Living By Faith

I've had a few emails lately asking how we're doing so I thought I would update everyone through my blog. I know that I have entirely ignored my blog for quite some time. It's just one of those seasons in my life where I just don't have the time for it.

Truth be told, we have been better than ok. It just amazes me to watch God work. Never once since Scott's layoff have we wanted. Our life has only been bettered. Even in this economy, business is booming and we constantly have a waiting list for work. I can only give God the glory for it.

Making the transition to self-employed does require a learning curve, but living by faith has been the best thing that has happened for our family. So there you have it, we're quite alright.

Will paint for food and other happenings

Ok seriously, i'm trying to be funny with the title of this post. But truthfully, as of last week God blessed us with the oportunity for Scott to paint full time now. So you see, he will paint for food. Well technically he will paint for money, but money buys food, right? Hence the title of the post.

This is something he has wanted to do for a few years now, but it has been too hard to take that leap of faith when you have a great job with a good paycheck. Especially when you have a family. Sometimes though, God likes to shake things up a bit. I like to think of us as baby birds who need to be pushed out of the nest in order to take flight. God chose to give us that push in the form of being part of a 10% company wide cut.

Neither one of us are upset about it, maybe just a little nervous on and off. Having 7 children to care for does that to you every now and then, even before you lose the security of a steady paycheck. We are actually thrilled to see what God does now.

The other happenings is some more good news. I'm actually feeling much better now. It took awhile to recover from the surgery and infection but that's ok. Sometimes we need to learn to lean on and trust in God more. Most of the time I feel so strong and capable, but I was quickly reminded of just how weak I could be. This is one passage of scripture that I have turned to recently.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

May you all have a blessed Christmas.

I'm ok

Alot of people have been emailing me asking me how I am doing. Well, i'm ok. I know that most of you know what has been going on but there are a few who don't who have asked.

For those of you who didn't know, I had an emergency appendectomy almost 2 weeks ago now. My appendix actually ruptured so I had to stay for a few days in the hospital. I am feeling better now, although my healing seems to be taking forever. This lady is not used to having to slow down. This week I am slowly trying to get back some form of our routine.

Thanks to everyone for all you have done and your prayers. Keep them coming since I started to run a low-grade fever lastnight. I am praying that there is no more infection.

One day life may be normal again and i'll return to blogging, but for now it's not so.

The blessings of teens

I just want to take a little time to give some props to my two oldest daughters.They are such blessings to me. Not just because they help around the house, because truth be told, with one of them I have get a cattle prod after her to get her to help at times. It is the relationship that we have that is a blessing. It is watching them blossoming into the young ladies that they are now that is a blessing. It is the honor that they bring to our family that is the blessing.

Many times over the years i'd get nervous thinking about parenting during the teenage years. I didn't exactly have the best relationship with my own parents as a teen. They still claim that I am the one that gave them gray hairs. Now I wasn't THAT bad, but it was rough for quite a few years.

With our own children, we have always been told that we have great kids in one sentence, just to be warned in the next that one day they'd be teenagers. Of course every teenager rebels and gives their parents trouble, right? At least it seems that many people think this way.

Scott and I have stayed up many a night talking about this, praying for our children and the wisdom to do what was right in raising them. We wanted it to be different in our family, (what family doesn't)? Not that we don't ever expect them to make a mistake. We just want to maintain a strong enough relationship to guide them through these years that lead to adulthood.

Although we are not all the way through the teen years and we still have many teens left to raise, I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying these years. All the years of training and teaching are really starting to show through.

One of the greatest moments was when I heard one of them repeating something that i'd taught them years ago to the little ones. I immediately thought, "Thankyou, Jesus. They actually were listening!" I am blessed indeed.

I just wanted to share a picture of my family. It is from Mother's day. I am hugely pregnant with Anna still in this picture, but it is all of us.

Coupon Class

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who attended the coupon class last week. I really enjoyed it.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I know it's overwhelming to hear it all at once and then go home by yourself and try to apply everything that was taught. Remember to start small and add more as you get the hang of it all. It's definately a learning curve.

For those of you who weren't able to make it or just need a refresher I plan on getting as much of it as possible on my blog. I'd like to do it in a couple of podcasts, if I could. It may take me a few weeks, but I aim to start on it this week. Until then, you can always check out my series that i've written on How I feed my family for $300 a month. It's a very condensed version of the class.

Menu Planning Monday

I'm a little late in getting this posted, but better late than never! This menu cost me right at about $80.00. My weekly budget is $75.00 for our family of 9. Remember though, I was had to completely buy all new meat due to the hurricane that came through. It's ok though since I still had leftover money from my previous budgets.

Breakfast:

Monday: Waffles and fruit

Tuesday: Baked oatmeal

Wednesday: Muffins and sausage

Thursday: Eggs and biscuits

Friday: Pancakes and fruit

Saturday: Eggs, hashbrowns, and a meat

Sunday: Country ham and gravy over biscuits

Lunch:

Monday: Grilled hot dogs, homemade mac & cheese, and a veggie

Tuesday: Sandwiches and a veggie

Wednesday: Soup and crackers

Thursday: Fried ham, mashed potatoes, and a veggie

Friday: Baked potatoes and vegetable plate

Sat and Sun: We either eat leftovers, or a salad, or sandwiches

Snacks:

Monday: Banana bread

Tuesday: Fruit

Wednesday: Homemade cookies

Thursday: Veggie and cheese tray

Friday: Tortilla wraps---> Filled with peanut butter, banana, and/or honey

Dinner:

Monday:

Teriyaki chicken

Eggrolls

Fried rice

Tuesday:

Mini meatloaf patties
Braised radishes

Cheesy cauliflower casserole

Wednesday:--->It's supposed to be cooler, I can't wait!

Homemade chili

Cornbread

Thursday:

Crockpot ribs

Mashed potatoes

Corn

Friday:
Homemade pizza

Breadsticks

Saturday:

Smothered pork chops

Rice and gravy

Green beans

Yeast rolls

Sunday:--->Olive Garden night! I got the recipes from copycat recipes. It tastes exactly like the real thing!

Blackened chicken alfredo

Tuscana soup

Breadsticks

Olive Garden alfredo sauce:

Ingredients:

1 pint of Heavy Cream

1 stick of butter

2 Tbsp. Cream Cheese

1/2 - 3/4 C. Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Garlic powder

Directions:

In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Simmer this until all is melted, and mixed well. Add the Parmesan cheese and Garlic powder. Simmer this for 15 - 20 minutes on low. You may wish to season with a little salt and pepper. I have done this with half and half, but we prefer the heavy cream. But I wouldn't try it with plain milk.

Olive Garden zuppa tuscana soup:

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian Sausage

2 large Russet Baking Potatoes sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices

1 large Onion, chopped

1/2 package Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits or 6 slices bacon, crumbled

2 cloves garlic minced

2 C. Kale or Swiss chard chopped

2 cans Chicken Broth

1 qt. Water

1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 tsp fennel seed

Directions:

Brown sausage in large pot. Place in bowl and put off to side after done cooking. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, salt, and pepper to taste, and fennel seed and simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat, add kale and cream. Heat through and serve. Please don't skip the fennel seed. It is what really makes the dish turn out just like the real thing!

For more great menu ideas, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Planning Mondays.

Works for me Wednesday: How to hang a picture in the perfect spot

I've always had a hard time in the past hanging something on the wall in just the right place. I would pick out a spot and then when all was said and done I would find that either the picture was too high or too low.

Well one day, after listening to me complaining about how a new mirror I just bought was hung too low, my ingenious husband came up with a great idea on how to solve my problem.

To do this the first thing he does is to stick a thumb tack through a piece of masking tape, (sticky side facing the tack). Next he then tapes it onto the picture. You now have the thumb tack sticking out facing you. We then pick out a perfect spot for our picture on the wall. He then pushes the picture against the wall right in the spot we chose, (this sticks the tack into the wall), and pulls it right back out. It leaves a tiny hole in the wall, obviously. After that he hammers a nail right into the tiny hole he just made and then hangs the picture. Voila, now my pictures are in the perfect spot every time.

For more Works For Me Wednesday posts be sure to visit Shannon's blog, Rocks In My Dryer.