Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Azure Standard is Expanding!

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Visit our blog: www.azurestandardblog.comMrs. Joseph Wood, who advertises with us here at Heavenly Homemakers, is always trying to keep me up to date on the latest great news from Azure Standard so that I can pass it on to you. Her husband is one of their trusted truck drivers, and she and her family are extremely dedicated to serving through Azure. If you’ve been reading my posts about Azure Standard and wishing you had access to this service, you’re going to be excited to read this news!

Azure Standard is going to be adding IL, IN, IA and parts of TN the first of January. They will also be rearranging the current M-1 and M-2 routes into five smaller routes so that food can be fresher when delivered to customers. This is allowing them to add new areas of CO, NM, KS, OK, TX, MO and AR if there were families in those states that used to be off route.

Because of these changes, Azure Standard is super busy, which means that it would be best at this time for you to contact Mrs. Joseph Wood instead of contacting Azure Standard themselves. To learn more or to see about setting up a drop point in your area, call 785-633-3152. Or, if you’d rather contact her via email you can do that at: mrsjosephwood @ gmail dot com.

Also, be sure follow the Azure Standard Facebook page for regular updates and great Azure Standard information!

If your location was not mentioned today, don’t despair! As you can see, Azure Standard is constantly working to expand and meet more needs. Your state might be coming soon!

 

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Mentor Relationships

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~Appreciate Your Spouse~Buoyancy in Marriage~Consult Your Partner~
~Dream Together Part One ~Dream Together Part Two~Empower Your Spouse~
~Have Fun With Your Spouse~Give to One Another~Honor Each Other~
~Be Intentional~Jubilee~Kingdom Focused~Listen

Mentor Relationships

What School are You Paying for? – Matt’s Thoughts

“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!” (Proverbs 16:16)  I’ll Amen that.

“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7)  Amen to that too.

Now, how do I get me some of that wisdom and understanding that I so desperately need?

Most of my life I’ve been enrolled at UHK (University of Hard Knocks). UHK has an amazing presence. There are satellite campuses everywhere I go. But in my shining moments I’ve sought out a mentor and avoided the expense of UHK.

As Laura and I have aimed for a healthy marriage, we also have looked to some couples modeling a healthy marriage who are farther down the road in their marital journey. We have watched them from a distance and visited with them couple to couple. We’ve been encouraged from afar and challenged by their words. We’ve heard their regrets, taking them to heart so as to avoid UHK for ourselves, and we’ve taken mental notes regarding their victories so that we can attempt to gain the same outcome.

Why don’t we do this more often, rather than paying room, board, tuition and fees to UHK? Many times it’s because I’m chasing gold and silver rather than wisdom and understanding.

How can I get me some wisdom?

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” (Proverbs 19:20)

Red Flag Relationships – Laura’s Thoughts

Most of us tend to gravitate toward those who are in the same stage of life we are in. Singles like to hang out with other singles. Young marrieds like to spend time with other young marrieds. Parents with babies like to get together with other parents of babies. And on it goes. This is all great and truly – many of our best friendships are based on the fact that we have so much in common. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with spending time and enjoying others in your stage of life – unless those are the only people you spend time with.

We’ve seen marriages destroyed because couples were not willing to look beyond their 20 or 30-something age group for companionship, guidance and encouragement. We’ve been heart-broken to see relationships crushed because young couples were spending too much time with other young couples. It’s dangerous – watch and be aware of how close you are becoming with other couples, especially if these relationships are purely for fun and hold little spiritual depth. Let a red flag be raised and make changes in your couple-to-couple friendships if you begin to find yourself becoming too “comfortable” with your friend’s spouse.

Be intentional about spending time with couples who will sharpen you, encourage you and make your marriage stronger. Seek out couples who have been married longer than you and who know more than you about maintaining a healthy marriage. Don’t be afraid of people who are older and wiser than you. Sit at their feet, ask questions, soak in what they have to say.

Your healthy marriage depends on it.

Ladies, we know you’re reading here more often than the guys. ;)  We’d love husbands to read this article as well. If you feel so inclined please send the link to your husbands, or if it’s easier, we’ve created a downloadable article for you to quickly print off and share. Healthy Marriage Tips A to Z – Mentors

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Homemade Beef Bologna

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I did it. I made bologna. Mine didn’t turn out nearly as pretty as Tammy’s. Maybe that’s because I adapted the recipe? Or maybe it’s simply because Tammy has a magic touch I don’t seem to have. (Tammy is super talented!)  Either way, we have a healthy, easy-to-make lunch meat that I will feel no guilt about feeding to my family.

A couple of notes about this recipe:

In order to avoid artificial flavorings, you’ll want to use a liquid smoke which does not have any additional ingredients beyond “liquid smoke”. Some liquid smoke varieties have caramel coloring and I don’t know what else. I have found that Lazy Kettle Brand contains only liquid smoke. I’m sure there are other “all natural” brands of liquid smoke – this is the one I found first.

In addition, Tammy’s recipe includes Morton’s Tender Quick Salt, which is a great salt for preserving. However, I hesitate to use this salt now that I’ve learned that it contains nitrates. Therefore, I tried simply using my trusty Redmond’s Real Sea Salt. I figure, I’m keeping the bologna in the fridge or freezer anyway so I don’t need to worry about “preserving” the meat, right?

Overall, I’m pleased with how the bologna turned out. Well, aside from the fact that mine didn’t turn out pretty like Tammy’s. Tammy, how do you do it? :)

Homemade Beef Bologna (adapted from Tammy’s Recipes)Yum

3 pounds ground beef (I used grass-fed beef)
2 Tablespoons sea salt
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons “all natural” liquid smoke

Mix all ingredients together, sticking your hands into the bowl to squish it all together in order to mix the ingredients well. Mmmhmm, that’s the fun part.

Divide the mixture into two parts and shape two “logs” of meat. I don’t like having plastic touch my raw meat if at all possible, so I placed parchment  paper on top of plastic wrap to help form the log and to wrap it for the fridge. (Yes, this may seem obsessive, but I’m weird – what can I say?)

Wrap the bologna logs well and place them into the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Unwrap the meat and place both logs into a buttered baking dish. I used a 9×13 inch Pyrex dish. Bake in a 300° oven for 30 minutes, then in a 200° for another 2 1/2 hours.

Cool and store in the freezer or fridge.

Homemade Beef Bologna

A big thanks again for Tammy’s Recipes for inspiring this recipe! Now, on to her Spicy Beef Pepperoni!

I’m super thrilled with this recipe because I totally love bologna. I know that’s a silly thing to love, but love it I do. Kinda like how I love beef hot dogs.

Do you like hot dogs and bologna, or do you think I’m a little bit nuts for thinking they taste good? Hey, at least now I can eat bologna again without feeling like my stomach is turning inside out!

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Easy Chicken Burritos (Perfect for the Freezer!)

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As I sat down to write this post, I could think of nothing exciting to say about these Easy Chicken Burritos. Therefore, I have decided to see if I can win “The Most Boring Blog Post Ever Award”. Most of this post has nothing to do with burritos, but really, there’s only so much a person can say about burritos. See look – there they sit:

Here is my very boring post:

Today I cleaned my ceiling fans and dust bunnies fell down onto the math books below. It was gross. When I got the mail this morning, most of it was junk mail so I put it directly into the recycling. We can’t find Malachi’s left tennis shoe. Today I’m wearing a brown shirt. I have a lot of brown shirts. I like brown.

I gouged my thumb on a kitchen cabinet yesterday. It hurts. Today I bonked it again. That hurt worse. The weather today is nice. Tomorrow it might get cooler. I need to pick green beans. And tomatoes.

I picked up our Azure Standard order today. We got a box of strawberries. They are good. Somehow we got strawberry juice on our kitchen floor tonight. I wiped it up.

I did four loads of laundry yesterday. They aren’t folded yet. Asa’s jeans are all too short. So are Elias’. So are Justus’. Kids grow fast.

We have crickets in our house. They are loud.

Here is a burrito recipe. These taste good. They are pretty much exactly like the Bean and Cheese Burritos and Beef and Cheese Burritos I’ve already written about, except that instead of using beans or beef, you use chicken.

(Told ya it was boring. Although that part about the weather was really pretty exciting. Except for not really.)

Easy Chicken BurritosYum

10 whole wheat tortillas (one batch homemade)
2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup shredded cheese (I use white cheddar)
1 cup salsa
Sea salt and/or chili powder to taste

Chop cooked chicken into tiny pieces or run it through a food processor. Stir together shredded chicken, cheese, salsa and spices. Spoon mixture into a warm, soft tortilla. Wrap and serve.


We like freezing these burritos, then rewarming them for quick lunches. To rewarm:  Place desired number of burritos on a baking stone or cookie sheet. Heat in a 350° oven for about 15 minutes or until slightly brown, crispy and hot.

What’s the most boring thing you can think of to tell me right now? Or maybe the most exciting? (If your laundry is folded and put away, I don’t want to hear about it. Over-achievers.)

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Working Ahead for Healthy Food Convenience

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For the past two weeks during our Funky Fresh Kitchen series, we’ve talked all about getting your kitchen cleaned out and organized, getting rid of unhealthy foods and working toward making your own healthy foods from scratch. One thing I didn’t cover during the series which has become a very imporant way for me to keep my kitchen organized and healthy is making healthy foods ahead of time and freezing them for quick meals.

Whole Wheat Waffles are great to make ahead and
put into the freezer for a quick, healthy breakfast!

Having foods like healthy burritos, whole wheat waffles and homemade pizza pockets in the freezer to pull out for quick meals has been a life saver for me many times. This week, I plan to work on putting a few more healthy foods into my freezer for quick, convenience items. Here’s what’s on my list to try making this week:

At the end of the week, I’ll be back with an update on how my extra cooking times went. I can’t wait to try those new bologna and pepperoni ideas!!

Care to join me in trying to get ahead just a little bit? Think you might have time to make just one extra dish or item for your freezer for some healthy convenience? Leave a comment letting us know what you’re up to in the kitchen. I love hearing new ideas!!

P.S. I’ve got a new “Make Ahead Meals” recipe to share with you later this week!

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Listen

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~Appreciate Your Spouse~Buoyancy in Marriage~Consult Your Partner~
~Dream Together Part One ~Dream Together Part Two~Empower Your Spouse~
~Have Fun With Your Spouse~Give to One Another~Honor Each Other~
~Be Intentional~Jubilee~Kingdom Focused~

Listen

Synchronized Staring – Matt’s Thoughts

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie…that’s absurdity. When you look into your spouse’s eyes and truly listen…that’s amore.

Here’s a question for self-evaluation: Is my beloved’s voice mixing with all the other noise in my life? If so, something needs to change.

Healthy marriages consist of two people listening to each other. My best listening is achieved when my eyes are on my prized one. So, I say, if at all possible, look at your spouse in the eyes when he/she is communicating to you. Okay, when you are changing a diaper, your focus needs to be there, but pause or turn off the media and give your full attention to the most important person in your life; the game or show – or gameshow – really isn’t important.

Remember when you first looked into each other’s eyes and your hearts raced with adrenaline? Maybe your story didn’t quite happen that way, but think about other instances when you would have competed for gold in the Olympic Event of Synchronized Staring. Practice that again right now. If your “Romantic” is not with you now, then at your next opportunity look lovingly into his/her eyes and listen. We can’t help but smile when we do this. We smile because we know we are being heard. We smile because we know we are loved.

I’m Sorry, Did You Say Something? – Laura’s Thoughts

It is a fact that if I’m working at the computer, Matt has learned that he has to say, “Are you in writing mode or are you able to listen for a minute?” Yes, when I write, I go into a zone. (See like right now – I’m typing and I can’t hear a thing you’re saying.)

Sometimes that’s okay – we all have to learn to be selective about when we share something important with our spouse. If he/she is in the middle of balancing the checkbook, that may not be the best time to share a deep, heart-felt need or request. Just as important as listening is being thoughtful about when we’d like to truly be heard.

Do you know what I love about the way Matt listens to me? He just listens. He doesn’t talk, he doesn’t interrupt, he doesn’t jump in with ideas of how to fix my situation. Usually, I just need to share and to be heard and cared for. When he’s sharing something with me, he also appreciates if I just let him talk. Sometimes I like to try to finish his sentences for him. That’s not nice and I’m working on not doing that. He can finish his own sentences quite well without my help.

If you’re a good listener, your ears and heart are open – your mouth is not. And yes, like Matt said, it’s best to look into your spouse’s eyes when he or she shares. You can really hear better that way.

And that’s why, at the end of the day after I’ve taken out my contacts, I have to say to Matt, “Will you hand me my glasses? I can’t hear you very well.” Either I’m a weirdo or eye contact is just that important in order to be a good listener.

Or maybe it’s a little bit of both. ;)

Ladies, we know you’re reading here more often than the guys. ;)  We’d love husbands to read this article as well. If you feel so inclined please send the link to your husbands, or if it’s easier, we’ve created a downloadable article for you to quickly print off and share. Healthy Marriage Tips A to Z – Listen

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

Homemade Beef Summer Sausage

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My personal Funky Fresh Kitchen “Make it Yourself” Challenge was to make Homemade Beef Pepperoni, using a recipe I found at Tammy’s Recipes. I read through all of her reviews before trying the recipe and many of them suggested that this tastes more like Summer Sausage than Pepperoni. I completely agree – it does taste much more like Summer Sausage. But no matter what you call it, we all really loved the flavor.

I kept having to remind myself while we were eating (one entire log of sausage in one sitting) that we didn’t need to feel guilt or hold back on eating this. We have, on occasion, purchased beef summer sausage from the store to eat on the run. The boys love it, but I’ve always been hesitant because the store-bought sausage is so full of MSG and who knows what. To now have this recipe in my hip pocket to make as a healthy, convenience food for my family is super exciting!

And did I mention that it is crazy easy to make? Yes, practically effortless. I used our healthy Grass Fed Beef and made five pounds of this wonderful meat, which tastes good with cheese and crackers or on sandwiches. I put our leftover meat in the freezer to use later. This is going to be a perfect grab and go snack to take to soccer games this fall!

Making this summer sausage was a three day process (although not time consuming or difficult). On the third day, after we got to smell it cooking on low heat all day, we were thrilled to eat it with cheese and fruits and veggies for dinner. Awesome!

Next, I’d like to try Tammy’s Spicy Pepperoni, which sounds like it has more of a pepperoni flavor. Score! Now we can have healthy summer sausage and healthy pepperoni too!

Does your family like summer sausage and pepperoni? You’ve got to try Tammy’s recipes!

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Healthy Homemade Pigs in a Blanket

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Pigs in a Blanket

Have I ever told you about the trophy I won back when I was in high school? I’m not very athletic, so I hope you aren’t imagining some sport trophy. If so, you’re going to be rather disappointed, although amused, I’m sure.

My trophy proudly displayed a golden pig. Don’t laugh. It had a wooden base and stood about 15 inches tall and there at the top was a golden hog that was probably around 3 inches long. Oh how I wish I still had it so that I could take a picture to show you. Wait – what did I just say? Do I really wish I still had my pig trophy? Why? So that I could use it to decorate my living room? (Precious Moments figurines, family pictures, pig trophy…)  Yes, I think I’m glad my golden swine got misplaced.

In case winning pig trophies aren’t common where you’re from, let me explain my prize. I was a farm girl and we were involved in 4-H. Each year, we raised pigs to take to the fair. One year, my pig won Reserve Grand Champion. It was a proud moment – and also a little embarrassing because well, what teenage girl do you know that can truly appreciate being awarded with a trophy of a pig? The only one at the fair more excited/embarrassed than me was my brother. His pig took the Grand Champion prize, so his pig trophy was even bigger than mine. Yep, those were some pigs.

Kind of makes you want to read Charlotte’s Web again, doesn’t it?

I say all of that to say: “I had a pig trophy and you didn’t, neener-neener-neeeeeener.”

Just kidding. (Even though it’s probably true – neener-neener.)

But really, I just wanted to share a new idea I’ve come up with for making a healthy variety of Pigs in a Blanket. I don’t want to get all “farm animal technical” here on you, but even though these are called “Pigs in a Blanket”, there’s actually no pork in these. I prefer my hot dogs to be all beef, no nitrate, no nitrite, no nootrote (I made that one up) and otherwise as healthy as a processed meat can possibly be. But to call these “Cows in a Blanket” – well, that just does nothing for me. It doesn’t sound nearly as cute. And really, these treats do look like little pigs wrapped up taking a nap. As we all know, pigs are always willing to be swaddled. I know my 4-H pigs always went directly where I told them to go. (bah)

Healthier “Pigs in a Blanket”Yum

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup melted butter
1 cup plain yogurt
16 beef hotdogs, cut in half (I buy Applegate Farm Beef Hotdogs from Azure Standard)
32 small pieces of cheddar cheese (optional)

That dough recipe may sound a bit familiar. It’s my go-to recipe for Homemade Pizza Pockets, Homemade Poptarts and a variety of other goodies that require a flaky, buttery crust.

Mix flour, salt, butter and yogurt together. Knead ingredients together on a floured countertop until the dough is ready to be rolled out. Use a floured rolling pen to roll the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Use a knife to cut the dough into 32 rectangles.

Place one piece of cheese (if desired) and one hotdog half on each rectangle.

Roll it up and place it on a well buttered baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.

My kids especially like the Pigs in a Blanket made with cheese. These warm up great as leftovers and can be frozen. (I’d bake them first before freezing, then pull them out and rewarm them in the oven for a few minutes.)

I’m posting this recipe as a part of our Funky Fresh Kitchen series to remind us all that you can make all kinds of great dishes that are kid friendly and fun AND healthy!

Tell me all about your trophies, pigs, brothers, athleticism (or lack thereof), carrot sticks, or anything else remotely relating to this post. Your comment is your entry for a chance to win one of five $10 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.

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Funky Fresh Kitchen – The Make it Yourself Challenge

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What helped me most during our healthy eating journey was realizing that while we were changing the way we purchased and made food, we were not trading Cheesy Velvetta Dip or Jello Pudding for a boring diet of tasteless rice cakes and bland green things that I’d never heard of. I simply found new ways to create our favorite foods. We didn’t have to stop eating peanut butter, pasta, pizza, tacos, cookies, pancakes, mac and cheese and burgers – I just needed to learn to make them in a healthier way.

pudding5sm.JPG

Homemade Creamy Pudding

Look through all of our recipes (scroll through the drop down Recipe Menu at the top of our site) to find long lists of Bread and Breakfast recipes, Main Dishes, Side Dishes and Snacks, Desserts, Condiments, Dairy Products – so many recipes that are easy to make, kid friendly, and healthy – all at the same time! Life does not end once you’ve decided to throw away your boxes of Partially Hydrogenated High Fructose Corn Syrup Red Food Dye #40 (otherwise known as the cereal that claims to be a part of “this complete breakfast”).

I know that not everyone enjoys cooking and creating in the kitchen as much as I love it. I mean…I love it. That has made this transition easier for me. But even if you don’t love cooking, there are some very simple foods you can make that aren’t difficult at all – and they just might replace (in a very delicious way) some of those “foods” you threw out the other day.

Your Funky Fresh Kitchen Challenge for today includes choosing one food item that you can make from scratch that will replace a less healthy option from the store. For instance:

Those are just a few fun ideas to get you started. Look through all of our recipes, or look elsewhere on the web (or in your favorite cookbooks) for a recipe you can make that replaces an unhealthy variety of one of your favorite foods. I promise you that all of the above listed ideas are super easy to make. You can make peanut butter in five minutes with only a food processor and some peanuts. Making your own salad dressings is one of the easiest changes I made in my healthy kitchen. Take a look at this post called Five Minutes to Cultured Dairy for inspiration on making your own yogurt and other dairy products. Making Homemade Mac and Cheese takes the same amount of time as using the boxed stuff. Let go of the unfounded fears that cooking from scratch means that you’ll rub blisters, break nails and faint from exhaustion.

Pick one (or five!) and make it a project. Leave a comment on this post telling us what new recipe(s) you plan to make yourself. (No, it doesn’t have to be a recipe from our Heavenly Homemakers site – you can pick anything that will be best for your Funky Fresh Kitchen!)  Your comment will serve as your entry in the giveaway for one of five $10 gift certificates to our Shop. Then, after you’ve completed your Make it Yourself project, come back and leave another comment sharing the results. (This will be a second entry!)  Share with us – Did you like the new recipe? Did it work well for you? Was it easy to make? I can’t wait to hear about all your Funky Fresh Kitchen projects!

Let the Make it Yourself Challenge begin!

(As for me, for a long time I have wanted to try to make Homemade Beef Pepperoni – a recipe I found at Tammy’s Recipes. I challenged myself to make that this week and YUM! I’ll share more about it next week. I’m so excited – I made homemade pepperoni!!)

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Kingdom Focused

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~Appreciate Your Spouse~Buoyancy in Marriage~Consult Your Partner~
~Dream Together Part One ~Dream Together Part Two~Empower Your Spouse~
~Have Fun With Your Spouse~Give to One Another~Honor Each Other~Be Intentional~Jubilee~

Dethroning King Dumb – Matt’s Thoughts

I’ve found that praying the same brief Biblical phrase for several weeks at a time works for me. It is similar to steeping tea. The longer the phrase stays in my head to “brew” the stronger an impact it makes on me. For a couple months now, I’ve been regularly praying the following phrase Jesus used when he taught how to pray: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” My understanding is that I am to be his instrument in making this happen. I want to be a part of bringing God’s Kingdom to us, accomplishing His will on earth as it is being accomplished in heaven. I should live to please my King. My problem is King Dumb – that’s me – wants to do his own thing. King Dumb has his agenda. King Dumb builds his castle waving his prideful banner. King Dumb feeds his desires. King Dumb cares for others when King Dumb benefits.

Living in our own little King Dumb, or Queen Dumb if that fits you better, is not beneficial to a marriage. The healthiest marriages I have witnessed contain two people with one focus, one purpose, one Lord, one Kingdom. Their lives reverberate another of Jesus’ prayers, “Not my will but yours be done.”

Don’t Mess With My To-Do List – Laura’s Thoughts

My world is full of “to-dos”. I have writing to do, laundry to do, dishes to do, cooking to do, cleaning to do…a never ending list of to-dos. I get a lot of work done each day. Why? Because I’m driven and am very task oriented. I can knock out a long to-do list and then come back for more. Yes, I’m very good at accomplishing many tasks each day.

What about the kids? What about my husband? What about my church family, my neighbors, the people I run into at the store? What about them? Get out of my way – I have a to-do list.

This is me when I am not being Kingdom Focused. Pretty, huh?

I’ve had to learn the hard way that life is not about me or my to-do lists. In fact, not only is life not about my to-do lists, it is instead very much about others. People. God’s people. When I pry my eyes and brain away from my tasks and look instead to the needs of the people God has put in my life, I find that suddenly that laundry pile has very little significance. The clothes still make their way into the washing machine, but my heart no longer dwells on the never ending list of to-dos. When I truly seek to live as Jesus wants me to live, when I stop and listen to what God wants me to do, when I begin to care more about loving others than loving my list…much can be accomplished for God’s Kingdom.

Today’s to-do list? Focus on God’s Kingdom.

Ladies, we know you’re reading here more often than the guys. ;)  We’d love husbands to read this article as well. If you feel so inclined please send the link to your husbands, or if it’s easier, we’ve created a downloadable article for you to quickly print off and share. Healthy Marriage Tips A to Z – Kingdom Focused

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