The Faithful Homeschool

Forgetting What Lies Behind

2022-08-13T14:37:00.001-06:00

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

This has been a cornerstone verse in my life. Do you have a cornerstone verse? One that you seem to come back to again and again to inform your faith and guide your walk? This whole section in Philippians does that for me because, like many, I have quite a pile of dirty laundry in my life which I would just assume forget. I try.... and I try again.... yet somehow I keep going around the same mountain. Whether that mountain is worry or a poor choice or a character trait I would really like to overcome in myself such as anger or frustration. Sometimes these points in personality and experience can even cripple our self-perceived ability to minister to others. To share life and really wonder whether we are the one best-qualified to speak into someone else's situation....

But here is Paul. The same Paul who persecuted Christians. The same guy who admits to some mysterious "thorn" he must bear. This guy, whose letters have impacted the world of Christianity so profoundly... he even admitted he fell woefully short.

But he didn't give up.

I doubt he truly forgot his choices of the past, but he had the comfort of a God who does. Who buries our sin and mis-steps so deep they become non-existent when we choose Him over our hangups. With this confidence Paul always seemed to walk, squarely facing forward, striving for that wonderful point beyond. Forgetting the grip of sin and rejoicing in the pull of salvation....

I remember this Paul. I know God washes all that dirty laundry clean. Stains are forgotten. I can keep pushing, keep walking, keep trying and trusting and hoping because I serve a God who KNOWS but chooses to forget all that is not worth accompanying my voyage to heaven.

*****

This has been another 5-minute Friday. Please pop over and say HI to some of the other great writers there...

Before I close though, quick question.... have you humbly brought your sin and shortcomings to God and asked Him to forgive and forget... have you chosen Him over the folly? If you have, walk forward and keep striving, He has you in the palm of His hands!

Blessings,

Lessons in Togetherness

2022-08-06T10:04:00.002-06:00

It has been almost 2 years since my last post.

2.years.

The result of a season of processing and change. Trying to determine what was next.

I spent the time reading much, doing the usual homemaking day-to-days, traveling and simply investing in family - together.

I have always felt isolated in life - different - whether by faith or interests or sheer independence. But the past 2 years have bread a togetherness in our family and a peace in our souls I just can't put into words.

It has been beautiful.

It has been timely.

It hasn't been without bumps and bruises... but the rough patches have served to make us stronger and dig deeper together.

Now, 2022 has been the capstone in this process, bringing equal measures of challenge and celebration. The excitement of traveling together to old and new places has been intermingled with health diagnosis after health diagnosis, some confirming years of struggle.... others completely unexpected and nearly devastating. I have had to learn a new way of life. In the midst of all the cans-can'ts-shoulds, I need to eat different, go through regular P.T. and reconsider the structure of each day in the midst of this housewife life which, traditionally, has made greater demands than I am currently capable of.

But I am not alone.

God is my everlasting strength and over the past 2 years, He has reminded me of the power of togetherness in family.... of the support and encouragement they are... "alone" is truly a choice and He was calling me to walk into the embrace of together. I am so blessed for that simple fact. It is work - but it is a good work - growing and molding not just our family as a whole, but me personally as well - making me more pliable to shake off loneliness and embrace togetherness more wholeheartedly.

As I maneuver the newness of this stage of life, doors open for opportunity, hubby and I as a team, pushing ahead in a venture which has been a lifetime dream of mine and I am blessed all the more. (more to come on this)

God has not put us in a place of utter loss, rather, he has moved us to a place of new opportunity - together.

*****

This has been a 5-minute Friday installment. I have missed this community so much! I'm excited to be writing for the great WWW again (naturally, I never stopped pouring out my heart in written words, even if no one else saw it!). Please pop over and say HI to the other great writers there!

Also, big announcements coming on the Blog and social media. This past year I lost my Faith and Home domain but we are working on an alternative as we also prepare for a HUGE endevour - stay tuned!

To keep up on the in-between, visit my Instagram account... I will see you here soon!

Comment below with lessons you have learned in togetherness!

Blessings,

Simple Thanksgiving Menu Planning

2020-11-18T00:30:00.001-07:00

In just over a week, we here in America settle into our annual traditions of giving thanks. Not just with words but also with food and fellowship and FLARE. As I mentioned LAST WEEK, I know many may not have the privilege of their 'usual' Thanksgiving festivities or guest list due to lock-downs this year. I am deeply sorry for each one of you whom this applies to. In my Simple Thankful Celebrations post a week ago, I shared how startling it was for me to celebrate holidays alone when I first moved almost 2000 miles away from my childhood home and family and while lock-downs are not exactly the same, the sentiment still rings true. Holidays outside of the "usual" require some imagination and flexibility which can be difficult when we miss our loved ones oh so much. Rest assured, though, God does have a way of filling those voids with something else just as wonderful.

Perhaps, in the midst of all this chaos, you lost your oomf to make Thanksgiving happen, but I am here to tell you - it is not too late. As a matter of fact, if you have suddenly found yourself at a loss for where to begin and how to re-tool the holiday.... or if you just need some direction and inspiration... pop over and read my Simple Thankful Celebrations post from last week and then visit below to see how I setup all the good eats for a comparatively quiet gathering in my home each year.

Let's get this party started!!!!

1. Plan to Assess

As my kids got older and our guest list grew shorter through moves and seasons of life, we had to admit that the usual explosive buffet needed some downsizing. So much food seemed to be wasted when other bodies were not around to help consume it all. I wanted to be more efficient and certainly more budget conscious as we cooked up Thanksgiving.

However, I didn't want to make all the cuts and then have someone complain about their 'favorite' dish missing. So, I decided to poll everyone on what they loved most about our Thanksgiving spread. At first I took oral requests but as the kids grew older I had the wild idea to put a "survey" together. We all gathered around the kitchen table as they each filled out individual "surveys" listed with all food we had enjoyed at Thanksgiving past, present and even a few I was considering for the near future. As they browsed the list I took notes while picking their brains on traditions they were passionate about keeping... and new ones they were interested in trying. I wanted to keep the thread of tradition strong while also intertwining elements uniquely us and our situation.

The results were wonderful, some of which is reflected in last week's article. The evening movie to kick off the Christmas season, dressing up to honor the special day, everyone helping cook... all were rooted in this meeting/survey session and has stepped our Thanksgiving game up a notch from being just another day with a bunch of food.... to a special day we share as a family.

If you would like to try this with your family, a free downloadable pdf can be found here. The "Dish" spots are blank so you can fill your own usuals in, make copies and begin taking note. Directions are included:

2. Plan to Get Organized

I'm a binder, clipboard, planner gal. For all big (and especially repetitive) occasions that require planning I keep a well curated binder.

My Fall binder comes out in September and is not tucked away until after reflective notes are added post-Thanksgiving dinner. It holds recipes, previous autumn celebrations notes, thanksgiving menu plans, craft and table setting ideas, and memories. As Thanksgiving approaches I review notes from previous years and consider what will apply to this year as I begin to implement.

A family fave I got tired of hunting down every November so I pulled it out of the magazine it was in and popped it into my binder.

Inspiration

20 year old menu

This was the November I was pregnant with Brooke, you can see how many weeks along I was on each Friday, and the scheduled Baby Shower. This November was hard though, I lost my mom on October 28th that year and spent the first 2 weeks of this month in Chicago for her funeral. We laid her to rest on the 1st... but she lives on in Heaven and in my heart as she was the one who ignited the fire of holiday passion in me ❤

Notes and tips for the next year on the back of a menu page.

Memories ❤

I know most people don't have a binder packed full of 20+ years of Thanksgiving organization, so lets start from the beginning....you can print out the FREE planner pages at the end of this article and clip the ones you find most useful to a clipboard or hole-punch into a starter binder. You can also simply grab a spiral notebook for making notes in. With big events like a holiday dinner, unless you have a fabulous reliable memory (I don't) you'll want a way to track details.

If you keep a bullet journal, portion off a section for this cause. Be creative, have fun... think of planning as an expedition! You'll want sections for

Calendar/day tracking (even and especially with only a week to go)
Menu planning
Grocery list making
Recipe collecting
Craft and activity idea listing
General to-doing and alternate list making

What does all this have to do with Menu prep? Well, a lot actually. Coordinating cook-ahead dishes with other miscellaneous prep-work will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed or over-scheduled.

3. Menu Plan

Now that you have an idea of what everyone would like/not like to have for Thanksgiving and your supplies are together, it's time for the meat and potatoes.... litterally!

What foods have you determined as "musts" for your special day? Begin to list out your menu plan. I've always divided mine into Appetizers, Main/Meat, Sides, Desserts, Beverages. It makes it easier to see and process lest I end up shorting one category or another! The Planner Packet included in this post includes a page like the one below:

Once you determine dishes, check recipes and consider each ingredient. What do you have and what do you need from the store? Make a list as you go so you don't forget anything. Again, the printable menu worksheet in my packet has an area for listing out groceries needed. If multiple dishes need the same ingredient (like butter or cream cheese, etc) write it once and tally mark next to it for each additional requirement.

4. Plan to Cook

Word to the wise: DO NOT cook EVERYTHING ON Thanksgiving. You won't be a happy camper... nor will anyone you live with!!! My packet has a page for this as well, but seeing how we are down to the wire, I will share a special extra with you:

This one is great for a clipboard and keeping track. Here is how mine looks so far (I just started filling it out today!!)

I usually start getting this page together at the beginning of November. Now that there are less of us and less food, I'm Ok funneling everything into the last 2 weeks. I use this alongside my Thanksgiving menu and begin to ask, What can I make ahead. If you check Pinterest or many homemaking and cooking magazines you will find a treasure trove of tips and tricks to spread the cooking out. I'm not a big fan of pre-made rolls, gravy or turkey (that's just me) but I do make ahead certain baked goods that will keep.

We usually do an assortment of sweet bread for Thanksgiving morning breakfast. I'm working on that every-other-day this week. I make a BUNCH and froze because some of it will be shared with neighbors at Christmastime as well!

I like to make my pies the day before. While I have pie crust going I just knock them all out, cooking the cooler baking one first and the warmer one last. With just us, we usually have pumpkin and a crisp. (this year I am doing Apple Cranberry Crisp)

Jellos and cheese balls are also a day-before task requiring a process which includes setting up overnight.

We opted for a new tradition a few years ago: Christmas Fudge! Like Santa capping off the Macy's parade and ushering in our favorite season, fudge is the special treat and hail to Christmastime now officially arrived. It can be made anytime before Thanksgiving, we are going to work on it Monday.

Veggies (not potatoes) are usually cut the day before as well along with cheese and sausage. Bagged up it will keep just fine in the fridge until we are ready to serve on Thanksgiving.

Biggest tip: BE REALISTIC. Consider the amount of time and prep-work each dish will take and don't over-schedule. Invite all hands on deck with certain tasks as well!

In the schedule you see above, I break Thanksgiving down into time blocks. I'm buying my turkey today and once I see how big the bird is, I can begin filling this spot in. (Size of turkey x minutes per pound to cook = total cook time). I will consider what time we want to eat and walk roasting back, planning to pull old Tom out about 45 minutes before we are ready to serve him. This leaves ample time to bake up things like the Green Bean Casserole.

As you consider prep time for day-of, work the side dishes into your schedule as well. Think prep and cooking and how to maintain dish warmth so the whole meal is toasty warm when plated. Some examples:

Casserole takes about 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake. Turkey comes out at 1pm, start working on casserole at 12:30, set aside and pop in as soon as turkey exits oven.
Potatoes take about 30 minutes to prep, 15-20 minutes to boil, 5 minutes to mash. To serve hot, begin around 12:45. (incidentally, 2 tips I have learned: peal potatoes early and soak in water so they don't brown. It saves a last-minute potato peeling craze when dinner is on approach. When ready to cook, drain and rinse and place in pot of fresh water to cook. Alternately, make mashed potatoes earlier in the day and placed finished product in a slow cooker on low to stay warm until dinner. No last minute hassle at all!

I could continue with examples but, for now, I hope this makes sense. The last hour before dinner IS a juggling act but it is one you can manage quite confidently with a clear plan (and especially if you have a little help) and multi-tasking.

5. Plan To Be Ready and Have Fun!

Inside of my planning I begin to fit other tasks around the food.

Getting tablecloths out and ironed
Managing place settings
Plotting buffet arrangement
Collecting serving platters and making sure they are clean
Tidying the house, even if it's just us
Having supplies gathered for games or crafts

I will take each of these tasks and others, including regular daily to-dos, and filter them in where they can work and, again, not be overwhelming.

***

Just because Thanksgiving may be different this year, doesn't mean it should be forgotten. Keep it special, however small or big your feast is. This celebration is a bright light preparing our hearts with gratitude and a deeper appreciation of our Heavenly Father. This preparation makes those twinkling lights brighter as the Christmas season approaches and we shift our focus to the greatest blessing of all ❤

***

If you have any questions or tips to add, drop me a message in the comments section below! Here is the printable planner packet, click image to open the FREE pdf:

And a little something extra:

******************

Blessings for this Thanksgiving season!

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

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*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog, writing relate, and a bit of 'behind the scenes'

You won't find much of this great bonus material on the blog so be sure to sign up so you don't miss out! It's Ok, hop over real quick, right there to your right, see it on my sidebar where it says, "Subscribe to my Newsletter" with a picture of the "Faith and Home Times" logo above it? Ok, now enter your email in the box labeled "email address" then click "Subscribe"....(don't worry, it doesn't hurt and I promise not to spam you!). You should receive a confirmation email from me.

Menu Monday 11/16/20 Hope for Holidays

2020-11-16T07:00:00.002-07:00

As the end of the week approached, headlines began to broadcast: THANKSGIVING IS CANCELLED, or at least that is the summed up version. Cities, and some states, country-wide are cancelling or limiting what families are "allowed" to do with the Thanksgiving holiday on fast approach. It is heartbreaking.

I don't want to get into the political debate on the issue here... I know everyone will have their own persuasion on the matter. What I will say is this: don't let mandates and orders steel your joy. You may find yourself modifying your Thanksgiving menu this week in preparation for next week's big day. But before you do anything drastic, may I recommend my article from this past Wednesday, "Simple Thankful Celebrations", it shares my experiences with trimmed-down holiday fare and makes recommendations for keeping Thanksgiving special. The executive summary: you can still make Thanksgiving (and other holidays) memorable even inside of guest list changes. Focus on Thankful and let the giving, fall into place!

So, go ahead, hop over to the link in text above and check that article out. There are also FREE pdf printables for you to download and use as you prep for the holiday.

This Past Week

After trying to add desserts into various nights during our week, my plans failed! We did manage the Apple Cobbler, which was DELICIOUS, but also not so healthy! 3 out of 6 of us are trying to be mindful of our sugars and calories so no mid-week dessert made it to the table. I did, however, keep something sweet and fun on the menu for Friday since once in a while isn't as bad as 3 nights a week with added leftovers of sugary goodness!!

Another wrench in our menu plans was tummy trouble. MIL was having stomach issues this past week. I don't know how much was nerves because of various doctor's appointments and how much was....? But hubby picked up tummy trouble halfway through the week as well so it may be a bug... or a health problem popping up. Not sure which. So meals were adjusted as we went and, this coming week, I am planning a more bland menu. #midlife

This past week I also did a deep clean on my stove to prep for all the holiday baking. If yours gets as messy as mine, I highly recommend a pre-baking season clean to avoid excess smoke or potential oven/stove top fires.

I also scrubbed down my kitchen sink, which may seem like a bland point to bring up but my sink is an old cast-iron one and requires special attention to look nice. I videoed the process and am going to "try" to upload to Instagram for a weekly thread I am considering: Messy Mondays! I've felt inspired lately to share PROCESS and some of the not-always-seen imperfections of life as we cook and clean and live. If you are interested, come give me a follow on Instagram (if you don't already!)

Now, on with what we cooked up this past week....

___________________________________________________

Sunday

Breakfast: *Eggs and Turkey Sausage

Lunch: Potato Soup

Dinner: Havarti and Spinach Stuffed Chicken with *Baked Potato and Green Beans (was going to serve this with Quinoa but went a more traditional route) Week 2 of a Sunday Dessert was this Apple Cobbler recipe (only, I used 7 cups of my apple tree apples in place of their recommendations)

The Stuffed Chicken was a recipe I invented based on magazine inspirations. I made a promise on IG that I would share details today so here goes:

Need:

Chicken Breast, filleted and tenderized (pounded flat)

Fresh Spinach

1 pkg Havarti Cheese

butter softened or even melted

olive oil

Dried herbs: basil, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley

toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 13x9 baking dish.

I started by pouring approx 1/3 cup oil into a medium sized metal mixing bowl and stirring it together with approx 1/8 - 1/4 cup butter. Then I mixed in approx 1 tsp each parsley, garlic and onion with about 2 tsp basil (I didn't measure exactly on any of this but did it to what seemed appropriate to our taste). Once this was mixed, I set it aside. I had halved/filleted and pounded 6 chicken breasts which came to about 12 pieces of chicken but I only used 8 of these. I laid the Chicken flat, lined a rough double-layer of spinach leaves and a single slice of Havarti on top. Then I rolled it up in a sort of tri-fold manner and secured it shut with a toothpick. After it was ready, I dredged it through the oil and herb mixture and set in baking dish folded side up, leaving space between each chicken roll. Finally, once all pieces were prepped, I popped it into the oven for about 35-40 minutes, I removed them when they were just starting to tan a bit on top.

This is our new favorite way to have chicken!!! So moist and full of flavor! If I was to do one thing different, I might include some pesto either on the outside or inside. Because the chicken is so thin from being pounded out, you really don't need to worry about under-cooking it either.

Monday

Breakfast: Eggs and Turkey Sausage

Lunch: Leftover Potato Soup (had planned BLT)

Dinner: Steak, Herb Roasted Carrots, Green Beans, Garden Salad and a hearty slice of Fresh Bread

Tuesday

Breakfast: Breakfast Bowls (Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Cheese)

Lunch: *BLT and Chips (in place of planned grilled cheese)

Dinner: Stir-fry Chicken

Wednesday

Breakfast: Breakfast Smoothie and I *tried my hand at mini bite-sized pancakes per Brooke's request. They were cute and tasty! (I should have taken a picture!!)

Lunch: Grocery Store Chicken Strips and Chips (had hoped to offer Leftover Stir Fry but I didn't have enough)

Dinner: Stuffed Shells, Side Salad and French Bread

note: I doubled the cheese stuffing recipe and it would have been great, except, it was lacking substance. It made twice as much as we could eat so I lined a freezable baking pan with the leftovers and tucked them away. When I bring them back out I plan to sprinkle the top with Italian seasoned meat and possibly some spinach.

Thursday

Breakfast: Breakfast Bowls

Lunch: *Baked Potato (I wanted to have leftovers but dinner ended up upsetting hubby's stomach so I packed it away pending modification)

Dinner: Pot Roast and Veggies

I tried using my Pressure Cooker, again, and it failed, again, to make the perfect Pot Roast despite using a good cut of meat and following the directions. We ended up having to slice the roast and pan fry to cook the center which was still VERY raw. Honestly, it did NOT taste that great and I am officially swearing off Insta-Roasts! I already have a GREAT oven roasting recipe I need to stick with.

Friday

Breakfast: Eggs and Sausage

Lunch: Pot Roast Stew for some, *Baked Potato again for others

The one good thing with the roast was making leftover stew. I cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and threw them in a small pot with the leftover gravy and veggies to produce creamy goodness!

Dinner: Shredded Chicken Tacos in the slow cooker and Homemade Brownies for Dessert

Saturday

Breakfast: *Eggs and Sausage (planned Breakfast smoothie)

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Burgers and Chips

___________________________________________________

So that was my week in the kitchen... what does yours look like? Is your Thanksgiving due to be altered on account of local policies? Are you planning for the big day yet?

This passage has been encouraging me to not give up on doing good and plugging ahead for others this week. Do you have a verse spurring you on right now?

Happy cooking and prayers hope in the holidays!

___________________________________________________

*** Why the asterisks? ***

Planning ahead with menus is always a good idea. It helps to stay on budget and balanced in diet... but lets be real, not every day goes as beautifully planned. I know, when I was a young wife, I found menus fascinating but was also often quickly discouraged by how hard it was to stay-on task. As I collected kids and schedules and all those unexpected demands on my time, I learned how to juggle. I like to alternate meats, spice levels and the nutritional balance from meal-to-meal and day-to-day. I also like to try 1-2 new recipes each week, though some weeks are all old favorites! I hope, seeing not just what we ate, but also how it changed, encourages you to menu plan and give yourself grace and flexibility to change it up a bit when needed!

___________________________________________________

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

For an old article on one way I've done menu planning (free printables included) you can visit:

Menu Monday: Menu-Making Edition!

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*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

You won't find all this great bonus material on the blog so be sure to sign up so you don't miss out! It's Ok, hop over real quick, right there to your right, see it on my sidebar where it says, "Subscribe to my Newsletter" with a picture of the "Faith and Home Times" logo above it? Ok, now enter your email in the box labeled "email address" then click "Subscribe"....(don't worry, it doesn't hurt and I promise not to spam you!). You should receive a confirmation email from me.

Choosing Gratitude in Humility

2020-11-14T16:17:00.003-07:00

Reading this week in Philippians 1:27-2:18

Be Kind. Everywhere I turned this week, I kept seeing that statement. Be Kind. No ifs, ands or buts... simply, whatever you do, be kind.

I don't think of myself as an unkind person. With the wear-and-tear of life, I do feel I have become more blunt. On busy days I often forget the need for niceties and even act a bit abrupt. But kindless... nope, never considered myself in that light.

Yet, there I sat, multiple times this week, bluntness and abruptness painting on a veneer of unkindness. I felt so bad.

To my family, I gave way to fear and left them hanging when unexpected compliments were paid.

To my Call, I forgot the Greatest example of a servant heart... without complaining, without remorse, counting others more significant than self.

To my Jesus, I neglected His life coursing through me, giving me all I needed to leave blunt and abrupt behind and instead reach for grace, peace and KINDNESS.

I didn't do the best job of working out my faith.

As I walked through the Philippians study day-by-day this week, the tests for each lesson were almost instantaneous and they were not without context.

You see, in the ancient Roman world, when Paul was writing his letters, society was a very ME-centric place. Promoting self, serving self, monopolizing on ME time, were corner-stones of the secular culture. When Paul is calling the believers to live "worthy of the gospel" he also knows how POWERFUL this counter-culture lifestyle will be.

He starts by calling them to unity, as the body of Christ (2:1-5). He then gives them an example, by the life of Christ (2:6-11). It is certainly a surreal point to hear the Call and think, "I'm trying!" only to see the Example and realize, "I can try harder."

The fact is, as much as we don't want to talk about this in today's society (or even in Paul's society), what we do, good or bad, directly impacts someone else's path through this life and into the next.

Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

~ Proverbs 10:17 ~

God desires a closeness with his followers and, just as much as this personal relationship with us, he also desires that others should join in as well. Our walk with Him becomes that steadily burning candlelight in the darkness of a lost world, drawing those with eyes to see closer to light and truth.

Enter Kindness.

An attribute I believe to be best exemplified by humility. Kindness isn't always easy. Daily we are faced with situations and people who test our ability to be kind, to show love and to act humbly. When Paul states, "Do ALL things without grumbling or disputing..." in 2:12, it seems reasonable to state; do every.single.little.and.big.thing with kindness and humility. He suggests, by following this command, we will be "blameless and innocent, children of God...." Children because we bare His image in those humble acts: Christ did not grumble nor did he dispute all that was done to him. He fed thousands with love and grace. He healed many with peace and kindness. He even countered the nay-sayers with truth and self-control.

At the end of the day, kindness and humility not only unify us in the body of Christ and grow us as image-bearers, but, as we hold to the word of life (2:16) we shine as lights in the world.... in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Not separate from them, but right smack-dab in the middle.

This world is full of a lot of crazy right now. Don't loose heart. Find moments of gratitude, even if in the simplest things, and allow that gratitude to feed kindness and produce humility... to serve those around you with love and grace.... and to shine in this world in spite of whatever it tries to throw your way.

Do you struggle with doing "ALL things without grumbling or disputing"? Take heart, let gratitude be your guide❤

Blessings,

**This is part 2 in a month long series on "Choosing Gratitude" from a guided Bible Study I have written of the same name. Click below to get your FREE pdf and join me! I had planned on Mid-Week Messages for this series but have opted for end-of-week sum-ups for reflecting. I am also sharing scripture daily on Instagram from this study and hope you will join me there as well!**

Click on image to go to PDF

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

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*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

Simple Thankful Celebrations

2020-11-11T07:30:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving is waddling ever closer and life, for many, is still in a state of lock-down or restricted limbo. If you are use to celebrating with a large crew in tow, this year may be a hard adjustment. Or, perhaps, you usually abide by simpler more intimate holiday celebrations. I have been in both boats, mostly the second one, for the bulk of my adult life.

Growing up, I was surrounded by a very large family. Holidays were a bustle and the meals were a feast. When I married and moved west 28 years ago I had to leave all of that behind. Some years our home bustled with friends or family who happened to be close for a season. But mostly, none have ever compared to the vast display I had known in my younger years.

I missed it so.

Thus began my mission.

My first Thanksgiving away was intimate. Husband and I and a couple of roasted Turkey thighs with trimmings. It was quaint. By year two, however, we longed for the bustle and so, invited friends to join in. With guest contributions and a determination to fill every single gap with all the old favorites from my childhood, the counters and tables were consumed with an array of goodies.

Every year since, the guest list has fluctuated. Kids have been added. Houses have changed. One thing has stayed the same: BIG meals. Hubby brags to visitors with great animation as he relays the spread we enjoy every Thanksgiving (and Christmas and Easter).

But more than food is the company. Growing up (and on the occasions we have enjoyed guests) there was always the buzz of talk, trading recipes, and playing games. As more moves and life situations prompted less Thanksgiving guests and more isolated celebrations, I knew I had to once again get creative. Perhaps it has been for such a time as this.

With the continued restrictions on gatherings and travel in some areas, I recognize that many are faced for the first time with the daunting task of making holidays meaningful with a much smaller gathering. Here are a few ideas I have worked up over the years to keep Thanksgiving from being just another day and instead celebrated and commemorated as the wonderful occasion it is.

Go Ahead, Cook All The Food!

If you like to cook, COOK! I know it isn't for everyone. But still, if you are used to all the trimmings, have them anyway. Ask Aunt Karen for that Carrot Salad recipe she always brings (I'm sure she'd welcome the phone call!) and reach out to Grandma Dorothy for all her tips and tricks on making the perfect turkey. Splurge on the ingredients and go all out, breaking out the serving platters and setting up the buffet.

My reasoning.... the time cooking up to and on Thanksgiving, buys me time for decorating on the days after!! I can throw myself into Christmas decor all weekend knowing all I have to do is re-heat leftovers and serve them on some Chinette. AND, essentially, the money you spend on the meal is the same as you would spend on dinners for the amount of days leftovers will buy you.... only you cook once and eat a bunch!!

On that same note, DON'T cook what no one in your household likes! In my home, NONE of us like jellied cranberries so, unless grandma, who likes them, is coming over, we don't buy them!!! There is no sense in having a dish that won't be eaten. It is OK to change up the menu! As a matter of fact, our first year in missions work we weren't able to get a turkey but someone had given us deer.... we had deer stew and pumpkin pie!!!! I reasoned that the Pilgrims had deer.... (and eel and turkey...) so it was still patriotic!

All Hands On Deck

Hold a family meeting and start with this question, "What makes Thanksgiving meaningful to you". You can follow up with questions such as, "What dishes... traditions... would you like most to have?" Be sure to keep a piece of paper on hand and jot down everyone's input.... don't neglect asking Hubby, he will have definite thoughts too.

As my kids grew and changed we would revisit these family meetings to address transforming ideas. Once they were old enough to take over simple dishes I began asking what ONE dish they would like to make for Thanksgiving. They would be in charge of that dish for dinner. I would supervise and provide the resources but they would do the work. It not only taught them how to cook that dish but it also gave them an opportunity to learn responsibility in contributing to the meal!

Also have them help with table and buffet set up as well as straitening up for dinner (as if company was coming). Give everyone breaks and free-time, but DO also include them in the process of making Thanksgiving stand out, regardless of the roll-call when dinner is served.

Make Dinner Stand Out

(We don't drink wine but we do buy sparkling cider for the holidays, it is non-alcoholic)

I set the table with my best tablecloth, place-mats, cloth napkins, candle sticks and so on. We make it look like a fancy 5-star restaurant only it is home! I place butter dishes and gravy boats out and the buffet always looks fancy as well with silk flowers and more candlesticks.

To add to our tablescape, I like to make special place cards and/or napkin rings. When the kids were small we considered it a school project the week of Thanksgiving. TP tubes and construction paper and a table full of raffia and unpopped popcorn and other miscellany would always add pizazz to their project! Now that they are older I have gone for more mature embellishments. You can visit this blog post, "Keep It Simple", for a pictorial step-by-step of floral place card holders using Dollar Store supplies and inexpensive scrapbook paper.

As part of the ambiance and wanting to make sure everyone really feels as though this isn't just another meal, NO ONE is allowed to come to the table unless they are dressed nice. I don't require ties (though that would be classy too) but I do expect nice attire. Hubby and son usually don a button-up and the girls and I find a nice dress or classy blouse, put on jewelry and fix our hair. It may seem trivial but how we dress really affects our perception.

Direct Dinner Conversation and Post-dinner Activities

Perhaps your family does great at dinner convo.... but if bodily functions or gaming and superhero references threaten to consume an enjoyable meal, spark some collective conversation. We like to do Thankful Fors at dinner which always lead down rabbit trails of hearty discussion and keep us all engaged together. You can also discuss Christmas season plans, wish lists or play a game of "Would you Rather" while you eat.

As far as activities, when a crowd is expected everyone just seems to find a niche and the time flies. Kids want to share their toys with cousins and friends, teens want to talk the latest movie or try to best each other in games and adults catch up on work and pass-times. When you suddenly find yourself void of all these additional distractions you will be surprised how loud those crickets are pre and post dinner. Suggestion? Have a plan.

Now, don't make such a strict plan that it is stifling, but, discuss with hubby and perhaps the older kids what you might like to do after dinner. Plan games or a walk or a movie (we may try this game this year from Samantha Shank at Learn in Color). We started a tradition our first year with just Hubby and I and kids of watching "The Santa Clause". We check the first one off our holiday movie list on Thanksgiving and then watch each sequel on the two subsequent weeks as a family movie night!

Filling this pre and post dinner time with fun activity will help keep the day memorable and special. It will also help make missing the 'norm' a little bit easier to bear.

Plan the Day

As mentioned, planning various points of your day can be helpful. More than general ideas of what to do before or after dinner, specifics can help even an intimate setting go more smoothly and be more relaxed. When company is coming (or you are going) you always have a plan. 'Turkey goes in at 7, watch the Parade at 8, prep potatoes at noon....' Just because it is you and household doesn't mean plans go out the window!

For years I have used the above planner to help me stay on track. The week-of plan page in particular has been invaluable. Next week I will share a bit more about my detailed food prep plans. Plan the timing of food prep, note where you will need help and if kids are contributing, and roughly plan out post dinner activity. I promise, it will relieve so much stress.

Start a New Tradition

It is never too late to start new traditions. Perhaps try a family craft or singing songs together or playing a certain game. Instead of lamenting what is lost, focus energy on trying something new!

In Times Such As These

If you are unable to be with loved ones because of restrictions, try these points to feel closer together:

Everyone shoot for dinner at the same time so, even though you aren't "together" you can feel united.
Exchange recipes so each of you has a full set of holiday favorites (recipe card printables below!)
Skype/Face Time/Zoom call at an agreed-upon time, perhaps just after dinner or while the turkey roasts. If after dinner, you can play a trivia game or share "I'm Thankful fors..."

******************

Change is hard, especially during a typically family-packed holiday. But it can also be a motivator to try new things and enjoy new experiences. The Apostle Paul encourages us not to be anxious. After prayer AND thanksgiving he challenges us to recognize the Peace of God which is beyond human understanding and guards our hearts and minds. We can't focus on what isn't or what we can't.... instead, we must draw our attention to what is and what we can.

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:6-7 -

You've Got This! Even in the midst of unexpectedly simple thankful celebrations! If you have any tips or ideas for celebrating 2020 style, please leave comments and suggestions below!

Blessings for this Thanksgiving season!

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

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Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog, writing relate, and a bit of 'behind the scenes'

Menu Monday 11/9/20 Homemaking in Uncertainty

2020-11-09T07:00:00.001-07:00

Who could have foreseen we would be where we are today.... a nation full of uncertainty both for right now and for the future. A "projected" answer is out there, but final analysis is still to be determined and litigation begins. For those of us who weathered 2008 and the subsequent years, we know what "change" means.... and it comes with many mixed feelings and a mighty big cost.

For me, as a housewife in a single-income home with a husband employed in the oil and gas industry (currently layed-off because of shut-downs) prospects in this possible new future of "change" look more like eternal unemployment 15 years shy of official retirement. Questions and discouragement spark everywhere in my mind and, over this past week, I have had many moments of just wanting to give up. It has been hard to find the path before me as I wonder if we will still have this home a year from now and if I will need to take a job outside the house to help us make ends-meat.

Then I remember....

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

~ 1 Peter 5:6-9 (emphasis added)~

#1 - give it all to God, He's got this and He cares!

#2 - know that the enemy is at work but I can resist Him and stand firm in my faith

#3 - I am not alone. Not only is God with me, but others are struggling too.

I've seen this struggling in the strong undertones of many Instagramers I follow. Everyone is numb. Countless women (and men) are squinting to try and see the path ahead. But.... that is OK.

As I have plucked along, just enough fog finally lifted Friday for me to be able to confidently say it will be OK. THINGS might not be OK, but I will.... and you will.... and life will. We may struggle a little in the process... or a lot.... or, by grace, not at all. But God.

As housewives we still have a job to do. We may be weary as we do it right now, but it still must be done. Dishes need washing, children need tending, homeschoolers need teaching, husbands need serving, laundry needs washing, house needs cleaning.... and the list goes on. Life does not stop because the world around us is in limbo. It merely requires a little more faith than the day before... one-foot-in-front-of -the-other. Perhaps the fog has only lifted enough to allow limited view of just the step in front.... that is OK... take THAT step and trust, when the next one comes, fog will lift for it as well.

This Past Week

Other than the roller-coaster of emotion and processing Tuesday, I started a new planner this week. My other was set to run out and with MIL here now and appointments for her already being scheduled into 2021, I thought it would be prudent to get a jump on the new one. It's strange not needing space for homeschooling or children's activities for the first time in 26 years!!!

It is an Amy Knapp "Christian Family Organizer". I will review it in more detail as I use it more but I can give this positive note.... I like the columns for Menu and Grocery list.

I feel as though it helped me stay on top of meal prep, having it in front of me along with our weekly schedule.

I did muster to finish wintering my garden spaces. We do still technically need to get leaves off the ground from countless trees around our yard.

Hopefully we can still do that, it snowed today but we do expect it to melt by next week. I am secretly glad to have the bulk of yard and garden done so I can have a break from the outside chores for a few months and focus on the inside (especially with baking season here!)

I took MIL to the zoo after lunch on Thursday. It is a smallish zoo but cute, especially in the hues of fall. She loves seeing the animals and knowing hubby was manning the grill on yet another warm day, I could really relax for our adventure.

As a result of moods, nerves, yard and such, our menu plan actually fluctuated quite a bit this week, as you will see below. But that is OK. Having the menu was still good to help us stay on track and keep aiming for structure and nutrition!

Lets have a look (an asterisks indicates a change of plans)...

___________________________________________________

Sunday

Breakfast: Eggs and Turkey Sausage

Lunch: Chicken Salad

Dinner: Roasted Rosemary Butter Chicken and Red Potatoes with Green Beans. For Dessert: *All the Flavors of Thanksgiving bunt cake (had planned Pumpkin Upside Down Cake but didn't have everything together in time)

I decided to start having a Sunday Dessert! This one, for the first Sunday of November, was meant to pull together all the flavors of Thanksgiving and November as a whole! I used some leftover Cream Cheese Frosting from the week before which had been frozen.

Monday

Breakfast: Breakfast Bowls

Lunch: *Grilled Cheese and Chips (was going to do egg salad but forgot to hard boil the eggs!)

Dinner: Burgers and Homemade *Potato Chips (had hoped to make baked or fried potato wedges but these are best with cold baked potato and I forgot to bake extra for this meal!)

Tuesday

Breakfast: Breakfast Smoothies

Lunch: *Egg Salad and Chips (I had planned BLT but the bacon went bad before I could use it! But the eggs were done!!)

Dinner: Greek Seasoned Chicken with Herb Roasted Mixed Veggies and Quinoa

It warmed up into the 70s this week so we decided to grill out. I thawed a few cups of the "Normandy" mix of veggies and tossed them with some olive oil and Greek Seasoning, poured onto some foil and made a sealed pouch. Hubby grilled them beside the chicken and they were delicious!

Wednesday

Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Sausage

Lunch: Leftover Chicken

Dinner: *Loaded Baked Potato and Toasted Sourdough (Had planned wrapped hot dogs and chips but hubby had an upset stomach and requested baked potato. I picked up some regular bacon, cut it into big chunks and fried it up to go on top of potato. The meal was so hearty, everyone was full!)

Thursday

Breakfast: *Eggs and Turkey Sausage (I was going to start making a mid-week dessert as well but realized, for our waste-line and MIL diabetes, that would be a bad idea!! I had intended Apple Bars for Wednesday's dessert to also be used for Thursday's breakfast... but with no Wed dessert, breakfast got changed)

Lunch: *Hot Dogs and Mac N Cheese (Originally planned Chicken Salad but MIL and I ran to store after her a.m. doctor's appointment and decided to get Mac)

Dinner: *Grilled Steak, Seasoned Skewered Brussels Sprouts and Deli Salads with Grilled Sourdough Toast (Intended London Broil, Mashed Potato and Green Beans but I forgot to lay out the Broil and so picked up steaks while we were already at the store instead)

I don't usually make Brussels but hubby has been craving them for months since a catered event at work before lay-offs. We used fresh with bottoms cut off. I threw them in a bowl and tossed with some olive and sesame oils as well as garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt and pepper. We skewered them alternating with whole cloves of garlic... they were delicious!

Friday

Breakfast: *Scrambled Eggs and Sausage (planned Egg Cups but procrastinate making them because only 3 of us like them and no one eats the leftovers!!)

Lunch: *Leftover Hot Dogs and Deli Salads (I was going to pull some leftover Shepherd's Pie out of the freezer but opted for more recent leftovers!)

Dinner: *Taco Salad (Chicken Picata was on the menu but I forgot to lay out the chicken and we all just wanted something fun and relaxing we could enjoy as a "TV dinner" since everyone has gotten into keeping up with the Mandelorian Series on Disney+) (We eat most meals, except finger food, at the dinner table as a family)

Saturday

Breakfast: *Omelet (I had planned Breakfast Smoothies but hubby had other plans and cooked up for us!!)

Lunch: Leftovers from Taco Salad

Dinner: *Wrapped Hot Dogs and Chips (instead of planned Burgers since we just had ground beef the night before)

I did up a basic white bread dough recipe in my bread machine. Once the cycle was complete I took a small fist full of dough and rolled into an oval, placed dog in the middle and cinched up. We used the mega Costco Dogs and I actually pre-roasted them for about 5 minutes. My son thought to slice down the middle of the dog and insert strips of cheese then, place the dog slit-side-down on the dough and wrap up. We baked them at 375 for about 10 minutes.

___________________________________________________

So that was my week in the kitchen... what does yours look like? Also, how have you been weathering the 'storms' this past week? Is there a particular piece of advice or scripture which helps you keep stepping forward in the middle of uncertainty?

Happy cooking and prayers for peaceful Homemaking in uncertainty!

___________________________________________________

*** Why the asterisks? ***

___________________________________________________

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

For an old article on one way I've done menu planning (free printables included) you can visit:

Menu Monday: Menu-Making Edition!

*********************************************************

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

Choosing Gratitude in the Challenges

2020-11-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

What a week. It seems as though a bated hush has captured many of us. We knew it was coming. We saw the warnings. But now it is here. *undecided* as I write this post. Countries re-shutting down. Jobs still in limbo. Livelihoods still in the balances while Washington waits. We wait. A Nation waits. What will come?

At times it feels hard to breathe. God is still Good.... He is in control.... yes. He is and He is. But with hubby's job in the oil industry still on lay-off and my younger son still off work from an injury and return prospects gradually diminishing and my wonderful job as housewife hanging on those very balances... and so many other burdens.... it gets very hard to breathe.

But God.

My solace this week has been found in His Word. Deep Breaths of timeless truths and promises. Remembering how little the World holds in light of all Heaven holds. Hope. Even if it gets ugly along the way.

Paul understood this. Many of the 1st century believers lived this. Persecution, ostracizing, struggling to meet needs, exasperated by false teachers.... and the list could go on. Paul himself was often in prison and, on the occasion that he wrote his letter to the Philippians he appears to have been on house arrest.

But hope.

Many came to visit him, among them local church leaders. Not always did they leave enlightened. As a matter of fact, it seemed, often, they left agitated and not quite ready to accept the whole Jesus thing. They wanted it their way.

Yet Paul perseveres and he writes to the Philippians to thank them for their union with him in gifts and prayers. He shares with them, also, of the challenges he faces. Interestingly, he doesn't seem discouraged, rather, he appears to celebrate the challenges for the wonderful hope and work they are producing....

... Christian service rooted in love (1:16)

... Growing confidence in the Truth (1:14)

... Unparalleled bold fearlessness in sharing the Gospel (1:14)

It can be hard to appreciate the challenges when we are facing them. Knee-deep in the trials they present, the discouragement, the appearance of "lost". But are we ever truly "lost" as believers and followers of Christ?

Paul takes all which could potentially bring him down and turns it around. He sees it through God's eyes... through the potential not the probable or actual. But there again, he sees what is REALLY happening, not focusing on the discouraging points of so many negative experiences inundating him... He sees hope.... he sees the loving service, he sees the growing confidence, he sees the bold fearlessness and he recognizes how none of it would have been possible without the challenges he is facing.

Suddenly night is like day.

Suddenly loosing has its profit.

Suddenly impossible becomes possibility.

And he rejoices.

He sees profit here and beyond (1:21) and he focuses not on what could hold him and the gospel message back but rather on all which can and IS propelling it forward. (1:18)

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is proclaimed and in that I rejoice.
~ Philippians 1:18 ~

Don't despair, dear Christian. Don't let your eyes be so fixed on what may be lost, on the troubles at hand, that you miss what is found and the Peace and answers which surround us so completely we can't help but rejoice.... we can choose gratitude IN the challenges.

Are you struggling in the midst of these current worries? Are you pulled down or are you rising up? What is encouraging you today? Which particular challenge can you find a way to choose gratitude in?

Blessings,

**This is part 1 in a month long series on "Choosing Gratitude" from a guided Bible Study I have written of the same name. Click below to get your FREE pdf and join me! I had planned on Mid-Week Messages for this series but have opted for end-of-week sum-ups for reflecting. I am also sharing scripture daily on Instagram from this study and hope you will join me there as well!**

Click on image to go to PDF

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

*********************************************************

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

Menu Monday 11/2/20 Finding Groove

2020-11-02T15:13:00.003-07:00

We are finding our groove! After a season of ups and downs, I am absolutely relieved for this fact. I was talking with my youngest yesterday on how to clean and stay on top of messes, she's been struggling with keeping her bedroom in order and came to me for help. I explained that it is a process.... take 15 minute bites out of the chaos each day and when new items enter her room, put them away immediately. She agreed this plan was totally doable and she has reached that stage of life where she very much enjoys an orderly space.... "But then I get sick [she is a teacher's assistant in a pre-Kinder class and has been catching everything the kids bring in!!] or I work extra shifts at my 2nd job and I get behind..." Oh, sweet one, I know the feeling.

This is the story of my life... anyone's life, I suppose. You find a groove and then something comes up and throws a wrench in the plan. So what do you do? Well, you do what you can. Sometimes that wrench un-grooves us for a while, other times, it may be a day or two or three set-back. The best solution: pick back up where you left off and move forward from there. You know the term; Rome wasn't built in a day, neither is a clean house or orderly schedule!

Add cooking to the mix and, at times, it can be a taxing occasion. But even this can find its groove. Make a plan, set-up specific and realistic meal times, and begin prep and cooking within realistic time frames to avoid discouragement. For example, if you know dinner prep could take 30-45 minutes, don't start 15 minutes before you plan to serve. But above all, give yourself grace because, even our best-layed-plans can end up off-track sometimes. Just take each next step and the groove will come.

This Past Week

This past week was relatively low-key. Basic housework done on time (yay)... a chick-flick movie night for my daughters, MIL and myself... completed main parts of a major switching spaces around project... and maneuvered 2 of MIL's doctor's appointments in one day. The "kids" (they're adults but they will always be my "kids"!!) had friends over for a game night on Saturday, I tidied the house and they handled all the rest (food, table cloths and clean-ups) so I even enjoyed some time alone. For the most part, our menu stayed steady, except for lunch and breakfast as business or appetites changed those a bit.

Lets have a look (an asterisks indicates a change of plans)...

___________________________________________________

Sunday

Breakfast: Muffin Pan Popovers *and Turkey Breakfast Sausage

Lunch: Grilled Cheese and Chips (MIL likes tomato on the grilled cheese ☺️)

Dinner: *Pan Butter Fried Garlic and Onion Chicken with Veggies (Only changed slightly in what way I intended to season: Tarragon Chicken)

Monday

Breakfast: Breakfast Bowls

I usually make these with eggs, sausage and hash-browns (if I have extra potatoes from the night before) all topped with cheese. Last week I shared an easy way to make hash browns using leftover baked or boiled potatoes. Click here to see.

Lunch: Chicken Salad

Using leftover chicken from night before on a bed of lettuce, tomato and green onion.

Dinner: Meatloaf, Mashed Potato and Green Bean

Team-effort dinner, one perk of Covid lay-off! Hubby cooked the meatloaf and I made the homemade mashed potatoes.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Eggs and *Fried Potato Patties (had planned hash browns)

For Fried Potato Patties I heat on medium-high a layer of oil just to cover the bottom of my pan (coconut oil is best but any oil you prefer works), take leftover mashed potatoes, put in a dash of flour, one egg and some pepper, mix well and form 2-3" diameter patties. Carefully place patties in hot oil and fry until brown on each side. Be careful when flipping, they may want to fall apart at first, I use a wide pancake spatula and flip gently. I serve with a fried egg right on top. (tip: this will not work well with instant potatoes, it has to be homemade mashed potatoes)

Lunch: *Everyone on their own. MIL wasn't feeling well and I was trying to kick out the Newsletter on time so I left everyone to their own devices (BLTs were planned)

Dinner: General Tso's Chicken with Rice

Wednesday

Breakfast: *Eggs and Turkey Sausage (had planned Pancakes for "kids" and Breakfast Smoothie for MIL but after not feeling well or eating much Tuesday she opted for a proper meal)

Lunch: *everyone did their own thing again, MIL opted for a simple baked potato. (Planned Chili Dogs, still got the chili out of the freezer but I was the only one that had it)

Dinner: Whole Roasted Chicken with Potato and Carrots and Stuffing on the side

Thursday

Breakfast: Eggs, Turkey Sausage and Hash-browns (using leftover potatoes!)

Lunch: *Chicken Salad (I had planned Chicken Soup with the leftovers)

Dinner: Order Out

Friday

Breakfast: MIL still a bit queezy, skipped breakfast so we all did our own thing (had planned Apple Muffins and Sausage)

Lunch: No Plans (forgot to make any!!), had some freezer Lasagna

Dinner: Taco Salad

Saturday

Breakfast: This is my only 'sleep-in' day all week so I typically leave everyone to their own devices, however, ended up cooking up some eggs and sausage.

Lunch: Leftovers from Taco Salad

I dressed as an 80s Aerobics Instructor on Saturday and had my lunch out of Tupperware!! Totally Radical!

Dinner: Smoked Sausage and Chips

Spider Man Noir (from the 1930s) and 1940s Fashionista

We don't "celebrate" Halloween but we do like to dress up and offer an alternative to partying and carousing by opening our door to friends for a fun, clean, wholesome game night with dinner, snacks, candy and loads of laughs. We also hand out candy to trick-or-treaters as a way to be that Light in the Darkness. This year we were out of our customary "Jesus is the Light" glow in the dark bracelets which we always toss in alongside the sweats. With Covid I didn't think we would get them in time. We did have a few kids show up but it was relatively quiet otherwise.

___________________________________________________

So that was my week in the kitchen... what does yours look like? Also, do you have a "Finding the Groove" testimony or question you would like to share? Would love to hear!

Happy cooking and prayers for easy Groove Finding!

___________________________________________________

*** Why the asterisks? ***

___________________________________________________

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

For an old article on one way I've done menu planning (free printables included) you can visit:

Menu Monday: Menu-Making Edition!

*********************************************************

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

Midlife Menus

2020-10-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

Last Monday I took a little bit of time to catch-up with everyone on my extended absence from Menu Monday/Keepers at Home posts. Popping out that article seemed natural... I was ready. However, as I sat down today to re-institute the promised series.... blank.

Sort of

Perhaps it is dusting the cobwebs off of these tapping fingers. Maybe it is the screeching hault of months of ideas so excited to pour out that they tumbled into one giant blank blob! Mostly, however, it is all the big change in life since I last shared a comprehensive menu plan. I think I forgot how and where to start in this new season of different.

✓ The last of my children are all graduated.

✓ I'm not quite an empty-nester as all but my oldest have chosen to remain at home while they pursue the paths God is laying before them in adult life.

✓ I'm no longer juggling their schedules and homeschooling

✓ In an odd and unexpected course of events hubby is out of work while all kids hold various jobs and shifts. I have switched from just kids during the day to just hubby with a (grown) kid thrown in here-and-there... and what I cook in consideration of these schedules fluctuates.

✓ Hubby hit 50 and as we both pick up speed on this Midlife path, our meal requirements are transforming for health purposes.

✓ My aging mother-in-law moved in with us bringing her own dietary needs and very specific meal-times. (No longer can I just tell everyone to figure out their own breakfast or lunch, a luxury with older "kids"! Instead I am back into early parenting days where all meals and snacks need to be planned, healthy and balanced☺️(It's OK, I like my job!)

In short: no more kids to make cutesy kid things for (boy, I miss that!!) though I do sneak a childhood favorite in here-and-there.... and us olders with a more curious pallet amidst our particular diet needs.

Alas... I think I found my groove! These Midlife moments spark a different kind of liveliness in our midlife menu and, if you follow my Pinterest account, you know how much I LOVE sharing all of our foodie moments. So, here goes...

This Past Week

Each week I try to have a specific project or goal to work towards. Even without kids underfoot and homeschool soaking up time, there is always something requiring attention above and beyond the basic household duties (especially this time of year).

This past week's was Phase 1 of cleaning out a neglected corner in my bedroom and processing/canning pumpkin. Without the buzz of kids I can now usually contain clutter and work inside the daytime hours, which is a welcome change! And on Pumpkin day, I made the mess work for me! While boiling and mashers were out I did mashed potatoes which were paired with some cooked ground beef and gravy I had in the freezer for a shepherd's pie roasted in the oven. While dinner roasted, I tidied and by the time dinner was served, pumpkin jar lids were popping and kitchen messes were cared for.

Lets have a look (an asterisks indicates a change of plans)...

___________________________________________________

Sunday

Breakfast: Leftover Omelet (from Saturday)

Lunch: Grilled Tomato and Cheese with Chips

Dinner: Chicken and Broccoli Bake with Quinoa and Clover Rolls

This dinner is a crazy quick and easy one. I used the last of my garden broccoli, cooked up some chunked chicken breast in butter and olive oil with garlic, onion, and parsley. Mixed it all together with a handful of Feta and Cheddar cheeses, poured into buttered 13x9 baking dish and cooked up at 375 for about 20 minutes.

Monday

Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Sausage

Lunch: Hot Dogs and Mac N Cheese

Dinner: Oven Pot Roast and Veggies with Leftover Clover Rolls

Tuesday

Breakfast: *Pancakes and Sausage (didn't have enough potato leftover from roast to do planned Eggs and Hash-Browns)

Lunch: * Leftover Roast as Oven Stew (had planned BLT but ran out of lettuce)

Dinner: *BBQ Chicken Thighs, Baked Potato, Corn and Cheesy Drop Biscuits (Wednesday and Tuesday's dinners were swapped when we forgot to pre-cook and chill the rice for stir-fry)

Tip: make extra baked potatoes and refrigerate for up to a few days to be used as homemade fries or hash-browns.

Wednesday

Breakfast: *Eggs and Hash-Browns with Leftover Biscuits (planned Pumpkin Muffins but didn't get to the processing till Thursday)

Easy hash-browns: cube into small bite-size pieces raw or cooked potatoes (or use leftover cubed potatoes from a dinner), throw into oil heated in bottom of skillet on medium-high (we like to use coconut oil for flavor and health-factor). Stir around periodically till brown, drain and serve with eggs.

Lunch: *everyone did their own thing unexpectedly, I had planned egg salad sandwiches.

Dinner: *hubby tried his hand at authentic Chicken Fried Rice and Mini Spring Rolls (freezer brand) (swapped night which ended up helping buy me more time on my project work!)

Thursday

Breakfast: *Scrambled Egg Bowls with Sausage, Cheese and Avocado (planned Egg Cups)

Lunch: Leftover Chicken Fried Rice for some, Egg Salad Sandwiches and Chips for the rest of us

Dinner: Shepherd's Pie with dessert of Pumpkin Muffins and Cream Cheese Frosting

As I was separating out the pumpkin puree for canning, I reserved 3 cups to make a triple-batch of pumpkin bread mix. Managed 18 muffins, 1 mini loaf and 2 large loaves. The 2 large went into the freezer once they cooled, we will break them out for snacks and breakfast... as well as add to their ranks for holiday sharing!

Friday

Breakfast: *Pumpkin Muffins and Sausage (already cooked the planned pancakes earlier in the week and had plenty of muffins leftover from night before)

Lunch: Leftover Shepherd's Pie

Dinner: Chicken Quesadilla/Salad with homemade guacamole

Saturday

Breakfast: This is my only 'sleep-in' day all week so I typically leave everyone to their own devices, however, made a Mango Breakfast Protein Shake for MIL and myself

Lunch: Leftovers for some *Homemade Chicken Soup for others (we had a cold snap accompanied by mounds of snow which was making some throats feel kind of scratchy... soup to the rescue!)

Dinner: Burgers and Chips

___________________________________________________

*** Why the asterisks? ***

So that was my week in the kitchen... what does yours look like?

Happy cooking!

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

For an old article on one way I've done menu planning (free printables included) you can visit:

Menu Monday: Menu-Making Edition!

*********************************************************

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

Memories and Moments

2020-10-23T22:23:00.001-06:00

Tonight I decided to comb through old posts which had been started but not finished. Of all nights, and as I push back into a regular blogging cycle, it is interesting that this post on this night is what would stand out.

Written one year ago to-the-day, I was still working through some deep emotions which seemed to just flow through my fingertips as the keyboard called. A tribute which I feel must still be published. Perhaps it was too hard in the midst of the many trials and much hurt of autumn 2019. A year later, however, it is a beautiful story which, I believe, is also a testimony the world must hear.....

Evening, October 23, 2019
Memories. They make us who we are. Both good and bad and all the in-between. They filter through a sepia past into a vibrant present. They even build hope for the shrouded future.

My earliest memories are rooted in a modest split entry single family home nestled in a cozy suburb about 45 minutes west of Chicago. Short black curly hair and firm patience guide me through the learning tasks all toddlers itch to model: a tiny broom, folding hand towels and standing on step-stools to help stir macaroni. Soft warm hugs cuddled me close while cartoons played across the counsel and the silly antics which might exhaust a young mother only fed her hearty laughs and gentle rebukes if silly got out of hand.

She was my grandmother.

I still remember attempting to form the word "g-r-a-n-d-m-a". It was a word which confused me because, to my young intellect, she was 'ma'. I still remember my young rational in claiming she was ME-ma, my ma... a mom, though grand she was, she became Mema.

My mother loved me, oh-so-much. But a turbulent childhood and troubled broken marriage at the young age of 19 left her scrambling to pull herself together. Mema stepped in and took the reins while my parents, separately, worked to figure it all out.

Mema was tough. Her medium height and broad shoulders coupled with her no-nonsense attitude made her an invaluable hard worker in the factory industry and a force to be reckoned with in any setting. Having survived a marriage to an abusive alcoholic who ultimately left for the west, she never lost her faith and commitment to Biblical womanhood. Six rambunctious kids only added to her zeal. If she could rustle all those bodies (including a set of twins) and juggle the life she found herself living, well, nothing was going to make her back down!

One thing about Mema which out-shined all task and antic was her faith. Saved in a south-central Tennessee church at a young age and baptized in the adjoining creek at 16, I can hardly remember a day where she didn't share Jesus with someone. Vivid memories of tiny me being taught to clasp my hands just so and say the sweet youthful prayers to Jesus were the same memories which kept me from wandering too far when time and disillusionment threatened to snatch me from His hand.

As time passed and my parents regained control of my rearing, grandma became a more occasional fixture. She was always ready to whisk me a way for a week in the summer or on spring break where we would spend hours learning new crafts, how to cut paper dolls out of catalog models, eating KFC by the rolling Fox River and traveling to Tennessee to visit her childhood home and my great-granny. VBS, Summer Bible Camps, and adventures of so many shapes and sizes. I was "co-pilot" on expeditions and learned to love gospel music and big band music in turn.

As teen years hit, Mema was the only one who could tame the beast. I wandered and doubted but she pushed and persisted. She attended every play, encouraged all the good endeavors and was quick to recite the folly in the bad. She celebrated with me when I accepted Christ at 16 and, no doubt, she cried when she learned I ran from the same faith at 19. Most of all, she prayed without ceasing.

When 20s dawned and my marriage vows broke and her heart likely broke as more folly littered my path, she never gave up. She never stopped praying. She never stopped calling. She never stopped persisting, "Jesus is the only way". I suppose it was no surprise, then, when 26 year old me, remarried, re-settled and toting baby #3 on my hip, had wandered into a small town church, repeatedly, and all of a sudden was struck by God's mighty grace. Like a lighting bolt straight to my heart, I surrendered all.

Her prayers, her persistence, her calls... it all paid off. And, like childhood all over again, Me-ma and I began to traipse through life together. We hugged tight when my mother passed away unexpectedly at 48. Living miles apart, we telephoned often to encourage and strive through the hard times. We laughed and talked to celebrate the good. Me in the far northwest corner of Montana, her, now retired, settled back in her hometown in south-central Tennessee.

Our relationship wasn't perfect... whose is. But it was ours and one thing I always knew: she was there. NOTHING I could do would change that. We prayed together and dreamed together and she delighted as our little family grew. She shared news of cousins and celebrated them in wonderful ways I don't think they ever knew.

But time and memories have a funny way of running out. I started to notice the skipped record. The repeat questions. The confusion at certain statements. Being in her 80s, it was natural to write it off as 'old age'. But it wasn't old age. Dementia had set in and, as she began to outlive her own children, the progression of loosing each of her 3 oldest before all but one had turned 50, seemed to drive her deeper. Before we knew and understood the full effects of the disease, misunderstandings mounted and her irritability over these dark gaps drove us apart for a short season. The worst part, even though our divide lasted only a few months, by the time our relationship worked back around.... Mema was simply gone. Her body remained but the laughter and tears and long afternoon talks... those were no more. The record was broken, "How's the weather up there, how are the kids, how is your step-dad..... How's the weather up there, how'....." I knew, in my heart, that nothing would ever be the same.

There were rare glimpses, moments of recognition to current events. But mostly she knew I was 'Mandy' and the recognition ended there. On occasion she cried from her heart when she heard my "hello" on the other end, a mixture of joy and longing sadness, forgetting our most resent conversations, her drifting mind felt it had been forever. I tried to call monthly, but it grew harder and harder. Family pressure of all I could and couldn't say, lectures and my (unfortunately) timid digression. But I still called, as often as I could, even though I knew each conversation would be the same.

Then last week.

As I heard tired excitement in her voice upon my name through the receiver, I lamented in my heart how I miss our deep conversations, I miss her comfort and encouragement, and just now I needed it so much. I braced for our usual broken-record-repeat. Nothing deep, just basic... weather, kids, yes we all still love Jesus. Weather, kids, yes.... But I so desperately wanted more. I wanted to rewind the clock to those days of deep conversation and sage advice which dementia had already stolen years before. Right now, life had taken an unexpected turn and I just did not know what to do. Big decisions, big changes and big heartbreak were all colliding.

But I kept it to myself and, with an inward sigh, I listened as the record skipped and skipped and then, in one moment of sheer clarity, the record spun into a new tune. The very tone of her voice seemed to change as she broke the rote and began, as if knowing all the pains in my heart though I had not spoken of any of them... "I know you have decisions to make and I know you will keep your eyes on God," she paused and seemed to muster, "I know you will make the right decisions. I know you will do what is right. Let's pray." We use to always pray together, especially in hard times, I didn't realize how much I would miss it until dementia took it away from us. Just above a whisper I eagerly agreed, "That would be nice" as a lump caught in my throat. She pressed in.

"... God, guide Mandy and help her in the decision she needs to make, help all of them with the decisions they need to make and the things they need to do. Help everyone with their jobs. I know how much Mandy wants to do what's right, guide her and help her to do it."

Suspended in amazement, I was speechless. I whispered again, "Thank you" and, just as quickly as the record stopped skipping, it started again... repeat. I hadn't mentioned anything about jobs, but she knew. I hadn't even hinted and tough decisions pressing in, but she understood. Her words did not provide the needed answers to the problems at hand but that single moment of clarity after years of fog was like a message from God that HE saw me, He heard the desperate need in my heart and, for one beautiful moment on a cool autumn day, He answered my cry. Our final goodbyes were filled with the usual "I love you"s and her heart-felt, "I am so proud of you." It is a wonderful thing when someone you love and admire issues those words.

As the call ended I made a mental note to not wait so long for our next check-in while also pondering the gravity of her moment of clarity and if this may have been our last call... the last time I hear her sage voice.

It was.

She was 89. Almost 3 months from 90.

Me-Ma is gone.

It is hard and it hurts, especially in a climate where family in the region is no longer close. Truthfully, though, Dementia took her almost 7 years ago but God gave me that one, brief, wonderful moment two Wednesdays ago and I am so grateful He did.

Every conversation's repeat included the emphatic statement, "I'm ready to go Home. I've lived a long life. Mother was 96 when she died. If God takes me home, that is OK." She lived completely but with one foot always ready to step into Heaven.

No more produce isle Witnessing.
No more good-bye prayers.
No more hearty chuckles at childhood antics.

But. She is worshiping at the feet of Jesus with a whole host of angels, I'll see her again and then we can pray and worship together in fields of Grace ❤️

Treasure those God gives you. Make memories while you can. Speak Jesus. Love deeply. It will sustain you when "good-byes" end all "hellos".

***

Blessings,

In Loving Memory of Mema,

Dorothy Robertson

January 1, 1930 - October 20, 2019

Keepers and Menus: Back in Business

2020-10-19T20:13:00.000-06:00

Scrolling through for Menu Monday images I was amazed to realize it has been roughly 2 years since my last MM post! I knew time these past few years would go fast... but, wow!

As my youngest entered her Junior year of (homeschool) High School two autumns ago, her first after the last of her 3 older siblings graduated, I felt I needed to open up more time in order to invest in her, encourage her in days of learning alone, and savor each last moment I would have in our schooling journey. Many trusty old posts here on the blog were lovingly placed on the shelf until that season was complete, including the more time-consuming threads like Menu Monday.

As graduation commenced this past May, I began contemplating more seriously what the future would hold... not just for my daughter but also for me as a housewife and newly 'retired' educator. I had always kept a sort-of 'bucket list' for the day my nest appeared to be emptying. However, in all the years I had compiled tidbits of to-dos with hopes these directives would help me not lament too deeply over the child-raising years coming to an end, I couldn't have anticipated the struggles hubby and I would face in the home-stretch. For most of my youngest's senior year our marriage was shaky at best and when Covid hit, it added sparks to more than a few touchy moments between us, especially where work outside of the home was concerned after he found himself among the many without jobs.

Enter my Mother-in-Law. I spent part of last fall staying with her, a 7 hour drive away, in order to help as she underwent major surgery and recovery. As the months since have progressed, so has the worsening of her condition and, come my youngest's graduation party in June, it was firmly decided she should sell and move in with us.

Summer was filled with planning and remodeling. I also spent time researching how to best care for my MIL since she not only has mobility issues but also diabetes and high blood pressure. On her own she had all but given up on cooking and was not eating very healthfully. Her blood sugar levels were all over the place, some mornings we feared she might not wake up at all. Hubby and I have prioritized a low-carb, low-sugar diet for the past 10 years as both of us are PRE-diabetic, so transitioning MIL into a similar routine wasn't going to be too hard. Time and activities to keep her mentally stimulated and feeling "at Home" were/are critical to her transition as well. Boning up on my old psyche and counseling studies to remain sensitive to her needs has been helpful as well.

By the beginning of August she was settling into a cozy studio apartment we arranged for her in our old art studio. Unpacking and finding routine consumed most of our days. As September drifted in hubby even began to recognize not only how necessary her care was, but also how much I was contributing in the process of looking after home and family...that it really was a big job, one which he himself did not really want to do! This was a very bright corner in this whole Covid lay-off situation!

Hubby's realizations were a breath of much needed fresh air after the struggles we had faced seemed to atrophied my ability to make substantive homemaking posts on the blog of any kind. My future felt so uncertain and I felt as though I would be writing in falsehood to even try. Now, however, I do feel the sweet release to speak more openly and post candidly regarding the Art of Housewifery in all its stages. I can't say we have worked out all of our worries, but I can confess that I feel we have scaled the biggest hurdles, learned to talk better and listen more and, most of all, I have recognized the desperate need to bathe our marriage in prayer preemptively, daily... but that is a separate post!

I share all this not just to set the stage for slipping back into regular themed posts, but also to testify to the rocky road I am certain many of us share. The life of a housewife is often a thankless job. One where the tiny details often go unrecognized. The family knows the floors seem cleaner or the shelves lack dust... they appreciate clean clothes in their dressers and warm food to fill their bellies each evening... but, understandably, they often don't comprehend the energy each of these loving acts of service require from planning through to implementation.

As many of our troubles and challenges work their way out (or at least managed) and now that we have (mostly) found our new groove I just knew restarting Menu Mondays alongside periodic Keepers at Home posts needed to become an essential part of my weekly routine. I believe posts like these are a platform of unified encouragement and inspiration, especially for those of us choosing to walk out this often invisible but vital role in the face of adversity... and the blog parties I link-up with to get these thoughts out are a great community to be part of (click link in text above to learn more about blog parties).

Next week I will begin using Monday posts to share our menu from the previous week AND, to keep it super real, I will make note of anywhere it did NOT go as planned! I think of menus in a similar way as the homeschool routine schedules we use to have: they are a great target for the week but one must remain flexible and ready for adjustment!

While I am 110% for flexibility in any schedule, I also believe having them is vital to staying on track and, where meal planning is concerned, to keeping within budget. I know, the days I lack planning (or plan unrealistically) we often end up eating less healthy, feeling less productive and spending more than planned. It is like that old adage: if you fail to plan your plans will fail.

In regards to Menus, my game has stepped up quite a bit with MIL here now. With diabetes, especially insulin dependent as she is, it is extremely important to keep a regular eating schedule. With balanced diet, variety and scheduling at the height of importance now (and various picky eaters in my crew) I have used my Menu Worksheet to-the-max detailing all three mains: breakfast, lunch and dinner. (While MIL still has the capacity to remember, she is in charge of her own snacks which she keeps in her "apartment" with her.)

I look forward to sharing these details each week along with some links to new recipes we are trying and even a few recipe notes of my own! Most of all, I hope you will be encouraged to plan and try new things as well! I do try to share meal snapshots regularly on Instagram, if you would like to hop over and follow me there.

So, here we are, back in business! I would love to hear from you! Where do you stand on the whole planning business? Do you have a set weekly schedule? Do you menu plan? How have you been navigating Covid? Is there anywhere I can encourage you today?

Blessings, sweet friends, I look forward to reading from all of you and getting to share again!

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

For an old article on one way I've done menu planning (free printables included) you can visit

Menu Monday: Menu-Making Edition!

*********************************************************

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

Not-so 5-Minute Friday: Hold

2020-10-16T21:44:00.002-06:00

It has been 7 months since life entered a sort-of holding pattern. Things have fallen apart... and come back together... for many of us. The challenges this year have felt like an old, warn hat after 2019 and the constant problems our family faced then. Last year, from beginning to end, there was one disaster after another around our home, interpersonal challenges and even marriage problems. As we prayed to welcome in 2020 at the stroke of midnight, December slipping into January and a whole new year, I broke into tears. I was overwhelmed with emotion but excited to behold new hope, new possibility... and to say good-bye to the hard challenges we had endured through the 12 months prior.

2020 looked bright. Brenden was to become engaged to a wonderful girl, my youngest was graduating high school and her and I were looking forward to a maiden voyage to Florida. Best of all, hubby was starting a new and lucrative position at work. For the first time in our lives we were going to have the relief of not living paycheck-to-paycheck and finally having the financial freedom to go places and do things normally off-limits in our tight financial sphere. Add to this, while I was really going to miss homeschooling, I was looking forward to new opportunities for my time opening up.

By February, though, whispers suggested we were in for another rough haul. Come spring, the stress and strain broke Brenden's engagement as lock-downs began to roll across the country and panic gripped his sweet young girl's mind, making her unable to cope or hear reason. Brooke experienced stress and anxiety as every.single.one of her milestone senior year moments were canceled: prom, church lock-ins and retreats, final youth group activities and so on. I spent countless days and nights seeking to comfort her broken spirit. She felt hopeless as her present, and possibilities for the future, were stripped away.

Just when we thought we had take the brunt of the strain, hubby's new position was tossed into the can as the company cut ALL possible employees. That brief glimmer of finally finding financial security was snuffed out. My own stress and anxiety mounted amidst protestors calling our kind "privileged" and insinuating how "easy" we had it. I've never been privileged, I grew up poorer, with less opportunity and continued challenges, than many who were shouting. I've always had an uphill battle, life has been anything but easy, and the one time we finally felt like we were on level ground... it was ripped away, leaving us to grapple with the fact that hubby is only 15 years from retirement and his position was providing security for our fast-approaching "golden years".

It took time to process. Time to really make amends with all the hurt and frustration and not be angry with the chaos of society around us and the leaders whose decisions were (and still are) progressively destroying lives. Yet, in the midst of the din, there was always that One Voice, pulling me back to reason and hope.

I can't imagine this journey without Christ's arms firmly around me, God reminding me how he has always and would always hold my life and our future in the palm of His mighty hands. Jobs are nice for security, but the greatest security we can know is that He has nothing but good plans for those who believe and trust in Him.

He showed me peace in how, even if the young girl Brenden found seemed perfect for Him, God vetted her according to His plans. My son will heal, is healing, wiser and stronger in his faith than ever. And Brooke? She has endured the hard lessons of learning how to lean not on her own understanding and relationships with others and instead lean solidly on God's and her relationship with Him. She found she was stronger than she thought she was and I watched as she discovered how to listen more closely to His perfect Voice.

Unemployment comp has helped. Stimulus has provided adventure and opportunity. After my daughter's graduation party it was firmly decided that my mother-in-law was long overdue to sell her home and move in with us. Living in Northwestern Montana where we had drawn her in 21 years ago, her health has been declining and it was no longer wise for her to continue on alone. My brother-in-law moved away a few years ago and we have been in South-central for 7 years... this too God had worked out.

Our home was purchased with someday having her here in mind. The upside of all this year's chaos was a super quick sell of MIL's mobile home for 2x its value and a substantial investment in squaring away her living quarters here.... my art studio converted to a studio apartment! Hubby's time off allowed him to do much of the work and take multiple trips with me across state to pack and move... something which wouldn't have been possible had he been working.

It was a crazy summer with the construction work, big move, and settling in... but it was a good crazy. God used it to help me transition from feeling under a cloud of ongoing oppression to possibility and a new season of life welcoming this opportunity to care for someone we love as she struggles in aging.

I've wrestled with schedules, tried to figure out writing, attempted to understand what all is expected of me right now in life, in home and in family. Yet, somehow, it is no longer dark or daunting. I'm no longer upset or hurt. I still don't have all the answers... we still are working out the kinks in job and marriage and a "new" family member in our household.... but I feel like we are right where we should be.

I've been trying to see and shimmy time into place to begin regular blogging again. Like swimming, the hardest part is getting in... sometimes you just have to JUMP. No rhyme or reason or process... just get wet, head-to-toe and once you float back up to the top, you begin to stroke along! HOLD and Five-Minute-Friday seemed the big jump time!

Not for a minute, have I thought it was time to quit writing. I imagine I am a bit rusty and my words here don't flow quite how I might like (and I know for certain I am way over the 5 minutes!!). Yet, as much as I hate the latest saying, it is so true: we are all in this together. My 2019 is everyone's 2020 and, while I don't wish this on anyone, I do believe we can more candidly and wholeheartedly be there for each other. Trudging through this messy thing called "life" and reminding each other: we are Held by the steadiest most secure hands in the universe, His plans will prevail.

So, as I still try to shimmy new-season-new-life schedules into place and juggling the complexities of changing relationships, I do hope to start kicking regular content back up. Thanks for reading to the end. Drop a note below if you find you have been struggling almost to capacity this year and share if you have witnessed God's mighty arms holding you close through it all!

Love and blessings,

*Posting today with the Five Minute Friday crew, go check out other great posts (likely shorter and written within the time allotted!!!) Also, check out my "Link-ups" tab for other great sharing parties!

Marvelous Moments since I've been away:

The youngest 3 finally got their licenses! Well, "finally" for Ashley who is now 22 and Brenden who turned 20... but Brooke is spot-on at 17.... long story as to why all at once and why it took so long!

Brooke and Brenden quickly found their first cars.... thank you Lord for stimulus + "essential worker" job savings.

***

Stimulus and mad-rushes on grocery supplies turned this "accidental" gardener into a full-on backyard farmer!

***

What's a girl to do when Senior year ends up in quarantine?

One blessing... people began to come out of the woodwork by May to try and give the seniors something more memorable than toilet paper shortages and mask mandates!

Krispy Kreme did a FREE dozen donuts if you came in wearing grad gear (she opted for her grad mouse ears from our Disney trip in February)...

...her youth group leaders made house-calls on graduation weekend with balloons and gourmet cookies...

...the church offered a professional photographer who donated her time and free digital photos of the grads, their families and their senior youth group friends the same Sunday they opened the stage for grads to "walk" and receive a special gift from their youth pastor. It wasn't prom or lock-ins or retreats or hang-outs... but it was special and memorable.

Grad party was postponed a month due to lock-downs and even then, only a few showed up but we still made the best of it, especially since my oldest got the time off and made the treck from Arizona.

Shenanegans insued!!

***

The studio transformation....

...before her furnature was moved in. Complete with cat walks for her FIVE cats!!

We traveled back-and-forth across Montana multiple times this summer managing MIL's big move. Above we got in on selfie mode at Flathead Lake which he hadn't seen since we left 7 years ago (yes, I'm taller than my husband!!) and on one of our return trips we had our first ever night away with NO kids in well over 20 years when we stayed in Dillon, MT and visited and old ghost town in Bannack - Montana's first state capital!

***

Hubby turned the big 5-0 in September so we packed my visiting nephew, mother-in-law and the youngest two "kids" in the car and celebrated at Mount Rushmore...

...a total bucket-list moment for my husband (my 3rd visit)

Brooke took a second job as a Teacher's Assistant at a Christian preschool in order to determine if this may become a degree pursuit for her next fall. She also took up bigger and more detailed projects in painting.

I guess you could say, the "sky" is the limit!!

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

5 Thoughts on Homeschooling Possibility

2020-04-10T07:30:00.000-06:00

It has been over 12 years since we first began homeschooling (not counting our homeschool preschool experiences). It was something I had always been curious about but truly lacked the courage for. I had attended college for a few years but I did not have my degree and I was no specialist in childhood education.

I was, however, an avid volunteer at my kids' school from the moment my oldest crossed their threshold. He, by this point, had entered the 8th grade, my middle two were in 2nd and 4th grade respectively and my youngest was just beginning preschool.

My dedicated volunteering had earned respect among the more seasoned teachers who welcomed me frequently and even gave me tips for working with my kiddos on extra activities at home. They began to encourage me to apply as a sub. I prayed and contemplated the prospect. In an effort of what I believe was to convince me to join the call list, one of the teachers encouraged me to browse their teacher manuals while helping prepare classroom lessons one day.

I couldn't believe my eyes: E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. was drawn out within the extensive book's pages. Not just what to teach but how to teach it. Alongside miniaturized snapshot versions of the student's text were pop-out columns which included dialogue and project ideas along with in-text answers and detailed teaching information. The shroud was suddenly torn as I realized how scripted teaching had become... and that, in fact, I was capable of doing it too!

This is not to discredit those teachers who like to color outside the lines... go off-script, develop different projects and are gifted with an ability to really see each student's needs and address them appropriately. Teachers juggle a lot and I do respect those who work hard at their job.

However, for me, as mom, I began to see sign after sign of how God was calling me to home educate my kids. I didn't need a degree or special permission. I need not know developmental psychology (though I had taken it in college). Being my children's mother was all the qualification required.

A series of unfortunate events brought the decision to a head and as Christmastime approached that year, I prepared our departure letter for the school and superintendent as was required in our area at that time. New year's dawned and we were officially a homeschool family (though my oldest remained in public school against my better judgement).

I've seen both sides of the fence. I chose to homeschool because I felt Called to. Many families right now are homeschooling out of necessity, using materials provided by the schools themselves. Even over the years as I have taught my children and am about to graduate my last, I have had so many parents comment to me: "I could never do what you do"... "I'm not qualified to teach my children"... "I don't think I could be around my kids all day like that"... and so on. And every time, it breaks my heart.

You CAN do it, if you choose to.
You ARE qualified, as mentioned above.
Your kids may be difficult, but it may also be because of public school...

My older daughter, who was in 4th grade when we pulled them out, has ADHD. She tested rather high on the spectrum. Our first few months at home were grueling. Having been 'caged' all day at school had caused behavior issues to manifest. It took time but within that first year of school, everyone around us noticed a major change in her. She could actually sit still longer, she was more engaged in learning, she even became a better conversationalist. Yes, some days I lost my temper.... but so did her teacher at school, so did her friends. The difference: she had the safety and security of knowing she was still loved by me, unlike the feelings of rejection growing in her at school. Before we began homeschooling, I struggled to understand her and was often frustrated with her.... but after homeschooling for a bit, I got her like no one else did. We grew closer and I grew more patient and understanding.

But I digress.

I have a question for all the mothers of public schoolers out there today:

Is it possible this current situation is something God is using to whisper to your heart on the point of homeschooling?

It may seem daunting, you may feel you are unqualified... but did you know God has already qualified you and provided a way? You just need a willingness.

I know some of the questions and concerns which will be swimming around your mind right now and so I thought I would try to address a few today, in case it can help...

5 Thoughts on Homeschooling Possibility

1. You are not alone (and your kids won't be weird and unsocialized!!)
The resources for homeschooling families are endless. Clubs in most communities for socialization and networking are countless. My kids were always involved in AWANA growing up and then youth group as they hit middle school and high school. I know families who also get involved in what are known as Coops (I'll talk more on those in a minute), they are a great opportunity for your children to interact with their peers. Youngers often have playground dates and many areas have Homeschool Organizations which provide a support system for parents and various activities for the youth including organizing field trips at discounted group rates.

Truth is, most homeschool kids are better adjusted in any setting because their social interactions are not limited to same-aged group, rather, they learn how to communicate confidently across the age spectrums and that confidence is often carried over into better aptitude in employment as well as adjusting to life on college campuses.

On a field trip with the homeschool group to spend the morning in an 1880s classroom at the local history museum, kids were invited to dress the part!

2. You have a tremendous amount of freedom in educational choice
Do you ever take issue with what or how your children are being taught? Are you one of the many families who despise helping your kids with Common Core math? I've got great news: Curriculum is as varied as types of learners are!

As a homeschool family you get the awesome privilege of picking whatever curriculum you want to use from a plethora of sellers. Online (and in person after Covid ends) Homeschool and Curriculum fairs give you an opportunity to be encouraged by key note speakers and explore the variety of options in learning materials out there.

Money an issue? No problem. Some families will spend hundreds of dollars a year on supplies while others spend very little. Studies have shown that more money does not equal better educated, which is good, because we never could afford high investment. Often times you can either find used materials through Ebay or garage sales and some homeschool groups offer local curriculum stores and book exchanges. There are also websites with loads of printable and online information for cheap or free. Two favorite resources of ours (link in text title):

Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool
The resources here are broken down by grade and subject. If you really wanted to, you could let Easy Peasy do ALL the work for you! We have mostly used them supplementally and have also used the high school Music Appreciation program. A friend of mine, who recommended it, had to work part time while also homeschooling and found this resource to be a life-saver with their schedule. My favorite part? It's FREEEEEEE!

Old Schoolhouse Teachers
Both a magazine you can subscribe to AND a website with amazing unlimited teacher resources for all grades which you can print or access online. (use "COW" as a coupon code and pay only $10 a month!) We love the plethora of options!

A tip: if you are anti-common core, be sure the math curriculum you use does not say "common core aligned". It is usually indicated in the product description or on the cover of the materials. Abeka and Teaching Textbooks do NOT use common core methods. I'm not certain on others though.

Other freedoms:

Time of day to begin and end teaching... entire up to you! By the way, I know your kiddos attend school for at least 6 hours a day, however, actual teaching takes much less than that. Elementary school kids can often have all their work done in 2-3 hours tops and upper level students in 3-4 hours, depending on the subjects you choose and their drive to get the lessons done.
What days you do school work are up to you. You can have a 4 day school week or a 5 day school week. You can choose to do 4 weeks on and one week off. You can teach year round or stick with the typical September through May. It is entirely up to you. Which brings up another great freedom:
You pick when vacations take place. Want to take 3 weeks off at Christmas time or plan a family vacation for March? No problem. Your time off is up to you and it isn't stuck on a one-week-at-a-time schedule!

Schoolwork in our RV as we spent a year traveling in missions work.

3. If you think you can't, options say you can!
A popular trend in homeschooling right now is Coops. These are groups which get together to exchange knowledge and resources. For example, you may not feel capable of teaching your kids science but your local homeschool coop is offering a science "class". It typically costs no money and works more on a barter system such as; you may teach Art or English or you might offer to look after the younger kids while olders learn in exchange for your kids' participation in other classes. Classes usually meet once a week and students are sent home with 'homework' to have completed by next class. Each coop is a bit different so you would want to see what the local options entail. This opportunity not only offers socialization but also peace of mind if you are concerned you need the help teaching a particular subject.

Another popular option for high schoolers is dual enrollment. Most colleges will accept students as early as Junior year of high school. Rates are reduced for dual enrollment and Student grants and/or loans are typically granted by FAFSA for these classes. I've known many students who graduate high school AND college with an Associates at the same time! However, most families simply have their kids take a few classes to get a jump start on college and to cover subjects like Science, Foreign Language or English which many parents feel they are not confident to teach on a high school level.

Sports can be a sticking point for some families as well. Again, many towns have not only developed homeschool support groups but also teams which compete with area schools. Some smaller Christian schools will also allow homeschoolers to participate on their teams. If those are not options, you may also check into local leagues your kids can participate in through Parks and Rec, YMCA and a myriad of other outlets.

Music is another big point with many families. Our homeschool association where the kids grew up had a full band and choir! Other options include private lessons, church groups and peer groups.

Attended Handle's Messiah with friends. It was performed by our local professional orchestra and choir (the orchestra does semi-annual meet-and-greets with their instruments for local youth!)

We all spent a few years singing with our church choir and Brenden and Brooke also spent some time with the homeschool choir

After singing and then learning to play guitar, Ashley served in multiple capacities in the church and was eventually mentored by her youth pastor/music minister in Worship leadership.

Brooke took piano lessons from a graduated and now married homeschooler! Even got to attend music parties with the other students and plan for recitals.

4. You don't have to know everything to teach
It is OK to read the textbooks with your kids and learn as you go! I wasn't raised in the church and I went to regular public school (I also was not the best student in any class that wasn't history or writing or art!!!). I love our Christian based curriculum and how it opens up a whole new field of information I was never exposed to. I've also absorbed information I either never picked up in school or perhaps I simply flushed!

Game show style review for history with questions adjusted to each grade level

5. Homeschooling is NOT School at home (unless you want it to be)
You do not need to line up little school desks or have absolute structure from one class to the next. Homeschooling doesn't just offer the beautify of learning while still in your p.j.s, it also means you can do lessons on the back porch, at the park, at grandma's house and even in the coffee shop or library!

Homeschooling also offers greater opportunities to not just learn from books... but to also learn from LIFE.
     Home Ec: in the kitchen helping out.
     Science: gardening, exploring in the back yard or at the local pond
     History: museums, the History Chanel, YouTube, a family member or friend who was 'there'
     Math: through games or transactions at the store or measuring for a project...
     Language Arts: writing letters to friends and family, simply reading good books also, check out notebooking/lapbooks!

Our favorite style of homeschooling has been the Charlotte Mason method. While I would classify us as "Eclectic" homeschoolers, there is definite Mason influence in our approaches to learning. We were often found at parks or in the backyard nature journaling and observing. We also did a lot of unit studies, combining multiple subjects into one in order to saturate our lives each week with the information we were learning.

Wrapping up a unit on Ancient Rome: kids made armor and had a friendly gladiator fight in the front yard!

Nature study at a local park

***

I have thrown a lot of information out there and you may still have questions. Please feel free to comment below. If you know anyone who homeschools, pick their brain on what is (and isn't) working for them. Check out homeschooling chat groups on Facebook or Instagram. Be assured: there is no ONE AND ONLY way to homeschool (even if someone says there is!) opinions and practices are very diverse.

Each state does have different requirements for homeschooling. You can reference the HSLDA website (link in text) for a mountain of resources, articles and even a breakdown of homeschooling laws by state.

Finally, I will admit this to you: like mothering, homeschooling isn't always easy. Some days you AND your kids are in tears... and others, you are laughing till your sides split. It takes dedication and, even on the days you want to dump them back in school, perseverance with an eye on the prize can keep you motivated. What is the prize? Time, family and a firm foundation.

Sibling school set up...

...years passed but the partnership never changed except to grow stronger

When I first pulled my middle two out, they had been starting to drift away from the closeness and commitment to family, particularly to their siblings. My oldest was already a stranger in our household, loosing necessary connection to the family in lieu of all things school. As I mentioned, I left him in public school against my better judgement. In the end, though, all my homeschooled kids are very intelligent, had the options for college everyone else did and, most of all, they came to respect each other and my husband and I in a way public school never would have taught them.

Yes, it will be a roller coaster. But it will be a glorious ride and, I promise, it goes faster than you can imagine.

She was 4th grade, unfocused and almost out of control. She hated to read and couldn't sit still to write. She graduated 2016, level headed, very studious with multiple classical novels under her belt and 2 manuscripts she was hoping to publish! Oh, and most of her friends had no idea she was once a poster child for ADHD!

Whatever you decide.... you've got this. Pray, trust and, regardless, always be available... first to God and then to your kids ♥️

Blessings to you!

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

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Peace in Uncertainty

2020-04-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

Life right now is much like this path above; the end seems far off and uncertain. Some have lost income, others drift from day-to-day hoping and praying their jobs are not next in the long line of shut doors and down-sized staff.

I know, we are in the latter group. Each day my husband works from home on projects we pray will continue and keep him employed while many of his coworkers collect walking orders. At times the stress can mount. I know to look to God, I remember the countless times he has carried us through even deeper divides. Yet, I believe it is human nature to adopt worry and carry it along. Perhaps this is why the Bible speaks so extensively about not worrying!

Skimming through Instagram this weekend I felt as though the general pulse was beating on one word: uncertainty.

It isn't that we may be laid off... it is IF.
It isn't that the kids are home in otherwise public schooled families... it is IF they are heading back.
It isn't that life is shut down just now... it is IF it will get back to normal anytime soon (and what "normal" will actually be).

It is hard to set schedules and find rhythms when each day feels as though it is a breath caught in your chest which you are afraid to release. At times it immobilizes us, paralyzes us with fear or concern. How do we breathe normal in these times? How do we have peace in the midst of so much uncertainty?

5 Tips for Finding and Maintaining Peace of Mind

in Uncertain Times

1. Be OK With the Unknown
Yes, not knowing is the biggest part of the battle for many. However, no matter how much we worry or plead, much of life right now is just stuck in that gray area beyond: be OK with that. It seems like an over-simplification, but it truly boils down to just.that. There are things you DO know: walk forward with those.

For us, we have a job today and, likely, for at least the rest of this week. I will opperate with that simple fact. Any small (or big) thing you can find to walk forward in... walk. The rest will work out in it's time and we can't focus on what we can't see, we'll just end up wandering in circles or off a cliff!!

2. Find Routine at the Core
On that note, routine can help in the process. NOT to worship a routine, however, I know, for myself, without routine or plans inside of even the most basic days, I am more likely to sit and wallow. NO WALLOWING! Like worry, it won't solve anything. No, get up and DO.

Make a list of daily chores, projects or other to-dos and challenge yourself to tackle them. Have a plan for each day and walk it out as best you can, giving yourself grace if you can't get to it all. Plan for an entire week or just a day at a time. Find a routine, whatever the case, and let God guide you in and around it.

3. Menu Plan
This may seem like an odd thing to add into our top 5, however, one thing is always constant: we need to eat! Planning meals not only gives you a point to plan around through the course of each day, it also helps you to be better prepared as meal time approaches. You can just plan dinners out or you may detail Breakfast and Lunch and even snacks as well. This type of planning will also help you to ration your food well and keep you mindful of needed ingredients before they are due.

4. Laugh!
Sometimes I feel as though there is an undercurrent of people right now who feel we must be somber because these are somber times. I say: respect those who are feeling down. The Bible calls us to empathy for those who are struggling. However, tasteful joking, laughing through the tension and pursuing a more light-hearted approach can be the difference between hope and heartache.

To help me walk with a lighter frame of mind I have cut back and rarely watch or read the news anymore. I've done all the research I can do. I know what I know and, honestly, it doesn't matter in changing the course of life right now. So, moving forward, I refocus that energy. I try to share at least one funny or light-hearted meme each day on Instagram. I let myself laugh when something seems too crazy. I remember how, someday, this will all be a memory and I pray it is one in which I can remember perseverance and hope rather than giving up and brokenness.

(P.S. They say 'laughter is the best medicine'!)

5. In His Presence
This may be last on the list but it is the first and overarching point in the whole of this tally. Get-with-God. A daily Bible study is always one of the best ways to grow and experience the presence of God... and never more-so than now. Study and memorize scripture, pray without ceasing and surround your heart and home with worship music such as can be found on KLove, Air1 or your local Christian station.

Contemplating throughout the day: What does God's Word say about this? What is His Character and how can I draw strength from that? How can I find His mercies or blessings today? can be deeply transformative. Bathing each point in this list (and any additional you may think of) in His Presence will open up His Power to guide you forward in peace... even if you can't see the end of the path right now.

***

We can't change the way of the world... but we can change the way we let the world impact us. Jump to task, push forward and, most of all, keep our eyes squrely on Christ as our one sure hope ♥️

I pray you are able to find peace in uncertainty this week and each week ahead.

Blessings to you!

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

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Take a Step, Live, Hope, repeat.

2020-03-31T10:12:00.002-06:00

I'm weary.

Are you weary?

I was thinking this morning of the old Thomas Paine quote, "These are the times that try men's souls..." and wondered if it would be off-beat to apply it to now.

These ARE the times which try us: stay in... distance yourself... wait.... suffer....

But these are also that times which have great potential to grow us.

I began this week with a passion to focus on forward. Not the sticky mess of NOW or the speculations of then... no. To put one-foot-in-front-of-the-other and pull the pieces of life together to form something... anything which might resemble this new (even if temporary) "normal".

So I write.
I read the books which build my soul.
I keep teaching out the rest of senior year.
I wash the dishes after dinner (and throughout the day when needed).
I do another load of laundry.
I keep some form of pattern for cleaning the house.
I buy my groceries.
I turn off the news and social media.
I engage those who are around me.
I reach out to those who aren't.

I live.

90 years ago our grand-parents and great-grands endured much worse. A stock market crash prompted soaring suicide rates. People were without heat, a balanced diet and even a home. Generations invested in farms lost everything and had to move on.

Theirs was the epitome of despair.
But they lived.

They became resourceful. They celebrated occasion and tradition. They kept writing and reading and teaching and cleaning and pulling together what they could for their meals.

They lived. Their stories live on today and, even as the last of these generations are all but gone, the pages of history tell their tales.

If you read them, straight from those who lived it (not the politicized after-thoughts from those who weren't there) you may find notes of despair... but most of all, you find hope, resilience, ingenuity and a drive which went on to define their generations for the rest of their lives.

We are not in those times. Our struggles really are much more temporary than theirs. However, we can draw lessons from these sages of the past and we can have hope in the Greatness of our future... not because of material or wealth or food on the table... but because, no matter the situation, Christ is our hope and eternity is the greatness we strive for.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11-13

So take a step today. LIVE. Live like there are thousands of tomorrows and no tomorrows all in the same. Have hope and share hope. Rise above the situations and rest in Christ, allow His light to burst forth in you and through you that others might come to know Him.

Life goes beyond us but God uses us for our part in it... even and especially in our trials. You can do this... eyes on Him... you can walk on water in the midst of a storm.

Blessings to you♥️

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

Step Away From the Panic Button

2020-03-22T15:47:00.000-06:00

I said I would not continue writing about the current COVID-19 epidemic but it would seem to be impossible not to address this current crisis since pretty much everyone else is. Covid and its subsequent repercussions are a hard truth in our current day-to-day lives. Yet, I have tried to be quiet, tried to look the other way, tried to just post that which is most cheerful.... but it is like trying to cheer someone who doesn't understand why they are sad and can't seem to move past the fact that they are just down. Without understanding root and truth, one can never move beyond the moment or embrace the cure.

So, today, I'm going out on a limb. Perhaps it is the "teacher" in me, wanting to share some knowledge and encourage others to think as well. Maybe it is me, at the bottom of the barrel, tired of the heaping on and ready to say something. I can promise one thing: my blog is NOT going the direction of always posting in this thread. I don't like standing in this place because it is so polarizing and I tend to like to avoid confrontation and focus on more important issues like Eternity and reflecting Christ in every aspect of our lives including serving others in our home. So please forgive this momentary pause from my norm. I pray, if anything, it sparks thinking motors to move...

The Panic Button
As everyone panics about this latest virus, has anyone stopped to ask "why"? Who hit the panic button to begin with? Simply, from what I can tell: the media did it. I spent the past week taking time each day to watch the President's addresses and updates to our nation, un-edited, no commentary, straight up CSPAN style. Most days I walked away feeling encouraged and hopeful. Then, I would turn on a news outlet (pick one, any one, both sides of the fence) and my confidence began to nose-dive as each commentator and group of "experts" began their dose of opinion and speculative reporting while also hurling attacks across to various sides of the colorful debates.

It was sickening.

So I turned it off. I would still watch the daily briefings and keep an eye on my state's latest issuances concerning public restrictions, otherwise, I shut it all off. And you know what? I didn't feel so stressed or worried. I didn't feel panicked or as if the "end is near". I could see sense and think clearly for myself.

Then....

Consequences of Pushing the Panic Button
As I adjusted this past week to my husband working from home, grateful he had the type of job which allowed him to do so while many were furloughed in other industries, I also knew nothing should be taken for granted. My daughter's hours were deeply cut at work and I grew concerned that both my son's jobs (one of them being brand new and starting on April 1st) would see drastic cuts as well since many positions were being deemed disposable under buckling economic strain.

Then Friday, as I prepared to pay our monthly bills, I heard my husband in his office area trying to muster positivity and courage. "I understand.... yes, I can get that done.... so you are saying 2 weeks?... no, it's ok, God is in control...." and suddenly I paused. At the completion of his phone conversation I learned that his company is preparing to lay off 70% of their contractors and, for the next two weeks while he completes a critical systems project, he has been deemed "critical staff", however, at the end of his deadline, he may very well find himself furloughed as his company's stocks join others in a free-fall.

A Dose of the Actual Reality
Yes, as my husband stated, God IS in control, and that is my one comfort. As well meaning grocery store clerks, who are among the few remaining busy in these times, unwittingly remark "At least you'll get unemployment compensation" I can't help but think they have never received it themselves... an amount only a fraction of your regular pay which just barely (if at all) keeps you from drowning.

Bail-outs don't solve long term problems.

Relief is only relief if it puts hard-working Americans back to work.

The numbers aren't adding up but everyone is too busy panicking to notice while good people are put into very difficult positions.

I'm not buying
The sad thing is, most Americans suffer from short-term memory loss. It is like listening to a salesman say, "Buy my gadget it will complete every task for you in record time" and so you buy and then it doesn't live up to snuff.... and a few months or years later another salesman offers, "My gadget is even better than the other guy's....." and you buy, duped by the snazzy sale pitch again.

I'm.not.buying.

I will bend and try to practice some of that "social distancing" and "self-quarantining" everyone is so critically promoting if ONLY because...

For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.

By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died

Romans 14:15

I do my best to smile, be polite and not flaunt the fact that I am NOT buying it. Because others are just doing what they think is best (never mind the mounting number of people out of work now and about to be displaced because someone pushed the panic button... never mind the facts contrary to the current 'need' to panic.)

Truth Matters
We've gotten lazy. We are happy to turn on the news or grab our headlines from favorite apps and outlets. We don't pay attention to the wording and we ignore the "facts", which is easy, because they are too often left out altogether. I feel as though the digging has been left to those deemed too extreme... when in fact, we are all called to be seekers of truth (both Biblically and lifewise)

So here is truth:

H1N1 had (and continues to have) more annual rates of infection, hospitalizations and deaths than Corona Virus.
Covid-19 aka Wuhan Virus (because most viruses are named after their origin) aka SARS-CoV-2. That is right, "SARS", "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" from 2003 and also first detected in China, is Covid-19's ugly brother.
Corona Virus is the cause of 30% of the common cold every year and has been since the mid-twentieth century.
Many outlets, including science periodicals, are using CDC and WHO data for worldwide outbreaks against U.S. data of the outbreaks to give deceptive information. For example, one science journal reported that the mortality rate of Covid is anywhere from 1-3 % compared to H1N1 at .02% when, in fact, the Covid # they reported came from world population to date of the Corona outbreak while the H1N1 stat is only for U.S. population for the span of 1 year. If you even the playing field, the actual statistic for the U.S. alone is only about .01 for Covid19 and .02 for H1N1.
That's right, H1N1 has twice the mortality rate and continues to hospitalize and infect more Americans to date than the Corona Virus.
H1N1's first year (2009) stats = 60.8-89.3 MILLION Americans contracted; 274,304-402,719 hospitalized; 12,469-18,306 deaths. (Total affected worldwide was 1.4 BILLION)
Last year in the U.S. alone, according to the CDC, 34,200 people died from H1N1. That is more than the current tally of Americans simply infected with Covid-19 (current total deaths are 400). There is just NO way, at our current trajectory, we could even come close to last year's H1N1 fatalities, let alone even hit the ballpark statistics for 2009's mortality rates.

Why the Panic Button Then?
I think there are a few reasons. Some, political, but I won't cover that at this time because it is mostly speculation. What we do know to be fact: new and unknown = scary. And in these new and unknown situations, the media can either help or hinder.

There was a time when news outlets did their part to inform and help calm the public's fears. Case in point:

Why was the media of 2009 playing down a virus which was, in fact, very deadly and infecting considerably more individuals than Covid-19? Why didn't the stock market plummet? Why didn't the country get shut down? Why didn't they encourage "social distancing" and "self-quarantine" and why don't they still when variations of the flu, including the still-in-existance H1N1, continue to infect, hospitalize and take more lives than Covid?

I can speculate. You can speculate. We all can speculate. But all speculation aside, if the media was doing their part, they might help ease fears rather than feed them. You may think that is an off-handed statement, however, one quick search of major media headlines shows a sharp contrast to those you would have seen in 2009. Just today:

(That middle one was Fox, I couldn't fit the title in) I'm not trying to minimize the fact that this is serious and people DO need to be careful. However, in comparing various charts, including those from the CDC and WHO, I believe part of the panic is also that Covid is hitting faster and harder than H1N1... but... it is tapering off and even going down in some areas already, where H1N1 did not. As a matter of fact, H1N1 continued a dizzying climb which is still fought against to this day with the annual flu vaccine. Most charts shared in defense of Covid panic leave this small but important fact out.

Solution?

I don't know. Well, I do know: quit panicking. Restart life at the end of these 14 days. Start a campaign to ignore media outlets until they decide they want to report FACTS, fairness and see to what is best for public peace instead of fueling discord and panic. I know that is a utopian thought which we are no where near seeing though.

So then what? Well, I keep remembering Romans 14. While I won't feed the panic or perpetuate it in any shape or form, I will quietly listen and observe what I can. I will respect those who choose to hide-out in homes, wear masks and gloves and slide change across the counter as if it stops cross-contamination (even though it doesn't). When people, like me, speak out against the panic pushing, I will give them high-fives and stand by their side (no social distancing necessary).

In the meantime, I will readjust my life out of necessity. To fight it is futile. I will mind my spending so if hubby is furloughed we won't feel the pinch too badly. I will re-configure our daily schedule to accommodate chore variations in light of him working from home. I will plan a full 3-meal-a-day menu plus buy or make snacks since more bodies are here 24/7 to require the fuel (and avoid fridge raiding and bad eating habits!!). Most of all I will be more deliberate in scheduling family and down time, especially for my 17 year old since she needs the most encouragement.

The Unspoken Victims

It is deemed selfish to speak of this last point, and maybe that is true. I guess my angle is: if this were truly a massive crisis and highly deadly, I could understand the need to cancel life... but because of the panic button pushing and skewed information, canceling big life events leaves un-necessary heartache.

What about a child who is fear-mongered into believing we all could die or hope is lost? Their nightmares and trauma which will have lasting effects.

How about a couple's wedding plans. The ones the bride dreamed of since she was a little girl? Down-sized or cancelled all because of un-necessary panic?

What about the graduate and their hard work... will commencements be cancelled too? All other milestone senior year activities have been.

This last reality has really hit home because this year was that long-awaited for year. My heart hurts for my daughter who has been dreaming and preparing and hoping since middle school for those fabulous senior year moments... the last youth conference (cancelled), the last weeks of youth group (cancelled), senior Sunday at church and sharing her Call for the future (cancelled), attending friends' graduations and parties (tabled), invited to prom and buying a lovely new dress for the Cinderella occasion (cancelled), her own graduation with friends and family from all over (downsized).

Not Insensitive, Just Common Sense

You may think I am insensitive... I have seen others on social media with similar views to mine being attacked in that regard. I am not. I have aging and weak immune systemed parents, one of whom lives in the massively populated and currently shut-down Chicagoland area... I have friends with children who have compromised health... but all of these people are more susceptible to H1N1/Flu right now then to Covid and I would tell them all the same thing:

wear a mask,

limit excursions during flu season,

wash your hands,

use antibacterial cleaners,

attend to your healthy choices as best you can so your immune system has a boost

.... and to others who might visit them, I say the same thing I said when I was helping my step-dad recover from his cancer surgery: don't visit if you are sick!!! That has been a rule of thumb for years that, if anything, maybe Covid-19 can serve as a reminder on: if you don't feel well, avoid human contact, especially with infants, elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

This whole thing is like when your brother broke the neighbor's window but everyone got grounded because they happened to be standing near-by... and especially the sibling who tattled because he tattled... when only one person required the punishment.

Common sense action. I heard a report that people in my parents' age group were not taking the mandates seriously.... I believe it is because they remember... they are not buying it... they know that common sense action is all that is required, not over-the-top mass hysteria over a virus with considerably higher recovery rates than H1N1/flu! I've talked to medical workers who don't understand or agree with the panic. I've talked with those in the 'highest risk' groups are are equally skeptical of the hype.

We can't change the effects of SARS-CoV-2/aka/Corona Virus/aka/Covid-19/aka/Wuhan Virus... but we can roll into another day with hope, with peace, knowing we will be OK and, even if the bottom falls out of the economy in the process, we will pull through that too. God has a plan.

I may be hard on the true numbers here, but I do want to acknowledge: while it isn't as bleak as we are led to believe, people are still sick and some have died.... pray for them, pray for their families, and pray for viable treatment to come soon.... of this, of the flu and of the many other critical diseases and viruses claiming lives each and every day.

A Parting Thought

I can complain about how this virus is being handled, but I would be remiss to not consider some interesting points in the process:

Families are re-connecting
Homeschooling is on the rise, even if only temporarily (what if this method of learning drastically increased on regular time!!)
The art of Homemaking is being re-visited
Church cancellations may open people up to see who/what the Church was intended to be and deepen their faith and spirituality!

If these points become the most life-altering outcomes... all of the trouble has been more-than worth it!!

Are you feeling hopeless right now? Turn off the news. Turn on some good Christian music. Open your Bible. Set-up an alternative daily household plan. Make time for kids and spouse. Breathe. Remember, this too WILL pass and it really isn't as bad as everyone is saying. Focus on the brighter 'other side' and be the hope to those around you... especially to your kids or family or friends who suddenly find themselves panicked or displaced or missing out. I know I may be bummed for my daughter right now and concerned about my husband's job, but truthfully, it is an opportunity to remember what really matters in life... not the pageantry or the paycheck, rather, it is that Vertical relationship and how we administer it horizontally! THIS must be my heart and focus and I pray it would be yours as well ♥️

Blessings,

Just a few of my sources:
Health.com

Cidrap

CDC
Quartz
Gisanddata.maps

Adorning the Dark

2020-03-16T16:42:00.002-06:00

I'm back from 4 months of off-and-on travels inside of 6 months of somewhat chaotic fluctuations. Packing, "Adorning the Dark" by Andrew Peterson, along to doctor's appointments, hospital visits and plane rides was to be the corner of peace and encouragement this on-pause writer's heart needed. At it's start my pencil found many passages to highlight... encouragement from a man who has spent his life in the music and writing industry. However, it also had its daunting moments.

Truth be told: I had never heard of Andrew Peterson before obtaining this book. I requested it because, as a creative myself, I thought I might be able to find hope and encouragement in its pages. I did a quick YouTube search in order to ascertain details on the author and grab a better grounding as I dove in.

His writing felt personal and conversational yet I also felt like I should know something of various references he would casually make and therefore, at times, I felt like a bit of an outsider. I began to realize, while some nuggets may be personally edifying, much of his sharing would perhaps find deeper inspiration in a seasoned fan or musician.

None-the-less, I plugged on, finding encouragement and relativity through those self-defeatist ideas the Enemy is so good at planting in my mind. It is always wonderful to 'meet' someone who share their troubles so explicitly that you can say, "YES! Me too!!", a sentiment I felt often enough through the first quarter of the book to drive me through any marshyness.

Rounding the first quarter, though, I was becoming more and more aware of an odd mix of biblical and secular awareness. Just as I wondered if and where he drew strength from the Spirit because the writing seemed so focused on the world, he would pop out a powerful side-note of how God truly is the center of a creative's work.

Again, I would push on. After all, aren't we all just mere mortals? Then, I hit just past the halfway point at 35,000 feet over the Southeastern United States, ironically Mr. Peterson's stomping ground, and suddenly I was gaping.

You see, growing up, I always had an obsession with music. Both construction and lyric, I am very passionate about understanding the messages we hear. Some people just hear tune and words... but not me. I always here message and metric. Words matter and, as a Christian, if I had to choose; words matter more than melody.

Biblically speaking, I could quote rows of verses, but the most common one is probably the hardest one for us humans... the "whatever is's"...

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

As he shared the importance of discernment, ironically, he expounded using a story of mentoring his musically gifted daughter and how all his teaching came full circle when she received a Christian Kids Bop CD to which he cringed as it played... and then was relieved when she identified its poor musical quality and asked that it be turned off and replaced with a specific secular artist. His proud papa moment was acknowledging how a bit of snobbery in music was good because, "it is better to listen to a great song by someone who wasn't a Christian than a bad song by someone who was..."

I disagree.

Suddenly vague references earlier in the pages began to rise above grace. In a world where Christianity constantly wars with secular... where spiritual warfare is very real and very weakening... where young people, like I was, take lyrics to heart and let them sing the melody of mood and decision... I couldn't understand WHY he would encourage a young girl to gravitate towards such messages all for the sake of melody. Yes, there is bad music written by Christians but the lyrics will always keep our eyes heavenward. Besides, there is also great Christian music which could rival any secular band... if it was only given the chance.

After this point in the book, the shaky respect I had, began to full-on crumble. I couldn't bring myself to burn the time required for the remaining chapters when a quick skim told me it was only going to get worse.

I don't like having to give a book a bad review. As a writer, I know how much passion is poured into the pages of any installment. I can say Mr Peterson gave his all and, from a certain standpoint, he did produce an encouraging memoir. However, as a Christian reviewer, my bar is always set on a few simple marks:

Does this book spiritually encourage it's reader
Is this book Biblically sound
Does this book cause the reader to draw closer to Christ and choose more Godly actions

Secondarily:

Are the prose well written.
Is the book well organized.
Is the writer engaging.
Is the material relatable and accessible.

Sadly the marks were not met by "Adorning the Dark".

Do you have criteria for the books you read?

Blessings,

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lifeway in exchange for my review. This review is my opinion alone.

FMF: Less... and more

2020-03-13T10:19:00.000-06:00

My hiatus is slowly coming to a close, I am working my way back to a regular blogging schedule while life remains busy with the plans of graduation + moving my mother-in-law into our spare 'cottage' + moving adult kids on their own. For all intents and purposes, though, I am working my way back here because, at the end of the day, writing is my quiet place... it is my 'idea board'... it is my Call and all that has kept me away for the past few months will undoubtedly make its way into articles I share as I move forward. For now, what better way to kick back off than with a Five Minute Friday drill? So here goes........

*******************

Less.

Just now this word rings in my heart. At a time when everyone is grabbing for more.... more toilet paper, more cleaner, more of any and every little thing deemed "necessary" to "survive". A looming apocalypse in the minds of many when, compared with historic data, it all honestly feels more and more like a bloated crises over an understandable health concern. Only time will tell.

I don't normally like to get 'political' on here because politics are so polarizing, therefore, I will NOT dive into that side of it. But what I WILL do is stay on the heart of what this blog is all about..... FAITH.

Over the years, our family has endured both feast and famine. I truly love the full passage in Philippians 4 when Paul expresses:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned

in whatever situation I am to be content.

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.

In any and every circumstance, I have learned

the secret of facing plenty and hunger,

abundance and need.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11-13

ALL things through [Christ] who strengthens him... from having LESS to having more. From illness to wellness. From harsh government policy to freedoms to live autonomously.

The more I reflect on the current climate the more I want to panic over how things are handled... then I see the word of God and, instead of panic, the more I hear that gentle "shhhhhhh".

I may not be able to stock up or control how policy is handled... my worry may not be illness but rather dabbles in freedom and ability... ability to travel, to walk into my store and purchase what we need whenever we need it, to see my kids find good careers instead of "closed" signs, to turn on the computer and t.v. and NOT be bombarded with "doomsday".... and then I am reminded: less.

Less in my cupboards is opportunity for culinary creativity.

Less concern over economy since our grandparents and great-grands survived the Great Depression and IF we find ourselves on that path again, we will too.

Less worry because God truly does have this, He is still on His thrown. And whether this whole thing truly is bad... or whether it passes like last year's influenza when the weather warms... none of it truly matters because God IS at work.

*******************

My apologies if this offends anyone. I do NOT want to cause controversy nor do I want to debate. I am merely observing and sharing what I see... like so many others. This will be the ONLY post anywhere on any of my platforms where I will address the issue because, honestly, I want to focus on living and less on a ton of 'what-ifs'. I want to be that quiet peace in the storm of information and hysterical overload because I am finding God at my own center and author of my own peace.

I respect that some do feel passionately about caution and preparedness. I AM staying informed and doing my own research for personal understanding... I think it is just as detrimental if we stick our head in the sand when major issues play in our country... however, what I do not want to do is add to hype or craze or validate all the "more" milling around. I will cling to less.

Less hype, less panic, less politicizing. I will reach for more hope and more optimism while grounded in reality. It is what I know I am called to do as darkness and debate swarm social media and the news and any pop-up in my browser. In the midst of the chaos I stake my flag on PEACE, the only lasting peace: that which is found in the Word and presence of God who says, whether less or more, He is in the midst and He has got this.

Less of me and all those burdens.... more of Him♥️

Blessings,

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

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When the Homemaker Must Travel

2019-11-04T16:37:00.001-07:00

My wheels will be rolling over hundreds of miles of pavement later this week as I head to northwest Montana. I'm needed. It isn't a vacation or a chosen time of year for travel, but my whole heart goes; ready, willing and able.

I think that is what I love about this "Homemaker" gig: I'm always needed! Not that I rely on some sort of emotional prop of being "needed", rather, I am a caregiver by nature... I ~~like~~ love taking care of people. Whatever the need, give me a ring... I will be there.

As a housewife, though, it is easy (and natural) for the whole of household affairs to rest on my shoulders. It is a happy burden I carry, but what happens when I am also needed elsewhere? Somewhere hundreds, even thousands, of miles away, and I must go?

Running a home is much like running a business or managing a department inside of a corporation. It requires time management skills, delegation power and crafty juggling of tasks which are your responsibility... tasks which keep the family fed, cleanly clothed and living in a sanitary environment. Who takes over when the Homemaker must travel?

In the past 5 years I have had to travel away from the home for others' needs more than I have in the whole of the 27 years since I started this gig. However, my first (mostly) solo trip leaving my family without their homemaker for a short period of time was 17 years ago when a sudden and unexpected call prompted a suitcase packed with black and somber maneuvering through a string of airports 24 hours later. Each excursion since has been measurably easier with ample time to plan and pack.

Now, my children are mostly grown but the two middles live at home with the youngest and still look to me as master conductor of the household. My 16 year old was lady of the house on my last trip but she will be accompanying me on this latest one, leaving my husband and the middles to fend. In some measures it is getting easier... but it requires some planning. As I prep to head out later this week, here are just nine things which came to mind

Organizing is key. If you are generally an unorganized person, now is not the time to start from scratch!! Pick up where you are and go forward. As for me, I have a system of lists which we use for checking off chores and watching everyone's schedules. I am currently planning to be away for about a month so I have modified our weekly checklist into a month-long chart with recommended frequencies printed into the check-boxes.

Staying strong has also been helpful. Remembering that my trip will be short and encouraging the family who are staying behind, helps everyone mentally prepare for the shift in authority.

Letting go of how I think things should go and realizing that the family needs to alter HOW things are done to fit the change in flow and hierarchy. As long as pets are fed (and not starved) and plants are watered, I make no other requirements of them. I do leave the a fore mentioned lists, but I don't harp on them. Their dad will have different expectations than I and the last thing everyone needs is to feel like they are competing to satisfy someone who isn't even under the roof at the moment!!

Leave them ready to take over. I will do as much of the deep cleaning as I can before I go, leaving them to maintenance mode while I am gone. I will also sit down with all of them and discuss the checklists and needs of the home which are non-negotiable as well as recommendations and tips for the areas which are more flexible. I will encourage and remind them of how capable they are and how proud I am of them. Kids can often feel insecure when mom is gone... and, surprisingly, so can some husbands! Reflective positive confidence will make them feel capable of holding the reins while I am gone.

Pack the fridge and pantry with easy meals and snacks. If you have time before you go, you can also make a few nutritious dinners and freeze them for reheating. This will make it easier on hubby who will have plenty to adjust to with you gone as it is. And if your husband is anything like mine... I do NOT want him in a grocery store with a debit card... we will have no money left and a freezer full of ice-cream, burgers and jalapeno poppers!!! (When my mom passed away, the church blessed my family with the first few nights of dinners while we all adjusted. It meant so much and I highly recommend it if you know someone who looses a loved one!)

Make necessary arrangements before you leave. If kids are younger and need to get to and from school or activities, be sure to have plans clearly drawn out and arrangements made before departure. Even this simple step can help your family feel as though part of you is still there.

If you homeschool don't feel bad if books need to be set aside until you return. If you feel some form of gap studies are necessary you can encourage or assign books for reading, math facts for reviewing and copy work to maintain penmanship and grammar skills in your absence. Regular academics can easily be caught up when you return.

Allow indulgences. It is difficult for the family to be without us. Setting extra restrictions while we are gone will only exasperate everyone and make the separation worse. I usually allow extra t.v. time and even an eat-out night once a week. I will also bake certain treats for them before I leave so they can enjoy some form of sweet goodness in my absence!

Pray together before you go. Unifying the family under the cloak of prayer will help you feel stronger through the days ahead. It also acknowledges your trust and strength in God to guard the time apart.

Traveling as a Homemaker is no different then when a boss must be away: leaving instructions and tying up loose ends before they go. Being a homemaker is a blessing and a call... but it is also a responsibility.... one we should all treasure and take seriously because others are depending on us.

Having to be apart from the home and family comes for many reasons but, most often, if we are going alone, it is because a loved one needs our help. Often hospital hallways and nursing home bedsides become our temporary home during these 'excursions'. But even if the travel is for a more light-hearted event, worrying about how the home runs while we are gone should be the least of our concerns, and good planning ahead (when possible) can relieve many worries.

If you are reading this I assume you are not prepping to leave the household behind for needed travel, BUT, it is always good to be prepared. As with a fire drill or 'just in case' scenario your family is accustomed to prepare for, it is wise to set up a tentative list and order of operations just in case the Homemaker must travel. Consider:

necessary chores (just the basics, don't overwhelm them!!) and list them out
people to call for help to transport kids
basic operations of the home and how to transfer charge while you are gone.

When the Homemaker must travel the house can survive! Go where you are needed but remember to be prepared for the needs of those who must stay!

She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 31:27

Blessings,

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
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Is a Housewife Less Than?

2019-10-16T12:12:00.000-06:00

Why does housewifery matter so much? What is the big deal? I mean, as women, aren't we suppose to want the corporate job, the important position, scraping for the bacon and finding our name among those who made something of themselves? I am all for a woman's ability to do and be what she wants, but has the feminist movement devalued the simple desire of being a housewife?

What if what I want is to be a housewife? Not a scientist or doctor or CEO.

What if I find my position as caretaker and manager of my home important? What if the bacon I am scraping for is the pieces sizzling in my pan? What if the only place I really care about seeing my name is on the points list for coupons at my grocery store? When did housewifery become so remedial?

In Courtney Reissig's books, "The Accidental Feminist" and "Glory in the Ordinary" she explores the history of feminism and the repercussion and implications to today's housewife... it is startling. (For links to her books visit my "Store" tab above). Honestly, I didn't need her books to tell me what I was already seeing... but her books helped me to understand I was not alone... what I see is not an isolated experience. Her books, I felt, gave me a voice in unison instead of ashamedly letting go silent in my suffering of self-devaluing and inundated struggles with condemnation from the women and men who want to say:

"Oh, you're JUST a housewife...
when are you going to get a 'real' job...
when are you going to actually contribute to your household...
you are just lazy, you don't want to work."
[insert heart-break emoji here]

That's real. That's truth. Do you get it too?

But while these statements may really and truthfully happen... they are not truthful reality to the position and demands of a housewife.

I'm old/young enough to have intimately known the 1940s and 50s housewives... they were my grandparents and great-aunts. I watched them tie their aprons as I sat on their raised chrome and vinyl kitchen chairs with flip-down step-stools, peeling potatoes with a pairing knife onto Formica counters and chatting about chores and baking secrets. I watched my grandfathers scuffle in with their metal Stanley lunch pails, thermoses clasped in the top, pecking their grinning wives on the cheeks before exiting to wash up and change for dinner.

Balance.

That is what I think of when I see housewifery in its truest form.

My grandfathers and great-uncles delighted in their day-to-day jobs. None of them had the luxury of suit and tie office work, all were blue-color blokes providing for nice homes, vacations fishing on the rivers and lakes of the Midwest, modest well running cars and gifts for the grandkids, nieces and nephews when occasions arose.

The women of this generation toiled about the home, keeping it tidy, the bills paid, the decor in line and nutritious meals wrapped in wax for the daily lunch and piping hot dishes of roast beef or meatloaf with mashed potatoes, real mashed potatoes, on plates each evening. It was a time of fresh butter on a bowl of warm cream of wheat and small juice glasses filled each morning with sweet orange goodness. A time where "inequality" wasn't shouted when little girls pulled out small wooden ironing boards to mimic mother's while Johnny hauled the trash and played with metal pick-up trucks in the dirt.

There were times when this generation of women took in sewing for cash or learned her way around an Avon case to present to neighborhood women who were always quick to support each others pursuits in order to pad the bank account a bit or take care of a short-term wayward bill. They may take odd-jobs in and out of the home, but the home was most important. Community work and volunteering made a close second. Volunteer work many organizations now have to do additional fundraisers for in order to hire the same help which came abundantly for free from the heart only a few decades ago. Less money and resources for those they are trying to help.

How is this less-than?

If we don't clean our homes, who will?
If we spend all day at the office, where is our energy for much more beyond the basics in the evenings?
If we aren't home to do prep work, how are nutritious meals able to make a mainstay on household menus?

I'm not saying that women who work outside of the home are any less.... rather, I am pointing out that woman who work inside the home are just as much.

Is a man who collects garbage each week any less necessary to society than the banker who dons his suit and sits at his desk each day? Is the maid any less necessary to the function of a corporation than the management working there?

Think about it, we pay housekeepers and daycare providers and food industry workers and bus drivers and laundresses and gardeners and landscapers and home designers separately to do the tasks ONE housewife does each and every day... not to mention the planning, management and bill-paying aspect many of us also take on.

So tell me again, how is a housewife less-than? How is her roll any less accomplished then a woman in an office job or corporate space?

I read recently that it boils down to priorities. If we see "accomplishment" as advancement in position and pay, than our priority rests with the worldly concept of what we can attain. But if we view "accomplishment" as what we contribute irregardless of pay, then any position can vie for value.

It could be that our grand contribution in a given day is keeping our children out of danger... it could be having the time and taking the time to help a neighbor or aging/ill family member... it can even be that nutritious meal you put on the table, aiding your family's health and ability to do what they need to do.

Perhaps, in simplest terms, it is the human element we housewives contribute to the greater good of society: home. A body who is always there, always available, always loving and always willing. In an age of momentary pleasantries, kiosk ordering and UPS drivers who ring and run, I think our society is grossly lacking in the love of human care and connection.

We may not feel "connected" as we dust and vacuum in solitary fashion but, in fact, we are more connected than the grocery store clerk who quickly rushes each next patron through the line. Our children know our arms are ready to embrace. Our husband knows the home is being made ready for his arrival at the end of a long day. Family and friends know our voice will warmly welcome their calls at any time of the day.

We matter.

YOU matter.

Don't think you are just a housewife, you are so much more and, even if the only ladder you climb is the one you've placed to change a bulb or paint a wall, as long as you do it with your whole heart, focused on the glory of the Lord and the care of those you serve, then you are accomplished.

Ignore the nay-sayers... you know the truth. Jesus had nay-sayers, but He knew the ultimate Truth. He wasn't swayed, he plugged on, for the glory of the Lord.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

It isn't about whether you have children in the home or not.
It isn't about whether you are young or older.
It isn't about whether or not your family can afford the latest greatest [fill in the blank here].
It isn't about 'what are you doing with your time'... (you know what you are doing with your time!!!)
Even on the tough days when you feel like you have accomplished nothing or gotten everything wrong.. cling.

You are NOT less than.
You are more than enough.

Many women have done excellently,

but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:29-30

Blessings, sweet housewife.

You can click here to see some of the great blogs I am linking up today ...

*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?

Encouraging articles
Free printables under different themes each month
Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related

Dust in the Hands of a Mighty God

2019-10-08T16:56:00.000-06:00

I'm at a cross-roads.

We all are sometimes, aren't we? The path bends and winds... it rises and falls... sometimes there are steep climbs and others are easy strolls. Always, eventually, we come upon a crossroads in the path.

One thing about crossroads: there rarely seem to be signs.

Wouldn't signs me handy? Like, "Go this way for certain success" or "This way is going to be long and difficult". Oh, occasionally there may be hints, suggestions as to what we might find. Sometimes what we think will be there, in fact, is not. But the hardest crossroads are the ones where the choice you make is so monumental, it takes you in a direction you may not be able to return from.

That is my crossroad.

Writing is a daily battle for me. I have noticed that many good authors I read have the exact same struggle. When God gives us words and a Call to share them, well, the enemy does all he can to discourage us and send us off-track.

However, recently, the attacks hit way to close to home. Encouragement I had become assured of from sources I had always relied on and trusted, suddenly disintegrated to dust. Plans which had been in the works for nearly a decade and actions progressing toward their end... dashed. HUGE things I had thought and come to rely on for over 20 years have suddenly been yanked away from me and thrown into the flaming pile of unbelief and confusion. I'm not even sure what I am looking at right now.

I promised raw truths on the blog in my most recent newsletter! Bet you didn't expect that.

I don't know what to do with the dust. Hence my crossroads. I picked up all the charcoaled cinders, crammed them into a bag and here I stand, holding my heavy load. Questioning. Wondering. What do you want me to do Lord? Not my will, but His alone.

In the midst of my contemplations God is sending little messages... which are often followed by another attack from the enemy. It is a cycle... at times it is crippling. One message, though, he sent as I have been reading "It's Not Suppose to Be This Way" by Lysa Terkeurst. I'm only on chapter 3 but so far she is striking every chord needed to hit just the right melody. I guess you could say, it is traveling music! My favorite part so far?

Dust.

Dust doesn't have to signify the end.

Dust is often what must be present for the new to begin.

She goes on to share how, Biblically, God does amazing things with dust. To begin with... he made man. In Isaiah and Jeremiah He speaks of us in terms of clay in the potter's hands... clay = dust + water. And Jesus used dust with a bit of spit to heal a man who was blind. Dust isn't merely a remnant of what was, rather, it is the base of what is to come.

I began to see how, standing at these crossroads holding a sack full of dust is actually a good thing. Suddenly I'm not mourning what I've been loosing, but rather, I'm beginning to anticipate, with deep curiosity, what God is planning if He has allowed hopes and dreams and plans to be scorched to dust like this.

My idea of what is good is nothing compared to His idea of what is better.

In the mean time, I'm meandering about the intersection, doing each next thing until I am certain which turn to take. At times I pause and contemplate some more. I believe, though, now that I am beginning to understand the purpose of my load of dust, it may be time to set it down... it isn't my load to carry, rather, it is the Lord's to take up and begin working with. I think I will put a tall pitcher of water there on the ground beside my sack as well, I have a feeling the potter's hands are preparing to work. I can't wait to see what He forms!

Do you have a sack of dust you are carrying today? I pray you can find a place to lay it down, with a pitcher of water, and step back to see what the Lord is planning to form.

Blessings,

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FMF: The Truth of SUCCESS

2019-09-27T16:54:00.000-06:00

"Oh, that's right, you're just a housewife..." those words have echoed in my mind for the past 20 years. Said by a "successful" restaurant owner my husband had done some contract work for at the time, this middle-aged man had his sites set on the tangibleness of a "job" being based in the money we make or the education applied. I smiled gracefully, though bruised inwardly. Here my husband and I sat, enjoying a rare dinner alone in this cozy lake side restaurant, soaking up the gorgeous mountain view, feeling complete in our roles as husband and wife, when Mr. Owner invited himself to sit with us and shoot the breeze on life and work and his pride in the newly remodeled oppulant restaurant we were dining in.

It was that moment which has become the pinpoint of my passion to BE more than just a housewife and make it known: we are not just anything.

When did success begin to hinge on the bank-roll or degree hanging on the wall? Who determined that raising children, caring for a home, and administering the plethora of dailies wasn't enough to "count" as viable work? Even now, after 27 years of caring for home and family, with my youngest peering into graduation and adult life, she isn't the only one being asked, "What are going to do after graduation." Only, for me, I'm having a hard time understand how my work just stops when her diploma is in hand.

Won't there still be floors to scrub? Laundry to wash? Dinners to cook? Life to manage? Is housewifery somehow lacking a key ingredient to be considered "success"? What if, for just a moment, everyone took a step back from the bustle of money and degree drives and actually saw and acknowledged where success starts.... it isn't at the teller counter as you cash in your paycheck, nor is it with college degree in hand.

Success starts in the home with women who have successfully nurtured their family and made the house somewhere people long and love to come back to.

***

She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women have done excellently,
    but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
    and let her works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:27-31

This has been a Five Minute Friday post, please visit link in text to see other great authors as they write about CHALLENGE!

Blessings,

When Marriage Peace is Broken

2019-09-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

Oh, where to begin? I have less than an hour to tap out these thoughts and so many to nail down.... ah, how about the beginning?!

Actually, that isn't so easy either since the "beginning" is sorta muddled up in all that has been flying about the place here. So let us just grab....

Summer offered a reprieve.

If you have been following me here or in the newsletter on on Instagram, you know what a bang-up year at has been... one of those trial by fire kinds!

The chaos of home gave way to health and relational issues this summer. But at least my repair budget had a rest.
Health of some family members, one of which called for me to take my first long-distance solo road-trip since before I was a mother of 4!
Relational as far as my "kids" (I use that term loosely since they are all adults or nearly so) having difficulties with special people in their lives... affecting me because mama is always near to help and encourage.

But we fared well.

School has started with a pretty good launch over all. Senior year. Just.wow.

And then... as if out of nowhere.... WHAM.

Ladies... it doesn't matter how long you have been married... don't take your husband for granted.

Words have power.

God used words to create all of existence and if we were created in His image than it stands to reason our words have power as well. We can create and destroy with them.

Cozy, I was, relieved that nothing new was breaking and all that had been fixed so far was working. We have money enough coming to get the furnace fixed just in time for cold weather BUT, even in these cozy reliefs, there was an undercurrent of fear brewing.

Fear which made its way into little corners of conversation with my husband, who is typically pretty chill about finances and trusting me to manage it all well. Yet, as each week passed and I lamented over just barely enough and we need the overtime so badly... inception happened and he snapped.

Maybe your worries aren't money. Maybe they are kids or schedules or managing it all... and I am not saying we can't vent on life's concern with our hubbies... we are in a partnership where an exchange of information is critical to keep the machinery of a healthy marriage oiled.

BUT

Yes, there is always a but... as precious and important as our spouses are, God is immeasurably more so.

My mistake was in taking the worry and ticking away at my husband with it. Oh, I didn't nag or complain at him, I wasn't frantic or bumbling... but I did fumble on in my fear without any glimpse of Trust.

What I should have done was pray. I promise, it isn't a cliche` statement. As these concerns mounted I should have been lifting them, from the heart, to God and TRUSTING Him to take control. As I collected my peace I could have then discussed my concerns with my husband from an angle of problem solving and resolution rather than unsettled fear and dissolution. We could then join our prayers, thanking God ahead of time for the work we know and trust He is doing, and peace could have been what reined in each and every conversation on the topic.

I know, there are likely many of you out there who will read this and feel relief in victory you have long since had over a problem like this one... or perhaps your husband is good and faithful to point you heavenward when your heart trembles... I praise God with you for such blessings as these.

But as for me... if I have learned anything this year... it is that it is time I wrote through the mess... sharing it as real and authentic me because I have a feeling that a good number of you struggle in similar ways. Whether it is trust because you are still figuring it out or trust because, like me, you know you should but you are in a really rough patch and you have grown weary... or perhaps your husband forgets to look up too. Mine went from secular to saved to... struggling just now. His heart is still with the Lord but, like me, I think he is overwhelmed by much right now.

Like I said, it is all sorta muddled up. But here is what I know I am suppose to share... the hard things I have been needing to remember:

1. Don't be continually dripping (Proverbs 27:15)
Yes, talk with your husband, go to him with concerns, depend on him... but if something is troubling you to the point that you are always discussing it or sneaking innuendos into discussions, it will eventually wear him down and the results will be much worse than the struggle.

2. Go to God first and find your confidence in Him (Proverbs 3:26)
Both you and your husband should always take your cares to the Lord first and foremost and then, with a heart lightened by Trust in God's handling of the situation, come to each other in a solutions-based Christ Confidence mindset... even if you don't have (and are far from) the answers!

I know what you might say: "But Amanda, my husband isn't going to the Lord so what can I do?" A quote which became my mantra last year might help:

Resolution One: I will follow the Lord

Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will

Your peace and trust in the Lord can be a blessing to your husband, even if he is not walking that same trust with you at the moment. I can testify on that!!

3. Your husband needs your respect (1 Peter 3)
If your family is struggling financially and you are always complaining about money or his pay not being enough... he will begin to feel like he isn't providing well for his family. It will cause job dissatisfaction along with other secondary impacts. The best path is to be realistic but positive about the finances and encourage him as a hard worker and supporter of the family.

Thank him often for working hard.
Thank him for his love and affection.
Thank him for his care for the children.
Do for him, even little things which can remind him of your love.

Don't wait till he does those things for you.... translation: Don't wait until he "deserves" it... after all, if Christ waited for us to "deserve" His sacrifice for us, we never would have gotten it. (Oh how glad I am He didn't wait!!)

4. Repent (Psalm 139:23-24)
EVERY argument between a couple has TWO parts... hers and his. Sometimes one part is bigger than the other, but there are always two. It could be you lost your cool and yelled, walling off all reasonable conversation after that point. It could be you had unreasonable expectations. It could be one of any number of things... some obvious and some, not so much so. We should speak up as wives and share our ideas and opinions BUT, at the end of the day, the Bible calls us to submit*... even when we are certain "our way" is better, God does have a plan and, like it or not, it pours through our husbands first. So, as hard as it might be, ask God to search you and then humbly submit whatever He shows you (and choke back your pride in order to apologize to your husband if it is needed).

I'm not saying this is the perfect recipe to absolute resolution... but it is a great start for finding peace with God, even if the peace in your marriage is shaken for the time being. I know. I am there right now!! So many other factors can and do come into play. As for now, it has taken a number of days to come to a place of peace with my situation BUT I do feel the presence of the Lord and I am certain He is doing a good work in all of this!

I pray you are enjoying a blissful marriage... but if you are not, you are not alone. Don't give up but do surrender, God has a good plan if you allow Him to work, especially in the mess.

Blessings,

* Please note, if you are in a physically abusive relationship you may possibly need to consider removing yourself from the situation while both of you seek professional help. Also, husbands should never ask their wives to do something illegal or unbiblical. Always follow God's Word first. And, finally, if your marriage has continued to suffer over a long period of time, you both may benefit from seeking counsel with your pastor or another trusted Christian counseling service to help with productive conflict resolution. The thoughts in this article are in no way meant to take the place of professional help when it is needed.

Five Minute Friday: Challenge

2019-09-21T12:23:00.000-06:00

As leaves begin their slow fade from luscious shades of green into hues of yellow, orange, red and brown, my soul feels the eclipse of time... the weight of yesterdays and shoulda-coulda-wouldas and change. My children, now grown, adults and nearly, puzzle and comment at the challenges and struggles they watch me face: "But isn't this degrading?"... the unspoken implication: why don't you quit... why do you allow such challenges when you could be happier, freer, more full of hope?

But God doesn't promise us a life devoid of challenge. As a matter of fact, both the Bible and church history are replete with examples of challenges, both small and large, faced by each devout follower. These same messages are often also full of inspiration as each challenged individual is strengthened, encouraged and, at times, even overcoming the walls which threaten to stand in their way.

Challenge.

It isn't the end, rather, it is a call to rise and grow and be strengthened.

The challenge for a leafing tree isn't letting go.... it is holding on when winter sets in, full of hope, and rising again. It can take strength to let go... but even more so does our strength and ambition grow when we rise to the challenge and keep going.

***

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete,

lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

This has been a Five Minute Friday post, please visit link in text to see other great authors as they write about CHALLENGE!

Blessings,