Garden Tilled....
We got the garden cleaned off, the dirt tilled up and now it's ready to be planted.

I gave it a good rake with the garden rake to level it off.

I also noticed that I have asparagus coming up. Yum!! It's one of the favorite vegetables.

Here is also the rhubarb that I planted a few years ago. I got the plants from my Grandma Beulah. I am looking forward to Rhubarb Pie:)

"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him" Psalm 34:8

I definitely missed having my menu plan last week. I can't say I follow it completely, but is so nice to have a plan for the week. I don't have to ask myself each day, "What should I have for dinner?" I'm excited about the some of the dishes that I am going to try this week. If there are any winners I will let you know next week and post them on my recipe blog.

Monday: Grilled Steak, Broccoli & Rice, Squash

Tuesday: Texan Lasagna , Side Salad

Wednesday: BBQ Meatballs, Cheese Potatoes, Corn

Thursday: Leftover Night

Friday: Grilled Marinated Pork Chops, Sweet Potato Fries, String Beans

Saturday: Fried Fish, Coconut Curry Rice, Salad

Sunday: Pizza or Breakfast of Choice

Philippians 4:13

I try and work with the kids in memorizing simple, but powerful Bible verses. This is one that the kids have mastered. It great to be going about your day and have your little one say a verse or sing a song about Jesus.

Ballerina Girl....



This little tutu skirt we found at a garage sale yesterday for 50 cents. Can't beat that price! Now that I have seen how they made it I can make Anna another one sometime.

Update on my Plants....

I am so surprised to see that I have tomato plants up out of the ground & cucumber plants as well. The kids were very excited. Now we just have to get the garden ready to do some planting. If it would stop raining maybe we could get the ground ready. One nice thing about the rain is it has green up the grass and all of my daffodil plants are up and ready to bloom.

I Love Spring....

The kids have been playing outside as much as possible. It is wonderful for them and me as well. It's nice having a quieter house, but I especially love to listen to the kids through the kitchen window as they play a way outside. Noah has also been having a great time roaming around outside.

Menu Plan Monday or Not.....
I think I am going to wing it this week. I really can't believe how fast Mondays come. This evening we had barbecues, hash browns, baked beans and corn. It has been a long time since we have had barbecues and they were so good. Some of my favorite foods include barbecue chicken, meatballs & meatloaf. I also love to read cooking magazines and find new recipes to try out or old one's that I have forgot about. If I make something that we really like I will make sure to post it.

We had a great weekend. Brandon and I spent most of the day on Saturday shampooing the carpets down stairs and up stairs. I also shampooed the couches in the living room. It sure feels good to walk on clean carpet and to sit on a clean couch. I also did a good pick up of the lawn with the lawn mower. I got it done just before it decided to rain for a few days. Projects for next weekend include getting some shredded mulch for our front mound. I will take before and after pictures. I am also hoping to get the garden tilled in a couple of weeks. I just love spring!

Making Music....

Here's one the things the kids love to do. Play drums or any kind of instrument they can. I also have an electric keyboard, which has songs recorded on it so. They love it!

Landscape Work....
I should of taken a picture before I started, but forgot. There was a big evergreen bush that covered the whole curved area up to where the green shovel lays. It was big and ugly. I decided this year to get rid of it, so the kids and I can plant some flowers and herbs.

Before:

I hauled out probably 8 red wagon's of rocks from that area. There were so many rocks in there, but now they are all gone. I then hauled in 4 red wagons of dirt. I have to say it looks really nice. Now I need to find a fence tall enough to keep the dogs out, but not to tall. Then we will have to go and pick out some flowers and I think I already have some herb seeds.

After:

I'll post some pictures in a month or so when we get it all done.

Snuggle Beagles....

What Happen?????

Someone decided to take his spaghetti bowl and dump it on his head:)

Hope you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday. Ours was nice and quite, which is the way we like it. Well last week our favorite meal was the Hearty Hash Brown Casserole. I'm not sure what happen to the rest of the meals for the week, so I am carrying a few the meals to this week. Sometimes Brandon's not real hungry for a big supper and so we just feed the kids simple foods, which they like the best anyway.

Monday: Popcorn Chicken, Ranch Baked Potato Bites, Salad

Tuesday: Deep Fat Fried Catfish, Homemade Onion Rings & French Fries, String Beans

Wednesday: Mushroom Cream Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes & Asparagus

Thursday: Leftover buffet

Friday: Taco Pie with Guacamole & the fixings

Saturday: Spit Pea Soup with ham & rice

Sunday: Pizza or Eat out! A treat for mom..

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

He Lives
Lyrics & Composer Alfred H. Ackley, 1933

I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today;
I know that He is living, Whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him He's always near.

Chorus:
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He live, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives: He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And tho my heart grows weary I never will despair;
I know that He is leading Thro' all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing Will come at last.

Chorus:
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He live, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives: He lives within my heart.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs To Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him, The help of all who find,
None other is so loving, So good and kind.

Chorus:
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He live, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives: He lives within my heart.

The Reason He Lives....

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Planted Seeds....

Last week Anna and I got some seeds started. I hat seen in a few gardening magazines people using egg cartons as planters, so that's what I used. One nice thing about egg cartons is they are free and they worked well.

The kids are excited to watch them grow and has been asking almost everyday if they can see the plants yet. I have to remind them that it will take a couple weeks before we will be able to see anything. I am even excited because I usually buy all my plants, but this year I wanted to try to grow some for the kids. I figure if it doesn't work out I can buy a few plants when I get ready to plant the garden.

All Dressed Up....

Lots of time they are both in dresses especially if there is music going. They love to dance around & twirl. Lately Anna has been letting me put a couple braids in her hair. She looks so pretty!

It's funny that Gabe insists on putting on dresses so he can twirl too, which is funny since he's such a boy's boy. He loves his tools & tool bench and lawn mowers & tractors. Just the other day we were at the library and the library had just gotten some new movies on the shelf and what were they?? "All About John Deere For Kids". There were 3 DVD's and so we picked up all three. Gabe also loves to watch "Bob the Builder". So that's just a few of the things Gabe likes besides getting into my purse.

Ruby's nice and comfortable:)

Well I am a bit behind in getting my menu planned for the week, but better late then not at all. I have been doing pretty well at sticking to my menu's, but I didn't get around to making the Ravioli, broccoli, garlic bread, so I'll be making that this evening. One extra meal I made last week was Leeky , Creamy, Chicken & Dumpling Stoup and the hubby loved it and so did I. I made a big pot and froze a good size container for another time. I also made up some homemade bread, which is always good and will be nice with supper this evening. To find more menu plans for the week go here.

Monday: Ravioli with homemade sauce, Asparagus, homemade bread

Tuesday: Hearty Hash Brown Dinner -I have to try this out because it sound yummy & easy!

Wednesday: Leftover Buffet

Thursday: Deep Fat Fried Catfish, Homemade Onion Rings & French Fries, String Beans

Friday: Mushroom Cream Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes & Asparagus

Saturday: Stir Fry

Sunday: Baked Chicken, Potatoes, Corn - Corn's the one vegetable the kids love

Someone Found the Cookies.....

Noah climbed up on one of the kids step stools and found himself a cookie. I was wondering why he was being so quiet. It sure made Brandon and me smile. The kids and I had decorated these cookies all pretty with some butter cream frosting and sparkle frosting.

The theme this month is Pasta! There is so much good pasta to choose from, but I'm sure not to many of you use Acini De Pepe macaroni. It a very small noodle used in Frog Eyed Salad, which is so good. It makes a great potluck dish or for a large party, since the recipe tends to make a lot. To find more awesome pasta recipes head on over to I Have To Say.

Frog Eye Salad

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple (drained & save juice)
1 can (11 0z.) mandarin oranges ( drained & save juice)
2 cups fruit juices ( from the above fruit)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 Tb. flour or cornstarch
3 eggs
1 pkg (16 oz.) Acini De Pepe macaroni
1 pkg colored or white marshmallows
1 large container whipped topping

Cook the macaroni according to directions on the box. When done drain and cool. Then take the saved juice and cook the juice, salt, flour & egg. When it's thick set aside to cool. Mix the thickened fruit juices, macaroni & fruit and let stand overnight. The next day add the marshmallows & whipped topping. Refrigerate or freeze. Thaw before serving. Eat and Enjoy!

Also don't forget to check out my recipe blog which you can find here.

The Yellow River...

This is the river that borders my parents acreage. I have so many memories of swimming, walking up and down the river, getting leaches between my toes, going down to cool off during the summer months, and fishing.

Also here are the boys in their gun attire. Brandon bought Gabe a pair of shooting glasses & ear muffs to protect his little ears. Gabe was pretty excited and I was surprised he was not scared when Brandon was shooting.

Here’s what’s on our menu for this week. We are having the Pork Chops this week, since we didn't get around to having this past weekend. Also this menu planning has really helped me out. It does not take long and saves me the hassle everyday of asking, "So what should we have for supper. What I should do sometime and let my husband plan the meals out for a week.

Monday: Grilled Pork Chops, Baked Beans, Baked Red Potato & Salad

Tuesday: Hamburgers, Fries, Corn

Wednesday: Ravioli, broccoli, garlic bread

Thursday: Leftover Buffet

Friday: Tacos with the fixings

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: Waffles & Sausage

Kids say the funniest things....
Anna put on a new pair of Princess jammies that I had gotten for her. She was all excited so she headed off to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. I went in to check her out and she was standing on the counter talking on & on about how she loved the new jammies. She then said to me, "look at my big belly." I then asked her back, "where did you get that belly?" She looked at me and said, "Culvers." I busted a gut laughing. If you don't know our kids love to eat at Culvers. They have the best burgers and custard ice cream. Yummy Yummy!!! Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Visiting Great Grandma.......
One of the highlights of going home to visit is seeing Great Grandma who will be turning 84 years old next month. She made us a lovely lunch of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, candied carrots, homemade rolls, coleslaw & homemade pecan pie. It was delicious! She is a wonderful cook, baker & gardener. The kids love to visit with her and the day we visited the weather was very pleasant. We look forward to the next visit with Grandma Beulah.

Here's our growing little Ruby girl.....
She is now 4 1/2 months old and such a sweety...

Play Dough...

I had a friend request the homemade Play Dough recipe that I used and so I thought I would just post it here for anyone who would like it. My kids love play dough and play with it most days. As I am typing this now they are at the table playing. Anna's making a blueberry pie and Gabe's just cutting play dough up and trying to make some blueberries too.

Traditional Play Dough

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 cup salt
• food coloring

Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled. Will last for a long time.

Here's what is on the menu this week. To find more menus you can click on the picture to the left.


Monday: Tatar Tot Casserole & Green Beans

Tuesday: Baked Chicken, Mash Potatoes & Gravy, Corn

Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas, Guacamole & Salad

Thursday: Leftover Buffet

Friday: Fried Fish, Black Beans & Rice

Saturday: Marinated Grilled Pork Chops, Baked Potato Bites & Salad

Sunday: Pizza

Time is flying.....

This week has been going by so fast. The first half of the week I was sick and now we are visiting my parents. The kids are having a good time and are always excited to see Grandma & Grandpa Marting.

Gabe talks about wanting to go for a ride on the tractor, but when we finally get here he's says he is too scared. Oh he will ride with me or Brandon, but not Grandpa. I don't really know why because he hangs out with Grandpa a lot and talks and ask him why about everything. Yes Gabe is using the "Why" word a lot. More then I ever remember Anna ever doing.

Noah has taken off walking in the last day or so. It's like he is trying to show off to Grandma & Grandpa. I talked to my sister in law and she said it might be because they have carpet all over the house and so he's not afraid of falling and has better traction. At our house we have wood floors and they are a bit slippery. It's so cute to see him walking.

Anna has been showing off her dresses & twirling around like a little princess. She especially enjoyed decorating cookies today with some sparkle glitter frosting. Unfortunately Grandma does not have any puppies big enough for her to play with and carry around, but she does not seen to disappointed. She has had a good time looking at the river and throwing rocks in.

Well that's all for now. I hope to take some good pictures in the next few days, so until then have a wonderful evening:)

No Plan....

There will be no menu plan this week, since we are planning on leaving to visit my family in a couple of day. I just hope we all can get better soon. We all have colds except Brandon and some of the kids have been running low grade fevers. In spite of not feeling the best the kids still have been enjoying the nice weather. Today is the best with a high excepted to hit 65 degrees. I have my clothes outside drying to save money on the gas bill, which our dryer runs on. I am so looking forward to the warmer weather and getting started on my gardening. This kind of weather definitely gives me spring fever. Hope everyone else is having a wonderful day in the Lord:)

Cream Cheese Bars
These are super easy to make and are so yummy. This recipe is from my Grandma Beulah, which I have to say many of my favorite recipes are from her. Grandma's are so wonderful for getting awesome recipes from & mother in laws:) If you want to check out the recipe head on over to my recipe blog.

Sewing Project...

I had this Old Navy bib overall dress that I thought could use a little length on it plus Anna likes pretty twirly dresses and this dress is not pretty in her book.....

So I added a pretty flower printed ruffle to the bottom....

And now she looks so pretty and it even flares out when she does a twirl...

Also check out her ballerina slippers. She loves to wear them around the house.
I also have another bib dress that I think I will add a pretty ruffle to as well...So off to the sewing machine I go.....

Change Fun....
Gabe like to play with change. He has a little soup spoon that he used to fill up different containers. Also his Grandma Kara got the kids some little pink piggies that counts the change as they put the money in. Lots of fun for the little guy....

Just another picture of Gabe. Under his blanket is his little buddy Ruby. Ruby loves to snuggle under or on top Gabe's doggie blanket. Ruby has also started to sleep with Gabe all night long.

Gabriel's Doggie Apron....

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week. Also you can clip of the Menu Plan Monday Picture to find many more menu plans for the week.

Monday: Chicken & Noodle Soup & Biscuits

Tuesday: Chicken Tenders, French Fries, Salad

Wednesday: Fish Tacos & Black Beans & Rice

Thursday: Leftover Buffet

Friday: Mushroom Cream Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Saturday: Salmon Patties, Hash Browns, Peas

Sunday: Pizza

New Recipe Blog

You will notice to the right that I have added a link to my new recipe blog. It's a work in progress, but I decided I wanted to have a place to put all my favorite recipes. So when I post something new I will let you know, so you can check it out.