Weekly Menu Plan {29 September}

Hello and happy Monday! I hope you are well. There is so much going on in the world. My brain is full and my heart is heavy for many reasons. I am also still trying to get a handle on our school year and new routines. I am asking the Father for wisdom and grace for all I need to do. How are going things for you?

Here is the menu plan for this week:

Monday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and leftover tomato soup (from Maya's birthday dinner)

Tuesday - Rosemary and Thyme Slow Cooker Chicken, rice, green beans, salad

Wednesday - Beef Stew, crusty bread

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Shrimp Fried Rice

Saturday - Burgers, baked beans, chips

Sunday - Snack-y supper

Blessings and love. xo

Linking up: Menu Plan Monday and Good Tips Tuesday

Disney On Ice presents FROZEN - Ticket Giveaway

Local friends, I have some exciting news to share with you today! Did you see my post announcing the upcoming Disney On Ice presents FROZEN shows coming to DC and Baltimore? If not, go HERE for all the details. 

And now on to my fun announcement! 

I have four tickets to giveaway, compliments of Feld Entertainment.

Photo credit: Feld Entertainment

If you would like an opportunity to win four tickets to experience a real-live version of Arendelle and the Disney On Ice presents Frozen show on Friday, October 24th at 3:30p.m. at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, just follow these instructions. 

1. Leave a comment telling me your favourite Frozen character or song.

2. Be sure to leave your email address, so that I have a way to contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will end October 7, 2014 at 11:59p.m. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Only open to those in my local area who will be available to attend the specific show mentioned above. Giveaway tickets provided by Feld Entertainment.

This giveaway is now closed!

And the winner, chosen by random.org, is #10: 

******Tonya D******

Congratulations, Tonya. Check your email in just a few minutes. And thank you to everyone who entered! The tickets for Disney On Ice presents Frozen are going fast, but good news, I just checked and tickets are still available. Go to ticketmaster.com to buy your tickets today!

Blessings and love. xo

Weekly Menu Plan {22 September}

Hello, friends! Happy new week and happy autumn!!! I was savouring every last drop of summer but am now ready to let go and fully embrace the wonderful autumn season. Our temperatures have dropped and the leaves are beginning to turn. We brought out our autumn decorations this morning and enjoyed a family tradition of "Fall Bingo" during school. Emma had the day off and even joined in the candy corn fun! 

Here is my meal plan for this week:

Monday - Chef salads or sandwiches (not very fall-ish, but I'm working with what we have!)

Tuesday - Cheese Tortellini, garlic bread, salad

Wednesday - Oven BBQ-ed Brisket, potato casserole, green beans

Thursday - Leftovers 

Friday - Rosemary Garlic Chicken, rice, sautéed spinach 

Saturday - Mexican Bean Bake (an oldie but goodie), chips and guacamole 

Sunday - Snack-y supper

What's on your menu this week? I'm linking up with Laura and all the girls over at Menu Plan Monday. Pop on over to see what the others are planning.

Blessings and love. xo

Disney On Ice presents FROZEN!

Enter a fantastical winter wonderland beyond all imagination at Disney On Ice presents Frozen! The heartwarming, Academy Award-winning tale you love is now LIVE and skating into your town. You’ll be magically whisked away into the wintry world of Arendelle, where you will be dazzled by amazing special effects and astonishing skating. Sing and dance along to your favorite songs, including “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” and “Let It Go.” Join royal sisters Elsa and Anna, the hilarious snowman Olaf, huntsman Kristoff, his loyal reindeer Sven and the mystical trolls as they journey to discover that true love is ultimately the most magical power of all!

Produced by Feld Entertainment, Disney On Ice presents Frozen! will also feature guest appearances by the beloved Disney Princesses as well as characters from The Lion King, Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Disney On Ice presents Frozen! will be at the Patriot Center from October 22-27.

PATRIOT CENTER

Wednesday, October 22 – Monday, October 27, 2014

Show Times:

·      Wednesday. October 22 | 7:00 p.m.

·      Thursday. October 23 | 7:00 p.m.

·      Friday. October 24 | 10:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

·      Saturday. October 25 | 10:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m.

·      Sunday. October 26 | 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m.; 6:30 p.m.

·      Monday. October 27 | 7:00 p.m.

Patriot Center Weekday Ticket Prices: $20, $35, $55 VIP, $85 Front Row

Patriot Center Weekend Ticket Prices: $25, $40, $70 VIP, $85 Front Row

Venue/Ticket Information: Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets via charge, by phone at 800-745 -3000; via www.ticketmaster.com; and at the Patriot Center box office.

The show will also be at the Baltimore Arena from October 20-November 2.

To discover more about Disney On Ice, go to www.disneyonice.com, or visit them on Facebook and YouTube.

You can download the Frozen Free Fall game on iTunes.

Disclaimer: I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-show events. Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine.

What I Wore

Hello, lovelies! How is your Wednesday going?

I have some fun things to share today. Is your weather cooling down yet? I adore autumn and autumn weather and am looking forward to easing into the cooler temperatures. I have read and heard that we are in for another cold winter in Virginia. So I'm thinking ahead to my winter duds. Last year I kept seeing fleece-lined leggings, but because I'm pretty hot-natured, I didn't know if I would get too hot in them. After the very cold winter that we had in this old and charming, but drafty house, I am all in favor of investing in the fleece-lined anything!

So here are some cute options from jane.com . . .

These maxi skirts from GroopDealz.com look so cute (I especially love the one on the far right!) . . .

These cute things are from zulily.com (only for a limited time) . . .

And check out these No Show socks! Perfect, since we're thinking of putting away the flip flops and getting out the flats! From ToAdorn.com . . . 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week. 

Linking up: The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore

Blessings and love. xo

Disclaimer: This post contains my affiliate or referral links, which means that when you make a purchase through my link, I make a small commission. Thank you for your kindness!

Weekly Menu Plan {15 September}

Hello and happy new week! I am behind with getting this posted. Ben's birthday is today (woohoo!), and we started celebrating last night, due to Bob having an early morning meeting today, as well as Emma needing to get to work this morning. 

So, it's a day late, but here is my plan for this week:

Monday - Our favourite grilled chicken, sautéed zucchini/onions/green beans/peppers, and pasta

Tuesday - Shrimp and grits, salad (the birthday boy's request!)

Wednesday - Shepherd's pie, salad, green beans

Thursday - Leftovers 

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Something on the grill

Sunday - Snack-y supper

Linking up: Menu Plan Monday and Good Tips Tuesday 

Blessings and love. xo

A Voice For Persecuted Christians

I AM YOUR VOICE

You’ve probably seen news coverage of the persecution of Christians in Iraq and Syria in the last few weeks. When I first learned of the atrocities that were being done to these followers of Jesus, I was appalled. And heartbroken. I couldn't believe that our country wasn't providing some kind of intervention. Shortly after, we did begin intervening. And as I have followed this crisis situation, I have seen more help for our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, and have been praying for more groups to be able to reach out to the persecuted. I was relieved to find out about Food For The Hungry and their assistance in helping these believers. I am joining other bloggers and Food For The Hungry today to introduce the #IAmYourVoice campaign, on behalf of these beautiful people who are running for their lives.

As refugees flee these two countries to save their families, Food for the Hungry (FH) is providing food and other relief support – and they need YOUR help! With partners like us joining the I Am Your Voice campaign, together we are getting aid to people living through this Middle East crisis nightmare.

The I Am Your Voice campaign is sending out a call of help for those who cannot ask for it. This FH campaign is focused specifically on helping refugees fleeing the fighting in Iraq and Syria. FH is partnering with Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD) which works with the local church in the Middle East to help those fleeing the terrorist onslaught to find safety and shelter.

LSESD has helped and is preparing to help more Iraqi Christian families along with refugees fleeing the fighting. They report, “Our Relief and Develop program is supporting between 6,000 to 7,000 vulnerable Syrian families in Lebanon and in Syria…We have been called to provide for Christian Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, and we expect to have a growth in Iraqi refugees in the coming months.”Additionally LSESD is helping Christians and churches in northern Iraq who are on the front line of suffering.

But they need our help to provide for these Iraqi Christians. They currently don’t have enough funds to provide food, shelter, hygiene kits, child protection and more to these desperate families. Will you help?

By providing a gift of $25, $50 or $125 — you’ll be saving the lives of your Iraqi brothers and sisters in Christ as they flee a religious-persecuted death — and Syrian families fleeing war.  By joining the I Am Your Voice campaign and giving generously today you are joining the suffering church and “allowing the church to fulfill its ministry” of hope in this desperate hour.

#IAmYourVoice

Food for the Hungry

https://facebook.com/foodforthehungry

https://twitter.com/#!/food4thehungry

http://pinterest.com/food4thehungry/

http://instagram.com/food4thehungry/

Blessings and love. xo

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle - Buy Now!

We all want to make better health and lifestyle decisions for ourselves and those we love. We want to lose some weight, have more energy, use greener products, create nutritious meals for our families, get fit, and feel confident that we’re doing all we can to prevent serious diseases.

But it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the masses of healthy living advice out there – to the point where we’re frozen into complete inaction instead!

That’s where The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle comes in. For the ridiculously low price of just $29.97 (for the PDF version) or $39.97 (for the eReader version), you can get access to a carefully curated collection of eBooks and eCourses with a total combined value of $1,030.

The bundle contains a wealth of information from the very finest healthy living writers out there – but there’s no risk of getting overwhelmed! A useful Getting Started Guide is included with your purchase, which will help you identify the most valuable resources for your specific health priorities.

The Ultimate Bundles team has done all the hard work for you – finding the top experts across a number of healthy living fields and combining their products into one essential collection. If you want to take control of your health, there’s no better way to start!

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle will only be on sale for 6 days – from 8am EST on Wednesday, September 10 until 11:59pm EST on Monday, September 15.

But don’t wait until the last moment – there are only 30,000 bundles available and once they’re gone, they’re gone!

You can buy with confidence because your purchase is covered by the Ultimate Bundles one-year guarantee: you have a full year to enjoy all the books and courses in the bundle, and if you don’t feel like it’s made a huge difference to your family’s health, you’ll get your money back in full!

Click here for more info or to buy now.

As if this great collection of eBooks and eCourses wasn’t enough, the Ultimate Bundles team has also partnered with 10 fantastic companies who’ve each agreed to give a special bonus to every buyer. The bonuses have a total value of over $200 – more than 5 times the price of the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle itself!

The bonuses include free goodies aplenty: a bottle of Healthy Mouth Blend from OraWellness, a baltic amber bracelet from Sweetbottoms Boutique, and a starter culture from Cultures For Health. You’ll also get gift sets from Made On Skin Care Products and Homegrown Collective.

There are virtual goodies, too – including a 3-month premium membership to meal planning service Tradishen. And as if all that weren’t enough, there are also $15 gift certificates for TheJoyfulGiraffe.com, Strawesome.com and Trilight Health. There is a nominal shipping charge for many of the bonuses, based on each company’s standard shipping rates, and is usually $3-5.

Here’s what you need to know about the sale:
When? 7 a.m. EST Wednesday, September 10 until 11:59 p.m. EST Monday, September 15
What? 73 eBooks and 7 audio & eCourses, PLUS over $200 worth of bonus products you’ll really use!
Where? Purchase the bundle HERE.
How much? Well now, that’s the best part. The entire package is worth $1030, and it’s selling for less than $30. Sweet deal, right?

We think there’s something here for everyone, and don’t forget… our Getting Started Guide will show you exactly which resources cover the topics and health concerns that matter most to you!

We know you’re eager to see exactly what’s included in this bundle, so head on over to the website, where you can see the full list of eBooks, eCourses, and bonus offers.
When you’re ready, you can either buy here directly, or right through the website. It’s fast and easy, and you’ll have your bundle sent to you via email within minutes.

Click here for more info or to buy now.

Remember, this bundle is available for 6 days only, from 7 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, September 10th to 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Monday, September 15th.


Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post. Read the fine print about this bundle and read the answers to frequently asked questions about the bundle.

Blessings and love. xo

Weekly Menu Plan {8 September}

Hello and Happy Monday! 

I hope your week is starting out on a positive note. We dived into our second week of school, and I am pretty pleased with the way things are going. There are almost always tweaks and interruptions and some weeks that schedules change or we add in a field trip, but I think things are getting off to a good beginning.

Here is my supper plan for this week . . .

Monday -  Ree's Pasta with Whiskey, Wine and Mushrooms, salad, baguette 

Tuesday - Beef and Vegetable Soup (Emma's night to cook - I'm not sure what she decided on but something similar to this recipe.)

Wednesday - Slow Cooker Cacciatore Chicken Recipe, rice, salad, green beans

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Fried Rice

Saturday - Hot dogs, chips, baked beans

Sunday - Snack-y supper

Blessings and love. xo

Linking up: Menu Plan Monday and Good Tips Tuesday

What I Wore

Hello! I have a brief, around-the-Internet version of What I Wore today. Sorry to be brief this week, but I have good reasons, of course. I have been focused on getting our homeschool up and running for this new school year, along with working on some home organization projects. 

Enjoy!

You can find these great pieces on Zulily.com right now:

This could easily transition from summer to autumn with a denim jacket or cardigan and boots . . . 

Zulily.com is such a great place to find cute dresses . . . 

This top could go with so many things . . . 

This could be fun for a date night outfit . . . 

I've always loved plaid (I am part Scottish, after all), so in honour of my heritage . . .

Enjoy your week!

Blessings and love. xo

Link up: The Pleated Poppy

Disclaimer: This post contains my referral links, which means that if you use my links to make a purchase, I earn a small commission/store credit. Thank you for your kindness! It is such a blessing to my family.

Books to Read - End of the Summer Edition

Well, mercy! Here we are in September already. I cannot believe the summer is officially over and school starts today. Seriously?! According to the forecast, this may be one of our warmest weeks all year, so thankfully, the pool is still open, and you can bet that swimming will count towards our physical education. 

Did you have the chance to read any good books over the summer? Here are some of the books that I was able to read in the past few months or am currently reading. I recommend all of them!

A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon by Sophie Hudson (Thanks to my friend, Amy, for recommending this one! I laughed and cried and could relate to so much of the southern that Sofie shares in her warm, friend-who-lives-next-door kind of way.)

Spirit Wars: Winning the Invisible Battle Against Sin and the Enemy by Kris Vallotton (This one is fantastic for any of us who have ever experienced dark days, whether we have been diagnosed with depression, live with someone who is depressed or just don't quite understand the spiritual warfare that we face as believers in Jesus.)

The Women of Duck Commander: Surprising Insights From the Women Behind the Beards About What Makes This Family Work by Kay, Korie, Missy, Jessica, and Lisa Robertson (I loved reading more of the "backstories" in this family's lives. Some of it is funny, some touching and some just downright heartbreaking. There is always redemption, though, and I love how they give God the glory in it all.)

Wherever the River Runs: How a Forgotten People Renewed My Hope in the Gospel by Kelly Minter (If you missed my recent review of this one, click HERE.)

Teaching From Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie (I have seen this one recommended by another homeschool mom and am so drawn to that word "rest" since Father has spoken it to me many times. I am just now digging into this one and looking forward to what Sarah has to share!)

I'd love to know what you had a chance to read in the past few months or what you are reading now. I always enjoy recommendations from friends. Feel free to share in the comments.

Blessings and love. xo

Weekly Menu Plan {1 September}

Happy September!

I hope you're enjoying this day off and getting to relax a little. 

Here is my plan for this week:

Monday - Grilled Chicken, Spicy Pasta Salad, sautéed vegetables

Tuesday - Thai Coconut Soup with Bok Choy and Mushrooms (Emma's night to cook, and we never made this last week.)

Wednesday - Burgers on the grill

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Bangers and mash, green peas

Saturday - HM Pizza

Sunday - Snack-y supper

Link-up: Menu Plan Monday 

Blessings and love. xo