Spiced Holiday Tea

December 19, 2021 by Tasha Hackett 2 Comments

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Tasha made this Spiced Holiday Tea for us one day and we fell in love with it!

Spiced Holiday Tea

by Tasha Hackett

Or as I like to call it the drinkable potpourri. I’ve been simmering water with lemon rinds and a cinnamon stick for the past month just to enjoy the smell, but why only use it for the smell when you can drink it, too?

This spiced tea was introduced to me the first time I went home for the Thanksgiving holiday with my then boyfriend. He’s now my husband, and I won’t claim this drink has brought us together because for some odd reason, he doesn’t like it. Which is completely fine with me and his mother, because that means more for us. My mother-in-law always has a pot of this drink simmering on the stove over the holidays.

Sweeten your spiced tea to taste!

I have stayed true to my mother-in-law’s recipe in all except the sugar content. The original recipe that she used calls for a full cup. But I’ve decreased it to 1/2 cup in year’s past and nobody noticed. This year I will add even less, but please don’t tell them!

To get started, first boil a full gallon of water in a large pot on the stove. Then turn the burner down and add the tea bags. Please never boil the tea! Follow the directions on the package of your tea to brew a full gallon—I use decaf so we can enjoy anytime of day and share with the kids without any caffeine messing up our sleep.

Once you’ve removed the tea bags, add in 5 cinnamon sticks, 10 whole cloves, and one of each limeade and orange juice concentrate. (Not straight lime juice, but the sweetened limeade in the freezer section with other fruit juices.) Basically you just used tea instead of water to mix the juice. You do not need to add extra water with the juice concentrates. Add in the sugar to taste, approximately 1/2 cup more or less. Wait to taste for sweetness until the juice concentrates are mixed in.

Let the holiday spiced tea simmer—but not boil—for at least an hour.

This tea is better tomorrow.Yum

After we’ve all enjoyed a cup, we store the rest in the fridge overnight, keeping the cloves and cinnamon sticks in the pitcher and the tea gets a stronger spiced flavor throughout the holiday weekend. We enjoy it cold or reheated. I can’t really tell you which is my favorite because I like it both ways!

What’s your favorite holiday drink?

Holiday Spiced Tea

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

Author: Tasha

Ingredients

One gallon of tea brewed to instructions on tea package (regular or decaf)
Limeade concentrate
Orange juice concentrate
5 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
½ cup sugar (more or less to taste)

Instructions

Brew the tea in a large pot on the stove.
Once the tea bags are removed, add the rest of the ingredients.
Simmer for a minimum of one hour, being careful not to boil.
Enjoy warm or cold.
Store leftovers in the fridge.

Tasha Hackett is a friend of Laura and has officially been writing since she asked for a journal for her 10th birthday. Her first novel, a historical Christian romance, Bluebird on the Prairie was released just this year, 2021, and she looks forward to sharing many more of her stories with the world. For now, you can read more about her and her fiction from her website: www.TashaHackett.com.

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

What to do with All the Zucchini

August 27, 2021 by Tasha Hackett Leave a Comment

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Trying to figure out what to do with all the zucchini?

Yum

It’s zucchini season! I didn’t grow any this year. Sad. But other people did and around this time each year people are giving them away because when a zucchini plant does well, it does well. And when it doesn’t, we all curse the vine-borer grubs in unison and praise God for grocery stores and our friends who somehow fought off the nefarious and disgusting grubs. Ah-hem. Back to the yummy part.

What to do with all the zucchini?

Zucchini might be one of our favorite versatile vegetables. Here’s what I do with it:

Chop it up and pan fry with salt and pepper and other stuff to make a quick skillet dinner: a.) garlic, onions, mushrooms, shrimp. b) garlic, onions, beef, cabbage. c.) garlic, onions, tomatoes, parmesan cheese. You get the idea: cook it and eat it for dinner with some meat and garlic and onions.
Shred (or use the food processor to chop) and bake it into muffins, brownies, pancakes, waffles, breads, etc. Some people freeze the shredded zucchini to use for later. I have done this and I NEVER have good luck with it later. It gets all weepy and soggy and then I get weepy and never use it. Best of luck to you if you decide to freeze it. I’d rather bake the bread and freeze that instead.
Cut in half, scrape out the middle and make pizza boats. (Broil, then melt on your pizza toppings. Dip in pizza sauce.)
Slice in half, or chop, and roast, broil, or grill with oil, salt, and pepper and just eat it!
Use a zoodle thingy and make noodles. Easy Alfredo and shrimp used to be my favorite with this.
Have I ever been tired of zucchini? No, I have not.
This is my announcement: I will take your extra zucchini.

Don’t let all the zucchini go to waste, let’s start baking!

Of course, Laura already put together many of her favorite zucchini recipes, but that was ages ago and you may have forgotten about it. Click through some of those recipes or search “zucchini” on this site for more great ideas.

Are you a zucchini lover like me? I used to only be a zucchini bread (which is usually cake, let’s not kid ourselves) kind of girl. But then I grew up and realized that as a vegetable it can take on the flavor of butter and garlic and I do so love butter and garlic. Here are some great recipes for you to try as the zucchini crop comes in.

Simple Oven-Baked Pizza Nachos

Finely chopped and baked over the nachos is a great way to sneak more veggies into this meal.

Last Minute Stir-Fry

Frozen chopped zucchini will be a little soggier than fresh, but it holds up better than shredded, OR just add a few fresh ones to your frozen veggie bags.

Zucchini Waffles

This is a pumpkin recipe. I know. You can sub one squash for the other. It will be fine. Really. Many popular baked zucchini recipes have so much sugar in them they may as well be cake… try a less-sugar option and top with just a few drops of maple syrup, honey, or nut butter.

Have zucchini for breakfast!

Why have we decided that most vegetables are for lunch and dinner? Here’s a quick breakfast that I’ve made many times already this summer: In a hot skillet I melt butter, fry up a chopped summer squash (yellow or green), add in a can of chicken (because it’s breakfast and people are hungry for the food), salt and pepper and (here’s the secret ingredient), a tablespoon or so of lemon juice. You must not forget the lemon juice. Once the chicken is warmed and the lemon juice has sizzled for a few seconds, we eat and dance and go about our day warm and well-fed.

In hindsight, I will need to make that one into an actual recipe post for you. You will need to be reminded of it again because it is so delicious.

Do tell, what is your favorite way to eat this amazing and versatile vegetable?

Tasha Hackett is a friend of Laura and author of Bluebird on the Prairie, a historical romance set in an 1879 Nebraska town. Zeke has his sights set for California, but Eloise prefers the quiet safety of her home. Is it possible they’re both searching for the same things? Find this heart-warming romance wherever books are sold.

To find out more about Tasha and her world of historical fiction, connect with her at www.TashaHackett.com.

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

How to Eat Paleo on a Road Trip

August 8, 2021 by Tasha Hackett 1 Comment

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How to Eat Paleo on a Road Trip

by Tasha Hackett

Hi everyone! Before you skip this because you’re not a fan of paleo diets. WAIT!! STOP!! This is still for you. Just pretend you like to eat fresh, wholesome foods. Foods that give you fuel and energy and build you up instead of tear you down. Paleo, or any special diet, or budget, or lifestyle that includes not eating fast food junk can be overwhelming at home. But eating paleo on a road trip? Is it even possible? Yep. It is. I’ll show how!

Here’s how I survive road trips eating paleo:

Eat a solid breakfast and plan ahead.Yum

If you’re anything like me, you might be used to making sure all the kids have breakfast and snacks available, but you forget to feed yourself? Okay! If you’re on a special food plan, that’s not going to work anymore. I fry up a great skillet of eggs and fresh onions, toss in a few cups of spinach at the end to wilt, mix in an avocado and salsa… yes, it takes at least 15 minutes. But so totally worth it.

No chance of stopping for donuts on the way out of town because I have great food for fuel in me and I feel great! I plan ahead when possible. Am I going to still be on the road for the next meal? Where can I get food? The answers to those questions will guide what I bring with me and where I plan my longer stops.

Stop at grocery stores and canned meat is OK!

If I’m going to be on the road during the next meal and I haven’t already packed food, then I stop at a grocery store! Ben and I started doing this for budget reasons when we were first married and we loved it. We could spend $25 on “luxury” food items, and it would last us a meal and snacks or more. We’d grab fresh deli meat and cheese, fruits, veggies, and other fun snacks. But now that I’m driven by my health and not by the budget, grocery stores are still the place for me to go to find food. (Pre-made salads, guac, Nut-Thins, meat, fruit and veggies, Larabars.) And here’s a neat tip… canned meat. Though it’s not amazing, it’s protein and calories and energy. Ever tried opening a can of chicken and digging in? I dare ya. It’s a meat source that you can bring along that doesn’t need refrigeration.

Travel with the blender.

Likely, you’ll be traveling to a place to stay for a few days and you’re going to get hungry while you’re there. If possible, I bring my Blentec with me. Working in the kitchen at a camp earlier this summer was a blast. Baking with everything I needed was purchased for me and staff to wash dishes and someone else to hold my babies? Yes, please! But I knew I’d be surrounded by traditional camp food, and I didn’t want to be grumpy and hungry. Obviously, I needed my chocolate. Therefore, I brought the Blentec and whipped up my go-to chocolate shake for the meals I needed to avoid. (Pizza, lasagna, pancakes, pot pie, etc.)

Know your boundaries and don’t make excuses.

If you’re eating paleo because you want to lose weight… well, you get to decide how strict you want to be. If you’re celiac and you will break out in a terrible rash or be sick the rest of the day if you eat pizza, that requires more careful planning. Road trips can be difficult for elimination diets. I eat paleo for a lot of reasons, but the easiest to explain is the migraines. When I switched to a paleo diet, I very quickly stopped being in pain. They went from 17 days a month to 3-4 days a month. I tolerate oats and other gluten-free grains in moderation. I don’t react to corn chips or small amounts of cheese. But ice-cream? No way. Because the headaches are so severe I don’t even crave tasting the “banned” foods anymore. Clearly, I’m human—I have my moments when I’m sad about not being able to enjoy a cinnamon roll, but then I remember the amount of pain I used to be in and I go make myself a batch of homemade chocolate and all is right with Tasha’s world again.

Know your WHY.

If you’ve been following Laura for a while you’ve seen the progression from homemade foods, low-sugar foods, organic or non-organic, simple meals, we love people more than food… and it’s all wonderful! And Laura knows her why. If I was on a diet for the fun of it… I would have a hard time following through. But knowing that I’m on a “diet” for very specific health reasons makes a huge difference. Otherwise, why would I bother with paleo on a road trip? Whatever the reason you’ve made it this far into this article: Do you know why you eat the way you eat? Why do we stop at a fast food restaurant? Do we think it’s going to be cheaper? Faster? Tastier? I challenge you to think about why you eat what you eat and what you might want to change. Depending on your why, you might be able to splurge and have a treat on a road trip! Have a treat and enjoy every bite of it.

Traveling soon? Whatcha gonna eat?!

Tasha Hackett is friend of Laura and author of Bluebird on the Prairie. Tasha spends most of her time with four chatty children that she homeschools and a fun-loving, supportive husband. They give her the kind of love people write books about. Find out more about her and her historical Christian romance at www.TashaHackett.com. Her novel is available wherever books are sold and she loves to speak about the novel at libraries and other bookish events.

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

Can Mom Have More Fun?

January 10, 2021 by Tasha Hackett 1 Comment

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Can mom have more fun? Any fun at all? How is it even possible with all these responsibilities? I absolutely adore this post from Tasha. I cried through it, because my mom-life is full and amazing but hard and exhausting. I needed this. I’m guessing you might too…

Can Mom Have More Fun?

by Tasha Hackett

Being a mother is amazing. A-ma-zing. But being trapped and tied down weighs on me until I might crumble. When all the parts of me that made me Tasha turn into Mom Mom Mom Mom, I begrudge this life that I find myself in. Sometimes it appears I’ve forgotten how to have fun as a mother. This post is because I know I’m not alone. I know I’m not the only overwhelmed mom out there who needs to hear this.

Why is it hard for moms to have more fun?

Of course it’s a foolish thing to wish myself out of where I am. I mean, come on! This is my happily ever after! This is the life I always wanted, always assumed I would have. As a kid, I hardly had any career goals because I knew I would be home with my kids doing all the things I loved–cooking, creating things, teaching my kids, singing, playing, holding babies and going on adventures with my mom friends and their kids. But instead I’m stuck doing laundry, and dishes, and managing the budget, and sweeping the floor over and over and over again until I’m staring at this home I’ve built around me and wanting to take a sledge hammer to all of it and go live in a cabin in the woods–which I would hate by the way, unless my family came with me because I totally love them.

As it turns out, God absolutely and completely knew what he was doing when he gave me these kids. Motherhood is a baptism by fire, and it’s growing me into a woman of courage and strength and refining me into something beautiful. (Right?! God love me for it, but I am so stinkin’ broken.)

Why is the fun gone?

You know why. For those of us who are in the grind of raising little tiny kids, we have routines that must be abided. We mothers are stressed by all the things we’re in charge of rattling around in our brains. When meals, sleep, and routines get out of whack, everyone pays for it. The energy it takes to simply survive doesn’t always leave much room to have more “fun.” Now, let’s be clear. I am not talking about creating more fun for the kids. No, I’m not worried about their fun. They get to play, play, play all the live-long day. I’m interested in mothers. Why aren’t we having fun? As a parent, am I having fun? Am I fun? What used to be fun? Is it still fun? Why not? What else can I do that makes me happy?

Side story about how much fun I had the past three years.

Incidentally, the past three years have been a doozy. Blessings upon blessings, but also a pile of personal, internal, trials. In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to start my writing career. Maybe not the best timing with the whole birthing of the fourth child and all.

But here I am, and writing has been so much stinking fun.

During the first lock-down of the pandemic, the husband worked from the basement. I seized the opportunity of the extra time and support and finished my novel, Bluebird on the Prairie. I don’t tell you this to brag . . . nope, okay, I’m bragging a little. . . but mostly because I am amazed and full of joy at having completed such a magnanimous accomplishment that I can’t help sharing it. Was it ever so much work? Yes. Girl… yes. So. Much. Work. Guess what else it was? Rewarding. And, you guessed it. Fun! It was fun.

A crazy thing about writing books is how much I learn from my characters when they start speaking all by themselves and spout off random bits of wisdom that I never could have thought up on my own. They’re smart like that.

Please read this scene snippet that tugs at my heart:

Zeke lowered himself to the ground and leaned against the tree. “It’s not that I’m not grateful, because I am. But I can’t . . . I’m not a farmer. I don’t want to be a farmer.” He set his hat on the ground. Running both hands through his hair before clasping them behind his neck, he sighed. “I don’t know, Chipmunk, do you ever feel like everyone’s got a plan for your life, and forgot to ask how you felt about it first?”

“Why do you call me Chipmunk?”

He grinned at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

She pulled a handful of grass and threw it at him. The wind caught most of it and she watched it drift. “I envy you.”

“How so?”

“You wanted to go, so you did. To have that kind of freedom. To be brave enough to take a chance.”

“Stupid enough, you mean. Did you get a good look at the goober who fell on his face? That man was lonely, dirty, and starving.”

Eloise did remember, and blushed thinking of it. If it hadn’t been for her standing in the creek only half dressed, he never would have fallen. “At least you keep smiling through it,” she said, “I don’t know how to have fun anymore.”

“I just do what makes me happy. Within reason . . . Fried chicken? Makes me happy. Catching frogs? Makes me happy. Singing? Makes me happy. What makes you happy? Do that.” He shrugged, like there was nothing to it.

What did make her happy? There were things she used to do for fun, but when put to the question she was stumped.

Zeke prodded. “There isn’t anything you do, that makes all the bad stuff disappear for a while?”

“I don’t know. If there is, I’ve forgotten.”

Can I share a fun secret?

Fun doesn’t need to be extravagant. Sometimes I forget to be happy. It’s wrong and it’s not God’s plan for me. Sometimes I don’t know how to have more fun as a mother. I get so caught up in what I can’t do and what I wish I could be doing, that I don’t make use of the fun freely available. One of the things that brings me joy is writing. And so I do, and I did. Laura lets me talk to you and I have dreams of many more novels to come! But… the simple, freely-available-doesn’t-cost-anything fun? That comes from a spirit of peace. A peace that knows my kids are well loved, even if their rooms are a mess because I haven’t properly trained them on how to keep them tidy. A peace that extends to the husband when he’s 20 minutes later coming home from work than I expected.

Peace comes from knowing I am worthy of God’s love.

Listen up, friend. You are worthy of God’s love. He didn’t raise his son from the dead for someone he didn’t love. He didn’t come back from the grave for us to walk about the house grumpy about laundry! I believe He wants us to have life, and have it to the fullest–not just later, but now! Absolutely we are called to sacrifice so much of ourselves. But nobody ever asked us to stop having fun, we did that all on our own.

Here’s how I had fun today:

When the kids played in the yard, I read a book for 45 minutes.
When the kids asked for a snack I opened a jar of peanuts and gave it to them. And then showed off, unsuccessfully, how I could throw and catch one in my mouth.
While the baby played with a stack of books I got on my hands and knees and growled at him until he looked my way, then I slinked towards him like a tiger. He squealed and laughed at me.
I was blasting show tunes on my phone when Ben came home from work (20 minutes late), and as I sang along, I started dancing for him. He pulled me into his arms, twirled me around a few times and dipped me over his knee before the kids claimed his attention.
At dinner I shared a new book idea with the kids and asked them to come up with any funny things that might happen to my characters.

You are pretty when you smile.

Yeah, okay. I know. Sometimes life is really really hard. I understand hard. I’ve been there, and I’m still there sometimes. To be perfectly honest, I don’t want to get out of bed most mornings because I dread the tasks ahead. Being a mom and the humility, compassion, empathy, and selflessness that needs to come with that is the hardest thing. I’m a work-in-progress.

A few years ago I laughed at something and my, then five-year-old, son said, “Mom! You’re so pretty when you smile.” And it broke my heart in a million tiny pieces because what he really said was, “I haven’t seen you smile in a long time.”

Do it for you.

Can you find ways to have more fun? I don’t know everything going on in your life that’s causing you so much stress you’ve forgotten how to have fun. But I can guess at some of it. Here’s a hint: Don’t make food harder than it has to be. Laura’s given us way too many resources and recipes for us to be wasting time complaining about kitchen duty.

I’m not even going to leave you with scientific facts about how laughing is healthy and makes you live longer. Nope. How about we make time for fun, simply because fun is fun? Nobody goes to bed thinking, “Man, I wish I hadn’t had so much fun today.”

Tasha Hackett, author of Bluebird of the Prairie, (a heartwarming romance releasing Spring 2021), is fueled by sunshine or hot chocolate—whichever is more readily available. She pretends to be a ballerina while cleaning the kitchen and can sing along to every word of every Wee-Sing Silly Songs album. Four children and a husband have filled her days with more than enough to keep her busy, but creative hobbies continually find their way onto her to-do list. You can connect with her on Instagram @hackettacademy or for Laura @heavenlyhomemaker.

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

How to Have Stress-Free Christmas (Hint: START NOW!)

February 23, 2020 by Tasha Hackett Leave a Comment

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Is it possible to have a stress-free Christmas? Yup! Tasha shares how!

Hey Everyone! Tasha here. I wrote a Christmas Budget script for us to read together. I put on my brown tweed blazer and I was immedietly inspired. (The equivalant to my thinking cap, because it’s winter in Nebraska and cold in my house; not just because I think it makes me look like a sophisticated Mommy-turned-naptime-writer.) This play will be a hit! Someday you’ll see it on a marquee and you will stop and take a picture and tell all your friends, “I know the girl who wrote that!” and it’ll be grand.

Naptime writers unite! I promise wearing a blazer makes you legit.

The Best Financial Christmas Story Ever

Enter Tasha and HH Reader

Me: Christmas is coming soon! Only 300 and something days left! I can’t wait to start my Christmas Budget.

You: Tasha, no… please stop. It’s February.

Me: I know, right?!?! Only ten months left to plan. I’m so excited!

You: Tasha, you’re out of control! Nobody wants to plan Christmas right now. We’re so DONE with Christmas. I mean, really. Some of us haven’t even taken the decorations down.

Me: Yikes! Better get on that. But really. Let’s talk about Christmas for this year.

You: Do we have to?

Me: Yes.

You: No.

Me: If you trust me, I promise to deliver the most stress-free, relaxed Christmas you’ve ever had in your life before. It’s simple and easy.

You: Mmmmk, keep talking…

Simple and Easy Christmas Budget

Me: Whew! I’m in! [Wink to audience.] Okay, so here’s the sitch: According to multiple sources, Americans are in BIG credit card debt, and many of them, perhaps you, will be paying for Christmas well into the summer months.

You: Well, yeah. I want to Go All Out for the Holidays. How else can I do that?

Me: By starting now, or preferably last month, in January. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear, and by deciding how much you are going to spend and start saving for it now. Tada! That’s the plan.

You: But how do I know how much I’m going to spend?

Me: That’s a tricky one. A good amount to plan for is one percent of your total income. $500 is 1% of $50,000. Can you spend more than 1%? I don’t know, can you? Here’s an example of my Christmas budget:

Immediate family gifts at approximately $30 each = $180
Extended family gifts, make or buy $10 each = $160
Gifts for 11 little cousins, make or buy $5 each = $55
Special and delicious holiday food: $200
Extra Gas for travel: $200

This brings me to: $795 / 12 = $67 a month to save. This is way over the one percent guideline for our household, but spread out over 12 months it’s doable. In past years when we were on an extreme budgeting plan we spent a total of $300 for Christmas. That covered, gifts, food, and most of it went to travel costs to see family.

Gifts for everyone?

You: 16 extended family members and 11 little cousins to buy for? Really?

Me: Buying or making presents is a choice. I like to do it, it’s fun to make something or find a little something special for each person.

You: How can you find anything of value for $10? Giving junk Christmas gifts is never appreciated.

Me: True, so glad you asked! Part of the joy of planning Christmas right now, is that I have a list of everyone I need to buy for in my planner, and when I’m out and about during the year, I will pick up something wonderful and special and unique for the right person at the right price. We love Christmas shopping at summer yard sales. I have found beautiful china tea cups for $1 and quality Melissa and Doug toys for cheap. Thrift stores, antique shops, yard/garage sales… all places to go Christmas shopping throughout the year. When you wait until December to buy your presents, it’s almost too late, my friend.

One year we made the little cousins a huge batch of homemade playdough with sparkles and Christmas smelling oil: $5 for 11 kids. That’s 45¢ a kid! For something they really liked! They played together with it for hours throughout the weekend.

This is how we do snack time with 8 little kids in the house for the holiday.

BUT… I have a secret. Because I am so wise, I also cheat the budget for Christmas. If you want to go all out, like Laura, and you wrap up socks to put under the tree, don’t take that out of your Christmas budget!

Ways to cheat the budget when it comes to Christmas

Me: Your monthly budget should have an item line for Clothing and Shoes, or maybe even another for Athletic Gear. If I buy socks to put under the tree, that will come out of the Clothing Budget. If I buy a tennis racket to put under the tree, that may come out of the Athletic Gear or School Budget, if I buy a lovely book of poetry and a globe, that will come out of the School Budget.

So that covers the Christmas money issue. Please don’t go into debt for the holidays. You’ll thank me next June. Decide how much you’re going to spend and save up for it throughout the year. That’s the only way that makes sense to me. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have an extra $500 (or more or less) sitting around in the bank during the month of December.

As a result of awesome budgeting, my Christmas contains a complete lack of stress and guilt. I don’t feel guilty for spending money I shouldn’t have spent. I’m not stressed about having enough in the bank to pay the high winter utilities. There’s enough to do for Christmas, like play games and eat food, I don’t want to waste my limited energy worrying about money.

You: I think your script is terrible. It’ll never see the stage. But thanks for the budget tips.

Me: Well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Exit.

Standing ovation. Amiright? No, of course not, you’d spill the Warm Pumpkin Custard Drink you’re sipping. I get it. It’s one of my favorites too.

Hey, while I have you here. I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Laura went and started her own club. Have you joined? I LOOOVE the recipe organization and all the included Homeschool resources. Meal planning is a breeze. A BREEZE. Not like a Nebraska winter wind that makes you cry because you live in a place where the air hurts your face. No. Not like that. Just click, browse, click, browse, click, print. Done. That’s how I do it anyway.

#WhatsForDinner

P.S. In case you’re wondering, I’m having a version this pot pie for dinner, except I’m using shredded pork because it’s what I had on hand, and a bag frozen mixed veggies instead of all that pesky chopping. It’s ironic because Laura also tried writing a script in that recipe post? I think mine is better, yea? What’s your vote? And do you have a Christmas Budget?

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

Gratituesday: Bonus Family Time

December 30, 2013 by Laura 15 Comments

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We’ve been so blessed this holiday season to have relaxing time at home, and to have time with extended family too!

We made a quick trip to Kansas over the weekend to be with my side of the family. Playing with cousins, eating great food, opening presents, and having great visits went all too fast.

Then, we arrived at home to do laundry, re-pack, and head to Iowa to meet more family. So much fun! In fact, we’re having so much fun I don’t have much time to stop and write. Sooooo….I’ll count on you to leave comments and fill in the gaps here so that we can enjoy reading about what you’re thankful for too!

Hope your holiday season has been filled with joy. :)

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!

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

How To Make it To Church On Time

April 30, 2013 by Laura 39 Comments

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church_on_time

I sure hope you didn’t read the title of this post and assume I would be giving you my secret formula for getting my family out the door to church each week without being late. I wish. Although I will say: Sometimes we actually are on time!!

And then there are the other times. Do my boys not have a hurry mode? Do they not acurately comprehend my words when I tell them to put their shoes on? Which part of “stop talking so that you can stuff food down your face” do they not understand?

From what I hear, this seems to be an issue in many households. Today is our chance to share the tips and tricks that work for each of us to help get our families up and out the door to church on time – or shucks, maybe even early.

Oh – and since we are, after all, going to meet with our church family so that we can worship our Creator together, I’d love to hear how you encourage your family to be on time, while maintaining joy and smiles! Nothing like good ol’ family chaos to put us in the correct frame of mind to praise God. {cough}

Here’s what works for our family…when it works:

Do as much on Saturday to prepare as possible. Showers and baths taken, clothes laid out, Bibles and shoes by the door.
Make breakfast easy. Either we have oatmeal, or I bake something the night before so all we have to do is grab and eat.
No Sunday morning down time allowed. If you’re not completely ready to leave – with shoes on your feet, contribution money in your pocket, and teeth brushed, you sure as heck better not be shooting baskets in the hallway with a Nerf basketball. (Don’t they know I’m trying to keep that joy and godliness in my Sunday morning routine?!)
Mom gets up earlier than normal, allowing for twice as much time as it normally takes to get ready. (And sometimes it’s still not enough.)

I am really excited for you to share on this topic!! What do you do to help your family make it to church on time? All ideas are welcome. If it works for you, it may work for someone else. Even if it just works sometimes. Or on the days when the kids don’t play basketball in the hallway before getting out of their pajamas….

Regarding this question, and many others, I have really enjoyed reading the eBook: 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Quesions. In this eBook, these wise moms address topics like: How do you get your family to church on time? How do you teach children to be still and quiet in church? How do you keep your patience in the midst of chaos? How do you teach your children to do chores? How do you deal with sibling squabbles? And so much more.

What a valuable resource for all who are raising children. I encourage you to look into 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Quesions.

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How in the World Am I Supposed To Serve Right Now?!

April 24, 2013 by Laura 20 Comments

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Remember that exciting ministry announcement I told you I was going to share this week?! A few technical difficulties came up, so I’m going to have to delay the announcement for just another week or two. (Not being able to tell you yet is killllling me!) Just know that you and I are going to get to be a part of something awesome together, many will be blessed, everyone in your family can be involved with this ministry, and, and…that’s all I can say. I suppose you can go ahead and start praying about it though. God knows what it is. :)

In the meantime, I have felt it on my heart to share my thoughts about serving with your family when the very idea of reaching out sounds overwhelming and exhausting. Maybe you have little bitty children, making it difficult to get enough sleep, find even one clean towel, and run a brush through your hair each day. You may be thinking, “Serving? With my family? How and when should I do that?”

Maybe you have a sick friend or family member. Or you just buried a loved one. Perhaps you just moved and have more boxes in your house than furniture. It could be that you or your spouse is out of work, and you don’t know where the next dollar is coming from. Maybe you are struggling to hold your marriage together. Or your children are making choices that are tearing your family apart.

praying I am here to tell you that there is a time to serve, and a time to be served. There is a time to reach out, and a time to let others reach out and hold you. There is a time to give, and a time to receive gifts. There is a time to go, and a time to stop. There is a time to work, and a time to rest.

If it is your time to be served, be held, receive gifts, stop, and rest – with no fear, regret, or hesitation, give yourself permission to be generously loved on.

When my mom died eight and a half years ago, there were many days I could barely put one foot in front of the other. I was pregnant with Malachi, and our other boys were ages 7, 4, and 2. I was exhausted. I was devastated. I was broken.

It was my time to be served. People came and vacuumed my house for me. They cleaned my toilets. Meals appeared in my freezer. Friends came and whisked my kids off so that they could have some fun and so that I could grieve and rest. Oh how much love I felt from so many people who care about me.

During much of that time, I couldn’t even think about doing something for someone outside of my immediate family. And that was okay. It was hard enough to get out a box of cereal and put it on the table for breakfast.

But then there were days when I simply needed to serve. I find it a bit hard to explain, but sometimes, I actually needed to look beyond myself and think about anything at all (anything!) besides being sad. I couldn’t do anything big (if in fact we can put a “big” and “small” value on acts of service). But the little boys and I could pack up for an hour or two to go visit a widow lady who needed comfort as much as I did. We could get out the art supplies and make cards for people. We could pray together.

If I didn’t feel like being with people (because often, I just didn’t have it in me), we could make cookies and have Matt drop them off in our church fellowship hall for the upcoming bake sale. Or we could gather up some clothes we no longer needed and let a friend deliver them to an excited recipient.

I am amazed that even at one of my lowest points, God still provided ways for me to serve. At the same time, I continued to let others in to serve me too. I do believe this should always be the case. Sometimes we are more able to serve, sometimes we have very little to give. Let God lead you on this. He knows just what you need.

Please share your thoughts and experiences on this subject. I’d love to hear ways people have blessed you in your time of need. Have you found ways to serve others during difficult seasons in life?

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How Do You Serve Together as a Family?

April 18, 2013 by Laura 17 Comments

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In a world that tells our kids that they only need to think about themselves – we long to teach our children what it means to give, what it means to be servant-hearted, and what it means to be selfless.

I believe these are lessons we are all, as adults, still striving to learn ourselves. In fact, you should be delighted to know that just the other day, I was as selfless and servant-hearted as can be. I then proceeded to throw a tantrum because no one recognized how kind and wonderful I had been. How dare my children not pat me on the back or give me a loving round of applause for my constant selfless acts of bending-over-backwards kindness toward them?!

Selfless? Sounds more like I was being self-absorbed, self-motivated, and self…self…selfish! I obviously still have so much to learn.

So how do we teach our kids to be humble and servant-hearted? And how do we (the wise and wonderful grown-ups) learn to die to ourselves?

serving_7 I believe we do this by looking outward. By looking to the needs of others. By stopping the focus on ourselves and instead, focusing on truly loving those around us.

(By the way, Jesus never threw a tantrum because he wasn’t being properly appreciated for his selfless acts. Not one time. I would do well to remember this.)

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I find that each time I serve someone in my family or in my church or community out of true, selfless love, I am so enriched by the experience that I can’t help but be drawn closer to God. This is what I want my children to learn and understand: That service to others is a glory to God. That this world is not our home, and we are not called to be content and comfortable, but to selflessly love and to serve. That loving on others brings pure joy that can only be achieved when we follow Jesus’ servant-hearted footsteps.

serving_5 I believe the best way we can learn to serve selflessly and teach our children to serve selflessly is to work at it side by side. How ridiculous is it for me to put my kids in front of a DVD so that I can have the time to work on a ministry I’m involved in? How silly is it that I would busy my kids in another room on an act of kind service while I head to the computer to get some writing done?

serving_4 Admittedly, this has to happen sometimes. But what if, the majority of the time, we all work together on ministries as a family? What if we talk together, pray together, plan together, and execute together various ministries that God has given us? In doing so, we learn together, grow together, make beautiful memories together, and slowly but surely, become selfless servants…together.

I have more to share on this topic – and I have a very exciting ministry project announcement that I’ll be writing about next week! In the meantime, let’s reflect together on how we each serve within our families. This looks different for each family, depending on your season in life, how old your kids are, and the circumstances going on around you. But I believe each family can bless others in so many different ways! So share!! What do you and your family do to bless and love on others?

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Gratituesday: The Cousins

May 28, 2012 by Laura 22 Comments

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We have had a great big cousin filled weekend. The boys are dirty, tired, and basking in the memory of the past few days.

We were blessed to go to Kansas for an extended weekend where we had two different reunions. I come from a very large extended family. My grandfather was the youngest of twelve children, and my dad was the youngest of nine children. So when I say large extended family, I mean large extended family.

And oh the cousins!

I’m thankful for the blessing of family. I’m thankful for the blessing of a Christian heritage. And I’m thankful that I was able to celebrate both of those this weekend.

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