Heavenly Homemakers | Page 139 of 444 | Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

What If Change Can Be a Good Thing?

June 3, 2016 by Laura 6 Comments

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A few weeks ago I did a phone interview for an upcoming online Christian Homeschool Summit. I wasn’t very sure of myself going into it and questioned why I had actually said “yes” to the invitation. Sure I’ve been homeschooling for over 14 years. But all that’s really taught me is that I have a lot to learn. Share my knowledge with others? What knowledge??

Therefore, I decided I needed to pray before starting this interview (because I hear that works sometimes). I asked God to let the Spirit work and for my words to be from Him.

What happened is that one of the questions I answered ended up being exactly what I needed to hear – and I realized immediately that the Spirit was indeed at work. After all, I was sharing words of truth that I had not clearly recognized before. It was this:

Always be open to change. Just because it has worked well for your family in the past doesn’t mean it will continue to work well now. Seasons change. Family needs change. Kids get older. Commitments and ministries and obligations and activities evolve through the years. If something that has been working for you suddenly is not working – that doesn’t necessarily mean you are doing something wrong. It might simply mean that it’s time to switch things up to make them work differently. To make them work better.

I very much needed to hear those words. It’s crazy how that prayer thing works.

What if change can be a good thing?

I’ve needed to embrace this truth as our kids have gotten older. My current parenting and teaching teenagers while working from home full time stage is different from my parenting and teaching little boys stage. Sometimes it feels harder. But what if it isn’t? What if it means that I’m trying to work with a system that used to work but no longer works? What if it means I need to make some adjustments?

Change can be hard. But what if some of the adjustments are slight and not even as hard as I think they’ll be?

And what if change doesn’t have to be hard? What if change is good? What if change brings peace?

If we are truly listening to the Spirit and letting God guide us with His perfect wisdom, what do we even have to fear? Anxiety and peace cannot coexist. Do we trust God or are we relying on self?

I love God so much. I love how gentle He is about drawing me back every time I slip back into worry and anxiety mode. I get so frustrated with myself because “I’ve done it again.” But God. He’s not even shaking His head at me. He’s just gently loving me as I once again surrender to seek Him better and to find confidence in His guidance.

I’m taking time this summer to pray and seek God’s guidance toward any changes I need to make in how I manage my time and energy. After all, I hear that prayer thing works sometimes.

Something fun for you

Not that caterpillars aren’t adorable (and fuzzy and squishy) and a wonderful part of God’s creation, but my preference is to enjoy these creatures once they’ve made their transformation into a butterfly. What if?? What if change for you and me can be like that? What if we’re fine(ish) as we are, but God has more for us? What if He wants to transform us, leading us through changes that make our lives into something more beautiful?

Cheesy illustration? Sure. But I like butterflies and the transformation they represent. I like how butterflies prove that change can be good!

Free printable butterfly coloring pages

I recently discovered that I enjoy Grown-Up Coloring Pages. I created these butterfly-themed pages, complete with Scripture Truth about how we can completely trust God through any changes and transformations He walks us through.

Help yourself! Consider these scriptures and the truth they represent about how we can and should trust our loving Father.

Download the Butterfly Truth Coloring Pages here

Leave a comment to share about a time you experienced a good change.

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Want an update on how my new organizational binder is (or is not) helping me?

June 1, 2016 by Laura 10 Comments

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A few weeks ago, I started doing this radical thing called “write stuff down so I don’t forget” in a never-heard-of-before item called an “organizational binder.”

I know. I’m one of the first to do it. This type of thing has never been done before. No one has ever heard of it. Planners? Calendars? What even are these?

Sarcastic much, Laura?

You know what? You people who have been doing this list thing since you learned to write words? You just laugh all you want. I’ve always been a “write-it-down” rebel. I’ve never wanted to be tied down to any list. Lists stress me out – as if writing it down means that I’ve failed if for some reason I can’t cross it off at the end of the day. There were too many days I’d leave too many items unfinished and un-crossed off. Boo.

So instead I just kept my 40,000 item to-do list trapped in my head, swirling around, all day long. This is the main reason I’d stare blankly at my children when they’d ask about having friends over on Friday. In order to answer, the file cabinet in my brain had to pull out several drawers, and then the brain papers scattered, which means I provided several different facial expressions before I’d finally answer the can I have friends over on Friday question with put them in the pantry when you’re finished answer.

What? My kids are used to it.

But enough is enough, so finally a few weeks ago I began to get better about writing down the absolutes of my schedule. I printed all my favorite organization pages from the Homemaking Bundle and put them together in a cute binder. I didn’t want to hate my lists, so I did this instead:

If it has a day attached to it (such as Hannah’s reception, 2:00 Saturday, April 30) I write that down on the specific day. I’d already been doing some of that, because even I have understood the importance of writing those kinds of details on a calendar.
If it doesn’t have a day attached to it but is only an I hope to get this done sometime before Malachi graduates in 2023, I write it on a general list. After all, if I wrote it on Monday and didn’t accomplish it on Monday, then I’d be mad at my list and we’d be right back where we started.

You never knew I was so high maintenance did you?

How’s my new organizational binder treating me, you ask?

Splendid, I’d say. (Channeling my inner Mary Poppins there. Or was it Bert? Whatever. I’ll add look up who used the word splendid on my never ending to-do list. Oh, no, wait. I remember. It was Mr. Banks. Okay, moving on.)

As I begin each day, I write down the must-do’s and the hope-to-do’s in my binder – in separate sections. As they come to me, I jot down meal ideas on the meal planning page. As I think of recipes I want to try to invent and posts I want to write, I write them on a different list.

Now if my kids say, “Can I have friends over on Friday?” I look on the calendar and say, “Yes. We’re free.” This isn’t nearly as much fun as telling them to put their friends in the pantry, but it is more efficient.

Here’s the truth about my organizational binder that I finally recognize and why I can stop being a “write-it-down” rebel:

My planner doesn’t own me.

I own my planner.

So what if I write down an idea based on a plan I have for the day or the week, but other needs arise and I don’t get it all done? Who even cares? I only need to do what I do. Not getting all of it done isn’t a symptom of failure – it’s a reality of life.

Words on paper mean nothing (unless it’s the Bible or like a marriage certificate or something, but you know what I mean). But the simple act of writing down all the to-do’s and getting them out of my swirling head has truly been helpful. I shall continue this revolutionary idea of writing lists in planners.

Maybe you all should try it sometime. No pressure.

Are you a writer-downer? Or do you tell your kids to put their friends in the pantry?

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The Time Matt and I Talked About What Dating Should Look Like For Us (Plus, You Could Win a “Date Night!”)

June 1, 2016 by Laura 124 Comments

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A few weeks ago, we discussed dating in marriage. (And by we I mean you and me, not Matt and me.) Remember that?

Let's Talk About Dating

I loved this discussion because it was so good for me to hear what so many of you are doing to keep your marriage strong. That so many are being intentional, recognizing that a marriage relationship doesn’t take care of itself without two people being dedicated to its care – well, it blessed me to hear your thoughts.

And then, without warning, I became discouraged.

What is it about hearing what others are doing that can sometimes make us feel that we aren’t doing enough or doing it right? Why, when we hear what works for others, do we sometimes choose to feel bad if that very thing isn’t working for us?

Good grief. I know better. But shoot. Some of you actually have dates with your spouse every single week. You’re super creative with your time together. You’ve found fantastic ways to fit dating into your schedule. Even better – it is an actual, non-negotiable part of your weekly schedule. And then there’s Matt and me. We rarely find time for dates, struggle to create alone time, often have unfinished conversations.

So does this mean that surely our marriage is doomed and that we, as a couple, must be a complete mess?

Oh, for real.

my heart

There’s no doubt we will always have room for improvement in our relationship. Sometimes we struggle. Sometimes we don’t communicate well. We’ll continue to go through various seasons in and levels of busyness in life. Sometimes there is more time to connect, and sometimes we need to be more creative.

It is so important to recognize that what works for one might not work for another. It’s also so very important to be open to learn and willing to grow. That’s why I loved this dating discussion with you. I learned. I was encouraged (I mean, at first, you know, until I got silly and let myself feel inferior to your awesomeness).

So then I did what I should have done in the first place. I talked to my husband about it.

I’d been praying about this area in our marriage – simply because we are very, very busy and are very involved with several ministries and all of our kids’ stuff and all of our work – and I’d been feeling too much of a disconnect between the two of us lately. Like we’d been spending time together but not really spending time together, you know? So here’s what we did, and brace yourself – maybe even prepare yourself to take notes – because this date suggestion is one for the books:

I hopped in his truck with him while he headed to the gas station to fill his gas cans with fuel for his lawn mowers.

You guys.

He in his grease-stained work clothes. Me in…probably something that didn’t match. Gasoline fumes all around us. It was, quite obviously, the ten minutes of date time I had been longing for.

We discussed and decided that this is where it’s at for us right now: stealing away for a few moments whenever we can even if it doesn’t look pretty. Matt knew the dating topic had been on my mind for a while so in between gas can fill-ups he said, “Define date.” And I was like, “This. Going to the gas station with you. Doing anything with you. I don’t even care. We don’t need to spend any money on dates, ever. I just want us to figure out how we can have more time together focused on each other.”

Ironically – the very week after this discussion, not one but two families randomly blessed us with “thank you gifts” in the form of gift certificates to local restaurants. Um, hi God.

We definitely decided we would have to be intentional about this each week since no two weeks ever look the same for us. It is best for us to look at our days as each new week begins and figure out together when we can block out time during the week for a “date.” Honestly, sometimes this means something as simple as sitting in the van alone together after we’ve arrived home from a family activity. (Mom? Dad? You guys coming? Nope.) And sometimes it means we actually dress in something cute and go to a restaurant to order something yummy.

What if it doesn’t have to be normal? What even is normal anyway?

After our most recent restaurant gift certificate date, Matt grabbed his flashlight as we got back into the van. “Would you mind heading over to the property where I’ve been working and holding the flashlight for me while I go down into the crawl space to access the damage? I kind of need to get that done so I can turn in an estimate.”

I giggled because, this. This is our normal.

I sure do love my hard working guy. So what if our date time looks different from your date time and your date time looks different from our date time? Either way, I still love hearing what you are doing. I love getting new ideas, and most importantly, I love hearing about couples being intentional about their relationship. I think the point is that we look at our individual marriages with each individual need and we let God lead us in keeping our marriages strong, with His power at work.

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Strawberry Spinach Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing

May 30, 2016 by Laura 7 Comments

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It seems we’re starting off this week with a bit of a strawberry theme. This Strawberry Spinach Salad is a little bit different than the Strawberry Blueberry Parfaits – so feel free to eat them during the same meal.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I’m typically a pretty boring salad maker – as if adding fruit and nuts to salad is difficult (which, of course, it is not). I blame it on the fact that I am a meat-and-potato-farm-girl at heart. I grew up eating the basics. The only way we ate pecans was in pies. Strawberries were made into jelly. And spinach? The only kind I’d heard of was the slimy canned variety – and I didn’t touch it.

Now that I’ve branched out into loving all kinds of different foods (like actual strawberries – you should try them), I figure it might be time for me to try a few different salads beyond the basic kind with mixed greens and ranch dressing. Last week, I was out of mixed greens, but had a big container of spinach and several containers of strawberries. I did a little searching and came across this, which I tweaked and made for our lunch.

It was surprisingly very tasty. (Why was I surprised? I don’t know. Because it wasn’t basic mixed greens with ranch?) The combination of roasted pecans with the strawberries with the easy-to-make dressing packs a great punch of flavor.

Look at me. I’m such a big girl now – eating salads with fruit and nuts and vinaigrette.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Vinaigrette DressingYum

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing

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Author: Laura

Ingredients

6 cups fresh spinach (give or take)
1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced into fourths
¾ cup pecans
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon ground mustard
2 shakes of sea salt

Instructions

In a small saucepan, roast pecans by warming them over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir them frequently to keep them from scorching. (I didn't find it necessary to add any oil to the pan.)
Toss the roasted pecans into a large bowl with spinach and strawberries
In a jar, mix the oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt.
Drizzle dressing over salad just before serving.

Isn’t it pretty?

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing

Are you brave with your salads or do you typically stick with the basics?

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Americana Cheesecake Parfaits (It’s too easy)

May 29, 2016 by Laura 3 Comments

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What happens when you cross a blueberry with a strawberry with cheesecake filling? Red, white, and blue. This is what you have. Regular cheesecake parfait becomes Americana Cheesecake Parfait. Just like that, you’ve created a perfect treat for your holiday.

Strawberry Blueberry Cheesecake Parfaits

I realize it might be too late for you to do this for Memorial Day – unless you happen to have these fine ingredients already in your fridge. I once (last week) bought 18 packages of cream cheese at one time because it was on sale for $1.00 and I couldn’t help myself (obviously). Plus, I frequently bring home 12-16 pounds of berries at once when they are in season and on sale. (No one ever looks at me funny while I’m going through check-out.) Perhaps you also have a fridge full of cream cheese and berries?

If not, you can tuck this recipe away to make when you find these ingredients on sale. After all, it never hurts to make these with no holiday attached. And of course, you’ll want to remember these for the Fourth of July.

The Original Cheesecake ParfaitsYum

About this time last year, I concocted our first Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits. We have since declared this to be the best way to eat fruit. Recently we tried Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits, which are just as amazing.

chocolate cheesecake parfait

Matt and I much prefer this made with stevia. Our boys make a batch for themselves with a little sugar instead. We’ve been eating this and serving this to friends who come over pretty much constantly since berries came back in season a few weeks ago. This is a definite family favorite!

Americana Cheesecake Parfaits

4.0 from 1 reviews

Americana Cheesecake Parfaits (It's too easy)

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Author: Laura

Ingredients

2½ cups heavy whipping cream
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon real maple syrup
Liquid stevia to taste (I use about 20 drops) (Use a few Tablespoons of sugar if you prefer.)
1 -2 pounds fresh, sliced strawberries
1 pint fresh blueberries

Instructions

Place all ingredients (minus the berries) into a blender.
Whip until smooth and creamy.
Spoon mixture into bowls or cups - layering them with blueberries and sliced strawberries.

However are you remembering and celebrating this weekend?

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Special Announcement: They’re $1.00 Now, and Then They’re Gone

May 26, 2016 by Laura 3 Comments

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I have mixed feelings about this one. But seeing how it fits with our $1.00 or less theme this week, I think it’s time to do it.

I’ve been cleaning up my site the past few months, deleting irrelevant posts from back in the early days of this blog. I want to keep everything here fresh and helpful. I want to keep my site user-friendly. So slowly but surely, I’ve been going through the 4,000+ posts I’ve shared here since 2007 – updating them or trashing them or leaving them as they are.

My favorite part of this clean-up work has been coming across pictures like these that I forgot all about. Oh those sweet little boy children of mine.

boys_painting

cowboys

boysbytree2sm2

boys102sm

I could post their pictures for days. But I won’t. The trip down memory lane sure has been fun though. Do you know that my boys were 9, 7, 5 and 2 when I started this blog??? God is so neat. How great to be at this point now – with you as my friends, walking this journey of life with me.

(Of course I’m teary-eyed right now. Did you really need to ask?)

This is a pic we took of our family last week.
The boys are now 18 (almost 19), 16, 14, and 11.

Family at Nebraska City

Well here’s the next thing I need to do as I clean up around here. I need to clean out my shop. Several of those eBooks have been there since the site’s beginnings. Some are still helpful and will stay. Some need to be spruced up and updated. But some need to be gone forever.

This chicken one though. I remember writing it before this site even launched – back when I was dreaming about what I wanted this site to be. I can’t get rid of this one. It’s one from 2007, but it’s staying.

chickencover

I’ve finally made the decision about which eBooks make the cut and which ones don’t. It’s all a little bit too much to post here, so instead I ask that you click over to my Heavenly Homemaker’s Shop to scope it out.

~~The books that are going away, I marked down to $1.00. After this weekend, they’ll be taken out of my shop forever.~~

*UPDATE!* The new shop is here! It looks so pretty!

Visit the Heavenly Homemaker’s Shop here.

Have fun!

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Summer Family Fun ~ Less Than $1.00

May 25, 2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

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Today’s “less than $1.00” theme includes ideas for fun you can have with your family during the summertime. I am so excited to be soaking up the sunshine (free) enjoying food off the grill (yum) and taking a break from formal school work with the kids (summer break rocks). Here are a few ideas for ya:

Free kids activity book

Many of you have this eBook already, but for those who don’t – you can get it free. It contains 101 fun pre-school project ideas – and many of them are great for summertime fun! These ideas all came from you, my readers. We put it together several years ago and it’s a fun one! Since this book is FREE, and many of the activities listed inside are inexpensive to do, this definitely qualifies for our “less than $1.00” theme!

101 Preschool Projects Free Download

Grab this FREE 101 Pre-School Projects book when you sign up to be a part of our Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone!

Homemade Bubble Bath

This Homemade Bubble Bath idea has been on my site since my 14-year old turned 6. Needless to say, this 5’11” teenager with a deep voice doesn’t take bubble baths anymore. But he sure did enjoy this when I made it for him for his birthday 9 years ago. (I wish his birthday gifts were still this inexpensive!)

Homemade Bubble Bath for Pennies

Cook with your kids

Summer can be a great time to teach your kids more cooking skills. Here are a couple of Malachi’s favorite recipes: Homemade Real Food Tootsie Rolls and Easy Crustless Pizza Pie. You can also sign up for a free video series (open through June 6 only) that teaches your kids some basic skills, including how to use knives safely.

Homemade Real Food Tootsie Roll Candy

DIY Bracelets

These Easy Fabric Bracelets are really fun to make (even I can do it!). They cost about 8¢ each. If you have girls in your life, making these bracelets might be fun to craft some hot afternoon.

Quick and Easy Fabric Bracelets

Summer Blessings Printable Cards

You can grab the download for these printable cards here, then print them off to use this summer as you need them.

Summer Blessings Printables

See our other “less than $1.00” ideas that have been shared this week here, here, and here.

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All Chocolate, All the Time, All Less Than $1.00

May 24, 2016 by Laura 1 Comment

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I think we should have a chocolate themed “Less than $1.00” day – wouldn’t you agree?

$1.00 or Less Recipes, Crafts, Gift Ideas, and more!

Chocolate for breakfastYum

I’ll start us off with a breakfast (or snack) recipe that tastes quite a bit like a specialty store-bought granola, but costs much less. This Dark Chocolate Almond Granola is our family’s favorite of all granola options. It costs less than $1.00 per serving!

Tip: Want to make granola this summer, but prefer to leave the oven off as much as possible to avoid heating up the house? Make it with this 5-Minute Stove-Top Granola Making Method. I kind of like cheating and making granola this way. Be sure to wait and add the chocolate pieces after you’ve removed it from the stove. Come to think of it, you could just stir them right in to make a chocolate coating all over the granola. No one would complain, right?

dark_chocolate_almond_granola

Make your own Chocolate Milk Mix!

Follow the recipe for Homemade Chocolate Syrup and not only will you be avoiding high fructose corn syrup, it’ll cost you less than $1.00 for the whole batch. You’ll notice that I wrote that recipe before I began cutting down the sugar quantities in my recipes. Feel free to experiment with using less sugar. I’m sure it will still taste great!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Here’s another variety of chocolate milk mix you might enjoy: Homemade Nesquik! Again, that entire mix can be made for about $1.00. :)

Make Your Own Nesquik

Make your own Frappe

Save a bundle by avoiding the coffee shop and making yourself a Chocolate Frappe at home. A big glass of this definitely costs less than $1.00. You can make this as sweet or as “barely sweet” as you like. I use stevia, but you can use sugar if you prefer.

Healthy Homemade Chocolate Frappe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups?

Yep. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups aren’t necessarily low in sugar, but they are made with healthier ingredients. I only make these every once in a while as a special treat – and they fit the theme because they are less than $1.00!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

See the other “less than $1.00” ideas I shared this week here and here. More “less than $1.00” ideas coming up tomorrow!

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Bread, Recipe Card Craft, Service Ideas, and More – All Less Than $1.00

May 24, 2016 by Laura 2 Comments

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I’ve got more “make it for less than $1.00” ideas for you today! If you missed yesterday’s list of ideas, go check them out. It’s fun sharing all these super inexpensive ideas with you this week!

$1.00 or Less Recipes, Crafts, Gift Ideas, and more!

First, the simplest craft idea ever:

Remember when I posted about how to make these cute Recipe Card Holders? These are incredibly fun and cute and EASY. The cost for each is about 20¢. Read the details here, and read other ideas for how to use these. (They’re not just great for holding recipes!)

recipe card holder6

Want to teach your kids to cook this summer?

The Kids Cook Real Food eCourse will be open next week. But for this week? Sign them up for the go check them out Malachi (our youngest) learned so much from these (and the entire course). Seeing as $FREE$ is much less than even $1.00, go check them out.

Homemade 100% Whole Grain Bread for a Buck

You can’t buy a loaf of 100% Whole Grain bread for $1.00 – or at least I sure can’t. You also can’t beat homemade bread. This Stir-and-Pour Bread recipe is just about as easy as it gets because you don’t even have to knead it. You can make this so quickly!

stir and pour bread loaf 5

Bread Mix in a Jar – Make it for a Gift!

You can either bake some of the Stir-and-Pour Bread to share with someone, or you can follow these directions to make the mix-in-a-jar to give as a gift. Either way, what a fun way to love on someone! You can also use the free printable gift tags (found on this page) to go with your jar.

Stir-and-Pour Bread Mix Gift Jar with Free Printable Gift Tags

More fun bread variations – all for $1.00

Use the basic Stir-and-Pour Bread recipe to make these too:

Watch for more “less than $1.00” ideas coming up tomorrow!

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Favorite Summer Things Giveaway – 2016

May 23, 2016 by Laura 255 Comments

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It’s fun to gather up many of my favorite things and put them all together into one big giveaway. That’s why I’m joining this fun group of bloggers again this year. Enter my giveaway – enter them all! You could win some pretty incredible packages and get to know some great bloggers too. Here’s what the giveaways all look like this year:

Favorite Summer Things

Sweet huh?

If you’re new here, welcome!

If you’ve been hanging out here for a while now, I’m glad you’re here too. :) :) Everyone is invited to join us for these fun features:

You’ll get fun freebies with each of those, plus I’ll keep sending encouragement, deals, and freebies your way.

Here’s what I’m giving away this year to kick off the summer

Take note: Each of these companies were kind enough to sponsor this giveaway!

A “Night Owl” Flexi-Clip from Lilla Rose, valued at $14.00, to keep your hair pulled up off your neck
A Half-Tee Tank from Deborah and Co., valued at $17.99, perfect to wear under sun dresses in the summertime
1/2 pound of Vanilla Beans from Olive Nation, valued at $39.95, so you can get a batch of Homemade Vanilla started for Christmas gifts
Bug Block Stick and BeeSilk Stick from MadeOn, valued at $16.40, to keep the bugs away and your skin soft
Herbal Salve from Apothacary Kids, valued at $11.95, for bumps and scrapes since we’re all outside more during the summer
A Quart of Coconut Oil and a Gallon of Palm Shortening from Tropical Traditions, valued at $64.49, perfect for cooking – plus rub on some coconut oil if you get a sunburn

Total value? Almost $165!!

My giveaway

My Favorite Things Summer Giveaway

Enter here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the other bloggers’ giveaways!

1. Thriving Home // 2. Tried and Tasty // 3. Intoxicated on Life // 4. Nourishing Joy // 5. Happy Home Fairy // 6. The Nourishing Home // 7. Heavenly Homemakers // 8. Keeper of the Home // 9. Living the Nourished Life // 10. The Realistic Mama // 11. Chaos2Peace // 12. Martha Martha // 13. Young Wife’s Guide

Thriving Home

Thriving Home is a food and lifestyle blog where Polly and Rachel strive to encourage moms to thrive in every area of home life. They try to keep it real when it comes to sharing about healthy recipes, raising little people, growing in their faith, freezer cooking and various other topics that motherhood and life may bring their way.

Chaos2Peace

Jennifer and her family live in the South. She and her husband, Fred, have three boys ages 12, 9, and 6, and one unruly dog named Dash. Chaos2Peace is a blog designed to bring peace in the midst chaos by providing organizational tips, menu planning, simple recipes, and a whole lot of laughter. Join us on the blog today as we do life together, one step at a time.

Happy Home Fairy

Julie Brasington is the wife of a South Florida Worship Pastor, mom of 2 busy boys, preschool teacher, and lover of {{dark}} chocolate chips. She is also the creator and author of Happy Home Fairy, a popular blog focusing on encouraging and equipping moms to choose joy on the parenting journey. She shares easy craft ideas, FREE printables, simple recipes, corny jokes, holiday fun, thoughts on raising kids, and honest, heartfelt messages to uplift the weary mama.

Heavenly Homemakers

Laura Coppinger and her husband have four sons ages 11-18. HeavenlyHomemakers.com is dedicated to inspiring women daily with healthy (and easy!) recipes, homemaking tips, spiritual encouragement, and good ol’ clean fun.

The Nourishing Home

The Nourishing Home provides family-friendly gluten-free recipes, free weekly whole food meal plans, helpful cooking tips & techniques, and lots of encouragement to help you in your journey to live a more nourished life.

Tried and Tasty

Tried and Tasty is a recipe website where fun, conversational writing is paired with top notch food photography. Join Yvonne as she warmly welcomes you into her kitchen and shows you how to wow your tastebuds!

header march 2015 The Nourished Life

The Nourished Life is all about approaching health and wellness from a place of balance. Getting healthy should not be another source of stress in your life! We tackle everything from metabolism to body image to emotional wellness to DIY beauty. If you’re ready to break up with stress and body hate, and embrace a healthier approach to, well, being healthy, then our community might be the perfect fit for you.

TRMlogoFINAL The Realistic Mama

The Realistic Mama is a go-to parenting blog that covers a little of everything but always focusing on spending more quality time with your kids. You’ll find parenting encouragement and kids activities but you’ll also find things like easy recipes and even entrepreneurial tips because through these you will then have more time for your family.

Keeper of the Home

Keeper of the Home is a resource for women and families who are striving to be healthy – body, mind, and soul. It covers a wide range of topics from healthy recipes, cleaning practices and self-care. Keeper of the Home is a community of women in all seasons of life. Our inspiration begins with our faith. Stewardship inspires the way that we approach our homemaking. In fact, it’s the foundation of what you’ll find when you pull up a chair, grab a mug of something delicious, and come share this journey with us

Nourishing Joy

Nourishing Joy is dedicated to real food and natural living. We’re on a mission to equip and inspire parents like you with the tools to make intentional, thoughtful decisions that work for YOUR family easy. Or at least easier.

Martha, Martha

Martha, Martha is for busy women looking to live a more productive and peaceful life based on faith in Jesus. Household tips, life strategies, easy recipes and devotions come together as we focus on Jesus’ words to Martha “only one thing is needed.”

Mailchimp Header - YWG Young Wife’s Guide

Jami Balmet has a heart for encouraging women in their roles as homemakers and that what we do every single day matters. She blogs about this passion at Young Wife’s Guide with practical tools, tips, and inspiration for Biblical Homemaking and Christian Living. Come join our community for encouragement and to chat with like-minded women in all seasons and stages of life.

IOL_Header_Design_no_tagline Intoxicated on Life

Intoxicated on Life is a site dedicated to bringing readers quality resources on raising strong families – body, mind, and soul!

These giveaways are open through Monday, May 30 at 12:00am CST. Watch for an email letting you know who the winner is! The winner will have one week to reply to the email and receive her prizes. Some of these links are my affiliate links.

Have fun! Hope you win!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

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