giving good gifts {day 12}

"after" - this makes my heart sing.

Sometimes, it is frustrating to realize just how much like a little child {my children, no less!} I act. 

When they are asked to complete a very simple chore: please take the toys off of the bookshelves, because you know they do not belong there [this is purely for my own sanity]; their first response is: but I can't reach... whatever toy on whatever shelf... excuses. 

[SOMEONE put it there! and it wasn't Mommy!!] 

{yes. this happened just a few minutes ago... :)}

And then I think about simple tasks my Heavenly Father asks of me... write a kind note to a hurting church member, take a few extra steps and say HI to a visitor in church, let me {HIM} help you love your family as you want to... as is your heart's desire.

... and I say, but LORD! I just can't do that! for whatever reason. {I don't have their address, I feel awkward talking to strangers, sometimes it's hard to let God move in my heart....} 

I forget what I tell my own children: Just say yes, ma'am and do what you can; show me you are trying to obey, and ask for my help and Mommy will help with the rest...

"before"--'nuff said!

Is not God better than that?

and I am reminded of:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened...If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:8 & 11

Yes, Lord. 

That is all the response He asks.

So, today, I wrote a note... and I am going to ask God to help me show my family how much I love them! 

And for tomorrow... we'll just see what tomorrow brings!

one other passage came to mind:  

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: 

for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, 

that the power of Christ may rest upon me

... for when I am weak, then am I strong.  

2 Corinthians 12:9 & 10

 

 

The bookshelf pictures were from about 2 weeks ago... I did a major decluttering and re-shelving of books. When little fingers think the bookshelves are playgrounds, nothing is safe! Most of the messiness is moved and 'rearranged' books. The "after" picture is almost what it looked like again this morning after we removed several layers of toys... SO happy! I took pictures to PROVE that they CAN look nice :) with all the books on the shelves and "in their home."

the best way to love our children

I missed my scheduled posting time last week. But the children and I had great fun visiting my grandparents, whom I have not seen since my oldest child was a few months old! It was so wonderful for them to meet the other 3! It was a rather spur-of-the-moment trip, so I had time to schedule any posts.

my grandparents, my children & myself

I have long heard it proclaimed to men: "The best way to love your children is to love their mommy. and let them KNOW you love their mommy!" This obvious affection creates stability that children so desperately need. 

This idea is rooted in Biblical truths, but for today I am simply relating personal experience.

And I am going to tip the tables and say it backwards: "The best way for ME [mommy] to love my children is to love their daddy. and let them KNOW it!" 

I must be INTENTIONAL about my love for him. 

I have come to notice that the more I devote my time, attention and even Bible study & prayer to simply loving my husband in the way he feels love [his love language], the nicer I am to my children when they are whiny and the more joy comes to me when doing the mundane--laundry, dishes, etc. 

Happy Mommy = Happy home. 

So, my goal is to commit my mind to pleasing my children's father; and whether or not the clothing actually gets put away, our home will be a happier place! [but I'm working on getting the laundry put away!!]

I pray these thoughts are encouraging to someone today! 

being part of:

being MY husband's wife

There are so many posts out there that talk about being a wife the way God intended. There are a few posts about that on this blog. 

But today I am going to tell you a few things I have personally learned about being the wife my husband praises {wow! that sounds boastful, but his praises are how I know I have done something right! so I am going to share what that has been recently}. 
**And just because my husband has noticed these things does NOT mean I can give them up as "accomplished"! I still struggle with these -and so much more- every. single. day.**

 

1. being intentionally "beautiful" for him. dressing more for his eyes. {I know that might sound like I think I'm pretty, but really, I just mean that what he enjoys about my wardrobe has become more of my focus when I dress & shop}

When I keep my hubby's likes in the forefront of my thoughts when dressing for the day, I find there are a few items of clothing that really need to go! And when I allow it to influence what I buy, I feel better about spending a few dollars on my wardrobe. I also find that I feel more feminine knowing that there is a man out there that appreciates the way I look {smiles}. 

**Have you ever asked your husband what clothing he likes on you? or just taken note of his expressive reaction to your outfit?

2. making our supper daily. and usually it is edible. {smiles}

I try to make note of the meals he eats quickly and those he gives me some "direction" on... and take the direction as a gentle reminder that I am not the only one eating the food I prepare! While I do try to make our food as nutritionally healthy as possible, sometimes I just try to make something I know he thinks is YUMMY! because HE is my #1! 

**Do you let your husband occasionally criticize your food with an open mind {and heart!}? It's not easy sometimes, but it can show him your love.

3. allowing God to work in my heart. {if he can notice it, it must not be my imagination that God is working. and He has shown me some ugly things about myself recently}

When I ask and then allow God to show me that ugliness called SELF in my heart and then also allow Him to work a change in my life, it makes me a more pleasant person {just trust me on that if you have never experienced it}. And living with a woman who has a pleasant disposition is at least part of EVERY man's dream! {smiles} Yes, it IS hard sometimes. It is painful to know... sometimes agonizing to admit... that I am wrong. that things I have thought and acted on were just not right. not Godly. not Christlike.
But when I have allowed God to work and I have humbly told my husband that I know this or that was wrong and will you please forgive me, there is such a freedom that comes. And usually he turns right around and tells me that he realizes it was not all my fault.

** When you have conflict with your husband, do you ever honestly asked God to reveal your own fault in the situation? and then talked humbly and openly with your husband about it?

I pray these thoughts are encouraging to someone today! 

being part of:

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.