Menu for the week of May 28th

Happy Memorial Day!

We are back home. Two weeks out of town in May is unusual and it feels good to be back home and get back into the swing of things.  Here is my menu for this week:

Monday:

Dinner Out!

Tuesday:

Hamburger Helper, Salad, Sauteed Squash and Onions

Wednesday:

Chicken Enchiladas (make a pan for the freezer), Refried Beans

Thursday:

Lasagna Roll-ups (make a pan for the freezer), Salad, Garlic Bread

Friday:

Barbecue Chicken (CP), Buns, Grillin' Beans, Slaw, Veggies and Dip

Saturday:

Fish and Chips, Slaw

Sunday:

Chicken Burgers, Oven Fries, Peach Cobbler

Thanks for stopping by,

Pam

Menu plan for week of May 21st

We are out of town again and for the first time, I am just cooking by the seat of my pants!  No plan.  So far so good.

Saturday night we grilled out chicken breasts and I made spaghetti salad and asparagus to go with it.  Last night I made hobo dinners in the oven.  They consisted of turkey patties, sliced potatoes, carrots and onions.  We had corn on the cob with these.  The hobos took forever in the oven as I think the oven in our condo only half works. Also, I would have rather grilled these out too, but it was hit and miss with the rain and I didn't want to take that chance.  I still have some leftover corn in the fridge, salad fixin's and some turkey and cheese sausages that I may grill out for another meal.  Other than that I have no plans for the remainder of the week.  It's just my daughter and I and we will probably get some meals out as well.  It will be a fun week for sure.

Thanks for visiting!

Pam

The Homeschooling Mother's Journal

Okay another week has flown by.  Here's what's happening in my life:

In my life this week:  Got home Saturday from a week in Gatlinburg.  My 13 year old wore me out.  Must remember to take vitamins EVERY day!  We had a lot of fun.  Came home to unpack bags and do laundry a few times and guess what?  Leaving again this evening for another week in another resort.  Not Gatlinburg this time, but maybe we'll have a more restful week this time.

In our homeschool this week:  Still trying to run for that finish line.  Seems we get ahead one day and behind the next.  We'll get there slowly but surely.

I am inspired by:  My parents recently celebrated an anniversary of 60 years together!  What an amazing feat.  Those two have fought like I don't know what their married life.  I guess you fight for what you believe in!  LOL  Loving my folks more and more every day and how my dad takes care of my mom.  Love you guys!  You are amazing!

Places we're going and people we are seeing:  Been to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Seiverville area.  Heading out again in a westwardly direction.  Hoping to drive to the Mennonite community and do a little eating and shopping while out that way.  Mainly just going to relax and do more schooling.

My favorite things this week:  Celebrating Mother's Day with my mom and my mil.  It's always good to spend time with family and I have truly been blessed with the best!

I'm reading:  Still reading A Confident Heart by Renee Swope on my Kindle (a Mother's Day gift from hubby) and last night he put the first book in the Hunger Games series on there for me.  I started on the first chapter.  It's simply written and easy to read.  Thought I would read it and decide if I want to read the series. I hear good and bad about them.  I felt the same way about Harry Potter (which so far, I believe were better written), and I started the HP books and just haven't had a chance to get back to them. Oh, when this school year is over I have BIG plans.  I want to read!  I want to set a better example for my daughter.

I'm cooking:  I veered from my plan today and have Ranch Chicken baking in the oven.  Just boneless chicken breasts, bottled Ranch dressing and plain bread crumbs.  It is smelling delicious!

I'm grateful for:  better health.  I'm feeling more energized and less lethargic.  Maybe it's keeping up with my 13 year old that helps.  I don't know.  I have become better at taking my vitamins and I know they are essential to my good health.  Now, if I could only fit in some exercise.  I do believe I have arthritis and until I go to the doctor for a check-up I won't know for sure but at my last visit he said I probably did.  I told the doc that when our insurance kicked in I'd come in for a thorough check-up.  I've been putting it off and trying to take off a few pounds first.  Otherwise, besides Old Arthur, I'd say I'm doing much better.  Sleeping much better too.  So I guess I would say I'm grateful for my returning health.

I'm praying for:  continued good grades for husband (94 today!), and his safety to, at, and from work.  A timely finish to our school year, and friends who are leaving very soon to Asia for a mission trip.

Thanks for visiting Second Star Academy.  Please come back again!

Pam

Just an update.

As our school year is narrowing down, I thought it would be a good time for an update.

My husband is doing well at work and continuing to do well on his Friday exams.  He has some oral boards coming up soon which he is nervously studying for.  Let's all keep praying for him.  We are so grateful for this job after such a long period of unemployment.

I think I mentioned before that we put selling our home on hold.  It makes sense to wait until he gets through all his training before we move closer to his work.  I have no doubt he will pass with flying colors, but he would rather wait until he does.  It's an hour commute each way and as long as he is all right with that we will stay put for a while.

Homeschooling my daughter is both a pleasure and a job.  Yes, a job.  There are a lot of other things I would rather be doing than spending hours each day teaching her, but most days, I really enjoy it and am so glad that I stumbled into it.  It wasn't my plan to do this.  But when Robert lost his job we decided that paying tuition didn't make sense and we really didn't want to send her to the local public school, so homeschooling was the solution.  So, it was a God thing.  Robyn loves being homeschooled even though there are days when she really doesn't want to do the work and I have to prod her along.  She is very comfortable with homeschooling and knows that it is possible she may go back to a brick and mortar school at some point, probably for high school, but she would rather it be college.  I don't know if I am up to teaching her through high school.  We'll just pray about this and see what happens.

Robyn and I spent a week in Gatlinburg last week and we had a lot of fun and she wore me out.  And guess what?  We have another week that is soon to expire and we are leaving on Friday to another local resort for another week of, I hope, fun.  Robyn is very excited until I keep reminding her we will be doing school.  I keep telling her we have to get done so that she can enjoy the summer.

After we finish school I have a few goals in mind to get a few things done around the house.  Number one, is my craft room.  I have really piled things up in there, so much so, you cannot even get in the room.  Well, not really, but almost!  We have an old desktop computer in there that needs to go and I think we may start using our laptops up there some and possibly do school up there in the fall.  That may make it easier for me to kill two birds with one stone.  I can work on my scrapbooks, or whatever, while we are doing school.  Because, when we are doing school, there are a lot of times when I am not needed, and that's when I "reboot" the laundry or dishwasher, etc. but other times, when I have nothing to do and I end up surfing the web, pinning on Pinterest, etc.  I would rather be working on my scrapbooks that are many years behind.  Also, Robyn has recently shown a talent for drawing and I think she would like to do that in there and keep her supplies there too.

Then, I would like to clean out and organize my master bedroom closet.  I have bagged up some items, but haven't actually taken them out.  I need to give away a lot of my clothes and shoes, and Robert's clothes to charity.  If we aren't wearing them, we don't need them.

I also need to pressure wash the walkway and driveway and deck.  The deck also needs staining.  I would like to get to this before the southern summer gets too hot.

There are some paint projects around the house too, but I need to find a way to get my man to do those.  He is gone from 5:30 until 4:30 or later every day and has to study in the evenings and so far are weekends have been too busy for painting projects, but I am still wishing it will happen. 

And then there's the basement and the garage.  Oh my.  What a mess.  I can't even think about that right now.

So anyway, that's what's going on around here.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting.  Please come back again.

Pam

Menu for week of May 14th

Monday:  Cajun Crock Pot Chicken, Noodles or Rice, Green Veggie, Crescent Rolls

Tuesday:  Polish Kielbasa Stew (Using Turkey Smoked Sausage), Corn on the Cob, Mayonnaise Rolls
(okay editing this post already.  I didn't get to the store to buy fresh green beans, so I'm changing up today's menu to be more like this:  Turkey Smoked Sausage, Bush's Grillin' Beans, Corn on the Cob, Mayo Rolls.  That's me, always changing it up!)

Wednesday:  Free Pizza from Papa Murphy's

Thursday:  Spaghetti, Salad, Texas Garlic Toast

Friday:  Going out of town again-dinner out!

Going out of town again.  Had a time-share week spaced banked that was about to expire so we had to use it.  Unexpected, but it will be fun.

Thanks for stopping by.  Come back again.

Pam

Homeschooling Mother's Journal

• In my life this week…has been spent in our time-share condo in Gatlinburg.  Hubby came with us and spent one night and then returned home because he has to work.  Daughter and I have been having a fun week together with a little school thrown in for good measure!
• In our homeschool this week…we did quite a bit of school in-between having fun in Pigeon Forge and vacationing in Gatlinburg. 
• Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…it's awesome to be able to take school on the road.  We use SOS and it is on our laptops and it makes homeschooling very easy at home or away from home.
• I am inspired by…the beautiful mild weather we have been having.  Made our day at Dollywood wonderful.
• Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…we've been shopping, visited our favorite bookstore in Pigeon Forge, saw the Avengers on Tuesday, have gone to Dollywood, and are going to see the new Dark Shadows movie today and eat dinner out on our last night here.  We were joined at Dollywood by my MIL and her friend and we all had a blast together.
• My favorite thing this week was…probably Dollywood followed by playing with our new nail polishes and make-up.
• I’m reading…hubby bought me a Kindle for Mother's Day.  I got it early and haven't tried it yet.  I can't wait.  I'm hoping I will read more now.  I know I can get books from the library for free to put on it.
• I’m cooking…at our condo we have eaten quite a lot of meals, because I don't like eating out that much, except we did get some yummy chicken from Chick-Fila one day after a tiring day of shopping.  And the food at Dollywood is out of this world!
• I’m grateful for…my week with my daughter.  We've had a lot of fun together.
• I’m praying for…continuing good grades for my husband on his tests at work, daughter and I to eat healthier and to exercise and the ability to finish school in a timely manner so we can enjoy the summer off.  And friends who are leaving in a few weeks for a mission trip to Asia.
• A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

What's for Dinner, week of May 7th

My daughter and I are enjoying a week in Gatlinburg at our timeshare condo.  I even plan our meals when I'm on vacation!  I don't like to eat out everyday, especially three times a day, so planning our meals and shopping for what we need is essential.  Saturday night was Cinco De Mayo so we had Refried Bean Burritos and Rotel Cheese Dip and Chips.  Today (Sunday) we had Chicken Sausages, Cajun flavored, Macaroni and Cheese, and Tossed Salads with Ranch Dressing.  Here is my plan for the rest of the week:

Monday:  Grilled Cheese and Soup
Tuesday:  Chef's Salads and Crackers
Wednesday:  Pepperoni and Cheese Crescent Roll-ups with Marinara, Veggies and Dip
Thursday:  5 Cheese Pizza, Veggies and Dip
Friday: Spaghetti with Marinara, Veggies and Dip
Saturday:  Returning from Gatlinburg, not sure what we will eat, possibly we will get some take-out or go out to eat.
Sunday:  Something in the Crock Pot (a chicken dish, no doubt), Corn on the Cob, Frozen Veggies.

That's my week.  Please come by and visit me again!

Pam

The Homeschooling Mother's Journal

In my life this week...I've been busy homeschooling, doing laundry, shopping for groceries, cooking for my family, doing dishes, watering my new lillies, packing for a trip and decluttering a little.  I'm tired. 

In our homsechool this week...it's been a week of trying to catch up with school work as our school year is winding down. We both are needing a break.  My daughter and I are also going to spend a week together in our time-share condo in Gatlinburg starting on Saturday and, unfortunately, we will be doing school together while we are there.  We want to have a big summer break so we decided it is best to continue to do work while we are there, around a couple of visits to Dollywood (we have season passes), a little shopping, and sightseeing.  We also plan to take some movies to watch together.  It's going to be a girl's week!

I am inspired by...friendship.  Through life's ups and downs, it's good to know you have friends.

Places we're going, people we're seeing...Gatlinburg baby!  We will see you on Saturday!  Dollywood here we come too!

My favorite thing this week was...love between my daughter and her daddy.  Ain't nothing like it.  My daughter is so sweet.  I love her so much.

I'm reading...besides some social media, pinterest, my evening Bible reading, I haven't done much reading of anything.  Maybe while I'm in Gatlinburg I'll get back to it.  I am just so focused on getting the schoolwork done that I haven't been allowing myself time to read.  We do school on our laptops, in the den, most days, and when daughter is working independently, I am rebooting the laundry, or making meals, or washing dishes, getting a shower, or perusing pinterest.  So reading has gotten pushed way down on my list of priorities.

I'm grateful for...my husband and his brain.  I am so thankful that God led me to an intelligent man.  He is very smart and I think his daughter inherited his brain.  Yay!

I'm praying for...humbleness, sensitivity to the feelings of others, being able to think before I speak, and forgiveness.  Thank you Lord for loving me.

That's what's going on at Second Star Academy.  Thank you for stopping by.  Come back again!

Pam