Heavenly Homemakers

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Big Family Food and Fun: April 12-18, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: April 12-18, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

April 11

Eva was out of state visiting a friend, so Asa and Arrow spent a good part of Saturday with us! This was a rare delight, and we loved it. While Arrow napped that afternoon, the guys set up frisbee golf in our yard.

Keith had a soccer game that afternoon. It had rained a lot so everyone got very muddy – soccer players and siblings alike. :)

Sam’s is close to our game location, so Matt dropped me off at the store while he drove to get gas. I only needed salad kits for Sunday Lunch, but I couldn’t not check for meat markdowns. Ground beef discounts for the win!

Remember the BBQ Chicken legs I’d made last week? After that meal, in order to make the leftovers easier, I had pulled all the meat off the bones. Before we left for Keith’s soccer game on Saturday, I had put that chicken into a crock pot to warm up for our dinner when we got home. We had lots of leftover odds and ends – potatoes, green beans, corn, and baked beans. So we rewarmed those plus I buttered and toasted some rolls. We all got full and we had a cleaned out fridge after this meal!

Big Family Food and Fun: April 12-18, 2026

On Sunday, we had planned for several families to join us for lunch after church. But a few of them had big needs come up so they had to cancel coming over. We missed them and prayed for them while enjoying lunch with the Laws family who were still able to come be with us that day.

I had made two huge pans of pasta – one of Cheesy Spaghetti Bake and one of Italian Cream Cheese Chicken Pasta. Even with just 21 of us compared to the 35ish I was planning for, we made pretty big dents in the pans!

I’m so thankful for these friendships and time spent together. After lunch, Matt and I got to enjoy Community Group time spent in life-sharing and prayer.

That evening, I baked four Frozen Pizzas and we ate/played outside.

We visited with neighbors throughout the evening, then took a short walk to end our night before getting ready for bed.

On Monday morning, Emma came over to help with kids. I headed out to grocery shop. My first stop was Sam’s, and I filled the cart!

I grabbed a few things at Wal-Mart, then headed to Aldi. I didn’t find many exciting meat markdowns or deals there that day. But I did get some food for our Little Free Pantry along with the granola, milk, greens, sausage, and fruit/veggie pouches we needed.

Dinner that night was a big skillet full of Taco Rice Dinner. Throughout the night, I cut up 6-pounds of strawberries and made four batches of Strawberry Parfait. We all love this stuff and get pretty excited when strawberries are on sale!

We spent the evening outside playing, even though it was actually quite hot outside.

Kiya experimented with making “lotion” with coconut oil mixed with the inside of some pods that fell from our tree. They smelled good to her, and Matt helped her look it up on his phone to see if they were good for skin. Turns out, there were instructions for what do to, so she and I got to work on her lotion idea! We’ll see what happens. :)

The highlight of the evening – Malachi got home in his “new” car! We were all so excited to check it out!

Tuesday we had ABA therapy all morning, attachment therapy, plus Hopelyn came over. The weather was beautiful so we were outside as much as possible.

I was able to take Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to our weekly Food Distribution that day. Keith helped Brayden wash coolers and did great!

Back at home, I had slow cooked Beef Stew Meat all day. It tasted amazing along with Mashed Potatoes and Salad. The adults in our house took this meal up a notch by stirring together their meat and potatoes with bacon bits, cheese, and sour cream.

I had also slow cooked The Easiest Pulled Pork all day to prepare for a youth group family meal on Sunday. It felt good to get that done and in the freezer.

On Wednesday, I took Josie to an appointment (after canceling her ABA therapy) – only to arrive and learn that they’d sent a letter informing me that they’d rescheduled. Say what?! We were bummed, but drove back home and enjoyed more time with Arrow who had stayed behind with Pop, Acacia, and Auggie.

Dinner that night was Cheddar Jalapeno Sausages and Beef Hotdogs made on the smoker plus Veggies and Fruit. We fixed everyone’s plates then Matt and I left the kids with therapists and Elias and Malorie while we headed out for our Wednesday night date!

Hopelyn joined us Thursday, and as we’d been doing all week, we spent as much time as possible outside.

A highlight of our morning was when Acacia and Josie’s preschool teachers came to visit. They do quarterly home visits and this will be their final one as the girls head into kindergarten next year. Ms. Kristine and Ms. Rachel have been a wonderful part of these girl’s growth the past two years!

Everyone was hot, so the kids enjoyed a 100% juice pop before the preschool bus came.

After naptime, Malachi came home from his office to pack for a video job he had in Oklahoma over the weekend. Hopelyn usually prefers Lolli and Pop when she comes to our house, but Malachi has been determined to win her over. He pretended to eat her snack, made her giggle, and then…

As I walked away, she walked right into Malachi’s arms. It was soooo sweet, and a huge win for Malachi!

For dinner that night, I had made a big crock pot full of Baked Potatoes. We ate them with Bacon Bits, Peas, Cheese, Sour Cream, Butter, Salt, Salsa, and Avocado.

After we ate an early dinner, we all walked with our ABA therapists to the kids’ elementary school for a fun event!

Kiya loves animals, so I wasn’t surprised that she was eager to touch all that came out on display. But Keith and Josie are very shy around animals. When then both chose to touch the Tortoise, I was very pleasantly surprised!

On Friday morning, Matt took Acacia to her Physical Therapy and Speech sessions. Auggie and Josie were spending time at home with their ABA therapists. This freed me up to get a few things done, including making Breakfast Sandwiches for the freezer.

Some of our kids prefer a simple sausage patty on a roll, so I made a batch of these for the freezer also.

Auggie takes a couple of ten minute “work breaks” during his three hour therapy sessions. During this break, he was very grown up and helped me put some food into our Little Free Pantry. We have up to a dozen people stop by this pantry every day either helping themselves to the food they need or putting food into the pantry and fridge. It has been incredible to watch God use this space to bring our community together and meet needs. I love that our kids get to be a part of this!

After ABA therapy ended, I decided to take advantage of having only two kids at home. While Josie played in the sink “washing dishes,” I give Auggie a much needed haircut. He did great!

So handsome! (And itchy!)

Dinner that night was a mix of several odds and ends. I had one package of Ham and Cheese Sliders in the freezer that I baked. We had a few Fries and one pan worth of Chicken Strips. I made some Tomato Soup and cut up a bunch of Kiwi. And that was dinner!

My Helper of the Day, Acacia, helped me make a double batch of Honey Sweetened Peanut Butter Cups. I used to make and eat these ALL THE TIME. But I don’t think this set of kids has had them before. I think they’ll love them – but if not – I will. :)

On Saturday morning, I ate two of the Honey Sweetened Peanut Butter Cups with my early morning coffee and they kept me full until lunch! And guess where I was all morning? Brayden had been invited to join the Unified Track team at his school and he happily accepted. We are incredibly proud of him for this!! His first track meet was Saturday morning and he participated in shot put, long jump, and the 100 meter dash. He was nervous going in and all smiles going out. This is amazing for him!

The weather was cold and windy that morning, so during the track meet, Matt stayed home with the other six kids. What a guy!

Brayden and I ran to Buresh Meats after his track meet because the store was very close to the high school where we were. We got some AMAZING deals – eggs for $0.75/dozen and grass fed hamburger meat for $4.50/pound! Yes, I bought 30 dozen eggs. I couldn’t help it. I’ll share with Eva and Kelsey plus I’ll put some out in our Little Free Pantry fridge to share with our community.

Back at home, we ate leftovers for lunch, then met the Case family at Scheels for a fun Star Wars Lego Event. Everyone got to put together a little Grogu.

Listen friends, I’m proud of this. I have had Lego-loving kids my entire mom life, but I’m not sure I’ve ever actually put a set together by myself. Acacia needed help, and I was her person. I’m admittedly much more comfortable in the kitchen!! But lookie – I made Grogo!

Back at home, we got ready to leave again for Keith’s soccer game. I’ll share more about that next week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: April 5-11, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: April 5-11, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

April 4

We had a super full and fun day on Saturday! We started off by going to the library for Sensory Storytime.

Then we left directly from the library to drive to Omaha for an outing. We’d packed lots of food so the kids ate their way through their bags of snacks all the way there. We were excited to check out the Kiewit Luminarium!

We didn’t know what to expect, but we’d heard great things about this museum. Turns out, it’s a super cool science museum, filled with hands-on learning experiences.

The museum kept us entertained for three entire hours!

The kids ate their way through the remains of their food bags all the way home. Matt had packed our blue tooth speaker and we played worship music as we drove, which was a sweet experience with kids who had played hard and were ready to sit calmly on our drive.

Matt and the kids worked together to clean up our yard when we got home while I made a simple dinner of Crusted Tilapia, Mac and Cheese, Cucumbers, and Peas.

I made two loaves of Stir and Pour Bread for our Easter meal. Then it was bath and bedtime.

Big Family Food and Fun: April 5-11, 2026

On Sunday morning, we ate  Breakfast Cookie Bars while we got dressed in new outfits for a fun Easter celebration. Worship that morning was so meaningful and special.

After church, 30 people gathered in our home for a big Easter feast. We had Ham, Chicken, Cheesy Potatoes, Cream Cheese Corn, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, Broccoli, Rolls, Homemade Bread, and Fruit Salad.

The dessert section was super fun with Cheesecake, Kringle, Brownies, Ice Cream, and Cookies.

Some watched the end of a big soccer game while eating. Then I sent some of the guys outside to hide eggs for the kids.

Ready with their buckets, the kids headed out!

While it had been windy, chilly, and rainy the past few days, Easter was sunny and beautiful!

The Case and Tabor families stuck around and played a game that afternoon.

That evening, I simply pulled out leftovers and then more leftovers to feed kids outside until they were full.

Matt began a huge project of building new bunk beds for our girls’ room. Keith LOVES projects like this.

Auggie wanted to help too. Matt is so patient to talk them through the process of building.

At the end of the night, our kids had joined some neighbor kids to set up a “Husker Basketball Game.”

The kids were out of school on Monday. Emma came over to help with the kids and she brought her new little puppy. The kids enjoyed this so much!!

We ate leftovers for lunch, then left Auggie home napping while Malachi worked from home instead of at his office. This freed both Matt and me to take the other six kids to a library for a special Create and Construct event. They got to build with all kinds of cool items that had been set out for them.

The girls discovered a flower scavenger hunt, so they took their clip boards and dry erase markers and worked very hard walking through the library until they found all the “hidden” flowers.

Keith found some vehicles and that kept him entertained for a long time.

Anna went to work at the post office while Brayden and Kiya settled in with some of their favorite books. It was a great outing!

Back at home, I grilled burgers for dinner as we launched into ABA therapy for the evening.

Our plans for Tuesday got completely nixed right away in the morning. We got a call from Brayden’s school at 8:05 saying that he had been hit by a car on his bike on his way there that morning. YOWZA.

Thankfully, Justus was at our house to drop off Hopelyn so he stayed a bit longer to help us get all of our other kids squared away. I went to go pick up Brayden and talk to the school nurse and to the police officer who works at the school. Then I took him to the doctor, and then to the ER for X-rays. It was all very intense and pretty scary!

Several hours of talking to doctors and answering questions later, Brayden had calmed down enough to more fully process the details of the accident. A car was backing out of their driveway and didn’t see Brayden. Meanwhile, Brayden got distracted and didn’t see the car. He turned back in time to smack right into the side of the car. So, a car didn’t hit him actually, it just seemed like it at the time before he could fully process what had happened.

Thankfully, he was sore and a bit bruised but there were no broken bones or other injuries. By the end of the day, we were all pretty worn out! I was very thankful that I had Burritos in the freezer to warm up for dinner.

Sleep felt extra good that night, and Wednesday got off to a much better start!

Arrow spent the morning with us. Josie and Auggie had ABA therapy. We played outside in the sunshine (and wind!) all morning.

Auggie had asked for the wagon to be attached to his bike so he rode his “train” around and around that morning.

These three had a Bran Muffin while waiting for the bus to pick up the girls for preschool.

That night for dinner, I smoked a big package Brats and served them with Pickles, leftover Cheesy Potatoes, and Baked Beans.

On Thursday morning, I got out two packages of chicken that had been thawing in the fridge. Check out how cheap this meal is! Chicken legs are already one of the least expensive meats I can find, and I got two of these marked down to just $0.89/pound!

Josie helped me dump barbecue sauce into two bags of chicken to marinate for our dinner that night.

It was chilly that morning, but we played outside as much as we could anyway. Josie and Auggie were riding in the wagon, and when I put Hopelyn in to join them, they all belly laughed for a very long time. Belly laughs are the best!

It was sprinkling outside at dinner time so I baked our BBQ Chicken Legs instead of smoking them like I had planned. I warmed up leftover Cream Cheese Corn and Greens Beans, plus I made Texas Toast on our griddle.

On Friday morning, the girls helped me open four sticks of butter as we got ready to bake.

We got a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars ready for the next two Sundays.

I took Acacia to Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy.

She worked extra hard and did some evaluations this time in Speech to see how much progress she’d been making during the past few months. I remember how she answered a lot of these questions the first time around, so I appreciated seeing her growth!

Dinner on Friday night was extra simple: Chicken Nuggets, Mac and Cheese, and Caesar Salad.

While making this “elaborate dinner” I also put together two huge pasta dishes for Sunday Lunch: Cheesy Spaghetti Bake and Italian Cream Cheese Chicken Pasta.

On Saturday morning, we went to Sensory Storytime. Auggie helped Ms. Diane bring out the light machine to play with after story time.

After the library, we loaded up and went to the Children’s Museum. Most of our younger kids went straight for the firetruck.

Asa (with a fresh new hair cut!) and Arrow met us there to play.

Keith loved being an astronaut during the visit!

There was a very cool Music at the Museum event and the kids got to try out a variety of instruments.

Kiya used her newly learned 4th grade viola skills to play Mary Had a Little Lamb. The lady helping her was thrilled!

Auggie enjoyed trying the string instruments so much that he had a hard time giving them up so that other kids could have a turn.

Knowing we’d get home right at lunch time, I’d put several pounds of Taco Meat into a small crock pot to be warm when we got home. I didn’t have lots of topping choices (it’s time to go to the store!) – but we enjoyed lots of meat and cheese tacos or quesadillas.

The rest of the day was spent playing, going to Keith’s soccer game, and getting ready for Sunday!

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Big Family Food and Fun: March 29-April 4, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: March 29-April 4, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

March 28

We had an extremely full day on Saturday and were on the go from morning until evening. After a full morning out and a quick lunch of leftovers at home, we headed to Heartlands so that Brayden could rehearse with the Worship Team. I love that he got to be a part of this with two of his brothers. Matt was setting up tables and chairs for a special worship service the next day, and I sat in the van with Auggie who was taking a nap. The little girls took part in worship rehearsal too…

We left from there to go to Keith’s soccer game. The wind almost blew us off the field, but we managed to survive, eating snacks to weigh us down.

We’d been running so much that day that we decided to have Pizza Hut that night. I ordered on my phone during Auggie’s van nap and Malachi picked it up so we could eat right away when we got home.

Big Family Food and Fun: March 29-April 4, 2026

Sunday morning, we ate a dish full of Breakfast Cookie Bars while we got ready for church.

Our worship time together looked a little bit different that morning – with everyone sitting around tables and chairs. Matt led us in a Seder Service to help us learn more about the Passover as we head into our Easter celebration.

Afterwards, lots of people helped put away tables and chairs, then we swept and mopped before putting all the chairs back in place. I grabbed a picture of the awesome mopping crew!

Keith is usually hard at play, but I caught him here, hard at work. I’m not sure who talked him into doing this sweeping job, but it sure was good to see him doing it. Notice that he hasn’t taken off his helmet for a good solid week, even at church. ;)

Thirty-one people gathered at our home for lunch that day. We had a fun buffet of BLT fixings with Bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, roast beef, and turkey and lots of bread/bun options. I’d made a big bowl of Pineapple Fluff and friends brought potatoes and chips. It was a delicious, fun meal together!

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time after lunch. Then we loaded up our kids and went to a park. We played for about an hour, then presented them with a bag full of picnic food options to choose from (cheese/crackers, pepperoni, fruit cups, clementines, apples, applesauce, avocado mash and chips, and protein balls).

We packed up the food, then Matt led everyone on an “adventure” through the trees at the back of the park. Our goal was to have fun and wear the kids out so they’d sleep well that night. It was, unfortunately, mostly not fun because so many of our kids struggle with impulse control and have no concept of safety when they see something they want to do. There were a few ledges that we discovered on our walk that could easily turn into kids falling down into the water – so our adventure turned into “keep all the kids from slipping off the ledge into the water and breaking a bone.” Meanwhile, another of our kids decided to defy everything I said in order to sabotage the outing. So this was all very…special.

They did all sleep well that night, so that was a plus. ;)

Monday morning, after we got the kids all settled in with therapy and school, I took off for the day. I had heard about a new discount store in town: Buresh Meats, and I wanted to go check it out. It was quite the drive from our house, so I won’t likely go very often. However, it was a neat store to experience. They had a lot of meat options I was interested in – but most of it was sold-out because I went the day after a weekend. So I learned to go later in the week, Thursday or Friday before the weekend rush.

Beyond meat, they had random items that had damaged boxes, which were highly discounted. I got some fun hydration drinks for the grown-ups in our house, some super cheap orange juice, graham crackers, and peanut butter crackers. There was a case of Corn Chex for ridiculously cheap, so I got some to put out in our Little Free Pantry. Then I got a 10-pound tube of hamburger meat for a pretty good price. It was a fun experience!

I drove to Panera, used my sip club subscription to get an iced herbal tea, and sat outside to work for a while.

Then I went across the street to shop and Sam’s. I found some great sales that day! Strawberries were just $2.97 for a two-pound container, so I got four!

After we got all of our groceries unloaded and put away at home, I made Strawberry Parfaits to go with our dinner before we picked up the kids from school. I had a container of Smothered Pork Chops in the freezer that I’d thawed all day while I was gone. It rewarmed quickly, plus I made a pan of Stick of Butter Rice and a pan of Green Beans. This meal was a 14 out of 14 and all bellies were full and happy that night. (I needed this encouragement because many of our meals are met with fights and turned-up noses. It was nice to have a more simple dinner time that night.)

Everyone spent a lot of time outside that evening. The grown-ups set up trash cans and challenged each other to throw a football into a basket onto a can. It was very entertaining.

Tuesday morning, I baked Spinach Cupcakes and Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins to have on hand for snacks.

We had therapy all morning and Hopelyn came for the day. Acacia spent some time “reading” to her in the playroom.

I asked the girls to help me put drinks in our living room’s mini-fridge. They got the cart and took the job very seriously.

Auggie took the trash to recycling after the girls did their part…

That afternoon, I made Chicken Fried Steak that I’d prepped ahead and frozen a few weeks ago. I left it for Matt to finish up dinner and feed kids while Brayden, Kiya, and I were at our weekly Food Distribution.

On Wednesday mornings, Brayden has to get out the door by 6:35 for a 7:00 Choir practice. I usually warm up a Breakfast Sandwich for him to eat before he heads out. By then, Auggie is hanging with me and we start doing some baking since we have extra kitchen time. That morning, I made a batch of Crustless Cheesecakes so I would have a high protein option to go with my morning coffee for the next few mornings. Elias and Malorie had picked up some flowers at Trader Joes and put them in the kitchen for everyone to enjoy!

With the oven on, I also baked a pan of Stick of Butter Rice to go with our dinner that night. I had some black bananas and some squishy apples, so I made a batch of Apple Bread and Banana Bread. It felt good to fill the oven and make good use of its heat.

Matt went to York for the day to work on our rental property while I stayed back with the littles. Josie and Auggie had ABA therapy all morning. Acacia hung with them quite a bit and Arrow came for the morning. Before Malachi left for his office, he said yes to some book reading time. Arrow LOVES books.

For dinner that night, I used the rice I’d baked earlier in the day plus some hamburger meat I’d cooked and frozen a few weeks ago and put together a huge Tator Tot Casserole. I made another big batch of Strawberry Parfaits to go with it plus Green Beans and Corn. Matt and I got everyone fed, then we left the kids and their therapists with Elias, Malachi, and Malorie while we headed out for our date night.

I took exactly two picture on Thursday! I guess there wasn’t much out of the ordinary to highlight. :)

After his morning therapy, Auggie had a lively conversation with Hopelyn while they had bowls of granola. This was very sweet and he must have been doing stand up comedy because he had her belly laughing at times.

For dinner that night, we had a big breakfast buffet: French Toast, Sausage, Bacon, Hashbrowns, and Fruit.

The kids were out of school on Friday. We had reserved a free family pass offered by Autism Family Network so that we could go to the Bee Me Sensory Gym for the day. In preparation, I gathered food: apples, bananas, applesauce, grapes, muffins, and protein bars.

Our friend Christina had dropped off two pizzas leftover after an event the night before. So I cut the slices into very small pieces and warmed them up in the oven for our lunch later. I put them into insulated bags in hopes that they would still be warm in three hours.

Auggie and Josie still had ABA therapy that morning, and their behavior technicians were able to meet us at the gym. Asa, Eva, and Arrow met us there too, which was extra fun!

We ended up spending over four hours there in total. Around noon, we sat in our van to eat pizza (which wasn’t warm any more but oh well, I tried and the kids were too hungry to care).

Costco is right across the street from the gym, so before heading home, I left the kids in the van with Matt and some snacks so I could “just run in for a few final things for Easter.” Oh boy. Good Friday is a terrible day to go to Costco…

I’m not sure if you can see this line, but I’ve never seen it quite like this before. It stretched all the way from the front of the store to the back. Whoa. Everyone needed “a few last minute items for Easter” apparently. ;) Thankfully, the line moved pretty quickly and the kids had played so hard that they sat in the van eating and chilling with Matt. Phew!

Back at home, our evening ABA therapy started and I made a simple meal of Bacon Cheese Eggs with Banana Bread and Strawberries.

We had big plans to go to Omaha the next day. So I wrote everyone’s name on a bag and set out lots of snacks for them to choose from as they filled their bags. They also made a sandwich for their to-go lunch and we got those into the fridge to have ready for our trip.

Before the day ended, I made a big Cheesecake for our Easter dessert. It felt good to check that off my to-do list!

Saturday morning, I made two loaves of Stir-and-Pour Bread and a pan of Party Potatoes to have ready for Easter. We gathered all of our snack bags and sandwiches, water bottles, and a few extra snacks, diapers, and extra clothes. Then we headed out for the day! I’ll share more about our adventures next week!

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My 2026 NON-Grocery Budget Update

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Remember how I decided not to have a grocery budget in 2026? Want to hear how it’s going?

Spoiler alert: Best decision I ever made.

Well, that and my decision to follow Jesus. Also, I chose very, very well when I married Matt. But third in line is this year’s decision to not have a grocery budget. I’m not even being dramatic at all.

(She is, in fact, being just a little bit dramatic.)

Remember how I wrote this post as I processed what I should do with the grocery spending line item in our budget? As I wrote all my thoughts, I suddenly realized, I don’t want to keep track any more!!! I don’t want to save all my receipts and do the math and then subtract out the toilet paper, diapers, and dish soap because those go under a different category. I don’t want to tally everything up at the end of the month. I don’t want to feel stress over where the bottom line is and where I’m at each month. I don’t want to think about it, care about it, or work on it any more.

I just want to buy food and feed my family and our people.

And so…I walked right out of Panera after writing that post and making that decision, and I went directly to Costco. I bought food (and toilet paper, diapers, and dish soap), and then I threw the receipt away – after I showed the guy at the door because one must show their receipt at the door if they hope to leave Costco.

It was so freeing!!

And it has felt like freedom ever since.

Am I suddenly spending ridiculously and frivolously now that I’m not keeping track?

Ok, do you even know me at all?

I am still shopping the sales. I am still only buying fresh produce in season when the price is right. I am still grabbing up all the meat markdowns. I am still sticking to my meat price-points. I am still focusing on frugal meals and saving money because I don’t know how not to and I really feel like it’s valuable to use our money as wisely as possible.

But here’s what else I’m doing:

  • I’m giving myself freedom to enjoy my shopping time without overthinking
  • I’m picking up little treats (like organic coffee mocha on clearance and cans of Poppi on sale) for Matt and me because we work incredibly hard every day and little treats bring us smiles in the midst of kids’ meltdowns
  • I’m “ignoring” price tags while picking up a few more-than-normal individually packaged foods to try feeding our very picky autistic kids and for those with ARFID.
  • I’m being more generous – to myself and to others. This feels GOOOOOOOOD.
  • I’m ordering pizza about once a month instead of never. Hahaha, go me.

Am I spending much more than I used to spend when I kept a solid grocery budget?

Well, I guess I don’t know. Because I’m not keeping track! :) But I would say yes, I’m probably spending $100-200 more than I used to spend per month. It’s not enough to hurt our overall household budget and it’s also very much within reason so that I know I’m still being wise with the money we have.

It’s a huge effort to feed our household – one that I love and am honored to do! But because it’s such a big job, it has become a great blessing to take some pressure off of this effort so that I can enjoy it more and appreciate God’s provision instead of nickel and diming every expenditure.

Fun Fact: I have realized that it takes a solid three hours every single week to shop for our family. I usually need to hit two or three stores (Aldi, Wal-Mart, and Costco) or (Wal-Mart and Sam’s) to get everything we need. It takes another good hour to get everything unloaded from the van and put away once I’m home (with help from Matt and any kid who might be home/available/capable). So, four hours of work to feed our household – every week. That’s just the shopping – not the cooking and cleaning.

This isn’t a complaint; just stating a fact. It’s good work, and I’m here for it! But oh how nice is to make this good hard work just a bit “easier” by tossing the additional task of tracking all the pennies out the window. Phew!

Oh look. I splurged on prepared mashed potatoes because even though I can make ten pounds of them for less than half of what I spent on these ready-to-warm-up potatoes, I had just spent four entire hours buying groceries. No one has time or energy to make mashed potatoes after they have spent four hours buying potatoes.

Question: What are your “big splurges” – the things you might spend a little bit extra on so that you can save time, energy, and mental space during your full days?

Coming Soon: Big Ways I save Big on Groceries

Because after writing about how splurge-y I’ve gotten on ridiculous, expensive extravagance like prepared mashed potatoes and containers of ready-made guacamole, I decided to follow up with ways I’m still very frugal-y and save-y.

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Big Family Food and Fun: March 22-28, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: March 22-28, 2026

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

March 21

Saturday was extremely full! We started by taking the kids to Sensory Storytime that morning.

We set out turkey and ham sandwich fixings for lunch. Funny how we don’t have sandwiches very often, so when we do, it feels a bit like a treat.

After lunch, we picked up a friend then headed to Heartlands for a Kids Ministry event. Families gathered for instructions, then we all headed to Walmart in teams with grocery lists so that we could all purchase items to fill four Free Little Pantries in town.

Was it nuts in Wal-Mart with that many kids? Sure. But did they all love it and did they take ownership in picking out food from the list to share with others? Yes. So that makes it all worth it.

The event culminated in a trip to Zestos for ice cream!

Our family had just enough time to run home and reset, then load back up for Keith’s first soccer game of the season.

Elias, Malorie, and Malachi were able to hop in with us to cheer him on.

Back at home, we put hot sweaty kids into the bathtub, then had a refreshing dinner of Tuna Salad, Boiled Eggs, and chilled Fruit Cups. Phew, what a day!

Big Family Food and Fun: March 22-28, 2026

Before bed on Saturday night, I realized I didn’t have any Breakfast Cookie Bars made. Yikes. Thankfully, I found a loaf of Banana Bread and a loaf of Apple Bread in the freezer. So I pulled those out to thaw overnight for Sunday morning. The change was welcome for some of the kids and very unwelcome for others who really like routine. But we all survived and “choked down” our homemade sweet breads. :)

We didn’t host lunch that Sunday, and instead stayed after church where lunch was provided. I forgot to get a picture of the food spread, but it was beautiful and perfect for our crew: Sandwich fixings with a lovely variety of fruit and veggie options plus chips. All the kids ate pretty well! Then, everyone divided into groups and headed out to meet people in the neighborhoods close to Heartlands as we prepare for Easter.

That afternoon, we did some meal prep for the week. This was a sweet time with Malachi, Brayden, and Kiya as we were all working together on different projects. Malachi was experimenting with making his own White Chocolate Mocha – his favorite coffee shop drink. I got to try a sip when he was finished and it was DELICIOUS. Brayden and I were made a Egg and Hashbrown Casserole. Kiya helped me make a big batch of Breakfast Sandwiches.

Meanwhile, Keith and our neighbor friend were sharing outfits.

For dinner, I baked a bag full of Fish Sticks and served them with Sweet Peppers and Fruit.

On Monday morning, we baked Brayden’s Egg and Hashbrown Casserole for breakfast before school and therapy. I put a beef roast into the crock pot to cook for the day. Emma arrived, two ABA therapists arrived, four kids got out the door for school – then I took off for the day!

My first stop was Aldi were I got lots of apples, asparagus, salad kits, zucchini, brown sugar, sliced cheese, fries, and tator tots. I picked up some graham crackers for Keith’s classroom, plus a couple items for our Little Free Pantry.

I ran over to Marshall’s which was close by to see what I could find for Easter. Then I went to Wal-Mart to get some of our WIC items plus a box of eggs. I found some great markdowns on steak!

My last grocery stop was Costco where I got berries, bananas, milk, cheese/cracker packs, protein balls, cantaloupe, kiwi, 100% juice popsicles, and milk. I’ve been drinking Body Armor every day to help me stay hydrated and it seems to be helping me have fewer headaches. Finally done with shopping – I went to Panera to settle in with coffee and my computer so that I could write for a while! I had way too much fun finishing up this Proverbs 31 post. ;)

Back at home, the roast I’d started in the morning smelled super good. Matt and I got the groceries unloaded and put away, kids picked up from school, ABA therapy started for the night, and dinner prep finished. This kind of meal is one of my favorites: Roast with Carrots, Mashed Potatoes, and Strawberry Parfaits. This was a hit with everyone and there were very few leftovers after this meal!

Oh, and that Egg and Hashbrown Casserole I’d baked for breakfast? Two kids ate it while everyone else decided that they wanted oatmeal. I can never predict what they will eat. SO. That evening, I individually wrapped all the pieces of casserole, put them into a freezer bag, and we’ll put them out as needed for kids who want it for a quick breakfast on other days.

On Tuesday morning, I finally got around to making a big pan of Homemade Granola Bars. Having food like this on hand is a must for our kids!

I was on a roll, so I also made Nutella Oat Bars. By the time I got to these though, we had a lot of ABA therapy adults in our kitchen working with Josie and Auggie and talking to me about their needs. Therefore, I was less focused. So I ended up doubling part of this recipe and not doubling the other part. I really don’t know what I did. BUT, they still taste good so all is well.

Kiya and I are making a sewing project together as part of some in-home therapy we do. She and I sat by the window in our dining room so we could work by the natural light while the therapist worked in the same room with another kiddo.

Later in the morning, these two played a very lively round of air hockey. Ever seen a three-year-old and a five-year-old play air hockey? It’s very, very cute.

Hopelyn came for the day. She played peek-a-boo with Lolli behind the pantry curtain. :)

That afternoon, I took Brayden and Kiya to serve at our weekly Food Distribution. When we got home, we dug into the crock pot full of Chili I’d made that morning. Then Matt took them to Brayden’s band event while I stayed home with the other five and their ABA therapists.

At bedtime, these two brothers found my chair (the chair I’ve had since I was pregnant with Asa, rocked all our babies in, and can’t get rid of even though it’s broken).

I had a pretty early morning with kids on Wednesday, so I decided to take advantage of the early hour to start making several pans of bacon to get ready for Sunday Lunch.

We ate scrambled eggs that morning with strawberries – but I didn’t remember to take pictures of that. :) Instead, while the kids ate, I cut veggies (carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and asparagus) for Stir Fry that night.

I had picked up a wagon that was ridiculously cheap at Costco on Monday. Keith discovered it Wednesday morning and got ready for school super fast so he could pull it out of the box and put it together.

We spent most of the morning outside because it was sunny and beautiful that day. Arrow came over to join our fun!

We snacked on Apple Bread and fruit at the picnic table.

Acacia brought out a container of leftover Poptarts to munch on. Josie has been on a Bagel kick for several days in a row.

I put several packages of Chicken Thighs in a bag to marinate so I could smoke them for dinner. But did I smoke them for dinner? In fact, I started visiting with Malachi that afternoon and forgot all about the chicken. Maybe I was just getting ahead for Thursday? :)

With no chicken on the smoker, as Auggie and I walked to the school to pick up kids, my brain went into planning mode to figure out a Plan B for dinner. As soon as we got the kids home from school, I grabbed a package of tiny cut steak from the freezer and attempted to quickly thaw it in hot water to cook it in with our Stir Fry. It worked and this meal was delicious! I made a package of noodles and opened a jar of Alfredo Sauce, cut several Kiwi – and everyone found something from this meal that they liked. We adults and Brayden reallllllly loved the Steak Stir Fry!

Matt and I left the kids with the grown up kids that night and we headed out for our weekly date night, phew!

We usually try to spend our time away together just sitting or taking a walk and visiting. But this time, we decided to go to Costco to look for a new TV for our living room. The one we had was pretty small, which didn’t matter to us much. But now that we have a very large living room with ability to host people to come over and watch soccer or basketball games – we decided to invest in a bigger TV that would work better for gatherings like this.

So we spent most of our evening comparing TVs and deciding what to buy. We got it home and let Elias and Malachi take over unloading it and setting it up while we got kids to bed. But right out of the box they realized…it was cracked. UGH.

Matt and Malachi took it back and got a replacement on Thursday morning. There was a big Husker game to happen that evening and all the kids were coming over. The TV had to be in place. ;) Acacia loved watching Malachi make his special coffee that morning before he and Matt went back to Costco…

While Matt and Malachi were working on the TV, I was outside with the kids, including Hopelyn, who has a lovely time pushing toys down our long sidewalk.

Down the block, Auggie had discovered some construction workers demolishing a cement porch. Obviously, we all had to go cheer them on.

Meanwhile, TV #2 was not cracked and the guys worked to get it all set up so we could watch the game that night!

Did I forget that I had a meeting at noon? Indeed I did. But no matter. We were home and pretended we knew that our friends from Early Development Network had planned to come. ;) They did some assessments for Auggie as they rework his program now that he is a big three-year-old.

That afternoon, I smoked the chicken I’d marinated and had planned to smoke the day before. We had lots of fresh fruit plus a salad. I had chips and dip and some bbq smokies in crock pots to go with our game time, also.

Ah, the moment we’d all been waiting for! It was super fun to have almost all of our family and a few friends together that night (plus four ABA therapists who are used to our craziness by now).

We ended up losing the game, but it sure was great to be together! See that huge TV box behind Malachi? That box is the thing of Keith’s dreams (and the cause of a lot of fights between siblings). :)

Auggie had a dentist appointment on Friday morning after his ABA therapy. Poor kiddo has a lot stacked against him which gives him quite a bit of dental work that needs to be done. But he’s completely unaware, and here he is, eagerly running in to “my ‘pointment!”

Matt and I spent the afternoon together resting and visiting. I’m so thankful we have these moments built into our week so that we can stay connected beyond kid appointments and needs!

Dinner that night was very simple – Popcorn Chicken, Spinach or Carrots, and Macaroni Salad.

The girls were all eager to “help me” with some kitchen projects that evening. See? I told you I had “female servants.”

Among other things, we got a pan of Breakfast Cookie Bars made for the next two Sundays.

Saturday was a huge, full day! We went to Sensory Storytime at the library. Then we drove a couple of miles so I could run into my friend’s house to wish her a Happy Birthday.

THEN, we drove across town for a cool Easter Event that we’d heard about through Autism Family Network. This event was perfect for our family because it was geared specifically for kids with special needs. There were no flashing lights, no music, no bounce houses – just a calm environment with a few simple games. Each booth handed out calming toys and fidgets. We met other parents who have similar needs in their home. It was very encouraging!

My favorite part was that our friend Aubrey, who works with autistic kids, was there doing face paint. It was so perfect to see her there and our kids loved this!

My other favorite part is that there was a coffee truck, The Bean Box, and every kid got a free smoothie and every parent got a free coffee. This is a HUGE treat for us as we all enjoyed fancy drinks!! Shout out to Baxter Toyota for sponsoring this wonderful event!

We ran home after this to warm up leftovers for lunch, then we hopped back into the van to enjoy the rest of our day – which I will share next week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: March 8-14, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: March 8-14, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

March 7

Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed lots of outdoor time in our yard. Keith became a Husker football player with Kiya and Acacia doing a few cheer routines during his time outs. :)

Anna asked if she could braid my hair. Then she took a picture to show me her work. Look at this! Our six-year-old can braid!

That night for dinner, I used leftover taco meat to make Quesadillas, which we ate with sliced oranges and carrots.

Several of the kids were struggling to stay emotionally regulated, so we got out our sensory socks to see if they would help. Keith wore his to mop the kitchen, which is tough to do with no hands, but somehow he made it work.

Inspired by some friends who had recently shared with us that they’d done a prayer walk through their house, we gathered our kids and did the same that night. We had to keep each prayer brief so the kids could stay somewhat focused and not scatter. But we prayed together for God’s light to shine through each room in our home and in our lives.

As much as we’d love for God to give our kids “instant healing,” we know that He is faithful even while we pray and have to turn right around and deal with another meltdown. Our prayer walk through the house was effective, though, in bringing relief and a smile to Matt and me. We needed this time of prayer with our kids and a reminder that we aren’t parenting alone but through the power of Jesus.

Big Family Food and Fun: March 8-14, 2026

On Sunday morning, I didn’t feel like I’d lost an hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings – but rather I lost an hour of being able to get everyone and everything ready for a big church day! We hurriedly ate a plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars, prepped lunch, fixed little girls’ hair, etcetera, etcetera. Somehow we made it to church…early. It’s a miracle.

Kelsey snuck this photo of Hopelyn playing on my lap that morning during the sermon. I love this!!

A precious crowd of 25 gathered for lunch at our house that day.

I had made a roaster full of Smothered Pork Chops and a triple batch of Stick of Butter Rice. Christy brought a fun “Salad Bar” and Christina brought all kinds of fun veggies: Sweet Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, and Broccoli. Those didn’t make it into the picture because I snapped it too soon before their family arrived.

We had a most lovely Community Group time that afternoon. Then we spent the late afternoon and evening outside playing. I made a quick dinner of Chicken Salad with crackers, grapes, mandarins, and pickles. We let the kids eat outside because when the weather is perfect, why would we sit in the dining room??

We had big plans to go to the Omaha Zoo on Monday to kick off our spring break. So I wrote names on seven bags and set out lots of fruit and snacks. The kids got to fill their “snack bag” for the zoo, which turned out to be the most exciting activity!

We made Tortilla Wraps for our zoo lunch, plus I gathered extras like peanut butter pretzels, fruit/veggie pouches, and apples. We’d be gone for the entire day and I’ve learned that I can never pack too much food.

On Monday morning, Kiya helped me make a loaf of bread worth of Uncrustables. We didn’t know how long we’d last in Omaha, but in case we were able to extend our time there into the evening, I’d have the Uncrustables on hand for dinner.

We arrived at the zoo right at opening time – along with half of the city of Omaha. Everyone was taking advantage of Spring Break and beautiful weather! Eva and Arrow plus some of the Case family joined us. Here’s our party of 14!

Our first stop was the jungle. I grabbed Arrow for some squeezes and to free up Eva’s arms. But, every time I tried to give Eva a baby-holding break, Auggie took advantage of the situation and wanted Eva to hold him. So basically she traded a lighter weight baby for a heavier one, ha. No complaints from Eva though!

The jungle had lots of cool waterfalls and birds. While I was holding Arrow, Josie needed a lift to see over the fence. Eva surprised me with this photo of me getting an arm workout. This is the best form of exercise. :)

We walked through the zoo’s amazing aquarium next. These girls had to get a picture with the jelly fish. What fascinating creatures!

Snacks were no longer doing the trick, so we had a lunch break after the aquarium.

There are so many cool animals at the Omaha zoo, though I didn’t personally feel like I’d seen many of them at that point. Chasing kids through a packed zoo and trying to keep everyone together is quite a feat. We are thankful friends were there to help wrangle everyone.

Here we are in the famous Desert Dome!

A favorite for all of us was our trek after the desert to see the Sea Lions. I got zero pictures of this because we were taking it all in. Watching them swim was so, so peaceful!

Once we’d gotten through all of the special featured buildings, we walked around outside to enjoy lions, tigers, zebras, and elephants. These spaces were less crowded and more enjoyable for me, though it was was a lot of walking for the kids.

The elephants were our last stop and they were so cool to watch!

We’d been at the zoo from 10am-5pm, phew! These kids were troopers!

Our ride home was full of adventure as it involved several meltdowns and a barf bag for a car sick kiddo. Poor thing. Back at home, two exhausted parents were so glad that Malachi was home and happy to see his siblings. Matt rested, I did dishes (which is surprisingly restful compared to wrangling kids through the Omaha Zoo), and Malachi played soccer in the living room with his sisters. It was the sweetest.

Malachi hung in there with the kids for us while we made it through the evening. He had them all belly laughing at a silly video he found. :) Everyone slept great that night!

Tuesday morning, we made Eggs in a Nest. Emma came over to help, and two of our kids had attachment therapy with Mom. Then I took advantage of Emma being here to run out and grab a few groceries.

At Aldi, I got lots of fruits and veggies – spring mix, Caesar salad kits, strawberries, grapes, bananas, cantaloupe, and pear cups. I got some special yogurts for the kids as we enjoy Spring Break, plus regular whole milk yogurt, milk, half and half, crackers, and cliff bars. I scanned the meat section for 50% off stickers and found some ground beef and chicken!

I didn’t need much at Wal-Mart but it’s very close to Aldi and I had time. So I went to look for yellow stickers on meat. I found some very good deals on beef!! Beef is quite a bit more expensive than chicken and pork, so even the markdowns are still typically on the higher side. But these were very good prices for what they are: cubed steak and chopped steak.

I went home and cooked/seasoned the chopped steak right away to freeze for Sunday Lunch. This will make the most delicious Chipotle-style Burrito Bar!

I dug out some Hair Chalk for the kids to enjoy that afternoon. This was a chaotic mess – but did they have fun? Yes they did. :)

I had meant to get some Salsa Chicken started in the crock pot that morning but never got around to it. So I threw the chicken on the stove with salsa around 1:00 to get it cooked faster. Then I made a huge batch of Chicken Burritos. I had them planned for our dinner that night plus a little 3rd grade friend from church had loved them when I took them to her family after her mom’s surgery. “When can I have more of Laura’s burritos?” she asked her mom. Well, girl. I’ll bring you some more. :)

As I was finishing all the Burritos, Eva and Arrow came to hang out. Eva immediately started to wash my sink full of dishes – so sweet. Arrow spotted the kids playing outside and kept pointing and saying their names. “Bayden! Bayden!”

I took Bayden – I mean Brayden and Kiya to our weekly Food Distribution. Then we came home to many of the Chicken Burritos already gone – and we helped ourselves.

Keith and Auggie had ABA therapy all evening. All of our kids’ therapists/technicians are becoming a part of our family now. When Auggie had a question, Keith’s technician looked up the answer on his phone to show Auggie. It was so sweet.

Wednesday was a ridiculously full day! We had plans to get two of our rooms ready to host families who were traveling to this area for a Homeschool Speech Meet. And we had a big day planned with our Heartlands Youth Ministry to come for the afternoon to build a permanent Little Free Pantry. So we started off our day getting food ready (while sheets and blankets were working their way through the laundry to prep for guests).

Auggie helped me make Spinach Cupcakes.

While the Spinach Cupcakes were baking, I made Rice Krispie Treats for lunch dessert and Peanut Butter Honey Rice Krispie Bars for guests who were coming who needed to eat gluten and dairy free.

At 8:30, Josie began ABA therapy with her new behavior technician.

I did not need this extra job that morning – but I’d picked up 9 packages of cube steak on sale the day before and I needed to get it taken care of and frozen. So, I made a huge mess and prepped 11-pounds of Chicken Fried Steak for the freezer. I haven’t made these for YEARS! But when you find cube steak marked down…

I had made a huge Lasagna the week before so it baked all morning to get ready for our youth group lunch. Kiya helped put Caesar Salad together.

Right on time, the youth group arrived and started through the lunch line: Lasagna, Salad, and Grapes plus lots of desserts!

After they ate, everyone headed outside with one group digging a deep hole and another putting together the pantry structure.

These youth worked hard!! Of course our kids were right in the middle of it all day, with Keith LOVING every part of digging and building!

It was a little bit chilly that day so the girls helped me make a big pot of Hot Cocoa to take outside for everyone during the afternoon.

Three and a half hours later, our sweet Little Free Pantry was finished! When we first set out our tote and refrigerator back in November, we weren’t sure how our neighborhood would respond. But wow has it been awesome to see the community come together! Lots of people walk or drive by to help themselves to food they need. Meanwhile others have stopped by regularly to fill the tote/fridge/cooler with food. It’s been incredible to watch and be a part of. Thus, the permanent pantry!

As we moved into the evening, I packaged up some Lasagna and Green Beans. Then Matt and two of our girls loaded up and drove it to a nearby hospital to deliver to York friends who were there with a loved one after a surgery. We are so thankful to live in Lincoln close to two hospitals so we can help friends who are here from out of town.

For dinner that night, I fried some of the Chicken Fried Steak I’d prepped earlier in the day, plus made Mashed Potatoes that the kids had helped me get into the crock pot that morning, and made Peas and Gravy.

Our guests arrived and we got them settled into their rooms. Here’s a sweet shot of Keith and Anna making themselves at home with our new friend from Colorado. She was gracious to sit patiently with Keith to show him how to work our rubix cube.

We had a much less full day on Thursday. Our Bonus Buddy got dropped off to spend a few days with us so that was very exciting! Kelsey and Hopelyn came over for a couple of hours that morning. Kelsey played Ticket to Ride Junior with the kids…

After Josie’s ABA therapy session and an early lunch, we took the kids to play in the indoor play area at the zoo. It’s pretty nice living five minutes from our local zoo and having a membership that allows us to go at any time!

Dinner was a very fancy pot full of five boxes of Mac and Cheese. We had ABA that night plus Matt and I needed to have a sit down visit with the kids’ therapist. This is part of the ABA process – having parent trainings so that we can all be on the same page and follow through with the programs in place for the kids’ therapies.

On Friday morning, I lost track of Keith and Bonus Buddy when we had a visit from these Twin Vaders. Keith and Bonus Buddy showed up again soon after I took this picture. :)

I started a crock pot of Salsa Chicken for our Sunday Lunch. Later in the day I shredded it and stored it away to reheat on Sunday.

Matt took Acacia to Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy that morning. Eva and Arrow came over to help me with the other seven kids. Anna, who absolutely hates having her hair brushed, asked Eva if she “knew how to fix hair.” Haha. Eva happily took Anna’s rat nest and turned it into piggy tails. Anna was so proud! And I’m going to need Eva to come over every day to do this child’s hair… ;)

The morning was nuts cooped up inside the house. Finally the sun came out and we were warm enough to head outside to get ants out of our pants. Arrow is surrounded by little mommies when he comes over….

Kiya and I were able to play a bit of volleyball. Keith and Bonus Buddy played frisbee golf. Auggie played some soccer. Brayden made a couple of swords with sticks. I panicked at one point, realizing I hadn’t seen Acacia for a while. (I’m constantly counting heads to keep track of so many kids.) Kiya reminded me that Acacia was with Dad at therapy. Hahaha, oh yeah. Let’s not even talk about how earlier3 I was holding Arrow while walking around and then got scared because I didn’t know where Arrow was. Good grief. Right there on my hip. :)

Brayden was excited to make his favorite lunch for us: Orange Chicken. I steamed some broccoli to go with it.

Dinner that night was Burgers and Fries.

Then the older two kids helped me make pies. We had big plans to host a Pie Party for neighbors the next day. Saturday was Pi Day, after all. March 14. Get it? Pi Day? 3.14.

I’d baked some frozen pie crusts earlier in the day. Kiya used one and made Chocolate Fudge Pie almost entirely by herself.

Then Brayden helped me make an Oreo Cheesecake Pie. We used this cheesecake recipe and blended oreos into it.

Pies complete! Bring on Pi Day!

Saturday morning, we took the kids to Sensory Friendly Storytime at the library. Afterward, we came home and ate leftovers for lunch then got the house set up for our Pie Party. I wasn’t able to work more that day, so I’ll share more about these adventures in next week’s post!

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Big Family Food and Fun: March 1-7, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: March 1-7, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

February 28

We’d gone to a Husker Women’s Basketball game Saturday afternoon, and came home hungry. We warmed up leftovers for dinner plus I sliced some oranges for everyone.

We did some cleaning to get ready for a new week. Daddy had to take apart the vacuum to clean out all the long hairs that had wrapped around it. How about that? We have a LOT of long hair in our house now. :)

Big Family Food and Fun: March 1-7, 2026

We ate a plate full of Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church on Sunday morning. I had been feeling pretty worn out from several weeks of sickness traveling through the house plus all the new therapies we’d started. But we didn’t want to cancel Sunday Lunch because it’s such a fulfilling time for us. So we decided to take advantage of a pizza deal we found online. Families who joined us pitched in on the cost and we had a super chill, restful Sunday Lunch.

The girls set up a small table with a picnic in the hallway that afternoon. This is both very sweet and also slightly rebellious because they aren’t allowed to eat outside the dining room or kitchen. ;)

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time that afternoon. For dinner, we ate our way through a crock pot full of Ham and Potato Soup that I’d made that morning. It was so nice to be able to feed all of us that evening without doing any work! This soup is so easy!

The kids set up a stage in the living room and rehearsed a play and with some music. Here’s Brayden directing Jesus Loves Me while the three littlest kids magically cooperated. It was VERY SWEET.

As the kids played, I made a big batch of Chewy Granola Bars for the upcoming week.

On Monday morning, we finished last week’s Easy Chocolate Protein Mousse leftovers with our Eggs in a Nest breakfast.

Emma came that morning to help out, plus we had ABA therapists join the crew – all at 8:00. That’s a pretty crazy time of our day as we get school kids ready and out the door and other kids ready for therapies. I always feel a bit frazzled as we transition here, but everyone is so gracious. Who cares if I’m still in my pajamas when people show up to our house because there hasn’t been a moment yet to head upstairs to get myself ready for the day? Oy.

With four kids headed to school and the other three settled in with therapy and Emma, I (dressed myself, aren’t you proud? and) headed out for the day. My first stop was Aldi, and I got lots of tasty fruits and meats was on sale!

Eight pounds of strawberries? Yep, when they are that good and that good of a price!

After that, I spent a lovely couple of hours at Panera sipping coffee and writing. Then I went to Costco before heading home. My goal was to get some special foods for our Spring Break outings next week! Plus I also needed the basics: greens, milk, bananas, broccoli, sausage, and more fruit. :)

Knowing I’d be gone for several hours that day, I had thawed two packages of Ham and Cheese Sliders to bake for dinner. I warmed up Tomato Soup to go with them. And of course, we had to eat those strawberries I’d bought! I cut up 4-pounds of them plus made a double batch of Cheesecake Parfait. Everyone was excited about this and it all got eaten before bedtime. :)

Our Tuesday morning was extremely full with our regular ABA therapies starting at 8, plus attachment therapy we’re doing now for two of our kids starting at 9. At the same time, I had two IEP meetings to go to at the kids’ school and a 504 meeting to work toward. Malachi helped Matt juggle everything at home while I took care of all the school meetings.

Back at home finally at 11:15, we got the girls ready for the school bus at noon. Hopelyn was here for the day and she and Auggie enjoyed playing outside after the hubbub of the morning calmed down.

I took Brayden and Kiya to our weekly Food Distribution.

We had a fridge full of food, so dinner that night was Leftovers. But I did cut up another big bowl of strawberries, this time for Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits!

Bright and early on Wednesday morning, Acacia, Josie, and Auggie helped me make Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins.

Arrow came to hang out that morning. We found puzzles and made farm animal sounds. Auggie kept insisting that the horse was a giraffe, and while we could see how he would come to this conclusion, Arrow kept telling him that it was, in fact, a “hos.” Hearing their conversations is beyond sweet.

We’d brought home several bags of prepped chicken from Tuesday’s Food Distribution that we needed to use up. So we warmed it for dinner that night, finished off the Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits plus had Raspberries and Baked Beans.

Suddenly all of the kids are very into the game of Chess. Acacia begged for a game before bed and all the kids gathered ’round.

Hopelyn came over on Thursday morning. She spent a lot of the day shopping…

Auggie had a visit from a special education teacher from Early Development Network. He has made so much progress and it was so great to have so many positive things to report.

For dinner that night, I made Spaghetti with Broccoli. It was a simple meal because Matt and I were trying to sneak off for our weekly date. Several kids had major meltdowns before we left so it was difficult to get out the door. Malachi took over with the final fighting kiddo and we left, hoping for the best. (Everyone did fairly well while we were gone. Elias reported that truly everyone was pretty calm while we were gone, yet as soon as we walked back into the house, the screaming started up again. Ugh.)

Either way, we had some needed down time at Panera while we were gone. Silly as it was, we took Matt’s laptop so we could work on our taxes. This isn’t the most fun way to use our time alone, but this had to be done and there hasn’t been another moment to do it. So taxes by the fire sipping drinks…this was our date. :)

Friday morning, I made French Toast for the kids to grab and eat for breakfast. (No syrup needed because I used Cinnamon Bread, making this a grab and eat food!) I was in the middle of making these Smoothies that morning also.

During breakfast, I put together a huge Lasagna to freeze for an upcoming youth group event.

Acacia had an hour of Physical Therapy and an hour of Speech Therapy that morning. She’s meeting some of her goals which is very exciting!

Late morning, our friends, Paula and Randy, dropped off a huge load of pantry items for our Little Free Pantry. Auggie had a very good time helping me put everything away.

The little girls didn’t have preschool that afternoon, so they got to go with us to an assembly at the elementary school.

Keith was honored to receive the Responsible Award AND an award from the Music/PE/Art teachers. He was so proud – and so were we!

After the assembly, we got to have popcorn and take pictures in the hallway!

I made a very simple dinner that night of “Nacho Tots” with taco meat, cheese, salsa, and guac to put over tator tots.

That night, I made a huge roaster full of Smothered Pork Chops for our upcoming Sunday Lunch. I’m in the middle of writing this recipe to share with all of you soon!

We taught the kids to play Skipbo that night. I used to play this with our older boys a lot so playing this brought back great memories!

On Saturday mornings, we let the kids watch a couple of shows when they get up. So this allows me to get a little bit of kitchen work done in preparation for our weekend and upcoming week. This Saturday, I made a double recipe of Flourless Brownie Muffins, a batch of Crustless Cheesecake, and a double recipe of Breakfast Cookie Bars.

We got ready after that and headed to the library for Sensory Storytime. Kelsey and Hopelyn met us there!

After that, we took the kids to a free event at the International Quilt Museum. Some of the kids handled this fine and some of them didn’t, which is par for the course. We went home and ate leftovers for lunch, did some cleaning, played outside, and gave haircuts to the boys. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: February 22-28, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: February 22-28, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

February 21

Brayden was blessed to join some of our Heartlands youth on Saturday morning, along with several other youth groups from Lincoln for a Day of Love. They worked as groups all over the city to serve and care for people. He LOVED this day.

Meanwhile, back at home, our older kids all joined together at our house (minus Malachi who was flying home from California that day). This was our rescheduled day to celebrate Justus’ birthday since we’d had to cancel last Sunday due to sickness at our house.

We rewarmed the Italian Cream Cheese Chicken I’d made and frozen plus boiled two pounds of noodles. We had sides of greens, blueberries, and of course, muffins since the grandbabies were there. Dessert was Butterscotch Bars, which is always Justus’ birthday choice. No one argues with this.

 

After lunch, the babies napped and the kids watched a movie while the grown-ups played Cards Christians Like then The Game of Things. I LOVE times like these when we can enjoy our adult kids.

Big Family Food and Fun: February 22-28, 2026

Sunday morning, we ate a plate full of Breakfast Cookie Bars.

Brayden was on worship team with Justus that morning. I love this!

A lovely crowd gathered for lunch at our house after worship. Look at Acacia and Josie sitting together and taking it all in…

I captured this sweet moment of our friend Mark sitting on the floor getting to know Auggie.

We had a Brunch themed Lunch that day with Egg Casseroles, French Toast Casserole, Coffee Cake, Nutella Oat Bars, Fruit, and Potato Soup. Oh look! Malachi is back from California and Arrow found him!

There were 26 of us gathered that day.

For dinner that night, we ate more of our lunch casseroles as we reset the kitchen and started prepping for a new school week.

On Monday morning, Emma came over to hang with the girls. I snuck out for the day and started my grocery shopping at Aldi. I was able to get some great meat markdowns! Pork chops and chicken leg quarters at half off! I also got ground beef, french fries, coffee creamer, sugar, crackers, pasta sauce, yogurt, sausage, mandarins, salad kits, sweet peppers, lasagna noodles, fruit/veggie pouches, and dried strawberries, plus some pancake mix to put into our Little Free Pantry.

Next stop was Wal-Mart, where I found more meat mark downs – chicken breast and hamburger meat. I grabbed oatmeal and eggs, then decided to check the clearance aisle. I got some gloves, and my big score? Valentine cards for the kids next year. They were 90% off, so all the boxes were just $0.35.

I might have gotten a lifetime supply. But actually though, this may only last us a couple of years because it’s shocking how many of these we go through as we prep for Valentine parties!

I spent the next two and a half hours sitting and writing at Panera – my favorite down time! Then I went next door and filled a cart at Costco: milk, spinach, raspberries, blueberries, bananas, potatoes, butter, z-bars, cream, half and half, granola, ranch, barbecue sauce, avocado mash, kombucha, white queso, chicken stock, and chips. I picked up two cases of canned chicken soup that were on clearance so we can put them out in our Little Free Pantry.

Keith was my helper of the day, so he put together two bags of Caesar salad for our dinner.

I had picked up a Rotisserie Chicken at Costco, which we had for dinner that night with Keith’s Salad and two containers of Raspberries.

I made a batch of Spinach Cupcakes to help fill bellies that night and to get some extra greens into the kids.

On Tuesday morning, these girlies sat down with Wikki Sticks. I thought it was very sweet – and then they told me that they were making “rainbow poop.” Well, as long as they’re being creative…

Hopelyn came over that day. She picked up one of Keith’s rockets and turned it into a microphone, complete with dance moves.

I had picked up pork chops on sale the day before. So I experimented to make Smothered Pork Chops in the crock pot. WOW. I will definitely be writing this recipe for all of us here because it was a winner!

That afternoon, Auggie had an appointment at Children’s with his neurologist. Or should I say: his former neurologist. He has made such amazing progress that he graduated and will now only have to go in “as needed.” It’s been amazing the positive changes in him in a year’s time!

Immediately after his appointment, I dropped him off and home and grabbed Brayden and Kiya to take them to our weekly Food Distribution. Back at home, Matt baked a pan of Stick of Butter Rice I’d prepped, steamed some veggies, and served the pork chops. This meal was a huge hit!

On Wednesday morning, I made a salad for Matt and me. Wow we get a lot of greens this way. I actually make this every other day, all year long. But this particular day, I remembered to take a picture to document it. How exciting.

I almost always come home with lots of breads and buns after Food Distribution on Tuesday. This was the case this week, so Josie helped me make three packages of Ham and Cheese Sliders for the freezer.

I also baked 24 eggs and put together 24 Breakfast Sandwiches to have on hand.

Arrow came to hang out that morning. Here he was showing me an owl that said, “hoot” and a bunny that went, “jump, jump, jump!”

That night for dinner, I made a huge Cheeseburger Casserole with sliced peppers and pickles.

Acacia and Josie were up sick all night long into Thursday morning. UGH. Matt took the first long shift with them, then I took over around 3:30 am so he could get some sleep. The laundry mountain was large the next morning as we tried to get their room back in order. They laid around all day as they recovered. Matt and I were in a bit of a haze.

But life must go on. Auggie had his first dentist appointment…

Matt and I tried to rest that afternoon. Then we proceeded with our regularly scheduled date night. I told all the adults in the house to fend for themselves for dinner. Then I set out piles of food options for the kids to eat while we were gone. Acacia and Josie hadn’t eaten much all day, so here were there choices:

Anna’s pile looked like this. It works very well for her therapist to get her to eat in the evenings if I present a pile of foods I know she likes that she can choose from. This gives her a sense of control, which makes her feel safe.

Keith, on the other hand, likes it when things are new and exciting. So I created a “surprise plate” for him to enjoy with his therapist while we were gone. He was especially excited later to tell me about how he got to cut his own apple with the slicer.

Matt and I started our date that night at Brayden’s middle school for Parent Teacher Conferences. Nothing is more romantic than that. :)

On Friday morning, I used a container of cottage cheese to make Easy Chocolate Protein Mousse for breakfast. This was a fun treat for the kids (and the parents)!

Josie got started with ABA therapy at 8:00 – something we’ve been working toward for a very long time. The morning started out hectic as we got some kids out the door for school and a new therapist oriented to our home. But all of the people we work with are easy-going and here to help. So it went as smoothly as possible as we all settled in.

The weather was absolutely beautiful all day long, so we moved therapy outside as the morning warmed up. Auggie enjoyed driving around the train that Anna had built the day before.

The girls were so sweet to want a picnic, which they created all by themselves. They spread a blanket and brought out apples and clementines. Auggie parked his train and joined them.

With our days being so full of appointments, therapies, meetings, and other needs – plus sickness thrown in for good measure – Matt and I can get pretty worn out. Today was a GREAT day to rest. The kids played calmly most of the morning, so I sat calmly in the sunshine watching them. It was so, so nice. I’d already planned to not cook dinner, which meant that I didn’t need to do any work in the kitchen that day, so I could fully take time off. Hallelujah, sunshine!

That evening, I made Chicken Nuggets and Fries, and the kids ate outside while they continued to play. It was a great day!

On Saturday, we got to do something extra special! I had discovered super cheap tickets to our final Women’s Husker Basketball home game. We decided that for such low ticket prices we could attempt to make a super fun memory for our kids. Malachi was the only adult in our crew that was available, and we were so glad he could join us!

We dug out all the red we owned as we headed out, and even found a good parking spot just a few blocks from the arena. Acacia and Josie love holding hands as they walk!

We took up an entire row at the game and the kids did INCREDIBLE! The novelty of this outing along with the fun entertainment during time-outs helped. :)

We knew it might be tough for Auggie to miss his regular afternoon nap. He solved that problem during the second half of the game.

We sent Malachi to the concession stand with our credit card to buy two big bags of popcorn to get everyone happily through the second half. It was a worthy investment.

We were so thankful that we could all enjoy this outing! On our walk back to the van, we enjoyed an old train.

Back at home, we did some cleaning and playing and had bath time. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: February 15-21, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: February 15-21, 2026 post!

Last week, I ended up getting sick before I could finish our weekly post. And I couldn’t get out of bed again until Monday morning. Matt was amazing to take on so much without me.

Saturday, February 14

Before I started to feel sick, I made a double batch of Butterscotch Bars for Justus’ birthday lunch the following day.

Matt stayed home with kiddos who had been sick while I took Keith, Acacia, and Josie to the library. Kelsey and Hopelyn met us there. I was absolutely fine until it was time to load up to head home. Then suddenly I felt achy and sooooo tired. It was to be expected. I’d been coughed on by lots of sick kids all week. I took my temp when I got home (102) and went to bed.

Big Family Food and Fun: February 15-21, 2026

Sunday, Matt and our adult kids got the seven young ones off to church. I watched online and felt very thankful to have that option. I attempted to get out of bed on Monday but only made it until around 7:00am when I had to go back and lay down. Thankfully, Emma came that morning to help Matt survive. The weather was beautiful so the kids (who were all home from school) played outside a good part of the day.

Matt warmed up leftovers for lunch and we took advantage of Valentino’s gift cards I’d picked up discounted at Costco a few weeks ago to order pizza for dinner.

On Tuesday, I attempted again to get up – and this time I made it! The kids were home again that day, and somehow this guy showed up in our entryway.

And then this princess appeared in the living room.

Praise God that the weather was amazing all during these days of sickness and breaks from school. The kids were outside again most of Tuesday, and we had an adventure with a run away dog. We called the number on his collar and a few minutes later, we had a chance to meet one of our neighbors that we hadn’t met yet! The kids were all so excited about solving this “crisis.”

We continued to finish off some leftovers at lunch time. Josie enjoyed the last of Malachi’s Cream Cheese Salsa Dip. I sent him this picture to give him a taste of home. He was in California spending the week visiting Matt’s side of the family. What a gift that he got to do this!

That afternoon, we put Auggie (and Mommy) down for a nap while Matt bravely took all six of the other kids to a park to play. Matt reported that a ton of kids were out that day. So many of us took advantage of this lovely weather and the days off of school to play!

For dinner, I’d grabbed a bunch of Chicken Legs from the freezer to thaw and then did my infamous “dump sauce on chicken” trick. For being that ridiculously easy, this meal sure is delicious. Or maybe I just finally had an appetite again? According to all the kids who had been running and playing in the fresh air and sunshine for days, their appetites were extra large too. We ate a lot of chicken legs, oranges, and broccoli that night.

Those who ate well (six out of seven kids) were rewarded with Homemade Chocolate Milk! We had some milk that had reached its expiration date, so I didn’t have a choice. I had to make Chocolate Milk so we could quickly finish it off.

Meanwhile, we had about 8 bananas sitting on the counter that had turned black while I’d been sick in bed. So I turned them into three loaves of Banana Bread that evening. It was a perfect bedtime snack (and breakfast the next morning).

The weather was gorgeous on Wednesday so we played outside as much as we could. Arrow was hanging out with us that morning!

I had baked a pan of Stick of Butter Rice that morning, then turned it into Tator Tot Casserole for dinner that night.

On Thursday morning, I made a pan of Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars for breakfast.

Throughout the morning, I baked several pans of bacon so I could finish off the box to clear out space in our fridge. The kids munched on bacon for their morning snack, and I got ahead for upcoming bacon-based meals.

Hopelyn hung out with us Thursday.

When the grandbabies are here, there is no shortage of caretakers. I’m often having to tell our little girls, “Give them some space!”

Dinner that night was a FEAST. I’d taken all the meat off the bones of our leftover BBQ Chicken Legs from Tuesday night. There was Bacon. There was White Queso. We had BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Nachos for dinner and it was delicious. All of us were home that night because snow had hit and was coming in fast, so we were hunkering down for the night.

Anna’s ABA behavior tech has been teaching her to play Chess – can you believe it? She is somehow loving this and figuring it out! As a result, she set up this game all by herself, and then started attempting to teach me how to play. It was very sweet.

Friday was a Snow Day! This called for a breakfast of Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Sausage.

We barely made it through breakfast before very eager children dug out all the boots and snowsuits and headed outside. As expected, this was a cold experience and didn’t last as long as they had originally intended.

Brayden had requested Warm Vanilla Soother, which really hit the spot along with the sausage links that hadn’t been finished up during breakfast.

Even Keith’s sloth got to enjoy this special snack.

We pulled out a craft project that afternoon. Those little beads are more complicated than one would hope.

However, Anna locked in and did not stop until her snowman was completed. This was a very big deal!

After that, Acacia and Kiya helped me put together a big Egg Hashbrown Casserole for Sunday’s Lunch.

For dinner that night, we had Sausage Gravy, Mashed Potatoes in the Crock Pot, and Peas.

On Saturday morning, I baked a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars and a pan of Nutella Oat Bars.

We made plans to have Justus’ birthday lunch redo since I’d been sick and unable to host Sunday lunch earlier this week. Elias and Malorie had frozen this Italian Cream Cheese Chicken sauce that I’d prepped ahead, so we thawed half of it for Saturday’s lunch.

This is as far as I got on this post before all the kids came over for birthday lunch. I’ll share more about our time together in next week’s post!

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Big Family Food and Fun: February 8-14, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: February 8-14, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

Saturday, February 7

We went to Storytime at the library on Saturday morning. Hopelyn and Arrow (and their mommies) met us there. How happy was this Lolli to have both of her grandbabies there?!

Keith and Acacia were excited to put on a puppet show during play time after the story time.

From the library, we headed over to Morrill Hall for a special Dinosaurs and Disasters event they were hosting. The Case family met us there to enjoy this.

We got home and ate a late lunch of Hotdogs that I’d cooked in the crock pot while we were gone. Then, two college girls from York came to spend the afternoon and evening. This was such a special time! Liz asked if she could bake Cinnamon Rolls – and who were we to argue?

Our friend, Simeon, from York had come to hang out with Malachi so that made the day even better!

I had planned to make Egg and Hashbrown Casserole, Sausage Patties, and Pancakes for dinner. But with Liz making Cinnamon Rolls, I scrapped the pancake idea and she doubled her roll recipe. Perfect!

DELICIOUS!

Big Family Food and Fun: February 8-14, 2026

Sunday was a super huge day for us. This was the final Sunday for the Nabb family – who have become dear friends to us in Lincoln and have been a major part of Heartlands since its beginnings – to be at church before they move to Texas. Their “going away party” request was to have Sunday Lunch at the Coppinger Castle, and we were all in for this. Our Community Group helped make this happen, and the entire church was invited to come send these dear ones off with all the love that we could.

Almost 100 people came for lunch after church that day, which was absolutely fantastic! Pockets of people were everywhere, kids were playing, and adults were visiting. We are so thankful for this house God gave us!

The weather was beautiful so the kids mostly played and ate outside. But this might have been one of my favorite scenes in which many of the young adult men were circled up in the yard throwing a football around.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen…

I had made two huge roasts into Pulled Pork. Trent and Robin were in charge of Rotisserie Chickens plus buns and sandwich fixings. Derrick and Stacey brought a big crock pot full of Baked Beans. Matt and Terra brought drinks. Everyone else from church was asked to bring sides and desserts. People went through the line, and kept coming, and kept coming. I forgot to take a picture of the counter that held all the buns and meat. But look at all these tasty sides!

And desserts. :)

I tried to take as many pictures as I could to capture all the faces of people who love the Nabbs so much.

The day was incredible and we praise God for it.

By Super Bowl time? I was a little bit tired and simply threw out snacks for the kids and called it dinner. :) Malachi, however, made himself a bowl of Cream Cheese Salsa Dip to take to the gathering he was going to. Cutie.

On Monday morning, I baked a pan of Nutella Oat Breakfast Bars.

We had two sick little girlies plus Emma, who usually comes and helps us with kids on Mondays, was sick too. So Matt stayed with the three preschool kids while I ran to Costco for our weekly groceries, but then I came home instead of working on my computer at Panera like I usually do.

A friend of ours had been in a serious motorcycle accident. I reached out to his mom that morning to see how we could help. We discovered that he was in the hospital just five minutes from our house. I would have driven across town for them, but how wonderful that we live so close and can therefore be more helpful! I packed up food and took it over for the family to eat while they sat at the hospital: Rotisserie chicken that I’d picked up at Costco and taken off the bone, raspberries, mandarins, rolls with butter, plus a basket of snacks. I also took over some Breakfast Sandwiches, Ham and Cheese Sliders, and Breakfast Burritos that I had in the freezer for anyone to heat up as needed. I had a most wonderful visit with our injured friend’s mom – our good friend from York. We laughed, we cried, God is good and faithful.

For dinner that night, I made a big skillet full of Last Minute Bacon Spaghetti with Steamed Broccoli.

On Tuesday morning, Anna was in a very helpful mood which we praised her for big time. She found all the clean towels and wash rags and folded them for me. :)

Kiya has been asking me to teach her to sew. We finally had a moment during our attachment therapy session together to work on mending some holes in a stuffed animal. It was a very sweet time.

Our kids had been fighting illnesses all week. Here’s Acacia, Josie, and Auggie all snuggled up with fevers watching a show.

I took Brayden and Kiya to serve at our weekly Food Distribution after school.

Matt baked Pizza Chicken Bake while we were gone and warmed up leftover Green Beans for dinner.

That night, our friend Tori texted us this sweet memory from her phone: Anna and Acacia when they were little piggy tailed babies!

On Wednesday morning, the three little sickies felt better enough to prep their Valentines for school.

Arrow came over for the morning. While he snacked, finished putting together a big batch of Breakfast Sandwiches.

The girls found our thermometer and put it in the stuffed animal’s armpit to take its temp. Thankfully, the dinosaur was fever-free.

Kiya had a volleyball game that afternoon. Brayden, Keith, and I went to go cheer her on!

For dinner that night, I stirred leftover Pulled Pork into a crock pot full of Party Potatoes. It was an amazing dinner with Steamed Peas.

On Thursday, Hopelyn came to spend a few hours with us.

I slow cooked two crock pots full of Chicken Taco Soup for dinner that night. Our Community Group came for what we called The Last Supper. The Nabbs would be pulling out of Lincoln early Saturday morning, and we all wanted to enjoy one last meal together.

The goodbyes after dinner were hard. Ugh, Sam and Keith…

And, Brayden and Luna. Those two bonded in a special way being the same age and with lots of common pieces of their past. And I can’t even talk about my goodbye with Cindy, a friend with whom I’ve connected deeply since we moved to Lincoln. We praise God for the time we’ve had with this family.

On to Friday…Anna had gotten sick and missed school and her class Valentine party. Her teacher was sweet to send her valentines home with me when I picked the other kids up from school.

I got ready for Sunday Lunch that day, making a huge roaster full of Italian Cream Cheese Chicken for Pasta to celebrate Justus’ birthday.

We had a very simple dinner of Chicken Bites, Mac and Cheese, and Peas.

Matt stayed home with the sick kids and I took the other five to church for a special Dance Your Heart Out evening. It was so sweet and fun!

Saturday, I baked a double batch of Butterscotch Bars for Sunday Lunch dessert – Justus’ birthday dessert request.

Anna and Auggie still needed to stay home that day, and Brayden and Kiya opted to stay home too. So I took Keith, Acacia, and Josie to the library.

I planned to share about that, but I barely made it home from the library before realizing that it was my turn to get sick. I truly went from fine to not fine in about five minutes. Fever of 102 sent me to bed and I slept for hours. And that was our week!

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