my blessed life

Hello, sweet blog friends! Are you excited that summer is here?  I sure am!  Our family is ready for our annual, long break from regular schooling and is looking forward to lots of fun over the next few months.   I am also happy to be back in blogland!  I've missed it a lot and hope to find a better rhythm over the summer--one that is more sustainable for me in this season of life.   Some things that we have planned for this summer are family reunions, summer reading programs, a birthday celebration, vacation Bible school, a Great American Road Trip, maybe even camping--if I can talk my husband into it! What do you have planned for the summer months?  I'd love to hear about your plans!

I'm excited about this new year!  I'm so ready to put last year behind me. 2015 was just a tough year with lots of challenges.  Not that I don't expect challenges in this new year but I am just planning to face them with more grace, more patience, more of reliance on God.  Basically just more of God.  Without Him I can do nothing! My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness. II Corinthians 12:9 Some ways I am taking on the new year's challenges are: daily Bible reading ...I'm going back to one of my fave reading plans: the chronological one with the YouVersion Bible app reading a new-to-be but old devotional for the first time: My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers beginning my mornings with prayer and coffee--the best way! How are you beginning  your new year?

Merry Christmas from our house to yours! mini trees the kiddos' trees I just realized this morning that I haven't posted here all month!  It's been so busy:(   This week I am slowing it down and focusing on baking Christmas goodies with my kiddos. I hope that your Christmas season is lovely and that you are finding time to slow down and enjoy it as well.  Here are a few pictures of our home~it's all decked out for the holidays!  I was happy to get it all done early on in the season since I was hosting a couple of parties at our home and have been able to not stress about that but just enjoy. our Dickens' village the learning room Christmas around the house our master bedroom Happy Holidays to you and yours!

The trick to not going crazy and eating out too much during the holidays?  Stay focused with your meal plans!   At least that's what I'm telling myself ;) So here's what's on our plan for this week: Monday:   dinner at our church (it's a work night ...I'm guessing ...pizza!) Tuesday:   (slow cooker) meatloaf with carrots and potatoes Wednesday:   Breakfast-for-Dinner ...eggs, drop biscuits, and sausage gravy Thursday:   'Potato Bugs' with veggies Friday:   our church's youth Christmas party at our house ...taco bar! Saturday:   sandwiches & snacks Sunday:  (slow cooker) roast with carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls What's on your plan this week? This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie .

Happy Monday, y'all! You know what that means for me ....menu planning for the week! And, yes, even though I've been terribly lax in posting my meal plans lately, I have actually still been making them.  My weeks just go so much better when I have a plan:) And since we've started school again I've come to the conclusion that I must use my slow cooker on Tuesdays (piano lesson day) and Fridays (co-op day) right now ...or my family will forever be doomed to some horrible fast food on those evenings.  I'm just usually too tired/busy/all of the above to make my plan happen on those nights if I wait too long. So... slow cooker to the rescue! Here's what's on the plan for our dinners this week: Monday: (a sort of clean-out-the-fridge-of-leftovers night) pinto beans, corn, green beans w/new potatoes ...and if that doesn't look like it'll be enough ...sauerkraut and wieners. Tuesday: (slow cooker) honey-garlic chicken sandwiches w/f...

I love this time of year!  Having our curriculum plan for the coming school year ...and reading about others' plans is always exciting to me.  I've gotten some great educational leads by checking out what others are using.  Today I'm sharing our choices for the '15/'16 school year. For The Princess... ...who is now....gasp!...a 7th grader !  That means we've been truly homeschooling now for at least 8 years.  Wow.  That sounds like I'm a veteran, but really I learn new things every year.  And now that we're moving into secondary education I've got a lot more to learn about. Bible Study & Christian Character: ~ The Pilgrim's Progress curriculum ~ Our 24 Family Ways ~ Child Training Bible Math: ~ Teaching Textbooks 7 (primary) ~ Life of Fred (supplemental) ~ Khan Academy (supplemental) Language Arts: ~ Learning Language Arts Through Literature Green (grammar) ~ SchoolhouseTeachers.com (spelling/vocabulary) ~ Total Lang...

I don't know about you but this time of the year I always begin to long for the routine that fall brings.  I thoroughly enjoy summertime and the fun, spontaneity, and flexibility that it brings.  But the planner in me loves the routine of fall: regular meal plans, morning routines, bedtime routines ...my children--especially my son--really do much better with routine. While I have kept up menu planning through much of the summer, I haven't been posting it here and often I fail to do it if I'm not posting it.  So in the spirit of 'back to routine', I'm back to posting 'what's for dinner'. Here's what we're having this week: Monday:   Cheesy Stuffed Shells  (from the freezer) with Salad and Bread Tuesday:  Beans (in the crockpot) and Buttermilk Cornbread Wednesday:  Grilled Hot Dogs, Creamed Corn, Baked Beans Thursday:  Stuffed Peppers (maybe these ) Friday: yet-to-be-decided Saturday: Snacks & Leftovers (a bit of a f...