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Happy Wednesday! Changing up my five prompts with a whole bunch of bullet points:
A QUOTE
Let’s take back the honor of small donations, small care packages, and small movements toward fellow image-bearers because love isn’t measured in inches, grand gestures, or dollar amounts…
Let’s take back moments that are lovely even if they are imperfect, words that are powerful even if only one person hears them, company that is meaningful even when we don’t say any words at all.
– Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman, p.18
A BOOK (OR THREE)
My brain has been filled to the brim with all things Advent and Christmas, so I’m already preparing my reading list for December. Here’s what I have so far:
- Christmas and the Saints by Hertha Pauli, a little vintage book from 1956
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is the planned read aloud for school
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie, just for fun
A LITTLE WISHLIST
- big art for the foyer: I just found this artist and her landscapes are beautiful
- baskets to better organize living room toys
- this fresh wreath for the front door
- a chunky black open cardigan
- this Fontanini piece to add to our collection
THREE THINGS KEEPING ME SANE RIGHT NOW
- NOT folding socks. I don’t mind doing laundry and actually find folding clothes therapeutic, but the socks…the socks will be the death of me. Right now, I throw everyone’s socks in a big Bean bag and then we have a “sock folding party” when it gets full.
- Writing a meal plan in pencil on a monthly calendar. I will usually plan five or so meals a week and pencil them in. But you know how life goes…some days you decide to eat out after activities, some days you’re exhausted and just have cereal for dinner. When that happens, I just erase the meal and rewrite it somewhere on the following week. I throw the meat in the freezer and put the non-perishables together in the pantry, so I won’t use them for something else. This has saved me from wasting ingredients and often keeps grocery costs down the following week.
- A new vacuum. I’ve been trying to keep my old vacuum alive all summer because #frugalaccomplishment. But by October, when Lucy was shedding her summer coat everywhere, it was barely doing the job and I was going crazy. So I invested in this new one and I couldn’t love a vacuum more. It works on rugs and on hard wood, it swivels and gets in those hard to reach corners. The ridiculous dog hair situation is now under control.
A CROWDSOURCING QUESTION OR TWO
- What are your favorite “old school” blogs? Who is still out there writing without pushing the latest new product? Who still writes about their day-to-day life or their hobbies? I want to read and support blogs that aren’t constantly focused on being “influential”…you know what I mean?
- What is your go-to weeknight meal? I’m in a big dinner rut right now and need some new ideas!
I'm in a dinner rut too! The changing of seasons always does it to me. We do tacos/pasta/soup pretty much weekly, and then vary otherwise. Sloppy joes, stir fry, chicken tenders with salad, and tuna noodle casserole get sprinkled in occasionally. 🙂
You described our latest meals almost exactly, hah! I've recently had to take dairy out of my diet AGAIN and that puts such a damper on my favorite meals. Everything is so much better with milk and cheese!
With cold weather, I could cook stew every night. With a load of homemade bread, there are no complaints. However, grilled cheese twice in a week indicates I am not really inspired as a cook.
You're in good company! We've had "breakfast for dinner" a little too often lately. 🙂
Our four go-to weeknight meals are pasta/tomato sauce, tacos, breakfast burritos, and soup. Maybe that's a little rut-ty, too, but the kids are agreeable, and they are all easy on the budget.
I have a tiny blog. I *do* do some reviews for homeschool materials, but otherwise it's just life with 5 kids. You're welcome to check it out!
Your blog sounds right up my alley! Can't wait to check it out, thanks!
My mom came to help me out the other week and remarked on the ridiculous amounts of single socks that were piling up, the ridiculous number of socks that didn't fit in my kids' sock drawers, etc. Seriously, socks are the bane of my existence…and when she spent over an hour trying to figure them all out (since not all kids' socks are labeled with sizes BUT THEY SHOULD BE), I think she was forced to concede that maybe I had a point, ha ha 🙂
My blog's a little more on the old school side–I still try to write stuff I think will interest people (so, not just stuff about what we did on the weekend and stuff), but I also include thoughts on motherhood, our financial goals, books I love, etc.
I'm really enjoying your blog, Torrie and would definitely say you have the perfect mix of content! Now I just have to figure out how to get Bloglovin' to tell me when you have a new post…
You and me both! Bloglovin' has been the bane of my existence lately—they haven't responded to any of my service requests, and I even had a web developer look at my site to see if the problem was on my end, to no avail. Gotta love technology.
So glad you're liking it, though! I linked to your blog in one of my last posts, just because yours is the perfect mix of personal and practical content I look for myself, so hopefully you're getting some new readers!
Hello,
I have a great website that I use to find recipes. I haven't had a bad recipe. Here are a few favorites.
https://www.cookingclassy.com/slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches-5-minutes-prep-recipe/
https://www.cookingclassy.com/instant-pot-creamy-tuscan-chicken-pasta/
https://www.cookingclassy.com/skillet-chicken-with-garlic-herb-butter-sauce/
I hope this helps.
Natalie
https://www.cookingclassy.com/pork-carnitas/
https://www.cookingclassy.com/no-bake-energy-bites/
These look great, thank you!
I love that you are planning on reading Hercule Poirot's Christmas next month, I hadn't read this before creating my reading challenge and that is totally the book I picked for December!
Ahh, what a coincidence! We'll have to compare notes!
I am definitely checking out your vacuum recommendation, because ours is on it's last leg! I love old school blogs, they are definitely harder to find these days. If you check out my sidebar, I linked to a few that I enjoy, including yours!