Meal Plan - Dinners - week of Sept. 22-28

I'm a little behind getting my menu together this week thanks to having a 3 day weekend with my girls.
I did most of my shopping this week at Aldi and Sam's, but didn't get any meat because we had to stop at a few other stores before driving home. I took advantage of the local grocery store deal, and got 5 packages of fresh meat for $25.
Sunday we used our center cut pork chops and made marinated kabobs. I have to say this balsamic rosemary marinade was amazing! I also roasted some yellow squash and brussel sprouts, made a yummy sweet apple coleslaw, and some macaroni and cheese for hubs an the kids.
We had the leftovers from Sunday for lunch on Monday. For dinner we ate out at the home style buffet where kids eat free on Mondays. We only spent $15.xx for all 4 of us to eat salad, main course, and dessert.
Tuesday we had leftover beans I froze the last time I cooked pintos with tomatoes, and a yummy dairy free corn bread. My menu says we had meatless nachos because that was my plan for the beans, but once I opened the fridge I realized we were out of sour cream, my cilantro was wilted, and the avacados were riddled with black spots, so plans changed. 
Today I am cooking a beef roast with onions and celery. Sides for this meal will be green beans, homemade wheat rolls, and fried squash.
Thursday the leftover roast will be chunked and added to a beef stew with a combination of fresh and frozen veggies. 
Friday I'm taking it easy and cooking breakfast food. Saturday we will have basil chili pork chops with coleslaw, corn on the cob, and butter herb rice. 

Fall Fun and Decor Round Up #1

Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the cooler weather, the colors, the food, the activities, and the holidays! I feel like we are finally kicking off the season here in Oklahoma (even though temperatures are still in the 90's!) because tomorrow I am accompanying my 4 year old and her class to the county fair. I plan to splurge on some local honey and a caramel apple :)

In the spirit of the season I've been getting a few ideas and projects together to share with my family and readers. So here it is, my first round up, for fall!

1. Hoot Owl Peanut Butter Cookies from Growing in Grace

These look so fun and TASTY! The best part is by substituting dairy free margarine, they are milk-free (so I can actually eat them)!
http://www.jo-ann-growingingrace.com/2012/09/hoot-owl-peanut-butter-cookies.html

2. Paper Punching Leaves from Grow Creative

Early fall is the perfect time for this fun kid-friendly activity. Get outside, take a nature walk, collect beautiful leaves, and punch out any fun shapes you'd like! The possibilities for creating with these are endless. Use them to make a collage, cards for family and friends, glue them to wax paper and cut out a pretty shape to make a natural sun catcher, or creating a mobile using fishing line.
http://growcreative.blogspot.com/2012/11/paper-punching-leaves.html

3. Spooky Dripping Candle Display

This simple craft is the perfect way to decorate your table, porch, or classroom without the mess, danger, and expense of real candles!
http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/111073-candle-cluster.html

4. Halloween Hand Treat Bags from The Queen's Card Castle

Perfectly creepy for passing out on Halloween night, or as a treat for your child's classroom.
http://queenscardcastle.blogspot.com/2012/10/hello-my-friends-hope-your-monday-is.html

5. Glow in the Dark Puff Paint Pumpkins from Balancing Home

If your kids are too young for carving or you just hate the gooey gunk from the inside of a pumpkin give this craft a try. You can use real or fake pumpkins and create fun designs or spooky images!
http://www.balancinghome.com/2012/09/puffy-paint-glow-pumpkin.html

6. Candy Corn Bark from My Baking Addiction

This looks so festive and DELICIOUS!
http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/boo-halloween-treat-and-giveaway/

7. Halloween Facts from Daily Infograph

Take the mystery and fear out of Halloween for kids young and old by sharing some history and facts regarding the holiday and its roots.
http://dailyinfographic.com/halloween-infographic

8. Fall Doodle Paints from Growing a Jeweled Rose

Teach your youngster about the colors and smells of fall while they create a fun, messy masterpiece with these awesome homemade doodle paints!
http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/08/homemade-paint-recipe-fall-doodle-paints.html

9. Play in the Leaves

That's it...just PLAY!

10. Cinnamon Baked Apple Chip Snacks from Beauty and the Beard

These healthy snacks are even better when they are homemade, and perfect for a lunchbox or class treat!
http://beautyandbeard.blogspot.com/2012/03/baked-apple-chips.html#uds-search-results

There you have it! Be sure to check out all the featured bloggers, and try some of these fun activities with your family!
Stop by, and follow my "Fall Fun and Decor" Board on Pinterest for quick access to all these links and more great fall finds!

Introduction to the family and me

Hi! My name is Stefanie. I am a stay at home mom to 3 beautiful little girls ages 7, 4, and 5 months. They and their dad are my everything. I have been married to the love of my life for 5 years, and we've been together for 9. 4 years ago the company I worked for part time moved to a city 2 hours away, so I became a full time Mom!
I spend most of my time doing your average stay at home mom duties-caring for kids, cleaning, running errands, and cooking. I also love to craft, mostly crochet, but random projects are always catching my interest. When it's not too hot or cold outside I try to get a little exercise in, and really enjoy using my jogging stroller. 

These are my beautiful big girls, Joplin (left) and Isis, on their first day of school this year. They are both attending the same school this year (thankfully!) in second grade and pre k. 

Lyriel is my precious 5 month old princess. She was born in March, is small for her age, but is very healthy. I am exclusively breastfeeding her, though she has started eating baby food recently.  

So many of my posts will included stories about life with these kiddos, school, breastfeeding, and all the unexpected adventures that occur. 

Finally, here's a peek at me. This is honestly the only picture taken of me since my maternity shoot, and it was taken by my 4 year old while we were eating at IHOP. 

My main goal in writing this blog is to share our REAL life with my readers. Our family isn't living some unattainable dream life in a spotless home with home-cooked organic meals on the table three times a day. We live on a meager income, but I dont take frugality to the extreme, and force my family to dumpster dive for dinner or go without a few luxury items to save a penny. We are not 100% debt-free, though we don't live off credit cards either. We are living a middle of the road kind of life and proud of it.