Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Gardening 101: The Garden that Grows in Spite of Me

by 16 Comments

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

Welcome to my garden tour. Here are a few of my disclaimers:  I’m a much better cook than I am a movie maker. I played with all the different features of Windows Movie Maker because I needed to edit out quite a bit of my video…like the parts where I walk from one part of my yard to another talking about random things that would have bored you to pieces. Several parts of the video might seem are choppy. And also…I needed to weed a few areas of my garden…but I wanted to get the video done, so I waited…and now you get to see parts of my garden in all their overgrown grassy glory. I took the hoe to the garden soon after the video, just so you know. 

So here…without any more excuses for lame video footage…is the garden that grows in spite of me:

I’ll try to make another video in a couple more weeks. We’ve had tons of rain lately, so everything is growing like crazy!!

If you have one…how’s your garden doing? Enjoying any yummy produce from it yet?

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

The Story of My Sleeves

by 30 Comments

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

I promised you here that I would share this. Oh how refreshing it is to take a break from all the hard work of writing and sharing healthy recipes and gardening tips… so that I can make myself look ridiculous.

Really. This story is ridiculous.

It happened on a day soon after we had moved back to Nebraska (about seven years ago). I was extremely exhausted from the move. I had three kids ages four and under. My youngest at the time was four months old. I blame this story all on post-partum brain. And whatever else I can possibly blame it on.

Matt and I, along with the kids, were in the home of some fellow church members. The husband was a Bible professor at the college…the wife a psychology professor. That means they are both smart. And also incredibly brilliant.

You know…the kind of people you want to sound intelligent in front of?

Anyway…we were getting ready to leave, and our kids were doing their kid thing, because they were ages four and two and four months old.

I don’t remember exactly what brought it up, but the wife and I got onto the subject of mothering…and how we have to always be on our toes in order to keep the kids under control.

And then I said it.

I said, “Yep, I’ve got some tricks up my sleeves.”

Doesn’t sound too bad does it?

That’s because I THOUGHT I said that I had tricks up my sleeves.

What actually came out of my mouth was,

“Yep, I’ve got sleeves.”

That’s all I said. 

“I’ve….got….sleeves.” 

Then I stood there nodding and looking all smug because I was a good mother with tricks up her sleeves. At least I thought I did. But no…apparently all I had was sleeves. Nothing up them. And certainly no tricks.

It took way too long for me to figure out what I had actually said…at which point I sort of lamely mumbled, “uumm…I mean tricks up my sleeves…”

The lady was kind enough to act like she didn’t really notice…even though I know she did. It didn’t help that I’m pretty sure I was wearing a sleeveless shirt that night. Good grief.

I’ll end this story with a word of encouragement and blessing to all you moms out there:

May you get enough rest to enable you to formulate entire sentences. May you always sound intelligent around those you wish to sound intelligent in front of. And more importantly…

May you always, always, forever and ever amen…have sleeves.

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

High Five Recipes: Italian Roast Wraps

by 28 Comments

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

I continue to be amazed at the great dishes you can make using only five ingredients. Or three. And so many of the recipes only take five minutes to prepare. Italian Roast Wraps are so flavorful and juicy! Now – if you were looking forward to seeing a recipe that only takes five minutes to prepare….you may be disappointed with this one. THIS one only takes two minutes. Sorry about that. :)

High Five Recipes 2

 

Italian Roast Wraps

Italian Roast WrapsYum

High Five Recipes: Italian Roast Wraps
 
Save Print
Author:
Ingredients
  • 2 - 3 pound frozen roast (beef or deer)
  • 2 Tablespoons Italian dressing mix
  • Whole wheat tortillas
  • Sour cream or kreme fresh
  • Chopped fresh tomatoes
Instructions
  1. Place FROZEN roast in a crock pot.
  2. Sprinkle ½ pouch Italian dressing mix onto roast.
  3. Cook on low for 5 hours.
  4. Shred meat or slice thinly.
  5. Spoon meat onto a warm tortilla and top with tomatoes and sour cream.
  6. Wrap and eat!

Recipes I recommend you using for this dish:

Italian dressing mix 
Whole wheat tortillas

italianroastwrap4sm.jpg

Served with a fresh fruit salad, these Italian Roast Wraps are a great lunch or dinner!

italianroastwrap3sm.JPG

Be sure to check out all of the High Five Recipes I’ve posted so far. Here are a few to tease you:

Enjoy these High Five Recipes!

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

Gratituesday: Picking Strawberries!

by 17 Comments

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

gratituesdayspring.jpg

Apparently it doesn’t take much to make me giddy and excited. Take me to a strawberry patch…and I’m like a kid in a candy store. A STRAWBERRY candy store!

Last week, we had the opportunity to go to a farm and pick strawberries (in trade for some homemade bread and other goodies)!! I had been out there one time last year, but I had forgotten how BIG this patch was and how BEAUTIFUL the strawberries are!! 

I could not stop saying, “Thank you God!!!” and “Oh this is SO cool!” for about ten minutes after we arrived. It is the greatest strawberry patch. I had a couple boys who didn’t feel well that morning, so Asa stayed home with them. This meant that Justus and I were on a strawberry picking date. He was just as excited as I was and a super trooper. He worked so hard with me! We chattered the whole time together and talked about bugs and berries and God’s goodness. It will be a date with my boy that I will remember forever. 

pickingstrawberries3sm.JPG

pickingstrawberries2sm.JPG

Somehow, Justus got a picture of me picking strawberries in quite an interesting way. It was like this:  my feet were in a good spot and there were strawberries ALL over the place..and I didn’t want to trample any berries or plants…so I just left my feet there and saw how far I could reach and how many strawberries I could pick without changing foot positions. No WONDER I was sore afterward!!

pickingstrawberries4sm.JPG
Look at these beauties!!

I’m so thankful for the generosity of my friend who let me come have a party in her strawberry patch. I’m thankful for all the yummy berries we’ve been eating. I’m thankful for all the berries I’ve been able to put into my freezer for slushies and smoothies.

And…I’m thankful for the sweet memory I made with my handsome date. Now that everyone is feeling better, I think I need to make plans to take several more handsome dates back to the patch!
————————————————

What are you grateful for?! Join us for Gratituesday! Read the details here, then come link up with us. If you don’t have a blog, leave a comment letting us know what you’re thankful for!

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

How To Make Sunbutter

by 26 Comments

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

I just wanted to share some quick tips about making sunbutter. I mentioned that I would experiment with it after learning to make peanut butter. I’ve been experimenting with it…and have come to a conclusion:

It is not as easy to make as the peanut butter is. :)

Using raw sunflower seeds I tried to make sunbutter  just like I had made the peanut butter. Except that I processed it and processed it, and it never turned creamy. It became kind of mealy…and stayed that way. 

sunbutter6sm.JPG

Yum

I added a few drops of olive oil and processed some more. No change.

I finally gave up. Sort of. I mean…I was determined to figure this thing out because Malachi won’t eat peanut butter (long story). And sunbutter is pricey.

So…I took the mealy sunbutter…and made it into mudballs because that’s one of Malachi’s favorite snacks. I just substitute the peanut butter for sunbutter. Ah-hah! Even though the sunbutter started out mealy…the mudballs came out perfectly! Score!

sunbutter7sm.JPG

At least I know that the mealy sunbutter works when you mix it into other recipes!

Then…I added a bit of honey to the rest of the mealy sunbutter and put it into a jar and then into the fridge. The honey didn’t make it smooth and creamy, but it did make it less dry. I think it will work great to spread on toast or a tortilla.

sunbutter8sm.JPG

By the way, I did a Swagbuck search and discovered that 1) There aren’t many ideas out there for making sunbutter and 2) Anyone else who tried to make sunbutter ended up with mealy sunbutter. It’s good to know that I’m normal. (At least in the area of making sunbutter.)

Do any of you have any experience making sunbutter or other nut butters? 
————————————

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays.

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

by 14 Comments

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

What a weekend! 

We took a bunch of boys on a camping trip Friday night and Saturday to celebrate Asa’s birthday. It was so much fun!  Except for the all night thunderstorm that pretty much kept all of us from sleeping and made us wonder if we should head back home in the middle of the night.  Other than that..it really was so much fun. Asa has a great bunch of friends. 

Back home again…today was going along just fine until Malachi flung himself into a metal bed frame. Lots of tears (Malachi cried too) and three stitches later…we’re back home from the ER with a new stuffed puppy and a very brave and happy four year old.

malachistitchessm.JPG
Ever notice that EVERY picture of Malachi shows him in a different costume? This kid likes to play dress-up. He even took his trip to the ER in his Transformer costume.

I’m hoping that this week will be a little less crazy and that the weekend will bring some out of town guests. (Michele…Jayme…I planned a yummy menu this weekend to make you work even harder to make your way north on Friday.)

If you notice a lot of strawberries on the menu this week…it’s because I have a LOT of them in my house right now. I’ll tell you all about it on Gratituesday! Strawberries make me so happy…

Sunday, June 7
Cereal, strawberries
Chicken stir fry with fresh broccoli and squash
Black bean salsa

Monday, June 8—Happy Birthday Asa!
Cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs
Nachos
Homemade pizza, strawberry chocolate cheesecake

Tuesday, June 9
Chocolate chip pancakes
Bean dip, strawberry milkshakes
Grilled talapia, ranch potato wedges, tossed salad

Wednesday, June 10
Sourdough biscuits, fried eggs, oranges
Hamburger patties, steamed broccoli, fruit salad
Italian roast wraps, tossed salad

Thursday, June 11
Scrambled egg sandwiches, apples
Tuna topped tomatoes, kefir fruit smoothies
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad

Friday, June 12
Banana bread, applesauce
Chicken nuggets and fries, carrot sticks
Tacos, homemade strawberry ice cream

Saturday, June 13
Homemade donuts
Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, veggie tray, fruit
Steak, fried zucchini, tossed salad, strawberry shortcake

I guess we’re having a lot of tossed salad this week too. Our garden is going nuts with lettuce right now! I’ll try to give you a garden tour this week!

Anyone else enjoying lots of strawberries and lettuce (and other great early garden produce) right now?
————————————————-

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas.

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

Women with a Mission: Ministry with Food

by 9 Comments

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

womenwithamission3sm1.JPG
Be sure to catch up on this entire series here. 

One of my favorite ways to serve is with FOOD. Eventually I’ll share some of the ways I use food as a ministry, but today, I wanted to share these ideas sent in by two of my readers…

Nancy’s ministry:  I love to bake bread from scratch. I bought a grain mill a few months ago so now I can even grind my own grain and then bake my bread. =)  Anyway, when I bake bread I bake double what my family needs and then give the extra loaves away. I live in an apartment complex and so have lots of neighbors with whom I can share. People really appreciate it and I can sure tell that they are surprised that someone would give them something with no strings attatched. =)
 
That’s my way of reaching out while I have 2 young children at home and no car to take me out into the big wide world.

Serenity’s ministry (as told by her mother Jill):   

Our daughter really wanted to reach out and serve others but felt that her primary ministry was her husband and children. She decided on a wonderful ministry that would give her the ability to reach out but not neglect her young family. She called the local Ronald McDonald house and asked if they could use a homemade meal once a month for the guests there. They were quite happy to receive that call. 

Ronald McDonald houses allow families that have a very ill child in the local hospital to stay for a very small fee per night. It is set up like a home. They can come and go as they please. There is a kitchen for them to use while they are there. They are almost always very close to the hospital so the families can walk which is very handy for them. Many of these families are facing lengthy hospital stays with critically ill children. 

So, our daughter would make a delicious meal that included homemade bread or rolls, a yummy dessert along with the main course. She is a fabulous cook so she really out did herself. She would cook while the babies were  napping. When her hubby got home from work she would pack it all up and take it over to the house. I am so proud of her for finding a way to serve while still having young children. I am certain the families were blessed by eating a good home cooked meal.

What other ways have you been able to serve others with food?

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

Gratituesday: My Boxcar Children

by 23 Comments

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

gratituesdayspring3.jpg

You’ve read The Boxcar Children, right? If not…you HAVE to read The Boxcar Children. Hands down…it is my favorite children’s book series (which is saying a lot, because I love, love, love Little House on the Prairie books. I’m not trying to rub it in or anything…but I did end up having my very own boxcar when I was little. That may have had something to do with why I love these books so much.

This book series isn’t exactly and entirely what this post is about. This post is actually about what I walk into each night when I go tuck my boys into bed. There they all are…lying on their beds…all completely still and quiet for the first time all day. And there is Asa (our oldest) propped up by the lamp reading the latest Boxcar Children Mystery to his brothers.

It is so sweet.

I would capture it on camera for you…but um…the boys’ summertime jammies aren’t quite Heavenly Homemaker website friendly. They resemble a little something close to what I don’t like hanging out on my clothesline…and I’m not talking about their socks (although their socks are not always presentable either).

Oh, and neither is the floor of their bedroom.

Anyway, what I’m grateful for this Gratituesday is for the sweet memories my boys are making. They don’t know they’re making memories. The littler boys just think their biggest brother is reading to them so that they can stay up later. :)

Of course they’re right. It does cause them to stay up later. What like twenty…thirty minutes later? I’ll gladly let them do that while they let these books take them on adventures together. And…while they’re on these adventures…I may or may not stand outside their bedroom door just listening to the sweetness of this time. And feeling proud of my oldest guy who loves reading to his brothers.
———————————————

Join us for Gratituesday! Read the details here, then come link up with us. If you don’t have a blog, leave a comment letting us know what you’re thankful for!

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

Would Someone Please Hand Me a Schedule?

by 15 Comments

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

We finished our “scheduled” schooling right about the end of April. In the weeks since we finished, I’ve been pretty laid back about having any kind of routine. I think it’s nice after having nine months of order to kick back and just do whatever, whenever.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. We sleep in…we play outside…we work in the garden…

But somehow, the lack of routine doesn’t set well with me after a few weeks. I don’t feel quite as productive. I don’t want the boys to get into a “what? you want me to actually do a chore?” mode. I don’t want the summer to go by and find that we didn’t really accomplish anything. 

I need a schedule. I need some routine. I need productiveness. So, pardon me while I kind of think out loud here as I try to create some sort of organization for our summertime. It may not be pretty. Feel free to tune me out.

Projects I want to get done (with the boys help) this summer:

  • Clean out the house and have a yard sale. (Guard your favorite action figures carefully…I’m in a “get rid of stuff” mood.)
  • Clean up our storage room.
  • Organize books in the school room.
  • Paint the bathroom trim. (oh, I am so not looking forward to this one…)
  • Paint our porch (?) (four boys with paint brushes? I don’t know)
  • Teach Malachi to write his name. (more on this another time)

Projects I’m working on for Heavenly Homemakers:

  • Gardening and Canning ebook (really, really want to have this one finished soon…I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen) :)
  • Early Learners curriculum/ebook (really, really want to have this one finished soon…don’t think it’s going to happen)  :(
  • Oh so many more ebooks started and half finished
  • Continue with Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge
  • Catch up on emails and answering questions (does this ever really happen? That’s okay, bring on the emails!)

Stuff we need to work on every day:

  • Keep up with the garden. (I won’t let the weeds get out of control…I won’t let the weeds get out of control..I won’t let the weeds…..)
  • Keep up with the housework.
  • Read the Bible and work on memory work.

Activities we can be involved in:

  • Library summer reading program (definitely doing)
  • Wessels Farm Life programs (local farm holding special classes for kids…teaching history…checking into)
  • Science Museum summer classes (checking into)
  • Wednesday dollar movie at the theater (every once in a while when there’s a good movie we want to see)
  • Farmer’s Market (not selling baked goods this year…just selling shaved ice!)

Okay, here’s what I think we’ll do:

  • Wake up whenever (hopefully I’ll wake up an hour or two before the boys so I can get computer work done) (actually, as it gets hotter, I’ll need to work in the garden during the earlier morning hours instead of working on the computer)
  • Eat breakfast/read Bible together
  • Do some daily chores before we start playing (we as in the boys part of we)
  • Boys play/Mom does more housework…probably in the kitchen…or we all work in the garden together
  • Lunch
  • Work on projects mentioned above with boys
  • Boys play/Mom works on HHM projects
  • Mom exercises on mini-trampoline (gotta put that into the schedule because I won’t make myself do it otherwise)
  • Dinner
  • Straighten up the house
  • Play or help Daddy with chores he needs help with/more garden work
  • Bedtime (whenever that is)

Okay, well thank you for putting up with that. Even though it’s a loose schedule, I feel better now. 

What do your summers look like? Do you try to keep a schedule?

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

by 8 Comments

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

lettucefromgardensm.JPG
Check out this lettuce from our garden!! 
I was too excited not to share…
It made a great salad for our lunch today!

If you recall, last week I made the impromptu decision to take a trip to Kansas. I’m SO glad I did. It was a wonderful week. Matt obviously didn’t follow my menu plan last week while I was gone…but sort of scrounged around the fridge and freezers and made do with some things I had stashed away.

So….if it seems like this week’s menu looks an awful lot like last week’s menu…that’s because it is. (Easiest menu I ever planned)  :)

Sunday, May 31
Baked oatmeal, peaches
Big chef salad with chicken (with homemade ranch dressing!)
Corn dog muffins, apples, carrots

Monday, June 1
Fried eggs, hashbrowns, grapes
Grilled cheese sandwiches, watermelon, sliced sweet peppers
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad, grapes

Tuesday, June 2
Whole wheat waffles
Cheeseburger mac (using this recipe, just with ground beef and chili powder added), steamed carrots
Chicken and rice, mixed veggies

Wednesday, June 3
Fruit-kefir smoothies, homemade oat cereal
Hummus on crispy cheese crackers, strawberry-peach slushies
BBQ meatballs, baked potatoes, green beans

Thursday, June 4
Breakfast cake
Chicken tostadas, fruit salad
Black bean taco salad, apple slices with strawberry yogurt dip

Friday, June 5
Barbara’s puffy pancake
Calzones, tossed salad
Grilled hot dogs, chips fruit

Saturday, June 6
Pancakes, bacon, eggs
Sloppy Joes, chips, fruit
Homemade pizza pockets, grapes, carrot sticks

You may notice that our Friday night and Saturday menu is a little heavy on the junk food (whoa…chips two meals in a row?). Asa’s birthday party is this weekend…and let’s just say that I would rather feed a bunch of adolescent boys chips as a side dish instead of baked beans. Ya know what I mean? ;)

Make plans to join us Thursday for the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Link-Up. Read about it here!
———————————————-

Find more menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

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