Meal Planning- Having a Menu

Well I must admit that this is one area where I am probably over organized, but it works for us!

I have a 5 week menu that we rotate that include breakfast, lunch, dinners and snacks, and then also one dessert and cookie for each week. Having a menu makes it easier for me to plan ahead (which can help with the grocery budget) and also elminates the stress of what to make for dinner.

My menu follows a pattern in that I have a certain type of dish each day. Like Monday breakfasts are a type of pancake, dinner is a bean dish... I planned our menu out according to our schedule, so on Wednesdays we have a casserole for dinner in case I need to leave it in the oven to keep warm for my husband to eat after church.

I think having a menu also helps with knowing what to feed the children for lunch, which used to be a big headache for me!

I would be happy to share my menu if that would help with ideas.

Through God's Abundant Blessings,

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On My Heart...

I haven't felt much like writing lately, I suppose I have just had quite a bit on my mind and have just felt, well, preoccupied.

I had an experience here recently that reminded me that I am somewhat naive. And at first, I felt tempted to let this experience change the way that I do things, or feel about things, but then it occurred to me that perhaps being naive isn't such a bad thing. I have always seen the best in people, and taken their word to be just that, without a whole lot of question. I like believing that people are genuine, and kind, and that they mean what they say. Questioning that, and wondering about people's motives, only hardens you, and I have always been told that one of my good qualities is that I am "soft". I don't want to be hard. It seems like most people these days have become that way, and it doesn't seem to have brought anything positive. People are bitter, and angry, and rushing about life without stopping to see that there are still good things all around us. I don't want to be that way.

I have purposed to not let this world change who I am. God created me with a special purpose, just as He has with each of His creations. I am starting to really understand this more, and realize that I have a responsibility to not let circumstances turn me into something other than what He made me to be. I pray that God will use me for His purposes, and not let my shortcomings be a stumbling block ( to me or anyone else).

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On the Question of KJV Only..

I have been asked many times about whether or not the King James bible version is the "right" one to read, or that sort of thing. I thought I would share our thoughts on this.

Ok, first let me give you my family's stance on the KJV-only issue. I am sure I will make many others in the "Anabaptist" faith a little displeased with what I say, but this is just our take on it.

We don't feel that there is one translation that is "perfect". In our minds, no translation could really be 100 percent perfect because they were all translated from the Greek and Hebrew and words rarely translate between languages absolutely perfect. I know many believe that the King James Version was miraculously translated with Divine Authority, but I personally have never seen any evidence that this is the case. That being said, our family does primarily use the KJV for several reasons. One, that we wanted to have one standard translation as a family so that as our children are learning memory verses and first learning to read, they are not confused by seeing different versions. Second, we believe in keeping a sense of "reverence" when worshiping, praying, and studying about Our Lord. And we prefer the formality of the language used in the KJV. Third, this is the version that the church we attend, and all others like it use. We do own several other versions, primarily a few NIV Bibles, and one other that I cannot remember what it is right now. And we sometimes will use those to see another version of a verse that perhaps has difficult wording. There are a few of the newer translations however that we stay away from because we feel they have been simplified too much and have taken away from what the original verse stated. Also some of the newer versions have purposely changed the meaning of verses to make them more culturally palatable, and this we find to be opposed to God's Words, as He is never changing.

There is quite a bit of information out there about why people believe in using KJV only. There are numerous books on both sides of the issue, but I think that it is something you will really have to research if you want to fully understand it. The primary points seem to be that supporters of KJV only believe that it is the only English translation that is accurate and that any other translation would be changing the word of God, and that the original translators of the KJV were divinely guided, and thus the words they used were given to them by the Holy Spirit to be implemented without any alternates. Of course there are wide ranging variances among those who are KJV only.

So that is my take on it, I am sure others may have more information or a better explanation. But I thought it might help if I explained our personal feelings on the matter.

Through God's Abundant Blessings,

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Tuesday's To-Do's

I ended up having to change my dinner plans yesterday when time ran short, so I ended up making sausage mashed potato bake. The boys finished off the pie, so I am going to make a cobbler today. :)

Morning-

• Fix breakfast
• Feed Joseph a bottle
• Make beds
• Get everyone dressed (I love when I don't have ironing to do in the morning :))
• Clean up from breakfast (wash dishes, wipe table, sweep)
• School with boys

Mid-day

• Cut up chicken
• Laundry-2 loads of clothes
• Dust dining room
• Clean glass in china cabinet
• Wipe down windows
• Dust living room
• Sweep
• Straighen everything in front rooms
• Read story with boys
• Help boys clean up playroom
• Lunch- Sausage and Mashed Potato Bake
• Clean up lunch (wash dishes, wipe table, sweep)
• Start bread dough

Afternoon-

• finish sewing covering
• work on Joseph's outfit (need to figure out how to use new snap fastener so that I can add the snaps, lol)
• Ironing
• Mending (have several shirts to add buttons to, and need to sew an ear back on Jacob's toy dog)
• Fry cut up chicken for tonight's dinner
• Make noodle dough
• Work on bread
• Make blueberry cobbler

End of Day-

• Cook dinner-Sticky Chicken, Noodles, Gravy, Asparagus, Bread, Blueberry Cobbler
• Quick Clean up around house
• Work on Memory verse with boys
• Set table
• light lamps

Through God's Abundant Blessings,

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To Do's

I broke out my list for today to make it easier for me to focus. Pink is done, purple is in progress. Ok, back to work for me :).

Morning-

• iron shirts for today
• make bed
• make breakfast (strawberry muffins, fruit)
• wake up children
• breakfast
• clean up breakfast (wash dishes, wipe table, sweep)
• get children dressed
• feed Joseph bottle
• print worksheets for school
• school time with boys

Mid-day-

• Laundry-2 loads of clothes, 1 load of diapers
• Fold Clothes and put away
• Iron for tomorrow
• Cut out pieces for new covering
• Clean kitchen (scrub counters, sweep floor, polish refrigerator, wipe down cabinets, mop, wipe down windows)
• Pull out chicken and rolls from freezer.
• Make dough for noodles to go with chicken.
• Lunch- ham salad, wheat bread
• Clean up lunch (wash dishes, wipe table, sweep)
• Supervise boys cleaning up playroom.
• Feed Jospeh bottle and rock him.

Afternoon-

• boys nap
• continue laundry
• sew covering
• make noodles
• dinner prep
• write Proverbs study
• story time for boys
• work on knitting diaper liners

Late Afternoon-

• Cook dinner- Sticky Chicken, Rolls, Noodles, Asparagus, Gravy, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.
• Set table
• Quick clean up of house
• Work on memory verse with Jacob
• Light lamps

Through God's Abundant Blessings,

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To Do's and a Few Thoughts...

1. Clean guinea pig cage.

2. Ironing and mending.

3. Work on Modest Melly newsletter (it has been way too long since I sent out the last one!)

4. Laundry (we fell so far behind last week with all that was going on)

5. Fold clothes and put away.

6. Sweep living room.

7. Refill lamps (we seem to burning a bit more oil now that it is becoming dark earlier)

8. Straighten children's bedrooms.

9. Work on file folder games. (have been putting some more of these together as Jacob loves them)

10. Work on tracing capedress pattern pieces in different sizes.

To be perfectly honest I am feeling a bit overwhelmed or stressed, neither of those seem to be quite the right word, but I am not sure what is. There have been several things that have happened over the past few weeks that have kind of made my head spin. I am one of those people who likes my life to be ordered and structured just so (1 Corinthians 14:40), and don't really like when things come up that disrupt this order. Well, needless to say there have been quite a few "somethings" here recently and it just makes me uncomfortable. I haven't written a newsletter for Modest Melly's lately because I just haven't been able to concentrate, and honestly just haven't "felt" like it.

But- I am feeling like a lot of this worry and stress is simply a test of faith and this morning I remembered the verses James 1:2-3

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

I know there must be a reason for everything that has been happening, I don't know if it is a test of faith, or if God is preparing me for something, and honestly I may never know why. But I do know that I have two choices, either trust in God or don't.

So, with that being said, I am off to continue working on my list for the day.

Through God's Abundant Blessings,

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"Till the Storm Passes By" by Mosie Lister

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face,
While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place.
'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try,
For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by"
But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise
Where the storms never darken the skies.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

When the long night has ended and the storms come no more,
Let me stand in Thy presence on the bright peaceful shore;
In that land where the tempest, never comes, Lord, may I
Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

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Potato Bread

Red Geraniums said...

Hello Melly! Is there somewhere on your blog you've shared your potato bread recipe...if not, will you share it? I'd like to find a nice bread recipe to make once in a while that is not whole wheat! Thanks! Glenda

I had not shared my recipe for potato bread on my blog, but I am more than happy to :). Also if you are looking for other bread recipes I have others on my homemaking site.

Potato Bread:
Ingredients:
1 med. potato, peeled and diced
5 tsp. dry yeast
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. salt
1 c. milk
5 1/2 to 6 c. all-purpose flour

Directions:
Cook potato in a small amount of boiling water 10 to 15 minutes or until tender; drain and reserve liquid. Mash potato, and measure 3/4 cup; set aside. Add enough water to reserved liquid to make 1 cup; cool to 105 to 115 degrees. Dissolve yeast in potato liquid in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and stir well. Stir in sugar, salt, milk, mashed potatoes, and 1 cup flour. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 to 10 minutes). Place in a well greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees) free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down, and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place in two well-greased 8 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Yield 2 loaves.

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Heavy Burdens

Dear sisters, I write today with a heavy heart. It has been hard for me to admit that I am struggling, I have never felt comfortable with exposing weakness. But yet here I am, feeling weaker than ever before, and coming to the understanding that I am in need of prayer from my dear sisters in Christ.

I have been struggling to carry some heavy burdens that honestly I know I cannot carry on my own. But I have had difficulty in letting go of it enough and just letting God take over. I do not know why I have fought so hard to carry it myself, it seems rather foolish when I think about it! But foolish or not, the stress has taken it's tole. Yesterday seems to have been the breaking point for me, and now I have come to the understanding that I am simply not strong enough on my own, and it is truly time to turn the situation over to Him.

Yesterday morning we had a court hearing stemming from the fatal car accident we had in August. We of course expected it to be difficult and stressful, but I do think we underestimated the situation. In the midst of all of the crisis though, it was amazing to see God work! We had felt so much fear, sitting there, unsure of what would happen, but God sent just the right people, at just the right times, and it looks now as if He is going to carry the situation through for us.

But the stress of everything has just been too much on my body...after a trip to the emergency room yesterday we discovered that we had lost the baby I was carrying. I do not think that the reality of it has really sunk in yet, I am feeling rather numb. But I know that things will settle down, and I will have to grieve for this loss. Right now I am just too tired.

Please keep me in your prayers, and my family as well. I feel there is still much to overcome in all of this, and I pray that God will grant us perseverance, and the fortitude we need to live out our convictions each day.

In His Abounding Grace,

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Our Thanksgiving

We had a nice little time of thanksgiving here at our home. My husband took on the task of making the turkey this year, and we had such a lovely time cooking together. The boys anxiously awaited dinner being ready. Oh how my boys love to eat :). They particularly enjoyed the cranberry sauce, the two of them ate nearly half the bowl! Jacob was especially excited for the pie, as he just loves pie! Joseph loved the sweet potatoes, and thought the cranberry sauce was interesting-he made such an adorable little face and even a shudder at tasting it. And Joshua just loves to eat,lol!

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