Christ is illumined! Let us shine forth with Him!

Glory to God in His Saints! My father was moved to a normal hospital ward! Thank you for your prayers.

Besides that, my brother and his wife safely delivered a son. We had some other good news this past week that hasn't quite been finalized, so I will share that when I can. I know it has been a topsy turvy week, but I am focusing on my family and friends right now to keep me a bit more stable. We are so deeply grateful to God for the extremely good, the very good, news we have had.

This next week was supposed to be our first full week of schooling, but the January exhaustion has hit us all, so we are spending some more time on just reading and math, and getting some organization done. It's not hard to catch up at home. This past year was rather hard on everyone, so we are being gentle with ourselves.

Since we did that inventory of our food and drink in the house, I am trying to be more mindful of eating what we have and only buying what we really need or to replace things we use. This month, through Ash Wednesday, my plan is to only buy paper/cleaning/pet supplies, milk and a few fresh things we need. So, our meals are utilizing our stores. We ran out of dried thyme, but the winter has been so mild here that our planted thyme is just overflowing all over the yard. We are trying to clear out our home of excess, so I am also going through my yarn stash and offering more for sale, giving some away to friends, and donating to the senior center in our town. It will feel so much better to have the space in our home and in our minds. We will tackle books, too! In any case, this will help us spend less, too, and we have been paying down debt lately, which feels great. I do the budgets, and it is a burden to me to always be keeping ten plate spinning and in the air, as well as having to be the one to say no. This will allow us to say yes to more. It is a time of easing burdens and increasing blessing here. I hope your new year is full of blessing.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam with Toast, Bananas, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Herb Roasted Chicken Legs, Steam Sautéed Carrots and Peas with Garlic, Rice, Ice Cream
• Monday
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Sausages, Toast, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Lime Chicken with Poblano Sour Cream, "Mexican" Rice Pilaf or Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Brown Sugar and Chopped Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Jambalaya with Andouille Sausage and Chicken, Tagalong Bars, Salted Peanut Squares
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Sliced Bananas, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Carrot and Parmesan Risotto with Mascarpone, Frozen Fruit Salad
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Hilary
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Cheese, Bacon, Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Arabic Beef and Vegetable Soup, Tamis, Zucchini Bread
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Mexican Pinto Beans with Pumpkin Chile Cheese Cornbread, Sliced Oranges
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Bacon, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie, Roasted Squash, Triple Chocolate Peppermint Sandwiches, Halawa*

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday. Linking to Menu Plan Monday

Labels: Church Year, Epiphany, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen, Theophany

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:36 AM