What a wonderful week we have had! I was able to talk to my remaining maternal aunt, two of my cousins, and my father. They got to talk to our kids, and Rich was able to talk to my father. My family is funny and smart and our real sorrow is that because of distance between us, our kids have not grown up spending a lot of time with them. However, two of my cousins and I are talking about having a meeting somewhere. Rich and I are talking about making our next savings goal to put away enough money to get the family to Croatia, so we can rent a house and have my family come join us there, where we can spend some time somewhere beautiful, and eat wonderful food. It's still a dream, but one we can work toward even now.

My kids didn't get to experience the laughter and sense of fun my family has the way I did, and I really treasure every time they get to meet with them, in person or over the phone/internet. I am so grateful for how video chat has made these visits possible.

Aside from the visiting with family, we had another highlight and a couple lowlights of the week: Bananas are going better than we thought they would, especially because Jerome had a weird flare up this weekend that we thought might have had something to do with his latex bands in his braces, and latex and banana allergies/sensitivities are often related. So far, so good, though. The service people from A & E cancelled on us a second time. Which means that it has been more than two months since we called on this and they still haven't fixed the machine, which is actually against our warranty contract, which we are taking up with Lowe's. We are also dealing with some external distress from someone who is trying to cause trouble for me and for us. Please pray for this person, that her plans are thwarted and that she finds peace. Honestly, we're not all that worried about her plans, because they are based on rank falsehood and it is so obvious, it would be laughable, but she is unsettled and that makes me sad.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Egg and Veggie Burritos (Gluten-free for Jerome), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Choucroute Garnie, Dark Rye Bread (Gluten-free Bread for Jerome), Mustard, Cornichons and Pickled Onions, Fruit Plate
• Monday - Feast of Saint Theodore
  Breakfast: Sausage, Egg and Potato Breakfast Casserole, Bananas, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chile Verde, Rice, Black Beans and Corn, Corn Tortillas, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Shakshouka, Bananas, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken and Gravy over Stuffing, Chopped Salad, Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Peanut Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: West African Stew, Rice, Peri-peri Sauce, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Grapefruit Halves, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Leftovers
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Vegetarian Ranchero Beans, Rice, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Blackberry Jam Sweetrolls with Cream Cheese Frosting (Gluten-free Blackberry Scones for Jerome), Farmer Breakfast Casserole, Coffee and Hot Chocolate for a Crowd with Vanilla Ice Cream
  Dinner: Pizza Party (Gluten-free Pizza for Jerome)

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.

Labels: Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen