New Year 2018

As my winter break comes to an end, I'm trying to put the new year into perspective and gain some momentum for my life in this new year. 

Here are a couple of things that are sticking out to me as I think of the new year:

1. Just recently, I read that "you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with - choose wisely".
• For me, the people I spend the most time with are:  Nick, Ali, Adrienne, Tracy, and Michelle.  That's not a bad group of people.  If I had to be an average of those 5 people, I would say I'm in pretty good shape.
2. Another thing that I read was from my Bible Study on 1 Peter.  The author of the study, Jen Wilkin, said that Christians should live their lives in such a way that their actions make them stand out from others.  That way, when non-believers see us, they can plainly see that something is different about us.
• When I think of my girls, I want them to "STICK OUT" and in many ways, I think they do.  They are different than the other kids in their classes.  And I believe that a big part of that difference is that they have Jesus in their hearts.  Sometimes it can just take my breath away with the simplicity of their faith.  It is not something they ever question or hesitate to talk about.  It is something I aspire to emulate.
• I also apply that to my school. I want us to be so amazing to our kids that we "STICK OUT" and are plainly different than every other school out there. That difference will attract others to us and want them to be part of our "TEAM".
3. Honor our leaders.  I need to do a better job of this.  My Bible Study of 1 Peter discussed how we are to honor and respect our leaders and people of authority.  We are to honor them in thoughts, actions, and speech.  Man, that was something I definitely needed to take to heart.  My study said that we are to disagree honorably and not to question out loud.  I really need to work on that! 

So, as I think of the New Year and things that I want to work on for 2018, I kind of have a laundry list.  I plan to try to whittle it down over the next few days and really focus in on just a few.  Here are the things I'm throwing around in my brain:

• Healthy Mind:  find joy and peace in this life.  Do the things that bring me joy:  craft, write, read, play piano, etc.
• Healthy Body:  exercise daily, eat well, have energy for life.
• Healthy Spirit:  continue to apply the wisdom of my Bible Study to my life & strengthen my relationship with God.
• Healthy Finances:  pay off credit card and become debt-free.
• Healthy Family:  savor every moment with my family.  Spend more quality time with the people I love the most.  Dinners together, less TV, more present!
• Healthy Organization:  get my home organized and clean.  De-clutter, de-stress, de-JUNK.
• Healthy Projects:  get my painting and furniture projects completed.
• paint trim, farmhouse table, paint table, etc.

For now, that is what I am thinking.  I guess I have decided on a "ONE LITTLE WORD" without even realizing it.......HEALTHY.  So, going back to work tomorrow, I would like to focus on being healthy and happy and having a great start to 2018!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

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!

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???
 

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.....

Quiet Morning

Today has been a calm, quiet day so far.  Everyone is content and pleasant.  In the pic, Ali & Adrienne are chilling in the living room watching some cartoons. 

I'm really going to miss these peaceful little moments when I have to go back to work.  It makes me so sad to think of all the tings I will be missing out on when I am back working. :(  I wish Nick could be the working parent & I'd stay home forever!!!  That would be my biggest dream / wish.

After such a great day yesterday, I guess I'm just feeling a bit down thinking about how my time home is coming to an end....

Anyone want to pay me to be home with my babies? 

Simple Joys

Today has been such a fun day. I had a rough night with Adrienne not sleeping much so I thought that today would be a rough, crabby type of day, but I was wrong.

I haven't left the house or done anything extravagant. In fact, I haven't even put on any make-up today! I've just been home with my 2 girls and I've been laughing almost all day!

One thing that made me laugh today was this man's blog about his experiences being a stay-at-home dad. :) If you have some time, read some of his posts. They had me laughing OUT LOUD!!! Blog: Message with a Bottle

Mostly, I've been laughing at Ali. She is such a crack-up, that girl! She is really starting to add more words to her vocabulary and she's putting together phrases and sentences more and more every day. I swear she's saying things this week that she couldn't / didn't say last week. It's incredible how quickly they learn, grow, and change!!!

Some of the things she says that crack me up are:

• AAAli: Her name, all drawn out in an irritated tone of voice. Mostly, she's picked this up from Nick & I saying it when she's done something "bad". So now, when I hear her say it, I know I'm about to see something she shouldn't be doing.

• "Don't get down": She says this when I put her to bed in her princess loft bed. I always say this to her before I leave her room and now she tells me it instead.

• "'Cuse Me": She learned this last week. And tonight at dinner she burped and kept saying "Cuse me"! Over and over. It was adorable.

• "I do it": Anytime she wants to do something herself, this is her phrase. But you have to say it with an almost Jersey-like accent, with extra emphasis on the DO.

• "HO HO": After snuggling with me & watching Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs tonight, she sang "Ho Ho, Ho Ho" while we were laying in her bed saying prayers and snuggling. At first I didn't quite know what she was trying to say, but when I figured it out, she was so excited. Too cute.

She also just does the cutest things. She loves to help me with anything I'm doing. Whether it's cleaning the house, cooking dinner, or taking care of the baby. She's my little shadow and I LOVE it.

Alina has such a big heart, too. That's one of the things I love the most about her. She is already such a compassionate, empathetic soul. Sometimes she seems much older than just a mere 2 years old. She picks up on people's feelings and always wants to comfort them, make them laugh, or make them feel better. She's my little clown.

She is also SASSY. While this can be very trying, it is a part of her personality that I enjoy. I am proud of her little independent streak. I like that she wants to learn and do things on her own. She is not content being made to do things inexplicably. I like it because it makes me believe she will grow into a strong, independent, and confident woman some day.

And speaking of her sassy side, she's still shouting for me in her bedroom and it's now 9:30 pm. She likes one of us to lay with her for a "MINUTE" (she asks us to come up in her bed with her when she naps / goes to bed and she knows we'll come if she says "just for a minute"). Nick had class tonight so I could only tuck her in and then I had to come out and take care of the baby who has her fussy time at this time every night. So little Miss Ali is feeling a bit left out and wants some extra love. Guess now that Nick is home, I can go spoil her.

Good night all!

Finding the Energy....

Today a friend helped remind me to always find the energy to give Ali, Adrienne, and Jakey extra attention, love, snuggles, etc. She helped remind me to soak up every moment of the days with them that I can, while I can. Today would have been her daughter's 14th birthday. My friend lost her daughter 10 years ago, when she was just 4 years old. My heart aches for her. And my heart aches to think of that happening to me.

Read her blog entry here: ( http://jodyferlaak.blogspot.com/2011/03/she-got-her-wish.html )

Her sweet little daughter wished that she could stay 4 years old forever. And, in a very sad turn of events, she has stayed 4 forever in her mommy's memory. You can read the story of their tragic loss here. ( http://www.bethel.edu/publications-archive/focus/past-issues/spring-2003/teagan )

I hope that if you read her blog and the story of how they lost their little sweetie, it may inspire you to hold your loved ones a little bit longer today, to love them a little more, and to find that extra bit of energy to make lasting memories with them.

It has been a good reminder for me today, when I'm feeling so drained from early morning and late night feedings and a bit of colic from Adrienne and a bit of sass-i-tude from Alina and absent mindedness from Jakers. I wouldn't want it any other way and I am thanking God, especially today, for blessing me with the awesome responsibility of loving these angels-on-earth.

Feeling extra-blessed this morning and hoping you all take a moment to read her story.

I love you Jakey.

I love you Alina Claire.

I love you Adrienne Ruth.

Now and for always.......

XOXO
Mommy

A Wonderful Lunch Date!

Thursday, Nick & I went out for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. Nick heard they had $.55 wings on Thursdays so we thought we'd try it out. (We've only eaten there once or twice, so we thought we'd give it another go...)

It was a nice afternoon. We took Adrienne with us but Ali went to Gma Richmond's to "play" and Jakers was in school, so it was pretty relaxing just having one tot to handle. We actually had a calm, peaceful meal and were able to talk and relax. That hasn't happened in a while! Usually our meals out (if we even venture out) consist of rushing to order & eat before Ali turns into a monster! (or pumpkin, whichever she's feeling at the moment.)

While enjoying our peaceful lunch out, we started talking about the past few weeks in our lives and we started thinking ahead to our future together. Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:

• We talked about how happy we were that Adrienne stayed in a bit longer than she originally planned. A 38-week old baby is something COMPLETELY different than a 34-week old baby! Ali's 35-weeks was scary enough!

• We talked about how blessed we were by our church family, these past 2 weeks especially. Not only did they provide meals to us, but they were so generous in their giving that we didn't even have to grocery shop for 2 weeks! We had SO much food (and goodies, too)! So, not only did they bless us with keeping us fed and not having to cook, but they also blessed us financially in a BIG way.

• On that note, I started to get weepy. (These mommy-hormones can do a number on me!) I just started to think of how lucky we are and how God has provided for us in so many ways in our lives together. We are living pretty strictly in terms of money, especially with my maternity pay being only 66% of my normal pay. And, Nick's unemployment pay had ended in January. He finally was able to contact someone about it and it was extended for another period of time! Thursday we got a large sum of money from the back pay of months he wasn't paid directly deposited in our bank account. We were definitely not expecting that! Now we are able to put tires on our van and pay off all of our debt that we've been working to pay off since we got married. We are now debt-free (aside from our mortgage & my student loan)! No car payments, no credit card debt, NOTHING! It's such a relief and so wonderful to think about not having all of that money to pay out each month! Now we can save, save, save for a new house someday!!! So, thinking of all of that, I just kept tearing up when trying to talk with Nick about how great our God is. He provides for us and takes care of us even when we don't ask for it. He truly DOES know what is on our hearts and minds and knows what we need most even before we know and think to ask for it. Amazing!

• We also discussed Nick's future career and what he hopes to do with his degree.

• We talked about our family & how we love our babies so much! I talked about how much I love the infant / baby stage and Nick talked about how he loves the toddler stage for their independence. We also talked about how blessed Nick is to have been able to be home with Ali for a whole year. And I confessed to my insane jealousy of him for that. I wish, with all my heart, that I could be the stay-at-home parent and that I could be the one to be with our loveys all day, every day. I even told Nick that if I could be the one who was at home, I wouldn't be opposed to having another baby...........I must be INSANE!!!
  

• We laughed about how Adrienne was sleeping in her car seat. She looked like Nick after a Thanksgiving Day meal: passed out with her mouth hanging wide open......trademark Nick! :)

After our lunch, we headed to Meijer to get some items for the baby & other projects we are working on around our house. It was just a fun afternoon of being out & about, just the 2 of us (well, plus Adrienne, but she didn't make a peep the whole time!), almost like when we were dating, back 10 years ago!

This was a great little trip out & it was just what Nick & I needed to re-charge our mommy & daddy batteries. A stress-free lunch, good conversation, and a bit of shopping tossed in. It made me remember how much I love my husband!

Mommy Confession............

So, as I was laying next to Ali in her big-girl bed, snuggling her and enjoying a precious moment in time with her, I had a mini-melt-down. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones or maybe this is just part of mommy-hood, but I need to vent / share it here for advice and perhaps even for reassurances from other 2nd-time mommies out there.

Ali has a new, big-girl bed and she's been napping up there during the day. Nick built it for her from a plan I found on a site called: "Knock-Off Wood". The lady who runs the site gets inspired by name-brand furniture and makes build plans for inexpensive ways to replicate the pieces. He had never built anything like this before and I think he did a GREAT job! :)


We've tried night-time a few days now and she finally seems to be getting the hang of staying in bed & not coming down to play. Well, I decided to give it another try last night. And, she did great! She actually spent the WHOLE night up there! I'm so proud of her! Now, this means that I can move the crib out of her room and get it all set up for new baby sister! (This is probably what I'll do today.)

So, here's the confession part......as I was laying there next to Ali, snuggling her, smooching on her, and just LOVING every second she let me, I was FLOODED with emotions.

• First, I started thinking about how wonderful that time with her was. She was letting me snuggle her in her big-girl bed. She'd stretch her little forehead towards me for kisses. She'd giggle and chatter about silly things like her "puppy" or her "babies". It's so cute to listen to her talk away in her little 2-year-old speech. It truly melts me to my core.

• Then, I started thinking about how I should really SAVOR this little moment with my daughter. I know there will be a day (and I know it will come all too quickly) that she won't want to talk to me or let me hug & kiss on her or that she'll be angry for not being "cool" or understanding what she's going through. And I know that that day will break my heart. And, when I started to think about that I started to get teary-eyed and weepy! :*(
  

• Next, I started thinking about how much I love this little girl. I remember back 2 years ago, before I had my little lovey, and I remember thinking how excited I was to have a baby to love, but I had NO IDEA how much love I would have for her. I always thought it was so cliche for people to gush about how a child changed their life, heart, soul, etc., but it was so very true for me in every aspect of my life. She was the easiest-going baby and has been a pure joy in every way since then. I never realized how much love you could have for your child and it made me weep even MORE thinking about how much she's fulfilled my life.

• Then, because I'm a worry-wort, I started thinking about if something ever happened to her that hurt her or caused her to be taken from me. I just laid there, thanking God, for blessing me with a healthy, beautiful, intelligent daughter and thanking Him for keeping her safe every day of her life. She was born 5 weeks early and has never had any complications from that. She was (and is) our little miracle! I remember leaving the hospital without her and being so crushed. It was the emptiest I've ever felt. And then I also remembered being so emotional during that time, both before we were able to bring her home, and just a short time afterward. I remember I'd burst into tears randomly and Nick would try to console me, even though I was crying because I just felt so happy. One time that stuck out very distinctly in my head was when we were going to my parents' house on our first Easter with Ali. Darius Rucker's song "It Won't Be Like This For Long" came on the radio and as we were driving, I was bawling. Nick tried his best to comfort me and I eventually felt better about it, but that song still makes me teary-eyed! And, so, as I was thinking back to this car ride, I of course started tearing up even more! At this point, with tears streaming down my face, I was trying to sob silently so that Ali wouldn't hear me. She was starting to drift off to sleep and would occasionally reach out her hand to my face and say "Mommy". It was so sweet, it would make me cry even harder!

• OK, now here's the part I really needed to share. As I lay there thinking about all of these things, I thought of how blessed I am and how happy I am with the life Nick & I have made together. Then I started thinking about this new little baby girl coming soon. And I started to wonder how I can possibly feel as much love for this new little one as I do for Ali. It sounds horrible when I type it or if I were to even say it out loud, doesn't it?! I just feel so FULL of love for Ali and our family right now that I can't imagine where there is room for more love to be for new baby "A". I've heard the saying that a mother's heart GROWS with each child she has, but I guess I just worry that I won't have the same bond / feelings for this new baby as I did / do for Ali. And thinking that made me even more upset. I don't want this baby to be any less loved. I don't want her to ever feel "less" than Ali. And I want to have the same bond with the new little lady as I do with Ali. I guess this is the part I was struggling with pretty badly last night.......how can I possibly love 2 princesses as much as I love my Ali-goat? Is it even humanly possible to love that much? I'm just so worried about that. I try to reassure myself that it will happen, just like it did with Ali and that this new little princess will change my life in even more incredible ways, but it's just so hard to imagine right now!

• I thought about my parents and how they raised 4 daughters. They are such amazing role models to me. They were selfless parents. We had a home-cooked, family dinner every night. We spent every night home, playing with our toys, imaginations, and just being together as a family. We were outdoors virtually ALL DAY in the summer, riding bikes, playing basketball, exploring the 60 acres of land my parents owned. I just remember my childhood (and even my current adult life) as being full. Full. Full of love from my parents, full of joy knowing my parents are proud of me, and full of hope for what is to come. I don't remember ever feeling that my parents loved me less or differently than my 3 sisters. And knowing that they did it, helped me a little bit to think that maybe I can do it, too.

So, that's my mommy confession for today. I'm so excited to meet my new princess, but, being the incurable perfectionist that I am, I just want to be a good mommy and I want my daughters to always feel loved and adored by me. If you've made it to this point and have any advice or words of consolation for me, I'd appreciate it. I think I'm just feeling emotional about being a 2nd time mommy and doing it "right".