The Simple Life at Home

Way back when, I posted an 8 Week Menu Plan.  It was grand, it was ambitious, it worked fabulously.

Ok, as you read this I'll be busy at work on my first day of employment in 14 years. Beginning to work will now require me to be even more organized than I've ever been. I'll get home around 4 pm most days, so there will still be time for dinner prep, but shopping and thinking it through in advance will take on new importance. Here's this week menu plan:

Sunday - Sticky Chicken, garlic & onion mashed potatoes, garlic green beans

Monday - Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread and a caesar salad

Tuesday - Mahlouba

Wednesday - Swedish Meatballs over egg noodles and a tossed salad

Thursday - Hummous, kubbe, cheese, bread, pickles, olives

Friday - Jambalaya over rice

Saturday - Chicken tacos in the slow cooker (recipe below)


For the chicken tacos, I toss a package of chicken breasts in the slow cooker, toss in a can of mexican style corn, a chopped onion, a can of rotel, some cumin and salt and pepper. I let it cook on low all day and then about 30 minutes before we eat, I toss in a can of either black beans or kidney beans. I serve it up in either tortillas (for soft tacos) or taco shells (for hard tacos). Easy!

For more menu plans, be sure to click on over to The Organizing Junkie!

Welcome back!!! Can you believe it's Monday again and time to think about our week ahead?! Time flies, doesn't it? I'm running a bit late today getting the kids off to school, so here's our menu for this week with no-frills.


Sunday - M'sahkhan (Fried chicken and onions, mixed with sumac and served with pita bread)

Monday - Uncle David's Spaghetti & Meatballs, garlic bread, caesar salad

Tuesday - Salmon, couscous with red pepper and onions and a tossed salad

Wednesday - Cottage pie

Thursday - Tostadas

Friday - Potato Lover's Salad

Saturday - Curry Cajun Chicken, green beans, salad


Simple, yummy, delicious!!!

In other news, nothing to say except life is good. We are busy and happy. I think everyone, even the kids, are starting to feel more at home. Putting them in school has been a good decision which has helped them make friends and build connections here in Qatar. While it was an agonizing decision, it's proved to be the right one.

And now I'm off to make lunches, find PE uniforms, make the school drive and get my day started. May your day be blessed!!!

• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 t. oregano
• 1/4 t. thyme
• 2 T. mayonaise
• Fresh ground black pepper

Mix dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Salad

• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 t. sea salt OR seasoned salt
• 1/4 t. paprika
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 4 cups lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces
• 2 cups spinach, washed and torn into bite size pieces
• 1 cup alfalfa sprouts
• 1 cup chopped red cabbage

Steam the potatoes until they are fork-tender. While they are steaming, prepare greens and cut the broccoli. Remove potatoes from steamer and put into a mixing bowl. Melt butter and pour over the potatoes. Toss well. Add your choice of salt and paprika and mix well. Broil 2 inches away from the broiler element for 5-10 minutes. While the potatoes are broiling, steam the broccoli until tender and bright green. Toss greens with red cabbage, alfalfa sprouts and add broccoli and potatoes (still hot). Add the dressing and mix well.

Hummous

This is such an easy dish to make. When I see those little tubs of hummous in the stores selling for $4.00 for about half a cup, I want to cry! You can make it yourself in 5 minutes and for far, far less.

• 1 can of chick peas, drained (liquid reserved)
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste, sold in the ethnic section of most grocery stores)
• 2 cloves garlic
• the juice of one lemon
• salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid and begin to blend. You will need to stop and stir frequently until the chick peas begin to be processed well. Pour in either more lemon juice (if you want it more strongly flavored) or more of the reserved liquid (if you are sastisfied with the taste), until the hummous is lump-free and a smooth consistency. Transfer to a plate, smooth out in swirls and sprinkle with a little dried parsley and paprika. Go once around the plate with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with warmed pita bread and raw onions. Also goes great as a dip for vegetables!

Clam Chowder

• 3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart half-and-half cream
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Drain juice from canned clams into a large skillet over onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. Add water to cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, in a large saucepot, melt the butter and whisk in the butter until smooth. Whisk in the cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through but do not boil. Stir in clams just before serving. If you cook them too long, they will be tough. When it is heated through, stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. (From allrecipes.com, by PioneerGirl.

That's my plan for this week. I'm happy to have been able to use up some of what I had on hand and be able to contribute in that way to the family finances. We women often have a great ability to use what is already in our hands that we don't even pay attention to. I'm committing to trying to be more frugal and wise, while not cutting back on enjoying our life.

For more menu ideas, be sure to visit the Organizing Junkie!

Is that a word? I'm pretty sure randomosity does not appear in Webster's. However, when you start hearing it all over the place in the upcoming years, just remember you heard it hear first.

I don't have anything big to share today. Just lots of little, random tidbits. Here we go.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the Christmas season here in Doha. Yes, it's different. But I'm honestly surprised by how widely acknowledged it is here. Yesterday I was getting my hair cut (for the first time ever in Doha - and I'm REALLY happy with the woman I found!!) and the Qatar government radio station was playing non-stop carols. There are Christmas trees all over the place, both as store decorations and for sale. I've even heard that you can find REAL Christmas trees somewhere in town. We went to do some shopping at one of the biggest malls here and there was a huge holiday display - a tree that must have been 40 feet tall. I was most excited to even find a nativity set for sale!! I really would like to start a collection, but figured I'd never find one for sale here. All of the things I've seen (and heard) so far have been strictly secular - Santa, snowmen, etc. So the nativity set was the highlight of my shopping trip yesterday.

This weekend I did snack duty at church. I brought a veggie tray and a plate of Monkey Bread. It was gone in minutes!!! My kids loved it so much they asked to have it on Christmas morning. It's simple and quick so I agreed. The fact that it's yummy and gooey and carmel-ly had NOTHING to do with it. Nothing. Here's the recipe:

Monkey Bread

3 packages of refrigerated biscuit dough (12 oz. each)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/ cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional - I didn't use them, but I will next time)
1/2 cup raisins (optional - I didn't use them)

Place sugar and cinnamon into a large ziploc bag and shake well to combine. Cut the biscuits into quarters and place several at a time into the bag. Shake to coat with the cinnamon sugar. Lay coated pieces into a Bundt pan, interspersing nuts and raisins amongst the pieces. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small pan and let boil one minute. Pour over the biscuit dough. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate. Serve warm - just pull the bread apart with your fingers and enjoy!!

Doesn't that sound yummy? It is!!

The weather here continues to be fabulous! Highs around 70, lows around 55. Perfect. The skies are blue and beautiful - quite a change from the brown skies we had during the summer sand storms!

I'm so excited about what we are getting the kids for Christmas. I can't put it here because they read my blog (why I don't know? You'd think teenagers would get bored with the ramblings of a 40 year old housewife) so that would spoil the surprise. But I think they will be quite happy.

And the fireworks for Qatar National Day the other night were amazing!!! They were worth the 1 hour plus delay in setting them off. Yes, that's right - over an hour late. Hundreds of thousands of people waiting in 55 degree weather, right on the water where it's colder, and they didn't start until after 10 pm. We almost went home, but I'm glad we stuck it out. They did things I've never seen before. It was a fun night in the end!

Well, I guess that's about all for today. Tomorrow I'll try to have something more, uh, focused! Yeah, that's the word. And I'm pretty sure that IS a real word!

I'm so excited at this time of year! It's a time for delicious treats, beautifully decorated homes, delightful music, and so much more. Christmas is a great time of the year! Even here in Doha, Qatar (where we are currently living), I've been surprised at the amount of Christmas trees in stores. It's a pleasant surprise.

I've got some really yummy things planned for this week. My mom blessed me with two (TWO!!) Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking cookbooks for Christmas while we were back in Tucson and I'm putting them to good use this week. Here's my plan:

Monday: Lemon-Rosemary Chicken, buttermilk-garlic smashed potatoes, tossed salad

Tuesday: Baja Beef & Beans and Tex-Mex Rice

Wednesday: Island Chicken, fruited rice, and garlic-roasted green beans

Thursday: Picnic in the park (it's Qatar's independence day and there is going to be a light show and fireworks by the gulf. Should be fun!!)

Friday: Broiled salmon with creamy horseradish sauce (recipe below), brussel sprouts, and roasted potatoes

Saturday: Stuffed zucchini, rice with vermicelli and chopped salad

Sunday: Lentils & rice and a lemony salad

Broiled Salmon with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

• 1 lb. salmon fillets
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 T. prepared horseradish
• 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 t. lemon pepper seasoning

Preheat broiler. Rinse fish and pat dry. Cut into 4 serving pieces. Coat a baking sheet with the cooking spray; set aside.

Stir together sour cream, horseradish and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Brush fish with oil; sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Place on baking sheet and broil 4-6 inches from heat for 4-6 minutes per side. Serve with sour cream mixture.

* * * * * * * * * *

Doesn't that sound yummy?! It's from Sandra Lee's book, Cooking Made Light. Well, to be honest, her recipe calls for fat free sour cream, but, uh, NO! Though I guess you could use it if you really wanted to.

For more great menu planning ideas, be sure to check out Laura at The Organizing Junkie.

• 6 chicken breasts halves


• 1/4 cup milk


• 1 egg, beaten


• bread crumbs, enough for coating the chicken


• 3 T. cooking oil


• 1 jar spaghetti sauce


• 2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded (not the kind in a can!)

Pound the chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thickness. Mix together the milk and beaten egg. Dip the chicken into the milk and egg mixture and then into the bread crumbs. Coat well, making sure the crumbs get into every nook and cranny.

Heat oil in a frying pan over med-high heat. Saute the chicken, approximately 7 minutes per side. Try not to turn it more than once as this will break up the coating.

Lay the chicken in a single layer in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over top (I like a lot of sauce, some people like less). Top each chicken breast with a good amount of the Parmesan cheese.

Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove foil for the last 5-10 minutes to brown up the cheese a little. The chicken will come out tender and delicious!

Enjoy!!

The task assigned to us this week by our faithful leader, Shannon, is to share a recipe that involves five or less ingredients. This was a toughy for me as I tend to cook more, um, elaborately than this, but I found one.

This is a yummy little treat that I brought to VBS last year and it went like lightening! Super easy and super delicious, it makes a perfect brunch dish or appetizer.

Sausage Biscuit Bites

• 1 tube buttermilk biscuits
• 4 1/2 t. Parmesan cheese
• 1 package (8 oz.) brown and serve sausage links, thawed
• 1 T. butter, melted
• 1 t. oregano

Roll each biscuit into flat circles and brush tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle each biscuit with some of the Parmesan cheese and the oregano. Place a sausage link onto each biscuit at one end and roll up. Cut each roll into four pieces and secure with toothpicks. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

For more of the recipes I've shared over time, click here.

Here are some of my other Works for Me Wednesday posts that I thought you might enjoy:

• 50 Family Fun Ideas
• Soothe Those Mosquito Bites
• Romance, Web-Style
• Be a Professional Homemaker

Have a happy Wednesday!

I guess I must subconciously feel bad for feeding my family such simple meals last week, because this week I've decide to be a little more industrious in the kitchen. What can I say? I like to cook!

However, I'm planning in one night to eat out. Every girl needs a break, right? Plus we have found this great restaraunt where all four of us can eat, and eat heartily, for about $10 total! Gotta love that Arabic food!! Cheap and healthy!!

This week's recipe, for Cobb Salad, is a perfect summer meal - light and refreshing with a delicious citrusy dressing. Try it!

Sunday - Chicken and Onions with Creamy Wine Sauce, rice and salad

Monday - Lasagna, caesar salad and garlic breadsticks

Tuesday - Koosa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini), tabbouleh

Wednesday - Arabic Meatloaf and a chopped salad

Thursday - Cobb Salad (recipe below)

Friday - Barbeque (of course!)

Saturday - Eat out!!

Cobb Salad

Lemon Vinaigrette

Combine the following ingredients in a tightly lidded jar:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 T. red wine vinegar
• 2 t. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. dry mustard
• 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/ t. pepper
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced

Refrigerate while you prepare the salad.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 head of lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup diced chicken or turkey (I use thickly sliced deli turkey torn up - it's easy!)
• 1 cup diced ham (again, I use it from the deli!)
• 3 chopped hard-boiled eggs
• 2 chopped medium tomatoes
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 slices of crisply cooked bacon, crumbled (I use turkey bacon)

Arrange lettuce in a wide dish. Place meats, eggs, and tomatoes in attractive rows across the lettuce. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon and top with the vinaigrette. Serve!!

I just have to say that if you haven't ever tried the Pineapple Glazed Meatloaf we had last week, you are missing out!!! Oh. My. Goodness.

To die for.

And Hubby doesn't even like meatloaf. I haven't made meatloaf in probably 10 years. I was taking a real chance making it for him, but he loved it and even went back for seconds. Yummy!!

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Sunday - Mixed fondue (shrimp, chicken, beef and vegetables) in broth

Monday - Uncle David's spaghetti and meatballs (recipe below), Caesar salad and garlic bread sticks

Tuesday - Roasted chicken, rosemary roasted potatoes and a tossed salad

Wednesday - Crockpot shredded beef sandwiches and potato salad

Thursday -Beef shish kebabs with rice, pita bread and a chopped salad

Friday - Country Corn Chowder with cheese biscuits

Saturday -Baked fish, steamed vegetables and rice

* * * * *

Uncle David's Spaghetti and Meatballs

(Makes a LOT!! I usually halve the recipe. And this cooks all day, so start early. It's worth the wait!)

Sauce:

2 46 oz. cans of tomato juice, 24 oz. of tomato paste, 1 1/2 cup red wine, 1 1/2 T. chopped garlic, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 T. parsley, 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper, 1 large peeled onion

Meatballs:

5 lbs. lean ground beef, 4 eggs, 1 T. parsley, 2 t. chopped garlic, 8 oz. Parmesan cheese, 1 cup half and half, 1 t. salt, 1 t. pepper, 3 cups unseasoned bread crumbs

Mix all meatball ingredients except for ground beef, bread crumbs and cheese. Add the meat and cheese and mix well. Then add the bread crumbs, bit by bit, until the meat is of a good consistency. Make small meatballs (no more than 1" diameter). Set aside.

Combine all the sauce ingredients, leaving onion whole, into a very large and heavy pot. Cook over low heat. Keep sauce on verge of a boil, but do not boil.

Add meatballs to sauce and cook all day.

Can you believe it's Monday again? It seems like time just flies by, doesn't it?

Sadly, last week's menu didn't turn out so well. The Shrimp and Scamp Bake? Well, Hubby decided to call his sister 5 minutes before it was done, so by the time we got to it, the shrimp was lukewarm and rubbery. Ugh. And the Vegetable Stew? This is normally one of my favorite meals ever, but I hadn't made it here in Doha yet. I couldn't find either sage or celery seed (two of my most favorite flavors in the soup) and then I couldn't find lima beans. Now, normally I'm not a huge lima bean fan, but in this soup they are fantastic. So I tried to replace the lima beans with something that LOOKED similar called broad beans.

They are NOT similar. Somewhere along the cooking, they turned from a pale green (lima bean color!!) to a dark purple. And the taste? Let's just say I won't be using these again. Ever.

Let's just hope that things work out a little better this week. Here's the plan:

Monday - Easy Yummy Taco Salad (recipe below)

Tuesday - Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Wednesday - Bezella over rice with a chopped salad (bezella is a Lebanese style beef stew Hubby loves)

Thursday - Fix your own dinner night - no "Mommy of the Year Award" here - LOL!!

Friday - Fish fry with cole slaw

Saturday - Baked ziti with garlic rolls and a tossed salad


Easy Yummy Taco Salad

*1 lb. ground beef
*1 packet taco seasoning mix
* Lettuce of choice
* 1small onion, chopped small
* 1 bunch of cilantro
* 1 small can of sliced olives (optional)
* 1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* shredded cheddar cheese
* Catalina dressing
* Bag of Doritos

Brown the ground beef. Add the taco seasoning and half the water called for on the package and cook as directed.

Meanwhile, combine lettuce, cilantro and onion. Add in olives, if using, kidney beans and cheddar cheese. Mix well.

When beef is ready, place it on top of the salad and mix in. Pour Catalina dressing over salad and mix well.

Crush the Doritos into smaller pieces (bite-sized) and pour over salad. Mix well and serve!!

Be sure to visit Laura at The Organizing Junkie to find more great Menu Plan Monday Posts.

As per Tammi's request, here is the recipe for Lentils and Rice, referred to in my 8 Week Menu Plan. Now, I will admit that I did not care for this dish when I first tried it. But over time, I have come to love it. It is tasty and inexpensive to make - a bonus in these times of food costs going out of control.

Lentils & Rice (Mujadarra)

2 cups whole lentils
several garlic cloves
2 onions, sliced thinly lengthwise (like crescents)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup rice
1 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Boil lentils and garlic in water (enough to cover) until the lentils are almost tender. While they are cooking, fry the onion slices until golden brown in the olive oil. Drain and set aside.

Add the rice and spices to the lentils. Top with 3 cups of hot water. Cover and simmer gently until the rice is soft and the water is absorbed. Serve topped with the fried onions. The traditional salad served with this dish is below.

Lemony Salad (my name - clearly not the official Arabic name!!)

Lettuce, chopped finely
Tomatoes, chopped finely
Onions, chopped finely
Cucumbers, diced small
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt

Make the salad in proportions according to your likes (more or less onion, etc.). Then add a drizzle of olive oil, a good size squirt of lemon juice and salt to taste. Stir well and serve. (Hubby - official Arab - actually mixes his salad into the lentils & rice.)

Believe it or not, a lot of people come to The Simple Life at Home by searching for "Koosa Mahshi." This simple, but delicious, Lebanese dish is fairly easy to prepare and well worth giving a try. It's included on my 8 Week Menu Plan and since so many people come looking for a recipe, I figured it was time to post it.

Hey, I'm feeling pretty good!! I've gotten a home-cooked dinner on the table two nights in a row!! Not bad considering I'm still not sure how to work the oven in our new home. I did get it lit yesterday (with the help of Hubby) so that I could roast some potatoes and carrots to go with my pot roast in the crockpot. And today I made Bezella, one of Hubby's favorites. That's a stovetop recipe, so it was easy.

Apparently I need to push in the oven control to release the gas, then wave a match inside a slot on the bottom of the oven, then slowly release the oven control once it gets lit. Sounds simple, right? Well, I'm sure it would be if, upon lighting, a huge fireball didn't erupt and singe my hands! Then today, I cut my finger chopping tomatoes and just an hour later sliced into my thumb. Did ya know that thumbs bleed? Alot? There was blood everywhere - in the sink, on the floor, on the window, on the stove - everywhere. I was so relieved that I had sent the kids out to walk Snow just a couple of minutes before - they would have panicked.

Anyway, on to the menus. I know that it's only Sunday afternoon for most of you, but I'm used to doing my posts the night before when the house is quiet and I can actually, you know, think. I'll just have to link up later when Laura puts up her Menu Plan Monday post.

Here's what we'll be having this week:

Monday - Chicken Parmesan, Caesar salad and steamed veggies

Tuesday - Beef Stir Fry and rice

Wednesday - Bow Tie Pasta, garlic bread and salad

Thursday - Rosemary & Lime Chicken (recipe below), rice, and salad

Friday - Arabic Meatloaf (recipe below) and a chopped salad

Rosemary & Lime Chicken

1/3 cup vegetable oil
2.5-3 lbs. chicken, cut into serving size pieces (I use boneless breasts)
1/2 cup chicken broth
grated rind and juice of one 1 large lime
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Heat oil in heavy skillet over moderately high heat. Add chicken and cook, uncovered, turning once or twice until well browned, about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cover, reduce heat to moderate low and simmer for 25 minutes. Skim fat from pan juices and service chicken with natural gravy. Simple and delicious!!

Arabic Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 bunch (a little less is ok) of finely chopped parsley
1 large finely chopped onion
1 tsp. allspice
salt to taste
thinly sliced potatoes (approx. 3 or 4, depending on size)
thinly sliced tomatoes (approx. 3 or 4, depending on size)
2 onions, thinly sliced into rings
Salt (I use sea salt) to taste

Mix first five ingredients well and spread about 3/4"thick into a large baking pan (9x12 works well). Cover with a layer of thinly sliced potatoes, overlapping slightly. Top that layer with a layer of tomatoes and then a layer of the onions. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.

Hi!! Come on in and make yourself at home. Can I get you something to drink? Oh, here, you can put your purse down over here and relax a little. Don't worry, no one will bother it.

Would you like a little something to eat? I've got some tortilla chips with black bean salsa on the table, as well as tabbouleh (a personal favorite!). Oh, and you've got to try my Strawberry Cheese Ring! It's a Paula Deen recipe and it is to. die. for.

Now that you've got a drink in one hand and a plate of food in the other, let me make some introductions. Nothing like meeting someone for the first time with a mouth full of food, is there?!!

I'm Lori, the host of this lovely abode. I've been blogging since last June. I'm still learning the ropes of all the technical stuff, but I do love sharing my heart. This all started as a way for me to find my way to a more simple life. It's evolved however and now covers everything from that to my daily rants and raves about my life. It's also increasingly become about our upcoming move. To the Persian Gulf.

Yes, that's right. We are moving in, oh, 19 days or so to the small country of Qatar. My husband (referred to here as Hubby - clever, huh?!) is already there and has been since early January. The kids and I (I'll introduce them to you in a second) are excited to join him there soon, and excited to start a new phase in our lives.

Oh, here's Emily to re-fill your drink. She's such a helpful little thing. She's going to be 13 soon and loves to be in the midst of everything. She is such a kind girl, recently making sure my 15th wedding anniversary was still a special day even though Hubby was gone.

Over there, telling a joke to another party guest, is my son Daniel. He'll be 11 next month and is my little monkey, always a barrel of laughs. He's as sweet as can be - easy-going and affectionate.

We homeschool our children. We've always homeschooled and are now debating whether or not to continue homeschooling once we make the move. It's still up in the air until God makes clear where He wants them.

The guiding force in our lives, and of this blog, is Christ. Everything I do is an attempt to honor Him. Oh, there are lots of times I fail, trust me. But I at least try. I want to get closer to Him and learn more about Him.

I try to reflect this desire in how I raise my children, how I manage my home, how I deal with others and how I love my husband. Each of these areas are my "mission field." I believe that God puts each one of us in the place where He wants us to serve Him. There are no small or unimportant parts to our lives. Each part of my life, and yours!, is ordained by God and an opportunity to glorify Him.

I'll let you go mingle with all the other party-goer's now. But don't forget to try the delicious desserts on the table - Hawaiian Wedding Cake and Apple Enchiladas. And if you'd like to get a feel for more of what goes on here at The Simple Life at Home, please feel free to click on the sidebar under my "best work" label.

Thanks so much for stopping in! I look forward to getting to know you! Please be sure to leave a comment so I can return the visit.

This will be a post that is full of the random things that I've been thinking I want to post about. I'll just get them all out there before I forget about them.