Quick and Easy lunch Idea..

Recently, I was given the book Don't Panic: Quick, Easy, and Delicious meal for your Family to review.  There are many great recipes, marinades, and tips in it.    

During the hot summer months, I like quick to make meals.  I try to eliminate  any oven required things... but that is almost impossible!  So the less time I have to have my oven on.... the better!    One Recipe stood out to me while I was skimming the pages of Don't Panic...  

Farmer's Cheese Flatbread

I thought ... wow a great easy recipe to experiment with the family!

It calls for:

pita bread

Farmer's or Monterey Jack cheese

Oregano

salt

pepper

It was very easy and very, very quick to make...

It was the fastest lunch I have ever made!  

I'm not kidding!

The only thing I added was a little ground meat to the top of one for 

my husband.. .the must have meat eater.

Before the oven.. the meat version 

After it boiled for 5 min. in the oven

Plated with marinara sauce for dipping!

My girls loved them!  My husband said they were like mini pizzas with out the sauce... 

There are more recipes I can't wait to try from Don't Panic.  

If your looking for new recipes for your family... check out

Don't Panic: Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for your family

(Below is the Recipe .  I was given permission by Baker Publishing Group to share this with you... enjoy)

Farmer's Cheese Flatbread

from pg. 23 of Don't Panic: Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for your family

 2 rounds pita bread, unsplit

1 cup farmer's or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Preheat broiler.  Place both pitas on foil- lined pan.  Sprinkle each pita with cheese, then oregano, salt, and pepper, dividing quantities evenly between each pita.  Place under broiler in oven. Broil for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cheese is bubbly.  Cut into wedges and serve immediately.  Wonderful served alone or with warm marinara sauce!

*tip from me- I tried it as the recipe states the first time... then I mixed the oregano, salt, and pepper together the second batched and liked it better... it was just much easier *

“Available April 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Budget Friendly Homeshooling Tips - part 2

Homeschool Curriculum can cost a family anywhere from

hundreds to thousands of dollars every year.

Over the years, I have learned a few  budget friendly 

tips that have helped us with our homeschooling cost.

Today I would like to share some more 

budget friendly tips with you. This is part two of my budget

friendly homeschooling tips.

(You can read part one here.)

Save those work-text, activity books and reuse them

You may be wondering about this tip.   I have had my girls write the answers on a piece of  paper.  Buying paper is much

cheaper than spending seven dollars or more for that 

same book next year.. or a few years from now when 

your youngest will need it.  I do the same thing

with the tests and quiz books.

Stock up your supplies during those back to school sale!

This tip is one that we all know... I get so excited when 

I walk into my local Walmart and see them stocking selves of 

school supplies.   I stock up! I buy what I know I will use

during the school year.... tons of paper! 

Free online Curriculum

There's  many free curriculum out on the web.   Take advantage

of them. 

I have been working on a list of some cool sites that I will 

list  on this blog this week...  

    

Make your own Manipulatives 

My pastor's wife (a veteran homeschool mom) gave me and a few of our homeschool fellowship ladies this great tip.

You can make a manipulative anything from flannel to legos!

Get creative and make your own!

and lastly 

Use your local Library

You would be surprised at all you can find at the Library.

Happy Homeschooling!

Gizmos and Gadgets

Have I told everyone that  I LOVE HOMESCHOOLING!

Yap, I am sure I have.... if not than you know now.


Today I'm featuring my daughter, Janelle.  Yesterday, I gave her a writing assignment.  She was to write short essay  about something that interested her. She  had to tell me what she would like to learn about the subject and what she already knew. She chose sewing... (not a big surprise to mamma!)  I am very proud of her (like you can not tell).  I have struggled and struggled with both my girls to sit down and write.  I think I have finally accomplished something... 


With out further ado, Janelle's writing assignment.

Sewing! The thing people have been doing since the beginning.  Sewing was I'm sure much harder than now.  When people wanted to sew, they had to do it by hand.  Can you imagine doing it by hand?  I'm sure it was hard.  But now-a -days, we have all these gizmos and gadgets that help us sew like a sewing machine.  A sewing machine makes sewing much easier than have to sew by hand.  You could make a shirt or a skirt or something more fancy in a day,(If you stay at it) instead of three days or even a week!

Sewing is so much fun.  I could do it all the time!

I've wondered who invented the sewing machine? Was it some person trying to invent something else or were they trying an experiment?  How did the sewing machine get so popular?

Well, I guess I'll never know, unless someone tells me or I just Google it or something.

So your feeling Unqualified?

Have you every questioned your ability to teach your children?

Have you had feeling of being unqualified?

If you have been homeschooling for any amount of time, 

you have had these questions.  I know I have had.  Even now, teaching high school to my oldest, I question my ability.

A few weeks ago, I was visiting a homeschool forum and I saw 

a post like this:

Lately I am not feeling qualified to teach my children anymore. I feel like in the next couple of years I am going to blow it. I desperately want to keep them home.....

What to do?????

What to do..... first

YOU ARE QUALIFIED! 

You are the parent! You know your child better than any teacher could.  You know their struggles.  You know the subjects 

they excel at.... so you see you are qualified because you are the 

parent.

I love this reply from a fellow homeschool mom :

Remember that even the best sports player in the world (pick your favourite) has a coach, even though the coach isn't better at sport than him/her. That's because the job of the coach isn't to be better, it's to teach skills they themselves don't have.

It's the same principle with teaching.

You don't have to be a world expert in, say, Chemistry to teach it.

Being able to teach is a completely different skill. It helps to know some Chemistry, of course, but if you are good at teaching then you really only need a list of topics. If you've been teaching this long, and if your kids are doing fine, then clearly you know how to teach.

Don't stress! 

I could not have said it better myself.  

If you are feeling weak, or unsure of a subject... 

look for curriculum with CD-Rom or DVDs. 

I can tell you from experence that CD's have become 

my best friend with high school!

Check with your homeschool Co-op

See if your local co- op has classes offered that you need

extra help in.  (and mom has one less subject to plan for!)

You are the best teacher your child can have.

Keep going! Don't get discouraged...

You are more than qualified to homeschool!

Until next time, 

Book Review: The Discovery by Dan Walsh

An Engrossing Story of Family Secrets and a Love for the Ages

When aspiring writer Michael Warner inherits his grandfather's venerable Charleston estate, he settles in to write his first novel. But within the confines of the stately home, he discovers an unpublished manuscript that his grandfather, a literary giant whose novels sold in the millions, had kept hidden from everyone--but which he clearly intended Michael to find. As he delves deep into the exciting tale about spies and sabotage, Michael discovers something that has the power to change not only his future but his past as well.  

Laced with suspense and intrigue, The Discovery is a richly woven novel that explores the incredible sacrifices that must be made to forge the love of a lifetime. Author Dan Walsh delivers yet another unique and heartfelt story that will stick with you long after you've turned the last page.

If your thinking... This book sounds very interesting.  Your right!  From page one... I was hooked!  Dan Walsh knows how to write a  story!  This is a very sweet, adventure packed book.. if you don't believe me... READ THE BOOK and you will know what I mean!

I hate giving away any the ending  of any of the books I read, but this novel by Dan Walsh is one of the best ones he has written so far.

For more resources  click here.




“Available April 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Budget Friendly Homeschooling Tips- Part One

We will soon be closing out our fourth year 

in our homeschooling Adventure!

Wow!  Time has just flown by..

Many things have changed over the years.

One of them....

OUR HOMESCHOOL BUDGET

At the beginning of this adventure (homeschooling is an adventure!), I had a set budget that was every easy for us 

to manage financially.  But as time went by, things changed and so

did our budget.

I was forced to find cheaper budget friendly options.

The following are some tips I have learned over the

years to keep my homeschooling curriculum 

 budget friendly.  

This is part one in my Budget Friendly Homeschool Tips Series:

BUY USED CURRICULUM

there are many sites like

homeschoolclassifieds.com that sell gentle used curriculum.

Curriculum that would cost over a hundred dollars can be found for less than half price most of the time.

Borrow from a Friend

If you have friends that homeschool, ask if you can borrow teacher guides, student text and answer keys.  Then return the favor!

Work text Books

Curriculum like ACE and Christian Light Education are work-text based.  Each book can be purchased individuality.  They 

sell for around $3.20 each and make a great budget friendly option.

It's a great way to began the school year with limited funds.. .. you just purchase what you need, when you need it.

These are just a few amazing tips that I have learned during 

my years of teaching my girls.. 

Next week , I will be sharing with you some great sites with free

curriculum!

So stay tuned.... there's a lot more to come.

Mexican Bean Dip Anyone?

Summer may not official be here, but it has sure felt like it

these last few days.

During the summer months, my husband (who works outside) 

does not care for  a big huge meal.  

He would rather something cool and light.

A few years ago, I was introduced to 

Seven Layer Bean Dip Recipe

courtesy photo

Mine looks nothing like this one!

I have to leave some stuff out since

my husband does not like tomatoes, and

one of my dd does not like lettuce..

so mine looks more like this:

Still and all  it makes for a great light lunch... 

best thing...

my girls love what they think is "junk food" for lunch!

It really is so simple.  

This has become one of those hot summer

day meals for my family.

(Especially when I don't want to turn on my oven or stove)

Enjoy!

Seven Layer bean dip

1

can (16 oz)  refried beans

1

package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix

1

8 oz  of sour cream

1

cup  Thick 'n Chunky salsa (any variety)

2

cups shredded lettuce

2

cups shredded Cheddar or Mexican cheese blend (8 oz)

1

can (2.25 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained (1/2 cup)

1

medium tomato, diced (3/4 cup)

Tortilla chips, if desired

In medium bowl, mix refried beans and taco seasoning mix. Spread mixture on large platter. Spread sour cream on top of beans. Top with a layer of salsa, lettuce, cheese , olives and tomatoes. 

Independence Day: Book Review

Graduation Day Is Independence Day!
It's the day you've been waiting for. The day you graduate. The day you declare your independence. The beginning of a bright future where you are finally the one in charge of choosing your job, your classes, your career--your life. But there's more to independence than getting to choose what you want to do.
While graduation brings new freedom, it also brings a whole new world filled with both opportunity and temptation. In Independence Day, bestselling author Michael DiMarco shares stories from his own rocky transition from high school to adulthood in order to help grads appreciate long-awaited freedoms, manage temptation, and make the most of new opportunities.
At this moment you have the chance to change your finances, your future, and your entire world. Michael DiMarco shows you how to do it with your eyes wide open.

Reviews

"DiMarco writes with a perceptive grasp of the struggles that will face graduates as they leave the security of academia and his honest, but entertaining style will appeal to the fresh-out-of-high-school or -college crowd. . . . Independence Day is an obvious choice for a parent or other concerned adult to present at that milestone occasion, but they would be missing out if they didn't read it themselves, as well."--CBA Retailers+ Resources






This book is a must have for every young person Graduating!  Micheal Di Marco gives the reader much to think about while reading  Independence Day.  This little book makes a great gift for your Graduates.  In this book you will read and answer questions about your new founded freedoms, those temptations we all know young people face, and opportunity.  This is a great book with tons of great advice for  young people, young adults alike.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Many Call it... Easter

  

But I 

Call it Resurrection Day!

Matthew 28

 ¹In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

 ²And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

 ³His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

 ⁴And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

 ⁵And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

 ⁶He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

 ⁷And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

 ⁸And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

 ⁹And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

 ¹⁰Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

Jesus Christ is not dead... He is alive!

Easter or like How I love to say... 

Resurrection day... is a day to celebrate 

what Jesus did for us...

If it had not been for the cross that Jesus willingly took for 

us... where would we be?

I am so grateful that My Lord, and Savoir came, 

suffered, die  for my sins...

then he arose...

conquering ... death, hell... and the grave!

This Sunday...is a day of rejoicing...

However you family celebrates Easter, take time to 

reflect and remember

the REASON FOR THE SEASON is JESUS!

Summer Reading List

Summer is fast approaching!

courtesy photo

I thought I would sit down and make a great List of Books

that would be fun for you (mom/dad) to read with your 

little ones this summer.

I have girls, so my list will be girl related...LOL...

Here are some great books for young to pre teen girls:

The Elsie Dinsmore Classics by Martha Finley

Cul-De- Sac Kids by Beverly Lewis

The Mandie Collection  (great mysteries for kids)

The Sugar Creek Gang Series

Red Rock Mysteries are great.

Here are a few great Mysteries and Love stories that I have enjoyed reading

this year.

Summer of Promise

Where WildFlowers Bloom

Chasing Mona Lisa

Blood Covenant

My Daughter just finished reading

Don't look back by Lynette Eason

and 

A killer among us by Lynette Eason

She loved these by the way!

Thanks for letting me share these great books with you.

One other thing, I noticed that some of these are 

on sale at

http://www.christianbook.com/

so you may want to check them out.

We are linked up with