Menu Plan Monday: April 25th

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend~we had a lovely day in spite of nearly floating away in all of the rain. We are having one rainy Spring here in the South.

I am thrilled to say we now have internet at our {new} house and I am posting from here for the first time this morning. Yea!!

I think a menu planning post is appropriate for getting back into the groove. Our house is finally starting to shape up (although I still have way too many boxes to deal with) and having the kitchen in good working order is top priority! The kitchen truly is the heart of the home.

I have been grocery shopping, but when it's been so long and you're restocking your fridge entirely there's a lot to remember (and it's expensive!). So I'm also trying to work with all the pantry stuff I had already.

Monday: Beans and Cornbread
Tuesday: Sandwiches and Snacks (I'm hosting our monthly Moms' Nite Out for our homeschool group~I know, what was I thinking?!~so we'll be having a quick early dinner)
Wednesday: Tostadas
Thursday: Salmon Patties, New Potatoes, Corn and Salad
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: (Leftovers)

Ahh...it feel so good to have my meal plan back in place for the week! Sure will save us on the last minute dinners out (which I'm ashamed to say we've done too much of lately).

Happy Cooking to you this week, too!

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

One Way I Refresh During the Summer as a Homeschool Mom

As our homeschool takes some time off this summer, my mind almost never stops thinking of and planning ahead for the upcoming school year. This is probably because I'm Type A and an obsessive planner...lol Whatever the reason, I do enjoy this season of planning. But I also need to be refreshed as a homeschool mom. Homeschooling can be incredibly exhausting and all-consuming. It's not easy and it's a lot of responsibility. And I take that very seriously when I am researching curriculum and planning toward the next school year. So also taking some time to rejuvenate and refocus myself is very important. How do I do this? Each summer I take some time to read something inspiring and motivating that speaks to me as a homeschool mom. Some of my fave reads from past years--that I have nearby on my shelf and refer to often--are Educating the Wholehearted Child, The Well-Trained Mind, The Charlotte Mason Companion, A T...

Arkansas' Crimson Clover

One of my favorite things about Spring is the crimson clover that grows along the highways and interstates here in Arkansas. I say Arkansas because this is where I first grew to love it. We actually saw some in Mississippi on our way here and I saw it in our town in Alabama for the first time this year. But it spreads like that, each year it grows and looks even more beautiful. I'm not sure who decided to plant it in the medians of the interstates , but it was genius! It seeds itself and just comes back more lush the next year. I always want to take pictures, but of course it's almost always in the median of a very busy interstate~which is a little dangerous for photography. However, the other day I found the perfect patch of it on the side of a not-too-busy highway, so Vince obliged me and pulled over:) Isn't it beautiful? I just had to share it with you...

my blessed life

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