Here’s a yummy, simple, in-season recipe that will satisfy your sweet tooth without heating up your house.

This easy dessert is perfect any time of year, but especially in late summer when the peaches are ripe. It easily adjusts to be dairy-free/vegan – just use coconut oil in place of the butter. And you can swap oat or almond flour to make it gluten-free too!
Either way, it’s delicious.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Peach Crisp
- 5 cups sliced fresh peaches (I don’t peel them, but you may if you prefer.)
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2/3 cups flour
- 2/3 cups rolled oats
- 2/3 cups brown sugar (or sucanat)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup butter (or coconut oil)
How to Make Peach Crisp
1. In a 3-4 quart slow cooker, combine peaches with maple syrup, lemon juice and vanilla.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmet, and salt.
3. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Sprinkle oat mixture over peaches in crock pot and press down slightly.
5. Cover the crock pot with a paper towel. Put the lid over the paper towel.

6. Cook on HIGH for two hours.
7. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Slow Cooker Peach Crisp
Ingredients
- 5 cups sliced peaches
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2/3 cups flour
- 2/3 cups rolled oats
- 2/3 cups brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup butter
Instructions
- In a 3-4 quart slow cooker, combine peaches with maple syrup, lemon juice and vanilla.
- In a medium size bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmet, and salt.
- Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle oat mixture over peaches in crock pot and press down slightly.
- Cover the crock pot with a paper towel. Put the lid over the paper towel.
- Cook on HIGH for two hours.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
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What are your favorite crock pot desserts?
Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 5, 3 and 1). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
Make the Most of Your Mornings: What To Do When You Fall Off the Bandwagon (Day 14)
Make the Most of Your Mornings: What To Do When You Fall Off the Bandwagon (Day 14)

Last night, I went to a ladies’ get-together and then had an 8 p.m. dinner meeting with some folks from a company in California that I work with. I knew that it was going to be a late night and I knew there was going to be no way I’d be able to get my evening routine done and get to bed on time.
And I didn’t.
In fact, I didn’t get home until 10 p.m. and then I couldn’t fall asleep until 11:30 p.m. — thanks to the extra cup of coffee I had in the afternoon to try and help me be alert for the meeting! As a result, I got up late this morning (well, “late” is a relative term, but it was quite a bit later than I usually get up) and I started the day tired and behind.
So what do you when you fall off the bandwagon?
1. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Life happens, things come up, and things are never going to go along perfectly smoothly all the time.
When you hit a rough patch, have a disruption to your normal schedule, or you’re up all night with a sick child, don’t beat yourself up or feel all frustrated that you got off track. This won’t do anything to help you — and it will likely only make matters worse.
2. Have a Plan B
You’re going to have disruptions. That’s life. Whenever possible, though, plan ahead for them.
Since I knew that I wasn’t going to get home until late last night, I went ahead and planned that I would be getting up late. Knowing that this was part of the plan helped me to not feel so off-track when I got up “late”.
3. Do The Best You Can Do
When things are out-of-sorts or your schedule gets thrown out the window, just focus on doing the best you can do. For instance, I simplified my usual morning schedule today, made sure my to-do list wasn’t too long, and just prayed for God’s grace to help me go through today even when I was tired and feeling behind.
It wasn’t the best or most productive day, but I got the main things accomplished, and I’m going to bed with the house in fairly good shape and things mostly back on track.
4. Don’t Let a Bump in the Road Knock You Completely Off Course
Falling off the bandwagon can be a great reminder of why you’re making the changes you’re making. I realized last night that staying up until 11:30 p.m. felt like I was staying up until 2 a.m. My internal clock is getting re-adjusted back to a schedule that works better for our family — and that is encouraging!
When you fall down or hit a bump, don’t let it throw you off course. Just dust yourself off and keep moving forward.
Don’t give up! Tiny steps in the right direction are always better than standing still or moving backward.
Day 14 Project
1. Did you determine your bedtime and 5 Evening Must-Do’s? If so, leave a comment telling us how you did on them last night.
2. Did you determine what time you’re going to commit to waking up every morning for the next three weeks? If so, leave a comment telling us how you did this morning!
3. Did you get in some exercise yesterday and eat a nutritious breakfast? If not, make a commitment today to a specific way you’re going to incorporate exercise and a nutritious breakfast into your day.
4. Did you create a morning plan of action? If so, tell us how it went this morning! If you haven’t created one yet, go ahead and create one and tell us about it in the comments.
Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Brown Butter Banana Waffles, Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars, and Pancake/Waffle Mix
Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Brown Butter Banana Waffles, Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars, and Pancake/Waffle Mix

I did another freezer cooking in an hour session today. I had to split it up before and after swimming lessons (our kids have swimming on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons after school this Fall).

So I mixed up the dry ingredients for the Brown Butter Banana Waffles and put together the Pancake/Waffle Mix before we left.

After we got home, I finished the waffles and baked them. They were more time-consuming than most waffle recipes I’ve made and I didn’t feel like they were worth the extra effort — but I really think it’s because I decided I didn’t love the flavor of bananas in waffles. But don’t worry, with plenty of butter and syrup, we’ll have no problem eating them. 🙂

Since I didn’t have any muffin tin liners, I just made the Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups into bars. I think it was easier to do so and the bars turned out beautifully. Now if I can just have the self-control not to eat half of the pan in the next few days.
I’m going to cut up the Crunchy Peanut Butter Cup Bars and freeze them. And I’m thinking having one of these will be a perfect little pick-me-up at the end of a long homeschooling day. Peanut butter and chocolate… it doesn’t get much better than that! 🙂
Have you done any cooking or baking for your freezer this week?
Now That We Have More Money, We Spend Less

Testimony from Carolynn of My Little Bit of Life
We took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University in January of 2007 and are very pleased with our efforts. We have finished Baby Step #3 and are currently working on saving up for a down payment on a bigger house.
However, I was thinking the other day of how my mindset has changed over these past five years.
Our Old Mindset: Buy Whatever We Want or Think We Need
Appearances used to mean a lot more to me. I do still care, but in different ways… and honestly, not as much.
I did not grow up with good financial role modeling. Growing up, if I wanted something, I usually got it. If my mom thought we needed it, we got it. It didn’t matter if it was really a need or even if there was money for it.
After I got married, I brought this mindset with me. If I wanted new workout shoes, I bought them. I spent tons of money on groceries for two people and we ate out a lot more than we should have.
When we got pregnant, we bought a house (I wanted to get a house for the amount that the bank would loan to us. Thankfully, my husband put this foot down, and we got a house that was $55K less than what the bank would loan us!), and of course when the baby came, he had to have everything.
Before long baby #2 came along and I was close to having to buy groceries using a credit card. That’s when we went to Financial Peace University and started turning our lives (and little did we know, our minds and values, too!) around.
Our New Mindset: Consider Whether Each Purchase is Truly a Need
Now, before we make a purchase — especially a big purchase — we think about if it’s really a need and if it’s really worth it to us to part with our hard earned money. For example, my husband got into a car accident and the car got banged up pretty bad (the hood was bent up). My husband got home, hooked the car to our tow hitch and pulled the hood back down, then took a piece of wood, placed it in certain spots on the car, and used a hammer to even out the rest.
There is also a hole in the front. This happened about six months ago, and we still haven’t gotten the car fixed. It works just fine, it just doesn’t look pretty! (Five years ago, I would have been very adamant about getting it fixed right away!)
Having pictures taken of my kids and family is very important to me. I sometimes go overboard when it comes to pictures and it can add up fast; not only on the pictures themselves, but the outfits that the pictures are taken in.
This past Christmas, we were getting our family picture taken. I had already bought all of the outfits for my children. I found a shirt for me that I really liked and that went perfectly with the other outfits. I also found a sweater for my husband that was a perfect match to one of our son’s outfits.
The only problem: This sweater was over $50. My husband hates sweaters, he never wears them, and I have to bribe him to wear them for pictures. He also had another sweater (that he had only worn once), up in the closet that would work for our family picture. As much as I really wanted to buy him the sweater, I didn’t.
I didn’t want to spend that much money for something that he’d never wear again, that would be stashed in the back of the closet, when I could just go to the back of his closet and get another sweater that would suffice. (This also would not have happened five years ago. I would have just bought the sweater!)
The Irony: Now That We Have More Money, We Spend Less
I find it ironic that when we didn’t have the money, these things were so important and I would have gone ahead and bought them. Now that we have the money for these things, we didn’t buy them.
I find it amazing how much I have changed in five years when it comes to finances. I no longer agonize about money, I handle it. I no longer check how much money we have in our checking account five times a day (as if it gets updated that often, I know, but I did it).
Now do I wish we had more money? Honestly, yes, I do. But money is no longer as stressful as it used to be.
I find it funny that now that we have a savings, we don’t want to part with that money. If something comes up that’s not in the budget, we usually will cut other areas before dipping into our savings. We have a goal of a bigger house and we are being very careful to stay on track.
Carolynn is a former teacher turned stay at home mom of four: ages 6, 5, 4, & 2. She blogs about parenting and life at My Little Bit of Life.
How has your financial journey changed your life?
How long could you go without buying anything new?

My mom emailed me about this story she’d seen online of a woman who hadn’t bought anything new for five years. I was intrigued and had to go check it out. Here’s a snippet of the article:
Katy Wolk-Stanley, 44, of the website The Non-Consumer Advocate, is on a mission to live on less — and not define herself by purchases. Here, the Portland, Ore., writer and mother of two shares her thoughts on why she decided to “de-clutter” her life:
I am a woman who hasn’t bought anything new in five years. But it’s actually not as black-and-white an issue as it seems at first. I do buy some things new, including:
- Underwear, socks and bras
- Personal care items (makeup, etc.)
- Food
- Harmonicas (I haven’t felt the need to buy one yet, but you never know when the mood might strike!)
It may sound like a pain in the tuchus to stay away from new purchases (an initiative I call “the compact”), but it’s actually turned into an amazing stress reliever. Not because I’ve replaced my new purchases with used stuff, but mostly because I hardly ever buy anything anymore. And when I started to buy less stuff, it made me want less in other areas of my life as well. (It’s funny how once you start examining one area of your life, other areas hop along for the ride.)
While I don’t think I want to make a commitment to never buy anything new, reading and watching this was an inspiration to me. And Kathrynne (7) and I had a fun discussion on how long we thought we could go without buying anything new. We bought thought we could for sure do a month, maybe more.
What about you? How long do you think you could go without buying anything new?
Pinterest Experiment: Knock Off Betty Crocker Brownie Mix Brownies
Pinterest Experiment: Knock Off Betty Crocker Brownie Mix Brownies

I find a lot of great ideas on Pinterest… but pinning something doesn’t do anything unless I actually, you know, try the idea. So I thought it’d be fun to challenge myself to do at least one Pinterest experiment every week — and blog my results.
I can’t promise that I’ll always have a Pinterest Experiment post up each week, because you know how I sometimes get distracted or on blog tangents. But I’m at least going to try. By the way, you can follow my personal Pinterest account here, if you’re interested.

I made these Knock Off Betty Crocker Brownie Mix Brownies for this week’s Pinterest Experiment. And I was really happy with how they turned out.

They were so easy to whip up.

I added chocolate chips to the top (of course!).

While I’m not even sure that I’ve ever had Betty Crocker Brownies before, I have had boxed brownie mix and I’d say these are very, very similar to a boxed brownie mix.
They are more fudgy than a typical homemade brownie and oh-so-good. (Why yes, I “sacrificed” and tasted one for you all, because I knew you’d want to hear my verdict on them! I promise that I did not eat all four that are missing from the pan — well, not yet, at least! :))
Have you tried any ideas or recipes you’ve found on Pinterest recently? If so, I’d love to hear how they worked out for you. Feel free to leave your blog link in the comments if you blogged about your experiment!
Make the Most of Your Mornings: There Is No One Right Way To Do Anything (Day 13)
Make the Most of Your Mornings: There Is No One Right Way To Do Anything (Day 13)

On yesterday’s Make the Most of Your Mornings post, Ashley left the following comment on Facebook:

I really appreciated her willingness to chime in with a differing opinion than many of the commentors. I learn so much from those who have personalities and viewpoints that are different than mine — and so I’m grateful when people have the courage to speak up.
Here’s what I wrote back to her on my Facebook Page:

I’ve shared a lot of different things in this Make the Most of Your Mornings series and I hope it has been an encouragement to many of you. That said, I want to reiterate something that is imperative to remember when reading anything written by anyone: what works for one family won’t work for another family.
My heart’s desire in writing this series is to challenge and inspire those of you who are struggling to be intentional with your mornings. I want to give you some things to mull over and some practical ideas to try.
However, if you love how your mornings currently are, please skip these posts. There’s no need to fix what isn’t broken!
And in the same vein, if you try some of the ideas I share and it just doesn’t work for your family, please move onto something else that works better — and leave all guilt behind. The last thing I want to do is make you feel exhausted, frustrated, or discouraged!
The longer I live, the more I realize how much I don’t know. But one thing I do know: there is no one right way to do anything.
(Well, that might be a sweeping generalization and I’m sure you can come up with a few instances — such as brain surgery or something — when there is only one right way to do something. But for the most part, it holds true in most circumstances.)
You are a unique person. You have a unique family. You have your own unique set of struggles, difficulties, and burdens.
I’m not walking in your shoes, so I can’t tell you what will work for you. I can give you some ideas, I can share some things that have worked well for me, but, ultimately, only you can know what works for you and your family.
So be free from guilt, okay? Whether you get up early or get up late, whether you have a to-do list and a plan or just live by the seat of your pants, whether you set goals or not, and if you wear your pajamas all day long every day, I love you and am grateful to have you here as a reader!
My Day 12 Project Update
Bedtime: Didn’t make it to bed until 10 p.m. last night. 🙁
My Top 5 Evening Must Do’s: Done!
Wake Up Time: 5:30 a.m.
Showered & Dressed by 9 a.m.: YES — well, actually, it was 9:07 a.m. Does that still count??
Morning Plan of Action: Bible Reading/Prayer, 30 Minutes Blogging, Exercise, Shower/Dress, Coffee!
Day 13 Project
1. Did you determine your bedtime and 5 Evening Must-Do’s? If so, leave a comment telling us how you did on them last night.
2. Did you determine what time you’re going to commit to waking up every morning for the next three weeks? If so, leave a comment telling us how you did this morning!
3. Did you get in some exercise yesterday and eat a nutritious breakfast? If not, make a commitment today to a specific way you’re going to incorporate exercise and a nutritious breakfast into your day.
4. Did you create a morning plan of action? If so, tell us how it went this morning! If you haven’t created one yet, go ahead and create one and tell us about it in the comments.
5. Examine the changes you’ve made over the last two weeks and determine if they are working well for your family. If not, what things can you change to make them more workable for your own unique situation and current needs?
Reader Tip: How I get to take exercise classes for free!

Cassie emailed in the following tip:
I recently read your post about 7 Ways to Save Money and Stay Motivated While Getting Fit. I wanted to add another suggestion that has worked for me: Work-Exchange for Fitness. It is a practice found at many yoga studios and could even be something asked of any privately owned fitness place.
I have been practicing at Amazing Yoga in Wexford, PA for six years. They offer a work-exchange program in which I check in attending students by taking their money and then tidy up the class after it is over.
It requires me to arrive 30 minutes before the class and stay about 15 minutes afterward. In exchange, I get to take the class for free!
I’m also a part of the work-exchange email group and can pick up classes that are in need of a work-exchange sub. This week, I attended four classes all for free. These would have cost me $60 ($15 per class) if I had paid out of pocket. -Cassie
Want to learn how to make a living with your writing?
Would you like to get a book deal? Would you like to earn a living from writing and/or blogging?
Then you definitely should consider going to the Re:Write Conference.
My wonderful agent, Esther Fedorkevich, is spear-heading the Re:Write Conference and I can promise you it will be fantastic. In fact, if I didn’t already have another really important commitment during the conference, I would make every possible effort to go.
There is an amazing line-up of speakers who have years of experience in the publishing world. I can only imagine how much knowledge and wisdom these folks have to share with us who are just dipping our toes into the world of writing!
If you’re a published author who would just like to learn more selling and marketing books, if you’re brand-new to the world of writing and blogging and would like to learn how to make the leap from hobby to profession, or if you’re anywhere in between, this conference will be packed with helpful information.
One of my favorite things about this conference is that you’ll have access to pick the brains of some spectacular leaders in the writing industry. The conference is limited in size, so you’ll have opportunities to learn directly from people like Ken Blanchard, Paul Young, George Barna, Lysa TerKeurst, and Mary DeMuth on how they’ve found success as a writer.
This is not just any conference about the craft of writing. Those are a dime a dozen. This one is focused on the business of writing and understanding the new marketplace. Attending this conference is an investment in yourself and — and your future as a writer!

Special Offer To the First 25 People Who Register By Saturday!
Does the conference price seem too high for your small budget? Well, I’ve got a coupon code for the first 25 readers who sign up!
Through Sunday, Esther is offering 25 of my readers the opportunity to attend Re:Write for just $299. This price includes the full conference, plus a meal package, plus a gift bag.
But wait, that’s not all! If you invite a friend to go with you, they can go with you for just $99 more — and that bargain price also includes a meal package and gift bag.
Click here to register. Use coupon code CRYSTAL299 and choose the Conference Fee Without Lodging Option to get the $299 special price offer.
If you want to bring a friend, choose the Student Daypass Option and enter the CRYSTAL299 code so that the Re:Write folks will know what it’s for. You’ll receive a full conference pass, even though you’re checking out purchasing a Student DayPass.
If you have any trouble redeeming the coupon code or any questions regarding purchasing a ticket, email Cara at: cara @ thefeddagency {dot} com
Please note: This price is only good for the first 25 people who register by Saturday. Also, just so you know, I’m not making a penny for promoting this or a penny for anyone who signs up and uses the coupon code. I’m just passing along a special price because I know that many of you are very interested in getting a book deal or in pursuing a writing career!
How To Spend Less On Teen Fashion

Guest post by Dannah Gresh of DannahGresh.com
It doesn’t matter how much your daughter has watched you print coupons or chase down bargains, somewhere around the age of 13 she will “just die” if she can’t spend something-like-half-the-amount-of-the-national-debt on a pair of jeans. What’s a mom to do?
I didn’t know. My normally content little girls had become two fashion-greedy teenagers who would liked to have shopped until I dropped of severe credit card exposure. Since we don’t like credit at our house and don’t use it much, something had to be done.
I asked a friend who was parenting a few years ahead of me and found the most amazing solution. It was so simple that in my many efforts to solve the problem I hadn’t thought of it, but it literally cut my clothing budget in half and my girls got just as much — or more — each season.
1. Give Your Teen Their Own Clothing Cash Envelope
Add up what you can budget for this season’s shopping, put it in an envelope and present it to your daughter or son. (They’ll smile and be giddy at the thought of how far it will go. Don’t tell them just yet that it never goes as far as you think it will.)
2. Help Your Teen Establish a List of Priorities
Sit down with your teen and talk about their clothing priorities.For example, if it’s time for back-to-school shopping your daughter might want a new pair of jeans, three great t-shirts, a new pair of shoes, and a sweater.
This step is really critical or she will be distracted by the bling on a party dress that she won’t need… ever! Instruct her that she needs to find the priorities and purchase them first and if there’s money left she can get that cute dress.
3. Go Shopping!
Head to the mall and hold your tongue while your teen learns the lessons of money management on the hot pavement of life! Expect it to be a little hard at first, but I can testify that the three Gresh girls cried a whole lot less after we started shopping this way.
My daughters loved the sense of empowerment and almost instantly became bargain shoppers. They passed up the expensive brand-names and instead choose similar much less expensive brands. It was also their idea to take last season’s clothes to a local secondhand store to increase their spending power.
Perhaps most importantly, my girls learned valuable lessons in budgeting and saving and our relationship was no longer strained by me saying “no” to things our family could not afford.
Let me say that another way: this was one of the best things I did for our relationships during my daughters’ teen years.
Recently, I tried to buy one of them an expensive jacket as a going-off-to-college gift. She gasped when she looked at the price tag, “Mom! I could get four for that!” Lesson learned!
Dannah Gresh is a mother/daughter relationship coach and the author of Six Ways To Keep The Little In Your Girl: Guiding Your Daughter From Her Tweens To Her Teens. Visit her website at DannahGresh.com.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!Crockpot Freezer Cooking Recipes
Looking for some more Crockpot Freezer Cooking Recipes? Check out Kojo Designs and Saving Your Dinero for their second round of Crockpot Freezer Cooking recipes and helpful tips.
Make the Most of Your Mornings: Create a Morning Plan of Action (Day 12)
Make the Most of Your Mornings: Create a Morning Plan of Action (Day 12)

We’ve talked about the importance of having a plan for the day, exercising, eating something nutritious, and getting dressed. Now it’s time to put all of those things together and make our morning plan of action.
How to Make a Morning Plan of Action
1) Make a List of Things You’d Like to Get Done During the First Two Hours of the Morning
If you’re anything like me, you’ll come up with a bunch of ideas of things you’d love to do each morning. You’re just brainstorming right now, so your list can be as long as you’d like. In fact, I’d recommend that you take a half a day to mull over what you want to put on your list and to keep adding things as they come to mind.
2) Look at Your List and Pare It Down to the Top 8-10 Things You’d Really, Really Like to Do
Once you have a nice long list made, sit down and really evaluate the items on there in light of what is going to make the biggest difference in your day and what are the most important things you need or want to accomplish each morning. You can organize the list in order of priority if that helps you to categorize things more clearly.
3) Pare Your Top 10 List Down to the 3-5 Most Important Things You Must Do Each Morning
After you’ve cut your list down to the top 8-10 things you really hope to do each morning, cull it down even farther to the 3-5 most important things. {If you couldn’t come up with a long list, well, you’re going to make it a lot easier on yourself! And I wish I could be more like you and not have such high hopes and unrealistic ambitions! :)}
Since we’ve already been working on implementing some things like getting dressed, it’s probably not going to be as hard to figure out your list and what works for you. See? You already have a head start on this!
4) Write These 3-5 Things Down and Put Them in a Conspicuous Location
Write your list of 3-5 Morning Must-Do’s down (or make a fancy document on the computer if you’re all tech-y like that!) and then put this list in a very conspicuous location. You could even put it multiple locations — on your refrigerator, in your laundry room, on your bathroom mirror.
Do whatever it takes to be constantly reminded each morning to stay on task. It takes awhile for something to become a habit, so the more reminders, the better!
5) Make a Commitment to Follow Them in the Same Order Each Morning for Three Weeks
Commit to following through with your Morning Must-Do’s every single morning for the next three weeks. You might not always hit them all each morning and, unless you live in a cave and don’t have any electronics nor interact with other human beings, I’m positive you’re going to have some interruptions. Don’t let these things throw you off track. Do the best you can do, stick with it, and keep plodding along.
At the end of three weeks, stop and re-evaluate what’s working and what’s not. Tweak your list or your morning plan, if need be (maybe wait to have your coffee until your morning list is done?!), and then keep the Morning Must-Do’s practice up.
If you currently don’t have a good routine going for your mornings, I can almost guarantee that you’re going to see some significant positive changes as a result of working on developing this habit!
My Day 10 Project Update
Bedtime: I made it to bed by 9:30 last night — managed to hit my bedtime again — yay!
My Top 5 Evening Must Do’s: Done!
Wake Up Time: 5:30 a.m.
Showered & Dressed by 9 a.m.: YES!!
Day 11 Project
1. Did you determine your bedtime and 5 Evening Must-Do’s? If so, leave a comment telling us how you did on them last night.
2. Did you determine what time you’re going to commit to waking up every morning for the next three weeks? If so, leave a comment telling us how you did this morning!
3. Did you get in some exercise yesterday and eat a nutritious breakfast? If not, make a commitment today to a specific way you’re going to incorporate exercise and a nutritious breakfast into your day.
4. Follow the steps outlined above to create your morning plan of action (if you don’t already have a good morning routine in place). Leave a comment telling us the 3-5 Morning Must-Do’s you came up with (or tell us about the wonderful morning routine you already have going). I’ll share mine tomorrow!
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Good Reads: Satisfy My Thirsty Soul by Linda Dillow
I loved Calm My Anxious Heart and A Deeper Kind of Calm by Linda Dillow, so I was excited to read another book of hers this year. As I expected, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul did not disappoint.
This book is a call to worship. It’s a challenge to become more like the Biblical account of Mary, a woman who sat at Jesus’ feet and soaked up His words.
Linda has a gift for communicating Biblical truths in a way that is engaging, convicting, and uplifting all at the same time. Reading Satisfy My Thirsty Soul inspired me to spend more time just worshiping and adoring Christ, instead of just coming to Him with my problems and struggles. I want to love Jesus deeply and wholeheartedly. And I want my love for Him to permeate everything I do.
If you long for a richer relationship with Christ, read Satisfy My Thirsty Soul. It’s powerful, deep, packed with encouragement, and well worth your time.
See more book recommendations I’ve posted this year here. You can also see all books I’ve read so far in 2012 here.
Have you read any good books recently?
This week’s menu
Breakfasts
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets, Cereal, Toast, Eggs, and/or Fruit
Lunches
Spaghetti, Cinnamon Bread, Green Salad, Pineapple
Snack-y lunch
Cheese quesdillas, carrot sticks, apple slices
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches from the freezer, veggies, apple slices
Mini Deep Dish Barbecue Chicken Pizza Muffins, raw veggies, peaches
Leftovers x 2Snacks
Fruit/Veggies
Brown Butter Banana Waffles
Crunchy Peanut Butter CupsFreezer Cooking in An Hour (I’ll post details and photos on how this goes on Thursday.)
Brown Butter Banana Waffles
Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups
Pancake Mix from Easy. Homemade ebookDinners
Dinner with extended family
Dinner out with relatives at Chili’s using the Kids Eat Free coupon
Spaghetti Pie, Bread Machine Bread Sticks, Steamed Veggies, Fruit Salad
Jesse and the kids have dinner with extended family while I go to a ladies’ get-together & also have a business dinner meeting with some affiliate partners from California
Baked Potato Bar — I’m going try making the Outback Steakhouse Baked Potatoes!
Dinner with our Young Couples’ Group — we’re having a Taco Salad Bar and I’m bringing shredded lettuce and green onions.
Breakfast for Dinner: Brown Butter Banana Waffles, scrambled eggs, homemade fried potatoes
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.





