MIA - Enjoying the Weather!

You know how it is, the first real long chunk of beautiful weather, and all you do is spend every moment you possibly can outside, forgetting that life still goes on inside! Laundry gets dirty, house gets dusty, toilets get grimy, bills don't get paid (and for once not because there's no money in the checking account), and you realize all this when it is almost too late :) Yup, that is where I am today. I'm still in winter mode - thinking this weather can't possibly last so we need to hurry up, get out there and enjoy this - I'm still anticipating snow or frost - but no, spring is definitely here (actually feels more like summer this week) and I can't neglect managing our home like I have the past 2-3 weeks! After this weekend I plan on getting back into the swing of things again, including writing here on my blog! (I have a lot the Lord has been teaching me and I can't wait to share!) First, I must enjoy this upcoming weekend though - of course its Mother's Day, but we are also dedicating our "baby" girl to the Lord in church on Sunday (she'll be 1 in 2 weeks - sniff, sniff). I'd like to share the verse my husband and I have claimed as our verse of dedication of our children to the Lord - I Samuel 1:27-28:

27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

Have a wonderful and BLESSED Mother's Day!

Blessings,

Jen

Works for me Wednesday

Two posts in one day? Yikes!

Today is a birthday theme over at Works For Me Wednesday. I've been thinking about birthdays as my baby girl is turning 1 at the end of May! Well, what works for me is keeping it simple for their first birthday "party!" For my first son, I went all out, invited any and everyone - and you know what? He slept in his highchair most of the time! I was a bear because I over-did it, and all in all, it just wasn't what I had dreamed of! For my second son, we didn't have a "party" we just went to a train museum and had cake at home and he opened gifts at his own speed. It was so fun and enjoyable! So as my daughter approaches 1, we are teaming up with my brother's daughter who is turning 1 at the end of June, and just having our parents and our sister and her family over to my place for a simple gathering and just enjoying each other!

Two New Favorite Things

I've discovered two things that have become favorite things:

1. Card Games from the dollar store. About once a week I make my way over to my local dollar store. For Easter that is where I found goodies for my kids, including two card games with a Bible theme - one is called Noah's Ark (played like Go-Fish) and the other is Bible Eights (played like Uno) both made by Martin Designs. My 4 year old son loves playing these! My 2 year old son also loves to look at the pictures. Just last night I bought the classic Old Maid - and all these games are for $1 - who can beat that! They have several more that I will pick up every few weeks - its a great way to spend time with my children.

2. Meatball Subs for Dinner. A fast and delicious (and I've learned to make them healthy) dinner that I found that we all love are meatball subs (or as a true New Englander such as myself calls them GRINDERS!) I buy frozen chicken or turkey meatballs (I found chicken meatballs at Sam's Club - (2 points for 3 meatballs fellow Weight Watchers-ers!)), and dump them in sauce (today I am making a homemade crockpot tomato sauce - enough to make other dinners throughout the next few weeks. Today I dumped a ton of meatballs in this sauce for dinner tonight. But the last time I made it I just dumped meatballs in jarred sauce and it was very yummy!) I then put meatballs and sauce on long whole grain rolls, put shredded part-skim mozzarella, and then broil them for a little bit. For the kids I take some of the sauce (these meatballs are really spicy) and cheese and I don't broil their grinders. Its an easy meal that my whole family loves! Serve with a salad or carrot sticks for the kids, and it is a real healthy and delicious meal!