Menu Monday, March 25 (Easter Week)

Easter Lilies

This is a super busy week for us.  

Preparations for hosting our first-ever Messianic Seder (following Justin Kron's wonderful guideline) on Thursday have been a little more time-consuming than I had hoped, but we are so very excited about adding this experience to our Easter Week.  

Also, after church on Easter we are hosting a  Brunch and possibly dinner, too.  So having a menu plan this week is going to be immensely helpful.

If that weren't enough, we still are doing school this week and I'm trying to get the bulk of my Spring Cleaning done.

I'm going to be soooo ready for Easter Vacation next week!

Monday 
B: Oatmeal with peaches & cranberries
D: Cobb salads; sourdough garlic bread

A Messianic Passover Experience

Justin Kron

Wow.  I don't know what else to say.

Our church recently invited Justin Kron to present a Messianic Passover Seder.  Although we were not able to attend, one of our friends forwarded the link to a video presentation Justin did a couple of years ago.

If you think Passover is only for the Jews, I would encourage you to watch this video.  Justin's presentation is about an hour long, but it is so engaging, I was surprised it ended so soon.

http://vimeo.com/32347987#

Menu Monday, March 18

Spring!

Spring begins this week!  And, this week my daughter begins cooking once a week.  I am sooooo excited!

Monday
B: Oatmeal with blueberries & almonds
D: Omelets; spinach salad; rice pilaf; fruit

The Heirloom Life Gardener

Jere and Emilee Gettle (founders of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company of which I am a huge fan!) wrote a wonderful resource for gardeners of any expertise.  Titled "The Heirloom Life Gardener", Jere shares his lifetime love story with seeds and plants, and the humble beginnings of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.

But the authors don't stop there.  This book is chock-full of colorful photographs and is a delightful compilation of gardening hints, helps, and tips to make the most of your garden, seed-saving efforts, and culinary attempts.

Although this is not an exhaustive encyclopedia, "The Heirloom Life Gardener" reads like an enjoyable novel with the benefits of tons of useful information.

I was not disappointed in any way and I know you won't be either if you should decide to add this book to your own library.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I was provided a free copy of this book by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dirty Boots

Photo credit

The other day, my daughter was sweeping the kitchen floor.  My hubby had tracked in some clods of dirt that had been on his work boots.  Not happy about the extra dirt, she expressed her displeasure.

This reminded me of a story I read in the Reader's Digest years ago, which I shared with her.

There was a woman who had been mopping her kitchen floor when a friend dropped by.  Having not seen her friend for a long time, she invited her to stay for a cup of coffee and a chat. 

As the women sat at the kitchen table catching up, the woman's husband came in from the field where he had been working.  His boots were dirty and left behind muddy footprints on the clean floor.

When he had left the room, the friend expressed her sympathy.  "My goodness.  On your clean floor.  Men!"

The man's wife looked at her friend, smiled and said, "It's those boots that carry him as he works hard for our family and those boots that carry him safely back home to me."

After telling my daughter that story, she smiled and said, "I get it, Mom."

Book Review: Draw the Circle

Lately, I have felt like many of the Christian books I have read make me feel like I am not enough:  not passionate enough; not doing enough; not faithful enough...

Not with this book.  At all.  Mark Batterson's 40 day prayer challenge "Draw the Circle" instead helped me to remember that we are instruments of God for Him to employ in His perfect will.  Not ours.

So if you are feeling a little "beat up" in your faith and what you are or are not doing, I would encourage you to pick up this devotional and get back on track with Who really is in charge.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I was provided a free copy of this book by Zondervan Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.

Menu Monday, March 11

Photo Credit

Tomorrow, our daughter turns 12.  She is beautiful, smart, hard-working, and good with her money.  She amazes us.

She and I have decided that she is going to start meal-planning one day out of the week, as well as making that dinner, too.  We are both excited about this...for different reasons!

Monday
B: Oatmeal with strawberries
D: Omelets; green salad; fried parsnips; pears

Menu Monday, March 4

Passover Seder

Our family has always been interested in celebrating the Passover with our own Seder.  Although we are not Jewish, Jesus was!  If you have any input, would love to hear your suggestions!

Monday
To do: Sour batter for muffins
B: Oatmeal with home-canned peaches & yogurt 
D: Spaghetti; green salad; sprouted wheat garlic bread; mock frozen yogurt