Menu Plan Monday (May 9, 2011)

We didn't get to all our meals last week, so I've got a couple repeats this week. Here's what we're planning on eating this week:

Sunday, May 8
Mother's Day...we ate out and I didn't have to cook. I didn't even have to make my own breakfast...I got breakfast in bed courtesy of my sweet hubby! :-)

Monday, May 9
Mango-Glazed Salmon with Spinach Salad (NEW)

Tuesday, May 10
Cheesy Beef Burritos (using this recipe as a guide & also make some with just beef & cheese mixture to freeze), Guacamole

Wednesday, May 11
Crockpot Cranberry Pomegranate Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Spinach & Strawberry Salad

Thursday, May 12
Leftovers

Friday, May 13
Barbecuing Marinated Steak, Baked Potatoes, Tossed Salad

Saturday, May 14
Chicken Fingers, Fries, Bean Salad

Desserts/Baking/Other
Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
Half Hour Jam

*For more great meal ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com*

52 Weeks of Organizing # 18

Hall Closet (Cleaning Closet & Seasonal Jackets Closet)
Once again, I'm kicking myself for not taking a before picture. You'll just have to believe me that this after picture is a huge improvement from the before.

This week I tackled the hall closet that is my cleaning closet. I also decided to keep our seasonal jackets and also our old (for campfires and working outside) jackets in this closet. Previously we didn't really have an official closet for this. I'm really working on getting a better system together for storing and switching out seasonal clothing. The one thing that kind of bugs me is that I wish there was another shelf so that there isn't so much wasted vertical space in this closet. Maybe some day I'll add one myself. I began a bigger organizing project today of going through our daughter's closet, which is absolutely disastrous. Hopefully I'll be done soon and can post about that next week.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms!

*Linking up to 52 Weeks of Organizing Challenge*

7 Inexpensive "Staycation" Ideas

Today's the big day...I'm over at Happily Domestic for my guest blog post for the Summer Survival Guide 2011. I'd love for you to go check it out!

Instead of going on an expensive vacation this summer, why not spend some quality family time “staycationing” at home? Let’s face it; going away for a holiday with children can be a lot of work and cost a lot of money. Vacationing at home can save you a lot of money and stress, and you don’t have to sacrifice fun! Sometimes the simple, inexpensive activities are the ones that will create the best memories. Many of these ideas are summertime activities I enjoyed doing with my family growing up. Here are 7 of my favourite staycation ideas. Go HERE to read more!

Christian Headcovering (Part 1)

*Image from Garlands of Grace, a Christian site that sells head coverings. I have purchased a few of their coverings and recommend their products*

I want to blog a bit about the Christian head covering issue from the infamous 1 Corinthians 11 passage and my views on it. I am doing this with a tiny bit of apprehension, just because I know it's a bit of a controversial passage, and I know a lot of people will not agree with me. This point of this series is not to explain the passage in depth (although I will try to provide some resources to help with that). The point is to explain my views on the issue and how I came to a conclusion about the passage.

Let me start off by saying a few things right off the bat:

• Head covering is a personal choice of mine based on my convictions after studying 1 Corinthians 11 in depth. I wear a headcovering in church and usually during Bible study. I do not cover full time.
  
• Head covering has nothing to do with a person's salvation. Many religious groups that practice head covering are only doing so to give the appearance of godliness but they deny the power thereof.
  
• I do not judge other Christian ladies or look down upon those who choose not to wear a head covering because of a different interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11. Like I said before, this is a matter of personal conviction.
  
• 1 Corinthians 11, although a difficult & controversial passage, is in the Bible and thus in due season, Christians should take the time to study it and pray about it.

Where I'm At
I have been wearing a head covering when in church since the Fall 2010 when my husband and I studied the passage in depth and came to the conclusion that the head covering in 1 Cor 11 is a literal head covering in addition to the hair, and it is relevant for today and was not just intended for the church back in Paul's day. Until that point, we had studied it on and off during different times for a couple of years, never coming to a conclusion or feeling like we fully understood it.

Growing up, this was not my view on the issue. Sure, I read the passage several times in my youth, but I never fully understood it. The passage always bothered me because I just didn't understand it. However, I had never once heard a sermon on that passage, and I didn't know any other Christians who wore a head covering to church. I was always under the impression that 1) the head covering is a cultural issue meant only for that specific time in history and/or 2) the hair is the only covering and there is no need for a second covering.

A few years ago, we attended a church where some of the women wore head coverings. In my ignorance, I was somewhat freaked out by this this first time we attended as I immediately coined them as "legalistic." One of the first things I asked a friend of mine was why they did this. Did it have something to do with salvation? Did they believe you had to wear one? Did I have to wear one to come to their church? The answer to all those questions was a resounding NO. It was a matter of personal conviction for the women who chose to wear one. Oh, okay. That was new to me and prompted me to study the issue once again. We attended that church until my husband was done university and then we moved back to our hometown. The entire time we attended there I did not once wear a head covering. I just never was convicted about it and didn't want to wear one just because some of the other women did.
On and off I would study the passage again, but I just never could feel like I understood it properly. I read commentaries looking at it from different viewpoints, but I wasn't convinced in my mind and heart about an interpretation.

In the summer and fall of 2011, my heart was prompted again to study the passage. This time, I stumbled across a sermon by Pastor John Macarthur on the passage. Although Pastor Macarthur ultimately comes to a different conclusion than I do, it was from his sermon that the 2 biggest issues were properly explained to me. That sermon was a big turning point for me with gaining understanding about that passage. The two issues that were finally settled for me were 1) there are 2 coverings (the hair and another covering on top of the head). 2) Verse 16, which I had previously misunderstood, which says "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God." This verse confused me as I thought it might mean that if the issue is contentious, then it shouldn't be practiced. I also was confused by "we have no such custom". I thought...no such custom of what? practicing head covering? But then why would Paul bother explaining about it if they didn't practice it? Pastor Macarthur explains this verse very well and in fact, it means the very opposite of what I thought it might mean. It actually means that we have no such custom of being contentious about the practice, and if someone wants to be contentious and go against what Paul is writing, then they are essentially the odd one out for (lack of a better term) because all Christians including the Corinthian church and the other churches of God practice this without any contention.
I think that's where I'll stop for today.

Mommy Moment Mondays

Lately Ellie has been copying everything I do. Her new favourite thing...putting on makeup, or at least attempting to! She is constantly going in my hair and makeup drawer and pretending to put gel in her hair or powder her cheeks. I caught her attempting to use the eyelash curler once but had to put an end to that one as I don't even want to think about what kind of nasty stuff is on there. It's pretty funny and cute, but it is also a sober reminder that she is truly watching everything I do, so I had better be careful. It lends credibility to the idea that children do as they see not as you say. That's not to say they shouldn't also do as you say! Of course they need to learn to obey, but the point is that if you are going to "talk the talk" you'd better "walk the walk."

The picture is a recent one of her. I love it because it looks so daydream-y. Too bad it's a tad blurry.

Menu Plan Monday (May 2)

Happy Election Day to all my fellow Canadians. Remember to get out and vote!

I'm really try to steer my family toward healthier eating habits (more whole grains & fruits & veggies), but I haven't been doing the greatest job of that lately. My husband's on board, so as long as the food tastes good, I think we'll be okay! The plan is to prepare a veggie & dip tray to keep in the fridge for a quick snack that will likely last us almost a week.

For Ellie's meals, she will basically be eating what we're eating, but I'll adapt her's slightly as needed. I've also been in a recipe slump lately, so I'm going to try a few new things in the next while. The recipes sound a lot fancier than I'm used to, but they really don't look like they take a lot of time to make, so I'm willing to give it them a try. Here's the plan for this week with healthier eating in mind:

Sunday, May 1
BLTs, Sweet Potato Fries

Monday, May 2
Going out to eat

Tuesday, May 3
Mediterranean Linguini with Grilled Chicken (I'm going to try making my own recipe), Caesar Salad

Wednesday, May 4
Slow Cooker Pomegranate-Cranberry Beef (adapted from here), Mashed Potatoes, Spinach & Strawberry Salad (recipe to come)

Thursday, May 5
Leftovers

Friday, May 6
Mango-Glazed Salmon with Spinach Salad, Brown Rice

Saturday, May 7
Something simple

Desserts/Canning/Other
Half Hour Jam (didn't get made last week - hopefully can get to it this week)
Rhubarb Crisp

*For more great meal ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com*

52 Weeks of Organizing # 17

This week I tackled our top shelf in the master bedroom and the bathroom closet. The goal was to get the linens and towels organized and move the medicines out of the bathroom since medicines shouldn't be stored in the bathroom due to the high humidity.

Before: Top shelf of master bedroom (mostly unorganized linens)...Hmm...I see I need to do some more work in the closet, too!

After: Our winter duvet, memory love boxes, blank greeting cards, and medicines. Our old comforters that we don't use and extra blankets will now be stored under the bed in clear containers.


Before: Bathroom Closet ( some shelves look a little empty because I was washing the towels, which is why I figured it was a good day to organize it!)


Before: Bathroom Closet


After: I even learned the Martha Stewart way of folding a fitted sheet...it took me a few tries. ha ha. Now our extra sheets and pillow cases are on one shelf rather than scattered here and there. Before this, some were in the hall closet & some on the master bedroom shelf. Now, all are on one shelf here in the bathroom.




I have to admit that I'm a little bit disappointed that my bathroom closet doesn't look a bit neater than this, but it seems rolling the towels just works better here as opposed to folding them. Also, we have quite the assortment of mismatched towels! At least everything has its place in there now and I can know where to go if I need to find towels & linens!

*Linking up to the 52 Weeks of Organizing Challenge*