Menu Plan Monday: Dec 20th

It's here! Christmas week!

I've got very simple meals planned for us on the non-big-holiday-dinner days. That way I can have more time to finish wrapping gifts, make gingerbread houses, bake Christmas cookies...you know.

Ironically, I did choose a couple of new recipes* to try for those simple dinners~trying to work with what's in the pantry and freezer.

I'm looking forward to the big holiday dinners! This year my family is having something different on Christmas Eve: tamales! We all love them and there are some great authentic places to get them here~I've heard making them is quite the labor of love and I'm just not ready to go there yet. I'll be making Chicken Enchilada Soup to go with them and Vince is going to whip up his awesome guacamole and pico de gallo. Yum!

My mom, sister and I have a yummy Christmas dinner planned, too, but that's a post of it's own.

We've got a couple of day trips this week for family dinners, so no cooking on those days.

Monday: {in Tulsa to celebrate with Vince's mom}
Tuesday: Turkey & Corn Chowder*
Wednesday: Baked Salmon, Baked Potatoes with Mixed Veggies
Thursday: Boston Baked Beans*(in the slow cooker)
Friday: {Christmas Eve} Chicken Enchilada Soup, Tamales, Chips & Dips
Saturday: {Christmas Day} menu to follow
Sunday: {in Oklahoma City to celebrate with Vince's extended family}

What have you got cooking this week? Are you ready for the holiday meals?

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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