Weekly Menu Plan {September 20-26}

Hello and Happy Sunday! We've had a lovely weekend, complete with lots of activities and work. We normally have clean the house day on Saturdays, but schedules are a little crazy, so it's getting done in bits and pieces. The weather was quite warm yesterday, so Bob and Austin were able to cut tree limbs and get some things accomplished in the yard. I have been planning and organizing, cleaning out closets (with the kids' help) and taking bags of clothes and household goods to the local thrift store (with Bob's help). It feels so good!

I hope you're weekend is going well. Are you as excited as I am about welcoming Autumn this week (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, of course)!?!? 

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Sunday - Taco Salad

Monday - Chicken Pot Pie and salad

Tuesday - Crock Pot Pinto Beans and Sausage, cornbread

Wednesday - Leftovers 

Thursday - Tacos, chips, guacamole

Friday - Hot dogs, baked beans, chips

Saturday - The Best Lasagna Ever, salad, garlic bread

May you have a refreshing Sunday and a week full of good things.

Blessings and love. xo

Weekly Menu Plan {September 13-19}

Hello! I'm going to make this speedy. I've had a wonderful, full-to-the-brim weekend and desperately need to get to bed. I hope you're weekend has gone well!

Here's our plan for this week:

Sunday - Turkey chili for our Family Fellowship night.

Monday - Chicken fajitas, Spanish rice, chips and guacamole

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Ben's birthday meal! I think he's decided on the chicken wings I made last Wednesday. They have become a family favourite!

Thursday - Burgers, baked beans, salad

Friday - Homemade pizza, salad

Saturday - Flank Steak Sandwiches with Bleu Cheese, potato salad 

Have a wonderful week! 

Blessings and love. xo

Weekly Menu Plan {September 6 - 12}

That last week just flew by, didn't it?! Wow. I can't believe it's Monday already. Happy Labour Day! We have worked around the house all day and are just sitting down to watch a movie before bedtime. 

Did you relax or work today?

Here our menu plan for this week:

Sunday - Baked potatoes, salad

Monday - Crock Pot Cheese Tortellini, Spinach and Sausage, salad, homemade French bread (Thank you, Emma!)

Tuesday - Salmon with Bok Choy and Apple Slaw, rice

Wednesday - Grilled Chicken Wings (I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it was a HUGE hit!), squash casserole, baked beans

Thursday - Beef Stew (Ben's night to cook)

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Homemade Pizza 

Have a wonderful week!

Blessings and love. xo

Weekly Menu Plan {August 30 - September 5}

Hello! 

We are starting school tomorrow, plus several children are starting new jobs and/or new activities, etc., so I have been putting a lot of time into planning and getting my calendar organized. I love writing all the different ink colours on the clean, white squares. New beginnings. New adventures. New skills. New knowledge. New experiences. It's all exciting!

I am simplifying breakfasts and lunches for the beginning of the school year. It had gotten to the point where everyone would fend for him or herself, so there might be six or seven different things going on (think oatmeal, scrambled eggs, bacon, cereal, baked beans, leftovers, etc.), which was just too haphazard and disorganized (not to mention the state of the kitchen when it was all over. Eek!). I love that they all have different tastes and that they can get their own meals, when necessary, but we need a new system. 

So, I am taking over breakfast and doing one meal for everyone. I'm thinking eggs and bacon or oatmeal and bacon. Simple, eh? I think it will be a nice change. For lunch, we're just going to have sandwiches, either PB & J or turkey/cheese. I am feeling a huge need for simple. 

Here is my menu plan for this week:

Sunday - Popcorn, fruit

Monday - Beef Stroganoff, salad

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday - Spinach and Feta Mac and Cheese

Friday - HM Pizza, salad

Saturday - Chili, cornbread

What's on your meal plan for this week? I'd love for you to share your menu plan in the comments. I enjoy seeing what you're serving at your house!

Blessings and love. xo

Weekly Menu Plan {August 23-29, 2015}

Hello friends,

It has been so long since I posted a menu plan, but after a difficult summer, things are looking up! Just in time for school to start again, I am getting back into a more regular routine. We don't start back until the 31st, but I want to get some things in place, starting this week. 

Here is what I'm pencilling in my planner for the next week's suppers:

Sunday - Grilled Chicken Wings, tomato and cucumber salad 

Monday - Hot dogs, veggie tray and chips

Tuesday - Chicken Souvlaki, hummus and pita

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Spinach and Feta Mac and Cheese (I made this earlier in the week and it was yummy and simple!)

Friday - Emma's birthday dinner (yet to be determined)

Saturday - Homemade Pizza (I used this recipe last night and it was a hit! I have not kneaded any bread in a LONG time, so it provided a shoulder workout, for sure!)

What's on your menu plan this week? 

Blessings and love. xo

The Magic of Learning - Bees

Disclaimer: This post contains my affiliate links. Thank you for your support of The Scarlett Thread!


I love science and being able to show my kids videos of any aspect of science is always fun and exciting! 

Whether you are in the middle of your summer break and just want to share a spontaneous science lesson with your children and talk to them about what a creative and incredible God we have, or are already into your school year and want to supplement a lesson on bees (Five In A Row Mamas, this would go perfectly with The Bee Tree!), you many want to check out this video on the first 21 days of a bee's life. 

Amazing!








  Blessings and love. xo

Our Weekend Recap

Hello! 

How was your weekend? Ours was H.O.T.! We have been enjoying the mid-80's for much of the summer, so having the temperature crank up to mid-90's plus humidity?! Yikes. I am so not a heat person. Why, you may ask? Well, because I am already hot all of the time anyway. With the heat index near or over 100, I really do feel like I may melt. I seriously thank God for our pool and that this house has AC on the second level! It's the little things. 

The kids were in the pool a good amount of time (the water therapy is so good for Ava's injured foot!). Friends and neighbours came over to play. Friday night, our neighbours invited us over to have drinks and appetizers. I made a Black Bean and Feta dip to take and share. The kids were amazed at how warm their pool is compared with ours. The temps were quite pleasant that evening, and we had so much fun laughing and visiting. It was the perfect way to end the week, as I shared on Instagram . . . 

That night, Bob and the boys started a new tradition they designated, "The Inaugural Royce & Sons All Night Brisket Smoke-Off'! It was a huge hit. Well, until the next afternoon when they all needed naps, but what a fun experience for the Royce men. I don't think it will always take place over night, but I do think the practice of smoking meat will be a more frequent occurrence around here.

Saturday was rainy and stormy in the morning, so I didn't walk down to our Farmers' Market as planned. I did take time that day to start planning our school year. Our summer has been a little odd this year, with taking care of Ava and getting her injury healed. It's hard to believe school will start in just over a month. So, I tried to start getting some things out of my brain and onto the paper. Have you started planning for school yet or doing your back to school shopping?!

I'll share a new idea I'm putting into play for this school year in the next week or so. And if you're new to homeschooling or just need a little encouragement, I highly recommend this post from Sarah at Amongst Lovely Things! 

I hope your weekend was great and not too hot! 

Blessings and love. xo

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

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

What I Wore

Hello and happy Wednesday! I have some super cute pieces to share with you today, so let's jump right in!

There are so many great choices in dresses available on zulily.com right now. Check these out:

Even though I am thoroughly enjoying the warm, sunny weather we are having this week, I have started thinking a little bit about autumn and transitional pieces and boots. What do you think about these items (also on zulily.com right now)?

And look at these fantastic Dark Leo Earrings from lilyasher.com! They have so many choices, but these are some of my favourites.

I've also had my eye on this fun, lace tunic from groopdealz.com! 

I'm linking up with the other girls for What I Wore on The Pleated Poppy. Hop on over for more fashion inspiration.

Blessings and love. xo

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