Thanks & MPM

I want to start by thanking all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement. I just never dreamed that this blog would be a place i would turn for either of those things but i am so incredibly grateful for the friendships i have made here! I continue to swing between peace, shock, and heartbreak but more and more i am at peace. It still hurts and there are times when i will hear a song or a memory will unexpectedly come up in my mind and i cry but they are tears of joy mixed with heartache. Joy for Erika. For the blessing she was to me. For the fact that she will never feel any of this hurt or pain again. For the lessons i have taken away from this......this has changed me in ways i can't even explain. I can't think of a time when i have ever felt closer to God and i am soaking up his whispers of comfort and unexplainable peace. I don't understand why, but for the first time in my life i can honestly say that i am at peace with not understanding why! And only by the grace of my Father above can i say that! I will be meeting with the other girls from my bible study group tomorrow morning to pray and remember and then on Friday we will celebrate Erika's life at her memorial service. Please continue to pray for Rob and the boys and for all of their family as they continue to grieve. At times there is no greater gift than prayer and i whole heartedly believe this is one of those times!

And now....the menu plan for the week. Things are a little crazy this week but i'm lost without a plan and so here it is!

Monday ~ Order Pizza (and it was fabulous!) ;)

Tuesday ~ Spaghetti, Garlic Bread and Green Salad

Wednesday ~ Cornbread Casserole* (that i am making for a couple in our small group who had a baby boy last week! We will just be eating something quick because we have to drop the meal off and get to awana where Brayden has an awards ceremony this week!)

Thursday ~ Crispy Ranch Chicken* w/ Garlic Muffins* and Broccoli (this one didn't happen last week!)

Friday ~ I am making Cornflake Cheesy Potatoes* for the memorial service meal and i am making cucumber dip and something sweet (not sure what yet...any suggestions??) for a pampered chef party that i am having that night! John and the boys are on their own! =)

Saturday ~ Breakfast for Dinner ~ Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits and Fruit

Sunday ~ Easy Chicken Parmesan*

* these are recipes that i have linked to in previous menu plan posts but i'm too lazy to link to them again right now!

So there you have it! I know this is a boring menu with no links but if i find time later this week i will post the recipe for the cucumber dip cause it is fabulous! I pray you all have a fantastic week and don't forget to check out all the menu planning action over at orgjunkie.com!

Please Pray.....

It is with a broken heart that i write this morning and ask for prayer....i received a phone call this morning with news that a friend from church was killed in a car accident last night. She and her husband are in our small group and i have been blessed to grow even closer to her thru a bible study the last couple of months. I'm torn between the peace of knowing that she is home w/ our Lord now and the hurt for her husband and their two beautiful boys. Erika was such a blessing and will be so incredibly missed. She was a wonderful wife, Mommy, and friend. Please pray for her husband, Rob, and their two boys, Andrew-2 and James-not even 1. Pray for peace and comfort as they grieve this tragic loss. If nothing else this has done something indescribable in my heart today.......every single day we have is a blessing and the reality is that i haven't treated my days that way lately.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

It's easy to question God in difficult times like this but i KNOW God is good. And in times like this when my earthly mind cannot understand i will cling to His word....His promises. He works for the good of those who love him. Erika loved our Lord and Savior and she is home w/ Him now and He is working for the good even when we don't understand. I am so blessed knowing that i can come to all of you for prayer and i thank you for that! I pray you are all having a wonderful weekend enjoying your family and not sweating the small stuff!

Menu Plan Monday

I spent way toooo much time looking around on the web over the last week and i found LOTS of recipes i want to try!! So this week we are trying all kinds of new things and i am excited...it all sounds so good! I'm linking to lots of different sites this week so be sure to let me know if you decide to try any of the recipes!!

Monday: Spinach Carbonara Pizza

Tuesday: Crispy Ranch Chicken w/ Garlic Muffins & Broccoli

Wednesday: Crockpot Salsa Chicken over Rice w/ Corn

Thursday: Spaghetti w/ Green Salad & Garlic Bread

Friday: Poppyseed Chicken over Rice w/ Mix Veggies

Saturday: Ham w/ Pineapple Sauce w/ Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Green Beans Almondine

Last week i went to a pampered chef party and the consultant made spinach carbonara pizza and it was sooooo good, so i looked up the recipe and threw it into our menu this week! And Hubby has been craving sweet potatoes so i figured i would try a new sweet potato recipe! This week should be fun with all the new things we are trying! Don't forget to check out orgjunkie.com for lots of yummy ideas and recipes!!

ps....there was a main water line break close to our house on saturday and our water was out ALL day! Needless to say, i wasn't going to cook w/ no water to wash dishes and no idea when the water would be back on, so the mashed cauliflower will have to wait! I will probably put it on the menu again next week!

Let me introduce you to....

Stinky!!!


We got to dog sit this weekend and while i was a little concerned at first, i have to admit that it was alot of fun! Stinky was such a good boy and Colby and Brayden had a blast! It almost makes me want a dog. BUT see the thing is that i want a Stinky......i want a dog that is already house trained and doesn't chew on any and everything and is sweet and not super hyper and the list could go on and on! And well....Stinky is taken so we will just have to enjoy him when he visits i suppose!!

Isn't he the cutest little thing?? And he is so sweet too! And he loves to play....i enjoyed watching him run and bounce around the back yard with the boys! And oh my...his bushy eyebrows get me every time! He is just too. stinkin. cute. {sigh} I never thought i would say this about a dog, but i actually kind of miss him!

Menu Plan Monday

So last week i really shouldn't have even bothered with a menu plan because nothing really happened like i thought it would! We had a great spring break! The one benefit of daddy working evenings is that he was home during the day all week so we got to have lots of family fun!! This week we are back to the daily grind and back to sticking to our menu plan!!

Monday: frozen dinners*

Tuesday: Tuna Casserole

Wednesday: Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken w/ steamed rice & broccoli

Thursday: Cornbread Casserole

Friday: Potato Soup w/ crackers

Saturday: Meatloaf w/ mashed cauliflower & green beans**

Sunday: left overs/ take out

* we've had these frozen dinners in the freezer for soooo long that i decided we are just going to eat them tonight to get them out of the freezer!

** i heard of doing mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes on Biggest Loser and a girlfriend of mine tried and said its actually really good so we're gonna give it a try!

We had the crockpot brown sugar chicken a couple of weeks ago and LOVED it!! So we are having it again this week and the boys (hubby included) ;) are super excited. If you missed the recipe before you can go here to get it. And you should. You really really should try it! And don't forget to head over to orgjunkie.com to check out all the menu planning fun!

Its that time again.....

Well, we survived the first week of daddy working evenings and i feel like we are getting in a semi-routine! And really.....that's the best i can wish for! With a work schedule that will change every 6 weeks its tough to settle into any solid routine too much! This week we are on spring break and have all kinds of fun planned so our menu contains way more eating out than any menu really should but i'm taking the break in spring break seriously!! ;) Here's what will fuel the madness around here this week!

Monday: Take Out
Tuesday: Crock pot Lemon Chicken w/ steamed rice & broccoli
Wednesday: Take Out
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: Order Pizza
Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner~sausage gravy over biscuits & scrambled eggs
Sunday: Lasagna w/ salad & garlic bread

So there ya have it! I actually thought long and hard about trying to plan on making more meals at home this week but the reality is this menu better reflects what will really happen!! I will be back later this week to post about our spring break fun and until then head on over to orgjunkie.com and check out all the menu planning goin' on! Have a FABULOUS week!! =)

A Breath of Fresh Air

I figure since i posted about how yucky the weather had been for so long, that i would now post about how GORGEOUS the weather has been the last couple of days!! We have been loving it....sunshine, breezy, mid to upper 70's.....soooo beautiful!! (of course this is what our summer's have been like for the last 3 yrs so please don't remind me just yet how much hotter it is going to get!) So here is a little peek at what we've been up to....

Hyper Dash
(this game ROCKS!)



Bubbles
(lots and lots of bubbles!)


Car Washin'
(long overdue!)



a little BBQ action for dinner
(isn't he a hottie standing there w/ his man toy?!?)


and we ended the night watching a movie together
(atleast most of us were watching it! ha!)


It has been a great kick off to our spring break! We have a chance for some rain tomorrow (and since we spread grass seed and fertilizer today, we wouldn't really mind!) but then the forecast for the rest of the week looks GREAT!! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled programming.....

......to bring you the latest from Lake Miculka! ha! It has been raining, and raining, and raining.....for most of the last week! And i know what you're all thinking.....didn't you just move from northwest washington where it rains like 9 months a year?? Why yes i did! But.....it rains lightly up there. Here...it POURS!! Its been years since i've seen storms like this! The thunder, lightning, can't see 2 feet in front of you cause it's raining so hard kind! Craziness! And now....who could of guessed God would bless us with waterfront property??!! Here is our backyard...or lake....or whatever you want to call it......

That water is inches deep...YUCK!

The boys are tired of being stuck inside and i am very ready for them to be able to have a little outside play time again! Coloring, playdough, wii, and crafts only go so far with two rambunctious boys!! So i'm curious....what are your favorite inside activities for the kiddos?? Can't wait to hear what all of you do to stay busy when mother nature doesn't allow for outside time, so please do share!