Minutes4Mom

Goodbye...For Now

2010-03-24T08:29:00.004-05:00

Where have I been? Well I have been at The Modest Mom for one.

You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging in awhile. There has been a reason for my absence. My mother became very ill (she has a terminal health condition) and moved in with my husband and I. We were busy reorganizing our home to fit her needs, move rooms from downstairs to upstairs, and getting our kitchen remodeled. We have also been hunting for a job for my husband, I was helping my sister get her new business started, and I started a little business of my own on the side. Good excuses huh?

During this time I was trying to decide what to do with my Minutes4Mom blog. I've had fun with it. Then I began blogging with my sister at The Modest Mom Blog. I have decided I don't have enough time in my life at present to keep up with two blog postings. For now I will retire myself from Minutes4Mom.

You can still find me blogging here at The Modest Mom Blog. Or you can order a skirt from my sister's business, The Modest Mom, and you may receive a skirt sewn by me.

Blessings to all and thanks for reading my ramblings and post!

Menu Plan for 1-4-2010

2010-01-04T10:41:00.003-06:00

The new year has begun with more snow than I ever remember in December to January and bitter cold. Make that real bitter cold. So cold I have no desire to go outside for some sledding. The thought of it makes me chilled. Right now all I want is a warm bowl of soup, hot cocoa, and a space heater. That will make my day! As you can see with my menu plan I will be making soup and plenty of it. I want my husband to be able to take it to work in his Thermos and give us some to work with as leftovers as well. We have more snow in the forecast. My plan is to run out this evening and get anything we need such as more eggs to be snowbound for a few more days. Some warmer weather, like maybe 30 degrees, will be most appreciated!

Breakfast
Monday- Oatmeal
Waffles
Egg Sandwiches, Applesauce
Cereal
Cream of Wheat Combo & Strawberry Yogurt
Blueberry Pancakes
Cereal

Lunch
Monday-Bean Burritos, Spanish Rice, Apples
PB&J Sandwich, Fruit, Veggies
Leftovers
Chicken Noodle Soup, Veggies, Rolls
Salad w Chicken, fruit, veggies
Leftovers
Salad w Tuna, fruit

Snacks
Blue Berry Muffins
Putter Fingers
Popcorn
Green Smoothie

Supper
Monday-Fiesta Chicken Casserole, Rice, Applesauce
Chicken Enchiladas, Corn, Green Beans
Potato Soup, Corn, Whole Wheat Bread, Green Beans
Leftovers
Chicken Noodle Soup, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Green Beans
Leftovers
Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Muffins, Green Beans

Dessert
Brownies

Menu Plan for This Week

2009-12-28T10:00:00.004-06:00

Weekly Menu Plan
The past week my menu plan was not needed for the most part. We were able to spend the Christmas Holiday with family and enjoyed that greatly. My sister and I had a baking day with many goodies in house for family and giving as gifts to neighbors. While it was all fun to be with family and share we are back at home ready to get back into the swing of normal life.

Without scaring my husband too badly, I have a desire to be eating healthier than we have. I made a Barley Drink for us last week that he said tasted fine, he will drink it. I bought a BPA free plastic bottle at Wal-Mart for $2.00 that holds all 8 glasses of water you are supposed to drink in one day. I know I'm terrible at drinking as much water as I should. This will be an easy way to keep track of how much I'm getting down in a day and encourage me to try for more. You'll notice I don't have any desserts listed this week. We still have a few goodies laying around and that will suffice! My main goals are:

1. Exercise daily
2. Drink 8 glasses of water
3. Take the vitamins and herbs daily
4. Get more raw veggies into our diet
5. Drink barley water several times a week

This will not be a 360 degree turn from the menu plans I have had in the past, just refining how we eat. My sister did give me The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook for Christmas. My husband and cowboy food get along real well. That's the kind of cooking he loves. I must say that is one awesome cookbook! I found maybe 5 recipes we would not want to eat. I plan on working my way through her cookbook, one recipe at a time. Neil took a look through and will be pretty happy to have some of this food on his plate. I have a heart! :-) Now on to this week's menu:

Breakfast
Monday-Cream of Wheat Combo & Applesauce
Waffles
Pan Pancakes
Cereal
Oatmeal w Raisins & Applesauce
Country Breakfast Cereal
Cereal

Lunch
Monday-Salad w black beans, fruit, veggies
PB&J, fruit, veggies
Bean Burritos, fruit, veggies
Baked Potato w Broccoli & Cheese, Applesauce
Grilled Cheese Sandwich, fruit, veggies
Stir Fry Veggies & Rice, Sweet Potato
Leftovers

Snacks
Popcorn
Banana Bread
Celery w peanut butter
Yogurt

Supper
Monday-White Chicken Chili, Sweet Potato, Cornbread
Black Bean Soup, Sweet Potato, Corn
Creamed Chicken over Rice, Corn, Green Beans
Santa Fe Chicken, Pudding, Sweet Potatoes, Salad
Leftovers
Pigs N Beans in a Blanket, Rice, Pudding
Leftovers

Holiday Break

2009-12-26T16:22:00.003-06:00

It's wonderful to take a break and have a Holiday. Christmas Eve began a white Christmas for us here in the Midwest. We headed down to my sister and brother-in-laws house to be snowed in with them. It's been a fun vacation spending these past few days with them. We made it out to The Farm yesterday for Christmas with the family. Those of us with cars got stuck in the snow drifts and were dug, pushed, and pulled out. Last night my parents came down to Caroline and Sean's house for our Christmas celebration. It was a late night when we said good night. This morning we headed out to The Farm again for some winter excitement. The drive had been plowed again and we were able to make it all the way up to the house this time. My husband Neil and his brother Sean have been outside making snow forts and having snow ball fights with my nephews. I went out with my niece Carrianna and pulled her around in the sled before retiring in the house. The wood stove is going and I've been enjoying the best seat in the house, sitting on the fire box next to the stove. We are about to have some potato soup and sip on some hot cocoa.
What a wonderful winter day!

Pinecone Research Accepting New Members

2009-12-24T10:21:00.006-06:00

Pinecone Research is accepting new members at this time. I have been part of Pinecone Research for about four months now. If accepted you will be asked to occasionally fill out questionnaires so they know what product surveys to send you. There is no payment for the questionnaires ,but once you complete a survey you will get a check for $3.00. They have always been prompt in mailing out the $3 for each survey I fill out. It's not much, but it's a fun way to earn a little extra money each month. The surveys take 10-20 minutes to fill out, just depends on how fast you are. You will get products to try out the mail as well.

ONLY ONE PERSON PER HOUSEHOLD MAY REGISTER. Multiple registrations of the same Household will void all registrations. Go Here to sign up with Pinecone Research membership!

My new neice: Olivia Pearl

2009-12-22T09:39:00.002-06:00

I've been a little occupied the last few days. Saturday I was at the birth of my niece, Olivia Pearl. I took this picture of her when she was just a few minutes old. She is so beautiful! Just a precious baby girl who so far is very quiet unless she has a need. Her two older brothers and one older sister were very excited to meet her. My sister Caroline is doing very well and resting at home. I'm so thankful that all went well and this little sweetheart has joined the family.

Giveaway: Three (3) Red Kitchen Aids

2009-12-17T14:17:00.002-06:00

The Pioneer Woman is giving away three (3) Red Kitchen Aids today. I know a lot of people enter her giveaways so the odds are against you to win but I still enter. It just takes a second, and who knows, I may actually win sometime. Too much fun!

Go Here to enter for a Kitchen Aid!

My Animal Family Review

2009-12-17T12:28:00.002-06:00

Recently I picked up at the library the "My Animal Family" series. I have Leo the Lion, Korow the Chimpanzee, Ella the Elephant, and Nanuq the Polar Bear. In each 31 page book the character is a baby animal telling what their life is like. The story lines seem accurate from what I know of each animal. Each book is filled with paintings of the activities being described by the animal in the text of that page. I enjoy the paintings as they are soft but clear. The text is short enough to keep a 3 year old interested and the paintings detailed for the 5-9 year old. An extra bonus in each book is the DVD that is enclosed. For Leo the Lion there is BBC video footage of lions living in the wild being narrated by a child's voice pretending to be Leo the Lion. "I'm Leo and this is my family." Also included on each DVD is a animal facts section and song.

All the little people in my life have loved having me read the books to them then watch the DVD. It makes the story come alive to them. When you buy the books brand new you also get a secret pass word that allows you to enter a interactive web site with various educational games.

The book itself is very well made. The boards and paper are of high quality, the kind that I buy because it would last. The reading level listed is from pre-readers through beginning readers (3-9). The retail price is $12.99 and worth it to me with the DVD being included.

Family Advent Celebration

2009-12-16T16:18:00.002-06:00

I read on Your Sacred Calling a post about celebrating Advent at Christmas. I remember growing up some years at Christmas we would follow along in a Advent book with readings on certain days. My great-grandma had a felt calendar that was an Advent calendar up in her home. When I read this article I asked my husband to read it as well and see if it would be agreeable to begin this in our home next year. I think it's a wonderful way to focus on the "reason for the season".

From Your Sacred Calling on the Advent Celebration:

The celebration was based on the Scriptures, and on the real people who witnessed and participated in the coming of the Lord. As we read more about this traditional celebration, we saw that while the details varied greatly from family to family and church to church, its framework was consistent. Given this, we felt free to be creative; to use the basic traditions so well documented in the history of the Church, but to come up with a “Franklin” version including some new traditions of our own.

The word “Advent” literally means “Coming.” It has been tradition since the time of the introduction of the Christmas celebration in the 4th century for Christians to prepare their hearts to celebrate the Incarnation. Most often this preparation begins four Sundays before Christmas Eve, when the Advent wreath is put on display. The wreath is a circlet of evergreen foliage that contains five candles—four purple and one white. Each of these candles stands for a participant in the story of Christ’s birth. The first is the Candle of the Prophets. The second is Mary; the third, shepherds; and the fourth is for the angels. The fifth candle, the white one placed in the center of the wreath, commemorates Christ.

On each Sunday of Advent, we read Scripture and sing hymns or carols about the individuals focused upon, then we light the candles—one for this week and all the others preceding it. We then pray and perform another of the Franklin traditions: the giving of Advent gifts. There are generally three gifts given by the Franklin parents to each child each year, one for each of the first three weeks of Advent. We’ve chosen the number of gifts to represent the three gifts that were given to Jesus by the Magi.

The first Sunday, for example, we might read the Old Testament prophesies of the coming of Christ, sing “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emanuel!” and light the first candle in the wreath. Each child would then receive his first gift of the season. On the second week, we would read the story of Mary and Elizabeth, sing “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,“ light both the Mary and Prophets candles and receive our second gift. It goes on in this fashion until all of the candles, except for the Christ candle, have been lit.

This last candle is lit, along with the rest, on Christmas Eve, when the entire Christmas story is read. Papa takes this night to summarize the whole Christmas story, from Creation and the first promise of a Savior, to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. For the Franklins, this night brings a great celebration, for it is the end of the waiting and anticipation of the Advent season. As part of our tradition, Christmas Eve is a time of hospitality to our church, family, and friends. Sharing the Christmas Eve candles, food and fellowship is the height of our holiday season.These four weeks of preparation are representative of the ages long past. We are reminded of the Old Testament patriarchs and of women like Mary and Elizabeth who looked forward, with faith, to the promise of the Messiah. We remember with joy and thanks that as Christians today, we look back and see clearly the fulfillment of that promise in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.

In the Advent, we are memorializing the fidelity of a God who promised and who fulfilled those promises. Our family’s ”Month before Christmas” advent celebration leads us to worship and proclaim the wisdom of God in bringing all things to men in His perfect time, and to the glory of His name.

Advent Calendar:

Day of the Prophets (in 2002, this is December 1st)Read: Isa. 9:2-7, Isa. 11, Isa. 7:13-16, Deut. 18:15-19, Psalm 89:1-4, Zech. 6:12-13 (All or a selection).

Sing: “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel,” “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”

Light: The first purple candle. Traditionally (for us), the oldest child lights the candle on this night, and the youngest blows it out.

Go Here to read the complete article and the information on the rest of the Advent Calendar.

This article first appeared in the November/December 2002 issue of Homeschooling Today magazine.

24-Hour Giveaway: 5 $100 gift cards to the store of your choice!

2009-12-14T15:50:00.002-06:00

If you head over to MoneySavingMom you can enter a great giveaway. ShopAtHome, an online cash back site that she has mentioned dozens of times, is generously buying a $100 gift card for five readers here of her blog. But get this: if you win, you'll get to choose what store you want your gift card to be to. You can choose from any of the stores she has listed. How fun is that?

Go Here to enter the giveaway!

Holiday Baking Day Recipes

2009-12-14T11:33:00.004-06:00

I think a Christmas Bake Day is so much fun! My Mom, sister, our mother-in-law, and I will be having our Bake Day on Wednesday if all goes as planned. We will each come with 2-4 recipes and ingredients and start all our baking. Then we'll take all the goodies that have been made and divide them between the four of us. We'll each keep some but also use what we have to make goodie trays as gifts to neighbors or family. I'm sure there are many ladies who do this. It's fun each year trying to come up with a list of items to bake. The hard part is narrowing it down to 2 or 3 recipes! From my list my husband chose Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies, and Deep Dark Fudge. I chose the Peanut Butter Crispy Balls. I just had them at a church social and they were really yummy. I'm linking to each recipe or posting it here. Maybe this will give you some good ideas for some Christmas baking of your own.

Here's the list I made to choose from:
Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Carmel Bars

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Snowball Cookies

Peanut Butter Kisses

Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches

Deliciously Dandy Ding Dongs

Deep Dark Fudge

Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

Peanut Butter Crispy Balls

1 1lb. powdered sugar

2 cups creamy or crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter~softened

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups cocoa flavored Rice Crispy
Mix butter and peanut butter together with vanilla, then add powdered sugar, then rice crispy. Roll into balls and enjoy.

Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 sticks butter softened

Cream together, then add:
2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups oatmeal

nuts if desired
Drop by teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet in 375 oven. If you like a chewy cookie, remove from oven before you think that they are quite done.

Cherry Mash

2 cups sugar

2/3 cups evaporated milk

12 large marshmallows

1/2 cup butter

1 6 oz. pkg cherry chips

1 tsp vanilla

peanuts and chocolate melted together

Combine sugar,evaporated milk,marshmallows, and butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Pour into pan and chill slightly until you can roll into balls. Dip in crushed peanuts and chocolate mixture that has been melted together with fingers and set on waxed paper to cool completely.

Giveaways Today at MoneySavingMom

2009-12-11T14:31:00.003-06:00

Crystal at MoneySavingMom decided to have another Friday Giveaway Day. Fun! Be sure to stop by her blog and join in the free gifts.

The Happy Scrappy Quilt Giveaway

2009-12-11T10:21:00.002-06:00

These two gorgeous quilts are being given away buy the Marie-Madeline Studio. If you have never visited them you just have to stop by. I love the colors and patterns they choose for their sewing. It's so feminine and bright. Plus they have sewing patterns they created so you can try your hand at a project as well.

As for the Giveaway. The Marie-Madeline Studio is giving away not one but two quilts! Both quilts are twin size, approximately 67" x 90", 100% cotton (with pretty fabric on the back!), machine quilted, and freshly laundered.

Go Here for a chance to win one of these beautiful creations!

Holiday Baking Decisions

2009-12-11T09:40:00.004-06:00

Deliciously Dandy Ding Dongs

Each year my sister, our mother-in-law (we married brothers!), and our mom want to get together and have a holiday bake. This year I'm stumped because I have so many things I would love to bake! Too many yummies, how to choose? I've been thinking about Granny's Sugar Cookies and letting my nephews help me ice them. I like Cherry Mash and my mother-in-law said she has a recipe that taste just like the real thing. I'm a big chocolate fan so some peanut butter with chocolate fudge sounds good. If you visit the Tasty Kitchen Holiday section you may get lost in more ideas like I did. The Deliciously Dandy Ding Dongs look scrumptious! My husband brought home a Hershey's Chocolate Cookbook one day. My, oh my, too many decisions! I finally came to a solution for all this. I'll let me husband pick out our recipes this year. It's a simple and fail proof plan. Done. I'll let you know what Neil picked out. Now I can move on....

Dave Ramsey 12 Day Giveaway

2009-12-09T10:57:00.003-06:00

For 12 days Dave Ramsey is giving away cash and other items. Today he is giving away $2,000!I'm a fan of Dave Ramsey and the no nonsense teaching he gives on getting out of debt and saving money. If you would like to learn more about Dave Ramsey and the 12 day Giveaway Go Here. You can enter the giveaways once a day. He has a number of his books, Cd's and more half off for the Christmas season. Great gifts!

Giveaway: 3 Nikon Cameras

2009-12-04T09:44:00.003-06:00

The Pioneer Woman has something good to giveaway today, 3 cameras!

She said about this Nikon Camera:

Here’s what I love about it:
1. Wide angle (28 – 112) zoom lens. The widest setting can really take some great shots: landscapes, cityscapes, cool angles from the ground. A whole room. Lots of things.
2. Vibration Reduction image stabilization, which really helps get crisp, clear shots—even if you’re shaking from a caffeine overdose.
3. High ISO! You can raise this sucker to 6400 ISO. Basically, this means if you don’t want to use the built in flash and you want to take indoor pics, this’ll make it more sensitive to light and help you out more.
4. It’s a pretty pearly-cream color.

So Go Here to enter!

24 Hours of Giveaways!

2009-12-04T09:26:00.003-06:00

Money Saving Mom is hosting a a Giveaway Day today! (Friday, December 4, 2009). All day long, She'll be posting fun giveaways for products and gift cards which I think you'll love--and find useful as well! So check back all day long and enter to win some great stuff! She has already begun posting the giveaways!

Free 2010 JumpStart Calendars

2009-12-04T09:23:00.000-06:00

You can get a free calendar 2010 calendar from JumpStart-Financial Smarts For Students. They are not shipping the calendars from December 19th-January 5th. Go Here to sign up for your calendar.

Free Printable 2010 Bird Photo Calender

2009-12-04T09:21:00.000-06:00

For those of you who would like to print out your own free 2010 calendar this is a beautiful one! You will have 12 months of beautiful photos of South Dakota birds. Go Here to print your calendar.

Free Betty Crocker 2010 Calendar

2009-12-04T09:19:00.000-06:00

If you sign up with one of three Betty Crocker e-newsletters you can for a limited time also get a 2010 free calendar. Go Here to sign up!

FREE 2010 Oriental Trading Company Calendar

2009-12-04T09:14:00.000-06:00

This morning I was on a hunt for free 2010 calenders. I found some more! Here's the first:

The Oriental Trading2010 Calendar includes:
A special money-saving offer for you each month!
New tips & idea starters to help you plan fun events all year long!
Shopping reminders for guaranteed holiday delivery.
Tons of unique dates to celebrate every month, such as "National Ice Cream Day!"

Go Here to sign up for your free calendar.

Win a New Prize Every Day in December!

2009-12-03T10:00:00.005-06:00

I stumbled across this December freebie giveaway from Woman's Health. The entire month of December they are giving away a free prize, just enter to win. This is today's prize:

A Lole Cuddle Sweater

Go Here to enter and learn more.

Pillsbury Free 2010 Calendar

2009-12-03T09:48:00.002-06:00

I found a fun 2010 free calendar from Pillsbury. When you create a profile and sign up to receive the Pillsbury® or Cooking 4 Two email newsletter, you can access exclusive member benefits on Pillsbury.com, and receive a FREE* Pillsbury® 2010 Calendar! Quantities are limited so Go Here to get your free calendar before they are gone.

Free 2010 Calendar

2009-12-03T09:31:00.003-06:00

I'm already needing to use a 2010 calendar at my house. I thought I would take a look around and see if I could find a free calendar since this one will be used for appointments, church activities, etc. I didn't want to print one of my computer. I found this calendar that will give information on woman's health as well. You can choose the English or Spanish version.

Click here for your free calendar. (US only) You will only be able to get one calendar per household. You can't beat free!

This Week's Menu Plan

2009-11-30T12:32:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. I was amazed that all the food we were preparing was done on time. We are notorious for being late much to the guy's chagrin. This year I fixed the turkey at my house and brought it along. That way the oven at my sister's house was free for the rest of the food still baking. That made the difference!

I'm looking forward to a quieter week here at home. There are no desserts listed as we still have plenty of desserts left over from Thanksgiving meals. What a bounty we have in this land!

Breakfast
Monday- Cereal
Easy Crescent rolls & Eggs
Mama’s Muesli
Cream of Wheat, Banana Muffin
English Muffins, Cottage Cheese, & Applesauce
Yogurt, fruit, bagel
Cereal

Lunch
Monday-Grilled Cheese, fruit, veggies
Baked Potatoes w Broccoli & Cheese, Applesauce
Leftovers
Stir Fry Veggies & Rice, Sweet Potatoes
PB&J Sandwich, fruit, veggies
Mac Chicken Cacciatore, fruit, veggies
Potluck: Lentil Soup

Snacks
Blue Berry Muffins
Spiced Bars
Popcorn
Green Smoothie

Supper
Monday-Chicken Pot Pie, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans
Quiche, Salad, Corn
Leftovers
Chili, Herbed Potatoes, Juice Jell-O

Visiting
Cheeseburger Joes, Salad, Corn, Beets
Farmhouse Chicken, Corn, Beets, Sweet Potatoes