00 ($3.00 off coupons) so I paid $7.00 each
2 packs of Huggies- $5.00 ($3.00 off coupons) so I paid $2.00 each
3 packs of Pampers Cruisers-$4.00 ($1.75 & 2-$2.00 off coupons) so I paid $2.25 for 1 and $2.00 for the other 2.

I also had a coupon for a free tub of Pampers baby wipes when you buy a box of Pampers Diapers, so I ended up getting that for free as well.

These are the types of deals I just LOVE running into unexpectedly, so it's always good to have your coupons on hand or stashed in your car just in case you ever need them. That's why I always keep my coupon binder in my van so I always have access to it when I need it! :)

I ended up running back into Savemart again this evening to pick up a few more items I forgot earlier today and I ran into another AMAZING deal! They marked down a variety of Jennie-O meat products by placing a $4.00 off coupon on the top of each package for instant savings. I ended up getting:

6 packs of Jennie-O turkey sausage ($4.00 off coupon)- $0.49 each
6 packs of Jennie-O ground turkey w/ taco seasoning ($4.00 off coupon)- $0.99 each
7 packs of Jennie-O ground turkey w/ italian seasoning ($4.00 off coupon)- $0.99 each

Thank you Lord for blessing me with these amazing deals today!

Meal Plan Monday

I had a meal plan figured out last week (in my head), but I never posted it or wrote it down so It didn't go as smooth as normal. This week, I am planning out my meals early & making sure I have it posted so I won't have the trouble of forgetting what meal I had planned for what day!

Sunday: BLT Sandwiches & Fresh Fruit

Monday: Homemade Pizza (we didn't do it last week so I still have my pizza dough)

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken, Grillin Beans & Salad

Wednesday: Chicken & Broccoli Casserole & Buttermilk Biscuits w/ Honey Butter

Thursday: Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Friday: Salmon & Mixed Veggies

Saturday: Leftovers


This Weeks Make & Bakes:
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Strawberry Vinegarette Dressing

Meal Plan Monday-Late! :)

I'm finally back after taking 3 weeks off of meal planning since my family & I were sick. Thankfully we are all feeling much better now, so it's time for me to get back to my normal routine & start my meal planning again!

Sunday: Baked Potato Cheese Soup & Salad

Monday: Stuffed Manicotti & Fresh Fruit

Tuesday: Black & Blue Chicken, Salad, Buttermilk Biscuits w/ Honey Butter & Fresh Fruit.

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza

Thursday: Tri-Tip, Broccoli Au Gratin Rice & Peas

Friday: Leaving out of town!

Saturday: Dinner at my In-laws

Sunday: Dinner at my In-laws

This weeks make & bakes:

Blueberry Muffins

Rice Krispie Treats (a nice treat for our road trip.....yum!)

Meal Plan Monday

I haven't been so great about meal planning the past few weeks, but it's time to get myself back on track. I'm going to plan my meals around all the food I have in my fridge & freezer this week so I can clean it out!

Sunday: Easter dinner at my Mom's house.

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Homemade Pizza (never made it last week)

Wednesday: Chicken Salad

Thursday: Manicotti, Salad & Sweet Potato Casserole

Friday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Saturday: Black & Blue Chicken, Mixed Veggies & Buttermilk Biscuits

Meal Plan Monday

Here we are again.......another day and another new week! I went grocery shopping over the weekend and got my meal plan in place from all the items I got on sale or got great deals from using my coupons! :-) Sunday: Sirloin Steaks, Sauteed Mushrooms, Broccoli Rice & Corn Monday: Tacos with all the Fixings Tuesday: BBQ Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Mixed Veggies Wednesday: Hot Dogs, Grillin Beans & Fresh Fruit Thursday: Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes Friday: Homemade Pizza Saturday: Eating Out (we are using our gift card at Yosemite Ranch) :)

Lemon Bread

I have had several of you ask me for my Lemon Bread recipe so I'm finally getting around to posting it. I just made it the other day and I forgot to take a picture of it until it was all gone! :) Lemon Bread: 3/4 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, pinch salt, 1/2 cup milk, rind of 1 lemon finely grated, 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional), Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a greased bread pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Brush on top of bread when out of the oven: 2 Tbl. lemon juice mixed with 2 Tbl. sugar. Leave in pan until cool, then remove. Enjoy!

Meal Plan Monday

With all the rain last week, I was definitely in a baking kind of mood. We sure enjoyed all the homemade goodies around here. This week is going to be a relaxed week for us, so I'm planning on making a lot of our favorite meals.

Sunday: Tacos with all the Fixings

Monday: Crock Pot Porkchops, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans & Rosemary Asiago Bread

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken, Rice Pilaf & Salad

Wendesday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia & Asparagus

Thursday: Turkey Burgers & Fresh Fruit w/ Yogurt Dip

Friday: Pork Roast w/ Carrots & Potatoes

This weeks make & bakes:

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Almond Poppyseed Muffins Broccoli Cheese Soup

Meal Plan Monday

Last week was a very busy week with having my sister-in-law visiting (which was very nice) and planning my sons 5th birthday party. I ended up not doing a meal plan, but I did have in mind what dinners I was making & I used a lot of ingredients I had on hand already. That's the nice thing about coupon shopping & stocking up. I don't always need to grocery shop every week other than getting fresh fruit & produce.

Sunday: Tacos

Monday: Crock pot Pork Chops, Broccoli Rice-a-Roni & Peas

Tuesday: Whole Roasted Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Wednesday: Fish Stick Sandwiches & Apples w/ Yogurt Dip

Thursday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Texas Toast & Salad

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

This weeks make & bakes:

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Fun New Crayons

So, this is a project I have been wanting to do with my boys for well over a year now and we finally just did it today. It was so fast & easy and the boys loved how they turned out. They can't wait to start coloring with them. We will definitely be making them again real soon!

I took all their old crayons & pieces and put them in a mini muffin tin on the lowest heat setting (mine is 200 degrees) and cooked them long enough until all the crayons were melted, but make sure you don't leave them in too long otherwise they may burn on the bottom.

I took it out of the oven & put the muffin tin in the freezer to help cool them down faster since I was waiting to do my second batch. You can also leave them out on the counter to cool if your not in a hurry.

They just popped right out of the tin when I took them out of the freezer. I tried to mix the lighter & darker colors together to make some cool color combos.

This is such an easy & fun project that you can get very creative with. I'm hoping to make some different shapes of crayons next time.

Boys and their Toys!

Can you guess what these pool noodles will be used for?

I took one pool noodle and cut it in half.

I used duck tape & wrapped the bottom of the pool noodle to make a handle (not sure why this picture posted side ways). Any guesses yet?

Then I took black electrical tape & made different designs on the handles. Now I'm sure you know what they are by now. :)

Star Wars Lightsabers! I took red nail polish & painted a small dot to make it more realistic and fun for the kids!

I made a few more since we were short a couple. Each kid got to take these home as one of their party favors.

My hubby & I made these cute little name tags for each kids party favor box. It added such a cute & personlized touch. I even laminated them so they can be reused for many different things. My kids just loved them!

Preston specifically asked for a Star Wars themed birthday party & he wanted to invite all his friends this year. He had such a blast & the lightsabers were such a big HIT!!