A Peek Into the Last Few Weeks and more...

I just love her little messy bun! Jesse and I got to go on a date one night, thanks to a local church provided childcare for foster and adoptive families. Micah enjoyed tagging along with us! It's so crazy to think of how different my life looks these ... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  View Online Here's what's new: A Peek Into the Last Few Weeks Want to save money and eat healthier? Brigette’s $116 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6 A Peek Into the Last Few Weeks I just love her little messy bun! Jesse and I got to go on a date one night, thanks to a local church provided childcare for foster and adoptive families. Micah enjoyed tagging along with us! It’s so crazy to think of how different my life looks these days compared to a few years ago! Silas, Micah, and I flew to PA for a two day conference in Lancaster. I love getting to take one of my older kids with me when I travel and speak. The conference was held in this really cool barn called The Star Barn. Here’s a little glimpse of it that I took while Heidi Lee Anderson was speaking. The conference coordinators put us up in this adorable AirBnB that even had a washer and dryer — which we ended up being so grateful for! Look at that charcuterie board! Silas was such a huge help at the conference — not only with Micah, but also making sure I ate, carrying my stuff, helping me get my computer set up, and so much more. We came home with so many special memories! Another fun part of the conference: The coffee trucks! The fall colors were so beautiful! As always, it’s good to go… but it’s even better to get back home to the rest of my people! These two boys are becoming fast friends and it’s so fun to watch the two of them together! We took the younger four to a pumpkin patch on a recent Saturday afternoon. The weather was absolutely perfect and it was a fun day! She LOVES pumpkins so she was so excited about all the pumpkins! This was the best photo I got with all four of them… but even though most aren’t looking at the camera, I still just love it so much! Micah is currently not a fan of getting his picture taken! He much prefers for Mommy to be holding him at all times! Micah started sitting up this past month and is getting better and better at it! Fun on a walk with friends! We flew to PA again for my best friend’s mom’s funeral. Kierstyn was so excited about getting to fly and the older three did such a good job of taking care of D while we were gone for a night. It was cool to wake up to this outside our hotel window! Look who got her braces off?? Watching our older kids find so much joy and delight in our younger kids is one of the best parts of parenting right now!       Want to save money and eat healthier? Are you trying to eat at home more and save money on groceries? Sign up for the Eat At Home Challenge below! Have you signed up for my FREE Eat at Home Challenge? When you sign up, I’ll send you: A one-week grocery list and menu plan 5 days of simple crockpot recipes and videos of me making them My best tips for saving time on menu-planning and grocery shopping How I eat healthier without spending a lot of prep time to do so Our simple system for dealing with picky eaters Are you interested? Sign up for the Eat at Home Challenge here.       Brigette’s $116 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6 My older sister, Brigette, shares her shopping trips and menu plans every week! You can go HERE to see all of her weekly menu plans and you can go HERE to read all about her family! There were some fantastic prices this week, so I stocked up on a few things and spent a little more than usual. This will save us money in the long run, so it’s worth it to me (plus we’ve had a few less-than-$100 grocery weeks this last month, so technically I’m still within budget). Aldi 1 gallon Milk – $2.39 4 dozen Eggs – $7.96 1 pkg boneless Chicken Breasts ($1.99/lb) – $12.30 1 16-oz pkg Deli Meat – $3.99 1 large canister Quick Oats – $2.99 1 10-lb Potatoes – $3.99 1 3-ct pkg Multi-Colored Peppers – $2.49 1 bag Red Grapes ($1.25/lb) – $3.25 1 bunch Bananas – $1.04 1 carton Strawberries – $2.29 1 3-lb bag Carrots – $1.49 2 Avocados – $1.10 1 24-oz pkg Spaghetti – $1.39 2 jars Spaghetti Sauce – $2.78 1 jar Oregano – $0.79 1 jar Parsley – $0.79 1 jar Italian Seasoning – $0.79 1 jar Nutmeg – $1.29 1 family-size box Honey Nut Crisp Oats – $1.99 1 8-oz pkg Sliced Cheese – $1.69 2 loaves Sandwich Bread – $1.00 1 pkg Hamburger Buns – $0.69 1 bag Tortillas – $1.49 1 pgk Oyster Crackers – $1.09 Total: $61.06 Bargain City 1 5-lb bag Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese – $12.00 1 huge bag Collard Greens – $2.00 3 Heads Romaine – $1.50 1 huge bag Pepperoni ($1.99/lb) – $4.99 Total: $20.49 Lidl 12 cans Green Beans – $4.00 2 8-oz bags Cheese Cubes – $2.98 6 boxes Butter – $12.00 (FANTASTIC price, so I bought the limit) – $12.00 1 15+lb Turkey ($0.49/lb when you spend $25 in additional purchases) – $7.53 2 12-oz bags Chocolate Chips – $2.58 1 bag Powdered Sugar – $1.49 1 4-lb bag Sugar – $1.69 1 bag Brown Sugar – $1.49 1 bag Marshamallows – $0.75 2 Lemons – $0.78 1 bag Mini Avocados, reduced – $1.00 Tomatoes on the Vine ($1.19/lb) – 2.19 Total: $35.10 Grocery Total for the Week: $116.65 Weekly Menu Plan  Breakfasts Cereal, Toast with Homemade Jam, Eggs, Smoothies, Oatmeal, Fruit, Veggie Omelets Lunches Deli Meat/Cheese Sandwiches, Peppers, Strawberries x 2 Cheese Cubes. Carrots, Apples, Peanut Butter for dipping x 2 Leftovers x 3 Dinners Spaghetti with Venison Sausage, Tossed Salad Chicken Gravy over Rice, Tossed Salad, Green Beans Build-Your-Own Taco Salad (Seasoned Ground Venison, Shredded Cheese, Chips, Shredded Romaine, Chopped Tomatoes, Avocados, Salsa) Pepperoni Rolls, Tossed Salad, Green Beans Dinner out with Friends Grilled Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Fried Collards, Biscuits Venion Roast in the Crockpot, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Toasted Buttered Buns       Latest finds on Pinterest Ultimate Budget-Friendly Gift Guide For Tweens! Here is a great list of inexpensive tween gifts ideas - for both boys and girls! #tweengift #tweengiftidea #inexpensivetweengift #cheaptweengift #tweengiftguide Learn these travel hacks to avoid needing to check luggage. You'll be able to figure out travel must haves vs. travel wants. This will help you to just have carry on luggage which is guaranteed to not get lost! 25 Christmas Traditions for Families on a Tight Budget Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz® • 1800 Camden Road, Suite 107-258 • Charlotte, NC 28203, USA