Menu Plan 9/28 - 10/6

Well, I thought I could manage a Meal Plan today, so here it is. It's definitely "bachelor living" for Robert this week, as I will be gone.

Tonight I think I will try Cheesy Beef & Rice.
Tomorrow we will have leftover Chili & Cornbread

Here's Robert's meals!
-Frozen pizza
-Ramen noodles
-Lunch meat sandwiches
-Chips & Salsa
-Leftover fajitas

Time off

I'm going to take about two weeks off. Early next week I will be cleaning the house and packing and next Wednesday I'm leaving to visit family for a week. So I decided to take a little time off from blogging. I will start writing again after I come back.

Oh, and our cable will be off when I come back so I'll have to tell you all how that goes!

Thank you for being patient with me!

100 for My 100th Post

For my 100th Post, I thought I would list 100 things about me! (The idea came from Sherry over at Lamp Unto My Feet.)

1. Married to Robert
2. Navy wife
3. Homemaker
4. And loving it
5. Enjoy blogging
6. Love cats
7. Want a dog (a small one!)
8. Favorite food is still fettuccine alfredo
9. Very organized
10. But still have some clutter in my home
11. Love to Read!
12. Especially Dave Ramsey
13. And any Christian fiction
14. Have half a nursing degree
15. And three-fourths of an accounting degree
16. But I'm more interested in finance
17. Like to watch Army Wives
18. Big Brother
19. The Bachelor(ette)
20. JAG
21. NCIS
22. Law & Order (any of the 3)
23. Golden Girls
24. Love lists - using and making; I like making them more!
25. Lived in Illinois (3 cities)
26. Louisiana
27. Washington (state)
28. I've visited Wisconsin
29. Indiana
30. Ohio (but I was too young to remember)
31. Minnesota
32. Iowa
33. Missouri
34. North Dakota
35. South Dakota
36. Montana
37. Wyoming
38. Nebraska
39. Texas
40. Florida
41. Maryland
42. Washington D.C.
43. South Carolina
44. Tennessee
45. Kentucky
46. California
47. Would love to live on the East Coast
48. Getting out of debt -
49. And staying that way FOREVER!
50. Sometimes I stay up til 3 a.m.
51. And don't wake up till noon
52. Always been shy
53. Love tulips
54. Trying to cook and eat healthier
55. I want to homeschool when we have children
56. Don't really have a favorite color anymore
57. But it used to be lime green (like neon)!
58. Love Thanksgiving (favorite holiday)
59. It's all for the food!! - pumpkin pie, turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls ...
60. I think birthdays and Christmas and all those other holidays are WAY overdone
61. Like Mexican food
62. and Italian food
63. and American food!
64. I love math - and anything numbers
65. Including Chemistry
66. I've always had a thing against history
67. When I was younger I wanted to be a veterinarian,
68. Tornado Chaser
69. and OBGYN
70. Now I'm looking into financial counseling
71. For a "job" ... not for me!
72. It's really hard to come up with 100 things about yourself!
73. I love food and flower smelling candles (and Robert hates them)
74. Sometimes I feel my life is moving too slow
75. ... because all my goals are long-term
76. I'm still picky about my food
77. But I definitely venture out more -
78. I've tried and liked mango
79. Strawberries and peaches
80. Asparagus
81. Avocado
82. Bell peppers
83. Onions
84. Coffee
85. Cream cheese ... all since I left home
86. Love candy - Snickers
87. Reese's Cups
88. Butterfinger
89. Starburst
90. My birthday is on George Washington's birthday
91. Love the pictures from my civil ceremony
92. And I didn't pay for a professional photographer (thanks mom and dad and Robert!)
93. Always thought I looked like a dork as a child!
94. And vowed that I would never drive a station wagon or minivan - my tastes haven't changed
95. Like SUVs ... but feel ambiguous about owning one - more room, but less gas mileage
96. Would love to have a cute little sports car (there's so many that I like)
97. But by the time I can afford one, I'll probably feel differently
98. I love the Lord and am thankful for all He has provided for me
99. Studying the Bible right now and trying to read it everyday
100. Can't wait to have children

Wow! THE END!

Menu Plan 9/20 - 9/26

Robert's mom is here this week so I got all my posts scheduled and ready to publish. She's teaching me how to make a few dishes (the "*"). Here's our meal plan this week.


* Fajitas with homemade tortillas and homemade refried beans
* Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and corn
* Potatoes A' Gratin - not sure what else we will have with this yet
* Chicken and homemade noodles with mixed veggies
Homemade Pizza - I'm going to show my MIL how I make pizza!
Chili & Cornbread

Bible Study

Robert and I started going to a Bible Study at church on Wednesdays. This past Wednesday was our first real meeting. We're learning about how the parts of the Mass come from the Bible. It's so interesting to learn and discuss with others. And it's wonderful to learn about the faith and spend time with great people. I am excited that I will be able to use this information to explain my faith to others and it surprises me how many parts of the mass come word-for-word from the Bible!

I'm really enjoying this and I hope that I will be able to continue every year.

Menu Plan 9/15 - 9/19

We haven't been eating off the meal plan lately so we still have lots of food in the cabinets to eat up this week ...

Pepperoni Pizza
Rice with chicken gravy
Soup & Toast
Grits & Breakfast sausage
Spinach Dip (without the artichokes)
Alfredo Sauce with linguine - there's still enough leftover for another meal

We still have a bag of mixed veggies plus corn and fries for sides this week. Robert's mom is coming next week and showing me how to make a few dishes! I can't wait.

My Library List 9/12

I finally went to the library Saturday. I only got two books this time. If I finish these two books and the one I'm currently reading, I will be up to four completed. My goal this month is to read five books.

Christian Fiction
-Blackstock, Terri
--Last Light
The first book in the Restoration series. I've been waiting for it (on hold) for almost three weeks now. I'm really enjoying reading Terri Blackstock so I'm sure I will enjoy this book as well.

--Blind Trust
This is from her Second Chances series (book 3). I just read book one last week - Never Again Goodbye, and liked it. So I'm sure this one will be just as good.

We also got some movies to watch:
Shakespeare in Love
Sophie's Choice

So it should be a good week!

I Remember

Do you remember where you were on this day eight years ago?

I do. I was sitting in my high school classroom taking a sociology course from the local community college. I will never forget the shock I felt or how scared I was of what would happen next. I will never forget how angry I was that my college professor was the only teacher that day (all the rest were high school classes) that allowed us to watch the news. I didn't get to see the Pentagon crash or the Pennsylvania crash. I remember one girl was hysterical because she had family that worked in the WTC.

I remember how it united Americans together. And people weren't afraid or ashamed to put "God Bless America" on their business signs. I will remember how it's now been tearing us apart. The signs are gone. People want the troops out of the Middle East.

We all want the troops home, but they're fighting an important mission. I remember why we still have men and women fighting and dying over in Iraq. - We don't want this to happen again.

I will always remember.

Menu Plan 9/8 - 9/14

Continuing with my goal to save money on groceries this month, we're eating out of the cupboards this week. We might feel deprived after this! That's one thing that makes saving money and budgeting hard - if you deprive yourself too much, you will end up splurging and wasting money later.

Pepperoni Pizza (we always have this!)
Salmon Patties
Rice with chicken gravy
Soup & Toast
Grits & Breakfast sausage
Spinach Dip (without the artichokes)
Alfredo Sauce with linguine (instead of fettuccine)

We have mixed veggies, spinach, corn, and fries to supplement as sides. I shopped for a few staples that we were out of and the total was a little high (~$60) for not buying for any meals!

Side Note: The other day I bought tortillas because making them takes a lot of work. And I have to say, they were disgusting to me. Now that I've had the homemade, I can't even eat store bought! I also noticed that all the packages - I looked at all of them (regular, low-fat, whole wheat, multi-grain, etc) - had tons of chemicals and preservatives. .... No more store-bought for me!

Going Back to Nature: Reuse, Repurpose

I've been running a weekly "column" called Going Back to Nature. This week I'm talking about the final "R" - Reusing (which is really the second (Reduce, Reuse, Recylce), I've just been doing them out of order)!

So many things now-a-days are "one-time-use". You use it. You throw it away. You get another one. Here's some examples: sippy cups, flatware, cleaning wipes, plates, dusters, mop pads, storage containers, paper towels. The list goes on, but I'll stop there. The point is, there is so much waste in our society. Everything is expendable. When something breaks, we don't try to fix it, we just throw it away. When clothes get holes, we don't patch them; we pitch them.

Not only does this hurt the environment, but it also hurts your pocketbook! The cost to reuse and/or fix these items is minimal compared to the cost to replace them. When something breaks, start by thinking how you can fix the item instead of going out to buy another. Whether you can fix it yourself or you have to take it to a professional, most of the time the outlay will be cheaper than buying new. Go around your home and count how many "one-time-use" items you have. Think about buying reusable items when those run out.

If you're thinking about redecorating, shop at your own home. Just watch HGTV sometime and you'll see how often items are taken from other rooms and re-purposed to decorate elsewhere. A door can become a coatrack. Kitchen cabinets can become a storage bench or a toy chest. Old light fixtures can be transformed into indoor candle holders. Tons more ideas await at HGTV.com! Just remember, most things can have a second life if you'll just get creative and think outside the box!

September Goals

I'm going to start making monthly goals for myself. I think writing goals is necessary for me to grow. I do a lot better when things are written down (and it's proven that others do too). If it's not on paper, I don't get it done. These are to be completed by the end of September. I've been getting ideas from a ton of different blogs, and here's what I've come up with for me.

Spiritual:
* Finish reading Numbers
* Read through Deuteronomy and Joshua

Homemaking:
* Set up daily schedule for chores (the list thing isn't working for me!) - this is already completed
* Try one new recipe
* Work on cutting grocery budget (lots of meatless meals)

Personal:
* Start working out 2x per week
* Read 5 books (Finished 2 ½)
* Let go of the small things (this sometimes causes fights with us) - I failed a few times, but mostly achieved this goal

Blog:
* Research Going Back to Nature topics

Don't worry. My Going Back to Nature will post Monday.

Menu Plan 9/1 - 9/7

It's the start of a new month, so I'm going to start out cheaper - with meatless meals, then possibly splurge at the end of the month if there's extra money! All but spaghetti is carried-over from last week. -- Now that's money savings!

Pepperoni Pizza (2x)
Creamy Chicken and Noodles (makes 2 meals w/ left overs)
Ravioli w/ homemade tomato sauce
Spaghetti w/ homemade tomato sauce
Breakfast for Dinner - Pancakes, eggs, and sausage (possibly...)