Are You Participating in the Recession?

Meal Planning & A Grocery Budget

I don't know about you but for myself meal planning while trying to maintain a grocery budget is not fun at all. I would say I can do pretty well half of the month which works out for us to be about half of each week. The other days it is a lot of leftovers and scraping up what ever you can find. I am having to admit to myself that we make awful choices of what we eat when I do not consistently plan our meals, so...I am going back to something I used a while back and we will be eating well and I will not have to plan it.

You may be wondering what I am talking about...it is E-MEALZ !!! I ran across an article in Southern Living in 2007 about this meal planning service and gave it a try. It was wonderful and I used it for almost a year. I am not sure now why I stopped because it is the best and easiest meal planning service around...well, I am renewing my subscription and I won't be leaving.

Here are the benefits of this service, as I see it:

• it keeps me on budget, because the meals are planned based on weekly sales at the grocery
  
• the recipes are simple
  
• each weeks menu contains a good variety
  
• it is easy to edit the shopping list if decide not to use one of the meals for that week
  
• it is reasonably priced ($1.25 a week)
  

This is how I use the service. I like shopping at Publix so I purchase the family meal plan for Publix. Each week (on Wednesdays for Publix) I just sign in to my account at www.e-mealz.com and print my menu for the week and my grocery list. Next, I check my pantry and refrigerator for anything I may already have on hand. Then I take my shopping list and pull coupons to match the items I will be buying this week. Just that simply I am ready to stock my kitchen for the upcoming week.

If you want to give your meal planning to someone else give E-MEALZ a try. You can check out the website by clicking below. By the way, there are sample menus you can check out on the website. Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

Mosaics

I just love mosaics. This is a tile my daughter, Becca, made in her craft class at school. Crafts is a class reserved for seniors at our high school. Abby took it as well. They do all kinds of projects in this class...basketry, paint floor mats, pottery, drawing, silk painting and paint a piece of furniture.

Thank You, Becca, I love it & I Love You, too.

Easter

We had a lovely Easter Sunday. After church we had my parents and some friends over for lunch and an egg hunt for the kids. Our menu was deviled eggs, spinach dip w/ triscuts, ham, asparagus, potato salad, strawberry and mandarin orange jello salad, rolls, brownies, butter cake w/ orange glaze and pastel frosted cupcakes. The egg hunt was hilarious our children range from 13-20 years old. My husband bought some plastic eggs and stuffed them with various things like rubber bands, small marshmallows, cough drops and some candy. It was also nice to have Monday off from school so the whole day was very relaxing an allowed time to reflect on Jesus.

Good Friday

I can't believe it has been a week since I last posted. It has been a good week and a Good Friday. Our week started with a special Palm Sunday music celebration at our church. I love the way Jason, our worship leader, does these special services we have a few time a year. All of the words are on the screen and we sing along when we like. It is very worshipful rather than a performance. Jason also intersperses some video clips throughout. One that was especially meaningful gave a look at sin and forgiveness. I am so thankful for God's forgiveness, love and the grace he shows me each day. You can view this clip here on Jason's blog:

 http://www.jasonsears.com/2009/04/video-from-sunday.html

The remainder of the week was filled with task in preparation for our Easter Celebration on Sunday with friends and family. Although I was quite busy with all of the things I wanted to accomplish this week the Lord was gracious to remind me several times through out the week of his unconditional love. It is such a great feeling to know that I can not do anything to deserve or earn God's love. Because if it were all up to me I would be in trouble. One of my favorite hymns sums it all up...

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; 

There is no shadow of turning with Thee; 

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; 

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. 

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, 

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above 

Join with all nature in manifold witness 

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. 

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth 

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; 

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, 

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness! 

Great is Thy faithfulness! 

Morning by morning new mercies I see. 

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; 

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! 

Phlox

I just love phlox. This beautiful little patch was started from a few sprigs I pulled from another patch a few years ago. I love the way it is overflowing. I plan to start a few other patches here and there.