a price above rubies . 15

She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

Proverbs 31:24

She understands a trade. She knows an area of business and takes advantage of the market, thus earning some income. This has been talked about earlier in the chapter also.

She knows that her merchandise is good. This woman has worked in the night hours to furnish product to the merchants. She has remained a light to her family during the dark times [possibly of financial struggle].

She is not afraid to lay hold on work. She has learned to give to the needy. She has proven to have a mind to reason out business.

While she could have {and so can we} become involved in a myriad of business opportunities: soap-making, farming, animals, child-care, artist, etc... she did become involved in clothing and material construction {as well as a little farming}. We see here that she made fine linen. She constructed girdles to sell.

I find it encouraging to notice that, while it does say she was not idle and looked well to the ways of her household [further on], it does not say that there were never days of disorder or frustration.

I am positive she had days of being tired. She WAS human. But she also relied on God for strength {she feared the Lord in verse 30}.

[I do understand that this woman is simply the advice of a mother to her son on looking for a wife, but I think the fact this type of lady's description made it into Scripture means this type of life is more than just a lofty aspiration.]

Life is messy. Husbands are not always agreeable {and neither are we!}. Children are often chaos waiting to explode. She took care of her family and home to the best of her ability. And she learned a trade. Incidentally, she learned a trade that benefited her family [growing fruit and constructing clothing]!

These things did not happen in a day. Neither did they happen in one year. This chapter is the culmination of her life. It does not say she bought land every year or even planted vineyards every year. It does not say she made linen every season her whole life. These are simply things she did-at some point in her life.

And while I am busy these precious, few, fleeting years training my children to be good and how to do household chores with me, I can be learning and preparing for a time when they will not require my full-undivided-attention-every-waking-moment. It will come. I think the fact that the only time this lady's children are mentioned is when they rise up to call her blessed attests to that.

~ ~ ~

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 

Proverbs 31:10

the series

lima-bean soup

When I was first married, my mother-in-love invited me over for lunch.  She made this very simple dish that was SO very yummy.

First, her simple recipe. Then, a hearty, family-filling modification.

Slice and cook 1cup polish sausage {aka. kielbasa}. Add 2cups frozen lima beans and enough water to cook {1/2-3/4 cup}. Simmer until lima beans are fork tender. Sprinkle with parsley; add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cornbread. YUM.  

My modifications:
{sorry some of the pictures are kinda blurry.... I was in a hurry to get photos while I was cooking}

saute 1/2 onion and sausage...  {about 1 1/2 cups, chopped}

the amount of ingredients will be determined by your final serving size. I'll tell you how much I use to feed my family of 2 adults and 4 small children-one is 1. :)

3 cups frozen lima beans

1 TBSP chicken base/ 1 bullion cube/ or just use chicken broth instead of water

I do not always have broth on hand in the summer. I do not cook whole chickens or make stock when it is so very hot outside! But I'll be doing it several times through the winter! We have some kind of soup several times a week.

1 TBSP dried oregano

good shake of steak seasoning

or you can add some salt and pepper, garlic powder and paprika

4 cups water {or broth as stated before}

1 cup cooked rice {or about 2 tbsp dry rice}

keep on med-low for about 2 hours

or you can stick it in the slow-cooker on low and leave the house!

such a pleasant aroma for my hubby to come home to!

If your family are not "rice" people, add some cubed potatoes-just make sure the pieces are small enough to cook through at a low temperature.

Serve with fresh rolls, cornbread or just saltine crackers! We've done all three, and my children's favorite is the crackers. Hubby prefers cornbread, so we'll be having cornbread tonight!

crafts from Christmas {wrapping paper

We made our own wrapping paper this year!

 brown packaging paper from the Dollar Tree 

 Christmas foam stamps from the same store 

[3 packs=6 stamps {ink included}]

 it was lots of fun

I think we'll do it again next year!

a lovely home

I have created a page [for my convenient reference] that I thought I would share as an encouragement [and possible inspiration] for your own efforts at keeping a tidy [somewhat clean] home... it is tailored to my personal home and family, but I would be more than happy to email a copy emptied of our chores so you can fill it in.

There are many [free] printables and blogs and websites dedicated to helping you organize your chaos and keep it under control. I am in no way trying to compete! there is no way I could. {smiles} but sometimes I just need to see something just one more way before it clicks in my own brain.

You should be able to click on the pictures to see them larger. These are pages I print and hang on my refrigerator for the week. I know there are also all these free apps and digital ways to keep track of your chores [those who know me may be surprised that I do not use them!], but for some reason having an actual piece of paper that I mark on with a pen helps me stay focused.

at home or on the GO

{almost} nutri-grain bars [original recipe]

My girls enjoy {nutri-grain} cereal bars [and the generic equivalents], but I really wanted to know that they were actually getting good nutrients out of it [especially when it was breakfast!], AND I was wondering about cutting the cost. So I googled it [lol] and found the above recipe to be the closest to something I was looking for. After making it according to that recipe, I made a few tweaks and made another pan -and they are [both] YUMMO!

breakfast {in a bar}: 

[preheat: 325. grease: 9x13. bake: 30 min]

[dry] stir together:

1 1/3 cup wheat flour

1 1/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp each salt/baking powder

1/4 tsp allspice

[wet] mix together:

1 egg

1/2 cup [homemade] applesauce {what I used was homemade apple/pear butter}

1 tsp vanilla extract

[filling] 

10 oz [aprox 1/14 cup] jelly or jam [homemade is wonderful here] 

{I omitted the water and simply warmed it on the stovetop to help it be spreadable.}

1/4 cup mixed dried fruit and 2 Tbsp nut chopped {I used dry, roasted edemame as we have a nut allergy in the house.} 

directions:

combine dry and wet ingredients. proceed as the other recipe: 1/2 spread in the bottom of a 9x13 greased pan. spread out the jelly. sprinkle with the dried fruits/nuts. cover with other 1/2 of the oat mixture {the oat dough is quite sticky and is not really spreadable so it can be a slightly messy process}. 

bake at 325 for 30 minutes. can make 12+ bars depending upon how large you cut them.

Wrap individually in wax paper for easy grabbing. place in plastic bag/container. 

Currently, they have kept about 5 days at room temp, but I am sure they would keep longer in the refrigerator. though I am not sure you will need them to!

ENJOY!

I have not yet figured out the cost per bar [equivalent size to the prepackaged], but I do know that these TASTE so much BETTER.

linked up at

raisinghomemakers

[born of necessity] fruit cobbler

This creation was born of a desire for peach cobbler and no fresh peaches and no way to get any right then. {smiles}

so --use what you have!

[great for mid-winter 

when fresh fruit is not readily available]

1 can of sliced peaches 

[in natural juices and light syrup]

spread out in a 9x13 pan

cover with 1/2 [or so] cup of rolled oats

[not the quick cook kind]

looking yum already!

2-3 very ripe apples sliced thin

[about 16 slices per apple for me]

layer over the peaches and oatmeal

sprinkle your own mixture of cinnamon and sugar

[I like to make my own mixture so it can be more

cinnamony and less sugary than the store-bought]

and then for a extra special holiday flavor
I sprinkle about 1 -1-1/2 tsp allspice on it

for a topping I have used several different things

self-explanatory

my favorite was pie dough

and have also used a streusel type dough, 

but that's a LOT of oatmeal. 

cover with your desired [or available] dough

bake at 375 for about 30 minutes 

or until juices are bubbly

allow to cool at least 20 min

[yeah right!]

and consume.

My latest addition was about 1 cup of frozen blueberries sprinkled on before the dough topping. If you have a child that is fond of brightly colored foods... it makes the WHOLE oatmeal part very purple. {smiles} It was VERY yum.

And if you like it more fruity-use 2 cans of peaches or 1 can of peaches and 1 can of apricots or pears.

Serving options include: warm, ala mode [vanilla or REAL strawberry-YUM], whipped cream, with other fresh berries. 

ENJOY!

linked up at: DomesticallyDivineTuesday

works for me .2

taming the hair bows

[inspired by]

a cork board with no home

  [medium sized screws] 

[and extra ribbon]

lightly spray painted white

  [craft glue]

a pack of magnets
[from the craft store or walmart]

works for me .1

How do you store your lids?

This is my 'everything' cupboard. It includes all plastic storage containers, baking dishes, plastic picnic plates, salad spinner, casserole dishes, hand mixer, and standing on the side are my cupcake pans and cookie sheets [hiding]. 

containers are stacked by shape
circle, square, rectangle

And then came the day when my lid drawer became a sippy cup/snack bowl drawer [when we had child # 3 on the way]. I tried to put all my lids in one container to sit in the cupboard-did not work. I may have tried some other ideas but really have no recollection of what they were-just that they didn't work either. 

the shelf is only half the cupboard
(normal, I think)

Enter: 

$Tree 'garment bags'

I had bought a couple packs since they were 2/$1,

pen & paper

Do you have a friend who could use an encouraging note? Did someone do something nice for you. or your child? 

Why not make a note custom-chic with a unique envelope.

And your children can help!

take an old calendar

open an envelope you have and trace it

with really cool pictures

or  you can find a printable template HERE

and cut a template

score the dotted/folded lines

fold in the sides & add glue

fold up the bottom to stick to the sides 

allow it to dry for a few minutes

[depending on the glue type used]

add a letter

[handwritten are the best!]

fold over top and glue or sticker it closed

front view of unfolded template

this kind of envelope can dress up 

even a piece of notebook paper 'card'

and it's ready for a stamp

let's hit those mailboxes with some REAL mail!!

and teach our children how to write a letter 

{more later}

linking up at
Raising Homemakers
Our Simple Country Life

Far East {inspired} Pasta

Well, 2 posts in one day.

 don't expect it to happen very often. 

*SMILES* 

 I call this "Far East {inspired} Pasta" because I am not entirely sure if you could actually label it "Chinese" or "Japanese" or anything, really. It has asian flavors: teriyaki & soy sauce, but could be used with Thai flavors or even Americanized with BBQ sauce. And, when it's made with just vegetables, it is made almost too quickly for pictures (but, really, I didn't think about posting it 'til it was done). 

Recipe:
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
1 bag frozen mixed 'stir fry' veggies
1 tsp cooking oil
1/2 c favorite teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce + 1/4 c cold water
1 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 - 3/4 c starchy water reserved from the pasta
1 egg

~  cook pasta according to package directions, but about 1 min. short of the 'al dente' cooking time, reserve 1/2 c of the water before draining  ~  put the pasta back in its pot

~  heat oil in skillet, dump in frozen veggies

~  allow veggies to cook until completely thawed & then crack the egg in the middle and stir till scrambled

~  add teriyaki sauce and soy sauce, turn heat to low at this point

~  mix corn starch & cold water to make a slurry

~  add pasta water, then add the slurry

~  pour veggies and sauce over the pasta and allow to sit over low heat for 5 min to thicken the sauce

~  serve!

garnish with toasted sesame seeds, add meat if you desire, change asian flavors for BBQ sauce or Italian dressing... or not.

I often neglect thinking about supper until it is quite late in the afternoon so these type suppers abound. Really, though, the only thing missing that would have been added had I thought about it earlier is some beef- which needs thawing first. 

Right now, I am praising the Lord that my husband even has a job. And we don't have to live on beans and rice-nothing against beans or rice, we have them frequently, too. But variety is the spice of life, right?

Also, I am enjoying the relative quiet and sweet chatter of sisters playing nicely. together. and I love knowing they will eat this. willingly.

 God is only good.