Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Gratituesday: The Date

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gratituesday

Everyone else had plans.

Malachi got to go to a birthday party. Asa and Justus got to go to yet a different birthday party. Matt was working.

That left just Elias and Mama. When does that ever happen? Mama with just one boy for an entire evening?

And so, I told Elias that he should use this opportunity to take me on a date. You should have seen his cute little eight year old eyes! And eye brows. And grin. You would have thought I had offered to buy him a toy store.

He didn’t say a word. He just wore that cute little joyful face and he just nodded. I could see the wheels turning inside his head, “Where should I take Mama? What should we do?” (And yes, he really does call me Mama. The older boys, and even Malachi have started calling me just “Mom” now…but Elias still says Mama. Yum, I love it.)

He decided to take me out to the China Buffet. We ate. We went back for seconds. We picked out desserts. We talked about silly stuff and serious stuff. We talked about what he might like to be when he grows up. We got tickled because we had the EXACT same fortune inside our fortune cookies. 

Daddy had slipped him a little cash to pay for our date, so Elias covered the bill. It was SO precious!!

I am going to work hard to make this happen with each boy as often as I can. Alone time with the kids is hard to come by. We’ll have to be intentional. But now that Elias has had his turn, the other boys are asking constantly about when it will be their turn to take me out. Since they’re so motivated, I think it will be easier to make it happen.

And hopefully, Matt will occasionally still be able to wrestle down the competition and take a turn himself. :)

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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Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve Curriculum Kit…It’s Finished!! It’s Finished!!!

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If it’s loud in here, that’s because I’m running around the house with my arms waving in the air screaming:

It’s done, it’s done, it’s done, it’s done, it’s donnnnne!!!!!!!!!

After two years of planning and writing, fixing, changing, editing, dreaming, praying, crying and praying some more…it’s done!!! It’s DONE!!!

I’d like to take a moment to thank all the little people.

Seriously. The little people. My kids.  The ones who were the inspiration for all of this back in the day when they didn’t eat so much food. Back when they were my preschool servants. They are now a little bigger and I can’t thank them enough for eagerly helping me add ideas, create projects and take pictures for the tutorials included in the kit. And also for being patient with me during the past few weeks when they would ask me questions and I would look up from the computer with glassy eyes. God bless you boys for putting up with me.

And of course, you know how much I want to thank my husband. He is the reason this kit is finished, the reason it exists at all. My husband is my rock, the one who points me toward The Rock. He spent hours editing, offering suggestions and in general putting up with a wife who was distracted and talked in her sleep, as I spouted off craft ideas all beginning with the letter Ii. Seriously, this endeavor had me talking in my sleep. About the alphabet. To my husband. And he was kind enough not to make fun of me. I’m keeping him forever.

I also MUST thank Lenetta, who had the grueling task of editing the entire kit when it was formatted all crazy like. She has a gift for making the written word shine on paper and screen. And Char…for all your help in the past few days as we got everything finished up, I thank you.

And now…without further ado…Learn Your Letters, Learn To Serve Complete Curriculum Kit!

learnyourletters

Teach your child to serve…one letter at a time! This 240+ kit includes thorough lesson plans, games, crafts, recipes, memory verses, Bible story suggestions, vocabulary stimulation and discussion, play, books to read and so much more…all while encouraging service to God!

Each letter you study includes suggestions for service, such as “Take a new Bible to B__________” on Bb week, “Make soup for someone who is sick on Ss week, and “Deliver flowers to F_______________” on Ff week. Your child will make gifts or food, offer help and learn to think of others. As a family you can delight in praying together about who you would like to serve and what form of service you would like to offer! 

This curriculum kit can be used as a supplement to what you are currently doing to teach your child preschool basics…or it can be used all on its own as a complete early learners curriculum tool.  It is absolutely not just for home schoolers.  Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve is for any family who would enjoy learning and serving together with little ones.  In addition, Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve Curriculum Kit may be purchased for use in a Sunday School Classroom or Preschool Classroom.

To get a feel for what this kit is like, help yourself to this free sample lesson!

What Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve includes:

  • 159 Page Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve Book of ideas, instructions, recipes, tutorials and service planners  (the majority of this book can be left paperless, unless you choose to print it and bind it)
  • Alphabet Practice Packet (26 pages of printable letter writing practice)
  • Alphabet Project Packet (printable projects that go along with various lessons)
  • Memory Verse Packet (26 printable memory verses to decorate and place on the wall or in a binder)
  • Parent Planning Packet (planning pages, teaching suggestions, scheduling ideas)

Feel free to email me with questions!

I pray that you will be as blessed as our family has been as you learn and serve together!

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 $45.00

Add to Cart

After your purchase, you will be sent an email with your download links!

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A Recipe, A Giveaway, and Oh Yeah – A Menu Plan

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Welcome to my very long post. I’m not sure if this is called multitasking…or if it’s called the best way to overwhelm your audience. Maybe it’s simply called Laura is trying to play catch-up. Yes, apparently I’m trying to kill three birds with one…post.

Disclaimer:  No birds were harmed during the writing of this post.

The Menu Plan:

Sunday, July 11
Oatmeal, pears
Cheddar ranch burgers, corn on the cob (while we watch the World Cup finals!)
Bean and rice bowls, fresh pineapple

Monday, July 12
Whole wheat waffles
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, carrot sticks
Venison roast, potatoes, carrots, gravy

Tuesday, July 13
Scrambled eggs, oranges
Homemade pizza, grapes
Crunchy ranch chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Wednesday, July 14
French toast, blueberries
Tuna on tomatoes, crispy cheese crackers, fruit kefir smoothies
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans

Thursday, July 15
Mini apple pies, cheese
Corn dogs, watermelon
Egg/turkey sausage/hashbrown casserole, orange muffins

Friday, July 16
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Popcorn chicken, green beans
Sloppy cornbread, strawberry-peach slushies, peas

Saturday, July 17
Funnel cakes
Leftovers
Tacos

The Recipe

Back when I threw out the question about grills, Christy left a comment about how she makes Apple Crisp on the grill. I asked her for the recipe…and she kindly sent it to me. Doesn’t this sound SO good?

Apple Crisp on the Grill

In a bowl, mix together the apples, cinnamon and flour. Coat well, and add apple juice and sugar/or honey. Mix in with apples and fold in until mixture is combined. Place in an old metal bread pan or two disposable pie plates.

5-6 apples diced w/skins on (Adds color and extra vitamins)
2 T Sugar or honey
2 T. Apple juice
1 t . cinnamon
2T. whole wheat or AP flour

Topping:
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. butter (cold is good)
3 T . Brown Sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Mix topping ingredients together, and crumble evenly to the top of the apples! Wrap tightly in foil.

Christy says, “I put the crisp on the BBQ on low, at the same time as I I put on my potatoes, followed by the vegetables, then the burgers! When our main course is ready I turn off the heat, and let the crisp finish, and let the juices get nice and thick. The smell is amazing and brings a touch of fall to the air” :)

The Giveaway:

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I was sent TWO coupons for a FREE package of Original Brat Hans Sausages. My grocery stores don’t carry these sausages (I think you can find them at Whole Foods), so they said I could give them away to two of you!! If you’re interested in these Brat Hans Gourmet Chicken Sausages with No Nitrates, No Nitrites, No MSG, No Fillers, No Antibiotics, No Added Hormones, No Preservatives…leave a comment on this post! I’ll draw two random winners at the end of the week.

You may also be interested to know that I will be drawing the winner for Learn Your Letters, Learn To Serve Curriculum Kit tonight…and you know what comes after that!!!

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

Freezer Cooking For July Wrap up

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Well now, here we are…many, many days after my original post telling you about how I was going to cook and bake to get ahead in the kitchen for July. I’m sure you were waiting on pins and needles to hear how it all went.

Want to know my husband’s reaction when he saw my list? First let me say that usually when Matt sees my cooking-ahead lists, he gets excited about the food in his future. This time however, since I was working so frantically on finishing the curriculum kit, he looked at the list, then he looked gently up at me (beautiful, haggard me…with hair drooping pitifully into my face and contact lenses strewn about the table) and said not so confidently, “Really?”

I smiled weakly and said uh-huh, because we still needed to eat and occasionally I wanted to take a break from the computer, you know? What better therapy after being on the computer for hours than being able to go into the kitchen to cook? 

Lest you look at these pictures and think I am really cool for getting all this done…do be made well aware that all of this took me no less than NINE days. I did not do it all at once. I did not do it very quickly. I just cooked a little extra each day when I was making our regular meals. And now, we have some lovely convenience food in the freezer. 

And let’s all do appreciate the fact that having these lovely cooking breaks in between writing did much for my sanity. 

Oh, and the children and husband also appreciated my sanity being provided with something to eat.

Take note that I did not get everything done on my list. However, I added a few things to the list so it all balances out.

I cooked a whole chicken, made broth from the bones and the whole nine yards, but I must have forgotten to take a picture. Forgive the lack of poultry pictured below.

july_freezer_cooking

I made some butterscotch bars for a reunion. And for breakfast that day, I made applesauce bread into applesauce cake. Note to self:  applesauce bread makes good applesauce cake and a fun breakfast treat. Just spread bread batter into a buttered 9×13 inch pan and bake at 350° for 35 minutes or so.

july_freezer_cooking_2

I mixed up chocolate chip cookies, but instead of baking them, I just froze scoops of dough. Now, I can bake a few at a time as needed. Check out the red stained parchment paper. That was from freezing strawberries last month. I like to reuse parchment paper. The kids thought the cookies were bleeding, but that’s just because they’re boys and they like to think of gross things.

freezer_cooking_one

I made a batch of breakfast cookies one night, froze half of them and we ate the other half for breakfast the next day. Sorry about the poor quality of that picture. That happens late at night.

freezer_cooking_two

One day I got a whole bunch accomplished:  frozen chicken fried steak strips, tortillas for burritos…

freezer_cooking_three

There are the finished bean/cheese burritos. With tortillas leftover. I love it when tortillas are leftover.

freezer_cooking_four

Another day I made a batch of buns. 
Here’s your chance to say:  “Wow Laura…nice buns.”

freezer_cooking_five

I made ice cream one evening and we ate it for dinner. That’s it. We just had ice cream for dinner. But it was this recipe and I felt like we were having quite a nutritious dinner. Minus any vegetables. It’s okay, we had green beans for breakfast Wednesday so that made up for it. We’re weird, aren’t we?

freezer_cooking_seven

Somewhere in there I made a jar of peanut butter.

freezer_cooking_eight

These weren’t on the list, but I was making lasagna casserole one night, so instead of one, I made three. Didn’t take any longer and now I have two in the freezer!

Now, as we approach August…I’ll probably just continue to make and freeze food as much as I can. August is very full with school starting, the garden exploding with food to preserve and soccer season begins again.

Bring on the freezer food.

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The Garden

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Several of you have requested to see how our garden is growing this year. Therefore, I braved the millions of mosquitoes and took several shots of our glorious soil with green things growing out of it.

I can take absolutely NO credit this year for how the garden looks. Matt has worked VERY hard and keeping the weeds under control and everything looks so, so pretty.

I basically started on one end of the house and went all the way around the back to the other side taking pictures. Yes, we have more than one garden spot. If it has the capability to grow things (and it isn’t an area used regularly to kick soccer balls), it has been tilled and it shall bear fruit. Well, vegetables as the case may be.

garden_one

Here we have several tomato plants and some pepper plants. 
Looks like the beginnings of salsa, wouldn’t you think?

garden_two

Ah, more tomato plants. Yes, there will be many tomatoes. We are not afraid.

garden_3

Ooh, the first fruits. Vegetables. Wait. Tomatoes are a fruit. 

garden_four

We planted the corn in two stages so that it would be ready at two different times. 
The first round is just a bit taller than me. We’re so proud.

garden_five

Here are more pepper plants growing in the raised garden bed Matt made last year. 
Our yard is really not crooked. I just took a crooked picture.

garden_six

Here’s our little garden of potatoes. See all the blossoms? 
That means there are lots of french fries growing underground.

garden_seven

Beside the potato plot grows our beloved peach tree. 
There are only a few peaches on it, so this year we will be mooching peaches off of others if possible. 
The tree sure looks pretty though.

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And last but not least, the green beans. Four long rows of green beans. And look:

garden_nine

I picked a whole bowlful on Tuesday!! 
When I steamed some that night, I thought perhaps I was in  heaven. 

And then we may or may not have steamed more of them for breakfast this morning. Who could resist?

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Gratituesday: It’s (almost) FINISHED!!! And I’m Giving One Away!

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I am SO excited to tell you that the project I’ve been working on for hours and hours lately is ALMOST (but not quite) finished!!! The only pieces left are the final tedious editing and perfecting of details. In the meantime, I’ve decided that I’m dedicating this Gratituesday to tell you about it because seriously, you have NO idea how excited and thankful I am to be almost finished with this project and to almost be able to offer it to you!

Many of you suggested that perhaps I was working on a book…not an ebook…but a book, book. Oh, how honored I was to hear you say that you’d be so excited if indeed I was working on a book! Thank you so much.  That’s not what I’ve been working on, but someday…someday. It is a goal of mine…one I’ve shared with only a few people. But others in my life have encouraged it…and now you are encouraging it…so yes…someday. When God tells me that the time is right and when He opens all the right doors. Thank you so much for your encouragement. You truly humble me.

What I HAVE been working on though is a little tool for you to use with your kids. And by little tool, I really mean a 240+ page tool. Not at all little, actually. I began this project back in 2008. I had the idea to share with you in ebook form something that had worked very well for us when we had a bunch of little preschool aged fellas running around. It was something that we came up with to help us teach our kids the preschool basics…but more importantly…it was something we did as a family to serve other families and individuals around the community.

We focused on one alphabet letter each week and did all kinds of fun activities centered around that particular letter. But our main focus each week was thinking about people or families we knew whose name began with the letter we were studying. Toward the end of the week, we had a special surprise for several people. For instance, during Mm week, we delivered Mini Muffins to the Millers, to our friend Mark and to Mrs. Moses. We included a nice card explaining that they were a part of our Alphabet Blessings project and thanked them for letting us serve them. Usually we were all able to sit down and enjoy a nice visit together for a few minutes.

It was a HUGE joy to do this as a family and we have so many wonderful memories of our years doing this with our little guys. It was, of course, also a wonderful way to help them learn their letters and letter sounds!

And so, in 2008, I began putting some of these ideas into an ebook for you. Within the past two years, the little ebook grew into something much more. So much more in fact, I got completely overwhelmed with it and felt like it was too huge to ever finish. I would work on it for a while, then put it aside feeling like I would NEVER be able to get it done. It had evolved from a small ebook idea into a complete comprehensive curriculum package full of ideas, worksheets, Bible work, picture tutorials…..oh so much.

My husband is the reason this project is almost finished.  He saw it for what it was…saw how many hours I had put into it…saw how close it was to being completed. He encouraged me to finish, he said he would help. And now here it is, with over 35 recipes, more than 65 crafts, experiments and other projects, Bible lessons and memory verses! It’s full of pictures and instructions. It’s full of games and challenges.  And most importantly, it’s loaded with ideas to inspire you and your young ones to serve others together.

learnyourletters

By God’s grace and with the help and encouragement of my family…this downloadable curriculum kit is almost complete.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  That is why I am sharing this on Gratituesday.

While I’ve never mixed Gratituesday with a Giveaway before…I’m so excited that today I’m breaking my rules!! :)  If you are interested in winning a Learn Your Letters, Learn To Serve Curriculum Kit, leave a comment letting me know of your interest! In addition, you are welcome to leave additional comments if you tweet, facebook or blog about this kit and the giveaway. 

Thank you all so much for your encouragement as I have plugged away at this project. The giveaway will end and the Curriculum Kit will be offered for sale in just a few days…just as soon as the final tweaking is completed. Can I just way…WOOHOOOOOOO!!!! Thank you Lord!

Just so you know, this curriculum kit is not just for homeschoolers. Not even close! My intent was to make it usable for any and every family with young children…or for teachers, grandparents…anyone! There are SO many more details to share…but I’ll wait and share them once it is all complete and in my shop! I’ll even be offering a small sampling of the kit for free, just so you can have a taste of what it’s like.

In addition to leaving comments for chances to win this giveaway, please do let me know what you’re grateful for either by commenting or by blogging and linking up with us here!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!! :)  YOU CAN PURCHASE THE CURRICULUM KIT HERE!

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That bad, huh?

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I’ve been on the computer almost non-stop for days. 

Must…finish…project…

I’m actually really (mostly) enjoying it, especially as I see how this project that I started almost two years ago and set aside, thinking that I never would get it done…is really and truly almost finished!!!!!  Thanks to Matt’s urging. He saw it for what it was…something that many of you could really use and appreciate.

So, sixteen hours a day times how many days equals way too much time on the computer at one time. 

Which leads me to this question:  What do you think this is?

too_much_writing

No, not the pencil…the other little thingy there beside the pencil?

It has something to do with how tired I was getting as I stared at the screen.

Here’s a closer-up picture (don’t question my grammar, I’ve been at the computer for WAY too long to come up with real words):

too_much_writing_two

Figure it out yet?

Yes, those are indeed the contact lenses I was wearing on the whichevereth day of being at the computer for too many hours. I just didn’t have the strength to get up out of my chair and go upstairs to take them out properly. And they could NOT stay in my eyeballs for one more minute.

I had Asa bring my glasses to me, and I just plucked those suckers out and tossed them on the table.

And then just I kept right on working.

I didn’t think a thing of it until several hours later when I was trying to clean up part of my mess. I was wiping off the table…and there they were…in all their blobby glory.

And then in my delirium, I got way too tickled and giggly over the fact that really…I had just grabbed my contacts out of my eyes in between typing words, threw them on the table beside my computer and just carried on with my life without blinking. Er, well…I would imagine that I did blink a time or two as I took them out…but you know what I mean.

Only a crazy woman would do this…and then later take a picture of them and share them with her blog reader friends. Welcome to my crazy world, people.

Well anyway, I’m pretty sure that I had given thought to the fact that this particular pair of contacts was on its last leg anyway and that I needed to get out a new pair. (I wear disposable, the kind that last two weeks.)  Right? Surely I was at least thinking clearly about that, wasn’t I? Because I think this particular pair of two week contacts was around three weeks old. 

And on that note…I do believe it’s time for me to turn off the computer for a day or two. I’ve accomplished much. I’ve pushed myself a little more toward insanity. And now I’m taking a break. 

The project is almost done anyway. :)

I’ll see ya Sunday. Or Monday. Or whenever I decide to put a new pair of contacts in.

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Tiny Tee Designs Giveaway

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Yes…or No? Do you think Malachi is proud of his Tiny Tee Shirt?

malachi_tshirt

Lindsy, who owns Tiny Tee Designs, sent it just for him…and yes…he is very proud of it. So proud in fact, he’s been very careful not to wipe his grimy hands on it during lunch. This is amazing.

Lindsy also sent a couple of her adorable baby onsies for me to have on hand for the next couple of baby showers I attend. I love them all…but just check out this one with the tie. Baby can look just like a tiny business man in that one!

These onsies and t-shirts are very reasonably priced and great quality. These aren’t the kind that shrink or look dingy after one wear! Malachi’s worn his several times and it still looks great! 

Did I mention that he’s proud of his shirt?

malachi_tshirt_2

Lindsy would like to give away any one item from her shop…anything you choose…even a custom design shirt! Head on over to Tiny Tee Designs and take a look around. Come on back here and let us know what you might be interested in! I’ll choose a random winner on Monday, July 5.

To enter the giveaway:

  • Leave a comment here letting us know what you would be interested in winning from Tiny Tee Designs.
  • Be a Facebook fan (or like or whatever) of Heavenly Homemakers and/or Tiny Tee Designs.
  • Blog about, tweet, or share on facebook about this giveaway…sharing the link to this post.

Leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry please!!

Now, go check out Tiny Tee Designs!

This giveaway is now closed…thanks!

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

Freezer Cooking for July

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Um, first let me say that it felt very weird typing “July” just now. Really? July already? Weird.

Anyway, Freezer Cooking for July.

I’ll be doing a little extra cooking this week to try to stock pile some grab and eat foods.

Here’s a list of food I’m hoping to make and freeze (or eat) during the next few days:

It may take me a few days to get all of these foods made up. I just so happen to be in the middle of a huge, very big, gigantic, enormous project that I hope many of you will find interesting. If, that is, I EVER in my long leg-ged life get it finished! Matt is helping me. The boys are helping me. I’ve been getting very little else done but hours and hours of sitting at the computer…

I’m excited to tell you about it within the next few days if I can at least get one more tiny (big) thing finished enough to show you. 

But let’s just say that having some of the above foods prepared ahead would be a good idea so that as I’m working away on the computer, the boys have something besides watermelon chunks or bread crumbs to eat. 

Anyone care to take a guess about what I might be working on? I’ve mentioned it here before, but it’s been a while.  ;)

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