Toy Drive For Children Hospitalized Over The Christmas Holiday

Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is collecting new unwrapped toys for children ranging in age from infant through 17, who will be hospitalized, having surgery, or in the ER over the Christmas holiday.

Marty Manning from KEZ will be at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center with the Christmas Cube collecting toys on Tuesday, December 15th from 6:30 to 8:30am. After December 15th toys can be dropped off in the main lobby of the hospital through December 24th.

Mercy Gilbert Medical Center

3555 S. Val Vista Dr

Gilbert, AZ 85297

480-728-8000

Menu Planning Monday 11.30.2009

It was nice to be able to skip the regular grocery shopping hum drum last week. I tell myself (and those with in an ear shot) the longer I can keep myself out of the store the more money I will save our family. And by golly....it really does work!!! Go figure. LOL
With Thanksgiving on Thursday and having the big dinner, and left overs, and having family over 2 nights for dinner we ended up not using most of what was on last week's menu. This means I'll be able to use some of the same meals that didn't get cooked last week. This is exciting!!!! Why??? The more we can stretch the food we have the more money our family saves and the more money can pay bills and debts.....and of course buy Christmas Presents. Yay!

Monday: Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce and homemade breadsticks (all on hand)


Tuesday: Vegetable Soup and Baked Potatoes (all on hand)


Wednesday: Red Beans & Rice and homemade cornbread (all on hand)


Thursday: Pancakes, Cheesy Eggs & Hashbrowns (most on hand)


Friday: Homemade Pizza and Caesar Salad


Saturday: Veggie Salad, Breadsticks, and Soup


Sunday: Potroast, Potatoes, and Carrots


Breakfasts-
Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal
Cereal
Bran and Honey Muffins
Oatmeal with Honey and Cinnamon


Lunches-
Leftovers
Bean and Cheese Burrito's
Quesadilla's
PB&J's
Yogurt & Fruit


For More Great Menu Plan Ideas Visit I'm and Organizing Junkie

Today I'm getting my self under control and putting my foot down on my lack of organization and interest of keeping on top of my clutter and messy home. I am not afraid to take some constructive critisism; and boy did I get some last night. LOL Both of my girls; Nay & Maddie both mentioned how "less cozy and comfortable our home feels when it's a huge mess and out of order....and boy was it a mess." OWCH!!!! So last night I took the first step, and sat down with the family and created an entire month's worth of menu's. WOW, does it feel good to be in front of the 8 ball.

I'm looking forward to making many more changes in the home so the family does look forward to coming home to a cozy, comforting home.

How are you doing on your organization, especially with Christmas coming oh so soon??

Monday: Veggie Soup & Sandwiches

Tuesday: Pasta with White Sauce, Veggie, & Homemade Bread

Wednesday: Roasted Chicken, Baked Potatoes, & Salad

Thanksgiving: Turkey, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy

Green Bean Casserole, Cranberry Chutney, Rolls, Salad, Pies

Friday: Turkey Sandwiches & Leftovers

Saturday: Turkey Soup & Bread

Sunday: Pot Roast, Gravy, Potatoes, & Carrots

For More GREAT Menu Idea's Check out I'm an Org Junkie

Menu Plan Monday November 2nd

Breakfasts: Cereal, waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs, granola, toast, bagels with cream cheese, oatmeal.

Lunches for Martie & I: Chicken noodle soup & crackers, PB&J sammies with raisins, grilled chicken breast salad, mac n cheese, pita's & hummus, grilled cheese & pretzels.

Dinners:

Monday~Baked Potato & Salad Bar

Bar: chili, cheese, sour cream, roasted chicken, dressing, croutons, sunflower seeds.

Dessert: Ice Cream

Tuesday~ Weeknight Ravioli Bake, Breadsticks & Veggie

Wednesday~ Meatloaf Mini's, Mashed Potatoes, & Corn

Dessert: Vegan Brownies

Thursday~ Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips, Green Beans, & Applesauce

Friday~ Chicken Alfredo Pizza & Salad

Dessert: Cookies

Saturday~ Cheesy Hash Skillet & Fruit Cup

Sunday~ Make Your Own or C.O.R.N

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

Menu Plan Monday September 14th thru September 20th 2009

Here at the G's, C's and the R's house we are impatiently.......ahem....patiently awaiting some of that fall weather everyone else seems to be experiencing. Fall represents so many wonderful things to me. A few of them are; leaves changing color, leaves falling and the reminder of jumping in piles of leaves as a child, Halloween, preparation for Thanksgiving and getting together in thanks with friends and family, 3 of my children's Birthday's and mine, prepping for Christmas....the decorating, getting in the spirit of giving, and so , so , so much more.

What does fall represent to you????

Monday Sept. 14^th:

Homemade Red and White Pizza

Salad

Chocolate Cake

Tuesday Sept. 15^th:

Artichoke and Diced Chicken Stuffed Shells

Salad

Brownies

Wednesday Sept. 16^th:

Cheesiest Potato Soup

Salad

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

Thursday Sept. 17^th:

Pioneer Woman Lasagna

Salad

Garlic Bread or Bread Sticks

Friday Sept. 18^th:

Sweet and Sour Chicken

White and Brown Rice

Veggies

Ice Cream Sundaes

Saturday Sept. 19^th:

Eggplant Parmesan

Rigatoni

French Bread

Sunday Sept. 20^th:

Football Sunday Chili

Macaroni and fixins

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Don't forget to share with me what Fall means to you......please?????

With Love,

~T

Menu Plan Monday 8/24 thru 8/29

Well the kids are all adjusted in their 3rd week of school, and very happy with their teachers and their classes.

Naomi is finally in band playing Percussion, and Maddie started Orchestra today and will be playing the violin. Maddie is doing much better than I feared she would on crutches and trying to carry a backpack, and walk through campus. Her spirits are high and motivation even higher, making her mama a proud one.



Since the kids are working so hard at school and with extra curricular activities, I really want to reward them and treat them to something yummy every day. So I'll be attempting to bake some of their favorite goodies for treats or for dessert every night. I'm hoping to bring a smile to their faces and show them my love.











Monday, August 24
Cereal and Oranges
Leftover BBQ Chicken, carrot sticks and celery
Beef Pot Roast, Carrots, and Potatoes & Gravy



Tuesday, August 25
Oatmeal and Toast
Hotdogs and Macaroni & Cheese
Taco Salad & Corn Muffins (Recipe to follow)



Wednesday, August 26
Scrambled Eggs & Toast w/PB or Jelly
Grilled Chicken Salad
Asian Beef with Snow Peas & Potstickers



Thursday, August 27
Pancakes and Sausage
Grilled Cheese & Veggie Platter
Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans



Friday, August 28
Oatmeal, Peanut Butter and Honey Toast
Chicken Soup, Breadsticks
Homemade Pizza, Salad



Saturday, August 29
Homemade Cinnamon Bread, Fruit and Yogurt Dip
Popcorn Chicken and Homemade Fries
Tuna Casserole, French Bread, Green Beans



Sunday, August 30
Pancakes, Cheese Omletes, Hashbrowns
Crockpot Roast with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Bread of some sort




Don't forget to share your menu with me...can't wait to see what you all are eating this week.

Menu Plan Monday 6/22-6/28 2009

Finding that as we near the end of June, and our business is VERY slow....we have much more month than money. I have quite a few of these items on hand, and hoping to spend less than $75 this week.
****Link to recipes are in BLUE****





Monday:
Cheesy Sour Cream Herb Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Corn

Tuesday:
Taco Salad

Wednesday:
French Onion Soup
Salad

Thursday:
Baked Spaghetti
Homemade Bread

Friday:
Honey Mustard Glazed Grilled Salmon
Baked Red Potatoes

Saturday:
Homemade Pizza ~ Dough Recipe
Alfredo Chicken Pizza recipe:
Your favorite pizza dough recipe (see notes above)
1 jar (1 lb.) of Alfredo sauce
2 pieces grilled chicken, shredded
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg. (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms
Make pizza dough according to recipe and roll out on a pizza stone or pan. Layer remaining ingredients in order given. Cook at 400° until brown and bubbly.
Source: menus4moms.com


Sunday:
Chicken Fried Rice


To see more Menu's go check out Organizing Junkie and check back here often to see if I can keep the challenge of $75 or less this week.


Make it a great day,
~T

Catching Up!!!!

I truly don't know where the time has gone....it's been forever since I've blogged!!

Our main focus here at the G's, C's and R house has been on saving money and holding on to it the best we can. This includes matching coupons to store ad's in order to get the highest savings possible. I belong to a program called
"Coupon Sense" that helps save time and energy in the matching. I also purchase 3 newspapers each sunday to take full advantage of the deals, for our size of a family.

Here was what our small trip to the grocery store looked like from last night:

Fry's

Prego Spag Sauce $2.17
FR Mozz Cheese Sticks $8.49
Digiorno Pizza $4.99- Coupon $1.00 off
Digiorno Pizza $4.99- Coupon $1.00 off
Digiorno Pizza $4.99- Coupon $1.00 off
California Pizza Kitchen$6.49-Coupon $.50 off (doubled)
Pushups $3.34-Savings $.85
Pineapple $1.00-Coupon $.50 off then doubled...so $1.00 (makes it free)
Pineapple $1.00-Coupon $.50 off then doubled...so $1.00 (makes it free)
Pineapple $1.00-Coupon $.50 off then doubled...so $1.00 (makes it free)

10 Items Sold
Total Before coupons: $55.68
Total Coupons: $22.22
Total After Coupons: $33.46

I would have not bought the pushups unless I had a coupon, but M did this shopping trip so I can't be too upset...but next time I'll make sure he has a coupon for those extras.

I'll have more savings to post today or tomorrow.

What are you doing to save money in your household??

Menu Plan Monday

From this week on for the next 10 months, I will be eating a bit differently. I came across

Jorge Cruise's Eating Plan that makes complete sense to me. Basically the plan has you eating/consuming 15 grams or less of sugar and 6 meals of carbs that are about 15-20 grams in each meal. I believe not only will this plan help me/you shed pounds, it will also make you so much healthier. Sugar is one of the main causes of immune system breakdowns.

I'm excited to regain control of my body, and to shed the weight so I can fit into my dream wedding dress in February.

So here we go!!!!

Monday: Chicken Parmesan, Corn, & Biscuits

Tuesday: Chicken Enchilada's & Salad

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Salad & Breadsticks

Thursday: Homemade Pizza & Salad

Friday: Low Carb Taco Salad & Corn Bread

Saturday: French (women don't get fat) Toast & Hashbrowns

Sunday: C.O.R.N or Make Your Own

What's your meal plan this week??? Please share it with me.

Make it a great day,

~T

Mount Washmore is Melting....

Finally the laundry seems to be dwindling down.....from what I can see in the laundry room. The mountain has melted, but I fear little bluffs or hills are developing in other parts of the house waiting for me to discover them.

Let's not even talk about the clothes that have been folded and refuse to put themselves away!! Misbehaving laundry, say it isn't so. LOL

Ok what is my point here?? I have fallen off the train of laundry organization, the past 3 weeks due to my travels abroad.....hahaha, ok ok Las Vegas isn't so abroad, but it is foreign to most.

For the past 5 years I have been utilizing a system I had read about in a book called 15 minutes to organization (I think that is the name). This system has been a life saver keeping me on task, keeping mount washmore from growing too quickly or getting out of hand to the point I need grapling hook (do they use those anymore?? ha) to just get to the top of Mt. Washmore aka laundry pile.

Ok Ok....what's this system you ask?? Easy! Buy or Find Three different baskets, that you can label or that are different in color to keep track of which colors go in each bin.

So one bin is for (dirty) whites, brights, and darks. Keep these in or near the laundry room, and then call a little family meeting near the laundry room, and have a little informational meeting for your employees...ahem, I mean children and significant other. Tell your little people that there is a new system and manager in the laundry department and new rules apply. Show them the bins, explain what goes in which bin, and that ALL dirty clothes (when removed from dirty bodies) should come straight to the principals office....ahem, laundry bins.

You most likely will have to continue to remind them or go in their hidden areas (where construction hats must be worn) and free the clothes that are being held hostage.

Keep on top of your laundy.....develop a schedule of the days you wish to do laundry, or vow to do a few loads when you first wake up each morning, or whatever works for you. I promise this new system and organization will help you more than you know.

So get up, get going......get sorting and tackle your Mt. Washmore, and thank me for all the help :)

~T


...

Reason, Season, Lifetime.....

“People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.When someone is in your life for a REASON,it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly.They have come to assist you through a difficulty,to provide you with guidance and support,to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually.They may seem like a godsend, and they are.They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrong doing on your partor at an inconvenient time,this person will say or do somethingto bring the relationship to an end.Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand.What we must realize is that our need has been met,our desire fulfilled; their work is done.The prayer you sent up has been answeredand it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON,it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.They may teach you something you have never done.They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;those things you must build uponin order to have a solid emotional foundation.Your job is to accept the lesson,love the person/people (anyway);and put what you have learned to use in allother relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.”
~Brian A. "Drew" Chalker

Does this apply to any of you?? Have you recently found that the friends you had before you had children, have sort of drifted away? Or what about when your values, morals, views change~ have you found that old friends dissapate, and new friends enter?

I'm a firm believer that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. There are reasons, sometimes that we don't fully understand, things happen to us.

I hope you find peace in this writing and in your days from here out!!!

Blessings to you,

~T

Menu Plan Monday January 5th

Monday: Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Some sort of salad, ice cream for dessert

Tuesday: Crockpot Beef Roast Potatoes & Carrots and Homemade Bread

Wednesday: Salmon with dill sauce, Brown Rice, Salad

Thursday: Tatertot Casserole (see recipe below), Tossed Salad, and chocolate pudding

Friday: Homemade Pizza & Fruit Salad

Saturday: Asian Beef Stirfry and Chocolate Shakes
The stirfry recipe comes from Bill Phillips Eating For Life recipe book. This is family favorite and we all gobble it down faster than we can say the name. LOL

Sunday: Make your own or C. O. R. N


Breakfasts:
Scrambled Eggs/Toast
Oatmeal & fruit
Pancakes & sausage
Bagels/cream cheese and yogurt
Cereal and OJ


Lunches:
Grilled Cheese and soup
Mac & Cheese with hot dogs
Pigs in a blanket
Baked Potatoes and Salad
Leftovers
Hard boiled eggs
Tuna Melts

This week we are going to start baking our own bread, and introducing desserts again as a fun thing for the family. We haven't done desserts in years, and I'm looking forward to this sweet treat for all of us. I'm not quite sure what we will do each night...I'm thinking about letting the girls decide and be in charge of desserts three or four nights this week. They will be thrilled to have this cooking responsibility.
Another adaption I am making to our meals is bringing back six small meals a day, as Body For Life recommends. I'm hoping to get back into the routine of working out six days a week and eating clean six days and having Sunday as my free day to eat what ever my heart desires.....I can't wait to see the results in 12 weeks.

Not sure what Body For Life is??? Check out the website...you'll be blown away!!!! I've been doing this off and on for almost 7 years and always get HUGE results. I just need to stay on the plan and then I'd be able to keep this weight off. Really the only thing that really prevented me from continuing on the plan was my pregnancies. I'm not having anymore babies, so I think this time around will be much more successful!

*****************************************************************

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients~

1 pound ground beef
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2-1/2 cups low fat milk
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 (14.5 ounce) cans French style green beans
1 (32 ounce) package tater tots

Directions~


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. In a large skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef and drain fat. Stir in condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk, garlic salt and green beans. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish and layer with the tater tots.

3. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until tater tots are browned and crispy.

Enjoy

*****************************************************************

I'd love to hear what you all think..and to see what you got cooking this week!!! Do you have a budget and spending goal this week??? Do share Do share!


Make it a GREAT week!!!!
~T

Happy 2009!!!!

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!!! I hope & pray that 2009 is filled with prosperity, peace, hope, and joy!

I have to say, 2008 sure did fly on by, as our family achieved some very big milestones. Mykiah moved to Houston with her Daddy and Grandmother in February, where she is officially a Kindergartener. Mykiah also was tested for the gifted program (which we are awaiting results from). Allen Michael turned 16 in October, three of the kids came back home to be homeschooled, Allen Michael took on the Timpani in marching band (football season 2008) and now is tackling it again in Winter Drum Line, I finally found some pain relief in my lower back by getting facet injections into my lumbar spine....three injections seemed to do the trick, and have relieved about 50 percent of my terrible pain, and I decided to go back to the company that saw me through very hard times as a single mother in the late 90s and early 2000. It's an honor to be back with Mary Kay Cosmetics again.....life will never be the same again!!!!

As we say goodbye to 2008 and welcome in 2009, we are reflecting on what our goals were and what was achieved, and in 2009 we are creating a mapped out plan of what we want to do, see, and change to improve on the prior year.

Today I plan to map out our future...set goals, budgets, develop healthier living and eating plans, and remove the negativity and replace it with optimism and positivity.


What 3 goals do I have for the new year??

1) Adopt a Fresh Financial Start, as laid out by Suze Orman read about it here---->Suze Orman's 10 Tips for a Fresh Financial Start


2) Lose 30 pounds. How will I do this you ask??? I'm going back to living the Body For Life way.
In 2004, I took the 12 week challenge, working out 6 days per week, eating 6 smaller meals per day, and using Sunday as my free day. By following the steps laid out by Bill Phillips I lost 25 pounds and so many inches. To find out more about Body For Life click here ------->BFL .

3) De-Clutter my life and my home.
Time seems to get out of balance VERY QUICKLY!!!! In order to get control of my time, I have a Family Calendar that hangs right by my desk. I write EVERY activity, appointment, bills due, work schedule, etc on this calendar. Having a family calendar not only helps me stay organized, but it will show me if I am spending enough time with my loved ones. Along with having a family calendar posted I also have a Control Journal. Flylady introduced this form of organization to me years ago. I've never been the same since I created my own CJ. To read more about a Control Journal go to Flylady's website, you will thank me once you do.
To get more enjoyment out of my Space, I plan to eliminate things I don't need or use. My goal is to make my life, my time, and my home simpler. When we eliminate things we don’t need or use, life becomes simpler, with less stress and more balance.


Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything. -Napoleon Hill


What goals have you set for 2009??? Please share!


From our family to yours....Happy 2009!

~T