Singing Sunday--God Undefeatable!

I have been humming this song all day....during my prayer time while getting ready for church this morning...then singing it during the worship time of the morning service.

So I asked a friend who sings with the worship team what the name of the song was so that I could look it up and share it! Needless to say, I was amazed what I found....the writers of the song provided a pdf. of the theology of the song for others to ready and just the like the song, the thoughts behind the song are powerful too!

Simply powerful....enjoy listening to the song and then read the theology behind the song!!  Then praise God for His matchless love and power!

Super Savings at Meijer---$93.99

Before I left to do my shopping, I had decided that I wanted to get TWO of the OM promotion deal. I kept debating if I wanted to do my shopping once through and then go back through and get my 2nd round of the OM promotion or if I wanted to try my hand at doing two transactions in a row with the same cashier. I am usually a one transaction lady because the cashier's at my store seem to get impatient with the customers quickly...so my philosophy is the quicker through the line the better. Well I went for it and did two transactions with the same cashier. I went through a line with a cashier that I wasn't familiar with and needless to say I will NOT be going back through that grouch's lane again! She did not want to talk at all to me and when she did it was very harsh. UGH! I did a small transaction first and then the bigger one as the second transaction. The first one didn't have any Mperks associated with it so I didn't punch in my numbers for that one. However, the second transaction had quite a few Mperks associated with it, so I waited until she had finished doing my paper MQs before I went to punch in my Mperks numbers. Well she had already hit the payment key when I went to punch the Mperks numbers in so the Mperks button was missing on the card reader, so I commented oh I have Mperks too and she snapped at me saying you are to do that while I am scanning your order cause once I hit the payment key I am not to go back so you can do the Mperks. I said "oh I didn't realize that, I learned something new today". She did go back and allow me to punch in my Mperks but with disdain for such. Anyway on to the transactions....

First transaction: 

12 Mars brand candy bars $9.48 - $5.16(MMB & free items)= $4.32 (36¢ each)
4 OM Lunchables $7.96 -$4.00(promo)-$2.00(MQs)= $1.96 (49¢ each)
4 pks OM Deli Fresh $9.96 - $4.00(promo) -$2.00 (MQs) = $3.96 (99¢ each)

OOP: $10.24
Savings Total: $25.96
Savings %: 71.71%!!!!
**side note: there was 24 items in this transaction, so my avg cost per item after savings was 43¢!!! Not bad!


Second transaction: 

19.08 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts $33.78
3 pks Ortega seasonings and 1 jar taco sauce $3.92 -$1.00MMB - $1.00 (2-50¢ MQs) = $1.92 (48¢ each)
2 pouches Starkist tuna $2.98 -$1.00MMB - $1.00(2-50¢ MQS) = 98¢ (49¢ each)
4 conts. Daisy sour cream $7.16
4 pkgs OM Lunchables $7.96 - $4.00 promo - $2.00(MQs) = $1.96
4 pkgs OM Deli Fresh $9.96 - $4.00 promo -$2.00(MQs) = $3.96
2 pkgs Chi-Chi's tortillas $4.00 -$1.00MMB = $3.00
2 bags Tostitos $5.00 - 50¢MMB -50¢Mperks = $4.00
4 jars Planters Peanuts $10.00 - 50¢Mperks - $3.00(2-$1.50 MQs) = $6.50 ($1.63 each)
4 boxes Lipton Soup Mix $4.00 - 60¢Mperks - $1.00MMB = $2.40 (60¢ each)
5 Totinos Pizzas $6.25 -$1.00Mperks - $1.00(MQ) = $4.25 (85¢ each)
2 pkgs Hillshire Lil Smokies $5.00 - 55¢ IP - 50¢MMB = $3.95
2 bags Tyson Anytizers $11.98 -$2.00(MQs) = $9.98
2 jars Miracle Whip $6.00 - B1G1(MQ) = $3.00
20 cups Yoplait Yogurt $12.00 - 40¢Mperks = $11.60 (kicking myself b/c I forgot to pull my MQs for the yogurt!)
2 bags M&M valentine candy $5.00- $1.00(MQ) = $4.00

OOP: $102.04
Savings: $68.03 
Savings %: 40%!!!
**side note there was 73 items in this transaction so my avg cost per item after savings was $1.40!! not bad! 


The yogurt had a Catalina for $2.00 OYNO so I guess that makes up for things just a tad.  


For no doubles at my store and forgetting about $2.00 in MQs for the yogurt this turned out be to a good shopping trip even if I did have my 2 little ones with me asking every few minutes...."are we done yet!"


This post is linked to: 

• Super Savings Saturday at MoneySavingMom!

Menu Plan Monday Jan 29-Feb 4

I really have been doing menu planning over the last several months, but I haven’t taken the time to post them due to life getting very busy on me and reducing my time spent on the computer.  Now that a new year has started and I have a routine pretty much figured out, I am finding that getting back into menu planning is a great asset for those busy days and weeks because I am not having the big issue of wondering what I am going to throw together for dinner.

Last week was just getting the basics with grocery shopping.  I have been working at a new system of shopping over the last few months and the new system is working for our family! My grocery shopping system is I shop the stores within the 5 mile radius of my house and make a trip to Sam's around the 15th and the last day of each month, which coincide with hubby’s paychecks.   I am finding this plan to be working very well!  I can get the good deals on the weeks I shop and get creative in the kitchen on the weeks where I just swing into Aldi for our weekly supply of 4 gallons of milk and 4 dozen eggs.

This week’s meals are simple and using what meat I had in the freezer and pantry items leftover from before my big grocery shopping trip that was two weeks ago.  Sundays are family dinner dining out nights due to our schedule with church activities it makes life so much easier and dinner is served earlier rather than later.   The rest of the week is simple meals to save time, energy and money in the kitchen.

This week’s lunches that are listed below are for the kids and me! Unless we are having leftovers, our lunches are served with apple slices or carrot sticks along with fruit juice or water.   Hubby and my three oldest boys usually take a dinner leftover along with various snacks for their lunches so I don’t take the time to really plan their lunches. I just take the next container of leftovers in the stack in the fridge that I have prepared ahead of time.

A special thanks to Laura-Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! Need help with your menus; go check the over 300 other delicious meal plans that have been linked at Laura-Organizing Junkie's site or look down in my right sidebar for my menu suggestion lists!

Sunday (1-29)

Breakfast: eggs, hash browns, sausage and cinnamon rolls

Lunch: leftovers –turned sloppy joes into taco meat and made sloppy chicken sandwiches from roasted chicken.

Dinner:  Checker’s (family dining out night)

Snack: snack basket

Monday (1-30)

Breakfast: cereal and leftover cinnamon rolls

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  saucy chicken, mashed taters, salad, rolls and green beans

Snack: snack basket

Tuesday (1-31)

Breakfast:  waffles and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  smothered chicken, boiled red taters, corn

Snack: snack basket

Wednesday (2-1)

Breakfast:  bagels and cereal

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner: beef gravy over noodles, peas and crescent rolls

Snack: snack basket

Thursday (2-2)

Breakfast: Pancakes and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  chicken rice casserole served with homemade bread

Snack: snack basket                                                       

Friday (2-3)

Breakfast: cereal

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  chicken club sandwiches, fries and carrots

Snack: snack basket

Saturday (2-4)

Breakfast:  Your Choice

Lunch: sandwiches & chips

Dinner: pork chops, mac & cheese, peas, salad and rolls

Snack: popcorn or snack basket

Singing Sunday--The Heart of Christmas

My pastor shared this song as part of his message today. I love the message of the song. No matter what problems or troubles we have with family or friends this Christmas lets remember the true meaning Christmas...that God sent His son, Jesus to come to earth as a baby and later take all of our sins to the cross and die for us. Without Him coming we would have had to die in our sins. We can truly be happy this Christmas because no matter what is happening in our lives we can know that we are His sons and daughters. 

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Goodie Plates

I love to bake!  I love to share my creations with others! What better time to share baked goods with friends and neighbors than at the holiday season. I am going to share with you how to make up holiday sample plates for gift giving to your friends and neighbors for the holidays.

After the Thanksgiving bustle is finished, I take the time to write down a list of goodies (around a dozen) and some are family favorites while a few others are new things to try.  I always look through my pantry stockpile to see what baked goods on the list I can do without having to purchase items to complete the goodies.  Once I have completed my list I look over it to see what goodies (like fudge, & bread) will freeze without problems and I mark those as the first to complete.  When I make my list I try to make things that share the same ingredients but are different, like my peanut butter & chocolate day, so that I do not have to get LOTS of different ingredients that I might not use again.

Now that we have the list of goodies figured out, it is time to get baking!  I try to make something every day during the first three weeks of December so that I do not feel overwhelmed, however, that doesn’t always happen!  Some years I have done one or two big baking days and called it good!  

One tip about baking cookies for the sample plates: if you have a small scoop or small cookie cutters or a cookie press use those instead of your larger scoops or cutters!  Using the smaller items means that you will get more cookies out of your dough and it will take less baking time, hence making things move a little faster and truly making the plates where you are able to get a sampling of everything that you have baked rather than just a few items.

The baking is done and it is a couple days before Christmas, now is the time to put your plates together! I purchased a couple of packages of Christmas styrofoam plates to use.  I got two different sizes, so that my neighbors who are widowed or just a couple get the smaller ones while the families with kids get the bigger plates.   I set out the plates and the goodies on my dining room table and the kids and I work at putting goodies on the plate.  There is a catch to putting the goodies on the plate…we put enough of each goodie for each person in the family. So if the plate is going to go to the family of five next door then we put only five snickerdoodles or five pieces of fudge and continue to fill the plate with five of the different goodies until the plate is full.  If the plate is going to the widow across the street then I will only fill the plate with one or two pieces of each of the goodies.  I also give a mini loaf of bread (yeast or quick) with the sample plate, I have those wrapped in foil and have labeled them as to what they are and give them right out of the freezer so that if the recipient wants they can place the bread back in the freezer to use at a different time.

Once the plate is full, I put a piece of saran wrap over each plate and fill out a gift tag and get a bow to stick on the top of the plate.  The plates are now ready to deliver. I put the plates together so it is hubby turn to do his part of the giving!  He and a couple of the older kids deliver the goodies to the neighbors either on December 23^rd or Christmas Eve before the different families leave for Christmas celebrations.

So even though the sample goodie plates take time and effort they are something that the whole family can help in preparing and the neighbors will appreciate the thoughtfulness.  

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

This post is linked to:

• Living Well Wednesday at Women Living Well Ministries!