Freezer Meals #5, 6, & 7

Again, I am really loving the freezer meal concept.  It works really well for my family.  I like to cook but by the time I get home from a hectic day of being a K-12 Principal, I hardly have the energy to keep my eyes open, let alone make a healthy and filling meal for my family!

I always start out by making of list of recipes I want to try.  At this point in my freezer meal journey, I have some favorites and I find myself wanting to make more of those recipes.  However, I get bored with the same meals and my friend, Pinterest, has a way of bombarding me with pins that they think I'll like.  And, truth-be-told, they get it right A LOT.  I pin a lot of freezer meal pins.  

On average I would say that I can get 1 or 2 recipes off of someone else's freezer meal ideas.  My family is not very adventurous in the way of seasonings or ingredients.  We have a pretty traditional and mild diet.  Nothing spicy.  Nothing exotic.  We are a beef, chicken, and pork type of family.  

I have 3 kids.  A 13 year old, a 6 year old, and a 4 year old.  The oldest will eat pretty much anything edible.  He is a growing teenager who is taller than me at this point.  The 6 year old is hit or miss.  She's very much a "mood" eater. If she feels like eating, she'll scarf it down.  If she's not in the mood to eat, well she'll be sitting there all night! :)  My youngest is a toughie, too.  Some days she is a bottomless pit and will eat all day long, everything you give her.  Other days she picks at her food and I swear she hasn't eaten anything!  It's a tough crowd to please!  So, if you have adventurous eating tastes, my recipes will probably seem very bland and boring.

I haven't posted since my fourth try at this and since then I have completed #5, #6, and #7.  I also have an 8th ready to go once I get the energy to do another one!

Also, I am terrible at citing the sources I find these recipes.  Usually I have a google doc started and when I find a recipe I like, I will jot down the recipe on my list.  Once I have 10-15 recipes, I call it good and start collecting ingredients.  So, if one of these recipes is yours, I give you all due credit.  These are not MY recipes, just ones that I try.

Meal Session #5 included Chicken Taco Chili, Mongolian Beef, Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole, Beef Tips, Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pork Chops, Beef Enchiladas, Chicken Enchiladas, Bourbon Chicken, Chicken Stuffed Crescent Rolls, and Spaghetti Pie.

Here is a link to the recipes:  Session #5 Recipes
Here is a link to the shopping list:  Shopping List #5

I would say this recipe set is one of the best I've done so far.  The only one we were iffy on was the chicken taco chili.  It's a bit bland for me.  The Chicken Stuffed Crescent Rolls were a HUGE hit and SO tasty, but very time consuming to make.


Meal Session #6 included Cottage Pie, Chicken Spaghetti, Mongolian Beef, Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole, Savory Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pork Chops, Bourbon Chicken, Ranch Chicken Tacos, and Beef & Broccoli.

Here is a link to the recipes:  Session #6 Recipes
Here is a link to the shopping list:  Shopping List #6

Favorites in this one was the Ranch Chicken Tacos and Beef & Broccoli.  Both are SO good.  We did not care for the Savory Chicken at all.  I actually found it to be absolutely tasteless (which is the opposite of savory, isn't it?!).


Meal Session #7 included Spaghetti Casserole Bake, Hamburger Goulash, Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pork Chops, Mongolian Beef, Bourbon Chicken, Beef & Broccoli, Cheddar Chicken Mostaccioli, Beef Tips, Beef Enchiladas, Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole, Crockpot Chicken with Apples & Sweet Potatoes, Crockpot Balsamic Beef Roast with Carrots, Crockpot Pear, Apple, & Pork Deliciousness, and Ham & Cheddar Calzones.

Here is a link to the recipes:  Session #7 Recipes
Here is a link to the shopping list:  Shopping List #7

With this session, I doubled the recipes so that for 15 recipes, I really got 31 meals!  (The Chicken, Broccoli, & Rice Casserole already makes 3 so I didn't have to do any math there!)  And a side note for the spaghetti bake is that you're supposed to use the canned spaghetti in sauce already made (think Chef Boyardee).  I remember eating this when I was young, but had one HECK of a time finding it!  
This was an epically long cooking day.  I had made great progress and had half of the recipes made in 3 hours, but then kind of hit a wall.  I was prepping this stuff on the 3rd of July and had fireworks to go watch at some point.  Some family was going to be coming over and I was SO worn out from cooking, but I pulled it out at the last minute, had hubby clean the kitchen while I showered, and I made it in time to greet my family.  Fun day!

We haven't eaten through this 7th batch yet.  I had a few favorites in there as well as some new ones that I am looking forward to trying.  I did more crock-pot meals because with summer, I hate using the oven!

I also used half venison for the beef and mixed 1/2 venison, 1/2 beef in recipes.  My husband bagged his first deer this past fall so we need to use up the ground venison we got.  We aren't huge fans of it on its own, but mixed in with other ground beef, it's not noticeable to us at all!  Especially in things like lasagne or chili.


My husband and I make out a meal plan each week using 3-4 of the frozen meals and have other nights of left-overs or simpler meals.  Having that plan ahead of time really saves us time and brain-power and helps ward off that "I don't know what to make, so go get me a Big Mac" problem that I have.  

I don't want to claim that these recipes are super healthy, because I know there are sugars and sodium levels in these (and heaven forbid, the dastardly "cream of whatever" soups), but I will venture to say that these are healthier than a Big Mac and fries.  And if I get a Big Mac & fries, I have to wash it down with a hot-fudge sundae, so ya know, I'm thinking this is a good deal ahead of that curve! :)

I've already planned session #8, but haven't made a shopping list or bought any ingredients.  I'm just slowly planning.  This is my favorite part, the planning and organizing.  That's my thing.  Organize, organize, organize! :)  {Here's a sneak peak to #8!}

Happy Freezer Cooking!
-JR

Freezer Meals #4

Well, my freezer meal cooking has been a great success.  We have loved all of the meals that I have made so far.  We have gone through most of the meals and have found a few favorites.  This meal listing is a compilation of our favorite meals with a couple of newbies added in.  This time I will be making a double of each recipe, so the shopping list is for 2 of each meal.  I hope this way I can make more meals in less time.  I'm hoping that it will be easier to prep if I'm making doubles.  We'll see! ;-)

Here's my process:

First Step:
Find & Organize Recipes!
This is probably my favorite part.  I like to find new ideas on Pinterest or Facebook and I like to look through sites to find things that I think my family will enjoy.  I also went through my previous 3 lists to pull out the recipes we loved the most.

Here are my recipes & shopping list:
Recipes:  click here
Shopping List:  click here
                         (REMEMBER THAT THIS TRIP IS A DOUBLE RECIPE LIST!!!)


Second Step:
SHOP!
I started by checking through my own pantry and through my frozen meat selection in my own freezer.  Shopping in my stock piles first is great because I can use the items I have found on sale and this is friendly on my budget!  The third benefit of stock-pile shopping, is that I use up the meats I have before they get freezer burned or become unusable.

This time my shopping bill at Aldi's was $90.04!  I did have to pick up 2 cans of cream of potato soup, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and a can of green chiles from Walmart, so I think this trip was a total of $100.  This time I used 9 recipes, but got 18 meals out of it because I doubled every recipe this time which means each meal costs around $5.56 total.  So, for my family of 4 (sometimes 5), that is a cost of $1.39 (or $1.12) per serving.  Best price around!

Here's the haul:

Third Step:
Prep It!
Now I dice, chop, measure, mix, and label everything!  Again, I double-bag things in gallon freezer bags or I use my Glad Ovenware 9x13 or 8x8 pans.  These are awesome and make organizing my freezer a breeze!

I have a pretty large kitchen so my set up is as follows:

I try to keep everything separate and clean in my kitchen as I work.  I have 2 cutting boards and 2 knives in the meat-prep station: 1 of each for chicken and 1 of each for beef.  I have 2 flexible cutting boards in the veggie station so that I can chop veggies and then carry the whole thing to the storage station to add the veggies to the trays or bags.  Again, I do a lot of cleaning as I work so that my kitchen isn't a disaster the whole time.


Fourth Step:
Load up the Freezer & Clean Up!
With 9 recipes, I now have 18 meals ready after this cooking venture.  Freezer is re-stocked and should last us until I have another break from school!  Everything is organized in my freezer and ready to go.  The last thing I do is create a checklist that has the names of the meals in the freezer.  I put this in a magnetic frame on the outside of the freezer so that when we take out a meal, we check it off the list.  This helps us to know what we have left to eat and helps me be sure I use everything I have in there!

Here are my completed meals waiting to be put in my freezer!

If you have questions, I'd be happy to share what I have learned from my own experiences.  I can honestly say that we have enjoyed every meal I've tried with the freezer cooking method.  I really enjoy doing this and feel so accomplished after a day of freezer cooking!




Addition:
One final thought......We try to plan our menu every week so that we have a game plan of what to eat each night.  This helps us prepare ahead and to resist the temptation of fast food / pizza!  It helps to make meal planning less like torture when we use the fun chalkboard tray I made a few months ago:

Freezer Cooking - Third Time's a Charm!

This freezer cooking thing just keeps enticing me to do more.  I currently have 32 meals in my freezer and I've been holding off doing any more because I am hoping to have some venison and maybe some turkey to add to my freezer this fall.  But, I have been scoping out deals on meats at the local grocery stores and also have some great produce to use, so I decided I'd do a "small" session and make just 8 more meals.

First step:

Find & Organize your Recipes.

I found some more great recipes through facebook, pinterest, the Pioneer Woman, and various other blogs & sites I scoured for freezer recipes.

Here are the recipes and my shopping list for this smaller venture:

Recipes:  click here

Shopping List:  click here

Second Step:

SHOP!

As usual, I start in my own cabinets because who knows what I've accumulated on sale that would work for some of the recipes!  I especially like to be able to check off the seasonings and canned goods.  I pick up canned items that I use a lot at discount stores for CHEAP prices whenever I see something useful.  

So, after checking out my own cabinets, I headed to a few local stores to score sale prices and had to end up going to Meijer for a few cuts of meat that I couldn't find cheaply locally.  Total cost of these shopping trips was $71.77.  I used 8 recipes and got 10 meals so that comes to $7.18 per meal.  For my family of 4 (sometimes 5 if my stepson is over) that comes out to $1.79 per person! 

Here's the haul:

All the goods! :)

Third Step:

Prep it!

I printed the recipes and chopped them apart to tape onto the freezer bags.  I liked this better last time than hand-writing everything onto the ziplock bags with a sharpie that can rub off or smudge.    Label everything before you start!

Again, I double-bagged everything to prevent freezer burn.  And if I had a casserole-type of dish, I'm using my new freezer trays!

The labeling!  And trying out my new Glad OvenWare!

Prepping the Enchiladas involves cooking the roast so it can be shredded.  The author of the recipe puts the roast in while she's sleeping and then in the morning it's ready to go for her meal prepping.  That's a good idea!  

Fourth Step:

Load up the Freezer & Clean Up!

Now I have 42 meals ready to go in my freezer!  I'm hoping these will last us until at least a break at school or a long weekend so that I will have energy to make more meals.  I know that once the school year starts, I will have NO energy or time to cook like a crazy person! :) 

Packed, messy freezer!  I need to reorganize once all is frozen!

Now, I just need to organize my freezer and put some easy-to-read labels on them all so we can get to them quickly!  Any tips on that would be greatly appreciated!

Salad in a Jar

I tried an idea I saw on Pinterest.  I made some layered salads in glass jars.

The original plan called for wide mouth mason jars, but I used some spaghetti jars that I had on hand and they are working out great.

The idea is to have dressing on the bottom, cheese and solid items next, the the lettuce on the top.  Lettuce can't touch the dressing or else it will wilt.  They original post also used a scrap of paper towel at the top to wick away any condensation that may accumulate.

I made these on a Thursday and they are still fresh & crispy on Monday, 4 days after making them.

The idea is that I could make these on Sunday and have lunch for the work week!  Love it!

Freezer Cooking - TAKE TWO!

I completed my first foray in freezer cooking on Sunday night and I just couldn't get it out of my head.  :)  I have some serious obsessive issues and once I get my mind hooked on something, I have a hard time shutting it off.  

That being said, Monday morning, I found 15 more recipes to try and made a 2nd shopping list.  The kiddos had been wanting to go see "Despicable Me 2" and I thought that if we were heading to the movies, it'd be a perfect time to stock up on my groceries!

First Step:
Find & Organize Your Recipes.

Again, I started by going through my own recipes and also scoured Pinterest for some new and easy ones! 

Here are the recipes and my shopping list for this venture:
Recipes:  click here
Shopping List:  click here

Second Step:
Shopping.

Again, I started out by looking through my own cabinets and fridge / freezer.  Part of why I wanted to do another cooking session so quickly was because I had bought onions, potatoes, carrots, and some other fresh ingredients that I didn't use all of.  My goal was to use those up quickly so that they wouldn't go bad.

So, my lovely husband agreed (or at least didn't put up a huge fuss) to make another trip to Aldi's and we made it out of there for $127.65.  I did have to stop at Meijer to get a few meats and a bag of frozen veggies that weren't available at Aldi.  In total, it was probably close to $140.00 which works out to be $9.33 per meal or $2.33 per person, per meal.  A bit more than my first trip, but I had to buy more meats this time since I had used up some of my stuff in the last cooking venture.  Still at $2.33 per person, we are eating very inexpensively and we are eating healthier than what we may have ended up doing at the last minute.

Here's the haul!

Super Shoppers!

I should probably add that I am not a health-nut.  My main goal in cooking is to know what goes into our food and to have a few simple ingredients.  I do rely on "cream" soups and I know some people have mixed feelings (or flat-out hatred) for these soups, but they work for me.  I have seen an alternative recipe on Pinterest though that I may try sometime.  (Does anyone have experience with it or other alternatives?)  So, if you think some of my recipes are horribly unhealthy, feel free to keep that comment to yourself.  :-)

Third Step:
Prep It!

This time I printed out the recipes and used packaging tape to attach them to the freezer bags.  I was worried that some of the marker might come off and then poor hubby won't know what to do to cook the food.  I did this right away before I got started chopping or mixing anything.

Printed recipe taped on bags.

Again, I double-bagged everything.  I also tried a method of using foil which I read on another blog:  Put foil inside of a baking dish, fill with the casserole, cover, and then put in the freezer for about 30 minutes to solidify a bit. At that point, you can take the foil-wrapped casserole out of the pan and put it in a ziploc, so you aren't leaving a pan in the freezer. Double wrapping also helps prevent freezer burn. Then, to bake, you can just put the whole foil wrapped package inside the pan.

I also found another idea for freezing casseroles.  I bought some of these little trays and will give them a try next time.  Check them out here!  These little trays can be frozen and then can go right into the oven.  Right now, I have things in bags and they will have to be poured into a baking dish.  Skipping a step for hubby will make him happy!

The other thing I did differently this time was to boil a big stock pot of water and boil chicken in it while I worked on other recipes.  This way I had home-made chicken stock and also had cooked chicken to work with rather than raw chicken which made me much happier.  I also convinced Nick to brown all of the ground beef for me while I worked on other recipes.  This made assembly faster for me, too.  


So, I chopped, mixed, measured, and added ingredients to bags and foils and prepped another set of 15 recipes.  Some of the recipes even made double batches, which was even more exciting to me! :)

I'm super excited to eat some of these meals.  They were really smelling good when I was prepping them.  The chicken spaghetti recipe is adapted from the Pioneer Woman recipe.  It was DELICIOUS!


Fourth Step:
Load up the Freezer & Clean up!

So, at this point it was around 3 am and I was just loading up the freezer.  I was so tired, but so very happy.  We now have 32 meals waiting for us when life gets busy (which is always these days!).  I have really enjoyed the process of making a bunch of recipes at a time and making meals ahead.  I hope that throughout the school year I will be able to do this a few times, also, to keep us on the right track.  

New recipes on top, last 15 at very bottom.

My sister let me know about a magazine she saw at the drugstore.  I picked it up while I was at the grocery store, too!  I've already read through it and have some ideas for next time!  There are also some good guidelines for freezing and lengths of time to keep things frozen.  It will be a handy resource to me in the future!

Yum!

My First Adventure in Freezer Cooking

Yesterday I made a batch of 15 freezer meals.  This has been about 1 year in the making.  It was one of those things that sounded really great, but I hadn't found the energy, time, and organization to make it happen. 

I had been "pinning" things on Pinterest for quite some time about freezer cooking, but often times the recipes didn't seem like anything my family would eat.  With a 2 and a 4 year old, we aren't too adventurous.  They eat pretty well and try everything I give them, but many of the posts I found on Pinterest were for soups and things like that which my little kids have a hard time eating.  So, this past week, something spurred me to finally get my behind in gear and get this done!

Step 1:

Find recipes and create a shopping list.

For me, I was getting very tired of the recipes we use typically, so I went to Pinterest again and looked through recipes I had "pinned" and then also looked through my recipe book for things I haven't made in a while.  I ended up with 15 recipes that I thought my kids would eat and enjoy.  

I also go for SIMPLE.  I'm not a chef by any means, so if there were crazy ingredients or steps, it was out for me.  You can see my recipes below.  On my shopping list, I put the # of the recipe behind each ingredient so I knew which recipe it went with.  I also made the list a CHECKLIST for easy check-off in the grocery store!

I don't remember all of the sites where I found the recipes.  These recipes are definitely NOT my own.  I would copy from a website, paste it into my word doc, then list out the ingredients on my other document to make my shopping list.  I do not take credit for any of these recipes!

You can click on this link and see my recipes.

You can click on this link and see my shopping list.

Step 2:

SHOP!

I had my list, I had my goal, I was ready to go!  (You will need lots of gallon size bags!  Those weren't on my list, but I picked them up.)

The first place I shopped was in my own cabinets.  I knew I had most of the seasonings and basics (which is partly why I chose these recipes) so I went through my stuff first.  This is also a great way to use up what's in your cabinets.  If you bought a crazy can of something (or if your husband did the shopping and brought home something you'll never use), try to find a recipe that will use it up!

Next, I headed to "Aldi".  I was amazed, but I was able to find everything (except cubed steak) at Aldi (plus a few other groceries) and my total bill was only $114.37.  This works out to be about $7.62 per meal or $1.90 per person per meal.  Can't beat that, even at McDonalds!!!!!!!!!!!

Aldi had a great selection of vegetables and meats.  I was very surprised!  I don't usually have that much success at Aldi, but this time was a GOLD MINE! :)

When I got home, I unloaded my spread.........

My haul!

Step 3:

BUILD UP THE COURAGE TO PREPARE IT!

Try to find a time where you won't be interrupted constantly.  It will go faster!  I started at nap-time, but had to take a break for dinner, snuggles, and swimming!  I got the most done during nap-time, without my kiddos running around!

The first thing I did (after reading many posts on Pinterest about how to do this!) was to label my gallon bags.  I double-bagged everything.  I was worried about freezer burn.  I wrote the name & cooking directions on a big gallon-sized bag and then got busy putting ingredients together!

My labeled bags and recipes, ready to go!

Step 4:

CHOP, MIX, PREP, SEAL!

I don't have any pics of this part because I'm super-anal and take forever in the kitchen, so taking pictures wouldn't have been good for me.  I had 1 cutting board & knife for veggies, 1 cutting board & knife for meats, a station for bag filling, and a station for "finished" bags to lay flat.

Again, I double bagged everything.  I also tried to be sure I got all of the air out of the bags before I sealed them.  I HATE freezer burn.  After this, I might have to invest in some sort of food sealer.  Anyone have experience with one?

I even put the amounts of chicken or beef stock in quart-size bags and added those to the meals so that I would be sure I had the ingredients I needed on the day it was cooked.  Most likely, my husband will be throwing these meals together in the crock pot, so I'm going for as easy as possible so he doesn't get frustrated!

The only thing I didn't add was the dark beer.  Mainly because I don't have any dark beer, but also because I have never frozen beer and I'm not sure how that would turn out.  I have frozen chicken stock, wine, etc., and have never had any problems so I was confident enough to freeze those.

Step #5:

Load up the Freezer & Clean Up!

Last step!!!  I have a large, upright freezer that we purchased off of Craigslist about 13 months ago, just before we moved.  We haven't actually ever used it yet, but I was excited to finally get it filled up.

I put my bagged meals on metal cookie sheets to help them freeze as flat as possible.  I wanted to try to take up as little space as possible.  Once they are frozen solid, I will reclaim my cookie sheets.

Here is my freezer with 15 meals ready to go!  I also froze some extra carrots and chopped sweet potatoes.  I figured we would use those as side dishes for some meals.  I double-bagged those, too.

Now, I'm going to start planning my next batch to make!  I'm so excited about my shopping experience at Aldi and I'm so proud of myself for actually getting this done that I can't wait to do it again!  Now, I just hope the food tastes good on the day we cook it! :)

15 meals freezing away! 

FINAL NOTE:
The very last thing I am going to do is to create a list on the outside of the freezer of all of the meals that are in the freezer.  When we eat one, I will cross it off so that we know what we have left.  Now, I just have to find something cute to make this out of!  

CHANGES

I'm a creature of habit.  I'm not a big fan of change.  God has really been challenging me with that lately.  Seems like anything that could possibly change HAS!  I can actually say that these changes are very exciting for me and I am trying my best to happily go about my days of change.  I am trying very hard NOT to take my normal, control-freakish stance and be anxious about every step of these changes.  I am trying to just let them evolve and let God's plan for my family work out however He best sees fit.  Some of the changes that are going on right now are:

• Starting a new, very different job!
• Leaving behind an old workplace & tying up all loose ends there.
• Saying goodbye to some very dear co-workers.
• Finalizing a new mortgage agreement.
• Moving to a new house!
• Renting out (or selling) our old house.
• Enrolling Ali in school for the fall.
• Figuring out a new schedule for our time with Jake & his school.
• Nick finishing his Associate's Degree this Winter.
• And just adjusting to all of these changes!

I have realized that there is no possible way I could do all of these things on my own (or even with my amazing hubby taking care of 85% of them!).  I am a woman of faith, but right now, in this trying time, I am laying this all on the big guy & letting the chips fall as they may.  My friends have asked me if I'm just "so stressed out" about all these changes.  And, while it is overwhelming when I sit and think about it (or list it out), I can honestly say that I am at peace with all of this and that I know God will provide the solutions we need, when we need them.

This mind set is a pretty huge deal for me.  I'm a perfectionist.  I am known to be anxious.  I like things done my way and on my schedule.  I like to have a plan & stick to that plan.  (My oldest daughter, Ali, was the beginning of ruining that little false-hope that I had clung to........she came 5 weeks early & all I could say when my water broke at work was "But it's FEBRUARY.  I'm having an APRIL baby".  Remember, Tina?)  I would even say that I am a control freak.  Yes.  I admit it.

With all of that being said, here's also what I know.....
I know that God is good (actually VERY good) to my family.  We are blessed beyond what I can even fathom.  We have 3 beautiful, healthy, intelligent, funny, loving, & simply wonderful children.  We have a marriage that gives me strength, love, joy, and confidence every day.   We have a steady income and $ is never an issue for us.  Just when I start to worry about bills or $ in accounts, something comes through and we're fine!  We have wonderful extended families that are supportive, loving, and generous in so many ways.  And we have our church.  Our wonderful family of fellow believers who inspire us to be better Christians and to have a real relationship with God.  


I also know that God will meet all my needs according to His plan.  I know that He has made my path and that He is guiding me in the ways He wants me to become.  


Before my interview for my new job (which I felt very under-qualified for), I prayed that God would give me the words to speak during the interview and that I could be His tool for whatever plan He wanted to come of this.  The next evening, I received a phone call that I was the top candidate out of 23 applicants (4 of which were interviewed).  I was astounded.  I had applied on a whim, never thinking I'd be offered such a great opportunity, and here I am, about to embark on a crazy new adventure.  So now, one of my next hurdles will be to lay my struggles in my new job on Him and seek His guidance through all of those trials.  


But 1 question remains:
Do you think He has much experience with teacher unions???
 

Tooth Fairy Theory............

Jake and I had a discussion about the tooth fairy today.  It all started last night with him losing another baby tooth.  This afternoon, I found a new tooth had just come through in Alina's mouth.......taking her to a grand total of 3 little teethies so far!  Jake and I started talking about baby teeth and losing teeth and the tooth fairy.  We came up with a theory that I think is pretty good.........."Every time a big boy (or girl) loses a tooth, a little boy (or girl) gets one!"  Furthermore, the tooth fairy takes the big child's tooth and gives it to the little child.   

(Today's theory reminds me of the "Every time a bell rings, and angel gets its wings" idea I've heard before.)

House Hunting

Perhaps you've heard the story of the man caught in a flood who had a deep faith in God. As the flood waters rose, his neighbors told him, "You have to leave, the flood is going to wash everything away."

Calmly, the man replied, "It's not a problem, God will save me."

As the waters continued to rise to the second floor of the man's house, a boat came by with rescuers. They said, "Quickly, get in, the flood is going to wash everything away."

Again the man replied, "It's not a problem, God will save me."

As the flood worsened, the man was forced to climb onto the roof of his home. A helicopter came, threw down a ladder, and the rescuers said, "Climb up. The flood is about to wash everything away."

One more time, the man said, "It's not a problem, God will save me."

Finally, the flood washed everything away, and the man drowned.

When he reached heaven, he saw God. The first thing he asked was, "Lord, I was so certain you would save me, what happened?"

Very perplexed, God said to the man, "I just don't know, I sent neighbors, a boat and a helicopter to save you."

That's how I feel right now with my house hunt.  My husband & I have been praying for God to help us find a proper home that will sustain us for many years.  We have a (long) list of must-haves and a small(ish) budget.  This requires some compromise which is diffcult for 2 stubborn people to do.

The first house we saw was too big.  4000 sq ft, plus a full basement, built in 1880.

The second house was too subdivision-y.  No pole barn.  Gorgeous inside, iffy outside.

The third house we saw was a nightmare.  Loved the location & the property.  Would have to redo SO much of the house, it is too scary to try!

The 4th house was too 80s.  Knotty pine only belongs in some places!  Not 100% of the house!

The 5th house was almost perfect, just didn't have a basement & had 5 acres of land but with horse paddocks, which aren't of use to us.

The 6th house was lovely.  I'm in love with it.  2500 sq ft colonial. 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, full basement, pole barn, loely porch & deck, 2 car garage.  Only 1 acre, but on a dirt road & surrounded by fields.  Has the feel of lots of land, but we wouldn't have to care for it. Of course my husband hates it.

He claims we haven't found the perfect house & we need to pray about it more.  I'm wondering if God isn't just up there banging His head against a wall thinking "I sent you 1 house & it's too big, 2nd is too small, 3rd is too run own, 4th is too 80s, 5th is too small, & 6th is too ???  What more could you want?!"

:-(  To say the least, I am discouraged & want to give up except that I don't want to stay in this house 1 day longer than I have to!!!

All Dressed for Gma's House!

This morning, I got Ali dressed to go to Gma R's house & she insisted on wearing her new "Little Miss Naughy" outfit with her matching book bag.  She also insisted on wearing her cowboy boots & the crown from a Burger King Happy Meal.  I just love her sense of style! <3

How do I say goodbye???

Dearest Gma:
I just wanted you to know how dearly you are loved.  You are truly a woman of grace and have been a quiet, loving inspiration to everyone whom you've met.  You have been an idol of motherhood and your children all adore you.  You are amazing.  A true gift from God above.  I am glad that He will get to be with you soon, but I am so sad that my girls will never get to know you as I have.  I may not see you often, but you are always thought of with love and admiration.  I pray that when you get to Heaven, you will get to see Pa right away,  that you may have a joyful reunion.  I pray that your body be fixed from all pain and be restored, as the Bible says it will be.  I can only imagine you in Heaven, carefree, pain free. I am thankful that you are a woman of faith.  I have seen God working through you to touch those around you.  You are a kind, loving woman, and I have been blessed to call you my grandma.

I will never forget my childhood visits to your house on Sundays.  Chop suey, spaghetti, angel food cake, pickles, rolls; food has never tasted as good as when we ate at your house.  Gma I love you.  I love going to your house, playing your old piano, all out of tune.  Listening to your birds chirp and cackle away.  Walking to the pond and seeing new wonders of nature.  Salamanders in the woods.  A deer in the pond.  Geese that chased Amanda and bit the backs of her knees as she ran screaming to the house.  The little slide by the pond.  The old row boat.  The old dog "Blu" in the dog house.  The glider swing out back that we spent so many visits relaxing on.  Spinning in the cushy black chair that was Pa's.  Playing checkers with Pa and NEVER EVER winning.  Spending the night and having the most fun adventures with you.  The little parakeet I stuffed for you and you proudly displayed for years on your mantle.  Your shy smile and girlish giggle when someone said something embarrassing.  Playing for hours on the sun porch with the old school desk you had.  

Thank you for these memories and for touching my heart with an unconditional love and kindness that I can only hope to pass on to my children and grandchildren.

Thank you Grandma, for always being someone who was proud of us.  No matter what we did,  you were happy for us.  You celebrated our littlest victories and made us feel like we were Olympic Gold Medalists.  Your spirit is infectious.  Just a short time at your house or reading your letters, and all stress or anxiety of the world would melt away.  Never judging us or making us feel bad, you always smiled and supported.  The epitome of humbleness, grace, and love.  What more could a granddaughter ask for?  Never was a role model so great as you......

I will never forget you.  Ever.  

I'm so sorry I didn't visit or write more often.  You are truly loved and I miss you already.  Please say hi to grandpa for me and watch over me from your new home.  I wish you didn't have to leave us, but I know that where you are going is much better than anything here on Earth.

My children are blessed to have known you, even if only for a short while.  Your are truly loved.  Always.

Missing you,
Jenny.....

Forwarded Email

Below is an excerpt from an email I received from my mom today.  There were numerous stories, but this one really spoke to my heart....

A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's' yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.  When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'

Ahhhhhh.  Such sweetness in the naivety of children.  Sometimes that's all we really need:  someone to help us cry....

Change

On my way home from work, I passed a billboard that had the following message:  "you must be the change you wish to see in the world".  What a perfect phrase to end my day.
There are many things we could improve in life.  Not all of the issues are really a result of what usually catches the"heat" for them.  What if we all worked our tails off and made life great?!  Less blame and more action. 

Random thoughts of the day....

1.  I love/hate swype.  Sometimes I like to swype in words just to see what other words swype comes up with.

2.  Authority.  What does it mean? How do you get it?  Can it be forced?

3.  My Bible reading mentioned that stalling or hesitation is a form of disobedience.  I never really thought about that before, but I definitely agree.  Yikes, that puts a much higher standard on my obedience to God.

4.  The "cry it out" method is working out great for my littlest bug.  She slept from 9pm until 6 am last night.  A VAST improvement from the 1 hour stints she used to sleep.  Hoping last night wasn't a fluke!!!

Use Your Super-Powers for GOOD not EVIL

I think it must be exhausting to only find negative in every aspect of your life.
Maybe that's why these "negative Nancys" are always so crabby.....they are exhausted.
I know that when I don't have a good night's sleep, I'm crabbier the next day.
Perhaps the job of always seeing the glass as "half empty" is worse than having a month of sleepless nights.
That could possibly explain the crabbiness I notice in some colleagues these days.

I think we need to stop for a minute and examine what we have in our lives that is positive and we should be thankful for.  Life goes by too quickly to always focus on the negative.  Enjoy today.  Find joy in your life.  Be happy. 

To Do Before Feb. 16th!

I can hardly believe my littlest princess will be 1 in just over 1 month.
Here are the things I'd like to get ready before her joint birthday party with her cousin Piper who was born on the same day:
- Catch up on her scrapbook.
- Print out the blog entries of my pregnancy with Adrienne.
- Make a video / slideshow of her 1st year.
- Plan her party:
     *  invitations
     *  decor
     *  food / drinks
     *  coordinate with Amanda

Here are some things I'd like to get done in the next few days / weeks:
-  Thank You notes from the kiddos for Christmas gifts.
-  Save photos / videos from 2011
-  Finish gift for baby Lanie
-  Write MSTA article

Wish me luck.  I hope I can get some of these items checked off soon! :)

Nostalgia Night.........

I'm really missing my ATA co-workers tonight......

I miss the after school chats with my grade level team.  Stories about students, planning out projects, and just living through our first years of teaching.....but doing it together.

I miss my "help me" chats with my Tina.  She always let me vent and never passed judgment or critiqued my feelings.  She would listen quietly and then give me the truer perspective I needed, but couldn't see.  I miss her so dearly.

I miss planning out curriculum with my 10th grade science partner, Jason.  We always got so much done!

I miss the front office team chit-chatting with me any time I needed a break.

I miss an administrator who loved his staff and wanted them to be happy above all else & who worked so hard to make our workplace fun & friendly.  I miss knowing that Pete would always be there to listen to your ideas and know that he cared about you professionally & personally.

I miss Barb B's gentle wisdom and quiet soul.

I miss Barb T's energy, stories, & guidance.

I miss Val's quiet knowledge and patience to work to solve problems.

I miss the cheerful Mike who would always take some time to chat with me when he came to tidy my room.  I miss his generous heart and caring soul.  He would never let me even lift a finger when I was pregnant.

I miss having a technology coordinator that actually embraced technology in education & was always trying to find new ways to use tech in the classroom.

I miss the high-fives in the staff lounge between Andrew & Tina.

I miss listening to the sound of Lori tending plants in the greenhouse & then staying to chat with me afterwards.

I miss my pretty classroom full of scientists and exploration of the real world.

I miss the "family" I had at the ATA.  Always finding ways to include each other in our lives beyond work.  Sharing our successes, failures, hardships, and joys with each other.

Sometimes I wish things hadn't had to change. OK. Not sometimes. More like almost all the time.....

I hate this feeling that it is all slipping away.  It's been just over a year since I left the ATA and now it has shut-down entirely.  I just feel like I'm losing my friends / family.  This new workplace just is not the same....

:-( I miss my ATA family....

Monday, October 10th

"Speak with them in such a way they will want to listen to you.  Do not let your talk sound foolish.  Know how to give the right answer to anyone." - Colossians 4:6

Wow. It sounds so simple. Why do I have such a hard time doing this then?

Realization ...

I had an epiphany the other day when thinking of how frustrating it is for me when Jake's 9-year-old attitude is snobby and hurts my feelings.  I get so hurt when he acts like he doesn't want to be with Nick, Ali, Adrienne, & I  ......

I thought of how Jake's attitude is so much like my own has sometimes been in terms of following God's will in my life.  I began thinking about how God must feel, having His own daughter not follow Him or do what He asks.  

It's strangely parallel to what I am experiencing with Jake.  And I'm not saying that I am flat-out meaning to defy God.  But perhaps I don't listen to His whispers to my heart as well as I could (or should).  

I thought of this again this morning as I was asking Jake to help me get things ready for church this morning and I asked him to get something off of a shelf.  He didn't listen to the details, he just opened the closet and started looking around, rummaging through things, making my closet a mess.  

How many times has God spoken to me but I've been too busy to listen to the details?  

How often have I "rummaged" through whatever it was He asked me to do and made a complete mess of it rather than listen to His guidance and followed it precisely?

Maybe I'm beginning to hear Him more or I'm learning how to listen better because I am definitely seeing myself through Jake's actions.  Perhaps I'm ungrateful for what God has given me.  (Nick & I often comment on how Jake seems ungrateful for many things and always expects people to do things or give him things.  And, while he is getting better, he is still quite often very ungrateful seeming.)  

Now I just need to keep listening to see what He wants me to do next.....

Reading

Ali has been reading books back to me lately after I read them to her.

A few nights ago we read the Mr. Mischief book. The way she said "Mr. Mischief" was so cute! She cracks me up!

She also amazes me with how well she tells back a story. She really listens and re-tells almost every detail.

I am so proud of her. 

In these pictures, she's reading to her baby sister, Adrienne.  She's such a good big sister! 

Sometimes I am worried (well, not sometimes, really. Actually it is almost always!) that I am not doing everything I can to activate and engage her brain. I constantly worry that I'm missing or forgetting something. But, in moments like these, she calms my heart and reminds me that I can't be a perfect mommy, but I am doing a pretty good job so far.

Ali has taught me so many things in her mere 2 1/2 years of life: patience, unrelenting all-consuming love, and faithfulness in God.

I can't imagine what more she'll teach me in the future, but I know she is a blessing straight from God, right into my arms & heart. <3