Heavenly Homemakers

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Back Up Your Computer With Carbonite (Get a $20 Gift Card)

October 23, 2013 by Laura 3 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

You may remember me sharing this story last year. But with the idea of helping you save your computer like I saved mine, I wanted to share it again. Plus, Carbonite just announced that they are once again giving out $20 gift cards to those who sign up, so it makes this a much better deal for everyone!

A little over a year ago, a friend told me about Carbonite – a source she trusted and loved for backing up all her files on the computer.

At the time, we had nothing backing up our computer. This scared me quite a bit, because if our computer ever crashed, we would lose thousands of pictures – not to mention the eBooks and other projects I was working on for the website, financial documents we had saved, and who knows what else.

We took our friend’s advice, and signed up. For $59 per year, this seemed like a very worthwhile and reasonable investment.

Would you believe, that the investment with Carbonite paid off exactly four days later. Out of nowhere, the hard drive on our laptop (which was only one year old) got completely fried. When the “computer guy” who was examining our laptop looked at me and said, “There’s no way I can retrieve any of your information. Your hard drive is gone. I sure hope you have your files backed up somewhere…” I breathed a huge sigh of relief that God had led us to Carbonite just in the knick of time.

And I also wanted to kiss my friend who had told me about it…and maybe could have kissed the Carbonite people if I was in the business of kissing strangers, which I’m not, so I just chose to be grateful to them instead.

Anyway.

I just received an email letting me know that everyone who signs up with Carbonite receives a free $20 gift card or your choice. (Yay – just in time for Christmas!)  This is a great deal, because receiving that card pays you back for a good chunk of your initial yearly investment. Plus, you can get a free 15 day trial to start with to see if you like it. (I’m pretty sure you will like it. We love it because it is super easy to use. Plus, because our files are on Carbonite, I can get online from a different computer and access anything I need to at any time. Love that!)

I encourage you to look into Carbonite and take advantage of this offer. It may save your neck! Or at least it will save all the information stored on your computer that you don’t want to lose!

P.S. If you sign up with Carbonite’s Refer a Friend program, you can help your family and friends back up their computer too – and you’ll both receive gift cards. I’m using my Refer a Friend links in this post, because I like gift cards! Amazon gift cards are the ones I’d choose! But I love how Carbonite saved my pictures and hard work even more, so that’s why I’m sharing this with you. :)

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Empty

October 22, 2013 by Laura 21 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

If you haven’t already, you may want to go back and read Raw, Guilt , Beginning, Anxiety, Seek, Stop, Pride, Surrender, and Peace before reading this post.

Because of God’s power and healing, He was working in my heart and in my life to show me the beauty of calm. I was finally able to experience the joy of working on my chores throughout the day without the constant internal freak-out. Yes, I was able to enjoy more of His blessed peace. It was rockin’. I noticed His healing in so many areas and I rejoiced as my heart responded to life in ways it never had.

And yet, in so many ways, I was thoroughly confused. For all my years, I’ve enjoyed serving others, being a part of people’s lives, and participating in ministries. As I searched, surrendered, and allowed God to teach me more about who He wanted me to become – I found myself continuing to fight against my old self.

I kept feeling like I needed to give and to serve and to be this for her and to be that for him. Along with all the exhaustion that had come from fighting this long, hard spiritual battle – trying to keep up with all that I believed I needed to do and to be for others was creeping in on me and threatening to suffocate me.

One night, I reached a breaking point. What was I supposed to do now? There are needs everywhere that I can’t meet. I’m tired. I’m weak. I’m confused. I’m frustrated. I’m…I’m…

Empty.

In desperation I cried out to God, “My cup is empty, Lord. How am I supposed to serve others when I have nothing left to give? I’m worn out. I’m completely dry. I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know what service to you is supposed to look like. If you tipped me upside down, there would be not one little drop left to spill out. How am I supposed to give when I have nothing in me to give?”

I took a deep breath. I surrendered my weakness and confusion to God. And I waited.

Soon after that night, I shared this specific battle with a trusted friend. I shared with her the image of my empty cup – how I was dry, with nothing left to give. She spoke these simple truths to me:

“Laura, you have the Holy Spirit living in you. Because of that, you are never empty. Your cup overflows! If you feel empty, it’s because you’re giving from the wrong cup.”

The wrong cup. The empty cup. The cup of self. The cup that demanded praise from others. The cup that delighted in affirmation and appreciation for my works. The cup that was self-seeking and fruitless. I was trying to learn how to be the new me, all while hanging on to the painful parts of the old me. No wonder I felt so tired and confused.

My further studying led me to drink in (literally) John 7:37-39:  “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’  By this, He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive…”

I’ve read these verses over and over since that time. The words share two very important truths:

1. If anyone has a need, it is not up to me to fix, change, heal, or rescue. I am to point people to Jesus. He is the one who can quench their thirst.

2. We who believe in Jesus have a continual stream of living water flowing from within us. We are never empty – always full and overflowing. This life source is not from ourselves. It could never be from our selves. This life source is from the Father, filling us because of the Holy Spirit that is a part of us.

Accepting these truths gave me great new hope – hope that spilled out of me and had nothing to do with what I did, how good I was, how much I did, or what others thought. It was Jesus – living in me and working through me.

Did this mean that I could now sit back and not serve or love on people? Of course not. God calls us to serve!! But I must take the self out of my service. I must surrender and allow the Spirit to guide my actions, listening to His leading instead of my self.

Continue reading: Journey

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Free Printables: Pumpkin and Apple Goodies Sticker Labels

October 22, 2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

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Did you see the post I shared with all my favorite Fall Recipes? If you’re interested in making any of those recipes to share with others – here are some FREE and fun printable sticker labels you can attach to your goodies! Click on the images or on the links provided to access the free printables.

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Click Here to Download the Free Printable PumpkinStickers

~~~

AppleStickerprev

Click Here to Download the Free Printable AppleStickers

If you want to print them directly onto sticker paper, you’ll want to look for 2 inch round sticker labels like these. Remember, you’ll find links to all these recipes and many more when you click here!

Looking for more free printables? Click here to look through what we have so far. Plus, we’d love for you to subscribe to Heavenly Homemakers so that you don’t miss our great recipes and new upcoming free printables. There are many more to come!

 

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Gratituesday: Sunrise

October 21, 2013 by Laura 7 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

This week, our church has brought in Jerry and Lynn Jones to present their Relationships Matter seminar. Sunday through Wednesday of this week, we are blessed to go to hear them speak. I love that what they have to say is relevant in so many areas of life.

I loved this statement shared last night regarding walking through trying times in life:

The best way to find the sun is to head east into the darkness so that you can catch the sun coming up.

What I hear in that is exactly what I feel God doing with me on my journey to let go of self. I can avoid doing battle, shrug off my struggles, put up my guard, and carry on as I have been. In many ways, it seems so much easier. Taking the hard path? Doing what is difficult? Seeking a whole heart that is fully God’s, while letting go of the control I so desperately want to hold onto? Why would I willingly go down a road so dark and difficult when I could just take the short-cut and avoid digging into the root of my sin?

If I really want to see the glory of the sunrise, if I want true healing and wholeness that can only come by way of full surrender to our creator – I will walk the harder road. I’ll journey down the path that seems dark because of all the unknowns through new territory. I’ll even walk it confidently because I am guided by the One who sees the way clearly.

The blessed irony of walking the difficult road is that letting go of control and grabbing the hand of the One who holds me while I stumble along is actually much easier than trying to navigate the road on my own cleverly constructed map. My own map has become a series of unsolvable mazes and dead-ends. It may seem well lit, but the roads lead to nowhere. Been there, done that. Now which way should I turn?

I’m choosing to head east. You’re walking me through this, Lord? You know where the potholes and branches are that I need to avoid? You see the dangers ahead and protect me from them? You know exactly where I’m supposed to turn and what I am supposed to do along the way? I give you the control then. Lead me, Lord.

I’ll joyfully keep taking steps toward the east, knowing that what awaits me on the other side is a beauty so radiant it can only been seen after looking through the black.

A glorious sunrise!

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!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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21 Healthy Fall Recipes

October 20, 2013 by Laura 10 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Feeling spicy? As in – do you have plenty of cinnamon on hand? You’ll need it after you look through all the recipes in this post.

While I think about food year-round and enjoy all the different flavors each different season brings, I have to say that there is something so exciting about Fall Recipes. It must be the cinnamon, and the warm drinks, and the comfort that comes along with all of these flavors – not to mention the anticipation of upcoming holidays.

Today I compiled 21 of my favorite fall recipes. If you don’t have pumpkins or apples around – you’ll need to go get some. And I believe we already covered the need for cinnamon….

fall_recipe_collage_sm

1. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2. Apple Pie with Whole Wheat Crust

3. Warm Pumpkin Custard

4. Pumpkin Pancakes

5. Applesauce Bread

6. Cinnamon Apple Toast

7. Mini Apple Pies

8. Sweet Potato Streusel Muffins

9. Apple Crisp

10. Cream Cheese Apple Dip

11. Hot Caramel Sauce

12. Peanut Butter Apple Cookie Bars

13. Pumpkin Pie Pecan Squares

14. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

15. Pumpkin Pie with Whole Wheat Pie Crust

16. Multi Grain Pumpkin Waffles and Pancakes

17. Crock Pot Apple Butter

18. Apple Pie Filling

19. Apple Fruit Leather

In addition, you’ll definitely want to check out these tutorials:

20. The Easiest Way to Make Homemade Applesauce

21. How to Cook a Whole Pumpkin (To Make Pumpkin Puree)

Now your turn. What are your favorite fall recipes?

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

Menu Plan for the Week {With Pumpkins}

October 20, 2013 by Laura 7 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

A few weeks ago, Malachi helped me pick the pumpkins that we had grown in our garden. He “gave them all a bath” to get the mud off, then we used them as decorations on our mantle for a couple weeks. This weekend, I saw that they needed to be baked and pureed. (Some of them were starting to get squishy.)  And so, I followed these instructions for cooking them whole. I now have pumpkin puree for pies and all kinds of other recipes I’ll share with you this week!

Pumpkin_Puree_Collage_2

Here’s what’s on our menu:

Sunday, October 20
Homemade instant oatmeal, fruit
Scrambled egg sandwiches, oranges
Pizza with church family

Monday, October 21
Easy oatmeal breakfast bars, applesauce
Homemade pigs in a blanket, baby carrots, pears
Chicken noodle soup, veggies

Tuesday, October 22
Peanut butter pancakes, bananas
Potato soup, carrots, soft pretzels
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Wednesday, October 23
Fried eggs on toast, creamy orange cooler
Hamburger patties, potato wedges, asparagus
Easy chicken pot pie, tossed salad

Thursday, October 24
Flaky cream cheese pastry, berries
Crustless pizza, tossed salad
Calico beans, veggies

Friday, October 25
Dark chocolate almond granola, fruit
Chicken patty sandwiches, peas, grapes
Calzones, raw veggies

Saturday, October 26
Scrambled eggs, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, apples
Leftovers
Chili, corn chips, cheese, olives, carrots

 

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Confessions of an Applesauce Maker

October 19, 2013 by Laura 15 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

I’m not making any applesauce this year.  Not even a little bit. As much as I love making and preserving applesauce for my family, and as easy as it is to make applesauce with my Victorio – I am very happy to take the year off from this endeavor.

Why am I not making applesauce? Because I counted up jars I have leftover from the stash I made last year, and I found that I have plenty of applesauce to last us through the winter. I don’t need any, so I’m checking that task off my list. Yay!

applesauce_victorio

For those of you who don’t have a pantry full of applesauce, I did want to remind you of what I learned last year:  Making applesauce with a Victorio is by far the easiest method I’ve found.

So how about you? Are you making applesauce this year?

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

One Child Matters – A Ministry Partnership Opportunity with us at Heavenly Homemakers!

October 17, 2013 by Laura 6 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Remember several months ago when I told you I had a special service opportunity that we could all participate in together? I’ve been so excited to share this with you – but there has been one delay after another…technical difficulties. Finally, after months of hard work on the part of the One Child Matters Team, I am able to announce a ministry I’d love for you to join me in!

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The more I get to know you, whether it is “in real life” or through your emails and comments, the more I feel like we are all on a journey together. A journey toward healthy living, a journey toward raising godly families, a journey toward making our homes heavenly, and ultimately, a journey as we all strive toward our heavenly home. The whole concept gives me chills, that through this blog, we can all be working toward so many positive goals together.

That’s why I’m so excited to share this opportunity with you. Together, we can work to make a difference. The best part of this opportunity is that it isn’t just something you and I can do. It is something our families can be involved in too! (Selfless, servant-hearted focus, here we come!)

There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes here at Heavenly Homemakers, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally announce this new ministry opportunity to you!

Actually, the opportunity itself isn’t new. One Child Matters has been around for quite some time. (You may have known them as Mission of Mercy.)  What is new is a partnership I’m eager to share with you – a partnership between my family, your family, and One Child Matters.

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First, let me tell you a little bit about this ministry.

One Child Matters is an organization based out of Colorado Springs that truly cares about kids on a holistic level. They work to help children in 16 countries in the world, meeting their spiritual, physical, socio-emotional, and mental needs. At this point, they are serving over 40,000 children. What a blessing!

All of these children live in poverty. Many of them are on their own much of the day – even the little ones – as their parents work away from home for hours to put food on the table each night. One Child Matters provides schooling, guidance, nourishment, medical care, and most importantly – they teach these children about Jesus!

If you spend some time at the One Child Matters website, I guarantee you’ll be drawn in and begin to fall in love with these children, just like my family has. Together, we’ve spent time learning about the One Child Matters mission, how they work, what they do, and how much they care. Above all, we’re seeing the faces of the children they care for as more than just pictures. These are kids – just like yours and mine. They have needs – and together, we can help One Child Matters meet these needs!

How can you help?

Well, this isn’t a ministry that you’ll decide to jump into on a whim (unless after these few minutes you already feel called to participate!). This is something that I encourage you to pray about with your family. Study this ministry to see if its something you might feel called to be a part of. How cool to think that we can all be a part of this ministry together – your family and mine!

After prayer and discussion, Matt, the boys, and I have signed up to sponsor a child in Honduras. (I’ll share more details soon. I can’t wait to introduce you to our adorable new “family member!”)  Our sponsorship involves a $34 per month donation, as well as a committment to connect with our sponsored child, and most importantly, a pledge to pray for our child.

This is something all six of our family members have chosen to be a part of. The $34 monthly donation? Well, we’ve talked to our kids about the fact that while it may mean we need to give up something we want – doing so will help our sponsored child receive the basic care needed each day. Our kids are on board, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Please consider joining my family in a ministry that will surely be a blessing to all involved! We can make a difference in the lives of children around the world – and in doing so, we will be teaching our families more about being like Jesus. If that’s not a win-win situation, I’m not sure what is.

Please head over to the One Child Matters site and spend time in prayer about joining with us in this ministry. I’ll be sharing more in the upcoming weeks about how we can all work together in this!

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

Win a $50 Gift Certificate from Lilla Rose

October 17, 2013 by Laura 249 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

lilla_rose_octLilla Rose Flexi-Clips are my favorite hair accessory! They are pretty, functional, and easy – perfect for those of us who are busy and need a quick hair solution.

Today I have fun news:

1)  Paula from Lilla Rose is giving away a $50 gift certificate to one winner of this giveaway.

2)  From now through Sunday, October 20 Lilla Rose is offering 10% off all items and 15% off select items.

lilla_rose

If you have girls on your Christmas list, or you simply want to invest in high quality hair accessories for you or someone else, this is a great time to stock up! Before I started wearing Flexi-Clips, I went through tons of hair bands. They stretched out quickly, allowing me to only use them a few times before they started pulling my hair. But my Flexi-Clips have been going strong for several years now, making them a great money-saver. Plus, they never pull my hair. I love ’em!

Go check out all that Lilla Rose has to offer. Take advantage of the 10-15% off sale! And come back here to leave a comment letting us know what items you’d pick if you win the $50 gift certificate.

I’ll draw a random winner on Monday, October 21. Be watching for a post stating the winner as you will be responsible for contacting me if your name is chosen.

Want extra entries? Like Paula’s Facebook page and/or subscribe to Paula’s newsletter – then leave an additional comment here letting me know that you did.

And by the way, I don’t just love their Flexi-Clips. I often wear their Bobby Pins. And I finally figured out how to wear their Headbands. (I’m challenged when it comes to hair.)  All their products are great. Having fun shopping with the discount!

 

 

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Easy Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

October 16, 2013 by Laura 60 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Easy_Oatmeal_Bars

Yum

What’s great about these Easy Oatmeal Breakfast Bars?  You can eat them in a house. You can eat them in a rush. You can eat them in a car. You can eat them near or far. Inside outside upside down. Sam…I am.

We’re in the process of trading in Seuss for Shakespeare at this point in our lives, so apparently I felt the need for a Dr. Seuss flashback. I mean, I could have gone with Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet and said, “All that glitters is not breakfast” or “An oatmeal bar by any other name would smell as sweet” but those didn’t make nearly as much sense within the context of this post. And as all of us who have ever come across a nooth grush on our tooth brush can attest to, Dr. Seuss always makes perfect sense.

You might look at this recipe and ask, “How is this one different from your Breakfast Cake, Giant Breakfast Cookie, and Oatmeal Cookie recipes? I would answer by telling you that they are all similar, except that this recipe uses the fewest ingredients and is easiest to throw together. It’s also a little gooier and chewier and at this point in my life, since it’s so fast and easy, it has become my favorite of them all.

I usually try to make these at night before going to bed so that when we get up in the morning, breakfast is ready to eat right away. Which leads me back to how you can eat them in a rush, in a car, with your coffee, wherever you are. Parting is such sweet sorrow. I’ll stop now.

Easy Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

1 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sucanat or 1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)

Stir together melted butter and sucanat. Add eggs, baking soda, salt, and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in oats and flour until well combined. Spread mixture in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Feel free to stir 1/2 cup chocolate chips or dried fruit to the batter before baking!

To Freeze These Bars:  Bake as directed and allow them to cool completely. Cut into bars, then wrap individually. Place wrapped bars in a freezer bag in the freezer. Thaw for at least one hour before eating.

Who do you enjoy more? Seuss or Shakespeare?

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