Joyfully Thriving

Grace-Filled Frugal Living

How to Make Freezer Apple Pie Filling & Apple Pie Kits

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How to Make Apple Pie Filling for the Freezer - What a great idea! I love homemade apple pie and love how easy it is to freeze apple pie filling. Great idea!

I like all forms of desserts but chocolate is my favorite. As for my husband, Andy? He will chose apple pie for his dessert of choice any day. Not just any apple pie, mind you, but his Mom's apple pie. This was one recipe that I was quick to learn as a new bride! Andy chose his favorite dessert wisely because it really is a delicious apple pie. This is really a 3 in 1 post today because there are so many ways to make this homemade apple pie. You can follow the directions and make a fresh apple pie with crumb topping any time you like. The crumb topping is part of what makes this pie so … Read More...

A Fall Family Update

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I held a sleeping Lily as I started typing this post because I realized these days are slipping away too quickly. I look at Nathan and realize that your own children do grow up so quickly. Here is a look at our growing family this Fall. Lily turns 7 months this week and is still as happy as can be. I thought our other babies were happy until she came along! Lily has an instant smile ready for anyone who makes eye contact with her. She still does prefer being held by Mom but also loves playing in her exosaucer which is a huge help when I need to cook dinner. Her first 2 teeth finally … Read More...

When You Can’t Keep Seem to Keep Up

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Encouragement for those days when you feel overwhelmed and can't seem to keep up with life around you.

Anyone else feeling overwhelmed and like you can't seem to keep up with life? You too? Oh good. Because I am definitely overwhelmed with all there is to do right now. There is the never ending chore list, baskets of laundry, meals to prepare, grocery shopping to be done, children to care for, and work responsibilities to complete. I seem to be going from the moment I wake up each morning and as soon as I cross something off my list, I add two more things in its place. It's the beginning of a new month and so I made my monthly to do list. Here's a glance at my October List. (Please realize … Read More...

Best Musical Books for Children

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Best Musical Books for Children - Love this list! Love starting with musical books for babies and beyond!

I love reading to my children. I love singing to my children. Books that allow me to do both? These are my favorite! I love when we can read and sing together - and my kids love it too. I've shared our favorite rhyming books and now it's time to share our favorite musical books for children.  Noticing how much my children enjoyed musical books had me searching for more. I'll be honest that the search has taken me longer than I anticipated! It is actually a challenge to find musical books that are written with the exact lyrics we sing. Thanks to Amazon and our local library, I am slowly … Read More...

The 12 Best Things to Buy at Aldi

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I love Aldi! Here are the top 12 things to buy at Aldi and 3 more things to skip.

I love Aldi! Who else is with me? Aldi is one of the best places for a frugal shopper to buy groceries. I've been shopping there regularly for the past year since we've moved closer to an Aldi. Through lots of price comparison and shopping trips, I've finally compiled my list of the dozen absolute best things to buy at Aldi.  I should share that although I love Aldi, I do regularly shop at Meijer and Kroger. I shop the sales at Kroger and Meijer to save a lot of money! Aldi has better every day low prices but the sales at Kroger and Meijer top many Aldi prices. I don't mind grocery shopping … Read More...

Delicious Baked Oatmeal

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Nothing says fall like a hot breakfast of oatmeal. I like oatmeal for breakfast but I tend to eat it most in the fall and winter. My favorite way to eat oatmeal is actually in this simple and delicious baked oatmeal recipe. I have shared this recipe with many people over the years, on the blog and off, and it is always enjoyed. The amazing thing about baked oatmeal is that even kids like it, and the same can't always be said for regular oatmeal! You'll have to let me know what you think of it. Our family likes baked oatmeal so much that we always double the recipe to make a 9x13 pan. … Read More...

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