Weekly Menu

This week is very hectic for us! I started back to school with teacher workdays & Open House. Grant has started a Fall Ball League with his baseball team, so the easier dinner plans are the HAPPIER this wife will be! :) 

Also, we're planning Aubrey's 7th birthday party this Saturday. It's only a family dinner, but no party is too small. :) of course, she wanted a Gamecock theme! We've trained her well. ;) Just in time for the season to start. I will post pictures of decorations and the party! Great ideas to use for a Game day Party or tailgating! 

Here's our menu plan for the week. Let me know if you have any questions. They are so easy I feel like they don't need much description. 

Monday: Sausage & Veggie Grill

1lb. Of Kielbasa Sausage (we use the turkey)

1 green pepper cut into slices 

1 onion cut into slices

1 large or 2 small zucchini cut into slices

2 squash cut into slices

3 cups of cubed potatoes

Salt & pepper

Foil

Combine all ingredients in foil. Cover it on top with foil as well. Throw on the grill on medium heat for 30 minutes or bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. EASY! 

Tuesday: Zuchhini, Black Bean, Rice Casserole

This is a NEW favorite in the Kirkendohl household. Do your prep the night before & it's so simple (even the hubby can cook it.) 

Wednesday: French Loaf Pizza

1 French Loaf

2 cups of Marinara Sauce (3/4 jar)

Shredded Mozzerela Cheese

Toppings: veggies, pepperoni, etc.

Garlic & Italian Seasoning

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Thursday: Quesadillas, Black Beans & Rice

Tortillas

2 cups Shredded Cheese

Inside ingredients: onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, shrimp,shredded chicken. 

(I like veggie ones, so I keep frozen grilled chicken strips on hand for the hubby's.)

Can of Black Beans

2 cups of rice

Salt & Pepper

Friday: Grilled Chicken, Macaroni & Cheese, Lima Beans

4 chicken breast

Blackened seasoning

Box of Macaroni & Cheese ( we use whole wheat)

1/2 lb. of fresh Lima beans

Coat the chicken with the blackened seasoning. Grill on medium for about 45 minutes. Cook macaroni accordingly, and steam the Lima beans with a dash of salt & pepper. 

I hope everyone has a great start to their school year! Can't believe summer has come & gone! Here's to Fall!! 

Everyone Needs a THANK YOU!

So Aubrey had VBS this week, and she had so much fun! Our church did an amazing job, and the amount of work the volunteers put in is so heartwarming. They had a record breaking amount of children!! Yay!

Towards the end of the week, we wanted to do something for her teacher & helpers in her room. I wish I didn't have such a crazy week, and could have done more. But I found the cutest idea here, and we always have cookie dough on hand so it was a perfect match!

I found this adorable printable on Living Locurto. All you need is sandwich bags, printer, stapler & some treats to put in it. They came out great, Aubrey was so excited to give them to her teachers. 

Goodbye Vacation, Hello Reality!

So we have officially said GOODBYE to vacation! Hello Reality! :) After 7 days at the beach, it was nice to be home. We went to Litchfield Beach, SC (right below Myrtle Beach). We've been going here the past 3 years, and absolutely LOVE it. It's very quiet, gated community--where you can take your golf cart anywhere. Our normal day consists of beach then some pool time, followed by a relaxing evening of dinner & drinks with some Catch Phrase or Rook thrown in. :) 

It's very close to Murrell's Inlet, which has a breathtaking Marsh Walk filled with restaurants. You can walk out onto the pier for some gorgeous pictures or have a drink looking out onto the water. It's pretty close to perfect! But of course I had to post some pictures....

  {Some mother/son in law beach tennis}

{He finally was able to join us}

{Nothing is better than taking the golf cart to the grocery store.}

{Penny enjoying the golf cart}

{Wahoo! Beach Time}

{After not wearing sunscreen the first day, it's the tent for him.}

{Marshwalk at Murrells Inlet = Heaven}

{Love.}

{Cousin love.}

{Almost 5 years together}

{Watching as we say our goodbyes.}

It's back to reality with a week filled with activities & work! :( Goodbye Vacation, can't wait to see you again!

Vacation Photo Dump!

We have officially been through half of our vacation. So I thought it would be a perfect time for a phone dump! :) We have hit up the beach for a few days and shopping of course. The past few days it has been a girl's trip-- myself, my mom, aunt, two cousins, and new addition to our family Haddy (4months).  As of tonight, our girl trip is over for Grant is joining us after work tonight for the rest of the week. I'm so excited. We haven't been apart overnight since we got married, and we've been apart for four nights. :(

But here's a look at our girl's vacation before the hubby joins us!  Be on the look out for the next half of vacation! :)

(Sorry for the unaligned pictures & captions-the iPad didn't want to cooperate)

                                                                        {Beach Time with Haddy}

                                                                         {Heaven}

{We are the Champions}

{Ref for the Beach Tennis}

{Chilling on the Beach}

{Beach Tennis}

{Golf Cart Ride to Pedicures}

{Guest to our Party}

{Morning Walks}

Beach Packing List

So the Kirkendohl's are heading to the beach for a week! We're so exciting to have our first vacation as a married couple. We are going with my family for the 3rd annual trip. It's such a nice week to relax, and enjoy the beach! :) honestly, we do nothing all week and its fabulous!! :) so it got me thinking of what to pack? Being the planner I am, I have to have a list! So I thought I would share some of the best list I have found, and any add ons that we would need! 

My Beach Bag Essentials:

- "Wipe able" Bag

-Towel

-Sunscreen 

-Chair clips

-Small bag to hold cash, cosmetics, phone, etc.

-electronic zip bags! ( Absolutely love my new Echo zip cases for IPhone & IPad.) 

-Portable Speakers with music source (iPod, phone, etc.)

-waterproof case on all electronics

-Magazines and Book

-Koozies

-Brush & Detangling Spray

-trail Mix

-Wet Wipes

-Cooler 

Phone Dump!

                     

Aubrey's School Performance & Elfie on a date with Ken! He brought her flowers! 

Tacky Sweater!

! 

Penny at the Christmas Parade & 

Lights in the South!

 

Visiting Santa

Elfie enjoying some coffee in her hammock!

Christmas Eve & Penny & her huge bone!

Christmas Morning & 

Enjoying Christmas break!

Goal for 2013!

So 2012 has come and gone QUICKLY! I don't think a year has flown by quicker than 2012. It was definitely a year to remember for the Kirkendohl's. We became Mr. & Mrs. and have officially started our lives together. To kick off 2013, our goal is to save, save, save! We want to buy a house & start to plan for our future. I recently heard of this 52-Week Challenge to save money & thought what a perfect way to start 2013. So I did some researching, and found it on the Stuck At Home Mom Blog! You save one dollar for the first week, two dollars the second week, & continue from there until all 52 weeks of the year are done. After a year, you will have saved $1378. The most you will have to put aside is $52, which is great for us!

                                                        {Courtesy: Stuck At Home Mom}

Hopefully you will find this helpful & can start saving with us! Let me know if you have any saving plans or tips for 2013!