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Big Family Food and Fun: July 27-August 2, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 27-August 2, 2025 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

Saturday, July 26

A certain FBI agent was interested in helping me make Pancakes on Saturday evening for our dinner. Keith is more of a run, jump, climb, create, take apart, and flip kind of a guy. So for him to pull up a stool and ask to help me cook was a rare and sweet moment. We made this pancake recipe x3.

I warmed some Ham to go with our Pancakes, plus we had Applesauce. It was simple and fun! We attempted to make our Sabbath Supper a time of reflection on God’s goodness from our week, asking the kids to share their favorite parts of the past few days. This is a tough ask, but it is training them to be reflective and they will get better at this as they grow.

Big Family Food and Fun: July 27-August 2, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate Breakfast Cookie Bars – and some of us had milk. (The rest of us had coffee. Thank you.)

After worship, our church family worked together to put together 75 sack lunches for our friends in the Atlas community. Brayden had decided to dress up that day with nice pants, shirt, and vest. What a handsome guy!

We got all of our kids involved in building sack lunches and Auggie was determined to do his own – twice! He is a man of few words, but he is always observing and taking in all that is going on around him. As he gets older, he’s starting to imitate what he is taking in. He’s a smarty, this one!

Back at home, I had made two huge Lasagnas for lunch. I buttered and warmed French Bread, and friends brought Salad, Watermelon, and Dessert.

There were 31 of us gathered for lunch that day.

This scene was a favorite of the afternoon – friends gathered after lunch, eating dessert, drinking cold coffee, and laughing out loud.

Matt and I got to enjoy our Community Group after that, and it was lovely to be together after several weeks of hit-and-miss meet-ups due to summer events and travel.

That evening, we were invited to our friends, the Phelps, for dinner. It is a brave thing to do to invite our family over! Other friends were there too, and it was a wonderful evening. Ms. Becky had worked very hard to set up fun for the kids all over her house and yard. Meanwhile, Mr. Kim grilled everyone hotdogs.

Everyone was excited to eat the fun food – but then again – there were fun toys to be played with!! They sat to eat for a total of two minutes because playing seemed more exciting than eating.

Water balloon fight time!!

And then Banana Pudding. :)

The leftovers were sent home with us, and in the ten minutes it took to drive from their house to ours, we ate almost all of the hotdogs and an entire container of watermelon. Ah, now they were hungry!

Monday morning, we ate Yogurt with Granola for breakfast. Kiya helped me make 10 Uncrustables for a to-go lunch. Then I made Tuna Salad to have ready for dinner.

Anna is heading to Kindergarten this year, and her school offers three Jump Start days to help get these little ones get used to their classroom and teachers before school starts. We needed to get her there by 9. Auggie was having ABA therapy, so Matt stayed home with him while I loaded Acacia and Josie into a stroller and Anna and Kiya got on their bikes. Keith decided to jog alongside us and away we went to school!

She was nervous but ready!


Back at home, our friends Terra and Matt had arrived and started to help assemble 75 Smoked Chicken Wraps to finish up the sack lunches we’d made at church the day before. Brayden and Kiya were excited to get involved and were a great help!

Then, Keith and Acacia helped load everything into Terra’s car.

At 11:00, Brayden and I went to pick up Anna from school then we all loaded up in our van to head over to Atlas. So many Heartlands church members were there to help hand out lunches. We filled up wagons with sacks full of food and cold water bottles, then spread out through the neighborhood giving lunches to anyone we came across.

Making things like this happen is an incredible amount of work with our crew. Is it worth it?? A million times worth it. We weren’t just giving away lunches. We were having conversations with people on the street who were so very appreciative of what we gave them. One man even told me, “I was hungry and you fed me – you know who said that? Jesus. You’re like Jesus.” Amazing. Keith was with me for that conversation and he said later, “Mom, this makes me happy.” :)

Here’s Josie, helping her beloved Josalyn pull the lunch wagon.

After this rich morning, we loaded back up and dropped kids off to spend the afternoon either with Kelsey or with Ms. Kathi. I headed to the store because we were low on many groceries!

That evening, Keith, Anna, and Auggie all had ABA therapy. Therapist, technicians, and kids are all over our house and yard during these sessions. It’s both insane and awesome, phew. Meanwhile, somehow, we ate dinner. I pulled out the Tuna Salad I’d made earlier in the day plus Spinach, Tomatoes, Hard Boiled Eggs, and Raspberries. See that empty container in the upper left corner? Acacia and Josie took care of all those raspberries all by themselves. They wanted to dig into the second container but I cut them off. :)

On Tuesday morning, Matt walked all the kids to school to drop off Anna while I took Acacia to speech therapy.

We got home in time to pack a picnic lunch, then loaded everyone to pick up Anna then head to the zoo! First stop, WATER PLAY. It was so hot that day, so we spent a good while getting nice and wet.

The cheetahs were napping, so we got to see them right up close.

Next, we went on a “Levi Hunt.” He’s our friend from church, and we knew he was working at the snack shop that day. So we had to find him and take a selfie!

We went to go have a visit with the giraffes…

Then we found a shady spot to eat our lunch: Salami, Strawberries, Applesauce, Pickles, Almonds, and Peanut Butter Graham Crackers.

We headed home to put Auggie down for a nap. Then Matt took the other six kids to the airport to pick up Malachi who had been working in Florida!

They got back just in time for me to take Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to serve at our weekly Food Distribution.

Afterward, we came home to three ABA therapy sessions. We ate leftovers for dinner and I made a batch of Peach Ice Cream. I had no choice. I’d brought home some very squishy peaches from Food Distribution and I had to use them right away. ;)

Wednesday morning I made a batch of Vanilla Ice Cream because I wanted to have several varieties in the freezer for our upcoming Sunday Lunch.

Arrow came to spend the morning with us, and he walked with Anna and me as I took her to her final Kindergarten Jumpstart morning at school.

Brayden and Acacia scrubbed 5-pounds of potatoes and we put them into a crock pot to cook for our dinner. At lunchtime, we warmed up Chicken Strips and I made Smoothies.

We’d brought home quite a bit of spinach from Food Distribution the day before and it needed to be used asap. Thus the smoothies for lunch. Plus I made a Spinach Cake with this Cream Cheese Frosting. I used a about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar in the frosting recipe and it was perfectly sweet. This was a great treat for an afternoon snack!

At dinnertime, we enjoyed our Crock Pot Baked Potatoes with a variety of topping choices: Ham, Shredded Cheese, Sour Cream, Butter, Peas, Salsa, and Chili.

After dinner, we headed to our church’s final Popsicles in the Park event. The crowd was smaller that evening because the weather was cooler. Still, we were able to interact with people and hand out popsicles.

I loved seeing Acacia and Josie walk around with Daddy, offering a popsicle to anyone they came across.

Our neighbor had given us two big zucchini from her garden. So on Thursday morning, my early morning helpers helped me make a great big batch of Zucchini Carrot Muffins.

They turned out hearty and tasty!

Acacia helped me bag them individually to put into the freezer to pull out for upcoming snacking needs. We can also put them into school lunchboxes once school starts. (I’m doing what I can right now to get ahead for the transition into the first weeks of school.)

We were cleaning up after lunch when suddenly there was a lot of crying and a lot of blood – thanks to Keith’s head having an unfortunate meeting with the end table in the living room. I’ll spare you the gory pictures, and just show you this one. But this poor guy got to have his first Urgent Care stitches experience. The doctor felt like he needed eight stitches, but she made it work with just two, then lots of glue and sutures. Phew, never a dull moment. Poor guy. Keith was very brave!

Now back to that which is much more fun to talk about!

Eva sent me this photo of the Breakfast Cookies that she’d made for her neighbor’s birthday! He’s diabetic so this was a perfect birthday treat for him. I love that our adult kids love their neighbors so well.

Earlier in the week, Kelsey had sent me this photo of Little Sweetheart enjoying the same recipe. Yep, these Breakfast Cookies/Bars are pretty awesome.

So let’s see. While our Thursday afternoon was interrupted by a trip to Urgent Care for stitches thankfully, Keith and I made it home in time for Matt and some of the kids to load up and go pick up our Azure Standard order. I was out of all of our favorite Azure staples, so the timing of this was perfect. I had just that morning used the last drop of our whole wheat pastry flour. Phew, a new 25-pound bag has arrived – just in time!

We got our Azure groceries put away, then Kiya and I made dinner. In the midst of the afternoon chaos, Elias, Malorie, and Malachi had all made it back from their travels!! So we were looking forward to a fun evening meal together!

We made two loaves of bread worth of French Toast, Bacon, and Sausage plus cut up Strawberries and got out Applesauce. Kiya is turning in to a very capable helper!

I continued to warm up more and more Sausage on the stove as that was a big hit during this meal. We went through 22 patties and almost every slice of French Toast.

That night, we had ABA therapy for two of the kids. Then Matt took Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and Auggie to a Salt Dogs Baseball game! We had some free tickets that needed to be used before school started. That left me at home with just three little girls to put to bed – easy peasy!

Friday morning, Anna had her Kindergarten check-up.

We played at home that morning and had an early lunch. Then we loaded everyone up to take them out for a treat. Through the Lincoln Library Summer Reading Challenge, the kids had earned a page full of coupons for working so hard to read all summer long! One of the coupons was a free ice cream cone at Runza.

We handed each of the kids their coupon and told them to place their order themselves. “Chocolate, please. “Twist, please.” They did great with this task, and the lady helping us was very gracious.

We found a fun table that was big enough for us, and the kids all did great sitting to enjoy their ice cream cones! From there, we dropped two girls with Eva, two girls with Ms. Kathi, and took two boys home to hand over to Elias. Then Matt and I had down time for the afternoon!

When Matt got home from picking up the girls later, he pulled the van into the back parking area so that he could put some air in tires. This was a big event for the kids. ;)

Acacia was amazed by the whole process and never left Daddy’s side – helping him the entire time, even with dragging out the air compressor. Matt is so patient to let simple jobs like these take twice as long because of all his “help.”

Meanwhile, Kiya and Anna were putting their treasures away in their room. At Eva’s, they had made suncatchers, so they proudly hung those in their window. They had also made playdough creations a week or so ago, and this was a great place for the display.

For dinner, I made Sloppy Joes with French fries and offered Pickles, Sweet Peppers, and Spinach as veggie options.

Keith was very interested in helping me make another round of Ice Cream for our upcoming Sunday Lunch. So we did that together after dinner.

Saturday morning, we headed to a newly redone park that we were excited to check out. Asa, Eva, Arrow, Kelsey, and Little Sweetheart met us there to play! Malachi went also, but had lots of work to do so he found a table and started editing video.

There was a great water play area that the kids enjoyed.

Lots of places to climb and spin and slide…

And some really cool swings. The Case family came and met us there too, and we ended up staying for three and a half hours!

We enjoyed a fun lunch together, building Sub Sandwiches with Chips and Fruit Cups.

Christina threw me into the picture, which is so sweet since I’m usually on the camera side of every photo I share!

After our long play time at the park, we headed home for nap, cleanup, and an early bath time and dinner so that we could all go to a baseball game (we had lots of free tickets!). I’ll share more about this next week!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for July, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for July, 2025 post!

Curious how much we spent during the month of July and what groceries we bought? Here’s the breakdown!

IMPORTANT: This was a weird and special month. Don’t read this and think, “How does she manage to spend so little to feed so many people? I must be doing something wrong.” NOPE. We had some special perks this month, and I used them wisely, that’s all. Foster-adopted kids receive some benefits, and we say yes to these. This is a lovely blessing, allowing us to focus on caring for these kids’ extra needs instead of worrying about how we’ll put food on the table. This month is a good example of this. It’ll all make sense as you read…

ALSO this month: Our adult kids were traveling for part of the month, so not always around to eat with us. So some meals we fed 14, and many meals we only fed 10-12.

Big Family Grocery Spending for July, 2025

1. Aldi

On July 2, I went into Aldi to get snack items we needed for a road trip we were taking for the 4th. I picked up strawberries (x3), Caesar salad kits (x2), fruit/veggie pouches (x33), mandarin oranges, bananas, bag of apples (x2), fruit cups (x5), cake mixes (x2), colby Jack cheese sticks (x2), freeze dried strawberries (x2), marshmallows (x3), trail mix, 100% juice boxes (x2), grass fed hamburger meat (x4), granola bars (x2), applesauce pouches, cereal bars, cane sugar, raisin boxes (x2), peanut butter snack crackers, tortilla chips (x2), and pure and simple bars (x2).

Total at Aldi: $175.23

2. Freddy’s

Several weeks ago at our school’s special Zoo Night, we were given 14 free Freddy’s kid’s meal coupons. Sweet! I’d been holding onto them for a special outing, which we used while we were out shopping on July 2. The total for this meal would have been $88.27. This is why we don’t eat out! (Well, that and the fact that taking all these sweethearts into a restaurant takes more energy and effort than it’s worth.)

Total at Freddy’s: $0

3. McDonald’s

Wait, another restaurant??

On our way home from our Oklahoma road trip on July 5, we stopped at McDonald’s to get dinner during our last stretch of the trip. We’d packed food for our meals on the way there, and we were fed well during our reunion. So this was our only need to eat out on our trip.

We got 60 Chicken Nuggets and 3 orders of fries to share once we were back on the road after our potty break. We’ve found that “buying in bulk” like this – instead of getting every kid an individual kid’s meal – makes feeding everyone on the road much more cost effective for us. And the kids love this treat!

Total at McDonald’s: $32.62

4. Sam’s

For our Sunday Lunch on July 6, we picked up three Rotisserie Chickens to serve and share with our guests. After traveling that weekend, we needed something simple! Everyone who joined us brought side dishes, and our meal was awesome!

Cost for three chickens at Sam’s: $14.97

Summer EBT Cards

I mentioned last month that because of our kids’ adoption subsidies, they qualify for Medicaid, which qualifies them for free school lunch, which qualifies them for Summer EBT benefits. This is such a lovely blessing! We’d received two of the kids’ benefit cards in May and spent them in June. (They were $120 each.) Then the rest of the benefits came in July. I have no idea why they were split like that. But it’s a gift so I don’t question it.

With $600 on our final Summer EBT card to work with, here’s what my next few shopping trips looked like…

5. Aldi

I stopped in at Aldi for a few of our favorites and needed items there. I bought grass fed hamburger meat (x4), fruit cups in 100% juice (x11), whole milk yogurt (x4), fresh peaches, clementines, whole milk (x3), blueberries, a cantaloupe, and coffee creamer. The total for this, covered by our EBT card was $72.86.

6. Costco

After Aldi, I headed to Costco and picked up shredded cheese, corndogs, mac and cheese, coconut rolls, chocolate crepes (on clearance!), white queso, fresh broccoli, apples, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, spring mix, bananas, cream, half and half, frozen meatballs, frozen pizzas, pork butt, sliced cheese, butter, ketchup, freezer pops, and cream cheese. Total on food for this trip to Costco would have been $286.76, and it was covered by our EBT card.

7. Aldi

On July 14, I grabbed a few items from Aldi: apples (x2), cherries, mixed greens, spinach, strawberries (x3), milk (x3), coffee creamer (x2), sausage patties (x2), granola, fruit bars (like Larabars, x4), salad kits (x3), and yogurt. I also splurged on apple juice bottles and granola bars for the kids to eat on the way home – my incentive treat to reward them for hanging in there with me since I was one-on-four and they are particularly challenging in a store.

Our total was $101.79 – all covered by EBT.

8. Amazon

Our Amazon Subscribe and Save box came on the 18th, filled with Annie’s mac and cheese, freeze dried apples, two kinds of applesauce, and a box of Go-Go yogurt.

Total from Amazon: $76.71

9. Hy-Vee

I put in a Hy-Vee order on July 19, simply because they are the only store in town that allows us to use their Pick-Up feature along with our WIC card. WIC only offers very specific items, so shopping online for these is very helpful and saves a lot of time! We got most of our monthly WIC items through this transaction, though I didn’t get a picture of the entire haul. I also bought chicken breast on sale for an upcoming church event.

Total for chicken at Hy-Vee
(the rest of the order was covered by our kids’ WIC benefits): $26.87

10. Wal-Mart Pick-Up

I used to use this option all the time in York! But now that we’re in Lincoln, I’ve found that Aldi, Costco, and Sam’s are priced better for our family’s needs. On July 22 though? Matt was very sick and I was almost out of milk. I thought I might need to take all seven kids with me to the store by myself. NO THANK YOU. I took advantage of Wal-Mart pick-up instead!

I got milk (x4), lasagna noodles (x4), pasta sauce (x4), pickles, strawberries, bananas, apples (3 bags), shredded mozzarella, applesauce pouches, a family-sized Caesar salad kit, Paw Patrol 100% fruit popsicles (that the kids didn’t like, boo), pepper jack cheese, Colby jack cheese slices, cottage cheese, grapes, and sliced ham.

This wiped out the remainder of our EBT card ($138) and I felt so, so grateful for all the food it provided for our family this month!

11. Elias’ Dinner

Somewhere in there this month, Elias was awesome and made Smoked Queso for our family dinner. He used my credit card to pick up the items he needed for this.

Total for these ingredients: $18.69

12. Sam’s

On July 28, we were very low on many staple groceries. I’d been using up random odds and ends in our freezer and in our pantry, so this was good! But getting stocked back up at Sam’s felt good. :)

I bought 10 dozen eggs, milk (x3), tortilla chips (x4), turkey, ham, salami, sliced cheese, almonds, mandarin orange cups, instant oatmeal (x2), sour cream, heavy whipping cream (x2), strawberries (x2), raspberries (x2), cherries, sour cream, maple syrup, honey, peanut butter, applesauce, white queso, rotel, meat sticks, mini tacos, chicken nuggets, french fries, yogurt, and tuna.

Total for food at Sam’s: $321.07

Total for groceries in June, 2025: $648

Obviously, our total would have been $1,248 without the awesome EBT card. Plus, our WIC benefits provide our littles with around $180 worth of groceries each month. You can read here to learn our 2025 Grocery Budget plus look over ways I’m able to keep our budget at this level.

Running Totals for 2025

January spending: $679
February spending: $1,459
March spending: $1,346
April spending: $1,364
May spending: $1374
June spending: $1,127
July spending: $633

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Big Family Food and Fun: July 20-26, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 20-26, 2025 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

Saturday, July 19

We had just brought Brayden and Kiya home from camp, so all day Saturday we stayed home in an effort to help them to transition calmly. This was the best choice, though Matt and I had to work extra hard to keep everyone “entertained and happy” all day.

We hadn’t filled our little pool in a while, so we did that, plus we hooked up the hose to a little Twister sprinkler.

Keith had been begging to use the Spiral Slicer to cut apples, so this was a great activity when the kids needed a snack. We went through an entire bag of apples because they really do taste better this way. I loved that the mess these created happened outside in the yard. :)

I made a simple dinner of Orange Chicken and Steamed Broccoli. We went through two entire Sam’s-sized boxes of the chicken, and not all of the adults in the house even ate with us. This meal is a favorite, for sure.

Big Family Food and Fun: July 20-26, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate Breakfast Cookie Bars while getting ready for church.

Our friend, Hector, had asked if he could Grill Chicken for our Sunday Lunch, which was so awesome! He also made a delicious Rice dish to share with us. I cooked 28 Hotdogs in a small crock pot to stretch the meat, and I made Pineapple Fluff. Other friends who joined us brought Veggies, Fruit Salad, Chips, and Desserts. As always, it was an amazing feast with very little effort.

I didn’t get a lot of pictures of our time together because I enjoyed visiting instead. :) There were 32 of us gathered that day.

Lots of costumes were enjoyed by all the kids that day.

That afternoon we sent the kids downstairs to watch a movie with Elias and Matt and I took little naps, praise God. Matt woke up feeling awful, yikes.

During the late afternoon, we took the kids outside to play in the water. There was both joy and screaming/fighting all evening long, Jesus be near.

Brayden and Kiya had brought home MP3-Players from camp, preloaded with all their special camp songs. They enjoyed music time while the others played in the water.

I made four Frozen Pizzas  for dinner, plus got out some leftover Salad. The kids all also ate a Banana.

Monday morning, Matt was very sick. I was, thankfully, feeling somewhat better after being sick last week (with a different illness). We canceled all of our morning plans that involved people coming to our house. Then Elias helped me take all the kids to a park to play for the morning so that Matt could rest.

I had warmed up Pizza from Sunday night’s dinner, plus packed Fruit Cups and an assortment other food like Veggie Straws and Cheese. We picnicked at the park after playing for a good long time.

After everyone was covered in sand, sticky from fruit cups, and had run out their morning energy – I dropped the little girls off with Ms. Kathi and the bigger three had Sib Time with Elias. (Today Kiya and Anna were supposed to go to Kelsey’s, but Justus and Kelsey were sick too – boo.)

That evening, Acacia and Josie helped me make Spinach Cupcakes.

Please appreciate how accurate I am, how uniform my cupcakes, and how I always bake like a perfectionist. ;)

For dinner that night, I used leftover Pulled Pork that I’d put in the freezer after last week’s Sunday Lunch to make Meat and Cheese Melts. We ate them with Carrot Sticks and Watermelon.

Only Keith had ABA that night because Anna’s and Auggie’s technicians were unavailable. Here’s a shot of what is a rare and sweet moment when I found these four playing and listening to music in the playroom. I love that Auggie is learning how to play. :)

Matt was still very sick on Tuesday. Whatever this virus was, please do not get it!

I canceled going to Acacia’s Tuesday speech appointment, plus I reached out to the coordinator of our weekly Food Distribution to let her know that we couldn’t come – knowing that Matt would not be able to hold down the fort while I was gone. Auggie had ABA therapy that morning, then all seven kids went outside with me to help me clean out our little pool.

As hard as our days often are, when I look at this picture, I see hope –>

So frequently, much of what Matt and I do is “put out fires” and get screamed at and argued with. These kids’ brains are traumatized, and parenting looks so discouragingly different this time around. But this particular moment, pictured above, when I asked the kids to fill containers with water from the pool, then go water different areas of our lawn – they all did it. At the same time. Without complaint.

Parden me while I look at that photo and cry because it shows what their hearts really hold: love, peace, sweetness, and a desire to work together as a family for good. Who knew sour cream containers full of dirty water would be my joy-breaking point that day? It was a much needed, precious ten minutes of our day. :)

Then, back in the kitchen, we had meltdowns. I mean – we had lunch. I turned Sunday’s leftover hotdogs into Beanie Weanies. We also finished off the leftover Pineapple Fluff and I made some Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Sandwiches.

Our friends Christina, Clara, and Calvin showed up right after lunch to give this mama some blessed rest and relief. Their servant hearts are huge, and they insisted on coming to help with the kids since they knew that I’d been sick and that Matt was now sick.

With Christina and kids there, I left everyone behind and went to grab a Walmart pick-up order with groceries and some electrolyte drinks to hopefully help Matt with recovery.

Before leaving, I put a pan of Stick of Butter Rice into the oven (made plain with just water to make it easier on Matt’s stomach). When I got home, I took an electrolyte drink and some rice up to Matt, then I  hid upstairs and rested until our friends needed to leave. What a gift to have the down time!

Christina left us a fabulous dinner of Meatball Sliders, Steamed Green Beans, and Fruit Salad.

We told Auggie that the long green beans were like French fries, which made him willing to try them. Then he had three helpings!

Wednesday morning, I fired up our smoker and grilled a bunch of chicken for an upcoming church service project.

Matt was slightly better that day, though very weak and slow. He stayed in bed while I had a meeting with our ABA therapist. Auggie was with his ABA technician and the other kids hung in there, playing during my meeting. Our therapist is very gracious about the kids’ needs and didn’t mind several interruptions during our scheduled time together.

After the meeting, I cut all the chicken into small bites. We were planning to put together 75 lunches to serve on Monday, and the lunches were to include Chicken Veggie Wraps.

Elias helped me start cooking another round of chicken on the smoker. Then we got the kids fed some lunch – Sandwiches, Pickles, Fruit, and Chips.

Elias finished the chicken for me, and later, I got it cut and put away.

For dinner that night, I had slow cooked some Seasoned Chicken that I’d bought at Sam’s that had been greatly marked down. That sure was easy! To go with it, I made a pot of Three Cheese Spaghetti  (<– so delicious!) and Brayden put together a Caesar Salad.

We went to our fourth Popsicles in the Park Wednesday evening church event. This was only made possible because our church family helped me wrangle kids all evening since Matt couldn’t be there.

In this shot, our friend, Elizabeth was entertaining the girls as Trent raced Keith to the van and while Robin and I followed with Brayden and Auggie. We are so thankful for all the people who help support our family.

Thursday morning, Keith was very interested in making Applesauce Muffins. He insisted that they needed chocolate chips.

Kiya helped me make a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars for upcoming Sunday breakfasts.

After they baked and cooled, I cut them and put one plate into our extra fridge for this week and the other into the freezer for the next Sunday.

That afternoon, I made two huge Lasagnas for this Sunday’s Lunch.

I was so impressed with how the kids’ played that afternoon! Keith, Anna, and Auggie all had ABA therapy, so having their technicians with them helped keep behaviors in check. Brayden had started reenacting all the events of a typical “Hamm Bash” weekend, from our family’s traditional pinata, auction, and staying in a hotel. He got all the kids involved in the fun. The auction was a hoot!

Keith’s ABA tech was amazing and helped the kids make a paper mache pinata with a balloon, watered down glue, and paper. Then they hung it up and started to whack away!

All of this kept the kids entertained for the entire evening. AND, once when Keith got upset, his technician was able to help him apply the coping skills he’s been learning – a huge win!

For dinner, I’d used leftover chicken and leftover rice to put together Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. I warmed up leftover green beans and got out some shredded lettuce that needed to be used up. And I cut up two pounds of strawberries. Also, Christina had given us a container of Golden Kiwi to try and we finished off all but two!

Friday was a pretty chill day, thankfully. Matt was feeling well enough to mow our lawn – amazing! After ABA therapy, Auggie got out his mower to help Daddy.

We ate leftovers for lunch, had some therapy sessions for a couple of kids, then farmed everyone out for the afternoon with Eva, Ms. Kathi, and Elias so that Matt and I could rest.

Each time these “farm out” sessions end, the kids come home bubbling over, excited to tell us all they did with their special people. This is such a gift in every way!

Elias and Malorie packed up that evening and headed out to start the trip toward Texas to spend time with her family for a week. They always stop and stay with our Kansas family on their way, which makes me so happy and also a tiny bit jealous. ;) Malachi had flown to Florida for his work on Wednesday, so we were now down three adults for the rest of the week!

For dinner that night, I added salsa to Thursday night’s leftover Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole and turned the mixture into Burritos. This was a simple way to feed us as we headed into our weekend.

The kids had drug our picnic tables to the front yard, so they all ate outside. This week’s play has included a lot of tree climbing! We’ve had some very muddy legs and feet (and floors in the house) at the end of each night. But when they are playing nicely, I don’t care how muddy they get.

Saturday morning, we ate cereal as we prepped to go on an outing with our church family kids’ ministry. I made a quadruple batch of Oatmeal Cinnamon Yogurt Muffins to take to eat on the way and to share with our friends.

I also made a big pan of Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars to have on hand for snacks.

Then we loaded up and drove to Platte River State Park to meet up with our church friends. There was a super cool playground there that we enjoyed.

Zip lines!!

Then we ate a big lunch together with Hotdogs and lots of side dish options.

I captured this shot in which Kiya had captured a frog and lots of friends were gathered ’round. But by the time I made it over to the group, something else had distracted them. :)

Lunch and frog drama over, we all headed out to Take a Hike!

It was a perfect trek toward the river, which was really a tiny trickle at this point. We got nice and muddy and had lots of fun. As always, we are so thankful for church family who helps us manage outings like this with all of our kids.

Around 2:00 pm, we loaded up our dirty, overtired kids and headed home. We played, cleaned up, and headed into our time of Sabbath rest. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: July 13-19, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 13-19, 2025 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

Saturday, July 12

Around 4:00, everyone was hungry and fiesty, so we made a bunch of chicken nuggets, got out fruit, and fed the kids a very early dinner.

Then, we loaded up and headed to a park with a great Skateboard area, which the older three enjoyed very much. The youngers all played in the playground. I wasn’t feeling great, so I tried to sit and watch without doing much more. Daddy is a rock star.

Big Family Food and Fun: July 13-19, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate our traditional Breakfast Cookie Bars while getting ready for church.

We hosted a lovely crowd of friends for lunch, some who had never joined us before!

I had made a big roaster full of Pulled Pork and many who joined us brought sides or desserts to go with the meal.

There were 37 of us gathered that day to share our meal and time together.

After we ate, we divided into two groups and headed out to fill up our church’s two Little Free Pantries. Many from church had been contributing to this mission, providing lots of canned and boxed food items to put into the pantries. This was our scheduled day to fill the pantries as a church body!

One of our pantries is walking distance from our house, so one group of us headed out with a wagon full of food and made the trek together while visiting and wrangling kids.

It is precious to serve together.

Back at home, we’d earned ourselves a popsicle!

We rested during the afternoon, then made Frozen Pizza for dinner.

That night, Brayden and Kiya packed to leave for Royal Family Kids’ Camp the next morning!

I caught Auggie reading his Bible that night while we were getting the other kids ready for bed. :)

Later, I caught Daddy reading to six of the kids as he tucked them in. :)

Monday morning, we Breakfast Sandwiches and Smoothies before taking the kids to the camp drop-off site.

Matt stayed home with Auggie, who had ABA therapy that morning. I took the others with me to enjoy an outing while we got Brayden and Kiya sent off. They were both excited and nervous, but mostly excited!

There was a playground close-by that the kids spotted, so after we got Brayden and Kiya squared away, Keith, Anna, Acacia, Josie, and I headed over there to enjoy some play time.

Then, I did something slightly crazy before heading home.

Taking these four into Aldi by myself? Well, we needed a few groceries, what can I say? I motivated them by telling them that if they cooperated with Mama we could pick a treat to eat on the way home. They did mostly ok, relatively speaking when considering that they all struggle with impulse control and general defiance. We got apple juice and granola bars to eat after we buckled back into the van, phew.

I was rewarded for my efforts by a text with this sweet photo of Little Sweetheart eating Lolli’s Applesauce Cake.

Back at home, these girls dived into the cherries we’d picked up at Aldi. By the end of the day, there were four cherries left and some very stained little girls. Yum!

We were planning to celebrate Eva’s birthday together that night, so I made a round of Vanilla Ice Cream to serve. I love how easy this is!

Matt and I farmed out the kids that afternoon so that we could rest. Elias and Malorie took Keith to the pool, which he LOVED!!!

For Eva’s birthday dinner, we enjoyed BBQ Chicken Legs, Rolls, Salad, and Cream Cheese Corn.

We were missing Malachi, Brayden, and Kiya but otherwise had a wonderful family night together! (Malachi was on his way home from Mexico where he’d been filming a wedding.)

Dessert was Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberries!!

But the best treat of all was our kids and grandbabies hanging out together in the living room afterward.

Tuesday morning, I made a big batch of Peanut Butter Honey Puffs.

Acacia had a Speech Therapy session that morning.

Then we loaded everyone up and went to a park for the rest of the morning. I warmed up leftover pizza to take for lunch, plus applesauce and apples.

We played for an hour and a half and got nice and worn out.

After we rested that afternoon, Keith and I went to our weekly Food Distribution. We were short of volunteers that day, and I got to take over Brayden’s usual job of washing coolers. :)

I had two bags of Burritos in the freezer so Matt warmed those up for our dinner.

Wednesday morning, we loaded up the kids and headed to Omaha for an appointment. But first, we stopped to spend a couple hours at a super cool park!

The kids ran and climbed and rolled for the entire two hours we were there.

Eva/Arrow and Kelsey/Little Sweetheart drove up and met us there, making the day extra special!

There were some cool slides, but Josie needed a little bit of help feeling comfortable with them. Mom to the rescue! Thanks, Eva, for the photo!

We had all packed lunch items to share and feasted together before loading up our kids to head to the appointment.

Keith had picked up a 2-pack of Baguettes at Food Distribution the day before and was determined to eat one of them entirely on his own. He was happy to share the other one. ;)

He did great at his appointment, and we were given more resources to help meet his needs.

Meanwhile, Matt and the other kids were enjoying time in a play area of the medical clinic that was super awesome – full of sensory structures and swings.

When Keith and I met them down there, he immediately climbed the rock wall over and over. We need a room  like this in our house. :)

We gave everyone juice and a snack on the way home and three out of five kids fell asleep. Back at home, we wondered why we’d driven all the way to Omaha for the kids to climb and play when all we needed to do was let them play in our own yard on this fallen tree. :) This had happened during the night, and while we wait for the city to come clean it up, we plan to take full advantage of this mess.

I made a blender full of Smoothie for the kids as I finished making dinner.

Then I warmed up Monday’s leftover chicken to go with Party Potatoes I’d put into the crock pot earlier in the day.

We got the kids changed into swim suits and headed to our church’s Popsicles in the Park night at the splash park. The temps had cooled, so the water felt chilly. But it was fun to be with friends for the evening!

Thursday morning we had no plans and no therapies. It was so nice to take it easy and just let the kids play and the grown-ups get caught up on some house needs.

Malorie had given us the tip that McAlister’s was having Free Tea Day, so we all got the app. Late in the morning, we loaded up the kids, and went on a drive to pick up free, fun tea. Here’s how I learned a few years ago to make some knock-off McAlister’s Tea. But the actual McAlister’s tea is good too. ;)

That afternoon before our evening ABA therapy sessions, Acacia, Josie, and Auggie helped me make a double recipe of Low Sugar Banana Cake for our Friday breakfast. Auggie thought he was one of the big kids and was so thrilled to have flour on his face after helping Mama.

We smoked Hamburgers for dinner, air-fried some Tator Tots, cut some Strawberries, and got out Pickles.

Remember that tree that had fallen down in the front yard? The city still hadn’t come to pick it up so the kids continued playing on and under it. They asked Daddy to put a picnic table inside for dinner that night. Such a clever new “treehouse” don’t you think?

Josie helped me make Vanilla Ice Cream just before we headed up to bed. This recipe is so easy and fast, and I like having it on hand to put into my coffee on summer afternoons. :)

Friday morning, we all enjoyed the Low Sugar Banana Cake we’d made the evening before.

Auggie had ABA therapy that morning, and we all stayed home working and playing. The tree in our front yard got cut and hauled away that morning, and some of the kids were very sad about this. :(

That afternoon, the little girls went to Ms. Kathi’s and Keith spent the afternoon with Elias. Kathi sent me this sweet picture of the girls taking their babies for a walk. Look at these sweet little mommies…

We’d arranged for Elias to make dinner that night. Brayden and Kiya were coming home from camp that evening, and Matt and I knew that we’d need to be fully available to them through the evening as they transitioned home. So that afternoon, Elias and Keith prepped the food and prepped the smoker for dinner.

Here they are – the weary, happy, emotional campers – full of fun stories of  playing hard and being loved on all week!

Elias’ Smoked Queso was a hit, and we ate in shifts as we were available between Keith, Anna, and Auggie’s ABA therapy and all the unpacking. :)

Saturday, we stayed home all day in an attempt to provide some rest for our two camp kids (and to their mama who has been sick all week but just pushing through anyway). We ate cereal for breakfast and leftovers for lunch. I picked up a Hy-Vee grocery order after lunch, and remembered to take a picture after most of the food was put away.

I made Pineapple Fluff to serve with Sunday Lunch the next day.

Then I turned off my computer to move into our time of Sabbath rest. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: July 6-12, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 6-12, 2025 post!

We went to Oklahoma at the end of last week to enjoy a family reunion. So before I start sharing about all we did this week, I’ll back up and tell you about our trip!

July 4-5, 2025

Each year, my dad’s side of the family enjoys a reunion together during a weekend close to the 4th of July. It was hosted in Oklahoma this year. While traveling with so many littles isn’t easy, Matt and I decided to make this trip happen so that we could connect with our extended family.

We spent a lot of time last week prepping for this trip, putting together breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the road, plus lots of activities to occupy everyone. Here’s our cooler all packed up and ready to go!

Just before taking off, we handed out the breakfast bags to get us down the road: Yogurt, Freeze Dried Strawberries, and a bag of Cereal to munch on. These kids were so excited for the road trip! (Were mom and dad as excited? Well…)

Overall, the kids did as well as possible on the way there. We were some of the first to arrive at the reunion site and enjoyed playing some pool with Cousin Alex. :)

I knew it would be worth all the effort to make this trip happen just to see these dear people. And it was.

At the end of the evening on Friday, we always have a family worship time. I loved that Acacia snuggled up to her Papa (my dad) during this time.

What’s it like putting eight kids to bed in hotel rooms? Well, it’s special, that’s for sure. We had all the boys in one room with Matt and all the girls in an adjoining room with me. No one could wind down until way past bedtime. Oh how they loved this adventure!

We enjoyed loads of family time from breakfast through lunch on Saturday. A highlight of our reunion each year is the traditional Pinata for the kids. Here we are lining up in age-order to take turns whacking the pinata. Josie was not interested, thank you.

After lunch and lots of hugs, we loaded back up to head home with a van full of tired and happy kids. The drive back to Nebraska was harder than the drive to Oklahoma, but we made it and were so thankful we’d taken the trip. We picked up McDonald’s on our way home, which of course, was another great highlight for our kids!

Big Family Food and Fun: July 6-12, 2025

Thankfully, I had Breakfast Cookie Bars in our freezer for breakfast on Sunday morning.

After church, we had a wonderful crowd of people join us at our house for lunch.

We have a small fridge in our living room full of cold drinks. Anna helped me get some drinks to take to the kitchen to serve. This was a genius way to get them there.

Our meal was simple and good. Elias and Malorie picked up three Rotisserie Chickens from Sam’s on their way home from church. Everyone who joined us brought sides and desserts. And that’s how we hosted lunch after being away on a trip. The only thing I cooked was a pan of Cream Cheese Corn.

Friends and daughters-in-law helped fix little girls’ plates. This is one of our favorite parts of Sunday Lunch – how everyone loves on our kids so wonderfully.

There were 30 of us gathered that day.

As we all dispersed after lunch and visiting, the kids went downstairs to watch a movie while Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time. Then that evening, we made Frozen Pizza for dinner. Emotions were extreme that night for all the kids. We were all extra tired, plus Bonus Buddy got picked up to go back to be with his dad. We knew this was coming, and transitions are never easy. We gave everyone a bath and headed to bed in hopes to rest and regroup.

Monday morning, I made a weird breakfast of Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies. This was a fun way to get protein into our kids in the form of what felt like a treat! I made a blender full of this Smoothie for Matt and me. The two of us go through a blender full of this in two days, which is the best way for us to get lots of greens into our diet!

Auggie had ABA therapy all morning while the other kids played and Matt and I tried to play catch-up after our trip. Late morning, Kiya held a Spa Day in her room. It’s never to early to take care of baby soft skin, hehe.

Lunch was one of champions: Fish Sticks and Tator Tots. Everyone ate Carrots and Pickles on the side, so that at least there was a little bit of nourishment in this meal. :)

We farmed out the kids that afternoon so that Matt and I could have some down time together. ABA therapy started for three of our kids at 4:15. Then, for dinner we ate like kings and queens! We’d brought some leftover Biscuits and Baked Potatoes home from our family reunion. I turned them into Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Cheesy Eggs, and Fried Potatoes. We also ate Pears and Clementines with our meal.

Tuesday morning, we finished off tidbits of leftover breakfast items like Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies and Eggs/Potatoes. Then I took Acacia to speech therapy. Her time with our SLP, Marissa, is different from Auggie’s since their needs are so different. But Marissa does a good job making the sessions fun, and the swing came in handy for Acacia. :)

Back at home, Matt loaded everyone’s bikes into the van and I made a picnic lunch so that we could head to a park to ride and play. I warmed up leftover hotdogs, then cut them in half and bagged them. They went into an insulated bag to stay warm until lunch time.

Keith had his skates and skateboard ready and spent his entire time at this park in the skateboard area.

Lunch was Hotdogs or Peanut Butter Honey Uncrustables with Apples, Fruit Cups, Chips and Guac, and Caesar Salad.

It’s been a while since I packed a Salad for a Picnic, but this worked very well and we finished the entire bag!

That afternoon, Brayden, Kiya, and Keith got to go to our neighbor’s house to make Lemon Slushies – what a treat!

I took those three kids to our weekly Food Distribution to hand out food and clean coolers as they emptied out.

Then we came home for dinner and ABA therapy for two kids. I’d made a pot of Hearty Bean Casserole before leaving that afternoon, which we had with Rolls/Butter and Canned Fruit.

Wednesday morning, we ate Breakfast Sandwiches. Auggie started his morning ABA session and I left to do some big grocery shopping at Aldi and Costco.

Back at home, all the kids helped carry groceries in from the van and put them away.

Brayden made Chicken Salad for lunch to go on croissants. We ate our sandwiches with fresh Cucumbers from our neighbor’s garden, Greens, Raspberries, Grapes, and Cheese.

As we were finishing lunch, the coolest thing happened! The kids peeked outside and saw a gathering of people staring at our house. I assumed that they were on some sort of “learn the history of Lincoln” tour because our house is a bit of a Lincoln landmark. We went outside to visit with them and as it turns out…

…this group of people has a history with this house and very precious memories! Our house was originally built by Mr. Rogers (no, not that Mr. Rogers) – a well-to-do banker back in the early 1900’s. His maid, Nettie, lived and worked here for several years and THESE are her grandchildren! (Well, except for me. I’m just in the picture because they asked me to be.)

We invited them in to see the house, we learned more of the history of our home, we heard more of their grandmother’s story, and we walked them through many of the rooms of our home. They were thrilled and amazed that we invited them in. But truly, we were the ones extra blessed by this visit.

They went on their way and then Arrow arrived to hang out with us for the afternoon.

Later, while Arrow and Auggie napped, we filled a container with water and the kids played with water guns and a variety of containers, getting themselves nice and soaked.

We ended the water play with GoGurts and Popcorn.

Kelsey and Little Sweetheart came later in the afternoon to hang out. They’d been visiting family and friends in Montana so it was extra special to see them again!

I made Tacos for dinner with Seasoned Meat, Beans, White Queso, Lettuce, Cheese, Tortillas and Chip, Salsa, Guac, and Strawberries on the side.

After dinner, we put on our swimming suits to head to the Splash Park for our church’s Popsicles in the Park evening. While getting everyone ready, I caught Brayden reading a book to Josie. SO SWEET.

Malachi had been at church camp for two weeks, and he sent me this precious gem! My friend Kimmie was cooking in the big camp kitchen, making my recipe for Crunchy Ranch Chicken Strips. I was so honored that they used my recipe, but extra excited to see Kimmie’s servant-hearted smile in the picture Malachi was so thoughtful to take!

Malachi had to leave camp to come home that Wednesday night, only to turn around Thursday morning to fly to Mexico where he was filming a friend’s wedding. I got some big Malachi hugs before he left and snapped this shot from our living room window where he and Matt were loading up to head to the airport at 5:45 Thursday morning.

When the kids got up, Acacia and Josie helped me make a batch of Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins to take in a picnic lunch for our outing that day.

I made two bags full of Breakfast Sandwiches and put them into the freezer.

We didn’t have any therapies that morning, so we packed a picnic and headed out for the morning. We took our Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins along with two pounds of Strawberries, Yogurt, Almonds, Hard Salami, and Cheese.

Justus, Kelsey, and Little Sweetheart met us at Morrill Hall. Justus took Brayden around the museum to do “big kid stuff” while the rest of us tried to stay in and around a kid-friendly play area. There are actually lots of hands-on learning areas here, but this room is one of the best for our crew.

We’d worked up big appetites (only Auggie had snacked during our playtime), so we found a picnic table outside and dug into our food. Morrill Hall is on the UNL campus so we enjoyed watching all the action going on around us – mostly groups of middle school or high school students walking by frequently. We are assuming there were some summer camps going on. Either way, people watching is fun. So is eating a picnic lunch. :)

Back at home that afternoon, Matt was awesome to hold down the fort while I was blessed to have a session with MY Christian therapist. Oh how I needed this. God is faithful.

Our kids’ ABA therapy started at 4:15. Some of the kids had extra good sessions and some of the kids displayed some extreme behaviors. Somewhere in there, I made dinner. Our smoker decided not to heat up, so I defaulted to cooking our Pork Chops in a skillet on the stove. Matt spent time cleaning out our very-used-and-loved smoker. Kiya made Caesar Salad, and I steamed Green Beans and made some Mashed Potatoes (from potato flakes I got at Azure Standard a while ago just to have on hand for a quick side dish).

After dinner, while Keith, Anna, and Auggie finished out their ABA therapy sessions, Matt took Brayden, Kiya, Acacia, and Josie down the road to a church nearby who was hosting a Back Yard VBS in their parking lot.

We ate Bagels for breakfast on Friday morning. I’d put two big pork butts into our roasting pan to slow cook all night. That morning, I shredded it and bags it to rewarm easily to serve Pulled Pork for our Sunday Lunch.

A big branch had fallen during the night, so cleaning it up turned into our morning activity. :)

I’d found Corndogs on sale at Costco on Wednesday, so I air fried some for lunch. The kids loved this, and we ate them with Grapes and Cucumbers.

We farmed out the kids all afternoon. Eva took Kiya and Anna to visit our friend, Clara, who was recovering from a major surgery. Together, they made these fun flowers from coffee filters – so cool! Kiya was so proud to show me the one she’d made!

When Brayden and Keith got home from their Bro Time with Elias and Malorie, Keith’s ABA therapy session started. His technician was awesome to work with Keith as he (with permission) destroyed a wood pallet we needed to dispose of.

I made a simple Spaghetti and Meatball meal that night with Steamed Broccoli.

Keith, Anna, and Auggie all had great ABA therapy sessions that evening. Matt took Brayden, Kiya, Acacia, and Josie a few blocks away to the final night of Grace Chapel’s Backyard VBS. Our neighbor friend, Lily, was there to love on our kids.

Saturday morning is Watch a TV Show and Eat Cereal morning at our house. Then we packed up a picnic and headed to meet friends at the Zoo! Here was our best attempt at getting our seven and Stephanie’s three kids in a Tiger Truck photo. :)

After we saw giraffes and tigers, we stopped for an apple break.

Turtles, otters, crocodiles, fish, and flamingos – then lunch. We had an assortment of food to pick from: Applesauce, Fruit Cups, Cheese, Turkey Slices, Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins, Carrots, Cucumbers, Pistachios, and Chips with Guac. After that, we ate an entire bag of Heavenly Hunks from Costco. Those are such a treat!

After the zoo, we came home and put Auggie down for a nap. We played, cleaned, and got ready for Sunday Lunch and Sabbath.

And that was our week!

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What is HeartSites?

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Welcome my friend Charlene, our guest poster and my dear friend. Heavenly Homemakers wouldn’t be here today had she not helped make it happen back in 2007. It’s amazing what God had planned then, and how He used Charlene in those plans.

From Char…

First, I just want to say what an honor it is to be writing a post on HeavenlyHomemakers.com. I was so very lucky to be a part of the beginning of this website/blog. If you’ve been following for a while, you already know the power of one woman sharing her heart and letting her story bless countless others. Laura has been doing just that here for years, and it’s such an encouragement to me! 

And that’s why I’m so excited to be writing here today, to introduce you to something that’s been on my heart for a long time: HeartSites.

I very firmly believe that God gives each of us a unique story to tell. Every season of life, from the exhausting days of raising little ones, the rambunctious years of pre-teens and teenagers, the adjustment season of an empty nest, to the rich years of grandparenting and beyond – all these seasons leave us with wisdom, lessons, and testimony God wants us to share with others.

And yet so many women tell me: “I feel like I do have so much to share… but I don’t even know where to start.”

That’s where HeartSites comes in.

What Is HeartSites?

HeartSites is my way of helping women just like you create a beautiful, simple, affordable blog that becomes a home for your story.

It’s about having a space of your own where you can:

  • Write about your faith, homemaking journey, and what God’s taught you
  • Document family recipes, memories, and traditions
  • Encourage younger moms and wives with your hard-earned wisdom
  • Share creative projects or crafts
  • Or simply leave behind a legacy of words for your children and grandchildren to treasure

I started HeartSites for women who have quietly poured out their lives for others, and who now deserve to have their own voice heard too.

Why Now?

One of my favorite verses says: “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…” (Psalm 107:2) The entire chapter of Psalm 107 is a description of how God redeemed and saved all kinds of people, over and over. The psalmist describes how God provided for health and safety and rescue and so much more more. The verse, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.” is repeated over and over. It’s a reminder of our need, our responsibility, to give thanks to God, and as mentioned above verse 2 tells us to tell our story.

And that’s my heart for you.

Someone out there…maybe your daughter or granddaughter, maybe a friend, or a stranger…needs the encouragement only you can give through the sharing of YOUR story, and what God has done for you. 

And in case this feels overwhelming, don’t worry – not every post has to be a deep theological sermon. It can just be you, simply telling your truths and memories and sharing your creativity. And I have resources for you, to help as you learn to do this.

How To Start

If you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to share my heart, but I don’t even know where to start,” I would love to walk you through every step, from choosing a name for your blog, to setting it up, to giving you encouragement and support as you begin your writing journey.

You can visit me at HeartSites.com to learn more about what’s included and how to get started.

If you have questions or just want to talk through your ideas, feel free to reach out to me directly. I’d love to hear your story and help you bring it to life.

Thank you so much for letting me share a little of my heart with you today. I can’t wait to see how your words bless others.


~ Char Huskins
HeartSites.com

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Big Family Food and Fun: June 29-July 5, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 29-July 5, 2025 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

Saturday, June 28

Malorie’s grandparents were visiting from Texas that Saturday! It was wonderful to get to know them while they were here.

The kids were extra squirrely that afternoon and evening. We think this is because they were extremely tired from the weekend’s events at church which was super fun, but also kept them up later than normal two nights in a row. Typically, when we have guests in our home, our kids tone their behaviors down and “mask” – saving their more extreme behaviors for the safety of when our family is alone. Their tiredness made their masks come off, so even with Malorie’s grandparents visiting, our kids were very loud, screamy, tantrumy, and challenging. Phew.

We took all the kids outside to give Malorie, Elias, and the grandparents some quiet. Matt set up the Slip and Slide, and I cut up a watermelon.

For dinner that night, I made a bunch of Burgers and Brats with Baked Beans, Watermelon, Pickles, Strawberries, and Whipped Cream.

Dinner was loud. Malorie’s grandparents were very gracious.

Big Family Food and Fun: June 29-July 5, 2025

Sunday morning, we sent Malorie’s grandparents on their way back to Texas. I set out our traditional church day Breakfast Cookie Bars for everyone to eat while we got ready to go.

There was a special Family Worship morning that day and Acacia and Keith found themselves being loved on by Ms. Kathi during the service.

At the end of the service, the kids got to share one of the special songs that they had learned during the weekend’s Kids’ Experience. It was so sweet to watch them up on the stage singing and praising God.

For Sunday Lunch, we set out a big Burrito/Nacho Bar with Taco Meat, Salsa Chicken, and all variety of fixings. I made three different kinds of Ice Cream and friends brought Brownies to go with it.

There were 35 of us gathered that day to enjoy time together around our tables.

I usually make Frozen Pizza on Sunday nights, but I didn’t think our kids would eat pizza very well that night (there’s been extra pickiness going on this summer and I’m tired of food fights). So I tried the idea of making them a surprise Snack Tray Dinner to provide something fun and different. I made a bunch of Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Sandwiches then we added Blueberries, Grapes, Clementines, Pickles, Carrots, and GoGurt.

The kids loved this and ate very well – all eight of them!

After they were fed, we sent everyone to potty and put on shoes (this takes at least a half an hour) then headed out for a walk to Sunken Gardens.

The walk there and back was very good for our kids. They were tired from the weekend, and the walk was a positive way to calm them so that they went to bed well that night. Of course, I packed our much needed bag of apples for kids to munch on during our outing.

The kids slept very well that night, praise God!

Monday morning, Brayden and Auggie had doctor appointments for well-checks. So I made 15 scrambled eggs to use on slider rolls for Egg Sandwiches, then the boys and I headed out to the doctor. We were almost late because as we arrived at the clinic, we had to wait for these two-dozen pedestrians…

This boy has gotten taller!

Back at home, we finished putting together a picnic of Uncrustables, Apples, Applesauce, and Pistachios. Nothing fancy here. Mama was tired.

We loaded up and went to a nearby park. I forgot I was a blogger (ha!) and only took one picture the whole time we were there. Keith and Bonus Buddy had brought their skateboards and found a perfectly sloped sidewalk to ride down over and over.

We farmed out the kids for the afternoon and Matt and I had some blessed downtime. The girls got to have a sweet time at Ms. Kathi’s. And Ms. Kathi had an extra special visitor who had brought fun dress-up dresses to share!

That evening, three kids had ABA therapy. Kiya helped me make Breakfast Cookie Bars for the next two upcoming Sunday mornings.

Brayden helped me make a very simple dinner of Chicken Nuggets, Spinach, Grapes, and Watermelon. Dinnertime while all of the ABA therapists are here working with kids can be a bit extra hectic. So the simpler the food, the better.

Tuesday morning, we ate Granola with Yogurt and we got Auggie situation with his ABA technician. Then, I left with Acacia for her Speech Therapy.

When Acacia and I got home, we did some laundry then made an early (and slightly weird) lunch of leftover Taco Meat, Noodles, and leftover Corn. The kids ate a variety of combinations of these three options, topped with shredded cheese. It filled their bellies, and that was the goal of the morning.

I made a batch of Spinach Cupcakes, of which I forgot to add the eggs. Forgot the eggs? Apparently, I have very little baking experience and don’t know how to follow the directions on a box, gooooood grief.

We put Auggie down for a nap and handed the baby monitor to Elias. Then we got everyone else into their swim suits and headed to the Zoo to play in their water area.

Mid-water play, the (Eggless) Spinach Cupcakes came out. I figured this would be a great zoo snack since they were full of spinach. This was true, except that the lack of eggs made these very crumbly and we made a very big chocolate mess by this bench. All 18 cupcakes got eaten though. What a great way to eat salad!

Also, what a great way to take a shower!

We visited the giraffes and tigers while we dried off a little bit before heading home.

Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and I headed to our weekly Food Distribution to hand out food to the community and clean up afterward.

Back at home, Matt warmed up Burrito Casserole we’d put together Sunday after lunch. We rolled the mixture into tortillas for an easy dinner.

We’d picked up some Cinnamon Swirl Bread at the food distribution on Tuesday, so Wednesday morning I used it to make a bunch of French Toast for breakfast.

The three youngest kids had a WIC appointment that morning. We had several errands we needed to run to prep for a fast and furious weekend trip we were planning on taking. So we loaded up all eight kids to make a big outing of it. Matt hung with four kids in the WIC clinic while I took the other four with me into the appointment room.

We loaded back up and made several stops – including one to Aldi where I bought some fun splurges for our road trip.

We topped off the morning with a big lunch treat at Freddy’s. We’d been given 14 Free Kid’s Meal Coupons several weeks ago at our school’s Zoo Night. This day seemed like a good day to use them to reward the kids for hanging in there while we ran all of our errands.

Elias, Malorie, and Kermit met us there. This was fun and super special for the kids!! Because a restaurant is so rare for them and because they were very hungry – and because we had five adults for our eight kids – this outing ended up going pretty smoothly. But will we do this again any time soon? No way, thank you. :)

Back at our house, Eva and Arrow were waiting for us so that we could have our special Arrow afternoon! Look at this boy’s big-kid summer hair cut!! I can’t stop gushing at him.

While Arrow was napping, I organized the snacks and food I’d bought at Aldi for our trip.

Then I called in the kids a few at a time to help pack a sack for their Friday breakfast on the road.

Brayden made Tuna Salad for our dinner that night.

With our Tuna, we ate crackers or bread plus Strawberries, Boiled Eggs, and Pickles. Our three ABA kiddos had their therapy sessions that evening…

…and then we changed everyone into swim gear and headed to the Splash Park. Every Wednesday evening in July, our church is hosting Popsicles in the Park at the Splash Park. We’ll meet together then hand out popsicles to everyone.

A huge highlight of the night for all of us was being surprised by our friend who was recovering from a major surgery. We had no idea they’d be up for joining us all at the park, but there they were!!

Arrow tried the Splash Pad for the first time and loved it!

Thursday morning, I made a big skillet full of Sausage Cheese Eggs. We ate a good portion of it, and with leftovers, Matt made himself some Breakfast Burritos to eat while driving over the weekend.

Auggie had ABA therapy that morning. During one of his breaks, he and I played with a bowl of water outside in the shade.

For lunch, we made four boxes of Mac and Cheese with Peas.

We farmed out the kids with Eva, Elias/Malorie, and Ms. Kathi that afternoon since we’d be gone Friday. Asa was off work that day so he got to join the fun too! He and Eva took the Kiya and Anna to buy fireworks, and Elias and Malorie did the same with the boys. Everyone had THE BEST AFTERNOON EVER!!!

Later in the afternoon once everyone was home, I called the kids in to pack their lunches for our Friday trip. Our drive would only be six hours, but we needed to be very structured about these hours to hopefully make the ride go as smoothly as possible. We had a schedule of when we would eat meals or snacks, when we would draw or read, when we would play with new special hand-held fidgets/games, and the most exciting of all – when we would get to use our tablets. The kids struggle if they have too much screen time. So tablets only come out when we go on a road trip. Matt spent a good part of this week getting these set up and ready.

We had invested in new Uncrustable makers, and the kids had fun making their own special sandwiches to go in their Friday sack lunches.

I couldn’t resist taking this sweet picture of Auggie when I went in to wake him after his nap that afternoon.

We ate leftovers for dinner that night, then it was time to do the majority of the fireworks the boys had picked up that afternoon. This made for an hour and a half of extreme excitement (and a lot of adults saying, “back up!” over and over).

Sweet Josie. She is not a fan of fire, sparks, loud noises, or basically anything that goes along with this holiday. Bless.

We left Friday morning and didn’t get home until late Saturday. So I’ll share about our trip next week!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for June, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for June, 2025 post!

Curious how much we spent during the month of June and what groceries we bought? Here’s the breakdown!

Big Family Grocery Spending for June, 2025

1. Costco

I ran into Costco on June 2 so that I could get some paper products we needed, plus fresh produce (apples, sweet peppers, greens, watermelon, bananas, cucumbers) and some items we needed for an upcoming event at our house. I snagged some brats on sale for just $2.97/package – a super markdown! I also got hamburger meat, cheese sticks, shredded cheese, milk, sausage links, and mayo.

We’d been blessed with some EBT cards (our kids qualify for free lunch at school, which qualified them for some SNAP benefits for the summer – a surprise blessing!). I had $155 worth on two cards, so I used it to pay for almost all of these groceries. (Paper products come out of a different budget so I don’t count those in our grocery totals.)

Total out of pocket for food at Costco: $2.78

2. Sam’s/Walmart Pickup

We had big plans to host a large gathering at our house on June 8, so a few days before that, I placed pick-up orders and Sam’s and Wal-Mart for Justus to pick up for me. This included hotdog buns, coffee add-ins, and popsicles.

For our family, I also ordered eggs, yogurt, strawberries, milk, ham, a salad kit, and cocoa powder. This picture only shows a tiny portion of it because at the time Justus got it all to our house, there were 21 people there and our house was very hectic. Everyone was working together to manage kids, bring in groceries, and set out dinner. So I snapped this picture quickly in the midst of it all. :)

Total at Sam’s and Wal-Mart: $122.94

3. Donut Festival

On June 7, we loaded up and drove an hour to Nebraska City to enjoy a Donut Festival at Kimmel Orchard. We bought a dozen of their special Apple Cider Donuts to enjoy that morning. Then at lunchtime, we bought a container of their freshly picked Strawberries!

Total at the Donut Festival: $19.24

4. Wal-Mart

On June 12, we took a Wal-Mart and Sam’s trip. I picked up four gallons of milk, mustard, and a roast marked down (already in the bag). I was happily surprised to find several items of 100% juice fruit cups and pouches on clearance, so I got them super cheap! I also got two cans of pineapple and two jars of mandarins. We are going through a lot of chilled fruit cups and pouches this summer as we try to keep the kids full and nourished. These sales were fun to find!

Total at Wal-Mart: $49.59

5. Sam’s

After Wal-Mart, we headed next door to Sam’s. We got spring mix, broccoli, nectarines, cuties, bananas, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, eggs, cream, fish sticks, orange chicken, mandarin orange cups, frozen pizza, yogurt, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, cheese and cracker packs, ham for sandwiches, cheddar franks, peanut butter (x4), honey, chips, mayo, coffee, and almond butter.

Total at Sam’s: $258.77

6. Wal-mart

On June 17, I went to Wal-Mart to get our WIC items for the month: produce, cereal, cheese, tortillas, eggs, and yogurt. I picked a few items that weren’t covered by WIC while I was there.

Total out of pocket at Wal-Mart: $13.55

7. Amazon

Each month, we get a few subscribe and save items. This time, I remembered to take a picture!

Total from Amazon: $45.23

8. Aldi

On June 19, I took Anna and Auggie to Aldi. We got milk (x4), Caesar salad kits (x3), strawberries (x2), apples, potatoes, ground sausage (x4), sausage patties (x2), pear cups on 100% juice (x6), granola (x3), yogurt (x3), ice cream cones, grass-fed hamburger meat (x4), brown sugar, fruit/veggie pouches (x15), cake mix (x2), large bags of tortilla chips (x2), salsa (x2), and 100% juice popsicles.

Total at Aldi: $184.98

9. Cheddars

We’d been given a gift card to Cheddars and finally had a chance to use it on June 26. Matt and I shared a combo plate, which was plenty of food. Plus we splurged on an appetizer! The gift card covered our entire meal and tip, plus we have a little left over for another date another time.

Total at Cheddars: $0

10. Sam’s

On June 27, we were low on many staples so we went to Sam’s to restock. We got milk, cream, half and half, sour cream, butter, shredded cheese, eggs (10 dozen), yogurt, hamburger meat, chicken legs, tator tots, brown sugar, ketchup, peanut butter, chips, maple syrup, mandarin orange cups, peach cups, applesauce pouches, white queso, orange chicken, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, watermelon, bananas, spring mix, spinach, grapes, apples, strawberries, avocado cups, tortillas, pickles, turkey lunch meat, and pistachios.

Total for groceries at Sam’s: $358.77

I was pleasantly surprised that with the kids home and eating SO MUCH FOOD this summer, we actually came in under budget. The summer EBT cards helped, but that amount wasn’t huge. So, I was surprised because we are keeping the kids very active, which makes them extra hungry! We’ve been feeding them lots of fruit and lots of homemade snacks, which is very cost effective.

And also? Often when I come in under budget one month, I go over the next month (when I restock all that we ate the month before). It all averages out. We’ll see how July goes!

Total for groceries in June, 2025: $1,127

NOTE: Our WIC benefits provide our littles with around $180 worth of groceries each month. You can read here to learn our 2025 Grocery Budget plus look over ways I’m able to keep our budget at this level.

Running Totals for 2025

January spending: $679
February spending: $1,459
March spending: $1,346
April spending: $1,364
May spending: $1374
June spending: $1,127

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Big Family Food and Fun: June 22-28, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 22-28, 2025 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

Saturday, June 21

We’d had a big emotional morning that Saturday. So that afternoon, we just played outside in the little pool and on the slip-and-slide. We ate popsicles. We ate dinner outside.

Our meal was simple, but a favorite: Orange Chicken. I had leftover Green Beans in the fridge so we finished those off. We went inside for bath time and to clean up the house a bit before we watched a show and headed to bed.

Big Family Food and Fun: June 22-28, 2025

Sunday morning we enjoyed our traditional Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church.

Look at these matchy-matchy girls! I’d seen these dresses at Wal-Mart and knew the girls would love them, but didn’t want to spend $15 on them. I watched them go on clearance later for $7, but still decided not to buy them. A few days later, Kelsey happened upon them when she was shopping (not knowing I’d looked at them already). They were marked down to $1.00!! So she Facetimed to see, “Did I want some??”

Did I want some?! YES. In every size and in every color multiplied by four girls, please.

The girls were very happy to be matchy and twirly that Sunday. Here they are, heading off to Bible class…

After worship, our church family lined up to fill 75 sack lunches to hand out on Monday as we had committed to feeding a struggling community in our area. We partner with Atlas to do this and we are so grateful to be a part of this together.

It was sweet to capture this moment with the girls huddled around Eva and Arrow.

Back at our house after church, our Sunday Lunch crew put together 75 sandwiches and 75 bags of sweet peppers to go into the lunch bags for Atlas.

Then we cleared the countertops and made way for a big Baked Potato Bar to share together.

I was busier than normal that day since we were making all those sack lunches, so I didn’t get as many group photos. But I tried to walk around while people were fixing plates or eating to grab a few.

There were 33 of us gathered to share a meal that day.

Matt and I sent our kids downstairs to watch a movie that afternoon while we enjoyed time with our Community Group. For dinner, I made Frozen Pizza – only three because all of the grown-up kids in the household had other plans for the night.

Monday morning, I served a big bowl of Vanilla Pudding that I’d made the night before and chilled overnight. I’d added extra eggs to make it extra rich and nourishing for breakfast.

Auggie had ABA therapy all morning, and the other kids took turns having some extra behavior struggles. It felt like an intense morning. But we also got some laundry done and had some fun moments of play too.

Mid-morning, I put together sandwiches for all the kids to eat at noon when we went to deliver the Atlas lunches.

Our friend Becky came at 11:15 and helped us add a cheese stick to each of 75 sack lunches.

Then we loaded all the totes of food into her car so she could get them to Atlas on time.

We loaded up our kids and our sandwiches to head over to Atlas House in time to help hand out sack lunches to the people who lived in that area.

After we finished this great time of service, Kiya and Anna went home with Kelsey, the boys spent the afternoon with Elias, and Acacia and Josie went to Ms. Kathi’s. Matt and I put Auggie down for a nap then sat at our table together eating our lunch in the quiet, catching up on conversation we needed to have. Kelsey sent me some fun photos of her time with the girls.

Kiya was so excited to finish the sewing project she’d started!

That afternoon/evening was EXTRA BIG because we began ABA therapy for Keith and Anna. ABA therapy is for kids with autism, providing them with one-on-one support that is specific for their individual needs. We’ve been at a loss as to how to help Keith and Anna with some of their big, challenging behaviors. So this has been very welcome. (Auggie started his ABA therapy a few months ago, so we have been getting used to how it all works.)

Monday afternoon, all of our kids’ behavior technicians started to show up along with the therapist who is in charge of creating and executing their programs. I didn’t get pictures of the entire “event” for privacy sake and also because THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE IN MY HOUSE.

I exaggerate.

But still. Basically, the night was spent helping Keith and Anna become acquainted with their “special person” while simultaneously helping their new technicians become acquainted with our household and our kids’ needs. Can you imagine being one of our ABA Behavior Techs?? Bless their hearts. :) :) :) I’m very sure the therapist gave them some heads up about how many kids we have and some details about our family situation. But nothing can really prepare a person for what it’s really like to be here.

Kids are everywhere. Adults keep popping up out of no where. Then more kids. Then more adults. Also, we needed to eat dinner. :/

Kelsey had brought the girls home after their time at her house and she stuck around to help with the biggness of the night. I turned dinner over to Brayden, who warmed up leftover Chili and cooked 24 Hotdogs.

Acacia and Josie entertained Little Sweetheart.

Matt hung out with Auggie until his ABA technician arrived to take over with his care and training.

We set out cut fruit and peppers to eat with our Chili Dogs. Somehow we got everyone fed that night.

Kelsey took all the non-ABA kiddos on a walk to Sunken Gardens.

To add to the craziness of the night, it started to rain while everyone was outside. Kids were already wet, so we decided to let them dance in the rain and live it up.

Tuesday morning, I made a double recipe of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins, per Josie’s birthday breakfast request. I also scrambled some Cheesy Eggs and made some Sausage Links to go with the muffins.

While the oven was on after baking the muffins, I made a huge pan of Fudge Brownies for Josie’s birthday dessert later that night.

We packed up a picnic lunch and headed to the zoo for the rest of the morning.

It was slightly rainy, but we decided not to let that mess with our plans.

We spent the first hour at the zoo indoors, waiting for the rain to stop. It was fun to watch the worker clean the birds’ cages!

When it stopped raining, we played on an outdoor Climbing Elephant, then found a good table by the train to enjoy our lunch. We had apples, peanut butter crackers, fruit cups, guacamole and chips, hard salami, and coconut rolls. Oh, and a visit from a Peacock. We finished almost every bite of food that I packed.

We’d promised the kids that we would spend time in the Butterfly Pavilion, so we headed there after lunch. On our way, we chatted with the Flamingos. They are practically family by now. ;)

It’s almost impossible to go into the Butterfly Pavilion without first taking a picture on the enormous caterpillar. These faces are screaming, “Happy Birthday, Josie!” per their mama’s request.

Ah, the butterflies. They weren’t super friendly that day so only two of us caught one. This was “not fair” and very disappointing according to those who didn’t catch a butterfly.

That afternoon, I looked through my Azure Standard favorites to put in an order since the deadline was coming up. I was getting low on our Whole Wheat Pastry Flour and needed to stock up! While I was at it, I updated this post to share more specifics about what I like to buy from Azure.

I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to our weekly Food Distribution. Well over 100 people came through the line to get food that day!

Back at home, Elias and Malorie had helped finish putting together Josie’s birthday dinner. Josie had requested Mac and Cheese, so Elias made seven boxes. :) Malorie and Josie worked together (though both told me later that Josie did it ALL by herself) to make three bags of Caesar Salad. I’d warmed up Beef Smoked Sausage and Meatballs to serve also.

We only had one hour together because a sweet friend of ours was getting baptized and we wanted to go celebrate this with him! So we ate quickly, then moved on to Birthday Brownies. Bless Josie, she wanted a brownie, but she was NOT interested in candles or being the center of attention while everyone singing to her. Note to self: next year, just skip that part and serve the dessert. This is Josie’s birthday wish.

Thankfully, she was ok with everyone watching while she opened her gifts. This little girl loves dresses! So this is what she got for her birthday!

Right after that, we all loaded up and headed to church to be a part of our friend Sam’s special night. It was a beautiful time with church family.

Sam is going to be a senior in high school, and he and Keith have become sweet buddies. Sam cried when he saw that Keith had come to celebrate his baptism. What a special night!

Wednesday morning, I was very happy that we didn’t have any plans (except for Auggie’s ABA session all morning). Every room of our house felt messy and I wanted to regroup. So we spent the morning picking up toys, sweeping various rooms, doing lots of dishes, wiping down counters and tables, and then of course, playing outside.

I don’t remember what we had for breakfast (no picture, no memory, ha). For lunch, we had a few tidbits of this and that to finish off from the fridge – pizza, fish sticks, chicken bites, pickles, cantaloupe, and strawberries.

By that afternoon, the kids were beginning to show signs of needing more structure. So we set up the pool and had popsicles. Arrow was hanging with us, so we set him up in our little pool (that leaks, but it worked for a while anyway). He kicked and splashed and had a lovely time. The other kids had more fun watching him play than actually playing themselves. :)

Later, Auntie Josie took Arrow on a stroll in our back parking area.

I had cooked 5-pounds of hamburger meat to make Taco Meat for our upcoming Sunday Lunch. So I got that packaged up to put away.

Meanwhile, I made an additional 2-pounds of Taco Meat for our dinner that night. I warmed up Black Beans plus got out Cheese, Salsa, Spinach, Chips, Shells, and Tortillas for a simple Taco Bar.

I had slow cooked Salsa Chicken for a few hours that day – also for Sunday Lunch. So that evening I got it shredded and put away.

That evening, Keith, Anna, and Auggie all had three-hour ABA therapy sessions. This night felt much more calm compared to Monday’s night’s initial session when we were introducing everyone and showing the new technicians the layout of our home and family life. While those kids were occupied, Kiya and Acacia used sour cream and yogurt containers to make drums.

As we got ready for bed that night, Auggie found a dress-up hat and surprised us all by running through the hall with it.

I had some Banana Muffins in the freezer, so we ate those for breakfast on Thursday morning with some Yogurt.

Meanwhile, I baked a pan of Egg Casserole to take to the park for a brunch-type picnic. I haven’t done this before. But had some other fun breakfast-y items that I wanted to surprise the kids with, so I experimented to see if I could transport and serve this at a picnic table. (I covered it and slid it into an insulated bag, and it was still piping hot at lunchtime!)

Justus met us at the park and took Brayden with him to give him some special one-on-one time. They went to a music store to play instruments together for about an hour.

Keith and Bonus Buddy spent over two hours on their skateboards at this park. They had the time of their lives!

I’ve learned to pack a bag of apples to take on many of our outings. The crunch and the time it takes to eat an apple seems to calm our kids’ nervous systems in ways they all need so frequently. Apples to the rescue.

At lunchtime, we ate all but three pieces of that Egg Casserole! We also ate Carrots and Fruit Cups. After everyone ate well, we let them have their own package of Little Bites – a treat we’d been blessed with at Food Distribution that week.

That afternoon, Josie got to go on an “adventure” with Elias and Malorie. This has become their birthday gift to each kid – to take them out to do something simple and special. Josie got a sweet drink to enjoy while walking through Target. She’d been looking forward to this for weeks and it did not disappoint!

We had a very early dinner that night of Quesadillas with Spinach plus leftover Sausages on the side.

Then we loaded up and headed to Heartlands for the first night of their awesome Kids’ Experience event!

We had left Auggie behind with Elias and Malorie so that he could have his evening ABA session. So what did Matt and I do WITHOUT ANY KIDS?!?! We took advantage of a gift card we’d been holding onto for over a year and we had ourselves a date!

Friday morning, Auggie had ABA therapy all morning so we stuck around home to play and get work done. Around 11:00, everyone was hot and hungry so I made Smoothies for the kids.

Earlier that morning, I’d stirred Cheeseburger Casserole into a crockpot to cook and be ready for lunch. This doesn’t look super pretty, but it tastes great and most of the kids ate it well.

The kids spent the afternoon with their special Monday/Friday people. Kiya and Anna got to make Popsicles, play games, and help with the garden, yard, and recycling at Asa and Eva’s. Then they went to the library with Eva! Brayden, Keith, and Bonus Buddy took some donations to Goodwill with Elias, Malachi, and Malorie, then played football in the yard and a video game in the basement (a huge, exciting privilege for them). Acacia and Josie got to play at Ms. Kathi’s, and they always have great adventures there!

Matt and I put Auggie down for a nap and had some quiet time just for us. After Matt left to pick up the girls, Auggie and I made Snickerdoodle Bites to have on hand for snacks.

The kids had another night ahead of them at Heartlands for their Kids’ Experience. So we fed them a dinner of Sandwiches, Oranges, Carrots, and Pickles before we loaded up and headed out.

After we dropped the seven kids at church, Matt, Auggie, and I went to spend some time with an older couple that lives near the church and is unable to get out very often. It was a lovely visit and we pray that they were encouraged. We know that we were.

From there, we went to stock up groceries at Sam’s. Two carts and lots of snacks for Auggie later, we packed everything in coolers with ice packs in the back of the van.

Our kids are not used to being up past 9:00, so two nights in a row of this made for some tired kids. Did that stop Anna from getting up at 6:00 on Saturday morning? No, it did not. Oy.

We dropped our seven back at Heartlands at 9:00am for their final morning at Kids’ Experience. From there we grabbed Little Sweetheart and headed over to hang out at a friends’ house whose kids were also at Heartlands for the morning. We had a great visit with them, and even got to hang out with their turtle for a while. :)

Back at Heartlands, there was a Pizza Lunch to celebrate the end of the kids’ great weekend together.

I’d been making batches of Ice Cream to serve for our upcoming Sunday lunch. That afternoon I made batch number three. :)

Malorie’s grandparents came that afternoon to spend time with her and to stay the night with us. It was wonderful to get to know them!

I got about thirty interruptions from our kids while trying to proof-read this post so I finally gave up and I’m guessing this one is a bit messy! But… I’ll share more about our Saturday evening next week!

 

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Big Family Food and Fun: June 15-21, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 15-21, 2025 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

Saturday, June 14

Saturday afternoon, we filled up our pool and let the kids play for a few hours.

I had made a bowl full of Pineapple Fluff and took it outside for the kids to eat for a snack when they got hungry.

For dinner that night, we finished off leftover Smoked Chicken plus ate Green Beans and Noodles. It was a slightly boring meal, but seven out of eight kids like to eat noodles with butter and salt (some with parmesan) – so it’s an easy thing to make to fill their bellies.

While Matt and I gave the other six kids a bath that evening, Brayden and Kiya were amazing and cleaned the kitchen all by themselves. This is so encouraging to us because it shows that while their needs are great, they ARE learning and growing in incredible ways.

Here’s a look at a very relaxing post-bath reading time with Daddy, haha…

Big Family Food and Fun: June 15-21, 2025

Sunday morning we ate a plate full of Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church.

We didn’t invite extras for lunch that day since it was Father’s Day. Instead, we celebrated Matt, Asa, and Justus on their special day. We had Whole Grain Waffles (<–this recipe x5), Crock Pot Egg Casserole, and Bacon with Strawberries, Blueberries, and Whipped Cream.

 

My favorite part of this day’s celebration is that all the kids were able to stick around and hang out for several hours in the afternoon. This is so rare and so much fun! Big kids, little kids, grandbabies, and lots of laughs.

Oh, and a special performance highlighting of the the kids’ favorite songs from VBS the week before. :)

Late in the afternoon, our friends, the Adcock family, arrived to hang out for the evening. We’ve been trying to connect and finally found a window of opportunity!

I had put a Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast and Carrots into the crock pot early that morning. The Adcocks brought Mashed Potatoes and we warmed up Corn and Rolls. I also warmed up some Sliced Ham for kids who didn’t want Roast.

After our feast, we enjoyed Homemade Ice Cream and Brownies. Mr. Ryan made the kids all giggle with his silly antics.

Monday morning, the kids got to start a week of a sweet VBS that they went to last year. It was fun for them to see familiar faces. And this week’s focus is about loving God’s people all over the world.

I spent time that morning cleaning out some of our storage rooms. My goal this week was to get rid of extra items we don’t need any more so that our home can be more functional. With this many people living in a house, we certainly don’t need excess stuff!

We delivered a big pile of donations to drop off on our way to pick up the kids from VBS. Then we ate leftover Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip for lunch.

During the afternoon while Auggie napped, the other kids enjoyed special time with others so that Matt and I could have some time to rest. Elias and Malachi played football with the boys.

Acacia and Josie went to Ms. Kathi’s. And Kiya and Anna learned to sew at Kelsey’s!

Dinner that night was Sloppy Joes with Nectarines and Carrots.

Later in the evening, we ate some Pumpkin Muffins that I found tucked away in the freezer.

Tuesday morning, we loaded all eight kids up to head out the door at the same time (phew). I dropped seven of them off at VBS, then headed to Speech Therapy with Auggie.

Afterward, Auggie and I spent the morning shopping. We picked up some needed items for an upcoming ministry at church. Then we got our WIC items at Walmart.

We picked up the kids from VBS, then headed home for a very loud and crazy lunch of Fish Sticks and Strawberries.

The girls helped me make an Applesauce Cake that afternoon!

Later, I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to serve at our weekly Food Distribution.

Then we all headed over to Asa and Eva’s for Arrow’s 1st birthday party!! They had their yard set up so nice for a fun evening. The weather was lovely and we were able to have such a good time visiting.

Asa grilled Hot Dogs for everyone.

 

We feasted on Hot Dogs, Chips, Potato Salad, Watermelon, Strawberries, and Lemonade. It was perfect!

Arrow wasn’t sure what to think about the candle in his piece of cake. :) I love this sweet 3-generation shot of Eva with her mom and son.

Did Arrow like his birthday Applesauce Cake? He liked it very much. Asa and Eva haven’t given him much (or maybe any?) sugar yet, so this cake was a great option for his first cake experience.

Wednesday morning, I made a monster-sized batch of Mudballs.

I also made 24 Breakfast Sandwiches – some to eat that morning, some to put into the fridge, and some for the freezer.

Acacia got to take a turn with Auggie’s Speech Therapist that afternoon. Our plan is to give Auggie a break since he’s getting so much ABA therapy and because his language is suddenly exploding. He still has a long way to go but he met his initial goals. Meanwhile, the Developmental Pediatrics specialist recommended several therapies for Acacia, and speech is one of them. So on Wednesday, she worked hard at her evaluation so that the therapist can set goals for her as we get started.

Back at home, Daddy set up a fun bubble machine for the kids.

Dinner that night was leftover Sloppy Joe meat with 5 boxes of Mac and Cheese and Peas.

At bedtime, I found this scene when I went in to call the kids in for the night. Brayden lugged them all to the back of the house to park. :)

Thursday morning, I dropped six kids off at VBS then headed with Anna and Auggie to Aldi. Anna had come home sick from VBS the day before so we decided to keep her with us on Thursday.

After we got home, I kept working on cleaning out our storage room to get rid of stuff that is taking up space that we don’t need. This pile kept growing and we dropped it off to donate on our way to pick up the kids.

For lunch that day, Kiya had helped me make Tuna Salad and Chicken Salad. We ate it with Spinach on bread or with crackers plus had Grapes on the side.

Did I have to fix a Snack Plate immediately after serving them lunch? Yes, I did. Is this all I do all day – feed kids? Yes, it is. We had filled the pool with water to play in, so Cheese, Grapes, and Crackers by the pool was needed.

Later we had Simply Go-Gurt or 100% Juice Pops.

Late in the morning, we had thrown together a last-minute dinner gathering for a couple families in our neighborhood. Sometimes impromptu get-togethers are the best kind!

I made Smoked BBQ Chicken Legs, Corn on the Cob, Party Potatoes, Green Beans, and Rolls.

Our neighbor, Ashley, made a delicious Fruit Pizza for dessert. SO GOOD.

Friday morning, the kids had their final morning of VBS and Auggie had ABA therapy. Matt and I took advantage of the free time to get needed paperwork done.

The church who hosted VBS fed the kids Pizza for lunch, then they had a Foam Party. We’d never seen anything like this, and it was super fun! Extreme bubbles blew out of their machine and everyone played and played!

We farmed out the kids for the afternoon so that Matt and I could have time together. The boys played Uno with Elias. Then Brayden helped Malachi with some work in his room. Acacia and Josie played with water at Ms. Kathi’s. Kiya and Anna made a fun Cookie Experiment at Eva’s!

Then we spent the entire evening with the kids in the backyard. It was very hot outside, but in the water and in the shade, it wasn’t so bad.

Keith and Auggie helped me put fresh water in our little pool. They had juice pops during the process.

Throughout the evening, I brought out leftovers for the kids to eat for dinner. Corn on the Cob, Cheesy Potatoes, Tuna/Chicken Salad…

We cleaned off last year’s Slip and Slide, which provided a lot of fun to keep everyone cool.

We’d finished off all the leftovers, so for round two of dinner I made some Chicken Sandwiches to take outside. Just before bed, we ate about a dozen Mudballs. Then everyone went to sleep pretty easily after all the food and fun!

Saturday morning, I baked a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars for our upcoming Sunday breakfasts.

I also made a small crock with Chili for a Baked Potato Bar for the next day’s Sunday Lunch.

The rest of the days’ activities were a bit emotional, but we made it through with prayer and popsicles.

And that was our week!

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