Breakfast in the Freezer Plans

One of my most popular posts has been the Breakfast in the Freezer Plan that I posted last fall.  I have done a correction or two to it.  You can find the updated document here.

Basically, a Breakfast in the Freezer Plan gives you a list of ingredients to shop for and directions to get several breakfast type foods into the freezer so that mornings are not such a hassle. It is my goal to post two more plans in the near future!  It is just a matter of me pulling together the shopping list and creating a document.  Here is an overview of the plans I am going to create:

Plan I {already available} -included scones, smoothies, breakfast burritos, chocolate butterhorns, and muffin mix

Plan II
Butterscotch balls
Egg casserole
French Toast
"Instant" Biscuits

Plan III
Cinnamon rolls
Buttermilk pancakes
"McGriddles"
Cornmeal waffles

Stay tuned!

Grace Beyond Measure

God is so gracious to us...beyond what we can imagine.  Have there been tough things in my life? Sure, but He has seen me through them and walked beside me.  He has heaped His grace upon me even in the tough times.  I can never thank Him enough.

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*A compassionate husband

*Great sons that make me laugh.

*My relationship with the boys

*Sleeping in when I get sick

*That God loves me even when I don't follow through on what I should.

*That He holds us in the turmoil

*A new Spanish student who has a British accent (so cute!)

*Good health....I realize that this is such a blessing when I do get sick

*Rest

*Laughter with my students.

*Flowers from a student

*The Lord building me up when I feel torn down

*Hot soup

*Hot tea

*Buying new curriculum for the boys

*Knowing that God holds the future

*Time to read the Bible

*Watching The Hiding Place with the boys

*That God is with us no matter where we are

The Word of God

So my two challenges are continuing along.  I have been sick this week, and it has been hard to keep up.  There was one day that I didn't even read the Bible because I was just trying to stay afloat. I am still on target though for my reading.  I am actually enjoying the reading more this time around (I did the Bible in 90 days last summer).  Now that I am familiar with the stories I can anticipate them.  I am falling more and more in love with God's Word!

For Mega Memory Month I have been memorizing Psalms 27.  I am at the end!  Although I have to admit that the last two verses still need some work to solidify them in my mind.  So here goes...I am going to try to type it out now...

The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil doers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes,

it is they that stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me, my hear will not fear.

Though war break out against me, yet will I be confident.

One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek after,

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life

To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble,

He will conceal me under the cover of his tent,

He will set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,

And I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy,

I will sing and make a melody to the Lord.

Hear me, O Lord, be gracious to me and answer me.

You have said to me, "Seek my face."

My heart says to you, "Your face, Lord, I do seek."

Hide not your face from me, turn not your servant away in anger,

O you who have been my help.

Cast me not off, forsake me not, the God of my salvation.

For my mother and father have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.

Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

Give me not over to my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen againt me,

And they breathe out violence.

I will surely see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage, wait on the Lord!

Psalms 27 (ESV)

I went back and looked...I have the basic idea, but there are a few words that are wrong or missing....I think I will spend another week perfecting it.

Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week...
This has been a strange, slow week for us.  The boys and I got sick towards the end of the week and just had to slow down.  School didn't get done on Friday.  There has been a lot of sleeping going on!



In our homeschool this week...
This week despite the fact that we were/are sick we did get quite a bit of school done.  Zach finished reading The Hiding Place.  I absolutely love this story of Corrie Ten Boom.  What a woman of faith and courage! Since we were all very sick yesterday we watched the movie about her life.  Of course, I bawled.  Noah asked, "Why do women cry all the time?"  I told him, "Get used to it, honey! It is the way we are wired!"

 
Places we're going and people we're seeing...
Ok, obviously, we didn't go to a lot of places or see a bunch of people this week.  Earlier in the week the boys went to chess club.  And of course, I saw most of my Spanish students this week, but other than that it was pretty low key!
 
My favorite thing this week was...
 

Watching Billy Graham Presents: The Hiding Place and snuggling with Titan (our mini schnauzer) on the couch.




What's working/not working for us... We are so loving Apologia Science!  I am so glad that we found this curriculum.  Zach is doing General Science (Jr. high level book) and Noah is doing Human Anatomy.  The cool part is that Zach is at the point in his curriculum that he is studying human anatomy just like Noah.
 
Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...
Am I really going to successfully be able to get Zach through high school with all he needs?  He starts 9th grade in the fall.  I am a certified high school teacher (in Spanish) so you would think that I would feel confident about it all.  But I have to admit that there are lingering doubts.  I am also getting that sad feeling that we only have a few more years with him.




A photo to share...
I homeschool the boys in the morning and work part time in the afternoon teaching Spanish to other homeschool kids.  This week was a week of change for me.  I lost my most advanced student because she will be moving. I loved teaching her and discussing literature with her in Spanish.  It was so awesome!  But sometimes good things come to an end so that you can start another good thing.  I gained a new student this week.  Since I only communicated with his mom through e-mail before meeting them, I didn't realize that they were British.  So now I have a cute little six year old with a British accent learning Spanish.  Fun! 

{Here is a picture of the flowers I received from the student that I lost this week}

One Million Arrows

I recently finished reading One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World by Julie Ferwerda. It was recommended by some of the gals on the FIAR boards.

Most of the book talks about how we can raise mission-minded children for God.  There are a plethora of stories of parents accomplishing this task. However, there were two important details that really hit me that I wanted to share with you.

This first is that we as parents shouldn't let the church or other raise our children spiritually.  We should strive to have spriritual instruction in our homes.  This encouraged me to keep going with what we are doing with Zach and Noah.  There are many times when I think that they are probably getting enough in Sunday school, church, youth group, etc.  But in reality kids need to see the Christian life lived out in their homes.  The two things that we do is to make sure that the boys are reading the Word of God (we discuss what they read) and we have them memorize Scripture.  Right now they are currently memorizing Psalm 139.

The other idea that I gleaned from this book is to buy a Bible for each child and write notes, prayers, and words of encouragement to them to give to them when they are older.  My idea is that I could do one for each boy for their high school graduation. This means going through God's Word and highlighting and writing to them alongside the Word.  I found the ESV Journaling Bible (Tuscan Series, Terra-Cotta/Sage) at Amazon.  It has wide margins and lines to write on.  I have about four years to get Zach's ready.  I am thinking that this would be an awesome graduation gift!

Grace in Genesis

I don't think of the Old Testament as being full of grace.  I see a God there who punishes more than He pursues His people.  How wrong I have been!

God is a God of grace right from the get-go.  There is no question about it.  Considering that grace is unmerited favor take a look at the instances of it that jumped out at me as I have been attempting to read the Bible in 90 days again...

Here are the gifts of God's grace that I see...it is interesting that some of these graces are actually people being gracious to others.  Could it be that once we experience the grace of God that we must share it with others?

-God provides us with food. {Genesis 1:29-30}

-The first sacrifice to cover Adam and Eve {3:21}

-Abel finding favor in God's eyes {4:4}

-Providing salvation for Noah and his family {chp. 6}

-"But God remembered Noah." {8:1}

-God promises never to destroy the whole earth again even if men are evil. {8:21}

-The call of Abraham so that he would be blessed and bless others {12:2}

-Abram gives Lot his choice of land (Would we be that gracious to a family member?) {chp. 13}

-Hagar finds a "God who sees" her {chp 16}

-Abraham is gracious to three visitors {chp 18}

-Abimelech graces Abraham with property even though Abraham lied to him {chp 20}

-"The Lord will Provide." {22:14}

-The Lord gives Leah children. {29:31}

-Rachel is given a son. {30:22}

-Esau forgives Jacob. {33:4}

-Joseph finds favor in God's and Potiphar's eyes. {chp 39}

-Joseph finds more favor. {39:21}

-Pharaoh dreams about the coming famine...give him time to get ready.  God is gracious even to those that are not His children. {chp 41}

-Joseph's forgiveness {chp 45}

-The Israelites living in Goshen {chp 47}

-Israel (Jacob) gets a chance to see Joseph again. {48:11}

I am sure that there are a plethora of graces that I missed....this list only scratches the surface....I have come to the conclusion that

All is grace.

January Bulk Cooking

Here is a list of the recipes I made for this month.  I seriously need to get some breakfasts in the freezer too, but that will be for another time.

Chili-Lime Tilapia (We LOVE this! You can find the recipe in Fix, Freeze, Feast: The Delicious, Money-Saving Way to Feed Your Family- It originally calls for halibut, but tilapia was cheaper.)


Creamy Bacon Chicken (scroll down)

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Pierogi Casserole (This is awesome...almost like a loaded baked potato casserole!)

Peace in the Midst of Fear

I have struggled with anxiety off and on for years now.  I am finding that gratitude builds my faith and takes my focus off of my worries. Here is another effort to fight the fear.

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*Cabin night at our church (two kids were saved!)

*The noise of our heating system especially on a cold day

*That God is a God of compassion

*That His grace is enough for each day...like manna from heaven

*That when we are weak, He is strong

*Safety

*Working to getting the boys' curriculum together for next year

*God's provision that goes above and beyond

*How God tugs on a heart

*God's protection over Tim

*Having friends that understand my struggles.

*Boys willing to help clean the house

*Being organized (doesn't always happen, but I love it when it does!)

*Movie nights

*Watching old TV shows

*The ability to relearn algebra enough to explain it to Zach

*Places of service for the boys

*Notebooks that help me stay organized

Reading and Remembering

So here is a little update on my two challenges: Bible in 90 Days and Mega Memory Month. 

Currently I am reading through I Samuel, but I should be done with it today.  I am trying to keep myself ahead by at least a day or two. One of the stories that really hit me this time around was Gideon.  I have heard the story of Gideon many a time, but reading it again something hit me. God is willing to encourage us and help us work through our fear. In I Samuel 7, God tells Gideon to go down to the Midinite camp so that he can overhear a conversation about a dream one of the Midianites had depicting Gideon as the victor over their camp.  I was touched that God was willing to encourage Gideon so that he could move forward in battle.

I am almost finished with memorizing Psalms 27.  I have about two more verses to go.  Luckily, the last two verses are short.  I am hoping that by the end of next week it will all be memorized!

Task Analysis Sheets

A few months ago I bought and read (for the most part) Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+La in order to plan Zach's high school career.  One of the suggestions in the book is to create TAS (Task Analysis Sheets) for life skills. Here are three TAS documents that I have come up with.  I am not really sure if we will get to the point of having him master all these items, but I want him to at least be exposed to doing these activities. Some of these ideas come from Barbara Shelton (the author of the book) and others are mine.  I would highly recommend getting her book.  It really helped me figure out how to go about planning for high school!  You can see my review here.




Housework TAS

Home and Car Maintenance TAS

Cooking TAS

Bookmark Cards

I made some of these (see above video) for those I am mentoring through the Bible in 90 Days.  Here are my results:

Meatless Meals

I am a vegetarian at heart.  I don't really need meat to be happy.  My family on the other hand likes to have meat here and there.  Here are some of my favorite meatless meals.

Tomato Basil Tart

1 pie crust
2 cups chopped tomatoes, Romas work well
½ cup diced onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, pressed
¾ cup shredded cheese, either mozzarella or Monterey Jack
2 large eggs
½ evaporated milk
½ cup mayo
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/8 t. pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Put pie crust in pie pan. Combine the tomatoes, onion, basil, garlic and cheese in a bowl. Mix and put in pie pan. With a whisk combine eggs, milk, mayo, mustard and pepper in a bowl. Pour over tomato filling. Bake 40 to 50 min. or until top is lightly golden and the center is set. Let cool. Wrap and freeze.

Spring Veggie Soup with Dill Dumplings

2 T. butter
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
3/4 cup green onion, sliced
1 cup asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces, cooked crisp tender
6 cups broth
2 cups packed spinach leaves
1/2 t. salt
pepper to taste

Dumplings:
1 cup + 2 T. baking mix
1/3 cup milk
3/4 t. dried dill

In Dutch oven, melt butter; add celery, carrots, green onions, and asparagus. Cook over med. heat until veggies softened (10 min.). Add broth. Cook until mixture comes to a full boil. Lower heat, simmer for about 20 min. Add spinach, salt and pepper. Continue cooking 5 min.

 Stir together dumpling ingredients. Spoon mixture on top to make six dumplings. Cover and cook for about 10 min until dumplings are done.

Taco Soup

1 lg. can crushed tomatoes
1 can corn with juice
1 can black beans, don't drain
1 can kidney beans, don't drain
1 can pinto beans, don't drain
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
1 small onion, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
tortilla chips
shredded cheddar

Mix all the ingredients except the chips and cheese. Bag and freeze. To serve, put in a crockpot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Serve with chips and cheese.

Choosing to SEE

How do you say good-bye to a child?  The mountain of grief is almost unfathomable.  I recently finished reading Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman. She and her Christian singer husband, Steven Curtis Chapman, lost their daughter to a terrible accident in May 2008.

Mary Beth starts her book at the beginning...the beginning of her marriage to a Steven.  She then takes you on her journey through having children, adopting three girls from China, and finally the tragedy of their lives. I found her book to be strikingly honest!  She tells on herself which you don't see much these days...like the embarrassing moment when they were on the Nile river (I will let her tell you what happens!) or her raw emotions over the loss of Maria.

Her book is a mixtured of joy and sadness.  There were places where I laughed outloud and others where I bawled. I appreciated that there were moments of happiness otherwise I am not sure I could have read the whole book with all the heartache of losing Maria.

If you get a chance, check out her book!

Grace and Gratitude

Grace...God's unmerited favor...I am learning that there are so many aspects to God's grace that I never even realized.  The word itself comes from the Latin word, gratia. Gratia is where we get the Spanish word, gracias and the Italian, grazie. So in some ways grace is mixed with gratitude.  What does this mean?  I am beginning to realize that when we are confronted with God's grace we need to show gratitude!  Sometime I don't even realize how much He has done for me.  I am trying not to miss those places where there are God's graces so that I can turn around and show gratitude to Him. I am trying to fix my gaze on His grace.  It is changing me...

Because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:14-18

Gratitude and Grace

God is showing me that grace and gratitude go together. When God bestows His grace (unmerited favor) our response should be one of gratitude.

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*The awesome opportunity to mentor others

*The opportunity to work

*Bible memorization that is finally coming together...I am making progress

*A birthday boy (Noah turned 10!)

*Another birthday party done and over with...I always breathe a sigh of relief!

*Friends that reach out

*Enough food

*Finding great recipes to share

*God's grace showing up when we least expect it

*Memory foam pillows

*Toothpaste!  What did we do before toothpaste?!

*Baskets to keep things organized

*Computers

*Spanish lessons that go well

*My day planner that I can't live without

*Falafel and Tzatziki sauce

*Friends for my boys.  God has so richly blessed them this year with great friends.  It is something that I have been praying for for a long time.

Mega Memory Month and Bible in 90 Days- Third Update

I am on two adventures right now...Mega Memory Month (trying to memorize Psalms 27) and the Bible in 90 Days.  Here's a quick update....

I am getting near the end of Psalms 27.  I have the last three or four verses to solidify in my brain.  Here are a few pictures of how I have my memory system set up:

First of all I use a Moleskine with pockets.  I have pasted on the inside of the cover these instructions (for day 1, 2, and 3)  for memory work on longer passages of the Bible.

Here are my verse cards...I printed these off from this site.

My second challenge is reading through the Bible again in 90 days.  So far I am right on target and going strong.  I have read through Leviticus and Numbers which have typically been tough for me. I have to admit that the second time around of reading these books has gone much smoother than the first time!  I am getting familiar with the material so it is just making a bit more sense.  There are not a lot of verses that strike me in these books, but one of them did as it correlates to my memory work...

I am memorizing Psalms 27:6

And now my head shall be lifted up

  above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

 I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

I read this past week Leviticus 26:13

 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.