Mondays are for Grace

"There is no pleasure in having nothing to do,

the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it."

--Mary Wilson Little

Menu Planning

This year we have made a very big priority of staying on budget, particularly for household things like food, supplies, clothing, and toiletries. We don't feel like a cash system works well for us but we did open a separate bank account for household and at the beginning of each month the budget amount for all those categories is automatically deposited in the account. So, it's up to me to make sure that bank account doesn't empty before the month is up!!! I carry around a tiny notebook in my purse to keep a running balance of all our categories. So far things are working and I've stayed in budget! This amounts to a savings of $200/per month this year in the grocery budget alone! I'm very excited.

The not so exciting part is the work it takes to make this happen. For me that means making a month's worth of meal plans before I begin shopping each month. I find this difficult and uninspiring. I also find some of the basic meals I come up with not to be quite the joy to eat that I would like them to me. Fortunately, it seems the rest of the family is very happy and they don't care. Here are some of the things I take into account with my meal planning:

--I don't usually plan out Sundays in advance but do plan to have special meals that include large pieces of meat or extra side dishes, dessert for sure. This leaves room for creativity on the weekend.
--we always eat some form of eggs for dinner on Saturday night, usually crustless quiche with homemade oven fries and some vegetables
--that leaves me only 5 dinners to plan each week
--I try to make a note of what is in the freezer and include as many meals as possible based on what I've stored away
--I spread out meals that have a higher cost so they aren't all in the same week
--I also plan out breakfasts, lunches, and snacks because otherwise we end up eating only cereal, cheese sandwiches, and apples and no one wants to eat that day in and day out
--I give myself freedom to deviate from the plan if leftovers materialize, a great sale shows up, or I just can't bring myself to cook what I've planned
--I do a large shop at the beginning of the month at Costco and Trader Joe's to purchase everything I will need from these two stores in the month ahead. The rest of the month I go to Aldi to get fruit, vegetables and other basic staples. I make a few side trips to Meijer to get things Aldi does not carry. I try to purchase meat on sale and stock up, ideally having most meat for the coming month in the freezer before I even make a menu plan. Only very rarely do I end up buying meat for the current week in the very week I need it.
--I keep a few luxury items in stock so that I don't feel things are overly boring: these include a case of black olives and some nice jams, chocolate chips, and plenty of tea.
--fresh herbs added to "boring" meals make a big difference

Here are some lists of things I have included on my recent menus:

Breakfast:
Cold Cereal
Smoothies
Plain yogurt with maple syrup and granola
Egg McMuffins
Eggs in Tortillas
Scrambled Eggs
Baked Oatmeal
Homemade Instant Oatmeal
Leftovers: muffins, pumpkin pie, whatever

Lunches:
Baked Potatoes with Cottage Cheese
Pancakes
Black beans and rice
Cheese Melts with Tomato Soup
Cheese Sandwiches
Eggs
Refried Bean Burritos
Cottage cheese with toast

Snacks:
Popcorn
Crackers and Cheese
Toast and Milk
Nuts and Raisins
Apples and Peanut Butter

Dinners:
Pizza
Spaghetti
Thai Stir Fry
Beans and Rice with Taco Toppings
Tacos
Bratwurst
Grilled Pork Chops
Pork in Crockpot
Pork and Pasta
Grilled Chicken Salad
Baked Chicken
Burritos
Pork Burgers
Meatloaf
Grilled Chicken
Rarebit Chicken
Hamburgers
Fish
Sloppy Joes
Pasta Salad with Cottage Cheese
Chili Potatoes
Sandwiches
Soups (in winter)
Crockpot Chicken (curry or bbq)
Brats and Mash
Chicken Potpie
Meatballs
Sausage and fennel with beans
Tamali Pie
Ham
Turkey Burgers
Various forms of stir fry
Chili
White Chicken Chili

I am always on the lookout for new meals to try! I make lists from the food magazines I receive and try to include them in the next month's menus.

And now I must go down and get something started for lunch. Beans and Rice is out and I think we'll have french toast instead.

PS: Just a word about menu planning, budget keeping, etc. These kinds of things go in cycles in our lives -- sometimes we must budget very tightly, sometimes we don't need to worry. The important thing is to do what is best for your family. When Laura was so sick and life was very overwhelming, I couldn't stick to our budget very well. I shopped only at Meijer and we ate more variety. I didn't have the emotional energy it takes to exercise "will power" and confine my purchases and eating so tightly. Things are different right now. Who knows what they will be like a year from now. So, if you have to budget tightly, more power to you. If you don't have to budget and can eat whatever you like, more power to you too. Having food and raiment, let us therefore be content........

Words and Wool

The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate and Live Well by Deborah Needleman is the book I am currently loving!!!! This book has brought my decorating ideas back down to earth and inspired me to work on making a cozy and comfortable home for my family and guests. The book is entirely illustrated with watercolors, something I thought might annoy me at first. However, I now love every little painting and have added this book to my "must purchase" list.

Just take a look at the chapter titles:
Nice Lighting
A Proper Welcome
Place for Chatting
A Bit of Quirk
Spots for Books, Drinks & Feet
Cozifications
A Doted-On Bedroom
Bath as a Room
Glamifications
Dinners with Friends
A Personal Narrative
Delicious Scent
A Sense of History

Don't you love those titles!!! I know, it makes you want to just sit down and read right through the book. I just wish there was a companion book with the title "The Perfectly Imperfect Wardrobe: How to Dress and Live in Elegant Comfort. I'm not sure I'm qualified to write that one.......

As for the wool----

I don't think I ever posted this sweet coat I knitted for Laura last spring. Really, it's only begun to fit her this spring.

I got the idea from Posie Gets Cozy and you can find the pattern notes here on Ravelry. It was much easier to knit than it looks and the pattern went along quite quickly. I do love the finished product.

For more ideas on what to read and knit, hop over to Ginny's blog for the weekly Yarn Along.

Note: this post contains affiliate links.

A Wedding

We had a wonderful weekend! The central event was the wedding of a long-time friend of ours, also named Heather. Joel and Heather met deep in the Ugandan countryside, the most unlikely place to find a spouse. Joel was on a 2-week mission trip and Heather was there for 2 1/2 years helping with well-drilling and general construction. Now here they are beginning life together! The audience was bursting with joy as evidenced in the clapping and cheering at the end of the ceremony and the many tears of happiness.

My sisters and I and a friend did the flowers. It was a lot of fun! Yellow and green were the theme.

Not only was this a very happy day for Heather and Joel but it was the last of three weddings in Heather's family in the last 17 months. What family has three amazing marriages in such a short amount of time!!!! I think the mother of the bride was very happy!!!!

All the flowers held up amazingly well! Callas were a good choice.

Heather and Joel were incredibly happy all day!

And Laura had the time of her life! (Was this her first wedding?)

Bubbles are Laura's new passion. She's dumped so many down the front of her outfits. And, she pretty much eats the bubbles while blowing, so she now has an irritated mouth. Poor baby!

I managed to get a picture of Michael and me. 

Children do love going to weddings!

I collected buckets of hosta and lily of the valley leaves, and grasses from a friend's yard. Heather's family turned them all into about 50 arrangements for the wedding and reception.

A glimpse of part of the reception hall.

Christina and Emily made the 3 church arrangements. The colors were just beautiful!!!!

We also had the privilege of hosting one of the missionary families from Uganda that Heather worked with. It was so fun for me to catch up on all the Uganda news and hear about the work that is going on there. 

A picture of the wedding party.

A very special part of the day for us was watching Laura dance. She LOVES to dance. She spent so much time tirelessly dancing on the floor that we stood and watched in awe. This child is not supposed to be athletic or have a lot of energy. Not so! She screamed and cried when we finally pulled her away to go home. I hope this is a good indication that her stamina may surpass the doctor's predictions.

And now we are working on "weekend recovery" and getting organized for the last 2 weeks of school. There is much gardening to do and the shopping, cleaning, etc. But, we have lots of great memories to fuel us.

Mondays are for Grace

"When I am constantly running there is no time for being. 

When there is no time for being, there is no time for listening." 

 --Madeleine L'Engle

Vintage Sheets

I've been collecting vintage sheets lately -- just now and then when I run into them and the price is right. They work quite well for tablecloths, and brighten up the dining room. I've found they work best when placed on top of a plain colored cloth, so that the sheerness of the sheet is not obvious. This one looked so cute with Laura's birthday cupcakes. I've just found a new yellow one and I can't wait for Mother's Day to use it!

We're doing wedding flowers today! It will be fun to be surrounded by all the lovely colors and scents of the flowers. I'll take lots of pictures......

Words and Wool

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch is a book I finished in the last week. I think my mom heard this book recommended on NPR and then I figured it would be appropriate reading for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee coming up in June.

I enjoyed the book and persevered, despite the 700-odd pages in the large-print edition. Following typical biographical form, the book moves chronologically through the Queen's life. I found the political information and prime minister facts to be a bit heavy going at times, but they were easy enough to skim.

I was surprised at how much I already knew about the Queen's life, the major events anyway. It was the anecdotes from friends and advisors that I enjoyed the most, along with the pictures scattered throughout.

I felt the Queen had a nice childhood, some very difficult years in the middle as she raised her own family, but it seems her life is returning again to some more enjoyable years as Charles and William are now both happily married.

Finishing the book, I decided it is time to watch The Queen again and have ordered it from the library.


The Queen is a movie made in 2006 meant to show what the Queen's life is like. The movie focuses on the days surrounding Diana's death and how the Royal Family dealt with that. Actress Helen Mirren did an excellent job of portraying the Queen. You can read more about the film here

As for the "wool" in this post.........I finished up a few Sweet Pea Baby Hats for a set of twins born to friends in our homeschool group. I couldn't resist.

I did some knitting for Laura's birthday which I hope to post next week or so and I'm onto a project for the Diamond Jubilee! Can't wait to show you!

I am participating in Ginny's Yarn Along. You can hop over to her blog to find links to more book and yarn reviews.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.