Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Gratituesday: Kidless

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We didn’t plan it. Somehow it just happened.

Our two oldest boys headed out for a mission trip with our church youth group. Our two youngest boys stayed back with grandparents after Memorial Day festivities. That leaves us at home with exactly…zero children.

None. No kids. At our house. For four days.

Whatever shall we do with ourselves? ;)

We’ll likely spend our time balancing work on big projects (Matt painting the house, me writing away on a new ebook and eCourse) with sitting and relaxing together. We may actually have conversations that don’t end with dangling paragraphs left unfinished.

I’m pretty sure I have no idea how to cook for just two people. I am quite certain the house is way too quiet. And the laundry pile? It is freakishly small.

But this gift of time is one that we’ll cherish together while our kids are having a blast away from home. Then, come Friday, we will welcome all the noise back into our house, along with a week’s worth of mission trip laundry, extra kids to feed (cousins are coming!), and a mad dash to get our oldest straight off to Leadership Camp.

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My Weekend Baking/Cooking Marathon

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Some people soak in the tub. Some play a sport. Some read a book. Me? When I am worn out and need some refreshment, I find that cooking is just the pick-me-up I need.

Okay, yes – sometimes cooking is the last thing I want to do and passing out on my bed of pillows and quilty comfort is all I want. I’m not that tireless (or crazy). But over the weekend, travel weary though I was, I couldn’t stop myself from running into the kitchen to get some recipes made ahead for the coming weeks. I think it had something to do with the fact that I had suffered some kitchen withdrawal while being out of our home for eight days. And it may have had something to do with the fact that we’d eaten a few too many fast food french fries on our way home. Therefore I felt the need to grind flour, toss salads, and slice strawberries.

Anyway, I was magnetically pulled into the kitchen on Friday afternoon. I stood there for hours – cooking and baking and having a blast.  And then I passed out on my bed of pillows and quilty comfort long before my family went to bed. (They, of course, were playing a lively game of soccer in the living room with their Dad because they are all of the “some play a sport” variety of refreshment seekers. Yes, the ball was soft. Yes, one picture did get knocked off the wall. No, I don’t care. Yes, I slept through it all.)  But back to my kitchen time which happened before I passed out on the pillows.

I changed my plan just a little bit from the original list I shared on Friday. I was thrilled with what I accomplished in just a few hours and now have lots of healthy, prepared food ready to grab and serve. I hate that some of these pictures are ugly. Raw egg casseroles just don’t look pretty. They can’t help it. Bless their heart.

I started my marathon by getting several pounds of Turkey Sausage cooking in a pot. 

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While it was cooking, I started mixing up Giant Breakfast Cookies. I decided to make the Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookie variety since we loved those so much last time I made them.

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While the cookies were baking and while the turkey sausage was cooking, and while Justus chopped tomatoes for dinner (irrelevant to this post, but hey, there are tomatoes in the following picture) – I mixed up two Easy Breakfast Casseroles. As soon as the sausage was done, I stirred some into the casseroles. I put the casseroles into the freezer with a note to add cheese before baking. (I didn’t feel like grating any that night, what can I say?)

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Remember how Asa made a batch of no-bake cookies a few weeks ago, and it turned into Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola, so I posted the recipe? Well, this time, I made the granola and it threatened to turn into no-bake cookies. The nerve! I just smooshed it all into a platter and we’ve been breaking off pieces to eat all weekend. I think I should maybe bake it in the oven for a little while to crisp it up. Maybe I’ll do that later this week.

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Somewhere in there, the family came in to help me finish making dinner, I got out my Whole Wheat Quick Mix to make the crust for a Fruit Pizza (which we ate the following day), and I mixed up a double batch of Pancake Sausage Muffins. Shucks, I had the turkey sausage fresh and ready after all. And by the way, I referenced my Oh, For Real: Real Food, Real Family, Real Easy book about twenty times during this cooking session. Hope you’re loving your copy as much as I am enjoying and using mine!

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After dinner, I decided to go ahead and make a triple batch of Chicken Patty Sandwiches. I figured if I just got it done, I could then get the kitchen all clean and not worry about finishing my list the following day. We had fresh spinach from our garden, so I decided to grind some up and throw it into these sandwiches along with the carrots, onions, garlic, and chicken. 

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I ended up with 31 Chicken Patties for the freezer – full of all kinds of veggies and deliciousness. Unfortunately, I was on about sandwich number 27 before I remembered that I had not added one egg to the mixture. Ah well – the patties turned out great anyway. (And now you know that you can make this Chicken Patty Sandwich recipe without eggs and with spinach. Awesome.)

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Once all the food cooled, I bagged it, labeled it, stuck it in the freezer, loaded the dishwasher, started it, (took my vitamins, brushed my teeth, yada yada) and went to bed. My hair smelled a bit like a fried chicken patty sandwich – the kind with no eggs and fresh spinach.

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Menu Plan for the Week

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Well, the past two weeks have been abnormal around here when it comes to menu planning. This week? Still weird. In fact, every week this summer will be just a little bit different from our normal school year routine. 

We’ve got kids in and out all summer heading to camps, mission trips, more camps, and grandparents. Sometimes we’ll have three boys at home, sometimes just two, sometimes zero, and often we’ll have all four boys plus their cousins, neighbors, and friends too.

Did you follow that? Neither did I. I’m just sayin’ that planning a menu each week this summer might be a little difficult. Well, planning it may not be that hard. Following it is another story.

Here’s what is kinda sorta on our menu this week:

Sunday, May 26
Granola, fruit
Tuna sandwiches with lettuce and tomatoes, carrots, grapes, apples
Pizza with family

Monday, May 27
Pancakes, cantaloupe
Hamburgers on the grill, potato salad, veggies, cake and homemade ice cream
Dinner on the road

Tuesday, May 28
Sweet pepper, spinach, and mushroom omelets, clementines
Chicken salad in whole wheat pitas, tomatoes, pears
Steak on the grill, asparagus, watermelon

Wednesday, May 29
Whole wheat waffles, strawberries, whipped cream
Black bean salsa with organic corn chips, fruit salad
Crock pot chicken tacos

Thursday, May 30
Creamy orange cooler, fried eggs
Salmon patties, tossed salad
Cheeseburger macaroni, peas

Friday, May 31
Breakfast burritos, blueberries, oranges
 Chicken Patty Sandwiches with lettuce and tomatoes, baby carrots, watermelon
Pizza casserole, tossed salad

Saturday, June 1
Pineapple mango smoothies, toast
Leftovers
Pigs in a blanket, steamed broccoli and carrots, cantaloupe, strawberries

I am loving our warmer weather and the food that comes with it! Hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. :)

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Our Family Service Trip Journal: Day 2 – Handing Out Food to 100 Families

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Two days before we were to leave for Colorado, we still did not have plans worked out for Day 2 (Friday). Eek! It’s not like we hadn’t tried. In fact, we had emailed several ministries that we knew of in the Denver area. Answers kept coming back like, “Sorry, we don’t have anything available for you to do that day” or “We have a minimum volunteer age of 10” or “We are closed only one day each year – and the day you are coming just happens to be the day.”

Seriously. Doors closed one after another. We weren’t worried though. We figured those doors had closed because God had something else in mind for our family that we just hadn’t figured out yet. We continued to pray for direction.

We finally heard of a ministry run by a church in downtown Denver. They offer free groceries for low income and homeless families, available for pick-up on guess which day? Friday, of course. Could they use our help? Yes, they sure could. Perfect.

We showed up just after 8:00 in the morning. Food was being unloaded and sorted. We introduced ourselves and were put right to work. Malachi was put in charge of setting out shoes. (They offer free clothing too, not just groceries!)

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Mountains and mountains of lettuce, potatoes, breads, eggs, canned goods, granola bars, and so much more were brought out and organized on tables. We put our boys’ muscles to work. I can’t believe how much they enjoyed the jobs they were given to do. We all did! I think it may have had to something to do with the fact that we were dealing with food and obviously – we love food. Even when we aren’t the ones eating it.  It felt great to be working hard at a task that would bless so many families. This church group is really meeting a need in their area each week. We were so blessed to be a part of it.

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Right before doors were opened to hand out the groceries, we were all put in charge of “stations.” We were to replenish the supplies of food at our table, letting each person know, “You can pick one of these, fifteen of these, three of these…”

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Asa was thrilled because he got to have his first “real” conversation in Spanish. He and Justus have been studying it for two years. A man from Honduras came through the food line, and Asa struck up a conversation with him. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more –  Asa or our new spanish speaking friend. (Of course, then the man assumed that the mother of the spanish speaking child also knew spanish. I hated to disappoint him!) 

After several hours, doors were closed, leftover food was put away, and we were able to help clean up for the day. All throughout the day, the boys kept saying to me, “This is so much fun” and “I really like doing this.” Ah yes, just like we had told them as we prepared:  Serving others is such a joy when you do it with a Christ-like attitude.

We left that day tired, yet completely energized by the people we worked with and for. Our prayer is that those we were with felt equally blessed. 

Stay tuned for more details of our trip!

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Want to Follow Along While I Have a Baking Marathon?

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Since we just got home from a big trip, I’m finding that I don’t have a lot of ready-made foods on hand. It’s only 71° today (super nice!) and the temps are supposed to start creeping up during the next few days. Therefore, I decided to have a spur of the moment baking/cooking marathon before my kitchen gets too hot. In other words: Look out, kids. I’m getting ready to dirty lots of dishes for you to wash.

I’ll take pictures to post Saturday so that I can share how this goes. 

Here’s what I have in mind to make, based on what I have on hand in my freezers, fridge, and pantry:

I’ll either make all of it, some of it, other stuff instead, or all of the above. How’s that for being non-committal?

Doing any extra cooking this weekend? Or are you traveling instead?

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Our Family Service Trip Journal: Day 1 – SEVENS Ministry

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After eight days on the road, we are now home. Bags are unpacked (mostly). Pictures are uploaded. Now I can finally find the time to tell you all the details of our family service trip to Colorado!

First I wanted to tell you a little bit about how this trip came to be. With the idea in mind that we, as a family of six, would take a mission trip somewhere, sometime – we began to pray together about a year and a half ago about where and when God would send us. While we waited for answers and direction, each time Matt had the opportunity to do an extra job for someone (painting, repairing, building, etc.) he and the boys would head out to work on the project together. The money they earned from each of these jobs went into a special account, reserved especially for our Family Mission Fund.  (Avon and Margaret, you’ll be happy to know that your projects were among those that helped make this trip possible. Thank you!!)

About six months ago, Matt and I sat down to look at the calendar and to narrow down some options based on where we felt God was leading us. Because of holidays, family events, summer camps, basketball season, and two soccer seasons (spring and fall), we had exactly one open week during the entire year of 2013. That very week, we had a wedding to attend in the Denver area. What if, we decided, our family service trip took us to Denver?

Long story short, God just took it from there. He orchestrated every single detail, put in place service opportunities on just the right days we needed them, and absolutely knocked our socks off with His goodness and plans for us. In addition, He helped prepare our hearts and gave us guidance as we prepared our kids to take a trip like this. Learning to be selfless? Remembering that what we were heading out to do was meant to be an encouragement to others – and that blessing others would be a blessing for us as well? This is what we talked often to our boys about in the weeks leading up to the trip.

For the next few posts, I’ll detail each day of our trip (with some other posts sprinkled in). Everytime I share the details about our trip with a friend, I find myself spilling out excited words faster than my mouth can say them. To say that this trip was amazing is an understatement. God made this experience incredible for our family, and we pray that those we were in contact with were blessed by our family even more.

We arrived in the Denver area last Wednesday. (We were able to stay with friends every night but one, which was wonderful.)  Thursday, we got up and headed to Boulder to meet our college friends Benny and Niki. (Like how I didn’t say, “Old college friends?” C’mon. We are all totally young.)

Benny and Niki operate the SEVENS ministry – sharing God’s love with street people in Boulder. They feed them, talk to them, listen to them, and pray with them. They give them new socks, bottles of water, and daily do whatever they feel God leading them to do for these people. 

We began our day with them by taking everything out of one of their SEVENS storage closests so that it could be reorganized. 

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Items in boxes were sorted and put away for easier access: hand warmers, socks, backpacks, food items, sleeping bags, and much more. 

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Because he was the lightest among us, Malachi was given the job of climbing on top of the fridge to place a bag of socks for storage on a high shelf. Now that’s not something a kid gets to do everyday. :)

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Our kids, along with two of Benny and Niki’s kids, filled backpacks with socks so that they can take them downtown to hand out at a later date.

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Once the closet was finished, we made an assembly line to fill gallon-sized zipper bags with items like water, socks, granola bars, applesauce, and other snacks. They will keep these on hand for later needs.

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All jobs finished and cleaned up, we all headed out for a late lunch on the Pearl Street Mall. This is the area where Benny spends most of his street ministry time. After lunch, we were able to meet some of the street people who have become friends with the Nowells, listen to street performers, and walk the area to learn more about the ministry. 

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It was a tremendous blessing to our family to spend the day working with and learning from the Nowells. I didn’t see how any of our other service days could be as rich as this one. As it turns out, God had much more in store for us…

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Pineapple Mango Smoothies (No Sugar Added – Dairy Free Option)

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This Pineapple Mango Smoothie is more refreshing that you can imagine. Mmmm!

High Five Recipes 2

We were on our way home from Kansas City after a weekend event our boys had participated in. The event had been awesome, our boys had done great, and we were all flying high. Except for Asa (our 15 year old) and me. It appeared that the two of us were coming down with the flu. Our throats hurt, our chests burned, and we both began to get feverish. Our eyes were red and achy. Our heads pounded.

(Great story so far, eh?)

We were both a little bit hungry, although nothing really sounded good to eat. We had packed food, but all of it seemed too difficult to eat. Funny how the normally simple act of chewing takes so much energy when you’re sick. All I could think of was, “I just want a smoothie.” (Well, and “I just want my bed.” But out on the interstate, a few hours from home, that was not an option.)

Matt, bless his heart, was determined to find his feverish bride a smoothie. We finally managed to find a place that had some decent options (without too many funky, sugary ingredients). I chose a pineapple mango variety and aside from the fact that it was cold and made my chills just a little bit more miserable – I had never enjoyed a smoothie more. It was so refreshing. It was just what Asa and I needed. We slept the rest of the way home.

Asa and I are all better now. In fact, this all happened a couple of months ago. But ever since, I’ve been craving a Pineapple Mango Smoothie. I typically make my smoothies with berries – which we love. But the refreshment that comes from pineapple, mango, and orange juice all blended up in a glass? I knew I needed to recreate this treasure.

It’s not hard to make – you just need five simple ingredients. Add a little maple syrup or stevia if it’s not sweet enough for you. We think it’s sweet enough as is. Coconut milk makes it taste great and offers a dairy free option if you need it. We like it with plain, whole milk yogurt. I think I may make these every single day this summer.

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Pineapple Mango SmoothieYum

Pineapple Mango Smoothies (No Sugar Added - Dairy Free Option)
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups frozen mango chunks
  • 1½ cups frozen pineapple chunks
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 2 cups plain yogurt or coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor together.
  2. Blend until smooth.

Pineapple Mango Smoothie

What’s your favorite fruit smoothie combination?  For the record, I don’t recommend getting the flu before trying this. It’s much more fun to eat when you can hold your head up off the pillow.

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How to Teach Kids to Save

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The following is a guest post from Sara.

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In Proverbs 22:6, the Bible tells us very specifically to: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The Bible wants parents to teach their children the ways of the world – including how to make smart money choices. Teaching children to save and spend wisely is essential to raising healthy kids, as it leads to smarter financial choices when they’re older.

Responsibility Leads to Reward

Children can be earning what they receive. In the adult world, in order to collect money, you have to work hard for it. This reality is sometimes overlooked by parents, who simply want to provide their children with what they need and want. In order to prepare children for the future, make sure they understand they’ll also need to work hard for new items and money.

Set up a weekly allowance for your kids. Designate some chores to your child and let them know they’ll receive their allowance at the end of the week. Much like a job, your child will be required to do well, in order to receive their paycheck on payday.

Make Saving Fun

Children may want to run right to the candy store to spend their money, so it’s your job to remind them that saving their funds will result in more expensive items. The first step in creating a smart saver is to make saving a fun and creative experience. You may want to paint a piggy bank or old jar with your child. They can store their money here and watch as it fills to the top.

When children are saving for something specific, the process becomes a lot more fun. Ask your child what they really want, like a new computer or tablet. These items aren’t cheap and will require that your child saves for a long time. When their jar does become full, take them to purchase the item or to the bank to make a deposit into their account.

The bank is a fun place for children to learn about money. Bank tellers often keep small candies and suckers to give to children, making the trip rewarding. If this is your child’s first visit to the bank, don’t be afraid to ask the teller to introduce themselves and explain what they do. This is also a great time to explain how interest works and how money grows slowly in the bank, so it’s worth it to save for a long time.

The Big Payoff

Shopping is the big payoff, because it’s the time kids finally get to spend some of the cash they’ve been saving. Your child has worked hard, saved enough, and is finally ready to make a purchase. At this point, you can teach good shopping habits. Introduce children to the world of coupons. They’ll begin to see how a single coupon can result in hundreds of dollars in savings.

Finally, when your child has scrimped and saved for an item, they’re more likely to take better care of it. This is your big payoff. You’ve been a really great parent by teaching your kids the value of a dollar. Now they’re being more respectful to their possessions. Plus, they’ll be ready to start saving for something else right away!

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Gratituesday: Better Than a Cruise

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We could have saved up for a cruise. We could have taken our kids to a theme park. And shucks, maybe we will do one or both someday. But after the week we have experienced, I’m not sure anything could compare to the fun we’ve had, the memories we’ve made, and the blessings we’ve received.

Since last Wednesday, we have been hitting various places in the Denver area and in Colorado Springs, serving in various ministries as God opened doors for us. We’re still not home, and therefore I’m not able to sit down and write out all of the details yet.

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Yes, Malachi is wearing a vanilla wafer box (helmet?) on his head. Who says serving isn’t tons of fun?!

We have learned so much, have met so many wonderful people, and have reacquainted with many that we haven’t seen in years. We have had experiences we never could have had in our small town, seen sites and people that have made our hearts hurt, and been able to serve in ways that have brought us so much joy.

Beyond ministry opportunities, we were blessed to attend the wedding of one of the ladies on our YC soccer team. On the walk from the ceremony to the reception, we turned around and saw two young ladies that we haven’t seen for way too long. I admit it. I cried. We LOVE these girls. By the way:  The one in the purple dress? I was her first grade teacher. Yep, taught that girl to read, I did. A few billion years later, she’s all grown up and I have four big kids. Great times.

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Okay, that’s all I have time to share right now! I have loads of pictures, and thousands of words to share with you about this trip. Details are coming in a few days. I can’t thank God enough for this trip. His goodness constantly amazes me. How good it is to be a part of His family!

Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for! Please read through the Gratituesday Guidelines so that you understand what kinds of posts you can link up to share here. Posts that are linked but do not fit our Gratituesday theme will be deleted.

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday, please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

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What I Served at Bunco Last Week

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It just so happened that I was scheduled to host my 11 Bunco friends last week the day before leaving for our trip. With lots to do before taking off, I decided I’d better keep refreshments super simple. You know, because otherwise I would have done something really fancy and elaborate. (Yeah, right.)

As I was putting out the spread, I thought all the colors looked so pretty. And so, out came the camera.

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Here’s what I made:

It was easy, fun, and yummy. What are your favorite snack foods to serve at a get-together?

 

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