Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Basketball, Daylight Savings Time, and a Menu Plan. Wait, What Menu Plan?

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This has been such a fun weekend! We’ve been in Kansas since Thursday night with our homeschool basketball teams at our final tournament.

This tournament is always such a blessing. The fellowship with families on our team, plus families and friends we get to meet up with while we’re there is priceless. Having hundreds of homeschool athletes together in one place makes for a wild and crazy weekend. It’s a highlight of our year. We watched so much basketball this weekend, I was dreaming basketball last night. As if the weekend of games wasn’t exhausting enough. :)

After little sleep, hundreds of miles, and loads of basketball games, I’m not sure if/when I’ll get around to creating and posting a menu plan to share. Instead, I thought I’d share some photos of the weekend. By the way, who decided that daylight savings time should coincide with a night we were getting home in the wee hours? Ah well…

Here’s our girl’s team. They played better than I’ve ever seen them play – going up against some super tough teams and holding their own. So proud of them and grateful that these young ladies are in our lives!

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Here is our boys’ team, just before the tournament started Friday. Asa is #23; Justus is #32. Asa got a lot of playing time this season. Justus is an eighth grader, so this was a big learning year for him. His time is coming. :)

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All three games our boys played were nail biters. They have got to stop doing that to us. Parents and fans can only handle so much stress, you know? Phew.

God bless the younger siblings of these athletes. They’ve been dragged to game after game after game – almost every weekend since the beginning of January (and a few in Nov. and Dec. too). They have so much fun playing with each other on the sidelines during games.

At the end of the day Saturday, our boys played in the championship game in their division. We are so proud of them! They played hard, worked together better than ever, and pulled out the win against a tough team. It was so much fun watching them work as a team to pull out the win.

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Here’s Asa receiving his 1st place medal:

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And our entire boys’ team posing after the championship game:

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Now we’re home again, catching up on work and laundry, and getting ready for a new week. Praise God for all the fun and friends He gives us!

Just for giggles, I’ll leave you with this gem. We went out for dinner Friday night, and found this among the drink choices. Read it carefully:

natural flavors

Awesome marketing. “Naturally flavored with other natural flavors but probably not the ones you would expect so we would rather not post them here. Instead we’ll print words that don’t really make sense, along with a delightful picture of some fresh raspberries. Drink me.”

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Gratituesday: Neon Light Moms

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Our homeschool boy’s basketball team needed new uniforms this year. Our team color is green. I figured they would stick with the same shade of kelly green we’ve always had.

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Central Nebraska Falcons  2012-1013 (Our oldest, Asa is #35)

Now, why would they stick with the “normal” green when they could do something way more exciting and fun? Instead, our team picked out bright, bright uniforms – much like the color of a yellow highlighter. The words and numbers on the shirts are dark green. I wasn’t so sure at first, but hey, they really do look sharp!

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Asa is there in the background, now number 23.

Now typically, we parents and fans try to wear our team color in support, right? But this loud, neon color? I just didn’t have any of that in my closet.

A few weeks ago, while shopping online, I came across a cute pull-over that just so happened to come in this crazy bright shade of…chartreuse? Highlighter yellow? What do you call that color anyway? Call it whatever you want – I was quite convinced that while the pull-over was cute, it would not in a million years look cute on me. But it was a good price, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind how fun it would be to wear to games.

Two weeks ago, I pulled the image of the shirt up on my phone to show another basketball mom. “Do you think I could pull that off?” I asked her. “YES!” she said, “And get me one too!”

Hmmmm, now there’s an idea. Long story short, I showed the picture of the shirt to all the basketball moms/sisters/girlfriends. That night, I placed an online order for eleven Neon Light Champion Pull-Overs. Here, put on your shades and take a peek. (I’m the second from the right on the back row – just blending in with all the other brightness.)

falcon neon lights

What fun! This group of gals has become very dear to me. I’m thankful God put them in my life, and I’m thankful for the young men and women they are raising who are such great friends with my boys.

And hey, if I ever want to take a walk outside I night, now I have something to wear. :)

Now your turn. Share what you’re thankful for!  Leave a comment on this post letting us know how God is working in your life. If you’ve written a blog post about what you’re thankful for, leave the link in the comments so we can visit your blog to read about it. We love sharing and reading about God’s blessings!

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Gratituesday: Several Generations of Basketball

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Just a note:  Because so many of the blog posts linked with us here on Gratituesday have not followed the guidelines, I have decided to refrain from adding a link-up option at this time. Playing Gratituesday Police and deleting irrelevant posts keeps me from spending my time in a productive way. If you’re a blogger and wrote a Gratituesday post to share, and if your post talks about how God is working and doing good in your life, please do leave the link in the comments section of this post. We’d love to come read about it!

I’ve been looking forward to our boys’ basketball season starting (why yes we do play other sports besides soccer!), but I had no idea their first games would be so much fun. We headed to Kansas this weekend for a triangular. Since we were heading south, and my dad and his wife live just a couple hours away from where our games were being played, they blessed us by coming up to watch their grandsons play. Little did we know that my dad (the boys’ “Papa”) would be joining the boys on the court.

See, my dad was a basketball referee for over 20 years “back in the day.” He hung up his whistle over ten years ago, but continues to love the game of basketball. As the varsity boys were warming up to begin their first game Saturday, we could see a referee making a phone call and looking at his watch. It would appear that the second official had failed to show up.

So what did my dad do? He borrowed a black and white striped shirt and a whistle, and out onto the court he went. Well now, that’s one way to watch your oldest grandson play – up close and personal.

In this picture, you can see Asa (#23) – and that referee over to the right? Asa’s Papa. It was awesome.

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I have to say, my dad’s still got it. He didn’t miss a beat (although I dare say he was quite sore after the game). He even had the nerve to call a foul on Asa. “Clean your glasses, Ref!” I yelled. Totally kidding.  It was actually a fair call, but I did giggle at the whole idea of yelling at him out on the court.

The “regular referee” showed up as the game was ending, so my dad was able to watch the rest of the day’s games from a seated position. This is Justus’ first year to play. As an 8th grader, he played in the JV games and did great like Asa had done. It’s so much fun to watch them learning and playing hard!

Justus is pictured below, number 32, over on the far left.

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Both boys scored some buckets, both had fun, both were completely worn out on the way home. The weekend was a blast! God is good to allow so many fun activities in life, with the bonus blessing of fun with grandparents.

Now your turn. Share what you’re thankful for!  Leave a comment on this post letting us know how God is working in your life. If you’ve written a blog post about what you’re thankful for, leave the link in the comments so we can visit your blog to read about it. We love sharing and reading about God’s blessings!

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Gratituesday: Our Homeschool Basketball Team

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Every year, it keeps getting better!

As you probably know, we are a soccer family. All of our boys play soccer, Matt coaches soccer, Asa and Justus referee soccer…we love soccer! When Asa was invited to play on a homeschool basketball team three years ago, we timidly stepped in. Did we want to take part in yet another activity? Would this eat up too much of our time?

The truth is, it does eat up a lot of our time between November and March. But do we regret our decision to become involved? Not even a little bit.

Asa has formed some incredible friendships with the players on the team. These are kids from all over central Nebraska. We most likely would not have met most of them if it wasn’t for basketball. 

In addition, all of our younger boys have become friends with the team’s younger siblings, playing together on the bleachers during games. They have so much fun!

The best part for me? Growing closer to the other team moms. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the friendships I have made because of this basketball team. 

We ended our season over the weekend when we went to Topeka, KS for a big tournament. Over 60 teams were there. It was one busy place! 

My favorite part of the tournament is always the large assembly on Friday afternoon where all of the teams and families come together between games. There is a little friendly court competition, then we have a short devotional time together. All of these teams may be competing for the first place trophies, but when we are all together in the gym, we know that we are all really on the same team, striving toward the same goal. It’s awesome!

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Our team did great this year, with both our girls and our boys winning first place in each of their divisions!

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Asa is #35, front left. You can’t tell in this picture, but he is now six feet tall. Wowza.

I’m so proud of these kids, and so grateful for their great attitudes and friendship with my sons. Go Falcons! (And thanks for bringing your moms along. I am so blessed by each of them.)

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Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for! Please read through the Gratituesday Guidelines so that you understand what kinds of posts you can link up to share here. Posts that are linked but do not fit our Gratituesday theme will be deleted.

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday, please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

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Gratituesday: The Basketball Trip

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Our family loves supporting our hometown York College athletics. As YC alum, we have a huge heart for the students and are so thankful to be right here in town, able to be a part of the lives of so many young people.

Last weekend, I was privileged to go on a trip to Branson with our ladies basketball team. They played two tough games – the final games of the season. I am so thankful that it worked out for me to join them. I love cheering the ladies on as they play, and have appreciated the opportunity to be an encouragement to them off the court as well.

You know the best part about taking a long road trip with a big group of people? Developing relationships. We had some great visits – and oh yes – we did have some big laughs. :)  Ever been to Lambert’s? Fried okra and “throwed rolls” in abundance! And oh yes, I did catch a roll or two. (FYI, when offered margarine at a restaurant, if you ask for real butter, they will typically bring some to you. Couldn’t have a Lambert’s roll without real butter now, could I?)

Here I am with the head coach and one of our senior players. Love these gals!


I am so thankful that Matt and the boys were able to hold down the fort while I was gone, and even more thankful for the hugs and kisses I received when I walked in the door when we arrived home. I am also very thankful that I was able to go along and support the team.

And now…to get all caught up on sleep and laundry. ;)

Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for!

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday,
please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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Gratituesday: Basketball Season

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While we typically claim to be a soccer family, we’re loving basketball season right now too. From going to York College games to going to our oldest son Asa’s games – we’re sitting on many a bleacher these days. We love every minute of it and really appreciate that Asa (14) is a part of a wonderful homeschool basketball team. The friendships he has made by being a part of this group have been priceless.

Last week was “Parent Appreciation Night” during our Falcon home game. A friend of ours got some great pictures that night, so I thought it would be fun to show you my fun, smart, and sometimes goofy teenager.

Asa presented me with flowers during the Parent Appreciation part of the assembly. Don’t ask me what we were having a conversation about here. Yes, he and I often like to talk smack. ;)

Here, he decided to continue the goofiness, even though we were trying to get a nice picture…

Okay, finally. He decided to stop being silly. I love having fun with my teen. And yes, he has grown since I last posted pictures of him and yes, he is now several inches taller than I am.

Here he is later during the game, going up for a shot. I believe that one didn’t go in, but shucks, let’s just not talk about that and pretend that it did.

I’m thankful for basketball season. I’m thankful that my son has this opportunity to be a part of a great team of Christian boys. And I’m super thankful for the relationship I have with my teenager. What a gift.

Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for!

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday,
please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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Gratituesday: Houseful of Teenagers

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It all started over the weekend when I ran into a friend at the Home School Conference. She’s one of the moms of some boys on Asa’s basketball team. We were talking about how the boys missed each other since basketball season had ended in early March. One thing led to another, and we figured out a time to get her boys over to hang out with Asa.

And then that one thing led to another, and we decided to call more boys on the basketball team. 

And to make a long story short…there are seven teenage boys in my house right now.

Since Monday night and Tuesday were the days that worked best for everyone, we all just decided to cram Tuesday’s school work into Monday and Wednesday (ah, the beauty of home schooling!) so that Tuesday can be a big day for hanging out and shooting hoops. 

Three lasagnas and four loaves of bread later, I’d say these boys are having a pretty good time…

Seven teenage boys might seem a little intimidating…but I promise you that even I am having a wonderful time. These have GOT to be the most polite boys on the earth. I love them. Our younger boys love them. Their mothers should be proud.

We’ll be having pancakes in the morning. I’m trying to decide how many times I should quadruple this recipe to fill them all. (How’s that for a gluten-filled sentence in the middle of our Gluten Free Recipe Parade week!?)  :)

What a blessing for my son to have friends like this in his life. Bring on the hollow legs!

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for!

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday,
please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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Gratituesday: Basketball Tournament

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I wasn’t sure what to think about the big Home School Basketball Tournament we were headed to last weekend in Kansas. I’d heard it was well run and that there were lots of teams coming from three different states. Well…wow to both! It was very well run and there were basketball players and parents EVERYWHERE! :)

This is our first year to have a child on our local home school basketball team. As you know, we are a complete soccer family. (Well, except for me. I can’t play worth a hoot.  I just feed everyone and cheer really loudly.)  It has been a great experience for Asa, our oldest, to learn what to do with a ball in his hands instead of at his feet. He’s come a long way this season and he’s been a joy to watch.

Since the tournament was in Kansas, we headed down a few days early to spend some time with our family and friends there. That was an added bonus and blessing (even though my brother’s whole family came down with the flu so we couldn’t spend much time with them…and even though when I went to go visit Amy my website went down so I had to spend several hours of my “vacation” trying to fix it). But other than that…it really was a great weekend!

What I loved most about the tournament…besides spending time with some great families from our community and getting to know more great families from other states…was that the weekend wasn’t just about basketball and trying to win games. Coaches led the teams in prayer together before games started. Team devotionals were held each morning. And on Friday afternoon while all the teams and families were in the big gym together for a little “three-pointer-shoot-out”…we were blessed to hear a short but meaningful message about how the “uniform” you wear shows that you are a part of a certain team. So, how about the “uniform” we wear for Christ? Do our actions show that we are on Christ’s team? Great stuff. 

I feel very blessed that our family had the opportunity to be a part of something so beneficial in so many ways. Looks like we’re now a soccer family…and a basketball family. :)

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for!

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday,
please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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It’s About Time I Went Random On You

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It has been ages since I wrote a random post so tonight since I have a wide variety of thoughts running through my head, I thought I’d break out some randomness. 

~Malachi (5 1/2) has been having SUCH a hard time going to his Bible classes for the past several weeks. I know this is a normal phase – all my kids have gone through it at one time or another and all of them have gotten over it and have happily gone back to class without fear (and without kicking the teacher) eventually. But Malachi seems to be having a tougher time and nothing I’ve tried is helping. He said he wants to be with me forever and he’s too sad when he’s not with me and he’s never going to get married or go to Bible class ever again. You’d think after four kids I’d have this parenting thing all figured out.  If only.

~Just when we thought we got Asa’s shoes figured out (you remember that awesome deal we got right?)…we need to turn around and buy another pair of shoes. He’s decided to join our local Home school Basketball team this year and we’re excited to branch out of our soccer thing for a season…but shock upon shock, you are not allowed to wear soccer cleats on the basketball court. And so, on our way to the pumpkin patch field trip this week, we will be basketball shoe shopping. We’re making him pay half. I’m not sure if he’s buying the left shoe or the right shoe…I guess I’ll ask him which one he prefers. (That may have been one of the dorkiest jokes I’ve ever tried to write.)

~Never, ever, ever try to sort and reorganize your summer clothes and winter clothes in the middle of having company and putting insulation in your living room. I started the big clothing switch out (you know, that one you do every fall when you realize your kids need a sweatshirt instead of a swimsuit?), but then got busy getting ready for company and tearing apart our living room and all my organized piles got trampled. Then Legos got dumped into the piles. Yesterday, I decided to just close the door and walk away. I’ll figure it out eventually but for now I’m going to choose to be in denial about the insanity of that room.

I can’t even look at it.

~After I posted the initial pictures of our big living room insulation project, several of you commented about our beautiful window. You’re right…it’s old and antique and beautiful! But, Matt and I decided that maybe you’d better have a closer-up picture:

Nice huh?

One day several years ago, one of our boys was whacking a wooden sword on the couch directly in front of the window. The handle suddenly detached from the “blade”. The handle stayed in his hand. The blade flew up and banged against the window. I’m not sure if he was upset that he broke the window, but he sure was sad about the sword.

Yesterday, Matt finally took out the spider web window and took it in to be replaced.  I know…we should have done it long ago, but it was a part of that whole antique beveled glass window and we had a hard time doing it (we were able to leave the top part – the pretty part). Plus, it’s been a great conversation starter. You can never have enough broken window conversation starters, right?

The weird/sentimental part of me had a bit of a hard time parting with the broken window. I never got around to putting together baby books for my kids, so that window was a part of some baby boy memories for me. Really Laura, just get out the photo albums already.

It’s okay, I’m over it.

More pictures of the living room project to come, but let’s just say that I would not be surprised if some of the dust from our plastered walls (that are now all over our floor) may have reached as far as your home and settled there. If so, please accept my humble apologies. One hundred year old plaster really does stir up the dust.

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