Jesse Tree Ornaments part 2 and MORE

Part I
Jesse Tree Ornaments, round 2

Here is my final installment of Jesse Tree ornaments. :)

(one of my favorites above, Elizabeth and John the Baptist)

Part II

While at some church functions at a family's house, we saw the idea for this cork board. That family has a big S on theirs, and it kind of functions the way a fridge would, from what I can tell. So, we placed this one (3' x 4') where my old picture board used to be (it's now in the laundry room so I can see our family and friends' smiling faces while I do laundry), and it has a K we bought and spray-painted from Hobby Lobby, birth announcements, shower invitations, Sammy's puppy obedience certificate, and some pictures of friends. I reallllllly like it! We bought the K in the spring and the board this summer. But we only recently got everything hung and set up. :)

And here's Sammy, spying at me over the back of the couch.

Tackle It Tuesday

So, I decided to give my menu planning a boost (credit to LifeSong and Preschoolers and Peace for the idea). Normally, I plan a weekly menu around what is on sale. I have to admit, it's common to see some of the same meals popping up each week or every other week. In order to spice things up a little and provide for more variety, I have decided to try the following menu plan:

Mondays: Italian
Tuesdays: beef
Wednesdays: Mexican
Thursdays: chicken
Fridays: easy
Saturday: mix and match
Sunday: crockpot (now that our new small group meets Sunday late afternoon/early evening... more on that later :) )

So, then my Italian dishes to choose from currently are:
spaghetti
manicottis
alfredo
pasta bake
spaghetti pie
baked ziti
chicken parmesan
chicken cacciatore

beef:
stew
pot roast
goulash
chili
cubed steak
porcupine meatballs
hamb. stroganoff

Mexican:
hard, soft, or fractured tacos
enchiladas
taco pie
burritos

chicken:
chicken and biscuits
chicken pot pie
chicken and stuffing
company chicken
pineapple chicken
baked chicken
grilled chicken
teriyaki chicken
chicken caesar salad
cornflake chicken
chicken packets
rice crispy chicken

easy:
frozen pizza
crescent roll pizza
frozen lasagna

mix and match:
pork chops (cook top or grill)
barbeque
ham
something from another category
baked potatoes
potato soup

crockpot:
bbq crockpot chicken
crockpot pork roast
Italian chicken
(stew/pot roast)
(chili)
chicken and dumplings
scalloped potatoes and ham

With the exception of my "easy" night and kind of Mexican night, we can have a different meal every day for a month! Woo hoo! My husband won't know what to think! :)

I've been meaning to sit down and revitalize my menu planning for awhile, and now it's actually done. :) I'll let you know how it goes.... :) And if you have any recipe suggestions for easy weeknight dinners, I would welcome them! :)

Association...

What is your favorite?...name one of each:

the first thing that came to my mind....

1. food? pasta
2. book? Bible
3. item of clothing? t-shirt
4. actor? honestly don't have one
5. movie? Little Women
6. color? blue
7. time of day? after lunch
8. season? fall
9. holiday? Christmas
10. animal? dog

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?

Jennette. It's a family name. And no, I would not want to change any of my names, except occasionally I toy with the idea of First Middle Maiden Married. But it's already done. No more changes now, I guess. :)

Soup
If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?

Amy Butler and Alexander Henry, hehe.

Salad
What is your least favorite chore, and why?

Ironing... I think it's genetic. ;)

Main Course
What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?

Fire, which I trace back to our minivan BURNING UP (to a crisp!) in our driveway when I was in middle school... and especially me not waking up for a single second if it (sirens and all). I know that was God protecting me, but I think I've always been a little extra afraid ever since then--what if I didn't wake up and the house was on fire?

Dessert
Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment.

In the family room at the computer (obvious)...ribbon keychain, cell phone, Rock Bottom coaster from Charlotte, NC.

-click the Friday's Feast button for more!

Wordless Wednesday

see more Wordless Wednesday

Menu Plan Monday

Today commences our official thrust back into the swing of things (you should have seen our dog Sammy's "what is going on?!" face when I was leaving for work... it was like she didn't even remember the days before lazing around the house with me home most of the day the last few weeks). Between traveling and just being totally out of routine, it's been awhile since I did a serious grocery shopping trip and planned a menu for the week.

Thankfully, there were some good sales, and we look forward to some good meals shared together! With just two of us, I usually just make a main dish and a side...

Sunday: spaghetti with rolls

Monday: chicken and biscuits with mashed potatoes

Tuesday: soft or fractured tacos

Wednesday: chicken alfredo with corn and rolls

Thursday: pork chops with mashed potatoes

Friday: lasagna with corn and rolls

Saturday: grilled chicken and potatoes

click the logo above to find more menus (some with links to the recipes!)

Christmas Crafting

Joy received the Jesse Tree ornaments I made her for Christmas in the mail today (I gave them to her on Christmas morning lacking the final step--appliqued but not sewn into their final, pillow-like form, and asked for them back (eek!) so I could finish them off). I mailed them on Saturday, and they arrived! Woo hoo! So, now I feel like I can show you the final "product" without giving away the fun of her seeing them first. :)

Here they are...























I actually have a couple more to upload (there are 28 in all), including a couple of my favorites. I love, loved, LOVED working on them. It was so sweet to be able to rehearse the Gospel as I made them and to think of my SWEET sister while I sewed. :) As I was telling someone the other day (because it still blesses and amazes me after growing up with 2 brothers and no sisters), she's known me over half my life. What a gift to me!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?

This week! Mom sent a glass apothecary jar from Pottery Barn monogrammed with my initials. :)

Soup
If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?

Back home in TN, no doubt about it. Convenient mountain access (how we do miss those mountains we used to "lovingly" call "hills"), and of course, wonderful family and friend access! Not to mention, FOUR seasons! :)

Salad
Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.

Apple

Main Course
Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.

My wedding gown. It was (is) amazing. I expected to choose a simple a-line dress, but I ended up with an all-out princessy ballgown. White. Off-the-shoulder straps, beading on the bodice and straps, basque waistline, full satin skirt with beading around the hemline, buttons down the back to the waist, and chapel/semi-cathedral train. LOVE it.

Dessert
If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?

In recent memory, it would probably be the day Ellie went to the vet and we found out she had to be put down/the day after she went to the vet and they actually put her down.

click the Friday's Feast button at the top for more Friday's Feast from other bloggers. :)

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Crafting pictures from 2007

(I couldn't find anything for Jan-March, sad huh?)

April
necklace


April #2 (I didn't have anything for May :-( )
baby blanket


June
pizza glyph for science camp


cross stitch for living room


July
card

napkin


nursing cover


August

classroom decor

September
notecards for newly-engaged friend


October
leaf-covered pumpkin


November
began Jesse Tree ornaments for Joy


December
family apple ornaments


tree in the classroom my students decorated (they made the ornaments)

Works for Me Wednesday

(Belated) Christmas Cards

School ended closer to Christmas than in the past. That, in addition to a labor intensive hand-made gift for my sister, meant some things had to wait until after Christmas. Actually, it came down to "(try to) finish J's gift" or "mail Christmas cards." I chose the former. And I'm so glad did! J seems to really like the gift (stay tuned for pictures)!!

Now, that's not to say we won't send cards at all. We are sending "Epiphany" cards. :) The Magi were not at the manger in time for Christ's birth, and neither were our cards. But they are heartfelt all the same, and they will arrive. Just a little after Christmas.

When your to do list is growing every second, your ink cartridge peters out on you, and you know people are more important than expectations, Epiphany cards work for me. :)

click for more WFMW

picture from art.com

Wordless Wednesday

(Christmas Clean up... when the tree stopped taking water before you even left town)


more Wordless Wednesday :)

Stocking Stuffers

Thanks to this link from imommies, I hunted all around Sears for some stocking stuffers for Matt. The coupon gets you $5 off a purchase of $5. You wouldn't believe how many little odds and ends in the lawn/garden and tool sections fall in that range! I had a BLAST!! The coupon is only limited to one per purchase, so I just asked for each transaction to be totaled separately (and had a stack of printed coupons on hand). The other great news is that the coupon works on sale prices AND it's good until Jan. 22! Take advantage of after-Christmas tool sales, too!!

Here's a picture of what I got for Matt. A few things were under $5, so I had a stack of $1 items as well to bring to the total to the right amount. :) Altogether, I paid $7.84. Without the coupons, the total would have been around $35 (with the sale prices, more if the items had not been on sale)! Praise the Lord for a SUPER FUN and FRUGAL way to fill my hubby's stocking!

November Came and Went!

Sorry for the utter lack of posting in November...

My mom came to visit, which was WONDERFUL!

Then it was my birthday. :)

Then Matt's dad came down to help us remodel our den.

We have just now put the computer back in its place and still have some things to put back.

Now I am working on a Christmas project I would LOVE to post (it's killing me, really), but the person for whom I am making the gift might click through to here. So, I will post it after Christmas, I promise.

In the meantime, here are some remodel pictures, and soon I'll post some of our Christmas decor!







Have a blessed Advent season, and thanks for hanging in there with me while I was "missing."