Sorry About The Confusion...

If you would like to see more of our vacation pics, they are on Eloise's blog. They are not on this blog or my homeschool blog.

TO VIEW THEM NOW CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.

http://www.paperparade.blogspot.com/

In Case You Haven't Noticed....

I absolutely love to have gatherings in my home. Nobody leaves my house without being offered something to munch on either. The above pic is of my dining room table prepared for a weekly women's Bible study. We also had scrambled eggs, grits, and smoked sausage. The mini quilt was one that I made for Eloise to take for nap time, when she started school. It's a little tattered from Katrina, but I thought it added a nice touch.

 This was my niece's 7th Birthday party.

 The girls prepared their own pizzas.

 They also decorated cupcakes.

 Above: spreading the pizza dough.

 The birthday girl is concentrating on her masterpiece.

 Another guests packs up her creation to take home.

The children made mini root beer floats while waiting for the pizzas to cook.

A couple of the guests could not attend due to uncontrollable circumstances, but all in all I think it was a success. The kids truly enjoyed playing with and eating their food.

To view our vacation pics, you will have to visit our other blogs.

Am I Strange?

I think that I must thrive on being busy. I don't like busy work, but if I am enjoying the plethora of things that I am attempting to do, then I am content. This is what the rest of my week looks like:

• Teach Eloise all week
• Teach a Bible Study on Wed & Thurs
• Church Wed evening
• Help build a community playground on Thursday
• Host my neice's birthday party on Friday evening
• Work the voting polls all day Saturday
• Head for our much needed vacation on Sunday.
• OH YEAH....I MIGHT WANT TO FIND TIME TO PACK BEFORE WE LEAVE.
• It is finished...
• AMEN!

Did I mention that this makes me happy?
LOL

***Don't forget my other blog***

Love Is Blind...

     I am very pleased with the path that we have recently chosen. There have been plenty of adjustments made concerning Eloise's home schooling, but that is the nature of teaching. All things cosidered, This first week has gone quite well. Eloise is able to take her time and enjoy what she is learning. I am also enjoying the flexibility in scheduling. I am able to do all the things I used to do, plus spend a lot of quality time with my daughter, and teach 2 Women's Bible studies each week without being overly stressed..... I know...I know.... It's only been a week, but let me enjoy the honeymoon while it lasts!

     If you want to see pics of Eloise's Birthday you'll have to go to her blog http://www.paperparade.blogspot.com/.
Also, don't forget to check out our latest project on our homeschool blog http://www.ecoledefamille.blogspot.com/ .
When you get to Ecole de Famille, you will see a link to my new 4-H blog. This will be an information site for any of the boys and girls who join my 4-H at Home Club.
I placed the links within this post for your convenience, but you can always access these sites via the links on my side bar. You'll have to scroll down past all of my yummy kitchen creations on the right.

     I pray that all is well with everyone. Please feel free to comment on any of our blogs.

Love & Prayers,

Shh!!! My Taste Buds Don't Know....

 In case you haven't noticed, I love to cook. I read recipe books like most people read novels. Being a Chinese/Redneck who is often mistaken for a Mexican, who was transplanted from California to New Orleans, I can truly say that my taste buds are eclectic. I thrive on variety. Fortunately, I am learning a few tricks about being a frugal gourmet chef. One of my latest finds is the clearance rack at Wal-Marts bakery. I scooped up on this loaf of sourdough bread. It looked so pitiful with it's big clearance tag, but I looked beyond the $1.50 price tag. I didn't tell my taste buds what I was planning, but I will let you in on my secret.

 Grilled Sourdough burgers topped with Gouda. We also had fresh figs(picked from our tree)

 The above is a picture of a skillet breakfast I made recently. I fried onions, bell peppers, bacon, and potatoes. When the potatoes were tender, I made 5 wells and cracked a whole egg into each well. I covered them till the eggs were set. I sprinkled cheese over the top and served. My family enjoyed it, but we all agreed that next time I should try smoked sausage instead of crumbled bacon. The greatest part about this dish is the fact that the clean-up is so easy, because it's all cooked in the same skillet.

 I baked this Large cake with fresh strawberries in between the layers for less than $10.

A smaller version of a similar cake is sold at a local bakery for $35.

At this rate, my taste buds will never find out that I'm on a budget!

This(above) is another cheap quick meal. Whenever I have a small amount of pork roast left over from a previous meal, I can shred it and add a little BBQ sauce. Then all I have to do is scrub and pierce the potatoes all over. After I place the potatoes on a plate, I sprinkle with Kosher salt and microwave for about 7 min. or till tender. When the potatoes are finished, they are ready to stuff with pork and whatever else the family likes.

I hope this post has inspired all of you to get creative and thrifty.

Don't forget to check out our Homeschooling blog. The link is on my side bar.

Love & Prayers,
~Me~

Clowning Around...

A couple of weeks ago, my mother took us to see the circus.

The cheap seats were sold out, so my mother had to purchased the tickets that included a pre-show tour.

Eloise had a blast.

THANKS GRAN!

I will be posting more frequently once I get all of Eloise's school stuff organized.

Love & Prayers,

Scrap Magic....

When it comes to making a project, I always end up with left over materials.

I decided a few weeks back, that I wasn't going to buy any new sewing/crafting stuff until I used up some of my odds & ends. The above are the fruits of my labor. I made two small blankets and a violin cozy.

My daughter & neice are thrilled. They both have a personalized blanket and my daughter doesn't have to get red marks on her neck, each time she practices her violin.

I have a few more scraps and then I can move on to the pink & brown material that I recently posted about.

Love & Prayers,

~Me~