Today's Menu . . . Tasty Taco Soup!

Bag Meal #2:

Tasty Taco Soup!

Here's the Recipe:

1 (15-ounce) Can Chili with Beans and Meat

1 (15-ounce) Can whole Kernel Corn, with Liquid

1 (14-ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes, with Liquid

1 (8-ounce) Can Tomato Sauce

1 (15-ounce) Can Black Beans, with Liquid

1 1/2 - 3 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a greased 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 quart Crock pot.

Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.

If you are in a power outage situation:

You will want to add all of the ingredients to a pot

or Dutch oven.

This recipe will heat up quite quickly saving you time and fuel!

Bag Contents:

The Bag Contents List is the same as the BOLDED part of the recipe above.

Add a bag of Tortilla Strips to the Bag and

you're ready for dinner!

Here's the PDF:

Tasty Taco Soup Bag Meal Recipe and Tag PDF

2 Down.....98 More to Go!

Bag Meals!

I've been working on some

NEW BAG MEAL RECIPES!

Bag Meals and Mixes have become my FaVoRiTe way to

store and rotate my food storage.

They are easy to make, easy to rotate and easy to store.

I have almost 100 NEW BAG MEAL RECIPES

for you to try.

Today's Recipe is:

Apricot Chicken and Rice

Here's the Recipe:

3/4 cup Catalina Dressing

1 cup Apricot Jam

1 Pkg. Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 Quart Bottled Chicken, Drained

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot on low for 2-3 hours.

Recipe can also be placed in a casserole dish and
covered with tin foil.

Heat at 350 degrees until sauce is bubbling.

Note:

If you are using raw or frozen chicken,

you will want to make sure the chicken is cooked through
before serving.
Crockpot: Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Conventional Oven: Bake covered for 35-40 minutes
at 350 degrees.

That's It!!!
Bag Contents:
1 Quart Bottled Chicken
1 Package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 Jar Apricot Jam
1 Bottle Catalina Dressing
1 Can of Your Favorite Vegetable
1 Can of Your Favorite Fruit
1 cup Rice
2 cups Water - (16 ounces Bottled Water)
1/2 tsp. Salt
To Prepare Rice:
Bring to a boil 2 cups water.
Add 1/2 tsp. Salt and 1 cup Rice.
(1 Tbsp. Butter can be added if available.)
STIR ONLY ONCE . . . or you'll end up with mushy rice.
Cover the pot and return the water to a boil.
Immediately turn the stove down to simmer and
set the timer for 20 minutes.
Check after 17 minutes to see if all of the water
has absorbed.
Rice is finished cooking when all of the water
has been absorbed.
Many of the stores have their case lots sales in the spring,
so now is a great time to stock up!
I will be posting the dates for the stores case lot sales as well as the
Recipe Cards and Bag Tags later today!

Here's the PDF:
Apricot Chicken Bag Tag and Recipe Page PDF

Have a GREAT Day!!!

He's Going To . . .

The Tampa, Florida Mission!

This was truly inspired!!!

Chris' really good friend . . . practically a brother,

is serving in the exact same mission and

Chris' Mission President is from Farmington!

NO WAY!!!

I was expecting him to read the entire letter but he

just blurted out, "Tampa, Florida!"

I thought he was kidding and so did his friends mom

who just happened to be recording the whole event

to send to her son. (The almost like-a-brother serving in Tampa.)

We both looked at each other in total disbelief.

I kept asking if he was teasing,

but it was the real deal!

He leaves for the MTC April 20th,

with another friend that lives just down the

street . . . on the same day!

The spirit was so strong in our home and we

knew he was going where the Lord wanted him

to serve.

It was truly an AMAZING night! 

And, now for the moment

YOU'VE all been waiting for . . .

Time to announce the Winner!

Kimber my friend

you totally guessed it!

Way to go!!!

Tina and Sawyer 13

YOU WERE SOOO CLOSE!

It's In My Hands!!!

Holy Cow!

I'm holding Chris' Mission Call
IN MY HANDS

as we speak!!!

Does anyone have a steamer?
We tried to hold it up to the light
but it's too thick!!!

I hope I can wait until 6:00 pm.

The suspense is making me CrAzY!!!!

I am known for peeking . . . it's just what I do,
but today I'm going to wait . . . at least that's the goal!?!
Chris and I have had so much fun reading all of your

guesses.  It has made this time for us a lot more FUN,

and I have to say, knowing that there are so many

really amazing people out there willing to feed my boy

makes me feel so much better!

You're just the BEST!!!

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!

IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING . . .

My son has been an Elder since November

and he will finally get his mission call

TOMORROW!!!

We've had lots of tears at the Smith house lately.

(Not usually something you see in a house full of boys!)

We've had . . .

Happy tears because we now have a beautiful

piece of property.

Sad tears because I no longer have any storage

and we miss our old house and neighbors.

Happy tears because we bought a canvas garage to store

a few things in.

Sad tears because it blew two acres away into

our neighbors yard.

Happy tears when we got to meet the new neighbors

and found out they weren't mad that our

garage was on their fence.

Sad tears because my oldest will be leaving

for his mission soon.

Happy tears because he is choosing

to serve the Lord.

All in all . . . I think things are going pretty well.

(At least that's what I keep telling myself!)
I'm all about making hard things FUN,
SOOOO. . .
I'm thinkin' it's time for a CONTEST!
We will be making guesses as to where we think
Chris' mission call will be.

You might as well join in with your guesses.
The closest one to the actual place
WINS
A Spiral Bound
Here's What We Did This Year Journal!

Woot . . . Woot!
. . .Winners will be announced Thursday Morning. . .

Valentine's Day Love Notes Heart Attack

Tricia really wanted to get these on but her day has been swamped and since I was already putting them on the My Heart & Home Blog, I thought I would help her out and put it on.  Sorry, none of the cute fluff and froof that she is a master at.  We figured the most important thing is to just get it out.  Our love notes were created back in 2008 and of course Tricia did an amazing job in creating them.  If you read through them there is a suggestion on what to give with each love note. If there is no suggestion then it is to just be given with your love.  We have created them as a whole set or as individual pages in case you do not want to print the whole set. 

Heart Attack Love Notes

Heart Attack Love Notes Double Up Version

Enjoy!!! 

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Valentine's Day Bingo for Preschoolers!

The Preschool Version

of the Valentine's Day Bingo includes the COLORS

Purple, Blue, Aqua, Green, Yellow, Orange,

Pink, Red, Brown, Gray, and Black . . .

and the NUMBERS

1-14!
Don't you just love it when kids
can LEARN while they PLAY?!?

This set includes 24 Game Boards

and 24 Calling Cards.

Here's the PDF:

Preschool Valentine's Day Bingo Packet PDF

Don't Forget the candy!

You can use:

Conversation Hearts

Red Hots

Valentine's Day M&M's

or

Whatever you can find on sale!

HAVE A GREAT

VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Valentine's Day Games!

Need a last minute game?

This one is big enough to include a whole class

so room mothers have no fear . . .

The Valentine's Day Bingo Is Here!!!

(It's called Be Mine!)

The packet contains 24 Game Boards

and 24 Calling Cards.

If you need more than 24, just make a few extra

copies.  I don't think the kids will mind

if a couple of them get "BE MINE" at the same time!

Give each child a card and a box of conversation hearts

to mark the squares, and let the game begin!

Here's the PDF:

Be Mine Valentine's Day Bingo Packet PDF

Thank You Valerie for the AMAZING PDF!!!

If you look closely at each of the squares,

you will notice the potential for

Individual Valentine's Day Cards.

I LOVE Valentine's Day . . .

 so a couple

of years ago I made some Valentine Heart Attack's

for my family.

They were tons of fun to create

and even more fun to give!

I will be posting the cards and treat ideas to go

along with them TOMORROW!

They're perfect for family, friends, and neighbors.

Best of all . . . they only take a few minutes to put together!

P.S.

I'm meeting TODAY with a Preparedness Committee.

Soooo Exciting!!!

After today, I will finally be able to start posting on

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

AND

FOOD STORAGE!

I can't wait!!!

Calendar Pages!

I know I totally missed getting the January calendar to you.

It was a CrAzY month for sure!

We completely packed up our house

so that we could replace the baseboards, carpet and paint.

(A necessity after having to tear out the cement in the basement!)
After a LONG WEEK and a HALF

we were finally able to unpack and start

trying to get back to a somewhat normal life
and then it happened . . .

my DSL line was fried in a power surge, fixed that
only to find that the first time I turned on the computer,
I just happened to download a virus
that completely killed it.
There was seriously NO CHANCE of
bringing the big fella back this time!
It was time for a replacement.
My Christmas present was a new computer . . . YAY!
The only problem,
my husband made me wait until Christmas to open it.
Bless his heart!
I truly believe he enjoyed every minute of it!
It's a good thing I'm totally in love with that cute guy!!!
Christmas FINALLY came and we hooked up the computer
as soon as we finished breakfast.
This would be the time I usually take a Christmas morning nap.
(My boys are early risers!)
With great excitement, I turned on the computer
only to find that it was time now for the monitor to die!
CAN YOU BELIEVE MY LUCK?!?
I finally got a new monitor and with the help of my
friend Valerie, we were ready to go . . .
at least that's what we thought!
After just two days of blogging bliss,
my modem went out.
Aaaahhhhhh!!!!!
All of this was happening while I was trying to unpack.
My husband and I did what we do whenever
we get a little stressed . . .
We took a drive around the neighborhood.
Little did we know,
this would be a ride that would change EVERYTHING!
We just happened to drive down the street to see the sunset
and our favorite view.
To our surprise, we noticed that our dream home
had a FOR SALE sign in front.
(My husband can spot a For Sale sign from a mile away!)
We did a quick u-turn just to make sure we
weren't seeing things.
IT WAS TRUE . . . OUR DREAM HOUSE
WAS FOR SALE!
We took a tour the next day.
We put a bid in a week later . . . it was a low bid,
but we just had to pretend to try.
TO OUR SURPRISE . . . THEY ACCEPTED OUR OFFER!
(There were 4 other bids and ours was not the highest.)
My husband and I were in a state of shock!
We had just redone our whole house
and this house is a lot smaller than our other house,
but the land . . . That Was The Deal Maker!
We signed on our new home January 21st!
TIME TO PACK AND UNPACK
ALL OVER AGAIN!
WHAT AN ADVENTURE!!!
So . . . to make a long story short,
that's why you didn't get the January Calendar pages
in January.
BUT NOT TO WORRY . . .
Here They Are:
(I'm hoping better late than never applies here!)











Here's the PDF:
2011 Calendar Packet PDF
Fill-In-The-Blank Calendar PDF:
2011 Fill-In-the-Blank Portrait Calendar Packet PDF
Woot . . . Woot!
Thanks for being so patient.
You're Absolutely Awesome!!!

Anytime Holiday Memory Game!

I LOVE the HOLIDAYS!

Any excuse to CELEBRATE works for me!

The only time my house has decorations up . . .

is during the holidays!

We usually celebrate ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!

This game is perfect for ANY holiday!

It's the Holiday Memory Game.

Here it is:

(Cover)

(Cards Page 1)

(Cards Page 2)

Here's the PDF:
Holiday Memory Game PDF Packet

Instructions:

Copy

Cut Printed Cards and Black Cardstock

Attach the a Cover to each of the 24 Cards

Attach 2 of each Month to the Opposite Side

and

Laminate

NOTE:

If you print your game at Alphagraphics, they can

print on both sides of the paper so that you

don't have to use the cardstock inbetween.

More to Come!!!
The February Preparedness Challenge
Is On The Way!

February Journal Pages

The February Journal Pages

Are Here!

The font on the Fill-In-The-Blank Journal Pages

has been changed.

The new file for January has been added

so that all of your journal pages will be in the same font.

(Fill-In-The-Blanks Page)

Here's the PDF:

February Journal Page PDF Fill-In-The-Blanks

(Lined Journal Page)

Here's the PDF:

February Journal Page PDF Lined

This truly is my favorite way to keep a journal!

It's fast, easy, and not the least bit overwhelming!

I do write a lot more for special occassions,

but for everyday . . . this is PERFECT!

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SOME

FUN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES

TO USE IN YOUR WARD OR AS A PART OF

YOUR RELIEF SOCIETY MEETINGS,

LET ME KNOW AND I'LL SEND THEM YOUR WAY!

The Moment You've . . . I've Been Waiting For!

IT'S DONE!

THE VITAL RECORDS CD

IS FINALLY COMPLETE

AND READY TO GO!

Hold on for a moment while I burst into song . . .

I'm so excited (de de de de) and I just can't hide it (da da da da)

I'm about to lose control and I just can't hide it!

. . . SO, HERE ARE THE DETAILS . . .

Option #1:

You can order the CD along with the colored divider pages, tabs and cover.

My Email Address Is:

smithest1989@hotmail.com

Or

Option #2:

You can just download the entire file

(all at once)

and you're good to go!

Here's the PDF:

Complete Vital Records PDF (All Files)

Medical Record File PDF:

Medical Forms PDF (Fill-in-the-Blank)

Valerie has made it possible for you to just

fill-in-the-blanks.

Thank Ya Bibes!!!

I have missed so much fun stuff

that I have wanted to share with you

the last couple of months.

I'll do my best to get all of the NEW Day Keeper Pages,

Calendars, Journal Pages, and Holiday Stuff ASAP!

Almost . . .

Because blogspot is no longer storing the PDF files,

I have had to find another source.

. . . LUCKILY . . .

Valerie found a great option but it's taking

me a minute to add all of the PDF files.

(It's like trying to teach an old dog new tricks!)

A REALLY OLD DOG!!!

Once I get that figured out . . . they'll be no stopping me!!!



Testing . . . Testing . . . 1 - 2 - 3!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S REALLY WORKING?
I'm afraid to even push the keys.
Have I ever mentioned that . . .

I'm BLESSED but NOT LUCKY?

"Wowie!"

What a CrAzY couple of months!

I can't believe we made it through.

It's been quite an ADVENTURE.

(Adventure: Code word for test of my patience and sanity!)

If I was to learn patience, I sure have had

LOTS OF PRACTICE over the past eight years.

THANKFULLY

I'm STILL STANDING . . . and STILL SMILING!

(Which may not say much about my sanity!)

I'm thinking it's safe to start posting again!
Keep your fingers crossed for me would ya?!?

I have added a few new sections

to the schedule this year

and I am WAAAAYYY EXCITED

to share them with YOU!
I will be adding more Organizing Hints and Helps,
"How To" Videos
that will cover everything from Storing and Using Food Storage
to Organizing, Weekly Menu Planning Ideas, as well as Ideas for Relief Society Meetings,
Visiting Teaching Ideas, Emergency Surprise Attacks
and TONS more!

Thank YOU
for being so patient with me,

and
Thank YOU
so much for you concern and well wishes.

YOU ARE TRULY THE BEST!

I will be posting:

This Year's Calendar Pages as well as the

NEW January Journal Pages.

The Calendar Pages come in both portrait and landscape.

The portrait calendar format will fit perfectly into your

Day Keeper!

The Journal Pages will also be available in two different forms:

One will have lines so that your little ones can write on them, and

the other will be a fill-in-the-blank computer page that can be typed and printed.

I made sure to keep the background white this time . . .

hopefully that will help to conserve ink!

Here's the Calendar PDF (Portrait Format):

(This PDF includes Jan. - Dec. 2011)

(The PDF is on the way!)

Here's the Calendar PDF (Landscape Format):

(This PDF includes Jan. - Dec. 2011)

2011 Landscape Calendar
2011 Fill-In-The-Blank Landscape Calendar PDF

Here's the Lined January Journal Page PDF:

January Journal Pages with Lines

Here's the Fill-In-The-Blank January Journal Page PDF:

Fill in the Blank January Journal Page
Oh . . . and this year you get the Journal Binder Cover

at the beginning of the year!!!!

A photo of your family or each individual child

can be added to the center of the cover!

One will say, "Here's What I Did in 2011"

and the other will say,

"Here's What WE Did in 2011"

Here's the Journal Binder Cover PDF:

Here's What We Did This Month
Here's What We Did This Year

Hope you have a GREAT DAY!

I have to load the PDF files a different way.
Valerie is helping me figure things out.
I'll add all of the files quick as a wink;)!

January Primary Theme and Scripture Family Home Evening!

Opening Prayer:
January's Theme is:
The Scriptures Are the Word of God
The Scripture can be found in 2 Nephi 32:3
"Feast upon the words of Christ;
for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things
what ye should do"
The Song for January is:
"If I Listen with My Heart"
Today's FHE Lesson is QUICK but POWERFUL!
You Will Need:
An Umbrella
and
A Set of Scriptures
Object:
To show that the scriptures have the power
to keep us safe and protect us if we read and apply
them to our lives.
Lesson:

 Show your family the umbrella without opening it.
Ask them if the umbrella will keep them dry in a
storm if they just carry it with them.

Open the umbrella and hold it over your head.
Ask the same question.
This time the umbrella will help to keep us dry
and offer protection from the weather.
What was the difference?
Show your family the scriptures in their case.

Ask them if the scriptures can help us
if we just carry them around in the case.
Open the case and remove the scriptures.

Open the scriptures and have a family member read
2 Nephi 32:3.
Ask family members how the scriptures can
help to keep us safe from the storms of life.
Remind family members that . . .
The scriptures are like the umbrella.
They can only work if we open them.
The Scriptures ARE the Word of God.
We can enjoy the safety and protection that the
scriptures offer, if we open them, study them, and
feast upon the words of Christ.
Challenge:
SET A GOAL AS A FAMILY
TO COMPLETE THE BOOK OF MORMON
BY THE END OF THE YEAR!
Time for Treats:

Serve family members a candy bar in the wrapper.
Tell them that the candy bar is theirs to enjoy,
BUT tell them that they can't remove the wrapper.
Remind them that in order to
"FEAST UPON THE WORD"
we have to open the gift.
The scriptures have always been our gift to enjoy.
Unfortunately, we sometimes forget to unwrap this
precious gift and feast upon the words.
End with your testimony of the importance of the
scriptures in your own life.
Post your family goal to complete the Book of Mormon
in a place that will serve to remind the family often.
Closing Prayer!