God's Little Grace

Another Weekend

3:05 PM | Posted by Unknown

We keep having the best weekends! This weekend was split into "girl time" and "guy time". Grandmommy, Aunt Callie and Aunt Karen came to Anderson for a visit! "Girl time" began with a new book from Grandmommy and some book time while we were waiting on Aunt Karen to get here.

Grace loves her Aunt Callie!

Once Aunt Karen got here we had some good food and a lot of good conversation!

Callie and I went for a good run on Saturday, right before it began to SNOW! (It only lasted a little bit, but it was still pretty) Grandmommy had warm, yummy chili ready for us when we got back! Sadly, they had to leave on Saturday, but it was still so fun!

"Guy time" was spent in the mountains with brothers and friends. Michael LOVES to be anywhere there is snow!

We are so grateful to have such wonderful family and friends!

It is always hard to say goodbye to the weekend, but thankfully there is another one right around the corner!

Labels:baby,Family,Love | 6 comments

Menu 5

2:40 PM | Posted by Unknown

Day 1
Goulash, Salad & Garlic Bread
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large yellow onions, chopped
1 1/2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. 1 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
Directions
In a Dutch oven, saute the ground beef over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat while sauteing. Spoon off any grease. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and saute until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add water, along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and seasoned salt. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and allow the mixture to sit about 30 minutes more before serving.

This is a recipe from my very talented mother-in-law. She makes this sometimes when we go to visit her and my husband always loves it. I tried my hand at it. I know it doesn't come close to what my mother-in-law makes, but I have to say I went back for seconds!

Day 2
Chicken & Dumplings, Black Eyed Peas, and Rolls
Chicken (anything that is on sale)
Chicken broth or stock
frozen dumplings
salt
pepper
Directions
Put chicken, broth, salt and pepper in crockpot and cook until easy to shred. Add dumplings about 40 minutes before serving.

We love this meal. My husband grew up eating this exact same meal and gets giddy when he sees we are having it for dinner. This is one of those meals that is perfect to make for a busy day of errands, because all you have to do is just dump and go!

Day 3
Tomato-Basil Soup & Crackers

We call this "Olive Garden Soup" because it tastes just like a soup they would serve. If you have company coming over and you want a soup to impress... well you have found it!

Day 4
Beef Stew & Rolls

2 pounds beef stew meat
1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon seasoning salt (I use lawrys)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 large onion, diced

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 cups water

beef Swanson Flavor Boost

4 medium to large potatoes, washed & diced

3 large carrots, peeled & sliced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 can green beans

Directions

Shake the beef stew meat in a resealable plastic bag with the flour & seasoning salt until evenly coated. Heat the olive oil in a skillet; add the floured stew meat to the pan & brown on all sides. Remove using a slotted spoon or tongs & place into the bottom of a slow cooker. Season with pepper. Sauté the diced onion in the same hot skillet for 2 minutes. Don't worry about cleaning it out in between - that's added flavor! Transfer the onions into the slow cooker as well. Pour in the Worcestershire sauce, water, & Swanson Flavor Boost and whisk until mixed, making sure you scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat & set aside. Add the diced potatoes, carrots, celery, green beans & bay leaves to the slow cooker. Now, pour the broth/Worcestershire mixture in the crockpot as well. Cover; cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

This recipe can be very versatile. I tend to put all our leftover veggies from the week in one ziploc bag and dump all of them into the stew. This way the stew tends to be different everytime. You also save money and you do not waste any of those precious veggies!

Day 5

Spaghetti, Garlic Bread & Salad

Day 6
Homemade Lasagna, Garlic Bread & Salad

1 pound Ground Beef

1 pound Breakfast Sausage

2 cloves Garlic, Minced

2 cans Diced Tomatoes

2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste

2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley

2 Tablespoons Dried Basil

1 teaspoon Salt

3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese

2 whole Beaten Eggs

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley

1 teaspoon Salt

1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese

1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps. In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).

To assemble:  Arrange 4-5 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top. Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan. Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

List:
Meat-
1 lb breakfast sausage
2 lbs beef stew meat
chicken
3 lbs ground beef
Pantry-
seasoning salt
worcestershire sauce
oregano
beef Swanson flavor boost
flour
chicken broth 6 cups
1 can tomato sauce

2 cans tomato paste

5 cans diced tomatoes

Italian Seasoning

bay leaf

soy sauce

seasoning salt (I used Lawreys because I had some)

garlic powder

elbow macaroni

1 can green beans

spaghetti noodles (I use whole wheat, you really can not tell a difference)

spaghetti sauce

parsley

basil

lasagna noodles

Fridge-
parmesan cheese
butter
half and half
dumplings (frozen section)
garlic bread
lowfat cottage cheese

eggs

mozzarella cheese

Produce-
celery
carrots
potatoes
3 yellow onions
garlic
lettuce
tomatoes
cucumbers

I hope this will make your week a little easier!
Enjoy!

Labels:Family,Weekly Menu | 0 comments

Money Saving Tips

9:55 AM | Posted by Unknown

(I wonder if she knows, that is NOT going to fit in her mouth?)

Since we have been married we have either been living on one salary or paying for school. This has allowed us to become very "thrifty" with the way we live. Here are a few ways we have learned and maybe they will help you...

1. We only have one car. We save money on taxes, gas, insurance and we get to spend more time together. I know some people can not do this with work situations and what not, but where we are now it works for us. Thankfully my husband only works 4 1/2 miles away, which means sometimes he rides his bike or even runs to work. Now don't get me wrong... I would love to have two cars.

2. I only go to the grocery store once a week. When we first got married I found myself swinging by the store almost every other day. This adds up so quickly, because just one item turns into more VERY quickly! I plan out all our meals for the week and we eat off of what we have, even if we get down to all the stuff we don't want.

3. We rarely eat out. We decided that for health and money reasons to only eat out once a week. Now to some people that might sound like a lot, but this also includes just going through the drive thru. Now when we do go out to a nice place my husband and I usually split a meal. We find that we never really need to eat a whole plate, the leftovers are never as good the next day, and if it comes with bread or salad you can fill up pretty quickly! Also when we go out we always get water. We usually ask for lemons and squirt them in the water and add a little sugar and you have lemonade!

4. No gym membership. This is a hard one for me, because I LOVE going to the gym. I always have. Just writing this I want to go, and I am one of those people that definitely gets my moneys worth. Thankfully, I love to run and would rather run outside anyways. If it is raining I resort to doing a workout video in my bedroom.

5. Coupon. I began using coupons a few years ago. I can not save near as much with coupons as I once was able, but any amount is better than nothing. We also use coupons for drive thrus, all baby products, household items and even the dentist.

6. Borrow. We borrow things whenever possible. A lot of Grace's bigger items have been borrowed. This saves so much money, and you can help someone and they can help you!

7. Budget. This might be the most important one? We have a very strict budget on our computer that we update almost daily. This makes us communicate about our finances. Even though I HATE doing this, it is a necessary evil to save money. Both of you must know where the money is being spent!

8. Shop second-hand. You can find so many items almost brand new at thrift stores, yard sales, habit stores etc. I personally love yard sales because there is so much room for negotiations. Especially for children's items, they rarely wear them out.

9. Make Homemade. There are so many things that can be made homemade for so much cheaper.

10. Pack lunches. We have packed our lunch our whole marriage. My wonderful husband is so good at eating our leftovers. This saves not only on grocery money, but also in gas too.

I hope this will help and inspire you to save money! Please let me know ways you save money! I always am looking for more ideas!

Labels:Family,Food,Money Saving | 2 comments

Month 6 Must Haves

11:09 AM | Posted by Unknown

I have put together a few items that I really use a lot. There are a lot more items to go along with them, but I do not want to repeat myself.

1. White Onesies- Grace wears these just about everyday. I put them under her cute little short sleeve outfits, and under her pjs. I feel like they keep her warm and for her right now anything without snaps just doesn't work. If you put her in a little tee-shirt and pick her up her little belly hangs out. I want her to be warm and these onesies are the key!

2. Books- We sit around a read quite often. She gets very excited and reaches for the pages. This is one of her absolute favorite books! The pieces pop out and she can chew on them and feel them. I can not say enough good things about these books!

3. Spoons- I waited until the absolute last minute to buy spoons and I went out and bought these because they were buy one get one free. So that is how I made my decision about spoons. These work fine for us, I do not have anything to compare them to, but these do have bright colors which Grace loves!

4. Knitted Blanket- A friend of ours made this blanket for her and I love it! First off I think it is super cute, it is one of a kind, and it has holes in it so she can breath it is got over her face. Now that she is rolling all over her crib it makes me feel good that she is safe with this!

5. Fleece PJs- Grace sleeps every night in fleece pjs. I do not want her to get cold and I do not want to keep the heat up so high that I can not sleep, so I like knowing she has warm pjs.

I hope this helps you with your little one. Please let me know what items you can not make it without!

Labels:baby,Baby Registry,Must Haves | 6 comments

We Love Weekends!

6:10 PM | Posted by Unknown

We love weekends at the McKenzie house! Mostly because Michael aka: Daddy & Husband, gets to spend more time with Grace and I! Usually we do not have plans, but always end up doing something. This weekend was different... We had been planning for quite some time to go down to Columbia for someone very specials birthday! Grace's friend Olen Ray Bozard was turning ONE! We have known the Bozard family for almost 4 years. We have grown close over time, I even lived with them while Michael was working in Anderson. They are very dear to our hearts. We would never have missed Olen Ray's first birthday! He was super cute smashing his cake! I don't think Grace could get enough of him either, she was very curious whenever he was doing anything.

Sunday we still managed to get in some more yard work. (I know it seems like that is all I talk about.) I was too tired to do any, but that did not stop my wonderful husband. (One of these days I will show you a completed picture of our beautiful new yard.)

Grace and I worked really hard too, no not really. We just played on the porch and watched and tried to catch some vit. D!

We hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

Labels:Family,Remodeling | 2 comments

Look What We Started!!!

9:58 AM | Posted by Unknown

Its official... my little baby is a big girl. I have to admit that it kind of makes me sad, but also very thankful for how happy and healthy she has become. Yesterday she ate real food for the first time! She ate sweet potatoes, but did not really know what to think?

Can you tell by her face? I did not give her very much for the first time, but she everything that I gave her!

I can not wait to try different types of food and see how she reacts!

Labels:baby,Food | 2 comments

Another Exciting/Eventful Weekend!

4:56 PM | Posted by Unknown

Life is never boring around the McKenzie house! Our weekend began a day early, because we had scheduled to have dentist appointments (I know, yuck!) on Friday morning. To spare you a long, aggravating story, we were unable to have our teeth cleaned. Good news though we are going to get free whitenings!!! (I love a bargain!) That left our day completely open to whatever we wanted to do! It was such a beautiful day, we decided to head to Greenville to explore the Greenway system.

We spent about 2 hours or so walking/running. We love being outside and it was nice not to be working on anything!

I am so jealous of Greenville! This greenway system is awesome! It goes for 40 miles! I could do all my training runs and never have to worry about cars running me over, I could drink from water fountains along the way, and use public restrooms. I definitely want to go and run some different sections, I am just not excited about the 30 minute car ride. There is something about walking right out my front door to go run. Anyways... We had a wonderful family afternoon!

Saturday morning began very early, because we were going to a nursery with our friends/next door neighbors. Grace was so excited that she woke up at 4 am. I tried to explain to her that we were not leaving until 7:30, but she did not care!

When we were leaving it began snowing, but that did not slow us down! We ended up getting a couple gardenia bushes, blueberry bushes, and a blackberry bush. Of course you know what more bushes mean... more yard work. The rest of the day was filled with digging, tilling, planning, pizza and good memories with friends!

One might think that all this is enough for one weekend, but not us.. oh no.

We had to pressure wash the ENTIRE house, rocking chairs, and side walk. It is amazing how much dirt can come off with the pressure washer! Our house looks like it is beaming now, it is so clean.

Thats what we did on our weekend, What did you do on yours?

Labels:Family,Love | 2 comments