hello monday|eleven

hello  Monday Mugshots.  Marco and I have been wanting to try a local coffee shop that we pass on a daily basis, but just never had the time or kept forgetting about until the opportunity had passed. We live right near downtown Riverside (by the Mission Inn, in fact) and I've been wanting to get to know more of the local eateries and shops.  So today, we stopped in after dropping the kids off at school.  I love it when Marco has Mondays free.

I wish I would've asked for the latte in a nice big mug, but I didn't think about it until later.  We enjoyed our coffees as well as a breakfast croissant.

hello regular menu planning.  Yes. You read that right. I am back to writing out a weekly menu in hopes that it will help with our budget and grocery shopping as well as bringing back some structure to meal time and MINIMIZE some of the stress of knowing what I am going to cook each day.  I've been putting lots of my pinned recipes to use too!

Marco and I try to have a date of some sort once a week and we go out as a family once a week (usually Sundays after church).  The rest is home cooking.  Our schedules - like most of yours - are crazy busy and all over the place.  The menu planning has helped so much already.  I don't know why I ever let myself fall out of the routine of it!

hello fresh strawberries and summer fruit. One of my favorite things about the warmer weather is that it makes us crave lighter, fresher meals.  More fruit, more salads and more grilling sounds great to me!

hello elementary school open house. I'm looking forward to this years open house at the two little ones' school.  Although I am there helping during the week, I always love it when our kids proudly walk us around the room to show off their hard work.

hello new bible study. We start the second part of our Luke study today and it will last for 8 weeks.  I have been leading a small group on facebook for sometime and have enjoyed the challenge and accountability it has offered.  Learning new things every day...

hello good friday and resurrection sunday!  I have much to be thankful for and am so glad for this holy week. Lord help me to focus on Your grace and mercy... Your unconditional love and sacrifice...

Marco and I enjoying a coffee at Back to the Grind. They have a  "leave one , take one" book program. Isn't that great?

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince