Thankful for Menu Plan Monday

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We traveled to Houston, and had a wonderful time catching up with family! As I look around me daily, I am overwhelmed with the blessings in my life. Family, Friends, Faith... and also for you guys. I am so thankful to all my blog friends. I look forward to your visits and comments everyday and look forward to getting to know you more and more! I missed you all last week, but we all need breaks right?  
I am also thankful for Menu Plan Monday!! I have to admit, although I don't always stick with my menu, I would be lost without it! Meals seem to be an after thought in our home, we get so busy and before I realize dinner time is upon us, and I have three hungry boys at my feet. Luckily at that point all I have to do is check my menu and start cooking, instead of digging through my pantry hoping something is there that might make a decent meal. It is a must for me to stay organized and Menu Planning is such a large part of that.

So here is my menu plan for this week. Many of the dishes will use MORE Thanksgiving leftovers!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:
Grandma's Spaghetti and Meat (recipe below), Cornbread, Salad

Tuesday:
Turkey Pocket Pies (recipe tomorrow)

Wednesday: 1st Wed. at BAF
Black Bean Quessadillas strips, fruit salad

Thursday:

Friday: Family Movie Night
Pizza, popcorn, Peppermint Sundaes

Saturday: Christmas Shopping
Crock pot Turkey Soup, cheese, crackers

Sunday:
Hash brown Ham Bake, green beans, salad


Recipe:

Grandma's Spaghetti and Meat (exactly as she wrote it on a recipe card for me)

1 1/2 c. Small Elbow Macaroni
1/2 lb Hamburger meat
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 46oz can of tomato juice

Cook Macaroni in enough water to be loose. While it's cooking brown meat loose or in small balls. Drain off water on macaroni and add tomato juice, meat, salt & sugar. Heat to a boil. Very good with Cornbread or butter and crackers.

Southwest Sliders w/Chipotle Mayo

I have been inspired!  I saw some cute little home style burgers at a restaurant the other day, and thought I would give my hand at them, but because I can't leave anything alone... I decided to spice things up a bit and add a little Southwest pizazz!!

I like to call them Southwest Sliders, but William refers to them as  SKY BURGERS. ( free iPhone app, you'll have to check it out)

Southwest Sliders w/Chipotle Mayo

Burgers:

• 2 lbs. Ground Beef
• 1 (10oz) can Rotel original
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt

1. Mix Beef, rotel, eggs, onion powder and garlic salt
2. Form into 2 inch balls and flatten into a patty (making middle slightly indented)
3. Preheat Grill on Medium heat  cook for 15 minutes, turning halfway through.

Chipotle Mayonnaise

• 1 c  mayonnaise or light mayonnaise (do not use salad dressing, it will be too watery)
• 2 chipotle peppers with 1 tbs adobo sauce
• juice of 1 lime

1. Chop peppers,adobo sauce, and lime juice in a food processor until smooth texture.
2. Stir mixture into Mayonnaise
3. Keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks. Use Mayo on Burgers, Sandwiches, and Fajitas.

Spread mayo on both sides of potato roll, add a southwest patty, and top with all your favorites.
We used American Cheese, lettuce, tomato, and red onion.

Menu Plan Monday: The one with the turkey! :)

It's Thanksgiving week, and I'm anxious to see what all of you have planned for your menu this week. I'm hoping it includes some yummy recipes.
 I'm super excited today b/c I'm roasting my very first turkey!! We have always been given smoked turkeys by my husbands employer, so I have never had to cook one. And although we are still getting a cooked turkey, I just have to try out this roasting thing for myself! So get ready for a whole lot of turkey dishes on my menu plan! :) YUM... I love TURKEY!!!

Monday: 
Poblano and Cilantro Roasted Turkey, Twice Baked Salsa Potatoes, Mexican Corn, and Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce

Tuesday:
Grandma's Spaghetti & Meat and Cornbread

Wednesday & Thursday: In Houston with family!
Taking snacks. Chex Mix, Sausage Balls, and Pumpkin Muffins.

Friday: Christmas Pizza Movie Night- THE TREE GOES UP TODAY!!
Pizza, Popcorn, Fruit Salad, and Mint M&M Brownies

Saturday:
Thanksgiving Fried Pies with Salad

Sunday:
Leftovers Leftovers, and More Leftovers

Did I mention I love turkey!!! YUM!!!!
Hope you all have a very blessed Turkey Day and are surrounded by those you love!

Safeguard your Marriage

I am very blessed to have a husband that adores me, as I do him.  I am also very blessed to have a husband that is under the same opinion of how to prioritize our marriage. Although, we are definitely not perfect at it, we both try very hard. 
I never want to look back at my marriage and think... "if only I would have told him how much he means to me!" I want him to know everyday that he is MY MAN!! and that I would Fight for him anyday, anyplace, anytime!

I beg you today, make your Husband and your marriage a priority! Don't fall into the busy trap of life... remember how important it is to a model strong relationship to your children!

Here is a great way to start! The Six-Second Kiss

I know my husband is going to LOVE this, I'm sure yours will too!!

Thomas the Tank Engine : Toy Review

Can I just tell you how much I adore Thomas the Tank Engine! All things Thomas are fantastic in my eyes. If you have never seen Thomas, let me encourage you to check out a book or a movie.

Thomas the Tank Engine originates from the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, as a way of entertaining his young son Christopher as he recovered, in isolation, from scarlet fever.  Eventually, the oral tales were turned into books and then into movies, toys, and an entire aisle at Toys-r-us. :) 

My boys love the smiling faces of Thomas and all his friends and I love what Thomas represents. Each character has a specific personality and each story illustrates how the engines interact with moral dilemmas, and biblical concepts.

As mentioned before, there is quite an array of Thomas products. For today, I'm going to focus my attention on the Thomas the Tank Engine Wooden Railway

Things I love about Wooden Trains (especially Thomas the Tank Engine):

• Classic:   Unfortunately, sometimes the classic toys get pushed to the side while the toys that light up buzz and ding demand the most attention. I adore the quiet imagination that emerges from my boys when the trains are brought out and set up. The conversations that begin to take place as the
  boys choose the personality of the train they become.
• Sturdy: As most Classic toys are, the wooden nature of the train and accessories is very durable. The paint may get chipped a bit, but those are just "love dents".
• Compatibility: I have yet to find an off brand wooden track that is not compatible with the Thomas tracks and Trains. However, I do love the name brand and they do seem to be a bit more sturdy, it's nice to have an alternative.

Things I do NOT love about Thomas the Tank Engine.

• Price:  Ok, here is the deal. Actual Thomas the Tank Engine Wooden Railway Products are a bit pricey. You will pay $10-$25 for one engine. But in our house, we had to step back and look at it this way... Our Trains are an INVESTMENT!! This is a toy that we will keep for generations to come. They are a special toy that carry special memories in our house, and we will continue to purchase them! 
• I really do believe that the Brand Name Tracks are best, but we do quite a bit of store brand tracks and brand engines and bridges. 

One Year Ago Today! November 17th, 2009

I was looking at my pictures today and here is what was in the folder dated one year ago Today! The STORY, William was such a trooper through it all! Wow, that seems like so long ago!

God What are You Teaching Me? A Life Interrupted!

Have you ever been in a moment, when you were able to look back and see the tapestry of your life?   A tapestry not completed by any means, but at a point that you see  the beauty of the creation, and not so much the snags and knots that seemed impossible at the time. Each beautiful thread touched by God's own hands, woven into a magnificent story. A story that at that very moment has a clear purpose in your life.

 6 weeks ago, I started a Bible Study titled, Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. For several weeks now, I have attended weekly, studied daily, and really enjoyed the discussion; but found myself thinking... How does this apply in my life?  The other girls in my group seemed to have been going through a season of "interruption" or just come out of one... Of course, God has "interrupted" my life before, but what was happening now? 

And then, His word spoke to me... I was looking back over the study, and this verse Hit me like a ton of bricks!

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  Psalms 139:23-24

I began to pray that prayer.... Which is so scary!!

What was God going to show me? Did I really want to own up to it? Was I ready to do this?

But I continued and day by day, God began to reveal to me that there was a huge part of my life I had not given to him. A part, that I didn't want to give up, I didn't want to let go... it was much to precious and I wanted to keep it for myself, and make sure nothing ever happened to it!

Can I just tell you what a hard time I was having! I am talking major inner struggle, a big knot in my tapestry!!  I want my children to love God! I want them to grow to be warriors for Christ. I want them to have a relationship with God and to know the unconditional love and grace, that covers them daily.

I also know good and well, that  I can't do all that by myself...

But, if I let go, what if something happened to my boys? What if God's plan was different than mine? Could I bear that.. what would I do? What if it wasn't all pretty and sweet as I have planned it in my mind?

As I sat one day thinking about all of this, contemplating God's work in my own tapestry, I knew what God was asking me to do. I had to obey and willingly give God control to interrupt my sweet boys' lives. So I did,  I committed to fight the temptation to control. I made the choice to step back and give God the control!  No matter what God's plan is for our family, individually and together, I will trust in HIM! I will follow unconditionally! And can I just say, God never fails to amaze me! 

Almost everyday since, God has opened doors of discussion with the boys. Over the last week we have talked about Heaven, Death, Truth, Love for Others, things that we talked about before, some alot, but this time it was different. These discussions were on Gods time, and not mine.

Priscilla Shirer says, "When we come face to face with God and respond in obedience, we will see supernatural results."   and I expect nothing less! God will do great things, just look back at the tapestry He has woven in your life and each life around you. Even the lives that refuse to believe, are covered in God's amazing work. 

I am so thankful that I have a God, that never lets me down. Even when I'm not sure of His plan, and I can't see my way through the tangles and snags of my "interrupted" life, God never fails! And I know He will not fail my children either. They must face there own "interruptions"... and I will watch from the bleechers cheering encouragement and guidance as God, the faithful, unwavering, loving, God;coaches them through life.