Memories...

Greetings in Christ ~ 

This past weekend was filled with a lot of good family time. We celebrated an 80^th Birthday party for one of Mr. T.’s Aunts and I had a family reunion on my Dad’s side. One of the Adventures for the weekend included driving to my Dad’s old homestead. It was interesting to see the place, which now looks very different, and to recall many memories that I have of visiting Grandma and Grandpa’s house, for Christmas and Easter especially. Christmas on my dad’s side of the family was always a lot of fun because I was able to see all my Aunts, Uncles, and my cousins, all three of them. So as we looked around I remember where the Christmas tree used to be, sleepovers with my Aunt, and playing with Paper Dolls.

After we were finished with the family reunion and taking a look at the homestead we stopped at the local cheese factory, after all I am still a Wisconsinite at heart and we enjoyed stocking up on all of the local favorites including cheese curds, string cheese and no visit to the cheese factory is complete without an ice cream treat.

The weekends adventures alluded to some great conversation including what kind of memories will our children have when they get older and what kind of childhood will the kids remember will it be a childhood and a house full of joy and love? What kind of virtues and values will we pass on? What kind of Legacy?

Blessings, 

Joy

Menu Planning

I still like to plan out meals for the week, or at least have an idea of what dishes I can make based on what I have on the shelves. This is not always possible due to all of life’s distractions but I still like to give it a try. 

Monday – My brother is in town for the night so we helped him experience the local favorite restaurant plus we had not been there in a while and I think Mr. T was going through withdrawal.

Tuesday – I have to work so actually Mr. T will be in charge of supper.

Wednesday – Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday – Enchilada’s

Friday – Homemade Pizza

Saturday – Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch

I originally typed this post on the way back from WI yesterday and at that time I discussed with Mr. T what the meal plan should be for the week and explained to him that I was typing it up to include it on the blog. In which he thought I crazy and wondered why I would ever include our plan on the blog and why anybody would care. I proceeded to tell him that one of my favorite blogs Money Saving Mom includes a meal plan for the and that I enjoy getting idea for dinners, she I think even does breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. I actually have had discussions with other ladies about rather or not they do meal plans, and if they do the whole deal or just dinner and rather or not they do it monthly, weekly and even on a rotating basis and rather or not they do they do the meal plan based on whats on sale.  Mr. T in his loving way went on to tell me that women need more things  to talk about and more things to do if we spend that much time on meal planning. My response back was that I need to meal plan precisely because I have to much to do and that meal planning  relieves the huge stress of not ending up with the all to often scenario of the kids hungry and off the wall,  Miss E wanting to feed and me having no idea what to put on the table at the last minute. 

I would love to know if you meal plan and if so how you go about it.

Bountiful Blessings

Greetings in Christ ~

The Lord is good and in his mercy provides moments of grace and love despite the hectic and busyness of life. Each week I am going to make it a point to blog about the mini or big blessings from the past week. Striving to live with an attitude of gratitude and being thankful for the blessings that Christ bestows on my family. 

So here we go a few blessings from just this past week, Mr. T brought home Sushi from Lunds from their Wednesday Sushi specials so the two of us had a late supper/mini date of Sushi and Wine on Wednesday.

Last night they had date night at the church, where the church provided daycare for the kids and the parents enjoyed a potluck dinner and a talk by the deacon. Mr. T and I enjoyed the evening together as we were "out" enjoying time with other couples.

This weekend we have two family events going on in WI so we rented a hotel room in WI for the night, we will have a night with just the 5 of us and for better or for worse it will be a weekend that Mr. T will not be working on the house, except for this morning, he is hoping to put the front door in. I don't remember the last time we had a weekend together, WOW, I really don't remember. We have been blessed to have a few afternoons together. Including last weekend we spent Saturday afternoon and evening together. Including a Birthday Party, where the boys had a lot of fun with the games for the kids and I enjoyed meeting different people ones with very different views on parenting and life in general. Than we were so excited when we were able to take in the Jewel Shop at Open Window Theater with our good friends who run the non-profit theater Jeremy and Sarah Stanbury. What a wonderful play and so well done. Just last night we had a discussion with some friends who saw it, and we were both still trying to unpack the depth of it.  We always have a little bit of time together as a family each weekend usually when we go to mass together but this weekend it will very nice to have a longer period of time together. Mr. T and I need this together as a couple and the boys need time with their dad, so it will be good for our whole family.

Enjoy your weekend and all of the Bountiful Blessings that Christ bestows on you and your family.

Blessings,
Joy

Adventures in Life and a New Bundle of Joy

Greetings in Christ ~ 
I am realizing that it has been just about two years since my last post and a lot has happened. We have welcomed another little bundle of Joy into our family, a little girl who is 4 months, and just yesterday weighed in at a whopping 10lbs and 1/2 an once after only weighing 5lbs 14 oz at birth.

Ms. E loves kisses, hugs, smiling, dancing, and is holding her own against her two brothers.

Little Might is already 4 years old and goes to preschool one day a week for a half a day, we still hope to home-school or at least have the desire to do so but he loves the interaction with the other kids, he is such the little extrovert.

Koala Bear, who I think I need a new name for, turned 2 in August and loves to climb so, here on out on this little blog, he shall be called the Mountain Climber.

Mr. T is doing good but is very very busy providing for his family, in so many ways and I so admire my amazing husband for this. See his job almost took us to a little town in Iowa a year and half ago, thankfully it did NOT, but all of that transpired after we had already rented our house out on a two-year lease, so what do we do, we find shelter with my in-laws, this was supposed to be on a short temporary basis, but the house that we found in our budget, remember last summer did not have a plethora of houses on the market, ok, at least not in our budget. So we took what we could! So now fast forward to October of 2014 we are still living with Mr. T's farther, which includes many unseen blessings, ones that may be saved for a later post and Mr. T besides working upwards to 12-14 hours a day is spending all of his weekends on the house, how is that for ADVENTURE!!!  The Lord is so good though and in his mercy provides amazing moments of grace and love, stories for later posts.

I am very busy trying to manage the two high energy boys, and Ms. E, while keeping up a very very busy house, and trying support Mr. T. I have also taken up the new I am also becoming quite domestic, making things from scratch more often than not, and many DIY projects, for the house, again things that I hope to discuss in later posts.

Wow, how is that for an up-date. In short I hope to start writing again, no promises, and include the ADVENTURES of a family of five, while documenting the progression of the house project, and my DIY projects, while including all the little blessings in life.

Blessings,
Joy

Mary Mother of Us All, Pray for Us!

Peace

"Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;

 rather look to them with full hope that as they arise, 

God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things; 

and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in His arms.

 Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; 

the same everlasting Father who cares for you today, 

will take care of you then and every day. 

He will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. 

Be at peace and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings."

 --St. Francis de Sales

It has been an incredibly long two days! I am to be truthful concerned about the days to come. But, the above prayer from St. Francis de Sales is a wonderful reminder to anybody that seems overwhelmed by the results of the elections. Christ is in control. This is a great time for us to remember that he is our King and that He will continue to guide and lead, we simply need to TRUST in him and in His Divine Providence. 

Blessings, Joy