Thin Mint Milkshakes

A beautiful Sunday is in the works here!  Gorgeous weather, and a football game tonight...what a great day!

We started the day off today with these Thin Mint milkshakes, and let me tell you, they are YUMMY!They are so good, I could drink them every day!

The recipe is from Gwen's Nest.  It is on my weekly menu plan for this week, for Sunday's breakfast.  I followed her recipe exactly, except I threw all ingredients (even the chocolate) into the blender and whirled it for about 30 seconds.  There was enough for an extra  1/2 glass full for both of us, which was good because I loved this!  It tastes like mint chocolate chip ice cream - my favorite!
Try this, you will love it!  And thank you Gwen's Nest for a milkshake recipe I will be making often!

Have a great Sunday!

Weekly Menu Plan for December 30, 2018 - January 5, 2019

Here I am, sitting face to face with the end of the year, surprised once again that it went so fast.  I look back, and think of all the things that happened in 2018.  So many memories.  But then I look ahead....and cannot wait to see what God has planned for us all in 2019!  A new year is such a blessing!

I love the fresh start of a new year!  I have learned, though, to not get too caught up in the resolutions or in the expectation that I am going to completely overhaul myself in the new year.  I like to make resolutions that focus on making me a better servant, a better Christian, a better wife/mother/grandma/.  For me, I think the "I'm going to lose weight this year" ship has sailed.
Faith-based resolutions are most important to me.

That being said, I am also going to TRY and do a better job of taking pictures and sharing recipes and other goodies on this blog!  There are so many wonderful blogs out there, and they far exceed my amateur attempts, but I still enjoy sharing and hope at least somebody gets something they can use from it!

So, here is the final menu for December and the first menu for 2019, combined!
For a printable copy of this menu, please click HERE.
Recipe links are below.

Sunday:
Thin Mint Milk Shake is from Gwen's Nest
Brown Sugar Pork Chops are from Plain Chicken
Canasta Cake is from Tasty Kitchen

Tuesday:
Slow Cooker Jambalaya is from Crème de la Crumb

Wednesday:
Low Carb Egg Muffins are from Beyer Beware
Banana Pudding Cheesecake Blondies are from Grandbaby Cakes

Thursday:
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup is from Cooking Classy

Friday:
Gluten Free Baked Donuts are from Mama Knows Gluten Free
Taco Rice Skillet is from Sweet C's

Saturday:
Hot Italian Sandwiches are from Wonky Wonderful
Lemon Cream Pie is from Mel's Kitchen Café

I wish you all a safe, healthy, and blessed New Year!  And I hope you continue to find some good ideas for meal plans here in 2019!

Happy New Year!

Weekly Menu Plan for Week of December 23 to 29, 2018

The big day is almost here!  

Cookies for Santa ✔

Gifts wrapped ✔

Christmas movies watched ✔

House all decorated ✔

That is my fantasy list. 🤶 

In reality, I am still baking and wrapping, and haven't sat down to watch It's A Wonderful Life yet.

But I can dream, can't I? 

This week, I host Christmas Eve Brunch for my family.  I will have to post that menu later, because it's downstairs and I'm in a hurry!  Basically, we are having a baked hash brown and egg casserole, baked ham, regular and sugared bacon, cinnamon rolls, eggnog bread, a spinach and cheese strata, fruit salad, and an assortment of cookies and cakes.  That's why I'm in a hurry!

Christmas Day we go to our daughter's house for dinner, and I am not sure what she is making this year.  It will be yummy, I'm sure, but the best part of the day is spending it with family!

This week's menu is easy, because I am a bit worn out!  I need a long winter's nap after Christmas to regroup!

Here is this week's menu:

For a printable copy of the menu, please click HERE.

Recipe links are below.

Sunday:

Easy Chicken A la King is from Genius Kitchen 

Monday:

Black Forest Poke Cake is from Beyond Frosting  - I made this once before and it was a HUGE hit

Thursday:

Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast is from The Country Cook - have made this many times and love it!

New York Cheesecake is from Art in the Kitchen 

Saturday:

Hand and Swiss Sliders are from Cincy Shopper 

Cherry Pie is from Genius Kitchen 

That's it for this coming Christmas week! 

I wish you all the most blessed, loving, and sweet Christmas of all!  

Merry Christmas!!

Weekly Menu Plan for Week of Dec. 16 to 22, 2018

How are you all doing this weekend?  I am looking forward to this week, as it will be fun for the youngest granddaughter!  Since I get her up and ready for school each morning, I will get to be in on the fun dress up days this week.  For school this week, Monday she dresses up as a character from The Grinch.  Tuesday is wear your pj's to school for Polar Express day.  Wednesday is dress up like a reindeer! 🎄  And Thursday it is Elf on the Shelf day, dress like an elf!  And that's it until January! Christmas break will begin Friday for the kids, and they are SO ready!  Me too!

I have had such busy weeks lately, but am so grateful that I have the ability to be busy!  It is such a blessing!  Enjoy all the moments, even the hectic ones!  This week I have more sewing and baking to do, planning for Christmas Eve brunch, and I better get some wrapping done if I don't want to be up all night Christmas Eve!

This week's menu is a fairly simple one, and I use the crockpot as much as I can.  It helps me to get things going first thing in the morning, then dinner is a breeze!

Here is this week's menu plan:
For a printable copy, please click HERE.
Recipe links are below.

Sunday:
Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings is from Mama Knows Gluten Free - let me tell you, she does! This is my go-to site for gluten free cooking and baking.  Mama Knows is an angel!

Monday:
Sausage 'N Sauerkraut is from Taste of Home - tried and true, we love it at my house!
Coconut Cake is from Gonna Want Seconds

Tuesday:
Tuna Macaroni Salad is from The Country Cook

Wednesday:
Slow Cooker King Ranch Chicken is from Six Sisters Stuff
Apple Fritter Cake is from Nerdy Baker

Friday:
Crockpot Pulled Pork is from 100 Days of Real Food
Gingerbread Rice Krispie Treats are from Shugary Sweets

Saturday:
Instant Pot - Pot Roast is from Betty Crocker
Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars are from Cooking Classy via Bloglovin

And that's it for the third week of December!  I hope you find something you and your family like!

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest if you like recipes and sewing!  Just click on the Pinterest button at the top of the right sidebar!

And look HERE if you want to check out places I share posts. 

Have a wonderful, blessed week!  

Another Mini Charm Basket

It seems I am addicted to these little baskets!  I will definitely be making the medium and large sizes after Christmas!

Here is the one I made yesterday:

So cute!  These are great for holding gifts and candies!  I cannot wait to make some more!

Hope you are having a productive week!

Small Charm Baskets

Hello!

I just finished three small charm baskets, using Moda mini charm packs and a fat quarter.  I have several more to make, but I finished these three last night.  They are gifts for some friends I won't see again until after Christmas, so I wanted to gift them today.

These are such cute baskets!  I made all three of them in an afternoon and evening.  The longest part of making these is fusing the fusible fleece onto the pattern pieces!

I stuffed each one with a Yankee candle and some chocolates.  So much fun to make!

I hope you are all having a merry week so far!  Take care!

Weekly Menu Plan for Week of December 9 - 15, 2018

Warm December greetings from what is starting to feel like the village bakery!

This week I have lots of sewing and baking planned.....time to make some gifts for people I won't see again until after Christmas!

Sometimes, I find myself forgetting to make a little something for those people I see every day, or at least often, so during the year I keep a list in my sewing room to remind me.  Bus drivers, hairdresser, teachers, school office ladies, mail delivery people....just a little box of homemade treats lets them know I appreciate them and they mean something to me.  ❤🎅🎄

I am almost done decorating, but not quite!  I still have a couple of boxes to go through.  This year my husband made me a ladder shelf for my village houses.  It turned out so nice!  This picture doesn't do it justice.  But thanks to Pinterest and a handy husband, I have a display I love!

There are some animated houses, some houses my mother painted for me when I was first married, and plenty of Christmas sweetness on those shelves!  The top shelf holds a Christmas tree on the left that was painted by my mom, and on the right there is a North Pole observatory that rotates 360 degrees.  Santa is watching!

I finished the tree last night, on the opposite corner from the village.  Lots of red and white, and snowflakes dominate!

It is starting to feel all Christmas cozy in the living room!  Last night I sat in there for awhile with just the lights from the village and the tree, and it was so nice!  I love the Santa next to the tree, reading his book with the names of all the good children.  Oh, I love this time of year!

Let's get on to this week's menu plan!  I am making a roast tonight, and will have leftovers tomorrow night.  The rest of the week is quite simple and will give me time for sewing and baking!  After Christmas, though, I am looking forward to plenty of sewing time and I am going to try and make Christmas gifts each month instead of DURING the month of December!  Plan ahead, Grammy!

Here is this week's menu plan:

For a printable copy of the plan, please click HERE.

Recipe links are below.

Recipe Links:

Sunday:

Roast Beef is from Brit + Co - a little bit of planning ahead, but worth it!

Five Flavor Pound Cake is from Divas Can Cook 

Monday:

Frosted Fudge Brownies are from Taste of Home 

Tuesday:

Pork Stew is from Just a Pinch - I use pork stew meat instead of the beef stew meat, the rest of the recipe stays the same

Wednesday:

Chicken Fried Rice is from PF Chang's at Home

Gingerbread Bread Pudding is from Tournadough Alli 

Friday:

Slow Cooker Jambalaya is from Crème dela Crumb 

Millionaire Pie is from Spend with Pennies 

Saturday:

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes are from Dinner Then Dessert

Hot Cocoa Cookies are from The Toasty Kitchen 

That ought to make for some yummy meals to eat after a day of preparing goodies for friends!  I hope you all have a wonderful week, and can find some good ideas here to help you make some great family dinners!

I pin on Pinterest almost every day!  If you would like to follow me there, just click on the Pinterest button at the top of the right sidebar.

To see where I share posts, click HERE.  There are some fun linky parties out there!  Tons of ideas!

Have a great week!

 

Weekly Menu Plan for Week of Dec. 2-8, 2018

Well, here we are in the last chapter of 2018!  I can't believe how this year has flown by!

It has been a good year, overall, and I hope it has been a good year for you, too!

This time of year is so busy, with all of  the decorating, shopping, visiting, cooking, baking, and special events!  It's really a blessing to partake in all of it!

If you need some quick dinner ideas, check out my menu plan for this week.  It is easily adaptable to make breakfast and dinner not too labor intensive, but a nice meal to sit down to when you need some nice family time.

Here is my menu plan for this week:
Click HERE for a printable copy.
Recipe notes are below.

Sunday:

Vanilla Ice Cream Cheesecake is from Mostly Homemade Mom

Monday:

Chocolate Meringue Pie is from Cooking With K 

Tuesday:

Oven Fried Pork Chops is from The Southern Thing

Wednesday:

Hamburger Soup is from Spend With Pennies 

Thursday:

Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya is from Evolving Table

German Chocolate Bundt Cake is from A Bountiful Kitchen

Friday:

Crazy Good Cole Slaw is from Cook and Craft Me Crazy

Laura Bush's Cookies are from Joyously Domestic 

Saturday:

Bread Pudding is from Taste of Home 

That's it for this week!  I hope you have a happy, healthy week at your home, and find some good meals to share with your family and friends!