Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

We eat orange cheese again. At least it’s cheese.

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From grass fed beef to raw, organic milk – I’ve had several requests to share my current real food grocery budget priorities. While I’m working on a comprehensive post that breaks it all down, I’ve discovered some important items to note.

First, I shared that I rarely buy Sucanat any more. I explained all my reasons and shared what we’re doing instead here.

Next, I will let you know that I’ve made some changes in the cheese department.

grated cheddar cheese with block

My extensive research tells me that dairy is best when it is:

  • organic
  • hormone free
  • raw
  • full fat

Our family continues to drink raw, organic milk because we have a fabulous source close-by for just $5.00/gallon. It is affordable and our family generally doesn’t drink much milk. But cheese? In this house, the people like their cheese. We eat it in many of our casseroles, on our pizza, in our tacos and quesadillas, and on our scrambled eggs. Plus, the boys like to eat it plain as a snack.

Solving My Cheese Dilemma

For years, I bought a case of Landmark Raw White Cheddar every couple of months from Azure Standard. I love everything about it – except for the price. It’s not at all unreasonable for its quality. But at $5.59/pound, I’ve recently stopped buying it. We eat at least twice as much as we used to, so this is one of the food choices that I compromise on now.

You know what this means right? This means that our cheese isn’t white anymore. Why manufacturers have decided to change the actual color of cheese is beyond me.

cheese

While it might be considered a compromise, I am okay with it because cheese is still real food. This kind isn’t organic. It isn’t raw. But the ingredient label doesn’t make me gag at the store (which I have been known to do on occasion while reading various labels) – so we’re going to stick with this for now. I pick it up in bulk when I find a good price-match. Cheese freezes well, so my freezer door is full-o-cheese.

If you’d like to read more about our Houseful of Teenage Boys Grocery Budget, you’ll find it here. It’s also worth mentioning that we have a son in college and are about to add a second teenage male driver to our monthly car insurance premium (I can’t talk about it). Good food is worth the investment, no doubt! I’m not trading home-cooked meals made with real food ingredients for boxes of poptarts. I’m simply switching some of our pricier real food choices for less expensive real food choices.

The moral of my cheese story:

Just because something works for you now doesn’t mean it will work for you always. Be willing to re-evaluate your family’s situation and needs. But if at all possible, keep your food real. Some things just aren’t worth the compromise.

Tell me about your cheese preferences. Are you forking it over for the good stuff? Or sitting happy with the less-than-perfect-but-still-real-food cheese?

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Simple No-Bake Granola Bar Bites

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No-Bake Granola Bites
This is a non-recipe recipe. This means that you can sub out ingredient for ingredient as you have preferences, allergies, and stock piles. Love flax seeds? Throw ’em in. Can’t have peanut butter? Use the nut butter you like. Prefer maple syrup? Use it instead of honey. Running low on raisins? Oh well. Don’t like chocolate chips?

Wait. Who doesn’t like chocolate chips??

Here’s how this non-recipe works:

  1. Plop 1/2 cup peanut butter (or whatever butter) and 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup) into a bowl. I really do mean plop. Just eye-ball it. An exact 1/2 cup of peanut butter is not necessary here.
  2. Stir in 1 1/3 cups total of whatever dry ingredients you want. Oats, flax, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, chocolate chips, anything else you like.
  3. Scoop the mixture into balls and enjoy.
  4. Store them in the refrigerator.

Here’s the printable version:

Simple No-Bake Granola Bar BitesYum

5.0 from 3 reviews
Simple No-Bake Granola Bar Bites
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • ½ cup peanut butter (or any nut butter)
  • ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup)
  • 1⅓ cups total dry ingredients of your choice (oats, flax, seeds, raisins, chocolate chips)
Instructions
  1. Plop ½ cup peanut butter (or whatever butter) and ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup) into a bowl.
  2. Stir in 1⅓ total cups of whatever dry ingredients you want. Oats, flax, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, chocolate chips, anything else you want.
  3. Scoop the mixture into balls and enjoy.
  4. Store them in the refrigerator.

Simple No-Bake Granola Bar Bites

As you can see, these Granola Bites are easy to put together in just a few minutes. They are great to take on the road or pack in a lunch. Of course, if you just want to sit right down at your kitchen table and eat them, that’s okay too. You could even make them at night and eat them for breakfast the next morning. Basically, this is one of the most versatile recipes in your whole wide kitchen. Everyone wins!

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Fun With Grammar ~ Valentine’s Day Free Printable Packet (And My Grammar Confession)

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Valentine's Day Fun with Grammar
I write for a living. I homeschool my kids. I love and appreciate correct grammar usage and fantastically written sentences. (The frequent misuse of the words bring and take drives me batty. Take it there. Bring it here. This is not difficult.)

But for all my love of a good sentence, I cannot stand most typical Grammar Lessons (or sentences that begin with but).

I get a headache when reading information like this:

A Complex Sentence has one or more Dependent clauses (also called Subordinate clauses).

Does it? Does it really? How nice that I have not one, but two options for which to label the clauses that make up my (what was it again?)…my Complex Sentence. Now let’s talk about what modifies what, identify all the gerunds, and take the time to break it down into a diagram.

Woe is me. I just want to write sentences. Please do not make me pinpoint the predicate nominatives. I am 42. I have learned the definition of predicate nominative at least 24 times, and I still have to look it up every single time one of my kids asks me a question about it when he comes across it in his grammar lesson. This is because I DO NOT CARE. Oh, but a predicate nominative is a word that renames the subject of a sentence. Great. I just learned it for a 25th time. I will forget that information once again in five, four, three…

Well, now you know the truth.

I’m glad some people love all of the specifics of grammar because someone has to write the grammar lesson books and teach it in our schools. Some of you think grammar is fun and I still like you alot (<— even if I did just write that non-word on purpose out of spite).

While those are my feelings – I still teach my kids grammar because I have to. (This book series is the one I dislike the least and currently use with my older kids.) I don’t, however, make them re-write all 17 sentences if they have mastered the concept after 3 sentences; I don’t insist that they take time to memorize all the correct terminology (see predicate nominative predicament above); and if the lesson in their book is truly not relevant, I modify it to make it meaningful.

However, my kids are all still learning and able to write nice sentences. I know this doesn’t make sense without their mother’s solid knowledge of participles, but our oldest really has been getting A’s in his college English courses and has been successfully cranking out countless essays and term papers for professors.

Maybe it goes without saying that our family values creativity and practicality over fact-spitting. We try to keep education relevant if at all possible. Some parts of school a kid just has to get through because it’s required (so do not ask our current sophomore how he feels about Geometry theorems). But when it can be fun – for the love of the accurate use of then and than – let’s make it fun.

Fun with Grammar

Now that you’ve read my feelings on grammar you will know that when I labeled my newest creation Fun with Grammar, this means something. Our 5th grade son recently completed one of his (boring) Grammar textbooks for the year. (He’s still working through Wordly Wise 5.) As a way to fill in some gaps, I began creating some Valentine related grammar activities for him. One page turned into another, and before I knew it I had 12 pages prepared.

Nice kid though he is, Malachi was not excited or supportive of my new project. “You’re making me grammar pages? Why???” However, as soon as I printed them out and handed them over, he worked his way through the first four pages without a complaint. He might have even looked like he was enjoying himself. I believe his exact words tonight were, “Actually, that grammar thing is pretty fun.” Boom. Mission accomplished.

Bonus: I made said 5th grader proof-read this packet for me before I shared it with you. I’m a sly one.

Fun With Grammar - Valentine's Day Free Printable Packet

None of these activities are tedious. They simply ask your child to be creative and have fun with some basic English and Grammar skills.

Does it get any better than this? I typed out a Brownie Recipe, purposely made some mistakes, and asked your child to find the errors and misspelled words. It’ll take your child just a few fun minutes, then he/she can go bake brownies. Friends, there are no predicate nominatives in a pan of brownies!! (At least I don’t think there are. I obviously already forgot the definition.)

Fun with Grammar - Valentines 122

Even more fun is that this packet is free for everyone. Use it in your home. Use it in your school. Enjoy the activities. Be creative. Actually have fun with grammar. And if your kid still hates it, well at least it was free and you got some brownies out of the deal.

Enter your email address below to download your free Fun With Grammar ~ Valentine’s Day Edition Printable Packet.

I’m super excited to share that signing up for this freebie will connect you to our new Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone. It’s free, of course. You can unsubscribe at any time, your info will never be shared or sold, and being on this list means that you’ll be the first to know of the other fun (yes, FUN!) educational tools we’re putting together! Emails will not be frequent. I’m too busy trying to relearn what a subordinating conjunction is.

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5-Ingredient Sour Cream Drop Biscuits

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Sour Cream Drop Biscuit

My friend Emily is the one who told me about these Sour Cream Drop Biscuits as we stood in the church foyer solving all the world’s problems and talking about recipes. (The two go hand in hand.) She told me these included only four ingredients and that sour cream was one. “Let me guess then,” I said. “Sour cream, flour, baking powder, and salt?” Yep! With some butter drizzled in for flavor.

Well, yeah. Of course. Butter. Butter drizzled in for flavor, and a large pat of butter melted onto both halves of the biscuit immediately following their removal from the oven.

She promised to send me the recipe, and I was planning to wait patiently. But the next morning, all I could think of was how much I wanted a Sour Cream Biscuit. Surely I could figure out the correct proportions of the ingredients in these biscuits. So I got out the goods and experimented. How hard could it be?

Not hard. (Would I be sharing these with you if they were?)

The trick is that you’re going to need to get your hands messy. The ingredients get tossed in a bowl all together, then you can begin to stir. After a short while, the stirring spoon will likely be thrown into the sink and your hands become your greatest kitchen tool. Mix and squish, friends. Mix and squish.

Since your hands are already messy, use them to pull out bits of dough (whatever size you want your biscuits). Roll the dough in your hands and press the ball down gently onto a baking sheet. This is so much easier than rolling and cutting and cleaning up the mess afterward. I mean, you will have to wash your hands.

5-Ingredient Sour Cream Drop BiscuitsYum

2.0 from 1 reviews
5-Ingredient Sour Cream Drop Biscuits
 
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Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 cups sour cream
Instructions
  1. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Mix in sour cream and melted butter.
  3. You may need to use your hands to get the ingredients mixed thoroughly.
  4. Roll dough into balls with your hands, then flatten slightly and place them side by side on a baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 450° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Serve with butter, honey, jelly, or gravy.

Please don’t ask if you can sub buttermilk for the sour cream. There are plenty of Buttermilk Biscuit recipes out there. But these are Sour Cream Biscuits, so subbing another dairy or non-dairy item would make them a Not Sour Cream Biscuit.

5 Ingredient Sour Cream Drop Biscuits

Tall and Fluffy Biscuit Tip:

Put your biscuits onto the baking sheet side by side – rubbing shoulders, getting cozy. This way they have no choice but to bake up, not out. See, biscuits need their friends to come along side them to help them grow. This is, of course, a perfect and wonderful analogy to help you and I see our need for friends to come alongside us to build us up. Thank you, Fluffy Biscuit Tip.

Ever tried stirring sour cream into your biscuits?

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Three Meals on the Road – Thanks to Family Teamwork

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Basketball (or soccer) season has us on the road many weekends. Sometimes we eat out with the team, but if possible, we prefer to pack our food to take along.

Saturday was going to be a huge day – leave the house by 7:20 am, drive all the way to Iowa (about three hours), then either play or watch basketball games all day long before driving three hours back late at night. A look at the schedule told us that eating out wasn’t really a possibility, and while concessions were available, we really prefer our athletes to eat something more substantial. So on Thursday I asked the boys for input on meals to pack.

I’m sly so I decided to try and sneak salads onto the menu. I figured the boys would say things like, “Nah” or “That’s not going to fill me enough to play games.” But hey, it never hurts to ask, right?

chef_salad (1)

Me: A couple times last year, Dad and I packed chef salads to eat at lunch. They were amazing. I could make some good chicken to put in… {braces self for teenage salad rejection}

Elias (14): Hmm. Sounds good.

Justus (15): Great idea. It’s good food but not too heavy so we won’t get a side ache when we play after we eat.

Wow. Well I didn’t see any of that coming. Salads it is.

I asked their input on breakfast and dinner options too since we’d need to pack all three meals for the road. We made a plan, I offered to make them special coffees, and we checked our homemade Gatorade supply. Friday rolled around nice and busy. I got started on the chicken for the salads (chicken breasts cooked in a skillet with a honey-mustard-barbecue concoction). I made some granola bites. But I was coming down with a sinus infection, so my energy started to wane very quickly.

Around 4 in the afternoon, I called out for all hands on deck. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for my family. There was a lot of work to be done. I started handing out orders and between the five of us, we knocked out everything we would need for Saturday plus our dinner Friday night (Homemade Pizza).

bball food 1

That picture doesn’t show our completed food stash as we were still in the process of making burritos and sandwiches and salads when I snapped it. Everyone built their own chef salad according to their preferences. Everyone made their own sandwiches for dinner after the games. Justus and Elias tag-teamed making a huge breakfast burrito for each of us. I made coffees and gatorade. Matt sliced peppers and helped with pizza prep.

Basically we were stepping all over each other because while we have a pretty big kitchen, five people (four of them with adult-sized bodies) all working at the same time filled every last bit of counter space and had us running into each other from time to time. When it was all said and done, I was so relieved and thankful. If I had to do that all myself?? Just, no.

Food we packed for the road:

Friday night, I started feeling pretty crummy, slept terribly that night, and decided I better stay home Saturday while Matt took the boys to play. SAD!!!! Missing their games is a big bummer for me. Sure, they play hundreds of games in their life. Sure, I’ll see plenty more. But shucks I hate missing. :( Malachi stayed home with me, we ate the food we’d made for ourselves the day before, and Matt was great to text me updates on the games throughout the day.

One of my friends sent me this with a “Miss You Today!” text. That’s Justus and his great friend Jacob all dressed up before the varsity games.

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I rested, took a bath in salt and essential oils, watched netflix, played a couple games with Malachi, and went to bed early. I’m on the mend today!

Do you have fun travel food ideas? Please share!

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Christian Prints I Love for just $3.00!

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I have been so excited to show you these instant downloads from Stephanie at Loved Unrationed!

They are beautiful, inspirational, encouraging, and I love them! Stephanie offers them in her Etsy shop as instant downloads for just $5. Annnnd, she’s giving Heavenly Homemakers readers an additional 40% off!! (That bumps each print down to just $3 each, which makes it hard not to put every single one of them in my cart.)

The download is inexpensive, then we can grab a simple frame to complete it. We all need truth, scripture, and encouragement in our lives. How fun that these are gorgeous too!

Here are some of my favorites:

christian print1

christian print2
christian print5

christian print8

christian print7
This one is my favorite, favorite:

christian print6

I dare you to look through her shop and not find at least 10 prints that you love. What a fantastic business!

Use the code HH40OFF for a 40% discount on your order.

You’ll find the Love Unrationed Shop Here.

Love Unrationed is one of our January sponsors here at Heavenly Homemakers. A huge thank you to Stephanie for the work she’s done and the wonderful discount she’s offering.

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

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Hashbrowns

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cauliflower hashbrowns

Let me just say that it’s hard (for me) to take a good picture of hashbrowns while they are steaming on a griddle.

Below is a picture of the original recipe for these hashbrowns. I worked a little harder, added a few extra ingredients, and made them into Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes. My family loves them and the recipe makes us actually like cauliflower.

Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes

This is all well and good, except that:

  • the cakes don’t always stay together
  • they have bread crumbs in them which I don’t always have available
  • the bread crumbs mean I can’t serve them to anyone who can’t have gluten
  • making them into cakes is one more step in the cooking process

I act like that’s a huge ordeal. It’s not. But I wanted you to know that you can cut out a few ingredients (eggs and bread crumbs), then pour the entire mixture onto a griddle or skillet and fry them like hashbrowns. They taste the same if you ask me, and they are easier!

Cheesy Cauliflower HashbrownsYum

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Hashbrowns
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • ¾ cup shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Palm shortening or expeller pressed coconut oil for frying
Instructions
  1. Cut cauliflower into florets.
  2. Steam for about 10 minutes or until tender.
  3. Drain.
  4. Mash with a potato masher. (I found that this created what looked like shredded potatoes.)
  5. Stir in shredded cheese, minced onions, and salt until well combined.
  6. Melt 1-2 Tablespoons of palm shortening or coconut oil in a skillet or on a griddle.
  7. Pour cauliflower mixture into hot oil.
  8. Fry over medium heat until brown and crispy – about 5 minutes on each side.
  9. Serve right away.

 

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Hashbrowns

Yesterday when we made these Cheesy Cauliflower Hashbrowns, I served them with cantaloupe, peas, blueberry muffins, and fried turkey sausages. It’s was a super easy – fruit and veggie packed meal. (I keep finding coupons for Oscar Mayer preservative-free, uncured turkey sausage. We’re loving it for quick additions to our meals!)

Have you tried the Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes recipe I shared a few months ago? Try this hashbrown variety. It’s even easier!

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A Day in the Life ~ Homeschooling Older Kids and Teenagers

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Many have requested that I share what life is like for our family now that our kids are older. What is our homeschool routine? How is it that as the kids got older and more independent, Mom actually got busier? What does a day in our life look like?

Today, I took pictures and notes all day long. I’ve documented our Wednesday as best I can. Why today? I chose today because I finally remembered the post request this morning and decided to started taking pictures (and you thought I was so organized). You’ll notice that most of the pictures don’t include the kids. It’s a teenage thing and I respect it. I now present to you over 20 {mostly} kidless pictures.

life8
After all, what could be more fun than looking at a picture of our overflowing compost bucket??

First I’ll fill you in on who we are – then I’ll share the specifics of our life today:

Matt and I are self-employed. I’m a writer-blogger (hi!); Matt runs a variety of businesses from snow removal/lawn care to rental property management to handyman/construction. Every work day is different for us based on the current deadlines and to-do lists. We tag-team the needs of the kids and needs of the household.

Our boys are now 18, 15 (almost 16), 14, and 11.

Asa (18) is a college freshman, living on campus at our local Christian college and juggling a very full academic and social life. Justus (15) is a high school sophomore; Elias (14) is an eighth grader; Malachi (11) is a fifth grader. So in summary, we have one in college, one in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary. (And I question why I can’t keep up.)

Family Christmas Pic

For me, today began as it usually does with a cup of coffee and my Bible. I got up later than I meant to (whatever though, I needed sleep) – so that cut into my quiet time as Matt got the boys moving for the day.

life1

The boys are typical teenagers, which means the first thing they like to do in the morning is grab their ipods from the living room table to see what they missed while they were sleeping. Sometimes I hate ipods and want to run them over with my car (like when the boys are so zoned into them they don’t hear me telling them to load the dishwasher or that the house is on fire). But this is our culture and this is how they keep up with their people and make plans, so I try to be okay with this (while still setting boundaries). After a few minutes, ipods stayed in the living room as the boys headed to the kitchen to find breakfast.

life2

Everyone warmed up their own leftover French toast or pancakes and grabbed applesauce and/or blueberries. Matt read to us from the book of Romans as we ate. Today we ate in a hurry because Justus and Malachi had to be at their piano lessons at 9:00.

life3

Teeth brushed, the two boys packed their piano books along with some school work so that while one boy was having his lesson, the other boy could read or do English. In the meantime, Elias tried to sneak back onto his ipod (as I pictured it being crushed under the van tire) and then got scooted upstairs to do his English lesson. Then, since he was the only boy home, he got on the computer to do his Algebra.

I used the quiet time to start writing this post, then shopped online to order Justus’ birthday presents and made a grocery list off Pricematcherz.com.

Matt took his truck to have the tires worked on, and they finished just in time for him to pick up the boys from piano. Good thing since I was still in my jammies. ;)

life9

Once home, Justus went straight back to the school computer to work on his music. Malachi and Elias started playing soccer in the living room. (It’s winter. I don’t own knick-knacks. THEY WERE GETTING ALONG. Carry on, boys.)

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What? Don’t you have a soccer goal by your front door?

I sent Elias in to empty half the dishwasher. Malachi played the piano for a while, then I sent him off to do his reading. Elias and Malachi began working on a video project together, while still getting along. Justus was working on Geometry on the computer. I finished tweaking an article to send into our local newspaper (I write a weekly column) and suddenly needed food. It was only 11:00, but I am always hungry for lunch earlier than anyone else. (I eat an earlier breakfast, plus I’m more of a five-meals-a-day kind of eater.)

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I warmed up Taco Soup (working on a recipe for you!) and got out guacamole, carrots, and clementines.

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Around noon, everyone else was hungry too, so they dug in. They chose kiwi instead of clementines. While they ate, I read aloud from our latest missionary book.

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Lunch over, I had to head to Walmart to get ink for my computer so I could get a printed curriculum in the mail. I grabbed some price-match items while I was there, then ran to pick up Malachi’s buddy to hang out for the afternoon. While I was out, Justus completed his Physics and did some English and History reading. Elias read English and Science. Malachi completed his math assignment.

life17

Once I got home, Justus finished cleaning out the dishwasher, Malachi loaded it with dirty dishes, and the rest of us put groceries away.

life20

At 1:55 Matt, Elias, Malachi, and his friend headed out the door for an indoor soccer session. On the way, they dropped Justus off at the college campus for the 2:00 MWF Psychology class he’s taking. (You can read here about how we get dual high school and college credits for our kids.) I settled in for exactly 45 minutes of quiet work time before I needed to leave to pick Justus up from his class.

Everyone was back home by 3:15. I spent a silly amount of time on the phone tracking down a package that hadn’t been delivered. The boys found snacks to eat. Elias and Justus did their Spanish lessons on the computer. Malachi hung out with his friend. I closed my office door to write this post. :)

I checked on the boys a while later and found the door to the back room closed up tight. Why?? Usually it’s open a crack, but when it’s closed like this, it usually means “I’m recording so don’t walk in until I’m done or you’ll ruin everything!”

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What are the boys working on in there? Well, Justus and Elias currently have four big music/video projects they are working on with their church friends. Our church is hosting a Youth Rally coming up in February, and videos are a must; plus the boys need to complete some videos for LTC – a leadership event coming up in April. They’ve spent hours the past few weeks (some on their own and some with as many from the youth group who can help out) writing lyrics and scripts, creating beats and tunes, recording voices, videoing the action, and editing their work to put it all together. I can’t tell you how much I love them doing this.

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I snuck into the room later to take a picture of what is our “recording studio”/school-computer room/Matt’s office/guest room. The boys invested in that fancy microphone you see there, and Matt and I got them the mic stand and pop filter for Christmas.

The rest of the afternoon passed with me hiding in my office trying to get some work done. I hollered out at one point for each boy to scrub four potatoes for dinner. I came out of my office around 5:00 and made a big pot of Potato Soup. I had the boys work together on sides of sweet peppers, olives, raspberries, and pickles.

We headed out the door at 6:20 for Wednesday evening Bible study. At 8:15 we were back home, joined by a young couple who is getting married this March. Matt and I visited with them (pre-marital counseling/mentoring) until around 10:15. During that time the boys were sent upstairs to fold and put away the huge laundry pile. Once they finished that, they hung out in the back room and watched netflix until 10:00 when we headed them up to bed.

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Now it is 10:54 and I am wrapping this up and calling it a day. Thursdays usually require a little less running around compared to Wednesdays, though the two middle boys have basketball practice tomorrow night. Never a dull moment.

So how was your day? Have you found your schedule changing as your kids get older?

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Provide and Protect ~ a Prayer For My Children

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Provide and Protect - a Prayer For My Children

It used to be me. Or so I thought.

When they were little, I was the one who provided everything they needed and protected them from anything that might hurt them. I set up their routines and walked them away from situations that were too much for their young hearts to handle. I set the boundaries, set the stage, set out the activities. I said yes, said no, said too much, said too little, said things wrong, said things right, and said it will all be okay. I was in charge. I was in control. I was the one.

Or so I thought.

They’re big now. They are amazing and skilled and smart and fun, and one by one, they are launching. Their steps are becoming their own; their thoughts and behaviors are less and less a result of my commands and instruction and more and more a brave leap of their own long-legged independence.

My prayer is no longer crafted out of the ideas on my own heart. Recognition of truth has left me with very few words. I know little about tomorrow. You are the One who knows your Kingdom plans for my kids. I’m simply the one whose heart longs for their good and for their walk to be on the path you’ve carved for them.

I’m not who I once thought I was.

I’m not their provider. I’m not their protector. I’m a huge part of their life on this earth, but I’m only their mother. I’m the one God gave them to show them love and guidance. But you, God. You are the One who knows what they need and how to provide.

This is what I ask of you:

Protect

Protect them, Lord. Protect them from people who do not have their best interests in mind, from people who are self-seeking and heartless, from people who will hurt them.

Protect them from apathy. Protect them from becoming self-centered, self-seeking, self-deprecating, and self-motivated. Provide them the heart to lay aside self in order to seek You.

Provide

Provide for them, Lord. Provide people to encourage and hold them accountable, to build them up and make them stronger, to inspire and challenge them to be more like Christ. It takes a village. Build it strong and high and full.

Provide my children with confidence and skill, tools and words to get themselves out of any situation that would be harmful to them in any way. Provide them with the confidence to do right and strength to flee from wrong.

Provide everything they need, because You are the One who knows precisely what that means.

Do what I cannot do. I trust you with my children.

Thank you for the blessing and honor of being Mom to my sons. How cool of you to give me my four favorites. How wise of you to grow me along with them. How gentle of you to hold us so gracefully. How perfect of you to love us so consistently.

To my boys:

“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19

 

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Easy Low Sugar Almond Melt-Away Cookies

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This Almond Melt-Away Cookies recipe is a direct result of me sharing my Low Sugar Lemon Melt-Away Cookies and several of you saying, “Sounds good! I think almond extract would be a great idea to try in these cookies too!”

Easy Almond Cookies

Thanksgiving and Christmas happened in the meantime – so three months later, it took me five minutes to try your idea. No sense rushing into anything. 

I was also waiting to see how my attempt at Homemade Almond Extract would turn out. What a bummer. Making Homemade Vanilla Extract is a total no-brainer so I was hoping almond extract would be the same. I soaked the nuts in vodka as recommended by several sites, then I even simmered off some of the alcohol – but it didn’t turn out extract like I’m used to using. Then I looked at the ingredients on my purchased extract and there is “almond oil” included. Is that what gives my purchased extract the yummy smell and flavor? If any of you have successfully made Almond Extract, will you please share all your secrets?!

In the meantime, taking my basic Easy {Low} Sugar Cookie recipe and adding different flavors has been super simple and yummy. Here’s a quick link list for you:

Low Sugar Almond Melt-Away Cookies

Yum

Easy Low Sugar Almond Melt-Away Cookies
 
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Author:
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • ½ cup sucanat or raw sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (give or take)
Instructions
  1. Stir together melted butter and sugar.
  2. Add eggs, extracts, and baking powder.
  3. Stir in flour until a solid ball of dough forms.
  4. Drop teaspoon-sized balls of dough onto a cookie sheet, about an inch apart.
  5. Bake in a 350° oven for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

Low Sugar Almond Melt-Away Cookies

I learned on accident that you can forget the eggs in these cookie recipes and while they are a bit more crumbly, they are still great! Just a little bonus for those of you who have to avoid eggs.

I love it when I can cut the sugar so drastically in a recipe and my kids can’t tell a difference. These are perfectly sweetened and the almond extract makes them taste fancy with no additional effort!

I should also mention that these lightly sweetened cookies taste amazing with a steamy cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. Ah, life’s simple pleasures. :)

I’d love any other flavor suggestions to try with these cookies. And if you’re an almond extract maker, please tell me how you do it!!

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