July 19th Daybook

For today, Tuesday, July 19, 2011~

Outside my window~
the sun is hiding behind some clouds

I am hearing~
the fan on the A/C

I am thinking~

about my sweetheart :)

I am thankful~
for good health

I am remembering~

sitting on my "Pappaw's" front porch

and the scent of his boxwoods

I am reading~
the latest issue of Taste of Home

I am hoping~

to get a lot of things done today--we'll see :)

I am praying~

that God will change me into who He wants me to be

I am creating~

some new clothes for "R" and "S"

On my mind~

is a fellow blogger who just had a baby girl and

the reminder of God's timing and
the joy of His redemption

From the learning rooms~

still working on the coupon thing

R is busy with her Bible Bee verses and word study

D is having fun with numbers

S is doing well with potty training

Noticing that~

I need to get a few things organized before

my cousin visits next weekend

Wondering~

where the summer has gone?

Pondering these words~

"But He giveth more grace..."

From the kitchen~

trying to lighten up the menu a little

Sunday-caribbean jerk chicken w/ fresh salsa

Monday-chef salad

Tuesday- caribbean jerk chicken w/ fresh salsa (using up the leftovers)

Wednesday-taco bowls

Thursday-tba

Friday-chicken tenders

Saturday-tba

Around the house~

the family room is so much more organized

now that we have our little cubes in place

One of my favorite things~

is when my Hubbie says

"You're so pretty..."

A few plans for the rest of the week~

"R" has basketball camp this week

finish up a few sewing projects

pick some fresh veggies from the garden :)

church on Wednesday night

From my picture journal~

black bean and corn salsa

grilled jerk chicken

the presentation

 fresh corn on the cob (from our garden)

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be linking up with

The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday, I am so thankful for some sweet friends who had us over for lunch today...along with some good fellowship and fun playtime for the kids. For lunch, the kids had "pigs-in-a-blanket", and the grown-ups had Caribbean Jerk Chicken with corn and black bean salsa. YUMMY! Since I asked for the recipe, I will be making this yumminess very soon here in my own kitchen...

Have a wonderful Thursday! :)

Bloom Bargains

Happy Wednesday! Thanks for stopping by today! Yesterday, Hubbie and "R" scored some good deals at our local grocery store, Bloom. They always double coupons up to $.99, but for the last few Tuesdays, they've been doubling coupons up to $1.99.  :)

For a total of $7.87, here's what we purchased yesterday:

Bounty napkins~ $2.99 on sale - $1.00/1 coupon (doubled) x 4 coupons = $.99 each pack
AXE deodorant and body spray~ $7.00/2 on sale - $3.99 coupon = $3.01 or $1.50 each
Danimals yogurt~ 2/$4.00 on sale - $1.00/1 coupon (doubled) x 2 coupons = FREE
Philadelphia Cooking Creme~ $2.00 on sale - $1.00/1 coupon (doubled) x 4 coupons = FREE

Pretty exciting!!  :)  Have a great day!

Daybook for 6/21

For today~

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Outside my window~

the sun is hiding behind some clouds

I am hearing~

the fan on the A/C

I am thinking~

about how very blessed I have been, and

how I don't deserve it at all!!!

I am thankful~

for my freedom and for my family

I am remembering~

sweet times of fellowship with my Hubbie  :)

also, ten years ago this month, both of my

grandfathers went to Heaven

I am reading~

my Bible

A Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus by Elizabeth George

(this is going to be a very good read!)

Food Network magazine just received in yesterday's mail

I am hoping~

to get our family room re-organization finished this week

I am praying~

that my tongue will help and heal others, not hurt them

On my mind~

is a sweet lady who just lost her husband of over 60 years...

From the learning rooms~

I am learning the art of couponing

Some of my favorite sites are:

the coupon mom

 money saving mom

Noticing that~

we are starting to get some grocery items for **FREE**

Wondering~

why I didn't start this coupon thing earlier?!?!

I am creating~

actually, just hoping, to get some new clothes made

for "R" and for me this summer

Pondering these words~

"The tongue is a fire..." according to James 3:6

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue

among our members, that it defileth the whole body,

and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."

From the kitchen~

Tuesday~steak and cheese wraps

Wednesday~chicken with Philadelphia Cooking Creme (free!)

Thursday~chef salad

Friday~homemade chicken tenders

Saturday~?

Around the house~

Hubbie's nerf gun box reminds me of

the fun we had on Father's Day...that's for another post

One of my favorite things~

is being with my family

A few plans for the rest of the week~

swim lessons for the kids

church on Wednesday

From my picture journal~

a few pictures of our little garden  :)

~week 6~

~week 7~

 ~our peas are sad...but that zucchini plant is huge!~

~week 8~

~watermelon plants are doing well~

~crooknecksquash~

 ~zucchini is ready to be harvested today!~

 ~just look at those baby cucumbers!~

~from the back of the garden~

~getting bigger every day~

I'll be joining other bloggers over at The Simple Woman's Daybook...

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hooray!!

Well, our first vegetables of this year have been harvested! :) With many tomatoes on the vines, and more cucumbers, squash, and several zucchini already growing, it looks like our gardening efforts are starting to be seen...what a blessing to see God's faithfulness to me through our little garden!

~three cucumbers and one crookneck squash~

A New Daybook

For today, Tuesday, June 7, 2011~

Outside my window~

the sun is shining, and it's kind of cool this morning  :)

I am hearing~

my children's voices

I am thinking~

about going walking this morning

I am thankful~

for my sweet Hubbie

I am remembering~

the wonderful weekend we had with our church family...

we celebrated 30 years of ministry!

I am reading~

Psalm 62

I am hoping~

to get a summer reading "wish list" written down,

and to start the Elizabeth George book,

"A Woman that Reflects the Heart of Jesus"

On my mind~

is my sister who just moved to Indiana last week

Pondering these words~

"God's been good...in my life...I've been blessed

beyond my wildest dreams..."

From the learning rooms~

school is finished for the year, but we will continue

to work on reading skills with "D", language and math skills

with "R", and potty training for "S"

Noticing that~

I work better under pressure

I am praying~

that God will keep working on my heart

Wondering~

if we will get any green beans from our garden...

we seem to have a little visitor that likes the leaves

I am creating~

a clutter-free home this summer

Around the house~

things are put away and I love that feeling of "Ahhh"

when I get rid of stuff we don't need! :)

One of my favorite things~

is spending time with my family...and we are

making our summer plans (so fun!)

From the kitchen~

Monday~out to eat to celebrate the end of the school year

Tuesday~leftovers (roast and vegetables)

Wednesday~chef salad

Thursday~chicken enchiladas or fajitas

(using Philadelphia Cooking Creme)

Friday~bacon cheeseburgers

Saturday~tba

A few plans for the rest of the week~

Wednesday~mid-week church service

From my picture journal~

with temperatures predicted to be 99 degrees by Thursday, plus

high humidity, I think I might be wishing for

some of this! :)

I'll be joining other bloggers at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Home and Garden update...

~week four~

~tomatoes are really going strong...

watermelon (on right) is also doing well~

~week five~

Our zucchini, crookneck squash, and tomatoes all have blossoms on them...Yeah!

Some other things we've been working on are:

~freshening up the flower beds with mulch and vinca~

can you believe all this mulch was only $16?

~the kids built a fort from some branches we cut down~

 ~you can tell they are pretty excited!

(Yes, this was a few weeks ago when it was chilly)~

I'm so glad you stopped by today...have a great Wednesday!

The Counting Continues~

~Counting my Blessings #36-50~

36. a loving and forgiving Father
37. time spent with my sister
38. box fans
39. a garden that is growing well
40. times of testing

41. Beginner Choir kids :)
42. watching my nephew graduate from high school on Friday night
43. enjoying time outdoors
44. watching the hummingbirds find our feeder
45. watching the kids watch for the hummingbirds

46. friends coming to visit
47. a clean kitchen
48. new candles
49. vinca flowers that do so well in the sunshine
50. reading books by Elizabeth George

Planting...

Planting season...not that we are gardeners of acres and acres, but we are really excited about our little garden this year! The Lord has given us a great back yard, and we have been able to carve a little space for some fresh veggies! We started the garden a few weeks ago, and things are really starting to fill in and spread out. We tried some vegetables a few years ago, but they got eaten/destroyed...we are praying that this year, the critters stay out of the garden.  :) Marigolds are recommended to keep squirrels out of an area, so we added those around the perimeter of the garden.

We made raised rows (which we first saw in some gardens in Colonial Williamsburg) and planted corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, 4 varieties of peppers, cucumbers, crook-necked squash, zucchini, peas, carrots, green beans and watermelon.

~week one~

~week two~

 ~week three~

The entire family is involved in this endeavor, and it's so much fun to see the kids smiling when they look at their plants...

My First Diaper Cake

In honor of a sweet friend's baby shower, I decided to do something non-traditional. She is having her second son (actually at the hospital right now!) and had saved a lot of things from her firstborn. She did not need a lot of items...and did not register for gifts. I thought and thought about doing a diaper cake but had no idea how to assemble one.

Enter: "Google" and you know the rest of the story...oodles of pictures, videos, and I was all set! So, here's my version of a diaper cake.

Items needed:

tray (I used one that came from some take-out from Famous Dave's)

one box of small plastic hair bands (find them in the girl's section of Target or Wal-Mart)

about 60 diapers (I used some that were left over from "S")

wide ribbon (I bought two spools)

thin ribbon (1/8" or even 1/16" to coordinate with the wide ribbon)

one corsage pin

goodies for the cake

• teddy bear for the top
• pacifiers
• travel-size items (baby powder, baby soap, lotion, etc.)
• small baby bottle
• rattles

~the supplies~

~I started by rolling each diaper~ 

~from the open ends to the fold~

 ~then securing it with a plastic band~

~stand diapers on end on the tray (about 36) and tie with ribbon

around the center of the diapers~

~after you secure the diapers with ribbon and

pin it at the back of the cake,

take out a few and replace it with some

of the travel-size bottles (this picture

shows the bottle in the middle, but I ended up

using that on the top

and putting a bottle of lotion on the bottom layer)~

~the top layer is about 28 diapers, filled in with different items...

I opened the pacifiers and tied them onto the cake with ribbon~

~and the finished product~

~here he is on the table at the shower~ 

I had a lot of fun making this...thank you for stopping by today!

Birthday Blessings

~I love it!~

~Cheesecake Factory...Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake~

~Birthday Tulips from sweet Hubbie~

~delicious birthday cake from my parents~

~my sweet gifts~

~Japanese Cherry Blossom products, Who's New at the Zoo? by Janette Oke,

a new Taste of Home Cookbook, a new rustic vase,

a garden flag, Starbucks gift card,

Food Network cookbook, and several meals out~

~oreo ice cream cake for dessert~

I had a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday, Donna Lynn!!

"R", "D", "S", and I would like to wish you a "Happy Birthday"!! 

We hope you enjoyed yourself so far this Birthday week and enjoy the Big Day!

 



And back again, Presenting the "Gallagher Family Trio" and a tribute to Mommy!!

 We Love You!

Love,

"Hubbie," "R," "D," and "S"

It's here~well, maybe....

Yes, the colder weather has departed...at least for the day...and the kids and I have enjoyed some gorgeous spring weather! :) After a quick trip to the dentist to check on my two-year-old's front tooth, we ran a few errands, came home and played in the front yard. We chatted with our sweet neighbor, met a new neighbor family across the street, and enjoyed some warm sunshine. Tomorrow? Well, let's just say it's supposed to be near 50 degrees and raining...but that's okay. The pollen will get washed away.   ;)

As you could tell, I have been taking a little break from the blog, and it has been very nice. I hope that you have a wonderful Thursday wherever you happen to be!