Thankful Thursday!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Happy Thursday!

I have really come to enjoy Thursday's because it forces me to focus on what is truely important!  It is so easy in the busyness of life to forget all that God has blessed us with.  When I have to list~say outloud~the things I have to be thankful for, all the other things in life seem to melt away.  I am very blessed and here is a small list of the things I am thankful for:

**family~especially my grandparents.  I know of so many who do not have them anymore.

**my cold~~yes you read that right.  Having this cold makes me appreciate my health more and I am thankful for my health.

**charming neighbors

**the beautiful weather this week

**Christian school teachers and the wonderful things they do each day for our children

**blogging friends

**kisses from my kiddo's

**God's provisions in my life

**music

Take some time today and remember the things that God has blessed you with.  You will feel so much better after you do!  For more thankful thoughts, please visit Iris at Grace Alone.

Have a Blessed Day!!

Blessings,

Giveaway over at The Book Guardians!

Head over to The Book Guardians for their very first Giveaway!  They are giving away 2 books~~ Little Women and a favorite in our house Anne of Green Gables.  They have 3 ways to enter the giveaway.  I would love to win these books~I know my oldest daughter would go crazy!  Good Luck!

Have a great day!

Wordless Wednesday!

Who's going in first??

Have a great day!!

Blessings,

Frugal Living--Make it yourself!

Since starting to live a frugal lifestyle, I am always on the lookout for a deal, a good bargain, something I just can't pass up.  Last week I came across just that. 

I found 2 loaves of day old french bread marked down to 90 cents!  We really like garlic bread with dinners like spaghetti, lasagna, or with grilled chicken salad.  At the grocery store a loaf of garlic bread is around $2.00 here.  I saw this bread and thought "hey I can make my own garlic bread!"  So I did!!  I just cut each loaf in half and sliced through the middle.  I buttered it and then added garlic salt and some parsley.  Closed the half loaf back up and placed it in the freezer.  For less than $2 I have garlic bread for 4 meals!  We had some this weekend, and my husband LOVED it!  He wanted to know what kind it was because it so much better than any other's I've gotten!  When I told him I made it myself, he told me to keep doing that!  The kids liked it too.  It is actually much softer than store bought~which we all liked!  It makes me so happy to know that I can save money while still making my family happy!

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...sun shining, but much cooler today...fall is in the air!!
I am thinking...about the "once a month cooking" I did this weekend, and ....
I am thankful for...a freezer full of dinners and baked goods
From the kitchen...tater-tot casserole, applesauce
I am wearing...capri's and red shirt
I am creating...starting some burp cloth's for my niece who is expecting in November
I am going...to be more intentional in my life...still working on this in many area's
I am reading...So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore, Bible
I am hoping...for more simplicity in our lives
I am hearing...Brenna singing and marching
Around the house...laundry, have some Amish friendship bread in the oven (smells good!)
One of my favorite things...a home full of "noisy" children
A few plans for the rest of the week...an appointment for our son this afternoon, open house on Wednesday at school, a couple of volleyball games, and our nephew's 2nd birthday party on Saturday
Here is picture thought I am sharing...


the last of my summer flowers

 Thanks for stopping by.  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a wonderful week!

Blessings,

Freebie Friday!!

Friday is one of my favorite days--for many reasons!!  Head over to Momadvice to find a list of this weeks freebies.  My mailbox has become something to look forward to since I have found Amy.  She does a great job of finding some great freebies each week!

Have a blessed day,

Thankful Thursday

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18


If you read my last post, you learned of my recent struggle with contentment.  One of the ways to keep Joy in my heart is to remember all I am blessed with.  It is so easy to look at the problems in my life and forget the blessings.  I started Thankful Thursday in my last blog as a way to remind my self of those blessings.  So here is a list of things I am thankful for this week (in no specific order).....


**the changing of the seasons.  I love fall...the changing colors...the cool, crisp air....raking leaves....the  anticipation of winter....


**the gifts and talents my children posess


**a comfy quilt on those cool fall nights


**my husbands job--especially in this economy


**Godly mentors and leaders in our lives


**my home!! (read my last post!)


**HUGS!


**quiet evenings with my husband and children--no running to volleyball, youth group, etc


**that the Lord has been good to me, even when (especially when) I don't deserve His goodness!


Take some time today to remember the special blessings you have in your life, and remember to Thank God for them!  For more thankful thoughts, please visit Iris at Grace Alone.


Have a Blessed Day!

Contentment

I was recently reading Amy's post over at Raising Arrows about contentment.  That post could have been written by me--well except for the fact that she is patiently waiting for a baby-who is long overdue-and I am not!! :)

She wrote about trying to be content in all situations, not just the joyful ones.  I have been struggling with this same thing lately.  She discussed her desire to live in the country-which has been a desire of mine for some time.  Ironically enough, we moved to our city (well, you might want to call it a town) 2 years ago.  We lived in an unincorporated town-it basically had one street in it-and wanted to move into town.  Our oldest children were growing into the stage of sports and friends.  We thought it would be wise to move closer to church, school, and my husbands job.  And we were completely blessed to receive the home we have.  It is absolutely perfect for our family.  We have a child who uses a walker and wheelchair, and our home has no steps--perfect for him.  We have more bedrooms in this home than our previous one--perfect because just after we bought this home, we found out we were expecting baby #5.  It is close to school, grocery, work, pharmacy, etc that we can walk or ride bike in nice weather.  We do not have a very large yard, but are close to a park-perfect. 

Then why do I have a desire to move out to the country?  I know we would not be able to afford a country property.  I know that we would have to spend more time doing yard work.  I know it would take more gas and time to go to work, school, etc.  I know then my husband would probably not be able to come home for lunch.  Still.....why my discontent???

Amy said it perfectly and it went straight to my heart.  Joy comes from the Lord.  I must be willing to surrender ALL to Him, accept my situation and circumstances, and be thankful for what He has given me.  

I am ashamed to say that 2 short years ago when we bought our home, I was so thankful, and praised God for all our blessings.  Now I have been finding fault in those blessings.  The gift He had given me was no longer "good enough". 

I have had a lot to think about the past few weeks since reading her post.  I choose to Praise God from who all blessings flow.  I have been abundantly blessed, and I choose to be content with those blessings.  I hope you can find peace in your circumstances, and know that God is the giver of all things.  You will be blessed as I have been.

Thanks Amy!

To read her post-which is a great one- click HERE!

Have a Blessed Day!

Frugal Living--Make Your Own Pizza's!!

We LOVE pizza at our house!  We have made Friday nights as pizza and movie night at our house.  We all eat pizza downstairs and watch a movie that one of the kids have picked out.   We have a rotating schedule for picking movies, so everyone gets a chance to pick out the movie.  Sometimes the bigger kids don't always like what the little's pick out, but it also goes the other way around!  Anyway, for our large family (with a couple of big eaters) we could go through a lot of pizza.  I have been playing with making our own pizza's for a while now and I think I have found a recipe that everyone agrees is the best.  I make my own pizza sauce and the crust.  I make a large batch of sauce and freeze it, and just pull it out of the freezer the night before to defrost.  I am also experimenting with freezing the pizza crust as well.  The recipe for the sauce is as follows.....

Easy Pizza Sauce

2 (6oz) cans of tomato paste

2 garlic cloves

3Tb dried parsley flakes

4tsp dried onion flakes

1tsp dried oregano

1tsp dried basil

2 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart pan.

Cook over medium-high until mixture boils.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Cool a little and spread on pizza crust.

I make a large batch at a time, and place it in plastic containers after it has cooled and freeze it.  

I have also found THIS recipe for the pizza crust.  It is delicious and easy!  I had been using a different recipe for quite a while, but we didn't really like it.  The first time I made this recipe, everyone agreed that is was the best!  So it's a winner in our household!  I do add some wheat flour to the mix.  You can also freeze this recipe (see HERE), but beware.....  the dough will continue to rise after you wrap it up, so when she talks about placing the dough  in the coldest part of your freezer to stop the rising....please listen!!  I learned the hard way.  I placed the dough balls in my side-by-side freezer, and a while later found they had risen quite a bit already!  It would have been a funny sight if I wasn't worried that I had ruined the whole batch!

Enjoy your pizza night!!

Blessings,

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...cloudy, rain off and on, high around 65
I am thinking...about all the things I need to get done today
I am thankful for...God's provisions, Godly people to learn from
From the kitchen...Chicken casserole, fruit, apple pie for dessert-yummy!
I am wearing...tan capri's, black shirt
I am creating...starting some burp cloth's for my niece who is expecting in November
I am going...to be more intentional in my life
I am reading...Have A New Husband By Friday by Kevin Leman (he's so funny!), Bible
I am hoping...things will slow down soon
I am hearing...radio, dishwasher, and dryer
Around the house...laundry, make some banana bread, I'd like to get some fall decorations up from the basement
One of my favorite things...a peaceful home, time spent with good friends
A few plans for the rest of the week...lots of volleyball this week (again!!), ground breaking for an addition on our school, take the pool down, some doctor's appointments
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Homemade pizza--we have it most Friday nights for supper.  Recipe to come this week!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!

Blessings,

Freebie Friday!!

Happy Freebie Friday, everyone!!  Friday's are one of my favorite days because I get to see what Amy has found for this weeks freebies!  Head over to MomAdvice and enjoy getting your mail again!  See you there!
Have a great day!
Blessings,

Frugal Living--Free Holiday Cards plus shipping!!

 If you would know me personally, you would know that I LOVE  Christmas!  I am ready to pull out the Christmas music, but my family who thinks I am crazy, refuses to let me.  We received our first Christmas catalog in the mail this week.  Now I found out you can order free holiday cards over at Snapfish.  I'm loving it! 
Head over to Snapfish and look through the 4 x 8 cards--they really don't need to be holiday cards, but why not get a head start on them?  Use the code BABIES and get a $14.99 discount at checkout.  Shipping should be around $5.99, plus any sales tax if applicable.    I've gotten our first set of cards done!  I'm so excited!
Blessings,
Jess


Go over to Freebies 4 Mom for other great deals!!

Elderberry Syrup

I found THIS  post over at Passionate Homemaking about elderberry syrup this past weekend.  I am very, very interested in this.  We have had a couple of bad winters with our family's health.  One year it was strep throat going round and round and round.  Last year it was mainly colds, with a couple of bouts of stomach bugs here and there.  With a large family, it seems once one person gets it, everyone gets it.  So anything that may help our family to stay healthy is something I am interested in.

Just wondering if any of you have used this and how it works for you.  I do not have much knowledge about herbals, but I know many people have great results with them.  Any other suggestions for staying healthy this winter??

Have a great day!
Blessings,
Jess

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...clear sunny sky, highs mid 70's--BEAUTIFUL!
I am thinking...about what to bake today....
I am thankful for...God's gifts-which are many!, this beautiful day!
From the kitchen...Chicken sandwiches and fries
I am wearing...tan shorts, black short sleeved top
I am creating...starting some burp cloth's for my niece who is expecting in November
I am going...to be more intentional in my life
I am reading...Have A New Husband By Friday by Kevin Leman (he's so funny!), Bible
I am hoping...for answers to prayer
I am hearing...crickets outside, that's pretty much it right now...amazing!
Around the house...laundry hanging outside, bake something yummy, clean bathrooms
One of my favorite things...a peaceful home
A few plans for the rest of the week...lots of volleyball this week, our school auction on Saturday
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Our 18 month old eating corn on the cob for the first time this summer!  He loved it!!

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a GREAT week!!

Blessings,
Jess

Grandparents Day

This weekend is Grandparents Day!  My grandparents played such an important role in my life as a child, and actually they still do.  I had all of my grandparents until I was an adult.  In fact, I had several great grandparents for most of my childhood.  I have such great memories of times spent with each of them.  Staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house for the week during the summer, family reunions, dinners with them......aaahhh.....the wonderful memories!  Time has gone by too fast, as now several of them are awaiting a family reunion in heaven.   I remember my grandpa always would call me "tootz".  It was fine until I was in high school and he called me that in front of my friends.  I remember thinking how embarassing it was to have grandpa call me that when friends were around.  Now I would give anything to hear him say that--in front of anybody!!  He's been gone 19 years now.   I miss those grandparents who are no longer with us.  I was very blessed to have them in my life, and I am still blessed as I still have 1 grandfather and 1 grandmother and step-grandfather.  My husband lost his grandparents while he was still young, so he doesn't always understand the closeness I still feel with my grandparents.

I pray that you will take a few moments this weekend to remember the grandparents in your life.  Whether it is your own grandparents, or your children's grandparents.  They are special people in our lives!

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,
Jess

Welcome To My Good Friends!

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to my friends from Homestead blogger for following me here.  I really loved the atmosphere and family unit at Homestead, but just couldn't do what I really wanted to do with my blog over there.  I really wanted to stay over there, and who knows.....maybe sometime in the future I will come back.  I hope you enjoy coming over here to keep up on what is going on in our homestead, and know that I will continue to check in on you over there.

Blessings,
Jess

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...clear skies, highs close to 70
I am thinking...about how to get more organized--must start making lists!!
I am thankful for...the changing season's, life's simple lessons
From the kitchen...Tex-Mex beef and potatoes, fruit
I am wearing...jeans and red long sleeved shirt
I am creating...nothing right now....hopefully some memories though!
I am going...to get started on organizing
I am reading...A Woman After God's Own Heart (again!) by Elizabeth George, Bible
I am hoping...for answers to prayer
I am hearing...kids singing and playing
Around the house...finish laundry-it's on the line already, bake something yummy!
One of my favorite things...a peaceful home
A few plans for the rest of the week...first youth group meeting tonight for our oldest 2, first volleyball game for our daughter tommorrow, Friday movie night with our kiddo's, house to-do list on Saturday
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

She enjoy's salad so much, she eats it with tongs right out of the bowl!

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook!  Have a great week!!

Blessings,
Jess

FREE Downey Sample at Vocalpoint!

Head on over to Vocalpoint and get your free sample of Downey April Fresh Fabric Softner.  Vocalpoint is a great way to get things.  You'll need to register if you are not a member and you'll get e-mails telling you about the freebies they are offering.  The best part is that usually there are some high value coupons along with the samples.  Give it a try!  Start HERE!


Blessings,
Jess

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY


Outside my window...grey skies, still humid, high around 80

I am thinking...and praying for our niece and nephew


I am thankful for...my children, and gentle reminders of the blessings they are


From the kitchen...apple raisin oven pancakes, fresh fruit


I am wearing...blue jean shorts, red top

I am creating...nothing right now :(

I am going...to start September’s budget

I am reading...Bible

I am hoping...for cooler weather, to get caught up on laundry

I am hearing...our 2 youngest kiddo’s playing in the next room

Around the house...laundry, clean bathrooms


One of my favorite things...the giggles coming from babies

A few plans for the rest of the week…volleyball practice tonight, spending time this extended weekend with our children relaxing and having a good time :)

For more daybooks, visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jess