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Gratituesday: My Nephew

April 28, 2008 by Laura 6 Comments

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Hey…can I tell you about my newest nephew? Thanks.

(Ah, the joy of being able to brag…and it being okay…) :)

This little guy, Seth, belongs to Randy and Kari (Matt’s brother and his wife). They are in the process of adopting him….and really, really…the fact that God gave Seth to our family is one of the hugest blessings ever. You can read about their adoption journey on their blog.

See…just look at this sweet little boy. I LOVE all the rolls!!

Because we’re honoring mothers during the next several days…I’ll also add that Seth has a most wonderful mama! I LOVE how Kari loves Seth. It really is delightful to watch (and by watch…I mean listen to on the phone and read about on the blog and email…they live in CA…and that is not close to NE :( ).

My favorite thing about the way Kari mothers Seth is in the way she is ALREADY bringing God into his life. From the time he was born…Kari has been praying with him and talking to him about God. And THAT is the very best way to mother.

Kari…I am amazed and challenged by your wonderful mothering skills.

And I am SO GRATEFUL that God has given our family Seth.

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So…what did God do for YOU this week?! Leave us a comment….or… Blog about it and come back and link up! Share with us how God is working in your life…even if it’s “just” a simple thing! Simple things are worth praising God about! Let’s encourage one another this Gratituesday!

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Make a May Day Basket!

April 28, 2008 by Laura 21 Comments

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I ALWAYS seem to forget May Day…until someone brings a cute May Basket to our door. Then the kids get all excited and ask if we can make some. And at that point I feel like it’s too late to start thinking of a plan.

This year…I remembered!!

We started working on our baskets three days early!

We started by tracing this pattern onto yellow cardstock:

The yellow cardstock pattern fits around a paper cup. The boys picked their favorite pictures from this sheet of cut-outs and glued them on.

(You’ll find the downloads to these here!)

These were simple to make….and ALL of the boys had fun with them! I think they turned out ADORABLE!

We’ll be filling the baskets with Tiny Cookie Bites. These cute little cookies are fun to make and yummy to pop into your mouth!

Tiny Cookie Bites

1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix together melted butter and brown sugar. Stir in egg, salt, baking soda and vanilla. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Place tiny bits of dough on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Find all the instructions and download the patterns and picture cut-outs in the Clever Creations section of the HeavenlyHomemakers site here. They are free for you to use! Have Fun!!

(As an aside…my boys can’t wait to go ring someone’s doorbell…drop off the May Basket and make a run for it! Ah…the joys of being sneaky!)

Visit Tammy’s Recipes for more fun kitchen tips!

[tags]may day baskets[/tags]

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Menu Plan For the Week

April 27, 2008 by Laura 16 Comments

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I’ve always liked to display my menu on the fridge so that I can see at a quick glance what I’ll need to prepare next! (My husband and kids also love to have the menu plan on the fridge so that they know what to get hungry for next!)

I used to always write my menus on a piece of notebook paper (complete with fringe)…and slap it onto my fridge. For some reason…I always felt like it looked….tacky. ;)

I started making these fun menu planners…and I really like them. (They look so much more cheerful in my kitchen than the piece of paper ripped out of a notebook…)

And now…here are some new springtime menu planners that you are welcome to download and use to brighten up your kitchen!

Butterfly Menu Planner Little Red Menu Planner

Lavender Flowers Menu Planner

And here’s what I’ll be writing on my springtime menu planner this week:

Monday, April 28
Whole Wheat Waffles
Chicken Tortilla Soup, tossed salad
BBQ Meatballs, cheesy potatoes, green beans

Tuesday, April 29
Mini Breakfast Pizzas, fruit
Grilled Cheese, tomato soup
Baked Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn

Wednesday, April 30
Orange Muffins, bananas
Quiche, fruit salad
Beefy Enchilada Bake, taco salad

Thursday, May 1
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Homemade Pizza Pockets, pineapple
Crunchy Ranch Chicken, rice and veggie stir fry

Friday, May 2
Granola, fruit smoothies
Pizza Casserole, salad
Hamburgers on homemade buns, onion rings

Saturday, May 3
Homemade Donuts
Nachos
Grilled steak, asparagus, cantelope

Also…this week on the blogging menu…

May Basket Craft Idea…More Yummy Recipes…Honoring Mothers….and more! Hope to see you again this week!

Be sure to visit Organizing Junkie for more great menu planning ideas!

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Here’s What YOU are Saying…

April 24, 2008 by Laura 4 Comments

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…about Eating more Fruits and Veggies!

I wanted to encourage you to start…or continue to eat More Fruits and Veggies by reading some of the emails and comments I’ve been receiving! I’ve certainly been encouraged by them!

Here’s part of an email I got from Toni (aka the Happy Housewife):

I just wanted to thank you for encouraging me in the fruits and veggies department. I feel great! I have been up late the past few nights, and I haven’t been overly exhausted the next day, and I give all the credit to my diet change. Not that I want to make a habit of late nights, but it is interesting to see how I different I feel when I eat better throughout the day.

Oh and I forgot to mention in the other email… I have lost most any craving for junk food. I wasn’t a big junk food person before, but today I had a small brownie (it was actually pretty healthy w/w flour, natural sugar, etc…) and it didn’t even taste good to me! I had carrots instead! YIPEE!

Toni wrote a great post here about Healthy Eating!

Jennifer left this comment:

Well, I have been visiting your blog the past two weeks. I did not sign up for this challenge officially, BUT I have been incorporating about 60% more veggies and fruits in our diets because of stopping here. We did eat both everyday, but we REALLY have been eating them lately! In fact, I just wrote a post about the potentially embarrassing ways that I get my kids to eat them. Stop by if you like.

Jennifer wrote two great blog posts here and here about training your kids to eat healthy. Go check them out!!

Erin commented:

I just did an update on my blog- while I slipped on my not eating sweets- I have upped my veggies and fruits SIGNIFICANTLY and am starting to not care to eat the junk. Once you start eating all the good healthy food (and making sure that you do) there’s not much room in your belly for any of the bad junk!

She wrote a blog post about her “Green Smoothie Experiment” here!

Donna says:

I’m still hanging on….been a little out of sorts but hey! -we’re all in this together! I have some good news…DH has decided to go back on our ‘healthy diet’. Praise the Lord! That means more ways to get in fruits and veggies! (without a ‘what’d u do to this?’) If you get a chance, I’ll be posting some recipes, some you might could use on your crew! You have lots of good ones here that I aim to try!

I saw this recipe on Donna’s blog that I thought sounded great!! She has lots of yummy looking recipes over there!

Anybody have anything they’d like to add…about how GOOD they feel while they’re eating all these good fruits and veggies?! Have any great fruit and veggie recipes you need to tell us about?!

Go get yourself a banana…then come on and tell us about it!!

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How I Walked Thirteen Miles in Two Hours…

April 23, 2008 by Laura 27 Comments

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Okay…so maybe it wasn’t REALLY thirteen miles. But it sure felt like it (uphill both ways…blah, blah, blah…)

So here’s my story…um…in list form….for Thursday Thirteen:

1. Two of our boys had soccer games last night out at our big outdoor soccer complex. Daddy couldn’t go because he had two other soccer games to referee in another town. (He was bummed to miss the boy’s games.) :(

2. So, I took the four boys out to the complex myself…where there were many other games going on…which meant I had to park waaaaayyyyyy far away from the gate.

3. Malachi (age three) wanted to be carried over to our first game. We made it all the way over there and got ourselves settled in.

4. Justus played the first half of his game…then ran over to me at half-time in tears saying his tummy hurt and he didn’t want to play anymore. Because he had been sick all weekend…I believed him. Enough running around for him. He sat with me the rest of the game.

(Okay…this is where the story begins to get a little more exciting….um…for YOU…not for me…) :)

5. Asa’s game was next…and of course…while Justus’ game was on THIS side of the complex…Asa’s game was waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy over on the other side of the complex.

6. The bathrooms are on THIS side of the complex…so I wisely suggested that we all go potty before heading over to Asa’s game. (Nobody needed to go potty…of course.)

7. So, we start the long walk to Asa’s game…me carrying Malachi (because really…that’s easier than having HIM walk that far) and with Justus groaning from a tummy ache still…and Elias “taking his time” behind us.

8. Just about the time I start to think, “Okay…we’re almost there and then I can put down my heavy purse full of snacks…and my heavy three year old…” Justus gets a panicked look and says, “I need to go to the bathroom.” (Ah, but of course.)

9. I got Malachi over to Asa’s game and “forced” him to sit with a friend of mine so that I wouldn’t have to carry him back and forth again…but Elias insisted on going with me… So we walked alllllllllll the way back to the bathrooms. While we were there…I insisted that Elias go to the bathoom too. (Please.)

10. Justus now feels better and we walk allllllllll the way back to Asa’s game…which of course…had started a long time ago.

11. After about twenty minutes of watching the game…Malachi says, “I need to go potty.” (Of COURSE you do.) So….off I went with Malachi…carrying him all the way to the bathroom. (I really was trying to look at this all positively like, “WOW…I sure am getting some great exercise tonight! SURE am thankful for that!”) <cough>

12. We got back to Asa’s game…in time to watch some of it…

13. And as I was standing there holding Malachi and watching the last of Asa’s game (possibly looking exhausted and pitiful) …one of the other parents came over and gave me his chair. Never had met the guy. Wasn’t that so nice? :) I happily sat in it until it was time to walk allllllll the way back to the gate….and over to the van…which was of course…about 13 miles away.

The end :)

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Three Outta Four Ain’t Bad…

April 23, 2008 by Laura 2 Comments

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How hard IS IT to get ALL of them to cooperate and look at the camera at the same time? Yeah…pretty hard….

More Wordless Wednesday here.

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Gratituesday: Dirty Fingernails

April 21, 2008 by Laura 11 Comments

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I know, I know…

You’re thinking, “Really Laura. Can’t you think of ANYTHING that you’re thankful for this week? You had to fall back on your dirty fingernails?”

(Hey, it was either that…or my smelly trash can…) (Just kidding.) (My trash can is never smelly…) ;)

Okay, really…

I’m REALLY thankful for my dirty fingernails this week!

Know why?! Because that means that I FINALLY got to go out and work in my garden!!

It seems like any time I had free to work…it was raining. And anytime it was nice and sunny…I was busy with other things.

So finally, this weekend I got to go play in my beautiful soil…and dream about the fresh peas and lettuce and spinach….and all the other yummy things we’ll be eating soon.

And that night…I noticed how dirty my fingernails were…and I thought, “Well, here we go!”

This is the season when my lovely manicured hands look like a farmer. (Um, that was a joke… I had to go look up how to spell manicure…. I don’t even know how to spell it…much less give myself one.) :)

So right along with all the perks (like dirty fingernails) that come along with gardening…I’m loving all of the fresh air and sunshine…and even the hard work that my garden provides. Ah yes…and the promise of fresh vegetables!

I am so grateful for these dirty fingernails.

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Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

April 21, 2008 by Laura 180 Comments

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In the past few years as our family is working to learn more about eating healthier…I’ve tried to come up with a healthy, homemade whole wheat hamburger bun.

I think I have finally figured out how to make a good bun.

(I must say…blogging about my buns feels a little….strange. But just in case you’ve had trouble with your buns…I thought this was worth sharing.)

Many burger bun attempts failed…as usually they were too bready…or too heavy. And we all know that NOBODY wants their buns to be too heavy…

Yum

So last week…I tried again and tweaked one of my other recipes and turned out a great batch of buns! Here’s how I did it:

Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

5 cups (+) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 pkgs regular or active dry yeast (4 1/2 t.)
2 T. honey
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2 T. butter
2 t. sea salt

In a large mixing bowl, stir together 3 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups warm water. Set aside to let rest for 30 minutes. In the meantime, mix together 1/4 cup water, yeast and honey. Allow this to sit for at least 10 minutes to activate the yeast.

Melt butter, milk and salt in a small saucepan on the stove. Do not allow the mixture to get above 120 degrees.

Pour yeast mixture and milk mixture into flour mixture. Add remaining two cups of flour (more if needed).

Knead for about 10 minutes until dough begins to look “shiny”. Put dough back into the bowl, cover and let rise for at least an hour…or until it has doubled.

Pull dough onto a clean countertop and knead for a couple of minutes to get any air bubbles out. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/2 inch thick.

Cut circles from the dough with a large drinking glass or wide mouth jar. Place circles on in a well buttered baking dish about an inch apart.

Allow to rise for about 30 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Makes about 18 buns.

Now….I really hope you like these as much as we do!!

But really…do be careful when you share this recipe and talk with others about them. Because…

“Don’t you just LOVE Laura’s buns?!” might just not sound quite right… ;)

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Contentment

April 21, 2008 by Laura 8 Comments

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When we first moved into our home six years ago…I LOVED it! I was so excited to have this great big huge 100 year old house…with six bedrooms and a huge yard and old ornate windows and a newly re-done kitchen.

The fact that this house was old didn’t bother me…old houses have lots of character. And, the previous owners completely remodeled many of the rooms and re-did the hardwood floors throughout the house…beautiful!

I still love my house…which has become our home.

But, sometimes…I don’t love it as much as I used to love it…

Funny thing about old houses. They have lots of quirks. And this house has a long list.

I won’t tell you our plumbing issues…but, well…we have some.

Those beautiful, ornate windows? Really drafty.

Some of the cracks and crevices throughout the house have dirt in them from the dust storms of the 1930’s. And I guess they always will.

Many of the walls are plaster…ever taken old wallpaper off of plaster?!

And you know our huge yard that I was once so excited to have? Now I want it to be bigger…and to have a nice fence around it…

And the whole house and the huge yard…I want it to be a few miles out in the country so that we can have some chickens for the boys to take care of…and so that we can plant an orchard…and so that my garden can be bigger…

So…this is where my mind goes occasionally.

Instead of looking around me at the beautiful home that I have…and simply being content.

And not only being content…but realizing that I have a lot more than most.

Because there are people in other countries…and people in this country who would be happy to simply have a bed.

And I have two extras.

And a lot of extra other stuff too.

So I will work to be content.

Because when I look around at what I really have…how could I NOT be?

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

Be sure to check in at Biblical Womanhood for more Make Your Home a Haven.

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Menu Plan This Week

April 20, 2008 by Laura 6 Comments

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Well…we’re starting off the week with three sick kids…so we’ll see how the menu plan goes! I just got back from the store with LOTS and LOTS of fruits and veggies…so while the kids aren’t eating much else (which proves that they’re sick!)…at least they’ll munch on some fruit.

I’ve also got a big chicken thawing so that I can make a rich broth for the sickies. (I’ll try to take pictures and show you how I make a very nutritious broth in the next few days!)

Having said all that…if everyone begins to feel better…this is what we’ll be eating this week! (I’ve begun to hear a couple of sibling arguments…so things must be looking…up…) :)

Sunday, April 20
Oatmeal, fruit
Chicken Broccoli Bake, spinach salad, corn
Leftovers, Fruit

Monday, April 21
Toast made on homemade bread, fruit
Sloppy Joes on homemade buns, creamy cole slaw, baked beans
Chicken and rice, steamed carrots

Tuesday, April 22
Scrambled eggs, orange slices
Meat and cheese burritoes, pineapple orange slushies
Easy chicken alfredo, tossed salad, green beans

Wednesday, April 23
Honey brown bread, applesauce
Spinach Quiche, fruit salad
Chicken enchiladas, tossed salad

Thursday, April 24
Crepes with jelly, cottage cheese
Homemade pizza rolls, carrot sticks, green smoothies
Tuna casserole, peas

Friday, April 25
French toast
Baked potatoes, fruit smoothies
Homemade pizza

Saturday, April 26
Breakfast cookies, bananas
Bean dip with chips
Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and carrots

Be sure to check back in as I continue to post new recipes for great new breakfast ideas…yummy ways to eat more fruits and veggies…and make ahead meal ideas!

Oh, and I think I finally came up with a good recipe for homemade whole wheat hamburger buns! I’ll be sharing that with you this week too! (Um, IF I can get the courage to blog about my buns…) ;)

Go on over to Organizing Junkie to see many more menu plan ideas!

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