Sweetness and Light

All Creations Great and Small: Handmade is Best!

Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight has graciously offered to host The Loveliness of Handmade Gifts.  This should be a very special offering of so many wonderful and talented ladies.  Please be sure to get a nice hot cup of tea before you visit so you'll be ready to indulge in all the Homemade ideas!

Here is a post from last year at Sweetness and Light, we had fun with these little surprises!

I have several books in my library that I refer to from year to year to draw inspiration for homemade gifts:

• Handmade Christmas  by Martha Stewart
• Martha Stewart's Christmas
• The Herbal Pantry by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead
• The Perfect Basket by Diane Phillips
• The Christmas Kitchen by Lorraine Bodger

From The Perfect Basket, this makes a luscious and very inexpensive gift.  I sent this to my brother one year and I think he ate the whole jar himself:

Chocolate Praline Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecan halves

In a heavy saucepan, cook the sugar over moderate heat unitl it begins to melt.  Cook, stirring with a fork until it is fully melted, then cook, while swirling the pan, until it is golden caramel.  Remove the pan from the heat, add the cream, then simmer until the caramel is dissolved.  Add the chocolate and cook over low heat, whisking until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is smooth.  Whisk in the vanilla and stir in the pecans.  Serve the sauce warm or at room temperature over Vanilla Ice Cream.

One of the most fun gifts to put together with my dear ones has been homemade Hot Chocolate Mix in a special Mug!  Here is a fun recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix, also from The Perfect Basket:

1/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa (my favorite is Hersheys unsweetned cocoa)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk

Combine and blend the ingredients in a small bowl.  Store in an airtight container, or for gift purposes:  place contents in a ziptop bag and decorate with a pretty ribbon and then place inside a festive mug or "bowl" style coffee cup and give to a dear friend!!

I truly delight in making homemade gifts from the kitchen, and as I am not real adept at preserving jams and jellies, I have taken to making other preserved foods, including herbal vinegars, spicy jellies, mustards, butters, pickles and preserving in oil.  Here are two delightful and easy ones to try from The Herbal Pantry:

Olives in Oil

After draining and rinsing your olives of choice, select from these variations for flavorings:

Thyme & Garlic

Orange & Cardamom

Lemon & Fennel

Garlic, Thyme, Oregano, crushed Bay leaf, lemon slices & Allspice

Add your desired ingredients and some Black or White Peppercorns, then cover in good Olive Oil and seal in an airtight container or jar! Decorate as desired!  This makes a fun gift to give guests as a favor before you send them home.  Including a recipe for a yummy focaccia bread would be a lovely gift addition as well!!

Herbed Butters Basic Recipe:

1/2 pound unsalted butter
5 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, herb flowers, of 2 1/2 teaspoons herb seeds
1 teaspoon lemon juice or a few gratings of lemon zest
Salt and white pepper to taste, or dry mustard, cumin, or paprika (optional)

These are a beautiful addition to any holiday table and make a lovely hostess gift, especially if you know what is being served, then you can pair your flavorings to the hostesses main dish vegetables or breads.

Other delightful flavorings to add to the Basic Recipe above: 

• Dill, Mustard seed, parsley, and a touch of lemon rind or a few mustard seeds for fish and potatoes. 
• Thyme, garlic, chives, oregano, and parsley for tomatoes, zucchuni, eggplant or beef. 
• Sage, parsley, and chives for chicken, veal, rice and pasta.
• Tarragon or fennel, lemon zest, and parsley for fish, chicken or eggs.
• Chives, mint, and chervil for fish, tomatoes, carrots and peas.

Don't they all sound delicious!!

The kids and especially Violet and I will be creating many little treasures for gifts from our recent adventures at Threads of Love, please visit and let us know what you think!  I gave sweet Violet an early cold weather gift, 'cause I just finished it!!

Many Blessings and Happy creative days to you in this wonderful time of making special things to tuck away for another special day!

Blueberry Bash Today, It's the Best!!

Blaze on over to The Virtual Kitchen for the Best Blueberry Bash going!!  Suzanne from Blessed Among Men put together some lovely recipes and ideas for some good Blueberry Fun!!  Please let me know if you try any of the yummy recipes, we LOVE all things Blueberry!  Thanks Suzanne!

The Loveliness of Summer Food!

It's here!!  The Loveliness of Summer Food Fair hosted by Sarah at Plainsong is up today!!  Please click over for some delicious summer food finds!  Thanks so much Sarah, and great job!

Won't You Join Us?

The Summer Fairs! Please consider the loveliness of:

• Summer Food on July 9 (Sarah will be your hostess)
• 
  Little Boys on July 16 (Monica will be your hostess)

• Summer Reading July 23 (Sarah R. will be your hostess)
  
• The Seashore on July 30 (Elaine will be your hostess)
  
• Clearing the Clutter  August 6 (Lorri will be your hostess)

• Summer Gardens August 13 (Ruth will be your hostess)
• "Back-to-School" Supplies and Lesson Plans August 20 (Kim will be your hostess)
• Summer Vacations August 27 (Cindy will be your hostess)

What a wonderful way to spend a Summer Day!!  Please click on a hostess to send a link to each fair!!  Enjoy the rest of your Summer with these Lovely Fairs!! 

(h/t:  Elizabeth)

Summer Food on July 9 (Sarah will be your hostess)

Little Boys on July 16 (Monica will be your hostess)

• Summer Reading July 23 (Sarah R. will be your hostess)
  
• The Seashore on July 30 (Elaine will be your hostess)
  
• Clearing the Clutter  August 6 (Lorri will be your hostess)

The Loveliness of Father's

Don't miss the beautiful Loveliness of Father's over at A Catholic Harvest today!  Paula, you did a great job!!  Thank you so much for sharing this with us!  Have a great day and happy reading!

73rd Carnival of Homeschooling!!

Boy, if you're Enthusiastic about home education, then jump on over to The Lilting House for the MOST Enthusiastic Carnival of Homeschooling I've seen!!  Way to go Lissa, this one takes the cake!!  Happy Reading, there's tons!

It's My Birthday!! Come Play With Me at the Toddler Carnival!!

The inspiration for this Carnival was sparked when I asked (pleaded) for other's ideas on what they are doing with their toddlers during this journey we call home schooling, and I recieved SO MANY GREAT REPLIES, that the idea just became a rapid reality!!! 

The other BIG REASON is to join us here at Sweetness and Light in celebrating our little toddler turning two today!!  So...without further ado Moms, let's gather around the playground and learn about what's working (and what's not) with our dear little people we so affectionately call our Toddlers!!!

"Boys and girls come out to play,
the moon doth shine as bright as day,
leave your supper and leave your sleep,
and join your playfellows in the street."

Nursery Ryhmes are a mainstay for a Toddler and are perfect as first books!  The sing-song approach is rich with language building skills and so fun for them to hear aloud.  This can be a regular part of a toddler's day and something for them to look forward to!  You will love the wonderful listing of audio books and music from the very lovely Painted Rainbows and Chamomile Tea blog!  She's having a great time learning at home with her little Citcat!!  Thanks Nina!

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the King's horses and All the King's Men,
Couldn't put Humpty together again."

Sometimes our days and weeks do not go as planned and we have to slow down and re-evaluate what's working and what's not!  This can happen hourly with toddlers underfoot, but please slow down a bit and relax with Lissa's inpspiring and heartfelt post about her decorating style, I mean her Waldorf inpspired days!! 

Then you absolutely HAVE to pop over to Suzanne's at Blessed Among Men and find out what love between brothers is all about!!  And sometimes a solution comes out of a problem that's just the right size!! 

Jennifer at As Cozy As Spring has decided to enlist a Toddler Bootcamp to manage and enjoy her little guys Toddler days!  Love your list Jennifer, it's great! 

Over at The Fairy Mum she shares how Eating With Preschoolers and Flex-Time is working for her little Fairies!  Thanks for joining the Carnival with a lovely blog!

Another new blog called the bean sprout has just the idea to keep her little one busy while she finishes some morning chores!  Miss Girl is precious!!

"Dear Father, Hear and Bless thy beasts and singing birds,
And guard with tenderness small things that have no words."

This is a prayer that we teach out littlest ones to say at bedtime.  It's usually the last thing we do before a blessing, kisses, and hugs goodnight, after all the read alouds and family prayer time, and it's very comforting to go to bed with a special ritual they can count on!  Learning how to sit quiet for a prayer can be so joyful for a little person.  Please see how Alice at the very beautiful Cottage Blessings helps her littlest ones with prayer time!  Alice, you are always an inspiration for all of us.  Your wisdom is sure to rub off even in the blogshpere!!  Blessings to you dear friend! 

Now it's time to visit Karen at none other than Karen Edmisten for some very sage and wise advice for us mothers with Toddlers, thank you Karen for these poignant reminders of the Patient Suffering of a mother's day and what it all means to us at the end of the day!!

"Wash the dishes,
wipe the dishes,
Ring the bell for tea;
Three good wishes,
Three good kisses,
I will give to thee."

Practical Life a Montessori term is BIG for Toddlers!!  They get more satisfaction washing a dish, or wiping up a spill than any mother, that's for sure!  The "do it myself" really comes in to play for this age group in the Practical Life activities, after all, they really just want to be doing what mom or dad or sibling's are doing and being included in the daily family life!!  As you visit Christine at Catholic Memories, you'll see how she has gracefully incorporated some Montessori activities to suit her little guy,and how a child's work is really his play!  Thanks so much Christine! 

And now I take you on a tour of Shawna's new blog As Simple as Two Plus Two!  I am so excited to launch her first posts here at the Carnival, so please indulge yourselves and enter the Toddler Zone!! Then see how she really makes Keep it New and Keep it Few to good use!!  What happy little people at As Simple as Two Plus Two!  Welcome to the world of blogging Shawna!

"The big ship sails on the alley alley oh,
The alley alley oh,
The alley alley oh;..."

Angela at Three Plus Two shares such a beautiful reflection of what her life is like with not one, but two toddlers at home!!  Her immersion in the Montessori activites and remembering Charlotte Mason's words that Toddlers are Born Persons has really made a difference in her boys lives!  Thank you Angela for reminding us that each and every day with our little ones is precious, even in the exponential form!!

"Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs in his night gown,
Rapping at the window,
Crying through the lock,
Are the children all in bed,
for now it's eight o'clock."

Then you will really enjoy how Genevieve is Trying to Focus with her little ones right now at The Good Within, what a perfect name for her blog!! Thanks so much Genevieve!

Another new blog joins us today called Over and Around Us, and she is right in the thick of Toddlerhood with her little guy!!  She's got some great ideas that are working for her!  Glad to have you with us Sarah!!

"Milkman, Milkman where have you been?
In Buttermilk Channel up to my chin.
I spilled my milk, and I spoiled my clothes,
And I got a long icicle hung from my nose."

This wouldn't be a Carnival without the wonderful words of Kim at Starry Sky Ranch, Montessori and Home Educator Extraordinaire!! (Sorry Kim, but it's true ; )  She shares a lovely post about her current Toddler and Weekend Reading of her Preschool Archives!!!  Thank you so much Kim, it's awesome!

Please also view this wonderful list Download towel_or_table_time_activities_for_toddlers.doc provided by Theresa (she's not blogging, but wanted to share) and Gill has these great suggestions, scroll down in the comments, they are ALL worth printing out!

Oh my Goodness!  This was such a big Carnival, and there's so much GOOD stuff here, I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!!  Please check your links and make sure I got them all right and then email me if I've missed something or someone!!  It's been a busy Birthday Morning so this is a little later than I expected, but I hope you enjoy the Carnival.

Oh, and I almost forgot, here's MY ENTRY, Happy Birthday sweet Sean-Paul, you've inspired more people than you know already!! 

"Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless the bed that I lie on.
Four Angels round my bed;
Two of them at my head,
Two of them at my feet,
All will watch me while I sleep."

Toddler 101

"Look at me!" 

"Em me see!" 

"I see birdie." 

"Where my bouncey-ball?" 

"I do it." 

"Love You." 

"I toss it"

These are just some of the vast array of words and phrases that Sean-Paul uses in his little Toddler life right now.  He has een a very vocal and early talker, as were his brothers and sister.  It is a delight to be able to understand his needs and wants through his words, although this doesn't always eliminate communication issues however, but does lessen them to some degree.  I'm sure much of his motivation stems from wanting so badly to "keep up" with his older siblings. 

As the fourth child, this little guy has been fairly high maintenance, and you'd think that by the fourth one, I'd have this "toddler thing" all figured out by now, but I'm finding I need more rabbits to pull out of my hat than I can manage on some days!  That said, I'm re-learning how toddler-hood is going to work for us both in the course of each of our days! 

This post is dedicated to his budding Toddler-hood and what some of the activites and things he enjoys that make our days more pleasurable!  Here is Toddler 101 or a day or week in the life of Sean-Paul:

Towers and blocks are a mainstay in his life and he is very good at building up as well as knocking down!

If there's a Ball anywhere near Sean-Paul, he will find it and play with it.  Inside or out, he's a ball boy through ad through.  We like to toss them into a laundry basket, or be more intricate and try to place small ones into a jar.  "Bouncy-ball" was practically his first word!!

Daddy can always count on his little "helper" when doing projects around the house!

I can also count on him to clean up spills or just Mop any old time!!

Swinging is an everyday affair for a toddler, especially for Sean-Paul!!

Hmm, Dog trainer, or tennis pro??

Sean-Paul is a very busy and happy boy and we are learning and playing together as much as we can so that these Toddler days are not so fleeting!!  He's still a sweet little nursing guy as well and sleeping in my bed until I can get up the courage to move him out...maybe next month, or the next...

Thanks for stopping in today to celebrate a spectacular day and to enjoy a little Sweetness and Light Sean-Paul style!!

Finding Joy: Carnival Today!!

Please make sure you visit Angela at Three Plus Two today for a lovely Carnival of Finding Joy!  She's graciously planning to host one every Wednesday throughout the Easter Season. 

There's sure to be some JOY for everyone!  Thanks so much Angela, joyful blessings to you all!

Toddler Carnival Reminder!!!

Just a friendly (BEGGING) reminder for my Upcoming Toddler Carnival (more detail in the post) running this Friday, April 20th (In honor of Sean-Paul's 2nd b-day)!! 

It'll be lots of fun and there will be LOTS of wonderful ideas from Moms sharing how they home school with Toddlers!  I thought this would be a great way to glean advice from each other in what is really working for you (and perhaps what's not)!

Thanks so much for all your posts and ideas, I'll look for them by this Thursday evening 6:00pm EST and the Carnival will be up Friday morning (not too early though =0)

Thanks for visiting and think TODDLER TIME!!

Nature, Nature, Everywhere!

We have had the supreme privilege of relocating back to our 10 acre property a couple of hours from where we were living for the past 10 months and to say the least, the dear children are elated to be back in their own digs, literally!!  We have a 12 x 12 foot sandbox, a large playset area and enough wildlife and nature study to last a couple of lifetimes for us all!!

I am so appreciative as I have my brand new home back with all it's amenities and comfort, I am spoiled beyond belief to put it lightly.

So here's a tribute to our relocation and the graces that have already come to ou family because of it and hopefully it will qualify for Dawn's ALWAYS lovely Nature Field Days!!

"Need any excavating anyone??"

The Pink Birdhouse is one that a pair of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) have returned to year after year.  I've seen them once since we've returned but so far no nesting yet???  The "White House" as we so affectionately call it, has yet to be occupied, but we're hopeful...

This is our resident Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis).  She has been here since before we built the house in 2003.  We've seen her raise two broods of two fledglings each while we lived here.  I snapped this shot of her outside the kitchen window in the Pine Tree just about 30 feet from the house.  She was seeking refuge from an angry American Kestrel (Falco sparverius).  We have enjoyed MANY hours of bird watching and this beautiful Hawk is always a highlight for us, we look forward to so many more!

This is our Black Lab puppy "Sadie". She's exactly 2 years old just a 2 weeks older than Sean-Paul!  Sadie is overjoyed to be back on her territory as well, and it's been a hundred-thousand new smells for her ever since!!  This pond is on an easment just northwest of our property and is used for a fire pond if ever need be.  It's surrounded by Cattails and we'll be checking out the large quantity of Algae that's quite prevalent already!!  (Hmm, wonder how the water bottle got there, surely she's not fetching that??)

Our yard play area also doubles as a baseball field as well as a golf course! Notice the roof of the playhouse in the background is on the grass, that's due to the regular winds we get through here, it's just like the prairie!! 

A Tiger Woods prodidgy...

View to the North of us.  The weather holds like this just about everyday of the year, when it's not SNOWING!  The far snow-capped mountain you see is a ski resort...

Swinging Central!!  Happy boy!

Rollerblading Raceway...Fast Girl!!

We are blessed with a variety of WEEDS and many WILDFLOWERS!  Here is one that wintered over and is ready to disperse it's seed pods that are very full!

Some feeders waiting to be filled.  The Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoneniceus) are very abundant here and actually returned before the Robins!  Along the far side of our property is another pond and water ditch with lots of long grasses and more cattails for them to nest in.  We LOVE to listen to their Song!

Joining the blackbirds, other birds we have seen regulary are:

• Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta)
• American Kestrels (Falco sparverius)
• American Robins (Turdus migratorius)
• House Finches (Carpodacus mixicanus)
• American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis)
• Western Tanagers (Piranga ludoviciana)
• Killdeers (Charadrius vociferus)
• Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater)

I know there are more that I am missing, but that's a few for starters!  Whew, I could go on here forever, as we have so much going on out our windows, it's very hard to stay inside some days to do table work!!  I imagine we will be taking our learning out of doors for the remainder of Spring and Summer, weather permitting!!

On a last note, we also have a resident Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)That has been here through every year we've lived here.  Matthias spotted him just the other night right outside my bedroom window.  He was checking out the new Robin's nest in some low Pine Tree branches, I hope he didn't get anything, but he's very crafty!!  He's beautiful with the snow white tipped tail and just the color of golden flax (same as our field right now)! 

Oh and then there's the herd of 18 Antelope (Antilocapra americana) that live just across the way...OK I'll stop now!! I'll save them for another post!!

I hope you've enjoyed your tour of our Little Oasis of nature and God's living beauty.  We are so blessed to have it and be able to experience it as a family!!

Thanks for stopping by and please visit my ongoing nature journal at Nature's Sweetness for more nature study and happenings around field and meadow and mountain...Blessings!!

Toddler Carnival Upcoming

Announcing the Carnival of Toddlers here at Sweetness and Light!!  With all the wonderful feedback and encouragement from my Toddler post, I concluded that MANY of us could benefit from a Carnival dedicated to some of the smaller ones in the crowd out there. 

So without further ado...we will be hosting the Carnival in honor of my little Sean-Paul's 2nd Birthday on Friday, April 20th!!  If you have a submission rumbling around in your head, get it into a post and send it my way!  I can accept them through Thursday evening the 19th of April by 6:00-ish Eastern time.  If you have ideas but are not blogging, email it to me and I'll put it together for ya'll!

Thanks for considering this for the younger set, anything that is working for you:  games, Montessori, books, music, babysitters (LOL) we're looking for what's your fancy and that has to do with Toddlers and their little lives!

Blessings in advance for your efforts and I look forward to seeing your posts!

Third Carnival of Menu Planning - Feast Before the Fast!

Here we are with one more great Carnival of Meal Planning before we all embark on the great Fast for Lent.  It's hard o believe that Ash Wednesday is next week, but here's a great list of Menues for you to use for Feasting before the Fast, and of course for those days that you are not abstaining!!

Thanks to all the participants for these three Carnivals, we will resume again after Easter Sunday if there is enough interest!!

Starting off our week is the ever-lovely Mountain Top Farms with her weekly line-up in the right-hand side bar! Thanks Michelle!

Denise at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton blog has a new discovery in culinary arts, it's the "Just Say Johnny Marzetti"!  Check it out, very interesting!  Thanks Denise!

Ruth joins us again with a super weekly plan, and she will be the Hostess at Just Another Day in Paradise of the Menu Carnivals for Meatless Fridays during Lent!!  Looking forward to some great meatless ideas and thanks so much Ruth, Lent will be very enjoyable I am sure!

I have some great picks from this past week, we had a very lovely Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes with a special French Dinner, it's a big hit with my dear husband! 

Hope you all enjoyed the Carnival this week and for me it's great to just print out the ones you like and hole punch them for a 3-ring binder to refer back to when you're in a Meal Planning pinch!!

Thanks for stooping by and May God Bless you and your families abundantly today and always!

Third Carnival of Menu Planning - Submissions Please!

Allright Meal Planners!!  We'll have one more Carnival of Menu Planning before Lent begins and I'm looking for your great ideas and submissions for Saturday's Carnival!  After this Third Carnival I'll pass the hat to Ruth at Just Another Day in Paradise for some weekly Meatless Meals each Friday!! (Thanks Ruth, this will be great!)

Remember to send me your link via email or PM at the 4Real Forum, you can even leave it in the comments section below, which is super easy, just cut and paste it in!

Looking forward to another great week of Meals!!

No Carnival of Menues This Week...

Hey folks, we'll skip this weekend's Carnival of Menu Planning as Sweetness and Family have been a bit under the weather.  We'll take it up a week from Saturday just in time for some great pre-Lent menues!!  Hope everyone else is doing great and don't miss the First and Second Carnival of Meal Planning, they have some great ideas to jump in and start your planning today!!

Thanks for visiting and May God Bless you in your Day!!

Carnival of Homeschooling Today!

Don't miss the Carnival of Homeschooling today up at About.com!!  It'll sure to be great reading and see what's going on in the home schooling community and throughout the blogging world!!  Thanks for visiting and enjoy your visit at the Carnival!

Second Carnival of Menu Planning: What A Week of Meals!

We're kicking off the Second Carnival of Menu Planning Saturday, and it's a good one!  Lots of new recipes to check out and maybe add to your list for next week!!  We're also sharing the Five Most Important Pantry Items, you know, those things you just can't live without, like the Chocolate Chips, :) Thanks to all the wonderful  Meals and Ideas, Enjoy the Carnival!!

Lisa at Joyful Chaos has a wonderful plan to share!

Ruth at Just Another Day in Paradise shares her favorites this week!

Marjorie at the very lovely french blog Lettres de mon Moulon joins us this week with some great ideas, hers are also in real time, up to the minute planning!!  Way to go Marjorie!

Thanks to Stef at Stefoodie for another great week of meals!!

Don't miss Michelle's Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner line-up at her blog Mountain Top Farms, right side-bar, full of yummy stuff!!

Nancy's at The Itinerant Homeschooler is joining the Carnival this week, wow great plans, and I can't wait to hear what's in the suitcase either!  Thanks so much!

Here are the Sweetness and Light Menues # 3!  I dedicated my week to Rachel Ray, take a peek!

We've had another splendid week of meals and I can't tell you how much smoother my dinner prep and clean-up has gone this week with having everything planned out and ready to go before hand.  It's so nice not to scramble at the last minute with the What's For Dinner question, it's done and it's been very rewarding!!

Thanks for joining us today, enjoy your weekend and happy planning and eating with your dear families!  May God Bless you in your day and all your abundances!

Second Carnival of Menu Planning!

All you Meal Planners, the First Ever Carnival of Menu Plans was a great success!  So let's go for it again this weekend!  Going with the Theme:  It's 4 O'Clock, Do You Know Where Your Dinner Is?  we'll be sharing our favorite weekly menu planning tips, recipes, and organizing ideas.  Anything goes here: breakfast, lunch and snack menues are encouraged too!!  Please let me know if you have any questions and if you can submit by Friday 6:00pm PST that would be great!!

What I need:

• Title of Post
• URL of Post
• Title of Blog
• URL of Blog
• Small excerpt would be nice, but not fully necessary unless there's alot of commentary setting up your menues

Looking forward to your submissions!  Thanks so much!!  It'll be fun to see everyone's weekly meals and maybe try a few new ones to boot!!

Carnival of Meal Planning: First Edition

 

It's Official, the First Carnival of Meal Planning begins today here at Sweetness and Light, kicked off by our original post It's Four O'Clock, Do You Know Where You're Dinner Is?!! 

Yes, I know, you're thinking, but isn't this a home schooling blog, or a mom blog, or a blog about someone's really sweet kids???  Yes, folks, we're talking about Meal Planning and food, cause those sweeties gotta eat, and so does their Mama (not to mention dear old daddy) So when we're thinking of streamlining our days to be like efficient little ships at sea, we need good organization when it comes to putting the grub on the table. 

So without further ado, I bring you to the beautiful SVMariohalojen where Jen has these delectable recipes to share, all straight from her pantry. Now, that's not only smart and frugal, but wait until you see what's cooking!  Our shrimp photo is courtesy of her meal tonight and boy does it sound heavenly, wish I could cast anchor and beat sheets over to dine with her, but alas, I'm on the wrong Coast, in fact land locked to be exact!!

Next we travel to the middle of the country to enjoy some good old, down-home, Comfort, Joy and Soul Food with Denise at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Blog.  She's smack in the middle of Winter and wanting to serve up comfort food at it's best to her dear family!!  Just thinking about it makes me want to snuggle in by the fire with a plate of her delicious Cozy Chicken-Potato-Stuffing Bake!!  Thanks Denise, can't wait to try this one!

MichlleW has cleverly listed out her weekly Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Menues at her beautiful blog Mountain Top Farms,  they are located on her right-hand sidebar, just scroll down a bit and enjoy some new and great ideas for this next week's, meals!!  It sure takes the pressure off planning when you've got some new things to try in your back pocket!!

Elizabeth has a crew of chefs and chef-esses helping out during meals times, here's her great Weekly Dinner Menu at her lovely Kitchen Comforts Blog, yummy!!

With a little arm-twisting I managed to get one of the most coveted recipes in the blogsphere:  yes, it's here, Dawn's Light and Lemony Snowball Cookies, and in the words of Rachel Ray, YUMMO!!  We'll be having these for Tea-Time this next week for sure, thanks Dawn!

Genevieve's Routines Will Set You Free at The Good Within is ANYTHING but boring. I'm inspired by her enthusiasm and ideas for getting organized, meal plans and clean-up time!  Don't miss her Menu and Rotation Pages, they're fantastic!  Thanks so much Genevieve!

Well, last, but not least is my Past Week's Schedule, and as you will see, it can work pretty much anywhere in your Meal Planning strategy. 

UPDATE:  A wee bit late from Rebecca, thanks so much for sending it, we love to see what everyon'es doing!!!

And another belated, but super yummy entry from stefoodie!

I have truly enjoyed putting this great Carnival together and hope this will become a regular event! 

Happy Eating and Meal Prepping and May God Bless You in Your Day!!

Meal Planning Carnival: Send Me Your Submissions!!

All you Meal Planners, send me your submissions for the First Ever Carnival of Menu Plans beginning this Saturday morning!!  Going with the Theme:  It's 4 O'Clock, Do You Know Where Your Dinner Is?  we'll be sharing our favorite weekly menu planning tips, recipes, and organizing ideas.  Anything goes here: breakfast, lunch and snack menues are encouraged too!!  Please let me know if you have any questions and if you can submit by Friday 6:00pm PST that would be great!!

What I need:

• Title of Post
• URL of Post
• Title of Blog
• URL of Blog
• Small excerpt would be nice, but not fully necessary unless there's alot of commentary setting up your menues

Thanks so much!!  It'll be fun to see everyone's weekly meals and maybe try a few new ones to boot!!