Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Gratituesday: The Day Off

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Last week, right in the middle of the week, we took a day off. Matt needed it, I needed it, the boys needed it. We didn’t even pack food like we usually do. When we decided it would be a day off, we meant day off.

We drove to Lincoln (about an hour away) and first took a tour of our State Capital Building. It was so interesting, and even though our boys were trying as hard as they could not to learn anything on their day off, shucks, I think they still did. ;)  You’ve gotta love the fact that one of our sons can’t possibly allow us to take a “normal” picture. Although, I suppose this is our version of “normal”. (I am totally going to put this in his wedding rehearsal slide show someday.)

We had a long, leisurely lunch at Olive Garden, did a little shoe shopping at the mall, and then, because it was a beautiful fall day, we went to play a little putt-putt. All six of us had a blast. In case you were wondering, no, I didn’t win. Shocking, I know.

While at this family fun center, we also engaged in a family go-cart race. In case you were wondering, no, I didn’t win that either. Shocking, I know.

We came home refreshed and ready to get back to work. I’m so thankful God blessed us with this time away to close the computer, close the books, put away the soccer balls and just enjoy each other.

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it 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!

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Menu Plan for the Week

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Sundays have become quite full since we are hosting a marriage class in the mornings and high school huddle in the evenings. What helps most to keep this enjoyable is to make as much food ahead of time as possible. My goal each week has been to get Sunday night’s main dish completed by Friday. That way, all I have to do on Sunday is put the food in the oven, then serve it up. Easy! I’ve also realized the importance of choosing a very easy Sunday noon meal so that when we get home from church, all I have to do is put on the final touches and put the meal on the table.

Therefore, Saturday night while I was cleaning the kitchen after dinner, I put together a big pan of Italian Pasta Bake for our Sunday lunch. If you haven’t tried this dish, I’ve got to say that it is one of the easiest meals ever to make. I cooked it up, cleaned up after myself and put the pan in the fridge so that as soon as we got home from church today all I had to do was heat it in the oven while I made the veggies. Simple, inexpensive, healthy and a crowd pleaser. In fact, I think I’ll be making this dish next week for Huddle! :)

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, October 9
Marriage Class – Breakfast cake, juice, coffee
Italian pasta bake, corn, green beans
Huddle – Chicken enchiladas (x4), tossed salad, chips and salsa, oatmeal butterscotch cookies

Monday, October 10
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, carrots
Roasted chicken, potatoes, carrots, gravy

Tuesday, October 11
French toast, peaches
Bean dip with organic corn chips, sweet peppers and tomatoes
Chicken alfredo, steamed broccoli and carrots

Wednesday, October 12
Fried eggs on toast, creamy orange cooler
Tuna salad with crackers, apples
Italian stew, sourdough biscuits

(We’ll be having lots of company this weekend – I can’t wait! Bring on the family and friends!)

Thursday, October 13
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, pears
Leftovers
Cream cheese chicken and pasta, tossed salad, green beans

Friday, October 14
Easy breakfast casserole, vanilla muffins with cinnamon crumb topping, grapes
Sandwiches, chips, fruit
Hamburgers, ranch potato wedges, veggie tray with homemade ranch dip, fruit salad

Saturday, October 15
Simple soaked pancakes, applesauce
Sloppy joes, angeled eggs, fruit
Tacos

What’s on your menu this week?

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Simple Ways To Earn a Little Extra Cash for Christmas (while sitting at your computer)

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Hello, and welcome to a post that might be just about as annoying as your local department store. Summer is barely over and I’m already starting to talk about Christmas. Hey, at least I haven’t put up a tree yet. (Although, that would be an efficient thing to do in October, wouldn’t it?)  kidding

I think we can all agree that Christmas is not really about presents and hooplah. And yet, I would guess that most of us probably do at least a little bit gift giving around the holidays. Here are some simple ways to gain yourself a little extra cash for the upcoming Christmas season. Don’t worry – you don’t have to start singing Jingle Bells yet. Just start planning ahead a little bit now so that Christmas won’t be a financial burden. Christmas should never be a financial burden. Christmas should be a season of joy. Don’t make me get on my soap box.

1. InboxDollars

I’ve mentioned InboxDollars recently in a giveaway they sponsored. You won’t get rich off of InboxDollars (or any of the ideas shared in this post), but you will be able to earn a little extra cash while in the comfort of your pajamas and slippers. (I recommend opening up a separate, free email account to use specifically for InboxDollars – it makes this much easier!)

2. Swagbucks

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned Swagbucks around here, but if you aren’t using Swagbucks to earn extra money from home, you really should be! There are many, many ways to earn Swagbucks, but my favorite is to simply use the Swagbucks search feature. Each time I need to search for something online (which is quite often), I use my Swagbucks search engine. Several times a day, I earn some swagbucks – all for doing something I would have done anyway. Once I’ve accumulated enough, I turn my Swagbucks into Amazon Gift Cards. (There are many other options for ways to redeem your Swagbucks – Amazon cards are just my favorite.)  One year, I saved all my Amazon Cards throughout the year and we had a practically free Christmas. It was awesome!

Plus, when you refer others to Swagbucks, you can earn extra Swagbucks! So, get yourself signed up, then tell your friends about this feature. You’ll both earn! (See, I’m referring you, so that means I’ll earn Swagbucks based off of my referral to you. Thanks!)  :)

I’ve written more about Swagbucks here if you’d like more information.

3. Shop it to Me

This may be one of the simplest ways to earn a little extra cash – although, like Swagbucks, it comes in the way of gift cards instead of actual cash. I like gift cards just fine. Gift cards buy gifts – what more could we ask for? Or, you could give the gift card away as a gift. Perfect!

How this works:  Sign up to receive Shop It To Me newsletters. These newsletters are painless – I receive them twice a week and either look through them if I feel like the deals they share are relevant, or delete them if they’re not.

I used my personal referral link above. For every ten of you who sign up, I receive a $10 gift card of my choice. (Thank you, by the way!)  Once you’ve signed up, you can then refer your friends and family through facebook, email, blog or tweet – and for every ten people you refer, you receive $10 gift cards too! It’s free, it’s easy, there’s no catch, and you can earn gift cards for Starbucks, Whole Foods (my personal fav!), Gap, Macy’s and many others – whichever you choose.

4. Become a Heavenly Homemakers Affiliate

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned this feature we have here at Heavenly Homemakers. Did you know you can earn money by referring sales in our Shop? We offer 33% affiliate earnings on all of our downloadable products – that means that not only can you earn a few dollars when someone you refer purchases our ebooks, you can earn a whoppin’ $14.85 each time someone you refer purchases our Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve curriculum kit! Your earnings can really add up! Read more details here – we’d love to have you on board as an affiliate.

Have you started thinking about Christmas yet – or is it just me?

(Disclosure:  I think it was obvious that many of the links I used in this post are my referral links, but just in case, I thought I’d tell you again. Each of these opportunites are painless and easy and a great way to earn a little extra cash – and sharing them with you will help me earn a little extra cash for Christmas too. Then you can turn around and do the same! But don’t feel obligated to sign up for any of these if you don’t want to. We’ll still be friends either way.) ;)

 

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Pray WITH Each Other

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~Appreciate Your Spouse~Buoyancy in Marriage~Consult Your Partner~
~Dream Together Part One ~Dream Together Part Two~Empower Your Spouse~
~Have Fun With Your Spouse~Give to One Another~Honor Each Other~
~Be Intentional~Jubilee~Kingdom Focused~Listen~Mentor Relationships~Nourish~Own It~

Pray With Each Other

Innermost– Matt’s Thoughts

Praying together is ultimate intimacy. The origin of the word intimate comes from the Latin intimus meaning “innermost.” So this isn’t, “Thank you God for this wonderful day, and our many wonderful blessings. Help [insert name here] get better. In Jesus name, Amen.” I’m talking really pouring it all out to God allowing your dearest to hear your heart and hearing your dearest pour it all out to God. You are being intimate with both your creator and your lover. That’s what I mean by ultimate intimacy. Healthy marriages contain spouses laying bare together physically and spiritually. Yes, you make yourself extremely vulnerable in these intimate moments. Isn’t it great? Thank you God, that we don’t have to keep all of life’s struggles and joys packed inside. How great it is to share and bare your heart to the Lord with the one you’ve united yourself in marriage to.

While your innermost feelings flow out to the Lord, you are also hearing from the heart of your spouse and being heard. These connections to our Creator and our life-long marriage partner are vital. Sometimes, due to our busyness of life, different perspectives, or just plain oversight, we are unaware of a load that is weighing down our spouse. I have found that I am able to “check Laura’s pulse” by praying with her. How is she doing? How can I encourage her? What specifically is burdening her?

Why don’t I pray with her more? It is so beneficial for us. The excuses of time, exhaustion, fear of being heard, selfishly not really wanting to hear her, or whatever else I use in my head just disallow me from stronger unity with my Creator and my Companion. We all desire this ultimate intimacy.

Start Today – Laura’s Thoughts

If you’re not used to praying out loud with your spouse, this may possibly sound a little bit stressful to you. Oh, but can I urge you to work toward it anyway? It is beautiful to experience, these moments with you, your spouse and God.

If you, as a couple, are not already in the practice of praying together, one of you must take the lead to make this happen. Men – I strongly encourage you to be the one. Offer this gift to your wife.

And Gals – encourage this leadership in your husband. Open your heart up to God in front of your man. You can do this.

When you pray as a couple, your marriage bond can strengthen in ways it simply can not strengthen otherwise. Prayer is powerful and effective.

Do you and your spouse pray together? If not, what do you feel is holding you back?

Ladies, we know you’re reading here more often than the guys. ;)  We’d love husbands to read this article as well. If you feel so inclined please send the link to your husbands, or if it’s easier, we’ve created a downloadable article for you to quickly print off and share. Healthy Marriage Tips A to Z – Pray

 

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My Favorite, Versatile Whole Wheat Dough

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You’ve been seeing this same dough recipe pop up over and over as I post new recipes. It has definitely become my go-to dough recipe for quick, kid-friendly meals that are also healthy. I decided today to highlight and feature my friend, The Versatile Dough. He (she?) is a winner in my book and can multitask in my kitchen to create all kinds of wonderful food.

I guess that must mean that this dough is definitely a “she”. He’s can’t multitask as well as she’s can. This is not an insult to the he’s – no not at all. I’m thankful that God made males able to focus on one thing well. We females can multitask so well, it’s sometimes hard for us to focus on just one thing. Trust me, I’m a she. I know these things. (See, like right now I’m typing this, thinking about the meat thawing in my kitchen for lunch tomorrow, making a plan for what to do with the apples on my porch and creating a chore list for my kids – all at the same time. It’s amazing that my post makes any sense at all. Case in point. So far, this post hasn’t made a whole lot of sense. After all, I’ve just assigned a gender to my whole wheat dough.)

So back to my point, because surprisingly, I really do have one. I love this Whole Wheat Dough. I use it a lot. I think you will love it too.

Versatile Whole Wheat DoughYum

3 to 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat flour)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup plain yogurt

Mix all ingredients and knead together until a nice dough has formed. (If you’re using store-bought flour, you will probably not need all 3 1/2 cups of flour.)  You can roll out and use this dough right away, or you can allow it to sit on the counter-top overnight (covered) in order to break down the phytates in the wheat and make it more digestible.

If you do allow the dough to sit overnight, it is best to knead this dough for several minutes before you try to roll it out. :)

What to Make With This Versatile Whole Wheat Dough

(Click on the links above the pictures to find the specific recipes.)

Pizza Crust

pizzasm.JPG

Poptarts

Pigs in a Blanket

Mini Apple Pies and Pockets

miniapplepies9sm

Pizza Pockets

pizzapockets2sm.JPG

I bet if I think real hard, I can come up with several more ways to use this dough. Have you tried making this dough before or any of the above recipe ideas? You MUST try it – it’s buttery, flaky, healthy, tasty and EASY!

And if you think I’m weird calling my dough a “she” you should hear me talking to my frozen/thawing chickens as I prepare them for soup. Wouldn’t you just like to be a fly on the wall in my kitchen sometime? Oh the things you would learn about me then. ;)

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You Know You’re a Soccer Mom When…

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Fall is the season in which I live at the soccer fields. Our boys play soccer (all on different teams), our two oldest sons referee lots of soccer games, plus our oldest is now helping coach our youngest son’s team. Our sixth grader plays on an additional club team which occasionally plays in tournaments. My husband coaches some of our sons’ teams, plus helps coach our local college women’s team. As much as possible, we go to support both the York College women’s and men’s games. Did you follow all of that? Don’t worry, I can’t keep up either.

I absolutely love soccer and thoroughly enjoy supporting and watching and cheering. I am a soccer mom – it’s what I do. Here is what I’ve discovered about myself:

You know you’re a soccer mom when…you’re watching your six year old’s team get thoroughly creamed. The six year olds don’t seem to care too much about getting beat. They’re just working hard and doing their best. They run. They try to get the ball. They steal it from their own teammate. They kick it the wrong way. You keep cheering. You keep encouraging. And when finally, finally a goal is scored for our team, you find that tears spring into your eyes. What, you’re crying over a six year old soccer goal? Yes, because you’re a soccer mom.

You know you’re a soccer mom when…you decide after being at soccer games for hours and hours that you will just “rest your eyes” while sitting on the bleachers during half time of the fifth game of the day. The sun is shining brilliantly on your face, the music is playing in the back ground and you’re sitting on hard bleachers. As the teams take to the field again and get ready to begin the second half of the game, you realize that you had actually fallen asleep while sitting on hard metal bleachers. And surprisingly, you feel refreshed and ready to watch more soccer.

You know you’re a soccer mom when…that aforementioned brilliantly shining sun fries your face week after week and you have crease lines in your sunburn/tan where you were squinting to look toward the field. It’s cute. And even though you continue to get sunburned week after week, you continue to carry blankets, jackets, gloves and stocking caps in the back of your mini-van because you really just never know when you’re going to need them. You also carry in your purse a nice supply of water bottles, bandaids, kleenexes, and trash – because where else are your kids supposed to put the dirty kleenexes and bandaid wrappers? And yes, you have a big purse.

You know you’re a soccer mom when…you’re on your way to church, but instead of going straight on 14th Street to get to the church building, out of habit, you turn left at Nebraska Avenue and head toward the soccer complex. You finally realize what you’ve done about a block from the complex. You feel ridiculous, but hey, it happens to the best of us. When you repeat the mistake again three days later, you really being to wonder if you’ve lost your mind.

I am, through and through, a soccer mom. Can I get you a bandaid?

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Gratituesday: Mondays

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Most people dread Mondays. I’m not one of them. I realized this on Sunday night when I fell into bed, completely exhausted from the weekend. Five soccer games on Saturday; teaching a class, hosting and feeding many people all day Sunday – I love it all. I love it so much I put a lot of myself into it in hopes of making it great. I love the fellowship, the mentoring, the encouragement I receive from being with and worshiping with others.

But by Sunday night I’m so tired I can’t remember my own kids’ names. (Wait, no. That happens on a regular basis. It’s okay. As-Just-El-Mal- whatever their names are. They’re used to it.)

The beauty of a Monday morning for me is knowing that I don’t need to set an alarm. I don’t need to run out the door by whatever-o’clock. I get to ease my family back into a nice routine for the week. We get to read together, study together and reconnect after a full weekend of running.

I love every day of the week for different reasons. But right now I’m very thankful for the refreshment that comes with Mondays. (And I suppose I should also be thankful for the big laundry piles that come with Mondays too.)  :)

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it 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!

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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Homemade Peach Syrup (made with unprocessed sugar)

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We usually top our pancakes with real maple syrup or homemade applesauce. Sometimes peanut butter and jelly. Or peanut butter with maple syrup. Or honey. Or if we sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips into the pancakes, we don’t really need syrup at all. But last week when we had some fresh, local peaches in our kitchen, I made a quick and healthy homemade peach syrup that is oh-my-goodness good.

You need exactly two ingredients to make this: peaches and sucanat. The two together cook to form a syrup. No water necessary. Can you believe how easy this is?

Homemade Peach SyrupYum

Homemade Peach Syrup (made with unprocessed sugar)
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 fresh peaches (or 2 cups frozen)
  • 2 Tablespoons sucanat or brown sugar
Instructions
  1. Slice peaches into a saucepan.
  2. Stir in sucanat and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the peaches are tender and the ingredients have formed a syrup.

You can add a few shakes of cinnamon if you like. Of course I love doing that in the fall when everything seems to need to smell and taste like cinnamon.

I love how the fruit and sugar cooked together form a syrup naturally. This works with both fresh or frozen fruit. No need to thaw the frozen fruit before cooking!

Homemade Peach Syrup

 

Another variation of this Peach Syrup recipe is…

Easy Raspberry Pancake and Waffle Syrup

Easy Raspberry Pancake and Waffle Syrup - Only Two Ingredients!

It’s the same idea – just sub out peaches for raspberries. Or use blueberries instead. Or strawberries. Or any combination of peaches or berries to make a multi-fruit syrup. See how easy this is?

In case you need them (and of course you do want them), here are our family’s favorite pancake and waffle recipes:

What’s your favorite way to top pancakes and waffles?

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Menu Plan for the Week

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Below we have pictures of two of the food items I’ve made today to serve to guests. Which looks best to you – the wholesome Easy Breakfast Casserole, or the (not-so-wholesome) Frosted Fudge Brownies. Or maybe you’d like some egg casserole with a side of brownies? (Would you like a glass of milk with that?)

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, October 2
Marriage class- Easy breakfast casserole, coffee, juice
Roast, potatoes, carrots, gravy
Huddle – Chili (with fritos, cheese, sour cream, olives), grapes, frosted brownies (these brownies, this frosting)

Monday, October 3
Simple soaked pancakes, homemade peach syrup
Taco corn fritters, peaches
Italian roast wraps (with tomatoes), tossed salad

Tuesday, October 4
Banana bread, applesauce
Creamy mac and cheese, peas
Leftover roast and potato skillet, green beans

Wednesday, October 5
Coconut flour muffins, pears
Tuna salad, crispy cheese crackers, apples, carrot sticks with homemade ranch
Chicken alfredo, tossed salad

Thursday, October 6
Fried eggs, cinnamon swirl bread, oranges
Homemade pizza, fruit salad
Beef stroganoff, green beans, tossed salad

Friday, October 7
Homemade honey oat crunch cereal with dried fruit and milk
Corn dog muffins, apple slices, carrots with homemade ranch
Hamburgers, ranch potato wedges, peas

Saturday, October 8
Pancake sausage muffins, applesauce
Leftovers
Cheesy potato soup with carrots, honey wheat muffins

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Own It

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~Appreciate Your Spouse~Buoyancy in Marriage~Consult Your Partner~
~Dream Together Part One ~Dream Together Part Two~Empower Your Spouse~
~Have Fun With Your Spouse~Give to One Another~Honor Each Other~
~Be Intentional~Jubilee~Kingdom Focused~Listen~Mentor Relationships~Nourish~

Own It

Man in the Mirror – Matt’s Thoughts

The invisible wall between the two of you looms larger than China’s Great Wall…and yet you are in the same room. Though audibly silent, the decibel level inside the two heads match a jackhammer. You blew it. Your spouse has been wronged by you and he/she is upset. Excuses and people or circumstances to blame fill your head. There are plenty of them. And wow, he/she needs to calm down. They have wronged you before. Remember the time when…HOLD UP!!!

How ’bout a little 80’s flashback to the only Michael Jackson song I reference in a serious way. Remember these lyrics? “I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways…”

No more justifying, rationalizing or faulting others. And don’t you dare dig up the past.

Take ownership of your action (or inaction) in your mind and heart. Take ownership verbally by speaking the truth without any caveats: “I was wrong.” “I acted selfishly.” “I blew it.”

Genuinely apologize and seek forgiveness from your spouse. If your spouse is still livid, forgiveness may not be extended to you right then. I’m going to advise you not to ask for confirmation on the spot. You may want to suggest a cool down period and then revisit this later.

Whether grace is offered immediately or not you must ask yourself, “What do I need to change so that I don’t do this again?” Don’t ignore this step or you’ll find yourself in the same room with your spouse with the Great Wall between you…again. Make a plan to fix it and share this plan with someone. It may be best to share the plan with your spouse. It may also be beneficial to call in help from a friend who will hold you accountable.

Oaf used to be how I felt after I blew it with Laura. In my head I was telling myself, “You big oaf!”

Now OAF is the acronym for the action steps after I’ve been a big oaf: Own it, Ask for forgiveness, Fix it.

Once more from Man in the Mirror: “If you want to make [your marriage] a better place take a look at yourself and then make a … change. Yeah! Make that change!”

But I Have Baggage – Laura’s Thoughts

Wow, I have to say that I never thought we’d reference any of Michael Jackson’s songs here at Heavenly Homemakers. I’m a little bit speechless. (Okay, not really.)

I think Matt makes a great point – why do we always tend to blame others when we have done something wrong? Sure, we all come into the marriage relationship with baggage. Some of us more than others. This can be incredibly challenging and makes life and decision making quite a bit more difficult. But it doesn’t excuse you from making bad choices and hurting others, particularly your beloved.

Did you do or say something you shouldn’t have? No blame-shifting. No excuses. Own it.

Easier said than done, but who said doing what’s right is always easy?

Hey, at least it’s easier than trying to do the Moonwalk. (That was totally irrelevant, but if Matt can reference Michael Jackson, so can I, right?) (Oh wait – did I just blame-shift?)

Ladies, we know you’re reading here more often than the guys. ;)  We’d love husbands to read this article as well. If you feel so inclined please send the link to your husbands, or if it’s easier, we’ve created a downloadable article for you to quickly print off and share. Healthy Marriage Tips A to Z – Own It

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