Rich and I had an opportunity to go on a movie date and then to have dinner at a new Italian restaurant in town yesterday. We have a hangar dance to go to this week, and in a couple weeks a fancy pants banquet event, so we are getting to enjoy some time out with each other more frequently than normal. Today is the anniversary of our engagement. Or coming to terms, as we call it. We spent a month in negotiations, considering whether or not we should go forward with our plan to wait another three and a half years to get married, or just go for it and do it that year. We went from three and a half years to plan to four and a half months, and it was the best decision we ever made. It's true that we started out with less than we would have had if we had waited, but we also grew up together and grew together into the one flesh marriage we have.

Since Rich has Labor Day off, we get to do some more things around our house that have been on hold too long. It also means that our roosters' and ducks' stay of execution is over, and they are heading to the freezer. There is so much that didn't get done in our garden, but Rich is going to try to get a few fall crops ready for us before the freezes kill everything.

This is not our first week of school, but it is our first week of school related activities. We have registration for our homeschool co-op, ballet and gymnastics begin again, and so our schedules are now a little more regulated. It helps us to ease into the school year this way, and gets our morning schedule a little earlier at a slower pace. We do get to go to a gyro and kebab festival and vespers at a church in our area this week, which is a fun treat for the whole family.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Cheesy Egg English Muffin Sandwiches (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Saleeq, Stewed Okra and Tomatoes, Turkish Stuffed Apricots
• Monday
  Breakfast: Ful, Bread (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sah’awiq, Chopped Tomatoes, Sliced Oranges, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Grilled Feta Burgers, Garlic Scape French Fries, Pickles and Veggie Sticks
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Harvest Pancakes, Grapefruit Halves, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Meatloaf*, Lyonnaise Potatoes, Salad, Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal (Grain-free for Jerome) with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Lebanese Lentil Salad, Eggplant and Pepper Salad, Sliced Plums
• Thursday - Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Theotokos
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Dan Dan Noodles with Cabbage, Sliced Oranges
• Friday - Feast of the Righteous Parents of the Theotokos, Anna and Joachim
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Honey, Fruit, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Creamy Avocado Pasta with Cashews (Gluten-free for Jerome), Salad, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Kids Make Breakfast
  Dinner: Snack Tray

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, Romance and Relationship, Tales from the Kitchen