It’s been some time since I wrote a Christmas in July post. However, I was thinking about Christmas gift ideas a little bit last week, so I decided it is the perfect time to write another post of this variety. As I’ve noted previously, I don’t write Christmas in July posts to usher in the Christmas season prematurely; I write them to … [Read more...] about Christmas in July: Plan Early for an Affordable Christmas
July 2025 Dinner Menu
We had a wonderful trip last month! My youngest daughter, who is autistic, typically has a difficult time when we travel. However, she did pretty well on this trip! I’m so grateful she was comfortable, and for the time we had together as a family. Not surprisingly, this month is shaping up to be hot. While we are spending time indoors, … [Read more...] about July 2025 Dinner Menu
Easy Meals to Prepare in a Hotel Room
As I noted in my post of this month’s menu, we will be taking a short trip this month. We’ll be staying in a suite-style hotel, so we will have a full kitchen in our room. This means we will be able to prepare many of our meals in the hotel room. I’m working on our meal plan now. Drawing on my previous experience cooking in hotel rooms … [Read more...] about Easy Meals to Prepare in a Hotel Room
June 2025 Dinner Menu
Last month passed in a flurry of schoolwork. Though we will continue to review math and cursive over the summer, my girls completed the rest of their schoolwork on Friday! Predictably, they are thrilled. I’m also quite excited, because I will benefit from the break as much as they will. Now that we have a little break from school, our … [Read more...] about June 2025 Dinner Menu
Four Superb Spring Pancakes
As I did in the fall and winter, I recently prepared pancakes with seasonal flair. My spring flavors were lemon poppy seed, carrot, apricot almond, and strawberry. When preparing pancakes like these, I’ve been turning to a shortcut: Krusteaz Complete Pancake Mix. Though I prefer making pancakes from scratch, this shortcut allows me to … [Read more...] about Four Superb Spring Pancakes
May 2025 Dinner Menu
Last month didn’t end up being as uneventful as we anticipated. Early in the month, we learned that we had family coming for a visit at the end of the month. This was welcome news, but the colds that two of my daughters and I came down with towards the end of the month were not welcome. Thankfully, we got well in a few days, so the arrival of … [Read more...] about May 2025 Dinner Menu
9 Useful Containers to Use as Easter Baskets
I don’t remember a whole lot about my family’s Easter celebrations when I was a kid, but one thing I do remember is that a couple of times my mom gave us Easter “baskets” that weren’t traditional baskets. Like baskets, they were containers that could hold goodies. Unlike baskets, they were multipurpose storage containers that could be used for … [Read more...] about 9 Useful Containers to Use as Easter Baskets
April 2025 Dinner Menu
We spent a lot of time enjoying the mild weather last month. We took a week off school, which gave us a few days to relax and move at a slower pace. We should be able to wrap up the bulk of our materials in about 2 months, so we are starting to think about summer plans and if we’ll do any traveling. Our weather clearly reflects the … [Read more...] about April 2025 Dinner Menu













