Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Story Bird

Hey everyone!!

          Moms I wanted to share with you http://storybird.com/ !! Awesome website. You create an account and create FREE stories with your children. You can choose what illustrations you want to use and even set an audience age set. I learned about this because our daughter is in a Story Bird Club with her home-school program and finished her book today then they have a group meeting this Friday to discuss their books.

I think this would be something awesome to do with your kids. It encourages them to be creative and use their imaginations. You can even print the stories for your home library.

Have a great day!!!!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Last Night's Dinner

Turkey Meatballs with loaded Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Bread!

-Okay I love meat balls but I wanted to make my own so I decided to experiment.
I mixed ground turkey, Italian bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, ketchup, and a little barley together. Then I rolled them into 14 little balls and baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

SO GOOD. We used a honey bbq sauce for dipping.

The Loaded Mashed Potatoes came from a pouch.(I haven't learned how to make that just yet.)
And I did the garlic bread myself. I took a couple slices of white bread brushed with vegetable oil and sprinkled garlic powder on, baked for 5 minutes at 400. (the last 5 minutes the meatballs were in the oven)

I hope you enjoy!

Kris Bush

Free FULL Bible Studies

Hey everyone!!

           Today I did a little research, I was looking for a few prepared bible study lessons I could use for my family and for myself in my down time. And I came across a website with several free to download bible studies. They are full complete bible lessons.


I hope you get a chance to download and use because I sure will and if you want to study together...drop me a line!

~Love ya!!
Kris Bush

Monday, October 29, 2012

FREEBIES!!!!

Hey everyone!!! 
Guess what?? I found a coupon code for a FREE journal from Paper Coterie!!!! www.papercoterie.com


The code is "welcomejournal" (without the quotation marks and no spaces). The only drawback is that you must pay for shipping! (which is about $7 for economy shipping)

I hope you enjoy and let me know if and when you receive your free journal!!! 


I also received an email for a free week at Curves!!! Follow the link below!

http://www.curvesinformation.com/?campaign=FW1A&Referrer=ADF&Subreferrer=FW1A&subid=1_I1-013-4


Free car seat canopy and a $130 caboodle set for $29.95! For the mommies!!! You can go to www.carseatcanopy.com

Promo code is "FAMILY2012" (without the quotations and no spaces). Once again the drawback is paying for shipping.  (which is about $12.95)




Love to you all!!!

~Kris Bush


P.S. I am on cloud 9 today my mommy was pronounced CANCER FREE!!!! I have spent many tears and prayers for this!!! Thank you JESUS! Cause it was only by the grace of GOD!!!!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

My fave websites...for schooling!

Okay as a home-school mommy, I have learned to utilize what the public school home-school system provides as well as supplementing with a little extra.

So I have my go-to websites for new worksheets. And yes they are FREE!

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/worksheets/

Kindergarten Worksheets and Printables | Education.com

Free Phonics Worksheets

Counting & Numbers Worksheets and Printables | Education.com

www.funfonix.com/files/ff_book1.pdf

CurrClick - Curriculum and Classes in a Click!

I also utilize http://www.holyspiritledhomeschooling.net/best-homeschool-articles/    for when organizing help and good home-school reads. I've also come across a few FREE e-books via this website.

I love these websites because I can choose which worksheets I want and download them for free then print when I need them. How cool is that?

I hope you get a chance to use them!

~Kris Bush







Family and Organization


          Lately, I have been going out of my mind. It’s as if my mommy mojo has slowly been drying up and I’m running on E. I feel so unorganized and all over the place. Then on top of me feeling out of it, I still have the kids who have been pulling me in every which direction, literally pulling me in every direction. If it’s not Kaylee wanting me to sit down for her to read to me, it’s Caleb wanting me to play with him or soothe him to sleep. So I decided to adopt more organization.

First I started with organizing our home-school routine. I noticed that we need more structure. Thankfully on Facebook I have liked a page “Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling” (https://www.facebook.com/HolySpiritledhomeschooling?fref=ts) and it has been a wealth of information and help with organizing our home-school routing. I decided to go further and check out Jamerrill’s (creator of Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling) website. On there I have found the Free & Frugal Homeschool Planning Pack (http://www.holyspiritledhomeschooling.net/2012/08/free-instant-download-free-frugal-homeschool-planning-pack/). OMGoodness!!! It is a major help to me!! I have found all different types of charts and lists to help us out. And guess what?? It’s FREE. And I love free; we are on a serious budget. So any and everything that I can find for free to help me is awesome!

Next I decided to organize our meals. Too often I hate that I have to grocery shop too many times throughout the month. So I decided to remedy that. And after being on Jamerrill’s website I have found her weekly/monthly meal planning charts, which I have decided to use to help organize our family even more. Now I plan on grocery shopping only ONCE in November and have it last our family the entire month. {here is the post: http://www.holyspiritledhomeschooling.net/2012/05/free-meal-planning-printables/}

Lastly I looked at different posts about chores and delegating them appropriately as well as being organized so that they all get done in an orderly fashion, so I made up our own chore charts. The kids have theirs and I have mine. So far it’s been keeping us on track. However I will post an update in a month or so.

I've also decided I need to implement and be FIRM about bedtime/nap-time so that I can get to bed at a reasonable time and get up early enough to have some mommy quiet time. Pray for me y’all I tend to lag around in bed when I need to be up reading and praying and getting myself together for the day.

I know that this is so much on my life but I encourage you to organize your family life and I am sure it will help a lot in terms of not being stressed over the little day-to-day things. {Plus COZI helps out a lot too. Keeps me reminded of things I need to know}

And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” –Habakkuk 2:2

Love to you all
Kris Bush

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Turkey burgers & Organizing

Hi everyone!!!!

First I want to tell you all about the turkey burgers we had for dinner last night. Awesome. I hand rolled and flattened them adding onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and a little barley leaves. They turned out so juicy and moist. Then we ate them on potato bread buns (I got them at Aldi's)...so much better than regular hamburger buns.

Lately I've been on HolySpiritLedHomeschooling.net and I absolutely love Jamerrill's website. She has so much valuable information especially for families who home-school. She has different downloadable pdfs that you can use to help organize your family and your time. As well as heads up about different freebies. It is through her Facebook page that I became aware of the free books for Amazon Kindle. I've also adopted the planning meals ahead of time routine (I will implement next month). I've gotten the weekly meal pdfs to use for planning as well.

I saw on her website an organizer that she was giving away (its an online organizer for families) and since I cannot afford the organizer, I went in search of one that I could afford and ALA, I found Cozi! Cozi is a FREE organizer that can be used on the computer as well as on your smartphone. You can input task lists, grocery lists, scheduling, and send out mass emails to your family.

http://www.cozi.com/family-calendar.htm

Friday, October 26, 2012

New Dinner Recipe!!!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo with Homemade Garlic Biscuits!!!

This was a homemade recipe I tried last night and it was amazing! There was not any pasta in it though.

First the garlic biscuit mix. I took 2 1/2 cups of All purpose baking mix (by Baker's corner via Aldi's) and mixed it thoroughly with about 2-3 table spoons of garlic powder. Then mixed it with about a half cup of water. Afterwards I spooned out 5 biscuits onto a cookie sheet. Baked for about 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees

I took 4 boneless chicken breast tenderloins and lightly fried them and seasoned them in the pan. I only coated the pan with light oil (try a PAM spray). I used garlic powder, onion powder, and chicken seasoning.
While the chicken was cooking, I steamed a bag of frozen broccoli in a half cup of water.

Once the chicken was done I poured a jar of Alfredo sauce over it and allowed the Alfredo sauce to soak in the flavor from the chicken and the seasoning in the pan. Next I spooned over the steamed broccoli. Then I allowed it to simmer while the biscuits finished.

I made fudge brownies for dessert. They turned out awesome and we even had some brownies left over for snack today.

I just wanted to share my lil recipe with you all!!! Have a great day!

Remember a happy family is a healthy and full family!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Dream and Thirst

Hi!!!!
Y'all I am just a ball of nerves! In roughly 10 hours my (very short) book Dream and Thirst (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009TA0YO4) goes live for sale on Amazon Kindle! I priced it at 6.99 so that its affordable and I may even lower the price after a couple weeks. I just pray that it helps someone somewhere. I pray that everything I have gone through in life can help someone else either avoid going through the heartache and pain or help them rise above the heartache and pain. If you decide to purchase the book please let me know and leave a comment on Amazon. I would greatly appreciate any and all support. 

The book itself is a look into my journey with God. I went from going through the motions to deciding I wanted out of a meaningless existence and I wanted a tangible real relationship with the Lord. Out of that want came an encounter with the Lord that has LITERALLY shaped and changed my LIFE. I encountered the Lord in a dream and the impact of that dream left me when an unquenchable thirst for the Lord. I crave His attention and presence in my life. And I am sharing this so you too can decide to want more and ask the Lord for His attention and presence in your life. SEEK Him with everything you've got, with your entire being and I can guarantee you will have that encounter with the Lord too. It may not come in the same packaging as mine but it will be just as powerful!

My loves have a great weekend. Give the Lord some time every single day! He is your first love and your first spouse, treat Him as such.

Kris Bush


(The Amazon listing ID is B009TA0YO4. I thank you again for reading and for your support!)



UPDATE!!!!!

THE BOOK HAS BEEN LOWERED TO 2.99 (THE LOWEST PRICE I CAN SET PER AMAZON'S STANDARDS)! 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Single?? Married?? Get married!

A while ago, I remember thinking that I wanted to be wholeheartedly committed to the Lord. I kept saying to myself I wanted to depend on God for everything. 
Even more so, last year when we were still living in the Chicago area, I had this dream in which the Lord was there teaching a class and when he was done, he came sat down next to me and held my hand. He told me He'd never let go and I didn't need to let go. He reminded me that He is my first husband and that He would walk with me FOREVER.

Now do you understand the impact that dream had on me?? I was on cloud 9 for weeks after that dream. Even more so I have had this unquenchable thirst for the Lord. I am in NEED of HIM every day. It's a healthy addiction. Even right now, I sit back and reflect on that dream and I am giddy all over again. Why? Because I realize that I am the apple of the Lord's eye (you are too!). That as my eternal husband, He will never leave me, never forsake me. As long as I keep my hand firmly wrapped around His I am OK. Even if my grip slips or walking becomes hard, as my gentlemanly husband, He will lift me up in His arms until I am strong again to walk. 

When you read this, what do you think? Do you realize that you too are the apple of the Lord's eye? His Word says the church is His bride. We ALL are apart of the church. So guess what that means? We ALL are the apple of His eye. We all have the ability to have an eternal husband in Him. Even the men. Christ is like the partner you never had. Think of the one person you expect to have your back for the rest of your life. The one person who will be completely honest with you, who you understand any correction from them is necessary for your growth. And that is who Christ is to you.

I encourage you to go and get married to the Lord, commit to having a wholehearted relationship with Him. When you get married, you spend time with your husband EVERY day, right? Do the same with Christ. You make sure to learn His wants and needs, you communicate your wants and needs. Everyone knows that you love your spouse, make sure through the way you live any one could tell you love the Lord. Jesus said, the greatest command is to love the Lord and Love your neighbors. If you love the Lord and your neighbors (which encompasses any and every person your encounter) then every other command will be easier to fulfill.

Isaiah 62:5 NIV
As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder (the Lord) marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride so will your God rejoice over you.

We are the young bride that Isaiah speaks about. God rejoices over us over our love and commitment to Him.
Now rejoice in Him.

~Kris Bush

Discovering God through the Arts

  Many of us are aware of classic artwork and cultural arts but rarely do we fully bridge the gap between these disciplines. The author cont...