Menu Plan Monday 5/30/11

This is the last week of school.  Yay!!!!!!  Teachers are just as excited as the kids.  There’s no school since it’s Memorial Day, so we’re having a special meal.  Actually, it’s one that our son, who’s home from college for the summer, requested.

Our son really likes the cheeseburger from Chili’s with barbecue sauce and onion straws, so that’s what we’re planning for Monday.  I found a recipe for onion strings (straws) from the Pioneer Woman, so this should turn out to be one delicious hamburger!!!!  My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!   (Oh, and if you need some cute cupcakes for a special graduate, here are Graduation Cupcakes.)

Monday:  Chili’s Shiner Bock Burger made at home (watch for a post soon with the recipe) & onion straws, fresh strawberries and frozen vanilla yogurt for dessert

Tuesday:  Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli

Wednesday:  Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday:  Italian Chicken Pasta, salad

Friday:  Homemade pizza

“Give Me Jesus” by Jeremy Camp

After his wife, Melissa, died at age 21, Jeremy Camp realized what’s really important in this life. He said, “Music is not my life. Christ is my life. The only thing that really matters is what we do for Jesus on this Earth, and as a result of what I’ve been through, I express even more the goodness of God and how faithful He is.”  The song “Give Me Jesus” is a passionate song about how much Jesus means!
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Friendly Friday 5/27/11

 

 

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Welcome to Friendly Friday!

Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone.

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!

Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select three blogs at random and will feature links and a write-up for those blogs in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight some of those each week. Say hello to the lucky chosen 3 for this week (and feel free to stop by and give them a little extra love):.

When you visit Erica’s blog, Bassgiraffe’s Thoughts, you might wonder how she came up with such a unique name! She combined her love of giraffes with the fact that she plays the bass clarine (and has since she was 10!), and there you have it! Erica is a stay-at-home-mom to her two little girls, and has been married to her husband Chris for over 10 years. She shares product reviews and giveaways along with posts about how her family is trying to be more eco-friendly and healthy.
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If you need to sit back and take a little break, you might want to have a Latte with Ott A at her great blog! She writes about “love, life, and everything in between.” She holds a monthly linkup with an Iron Chef Challenge, where there’s a themed ingredient for the month and bloggers are the “Iron Chef” contestants. Ott A bills herself as a farm girl fashionista, and loves to cook and garden with her husband. Be sure and check out her recipe list while you’re there – you might just find something new to try in the kitchen!
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The blogger at Every Day Products and More is mom to an adorable little boy and has been married to her husband (and best friend) for 12 years! There are giveaways and product reviews aplenty, along with a gift guide to help you select something special for the loved ones in your life! You’ll also be able to get really useful information, like “Must See Kids’ Movies” or “Eight Safety Tips for Blogging.”

Now that you know about these 3 wonderful blogs, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share the link list on your blog, too.



GPS Finders

There are all types of GPS Finders, from one that’s installed in cars to a golf gps finder. These finders are great to help lessen the frustration that occurs when a person needs the information they provide.

One time, a couple of friends and I were trying to find a certain place that was outside the city a little ways.   We had a map printed off the Internet, but my friend’s GPS gave us conflicting directions.  After getting nowhere with the map we printed out, we followed the directions her GPS was giving us.  Her GPS was right!

Conference Time

It’s just a little over two months before the big BlogHer Conference in San Diego, California, this August.  There are supposed to be over 3,000 bloggers from around the world in attendance.  Table top displays will probably be in abundance, I imagine, and 30 different sessions are available to choose from.  I would love to go to a BlogHer Conference sometime, but the timing on this one is too close to the beginning of school to even consider it!

Graduation Party Ideas: Cafe / Bistro


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Themes for graduation parties can be fun to implement.  This was at the Senior Dinner for the seniors in the youth group where we go to church.  They just borrowed some silk plants and cute signs, but you can always go to Hobby Lobby to find cute signs if necessary.  (This was two years ago when our son graduated from high school. Wow, time goes by so fast!)
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Graduation Cupcakes

Graduation Party Cake

Large Gumballs in School Colors

 

Western Day

Our two little grandsons had Western Day at their preschool recently.  They didn’t wear Stetson Hats, but their pictures were so cute with them dressed in jeans and boots.  There was even a horse for the children to ride, or at the very least to have their picture taken while sitting on it, and there were other activities for them to participate in.  I sure wish I could have been there for their Western Day!

Menu Plan Monday 5/23/11

The school year is nearing the end and everyone is so ready for summer, students and teachers alike. I’m sitting here without much of a clue as to what we’re going to have on our menu except I do need to use up fresh produce, so that’s a given for this week:

Monday: Salmon patties, cauliflower, yellow squash and onions

Tuesday: Chicken Fajitas with onions, zucchini strips, & bell pepper strips

Wednesday: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday: Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup

Friday: Pizza

The Story Behind the Song: “I Still Believe”

Jeremy Camp and Melissa dated for four months and then spent some time apart. But things changed and Jeremy received a call that Melissa, age 20 at the time, was in the hospital and had just received the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Several months later when she was feeling better, they got married. When they got back from their honeymoon, Melissa started having stomach problems. The doctor then gave them the dreaded news that she only had a few months to live, and she passed away on Feb. 5, 2001.  I cannot imagine how hard that would be.  Jeremy wrote this beautiful, passionate song after Melissa’s death.

 

Friendly Friday 5/20/11

 

 

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Welcome to Friendly Friday!

Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!

Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select three blogs at random and will feature links and a write-up for those blogs in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight some of those each week. Say hello to the lucky chosen 3 for this week (and feel free to stop by and give them a little extra love):

 

Have you ever felt like the hum-drum of daily life could use to be prettied up now and again? That is exactly what Brittany at My Decoupaged Life manages to do with posts about her adorable 2-year-old, Mackenzie, and her creative and fun crafts and tutorials. As well as the step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow, Brittany’s personality comes through in each of her posts and you’ll soon find yourself eager to join her in making your own tutu, hooded towel, binky clip, felt game board and more.
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A cloth-diapering mama to her wonderful little guy, Kat at Kat’s Adventure Book has a way of making you feel like you personally know her and her amazing family. Whether a post about their daily adventures, life as a librarian, reviews and giveaways, or her “crafty goodness,” you’ll find a little bit of everything… and cute pictures of Peanut to highlight them all.
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Lesa at Dusty Up Diaries focuses on the funny side of life and, whether we know it or not, there is a lot more absurdity in the world that we think. Her blog celebrates just about anything that amazes her or that she comes across in her “adventurous doings and dabblings.” Come find out what nature, food, travel, garden, photography, family and more this Texas city girl is doing while living her dusty life in the wilds of Oklahoma.
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Now that you know about these 3 wonderful blogs, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share the link list on your blog, too.



Gift Baskets

Sometimes it’s hard to think of a special gift for someone you’re wanting to give a really nice gift.  You know you want something above the ordinary and maybe different from the usual selection of gifts you tend to give.  Gourmet Gift Baskets are one thing that comes to mind as a more unique gift.  There are usually quite a few to choose from, and within the selection is something to please just about everyone.  That’s one idea for a special gift for a special person.