saturday sydney-isms...

Sydney was blessing our dinner earlier this week...
Syd: Dear God, Thank you for our food. And thank you that the ant is not crawling on me anymore because sometimes it bites me and I don't like that and then it was crawling on the ground and I tried to get it but it crawled away and it's not on me anymore and it was just on the floor crawling around...
Josh and I, in unison: Ok Syd
Syd: Oh, in Jesus name, Amen :)

Feeling her heartbeat with her hand
"Mommy, come feel my heart!! Jesus is in there and he's walking around!"

words of encouragement...

I was reading ahead a bit in My Utmost for His Highest (by Oswald Chambers) and was really struck by this entry for tomorrow. It really challenged me. I am a planner and constantly thinking ahead and looking forward. It made me wonder...how many times have I missed an opportunity right in front of me because I was pressing forward to the next thing? how often do I walk right past the chance to see God at work because my eyes are on MY goal, not his? I want to be present. Right here, right now.  I liked this part....
"God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God."
I don't want to miss seeing Him "walking on the sea" because I was looking for what he was walking toward or leading me to when the whole purpose is to know that He is walking on the sea!  Father God, help me to be present. Help me to see the process as the purpose. Help me to see what you are doing right now as the goal. Thank you for being so present with us that each moment is an opportunity to know you better and be closer to you.

thrifty tip tuesday...

Deals:
Best Deals at CVS this week   (from Deal Seeking Mom)
Best Deals at Walgreens this week   (fro Deal Seeking Mom)

Freebies:
If you sign up for email alerts with Bath and Body Works they will send you a coupon for a free travel size item of your choice

Free copy of Crazy Love by Francis Chan (this is an awesome book.  I've read it and can't wait to read it again. If you'd like one of his other books you can choose them instead)

FREE can of Purina ProPlan catfood when you “like” them on Facebook

Free sample of Nivea Bodywash from All You Magazine

Free sample of Pearlescence Flora Reeds (for fragrant diffusers)

Free John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Care Sample

Around the house:
Another every day item that you can use for multiple purposes is vinegar! As I mentioned before you can use it in your dishwasher as a rinse agent. You can also use vinegar instead of fabric softener (I haven't done this, but I've heard there is no smell in clothes after). You can also mix a solution of 50/50 water and vinegar as a great window cleaner.  Or you can do 2 parts water, 1 part vinegar for an All Purpose cleaner. You can clean your coffee maker by putting in a few tablespoons of vinegar with water in the reservoir and running it as normal (just run another round of just water to remove the vinegar taste). Vinegar has a million more uses, but these are just a few to start with :)

what we're eating this week...

Well, we don't have much of a menu planned for this week because we're heading over to PA on Wednesday. But here are our plans for the next couple days...

Monday: Veggie Chili with Cornbread Cake (recipe below)
I add a heaping spoonful of creamy peanut butter to any chili recipe I make. It may sound odd, but it's delicious. Also, I don't drain or rinse my beans and I omit adding water.
Tuesday:  Crock Pot Sloppy Joes (recipe below)

*Also, I wanted to report back on a new recipe I tried. I posted last week (here) about the Coconut rice with Mangoes and Pistachios. I made that on Friday and it was AWESOME! I think next time I would either get low sodium chicken broth or cut the salt in half for more of a salty/sweet balance. But it was still absolutely delicious and a perfect summer dish! I will definitely be making this again!!

Recipes...
Cornbread Cake (got this recipe from a friend a few years ago and have not made regular cornbread since)
-1 Jiffy Cornbread mix
-1 Jiffy Yellow Cake mix
-3 eggs
-1/3 cup milk
Mix all ingredients, will be slightly lumpy. Grease baking pan. Bake on 400 - 410 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes. It will brown before it's actually done so if it looks done be sure to check the middle with a toothpick and it will come out clean when done. It may sink a bit in the middle. Can only know done-ness by toothpick test, not color. Makes 8x8 pan of yummy-ness!!
***UPDATE: I decided to try this recipe making muffins because my favorite cornbread pan now has a crack in it. They turned out great and were a lot faster. I did the recipe the same and at 405 degrees it only took 15 mnutes.

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes (I took a recipe from a cookbook and made it my own and they are YUMMY!)
-1 lb ground beef or turkey
-1 sm Green Bell Pepper chopped
-1 Sm Vidalia Onion
-2-4 cloves garlic minced or through garlic press
-1 cup ketchup
-1 Tbsp + 1 tsp mustard
-1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vinegar
-1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 Tbsp + 1 rounded tsp brown sugar
-1 tsp chili powder
-salt and pepper to taste
Brown meat with onions and garlic. Mix all other ingredients in Crock Pot. Add meat/onion mixture to Crock Pot (if it looks to thick add up to 1/4 cup water, too thin add up to 1/4 cup more ketchup) Cook on Low for 5-6 hrs or High for 3. Makes about 4 servings

week in photos...

doughnut face :)

swinging with grandma

made some progress on learning to ride her big bike!
thanks to grandpa adjusting the seat :)

she swam like a champ in those water wings!

and a little slide show of Sydney's awesome dance moves.

Josh told her to pose for a picture and this is what happened....

thankful thursday

so very thankful....
1. for A/C, cool water to drink, and anything else to escape this crazy heat! :)
2. for feeling better!! Sydney and I had a rough start to the week but we are both feeling SO much better today.
3. for a great weekend with Dad and Diana!! We had fun with them at their campsite in Brookville. Made it to the beach on the lake and Sydney hasn't stopped talking about it yet! (sidenote: Happy Birthday Di :)
4. for good snack foods :) After only eating cereal and crackers for a few days I loaded up at the grocery store today with some of my favorite snack foods...yummmmmy
5. for hope in the Lord.
"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:30-31

words of encouragement...

I was looking through Psalms this morning and came across Psalm 51. A psalm where David is begging for forgiveness, for mercy, asking to be made new. As I was reading it I started to sing this song in my head by Jon Foreman (from Switchfoot) so I thought I'd share that with you this morning...

thrifty tip tuesday

Freebies:
Free sample of NIVEA Touch of Cashmere Body Wash

Free Sample of Garnier Moisture Rescue

Free Sample of Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo & Conditioner

Kids eat FREE at Chili's tonight!! (coupon w/ purchase of adult entree)

Free Reusable Grocery Bag from Nursery Water (only 75 bags a day starting at 12 noon EST)

Deals:
20 4x8 photo cards from SeeHere.com for $1.49 shipped
Upload a photo, select 20 for the quantity,put in 25CARDS coupon code at check out and your total will only be $1.49 including shipping!! Great idea for invitations, baby announcements, thank you cards, etc.

Best CVS deals of the week    (from Deal Seeking Mom)

Best Walgreens deals of the week   (from Deal Seeking Mom)

Around the house tip:
Use lemons as a natural disinfectant!! They are great for disinfecting cutting boards, just cut in half and rub and rinse (may want to let set overnight before rinsing to let it penetrate). Also, cut off a chunk of lemon (or lime) and put it in your garbage disposal to make it smell fresh and clean! You can clean your coffee pot by running water and lemon juice through as well (although some use vinegar for this, lemon has the same effect with higher acidity to kill bacteria). So many uses for that lovely fruit :)

in lieu of a menu...

Sydney and I are getting over a stomach bug so I can't really think about food too much. We're kind of living off Gatorade and crackers at the moment :) BUT, here is a recipe that I cannot wait to try so I thought I'd share it you!!

Coconut Rice with Mangoes and Pistachios

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
• 1 cup diced mango
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted, salted pistachios

Preparation

• Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Toss gently with remaining ingredients.

(From Coastal Living Magazine APRIL 2010)

week in photos...

I wasn't much of a picture taker this week, but here is Sydney having fun playing in the water....

thankful thursday

so very thankful....
1. That we are visiting Dad and Di this weekend!
2. for Sydney's sweet personality. She is one of the sweetest, most smiley, and most tender hearted people I know and I'm so glad I get to be her Mom :)
3. for thrift stores. It's like a treasure hunt for me and there are lots of good ones around here!
4. for days with no agenda that lead to playing outside, listening to great music, and time to do whatever needs to be done. Oh and time for Syd to come up with awesome creations like the one below....(made from construction paper and post-its AND completely on her own!!)

words of encouragement...

a favorite verse to share.....

"The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing"    
Zephaniah 3:17

Such a beautiful picture of who God is...a mighty warrior who saves, always with us, and taking great delight in us. Thank you Father God for such great HOPE that you give us in your love and in who you are!

thrifty tuesday tips...

Deals:
Best deals at CVS this week  (from Deal Seeking Mom)
*my fave deal this week at CVS is...
Kellogg's Cereals (8.7-15 oz.), 2/$5Get $1 ECBs wyb 2 (Limit 1)
$ .70 off Raisin Bran
Buy two and use 2 printable coupons making 2 boxes of Raisin Bran $1.30 each! (with ECBs)

Best deals at Walgreens this week  (from Deal Seeking Mom)

Restaurant.com is offering 80% off their already discounted gift certificates with the code SUN. This will make a $25 certificate just $2 after all discounts!! Certain restrictions apply, so read all fine print before purchasing (i.e. must spend certain amount, only valid at lunch, etc) Expires tomorrow!!

Printable coupons for Quiznos
Free Chip or Cookie and Regular Fountain Drink, Free Sub or Regular Salad, 2 Meals For $9.99
$1 Off Regular Sub or $2 Off Large Sub

Freebies:
Free Peroxide at Target (with this printable coupon)
*Their generic brand (up&up) is priced at $.62 and the coupon is good for $.75 off first aid item

Free bottle of Evamor water (Facebook offer... "like" them, print coupon)

Free Garlic Lovers Chicken Breast with any purchase at Panda Express (tomorrow, 7/13)

Household tips:
Another way to save a penny around the house, find different ways to use things you already have. This week....coffee filters!!! Coffee filters make excellent replacements for paper towels (and they are cheaper). They clean mirrors and windows better than the average paper towel (because they are lint free)! Also, they make great snack bowls for chips, pretzels or popcorn. And you can turn them upside down on top of a bowl of soup or something your heating in the microwave to keep it splatter free!

what we're eating this week....

Here's our menu for the week....
Monday: Stuffed Enchiladas (recipe below) and Spanish Rice
Tuesday: Rotisserie Style Chicken in the Crockpot with stuffing and green beans
Wednesday: Stuffed Shells with Homemade Tomato Sauce
Thursday: Easy Chicken and Noodles (recipe below) and Mashed Potatoes
Friday: Pizza :)
Saturday/Sunday: out of town!

Stuffed Enchiladas:  
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 onion diced
1 can Enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso Mild but you could try this homemade recipe)
1 can refried beans
1 can black beans
1 Lg Avocado sliced in to small chunks
Shredded Cheese
Tortilla shells
Sour Cream (for topping!)

Brown meat, add onions and cook until onions are soft. Drain grease. Add 1/3-1/2 of the sauce and a large handful of cheese to the meat. Stir until cheese starts to melt and remove meat from heat. Spread spoonful of refried beans on to tortilla, add spoonful of black beans, then spoonful of meat, and a little bit of avocado. Fold in ends and then sides and lay folded side down into baking pan (I use a 13x9 glass baking pan, lightly greased). Assemble the rest of the enchiladas. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, add shredded cheese on top. Bake on 350 for about 20 minutes. Makes about 8-10 enchiladas (depending on how much you stuff them)

Easy Chicken and Noodles:
(a recipe adapted  to use the rest of the rotisserie style chicken from an AWESOME recipe from my sister, Holly)
Leftover chicken from Rotisserie Style Crockpot Chicken, shredded (watch for bones!)
1 bag frozen Egg Noodles (must be the frozen kind, not dry egg noodles!)
2 cans chicken broth
Boil Egg Noodles as directed but use chicken broth instead of water. Half way through the boiling time, add shredded chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat over mashed potatoes and be prepared to be amazed :)

saturday sydney-isms...

Josh and I were sitting on the couch talking and when I got up Syd quickly took my place and said...
Syd: You can talk to me now Daddy
Josh: What do you want to talk about?
Syd: Um (makes super pensive face) Work. You want to talk about work?

After returning home from watching the Johnstown Fair parade (where there was lots of candy being thrown), Syd got a bucket of pretend candy and walked in circles throwing things at us saying...
"ok I'm a princess. Wave at me! Good job, here's candy. Ok, I'm another princess. Wave at me again. Here's more candy, yay!"

week in photos part 2

Sydney all dressed up for the tea party!

Tea party with her cousins!

Riding a car ride at the Johnstown fair

Apple ride :)

fun with the camera at the fair :)

Finished our time at the fair with
the ferris wheel. Here we are at the
tippy top! (This is the excited side
of the seat!)

(this is the nervous side of the seat :)



week in photos part 1

Here are some pics from last week. I'll post more from this week tomorrow...

Going for a walk on the local bike trail

Sydney with her Grandma

Syd with her cousins Calli and Kyah

Josh and his brother Dave were trying to copy this photo of their parents....not bad :)

Josh and his mom

we went to see a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Springfield, OH

this is the house Josh's mom grew up in,
just across the cemetery from the FLW house

AWESOME sign we saw on a window of an apartment complex
(Click to enlarge so you can read it!)

family photo :)

Josh and Syd with Josh's brother Dave, sis-in-law Kim
and their girls Calli and Kyah

thankful thursday

so very thankful...
1. for time to sit down and blog :) It has been such a busy week or so that to sit down for a few minutes is just heavenly!
2. for air conditioning! It has been blazin hot and that sweet relief when I walk into my house is hard to beat!
3. for a great visit with Josh's parents this last week!!
4. for God's faithfulness. It seriously blows my mind. I like to think that I am not fickle and am fairly predictable but my thoughts, my feelings, my opinions can change at the blink of an eye and I'm so thankful that God is not like that. I'm SO thankful that He is unchanging, dependable, stable, eternal, and faithful to us at all times.
"But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness" Psalm 86:15

thrifty tip tuesday...

Below are this week's thrifty tips....
Deals:
You can get a killer deal on stuff at Bath and Body Works right now. They are having a 75% off sale on a lot of their items and you can combine that with this coupon for $10 off $30 purchase (or use the coupon code: TEN30 online) to make it a really good deal. Coupon expires today so hurry!!

99 prints for 99 cents from Snapfish (plus shipping)

Best CVS Deals this week   (from Deal Seeking Mom)

Best Walgreens Deals this week  (from Deal Seeking Mom)

Freebies:
Free Chips and Queso printable coupon (after signing up for email alerts)

Free Lettuce Wraps from PF Changs (Facebook offer, check their page tomorrow 7/6)

Free RevitaLens OcuTec MPDS starter kit with printable coupon. Just take it in to your Walmart Vision Center

Free Sample of Loreal Youth Code

Household tip:
Another way to stretch your dime around the house, here are a couple money saving substitutes or alterations to dryer sheets.....
Maximizing Dryer Sheets (from This Week for Dinner )
Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes  (from The Duggar Family )

in lieu of a menu part 2...

Once again our menu got postponed with family here so we are still planning on having lots of things on the menu I posted here (the ingredients have been patiently waiting in the freezer). So below are a few more recipes I've found online that I'd like to share. Oh, and HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

Some faves....
Peanut Butter No Bakes (Josh's fave!)  (from Group Recipes )

Pulled Pork   (from This Week for Dinner )
*next time I'm going to omit the chili powder, and maybe the cumin too. Otherwise, yummy!

Can't wait to try....
Flourless Chocolate Cake  (fromKrista's Kitchen )

Mongolian Beef in the Crockpot (from A Year of Slow Cooking)

Homemade Marshmallows   (from Denver Bargains )

saturday sydney-isms

Earlier this week, Sydney prayed for our dinner and it was the sweetest....
"Dear God, thank you for our food. Thank you for God. Thank you for prayer. Love you. So much. The
end."

**more pictures to come later....to busy having fun with Josh's fam :)**