Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish you all a VERY Happy New Year!!!

My time over Christmas (and during my bloggy break) was wonderful!

The Lord takes such good care of us, and yet I am still amazed when He does! We all got sick as soon as I posted about taking a break, but my MIL was down, and pitched in to take care of all of us! It was wonderful! It also made me very happy to have everything done in advance so that I was not sick AND flustered at the same time! While some baking did not get done, it was not the end of the world, and was not missed a bit!

Christmas Eve morning found me in the kitchen by 7:50 starting the Christmas baking. My MIL joined me 20 minutes later, and by 10 there were two Christmas Logs completed (vanilla and chocolate, Jesus is so special that He gets 2 birthday cakes, just ask Miss Pear, she will tell you!), pink icing cake with the first two layers baked and cooling for icing, 1 tray of cinnamon buns in the oven, a second rising, and a batch of rolls rising too! We were so accomplished that we even had time to play at the park before lunch!

Christmas was wonderful! We enjoyed an early supper before an excellent church service! We returned home for dessert and presents. Miss Pear did so well opening gifts, and played with each one as she opened it and from the very first present seemed surprised that there was another for her! She did not want to leave her new toys, books, and slippers (clothes were okay though!) to got to bed, but was convinced!

Christmas morning was so much fun with our stockings filled by Baby Jesus and one special present for Miss Pear from Daddy and Mommy. After a breakfast of cinnamon buns we went for a walk on the beach that was fun and very windy which made the waves beautiful! We returned home for our traditional lunch of waffles, strawberry syrup, whip cream and sausages and spent the rest of the day resting and playing before our big Christmas Day Supper!

Boxing Day was special, it was the first time I have actually hosted it because down here it is not a big deal, but in Canada it is! So we had a favorite family over along with one set of their parents for a full fledged Canadian Boxing Day! It was so much fun we did it again the next day with our neighbors...I may never eat again.

New Year's Eve for us is always a quiet night in! We used to always have Chinese take out, but with Miss Pear's allergies we have not found a new restaurant in our new home, so I found a recipe for P.F. Chang's Honey Chicken we are going to try! We will probably watch a movie, but in all honesty Mr. Pear is recovering from a bad cold, and I am on the tail end of a flu bug, so it will be a quiet and early night.

I was thinking about the New Year, and even though my life does not follow the calendar very closely now (no more worrying about year end or the end of fiscal quarters for this girl!), I still use the end of the year to think about changes or improvements I would like to make, and to set goals for myself. I look at my Bible reading and make goals, look at my crafting and make lists, look around the house and make plans, and look and my family and think about how I can show them my love better and more! (Okay, in all honesty I work on that last one all the time, but I have to throw it in too!)

Lately I have been talking to a lot of friends and I hear a common theme. "I am overwhelmed, I am tired, it is too much!" And while some of this is a legitimate season in life, some of it is really rather bad planning, or an inability to say no, or just trying to jam so much in that schedules are bursting at the seams. So as I reflect, review, and set some goals, I thought I would share here.

My mottoes in managing our home are numerous, and include:

• "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." Col 3:23
• "that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
  to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. " Titus 2:4-5
  
• Run your home like a business, but with a lot more love! (I cannot remember who told me this one!)
• Give yourself EVERY advantage! (This one is my own!)

What I plan on sharing in the next few days is going to focus almost entirely on the last motto, to give ourselves every advantage for success, and is going to be about what I am doing in a couple areas, but I would love to hear about what you are doing to so that we may encourage one another!

So to start with, I have a question for you:

Do you use the New Year to evaluate and set goals for yourself? Some other time of the year? Or just whenever the need arises?

Christian Books Code

When it comes to books, I cannot keep a deal to myself.

Christianbook.com emailed the end of the year 10% off your order code the morning after I was discussing it with a friend and promising to send it to her, which somehow made me forget to post it for you! An oversight I must fix!

Plus they have a lot of sale items too!

Until midnight Eastern time December 31 save 10% off your order at Christianbook.com with code 271835.

We are having a wonderful Christmas season, and I will be back in the New Year.

Merry Christmas!

I have all kinds of things I would like to post about, and talk about, but it is Christmas, and while I am on top of things, there is still baking to be done, a special date with my husband tonight, and company arriving tomorrow!

So for all intents and purposes, I am starting my Christmas bloggy break now.

If something that is just too good to not share, and cannot wait until the new year I will pop back in to post, but if not, I will see you in the New Year!

May the Lord, Our God, bless you and your families richly this Christmas Season.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:1-5

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15

Cleaning Plan - Zone 5 - the end

Well, this is the last (finally) post about our cleaning schedule. You will be happy to know that actually DOING the cleaning schedule is going much better than actually POSTING it! With this mini-series done (Hopefully not as long as I remember the North and the South being when I was younger) we will be returning to the Freezer Meals series - really!

I have to confess that my papers have lots of pencil marks of adding stuff, moving stuff, and reminders to make sure the garbage cans are out the night before garbage day as the morning dash is not my thing, and pick up starts as early as 7:30 AM !

So, with the close of this series, what did I miss? How do you do it different? What is your favorite housekeeping guide or help?

And what I really want to know is: How many of you have a cleaning schedule and (mostly) keep to it?

So without further ad0:
Zone 5 – Week 5
Living Room and Dining Room

Start by decluttering!

1. Clean cobwebs
2. Dust blinds
3. Clean windows (stairway too)
4. Dust ornaments and pictures
5. Straighten out built in
6. Wipe fingerprints from stuff
7. Clean leather chairs
8. Vacuum under cushions
9. Vacuum under furniture
10. Vacuum stairwell
11. Shampoo carpet twice a year
12. Polish kitchen table and chairs
13. Clean off/out Miss Pear’s table and chairs
14. Sort through Miss Pear’s toy basket
15. Sort through and tidy Miss Pear’s book table
16. Dust lamp



Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Zone Plan
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3 - which includes the "dumping room" aka the guest room
Zone 4

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

A Special Mommy Moment

You have heard the old saying "Never argue with people who buy ink by the barrel"?

Might I rephrase this for mommies?

Never play squirt toys with children who have water by the bath tub...

Do I really need to explain this?

Please excuse me while I go dry off.....

Project Friday

I have a new thing that helps me out in the kitchen so much I just have to tell you! A friend of mine and I get together on Friday's for Project Friday. Now I would be lying if I said we managed this every week, it is more like every second week...almost.

But on Project Friday we get together to do a project or to finish a project, usually baking. So one Friday we made pie crusts, and took them home in disks ready for use. Last Friday we made gingerbread man dough. We have made bread, hot chocolate for gifts, and a ton of other stuff. As a rule, unless absolutely necessary, we don't do the actual baking, just the preparation of the dough and clean-up.

And with two sets of hands and eyes is makes light work and the children are all playing together where we can see them! (Or helping us).

As for sharing supplies and keeping it "even", we take turns at each other's houses, with the one hosting being responsible for suppling the ingredients, but if all of a sudden I am short molasses, my friend will share hers. In the end it all works out!

This has been a tremendous help to me, so I would encourage you to find a friend you can do this with too! It is also helpful for crafting activities too! And if you are wondering how to get your Christmas baking done, now you know what works for me!

More Christian Books Codes for Christmas

I LOVE Christianbook.com! They always have great prices, plus they run great promotions leading up to Christmas!

Last Friday I shared a code for 10% off your order of $35 or more (and Bethany shared a free shipping code: 271825DABVQT but I am not sure what the expiry date is)

If neither of those coded tempt you, how about this one?

Upgrade your shipping to UPS 2nd Day Air at no extra cost!

Here's the scoop:

Between now and noon Eastern Time on Thursday December 20th, we'll upgrade your shipping for in-stock items to UPS 2nd Day Air® for the cost of UPS Ground®. It's easy!

1. Fill your shopping cart with unique gifts and bestselling favorites.
2. Enter promotion code 271827 as you enter the checkout process.
3. Choose UPS 2nd Day Air® as your shipping method.
4. Complete your order and enjoy UPS 2nd Day Air® delivery for the cost of UPS Ground®!
5. Repeat this process on every order you place between now and December 20th at 12:00 noon Eastern Time .

Happy Shopping! You can start by clicking here: Christianbook.com

Menu Plan Monday - December 8-15

Saturday

Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch - Pizza leftovers
Supper - BBQ Hamburgers

Sunday

Breakfast - Toast and Cereal
Lunch - Soup
Supper - Pineapple Meatballs and Rice

Monday

Breakfast** - Granola Oatmeal
Lunch - Sandwiches
Supper - Farmhouse Chicken

Tuesday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Chicken leftovers
Supper - Lemon Garlic Slowcooker Chicken and Rice

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Supper - Italian Baked Chicken and Pasta


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Out for Lunch
Supper - Baked Rigatoni with Beef Ragu

Friday

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Supper - Slow cooker Beef Roast

Saturday

Breakfast - Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch - Company - Hawaiian Pizza (Ham, pineapple, red onion, sweet pepper), Pepperoni, Sausage, Pepper and Onion Pizza, and Salad
Supper - Probably leftovers....

Breads
French Bread
Winnipeg Rye Bread (recipe to follow)


Cookies
Granola Chips
Oatmeal Raisin

Loaves and Muffins
Tropical Muffins
Berry Oat Muffins
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Other
Work on Christmas Baking list! Christmas Cake is done, as are two batches of the Mars Bar Square, and the ginger bread cookies are awaiting icing, now I just have the rest of the list!

Christian Books Code

For Frugal Friday this week I have a little tidbit to help save you money on your Christmas shopping.
Christianbook.com is having 10% off your order of $35 or more if you enter coupon code 251447AD between now and December 19!

Of course, we would love it if you would click through our site to theirs as we are affiliates!

Cleaning Lists - Zone 4

It has been a weird week. I have been busy all week, and while I have a clean house to show for it, either house work took a lot longer than usual, or I was doing a bunch of other stuff but cannot remember what it was...although I do see wrapped Christmas presents under the tree, so maybe that was it!

And I happily completed Zone 1's work this morning!

Zone 4 – Week 4

Master Bedroom
Start by decluttering

1. Dust and polish furniture
2. Clean cobwebs
3. Dust light / fan
4. Spin mattress
5. Wash mattress cover and pillow covers
6. Empty garbage
7. Dust blinds
8. Wash curtains
9. Wash windows
10. Clean off night stands (magazine toss!)
11. Straighten drawers
12. Clean out under the bed
13. Clean phone
14. Switch out quilts (November and May)



Mrs. Pear’s Desk

10 minutes a day until caught up!

1. File all papers
2. Enter Pamper’s points
3. Sort through desk inbox
4. Clean out computer inbox
5. Clean out bloglines
6. Clean computer
7. Toss out used up pens etc
8. Sort cubbies in Roll Top
9. File BSF papers
10. Deal with recipes to type up
11. Clean off tops of desk
12. Tidy one drawer
13. File Miss Pear’s home schooling stuff
14. Dust and polish
15. Handle all outstanding correspondence and thank yous.


Closet
Start by decluttering

1. Straighten top shelves
2. Arrange shoes
3. Take suitcases to basement
4. Dust shoes shelves
5. Deal with any gifts hiding in there!
6. Look through Miss Pear’s reading box
7. Vacuum closet
8. Dust corners and behind door




Master Bathroom

1. Wash area rugs
2. Scrub the floor
3. Sort through stash under sink, pull out stuff to give away
4. Tidy and clean cabinets
5. Clean up and clean out medicine cabinet
6. Make list of needs to watch for sales on (hopefully not buy ASAP)
7. Clean scale



Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Zone Plan
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3 - which includes the "dumping room" aka the guest room

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

It's a Souptacular at Boomama's!

And if course, I had to play along! Never mind that blogger is being mean to me and not letting me do graphics, and is being fickle about links, I was not to be dissuaded!

So without further ado....

...If you have been reading around here you know that I LOVE Tortilla Soup, and that I love Italian Meatball Soup, but what you don't know is that usually I just make Handful Soup.



(Hah! I am victorious!)


Handful Soup is not the least bit scientific or exact, and we like it that way!

Start with 3-4 cups of chicken broth (from a can, water with powder, whatever)
Add 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
Add a handfulish quantity each of a few veggies you have on hand and need to use up (onion, sweet peppers, carrots, celery)
Peak in you freezer to see if you have about a cup of leftover rice - if so throw that in too.
Season with whatever you like - basil, parsley....
If you would like barley, throw a handful in now and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes before going to the next step.
About 10-15 minutes before serving throw in a handful or so of Soup Pasta, boil for the appropriate amount of time and serve.

Leftovers heat up great, just add a bit of water

This is a winter staple for us!

12 Days of Christmas...

...like you have never heard it before!



Hysterically funny, and it must have been incredibly difficult to sing!

AHH Panic! Chicken Parmensan

Welcome to the AHHHHH PANIC! Edition of WFMW. The what do you cook for supper at the last minute when your day has gone exactly opposite to plan and you have a sick child too?

I turn to my: Cheater Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Fingers
1 pkg of spaghetti
2 cans spaghetti sauce
shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese (from the container in the fridge, you know, the kind of powdered stuff)

1. Turn oven on to preheat to whatever the magic temperature is to cook the chicken fingers, and put a pot of water on the stove to heat to a boil (oh yeah, turn the stove on too).

2. Put appropriate amount of chicken fingers in 9x13 to cook, put in hot oven and cook per directions.

3. Cook spaghetti per directions, and drain.

4. Mix spaghetti and one can of sauce in pan.

5. Chicken fingers are cooked - great, take them out of the pan. Pour the spaghetti mixture in, throw chicken on top - I mean - artfully arrange chicken on top.

6. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle chicken with shredded mozzarella cheese and a shake or two from the parmesan cheese container you always keep in the fridge.

7. Back in the oven until the cheese is nicely melted, and serve, hopefully on plates.....

8. Take a deep breath and relax

9. Clean up - in my kitchen everything used to make this meal can go IN THE DISHWASHER!

Sharing the Creativity and Work

I am finally returning to my freezer meal series for this edition of:

My tip this week is to find a friend to share the load! Once a month I meet with a friend of mine whose family preferences are compatible to mine, and whose kitchen meets my finicky standards (my friend says the same about me), so we are very well matched to do this. Before we meet I prepare two sets of meals, one for us, one for her family, and the we swap!

So I end up with 4 meals for my family out of this, which keeps Sunday's mostly covered!

This encourages me to try new things, and blesses our friendship! We plan our meals together so things are basically even, and include the recipe with each meal!

When choosing a friend to swap with:

• Make sure you have similar tastes, because if she loves spicy and you love bland it is not going to work!
  
• Make sure you are comfortable serving food from her kitchen to your family.
• Agree to meat standards (cuts of beef, chicken, etc. to use)
• Agree to serving size
• Agree how often to meet and how many meals will be swapped
  
• Brain storm together
• Share resources
• Always clearly label your package with name of meal and date
• Always include a copy of the recipe
• Always rank the meals so that the favorites rise to the top and the forgettable meals are forgotten!
• Be willing to try different things for different holidays (we are doing a cookie swap in December when we meet mid month!
• Take turns hosting
• Make sure to talk about concerns!
• Only add people if you both agree to increase in numbers and to include that particular person.
  

And while not vital, but spiritually important, while you are preparing the meals, pray for your friend and her family!

Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Successfully freezing cookies and baking
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal
Sauce for Freezer Meatballs
Pineapple Tuna Cracker Snack
Freezer Cooking with Limited Space
Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Orange-Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
Converting your Casserole Recipes to Freezer Recipes
Converting your Meat Recipes to Freezer Meals
Triple Chocolate Cookies
Bacon-Macaroni Bake
Once A Month Freezer Cooking Simply Explained
Planning Your Freezer Cooking Shopping Session
Zip Top Bag Method
Italian Sausage and Tomato Sauce
Menu Planning
Freezer Cooking Online Resources
Asian Beef Kabobs
Honey Mustard Chicken

Financial Analysis in God's Kingdom

Last night I was reading this passage in Luke 14: 28-33 (NKJV):

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

I was thinking about this in terms of my business background which the Lord uses so unexpectedly in my life! When I was part of analyzing a project, and we were talking about cost, one of the things I brought up was minimizing unnecessary costs, and removing obstacles which could cause additional expense.

It got me to thinking, and maybe this is a tangent, but it was important to me. In considering the cost of true discipleship we think of the big things and the accompanying rewards of Jesus. But I began thinking about the things that are hindering me, and forcing that cost up higher, things that have slowly crept in unnoticed that could even appear well and good, but that distract me from my true importance as God's woman. And while I don't have a complete list, I do have a number of items I plan on taking care of ASAP so they stop hindering me!

I don't want to be hindered in my walk with the Lord, if anything I want to be in the fast lane!

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Cleaning Lists - Zone 3

In this zone I do not do everything every month, there is a bit of a rotation plan!

Zone 3 – Week 3
Miss Pear’s Room
Start by decluttering!

1. Dust and polish furniture
2. Straighten drawers
3. Straighten closet
4. Clean cobwebs
5. Wash quilt and mattress cover
6. Dust blind
7. Wash window
8. Straighten toy buckets and shelf
9. Straighten book shelf
10. Clean out the closet
11. Put away stray items
12. Sort outgrown clothes
13. Put out clothes that now fit
14. Vacuum under bed and in closet
15. Dust baseboards
16. Clean fingerprints off doors and walls
17. Dust Pictures



Guest Room
DECLUTTER!!!!!

STRAIGHTEN OUT THAT CLOSET!!!!

1. Clear off top of computer hutch
2. Clean out computer hutch and dust
3. Clean out email inbox
4. Fill paper stock
5. Check computer supplies
6. Clean cobwebs
7. Wash window
8. Dust blind
9. Dust baseboards
10. Dust pictures

Upstairs Bathroom

1. Wash area rugs
2. Scrub floor
3. Straighten and dust cabinets
4. Clean Bathtub
5. Scrub bath toys and place in new bag
6. Wash down outside of toilet, potty seat and stool
7. Throw away empty bottles
8. Dust pictures
9. Dust blind
10. Wash window



Loft

Start by decluttering

1. Empty garbage can
2. Dust blinds
3. Clean windows
4. Tidy bookshelves, cull books
5. Dust and clean bookshelves
6. Dust corners for cobwebs
7. Dust pictures
8. Clean off top of sewing machine
9. Tidy sewing machine cabinet
10. Tidy linen cupboard



Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day
Saturday and Sunday

Zone Plan
Zone 1
Zone 2

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Menu Plan Monday - December 1-8

Saturday

Breakfast - Banana Crunch Muffins (from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on the sidebar - they were delicious!)
Lunch - Pizza
Supper - The Leftover Pizza as we took a Tree Decorating break!

Sunday

Breakfast - Toast and Cereal
Lunch - Spicy Chicken Chili
Supper - Hamburgers

Monday

Breakfast** - Toast and fruit
Lunch - leftovers
Supper - Company for Dinner - Teriyaki Flank Steak, Mashed Sweet Potato Casserole, Spiced Green Beans, Flourless Chocolate Cake

Tuesday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches
Supper - Marinara Sauce and Pasta

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Supper - Turkey Bolognese


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches
Supper - Farmhouse Chicken

Friday

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Supper - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Rice and Veg

Saturday

Breakfast - Orange Overnight French Toast
Lunch - Leftovers
Supper - Italian Baked Chicken and Pasta

Breads
French Bread
Winnipeg Rye Bread (recipe to follow)


Cookies
Granola Chips
Oatmeal Raisin

Loaves and Muffins
Tropical Muffins
Berry Oat Muffins
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Other
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Lemon Pie

Work on Christmas Baking list! Christmas Cake is done, now I just have the rest of the list!