Sheri Graham

Winner of an Intentional Planner Premium Membership!

Sheri — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:19:33 +0000

Thank you to each of you who entered this giveaway! I have been hard at work behind the scenes finishing up some details on the new membership site. My goal is to have the new site ready to go by this weekend! So…watch for all those details soon! Remember, if you are an existing member of the Intentional Planner, your membership will transfer over to the new site as a “Basic” member. You can continue on as a “Basic” member, or upgrade to the “Premium” membership whenever you wish.

Ok…now for the winner….Congratulations to…

Valerie G. – valeriejgordon@….

Valerie, I will email you with all the details about your free membership.

Again, thanks for everyone who participated in the giveaway! Have a blessed day in the Lord!

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Friends, A free gift just for you...to bless you as you serve the Lord and your families. Click here to download your free copy of An excerpt from The Intentional Planner - a Contact List! This is a new form I just added to The Intentional Planner Members Page! Click here for more details on how you can become a member too!

These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

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Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Books I’ve Completed Recently

Sheri — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Writing out a list of the books that I want to read this year has really motivated me! I divided up the books by month and have begun to work through them.

I wanted to share a little about two books that I recently completed reading. They were both excellent and have given me a lot to think and pray on in my quest to simplify this year….

I really enjoyed this new book by Crystal Paine. Not only was I encouraged to seriously look at setting some goals to get completely out of debt, but she gave me some great ideas for decluttering my life. I LOVED this book!

This was another excellent book. It went a little more indepth on decluttering and simplifying, which is exactly what I needed right now. I look forward to using this book as a resource this year as I simplify our home and my life!

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I am now digging into a book by S. Truett Cathy called The Generosity Factor. So far it is excellent…can’t wait to finish it! Watch for that update later this month.

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Simplifying My Meal Planning {the plan}

Sheri — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Meal planning can be one of those things that causes a lot of stress in the home. There is nothing worse that having 4:00 p.m. roll around and have absolutely no idea what you are going to fix for dinner.

Years ago I began the weekly (and sometimes every 2 weeks) task of planning meals for the coming week. I would usually sit down on Thursday or Friday, plan out the meals for the next week, and make my grocery list of items we needed at the store. I would then go shopping Friday or Saturday and have all we needed for food for the coming week.

If you are needing some detailed help with menu planning, my Menu Planning ebook will take you by the hand and help you in creating your own menu plans for your family. You can check out that resource if you are needing some extra encouragement in that area.

What I am tackling this month in my quest to “Simplify” is how to better streamline my meal planning and make things simpler for me.

I am going to share what I have set up to “test run” this month. While this is not the only way you can simplify your meal planning, this is what I have decided to try. Feel free to give it a try too or come up with your own ways to simplify your meal planning.

Since I have gone to all the work of creating lists of meals my family loves, and have all the recipes in my Recipe Notebook, I decided that I was going to take those lists of meals and enter them into a calendar on my computer. I figured I had enough different meals to last a whole month, and then I could set up the meals to repeat every month or so. That way I would have all my menus planned out for me every month, and I would just need to print out the menus each week and make my grocery lists.

I was going to use Google Calendar to do this, but I didn’t like how the calendars printed. It wasn’t very useful the way the Google calendars printed and so I kept searching for another computer calendar option. After much searching, I ended up using Mozilla Thunderbird with the Lightning (calendar) Add-On. I LOVE it…and it’s free! It allows me to create a calendar for my menus so that I can enter in breakfast and dinner items for each day of the month. By repeating them, I have recurring menus each month!

If I find a new recipe that I want to add into the rotation, I can just switch out the recipe for one of my other ones for a while, or change the repeating option to every 2 months instead of every month.

I will post at the end of the month how this is working for me. So far it is working great. I have eliminated one step in my meal planning and made my life a little simpler.

Oh..one other detail that I forgot to mention. I like to have “pretty” menus to put on my refrigerator. Well, the calendar that prints from the Lightning program does not have any of my pretty graphics on them. So, here is my idea. I have some of those magnetic sheets that you can run through the printer. I am going to design a pretty border to go around the edge of the magnetic sheet, then I will cut out the inside of the page, creating a magnetic frame to put over my menu pages I print out. These will not only make the weekly menus pretty, but hold the pages onto the refrigerator without using ugly magnets!

How about you? Do you plan your menus weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly? Have you ever thought about creating a menu plan once that you can use over and over? I encourage you to look at this area of your life. If you are not menu planning at all, then that is the place to start. If you are menu planning, what are some things you can do to streamline this area of your life and make it simpler?

Happy meal planning!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

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Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Homemade Maple Syrup

Sheri — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I have been making homemade maple syrup for quite some time now and we love it! I have tried quite a few different maple syrup recipes over the years, and I keep coming back to this plain and simple one. We like it the best. It took us a while to get used to it, as the homemade syrup is runnier than store-bought syrup. But now we get grossed out whenever we have store-bought syrup and see how goopy it is. So…like I said, it does take some time to get used to the runnier consistency, but I definitely think it is worth it! Enjoy!

Homemade Maple Syrup

1 cup water

2 cups sugar (organic or raw sugar, or Sucanat)

1/2 teaspoon Mapeline (maple extract)

In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Boil for a minute or two while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add Mapeline. Stir well and allow to cool a little before serving.

I pour our syrup into a quart jar and then store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Love it!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Giveaway: One Premium Membership to the Brand New Intentional Planner Membership Site!

Sheri — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:59:32 +0000

I have been hard at work finishing up the details to launch the brand new Intentional Planner Membership Site! While I finish things up and get ready to launch the end of next week, I thought I’d do a giveaway!

I will be giving away one (1) Premium Membership to the brand new Intentional Planner Membership Site (a $67 value)! All current members will be transferred over to the new site as “Basic” members. Basic Membership includes access to all the planner download pages for a one-year term (same as it has always been).

However, the Premium Membership is a life-time membership and not only gives you access to the planner pages, but MUCH more!

The Premium Membership includes:

ALL the Intentional Planner download pages year after year
a ton of my homemaking ebooks (22 so far!)
audios on homemaking topics
videos on homemaking topics
Member Forum to discuss questions on homemaking or homeschooling

How YOU can enter to win this membership:

Simply leave a comment on this blog post, stating that you would like to be entered in the ebook giveaway. (Note: Facebook and Twitter readers will need to click through to my blog to leave a comment!)

All entries must be made by Tuesday night, February 7th. I will select the winner on Wednesday morning.

I will post the winner here on my site, and email the winner their membership information.

So…enter the giveaway today! Then watch the end of next week for my announcement launching the new site!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Simplifying our daily schedule {final update}

Sheri — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Since we are nearing the end of January, I wanted to give a final update on my quest this month to simplify our schedule.

Overall, I have been very pleased with how our days have gone. We still have a ways to go as we develop these daily habits, but we have made significant progress and for that I am very thankful! I have been able to get a lot more done and feel that I have been able to stay caught up on the housework. That is probably because I have been more disciplined in our chore time and having all the kids help .

I look forward to continuing to work on our schedule in the months ahead. I know it will take more time and that is ok.

Simplifying our daily schedule has not only allowed us to get more done and have more peace in our home, but it has also given me more opportunity to really love my kids. Before I would be frustrated from the beginning of the day, because we would start the day running behind and I was always having to push the kids to get going and do the next thing, etc., etc. There was no joy…no peace…and no love. Ouch. That hurts to admit that. But it is true. It is amazing to me what the Lord can do in my heart when I simply walk in obedience to Him. For me right now, that is looking at these areas of my life to simplify. And as I walk in obedience, He is bringing His peace and His joy…and His LOVE!

Thank you, Jesus, for your work in my life this past month. I pray that each of you reading here will sense God’s deep love for you…and His desire to see you walk in obedience as well.

What is God calling you to do? Are you doing it?

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Next month’s simplifying focus: Menu Planning!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

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Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Lotion Bars {a fun DIY project}

Sheri — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I am SO excited to share this recipe with you! I made it up based on several different recipes that I found online. I also used what I had…and that was coconut oil, cocoa butter, bees wax, and some vanilla fragrance oil. We LOVED how these bars turned out! I leave my little tupperware setting out and rub the lotion bar on my hands throughout the day. It has kept my poor cracking hands much softer and they smell SO good too! You really MUST give this a try!

LOTION BARS

2 oz. cocoa butter
2 oz. coconut oil
2 oz. bees wax
Scented fragrance oil or essential oil (add one drop at a time until desired fragrance) – I really like Warm Vanilla Sugar Fragrance Oil…smells oh so good!

Using a kitchen scale, measure out the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and bees wax and place in a saucepan. Warm on low to medium-low temperature stirring often until all the ingredients are melted. Stir in the essential oil or fragrance oil.

Allow to cool and thicken a little before pouring into molds. I lined the mold with some plastic wrap to prevent the bars from sticking in the molds.

Below is a picture of the mold I used. It was a soap mold that I bought when I was trying to make soap. When I made this recipe, I poured it into the 2 oval molds and it filled them up perfectly.

Once the bars are completely cool and hardened, remove and store in a tight container. As you can see in the picture at the beginning of this post, I store the lotion bar we are using in a small tupperware container. It works perfectly. You can store the extra bar in the plastic wrap you used in the molds until you need it.This recipe will make two 3 to 4-oz. lotion bars.

Helpful Hints:

You can find the cocoa butter, bees wax, and essential oils at Mountain Rose Herbs.

Coconut Oil can be found at your local Walmart.

Please note, that these lotion bars will get very soft (and maybe melt) in real warm weather. Keep them stored in a cool place! I would say when temperatures get above about 80 or 85 degrees, you may start having problems with the lotion bars getting soft.

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Changes to my Newsletter List

Sheri — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I just sent out this note to my Newsletter List and wanted to make my blog readers aware of these changes as well! Thank you for grace and understanding as I walk in obedience to what the Lord is showing me.

As I shared in the January newsletter, the Lord has me on a journey to “simplify” this year. One of the areas that I have been praying about is how to handle my monthly newsletter. After much prayer, I have come to the decision that I will be moving the content that I normally would have put together into articles for my newsletter list, over to my blog.

I still look forward to sharing with you my journey this year as I simplify a different area of my life each month. But instead of putting together articles each month, I will instead be blogging about this journey the Lord has me on.

Newsletters will only be sent out when I have a special announcement or new product to let you know about.

I invite you to subscribe to my blog, where I post on homemaking and homeschooling topics, as well as share recipes, product sales, freebies, etc.

I have already written a couple posts on simplifying my daily schedule. You can find them on my blog here: http://sherigraham.com/category/simplify-2012.

So…if you are not currently subscribed to my blog, click on the link above to head on over to my blog right now. You will see a button in the right sidebar to subscribe. You can either receive daily emails, or subscribe in your favorite reader. I pray you can join me as I blog what the Lord is doing in my life during this coming year.

Watch for an announcement coming real soon about the brand new Intentional Planner Membership Site! I am almost ready to launch! Yeah!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Simplifying our daily schedule {an update}

Sheri — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

As I shared previously, the Lord has impressed on me to simplify areas of my life this year. Each month I will be addressing a different area of my life and allowing the Lord to guide me in simplifying.

For January, I am SIMPLIFYING MY DAILY SCHEDULE. I thought I’d give an update on how that is going. Each week I am working on focusing on one more block of time in our day. I wonder sometimes if this is really simplifying our schedule, but in a way it is. We had gotten so lax in our schedule, that our days were a bit chaotic. Now that we have been getting back on a schedule the past two weeks, our days are running much more smoothly, the kids are happier, and we are getting more done! Yeah!

In my last post, I shared the blocks of time that we were working on so far. Today I’d like to share with you the rest of the time blocks for our day.

For the most part, this schedule has been working well. It has encouraged the kids to take control of their time. I am finding that they are enjoying their productive free time in the afternoon – doing activities that are worthwhile instead of just wasting away the day. They have enjoyed playing games together, playing Legos, building things with the Erector Set, feeding the birds, and more.

As our days seem to be falling into a rhythm, I am seeing my children’s love for learning grow. It is almost like before there was too much disorganization, discord, and lack of peace or something, that they could not sit and enjoy learning things. My oldest son who does not like to read much is thoroughly engrossed in the book he is reading. He read 5 chapters yesterday! Two of my younger children who are working on learning to read have taken off with their reading, asking to read “another page please” or “another lesson” almost every day recently.

I am so thankful to the Lord for the fruit I am seeing in my children. Since we have been following this daily schedule, it has given me more time to address the hearts of my children too. Before I was always rushed to go to the “next thing”, that I would be impatient and short with the kids, and fail to address their own bad attitudes {as well as my own} when they needed to be addressed. God is working and I am so thankful for this journey He has me on this year!

I will share our daily schedule below. Please understand that I am not saying that this schedule will work for everyone or that you should copy it necessarily. I just pray that my sharing will spur you on to seek the Lord for your own family and allow Him to help you develop your own daily schedule.

Our Daily Schedule:

8:30 am – Breakfast & Devotions

9-10 am – Chore Time (Bedroom & Cleaning Chores)

10-11:30 am – Table Time (Math, Writing, Spelling, Reading Instruction, etc.)

11:30-1:00 pm – Active Play Time (1/2 hour outside if possible) & Lunch

1-2:00 pm – Read-Aloud Time & Nap Time {for younger ones needing naps}

2-4:30 pm – Productive Free Time {mom-approved projects, learning activities in areas of interest, and play time}

4:30-5 pm – Pick-Up Time {Everyone does a quick pick-up of the house}

5-6 pm – Educational Movie Time while Mom fixes dinner {the kids can pick one of the history or science DVDs we have}

6 pm – Dinner

I will plan on doing some posts soon about some of these blocks of time {such as Productive Free Time} that you may not be familiar with. I have linked above to a post explaining what we do for our Read-Aloud Time, but I will try to do another post soon explaining what we do during some of these other blocks of time.

I pray that you are encouraged to look at your own schedule. Does it need some work? Do you even have a daily schedule? Seek the Lord today about what He would have you do!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Quick and Yummy Waffles and Pancakes

Sheri — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A while ago I found this recipe in a cookbook I have and I’ve been using it ever since! I wrote out the recipe on an index card and taped it on the inside of my kitchen cupboard door where I do my baking. This recipe makes the most delicious waffles and pancakes…and it is rather quick to mix up too! Give it a try!

QUICK AND YUMMY WAFFLES or PANCAKES

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups milk (I use whole milk)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

3 cups whole wheat flour (I use fresh-ground hard white)

1 tsp. sea salt

4 tsp. baking powder

Beat together eggs, milk, oil, and honey in bowl. Add in rest of ingredients and mix well with a whisk. Fry on hot griddle or make waffles in a waffle iron. Top with butter and homemade syrup (I’ll have to post that recipe too..real soon!), applesauce, or fresh fruit!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Organized Simplicity – Free Kindle Edition {Limited Time}

Sheri — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:44:12 +0000

In light of my goal for the year to “simplify”, I was so excited to see the Kindle edition of Organized Simplicity for FREE! I don’t know how long this will be available, so click on over and grab your copy today. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the free Kindle for PC software from Amazon so that you can view the ebook on your computer! Enjoy!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Simplifying my schedule

Sheri — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:07:49 +0000

The Lord has really been working in my heart at the beginning of this new year. Through various mediums, He has brought two words to the forefront. Two things that will be my focus this year: Simplify & Love!

I think at times we allow our lives to get so complicated and full and complex that it affects our ability to really love…really love our husbands, our children, our friends, the Lord Himself!

So…this coming year I am taking a different area of my life each month and allowing the Lord to show me how to simplify that area so that I can fully LOVE.

For January, I have chosen my daily schedule to simplify.

I have allowed our daily schedule to get a little out of hand…no set times to start anything…and it is time to do something about it. Part of the problem is that we took a long break over December and now it is time to get back into a schedule.

In the past I would chart out our days in tightly scheduled segments. Once we got off I would just get frustrated and give up. Not this time! I am approaching things a bit differently and with the Lord’s help we are making progress in getting some good habits in place.

Last week my focus was on getting the kids up and eating breakfast as 8:30, then getting our table time work done before lunch. That went pretty well, and now this week my focus is on adding a chore time block of time right after breakfast to get our cleaning chores done together. After our chore time, the next block of time is table time, which will take us up close to lunch time.

I have the rest of the day charted out as well, but my focus for now will be on these first few items. Next week I will add the next block of time, slowing adding more “markers” to our day, slowing instilling habits that I pray will make our days run smoother.

To to summarize, here are the blocks of time so far that we are working on:

8:30 am – Breakfast & Devotions

9-10 am – Chore Time (Bedroom & Cleaning Chores)

10-11:30 am – Table Time (Math, Writing, Spelling, Reading Instruction, etc.)

11:30-1:00 pm – Active Play Time (1/2 hour outside if possible) & Lunch

I am really looking forward to what God is going to do in me and in our family this coming year. I am beginning at the foundation…the very structure of our days…and from there will move on to other areas of our life in future months.

What about you? Is the Lord calling you to simplify? To look at areas of your life that need attention…so that you can really LOVE?

Look for more posts in the weeks to come where I will chronicle what the Lord is showing me and how it is working out in real life in our home.

Have a blessed day in the Lord!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

Sheri — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

This is my “go to” bread recipe that I make every single week! I can’t believe I haven’t shared it on my blog here yet. When I make bread each week, I usually make 4 loaves of bread and I use 1 loaf worth of dough to make a batch of hamburger buns. I love this recipe…it is so simple and the bread turns out wonderful each and every time. Enjoy!

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

(Makes 5 loaves of bread)

5 cups warm water
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablespoon salt, heaping (I use sea salt)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
10 cups flour (I use hard white wheat)
3 Tablespoons yeast
2+ cups additional flour, add as needed

Place ingredients into your heavy duty mixer (I have a Bosch and LOVE it!) in the order listed (except the 2 cups additional flour).

Knead on Speed 1, quickly adding in the additional flour until the dough pulls away from side of bowl. Then knead for 8 minutes on Speed 2.

Remove dough, divide into 5 loaves, and place in greased pans to rise. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm oven for about 30-45 minutes or until double in size (I turn the oven on for a few minutes to warm it up and then turn it off. I then place the bread pans in the oven with the oven light on to rise.) Don’t allow the bread to rise too long. When the bread starts to come above the top of the pans it is time to turn the oven on and start to bake the loaves. The loaves will continue to rise some as they bake, so don’t make the mistake of getting them as high as you want the finished loaf to be before starting to bake them!

When bread is done rising, remove towels covering pans, turn oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes or until tops and sides of bread are brown. Remove from pans and let cool completely before storing. This bread freezes well too!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Birthdays and Homeschooling

Sheri — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

One of the many benefits of homeschooling is that it allows you to live life with your children each day. Family life does not stop for “homeschooling”, but is a part of family life!

Today is my oldest son’s 13th birthday! Happy birthday Robert! We have a special day planned too. A couple years ago I started a little tradition on how we celebrate my kids’ birthdays. Three of my five children have their birthdays fall during the school year, the other two are during the summer months. I wanted their birthdays to be special and to be a day set apart just to celebrate their life.

So…here is what we do on birthdays…

* We take their birthday week off of school. (It just works out for our family that the three birthdays that fall during the school year are spread out enough that I just plan our school year with those weeks off. We take a shorter summer break so we can take more breaks through the school year.)

* The birthday child gets to choose what we have for breakfast on their birthday.

* The birthday child gets to choose what we have for dinner on their birthday.

* After the regular chores are done for the day, I allow the birthday child to decide on some fun activities for the day (favorite games, a favorite movie, going to the park, etc.

The kids have really had fun with this and I plan on continuing this special family tradition for years to come!

I’m off now to make my son’s favorite breakfast – breakfast burritos with homemade tortillas and scrambled eggs, sausage, and cheese!

Have a wonderful day!

_____________________

Update on Jaci Garver: They are transferring Jaci to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, NE today. Pray for rapid and complete healing! If you want to see all the updates on Jaci, I have been posting them on my facebook page. Friend me if you are not a friend and I will accept! Thanks so much for all your prayers and donations to help these dear friends of mine.

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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The Importance of Meal Planning

Sheri — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Meal planning is one of those areas that can really cause stress if it is not under control. We all know what it is like to have the evening hours creep up on us and not have a clue what we are going to fix for dinner. We either end up going out to eat, ordering out, or fixing something quick and easy that is not as good for us (like opening a can and heating it up!).

The good news is that it just takes a little bit of planning ahead of time and you can have this area of your life under control! Not only will your stress level go down, but you will save money, and eat healthier!

Follow these quick steps to get your meal planning under control:

1. Make a meals list! Get a piece of paper out and make a list of your family’s favorite meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Get your kids involved and let them tell you their favorite meals. Write them all down! Now that you have your lists in hand, you are ready to make a menu!

2. Make a menu! You can make your menus a week at a time, two weeks at a time, or a month at a time…whatever works best for you. Grab a blank calendar and choose meals from your meals lists for each day of the week (breakfasts, lunches, and dinners). Keep in mind if you have certain days of the week that are busier than others…plan easier meals for those days. Place your menus in a prominent place such as on the refrigerator so you can see it easily each day. Once you have your menus made up, you are ready to make your grocery list!

3. Make a grocery list! Take a look at the meals you have on your menus, look at the recipes (click here for instructions on making your own recipe book!), then make your grocery list based on what ingredients you need to buy.

4. Go shopping! Once you have your list in hand, go do your shopping! Come home, put your groceries away, resting in the fact that you are well prepared for the coming week.

5. Prepare the meals! Each day you simply need to check in the morning what meals are planned for that day, get any meat out of the freezer, etc. When the time comes to prepare the meals for the day, you will have everything you need!

I know this seems simplistic, but it really isn’t that hard! Follow these easy steps, and you will be well on your way to being organized in this area of your life!

If you need more help, check out my Menu Planning ebook which comes with details instructions and forms to get you started!

Happy meal planning!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

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Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Sheri’s Biscuits

Sheri — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

It has been a long week here and I appreciate your grace as I have made myself available to my friend and her family. I did want to get this post up that I had planned for today. We LOVE this biscuit recipe. It makes a big batch of biscuits too…enough for a meal for our large family. Enjoy!

SHERI’S BISCUITS

5 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
2/3 cups butter, softened
2 cups milk
additional flour as needed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In your Bosch or heavy duty mixer, add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Run the mixer for a bit to mix the dry ingredients up well.

Add in the softened butter and allow to mix until mixture resembles small crumbles (butter is distributed pretty evenly).

Add in milk and then more flour. Keep adding flour slowly until the dough does not stick to sides of bowl while mixing.

Allow to mix for a few minutes.

Remove dough from bowl and place on counter to roll out (I do not flour the counters at all. I find that the dough does not really stick too bad to the counter and using flour tends to dry out the dough and gives me more to clean up!) Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with cutter or glass.

Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for about 13 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

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Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Jaci Garver Fundraiser

Sheri — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:08:47 +0000

Will you join me in being Jesus’ hands and feet

to these dear friends of mine?

On Monday, January 2, 2012, my dear friend Jill and her daughter Jaci (both pictured above) were involved in a single car accident while on their way to go shopping. They blew a tire on their SUV, lost control, and rolled the vehicle multiple times. Jaci was ejected from the vehicle even though she was belted in. (Yes, I know the linked newspaper article says she was not seat belted, but she was.) The passenger side of the vehicle where Jaci was sitting was smashed in. She may not have survived the accident had she remained in her seat belt.

Jill suffered minor injuries. Jaci, however, suffered a closed head injury. It has been diagnosed as a difuse axonal injury and is similar to shaken baby syndrome. Jaci is still in surgical intensive care. Once she “wakes up”, she will be facing months of rehabilitation. They are tentatively planning on transferring her to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Nebraska – the “best” there is in treating traumatic head injuries – for one to two months of rehabilitation. Jill (and possibly her husband Troy as well) will be going with Jaci.

A fund has been set up at a local bank to help out with medical and living expenses during Jaci’s recovery.

I have known Troy and Jill and their four children for about 12 years and we used to live down the street from them. As a friend of the family, it has been difficult to stand by watching them go through this difficult time. Sometimes I have felt helpless to know what to do to relieve their burden. As I sought the Lord as to what I could do to help, He impressed on me to do a fundraiser right here on my website. All donations made through this donation button will be deposited into the fund set up at a local bank for Jaci.

Make a donation of any amount and

receive one of my ebooks free!

Here is how it will work:

1. Make a donation using the form below (Payments will be handled by Paypal, but you don’t have to have a Paypal account to donate.)

2. After making your payment through Paypal, contact me telling me which of my ebooks you would like. You may choose any of the ebooks in my eStore (except for The 12-Week Holiday Planner).

3. Once I receive your Paypal receipt and email, I will email you the ebook you requested.

Let’s join together as the body of Christ and help this precious family in need.

If you have been eyeing one of my ebooks, this would be the perfect time to bless this family and be blessed in return.

Donate any amount below!

$10
$25
$50
Other:

{If you are reading this via reader or in your email, please click here to go to my blog to donate. Thank you!}

Please lift up this family in your prayers. Pray for strength for Jill as she recovers from her own injuries, while at the same time trying to care for Jaci. Pray that the Lord would give Troy and Jill strength and grace during this difficult time. Pray above all that God would be glorified through this whole situation.

**Please feel free to share this post on Facebook,

Twitter, on blogs, in newsletters, etc.**

Help me spread the word! Grab the button in the sidebar to post on your blog!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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My Reading List for 2012

Sheri — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I love books. My family teases me about continuing to need more bookshelves! But one of my bad habits is to start quite an assortment of books – all at the same time – and never finish any of them! So this year things are going to be different. I made a list of all the books I want to read this year (I will most likely read more, but this is what I am starting with) and divided them up by month. I have 1-2 books to read for each month. If I get those read, then I can add in another one if I want. I am SO looking forward to actually completing these books this year. I thought I’d share my list with you. How about you? Do you have a list of books you want to read this year? Want to share?

Sheri’s Reading List for 2012:

NLT Chronological One Year Bible

Give Them Grace

Don’t Make Me Come Up There

Money Saving Mom’s Budget

The Generosity Factor

Empowering the Transfer of Moral Values and Faith

Educating the WholeHearted Child

Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl

Instructing a Child’s Heart

Radical

Heartfelt Discipline

Family-Driven Faith

Grace for the Good Girl

What He Must Be

The Resolution for Women

Raising Godly Tomatoes

One Thousand Gifts

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Planning for the New Year: My Blog & Newsletter & Websites

Sheri — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:13:10 +0000

Over the past week or so, I have been taking some time to do some praying about the New Year. What would the Lord have me do with my blog, with my newsletter, with my websites, etc.

As I have thought and prayed about the New Year, two words keep coming up…in my reading…in things I have listened to…in my Bible reading – and those two words are:

SIMPLIFY and LOVE!

I feel that the Lord is calling me to simplify my life so that I have the time to love as He wants me to…love my husband, my children, my friends, and most importantly my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! It is so easy for my life to get so complicated, so busy, so full of “stuff” that I forget to really LOVE. I don’t want to look back on these years with regrets. I want to live and love fully right here where God has me!

This does not mean that I am going to go away! I am just going to simplify some things regarding my blog, my newsletter, and my websites.

Here are my plans…

MY BLOG – While blogging does take time, I do feel that this is something that the Lord wants me to continue to do. For this coming year, I am going to simplify my blogging schedule to include: one homemaking post, one homeschooling post, and one recipe each week. Most likely there may be additional posts from time to time, but this will free me from feeling like I have to post every day. I really do look forward to this format and pray that my blog will continue to bless and encourage you in 2012!

MY NEWSLETTER – I have enjoyed taking the time each month to write a little more indepth about various topics. I will continue to send out a newsletter at the beginning of each month. Each newsletter will be a downloadable PDF file that will make it easy for you to save, print and take along with you or place in a notebook. I am so excited about the topic I have chosen for this coming year: SIMPLIFY! Each month I will be looking at one aspect of homemaking, such as meal planning, laundry, cleaning, schedules, etc., and will share what I am doing in that area to simplify my life. I look forward to what God is going to do in my own life as I seek to simplify these different areas of my life.

If you have not joined my newsletter list, you can do so by entering your email address in the subscribe box in the top right sidebar here on my site. You will want to join now, as I will be addressing what God is showing me about the theme He has chosen for me for the coming year: SIMPLIFY and LOVE. This will be giving a foundation for the rest of the monthly newsletters for the year that will be addressing specific areas of my life. Will you join me?

MY WEBSITES – The only change for this coming year (that I forsee right now anyway!) is the addition of The Intentional Planner Membership Site! I am SO excited about this and can’t wait to get everything done so that I can open the doors to you! Watch for more details coming in January…hopefully! This is a HUGE project for me and one that will be ongoing as I continue to add ebooks, audios, and videos to the membership area. While this year I am focusing on simplifying, I really feel that this membership site will be a way to more easily offer the needed homemaking help to you in a way that is easily accessible and convenient. It will definitely be worth the price to have access to not only the Intentional Planner download pages, but a huge list of other resources as well. I would covet your prayers as I get this membership website ready to launch.

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I want to personally thank each of you, my readers, for your words of encouragement this past year. YOU are a blessing to me and the reason that the Lord has me here in this little place on the web. I look forward to serving you in the coming year and pray that your year will be blessed as you seek to be all He wants you to be! Have a blessed weekend!

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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Merry Christmas and Some Updates for the New Year!

Sheri — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:00:11 +0000

First of all I want to thank each of you for making this year a wonderful year! You have blessed me with your words of encouragement that mean so much to me. You all know how our lives can be so busy and full…and for me making the time to keep up with my blog, my newsletter, my websites, and writing new ebooks…well, it has been a challenge. But I know that I am doing what the Lord has called me to do…and I thank you for your grace as I simply seek to obey Him.

This will be my last post for the year. I am going to take a bit of a break, but will be back on January 2nd! So…I wish each of you a very blessed Christmas. May your times together with family be special and meaningful, as you celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Before I close out this post, I wanted to touch on a few items for the new year. I am excited to see what God has in store! I have some exciting announcements to make but will only briefly touch on them here. Watch for more details coming after the first of the year. Ok…here are some updates for you…

Subscribing to my blog vs. Subscribing to my newsletter list
I have had quite a few people get confused, thinking that because they signed up for my newsletter list that they should be getting my blog posts in their email. I am sorry that this has been confusing and I should have made it more clear here on my site. To clarify, these two things are totally different. You can sign up for my newsletter list in the top right sidebar. I usually send out a newsletter at the beginning of the month, along with various emails throughout the month if needed. You can also subscribe to my blog posts (via email or RSS feed). I put a separate button in the right sidebar that you can click to subscribe to my blog. I hope that helps to differentiate between the two!

Brand New Intentional Planner Membership Site Coming Soon!

For the past several months, I have been busy working behind the scenes on a brand new Intentional Planner Membership Site! Existing members will be transferred over (as Basic Members) and will have the same access to all the downloadable planner files as before, with your membership expiring 1 year from purchase date.

But here is what I am so excited about! I am going to be offering an additional Premium Membership option which will include, for a one-time fee, life-time membership, access to all the planner downloads, free ebooks, free audios, and an interactive forum! Premium Members will have access to all this plus any additional ebooks, audios, etc. that I will be adding to this site as I get more resources completed. You will be able to keep your existing (yearly) Basic Membership or upgrade to the Premium Membership if you wish.

I am still loading goodies into the membership site and putting some finishing touches on it. It is going to be an amazing site! My goal is for this site to be your home organization go-to site for all the resources you need to organize your home. Watch for all the details coming in January!

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Merry Christmas from our home to yours,

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These "gifts" will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Sheri Graham to subscribe. Thank you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Click here to check out our ebooks on homemaking and homeschooling!

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