Thursday

The children and I spent a couple of days visiting my parents, and now we are home.  It was a nice visit, full of lively conversation, delicious food, and lots of free time.

Now I am home and back to work.  Our congregation is hosting a preacher training program next week, and the trainees will arrive Saturday afternoon.  Our family will host 3 young men (two teenagers and a 20yo) in our home for the week.  So I am buying LOTS of groceries!

I worked for a couple of hours on my menu and shopping lists, which included my monthly Sam's and Walmart stock-up trips.  Today I plan to go to Walmart, Sam's and Kroger, plus a couple of other errands as well.

I don't have to provide all the meals for the week-----we are having a potluck meal on Sunday, and Monday-Friday, various ladies from our congregation will be providing lunches and suppers for the trainees.  They will all eat together at one of our elder's homes.  Leanna and I are taking supper on Thursday night.  I still have to feed my family all week though, and feed the young men (and my family) substantial breakfast and bedtime snacks, and so I have the longest grocery list ever!

I really like my preprinted shopping lists.  In case you don't know what I am talking about, I have two different lists that I typed on my computer.  One is a Walmart/Sam's list, and the other is a Kroger/Sam's list.  I have Sam's listed on both lists because sometimes my Sam's shopping is my once a month stock up (on the Walmart/Sam's list), and sometimes it is a shorter list of produce (on the Kroger/Sam's list).
I keep these lists taped inside our pantry door, and I highlight items as we run out of them.  When I am ready to make my final list, I take the lists down, replace them with a new one for the next week or month, and finish highlighting and adding things to the list.  Each list has all of the items that I commonly buy, week after week, month after month.  I have my Kroger list items in order that I see them as I walk through the store.  They are making some changes in the arrangement of my Kroger right now (integrating the organic products throughout the store instead of leaving them as they are--in their own little section……which I am not happy about, and I kindly told the store manager this!), so I will have to retype my list when they are through moving things around!

My to do list today includes running 5 miles, paying bills, preparing other items to mail, working in my garden, and then the major shopping.  I better get back to work!

Happy Thursday!